How to: turn your iPhone or iPad into the ultimate book reading tool — As it stands, straight out of the box, Apple’s iPad is a decent reading tool, but it could be far better. Join AppleInsider for an examination of some apps and services they have been using for a while to really make the device a universal, digital book reader. [I just use iBooks – it’s already on every iPad.]
Proposed Australian law forces tech companies to decrypt customer messages — The Australian government last Friday proposed a set of new cybersecurity measures that would compel technology companies like Apple to provide law enforcement agencies access to encrypted customer messages. [Apple actually can’t decrypt a lot of stuff already, it’s own encryption is too strong. Apple’s position so far is outlined here.]
In other privacy news, US Customs says it can search iPhones, but not cloud services — While US Customs and Border Protection agents can search an American traveler’s iPhone, they’re not allowed to search any data stored in the cloud, the CBP said recently in response to questions by Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.
In February, Wyden pressed the Department of Homeland Security on the “deeply troubling” practice of border agents asking US travellers to provide passwords and access to social media accounts, according to NBC News. [Not just US travellers! Any traveller to or via the US – Homeland Security even has a setup at Auckland Airport, so it can (and does) start right here on NZ soil.]
Bangalore iPhone App Accelerator facility gives attendees a two-year lead on competition — Developers from Apple’s Bangalore, India App Accelerator claim that the centre gives them a leg up on competitors, with the mentoring help them adopt Apple’s frameworks much quicker than they would have otherwise.
RFID tech expansion in iOS 11 allows Apple iPhone to authenticate goods, buy on the spot — Starting with iOS11, Apple supports the NFC Forum’s NDEF NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) tags, making WISeKey’s solutions instantly available. Data read by the app is encrypted end-to-end, with any stored data retained in a server in a secure vault.
Mac NZ 