iOS 8: the nine best features to try out once you download the iPhone and iPad update

1. Name, mute or leave a group conversation

For any messaging conversation with more than two participants you can now name it, mute it, share your location (great for arranging a meeting) or leave it altogether. Simply click ‘details’ in the top corner of the conversation for the new options.

2. Get Siri to identify a song

Shazam’s been doing this for a while but now song identification is built into Apple’s personal assistant. Simply ask “What song is playing?” and Siri will answer – including giving users an option to buy the track. You can also activate Siri without clicking the home screen - just say 'Hey, Siri!'.

3. Use a search engine that doesn't track you

DuckDuckGo has long been the search engine of choice for the privacy conscious. It has everything you'd expect - news, images, videos - but doesn't track your searches to create a user profile to sell to advertisers. Now you can make DuckDuckGo the default search choice in Safari

4. Turn on your iPhone’s ‘distress signal’

‘Find My iPhone’ is a fantastic feature that allows you to locate, lock or wipe your device if it get’s lost or stolen (go Settings > iCloud to turn it on), but in iOS 8 there’s a new option to ‘Send Last Location’  - an iPhone distress signal that’s sent out to your iCloud account when the battery’s about to run out.

5. Take a time lapse video

Third party apps have done this for a while but now time lapse is built into the camera. Just swipe to the far left on the camera-mode dial and set the exposure. There’s also (finally) a self-timer for three or 10 seconds and new exposure options for changing how bright a picture looks.

6. Dictate a message in real time

The new Talk-to-Type mode on the keyboard (that little microphone icon) now works live and is even more accurate than before. If you’ve not tried it before it’s worth a go (though isn’t much fun to use in public).

7. Install a new keyboard

With iOS 8 Apple is finally opening up the keyboard to third-party options. Although the company is also greatly improving its own offering (which will now have context-sensitive word suggestions) it’s worth downloading SwiftKey from the App Store - the best independent mobile keyboard on the market.

Other third-party keyboards include Emoji and Gif options.

8. See which apps are draining your battery

Battery life is a constant worry with smartphones, but now the iPhone lets you see which apps are the worst offenders when it comes to using up battery (find it in Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage).

9. Take a call on your tablet

If you’ve installed iOS 8 on your iPad and it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone then – voila – you can take calls on your iPad. When your phone rings a notification will flash up on your tablet and just pick up as you would a Skype call.

The feature will also be available on Mac computers with the upcoming OS X Yosemite update.

Courtesy: The Independent UK

Apple unveils watch, larger iPhones in bid to retake innovation crown

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an Apple event announcing the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. 
CREDIT: REUTERS

(Reuters) - Apple Inc unveiled a watch, two larger iPhones and a mobile payments service on Tuesday as Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook seeks to revive the technology company's reputation as a wellspring of innovation.

The first new product to be developed and introduced under Cook's reign is a timepiece tethered to the iPhone that will combine health and fitness tracking with communications. It will price at $349 and go on sale in early 2015.

First impressions were mixed. Some expected Apple to blow away the current competition but others warned the fact that it requires a paired iPhone may limit its sales.

Starting at $349 - $50 more than the cheapest version of the iPhone 6 with a contract, the lofty price tag may also keep some consumers on the sidelines. It could go up to more than $1,000 for higher-end editions, IDC analyst Danielle Levitas said.

The Apple Watch can receive phone calls and messages, play music, serve as a digital wallet to pay for goods and monitor heart rates via special sensors. The watches will come in three collections, including a sport edition and an upscale line coated in 18-karat gold.

Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President at Apple Inc., speaks about the iPhone 6 (foreground) and the iPhone 6 Plus during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. 
CREDIT: REUTERS

"People are kind of scratching their heads on this watch, especially the fact that to successfully use the watch and to take advantage of its capabilities, you also have to have an iPhone," said Daniel Morgan, vice president at Synovus Trust Company in Atlanta. "I don't know if they're in the right direction with this iWatch."

Still, rival watch and wearable device makers will keep a wary eye on Apple, which upended the music industry and drove once-dominant phone makers like Blackberry to the brink of extinction.

Sony Corp, Samsung, LG Electronics Inc and Qualcomm Inc have already launched smartwatches, albeit without much success.

An Apple Watch is shown during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. 
CREDIT: REUTERS

“Not the knockout some were anticipating. A bit gimmicky also on the health end of the wearable bands market," said Jon Cox, an analyst of Swiss watch companies at brokerage Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich.

"Not as cool as I feared. Nick Hayek is probably sleeping a little easier tonight,” Cox said, referring to the chief executive of Swatch Group.

Shares of the company closed just a tad higher after having risen almost 5 percent before executives trotted out the watch. The stock tends to rise in the run-up to a major product launch, and come under selling pressure afterward as investors cash out.

BUY WITH BIGGER PHONES

The watch is unlikely to increase Apple's top-line. Estimates vary but IDC expects total global demand of 42 million smartwatches in 2015. Apple sells that many or more iPhones in a good quarter.

But the pressure was on for the world's largest tech company to wow on Tuesday, after a years-long drought of products beyond new iPhones and iPads. The prospect of a new gadget attracted a broader swathe of attendees than usual, with celebrities, fashion industry editors and even healthcare executives rounding out the mostly tech-industry crowd.

In a rare move, Apple had planned on livecasting its entire event online, with a simultaneous translation in Chinese. But the livestream went down about a half-hour in, prompting many users to take to Twitter to express their frustrations.

Also on Tuesday, the company took the wraps off a larger, 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. They will support more than 200 telecoms carriers worldwide, including all three in China - a key growth market for the company.

And it introduced a new mobile payments service dubbed "Apple Pay." Each phone will come equipped with its new payments service, which launches in the United States next month and allows users to pay for items in stores with their phones instead of physically presenting their credit or debit cards.

Launch partners include Walt Disney Co, McDonald's and Whole Foods. The move gives Apple access to a trove of data on how consumers shop in brick and mortar stores, where more than 90 percent of U.S. retail sales are still conducted.

Each new iPhone will come with a "secure element" chip and a near-field communications, or NFC, antenna.

Ben Milne, CEO of Internet payment network Dwolla, wanted to hear a lot more about how Apple will tackle the aging payments infrastructure. Apple Pay should get some level of mass adoption based on the number of iPhones out there, but Apple will have to tackle the current high costs of payment processing to make its new feature more widespread, he said.

"The old architecture that payments is driven on is not up to snuff for the future they want to build," Milne said.

called from Reuters

Apple's Car Play: More Car Brands Added to List

Apple's Car Play: More Car Brands Added to List

Apple has quietly added nine additional automobile manufacturers to its list of brands supporting CarPlay, according to Mashable. 

The report reveals that, "included in the brand update are Jeep, Mazda, Ram, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat. The unannounced change were spotted byRe/code on Tuesday. Previously announced automakers supporting Apple CarPlay included BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissa, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.

First revealed back in March, CarPlay gives the user a hands-free, voice operated in-car system allowing you to use Siri, view maps, play music and send messages, all while interacting with an interface that is visually similar to iOS. 
According to Apple, the system will be available in select automobile models later this year."


Source: Mashables

OAU Launches First Online Degree in Nigeria

OAU Launches First Online Degree in Nigeria

 

Obafemi Awolowo University  seem to be taking a huge step as it breaks new ground in the nation's educational system. For the first time in the history of the Nigerian school system, the university under its Center for Distance Learning program is deploying e-learning technology to launch its online degree program. The university is now accepting online application for its online degree program. According to the OAU CDL site, the university is offering three online degree which include, Bachelor's Degree in Education, Bachelor's Degree in Nursing Science, and Bachelor's Degree in Accounting.

So, whats the advantage?

• Every student gets preloaded and customized tablet with course materials and serves more or less like your classroom.
• You get access to the same lectures and assignments just like regular students. 
• Ultimately you get the same recognized certificate just as regular students.

According to report, what OAU CDL has done is to help reduce the problem of access to an average Nigerian, given that out of the 1.6 million Nigerians that take Jamb every year, up to 70% to 80% is being turned down. Not because they are not qualify nor because the university don't want them, but simply because there is no room for them on campuses. 

This is no doubt a great idea and a huge opportunity for a large number of Nigerian students that is being denied of admission yearly.

However, the question is will the "average Nigerian" be able to afford it? Findingsreveal that the program cost at least N264, 000.00 for fresh students and N181, 500.00 for returning students. The online program is said to run just like the regular on campus degree program except for the mode of study which of course is online. This simply means that online students will spend 4 years and will have to pay at least N1, 534, 500 for the duration of the program, provided there is no increment. 

Considering Wikipedia report on Population below poverty line which is 54.98% (2009 est.), this then raises the question, can the "average Nigerian" afford the online program?

Aside that challenge, deploying the technology of e-learning, the 70% to 80% will no doubt drop drastically. Take for instance the deployment of technology in seating for JAMB has resulted to hastening the marking processes and in turn candidates get their result within a week. Unlike 10 years ago where you have to wait for months.

Innovative sleek electric bike

Innovative sleek electric bike

A team of designers in Seattle are building a bike that could be your new best option for navigating busy city streets. Called the Denny, the bike concept includes a number of clever features that make it a bit more useful than your average two-wheeler. Not only does it have a removable electric motor to give you a bit of a boost, as well as automatic gear shifting, but its detachable handlebar doubles as a lock, so you never have to worry about bringing one along.

The bike also includes a surprisingly robust lighting set-up: there are integrated turn signals and head and brake lights, as well as smart, reactive lights that turn on based on the lighting outside. "The Denny bike is about returning the rider (and ourselves) to those early days of carefree riding," explain the creators, "when cycling was just about ‘get up and go' freedom; the reason we all fell in love with bikes in the first place."

Whether or not the bike ever makes it to production remains to be seen. Right now it's just a prototype, and the Denny is one of five entries in the Oregon Manifest bike design project, which tasks designers from cities across the US to build their own take on a bike of the future. A concept out of New York features a built-in USB charging station, for instance, while a prototype from Portland has a 3D printed titanium frame. You can vote on your favorite, and the winning design will be manufactured by Fuji Bikes, for an expected retail debut in 2015.

This article was culled from theverge

Do I Need Antivirus Software?

These days, most people are aware enough about the dangers on the Internet to know that there are viruses and antivirus software protects against them. But people often fall into the trap of thinking they know better than to fall for some of the tricks and traps attackers use and wonder, “Do I really need antivirus?” The fact is you need antivirus because it’s a very dangerous world online and you can do everything right and still find your system compromised, and your personal information stolen, if you don’t have adequate protections.

Some people think that they can recognize spam and phishing emails and know not to open them. Or maybe they think that people only get computer viruses if they go to illegal sites (like file sharing sites) or illicit ones (like online porn sites). Being smart online will help protect you and your information, but vulnerabilities are found in software and websites all the time. Even if you’re only going to reputable sites, it’s still possible that you could find yourself with malware on your system.

Another argument people make against antivirus is that they’re not using a Windows PC and so they’re not at risk. Nothing could be further from the truth. Increasingly, attackers are targeting the Mac with Trojan horses and other malware focused on stealing personal information. And in the past year, over 350,000 pieces of malware were found on the Android mobile platform. You shouldn’t think of viruses, malware and attacks as a problem specific to what you use to access the Internet; you should think of them as a pervasive problem across the Internet itself. Anything you use that connects to the Internet should have some kind of antivirus security.

The type of user you are also affects what kinds of risks you’re exposed to. Avid social networkers may be more exposed to privacy risks, while a busy executive may risk losing company data on his smartphone. While many software vendors build some security directly into their products, paid security solutions offer more layers of protection, plus features specific to your Internet activity such as social networking, kids’ online safety and the like, and so are worth evaluating. In today’s Internet world where Web threats are pervasive across nearly all devices that connect to it, and good computing practices aren’t sufficient to completely protect yourself, there’s really no reason not to go out and get yourself some form of antivirus or security software. If nothing else, because infected computer systems are a risk to others, if you don’t do it for yourself, do it for the rest of us.

Google Glass founder heads to Amazon, Report.

Google Glass founder heads to Amazon, Report.

Report from Engadget has revealed that "the optics savant that helped Google create Glass has just announced that he's "super excited" to be joining Amazon. Babak Parvis was one of the original members of Google's Project X skunkworks lab, and the first head of the Glass project team. 

Prior to that, the Seattle resident was a researcher at the University of Washington where he developed the first contact lenses with integrated circuits. Later, he worked with Microsoft on research for blood-glucose monitoring contacts with Microsoft, a project he eventually brought to Google. 

Parvis didn't say exactly what he'd be doing with Amazon, but projects like Google's Tango, the Oculus Rift and Amazon's new Fire phone and Firefly app have made optics designers a hot commodity. Meanwhile, Glass is well past the research stage where Parvis shined, so Google now has design guru Ivy Ross in charge for a likely consumer launch."

DigitalTrends: Planes can be hacked using on-board Wi-Fi, security researcher says

DigitalTrends: Planes can be hacked using on-board Wi-Fi, security researcher says

A cybersecurity consultant by the name of Ruben Santamarta says that airplanes can be hacked through on-board Wi-Fi Internet service and in-flight entertainment systems,Reuters reports. Santamarta works for IOActive, an Internet security firm.

Santamarta claims that his method could allow a hacker to infiltrate a plane’s avionics systems. This would give the perpetrator the chance to disrupt navigation, communication, and security systems as well. Santamarta will be giving a talk on his discoveries in this area at the BlackHat 2014 conference this week.“These devices are wide open,” Santamarta said when speaking to Reuters. “The goal of this talk is to help change that situation.”It’s worth noting that Santamarta tested this in a controlled environment, at IOActive’s facility in Madrid.
Santamarta focused his theories, methods, and tests around Aviation 700, an aircraft satellite communications system built by a company called Cobham. At least one Cobham rep expressed doubt as to whether Santamarta’s hacking methods could be pulled off in a real world situation, stating that a hacker would need to get physical access to the hardware in order to be successful.“In the aviation and maritime markets we serve, there are strict requirements restricting such access to authorized personnel only,” Cobham rep Greg Caires said.
It will be interesting to see whether Santamarta’s presentation will touch off a firestorm of concern and/or reform concerning aircraft safety measures and security, or whether his findings will be dismissed by the industry. Either way, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.

This article was culled from Digitaltrends

CopaShun App Makes a Come-back with a beautiful Interface & Change of Name

CopaShun App Makes a Come-back with a beautiful Interface & Change of Name

Emdee Tiamiyu, formally a corps member, who developed an app which was meant to "Put NYSC in the pocket of every corps member." Of course, back then it was a great idea but the user experience was not cool enough and the interface was a bit scruffy! As a matter of fact, at a point you can't even find it on nexva app store where it used to be.

Before

Fast forward 7 months after, guess what? The app has got a new look, a new name, and a few new team members. The team has proved "hey, work has been in progress." The app is now available on Android and Windows. Though it was said on the website that the app is also available on iOS and BlackBerry, the link leads to nowhere as at the time of writing this report.

After

The speculations at the beginning was that the app will be attractive a enough for multinational companies to create interest in it and make a deal, but the case here is far from it. 

However, the app appears to now belong to the NYSC Scheme Officially. The following indications point to it. 

Firstly, the developers website link on Google Play Store leads to the official NYSC site.

Secondly, the developer, Emdee Tiamiyu, appears to have being absorbed into NYSC as a member of the ICT team. 

Try out the app and share your thoughts below.

Apple Said to Team With Visa, MasterCard on IPhone Wallet

Apple Inc. (AAPL) plans to turn its next iPhone into a mobile wallet through a partnership with major payment networks, banks and retailers, according a person familiar with the situation.

The agreement includes Visa Inc. (V), MasterCard Inc. (MA) andAmerican Express Co. (AXP) and will be unveiled on Sept. 9 along with the next iPhone, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.
The new iPhone will make mobile payment easier by including a near-field communication chip for the first time, the person said. That advancement along with Touch ID, a fingerprint recognition reader that debuted on the most recent iPhone, will allow consumers to securely pay for items in a store with the touch of a finger.

Apple event plans set off annual late summer product buzz

Speculation abounds that Apple will announce the iPhone 6 and a wearable device

by Agam Shah

Apple sent out invitations Thursday to the press for an event Sept. 9, confirming persistent rumors that the company would continue what has become an annual late summer industry rite and setting off a new round of speculation that it will announce the iPhone 6.

The invitation itself provides no hint about possible new products, following another Apple tradition of keeping such news under wraps until the event, which is set for 10 a.m. Pacific Time at the Flint Center for Performing Arts at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.

"Wish we could say more," the invitation says.

Rumors have been making the rounds for sometime that Apple will announce an iPhone with a larger 5.5-inch screen. At an event around the same time last year, Apple launched the iPhone 5S, which made waves as the first iPhone with a 64-bit processor.

In addition to a faster processor, any new iPhone will probably have a stronger screen made of durable material called "Sapphire."

There are also been reports circulating that Apple will launch a wearable device, possibly the long-rumored iWatch. New iPads may also be part of the event.