Web Roundup: Smartphones, Hackers and Cutting-Edge Mobile Technology

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This week’s tech news includes new product and app releases as well as major security breaches.

When it comes to mobile technology, there's a delicate balance between staying on the cutting edge and maintaining security. With this week’s new releases of products, apps and stories about security breaches, you might be second-guessing your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Find out what’s happening in the world of technology in this week’s Web roundup.

Exposed! Snapchat Photos Leaked!

Hackers have done it again. This time, they’ve snagged and leaked approximately 200,000 Snapchat users' photos – many of them nude photos. Snapchat already holds a strong reputation as being the social network for racy photos. Now, the NSFW images that many Snapchat users exchange are public. Will we ever be able to trust cloud services and social networks with private data? Those whose private parts have now become public probably don't think so. (Get more insight in Don't Look Now, But Online Privacy May Be Gone for Good.)

AT&T Owes $80 Million in Refunds

Regulators reached a settlement with AT&T over unauthorized charges on customer bills. Now, the Federal Trade Commission will pay out $80 million to former AT&T customers who were unlawfully charged. AT&T will also have to fork over another $25 million in fees and penalties. This is good news for AT&T customers but bad news for the company that once dominated the mobile industry.

Apple’s Innovation Continues to Power Forward

Last month, Apple unveiled a new iPhone and a new watch. On October 16, they’re gearing up to make another big announcement. This time, it’s about the new iPad, which is rumored to be larger and thinner than its predecessors. Sales for the old iPads have declined, generating negative growth of 8 percent. With a 12.9-inch liquid crystal display screen and the possibility of new color choices (gold, anyone?) suppliers are hoping that the tablet will make a comeback. As a consumer, if you’re eager to get your hands on the new iPad, you might have to wait a little bit longer. Production is delayed as Apple continues to focus on churning out more of the popular iPhone 6 models.

Lenovo Releases Yoga 3 Pro (With Help From Ashton Kutcher)

Last year, Lenovo employed Ashton Kutcher to work as a product engineer. Now, he’s gearing up to demonstrate the Yoga 3 Pro and ThinkPad Yoga 14 notebook. As a laptop, the Yoga 3 Pro is expected to be very popular. With more durable parts and better connectivity, it is built to withstand the tribulations of travel. However, Lenovo has taken a page from the Microsoft Surface’s book and also tried to make this computer a tablet. Many have said that they believe it will be too heavy to work effectively as a tablet. Still, with durability on its side, Lenovo is hoping that road warriors and business travelers will enjoy the peace of mind this new product is promising.

HTC Targets Photography and Video Buffs

On October 10th, HTC released several new products geared toward photography and video buffs. The first is an L-shaped camera that’s meant to take photographers out from behind the viewfinder. Using a camera that looks like a perioscope, you can capture photos and videos that cover 146 degrees. HTC has also tapped into the selfie industry by creating a smartphone with a front-facing camera. This is perfect for people who want better looking selfies in low light settings. The final new product release by HTC? Zoe, a video editing app that lets people mix photos and videos. Right now Zoe is only available on Android phones. Later this year, Apple users will also have access to the app.

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Kimberly Crossland
Editor

Kimberly Crossland graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in international business and marketing. She started her career overseas for one of the leading computer security software companies. Then, she returned to the United States and worked with a cloud collaboration startup firm. Now, she works as a writer offering important information for people in IT on the most current trends and how they can employ those trends to give their business legs to succeed.