10 steps to finding the best smartphone for you

(BPT) - Quality smartphones come in all configurations and price points these days. Here are some of the key things you’ll want to look for to make sure you find one that works best for your needs. Happy shopping!

1) Operating system (OS): There are two different operating systems to choose from. iOS works with iPhones, while Android operates with a wider variety of smartphones, like those from Samsung or Motorola. In general, iOS is considered easier to use, but you need to have an Apple device. Android gives you more options, plus the ability to customize it with third-party software and widgets.

2) Camera: Most people now use their phones as their primary camera, so the right selection here will be an especially important one. More and more smartphones boast cameras with at least 12 megapixels, so don't go by only that stat. Instead, focus on individual camera specs and special features like dual lenses or the ability to edit and enhance photos.

3) Screen size: Get the right size screen for the things you’ll want to do. Buy a phone with a screen smaller than 5.5 inches if one-hand use is important to you or if you have smaller hands. Get a bigger-screen phone if you like to watch a lot of videos or play games, or simply want to have an easier time navigating on your touchscreen.

4) Display: You’re going to spend many hours gazing at the screen, so make sure it offers the viewing experience you’re after. If you plan to watch a lot of videos, look for a minimum of full HD (high definition), which is 1920 x 1080 pixels. You’ll also want to familiarize yourself with some of the underlying technologies: LCD, OLED, and AMOLED are all terms you’ll see used, and each offers a different range of advantages.

5) Design: Determining good smartphone design is purely subjective. Many people prefer a metal or glass design; others, plastic. If you’re concerned about durability, look for a phone that is water-resistant. A handful of phones also now feature a shatterproof glass display, and many include a Gorilla Glass display to protect it against short drops (a protective case will help with that, too).

6) Processor: Even midrange phones now offer satisfactory performance for nearly any user level or basic task. A good processor inside a phone will translate to faster open times for apps, smoother navigation and quicker photo editing.

7) Battery: Many factors, including the screen size, processor and operating system, determine how long a smartphone lasts on a charge. A decent benchmark is to look for a smartphone with a battery capacity of at least 3,000 mAh. Any phone that lasts longer than 9 hours of straight 4G LTE use is considered very good.

8) Storage: Go for as much internal storage as possible. Some apps and games can easily take up more than 1GB of storage, and most smartphone owners capture and store large numbers of high-res photos and videos. While some models offer just 8GB or 16GB, the minimum on premium handsets these days is usually anywhere from 32GB to 64GB. Adding a microSD card will also help expand your storage. It's available on many Android phones, some of which can accommodate 1TB or more.

9) Price: Don’t pay for more than you need. The latest iPhone and premium Android phones start around $800, and can easily run $1,000 or more. But there are great options below $500, and even some solid choices for well under $200.

10) Carrier: A smartphone requires a wireless plan. Choose a service provider that offers what you’ll really use, and at a price that suits your budget. Consumer Cellular, for example, offers a wide variety of smartphone choices from entry level to top of the line, along with talk, text and data plans, with no contract.

Let today’s top technology work for you. It’s a very competitive marketplace, so by shopping wisely, you’re sure to find a smartphone that keeps you connected at a great price.

(BPT) - Technological advancements are helping aging adults stay safe, comfortable and connected as they age in place. And, families can feel more confident about mom, dad and the grands living independently, especially around the holidays.

“The year 2020 brings new innovative technologies to enable us to address the unique challenges we face as we age,” says Lisa Cini, president/CEO, Mosaic Design Studio and BestLivingTech.com. “Even the simplest tasks, like going to the bathroom, turning on the faucet, or cleaning up afterward can be difficult or dangerous for aging adults, but by integrating the latest gadgets into our home designs, seniors can remain safe, connected and independent.”

Lisa’s 2020 tech trends include:

• Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa can be used for a multitude of activities like listening to music and audio books, appointment and medication reminders, and hearing the weather. These gadgets can even make calls and respond to a simple “OK Google” or “Hey Alexa,” which can be useful after a slip or a fall (if within hearing range).
• A bidet eliminates the need for assistance in the bathroom by allowing users to clean up after themselves, providing independence and removing the embarrassment of asking for help.
• Hestan Cue Chef’s Pot measures the surface temperature of the pan via Bluetooth and is great for braising, poaching and perfecting dishes.
• Roomba the robot can vacuum multiple rooms daily and is compatible with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home. It travels back to its charging dock and can be customized to clean when you want it to.
• Moley Robotic Kitchen is a fully automated kitchen that acts as a MasterChef to cook thousands of meals. This smart robot takes away the hassle of cooking and cleaning and does everything at the touch of a button.
• Nest Smart Thermostat makes homes energy efficient, with a display that can be read from across the room or remotely by cell phone and works with Amazon’s Alexa for voice control.
• Loop keeps you connected to friends and family through a loop of photos, video and video chat.
• The Human Charger light therapy device enhances energy levels and helps you get restful, sustained sleep.
• The Dementia Day Cycle Clock displays the day of the week and morning, afternoon, evening or night, to help you distinguish between days of the week and cycles of the day.
• Med-Q Automatic Pill Dispenser will flash the corresponding day slot with a bright red light and blast an alarm that increases in volume until you take your pills at the scheduled time.
• A One Button Dementia Radio allows you to turn the radio on and off without confusing buttons and dials.
• The Wander Alarm Security Alert chimes or vibrates to let you know that the door or window has been opened.
• iGuardStove and FireAvert prevent burnt pans or fires by automatically shutting off power to the stove when the smoke alarm goes off.
• Joy for All Companion Pets provides joy without the headache as it responds to hugging, petting and motion like any typical cat or dog, mimicking the movement and purring sound of a cat to bring comfort and companionship. No need to clean the kitty litter or walk the dog in the snow with this companion pet.

BestLivingTech.com offers many of the available products above to help seniors embrace aging and independent living. As a boomer living designer, Lisa searches the world for the best technology to help people age in place and brings them all together in one online store — think Sharper Image meets AARP.

By keeping the home retrofitted with the latest technology, we can help our parents and grandparents stay safe and comfortable at home and eliminate some of the worry when we’re not around.

Lisa Cini, ASID, IIDA, is an award-winning, internationally recognized designer with decades of experience developing interiors that improve quality of life for seniors. She is the author of The Future is Here: Senior Living Reimagined, Hive: The Simple Guide to Multigenerational Living, and BOOM: The Baby Boomers Guide to Leveraging Technology, so that you can Preserve Your Independent Lifestyle & Thrive.

(BPT) - Resourceful thieves and cybercriminals continue to find new ways to hack U.S. consumers’ sensitive personal information. Dumpster diving, stolen or lost wallets and mail fraud should still be concerns, but the digital age of tablets, smartphones, PCs and Wi-Fi networks leaves people more vulnerable than ever.

Have you ever stored credit card information on your phone for added convenience to make payments in a checkout lane? Do you ever store passwords in apps to transfer funds between accounts? And what’s to keep hackers from accessing a wireless network you check your email on while you’re grabbing a quick cup of coffee?

”More than 15.4 million people a year will experience identity theft, with an average loss of more than $1,000,” said Jane Li, Mercury Insurance’s director of product management. “When one access point closes due to added levels of security, cyberattackers find another. Insurance companies like Mercury provide services that allow homeowners and renters to enjoy the convenience of accessing their connected devices at home and on the go, while also helping to protect customers from the potentially devastating effects of criminal infiltration, cyberextortion and identity theft.”

The following five do’s and don’ts can help stop criminals in their tracks and protect your connected devices, as well as your electronic identity.

1. Do power down your devices. This disables the internet connection, cutting off access to any personal information stored on your computer, tablet or phone. Unattended machines, especially if you are asleep or leave them at home while on vacation, are easy targets for hackers.
2. Don’t connect to unsecured wireless networks. Information accessed on an open network, including email passwords and sensitive bank information, is fair game for hackers. Don’t make their jobs easier. Turn off Wi-Fi access on your devices unless it’s a password-protected network you trust.
3. Do monitor your children’s device usage. It’s a good idea to limit use of computers, tablets and phones to public areas within the home like the living room or kitchen. This makes it easier for parents to keep an eye on who their kids are communicating with, especially on social media or gaming sites, to help prevent the sharing of sensitive information like full names, addresses or other things that can be used for identity theft or other potentially dangerous activities.
4. Don’t discard important paperwork without shredding it. If it has your name and address, thieves can take advantage and open an account using your information. Remember to shred expired insurance documents, vehicle registrations, bills, loan pre-qualifications and other paperwork that would allow someone to call in pretending to be you. Check your credit reports at least twice a year to ensure all accounts opened in your name are valid.
5. Do install recommended updates. Smartphone, computer, tablet and smart TV manufacturers, among other providers of connected devices, offer periodic software updates to protect against potential security breaches. Chances are, if an update is recommended, hackers have already discovered a way to access your personal property and information, so keep your software up to date.

Li recommends homeowners and renters speak with their local insurance agent to learn more about the endorsements they may be able to add to existing policies to help safeguard their finances if their identities are compromised or connected devices are attacked.

“It can be daunting to try to regain your financial footing if a criminal takes advantage of you,” said Li. “Insurance exists to help protect consumers from unexpected events and, in this case, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

(BPT) - As the pace of technology advances, cybersecurity threats do, too. Data breaches, identity theft, phishing and malware make headlines seemingly every day. Internet-connected devices, social media, digital assistants and mobile apps have become indispensable in our everyday lives, but their connectedness makes us increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Recent reports estimate that damages relating to cybercrime are expected to hit $6 trillion annually by 2021.

“It’s impossible to predict when you will be affected by cybercrime,” says Bashar Abouseido, chief information security officer for Charles Schwab Corp. “The best defense is to stay informed.”

It can be helpful to envision your computer and digital devices as a house where you store your personal data. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to make sure your digital house is secure. The first step is to understand the ways cybercriminals may attempt to access your data.

Types of cybercrimes

Data breaches occur when there is unauthorized access to sensitive personal information. These incidents often make headline news and can affect large numbers of consumers.

Malicious software, also known as malware, spyware, ransomware and viruses, refers to software programs designed with the purpose of gaining unauthorized access to a mobile app, digital device or computer.

Phishing is one of the most common forms of online fraud and cybercrime. Cybercriminals try to lure you with a fake email sent from what they have designed to appear to be a trusted source or contact that encourages you to click a link or open an attachment in order to extract personal account information.

5 tips to protect your digital house

1. Remodel your digital house: Installing updates is an essential first step.

Think of system updates as basic maintenance to your digital house that is keeping your personal data safe. It can be annoying to see those system update prompts on your computer or mobile device, but software developers are constantly improving their software to repel the latest malware. By keeping your operating system and apps updated, you are making sure that your digital house is as secure as possible.

2. Don’t have a leaky house: Be wary of public Wi-Fi networks.

Using public — and often free — Wi-Fi networks is convenient, but it is a common entry point for criminals to use malware to infect your devices and apps. Use only networks you trust or use your own personal Wi-Fi hotspot if you have one. Never update your devices when you are connected to a public Wi-Fi network.

3. Keep your keys secure: Choose unique access credentials.

Access credentials — usernames and passwords — are the keys that keep your digital house safe and secure. Select credentials that are unique and don’t include personal identifying information such as a name, address or birthday. For added protection, choose two-step verification to access critical online accounts for your banking, retirement or investment accounts. Two-step verification is typically a key or another code provided by the service provider in addition to your primary access credentials to verify your identity.

4. Secure doors and windows: Use only secure websites and app stores.

Web browsers and app stores are like the doors and windows in your digital house. Make sure they are secure by using web addresses that start with “https” and downloading apps only from the Apple App Store, Microsoft Store and Google Play store.

5. Don’t open that door: Delete suspicious emails.

That knock on your cyber front door is the sound of a cybercriminal sending you a phishing email. Be suspicious of emails that come from unknown senders. Use your cursor to hover over questionable links and email addresses to reveal the true identity of the link or sender. When in doubt, don’t click on any links or open any attachments and delete the email immediately.

For more information on more ways to educate and protect yourself from cybercrimes, visit SchwabSafe.

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