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PHP Hardening & Security

Posted on 11 Dec 2014 - by Arun In: Blog, Tips

Hardening Patch for PHP – The Suhosin Hardening-Patch for PHP provides low-level protections that cannot be implemented with an extension such as Zend-created vulnerabilities and PHP core vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows and format string vulnerabilities. Consequently, the patch is PHP version-specific.

Suhosin Extension – The Suhosin Extension contains the bulk of suhosin’s protection features. It’s focus is to protect from code-level vulnerabilities and hacker tricks. It is not PHP version-specific. From PHP 5.4 on words Suhosin is available as a extension and can be downloaded here

 

Hardening PHP Application

Read here to know more about security measures on php application

 

 

Hardening PHP from php.ini

PHP’s default configuration file, php.ini (usually found in /etc/php.ini on most Linux systems) contains a host of functionality that can be used to help secure your web applications. Unfortunately many PHP users and administrators are unfamiliar with the various options that are available with php.ini and leave the file in it’s stock configuration. By utilizing a few of the security related options in the configuration file you can greatly strengthen the security posture of web applications running on your server.

Safe Mode

PHP safe mode is a comprehensive “attempt to solve the shared server security problem” that includes many useful features. Note that safe mode support is being removed in PHP 6. Safe mode effectively checks if functions in one file on the server that affect other files all have the same ownership. For instance, if you have a page script1.php that attempts to read the contents of a directory img/. Safe mode with check the UID of script1.php and the img/ directory. If they match then the script will be allowed access, if they don’t match then safe mode will disable access. This is an interesting security mechanism that allows you to restrict access by scripts outside of the normal application installation directory. Safe mode may cause problems though when the web server ends up owning files (for instance when a new file is uploaded or created by an application it is usually owned by ‘apache’ or a similar web server account).

Safe mode will also restrict executables that may be run by scripts in the same way it restricts file and directory access. Safe mode can also be configured so that only executables in a certain directory can be run. This can help limit exposure of shell commands to certain scripts.

To enable safe mode, alter (or add) the safe mode directive in the php.ini to:

 

safe_mode = On

 

In some cases you’ll want to use a group to check ownership (for instance in the case that you have multiple people deploying web application scripts). To have safe mode check group permissions use:

 

safe_mode_gid = On

 

If you want to limit directories that can contain included files or executables use the following php.ini directives respectively:

 

safe_mode_include_dir = /path/to/dir
safe_mode_exec_dir = /path/to/exec/dir

 

Safe mode has several other useful features that are worth looking into. Browse the documentation at the PHP website and see if safe mode is right for your environment.

Restricting Includes

Using the open_basedir directive in PHP makes a lot of sense given most file include vulnerability vectors. This directive limits all PHP file operations to the listed directory and below. It is common for attackers to search for ways to include local files in PHP scripts to expose local filesystem files through the web server. For instance, if an attacker found a file inclusion vulnerability they might try to include the /etc/passwd file to enumerate all the user accounts on the system. With the open_basedir directive PHP can restrict file inclusion to the web root, for instance /var/www. Once set files outside that directory cannot be included in scripts, and thus the aforementioned attack would fail. To enable the open_basedir directive update your php.ini file to include:

 

open_basedir = /path/to/web/root

 

Disabling Functionality

There are certain functions in PHP that you probably don’t want your developers to use because of the danger they pose. Even if you know your users aren’t utilizing certain functions it is wise to completely disable them so an attacker can’t use them. This security precaution is especially effective at stopping an attacker who has somehow managed to upload a PHP script, write one to the filesystem, or even include a remote PHP file. By disabling functionality you ensure that you can limit the effectiveness of these types of attacks. It should be noted that it is virtually impossible to do something like preventing an attacker from executing a command at a shell by disabling functions, but it can certainly stop an attacker who isn’t a skillful PHP programmer.

By disabling functions like shell_exec() and system() you can prevent users and attackers from utilizing these functions. It is important to restrict functionality for developers because use of these command opens the potential for a remote code execution vulnerability if not utilized with great care. There are certainly cases for operations such as executing a command at a shell, but PHP provides a drove of functions that are essentially the same. Developers can standardize on one such function and the rest can be disabled to help prevent attacks. While this isn’t a foolproof solution it will probably prevent attacks like the dreaded c99 shell. To enable the disable_functions directive simply add it to your php.ini with a comma separated list of functions you want to restrict. For instance:
disable_functions = php_uname, getmyuid, getmypid, passthru, leak, listen, diskfreespace, tmpfile, link, ignore_user_abord, shell_exec, dl, set_time_limit, exec, system, highlight_file, source, show_source, fpaththru, virtual, posix_ctermid, posix_getcwd, posix_getegid, posix_geteuid, posix_getgid, posix_getgrgid, posix_getgrnam, posix_getgroups, posix_getlogin, posix_getpgid, posix_getpgrp, posix_getpid, posix, _getppid, posix_getpwnam, posix_getpwuid, posix_getrlimit, posix_getsid, posix_getuid, posix_isatty, posix_kill, posix_mkfifo, posix_setegid, posix_seteuid, posix_setgid, posix_setpgid, posix_setsid, posix_setuid, posix_times, posix_ttyname, posix_uname, proc_open, proc_close, proc_get_status, proc_nice, proc_terminate, phpinfo

 

Preventing Information Disclosure

Attackers will often use information that your web server exposes in order to gain information about the server configuration, application layout, and components. Error messages are some of the most common paths to information disclosure, often leaking information such as application installation path, database connectivity, data model details such as table and column names, and script details such as variables. While this debugging information is invaluable to developers it is useless to end users and dangerous to expose to attackers. PHP debugging output should be disabled in the php.ini using:

 

display_errors = Off

 

This prevents PHP from showing run time errors in pages served to users. PHP will continue to log the errors as normal, however, so they can be reviewed by developers. Be wary of developer tactics to end run PHP errors, however, as disabling this functionality does not prevent information disclosure. Some developers may use custom debugging output nested in HTML comments, third party tools like FirePHP, or writing PHP error logs to local directories using .htaccess files and the error_log directive. However, by preventing the display of errors by default you reduce the possibility of exposing information to attackers.

Disable Globals

Global variables are a horrible hold over from the PHP 3 days. In most distributions register global variables is set to off (and thankfully it won’t be supported in future versions of PHP). However, you should ensure that the directive is properly in place. You should find the following in your php.ini file:

 

register_globals = Off

 

Register globals allows various HTTP variables to be used without specifying their source. For instance, if a developer wants to use a URL variable named ‘id’, for instance from the URL request index.php?id=4, with globals they can simply use $id rather than $_GET[‘id’]. This is a great convenience but it can cause collisions. For instance, if a form post uses a variable called ‘id’ and there is a variable $id defined in a script and a user alters the URL of the script to include an ‘id=’ in the URL which variable has precedence? Even more damaging is the ability of attackers to override configuration variables such as DOCUMENT_ROOT from the URL. This can cause no end of problems, especially if attackers are able to call scripts that are normally included in other scripts and expect predefined variables, which could be overwritten via GET variables by an attacker.

Many legacy applications may require globally registered variables. If this is the case at least limit the configuration to specific application directories rather than throughout your PHP installation. You can do this using PHP directives in .htaccess files included in specific directories. Ensure that register_globals is set to Off, however, in your php.ini configuration!

Disable Remote File Includes

Attackers will often attempt to identify file inclusion vulnerabilities in applications then use them to include malicious PHP scripts that they write. Even if an attacker doesn’t have write access to the web application directories if remote file inclusion is enabled the attacker can host malicious PHP scripts on other servers and the web application will fetch them and execute them locally! This can have devastating consequences. To restrict remote file execution be sure the following appears in your php.ini file:

 

allow_url_fopen = Off
allow_url_include = Off

 

This prevents remote scripts from being included and executed by scripts on your system.

Restrict File Uploads

If you’re not utilizing file upload functionality in any of your PHP scripts then it’s a good idea to turn it off. Attackers will attempt to (mis)use file uploads to quickly inject malicious scripts into your web applications. By disabling file uploads altogether this makes moving scripts onto your web server more difficult. To disable file uploads change the file_uploads directive in your php.ini to read:

 

file_uploads = Off

 

Even if you do allow file uploads you should change the default temporary directory used for file uploads. This can be done by changing the upload_tmp_dir directive. You may also want to restrict the size of files that can be uploaded. This is usually more of a system administration alteration than a security fix, but it can be useful. Use the upload_max_filesize directive for this purpose. To restrict upload directories and file sizes change your php.ini so that it reads:

 

upload_tmp_dir = /var/php_tmp
upload_max_filezize = 2M

 

Protect Sessions

Session stealing is a popular attack that allows a malicious user to hijack the session of a legitimate user. Using session hijacking an attacker can bypass authorization and access portions of web applications without authorization. PHP uses strong (meaning long pseudo randomly generated) session identifiers so that guessing a session id is extremely difficult. When logging into a PHP application you can view your cookies and likely identify a cookie with an name like ‘phpsessid’ and a value similar to ‘bbbca6bb7a23bdc8de3baef2b506e654’. The cookie is composed of 32 hexadecimal characters, making it extremely hard to predict. The flaw in this system, however, is that these session identifiers are written to the filesystem when they’re created so PHP can keep track of them. Changing the default location of these session identifiers will confound some attempts to read them. To change the location where session information is written alter the session.save_path in the php.ini configuration so that it points to your desired location like so:

 

session.save_path = /var/lib/php

 

Make sure that the web server can read and write to the location you specify, however, or sessions won’t work. You may also wish to set PHP so that it writes cookies in such a way that they are inaccessible to JavaScript. If you don’t have any PHP applications that utilize JavaScript to manipulate cookies this is a great idea. Attackers will often exploit Cross Site Scripting (XSS) flaws in web applications to inject JavaScript into pages, which could be used to steal session cookies. By setting the php.ini directive:

 

session.cookie_httponly = 1

 

you restrict JavaScript from accessing your cookies. Another small security feature is allowing PHP to check HTTP referer values so that session information is only passed internally while a user is viewing an application. This prevents users from accidentally publishing session information in a way that would allow external users to follow links and steal a session. This is especially useful if session information is being passed in a URL that could accidentally be published to a mailing list or web site. To enable this functionality use the following in your php.ini:

 

session.referer_check = your_url.tld

 

For more information about session security see http://devzone.zend.com/manual/ref.session.html.

 

Conclusions

Implementing these security features within your PHP configuration isn’t a recipe for complete security, but it does increase the overall security posture of your web applications. By combining these measures with others, such as Suhosin and an intrusion detection system like OSSEC you incrementally increase the security of your server and web applications. You must be careful to implement configurations that restrict functionality that could be used to the detriment of your installation but not to restrict developers. Frustrating developers is a sure fire recipe for home grown solutions to end run your restrictions and invariably these solutions weaken the overall security of your server and often introduce vulnerabilities. Take care to harden your servers as much as possible, but don’t become over zealous. Beginning the process of server hardening with your php.ini configuration is a great step as it affects all the PHP web applications installed on the server and can be applied incrementally. Remember to restart your web server after making changes to the php.ini file so that those changes are put into effect.

 

Source: http://www.madirish.net/199

 

WordPress Security Tutorial

Posted on 11 Dec 2014 - by Arun In: Blog, Tips

I have been revisiting the various security settings of my WordPress blog after the sudden database table corruption of this blog for unknown reason last week. In this post I have highlighted some of the security tips that can help protect your blog from possible outside attacks.

blog_security_128_2

 

Protect your WordPress Admin Area

It is important to restrict the access to your WordPress admin area only to people that actually need access to it. If your site does not support registration or front-end content creation, your visitors should not be able to access your /wp-admin/ folder or the wp-login.php file. The best you can do is to get our home IP address (you can use a site like whatismyip.com for that) and add these lines to the .htaccess file in your WordPress admin folder replacing xx.xxx.xxx.xxx with your IP address.

<Files wp-login.php>
order deny,allow
Deny from all
Allow from xx.xxx.xxx.xxx
</Files>

In case you want to allow access to multiple computers (like your office, home PC, laptop, etc.), simply add another Allow from xx.xxx.xxx.xxx statement on a new line.

If you want to be able to access your admin area from any IP address (for example, if you often rely on free Wi-Fi networks) restricting your admin area to a single IP address or to few IPs can be inconvenient. In such cases we recommend that you limit the number of incorrect login attempt to your site. This way you will protect your WordPress site from brute-force attacks and people trying to guess your password. For such purposes, you can use a nice little plugin called Limit login attempts.

Don’t use the “admin” username

Most of the attackers will assume that your admin username is “admin”. You can easily block a lot of brute-force and other attacks simply by naming your admin username differently. If you’re installing a new WordPress site, you will be asked for username during the WordPress installation process. If you already have a WordPress site, you can follow the instructions in our tutorial on how to change your WordPress username.

Use strong passwords

You will be surprised to know that there are thousands of people that use phrases like “password” or “123456” for their admin login details. Needles to say, such passwords can be easily guessed and they are on the top of the list of any dictionary attack. A good tip is to use an entire sentence that makes sense to you and you can remember easily. Such passwords are much, much better than single phrase ones.

Consider two-factor authentication

Enabling two-factor authentication for your WordPress website will significantly improve the security of your website. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use Google 2 factor authentication or Clef to authenticate using your mobile phone. For all SiteGround users, Clef authors have created an ad-free version of their plugin. Check out our Clef tutorial for more information on that matter.

Make sure you’re site is on a secured WordPress hosting

Your WordPress site is as secured as your hosting account. If someone can exploit a vulnerability in an old PHP version for example or other service on your hosting platform it won’t matter that you have the latest WordPress version. This is why it is important to be hosted with a company that has security as a priority. Some of the features that you should look for are:

  • Support for the latest PHP and MySQL versions
  • Account isolation
  • Web Application Firewall
  • Intrusion detecting system

Ensure your computer is free of viruses and malware

If your computer is infected with virus or a malware software, a potential attacker can gain access yo your login details and make a valid login to your site bypassing all the measures you’ve taken before. This is why it is very important do have an up-to-date antivirus program and keep the overall security of all computers you use to access your WordPress site on a high level.

Use Strong Passwords for all Entry Points

I was surprised to find out how many of my friends use the WordPress admin password generated by WordPress during install time and thinks that their blog is protected from attacks as they are using a strong password! The WordPress admin password generated during install time is normally pretty strong (consists lowercase and uppercase letters with numbers and symbols) so there is nothing wrong with that. I was mainly shocked to find out that their ftp/cPanel password for that domain is not that strong. It gets even better… one of them were using his partners name as the password (Did I mention that his partner’s name was mentioned on his blog’s ‘About’ page?)! The ftp/cPanel password for your domain is equally important. If someone can access your cPanel then that person can delete your WordPress database from the cPanel->Databases->MySQL Databases. Anyway, the bottom line is to use strong passwords for all entry points not just one.

Add a CAPTCHA on your WordPress Login page

Adding a simple captcha to your WordPress login page is another great way to minimize the chance of a bot/script gaining access to your site via a brute force attack. Its recommended to add Googles Recaptcha for WP https://www.google.com/recaptcha/intro/index.html

Protect the ‘wp-admin’ Directory

Use a .htaccess file in the ‘wp-admin’ directory to limit access to only certain IP addresses (your home, work etc). The WordPress htaccess tips post has more htaccess related tips and tricks. Below is an example .htaccess file that can be used for this purpose (replace ‘x’ and ‘y’ with your IP address)

AuthUserFile /dev/null
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthName “Access Control”
AuthType Basic
order deny,allow
deny from all
# whitelist home IP address
allow from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
# whitelist work IP address
allow from yy.yyy.yyy.yyy

If you don’t have static IP addresses then the above method can be a bit hard to implement. In that case you could the use of AskApache Password ProtectWordPress plugin. The ‘AskApache Password Protect’ plugin adds good password protection to your WordPress Blog. Use the Login Lockdown feature of the all in one WP Security Plugin to protect your blog against brute force attack (a brute force attack is a method of defeating a cryptographic scheme by systematically trying a large number of possibilities)

Deny access to your Plugins and other directories

A lot of bloggers don’t protect access to their WordPress plugins directory. What I mean by this is that if you go to the www.your-domain.com/wp-content/plugins/ from a browser it shows all the plugins that you are using. Many wordpress plugins can have vulnerabilities which the attacker can use to harm your blog. So, its a good idea to block access to these directories. You can use a .htaccess file or just upload a blank ‘index.html’ file to that directory to block access to these directories. (download a blank index.html)

Update WordPress to the Latest Release

As new WrodPress versions are released the security bugs for previous release becomes public information. WordPress could have vulnerabilities as a result of how the program is written that allow an attacker to pass HTTP arguments, bad URI strings, form input, etc, that could cause Bad Things to happen. So always upate your WordPress to the latest version to make sure that you are protected against any known security bugs.

Don’t Show WordPress Version on Your Blog

You should not make the WordPress version that you are using visible to others for the same reason explained above. The specific WordPress version that you are using can give the attacker an upper hand in finding a way to break in.

Backup Your Data

I can’t stress this enough… always keep backups of all the important files. I always backup my WordPress Database and WordPress files in case of emergency. Read my what would you do if you lost all your blog’s content article to find out how backups can help you sleep better at night :)

Be careful when you upload something to your site

When you upload a script (example: a plugin, a theme or just a normal script) to your site you need to be extra careful as it can harm your site if it was designed to do so. Only upload authentic content to your site. Never download a plugin or a theme from a warez or torrent or file sharing sites. The content on these sites can be disguised as a plugin or a theme but it will harm your site when uploaded to your server. You can read more on these types of attack from the free premium plugin and theme downloaders beware article.

 

Advanced WordPress Security Tips

In general WordPress is pretty secure as long as you apply common sense and follow standard security practices. The tips mentioned in this article are for added security (you don’t need to apply them all).

However, if you are in the mood for some advanced tweaking then the following security tips should come in handy ;)

NOTE and DISCLAIMER

Most of these techniques require you to understand what you are doing.

It is strongly recommended that you first test these techniques on a test or development site before applying them to your live site. Doing some of the tips suggested here can break your site if not performed correctly.

We take no responsibility for any mishaps as a result of your efforts in applying the techniques discussed in this article.

Also note that these techniques assume that your WordPress installation is running Apache and you have mod_alias and mod_rewrite installed.

1. Disable HTTP Trace Method

There is a security attack technique called Cross Site Tracing (XST) which can be used together with another attack mechanism called Cross Site Scripting (XSS) which exploits systems which have HTTP TRACE functionality. HTTP TRACE is a default functional feature on most webservers and is used for things like debugging. Hackers who use XST will usually steal cookie and other sensitive server information via header requests.

You can disable the trace functionality either via your Apache configuration file or by putting the following in your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} ^TRACE
RewriteRule .* - [F]

2. Remove header outputs from your WordPress installation

WordPress can often add quite a lot of output in your header pertaining to various services. The following code shows how you can remove a lot of this output.

Warning: This can break some functionality if you are not careful. Eg, if you’re using RSS feeds then you may want to comment that line out.

Add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:

remove_action('wp_head', 'index_rel_link');
remove_action('wp_head', 'feed_links', 2);
remove_action('wp_head', 'feed_links_extra', 3);
remove_action('wp_head', 'rsd_link');
remove_action('wp_head', 'wlwmanifest_link');
remove_action('wp_head', 'parent_post_rel_link', 10, 0);
remove_action('wp_head', 'start_post_rel_link', 10, 0);
remove_action('wp_head', 'adjacent_posts_rel_link_wp_head', 10, 0);
remove_action('wp_head', 'wp_generator');
remove_action('wp_head', 'wp_shortlink_wp_head', 10, 0);
remove_action('wp_head', 'noindex', 1);

3. Deny comment posting via proxy server

You can reduce spam and general proxy requests by attempting to prevent comments which are posted via a proxy server. Use the code below (compliments of perishablepress.com) in your .htaccess file:

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} =POST
RewriteCond %{HTTP:VIA}%{HTTP:FORWARDED}%{HTTP:USERAGENT_VIA}%{HTTP:X_FORWARDED_FOR}%{HTTP:PROXY_CONNECTION} !^$ [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP:XPROXY_CONNECTION}%{HTTP:HTTP_PC_REMOTE_ADDR}%{HTTP:HTTP_CLIENT_IP} !^$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/(wp-login.php|wp-admin/|wp-content/plugins/|wp-includes/).* [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,NS,L]

4. Change your default WordPress DB prefix

You may already be aware that WP uses a default prefix value of “wp_” for the DB tables. This can in turn be used by malicious bots and hackers to guess your DB table names.

In general, changing your WP DB prefix value is much easier to do at installation time because you can set it in your wp-config.php file.

Conversely if you already have a live WP site and you wish to change your DB prefix, then the procedure is a little more complicated.

A basic guide for changing the DB prefix after an install for those who are curious is briefly outlined below:

1) Do a full DB backup and save the backup somewhere offboard. Using something like BackupBuddy can useful.
2) Do a complete dump of your WP DB using PHPMyAdmin into a text file and save 2 copies – one for editing and the other as an original just in case.
3) Using a good code editor, replace all instances of “wp_” with your own prefix.
4) From your WP admin panel, deactivate all plugins
5) Using PHPMyAdmin, drop your old DB and import your new one using the file you edited in step 3.
6) Edit your wp-config.php file with the new DB prefix value.
7) Re-activate your WP plugins
8) Perform another save on your permalink settings by going to Settings->Permalinks in order to refresh your permalink structure.

Caution:

Sometimes plugins add their own prefix after the wordpress prefix where both are identical.

example, you might have a table name from a certain plugin has a name like the following: wp_wp_abc_table_name.

Be sure when replacing the “wp_” instances in step 2 above that you only replace the first “wp_” prefix and not the one following it.
For instance if we take the example we just mentioned we would replace the first prefix with our new prefix which for this example might be called “trx_”.

The new name would look like:

trx_wp_abc_tablename

Note that there are also WP plugins out there which can achieve the above steps for those who are not prepared to get their hands dirty.

5. Deny Potentially Dangerous Query Strings

You can put the following code in your .htacces file to help prevent XSS attacks.

BEWARE: Functionality of some plugins or themes could break if you are not careful to exclude strings which are used by them.

# QUERY STRING EXPLOITS
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ../ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} boot.ini [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} tag= [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ftp: [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} http: [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} https: [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} mosConfig [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*([|]|(|)|<|>|'|"|;|?|*).* [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*(%22|%27|%3C|%3E|%5C|%7B|%7C).* [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*(%0|%A|%B|%C|%D|%E|%F|127.0).* [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*(globals|encode|config|localhost|loopback).* [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*(request|select|insert|union|declare|drop).* [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ - [F,L]
</IfModule>

6. Apply PHP hardening to your system

You can install and enable Suhosin which is a PHP hardening system on your server. This can further increase the security of your system by protecting against various vulnerabilities.

Suhosin typically installs on most PHP installations and is sometimes included by webhosting companies by default. (Check with your hosting provider)

If you can read more about Suhosin here.

 

Further reading: http://codex.wordpress.org/Hardening_WordPress

 

Source:

https://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/advanced-wordpress-security-tips-4659
https://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/essential-wordpress-security-tips-is-your-blog-protected-987

 

9 Common iPhone 6 Plus Problems & How to Fix Them

Posted on 24 Oct 2014 - by Arun In: Blog

The iPhone 6 Plus release delivered a large new iPhone to users, but a number of common iPhone 6 Plus problems frustrate users. The iOS 8.1 release fixes some of these problems, while others remain even after updating from iOS 8 and iOS 8.0.2. Here, we take a look at the most common iPhone 6 Plus problems and how to fix them on your iPhone 6 Plus without a trip to the Apple Store.

Some of these issues are lingering iOS 8 problems that Apple will need to continue to work on, while others are easy to fix by installing the free iOS 8.1 update. Others are strictly iPhone 6 Plus problems that are not a problem on older devices.

After a troubling start to iPhone 6 Plus updates knocked out cell service, Apple is finally delivering real fixes to these common iPhone 6 Plus problems.

 

Learn how to fix common iPhone 6 Plus problems.

 

iPhone 6 Plus Battery Life

Overall iPhone 6 Plus battery life is good, but some users experience bad iPhone 6 Plus battery life after the latest update to iOS 8.1.

If the iPhone 6 Plus battery doesn’t last all day under average use you should go to Settings -> General -> Usage -> Battery Usage.

Here you can see if Usage and Standby are the same. If that is the case there is something wrong with your iPhone and iOS 8.1. You can try resetting settings and deleting recently installed apps as well as other iPhone 6 Plus battery fixes. To reset iPhone 6 Plus settings without deleting your files go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.

 

Check your use to find the reason for bad iPhone 6 Plus battery life.

 

If they are closer to what you see in the image above an app may be the problem. If the iPhone 6 Plus is warm and slow, you can hold the home and power button to reboot the phone.

You can see what apps use the most battery life on your iPhone 6 Plus and, if need be, delete the app. Facebook is a major battery drain for many users. Google Hangouts and other apps with background activity can cause bad iPhone 6 Plus battery life.

How to Fix iPhone 6 Plus WiFi Problems

iPhone 6 Plus WiFi problems include poor speeds, random disconnections and the inability to connect to certain routers. This is not unique to the iPhone 6 Plus, as small updates and iPhone releases deliver WiFi problems to the iPhone. A common problem we ran into is the inability to print to a Wireless printer. Rebooting the iPhone, router and printer fixed this for a while.

WiFi problems are tougher to fix due to the variety of factors causing connectivity issues. Here are several steps you can try on your iPhone and at your home network to fix iPhone 6 Plus WiFi problems. Hopefully this will prevent the need to buy a new router.

Before you try any of these make sure you install the iOS 8.1 update. Go to Settings -> General -> Software Update -> Download & Install. If you are already on iOS 8.1 you can see it listed here.

Reset your router. Go to your router, unplug it and count to 45 then plug it back in. This can fix some problems easily. You can also try restarting the iPhone 6 Plus. If it only happens in specific areas of your house or office you may need to move the router.

 

iOS 8.1 fixes some iPhone 6 plus WiFi problems.

 

The next step is to reset network settings. This easy step does not wipe any data from your iPhone, but it will restore the networking to factory defaults. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

You’ll enter your passcode and wait for the iPhone to reboot. When it does, enter your router password again and see if you can connect.

If that fails the next step is to toggle WiFi Network location services off. For some reason this fixes some random iPhone WiFi problems. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. When you toggle WiFi off restart the iPhone and then see if it works. If it works you can try turning this back on and see if it still works.

How to Fix iPhone 6 Plus Bluetooth Issues

The iPhone 6 Plus does not connect to in-car entertainment and hands free systems well on iOS 8 and iOS 8.0.2. If you experience these problems the first step is to update to iOS 8.1, which fixes many iPhone 6 Plus Bluetooth problems.

If you still can’t connect to specific Bluetooth devices or accessories you may need to reset all settings. You will need to re-setup your settings, but you don’t lose data or apps. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

How to Fix iPhone 6 Plus App Problems

The iOS 8.1 update for the iPhone 6 Plus fixes a lot of the iPhone 6 Plus app problems we ran into over the last month. Install that to get started on a fix.

 

Update your apps to fix iPhone 6 Plus app crashes.

 

If you don’t have automatic app updates turned on you should open the App Store and update your apps. Developers routinely deliver bug fixes and new features that solve many issues.

Many apps are already updated for the iPhone 6 Plus, which removes our biggest complaints of blurry, blown up apps with odd sized keyboards on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Tap on the App Store app -> Updates -> Update All to make sure your apps are up to date.

Fix iPhone 6 Plus Landscape Problems

If your iPhone 6 plus is stuck in landscape mode all the time you need to install iOS 8.1. This update fixes a lot of the landscape issues, but they aren’t completely gone.

 

Apple fixed most landscape problems, but there are still occasional issues.

 

When the iPhone 6 Plus is stuck in landscape you can fix it by double tapping the home button to open multitasking, tapping on another app and then switching back. Most of the time this will solve the problem.

You can also open Control Center and tap on the lock icon to stick in portrait mode all the time.

iPhone 6 Plus iMessage Problems

iPhone 6 Plus iMessage problems include messages not staying marked as read and no option to leave a group iMessage.

Update to iOS 8.1 for a fix to the unread iMessage problem on the iPhone 6 Plus. You can also try restarting the iPhone and other devices with iMessage.

If you cannot leave a group iMessage on the iPhone 6 Plus it is because there has been a text message in that group at some point. Apple won’t break text messaging, so you are stuck in the group. This may also happen if one of your devices is not on iOS 8 or your computer is not on OS X Yosemite.

iPhone 6 Plus Cellular Problems

Sometimes the iPhone 6 Plus cellular connection slows to a crawl or is stuck on 3G or Edge, making it essentially useless.

The quickest fix is to toggle Airplane mode on, wait a minute and turn it back off. This normally forces the iPhone to grab a better connection to a tower. Open Control Center and tap on the airplane, wait a little bit and tap it again.

Turning Cellular Data off and back on may also fix it. Go to Cellular > Cellular Data > Toggle Off.

 

Fixes for iPhone 6 Plus problems with LTE.

 

Another option is to remove the SIM card and restart the phone. Then place the SIM card back in. This is something Verizon recommended to fix connectivity problems on our iPhone before. Results may vary.

You can also check for new carrier settings. Go to Settings -> General -> About, and if there is an update a pop up will appear in a few seconds.

If all else fails, there may be a hardware problem with your iPhone 6 Plus. Check with your carrier or Apple.

iPhone 6 Plus Bending Problems

There have been a lot of scares about iPhone 6 Plus bending problems, and it is a real issue for some users. To prevent bending you can use a case and avoid keeping the iPhone 6 Plus in a tight pocket or a back pocket.

If your iPhone 6 Plus bends, you can talk to Apple about a replacement, but be aware that they don’t just replace any bent iPhone 6 Plus for free.

General Fix for iPhone 6 Plus Problems

If nothing else works and the iPhone 6 Plus is slow or doesn’t work right you can try this last ditch effort to fix common general iPhone 6 Plus problems.

 

If all else fails you need to try a factory reset or visit an Apple Store.

 

You can try this before you go to a Genius Bar to save the time and a trip, but if you don’t want to set your iPhone 6 plus up from scratch you can just skip this and book an appointment.

A factory reset can solve many iPhone 6 plus problems, but you need to wipe all of your data and photos off the iPhone. To do this, backup your files, photos and data and go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

How to Make & Receive iPhone Calls in OS X Yosemite

If you want to use your Mac to make and receive phone calls from your iPhone, here’s how to do it using OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.

OS X Yosemite was launched last week during Apple’s iPad event, allowing Mac users to download and install the long-awaited new version of OS X. One of the coolest new features of OS X Yosemite is the ability to make and receive phone calls right on your Mac from your iPhone.

This new feature is a part of Apple’s Continuity initiative that aims to get OS X and iOS working seamlessly together, and OS X Yosemite is the first version of Apple’s Mac operating system that truly does this.

To make and receive phone calls on your Mac, you’ll need to make sure that both your Mac and your iPhone are connected to the same WiFi network and are also signed into the same iCloud account. If you’re at home and only have one iCloud account anyway, then you’re most likely all set to go, but it wouldn’t hurt to double check this.

After that, we’re all ready to begin setting it up. Here’s how to do it.

Setting Up Phone Calls in OS X Yosemite

To set this up, there are settings that you’ll need to enable on both your Mac and your iPhone. Let’s first start with your Mac.

  1. Open up the FaceTime app, which is located in the Applications folder (or it could already be located in your dock).
  2. Click on FaceTime in the menu bar in the upper-left corner of the screen.
  3. Click on Preferences.
  4. Place a checkmark next to iPhone Cellular Calls.

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 2.30.39 PM

Now, let’s move to your iPhone and enable that same feature in iOS.

  1. Open up the Settings app.
  2. Tap on FaceTime.
  3. Find iPhone Cellular Calls and turn the toggle switch On.

2014-10-22 14.31.21

One thing that’s important to know is that, while this setting lies in the FaceTime settings, FaceTime itself doesn’t have to be open in order to make and receive phone calls. With that said, we’re not sure why this feature’s setting is tucked into FaceTime’s settings, but we digress.

After you have done these two things, you’ll be all set to go and will be able to make and receive phone calls right on your Mac.

Making & Receiving Phone Calls

Receiving phone calls in OS X Yosemite is really easy; you just wait for a call to come in and it will show up in the upper-right corner as any other notification would. From there, you can click on Accept or Decline. Accepting the call will allow you to talk using the Mac’s microphone and hear the other person through the speakers. Declining the call will send it to voicemail.

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 2.51.03 PM

To make a phone call in OS X Yosemite, simply open the Contacts app and hover over a number you want to call. A blue phone icon will appear off to the right. Simply just click on that icon to make a phone call. You can also open up FaceTime and dial a number if you don’t have it in your contacts list.

There’s also a third-party app called Continuity Keypad that brings the Phone app’s keypad in iOS 8 to OS X Yosemite, allowing you to easily dial numbers without having to open FaceTime or the Contacts app.

What Else Is New in OS X Yosemite

OS X Yosemite was first announced back in June during Apple’s annual WWDC developers conference and it has spent the summer in beta form for developers to test out and report any bugs. The OS has seen multiple beta releases over the past few months and was finally released to the public late last week.

OS X Yosemite

This new version of OS X comes with some pretty sweet features, including an all-new look and feel that finally puts OS X on par with iOS 7, thanks to the translucent windows and menus, as well as a flatter design overall, with redesigned icons that mimic iOS 7 icons, but still include some depth so that there’s still a bit of that classic OS X feel.

Furthermore, OS X 10.10 Yosemite also comes improvements made to Messages, including the ability to send and receive SMS text messages (rather than just iMessages).

You can also take advantage of Handoff, which allows you to begin working on something on one device and continue working on it on a different device, whether it’s on OS X or iOS.

If you haven’t yet installed OS X Yosemite, here’s a thorough guide on performing a clean install on your Mac machine.

 

Source: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/10/22/ios-8-1-review-early/

22 Tips to Extend iPhone Battery Life

Posted on 24 Oct 2014 - by Arun In: Blog, Tips

Anyone who’s used an iPhone for even a few days has discovered that while these phones are more powerful, and more fun, than perhaps any other cell or smart phone, that fun comes with a price: battery use. Any halfway intensive iPhone user will recharge their phone almost every couple of days.

There are ways to conserve iPhone battery life, but many of them involve turning off services and features, which makes it a choice between all the cool things that the iPhone can do and having enough juice to do them.

Here are 20 tips to help you extend your iPhone’s power, including new tips for iOS 8, which has features that can drain battery faster than earlier versions.

You don’t need to follow all of them (what fun would that be?)—just use the ones that make sense for how you use your iPhone—but following some will help you conserve juice.

adjusting auto-brightness on phone -

1. Turn on Auto-Brightness

The iPhone has an ambient light sensorthat adjusts the brightness of the screen based on the light around it (darker in dark places, brighter when there’s more ambient light) to both save battery and make it easier to see. Turn Auto-Brightness on and you’ll save energy because your screen will need to use less power in dark places.

Adjust that setting by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Display & Brightness (it’s called Brightness & Wallpaper in iOS 7)
  3. Move the Auto-Brightness slider to On/green
iphone battery life: screen brightness -

2. Reduce Screen Brightness

You can control the default brightness of your iPhone screen with this slider. Needless to say, the brighter the default setting for the screen, the more power it requires. Keep the screen dimmer to conserve more of your battery by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Display & Brightness (it’s called Brightness & Wallpaper in iOS 7)
  3. Move the slider as needed
reduce motion and animation in iOS 7 -

3. Stop Motion & Animations (iOS 7)

One of the coolest features of iOS 7 is called Background Motion. It’s subtle, but if you move your iPhone and watch the app icons and background image, you’ll see them move slightly independently of each other, as if they’re on different planes. This is called a parallax effect. It’s really cool, but it also drains battery. You may want to leave it on to enjoy the effect, but if not, turn it off by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. General
  3. Accessibility
  4. Reduce Motion
  5. Move slider to green/On
iOS 7 battery: Dynamic Backgrounds -

4. Disable Dynamic Backgrounds (iOS 7)

Another neat feature introduced in iOS 7 is animated wallpapers that move underneath your app icons. These dynamic backgrounds offer a cool interface flourish, but they also use more power than a simple static background image. Dynamic Backgrounds aren’t a feature you have to turn on or off, just don’t select the Dynamic Backgrounds in theWallpapers & Backgrounds menu.
iphone battery extend: bluetooth -

5. Turn Bluetooth Off

Bluetooth wireless networking is especially useful for cell phone users with wireless headsets or earpieces. But transmitting data wirelessly takes battery and leaving Bluetooth on to accept incoming data at all times requires even more juice. Turn offBluetooth except when you’re using it to squeeze more power from your battery.

Find it in:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Bluetooth
  3. Move slider to Off/white

You can also access the Bluetooth setting through Control Center. To do that, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the Bluetooth icon (the center one) so that it is grayed out.

iphone battery life: turn off cellular data -

6. Turn Off LTE or Cellular Data

The nearly perpetual connectivity offered by the iPhone means connecting to 3G and speedy 4G LTE cellular phone networks. Not surprisingly, using 3G, and especially 4G LTE, requires more energy to get the quicker data speeds and higher-quality calls. It’s tough to go slower, but if you need more power, turn off LTEand just use the older, slower networks. Your battery will last longer (though you’ll need it when you’re downloading websites more slowly!) or turn off all cellular data and either just use Wi-Fi or no connectivity at all.

To do this:

  1. Tap Settings
  2. Cellular
  3. Slide Enable LTE to Off/white to use slower cellular data networks while still allowing yourself to use cellular data
  4. To limit yourself just to Wi-Fi, slide Cellular Data to Off/white
iphone battery extend: turn off wi-fi -

7. Keep Wi-Fi Off

The other kind of high-speed network that the iPhone can connect to is Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is even faster than 3G or 4G, though it’s only available where there’s a hotspot (not virtually everywhere like 3G or 4G). Keeping Wi-Fi turned on at all times in hopes that an open hotspot will appear is a sure way to drain your battery life. So, unless you’re using it right this second, keep Wi-Fi turned off by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Wi-Fi
  3. Slide to Off/white

You can also turn off Wi-Fi via Control Center. To access that setting, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the Wi-Fi icon to gray it out.

iphone battery performance: turn off location services -

8. Turn Off Location Services

One of the coolest features of the iPhone is its built-in GPS. This allows your phone to know where you are and give you exact driving directions, give that information to apps that help you find restaurants, and more. But, like any service that sends data over a network, it needs battery power to work. If you’re not using Location Services, and don’t plan to right away, turn them off and save some power.

Turn off Location Services by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Privacy
  3. Location Services
  4. Slide to Off/white
system services settings -

9. Turn Off Other Location Settings

The iPhone can perform a lot of useful tasks in the background, but the more background activity there is, especially activity that connects to the Internet or uses GPS, can drain battery quickly. Some of these features in particular are not required by most iPhone users and can be safely turned off to regain some battery life.

Find them in:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Privacy
  3. Location Services
  4. System Services
  5. Turn off Diagnostics & Usage,Location-Based iAds, Popular Near Me, and Setting Time Zone.
iOS 7 battery issues: background app refresh -

10. Prevent Background App Refresh (iOS 7)

There are a number of new features in iOS 7 designed to make your iPhone smarter and ready for you whenever you need it. One of these features is Background App Refresh. This feature looks at the apps you use most often, the time of day that you use them, and then automatically updates them for you so that the next time you open the app, the latest information is waiting for you. For instance, if you always check social media at 7:30 am, iOS 7 learns that and automatically updates your social apps before 7:30 am. Needless to say, this useful feature drains battery.

To turn it off, tap:

  1. The Settings app
  2. General
  3. Background App Refresh
  4. Either disable the feature entirely or just for for specific apps that you want to use it with

 

Automatic app updates in iOS 7 -

11. Don’t Automatically Update Apps (iOS 7)

If you’ve got iOS 7, you can forget needing to update your apps by hand. There’s now a feature that automatically updates them for you when new versions are released. Convenient, but also a drain on your battery. To only update apps when you want to, and thus manage your power better:

  1. Tap the Settings app
  2. iTunes & App Store
  3. In the Automatic Downloadssection, find Updates
  4. Move slider to Off/white
iphone battery: turn off data push -

12. Turn Data Push Off

The iPhone can be set to automatically suck email and other data down to it or, for some kinds of accounts, have data pushed out to it whenever new data becomes available. You’re probably realized by now that accessing wireless networks costs you energy, so turning data push off, and thus reducing the number of times your phone connects to the network, will extend your battery’s life. With push off, you’ll need to set your email to check periodically or do it manually (see the next tip for more on this).

Find it in:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Mail, Contacts, Calendar
  3. Fetch New Data
  4. Push
  5. Slide to Off/white
iphone battery performance: fetch data less -

13. Fetch Email Less Often

The less often your phone accesses a network, the less battery it uses. Save battery life by setting your phone tocheck your email accounts less often. Try checking every hour or, if you’re really serious about saving battery, manually. Manual checks means you’ll never have email waiting for you on your phone, but you’ll also stave off the red battery icon.

Change your Fetch settings by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Mail, Contacts, Calendar
  3. Fetch
  4. Select your preference (the longer between checks, the better for your battery)
iphone battery life: auto-lock sooner -

14. Auto-Lock Sooner

You can set your iPhone to automatically go to sleep – a feature known as Auto-Lock – after a certain amount of time. The sooner it sleeps, the less power is used to run the screen or other services. Try setting Auto-Lock to 1 or 2 minutes.

Change the setting in:

  1. The Settings app
  2. General
  3. Auto-Lock
  4. Tap your preference (the shorter, the better)
iphone battery: turn off equalizer -

15. Turn off Equalizer

The iPod app on the iPhone has anEqualizer feature that can adjust music to increase bass, decrease treble, etc. Because these adjustments are made on the fly, they require extra battery. Turn the equalizer off to conserve battery. This means you’ll have a slightly modified listening experience – the power savings might not be worht it to true audiophiles – but for those hoarding battery power, it’s a good deal.

Find it in:

  1. The Settings app
  2. Music
  3. EQ
  4. Tap off
save iphone battery: turn off hotspot -

16. Make Sure Personal Hotspot Is Off

This only applies if you use the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot feature to share your wireless data connection with other devices. But if you do that, this tip is key.

Personal Hotspot turns your iPhone into a wireless hotspot that broadcasts its cellular data to other devices within in range. This is a tremendously useful feature, but as you may have guessed if you’ve read this far, it also really drains your battery. That’s an acceptable trade when you’re using it, but if you forget to turn it off when you’re done, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your battery drains.

To make sure you turn off Personal Hotspot when you’re done using it:

  1. Tap the Settings app
  2. Personal Hotspot
  3. Move slider to off/white
Battery usage in iOS 8 -

17. Find the Battery Killers (iOS 8)

Most of the suggestions on this list are about turning things off or not doing certain things. This one helps you discover which apps are killing your battery. In iOS 8, there’s a new feature called Battery Usage that shows which apps have been sucking the most power over the last 24 hours and the last 7 days. If you start seeing an app showing up there consistently, you’ll know that running the app is costing you battery life.

Access Battery Usage by tapping:

  1. The Settings app
  2. General
  3. Usage
  4. Battery Usage

On that screen, you’ll sometimes see notes beneath each item (for instance, in the screenshot, notice “Low Signal” under Personal Hotspot). This note provides more detail on why the app drained so much battery and can suggest ways for you to fix it.

Suggested Apps in iOS 8 -

18. Don’t Take App Suggestions (iOS 8)

Suggested Apps is another new feature of iOS 8 that uses your location information to figure out where you are, what you’re near, and what apps—both installed on your phone and available in the App Store—might come in handy based on that information. It can be neat, but needless to say, it uses extra battery life by checking for your location, communicating with the App Store, etc.

To turn off suggested apps:

  1. Tap the Settings app
  2. Tap General
  3. Tap Handoff & Suggested Apps
  4. Move the My Apps and App Storesliders to Off
killing apps doesn't save battery life -

19. One Common Mistake: Quitting Apps Doesn’t Save Battery

When you talk about tips for saving battery life on your iPhone, perhaps the most common one that comes up is quitting your apps when you’re done with them, rather than letting them run in the background.

This is wrong. In fact, regularly quitting your apps in that way can actually make your battery drain faster. So, if saving battery life is important to you, don’t follow this bad tip.

For more about why this can do the opposite of what you want, read this.

let iphone battery run down to save life -

20. Run Down Your Battery As Much As Possible

Believe it or not, but the more often you charge a battery, the less energy it can hold. Counter-intuitive, I know, but it’s one of the quirks of modern batteries.

Over time, the battery remembers the point in its drain at which you recharge it and starts to treat that as its limit. For example, if you always charge your iPhone when it’s still got 75% of its battery left, eventually the battery will start to behave as if it’s total capacity is 75%, not the original 100%.

The way to get around your battery losing capacity in this way is to use your phone as long as possible before charging it. Try waiting until your phone is down to 20% (or even less!) battery before charging. Just make sure not to wait too long.

mophie Juice Pack iphone extended battery - image copyright mophie

mophie Juice Pack Plus. image copyright mophie

21. Buy an Extended Life Battery

If all else fails, just get more battery. A few accessory makers like mophie and Kensington offer extended life batteries for the iPhone. If you need so much battery life that none of these tips help you enough, an extended life battery is your best bet. With one, you’ll get days more standby time and many hours more use.

22. Do Less-Battery-Intensive Things

Not all ways to save battery life involve settings. Some of them involve the way you use the phone. Things that require the phone be on for long periods of time, or use a lot of system resources, suck the most battery. These things include movies, games, and browsing the web. If you need to conserve battery, limit your use of battery-intensive apps.

Source: http://ipod.about.com/od/iphone3g/tp/iphone-battery-life.01.htm

10 Tech Products We Lost in 2013:RIP Google Reader and Winamp

Posted on 10 Dec 2013 - by Arun In: Blog, News
  • Htc-facebook-phone-thumbnail

    HTC First (a.k.a. the Facebook Phone)

    In April 2013, Facebook decided to expand its efforts in mobile with its new Android app launcher, Facebook Home. Although Facebook Home works on other Android devices, it debuted alongside the HTC First, a mid-level smartphone aimed at the average smartphone users.

    Unfortunately for Facebook, both Facebook Home and the HTC First landed with a resounding thud. Although Facebook Home still exists, HTC axed the HTC First just months after its release, giving it the shortest smartphone life cycle since the failed Microsoft Kin.

    IMAGE: MASHABLE NINA FRAZIER
  • Iphone

    Apple iPhone 5

    In September 2013, Apple released not one but TWO new iPhone devices: The iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C.

    Aside from its colorful casing, the iPhone 5C is essentially an iPhone 5 with a better front-facing camera. As a result, Apple removed the iPhone 5 from its lineup. Interestingly, the iPhone 4S is still around.

    IMAGE: MASHABLE NINA FRAZIER
  • Winmpclss9807adf

    Winamp

    Before iTunes, there was Winamp, the original modern digital music player app. For those of us in the Napster generation, Winamp was our first computer jukebox, thanks to its ability to play back CDs, MP3 files and the ability to customize its interface with skins.

    AOL, which purchased Winamp and its parent company Nullsoft in 1999, announced that it is shuttering the website, mobile app and desktop player in December.

    Winamp, we salute you.

    IMAGE: NULLSOFT/WINAMP WINAMP
  • Turntable-fm_

    Turntable.fm

    In the summer of 2011, Turntable.fm launched as a way for users to share music with one another by taking turns at virtual turntables and spinning tracks for a virtual audience.

    These D.J.-run chat rooms were the big new thing that summer, but like many Internet fads (Chatroulette anyone?), the records on Turntable.fm started to skip.

    In Novevember 2013, Turntable.fm announced that it will be shutting down its consumer-facing service, instead focusing primarily on “Turntable Live,” its product for letting bands and artist perform and broadcast live to fans across the globe.

    Turntable.fm as you knew it will cease to exist as of Dec. 2, 2013.

    IMAGE: FLICKR CHRISTOPHER CARFI
  • Myspace-classic

    MySpace Classic

    In June 2013, MySpace unveiled its flashy relaunch. The new MySpace has a big focus on music (and Justin Timberlake) and looks almost nothing like the social network most of us actively used in the mid-2000s.

    Unfortunately, when the new MySpace made its official debut, it also meant that all vintage MySpace content ceased to exist. That means that photos, blog entries, comments and messages from before June 2013 no longer exist.

    The worst part? MySpace didn’t give users (or the Internet Archive) a warning that the big refresh was coming, meaning many users were left blind-sided when their memories just disappeared.

    MySpace has made it possible for users to recover their old blogs and photos — but the MySpace as we used it is gone.

    Given how poorly the new MySpace has performed, it’s possible the service might find its way onto our list again in 2014.

    IMAGE: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
  • Altavista-1999

    AltaVista

    In July 2013, Yahoo officially shut down AltaVista.com.

    A classic web portal/search engine from the glory days of web 1.0, AltaVista was purchased by Yahoo in 2003.

    The fact that Yahoo kept the site around for a decade after launch says a lot about how Yahoo was run over the last 10 years. Danny Sullivan wrote a great eulogy for AltaVista, sharing the history of the once-great service.

    IMAGE: ALTAVISTA DAILTYTECH.COM
  • Screen-shot-2013-11-25-at-2-52-16-pm

    Lavabit and Silent Circle

    When Edward Snowden needed to use encrypted email to communicate with Glen Greenwald and others, he allegedly used the encrypted and secure email service Lavabit.

    In August 2013, Lavabit’s founder shut the service down, rather than comply with federal requests to hand over data about its users.

    Encrypted email service Silent Circle followed suit (even though it wasn’t under any direct government requests).

    IMAGE: LAVABIT SCREENSHOT
  • Google_checkout_logo

    Google Checkout

    In 2006, Google launched Google Checkout in a bid to compete with PayPal in the world of online payments and transactions.

    In spite of the Google name, the service never gained widespread traction outside of Google-related offerings. In 2011, Google Checkout was merged with Google Wallet as a way for users to make and accept payments over the web.

    In May, Google announced it was shutting down the payment processing side of Google Checkout for everything except for Google Play transactions.

    With Google Checkout and Google Wallet, the search giant has failed to find a way to really succeed in the world of payments. Meanwhile. PayPal, Stripe, Braintree and Square continue to prove that there is a lot of potential in the online payments space.

    IMAGE: GOOGLE HTTP://WWW.PARCEL2GO.COM/BLOG/GOOGLE-WITHDRAWS-GOOGLE-CHECKOUT/
  • Blockbuster-video

    Blockbuster Video

    O.K., so maybe Blockbuster Video isn’t a “traditional” gadget or tech service, but it’s one indelibly attached to the psyches of Mashable readers (and employees) everywhere.

    Dish, the company that now owns Blockbuster, announced that it was shuttering the remaining 300 Blockbuster stores by Jan. 2014 and shutting down the DVD-by-mail service.

    Instead, Blockbuster will be just another Netflix competitor.

    To the generations of movie lovers who discovered their favorite films in the aisles of Blockbuster Video stores and to anyone who ever had to fight with a credit agency to remove that late fee for Requiem For a Dream from her report, let’s toast the big Blue and Yellow together.

    IMAGE: DAVID FRIEDMAN/STRINGER/GETTY IMAGES
  • 2285836576_123f20eec4_o

    Google Reader

    In March 2013, Google announced that it was killing off Google Reader, the most popular RSS reader and sync service in the world.

    Although Google cited “lack of general interest” in keeping Google Reader around, the death of the product opened up a market of sorts for Google Reader alternatives.

    Feedly has proven to be the most popular replacement, although we’re not sure anything can fill the gaping hole Google Reader’s loss still leaves in our hearts.

    IMAGE: FLICKR, NYUHUHUU

Google Now vs. Siri: The results speak for themselves

Posted on 28 Jun 2013 - by Arun In: Blog, News

Google’s most recent update to their Google Search app for the iPad and iPhone included Google Now, Google’s personal assistant that uses the information Google knows about you to predict what information you might need, such as showing the traffic for your commute in the morning or displaying sports scores. But with Apple’s Siri already entrenched on the iPad and iPhone, do you really need Google Now?

Siri

Siri and Google Now have a lot of features in common, such as displaying a list of nearby restaurants or displaying sports scores. But where Siri really makes its mark is in doing things for you, such as setting up a new calendar event or creating a reminder for the future. Siri is also able to place calls, launch apps and play music. And if you are really into social networking, Siri can make updates to Twitter or Facebook.

One great thing about Siri is that it is always a button press away. Even if you are in another app, you can simply hold down the home button and Siri will pop up. This is great if you need to check out how your favorite team is doing but don’t want to quit what you are doing.

How to Use Siri on the iPad

Google Now

Google has taken a different approach to the personal assistant. Already armed with Google voice search, a feature within the Google Search app, Google Now doesn’t concentrate on fetching information on command. Rather, it attempts to anticipate your needs and bring up information before you ask for it.

In the morning, Google Now will display the traffic for your commute to work. It may also show you local news and sports scores for your favorite teams, though to get all of this to work you will need to turn on location services. You’ll also need to have web history turned on, which is enabled by default, and be signed in to Google when you perform searches (or search within the Google Search app). You see, Google needs to know more about you to anticipate your needs, so if you’ve turned off web history or you aren’t signed into your Google account all the time, it may not be quite as helpful.

Google Now also depends more on using Google’s apps, such as the Calendar or Gmail. If you don’t use many Google apps, Google Now won’t be quite as useful.

Get More Information About Google Now

Siri vs Google Now: And the Winner Is…

Both.

Siri is great for answering questions, setting reminders, hands-free calling and finding nearby restaurants or sports scores on command. This makes it more of an active personal assistant.

Google Now is great for having information ready when you launch it, such as showing transit information when you step on a subway platform. It’s also better if you use a lot of Google apps and services.

There’s really no reason why you can’t simply use both.

Source: http://ipad.about.com

Google Now – comes closer, shares TV show info & Discount Coupons

Posted on 28 Jun 2013 - by Arun In: Blog, News

Google Now – comes closer, shares TV show info & Discount Coupons

The Android version of Google’s notification system can reveal background about TV you’re watching, and Google is wiring Now up to Chrome, too.

Chrome prompts users to ask if they want to receive Google Now updates through their browser. On a Mac, the prompt is through a menu-bar icon; on Windows, through a status bar icon.

Google Now notifications are expanding from Android to Chrome, and now the service can show information on TV shows you’re watching and sales offers you’ve signaled interest in.

Chrome and Chrome OS have had a flag that lets people enable Google Now for weeks, but it hasn’t been connected to an actual Google server. But a notification now appears that asks, “Enable Google Now Cards — Would you like to be shown Google Now cards?”


On Windows, Chrome lets you configure the list of apps you want to let use the notifications service.
(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

I got the prompt to enable Google Now for Chrome through a menu bar item on OS X 10.8 and a status bar item on Windows 8. Though it’s not yet clear if notifications are actually active, the fact that Chrome is asking people to enable the service shows Google is making steady progress toward that goal.

On Windows, there’s also a control panel for setting which Web apps and extensions are permitted to send me notifications. Along with Google Now, options on my machine include Google+ Photos, Google Documents, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Tweetdeck, Amazon Cloud Reader, and The New York Times.

The Chrome expansion means many more people could get access to the notification technology. Google Now is designed to prompt people to find information before they actively ask for it — for example, navigation instructions for a location they searched for on Google Maps or sports scores for a game.

Google Now is an ambitious project that holds the potential to change Google from a company that reacts to what people search for into one that actively anticipates what they need or want. It’s well on its way to becoming the interface for a digital assistant — at least for people who have lots of personal data stored in Gmail messages, Google Calendar appointments, address book entries, Google Maps saved map locations, and other Google services.

On the flip side, there’s a risk that for a lot of people, notifications on PCs and mobile devices could become just another overloaded communication channel. The more often we’re pestered by buzzing phones and pop-up alerts, the less attention we pay to them and the more likely it is that high-priority updates will be overlooked amid the noise. So it’s good that Google offers Chrome users a way to permit or deny notifications from Web apps and on Android to enable or disable various Google Now alert channels.
Google is steadily adding new notification channels to Google Now, and Wednesday night it announced two more for the Google Search for Android app: TV and Google Offers. Google described the features thus:
TV Cards: If you have an internet-connected TV, Google Now can help unlock more information about what you’re watching. Just connect your Android device to the same network that your TV is on and tap “Listen for a TV show” in Google Now. We will show you information, like where you’ve seen an actor in the cast before, or more information about the people mentioned in the show. So if you were watching Nik Wallenda cross the Grand Canyon this weekend, with Google Now, you could learn that the “King of the Wire” in fact holds seven Guinness World Records, including highest bike ride on a high-wire.

Google Offers: Now you can get reminders for your saved offers when you’re near the store — right when you need it. Google Now will pull up the offer so you can use it quickly and easily.

Google Offers is a service that lets people sign up for discounts from retailers. The Google Offers app for Android and iOS already could be used to alert people when they got near a store for which they’d signed up for an offer.

To use Google Now in Chrome, you have to open the “about:flags” Web page and enable the feature then restart the browser.

Google-Now-Android

Google-Now-Android

Google Now cards, such as these stock prices, appear underneath the search box on Android, accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

News source: http://news.cnet.com

New Big Accounts

Posted on 12 Nov 2010 - by Arun In: At Asalta, Blog

October and November 2010 has been an good hunting months for Asalta Tech.

In October Asalta Tech become listed in preferred vendor list of CISCO. In early November DELL Systems Singapore has listed Asalta in its preferred vendors list. These two accounts has been major face lift having just completed the second anniversary of being in business.

Among these two major clients Asalta Tech has also won few other medium sized clients. So the future years 2010 and 2011 looks at an brighter and bigger for Asalta Tech.

Happy Birthday Asalta

Posted on 8 Oct 2010 - by Arun In: At Asalta, Blog

On the day of grand opening of Beijing Olympics 2008, in 8 of October 2008 (08-08-08) Asalta was officially registered in Singapore.

In 2009 Asalta become Asalta Technologies Pte Ltd with over just 5 staffs. Today in two years time Asalta Technologies has slowly and steadily grown from 5 member team to 13 member team.

With some great new birthday wishes Asalta Technologies is looking to expand itself to the west!

IRAHS Symposium – 2010

Posted on 28 Apr 2010 - by Arun In: Blog, Events

We had an 3 months of intense work into building our ESRA (Environmental Scanning and Risk Assessment) v1.0. It was time to showcase ESRA for International Risk Assessment And Horizon Scanning Symposium – IRAHSS10 . The 3rd International Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning Symposium was held from 15 to 16 March 2010 at the Raffles City Convention Center in Singapore.

Our scanning software v1.0 was finally ready with its new powerful engine. A new fresh look is being given to give the users an wonderful experience. Asalta Technologies was one of the 8 companies showcasing its state-of-the-art scanning and analysis software at the symposium, IRAHSS10.

Visit more about the symposium at IRAHSS website: http://app.hsc.gov.sg

The symposium was visited by Prof S. JAYAKUMAR, Senior Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, And many international dignitaries.

Here are some pictures of Asalta’s booth at the symposium:

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