This morning as I logged onto the FNB site to do my monthly banking, I was pleasantly surprised to see that FNB is offering their customers Prevx Safe Online (TM) software for FREE.  As a keen evangelist of safer Internet surfing, I installed the software and have to say that it is really impressive.

Free software for safer surfing

Unlike other banking security solutions, which only offer protection on the banking site, Prevx Safe Online offers real time information relating to the security level of all web sites you visit.

While you go about your regular Internet surfing, Prevx Safe Online constantly monitors the sites you visit to make sure that no nasty viruses or spyware are creeping in to your computer.

It adds an additional level of confidence by placing either a blue or green icon above the address  bar of your internet browser.  The blue shows that the site has no encryption security and green shows that the information on the site is secure. (Similar to what an EV SSL Certificate shows).

The software is offered for free but if you’d like to upgrade to the paid version and use it as your primary anti-virus and protection service, you will be charged just under $30.

Other great FREE anti-virus software:

1. Microsoft Security Essentials – offers excellent software for licensed Microsoft users.

Free security from Microsoft

2. Avira

Free online security

In today’s world where hackers and identity thieves lurk in cyberspace, you HAVE to make sure that your data is protected.

As new broadband Internet cables go live (such as the Seacom cable), the price of Internet access keeps dropping and the speeds keep rising.  In the data rate comparison done 22 April, MTN was clearly the most affordable option, but now  their competitors have come back with some rather compelling offers too.  The competition makes pricing more competitive and can only be an advantage to the consumer. This comparison was found on My Broadband and you can read their article here.

Click for larger image

Last week I did a post about Skype on the BlackBerry using iSkoot. Well this time, I’d like to tell you about Nimbuzz.  I have been a Nimbuzz user for about 3 years now and it is truly a great application.

If, like me, you enjoy IM (instant messaging), you are probably familiar with the most popular IM programs such as MSN, Skype, GTalk, etc.   Since some of your friends use one program and others use a different one, you probably have to log into more than one application to be available to chat to all your buddies. Nimbuzz makes life much easier for you by aggregating all your IM programs into one. So you only have to use one program but will see ALL your buddies!

Nimbuzz is quickly becoming one of the best IM programs available, because it is FREE, easy to use and offers versions for Windows PC, Apple Mac and mobile phones.  Nimbuzz for iPhone is available via iTunes and for all other devices, you can go here…

To download Nimbuzz for your PC or laptop please visit http://www.nimbuzz.com

Great application!

If you haven’t already used twitter, you’re probably wondering what the fuss is all about.  However, if you have used twitter, you’re probably wondering how you lived without this simple, yet fun social media service.  You can find it at www.twitter.com .  Signing up is FREE and simple.

Twitter is what is known as a micro-blogging service. It allows you to send out short messages of 140 characters (similar to a text message on your mobile phone) called “tweets”.

There are different permission settings but the default is that you can choose who you would like to follow.  If you are following someone, you will see all their “tweets”.  If someone is following you, they will see all your tweets. At any time you can view your followers and who is following you.

Twitter started a status update service where you told your followers “What you are doing now” and could see what they were doing too.  The airwaves were filled with tweets such as “I’m off to work” or “I’m about to watch Aviator!” etc. Today twitter has evolved into a dynamic service where you can get breaking news as it happens, stay in touch with friends or read arbitrary tweets from all over the world.  You can search on specific topics or send private messages to friends and much more.

Your experience on twitter all depends on the people you follow and how much you interact and engage with your followers.  I follow comedians, journalists, friends and interesting people from all over the world. When I open twitter I know I’m in for some great entertainment.

I use twitter on the Internet (see http://twitter.com/cellfhelp), on my mobile phone and I also use software to send my tweets.  Please feel free to visit my twitter page and follow me!

To help you on your way, here is the blonde’s understanding of twitter jargon:

@ = All twitter “handles” (your name on twitter) start with @. So mine is @Cellfhelp.  If you want to send a message to someone (for example Cellfhelp), and you don’t mind other people seeing it, you would start the message with @Cellfhelp.

DM = Direct Message. You can send and receive direct messages to anyone who is following you.  These messages are not shown on the public Internet and are kept private between you and the recipient.

RT = Re-Tweet. If you see a tweet from a friend and you would like to share it with your followers, you can re-tweet it.  This is a wonderful way to give credit to your friends for their humour, intelligence or stupidity…

#= hash tag. This hash is put in front of subjects.  If you want to find tweets on mobile you can search on #mobile and find out what people are saying about mobile at that moment.  For this reason you should include hash tags in your tweets so that people can find your comments and opinions on the subject.  You can search twitter at http://search.twitter.com

How to get started:

Simply go to http://twitter.com and sign up for a new account.  The service is entirely FREE and all you need is access to the Internet.

Other ways to use twitter:

There are some GREAT twitter applications that give you more functionality.  If you’re interested, check out www.digsby.com; www.feedalizr.com or www.tweetdeck.com.  For twitter on your mobile phone, visit the application store or go to m.twitter.com on your mobile.

Twitter for business

Many companies are using twitter to engage with customers. They can see what people are saying about their brand and respond immediately.

Twitter is so much more than just a texting alternative.  Why not give it a try so that you can see what the fuss is all about?  Don’t you want to also be a twit?

I recently upgraded my Blackberry software to the new version 5.  Most people wouldn’t even know that there is a version 5 and – to be honest, there isn’t officially yet. I managed to find a beta version, which I installed on my blackberry.  I’m a total sucker for latest firmware on my phone and I really advise people to upgrade their phone software when they can. Some new versions just include bug fixes and you hardly notice a difference but others will add features to your phone that make you love that little piece of plastic all over again.

NOTE: please backup all your information before you upgrade your software because your phone is wiped clean when the new software is installed.  If you are not a nerdy expert, then DON’T do it yourself. Rather take it to your service provider (MTN, Vodacare, etc) and have them do it. It is well worth the R100 they charge.

Ok, so this week was the BIG APPLE ANNOUNCEMENT week again and on 8 April, I was watching the Internet closely with all the other mobile phonatics (kewl word) to see what Steve Jobs was going to announce for the NEW iPhone operating system version 4.

Here are the cool new things that your iPhone will be able to do when you install the new operating system:

1. Multitasking. This has been iPhone’s biggest downfall.  If you read my  post on Blackberry or iPhone? you’ll notice that I mentioned that I did not like the fact that I couldn’t run twitter or Instant Messaging in the background while doing other things on my iPhone. The iPhone only allows one application to run at a time.  According to Steve Jobs, the reason for this was to preserve battery life.  Apple, as always aims to please, and they have implemented new services into the new OS that will allow for several multitasking services: these include audio streaming, background location (for example using your GPS for navigation or social networking), push notifications and Skype.
2. Folders. The iPhone does not offer any file system. So much so that the last OS release had to include a “Search” facility so that you could find your folders.  In my post I mention that if I want to keep a file on my iPhone I literally have to email it to myself as an attachment and then access the file via email.  Well the new OS 4 gives you a folder system that you can use to organise your data.  You will also be able to drag and drop applications into application folders – that should save you from having to scroll through multiple application screens!
3. Email. It’s no secret that email on the iPhone is clunky at best.  Well the new OS 4 is going to see an entirely redesigned email application.  There will be a unified inbox (where all your incoming messages will be displayed – these could be for different email addresses).  This is a really great feature on the BlackBerry where I can see my text messages, facebook and email messages all in one inbox. Kudos to Apple for this great feature on the iPhone!  It will really improve the email facility.
4. Email. Another great additional feature to email is that you will be able to organize your emails by thread. Thread is where the entire conversation is connected so you can see the previous email to which the current one refers. (Think of it similar to instant messaging where you see the entire conversation in a long string).  This is a very cool feature!
5. Email. The ability to use multiple email services for push email will be enabled. This is great if you are using Exchange and others like Google, etc.
6. iBooks. Thanks to the iPad which came out with a sexy eBook reader called iBooks; the new iPhone OS 4 will have this application too.  I already use Kindle for iPhone and eReader and have read over 23 books on my phone.  Yes on my phone! The reading experience is great; you can choose your background colour, font colour and size, etc – to make it easy on your eyes. So I for one am really looking forward to the Apple reader and the ability to buy books through iTunes.
7. Game Center.  Gaming on the iPhone has become so popular that gaming only devices (such as Nintendo DS or Playstation’s PSP) have seen significant market share decline.  Why buy a gaming device when your phone gives as good an experience?  IPhone OS 4 gives you a social gaming network (similar to that of Xbox Live) which you can use for your iPhone. This is going to be a killer!
8. iAd.  If you want free applications, then advertising comes with it. Apple is launching an advertising platform that offers interactive video content inside the application. The advertising revenue will be split with the developers where they get 60% and Apple 40% in order to incentivise them to lower the cost of their applications.  From a consumer perspective this is great because you pay less for applications and can choose to ignore the adverts if you wish.

These were the highlighted features but according to Steve Jobs, there are many more. Ooooh, it feels as though Steve took my wish list, waved his little Apple wand and made it happen! I can’t wait! I’m already searching for the jailbroken version to come out – children, don’t try this at home – you could end up with a VERY EXPENSIVE coaster. There is no official date for OS4 to be available estimate is in the US Autumn this year. I can’t wait to see it!

If it delivers as promised….

4 Stars!

As cyber crime continues to rise, how can you tell when you are on a safe / secure web site?   While browsing the Internet, you often come across sites that ask you for private information such as credit card details.  If you ever suspect that the site is not legitimate, DO NOT give any private information.  This is becoming more popular as identity thieves create web sites with the sole purpose of stealing your information.  They go to great lengths to design sites that look just like the authentic site. These fake sites are called “phishing” sites and the criminals lure their victims to these sites through all sorts of creative methods.  As the mobile Internet grows, mobile phishing sites will appear more often.

Web sites that need you to provide information (such as banking sites or e-commerce sites where you can buy things online) must have a valid SSL Certificate (issued by a an authorised Certificate Authority (CA) such as Thawte, VeriSign or GoDaddy) which does the following:

1. It shows that the site you are on really belongs to the domain owner (and not someone else).  This information is checked by the CA.

2. It encrypts (jumbles up) the information shared between you and the website for the time that you are communicating so that no one can intercept that information.

If you have decided that you would like to give your information, there are things you can look for to make sure that the site has a valid SSL Certificate.

When you are on a normal web site, you will see a prefix of http:// before the web site’s address in your web browser’s address bar. (HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol – and is the standard language method used to send information across the Internet).

As soon as you enter any section of the site where you need to give private information (such as a log in page, shopping cart or payment page) then the you will see the security features activated.  Look for 3 things:

1.  The HTTP:// prefix turns to HTTPS:// (The S means SECURE).

2. A lock will appear in the address bar or at the bottom of the screen. Sometimes it appears in both. (This depends on which Internet browser you are using).

3. Somewhere on the page you should see a seal issued by the CA that shows that the site is secure.  In this example, you will see the thawte seal displayed.

NOTE: If you click on the seal or the lock, it should open a little window with all the certificate details and you can check that the owner is valid and that the certificate is still valid (hasn’t expired) and whether or not it was issued by a reliable CA.

The most secure certificates available at present are called Extended Validation (EV) Certificates.  These require even more stringent criteria before being issued and they offer the consumer additional security because they turn the whole address bar GREEN.  If you see GREEN you can rest assured the site is secure.  If it is blue or red, be careful. The certificate may have expired (blue) or if RED then you are being warned that there is a problem on this site – DO NOT give your private information.

The good news is that mobile phones display SSL Security in the same way.  Although EV may render slightly differently (depending on the  type of phone), you can still look for the SSL, the lock and the site seal.  You can also click on the lock or seal to check the certificate.

This is a mobile site with SSL Certificate (as it shows on an iPhone):

This is a mobile site with EV SSL Certificate (as it shows on an iPhone):

Identity theft (where criminals steal your private information) is a fast growing threat.  You wouldn’t let a stranger look over your shoulder as you enter your PIN number into an ATM, so don’t let strangers watch as you share your private information on the Internet.  If the site is not encrypted, DO NOT give any information.

A great resource for more information: www.trustthecheck.com

When you say the word “MXiT” you literally get a mixed reaction (depending on who you are talking to).  Most youth will smile and know what you’re talking about, some adults may pull their face in disgust and try to change the topic, while others may look at you with confusion and ask “Mix what?”

Although the media frenzy around the abuse of MXiT has appeared to have died down, there are still people who have a negative impression of this technology.  Cellfhelp would like to de-mystify this application and show parents how to safeguard their children from potential abuse in this post.

What is MXiT?

MXiT is an application that you can use on your PC or mobile phone that allows you to chat to other MXiT users using text messaging that is MUCH cheaper than SMS.  It is an instant messaging and social networking service that even allows you to include your Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, AIM and Windows Live Messenger contacts into your buddy list.  (We did a post on Nimbuzz which is similar).  It allows for cheap, easy and fast communications across the Internet.

Why the bad publicity?

As is the case with any technology, some people will abuse it for their own purposes.  With the rapid growth in young users, predators had a ripe field for contacting and talking to unsuspecting young people, which they manipulated.  They would masquerade as other young people or friends when their true motives were not as they seemed.  In the same way that criminals use the Internet to lure children, they used MXiT to contact young people through public chat rooms.

Due to the emotional aspect of this problem, public outrage was aimed at the technology and not only at the abusers.  It is the old “Do guns kill people or people kill people” argument…. However, guns are designed to kill whereas MXiT was built to enable affordable communication and it is unfair to slate the entire technology due to the activities of very few individuals.

The MXiT developers immediately responded by adding additional filters and security features in order to protect their users and many parents were awakened to the importance of KNOWING what their children are doing on the Internet (mobile phone or PC) and how to protect them.

Why the good publicity?

Not only did the whole MXiT abuse debacle highlight the importance of Internet security (and wake up a lot of ignorant adults) but it also showed that the same technology could be used for good.  Marlon Jacobs, lecturer at CPUT and founder of the Reconstructed Living Labs showed how MXiT could be used to counsel young people.  His team of qualified counsellors have successfully helped hundreds of troubled teenagers suffering from suicidal tendencies, abusive home situations and drug addiction.  By meeting the children where they are (in the MXiT chat rooms), Marlon’s team engage in open, honest conversations with problem teens.  They encourage them to talk about problems and then give them contact details of counsellors and authorities who can help them.  They have many success stories where lives have been saved and changed around thanks to the timely intervention of a caring person who was available to talk in an accessible manner.

How do you get MXiT?

If you would like to get started, simply visit http://www.mxitlifestyle.com/ and click on the download button.  For mobile access visit: http://m.mxit.co.za or www.mxit.com from your mobile phone and follow the prompts.

How much does it cost?

Since MXiT chats are done using GPRS (where you only pay for the data and not the time), they are really cheap and you can estimate that a text size message could cost as little as 15 or 20c (where an SMS costs anything from 50 to 80c).  If you want to partake in chat rooms, you need to purchase access using “Moola” – which is MXiT’s own currency.

How do I protect myself (or my children) when using MXiT?

Think of MXiT as you would any Internet application where your information is visible to the world and follow these standard precautionary measures:

1. NEVER give out private information such as your full name, home address, ID number or cell phone number.
2. NEVER agree to meet a stranger from a chat room in person.
3. NEVER abuse other people in chat rooms.  Remember that tone of voice is not easy to guess from text messages and sometimes your words could be misunderstood.  So always type in clear, simple terms.
4. As a parent, make sure you are aware of your child’s MXiT buddies and which chat rooms they frequent.  Discuss these in open conversation and warn them of the dangers of talking to strangers.  Here are some other problems teenagers have faced with MXiT:
   1. Addiction. Chatting can become addictive and there are many people who have grown dependent on Internet chats (mobile and PC).
   2. Abuse / Cyber bullying.  When you chat to friends online, you can easily become involved in arguments so be careful of how you interact.  Warn your children to block any people who send them rude or nasty messages.
   3. Sexual Predators: Unfortunately these guys lurk EVERYWHERE, including MXiT.  Teenagers must avoid topics of a sexual nature and if they suspect that the person on the other side may be dangerous, they should report them to the SA Police (or MXiT abuse report forum) immediately.
   4. NEVER share photo’s that you wouldn’t want to see published all over the Internet! Some people have had very embarrassing (if not devastating) moments when pictures they shared with “trusted” friends ended up on public Internet Web sites.  Avoid sharing files in general because some could also contain viruses.

So is MXiT an angel or a demon?  Well, MXiT is just a a technology and its power lies in the hands of those who use it.  It can be used for good (as in Marlon Parker’s example) or bad.  Banning or forbidding the use of MXiT and other instant messaging services does not make the problem go away.  We believe that users and parents need to be aware of the possible dangers so that they can empower themselves to use and enjoy the great benefits of the service.
MXIT is a South African company started in Stellenbosch and is 30% owned by Naspers.   MXiT has met with great success in enabling users to have affordable communication and with their rapid international growth, is a great South African success story.