iOS to Android. Make the change easy and painless.

HOW TO
How to Make the Switch from iOS to Android

By Andrew Tarantola, Oct 13, 2012 11:00 AM
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You've been hanging back, waiting for the dust to settle around the iPhone 5 debut. Now that the reviews are in, you're out. It's time to trade in the Cupertino Kool-Aid for some Jelly Beans. Here's how to do it right.
Contacts and Calendars
Migrating your contacts and calendar dates from iPhone to Android is as simple as setting up Google Sync. As long as you're running iOS 3.0 or above, and already have an active Google or Gmail account, you can do it directly through your phone:

On your iPhone select Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Set up a new "Microsoft Exchange" account (yes, even if you're trying to import from Gmail).
Input your email address and login info. Enter a domain if you have one for an actual ME server; Gmail users can leave it blank.
Select "Server" then either input the ME server address or "m.google.com" for Gmail.
On the final screen, select what you want to import—Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and/or Reminders—then hit Accept.
Or you can do it through iTunes if you prefer, though you'll only be able to pull your contacts' vital fields like their names, job titles, email, postal addresses, phone numbers, and IM handle. To do so:

Mount your iPhone onto your computer as an external drive using a USB cable and open iTunes
Select your iPhone from the list on the left pane and select the "Info" tab
Select "Sync Contacts With" and then choose "Google Contacts" from the drop-down
Enter your Google log-in info when prompted then hit Apply to sync
Make sure you disable the Sync With Google option when you've finished otherwise the system will dump redundant entries into your contacts list.

All Your Media
For your music, videos, and pictures, you'll need to again mount your iPhone onto you computer as an external drive. If you are using a PC, open Explorer, locate the appropriate files on the phone and copy them to your desktop. Mac users, on the other hand, can just use Image Capture to download these files to the desktop or. Once that's done, connect your Android to your computer and transfer the media files to the appropriate phone folder. For PC users, it's plug-and-play. For OSX users, if your new Android runs ICS or above, download Android File Transfer Utility do your Mac, and then drag-and-drop. Images and video go to DCIM, music goes to, well, Music.

You may notice that your Android can't sync with iTunes, so you'll need an alternative service to load new media onto the device. Google Play is a solid option, allowing you to store up to 20,000 uploaded tracks for free (and loads your collection directly from iTunes), as well as Amazon Cloud Player, which offers 5GB of space for uploaded tracks at no charge. Or use Spotify.

When transferring SMS messages off the iPhone, My SMS is quite handy. This free app syncs text messages among your various devices—phones, tablets, laptops, and whathaveyou—and is compatible with both Mac and Windows. Simply download the app on both phones, follow the setup instructions and MySMS does the rest.

Extracting voice mail messages from your iPhone, on the other hand, can be a bit of a pain though it depends on how much money you are willing to spend. The least costly option (albeit most labor intensive) involves simply forwarding messages individually to your Google account. To do so, select the appropriate conversation in "Messages", click Edit and then Forward.

Now if you'd prefer to skip the drudgery of sending yourself old voicemail messages individually, programs like PhoneView (Mac - $30) and iExplorer (Mac and PC - $35) can be quite helpful. These programs pull data from your iTunes backup logs giving you access to virtually every file you've synced. You'll be able to copy not just voicemail to the desktop, but also your call history, contacts, bookmarks, notes, and media files as well.

Apps

Used to be, many popular apps like Instagram, Fruit Ninja, and Flipboard were iOS exclusives, leaving Android owners to either do without or settle for cheap imitations.

However, with Android's recent meteoric rise in popularity developers can no longer afford to ignore it like a red-headed step-child and now regularly offer their wares for both systems. Games are an exception to this trend, unfortunately. Many developers have proven reluctant to port their games to Android and its menagerie of supported hardware, which is why you'll be hard-pressed to find iOS stalwarts like Plants vs Zombies, Chrono Trigger, or Infinity Blade on Google Play.

What you get instead are a bevy of features that don't exist in Apple's sandbox—widgets, for example. These home screen-based apps provide instant access to a variety of services; from Accuweather Forecasts to Rdio Playlists and native Android utilities like Gmail, Calendar, and Voice Search (which is like Siri but, you know, competent).

And if you had the pleasure of using iOS 6 before jumping off the Apple wagon, Google Maps will be a welcome return. As will be the near infinite customizability of the OS.

If you don't like your native app launcher, or background, or ringtone suite, or virtually any other aspect of how your phone functions or looks, there are thousands of options (most free) are available on Google Play to replace them.

IE9 aces malware evaluation. Is Microsoft serious about Malware?

You might be surprised at which Web browser aced this security test

By Ellen Messmer
October 13, 2012

— Network World —

Microsoft IE9 blew away Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari in new tests by NSS Labs to measure the ability of web browsers to block malware and catch click fraud.
NSS subjected Apple Safari 5, Google Chrome 15-19, Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and Mozilla Firefox 7-13 to over 3 million test runs against over 84,000 URLs determined to be active and malicious out of a unique sample set of 227,841. Out of 750,000 test cases per browser, NSS labs found in its 75-day review that IE9's malware block rate was 95%, whle Firefox and Safari trailed far behind at 6% apiece and Chrome was somewhere in the middle, with its rate varying from 13% to 74%.

Replacing the double AA batteries in an Apple Wireless Keyboard.

In this article, we’ll go over the basic battery replacement process for Apple wireless keyboards made after 2007.

A wireless Apple keyboard takes two AA batteries in order to operate. You’ll want to make sure that the batteries you’ll be using in the keyboard are of the same type and have the same level of charge.

You can use rechargeable batteries, though I’ve noticed that the battery level readings reported by Bluetooth are a bit off when I do.

Standard alkaline AA batteries bought at the store should last you weeks (or even months) between replacements. The keyboard also tends to go through batteries slower than the Apple mouse, which also uses twin AA batteries.

You’ll also need a coin to undo the battery cap. It’s possible to unscrew this by applying pressure from your thumb, but it isn’t as easy for everyone.

Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Turn off the keyboard by pressing and holding the power button located on the right side of the keyboard’s lifter until the green light turns off.
Unscrew the end from the opposite side of the lifter using a coin or your thumb.

Take out the old batteries and set them aside.

Insert the new batteries with the positive side (the side with a bump) facing in.

Screw the cap back on the keyboard and tighten.

Press the power button until a green light appears above the eject key.
Wait a few seconds and your keyboard should connect to your Mac automatically.

Once everything is connected, you can check your battery levels via the Bluetooth icon at the top of the screen. New batteries should reflect a 100% charge starting out. If you inserted new batteries and they’re not reading a near-100% charge, you may have mismatched or faulty batteries.

Additional news for Mobile users

Keep an eye open for these malware variants.

Loozfon is an information-stealing piece of malware. Criminals use different variants to lure the victims. One version is a work-at-home opportunity that promises a profitable payday just for sending out email. A link within these advertisements leads to a website that is designed to push Loozfon on the user’s device. The malicious application steals contact details from the user’s address book and the infected device’s phone number.

FinFisher is a spyware capable of taking over the components of a mobile device. When installed the mobile device can be remotely controlled and monitored no matter where the Target is located. FinFisher can be easily transmitted to a Smartphone when the user visits a specific web link or opens a text message masquerading as a system update.

Last week, security experts at McAfee announced that more than 60% of Android malware uses fake premium SMS messages. In their post on this subject, McAfee said, “Malware authors appear to make lots of money with this type of fraud, so they are determined to continue improving their infrastructure, code, and techniques to try to avoid antivirus software. It’s an ongoing struggle, but we are constantly working to keep up with their advances.”

Tips for Mobile users on Internet safety

Safety tips from FBI to protect your mobile device:

When purchasing a Smartphone, know the features of the device, including the default settings. Turn off features of the device not needed to minimize the attack surface of the device.

Depending on the type of phone, the operating system may have encryption available. This can be used to protect the user’s personal data in the case of loss or theft.

With the growth of the application market for mobile devices, users should look at the reviews of the developer/company who published the application.
Review and understand the permissions you are giving when you download applications.

Passcode protect your mobile device. This is the first layer of physical security to protect the contents of the device. In conjunction with the passcode, enable the screen lock feature after a few minutes of inactivity.

Obtain malware protection for your mobile device. Look for applications that specialize in antivirus or file integrity that helps protect your device from rogue applications and malware.
Be aware of applications that enable Geo-location. The application will track the user’s location anywhere. This application can be used for marketing, but can be used by malicious actors raising concerns of assisting a possible stalker and/or burglaries.

Jailbreak or rooting is used to remove certain restrictions imposed by the device manufacturer or cell phone carrier. This allows the user nearly unregulated control over what programs can be installed and how the device can be used. However, this procedure often involves exploiting significant security vulnerabilities and increases the attack surface of the device. Anytime a user, application or service runs in “unrestricted” or “system” level within an operation system, it allows any compromise to take full control of the device.

Do not allow your device to connect to unknown wireless networks. These networks could be rogue access points that capture information passed between your device and a legitimate server.

If you decide to sell your device or trade it in, make sure you wipe the device (reset it to factory default) to avoid leaving personal data on the device.
Smartphones require updates to run applications and firmware. If users neglect this it increases the risk of having their device hacked or compromised.

Avoid clicking on or otherwise downloading software or links from unknown sources.
Use the same precautions on your mobile phone as you would on your computer when using the Internet.

Making money. Wall Street looks ahead.

The Stocks Wall Street Was Talking About

CNBC.com | October 13, 2012

Analysts and investors weighed in on whether Amazon is a threat to Netflix and whether Wal-Mart can take on Amazon this week. They also discussed their bank and restaurant stock picks.

Find out more in this weekly CNBC.com Stock Blog roundup.

Wall Street analysts are divided on what do with Netflix [ NFLX 64.3335 -1.6465 (-2.50%) ]. Morgan Stanley upgraded to stock suggesting Amazon.com’s online video offering is not a direct threat, while other analysts worry that as media companies put more content online, Netflix will have trouble attracting subscribers.

Wal-Mart [ WMT 75.81 +0.80 (+1.07%) ], meanwhile, is looking to take on Amazon [ AMZN 242.36 -1.86 (-0.76%) ] with same-day shipping. Joe Feldman, an analyst at the Telsey Advisory Group, is optimistic that Wal-Mart will be able to use its stores effectively to ship goods to consumers same-day.

Yield has been important to investors this year. There are five companies that could be poised to hike their dividends in the next quarter — AT&T [ T 35.63 -0.63 (-1.74%) ], Kinder Morgan [ KMI 34.50 -0.59 (-1.68%) ], Freeport McMoran [ FCX 40.14 -0.61 (-1.50%) ], Campbell Soup [ CPB 34.68 -0.20 (-0.57%) ] and Hormel Foods [ HRL 28.83 -0.29 (-1.00%) ].

Is E tailers becoming mainstream retailing?

eBay and Groupon makes big waves and now this. When will there be an Amazon store along the lines of Apple?

FORTUNE — Fashion site BaubleBar has spent two years building an avid group of fans who turn to the site to sift through a fast-changing array of hip jewelry sold at reasonable prices. On October 17, the company will invite customers to try on that jewelry in person — at THE BAR, a 500 square-foot showroom that will open in the back of the company’s Manhattan corporate headquarters.

Consider it a modern twist on an old trend: since the birth of the web, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have been creating digital storefronts. Web sales of apparel and accessories, in particular, are growing far faster than any other e-commerce product category and are expected to reach $40.9 billion in 2012 according to eMarketer. But until recently, digital retailers rarely took to the streets. (When’s the last time you drove down to your local Amazon (AMZN) to pick up a skirt?)

Now that’s changing as a new crop of entrepreneurs are developing digital brands that migrate to physical locations. They know that the online opportunity may be big, but it is still dwarfed by more traditional shopping experiences; 80% of transactions still occur offline after all.

MORE: 3 things holding New York tech back

Thus trendy glasses-maker Warby Parker recently opened a SoHo showroom, and the company has retrofitted a school bus to be a pop-up store-on-the-go that will travel to nine cities over the next six months. It has also launched showrooms within existing retail spaces in nine US cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Another example: Last fall Bonobos, an Internet fashion brand that peddles trendy pants to affluent men, opened a storefront it called “Guideshop” in the company’s Chelsea headquarters. In April, the company took a $16.4 million investment led by Nordstrom’s (JWN) (along with Accel Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners) and struck a deal with the retailer to sell its clothes in more than 69 physical stores. A year later, Bonobos has “Guideshop” boutiques in Boston and Palo Alto and a Chicago store will open October 15.

It’s a strategy that makes sense, says Forrester (FORR) analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, because real estate is relatively cheap right now and online retailers have drastically reduced the price of inventory. (Many still mail the inventory online after customers have reviewed the products in the store.) “They’re small bets,” Mulpuru adds. “If it ends up being successful they can extend it to other places as well.”

That’s the model BaubleBar hopes to follow. Founders Daniella Yacobovsky and Amy Jain, both 30, developed the idea for the jewelry company, which sells necklaces, earrings and bracelets for an average between $20 and $120, a few years ago when they were classmates in their second year of Harvard Business School. They noticed most shoppers had no brand affiliation with jewelers the way they might with clothing, say, or shoes. Thus department stores competed on margins, not volume: they bought from many smaller designers without care-taking relationships and then marked the jewelry way up.

MORE: Facebook’s China problem

After meeting with hundreds of designers, Yacobovsky and Jain turned to the Internet to cut out the middlemen, bringing prices down for consumers while at the same time paying designers more. They launched officially in January 2011 after issuing BaubleBar invitations to friends, and have grown mostly by word-of-mouth. With $5.6 million in funding, the company, which adds roughly 100 new products to the site every week, is also able to move very fast — a classic Internet advantage — and to localize products.

Yacobovsky and Jain now hope that speed together with their expert product picks will pay off in physical stores. Beyond THE BAR, they plan to launch more boutiques across the country catering specifically to local tastes. If a fashion blogger in Atlanta is talking up spikes, for example, they can stock an Atlanta store with spiked jewelry within weeks. They can merchandise a store in Atlanta very quickly.

More e-tailers may follow suit. Even Amazon is rumored to be considering a brick-and-mortar store, giving a whole new life to the term “multichannel.”