Tag Archives: Apple

This Hacker Just Proved Why You Should Stick With BlackBerry

oleg-pliss-hack

N4BB reported:-
Most BlackBerry users are BlackBerry users for the smartphones’ most notable feature: security. BlackBerry 10 and legacy BBOS is nearly impenetrable, as two of the most secure enterprise and consumer smartphone operating systems of choice.

Unfortunately, for your friends with an Apple iPhone or iPad, who live in Australia or New Zealand, they haven’t enjoyed such security. Just when they thought they could sleep easy at night, they were awaken to a seemingly bizarre message.

Many users awoke to an alarming sound with a message on the screen reading “Device hacked by Oleg Pliss” and a demand of between $50 and $100 to unlock it.

How did the hacker compromise these devices? The exploit uses the “Find My iPhone” feature, which allows users to remotely lock their iPhones and iPads via iCloud in case the devices are lost or stolen.

Apple hasn’t yet publicly commented yet on the major vulnerability. Some users have reported they could get around the hack if they had previously used a passcode and then restored via iTunes.

For those who didn’t use a passcode, they were in for a little harder recovery as the hacker had made a passcode for them. Though, it may be possible to enter the wrong code six times to disable the phone and then restore it using iTunes.

Apple has been taking a beating lately in terms of security. Recently it was revealed that email attachments were not encrypted in iOS 7+, despite it being a feature Apple repeatedly touted.

Nevertheless, this is just one of many instances where a competing platform has inadvertently helped give BlackBerry another leg to stand on.

Advertisement

BlackBerry Z30 beats out iPhone, Moto X and Lumia 1020 as best phone to blog with at CES!

BlackBerry Z30 beats out iPhone, Moto X and Lumia 1020 as best phone to blog with at CES!

This year CES saw the folks over at WIRED decided to take a different approach this year and try to cover the event using their smartphones in something the called Smartphone Thunderdome. No DSLR’s, no laptops, no compact-system cameras. Just smartphones. The devices used ended up being a BlackBerry Z30, iPhone 5s, Nokia Lumia 1020 and finally, a Motorola X.

Covering CES with the proper gear is hard enough as we know from our own #CESlive coverage, doing it from only smartphone? That’s kinda crazy. No matter though, the folks at WIRED were doing it and with CES quickly coming to a close, WIRED has done their due diligence and posted up who exactly came out on top in their Smartphone Thunderdome​.

  • 1st place – Tim Moynihan and the BlackBerry Z30 – 257.5 points – “I took a lot of ribbing for using a BlackBerry. It’s not as fancy as the other phones in the contest, apparently. But you know what? Doesn’t matter. It’s still a phone that can be used to cover a large electronics tradeshow. That’s pretty amazing. Technology is pretty amazing in general these days, you know? These things fit in your pocket! And they’re like laptops except better.”
  • 2nd Place – Christina Bonnington and the iPhone 5s – 147.75 points – “Keeping track of my iPhone’s battery life is probably the single most important thing during the day, because if my device dies, I can’t post. Luckily, I do have the iPhone, which gets good battery life. But using my phone as my sole means of computing means I’m fully recharging it at least three times a day, I’d estimate (although I try to never let it dip below 50 percent).”
  • 3rd Place – Robbie Baldwin and the Nokia Lumia 1020 – 145 points – “I’m very happy that I brought the Lumia 1020 along to CES. For me, it was a grand experiment to see what could be accomplished on a platform that’s foreign to me. If Joe, Mike, and Bryan told me I had to use Windows Phone next year, I’d be perfectly fine with that. Hell, the keyboard is better than the iPhone and that was what really mattered most the time.”
  • 4th Place – Mat Honan and the Moto X – 100 points – His Moto X got a cracked screen. “This is supposed to be a real-world challenge. And I’m going to challenge myself to use this crazy cracked-ass Moto X just as you’d have to if it broke on you early in your contract. It’s going to suck. But I’ll deal.”

Wired doesn’t state how their scoring structure was broken down in the post but they do note that overall, the BlackBerry Z30 took the points for Overall Winner, Best Photography, and Most Posts. They also have wrap-ups from each their writers with further comments on their site, so if you’re looking for the full details then by all means head on over to WIRED and check it out.
Photo from Wired.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/01/thunderphone-challenge-results

BBM updates for Android and iPhone, now available on iPad and iPod devices

BBM updates for Android and iPhone, now available on iPad and iPod devices

Good news for BBM lovers, BlackBerry not just releasing new updates for Android and IPhone users but they have bring BBM to iPad and iPod devices.

There are a good number of fixes and improvements in both, but having BBM available on even more devices is good for everyone.

BBM for Android

Support for BBM Contact Categories
BBM Group List sorting and filtering improvements
More options for sharing your BBM PIN Barcode
Find your friends on other social networks who are also using BBM
Addresses an issue where some users may have experienced higher battery use
BBM for iPhone

Support for iPod and iPad devices running iOS6 and iOS7
Improvements to right-to-left language support
More options for sharing your BBM PIN Barcode
Find your friends on other social networks who are also using BBM
Fixes an issue where some users would be missing BBM contact names

BlackBerry Board Refused To Break Up the Company Despite Interest From Apple, Microsoft and Lenovo

BlackBerry Board Refused To Break Up the Company Despite Interest From Apple, Microsoft and Lenovo

Lenovo, Microsoft and Apple had reportedly all expressed interest in various parts of BlackBerry, however the board rejected the proposals stating that breaking up parts “did not serve the interest of all stakeholders.”

According to sources Reuters reported that the company gathered plenty of interest from different suitors which included Apple and Microsoft.

According to the report, Apple and Microsoft were interested in patents and some parts of the company which the board refuted as they believed that breaking BlackBerry wouldn’t be in the best interest of the “stakeholders”.

BlackBerry will be staying intact for the time being, though the board hasn’t ruled out breaking off parts in the future. The company received a $1 billion investment earlier this week and called an end to their strategic review period.