How much does your phone know about you? Location data’s dark secret.

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You’re giving away more data than you think to your phone. A lot of it is down to location data!

Here’s how.

Your phone tracks everywhere you go, using location data with geo tagging along the way. It also knows who you were with too.

(If you were wondering it’s when you allow apps to use your location data. Sometimes you allow it even when the app isn’t in use. For example Google Maps uses to tell you how much traffic there is on the road. Ever wondered why Apple Maps knows where you work when you’ve never told it? Location tracking. It knows you’re in a certain area for x amount of time per day, per week. Hence why it knows where ‘Home’ is.)

Apps can also use the microphone in your phone to receive ad beacons from billboards and Tvs to determine location. Facebook coming under fire for this most recently as users have discovered ads for things after discussing them with friends.

Every picture you take has data in it with things such as time and location. Though social media giants facebook, twitter and instagram wipe this upon upload.

(Your phone can also recognise objects. This was showed off at an Apple Keynote and is just iOS’s way of organising things better. We don’t think it’s anything to worry about. For example if you took a picture of your dog and you can’t find it, just type in dog and it will show it)

The things you say, the places your frequent and things you take pictures of, can all be used to sell you things.

So…how much does your phone know about you?

Are you scared?

No – Keep using your apps as you wish.

Yes.

Here’s how to save yourself

Delete your Facebook Account

Delete your google searches and account (they also make a profile on you based on what you search)

Get a dumb phone (I.e. Not smart)

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

 

Serious Security Flaws

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Researchers have discovered 2 serious security flaws that affect a lot of computers. These flaws affect every device that run on a chip processor. Allowing hackers to steal the entire history of your devices memory.

The security flaws are known as Meltdown and Spectre. Affecting intel processors and every other processor respectively.  Processors on all of your devices allow your computers and tech gadgets to perform a lot of tasks and calculations per second. For example on your phone, check the weather (whilst also determining your location) whilst listening to music whilst also sending an email.

The security flaws that researchers have discovered could potentially let people access protected parts of your computer or devices memory.

If hackers gain access they can harm your computer in a range of ways such as accessing passwords and emails. That’s not all major companies who use cloud servers for things such as iCloud or Dropbox are also at risk. As they too use the same tech as us, which also run on processors. This is even worse as hackers can gain access to everyone’s cloud based data!

Protection

Update to the latest update on Windows 10 and Apple’s OS 10.13.2 and on iOS download and install 11.2.2

Updates are releasing soon on Google Chrome and Firefox

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

 

 

 

IPO

Spotify IPO

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Spotify have as recently as the end of December filed for an IPO via a ‘Direct Listing’ this is a very smart move by the Swedish company. This is an alternative route to Snapchats IPO, and regular WallStreet ‘rules’. As there is no public furore leading up to the listing. Thus allowing execs to pitch their buisness to analysts and other suitable and potential investors. Better yet there are no fees to Wall Street underwriters. (As they would price a company’s shares before trading.)

What’s different?

A major difference between Snap Inc’s IPO and Spotify’s ‘Direct Listing’ is because Spotify have a LOT of money. (With over 60M paid subscribers they can afford to) So raising more money isn’t directly in Spotify’s interest.

Instead, they’re offering employees to cash out (at a current private valuation) and sell their shares to new investors!

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

 

 

Siri

Will we see whisper Siri soon?

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Apple have filed a patent for a “a digital assistant that is capable of detecting a whispered speech input and providing a whispered speech response.” Basically Siri that whispers back to you if you whisper to it. This may be Apple’s attempt at making it’s AI assistants to become more ‘human.’ As a result less awkward to use in public situations.

In the patent, Apple explained in which a whispering Siri will help you out when you need it the most. The situations that Apple listed where Libraries and in an office cubicle. While, Apple also noted that a whispering Siri is intended to protect a users privacy.

The way that an iPhone or Apple watch would be able to detect if a users talking quietly or whispering to it. Would be detecting the amplitude and frequency patterns of a users voice. As a result, Apple want to make Siri actually whisper back to you. Not just turn the volume down on your device. Think about it, when someone whispers something to you, you don’t speak back normally. Subconsciously you make the decision to match the other person’s voice pattern.

Just a patent

It’s also very important to note not all patents become reality.

Facebook baiting

Facebook baiting – A thing of the past?

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Facebook baiting, it’s the annoying trend on our Facebook newsfeed. Facebook baiting is basically those posts and pages that get you to comment/and/or do a bunch of things to get you to interact with their content.

Basically those posts that say “Like” this if you like Bread. “Share this” and Bill Gates will give you $10,000. Posts which offer a chance to win something as it has been opened. These 15″ 2017 Macbook  Pro’s have been opened and cannot be sold comment “Win” and “Share” the post for your chance to win one!

Those cringeworthy and annoying posts are going to be less of an annoyance thanks to Facebook machine learning! As, it will learn what these posts are and dump them so far down your newsfeed you won’t read them. So, Facebook is de-prioritising these types of posts from your newsfeeds so they don’t waste anymore of your time. While it’s not only the posts that will be affected. Facebook pages are going to be demoted too.

Looking at you Fortafy!

Genuine Causes

While this is certainly going some ways to clean up your newsfeed. Facebook are planning to not punish posts that are genuinely asking for help and/or are trying to support beneficial causes. As a result posts like asking for help to locate a missing child or raise money for a charity won’t be affected.

 

iMac Pro

iMac Pro’s are EXPENSIVE

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Want a shiny new iMac Pro? Well, re-mortgage the house. It’s going to cost you. A LOT!

While the base iMac Pro is costly at just under £5K, sitting pretty at £4,899, that’s nothing when you start adding on parts.

If you, like us, are a bit of a geek when it comes to computing power. You want the best, most powerful computer you can get. That way you can get your work done as fast and as efficient as possible. So you can either go and start some new piece of creative piece. While on the other hand it gets spares up some time to crack on with COD WW2. Whatever floats your boat.

But……

The iMac Pro, fully loaded costs a grand total of £12, 279. For that low low price you get 12GB of memory, a 4TB SSD and a 18-core Intel Xeon CPU (To release in 2018) Plus if you’re a sucker for all things matching, if you may decide to get matching space grey magic mouse 2/magic trackpad 2 throw an additional £149 on top of that sucker. I mean why not you’re spending 12K as it is. Yet, we’re only saying as Apple’s website state that you can only purchase Space Grey accessories are only available at time of purchase.  As a creative you may also want Final Cut Pro X/Logic Pro X on it too (though we suspect you may already have those on your account) but for those that don’t it’s an additional, £300/2oo respectively.

So….anyone want one still?

(Yes!)

 

Shazam

Apple buys Shazam

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Apple have acquired the music discovery app Shazam! Shazam is the app that basically lets you identify songs, movies, TV shows and commercials from short audio clips. So you are then able to listen to them via your favourite music streaming service. Usually Apple Music/Spotify. So, this is not good news for Spotify.

Apple spokesperson told The Verge:

“Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.”

Allegedly the purchase of the music discovery app is $400M! While only pulling in $54M in revenue!

How will this affect you?!

There are a number of ways the acquisition can benefit the tech giant. Music! As a result the most obvious way the music discovery app can help Apple is via Apple Music! (If they shut down the app and use integrate it into the iOS, one would assume via Siri. Therefore Spotify referrals will be non existent) As click throughs per day are said to be 1M. Consequently this is HUGELY beneficial!

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

To download Shazam please click here!

Mushions

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Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift

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Oculus Rift may not be the most affordable virtual reality kits out there on the market. But it is definitely one of the most powerful. Also the fact that it runs on gaming PC’s means that there is a plethora of applications available for it! So, your limits are as far as your imagination!

While being purchased by Facebook raised a few eyebrows in the tech world. (Yet to see the fruits of this purchase on a consumer end) This hasn’t dampened the thirst for the Oculus Rift and it remains one of the most sort after tech hardware to date!

Oculus Rift Features:

  • Lightweight design
  • Intuitive control via the rift controllers that feel more fluid than gaming controllers
  • 360 degree spacial audio to truly immerse a user
  • 100’s of games, apps and experiences!

While Oculus are continuing to update the software they’ve introduced something revolutionary in the personal PC space. So, check out Oculus Dash!

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

To buy Oculus Rift please click here!

PS VR

PS VR – The most affordable VR?

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First of all, Playstation are the first on to the scene with Virtual Reality for home consoles in the form of PS VR! What a joy it is as well! We feel that VR (Virtual Reality) along with AR (Augmented Reality) is going to be the next big thing in home entertainment and the PS VR is the most powerful home console VR system that you can get today!

PlayStation VR works with whichever PS4 console you own! Just connect up the headset to the PS4, add the Playstation Camera (for tracking purposes) and away you go!

PS VR Features:

  • 5.7” OLED screen (But it fills up your entire visual spectrum!)
  • 360 degree vision
  • In addition to, 360 degree media playback
  • 3D Blu Ray playback abilities (Via PS4 playback of 3D Blu Rays)
  • While games run at 120 frames per second
  • 3D Audio for incredible immersion
  • Also includes built In Microphone
  • Incredible tracking with the Light Bar on the PS4 Dual Shock 4 Controller, Playstation Move and PS VR aim controller

The Playstation VR really will step up your gaming experience and we feel that it will only get better! Both in generations of the hardware and with software updates!

So, to listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

To buy your own Playstation VR please click here!