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Create HTML 5 photo galleries with Juicebox

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 10:59pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Looking for an impressive way to show off your digital photos? Juicebox may be just what the doctor ordered. This free Adobe AIR app can be used on Macs as well as PCs running Windows or Linux and whatever platform you use to create your gallery, you can be sure that it’ll look great on both desktop and mobile platforms. The app has been designed specifically with online photo galleries in mind, and despite the fact that stunning HTML5 galleries can be created, you do not need to know a single line of coding.

One of the problems that faces anyone looking to create an online gallery is finding a way to ensure that your photo slideshows look good on a number of different devices and platforms, particularly taking into account mobile devices with smaller screens. This is not a problem with Juicebox -- you can simply choose a design and layout that you would like to use and it will be automatically scaled to suit different screen sizes. From an end-user’s point of view, navigation is made wonderfully easy thanks to support for not only mouse and keyboard controls, but also touch screen navigation.

The beauty of Juicebox, aside from the fact that it is so easy to create great-looking galleries that can be viewed on countless devices, is the everything is just so simple to get up and running. You do not need to worry about resizing images as this is all taken care of for you. If you have already uploaded images to Flickr, you do not need to spend time downloading them and then re-uploading them: they can be used in their current online form by Juicebox.

There are some gorgeously simple yet effective gallery layouts to choose from, and all of the necessary code is generated for you ready to copy and paste into the code of your web site. If your demands are a little higher – such as the ability to add background music to your galleries or the option of creating a random playback order – you have the option of upgrading to the Pro version, but for all intents and purposes, the free version is perfect for most people.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Juicebox review page.
Geeks rejoice at Google's legal triumph over Oracle

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 10:43pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Google couldn't have asked for better in its intellectual property dispute with Oracle. The judge turned out to be a programmer, and his ongoing guidance to the jury tempered deliberations. Then there were a couple of lucky breaks, the biggest perhaps from former Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, who volunteered on the witness stand the company saw no grounds to sue Google. Wherever the luck, and perhaps a tenable defense, Google won big today with the jury finding that Android doesn't violate Oracle patents acquired from Sun.

The reaction, as measured by Google+ posts, is magnanimous for the search giant -- and, well, as for Oracle it's best not to whack the beaten too much more. I chose to take reaction from Google+ because it's such a techie hangout.

Had Oracle triumphed today's patent warfare could easily have become a nuclear nightmare. There's legitimate argument that a win for Google is a win for all those developers without the patent portfolios of the likes of Apple and Microsoft. Still, that scenario is possible. The judge could rule APIs are copyrightable, so Oracle may yet walk away with an industry-swaying ruling.

Perhaps those gleeful about the verdict are more vocal, since I found more of this kind of reaction. "Oracle probably shat themselves when it was revealed that their presiding judge is a programmer", Chris Droste opines.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds:

Prediction: instead of Oracle coming out and admitting they were morons about their idiotic suit against Android, they'll come out posturing and talk about how they'll be vindicated, and pay lawyers to take it to the next level of idiocy. Sometimes I really wish I wasn't always right. It's a curse, I tell you.

Tech blogger Ishaan Garg: "A just verdict :)"

"I'm quite surprised by the verdict being totally dismissive of Oracle claims, as Google somewhat took lightly some pieces of Oracle / Sun IP (albeit definitely not on the scale that Oracle claimed), but I guess that we developers and not only ! can all rejoice about this!" writes software developer Yannis Bres.

Software engineer, and ex-Googler, Cedric Beust calls the verdict: "Fantastic news!"

"Oracle you should have known it would come to this", student Candyce Moore writes. I mean, how much money did you want from Google again? 75 Trillion something like that? Which is, you know, more money than actually exists in the world".

Applications program manager Brett Freeman: "Shocker. Anyone feeling sorry for [Oracle CEO] Larry Ellison? Didn't think so. At least attorneys made $$$".

"Patent suits aren't events any more, they're a new fact of life, possibly even a new standard operating corporate strategy", help desk tech Frank Lazar writes. "Isn't that why Google's buying Motorola?"

PC World writer Katherine Noyes: "Wahoo!" Mohamed Rafiq believes that "Oracle got what they deserved and meanwhile in the process lost some friends".

"Google should give some pocket change -- $100 m-- to Oracle so that they can save face and 'settle'", systems biologist Tau-Mu Yi suggests. "These trials make me nervous. Google should have reached some type of licensing agreement with Sun back in the day".

Computer tech Brian Booher: "VICTORY!!! Now sit down and shut up Oracle!" "Congrats on the win today in court", writes student Jose Rodriguez.

"I'm actually kind of shocked by this one", Brian McClure expresses. "Not because I think Google infringed but rather that the jury had enough understanding and common sense to see through Oracle's lame arguments".

Red Hat evangelist Jan Wildeboer: "Getting myself a bottle of Augustiner Helles. And relax, knowing another babystep towards a better world just occured in the Oracle v Google case".

Photo Credit: William Perugini/Shutterstock
Jury says Android does not violate Oracle's patents, APIs up next in landmark case

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 10:21pm CEST par Tim Conneally

The fight between Oracle and Google over Android's use of Java took a turn in Google's favor, filings from the District Court for the Norther District of California showed on Wednesday. The jury in the patent phase of the case unanimously voted that Oracle did not prove Android had infringed on Oracle's Java patents.

This decision settles only part of the lawsuit, which Groklaw remarked has been the "longest civil trial" they have ever covered. However, it is a big part. Oracle was calling for an injunction on Android plus damages in its suit, and now that the jury has found no patent infringement, the threat of injunction is nullified.

Android, it appears, is safe.

However, there is still the contentious question of whether software APIs can be copyrighted. Two weeks ago, the jury did not conclusively decide whether Android constituted "fair use" of Oracle's 37 Java APIs, and Google and Oracle filed a stack of documents on Wednesday that cover interfaces, exceptions, and interoperability for review.

In these documents, Google includes its arguments for fair use of these APIs, which cite both Apple v. Microsoft from 1994 and a lawsuit Sega weighed against software company Accolade back in the days of the Sega Genesis.

"The Ninth Circuit did not hold that the fair use doctrine allowed Accolade to copy aspects of Sega’s programs that were required for compatibility. Instead, the Ninth Circuit held that functional requirements for compatibility are not protected by the Copyright Act in the first instance. That is, Accolade did not need to rely on the fair use doctrine to establish that it was entitled to copy functional requirements for compatibility. Instead, it relied on the fair use doctrine to establish that it was allowed Accolade to copy and disassemble all of Sega’s code to the extent necessary to determine what was functionally required for compatibility. Because aspects of a computer program that are functionally required for compatibility are not copyrightable, it does not matter what the defendant does with them. Even if the defendant’s product is not compatible with the plaintiff’s product, the plaintiff still cannot assert infringement based only on the copying of unprotected elements."
Free USB Guard leaves no drives behind

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 7:20pm CEST par Mike Williams

It’s easily done. You’ve finished working on a friend’s PC, close it down and walk away, completely forgetting about the USB key you plugged in a little earlier. Or maybe you’re at home, closing down your own PC, even though there’s a CD or DVD in the drive that you’ll need later. And then, once you realize, you’re perhaps forced to restart the system before you can eject it.

They’re both common problems, but easy to address with a little help from Free USB Guard. Just launch the program, and if you log off or shut down later then it checks for leftover discs or forgotten external drives, stops the shutdown process if any are found, and displays a suitable warning message to let you know.

Of course this kind of alert might not always be welcome. If you’re working at home on your own PC, for instance, the chances are you won’t care at all if there are external drives connected when you shut down, and the extra dialog will just be a nuisance. But the good news here is that you’re able to customize Free USB Guard to monitor whatever you like, perhaps telling it to check a particular drive, or just look for CDs or DVDs in your optical drive, whatever makes sense for your situation.

We do have one small problem with the program, in that its RAM use seems a little excessive at over 25MB: it’s really not doing anything that complicated (although perhaps the flashy hi-res icons in its warning dialog are contributing to the problem).

That’s not a big deal, though, particularly if you’re only using Free USB Guard occasionally, and on balance the program provides an easy way to avoid some very common PC annoyances.

Photo Credit: chien321/Shutterstock
Who will buy Samsung Galaxy S III?

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 7:10pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Samsung starts selling its third-generation S Series smartphone next week -- May 29, although some locales are expected to get it a day earlier (if not sooner). Our BetaNews poll, "Will you buy Samsung Galaxy S III", has enough responses -- 2,361, as I write -- to report results. Cut to the point: 36.59 percent of you won't buy the S3. At least among our tech community, there is huge interest in the smartphone, which is now available for preorders here, including Amazon.

Some of you have preordered, or will do so: 15.37 percent. Another 32.57 percent plan to order within 3 months and 9.45 percent within 6 months. Those willing to wait are likely to pay less, as national cellular carriers offer Galaxy S 3, albeit locked. The pricier, unlocked models are carrier and contract free. The poll results corroborate last week's report of 9 million preorders. In the United Kingdom, Carphone Warehouse reports strong preorder demand for the S3.

On these shores, preorder prices vary. Last week I reported $649.99 from Expansys-USA. Price today is $694.99. Either I'm dyslexic or the price jumped 50 bucks. Over at Amazon, via reseller Blutekusa, the phone is $799.99, which is more in line with the S2's debut.

A reader going by Lawrence of Arabia comments: "Yes, but I'll wait for the price to drop, just like the Galaxy Nexus". Judging by the S2, those buyers willing to extend cellular carrier contracts can expect to pay around $200. Americans ordering now should note: You won't get LTE on the unlocked phone, which doesn't support T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. You can talk but not get fast data. Those who wait, can expect fast data from whatever carrier offers the S3.

"My plan is to get the S3 upon the condition that the current specs make it into the carrier phone (or at least very similar specs)", writes Neoprimal, who should be satisfied if S2 is example. "If they don't then I'll wait and see what the next Google phone has to offer. I do prefer Google phones because of getting the updates are guaranteed, but things are changing and carrier phones seem to be getting updates on a more consistent basis at the very least".

TomasF won't buy the S3, "because it seems that Samsung and other android makers -- not to mention Google -- have no interest in implementing compliance with some of the Exchange security policies, notably the ones we use at work. Since HTC seem to be more than average interested in this and implement additional support through Sense, I went for the One X".

Reader jfplopes is considering for "right now the S3 -- and even considering the upcoming iPhone 5, I would probably still go S3 or similar Android device. And it's not because I think Android is the best thing in the world. I have both Android and iOS devices".

Will you buy Samsung Galaxy S III?

Jim Hi is simply satisfied with another Samsung Android: "I bought the Galaxy Nexus when it was released. It's still a very impressive phone, and I plan on keeping it for a bit longer. Many of the S3 specs are similar to the Nexus. I can't afford to buy an S3 just because it's new. Maybe I'll catch the S4! :)" Commenter tigerheartbambi's situation is similar: "I'm loving this samsung galaxy S III but too bad I already bought Samsung Galaxy Note a month ago".

"I would love this cool phone or whatever you call it.:-)", Anne Carpenter comments. "The big screen really appeals to me -- this sounds very cool!"
Seagate begins its next big takeover: LaCie

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 6:20pm CEST par Tim Conneally

American storage company Seagate announced on Wednesday its intention to become majority owner of French storage company LaCie by buying 64.5% of the company's shares from chairman and CEO Phillippe Spruch. Pending government approval of this transaction, Seagate will then buy up the rest of the outstanding stock in cash or commence a squeeze out maneuver of any minority stakeholders.

After he sells his stake, Spruch will become the head of Seagate's consumer storage products organization, above Patrick Connolly, who is currently Seagate's vice president and general manager of retail. Deputy general manager of LaCie Pierre van der Elst will also join the Seagate team. The financial terms of the new position for LaCie's CEO have not yet been determined.

Seagate says the acquisition will help accelerate its growth strategy in "the expanding consumer storage market, particularly in Europe and Japan, and add strong engineering and software development capabilities, as well as relationships with several key retailers."

This acquisition, however, comes amid a declining PC market in France. PC shipments in 2011 were down 12 percent from the previous year in France, and they saw a further 3.9 percent drop in the first quarter of 2012. The majority of this drop (-7.1 percent) took place in the consumer PC space where netbook demand tapered off, and consumers held out for new Ivy Bridge PCs and Windows 8. The only segment of the consumer PC market that is growing, according to Gartner, is Apple.

Historically, LaCie has been a major supporter of Apple's Mac platform, and it is currently one of the major supporters of the Thunderbolt interface. Seagate currently only offers Thunderbolt adaptors for its drives, and doesn't yet sell any drives designed specifically for the next-gen communications protocol. Acquiring LaCie will give Seagate several lines of Thunderbolt drives.
Do you use Gmail and want to know more about your contacts? Try Rapportive

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 6:10pm CEST par Mark Wilson

We all now communicate with people through so many channels that it is often difficult to put names to faces. You may know someone on Twitter and Facebook but when you receive an email from them you do not necessary make a connection between the two. This is where Rapportive can help, by providing you with extended information about the contacts you receive emails from in your Gmail inbox.

Rapportive is available as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari and appears as a right-hand side panel whenever you look at individual emails. The extension pulls in information from social networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and more to provide you with a more detailed profile of your contacts, and by connecting the service with your social networking accounts you can build up even more detailed information.

There are a few other extensions that do much the same job as a Rapportive, but none do it quite as neatly and quickly. A wealth of information is made available to you, but the side panel is not in the least bit obtrusive. It’s great to be able to see at a glance what someone looks like, where they are based and get a reminder about what other services you may have used to interact with them.

The very bottom of the side panel gives you the opportunity to save notes about your contacts and this is purely for your benefit -- you do not need to worry that any disparaging thoughts you type are going to be seen by your colleagues. One thing that is definitely worth mentioning is the fact that the Rapportive panel is not only packed with helpful information, it also replaces the advertisements that normally appear to the right of your inbox.

You can find out more by paying a visit to the Rapportive review page.

Photo Credit: Archipoch/Shutterstock
Secure your data with US military-developed Encryption Wizard

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 5:46pm CEST par Mike Williams

When you need to carry sensitive data on a USB key then it’s easy to find an encryption tool which will help to keep it safe. But life gets a little more complicated when you need to transfer your files from a PC to a Mac, or maybe a Linux system: now you’ll need a cross-platform solution, and we have the perfect candidate in mind.

Encryption Wizard is an easy-to-use, yet surprisingly powerful Java-based encryption tool. Developed by the US military (a plus point or a problem, depending on your point of view) but available for all, the program provides a straightforward way to protect confidential files on USB keys (or anywhere else, really).

There’s no messing around with installation, for instance. Encryption Wizard runs from a single 1.23MB JAR file that you can use anywhere there’s a JRE 1.5 or later installed.

The program is straightforward in operation, too. Drag and drop in the files or folders you’d like to protect, enter your passphrase and you can encrypt everything (using 128-bit AES) at a click. There’s even a secure delete option to wipe the original files (though if you choose this, be very sure you don’t forget the passphrase or your documents will be lost forever).

But there’s plenty of bonus functionality, if you need it. Encryption Wizard can generate passphrases for you, for instance. If you prefer alternatives then it’s able to encrypt files using a PKI or X509 certificate, or a suitable smart card (CAC/ PIV). There’s also support for compressing files; you can add metadata to the document which won’t be encrypted (handy if you’ve a bunch of encrypted files and want to quickly find the right one); and the program’s operation can be customised in a variety of ways.

We still prefer something like TrueCrypt for, say, providing useful ways to protect the data on a single PC: it’s much more versatile. But if you’re regularly carrying confidential files from one platform to another then Encryption Wizard is a quick and easy way to keep them safe, and it’s definitely worth a few minutes of your time, just to see what the program can do for you.

Pavel Ignatov/Shutterstock
Oracle gains stake in social CRM with $300 million Vitrue buy

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 5:38pm CEST par Ed Oswald

A day after competitor SAP acquired Ariba to bolster its cloud portfolio, Oracle announced a significant buy of its own, acquiring cloud-based social, marketing company Vitrue on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although TechCrunch reports it was worth some $300 million.

Oracle's purchase of Vitrue gives the Redwood Shores, Calif. company a foothold in the social CRM segment, an initiative Gartner says companies will spend some $2.1 billion on this year alone. With the rise of social networks, companies need methods to quantify the results of their social marketing. Virtue's platform allows customers to "centrally create, publish, moderate, manage, measure and report on their social marketing campaigns and activities", Oracle says.

"The proliferation of social media and an increased demand by consumers to engage with brands across multiple social channels is driving chief marketing officers to look for an integrated social marketing platform", Oracle development vice president Thomas Kurian says.

Oracle expects the combination of the two companies to allow its customers to build better relationships with their customers, as well as improve return on investment from these initiatives. Turning back to that Gartner study, ROI was a major concern.

Gartner found that only half of all Fortune 1000 companies participating in some type of social marketing initiative would see positive ROI this year. Worse off, only a fifth of those companies actually have methods to measure their returns.

Such a statistic seems to suggest that Oracle may find itself entering a largely untapped market with a lot of upside potential. Vitrue's offerings will be added into the Oracle Cloud after the completion of the deal, although its products are expected to continue to be available individually according to a FAQ posted by Oracle on the implications of the deal.

In any case, some are arguing that Oracle got a great deal on Virtue, as the company was purchased for only three times its revenues. "I thought the words 'social media' and 'huge valuations' went together like 'Facebook' and 'privacy issues?'", MarketingPilgrim's Andy Beal wrote in response to the deal.

"Vitrue is reported to be 'nearly profitable' which may be the reason for such a low valuation. The $100M in revenue looks like a great number, but $100M without profit simply has me scratching my head", he mused.

Photo Credit: Alexander Kirch/Shutterstock
System Security Guard warns but doesn't protect

Publié: mai 23, 2012, 5:00pm CEST par Mike Williams

When you’re manually hunting for malware on a PC then you might start by launching Task Manager, Process Explorer, Process Hacker or a similar tool to see exactly what’s running. But these programs generally won’t directly tell you which processes are safe, and which might be dubious: you’ll have to look at what they’re doing and try to figure this out for yourself.

If this seems a little too much like hard work, though (or you’d just like some pointers to tell you where to look first), then you might be interested in System Security Guard, a very simple tool which can check your running processes for known threats.

The program couldn’t be much more straightforward. Just launch System Security Guard, and it’ll examine your running processes and loaded modules, comparing the files with its cloud-based security database (the same technology that provides the process security ratings in System Explorer). A summary warns you of any threats or suspicious files, and you can view the scan report with a click.

As malware detection systems go, this isn’t exactly sophisticated. There’s no behaviour monitoring, no protection for your system settings, no way for System Security Guard to reveal brand new and previously undiscovered threats. All it can do is compare running processes on your system against those in its database, and flag any problems.

And even if the program does detect something, it can only warn you. There are no virus removal options here.

It’s not all bad news, though. System Security Guard’s simplicity means it’s extremely compatible with other antivirus tools: you shouldn’t see any conflicts at all.

The program can also help with your process research. We saw our trial PC had been running nvscpapisvr.exe, for instance, clicked the Details link in the scan report for more information, and saw that it was NVIDIA’s Stereo Vision Control Panel API Server.

And it’s also portable, lightweight (only 3MB disk space required), and can deliver good results, sometimes at least – we tried it on a system with 3 dangerous executables and it found them all.

We wouldn’t waste resources by running System Security Guard all the time, then – it’s not powerful enough to bother with that.

But, if you suspect a PC is infected by something nasty then the program provides a quick and easy way to look for basic problems. And even if it doesn’t identify any malware, System Security Guard will highlight “unknown” files, those so new that they’re not in its database, perhaps a good indication of where your malware research should begin.

Photo Credit: Phase4Photography/Shutterstock