Tech Time

Tech Word/Term of the Week

POP3 vs IMAP

Both terms are related to the method in which email messages are delivered and/or received on a device. POP is Post Office Protocol and the current version, Version 3, is termed POP3. POP is the simplest, standardised mode of delivering email messages or mail drop hence its reference as 'Post Office'. Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), provide more complete and complex remote access to a mail server.

When setting up email on a mobile phone and email servers such as Outlook on Windows and Mail on Apple devices, a notification may ask if the account is POP3 or IMAP. It is best to select IMAP although most email clients support both POP3 and IMAP. POP3 downloads emails from the server to the PC or mobile phone and makes the items accessible whether the user is online or offline. The emails are not only downloaded but removed from the server, stored to the device and filtered into appropriate folders. Though there may be the option to leave the mail on the server after it is downloaded.

Webmail uses IMAP to govern mail delivery, a method that allows messages to be read yet remains stored to the server; all mail will be accessible by the user and can be managed online. The advantage of IMAP to POP3 is that the email messages can be viewed from multiple devices in the same format; users have the option to download any information that is needed. Always check if the mailing system that is used on a mobile device and computer is IMAP- or POP3-specific, as if the wrong type is selected it will, in a few cases interrupt the process of sending and receiving emails. Nonetheless, some systems will predetermined this setting.

Apps this Week for Android, Apple and windows

360 Security for Android

360 Security packs antivirus, malware protection, SMS control, app-locking and anti-theft tools, firewall options, phone optimization and memory clean-up into one user interface application. It has the best malware detection system as well as detects any form of online and SMS message harassment with the options to block unwanted spam SMS senders. 360 Security will notify users of the phone's status and percentage optimization during scanning processes or scanning downloaded files. In one tap, the app will refresh the phone's memory by deleting trash files and clear the unwanted files in application caches. Although the application has its faults, it still provides an improved advanced Android phone optimization at no cost.

Virus Barrier for Apple (iPhone)

While this application created by Intego is not the most up to date of virus protection apps made for Apple iPhones, it is one of the best. The Apple iOS has proven to be very secure even against secondary apps like Virus Barrier, hence the reason Virus Barrier is an on-demand virus scanner; it will detect and remove any potential threats but does not automatically scan files attached to e-mails and online cloud systems. It will scan websites for phishing URLs, adware, Trojan viruses, hacker tools, spyware and keyloggers, as well as keep a log of all the scans. The VirusBarrier application repairs infected files and utilises and integrated file reader to view documents after a complete scan.

Bull Guard Mobile Security for Windows

The BullGuard product for Windows phones is only available through the developer's website at a cost of US$30. It has anti-spyware, antivirus, spam filters, parental controls, auto-backup for phone memory, memory-cleaning capabilities, firewall protection tools that can help secure all data on a Windows mobile device. It is especially worth the cost for a parent who wants to keep tabs on a child's Windows mobile device to prevent any online abuse and monitor items from a web interface that helps users to block unapproved information. BullGuard will automatically detect any unauthorised access to mail, SMS, MMS and prevent information and identity theft through its system.

Microsoft offers Office free for Apple, Android mobile devices

SEATTLE : Microsoft says it will offer its Office franchise free to some mobile customers, its latest effort to keep customers using its products in a less PC-dependent world. Microsoft broke with longstanding tradition in March, announcing it would make the Office suite of word-processing and productivity software available for the first time on Apple's iPad. Starting Thursday, users of iPhones and iPads can create and edit Office documents without a subscription to Microsoft's paid Office 365 service, the company said. Similar service for Google's Android tablets is in the works.

For decades, Microsoft's strategy prioritised developing software for its Windows platform, which powered most of the world's PCs. But with PC sales stagnant, and more customers using mobile devices powered with Google or Apple operating systems rather than Windows, Microsoft is moving to keep users on its Office products rather than ask for a few bucks a month. "It's incredibly important to us that customers have a consistent experience and the ability to do more - anywhere and everywhere," the company said in a blog post.

Microsoft isn't giving away the farm, though. Users who want to create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on laptops will still have to pay for access. As will business clients who make up the bulk of Microsoft's Office revenue. And the company says not all Office features will make the jump to its free mobile apps. For the full package, users will have to buy Office 365.

Office 365, which charges users subscription fees for versions of Office they've downloaded from the Internet, had about 7 million subscribers at the end of September. Customers can pick from a range of other productivity software, including Apple's Pages and Google's free-to-use Docs.

Written and compiled by Kareem LaTouche and Stephanie Lyew

Published: Monday | November 10, 2014 – Jamaica Gleaner