Gregarius &#187; BetaNews.Com &#187; avril 2011

Sony says there was no evidence that hackers have obtained PlayStation Network user's credit card info. However, new reports indicate that they have it, and are selling it to the highest bidder.

USB Immunizer: Last defense against auto-run malware?

Publié: avril 29, 2011, 5:56pm CEST

The program creates an Autorun.inf folder on your chosen drive, which in turn contains additional files and a hidden folder. So if you plug in a USB device, malware can't write a new Autorun.inf file. In theory.

Granola: Save money, power and the environment

Publié: avril 29, 2011, 5:47pm CEST

This energy-saving app will appeal to more than the crunchy granola brigade. Reduced PC energy consumption could cut utility bills.

Nokia's problems are a whole lot worse than you think

Publié: avril 29, 2011, 5:16pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

First quarter 2011 handset shipments show an acceleration of smartphone sales. Nokia is caught between its larger number of feature phones and transition to Microsoft's Windows Phone. It's a grim outlook.

Verizon iPhone ate into Android dominance, NPD says

Publié: avril 29, 2011, 1:10am CEST par Ed Oswald

The research firm said Thursday that the introduction of the iPhone on Verizon cut Android market share by three points -- the first decline in two years.

Microsoft Q3 2011 by the numbers: Record $16.43B, Windows revenue declines

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 10:24pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

The gravity of slowing PC sales hurt Windows during the quarter, while Office lifted Business Division sales revenue by 21 percent.

10 things you can do while PlayStation Network is still down

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 8:18pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

As the PSN outage enters its eighth day, some online gamers must be asking "What now? What can I do?" Surely there is more to life than online gaming. Isn't there?

Take Control of your digital content with CyberLink PowerDVD 11 Ultra

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 6:26pm CEST

It's expensive, but PowerDVD 11 Ultra remains the best DVD and Blu-ray player around. The new picture, DLNA and online features are welcome (if occasionally limited), the 2D to 3D conversion options are much improved and the new remote control apps make it easy to run the program from a distance.

Chrome 11 shines up new logo, stable build

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 5:41pm CEST

Google's newest browser now offers text-to-speech in supported websites (and their are mighty few of them). Then there is the new, flattened logo.

Chart: Apple's amazing year of iOS

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 4:54pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Apple's last five quarters chart simply stunning growth. Revenue nearly doubled, as did net profit, during calendar 2010. Mobile devices running iOS generated $43.79 billion, or about 57 percent of revenues.

Sony: "We know you are upset" that PlayStation Network is still down

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 5:28am CEST par Joe Wilcox

Sony is trying to quell fears about the privacy risk posed to as many as 77 million PSN subscribers. While credit card numbers were encrypted, most other personally identifying information wasn't. Partial network restoration could begin by early next week.

Nearly 8 out of every $10 spent on operating systems goes to Microsoft

Publié: avril 28, 2011, 4:26am CEST par Joe Wilcox

[Update] Windows accounted for $23.85 billion out of the $30.35 billion generated by PC and server operating systems in 2010, for 78.6 percent share.

Death by Facebook: MySpace bids expected, Friendster transitions

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 10:52pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The Wall Street Journal reports that bids are expected to be received for social networking site MySpace by the end of the week, while Friendster announces it's getting out of the social networking biz.

Not sure what's going on on your home network? Rubbernet can tell you

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 8:18pm CEST

The app can be used in a variety of ways, but its most basic use is monitoring which applications are making use of your network connection. It also acts as a useful security tool for seeing activity of unknown applications.

Paragon Hard Disk Manager Professional 11: Keep your drives in tip-top shape

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 8:05pm CEST

New features include multiple-TB drive-support on Windows XP and management of Apple HFS+ formatted partitions.

Delicious' death sentence commuted by YouTube founders

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 7:54pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Yahoo said Wednesday that it had sold popular social bookmarking site Delicious to YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen.

Protect your kids from Facebook stalkers and cyberbullies with SocialGuard

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 7:42pm CEST

ZoneAlarm SocialGuard has a narrow focus: its sole aim is to monitor children's Facebook accounts in order to alert parents to suspicious activities.

Is Apple tracking you?

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 5:58pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

That's the question the company is trying to answer "No" today, with a 10-point FAQ. Apple describes an iPhone location-tracking file as a "bug." What? It's not a necessary feature for providing fast, location-based services?

Will you buy white iPhone 4?

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 4:11pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

High tech is as much about fashion, what it says about you, as utility. Wouldn't it be funny if millions of people held back buying iPhone 4 because they wanted white? You tell us. Sales start March 28.

Microsoft certifications get more expensive

Publié: avril 27, 2011, 12:56am CEST par Tim Conneally

On the first of July, it is going to take a little bit more cash to become a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Thanks for giving up my identity to hackers, Sony

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 11:40pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Joe Wilcox says that he is likely one of the possibly 70 million people affected by the PlayStation Network data breach that occurred between April 17-19 but was only disclosed today. He's mad. Are you?

With PSN still down for sixth day, Sony admits data loss

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 10:33pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The worst fears of many PlayStation Network users were realized on Tuesday, as Sony finally admitted that the hack of the online service last week did involve some type of data loss.

TweetDeck for iPhone gets major makeover

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 9:27pm CEST

The mobile app has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. This is a serious redesign rather than a simple update, and there is a great deal to look forward to in TweetDeck 2.0 for iPhone.

50% of new smartphone buyers choose Android

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 9:11pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Google' smartphone OS continues to make impressive gains, according to Nielsen. However, the analyst firm's claim of "dramatic change" is pure BS. Trends are ongoing and consistent for Android, BlackBerry and iPhone.

Report: YouTube said to be prepping movie rental offering

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 8:20pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Entertainment blog The Wrap says YouTube could begin offering a movie rental service as early as this week.

Sony shows two Android 3.0 tabs, hints at Vaio-branded Windows tablet

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 6:57pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Sony Corporation on Tuesday unveiled its first two Android-powered "Sony Tablets" codenamed S1 and S2, and referenced rumors from earlier this year about a Vaio-branded Windows 7 tablet.

SugarSync for Android: Cloud backup all the time

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 6:26pm CEST

The mobile app sports AutoSync technology, which makes it simple and easy to back up and synchronize content on your Android phone with your computer without having to plug it in.

France Telecom employee burns self to death outside of workplace

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 5:12pm CEST par Tim Conneally

A 57-year old employee of France Telecom-Orange reportedly committed suicide by self immolation at the company's Mérignac-Pichey branch in southeast France on Tuesday. This is the company's second employee suicide this year.

How much is fragmentation hurting Android?

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 5:08pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

If you believe IDC and Appcelerator, developers are losing interest in Android tablets. But Joe Wilcox interprets the data differently, reaching a contrary conclusion that shows what kind of problems emerge from analyst-vendor co-authored reports.

'Dog Wars' dog fighting app for Android: Here is what people are upset about

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 2:30am CEST par Tim Conneally

Controversy has been roused over an Android game based on the sport of illegal dogfighting, here is what the game actually contains.

Facebook aims for more private liking with 'Send' button

Publié: avril 26, 2011, 1:12am CEST par Ed Oswald

Aiming to give Facebookers a more private method of sharing content they find across the web, the social networking site on Monday introduced the 'Send' button.

Sony needs to answer why PlayStation Network is still down, and when it will be back up

Publié: avril 25, 2011, 11:52pm CEST

By Roger Kay

The 5-day PSN outage is sorely trying 70 million subscribers' nerves. Sony needs to break its silence. Otherwise, that 70 million could shrink fast -- right into the welcoming arms of Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox Live.

Sony: Can't say if PSN hack put personal info at risk

Publié: avril 25, 2011, 10:36pm CEST par Ed Oswald

With the PlayStation Network outage now in its fifth day, concerns have begun to mount that the hack that took the online gaming network offline may have involved some type of data loss.

Where is my ala carte cable TV?

Publié: avril 24, 2011, 7:16pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

It's long past time that television service providers let subscribers choose their own bundles -- only the networks or TV shows they want to watch. Providers should be part of the future, not chain customers to the past.

PlayStation Network still down, Sony says task of bringing it back up is 'time consuming'

Publié: avril 24, 2011, 8:51am CEST par Joe Wilcox

PS3 users around the globe are asking the same question: "Is PlayStation Network still down?" Sony say it's sorry, but doesn't give a timeframe for service restoration -- as the outage moves into a fourth devastating day.

With PlayStation Network still down, Sony admits it was hacked

Publié: avril 23, 2011, 10:05pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Nearly three days after the PSN online gaming service went offline, Sony has finally acknowledged an "external intrusion."

Firefox 4 downloads top 100 million

Publié: avril 23, 2011, 6:38pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Today, Firefox 4 achieved a stunning milestone during its first month of availability. But are downloads, even 100 million, best measure of success?

Amazon's two-day cloud computing nightmare nears an end

Publié: avril 23, 2011, 12:08am CEST par Ed Oswald

Amazon said late Friday afternoon that all but its most "time consuming" volumes had been recovered and were back online, with most of its customers operating close to normal again.

Samsung countersues Apple, but not in the US

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 10:44pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Samsung's relationship with Apple seemingly became even more strained on Friday as the company claimed that the Cupertino company's iPhone and iPad devices infringe on five of its patent, but in international courts.

Windows 7 speeds up in 2011, 350 million licenses sold

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 10:05pm CEST par Tim Conneally

After a year and a half on the market, more than 350 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold, and Microsoft on Friday has claimed Windows 7 to be the "fastest selling Operating System in history."

Eugene Kaspersky is one tough guy

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 8:28pm CEST

By Larry Seltzer

The security community deals with disturbing news all the time, but rarely anything so shocking as the reported kidnapping of a security researcher's son. Russia is a tough place to operate.

PlayStation Network still down, Anonymous claims no involvement

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 7:35pm CEST par Ed Oswald

As the outage of Sony's PlayStation Network entered into a third day without any end in sight, at least one group is making sure that it is not blamed for the problems: Anonymous.

Kidnapped son of Kaspersky founders freed, say reports

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 7:04pm CEST par Tim Conneally

The 20-year-old son of Kaspersky Lab founders Natalia and Eugene Kaspersky, who was reportedly being held for 3 million Euro ransom by kidnappers in Moscow, may have been released on Friday.

Will you drop Dropbox over terms-of-service changes?

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 6:35pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Joe Wilcox asks, after 70 percent of readers responding to a poll said they were dissatisfied with ToS changes.

Highjack Hunter takes back your PC from malware's clutches

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 5:30pm CEST

Some malware will hijack Windows settings, perhaps disabling Task Manager or the Registry editor. Solving an issue like this may require some specialist help from a tool like Hijack Hunter.

VirtualBox 4.06: Now with fewer bugs

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 3:58pm CEST

The new version also improves stability, plugs memory leaks and stores snapshots in same directory as virtual machines.

Ashampoo warns of security breach

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 3:45pm CEST

Hackers penetrated one of Ashampoo's servers. stealing names and email addresses. The company warns customers to be wary of unsolicited messages.

Son of Kaspersky Labs' founder reported kidnapped in Moscow

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 1:42am CEST par Tim Conneally

International news media has jumped on the story that son of Yvegny Kaspersky, head of leading international data security firm Kaspersky Lab, has been kidnapped.

Son of Kaspersky Lab's founder reported kidnapped in Moscow

Publié: avril 22, 2011, 1:42am CEST par Tim Conneally

International news media has jumped on the story that son of Yvegny Kaspersky, head of leading international data security firm Kaspersky Lab, has been kidnapped.

Will Microsoft's new employee compensation plan be the bomb, or will it just bomb?

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 11:32pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

To avoid a brain drain and make up for moribund stock, Microsoft will give employees more cash incentives and simplify performance evaluations. Too bad Microsofties will wait until September to receive the benefits..

Google's Groupon competitor Offers launches in beta

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 10:46pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Google has launched its online coupon site Offers in Portland, Ore. with plans to expand to New York City and San Francisco.

New gaming consoles from Sony, Microsoft not due until 2014

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 8:39pm CEST par Ed Oswald

While Nintendo may be gearing up to introduce the next-generation Wii as early as late 2012, it may have quite a bit of lead time on its competitors.

PowerDVD 11: 'Play any media format, from any source'

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 8:07pm CEST

So claims CyberLink about its new digital consumption suite. Well, the answer depends on which version you're willing to spend on.

Amazon's partial cloud failure takes out several popular websites

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 7:27pm CEST par Ed Oswald

An issue with Amazon Cloud Service servers in Northern Virginia early Thursday took down Foursquare, Reddit, Quora, and others for several hours.

5 more things you need to know about Microsoft and Nokia Windows Phones

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 7:23pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Microsoft Thursday gave a little more insight into its multi-billion dollar partnership with Nokia for Windows Phones.

RockMelt comes to iOS, syncs with desktop version

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 7:21pm CEST

If you by chance use RockMelt to manage your social life, you can now take it with you on Apple devices.

Nero Kwik Media: Free, but you will want more

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 7:19pm CEST

Only core functionality is available free. To get the best bang from your digital media, you'll want to buy Nero's in-app upgrades.

AT&T and Verizon iPhone sales are nearly the same -- 40,000 per day

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 5:22pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Based on activations, the two carriers had nearly equal iPhone sell-through during first quarter 2011.

EventJot for iOS and Android takes on Color

Publié: avril 21, 2011, 12:00pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Ricoh, the Japanese company best known for its printers and imaging equipment, released a social photo sharing app for iOS and Android on Thursday called EventJot which seeks to be a slightly more conservative version of Color.

Amazon Kindle to get Public Library borrowing feature

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 10:51pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Amazon on Wednesday announced Kindle Library Lending, a program that will let Kindle users borrow books from more than 11,000 libraries in the United States.

Apple Q2 2011 by the numbers: Record $24.67B revenue and 95% profit growth

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 10:49pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Apple shipped 4.69 million iPads and 18.65 million iPhones. Revenue and profit blew past Wall Street consensus -- by $1.33B and $1.04 EPS, respectively.

EchoStar loses crucial ruling in TiVo case, vows appeal

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 9:07pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court judgement that would force EchoStar to disable its DVR functionality in as many as eight million subscriber boxes, delivering what might be a fatal blow to the company's chances for victory in the case.

SPC Music Sketchpad: one of the best Android music apps yet

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 8:32pm CEST par Tim Conneally

German app developer Mikrosonic is helping Android's weak selection of music creation apps with its high quality SPC Music Sketchpad.

Apple tracking location of iOS4 device users, researchers say

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 7:36pm CEST par Ed Oswald

A team of researchers have discovered that iOS4 is secretly obtaining your location and recording it to a hidden file, raising obvious privacy concerns and questions as to why Apple would be storing such information.

Dropbox caves on privacy, opens subscriber files to law enforcement

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 6:29pm CEST

By Oliver Komadina

The cloud storage service has a juicy carrot and one big sick for subscribers. The carrot: 25 million users, up about 20 million in just six months. Revised terms and service is the stick and one that could beat away some subscribers.

Offering a direct challenge to Verizon, Cellular South hooks up with LightSquared for LTE

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 6:15pm CEST par Tim Conneally

LightSquared, the hybrid 4G/Satellite network wholesaler has announced a bilateral LTE roaming partnership with Cellular South, the United States' largest private wireless provider and ninth largest mobile network.

3.6 million AT&T iPhone activations debunk claims subscribers are fleeing to Verizon

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 5:24pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

For all those prognosticators predicting a huge exodus of iPhone users from AT&T to Verizon, Joe Wilcox offers a big, wet, splatter-in-your face raspberry.

Moleskine for iPad: Write at your own risk

Publié: avril 20, 2011, 8:04am CEST par Joe Wilcox

The iconic journal comes to iPad (and iPhone), but it's just a so-so first edition, says Joe Wilcox. What would Ernest Hemingway say?

TweetDeck may lead to showdown between Twitter, UberMedia

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 11:08pm CEST par Ed Oswald

UberMedia was reported to be close to acquiring the third-party Twitter developer, but Twitter itself may play defense by acquiring the company itself.

Europe outspends U.S. and Japan on consumer electronics

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 10:26pm CEST

By Patrick Houston

Last year, Europe accounted for 29 percent of the $913 billion worldwide market for "technical consumer products," a designation that also allows for counting appliances that are becoming smart and connected.

First community-run Sirius XM stations announced

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 9:25pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Nearly three years after Sirius and XM merged, the first FCC-mandated community radio stations have been announced.

Samsung: We'll hook Europeans on our TVs by giving them a 3D channel

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 8:18pm CEST

By Patrick Houston

3D TVs aren't ready for prime time, so to speak. They'll let you watch Avatar at home in all its epic Cameron-esque glory. But you gotta wear glasses, and there isn't much programming. Samsung wants to change all that by giving consumers compelling content.

Yahoo Buzz's closure on April 21 almost goes unnoticed

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 7:57pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Yahoo's experiment with social news will end this week, but almost nobody noticed its demise

Tip: Organize your ebooks with Calibre 0.7.56

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 7:00pm CEST

Calibre is a must-have tool. It exists to organize, convert and even transfer your ebook collection to and from your ebook reader.

Patent that took down Barnes and Noble's Nook revealed

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 6:29pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Spring Design has been granted the patent for multiple-screen technology which originally spurred a lawsuit with Barnes and Noble over the Nook e-reader last year.

Dual Monitor Tools 1.8 -- for when one screen isn't enough

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 6:28pm CEST

As the name implies, it's a collection of five separate tools, each of which runs independently to provide additional functionality for multiple monitor setups.

Google Video to shut down, search will stay

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 6:08pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Google Video is getting out of the hosting business, asking content uploaders to move their videos to YouTube.

Oracle hands OpenOffice to open-source community, gives up commercial sales

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 6:07pm CEST

On Friday, Oracle announced that it will discontinue commercial development of the OpenOffice suite, handing it back to the open-source community for future development.

Steve Ballmer has restored my confidence in his leadership

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 5:11pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

In June 2010, Joe Wilcox said he had lost confidence in Microsoft's CEO; the company had made too many mistakes during his tenure. But something is different now about Ballmer and the direction he is taking Microsoft. This old dog is learning new tricks.

Microsoft launches Office 365 public beta

Publié: avril 18, 2011, 9:04am CEST par Tim Conneally

Microsoft is now taking sign-ups from the public to test its subscription cloud-based enterprise productivity suite.

Will tablet makers choose Android 2.x over Honeycomb to get the right selling price?

Publié: avril 17, 2011, 7:18pm CEST

By Patrick Houston

Most Honeycomb tablets are at least several months from release, and they're looking to cost $600 or more. Taiwanese panel maker HannStar claims the only way to sell tablets for what consumers will pay is to ship Android 2.x.

Innovation that results in fewer lawyers? It's coming, says Planet Data CEO

Publié: avril 16, 2011, 1:51am CEST par Tim Conneally

Software that's able to locate legally responsive information from the swelling mass of personal data we create every day will render certain law jobs obsolete.

Obama presses for global, more secure authentication standard

Publié: avril 15, 2011, 10:39pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The Obama administration on Friday asked the private sector to work on developing a standard for authentication, saying passwords are not secure enough and were not helping in preventing identity theft.

Who is cutting cable for Hulu, Netflix and OTA?

Publié: avril 15, 2011, 9:31pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

We started the week by asking "Would you cut cable for Netflix?" We end it with your responses to the question. By year's end, 2 million U.S. households will be cable free. Some Betanews readers will be among them.

IE10: Don't cry for me, Windows Vista

Publié: avril 15, 2011, 9:28pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Surprise, Vista's short four-year support run is coming to an end. What's the reasoning for the early exit?

Tip: Use Microsoft Safety Scanner as back line of your security offense

Publié: avril 15, 2011, 6:29pm CEST

The stand-alone safety software doesn't offer real-time protection, so it's not a defensive weapon. It's scan and remove when you need to go on the offensive looking for malware or to back up other security software.

Nintendo developing HD console, may debut at E3

Publié: avril 15, 2011, 6:08pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Game Informer says Nintendo is preparing a new console for a late 2012 launch in a bit to regain the momentum it had with the Wii console.

Norton 2012 security software may be beta, but it's polished and free (for now)

Publié: avril 15, 2011, 6:02pm CEST

New features include full Google Chrome support and adoption of Symantec's own task manager, as well as improved scanning capabilities.

Is Microsoft dead meat without a tablet?

Publié: avril 9, 2011, 1:21am CEST par Joe Wilcox

Apple's iPad and other tablets are headed to the enterprise. Meanwhile, Microsoft has seemingly no strategic respond to Android or iOS devices. Or does it? The answer may surprise you.

Feds approve Google's buy of travel data company with conditions

Publié: avril 9, 2011, 12:23am CEST par Ed Oswald

Google's planned $700 million acquisition of flight data provider ITA was given the go-ahead by the justice department on Friday, but not without some key concessions.

Acer aims for Apple with the Iconia Tab tablet at $449

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 10:02pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The device sports a 10.1-inch screen, a NVIDIA 1GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of storage and would run on Android 3.0 "Honeycomb."

Former Epsilon CEO likens massive email breach to shopping mall master key

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 9:57pm CEST par Tim Conneally

An intrusion at Epsilon has exposed the email databases of hundreds of major retailers, banks, and credit institutions, the company's former CEO explains what could have prevented it from happening.

Skype 5.3 improves video to mobile calling

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 9:55pm CEST

Skype improved calling by moving the video rotation tasks from the mobile device to the computer receiving the call, making it possible to send higher resolution video and therefore producing a better overall video call experience.

Tried of crackly PC audio? Diagnose with LatencyMon

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 7:59pm CEST

Troubleshooting PC audio problems often is a painful process of trial and error. LatencyMon uses Microsoft's Event Tracing for Windows to snuff out processes that may cause sound to go snap, crackle and pop.

Sony and SanDisk look to improve video streams by predicting what you'll want to watch

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 7:35pm CEST par Tim Conneally

An in-development IEEE standard called HQME pre-caches Web video as a defensive mechanism against network overclogging.

The Bat! 5.0 improves comm features and email management

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 7:26pm CEST

RITLabs reworked the program's intercommunication mechanisms, which significantly improves the way it access mail via IMAP. New features include folder information panels that display dynamically updated information about the currently selected mail folder, and there's a "smart" hints function.

AdMob survey shows 28% of tablet owners use device as primary PC

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 6:50pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

As startling: 77 percent use their desktop or laptop PC less after buying a tablet. Welcome to the post-PC era.

Bing for iPad rocks

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 1:13am CEST par Joe Wilcox

Search is suddenly beautiful -- there's not much better way to describe it. Bing for iPad is so delish this reviewer could lick the screen.

FCC votes to force wireless data roaming agreements

Publié: avril 8, 2011, 12:10am CEST par Ed Oswald

As expected, a party line vote Thursday at the Federal Communications Commission will force the larger carriers to sign roaming agreements for mobile data with their smaller competitors.

Online Armor 5: Still tough as nails but now prettier

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 11:00pm CEST

Security specialist Emsisoft has released Online Armor 5.0, the latest version of their do-everything firewall package. If you've tried the program before then the most immediately obvious change will be its revamped interface.

Pandora sends personal data en masse to advertisers, researcher says

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 10:20pm CEST par Ed Oswald

A security researcher claims that the Pandora music app is transmitting a good deal of personal information to advertisers, although it may be doing so inadvertently.

Doh, of course Microsoft should open lots more retail stores

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 9:57pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

A report from former analyst Matt Rosoff claims that Microsoft's leadership is divided about opening more retail stores. That would be tragic, if true. Microsoft Store is a sound brand and markering investment.

Facebook open sources the data center

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 8:49pm CEST par Tim Conneally

On Thursday, Facebook debuted the Open Compute Project which open sourced all the data center and server designs created for its Prineville, OR data center.

There are millions to be made in the iPhone underground economy

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 8:21pm CEST

By Larry Seltzer

Jailbreakers and the alternative app markets make big bucks helping users to break Apple's rules.

Google to add malware alert system to Chrome browser

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 7:39pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Google is aiming to help stop the spread of malware, saying Thursday it plans to add a malware alert feature to prevent the download of malicious applications

AVG 'Summer Update' brings LiveKive and Family Safety tools

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 7:24pm CEST

New to AVG's malware suites: LiveKive is an online backup service offering free (5GB) subscriptions and AVG Family Safety offers online protection for children.

Despite earthquakes, one billion camera phones will sell this year

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 7:12pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Market research company Strategy Analytics issued a report on Thursday which predicted that sales of mobile phones equipped with cameras will exceed one billion per year for the first time in 2011.

You can't trust Gartner's smartphone OS forecast, or any other

Publié: avril 7, 2011, 6:35pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Another analyst firm makes bold predictions about the future of Android and Windows Mobile -- 50 percent smartphone market share for the one next year and No. 2 spot for the other in 2012. Are these predictions credible?

YouTube plans overhaul of site into 'channels'

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 11:45pm CEST par Ed Oswald

YouTube is reportedly set to overhaul its service in an effort to prepare itself for the rise of connected devices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Microsoft will take Toyota cars to the cloud

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 11:23pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

In the "Back to the Future" movie series, cars can fly in 2015. Likely not, but they will go to the cloud. Today, Microsoft and Toyota announced a telematics deal connecting electric and hybrid vehicles to Azure services.

Six states use nearly half of all pirated software in the U.S.

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 11:17pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Six U.S. states are responsible for nearly half of all the suspected cases of corporate software piracy, the Business Software Alliance reported on Wednesday.

FCC makes sure deafblind individuals have '21st century communications' tech

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 10:00pm CEST par Tim Conneally

The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday launched a new initiative called the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP,) which seeks to guarantee these disabled individuals have access to advanced communications technology, including interexchange services and advanced telecommunications and data services.

Verizon, Sprint slash price of Samsung Galaxy Tab to $199.99

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 9:40pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Attempting to put more competitive pressure on Apple's iPad, both Sprint and Verizon Wireless dropped the price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet to $199.99 when signing a two-year contract.

100,000 Motorola XOOMs sold isn't bad, it's good

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 8:48pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Pundits panning early XOOM sales are clueless. Given higher pricing and Verizon attachment for most of the first two months, the tablet had a surprisingly strong sales start.

New Apple hybrid connector patent could signal fast syncing

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 8:26pm CEST par Ed Oswald

A recently uncovered patent points to Apple's desire to support both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt on a single connector.

Pale Moon 4: Firefox's leaner, meaner twin -- and, whoa is it fast

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 6:39pm CEST

Firefox 4 sacrifices some performance for backward compatibility. Pale Moon is basically Firefox without the baggage. It looks like Mozilla's browser, being based on the same code, but is much faster.

Web Browsers Traces Eraser covers your Internet tracks

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 6:20pm CEST

The Internet cleaner supports just about any browser you could possibly ever want to use -- perhaps its most compelling benefit.

Can Mozilla shame Firefox developers to do better?

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 5:29pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Praise is the carrot. Shame is the stick. Mozilla's list of slow-performing Firefox add-ons is simply brilliant. Other browser developers should copycat this one.

Dish's Blockbuster buy: A box office bomb?

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 4:46pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Dish Network has won the auction to acquire nearly all of the assets of bankrupt national video store chain Blockbuster, including the still valuable retail real estate and streaming distribution channels.

More Windows 8 features: PDF reader, Internet Explorer 'Immersive'

Publié: avril 6, 2011, 12:49am CEST par Ed Oswald

Microsoft bloggers Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera now say the Redmond company plans to ship its own PDF reader with Windows 8, as well as a redesigned and 'immersive' version of its Internet Explorer browser.

Hotspot Shield snags 1 million users overnight, proves privacy can be monetized

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 11:40pm CEST par Tim Conneally

9 million users have jumped on Hotspot Shield, and AnchorFree is shooting for 100.

Apple's meteoric rise triggers realignment of NASDAQ index

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 11:25pm CEST par Ed Oswald

The NASDAQ on Tuesday announced that it had changed the weighting of stocks in its NASDAQ 100 index, a move that seemed to affect Apple and Microsoft the most.

MAGIX Website Maker 5: When Flash is enough

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 9:31pm CEST

Website Maker takes a different approach, by allowing you to create animated Flash-based sites, which you can then customize with a host of animated and dynamic components: music and video players, photo galleries, contact forms, guestbooks, embedded YouTube videos or Google maps and many more -- all from within a browser.

AT&T iPhone drops calls three times that of Verizon, study says

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 9:07pm CEST par Ed Oswald

If you've heard less Verizon iPhone users complain about their phones dropping calls than AT&T ones, that's probably rooted in some semblance of fact.

Launch Windows apps along the Radian

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 8:58pm CEST

Radian is an app launcher to replace the Start menu that operates in quite a unique way. Rather than relying on a the usual system of menus and sub-menus, this launcher takes the form of a segmented circle whose sections can be customised to house shortcuts to the programs and documents you use most frequently.

Symantec finds targeted cyber attacks skyrocket 93% in 2010

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 7:16pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Antivirus software maker Symantec said Tuesday that attacks increased some 93 percent from 2009 to 2010, with a staggering 286 million new threats reported last year alone.

Texas Instruments is 'King of Analog' with National Semiconductor acquisition

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 6:39pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Texas Instruments will be acquiring National Semiconductor in an all-cash transaction totaling about $6.5 billion.

'Apple's lead will be very difficult to beat'

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 6:12pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Today, Gartner piped in on the fierce debate about media tablet platforms, by giving huge nod to Apple. The message is intended for CIOs, whom the analyst firm also encouraged to begin supporting tablets now -- and that really means iPad.

Can you give up Google?

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 1:45am CEST par Joe Wilcox

Joe Wilcox will stop using as many Google products or services as he can during April. He's not embarking on an anti-Google rage, but seeing what can be reasonably replaced -- to assess just how dominant the company really is. First in a series.

Net neutrality challenges by Verizon, MetroPCS dismissed on technicality

Publié: avril 5, 2011, 12:10am CEST par Ed Oswald

Lawsuits filed against the Federal Communications Commission by both Verizon and MetroPCS earlier this year over its new net neutrality rules were dismissed by an appeals court on Monday.

Windows 8 builds show new welcome screen, Ribbon UI in Explorer

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 9:02pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Microsoft appears to be set to make one of its more drastic recent user interface changes a staple across Windows.

Make your DesktopOK

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 7:56pm CEST

You can back up just about every aspect of your computing life, but what about the positioning and layout of your desktop icons? DesktopOK can preserve everything just the way you like.

AT&T makes you pay even more for iPhone

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 7:24pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

The rumors are true. AT&T has raised prices on iPhone and other smartphones by 50 bucks for people who don't yet qualify for standard subsidized offers.

Google puts $900M bid on Canada's 'national treasure' Nortel patents

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 6:48pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Bankrupt Canadian telecommunications company Nortel Networks Corp. has selected Google as the stalking horse bidder in the auction for the company's vast and highly valuable patent portfolio.

There's a new sheriff at Google

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 5:24pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Today cofounder Larry Page officially resumes the role of chief executive, a position he abdicated to Eric Schmidt 10 years ago. Schmidt remains as chairman, in part as Google's ambassador and as grandaddy to Page and other cofounder Sergey Brin. The question: What next for Google?

Can Android be stopped?

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 1:56am CEST par Joe Wilcox

It's the question to ask following the release of surprising data from ComScore: One in three U.S. smartphone owners use Android. That's up from 21.4 percent six months earlier.

ACDSeePro4: Pro photo-editing and premium pricing

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 1:49am CEST

The program really is packed with impressive features, in particular its image correction options, and its intelligent workflow will help you organize and process large numbers of photos with the absolute minimum of hassle. But it's not cheap at $239.99.

Simplify Windows searches with Listray 3

Publié: avril 4, 2011, 1:36am CEST

Do you find Windows built-in search tool to be deficient but don't want to tack on Google Desktop Search. Listray 3 is an alternative.

Countless thousands exposed in attack on e-mail marketing company

Publié: avril 3, 2011, 4:56pm CEST par Tim Conneally

If you have opted into email update lists from any of a growing list of major companies, you could be included in the list of victims.

Take control of Firefox 4

Publié: avril 2, 2011, 9:50pm CEST

Not everyone likes Firefox 4's new, streamlined interface. If that's you, we've got 10 add-ons to help you regain absent options, customize FF4 to your tastes or to add in features found in other browsers that are missing here.

WinOptimizer 8 improves performance and live tuning

Publié: avril 2, 2011, 9:08pm CEST

The new version, from Ashampoo, has a number of improvements over previous versions, meaning that it not only operates more quickly itself, but it is able to enhance the performance of Windows more than ever.

EASEUS Partition Master Home 8 now more at home on Windows 7

Publié: avril 2, 2011, 6:33pm CEST

EASEUS Partition Master was one of the first freeware non-destructive partitioning tools to be released on the Windows platform, and allows users to partition their hard drives quickly and easily through a series of wizards, which allows them to create, delete, resize and move partitions.

Microsoft should make Google the April Fool

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 11:29pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Google's recent retreat form "open" makes Android suddenly exposed to competitive attack. Opportunities like this just don't come `round often enough, or so well timed. It's play the fool, or be one.

Massive SQL injection attack may affect over a million sites

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 10:15pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Security researchers are watching a mass SQL injection attack that is quickly spreading throughout the web, possibly already compromising over one million URLs by Friday afternoon.

Technology's most blatant design copycats

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 9:07pm CEST par Tim Conneally

A look at some of technology's most blatant design knock-offs that are not likely to ever be honored with the title of "killers."

More connected machines means more non-PC IT, more contextual signage

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 8:43pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Tim Conneally talks with Ericsson about the future in machine to machine (M2M) communications.

Acer CEO Lanci out over disagreements on future strategy

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 7:12pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Taiwanese electronics maker Acer faces a new struggle: finding a new CEO. Gianfranco Lanci abruptly resigned on Thursday over disagreements on the future of the company.

Spam accounts for 124% of email, spammers complain

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 5:38pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

According to a new report, the amount of spam now exceeds the volume of all other email. This surge, fed by the global economic crisis, is increasing unwanted competition among spammers.

Hey, Google, Microsoft payback is a bitch

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 3:12am CEST par Joe Wilcox

Two years ago, Joe Wilcox warned Google that anticompetitive accusations it made against Internet Explorer would someday be returned about search. What goes around comes around, and Microsoft proves the point by filing an antitrust complaint against Google in Europe.

Customers abandon GoDaddy after CEO posts elephant hunting video

Publié: avril 1, 2011, 12:19am CEST par Tim Conneally