Clef wants to change the way we log into websites

Clef uses an animation instead of an unlock code   It's had a good run, but the password's time is up. Remembering a unique unlock code for dozens of websites and apps is no longer very practical or very safe, and many different companies are exploring what comes next. One of those companies is Clef, which has developed a two-step verification system that uses an animated wave on your phone to confirm your identity. Two-step verification, now available on accounts with Google, Apple, Microsoft, Dropbox and many others, adds an additional security measure on top of a password. But existing methods typically rely on numerical codes and can be time-consuming to configure, which is why Clef thinks its new, streamlined approach has the edge. The technology is currently powering more than 40,000 sites and the company says it's now targeting larger organizations after securing US$1.6 million in investment funding. Clef apps are available for Android and iOS From the user end, you simply wave your phone at the screen and you're in (though a PIN or Touch ID confirmation is required initially). It can work over Wi-Fi or cell networks (handy when one is available but not the other) and as a fallback it's possible to scan the phone screen using a laptop camera. There are no codes to remember and there's nothing to type in: The unique wave generated by your phone confirms that you are who you say you are. "No weak passwords, frustrating tokens, or clunky dongles," promise the founders of Clef, which is based in Oakland, California. There's also the option to securely log out of your accounts with a single tap on your smartphone, should you spot any suspicious activity or suspect that someone else has been able to log into a site or app as you. Clef is far from the only company looking to revolutionize the login process. In recent months and years we've seen a wearable that uses your heartbeat as a password, an iris-scanning gadget to log you in securely and various alternatives to the mobile phone PIN.   Source: Clef via TechCrunch

LokLok for Android lets you send doodles, photos and messages directly from your lockscreen

 

Mobile messaging apps may be reaching both saturation point and convergence, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more, right? Meet LokLok.

LokLok sells itself as a connected lock-screen that is always in-sync with you and your favorite group of people. You can draw, write messages, or add photos to your screen, and it shows up on your friends’ screens – all without leaving the lock-screen. This could be a single person, or a whole group.

How it works

With LokLok set as your lockscreen, you tap twice to make it editable (i.e. you choose to doodle), or swipe up to unlock and use your phone as normal.

To draw, you simply use a single finger to make your markings, and to erase you pinch outwards with two fingers.

There’s a number of editing tools available including one that takes you directly to your camera or camera roll, while the palette option lets you choose your tool, brush-stroke and color. Next up, hit the three-dots at the bottom to share (or invite friends to join) and you’re good to go.

LokLok is effectively a synchronized whiteboard, making it as easy as possible to share notes, pictures and random doodles with anyone. Without anyone having to unlock their device.

LokLok says it’s looking to push push experiments around unconventional messaging one step further. “The idea is to use the first interaction that a user has with his phone for the communication process,” explains creator Guillermo Landin, who works as a UX director for Portugal-based Kwamecorp.

“I was curious to see if I could use the screen as the communication channel itself,” continues Guillermo. The original experiment developed into a prototype based on widgets and an HTML5 canvas, then Guillermo brought in a small team to work specifically on the app.

For the security conscious among you, LokLok only keeps the latest image of each group on the server, so when you clear the screen, it’s gone forever. Ephemeral is the key (buzz)word here.

On the surface, this seems like a classic example of something that’s possible on Android but not iOS. However, we’re told they’re already working on a version for Apple’s mobile operating system, “focusing on new possibilities that iOS 8 will introduce.”

Greatest Invention in Human History Helps You Avoid Certain People

 

 

The era of antisocial networking has begun with the development of apps such as Cloak, which identifies locations of your contacts so you don't have to see them. Larry Greenemeier reports.  

Mar 28, 2014 |By Larry Greenemeier

You’re walking near the park when your iPhone chimes. It tells you that one of your many Foursquare contacts is enjoying a coffee at an outdoor café on the next block. So you turn on your heel and head the other way.
Welcome to the era of antisocial networking. Where you filter pictures of your friends’ kids out of your Facebook feed, replace inane tweets with those you actually care about and keep tabs on people you’d rather avoid.
The Cloak app, for example, collects location info from Instagram and Foursquare to let you know where your so-called “friends” are—so that you never have to see them. It scans their most recent check-ins, and plots those locations on a map. It can even alert you when the guy you owe twenty bucks to is nearby.
Cloak developers Brian Moore and Chris Baker say they came up with the idea after too many chance encounters with ex-girlfriends. They plan to expand Cloak to interface with other apps, including Facebook. And they insist their feelings won’t be hurt if they suddenly stop bumping into their Cloak-using friends.
—Larry Greenemeier