Your phone really IS listening to EVERYTHING you say

your phone really IS listening to EVERYTHING you say

your smartphone is spying on you and using your private conversations to target ads, security expert warns
Smartphones are always listening to detect voice commands, like 'Ok, Google'
Keywords and phrases are recorded and processed on the device
Expert warns that third-party apps like Facebook, Instagram can access this data
These social networks target adverts based on your private conversations

For years smartphone users have complained of the creepy feeling their gadget is recording their every word, even when it is sat in their pocket.

Many share a similar story: They were chatting about a niche product or holiday destination with friends, and soon afterwards an advertisement on the same theme appears in their social media apps.

According to one researcher, these oddly pertinent ads aren't merely a coincidence and your phone regularly listens to what you say.

It's not known exactly what triggers the technology, but the researcher claims the technique is completely legal and is even covered in the terms of your mobile apps' user agreements.

Most modern smartphones are loaded with AI assistants, which are triggered by spoken commands, like 'Hey Siri' or 'OK, Google'.

These smartphone models are constantly listening out for the designated wake word or phrase, with everything else discarded.

However, one researcher claims that keywords and phrases picked-up by the gadget can be accessed by third-party apps, like Instagram and Twitter, when the right permissions are enabled.

This means when you chat about needing new jeans, or plans for a holiday in Senegal, apps can plaster your timeline with adverts for clothes and deals on flights.

Dr Peter Henway, a senior security consultant for cybersecurity firm Asterisk, told Vice: 'From time to time, snippets of audio do go back to [apps like Facebook's] servers but there's no official understanding what the triggers for that are.

'Whether it's timing or location-based or usage of certain functions, [apps] are certainly pulling those microphone permissions and using those periodically.

All the internals of the applications send this data in encrypted form, so it's very difficult to define the exact trigger.'

He said companies like Facebook and Instagram could have a range of thousands of triggers to kickstart the process of mining your conversations for advertising opportunities.

For example, a casual chat about cat food or a certain snack may be enough to activate the technology.

'Seeing as Google are open about it, I would personally assume the other companies are doing the same,' Dr Henway said.

'Really, there's no reason they wouldn't be. It makes good sense from a marketing standpoint and their end-user agreements and the law both allow it, so I would assume they're doing it, but there's no way to be sure.'

Companies are turning to increasingly sophisticated technology to mine your activity on websites and apps to create personalised adverts.

Electronic markers, known as cookies, are used by websites to gather information on users' online activity, which is then passed to advertisers to tailor digital advertisement to individuals' tastes and interests.

This is why you can search John Lewis for a mattress only to spot relevant bedding adverts cropping-up in your Facebook feed for the next week.

The practice is not illegal, though under the 1998 Data Protection Act, a person has to actively consent to their data being collected and used for advertisements.

Facebook categorically denies it uses smartphone microphones to gather information for the purposes of targeted advertising.

The company has previously said that the eerie feeling that your phone is listening to you is merely an example of heightened perception, or the phenomenon whereby people are more likely to notice things they've recently talked about.

A number of other companies, including WhatsApp, also deny bugging private conversations, describing any anecdotal evidence as pure coincidence.

But experts do agree that technology with the power to randomly sweep millions of conversations for repeated phrases or identifiable names could exist today.

Companies have developed a wealth of algorithms that can look for patterns and pick-out potentially useful things about behaviour and interests.

Whether these techniques are being used by the companies with access to your phone, however, remains unproven.

Our activity on websites and apps and demographic information is gathered using increasingly sophisticated technology to bring us personalised adverts.

People's electronic markers - known as 'cookies' - from websites they visit are gathered and passed to advertisers so they can target us with products relevant to our tastes and interests.

This is why you can search John Lewis for a mattress only to spot relevant bedding adverts cropping up in your Facebook feed.

The practice is not illegal, though under the 1998 Data Protection Act a person has to actively consent to their data being collected and the purpose for which it's used.

A number of people report seeing adverts for niche products or holiday destinations on their phone shortly after discussing them with a friend.

This has led some to conclude that their phone is listening to them and targeting ads based on their conversations.

But that hasn't stopped internet users from sharing their creepy 'strange coincidence' stories online.

One Facebook user was so convinced his conversations were being monitored that he switched off the microphone on his smartphone.

He told the Daily Mail in December that he hasn't spotted any more 'strange coincidences' since the microphone was disabled.

Tom Crewe, 28, a marketing manager from Bournemouth, was immediately suspicious when he noticed an advert on Facebook for beard transplant surgery.

Only hours earlier he'd joked with a colleague about them both getting one, as they remained smooth-faced, despite their age.

'I had my phone's Facebook app switched on at the time. Within a few hours, an ad came through for hair and beard transplants,' he says.

'I just thought: "Why have I been targeted?" I'd never Googled "hair or beard transplants" or sent an email to anyone about it or talked about it on Facebook.'

The fact the ad for beard transplants was so unusual and specific made him suspect his phone had been eavesdropping.

He became convinced when later that month he received an advert to his phone -again weirdly and quite specifically - for Peperami sausages.

'Again, it was a casual conversation in the office. I'd just eaten a Peperami, and it was a few hours before lunch, and a colleague joked how he didn't think this was a particularly good thing to have for breakfast.

'I'd never Googled the product or mentioned it on Facebook or anywhere online. It's just something I buy during my twice-a-week shop at Tesco.

'Then I get an advert for it. This happened within two weeks of the beard incident.'

So the next time you use these divices be warned they are listining to every word you say and do. And where you are too

Brought to you by Anymobilesmartphone

The Future Of Flexible Displays Will Reinvent Smartphones

One of the things I learned early in my career is that if you want to get a glimpse of the future, you need to go to technology trade shows focused on components and deeply entrenched in the world of engineering. Here, you see the technology that will likely show up in consumer gadgets two to three years down the line.

 OpinionsOne such show is the Society for Information Displays (SID) conference, which took place last month in Los Angeles. Dedicated to the world of display technology, SID showcases all types of screens, including next-generation OLEDs for TVs and laptops, as well as the star of this year's show: flexible and even rollable displays.

Visionox kicked off the event with a keynote that highlighted its foldable display in a video, but I did not see an actual model in its booth. On the other hand, BOE, one of the largest makers of displays in China, showed off two types of mobile devices with working flexible display. A smartphone with a display surface of close to 9 inches folded completely in the center, and even in that folded position, the image and videos worked flawlessly.

The second phone it showed had an actual bendable screen. The 5.5-inch screen folded in half to make a smaller device that's easier to carry.

I saw a few other flexible screens I can't yet discuss, but it is clear this is the next big thing in smartphones.

If you look closely at the BOE flexible display in the photo up top, you can see why foldable displays matter. Our smartphones today pretty much top out at 6-inch screens, but BOE's flexible display adds about 3 more inches in viewing space, making it more like a tablet that fits in your pocket. The flexible or foldable display in the other photo provides even more portability.

While these screens are early demos, I'm told they are not far off. In fact, we could see one in a smartphone from a major manufacturer in early 2020. My best guess is that given the challenges in actually making these flexible screens in high volumes, they might not have a dramatic impact on smartphone designs until 2021-2022.

E Ink foldable displayIn the short term, the smartphone industry is well on its way to giving us an interim approach. By early 2019, look for more smartphones with dual screens that, when opened, double the size of the viewing space. In this case you will be viewing two screens and thus have two displays for content. A seam in the middle separates them, in contrast to the smartphones with flexible displays in which the content is delivered on a single display.

Another new concept in displays at SID was shown by E Ink, which is best known for supplying the electronic digital paper used on Amazon Kindles. In the picture on the right, you can see a prototype of a rollable display using its digital paper display.

It's only in black and white but is an interesting twist on electronic digital paper. I also saw color E Ink screens that are destined to be used in all types of advertising displays in stores and any place where signage needs to be changed or updated on a continual basis.

While I do think that AR and mixed reality glasses tied to a smartphone will have a more revolutionary impact on mobile computing eventually, the introduction of flexible and foldable displays is important to advancing the designs of smartphones in general. I personally like the idea of having a smartphone that when opened up could become a tablet.

smartphone Jokes

$100 Smartphone Jokes

$100 

Two couples were playing cards. John accidentally dropped some cards on the floor. When he bent down under the table to pick them up, he noticed that Bill's wife was not wearing any underwear! Shocked by this, John hit his head on the table and emerged red-faced.
Later, John went to the kitchen to get some refreshments. Bill's wife followed him and asked, "Did you see anything that you liked under there?" John admitted that, well, yes he did. She said "You can have it, but it will cost you $100."
After a minute or two, John indicates that he is interested. She tells him that since Bill works Friday afternoons and John doesn't, John should come to her house around 2:00pm on Friday.
Friday came and John went to her house at 2:00 pm. After paying her $100 they went to the bedroom, had sex, and then John left. Bill came home about 6:00pm.
He asked his wife, "Did John come by this afternoon?"
Reluctantly, she replied, "Yes, he did stop by for a few minutes."
Next Bill asked, "Did John give you $100?"
His wife thinks 'Oh hell, he knows!' Finally she says, "Yes, he did give me $100."
"Good," Bill says. "John came by the office this morning and borrowed $100 from me. He said that he would stop by our house on his way home and pay me back.

= = = = = = = = = = =

A teenage girl walked into a bank with several glass jars filled with quarters. After running them through the automated counting machine, the teller announced, "That came out to $793.75. Tell me, young lady, how long have you been hoarding all those quarters?"
"All year," replied the girl, "but my sister whored half of them."

= = = = = = = = = = =

Half Century Age Difference
A knockout young lady decided she wanted to get rich quick. So she proceeded to find herself a rich 73 year old man planning to screw him to death on their wedding night.
The courtship and wedding went off without any problem, in spite of the half-century age difference. On the first night of her honeymoon, she got undressed, and waited for him to come out of the bathroom to come to bed.
When he emerged, however, he had nothing on except a rubber to cover his 12 inch erection, and he was carrying a pair of earplugs and a pair of noseplugs. Fearing her plan had gone amiss, she asked, "What are those for?"
The old man replied, "There are just two things I can't stand: the sound of a woman screaming,... and the smell of burning rubber!"

= = = = = = = = = = =

If God had wanted you to go around nude, He would have given you bigger hands!

= = = = = = = = = = =

A woman was driving down the road one day only to find herself behind a horse trailer being pulled by a pick-up truck. As they were driving along, the back door of the horse trailer came loose and swung open, exposing the rear end of the horse inside. Eventually, gastric and bowel processes completed, the horse's tail lifted and -- voila -- the woman's windshield was covered in horse stuff.
Now the woman's first instinct was, of course, to turn on the windshield wipers. Unfortunately, this only made the situation worse and as the woman tried to gain control of the car and keep it on the road, she heard a siren. Craning her neck out the window to steer the car onto the shoulder, she noticed that the siren was sounding from directly behind her and followed her onto the shoulder.
Sitting in her car, trying to regain her composure, a state trooper came alongside and asked the woman for her license and registration. Now, it was readily apparent from even a cursory glance, what had happened to the windshield of the woman's car and she was shocked that the trooper appeared so callous and had not even enquired as to her safety. "What do you want my license and registration for?" asked the woman.
"You were driving erratically," replied the state trooper.
Now, almost apoplectic, the woman began fumbling through her purse. As she presented the requested documents to the state trooper she asked, sarcastically, "I suppose you want to sell me a ticket to the state trooper's ball, also."
The state trooper fixed her with a long, hard gaze, drew himself up to his full height and replied, "Ma'am. State Troopers don't have balls!"
After a momentary pause, the trooper's face turned several shades of red. He handed back her license and registration, strode back to his car and drove off.

= = = = = = = = = = =

Posted by www.anymobilesmartphone.co.uk

HTC reveals plans to invest in emerging technologies going forward

After a long period of struggle in the smartphone market, HTC has now stated that it will begin investing in emerging technologies going forward in a bid to guarantee the company’s long-term sustainability. Specifically, HTC’s Chairwomen Cher Wang has stated that the company will continue to invest heavily into its growing VR business, in addition to a number of other segments that could prove beneficial to its smartphone business.

Currently, the brand is understood to be adopting a much more cautious approach when it comes to its mobile unit in a bid to reduce losses to a minimum. This tactic should then allow HTC to fully take advantage of its recent $1.1 billion cash injection from Google that saw the internet giant acquire hundreds of HTC’s hardware and software engineers in the hope of improving future Pixel smartphones. According to Wang, this money will be invested into 5G technologies that are expected to become a central part of the company’s future alongside artificial intelligence and Internet of Things developments. Also, these diversifications will be combined with research into the blockchain technologies market, something the company believes could be highly beneficial to its business plan in the future.

Regardless of its recent financial results, HTC certainly appears optimistic about its long-term future. Nevertheless, considering these investments all belong to relatively new market segments, high levels of revenues are highly unlikely, meaning it will remain to be seen how the company performs in the short term. After all, this will likely depend largely on the company’s smartphone unit which has been losing money for over three years. On a more positive note, though, HTC recently started shipping the Vive Pro VR headset which it expects to positively impact the company’s revenues starting this month.

posted by Anymobilesmartphone

Apple and Samsung might feature triple-camera setup in upcoming phone

Samsung and Apple devices to likely adopt the triple-camera setup in the future. Now, we have another rumor on the table claiming the same. According to The Korea Herald, the upcoming expected iPhone X Plus, and Samsung’s next flagship Galaxy S10 would be featuring three camera lenses on the rear.

Kim Dong-Won, an analyst from KB Securities predicted about Galaxy S10 that “Samsung, which has a lower-than-expected demand for its latest Galaxy S9 lineup, will consider to equip its next premium phone with the triple cameras and a 3-D sensor to reinvigorate its smartphone business.”

For the iPhone X’s prediction, the report doesn’t give us much except for the statement, “One of Apple’s next premium smartphones, reportedly named as the iPhone X Plus, is also anticipated to come fitted with three camera lenses on the rear.”

While we already have Huawei’s P20 Pro, the first triple-camera phone that came out in March, reports suggest that for both aforementioned flagships people would have to wait for the next year. As Samsung Galaxy S10 could roll out in the spring and the next iPhone in the fall of 2019.

However, with the third lens iPhone would finally be able to get the 3x optical zoom and not to mention that it could also enable the advanced 3D sensing for the AR (Augmented Reality) in Apple device.

The camera setup in question undoubtedly gives the stunning results and P20 Pro is very much a proof of that. It would be very interesting to see that how much improvements would the giants of Korea and Cupertino would bring into their devices competing with Huawei and especially with each other.

news brought to you buy anymobilesmartphone