It appears that what we thought was safe maight not be so secure after all.

Apple and Android users have been urged to stop receiving two-factor authentication codes via text after government officials revealed a massive telecom breach could expose non-encrypted messages to malicious actors.

Earlier this month, the FBI implored smartphone users to use encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal or WhatsApp after the bad actors, suspected to be from China, hacked into AT&T, Verizon and other networks to spy on customers.

Last 18 December, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a new memo outlining best practices for mobile communication in the wake of the network hack, advising people to stop using SMS as a second factor for authenticating online accounts.

"SMS messages are not encrypted — a threat actor with access to a telecommunication provider’s network who intercepts these messages can read them," the CISA declared.

Receiving codes via SMS is "not phishing-resistant," meaning it is not a secure method of verification for high-profile targets.

Instead, the agency encouraged the use of authentication apps — although those are still subject to breaches — or FIDO authentication and passkeys, which are considered the most secure method of verification.

While some services online may not have another option for two-factor authentication, the agency urged users to use alternative methods when possible to minimize the risk of being hacked. They also recommended using a password manager, using strong passwords, setting a PIN when possible and keeping personal devices up to date.

The advisory follows the news earlier this month of network breaches, dubbed Salt Typhoon, which experts speculate is "ongoing and likely larger in scale than previously understood."

Officials were unable to declare with certainty that the malicious actors had been eradicated from the networks.

"We cannot say with certainty that the adversary has been evicted," Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told Politico.

"We’re on top of tracking them down … but we cannot with confidence say that we know everything, nor would our partners."

Read More ...

In light of multile scam attacks, it might be a good time to go back to landlines. This was recommended by Government officials who have alerted smartphone users to stop texting amid the growing threat of cyberattacks.

Malicious actors suspected to be from China, nicknamed Salt Typhoon, hacked into telecommunication companies such as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon this year to spy on customers in one of the largest intelligence breaches in the country’s history, according to NBC News.

Last 3 December, the White House revealed that at least eight major US telecom companies were compromised in the cyberespionage attacks, which are "ongoing and likely larger in scale than previously understood," according to the Daily Mail.

"Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: Encryption is your friend, whether it’s on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication," Jeff Greene, the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CSIA), told NBC News.

"Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible."

An FBI official who requested not to be named advised users seeking more secure methods of communicating should consider "a cellphone that automatically receives timely operating system updates, responsibly managed encryption and phishing resistant" two-factor authentication for personal accounts, per NBC News.

They also revealed the three kinds of data accessed by cybercriminals: call records and metadata, live phone calls and certain systems used by law enforcement to track communications.

Last month, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the US Committee on Armed Services’ cybersecurity subcommittee, warned that "unless you are using a specialized app," anyone could be "subject to review" by the Chinese government, despite the country’s denial of cyberespionage attacks.

While Google Messages and iMessage over end-to-end encryption, texts between iPhones and Androids are unprotected and potentially left vulnerable to hackers. Instead, users can download apps like WhatsApp and Signal to communicate via encrypted messaging.

"We cannot say with certainty that the adversary has been evicted," Greene told Politico. "We’re on top of tracking them down… but we cannot with confidence say that we know everything, nor would our partners."

Read More ...

There is a concerning report released recently about a data dump that contains 2.7 billion records of personal information for people living in the US, including their Social Security Numbers, that have recently been leaked online.

The report refers to data dump's contents that were linked to National Public Data, a company that scrapes information from non-public sources and sells it for background checks. Now, the company has confirmed that it did have "a data security incident" wherein people's names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers and mailing addresses had been stolen.

National Public Data's wording in its Security Incident report is a bit a vague and convoluted, but it did blame the security breach on a third-party bad actor. It said that the bad actor "was trying to hack into data in late December 2023" and that "potential leaks of certain data" took place in April 2024 and summer 2024, indicating that the hacker had successfully infiltrated its system.

In April, a threat actor known as USDoD tried to sell 2.9 billion records of people living in the US, UK and Canada for US$ 3.5 million. It claimed that it stole the information from National Public Data. Since then, the records have been leaked in chunks online with the more recent one being more comprehensive and containing more sensitive information.

The company said it worked with law enforcement to review potentially affected records and will "try to notify" individuals "if there are further significant developments applicable" to them. It also said that it published the notice so that those who were potentially affected can take action. The company is advising people to monitor their financial accounts for fraudulent transactions, and it's also encouraging them to get free credit reports and to put a fraud alert on their file.

The National Public Data is already facing a proposed class action lawsuit that was filed in early August by a plaintiff who received a notification from their identity theft protection service that their personal information was posted on the dark web. They argued that the company failed "to properly secure and safeguard the personally identifiable information that it collected and maintained as part of its regular business practices."

Read More ...

Another study revealed that managers, not lower-level employees, will see their ranks diminished with the onset of artificial intelligence and robots. According to the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School report a few years ago, AI and robotics expands within a business, managers can oversee a wider breadth of operations.

In a 2020 podcast discussion, Lynn Wu, professor at The Wharton School and AIB Affiliated Faculty, points out that "contrary to the popular notion that robots will replace human labor, we find robot-adopting firms employed more people over time. Any displacement of labor came from firms that did not adopt robots. These non-adopting firms actually lost their competitiveness — and they had to lay off workers."

Details of Wu’s study, based on looking at the performance of firms that purchased AI and robots over a 20-year period in Canada, will be published in the INFORMS journal Management Science.

The most surprising revelation from the study, however, was that AI and robotics adoption resulted in a reduction in management and supervisory ranks. "This is a class of people we did not expect robots to have an effect," Wu says. "Because managers, by definition, supervise other human beings, so we really cannot replace their functions until the singularity occurs with artificial general intelligence."

The decline in managers’ opportunities in the AI/robotics enterprise is the result of vast efficiencies introduced to processes that once required a cadre of managers to oversee. "There is less need for managers to supervise, ensuring that workers show up on time, inspect their work, etc.," says Wu. "Robots can record precisely the work they have done, so there’s no agency costs, no fudging of the numbers."

Another surprise is the fact that AI and robots boost employment with both low-skilled and high-skilled jobs. Rather, it is "middle-skilled" jobs that are threatened, Wu found. "Robots cannot directly substitute low-skilled workers such as pickers and packers," she says. "A manager can potentially supervise many of these workers at a time."

For high-skilled workers, "the effect is a little bit less certain," she continues. "They can manage themselves; these high-skilled workers know how to do their jobs better than their managers."

Wu points out that as a result, "the career ladder is somewhat disrupted. For a low-skilled worker to become a high-skilled worker, they would need a college education and lot more training. Many low-skilled a workers are just not able to have that kind of education for a variety of reasons. They are potentially being stuck in these entry-level jobs, with almost no opportunities or very little opportunity to advance. There’s less demand for supervisory roles."

Read More ...

Will there be any changes to content publishers in the U.S. after the landmark "monopolist" ruling against Google? Will online publications face a bleak future? (And this time, it’s not just because of severely diminished ad revenue.) Bloomberg reports that the goovernent's choice now boils down to allowing Google to use their published content to produce inline AI-generated search "answers" or losing visibility in the company’s search engine.

The crux of the problem lies in the Googlebot, the crawler that scours and indexes the live web to produce the results you see when you enter search terms. If publishers block Google from using their content for the AI-produced answers you now see littered at the top of many search results, they also lose the privilege of including their web pages in the standard web results.

The catch-22 has led publications, rival search engines and AI startups to pin their hopes on the Justice Department. A few days ago, The New York Times reported that the DOJ is considering asking a federal judge to break up parts of the company (spinning off sections like Chrome or Android). Other options it’s reportedly weighing include forcing Google to share search data with competitors or relinquishing its default search-engine deals, like the US$ 18 billion one it inked with Apple.

Google uses a separate crawler for its Gemini (formerly Bard) chatbot. However, its main crawler covers both AI Overviews and standard searches, leaving web publishers with little (if any) leverage. If users let Google scrape their content for AI Overview answers, readers may consider that the end of the matter without bothering to visit your site (meaning zero revenue from those potential readers). On the other hand, if users block the Googlebot, they lose search visibility, which likely means significantly less short-term income and a colossal loss of long-term competitive standing.

iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told Bloomberg, "I can block ClaudeBot [Anthropic’s crawler for its Claude chatbot] from indexing us without harming our business. But if I block Googlebot, we lose traffic and customers."

Another problem with combining the two is that it gives Google an immeasurable advantage over smaller AI startups. The company gets a plethora of free training data from publishers eager to remain visible in search. In contrast, AI companies are forced to pay publishers for access to their data — and, even then, it wouldn’t add up to the motherlode Google gets (essentially) for free.

From that perspective, it isn’t surprising to read that, according to Bloomberg, Google is spurning publishers that try to negotiate content deals. (Reddit has been the lone exception.) Why waste money on content deals when they get all the training data they want in exchange for the search results most publishers need to survive?

"Now you have a bunch of tech companies that are paying for content, they’re paying for access to that because they need it to be able to compete in any kind of serious way," Alex Rosenberg, CEO of AI startup Tako Inc., told Bloomberg. "Whereas for Google, they don’t really have to do that."

Read More ...

Since its debut in 2017, Zelle — owned by seven of the country’s largest banks — has become one of the largest peer-to-peer payment networks.

However, like any other real time platforms, Zelle is vulnerable to fraud attacks. That puts users as the target of scams and made Zelle fraud cases explode in recent years as a result. To understand why fraudsters love to target Zelle, here’s everything we need to know about Zelle fraud and how it happens.

Understanding what Zelle is

Zelle is a digital payments network in the U.S. that allows users to send or receive money directly to each others’ bank accounts in real time. Using only their email address or phone number, they can transfer funds and have them available within minutes. As with other real-time payment apps, there are no fees for using Zelle.

Who owns Zelle?

Early Warning Services owns and operates Zelle. The fintech company is owned by Bank of America, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, Truist, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. Zelle is also integrated with Citibank, TD Bank, SunTrust Bank, and BBandT.

What is Zelle fraud?

Zelle fraud is any unauthorized or fraudulent use of the Zelle digital payments network to send or receive money. Fraudsters use many scams to steal money through Zelle without the account holder’s permission. But because these payments—even ones made as part of a scam—are authorized by the account holder, oftentimes the victim can’t get their money back.

How could someone authorize a payment if they’re part of a scam, you ask? That’s due to the way Zelle transfers process. Money sent on Zelle, as with other real-time transactions, uses the Automated Clearing House (ACH).

These payments are immediate because they require account holder authorization to process. Because the account holder technically authorized the transfer—despite being tricked—the bank will not reverse it.

This is a highly frustrating and unfortunately common occurrence on Zelle.

Zelle does have security measures in place to prevent fraud. They use transaction monitoring and fraud detection systems. They encourage users to set up multi-factor authentication, not share logins, and be cautious of unsolicited payment requests.

But fraudsters can get around Zelle’s security measures in a few different ways. Each method has its own scam.

Can people scam you on Zelle?

Zelle scams are not only possible, they’re a favorite among fraudsters. In fact, Zelle scams and fraud cost users an estimated $440 million in 2021. The most common Zelle scams involve deception—phishing, social engineering, or impersonation.

Fraudsters send fake invoices or payment requests or investment opportunities. They ask for donations to fake charities or crowdfunding campaigns. They even pretend to be overseas lovers preying on lonely people.

The key to staying protected is knowing how these scams work.Does Zelle offer fraud protection? There is no Zelle fraud protection program. The service doesn’t offer protection, refunds, or reversals for authorized real-time payments. As their policy states, once you send a transaction it is authorized and can’t be reversed.

Can Zelle refund my money if I was scammed?

Zelle will not refund any payments that the user authorized. If you’re facing Zelle fraud issues, the service clearly states they will not refund payments that users authorized.

Can you cancel Zelle payments?

In nearly all cases, it’s not possible to cancel Zelle payments. Zelle transfers process within minutes, so once the payment has been sent, it cannot be canceled or reversed.

Why is Zelle fraud rising so quickly?

Zelle’s user base has rapidly expanded since 2020. More people using the service creates a larger pool of potential targets for fraudsters.

But more than the growing user base, the nature of Zelle itself, and the approach its owners take toward fraud, make it an ideal target. Here’s why Zelle fraud is rising rapidly.

Real-time payments aren’t reversible

Because Zelle payments are not reversible, payments made by mistake or as part of a fraud scheme are gone as soon as they’re sent. This is the first key reason fraudsters prefer Zelle to other payment methods.

Lack of user knowledge

Fraudsters often use social engineering tactics to trick users into sending money through Zelle. Because Zelle is a newer service and often the first real-time payment experience for many users, it’s ripe for social engineering scams.

Banks aren’t reversing/covering losses

Banks generally have policies in place for fraud and unauthorized transactions. In Zelle’s case, they do not offer protection on payments the same way they would other payment methods. Even in clear cases of fraud, as the New York Times reported, Zelle will not reverse transactions as they have been "authorized" by the account holder.

How to detect Zelle fraud

As a user, you need to stay vigilant guarding against scams on Zelle. But banks share in the responsibility to protect Zelle users from fraud.

All banks that offer Zelle use fraud detection platforms. These platforms use risk-based authentication to assess transactions and flag potential fraud. If a transaction trips this detection system, it flags the transaction for manual review. That’s where a digital fraud investigator steps in to take on the case and determine if there’s fraud.

These systems are also bolstered by machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Read More ...

Most AI experts tend to agree that rapid advances in the technology will impact jobs. However, there's a clear division growing between those who see that as a cause for concern and those who believe it heralds a future of growth.

Business Insider reported that Andrew Ng, the founder of Google Brain and a professor at Stanford University, is in the latter camp. He's optimistic about how AI will transform the labor market.

For one, he doesn't think it's going to replace jobs.

"For the vast majority of jobs, if 20-30% is automated, then what that means is the job is going to be there," Ng said in a recent talk organized by Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. "It also means AI won't replace people, but maybe people that use AI will replace people that don't."

He's also confident that automation is only going to help companies find new opportunities for innovation.

When companies find that they can make a task 1,000 times cheaper through technology like AI, their instinct is not always to revel in the cost savings, he said. Instead, they're likely to invest in executing that task 10,000 more times.

"What I've seen is saving money is nice, but there's only so much money you can save," he said. "But the upside to growth has no limit, no ceiling on that."

Ng has previously said that Big Tech companies are also inflating the threat that AI might pose to humanity in order to dominate the market.

"There are definitely large tech companies that would rather not have to try to compete with open source, so they're creating fear of AI leading to human extinction," Ng told The Australian Review last October. "It's been a weapon for lobbyists to argue for legislation that would be very damaging to the open-source community."

Read More ...

Those studying labor dynamics and economics, appear to agree that Generative AI is a double-edged sword.

According to a new report from Boston Consulting Group, workers' confidence in generative AI has grown over the past year — but so has their anxiety. BCG surveyed over 13,100 respondents, evenly divided between frontline, managerial, and leadership roles.

It found that confidence in generative AI surged 16 percent between 2023 to 2024, but that anxiety did too: about 5 percent. The percentage of workers who worry that AI will eliminate their jobs in the next decade has jumped significantly in the past year.

Frontline workers — those without managerial responsibilities — are most anxious about the technology, with 22% saying they were worried about it compared to 18 percent of managers and 15 percent of leaders.

There's a clear knowledge gap between executives and their employees, too. Only 28 percent of frontline workers reported being trained on how the technology will impact their jobs, compared to 30 percent of managers and 50 percent of leaders. Frontline workers say their top three concerns about generative AI are that they haven't been given enough time to learn about it, sufficient training opportunities, or knowledge of when to use the technology.

"There is undoubtedly a shortage in AI talent," Alex Libre, cofounder and principal recruiter of Einstellen Talent, a service that matches job candidates with generative AI startups, previously told Business Insider.

Companies are trying to address the gap by offering workers upskilling programs.

Others say the goal is to free up humans to do more meaningful work and even get more fulfillment from their jobs. But the worry right now is that AI might draw a line between the haves and have-nots: Those who know how to use AI and keep jobs and those who don't and lose them.

Read More ...

Facebook is in the middle of a little hiccup, despite being highly-publicized, as calls for ad boycotts are spreading slowly online. However, this is nothing compared to what it faced since it launched some 16 years ago.

Kicked off and advocated by an unknown and very unpopular "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign, the movement is meant to push Facebook to better police hate speech and other content posted to and shared across the social network. However, the boycott is unlikely to have a dramatic impact on Facebook.

The biggest social media platform has faced similar efforts in the past. And it’s unclear if even the deluge of advertisers taking part in the action, which include Adidas, Ben and Jerry’s, Ford, Hershey's and 237 others as of 1 July, will have the kind of impact the delusional "Stop Hate for Profit" is seeking.

According to Regina Luttrell, assistant professor of public relations and social media at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, many of the brands that initially jumped on the boycott are committed to corporate activism and want to see "true change" from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

"Investors will shy away from supporting Zuckerberg's usual avoidance of the issue," Luttrell told Yahoo Finance. "Facebook has a habit of making small changes rather than truly taking action. The latest public movement is different. We are all seeing that. Facebook needs to wake up, pay attention and make lasting changes."

It's worth noting, however, that the current economic climate is also leading to cuts in advertising spending. According to a Gartner survey of 360 marketers conducted on 27 March, 76 percent of marketing leaders expected decreases in marketing budgets due to the coronavirus pandemic.

What is more, Facebook has 8 million advertisers on its platform, which makes up the bulk of its US$ 70 billion in advertising revenue in 2019. If any kind of advertising boycott is going to have a true impact on the social networking giant, it will need to include well beyond the 242 firms currently part of the movement.

Facebook, with its 2.5 billion users, is the largest social media network in the world. And while some advertisers may feel comfortable leaving that kind of access to potential customers on the table, others won't be.

And as NYU Stern School of Business assistant professor of marketing Alixandra Barasch points out, the small advertisers that make up the majority of Facebook’s advertising partners often can’t afford to leave the social network for other outlets.

"They are not going to be able to afford any kind of mass market advertising campaign, so they can’t go to TV, and they don’t want to," Barasch explained.

"They don’t have anywhere else to go, and even the big ones, I think they are afraid right now to go in this direction or take a stand one way or the other, so they are looking for ways to sort of speak out and support something that consumers care about."

For a company that has survived scandal after scandal, whether that be the Cambridge Analytica debacle or reports that the social network was used to incite genocide in Myanmar, Facebook has continually come through relatively unscathed.

Read More ...

Online and work-from-home workers at a top law firm have been urged to turn off devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers over fears of the gadgets "listening in".

British law firm Mischcon de Reya has issued advice to staff to mute or turn off devices such as Echo speakers.

Experts at the firm suggested that the devices could be a problem if people are talking on the phone about private client matters, should the devices be compromised. The firm suggested that other recording devices such as Ring video doorbells could also pose a problem.

The advice suggested that employees should not have the devices near their work space at all, Bloomberg reported.

Mishcon de Reya partner Joe Hancock, who heads the company’s cybersecurity team, told Bloomberg: "Perhaps we're being slightly paranoid but we need to have a lot of trust in these organisations and these devices.

"We'd rather not take those risks."

A few weeks ago, tech companies including Google, Facebook and Microsoft joined forces to release an unprecedented statement on coronavirus – in the battle against online misinformation.

The statement promised that the tech giants were working together, "jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus". It was signed by Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube.

The joint statement said: "We are working closely together on COVID-19 response efforts. We're helping millions of people stay connected while also, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government healthcare agencies around the world.

"We invite other companies to join us as we work to keep our communities healthy and safe."

Facebook said also that it plans to award US$ 100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries, in a move aimed to address the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Read More ...

As the COVID-19 continues to wreck havoc as it march across the United States of America, more and more companies are ordering or offering their employees the opportunity to work from home to help mitigate the virus' impact on day-to-day operations.

From small and medium businesses to tech giants including Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft, businesses throughout the country will have at least some of their workforce telecommuting through at least the end of March.

However, before anybody packs up their desk and set up shop at their kitchen table, there are a few things they will want to keep in mind so they can actually get their work done at home.

Make sure you can connect
If you're going to work from home, you'll need to ensure that you have a stable internet connection there. Nothing is worse for the stay-at-home worker than having to upload large files, or video chat multiple times a day to check in with your colleagues, and having a slow connection hamper your productivity.

Try running a few tests before making the transition to your home office. If your connection isn't up to snuff, you may be able to ask your company for a mobile hotspot, which should be able to do the trick.

Get access to your corporate network
If you need to remotely connect to your employer's corporate network to pay expenses, or update sensitive databases, you'll have to ensure you've got access to your company's VPN, or virtual private network. Think of the VPN as your private gateway to your firm's private servers.

To access your VPN, you may need to use a specific username and password, or download an authorization app like Duo Mobile to your laptop or smartphone, which can log you in by remotely verifying your identity.

If you have the time, before you start your stint at home, do a thorough check with your company's IT department to make sure you have all of the requisite apps you'll need in order to get connected.

If you don't have access to your company's VPN, you may not be able to do any work at all.

Bring your peripherals
It's easy to overlook the various peripherals you use throughout your workday when you're heading out of the office for some time. We are talking about everything from USB hubs, to USB C cables, the mouse you connect to your laptop, and even a secondary monitor.

If you can't get into the office because it's been shut down, you won't be able to get those important add-ons you rely on everyday. That means you might end up having to shell out money from your own pocket to ensure you're able to keep up your regular workflow.

Before you leave, make a list of all of the items you connect to your laptop or desktop and be sure to take them with you. It might sound silly, but you'll want to include your laptop charger in that list, too.

Read More ...

Every doorknob, light switch, and the like all get wiped down to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, has one took some time to give their smartphone a thorough cleaning. Everyone should because it is a device that they hold in their hands all day and put up to their face.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, smartphone makers told consumers to avoid using disinfecting wipes or sprays on their devices to keep from damaging the coating on their touchscreen displays. Apple, specifically, told iPhone owners to simply use a cloth dampened with water to clean their phones.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, meanwhile, could be cleaned using a cloth and warm, soapy water, according to Apple.

However, with the coronavirus marching across the globe, Apple has changed its guidelines. The company now says you can use a wipe with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol or a Clorox wipe to clean your iPhones.

Apple says to gently wipe the device, so don't scrub at it like one is trying to get baked on lasagna off of a casserole dish, and don't submerge the device in any disinfecting cleaner. The company also says that users shouldn't use bleach, which could seriously damage the phone. Users should also avoid getting disinfecting cleaners in their phone's ports, which could cause additional damage.

The smartphone is, more or less, a rectangular petri dish. Various studies have found that the phones carry bacteria from virtually everything the owner touches. And, considering people use their phones in the bathroom, some phones also have fecal matter on them.

There's still no complete understanding of how long the coronavirus can survive on surfaces. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus may last hours or even days outside of the body, so cleaning the phone is absolutely worthwhile.

Read More ...

By Michael Cohn
Compukol Communications

When it comes to naming your business, it is critical that your name choice is the most effective and enticing that it can be. It must grab the attention of your connections online and in person so make it great.

The name that you ultimately choose for your business should not only have a positive impact in the short term but needs to be a name that endures throughout time. The name needs to represent who and what your business stands for and considering that you only have one shot at it, you need to make the name as fitting as you possibly can. As a new business owner, you undoubtedly have several important issues on your mind, such as money, staff, inventory, etc.

If you don't feel immediately inspired regarding your business’s name, it will come to you from one source or another. As you are setting up and organizing all of the elements that will make your business succeed, you may feel that you have time until you have to actually settle on a name that will be with you forever. However, there is more urgency to get the name in place than you think.

There are several different ways in which you can choose your business's name. Of course, you need to make certain that you have put a great deal of thought into your business’s name and make sure that you adhere to the following so that everything goes smoothly.

The simplest name is not always the best name
When you are thinking of a name for your business, you may be tempted to adopt the philosophy that your clients (present or future clients) won't have a clue about what your business is about if your business's name isn't either descriptive or literal. You need to give them more credit for intelligence than that. If you choose the easy way when it comes to the name, you won’t be giving any insight about the company and what makes it unique. Your business’s name should be interesting and inspiring to others. If your business’s name is effective, your returning clients will never forget the name and they will also be able to communicate the name to other people whom they know easily.

Using a product or service name is not a good choice
If you use a product or service in your business’s name, you are running the risk of the product or service having a shorter lifespan than your business has and that wouldn't work. It also gives the perception that the only thing that your business has to offer is that particular product or service and that is most likely not that case at all. Obviously, you have hopes that your business will be around for a very long time and the last thing that you need to do is create a name that cuts that lifespan short. Obviously, you can’t change the name of your business every time you introduce a new product or service. You should consider naming your business after a positive attribute that is a associated with your business.

Don't be limited by geography
Another thing that you should not include in your business's name is a geographic location. What if you expand your business reach eventually or move to a totally different location far away from the original location. The name will not make sense in that case. It is important to think about that upfront. It is difficult to enough to successfully run a business. The last thing that you need to do is to shoot yourself in the foot by not thinking everything through from the start.

Don't use acronyms in your name
It doesn’t make sense to use an acronym in your business's name if it won't be totally familiar to everyone (which will generally not be the case). The chances are great if you do use an acronym that you will have to keep explaining it over and over again. You need to use a name that is easy, clear, and clever.

Conclusion
You may feel that choosing the name of your business is no big deal; however, it is a huge deal in reality. In fact, the name of your business may be the most important element of all when it comes to how your clients view you. Make sure that you choose the name wisely and that it grabs the attention of your readers in a giant way. The name should express expertise, value and the unique qualities that only your business possesses. Of course, your name should also be solid and it should tell your story.

Read More ...

Does your iPhone 7 say "No Service" when you're oh-so-certain the signal is fine? Good news! You might be totally right.

According to TechCrunch, reports and rumors of a "No Service" bug impacting iPhone 7s have been floating around for well over a year now — and as of this afternoon, Apple is acknowledging the issue.

The company says it's determined that "a small percentage" of iPhone 7s will claim no service even when service is available.

The bad news: it's not an easy fix. A software update won't help this time. Apple says this issue stems from a faulty logic board, which means they'll have to physically repair your device.

The less-bad news: Apple will repair it for free, and if you've paid for such a repair already at the Genius Bar, they'll reimburse you. You can find details on that here. (One catch: if your device's screen is busted, you'll need to pay to have that fixed before they can get inside.)

Apple says devices made between September 2016 and February 2018 (basically the entire lifespan of the iPhone 7) might be impacted, particularly those sold in the US, China, Japan, Hong Kong, or Macao.

Read More ...

Change was supposed to be good ... sometimes. As the cliché goes, it is the only thing that is constant in this world. However, one of the hardest thing to change nowadays is the kind of smartphone to use.

It is not about an old iPhone changing to a new iPhone, but a change from an old iPhone to a new Android device and vice versa.

It’s almost as if Apple and Google don’t want their users to leave their respective device ecosystems. And many consumers just stick with their current operating system, because they either don't know how to change or are worried they'll lose out on features.

But there is a way to jump between these two types of smartphones.

Moving from Android to iPhone
First, the use will need to download Apple’s Move to iOS app through the Google Play Store. The app, which is made by Apple, will copy all messages, photos and contacts from the Android device to the new iPhone.

To get started, turn on the new iPhone and run through the setup process for the iPhone until it gets to the Apps & Data screen.

From there, select, "Move Data from Android." The iPhone will then prompt the user to download the Move to iOS app, which they have already done. Tap "Continue," and the users should receive a series of numbers.

Now, there is a need to open the Move to iOS app on Android phone. A screen will appear that says Find your Code. Tap "Next" in the top right corner of the screen.

The user will now be asked to enter either the six-digit or 10-digit series of numbers displayed on iPhone. The Android phone will then automatically connect to the new iPhone.

From there users will have to choose if they want to carry over their Google Account, Messages, Contacts, Calendar and Camera Roll. Tap "Next" and everything is all set.

Moving from iPhone to Android – Part I
First, there is a need to download the Google Drive app on the iPhone. Next go to the app’s options page and select "Settings".

Tap "Backup" and then "Start Backup." All contacts, calendar and photos and videos will then be uploaded to the new Google Drive account.

Next, users have to take their fancy new Android device, and run through the setup process until they get to the page asking if they would like to "Copy your data" or "Start up as new." Select "Start up as new."

They will then have to enter their Gmail address and password to log into their Google account. After that, they can continue the setup and their phone will automatically pull the information they have backed up from the cloud down to their phone.

They won’t, however, be able to carry over their apps. Instead, users will only get their photos, contacts and calendar information.

Moving from iPhone to Android – Part II
If they want to get nearly everything off of from their old phone, user will need to select "Copy your data" back on the original Welcome setup screen. they will also need to have the appropriate cables and adapters available.

For instance, if they are copying their data from an iPhone to a Pixel, they will need their iPhone’s Lightning cable and a USB to USB C adapter to plug the cable into connect the phones.

Their Android phone will then tell them to check their iPhone and tap "Trust" in the dialogue box asking if they should trust the device they have just connected.

After that, users will need to enter their Gmail address and password. Their Android device will then connect to their iPhone and find Android apps that match all of the iPhone apps they have downloaded.

Not everything will carry over, though. Photos stored in iCloud, for example, won’t transfer, but photos stored on the iPhone will.

Users will need to tap "Copy" let the Android phone copy their data, finish up the setup and everything is done.

Read More ...

Are you and your children savvy about money? If the answer is yes, you and your family have a secure and satisfying future ahead.

Educating, motivating, and empowering children to become regular savers will help them keep more of their allowance and do more with what they have. Everyday, children are faced with temptations to buy useless or frivolous things that can affect their financial status in the future. Wouldn’t you want them to be more responsible about money?

The Real Bank, a multi-awarded thrift bank that has received local and international awards for its savings advocacy program for children, offers the following tips to help you educate your kids about personal finance and managing money:

It is never too early to teach kids about money. Introduce them to money as soon as they can count. Get them a piggy bank as early as age two and teach them to 'feed' the piggy regularly. By doing so, you teach them important lessons on caring and discipline.

As they grow older, share your values about money with your kids. Tell them how to save money, how to make it grow and how to spend it wisely. Excite them about what money that is well-earned and well-saved can do and buy. This will teach them the value of patience and looking towards a goal. Give them an incentive if they can save weekly, or when their total savings this year are bigger then the previous years.

Teach your kids to set goals while they are young. If your child wants a toy or a special item like an iPod, let him or her make it a goal that they can work for. Goal-setting teaches children to be aspirational and responsible too.

Emphasize the value of savings versus spending. Explain and demonstrate the concept of earning interest on savings to your kids. Start by paying your child interest if he or she can save his or her allowance. This shows them that regular, successful saving leads to good credit rating and other tangible rewards. This is the real way to provide for your children’s future.

Lastly, bring your child to the bank with you. It will excite him or her because they will feel that they are being prepared for bigger things. Make your children feel at home with processes and institutions that will make them savvy money managers in the future.

To help parents teach kids the wonders of saving, The Real Bank put up the Real Kiddies Savers Club, where children are encouraged to bring their piggy banks to deposit their money in a real bank.

The Real Bank has also introduced Kinabukasan Savings, a savings program that encourages people of all ages to save their money and to feed their deposits an agreed fixed amount each month. To reward the savings habit and to make the practice of regular savings an exciting activity, the bank rewards Kinabukasan Savings depositors with higher interest on their accounts as they continue to save on a regular basis.

Read More ...

According to the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) guide to would be entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship is a way of life. Being entrepreneurial means being able to identify, start, and maintain a viable and profitable business, particularly a small enterprise.

People spend most of their lives working for someone else. Some people eventually rise to positions of wealth and power, while the rest languish in unchallenging and low-paying jobs. On the other hand, there are a select few who strike it out on their own; rather than work for others, they put up their own enterprise.

You may ask: "Why should I risk my resources in an unpredictable business when I could hold a stable job with a permanent tenure and an assurance of a regular monthly income, without any risk?” In other words, why be an entrepreneur rather than an employee?

Entrepreneurship has its own rewards, as well as its risks. Having your own business has tremendous rewards, but be sure to weigh prospective returns against the potential risks and losses.

Rewards of Entrepreneurship

• Have Unlimited Opportunity to Make Money - When you have your own business, you will most certainly have unlimited potential to earn money. How much money you earn depends on the time and effort you put into your enterprise. Successful entrepreneurs have earned their wealth and prestige through hard work and by having the right product for the right market at the right time.
• Be Your Own Boss - As sole proprietor of your business, you make the decisions for your enterprise and take full responsibility for them. The quality of these decisions will translate into either gain or loss for your business. Being your own boss means you are in control of your future. You have a better grasp of what you want to be.
• Tap Your Creativity - A business usually starts out as an idea. You will have the opportunity to harness this creativity and turn your idea into products and processes.
• Overcome Challenges and Feel Fulfilled - Starting a business is by itself an accomplishment. Running a business tests an entrepreneur’s capability in securing and managing resources. How well a business turns out depends on the owner’s ability to face challenges and overcome them.

Risks of Entrepreneurship

• Risk of Failure - Small businesses are prone to risks and the possibility of failure – a single wrong business decision can bring a business to bankruptcy.
• Unpredictable Business Conditions - A small business is vulnerable to sudden changes in the business environment. In a fast-paced industry, a small firm may not possess the financial capability nor the organizational capacity to respond adequately to new opportunities and their concomitant problems.
• Long Hours of Work - A prospective entrepreneur must be ready to spend most if not all his waking hours immersed in the business. Also, family time and personal affairs may be jeopardized.
• Unwanted or Unexpected Responsibilities - The entrepreneur may eventually find himself saddled with management responsibilities he did not bargain for.

Read More ...