Error found in Apple's DEP

An obscure error in the Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) may allow certain hackers to access corporate networks. But that can be easily prevented.

Security experts from Duo Security report that they have discovered how to register a compromised device on a company's MDM (Mobile Device Management ) system when authentication of registered devices is missing. In this way, confidential data could be pulled out of the company network.
To achieve this, attackers need to get hold of the valid serial number for an Apple device registered in Apple's Device Enrollment Program (DEP), but not yet set up on the company's MDM server, the paper said ,

The researchers say that a determined attacker can search online forms, use sophisticated phishing attacks to access such information, or even make brute force attacks that generate random serial numbers. (They claim to have created a program that does this.)
Wenn eine gültige Seriennummer identifiziert wird, kann der Angreifer das System so manipulieren, dass es sein eigenes manipuliertes Gerät im MDM-Netzwerk registrieren lässt und damit die Sicherheitsvorkehrungen des Unternehmen umgeht. Die Angreifer können die Methode verwenden, um Details wie die Adresse eines Unternehmens, die Telefonnummer und die E-Mail-Adresse abzurufen. (Man fragt sich natürlich, warum so kompliziert, wenn Google diese Infos bereitwillig zur Verfügung stellt, oder noch schlimmer, die eigene Unternehmensseite im Impressum. – Anm. der Redaktion.)

Sturm im Wasserglas

Die Lehre daraus lautet: Wenn Sie MDM-Geräte in einem sicheren Netzwerk verwalten, sollten Sie sofort die Veröffentlichung gültiger Seriennummern online einstellen. Das ist natürlich nur eine Vereinfachung des Berichts von Duo Security, aber Sie können ihn hier selbst lesen. Duo Security will Apple über diese Lücke informiert haben, Cupertino hat aber noch nicht gehandelt, behaupten die Forscher.
In einigen Reaktionen auf die Veröffentlichung wird darauf hingewiesen, dass Apple selbst Unternehmen warnt, strenge Sicherheitsmaßnahmen anzuwenden, um solche Angriffe zu begrenzen, einschließlich der Verwendung von Benutzerauthentifizierung während der Einrichtung. Es ist wichtig zu sehen, dass die Unternehmens-IT nicht nur zufälligen Angriffen von unabhängigen Hackern ausgesetzt ist, wie der des Teenagers, der in die Systeme von Apple eingebrochen ist, sondern auch hochgradig organisierten Angriffen von gut ausgestatteten Gruppen – von denen einige staatlich gefördert werden.

Wir leben in einer Welt, in der auch kleine Mängel im Sicherheitsschutz, wie sie von Duo Security beschrieben werden, identifiziert werden müssen. Denn die am besten organisierten Angreifer sind unglaublich raffiniert, und diese Art der komplexen Invasion des Netzwerks eines Unternehmens scheint ein nützlicher Weg für jeden zu sein, der ein APT-Szenario (advanced persistent threat) entwickelt. (Obwohl es viel einfacher ist, weniger gesicherte Geräte anzugreifen, als Apple-Geräte als Eingriffstor zu verwenden.)

ATP-Angriffe sind solche, bei denen Angreifer heimlich in Unternehmensnetzwerke eindringen und über einen langen Zeitraum in diesen Netzwerken bleiben, um Daten zu stehlen, gefälschte Identitäten zu erstellen und Computersysteme anderweitig zu schädigen.

Ewige Kriege

Um die Sicherheit tobt ein ewig währender Krieg. Exploits gegen iOS und macOS werden eher selten identifiziert, das spiegelt die Sicherheit dieser Systeme wider, aber Selbstzufriedenheit ist keine Entschuldigung für Unternehmensanwender. Sie wissen bereits, dass fast die Hälfte aller internationalen Unternehmen von Cyberkriminalität betroffen sind, und die bei diesen Angriffen verwendeten Angriffsszenarien werden immer komplexer.

Die jüngste Zunahme der Angriffe auf Office 365 zeigt einen aktuellen Trend auf, bei dem Kriminelle versuchen, über Cloud-Service-APIs die Unternehmenssicherheit zu umgehen oder ganz zerstören. Die erst kürzlich veröffentlichte Bedrohung "Dark Caracal" greift Mac-, Linux- und Windows-Systeme auf unterschiedliche Weise an, und zwar basiert auf Multi-Plattform-Malware. Wir alle haben Geschichten gehört, wie Kriminelle kleine Lieferanten für große Unternehmen ansprechen, um in Unternehmensnetzwerke zu gelangen oder hergestellte Geräte zu infizieren.

Wie man Angriffe über Apples Fehler im ADE verhindert.
Im Falle des von Duo Security identifizierten Fehlers sind die Lösungen relativ einfach:

Es lohnt sich auch, einen Null-Vertrauen-Ansatz für neu registrierte Geräte anzuwenden und nach der Erstinstallation in einem separaten Vorgang Privilegien zuzuweisen. Auch der Einsatz anspruchsvollerer MDM-Lösungen wie beispielsweise von Jamf kann helfen. In einem Umfeld, das durch mehrere Angriffsvektoren und hochprofessionelle Angreifer gekennzeichnet ist, erfordert eine gute Sicherheitspraxis jedoch, dass die beste Plattformsicherheit durch fundiertes Sicherheitsbewusstsein und ständige Wachsamkeit ergänzt wird.

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Why the reputation of the CEO is so strategically important

In times of social media, the reputation of the CEO is even more important than ever. The reason: with its reputation stands and falls also the enterprise. It is therefore indispensable to make reputation management an integral part of the company strategy. Like, read here.

For a long time, the saying was: "No press is good press." But today we live in another time. Everything can and will be discussed, judged and, if need be, condemned online. Every CEO , Managing Director, Director or CEO is currently almost under permanent surveillance. If an "unfortunate" statement made, you will quickly find them in the social media channels, on news portals or even in the print media again. The result: the reputation of the CEO suffers, and with it, that of the entire company. It's high time to look at and manage the CEO's reputation .
But what has changed? The fact is: our society has become a "co-signing society". Increasing socialization in the network means that people who do not otherwise meet communicate via social media . So if I do not agree with a company, a product, a service, or just the statement of a CEO, I can "discuss" it on the social media channels with a thousand other people. And in the meantime terrifying everyday life: the more damaged the reputation is already, the faster will be the more people will find to bang on the company or its CEO verbally.

Who is behind the company?

Another fact that has changed in recent years is the strong personalization . Today, you want to know who is behind a company. You want to communicate with people and not neutral with "the company". Everything becomes more transparent and personal. If a customer is not satisfied today, he can get help from Googlespecifically research information. So if someone is looking for us, they will not only find our website, but also comments from (hopefully) satisfied customers. Special platforms such as kununu.com even make it possible to evaluate companies even more in detail. These circumstances cause many companies great difficulties because they have to completely change their communication (internal and external). And there is no alternative! No company today can afford to renounce reputation management in its corporate strategy and to not specifically manage the reputation of its own CEO.
Effect beats performance
You can put it on a simple formula:

Effect + Behavior + Communication = Reputation

It is often said that a CEO should provide some performance. Of course, his performance must be right. What it really is, however, is the effect that he and his behavior have on the company and thus on the customers. However, if one asks oneself the question in this context: "What are we being trimmed in education and training?", The answer is, astonishingly still: on achievement and knowledge! How we present the resulting, hopefully positive effect, but in the best possible way, is usually not subject matter.

Keep an eye on the reputation

Reputation maintenance is work and has to do with one's own behavior and one's own communication. Of course, the communications department can provide targeted support, but the main initiative comes from the CEO himself. In addition, the CEO must constantly take the view of customers and employees and wonder what their expectations of him? He must also "manage" these expectations. If the legitimate question arises: Does a CEO only have to be image for the company ?keep an eye? No certainly not. He also does it for himself. After all, he takes his reputation with him - in other companies as well as in his private life. Both areas, private as well as business, can not be separated today. Certainly not when it comes to the reputation and reputation of a person. By the way: bad perception of CEOs is more dangerous for them than a bad performance. According to a study by Roland Berger , a bad impact in 71 percent of cases was the cause for a CEO's resignation and not his performance.

Emotion beats facts

Our valuesmeet our beliefs. That's what we stand for, that's what we stand for. Customers, but above all employees, want to know today what a CEO stands for. They want to know what motivates him, how he works and what he works for. Communicating this on the basis of a common values ​​mission statement is rarely promising. Authenticity and integrity are in demand and must be demonstrated and communicated in such a way that they arrive in the truest sense of the word. Reputation management is about making our personal beliefs, attitudes and values ​​tangible. The clearer our environment can be, the more credible, reliable and trustworthy we are, which in turn strengthens our reputation. The fact is: without clear, communicated and experienced values, there is no stable, positive reputation. And beat hereEmotions once more the pure facts communication. A CEO is a human and not a neutral machine.

Long term suggests short term

While image is a snapshot people have of a business ("the image I make myself"), and that can be built up through active communication at short notice, reputation is the reputation that the CEO hasand its companies generally have in the environment. That is, it is the totality of impressions and images, of experiences and relationships. Therefore, it is also one of the biggest mistakes to believe that short-term actions can "polish up" a CEO's reputation. Of course, everything has an effect, but people usually forget very quickly. The reverse is true: once an opinion has been taken, it will take longer for people to revise it again. This effect can be observed especially in the run-up to elections. Many politicians then rely on precisely such short-term measures. Once the person has been elected, the communication and reputation work is usually stopped very quickly. A mistake that often takes its toll at the next election.

Strategy beats show

CEO reputation is not an ego show, but a strategic factor that must be planned. Logically, first the personality of the CEO and the personality of the company should be analyzed in order to create a communication strategy. It should be noted that absolute authenticity is decisive. Anyone who tries to stage a show, and sets more on desire than on authenticity, will soon realize that the community usually sees through this sooner than later and, of course, sets it accordingly publicly.

Yield beats investment
Granted, CEO reputation costs time and money. But what if the CEO and / or the whole company suddenly becomes content of a shitstorm on Facebook ? Or many smaller ones: What if someone searches for the name of the CEO and reads two very negative comments about the company in Google? Any potential new customer will then think twice about really contacting the person or company. By the way, in times of increasing shortage of skilled workers, however, a decisive and important aspect: The good reputation of the CEO also has an effect on the recruitment of new employees. A good reputation is therefore in the truest sense of the word gold - pardon money worth.

Out of the shadows to the light

Especially in SME companies are often found owners who were once very good skilled workers. Of course, this is welcome because once you have learned everything from scratch, you can often fall back on your experience. A small side effect has the whole thing: skilled workers want to convince by their good work or the good product. They usually do not put themselves in the spotlight and tell no stories of how this product or service was created. But it's exactly these stories that customers want to hear. And when a company does not tell this story, others tell it (whether it's true or not). CEO reputation is always a certain protection against crises. But it is like so often in life, before it does not really hurt, you rarely go to the doctor. And sometimes only mitigation will help. In case of cases we invest in other areas all in insurance. So why not here? Positive reputation building is not only helpful in times of crisis, but also when no crisis is foreseeable.

Many entrepreneurs think they are too small for reputation. Especially SMEs can benefit enormously from the positive reputation of a CEO. A single tweet today can damage the reputation of a CEO and thus of the entire company. Therefore, it is a strategically important decision to invest in the reputation of your own CEO and thus the company. Because only when the CEO's long-term reputation shines, the corporate capital shines.

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Chatbot: The Tesla of the customer contact?

If the Chatbot mission is to lead to the intended success and truly enhance customer service, it is wise to follow five basic rules.

Looking at the amount of publications and events on this topic, 2017 should have been the year when chatbots make their big breakthrough. Even though chatbots are not a new invention in themselves - last year, they experienced something like their big - almost to say: second - spring. But many pilot projects have failed as well.

Chatbots are programs that are capable of meaningfully responding to human utterances through text recognition. This allows chatbots, for example, to simulate real conversations with customers in customer service - as if the customer were in dialogue with a human conversation partner. Chatbots are also able to perform simple tasks, provide information, initiate processes, and respond to commands. There are now some success stories around these virtual personalities. However, these are usually not immediate customer service applications.

Fast answers, 24/7

But what makes automated communication in customer service really successful? The essential requirements that customers place on good customer service can be summed up relatively easily: a quick response to the request, around the clock if possible, friendliness and finally the certainty of a confidential handling of the personal data.

When it comes to providing quick answers, being available day and night, and never being in a bad mood, chatbots seem to be offering the ultimate solution for customer-friendly service. Communication with chatbots is basically what consumers want. Especially if they help them faster and shorten their waiting time.

Surveys also show that if a customer-perspective chatbot performs the same as a service person, as many as 55 percent of customers pull the bot out to people. Despite all these promising conditions - in practice, customer service pilot projects with chatbots still often lead to failures. The following rules describe the five key points that need to be considered in order for Chatbot engagement in your customer service to be as successful as hoped.

Chat

1. Use a suitable channel
Consider Chatbot as an active customer service employee. This means that you should be able to use the bot - as well as your other employees - for different contact channels. It does not lead to the goal to consider the chatbot only as another, more or less separate contact channel. This would only mean that all knowledge, intelligence and experience were limited to just this one channel.

Sure, chatbots have their boom thanks in particular to the fact that Facebook has opened its messenger platform for the development of bots. However, this does not mean that bots are exclusively in chat channels at home. A chatbot can also be active in a separate app. Basically, a suitable channel must increase the comfort for the mobile user, for example, through buttons with predefined answers and pictures. It is important to avoid too much complexity due to open questions and typos. In addition, it is worth considering even voice-operated platforms, similar to Siri or Alexa.

2. Ensure a smooth cooperation
As little as you should limit a chatbot to a channel - you should not limit a channel to the mere support of a chatbot. Because chatbots are still far from being able to really understand, answer or execute all requests. Seamless collaboration and smooth transition between the chatbot and the human service employee are still essential.

Also make sure that the customer knows at all times whether he is dealing with a bot or a human employee. If the conversation threatens to hang or the customer is clearly dissatisfied, a human service representative must be available. Customers also consider this option of switching from a bot to a real employee very valuable.

Conversely, an employee can also have a process edited by a chatbot, for example to request data or make changes. This provides a quick solution for the customer and allows your employees to devote to tasks that are less standardized and therefore require people with their special skills.

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Develop new business models and value chains with smart contracts

More and more companies are banking on electronic contracts - so-called "Smart Contracts". But what about the current development of European companies and what potentials and challenges are there?

With Smart Contracts is automated, digital representations of contracts. The rules contained in a contract, such as "If the delivery is made properly, the amount will be transferred to XYZ" are executed directly in a smart contract. So it is not a separate implementation in a software system or manual intervention of the people necessary. The French AXA insurance puts Smart Contracts an example for some time in the travel industry. How to Obtain Travelers about Fiz zy automatically have completed a travel policy, a compensation payment when their flight is more than two hours late.

This example shows the growing importance of smart contracts for businesses and organizations. Therefore, scientists from the Universities of Munich and Würzburg-Schweinfurt have investigated in a study what expectations and possible uses European companies have with Smart Contracts. The scientists interviewed several European experts who use smart contracts and have already gained experience with them. The results of the researchers were presented at the renowned Business Informatics Conference PACIS in Japan.

Industry experts expect smart contracts to change many traditional business models in depth. Therefore, it is essential for companies to engage in smart contracts. Smart contracts are not a question of the industry (such as only for insurance companies or credit institutions). Rather, smart contracts can be used in many different industries and across industries.

The experts see the main benefit of Smart Contracts in the fact that contracts and their execution can be carried out in a standardized and automated manner. In this way, significant efficiency advantages should be realized.

Lower costs with higher speed and quality

Another important area of ​​application is according to the experts Industry 4.0. Here, smart contracts help automate agreements that use devices of the Internet of Things. In this way, value chains in the Internet of Things can be established significantly faster and more cost-effectively.

In general, the experts believe that the use of smart contracts can massively save costs and improve contract processes in terms of speed and quality. Previously problematic documentation gaps in the contract process can be closed.

New business models can therefore be developed on the basis of smart contracts, especially if excessive transaction costs have hitherto made the formation of cross-company value chains uneconomic.

Lack of professionals and mature technologies

The Smart Contracts study also looked at the challenges of implementing Smart Contracts. Here, as an example, the implementation effort can be cited. This should not be underestimated, although frameworks or open source projects are already available. Often there is a lack of specialists in this area. Furthermore, from the point of view of the surveyed experts, the technologies are not yet fully developed.

The team of scientists led by Rainer Schmidt, Barbara Keller and Michael Möhring also found out which approaches were beneficial for the introduction of smart contracts. So it's important to start with test cases. Following this, the experience from these smaller projects should be actively used and this knowledge incorporated into larger projects. Instant solutions are virtually non-existent given the early development of smart contracts. Critical issues are issues of compliance and the difficulty of making changes. Both aspects have yet to be clarified. Here there is a lot of catching up to do in practice.

In summary, Smart Contracts provide a great opportunity for companies to sustainably improve contract processes and increase competitiveness. The effort and the knowledge needed to implement it should not be underestimated. The introduction should be carefully planned to avoid irreversible mistakes.

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The IT world in numbers

Imagine the IT industry without studies, statistics, case numbers and market surveys. Unthinkable, right? All analyst firms would be unemployed at one go. That must not be. That is why we present our monthly section "The IT world in numbers".

Numbers and statistics have always exerted a tremendous fascination on humans - he can measure himself by hard facts, he can move along, here are waxy assumptions and probabilities loosely put aside. For many, a clear message is three times better than a "maybe," "likely," and "likely." And even if more or less reliable statistics are often used to derive prognoses and estimates for the future , which naturally always consist of assumptions that have not yet occurred, many of these numbers can still do more with many a managerial fever dream.

So immerse yourself in the wonderful world of IT numbers . We do not guarantee the veracity of the surveys, prophecies and predictions listed. But what we do know: All information has been selected to the best of our knowledge and prepared only for you! We hope that they will help you in your daily work - or at least prepare for recalculation, should not the 100 percent total amount rise or the inscription of individual bars, pies, squares and lines would seem pointless. Enjoy the numbers!

The IT world in numbers

We present you the most interesting and exciting figures on the German and international ICT market.

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Rumor: iPhone SE is being discontinued

Apple wants to expire the iPhone SE allegedly. The 300-euro smartphone is currently the cheapest entry into the Apple world.

With the iPhone SE, Apple offers a low-priced entry into the world of home-grown smartphones. The smartphone with 4-inch screen is based on the design of the iPhone 5, but works with the technology of the much newer iPhone 6S. Currently, the smallest iPhone is offered for 299 euros. But that could be over soon. According to the stock exchange company BlueFin Research Partners Apple wants to stop the entry-level smartphone . This would indicate information from the supply chain. The end for the iPhone SE is therefore heralded in the third quarter of 2018.

In September, Apple will probably introduce three new smartphones. Underneath, however, is probably no new iPhone SE for the starting price. Although there are rumors about an iPhone SE 2 since the beginning of the year, this could already use another form factor and have Face ID. After that, however, rumors spread that Apple had discontinued the project and instead would put on newer devices. If you are looking for a compact iPhone that easily fits in your pocket, you should strike fast. The iPhone SE is also very suitable as a replacement for an aged iPhone 5 (S), as it has a much faster processor and an improved camera. ( Mac World )

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Surface Go: Microsoft schrumpft das Surface Pro auf 10 Zoll

Seine erste Berührung mit Informatik erfolgte an einem C64 samt Floppy VC 1541. Von Anfang an nutzte er diesen faszinierenden Heimcomputer nicht nur zum Daddeln, sondern auch für die Basic-Programmierung. Unter anderem half er seinen damals etwas müden Kopfrechnen-Fähigkeiten auf die Sprünge, indem er ein Programm schrieb, das immer zwei zufällig ausgewählte Zahlen zur Multiplikation stellte. Im Hintergrund lief ein Timer. Nur wenn er das Ergebnis innerhalb des vorgegebenen Zeitraums, der leider manchmal zu knapp bemessen war, richtig eintippte, bekam er einen Punkt gutgeschrieben. Seine Highscore-Ergebnisse waren durchwachsen, seine Programmierkenntnisse dafür umso besser. Der Lehrstuhl, an dem er als studentische Hilfskraft angestellt war, gehörte seinerzeit zu den Vorreitern in Sachen IT. Man übersetzte damals die griechischen Inschriften der antiken Stadt Hierapolis – heute ist dieses türkische Pamukkale bekannt durch seine Kalksinter-Terrassen. Die wissenschaftlich korrekt erfassten und kommentierten Inschriften bearbeiteten Dirscherl und Kollegen zunächst in Wordperfect. Anschließend landeten die Texte in einer Datenbank, die auf CD gepresst und für sündhaft viel Geld weltweit verkauft wurde. Über dieses epigraphische Datenbankprojekt, diverse C-Programmierereien auf Unix-Systemen und seine ersten Experimente mit Linux landete er schließlich professionell bei der IT. Seit den späten 1990-ern nutzt er Linux als Produktivsystem, seit Anfang der 2000-er Jahre ist Linux sein hauptsächliches OS. Nach vielen Jahren mit Suse Linux und Open Suse und zwischendurch Ausflügen zu Red Hat und Debian landete er bei Ubuntu und erledigt damit alle Arbeiten. Linux und C ist er bis heute treu geblieben – nach einem Ausflug zu PHP und MySQL. Mittlerweile bastelt er auch mit Arduino. Bei pcwelt.de betreut er vor allem Business-IT-Themen und hat den Auto & Technik-Bereich von Null beginnend aufgebaut. Seine Tests der Infotainmentsysteme in modernen Fahrzeugen gehören zu den ausführlichsten Tests, die man dazu überhaupt finden kann. Daneben schreibt er zudem fast täglich aktuelle Meldungen aus der IT-Welt.

Microsoft hat das Surface Go vorgestellt. Das neue 10-Zoll-Tablet bietet damit den günstigsten Einstieg in die Surface-Familie und soll wohl dem günstigsten Apple iPad Konkurrenz machen.
Microsoft introduced the Surface Go . The new 10-inch tablet thus offers the cheapest entry into the Surface family. With the "Go" in the name Microsoft wants to express that one can take the tablet because of its size everywhere.

The Surface Go has a smaller 3: 2 Pixelense screen (1800 x 1200 pixels) and a weaker processor than the other Surface models. The touch screen of the Surface Go measures 10 inches with an integrated, fold-out kickstand. The processor uses a dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y of the seventh generation. It can access 4 or 8 GB of main memory. The internal memory is then either 64 or 128 GB in size.

Neben der rückseitigen Hauptkamera ist auch noch eine 5-Mega-Pixel-Frontkamera mit Gesichtserkennung für Video-Chat und -Telefonie verbaut. Aufgeladen wird das Tablet über den Surface Connector-Port. Darüber kann das Surface Go auch mit einer Docking-Station verbunden werden. Zusätzlich verbaut Microsoft aber auch noch einen USB-C-3.1-Port. Darüber kann das Tablet ebenfalls aufgeladen werden, vor allem aber können auch Daten darüber übertragen werden. Microsoft verspricht bis zu neun Stunden Akku-Laufzeit mit einer Akku-Ladung.


Als Betriebssystem läuft Windows 10 S. Die Nutzer können aber kostenlos auf Windows 10 Home wechseln. Das Surface Go unterstützt alle von Windows 10 bekannten Bildschirm-Modi für Mobilgeräte.

Genauso wie für das Surface Pro gibt es auch für das Surface Go ein optionales Keyboard-Cover und zwar in vier unterschiedlichen Farben. Und der optionale Surface Pen ist ebenfalls kompatibel zum Surface Pro. Beide Geräte kosten extra.

Microsoft verkauft die 4-GB-RAM-Version (mit 64 GB Speicher) für 449,99 Euro (US-Preis: 399 Dollar). Vorbestellungen sind ab dem 10. Juli 2018 auch in Deutschland möglich. Im deutschen Online-Store von Microsoft war das Surface Go bei Redaktionsschluss noch nicht verfügbar. Das sollte sich aber bald ändern, voraussichtlich um 15.00 Uhr beginnt der Vorverkauf. Die Auslieferung soll am 28. August beginnen.

To start Microsoft sold only the Wi-Fi AC versions, the LTE versions will follow later in 2018. Bluetooth is always supported anyway.

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Kids Tablets: The Best Models

We introduce tablets for children, show the differences and tell you what to look for when buying. Plus: How to make a standard tablet suitable for children.

Whether in the back seat in the car or in the living room - children's tablets are an indispensable part of many families. And there is plenty of suitable content - whether digital coloring books for nursery school children or kindergarten teachers or vocabulary trainers for pupils.

Manufacturers like to advertise with the argument that children's tablets promote media literacy and enable children to playfully discover the world. But that does not happen by itself. So what is the point of buying a children's tablet? How can parents protect their offspring from dangerous digital content? PC-Welt provides an overview and shows the currently most interesting children's tablets.
Note: We do not choose a test winner, because all tablets have their authorization. In addition, you can not compare tablets for different age groups.

Basic Before You Buy: Parents Should Respect It

A child's tablet is sturdy, comes with an age-appropriate interface and specially designed apps for the offspring. The focus is on "play, fun and learning".
* Buy age-appropriate: While kindergarten children a simple surface with large symbols and a thick protective cover are mandatory, are interested in children from elementary age increasingly for videos. Here it may like to be a more powerful device. The recommended age limit should not be completely ignored. Mostly it can be found out with few clicks in the net. However, always the individual development of the child should be considered.

* Protective cover: For the very small, the device must be particularly robust and survive falls. Most manufacturers deliver their children's tablets with rubber protective cover. Alternatively, you can also buy these cheap.

* Control options: In the case of children's tablets , it is essential that parents can determine which apps or websites the offspring uses. The daily life should be adjusted. Tip: According to the EU initiative Klicksafe , four to six year olds should not use digital media for more than 20 minutes per day.

* Accompany Media Consumption: Mostly the offspring eat the noodles with ketchup in the evening faster when the tablet plays the right entertainment program on the dining table. But the parents should always accompany the media consumption of their children motivated.

* Content: A device becomes a children's tablet only when it has the right content. Many vendors bring out a whole range of learning and gaming apps for children out-of-the-box or even score points with their own app store - tested - child-friendly content. Other providers have access to the well-known app stores.

* Beware of cost trap: Many child tablet manufacturers also offer a relatively expensive subscription model for the content.

Current children's tablets at a glance

Fire HD Kids Edition: Powerful hardware meets rich content

Fire HD 10 Kids Edition

With the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, Amazon has released its largest kid's tablet yet . The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is based on the Fire HD 10 tablet and therefore has a 10.1-inch full-HD touch screen (1920 x 1200 pixels), a quad-core processor and 32 GB of internal memory, using Micro SD Card can be expanded by up to 256 GB. The battery should be able to withstand a maximum charge of ten hours.

Amazon Freetime Unlimited: Included in the price is a one-year membership on Amazon Freetime Unlimited. It includes thousands of age-appropriate books, videos, educational apps and games, as well as curated websites and Youtube videos. Without commercials, in-app purchase options, links to websites or social networks.

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Why the Apple apple is bitten

Whether iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, iMac, MacBook, mouse or keyboard - it can be seen on every Apple product: the small, bitten on the right apple. Over time, the company has undergone several changes to the world-famous logo. Because as we know it today, the Apple logo did not always look.

In very few cases, an ordinary apple arouses people's interest. The meaning of this fruit probably began in the Bible when Adam and Eve ate an apple from the tree of knowledge. The apple plays a decisive role in Friedrich Schiller's works on the Swiss freedom fighter Wilhelm Tell.

For the past 40 years, most people have thought of the word "apple" but probably not the first to the fruit, but rather the small, bitten apple logo of the billionaire company from Cupertino. Because a picture sometimes says more than a thousand words. This is especially useful for large companies and corporations: Apple, Windows , Nike, Adidas, Facebook, VW, McDonalds and many more manage to give their brand a distinctive brand recognition with a certain logo or logo.

As The Brainfever describes, the logo has been reworked several times over time. The basic design of the logo always remains the same, only the visual appearance changes - albeit sometimes very minimalist.

From 1977 to 1997, the rainbow colors adorned the Apple logo, starting in 1997, they put on a watercolor logo, which was mainly to find at that time on business cards and two years later darkened somewhat. In 2003 Apple chose a Chrome logo, but today the company prefers a minimalist apple in white and gray.

The originally designed logo of Apple looked completely different.

A flag on which "APPLE COMPUTER CO." stands, winds around a picture in the frame is very difficult to recognize: "Newton ... A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Sees of Thought ... Alone." or to German: "Newton ... mind that sailed through foreign seas of thought, always alone."

In the logo sits the English naturalist and philosopher, Isaac Newton, under a tree with an apple hanging above his head. Luckily, Apple thought about it very early and designed a new logo. Imagine today's Apple products with such a logo.

But why is the famous apple bitten now?

On April 17, 1977, the Apple II was first introduced in brochures. The official version of the Steve Jobs biography is that the designer Rob Janoff has just introduced two logo prototypes, Steve Jobs has opted for the "incomplete apple", as the other version was far too reminiscent of a cherry. Earlier designs of the logo along with the company logo still show the additional motives direction "bite": So was the logo, among other things, on the booting cassettes of the Apple II. The logo could not be too small, so it was placed so that it adapted to the rotary cutouts.

At the same time, Apple decided to present the logo along with the company logo on print products. At that time, Apple chose a font in which the belly of the letter "a" was round and thus perfectly integrated into the apple logo.

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Ten Years App Store: The Most Popular iOS Apps 07/06/2018By Thomas Hartmann

On July 10, Apple's App Store will be ten years old. App Annie has identified the most successful applications from a decade ago.

App AnnieCollects and analyzes app data to gain in-depth market knowledge and to provide these companies as a service. The platform is now releasing interesting results regarding the upcoming 10-year Apple's App Store on July 10th. From July 2010 to December 2017, there were over 170 billion total downloads of iOS apps with consumer spending of over $ 130 billion over the same period, according to these figures. In May of this year, there were already over 2 million apps available on the App Store, of which nearly 10,000 apps would have generated over $ 1 million in user spend. The largest share of this is almost 60 percent of the so-called APAC space (Asia-Pacific). Games are the biggest contributors to sales, which account for only 31 percent of downloads, but 75 percent of the expenses. Again, the "Clash of Clans" strategy game comes first for iOS, while "Candy Crush Saga" is the most downloaded iOS game in the App Store worldwide and ever.
In the most important apps for "all-time worldwide downloads", Facebook is at the top of Facebook Messenger, followed by Youtube, Instagram, Whats App Messenger and other apps mainly from the area of ​​social network. Netflix takes first place over Spotify and Pandora Music in paid-for apps (some with subscriptions) sorted by consumer spending.

USA in the lead, Germany in seventh place

Comparing the top international markets for the App Store after consumer spending and downloads overall, the US leads China and Japan. Germany comes in seventh with 4.1 billion downloads and $ 2.6 billion in spending, while the US generates $ 40.1 billion in downloads and $ 36 billion in revenue. Especially the in-app payments for subscriptions (regardless of games) have now given Apple and developers sales of nearly 11 billion US dollars in 2017 worldwide, with apps like Netflix, Tinder or Pandora Radio at the top. In 2015, you were barely halfway here.
It is also exciting, according to the investigations of the tracking service provider, that although the App Store has a significantly lower installation base than the Google Play Store for Android smartphones - the latter had 70 percent of the worldwide downloads in 2017, but accounted for the share of worldwide consumer spending Accordingly, in the same year 66 percent in favor of Apple's App Store.

It could be summarized many more numbers and details - who wants to get a comprehensive picture, the report after registration directly as a PDF download , he is with many charts, tables and graphics quite clearly advised and also brings a good overview of the previously ten years App Store with important milestones. Incidentally, the report also predicts a rosy future for the App Store - consumer spending will reach over $ 75 billion by 2022, an 80 percent increase over 2017.

The numbers were therefore created using App Annie Intelligence and a proprietary forecasting model. ( Mac World )

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Avoid health risks from smartphones, notebooks and tablet PCs

Smartphones, tablets and notebooks can cause serious health problems. We'll show you how to stay healthy anyway.

Spend five minutes on a busy intersection and you'll meet them: people who use their tablet or smartphone to make up at risk. For example, those who operate their smartphone at the wheel of a car. But distraction while driving is far from the only danger lurking behind the use of smartphones, tablets and Co. Less dramatic but no less dangerous are the risks did most users do not even know exist. For example, ergonomics risks are not new to computer users. notebooks however, those who have outdated the desktop pc in terms of sales now, their own health hazards. Touch screens so threaten health risks.

Health risks for PCs, notebooks, tablets

Medical experts have identified three categories of computer-based diseases that apply to both traditional desktop PCs and the newer mobile touch-screen devices:

Injuries due to repetitive movements

This disease is also known as RSI: Repetitive Stress Injuries, meaning "repetitive stress injuries". RSI results from repetitive large and small movements that strain joints, muscles, tendons and nerves. Quervain syndrome - a painful disease that affects the tendons responsible for moving the thumb.
Diseases due to unnatural posture and force
These disorders occur when people use their body in ways that are physically stressful, such as unnaturally turning and tilting their wrists as they type, or tensing them too tightly. The carpal tunnel syndrome - the most well-known disease in this category - arises, for example, from excessive, long-lasting pressure on the median nerve in the wrist.

Eye diseases
Anyone struggling to decipher text on a screen - be it because the typeface is too small, or because mirroring or the like makes it difficult to see - risks eye disorders ranging from annoying and annoying to incapacity to work. Symptoms, often referred to as "Computer Vision Syndrome", include, but are not limited to, eye pain and redness, cloudy or doubled vision, and headache.

Many people are also concerned about the radiation emanating from old CRT monitors as well as smartphones, tablets and wireless devices. However, research has yielded contradictory results so far. However, it seems the risk is low if you follow the manufacturer's guidelines for the safe use of the device.

Touch screens and notebooks pose new risks

Thanks to various health organizations and education strategies, many people today are better acquainted with the possibilities to protect themselves from certain risks than they did 10 or 15 years ago. Salespeople of computers, peripherals, and office furniture emphasize the ergonomic benefits of their products, and manuals and manuals provide guidance on how to use the product safely and healthily. Unfortunately, awareness of the risks and hazards inherent in the PC environment has not yet penetrated the realm of recent touchscreen devices and notebooks . We want to show you below:

Health risks in notebook use

For years, notebook users were forced to sacrifice performance in favor of lower weight. In the meantime, however, laptops sometimes even outpower desktops in terms of speed and storage space. For this reason, notebooks often fulfill both purposes: work on the road and at home, or in the office and at work. Unfortunately, their design ergonomically restricts the notebooks quite a bit. For example, because the screen and keyboard stick together, you can not position them optimally for your needs.

Perfect sitting in front of the notebook

As a replacement for a desktop PC and longer working hours on the laptop , you should therefore think about an external monitor. This allows you to position your notebook's keyboard at desktop height - with your elbows resting on your desk at a 90-degree angle - while keeping the screen at eye level. If this investment is too expensive for you, get yourself a raised console for your laptop screen and a separate keyboard. Both then align exactly as described above.

Use external keyboard for notebook

However, notebooks carry even more dangers when used in convenient or unfamiliar places, such as a guest desk in the office or at the desk of a hotel room. There it is all the more difficult to find a position that protects the neck, shoulders, arms, wrists and hands. If you work a lot while traveling, it's best to always carry a light, external keyboard and mouse. And give the laptop an elevated working position with a book or similar device underneath.

Use notebook in bed

If you insist your laptopWhile sitting in bed or watching TV on the sofa, you can resist the temptation of lying on your side and supporting your head with one arm: it damages your neck and makes it nearly impossible to close the keyboard in a reasonably natural position serve. In bed, you should sit with an upright back, supported by a firm pillow. Also, place another pillow under your knees and position the screen of your laptop so that any light sources behind you are not reflected off of the display. Even if you take these precautions, you should not use your laptop for more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time in such positions without taking a break. Do you need to work on the laptop for more than half an hour?

Health risks from smartphones and tablets

Where notebooks already seduce people to use them in the most unlikely places, put smartphones and tabletsone more thing. Because they can actually be used anywhere and in almost any posture - most of which are not necessarily healthy. Your neck and cervical spine are extremely sensitive to bad posture. In the long term, this can also lead to bruising or overstretching of those nerve tracts that run through the spinal cord. Refrain from supposedly beneficial stretching of the head forward or backward, as well as twists and inclinations to the right and left sides. Instead, take regular breaks from the screen work. If you feel pain, numbness or a tingling sensation, stop what you are doing right now and return to a more comfortable position.

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What a workstation software has to do

Wrong or even incorrectly programmed software solutions can cause excessive demands and stress on the employees. Reason enough to test applications for their ergonomics and usability.

The burdens are generally very extensive. Colleagues, noise, light, furniture and even the programs used play a decisive role. The user-friendliness of the software interfaces is becoming more and more a decision criterion for or against a product. Who develops software, therefore, must deal with the topic. There is no time to waste.
What software must orient
Ergonomic software customizes standard systems to meet the needs of the operator or operator. For example, input fields can be made clearer and unused fields can be hidden. However, software ergonomics are rarely off the peg, but long-term quality assurance plays a key role in ensuring productivity.

The Workplace Ordinance obliges companies to pay attention to optimum working conditions, even with VDU workstations. This includes the obligation to assess the risk. This means that a company must ensure that the safety and health of its employees is not jeopardized in all VDU workstations . Above all, the requirements for the eyes as well as possible physical and mental stress are included in the assessment. It is therefore important that employers adhere to the DIN EN ISO 9241 standard, which sets out a set of rules, for example, from the user interface to the drawing layout.
Folgende Punkte sollten Arbeitgeber unter anderem gemäß DIN EN ISO 9241 beachten:

Scharfe Bilddarstellung: Das Bild auf dem Bildschirm muss klar und deutlich erscheinen und groß genug sein. Zudem ist es wichtig das Arbeitnehmer den Kontrast sowie die Helligkeit einstellen können und die Zeichen- und Zeilenabstände angemessen sind.

Steuerbarkeit der Programme: Die Arbeitsabläufe müssen in frei wählbarer Reihenfolge gesteuert und die verschiedenen Programme untereinander kommunizieren und Arbeitsschritte rückgängig gemacht werden können.

Individualisierbarkeit: Die Programme müssen dem Wissensstand und den Erwartungen der Nutzer entsprechen. Ist das Programm in der Lage, direktes Feedback auf Eingaben zu geben und kann die Programmoberfläche individuell auf den Nutzer zugeschnitten werden, ist dies besonders positiv.

Aufgabenangemessenheit: Die Programme müssen Funktionen darbieten, welche besonders zeitaufwendige Prozesse automatisieren können. Zudem sind auf der Programmoberfläche Begriffe und Symbole leicht verständlich darzustellen.

Fehlertoleranz: Das Programm ermöglicht dem Nutzer trotz Erkennung eines Fehlers den Arbeitsprozess fortzuführen.

Benutzerzentrierte Software dank Usability-Tests

Mit individuellen Usability-Tests, die vor allem die Grundsätze der ISO-Reihe 9241 berücksichtigen, können Softwarehersteller die Ergonomie und somit die Bedienbarkeit ihrer Anwendungen auf deren Aufgabenangemessenheit, Selbstbeschreibungsfähigkeit, Erwartungskonformität, Steuerbarkeit, Fehlertoleranz, Individualisierbarkeit, Lernförderlichkeit und Übersichtlichkeit (Grundsätzen der Dialoggestaltung) überprüfen. Zunächst gilt es jedoch, den Nutzungskontext wie etwa Zielgruppen, Arbeitsaufgaben, Einarbeitungszeiten der Bediener oder Nutzungsumgebung, einzugrenzen. Auf Basis dessen wird jedes der oben genannten Kriterien einem Relevanzfaktor zugeordnet. In die Bewertung der Relevanzfaktoren fließt auch ein, wie häufig bestimmte Anwendungen oder Funktionen genutzt werden. Dementsprechend niedriger oder höher wird ihr Relevanzwert festgesetzt. Denn bei einer selten genutzten Funktion ist die Selbstbeschreibungsfähigkeit ungleich wichtiger, als bei einer Fachanwendung mit dreimonatiger Einarbeitungszeit und Intensivschulung; der Relevanzfaktor wäre größer.

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This is how your RPA project succeeds

Automating front-end and back-office processes with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has become a viable option for many organizations. Read what has to be observed in practice.
Much has been written and spoken about Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in recent years . Now the topic is gaining momentum in the implementation and is on the agenda of more and more companies . After all, the use of RPA software in the front and back office promises to relieve employees , fewer errors, more effective processes and - when processing structured business processes - time savings of up to 90 percent. When it comes to the concrete robotic process automation project in your own company, many thoughts about the technology, the return on investment and a multitude of other things are raised. But there are several other questions and issues that are often overlooked.



This applies, for example, to choosing the right entry-level process. The following picture section describes typical pitfalls in RPA projects.
Keep it simple - the wrong entry-level process
The most common mistake in implementing an RPA project is choosing the wrong process. "Wrong" means too complex or too specific for the beginning. It is recommended to choose a simple process for the RPA entry. This turns the success more.

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The best freeware tools for 2018 at a glance

What some free software does is really more than remarkable. Be surprised by their range of functions, even if you already know them.Freeware - are not these free tools with limited use? Not at all, because of limited or even bad can be in a variety of these programs really no question. These tools have been steadily developed by their developers, some of them over 20 years, and have now reached an extremely high functional and maturity stage.

This should be an example of the popular VLC Media Playerclarify: "VLC is a free and open source multimedia player (...), which plays most multimedia files and DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs and various streaming protocols," the manufacturer advertises modestly. That's true, but at the latest, if you once in the VLC Media Player on "Tools -> Settings -> Show All Settings" has clicked, you get a faint idea of ​​the huge variety of functions - with a "player" this is only on To do something. Saving copy-protected DVDs, spinning mobile phone videos, or streaming to the TV in the living room are just three examples. The software is not always as well-equipped as with the VLC Media Player. Sometimes the tools are just way better than what Windows doesbrings. For example, the freeware proposes 7-Zip that in Windows built-in zip tool in terms of speed, handling and options by far.

In total, we have put together over 60 programs for you, which deserve the title "Best Freeware 2018" without restriction. For a better overview, we have sorted the tools in seven categories, which are based on the typical use scenarios: First, Windows and system, second, backup, emergency and PC problems, third, all about hardware analysis and maintenance, fourth, the best Wi-Fi tools , Fifth, security and privacy tools, six office and PDF programs for the office, and seventh audio, video, and photo. In the following we present the programs sometimes shorter, sometimes more detailed.
7-Zip is much faster than the Windows packer , making it a must-have on any machine. Practical and in most cases quite sufficient is the operation via the context menu of files and folders. In addition, 7-Zip contents of already packed archives can be changed and sent directly by e-mail. With Adwcleaner you rid your Windows computer of accidentally installed, so-called "potentially unwanted programs". Simply click on "Search", the rest will do the program for you.

The Ccleaner tool cleans up your hard drive, cleans up the registry and removes Internet traces . As a result, you get a cleaner, faster Windows . The Glary Utilities promise even more speed : In addition to 1-click maintenance, you can specifically customize the startup entries, the browser plug-ins, the Windows services and much more. The operation is simple, because "details" the program describes the selected function in detail. Disk space analysis, upgrading of installed software, and context menu changes are additional features.

The file manager Q-Dir with its up to four windows replaces the Windows Explorer. Although ISO files, ie "images" of CDs and DVDs in the form of individual files, can also be opened directly under Windows 8 .1 and 10, Virtual Clone Drive offers more comfort. This allows you to create multiple virtual optical drives to use different volumes simultaneously: a must on any notebook without an optical drive.

In addition, Imgburn creates ISO images of real physical disks as well as any data compilations. If you want to reinstall Windows or Microsoft Office, then the Windows ISO Downloader is the right choice. Because instead of searching for the right installation files at Microsoft, the software loads the original ISO files of Windows 7, Windows 8 .1 and Windows 10 including the Insider Previews and the Office packages of the versions 2010, 2013 and 2016 on the hard disk ,

The ISO files can be further processed with one of the two aforementioned tools, or you can rebuild your computer using Easy BCD . How to boot Easy BCD from live CDs and DVDs is described here . Furthermore, the program provides good services, because it greatly simplifies handling and booting with several installed operating systems or Windows versions: With Easy BCD it is possible to conveniently configure the boot process including pre-selection, selection time and so on with the mouse.

Technically completely different, but in the result similar functions a virtual machine, in which a virtual PC under Windows runs. This requires more hardware, because two operating systems have to share the existing resources. You can quickly try something in the second system without having to reboot every time. The right tool is Virtualbox , the online workshop explains the details . Four simple tools follow at the end of the section: Double Killer detects duplicate files, Everything is a desktop search engine that detects all data and file contents on the hard disk with lightning speed and various filters.Should I remove it will help you decide if a program preinstalled on a new machine can be deleted or not. And if you have to provide IT support again in the family or in the circle of acquaintances, you can do that comfortably from home with Teamviewer . To do this, the person seeking help simply loads the "Quick Support" pager and, after starting, gives you ID and password by phone so that you can take over.

Analyzing system performance and finding errors requires specialized tools that manage hardware status, manage system settings, and indicate errors and incorrect configurations. If the computer slows down after powering up, it may be due to an overheated CPU running down Protection reduces the own clock frequency. Unfortunately there is no indication of the temperature in Windows , only in the bios. The small tool Core Temp accesses the sensor in the processor and reports the current heat levels in the system tray systray. A similar program exists in the form of GPU-Z also for the GPU of the graphics card.

Finally, the Sysinternals tools are the gold standard for professional analysis of Windows operations and troubleshooting. In particular, two of them, Autoruns and the Process Explorer should not be missing on any USB stick with support tools. Autoruns knows all places, where in Windows programs are started automatically. The Process Explorer is indispensable for finding memory eaters in RAM and on-the-go applications that drive up CPU usage to 100 percent over the long term.

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Is the smartphone suitable as a desktop replacement?

Users today have a wide range of computer types available for their workstations - both stationary and mobile. The smartphone can also serve as a desktop replacement. However, users should check the possibilities and limitations carefully before deciding on this alternative.

Our working world is changing. It becomes more digital, the tasks more diverse and multifaceted; the demands on flexible working methods of the employees grow. This is reflected not only in the culture of the companies and in the mindset of all those involved. Even the hardware of the Digital Workplace looks quite different than on the classic office workstation ten or twenty years ago.

At that time it was mainly about the question of who has the larger hard disk or the stronger processor, or when which colleague of the IT support again gets a new PC put under his desk, the discussions turn today less to the technical specs as much as to the Handling and the usability of different devices. Users are spoiled for choice: PC, notebook , ultramobile, 2-in-1, convertible, detachable, tablet - and maybe even just the smartphone?

The PC - a dying species?

One thing is clear: the conventional stationary PC is found in fewer and fewer offices. The trend is towards mobile workplaces. Only for special creative requirements around image or video editing, which require a lot of computing power or memory resources, a powerful PC is recommended, including correspondingly lusciously dimensioned display equipment. However, manufacturers such as HP and Dell are steadily expanding their workstation offering. Here, users will find high-performance systems with Intel Xeon processors, 32 GB of RAM and several terabytes of hard-disk space - the performance argument that used to speak for the desktop in the past is no longer applicable today.

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