scanner – PSafe Blog

Fingerprint Scanner Gestures: Pros and Cons

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 14:00:21 +0000

Fingerprint scanner gestures first premiered back in 2015 when the Huawei Mate S was released into the wild. Since then, Meizu phones picked up on them for a bit and now the Google Pixel is hopping on board, with a swipe that enables the users to drag down the notification shade. These fingerprint scanner gestures can help save time, but it isn’t enough to keep your information safe from prying eyes or thieves. Make sure that you have Anti-Theft activated so that your information stays safe in case of loss or theft:

With this feature activated, you can remotely block access to your phone, look for your phone’s location on a map, or activate a loud alarm to find it. If your phone is stolen, this feature will keep your information safe.

But times are changing again. New cell phone models are now featuring front-mounted fingerprint scanners that take things a bit further. Case in point? The new Huawei P10 and P10 Plus, and the Moto G5 and G5 Plus, have mixed things up again. This time, there are no on-screen navigation buttons. Instead of the typical navigation, there’s now a front-mounted fingerprint scanner. As you may imagine, it takes a little getting used to and isn’t without its problems.

For the Moto G5 and G5 Plus, the controls are more natural and intuitive. It doesn’t feel as complicated and it isn’t as difficult to remember the functions. Swipe to the left to head back, click to head for home, and swipe to the right for your recently used mobile apps. Again, when you hold down the home button, you’ll pop up Google Now.

Take the P10 for instance. Yes, you can unlock your phone with the scanner as you’d expect, but after it is unlocked, you can do more. Click on it to go back, long-press to go home, or swipe to the left or to the right to pop up your recent apps. There’s even faster access to Google Now. All you need to do is to swipe up near the home button — now that’s convenient.

Learning, or at least trying to remember, the different swipes won’t take forever. In fact, it does feel faster than clicking around the traditional way. Still, if it isn’t for you, there is an option to return to the on-screen buttons. Since there’s no standard design, each manufacturer will handle it differently. Switching from manufacturer to manufacturer will mean taking more time to learn how to use that feature. The rear-mounted scanners, like on the Pixel, seem more natural overall.

New Credit Card Skimmers Harder to Detect Than Ever

PSafe Newsroom — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 14:00:02 +0000

Devices that read ATM data aren’t a new development, but they used to be bulkier and easier to find. Now, however, the new credit card skimmers are harder to detect and adept at swiping information. If you prefer to use Android Pay instead of swiping a credit card, though, you should make sure that your device remains secure. Use the Full Virus Scan to check your phone and SD card for any information-stealing malware or havoc-causing viruses. If it finds anything amiss, it will take care of it for you. Click here to scan your device for malware now:

New Credit Card Skimmer Theft

The European ATM Security Team has warned about new credit card skimmers that are almost impossible to be detected by just looking at them, says Krebs on Security. The new devices are small, slim, and fit right inside the cavity of the credit card slot. When a user swipes his or her card, the data is taken. If you think that entering your pin number keeps you safe from this theft, think again. A spy camera will then capture you typing in your PIN number. The thieves now have everything they need to begin using your money anywhere, any way they want.

The new chip bank cards are one way to help thwart thieves, but the problem has now moved to the U.S., as American banking institutions were slow to respond with chip cards to block this type of theft.

Keep Your Personal Info Protected

How can you protect yourself from this sneakier thievery? You can start by using your other hand to cover your pin as you enter it in. It’s a simple step that most people skip. Anyone watching, whether in-person or through a spy camera, won’t be able to take your data with an obstructed view. If you’ve received a chip card, get it activated and use it.

You can also take advantage of DFNDR’s various Anti-Theft features. If you lose your phone, the last thing you want is for it to fall into the wrong hands — especially if you pay for goods with Android Pay. With all that personal data and financial information on your phone, thieves would have a field day. Click above to protect your phone in case of loss or theft:

With Anti-Theft you can lock down your phone’s data, see your phone’s location, and sound an alarm to find it. You can remotely access these functions, and more, even when the phone isn’t on. When it is powered up and active, your responses will push through and help prevent any data loss.

How CamScanner Can Turn Your Android into a Scanner

PSafe Newsroom — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 20:43:10 +0000

In the last 10+ years, telecommuting jobs have grown 103%, with almost 3% of the American workforce now working from home at least half the time. It makes sense, too, what with the portability and ease of netbooks and simple word processing computers that can be taken and used everywhere. But not having a computer around doesn’t mean you can’t easily have an entire office set up right in front of you. In fact, it’s entirely possible to run a whole office’s worth of work right from your smartphone. One app that’s helping with this is CamScanner, a smartphone PDF creator.

CamScanner is a free Android app that allows users to scan, store, sync and collaborate on content across smartphones, tablets, and computers. CamScanner features a mobile scanner that works by using a camera function within the app. After snapping a picture of the paper you want to scan, the app then recognizes the corners of the sheet and outlines it to crop it in a way that makes it look perfect. The text is crisp and readable and the document is safe to share with other people.

With CamScanner, it is also possible to extract text from an image by using OCR (optical character recognition). Users can also instantly print out documents in the app with a nearby printer or directly fax documents to over 30 countries right from the app itself. In addition, it is possible to invite friends or colleagues to view or comment on the scans in a group, to make annotations or add customized watermarks on the scans, to set passcodes for viewing important documents, and to sync documents to any smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Apps like CamScanner are revolutionizing smartphone technology and expanding their reach and use in ways never before possible. If you’re planning on making your phone into a multi-functional tool, it’s important to make sure that it’s running safely and efficiently. That’s where PSafe comes in. PSafe not only provides software that keeps users safe from viruses, malware, and malicious attacks, but also gives information that educates them about best practices to avoid threats. It’s 2016. Make your smartphone work for you.