“Your password should be 8-10 characters long, have a combination of at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter, a number, and a symbol. Oh, and make it completely random so there’s no possible way you can remember it.” How many times have you heard that when setting up a new account online?
Passwords are vital for safeguarding devices, bank accounts, emails, etc. But they can be hard to remember, so we often tend to use the same passwords over and over on multiple accounts. This completely defeats the purpose of a password. To address the password and broader security issue, companies are experimenting with innovative ways to access your devices and accounts. Let’s take a look at where password practices have come from and where password technology is going.
Dan Thompson with Claris Networks visited WBIR and Fox 43 this week to chat about the Apple announcement. Watch the video below or read the recap on the new smartphone here.
What’s new about the iPhone 5?
Everything is smaller (18% thinner and 20% lighter), everything is faster (processor upgrades and 4G integration), and Apple has spent all their efforts to refine the iPhone as extensively as possible. The screen is larger and there is a new, smaller adapter called “Lightning” (because Apple has to name everything). The smaller Lightning adapter will make all your old devices that connect to the iPhone obsolete without an adapter. However, the adapter seems a little clunky, honestly. The new iOS6 was also a big announcement. There is a new Map app, a new panoramic photo feature, an update to Siri, and even an update to the iPod line. There has also been an update to Apple’s standard headphones, now called EarPods, which are intended to provide a much higher sound quality than its predecessor.
-By Philip Icuss
Yesterday, Apple and Yahoo released a new way to browse the Internet from multiple mobile devices. Yahoo’s
Axis is the name, and advanced “on the go” browsing is the game. Axis is designed to link all of a user’s mobile devices, allowing them to switch devices and still be on the same search. At this point, it is exclusive to use on Apple products.
Yahoo has reported that the main goal of Axis is to allow a user to “answer questions, not find links.” Yahoo’s V.P. Shashi Seth went on to say, “With Axis, we have redefined and re-architected the search and browse experience from the ground up.”
If we’ve learned anything from comic books and super heroes, it’s that balancing two identities can be difficult. Balancing the love life of Clark Kent and Superman’s world-saving ventures has to be a nightmare. Carrying around multiple cell phones to help keep your work life and personal life distinct can be much the same way. If you’ve ever felt a little like you’re wearing Batman’s utility belt when you get suited up for a hard day of emailing, calling and living life, a new technology is about to help you out.
Called “dual persona technology,” a smartphone can effectively divide your corporate and personal identities on the same device. The new technology, being developed my multiple tech companies, will hit the marketplace soon, according to an article at Discovery News.
About a week ago, AT&T announced its plan to limit the amount of Internet bandwidth you are allowed to consume. There are several plans under the tiered usage structure, but most users will be confined to 200MB, for which they will pay $15/month. According to AT&T, only the top 2% of its customers use more than 2GB of data, and would fall into the DataPro plan of 30$/month. AT&T’s DSL and U-verse customers will be limited to 150GB and 250GB respectively. Additional bandwidth will cost extra.
So what does this mean for you?
1. The pretty new iPad you just bought is no longer a device of unlimited fun.
2. Just like energy conservation, you may need to monitor how your household consumes Internet bandwidth.