| Huawei P6S boasts new processor and higher AnTuTu score Oct 21st 2013, 01:53, by Juan Carlos Torres Huawei is apparently preparing a new variant of its recently launched Huawei Ascend P6 and it’s packing quite a punch, relatively speaking. The new Huawei P6S will be sporting an upgraded processor that almost doubles its predecessor’s benchmark performance. 
Huawei announced the Huawei Ascend P6 last July and presented it as a product inspired by beauty. And indeed, the design looked beautiful, but the performance still left some things to be desired. It’s crown of being the world’s thinnest smartphone, at 6.18 mm, was stolen just a month after by Vivo X3‘s insane 5.75 mm. Still, for a mid-range smartphone, the Huawei Ascend P6 can be considered a contender in the big leagues. You can catch up on the features and performance of the P6 in our review here. It seems that Huawei wants to build on that success with the upcoming Huawei P6S. It isn’t known what other improvements the P6S will have over the original Ascend P6, but for now, all eyes are on its new quad-core K3V2+, which, as the name points out, is an upgrade K3V2, the same used on the Ascend P6. The older CPU ran at 1.5 GHz while the K3V2+ is said to run at 1.6 GHz, though that isn’t confirmed yet. Based on an AnTuTu benchmark, however, it is clear that the K3V2+ beats its predecessor with a score of 22,2270, whereas the K3V2 only had 14,378. 
Of course, benchmarks are one thing and overall actual performance is another. We also still have to hear about other parts of the device that have been likewise improved, if any. The Huawei P6S is rumored to launch either late November or early December, so it will be quite a wait. VIA: Gizchina |  | IBM proposes NFC-based dual-factor authentication system Oct 21st 2013, 01:17, by Juan Carlos Torres Dual-factor authentication is becoming a popular trend in keeping online accounts and services secure. However, IBM is claiming that current systems are already getting a bit old and should be updated to a mobile device era. And the technology that will do just that is already present in most Android phones: Near-field communications or NFC. 
As the name implies, dual-factor authentication involves two steps. The first is the regular user name and password used to login via a web browser or app. As history would show, this method offers little security and is susceptible to hacks. Thus, a second step is needed that involves something a user already has and isn’t so easy to get access to: his or her smartphone. A key is usually sent to a smartphone or mobile device which can then be used complete the authentication process. But, according to IBM, in today’s world where users access their online services such as banks and stores via their mobile device, the smartphone becomes involved in both the first and second steps in the process, nullifying the benefits of dual-factor authentication. A stolen smartphone can thus be used to access an online service and authenticate at the same time. The solution, according to the company, can be found in NFC, specifically, an NFC-enabled card issued by, say, a bank that is unique and specific to each user. This card becomes the second factor in authentication. The process is equally simple. A user logs into his or her bank account using a mobile app for that bank and the bank sends a key to the phone and asks for the user’s password. Once the user puts in the password, he must tap the phone to the NFC-enabled card which will calculate the key and send the information back to the bank for verification. If the wrong or no card is used, or if the user enters the wrong password, the login fails. This would, indeed, provide a smarter security system for fully mobile transactions, although if both smartphone and card are stolen, then you’d be out of luck. There is, however, one major hurdle to IBM’s proposal. The iPhone, which, like it or not, makes up a large percentage of mobile users, has so far still eschewed NFC technology with no indication of changing its ways any time soon. VIA: CNET | |
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