Google and ASUS provide money back for 16GB Nexus 7 buyers in the US

If you bought a 16GB Nexus 7 in the US 15 days after it received a price drop, you are in luck. According to Google’s Price Protection policy, if you purchased the 16GB model 15 days after the price cut was announced, that is on October 14, then Google will refund the price difference to you ($50). Unfortunately, no such offer is available to those who purchased the 8GB model.

Meanwhile, ASUS also has its own scheme going on for buyers in Europe who purchased the tablet before October 29. If you are one of the eligible buyers, you will get a €30 (or ₤25 in the UK) voucher, that you can use on ASUS’s online store. ASUS hasn’t mentioned any particular model, so it is apparently available on both the 8GB and 16GB variants.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Man develops iPhone case that shoots pepper spray

Potentially a useful way to stop an attacker from hurting someone, a new iPhone case includes a blast of pepper spray for personal protection.

Designed as a personal protection device, an Arizona man has created a case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S that includes a built-in pepper spray canister. Located in Scottsdale, Spraytect founder Scott McPherson thought up the idea when he was concerned about this daughter’s safety after she left for college. On the back of the Spraytect iPhone case, a user slides the custom pepper spray canister canister along a rail positioned horizontally when looking at the phone in a vertical position. Since the pepper spray canister significantly protrudes from the case, it may be difficult to store in a pocket. However, the canister does act as a “kickstand” when the phone is positioned vertically or horizontally and can help the iPhone user view the screen.

After the canister has been installed and locked into place, the user must pull a safety clip off the canister to start the activation process. The safety clip is designed to keep the canister locked and unable to fire. After the clip is removed, the user rotates the actuator knob into the down position.

When the bright yellow color is completely visible, the canister is ready to be fired. If the user needs to spray an assailant, they rotate the case horizontally and spray the attacker as if they were taking their picture with the iPhone camera.

Spraytect recommends using short bursts lasting approximately half a second and spraying from ear to ear across the face. Similar to other types of pepper spray, Spraytect also recommends moving in the opposite direction after releasing the spray. The spray takes a few seconds to kick in and disable an attacker.

In order to help the user feel more comfortable with using pepper spray, Spraytect includes a test cartridge without any active pepper spray to practice installing, activating and firing the spray from the canister. According to Spraytect, the pepper spray mixture includes habanero pepper. Usually the hottest pepper at your local grocery store, habaneros typically rate between 200,000 and 300,000 Scoville units. The blend is similar to what’s used by police officers, members of the U.S. military, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security.  

Since the canister is detachable, the user can choose the right time to utilize the protection. For instance, a college student likely wouldn’t need it during class, but it could be useful when going out with friends at night.

Users also have the option of rotating the actuator knob back into the locked position once they feel safe. The canister would have to be removed before passing through airport security, but the TSA does allow one 4-ounce container of mace or pepper spray included in checked baggage. 

Split into two pieces, the simple iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S case doesn’t obstruct the smartphone’s built-in, rear camera. The case comes in four different colors including black, white, aqua blue and pink. McPherson is currently selling the pepper spray iPhone case for a price of approximately $40 on the Spraytect site. Besides the case, the Spraytect case owner will also get one pepper spray cartridge and one test cartridge. Replacement pepper spray cartridges cost approximately $18 each and they can be color matched to the case.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Are You Monitoring Your Mac Computer?

Macs are known for being impervious to viruses, unlike their PC counterparts, which are vulnerable to all types of malicious software without the right anti-virus protection. However, this added protection often lulls many Mac users into being complacent when it comes to taking security measures to protect their computer and its contents. Although Apple operating systems are less susceptible to spyware, adware, and other malicious programs, they can be abused by unscrupulous or unrestricted users. You should consider the benefits of remotely monitoring your Mac if you fit into one of the following stereotypes:

The Busy Businessman

As a multitasking businessman it can be easy to forget to power down your Mac before leaving the office. With a remote monitoring service/app you can easily access your Mac from anywhere you can connect to the internet, on any device that can load a conventional web browser – including smartphones and tablets. You can even remotely log out of your user account, view and kill active processes, or shut down the computer altogether. This makes it easy to keep unwanted eyes from prying into your business data. Furthermore, you can remotely view, download, modify, and use files/programs that are stored on your Mac, so you can have the office computer with you wherever you go.

The Protective Parent

Remote monitoring takes your parental control capabilities to the next level. Instead of simply setting up web filters that may or may not block all forbidden content, you can actually view a child’s activity in real-time or review detailed logs of past activity complete with screenshots that you can set to be taken at custom intervals. Using remote monitoring apps/services in combination with parental control filters is the best way to ensure that your children are protected from inappropriate content while browsing the internet. Also, you’ll no longer have to worry about whether your kid has actually been doing their homework or watching YouTube; you can view all of the programs/windows they’ve opened, see how long they were used, and quickly discover any files that were created or modified.

The Demanding Techie

Web designers, software developers, programmers, and other online service providers often own and manage more than one computer and/or operating system. Most techies have a smartphone, netbook, or tablet that they use to compute while on-the-go, but still need to have access to important files, emails, and applications that are stored on their home/office computers. Advanced software tasks can sometimes take hours to complete, and it’s nice to be able to check up on the progress of operations while you’re away from the Mac. In addition, with the ability to remotely use your Mac’s processing capabilities and RAM you can launch and operate resource-intensive programs through the web browser of the device you’re using to connect to the online control interface, essentially giving your mobile device the computing power of your Mac. Remote Mac monitoring should be utilized by any techie that simply can’t afford to be away from their main powerhouse computer for too long.

Author Bio: Toby Keszler is a part-time blogger, mobile tech enthusiast, and currently blogs for SniperSpy MAC Monitoring Software, a cutting-edge app that allows you to easily monitor your Mac computer.

Tags: Computer Monitor, Computer Monitoring, Computer Security, Mac Computers

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

avast! Mobile Security adds ant-theft features

avast! Mobile Security application for Android has received a major update in version 2.0 and now includes a very useful feature in the form of anti-theft protection. This features were initially found in the beta version but are now part of the main app. With the help of this feature, you will be able to locate your phone on a map and will also be able to use other commands such as remotely trigger a siren, remote lock and even remote wipe using the excellent web portal.

The application is also smart enough to send a message whenever it detects that the SIM has been swapped. This way, if someone steals your phone and swaps the SIM, you will be able to locate the phone on a map and also have the mobile number of the perpetrator, thus making it easier to find your phone.

You will need to create an avast! account for these features to work, which is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Other new features in this update include network meter for tracking your data usage, real time scanning of apps and messages, improved user interface for tablets, a new widget and much more.

As before, avast! Mobile Security is a free download and is worth having on your phone at least for the anti-theft features if not for the anti-virus functionality. You can download the app here.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com