Tag Archives: 125

FIVE SUMMER GIFTS #6 – Cybersecurity device Fingbox

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Cybersecurity in the home is as weak as a cokehead’s nostril, but the Fingbox is an excellent device that protects the domestic environment from web prowlers, snoopers and black hats.

finbox

There’s a 1960s pulp Sci-Fi film that terrified me as a kid; my trauma must have been so complete that I can’t (or won’t) remember its name. The terror it engendered was because of a TV that monitored people’s homes, even in the bedroom.

It was like a rubbish 1984, but it was still horrifying, the only good news being that it was impossible to happen in my lifetime. Ha! Thank God I didn’t know at the time that n 2018 everybody with a decent broadband connection has opened their doors, TVs or devices to anybody who wants to watch.

The ignorance and fragility of IoT devices, especially those in the home, are staggering. Easy-to-read passwords, an internet this is rarely switched off and bad people looking for a way in have it easy.

So step forward the Fingbox, a physical device that works with a downloadable app that warns of any external infringements and works somewhat better than a tripwire and a can in the back garden.

The Fingbox is not cheap, but what price piece of mind? Retailing at £125 from THAT website that also constantly monitors you, it connects to the home router and offers a range of services to protect the home.

Technical Specifications

* Monitoring of all wired and wireless devices on a network
* Two-year warranty
* No subscription fees
* 1 GB/s Ethernet port
* ARM 7 processor
* 4GB home board storage

For somebody like me, and you too I would suspect, it takes time to set up the Fingbox and to connect it with the app, but for those who know their tech (not least the bullet-points above) it should be easy.

When I had finally got it working, I really felt safer and, more worryingly, it has already flagged up attempts to tap into my home network. Those people REALLY are watching, it’s not Sci-Fi, it’s here and cannot be ignored.

Take your home security seriously. There are other products out there that offer the same type of protection, but I would look at the Fingbox first, it could be your friend in the future.

Emerging markets are worth $70 billion to digital brands

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The 2016 Developing Markets Mobile Commerce report says that tech brands need to address these markets strategically.

emerging

A new report has revealed that engaging consumers in high growth markets could offer a $70 billion revenue opportunity to digital services providers. The findings, however, also show that tech brands need to address the intricacies of each market and adjust their strategy accordingly.

The 2016 Developing Markets Mobile Commerce report, commissioned by Upstream, a leading mobile commerce accelerator in high growth markets, reveals that if cost wasn’t an issue, Netflix is the brand that consumers across the markets questioned would like to access most via their mobile device.

More than a quarter (26%) named Netflix, ahead of Apple Music (25%), BBC News (20%), Amazon Prime (17%) and Spotify (13%) as the biggest mobile brand. The report reveals that the top factors which influence the decision of consumers in emerging markets to purchase a digital mobile service are pricing adjusted to local currency (88%) and low data charges (87%).

The data also reveal that 61% of consumers in the markets questioned feel unsatisfied with their current mobile connection, with 25% stating it is unreliable and 36% stating it is slow. As a result, over a third of consumers (40%) want brands to provide ‘lite’ versions of their digital services.

The findings highlight that localisation of content is key for consumers in emerging markets; with more than 75% wanting the digital services they consume to have a substantial local feel. In Brazil, video services are used by 62% of consumers, with 92% of respondents requiring at least a balanced mix between local and international content in their preferred streaming services.

* The study was carried out in January 2016 by YouGov on behalf of Upstream and was based on 5,215 consumers in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and South Africa. The survey sample was age and gender representative of each of the markets covered.