Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
14<br />
|tech news<br />
Friday, <strong>December</strong> 16, 2016 | www.goantimes.titosgoa.com | 16 pages<br />
WhatsApp reveals that it's now blocking<br />
these popular smartphones in 20<strong>17</strong><br />
There was some bad news coming to some<br />
WhatsApp users at the end of this month.<br />
The world's most popular messaging<br />
service had said that numerous devices<br />
including BlackBerry, Nokia and some<br />
Android phones would face a permanent<br />
block from the app.<br />
However, WhatsApp now seems to have<br />
had a change of heart. In a recent update<br />
to firm's blog they are now stating: "We<br />
are extending support for BlackBerry<br />
OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia<br />
Symbian S60 until June 30, 20<strong>17</strong>."<br />
This will come as a huge relief to many<br />
BlackBerry owners who looked like they'd<br />
soon need to switch to the lastest Android<br />
or Apple smartphones. Sadly, not everyone<br />
will be so happy as some phones will still<br />
lose support in a few weeks time. These<br />
include: Android 2.1 and Android 2.2,<br />
Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS/iOS 6.<br />
WhatsApp understands the news won't<br />
go down well for many users saying:<br />
"While these mobile devices have been an<br />
important part of our story, they don't offer<br />
the kind of capabilities we need to expand<br />
our app's features in the future.<br />
"This was a tough decision for us to make,<br />
but the right one in order to give people<br />
better ways to keep in touch with friends,<br />
family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.<br />
"If you use one of these affected mobile<br />
devices, we recommend upgrading to a<br />
newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone<br />
before the end of 2016 to continue using<br />
WhatsApp."<br />
Despite these big changes, WhatsApp is<br />
more popular than ever, topping the iOS<br />
App Store download charts for 2016. Apple<br />
has just revealed its yearly iTunes and<br />
App Store download figures and WhatsApp<br />
comes out on top as the biggest free app of<br />
the year on the iPhone.<br />
WhatsApp is now used by over one billion<br />
people with 42 billion messages and 250<br />
million videos sent every day. Along with<br />
WhatsApp other popular downloads from<br />
Apple include Face Swap Live, Minecraft<br />
and Candy Crush Saga. Spotify also<br />
continues to be hugely popular although<br />
Apple has announced that its new Music<br />
streaming service now has over 20 million<br />
paid subscribers.<br />
One BILLION Yahoo<br />
email accounts hacked in<br />
world's BIGGEST EVER<br />
security breach<br />
Personal data from<br />
accounts across the globe<br />
– including Britain –<br />
have been stolen in an<br />
unprecedented security<br />
breach.<br />
Stolen information includes<br />
names, email addresses,<br />
phone numbers, dates of<br />
birth, hashed passwords<br />
and security questions and<br />
answers.<br />
Payment card data and<br />
bank account information<br />
was not compromised,<br />
Yahoo added.<br />
An investigation is still<br />
ongoing into the breach,<br />
which Yahoo said occurred<br />
back in 2013.<br />
"Yahoo has identified<br />
data security issues<br />
concerning certain Yahoo<br />
user accounts," the firm<br />
A Verizon spokesman said:<br />
"We will review the impact<br />
of this new development<br />
before reaching any final<br />
conclusions.”<br />
Yahoo recommends users<br />
"review all of their online<br />
accounts for suspicious<br />
activity and to change their<br />
passwords and security<br />
questions and answers<br />
for any other accounts on<br />
which they use the same or<br />
similar information used<br />
for their Yahoo account."<br />
"The company further<br />
recommends that users<br />
avoid clicking links or<br />
downloading attachments<br />
from suspicious emails<br />
and that they be<br />
cautious of unsolicited<br />
communications that ask<br />
for personal information,"<br />
it added.<br />
Amazon completes first Prime Air drone<br />
delivery<br />
Amazon has completed its first customer<br />
delivery by drone.<br />
The company made the used its Prime Air<br />
service for the first time to deliver goods to a<br />
customer in Cambridgeshire on <strong>December</strong><br />
7. Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff<br />
Bezos confirmed the delivery in a tweet.<br />
Amazon said a new private<br />
trial – also in the UK – will<br />
now deliver packages up<br />
to 2.3 kg in weight in 30<br />
minutes or less using the<br />
drones, which it began<br />
testing earlier this year.<br />
The initial trial will start<br />
with two customers, with<br />
plans to expand to others in<br />
the local area.<br />
Amazon’s drones are<br />
fully autonomous and are<br />
dispatched from a local<br />
centre. After customers<br />
make their order, their<br />
boxed goods are placed inside the body of<br />
the drone. The drone is then sent outside<br />
down an automated track before taking off<br />
vertically. The drones are guided by GPS<br />
and fly below 120 m to land on ground near<br />
the customer’s home.<br />
confirmed in a statement.<br />
"Yahoo has taken steps<br />
to secure user accounts<br />
and is working closely<br />
with law enforcement.<br />
As Yahoo previously<br />
disclosed in November, law<br />
enforcement provided the<br />
company with data files<br />
that a third party claimed<br />
was Yahoo user data.<br />
"The company analysed this<br />
data with the assistance<br />
of outside forensic experts<br />
and found that it appears to<br />
be Yahoo user data.<br />
Yahoo, which is being<br />
bought by Verizon<br />
Communications, said it is<br />
notifying all affected users<br />
and has taken steps to<br />
secure their accounts.<br />
Those with a Yahoo email<br />
account should be on the<br />
lookout for any suspiciouslooking<br />
messages asking<br />
you to input any personal<br />
data from your account.<br />
Earlier this year,<br />
cybercriminals took<br />
advantage of the online<br />
attack to try and trick<br />
Yahoo mail users into<br />
clicking onto phishing<br />
websites – mistakenly<br />
thinking it was a genuine<br />
URL from Yahoo looking<br />
to help secure online<br />
accounts.<br />
"Based on further analysis<br />
of this data by the forensic<br />
experts, Yahoo believes an<br />
unauthorised third party,<br />
in August 2013, stole data<br />
associated with more than<br />
one billion user accounts."
Change language