LG is on to something. After having its LG G3 crowned by TrustedReviews as 2014 Phone of the Year, the Korean manufacturer strikes again, unveiling its latest flagship phone – the LG G4. Visually, the G4 doesn’t differ much from the G3, on the front side that is. It’s a 5.5-inch device with 2560 x 1440 pixel display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and volume buttons on the back. The G4 has a slight curve, subtle enough to go unnoticed by many, but with 20 percent less chances than the flat G3 to have the display break on impact, claims LG. Furthermore, the slim arc allows for a natural, firm grip. There is one feature that makes enthusiasts want to get their hands on it: LG has decorated the back of the phone in leather, real leather, featuring an exquisite stitch. The materials and the processes used are the same as luxury handbags and LG expects to sell millions of it. These premium back covers are made of vegetable tanned full grain leather, the type that doesn’t harm any animals; and they come in brown, black, and red. However, the more conventional plastic backs are made available as well, with metallic or ceramic finish in metallic gray, ceramic white, and gold. The back covers are removable and interchangeable, enabling access to a removable, monstrous 3,000mAh battery and Micro-SD Card slot that can add up to 2TB of storage space. It’s helpful to remind that Samsung’s Galaxy S6 has a 2,500mAh battery, while iPhone 6’s is a 1,800mAh battery. Also, Samsung has stopped offering the expandable memory, as well as the replaceable battery. The G4 has a “Quantum IPS” panel – one that has the same color accuracy as displays used for color grading...
The Kill Switch
High security or high risk?
Today’s smartphones hold more private data than a credit card. A credit card comes with a “kill switch” but your smartphone does not. If your credit card is stolen, you can have it disabled. Any access to your account using the old card number will be forbidden. Yet if your smartphone is stolen, you and your company are more vulnerable than ever. A few developers have created software that disables mobile devices. All that would be required to activate the kill switch is a verification process, much like what is undergone when you’re canceling credit card. Companies and individuals can potentially save a lot of money and effort when kill switch technology hits the market. A kill switch can provide improved security for businesses by keeping private data out of the wrong hands. The 2013 Cost of Data Breach Study issued by Ponemon suggests that US companies have the most costly data breaches at $199 per record. This brings total costs to about $5.4 million annually. Cybercrime that may come as a result of compromised data leads to $300 billion to $1 trillion in damages. Companies could greatly decrease the cleanup costs of data breaches with a kill switch on corporate smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Companies can also protect themselves against disgruntled and negligent employees. Cisco reports that: 20 percent of IT professionals said disgruntled employees were their biggest concern in the insider threat arena 39 percent of IT professionals were more concerned about the threat from their own employees than the threat from outside hackers. 11 percent of employees reported that they or fellow employees accessed unauthorized information and sold it for profit, or stole computers. If a company is able to disarm its issued devices when needed, the company will be better...
Charging in the Street
Making powering up portable
When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, widespread loss of power for significant periods of time – and the need to receive updated emergency information and communicate with colleagues and loved ones – created the perfect storm for smartphone users. Their limited ability to recharge phone power supplies was a major source of stress and concern. After the storm, the issue motivated a search for creative ways to supply remote electricity. Following the storm, cell phone provider AT&T saw the overwhelming need people had to charge their phones and supplied diesel generators and cell towers on wheels to those hard hit by its fury. Builders realized that electrical systems are wrongly situated in the basements and should be built on higher levels due to flooding hazards. The same goes for telecommunications equipment. AT&T has found and financed the way to support the developers of creative power supply alternatives for mobile devices. Less than a month ago it put into practice a system that will keep New Yorkers connected, for free. After it won the approval from the officials from the city’s Parks Department, Street Charge was brought to Big Apple’s citizens for testing. The project is the result of the joint forces of AT&T with Goal Zero, the firm that makes portable solar chargers, and Pensa, the Brooklyn design studio that’s been experimenting with designing street chargers. For this pilot project, 25 solar-powered charging stations have been placed in parks, beaches and other public outdoor spaces throughout the five boroughs. These 12.5-foot steel poles, with three petal-shaped 15-watt solar panels unfolding on top, can charge up to six devices at a time, with ports for iPhones, Androids, BlackBerrys, and standard USB changing cables, indifferent of the carrier. They are designed to operate at temperatures ranging from 32 to 104 F, with a pack capacity of 168Wh. In case you’re wondering how much time will be spent at these locations, we would say that consumers know precisely how much of a charge they need to power their device for a specific distance (for a commute home) or how much time they need to keep their device plugged in. Through the Street Charge stations one needs 30 minutes to add a 30 percent charge and two hours to fill a smartphone completely. The project costs $300,000 to $500,000 and if it proves to be successful, it will expand to other cities as...
