computerworld.com - iOS 9, the mobile OS that powers Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, got a significant update Monday (when Apple also unveiled a new 4-in. iPhone and a 9.7-in. iPad Pro) with the arrival of iOS 9.3. The updated OS introduces several new features, including new 3D Touch shortcuts for existing system apps, Wi-Fi call support for Verizon customers, the ability to encrypt individual Notes, and -- most prominently -- a new Night Shift mode that automatically shifts the white balance on newer iPads and iPhones to a warmer color spectrum to help reduce eye strain and improve sleep. iOS 9.3 also brings updates to CarPlay, as well as enhancements to make the iPad a better tool for educational use.
The development cycle for iOS 9.3 encompassed seven developer betas and several public betas, so this update was a long-time coming. That lengthy gestation period should result in a stable final build, but if you're worried about that, you can just wait a few days to see if any major bugs snuck through Apple's quality assurance process and into the final build.
Not going to wait, are you? Didn't think so.
The update can be installed by tapping Settings: General: Software Update, and then following the necessary prompts. If you're more of an old-school user, you can also upgrade your iOS device through iTunes. Update sizes will vary depending on which device is being upgraded. For the iPhone 6S, iOS 9.3 weighs in at a sizable 1.7GB; for the iPad Pro, it's 1.5GB. Every device compatible with iOS 9 can -- and should -- run this update, but some features are limited to more recent models. (Night Shift, for instance, only works on the iPhone 5s or later, the iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, the iPad mini 2 or later and the sixth-generation iPod touch.)
Night ShiftNight Shift can be set to activate at specific times of day.
Sleep easier with Color Shift?
Night Shift is the most noteworthy feature, and will likely affect the most users. By default, at sunset Night Shift changes the display's color from a cooler spectrum (which emphasizes blue light) to a warmer one (which is more yellow/orange). This is done in an effort to not only reduce eye strain but to help us sleep better. The theory is that blue light disrupts the body's ability to rest, therefore keeping us awake even when we want to sleep. Shifting to a warmer color spectrum cuts back on blue light, and allows the body to naturally produce the chemicals needed to rest.
By default, Night Shift uses your specific location to determine when exactly to kick in at sunset and return the display to the normal color spectrum at sunrise. There's also an option for a more manual approach that lets you schedule Night Shift for a custom set of hours. Or you can toggle it on or off using the new button in the Control Center. (Swipe up from the bottom of the display to show Control Center; the toggle is centered above the Home button.)
Initially, I was uncertain about how well Night Shift would work. The shift takes some getting used to -- and the intensity can be adjusted via a slider under the Night Shift section of Settings: Display & Brightness. Your eyes and the way the brain processes color does grow accustomed to the change, though, and after a while you won't notice it as much.
One thing I found: Scheduling Night Shift to turn on at a particular time is actually a good way to stay more aware of the passing hours. I tend to lose track when working on the latest project, and seeing the device in my hand shift in color reminds me it's about time to put the electronics away.
Night Shift
Night Shift can be activated from the Control Center
iPad for Education
In an effort to keep the iPad a relevant education platform, Apple has added features in iOS 9.3 that addresses earlier shortcomings. These changes include multiple login support for different students; a mobile device management (MDM) portal for easier management of Apple IDs, apps, and other tweaks; school-assigned managed Apple IDs; and a new app called Classroom that allows a teacher to launch an app on every student's iPad, and then guide them through lessons and keep up with each student's progress. Classroom also allows teachers to view students' iPad screens, launch and lock down apps, and even display a student's screen on an AppleTV via AirPlay.
ios9.3 education Apple
iOS 9.3 rolls out new management features for education that would be useful in the workplace, too.
There are more details about iOS 9.3's education-based features here.
3D Touch additions
For iPhone 6S and 6S Plus users, more system apps get new 3D Touch shortcuts. Those include the Settings app (with shortcuts to Battery, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth panels); the Weather app; the App Store app (including an Update All apps option, as well as shortcuts to Purchased, Redeem, and Search); Compass; Health; and the iTunes Store.
TactioHealthTactioHealth offers a better UI than Apple for quick access to health info.
As well as those 3D Touch shortcuts, many system apps get tweaks of their own, including:
A new Activity tracker dashboard in Health. It syncs with and displays Apple Watch data and goals, similar to the widget in the Activity app. And to encourage and help people discover even more ways to be healthy, the Health app now sports third-party app suggestions for sleep, workout and weight tracking. That's all well and good, but Apple really should take a page from TactioHealth and have Health data that goes beyond simple graph displays, perhaps by explaining what the data means and showing in an easy-to-understand interface how your readings measure up to what's considered medically normal.
An updated Music app that makes it easier to access the album of the currently playing song. Just tap the song title to access the rest of the album. With this change, Apple moved where you tap to change a song rating. To do that, you now tap the album art. (Song ratings will appear above lyrics -- if the song has lyrics -- or are centered in the album art section. Note: third-party apps can now access your music library and even add content.
A tweaked News app. It's faster, and the For You section has been updated to provide more relevant content.
A more secure Notes app; It now supports locking and encrypting individual notes so that only those with a device password or a matching fingerprint via TouchID can access the content.
Other additions include: Wi-Fi calling for Verizon, which will bring Verizon customers up to par with a feature that has been available already for AT&T customers; iBooks can sync PDFs and assorted items through iCloud across devices; support for more than one Apple Watch, as long as that Apple Watch is running watchOS 2.2 and is synced to an iOS device running 9.3; and the device About screen now tells you if your phone is being actively managed.
And finally, CarPlay -- for those lucky enough to own a car that supports it -- has been updated with new features, including updated Maps that will better help you find nearby locations such as gas stations, restaurants, parking, and more and a Music app that now sports New and For You sections. The latter move is designed to make exploring new music that much easier when you're on the go.
Although this was just a point update, iOS 9.3 adds a variety of features, bug fixes and security tweaks that should keep users while we await more information about Apple's direction at this summer's upcoming Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC).

computerworld.com - Messaging services on Android devices get dinged by users for being too complex and fragmented, at least when compared to the universal app approach with Apple iMessage on iOS devices.
Google recognizes that it needs to make improvements to messaging on Android devices. To that end, the company bought Jibe Mobile, a provider of Rich Communications Services (RCS). Last fall, Google committed to the RCS carrier standard for support of mobile messaging, including group chats, high resolution photos and more.
RCS has been around for a long time - since 2007 - but so far hasn't won the support of more than 50 wireless carriers globally. In February, Google and 15 global carriers partnered with the GSM Association to promote further RCS adoption.
With Jibe, Google is building a dedicated RCS client to run on Android devices. It isn't clear when the client will be launched, although some reports have speculated more details could be revealed in May at Google's I/O conference.
Google's plan is for the RCS messaging app to be part of a new Android phone from the time a customer leaves the store, according to a Google official who asked not to be named. It will be available in older phones through Google Play and will be compatible with SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service, the official said Wednesday.
Google's RCS client would reportedly bring features that are seen in third-party services like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Hangouts and more. Some of the technology is discussed in an online primer from Jibe and one of the possible features is real-time typing. In addition, a user wouldn't have to find and sign up for separate accounts for different services, thereby reducing the fragmentation that has irked some Android customers.
In the February announcement describing the partnership with the GSMA, Sprint was the only U.S. wireless carrier listed as wanting to accelerate the availability of RCS. Last July, T-Mobile also announced support for RCS with Advanced Messaging.
AT&T and Verizon are reportedly interested in RCS, but haven't announced any specific plans. Google is talking to various carriers about joining RCS but isn't ready to name more, Google said.
The advantages of RCS to users would be convenience and more features than they can find by using SMS, which is still widely in use. Wireless carriers, meanwhile, could use the standard to compete against individual third-party messaging apps, often referred to as Over-The-Top (OTT) apps.
"Google got on board with RCS and Jibe because they were losing to OTT and were losing with Hangouts anyway, so RCS is another way to take another shot at the messaging space," said Steve French, global vice president of product management at OpenMarket, a mobile messaging provider to enterprises.
Since Android is estimated to run on 80% of the world's wireless phones, having a common messaging app could help Google gain a stronghold in the mobile messaging market, French said.
Google's RCS app won't replace the Hangouts app, according to the Google source. The RCS app will be separate from both Hangouts and Google Plus.
A report that circulated in December and was first posted by Phandroid, said that Hangouts would lose its SMS and MMS functionality. But Google wouldn't confirm the report.
JR Raphael, author of Computerworld's Android Power blog, described himself as a heavy user of Hangouts for messaging with other people. Hangouts is "useful, especially as a subscriber to Google's Project Fi service, which allows you to use Hangouts to access all messages, including SMS, from any device or platform," he said. "But I've also grown frustrated with Google's divided attention to the messaging domain and the often-slow progress on Hangouts that results from it ... I wish Google would settle on a single messaging client already."
The Jibe acquisition and RCS are Google's attempts "to reduce Apple's advantage with iMessage," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. "The Android RCS app could conceivably run on every phone, providing high quality messaging between all Android and iOS phones."
Whether Apple would ever accept RCS in a common platform with Android is questionable, however. And given that the GSM universe has about 800 carriers, Google has a big job ahead of it to achieve adoption, French and others said.
"RCS has taken forever to take hold," added Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at Technalysis Research. "Google realizes they have fragmentation at numerous levels with Android and a core service like messaging is where they need to do more. RCS would bring a universal way to do services like Snapchat and Whatsapp. So, moving to RCS does make sense, but you wonder why it has taken so long."
While Google describes the RCS app as separate from Hangouts and Google+, the company recently took another step perceived as an attempt to improve Google's mobile social networking acumen. The company last week announced the hiring of Christopher Poole, the founder of the controversial 4chan site, an innovator in building online communities.

zdnet.com - Last year Samsung offered the Galaxy S6 with a major modern design refresh, but also took away features from the Galaxy S5 that disappointed consumers. We saw the removal of the microSD card, lack of the water resistance, and an integrated small battery that had people charging their phones up at least once just to get through the day.
Samsung apparently heard the feedback loud and clear as the new Galaxy S7 addressed each of these three elements while also providing an improved low light camera and the latest version of the Android Marshmallow operating system.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a microSD card spot integrated onto the SIM card tray, water resistance with no port covers over the 3.5mm headset jack, microUSB port, or speaker, and a large 3,000 mAh battery. Let's take a closer look at the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S7.
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2.15 GHz quad-core
Display: 5.1 inch 1440x2560 pixels resolution Super AMOLED display
Operating system: Android 6 Marshmallow
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 32GB internal with microSD expansion card slot
Water resistance: IP68 certified for up to 30 minutes in five feet of water
Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, ANT+, NFC, GPS, MST and NFC payment system support
Battery: 3000 mAh non-removable with Quick Charge and dual wireless support
Dimensions: 142.5 x 69.6 x 7.8 mm and 152 grams
HARDWARE
Samsung radically changes the Galaxy design last year with the S6 line. The Galaxy S7 is more of a S6s with the same look and feel to the exterior and improvements to the internal specs and software.
DisplayMate's independent testing confirms that Samsung continues to use the best smartphone displays in the market and the display on the Galaxy S7 is superb. The device is expensive, but when you spend nearly all of your time looking at and interacting with the display it's important to have the best display available.
I found camera performance to be very similar to the S6, which is to say it is excellent. The camera megapixel count has been reduced, but the pixels size increased to help improve low-light photography. You can confidently use the Samsung Galaxy S7 while out to dinner or at a party and trust you will capture some great shots.
The auto-focus is stunning and you shouldn't miss photos with the S7. Thanks to the double button press you can launch and start taking photos in seconds. With the water resistance, this means you can even take photos and videos while in the water.
The battery has lasted me for a full day of regular usage and while I don't conduct strict battery tests I use my devices in a similar manner so I can get an indication if a phone is going to last me at least a day or not. The S6 died on me each early afternoon, which is why I returned it, while the S7 gets me through a full day without requiring a charge.
The Galaxy S7 is pocketable and easily slips into my front jeans pocket. Like the S6, it's a bit slick so be careful pulling it out of your pocket. It's also a major fingerprint magnet and wiping it clean takes effort. However, I like the look and feel of the device so am willing to put up with fingerprint smudges.
The black onyx one I am testing is truly black, unlike the navy blue finish on the black one last year. Light reflects off the back so there is a line that appears as you angle the device in your hand in well-lit environments. It's definitely an attractive phone that has an amazing fit and finish.
Calls sound great through the headset speaker and given that it is a carrier phone you get VoLTE and all of the great network support you expect from your carrier.
SOFTWARE
When you purchase an Android smartphone you should be comfortable with the current version of the operating system installed on the device because timely updates are not guaranteed. Software updates don't always mean the experience gets better and as we see today the Android situation is all over the map with devices running KitKat, Lollipop, and Marshmallow.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 runs Android Marshmallow out of the box. Buying a new Samsung is one way to get the latest version of the OS, but Samsung is also now rolling out Marshmallow to the S6 line and the Note 5. You can count on likely getting at least the next generation update eventually, just don't expect it when Google makes the OS announcement.
Samsung continues to refine TouchWiz, to the point where it's actually tough to find this term referred to in any Samsung materials. The Android experience on the S7 is clean and close to a pure Google experience with most enhancements by Samsung appearing in the notifications and settings areas.
PRICING AND COMPETITION
The Apple iPhone 6s is the closest direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S7, but the iPhone only comes in 16GB and 64GB storage variations while the S7 has 32GB with the ability to expand the storage capacity inexpensively via a microSD card. The 64GB iPhone 6s is priced at $xx while the AT&T Galaxy S7 costs $xxx.
There are plenty of lower priced alternatives today running the Android OS, but at least the Galaxy S7 looks, feels, and performs as a premium smartphone. For those of us who use our phones as their primary computing platform, the $100 to $300 premium may be worth it.
There are also some special launch offers from Samsung and AT&T that make buying one a bit easier. You can fill out a promotion form for a free Samsung Gear VR, $99 value, and also get up to $50 in VR games. AT&T, and other carriers, also have a buy one, get one free (BOGO) offer. You have to add an additional line to get the free phone, but if you need a couple phones then this may be a valuable offer.
DAILY USAGE EXPERIENCES AND CONCLUSION
The Samsung Galaxy S7 has the same cool metal frame, glass front, and glass back seen on the Galaxy S6. It is a bit thicker due to the increased battery capacity, but still feels great in your hand and is quite pocketable.
Over the past week, I have been able to go each day on a single charge. The ability to use Qi wireless charging and fast charging makes it convenient to top off as well. Samsung is clearly the smartphone manufacturer pushing the limits of mobile technology, making Apple's iPhone seem dated by comparison.
There are a few AT&T and Samsung apps and utilities, but they are not overwhelming and appear to have little impact on the performance or usability of the Galaxy S7. Some of these are useful and while it might be nice to have a phone free of carrier utilities, that's not possible unless you buy an iPhone or Nexus device.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is the best Android smartphone currently available and is arguably the best smartphone available today. Actually, the Galaxy S7 Edge that I just bought earlier this week beats the S7 due in part to the massive battery and additional edge functionality. I'll cover that device next week.

cio.com - Last week, BlackBerry published a provocative blog post to detail the timing of its monthly Android security software updates for the PRIV smartphone and rank them against rival Android OEMs (or original equipment manufacturers, for ye hardware layman). The company called out its competitors for relatively slow updates ... sort of. BlackBerry didn't cite any specific OEM names, but instead it referred to its Android maker rivals as "OEM 1" or "OEM 2."
BlackBerry ranked itself alongside nine Android OEMs, and it topped its own list. It's unclear, however, whether the numerals used to identify the OEMs represent their rank in the Android market, or if they're random. The world's leading Android OEMs today are Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo and Motorola Mobility (Lenovo owns Motorola), and Xiaomi, according to IDC, so it's likely that these four OEMs are among the list of suspects. LG and HTC were also probably included.
Why didn't BlackBerry identify the competition? I reached out to the company's PR team but haven't received a response. Here's what BlackBerry PR had to say: "We don't think it's necessary to pick at competitors - although probably not hard to see who's on the list."
Speedy Android updates as a competitive advantage in enterprise
Google issued its first monthly Android security update in September, following the identification of the high-profile Stagefright bug. Since then, the majority of leading Android OEMs have made some commitment to release these regular security updates in a timely manner, including Huawei, LG, Motorola and Samsung - though an HTC executive called promises to deliver monthly security updates "unrealistic" shortly after the Stagefright scare.
Last summer, when BlackBerry began promoting its first Android smartphone, the PRIV, it took to the blogosphere with a series of posts meant to detail the phone's security focus. One post was dedicated to Android security updates, and it explained how it implemented a three-tier system designed to roll out Google's monthly security updates, and any other BlackBerry specific software tweaks, as quickly as possible.
BlackBerry clearly made Android security updates a priority with the PRIV, and assuming its breakdown of rival OEM update timeframes is accurate, it's not exactly surprising BlackBerry is the leader. The data points, and the dedicated blog post, are notable because they show BlackBerry's attempt to make the speed of Android security rollouts a key differentiator in the enterprise.
Do rapid Android security updates really matter?
BlackBerry says it released the last four Google security updates, beginning in December, within 24 hours of receiving them. The first three other Android OEMs released the patches within a month, which in most cases would be considered a reasonable amount of time, because Google provides OEMs with a list of vulnerabilities a month before it publicly discloses them. And in the past, it often took OEMs much longer to release significant Android updates.
Of course, Stagefright was out in the wild before Google ever issued an official warning, and the less time the Bad Guys have to exploit unpatched flaws, the better. BlackBerry seems to lead the pack by a significant margin when it comes to rapid Androids updates, and security-conscious organizations and individuals should take note.

money.cnn.com - Click buy. Pay with a selfie. Done.
Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) is looking into allowing shoppers to pay with a selfie. The online retailer has filed a patent application for the technology, saying it is more secure and less "awkward" than traditional passwords.
Customers would be able to take a picture or a short video of themselves to authenticate payments, instead of typing in a password.
Amazon's facial recognition system would ensure it's the actual customer -- and not hackers, thieves or kids using their parents' devices -- who is making the purchase.
The process would replace passwords in the same way a thumbprint replaces putting in a PIN code on an iPhone and other devices.
To double check that the image is a legitimate selfie of a living human being (instead of a scan of previously taken photo), the system would also require users to blink, smile or tilt their head when taking their picture.
Amazon's patent filing includes sketches of the technology.
MasterCard (MA) has recently launched selfie and finger print payments based on similar principle. Also, Windows 10 allows people to log into their PCs with a facial scan.
Amazon said it is exploring the new technology to improve security and user experience.
"The entry of these passwords on portable devices is not user friendly in many cases, as the small touchscreen or keyboard elements can be difficult to accurately select using a relatively large human finger," the company said in the filing.
"(It) can require the user to turn away from friends or co-workers when entering a password, which can be awkward or embarrassing in many situations," Amazon added.
The filing didn't consider if taking a selfie while blinking, tilting head and smiling would be considered less awkward and embarrassing than typing in a password.
Amazon did not say when, if ever, would the new technology be available.

zdnet.com - Samsung's challenge with the Galaxy S7 can ironically be found in a missive about Apple's prospects in the smartphone market.
Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves said in a research note about Apple's iPhone 7 upgrade cycle:
Replacement cycles aside, we believe we have clearly entered a period of limited growth in high-end smartphones. This is due in part to the strong likelihood that incremental hardware innovation will have diminishing consumer value. This is a permanent shift, in our view; software and Internet services drive the bulk of consumer value in smartphones, and incremental hardware features do not seem likely to materially improve the experience from current levels. This has negative implications for replacement rates and pricing over time.
Enter Samsung's Galaxy S7.
The reviews for the Galaxy S7 have landed and most takes indicate that Samsung did what it had to. The company listened to its customer base, brought back features like the MicroSD slot and created a water resistant device that may have an improved camera.
CNET: Samsung Galaxy S7: Should you upgrade?
CNET's Jessica Dolcourt noted that the Galaxy S7 is too similar to the S6 to entice an upgrade. Ditto for the S7 Edge. The phones are fine. A tour of Samsung's New York technology and culture showplace highlighted tables of the devices that felt great in my hand.
Just not great enough to ditch my Galaxy Note 5. Aside from the latest Android, a MicroSD card and a 12-megapixel camera that is supposed to be an improvement from the previous 16-megapixel on, the Galaxy S7 pair is incremental. All smartphones are now incremental.
In the land of high-end Android, LG's G5 has more unique features with its modular design.
Nevertheless, some analysts are predicting the Galaxy S7 will outsell its predecessor. Credit Suisse analyst Keon Han said the S7 is likely to be more profitable and move more units than the S6. Han said:
The GS7 launch is earlier this year. The annual volume contribution is typically about 3 million in the launch quarter. About 7 million units of GS7 are expected to be shipped in 1Q16. The bill of materials cost is improving as the GS6 platform has been extended. Current estimate calls for GS7 sales to surpass GS6 volume.
In a nutshell, Samsung will move more Galaxy S7 units at a better profit margins and potentially price. From a business perspective it's a win for Samsung. From a gadget lust perspective, the Galaxy S7, like the smartphone market in general, will be incremental.