Richi Jennings
Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in content marketing, email, spam, and other security topics. He was also the main author of Computerworld's The Long View and IT Blogwatch columns. He has won awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors, ABM/Jesse H. Neal, and B2B Magazine.
He was previously CTO for Samsung Contact. Prior to this, he was at Hewlett-Packard for 14 years, working in a wide variety of engineering, marketing and architect roles, mainly on OpenMail and its predecessors.
Richi lives in England, is an un-professional DJ, rusty scuba diver, and was voted "Most likely to get up first to sing at karaoke" for 16 years in succession. You can follow him as @RiCHi on Twitter, pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, Plus him at +richijennings, or just use boring old email: cw@richi.uk.
(And, yes: that's Richi Jennings, not Richie Jennings; capishe?)
On quotations used in my articles:
When I quote other websites or writers, I will often edit for the busy reader, using a style based on accepted journalistic norms (e.g., AP; Chicago). The intention is never to change the meaning of the original. Omitted text is marked with an ellipsis (...); altered text is marked with [brackets]; typos may be corrected; on rare occasions, I may reorder text. I also aim to stay within the letter and spirit of copyright law: specifically, the U.S. Fair Use and UK Fair Dealing codes.
If an organization or individual so quoted objects to being quoted in this way, they can request an edit or complete removal by tweeting @RiCHi; the request will then be considered by Computerworld editorial staff.
Disclosures
For a list of disclosures and potential conflicts, please see richi.uk/bio
Weirdly-worded words that Computerworld's lawyers like me to say:
This is a weblog of Richi Jennings. The opinions expressed are those of Richi Jennings and may not represent those of Computerworld.
Instagram pwned by 10-year-old Finn Jani -- Facebook pays $10,000
Instagram hacked by Jani, so Facebook gave him $10,000 because of his white-hat stylee. Also, it's good PR to be seen to reward a 10-year-old proto-researcher....
WhatsApp is/isn't blocked in Brazil
WhatsApp blocked in Brazil again, although each time it gets reconnected on appeal. A judge for one small Brazilian state ordered the messaging service blocked for three days across the entire country. Why?
FBI uses 5th-Amendment loophole to unlock iPhone of Bkhchadzhyan
iPhone owner ordered by judge to give FBI the finger -- to unlock her iPhone with her fingerprint, that is. The feds think Paytsar Bkhchadzhyan's shiny hides evidence of criminality. But hold on there, buddy -- surely the 5th...
Google, what are you doing? Motorola ex-prez now new hardware chief
Google hires Motorola ex-president to lead a new centralized hardware team. This is BIG BIG news -- it hints at Google's plans for Nexus, ChromeOS, the living room, and even the ludicrous Google Glass...
Next Google Nexus phones are by HTC -- for release in 2016
HTC will make two Google Nexus devices for 2016. Thought to both be smartphones, we're hoping to catch sight of them at Google I/O next month, with a release date in the second half of the year...
Apple investors panic as iPhone sales tank
Updated: Apple's iPhone shipments fell off a cliff last quarter -- results were worse than the Street expected. And it doesn't look like the mid-priced iPhone SE will help this quarter, either...
Google, Uber, Ford drive self-driving car group with Volvo and Lyft
Google, Uber, Ford, Volvo and Lyft form self-driving car 'advocacy' group. State and U.S. regulators seem poised to crack down on feet- and hands-free driving, so Google's gang wants to head them off...
Spotify hacked? Angry users fight to regain accounts
News reports report news of Spotify hack -- there seem to have been many users' account details leaked on Pastebin. But the Swedish streaming service says all is safe, rather implying it's users are the ones at fault...
Tim decrees: Apple Watch will cut the cord from iPhone -- app devs must obey
Apple Watch apps must not need an iPhone, dictates Apple. Developers of watchOS apps have until June 1 to give up on those sluggish, trashy, tethered toys -- they give the pomaceous wearable a bad name...
Microsoft Windows phone biz is dead -- here is clear proof
Microsoft's Windows Phone is clearly dead. Redmond's already-bad Windows Phone sales plummeted over the last year to a mere 26% of what they were -- this is simply, spectacularly execrable...
Europe v Android -- EU cites Google in Naked Exclusion
Google is on the EU naughty step yet again. This time, the European Union has charged Google with antitrust violations, hating on secret agreements with Android ODMs and carriers...
FAIL: Google said Google.com was 'partially dangerous'
A Google 'Safe Browsing' report said Google.com was 'partially dangerous' for more than 24 hours. Yeah, yeah, hilarious fail, but there is a serious side to the story...
BlackBerry bangs final nail in coffin, lets Mounties hack you
BlackBerry gave up its global encryption key to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. That's the conclusion of commentators who've dissected CEO John Chen's vapid statement on the matter...
iPhone 7 not what you think it is; Release date not when you think, either
This year's iPhone might not be the iPhone 7. That's because next year is the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone, so don't expect a huge Apple redesign until 2017...
Microsoft tells U.S. government that 'gag orders' are unconstitutional
Microsoft fights US federal government over countless secret demands for customer data. Redmond alleges the DoJ and AG is in violation of the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution (tl;dr the law is an ass)...
Android N dev preview 2 -- N is short for download NOW
Updated: The Android N Developer Preview 2 is here. Google's April update to its Android 7 'beta' shows smooth progress at adding sweet features, and squashing nutty bugs...
Your taxes paid Apple hackers to crack terror iPhone for FBI, say sources
Updated x2: The Apple iPhone 5c said to contain evidence about San Bernadino terror suspects is on the news agenda yet again. This time around, we're told that the FBI gave money to hackers for help -- can you be serious?
HTC 10 order page live at just $599. Flagship with surprising twist
The HTC 10 is HTC's latest shiny, and you can pre-order it now, at $100 off. With a classy design, the flagship phone brings the ABCs -- awesome audio, big battery, clear cameras -- and, uh, sort-of-stock Android...
Apple Watch is a failure -- will 2017 bring change?
2016's Apple Watch won't change much from the 2015 model. That's what our old 'friend' Ming-Chi Kuo says -- he's predicting Apple will mimic the iPhone roadmap, offering a tweaked version every other year...