Volterman - World’s Most Powerful Smart Wallet

    

    We now live in an age where there are smart versions our most commonly used products: smart-phones, smart-watches, smart-televisions. Now introducing the smart wallet technology by Volterman which will be officially launched sometime this year. 

Features

·         Built-in Powerbank - fully charges your smartphone on the go. Works both wirelessly and with a cable. Extremely lightweight and thin.

• Distance Alarm - Bluetooth Alarm System doesn’t only notify you every time you leave your wallet behind, it sends alarm signals when you leave your phone behind as well.

• Global GPS Tracking - Global GPS system secures you from thieves and loss. Track your wallet wherever you are in real-time using your mobile phone.

• Worldwide WiFi Hotspot - ensures you have internet, wherever you travel. The internet cost with Volterman is up to 3 times cheaper than regular roaming charges.

• Anti-Thief Camera - There’s a tiny camera in Volterman. Once your wallet is in lost mode, Volterman's camera pictures anyone who opens it and sends you the pics.

The Volterman is not the first the first smart wallet to hit the markets. In January 2016 the Cashew launched their Kickstarter campaign and was fully funded. Later that year the Walli smart wallet also enjoyed a successful Kickstarter campaign.  However, The Volterman will definitely be the most advanced version thus-far, possessing several more features than it's competitors as illustrated in the figure below. 

The Volterman smart wallet comes in three variations, the Bifold, Travel and Cardholder, each varying in size but still maintaining all features.

With 4 more days remaining on it's Indiegogo campaign, which raised over $800,000 USD , the Volterman wallet will be the benchmark for smart wallets and may serve as a catalyst for the further advancement of this relatively new concept. For more information on it's specs and pricing visit thier Indiegogo page by clicking here.

Cyber Security 101 - Tip 3

Email Security.

  

Emails are commonly used as a medium for the spread of malware, spam, and phishing attacks, using deceptive messages to entice recipients to divulge sensitive information, open attachments or click on hyperlinks that install malware on the victim’s device. Email is also a common entry vector for attackers looking to gain a foothold in an enterprise network and breach valuable company data.

It is critical that enterprises and individuals take measures to secure their email accounts against common attacks as well as attempts at unauthorized access to accounts or communications. Here are some tips you should follow to ensure you don’t fall victim to cyber-attacks via email:

·       Never open attachments or click on links in email messages from unknown senders.

·       Try to send as little sensitive information as possible via email, and send sensitive information only to recipients who require it.

·       Use spam filters and anti-virus software.

·       Avoid accessing company email from public Wi-Fi connections.

·       Don’t reveal personal or financial information in an email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email

·       Before sending sensitive information over the Internet, check the security of the website.

·       Pay attention to a website's URL. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com versus .net).

·       Keep a clean machine. Having the latest operating system, software, web browsers, anti-virus protection and apps are the best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats.

·       Make your password a sentence: A strong password is a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Focus on positive sentences or phrases that you like to think about and are easy to remember (for example, “I love country music.”). On many sites, you can even use spaces!

Cyber Security 101 - Tip 2

Installing Protective Software.

 

 

 

 

     Continuing the cyber security tip series here is one of the most important tips for protecting your devices and data from malicious software and viruses. The lack of virus and malware protection remains one of the most common reasons why computer systems fail. It’s therefore best practice to install and use protective software such as Avast, AVG and Avira  which are some of the best free options available for download on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

Types of Viruses

Worms: These are programs which copy themselves to other computers on a network. They tend to slow things down as they consume more and more bandwidth or computer resources.

 

Trojans: Disguised as a common file, this type of virus performs malicious functions on the computer without the knowledge of the user (Think of the Trojan Horse of Troy)

 

Malware: There are many types of malware which is not classed as a virus. It is software used to spy on computer user's activities and collect personal information and are more commonly known as "spyware".

 

Why is it important to avoid viruses and malware?

Virus and malware protection goes a long way in increasing the longevity of your computers and laptops as well as securing your information. A computer or laptop without a virus protection will most likely be infected with harmful software within a few minutes of accessing an unsecure or public network. The effects of such harmful software includes but not limited to:

§  Prevent computers from booting up (aka the dreaded blue screen of death)

§  Slows computer processing

§  Damages parts of the operating system or alters how the system operates without the owner's knowledge

§  Corrupts, destroys alters files and documents

§  Infects other devices connected to the same network

§  Attack other machines using machine as a host

§  Send out unauthorized messages

§  Steal personal details such as email and social media account passwords (Malware)

§  Access and control webcams for spying (Malware)

§  Blocks or restricts internet access (Malware)
 

                  

New viruses and malware are developed as time goes by which promises to be more efficient and detrimental than their predecessors. Hence, it is advised to regularly update your protection software to its latest versions an scan your files on regular basis to always ensure you don’t become victim to such threats.

 

New diesel and petrol vehicles to be banned from 2040 in the UK

     Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 in an attempt to reduce air pollution that could herald the end of over a century of reliance on the internal combustion engine and the start of the era for electric/solar-powered vehicles.

The decision was announced this week by the UK’s environment minister, Michael Gove, and it follows a similar action by the government of France and other European countries.

The mayors of Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens have said they plan to ban diesel vehicles from city centers by 2025, while the French government also aims to end the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040.

The British government has been under pressure to take steps to reduce air pollution after losing legal cases brought by campaign groups. Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives had pledged to make "almost every car and van" zero-emission by 2050.

The future of auto-mobiles

      This major decision will be a hurdle to car manufacturing companies however some have already adapted and began construction of manufacturing facilities to boost the production of electric cars.

      German car manufacturer, BMW, has stated that their British manufacturing facility will be producing an electric mini as early as 2019. Additionally, Volvo will discontinue the production of petrol and diesel vehicles and release solely hybrid and electric cars from 2019. The Renault-Nissan alliance in 2009, announced plans to spend 4 billion euros on electric car development. Toyota, which pioneered hybrids but long resisted battery-only cars, changed tack last year and has since unveiled plans for a new range of pure-electric models.

    The future legislation governing transportation vehicles for European countries will encourage the use of the new Eco-friendly cars, with consumers benefiting from subsidies, tax breaks and other perks, while consumers using combustion engines face mounting penalties including driving and parking restrictions.

It will be interesting to see how this will impact the use and sales of auto-mobiles in Trinidad & Tobago.

Cyber Security 101 - Tip 1

Keep Operating System Up to Date

Tip número uno in my series of of tips concerning your cyber security and safe internet usage. Hope you find them informative.

   Computers using outdated operating software are more likely to have software vulnerabilities that can be exploited making it susceptible to malware and viruses. With each new update to an operating software these vulnerabilities in the programming as well as existing bugs are rectified. Additionally, the software itself is usually enhanced with additional features thereby increasing its functionality.  Delaying updates when you have extensive computer usage is completely 

Rail gun which fires ballistics at Mach 7

The US Navy is on the brink of completing their testing on rail gun technology which should be ready for combat deployment in 2018. The rail gun uses an electromagnetic current to fire a kinetic energy warhead at speeds greater than Mach 7 (7 times the speed of sound) or 5,000 miles an hour. The weapon works when electrical power charges up a pulse-forming network made up of capacitors which are able to release very large amounts of energy in a very short period of time. Approximately 1,200 volts is released in a ten millisecond time-frame which is enough to accelerate a mass of approximately 45 pounds from zero to five thousand miles per hour in one one-hundredth of a second. 

The 18 inch, 23 lb projectile used by the rail gun is non-explosive and is significantly smaller than cruise missiles making them easier to transport and store in large quantities. Additionally, the projectiles are much more economic, costing US$ 25,000 compared to cruise missiles such as the Tomahawk which costs US$1.5 million, whilst both possess similar destructive capabilities. 

  The projectile destroys everything it comes into contact with, successfully penetrating several reinforced steel walls which means it can destroy or severely damage enemy vehicles such as aircrafts or ships.

 The weapon’s range is more than 100 miles and can destroy targets in a matter of seconds which makes it suitable for cruise and ballistic missile defense as well as various kinds of surface warfare applications

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Fuze Card - The All In One Smart Card

The Fuze card, as it's name suggests, fuses all of your cards into one multi-card which has the same dimensions as a regular credit card. The card is currently being developed by BrilliantTS and is set to be released officially in January of 2018. The product can be pre-ordered at a discounted price via their IndieGoGo Campaign which has 10 days left and has already raised over US 1.4 million from over 8000 backers. All pre-orders are inclusive of the portable battery charger and card reader accessories.

How does it work?

The Fuze card features a re-writable EMV chip which can store data for up to 30 personal cards. The cards which can be stored include:

• Debit Cards
• Credit Cards
• Membership Cards
• Gift Cards 
• Electronic ID

    To store the various cards, one simply attaches the card reader to a smartphone after pairing it with the Fuze Card and installing the supporting application. The user then swipes the cards using the card reader which saves card's the data onto the mobile app and is registered onto the Fuze Card. The user can cycle through saved cards using the touch button interface and E-paper display. Once the desired card is obtained, the card can be locked and used as a regular magnetic strip card. the card can also be powered on and off to conserve battery time and set password protection for security purposes.

Features

• Stores up to 30 cards
• 30 day battery life
• Bluetooth connectivity with smart phones
• Fast wipe security
• Remote card tracking
• EMV chip
• E-Paper display
• Easy touch buttons for user interface
• Password protection

     The idea of an all in one smart card technology is personally welcomed since, with the fashion trends nowadays, it is fairly difficult to find a pair jeans with pockets deep enough to fit my wallet which is currently bulging with numerous cards. However it is recommended to wait until this product is successfully released before purchasing as similar companies have tried and failed in the past such as Coin and Plastyc. Additionally the Fuze Card features are not fully functional since agreements are still in progress with banking institutions concerning the use of the EMV chip technology with existing banking systems. Despite this, it should be noted that the Fuze Card seems promising compared to its predecessors due to its EMV technology and design which could potentially revolutionize consumers' card transaction experiences in the near future. For more information and full specifications of the Fuze Card click here.

"One card to rule them all"- Fuze Card