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Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
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Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
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Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
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UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
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Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
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Opinion Articles

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Big Brother Camera Security app removed from Apple store after iPhone password survey published

Mark Bridge writes:

It may have been done with the best possible intentions, but developer Daniel Amitay has managed to upset a few people after releasing information gathered by his Big Brother Camera Security app.

The app helped iPhone users to protect themselves against thieves; not only did it lock the user’s iPhone if left unattended, it would use the phone’s camera to take a photo of anyone who tried unsuccessfully to unlock the device.

However, the app also sent Mr Amitay an anonymised record of the passwords that were used. He then published this data - from almost a quarter of a million 4-digit codes - to show what the most used (and therefore least secure) PIN codes were.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 1234 was the favourite, followed by 0000. In fact, just ten four-digit combinations accounted for 15% of all passcodes.

The following day, Apple removed the application from the Apple App Store. Its concern is not that the survey information would make it easier for criminals to unlock iPhones; instead, it’s apparently unhappy that the app sent password information to the developer without making this clear to users. Mr Amitay insists no user-identifiable information was sent - and points out that the iTunes user agreement appears to permit this. He’s now submitted a new version of the app without the data tracking.

Top ten iPhone passcodes from www.amitay.us
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Recent Podcasts

Podcast - 9th September 2011

Hans Eriksson of Bambuser in London

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Podcast - 7th September 2011

This week's podcast includes news of several new products announced at IFA 2011. In addition, we hear about reorganisations planned by Everything Everywhere, Yahoo! and Telefonica.

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Podcast - 2nd September 2011

Neal Fullman, CEO of Get Taxi, talks about the company's ambitious plans to transform the way we hail a cab – and explains why there's much more to Get Taxi than its innovative mobile app.

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Podcast - 31st August 2011

It's almost the end of the 'silly season' for news - but this week's podcast finds plenty of serious stories as well, starting with the departure of Steve Jobs as Apple CEO.

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Podcast - 26th August 2011

In this short feature, Mark Bridge takes a personal look at the cost - and the convenience - of using a mobile phone for calls, text messages and data in France.

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