Selling your smartphone? Here are some must-dos

While most phones, in general, are pretty good at securely removing your data when you're done with the device. There are still some measures you need to take to protect yourself before you pass the handset off, though.

What everyone should do

No matter what type of smartphone you use, there are a few basic things you should check outside of wiping your phone:

* Remove your sim card: While most of the data that you store is kept on your internal storage or microSD card, it's still possible for contacts or call logs to be kept on your sim card. The person you're selling it to has no need for this, so always be sure to remove it.

* Remove your microSD card: Similarly, if your phone has a microSD card, chances are you don't really want or need to give it away. To truly ensure that the data on your micro SD card is secure, keep it to yourself.

* Erase and format your SD card: If you absolutely have to include your microSD card with your phone, then you'll at least want to erase and format it. You can usually do this via the Settings app. You can also do it by connecting it to a PC, but if you format it with the wrong file system for your phone, it might not recognize the card. Again, though, the best way to secure your data is to keep your card.

Assuming you've taken care of all this, the only thing that's left should be your device's internal storage. iOS and Android have slightly different ways of handling this, but both are mostly straightforward.

How to securely wipe your phone

For the rest of this, we're going to talk about how to secure your internal storage, but first it's worth explaining a bit about how flash memory works. As you're probably aware with normal platter hard drives, data isn't really erased when you delete something. The internal flash memory in your smartphone isn't quite the same. Because it's not a magnetic storage medium, the methods used to recover data on an old hard drive won't be the same as tools to pull from your phone. Among other things, this means that while rewriting data seven times is a standard method for erasing magnetic media, it won't do much to make your data more secure.

That being said, for most of the average user's needs, your phone already has the tools built in to securely erase your phone's data. If you carry military secrets around on your unprotected Galaxy S4, well.. for starters, you probably shouldn't. But if you do, you should probably consult someone with a PhD in something before you lose your phone in a bar. Everyone else may continue.

iOS: Use the default erase setting

For iOS users, your job is pretty simple. The iPhone has built-in options that securely erase your phone. On old phones, it goes through a long secure erase process, but on the iPhone 3GS and iOS 3.0, Apple moved to hardware encryption on its phones. From that point on, all data you store on the internal storage (which, aside from anything on the sim card, is everything) is automatically encrypted. Your phone uses a device-specific key that's never stored anywhere but your handset.

When supported iOS devices wipe your phone, what's really happening is that the hardware-specific encryption key is securely wiped. Everything else on your phone is left an unintelligible mess, even if someone were to use a fancy forensics lab to physically examine the memory chips which 99% of you will probably never have to deal with.

So what do you need to do to securely erase your phone? Just head to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings.

That's it. On any iPhone including or following the iPhone 3GS (as well as all iPads and any iPod Touch 3rd generation and later), this will use the hardware encryption method described above. It will be very fast, yet still leave your data secure. For any older devices, the process will actually take a lot longer, as iOS will overwrite all of your data with random information to prevent it from being read later. Either way, though, this should be as secure of a wipe as you can get.

Android: Encrypt your phone, then erase

Android phones are set up a little differently from iPhones (shocker, I know), and they vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, in general the default options are mostly secure. We talked with Android security researcher and Elite Recognized Developer on XDA jcase and he gave us a few pointers in the right direction.

Unlike the iPhone, Android encryption is not done on a hardware level. For starters, this means if you want to have your phone encrypted, you'll need to enable it manually in Settings. This process will take a while and, from then on, you'll need to enter a PIN when you first boot your phone (not to be confused with your lock screen PIN). It can also cause some slight performance decreases, so keep that in mind. This process also can't be reversed without wiping your phone, so consider carefully before you commit.

Now, on Android, you have two options for wiping your phone: you can either do a factory reset (located in different places depending on your phone, but should be under something like "Backup & reset") which will wipe everything you've ever stored in any user-accessible area of storage. For most people, this will be enough to ensure that no one will be able to access data you've ever stored.

How effective a basic wipe is can depend on how well the manufacturer implemented its factory wipe. When we spoke to jcase, he said that some manufacturers' methods can still leave behind recoverable data. Additionally, if you root your phone and use a custom recovery, wiping via the recovery might not do everything properly.

While, ideally, you shouldn't have to overwrite your phone to erase data using a factory reset, if you're unsure or want to be extra safe, encrypting your phone (usually found in Settings under "Security") before wiping it can provide some reassurance. Just be aware that it may be redundant on certain phones. Still, better safe than sorry.

Of course, the last line of defense before you sell your phone is to vet your buyer. If you're using a CDMA device, be sure to deactivate your phone with your carrier before handing it off. And while you're at it, make sure you've taken care of your phone and are selling it for as much as possible.

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TCS ex-CEO Ramadorai: Time to hire ethical hackers

S Ramadorai, vice-chairman of TCS and chairman of the National Skill Development Agency, says the private sector must play a crucial role in enhancing cybersecurity capabilities. The IT veteran calls for hiring and training young, talented people to handle cyberattack units. Edited excerpts from an interview with ET:

On the importance of companies like RIL sharing their learning from building cybersecurity capabilities with the government

Private companies have a lot to share in terms of experience and in capacity building of relevant skills. The private sector has indigenized various security-related technologies and supported in building the security infrastructure of the country.

Many private companies have considerable experience in cybersecurity. The offshoring model has matured significantly with several top-of-the-line security controls and processes.

On enhancing cybersecurity in the face of attacks from various corners, especially from China and even from the US

The country does require a skilled cybersecurity labour force. Most countries, notably China, have started grassroots campaigns to identify technically gifted youngsters and recruit them for defending the nation.

In India, too, these initiatives have been started by various agencies. However, much more needs to be done. The talent is available. We must also focus on rapid detection, containment and reaction.

One statistic shows that attackers remain undetected on a network on average for 416 days! The amount of damage that can be done in this time is huge. Offensive security testing (known as penetration testing) is a wonderful way to audit the security of networks.

Some companies such as Facebook, Twitter and so on run what are known as "bug-bounty programmes" where any hacker is invited to find vulnerabilities in their systems (without causing damage). On disclosing the flaw, they can be paid to the tune of $10,000. This is a great way to identify talent.

Ultimately, it is more important to have a pool of extremely high-quality talent rather than just large numbers. A sophisticated team of even 50 top hackers is far better than 1,000 average/semi-skilled professionals. We must treat these teams like special forces.

On how crucial cyber security is in a war scenario

Offensive cybersecurity capabilities are of great importance, as they will be the fourth branch of the defence forces. No war will be fought without taking recourse to these capabilities for intelligence and disruption prior to putting boots on the ground, ships to sea or planes in the air.

The power of an offensive cybercapability cannot be underestimated, as shown by the Stuxnet virus used against Iran, and various other cyberweapons that have recently been seen such as Flame, Gauss, Wiper, Duqu, etc.

Defensive capabilities in India need to be bolstered significantly. Most government IT infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks. Besides, most government officials are in no position to handle threats such as spear-phishing (e-mail spoofing fraud) or social-engineering attacks, which target them as a means of entry into the government networks.

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7 supercool USB gadgets

There is no computer port more versatile than the USB. You can use it to connect external storage, a DVD drive, mouse and printer, but did you know that you could also use this amazingpiece of technology to keep your coffee warm and launch surface-to-air missiles? Savio D'Souza and Ashutosh Desai list some...



Zooming in...

Do ants have black eyes, or brown? What is nail gunk made of? Is that really fungus on my motichur laddoo? It's true: you'll never know when you'll need a USB microscope. Like professional magnifiers, these nifty gizmos are equipped with a focus ring; come with white LEDs to ensure the images are clear and bright, and you also get software that lets you capture videos at 30fps - and still images at 640x480px resolutions.

Depending on how much you're willing to spend, you can pick these thingamajigs that promise you magnifications of up to 800x. Connect one to your laptop, and you're promised hours and hours of insect watching (if you can get them to pose under the lights, that is).

Where: www.ebay.in
Price: Rs 2,700 to 4,700



Keeping it top secret
Those fun memos shared between office cronies had best be kept a secret. We wouldn't want the office snitch to get his grubby paws on those. Well, he can't and he won't . Not if you have one of these nifty paper shredders. Feed all incriminating documents into this gobbler. Then, distribute the shreds between four to five wastepaper baskets. Hah!

Where: www.hitplay.in
Price: Rs 1,399 (wastebaskets not included)

 

Nice and bright
Now you never have to type in the dark. Simply switch to USB-powered lamps once the lights are out. From boring night lamps that illuminate your keyboard, to hipster lava lamps and geeky plasma balls that endorse your avant-garde lifestyle, you'll find all of these - starting at a few hundred rupees - on the interweb. The world started with a 'Let there be Light' . 'Amen,' we say.

Where: www.junglee.com, shopping.indiatimes.com, www.flipkart.com, www.pchub.com
Price: Rs 200 onwards

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Protect your airspace

Offices are dangerous places, and who knows what the bloke in the cubicle next to yours is plotting. It therefore makes perfect sense to invest in a USB Missile Launcher. Install the software that comes with this SAM launcher, and you can control your strikes from the control panel that appears on your laptop screen. A launching sound gives your target fair warning of an imminent strike, but not enough time to dodge what's coming his way. With one of these by your laptop, everyone will know who's boss. Yeah, we meant you.

Where: www.naaptol.com
Price:Rs 2,700



Fan, boy
Let them say what they want, but sitting at your desk all day - whether you're sweating it out over Facebook, or keeping abreast of the latest videos on YouTube - can be a lot of hard work. And what's the use of slogging at your keyboard if you can't treat yourself to some creature comforts? The AC might be ON at full blast, but having your own personal fan in the office is cooler still.

Depending on your tastes, you can pick from a range of designs that fit in with your sensibilities and budgets.

Where: www.buysku.com, www.snapdeal.com, www.junglee.com

Price: Between Rs 200 and 3,000



Some like it hot...
Time flies when you're vegetating at your computer, and it's only when you put that coffee cup to your lips you realize it's been a while since you had settled down with it. Instead of heading to a microwave oven, go online and buy yourself a USB Cup Warmer. It does not require batteries and includes an ON/OFF switch. It will perform the simple job of preventing hot beverages from losing their warmth and you from losing your cool.

Where: shopping.rediff.com
Price: Rs 499



... and some like it cold
If you like your lager chilled, then you must get the USB Mini Fridge. Besides, it lets you keep your beer right where you want it: Within reach. Just like the cup warmer, it does not require any driver installation. Plug it in and let it chill. And since it can accommodate just one can at a time, it will also keep your consumption within limits... probably.

Where: www.hitplay.in
Price: Rs 1,999

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Yahoo acquires ad-service, URL-shortner Bread

Yahoo said Saturday that it acquired tech company Bread, a URL shortner that allows users to design then target advertisments to readers who click on their links. 

"Through this acquisition, we're gaining a team of six engineers and product managers who will join our advertising technology organization in Sunnyvale," a Yahoo spokesperson said. 

Bread, which has already been shuttered, allowed users to make and insert ads that people clicking through to a shortened link's webpage would have to view, according to media. 

"When we launched Bread in 2011, our goal was to help social media influencers and publishers better monetize their online content," the company said in a statement. 

All Bread links will be viable until November 11, at which point the company says users should switch to another URL shortner, bit.ly. 

Yahoo has been undergoing major changes since former Google executive Marissa Mayer became boss just over a year ago, notably acquiring what is now more than 20 startups including the billion-dollar buy of blog platform Tumblr. 

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Apps before naps for techie toddlers

After their mid-morning snack break, kindergartners from Oberoi International School settle down to practise shapes and alphabets. Clowns are drawn, misshapen houses emerge, letters are traced, and then the young artists clamor for Nalini Miss's attention. "I made a rocket," little Harini announces even as Neil finally masters the letter 'B' . It's a scene out of any hyperactive KG art class, with one difference — the toddlers are all sketching on iPads.

The Mumbai school introduced tablets in their classrooms two years ago, starting at junior KG. Principal Vladimir Kuskovski says that with children becoming tech-savvy at an early age, integrating them into the learning process helps them engage better with the subject at hand. "iPads have audio features and interactivity, so kids can learn in every way possible ," says Kuskovski.

Like Oberoi, other elite schools are rolling out gadgets as learning tools for kids aged six and below. Universal School, which has seven branches in Mumbai, starts students aged two-and-a-half on iPods, moving to tablets in class 2. The Pathways Global School in Noida also has its pre-primary classes use tablets. "These are kids born around the same time the iPad was," says Puja Srivastava, head of the IT department at Oberoi. "It's a whole new generation with technology literally at their fingertips. We would be kidding if we said that we don't want them to use it."

The little ones may have barely learnt to feed themselves, but can intuitively press and swipe. Remember the image of a toddler trying to swipe a glossy magazine page like a tablet that went viral last year? That's not just a meme anymore.

Oberoi school teacher Nalini Srinivasan says toddlers are also offered books, but most chose tablets as they are already using these devices at home, and even know how to pack them back into their cases to be returned post-lessons . Advertising professional Mita Sharma recalls how her daughter Icchha was quick to find her way around an iPod in class to listen and learn poems . "She had seen me use it at home," says Sharma.

The tablets loaded with interactive apps on basic spelling, mathematics, and nursery rhymes also make learning fun for the little ones who treat it like a game. Not all parents are so relaxed about these new learning tools, but as developmental paediatrician Dr Samir Dalwai says, "You can't wish away the learning potential of technology." He does, however, caution that early introduction of technology and constant presence of gadgets can cause problems with child development , including hampering of motor and communication skills and addiction.

Nagarjuna G, professor at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, believes tablets are not suitable educational tools for children. "I'd recommend a device that children can play with, manipulate and make changes to," he says, backing more inclusive online learning platforms such as Sugar, developed for the USbased initiative OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) targeted at developing countries.

School officials claim they carefully monitor the toddlers' tech time. Jesus Lall, chairman-CEO of the Universal Education Group, says just 20 minutes out of the three-and-a-half hour school day are allotted to it; Dr Shalini Advani, director of Pathways, says tablets are given out once a week or once in 10 days and emphasizes that learning cannot be entirely via iPads. "The development of motor skills, through simple activities like holding a crayon or paintbrush , is crucial," she says.

These schools try to balance real and virtual learning. So an actual field trip can be followed by one on Google Earth. Dr Dalwai says retaining this balance is crucial for a child's overall growth. "It would be primitive to say, don't use technology at all," he says. "But you must ensure your child doesn't lose touch with the more real aspects of communication."

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Twitter pays engineer $10 million as Silicon Valley tussles for talent

Among Twitter Inc's highest-paid executives, Christopher Fry's name stands out. 

The senior vice president of engineering raked in $10.3 million last year, just behind Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo's $11.5 million, according to Twitter's IPO documents. That is more than the paychecks of executives such as Chief Technology Officer Adam Messinger, Chief Financial Officer Mike Gupta and Chief Operating Officer Ali Rowghani. 

Welcome to Silicon Valley, where a shortage of top engineering talent amid an explosion of venture capital-backed start-ups is inflating paychecks. 

"The number of A-players in Silicon Valley hasn't grown," said Iain Grant, a recruiter at Riviera Partners, which specializes in placing engineers at venture-capital backed start-ups. "But the demand for them has gone through the roof." 

Stories abound about the lengths to which employers will go to attract engineering talent - in addition to the free cafeterias, laundry services and shuttle buses that the Googles and Facebooks of the world are already famous for. 

One start-up offered a coveted engineer a year's lease on a Tesla sedan, which costs in the neighborhood of $1,000 a month, said venture capitalist Venky Ganesan. He declined to identify the company, which his firm has invested in. 

At Hotel Tonight, which offers a mobile app for last-minute hotel bookings, CEO Sam Shank described staging the office to appear extra lively for a prospective hire. He roped in two employees for a game of ping-pong and positioned another group right by the bar. 

It worked: the recruit signed on and built a key piece of the company's software. 

In Fry's case, his compensation came mostly in the form of stock awards, valued last year at $10.1 million, according to Twitter's IPO documents registered with securities regulators. He drew a salary of $145,513 and a bonus of $100,000. 

Some might call that underpaid. Facebook Inc's VP of engineering, Mike Schroepfer, took in $24.4 million in stock awards the year before the social network's 2012 initial public offering. He also drew a salary of $270,833 and a bonus of $140,344. But Facebook that year posted revenue of $3.71 billion, 10 times more than Twitter's $317 million. 

Grant said more than three-quarters of candidates who took VP of engineering roles at his client companies over the last two years drew total cash compensation in excess of $250,000. Many also received equity grants totaling 1 to 2 percent of the company, the recruiter added. 

Lore of 10x 

The hot demand for engineers is driven in part by a growing number of start-ups, venture capitalists say. Some 242 Bay Area companies received early-stage funding - known as a seed round - in the first half of this year, according to consultancy CB Insights. That is more than the number for all of 2010. 

Another factor is the increasing complexity of technology. Many in Silicon Valley like to discuss the lore of the "10x" engineer, who is a person so talented that he or she does the work of 10 merely competent engineers. 

"Having 10x engineers at the top is the only way to recruit other 10x engineers," said Aileen Lee, founder of Cowboy Ventures, an early-stage venture fund. 

Former colleagues said Fry, who joined Twitter earlier this year, fits the bill. The messaging service poached him from software giant Salesforce.com Inc, where Fry had worked in various positions since 2005, rising from engineering manager in the Web Services team to senior VP of development. 

Perhaps most attractive to Twitter is the fact that Fry joined Salesforce when it was also a 6-year-old company with big ambitions of taking on the software establishment. At that time, Salesforce's product development needed help, Fry has said in previous interviews. He whipped them into shape, helping build the company into one of the hottest enterprise-software providers in the industry today. 

 

 Perhaps most attractive to Twitter is the fact that Fry joined Salesforce when it was also a 6-year-old company with big ambitions of taking on the software establishment. At that time, Salesforce's product development needed help, Fry has said in previous interviews. He whipped them into shape, helping build the company into one of the hottest enterprise-software providers in the industry today. 

Twitter has had its share of technical problems, such as the notorious "fail whale" that regularly appeared on screens during outages. That made Fry's experience all the more valuable. 

"All it takes is a couple of bad incidents where Twitter is down, or there's a security breach. That could be the end of the company," said Chuck Ganapathi, an entrepreneur who previously worked with Fry at Salesforce, where he was senior vice president for products. 

"You need somebody of this caliber to run it." 

Neither Twitter nor Fry responded to requests for comment. 

PERSONAL DRUM STUDIO 

Today, even entry-level engineers can draw lucrative salaries in the Valley. Google Inc offered $150,000 in annual wages plus $250,000 in restricted stock options to snag a recent PhD graduate who had been considering a job at Apple Inc , according to a person familiar with the situation. 

The average software engineer commands a salary of $100,049 in Silicon Valley, according to Dice, a technology-recruitment service. That is down from $113,488 last year, due to an increase in hiring of less experienced engineers, said a Dice spokeswoman. 

By comparison, the average salary for all professions in San Francisco's Bay Area is $66,070, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other jobs in the area can command higher wages - physicians make $133,530, a lawyer about $174,440 and a civil engineer makes $107,440 - but the tech industry often offers restricted stock or options on top of salaries. 

Even for plain-vanilla engineers, competition is intense, said Dice CEO Mike Durney, leading companies to go to great lengths to attract and hold onto the right people. 

Accommodation-search service ApartmentList rents a drum studio on an ongoing basis to help retain a key engineer, said CEO John Kobs. 

In one of the better-known examples, Google famously allowed engineers to devote 20 percent of their time on personal projects. It is worth it, many recruiters and industry executives say. 

Many of the most talented engineers bring more than programming chops, promoting the sort of career diversity prized in Silicon Valley. 

Take Fry, who earned a PhD in cognitive science from the University of California at San Diego in 1998. He is a surfer, a sailor and a snowboarder, according to his personal website. 

In a fitting twist for Twitter, known for its blue bird mascot, Fry also has avian expertise. His postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, focused on the auditory cortex of zebra finches.

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Oogwave sees 3-fold growth in user base in 15 months

Technology start-up Oogwave expects nearly three-fold growth in its customer base in the next 15 months. 

A recently launched Oogwave product enables sharing of data and mails by different departments of a company on a single platform. 

The platform has seen huge adoption in African and European countries and over 3,400 companies are using Oogwave globally, company founder and CEO Gaurav Jain said. 

"On the back of initial response from small and medium enterprises, we expect our customer base to increase over 10,000 in the next 15 months," he said. 

The Noida-based start-up has seen growth in the US, the UK, France and South Africa, among other countries. 

The solution helps in sharing of ideas and knowledge, coordinate tasks and projects, communicate and have conversations within and across multiple cross borders team, Jain said. 

About users of the platform, he said that 72 per cent of customers are from non-tech sector -- knowledge-based companies where content and information is the inventory. Most of the customers use Oogwave for internal communication to store and share content while around 22 per cent are using project management too. 

The company has attracted funding from TLab, a division of Times Internet Ltd. It is planning to go for another round of fund raising in the next eight months to fuel growth plans.

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