The Latest from GadgetLite

Posted: 14 Oct 2014 10:18 AM PDT

Technology continues its relentless march forward, which means that every year we are granted new and improved versions of our old devices. It can be difficult to understand the need to drop everything in favor of the newest tech, especially when so many of us are still using the laptops we bought for our first year of college. However, what we don't realize is how our old tools are seriously slowing us down.

While you may be able to get by with your old tools, your performance is likely lacking. Whether it takes you longer to accomplish basic tasks or you're wasting valuable resources with outdated technology, resisting the upgrades is keeping you in the past. If you want to move out of the cave and rejoin society in a shiny new smart house, here are the four pieces of tech you must upgrade immediately.

Toothbrushes

You brush your teeth at least twice a day every day — or you should — so why are you relying on a tool designed more than 80 years ago? To clean your mouth effectively, you must powerfully brush for a total of two minutes. While the modern toothbrush does some damage to plaque and debris, if you are continuing to rely on your own arm strength and attention span to keep your teeth shining and gums healthy, you probably aren't doing a perfect job every time.

Conversely, electric toothbrushes are designed to reach difficult areas of the mouth, have motorized heads that don't lose power while you're multitasking, and can have timer features that turn off the toothbrush when you've finished your cleaning. Sticking with a manual toothbrush is asking for dentures in your later life, which is a major expense — not to mention inconvenience.

Household Appliances

You're lying to yourself if you think you're getting by with an older model of your clothes washer, dryer, or dishwasher. Most people use all three of these at least once every week, and older versions of these appliances don't have the newest technology to truly make your items clean, and they are more likely to break down or malfunction, necessitating costly calls to the repairman. On top of all this, older appliances are not designed with energy efficiency in mind, so they are likely draining your wallet through your electricity bill as well.

New appliances can be a big investment, but they pay off both in their functionality and the value they add to your home. Energy Star appliances are reviewed and approved by the government for their decreased energy usage and impact on pollution, so you can trust you're upgrading to an amazing product.

Cigarettes

You've known since you were a child that cigarettes in general are a waste of money — they smell, they stain, and they damage nearly every aspect of your health, among other detriments. However, no matter how many times you try to quit, you just can't get away from them.

Unfortunately, your bad habit is costing you a fortune; depending on your location, your lung capacity, and your pack of choice, you could be dropping more than $5,000 a year.

You don't have to stop smoking to save that money. Instead, consider smoking tobacco-less e-cigarettes. There are tons of customizations and modifications — not to mention flavors — you can choose from to get the perfect experience. Plus, not only is the investment in e-cigs lower, but your health risks are likely diminished as well.

Video Game Consoles

Even if you are one of the countless casual gamers, it's hard to stay with one gaming console for very long. Video game developers love upgrading devices so they can roll out games with the best possible graphics and audio. Oftentimes, downloadable upgrades to consoles aren't enough, and to progress, companies must create entirely new devices. When this happens, the old machines become obsolete because companies stop producing updates and games for old systems.

Serious gamers know that when new consoles are announced, they should stop buying games and gear for their old device. To increase your skill at video games, stay on top of trends and own the newest devices possible. If you don't, you'll be stuck with the same games you've always played while everyone else gets newer and better digital adventures.

Cell Phones

With all the indispensible features available on smartphones today, upgrading this piece of tech really should be a no-brainer. However, legions of people continue to carry around outdated flip phones with the intention of communicating with others in the ways of the 1890s. Whether it's good or bad, the way we interact with one another is changing, and for the most part we require the features of modern cell phones, like texting, picture messaging, and video messaging, to communicate.

Older phones lack most or all of these capabilities, so their users are often left without anyone to talk to. If you don't want to be left alone in the dust, you should be paying the extra monthly fee to gain the ability to connect with your friends and family in the modern fashion.

Why consumers are wary of mobile banking — and how you can protect yourself

Posted: 14 Oct 2014 10:10 AM PDT

Judging by the number of television commercials touting the benefits of online banking — you can transfer money while waiting in line at the grocery store, or in the amount of time it takes to warm up for a tennis serve! — you might think that anyone with a smartphone is using their bank's mobile application. After all, it's hard to beat the convenience of instant transfers, making deposits without visiting the bank, and the ability to check your balance before you hit the checkout line.

Yet according to one recent survey, 44 percent of U.S. consumers said that they would never use mobile banking apps, in large part because of fear of security risks.

What Are the Risks of Mobile Banking?

For many people, the idea of using a mobile banking application sets up the potential for a worst-case scenario: Their smartphone is lost or stolen, and the thief is able to gain access to their banking information via an application — and easily transfer every single penny to their own account, all before the owner of the phone even realizes that it's missing. So while they recognize the convenience of mobile banking, the risk just feels too high. It would be bad enough to have emails, photos, social media, and contact lists fall into the wrong hands; banking information could be devastating.

It doesn't help that another study claimed that as many as 90 percent of all of the top mobile banking applications contained flaws that could potentially be exploited to compromise security. Some of the flaws that researchers discovered included lack of SSL-encryption on certain links within the application, links that could allow hackers to access the application and create fake log-in screens, and errors that could allow hackers to inject malware via the app that would send emails or text messages or make calls from the device. Not all applications contained all of the errors, though, and none of the apps has reported security lapses due to these flaws. In fact, many of the errors identified in the studied applications have since been mitigated — yet consumers still hear "90 percent of applications are dangerous" and shy away from mobile banking.

Avoiding the Risks

Many banks have approached mobile banking security the same way that they approached online banking security, and have taken steps to secure their apps to provide customers with peace of mind and convenience. Applications are now being developed to co-exist with the security features already built in to smartphones, including biometrics and features like Google's Trust Zone, which helps protect against software hacks.

Still, there are steps that users can take to protect themselves when using banking applications.

Install antivirus protection. Experts note that one reason that smartphones tend to be vulnerable to attack is that users fail to treat them as what they are, which is handheld computers. You wouldn't run your computer without antivirus, so why are you assuming that your mobile device is safe? Install an Android security program that includes antivirus protection to keep your apps and information safe.

Avoid banking on public Wi-Fi. When you use public Wi-Fi, whether on your computer or on your phone, there's always a chance that anyone in the vicinity could tap into your connection and see what you are doing. If you are going to use mobile banking, do so only on a secure, encrypted connection.

Use a strong password. Your banking password should be one of the strongest credentials you create and should only be used for banking. Follow current best practices for your banking password: at least eight characters, combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, and avoid using any dictionary words. Never store your banking username and password on your device, even if your bank's app allows you to.

Download from a trusted source. Fake banking applications are a concern, so only download your bank's app from a trusted source, preferably the bank itself. Some banks will even text you the link to the download.

Use your phone's security features. Most users fail to do things like lock their phones using a code or biometrics. Learn about your device and take advantage of the installed features.

Notify your bank. If your phone is lost or stolen and you use mobile banking, notify the bank immediately. They can lock down your account for your protection, and may even be able to help you locate the phone using the device's GPS.

While there will always be risks involved with banking — even if you visit a teller, things can still go wrong — there is no need to fear mobile banking if you take the right precautions. So go ahead and download that app, and get your banking done even when you're on the beach or at the tennis court.