phone

Microsoft says it won't add any new features or devices for Windows 10 Mobile. It's a sign that hopes Windows 10 would revive the company's smartphone presence have largely failed. While what was then called Windows Mobile was once technically the ... most common smartphone operating system, it faded behind Apple's iOS and Google's Android as smartphones became more widely used. The attempt to relaunch under "Windows Phone" failed to make a breakthrough, and the system fell well under a one percent market share. The most recent figures suggest just one in every three thousand phones ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Richard A. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am so glad I found your website! I have a major problem with my Samsung S6 Edge (with Android Marshmallow). Recently I started receiving full screen pop up advertisements on my phone - these ads ... are appearing even when my phone is idle! At first they appeared every few days but now these full screen advertisements are popping up every few hours. I have NO idea where they are coming from. I searched google for 'block popup ads android' and came across an article suggesting it is possible to disable notifications from apps by adjusting the ... (view more)

Apple stands accused of failing to enable a potentially life-saving iPhone technology. Advanced Mobile Location (AML), already used in Android handsets, lets emergency services staff know precisely where a caller is located. The accusation comes ... from the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), which coordinates the European equivalent of 911 call technology. It already works with Google on AML, which is credited with saving multiple lives. The idea of AML is that it doesn't require any special action on behalf of the user: there's no need to change settings or install dedicated ... (view more)

Apple is working on facial recognition as an iPhone security measure. It's said to be have it ready for this year's iPhone 8, but may wait until the feature has been fully tested and complete. The idea is to replace fingerprint scanning for ... unlocking the phone. It's not yet confirmed if and when the facial recognition would be extended to other uses, such as using Apple Pay rather than have to type in card details or a PIN code. According to a Bloomberg source, the face unlock takes less than half a second to scan a face, confirm its identity and unlock the phone. The feature ... (view more)

Apple is to introduce a safe driving mode to stop drivers being distracted by their phone. The mode aims to maximize safety without taking all usability away. The changes follow a lawsuit against Apple by the parents of a child killed in a car crash ... . The driver responsible for the crash had been using FaceTime video calling while driving at 65 miles per hour. The parents said Apple shared some responsibility, as it had developed technology to prevent FaceTime from working in a moving car, but chose not to use it. The new mode will debut with iOS 11, an update that will be distributed to the ... (view more)

Two biometric security measures have come into question after reporters and researchers claimed to have overcome them. A phone's iris recognition and a bank's voice log-in both appear to be less than perfectly secure. The Samsung Galaxy S8 - ... arguably the most high-profile and hyped phone currently running the Android system - includes an option to unlock the phone by simply looking at the camera. In a similar way to fingerprint recognition, it works on the idea that the patterns in the eye's iris are unique. Samsung described these patterns as "virtually impossible to ... (view more)

A Texas man is suing a woman he dated for text messaging while the pair were watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Brandon Vezmar filed in small claims court seeking $17.31, the cost of his ticket for a 3D showing. According to the filing, ... reported in the Austin American-Statesman, the pair were on a first date after meeting online. Vezmar claims the woman "activated her phone at least 10-20 times in 15 minutes to read and send text messages." (Source: newsweek.com ) Texter Labeled Threat to Society He argues that this violated the theater's policy and spoiled the experience ... (view more)

Uber has denied it continued tracking users even after the app was removed from phones. Apple boss Tim Cook reportedly threatened to ban the app from iPhones if it used such practices. The New York Times made the claim in a lengthy profile of Uber ... boss Travis Kalanick, the man behind the company which brings passengers and drivers together via a smartphone app, without the need to hail a cab in the street or phone to book one. According to the report, Cook called Kalanick in for a meeting after discovering Uber had altered its code to hide the fact that it was "secretly identifying and ... (view more)

Motion sensors in smartphones could give away your lock code to hackers according to new research. But practical limitations mean related attacks might have to be specifically targeted. Researchers at Newcastle University explored the idea that ... tools such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses and GPS chips in phones could reveal more detail than users realize. The tools are used for a variety of functions such as location tracking, fitness tracking and gesture control such as a user turning a phone face down to instantly switch it to "do not disturb" mode. Their theory was that ... (view more)

Verizon has picked a creative way of making owners of the Galaxy Note 7 return the potentially dangerous handset. It's going to reroute outgoing voice calls and make users speak to its staff instead. It's the latest in a series of attempts to make ... sure all of the handsets are returned to Samsung. The company formally recalled the phone after multiple reports of overheating and even catching fire, something that's widely thought to be related to the battery design. Users Holding Out on Returns An original program asking owners to return the handset and offering a full refund had ... (view more)