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These days, it seems almost crazy and unfashionable to hold onto a phone for more than a year or two at a stretch. Smartphones are constantly being innovated and released in new iterations and editions, and if you want to stay fully “up-to-date,” a major part of your budget probably needs to go towards saving up for the latest release of your favourite model of phone.

Of course, while there may be benefits to having the latest phone, there is no actual hard and fast reason why you have to always have the most up-to-date release of everything, in order to lead a thriving life.

As a matter of fact, there are all kinds of great and interesting things you can do with older models of some of the most beloved and classic phones around.

The most obvious choice, of course, is to simply recycle it – and this is now easier than ever before. Even big retailers such as Currys would be happy to do the work for you: they collect, reuse and recycle as much as 65,000 tonnes of electrical appliances every year. But there are other options you could consider before going down this route. Even outdated Android phones could still be useful…

Use it as a minimalist “dumb phone”

These days, a significant number of people are actually looking for ways to reduce the complexity and feature-richness of their phones, rather than expanding it.In some circles, this is referred to as the “dumb phone” movement, and it acts as a branch of the general minimalist movement, as a whole.The idea here is to spend as little time as possible surfing the web, killing time, and being hopelessly absorbed in your phone, as a rule. Many people end up going for 2G feature phones for their “dumb phone” of choice – but there are some good reasons to use an older Android smartphone for this purpose, instead.

For one thing, an older Android phone will be able to make calls and text on 3G (and maybe even 4G) bands, and will potentially be less tempting as an item of distraction anyway, as it likely won’t run all the latest apps.

It’s always useful, though, if your “dumb phone” can also become a bit “smarter” in a pinch. Such as by allowing you to use the Uber app in an emergency, for example.

Turn it into a high-end audiobook and MP3 player

You don’t actually have to use your old or outdated Android phone as a phone at all. You could just use it as a high-end audiobook and MP3 player, and allow it to fill the kind of role in your life that an iPod may once have filled.

These days, audiobook streaming services such as Audible have phone apps that can be very useful and intuitive. But any smartphone worth its salt will be able to play MP3 files, at the very least.

If you don’t have to worry about your old Android phone actually being available for calls, why not use it as a beautiful and high-end playback device?

Use it as a personal planner device

If you are at all ambitious, you no doubt want to stay on top of all your potential tasks and obligations in life. For many entrepreneurial and ambitious people these days, personal planning comes in the form of subscription services such as Todoist and Trello.As it so happens, many of the best personal planner apps out there can be run on older Android devices. So, why not use your older/outdated Android device as your personal planner, and 21st-century Filofax-replacement extraordinaire?

Continue reading “3 THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR OUTDATED ANDROID PHONES”

Every business remains in grave threat at all times due to the increased number of cybersecurity attacks and hacks all over the world. These security breaches always tend to shake the world as whole businesses go bankrupt and capsize. These breaches are most times with the penetrating techniques of hackers and cybercriminals. And many times, they happen as a result of the shortcomings of a business to include the necessary cybersecurity solutions.

You may not need vast solutions to protect your company against threats from the web or outside, but a few essential and necessary implements that can ensure full-bodied protection from all angles. Hence, if your business has some implementations or is just starting out in the commercial world, here are some solutions that are highly necessary for it to dwell efficiently and stay safe from lurking threats:

Firewalls

Contents

• 1 Firewalls
• 2 Email Attack Prevention
• 3 Intrusion Detection
• 4 Testing Susceptibilities
• 5 Best Practices

Many businesses may not pay attention to firewalls and make do with measly antivirus software to protect their businesses. This practice can put your business and data up for easy hacking by cybercriminals. A firewall is software that monitors all outlet and incoming payloads and all other information on a network. It prevents specific programs and malicious activities from happening on a network by putting a stop to all unknown sources. You can set up firewalls for all your business apps, software, servers, and every other resource to safeguard them as much as possible in case of a ransomware attack progression.

Email Attack Prevention

The most common cybersecurity attacks happen by phishing attempts and malware containing email. These emails that look fairly close to regular spam or disguised work-related email can be full of threats of malware or ransomware and take over all systems. As a consequence, your network becomes hacked, and you get signed out from all systems. To prevent such an attack, you can use solutions that detect and separate unrecognized and suspicious emails. Create a flow of incoming emails from only recognized clients for all your employees. Some products can also help you block ads and spamming email altogether.

Intrusion Detection

Hackers are becoming more and more strident at disguising their attacks well in trusted sources and sending malware in an utterly dependable file or packet. Hence, all kinds of companies can succumb to these threats even when receiving trusted packages from a network that also runs through firewalls and other antiviruses. Intrusion prevention solutions can adjust in this grey area as they are equipped enough to detect the most nicely hidden malware and prevent them from attacking the system in trusted parcels. Thus intrusion detection systems are essential for catching all kinds of hidden threats and alarming you of the activity to take actions.

Testing Susceptibilities

No matter what other high-quality and advanced solutions you choose to protect your company and safeguard the network and systems, it can all be for nothing if there are patches needed and susceptible programs. For this reason, it’s essential to introduce scheduled monitoring of systems, software, and everything else used to store and progress data. You must enable practices like compromise assessment, security patches, system upgrades, and updates. Make sure to engage in good quality facilities to prevent your data from being hacked or breached due to any susceptibilities.

Best Practices

The most valuable solution and an end to cybersecurity mishaps come from harboring best practices in a firm. These practices and management of all digital devices and systems can create a regulated flow of security and keep the hacks as far away as possible from the business. These can include hiring the right security audits, implementing an array of cybersecurity solutions, training employees, setting security culture, security implements testing, and much more.

Continue reading “Top Business Cybersecurity Solutions Every Workplace Must Invest In”

Edu360, has announced a partnership with Kucheza Gaming for the first edition of the Mobo Game Jam; an initiative also supported by Digital Schoolhouse and Into Games.

Mobo Game Jam is a global game-making challenge that will see young innovators from across the UK and Nigeria compete to create games that combine creativity, compassion, and computational thinking to solve a worldwide problem. Designed to be accessible to all, the Mobo Game Jam encourages inclusivity, sustainability, and humanity in nurturing young innovators’
ideas.

Individuals and teams aged 8 to 18 years are invited to submit a game or game concept that explores how to achieve a future where everyone has access to clean water. Entries must meet a set brief, which will be delivered by the renowned storyteller ‘Grandma Wura’, a fictional character created by Proud African Roots.

Kids and teens keen to take part will have from Thursday, December 17, 2020, to Thursday, February 4, 2021, to submit their game prototypes in video format. Entrants will be allowed to submit their prototypes digitally or physically. Interested participants can sign up at https://edu360.ng/raise-a-creator/

Winners will get the opportunity to see their games showcased live while spreading awareness of the importance of making clean water available to all, in the defence against climate change. There will also be cash rewards and free laptops for the top winners.

Participants will also access free virtual masterclasses from industry experts to help improve their digital skills. In addition, the Game Jam aims to encourage cultural exchange between entrants by promoting inclusivity, sustainability, and humanity in their ideas.

This partnership highlights Edu360’s focus on supporting education and rapidly accelerating access, quality, and learning outcomes for Nigerian children and youth. Union Bank remains committed to supporting initiatives that will deliver a more sustainable future for generations to come.

Google Play Store and Apple App Store are the most popular and most used app stores for Android and iOS devices, respectively. They are the official window for smartphone users to fulfill their needs of getting different utility, entertainment, and gaming apps.

However, due to some limitations and restrictions, many users go beyond these official platforms to get their apps. Such unofficial app downloading sources are known as the third-party app store. Though hundreds of unofficial third-party app stores are used by millions of users, there is always a security concern while accessing them. People always doubt whether an external app store such as APKMirror is safe or not.

Let us discuss what these third-party app stores are, why users switch to these third-party apps and are these app stores safe?

What are Third-Party App Stores?

The app stores are the dedicated platform with a vast collection of applications ready to download and install. Every OS platform has an official store for providing apps to its users. For example, Android has Play Store, Windows has Microsoft Store, and iOS & macOS have App Store.

The app stores other than the official ones are categorized as third-party app stores. They also contain millions of applications just like the official ones, plus some extra apps too. The additional apps are from the developer who couldn’t register their apps on official stores. The official stores take some amount of money to register the app on their platform—so many app developers who can’t afford that, switch to unofficial third-party stores for listing their apps.

Why are Third-Party App Stores popular?

There are several reasons because of which the third-party app stores are quite popular among users despite official sources having millions of apps in every category. Here is the list of those plausible causes.

(1) Restrictions by Official Stores

Official app stores like Play Store and App Store would provide the users only the latest version to install. The problem is those apps might not be compatible with low-end devices. This is where third-party app vendors come in.

Most popular third-app stores give users the option to download the older version of the app, too, along with the latest ones. There is no compulsion to install only the newest version. However, official app stores also suggest apps as per the device’s configuration, but still, many people want flexibility in choosing the version of their apps.

(2) Paid Apps available for Free

On third-party stores, you will find many apps that are paid on the official stores, are available for free. It might be either because someone who has the paid version might have listed it, or the original developer themselves have made it available for free since it cost them nothing to upload their apps on third-party app stores.

(3) Privacy Concerns

Your privacy is the cost of the ‘free’ services of Google you enjoy. Play Store is one of the free services by Google. Many people avoid creating Google accounts to protect their privacy on the internet. However, to download any app from Play Store, you need to have a Google account. To bypass this, many people prefer downloading apps from third-party sources rather than Google Play Store.

(4) Official Store Banned

Many people are forced to download apps from unofficial sources because the official store is banned or blocked in their region. For example, in China, all the services of Google, including Play Store, is forbidden. People, there has no other option other than third-party stores.

(5) Not all Apps available on the Official Store

Google and Apple have their own sets of rules, so any app or developer who does not follow those won’t be allowed on the Play Store. It is because of this reason many utility apps are not available on official stores. On the other hand, third-party app stores don’t have many rules. It makes the developers easier to list their apps on such platforms. Also, Google doesn’t allow the exclusive apps of other official stores such as Amazon and Samsung on Play Store. So to use those apps, users have to browse to that app store where they are available.

(6) Hacking Apps Available

Official app stores would obviously not provide illegal apps such as the cracked version of games, hacking apps, spying apps, and more. Some third-party app stores contain such types of apps, so people in need of those would visit such stores.

Are Third-Party App Stores Safe?

Though third-party app stores provide a lot more freedom than the official ones, their standards are quite low when it comes to safety. Google and Apple keep security and privacy above anything else, so any app not following such norms won’t be allowed on their platforms. Also, to list their apps on official app stores, the developers must follow strict security standards while making an application.

On the other hand, the third-party app stores might not provide that level of security while listing the apps on their platform. In fact, many third-party app stores lower down their security restrictions to attract more developers to their platform. Though you will also find safe apps on such stores, but unlike Play Store and App Store, the possibility of getting a dangerous app is higher. After getting into your device, such dangerous apps can infect it with malware like Ransomware, Spyware, Trojans, and others.

Many popular apps available on official stores might also be available on third-party vendors but with some modification by injecting malicious codes.

Some apps might also act as a spy and can store and share sensitive information like Email ID, Device Information, Phone Numbers, and more.

Conclusion

While there are many advantages of getting apps from third-party stores, their focus is more on quantity and not on quality. So, as of now, there are no better options to get secured apps for smartphones other than the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. You can use third-party app stores in case of urgency when an app that you want is not available on trusted stores.