Posts Tagged ‘Science and Technology’

Technology Frustration 101

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

This past weekend I was in a conversation with a business owner who was describing her frustration with a new web enabled cell phone.  As technology has increased so rapidly, today’s smartphones exceed the technical capabilities of computers which were state of the art not too long ago.

The goal was to transfer contacts from one cell phone to another.  The business owner called the provider of the cell phone service and was on with their technical support for over three hours.  At that point she decided to bring the phone to the store for them to transfer the data.  While her experience at the local store wasn’t frustration free, it didn’t take a lot of time.

As we are in a constant state of searching for and reviewing a range of hardware, software and other items in the technology realm, this week I tested a new software service.  Part of our procedure is to try out the company’s technical support staff.  So last night I placed a call.  A person from India answered and the connection was not strong.  I thanked the person and went on my way, making a note that this is not a company I would do business with.

How may people get frustrated with technology and waste hours of their lives on the phone with technical support?  While some people don’t like spending money, it is a resource which can be replenished; time cannot!  And while I can’t speak for others, I don’t need to add to my stress level when it can be avoided by simply spending a few more dollars.

This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.

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So, You Think Your iPhone Connection is Secure!

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Recently, a researcher demonstrated how he could impersonate a GSM cell tower at the Def Con Convention in Las Vegas.  Chris Paget, a security professional created a device which impersonates GSM cell phone towers for about $1,500.00.  Note: cell phone snooping is illegal and Chris took many precautions not to break the law.

The device impersonates AT&T cell phone towers, making Android and iPhones think they are connecting to a legitimate phone tower.  The system can be configured enabling the call to be listened to.  The device could also be configured to intercept calls.

As Verizon Wireless and Sprint use CDMA technology, their systems would not be affected by this vulnerability.  While the hack will not work with 3G, it is possible to knock the 3G offline and then the hacking device would take over.  The cost to build the equipment to knock 3G offline would be less than $1,000.00.

Even if a phone has the voice mode set for encryption, the hacking device could just turn it off.  And depending on the phone, there may be no notice that encryption has been disabled.

Information provided by: HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in Clifton Park, New York.

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