Hasta La Gadget!

Its common to use multiple online services these days which means there’s a different set of credentials of each service. Some users tend to use the same credentials across all services, so if one is compromised, their entire online presence is at risk. Remembering different passwords for different services can be tricky particularly if you’re prone to forgetting things and that’s where password managers come in. LastPass, a popular password manager, now finally has an app for Mac OS X.

Mac users have been able to use LastPass, which is a cross-platform password manager, previously but only through the web portal and the browser extension. One can imagine just how much improved the user experience is now going to be since the LastPass app for Mac is finally available for download.

It brings some new features like security check, quick search and more. LastPass is actually capable of handling much more than just passwords for the websites you visit. It can also be used to store credit and debit card information, note, bank details and other sensitive data.

There’s a password generation feature built right into the app which lets users make secure and unique passwords for different services. The security check feature lets users know just how strong their passwords are.

LastPass app for Mac is available as a free download from the Mac App Store. There’s an annual subscription option for users who don’t want ads and would like features such as multi-factor authorization and technical support.

LastPass App For Mac Released , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Microsoft might be famous for their Windows operating system, but this does not mean that they do not dabble in other markets such as hardware as well. It seems that their research arm is developing what could very well change the way we juice up our power hungry devices down the road, with a new mobile device charging project known as AutoCharge. One of the main goals of AutoCharge would be to create a seamless smartphone charging experience which will do away with the need for pesky cables and charging pads. The prototype AutoCharge system will rely on a combination of image recognition alongside solar charging so that it can identify a smartphone lying there on a desk automatically before sending charging photons its way.

Sounds a whole lot like voodoo, don’t you think so? The experimental prototype will be able to identifies the smartphone in its place within 0.3 seconds, and it will have a charging capability that is close to the speed of that of current wired chargers. Solar charging is definitely a trek off the beaten path, which is why Microsoft came up with a method for indoor solar charging that works round the clock. You can read more about the AutoCharge system in the white paper here.

Microsoft’s AutoCharge Mobile Device Charging Project , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

HP’s tablet ambitions don’t end with the Pro Slate 8 and 12 and their ultrasonic stylus, with a clutch of new Android and Windows 8 slates unveiled with features like ruggedized casings, 2-in-1 docks, and more. Most curious of the bunch is likely the HP Elite x2 1011 G1, an 11.6-inch Windows 8.1 tablet with baked-in LTE, an optional Wacom … Continue reading

As a young man, I wasn’t sure where my career would lead. Through my parents, I was fortunate enough to experience different countries, languages and exposure to the world of work. Like many young people, however, I didn’t know what profession or what kind of career path I should aspire to. What I did know is that I wanted to learn, and to have experiences that would give me a range of options.

Today’s young people face the same uncertainties in a more complex, fast-moving environment. The world of work is constantly changing. Human potential is a catalyst for business and economic success. For young people to be part of that success, we must help them tap into opportunities. It is vital they can access options to reskill, to adapt to new technology, to relocate to take on jobs in other regions and countries, and to learn on-the-job, online and in the classroom. If business, government and citizens want to ensure sustainable growth, they must partner to make these options available to youth.

Two months ago, I spoke to young people in Chicago who were participating in a Junior Achievement program, an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in the global economy. I was struck by the fact that the students were well aware of the complexities of the global environment, and had first-hand experience of youth unemployment, personally or through family or friends. Globally, about 73 million young people are neither in employment nor education (NEET). This is the next generation — the generation that will be charged with developing policies to mitigate global income inequality, manage pandemics and resource scarcity. As leaders, we can help to open young people’s eyes to opportunity by sharing our own stories.

When I opened the floor to questions, one student asked about my career path to CEO. I shared my background of uncertainty and thirst for new experiences. They liked my story of a young Swedish man who travelled the world making his sales pitch for household appliances in five languages. They liked even more the options this experience created for me.

Of course, there is no CEO school. Access to education is the first step on the career path for many young people. It is also the key to addressing an increasingly polarized workforce along the lines of workforce readiness, and reducing inequality. To succeed, they need opportunities that promote life-long learning and access to employers. Evidence suggests that students who have four or more contacts with employers while in school are more likely to be employed aged 19-24, and five times less likely to be jobless.

While many economies have regained lost ground since the last Annual Meeting in Davos in 2014, high levels of youth unemployment remain a major problem. The consequences of a “lost generation” extend beyond labour markets. Unemployment permanently impacts citizens, communities and economies. The mismatch between in-demand talent and the oversupply of unskilled talent is bad for individuals and businesses. Even with high unemployment our annual Talent Shortage Survey shows that, globally, 36% of employers have difficulty filling jobs.

Business is addressing youth unemployment and challenging partners to do the same. By collaborating, businesses can multiply the impact of their efforts. In the UK, ManpowerGroup and other employers are collaborating as part of the Movement to Work to create 100,000 vocational training and work experience placements by 2015, equivalent to about 2% of their workforces.

Education systems struggle to keep pace with technological change, yet they must equip individuals with the skills needed to be lifelong learners. Business must promote learning in their organizations and individuals must seize opportunities to adapt to new roles throughout their careers. Forward-thinking employers are creating bridges between work and learning. ManpowerGroup offers career services that align with business needs to students at colleges and universities around the world to provide a stronger connection between learning and work.

The individuals who take responsibility for their own lifelong learning and careers will be successful. Employees in our Experis IT business are a good example of how people who continue to learn can enhance their skills and increase their value to employers. Nearly 80% of IT contractors surveyed had advanced their skills beyond university courses or employer training. Their choice to continue learning gave them the option to command higher salaries and to choose where and when they work.

Tapping into internships, apprenticeships and entry-level roles can offer young people options to gain vital skills and fuel ongoing learning. Each year, ManpowerGroup works with clients to give that leg-up to more than 1 million young people, providing opportunities that can further their career goals and lead to future work.

The responsibility for learning is a shared one — young people must seek out new experiences, and business, education and government must collaborate to create more opportunities. As a young man, I wasn’t sure where my career would take me. Today, I am very proud to lead an organization that focuses on helping people find meaningful, sustainable employment all over the world.

In today’s environment of certain uncertainty, advancing technology will continue to make some jobs obsolete while new ones are created. As leaders, we must share our own stories, create options that help young people gain skills through education and work, and promote opportunities that will equip young people with the tools they need to continue learning and build sustainable careers.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and The World Economic Forum to mark the Forum’s Annual Meeting 2015 (in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, Jan. 21-24). The Forum’s Strategic Partner community comprises a select group of leading global companies representing diverse regions and industries that have been selected for their alignment with the Forum’s commitment to improving the state of the world. Read all the posts in the series here.

What’s about to break the Internet?

Free stuff, apparently.

That place where you can read newspapers and watch cat videos at no cost faces a certain and perilous end when Facebook, Twitter, or Wikipedia are free.

So says Harvard law professor and former Obama administration technologist Susan Crawford. 

Crawford is campaigning against phone companies that provide customers access to these services at no cost. In a recent blog post she calls it, “pernicious; it’s dangerous; it’s malignant… it’s a human rights issue.”

Just to be clear, this “human rights issue” she’s referring to occurs when phone companies don’t charge their customers for using popular apps. Many mobile carriers allow unlimited data use for apps consumers like most so they won’t be charged for using them.

If it strikes you as loopy to equate consumer discounts with human rights violations like torture or human trafficking, you’re not alone. Crawford’s comments were met with dismay by many.

Yet, she insists that this is central to net neutrality and, amazingly, some people are buying it. She has the ear of the president, and activists have taken to promoting this “cause” with a hailstorm of social media. 

But, does this do more to hurt net neutrality than help it?

The heart of Crawford’s complaint is that giving away free services forces users into something that isn’t “the real internet.” In the piece, she argues that charging consumers different rates for download speeds is fine, but not charging them at all for some services, referred to as zero-rating, should not be allowed:

Zero-rating, by contrast, is absolutely inappropriate. It makes certain kinds of traffic exempt from any data cap at all, or creates a synthetic “online” experience for users that isn’t the Internet.

Most Americans use smartphones to connect with friends and find information. And when a carrier doesn’t charge for apps such as Facebook and Wikipedia, consumers have more data to access other ones. It saves them money. On a tight budget, those cost savings can make a real difference. Crawford, however, dismisses this in her argument:

But the cost of such services is the future of the Internet. Those users may never move to “real” Internet access… That’s discrimination on the basis of the nature of the traffic itself, being carried out by the service provider  –  not by the user… Traffic that is “approved” is allowed; other traffic won’t flow to users.

Using pretzel logic, one could claim that free access to one service denies access to another. But that defies common sense. Every day, online consumers make choices about what apps and websites they use. It’s done with the click of a mouse or the tap of an icon. Wireless customers already have paid for a data plan. If some of their favorite, most-trafficked apps are free, they have more data available to use for others. Where’s the problem?

Crawford insists that it’s “patronizing” to offer discounts or free products to consumers.

This has to be one of the most tone deaf pot-kettle claims I’ve ever seen. Crawford’s condescending view of Americans is astounding. She insists the government must “outlaw” these free apps or else we won’t go to the right places on the internet. Crawford believes Americans can’t be trusted to make our own decisions online unless we pay for that privilege.

I have more faith. I think we can find the “real Internet” by ourselves without her guiding hand to protect us from the dangers of saving money. And this notion that consumers shouldn’t get anything for free — because it’s inherently “malignant” and not “real” — is just laughable.

Does Crawford share the same contempt for consumers using an 800 number? Are they not using a “real” phone service because it’s a free call? Does that make it dangerous?

How about her students at Harvard? Does she look down her nose at those who needed scholarships to attend? By Crawford’s reasoning, they were being manipulated into choosing an education that wasn’t “real.”

After so many years in federal government and academia, perhaps Crawford should reacquaint herself with the real world. If she ventures out there, she’ll find that we’re perfectly fine surfing the web on our own. And that we aren’t insulted by discounts or savings. They don’t make us feel bad about ourselves or deprive us of rational thought. 

Crawford insists “there can be no compromise (on zero-rating). Because then we would be surrendering.” I hope saner voices prevail. If we try to take the free out of the internet, consumers are going to have a real problem with net neutrality.

Disclosure: ACT | The App Association represents over 5,000 companies in the app ecosystem and enjoys support from a wide range of internet companies including platforms, carriers, software and e-commerce companies.