(252) 565-1235

Carolina IT Group

Call Us (252) 565-1235 Request Support Contact Us

You Can Now Search Google From iMessage With App Download

by

There’s a fun, new update for Apple’s iMessage app that will probably make lots of power users happy.  As long as you also have Google’s iOS app installed, you’ll be able to perform Google searches from within iMessage itself.

In order to make it work, you’ll have to go into the app drawer (App Store icon) and enable the iMessage extension.  Once enabled, all you have to do to use Google search is to tap on the Google shortcut icon to get the search box.  Even better, the update includes shortcuts for watching trending YouTube videos, scoping out nearby restaurants, checking out local weather conditions, and even a handy GIF search.  There’s also a quick news search option.

If you search for restaurant recommendations, the new app makes the results easy to share in the conversation you’re having. Although curiously, this feature doesn’t carry over to YouTube videos or news.  Even so, it can be situationally useful.

In a similar vein, Google’s keyboard app, “GBoard” also now has search built into it.  In fact, you don’t even have to have GBoard installed.   As long as you’ve got the core Google App, the search extension will appear in iMessage’s app drawer.

These are small changes, but if you spend a lot of time texting, you’ll find them invaluable.  Think back to prior text conversations you’ve had.  There have probably been a number of occasions when you found yourself wishing you could do a quick search on whatever topic you were talking about.

It’s great to see these kinds of changes as the cellphone market continues to grow.  When the iPhone first burst onto the scene, apps were few and far between.  Now, not only are there untold thousands of apps on the market, but they are becoming increasingly integrated.  That’s very good to see.

Windows Media Player May Be Replaced By Microsoft App

by

A Reddit user named “Noam_ha” recently posted a screenshot displaying a popup message when users open the venerable Windows Media Player (WMP), asking users if they would instead like to open the video file with the company’s more modern Movies and TV app.

The popup message touts the Movie and TV app’s advantages, which includes better battery life if running on a phone or laptop, better compatibility with more modern video formats, a mini-view, and support for 360-degree video on Augmented Reality devices.

There are several interesting things to note here:

First, while the new popup message clearly signals Microsoft’s preferences, the reality is that in many ways, the Movie and TV app is a poor substitute for WMP.  It only has modest functionality and has a downright awful interface. Even worse, many features found in WMP (like streaming video from online repositories, queuing, and variable play speeds), are simply not present in the new app.

Second, this appears to be a recent shift inside the company, because WMP comes pre-installed on Windows 10.

On the other hand, WMP hasn’t received a significant update since the Movie and TV app was first released with the launch of Windows 7.  In that respect, at least, the writing has been on the wall for some time now.

This marks the second beloved app that Microsoft has decided to kill in recent months.  Recall that just last year, the company announced the end of Microsoft Paint, a kludgy, barely functional graphics program that was nonetheless, strangely beloved by users.  It was retired and replaced with “Paint 3D,” and now, all indications are that Windows Media Player is headed for a similar fate.

That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but given the condition of  the new Movies and TV app, the decision probably isn’t going to win Microsoft any friends.

New Android OS To Improve Lower End Phones

by

Google has another new product out.  A slimmed down, streamlined version of the Android OS called “Go.”  Unfortunately, it’s release didn’t gather as much press as you’d expect when a new OS is released.  The reason for that is simple.  The new, slimmer, sleeker Android Go was designed for low-end phones with limited storage capacity, which don’t typically get much press either.

Despite the relative lack of fanfare, Android Go is an interesting app that deserves some attention, even if you don’t own a low-end phone.  At first glance, it’s got a lot going for it, although it remains to be seen if users will embrace it and make full use of its capabilities.

The first major noteworthy difference between Go and the standard Android OS is the fact that it doesn’t take up nearly as much space.  Counting the OS itself and the Android default apps, the entire package requires just over 3GB, which is a significant space savings. This makes a real difference on low-end phones, which typically have no more than 8GB of storage to begin with.

Second, it comes with an app called “File Go” that offers users suggestions on files that can be moved to the cloud or safely removed altogether.  Another app known as “Datally” makes tools available to manage how much data other apps on the phone are using, especially helpful for people who have limited data plans.

Third, there’s a special “YouTube Go” version of the standard YouTube app that gives users three different video streaming options: basic, standard, and high quality. This comes with information about how much data each of the three options will eat up.

In addition to those changes, Google has added a special section to its Play Store, highlighting apps that don’t require a lot of space.

Android Go is aimed specifically at users in developing nations, as this is where the highest concentration of low-end smartphones can be found.  As to how successful the new OS will be, only time will tell, but early indications are encouraging.

5G Cellular Service Is Beginning To Roll Out

by

AT&T has big plans for their future and yours.  If they’re your carrier of choice, and if you live in the cities of Dallas, Atlanta, or Waco, then you stand to be on the cutting edge of the changes the company has in store. Those locations have been selected to be the first to receive AT&T’s 5G network upgrade.

Often, whenever a new technology is touted, you hear the phrase “this changes everything” associated with it. However, after listening to an AT&T spokesman talk at length about the capabilities of the new 5G network, the phrase is much more than just hot air and wishful thinking.  From the sounds of it, it really does change everything.

Here’s what a company official had to say on the matter:

“We are working with our vendors on an aggressive schedule to help ensure customers can enjoy 5G when we launch the network this year.  We will add more 5G-capable mobile devices and smartphones in early 2019 and beyond.

After significantly contributing to the first phase of 5G standards, conducting multi-city trials, and literally transforming our network for the future, we’re planning to be the first carrier to deliver standards-based mobile 5G–and do it much sooner than most people thought possible.

What this means for our customers in these cities is that they will be the very first to access this next generation of wireless services.  The experience we’ve gained by leading the industry transformation to network virtualization and software control will help our customers to get the most out of 5G.  Ultimately, this means new experiences with augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), future autonomous cars and delivery drones.

In order for these new experiences to become reality, you need mobile 5G powered by SDN and edge computing.  We’re making the cloud smarter, faster, and local.”

By all accounts, there are exciting times ahead.  If you’ve been thinking about switching to AT&T, this might be a good reason to do so.

New Apple Update Available for Character Bug Solution

by

Recently, another “exotic character” bug was found in iOS.  If someone sends this particular character (a special character that’s part of the Indian language pack) to your phone via any messaging app, it will not only crash your phone, but cause a variety of messaging apps to stop functioning.

When the bug was initially reported, Apple treated it as a somewhat low priority item and announced their plan to fix it with the release of iOS 11.3 later this spring.  The company’s loyal user base, however, had other ideas.  Faced with a growing chorus of demands for a more immediate fix, Apple has incorporated it into the 11.2.6 release which is now available.

If you’re set up to automatically receive OS updates, there’s nothing for you to do, and if you haven’t already encountered this issue, you never will.  If, on the other hand, you are in the habit of manually applying OS updates, this is one you won’t want to miss.  While the chances of someone sending this exotic character to you are quite low, there’s nothing to be gained by exposing yourself to needless risk.

Long time users of Apple’s products will recognize a trend here.  This is hardly the first time an exotic character or other unusual event has caused iOS to crash.  Just last month, there was a similar (though less serious) issue with another special character.  Last year, it was discovered that a properly formatted URL could crash any system running iOS.  Not long after that discovery was made, a five second video went viral that, if watched on a device running iOS, would crash it.

In any case, the user base spoke and Apple listened.  Grab the latest update and you won’t have anything to worry about.  At least until the next unusual crash bug is discovered.

New Bug Discovered in iOS That Can Disable iPhone Apps

by

Last year, Apple had to fix a “special character” bug in their Message app that was more of an annoyance than anything.  This year, a new special character bug has been found, but this one is much more serious and could allow an attacker to crash your phone and block access to a variety of messaging apps.

The bug is specific to iOS 11, so if you’ve got an older version, you don’t have anything to worry about.  The company has already announced that it will be fixed in the upcoming release of iOS 11.3.

Unless you’re in the habit of getting messages in Telugu (Indian language), you’re not likely to see it, because the bug relies on one of the special characters utilized in that language pack.  Once you receive a message containing the special character, your phone will crash.  Even after you restore it, you’ll find that you’re not able to access iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Gmail, or Outlook for iOS. Although if you use either Telegram or Skype, these appear to be unaffected.

Unfortunately, you don’t have a lot of control over who sends text messages to you, so until the patch is released this spring, there’s not much you can do except to be mindful that it could happen.

If you’re a long time user of Apple products, then you know that this is hardly the first time that strange things have caused the OS to crash.  Just last month, it was discovered that a properly formatted URL could cause a system crash.  In 2015, researchers discovered that a properly formatted text string could cause iMessage to crash. Just last year, a five-second video caused iPhones around the world to crash.  All that to say, keep an eye out for strange text messages, and definitely upgrade to iOS 11.3 as soon as you get the opportunity to do so.

700,000 Potentially Malicious Apps Removed From Google Last Year

by

Google recently released their Play Store stats for 2017.  The results are both encouraging and disheartening.  Overall, Google caught and removed more than 700,000 malicious apps from the Play Store, minimizing their impact on the company’s massive Android user base.

That’s unquestionably good news, but it comes with a bit of a dark side.  That figure represents a staggering 70 percent increase in the number of apps removed compared with 2016 figures.  The hackers are not only relentless in their efforts, but they’re picking up the pace dramatically.

Last year, Google made a significant change, putting Play Store security under the umbrella of the Google Play Project.  This system is driven by “smart” detection software that automatically scans and provides alerts for any software that exhibits questionable behavior and gets better on its own thanks to Machine Learning protocols.

So far, that approach seems to be working pretty well.  It’s not without its flaws, of course.  Google found itself in the news a few times last year when some malicious apps managed to slip through their impressive detection mechanisms, and got downloaded by several thousand users.  Even so, it’s clear that the company is committed to the process and takes the security of its users very seriously.  Given today’s digital landscape, that’s important.  That means something.

As for Google’s plans for 2018:

More of the same.  Continued, incremental improvements in the Google Play Project, continued support for the Zero-Day initiative, and keeping a watchful eye on all things security-related.  The company is by no means perfect, but it’s nice to know that we’ve got such a large company out there, fighting back.

Of course, it still falls to each individual user to be careful what apps you install on your various devices.  No matter what Google does in the coming year, due diligence is still your last, best defense.

iPhone Throttling Issue To Be Addressed In Upcoming Update

by

Recently, Apple found itself in hot water with its normally adoring user base. This happened when it became known that the company was intentionally throttling (slowing down) the speed of older iPhones.

The company’s intentions were good.  They clearly meant well.  The move was designed to even out performance in older equipment.  As cellphone batteries age, they tend to lose charge more quickly.  What was happening was that people with older equipment would drop from 20% battery to 0% in the blink of an eye, causing their old phones to simply shut down at inopportune moments.  Apple’s strategy was simply designed to help keep that from happening.

Well-intentioned or not, the company didn’t formally announce the change, and it was discovered by chance by security researchers.  Needless to say, the legions of people who still use older iPhones were not amused and the company has faced backlash from an angry user base since.

Apparently, the backlash got bad enough that they listened.  Apple just announced that as of the next OS update, version 11.3, the OS will include a toggle switch that will allow users to choose whether or not to throttle their  phones to extend battery life.

This is the latest in a series of moves the company has made to get back in the good graces of its users.  Previous efforts have included a public apology and an offer to reduce its fee for battery replacement to just $29.

This has been a PR disaster for the company.  It probably won’t hurt their bottom line much, but perception matters. While the company has been trying bravely to save face, the simple truth is that this was a self-inflicted and avoidable wound.

There’s a lesson here for businesses of all shapes and sizes.  Transparency matters, and if you’re going to do something that directly impacts large segments of your user base, be upfront about it and give them a viable choice.

Contact Info

740 Greenville Blvd. SE., Ste. 400-374
Greenville, NC 27858

Phone: (252) 565-1235