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The latest Black Hat security conference is underway in Las Vegas. (AP)" LAS VEGAS -- Apple (AAPL) iPhones are drubbing their Android counterparts on the mobile security front, say Atredis Partners founders Shawn Moyer and Josh Thomas. But Apple's dominance isn't necessarily tied to a more potent security posture."Not that many (Android users) are on the newest release of the OS (operating system)," Thomas said. "It's like Windows 95 out in the wild. ... People are saying Apple is winning security. This is one reason why."The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant is better at pushing updates, Thomas and Moyer told a...

dozens of the world's top design professionals — providing services to the likes of Coca-Cola, Google, Louis Vuitton, NASA, Porsche and Starbucks — filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on Thursday, pledging their support for Apple in its ongoing patent infringement lawsuit against rival Samsung. In all, more than 100 designers signed on to the 63-page filing, which begins by asserting to the court that visual design frequently becomes the product itself, in the minds of consumers. Noteworthy names on the list include Dieter Rams, Calvin Klein, and Norman Foster. As a chief example, the designers cited Coca-Cola,...

Apple’s next iPhone and iPad operating system will no longer feature an emoji picture of a handgun. In its place will be an emoji of a green, plastic squirt gun. There is nothing particularly threatening about the current handgun picture. You only see the side of the gun; it isn’t pointed at the reader or anyone else. No bullets are even being fired. The whole idea to drop the handgun emoji came about through a lobbying effort started by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. The bomb, sword, knife, and axe emojis will stay. Apparently, a bomb with a lit fuse...

Samsung Gear came to market in 2013 and it offered a camera and speaker built right into its one and only band and clasp design. After Apple introduced the Apple Watch with multiple band options and its quick and easy install mechanism for changing the bands, Samsung set out to copy that idea as quickly as they possibly could. In a patent application that surfaced today at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office titled "Wearable Device," they discuss their new "exchangeable" strap mechanisms. What struck me was that a great number of their form factor patent figures were actually Apple...

Windows 10 and the amount of data it collects via the Windows Store could prompt users to switch to Mac according to a new survey.The study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of security and privacy advice and comparison website Comparitech.com finds that 61 percent of the US public who regularly use Windows would at least consider switching to Mac. In the UK the figure is even higher at 67 percent, with 15 percent saying they would definitely consider swapping. Only 33 percent in the UK and 39 percent in the US say that they would not contemplate switching operating...

Jeannine Buck took this selfie, using her iPhone moments before she accidentally dropped it out the window.— image credit: Submitted Almost everyone knows that sinking feeling when their beloved smartphone slips from their grasp and falls victim to the laws of gravity. The seconds between falling, hitting the ground and picking the phone up again to assess the damage can seem like an eternity.For one Abbotsford woman, that ordeal took over three hours after she dropped her phone 2,500 feet from the small Cessna 1-40 feet she was riding in on Monday night.One minute Jeannine Buck was taking pictures of...

Mac Man tries to gobble up all the Apples. Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac Cult of Mac 2.0 bugYou don’t see long lines for the latest Lenovo PC or LG Android phone. But take a quick peek on the internet and you’ll find plenty of people lining up to say how much they hate Apple. Every successful person or company has its critics, but the expressions of vitriol for Apple are more complex than the popular refrain ‘haters gonna hate’. Some are bugged by the price of Apple gadgets, others sneer over the enthusiasm of Apple fans, mockingly referring to...

I am a die hard defender of wearables. Back in September when I made the switch (one I regret) to a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from my dead iPhone 5, I decided to get a smartwatch. After doing a bunch of research I decided to get the Samsung Gear Fit. As I've written before, I absolutely love this thing. I paid $107 for it and feel like it's been worth every penny. Notifications are fantastic — short, sweet, comprehensive, customizable. It's curved screen and bright display are stylish and attractive. Fitness tracking isn't perfect, but very solid. For $100 this...

A couple years ago, the notion of replacing a PC with one of Apple's stylish Macintosh computers was fraught with risk, uncertainty, and incompatibility. Today, the computing landscape isn't so black and white. Thanks to Apple's conversion to the same Intel-based computing platform that mainstream Windows-based PCs use, as well as a host of software tools that make it easier than ever to interoperate between the Mac OS X and Windows worlds, buying a Mac is easier and smarter than ever. Sure, there are some hurdles to overcome. But for many people, choosing between a Mac and a PC doesn't...

Apple Macs: Objects of devotion By Stephen Evans BBC North America business correspondent It's tempting to think that Steve Jobs is some sort of religious leader rather than the chief executive of a rather successful computer company. And you could be forgiven for thinking that his Apple products are objects of religious devotion rather than mere pieces of plastic enclosing silicon chips. The Cult of Mac does have some rational basis. There seems little doubt that the products are very good. Its strong attractions are usability and good looks (though not usually price until this week's announcement of a...