Two of the biggest companies in smartphone cases OtterBox and LifeProof are now one big happy family. OtterBox today announced that it has acquired LifeProof and it’s 250 employees and is now merging the brands together with it’s 650 employees worldwide. Details of the acquisition have not been disclosed as OtterBox is a privately owned company. For the time being LifeProof employees will stay put in their San Diego facility .

OtterBox was founded in 1998 and LifeProof in 2005 and is a DBA of TreeFrog Developments, Inc.

“The joining of OtterBox and LifeProof is a way to combine two great brands and provide customers with even more great products, services and choices for smartphone accessories,” OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas said. “Both companies are successful because we foster an environment where everyone takes pride in being part of a culture that knows how to identify opportunities and grow them quickly. Our goal in this acquisition is to create more value for our customers than we ever could have generated while operating individually.”

I’ve been waiting for this. Show the product. Nice

 

 

Here are a few of the most common workplace security mistakes, as well as a few tips on how to avoid them:

1.    Losing Your Mobile Device

While not everyone has had the misfortune of having a device lost or stolen, it’s extremely likely to happen to at least one person in your workplace at some time. Just think of all the personal information you’ve sent in professional emails: Your contact information is in your email signature, you may have copies of client records in your “Sent” folder, and your HR manager likely has your social security information stored somewhere in their files. Despite those risks, a third of people don’t bother to protect their mobile devices with a PIN or password. To give you, your boss, and your coworkers peace of mind, you should also install security software that will locate, lock, and wipe your phone remotely in the case of device loss or theft.

2.    Downloading Risky Apps

Whenever you download an app on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you’re handing over your personal details to the developer of that app. While many apps require certain data to run (for example, Google Maps requires access to your location), some applications collect extensive information without your knowledge. Recent research found that more than 100,000 Android applications on Google Play are “suspicious” or “questionable” because of what they collect about users. Free apps are particularly suspect, and an app with access to your contact information can be used to mine information about your company’s employees. In turn, this information can easily be used to carry out sophisticated spearphishing attacks that can compromise your entire workplace.

3.    Working Remote – With or Without Your Corporate Device

According to a recent study, 46% of employees admit to transferring files to and from work and personal computers when working from home. This can pose a serious risk to your employer’s data, since personal computers are rarely protected or maintained as well as corporate devices. Talking about sensitive company issues where others can hear or intercept the conversation becomes much more common when you’re working from home or in a coffee shop. If you do work remotely, never hold work conversations in a place where you could be overheard, and always connect to a VPN over a secure Wi-Fi network (NOT the free Wi-Fi in your favorite café).

4.    Passwords on Post-Its

You’ve seen it; I’ve seen it. When your IT guy gives out a particularly complex password to remember, our first inclination is to write it down on a Post-It and stick it on the side of our work computer. In fact, 55% of us admit to sharing password details with friends, family, or coworkers – a habit that could leave corporate or personal data open to theft. To avoid this mistake while still maintaining a variety of complex passwords, try a password management system like McAfee Safe Key, which is included with your McAfee All Access subscription.

5.    Foregoing Security Software

No matter where you work, all employees need to understand that they are handling sensitive business data whenever they work from a personal or corporate device. Take some time to install a security solution on all of your mobile devices, and when it’s your phone or laptop that gets stolen, your coworkers (and boss) will thank you. It only takes a moment to download, and this step could save you a lot of time, money, and potentially your job.

credit goes to http://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer-threat-notices/top-5-mobile-security-mistakes-to-avoid-in-the-workplace

You rely on your smartphone for many things. One area that is lacking is integration with your TV watching. At best, the smartphone was used as a simple remote control to change channels. New apps make use of your phone as a search tool and scheduler. Finally, the phone and TV might really work together.

DirecTV Taps Into Your Phone

This summer, DirecTV will release into beta its latest app, DirecTV Voice. They have been working with Nuance, creators of Dragon Naturally Speaking, to create a voice controlled app to search DirecTV channels for your favorite shows. Their goal is to finally get rid of scrolling through the program grid displayed on the TV screen to find programs.

By using voice recognition, they are trying to also get away from pushing buttons or sliding through nested menus. Nuance is the county’s premier voice recognition specialists so they plan this release to have a high rate of success with this voice-driven application. Think of it as Siri with infinite knowledge of TV shows and movies.

Continue reading »

There is no doubt that iOS is in desperate need of upgrading. It has been around too long in it’s current state. Android and more specifically Windows Phone have a much more intuitive and modern look. Apple even borrowed some of Androids notification goodness in iOS 5. Now it seems that Apple may borrow some of Microsoft’s Metro UI flava for it’s own in the upcoming release of iOS 7. 9to5Mac is stating that multiple sources are claiming the new interface and general design will be “very, very flat”. While other sources are stating that the new design "loses all signs of gloss, shine and skeumorphism"

Jony Ive, who is now in charge of the iOS design team is said to favor the Metro minimalistic style and bring elements of that UI into Apple’s new UI that should be previewed at the WWDC 2013. Macrumors has a pretty cool mockup of the new UI and I can already tell you I am not a fan. What makes the “flat” style work on Windows Phones is that it is now tunable to your own desire by being able to make the truly live tiles bigger or smaller and move them around at will.

If these formerly called icons could be more like Android widgets and have the scalability of Windows Phone I think it would be more of a hit. It is also being stated that the "new panels [that] swipe from the left and right side of an iOS device’s display."

So it could very well possibly be that iOS 7 falls flat in a good way, but Apple better have something more up it’s sleeve than the mocked up image or it could find it’s not so shiny new UI falling flat in a bad way.

The popular Android personal assistant has not come to the iPad and iPhone but I don’t look for it to replace Siri anytime soon. Even though I have a love hate relationship with Siri there is a deeper integration that with Google Search which is where Google Now is buried. First thing is to fire up your iOS device and head to iTunes and either download or update Google Search. Once downloaded and you fire it up, the Google Search screen is pretty boring. At the bottom of the screen there are some notifications that you can lift up (swipe) and will display multiple cards. The cards will appear based off your location results and selections for example with sports and teams. When you are done with a card you can swipe it the heck out of there. Which is kind of neat. I’m still working with Google Now for iPad but so far I am pretty underwhelmed and the Android experience with Google Now is much better.

Today is World Book Day. No, I can’t say I’ve heard of it, either, and I’m a bookworm.

But in any event, in case you’re in iPhone or iPad user, and you have kids, today ONLY you can get StoryToys’ apps FREE.

So GO! Share the love of books with your wee geeks.

(Note, since I don’t have iTunes on my laptop, and refuse to install that piece of junk, I copied the link above from totallytarget.com. You can find the original article here, and if my copy of their link doesn’t work, try it directly from their site.)

Logitech follows Microsoft’s lead with their new FabrickSkin keyboard Folio line. This should be considered a compliment to Microsoft and their Surface design teams, as I consider Logitech to be the best peripheral manufacture around. Featuring some water repellant coating, a magnet “snap” stance and a great key layout, this is sure to be a treat for iPad owners.

However, although the best keyboard option I’ve seen for the iPad so far, I can’t help but point out the lack of trackpad. I know, it has nothing to do with Logitec and more so Apple, but yea, the use of a cursor in conjunction with the keyboard makes the Surface’s keyboards top of their class.

Logitech worked with world-class designers to identify chic fabrics and a bold color palette and combined them with a clean design. As a result, both the Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio and Logitech Folio are offered in a range of colors from Electric Blue and Sunflower Yellow to Mars Red Orange, and in an array of on-trend fabrics from matte leather to finely woven cotton.

“By developing color and material options that evoke our senses and speak to our individuality, Logitech has made owning an iPad unique again,” said Beatrice Santiccioli, world-renowned color expert and designer. “I brought my knowledge in color and design to Logitech to help inspire the selection of materials and develop a color palette that builds a strong emotional connection to people’s lifestyles.”

The Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio features the first Bluetooth® keyboard with its keys seamlessly fused into an interior fabric. Its full-size keys give you the tactile feedback you’re used to in a traditional keyboard, but in a sleek new look. The keyboard folio’s high-end fabrics are treated with a coating that is liquid repellent to help keep your folio looking new for longer. Hidden magnets hold your iPad in two convenient positions, snapping your tablet securely into typing mode and ensuring the folio stays shut when you’re moving around.

Designed for the iPad or iPad mini, the Logitech Folio features the same sophisticated style and premium materials on the inside and outside to safeguard your tablet while you’re on the go. Magnetic closures minimize the risk of damage to your tablet and its screen while in transit. For an extra measure of convenience, its four-way flip stand allows you to view your tablet from the stand without having to hold it.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in May 2013, for a suggested retail price of $149.99 in the U.S. The Logitech Folio for iPad and iPad mini are expected to be available in the U.S. in May 2013, for a suggested retail price of $69.99 and $59.99. For more information, please visitwww.logitech.com or our blog.

First things first. I don’t have a Blackberry Playbook, HP Touchpad (I sold it). I don’t have Android Tablet with ICS or up installed. I sold them on eBay and bought a nice Surface Pro for me. That puts my tests incomplete, but they gave me a basic idea. Since Playbook and Touchpad have minimal market, I decided not to worry and test against them, unless some great soul loans me those. I might get a Galaxy Note Tab in a few days and I will update this again.

Here I am not talking about App Ecosystem (iPad and Android). I am not talking about MS Office availability (Windows RT). I am not talking about fast boot approach like browser as a OS (Chromebook) or wide choice of devices (Android). I am also not worried about cloud sync, because almost all these devices are capable of syncing to cloud through natively or 3rd party apps. I am also not talking about which lasts longer on a single full charge or which is lighter to carry around.

I just want to be able to sync my smartphone through USB to the tablet I have, and explore it and sync the content. This is just because most of the media and good number of great analysts of Wall Street, IDC and Gartner are talking about death of PC or Post PC devices and even some of them say Microsoft is doomed and it is going to die tomorrow. If that happens, my PCs will not work because a dead company can’t release something to support my devices. I should be able to USB sync my devices, because if I can’t pay for internet for unforeseeable circumstances, the so called cloud services will not be there for me and I really can’t touch my media in the cloud.

Yes, with this type of economy an average Joe like me should be prepared for the worst come and in this case it is having a media backup locally instead of in the cloud would save the day.

Anyway keeping the rant at bay, I tried USB sync iPhone 5, HTC EVO 3D with Android ICS, Windows Phone 7.5, and Windows 8 with Surface RT, iPad 2 and Chromebook.

Here are my findings:

Host/Device	iPhone 5	HTC EVO 3D	Windows Phone 8	Windows Phone 7.5
Surface RT	Photos/Video	Disk Drive	Total Sync	No
iPad 2	Photos/Video	“Connected USB Device Not Supported”	“Connected USB Device Not Supported”	“Connected USB Device Not Supported”
Chromebook	No	Disk Drive	No	No

 

Note: I erased or blurred some parts of the screenshots, as they are not necessary.

Surface RT or any Windows RT tablet could USB Sync with iPhone 5, Android, and of course Windows 8. In the case of Windows Phone 7.5, Microsoft said it needs Zune Client, which is a legacy Windows app developed for x86/x64 compatible processors not ARM compatible processors. Windows RT runs on ARM processor, so which is understandable and you have to use SkyDrive to sync.

When you USB sync your iPhone with Windows RT tablet here are the sequence of events that happen on your Windows RT Tablet.

It shows a dialog box on the upper right corner of your tablet like this:

and then once you tap that you will be presented with this:

If you select “Import photos and videos”, it opens the Photos app and you can import the pictures and videos from your phone.

If you select “Open device to view files”, then the Desktop App gets opened and within desktop Windows Explorer application gets launched like the following:

Once you tap Internal storage, it gets expanded and all you see is the DCIM folder and that’s where your photos and videos taken from iPhone Camera’s gets stored:

If you Sync your Android with Windows RT, once you USB sync your phone you will see something similar to the following. Please note the following are similar screens presented on your Android phone even if you USB sync with your Chromebook:

Once you tap Charge only, you will see something similar on your phone. Please select Disk drive option and tap on Done:

    

Desktop App on your Windows RT tablet gets launched and it opens the Windows Explorer application and you could see that your Android device mounted as external drive. And you could transfer files between your Windows RT Tablet and Android device. Please wait for 15 to 20 seconds to see this:

Now let us do Windows Phone 8 USB Sync. If you have already done that, you might have Windows Phone App already installed on your Windows RT tablet and it takes care syncing between your phone and Tablet. But if you are doing it for the first time, you will similar to the following screens:

Once you tap, it starts downloading and installing the Windows Phone app from Windows Store. Once it is installed you will asked to change your phone name and option to automatically import media to your computer. Click on All Done and you will taken to Windows Phone App and you could see the pictures, videos, and options to sync music etc:

Ok now let us see iPad 2 sync with various devices. With iPad, of course you have to use iPad USB Adapter to sync with your iPhone, and it opens the Photos App on your iPad and allows you to import pictures/video from your iPhone. Surprisingly iPad doesn’t work with any of Android, Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8. It threw an alert box saying “Cannot use USB Device. Connected USB Device Not Supported.”

Once you USB sync your iPhone 5 with iPad2 using USB adapter (purchased separately from Apple), you will see the Photos App launched and you will given an option to Import and delete pictures/video from your iPhone 5 like this:

But if you USB Sync your Android device or Windows Phone (7.5 or 8), you will see something like this:

 

Now let us see how Chromebook works with iPhone, Android Phone and Windows Phone (7.5 and 8).

Once you USB Sync either your iPhone or Windows Phone (7.5 or 8), you will not see any action on the Chromebook. I waited for more than 10 minutes nothing happened. I opend Files App on my Chromebook and still I didn’t see anything, except for Downloads and Google Drive folders on that:

Chromebook can be synced with Android devices using the Disk Drive option once you USB sync your phone. And since it becomes an external drive, you could transfer files, media between devices like it did with Windows RT tablets. I synced my HTC EVO 3D with ICS and it launched the Files App and I could see my phone listed as USB Drive:

I am planning to get an Android tablet and see how it syncs with various phones. I don’t have a Blackberry or Symbian phones. If someone provides me those, I could run these again and see how they could be able to sync up with Tablets.

Now if Microsoft could provide a way to sync the stored contacts, text messages using USB, then that would complete it.

To me personally, Windows RT tablet is more savvier and appealing than competing tablets. It comes Microsoft Office for RT, which is much better than many Office like Apps for Android, iPhone/iPad or Google Drive. The Windows Store is growing and it already has good number of applications, currently looking at 50,000+ apps and Xbox Games. Windows RT tablets come with USB port support and HDMI support. Of course you could do the same on Android and iPads too. They also have support for various sensors and cameras like higher end Android tablets and iPads. Support for RDP is there like Android Tablets, and iPads. And I could connect to variety of cloud services just like other tablets. The factor for me is having Lync support. I use Lync most of the day to communicate with my peers at work.

Don’t you think Windows RT tablets are better than competing platforms?

Surprisingly quickly after the release of Facebook’s latest master piece, Facebook Home, the iOS (iPhone and iPad) receives an update featuring the super popular Chat Heads. Chat Head’s are pretty much floating icons off to the side of your screen waiting for your Facebook Chat goodness. Most with early access to Facebook Home have actually opted out of the experience, but kept the Chat Heads. They are a none intrusive way to keep your notifications up front and center.

In iOS world, no luck on the same freedom. Because of iOS sandbox nature, Chat Heads can only exist when you’re in the Facebook App itself, needless to say, it really defeats the purpose of the really nice thought out implementation. Thus, making it useless! So while you may have thought you had a celebration on its way, the Android army enjoys this candy on its own. Check out The Verge’s early video coverage of the app.