Sunday, July 30, 2017

FBI Warns Parents About Internet Connected Toys

FBI logo
Beware of the toys.  They may be watching, listening and sharing.

That's the warning to parents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about internet connected toys.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recently issued a statement to parents "to consider cyber security prior to introducing smart, interactive, internet-connected toys into their homes or trusted environments."

The concern is that the toys could pose identity theft and exploitation threats due to microphones, cameras and geo-location data that is improperly used, shared or stored.  

The full notice is worth reading but here are a few points:

  • Only connect and use toys with trusted and secure Wi-Fin internet access.
  • Closely monitor children’s activity with the toys (such as conversations and voice recordings) through the toy’s partner parent application, if such features are available
  • Ensure the toy is turned off, particularly those with microphones and cameras, when not in use
  • Use strong and unique login passwords when creating user accounts (e.g., lower and upper case letters, numbers, and special characters)
  • Carefully read disclosures and privacy policies


Should we be concerned?  Maybe to Probably.  It can happen.

Nearly two years, we warned readers about the problem caused by one company.  

In that case, Vtech a major tech toy company, poorly stored sensitive children data on the web.

So the best thing we can do is to be cautious and knowledgeable.

Source: FBI


Sunday, July 23, 2017

Waze Now Lets You Record and Share Your Own Turn-by-Turn Navigation Audio

Waze
We love Waze, Google's crowd-sourced navigation and traffic app.

From real-time predictive arrival times and the ability for you and your fellow commuters to report hazards and traffic problems, Waze is the best mobile navigation app.

From time to time, Waze has promoted celebrity voices who offered turn-by-turn navigation.  These have included Stephen Colbert, Mr. T and C3PO.

But now Waze lets users to create their own custom audio and also the ability to share that audio with others.

Here's how to record your voice directions:

  • Open Waze app on your mobile phone.
  • Tap the Hamburger men (three lines)
  • Tap Settings.
  • Tap Voice and sound.
  • Tap Waze voice.
  • Tap Add a voice.
  • Click OK on the Safety Warning screen (after reading!)
  • Tap Name your voice.
  • Tap Enter a name for your custom voice to give your set of recordings a name. 
  • Tap Done.
  • Tap on the type of direction you'd like to record, 
  • Tap the record icon Waze Record to start recording and stop Waze Stop Record when you've finished recording. 
  • To play your recording back, tap the play icon Waze Play Voice.
  • Tap Save.


A few suggestions when making and using the custom voice navigation:

  • Be accurate when recording your custom navigation.  Safety first!  
  • Your voice recording is saved locally.  So it is possible that it can be deleted when you uninstall the Waze app.
  • Did you read the warning above about being accurate when making a custom recording?  Safety first!
  • Custom voice navigation is not as complete as the normal voice navigation options.  Use a custom voice when you are familiar with your travel plans and destinations.  Use the default voice options when you need more precise street names for your audio navigation.



You can also share your customer voice navigation with others.  

Here's how:

  • Tap the Hamburger menu (three lines) then Settings .
  • Tap Voice and sound.
  • Tap Waze Voice.
  • Tap Share Waze Share iOS on iOS or Waze Share Android on Android and then Share again on the voice you want to share.
  • Choose your preferred method (SMS, email, etc.). and select the recipient.

Send your voice recording to friends and they'll hear your recorded directions while navigating with Waze.
Check out this custom voice:
Rodger's Wild Ride (Waze Custom Voice Navigation)

READ MORE
OneCoolTip.com
Cool Tech Tips for a Cooler Life!

#Waze  #Android #iPhone #voice #navigation

Urgent: Update Your iPhone to 10.3.3 to Fix Nasty Bug

Due to a significant software bug, iPhone users should update their iOS operating system to version 10.3.3 as soon as possible.

The bug can allow hackers  to take total control of an iPhone through an exploit of the Wifi chip inside the iPhone.

iPhone Software UpdateHere's how to update your iPhone operating system.

But before you do, first make sure you have a back up by using the iTunes on your PC or doing an online backup.

You should also plug your iphone into power and connect to wifi,

1.  If you receive an alert to upgrade, click and follow the instructions.

2.  If not, you can manually force the upgrade.

3.  To update over the air, tap to go to Settings > General > Software Update

4. Tap Download and Install.

After the install, follow the instructions to restart and login to your iPhone.

10.3.3 should be the last update before the new iOS 11 comes out later this year.

Source: Apple

READ MORE

OneCoolTip.com
Cool Tech Tips for a Cooler Life!

#iOS10 #10.3.3. #iPhone #hack #malware #ios #apple #bug

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Find Wi-fi Hotspots with Facebook

Facebook
Need to find a Wi-fi hotspot?

Facebook is rolling our a new feature that lets you find WiFi.

Here's how to do it from your mobile device:

Open the Facebook mobile app and click the “More” tab.

Select “Find Wi-Fi” from the list

Then you'll see a map of your current location with Wi-fi locations highlighted.

Facebook Find Wi-fiFacebook Find Wi-fi - Washington DC

Business owners can add that they have Wi-fi to their Facebook business listings.

So the list on Facebook is not every local location.  But it can help you to find Wi-Fi availability to reduce your mobile data minutes or to access Wi-from a laptop or tablet.

If you are a business owner, you can learn more about adding Wi-fi info to your business listing HERE.



#Facebook #Wi-fi #wifi #hotspot #findwifi #findwi-fi #map #location