Freely accessible Wikipedia Zero is no more
The Wikimedia Foundation is to kill off Wikipedia Zero this year. The zero-rated version of the online encyclopaedia was launched six years ago with the aim of providing free access to mobile users in numerous countries, but there has been a significant drop in demand.
The foundation has partnered with dozens of mobile operators around the world to provide free access to Wikipedia. Among the reasons for shutting down the program is "low awareness of Wikipedia outside of North America and Europe."
iOS 11.3 beta 2 includes performance throttling opt-out and new battery health options
Apple raised the anger levels of some iPhone users when it was revealed that handset performance was being purposefully reduced to maintain battery health. Some of this anger was dissipated when the company offered up cheap battery replacements, but Tim Cook also promised that users would soon be able to opt out of performance throttling.
The option to disable performance reduction is due to hit the masses with iOS 11.3, and the second beta of this version of Apple's mobile operating system has now been released to developers. It gives us our first glimpse at what the new battery health features look like.
White House refutes claims it wants to build its own 5G network
Documents that came to light recently suggested that the Trump administration was considering creating a government-controlled 5G network. It was an idea viewed in a dim light by the FCC, but now the White House has denied it has such plans.
Despite the unearthing of a memo to the contrary, the US government insists there are no such plans under consideration.
Trump administration wants to nationalize 5G, but the FCC is not impressed
Leaked documents show that the Trump administration is considering plans to nationalize the 5G network. In the documents, seen by Axios, a senior National Security Council official says that a centralized, government-controlled 5G network is needed to offer security against China.
But while the government may believe it makes sense for it to be in control of the future mobile network, the idea has attracted vocal opposition. Among the opponents is FCC chairman Ajit Pai.
Meltdown and Spectre: very few enterprise mobile devices are patched, and many will never be
The Meltdown and Spectre bugs have been in the headlines for a couple of weeks now, but it seems the patches are not being installed on handsets. Analysis of more than 100,000 enterprise mobile devices shows that just a tiny percentage of them have been protected against the vulnerabilities -- and some simply may never be protected.
Security firm Bridgeway found that just 4 percent of corporate phones and tablets in the UK have been patched against Spectre and Meltdown. Perhaps more worryingly, however, its research also found that nearly a quarter of enterprise mobile devices will never receive a patch because of their age.
Are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) the future of mobile?
There are two types of businesses in today’s mobile-first world: businesses that have a mobile app and those that do not. The one thing that these two sides have in common is that both are looking towards progressive web apps (PWAs) and wondering what the impact of this new app experience will be and how it will change the mobile world.
Businesses that have already invested in developing a native mobile app are looking at PWAs cautiously. While these new apps represent a new frontier to be explored and leveraged to improve and expand on an existing app experience, they also have the potential to elbow native apps out of the spotlight. Thus, these companies may find that their investment into a native app was not as long-term as they anticipated.
Hundreds of Android and iOS apps use your mic to check what TV shows you are watching
Advertisers are keen for their ads to be seen, that goes without saying. But it's more important to be seen by the right people, hence the explosion in targeted advertising. Social media is a great way to gather massive amounts of data about people and deliver ads accordingly, but some mobile games take things further.
There are a large number of games for both iOS and Android which include Alphonso software. This uses smartphones' microphones to record audio which is then used to determine which TV shows and commercials you're watching -- and then deliver targeted ads accordingly. Is this being done in secret? Not really. Details of the activities are included in Alphonso software's privacy policy.
Mobile ads shift to using video as spending doubles
With consumers spending more of their smartphone time in apps worldwide, in-app advertising continued to be the main growth area in worldwide mobile ad spending and video ads are increasingly dominant.
Data from real-time advertising platform Smaato reveals in-app ad spend taking at least 85 percent of mobile ad spending in each of the top 20 mobile advertising markets worldwide.
Cryptocurrency apps have severe security vulnerabilities, but do investors care?
A market cap of over $350 billion, daily volumes in excess of $10 billion, fast rising prices, a growing number of investors and little to no regulation all combine to make the cryptocurrency space a prime target for hackers. What's more, security is not exactly a main priority for many investors and exchanges, as numerous thefts go to show.
Making things even more complicated is the fact that lots of cryptocurrency apps, that let investors and trader store coins, have dangerous vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to steal users' funds.
100 percent of enterprises have suffered mobile malware attacks
A new study of over 850 organizations around the world shows that all of them have experienced a mobile malware attack.
The research by cyber security company Check Point shows an average of 54 mobile malware attacks per business with Android and iOS platforms both proving vulnerable.
Samsung announces Exynos 9810 flagship processor likely to power Galaxy S9
Samsung does not reveal much information about a new flagship smartphone before launch day, but the homebrew processor that powers it is introduced in advance. So, it did not come as a surprise to see the Exynos 9 Series 8895 making its official debut ahead of the Galaxy S8.
Things appear to be no different this time around. The Galaxy S9 is months away, yet Samsung just announced the Exynos 9 Series 9810 flagship processor that is likely to underpin it.
T-Mobile and Sprint kill merger talks
After weeks of rumors and speculation about a possible merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, the two companies have spoken out and said their discussions have amounted to nothing. In joint statements, the telecoms firms announced that merger talks have come to an end.
The companies were "unable to find mutually agreeable terms," and the decision has been made to "put an end to the extensive speculation around a transaction."
Something you gotta know about iPhone X
I consider myself lucky, although some commenters (you know who you are) will disagree, by successfully ordering from Verizon Wireless the iPhone X for delivery on launch day—November 3rd. A FedEx driver brought the anticipated package to my door yesterday afternoon. I hauled down to Apple Store to purchase AppleCare+ before my grubby paws caressed the steel rims (vroom) and generous glass (screen measures 5.8 inches diagonally).
Replacing iPhone 7 Plus, which features and benefits greatly satisfy, is a bit extravagant. But I wanted the X to review and for its smaller size but larger display—understanding caveats: Home button's removal changes fundamental interaction and means adapting habits (oh my aching muscle memory).
Broadcom may buy Qualcomm for $100 billion
Broadcom could be on the verge of carrying out the biggest technology acquisition in history. The chipmaker is said to be planning a $100 billion bid for smartphone chip supplier Qualcomm. It is possible that the bid could be even higher.
While the deal has not been officially announced, people familiar with the matter say the offer could be just days away. If Broadcom does go ahead with the purchase of Qualcomm, it would create a $200 billion company.
Dating apps have major security vulnerabilities that could expose users' private information
Singles looking for love using mobile dating apps could be putting their device security at risk, experts have warned.
An investigation into many of the world's most popular dating apps by Kaspersky Labs has found that many services are not providing sufficient levels of data protection, with hackers able to potentially identify users and steal personal information.
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