Facebook Hoaxes Galore!

Oh boy! Is it that time of year again? I think it is, because I'm starting to see all those usual posts on my Facebook feed.

No not holidays, but hoaxes. You know the type. The ones that get you to copy and paste a paragraph of text that somehow keeps your profile set to private being shared by all your friends on facebook who's understanding of facebook and how the internet in general works is limited to what they see in front of their face which is the social equivalent of believing that the word "gullible" truly is not found in the dictionary. Really, look it up!

If you haven't seen them, congratulations on resisting facebook for so long (or commiserations on not having any friends), here is what the current paragraph looks like:

As of September 29th , 2015 at 07:25 a.m. I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates. DO NOT SHARE. You MUST copy and paste.

First of all, there's like millions upon millions of facebook users so employees of facebook won't have any sort of man power to check these messages. Even if they did, guess what? It holds no legal grounds what so ever. Which means that not only is posting it annoying, it's also a false protection and if you genuinely think you are somehow legally protected and require that kind of legal protection, you won't find it here. 

Now for the second one that's making the rounds:

Now it’s official! It has been published in the media. Facebook has just released the entry price: £5.99 ($9.10) to keep the subscription of your status to be set to “private.” If you paste this message on your page, it will be offered free (I said paste not share) if not tomorrow, all your posts can become public. Even the messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. After all, it does not cost anything for a simple copy and paste

This one is totally legit. Really. Ah, see, you're learning! This one too is as legitimate as a Kim Kardashian wedding, and should be treated as such. Ignoring it might make it go away (but probably not).

So you have been warned, if you post this kind of stuff to your wall then forever be branded a nincompoop by friends and family who don't believe everything they read. But you really are after the highest privacy settings in facebook, or on the internet in general, maybe just don't post anything at all. Or at least nothing compromising. Or boring for that matter, EVERY LATTE LOOKS THE SAME!

Except this one:

iOS 9 Update Frozen on 'Slide to Upgrade'

With every roll out of new iOS software, there comes a fair share of bugs and glitches. Many users are reporting a glitch where their phone freezes on the final step 'Slide to Upgrade'.

There is a fix and it's not necessarily convenient, but it works. Here's what to do:

• Connect your phone to your computer and open iTunes.
• If iTunes doesn't recognize you phone, force a restart by holding the Home and Power buttons together for about 6 - 10 seconds. iTunes should recognize your phone normally after your phone reboots.
• Restore your phone from a backup made prior to the iOS 9 update.

That's pretty much it! Once you have done this, your phone should be working just fine and running iOS 9.

But what if you do not have a backup? Well there is another work around, but you will lose your data on your phone. You will need to restore from a friend's backup (prior to iOS 9) and then, once your phone is working, you can do a factory wipe. 

Or, if you don't want to do that, you can bring it in to Techrevive and we can restore it with a generic blank backup that will get your phone working. But again, you will lose your data.

Finally, no doubt Apple will have a fix out soon, so you could wait it out but you will be without a phone for at least a few days.

Forwards from Grandma #1

Everyone loves a forward from Grandma! Just in case your Grandma hasn't quite got the knack for forwarding yet, I've taken the liberty of putting together one for you!

And for all you Grandmas out there, feel free to forward this to your friends and family!

Deep Learning Machine Teaches Itself Chess

A new break through in the way artificial intelligence learns has occurred. While super computers that can plan and defeat human opponents in chess have been around for a long time, the engine that runs these programs has changed little. These super computers rely on a method of brute force, considering all strategies and possible outcomes and playing the statistical best move over and over again. Famously, IBM's Deep Blue super computer beat our Gary Kasparov nearly 20 years ago using this method. But Kasparov shouldn't feel too bad, I once played chess against a taxiermied cat and lost.

So what's so nifty about this new intelligence engine? It's the way that it learns and evaluates the game of chess. It has not been given the positional data to sort through and make selections on the best of all the available moves, but rather, has developed it's own set of moves based on actual play. The system uses a layered system of nodes in much the same way the human brain does, and these nodes change as required to adapt to changes in the game.

This is the same way our brains are fine tuned over time to recognize the things we are taught, like a person's face or a brand's logo. What happens is over time a very complex neural network is refined and given certain input, the computer can quickly narrow down the best output, thus eliminating the need to search through hundreds of thousands of possibilities and just sticking the ones that it remembers as being the most profitable.

This is basically rapid evolution. We may not have to create an artificial brain, we may just have to create a brain that can learn. This leaves enormous potential for unimaginable intelligence advancements. But I don't think it's time to start worrying about Skynet just yet. We should be worried once a computer knows it's playing chess.

Phone Storage Concerns

We've all been there. The dog get's a bucket stuck on his head and is going nuts. You grab for your phone to grab a hilarious video, already imagining the riches of appreciation that will be bestowed upon thou at being the next viral internet sensation. You point the camera and start shooting. Gold! Then, the dog starts to yip and it sounds exactly like Bull Dogs rap from Timber. Holy cow! This video will get you SOOO many thumbs up, thank god I was around to capture this on camera! Suddenly, the dog whips the bucket off its head, it bounces off the fence and ricochets into the basket ball net. SWOOSH! The dog looks directly at the camera, he bears his teeth in the most adorable doggy grin and poops a little rainbow. Aaaand cut! Perfect! Suddenly, as you look about your surroundings, the colours seem more vivid, the air is pure and you take a deep, satisfying breath and for once, you feel that everything is going to be just perfect because this is the best thing the internet will ever see....EVER. Fortune and Glory await my friend!

You look down at your phone the review your Wellsian mastery of cinematics. But something is not right. A warning? What, prey tell, could possibly ruin this of most glorious moments. Surely, this must be but an unrelated error. You look closely as the seemingly random assortment of letters begin to sear into your eyeballs. Synopses fire, and the connective tissues in your brain begins to analyse the message. You break out into a cold sweat, a sudden sense of vertigo over comes you. You look up, and the world suddenly seems a lot more grey, the dog has made himself scarce, and even the sun has disappeared behind a cloud, as if to hide from the inevitable fallout from this error message.

Your lips open and close silently, mouthing the words you see on the screen to see if you perhaps have misread, but, alas, you have not. You lower lip curls into your mouth, your top teeth press into them and your eyes bulge as air starts to hiss through your mouth. "ffffffffffffFFFFFFFFFF"

Wide shot of a large tree, birds, that had been resting in it's branches all fly away simultaneously from being startled by a very loud curse.

Low storage space, please delete some pictures to begin shooting video.

While your particular experience may not have been as dramatic as I have depicted here, we should all have a relatively good idea of the pain caused by lack of memory on our devices. Especially those of us that are snap happy. At one point in time, it used to be deleting your third cousin's pager number in your phone to make room for that cutie you met at your second cousin's birthday party. But now, as phones increase in power and as their cameras increase in resolution, it's the stored user data that tends to be the memory culprit.

The worst part is, when your phone is packed to the rafters with photos and videos, many of the core functions simply pack it all in and buy a baritone. This can be especially frustrating when you try to do basic things like back up your phone to your computer, or try to delete some data off your phone, but your phone will not let you as it hasn't got the free space to perform these actions.

We, as a technological society, have rapidly outgrown our 8gb onsies and are on the precipice of big boy pants, manifesting as phones with an incredible 128gb of internal storage. That is quite a lot. But, having said that, it wasn't too long ago that a phone with an entire gigabyte of internal storage was also viewed as incredible. Considering the exponential growth of digital storage, pretty soon 128gb will also feel like a tuppence.

In fact, the next wave of personal data storage may already be on our door step. Major phone developers seem to be opting to develop cloud storage rather than having their users keep all their precious data trapped inside a single device. This has it's advantages and disadvantages. Without a doubt, cloud storage is the future, but someone probably needs to let the telcos know, as this will chew up data allowances, just to do something simple, like view your photos. The rate at which cloud storage is progressing is outpacing the rates at which we pay for our data. Anyone heard of overage charges?


In fact, this progress into the cloud storage space has already had an apparent effect on the newest Samsung flagships being shipped in just a few months. Originally rumored to have a 128GB model in the Samsung S7 and Note 5 phones, Samsung has since pulled those specs from all official documentation and is pushing ahead with the cloud angle. This is further exasperated by Samsung's choice to do away with removable storage. So no more augmenting your storage space with a micro SD card (SD card? Uhg. That's so 2015).

So what do you, loyal reader, think of this migration of your personal data into the nebulosity? Are you excited that your photos will always be automatically backed up and safe? Are you worried about the strain this could put on your data allowance? Let us know in the comments below!

Don't forget to check out our website for all of your phone repair needs! www.techrevive.com.au

Apple Keynote September 2015

I'm not a massive Apple fan. A lot of my friends and colleagues know that I prefer Android and have been an advocate for some time. While I can appreciate the stylish build quality and ostensible death grip that Apple has on the mobile device market, I still believe the offerings from Android are more advanced and just better.

That was until the Apple Keynote and product unveiling earlier today. Now, don't get me wrong, my next phone is not likely to be an iPhone, but my next tablet just might be an iPad.

Let get a quick run down of what was released and updated at the Keynote.

iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus

No real surprises here. Apple has stayed true to it's naming convention, going with the aforementioned 6S over the rumored iPhone 7. This rumor holds true each year so far, and each year so far the myth has gotten the Adam and Jamie treatment.

But what's new? Well the big new feature is Force Tou...  ..err..  3D Touch! Rumors prior to the event hinted at the same Force Touch technology from the Apple Watch being included on the phone holds true. But Apple is obviously trying to differentiate this tech on the iPhone opting for the name "3D Touch". What does this mean? Well a new way to interact with your device by way of offering more options depending on the force used in the touch. An example was a game where you move the view with your finger and press in harder to shoot your gun. Needless to say, developers will be quick to the table to add this new interaction to their apps in fun and creative ways.

Apple has also launched a new A9 processor, that is supposed to be much more powerful than it's predecessor, as always. So expect an even more snappy experience from an already pretty darn snappy phone!

Then there is the new 13 megapixel camera with 4K recording and all sorts of improvements. While 13 megapixels may seem a bit slim when compared to Sony's offering of up to 21 megapixels, it hold true that megapixels are not everything. A lot goes into the actual sensor and how efficiently it can accept light, and judging from the quality of the videos and photos, it's likely to remain one of the best (if not, THE best) cameras on the market in a cell phone. So tidy up those stray eyebrow hairs people, this camera is gonna see them!

Also as a bonus, you can now record animated photos with sound! Fun!

What else, what else... oh ya! Siri is now always on and can be activated simply by saying "Ok Google"...   ...wait...   ..no that's not right..  ...oh oh sorry! You have to say "Hey Siri" to make it work.

Did I mention that the phone now comes in Rose Gold?

Apple TV

The next advancement in Apple TV is really going to be special. Apple has upgraded many of the hardware components, but it's truly the software that's going to shine. Apple will add an App store to the device and may finally be able to keep up with competitors like Roku. Also the glass touch responsive remote looks pretty darn nifty! Will it replace my Chromecast? Probably not, but this will likely open up a whole new audience to the Apps on my TV world.

Apple Watch

lol. Weird that was a year ago already. I guess they're getting some new designer bands or something. I'm not sure.

iPad Pro

I've saved this one for last because I actually believe this is a tremendous jump forward for the iPad line. It's a huge display measuring in at 12.2" yet isn't much thicker than the iPad Air. It's A9x processor is supposedly up to 8ish times better than the iPad Air 2 and sports a 10 hour battery life. It looks phenomenal and is designed for the professional market in mind. This ain't yo kids iPad yo.

But Steve Jobs will be rolling over in his grave as he is famous for his dislike of Stylus Pens. But that's ok, because Apple hasn't released a Stylus Pen, they've released a Stylus PENCIL! So that makes it all better right?

Joking aside, the Apple Pencil actually looks freakin' amazing! I do a lot of digital painting on graphics tablets and the main features graphic artists look for in a pen (cough, pencil) are precision, pressure sensitivity and rotational angle. The Apple Pencil sports all of these through the use of a special sensor found under the LCD of the iPad Pro and loads of sensors found in the tip of the Pencil itself. At $100 US, it's a pretty hefty price tag for a pencil, and not to mention that the iPad's price is only slightly below the cost of a Mac Book, but considering how much graphics tablets with build in displays cost, it's really quite an elegant solution to those artists and professionals out there that are considering upgrading their gear!

At the end of the day, Apple will continue it's domination of the mobile device market. Even if they do just do all of the things that others are already doing, there is a certain panache (not pancakes) to the way they do it that continues to inspire. It's just inspired me to ramble on here about their products, inspired you to read it, and (hopefully) inspires you to share this article with all your friends and relatives and pets and minor acquaintances and cross fit instructor and neighbors and that crazy guy with one tooth who hangs out in the alley beside your office. Please share this article, if you enjoyed it, is what I'm saying.

Thus concludes my one-day, unpaid internship at Apple's Marketing division.



Don't forget to check out our website for all of your phone repair needs! www.techrevive.com.au

There is a hilarious new video making the rounds on the internet. A pair of pranksters have loaded up Android onto an iPhone 6 and went around to Apple fans saying it was Apple's highly anticipated iOS 9. Many of the anticipated features of iOS 9 have already been available on Android for years, but that doesn't stop Apple fans from believing it's the cutting edge.

The appreciation bestowed upon this glorious new operating system is an ongoing testament to Apple's ability to make you believe their product is in all ways superior. That little apple on the back of your device seems to carry a pretty hefty premium, and Apple knows you will pay.

Here is the video for you to watch in all it's glory.

I can't argue with the build quality of an Apple device, they really do make a very good phone. But so do a lot of phone manufacturers. Maybe it's just the blind faith in a massive corporation that blatantly over charges it's customer simply for the right to sport a partially eaten piece of fruit on the back of their phones when there is perfectly suitable alternatives that cost a lot less out there and do all the same things, and in a lot cases, they do it better since those phones have the pedigree, that I find disturbing. Sorry for the run on sentence (sorry, not sorry!). Sometimes, it makes me feel a little bit sad for humanity...

(sigh)

In other news!!!   ...Apple's September 2015 launch event is just mere days away and we at Techrevive's Tech Talk just can't wait to see what Apple has up it's sleeve this year! What we can guarantee is that it will be on the cutting edge! Stay tuned for more exciting Apple news!

Don't forget to check out our website for all of your phone repair needs! www.techrevive.com.au

$30 FREE credit with Vodafone @ Techrevive! (New Activations Only)

+

If you haven't heard the news yet, Techrevive has just opened a brand new, shiny, awesome Vodafone store! We can service ALL of your Vodafone needs in the cozy comforts of the East Geelong Newsagency.




But here is the exciting part! As a new Vodafone store, we have been given 100 prepaid cap Starter Packs, valued at $30 each, to give away for FREE! So what is included with the $30 starter pack?

$30 Combo Credit
1.5GB of Data for use in Australia
Infinite Standard National Calls
Infinite Standard National TXT and PXT

All of this with a 28 day expiry period for FREE!

This is our way of getting you to try out the Vodafone network with no obligations. But don't delay, this is limited to the first 100 new activations and we already have had quite a few going out the door!

Get yours today!

Be sure to read the critical information summary which can be found HERE
* This deal is ONLY available at Vodafone @ Techrevive. 78a Garden Street, East Geelong VIC 3219

Part of the East Geelong Newsagency


Don't forget to check out our website for all of your phone repair needs! www.techrevive.com.au

The problem with Driverless Cars

We love all things Google. Where would we be without them? Altavista (lulz)? Ask Jeeves (I don't think so)? Bing?!...   Well, in this article I want to talk about one of their projects that, by now, almost everyone should have heard of. It's the driverless car program and Google is spearheading the cause.

Like they have done with so many other projects, like Google Maps and Street View, Google wants to once again change the way we drive forever! But there is one major problem with the driverless car system (and this isn’t really much of a surprise); everyone else on the road.

Last month, Google sent one of their cars out (with a safety driver to override the car if needs be, of course) on a trial run. The little mousy looking Google car approached a crosswalk, and applied the brakes to come safely to a stop and allow the pedestrians to cross. While the pedestrians were perfectly fine, the poor Google car was not as it got rear ended by someone driving a Sedan behind it.

Back in 2009, while doing some early tests, they discovered another issue. The car and it's sensors are designed to follow the road rules down to the letter. One of the major road rules at a four-way intersection (this is generally what Americans use instead of a round-about) is that a car must come completely to a stop before proceeding in the order in which you stopped. Well, the sensors on the Google car waited for the other cars to stop, but every other car just inched forward without making a complete stop before proceeding, effectively paralysing the robot car.

The real issue is that autonomous cars are too safe. They can learn to be aggressive but so much of that depends on the culture of the roads in question. So while traffic deaths and incidents are predicted to drop in magnitude significantly with a completely driverless car system, there is this massive hurdle of the transition. Mixing super safe driverless cars with the cars and drivers on the roads today, who certainly do not all fall under the super safe category.


Don't forget to check out our website for all of your phone repair needs! www.techrevive.com.au

Google's New Logo

Just about everyone you know has used Google in some form or another and as the years go by, the image changes. Without coinciding with anything in particular, Google is updating their image again. This comes in the form of a new logo, which is active on your google page right now!

The new logo is designed to reflect how much technology has changes and how differently we interact with Google products. It looks much better on a smart phone and other portable devices. The colours are softer than before and the sans-serif font makes it look playful (that and the "e" being slightly askew).

One of the more important factors into this new design was making it look good on a smaller screen and that it's actual size in bytes was smaller. This new logo clocks in at 305 bytes, compared to the previous version at 14,000 bytes. This definitely reflects the goal of trying to bring the internet and Google to all parts of globe, and tiny changes like this could make a big difference.

Don't forget to check out our website for all of your phone repair needs! www.techrevive.com.au