Security and Privacy

Google Opinion Rewards Lets You Get Paid for Allowing Google to Track You

Google tracks everything we do. It’s common knowledge that they use web search, emails, and general use patterns to tailor advertising to their users. But Google is always looking for ways to gather even more data, and if you’re an Android user one of those tools is Google Opinion Rewards, an app that pays you to take Google Surveys.


HomingPIN: Keep Honest People Honest by Identifying Your Gear

Most smartphones include a way for owners to send a message to anyone who might find their device when it’s lost, but there are plenty of items that don’t have that capability. Let’s say you left your laptop bag in a cab, could an honest person figure out an easy way to return it to you? With HomingPIN, they could.


Make the Content Your Kids View Safer with Smartfeed!

Let’s be honest, your kids are learning at a pace that you cannot keep up with. Technology is forever changing and media is one of the quickest ways to get information to kids. But sometimes too much can be a bad thing. Luckily there’s a Kickstarter program that might help you as the parent better manage your child’s media consumption.



The New Swann ADS-466 All-Weather Wi-Fi Camera is Out Today

Swann has proven again that they’re one of the best names in simple home security by announcing their new ADS-466 Wi-Fi All-Weather Camera. This camera can be mounted any which way indoor or outdoors and delivers 720p quality video,  as well as audio through your home’s Wi-Fi network. The ADS-466 is available today at 2pm EST for $179.99.


Motorola FOCUS 66 Wi-Fi HD Home Monitoring Camera Review

I’ve been looking at WiFi cameras on and off for years.  Just within the last few, there have been cameras that have the home monitoring aspect which includes alerting you when something is being picked up on the camera. That’s where the Motorola FOCUS 66 WiFi HD Home Monitoring camera comes in.


Calling Off the Outlook Mobile App Challenge!

Yesterday we invited everyone to join us on the Outlook Mobile App Challenge, which seemed like a fun way to put this new ‘universal inbox’ app to the test. Since then some significant security concerns have been identified that makes this an app that we cannot recommend using right now. As a result, we’re stopping the challenge immediately.


Verizon Account Sign-In #Fail

Dear Verizon: Why exactly have I chosen a password for your site, when upon login from a new computer you’re still going to ask me about some obtuse reference I probably have not jotted down and which may have multiple answers? In many cases, answers to these dumb challenge questions are easily found by looking at social media sites.


The Negative Aspect of Software in Smartphones and Other Devices

There are some negative aspects to using embedded software in hardware.  A few sites have written that about how phones or tablets still on Android versions below 4.4 are at risk for a vulnerability in the default browser. Don’t blame Google for this; blame the OEMs and carriers, as Google fixed the issue. However, there’s much more to this story.


Okidokeys Are an Accessible Entry into the Smart Home Arena

The quirkily named Okidokeys are smart locks for your doors. Consider Okidokeys the gatekeeper to your Smart House. With these neat gadgets, you can unlock your doors using mobile phones or RFID tags without changing the look of your door from outside. Okidokeys are compatible with all cellphones and smartphones on all carriers. The Okidokeys Access Pack retails for $259.


Kwikset Kevo Is the Door Lock for the 21st Century and Beyond

A few years ago I set out to turn my mid 1970s home into an “after-market smart home.” At that time, I turned to a specific company. Since then I’ve taken a more individual approach that focuses on specific “best-in-class” products that work well, but are not part of an overall integrated system; the Kwikset Kevo is one such product.


Watch Those Spam Emails and Think Before You Click

Spammers have gotten more and more sophisticated in recent years. Long gone are the offers of millions if you simply help some poor Nigerian refugee. Now you can get official-looking emails that, if you don’t think before you click, can take you to all sorts of unscrupulous places. One example of this convincing type of spam came this afternoon.



Spy-Tech GL-200 Real-Time GPS Tracker Quick Look

During CES 2012, I left my gear bag at a hotel after a meeting. I was able to find it using FindMyiPhone and gained a deep appreciation for the power of geo-location. But what if you want to track a car or teen driver and don’t have FindMyiPhone? That’s where the Spy-Tech GL-200 Real-Time GPS Tracker and service come in.


Peacekeeper Mini: Prepare for Absolutely Everything

Just when you thought you’d seen it all, another “interesting” crowdsourced project comes to light. I’m all for being prepared–I keep a roadside emergency kit in my car–but sometimes you can take it just a bit too far. That might be the case with the Peacekeeper Mini, a combination flashlight and pepper spray with bluetooth/GPS “crowd alert” technology.


Netflix Support Scam Brazenly Uses Bogus Call Center and Remote Control

Support scams have graduated to another level. If you use Skype, you’ve undoubtedly run across random scam messages which claimed you had a virus or  other security issue. In some instances, a Skype call would claim to be Microsoft support; in both cases the goal was to get you to pay the scammer to fix a non-existent problem.


Spear-Phishing: Is Facebook the Source of Your Spam?

Have you received an email that said it was from someone related to you, but upon closer examination you saw that it was from an unknown email address, and it contained a spam link in the email’s body? If so, you might have thought that either you or your friend had been hacked, but this is something sneakier: spear-phishing.


Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Micro-cut Shredder Review – Protect Your Personal Data!

Identity theft is a very real concern these days. We try to use common sense, like regularly monitoring our bank accounts and shredding personal documents, but I keep breaking our shredders. “You get what you pay for” is definitely a good motto when it comes to motorized paper chomping machines, so we sprang for a decently equipped Amazon Basics Shredder.


If You Get a Message About Your “Achieve Account” Being Frozen, Ignore It

Multiple news organizations, in this case all the local TV stations in my area, have reported about this mysterious text message saying your “Achieve Account” being frozen. It also has a number that you should not call because it is an attempt to steal your identity; if you get a message similar to the above message, just delete it.


Foursquare’s New ‘Passive Notification’ System in Action!

The other day I was at Target, and a notification sounded – it wasn’t email, or text, or Game Center or ESPN. In fact I didn’t recognize it at all – so I looked at my phone. It was Foursquare, as shown above. This was a surprise because I couldn’t recall the last time I’d even opened the app!


Have You Been Wondering How to Remove Yourself from the Internet?

Maybe this whole NSA debacle has you feeling a bit over-exposed, or maybe you’ve decided that no good can come from having your information “out there”; whatever. Removing yourself from the internet is a daunting task, but Gizmodo has just published a guide that will at least get you started. Can you guess what will have to go first?