iPhone users BEWARE: This bug could steal your password with just a text message

iPHONE users should update their devices in order to stay protected from some shocking new viruses.

All iPhones need to update as soon as possible, Apple says

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iPhone fans should update their devices as soon as possible following the reveal of a terrifying bug that can hijack and steal password with just a single text message.

The flaw affects users with devices that aren’t yet using the latest version 9.3.3 of Apple’s iOS software, which was rolled out this week.

The US tech company always recommends that iPhone users should upgrade to the latest version as soon as an update in released.

Apple has urged all users to update, and fast

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“This is very high severity issue,” Craig Wiliams, head of global outreach at Cisco Talos, which discovered the bug, told Fortune.

“The fact that you have an exploit without any user interaction makes me very concerned."

The bug affects a programming interface called ImageIO, which is able to read and write information concerning any images found on a phone.

However, if hackers send an image or multimedia message embedded with malicious code to a device, ImageIO can be hijacked to give hackers access to important passwords and information.

The hacking is able to start as soon as the infected text message is sent and opened, meaning any curious phone users could be at risk.

The researchers say that the bug also affects other Apple devices, including Mac computers, Apple Watches and Apple TVs.

To update your iPhone or iPad simply head to Settings > General > Software Update and tap Download and Install.

Updating to the latest version of iOS is simple

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The news comes as Apple prepares to roll out iOS 10, the next version of its mobile software.

Available to download now in beta format, iOS 10 promises a range of improvements and upgrades to its predecessor, including new ways to send and customise messages, improved photo management and editing tools, as well as a complete redesign of Apple Music.

In particular, Apple has made your text messages more personal, allowing users to tweak their texts to appear happier or more apologetic, with different animations and font sizes.

iPhone owners can also send secretive messages that the recipient is only able to reveal when they swipe across the text bubble or image preview.

Apple has also tweaked how it handles emojis, which have also been given a major size upgrade to now appear three time bigger in Messages.

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Why you shouldn't let your iPhone get too hot in the heatwave and how to keep it cool

AS TEMPERATURES continue to soar it's important to keep your gadgets from getting too toasty – here's some top tips on keeping things cool in heat.

After months of wind, rain and cold Britain is finally in the middle of a heatwave.

With the barmy temperatures set to continue over the next few days Brits are clearly enjoying soaking up the sun.

However, the smartphone in your pocket is not such a big fan of these record hot conditions.

Most devices have an optimal temperature and once that's exceeded things can go wrong.

In fact many tech companies, including Apple, state that devices should be stored where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C.

So, if you want to keep your smartphone working at its best, here's some top tips for keeping it cool.

1. Remove any cases

Yes it keeps the phone from getting damaged but, like a big wooly jumper, a case won't allow heat to escape as quickly as it needs to.

Smartphones are meant to get hot as the exterior of the device functions as a cooling surface that transfers heat from inside the device to the cooler air outside.

But a case can make it get too hot in these conditions so remove the protection and just be careful not to drop your phone.

2. DON'T leave your phone in the car

Pets should never be left in car and neither should your phone. Temperatures inside a parked vehicle can easily reach 60º C and that's when things will start to go seriously wrong.

3. KEEP it out of the sun

If you sit in the sun too long you're likely go red and so will your phone so keep yourself, and your phone, in the shade during the hottest times of the day.

4. Turn things off

Some functions such as GPS tracking, navigation in a car, or playing a graphics-intensive game will make your phone hotter than a supermodel so avoid using these feature in the current conditions.

5. DON'T charge it

Plugging your smartphone into the mains will make it heat up so, if it's already burning your hands, keep it away from the power lead.

What happens when your phone gets too hot?

If things do get out of control it's likely your phone will shut itself down to avoid any irreparable damage.

When the device goes off the advice is simple – put it somewhere cool and leave it well alone for a few hours.

And whatever you do DON'T put it in the fridge or freezer...that's only going to leave you needing to buy a brand new phone.

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Apple iPhone 5C ‘blew up and burned me’

A teenager's iPhone “exploded” as he travelled on the Eurostar, burning and scratching his arm.

“Horrible smell”: Arthur Smith, 19, with his ruined iPhone 5s. The top-left corner of the battery is badly melted

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Arthur Smith, 19, was returning from touring Europe by motorbike when the two-year-old iPhone 5s “blew up”.

The trainee lawyer from Streatham is now considering legal action against Apple. He told the Standard: “I was asleep on my way home when my iPhone started to ring.

“I woke up and was getting funny looks from people because you’re not supposed to use phones in the carriage.

“The screen was completely blank but I went to turn it off and it was so hot. It let off this horrible smell like burning sulphur and the screen popped out and scratched all the way up my arm.

“It felt like being scalded by a burning piece of metal. It just made this huge popping sound, it was pretty scary. I panicked a bit because it was smoking and the other passengers were getting worried so I wrapped it up in a napkin to try to make it stop.”

Mr Smith suffers from haemophilia, which affects the blood’s ability to clot. When he arrived at St Pancras station after the train journey last Wednesday, he was seen by an emergency medical officer, who applied balm to his arm.

He said: “If it had happened the day before when I was on my motorbike at 100 miles an hour it could’ve been fatal.

“I love Apple products and have had this one since new. I trust them normally — so much so, I went and brought an iPhone 5c to replace it.”

He said of his wrecked phone: “I took the screen away and the battery had blown up on one corner.

“I just hope this is a one-off because children use these things. I feel responsible for my little sister who is 10 and on her iPhone all the time. I will be contacting Apple because even if it’s out of warranty it shouldn’t just explode like that. I sleep with it next to my pillow and it could have hit me in the face.”

There have been several reports of iPhones exploding in recent years. Last year, an iPhone 5C burst into flames in a New Yorker’s pocket, melting it shut. The man was forced to rip off his trousers and suffered third-degree burns.

Apple said it did not comment on individual cases.

Source: Standard UK

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Apple WWDC 2016: Phone stock apps will finally be allowed to be deleted with iOS 10

The full list of removable apps is available on Apple's website

A man tries out the iPhone SE in Tokyo

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Apple will finally let its customers delete the huge set of apps that comes built into the phone.

Until now, iPhones have come with a suite of apps that are stuck on the phone, and are impossible to delete. They have become even more notable in recent years as Apple has added more and more of them to the phone.

But now the company will let people remove those apps ― like Stocks or Compass ― freeing up space in the phone's storage and on the home screen.

Many people have taken to filling up a folder with all of the unused apps, referred to as a "junk drawer".

Apple boss Tim Cook had already indicated that the company would make the change, but said that work was needed because the apps are tied to other features and embedded deep in the operating system.

The full list of removable apps is available on Apple's website. Almost all of the stock apps are included, with some notable exceptions such as Phone and Messages.

The same document points out that removing apps will "affect things like related system functions or information on your Apple Watch". That is presumably related to features like the stock data that can appear on the phone's "Today" page of the Apple Watch's face.

It also advises that the apps have been designed to be space efficient, so that even deleting all of them will only free up about 150MB.

The new feature is available in iOS 10, which was introduced at an event in California. It is available to developers now and will arrive to the public in the autumn.

Source: Independent UK

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iPhone warning: DON'T open any of these messages from 'Apple'

USERS warned as experts say iPhone text scams are on the rise

WARNING: iPhone users should be aware not open text messages from 'Apple'

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iPhone owners in the UK are being warned about an increasing number of phishing campaigns aimed at stealing important personal details.

Over the past few months a number of elaborate attacks have already attempted to dupe iPhone owners into handing over user names and passwords.

And according to security researchers at FireEye it's a growing problem.

These phising campaigns are used to unearth the Apple ID and passwords of Apple users, which can be used to gain entry to their accounts – and can be combined with stolen credit card information to make purchases via the Apple Store.

Some 86 phishing domains have already been logged since January 2016.

Concerned Apple fans have previously reached out to Daily Star Online after they received text messages that claimed to be from iTunes warning them that their account was now frozen.

Users were told that to validate their iTunes account and avoid suspension, they had to follow a link.

In another scam iPhone owners also received an iMessage claiming to be from Apple iSupport and warning users that their iCloud Account was about to expire.

The messages even included offical Apple branding and the user's name at the beginning of the text.

FAKE: A message received by the Daily Star shows how scammers try and steal your details

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FireEye traced the location information from the IP addresses of the fraudulent Apple login pages and noted that they all pointed to locations within in the UK.

That suggests the scams are being kickstarted and hosted in the UK – worrying news for British iPhone users.

Apple warns users about fakes emails and texts which often appear legitimate.

A message on the US tech firm's website explains the dangers of these malicious emails, stating: "The iTunes Store will never ask you to provide personal information or sensitive account information (such as passwords or credit card numbers) via email.

"Email messages that contain attachments or links to non-Apple websites are from sources other than Apple, although they may appear to be from the iTunes Store.

"Most often, these attachments are malicious and should not be opened.

"You should never enter your Apple account information on any non-Apple website."

Source: DailyStar UK

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Apple's Siri just did something amazing and here's why you should switch it on NOW

APPLE'S personal assistant has been thanked for saving a baby's life.

LIFE SAVER: Apple's Siri has been credited with saving a babies life

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A mother, whoose baby had stopped breathing, has told how she enlisted the help of Apple's Siri to call for help.

Australian Stacey Gleeson had dropped her iPhone on the floor as she rushed to check on her one-year-old daughter.

Finding her toddler was desperately ill, Mrs Gleeson suddenly realised her phone was out of reach but thankfully she remembered Apple's voice activation feature.

Yelling out "Hey Siri, call the ambulance.” her iPhone instantly began ringing the emergency services.

Help quickly arrived and the tot is now recovering at home.

Speaking to Yahoo, Mrs Gleeson said: ”I picked her up and sat down with her on the floor and as I checked her airways .. I looked over and remembered my phone,

"And then before I knew it the ambulance was on its way and Giana was breathing again."

Now the parents of the baby are urging others to make sure Siri is activated on their phones.

"Kids .. everybody, everybody should be aware of the abilities of their phone,” Mr Gleeson said.

"It's helped save our daughter's life and I never thought I'd have to go through something like that.”

SEARCH: Saying "Hey Siri" will allow your iPhone to perform simple tasks

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If you own an iPhone switching Siri on is easy, simply head to Settings > General > Siri.

Siri can be activated by pressing the home button but you can also use your voice to wake the assistant up.

Switching on, Allow "Hey Siri", means you can ask your iPhone to respond to tasks or questions.

Siri can call someone in your contacts, find local weather reports, send a text, set an alarm and even tell you what song is playing.

Source:  DailyStar UK

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Text scams: The messages that allow criminals to break into your iPhone, and how to spot them

Mobile phones are increasingly becoming the most important part of people’s work and social lives – which means they’re more and more vulnerable to attack

A man uses an iPhone 5C at the Berlin Apple Store

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The next text message you receive could ruin your life.

Increasingly, SMS messages are being used as a way of duping people into giving up their online accounts, and out of their identities and their money.

Many of those messages arrive looking perfectly innocent, and even useful. But they could be incredibly dangerous – and so it’s important to make sure to know how to spot them.

One of the major problems with such scams is that it is now relatively easy to pretend to be someone else, over text. The technology that powers texts allows people to put custom names in when they send messages – allowing people to easily pretend to be Google, Apple or anybody else.

As such, the main thing is to never give any information over text message, and only use it as a way of showing alerts. You never know who is texting you, or who you are texting – so treat it with extreme caution.

iCloud scams

One of the more recent scourges coming over SMS are iCloud scams. They aim to trick people into giving up the password that they use to get into their Apple account – and, once hackers are into that, then they can easily get your bank account details, your location, and more scary stuff besides.

Most of these notifications just work like traditional phishing scams, where cyber criminals pretend to be a company so that users send them details. But because they are done through the very personal but notoriously sketchy technology of SMS, they can be easy to spot.

It isn’t clear why there has been such a huge amount of these in recent months, but reports of them definitely do seem to be surging. The advice is the same as traditional phishing: responsible companies will never ask you to reply to a message with your personal details, or tell you to click on a dodgy link, so make sure that you always only give your information to official websites and be careful that you are.

Two-factor authentication

Another more new development is tricks that try and get around the two-factor authentication that many products now have built in – and which, for the most part, serves as a big problem for people breaking into your account. That's why it's also become such a security risk.

Two-factor authentication works by attaching a phone number to a person’s account. When they try to log-in, it will send a unique code to that phone number, and that has to be typed into the site. It’s built to foil people who steal passwords and then use them to get into accounts, because it requires physical access to the phone; and that’s why people are now trying to get around it with scams.

One highlighted this weekend shows a message that claims to be from Google and tells people that their account may have been hacked. If they want to have it shut down, it says, they need to reply to the message with the 6-digit verification code that they are about to receive.

Be warned, there's a nasty Google 2 factor auth attack going around. pic.twitter.com/c9b9Fxc0ZC

— Alex MacCaw (@maccaw) June 4, 2016

It’s a sneaky way of getting people to put the authentication message that they have received from Google into a text message so that scammers can get around the security setup. But it’s a curiously convincing one.

Again, the key is never to enter any important codes into a text message or any unverified sites. And sites such as Google and others that use two-factor authentication will only ever send you the messages if you ask for them; if you’re receiving them without asking, it probably means someone is trying to break into your account.

Source: Independent UK

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Here’s how to register up to five fingerprints on your device so you don’t get locked out

Have you ever been locked out of your smartphone or tablet because it would not recognise your fingerprint?

Five fingerprints are better than one

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If you have, you may want to register more than one digit in the future, which is something many people do not realise you can do.

It’s quite simple and doesn’t take more than a minute to complete.

Below are instructions on how to do it for iOS and Android devices, which should hopefully bring an end to the frustration of not being able to access your smartphone.

Many of the devices allow you to register up to five fingerprints so if your mobile fails to recognise one, just move on to the other.

And of course you can register someone else’s digit as well.

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

In order to register another finger click on the settings app, select Touch ID & Passcode, enter passcode, then add new fingerprint.

Android (Lollipop, N or Marshmallow)

Again click on settings, select security, then fingerprint, which will allow you to add another digit for fingerprint identification. You should be prompted for a passcode to complete this registration.

Source: Metro UK

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Jennifer Lawrence photo hacker Ryan Collins pleads guilty

A man has pleaded guilty to the hacking of emails and online accounts belonging to Hollywood stars and stealing private assets, including nude photos and video clips.

Ryan Collins used a ‘phishing’ scam to gain access to celebrity accounts

Ryan Collins, 36, had been accused of illegally accessing over 100 Google and Apple accounts, many of which belonged to famous women, between November 2012 and September 2014.

Prosecutors revealed that Collins used a ‘phishing’ scam to get his victims to enter their personal information.

He was then, in some cases, able to access all the files his victims had saved online. Some of these included naked videos and pictures.

Federal prosecutors said that they found no evidence to suggest that Collins distributed any of the explicit images obtained through his scheme.

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Apple to release iPhone that’s made entirely of glass according to latest rumours

There is speculation that the Taiwanese company that makes much of Apple’s metal casing would lose out

Imagination supplies the graphics technology for the iPhone

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Apple is gearing up to make an iPhone made almost entirely out of glass, according to one of its biggest suppliers.

The company will look to differentiate itself by dropping the metal that it is currently constructed out of, according to the firm that makes much of that same metal.

Many rumours have suggested that the phone set to be released later this year – likely the iPhone 7 – will appear mostly similar to the existing 6 and 6s. But in 2017, the company is expected to completely re-design the phone, bringing in new screen technologies and an entirely new look.

That rumour had led to some speculation among local suppliers that the Taiwanese company that makes much of Apple’s metal casing would lose business to the ones that make its glass screen covers. But Allen Horng, CEO of Catcher Technology, said that the company will still be able to supply products to some of the phones – while apparently confirming that Apple will bring in the glass design.

“As far as I know, only one [iPhone] model will adopt glass casing next year,” Mr Horng said after the annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. “I don't think this move will have an impact on Catcher's revenue as glass casing still needs a durable metal frame which requires advanced processing technology and would not be cheaper than the current model.”

Google Chrome to stop backspace being a ‘back’ button

Google Chrome is finally going to stop people from accidentally deleting everything they’ve been doing.

A future version of the app will stop the backspace button from also functioning as a “back” button, helping avoid people accidentally pressing it and so destroying everything they’ve done on that site.

The feature has already been rolled out in some experimental versions of the app, and has upset some users. Developers have said that the feature is only being partly enabled for now, in case there is “sufficient outcry” and it needs to be rolled back.

Future Macs to be unlocked with fingerprint sensor

People will very soon be able to unlock their computer remotely.

Upcoming versions of Mac OS X will be able to tell when a person’s phone is near the computer and then use its TouchID fingerprint sensor to unlock it, according to MacRumors.

That update could be announced in June, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It’s likely to be a part of the new version of Mac OS X, called 10.12, which will be made available to the public in the autumn.

Facebook home page could be split apart

Facebook is testing potentially the biggest change to its news feed since it launched.

The site is planning to split the feeds up into separate topics, according to screenshots that seem to show versions of the new look being tested.

Some users are already seeing their news feed divided up into categories. Those can include topics like TV and movies, music or travel.

People who have the new feeds are instructed to add different subtopics into those particular feeds. So if a person has a “TV & Movies” feed, for instance, they’ll be given the option to tick all of the films they like and Facebook will show stories and posts that are about those topics.

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Bendy smartphone will go on sale this year (but it's not made by the company you're expecting)

Incredible device can be worn like a very expensive bangle or held flat like a normal mobile phone

Bendy smartphone will go on sale this year (but it's not made by the company you're expecting)

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A Chinese firm is preparing to release the world's first bendy mobile phone.

Samsung was expected to be the first firm to release a pliable phone , but it looks like it'll be pipped to the post by the Moxi Group.

According to Bloomberg , the company will ship 100,000 units of its devices this year, which will cost 5,000 yuan (£522).

Initially, the gizmo will only feature black and white screens but a colour version is likely to come afterwards.

If the bendable gadget sells well in the People's Republic, then it could be sold in the rest of the world.

"Black and white phones are much easier to make," said Chongsheng Yu, executive vice president of Moxi.

Samsung was expected to release the world's first bendy mobile

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"The colour model power usage is also much higher than that of the black and white unit. We’ll sell in China and if there’s demand overseas, we’ll look into it."

The movable phone uses graphene technology to enable its wibbly wobbly ways.

Its processor and battery are stuffed in one side of the gadget, which means its free to bend into a circular shape.

The phone will use an advanced version of e-ink, which many people will be familiar with from Amazon's Kindle.

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Apple’s MacBook could be getting its 'most significant upgrade ever'

FLAGSHIP MacBook Pro laptop looks set to feature better screen, fingerprint sensor and new touch technology.

REFRESH: Apple's MacBook Pro looks set to get a major upgrade

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Apple’s MacBook Pro range hasn’t had a refresh in over a year, but that looks set to change.

Rumours are suggesting Apple’s flagship laptop is going to get an exciting overhaul in the coming months with a new design and plenty of bonus features.

According to a report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Apple fans will see a number of new additions on the next MacBook Pro.

These include a thinner, lighter design and a Touch ID fingerprint scanner for better security.

NEW: Apple recently updated its MacBook range of laptops

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But that’s not all as the new MacBook Pro may also feature an OLED display touch bar which will replace the function keys at the top of the keyboard.

Like the current range the Pro will land on laps with a 13 and 15-inch display and could also feature USB-C ports similar to those found on the new MacBook.

Kuo says these are the "most significant upgrade ever undertaken by Apple" and are planned for the fourth quarter of 2016.

Apple is also likely to unveil its new software features at its yearly developers conference next month.

WWDC opens its doors on June 13th with a big announcement for its mobile platform also expected.

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Five minute guide to pin-free payments using your phone

The cashless society moved another step closer this week with the launch of Android Pay, which allows users to conduct simple transactions using their smartphones.

Android Pay allows people to make payments easily using their smartphones

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This is the latest stage in the mobile payments revolution, with Apple Pay for iPhone users launching last year and Samsung Pay due shortly.

Millions of Britons also use contactless payment cards, which let shoppers make low-cost purchases without entering their PIN. They spent a record £1.5billion on such cards in March alone, accounting for one in six high-street card purchases, according to the UK Cards Association.

Head of policy Richard Koch says: “Paying with contactless is second nature for millions of consumers now, who see it as an alternative to cash.”

Is it time you signed up to the mobile payment revolution?

Many smartphones run on Android

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Paranoid Android

Android is the mobile operating system developed by Google and works with popular smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy and Sony Xperia, plus handsets from Nexus, LG, Huawei and HTC.

This week Google announced that Android Pay is now live in the UK, allowing Britons to make contactless payments at more than 460,000 terminals here and millions worldwide.

Android Pay is actually late to the mobile payments party, trailing Apple Pay by nearly a year, while Pingit from Barclays and Paym Mobile Payments, which allows family and friends to send and receive money using their mobiles, are also popular.

Android Pay therefore has some catching up to do and even after this week’s launch not every user is eligible. To use it you need to download the free app onto a phone using the Android 4.4 (KitKat+) operating system or higher, and a near field communications (NFC) wireless data transfer chip.

Halifax, Lloyds and Visa customers will be able to use the app

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Pay Day

Many of the major banks have signed up to Android Pay. Customers of Lloyds Banking Group, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, M&S Bank, MasterCard, Visa, First Direct, HSBC, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society can now download the app.

London Underground will also accept payments this way. Stephen Noakes, managing director, retail customer products, at Lloyds says: “Contactless payment capability will be made available to the majority of our customers who want to use their smartphones to make payments.”

Britons have been early adopters of this payment technology, with one in four saying they would even change their phone to take advantage, according to research from Nationwide.

Head of payments Paul Horlock says using your mobile to pay for goods and services is fast, secure and convenient: “With our lives becoming ever-more reliant on mobile phones, we believe the service will be a valuable addition.”

It found mobiles have replaced landlines for more than two out of five people, while nearly a third say they use their phone instead of wearing a watch. Ultimately, the mobile could replace your wallet, though only one in 20 has reached that point today.

Security can be a concern for people using contactless payment technology

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Mobile Wallet

Dan Howdle, technology specialist at broadband and mobile phone comparison site Cable.co.uk, says switching to mobile payments is pretty straightforward. “Once you have downloaded the app from the Google Play Store and keyed in your debit or credit card details, you can tap your phone in any shop that has a contactless terminal.”

The big worry for many is that a thief could steal their phone or contactless card, and use it to go on a shopping spree without having to know the PIN.

However, Howdle says these fears may be overblown: “It is no different to losing your wallet; you phone up and cancel your cards as soon as you have discovered your loss, then your smartphone can no longer pay for anything.”

Also, most people protect their phone with a security lock, which can only be unlocked with a passcode or fingerprint ID. Howdle says the biggest drawback is that the maximum spend on smartphones and contactless cards is just £30.

“For larger sums, it is back to chip and PIN. At present, few of us can leave our wallets at home, but that it is unlikely to be the case for long.”

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iPhone TouchID fingerprint sensor could be used to unlock Macs with new version of OS X

The feature could also let people use Apple Pay on the desktop

2012Apple CEO Tim Cook describes new models of the iMac desktop computers during an Apple event in San Jose, California October 23, 2012

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People will very soon be able to unlock their computer just by sitting near it.

Upcoming versions of Mac OS X will be able to tell when a person’s phone is near the computer and then use its TouchID fingerprint sensor to unlock it, according to MacRumors.

That update could be announced in June, at Apple’s WWDC. It’s likely to be a part of the new version of Mac OS X, called 10.12, which will be made available to the public in the autumn.

The technology would also allow people to use Apple Pay on the desktop, according to the same report. That will allow people to pay for things on the internet just by tapping their finger on their phone, according to the same report.

Both technologies will rely on BlueTooth LE, which allows devices to connect to each other wirelessly without using very much battery.

That’s already used on the Apple Watch, which can be unlocked just by opening up the phone rather than keying in a passcode on the Watch itself. The new Mac OS features would presumably work in much the same way, with the phone connecting to the computer and then unlocking it.

The new version of Mac OS – which is rumoured to be having its name changed to macOS – is set to be unveiled alongside iOS 10 and other software at June’s WWDC. It is rumoured to bring the Siri voice assistant to the Mac alongside other features.

Source: Independent UK

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Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Apple and other companies commit to help make computers easier to use for disabled people

Computers have made huge steps in recent years in helping people use them in other new ways

Children use iPads in

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Apple and other companies are marking Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which aims to make technology easier use for people with disabilities.

The companies are taking the day to highlight their work in accessibility as well as running sessions to help people understand the special features that are built into their technology.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is being marked for the fifth time this year. It’s intended to let people focus on the way that the technology they develop and design is made more accessible for people with disabilities.

Events are being run across the world to focus on the same technology, as they have been for each of the last five years. Those events are taking place in person as well as online.

Apple – which has been praised for its efforts to increase accessibility in the past – runs special workshops for people who want to make use of its tools. Those include special events focusing on vision, hearing and motoring skills across its platforms, including Mac, iPad and iPhone.

Some of those same workshops also highlight third-party technology. The company is running events for technology like the Skoog 2, for instance – a tactile cube that lets people play music on an iPad or iPhone – and focusing on other accessories like braille displays that allow people to navigate their iOS devices using touch, if they are visually impaired.

The company has a special accessibility section that features apps that make use of accessibility features – grouped around vision, hearing, speech, learning and literary, physical motor skills and Siri – as well as highlighting the tools and options that are built into its own products.

Like Apple, Google maintains a special part of its website where it makes sure that products are as accessible as they can be. That includes features like captions on YouTube – which allows people to easily add subtitles to their videos, and then edit them after the fact.

Subtitles of that kind are now rolling out across tech products – even in Twitter’s pictures. The site announced recently that it would be adding “image descriptions” across its apps, which allows people to write in special captions that can then be used by people with visual impairments to hear or read a description of what has been tweeted.

SourcE: Independent UK

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No More Plastics! DVLA Has a Plan to Turn Your iPhone Into Driving License

Motorists in the UK are about to receive a new development on how they use the plastic driving license. Today, the CEO of UK's Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) shared an image on Twitter that they are working on a "prototype" that will allow drivers to store all the details of their driver's license card digitally within their iPhone Wallet app. He described this as a work in progress.

The Apple Wallet app on iOS was mainly created to store Apple Pay credit card information, boarding passes, tickets and reward cards. To get this feature to effectively work, the UK government is now currently working with Apple Pay developer APIs to allow the storage of driver's license cards as well as other cards.

So here's a little prototype of something we're working on #drivinglicence pic.twitter.com/a5eItrdiNI

— Oliver Morley (@omorley1) May 13, 2016

In a tweet he shared, Oliver Morley CEO of DVLA, said this concept is only a prototype and there's no specific timing as to when it will become available to the public. He also added that the digital photo card will not be a substitute for the traditional plastic card but only "an add-on" for added security.

The idea behind developing this digital photo card was strongly influenced by UK's decision to ditch the paper version of the photo card which was abolished least year.

Had the state of Iowa implemented its idea when it attempted to do something similar to this some few months ago, the UK agency would have been the second organization to do this. Iowa started looking for a way to make a digital version of driver's license available through an iPhone app but the project was never completed. So the development of a driver’s license card by DVLA would be the first digital photo card using Apple's Wallet extended service and not an iPhone standalone app.

Digital driver's license on our internet-connected smartphones could mean those cards issued and delivered to respective owners almost instantly. This will also put an end to situations where people have to wait for them to arrive in the post. This will also eliminate or at least reduce identity theft and fraud by making the cards difficult to compromise.

But again, this could also pose some challenges about what would happen when our mobile phones' battery runs out, that means we are suddenly with no ID card. DVLA hasn't yet responded to questions like this but probably issues like this would also be tackled as the app is still a work in progress.

It is also not clear how a digital driver's license could replace the physical one for so many reasons. For one, since all is needed is an image on the screen to identify the owner; those images could easily be faked along with other false information like name and or birth date.

DVLA might want to use a connected database to verify the information on the digital photo card but again, compromising highly encrypted databases is one of the easiest hacking practices for someone who knows what they are doing.

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If you own one of these old Apple gadgets it could be worth a fortune

APPLE fans who own a classic iPod could be in for a huge windfall with some selling for a whopping £14,000.

HOW MUCH? Apple's iPod is selling for thousands on eBay

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It's a well-known fact that Apple gadgets hold their value well.

And if you're lucky enough to have a vintage iPod sat in a cupboard at home you could make a tidy profit.

With Apple discontinuing its iPod classic in 2014 there's plenty of people who'll pay good money to get hold of one.

In fact a mint condition fifth-generation iPod classic, recently sold for almost £1,000.

Better still, if you grabbed a limited edition U2 iPod and decided to keep it wrapped in its original packaging it could be worth as much as £4,000.

Finally, there's good news if you purchased the first generation iPod as the The Guardian has discovered them on sale for almost £14,000.

According to trends website Terapeak the fifth generation iPod touch has had the highest average price over the course of this year.

When the numbers are limited to new items, however, the iPod classic becomes the clear winner.

However the website also states that claims that late model iPod Classic units are currently worth a thousand dollars or more on eBay are probably slightly overstated.

A handful have paid this much, but prices generally ranged between $350 and $400 on average – still pretty good for a gadget that's five years old.

SourcE: DailyStar UK

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Barclays to launch contactless ‘tap and pay’ service for Android phones

Customers will not need to open an app, enter a PIN or give their finger print but simply press the home button on the phone

The service is expected to go live in June

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Barclays has said customers will be able to use their Android phones to “tap and pay” in June after the bank launches a contactless payment service.

Contactless Mobile will be integrated in Barclays own existing banking app, allowing users to pay in 400,000 locations across the UK and the London transport network.

The move means Contactless Mobile could beat Google’s Android Pay which is due to launch imminently in the UK but has not been given a release date.

Android Pay service is supported by several major bank including HSBC and Lloyds but Barclays has confirmed it is not planning on participating in Google’s service once it goes live.

Similar to a contactless card service, Barclays’ new service will allow users to make payments up to £30 by taping their mobile on a retailer’s terminal.

They will not need to open an app, enter a PIN or give their finger print but simply press the home button on the phone.

The platform will also support payments between £30 and £100, which involves first tapping the phone against the terminal, entering the card's usual PIN and then tapping again.

The service is only available to customers with the necessary near field communication (NFC) technology – a technology that allows two devices placed within a few centimetres of each other to exchange data.

Apple iPhone users already have access to Apple Pay in the UK, a service allows payments through major banks including Barclays, which joined in April.

Ashok Vaswani, chief executive officer of Barclays UK, said Contactless Mobile was designed to give customers the choice about how to make their everyday payments.

“It’s all there, in one place, ready to go with no need to ender card details, delivering brilliance in an instant,” Vaswani said.

Barclays said it will contact customers once the service goes live in June.

Barclays' mobile banking app is already used by five million customers, who access the app 27 times a month on average, according to the bank.

Contactless card payments have seen huge growth as consumers have recognised the ease, speed and convenience they offer.

Some £7.75 billion was spent in one billion contactless card transactions in 2015 alone, according the UK Cards Association. That’s three times the total spent in 2014, and more than double the combined amount for the previous seven years.

SourcE: Independent UK

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Google Translate for iOS and Android just got smarter

OK Google, sprechen sie Englisch?

Google Translate for iOS and Android just got smarter

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DATA HOOVERER GOOGLE has squeezed in a trio of features to its Translate service to make it slicker to use.

The first new feature is Tap to Translate for Google Translate on Android, which adds the ability to translate text directly within an app by tapping a widget.

This bypasses the tedious need to copy and paste the text into the Translate app, which can annoy butter-fingered people. Effectively, this makes it easier to get instant translations of text from chats, comments, song lyrics and other written content.

The new feature works with all 103 currently supported Google Translate languages. To be honest we couldn’t even name that many languages.

Google has also added an Offline Mode for the iOS version of Translate which, as the name suggests, allows the app to be used when a WiFi or mobile broadband connection is not available. Great for English people trying to get directions when visiting Wales where mobile reception is a far-flung concept.

Much like Offline Mode for the Android app, it works by providing an option to download a small data packet on the language being translated which is stored locally on an iPhone or iPad and allows Translate to be used without an internet connection. Simple but effective.

The final new addition is Chinese language translation for the Word Lens feature. This works by translating text detected on an object captured by the camera on a smartphone, and can now detect and translate ideographic characters in the Chinese written language.

This means that travellers to China who are not familiar with the language can use Word Lens to get translations of menus, signs, labels and other printed text. It could probably come in handy in London’s Soho as well.

Google regularly tinkers with Translate, including fiddling around with on-the-fly translation. But it has to proceed with caution as occasionally Google gets itself into hot water with translation faux pas, such as converting ‘Russian Federation’ into ‘Mordor’.

Source: The Inquirer UK

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This is why you shouldn’t enable the thumbprint feature on your iPhone

WANT to keep your iPhone super secure? You might not want to enable the fingerprint recognition technology to open your phone.

Police officers forced a suspected criminal to unlock their phone using the thumbprint technology

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Apple fans with the iPhone 5s have the option of using a ‘Touch ID’ to unlock their phones.

The fun feature allows users to use fingerprint recognition software instead of manually typing in their password.

Even though police officers pleaded with the tech giant to help them crack the code, Apple refused to compromise on the security of their products.

Apple refused to help the FBI to break into phones, but have they found a way around the security?

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Despite Apple's determination to keep phone privacy private, a recent case allowed agents to access a criminal’s phone through the Touch ID technology.

An accused Los Angeles-based gangster was rumbled when a federal judge ordered his girlfriend to unlock her phone with her fingerprint.

As technically this didn’t involve hacking someone’s password, authorities swerved a sticky legal battle with Apple.

Law professor David Sharipo warns against using the thumbprint software

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David Shapiro, law professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, told the NY Post: “If you don’t want the cops riffling through your phone, better use the passcode than a fingerprint to lock it.

“The passcode requires an act of providing information out of your mind, whereas a fingerprint isn’t a statement of any sort, so it’s hard to see that as self-incrimination.”

By keeping a manual password, your private information can’t be hacked by police authorities in the same way.

Apple warns users to ignore this malicious spam message

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Scammers targetting the multi-national tech company sent a malicious message to iPhone users which read: “Your Apple ID is due to expire today. Prevent this by confirming your Apple ID at http://appleexpired.co.uk – Apple Inc.”

Visiting the ‘Apple’ website takes iPhone users to a fake page where they are asked to input their username and password.

Disturbingly, the bogus website encourages visitors to enter other private information, including your telephone number, address and credit card details.

Apple have warned users NOT to click on the link or type in any personal details.

Source: The Sun UK

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