Outsmart Traffic With WAZE
This smart phone GPS application proves that crowd sourced navigation is working and it’s getting better.
At its core, Waze gives you voice-enabled GPS directions on your iOS or Android device. Best of all, it’s FREE. It’s still not perfect, but if you’re willing to trade a little routing efficiency for features you can’t find on other navigation apps, like real world travel times and up-to-the-minute, user-reported traffic jams, Waze is definitely worth checking out.
Here’s how it works:
Waze connects you to other drivers automatically (and anonymously) in the background. The app then pools data from everyone and channels it into more efficient, time-saving routing algorithms based on real-world trip data from other users, not just what the map data infers. This is essentially what TomTom does with its long-standing IQ Routes feature, but until Waze came along, we hadn’t seen it on a free phone app. On the display, cute little icons show you where other Waze users are as you drive.
Waze also knows that even if a route is technically shorter, you could still end up taking just as long as you would via the longer way on the highway, because of all the traffic lights. I had several instances where Waze nailed the ETA in actuality; whereas my Garmin’s GPS guessed I’d arriv earlier, only to adjust itself as the trip went on to eventually match what Waze had said all along.
Performance, Incident Reporting, and Conclusions
While en route, Waze doesn’t display the current road speed limit, and there’s no 2D or 3D lane assistance like on newer Garmin and factory supplied navigation systems. On the plus side, the colorful, animated traffic icons showing the current status and delay times looked very sharp on the map. Real-time traffic alerts worked well, and provided plenty of options throughout my trip.
Tap the exclamation point on the bottom right, and it will pop up nine icons to report an accident, police activity, heavy traffic, and other road hazards. In landscape mode, it will only show six icons, though; you need to scroll to the right to see the other three. Still, this is where Waze really shines; the app popped up plenty of real-time traffic alerts during a recent trip to northern Vermont and back. And on one leg of our trip, Waze popped up an alert that there was police activity coming up 400 feet ahead. And there was! There was a state police car at the side of the road with its lights on. Waze prompted me to either give it a thumbs up (meaning the report was correct), tell it that it was close but not exact, or tell it that there was in fact no police vehicle present.
The voice prompts were understandable, and the fact that it works via blue tooth helped greatly with low volume concerns. I also didn’t hear any pronunciation gaffes with Waze like I experience with my Garmin Nuvi.
Bottom Line:
If you want turn by turn, voice prompted navigation with real time traffic alerts, gas prices and hazard reporting – all for FREE – WAZE is the answer. Remember – this is a crowd sourced application so the more you put into it, the better it will become. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
Bogus IRS Emails Swamp The Internet
The deadline for filing federal taxes was yesterday and Massachusetts residents have today as an extra day to file their state taxes, but cybercriminals impersonating the IRS in e-mail scams designed to steal your tax refund are just getting warmed up.
An estimated 95% of the e-mail moving across the Internet in the last three months — and purporting to come from IRS.gov — was fraudulent, according to results of an e-mail traffic survey supplied exclusively to USA TODAY.
Just like the sun rises in east and sets in the west, every year, come April, phishers who specialize in tax fraud come out to try to get you.
What’s more, cyber security experts warn that e-mail messages crafted to look like official IRS inquiries, but designed to steal personal information and reroute tax refunds to accounts controlled by organized theft rings, will continue at a high rate through May and June.
They’ll send an e-mail confirming they’ve received your tax return and need more information or that your online tax payment has been rejected and you need to log in and respond immediately.
Cybercriminals are well-versed in local, state and federal tax rules throughout the U.S. and in other nations. They use bogus forms that look authentic in order to trick a victim into divulging log-on credentials for tax authority websites and bank accounts. Or they’ll entice the victim into clicking a malicious attachment or Web link that turns control over to the attacker.
Tax scammers can find out if a tax return has already been filed, note the refund amount and modify where the refund should be sent. If the opportunity arises, they’ll file a faked return and route the refund into their hands.
Part of the reason bogus IRS e-mail continues to swamp the Internet this time of year is because the agency has not yet adopted a year-old technical standard called DMARC, an acronym for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance.
DMARC standardizes how major online companies, such as Facebook and Netflix, prove the authenticity of legitimate e-mail sent to customers. Major Internet Service Providers as well as the major providers of free Web mail — Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and AOL — all support DMARC.
Any “phisher” that attempts to send a bogus Facebook or Netflix e-mail that uses the free e-mail services or ISPs supporting DMARC, gets blocked. DMARC has been lobbying the IRS to adopt the standard stating that companies and organizations need to take a proactive approach to protect their consumers from phishing attacks by implementing the DMARC standard. Until that happens, these types of attacks will continue to occur.
Remember the IRS will not attempt to contact you via email. Always verify the authenticity of the “sender” of any email request before complying and potentially opening yourself up to identity theft.
Google Chrome Using Reputation To Detect Malicious Downloads
Google Chrome is using data about websites, IP addresses, and domains to detect 99 percent of malicious executables downloaded by users — outperforming antivirus and URL-reputation services
The system, known as Content Agnostic Malware Protection (CAMP), triages up to 70 percent of executable files on a user’s system, sending attributes of the remaining files that are not known to be benign or malicious to an online service for analysis.
While Chrome’s system uses a blacklist and whitelist on the user’s computer to initially detect known good or bad files, the CAMP service uses a number of other characteristics, including the download URL, the Internet address of the server providing the download, the referrer URL, and any certificates attached to the download.
CAMP bridges the gap between blacklists and whitelists by augmenting both approaches with a reputation system that is applied to unknown content. The approach should improve the security of Google Chrome users because it’s interfering with one of the primary ways that cybercriminals attempt to infect systems.
Google’s own real-world test — deploying the system to 200 million Chrome users over six months — found that CAMP could detect 98.6 percent of malware flagged by a virtual-machine-based analysis platform. In addition, it detected some 5 million malicious files every month that had escaped detection by other solutions.
In many ways, CAMP is an answer to Microsoft’s SmartScreen, a technology that Microsoft built into its Internet Explorer and the latest version of its operating system, Windows 8. SmartScreen is largely responsible for Internet Explorer 8′s and 9′s superior performance in blocking malicious downloads. Yet SmartScreen has worried some privacy-conscious users because it sends characteristics of every file it evaluates to Microsoft’s servers.
Unlike Microsoft’s solution, CAMP attempts to detect locally whether any downloaded file is malicious, before passing characteristics of the file to its server-based analysis system. First, the system checks the binary against a blacklist — in this case, Google’s Safe Browsing API. If that check doesn’t returns a positive result, and if the file has the potential to be malicious, CAMP will check a whitelist to see whether the binary is a known good file.
The CAMP service renders a reputation — benign, malicious, or unknown — for a file based on the information provided by the client and reputation data measure during certain time windows, including daily, weekly, and quarterly measurements. Information about the download URL, the Internet address of the download server, any referrer information, the size and hash value of the download, and any certificates used to sign the file are sent to Google to calculate a reputation score.
CAMP’s 99-percent success rate surpassed four antivirus products, which individually detected at most only 25 percent of the malicious files and collectively detected about 40 percent (Google has chosen NOT to mention the Antivirus products tested). Other detection services — such as McAfee’s SiteAdvisor, Symantec’s Safe Web, and Google’s own Safe Browsing — fared even worse, detecting at most only 11 percent of the URLs from which malicious files were downloaded.
The relevance of this solution may be limited to consumers and small businesses. While the Google Chrome results are impressive, most companies should not be allowing employees to download and run executables anyway. The weakest link in security protection is the end user!
Windows 8 Replacement Leaked
Windows Blue – the NEXT big thing?
After an abundance of rumors we now have concrete evidence of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Blue operating system. The leak of “Windows Build 9364″ appeared Sunday morning and news of the leak blazed across the internet like wildfire. Although Microsoft hasn’t issued a formal statement about the leak, it’s been reported by many industry news sources such as PC World, C-Net and numerous blogs and forums.
From the information currently available, here are what’s expected to be the 10 coolest features (and hints of new features) buried deep inside this build of Windows.
1. Half-screen app snapping
Windows 8′s ability to “Snap” an app to the side of the screen while another runs beside it gives the OS multitasking that Android and iOS just can’t match. The Windows Blue leak adds a 50/50 snapping option that should’ve been available from the get-go. Being able to dedicate half your screen to two separate apps makes the Snap feature much more useful for day-to-day app-based activities. (The old 75/25 split is still available if you prefer it, though.)
2. The rise of modern User Interface PC settings
One of the worst flaws of Windows 8 is the way it splits crucial settings options between the traditional desktop Control Panel and the modern-style PC Settings found in the Settings charm. Windows Blue fixes this with its vastly expanded PC Settings, which now contain many of the options hidden within the Control Panel.
Windows Build 9364′s PC Settings now let you fiddle with default apps, resolutions, networking details, and a whole lot more—including a new SkyDrive section.
3. Super SkyDrive
The modern-style SkyDrive app is not the same as the desktop SkyDrive app. That difference is glaring in Windows 8, where the modern-style app can only access files previously stored in your SkyDrive—it has no ability whatsoever to sync new files to the cloud. That may change with Windows Blue.
Hidden under the new SkyDrive section of the PC Settings is a Files submenu that hints at the addition of a file-syncing option in Windows Blue.
4. Internet Explorer 11
Also found in Windows Blue: Internet Explorer 11. It’s a very early version of Microsoft’s next-gen web browser—so much so that, functionally, it’s the exact same as Windows 8′s Internet Explorer 10. Under the surface, however, lies an intriguing hint of a new feature for the browser.
Buried inside the “More options” button in the top-most menu bar is an option dubbed Show synced tabs. Internet Explorer 10 introduced synced bookmarks and history to Microsoft’s browser. Were those just the beginning? It’ll be interesting to see if and how the new tab syncing function fits into the various IE iterations spread across Microsoft’s various platforms.
5. New apps?
Alongside the usual Mail, Maps, and Music tiles you know and love/loathe, a quadruplet of new apps appear on the Windows Blue Start screen: Alarms, Calculate, Sound Recorder, and Movie Moments.
6. New Live Tile size options
In Windows 8, you have two basic Live Tile sizing options: A medium-sized square, or a larger rectangle the size of two of those squares combined. Windows Blue ups the customization ante with the introduction of two new tile sizes. One’s an itty-bitty square a quarter of the size of Windows medium Tiles, while the other is a massive Tile as big as a pair of Windows 8′s larger rectangular tiles.
The additional sizing options afford a lot more customization flexibility, giving you the ability to craft a Start screen that isn’t quite as grid-like as what you’re limited to in Windows 8.
7. Say goodbye to accidental tile shifting
One of the biggest frustrations of the Windows 8 Start screen is how easy it is to accidentally move a Live Tile to a new location. If you move the mouse even a little bit while clicking on a Tile, the screen shifts to Semantic Zoom to allow you to move the Tile to another location, rather than simply opening it. Windows Blue eliminates that frustration with a new Customize button.
8. New gestures
That doesn’t mean the All Apps screen was eliminated from Windows Blue, however. The Verge reports that Windows Blue includes new gesture controls, including the ability to swipe up from the bottom of the Start screen to reveal all of your installed apps. Swiping up from the bottom of the desktop reveals a hidden app bar that includes snapping and projector options, amongst other things.
9. Easier personalization
While we’re on a Start screen, it’s worth mentioning that Windows Blue makes it much easier to change the look of the user interface. In Windows 8, the personalization options are banished to the darkest corner of the OS, buried deep in submenu after submenu. In Windows Blue, a Personalization option appears in the level of the Settings charm, right above the familiar Tiles and Help options.
10. Simple screenshot sharing
Maybe it’s because I love anything that streamlines the process of taking and sharing operating system screenshots. Windows 7’s “Snipping Tool” is/was the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion. Windows Blue adds the ability to share a screenshot of the app you’re working in using other modern-style apps you have installed, similar to Android’s sharing function. Again, it’s a simple change, but an awesome one.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The most telling takeaway has nothing to do with features or functionality, however: It’s the very nature of Build 9364 itself. Previously, there was some debate about whether Windows Blue was a whole new OS or an update to Windows 8. Now we know it’s clearly the latter, as evidenced by the incremental improvements found in the leaked operating system.
And while we’re talking notable non-features, the Start button still doesn’t make it into Windows Blue. Looks like it’s really gone for good!
That said, Windows Blue is a clearly a step in the right direction, addressing many of the basic interface complaints leveled at Windows 8 and Windows RT as they stand today. Will it be enough to woo Windows 7 enthusiasts to Microsoft’s platform of the future? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Want to see a video of Windows Blue new features? Visit our friends at the Verge
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/25/4144618/windows-blue-video-preview-screenshots
Microsoft Pushes Out Windows 7 SP1
Ready or Not – Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Coming
If you’re a Windows 7 user and you’ve been dragging your heels when it comes to that Service Pack 1 upgrade, then prepare to get an extra dose of encouragement from Microsoft.
Starting today, March 19th, 2013, Microsoft will begin deploying SP1 via Windows Update to all neglected PCs, and just so you’re aware, the update won’t require your consent. The push will happen during a phased rollout over the next few weeks, and as for the consequence of not upgrading, Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7 RTM as of April 9th 2013. As usual, PCs that are managed by system administrators can be shielded from the deployment, but for everyone else, it seems that you’d best prepare for the inevitable.
Here’s a snippet from the Microsoft “Blogging Windows” blog post:
“The installation will be fully automatic with no user action required for those who already have Automatic Update enabled. SP1 will be released gradually over the coming weeks to all customers on the RTM version of Windows 7. The service pack will take slightly longer to install compared to other updates. To ensure Service Pack 1 is installed without issue, customers should check for sufficient free disk space and that AC power is present on a laptop. If additional space needs to be created, we recommend using the Disk Cleanup tool to delete some files so that the service pack will install. If the service pack installation is interrupted, it will reattempt to install automatically after the next restart.”
What’s included in Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is an important update that includes previously released security, performance, and stability updates for Windows 7. SP1 also includes new improvements to features and services in Windows 7, such as improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices, printing using the XPS Viewer, and restoring previous folders in Windows Explorer after restarting.
Installing SP1 helps keep Windows 7 up to date.
The recommended (and easiest) way to get SP1 is to turn on automatic updating in Windows Update in Control Panel, and wait for Windows 7 to notify you that SP1 is ready to install. It takes about 30 minutes to install, and you’ll need to restart your computer about halfway through the installation.
To find out if Windows 7 SP1 is already installed on your computer:
Click the Start button, right-click Computer, and then click Properties. If Service Pack 1 is listed under Windows edition, SP1 is already installed on your computer.
Microsoft recommends that customers use Windows Update to install the service pack as it will provide the best experience but if you just can’t wait to get SP1, see this link on how to install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) manually.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-windows-7-service-pack-1
Important Info Concerning Internet Explorer 10
Internet Explorer 10 is not compatible with many online banking sites and a host of other websites not yet upgraded to render properly in this brand new browser release.
During the month of March, Microsoft will be making its Internet Explorer 10 browser available for Windows 7 and 8. This browser update will be automatically propagated and installed as part of the next Microsoft Windows update.
Preliminary testing has identified compatibility issues between the new Internet Explorer browser and many online banking sites.
Since many banking sites do not support Internet Explorer 10 at this time, we STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT install the new browser on computers that access any cash management or banking sites.
If you insist on installing IE 10 or the Microsoft auto-update gets past you and find that you can’t remove it to roll back to IE9, there is a workaround.
To force a webpage you are viewing in Internet Explorer 10 into a particular document compatibility mode, first open F12 Tools by pressing the F12 key. Then, on the Browser Mode menu, click Internet Explorer 10, and on the Document Mode menu, click Standards.
This special mode will allow most incompatible sites to work for you. This is by no means guaranteed and your success with this workaround may be limited.
Information on using IE 10 in Compatibility Mode:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/use-compatibility-view#ie=ie-10-win-7
Additional info here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ie/hh920756(v=vs.85).aspx
Bogus FedEx and UPS email scams
Avoiding the constant barrage of email security threats has become a challenge for even the most savvy internet users. These emails may be used to install a Trojan program on a computer to collect data that will be used in Internet fraud, identity theft or allow a hacker to gain control of your computer.
Two of the threats currently circulating are:
UPS – sends you an email stating “Unfortunately, we failed to deliver the package you have sent on the 27th of February in time, because the recipient’s address is not correct. Please go to the nearest UPS office and show your shipping label to collect the package.” The email includes a submit button that, supposedly, will print a shipping label.
FedEx – someone masquerading as FedEx sends you an email stating that your parcel has arrived. Courier was unable to deliver the parcel to you at… To receive your parcel, please, print this receipt and go to the nearest office.
See below:
Both of these emails are bogus and with a little detective work you can identify the problems.
There are 3 very important and easy to distinguish warning signs with these types of emails:
1: The first warning sign is that the message is not written in clear English, contains improper punctuation and just doesn’t make sense.
2: The second warning sign is that the “senders” email address is obviously NOT a FedEx email address
3: And finally, if you hover your mouse cursor over the “Print Receipt” link you’ll see that it points to a website that has absolutely nothing to do with FedEx.
Many people are tricked into clicking the links because they may be waiting for a package delivery or have recently sent something to someone. That’s what the hackers are counting on when they send these types of emails.
Once you’ve clicked the link, the damage is done so be very vigilant in verifying every minute detail in these types of email scams. Also keep in mind that FedEx and UPS don’t usually email their customers about anything having to do with deliveries.
The BEST course of action is to immediately delete these emails without clicking any of the links. If you have reason to believe or “think” the email might be legitimate – simply pick up the phone and call the carrier involved.
Control Your PC With Simple Hand Gestures
With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) all wrapped up for another year its time at look at another industry technology showcase – South By South West Interactive (SXSW for short) for future technologies.
One company that has caught my eye is offering a product that just might change the way you and I interact with our computers. Reminiscent of technology shown in the movie, The Minority Report, which allowed actors to control their computer with simple hand motions, LEAP MOTION, Inc. has developed a gadget that will allow you to do that yourself.
The possibilities are endless really. Art, Healthcare, Engineering, Gaming – pretty much any application can work with the technology and LEAP is shipping over 10,000 controllers to developers across the globe so they can develop apps for the LEAP apps store
You might expect this level of technology to set you back a pretty penny. You can pre-order your LEAP MOTION controller for only $69.99 – priced at less than a decent wireless keyboard and mouse combination. Just plug it into an open USB port, install the software, do a quick wave to calibrate and off you go.
Raise your hands and wave hello to the future. The controller senses your individual hand and finger movements so you can interact directly with your computer. The device gives you 8 cubic feet of intuitive, 3D interaction space. Tom Cruise has nothing on you! LEAP works with MAC’s and PC’s
According to LEAP they will be filling pre-orders of over 140,000 units. Looks like this technology might catch on.
Take a look at the video to see many ways to use this technology right out of the box.
https://www.leapmotion.com/product
Additional information from InfoWorld:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/consumer-electronics/hands-leap-motions-hands-3d-mouse-211679
Free National WiFi Network
FCC proposes free national Wi-Fi network for public use
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed the creation of “super Wi-Fi” networks across the US. The networks, in theory would be powerful enough to allow people to access the Internet through them without needing separate coverage via a wireless carrier, has seen a number of parties within the wireless industry lobbying against such a proposal.
The collection of Wi-Fi networks would be more powerful than existing networks, with the signal being strong enough to penetrate concrete walls and cover an extremely large area, according to the Washington Post. The proposal suggests a number of such networks could spread across a metropolitan area or with careful placement, a wide rural area. It is also suggested that such networks would extend from the free Internet access to offer other, non-standard applications, such as inter-vehicle communications between driverless cars.
FCC proposal rattles the $178 billion wireless industry.
While both Microsoft and Google are fine with such a proposal going ahead, Internet service providers and cellular networks are not. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Intel, and Qualcomm have all asked for the FCC to focus on selling spectrum for businesses to use, as opposed to using it itself. As well as the issue of potential interference with TV signals, existing radio networks, and equipment, it would take business away from the usual communications companies.
Despite the possibility of a large number of people using the network for free Internet access and calls, analysts suggest that there would still be a place for traditional telecom companies. The spectrum bandwidth offered by network providers far outweighs the amount in the proposal, making the free national Wi-Fi proposal ideal for low-bandwidth applications and infrequent Internet users, while those needing a better connection will still turn towards private companies for a higher level of service.
If fully approved by the FCC, such a plan for national Wi-Fi would take considerable time to put into motion, even without lobbying from critics.
The FCC has previously proposed opening up additional wireless spectrum, currently used by the military, for Wi-Fi use. The opening up of 195MHz in the 5GHz band would allow for lower rates of congestion in dense Wi-Fi environments, something usually found in apartment buildings. It has also challenged Internet providers to create a gigabit Internet community, similar to Google Fiber, in each of the 50 states by 2015.
Office 2013 Is Here
It’s finally official. Microsoft is launching the new Office, aka Office 2013, today – January 29.
There have been lots of rumors that January 29 would be the day that the latest version of Office would be generally available via retail channels. But thanks to a tweet from the Office team, and a #Timeto365 campaign/hashtag — we now know Microsoft is “launching” the new Office product today in Bryant Park in New York City.
Microsoft released Office 2013 to manufacturing on October 11, 2012. The company made the final release available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, as well as volume-licensing customers, before the end of last year. Recently, Microsoft made $10 versions of the final Office 2013 available to volume licensees with Software Assurance as part of its Home Use Program.
Microsoft officials have been saying for a couple of months that Redmond planned to make the final release commercially available in the first calendar quarter of 2013.
The company has already taken the wraps off some of its Office 2013 SKUs. Microsoft will be pushing a new, subscription-based version of Office that it has named Office 365 Home Premium. This product name could lead to some consumer confusion because, unlike the other Office 365 SKUs, the Home Premium version isn’t a Microsoft-hosted version of Office. Instead, it’s a downloadable, locally installable versions of the Office 2013 product for which users will be charged a monthly or annual “rental” fee. For that subscription fee, users will have the right to install Office 2013 and/or the Office for Mac 2011 programs on up to five PCs and Macs in total. The “home premium” version is slated for consumers and small business users. See additional information here: http://blogs.office.com/b/office-news/archive/2012/09/17/the-new-office-365-subscriptions-for-consumers-and-small-businesses.aspx
Office 365 Home Premium: In a nutshell, instead of paying for a boxed or downloaded copy of Office, you can “rent” it for $99.99 a year. Why on earth would you pay every year to use the software you can buy just once? For one thing, Office 365 Home Premium includes not just the four “core” programs offered in Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote), it adds Publisher and Access. The equivalent Office 2013 suite with Publisher and Access–Office Professional–will cost $399.99 if purchased outright. The Office 365 subscription also gives you 20GB of extra SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype calls, plus the license is good for five users across a mix of five PCs or Macs.
Microsoft officials have also said that the “real” Office 365 update should be available around the time of the client launch. Microsoft Office 365 account managers have been busily prepping reseller/integrator partners for the Office 365 refresh for the past couple of weeks.
There’s still no official word on what version will follow up the Mac 2011 version currently available.
There are TONS of posts covering this release – just Google Office 365 Home Premium.
