More iPhone 7 Rumors; Twitter Limits US Spy Agencies Access to Alert Tool

Posted: May 9, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

With the iPhone 7 models due out in around 4 months, the rumors are breaking more frequently now…and contradicting each other. Bgr.com says a design leak obtained by French site NowhereElse shows the iPhone 7 as having identical height and width as the 6 and 6S. It doesn’t disclose whether or not the next model will be thinner, however, or if the headphone jack on the bottom stays or goes. There is no opening at the bottom for a Smart Connector like on the iPad Pro, which had been rumored, but the camera opening is larger…it may not be large enough for the dual lens camera…which is supposed to bow on the larger iPhone 7 Plus anyway, but perhaps to allow for a larger sensor. The cam opening is closer to the edge, too.

Twitter has blocked US law enforcement and spy agencies from using a data analytics service that processes tweets and messages in real time. According to cnet.com, the tools are from the private company Dataminr. Twitter hasn’t publicly confirmed or denied the change. Apparently the analytics gave authorities a 10 minutes lead over mainstream media outlets in covering and responding to the Brussels attacks. Spies being spies, it’s probably only a matter of time…and not much time….before they are able to restore their access to this type of info from Twitter, even without Twitter’s blessing or knowledge.

New iPhones May Roll Out Earlier Than Expected

Posted: May 21, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We could get a look at the next generation iPhones in August, and they will launch in September, according to usually reliable KGI Securities. According to macrumors.com, the bulk of the next generation Apple phones will be built by Foxconn…around 60-70% of them. In addition, the report from KGI says Foxconn will build the widely rumored 12.9 inch ‘iPad Pro.’ As previously reported, the next-gen iPhones are likely to have Force Touch, a faster A9 processor, 2 gigs of RAM, a 12 megapixel camera, and offer a Rose Gold color choice.

A number of intelligence agencies planned to hack Android phones by compromising app stores. 9to5google.com says in new Ed Snowden documents released to CBC news, spies from the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand planned to hack the Google and Samsung app stores back in 2012. The scheme was to plant spyware that would let them extract data from targeted phones, or even take control of them. They succeeded in exploiting UC Browser, a popular Android browser used in China, India, and other emerging markets. This may be one of the big reasons Google was among tech companies that asked President Obama to reject calls for government access to encrypted data.