5 Best News Apps: Keep Up to Date with the Real Stories

If you need to see a real news feed, here are 5 fantastic news apps to help you get the official story…

Flipboard

Style and substance combine as one of the longest standing news apps improves year on year. Flipboard curates the news you want by watching what you read and offering similar stories. The layout is based on easy to navigate panels giving each user access to their own personal news magazine. With this app, the more you play with it, the more effective it becomes. Aggregating a ton of sources, you can be selective by news type or provider. If it pulls up something you aren’t a fan of, you can ‘less like this’ and the system will learn.

Apple News

iPhone and iPad users will no doubt see the odd news story when they swipe right from the home screen but Apples News app is a decent offering if you take the time to curate what you want to see. You can select the sources you want to accept stories from and then they will filter through to your notification centre. You aren’t restricted to formal news, either. Choose from music news, sport, technology, finance and host of others. The app is typically slick, easy to use and because it's baked into the OS, a no-brainer for Apple fans.

RT News

If you are looking to source some alternative news with a slightly different angle on reporting, then RT is an extremely useful resource. UK-centric news has its own section and world news is easy to find. You can also access their ‘In Vision’ reports for photographic-lead reports and the ‘In Motion’ for a similar video feed. The Viral section is also a nice simple way to see what the world is taking an interest in, as well as checking out some of the more weird and wonderful news of the day. As you would expect from Russia Today, you can keep up with Russian news too.

News Republic

This news aggregator has a slick interface and a host of sources that can be tailored to suit your needs. The menu offers up a simple set of sections to navigate and there is a very useful offline mode you can activate before you commute, should you need to circumvent a loss of connectivity. Other highlights include a video area and the ability to follow sections or individual publishers from each topic. You can also connect with social media for the ability to share what you see.

Simply News

The aptly named Simply News offers an excellent aggregation of news, from all of the major sources. All categorised and collated with some real style. There are a couple of gestures to get the hang of, which will make navigation easier. In look and feel, the development team have clearly taken some cues from long standing news champion, Flipboard. They've added some of their own magic, of course. Customization is the key for real news hounds and Simply doesn't disappoint with a fully loaded settings section, so you can see more of things that will keep you in app.

IoT is About to Tell You When Your Food is Spoiled

Sensors are the core of the Internet of Things

But what if Internet of Things (IoT) sensor technology could tell you whether that lasagna was still safe for dinner or whether it’s time to toss the hair-coloring product slowly drying out in the back of your medicine cabinet? That promise is what’s on the menu at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, D.C., this week. So, what does the world’s largest scientific society, with more than 157,000 members, have to do with IoT?

Sensor technology is at the core of IoT, and the researchers aligned with the 140-year-old organization have developed a cheap, portable, paper-based sensor that could potentially do a lot more than tell users how old the food is. The idea is that the sensors could actually interact with the substance to tell whether or not it’s spoiled.

Silvana Andreescu, Ph.D., told Phys.org, "My lab has built a versatile sensing platform that incorporates all the needed reagents for detection in a piece of paper. At the same time, it is adaptable to different targets, including food contaminants, antioxidants and free radicals that indicate spoilage."

More than just spoiled leftovers

That means the technology could also be used to identify new medicinal plants without having to bring samples back to the lab, or to authenticate the provenance of expensive wines and teas.

According to Andreescu, the key is nanostructures that “catch and bind” with the compounds being tested for — in this case, the reactive oxygen species that products accumulate as they age and eventually spoil — changing color to indicate the results. Green for good to eat, for example, or red for send it to the dumpster.

Even better, because all the reagents needed are incorporated into the paper, “users don't need to add anything other than the sample being tested.” That means the sensors could be added to food or cosmetic labels, offering real-time information on the condition of their contents without users having to perform special tests.

Super cheap, disposable sensors could be big business

So, yeah, that lasagna may not be getting any younger, but deciding whether to keep or toss it may no longer be a guessing game. And that could help take a bite out of the $640 worth of food the average American family throws out each year, according to the American Chemistry Council. Put it all together, and those leftovers add up to big dollars — an estimated $165 billion worth of food Americans waste every year.

Sure, these paper-based, color-coded sensors don’t need the internet to display their results, but these kinds of super-cheap, disposable sensors can only extend the reach of the IoT. And it’s hardly a stretch to see these sensors being able to communicate with smart appliances to track how well they’re doing preserving food, notifying consumers when stuff needs to be thrown out, and even figuring out when staples need to be replaced.

For more info, check out this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/4ODMk5qjGus

Your Cell Phone Is 10 Times Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat. Here's How to Clean it.

Most people don’t give a second thought to using their cell phone everywhere, from their morning commute to the dinner table to the doctor’s office. But research shows that cell phones are far dirtier than most people think, and the more germs they collect, the more germs you touch.

In fact, your own hand is the biggest culprit when it comes to putting filth on your phone. Americans check their phones about 47 times per day, according to a survey by Deloitte, which affords plenty of opportunities for microorganisms to move from your fingers to your phone.

“Because people are always carrying their cell phones even in situations where they would normally wash their hands before doing anything, cell phones do tend to get pretty gross,” says Emily Martin, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Research has varied on just how many germs are crawling on the average cell phone, but a recent study found more than 17,000 bacterial gene copies on the phones of high school students. Scientists at the University of Arizona have found that cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats.

Human skin is naturally covered in microbes that don’t usually have any negative health consequences, and that natural bacteria, plus the oils on your hands, get passed on to your phone every time you check a text or send an email. It follows that m ost of the organisms found on phones are not pathogens that will make you sick, Martin says. Staphylococcus might be present, for example, but it’s not typically the kind that will give you a staph infection.

But some bacteria should concern you. “We’re not walking through a sterile environment, so if you touch a surface there could be something on that," says Susan Whittier, director of clinical microbiology at New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center. "There are lots of environmental contaminants."

Studies have found serious pathogens on cell phones, including Streptococcus, MRSA and even E. coli. Just having these microbes on your phone won’t automatically make you sick, Whittier says, but you still don't want to let them enter your system. Viruses can also spread on phones if one person is sick with strep throat or influenza and coughs on their cell phone before handing it off to a friend.

Fortunately, there are easy ways to avoid some germs. One of the worst places to use your phone is in the bathroom, Martin and Whittier both agree. When toilets flush, they spread germs everywhere, which is how phones end up with fecal bacteria like E. coli. “Taking a cell phone into the bathroom and then leaving with it is kind of like going in, not washing your hands and then coming back out," Martin says. "It’s the same level of concern."

Keeping your phone out of the bathroom will help, but if you want to clean your phone, a few different methods will work. Many people just wipe their phones with a soft microfiber cloth, which will remove many of the germs. For a deeper clean, Whittier recommends using a combination of 60% water and 40% rubbing alcohol. Mix the ingredients together, and then dip a cloth in the solution before wiping it gently across your phone. Unless you’re sick, doing this a few times each month is plenty, Whittier says. Stay away from liquid or spray cleaners, which can damage your phone.

Still, the best advice has more to do with you than the phone. Wash your hands several times a day, the experts say, and you’ll likely be just fine.

Source: Time.com

How Likely are You to Become a Victim of a Data Breach?

Criminal data breaches will cost an estimated $8 trillion over the next 5 years

2017 has been a productive year for cybercriminals - there were 2,227 public data breaches as of June 30, according to a mid-year report from cybersecurity firm Risk Based Security.

More than six billion records have been stolen in 2017, surpassing the total number of records infiltrated during 2016.

No enterprise is immune to cybercrime - in March, Yahoo announced its third breach in less than six months - 32 million users' accounts were accessed from 2015 to 2016. The news came just months after the tech company confirmed more than one billion accounts had been leaked in 2013.

Arby's also fell victim to a breach between October 2016 and January 2017, when more than 335,000 customers had their payment card information stolen.

Consumer electronics retailer GameStop confirmed it was hit by a cyberattack in June. The company warned customers that payment card data used on its website from August 2016 to February 2017 was accessed by criminal third parties.

"We're building this connected world, but we don't have the workforce to protect it," Michael Kaiser, executive director of National Cyber Security Alliance, tells us Wednesday.

Criminal data breaches are becoming more prevalent - it's estimated they'll cost businesses a total of $8 trillion over the next five years. But how likely are you to become a victim?

"You can't worry about getting into an accident every time you drive. But you can take precautions to keep yourself safe," Kaiser says. He recommends using one credit card to make online purchases, since many providers have zero-liability policies to protect consumers from fraudulent charges.

Strong passwords are also crucial to keeping your personal data safe. Use sites like passwordmeter.com to gauge the strength of potential passwords, and use a combination of numbers and letters to ward off hackers. Enable two-factor authentication if possible.

Kaiser also suggests monitoring bank accounts on a regular basis. Write down all financial transactions and ensure they coincide with monthly statements. Don't neglect any online payment portals you use, such as PayPal, Venmo and Facebook.

Additionally, sign up for your bank's free credit monitoring service, which will place an alert on your account if it detects any suspicious activity.

If you would like a free security consultation for your business, please email info@nebulanewengland.com or call us at 617-477-2337.

Yealink T48S IP Phone Demo

Check out this quick demo of the Yealink T48S, our best selling IP phone. This executive level phone features a 7" color touch screen, supports 16 SIP accounts/extensions, WiFi & Bluetooth, USB recording & much more at a very affordable price. Email info@nebulanewengland.com or call us at 617-477-2337 for more info! https://youtu.be/y_h8len2zzU

Features > Revolutionarily new design > Yealink Optima HD voice > Dual-port Gigabit Ethernet > PoE(802.3af) class support > 7" 800 x 480-pixel color touch screen with backlight > Wi-Fi via WF40 > Bluetooth via BT40 > USB recording > Up to 16 SIP accounts > Paper label free design > Headset, EHS support > Supports expansion modules > Wall mountable > Simple, flexible and secure provisioning options

Audio Features > HD voice: HD handset, HD speaker > Codecs: G.722, G.711(A/μ), G.723.1, G.729AB, G.726, iLBC > DTMF: In-band, Out-of-band(RFC 2833) and SIP INFO > Full-duplex hands-free speakerphone with AEC > VAD, CNG, AEC, PLC, AJB, AGC

Phone Features

16 VoIP accounts > Call hold, mute, DND > One-touch speed dial, hotline > Call forward, call waiting, call transfer > Group listening, emergency call > Redial, call return, auto answer > 3-way conferencing > Direct IP call without SIP proxy > Ring tone selection/import/delete > Set date time manually or automatically > Dial plan, XML Browser, action URL/URI > RTCP-XR (RFC3611), VQ-RTCPXR (RFC6035) > USB port (2.0 compliant) for: Bluetooth earphone through BT40, Contact synchronization through BT40, Wi-Fi through WF40, USB call recording through USB flash drive > Enhanced DSS Key

Directory > Loal phonebook up to 1000 entries > Black list > XML/LDAP remote phonebook > Intelligent search method > Phonebook search/import/export > Call history: dialed/received/missed/forwarded

IP-PBX Features > Busy Lamp Field (BLF) > Bridged Line Apperance(BLA) > Anonymous call, anonymous call rejection > Remote office, hot-desking > Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) > Voice mail, call park, call pickup > Intercom, paging, music on hold > Call completion, call recording

> Executive and Assistant > Centralized call recording > Visual voice mail

Display and Indicator > 7" 800 x 480-pixel color touch screen with backlight > 24 bit depth color > LED for call and message waiting indication > Wallpaper > Intuitive user interface with icons and soft keys > National language selection > Caller ID with name, number and photo

> Power saving

> Screensaver

Feature keys > 29 one-touch DSS keys > 7 features keys: message, headset, hold, mute, transfer, redial, hands-free speakerphone > 6 navigation keys > Volume control keys > Illuminated mute key > Illuminated headset key > Illuminated hands-free speakerphone key

Interface > Dual-port Gigabit Ethernet >Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3af), class 0 > 1 x USB port (2.0 compliant) > 1xRJ9 (4P4C) handset port > 1xRJ9 (4P4C) headset port > 1XRJ12 (6P6C) EXT port: Supports up to 6 Expansion Modules for an attendant console application