iPhone - Tag Archive

Learn Japanese from your iPhone

29 Replies RonF

The other day, I was thinking of enrolling for a crash course in Japanese when my friend, Gina, recommended an app which she said was as good as having a personal tutor. On her advice, I downloaded the Japanese Phrases iPhone app and found it to be a handy application that helps users sharpen their listening, pronunciation, reading and speaking skills. It lets you learn conversational Nihongo (the Japanese lingo) wherever you are – at school, at home, while commuting to office or at the gym.

The Japanese Phrases app is more than just a learning resource. It gives users adequate training and practice to pick up a language that is not their own. The app teaches the basics of the language through more than 700 words and phrases that are used in day-to-day conversations.

Japanese Phrases iPhone App Screenshot

It is a practical app that has the right tools to facilitate easy comprehension and retention. As the phrases are voiced by a native speaker, users learn them with the correct pronunciation. And by repeating the phrases continuously, it becomes easy to memorize them. As all the phrases are displayed as flashcards, learning the language is quick and interactive. The grammar lessons are interesting and I was able to grasp the concepts almost instantly although a little effort was needed. There is also an email option that helps users to mail phrases and I used it to get a few clarifications from Sun, my friend who introduced this app to me in the first place.

I like the idea of displaying phrases and words in a random manner as it helps me recall the familiar ones and learn the new ones as well. The study bank helps in saving favourite phrases or ones that you would like to refer to later. The phrases are categorized to make learning easy. Japanese Phrases has also a search tool that helps in looking up phrases both in Japanese and English.

This app helps you learn the language at your own pace. You can quiz yourself to find out about the progress you are making, The app eliminated all the apprehension I had about learning a foreign language. It made me feel confident and helped me build my Japanese vocabulary in no time.

All said and done, this app will attract only a few people as it caters to a very niche audience. The app is available in the Apple iTunes store and can be downloaded for free.

5 Most Popular Two-Factor Authentication Security Devices

12 Replies Alan

As we had discussed before, one-factor authentication is not sufficient in order to have good security. Especially when we talk about sensitive transaction such as banking transactions, it is not secure anymore today if it were done only using username and static password.

Two-factor has to come into the IT security field to ensure that the correct person is authenticated. The items below are the five most popular methods used for any two-factor authentication.

1. Mobile OTP

Mobile One-Time Password

Mobile One-Time Password (OTP)

A very popular and cost saving method is to use a SMS gateway and send OTP (one-time password) to a mobile phone user. This method is used widely simply because everyone has a mobile phone today which means everyone can use two-factor authentication as long as the host of the application willing to invest and provide this service.

2. OTP Token

One-Time Password Token

One-Time Password (OTP) Token

OTP token works more or less the same as the Mobile OTP. The difference is that this is a separate device and the OTP can be generated immediately instead of waiting for the SMS gateway to send. As a result, it is more reliable than the Mobile OTP but additional cost needed to have this device.

3. PKI USB Token

Public Key Infrastructure Token

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Token

PKI USB Token offers the second best security in the market by beating off man in the middle attack such as phishing attack. However, PKI implementation needs an infrastructure where it is going to be costly. Due to the cost matter, PKI is not well known in certain countries as people will go for OTP to have the balance of security and investment cost.

4. EMV Cap OTP with Signature

Europay, MasterCard and VISA Cap One-Time Password with Signature

Europay, MasterCard and VISA (EMV) Cap One-Time Password (OTP) with Signature

EMV Cap OTP offers the best security around as it not only beats off the man in the middle attack, but also the man in the browser attack. This is simply because the user needs to sign the transaction using the EMV card reader instead of the web browser. As a result, the Trojan of the man in the browser will no longer work. The drawback is that, signing with transaction device can be a tedious thing to do. The user needs to enter correctly the recipient’s account number and the amount in order to perform the transaction successfully.

5. Out of Band Transaction Detail Verification

Out of Band

Out of Band

This method provides the best security similar to the above and solves as well the weakness of the EMV Cap OTP. What this method does is to send the user the details of the transaction such as the recipient’s account number, amount and the OTP code via non-internet channel such as voice call or SMS. The user will verify those details given and confirm the transaction by submitting the OTP code into the web browser. This gives great security but not anything more after that. Unlike PKI, that piece of digital certificate can do not only authentication signing, but also document signing, PDF signing or even data encryption.

Nothing is perfect in this world where everything has its good and bad. You have to clearly define what you want and I’m sure you can find the device that is suitable to you.

EuroBasket 2011 Cards – Fantasy Basketball Manager iPhone App

11 Replies RonF

The biggest basketball event in Europe is currently going on in Lithuania and as a hoops fan, I was searching for apps in the Apple iTunes Store. That’s when I came across the EuroBasket 2011 Cards iPhone app, a fantasy basketball manager game.

A short disclaimer to begin with, if you are not a basketball fan or if you aren’t acquainted with top European players like Nowitzki, Parker and Gasol, you may find it a little difficult to get a hang of this app. This app has been created with hardcore basketball fans in mind.

Now that I have informed you, let’s come back to the app. The app is based on the EuroBasket 2011 Championship and player’s scores are updated based on their live performances in the court. Once you have installed & opened the app, the UI is pretty simple – name your team, pick your players within the credits allowed and wait for them to perform in the Championship so that the score of your team gets updated based on it.

EuroBasket 2011 Cards iPhone App - Dirk Nowitzki's ProfileNow the trick, as in the case of any fantasy manager app, is with the budget. So you don’t get to pick all the top players. No point in that, right? But what’s more interesting here, is that the ratings of the players are based on their live performances in the EuroBasket championship and this means you’ve got to be on top of all the games, identify the best players and then buy/sell to improve your team’s overall score. Don’t be surprised if you see no scores once you have set your team. The ratings get updated only when your players have played.

So what are you waiting for? Download the EuroBasket 2011 Cards app from iTunes now, for free. Be quick, as the Championship is already in the second round and it ends on the 18th of this month. So don’t miss out on this chance to catch up with the latest basketball action. Make sure you add in comments about your take on this app.