tech article 3/24

Nintendo's first smartphone app is a social surprise

Now, the maker of Mario is asking fans to do something new: share their weekend plans with friends.

Nintendo's first smartphone app -- Miitomo -- launched Thursday in Japan, and will soon debut in other markets. It's distinctly social, and at first glance, may seem like a bizarre turn for a company known for games.

The app asks questions of users, such as their favorite TV show, or what they hope to be doing in 10 years. They're the sort of general queries that Nintendo says rarely come up in normal conversation.

The answers are then shared with friends in messages delivered by Miis -- the cartoonish avatars featured in Wii Sports, one of Nintendo's biggest hits of the last decade.

Some argue the app is true to Nintendo's 120-year history.

tech article 3/19/16

Amazon wants to replace 'awkward

passwords' with smiling selfies.

Customers would be able to take a picture or a short video of themselves to authenticate payments, instead of typing in a password.

The process would replace passwords in the same way a thumbprint replaces putting in a PIN code on an iPhone and other devices.

To double check that the image is a legitimate selfie of a living human being (instead of a scan of previously taken photo), the system would also require users to blink, smile or tilt their head when taking their picture.

Amazon said it is exploring the new technology to improve security and user experience.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/15/technology/amazon-selfie-payment/index.html 

Tech article 3/11/16

Apple could reveal mini iPhone 5SE on March 21.

The company sent invitations to the media for a special event on Thursday, with the words "Let us loop you in."

Apple is widely expected to take the covers off a mini iPhone a four-inch "iPhone 5SE."
The smaller phone will be about the same size as the existing iPhone 5S, according to leaked images. But it will also have some of the same features as the newer iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S models, including rounded edges, a Touch ID home button and an on/off button on the right-hand side of the device.
Some other products Apple could show off? There have been reports about a possible smaller iPad Pro, new Apple watch bands and software updates for its devices.
Releasing a smaller iPhone makes a good deal of sense for Apple.
The iPhone 7 is expected to be released in the fall, when Apple would typically be expected to retire the iPhone 5S. By that point, the 5S will be three years old.

Tech article 3/4/16

Antivirus tools are the aircraft flotation devices of PCs: They give you a false sense of security.

Despite efforts by security companies to thwart cyber attacks, hackers keep finding new ways into unsuspecting people's computers and systems.

That's why Microsoft is adding a new feature to its Windows Defender line of anti-hacking tools: When hackers do get in, Microsoft will help customers identify the attacks and stop them before they spread.

Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection isn't admitting defeat, per se. But it's taking an important step towards coping with reality: Your system is going to get hacked, and you'd better be prepared when it does.

Microsoft says the new tool analyzes information from more than 1 billion Windows devices, 2.5 trillion websites and 1 million suspicious files. When it senses an attack happening to one of its customers, Microsoft will send a notification.