O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: texts

  • Dell working on software that will enable iPhone screen sharing on its notebooks

    You may like or dislike Dell, but this is a pretty interesting.

    Computer manufacturer Dell has announced that it will be releasing software that will enable iPhone screen mirroring on Dell notebooks.

    Screen mirroring means your iPhone’s screen will be displayed on another device. Users will be able to control things on their iPhone from their Dell notebooks. It will come as an update to Dell’s Mobile Connect software and will be supported on Dell XPS, Inspiron, Vostro, and Alienware laptops running Windows 10.

    Dell’s Mobile Connect users can already receive iPhone notifications and send texts and calls at this point in time. Via the feature, you’ll also be able to drag and drop media files from your iPhones to your Dell notebook.

    This arrives as a welcome shift for customers, as iPhones and Macs have had integration in the form of the Continuity feature for some time, but not screen mirroring.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and Bloomberg

  • NFL forbids use of iPhones, other gadgets on the sidelines during the Super Bowl

    senoriphone6

    If you’re going to be on the Super Bowl sidelines, LEAVE YOUR IPHONE AT HOME!!!

    Of course, that’s if you’re going to be on the sidelines. Otherwise, bring your iPhone along.

    NFL players and coaches are allowed no other tablets or smartphones on the sidelines. (Recently, the Cleveland Browns were accused of breaking that rule with texts from the press box to the field). In the coaches’ booth, no computers are allowed. Aside from the Microsoft tablets, Vince Lombardi could time-travel to coach the Patriots or Seahawks on Sunday and not find himself at a terrible technological disadvantage.

    (more…)

  • Rumor: Department of Justice combining fixed-engine planes, fake cell towers to spy on cell phone users

    dirtbox

    Well, you’re going to have to snoop on cell phones SOMEHOW, and the Department of Justice thinks a small, fixed-wing Cessna is the way to do it.

    Per AppleInsider and the Wall Street Journal, a supposed secret spy program equips small aircraft with a device dubbed a “dirtbox,” which pulls data from mobile phones by masquerading as a cell tower. The project aims to identify criminals through their devices, but the wide net also snares cellphones used by the general public.

    Purportedly operated by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Technical Operations Group, the dirtboxes are manufactured by Digital Receiver Technology, a subsidiary of Boeing, and installed on fixed-wing craft like those built by Cessna. The two-foot-square devices identify themselves as legitimate cell towers with the strong signals, tricking mobile phones into reporting IMSI information.

    (more…)

  • European Union to remove roaming fees starting July 2014

    eiffeltower

    Next summer will be a good time to wander through Europe.

    Per The Telegraph, for anyone traveling to Europe next year, as of next July 2014, you’ll pay the same rate for calls and data when travelling within Europe as you do at home.

    Consumers will next year be able to use their mobile phones across the European Union for the same price as at home, it is planned, after officials voted to fast-track major reforms of telecoms regulation.

    Roaming fees for voice calls, texts and internet access will effectively be completely scrapped under the proposals, which are part of a broader effort to create a single European telecoms market.

    Roaming fees can often be extortionate, with call fees of over £1 (US$1.56) per minute, and data charges which can easily rack up hundreds of pounds for quite ordinary usage. The banning of roaming fees applies only for European customers: customers from the USA and other countries will still pay roaming charges when visiting Europe.

    The EU estimates that carriers will initially see a 2 percent drop in revenue, but expect it to benefit them in the longer term by encouraging greater use of mobiles while traveling and by making it possible for networks to attract customers across borders.

  • Apple releases iOS 6.1.1 update for iPhone 4S users

    Well, that was quick.

    Per AppleInsider, Apple on Monday released iOS 6.1.1 to address a number of bugs for iPhone 4S owners who recently ran into a handful of issues following the release of iOS 6.1 for all of Apple’s mobile devices.

    The release is currently available as a direct download here (968MB) or as an over-the-air download (weighing in at about 23 megabytes). It’s available only to iPhone 4S users. No release was issued for iPhone 5 or other models of the handset at this time, despite claims from iPhone 5 owners that they were also negatively impacted by the iOS 6.1 update.

    Two weeks after Apple released iOS 6.1, a number of iPhone 4S users began reporting battery drain and overheating issues possibly related to the update. British wireless carrier Vodafone UK even sent out a warning telling iPhone 4S owners not to upgrade to the latest OS version because the carrier determined it to cause 3G performance problems.

    For instance, Apple’s Support Community forum battery drain and overheating problems after applying the iOS 6.1 update.

    In particular, the carrier noted that iOS 6.1 was creating intermittent problems with iPhone 4S models, causing the handsets to experience 3G-related issues with making calls, sending texts and accessing the company’s data network. The reports on Apple’s support forums, however, suggested that the problems may not be limited to just iPhone 4S users and may also affect iPhone 5 users to some extent.

    One iPhone 5 owner saw their battery drain of 35 percent overnight, while an iPhone 3GS user said Apple’s latest update actually boosted battery life. It’s unclear whether Apple is separately preparing an iOS 6.1.1 update for iPhone 5 owners.

    Stay tuned for additional details and if you’ve tried iOS 6.1.1 and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.