Experian Hack Compromises T-Mobile Customer Data

T-Mobile LogoIn a letter to consumers, T-Mobile CEO John Legere disclosed that the vendor his company uses to process credit applications has been compromised.

The investigation is ongoing, but what we know right now is that the hacker acquired the records of approximately 15 million people, including new applicants requiring a credit check for service or device financing from September 1, 2013 through September 16, 2015. These records include information such as name, address and birthdate as well as encrypted fields with Social Security number and ID number (such as driver’s license or passport number), and additional information used in T-Mobile’s own credit assessment. Experian has determined that this encryption may have been compromised. We are working with Experian to take protective steps for all of these consumers as quickly as possible.

In responding to this attack, T-Mobile will be offering up two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection through ProtectMyID.com.

We don’t have confirmation on when this attack took place, or how quickly T-Mobile and Experian responded to the issue. Though the data stolen represents approximately two years of records, we can assume that the hackers have not had access for that length of time.

You can read Experian’s official press release here, and John Legere’s full letter to T-Mobile customers below.

Continue reading “Experian Hack Compromises T-Mobile Customer Data”

LG Unveils V10 Premium Android Smartphone

The end of 2015 is shaping up to be a competitive race. Of course we had iPhone launch day, Google’s new Nexi, and we’ll be talking new Windows Phones in about a week, but LG is making sure they don’t go quiet before the holiday buying season.

Before their official keynote, LG published an aggressively stylish video to show off their new aggressively stylish smartphone. The V10 builds on the success of the G4, but mixes in some new technology tweaks and higher quality build materials.

LG V10 premium smartphone Android Somegadgetguy (5)

We’re looking at the same Qualcomm 808 processor, but now paired with an additional gigabyte of RAM. We also keep the same 3000mAh battery, with a removable back and MicroSD card storage expansion.

That’s where the similarities with the G4 end. Everything else gets some kind of tweak. Continue reading “LG Unveils V10 Premium Android Smartphone”

Are Tablets Ready for Productivity? The Promise of What’s to Come…

Yesterday Google unveiled their new Nexus line up, new Chromecasts, and showed off a slew of services. One curious tease towards the end of their keynote revealed their strategy for offering up a new tier of productivity device.

The Pixel C.

Previous “Pixel” products utilized Google’s Chrome OS, but this next entry to the line will run stock Android, the operating system reserved for phones and tablets. Clearly Google is looking to compete with the recently announced iPad Pro, and the focus on productivity is clear. The Pixel’s signature accessory is a magnetic keyboard cover which includes and adjustable hinge.

There’s been a bit of a scramble lately in the tablet market. Sales are generally down. After being the hot item, destined to replace those boring old laptops, even Apple is struggling to grow sales year over year.

Continue reading “Are Tablets Ready for Productivity? The Promise of What’s to Come…”

SomeGadgetGuy on TV! iPhone 6S Launch Day on ABC 7!

iPhone Launch days are a lot of fun! I spent that morning at the AT&T store in Pasadena California to give the reporters at ABC 7 a tour of all the new features on the iPhone 6S! Nothing quite like being camera ready at 5am, to go live on the air with a phone I’ve only used for about twenty minutes!

Major thanks to my pals at Casey & Sayre PR for helping me track down this video clip!

iPhone 6S MEGA Camera Review in 4k! The Full Scoop on Apple’s Higher Resolution iSight Camera!

Do you want to see what the iPhone 6S camera is REALLY capable of? Well here’s the most comprehensive review available online of Apple’s higher resolution iSight sensor! Let’s look at photo and video performance in all its UHD video glory!


iPhone 6S vs LG G4: https://youtu.be/OGiC8iVIAEE
iPhone 6S vs Galaxy S6: https://youtu.be/hC4PYZR5Ozw

Continue reading “iPhone 6S MEGA Camera Review in 4k! The Full Scoop on Apple’s Higher Resolution iSight Camera!”

#SGGQA 13: iPhone 6S 1st Impressions, How Much Do Gadgets REALLY Cost, and YOUR Tech Questions!

NEW IPHONE DAY! This week’s show, I’m back from the AT&T store with a launch day iPhone 6S. We talk about what it costs to really produce a gadget, and I answer your tech questions live on the air! Make sure you’re charged and ready! It’s Podcast Time!

Download this week’s show as an audio podcast!
Subscribe to #SGGQA via iTunes!
Subscribe to #SGGQA via RSS!
#SGGQA on PlayerFM!
#SGGQA on Stitcher!
Most Recent Episode on SoundCloud!
Continue reading “#SGGQA 13: iPhone 6S 1st Impressions, How Much Do Gadgets REALLY Cost, and YOUR Tech Questions!”

Galaxy S6 Edge+ vs LG G4 – Smartphone Comparison! FIGHT! Showdown! Battle!

Form or function? This year we’ve seen some great “debates” from smartphone manufacturers over what styles and which features consumers care about most. Let’s take a look at the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and how it compares to LG’s slightly older the flagship the G4. FIGHT!

LG G4: 2 Month follow up https://youtu.be/xz–akwc7-Y
GS6E+ Review https://youtu.be/SMaoN_DJpuA
LG G4 Camera https://youtu.be/CvNf_U0JIjg
GS6E+ Camera https://youtu.be/qJpthH4npZ0
LG G4 Speaker https://youtu.be/pCC8UgdrcoU
GS6E+ Speaker https://youtu.be/X8uSLi1ObEg

Continue reading “Galaxy S6 Edge+ vs LG G4 – Smartphone Comparison! FIGHT! Showdown! Battle!”

Guest Article: How to Keep Your Smartphone Secure When Using Public WiFi

wifi

Caroline Black from Secure Thoughts shares some tips on how you can better protect your mobile data using public networks.

Public WiFi can be an easy access point for hackers to obtain your personal information. Whether you’re on your tablet, laptop or smartphone, the risks remain the same: some creep could be around the corner or even at the next table spying on your online activities, lurking on your accounts and taking down your login and banking information. It’s likely that there are many personal details stored on your device, whether you know it or not.

Smartphones especially come with risks because you are always logged into one of your accounts (as required by the operating system). It’s also easy to forget to log out on the websites you visit and many users save their passwords for a simpler way to access the pages later on. Anyone who sneaks their way into your smartphone can easily find this information, whether they physically have your device or if they’re hacking into it through an unsecured network.

So how are you able to prevent this from occurring anyways? Avoiding public WiFi is not an option for many smartphone users, especially when they’re on the go. So instead of ditching the public WiFi, consider securing your device. Here’s how you can do just that:

Check Your Accounts

Besides keeping an eye on your account activity on a regular basis, you should avoid saving your passwords on your device. Sometimes your web browser will ask you if you’d like to save your passwords, though you could have also stored them in a memo on your phone. Whichever might be the case, you should never store your passwords on your smartphone. Continue reading “Guest Article: How to Keep Your Smartphone Secure When Using Public WiFi”