Apple May Give Next-Gen iPhone a Splash of Color

This year will be the year of an iPhone of many colors and even different sizes, according to the latest Apple speculation by analyst Brian White at Topeka Capital Markets.

Apple's newest smartphone might come in three screen sizes, White reportedly predicted in a research note. The smallest version would have a 3.5-inch screen, another would have a 4-inch screen, which is the same size as the current iPhone 5 model. A third version would be bigger and have a bigger display screen.

The next iPhone might also come in a variety of colors including pink, yellow, blue, white and silver, and black and slate, with as many as eight color options available, he said.

That larger, colored iPhone might be available as soon as May or June, according to White's sources. The release would come less than one year after Apple's iPhone 5 launch. In the past, Apple has typically waited about a year between launches.

Apple and White did not respond to our requests to comment for this story. 

Too Much, Too Soon

There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another device out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business strategy, though, Apple probably isn't going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.

"If you're Tim Cook, you're thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases how they will work best for us. Apple usually does things in their own time, and I'm having a hard time buying this May or June timeline," Llamas told MacNewsWorld.

While it's probable that Apple is definitely in a testing phase for its next smartphone, consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.

"It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it's possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I'm not expected to see it until a little later in the year," he told MacNewsWorld.

When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored devices when it revamped its iPod line last fall, so it's not too much of a stretch to believe it would want the new twist with its smartphone, as well.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors," he said. "That could be done pretty cheaply, and it would give Apple a new marketing angle." 

All Shapes and Sizes?

The various sizes might be a different story, however, Gibbs noted. An iPhone release with more than one screen size would be a first for Apple. The company does have models of the iPhone with different screen sizes, but the change was generational. The iPhone 5's 4-inch screen was the first display size increase since the device's debut -- previous models have a 3.5-inch screen.

Even with the half-inch upgrade, the iPhone 5's screen is still smaller than many top Apple competitors, including Samsung models that run up to 5.5 inches. In addition to following the trend of a larger display, however, White also predicted that Apple might go smaller, or at least back to a 3.5-inch model.

The smaller size, which doesn't use as much material and therefore could possibly be sold at a lower price, may help Apple penetrate emerging markets such as China, India or Latin America. While the company has acknowledged it is always looking for ways to break into those markets, however, it might not believe that a compromised iPhone is the way to do it, said Llamas.

"One thing Apple refuses to do is short-change a customer on the experience," he said. "The one thing Apple has always made it a priority to do is deliver a product that is just right and to make it a compelling experience. With a smaller size, they might stand more to lose than they have to gain."

Developers were already thrilled that Apple had decided to go with a larger screen to better accommodate apps, Llamas noted, and going back to a smaller version could offer a diminished return on consumer experience. In addition, the price of an iPhone isn't the only concern for many consumers in developing markets -- it is also the price of a data plan. So, a small price decrease for a device might not be the only barrier to massive adoption overseas, he pointed out.

"A smaller screen might look good on paper as a way to grow margins and stay out on front, but the practical side raises so many questions," he said. "Ultimately, when you already have a tried and true device that there is still demand for, it might be more of a challenge to say yes to some of those changes."

The World Post-Windows 8: Getting Better All the Time

I actually like Windows 8 now. It just took me a while to get over the changes and seem them as improvements. But the subtle change is that your stuff is now mostly in the cloud if you fully use this product as intended, and that means the entire experience is actually more different than you realize. While we were all looking at the interface, Microsoft snuck in a vastly better user experience.

Given that the Theme for Windows 95 Was "Start Me Up" (check out this classic ad), Windows 8 likely should pull from the old Beatles hit "Getting Better." As we approach launch, it truly appears to be getting better all the time. It is clear Microsoft has been holding some things back for the launch.

You see, I've been working on a Windows 8 tablet for some months now, and I just did my first system build from scratch with Windows 8. A lot of the features that I hadn't noticed earlier are now turned on, and the experience is far more interesting.
We are still limited by the lack of good multitouch touchpads or inexpensive touch monitors in market, but both should hit shelves in a couple of weeks.
However, this is clearly not your dad's Windows. It is vastly different, and I expect a lot of us will struggle with the differences. Once you figure a few things out, you'll find that it is actually much more fun to use than Windows 7 was and different in ways you didn't realize. It's better than earlier versions at reflecting the world we currently live in.

I'll close with my product of the week: the 13-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Tablet, one of the best examples of the quintessential Windows 8 mobile device.

Windows 8 From Scratch

As I mentioned, I built a system from scratch last week using one of the new high-performance APUs (combination of a CPU and a GPU) and Intel SSD, and a current generation high-end Gigabyte motherboard. I have to say this was the easiest build I've ever done. The improvements to the installation process are amazing. The only issue I had was with the cheap power supply I'd selected, and once I switched it out, everything worked very well.
This was also the fastest build I'd ever created and likely the most power-efficient in a full-sized case because I wasn't running a separate graphics card. Taking out the difficulties with the power supply, the total build time -- including loading the OS and Office 13 -- would have been under an hour. Typically these builds take me much longer -- mostly loading the OS and getting everything working.

4 Things to Remember

There are four things that are very different in Windows 8, and once you learn them, the experience goes much better. First, the Windows Key allows you to switch in and out of the different modes, so if you need to move off Metro quickly and to the legacy desktop, this is how you do it.
Second, the right upper and lower corners are where you get to the control menus. Instead of clicking on them, just hover -- or with a touchscreen, touch -- and the menu slides in from the side.
Third -- and this one wasn't obvious at all -- the Windows key + X (hit both at once) brings up things like the ability to get to a command prompt or the control panel. Finally, if you are in Metro and can't find an app, type its name and it likely will appear -- you can then pin it so you can find it again.
Now once you get these four things, you'll find moving around Windows 8 is actually a lot faster than it was with earlier versions.

Mouse, Touchpad, Touchscreen or Kinect

If you want to make things bigger or smaller or use gestures, you have to use a pointing device that does gestures. However, if you want to use Office (even the new version) or any legacy app, you'll likely prefer a mouse. Bringing up menus or executing commands in Office with your finger is iffy on a small screen with touch unless you have a stylus, and a mouse remains my favorite approach even if you have a touchscreen.
The best blend currently is a multitouch touchpad, but the best in market is Apple's, and Windows 8 doesn't have native drivers for it, so advanced features like multitouch don't work. I know this is the best approach because I've used notebooks running Windows 8 that have an advanced touchpad, and they work very well.
The issue I've found with touchscreens comes in two parts. First, if you have a large monitor, say 25-inch or larger, you probably tend to put it just out of reach, making touch inconvenient -- though likely good for exercise -- and you end up with fingerprints all over your display, which I find annoying.
The wild card is Kinect, and it could not only be a better solution than a touchscreen -- because you can retrofit it to an existing display and you don't need to touch the screen -- but also open up new ways to interact with your computer.
Kinect can see you and has high-resolution cameras, so it should also be able to authenticate you. It opens up three-dimensional gestures, and since the vision is stereoscopic, it might even open up 3D video conferencing.
Of course, gaming improvements are a given because of this product's roots, but I think Kinect may be the biggest underplayed change to this new OS, which will support it.

Back-End Services and Sync

What became obvious with this latest Windows 8 build was how much the Web services that Microsoft has wrapped around the product remember me. Once I logged in, my wallpaper and preferences were already there, the services I liked had been selected, and much of what I typically take hours to do restoring my personalized experience had been done for me. This is what made the build incredibly fast, and it largely worked because I'd already been using a Windows 8 device.
This means that if you are on an older version of Windows now, you may have to do a lot of this using the normal migration tools once more -- but going forward, getting your personalized experience will simply mean just logging in.
Once you couple this with Office 365, you'll likely find that you'll never again worry about the pain of changing PCs.

Wrapping Up: Screen Size and Office 13

I know Windows 8 is all about getting the Windows experience onto an iPad-like screen, but 10 inches with Office isn't a great experience, and Office is as close as we get to a killer app for this platform right now.
I think you'll find that bigger will be better if you actually want to use this for more things than you'd use an iPad for; the platform does all the iPad-like media things in 10 inches just fine, but creating, editing and other productivity tasks require more real estate. It's likely 10 inches will seem too small again. Notebooks have never sold well under 12 inches, with 13.3 inches the current sweet spot between size and portability.
One of the mistakes I think Microsoft has made historically was to decouple Office from the OS, and Office 13 wasn't designed around the new interface. On the other hand, this means it is much more similar to the Office version you are using, and you may like it better as a result. The usability improvements are pretty impressive, and you'll likely find, as I did, it is much faster.
So I actually like Windows 8 now. It just took me a while to get over the changes and seem them as improvements. But the subtle change is that your stuff is now mostly in the cloud if you fully use this product as intended, and that means the entire experience is actually more different than you realize.

While we were all looking at the interface, Microsoft snuck in a vastly better and more up-to-date user experience. Sneaky bastards.

Product of the Week: Lenovo 13-Inch IdeaPad Yoga

You'll be seeing a bunch of new products wrapped around Windows 8 that showcase this platform's unique ability to morph from notebook to tablet and back again. These products generally come in two classes -- convertibles and hybrids.
Convertibles transform from a notebook to a tablet but leave the keyboard attached like a current-generation convertible car does with a hard or soft retractable top. Hybrids have a keyboard accessory that they dock with, and that can be removed -- like some of the earlier cars that had T-Tops that you'd store in your trunk when you wanted a top-down experience.
Hybrids tend to be more complex, heavier with the keyboard attached, more expensive with the keyboard -- and you are more likely to leave the keyboard behind. But they are lighter and cheaper without the keyboard, provide a more pure tablet experience, and often have a second battery in the keyboard, doubling battery life.
If you want more of a tablet experience but occasionally want to work on the device, the hybrid is the best choice. If you work more and play less, the convertible is probably for you.
The convertible tablet that initially stands out best is the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, which uses an innovative hinge that allows the keyboard to fold easily underneath the screen, transforming it into a tablet.
It also comes in that 13-inch size (basically an Ultrabook that can be a tablet) I've highlighted as ideal for work, and a smaller 11.6-ince size that I think most folks will prefer over 10-inch, initially.

Now Lenovo also launched the Lynx, which is a hybrid -- and better at the 11.6-inch form factor for those who want more of a traditional tablet experience. In effect, Lenovo has bracketed the Windows 8 tablet segment with a full set of choices, but the 13-inch Yoga is the closest to how I work, so it is my product of the week.

WHAT IS NETWORK SECURITY?

The networks are computer networks, both public and private, that are used every day to conduct transactions and communications among businesses, government agencies and individuals. The networks are comprised of "nodes", which are "client" terminals (individual user PCs) and one or more "servers" and/or "host" computers. They are linked by communication systems, some of which might be private, such as within a company, and others which might be open to public access. The obvious example of a network system that is open to public access is the Internet, but many private networks also utilize publicly-accessible communications. Today, most companies' host computers can be accessed by their employees whether in their offices over a private communications network, or from their homes or hotel rooms while on the road through normal telephone lines.

Network security involves all activities that organizations, enterprises, and institutions undertake to protect the value and ongoing usability of assets and the integrity and continuity of operations. An effective network security strategy requires identifying threats and then choosing the most effective set of tools to combat them.

Threats to network security include:
Viruses : Computer programs written by devious programmers and designed to replicate themselves and infect computers when triggered by a specific event

Trojan horse programs : Delivery vehicles for destructive code, which appear to be harmless or useful software programs such as games

Vandals : Software applications or applets that cause destruction

Attacks : Including reconnaissance attacks (information-gathering activities to collect data that is later used to compromise networks); access attacks (which exploit network vulnerabilities in order to gain entry to e-mail, databases, or the corporate network); and denial-of-service attacks (which prevent access to part or all of a computer system)

Data interception : Involves eavesdropping on communications or altering data packets being transmitted

Social engineering : Obtaining confidential network security information through nontechnical means, such as posing as a technical support person and asking for people's passwords

Network security tools include:   
Antivirus software packages : These packages counter most virus threats if regularly updated and correctly maintained.
 
Secure network infrastructure : Switches and routers have hardware and software features that support secure connectivity, perimeter security, intrusion protection, identity services, and security management.
Dedicated network security hardware and software-Tools such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems provide protection for all areas of the network and enable secure connections.
 
Virtual private networks : These networks provide access control and data encryption between two different computers on a network. This allows remote workers to connect to the network without the risk of a hacker or thief intercepting data.
 
Identity services : These services help to identify users and control their activities and transactions on the network. Services include passwords, digital certificates, and digital authentication keys.
 
Encryption : Encryption ensures that messages cannot be intercepted or read by anyone other than the authorized recipient.
 
Security management : This is the glue that holds together the other building blocks of a strong security solution.
None of these approaches alone will be sufficient to protect a network, but when they are layered together, they can be highly effective in keeping a network safe from attacks and other threats to security. In addition, well-thought-out corporate policies are critical to determine and control access to various parts of the network.

Windows 8 password reset trick requires no third-party software

Despite being Microsoft’s most secure operating system ever, it’s possible to clear or change a user’s Windows 8 password without using anything but the built-in troubleshooting tools. All it takes is ten minutes, a Windows 8 System Recovery disc or USB flash drive, and the patience to execute a few simple directives from the command prompt. The trick, as detailed by Jamal Naji, boils down to replacing the Ease of Access center application (utilman.exe) with another copy of the command prompt (cmd.exe).

Once you’ve made the swap from inside the System Recovery environment and rebooted, you’ll see the Windows 8 login screen again. In the bottom-left corner of the screen sits the Ease of Access button. Click it, and a command prompt will appear — and it’s no ordinary command prompt. It’s got full administrative privileges, and that means you can modify things like other users’ passwords. The trusty old net command is happy to oblige and will wipe out a Windows 8 password with minimal fuss. Once you’re done, just reboot and restore utilman.exe and cmd.exe to their original states, and you’re good to go.

This password reset hack isn’t unique to Windows 8. It works on Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008, too. So why hasn’t Microsoft bothered to fix what seems like a glaring security oversight? It’s anyone’s guess, but ultimately if someone has enough free time with your Windows system to pull off the utilman password hack you’re going to be in trouble even if Microsoft does fix the flaw. 

While this trick works, there are other ways to reset a Windows password that are far speedier. The Offline NT Password and Registry Editor, for example, is a tiny, Linux-based tool that can blank a password in fewer steps and much less time. 

Still, it might be a good idea for Microsoft to patch a password security hole that’s been known about since the days of Vista.

Security Basics For Home Computing

As a home computer user accessing the Internet, whether through a broadband connection or traditional dial-up, you should do the following three things at a minimum to protect your compute:

1. Install and maintain anti-virus software. There are plenty of great anti-virus software packages available. This software checks for known viruses by scanning your computer periodically. Most will also check for viruses on incoming email. It is important to update the software as well though.

New viruses are discovered almost daily. At least once a week you should check the web site of the vendor that makes your anti-virus software to see if there is an update available.

2. Do not open unknown or suspicious email. Many viruses and worms use what is called “social engineering”. That is, they attempt to trick you into becoming a participant in the process. The latest viruses can “spoof” the sending email address so that it looks like it is coming from someone other than the computer that infected it.

If an email is not from someone you know, it is usually best to simply delete it without looking at it. If the email appears to be from someone you know, you should read the message carefully before opening any attached files. Viruses and worms often have bad English and poor grammar. Consider whether the person you know would really have written that message or forwarded you the attached file. If in doubt, contact that person you know to confirm they truly sent it before opening the attachment.

3. Keep your computer patched against known vulnerabilities. Almost as often as new viruses are discovered, new vulnerabilities are discovered as well. Many times they are in the operating system (like Windows), but vulnerabilities are also found in tools like your web browser, email software and other 3rd party tools. Left unpatched, these vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers to obtain access and control of your computer.

Staying up to date can be difficult. Some vendors, such as Microsoft, have automated utilities that check for updates and notify you. Other vendors may have an email mailing list you can join so they can notify you of any new updates. If your vendor doesn’t offer one of these solutions, you may just need to periodically visit their support web site to check for any new patches or updates.