IN THE NEWS

The iPhone 5s. What’s Not To Like?

While the new iPhone 5s has a lot to like, to some, it feels a bit, well, er, rushed, perhaps. To others, it’s near perfection. As of mid September, about 6,500,000 new owners are testing its mettle and the reviews keep coming. Like earlier iterations, it’s beautiful, thin and light. Apple does include a free iWorks in this version. And, as an aside, Apple has now replaced Nike as the world’s top brand. No small feat.

On the surface, the 5s looks quite like its predecessor, other than the home button. The “newsomeness” comes in less obvious features. The iPhone 5s sports a radically faster 64 bit A7 processor and motion tracking chip, and TouchID, a convenient fingerprint scanning system. Early reviewers feel some of the new features such as the faster processor and the motion tracking chip in the phone are currently but a future promise, mainly because there are so few apps and services to support them.

The iPhone 5s has a beefed up camera that shows its mojo in slo-mo with some early shared videos (like skateboarding) that are posted on CNET.

iPhone 5s also features a new operating system, iOS 7. iOS 7 features include AirDrop, local person-to-person file sharing; an updated FaceTime for free wireless calls; and a flip-up control panel. Other aspects of the new operating system are said to be somewhat confusing.

And, not to be overlooked, the new iOS is literally making some users sick – an apparent motion related nausea – that for those who experience it renders the phone nearly unusable.

The iPhone 5c, by the way, is called an iPhone 5 in a new case.

Truth be told, there are larger and better screens, better storage options, and better cameras out there on other devices. But, if you are entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, or just enamored of it, you will probably still opt for the new 5s. TechRadar, InformationWeek, Cnet, Gizmodo, Apple

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Virginia Tech Data Breach Exposes 145,000 Job Applicants

Human error may have caused a sensitive data breach for about 145,000 people who applied online for jobs at the school within the last ten years. The compromised data includes names, addresses, employment and education history, as well as data on prior convictions. In over 16,000 individuals the compromised data included driver’s license numbers.

No Social Security numbers or birth dates were affected in the incident. According to Lawrence Hincker a server was placed in service without normal cyber protection protocols. The oversight allowed someone to illegally access the server and the data it contained. By law and according to the university, all those whose driver’s license were compromised have been notified. ITWorld, ComputerWorld

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Google Apps You Could Learn To Love

Google drive, as you might know, lets you store your stuff in one place so you can access it from anywhere and share with whomever. Now, Google Drive gets more to love with more apps linked directly to Drive. LifeHacker and some other online sites have some great ideas about apps that maximize Drive as well as Gmail, Google Search and Chrome. Here are just a few.

Really worth exploring a plethora of applications! GooglePlay, LifeHacker, InformationWeek, FreshTechTips