Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrapup

Kids settle the debate and tell us which is better: an Apple or Samsung phone

http://www.businessinsider.com/kids-choose-between-iphone-and-samsung-2015-4



Too Embarrassed to Ask: Early Apple Watch Questions

http://recode.net/2015/04/17/too-embarrassed-to-ask-early-apple-watch-questions/



15 tiny design features that show Apple's insane attention to detail

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-examples-of-apple-design-details-2015-4



Apple Watch reviews roundup

AW comment:  Good roundup.  My previous roundup missed all but one of these reviews.

http://www.citeworld.com/article/2907228/mobile-byod/apple-watch-reviews-roundup.html



The 7 safest apps to send private and secure messages

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-safest-apps-to-send-private-and-secure-messages-2015-4



Apple has spent years working on a type of product that Steve Jobs famously hated

Apple has been granted a patent application for a stylus

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-patent-stylus-steve-jobs-hated-2015-4



Android is stalled, and the iPhone is going to take market share from it in a way that we haven't seen before

Apple is about to become a serious taker of market share — to Android's misfortune.

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-fundamentally-different-in-terms-of-market-share-2015-4



Samsung is dedicating a team of 200 employees to making screens for Apple products

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-samsung-creates-team-to-make-screens-for-apple-devices-bloomberg-2015-4



Apple just bought 36,000 acres of private forestland

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-buys-forestland-2015-4



Basically, this is a considered use of Apple’s excess cash to shore up supply. It’s purchasing forests to save half as many trees as it’s cutting down each year.

The long-term plan is to become 100% sustainable. When that might happen the company is not prepared to say. But at least it’s trying.

https://fortune.com/2015/04/17/why-apple-bought-a-forest/



What the first Apple.com homepage looked like

http://bgr.com/2015/04/17/apple-original-homepage-website-1990s/


Automator Actions Make Apple's Photos Way More Useful

http://lifehacker.com/these-automator-actions-make-apples-photos-way-more-use-1698224407

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-set-up-and-use-apples-new-photos-app-in-os-x-yos-1697595730



Apple, ex-cons and second chances

I believe image-conscious Apple Computer’s hastily retracted announcement on an outright ban forbidding workers with felony convictions from working on the construction of its massive new 2.8 million-square-foot Cupertino headquarters building does not go far enough.

Apple’s flawed policy does two things: It disenfranchises a segment of society from earning an honest living; and, it will drive up crime rates by pushing people back into criminal behavior just to survive.

As an inmate at San Quentin State Prison who will be paroling soon to rebuild my life, my question to Apple is: What do you suppose people with a felony conviction do to earn a living?

For years, I, like many of the men here at San Quentin, have been preparing to re-enter society. I’ve earned a college degree, taken many offender rehabilitation programs, and will graduate this week from a first-of-its-kind program in computer coding skills. Yet, to Apple, none of this matters.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/Apple-got-a-second-chance-it-could-offer-me-6205489.php



One of the quietest revolutions has been the Messaging Revolution, which has literally created hundreds of billions of dollars in value for early investors in it and is still just getting started.

Messaging and live streaming through apps on your smartphone, wearables and other devices will be the next to explode in valuation, and you'll see companies like Snapchat come public in the next year or two.

the best example of the Messaging Revolution is Snapchat.

I'll try to help you find the best [messaging revolution companies] to invest in. For now, stick with Facebook and Twitter.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-trillion-dollar-messaging-revolution-2015-04-14



LinkedIn is positioning itself as the Facebook for professionals

And with LinkedIn's recent purchase of Pulse, a mobile news reading application that claims 30 million users, and last week's launch of a redesigned iPhone application that focuses on personalized news, the company has signaled that it's serious about engaging users with content.

Pulse, which began as a mobile app in 2010, aggregates content from more than 750 publishers and presents it in a tiled display on iOS and Android devices as well as on the Web.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/23/linkedin-pulse-iphone-app_n_3134819.html



AT&T sues to overturn FCC's net neutrality rules

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/att-sues-to-overturn-fccs-net-neutrality-rules-2015-04-14-19103509



'Human hacking' scams and how to avoid them

the most powerful way hackers can access private information:  "social engineering" or, as some call it, "human hacking".

Alcohol
Sex
Social Media -- hackers love finding info on people -- better to trick them with
Fake E-mails to look like they are from banks or government

Five tips to stay protected

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/human-hacking-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them-2015-04-17



As many as 5,000 hackers worldwide could be capable of committing Sony Pictures-style attacks on companies, a security expert told CBS News on "60 Minutes" Sunday.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/thousands-of-hackers-capable-of-sony-style-attack-2015-04-13



How long does it take to hack a company?

In 60% of cases, attackers are able to compromise an organization within minutes, according to a Verizon report.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-long-does-it-take-to-hack-a-company-just-minutes-report-says-2015-04-14



US cops pay Bitcoin ransom to end office hostage drama

Blundering cops in Maine, US, have enriched malware masterminds by paying up to decrypt files held hostage by ransomware.

Four city police departments and a sheriff's office in Lincoln County share a common computer network run by Burgess Computer, which hosts the plods' administrative files.

Then one day the entire system was encrypted by the Megacode ransomware, which scrambles documents and demands Bitcoins to decrypt them.

in this case the backup system hadn't worked properly, so the cops had no choice but to pony up the digital cash.

The problem with ransomware is getting much worse.  Malware writers found that it's easier to get paid a ransom rather than have to go through all the tricky business of identity theft.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/13/us_police_ransomware/



Megacode ransom paid to decrypt server shared by 5 law enforcement departments in Maine

Although $300 is a relatively low ransom when it comes to cryptoware, it's not very encouraging that a sheriff's take-away is to immediately pay internet extortion the next time.

http://www.networkworld.com/article/2909252/microsoft-subnet/megacode-ransom-paid-to-decrypt-server-shared-by-5-law-enforcement-departments-in-maine.html



Disney just released a new 'Star Wars: Episode VII' trailer

http://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-episode-7-trailer-2-2015-4



The first trailer for this year's 'Star Wars' game is gorgeous

http://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-battlefront-gameplay-2015-4