Mel’s Computer Care News Bulletin – March 2017
Welcome to my March NEWS BULLETIN which I do hope you find of interest.
Click here for a downloadable copy of my news bulletin (black text on a white background)
RAIL PODS TO CROSS THE UK IN 12 MINUTES
Sounds like science fiction but The Times newspaper recently reported that the uk is at the forefront of a 720mph rail system capable of carrying passengers east to west across the country in 12 minutes.Hyper Loop the company behind a near supersonic line dubbed the fifth mode of transport said the UK had been identified as one of the top five markets globally for this new technology. Nick Earle the operators British vice president said that discussions had already taken place with officials in Whitehall with a view to launching the concept in this country.
DRIVERLESS CARS WILL DENT THE MARKET FOR INSURANCE
Driverless cars could lead to the end of car insurance as we know it following a report from the Bank of England.
The Bank estimates that the market could shrink by as much as 40 percent by 2040 if the adoption of self-driving cars proves faster than its baseline forecast which says that the market could be a fifth smaller in just 20 years. Cars represent the biggest line in general insurance with more than £15 billion of gross written premiums reported in 2015 meaning some insurers could face a significant loss of business as more cars become more driverless.
APPLE MOVE SALES OF THE iPhone TOWARDS A TRILLION DOLLARS
Analysts reckon that cumulative sales of iPhones & other hardware that uses IOS software including the IPad, iPod, Apple Watch & Apple TV will reach $980 billion pounds by this summer. Passing this threshold could help Apple to become the first company with a stock market value of one million dollars.
SOLAR BATTERY VILLAGE SET TO POWER GREEN REVOLUTION
A village in south Yorkshire according to the Times is running a trial of solar technology that could cut bills & help the whole town to embrace renewable energy. In the £250 000 pilot funded by Northern Power grid, smart batteries will be given to 40 council houses in Oxsping near Barnsley to store energy from solar panels. The scheme should help residents to save money by allowing them to use energy generated during the day in the evenings & nights. A current problem with traditional solar panel installs which are unable to store the energy created.
3D TV’S AND VHS NOW ON THE SCRAP HEAP
Remember Betamax & VHS? Well now it’s at the end of the line as LG & Sony have now announced that they will no longer use the technology once described as the future of home entertainment. Will CD’s and DVD’s be next?
A PROBLEM WITH CONTACTLESS DEBIT & CREDIT CARDS
Banks are urgently trying to close a dangerous loophole in millions of contactless debit & credit cards due to the fact that contactless cards can authorise purchases online. This means according to The Daily Mail that payments are automatically approved without the till connecting to the customers bank to check a card is valid. My advice is to always check your bank statements at least every month & immediately report any suspicious transactions to both your bank AND your credit card company.
MOBILE COMPANY 3 THREE SUFFERS NEW DATA BREACH
The company owned by the giant Hutchinson corporation with nine million subscribers in the UK has reported a serious data breach where customers logging in to their computer or tablet suddenly see other subscriber’s data including full names, addresses, telephone numbers & the call history of other phone users.
TALKTALK PROBLEMS RESURFACE AGAIN
I have recently had a number of customers contacting me to say they may have had their system hacked often relating to TALK TALK subscribers. All the cases we have come across have been scams!
My advice remains the same, if you receive any phone call, email or letter which you are not expecting – treat them as a scam, no matter how genuine they may come across.
Do not hesitate to contact me for FREE independent advice if you have any worries over suspicious activity on your phone, computer or tablet.
That’s all for this month’s news bulletin.
I hope you found my Newsletter of interest
I will be back with a new one next month
Meanwhile if you have any queries with your computer do remember I am always at the end of my phone to give you any advice or help on any computer or tech problem.
Melvin Harris
Mel’s Computer Care
Tel. 0161 977 0107