108375 éléments (108375 non lus) dans 10 canaux
Actualités
(48730 non lus)
01net. Actualités
(48730 non lus)
Hoax
(65 non lus)
Top dix quotidien Sophos des canulars
(65 non lus)
Logiciels
(39066 non lus)
Presence PC - Actualité Logiciels, jeux vidéos
(3551 non lus)
LeMondeInformatique.fr : Actualités Applications
(1133 non lus)
Sécurité
(1668 non lus)
Referencement
(18846 non lus)
Referencement Google WebRankInfo
(2255 non lus)
I'm watching a video interview Bloomberg's Emily Chang conducted with Apple-Samsung trial foreman Vel Hogan three days ago. At 9:17, he makes a provocative statement: "The Android operating system, clear and of itself, was not something that infringed".
Do you believe him? I ask, because pundits fell over themselves this week claiming that the jury verdict means big trouble for Android and Google.
In case you haven't already noticed, it's the quadrennial presidential election season in the United States; the time when the two dominant political parties state their goals and methods of attaining them, and work to put their chosen party leader into the office of President of the United States.
At the Republican National Convention this week, the Republican party both nominated Mitt Romney as its candidate for president, and outlined its platform, its "statement of who we are and what we believe."
Over the next five days, we will take a look at the platforms of both the Republican and Democratic parties to compare how they plan to handle issues of technology and innovation, and see who has the more outwardly tech-friendly platform.
On Cybersecurity/Cyberwarfare
Security companies such as Kaspersky Lab have repeatedly warned that a full-scale Cyber arms race is going on, and the Republican Party believes the United States needs an "active deterrence protocol" which includes increased offensive capabilities.
"The current deterrence framework is overly reliant on the development of defensive capabilities, and has been unsuccessful in dissuading cyber-related aggression. The U.S. cannot afford to risk the cyber equivalent of Pearl Harbor."
"We encourage an immediate update of the law that was drafted a decade ago to improve the security of government information systems."
"The government collects valuable information about potential threats that can and should be shared with private entities without compromising national security. We believe that companies should be free from legal and regulatory barriers that prevent or deter them from voluntarily sharing cyberthreat information with their government partners."
"We will pursue an effective cybersecurity strategy, supported by the necessary resources, that recognizes the importance of offensive capabilities."
On Intellectual Property Theft and Piracy:
Though piracy is not mentioned explicitly in the party's platform, intellectual property theft is mentioned a number of times, and China is singled out as the principal offender.
"Whether it is a nation-state actively probing our national security networks, a terror organization seeking to obtain destructive cyber capabilities, or a criminal network’s theft of intellectual property, more must be done to deter, defeat, and respond to
cyberthreats."
"Some governments have used a variety of unfair means to limit American access to their markets while stealing our designs, patents, brands, know-how, and technology—the 'intellectual property' that drives innovation. The chief offender is China, which has built up its economy in part by piggybacking onto Western technological advances, manipulates its currency to the disadvantage of American exporters, excludes American products from government purchases, subsidizes Chinese companies to give them a commercial advantage, and invents regulations and standards designed to keep out foreign competition."
"Counterfeit goods will be aggressively kept out of the country. Victimized private firms will be encouraged to raise claims in both U.S. courts and at the World Trade Organization. Punitive measures will be imposed on foreign firms that misappropriate American technology and intellectual property. Until China abides by the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement, the United States government will end procurement of Chinese goods and services."
"Our serious trade disputes, especially China’s failure to enforce international standards for the protection of intellectual property and copyrights, as well as its manipulation of its currency, call for a firm response from a new Republican Administration."
On Communications Technology
A major achievement of the Obama administration was the implementation of the National Broadband Plan in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission. The Republican party believes communications laws are too old to be applied to current technology.
"Today’s technology and telecommunications industries are overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, established in 1934 and given the jurisdiction over telecommunications formerly assigned to the Interstate Commerce Commission, which had been created in 1887 to regulate the railroads. This is not a good fit. Indeed, the development of telecommunications advances so rapidly that even the Telecom Act of 1996 is woefully out of date. An industry that invested $66 billion in 2011 alone needs, and deserves, a more modern relationship with the federal government for the benefit of consumers here and worldwide."
"We encourage public-private partnerships to provide predictable support for connecting rural areas so that every American can fully participate in the global economy."
On Net Neutrality
Clearly, the Republican party is against excessive government intervention in matters of the Internet, and believes the industry should be left to itself, with the exception of legacy technology, which it believes should not be given preferential treatment.
"The FCC’s net neutrality rule is trying to micromanage telecom as if it were a railroad network."
"The Internet offers a communications system uniquely free from government intervention. We will remove regulatory barriers that protect outdated technologies and business plans from innovation and competition, while preventing legacy regulation from interfering with new and disruptive technologies such as mobile delivery of voice video data as they become crucial components of the Internet ecosystem."
"We will resist any effort to shift control away from the successful multi-stakeholder approach of Internet governance and toward governance by international or other intergovernmental organizations."
"We will ensure that personal data receives full constitutional protection from government overreach and that individuals retain the right to control the use of their data by third parties; the only way to safeguard or improve these systems is through the private sector."
Nuclear Power versus Renewable Energy:
The consumer electronics industry as a whole is one in favor of nuclear power. Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Electronics Association, has been a big proponent of Nuclear Energy. The Republican Party platform for 2012 includes putting nuclear power ahead of renewable energy projects, dismissing them as a gamble.
"Nuclear energy, now generating about 20 percent of our electricity through 104 power plants, must be expanded. No new nuclear generating plants have been licensed and constructed for thirty years.
"We call for timely processing of new reactor applications currently pending at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The federal government’s failure to address the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel has left huge bills for States and taxpayers. Our country needs a more proactive approach to managing spent nuclear fuel, including through developing advanced reprocessing technologies. We encourage the cost effective development of renewable energy, but the taxpayers should not serve as venture capitalists for risky endeavors."
On Small Businesses and Startups
Finally, the Republican Party platform takes a rather generic approach to small business and startup development, with no specific innovations for harboring the creation of new businesses. Instead, advocacy and encouragement are stressed.
"We will reform the tax code to allow businesses to generate enough capital to grow and create jobs for our families, friends and neighbors all across America. We will encourage investments in small businesses. We will create an environment where adequate financing and credit are available to spur manufacturing and expansion. We will serve as aggressive advocates for small businesses."
The Democratic Party is expected to release its platform next week, and we will compare its topical content next, and then poll experts to see which party is most friendly to the United States tech sector. Stay tuned!
Image: Carsten Reisinger/Shutterstock
If you’d like to find a good proxy server to keep you anonymous online then there are plenty of online sources which claim they can help. These lists aren’t always reliable, though -- some recommended servers may not work any more, others aren’t as anonymous as you might think -- and you can spend quite some time manually checking their various suggestions before you find anything that suits your needs.
If all that sounds too much like hard work, then, you might prefer to use the free A+ Proxy Finder, which automates the process of locating and evaluating HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS proxies.
Launch the program, click Start, and it’ll automatically download lists of proxies from multiple sources, displaying them all in a table. On our test run this uncovered more than 2,000 servers right away.
Next, A+ Proxy Finder begins to check each one. Servers which appear to be down are greyed out, so you don’t waste any time on them, and the program will determine the server type, host name, and country of origin for everything else.
And perhaps best of all, A+ Proxy Finder even runs multiple tests to rate each proxy for anonymity, sorting the list accordingly so it’s easy to see your best options.
This can of course take a while, particularly when there are thousands of servers to be checked, so you’ll need to be patient on the program’s first run.
In future, though, you might try increasing its maximum number of “verification connections”. A+ Proxy Finder can check up to 500 servers simultaneously, if your system and internet connection are up to it, and that will make a real difference to performance.
And there are many other configuration options which can help. Once you’ve built up a core list of servers which you know are active most of the time, for instance, you can have the program verify only those, ignoring its web sources entirely.
Put it all together and A+ Proxy Finder is a comprehensive and capable tool, then, and an excellent way to more quickly locate working and effective proxies.
Photo Credit: nmedia/Shutterstock
A soap opera. That's how I would describe this week's revelation that Samsung is cozying up to Microsoft and the forthcoming Windows Phone 8. Still stinging from its recent court loss to Apple, the South Korean juggernaut appears to be hedging its Android bets by embracing one of the two remaining underdogs in the mobile OS race (the other being Research in Motion).
No matter how you slice it, Samsung's executives are running scared. And who can blame them? Apple will do whatever it takes to crush the little green man from Mountain View (it's a Jobsian legacy thing). And the fact that its chief hardware rival is getting squeezed in the process is simply gravy.
The whole thing reminds me of those classic rom-com storylines of love vs. fate. Like some desperate, dateless teenager on prom night, Samsung has now turned to the heavy-set girl in the corner of the hall (Microsoft) in the hopes of scoring a quick consolation prize. But in the immortal words of Tom Petty, even the losers get lucky sometimes.
You see, the Redmond, Wash. behemoth's dance card is already full of Fins with broad patent portfolios. And while Nokia may have seen better days, the company has made it clear that Microsoft is now its true one-and-only (I hear Nokia CEO Stehen Elop and Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer have even exchanged keys to their respective G5s). No matter how hard Samsung tries to cut-in, at the end of the night, we all know who Microsoft will go home with.
Which leads us to RIM. Awkward and a bit shy, the company seems like an easy mark. But every time the suave South Korean tries to make a move, someone changes the music and the feisty canuck starts dancing with itself again (think RIM CEO Thorsten Heins dressed like Billy Idol circa 1980 -- not a pretty sight). Maybe if RIM would put its BB10 "rebel yell" on hold for a minute the two could hook-up. But for now, the company seems content to keep pushing its retro solo act in the hopes that the public will take notice.
In the end, as the credits roll and the various couples exit the gymnasium on their way towards romantic bliss, we find poor Samsung, sitting alone in the back of a darkened car, playing with its little Bada. Sure, the company could settle for a supporting role as a plucky sidekick or goofy-yet-endearing third wheel (insert Asian typecasting joke here). However, the one-time leading man has tasted true love and now yearns for something more.
Perhaps there is still hope for Samsung. Some twist of legal fate could restore the company's status and free it to once again pursue its dreams in the post-PC spotlight. But for now, with its love affair with the little green man coming to a close, the former star of the mobile stage must be content with its new role as a bit player in a much larger production.
And as the screen fades to black, cue the classic J. Geils vinyl: "Love Stinks!"
Photo Credit: Cheryl Casey/Shutterstock
There is no denying that Ubuntu is one of the most popular and easy-to-use Linux distributions available and at the same time a viable alternative to the conventional operating system of choice, Windows. Before you decide to install, you should test it on a virtual machine first, which is where Oracle VirtualBox comes into play.
With Oracle VirtualBox you get all the benefits of installing Ubuntu on a virtual machine but without paying for virtualization software like VMware. It's powerful and easy to set up -- perfectly suited for the job at hand.
Prerequisites:
In order to start the process, Oracle VirtualBox must be installed and the Ubuntu ISO file must be downloaded as well.
Let's install Ubuntu in Oracle VirtualBox by following the next steps:
Depending on your configuration you might receive a prompt while the virtual machine starts. Just click "OK" and/or disable the prompt permanently.
You can now test and experience a fully working Ubuntu inside Oracle VirtualBox.
Windows 8 is just over a month from hitting the market and my sense is that this initial release, at least, will be at best controversial and at worst a failure. Microsoft is simply trying to change too many things at once.
What we have here is the Microsoft Bob effect, where change runs amuck simply because it can, compounded in this case by a sense of panic in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft so desperately needs Windows 8 to be a huge success that they’ve fiddled it into a likely failure.
What About Bob?
Microsoft Bob, if you don’t remember its fleeting passage in 1995, was a so-called social interface for Windows intended to be used by novices. The idea was that Bob should be so intuitive as to require no instruction at all. And it succeeded in that, I suppose, though was appallingly slow. I was at the Bob introduction and remember Bill Gates requiring 17 mouse clicks (I counted) just to open a file during his demo. I knew then that Bob was doomed and said so in print.
Just like every other writer who mentions Bob, I’ll take the low road here and recall that the Microsoft product manager for Bob was Melinda French. Who was going to tell the future Mrs. Gates that 17 clicks were too many?
But back then Microsoft, not Apple, was the $600 billion gorilla and could afford such indulgences. The company's market dominance has allowed it to survive any number of bad OS releases. Remember Windows ME? Remember Windows Vista? But those days are past, desktops are in decline and Microsoft doesn’t control the emerging mobile platforms. So the company tries very hard to use this new Windows release to help gain the upper hand in mobile.
It won’t work.
It won’t work because you can’t takeover mobile by hobbling the desktop. By adopting a common code base for both desktops and mobile all Microsoft is doing is compromising both. This is not good but I’m fairly confident it will also be shortly reversed.
Bobbing for Trouble
Using Windows 8 preview the first time, three words came out of my mouth were “How do I?” and then frustration. Have you tried it? It is not intuitive. Power users will persist and figure it out, but Mom and most everyone else will not be happy.
Microsoft took away the Start button and forces you to boot on the Modern side (Metro). There is not much in Metro for traditional PC users.
Removing the start button will confuse everyone and is a step backwards.
And developers, a vital Microsoft constituency, don’t like it either.
This too shall pass: I predict that Windows 8 Service Pack 1 will add the Start button back and allow you to boot directly into your desktop again.
Microsoft is a resilient company and will survive this misstep just as it has so many others. But what’s important here is not the bonehead design moves, but that they’ll be little to no help in the tablet and phone markets where Microsoft so desperately needs to succeed.
Just to be clear, here’s Microsoft’s internal business strategy as I understand it: In order to regain mobile momentum the company deliberately hobbles the desktop side. That way Microsoft can reasonably claim desktop sales as mobile sales and vice versa. What better way to pick up 100+ million “mobile licenses” in the next 12 months?
Only it’s BS. And even if it weren’t BS, even 100 million licenses aren’t enough to be the first or second player in a product space that will shortly have a billion units.
By overreaching with Windows 8 Microsoft not only won’t succeed, it is for the first time in 30+ years in a position to truly fail as a company.
This is Microsoft's best shot and so far appears to be blowing it.
If you’re not happy with your PC’s current fonts then a few seconds at Google will find you thousands more, easy to install and, often, entirely free of charge.
If your needs are very specific, though, the free Type light could help you to alter an existing font, or even create something entirely new to your own specifications.
The program can open, save and convert both TrueType and OpenType fonts, for instance. It’s able to map all Unicode characters, allows you to enter all the core font and glyph metrics, and provides basic drawing tools to help create the font you need.
Type light doesn’t make any concessions to beginners, unfortunately, so if you’re a font creation novice then initially the program will feel rather confusing. Click Font > Metrics, say, and you’ll be confronted with values such as WinAscent, WinDescent and ‘x’ Height, and there are no clues within the interface to help you figure things out.
The program does include a genuinely helpful user manual, though (click Help > User Manual), and whatever your level of font-related knowledge it’s worth browsing this before you begin. You’ll find plenty of useful hints to help you get more from the package.
And once you properly understand the basics it’s relatively easy to start drawing lines and curves, creating shapes, adjusting points and contours and generally bringing your ideas to life.
So if you really need to create your own custom fonts, don’t be put off by Type light‘s apparently steep learning curve. Invest just a little time in properly figuring out how everything works and you’ll soon be using the program productively.
Photo Credit: Denys Shentiapin/Shutterstock
Two months ago my colleague Patrick Roanhouse wrote "ADOBE FLASH IS DEAD -- on mobile!" and that looked like the end of Flash Player on Android, but as it turns out it is not. According to the BBC, Adobe has brought back Flash Player on the Google Play UK. What made them change their mind?
Flash Player for Android's UK revival can be attributed to pressure placed by strategic local partners. BBC requested the San Jose, Calif.-based corporation to postpone axing Flash Player, since the underpinning of the organization's iPlayer is Flash. The interesting bit is that BBC has refused to comment on its request to bring back Flash to Google Play, but acknowledges working with Adobe on an alternative video player -- sure sounds like great timing to revive it until a new product replaces iPlayer.
Flash Player might not be dead now, but don't expect it to live for long. The software is no longer updated and once the "strategic partners" get up to speed with newer technology, it will vanish forever. That is, if there are no unforeseeable requests in the future.
Dropbox has announced a major update to its pre-release Experimental Edition backup and sync software. Dropbox Experimental Edition 1.5.27 has been rebuilt using Python 2.7 (the current stable build, Dropbox 1.4.17, is based on Python 2.5).
Dropbox describes the result as “a Dropbox client that is faster to run, and easier for us to develop new features”. By way of example, version 1.5.27 includes a number of major new features, largely aimed at OS X users.
The major benefit of building Dropbox Experimental Edition in Python 2.7 for all users is performance. It also promises improved web logins from the client.
All other new features are Mac-only: version 1.5.27 comes with new icons that promise Retina support. It’s also bundled with a new, simpler installer -- just double-click to install. There’s support for Mountain Lion’s new Notification Center, and a fix for the delay when bringing up the context menu.
As this is the first release of a major new build, Dropbox is keen to stress that issues will arise, and recommends all users intending to install Dropbox Experimental Edition should back up the contents of their Dropbox folders before installing it.
One major issue already noted at this early stage is slow startup times on OS X, which also has an effect on installation times, so users are asked to double-click just the once and wait. Other issues are also starting to be reported by end users -- visit the Dropbox forum to get rolling updates on these.
Dropbox Experimental Edition 1.5.27 is available as a free download for Windows, Mac and Linux users with a Dropbox account. Also available is the latest stable build, Dropbox 1.4.17.
Photo Credit: Sergej Khakimullin/Shutterstock
It’s late at night, and you’d like to watch a movie on your PC, but there’s a problem: Set your system volume at a level where you can comfortably hear the dialog and quieter moments, and action scenes are often way too loud, annoying if you’re hoping not to disturb the neighbours.
You could try to adjust your volume down to some compromise level, of course, or perhaps keep altering it throughout the movie. But it might be easier just to install Sound Lock, which allows you to resolve this issue in a single step. The idea is that you first set your system volume to a level where you can hear even the quietest parts of your movie (or music, or game, or whatever else you’re playing).
Click Sound Lock’s system tray icon and you’re then able to set your system’s maximum loudness, just by dragging a slider and clicking “On”. From that point the program will begin to monitor your audio levels. And while quiet scenes will play as normal, if there’s a sudden loud soundtrack moment then Sound Lock will automatically limit it to the volume you’ve set.
What you’re doing here is effectively clipping the usual range of your speakers, and this won’t always be a good thing. Some movies use sudden loud noises to make you jump, for instance, and if your audio is all at a very similar level then they’ll probably lose a little of their atmosphere.
If you just need to occasionally exert a little more control over your system’s volumes, though,Sound Lock is a simple way to get the job done. Especially as the program is also free, has no adware or other hassles, and typically requires less than 4MB of RAM when running in the background: sounds great to us.
Photo Credit: Eastimages/Shutterstock
CEO Tim Cook describes China as Apple's second-most important region. For good reason. IDC predicts that smartphone shipments to the People's Republic of China will pass the United States this year. There's the question, which benefits more: Android or iPhone/iOS?
"The PRC smartphone market will continue to be lifted by the sub-US$200 Android segment", Wong Teck-Zhung, IDC senior market analyst, says. "Near-term prices in the low-end segment will come down to US$100 and below as competition for market share intensifies among smartphone vendors. Carrier-subsidized and customized handsets from domestic vendors will further support the migration to smartphones and boost shipments. Looking ahead to the later years in the forecast, the move to 4G networks will be another growth catalyst".
Android manufacturers already benefit. Buoyed by China, and also the United States, ZTE shipments grew 300 percent during second quarter and Samsung's 172.8 percent, according to IDC.
For the year, IDC forecasts dramatic changes. In 2011, US share was 21.3 percent compared to 18.3 percent for China. This year, China is expected to reach 26.5 percent, while the United States falls to 17.8 percent.
"That China will overtake the United States in smartphone shipments does not mean that the US smartphone market is grinding to a halt", Ramon Llamas, IDC senior research analyst, says. "Now that smartphones represent the majority of mobile phone shipments, growth is expected to continue, but at a slower pace. There is still a market for first-time users as well as thriving upgrade opportunities".
As the United States cools and China heats up, Apple faces increasing competition from lower-cost Androids reaching people with lower incomes. "Regionally, we expect smartphone demand to flow down to lower-tier cities", James Yan, IDC senior market analyst, says. "After going through a period of sustained high growth, top-tier cities are likely to see decelerating smartphone growth rates. In contrast, secondary cities are expected to experience accelerated smartphone growth, with strong demand for low-cost models as well as high-end models, which are desired as status symbols".
Android manufacturers increasingly offer larger selection of smartphones with broader features, such as dual-SIM capabilities, not available from Apple. As smartphone demand rises, regional white box manufacturers and larger brands like ZTE, or even Samsung, are best positioned to benefit.
I've seen some desperate bone-headed, PR moves before, but Amazon's newest is one to long remember. When Apple announces a press event, the InterWebs erupt with speculation about what it can be. When product inventory is low in stores on some fruit-logo product, rumors explode about something new in the pipeline. Amazon has to work harder, issuing today a press release that Kindle Fire has sold out, ahead of next week's press event. Could the retailer be any less subtle, while revealing sales data that is absolutely nothing but meant to be something.
BetaNews founder Nate Mook nails exactly what's wrong with Amazon's gambit to drum up excitement ahead of the September 6 event. Earlier today he forwarded the Kindle-Fire sell-out email, writing: "It's SOOOO successful. So we're not making any more". That sums it up.
From the press release: "Today, Amazon announced that Kindle Fire is sold out, and that in just nine months, Kindle Fire has captured 22 percent of tablet sales in the US". Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos drops the big hint -- just so you won't miss what's coming next week: "Kindle Fire is sold out, but we have an exciting roadmap ahead -- we will continue to offer our customers the best hardware, the best prices, the best customer service, the best cross-platform interoperability, and the best content ecosystem".
Cough, cough, I must wipe a tear for Amazon's tablet, taken away from us after just 48 weeks of sales. Kindle Fire extinguished before its time.
Is the Fire out? Is that what Amazon really means, ahead of the new tablet we surely know must come next week. Kindle Fire flamed out in the Wilcox home. I gave my wife the tablet for Christmas 2011, and she loved it. Nothing could be better. That is until she spent seconds with the Nexus 7 I brought back from Google I/O in June. I ordered hers the next day. She loves Nexus 7 more. I was supposed to Craigslist her Kindle Fire weeks ago. Now that Amazon is sold out, perhaps this weekend will prove worth waiting to post.
Amazon announced Kindle Fire in September 2011 (well, there's another "hint, hint" about what's coming on the 6th) and started selling (beyond preorders) in early November. Amazon claims that Kindle Fire is the top-selling item on the retail site, but doesn't say how many. Then there's the 22 percent tablet sales figure, for which there is no cited source. I wouldn't let one of our writers throw out that kind of data without sourcing it. Says whom?
The sales figures are typical Amazon. Top-selling this or percentage-more that without any hard data by which to measure it. If Bezos goes to the doctor complaining about bladder problems and says he peed five times more today than yesterday or more today than any day this year, the practitioner will want to know how many times previously to make a diagnosis. There needs to be a frame of reference, and Amazon provides nothing.
I like Amazon and frequently shop there. But, geez Louise, today's press release stinks of desperation to drum up something -- even a hint of excitement -- before the big day.
Norwegian browser developer Opera has updated its cross-platform browser. Opera 12.02 features minor security and stability updates, making it an essential update for all users.
The update comes less than 48 hours after Opera also released a new snapshot of its pre-release version of Opera NEXT 12.50 with a major core update, adding new features such as keyboard text selection and options for adding extensions to Opera’s context menus.
Opera 12.02 focuses on stability and security, including a fix for issues with Speed Dial thumbnails that occurs when automatic scaling has been enabled. A security hole whereby truncated dialog boxes could be used to trick users has also been resolved.
One reversion applies to users of the Windows 32-bit build: in-process plugins have been reinstated while issues with the new out-of-process plugin system introduced in version 12.00. This means that plugins will run in the same process as Opera itself while the problems are fixed.
The new build was preceded by a major snapshot update to Opera NEXT 12.50, the alpha build previewing features due to appear in the next major Opera release. This new snapshot, build 1577, features major changes to the core engine powering Opera, as well as a couple of keyboard-related features.
The core benefits from added support for image colour management using ICC Profiles version 4, plus fullscreen API, the SPDY protocol, nested media blocks (a step towards supporting CSS3 Conditional Rules) and the “reversed” attribute in HTML 5. Also added is support for accessing extensions via Opera’s context menu.
The new snapshot also makes it possible to select text from web pages using the keyboard -- toggle this on and off using the [F7] key, then use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move around. The latest build also aims to improve keyboard event handling on the Mac.
Two issues are noted with build 1577: Speed Dial shows up blank after autoupdate, while all plugins will crash in Linux/BSD, highlighting the developmental and unstable nature of Opera NEXT.
Opera 12.02 and Opera NEXT 12.50 Build 1577 are both available as a freeware downloads for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Well, I must agree with the jury in the Apple-Samsung patent trial, after seeing the shocking look-a-likes the South Korean electronics giant announced yesterday during IFA Berlin. Have you seen these Apple rip-offs? Samsung simply is shameless in its copying.
For example, there's a new phone with large screen and stylus, as well as another with big zoom lens. The audacity of Samsung to take features from iPhone or iPad and offer them on its devices. The company just thumbs its nose -- or whatever gesture they use on the Asian peninsula -- at the American jury and US District Judge Lucy Koh.
Galaxy Camera
Let's start with the shooter, which is really an iPhone or iPod touch in disguise. Samsung's Galaxy Camera is all touchscreen on one side and big, whopping zoom lens on the other. What a freakin' Apple rip-off. iPhone and iPod touch are all screen on one side, with icons, too -- and they have cameras! Samsung's device will be available with Wi-Fi (like iPod touch) and also cellular radio (like iPhone). Look at the photo above and compare to your iPhone. I can hardly tell them apart!
Other features: 1.4GHz quad-core processor; 4.8-inch HD Super Clear Touch Display, 308 pixels per inch; 16.3-megapixel camera, with F2.8, 23mm 21x zoom lens; 1080p video recording at 30 frames for second, 720p at 120fps; 8GB storage, expandable with memory slot; 3G/4G radio; GPS; Wi-Fi a,b,g,n; Bluetooth 4; 1,650 mAh battery; and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device is 128.7 mm wide by 70.8 mm high by 19.1 mm deep and weighs 305 grams.
Okay, I admit that iPhone doesn't have a big zoom lens yet, but iPhone 5 isn't released and everyone knows that Apple thought of this feature first anyway. Because that's what Apple does -- innovates first.
Galaxy Note II
There are more rip-offs, and who could ignore Galaxy Note II? Samsung already stole Apple's ingenuity with the first Note and now there's a second flaunting good old American know-how. For starters, both Notes come with a stylus -- ripped off from Apple Newton in the 1990s -- and what Samsung cleverly tries to disguise with new name S Pen. Ha! We aren't fooled. We know who copies whom.
Galaxy Note II is nothing more than a large iPhone (look at the rounded corners) or small iPad. Say, it's really ripping off iPad mini's design. We know Apple will ship the tablet soon, because the Mac rumor sites are always right.
Core features: 1.6GHz quad-core processor; 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1280 x 720 pixels; 2GB RAM; 16GB, 32GB or 64GB storage, expandable with memory slot; 8MP front- and 1.9MP rear-facing cameras; 1080p video recording (and playback); HSPA+/LTE; GPS; Wi-Fi a,b,g,n; Wi-Fi Direct; Near Field Communication; 3,100 mAh battery; TouchWiz UI; and Jelly Bean. The "phablet" measures 151.1 mm wide by 80.5 mm high by 9.4 mm deep and weighs 180 grams.
Sure, Note II is sized in-between iPhone and iPad mini, but that's just a clever ploy to avoid more copying claims. This device is exactly how Apple would design iPhone Newton. Sharing, sync, search and stylus functions are all blatant Apple rip-offs.
ATIV Windows Phone
I suppose Samsung deserves some credit for skirting around some copying. Take the ATIV smartphone, for example. The jury found that Samsung had copied Apple iPhone icons and groundbreaking features like slide-to-lock. So Samsung dumps Android and Touch Wiz UI for Windows 8, which looks nothing like iOS. Clever, but what about those rounded corners?
Core features: 1.5GHz dual-core processor; 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display; 1GB RAM; 16GB or 32GB storage; 8MP front- and 1.9MP rear-facing cameras; HSPA+; GPS; Wi-Fi a,b,g,n; Wi-Fi Direct; 2,300 mAh battery; and Windows Phone 8. The phone measures 137.2 mm wide x 70.5 mm high x 8.7 mm deep and weighs 135 grams.
Samsung's Windows Phone 8 gambit won't fool anyone, not as long as ATIV physically looks like iPhone. Turn off the screen, and who could tell the difference between the Apple and Samsung phones in a darkened room?
Samsung Tablets
The California jury threw Samsung a bone by deciding Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't copy iPad. But we know it does, because Judge Koh issued a preliminary injunction before the trial and refused to lift it after the verdict. Samsung dares to take on iPad with tablets running Windows 8 or Windows RT.
The ATIV RT model packs a 10.1-inch display; 1.5GHz dual-core processor; 2GB RAM; 32GB or 64GB storage, expandable with memory slot; 5MP rear- and 1.9MP front-facing cameras; micro HDMI; NFC, Wi-Fi a,b,g,n; Wi-Fi Direct; 8,200 mAh battery; and Windows RT. The tablet measures 265.8 mm x 168.1 mm x 8.9 mm and weighs 570 grams.
But wait there is another! The Series 7 Slate running Windows 8. Among the base features: Intel Core i5 processor; 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD.
But those money-grubbing South Koreans couldn't bring themselves to copy Apple pricing. Oh, no! The Series 7 slate starts at $1,199, or $700 more than the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad. And Microsoft fanboys say Apple products cost more. Yeah, right. In your dreams, flunky.
Samsung knows it's copying -- eh, really ripping off -- Apple designs and innovations. The launch venue tells all. Samsung announced these products in Germany, not the United States. Over here, the cops would cuff `em and throw away the key. If Samsung's smart enough to copy the most-compelling Apple features, it knows where not to introduce them to market. Not with the jury verdict so fresh -- hey, not even a week ago. Bwah, Samsung is such a copycat.
You do know I'm being sarcastic, right?
Is it possible to still be an early adopter and only start using Linux full-time now?
Linux is the supreme software conquest for me, and one particular distribution has tormented my early adopter "lifestyle" -- Red Hat Linux. It's now long gone, abandoned by parent company Red Hat, though it was given a new lease on life through Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Ten years ago, I stumbled upon a magazine that came with a copy of Red Hat Linux 7, and I was so tempted to try it and see how it felt to run something other than the Windows editions of the day. My experience was less than ideal back then, but I've re-encountered Ubuntu and the spark has reignited...
Something "magical" happened after writing "How to install Ubuntu on VMware Workstation" -- I rediscovered Linux through Ubuntu. It was refreshing to experience just how far Linux evolved from my Red Hat days that I'm tempted to use it as my primary operating system...Have I gone mental?
The Dark Ages
Considering I was about 14 years old when I made my first attempt at Linux adoption with Red Hat, I am willing to take full responsibility for my failure to embrace it. Back then, I had no Internet access (that in itself might have been a pain to set up considering my background) so my only source of guidance was the magazine that I actually bought and not "stumbled upon," and two installation CDs. It was awful.
It's still all fuzzy to me how I even managed to complete the install, but suffice to say I learned a lot more than I bargained for. Installing applications was something out of the ordinary for me, since I didn't ever have to use the terminal before, so I was completely locked out of using my computer because Red Hat was so darn complicated for me at the time.
Revisiting Linux through Ubuntu
It doesn't take much to understand why Ubuntu is so appealing to me: it's easy to install and it can do pretty much everything that Windows can. But it's got something else that Microsoft can't offer me right now: the element of surprise, the "wow factor" that's missing from Windows 8. As much as I like using Windows 8, it's just not giving me that thrill of fiddling with a new operating system like Ubuntu does.
Satisfying my curiosity is one thing. But there's another thing: I'm tempted by free software. Ubuntu is free and so are plenty of other Linux distributions; that makes it all the more attractive. Have I mentioned that it's really easy to set up and use?
And there's another argument right there. Simplicity and ease of use are important when coming from Windows and I honestly want to avoid befriending the terminal. I want to fiddle with it at some level like I mentioned, but I want to steer clear from terminal-level complications and that is another reason why Ubuntu fits the bill.
The biggest issue that I currently have with Linux in general is that I can't run AutoCAD and some engineering software just like I would in Windows, but that's it. Some programs just are not designed to work in Linux, and the sooner people accept that the better. It's easier said than done, so I'm still weighing in my options.
A simple search in Ubuntu Software Center shows LibreCAD, which might not be as capable as AutoCAD but should manage simple tasks. Simple or less complicated is preferred to bloated in my book, but LibreCAD does not cover even basic functions that work seamlessly in AutoCAD. Most of the time I don't need 90 percent of the features in AutoCAD, but honestly, LibreCAD doesn't even come close to it. Maybe there's too much expectation for a niche product, or there is a better program out there that isn't turning up in the Software Center?
The programs that come with Ubuntu are not fully fledged, but that's fine because neither are the ones in Windows. Take for instance LibreOffice Writer. That covers basic composition functionality, but if it is not enough, it can always be replaced with a more capable OpenOffice which might be familiar to those running Windows. The same goes for VLC, the popular video playback software available on Linux and Windows as well as other platforms. Simple needs are covered, all it takes is a simple search to find alternatives if not the same available on Windows to install.
Keep an open mind
In one of my first articles for BetaNews, titled "What will it take to make Linux popular?" I offered a solution to help boost Linux popularity, and it looks like it might come earlier than I expected. Android is a fantastic method to showcase the way Linux can be popular, and on the desktop side, distributions like Ubuntu can make that happen.
The reasons are all over the place: easy to install, easy to use, light on resources, and able to cover basic functionality all without sacrificing its good looks. Windows 8 looks somehow less inspiring while Linux marches on.
I'll go out on a limb here and suggest Ubuntu might provide the breath of fresh air that other early adopters expected from Windows 8, but didn't find. Why not?
At IFA in Berlin, Germany yesterday, Samsung officially took the wraps off of its new Windows-powered slate PCs, the Series 5 and Series 7, which, like Samsung's Android tablets, incorporate a lot of modifications directly from the South Korean consumer electronics leader.
The Samsung Series 7 Slate is configured with an Intel Core i5 processor and 4 GB of RAM, with a 128GB SSD and has a suggested retail price of $1,199.
The Series 5 Slate is equipped with an Intel "two-watt processor," 2GB of RAM, and has 64GB of solid state storage with a suggested retail price of $649, and Samsung's clamshell keyboard dock tacks on an additional hundred dollars. Both will be available on October 26 of this year.
The hardware, it seems, is powerful for a mobile tablet, yet modest for a full-on Windows PC. This is the strange nature of Windows 8 and Windows RT, and by extension "slates" versus "mobile tablets." At this point, you have the exact same form factor, but because of their processor architecture, they have two different hardware sets for effectively the same user experience. This can be seen in the 10.1" ATIV Tab running Windows RT, which reportedly has a 1.5 GHz dual-core ARM processor and 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, but has not yet been announced.
Possibly to mitigate this, Samsung has added a package of its own software to the Windows 8 Slate PCs sweetening up their functionality somewhat. This includes the S Pen stylus used in Samsung's Galaxy Note family of products which offers 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, and Samsung's Media Hub for connecting to content services.
We called Samsung several times yesterday to find out more about the purported "S Launcher" Start Menu that was discovered in Samsung's all-in-one desktop PCs, and whether they are present in the slate PCs. However, as of press time, they still had not given us any solid information about its presence or the story of its development. We will update when we learn more.
Amazon Appstore, the retail giant's marketplace for Android applications, has finally opened for business in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, a whopping 17 months after it first launched in the US.
Jim Adkins, vice president of Amazon Appstore, says of the marketplace’s overseas expansion: "Customers in the US have purchased millions of apps, games, in-app items and subscriptions since the store launched last year, and we’ve received great feedback about discovery features like Free App of the Day. We evaluate and test games and apps before making them available in the Appstore so we ensure customers have a great experience with the games and apps they purchase. Amazon has spent years developing innovative features that help customers find and discover the products that are right for them and have applied that know-how to the Amazon Appstore. We’re delighted to extend that experience to our European customers".
Each European store and its contents will be fully localized. In the United Kingdom, as in the United States, the marketplace will be called "Amazon Appstore for Android". In Germany, France and Italy it will be branded the "App-Shop", while Spanish users will be able to explore the delights of "Tienda Apps".
Although the launch of the Appstore in Europe is big news, more exciting: it suggests the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s Android tablet, is finally about to be released outside of the United States. After all, why would Amazon go to all the effort of creating these storefronts just to sell apps for competing devices?
Amazon is due to hold a press conference in Santa Monica, Calif on the 6th of September, with strong rumors suggesting it will announce Kindle Fire's successor (rumors that just got stronger with the news that the original version is now completely sold out). If this does prove to be the case, it’s possible we’ll see the tablet released globally in time for Christmas.
Photo Credit: iQoncept/Shutterstock
Laplink Software has released PCmover Free, a cut-down version its migration tool for transferring applications, settings and data from one PC to another.
And if you’ve used a commercial build of PCmover before, then this new release will seem very familiar. It’s essentially a simple wizard that walks you through every bit of the migration process, from choosing what you’d like to transfer, to collecting and packaging that data, to moving it to the new system.
As this particular version is free, though, you won’t be surprised to hear that there are some major limitations. PCmover Free can move a maximum of three applications, for instance; it only supports transferring settings and files from the currently logged-on Windows user; and the program will only copy files from your system drive (other drives will be excluded from the transfer).
And there’s another catch, too. Because as a part of the migration process, you must also agree to have several programs included on your PC, whether you want them or not: the Ask Toolbar, RealPlayer, Update Star, Kaspersky Security Scan, SpeedUpMyPC, Easy Duplicate Finder, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro and iYogi Support Dock.
You could of course uninstall each of these right away, but that probably won’t be too much consolation for most people. If you’re hoping that your new PC will be clean, and so faster and more stable, then equipping it with up to 8 unwanted programs immediately is unlikely to appeal.
For all these hassles, PCmover Free may just about be worth using in a few situations. If you’ve a few particularly complex applications to transfer then turning to the program will mean you won’t have to find CDs and serial numbers, then locate and reinstall extensions, updates and so on.
And Laplink are at least making an effort to ensure your migration runs smoothly. If you run into problems during the transfer process then the company are providing a toll-free number, manned 24-7, which American users can call for guidance.
Samsung made a string of new product announcements at IFA in Berlin, including of course the much anticipated Galaxy Note II. But just when we thought we knew everything the South Korean company had in store for us, it surprised the gathered watchers by unveiling the ATIV S, the first handset to run Microsoft’s new mobile operating system.
The ATIV (VITA - "Life" in Latin - backwards) is the first in a whole range of Samsung products based on Microsoft’s software, and boasts a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 4.8in (121.9mm) HD Super AMOLED display. It also has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.9MP-megapixel front-facing camera, making it competitive, but not ground-breaking. The smartphone will be for sale at some point between October and November, in time for Christmas.
What’s interesting about the announcement: Samsung, not Nokia, is the first company to introduce a range of Windows Phone 8 devices. The Finnish mobile firm -- long seen as Microsoft’s favored hardware developer -- is set to announce its Lumia line of Windows Phone 8 smartphones in New York on September 5. That Samsung beat it to the punch could be taken as a sign that Microsoft isn’t prepared to play favorites in its quest to be taken seriously in the mobile market, but could equally mean that Nokia has something big in store, and Samsung needed to get in quick to avoid its first slew of devices looking weedy by comparison. We’ll find out soon enough.
While the timing of Samsung’s commitment to the Microsoft platform might raise a few eyebrows, the fact it’s moving beyond Android won’t. Offering devices on two different operating systems is a smart move for the South Korean firm, and gives it options for the future.
"Samsung is delighted to introduce a wide portfolio of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8-powered devices," Seong Woo Nam, executive vice president of IT Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics, says. "With our leadership in design and technology and Microsoft’s leadership in operating systems, together we are able to provide customers with a full range of ATIV devices for cross-category convergence."
"And that hopefully won’t get us sued," he might have added mentally afterwards.
If your digital photo collection is something of a mess then there are thousands of programs that promise they can restore order. And so, like us, you probably don’t see an urgent need for any more.
Snaps is a genuinely interesting photo manager and viewer, though, that offers a little more than some of the more identikit competition. And while the program has some problems, in part because it’s still very young (it’s currently at version 0.3.9), there’s already enough functionality to be useful and it shows plenty of promise for the future.
After a straightforward installation (no adware or other hassles), Snaps begins by importing your photos. It knows about the standard Windows pictures folders already, but if you store images elsewhere then you can add those folders, too.
With that done, the program then launches a neat thumbnail browser, sorting your images by date. You can drill down to a particular year, month, even day if you like, and see only the matching images. Or you’re able to view images via their tags, source folders, or, if they’re geotagged, even on a world map.
And there are plenty of other tools on offer here. You can geotag images, for instance, or add and edit other metadata. A search tool helps you find what you need. And you’re able to upload images directly to Facebook or Flickr (Picasa support is apparently “coming soon”).
Snaps also has some annoyances and irritations, unfortunately. There isn’t always a clear way to switch between the various image views; the search tool needs work; the interface can be inconsistent; and odd bugs meant we had to close and restart the program occasionally to restore order.
The program is still in its very early days, though, so problems are to be expected. Many of these issues are probably going to be easy to fix. And even now, Snaps has enough functionality to be useful: if your digital photo collection is a little disorganised, give the program a try, it just might be able to help.
Photo Credit: Laborant/Shutterstock
In about six weeks, the InterWebs will flood with posts commemorating a tech visionary's passing. Steve Jobs died on Oct. 5, 2011. A year ago last week, he stepped down as Apple's CEO. Jobs is a colorful, iconic, flawed figure, who stands before us something more than mere mortal. That's because his public life has a literary quality that cuts to the core of our humanity.
I got to thinking more about this today following a discussion with colleague Tim Conneally and questions answered for a CNN reporter about Microsoft (apologies to him, I removed those sentences and use them here). I asked Tim today: "Why is Steve Jobs so endearing? Redemption. What's that term in fiction about the hero's journey? Steve Jobs followed the path in real life". There's something Shakespearean, too -- the fatal flaw that humbles greatness. Mixed together, his story should be a great fictional work. But it's better and haunting being real life.
Salvation Story
Redemption is one of the most common fictional themes, and it is pervasive in American cinema. There are so many examples, I hardly can cite them. To name a few: Casablanca, Gladiator, Hoosiers, In the Line of Fire, It's a Wonderful Life, Star Wars I-VI, Tender Mercies, The Dark Night Rises, The Natural and The Verdict. A hero falls from grace and gets a second chance to right past mistakes. This is Jobs' journey, from the founding of Apple to his ouster soon after the tech-transforming Macintosh launches to his exile at NeXT to his return to Apple and the company's rise from rubble to riches.
Apple neared bankruptcy when Jobs returned in late 1996, with the purchase of NeXT. By summer 1997, he stood before the Mac faithful as interim CEO and began the tough task of rebuilding Apple. For example: killing off products and ending the clone program that allowed third parties to build computers running the company's flagship operating system. Then Apple's reinvention started -- in 1998 with iMac's release, which set off a wave of translucent-designed products. In 2000, Jobs introduced the ill-fated G4 Cube, which flopped, leading Apple to overstock inventory, to announce a profit warning and to watch the share price collapse overnight.
But in the midst of adversity, Jobs persevered. The path to redemption isn't easy in fiction, and no less so in real life. In one year, 2001, Apple launched iTunes, Mac OS X and iPod, while also opening its first retail stores. From there followed a nearly continuous line of successful products, culminating in iPad 18 months before Jobs' death.
At critical junctures Jobs and Apple took great risks:
There are no rewards without risks, and no redemption either. We love our fallen heroes, who succeed at second chances. As such, Jobs' story endears.
Hero's Journey
But Jobs' story is more than the path of the fallen to redemption. His is another literary concept -- the classical hero's journey, or monomyth, as described by Joseph Campbell. The hero follows a fairly well-defined path that in the broadest description has three parts: separation, initiation and return. In modern literature, Harry Potter is perhaps the most well-known example of the hero's journey. He begins life in a magical family, but his parents are killed, leading him to live with aunt and uncle. At 11, Potter learns he is a wizard and follows a path of training, hardship and mistakes that leads him to fulfill his destiny battling and defeating Lord Voldemort. But Potter doesn't act alone, assisted by Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley, for example.
Star Wars is another hero's journey, and yet redemption story, too. Luke Skywalker's parents are killed (or so he's told), leading him to live with aunt and uncle. He is called (and first refuses) to go with Obi-Wan Kenobi to study the ways of the Force. Like Potter, Skywalker walks a path of training, hardship and mistakes (he fights Darth Vader too soon), developing mystical/magical abilities along the way. But Skywalker doesn't act alone, assisted by Princess Lea, Han Solo and the Rebellion, for example.
The redemption story is another's -- the elder Skywalker's fall from being the prophesied "chosen one" to Darth Vader to later repentance and restoration after killing the evil emperor.
There's a real-life Hero's Journey quality to Jobs' life -- raised by adoptive parents, mentored by Steve Wozniak and set out on the journey founding Apple. But after being cast out, Jobs built NeXT and created Pixar (from the graphics company acquired from Lucasfilm). During the journey, and hardship, Jobs developed skills running two companies -- and seemingly magical good sense -- that he brought back to Apple. There Jobs vanquished not one but many adversaries, with Microsoft being the one mattering most to many long-time Mac users. But Jobs didn't act alone, assisted by Tim Cook, Scott Forstall and Jony Ive, for example.
Jobs' tale is more tragic, for obvious reasons, which in some ways makes his journey and legacy all the more endearing (and sad, too).
My point: There's something innately appealing -- and universal -- about the monomyth and redemption stories. Jobs' life imbues qualities of both. Then there is inarguable success. Who cannot stand in awe, denying it? Apple is the world's largest company, as measured by market capitalization -- a rubble to riches story in just 14 years, counting from when Jobs returned (at first) as interim CEO until he stepped down as chief executive because of ill-health.
Jobs was known for his remarkable, aspirational product announcements and the seemingly magical ability to get people listening charged up to buy, believing perhaps living would be better for it. Jobs' life -- rise, fall and redemption -- is an aspirational story that transcends the best literature and speaks to the desires that make us all human.
If you loved the original Galaxy Note, you're going to love this even more -- Samsung's new Galaxy Note II, which was announced at IFA in Germany today. It is packing even more processing power than the mighty Samsung Galaxy S III and it brings some beans along with it...
The Samsung Galaxy Note II will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Samsung's TouchWiz UX out of the box. A 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display sporting a 1280x720 resolution dominates the front of the new smartphone. It is packing a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. It comes with a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera while on the back there is an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash. Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, MHL and NFC take care of connectivity with A-GPS and Glonass support added as well. The usual array of sensors including an accelerometer and digital compass are included along with a 3,100mAh battery that powers the device. It comes in 16/32/64GB versions while a microSD card slot will accommodate up to 64GB of additional storage.
One of the most noteworthy features of the new Galaxy Note II is that 4G LTE support is no longer tied to a dual-core processor like the U.S. Galaxy S III. Instead, it follows the model of the Korean Galaxy S III that comes with LTE and an Exynos quad-core CPU; this will undoubtedly be good news for Galaxy Note fans in LTE markets. 4G LTE comes with 42 Mbps downlink and 5.76 Mbps uplink while the HSPA+ version will have to make due with speeds that are only half of that.
The S-Pen makes an appearance again along with the optimized features like S Planner and S Pen Keeper (which is really just a pompous way to name its stylus holder). Galaxy S III features make an appearance as well with the likes of the Smart Stay, S Beam and Direct Call, but thankfully Samsung has ditched S Voice and instead relies on Google Now to take care of voice commands.
To befriend the enterprise sector, Samsung lists the following solutions as available "upon request": Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, CCX, MDM (Afaria, Good, MobileIron, SOTI, Sybase), hardware on device encryption, VPN (Cisco, F5, Juniper) and VMware MVP.
The Galaxy Note II comes with a bigger display than its older brother that will unlikely be of any concern since at 151.1x80.5x9.4mm and 180 grams it's similar in dimensions and weight to the older model. But that's as far as the comparisons go, because the new processor is faster, it packs double the RAM, and it comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean that is already fast on the Galaxy Nexus. Even if I don't seem like a fan, I am duly impressed by the Samsung Galaxy Note II.
At IFA in Berlin, Germany on Wednesday, Sony Mobile Communications debuted its second generation Android-powered Tablet S, which Sony has now merged with its Xperia smartphone brand.
Sony's first generation of Android-based tablets offered extremely different designs from the whole crowd of first generation Android tablets, yet despite their unique appearance, they entered the market with a "thud" rather than a "boom." The wedge-shaped Tablet S was introduced at the same time as the much more interesting Tablet P, but the two devices entered the US market six months apart.
It seems as if the two devices cancelled each other out by being revealed simultaneously, then separated at launch.
Sony avoided this mistake today by introducing just one Android tablet, the second-gen Tablet S, now known as Xperia Tablet S. The device has a 9.4" (1280 x 800) display, is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor with 1GB of RAM, and runs Android 4.0.3, the incremental release of Ice Cream Sandwich. It comes in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB configurations and supports microSD cards for expanded storage. It has an 8 megapixel rear camera, a single megapixel forward-facing camera, and currently only offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
The body of the tablet is 8.8mm thick (compared to the iPad 3's 9.4mm) and is made of aluminum rather than the previous generation's plastic. It also features a "splashproof" design with a low-friction screen coating.
Sony's version of Android has included some nice Windows-like features not present in other builds: multi-user "owner" and "guest" modes for families with children likely to use the tablet, "Small apps," which are multitasking apps and widgets that open in dockable windows on top of other apps (Sony mentions calculator, timer, and voice recorder apps that can be used in this capacity,) and also a news, video, and social feed aggregator called Socialife.
But as BetaNews contributor Paul Weber pointed out earlier in August, the real tablet battle isn't between hardware companies and software platforms. It's between content ecosystems. As such, Sony connects the Xperia Tablet S to its content ecosystem with "original media apps" that tie into Video Unlimited, Music Unlimited, and the PlayStation Store in addition to Google Play. Since a major component to Sony's overall entertainment package is television, the Xperia Tablet S additionally includes IR blaster functionality and the exclusive Watch Now app which lets users browse a customized TV guide, touch an item they want to watch and "throw it towards the TV." The TV channel will automatically change to what the user selects via the universal remote.
In the US, the Xperia Tablet S can be pre-ordered through Sony's website, and the different models are priced at $399, $499, and $599 depending upon the internal storage configuration.
Gone are the days when setting up and using Linux was a cumbersome experience, and what better way to see than trying Ubuntu -- one of the most popular and easiest-to-use distributions available. Ubuntu has tempted many Windows users to make the switch to open-source, free-to use-software.
One of the easiest methods to test Ubuntu is to install it on VMware Workstation. You get all the benefits of having Ubuntu installed but none of the hassles attributed to the process, because it's all happening in a safe virtual environment.
Prerequisities for installing Ubuntu on VMware Workstation:
In order to start the process, VMware Workstation must be installed and the Ubuntu ISO file must be downloaded as well. It should be mentioned that this guide applies to VMware Player as well, but for the purpose of this article the latter will be used for reference.
There are two methods to set up a new virtual machine on VMware and we are going to choose the less complicated of the them -- that is "Typical (recommended)". If you want to have more control during the process you can chose "Custom (advanced)" that is explained in "How to install Windows 8 on VMware Workstation"
Let's get to it then and install Ubuntu on VMware Workstation by following the next steps:
If there are any devices that can be attached to the virtual machine you will be notified by VMware Workstation; just click "OK" and wait for the install to finish.
You can now experience a fully working Ubuntu inside VMware Workstation.
The recent release of Firefox 15 FINAL means the whole developmental cycle has moved on again with Mozilla’s web browser, and as expected versions 16 (Beta), 17 (Aurora) and 18 (Nightly/UX) have made their first appearances.
Sadly, there’s not an awful lot to get excited about in these new releases, but a handful of new features are worthy of attention. It seems to confirm what Mozilla developer Martin Best said on the release of Firefox 15, namely that Mozilla’s focus for the rest of 2012 will shift more to the Android and Firefox OS builds.
Without a doubt this is the recommended release for most users, as it’s the most stable build out there. Performance improvements, particularly with gamers in mind, additional developer tools and a silent update mechanism for Windows users are the highlights of this release.
The most visible new feature in version 16 will be the inline-PDF browser. Instead of prompting the user to save or open PDFs in a separate application, Firefox 16 now displays them in their own tab in the main browser window. The feature was actually present in Firefox 15 Beta, but failed to make it over to the final release. Frustratingly, at time of writing, the feature isn’t enabled in 16.0b1, but the Mozilla Release Wiki lists it as “landed”, which means it should reappear soon.
Developers also get another two tools to add to the extra features added in version 15: a Developer Toolbar that provides programmers with an easier entry point to the developer tools, plus a new Graphical Command Line Interface, that promises to provide a simpler way of adding commands via the Web Console.
Some features may not yet be visible in the Beta, and may even slip before version 16 moves to a final release on October 9. These include a raft of changes designed to appeal to OS X Lion/Mountain Lion users, such as scroll bars, remapped gestures and double-tap zoom support. Also slated is opt-in activation for plugins, for security reasons.
Some features have sadly disappeared from version 16 since it moved from Aurora to Beta, including the panel-based download manager -- that has remained stubbornly in the Aurora build. There’s also no sign of the promised “speedy session restore”, which aims to quicken the process of restoring previously open tabs and windows.
Firefox’s “alpha” build installs alongside either Firefox Final or Beta, allowing you to test it without affecting day-to-day browsing. Settings are shared between both builds, however, so install and use with caution.
Version 17 actually features the new panel-based downloads manager, despite the Wiki’s insistence that this has slipped back to Nightly builds only. It first appeared in Firefox Aurora 16, and remains in place for testing with this latest build, allowing users to view downloads in a pop-up tab underneath the downloads button without opening a separate window first.
Two other changes are also mooted, but not yet visible: the first is planned improvements to the display of location bar results. Some of these restylings have reportedly landed in version 16, while others remain in development. The second involves Firefox Social Integration, the incorporation of a range of social network-friendly tools into a toolbar, sidebar or floating window. Having missed the boat in version 15 as expected, this feature has now slipped back from the beta channel to Aurora. No evidence of it yet appears in this build for external testing.
Firefox’s Nightly channel gives users access to code hot off the press, and again it installs alongside other Firefox builds. It’s incredibly unstable, updated frequently and you’re just as likely to see new features disappear as appear. At the present time, we’re not aware of any specific features unique to the Nightly build that can be tested here, although the inline PDF viewer is at least present and correct here.
So, to Summarize
Which version of Firefox should you try? The stable build remains our recommendation for the vast majority of users, although Firefox 16 Beta would certainly look tempting if its inline PDF viewer was functional. Sadly there’s little in the Aurora build for us to recommend it, while nothing at the present time suggests anyone but the most daring should venture into the murky waters of the untested Nightly build.
I have followed the development process of Microsoft's upcoming operating system closely, ever since first tidbits of information leaked on the Internet. But instead of just reading about it, I also installed all public versions of Windows 8 on one of my desktop PCs to get a first-hand experience of what the OS is all about.
Like many of my fellow BetaNews authors, I was torn apart by the operating system. Chris Williams, for instance, believes that Windows 8 is pointless for the Enterprise while Mihaita Bamburic imagines what Metro could have been. It becomes even more apparent when you read Windows 8 will be the new Vista and Windows 8 deserves a chance.
It first dawned on me that something is not right when I set up my email accounts in the Mail app. This is one of the default applications that Windows 8 ships with.
Setting up one account in the app is not an issue at all, but I could not figure out how to add a second email account. There simply are no obvious options or settings available to do so. I hovered the mouse over all buttons in the interface, right-clicked to display the bottom toolbar and realized that the interface offered no option to add a second email account.
But I knew that it had to be possible, because of screenshots that Microsoft had used that showed multiple accounts being used in the mail app.
It took a while before I realized that I had to open the Charms Menu to find application specific settings there. Those settings only appear when the application is active though, which adds to the usability issue at hand.
While in the mail app, you have to open the Charms Menu, either with Windows-C or by moving the mouse cursor to the upper- or lower-right corner of the screen. Here you need to click on Settings to display Mail app specific-settings that let you add accounts or change permissions.
That was not my only issue with the mail app. To search your emails, you also have to open the Charms bar to do so. Only this time, you need to select Search from the general menu before search becomes available. Why not make search available while you type, like when you are on the start page?
But the mail app is not the only one that relies on the Charms bar for part of its functionality. When the eBay app launches, it does not include an option to search auctions. The only way to search for items is to switch to the Charms bar and use Search here to find items on eBay.
The latest version of the eBay app now displays a search icon prominently on the frontpage that opens the Charms bar's search menu when you click on it.
What Windows 8 users need to understand is that the Search and Settings menus of the Charms bar are dynamic and app specific. The main problem here: there is no guidance or hint system that makes users aware of that. And even the system's search does not seem to be helpful in this regard. If you search for "mail account" for instance, you won't get any hits that might help you with the configuration.
To resolve this, I'd like to see Microsoft implement three new features:
How is your experience with apps in Windows 8?
With effective antivirus software installed, you can protect yourself against a range of online threats such as viruses, spyware and other malware. But there are some forms of malicious software that manage to evade detection by even the newest and completely updated protection tools. In this situation, you may feel as though there is nothing left to do but to format your hard drive and start from scratch, but Norton Power Eraser 3.1 and Norton Bootable Recovery Tool 5.1, both updated yesterday, prove otherwise.
You may have noticed popup windows that you do not seem to be able to eliminate, but there could be countless other symptoms indicating that something is wrong with your computer. But before you reach for the installation disc for Windows, grab yourself a copy of the latest version of Norton Power Eraser, which can be used to scour your hard drive for instances of malware that may not otherwise be detected.
Once the scan is complete, you’ll be invited to remove anything that is thought to be suspicious. The tool’s approach is rather aggressive and you may well find that there are a few false positives flagged up, but these can be reversed if problems arise. Should you find that Norton Power Eraser has not be successful in cleaning up your computer, all is still not yet lost as you can try your luck with the newly updated Norton Bootable Recovery Tool.
This is a free tool for anyone who has another registered Norton product, and it is designed to help in situations when a malware infection means that the usual scanners do not run correctly. The tool can be run from CD, DVD or USB drive and is ideal if you are not able to boot into Windows. You’ll be guided through every stage of the process of booting your computer in a safe state before scanning and cleaning up any infections that exist.
You can find out more and download the software by paying a visit to the Norton Power Eraser 3.1 and Norton Bootable Recovery Tool 5.1 review pages.
Photo Credit: zimmytws/Shutterstock
Setting up a local installation of WordPress on your own PC can be a convenient way to test themes and plugins, but it’s not the simplest of tasks. Along with WordPress itself you’ll need to install and configure PHP, a server, database and more.
Sounds too much like hard work? Then you might prefer Instant WordPress, which provides everything you need and requires no complex configuration at all.
The package comes in the form of a single 54.2MB Windows executable, which on launch will unpack its contents to the folder of your choice. Right now these include WordPress 3.3.2, Apache 2.2.15 (Win32), PHP 5.3.2 and MySQL 5.1.46-community-nt, but don’t worry, you don’t have to set any of them up, and they won’t install components anywhere else on your PC.
Once that’s out of the way, launching InstantWP.exe will display the Instant WordPress console. And clicking “WordPress Frontpage” should open your default browser to reveal the bundled WordPress site, which even includes some dummy posts and comments for a more realistic look.
If you’d like to experiment with the regular WordPress settings then just click “WordPress Admin”, log in (user name is “admin”, password is “password”) and go to work.
And the console also provides easy access to your MySQL settings, as well as the Plugins and Themes folder, while the Documentation button leads to some basic online help.
It’s a good idea to think carefully about what you’re going to do with Instant WordPress. While in theory you could use this setup to create a complete website on your own PC, for instance, getting it online could then be quite complicated. Which is probably why even the creators say the program “should only be used for testing and development”.
If you simply want to experiment with a few themes and plugins, though, or maybe just learn a few CMS basics from the comfort of your own PC, then Instant WordPress is a great way to do it: free, convenient and very easy to use.
Photo Credit: Annkozar/Shutterstock
CyanogenMod 9.1 and NFC payments -- curious already? The CyanogenMod team has announced a joint partnership with SimplyTapp to offer Near Field Communication payments for the Android modding community along with their latest custom ROM, CyanogenMod 9.1. The NFC app is named Tapp!, and it is offered as a separate download to the popular CM ROM.
SimplyTapp is founded by Doug and Ted, two "CM enthusiasts" that have contributed towards extending the NFC capabilities as well as to the development of CyanogenMod. So how does it work?
You have to install CyanogenMod 9.1 on your Android smartphone and install the Tap! app. From there on you have to purchase an NFC card, and that can run you up to $5. Various store cards are available as well as Tapp Anywhere Card (fixed balance gift card) and CyanogenMod Tapp Card (that is reloadable).
CyanogenMod 9 also supports the app, but the team behind the project promotes it through their latest iteration, CyanogenMod 9.1 with CyanogenMod 10, based off Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, support to be available as well at a later time.
SimplyTapp separates the credentials of the card from the device, tying it to the card holder, according to the announcement. Modifications to the NFC stack basically require the use of CyangenMod in order to control point-of-sale payment functionality.
In case you want to give it a go, you should know that all you need is a CyanogenMod supported device with NFC capabilities.
Tapp! complements the list of NFC payment applications available for Android, but as it stands at the moment doesn't target all Android device owners, instead just on those that run CyanogenMod. That may look unconventional, but having CyanogenMod as a partner can benefit developers, who can take advantage of the name the popular Android development has made for itself in the modding community. Custom ROMs have exclusive features and to have a NFC payment app designed specifically for one doesn't strike as something unusual.
Photo Credit: Alexander Sokolov/Shutterstock
Microsoft's Internet Explorer was the uncrowned king back in 2008 with Mozilla's Firefox snagging away half a percent or so from IE's market share each month. Mozilla in that year released Firefox 3.0, a controversial version of the browser that divided the browser's user base into the Firefox 2.x and 3.x camp. Microsoft released Internet Explorer 8, a version of the browser that still fell short in many areas even though it was seen by many as a huge improvement over the company's previously released Internet browsers.
And in that year came the first public release of Google Chrome for Windows, and with it fundamental changes to the web browser landscape. Chrome's impact in the browser's first year of existence was limited, and while Google managed to increase the market share over the important 1 percent mark in 2008, it took the company another year to surpass Opera and Safari to take the coveted number three spot for the first time near the end of 2009.
Rapid-release Process
This was the time when Google started to release new versions of the browser more frequently, something that was unheard of before with Microsoft, Mozilla or Opera taking their time to release new major versions of their browsers. Mozilla, for instance, released 19 updates to Firefox 3.0.x, of which some were even issued after the major Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 versions landed in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The version jumps were so rapid that Google Chrome passed Microsoft's Internet Explorer with the release of version 9 in February 2011, and less than 4 months later the Opera 10 browser by releasing Chrome 11 in April 2011. Fast forward a year and four months and we are at Google Chrome 21, the current stable version of the browser.
Mozilla in that time switched to a rapid-release process of its own after the final release of Firefox 4 in March 2011. The developers of the browser, unlike Google, continued to support previous versions of Firefox for some time after a new major version release. This pleased a group of Firefox users who did not want to switch to newer versions, but had the ill-effect of furthering fragmentation of the browser's user base.
The rapid release-process had another effect on the majority of Internet users. The version of the browser became less important, especially in the case of Chrome, with its near silent update system. Even more troubling was that even experienced Internet users and reporters seem nowadays to have lost interest in keeping up with browser updates and the changes they bring with them.
Who Cares Which?
This becomes apparent when you try to find information about a particular Chrome version and its changes. While you will eventually find the Google Chrome Releases Blog, you will notice that many tech sites remain silent about browser updates or only mention the update in a short post -- unless a version includes a major new feature that is worth looking more closely at. If you are a BetaNews regular you know that this is exactly how Chrome releases are handled here on the site.
A core reason for the disinterest can be found in the fact that versions are not important anymore for the majority of Internet users. The name of the browser is now more important than the version when it comes to compatibility with websites and features that it supports.
The only situation where versions become important again is if a new version breaks or changes a feature in the browser. This is not really happening for Chrome users that much, but Firefox users had to cope with major changes to the browser's interface or extension compatibility in the past after updates.
Version Fatigue
Version fatigue may have something to do with it as well. With that many major version releases in a year, it is difficult to keep up with and distinguish between versions. Can you list the major changes from Firefox 12 to 13, or Chrome 17 to 18? I know I can't, and it is likely that the majority of users out there can't as well. I can still name the major changes from Firefox 3.x to 4.x or from Firefox 2.x to 3.x though.
A simple question to end: Without looking, do you know your browser's name and version? And if you do, can you name at least one feature change that was introduced in the last major update?
What's your take on browser versions in general? Has your perception changed in past years?
Second in a series. Three quarters of the bits being schlepped over the Internet today are video bits, so video standards are more important than ever. To accommodate this huge load of video data we’ve developed compression technologies, special protocols like the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), we’ve pushed data to the edge of the network with Content Distribution Networks (originally Akamai but now many others).
All these Internet video technologies are in transition, too, with H.264 and HTML5 video in the ascendence while stalwarts like RealVideo and even Flash Video appear to be in decline. The latter is most significant because Adobe’s Flash has been -- thanks to YouTube -- the most ubiquitous video standard. Flash video was everywhere. But with Flash apparently leaving the ever-growing mobile space, will we ever see another truly ubiquitous web video standard? We already have and it is called ClipStream G2 JavaScript video.
JavaScript is everywhere on the World Wide Web. If you have a browser you have JavaScript. Have an iPhone without Flash? You still have JavaScript. Have a smartphone without Java? You still have JavaScript. Even HTML5, the supposed future of Internet video, isn’t available yet on all platforms, but JavaScript is.
The Web couldn’t function without JavaScript. So if you really need to deploy something everywhere on the web, doing it in JavaScript is a great idea. But JavaScript video is difficult since the scripting language was never developed with video in mind. But as processors get faster and devices have more memory, the idea of doing video in JavaScript became more feasible even though it feels to me a bit like drawing the screen in crayon.
Just 17 Years Old
This new patented technology, only 17 years in the making, was just released in beta yesterday morning. Here’s a sample video featuring someone you may know. It’s glitchy, but think of what an achievement this is. And think how much better it will play a month or a year from now.
ClipStream G2 comes from a Canadian company, Destiny Media Technologies, which has been around since 1991. They literally invented streaming audio, and launched Internet radio before Windows Media, Quicktime or Real Networks even existed. They eventually moved into Internet video only to be killed when Flash came out for a lot less money and then YouTube for free. More recently they’ve built a business for professional musicians, securely delivering pre-release music for all the record companies to radio stations.
First in this series: "Designing a better electric plane"
Now, with Flash abandoning mobile, Destiny sees an opportunity in video again.
"JavaScript powered video doesn’t sound like a big deal", explains Destiny co-founder Steve Vestergaard, "except Javascript performs like a slug. We went from C and assembly in 1995 to Java in 1999 (maybe 100 times slower) to Javascript now (maybe another ten times slower). We have less horsepower in 2012 than we had in 1995, but we play everywhere. Some of the big guys, including chip manufacturers, see an opportunity to improve our performance and keep the cross-platform aspect. Our seven patents are about how to do streaming video when there is no horsepower at all".
It's so Special
Here’s what makes JavaScript video significant. It not only works on all recent browsers, it requires no streaming servers. Stick the Destiny folder on your web server, embed their code in your web page and that’s it.
Not only is there no special server, there’s also no player since the video is rendered by the browser. There is nothing to download or maintain.
There is no transcoding required and Content Distribution Networks, like Akamai or LimeLight, aren’t needed, either.
JavaScript video is also more bandwidth efficient since it looks like regular old web content and can be buffered for reuse in proxy servers. The company estimates that streams are reused at least 10 times saving 90 percent on bandwidth and infrastructure not to mention $4.3 billion in annual transcoding and CDN costs if widely deployed.
It’s not perfect, but then beta code never is. I think this is a major step, though, toward Internet simplification.
Reprinted with permission
Photo Credit: Anna Omelchenko/Shutterstock
Shutting down Windows 8 can be frustrating as it is no longer the intuitive process that Windows users are accustomed to in previous versions. Now in order to perform any power-related operation, the standard way is to invoke the Charms menu, which shows up on the right side of the screen. It might even seem unnatural now that the Start menu is gone.
Let's talk about the "normal" way to shut down Windows 8. In order to "summon" the Charms menu, just press Windows Key + C and it will show up. If your preferred "weapon" of choice is the mouse, then simply move the cursor to either the upper or lower right corner of the screen and it will be displayed as well. From there one has to go through Settings -> Power and select either Sleep, Restart or Shutdown to perform any power operation. If you're old school you might remember that pressing ALT+F4 yields the same result. But there's an easier way to shutdown your Windows 8 PC, without going through any menus.
If you want to restart Windows 8 faster simply, follow the same steps and replace "shutdown /s /t 30" with "shutdown /r /t 30" in step No. 3.
Photo Credit: Sashkin/Shutterstock
Would someone please call the branding police and have them arrest Microsoft's entire executive team. The charge: Indecent logo.
Today the software giant introduced its first major corporate logo change in about a quarter century. I'm all for a brave new look, except there's little brave or memorable about this one. Apple should call a holiday and give out champagne to celebrate. This is one big branding frak up.
Gone, finally, is the sole us of Microsoft's name as brand identifier. The typeface is bolder -- not in posture, but quite literally -- and flatter (keeping with the 2D perspective oh-so prevalent in Windows 8). "The new Microsoft logo takes its inspiration from our product design principles while drawing upon the heritage of our brand values, fonts and colors", Jeff Hansen, GM for Microsoft brand strategy, says. "For the logotype, we are using the Segoe font which is the same font we use in our products as well as our marketing communications".
Microsoft marketers modestly redeem themselves by adding the oh-so recognizable four-color square alongside the name. "The symbol is important in a world of digital motion", Hansen says. "The symbol’s squares of color are intended to express the company’s diverse portfolio of products". That's where the branding story ends and really should begin: With the four-color logo standing alone, without "Microsoft".
The first consideration, and really only one in branding, is two-fold: Make it recognizable, keep it simple. Microsoft's new logo, like the old one, is neither. Generally speaking, company names spelled out make the worst logos. There are good reasons why businesses spend so much money developing graphic logos that identify them. People remember images better, and they are universal -- regardless of language.
Logos have a long legacy, too, going back to families' coats of arms. That picture has been a way of identifying an entity -- whether a family or business -- for a long time.
Apple does it Right
Apple is the classic example of logo done right and executed brilliantly. The logo is recognizable, easily placed on products and put on all the hardware. You know when someone uses Apple gear. That's a way of broadcasting the brand; essentially it's free marketing from the users.
Years ago, the Apple logo appeared upright when laptop lids were closed, which put them upside down to everyone else. Then some Apple brainiac reversed the logo, so that it's upright with the lid open, illuminated and visible to anyone passing by. That's sheer branding brilliance.
Microsoft passed up a big opportunity to redo its logo right. That four-color square is highly recognizable because of Windows' success. Why not take something familiar, let it stand alone and represent Microsoft?
I personally find the new logo visually appealing. But the issue here is branding and what people recognize. Names don't stand out.
What's in a Name?
Absolutely, there are successful companies without recognizable picture logos, using just company name. Google is great example this century. But Google also benefits from its name being a verb synonymous with search. Meanwhile, in the Android robot, Google has established an iconic subbrand, which stands alongside other recognizables like Google+ and YouTube logos.
I wonder why Microsoft chose its name way back when, and how much is about the early days. Microsoft inherited the computing mantle from IBM, which is solely identified by name. But IBM stands for International Business Machines. Someone at the computing giant had the sense to turn the abbreviation IBM into a logo, by assigning each letter a color -- red for I, green for B and blue for M. It was a brilliant maneuver, which made the abbreviation a recognizable logo.
"We’re excited about the new logo, but more importantly about this new era in which we’re reimagining how our products can help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential", Hansen says. I sure would like to share his enthusiasm, but acknowledge the new logo is better than the old one. If that's Microsoft's idea of reimagining, well...
Perhaps with the four-color square standing alongside the name, Microsoft will someday transition to just the graphic logo. There's sense to that, and the only long-term good that can come of today's branding change.
When you’re trying to remember that important URL you visited yesterday then viewing your browser’s history will probably provide the details you need. But if you’ve more than one browser installed then it could still take quite some time to trawl through your previous online sessions.
Fortunately there’s now a simpler option in the shape of BrowsingHistoryView, the latest NirSoft release, which presents your Firefox, IE, Chrome and Safari histories all in a single table.
And so in a click you can view a report of your online activities, detailing each URL, page title, the time visited and number of visits. The report can be sorted by any of these attributes, too, so clicking the column header for “Visit Time”, say, will quickly reveal the sites you’ve visited last.
The nature of browser histories means that this list may not be as straightforward as you like. There’s not always just a single line for a web page visited, for instance: there may be other entries relating to authentication, ads, scripts, favicons, downloaded files, and the list goes on.
The program’s Find tool can help you track down what you need, though. If you remember that the URL you’re looking for was on Microsoft’s site, say, then searching for “Microsoft” will pull up all matching addresses.
And you can also filter the report by excluding particular browsers, selecting a time period you’d like to examine – 7:00am to 10:30am yesterday, for instance – or defining the Windows user profile which you’d like BrowsingHistoryView to examine (the current user, All Users, a specified profile and more).
There’s clearly scope for some improvement here. Opera support would be great, for example. Support for portable browsers would be useful, too. And we’d also like a few filters to help remove the junk from the report. The ability to display only http: or https: entries, say, would be very helpful.
BrowsingHistoryView is already a very useful, tool, though, compact (<350KB), portable, and able to run on anything from Windows 2000 through to 8. And, of course, it’s only the first version – we’ve no doubt that Nir Sofer will enhance and improve the program in the future.
Photo Credit: nmedia/Shutterstock
When you first heard about Windows 8, what were your expectations of the operating system? I always have a set of features in mind that I hope will make their way into Microsoft's next operating system, some dating back as far as Windows 95.
Windows 8 is special to a certain degree as it is the first Windows operating system that brings touch to the center of focus. The reason for that is the lucrative tablet market currently dominated by iPad and to a lesser degree Android. Windows 8 will be Microsoft's entry into the market, not only as a maker of operating systems, but also tablets like the Microsoft Surface. Some say that Microsoft sacrifices the experience of desktop users for that, and while I would not go as far, it is noteworthy that the company promotes more touch and tablet related features of the operating system than features improved or added to the desktop part of it.
In fact, if you ask users about changes to the desktop, it is likely that the missing Start menu is top of the list, followed by Explorer's new ribbon interface (minimized by default), and maybe the new file copying dialog. There is also the new SmartScreen Filter, the option to mount ISO images, the modified Task Manager or better support for multi-monitor systems.
Windows Features
The following list of features is what I would have liked to see Microsoft integrate into the Windows 8 operating system.
1. Unified interface. Windows 8 has no unified interface. You have the Start page and then the traditional desktop environment. While you can easily switch between the two with the Windows key or the Charms bar, it feels as if you are working with two different interfaces. And that feeling is not going away, even though workflows have changed that much, or at all. You can still hit the Windows-key to start a search, only that you are now redirected to the Start page in Windows 8 where you can start typing right away.
I would have preferred a unified interface, one in which you do not have to switch to access part of the operating system's functionality. Concepts as to how this could have looked like have been posted on sites like The Verge or Neowin.
2. Windows Explorer with two file panes. Third-party file managers like Total Commander have supported multiple file panes for years. When you want to move or copy files in Windows Explorer, you often have to place two Explorer windows side by side to do so. While you could use one and navigate between folders for every operation, it is not really a practicable thing to do.
With two file panes next to each other file operations such as moving or copying would take less time and window handling to complete. Other operations, like comparing two folders with each other, or synchronizing folders, would also become possible.
3. Application sandboxing. I have been using the excellent Sandboxie for a number of years now to run applications in a sandbox on the system. This basically protects the rest of the system from what is happening inside. If you run a web browser in a sandbox, you will notice for instance that cookies, temporary Internet files and other browsing related data is not leaked to the underlying operating system. When you kill the sandbox, all of the data gets dropped as well. Malware, too, can't break out of the sandbox, so your system is safe even if you accidentally click on a mail attachment or execute a program that you have downloaded from a P2P network.
4. Integration of EMET. Microsoft's Exploit Mitigation Tool (EMET) has been designed to add extra protection against vulnerability exploits for applications you specify. EMET tries to block the exploits from being executed successfully on a system, even if the exploited vulnerability has not been patched on it. While it won't protect you from all attacks, it certainly can block popular exploits from being executed successfully on the system.
The program is currently offered standalone, which you need to install and configure on your own. The release contains XML files that you can import to protect popular Microsoft programs such as Office apps or Internet Explorer.
It is possible that this app will eventually be integrated into the Windows operating system.
5. Hardware notifications. You need to check the Event Log or use third-party software for most hardware related events. I'd like to see hardware notifications added to the operating system's Action Center or a new tool that notifies users when hard drives are about to fail, when temperature levels reach critical values, or when voltage levels are not within limits.
Monitoring S.M.A.R.T values and temperatures, and using the information for notifications when they reach critical values, could prevent data loss or hardware failures from happening.
Now You
Are there features that you'd like to see integrated into the Windows operating system? Please list them in the comment section below.
Did you know that updating Facebook while driving can cause lane veering by up to one meter, or that texting adds 8.5m to the overall stopping distance when travelling at 70mph? Well, it’s true according to a new study by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) on behalf of insurance company esure. The report also says that 1 in 5 drivers took their eyes off the road for 7 seconds when they heard a ringing phone. Check out the fancy PDF infographic if you want to find out more.
To help remove these distractions (and reduce the number of claims it has to process, presumably), esure has produced a free Android app which eliminates mobile phone distractions. The DriveOFF app, available through Google Play, uses GPS to detect when your car is in motion and travelling above 10mph and automatically turns off all other apps and blocks incoming calls and texts.
Stuart Vann, Chief Executive Officer at esure, says: “This study’s results speak for themselves. Distraction is a killer -- something that we’re all too aware of as a leading insurer. We would urge all motorists to download it and help remove any temptations of checking or answering a mobile whilst behind the wheel.”
An iOS version of the app has been developed but has yet to be approved by Apple.
Photo Credit: Poulsons Photography/Shutterstock
To monetize the ever increasing mobile traffic from smartphones and tablets, YouTube has announced the launch of TrueView in-stream video ads for mobile devices. YouTube content creators can now increase their revenues based on the video sharing website's mobile visits, which means that YouTube does away with an ad-free mobile viewing experience. It was bound to happen at one point or another.
In 2011 mobile traffic accounted for 20 percent of global YouTube views and its growth has been "phenomenal", according to Phil Farhi, YouTube group product manager. More than a trillion views marked 2011 for YouTube, meaning in excess of 200 billion mobile views were not monetized coming from the then 350 million mobile devices. According to YouTube, TrueView in-stream video ads are preferred to the standard video advertisements, since increased revenue can be generated from it. Responding to the announcement on YouTube one user stated that 1.3 million visits each month, accounting for 72.8 percent of his views, come from mobile devices, which is "lost" revenue.
Leading virtualization developer VMware has announced three major new releases across its range of consumer products.VMware Workstation 9.0, VMware Fusion 5.0 for Mac and free cut-down VMware Player 5.0 (Windows only) have all been launched, boasting a number of major new features, improvements and the all-important raft of bug fixes.
Changes include support for the latest versions of Windows and OS X where applicable, plus redesigned user interfaces, virtual hardware improvements and a large number of minor tweaks, improvements and new features.
VMware Workstation 9.0 has been designed to run on Windows 8 as well as utilize Windows 8 virtual machines, with support for multi-touch and USB 3.0. It also includes a number of notable graphics improvements, including the ability to render 3D in Windows 8 without hardware acceleration and behind-the-scenes changes designed to improve performance and allow for more advanced features at a later date.
Workstation 9 also introduces OpenGL for Linux Guests, restricted virtual machine support and WSX, a new web interface for accessing shared virtual machines via a tablet or smartphone web browser using HTML5. For a complete list of the changes in VMware Workstation 9, click here.
VMware Player 5.0 is VMware’s free-for-personal-use product, and allows users to create virtual machines for a number of purposes, including testing and sandboxing. Version 5.0 promises improvements to the user interface, which now conforms to Windows standards, plus enjoys all the virtual hardware improvements found in VMware Workstation 9.
Mac users should choose VMware Fusion 5.0, which benefits from a simplified installation routine – just double-click VMware Fusion.app to install or upgrade VMware Fusion. It’s also been designed for Mountain Lion users, enabling them to run Windows applications with a more Mac-like experience.
The user interface has also been refined with a new virtual machine library, the ability to organize virtual machines into folders and tweaks to snapshot management among others.
VMware Fusion also comes with Windows 8 optimisations, adds support for the latest Mac technologies including Retina Display and takes advantage of hardware improvements such as faster memory and SSD drives.
Virtual hardware changes include support for 3D Linux desktops, OS X Mountain Lion, Windows 8, better support for running multiple VMs on Macs with 16GB or more RAM and support for running restricted virtual machines. Full release notes can be found here.
VMware Workstation 9.0 is available as a free trial download for PCs running Linux or Windows (XP or later). VMware Player 5.0 is a free-for-personal-use download for Windows PCs only, whileVMware Fusion 5.0 is a free trial download for Mac users running OS X 10.6.7 or later.
Just like Firefox, Chrome rockets through version numbers as though it is going out of fashion. Although Google’s foray into the world of web browsers for iPhone and iPad is fairly recent, Chrome for iOS already is version 21. The latest release is a relatively minor one, but there is still one feature that brings the browser in line with other more socially aware apps.
The big news in this release: addition of new sharing options. Found a website that you think your friends will love? There is no need to copy and paste the URL into an email as there are now new sharing options built directly into the app. A new popup menu lets you share pages through Google+, Facebook, Twitter or via email.
While this may seem like a fairly inconsequential addition to the app, it makes sharing much quicker and easier. Other changes sees problems with blank pages appearing in Incognito mode addressed and other issues that have been reported by users have also been fixed.
Other changes that have been made to the app are mostly bug fixes and performance improvements. Problems with sync sign in are now accompanied by ‘more actionable’ error messages and problems with language detection during the welcome tour have also been addressed.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying as visit to the Chrome for iOS review page.
Everything Everywhere has been granted the right to utilize the 1800MHz spectrum for 4G connectivity by UK communications regulator Ofcom. According to Ofcom, the license was awarded following market demand that, according to a European Commision decision, forces United Kingdom to grant a 4G license for 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum, the latter being used by Everything Everywhere.
Since Everything Everywhere is the first UK carrier that is allowed by Ofcom to deploy 4G LTE, the communications regulator promptly tried to insure that its decision had solid ground, stating that any delay would be detrimental to consumers and "there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition". The 2011/251/EU Decision of the European Commision combined with the required market demand created the situation where the UK carrier can deploy 4G LTE starting September 11, 2012.
Everything Everywhere was quick to applaud:
Ofcom’s decision to make 4G available this year is great news for the UK. Consumers will soon be able to benefit from the much greater mobile speeds that 4G will deliver. 4G will drive investment, employment and innovation and we look forward to making it available later this year, delivering superfast mobile broadband to the UK.
But the news has been controversial among competitor carriers O2 and Vodafone. The original plan was for Ofcom to auction the 800MHz and 2.6GHz wireless spectrum starting the end of 2012 and for the rollout of the 4G networks to begin mid-2013. Soon after the news was announced, both O2 and Vodafone criticized Ofcom.
An O2 spokesperson told BetaNews:
We are hugely disappointed with today’s announcement, which will mean the majority of customers will be excluded from the first wave of digital services. This decision undermines the competitive environment for 4G in the UK.
A Vodafone spokesperson told BetaNews:
We are frankly shocked that Ofcom has reached this decision. The regulator has shown a careless disregard for the best interests of consumers, businesses and the wider economy through its refusal to properly regard the competitive distortion created by allowing one operator to run services before the ground has been laid for a fully competitive 4G market.
Ofcom’s timing is particularly bizarre given the reports that Everything Everywhere is currently in discussions to sell some of its spectrum to 3, which Ofcom has previously been at such pains to protect with its over-engineering of the 4G auction. This means the balance in the auction will fundamentally change.
The regulator has spent several years refusing to carry out a fair and open auction. Now its decision today has granted the two most vociferous complainants during that entire process a massive incentive to further delay it.
We wholeheartedly support the Secretary of State’s call for the 4G auction to occur in December and look to the regulator to finally do its job and produce a competitive market for 4G services as soon as possible.
We firmly believe that a fully competitive market for 4G services is in the best interests of Britain. We have already committed ourselves to reach 98% of the UK population with indoor 4G services by 2015 -- two years before Ofcom’s own target -- but we need to acquire spectrum in the auction to achieve this. Ironically, all that stands in our way right now is the regulator.
Obviously Ofcom's decision doesn't sit well with either of the two major UK carriers as it means Everything Everywhere has a head start to deploy the 4G LTE network over its existing 1800MHz spectrum, which means that it can deliver the service to its customers earlier than competitors, but there's another added benefit as well. Everything Everywhere can offer LTE smartphones sooner than either O2 or Vodafone, which if current rumors are true about an LTE iPhone would be a huge differentiator.
There is no official date as to when 4G LTE will be rolled-out by Everything Everywhere, which adds a dose of confusion as to the plans of the UK carrier. Ofcom has authorized the use of its 4G LTE license starting September 11, 2012, which most likely is ahead of a possible LTE iPhone launch.
Photo Credit: Viorel Sima/Shutterstock
If you live in the right region, the game controller now costs $109.99 US, Microsoft revealed today. Say, didn't Kinect sell for $149.99 yesterday? That's a helluva discount out of season.
Microsoft's Larry Hyrb describes this as a "permanently reduced price". Well, it is for some -- North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific now and Australia and New Zealand on October 4. Europe, Middle East, Asia and Japan won't see permanent price cuts.
Given the economic crisis in Europe, does it seem odd to anyone else that buyers there should pay more?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice Intellectual Property Task Force announced on Tuesday that they had for the first time shut down third-party Android app stores for piracy: applanet.net, appbucket.net, and snappzmarket.com. The three domains are now in the custody of the U.S. government and in their places are FBI shutdown notices.
In the last twelve months, the FBI has seized hundreds of domains related to various illicit activities, including "carding" (selling stolen credit card information), the sale of counterfeit merchandise, wire and bank fraud via botnet, and, in the case of Megaupload organized crime.
In the case of the three app stores, the crime was copyright infringement. Specifically, these Android markets offered popular for-pay Android apps at no cost without the permission of the app developers.
In the case of Snappzmarket and Applanet, the claims of piracy were brazen. Snappzmarket boasted "Free Android apps anytime, anywhere," and Applanet proclaimed users could "Access Paid Apps for FREE!"
The two alternative app markets mimicked the Android Market and Google Play in appearance, and were both quite popular. Applanet, for example has over 88,000 "likes" on Facebook, while Snappzmarket has over 16,000 "likes." Sweden-based Appbucket had a slightly less commanding presence and fewer apps than the other two.
In its investigation, the FBI says it found thousands of instances of copyrighted apps being distributed illegally. In most cases, the bureau said, the servers storing the apps were being hosted in other countries, specifically in France and the Netherlands. Local law enforcement agents assisted the FBI in obtaining and seizing evidence stored on these servers.
"Criminal copyright laws apply to apps for cell phones and tablets, just as they do to other software, music, and writings," said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Sally Quillian Yates in a statement on Tuesday. "These laws protect and encourage the hard work and ingenuity of software developers entering this growing and important part of our economy. We will continue to seize and shut down websites that market pirated apps and to pursue those responsible for criminal charges if appropriate."
Microsoft loves its MVPs -- most valued professionals -- and for good reasons. The company sells few products direct, relying instead on the skills of third-parties to promote and service solutions. MVPs receive special status and act, among other things, as crucial evangelists.
In case you missed it (I did being on vacation August 2), Microsoft is holding a contest for its MVPs through October 3. They submit "video tips" for which they can receive ongoing drawings for Microsoft points or grand prize, which varies by country. For example: Samsung Series 5 laptop in Canada and Dell Vostro in the United States.
"The Microsoft MVP Award program has always been about celebrating the many ways community members help and educate others about Microsoft products", Jake Grey, Microsoft community program manager for Community & Online Support, says. "Video has become a thriving way for the community to share more about their lives, including sharing technical tips and how-tos".
Videos must be between 40 seconds and 3 minutes and be about current Microsoft products, which means participants will have to save their Windows 8 or Server 2012 tips for later. Release to manufacturing isn't release enough for this contest.
"With the Microsoft Community Video Tips sweepstakes, we want to highlight these great tips from the community, which cover anything from using the Windows 7 snipping tool or Excel’s remove duplicates feature, to highlight of a new Xbox Arcade game or describing what is so great about their favorite Windows Phone 7 apps", Grey says. "The community has a lot of valuable knowledge and resources to share, and through Microsoft Community Video Tips, we want to put a spotlight on how the community’s video tips can help make Microsoft users’ experiences with our products more useful and rewarding".
To participate, according to Microsoft:
Load the video up to YouTube, and include the tag #mstips when you upload it. Next, simply email mstips@microsoft.com with the subject line 'Community Video Tip Submission' and the following information:
- Your name
- Preferred contact email
- Telephone number
- Title of the video
- Country of residence
- Microsoft relationship status (i.e. community member)
More information is available here, for US participants.
Photo Credit: studio online/Shutterstock
Android cameras are not a new concept, but for Nikon they are. The company today announced release of its first Android-powered camera, the CoolPix S800c. Rather than Jelly Bean, the shooter relies on much older Android 2.3 Gingerbread. So Polaroid got there faster, but that didn't stop Nikon from releasing the $349.95 camera.
It's a rather unusual package and you might wonder how Nikon manages to make the best out of Android when it doesn't have cellular connectivity. The CoolPix S800c makes due with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n to share the photos or movies to cloud services. Because it's running Android, Google Play is open for those seeking to install third party applications within the 680MB of space reserved for it.
The 16-megapixel sensor beats out most smartphones, including Samsung Galaxy S III but not the mighty Nokia 808 PureView, which sports a 41MP camera. Since the 1.7GB of internal storage might not seem enough for a camera capable of 1080p video recording and 16MP pictures, Nikon has given it a built-in SD/SDHC memory card slot.
GPS functionality is also on board, for that extra edge. Each photo can be geo-tagged and through Nikon's own app content can be uploaded to "my Picturetown" website. For those seeking to have a map of all the places they took pictures in, Nikon offers that too. But the app also allows uploading to "popular social network" websites, which is another added benefit of having Android and Wi-Fi on the CoolPix S800c.
Because the camera runs Android, there is support for Google Play and installing Android apps, which sets apart the shooter from almost every other available today.
Nikon has released something interesting with the CoolPix S800c, which might be the perfect device for those seeking a point and shoot camera that has smartphone capabilities in a package that isn't a smartphone. It might sound unconventional and that's true in a world filled by common, but for those wanting to stand out from the crowd the Nikon CoolPix S800c is the way to go. Now apply that Instagram filter and upload it!
Wednesday, eBay's online payment subsidiary PayPal announced it had partnered with credit company Discover to bring PayPal payments to an estimated seven million merchant locations across the United States. Beginning in the second quarter of 2013, consumers will be able to make payments with their PayPal accounts at the registers of these merchants.
Merchants looking to accept PayPal payments will have to upgrade their point of sale hardware or software, and PayPal's digital wallet technologies will be accepted. eBay on Wednesday did not go into significant detail about the mechanics of how payments will be administered, but it falls in line with the company's previous announcements about PayPal moving offline and Discover simultaneously improving its online presence.
For the last five years, this has been the trend among financial service and credit companies...and where these online and offline services meet is in the consumer's smartphone. Companies such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover have been pushing mobile wallets and contactless payment systems so they can break into historically cash-dominated businesses like quick-sale retail (like Starbucks), kiosk vending, and transit fare/parking/toll collection.
Ultimately, these companies are looking to replace cash in any way they can, and by partnering with online payment networks, they can bridge the gap.
"This relationship quickly extends PayPal's reach to millions of merchant locations nationwide and is a milestone moment for us that will create new benefits for Discover merchants without requiring new hardware or software," said Don Kingsborough, PayPal’s Vice President of Retail, in a statement Wednesday. "This relationship will deliver a truly seamless digital wallet, available most places consumers shop offline, which offers the speed, simplicity and security already enjoyed by 113 million active PayPal customers online."
credit: Helder Almeida/Shutterstock
I spend a lot of time defending educational as opposed to purely technical solutions to security. Not that I don’t believe in the usefulness of technical solutions. However, there are many people in the security business who believe that education is a waste of time because it isn’t 100-percent effective. Unfortunately, you can make the very same argument against any technological solution. Randy Abrams and I discussed that conflict of ideas at some length in a paper for AVAR: see People Patching: Is User Education Of Any Use At All? And Robert Slade made some excellent points more recently in post Security unawareness.
Static passwords are a pretty good example of a technology that’s proved to be less than 100-percent effective time and time again, yet is considered effective enough to remain the authentication mainstay of many a web service. Well, I could argue that it’s not so much about effectiveness, as a trade-off between effectiveness in terms of privacy, and the cost of implementing better authentication mechanisms. But that’s a discussion for another time.
There’s a proverb to the effect that "if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day: teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime". While the provenance of that saw is obscure, it’s worth examining more closely in the context of security, though in that context it might be better recast as "If you show a man a phish, you prevent him from falling for that one: if you teach him to recognize phishing, you save yourself and him a lot of hassle". And, in fact we’ve written quite a lot about phishing in the past: "A Pretty Kettle of Phish"; "Phish Phodder: Is User Education Helping or Hindering?"
Quite a Few Pairs of Breaches
However, right now I’d like to apply that thought to password practice, an area of security (or, more accurately, privacy) that’s probably of more immediate concern to many of us. In a year that’s so far been most notable for the number of major password breaches. On more than one occasion I’ve quoted Mark Burnett’s top 500 and one or two similar lists of the most-overused passwords, and recently I’ve noted quite a few journalists citing their own lists, but what does this teach the man-in-the-street (especially if he’s doing his on-line banking on his smartphone as he wanders down to the pub) about password choices?
Well, it isn’t entirely useless, or I wouldn’t have bothered in the first place (or, to be precise, the second place, i.e. at the time of the Yahoo! debacle. Sometimes a service uses the ‘three strikes and out’ approach to regulating password or passcode authentication, suspending an account after three failed attempts to supply the correct password, so avoiding the top 25 (say) most over-used passwords may be good enough to secure the account from an opportunistic attack using common passwords, and even where the suspension is automatically lifted after a preset time, that does at least reduce the potential effectiveness of a dictionary or guessing attack. But simply listing the top umpteen bad passwords isn’t really teaching anyone anything about password selection except to avoid a tiny handful of the billions of possible passwords and passphrases.
Horrific Heuristic
And in fact, that tiny handful, whether it’s 25 or 10,000, remains tiny even when you measure it against the millions of combinations that will be tried in a determined dictionary attack. In a recent Securiteam blog, I compared the two approaches in these terms. If you simply offer a list of bad passwords ordered by prevalence, you are effectively offering a series of micro-heuristics like this:
Don’t use ‘a’
Don’t use ‘aa’
Don’t use ‘aaa’
…
Don’t use ‘aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa’
Don’t use ‘b’
Don’t use ‘bb’
Valid heuristics, yes, but it saves an awful lot of typing just to say: "Don’t use any password consisting of a single character repeated N times". Or even "password is a really, really bad choice of password: it’s so obvious that everyone uses it, and letmein isn’t much better".
So let’s look again at that list of 25 passwords again. But rather than ranking them by how commonly they’re used (the sorted by prevalence column) let’s look at the alphanumeric order and see if that enables us to extract any heuristics more useful than "don’t use any of these 25 strings".
Sort of Sorted
| Original Ranking | Sorted by prevalence | Sorted alphanumerically |
| 1 | password | 111111 |
| 2 | 123456 | 1234 |
| 3 | 12345678 | 12345 |
| 4 | 1234 | 123456 |
| 5 | qwerty | 1234567 |
| 6 | 12345 | 12345678 |
| 7 | dragon | 2000 |
| 8 | pussy | 696969 |
| 9 | baseball | abc123 |
| 10 | football | baseball |
| 11 | letmein | dragon |
| 12 | monkey | football |
| 13 | 696969 | harley |
| 14 | abc123 | jennifer |
| 15 | mustang | jordan |
| 16 | michael | letmein |
| 17 | shadow | master |
| 18 | master | michael |
| 19 | jennifer | monkey |
| 20 | 111111 | mustang |
| 21 | 2000 | password |
| 22 | jordan | pussy |
| 23 | superman | qwerty |
| 24 | harley | shadow |
| 25 | 1234567 | superman |
Well, that’s interesting and maybe a little unexpected. In fact, it demonstrates the dangers of (1) using too small a dataset and (2) making assumptions about how applicable those data are in different contexts. Having done some analysis on purely numeric data as well as with larger password datasets, I know that the rule I mentioned above -- "Don’t use any password consisting of a single character repeated N times" -- is pretty sound in the context of both alphanumeric passwords and purely numeric strings (especially PINs -- Personal Identification Numbers: see Hearing a PIN drop and PIN Holes: Passcode Selection Strategies), but that heuristic isn’t specifically supported by this small dataset, where only one such password, 111111, is represented. So you’ll have to take my word for it that in larger datasets, other single character passwords (numeric and alphabetical) are indeed (over-)used and therefore bad choices.
Rules are Rules
A rule that does hold, however, is that passwords consisting of an ascending series of numbers starting at 1 are not a great or unique and original idea. The following all appear in our list above, all but one being in the top 6.
Curiously, 1234567 comes in at number 25. That may be related to the fact that many authentication mechanisms enforce (or used to enforce) a minimum of only six characters: people who take this easy route to selecting a password are not likely to go to seven characters if they only need six. A seven-character minimum is pretty unusual. However, when services started to get more password-conscious (or entropy-conscious), many started to use an eight-character minimum, which probably explains why 12345678 ranks so highly. 1234 is also very highly ranked in PIN prevalence data, by the way.
There may actually be two reasons why people favor this group of numeric strings.
What about 2000? Well, that’s too popular to be a good choice, of course. But why 2000? Probably because people quite often use memorable dates, even just a year where they can get away with 4 digits, as in the context of many PINs. However, it’s pretty safe to assume that memorable years (1066, 1492, 2000, 2001, any recent Olympic year) will be high on a password guesser’s list, and where an automated attack can be implemented, it doesn’t take long to cycle through all the possible 4-digit combinations.
Then there’s 696969. I have a theory about why that one is so popular, and while the popularity of pussy (which is also in this top 25) is no doubt because cat lovers need passwords too, there are several other words and phrases likely to be sex–related, including four-letter words, that aren’t in this list, but do turn up in several others. I’m not particularly prudish myself, but I would suggest that if you think that no one else ever used an obscenity or a word related to sexual practices as a password, you should think again.
There is just one mixed alphanumeric string in this list, abc123, but there are several others that turn up in other lists, including such venerable items as NCC1701, better known as the USS Enterprise. Well, you might want to avoid those two.
Back to the Drawing Board
So we have several sport-related passwords: clearly baseball and football are too popular to be a good idea, but you’ll find that other popular sports also make over-popular passwords (Michael and Jordan? Hmm…). But then, any word you’re likely to find in a dictionary is going to be guessed eventually (i.e. sooner rather than later) in an automated attack. We could look at the psychology behind the other choices of dictionary words that make up the rest of this list, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of point to it.
Clearly, there isn’t much potential for useful heuristics in a top 25. So in an upcoming post, I’m going to abandon the Top Umpteen approach altogether and start again from the basics of sound password selection. If you’d like to try a more flippant approach, though, you might want to take a look at A Torrent of Abuse for an attempt at password advice through parody.
Remember, though, that any password is only as good as the service to which it gives access: it doesn’t matter how hard to guess it is, if the service provider is incapable of providing competent security to keep a competent password secure.
A Teasing Conclusion
So here’s a quick summary of the little that we can learn from this top 25:
In addition, a decent password manager saves you a lot of thinking in terms of generating a hard-to-crack password and reduces the temptation to re-use passwords and risk a cascade of breaches when one of your providers slips up, as so many have done recently. I’m looking at password management software at the moment, and while I’m reluctant to make too-specific recommendations, I’ll be trying to give you some idea of what to look for in password management in another forthcoming article.
Reprinted with permission
Photo Credit: Vlue/Shutterstock
David Harley BA CITP FBCS CISSP is an English IT security researcher, author/editor and consultant known for his prolific blogs and articles and his books on and research into topics like malware, Mac security, anti-malware product testing and management of email abuse. He works closely with ESET, where, since 2011, he has held the position of Senior Research Fellow.
When film director Tony Scott committed suicide, Apple quickly put up a tribute to him on the iTunes store. Except the page is less of a tribute and more of a shop window. Underneath a picture of Scott, and a brief biography, are links to all of his movies available to rent or buy from Apple. It doesn’t mention his death, at all, just lumps all of his films together into a collection that’s prominently listed on the front Films screen.
When I first encountered the so-called tribute page, I was a little dismayed. When someone dies, the proper etiquette is to mourn them, and to reflect on their lives and on their achievements. It isn’t, generally, to try and make a quick buck from their passing. But that’s exactly what Apple has done here -- and it's not the first time.
Although Tony Scott was the creative force behind some major blockbusters, including Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide and Unstoppable, he wasn’t a massive success like his brother Ridley. And so he would never be the subject of a collection, such as the one Apple put together, if still alive today. This move isn’t about "Remembering Tony Scott" as iTunes dresses it up. Apple flogs old movies and profits from a man’s suicide.
What kind of company does that?
A mega successful corporation that places the bottom line above all else including, it seems, compassion and basic human decency.
Now, I’ve forgiven Apple a lot over the years. I said I wouldn’t boycott it over its patent war with Samsung, and while all those reports of suicides at Foxconn disturbed and saddened, I didn’t feel they were actually Apple’s fault. But this is just too callous a move, even for an Apple apologist such as myself.
Was the idea of doing this "tribute" raised in a company meeting? Did someone say "Hey, Tony Scott chucked himself off a bridge. We could use his death to make money!" Did everyone else nod and high-five at the brilliance of the opportunity? Did no one say "Hey, we’re worth $623 billion, do we really need to sink this low?"
When a famous singer dies, fans often react to the news by purchasing that person’s back catalogue. Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston’s albums stormed the iTunes chart and dominated for quite some time after their deaths. It could be said that by creating "tribute collections" Apple is just helping consumers to find those products.
But is it really? People know how to browse, they know how to search, and they know how to buy products in charts. When you go to a memorial service you listen to people sharing their individual recollections of the deceased, and you share your own. You don’t need someone selling you a book of "favorite memories" and indeed you’d be outraged if they tried.
To be fair, Apple isn’t the only company happy to profit from loss. When Whitney Houston died, her record label Sony responded to the tragic news by doubling the price of her greatest hits album. It later apologized and said it was an "employee error". What's Apple's excuse?
UK company Ergo Electronics on Wednesday officially launched GoNote, a 10-inch touchscreen netbook powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. While there have been numerous low-cost Android netbooks over the years, Ergo Electronics claims to have created a new category with the GoNote, the "hybrid touchscreen netbook."
The price is a reasonable GBP 149.99, and it will be available with a black or white chassis starting in September 2012. For this price, buyers will get a 10-inch 16:9 LED backlit screen with a 1024x600 resolution, powered by a 1.2GHz ARM Rockchip RK2918 CPU (based on the ARM Cortex A8 architecture,) aided by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. A microSD card slot is available, allowing users to extend the storage capacity by 32GB for a total of 40GB. It comes with four USB 2.0 ports, a mini HDMI 1.3 port, 3.5mm jack for audio output and microphone and a VGA forward-facing camera is thrown as well into the mix. In terms of Internet connectivity, the GoNote comes with an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. The 9000mAh battery provides a quoted battery life of 6 hours for video playback and roughly a week of standby.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is running in its full glory on the GoNote, and all compatible Google Play apps --which is no small amount to start with-- will be able to run on it, giving it instant versatility. But, just as Android 4.0 ICS comes out of the box, so does an office software suite, named Kingsoft Office, which includes text editing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs that are compatible with Microsoft Office 97-2010.
Basically, the GoNote is not the most well-specced netbook, and it's not the best tablet either. Granted, it's meant to be a netbook with a touchscreen display but the tablet comparisons will be inevitable. Students looking for a cheap device that gives them easy access to the Internet and the ability to write documents, make spreadsheets and presentations for school or for other activities should find the GoNote attractive.
At GBP 150, it's easily a nice offering from Ergo Electronics but final judgement comes from those interested in purchasing it, which will eventually dictate whether it has reached a sweet spot or it's just another, no-one-will-care-about device on the market.
Want to know the specifications of a computer? You could look at the manufacturer’s website, but you’ll probably find that there is a limit to the level of detail provided. Similarly, if you want to know how fast your machine is, there is little point relying on figures quoted by the manufacturer, if you want to know how it performs in the scenarios you are using it in. AIDA64 is one of the most advanced benchmarking and diagnostic tools available and the release of version 2.60 sees the addition of support for Windows 8 as well as the latest hardware.
Benchmarks are a great way to see how one system compares to another, and they also provide a means of checking exactly what difference, if any, tweaks and hardware upgrades make to the performance of your computer. There is support for a massive range of hardware, so whether you are using an aging machine, or something more cutting edge, you should be able to find out everything you need to know.
The latest update adds support for not only for the RTM version of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 but also additional hardware -- after all, hardware is the focus of the application. Benchmarks optimized for VIA Nano X2 and QuadCore processors have been added, including the VIA VX11 platform. AMD A-Series Trinity APUs are now also supported meaning that there are specific benchmarks for this hardware as well as all of the detailed specifications you could ever need.
The August update to the software means that the program is now able to provide GPGPU information for Direct3D Compute Shader, AMD Stream, nVIDIA CUDA, and OpenCL devices, now with APP SDK 2.7, CUDA 5.0 and OpenCL 1.2 updates. Various other hardware models have been added to the list of supported devices, and there have also been fixes to RAID member enumeration and RAID SMART support for Intel RAID controllers.
You can find out more and download a free trial of the program by paying a visit to the AIDA64 review page.
Photo Credit: Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock
One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with media files is that seemingly identical files are anything but. Why is it you’re able to play one AVI video file, but not another? How come that .MP4 video plays flawlessly, but this one just won’t open?
The problem is that the three-letter file extension is just part of the makeup of a video file. You need to identify the actual codecs used to render the audio and video, which can be tricky without third-party help. Thankfully, there’s a free tool that can identify those codecs for you in the form of MediaInfo Lite.
Once installed, you can use MediaInfo Lite one of two ways -- open it manually and browse for a video file, or locate the video file on your hard drive, right-click it and choose MediaInfo.
Either way you’ll get a pop-up window displaying detailed information about the media file in question, including sections dedicated to Video and Audio. It’s here you’ll find the all-important Codec ID you need to help you identify the file and possible reason why it won’t play on your PC.
And what do you do when you’ve discovered the all-important, mysterious codec? You have a number of choices. You can try hunting it down -- to locate individual codecs, try Googling the name of the codec, plus the word "codec" and maybe "download" to see what turns up. Alternatively, you’ll find many codecs are part of the various K-Lite Codec Packs.
Alternatively, consider switching media player to one that can handle a wider range of formats. And when it comes to handling a wide range of formats, there’s none better than VLC Media Player. Alternatively, try converting the video into a format your current media player can handle, using a free tool such as Freemake Video Converter.
MediaInfo Lite 0.7.59 is a freeware download for PCs running Windows XP or later.
Photo Credit: CREATISTA/Shutterstock
Symantec is a company with many strings to its bow but is most often associated with security software. Those with long memories will remember Norton Utilities, a tweaking tool for Windows that Symantec bought. The Norton name lives on and Norton Mobile Utilities revives the Utilities genre for Android users. The tool is designed to help your Android device more efficiently, and the release of version 2.0 of the app sees it splitting into two branches -- free, and paid-for premium versions.
The free version of the app, now referred to as Norton Mobile Utilities Lite, gives users greater control over memory usage, making it easy to terminate apps to free up resources. There are a number of informational components to the app, and these will tell you everything from how much battery life you have left, details of the hardware you are using and how much storage space you have available.
While it may be interesting to know the speed of your phone’s CPU, there are also more useful options available in the app. You can monitor your data usage and configure alerts that will sound when you reach a particular level to help you avoid receiving a hefty bill from your service provider. There are also many options that are really just duplicates of those already available in Android, such as freeing up space by uninstalling apps or moving them to your memory card, but these options are now available in one place and tied together with a neat user interface.
If you expect the tweaking options that were available in the old Windows version of Norton Utilities, you’re going to be somewhat disappointed. By upgrading to the full version of the app for $9.99, you gain access to features such as automatic battery profiles. It is also possible to configure automatic resource management so that running apps are terminated on a schedule to help keep things running smoothly.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Norton Mobile Utilities review page.
Great news for those seeking truly unlimited data plans. T-Mobile has announced that starting September 5, it will offer unlimited data plans in the United States. The carrier claims that their unlimited data plans are an industry-first, having no data caps, speed limits or "bill shocks". All sounds like great news, but what's the cost?
New customers can chose to bring their own smartphone or select a new one from T-Mobile's lineup, while existing customers on Classic or Value plans must upgrade to an Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan to benefit from the new unlimited data plans. The Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan costs $30 per month when combined with a Classic voice and text plan and $20 per month along with a Value voice and text plan.
What T-Mobile will offer is a solution for the never ending data caps and throttling issues that users are faced with. It should help smartphone users sleep better at night, as there will be no need to constantly check for the data usage and it also means that searching for a Wi-Fi hotspot in order to perform large downloads should be a thing of the past as well.
Surely the timing isn't coincidental, with iPhone 5's launch imminent and LTE a likely feature addition. T-Mobile doesn't offer nationwide LTE, but its HSPA+ network is capable of 42Mbps. The new plan makes the network without iPhone a more attractive alternative. And if T-Mobile officially gets iPhone 5...
Photo Credit: cartoon11/Shutterstock
For the other three people using Chromebook, Google hasn't forgotten us. Whoo-hoo! The company continues to iterate Chrome OS, and with each rev takes it further from the cloud and closer to earth. I like my Chromebook, but even I shake my head and laugh at the amazing innovations. Well, they were in 1995.
Last year when first introduced to Chromebook, I worked solely in a browser. Now Chrome OS is this molten half-browser/cloud, half-desktop mutation -- like the two-headed creature from "The Thing". But the motifs are all ancient desktop OS, which is such a step back from the cloud-connected device era. Shouldn't Chrome OS move forward.
Meanwhile, Windows 8 struts around its modern UI -- the one once called Metro -- like a peacock courting hens. Microsoft looks ahead to the post-PC future in ways you would expect from Google. After all, storks took that baby to the cloud and kept it there. Post-PC should be the air Google breathes. So why is the search and information giant oh-so fascinated with making the operating system more like what Windows was 30 years ago?
Chrome OS has a toolbar now. That's gone in Windows 8. Translucency is another recent Chrome OS addition, something Microsoft also booted from Windows 8. For the newest stable release, Xiyuan Xia, Google software engineer and Apps connoisseur (I want to see the business card), reveals yet another amazing new feature. Do you see the apps list/launcher in the photo? That's it, baby! Oh yeah, Microsoft introduced the similar Start menu with Windows 95 and replaced it on -- you guessed it -- Windows 8. There's an omnibox search box now, too. Well, Windows only has had universal search since XP, which brings Chrome OS into the 21st century at least. This from the company which core business is search.
The apps list isn't really new, just the presentation. Google introduced the feature with the last big Chrome OS makeover, which added loads of desktop-OS features -- and some of them are oh-so 1990s. You don't want to move around files on this OS, for example. It takes forever. I have Windows 3.1 flashbacks, the process is so traumatic. But back to the apps list: Google moves it to the cozy, pop-up menu from icons laid out on a desktop -- both, desktop motif and icons on top, being what 1980's innovations? Or where they 1990's?
The last Chrome OS update introduced Google Drive integration, which is anything but. There's no sync, which is available to Mac or Windows users. For an operating system that's supposed to be about the cloud, I expect much better from something as fundamentally important as cloud storage. Google Drive feels so tacked on, rather than being really integrated.
Meanwhile, Windows 8 looks good -- and different. You can see the changes and feel them under your fingertips. I have to say the same about Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which makes Chrome OS' fall to earth feel all the more fatal. Performance is great, but it's tough not to look at Windows 8.
Remember, I really enjoy my Chromebook. Imagine a critic's reaction.
Amazon Web Services on Tuesday announced Glacier, a new cloud storage service specifically aimed at data archival, backups, and other long-term storage projects where data is accessed only infrequently.
Even though the cost of on-premise backup solutions continues to drop, Amazon seeks to cut as much of the cost as possible with its cloud-based solution. For example, the service can cost as little as one cent per gigabyte per month, with upload and retrieval requests costing five cents per thousand requests, and outbound data transfer (i.e. moving data from one AWS region to another) costing 12 cents per gigabyte if under 10 TB per month. Per gigabyte rates decrease as the amount of transferred data increases. These rate tiers count aggregate usage across Amazon Glacier, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, Amazon DynamoDB, AWS Storage Gateway, and Amazon VPC.
Amazon is clear that Glacier is not a disaster recovery solution, but instead a records and content management solution. As such, the examples Amazon provided of ideal Glacier usage cases did not include mission critical backups; instead, they included: digital media archives (i.e. audio masters), financial and healthcare records, raw genomic sequence data, long-term database backups, and data that must be retained for regulatory compliance.
In other words, Glacier is a service for data that is mandatory to have available somewhere, and Amazon is pitching it as a cheaper alternative to tape backup like HP's Ultrium family of tape drives which generally hover around three to four cents per GB; IBM's TS Tape Storage systems or Oracle's StorageTek family of products.
Photo: muenierd/Shutterstock
Adobe Systems has released a new version of Muse, its coding-free web design tool, and the program is packed with significant additions and updates.
A new Forms widget, for instance, makes it easy to add a custom form to your page. Alignment tools help you align page objects in relation to each other, and asset support means you can now link to PDF files, archives, executables and more, ready for your visitors to download.
Muse widgets and controls work far more as you’d expect. Switch a menu between horizontal and vertical, say, and it’ll preserve the same size and spacing, as much as possible. And if you add a lengthy URL to a page and the Hyperlink control only displays the first part, you can now resize it to show the entire address.
Major improvements to HTML code generation include the program’s new ability to create shadows, glows and gradients through CSS, rather than by generating images. And as a result Muse sites are both faster to generate, and quicker to load.
Elsewhere, a new File > Upload to FTP Host dialog allows you to upload a site to your preferred FTP server.
If you’re not hosting the site on Adobe Business Catalyst then Muse will now create an appropriate sitemap.xml file to help deliver better search engine optimisation.
And other additions include Japanese and Italian localisations, greatly improved font handling, and a new ability to set styles, colours and swatches just by dragging and dropping, amongst many others (the official release notes will tell you more).
While in theory we ought to be delighted by all these new features, in some cases it’s hard not to wonder why they weren’t there for version 1.0. Being able to add forms to a page, easily link to PDF files or upload to a specified FTP host doesn’t exactly represent advanced functionality.
Still, at least Muse has these features now, and there’s no doubt that this latest release represents a major move forward for the package. A 30-day trial version is now available if you’d like to sample these new goodies for yourself.
Photo Credit: olly/Shutterstock
I must preface by clearly stating that I absolutely love my Nexus 7. I recommended it to dozens of people, and fully plan to hand out a few as birthday gifts before the year is over. The tablet is incredibly solid, and worth every penny of the $200 selling price. As far as hardware is concerned, Nexus 7 is remarkable in nearly every aspect.
That said, Google’s approach to Android 4.1 on this device leaves me with a sense of practiced uncertainty and no clue where the tablet fits into the Android ecosystem.
Three's a Crowd
Let's look at Android 4.1 as it exists across Google’s three reference devices. When just Galaxy Nexus and Motorola XOOM, the user interface offered two wildly different navigational instances. You had the drawer interface on devices smaller than 5 inches and the corner interface on devices that are larger. Nexus 7 brings a third design instance with entirely different rules, but with an interface that leans more towards the drawer style.
It’s not for nothing either; I much prefer the drawer style on the Nexus 7 than I do the larger interface. I think most people would prefer this design if given the choice, even if it often makes the tablet feel like a large phone.
So we’ve identified a mostly phone-like interface on Nexus 7, and it’s enjoyable. The apps that Google releases for the operating system, however, didn’t get the memo. In fact, they almost all use the larger interface. Compare Chrome on Nexus 7 to Galaxy Nexus. On the phone version of the app, you get some really terrific usability features, like the ability to tilt your phone up or down to scroll across the tabs you have open. You can’t do this on Nexus 7, because Chrome lays out like the tablet version of the app. Tabs line up like you would see them on your computer, but they stack up on top of each other when three or more are open in landscape mode.
This confusing experience is reflected in other app categories as well. You don’t see these problems with games, rather with information delivery apps. For example, Twitter apps for the Nexus 7 are in a state of disarray. It feels like no one's quite sure which design guide to follow. As such, most of the apps wind up being laid out as though they're on a massive phone, while the others cram their implementation of the larger interface onto the 7-inch screen. On my phone, there are many decent Twitter apps, but on Nexus 7 I find almost all of them are tedious and awkward, comparatively.
No Middle Ground
In time, Google hopes that this is an issue that will simply go away. As more users move to the latest versions of Android, more developers will move to the new design guidelines that Google promotes. Will that really solve these inconsistencies? Their “fragments” UI guidelines allow developers to build apps that will work within all three reference devices, but as Google has demonstrated that means your Nexus 7 apps will work as though you are on a small tablet, not a large phone. It doesn’t feel like there’s really a middle ground, even though the OS itself is clearly optimized for the different screen size.
It’s easy to look at these inconsistencies and think nothing of them. For the most part, in this one particular device, it’s a non-issue. The average citizen probably won’t even know that something is off. As someone soaked in the stuff, someone who looks at these devices all day, every day, it’s clear to me that there’s a small design curiosity that will only get larger with time.
Nexus 7 is off to a strong start, with the 16GB selling so well it's perpetually delayed. It's entirely possible that the tablet is the most successful Nexus device to date (IDC and other analyst firms aren't expected to release shipments until after third quarter ends). Other manufacturers likely will borrow from the Nexus 7 recipe -- as they should for devices Google releases as reference designs. More 7-inch tablets will become available, and each of the manufacturers will have to choose between copying Google, or going their own way (as Samsung so clearly does with Galaxy Tab).
Considering how many other manufacturers are already making their own variants of the Android UI, I don’t think it will go Google’s way for very long. When the time comes to pull bits and pieces from Nexus 7 and apply the recipe to other devices, manufacturers will take the user interface into heavy consideration.
Maybe the answer is to allow users to choose an interface for their apps. Maybe users should be able to flip a switch and turn the Nexus 7 UI into the larger format, like so many Android hackers attempt right now. There’s not really a clear path, since there really are two options here. If given the choice, most users will stick with whatever default they are given anyway. Google has clearly made two different interfaces though, and Nexus 7 sits awkwardly in-between them, not really belonging in either.
Software company Adobe Inc. on Tuesday pushed out Preview 7 of Edge, the timeline-based animation product that utilizes non-plugin Web protocols HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript. With this preview, Adobe has changed the name of the product to Edge Animate, perhaps better illustrating its intended use.
Since the last preview, released in May, Adobe has changed a little bit of everything, it's added new layouts, new tools, new keyboard shortcuts, and enhanced the stage, the timeline, the code editor, and overall usability.
It has been just a few days more than one year since the first preview of Edge was rolled out in Adobe Labs, and not only have significant improvements been made in that time, but it has also found a home in Adobe's Creative Cloud, the membership-based ecosystem that joins the Adobe Creative Suite desktop software with all of the Adobe tablet applications (such as Photoshop Touch, Kuler, and Proto) and various cloud-based publishing and hosting capabilities.
Adobe Edge Animate Preview 7 can be downloaded freely in Adobe Labs right now.
It's a big world, and LG wants to embrace it with a big phone. Next month, Optimus Vu will launch in select markets across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Middle East. That after a strong start in South Korea, where since March more than a half million phones sold.
Big is the word. Optimus Vu's 5-inch display reaches for Samsung's size class (think Galaxy Note). The LG smartphone has a generous footprint compared to the more common Android smartphones available today, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X or even LG's own Optimus 4X HD, measuring 139.6mm long by 90.4mm wide by 8.5mm thick -- or thin, if you prefer-- and weighs 168g.
Optimus Vu packs a quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 CPU that sneaks in a fifth core aimed at saving battery life. The display is a 4:3-ratio, 5-inch IPS LCD screen with an XGA resolution of 1024 by 768. Some other specs: 32GB built-in storage; 8-megapixel back-facing camera; 1.3MP front-facing camera; and 3G. Even though Google released Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in June, Optimus Vu comes with the older Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which will be almost a year old at the time of the phone's global release.
LG Electronics Mobile Communications CEO Jong-seok Park says that "the different form factor makes Optimus Vu unique even in the 5-inch smartphone category, which we expect will catch on once they become more widely available".
By size, Optimus Vu's biggest competitor is Samsung's Galaxy Note. But the larger phablet has distribution advantage. The United States is one of the largest smartphone markets. While the Galaxy Note sells there today, LG has yet to announce Optimus Vu's US availability.
What's your take on the "unique" LG Optimus Vu?
Just five days ahead of VMware's annual VMworld convention in San Francisco, a host of new hardware specifically designed to work with VMware's virtualization software was announced, including new products and designs from Dell Wyse, HP, and Hitachi.
Dell, which has been making a fierce charge into virtualized and cloud solutions revealed its new VMware-optimized hardware on Tuesday. This includes two new PCoIP zero clients under the five-month old Dell Wyse brand. The Dell Wyse P25 supports dual displays, and the P45 supports four displays.
These PCoIP zero clients are based on Teradici's Tera2321 and Tera2140 PCoIP processors, and are designed specifically for use in a VMware View environment on graphics-intensive design, modeling and rendering applications. These models are designed for high energy efficiency, and the dual-display models, according to Teradici, come in at under 6W of total system power.
The Texas company also announced the new EqualLogic PS6500ES and PS6510ES storage arrays for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), data warehousing, or online transactional databases. Each array can host up to 85 terabytes and up to two petabytes per Dell EqualLogic group, which can be centrally managed and provisioned by VMware vCenter in HIT/VMware 3.5.
Dell also announced three new desktop virtualization reference architectures and a tool called Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions for Government to help public sector IT meet federal security and compliance standards.
HP, meanwhile, announced its own VMware virtual desktop-optimized hardware, including the HP t130 and t410 Zero Clients.
Like Dell's new products the HP t130 is also built on Teradici's Tera2 platform and is a thin client designed specifically for VMware View. The t410, which is built more as an all-in-one terminal, is powered by a Texas Instruments ARM Cortex A8 (single core 1 GHz, 256 KB L2 cache) processor, giving it slightly more power, but also increasing its energy profile.
Last week, Teradici launched OEM availability of its Tera2 processor family, and in addition to Dell and HP; Samsung and LG announced support for the platform and are expected to show off new products at VMworld based upon it.
Microsoft’s new OS has a ‘Charms’ bar, which provides quick access to commonly used tasks -- Search, Share, Start Screen, Devices and Settings. It appears on the right-hand side of the screen when you move your mouse to either the top or bottom right corner. It’s an integral part of the Modern UI, but can get in the way on occasion. Fortunately, you can disable the two hotspots that cause the bar to appear by making a simple registry tweak.
Open the Run box by hitting Win+R, and then launch the Registry Editor by typing regedit into the box and hitting enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell, right-click in the right-hand pane and create a new key called EdgeUI. Select the key and in the right-hand pane create a new DWORD and call it DisableCharmsHint. Right-click the DWORD and select Modify. Change the Value Data to 1. This will stop the Charms bar appearing when you move your mouse to the top or bottom right-hand corners.
Quit the registry editor and try to summon the sidebar. You should find it no longer appears. You can, however, call it up by dragging your mouse upwards along the right screen edge, or, more easily, by pressing Win+C. You can also activate individual charms using the following keyboard shortcuts:
Search: Win+Q
Share: Win+H:
Devices: Win+K:
Settings: Win+I:
If you want to reactivate the hotspots, just change the new DWORD settings from 1 to 0.
Streaming media, downloading files, running a backup -- there are all kinds of reasons why you might leave your laptop (or any PC) alone for a while. But if your home has babies, pets or other curious passers-by then that could lead to problems, as even a single stray mouse click or key press could interrupt whatever you’re trying to do.
And that’s where KeyboardLock comes in. Small, portable and entirely free, the program can block keyboard and mouse events on demand, making it a little more difficult for even the most determined dog to affect your system setup. (Unless they hit the power switch, anyway.)
To see how this works, launch KeyboardLock, click Start, and minimise the program. It’s now monitoring the keyboard, and if you type the Lock password (cake, by default, although you can change this from the main dialog to whatever you want) then KeyboardLock will grab future keyboard and mouse click events. Which means you’ll be able to move the mouse cursor, but that’s about it – key presses and mouse clicks will have no effect.
And if you want to restore normal operations, just type the Unlock password (dart, by default), KeyboardLock will release its hooks and your keyboard will be active again.
Plainly this isn’t the most essential of programs. If you simply want to lock a PC then you can always just hold down the Windows key and press L, which works just fine without having to install anything at all.
KeyboardLock does have the advantage of not hiding the current desktop, though, which may be useful in some situations (you’re watching a movie, say, or would just like to glance at the screen occasionally to monitor how some ongoing task is progressing).
Just keep in mind that, while all this worked very well for us, there are some potential issues here. Leave KeyboardLock active on a shared PC, for instance, and someone else might type the lock password accidentally, and forgetting the unlock password could also be a problem. Use the program carefully, and only when necessary.
Photo Credit: Kutlayev Dmitry/Shutterstock
It's like some twisted reality TV show. As we draw closer to Windows 8's official release date, a parade of "D-List" industry luminaries has emerged to bash the product in exchange for their 15 minutes of fame. Names like Gabe Newell, a previously unknown co-founder from the equally obscure software firm Valve, have now become household names among the anti-Windows set. And while their arguments against Windows 8's success ring a bit hollow, the industry media is still eager to lap up every controversial quote.
Lest I be labeled just another kettle calling the pot names, I must confess that I indulged in my share of sensationalist Microsoft bashing back in the day. I made a career out of ripping Windows, first with the Vista debacle and later in the run-up to Windows 7. However, while my whining may have seemed a bit shrill at times, the underlying complaints were always based in fact -- for example, bugs with Vista's Plug & Play implementation that forced me to reinstall the OS and even lose data on multiple occasions.
By contrast, much of the blather surrounding Windows 8 consists almost entirely of opinion and/or speculation. These people are predicting that the new Windows will fail not due to any real technical flaw -- after all, Windows 8 is really just Windows 7 with a new shell, and Windows 7 was technically solid -- but rather because they disagree with some of the design decisions that went into the product's remodeled user interface.
It's sort of like saying that the next generation 3-Series BMW will be a flop because the company rearranged the buttons and dials on the dashboard: You're ignoring the bulk of the machine's positive traits (drive train, acceleration, handling) because the radio tuning dial is now on the other side of the CD slot.
I can only imagine how frustrating it all must be for Team Sinofsky. Here they are introducing a revolutionary new Windows UI designed to bridge the gap between old (desktop Windows) and new (BYOD and/or Tablet computing) and all anyone can focus on is that missing Start button. It's why obscure, sub-D-List (F-List?) blowhards like Chris Delay -- the original "Bedroom Programmer" -- can get media exposure for a game development firm nobody ever heard of (Introversion?) while giving the industry press one more excuse to regurgitate all the previous quotes from the equally irrelevant types who have axes to grind and lips that flap.
When I was pioneering the "Save XP" campaign back in 2007, I had a specific goal in mind: Force Microsoft to address the myriad flaws in Windows Vista. Nobody actually wanted creaky old Windows XP to stay around forever. But it was clear that Microsoft had screwed up by producing a slow, buggy OS in Vista and needed to be held accountable.
Today's anti-Windows campaign is a very different animal. The underlying complaints and proposed solutions run precisely counter to the course that Microsoft has so carefully laid out for Windows 8, a path that acknowledges the reality of the post-PC world we live in and takes steps to address the platform's touch-related shortcomings. If the company were to give in to the naysayers it would blow a golden opportunity to aggressively transition its users to a more modern UI model, one that will help the company remain relevant in the face of a deluge of Apple product and technology wins.
I, for one, am glad the Microsofties held their ground. Win or lose, at least they chose boldly when bold choices were called for. So let the D-Listers whine and moan. Years from now, everyone will still remember the names Steven Sinfosky and Windows 8.
Catch Randall C. Kennedy's smart analysis of tech trends every Tuesday and Friday here at BetaNews.
Photo Credit: blambca/Shutterstock
Oracle has updated both its open-source virtualisation tool, VirtualBox 4.1.20, and the accompanying VirtualBox Extension Pack, which is free for personal use only.
Version 4.1.20, which runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, is a maintenance release, with various bug fixes and minor changes the order of the day. This version should not been confused with the upcoming VirtualBox 4.2, a major release that recently enteredRelease Candidate stage.
The most notable changes in VirtualBox 4.1.20: the clipboard is now disabled by default for new virtual machines; the Max OS X version has been tweaked to work better on Mountain Lion; Linux guests running Fedora 17 should also see a bug fixed that caused problems with mouse integration, while the Linux installer should now also work correctly with Gentoo Linux.
Other fixes are minor in nature, fixing problems that occur in rare conditions, although those who experienced a crash restoring snapshots when powering off a virtual machine should find this bug has been squashed too.
As is customary, VirtualBox Extension Pack 4.1.20 has been released simultaneously. No release notes are available for this proprietary software that adds support for USB 2.0 devices, VirtualBox Remote Desktop Protocol and PXE booting for Intel network cards.
Version 4.1.20 should not be confused with the recently released Release Candidate of VirtualBox 4.2. Version 4.2 promises to be a major release with several notable improvements, including better Windows 8 and Mountain Lion support, user-interface enhancements such as virtual machine groups and an expert mode for wizards, plus support for up to 36 network cards and the ability to throttle network bandwidth for virtual machines.
For more details on version 4.2, plus links to the Release Candidate, click here.
VirtualBox 4.1.20 is an open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux. VirtualBox Extension Pack 4.1.20 is free for personal use only.
Photo Credit: Liv friis-larsen/Shutterstock
Android Open Kang Project, the team behind the popular custom Android distribution AOKP, has announced the availability of the first Android 4.1 Jelly Bean official build named Jelly Bean Build 1. The number of supported devices is currently limited to the Android smartphones used by the team behind the project, but it has been announced that availability will be extended once "things slow down" and new device maintainers will join the AOKP project.
Although there is no official changelog accompanying the release of the first official AOKP Jelly Bean build, some details are available as to what changes to expect from AOKP Jelly Bean Build 1.
According to the announcement, this is what it should include:
More features are included in AOKP Jelly Bean Build 1, but no specific details have been given at the moment. By the looks of it, there will be no official changelog because "we have nothing changed yet," but if you are interested in checking the latest updates on the project you can visit AOKP's Gerrit, which includes all the features added to the project.
The list of devices that are officially supported at the moment by AOKP Jelly Bean Build 1 is not extensive, including:
If you are "in the market" for a different operating system than the stock one on your Android smartphone now's as good a time as any. Android Open Kang Project has officially released Jelly Bean Build 1, and CyanogenMod team has announced the availability of the nightly builds for CyanogenMod 10, which is also based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. If you don't want to play with unstable Android builds, there is always CyanogenMod 9 which is a stable release but is based on the older Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
I always wanted a reason to root my Galaxy Nexus, and I think this might be it. Do you plan on installing any custom ROM, be it CyanogenMod or AOKP?
Before you share images via email, Facebook, or some other online means, the chances are that you have to spend time resizing them. This may be to overcome size restrictions (in the case of email attachments) or to reduce upload time (when you are sharing via social networks). Sizester is a great low-cost tool that lets you resize and share from the same place, helping you to get your images online faster than ever.
This is a small app that loads and operates incredibly quickly, making it a far cry from slow and cumbersome image editors that you may be used to. While it’s not free of charge, the asking price is very low and the ease with which it enables you to get your images online more than makes it worthwhile. It includes just the features you need to get the job done so you are not overwhelmed with unnecessary options.
You can work with images on an individual basis, or in batches, and there are couple of ways in which you can reduce the size of your pictures. Resizing can be achieved by using a slider to choose from one of ten pre-defined size, or you can shrink images based on percentages. You can also specify an exact height or width of image you would like, and you can then use a slider to choose an image quality. You can also crop images with a couple of clicks.
If you change your mind about the settings you have chosen by looking at the preview, there is an multi-level undo feature available. The Upload button beneath the preview window gives you instant access to a number of social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook as well as image services like Flickr and Smugmug. You can also send the resized images as email attachments from within the app, and save them as new files so you can use them in other projects.
You can find out more and download a free trial of the program by paying a visit to the Sizester review page.
Photo Credit: Alberto Zornetta/Shutterstock
Microsoft is starting to make good on its Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer -- $14.99 for new PCs running the current version purchased between June 2 and January 31. Today, registration opened, for redemption when Windows 8 ships on October 26. PCs running Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate qualify for the upgrade, for which registration must be completed by February 28.
While the program arguably is a benefit to Windows 7 PC buyers, Microsoft also double-dips licensing revenue. For back-to-schoolers who can't afford or don't want Macs (or Chromebook, not to be forgotten), Windows 7 is the only real choice. In another universe -- perhaps far removed from this one -- Microsoft shipped Windows 8 in time for these shoppers. But not here. (Perhaps in yet another far-flung reality Microsoft shipped, keeping with Mayan prophesies, Windows 2012 EOW -- End of World -- edition.)
Microsoft holds back no stops on availability -- "140 countries worldwide, with 37 supported languages and 23 supported currencies", product evangelist Brandon LeBlanc blogs. That's fine, but why make Microsoft go to all that trouble when you can just wait?
Call me old-fashion, but I would much rather buy a real Windows 8 PC than hack the OS onto Windows 7. Unless Microsoft has some secret sauce that removes all the crapware installed by OEMs -- as a hidden, free bonus -- I can think of few reasons why not to wait for Windows 8. You get a fresh image and drivers all optimized for Windows 8 and running the newest hardware. Then there are the new designs, primped out for the holidays -- maybe even a touchscreen or convertible model or two to pump your blood pressure.
Come October 26, your Windows 7 PC purchased today, tomorrow or next week is going to feel all so old. While others revel in early adopter euphoria, you will choke back disappointment.
Then there is Surface, running Windows RT, and no one outside Microsoft's inner circle knowing what it will sell for, all while rumormongers claim $199. I can't figure out if:
I wouldn't want to spend big money on a new Windows 7 PC and another $14.99 now only to find out that Surface is cheaper and good enough (Hey, Office 2013, baby) down the road. That while ignoring pure-Windows 8 heart-causing palpitations PCs shipping in about two months.
Why not just wait for Windows 8? Aside from students needing new PCs now, I can think of few good reasons why not to wait. And you?
If you need to free up some hard drive space then using something like CCleaner to remove leftover and temporary files is a good place to start. But duplicate files can also tie up a surprising amount of real estate, and so it’s often a good idea to use a specialist duplicate detector, such as CloneSpy, to see how bad the problem might be on your system.
To get started, launch the program, click Add Folder and choose the drive you’d like to scan: C:\, say. Click Add Selected Folder > OK > Start Scanning, and in just a few seconds (it’s very fast) CloneSpy will display the first pair of matching files.
You can now select the surplus file and delete it (being careful – wiping something important could trash your PC), or click “Skip” for the next pair, repeating the process to cycle through everything CloneSpy has found.
Of course this could take a very long time, particularly if CloneSpy has located thousands of duplicates. But fortunately there are a few ways to speed things up.
Click File > Options > Report, for instance, and select “Wait until all files are scanned…” and “display all equal files together in a list”. Now your duplicates will be displayed in a single window, making it much easier to review and resolve them.
Choose the Files and Folders sections of the Options dialog and you’ll be able to define exactly what CloneSpy examines. If you’re only interested in looking for particular file types, for instance, you can tell the program to report only on those. And you can tell it not to examine particular folders (it already avoids \Windows, \Program Files and other folders, for safety).
And if you’re really confident in the program and your settings then select “Automatically delete” on the opening page, and you can have CloneSpy remove duplicates without asking you at all. You might tell it to always delete the older files, say, or the smaller ones.
Just in case that’s not enough, CloneSpy can also search for more than just simple duplicates. Choose the appropriate action in the “Search for” box and you can have it look for duplicate files which have the same name. Or it can even report on files which aren’t identical, but perhaps just have the same name, perhaps with a similar size.
As usual with this kind of tool, there’s a huge amount of destructive potential here. Especially with the ability to automatically delete duplicate or similar files (there’s no prompting for confirmation first). The program tries to protect you from this by not examining the main system and application folders, and excluding EXE and DLL files from its searches, amongst others, but make a mistake and you could still break Windows or your applications. Don’t use this at all unless you have a full and recent backup to hand.
As duplicate file finders go, though, CloneSpy is extremely fast, very configurable, and entirely free (not even any adware annoyances). Give it a try and we think you’ll find the program to be a great asset in your drive cleaning efforts.
Photo Credit: tankist276/Shutterstock
The Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are a remarkable combination of hardware and software. If you're one of the less fortunate Galaxy Nexus owners and you haven't yet received Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, or you just want to restore from a custom ROM, this guide will show you how to install the stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your Galaxy Nexus.
Before actually getting to install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you should know that this process will erase all the data on your Galaxy Nexus, so take notice and backup the contents of your smartphone before performing the install. The easiest and most conveniently available method to perform a backup is to select "MTP mode" when you connect your Galaxy Nexus to the computer and then copy all the data that you want to backup to your computer.
This guide can be used for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus as well, but only when Google posts the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Factory images for the Verizon version. Also, when and if Google updates the factory images for the Galaxy Nexus you can follow the same steps to update regardless of the Galaxy Nexus model you have (GSM or CDMA).
Getting Started
In order to install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the following two items are required:
Setting the Stage
You have to install Android SDK and after it has finished, open Android SDK Manager and select only the following two items:
Once you have followed all the steps above, you should create a folder somewhere easily accessible within the command line. In this example I will use a folder named "Nexus" in my C:\ drive in Windows; it has the path-name "C:\Nexus".
From the folder where Android SDK Platform-tools is installed (in my case it is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools") copy the following files to the "Nexus" folder:
You have to extract the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean factory image to the "Nexus" folder, using a program like WinRAR or 7Zip. In this example, as a reference point, I will use the "takju" factory image, which is currently named "takju-jro03c-factory-bf087655.tar".
If you have completed step four, you should have ten files in your Nexus folder (11 if you have the Verizon model) and the "takju-jro03c" folder. If you have a Verizon Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus and you have downloaded the Verizon factory image you should have one more file, named "radio-cdma-toro-i515.fc04.img" for Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Once Google updates it to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean it will have a different name and you will use the new name of the file to update your device.
To be able to transfer and flash the files at step number five, which will update the Galaxy Nexus to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, USB Debugging can be activated from "Settings" -> "Developer options." From there, you can proceed to install the drivers for "fastboot mode." To install the drivers, follow these steps:
The Actual Installation
Everything is ready to start the installation process, but to do so a command window must be opened. Windows Key + R opens "Run"; type in "cmd" and the command window opens. Typing "cd C:\Nexus" and pressing Enter sets the "Nexus" folder as the working directory. Now, type in the following commands to install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean:
You can choose to not complete step number 16 and leave your bootloader unlocked. That's up to you to do, but you should lock it back up if you ever plan to send your Galaxy Nexus to the carrier/manufacturer for warranty claims. Leaving it unlocked will be easily noticed and it will void your warranty. But if you lock your bootloader you will lose all the data on your device next time you want to manually update Android because you will have to go through step number two again; leaving it open will make it easier to update next time.
This method will insure future OTA updates for the Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus directly from Google and it can be used to convert any Galaxy Nexus build, like "jakjuxw" for instance (which I previously had), to the "yakju" and "takju" builds from the factory images available on Google Developers.
Final Points
I have to mention that the first time I tried to update to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean from Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich I skipped a step and my Galaxy Nexus was stuck at the "Google" logo. I simply started again and have completed each step; after I rebooted the Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean loaded. It's important to read everything carefully and to go through all the steps. I have used Windows 7 and Windows 8 to update my Galaxy Nexus, so the guide works perfectly even for the latest Microsoft operating system. If Google releases another Android update, by following these steps, you can update to future versions as well.
I am totally tanked about Google+ offering custom URLs, which product manager Saurabh Sharma announced a week ago. For anyone looking to establish any kind of brand via the social network, custom URLs that look like this (https://plus.google.com/+joewilcox/posts) are more desirable than ones like this (https://plus.google.com/u/0/114738075629051960079/posts). Some people with verified accounts (I have one) are custom URL already (not my account). The change intrinsically increases Google+'s value compared to, say, Facebook, which already offers vanity names.
Something else: Custom URLs may finally end the debate about Google+ popularity. There are ongoing blogs and news stories claiming the social network is a ghost town. That's not my experience. Critics claim there simply isn't enough public activity, while defenders say the amount of private Circling isn't easily measurable and makes activity seem much less than it actually is. I see the situation like this: If custom URLs are as valuable as I contend -- and they surely have proven to be elsewhere -- demand for them will show how little or how much Google+ matters across the social media landscape and whether it's a city building or ghost town making.
My colleague Mihaita Bamburic posted a good rebuttal to the Google+ "ghost town" myth about three weeks ago. During Google I/O, Vic Gundotra, senior veep of Engineering, said that there are 250 million Google+ users -- 150 million are active and half of those daily.
Big brand interest will tip off just how valuable Google+ is as a social network. The search and information giant isn't exactly rushing on brands' behalf. "At first, we’re introducing custom URLs to a limited number of verified profiles and pages", Sharma explains. "But over time we plan to offer custom URLs to many more brands and individuals". The pace raises reasonable questions about demand for custom URLs, and with it, how active Google+ is as a social network -- or not.
Habitual Enough for Me
By comparison, Facebook garnered immediate response for highly-coveted vanity URLs, and I missed out getting my name. Facebook flipped the switch at 8 pm PT on a Friday night three summers ago, when I wasn't anywhere near a computer. Someone else got "joewilcox", instead. I accompanied my daughter to Long Beach Airport, from where she flew back East to visit friends. Earlier that day, I received the Nokia N97 smartphone, which I loved.
It's just as well I missed my name. I signed up for Facebook in September 2006 but have never been a big user of the service. Too much clutter, and even worse user interface design. Timeline is a mess. Since starting to use Google+ last summer, my social posting elsewhere decreased. Now I occasionally tweet, my Tumblr is silent and personal blog collects dust. Google+ is my hangout.
Custom URL "joewilcox" is exciting prospect, given that Google+ is, next to BetaNews, where I write most. I prefer Google+ for many reasons. Among them:
There are other reasons, but those are good enough for now. Perhaps I could sum all the reasons to this: I enjoy Google+. I like the people. I have fun. I look forward to using the service.
If Google+ is a ghost town, there sure are lots of spooks hanging around here. If the notion of spectres scares away Facebookers, I won't complain.
Photo Credit: jagoda/Shutterstock
US bookseller Barnes & Noble has confirmed that it will be bringing its Nook digital eBook readers and bookstore to the UK in the autumn. Initially the devices, which include Nook Simple Touch and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, will only be available through the company’s online storefront at [nook.co.uk] (which currently redirects to the main Barnes & Noble site). However, according to the company, the devices will additionally be available through various "leading retailers", which the company expects to announce shortly.
Speaking about the upcoming launch -- the first time the company has expanded its business outside of the United States -- William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer at Barnes & Noble, says, "We are proud to be able to offer our top-rated line of Nook reading devices and our award-winning digital bookstore to the discerning and highly educated consumers in the UK. We’re confident our award-winning technology, combined with our expansive content -- including books, children’s books, magazines, apps, movies and more -- will bring UK customers the option they’ve been waiting for."
The company’s choice of partners will be crucial if Nook is to make a significant impact in the United Kingdom, as the two largest high-street booksellers both have deals in place with rival companies. Waterstones recently announced it would start selling Kindles, including the soon to be launched Fire, while WH Smith offers the Kobo range of devices. As it’s unlikely either of those retailers will be interested in offering the Nook, Barnes & Noble will doubtless be looking to target the main supermarkets and department stores, where Kindles and Kobos are also already firmly established.
No pricing details have been released yet, but Barnes & Noble will have to take an aggressive position if the company is to stand a chance of replicating its Stateside success in the UK, where it is a relative unknown.
One of the most annoying things about Windows 8 is the new Start screen. It’s provoked a marmite-like response, but Microsoft has made it clear that it’s here to stay. That in itself doesn’t make it the end of the world, but the need to have to click the Desktop tile or press [Win] + [D] after logging on in order to access the classic desktop we all know and love is.
Fear not, however, as the good folk of WinAero.com have come up with a solution that works both now and in the future. The fix? Skip Metro Suite 1.0.0.
Skip Metro Suite’s primary function is to get you to the classic desktop after you log on to Windows 8. Perhaps wisely, considering Microsoft’s tough action on anyone trying to bypass or ditch the Start screen, Skip Metro Suite doesn’t appear to do anything remotely clever or naughty to achieve this aim. Instead, once installed, you reboot, log on to Windows and the Start screen briefly appears before giving way to the classic desktop.
It’s not as elegant as not having to see the Start screen at all when you log on, but it’s workable and likely to keep working beyond the RTM and Release Preview builds it’s been tested with (we used it with the RTM build with no issues at all).
Skip Metro Suite also offers some bonus functionality too: fed up with rolling your mouse to the top left or right-hand corners of the screen? No problems, just open the Skip Metro Suite configuration pane, then tick “Disable Top-Left Corner (Switcher)” and “Disable Charms Bar” to switch those hot spots off. Better still, you can still access both the task switcher and charms bar with the appropriate keyboard shortcuts, namely [Win] + [Tab] and [Win] + [C] respectively.
Both features work without having to reboot your computer, can be switched off as easily as they were switched on and make Skip Metro Suite that little bit more essential for old-school users frothing at the mouth every time they’re presented with the Start screen.
Skip Metro Suite 1.0.0 is a freeware download for PCs running Windows 8 Release Preview or Windows 8 RTM.
In a whirlwind restructuring that took place over the weekend, streaming video game company OnLive Inc. was stripped of all its assets and sold to a new company, at the expense of all of its shares and employees. The OnLive gaming service itself underwent no changes.
According to a statement from OnLive, all of the company's assets: technology, patents, trademarks, and so forth, were "transferred to an assignee, which then sold the assets to the new company. There was no transfer to any other party." The company's entire staff was laid off, and about half of the staff was offered their same job at the same pay.
Former OnLive CEO Steve Perlman received no stock and no compensation for the buyout, and most of the company's executives are receiving reduced compensation "to allow the company to hire as many employees as possible within the current budget."
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC, a former investor in OnLive, announced the cost it would pay for such a change:
"Due to lack of operating cash and an inability to raise new capital, OnLive had completed asset restructuring over the weekend. HTC estimates that it will need to recognize a $40 million provision for this investment loss," a statement from HTC said on Monday.
Other investors in the former OnLive venture included AT&T, Warner Brothers, Lauder Partners, Autodesk, and Maverick Capital.
Offering a unique streaming video game service that required no downloading or installation of any software, OnLive allows its users to connect to the Web and play console-quality video games on devices with the most modest processor and hardware configurations. Despite the massive organizational changes, OnLive's service continued uninterrupted through the weekend. The newly-formed company that acquired all of OnLive's assets will simply be called OnLive.
To the service's users, nothing has changed.
Social gaming just used to be about having fun, but now there’s a real-money element creeping in. First Gamesys launched a Facebook app that allowed UK residents aged 18 and over to play for real cash prizes while interacting with friends, and now Big Fish Games is getting in on the act with Big Fish Casino for iOS devices. The game is a relaunched and rebranded version of Card Ace: Casino, from recently acquired Self Aware Studios, that offers new games and additional social features, and will soon also allow UK users to play slots for real money.
If the thought of wagering your earnings on spinning reels doesn’t do it for you, you might be more interested to hear that the real-money feature, powered by UK-licensed online gaming company Betable, will also be available in blackjack, roulette and video poker in the coming months.
Paul Thelen, Founder and CEO of Big Fish, says of the new game, "We have a strong conviction that mobile apps that combine social and real-money gambling are a powerful way to engage more users and increase overall monetization. With its real-time social interaction features and the thrill of real-money gambling, Big Fish Casino is the closest mobile users can get to the buzz and excitement of playing these games in a real-world casino".
More and more real-money apps are set to arrive on Facebook and in the Apple App Store in the next few months. Although they’ll only be available in the UK to begin with, due to the country’s well regulated gambling controls, it’s possible they may spread to other English speaking countries in due course and possibly even to the US, if lobbying efforts by the likes of Zynga succeed in getting the Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2012 through the House and Senate.
A month ago today I asked: "Will you buy Windows 8?" About 1,500 of you answered the poll and offered more in comments -- to the story and others that followed. Now that Windows 8 is released to manufacturing and available to developers and to enterprises, it's good time to review your answers.
About 45 percent of respondents plan to buy Windows 8 as soon as it's available -- more consumers (25.06 percent) than business users (19.55 percent). All total, 55.71 percent of you plan on buying Windows 8 within six months of availability (from August for businesses and October for consumers). Given our select audience, I don't expect adoption to be that high that fast for the broader market. However, considering that analyst data -- from Net Applications, among others -- puts XP usage higher than any other Windows version, there is potentially huge pent-up demand for Win8. Then there is something different -- the new user interface formally known as Metro. (Say, what's its name this week?)
Microsoft needs Windows 8 to be big, as do its partners, particularly OEMs; it's more desperate now with most analysts reporting tablets sapping PC upgrades. Developers can always swim in the iOS tank. But, hey, do watch out for that Apple shark. This big white makes "Jaws" look like a guppy.
The overall global PC market was flat year over year during calendar second quarter, according to Gartner and IDC. By comparison, US PC shipments were disastrous, falling 5.7 percent year over year, according to Gartner, and declining 10.6 percent by IDC's reckoning.
Slow PC shipments sapped Microsoft's Windows & Windows Live division yet again during the quarter, with revenue down 13 percent. Operating income fell by 18 percent, or $511 million, in part because of a deferral related to Windows 8 upgrade guarantees. Microsoft and its partners need Windows 8 to start great out of the gate.
So Will You Buy?
Ben Craib answers "Yes! Go Windows 8!"
Jeremy Poynton says "No way. For a simple, home, one desktop user very happy with Windows 7, Windows 8 is a ghastly mistake. Metro is grotesque. Fergeddahbahtit. And yes, I have tried a couple of previews, and given up in despair in no time at all. WTF were they thinking? If it had W7 interface, no problem".
"Sold", skruis comments. "Three copies of Win8 for existing pc's/slates and two Surface likely orders (one Pro/one RT)".
"I don't want to like Win 8 but, unfortunately, I seem to be pulled into its maw", reader TomL_12953 writes. Everything is faster and smoother than on Win 7 Ultimate SP1 even though 8 hasn't been optimized yet. I was determined to dislike it but the more I use it, the more I like it. Rats".
Faith Roby: "Windows 8 is a no go. Hate the Beta Version and it is like Vista all over again!"
"Windows 8 is far better then any operating system that's currently on the market. I use the beta version of windows 8 on both my desktop and laptop. It works flawlessly", Fred Reed comments. "Microsoft has finally come out with an operating system that actually works the way it's suppose to. It loads up without problems".
Parker Kincaid: "The only way I'll wind up with Windows 8 is on a tablet like the Surface and that's if I even purchase a Windows-based tablet which will likely never occur. For a PC/laptop I am completely disinterested in Windows 8 and will be waiting until Windows 9 or whatever is is called".
srkelley:
Despite my Linux love I'm actually going to buy this. I'm mostly enjoying the Preview so far. I mean there are a few points of annoyance but in the end I'm liking the performance gains that I've received along with the knowledge that I'll be able to play the games I love more easily in Win8 (as compared to a Linux-only route). Wine works excellently most of the time but why bother with it when you can get the platform at a fair price?
All the comments above are from a month ago to the original poll story. mshulman writes yesterday, following Windows 8's posting to MSDN and TechNEt: "Download complete and now installing Windows 8 on a new 8-core AMD system".
But dizzydavidh isn't as enthusiastic: "As a former system builder I just cannot see how anyone in their right mind can ever justify moving to a Windows 8 platform from 7...I have to agree with so many others that 8 will be flop and Microsoft is going to have to swallow a bitter pill as a consequence washed down with a large slice of humble pie for not having listened, at all it seems, to it's existing user base as to what they do and more importantly don't want from a new Windows release".
WP7Mango: "I can certainly see the huge MS developer network making a lot of apps in a very short time frame...This is exactly what Microsoft need to deliver a large app store for Windows RT / Windows 8 as quickly as possible. As a developer myself, I'm delighted to see this".
So, if you have access to Windows 8 already, did you download and install? And are you happy about it?
This week, a new iPad application called Haiku Deck launched the iOS App Store, and it's a must-see. The free application gives users the tools to create aesthetically appealing PowerPoint slide decks that are punchy and -most importantly of all- not boring.
PowerPoint has existed for almost 28 years, and it has created a culture of tedious presentations where shaky presenters fill their slides with too much information and use them as a script rather than as a tool for engagement.
Haiku Deck strips out all of the superfluous capabilities of PowerPoint, and gives the presenter only a couple of lines to fill with text. The majority of the app is for creating style and selecting appropriate images to drive the presentation. It kicks out the proverbial PowerPoint crutches.
"All of the presentation best practices say things like: One idea/slide. Use one powerful image. Don't mix fonts. Don't read off your slides…All of the competitive action in the category has been about adding features that give users more rope with which to hang themselves," Haiku Deck CEO Adam Tratt told BetaNews on Thursday. "We're delivering a tool that empowers communicators to be more effective and protects audiences from having to endure eight point font."
Haiku Deck presents the user with five different presentation theme packs, which assign the presentation default fonts and image filters. The themes were designed by Luz Brachter of Seattle-based agency Design Commission, and they fit right alongside the designs found in Instagram, Jux.com and Flavors.me. Users can upload their own pictures for their slides, or they can search through Creative Commons images in the app's built-in search interface. The app is free, but Haiku Deck is monetized by including 11 bonus themes that cost $1.99 each.
"We looked at a range of pricing options across competitive offerings," Tratt said on Thursday. "As a newcomer in the field, we decided to make the app itself free and try to build the business around premium content, starting with themes. The app economy and in-app purchasing in the productivity category is so new that we didn't have a ton of data to light the way here. At the end of the day, it felt like $1.99/theme was a good place to start."
By limiting the amount of text and highlighting the visual aspect of presentations, Haiku Deck effectively unlocks the PowerPoint presentation from its old roots as a tool for meetings and staid lectures. On the company's own site, they utilize Haiku Deck to create visual resumés for the executive team. The effect is powerful.
"Once we built the app, we realized there are all of these great uses for presentations that nobody considers because the process of creating traditional decks is so dreadful," Tratt said. "Now that Haiku Deck makes it awesome, we want to help users discover great new ways to think about creating and delivering rich content with it."
Haiku Deck is available right now in the iTunes App Store
Visit YouTube in your browser and it’s easy enough to search for and play any videos you like. Downloading individual clips and using them offline is a little more difficult, though -- unless you get help from a third-party tool like YouTube Mate.
Launch the program and it’ll immediately begin monitoring your clipboard for YouTube URLs. If you find a video you’d like to save, just copy the address to the clipboard, and YouTube Mate will pop up a Download dialog. Click OK, choose the video format and resolution you’d like to save (there’s full HD support here) and watch as YouTube Mate downloads and saves it for you.
You have lots of clips to save? Not a problem. YouTube Mate can download multiple clips at the same time, just keep copying the URLs and deciding exactly which files and formats you’d like to grab.
Everything you download appears in a list on the program’s interface, and if you want to play a particular clip then just double-click it to view the movie in a simple video player.
Or, if the downloaded files aren’t in a convenient format for you, YouTube Mate can quickly convert them to something more suitable.
First you’ll need to define your output format by selecting the appropriate Profile option. There are profiles for specific devices (iPad, iPod, iPhone, and many other phones, portable video players and other hardware), and a lot of more general format options: you can save clips as Flash (SWF)movies, audio files, DVD-friendly MPEG’s and others (and you can even customise these profiles to take fine control over the frame video, video sample rate, whatever you like).
Then select an Output folder, click Convert, and YouTube Mate will quickly convert each clip to your chosen format. We would rather it converted only the selected clips, actually – there doesn’t seem to be any way to convert a specific file, other than remove everything else from the list – but it’s still a useful option.
YouTube Mate does have one potential annoyance, in that you must provide the authors with your email address before you can activate the program. They promise they won’t share it (and we’ve no reason to believe otherwise), but it just makes us wary.
If that’s not an issue for you, though, the program provides a quick and easy way to download and manage YouTube clips, and there’s certainly far more functionality here than we’d expect from a free tool.
Photo Credit: cybrain/Shutterstock
Windows 8 is finally finished, and we now know it’ll be available from October 26. If you really need to see what it can do right now, though, Microsoft have just released an evaluation edition of Windows 8 Enterprise that can download and try for free.
And that means you’ll get access to several more corporate features which aren’t available in the regular or Professional Windows 8 editions. Like Windows To Go, for instance, which allows the operating system to boot and run from USB drives.
Beware, though -- this isn’t quite as generous as it sounds. The build will expire after 90 days, and you won’t be able to revert to a previous edition of Windows, or install a new copy over the top of the evaluation build. It’s really just for testing, not long-term use, so once the 90 days are up you’ll probably want to reformat and start again.
Still, if you only want a quick look at “what’s new” then the Enterprise edition is a simple way to do it. Especially if you run it from Oracle VirtualBox, say, which will allow you to run Windows 8 in a window on your Windows 7 desktop.
And this is very easy to set up. Install VirtualBox, click New, give your VM a sensible name and choose Windows/ Windows 8 as the operating system and version, give the VM as much RAM as you can spare, but otherwise accept the wizard’s default settings.
Then launch the VM, point it at your downloaded Enterprise edition ISO file, and within a moment or two the Setup program will launch. Follow this as usual and you’ll be viewing the Windows 8 desktop surprisingly quickly (the entire process took under 10 minutes on our trial PC).
Just keep in mind that Windows 8 introduces some new issues with screen resolution. In particular, you’ll need at least 1024×768 to access the Windows Store and run apps, and to snap apps – run two side-by-side – requires a resolution of at least 1366×768. If this is a problem then launch the Desktop app, right-click an empty part of the desktop, click Screen Resolution and choose whatever you need.
For Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III users feeling locked in, there's freedom ahead. Thanks to the effort of an "African-Canadian Sock Monkey" bootloader, the S3 can now be unlocked. Modding fans get a green light to… mod.
Stock ROMs can be replaced with modded Android versions, making custom Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROMs a possibility on the Galaxy S III. Samsung has yet to release an upgrade to Jelly Bean from the stock version installed, Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, but it's likely that the upgrade is in the pipeline by now. If you're not a big fan of waiting for official upgrades, the modding community already has a solution for the International Samsung Galaxy S III, through a CyanogenMod 10 custom ROM.
It should be mentioned that unlocking the bootloader is no easy-peasy and it involves a certain degree of risk, among which is the possibility of having the warranty voided. That hasn't stopped modders before and it certainly will not stop them from now on, but don't say you haven't been warned.
The unlocking solution has been tested on a Sprint kernel; the Sprint version already benefits from CyanogenMod 10 official support, as well as having an AOKP custom ROM available for it. Now that the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III has an unlocked bootloader it's only fair to assume that the Verizon model will get its fair share of support from Android developers, which already started with the unofficial CyanogenMod 10 build.
The modding community has also given the Verizon version another "trick" to boast with: it can now work as a GSM phone. It takes a bit of effort to get it working, but it can be set up if you're interested in taking your US device outside of the United States, without leaving it at home and getting another phone abroad.
The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III is similar to other US-variants of the smartphone, with a 4.8-inch SAMOLED 1280 x 720, 720p display, packing a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, 16 or 32GB of storage, an 8MP back facing camera with 1080p video recording and LTE support among the most noteworthy features. The unlocked bootloader and GSM support adds flexibility to an already great smartphone that benefits from 4G LTE speeds.
Long-running photography management site Photobucket on Thursday unveiled the beta version of its redesigned user experience, which gives the service more competitive footing against the Web's dominant --some would even say default-- photo-sharing site, Facebook.
How could it possibly compete with Facebook? Well, that's the thing. Photobucket obviously understands that it would be silly to even try to compete. So if you can't compete with Facebook, you hook your service into Facebook and add bonus features.
That's one of the main features of the new Photobucket, it hooks into your main content streams seamlessly. The new desktop photo uploader, paired with the site's social importer and mobile apps, pull photographs and video from wherever they're captured or uploaded, and consolidates them under the single Photobucket account without much effort.
And In the event that you decide to abandon Facebook and shut down your profile there, you can transfer every photo to your Photobucket account in about three clicks. That is also pretty effortless.
One area where Photobucket clearly outshines Facebook is in content privacy. On Facebook, photos generally have four settings (Visible to the public, to friends, to the user only, and to a custom list.) Photobucket has settings to keep people from copying your content, settings to permanently remove location information from photos automatically, and settings to scramble filenames so photo links cannot be guessed and navigated to despite being unlisted. Albums can also be password protected to provide an additional layer that keeps unwanted traffic out.
Then there's the newest feature, which doesn't roll out with this beta, but is instead available as a sneak peek, with launch expected in the fall. Photobucket calls it "Stories," but it is clearly influenced by Facebook's Timeline feature. It lets users to create, collaborate upon, and share visual narratives based upon photos, videos, and other content.
However, rather than being a single, overarching timeline of all content uploaded to the site, Photobucket Stories can be used to create small, enclosed vignettes that can be shared and, you guessed it, embedded on Facebook, or Twitter, or Pinterest, or whatever social network.
Since Photobucket already includes editing and filters in its web interface (something that Facebook only has within Instagram and not Facebook proper,) the addition of Stories will give Photobucket a complete package that Facebook does not yet have, one that lets users take photos, edit and filter them, and arrange them into narratives that can be seamlessly shared elsewhere. It's a strong position for the site to take.
The first 50 people to click through here can test the new Photobucket beta. If you can't get in, let us know, and we'll work it out for you.
When you’re watching TV the remote control seems to have a life of its own, often resulting in it disappearing when you decide you want to switch channels. Being somewhat larger than a standard Sky remote, your iPad is far less likely to go missing, so wouldn’t it be great if you could use the tablet you’re using to check emails while you watch TV to control your Sky+HD box? The release of Sky+ 4.0 means that this is exactly what you can now do.
Getting up and running is very simple -- just make sure that your Sky+HYD box and your iPad ate connected to the same network and you’re ready to go. While the app itself is not new, many of its existing features have been updated and there are plenty of new options that have been added as well. The big new feature is remote control. Using gestures you can control the playback of whatever you’re watching, tapping to play and pause, and swiping to skip back and forth.
This is by far the biggest new feature of the app, but there’s more too. You can also connect to your Planer and schedule programmes to record, check what you have lined up for recording and add reminders. The TV guide has been improved so that navigation is easier than ever and you can tab on the icon for a channel to switch your TV to that station. It would have been good to see more of these feature implemented in the iPhone version of the app, but the extra screen space of a tablet makes all the difference.
In addition to this, there is also an improved search tool that can be used to search for programmes from within the planner as well as when looking at TV listings. There have been general improvements to the look, layout and navigation side of things; whether you are an existing user of the app, or you’re yet to try it out, this is a great tool to supplement your TV viewing.
Note -- this app is only available in the UK.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Sky+ 4.0 review page.
Some photo correction programs are optimized for simplicity. If you want to sharpen an image in Paint.NET, say, you’ll select Sharpen from the menu, and drag a slider to represent the amount of sharpening you need: easy.
Photivo is more about giving you power and control. Instead of just a single sharpen algorithm, for instance, it supports Gradient sharpening, Wiener, Inverse Diffusion, Unsharp Mask, Highpass and more, and each of these in turn has multiple settings you can tweak.
It’s much the same story with other photo processing tools. Go looking for a denoising option, perhaps, and you’ll be spoiled for choice, with tools for impulse noise reduction, wavelet denoising, luminance denoising, pyramid denoising and more.
There’s an extensive list of other options, covering geometry correction, demosaicing, vignetting, texture overlays, and the list goes on.
And just about everything here offers a considerable degree of fine control. Wavelet denoising, for instance, provides ten associated values for you to configure and adjust. And even apparently simple tasks, such as converting an image to greyscale, gain a host of useful tweaks to help you deliver precisely the results you need.
Of course all this power does greatly increase complexity. The program definitely isn’t for photo processing novices, and even experts may occasionally wonder exactly what they should be doing next.
You don’t have to understand every single detail to get something from the program, though. And Photivo’s lengthy feature list – which includes RAW file import, batch processing, Gimp workflow integration and more -- mean it may be worth keeping a copy around, if only for those times when your regular photo editor just isn’t enough.
At 17, I hitchhiked with a friend from Maine to Boston, where was the regional Federal Communications Commission office. The agency heavily regulated radio, and I couldn't be a deejay without obtaining a Third Class license, which required a test and some math skills (yeah, just to spin vinyl). I flunked and thumbed rides a second time, passing the exam and getting a five-year license. My radio career started at college station WMEB.
Much has changed about music since the late 1970s, when punkers rebelled against their disco-loving Baby Boomer siblings. But surprisingly much is the same, too -- or so Nielsen's "Music 360" report reveals. Radio doesn't dominate music discovery like it once did (I partly blame canned broadcasts for taking the personality out of the airwaves), yet remains top source: 48 percent of people find out about new music from radio. Friend recommendations is distant second (10 percent) followed by YouTube (7 percent).
"While younger listeners opt for technologically advanced methods, traditional methods of discovery like radio and word-of-mouth continue to be strong drivers", David Bakula, Nielsen senior veep says. "With so many ways to purchase, consume and discover great new music, it’s no wonder that the consumer continues to access and enjoy music in greater numbers".
Radio's role as primary music source has changed for some music listeners. For example, 64 percent of teens listen to music on YouTube, followed by radio (56 percent) and iTunes (53 percent). CDs: 50 percent. iTunes as third isn't all that surprising. Apple unveiled the MP3 playing software in early 2001 and iTunes Music Store little more than two years later. Most teens grew up with iTunes, much like the previous generation did CDs and the one before vinyl.
But YouTube is still fairly new, comparatively. The service opened to the public in November 2005, but legal music services with reach, like VEVO, are fairly recent additions (late 2009). Confession: I listen to considerably more music on YouTube than radio, too. (But I discover more using Shazaam on my smartphone when shopping in stores or watching TV shows or movies.)
YouTube's music popularity says much about video's popularity among US Internet users. According to comScore, in June:
Google should really capitalize on YouTube's music popularity, even more than it does. The live events (Did you catch Lollapalooza?) are really good. Two days ago, Matthew Leske, Google's Hangouts on Air product manager, revealed the new Studio Mode, which allows stereo broadcasts. "Studio Mode optimizes your individual audio for music instead of conversation, and no else needs to change a thing", he explains.
Perhaps I'm too old school, but I'd like to see live veejay broadcasts from Google or YouTube partners like VEVO. There are music and artist channels that have some auto-programming but where's the personal touch? MTV launched with 5 veejays -- and, depending on gender preference, a generation of music consumers crooned for heartthrobs Mark Goodman and Martha Quinn. These days the network is more NMTV -- no music-video television.
Why shouldn't YouTube be a place for live music video broadcasts? Bring back the early MTV-days-like veejays, when there was much less overproduction and more feel of being in the studio, live, with them. Let people use social media to vote and share. Yes, some TV cable channels offer the latter. But social, music, video and the Internet better fit the YouTube generation.
Hey, I'm just saying.
Returning to Nielsen's survey, music is as mobile as ever, but changing:
Music player apps are most prevalent, followed by radio and music store apps.
- 54 percent have music player apps on their smartphones
- 47 percent have radio apps on their smartphones
- 26 percent have music store apps on their smartphones
Strangely, I rarely listen to music on my smartphone. As mentioned above, I frequently use it to discover new music.
And you? Where do you discover new music?
Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox
As expected, the Windows 8 and Visual Studio 2012 RTM builds were made available for download to Microsoft MSDN and TechNet subscribers Wednesday afternoon, giving developers early access to the "first final" build of Microsoft's flagship operating system and development environment.
This round of releases focuses on getting developers the tools they need to get Windows 8 apps ready for sale when the OS goes commercially available on October 26. As such, the new Windows Store is a major focus of updates today.
This version of Visual Studio, for example, now incorporates Blend, the visual authoring toolkit so app developers can publish their XAML and HTML/CSS/JS apps more quickly and easily. The "final version" of the Windows Store is also expected to launch today, so developers can get their new Windows 8 applications working, listed, and ready to sell for launch.
For enterprise developers, or really anyone who's interested in getting Windows 8 Enterprise RTM before October 26 can download a 90-day evaluation copy today. Both 32-bit and 64-bit ISOs are available, and downloaders must register their copy and activate it with Microsoft-hosted activation and validation services.
We've got it right here on FileForum if you don't want to wait in traffic over on MSDN.
Samsung on Wednesday officially unveiled its new Galaxy Note 10.1 to the United States. The device is an update to Samsung's part-phone-part-tablet Galaxy Note which debuted last year and was met with equal amounts of fascination and derision.
Unlike its 5.29 inch predecessor, this device will not be confused with a phone in any light because it has a full 10.1 inch (1280 x 780) LCD display like the Galaxy Tab family. It's equipped with a 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos processor, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.0.4 (ICS), and has a 5 megapixel rear camera and 1.9 megapixel forward-facing camera. It comes in 16GB and 32GB variants and has a microSD slot for additional storage.
It is considered a "Note" and not a "Tab" primarily because it focuses on providing support for Samsung's S-Pen peripheral and related pen-enhanced software like S Memo, S Note, and My Story as well as third-party apps like Photoshop Touch and Kno Interactive Textbooks. Further, Samsung's build of Ice Cream Sandwich features a few major tweaks like split-screen multitasking, and pen-based app launching that shape the experience.
Though there are many Android-based tablets available today, there are comparatively few with advanced stylus capabilities, and even fewer running new builds of Android. HTC's Scribe digital stylus worked with both the 7" Flyer and 10" Jetstream tablets, and Lenovo's ThinkPad Android tablet also featured its own pen and apps; and with the exception of the original Galaxy Note, that's the extent of it. There are some outliers, like EFUN's NextBook Next5 tablet that incorporates the Apen digitizer and the Korea-only LG Optimus Vu, but it's still a very small playing field.
A Wi-Fi only device, the suggested retail price for the Galaxy Note 10.1 is $499 for the 16GB version, and $549 for the 32GB version and it will go up for sale on Thursday.
You can’t have failed to notice that Windows 8 is attracting a lot of negative press. Some commentators, such as myself, have said it will flop, others that it will be the new Vista.
But not everyone thinks the updated operating system is a disaster. Thomas Koll, CEO of Laplink, is actually pretty positive about Windows 8's chances, and took the time to sit down with me and share his views about that and other topics, including flat PC sales, Microsoft Surface and tablet adoption in the enterprise.
Could you please provide a bit of background on yourself for the benefit of the readers.
[TK] Sure. I’m a Microsoft alumnus from 1988 -- 2001. All of my positions at the company were in sales-related functions, including corporate sales, country manager Microsoft in Germany, corporate vice president at Microsoft in Redmond responsible for one of the five sales divisions.
I’ve been the CEO of Laplink since 2003. For over 25 years, Laplink has been a global leader in PC connectivity, helping more than 15-million PC and Mac users worldwide who migrate, transfer, synchronize, share and remotely access billions of files per week.
Great. Let’s start by talking about the PC market. Second-quarter PC shipments were poor. They're flat globally, and down somewhere between 5 and 10 percent in the United States. Why do you think this is, and what do you see happening in the future?
[TK] The PC market is weak for several reasons. The weak economy has negatively impacted consumer spending overall, which includes computers. But perhaps more importantly, many consumers are choosing to use their limited budgets to buy new and additional devices like smartphones or tablets. I think only a small percentage of consumers have actually replaced their PCs with a tablet (and even less with a phone), but they clearly are extending the life of their existing PCs and not replacing them.
The result is many PC purchases have been postponed; for consumers who do much of their "consuming" (email, Facebook, music, video) on non-PC devices, they can squeeze a few more months (or years) out of their computers. Extending the life of existing PCs, a weak economy, and spending on non-PC devices has combined to significantly slow sales.
But the PC is not dead. We may love our iPads, we may love our new phones, but we’ll keep a PC around. It’s just that we won’t replace it as frequently as in the past.
Windows 8 is dividing opinion with some people predicting the new OS will be the next Vista. What do you make of it?
[TK] It certainly will not be Vista. Vista was considered a technology problem. Big memory needs, incompatible with the existing applications, high expectations from users. Win8 addresses a different set of issues. It brings a consistent UI across form factors, is very focused on the consumer buyer, and retains compatibility with older applications.
There will definitely be a group of people not liking it, but I hear more and more positive comments. Due to the additional market it addresses, there will be very controversial discussions (like iPad vs. Win8UI), but these should not to be compared with the traditional Windows PC user community’s opinion.
What features do you like and dislike about the new OS?
[TK] I like the new style UI, faster integration with data sources, compatibility with Win7 apps. But I don’t like that the classic view is being reduced in functionality. There is no good reason to switch to a new apps start-up model (no Start menu).
Are there enough features for the business user? Will the new UI entice business users to switch? I think there is a risk that some users (and perhaps many businesses) will want to downgrade new PC purchases to Win7. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it will create negative publicity.
What do you think Microsoft needs to do to succeed with its Windows 8 launch in order to reclaim the ground the company has lost over the past decade?
[TK] The debate about the "lost decade" is a bit silly. Microsoft has made great improvements in the last 10 years. The enterprise market has grown very strongly, new markets like the Xbox conquered; new communication products like SharePoint are dominating…
Yes, Microsoft did not have the "usual" wins in the smartphone and tablet markets, which today dominate the "excitement factor" for many consumers, but these things can change quickly. Some years ago, everyone thought that netbooks running Linux were a major threat to Microsoft. But in the end, most Netbooks ran Windows.
Apple and Android did a great job of creating a new market, but don’t count Microsoft out yet. That being said, I do think Win8 needs to challenge these alternative operating systems. That won’t be easy.
But let’s not forget that we use a lot of Microsoft products on these non-Windows devices such as Exchange, Office, Skype, etc. With Skype alone, Microsoft has the potential to dominate the Internet calling/communication market.
For me, I think Win8 success will mean that Microsoft will be able to defend its enterprise dominance and get Win8 tablets as the default choice for corporate users. And, of course, the company will need to obtain some share of the existing premium tablet market for consumers. (I expect Apple will stay the premium market leader and Android the lower-cost choice). If Microsoft can do this while turning Surface into a hit, then that’s a pretty good outcome for the company.
Microsoft will remain a dominant ecosystem, but we will certainly see alternates become more and more available for consumers, like Apple and Google. However, these guys only play in the consumer space and they have no offerings for businesses or government, today. Microsoft must use Win8 to keep Apple and Google confined primarily to the consumer space.
Laplink has forecast there will be 125 million users of Windows 8 in the United States alone within 18 months of it being released, with a large proportion coming from consumers buying new hardware to take advantage of the OS’s capabilities. What’s this predication based on?
[TK] Win8 will be shipped by all OEMs. Automatically it will be as successful as Win7 unless the PC market crashes. If 350-million PCs are shipped in the next 12 months, then it will be easy to reach those numbers. I would think that this number is conservative for 18 months given that there likely will be an increase because of availability in different form factors than in the past, as well as the proliferation of non-PC devices as WinRT tablets.
What’s your view on tablets? Will they totally replace laptops and/or desktops in the future?
[TK] No, definitely not, but the form factors will morph somewhat. Is Surface a tablet or a PC? Yes. Is a WinRT a PC? Might not be. However, the tablet (with keyboard) might replace a certain percentage of PCs that have been used for "consumption" (email, web browsing, limited text input). I think tablets and phones are like microwave ovens -- very convenient, very easy, but every home still has a conventional oven.
What do you think about Surface?
[TK] It looks like a good tablet (with a keyboard). Microsoft has to transform itself into a company with a hardware division, which should not be the biggest problem, as it has done so for Xbox and peripherals in the past. But if Surface can scale, it will be a major transition for Microsoft. If that happens, we can expect a major reorganization to follow.
Laplink has said it envisions significant enterprise adoption of Windows 8 tablets, but will businesses really want to spend a fortune on new technology? Surely maximizing their existing hardware makes greater sense?
[TK] Businesses will spend on new technology if there’s a positive ROI attached. Already, tablets are coming into the enterprise -- mostly iPads. Today, 50 percent of business desktops are still on XP, but almost all will soon move to Win7 or Win8. A normal adoption cycle to Win8 will start in about 18 months, but it will be far easier (and cheaper) to manage a Win7/8 environment than a Win7/iOS environment. Tablets in the enterprise are a given, and because Win8 tablets will have a better ROI than iOS, Microsoft has a great chance to get significant adoption of Win8 tablets.
And finally, do you see Windows 8 as being a good or a bad thing for your business?
[TK] I believe a good thing. We will see expanded interest in PCMover (again, our view is that the PC is not dead) and also our sync products, which are needed to keep your data in sync between all your devices (including PCs).
Chinese software developer EASEUS has updated its ToDo Backup software range to version 5. All versions, including EASEUS ToDo Backup 5 Free, gain Windows 8 compatibility, a tweaked user interface, support for large hard drives and the ability to specify file types for backup.
Paid-for versions of EASEUS’s all-encompassing backup and restore tool, including EASEUS Todo Backup Workstation 5.0, also benefit from new backup options involving Windows 7 Libraries and Outlook.
Version 5.0 adds full Windows 8 compatibility to its roster, plus now supports hard drives that are larger than 2TB. It also further tweaks the user interface that was radically revamped in the previous 4.5 release.
Of most interest to those using the free edition is a new feature allowing users to specify file types for backing up in selected folders, to rapidly speed up the partial selection of folder contents. The user must click the drop-down arrow next to File to access the feature. Several templates -- including Document, Email and Financial -- are provided, or the user can specify their own collections.
Those using a paid-for version of the program gain an additional two features: support for backing up (and restoration of) Windows 7 Libraries with a single click, plus quick and easy Outlook backup and restore.
EASEUS Todo Backup 5 Free is a free-for-personal-use download for PCs running Windows 2000 or later. EASEUS Todo Backup Workstation 5.0 is also available as a trial download, with the full version costing $39.
Photo Credit: Jakub Pavlinec/Shutterstock
If you’d like to find out which programs load along with Windows on your PC then Autoruns is a great place to start: it’s small, portable and produces a very detailed report, yet remains very easy to use.
Silent Runners is an interesting alternative, though. It also itemises your Browser Helper Objects, shell extensions, “shell execute” hooks, context menu handlers, print monitors, autoplay handlers and more. And it tries to highlight entries which look suspicious. But the key difference is that the program comes in the form of a VBScript, so you can see how it works, and perhaps tweak the code to suit your needs.
To try Silent Runners, download its zip file, extract the contents and run Silent Runners.vbs. If you can, anyway: a long history of abuse by malware means VBS files tend to make security software nervous. Silent Runners isn’t dangerous in any way, but if you have problems running the script then the author’s FAQ page has some useful advice.
Assuming you can launch Silent Runners, though, it’s straightforward to use. Just click “Yes” in the opening dialog to skip the “supplementary test” (a potentially lengthy test which doesn’t add much), and a minute or two later a plain text report file will appear detailing all the startup programs the script has found.
This report can be lengthy, as it covers all the usual startup entry points (and quite a few of the unusual ones, too -- this page has the full list).
Because Silent Runners isn’t trying to squeeze its data into a GUI, each individual entry can be very thorough. The first entry in the “Windows Portable Device AutoPlay Handlers” section looked like this on our test PC, for instance:
iTunesBurnCDOnArrival\
Provider = iTunes
InvokeProgID = iTunes.BurnCD
InvokeVerb = burn
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\iTunes.BurnCD\shell\burn\command\(Default) = “C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe” /AutoPlayBurn “%L” [Apple Inc.]
And the script even tries to highlight suspect entries at common malware launch points by adding a marker – “<<!>>” – to the beginning of the relevant lines. Although this didn’t seem to useful on our test PC, as it just picked out several safe and entirely legitimate programs.
If you have some VBScript knowledge, though, you don’t have to live with this kind of problem. If you’re unhappy with some feature of the program, just edit the script and change it, or strip it out entirely. And then add some features of your own: new tests for the report, perhaps? Maybe generate an HTML file for a better-looking report?
Silent Runners plainly isn’t the best choice for the average PC user, then: running its script can be difficult, and browsing the plain text reports isn’t much fun, either.
It is a powerful tool which offers plenty of configuration possibilities, though, so if you need something more than the regular startup program list then Silent Runners deserves a closer look.
Photo Credit: Kruglov_Orda/Shutterstock
Remember RealPlayer? The media player that was once, quite some time ago, one of the go-to media players for online media disappeared into relative obscurity, shouldered out of the limelight by the likes of Silverlight and HTML5 video. For desktop platforms, RealPlayer has all but vanished, but it is trying to make headway into the mobile market. RealPlayer for Android is out of beta and officially released.
Rather than just audio and video, RealPlayer for Android can also be used to play slideshows of photos, but movies and music are really where it’s all at. There is support for playlists so you can create mood music for every occasion and access it with ease. Aside from RealVideo and RealAudio, support for which can be added through and in-app purchase, the app can playback any file that is supported by your phone or tablet.
The interface is neatly set out and a handy widget is available so you can control media playback from the home screen; you can also control playback when your device is locked. RealNetworks’ online focus means that a variety of sharing options should come as no surprise; in addition to sharing through your favorite social network, there is also support for lastFM scrobbling so you can let others know what you are listening to.
The app does suffer a little from trying to be a jack of all trades -- it does a reasonably good job of acting as a music player, a video player and a photo viewer, but it does not excel in any of these areas and there are better apps available for each of these tasks. That said, if you are someone who abandoned RealPlayer some time ago, this might be the time to give the name a second chance as this mobile app is a different beast to the desktop tool of days gone by.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the RealPlayer for Android review page.
While click fraud and identity theft are probably the most common forms of larceny on the Internet, I just heard of a company that sets a whole new standard of bad, lying to advertisers about, well, everything.
Click fraud is when a website either clicks on its own ads to increase revenue, gets someone else to click on them with no intention of buying or works with botnets to generate millions of illegal clicks. I wrote a few months ago how longtime YouTubers were suffering income drops as Google algorithmically eliminated their botnet clicks. But click fraud requires a third-party ad network to work. What I am writing about here is something completely different.
I have an old friend who works in the private equity world where companies are bought and sold for millions. He was about to do exactly that with a prominent web media site (buying it for low nine figures) when due diligence revealed the amazing news that the company was completely fudging its ad numbers.
It was too good to be true.
This can only happen for sites that sell their own ads but this particular site was just sending invoices to advertisers for amounts that were consistently 10 or more times what the advertisers would have paid on the basis of real -- not fake -- clicks.
It’s click fraud without the clicks, since all the complexity of clicks and bots is eliminated in favor of just sending a bogus bill.
I wonder how common this is? Have you heard of this happening or has it happened where you work or used to work?
There is apparently no standardized ad auditing capability on the Internet so scams of this sort are actually easy to do. And advertisers often lean into it by often preferring not to know precisely how effective are their ads.
Take my money, please.
Now here’s the strangest part: having discovered this blatant fraud my friend walked away from the deal but did nothing to bust the offending web site. His lawyer advised that because he signed a non-disclosure agreement with the crooks my friend might be legally liable if he turned them in to the authorities. It is his intention, though, to bust them just as soon as the NDA expire -- in three years.
Yes, I know the name of the website, but if I tell then again my friend is liable. So my lips, too, are sealed.
Until then I suppose advertisers will be soaked for more millions. That is unless the website owners can find a really stupid buyer.
Reprinted with permission
Photo Credit: Robynrg/Shutterstock
Even if I may not come across as a Research in Motion fan, I actually like the Canadian smartphone manufacturer more than you'd think. RIM is the underdog in the smartphone race and after I wrote the article on the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook I thought to myself "yeah, this is nice; I'd actually have one over a Nexus 7". The specs pointed to a very capable 7-inch tablet that is better than typical, run-of-the-mill, BlackBerry PlayBook in almost every single way. What's not to love about a new, strong entry on the market? Well…
I didn't expect to like the tablet, since I didn't expect it to be launched in the first place, given the financial context being most unfavorable in a long time for RIM. The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook is a miracle in its own way, being released at a time when RIM shares plummeted harder than a Tic-Tac falling from a skyscraper. Then I saw the price: CAD549.95, in Canada, at Bell, Rogers and Telus; I'm still left wondering: "What are they thinking?" That's about $554 for the folks south of the Canadian border. Since both the Canadian and United States BlackBerry shops have the same prices for the PlayBook, it's fair to assume the 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook will too.
The 32GB BlackBerry Playbook, the unpretentious RIM tablet, normally sells for $249 but it's discounted now to $229 in Canada and United States. An easy subtraction shows a $220-225 difference depending on currency (higher for US Dollar) and that could be reasonable if it was a wonder tablet, except it's not. That $550 for a 7-inch tablet is simply absurd when a 16GB Nexus 7 sells for less than half its price. Is the RIM 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook two times better than the 16GB Nexus 7? Take the LTE connectivity out and the hardware differences between the two do not favor RIM's tablet, except it has more storage. Are BlackBerry OS + 16GB of extra storage worth around $300 on top of the 16GB Nexus 7 price? It's not, at least for me anyway.
It's double the price of its most obvious competitor, but it's also $30 more than the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 in the United States and the same price as the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 in Canada. Between the two, I'd say more people will go for the iPad, despite it not having 4G LTE connectivity. I'm wondering if the guys who decided upon the price looked at other tablets on the market before setting the target on $550. Where I'm standing, it looks like an overpriced 7-inch tablet that's neck and neck on price with the iPad 2 and probably a bit less expensive than Microsoft Surface with Windows RT.
RIM stock traded for $7.17 per share at the time of writing the article on the announcement of the 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook and from the looks of it the news of a new product isn't going to miraculously improve their market cap.
And it actually didn't do squat for the smartphone veteran. On August 2, when the story was published, RIM stock sold for $6.95 per share at closing time, worse than earlier during the day when I wrote it. On August 7, rumors of a partnership between RIM and Samsung surfaced and, coincidentally or not, the stock market rewarded RIM, which share price reached $8.34 on Monday. It's $7.44 in early trading today.
Simply put, RIM launched a new product, gaining little short-term benefit but when a rumor appeared of a possible partnership with Samsung the stock prices have suddenly improved. I'd venture a guess and say that the news of the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook came like an alien landing in a deserted area: no one was there to see it, so it didn't make any difference.
So to answer my two questions from my previous article on the RIM 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook, I'd have to answer with "No" on both counts; it didn't influence stock prices, not for the better that is and I can only assume based on pricing that the sales of the Google Nexus 7 will not be disturbed by it.
Now, I'm not a pessimist by nature; I was actually optimistic about when RIM announced the new tablet, hoping that the underdog would fight off the bigger players. But when a sky-high price is added to the equation, the hardware and software combination don't shine even half as bright as almost two weeks ago. I still like the underdog, but I don't agree with its ways.
Now that the price has been set, who is interested in buying it? Not me.
Cloud security has been a hot topic in the news lately. While most of the hacks reported in the press have affect consumers and popular free services, there’s no question that some businesses will be concerned, in the light of all these negative reports, about just how safe their off-site data actually is. It’s one thing for an individual like Mat Honan to lose his digital identity, but if a business loses the data it has stored in the cloud (or worse still, if it should fall into the wrong hands), that can have truly catastrophic consequences, both in terms of monetary loss and damage to reputation.
The perceived risk of cloud storage might have some small-and-medium businesses rethinking their strategy and looking to return to the old days of just backing up locally. But doing so could actually put company data at far greater risk. If the firm’s servers fail as a result of a cyberattack or a natural disaster, it’s going to be much harder to affect a speedy recovery.
While handling data management in-house might seem like a possible cash-saving solution, it can actually work out to be far more expensive in the long run. For starters, there’s the wages of the on-site staff that will need to be employed to ensure the smooth running of everything, including keeping on top of the security standards and regulations. Giving the task to an existing employee, in addition to their day to day duties, will just increase the risk of important updates not being applied in a timely fashion. It’s a worrying fact, according to Verizon’s 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), that 96 percent of hacked businesses surveyed were not compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) when they were attacked, and 92 percent of all breaches were identified by third parties, typically weeks or even months after the event.
The truth is, despite the recent scare stories, dedicated cloud storage still offers the best solution for most businesses. Cloud providers are typically less attractive to hackers because they invest far more in security than the average SMB could ever afford. They’ll also offer physical security at their storage sites, to prevent someone breaking in and making off with the data the old fashioned way (according to Verizon’s DBIR, 10 percent of all recorded breaches was down to a lack of physical security).
Of course, it’s important for businesses to identify the right provider for their needs, and you really do get what you pay for when it comes to cloud storage. Choose a cheap solution from someone without a proven track record, and there’s the risk they might not be up to the task (or worse still could go bust). If you have a company that’s considering moving your data to the cloud, Verizon Business, which offers a suite of cost effective enterprise-class cloud services, suggests asking the following questions of any potential provider before giving them your business:
All good questions, and ones that any competent cloud provider should be able to answer with ease. If they can’t, or the answers seem vague or uninformed, walk away. Your company’s data is too valuable to risk.
Photo Credit: Jirsak/Shutterstock
Growl is an excellent notification system for OS X that makes it easy to keep an eye on the status of a range of different applications without the need to switch between apps. But there is one problem, particularly for anyone who is keen to jump on the latest version of OS X -- there is currently no support for Mountain Lion and its new Notification Center. Mountain Growl can help here.
The Notification Center is in line with the same feature that is found in iOS and is the latest in a series of changes to OS X that blurs the lines between the mobile and desktop versions of Apple’s operating system. If you have been a Growl user, you’ll have noticed that when you upgraded to Mountain Lion that you have to endure Growl notifications alongside those from the Notification Center.
Once you have Mountain Growl installed, this is no longer the case. This free app can be used to push Growl notifications to the Notification Center so that they will appear with all of your other notifications. This unification plugs the gaps until a fully Mountain Lion compatible version of Growl is released.
All of this works well, but there is one slight drawback. All of the notifications are generated are sent by Growl itself, so this is the icon you will see next to individual entries in the Notification Center, this is a minor quibble, however, and Mountain Growl is well worth a look.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Mountain Growl review page.
Many programs require that you have the correct version of the .NET Framework installed before they’ll work. And so it’s important to understand which versions of .NET are installed on a system before you start installing new software.
Microsoft haven’t provided any straightforward way of finding this out, unfortunately, but that doesn’t have to be a problem: the .NET Version Detector provides everything you need.
The program is convenient to use, coming in the form of a single, portable executable. It’s small at only 774KB, and is a native application, so doesn’t require .NET itself.
The Version Detector’s interface is a little confusing, though, mostly because it tries to display too much information all at once. We were expecting a simple list box with one line per .NET version installed; instead there are panels, and buttons, and a list, and a text box, and menus.
But once you understand what’s happening this isn’t really a problem. Check the panels to the left, and any .NET versions displayed in white text are installed; those with greyed out text aren’t. Or you can scroll down the text box at the bottom of the program for a simple list.
And those buttons over on the left actually represent download links; the green should grab a copy of the relevant framework version, while the purple ought to download the appropriate software development kit, if you need it.
We say “should” download, because the links don’t always work. We clicked the download button for .NET 4.5, for instance, and just got a “not found” error at the Microsoft site: oops.
Microsoft have presumably just moved the file, though. And the links themselves are server-based, so this isn’t an issue with the program itself; as soon as the author notices the problem and updates things, all will be well, without you having to download anything further.
The .NET Version Detector has a few issues, then, in particular its overly cluttered interface. But its small size, portability and (mostly working) .NET download links mean the program still provides a convenient way to understand and update your PC’s .NET configuration.
End of summer typically means slower news cycle and with it more ridiculous rumors and positively pathetic punditry than ever. For example, the Apple Fanclub of bloggers and journalists squirms and squeals like a pack of hogs rolling in fresh mud -- they can't get enough of the Samsung trial under way in Northern California. Then there is Microsoft and the mini-revolt over the Surface tablet. Acer whines, Toshiba gives up Windows RT plans and everybody who is no one guesses just how low Microsoft will sell its tablet.
The problem is one of conflicting objectives. Apple's iPad sells faster than bacon cheeseburgers (let's keep to the pig metaphor shall we) during the County Fair. Total shipments topped 85 million in July -- in about 27 months. Today, IHS iSuppli put Apple's second quarter tablet market share at 69.6 percent globally -- that's up 44.1 percent, or 11.5 points, sequentially. Yeah, from 58.1 percent in Q1. (Pop those eyes back your head now.) Meanwhile, Windows starts essentially from zero. Microsoft can't close distance on iPad fast enough, and sure-fire, proven way is offering a compelling alternative for much less.
So Microsoft will make its own tablet, competing with OEM partners. Hence, the conflicting objectives, since the Redmond, Wash.-based company so depends on hardware manufacturers to sell its software. Surface will come in Windows 8 and RT versions, but it's the latter that has some OEMs squealing like pigs in the slaughterhouse. Microsoft is supposed to bring home the bacon not cut up partners for dinner. Pork chops anyone? Microsoft rarely sells any computing device that takes money from OEMs, but Surface RT is sure to do this. By how much is the question.
Google chose a smaller (7-inch display), cheaper strategy ($199), with Nexus 7. Surface RT will be larger, 10.1 inches, and like other media tablets run on ARM-architecture. Pricing is anyone's guest, with $199 among the newer rumors circulating the InterWebs. No wonder Acer pleads for a more reasonable 500 bucks. Trust me, there's no margin for Acer or any other OEM at $199.
Last week, Acer CEO J.T. Wang gave Microsoft a plaintive ultimatum regarding Surface, according to the Financial Times: "We have said think it over. Think twice. It will create a huge negative impact for the ecosystem and other brands may take a negative reaction. It is not something you are good at so please think twice".
But $199 makes loads of sense to me. Microsoft needs to practically give away Surface RT to gain market share fast. iSuppli analyst Rhoda Alexander warns:
With the expected entrance of the 7-inch version of the iPad in September, Apple is sending a clear message that it plans to dominate this market over the long term. Apple’s major media tablet rivals, Google and Microsoft, hope to challenge Apple in the second half of the year, but will be facing formidable headwinds with no sign that the market leader is backing off of its aggressive strategy in the market.
Forgive my skepticism about the oft-rumored 7-inch iPad, but let's hypothetically assume Apple would release such a beast at $199 or $299. Surface will need to offer much more for much less to compete. Apple has got Microsoft's secret weapon to bear on the tablet market, too. Applications, and broad developer support, is foundation for Windows success. iPad, too.
"A major component of Apple’s success to date is the company’s well-developed ecosystem of content and applications it had in place before entering the tablet market, and its absolute control of the hardware, software and operating system,” Alexander says. “When a customer buys a media tablet, what he or she is really doing is purchasing a key to that ecosystem, not just a piece of hardware". She's absolutely right.
Hence, Microsoft plows into the tablet market with its own end-to-end product, leveraging the existing Windows ecosystem, which actually is weak on tablets and will be until there are more native apps.
So Microsoft needs to give buyers a better reason to buy Surface RT. Lower price is it, baby, even if major OEM chief executes call paramedics after clutching their chests.
I bring the price question to you. What would you pay for Surface RT? Quick specs: 10.6-inch ClearType HD display; 32GB or 64GB storage; microSD, USB 2.0 and Micro HD Video ports; 2x2 MIMO antennae; and Office 2013. Weighs 676 grams and is 9.3 mm thick. How much would such a tablet running Windows be worth to you?
Well, $199 is a no-brainer for me, and I wouldn't think twice about $299 -- that's for the 32GB model. And you? Please respond in comments below and take our poll above.
Toshiba is the third Microsoft OEM to pass on Windows RT, saying Tuesday that it has cancelled all plans for devices based on the platform for the foreseeable future. The announcement follows the very public comments of Acer CEO JT Wang, whose comments on Surface suggest his company isn't interested either, and a similar move by HP back in June.
"Toshiba has decided not to introduce Windows RT models due to delayed components that would make a timely launch impossible. For the time being, Toshiba will focus on bringing Windows 8 products to market", a company spokesperson tells BetaNews.
Toshiba's announcement timing is interesting considering the comments of Microsoft ecosystem and planning chief Mike Angiulo on Monday. Angiulo tried to calm the nerves of the community, saying the Redmond, Wash. company is doing all it can to work with partners on both Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Microsoft "worked very hard" to Support Partners
"Microsoft has worked very hard with this release to provide the tools and support to contribute to new PCs that are more reliable, faster, use fewer system resources, and have improved software loads than comparable Windows 7 PCs", Angiulo says. He lists Dell, Lenovo and Samsung as ready to produce RT devices.
There are two noticeably missing from that list, Acer and Toshiba. This omission could mean that Microsoft knew about Toshiba's announcement ahead of time, and used the blog post to limit the damage.
"Windows RT represents a significant reimagining of not only Windows, but Windows PCs and how we partner together to engineer them", Angiulo concludes. "We are looking forward to the exciting announcements ahead from Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung".
Toshiba's Decision came Recently
Toshiba's announcement can be seen as somewhat a surprise. Texas Instruments was the company's partner building Windows RT devices. The two had already shown off concept hardware, and things were going well -- as recently as two weeks ago.
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, TI Windows development manager Kathy Brown describes development as "going well", saying she is "very excited" with Toshiba's plans. At the same time, Brown did admit RT development is difficult. That said, Dow Jones characterized the interview as positive.
So why the decision in such quick order? With TI nor Toshiba commenting further on the circumstances surrounding Tuesday's news, any suggestions to the true reasoning would be pure speculation at this point.
No One Reason for ditching Windows RT
It isn't clear why OEM's are seemingly running away from Windows RT. There are a few possible reasons though. The first as discussed is Microsoft's decision to encroach on OEM's turf with the Surface. These partners may feel attempting to compete with Microsoft itself is not worthwhile as consumers may see the tablet as an inherently superior product due to the fact that it's built by Microsoft.
But there could be another reason, and that's support. Since RT is built to support ARM processors, no x86-based software will work. This creates an issue for these manufacturers in that the amount of software available will be far less than its Intel-based counterpart for an extended period of time.
Photo Credit: arindambanerjee/Shutterstock
Tuesday, Microsoft announced it has begun a major update to its consumer cloud storage service SkyDrive, which includes a new Web interface to the service, updated apps for desktop and new ones for mobile, and some new APIs for developers.
Two weeks ago, Microsoft opened its newest webmail brand and design upgrade on Outlook.com, and over a million people signed up in the first 24 hours alone. The update to the SkyDrive interface will be similar, and it will bring the same clean appearance, and will utilize the tile-based interface formerly known as "Metro" that is common among most current-generation Windows properties.
The layout of the new SkyDrive interface will be almost exactly the same as the original "Folder View," which utilized large thumbnails for each content heading. The left-hand navigation pane remains the same, except with larger, presumably more touch-friendly icons. The toolbar across the top shifts depending upon the context of the main window. If the user is at the folder level, for example, he's given folder options, if he is deeper, he will have file-appropriate options. Searching and sorting options have also been improved.
In the mobile category, Android will be getting an official SkyDrive app "in just a few weeks." It will be similar to the existent Windows Phone and iOS versions, but will be woven into Android's sharing architecture like Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive have already done.
For developers, a couple of previous restrictions have been unlocked. File type restrictions have been lifted, and full resolution photos can now be uploaded instead of having to be compressed and shrunk like they have been since SkyDrive first opened. Additionally, the SkyDrive API now includes a Javascript file picker that lets developers add the ability to open files from, or save files to SkyDrive directly from websites.
At the end of 2011, Microsoft released Office OneNote for iPad, bringing the cult favorite note-taking application to all of Apple's devices.
But major shortcomings with the freemium OneNote for iPad app have earned it a significant number of negative reviews in the iTunes App Store. Third-party iPad app Outline+, released at the end of July, seeks to provide fixes to these complaints. So far, the app tackles two of the major issues plaguing the iPad version of OneNote: syncing and formatting.
Syncing
The most common complaint of users of OneNote for iPad is that the SkyDrive sync feature is slow, crashy, and error-prone, frequently running into sync conflict issues. Outline+ instead syncs with Dropbox and iTunes, providing users with either a cloud-based, or hardwired alternative method for quickly uploading and downloading their OneNote Notebooks.
Formatting
Outline+ claims to be "the first and the only app on AppStore that works with Microsoft OneNote files directly. Even Microsoft's own app can't do that."
In Microsoft's OneNote for iPad, formatting issues are a frequent complaint: with organizational features like indentation, bulleting, numbering, and listing missing, and often a complete inability to display inked (handwritten) notes. As one reviewer said in the App Store: "If you've taken a lot of ink notes, you can pretty much forget using this as a stand-in for your computer even for just reading the notes."
In Outline+, all formatting, links, and images are retained, and the user can edit by typing, formatting text, creating lists, adding images, and creating sections and subsections.
The ability to ink directly on notes is still not present, but the Outline+ team is working on that. That feature isn't present in Microsoft's app, either, so things can only get better. Additional features promised in upcoming versions of Outline+ include Skydrive sync, Sharepoint and protected sections compatibility for the Enterprise version, and Math symbol support.
Outline+ includes full support for OneNote 2010, partial support for 2007, and no support for 2003. It can be downloaded in the iTunes app store immediately. Once you buy the $14.99 app, updates are free for life.
It's a radical thought. What if Microsoft is secretly planning to ditch Intel? With all of the recent talk about Windows RT "PCs", distinctions between the consumer roles associated with RT-based devices and the more traditional PC roles normally reserved for Intel-based systems have become blurred.
Suddenly, usage scenarios and form factors that were firmly part of Intel's territory are being encroached upon by a cornucopia of non-x86 Windows offerings. And cheering them all on is the chip maker's longtime comrade-in-arms, Microsoft. The Redmond, Wash.-based behemoth has been looking for a way out of the Wintel duopoloy for some time now, and the combination of increasingly powerful ARM designs and a tepid response to Intel's Ultrabook campaign has given the company the perfect opportunity to step out on its old partner.
The upside of such a move for Microsoft is obvious: The company gains access to a more power-efficient architecture that allows it to squeeze a variant of Windows down onto smaller form factor devices. And with BYOD fundamentally transforming the IT landscape into a sea of iPad work-alikes, the last place Microsoft wants to find itself is tied to Intel's stodgy vision of a traditional desktop/laptop computing experience.
This is why the pasty-faced brigade is pushing Windows RT hard. Microsoft has been giving its nascent ARM port the lion's share of the Windows 8 marketing buzz, including a slathering of attention on the Building Windows 8 bog.
Now we learn that there will be Windows RT PCs as well as the expected tablet-oriented iPad fighters, a subtle shift in nomenclature that signifies a more significant change in the company's overall strategy. Microsoft is no longer looking at Windows RT as a consumer electronics solution to combat Apple in the living room. Rather, it now sees RT as its last, best chance at maintaining future viability across the range of client computing scenarios.
Of course, this latest tack by its former fleet mate can't be sitting well with Intel. Any lingering questions about the company's recent warming to the Android Army have now been put to rest. The chip maker needs software to remain relevant, so if Microsoft has indeed decided to cast its client computing lot with ARM, Intel will need to forge new alliances in order to keep the bits pumping through its creaky old x86 designs. For the keepers of Moore's legacy, all roads now lead to Google.
Will Microsoft's Windows RT-strategy pan out? It's still too early to tell. And make no mistake, there are significant hurdles that have yet to be negotiated. Things like peripheral device support (lots of drivers to rework/recompile), enterprise manageability (Windows RT doesn't yet support Active Directory) and remote security (VPN support, et al) still need to be addressed. But with Microsoft pulling out all the stops to make RT a success, it's not a matter of if these gaps will be plugged but rather how quickly the company will work to fill-out the spec sheet for its new flagship client computing platform.
One thing's for sure: The days of the Wintel duopoly are numbered.
Photo Credit: antoniomas/Shutterstock
The transpiring events of Apple’s lawsuit against Samsung divides the technology industry and hones in on several overarching intellectual property talking points and issues that far extend the perpetual "eye for an eye" battle the companies occupy. Many writers and pundits state that the lawsuit will be a primary stepping stone to IP and patent reform and will be a primary decider of the future of patent law in the technology industry.
What the trial really rises to the surface: the two differing approaches with which Apple and Samsung view the situation. Apple’s perspective hinges on protecting the intrinsic and unique value of their intellectual property, whereas Samsung focuses more on the end game of consumer perception.
What both these approaches share: none can be tied to any semblance of pure rationality or cold hard facts; there’s no way to say with certainty, for example, that the use of a certain color scheme in Samsung’s iconography directly led to loss suffered by Apple, nor can it be said that Apple’s design is generic and therefore should offer no direct or exclusive benefit to the company. Both these conclusions assume direct causation and attempt to put some logic behind something that inherently isn’t logical -- perception and behavior.
Not so Sensible
In Samsung's defense, many apologists make the common-sense argument, which is once again based purely on perception. What one deems to be common sense could be grounded in a variety of experiential factors, but nonetheless the argument of common sense and obviousness does bring to light several indisputable points.
Like the color green, for instance; Samsung has vehemently argued that the green phone icon can’t possibly go any other way. After all, green as a universal standard means "go" and if that color was to be attributed to any basic function of a smartphone it would most certainly be its namesake -- the phone.
But, of course, the common-sense argument goes much further than that and not particularly in Samsung’s favor. Based on experience and past evidence, we can conclude that it’s easy to argue common sense when it’s already been successfully implemented by someone else. After all, if a successful implementation of something proves nothing else, there is indeed at least some sense behind it.
A look at Samsung's phones pre-iPhone and post-iPhone display a fairly damning picture of this notion. Samsung’s pre-iPhone lineup is seemingly laden with devices thrown into market with the hope that something would stick, whereas Samsung’s post-iPhone lineup is the polar opposite exhibiting uniformity and purpose in form factor and design.
Nokia in their heyday, before the iPhone, were recognized for the pure variety of their handset lineup and also the mindless creativity in the design of many of their devices. Essentially Nokia defined cool in the cellphone industry, and that coupled with economies of large scale moved phones effortlessly off the shelves. Nokia’s approach of spread therefore was deemed an obvious and logical means with which to penetrate the cellphone market -- and Samsung followed suit.
Flipping the Paradigm
Apple’s iPhone literally flipped this paradigm and showed that a device that exhibited simplicity in lineup and product could move even faster off the shelves. Simplicity and fluidity in design are two aspects that make the iPhone sell, so why not emulate that? And why would you do it any other way, it’s just common sense.
Obviously these successful approaches have sense and prudence, but a nascent notion that a new-found successful way is the only appropriate way is far off base -- this point alone is the most prominent gaping hole behind the "common sense defense" that no doubt Samsung has in its card and many of Samsung’s supporters are ready to play in heated fanboy debates. Whether Samsung had or hadn’t the intention of copying Apple’s design is not the epicenter of the debate, it’s that Samsung, regardless of intent did produce a design that resembled Apple’s when other options were and are available.
It’s difficult to think laterally when there’s a standard that’s trying to be reached -- that is, Samsung would certainly have found it a mind-stretch to build a differentiated product when the iPhone in all its rounded rectangle and gridded icon glory was the benchmark to reach. It is a sound presumption that a Samsung product would brandish much more originality if the company were forced to think and develop from the ground up instead of basing thought around a readily set standard.
It doesn’t make it easier when the design that the frontrunner has settled on, despite not being the sole logical approach, is certainly one that exercises basic no-frills simplicity to its absolute core. To think of a logical and aesthetically pleasing design as simplistic as the original iPhone is a tall ask, and the case applies even more so with the iPad, which is essentially a skeletally bare slab of aluminium and glass. And what’s more simple than an evenly arranged grid of uniformly shaped icons?
Tablet Zero
Devin Coldewey of TechCrunch alludes to this point better than anyone else in his article "Tablet Zero" from December of 2011. Apple went out of their way to develop a design so generic that its form would become the start line for any manufacturer willing to join the race. As Devin Coldewey writes: "You can’t make a Xoom without making an iPad first, just like you can’t make a die without making a cube first. This was Apple’s stroke of evil genius".
Apple’s sly tactics are still no excuse and can’t form the basis of a defense for Samsung, because even though claiming ownership to a generic form factor and design shouldn’t be allowed, this doesn’t change the fact that there are still many unexplored opportunities that make equally as much sense and are equally as feasible regardless of whether they’re as simple or not. A black slab of glass is not plainly a given in smartphone hardware design and the rounded rectangle icon style isn’t any more commonsensical or intrinsically better than the tile-based UI in Windows Phone.
Sure Apple gets the perhaps unfair advantage of having their all-encompassing design immediately compared against competing alternatives, but that’s just one of the perks of getting to market first. Apple deserves credit where credit is due.
The underlying point is that there are still plenty of opportunities to make a functionally and useably better device without aligning with Apple’s plan of attack so closely. That being said, there are far too many ways for a design to be commonsensical to excuse Samsung’s phones of bearing such a level of similarity, no matter how significant the granular details. This is a gaping hole in the entirety of Samsung’s defensive case.
Photo Credit: Nomadia/Shutterstock
Jeremy Liu is a high school student who first became obsessed with technology in the 8th grade when his father bought him an iPod touch after months of begging. At a time when iPhones and the iPod Touch were spectacularly rare, the device managed to fascinate both himself and his friends. Liu now shuns the mainstream and roots for underdogs, owning a Windows Phone, Blackberry PlayBook and Sony Walkman X. Since then technology has grown from a passion to an obsession and he now directs his energies towards writing. You can find him on Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr.
Paragon Software has released Backup & Recovery 12 Home, the latest edition of its extremely capable consumer-oriented backup tool. And while the New Features list is a little on the short side this time, build #12 does benefit from support for incremental disk imaging.
This new addition means your backups can contain only data changed since the last increment, saving time and storage space. Which is presumably what Paragon means when they slightly unclearly say that the technology “boosts efficiency of backup to the network storage up to 200 percent”.
This new release also includes Paragon’s latest backup engine, which should further improve backup performance.
And Paragon also say the program now works under Windows 8, although their official blog post about this release only says it was tested under the old Developer Preview version. That’s a little out of date now, and we’ve seen others reporting problems in this area, so if you plan on installing the program on a Windows 8 system any time soon we’d recommend you test it very carefully.
Otherwise, though, the core features here remain excellent. Performance is great, you get multiple recovery tools to help you if Windows won’t boot, your archives can be encrypted, you can back up to FTP/ SFTP, helpful wizards make it easy to run common backup tasks (saving your Outlook setup, say), and there are a stack of useful bonus tools.
The price for all this remains the same at $39.95, or $69.95 for a family licence (which essentially means 3 PCs in one household).
And if you’d like to try before you buy, the Paragon Backup & Recovery 12 Home trial build is available now.
Photo Credit: Sergii Korolko/Shutterstock
It had to happen eventually. Representatives of the media and entertainment industries have been complaining for years about Google linking to sites that offer copyrighted content, accusing the Internet giant of not doing nearly enough to prevent access to infringing material. The company’s stock response has always been that it only indexes the web, and the results that appear when someone types a query into Google simply reflects the sites that people go to, and other sites link to. It’s a fair argument, although one somewhat undermined by last year’s algorithm update that targeted content farms, and showed the company’s willingness to tweak what sites appear where in its index.
Google does of course remove pages when it receives copyright removal notices to do so. In fact, in an effort to demonstrate just how actively, Google recently expanded its Transparency Report to show how many URLs it removes, from where, and at whose request. The figures are staggering. In the last month alone, Google removed over 4.3 million URLs from its index.
But despite efforts to combat piracy from within the confines of the law, Google’s unwillingness to proactively police the Internet on behalf of the music and movie industries has unquestionably impacted the company’s ability to sign content deals with the major players of the entertainment world, especially overseas. And that’s a huge issue for a firm that really wants a slice of Apple’s pie.
So, inevitably, Google has caved in and starting next week the company will begin using the number of copyright removal notices it receives for a given domain to adjust that site’s ranking in the search index. This will, in Google’s words, “help users find legitimate, quality sources of content more easily” but in reality is designed to punish pirate sites without giving the appearance of having capitulated to the entertainment lobbyists. Although in the blog post explaining its move the search giant stresses “we won’t be removing any pages from search results unless we receive a valid copyright removal notice from the rights owner”, burying the sites somewhere near the bottom of the pile will effectively achieve the same result.
While the move will have little impact on seasoned pirates, it may deter casual downloaders who rely on Google to guide them to the sites they need, and in time kill off some of those sites.
The entertainment industry is, naturally, very happy about this latest move. In a statement, Michael O'Leary, the senior executive vice president for global policy at the Motion Picture Association of America, said, "We are optimistic that Google's actions will help steer consumers to the myriad legitimate ways for them to access movies and TV shows online, and away from the rogue cyberlockers, peer-to-peer sites and other outlaw enterprises that steal the hard work of creators across the globe." He didn’t add “Watch out for great new entertainment content coming to Google Play soon” but I expect we’ll see the fruits of this change there soon enough nonetheless.
While I personally have no problem with pirate sites tumbling down Google’s rankings, the fact that the company has shown a clear willingness to change its index -- to present a false view of the Internet -- in order to appease potential content partners is unquestionably troubling and puts the search giant at the top of a very slippery slope.
What’s next? Tweaking its index to give priority to Android over Apple? Favoring sites that have negative things to say about competing products and services? Preferring one political party over another in exchange for certain promises? Maybe not immediately, but now it seems Google is willing to change what we see when we search in order to benefit itself, can we really say for certain it won’t take such steps in the future?
Photo Credit: Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock
ACD Systems has announced the release of ACDSee Free, a simple and speedy PC image viewer.
The program supports the most important image formats (BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TGA, TIFF, WBMP, PCX, PIC, WMF, EMF), and really does seem to be fast, loading and displaying just about anything at very high speed.
And once you’ve opened something, ACDSee Free provides all the usual image viewing options. There are plenty of zoom controls, for instance; you can rotate an image, set it as your wallpaper, delete it, maybe save the file as another format (BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, PNG, TGA, TIFF and WBMP exports are supported).
Printing is particularly strong. You can print an image to a standard size (4 x 6, 5 x 7, 10 x 8 inches, whatever you like); there’s full control of the filter to be used if resampling is necessary; you can tweak your image gamma, add custom header and footer text, control the image position, rotation, aspect ratio and more.
And the program Options dialog hides a few useful settings, including the ability to keep the viewing window on top of everything else.
Of course ACDSee Free is still a relatively basic viewer. It doesn’t have a thumbnail browser, for instance, and the program’s format support is strictly essentials-only (try to open a RAW or ICO file, say, and you’ll be out of luck).
The program is also fast, configurable and easy to use, though, and if a basic image viewer is all you need then ACDSee Free is definitely worth a closer look.
Photo Credit: Leigh Prather/Shutterstock
This week, the loosely connected online activist and hacking community Anonymous began a new "operation": attacking the Ukrainian government.
In retaliation to Ukraine's take down of popular BitTorrent tracking site Demonoid, Anonymous is seeking "revenge against all criminals responsible" in the country's government.
In what Anonymous called a "state-sponsored Denial of Service attack" on Demonoid, the group plans to make everyone aware they will not tolerate the takedown. In a statement, Anonymous accused the Ukrainian government of a form of international appeasement to the United States. This is not the first time this accusation has been hurled at a country's governing body. Spain, for example, fast-tracked the Sinde Law, its version of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), before talks with the USA. Documents posted to Wikileaks seemed to suggest the USA was actually strong-arming Spain into passing the act.
News of the Ukrainian Government's involvement in the raid on Demonoid first hit the Web after an article ran in the Ukranian newspaper Kommersant on Monday. The paper reported that the raid on Demonoid was timed to coincide with the very first United States political trip for Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Valery Khoroshkovsky. Sources from the Ukrainian government reported that copyright infringement was going to be on top of the agenda. The US Government had previously stated it saw Demonoid as one of the most visited sites used to share pirated content. Demonoid.me is ranked globally as the 950th most popular site on the Web, and ranked 441st in the USA according to Alexa.com. But commonly Demonoid was also ranked one of the top 10 favorites of peer to peer BitTorrent mega-trackers.
Starting around April 26, 2010, the site started to receive a series of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The first round of which ended after Demonoid temporarily banned Taiwanese and Chinese IP address ranges.
But DDoS attacks started again on July 24th, ultimately bringing down the site. On August 1st, Demonoid's admin changed the domain redirector straight to a reported malware distributing ad network for unknown reasons. The admin said that he was in the process of bringing the site back up. But on August 6, 2012, Ukrainian authorities shut down the site manually from Ukraine's largest data center ColoCall.
So what kind of reprisal has the Ukrainian Government seen since Anonymous announced #OpDemonoid? The Kiev Post reported that DDoS attacks have shut down the websites of: the Ukrainian Anti-Piracy Association; the Ukrainian equivalent of the MPAA/RIAA (APO), the Ukrainian Agency for Copyright and Related Rights [uacrr.kiev.ua] and The National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine [nrada.gov.ua].
In an update Wednesday, Anonymous stated that the objective of #OpDemonoid is:
1.Restore Demonoid services by any means necessary and, if possible, facilitate a series of mirror sites operated by free Anons everywhere. In essence, open source Demonoid.
2. Retaliate against those responsible for the interruption. And Lulz.
Calling the actions of the Ukraine out as:
The action was spearheaded by the usual cabal of lobbyists, SOPA/ACTA supporters, and their bribed politicians.
Some artists and musicians who create the content shared via torrents have recently come out in favor of file-sharing culture and torrent tracker sites. Reports of artists using bit torrent trackers like Demonoid and The Pirate Bay become increasingly common, especially in the wake of reports that copyright infringement court settlements have ended up in the hands of the RIAA and MPAA, and not the actual artists whose content was being shared.
Photo Credit: Rob Kints/Shutterstock
Here come the iPhone price cuts. With the launch of the iPhone 5 likely a little over a month away, retailers are beginning to drop prices on iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models in stock in order to make way for the new device.
There's a key difference here over previous pricing changes, and that's the adjustments are originating with the carriers first and trickling down to retailers. AT&T and Verizon's pricing on the iPhone 4 and 4S remain at $99 and $199 for the 16GB model: however Sprint has lowered the price of the 4S to $149.99.
Some retailers have taken things a step further: Radio Shack and Best Buy are also discounting the iPhone 4 8GB, which is now available for $49.99. This results in uneven pricing, including in Apple's flagship stores.
Thus, the Cupertino, Calif. company has authorized its employees to take the seemingly unprecedented move of honoring price matching upon request.
There's only one issue with that: it's actually nothing new for Apple, as far as we can tell. You may not have ever heard of it, but apparently Apple has had a price matching policy for quite a long time, possibly as long as its retail stores have been in existence. There is evidence as far back as 2008 showing Apple price matching on hardware, and we even caught a forum post on MacRumors from 2004 where Apple apparently had listed a similar policy on its online store for a time (the link on apple.com has since been moved or removed).
So while this may seem groundbreaking, the only thing that might be different here is the fact that a tipster got ahold of Apple's price matching plans and sent it off to MacRumors, where details of Apple's policy regarding iPhone pricing first appeared on Thursday.
While the price cut will probably attract some fence-sitters, is it worth it to jump on a new iPhone now? Probably not. Both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S are likely to see a price cut in about a month, when the iPhone 5 is expected to launch. The iPhone 4 will likely become free with a two-year contract, while the iPhone 4S will drop to $99.
If we use Apple's previous strategy as an indication, the 4S will likely only come in an 8GB capacity, so if space is a concern for you, and you don't care about LTE data, buying the 4S at a discount now might be a good deal.
There's another issue, and that's the discount on these models isn't that big: just 25% on the iPhone 4S. If you can hold out just a month more (from what the rumors tell us), for $50 more you could be getting a much better phone.
Matt Brownell of the financial site MainStreet.com just might have the best advice here: "Unless you just dropped your iPhone in the toilet and desperately need a new smartphone now, we suggest showing a bit of patience". Maybe he's right.
Photo Credit: Lou Oates/Shutterstock
Nine people have gone on trial in the central province of Hunan, China, accused of illegal organ trading and intentional injury after a 17-year old high school student sold one of his kidneys to buy an iPad and iPhone. The teenager, identified in a report by the state-run China Daily as Wang Shangkun from the Anhui province, was allegedly recruited through a chat room by one of the defendants, and paid 22,000 Yuan ($3,456) for the organ, which was removed in an illegal transplant operation by a team from a local hospital. The kidney was sold by the gang behind the trade to an unknown buyer for 150,000 Yuan ($23,566) and a further $10,000 in cash, netting them a profit of around $30,000.
While to Westerners $3,458 seems a shockingly low price to sell a kidney for (especially considering how much the recipient was willing to pay), it’s important to put that figure into context. The average wage paid to workers assembling Apple products at Foxconn is around 2,200 Yuan ($346) a month, so the figure Wang received would have equated to nearly ten months’ salary for someone working at the plant -- a colossal amount of money to a young man still in full-time education.
The trade came to light when the teenager’s mother asked her son how he could afford to buy such expensive electrical devices (the price of an iPad in China starts at 2,988 Yuan ($469) while the most basic iPhone costs 3,988 Yuan ($627) and he confessed all.
Wang reportedly suffered renal failure shortly after the operation and was still too ill to attend the trial’s opening, although his mother, appearing on his behalf, told the court that she did not believe her son had sold his organs expressly to buy Apple products, but had done so because he was concerned about being caught in possession of such a large amount of money.
China banned the trading of human organs in 2007, but demand has led to a growing black market. The Ministry of Health estimates around 1.5 million people in China currently need transplants, but just 5,253 received one in 2011, according to the national kidney transplant registry.
Five of the defendants, including the surgeon who performed the operation, face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty, while the four others, who played more minor roles, will be liable for fines. Wang’s representatives are reportedly seeking 2.77 million Yuan ($435,192) in compensation or, to put it another way, just under 928 iPads.
France Telecom-Orange on Friday announced that an unexplained fire had erupted on its cable ship, The Chamarel, off the Skeleton Coast of Namibia in the Atlantic Ocean. After battling the blaze for several hours, the crew abandoned ship. The vessel was returning from a mission to repair the Sat3/WASC/Safe submarine cable which connects Portugal and Spain to nine West African countries, circles around the southern tip of Africa, and connects to India and Malaysia.
The entire crew of 56 escaped the Chamarel safely, and were recovered by a Namibian fishing vessel and returned to Walvis Bay, Namibia. No injuries were reported, but this is the second incident in a single month where a ship has caught fire in Namibian waters. On August first, a South African Tuna fishing boat caught fire and sank outside of Namibian port city Lüderitz.
The Chamarel, formerly known as CS Vercors, is actually a historically important vessel in international fiber optic communications. The ship was in service since 1975, and laid over a hundred thousand kilometers of cable, including AT&T's TAT-6 transatlantic cable, and EMOS-1 the first Israeli-built undersea cable. In 2000, the vessel was used to set the record for the deepest submarine cable at 1,610 meters (just over one mile).
France Telecom-Orange currently operates six cable ships, four are dedicated to maintenance services in the Mediterranean basin, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and two are used to lay new submarine cable.
Photo Credit: Leon Krauze, Namib Times
Paragon Software has released Image Backup for Windows 8, a simple backup tool that runs on Windows 8/ Server 2012 and supports Microsoft’s new Resilient File System, ReFS.
If you’ve used any recent Paragon backup product then you’ll feel at home right away, as the new product uses Paragon’s standard front end menu, which quickly points you to the features you need.
Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find the program is considerably cut down from Paragon’s other free tools. In particular, there’s no “advanced” view, no full program to explore: the front end menu, and the four main wizards it points to, are just about everything you get.
This does at least help to keep things simple, though. And if you check “Change backup settings” in the Backup Wizard then you’ll find there are plenty of useful configuration options here.
Include and exclude filters help to define exactly what you’re backing up, for instance; you can set your archive’s compression level, or split it into equal-sized files; support for VSS will help you to back up locked files, and you can optionally password-protect your archive to keep it safe from snoopers.
Your backup may then be written to any local or network drive, copied to a physical partition, or burned to CD, DVD or Blu-ray discs.
At a later date you can then restore individual files or folders from the image, or the entire thing. And as usual with Paragon backup tools, the program allows you to create a bootable Linux-based recovery environment, which can restore your system partition if Windows will no longer boot.
This has some obvious limitations. There’s no scheduler, for instance. And no support for backing up to FTP, or any other online destination.
Still, Image Backup for Windows 8 is probably the first freeware backup tool to offer Windows 8, Server 2012 and ReFS support, which works for us. And if that’s something you’re looking for, the program is available now.
Photo Credit: Raimundas/Shutterstock
I love underdogs. Whether it’s David vs. Goliath, Rocky vs. Apollo Creed or Microsoft (circa 1992) vs. IBM, I enjoy rooting for the plucky upstart. Which is why I find the resurgence of interest surrounding Research in Motion's beleaguered PlayBook tablet all the more satisfying: Here is a product that stumbled out of the gate and was left for dead, only to slowly crawl its way back into the ring of respectability through a combination of raw talent and sheer force of will.
Make no mistake: The PlayBook was an impressive device when it first shipped in April, 2011. Bristling with class-leading technology, RIM’s first foray into the tablet market should have been an instant hit. However, the software half of RIM’s winning formula still wasn’t fully baked, with some glaring omissions (email, calendar) and few third party apps to speak of. And, in a truly ironic twist, many early critics actually panned the device for its smallish 7-inch form factor.
The result was anemic sales when compared to the phenomenon that was the iPad/iPad 2, followed by a very public write-off of $500 million worth of unsold Playbook inventory. Viewed in these terms, the PlayBook was declared "TKO", another contender relegated to footnote status in the annals of the iAscendancy.
However, the RIM corner men refused to throw in the towel. They had staked their entire future on a brand new adaptation of the legendary QNX RTOS, and the PlayBook was their only functional device that incorporated a working implementation. Instead, they doubled-down on their PlayBook bet, slashing prices to clear-out the unsold inventory while working on a 4G LTE follow-up that would serve as a laboratory for the company’s real long-term goal: Transitioning its bread-and-butter smart phone business to the now rapidly maturing QNX-based Blackberry 10 OS.
Fast forward to today and things look very different for the Playbook. First, RIM’s aggressive discounting succeeded in moving those unsold units while establishing a sizable niche market of PlayBook die-hards (there are now some 1.5 million devices in the wild -- more tablet units than even the mighty Samsung has shipped). Next, the company’s continued investment in its QNX adaptation, both in terms of the out-of-box OS experience and the supporting developer ecosystem, helped to vastly expand the PlayBook’s available apps catalog while plugging the gaps in its core functionality.
Meanwhile, enterprises that were initially cool to the PlayBook have begun to appreciate the value of its robust, secure OS and highly portable, 7-inch form factor (thanks, Google). From insurance claims processing to law enforcement command and control, the PlayBook is finding a home wherever organizations need a reliable, manageable mobile computing platform that emphasizes build quality and proven capability over snazzy specs.
All of which is why RIM’s introduction this week of the aforementioned 4G LTE Playbook may signify the zenith of the company’s tablet comeback strategy. With a faster CPU/GPU (1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460) and a fully-baked RTOS that makes iOS and Android devices feel about as sophisticated as my daughter’s old “Speak & Spell”, the new PlayBook once again dances circles around the competition -- for example, delivering a SunSpider score (1397) that even the formidable Nexus 7 can’t touch.
But it gets better. Playbook OS 2.1, which I’ve been beta testing on my own device for several weeks, provides even greater performance and usability improvements while vastly overhauling the platform’s secret weapon: Android application support. In fact, after spending some quality time with Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 running on an Acer Iconia Tab, I have to say that many of my favorite Android apps (gReader Pro, TapaTalk, Twitter) actually run better under the virtualization layer in PB OS 2.1 than they do in their native environment. Multitasking is smoother, and I experience none of the random crashes and reboot-inducing flakiness that plague ICS (sort of a “better Android than Android” type of experience).
Bottom Line: RIM’s plucky little "tablet that could" has come full circle. Once derided for its size, the PlayBook is now appreciated as the device that pioneered the uber-popular 7-inch form factor. And as more users experience the power of QNX, the OS’ reputation for performance, reliability and true enterprise scalability is beginning to precede it.
With an even more powerful and polished QNX implementation (BlackBerry 10) just over the horizon, the PlayBook may finally be getting its second wind. Don't count it out quite yet.
Catch Randall C. Kennedy's smart analysis of tech trends every Tuesday and Friday here at BetaNews.
Who doesn’t love a good tweaking tool? Everyone likes the idea of being able to boost the performance of their computer without having to shell out on potential expensive hardware and Auslogics BoostSpeed is an extremely accomplished utility that enables you to do just this. The latest version of the program is a major upgrade that sees not only added support for Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 but also new options that make the app and even more powerful tool for cleaning up and optimizing your computer.
The imminent release of Windows 8 is big news for all software developers, and the latest release of Auslogics BoostSpeed not only supports the operating system, it also allows for control of Metro processes as added new tweaks to the Tweak Manager (Yes, we know Microsoft dropped the Metro name). The existing cleanup tools have been enhanced so you will notice that there are new categories available in the Registry Cleaner, Track Eraser and Disk Cleaner making it easier than ever to protect your privacy and delete sensitive data -- these improvements extend to the wiping of USB drives.
As well as deleting unwanted files, the program can also be used to uninstall software that is no longer needed. There are occasional problems with uninstallers that do not do their job properly, and the Force Remove function has been improved here to help you to remove such troublesome apps. To help to boost the speed of your internet connection, there is an improve Internet Optimizer component. Other updated features include support for the latest version of all popular web browsers, including fixes to problems specific to Internet Explorer 9.
Of course, there are also the usual range of bug fixes to be found as well as corrections to errors that had been found in language files. There’s an added bonus as well; a single purchase of the program means that you are able to install the software on up to three computers so you can keep all of the machines in your home optimized. Auslogics has also updated the free version of its Disk Defrag tool, again with added support for Windows 8 and addressing a number of known issues.
You can find out more and download a free trial version of the program by paying a visit to the Auslogics BoostSpeed 5.4.0.0 review page.
Photo Credit: Lilya/Shutterstock
Modders everywhere rejoice: CyanogenMod 9 (CM9) is now a “stable” release for popular Android smartphones, according to a blog post by CyanogenMod team. CyanogenMod 9 is developed from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), having Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as its starting point.
The guys behind the project announced that the stable release “will be the end of the line for the ICS branch” and that they will only fix critical bugs from now on. As well, the team will focus only on CyanogenMod 10 and maintaining the CyanogenMod 7 (based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread) codebase. The other great piece of news comes from the development on CyanogenMod 10, which is based on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
At the moment, the list of supported devices includes older smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S, which is no longer updated by Samsung. It just shows that the modding community can make older Android smartphones, like the Galaxy S, shine again with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. One of the most popular Android smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S II (i9100) is supported as well, along with its less popular and less known sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S II G (i9110G), but the list obviously doesn’t stop here: AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II, Google Galaxy Nexus (GSM version), Google/Samsung Nexus S, Google/Samsung Nexus S 4G, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro, HTC Sensation and LG Nitro HD among the best known Android smartphones.
The list also includes the is-it-a-phone-or-a-tablet Samsung Galaxy Note (N7000), but CyanogenMod 9 also supports the Samsung Galaxy Tab (including CDMA version).
The modding community has given Android enthusiasts another reason for them to enjoy modding their smartphones. If you liked the concept of Over The Air (OTA) updates when using the official Android version from the manufacturer, you can now get OTA updates for custom ROMs as well, like CyanogenMod 9 for instance. This will surely ease the “pain” of manual updates, especially when new builds, like nightly ones, come frequently enough to be able to want to speed up the process.
I have witnessed first hand what CyanogenMod 9 can do on a Samsung Galaxy S and from my opinion it's an improvement over the stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Yesterday I wrote about Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates on popular smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X and based on how CyanogenMod 10 is shaping up, it's going to be even better if history is of any indication.
Android is known for its customization options, the ability to make-it-your-own and the modding community is surely confirming it with each new release. CyanogenMod has been known for more than porting stock Android to one device or another; the team is adding even more customization options as they try to make it even better than how it came from the Android Open Source Project. Is it for anyone? No, but not everything has to be. It’s for enthusiasts, for people that want to tinker with their smartphone, for people that want a newer Android version.
Now that CyanogenMod 9 based on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has hit “stable” development, will you give it a go on your Android smartphone? And for that matter, how do you feel about modding your smartphone?
In May we read that game maker Blizzard, developer of a series of popular games including World of Warcraft, Diablo III and Starcraft, was hacked, but that turned out to just be individual compromised accounts from some of its users. Now we read, from Blizzard itself rather than a third party, that they have been hacked and information compromised on their networks. So how are they doing with the breach?
"This week, our security team found an unauthorized and illegal access into our internal network here at Blizzard", the company says. So did they respond well? It seems they got the jump on things and responded quickly, a smart move: "We quickly took steps to close off this access and began working with law enforcement and security experts to investigate what happened."
Next they were specific with what classes of data were, and weren’t compromised, another smart move: "Some data was illegally accessed, including a list of email addresses for global Battle.net users, outside of China". Interesting data point: China users seemed to be exempt. Also they note: "We also know that cryptographically scrambled versions of Battle.net passwords (not actual passwords) for players on North American servers were taken".
But what steps were in place to slow down or stymie would-be hackers? Blizzard continues: "We use Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP) to protect these passwords, which is designed to make it extremely difficult to extract the actual password, and also means that each password would have to be deciphered individually".
And Blizzard took precautions notifying their userbase: "As a precaution, however, we recommend that players on North American servers change their password". Blizzard includes a link to do so, which is helpful. They also suggest changing other passwords you may have used which are similar on other websites, which is a good idea.
While the exact details of the method of breaching their systems still remain to be investigated, it seems they are keeping their users well-informed and provide helpful recommendations, a step in the right direction. While no one wants to be on the receiving side of a breach, importantly, Blizzard pushes information out to the users from the source though a FAQ here, which is proactive. A lot of consumer-facing websites could learn from the things Blizzard is doing right.
If you are a Blizzard user, my colleague David Harley identifies passwords to avoid. Go for a new password that is long (over 8 characters) and hard to guess (not based on things other people might know about you) and use a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters with numbers and punctuation characters if allowed (KerAZg3nes!).
Reprinted with permission
Cameron Camp is a researcher for global security provider ESET and has played a critical role in building the ESET North America Research Lab. Cameron has been building critical technology infrastructures for more than 20 years, beginning as an assembly language programmer in 1987 and eventually becoming an evangelist for Linux and open-source technologies with an emphasis on the security sector. Prior to joining ESET, he founded Logical Web Host in 1998, a data-driven web services company.
If you frequently wail and gnash teeth at the prospect of opening two separate windows whenever you want to copy one file to another, than a dual-paned file manager is a must. They’re not exactly thin on the ground, but if you’re a multi-platform user you might prefer to stick to a single solution that will run across all your computers, be they Mac, Linux or Windows.
The solution in question is an open-source tool called muCommander 0.9.0, which has just received its first major update in over two years.
muCommander works like many other file managers -- it provides a dual-paned window giving you quick and convenient access to both source and destination folders, and allows you to bookmark favorite locations for easy navigation.
The app also allows you to connect to various remote sources via networking protocols, FTP/SFTP, NFS and HTTP, while built-in tools like a text editor and file packer/unpacker also boost its usefulness.
muCommander does fall down slightly in some areas, however. It’s hampered by the fact its built on Java, which restricts certain functionality. You can’t tap into your OS’s native “Open With” commands for example; instead, you have to grasp the basics of XML to craft your own custom list using the built-in text editor.
You also have to take care when opening files and apps -- certain types (including OpenOffice documents and all OS X apps) need to be launched by selecting the Open Natively command.
If you can get past these niggles, however, then you’ll find a potentially useful file manager lurking. And the latest release -- the first since February 2010 -- adds some useful new features and improvements, too.
The headline new feature is tabbed browsing support -- when browsing, simply right-click a folder and choose Open in new tab to create a multi-tabbed pane. The built-in text editor/viewer has also been improved -- it can now wrap long lines, plus display line numbers. There’s also a new quick list pop-up for root folders -- simply press [Alt] + [5] to display it.
Other improvements include better display of long filenames, with the beginnings and end shown to help with identification, plus the implementation of natural file ordering, so all symbols come before digits.
muCommander 0.9.0 is a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux. It requires Java 5 or later.
Photo Credit: cybrain/Shutterstock
Detecting rootkits and similar stealthy malware is always a challenge, so it can be a good idea to equip your PC with third-party tools which may be able to help.
And the latest candidate is the rather geekily-named Ring3 API Hook Scanner, a new NoVirusThanks release that will scan your system for some user mode hook types (inline, IAT, EAT) and report on anything it finds.
As usual with NoVirusThanks tools, the program is well packaged and easy to use. There’s no installation, no hassles with adware or anything else, just unzip the download and launch either the 32 or 64-bit version, according to your needs (either way, there’s no driver required).
Then just click Scan and, if there are any hooks, within a few seconds you’ll see these listed, with details including the hook type, the owning process and module, the API function being hooked, relevant memory addresses, and so on.
Or, if even that’s too much hassle, a command line interface allows you to automate the process. Add a line such as Ring3Scan.exe /pid:all /log:C:\Ring3Hooks.log to a script and all you’ll have to do is check the log file occasionally for the latest details.
This is of course still a fairly basic tool, limited in what it can find, and no substitute for a full-strength rootkit detector.
Ring3 API Hook Scanner is also small, simple, easy and convenient to use, though, and that’s why it merits a place in every geek’s portable security toolkit.
Photo Credit: sommthink/Shutterstock
If you’re looking for a powerful image editing tool, the likes of Photoshop are going to spring to mind first. But there are plenty of much lower cost tool available that are more than adequate for the job, and one of these app is Pixelmator. This is an image editing package that has been around for some time, and the seemingly minor update to version 2.1 brings about the introduction of a number of important new features and options.
It makes sense for any image editing app to offer the best possible visual performance, and this is something that is greatly helped by the addition of support for Retina Display. This means that you can view the images you are working on greater detail than ever before and the UI is also made more accessible due to the clearer buttons and toolbars. There’s also support for Mountain Lion now, but there are more changes and additions to explore.
Any image editor worth its salt includes a range of special effects that can be applied to your own images, and five new ones have been added here -- Vintage, Miniaturize, Black and White, Rain, and Snow. To make it easier to browse through these and the other effects that are available, there is a new Effects Browser. This enables you to preview special effects and try out ideas before applying them.
New alignment guides are on hand to help you to position objects in your projects, but one of the most interesting new features is iCloud integration. This is great if you find that you are regularly working with more than one Mac as it allows for automatic synchronization of your work between machines. This is a nice touch that saves you the effort of having to manually transfer files between computers.
You can find out more and download a free trial of the app by paying a visit to the Pixelmator review page.
Sharing details of the hack that “wiped his life” has earned Mat Honan a place in the annals of information system security; the specific interdependence of flawed authentication systems that cost him so dearly -- encompassing Apple, iCloud, Amazon.com, Gmail and more -- would probably still exist if Honan had not gone public. Wired has the full story for those who have not been watching it unfold on Twitter.
As news spread last weekend about how much of Honan’s data the hackers had wiped out -- by social engineering Apple Support into wiping his iPhone, iPad and MacBook -- the company quickly moved to suspend over-the-phone resetting of Apple ID passwords. Amazon also reacted and, according to a follow-up report in Wired: “handed down to its customer service department a policy change that no longer allows people to call in and change account settings, such as credit cards or email addresses associated with its user accounts”.
Problem solved? Not really
While it is now impossible to replicate the exact hack that wiped Honan’s life -- which is some comfort, I suppose -- it is entirely possible that there are other ways to exploit weak links in authentication methods currently used by separate but inter-twined information systems. Based on several decades spent observing patterns of system abuse, I would say it is extremely likely that:
In technical terms the online world currently suffers from an atrocious conflation of identifiers with authenticators (your phone number, email address and Social Security number are identifiers, not authenticators). This situation is compounded by a widespread failure to implement shared secrets effectively (the name of your first pet is not a shared secret and asking for all the digits of my pin number is profligate and inviting of interception). Underlying all of this mess is an excessive reliance on single-factor authentication and an alarmingly widespread misconception that multiple authenticators equals multi-factor.
Multi-factor authentication refers to the three factors:
Asking me for two or three or more pieces of information that I know is not multi-factor authentication. Why large companies with big research budgets get things like this wrong is hard to fathom and it strikes me as unfair to force consumers to become security experts just to safely navigate services for which someone is paying (either the consumer themselves or the people paying for ads on ad-supported sites or within ad-supported apps and services).
The challenges of restricting access to online data and services are compounded by the shift to email+password for authentication instead of username+password (a person’s email is easier to guess or discover than a non-public username). Then there is the apparent inability of some organizations to keep passwords from prying eyes. As previously reported, millions of passwords were disclosed in June alone, from LinkedIn, eHarmony and Last.fm. Last month more than 400,000 usernames and passwords were stolen from Yahoo, while the social networking site Formspring, clothing company Billabong, gaming site Gamigo, and forums at Phandroid and Nvidia, all suffered similar breaches.
I’m sure regular readers are weary of the advice to change passwords, choose hard-to-guess passwords, and use different passwords for different services. To that we may have to add: use different email addresses for key services that employ email addresses as account identifiers. We might also add: let your frustrations be known to the major online players. There are better ways to do authentication and we need to let companies know we expect better of them.
Aftershocks will likely continue
How much will this incident impede adoption of consumer cloud services in general and Apple’s iCloud in particular? Well, until authentication services improve, I don’t see many security experts recommending you trust your data backup to general purpose cloud services such as those offered by Google, Amazon, Dropbox, Microsoft or Apple. The news for providers of dedicated online backup services such as Mozy and Carbonite may not be as dim. If your entire business model is backup you are likely to pay close attention to how you manage it.
In the meantime, there is likely to be renewed interest in offline backup, things like USB hard drive (ironically an area in which Apple has excelled in the past -- Time Machine in OS X is my personal backup of choice). Here at ESET we have definitely seen increased readership of the article Options for backing up your computer by security Aryeh Gorestsky (11-page .pdf file).
Reprinted with Permission
Photo Credit: doomu/Shutterstock
A Certified Information System Security Professional since 1996, Stephen Cobb has more than 20 years’ experience helping companies, government agencies and consumers to manage their computer security and data privacy, notably in the area of emerging threats. Now based in San Diego, he works on the Research team at ESET in the role of security evangelist.
Google Translate for Android, today available as v2.5, packs some smoking new features: voice-to-text and text-to-voice translation in more than 64 languages and -- get this -- photos.
New features to this version include live/instant language translation results as you type. Allowing you to get the translated text sooner. For people who use the speech-to-translation option, you can now choose your dialect preference for your speech/voice input. For Japanese language users there is now support for handwriting multiple characters at once, allowing for words to quickly be written in for both travelers and native Japanese people.
The app has also been given permission to check network availability when sending requests. Making sure that the network is there before it sends your text to be translated by the Google Translate service in the cloud.
But the biggest new feature is that of in app picture text translation. The app now has an added button at the bottom showing the Android camera icon. You can now take pictures of signs and billboards, and with a highlight of the particular text you want translated you will get the text translation in the top of the app window. The photo translation feature requires phones with Android 2.3 and above. Etienne Deguine, Google Translate associate product manager, explains:
By integrating Google Goggles’ optical character recognition technology, we’ve made it possible for you to use the camera of your Android smartphone to input text without typing. This makes Google Translate for Android one of our most intelligent and machine learning-intensive apps. Speech recognition, handwriting recognition, OCR, and machine translation all rely on powerful statistical models built on billions of samples of data.
Obviously influenced by the late science fiction author Douglas Adams, the Google Translate team is really making the mobile Google Translate app a must have for all people with Android phones. The only downside to Google Translate is the app requires an Internet connection to work. The app is available now from Google Play.
The news has already broken. Three days ago in Beijing, Lenovo unveiled the latest ThinkPad ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Last night, the company repeated its performance in a ceremony in New York city to simultaneously celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ThinkPad line of notebook computers, and officially unveil to the U.S. some new products. Chief among the new devices was the ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
The X1 Carbon is a 14-inch Ultrabook that weighs less than three pounds thanks to its carbon fiber chassis. It offers an eight hour battery, optional 3G mobile broadband, 720p face-tracking camera, fingerprint scanner, backlit keyboard, and a glass multi-touch touchpad. The base specs of the device include a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5 CPU with 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD for $1,299. While modest specs for a baseline, they can be upgraded to an Ivy Bridge Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
It goes for sale on August 21st directly from Lenovo, and also through the company's regular retail channels, such as Amazon and Newegg in the United States.
Okay…so what?
The ThinkPad line is an impressive twenty years old its reputation as a business workhorse with a less-than-flashy exterior, kind of weak onboard display, but solid security and manageability have made it a family with very loyal users.
The Ultrabook versions of the venerable ThinkPad line, meanwhile, have existed for just about four years, even though they predate Intel's "ultrabook" distinction. This version of the X1 ThinkPad doesn't shrink the overall physical profile any more than has already been done in previous iterations, but it increases the display size by one inch, and increases the resolution to 1600 x 900, and decreases the weight by just about three quarters of a pound.
My daily work machine is a ThinkPad X220 with a 320GB HDD, but I also have a Macbook Air that I use for less intensive work tasks, or for days where my media consumption outweighs my media creation. With this particular iteration of the ThinkPad X1, I can maximize its configuration and only sacrifice a small piece of processor performance and storage size of my former unit, while compensating with the improved speed of an SSD.
It is, on paper (and in my own rationale), a lateral move in the performance department with a massive upgrade in the physical department. So I'm selling my Macbook Air and migrating my X220 to the X1 Carbon when it is released on August 21st.
See you guys on the other side!
Images: Lenovophotolibrary
Social media analytics company Simply Measured released a study this week that illustrates the importance of brand presence on Facebook's photo-sharing social network Instagram. According to the survey, the nearly two- year old social network, with its 80 million users, has managed to attract the attention of 40 percent of the top 100 global brands.
Instagram’s adoption accounts for 40 percent of the Interbrand 100, which is actually the lowest in the study, but it has the most impressive adoption rate, when considering the background of the company. Instagram is currently owned by Facebook, through a $1 billion deal announced 4 months ago. The reason why a billion dollars was significant was because Instagram only had a dozen or so employees, and hadn’t generated any revenue.
Instagram currently has over 80 million users, and is expected to reach 100 million "by early fall." Despite until recently being available only on iOS, it has racked up more than 10,000,000 installs on Android in just a few months. According to Simply Measured, it took Facebook four years and Twitter five years to reach that many users. Instagram could do it twice as fast as Facebook did, and two and a half times faster than Twitter.
Facebook, has 955 million users, has managed to attract 98 percent of the Interbrand 100. Twitter, which has more than 500 million users, comes in second with 94 percent Interbrand 100 adoption. The two major social networks are the only ones with a higher than 90 percent adoption, with Google+ ranking in third with 64 percent despite the 250 million users it has. In fourth place, before Instagram, is Pinterest with 51 percent adoption from Interbrand 100.
Who's the most popular brand?
MTV and Starbucks Coffee dominate the charts, but MTV is at the top of the list with 813,201 followers, a total of 478 photos, 3,477 likes received, and a total of 88 comments from Instagram users. Starbucks Coffee has almost 60,000 fewer followers (758,146), 202 total photos, more likes at 3,812 and it has received 69 comments.
MTV and Starbucks Coffee occupy the first two places with more than 750,000 followers, with Starbucks Coffee having more than 300,000 followers separating it from Burberry, in third place.
At the 3rd place from the bottom of the list, but still with more than 100,000 followers is Tiffany & Co. with 103,356 followers, 159 total photos, 1,676 likes and 32 comments. Hermes is on penultimate place with 51,136 followers, 303 total photos, 281 likes and 4 comments. On last place is McDonalds, which pales in comparison to the other 9 brands from the top 10, with 38,141 followers, 7 photos, 0 likes and 0 comments received.
McDonalds is last on all counts, while Burberry has the highest number of photos, Nike has received the highest number of likes, 6,399 and the highest number of comments, 135, despite being in fourth place with 322,721 followers.
Luxury brands such as Burberry, Audi, Guccy, Tiffany & Co and Hermes are in the top 10 most popular brands, with others such as BMW and Armani making an entrance in top 15, being on the 10 – 15 spot when it comes to total engagement.
60 percent of photos posted on Instagram by the brands on Interbrand 100 are filtered, with the “Valencia” filter having the highest engagement and a 7 percent usage and with “Lo-Fi” having the highest usage at 14 percent. It appears as if there is no recipe for success when it comes to the use of filters and instead there’s “room for trial-and-error” and optimization based on individual brand strategy.
Out of 1,736 photos posted, the engagement per photo is 4,028 actions. 32 percent of photos posted to Twitter receive 27 "engagements" (tweets/retweets/etc) per photo, but on Facebook, engagement is 40 (shares/likes/etc) per photo. The study suggests that there is a strong connection between the number of followers and engagement per photo, but the same rule doesn’t apply when it comes to the number of followers and the engagement as a percent of those followers. It’s been stated that the weak connection between followers and the engagement among them can be attributed to the lack of a "share" button, which isn’t present on Instagram as it is on Facebook.
Out of the Interbrand 100 brands using Instagram, Audi appears to be the most successful and the one that does what they are supposed to on a photo-sharing website: they post photos. They focus on posting pictures of their cars, which is their core product after all. But what the car manufacturer doesn’t do is announce deals, promotions or sales on Instagram, or direct their followers to Facebook contests. Basically Audi manages to have 4.5 engagements per follower on Instagram since June 20 2012, averaging 1,423 likes and 34 comments per photo; they also post once a day which helps keep momentum. According to the study, Audi manages to be much more effective when it comes to engagement on Instagram even if they have 104,511 followers, a relatively modest showing compared to MTV or Starbucks Coffee which have more than 7 times as much.
There are a few lessons to be learned when it comes to Instagram use, and one of those lessons comes from Audi. Judging by what Audi is doing, the key to success is to do what’s expected on a photo-sharing social network: share photos. Instead of utilizing it as a direct marketing tool, they use it properly. When it comes to the photo filters, it's not the most used that bring the highest engagement, but the use of the right filter that triggers an action from the users. Third, bigger isn’t necessarily better, and Audi’s numbers prove it. It's not the number of followers that bring the highest engagement on Instagram, but instead it's a combination of regularity of posting, the content of what's posted, and how it looks.
NASA's Curiosity rover landed on the surface of Mars on Sunday night, and almost immediately began transferring back to Earth the first images of the Martian surface. But for its reported $2.5 billion price tag, the images have a little less clarity than you might expect.
Curiosity's cameras have a maximum resolution of two megapixels. For perspective's sake, modern smartphones typically are 8MP or more. The result will be images that are sharper than those of Martian rovers past, yet lack the clarity that would be expected of a modern research craft.
So why does Curiosity have such a low-tech camera on board? There are two big reasons: the rover's long developmental period and limitations on the transmission of interplanetary data, says camera project manager Mike Ravine of Malin Space Science Systems.
In an interview this week with Digital Photography Review, Ravine notes that his company had been working on Curiosity's cameras as early as 2004. The specifications called for 8GB of on-board flash memory, which may sound like a lot is not much considering the rover's two year mission on the planet's surface.
A two-megapixel camera will obviously produce images that are small enough in size to permit thousands of images to be stored in Curiosity's on-board memory. Additionally in 2004 terms, 2MP wasn't so low-tech as it is now. That's when the design for the camera was proposed, and Ravine notes that his company couldn't develop something else once NASA approved its proposal.
An even bigger consideration for both NASA and Ravine's team is bandwidth. As it stands now, interplanetary data transmission is a slow and tedious process. Curiosity sends data to two satellites currently orbiting Mars -- the former Mars Reconnaissance and Mars Odyssey orbiters -- which then transmit data back to Earth. But at a speed of only 128Kbps, it's still quite slow in modern terms. This is not a lot of bandwidth given the scope of the Curiosity mission.
While pictures are what most of us are going to associate with the Curiosity mission, the rover has far more data that it must send back. With only about 250 megabytes of data able to be transmitted back to Earth daily according to Ravine, bandwidth is at a premium.
There still should be visually stunning images from these cameras. The image shown below of Curiosity's heat shield falling away from the rover before final descent is arguably one of the clearest images sent back from an outer space research vessel yet. At the same time, these will be the exception and not the rule as NASA will need to pick and choose which images to retrieve due to the lack of bandwidth.
So how do we solve this bandwidth problem? At last year's TEDxMidAtlantic event in Washington, D.C., Google chief evangelist and "Father of the Internet" Vint Cerf talked about the need for an interplanetary Internet. The beginnings of such a system already exists in how NASA and other space agencies are repurposing orbiting spacecraft to become communications relays.
But what happens when spacecraft begin to travel longer distances in their missions, say to distant stars like Alpha Centauri? Our modern point-to-point radio link system will be far less reliable, and the delays will be immense. It will soon be time to re-imagine how our spacecraft "phone home", or face an ever more difficult time in leveraging our modern technologies to advance the pace of space research.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly unvield a new partnership with the Microsoft Corporation. Working together, New York Police Department and Microsoft developed a crime prevention and counterterrorism information analysis platform they call Domain Awareness System. When fully deployed, the new system will provide NYPD investigators and analysts a comprehensive view of potential threats and criminal activity. DAS will help aggregate and analyze public safety data in real time.
DAS takes tips, emergency response calls, and other live incident and safety reports and automatically ties them to richer amounts of information. A network of smart CCTV cameras, license plate readers, speed cameras, and pre-existing cross-agency database information is filtered to relate to those incidents and tips that match. Law enforcement can then develop live real-time incident reports that can be transmitted to police in the field.
Analysts working on the system could use it to track possible suspects, their known connections and even predict crime patterns for particular areas of the city using the stats data it provides. GPS tracking spatial systems in police cars also allow police to better allocate their resources and officers with live report information from the DAS. In a test case senario, if reports of unknown packages or suspicious vehicles come in they can be tied together, and DAS could track people around a given area to see if there might be possible connections automatically, without police having to do extra digging -- allowing the best choice for first responders and other officers with the ability to go and collect further evidence in other directions.
At the press conference Mayor Bloomberg made the statement:
Part of the reason we have been able to continue driving down crime to record lows while devoting considerable resources to counterterrorism is our heavy investment in technology and our willingness to develop new, cutting-edge solutions to keep New Yorkers safe, This new system capitalizes on new, powerful policing software that allows police officers and other personnel to more quickly access relevant information gathered from existing cameras, 911 calls, previous crime reports, and other existing tools and technology. It will help the NYPD do more to prevent crimes from occurring and help them respond to crimes even more effectively. And because the NYPD built the system in partnership with Microsoft, the sale of the product will generate revenue for the city that will fund more new crime-prevention and counterterrorism programs.
NYPD Commissioner Kelly statement:
The system is a transformative tool because it was created by police officers for police officers, Its development is a testament to the talent and experience of our officers. And this agreement with Microsoft will allow the NYPD to continue to fund innovative counterterrorism and crime prevention programs.
Microsoft claims the solution is uniquely tailored to meet the specific needs of its users but the basic tools would never have been possible without the help of the NYPD in their practical knowledge of what law enforcement agencies needed. Kathleen Hogan, corporate vice president of Microsoft Services, states:
Microsoft is honored to partner with the NYPD to provide these important public safety capabilities to other jurisdictions, The NYPD is a respected leader and is continually innovating to help ensure the safety of New York’s citizens. It is a privilege to support its work with our technology and professional services.
As the DAS was co-developed by both Microsoft and NYPD officers, the police department will receive 30 percent of revenue from all future sales to customers worldwide. Hopefully squashing any worries about tax payer money going to pay for the development costs of for-profit company products.
So, you’ve made your choice between Mac and PC and decided that OS X is the operating system for you. But whatever personal choice you may have made, there are various reasons why you might need to turn to Windows software from time to time. While it is less common with big-name applicaions these days, there are still numerous titles that are not available for OS X. If your work requires you to use such a program, PlayOnMac could be just what you have been looking for.
Working much like the likes of Wine -- in fact the software is based on Wine -- this is an emulation tool that enables you to run Windows software on your Mac. This is not a unique piece of software by any means, but PlayOnMac is designed to be easier to use than Wine, and it does not have a price tag like the comparable Parallels does.
While you could simply copy or download any Windows executable to your Mac, and test it to see if it will work, if you’re looking for guaranteed results, browser through a list of supported apps is better. By installing software from this list you are not necessarily going to find that a particular app or game will run perfectly at top speed, but it should at least be largely problem free.
The range of supported programs is fairly wide, but it is not exhaustive. Performance issues, particularly with any software that is heavily dependent on graphics, such as games, are not unknown, but PlayOnMac still acts has a handy, wallet-friendly solution to a problem that faces many Mac users who have made the transition from Windows to OS X.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the PlayOnMac review page.
The rumors were true. Today, the US Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22.5 million for putting its hand in the Safari cookie jar. Technically, the amount is a settlement, but effectively a fine. The search and information giant circumvented Apple browser privacy controls to mine personal data.
Google isn't the only company accused of bypassing Safari privacy controls, but it is most answerable to regulators. The search company already is under 20-year oversight for violating the FTC Act. In October 2011, Google agreed not to misinterpret its consumer privacy practices.
"The record setting penalty in this matter sends a clear message to all companies under an FTC privacy order", Jon Leibowitz, FTC chairman says. "No matter how big or small, all companies must abide by FTC orders against them and keep their privacy promises to consumers, or they will end up paying many times what it would have cost to comply in the first place".
In February, Stanford grad student Jonathan Mayer discovered that Google and three other advertisers -- Media Innovation Group, PointRoll and Vibrant Media -- bypassed Safari cookie controls. "Unlike every other browser vendor, Apple enables cookie blocking by default", Mayer says. "Every iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac ships with the privacy feature turned on".
These advertisers successfully placed tracking code on computers and iOS devices, despite Safari's default configuration to prevent such activity.
Four days after releasing his initial findings, Mayer clarified them. "The circumvention behaviors affected all users, independent of whether they had a Google account, were logged into a Google account, or had made a choice about social advertising", he explains. "Google held an advantage over its advertising competitors that did not track Safari browsers. That advantage may have resulted in profit".
A consultant working for the Wall Street Journal later confirmed Mayer's findings and more: Out of the top-100 websites, 22 installed tracking code on desktop Safari, while 23 sites on iPhone.
According to the FTC, Google took advantage of a backdoor -- an exception allowing temporary cookies from the DoubleClick domain -- and placed others. So Safari users received tracking code even when cookies supposedly were blocked.
The FTC charged Google with violating its October 2011 agreement, leading to today's record settlement.
Photo Credit: gcpics/Shutterstock
Android smartphones aren’t known for timely updates, even if they bear the Nexus name, but when the very first Android smartphone gets Jelly Bean, you know something interesting is happening.
Thanks to Android modder jcarrz1 from XDA forums, even the 3 year old HTC Dream (or T-Mobile G1 as it’s known in the United States) can now get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The modding community is bringing Jelly Bean to older devices faster than HTC can offer it on their own flagship smartphones available now. But it’s not just the three-year old devices, as the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X also receive a dose of Jelly Bean, before manufacturers release the updates.
The HTC Dream/T-Mobile G1 gets Android 4.1.1 through a CyanogenMod 10 port of Jelly Bean. Like with any one-man job, there are some features that do not yet work, but impressively enough, the touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and featured applications all work. Even Google Now works, though only partially.
Cellular, data and rotation don’t yet work according to the developer, but the port is in pre-alpha state at the moment and therefore it’s not suitable to be used as the daily ROM. The effort is commendable, especially considering the age and low-end specifications of the device, which were considered somewhat underpowered even when the device was new.
As you might have guessed, the Dream/G1 isn’t the first Android smartphone to unofficially get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the list includes smartphones like the HTC One X, HTC One S, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy S II among other devices.
The HTC One X has received Jelly Bean before HTC can even give an upgrade timeline. According to the user behind the project, everything appears to be working on the Tegra 3 smartphone. If we’re to judge based on this video, the HTC One X is noticeably fast with a custom Jelly Bean ROM.
Not only does the HTC One X benefit from Project Butter, but it’s up to par with the Samsung Galaxy S III in terms of responsiveness, which also got Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with the help of an XDA user. FM Radio doesn’t work and it has some issues related to camera, Wi-Fi tethering, transparency on homescreen and audio, but everything else appears to work based on his report. It’s a great effort to make Jelly Bean functional on cutting edge hardware, especially considering it’s a one man job and most of the features are working. Besides the two popular quad-core devices, the HTC One S and Samsung Galaxy S II also get Android Jelly Bean through the work of dedicated modders.
What’s more important is that the list is even longer and thanks to the Android community those who want the latest build of Android can turn to modders to give it to them even if the manufacturers don’t want to or haven’t yet released an upgrade. It shows that it’s possible to run Jelly Bean even on a three year old device, and once again illustrates that the manufacturers are the core issue when it comes to Android updates.
If a few people can work on delivering a relatively stable Android Jelly Bean ROM for popular devices currently available on the market, why can’t manufacturers release the updates sooner?
Security company Kaspersky Lab on Thursday announced it had discovered a malware called Gauss which ran from September 2011 to July 2012, and was similar in design to the notorious Flame worm. The company believes Gauss to have been another state-sponsored cyberweapon.
Kaspersky said Gauss was discovered because of the increased efforts to identify and halt international cyber-weapons in the wake of Flame, Stuxnet, Duqu, and other military-grade security threats.
Gauss, according to the security company, was designed to steal sensitive information such as browser passwords, online banking account credentials, cookies, and local machine configurations/settings, and it infected approximately 2,500 machines, with Lebanon being the major target. Flame infected only about 700 machines.
"Functionally, Gauss is designed to collect as much information about infected systems as possible, as well as to steal credentials for various banking systems and social network, email and IM accounts. The Gauss code includes commands to intercept data required to work with several Lebanese banks - for instance, Bank of Beirut, Byblos Bank, and Fransabank," says the company's documentation of the malware.
"Code references and encryption subroutines, together with the Command and Control infrastructure make us believe Gauss was created by the same 'factory' which produced Flame. This indicates it is most likely a nation-state sponsored operation," the company said.
Kaspersky takes an aggressive position on international cyberwarfare, and warns that there is currently a global cyber arms race being built.
With this in mind, the company points out the major victims of the two similarly-crafted malwares were very different: Flame appeared to have targeted Iran, while Gauss appeared to have targeted Lebanon.
The command and control server IPs for Gauss were located in India, Portugal, and The United States, and the domains related to the malware were hosted alternately in India and Portugal as well.
The Downloadcrew Software Store is a great place if you’re looking for a software bargain, but with so much to choose from, it can be difficult to know just where to begin. Security and tweaking is a very good place to begin, and you can save 77 percent off the MSRP when you buy AVG Premium Security Complete Bundle for just $29.95. This exclusive deal gives you everything you need to keep yourself safe online and include four great AVG products.
Everyone wants to get the best possible performance from their computer and this is something that AVG PC Tuneup 2012 [1-PC, 1-Year] could help with. For just $8.95 -- saving your 78 percent off the MSRP -- you cn tweak and optimize your system in next to no time, and there’s an even better deal availbale if you want to take care of multiple computers. AVG PC Tuneup 2012 [3-PC, 1-Year] gives you the same great tuneup options, but it can be installed on up to three computers. This could be yours for just $10.95, saving you 78 percent. AVG Internet Security 2012 Plus Bundle is another great selection of four AVG products that could be your for just $29,95 -- saving you a massive 80 percen off the usual MSRP of $149.
You can also save 80% off PC Tools Internet Security 2012 when you spend just $9.95 on this security suite that includes virus, spyware and spam protection as well as a firewall. Another security tool available at a great discount is Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 [5-PC, 1-Year], which could be used to protect all of the computers in your house for just $34.95 -- saving you 73 percent. You might also want to take a look at Bitdefender Total Security 2013 [1-PC, 1-Year]. This new release include virus protect, a firewall, parental controls and much more, and it could be yours for just $19.99, saving you $49.96!
In the store you will also find a number of deals on creative software and utilities, starting with CyberLink Media Suite 10 Ultra which can be your for such $99.95 (a saving of 23 percent off the MSRP) and includes a free copy of PowerDirector 10 Ultra. You can also buy CyberLink PowerDirector 10 Ultra separately and this includes not only a 35 percent saving but also $89 worth of free software. If you’re looking for disc software, you can save 82% off the MSRP of Roxio Creator 2011 when you buy it for just $17.99 -- Roxio Creator 2011 Pro is also available at a saving of 81 percent for just $24.99.
Bringing this month’s highlights to a close are four more impressive tools. If you need to safeguard your data, look no further than Genie Backup Manager Pro 9. This powerful yet easy to use program will set you back just $39.95 -- a saving of 43 percent off the MRSP. Performance improvements are so important to most computer users, it is worth mentioning the excellent Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 which, for just $14.95, a savings of 70 percent -- enables you to boost the performance of your system without the hassle of selecting endless option.
In a similar vein is TuneUp Utilities 2012, which comes complete with a lifetime license that can be used on up to three computer and features a massive 64-percent discount, bringing the price down to just $17.99. The program is also availbale with security software if you buy the TuneUp Utilities 2012 + avast! Pro Antivirus 7 bundle. This will cost you just $19.95 -- saving a colossal 78% of the MSRP of the two tools -- and enables you to protect and optimize your machine. It’s also worth noting that if you added Extended Download Insurance to your order, you’ll also receive a free copy of CyberLink Media Suite 9 Centra worth $69.95.
Of course, these are just some of the highlights from the Downloadcrew Software Store -- take a browse and see what else you can find.
Photo Credit: iQoncept/Shutterstock
Whether you’re worried about security, hoping to optimize download speeds, or just trying to save money, keeping an eye on how your Internet connection is being used can be very helpful. Windows doesn’t provide many tools to help in this area, unfortunately, but there are plenty of third-party alternatives available -- and Net Guard is a great example.
The program opens with a tiny toolbar that just displays the upload and download speeds for any currently open connections. And so you’ll have an immediate indicator that lets you know that a process has gone online.
If you need to know more, a single click on the toolbar will display the processes which have uploaded or downloaded the most data recently, along with the total amount of data you’ve transferred today.
If even that isn’t enough, double-clicking the toolbar launches the main Net Guard window, where you’ll be able to take several different views on your online activities.
You might start by viewing your currently open Internet connections, for instance. Net Guard displays these along with their initiating process, protocol, local and remote IP address, ports and more.
The Net Monitor tab is a little more organized, displaying all processes which have gone online (whether they’re currently running or not), along with the amount of traffic they’ve generated.
If you’re more interested in the big picture then clicking Net Usage will plot your Internet usage over the current month. It’s able to project how much you’re likely to use over the month as a whole. And you can even have Net Guard display a warning if this figure gets close to a critical limit for your internet account.
The program also has a few issues, of course. The toolbar is annoying. This is small, so we placed it on the toolbar, where it seemed to fit well. But if you click elsewhere on the taskbar then Net Guard’s toolbar disappears. It’s now under the taskbar, and you have to right-click the Net Guard system tray icon, choose Hide Floating window, then Show Floating Window to bring it back.
The program can also feel a little inconsistent in places. Net Guard does offer a right-click “Kill” option to forcibly close a process, for instance, but this is only visible in the Net Monitor tab: if you’re using the Connections view then right-clicking won’t offer any options at all.
And this isn’t the most lightweight of tools, either. The program opened using just under 20MB of RAM on our test PC, and consumption rose from there, peaking for us at about 115MB. That’s not a huge deal, unless you’re running it on a seriously underpowered system, but you might want to keep an eye on this, just to make sure it doesn’t become a problem.
After spending awhile playing around with Net Guard, though, we still like the program overall: it’s capable, detailed, configurable and easy to use. Which isn’t bad at all, for a free tool, and if you’re looking to take more control over your internet connection then it’s definitely worth a closer look.
Photo Credit: Kheng Guan Toh/Shutterstock
The Galaxy S III is currently Samsung’s flagship smartphone and one of the best Android devices on the market today. To top it off, the Korean manufacturer has announced that the Galaxy S III will get VoLTE (Voice over LTE) starting August 2012 in Korea, which will be followed by "availability in global LTE markets" according to an announcement from the company on Thursday.
If the buyers of the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE model haven’t got the same quad-core processor or video card to play with (unless they’re in Korea), they now have VoLTE to play with which is exclusive to the LTE model.
Samsung is adamant that they have "the world’s first VoLTE service," according to JK Shin, President of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Division. The bold statement does come directly from Samsung thus carrying some weight, but they clearly haven’t found out that MetroPCS was first to announce the launch of VoLTE along with the first VoLTE capable smartphone, the LG Connect 4G.
That aside, Samsung has announced that the Galaxy S III LTE will only need a software update in order to benefit from VoLTE, which means that the update will be available to already-purchased Galaxy S III LTE units.
The Samsung Galaxy S III LTE comes in two different versions. The Korean units basically have the same specifications as the International version, but come with LTE and 2GB of RAM, while the second LTE version, which is available outside Korea in countries such as Canada and United States, has the same 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a 720p, 1280x720, resolution and comes with a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 8MP back facing camera with 1080p video recording, 1.9MP front facing camera with 720p video recording, 16/32GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS with GLONASS support and a 2100mAh battery, among other features. It comes in Pebble Blue, Marble White and, exclusively on AT&T, Garnet Red. The Galaxy S III is running Android 4.0.4 with TouchWiz.
VoLTE, according to Samsung, doesn’t require the download of an additional application unlike mVoIP, and "inconveniences" such as call connection delays and call misconnections are improved significantly, while it will offer twice the frequency of 3G and use an HD-level audio codec. So if you have purchased a Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, besides the increased data speeds and 2GB of RAM you will also have VoLTE; having a dual-core processor doesn’t look like a disadvantage now, does it?
Google is always trying out new ideas, and its latest experiment will allow users to locate personal Gmail messages through Google Search. Once enabled you just type what you’re looking for into the search box, and if there are any matching emails stored in your Gmail account they’ll be pulled out and displayed in a sidebar on the right of the results page. You can also search for contacts at the same time and, as a bonus, get updated information and statuses for any flights mentioned in Gmail messages.
At first glance this latest innovation might not seem a particularly useful feature, but it will allow you to find important messages without having to go into Gmail, simply by typing what you’re looking for into your browser’s search field. Obviously the results will only be visible to you and not to other users.
This is only a limited trial at the moment, so you’ll need to register your interest if you want to take it for a spin (Google Apps users aren’t eligible, unfortunately). Depending on demand, it may not be enabled for everyone who applies, and there’s the possibility, like many Google experiments, it won’t make it beyond the trial stage, although this idea does seem like the sort of thing the search giant will be keen to implement across the board.
A good idea or a bad idea? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak this week warned of the perils of depending too much on cloud storage and the general press reacted like this was: A) news, and; B) evidence of some inherent failure in cloud architecture. In fact it is not news (Woz never claimed it was) and mainly represents something we used to call “common sense”.
However secure you think your cloud storage is, why solely rely on it when keeping an extra backup can cost from very little to nothing at all?
No matter whose cloud you are depending on it will be subject to attack. Bigger targets get more attacks and something as big as DropBox, say, is a mighty big target, while that spare hard drive attached to a PC at your house (or my preference -- the house of a friend) is generally a target too small to even be noticed.
Whether it is bad guys stealing cloud data or generally good guys losing or otherwise screwing-up your cloud data, once it is out of your control that data is effectively gone. To read the news reports about this story it is not just gone but also now someone else’s property, given to them by you under their terms of service that you (and I, I admit) didn’t read.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the loss of ownership, because these cloud vendors are less interested in exposing your holiday office party photos than they are in feeding you ads that appear to be about subjects of interest. And even if you were giving away ownership of your data, which you aren’t, that doesn’t mean you are relinquishing any rights of your own to that dataespecially if you bothered to keep a copy.
So backup and backup again. At Chez Cringely everything is backed-up locally two different ways, also backed-up to cloud storage, and even backed up again to a server in another city (it’s a PogoPlug under a bed at my mother-in-law’s house and she doesn’t even know). Some of these techniques cost me money but not all do and my total outlay for such an extravagant backup strategy is less than $100 per year.
At home we have both Time Machine (actually an Apple Time Capsule -- there’s the investment) as well as my 100 percent free ClearOS (formerly ClarkConnect, a specialized version of Linux for network appliances) Internet gateway running a backup server in addition to firewall, antivirus, proxy server, DNS server, etc., all on an old Intel PC I had lying around. ClearOS is the best bargain I know in data security and is ideal for protecting multi-PC, multi-platform home networks. For home use it costs absolutely nothing, runs fine on old hardware, and easily replaces $100+ in security software from places like Kaspersky, McAffee, and Symantec. And with all that crap removed from your PCs they are faster, too. ClearOS protects the computers and their users by protecting the network.
Steve Wozniak is right -- users are going to eventually be burned if they rely solely on cloud backup. Forget about natural disasters and malware, what happens when these outfits just plain go out of business? Where is your data then? Nobody will know.
Photo Credit: T. L. Furrer/Shutterstock
Like its predecessor, Apple’s most recent version of OS X, Mountain Lion, has been made available in the app store. From Apple’s point of view this helps to dramatically reduce production costs, and these saving can then be passed to customers who reap the benefits of cheap upgrades. But what the online installer model fails to take into account is that many people have to work within monthly download limits put in place by their ISP -- this is something that Lion DiskMaker can help with.
Whether you have a single computer to upgrade, or want to bring your entire fleet of Macs up to date with Mountain Lion, it is quite possible that downloading a large installer could push you over your monthly limit, possibly resulting in hefty charges. If you have more than one computer you would ordinary have to download the installer separately for each machine. You might think that you could simply copy the installer but this is not easily achieved.
The problem is that once you have run through the installer, it will be automatically deleted preventing you from using it again. With this in mind, you should ideally use Lion DiskMaker before you perform an upgrade to Mountain Lion; you will only have to download the installer once. As well as saving your time and bandwidth, going down this route means that it is possible to upgrade computers that are not connected to the Internet.
The app can be used to create your own offline installer disk using an 8GB USB drive, SD card or a dual layer DVD. If you don’t mind taking a hands-on approach, this is something you could achieve with OS X’s built in Disk Utility, but Lion DiskMaker simplifies the whole process and takes care of everything for you.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the tool by paying a visit to the Lion DiskMaker review page.
After more than 18 months in beta, Microsoft released version 1.0 of its free Attack Surface Analyzer, a tool which aims to highlight security weaknesses that have been introduced by the installation of any given application on a Windows 7 PC.
And as with the previous builds, the program is very easy to use. You run a baseline scan to capture your setup now, install an application, run another scan, and the Analyzer tells what’s changed: new processes, services, loaded modules, network connections and a whole lot more.
The program is targeted very much at developers, system administrators and other high-end users, however, so there are no concessions to novices when it comes to the reports.
We installed Apache on a test Windows 7 PC, for instance, and Attack Surface Analyzer complained that “the process ApacheMonitor.exe was detected with the NX setting disabled”. Not sure what that means? Unlucky: even clicking the “Explain” link won’t help you very much.
However, the Analyzer also produces a more general “Attack Surface” report which simply lists everything potentially security-related which has changed between your two scans.
In the case of our Apache installation, for instance, this revealed that the program had added a new Windows User group; two new registered file types; a single new service; and assorted other new running processes, network connections and more.
Even if you’re not a developer, then, the Attack Surface Analyzer (both 32-bit and 64-bit) could be useful whenever you need to understand more about how your PC’s configuration has changed over time. Just run a baseline scan at some known point, another one later on, and allow the Analyzer to highlight any important modifications.
Photo Credit: kentoh/Shutterstock
Microsoft has released Windows Essentials 2012 for Windows 7 and 8 users, but drops support for Vista. The new version drops “Live” branding and features notable new capabilities and improvements to its multimedia tools, Photo Gallery and Movie Maker.
The suite also drops Windows Live Mesh for the SkyDrive file-syncing tool. In addition, it includes Mail, Messenger, Writer, Family Safety and Outlook Connector Park, all of which feature in previous releases.
The major updates in this 2012 version can be found in both Movie Maker and Photo Gallery, one of which is restricted Windows 8. That’s a new Video Stabilization feature, designed to quickly and easily correct wobbly video footage, which takes specific advantage of Windows 8’s improved support for hardware graphics acceleration.
Other new features in Movie Maker can be found in both Windows 7 and 8. Clicking the Add Music button now reveals options for adding music from three online sources -- AudioMicro, Free Music Archive and Vimeo -- that come with the necessary rights for playing in distributed movies.
Sound is now displayed as waveforms, with the video’s own soundtrack displayed over the video thumbnail, and any additional music or narration displayed as a waveform on the green sound bar beneath it. Speaking of narration, Movie Maker also adds a third track specifically for adding narration -- either from an audio or video file (the video track is removed) -- to your movie.
With up to three audio tracks now competing with each other, additional options have been added to the Project tab that allow the user to emphasise one track -- video, audio or narration -- over the other if required.
Movie Maker also radically improves its text support, with an option for adding an outline around captions to help them stand out on screen. Finally, Movie Maker now uses the H.264 video codec as its default for saving movies, ostensibly to make it easier to publish video to popular sharing websites.
Photo Gallery includes one major new feature: auto collage. This allows the user to select seven or more photos and transform them into a striking collage with a single click.
Microsoft has also added a new sharing partner in the form of Vimeo, to sit alongside SkyDrive, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.
The other major change of note in Windows Essentials 2012 is the long-anticipated dropping of Windows Live Mesh in favor of SkyDrive for Windows. While SkyDrive provides file backup and sync options with the user’s Windows Live account, it doesn’t include other features found in Live Mesh, including direct PC-to PC synchronisation, remote desktop, and a choice of folders to synchronise (instead, all syncing is done through one central SkyDrive folder, a la Dropbox).
Contrary to some rumours, Windows Essentials 2012 does include the blogging tool Windows Live Writer, although the lack of a name change with this and other apps in the suite – including Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail – suggests development has stalled on these products.
Windows Essentials 2012 is a free download for PCs running Windows 7 or 8 only. Windows Vista users – as well as those wishing to use Windows Live Mesh – can still obtain Windows Live Essentials 2011, while XP users can install Windows Live Essentials 2010. Microsoft SkyDrive is also available as a separate download for Windows and Mac
Microsoft on Wednesday announced the opening of the Windows Phone Development Center. This is good news for Windows Phone Apps developers because they now have one location where they can submit apps and get SDKs. Since Microsoft has been engaged in the development of Windows Phone apps, the one area that may have been holding them back is a unified location to make the app development process easily available.
The new site is an evolution of the previous App Hub developer portal. The new site provides everything developers need to build, publish, and manage apps for Windows Phones around the world. After engaging in planning and attention along with developer feedback, it has new features to help make Windows Phone app development faster and more profitable.
App HubEarlier in the year, the App Hub site had become less responsive. The certification turnaround times increased on average by about one business day running from January through late March. This reflected the growing pains that any system experiences, especially when there is a lot more activity. During those three months, for instance, the number of apps in Windows Phone marketplace grew by 60 percent, to nearly 80,000. But that was not all. During that same period, Microsoft also nearly doubled the number of customer stores around the world to 54 that sell apps. But this impact, which is good-bad news, slowed down their backend systems.
As a result, a new system was designed to take advantage of the growing support for apps, but to make the integration and sales easier and faster.
The Windows Phone Dev CenterThe Windows Phone Dev Center has a clean and streamlined look with an easy set of menu options and quick links, like Submit App, Get SDK, and View Samples, which work at providing faster access to common tasks.
Developer's HeavenAnother reason for using the Dev center is that it enhances the sales opportunities for developers. The arrival of the Windows Phone Dev Center brings more markets to developers. Developers will be able to register in four times as many countries or regions than before, and also get paid in some cases three times as much as what’s was possible before. Plus this year Microsoft is also nearly tripling the number of consumer storefronts around the world to sell your apps. Many of these new markets are now available, and others will be in the near future.
PaymentThen there is the pay issue. Microsoft is making it easier for developers to get paid. The Dev Center supports PayPal, which was something that many developers asked for. So if the PayPal service is available in your market, you can use it both to get paid and to pay for the developer account.
How much do you charge for the app? Well, since no two markets are ever alike, the Dev Center lets developers enter a unique price in each country or region that they plan to sell their app in. This is a new tool for fine-tuning the app marketing and profit-making strategies that developers want to pursue.
The overall effect of this is to give developers more leeway on how to push their apps out to the market, and it makes more Apps available to the Windows Phone market.
We’re only into the second week of the "patent trial of the century" but we’ve already been granted an unprecedented peek behind the curtain into the notoriously secretive world of Apple Inc. Here, in no particular order, are ten of the most fascinating reveals from the trial to date.
Steve Jobs was open to the idea of a seven inch iPad
Although Steve Jobs famously dismissed the idea of Apple making a smaller iPad, saying in 2010: "The reason we [won't] make a 7-inch tablet isn’t because we don’t want to hit [a lower] price point, it’s because we think the screen is too small to express the software," he was apparently coming around to the idea prior to his untimely death last year. In an internal email sent to several top executives at Apple in January 2011, senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, said he’d voiced the idea of a 7in tablet to Steve Jobs several times since thanksgiving, and that the CEO had "seemed very receptive the last time."
Apple considered making a car
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, told the court that the success of the iPod made the company realize that it could do much more than just make computers, and that revelation had led to a rash of ideas and suggestions, including one for an Apple car. Obviously the idea never gained any traction, and was probably never intended to be taken too seriously, but I for one would have loved to have seen Jonathan Ive’s take on automotive design (he drew cars amongst other things pre-Apple, but never really seriously).
Apple took three years to design the iPhone
In walking the jury through Apple’s product line, company attorney Harold McElhinny said work began on creating a "phone with the capabilities of a computer" in 2003. During Apple designer Christopher Stringer’s testimony, the court was shown a slide that showed the outer design for the iPhone was finalized in April 06.
The iPhone’s codename was "Purple Project"
Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS Software at Apple, revealed to the court that the iPhone was developed under the codename "Purple Project" and that the engineers who would be working on it had to come from within Apple and weren’t told anything about what they’d be doing until after they were onboard. The building they worked in was nicknamed the "Purple Dorm" and had a Fight Club sign on the door because, according to Forstall, the "first rule of the Purple Project is you don’t talk about Purple Project."
Apple’s products are designed at a kitchen table
Chris Stringer told the court that the Apple creation process often involved a group of designers sitting around a kitchen table and brainstorming various design aspects before turning the resulting sketches into 3D models using CAD software. "We'll sit there with our sketch books and trade ideas," he said, because that’s where the group is "most comfortable."
The iPhone could have had curved glass on both sides
Around 40 prototype designs for the iPhone were released in court documents filed by Apple, including one with curved glass on both sides. According to one of Apple's former designers, Doug Satzger, the idea was abandoned for a combination of cost reasons and technical difficulties. "The technology in shaping the glass, the cost relative to shaping the glass at the time, and some of the design features of this specific shape were not liked," he explained.
The iPhone screen was designed to look like a pond
According to Christopher Stringer, one of the design goals for the original iPhone was to make it as simple as possible and have a screen that looked like a "dark, oily pond" when off. Not exactly how most people would want to describe their iPhones.
The going rate for an expert witness
Under questioning, industrial designer Peter Bressler, told the court that Apple was paying him $400 an hour to act as an expert witness in the case, and that he’d earned $75,000 so far. Nice work for a job that basically appears to involve just looking at phones and tablets and saying "that’s a bit similar." Apple’s second expert witness, former Apple graphics designer and self-described "icon expert" Susan Kare, told the court she was getting $550 an hour, and had made about $80,000 in total. The third expert witness, marketing expert Russell Winer. told the court he was being paid $625 an hour and had earned about $50K so far. $625 an hour? Peter Bressler must be kicking himself.
Apple has spent more than one billion dollars on marketing the iPhone and iPad
In his testimony, Phil Schiller said the company had, prior to the end of fiscal 2011, spent $647 million on marketing the iPhone in the US alone, and $457 million on the iPad. Although that sounds like a lot of money, it isn’t really when you consider the company made $39.2 billion in revenue in the second fiscal quarter of 2012 alone.
Apple does do market research
Steve Jobs wasn’t a fan of market research and once said, "You can't just ask customers what they want then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." However, court documents showed that the company does carry out regular surveys to understand how buyers use their devices. One such survey showed that 78% of users owned a case or bumper for their iPhone.
London-based startup Ginjex launched its "real-time availability engine" in Beta on Wednesday, providing small and independent businesses a place to list their availability live so customers can get the services they need exactly when they need them.
Bringing goods from website to consumer has become a mind-bending race to see who can get there the fastest. Zappos set a standard for speed with its common next-day delivery upgrades, and Amazon Prime offers subscribers next- and second day shipments on all purchases for just a couple of dollars, where just a few years ago, such rapid delivery used to tack on a significant extra cost.
This week, eBay Now dropped the service time to the same day in its initial San Francisco test deployment. With that service, users can buy goods from major retailers like Macy's, Target, or Best Buy, and have their goods delivered to them within hours.
Ginjex is not about delivering goods to consumers immediately, But it applies that same urgency and immediacy to connecting users to services. With it, users can see what businesses are open, and see who is available right this minute.
The name Ginjex is a truncation of "Global Instant Jobs Exchange," and it takes the concept of real-time presence that instant messaging and communications systems have used for years and applies it to a location-aware business directory. Let's say, for example, a hair salon has some unexpected cancellations, and its day suddenly opens up to taking new customers. The salon's Ginjex listing can be switched to show immediate availability, and potential customers who search the area for hair salons can see that there are immediate appointments open.
With Ginjex, availability is effectively a boolean that has been added to location-based search, so if you search for "restaurants near me," you're only going to get the results that you can actually go to immediately.
That should appeal to anyone who has traveled to a city that is not their home on a holiday, and found themselves searching through sites with regular business hours, but no way of knowing if the places they searched were actually open or not.
Beyond the availability feature, the service can be used to post live offers or coupons to attract nearby customers, and any alerts can be pushed to users via SMS. The whole service is about making immediate connections.
Businesses and individuals have to subscribe to Ginjex for this "live broadcast," capability, but because it is currently in beta, listing is free. The beta test bed is limited right now to East London, but there are plans to expand the service to the rest of the UK, and then into emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
Despite proceedings being almost over, the Oracle v. Google trial took an unexpected turn yesterday, on August 7. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered both parties to come forward with the names of the people they paid that could make public comments related to the case in point, according to a court order released yesterday.
Judge William Alsup gave an order of disclosure for financial relationships concerning the involvement of commentators on case-related issues. The court order includes print and Internet authors, bloggers, commentators and journalists that have published, or may in the future publish comments related to the issues in this case.
According to the court order, the proceedings on the case are almost over, and it comes as a precautionary move from the court to ask for disclosure, as it may be of use "in any event." It is stated that the disclosure would serve on a possible appeal or remand (court procedure), as to set the record straight on whether the issues discussed during the case may have possibly been influenced by the financial relationships to the counsel or the parties. The concern comes from analysis, article, commentary or treatise published on the issues raised during the trial.
By August 17, 2012 at noon each side, Google and Oracle, and its counsel as well shall file the disclosure. They must identify each author, blogger, commentator and journalists that has received money, excepting "normal subscription fees," from the party or its counsel and have commented or reported on any issues surrounding the case.
It comes as an odd request at such a late time during the trial, as pointed out by Judge Alsup's "almost over" comment, but now that the court order has been given, either party could use the filings in a possible appeal or even before the trial will end. Obviously, the cat’s out of the bag now, and it is unclear what effect it might have had if this order had come earlier in the trial.
The court is well aware that Google and/or Oracle may have paid authors, bloggers, commentators or journalists through "normal subscription fees" and it doesn’t even focus on this, but is concerned by any other fees. The court order in itself raises questions on what triggered the request from Judge William Alsup.
We’ll have to wait until August 17 to find out whether Google and/or Oracle have retained or paid any journalists or writers enough to effect change on their content. This will cause problems if it turns out that either of them has indeed done so, especially if the writers themselves had not disclosed the potential influence of the companies.
Photo Credit: EmiliaUngur/Shutterstock
The Office Store, Microsoft’s integrated product into Office 2013 is open. Office's new web apps come from the Office Store, where you can purchase add-ins or install free tools. The program became available this week to users with a Microsoft account and a preview version of Office, SharePoint or Exchange. For developers, the store presents a new and large opportunity to increase their income through sales.
Building the Office StoreFrom a user’s standpoint a lot of time is spent using the Microsoft Office suite. That is spending time reading through email, writing reports, analyzing data, preparing sales figures or sharing proposals with others team. There are many critical tools and many critical information sources live on the web or in applications outside of Office. So part of the idea behind the Office Store is so users could integrate different elements of the web with the internal elements of Office and SharePoint.
Here’s how it will work. Take a look at Outlook 2013. If you are sent a part number or an address via email, you shouldn't have to open another application to get more details. If you are sent an email from a contact, you should be able to see their LinkedIn details or their sales history right as you read the email. Or, you should be able to interact with and take action on these other applications right from within the Office clients. Well the Office Store will have the right apps for you to integrate that external and internal operation into one. Sounds like a winner right?
Ease of UseWhat good is it to have the apps if there isn't an easy way to access and install them? So that is part of the operation to easily get, install, and use apps. Use the Insert tab then use the ribbon and choose “Apps for Office” and you’ll see apps from the Office Store. The fact is that users can learn more about apps in the store and even read reviews, or acquire them, and start using them immediately. Wait is not in the game plan.
What's not so good currently is that you can't install apps from within Office. You are always directed to the store where you need to log in to make purchases and add free or paid apps to your account. But, a preview is not the final product and there is still some hope left that Microsoft will integrate the Office Store fully into the various Office programs.
ValidationSoundness, no malware … good to know. All apps listed on the Store go through validation procedures so users can trust them. Then once the user acquires them, they are available right away because these apps are all based on web-standards, so they load straight away. This also means that there’s no need for IT to prep them and pre-load them; they are secure and quickly operational.
User AccessWhat if you use a new machine? Meaning that you have been working with the Office programs on a different machine; now what? Do you have to re-install everything? No it is easy, just sign-in with your Microsoft account and all your apps will be there. Best of all, when you send a document that was created using an app such as an info graphic in an Excel spreadsheet, a reference to it travels with the document so the recipient at the destination can start using that app too. It is a fast way to improve your productivity and it is simple.
The change in Office is now apparent that consolidation of apps to pass into other areas is not in the plan. What you are seeing is a new way of looking at computer applications. It is a way of bringing more users into an information base where standalone projects are a thing of the past in so far as business operations are concerned.
As screen capturing power goes, there’s no doubt that the standard Windows PrintScreen function is horribly basic. But some third-party capture tools head in the other direction, weighing you down with a host of overcomplicated options which you’ll probably never use at all.
If your needs are more straightforward, then, you might prefer something like Gadwin PrintScreen, which provides a good set of basic screengrab functions, yet always remains relatively lightweight and easy to use.
The program’s core features include everything you’d expect. It can grab the full screen, an individual application window or a rectangular area, for instance. This can be sent to the clipboard, a printer, despatched via email or saved to a file (BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF or TIF). And while by default it’s activated by pressing PrtSc, you can choose an alternative hotkey of your own.
Your capture can be processed in some useful ways, too. The program is able to resize it, for instance. You can have it converted to grey scale. A “Stamp” option allows you to add a custom text watermark to the grab (your name, the date and time, whatever it might be). And there’s even the ability to add a shadow to the image, although this isn’t implemented as well (it’s not offset so there’s no real 3D effect).
Perhaps most convenient, though, is that if you turn off previews (select Properties > Preferences, clear “Preview the captured image”) all of this can happen without any intervention at all. All you have to do is keep pressing PrtSc and the program might grab a window, resize that image, add a watermark, and save it using an automatically generated name while you just get on with whatever you need to do.
What you won’t find here are any custom annotation options. They’re reserved for the program’s commercial big brother, Gadwin PrintScreen Professional, which does include an excellent editor and can be yours for $24.95. (Take a look at HardCopy for a free alternative.)
Gadwin PrintScreen is easy to use, though, lightweight (it consumed under 4MB RAM on our test PC) and can run almost anywhere (it works on Windows 98 upwards), and if your screen capture needs are fairly standard then it could be a very good choice.
Hyper-V, Microsoft’s answer to VMware, a virtual machine system has been around since Server 2008. And earlier versions of Microsoft virtual machines have been around since Server 2003, so the software is not new. But Microsoft’s latest version which comes out with Windows 8 as Server 2012 will introduce new features to Microsoft's server operating system.
Microsoft came into the virtual machine system market late, and VMware has been the dominant company running the software for about 10 years. But Microsoft is making tremendous strides in trying to catch up. So when Server 2008 was released, you could set up various virtual machines in the system and run different programs simultaneously, never affecting the host computer. A virtual machine is software that mimics an operating system, thereby allowing a “computer” to run inside a computer. So you can have Vista running in an XP system, and neither operating system will interfere with the other.
Hyper-V consists of a 64-bit hypervisor that can run 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines at the same time. Hyper-V virtualization operates with single and multi-processor virtual machines. It also includes tools such as snapshots that can capture the state of a running virtual machine.
With Server 2012, which will be released on September 4th, Microsoft hopes to bring more attention to its virtualization system. But the current shipping version of System Center 2012 only supports Hyper-V hosts running Windows Server 2008, according to Microsoft. That is not good. In fact Hyper-V 3.0 tools won't appear until System Center 2012 SP1 comes out.
System Center 2012Microsoft System Center 2012 is a management platform that enables users to manage their IT environments, including server infrastructures and client devices. With System Center 2012 you can manage traditional datacenters, private and public clouds, and client computers and devices. From an administration point they can manage multiple hypervisors, plus the physical resources, and applications together in a single access point.
With System Center 2012 SP1 administrators can take advantage of new features in Hyper-V. These include going from Network Virtualization using Generic Routing Encapsulation (NVGRE), and up to live migration enhancements, and backup support for Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs).
One of the tools of the System Center 2012 is the Virtual Machine Manager, which provides virtual machine management and services deployment with support for multi-hypervisor environments that can help you deliver a flexible and cost effective private cloud environment. So how that tool gets updated should be part of the Service Pack 1, when it is released.
Hyper-V 3.0So what is Hyper-V 3.0? It is a virtual machine designed to compete head to head with VMware. Here are some of the essential features that make it a viable competitor to VMware.
So as Microsoft moves forward to make the system more flexible, the product is in part dependent on the acceptance of the Windows 8 OS before pushing too many updates onto the public. Given that the expectations for the new OS are high, and there is almost a split division in the public about whether it will succeed or fail, it is no wonder that Microsoft would rather let the talk quiet down before moving around and letting new products take the limelight. Imagine if Windows 8 bombs, and then Microsoft releases a new product, the talk could probably affect its installation statistics.
Photo Credit: .shock/Shutterstock
The Document Foundation has announced the release of LibreOffice 3.6, a major upgrade which introduces a host of important and very welcome new features.
If document sharing is top of your priority list, for instance, you'll appreciate the suite's new ability to import Corel Draw files. Regular DOCX and CSV import has been significantly improved, PDF export now supports watermarks, and major performance enhancements mean importing many file types is now substantially faster.
Elsewhere, Calc sees a major addition in new support for color scales and data bars, great for visualizing data at a glance. Impress benefits from 10 new master pages and a widescreen format. And Writer is now able to import Office SmartArt graphics.
There are plenty of smaller tweaks which should make a real difference to many LibreOffice users. Writer finally now displays your document word count on the status bar, for instance. Table AutoFormat now records and applies many more table-level properties, so it’s much more likely to work as you expect. While Calc has now removed the three sort entry limit, allowing you to sort by as many columns as you like.
The new build includes many other additions whose impact will only become obvious over time. Reading that the latest release has “Added Lanczos algorithm for resizing of images” doesn’t exactly sound like a big deal, for example. But if you zoom in on a picture you should find its image quality is now much better, and the resulting file is also significantly smaller, so your document sizes will shrink.
And the whole thing is wrapped up in a cleaner, revamped user interface which generally looks better all across the suite.
There are plenty of other bug fixes, tweaks and enhancements to explore (the official New Features page has the full list). On balance, though, LibreOffice 3.6 represents a solid and substantial move forward for the package, and the new build is available for download now.
Starbucks Coffee Company and mobile payments startup Square on Wednesday announced a broad interconnected partnership which includes Starbucks investing $25 million in Square as part of the startup’s Series D financing round, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz joining Square’s Board of Directors, and Square's mobile payments and credit transaction platform being used in U.S. Starbucks stores.
Starbucks customers will be able to use Square's "Pay with Square" mobile app, available on both Android and iPhone, at U.S. Starbucks stores later this fall, and find nearby Starbucks locations within Square Directory. Square will also take on the processing of Starbucks U.S. credit and debit card transactions.
This will significantly expand Square’s scale and credit processing size in the market. This will greatly increase the leverage Square will have with negotiating credit card transaction fees with the major credit card companies as well as increasing benefits to businesses on the Square platform, especially small businesses, all while reducing Starbucks credit card payment processing costs as well.
"As the largest retail mobile payment platform in the U.S., we’re excited and proud to accept payments with Square," said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO. "The evolving social and digital media platforms and highly innovative and relevant payment capabilities are causing seismic changes in consumer behavior and creating equally disruptive opportunities for business. Both Starbucks and Square take a similar approach when building products and running our businesses, and together we can bring the best possible payment experience to Starbucks customers."
This isn't just big for Square but for the future of the entire mobile payment market space. Of the 27 million small businesses in the U.S., more than two-thirds do not accept credit or debit cards. This is in large part due to the high interchange fees associated with credit card payment processing, not to mention the typically cumbersome application process, credit checks, and then equipment rental fees and monthly access fees to do mobile or static location credit card transaction processing. Square enables merchants of any size – from sole proprietors to national retailers – to accept credit and debit cards. A prime example of this is the ever growing popularity of artisan food trucks, who before Square, were cash only, significantly lowering their reach to mobile customers.
Therein lies the rub. Square first gained a cult following from independent coffee shops, pop- up restaurants, merch-selling musicians, and independent manufacturers and craftspeople. Starbucks, now an international chain of franchises, has all but lost its independent cachet among these types of users. Trying to reassure faithful Square users, Jack Dorsey, Square CEO and founder posted this letter to them this morning:
August, 8 2012
I am pleased and proud to announce that today Starbucks signed up for Square.
Square began with a really simple idea: everyone should be able to accept credit cards. It should be easy and free to get set up, it should use simple technology people already own, and, most importantly, it should instantly adapt to any size business—from the person chasing a dream to the largest organization on the planet. By embracing Square, Starbucks has validated these ideas as powerful tools—not just for small businesses, but for smart businesses.
It's amazing to think that Starbucks began as a single coffee shop in Seattle. The concept of taking a good idea and helping it grow is not foreign to them, and Starbucks doesn't just view Square as the simplest way to accept payments. They see an opportunity to extend and accelerate a model they grew up with: the idea that business is local and that community plays a vital role in job creation and economic vitality. When Starbucks builds the Square Directory into their apps and in-store Digital Network, it gives Square new visibility, driving more customers to opt-in to Square. And with nearly 7,000 Starbucks stores soon accepting Square, these new payers will be able to find your business (including coffeehouses) and pay with their name, building community and creating value.
Our customers make us who we are, and we are proud of every single one of you—including our newest. Our promise to you remains the same: build simple, affordable, and fast tools that level the playing field for everyone. Thank you for helping us build Square. And please share your thoughts and tweets; I'm listening.
As Howard Schultz says: #Onward,
Jack Dorsey
CEOSquare Inc.
It will be interesting to see how this will stack up in the coming fight between the Google Wallet NFC service, who is partnered with Money Network to process transactions, and the possible future for Apple's Passcard application system in the works for iOS 6. Apple was was also granted a 2008 patent Tuesday, patent application No. 12/286,361, in regards to an entire dual NFC and QR code personal shopping cart and payment system. It will be interesting to see how it might play out in the ever growing patent wars.
Almost everyone who uses a computer or mobile device these days is familiar with apps and app stores. Back in the day, computers used to have "programs," and it was even once seen as fairly progressive to venture out onto the web and download something for yourself. No longer is this the case. Users are happy using app stores, and such mechanisms are almost expected on any new platform.
Microsoft was fairly slow to the app game. It never really had a successful phone platform with which to experiment in the way Apple did. Steps have now been taken in Redmond though, and the Windows 8 app store is expected to play a big role in the day to day use of the new operating system. SharePoint 2013, recently previewed by Microsoft and currently in the hands of excited enterprise testers the world over, now also has its own app store. However I can’t help but think, in its current guise, it is a missed opportunity.
There are actually two types of "store" in SharePoint 2013. A public one and a corporate one. This means that individual companies can have their own internal private SharePoint app store, restricting what apps are available. Apps themselves come in three flavours:
SharePoint "On-premise" hosted apps
A app is hosted entirely internally on a locally installed SharePoint environment. The key point with this type of app is it cannot run server side code. All code uses REST, as well as HTML and CSS.
Remote apps hosted by Azure
Apps are hosted in Microsoft’s developer cloud service Azure.
Other remotely hosted apps
Similar to above but apps can be hosted anywhere (such as Amazon web services or the developer's own servers). This allows apps to be written in almost any language (SharePoint apps written in PHP!), providing a bit of added flexibility for developers.
The problem with apps, as they feature in this preview version, is Microsoft hasn’t really defined what they are, and equally importantly what they aren't. To my mind it made perfect sense if they neatly replaced web parts (Web parts being the widget style blocks of functionality that users can drag onto a page). Instead Microsoft has kept web parts, and added "app parts" for apps. This is just confusing.
Microsoft seems to have defined an app in terms of how the functionality is pieced together in code, how it is architected. But at the same time they have plastered the word "App" all over SharePoint, very deliberately putting the word in the user's domain. The way they have done this is going to make the users view of an app very different to that of a developer. Is a web part (like a task list manager that can be dragged onto the page) an app? Not currently, but why not?
The confusion doesn’t stop there. Lists and libraries (a staple in previous versions of SharePoint, like web parts) have been renamed as "apps" as well. When users want to add new content to a particular site they add an app from the "Your apps" page. This page includes what we previously thought of as lists and libraries, as well as new, more traditional SharePoint 2013 apps. To add to the confusion, they are still referred to as list or libraries on this page, the term app is seemingly used more as a collective term. Throw in the "web parts" we discussed earlier and it all seems a bit of a mess.
Apps in SharePoint is a good thing. The hosting options, and the option of a corporate store, are also good things. But Microsoft needs to clearly define what an app is. Right now it’s all a bit confused. Let's hope it is cleared up in the final release, or apps could be a real missed opportunity for SharePoint, and Microsoft.
Photo: pzAxe/Shutterstock
Although online gambling is essentially illegal in most US states, in the UK it’s both very popular and well-regulated. Facebook has been in discussion with a number of UK-based operators about introducing real-money games to the social network since last summer, and the first of what will likely become a deluge of gambling apps has finally arrived on the site. The new game, from UK-based Gamesys, is called Bingo and Slots Friendzy and will allow British users aged 18 and over (and in possession of a credit card) to play for real cash prizes while chatting with friends. As is the case with most online gambling games in the UK, this one comes with a big cash incentive for new players. Deposit £10 to get £30 to wager.
Commenting on the launch, Facebook’s Head of EMEA Gaming Partnerships, Julien Codorniou, said, "People love playing new types of games with their friends on Facebook and real money gaming is a popular leisure activity in the UK. We’re delighted to be working with Gamesys to enable them to offer their games on Facebook so that people can enjoy playing more games with their friends."
Facebook sees online gambling as being a useful additional revenue stream, and provided everything goes well with Bingo Friendzy, we can expect to see real-money games coming from all of the major players, including (naturally) Zynga, Facebook’s largest gaming partner.
Photo: jcjgphotography/shutterstock
Acer CEO JT Wang has been quoted as saying Microsoft's Surface could have a negative impact on the Windows ecosystem, frustrate OEMs, and potentially have far-flung negative consequences. Why is there a problem when Microsoft wants to set a standard in both hardware and software? Windows Phone, Surface, and Signature represent a generational shift in Microsoft’s thinking related to operating systems, hardware, and the intended software experience. This is the Microsoft that should surface (no pun intended) from every interaction with one of their products, and who’s to say that’s not a good thing?
When Microsoft announced Surface, I immediately saw great potential for people like me who need advanced software to perform real tasks that require an intensive use of resources. But at the same time, Microsoft Surface gave a glimpse of what’s to come: Microsoft can actually make hardware to its own specifications and design. It is an approach that has been slowly coming to the front with Microsoft which began three years ago, before the debut of the first Windows Phone. Working closely with HTC, Microsoft could make sure the hardware performed in such a way that its software looked better.
Windows Phone paved the way
The first attempt at serious mobile hardware standards, however, wasn't ideal. Windows Phone 7+ wasn’t designed for modern hardware like 720p displays, or quad- or even dual-core CPUs, not to mention 1GB of RAM. So by Windows Phone 7.5, the hardware wasn’t up to 2012 levels, with quad-core smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III or HTC One X. The battle was lost at the hardware level, but at least Windows Phone 8 wants to correct that mistake.
An example of good execution in the hardware space is Google, which through its Nexus line (manufactured by Samsung and ASUS at the moment) sets a standard on how the Android software and hardware should work together. More important is the fact these devices act as a benchmark for all other Android smartphone and tablet manufacturers. To be honest, I respect that position. People have a choice when they want to buy a tablet or smartphone and want an authentic experience as intended by the people behind the software...even though hiccups have been known to happen.
Microsoft dictates that OEMs like Nokia, Samsung or HTC don’t "customize" Windows Phone, which is where they got it right from my point of view. Any OS customization is a step back in the way of updates first of all, and it also sends a mixed message to the user through an inconsistent software experience. Every Windows Phone device should offer the same user experience, and it should be good all across the board.
By choosing not to let Windows Phone device manufacturers customize the operating system, Microsoft is doing all the heavy lifting as they’re the only ones to blame in case the software isn’t as good as the user wants it to be. At the same time, if it’s good it will benefit Microsoft in the short and long run alike. Not only could they have a better image, but their products will gain more credibility and in the end all parties involved benefit from it. You can add exclusive applications to Windows Phone 7.5 like Nokia does, but you can’t change its functionality for the worse, which again can be viewed as a good thing from this perspective. Is it ideal? No, but it eliminates OEM interference which hasn't always benefited Microsoft.
A "genuine" Windows Experience
It is no secret that new laptops and desktops running Windows that come from major OEM partners like Hewlett Packard, Dell, ASUS, Acer or Lenovo come with preinstalled software that Microsoft doesn’t include in a standard Windows installation. This was the whole reason Microsoft Signature came to be, Microsoft wanted to mitigate the negative OEM experience by stripping out bloatware and providing an experience as Microsoft intended.
Of course, only a partner feeling insecure of its capabilities would assume that Microsoft wants to take away its profits. The idea behind Signature and Surface have a far greater meaning than simply blocking cash from Windows OEMs. Microsoft gets to set a standard to which other manufacturers can adhere if they want to sell a Windows-based product, and that's not bad for competition.
Microsoft wants to make sure that the Surface hardware is good enough, and that the experience exudes quality and is a proper one to carry the Microsoft and Windows badges. Greater intervention from Microsoft could benefit all parties in the long run, as it ensures the software is good on its own, the hardware is good on its own, and they are good together.
Apple does it all --both hardware and software-- and it only means that there’s an obvious closed environment, and Microsoft can uphold stricter standards for Surface without having things turn fruity.
If limiting the possibility of underpowered hardware, and shrinking bloat become hallmarks that users expect of new Windows devices moving forward, why would an OEM disagree?
Choice. It’s something that all free people crave. We want the right to choose, whether it’s what we eat, where we live or how we arrange our furniture. Generally speaking, we don’t like being told what to do. Nor do we like it when some impersonal agency imposes its will upon our freedoms.
Case in point: Microsoft’s decision to force users to boot to the Windows 8 Start Screen. Instead of giving us the option (choice) of going directly to the desktop, Microsoft divisional president Steven Sinofsky and friends are saying it’s “their way or the highway”. Any attempts to deviate from their approved usage model will not be tolerated, and if you try to code around us, we’ll shut you down. Period.
Note that this isn’t the first time Microsoft has imposed its iron will with Windows 8. The company’s decision to retire the Start Menu in favor of a convoluted collection of “hot corners” and “hover actions” infuriated users of the various preview editions.
And when some enterprising rebels found a way to revive the still-present-yet-disabled Start Menu, Microsoft’s developer goon squads sprang into action: First attempting to block the workaround, and when that didn’t work, slamming the door hard by removing the “offending” code from Windows altogether.
Remember, the Start Menu was once the defining feature of Windows. Beginning with the Rolling Stones-themed “Start Me Up” campaign for Windows 95, the Start Menu has been the focal point of the Windows interface for an entire generation of users. To simply rip such a core feature out of the product, with no thought to legacy compatibility or user retraining costs, reeks of desperation.
And make no mistake: Microsoft is in a desperate place. The combination of iPad and BYOD has really rattled the software giant’s cage, and now it’s lashing out at the very user base that authored its ascendancy. Simply put, Microsoft needs to spread the UI-formerly-known-as-Metro gospel, and it can’t afford to waste time kowtowing to a bunch of disgruntled power users.
Besides, why should it? It’s not like we loyalists have any other option. As former Microsoft VP Paul Maritz explained while discussing the “Save XP” campaign in a private meeting during the 2008 Professional Developers Conference: Where else can they go?
In other words, if you don’t like the direction that Microsoft is taking Windows, well then, tough luck. Team Sinofsky knows they have you. As a Windows die-hard, you’ll whine and moan. Maybe you’ll even threaten to jump ship to Linux or the Mac. But at the end of the day, they’re confident you’ll never truly leave the Microsoft fold.
In fact, they’re counting on your passive compliance while they execute their master plan to transform the Windows ecosystem from a free and relatively open environment into the kind of walled garden that has made the fruity ones the darlings of Wall Street.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, history is rife with examples of totalitarian regimes that pushed their constituents too far. Eventually, the population revolts and those at the top of the food chain rarely survive the ensuing chaos.
Here’s hoping that enough of us vote with our wallets to ensure that version 9 (a.k.a. Windows' “Last Stand”) restores the kind of end user choice we’ve come to expect from our soon-to-be former software overlords.
Cloud-based customer service startup Freshdesk on Tuesday announced the availability of the HTML5-based mobile app version of its helpdesk solution called FreshMobile. Like Salesforce's recently launched Desk.com mobile support solution, FreshMobile hooks up with the Freshdesk CRM system and lets agents resolve customer queries from any mobile device.
The idea behind FreshMobile is that it makes mobile support possible while working within the constraints of a mobile device. Freshdesk agents can create, save and reuse canned response templates for replying to tickets from their mobile device. The application also introduces a feature called "Solution Suggest," which uses previous activity to learn the most likely course of action on a given support ticket.
"With customer support increasingly being viewed as an integral business function, help desks need to be able to resolve issues as they happen, no matter what time of the day," says Girish Mathrubootham, CEO of Freshdesk in a statement on Tuesday. "With FreshMobile, support teams can be connected and solve customer issues in real-time, without being tied down to their desks."
Competition is the name of the game with this release, and Freshdesk's main competitor is Zendesk. Zendesk does provide mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone, as well as a mobile web interface, but Freshdesk is making the case that a universally-accessible HTML5 Web app provides a uniform experience for employees without the need to update or install anything on the agent side.
A new survey released Tuesday by the Chantilly, Virginia-based security and anti-spam company PhishMe has a lot to say about filtering phishing attack emails in the corporate environment. PhishMe conducted a survey at this year's Black Hat hacker conference in Las Vegas, July 24th to the 26th. PhishMe surved 250 security professionals, of whom more than two thirds (69 percent), have said they encounter phishing messages that get past anti-spam filters at least a few times a week. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed say they see multiple phishing emails daily in their corporate network users' mailboxes.
"Phishing" is the name given to a form of an email attack that uses social engineering tactics to lull the recipient into a false sense of security in order for them to click links within the email. The email can have links that look like they go to real sites, but are in fact redirecting Unicode Urls that don't show up properly in most email clients still. The point of these emails is to gather user information though man-in-the-middle style attacks, or to get the user to malicious websites that can execute malicious code, installing viruses or rootkits on a system. A more targeted form of this type of attack is called "Spear Phishing", an email attack in which the phishing emails are targeted to a specific person or group of people, usually people within an organization that shares a common set of information.
According to PhishMe, spear phishing has become the top method of infecting enterprise systems with malware. In the survey, more than one quarter (27 percent) of security professionals said that top executives, or other privileged users in their enterprises have been compromised (and thus comprised their internal networks) by spear phishing attacks within the last 12 months. It's like someone buzzing your apartment door, saying they live in another apartment and forgot their keys, and you let them in only to have them break in and rob other tenants.
Another 31 percent of network professionals said they weren't sure whether their executives or privileged users had been hit with such attacks.
"Many enterprises believe that because they are using spam filtering tools or other email security technologies, they are safe from phishing attacks," says Scott Greaux, Vice President of Product Management and Services at PhishMe. "What we found in our survey is that despite such filters, end users are presented with live, malicious attacks in their inboxes nearly every day."
But with this vast amount of unfiltered phishing messages getting through spam detection systems, surely large companies are being proactive in training, right?
Sadly, PhishMe's survey of Black Hat attendees indicates that most end users receive only the bare minimum of security awareness training. Nearly half (49 percent) of the professionals surveyed said their corporate network users receive training as much as only once a year. Even worse, nine percent said their organizations have no security training programs at all, sending untrained and usually very naive users to work as easy vectors of attack.
Those surveyed stated that of the companies that do provide security training programs, many rely on repetitively scripted, sometimes outdated, delayed forms of training. Training that provides little in the way of significant knowledge or metrics to program managers or administrators. In fact, three of the top four training methods listed by Black Hat attendees include:
Many of the security professionals surveyed by PhishMe deemed all of these methods as largely unsuccessful as they lacked practicum knowledge and training in realistic simulated situations. Only 16 percent of security professionals surveyed say that their companies' trained their users via simulated attacks.
"This survey demonstrates with great clarity that phishing attacks - particularly targeted attacks - are getting through to end users with alarming regularity, yet most organizations don't train their users on what the most current attacks look like or how to react to them," says Aaron Higbee, CTO and co-founder of PhishMe. "If enterprises are going to protect themselves, they need a realistic, regular training regimen that helps users make the right decisions when they see a potential phishing attack - passive security awareness that doesn't focus on tracking behavior modification is ineffective."
Photo: Ivelin Radkov/Shutterstock
October 26. That will be the release date for Windows 8. The cost of the upgrade will be $39.99. So what do you have to do to get ready for Windows 8?
First, you can upgrade from Windows 7; but you can also upgrade from XP or Vista. But that is not enough. I have covered four of the most pressing questions and answers in Four things you REALLY need to know about Windows 8 upgrades about a month ago, and while it was certainly helpful for many users, it did not address how to check and prepare your system for the actual update.
HardwareYou must have the right hardware. That means that your processor must be at least a 1GHz CPU or faster. RAM? It must be 1GB for a 32-bit machine or 2GB for a 64-bit machine. Disk space size -- try 16GB (for 32-bit) or 20GB (for 64-bit). And graphics, you need a DirectX 9-capable video card with WDDM driver. But Microsoft has created several tools to aid you in finding out if the hardware of your PC is compatible with Windows 8. First, there is Microsoft’s Upgrade Assistant that checks for Windows 8 readiness, and second the Compatibility Center that you can use to check specific hardware and software.
Basically, if the hardware runs under Windows 7, it is almost certain that it will also run perfectly fine under Windows 8.
DriversAs you know, drivers support operating system functions which the operating system wasn't design for. These are external programs that usually come after the fact, or come from companies that build devices that will run on the OS. So you must make sure that the drivers in your current PC will work with Windows 8 if you require specific feature support that generic drivers that ship with Windows 8 do not provide you with.
Software and License KeysGlitch. If you're upgrading from Windows XP or Vista, you'll find that you have to reinstall your software programs. So prepare yourself with a list of the programs you want to reinstall and have the installation files ready to go. Also, gather up the license keys for those programs.
If you can't find your license keys, the Belarc Advisor might be able to help you. The app analyzes a machine's weak points. It looks at elements such as whether antivirus software is up to date, or whether all the security flaws in Windows have been patched. But note, this program doesn't fix the problems itself, rather it gives clear advice on how to address each issue.
Keep your system as current as possible with fixes, patches, upgrade software and service packs. This will help the upgrade go faster and allow your new Windows 8 system to hit the ground running. Free up disk space, check Windows system security, clean up the registry, and defragment your drives. While optional, it may reduce issues that you may run into during the update of the system.
Back up your personal filesYour data. I mean your data. Don't risk losing your personal data during the upgrade. Get backups of all your documents, pictures, music, and videos, and push them to an external hard drive and disconnect the drive during the upgrade. And don’t forget your e-mail too, if you're using a desktop e-mail client. It wouldn't hurt to save a local copy of your bookmarks too that you have on your browsers.
Basically, back up all important files that you do not want to lose if the upgrade fails half way through. You can sync some features with cloud storage instead of saving the data locally.
Clone your system before you upgradeAll upgrades work smoothly, right? I mean there’s never a problem right? Only in your dreams. So if for some reason, your upgrade turns into a bad dream you may have to revert back to your old version of Windows; this might become your only choice. So before that happens it might be smart to clone your system with Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, or Clonezilla, so you can bring back the previous version of Windows that was on your computer just in case.
The vision of Windows 8 can be very exciting because a lot of changes are expected, like touch (screen) and Metro the interface formerly known as Metro (the GUI interface). But because there may be new changes, some not expected, it is a good idea to prepare yourself for the upgrade.
Photo Credit: Pete
The end of July and the beginning of August have seen the release of a number of important apps and updates. If you’ve found it hard to keep to speed with what has been going on in the world of software, this roundup is here to help. SoftMaker FreeOffice 1.0.3340 is a free alternative to Microsoft’s office suite that is capable of producing Office compatible documents as well as PDFs. The news that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturers has rekindled interest in all things Metro, and Immersive Explorer 0.1.1 Alpha extends the look and feel of the Windows 8 Start menu into a fledgling replacement for Windows Explorer. If you’re more interested in storing your documents in the cloud, Google Drive 1.3.3209 has been updated, providing you with access to several gigabytes of free online storage and the ability to sync with your computer. While you’re online, you may well visit Facebook from time to time, and Facebook Messenger for Windows 2.1.4590.0 is a handy free tool that can be used to chat with contacts, monitor status updates and more all from a neat sidebar on your desktop.
Regardless of whether you have a Netgear router or not NETGEAR Genie 2.2.26.50 can be used to take care of it. NETGEAR Genie 2.0.25 (mobile version) is always available so you can use your Android or iOS mobile to perform tasks such as controlling your media and running speed tests. To make your life online easier, you need a decent web browser, and Opera 12.01 FINAL and Opera 12.01 FINAL 64-bit have both been released, with improved performance and better HTML5 support. If you’re more of a Google fans, Google Chrome 21 FINAL and Google Chrome 21 Portable provide you with everything you need including an all-new API for high-quality video and audio communication.
There must have been times when you have wanted to print out what you can see on your screen and have had to use and image capture tool to capture the desktop before printing it; Hardcopy 2012.08.01 enables you to simply print in one step. To help you get things done faster, Send To Toys 2.7 enables you to add new options to the Send To menu so you can work with files more easily, while Windows Games Tweaker 2.0 is on hand for when you need a little light relief, opening up new options in Windows’ built in games. Everyone likes to get the best from their computer, and this is something that iolo System Mechanic Free 11 can help you with. This advanced tweaking and maintenance tool can clean up and optimize your system and is also available in a number of paid for versions that boast extra features – iolo System Mechanic 11, iolo System Mechanic Pro 11 and iolo System Mechanic Premium 11. Anyone who has made the jump to Mountain Lion should take a look at Mountain Tweaks 1.0.2 which can be used to tweak the latest version of OS X.
Moving onto apps with a media slant, DVD Author Plus 2.32 can be used to burn all types of not only data CDs and DVDs, but also video discs. If you want to be able to access a vast library of online videos ready for streaming to your iPad, look no further than Amazon Instant Video 1.0 (US only) assuming you’re a paid-up Amazon member. We’ve already mentioned screen capturing, and this is something that Jing 2.7 has been designed for. Available for Mac and PC, the program not only captures your desktop but can also record video, enables you to share image on social networks and automatically upload via FTP, and much more. Whether you’re creating a web site and need to keep bandwidth in mind, or you need smaller images to attach to an email, PNGGauntlet 3.1.2 can be used to reduce the size of PNG images without compromising on quality.
That’s it for another week. Join us again in another seven days for the next roundup.
Gestures are where it's at these days, with the Kinect add-on for Xbox 360 and the motion controls of the Wii allowing for direct interaction with games and other software. Even mobile devices such as Android and iOS phones and tablets are making greater use of gestures rather than just for menus and buttons. Touchscreen displays for Mac and PC make gesture interfaces possible in Windows and OS X, but Flutter enables you to use your webcam to interact using gestures.
As you can tell from the version number (currently 0.1.185), this is a very early version of the software and things are a little limited at the moment – but that’s not to say that it is not still worth taking a look at. At the moment, Flutter can be used to control your media player, enabling you to use basic hand gestures to start and pause music or video playback.
Currently this is the only supported gesture – a simple holding of the hand in front of your web cam is used to both pause and resume playback – but there are plans to add more gestures. It can be used with Spotify, Windows Media Player, iTunes, QuickTIme and VLC, and in future releases support will be added for YouTube, Netflix, Pandora and Hulu. The great thing about the app, despite its obvious limitations, is the fact that the program you are controlling does not have to be in the foreground.
Next time you receive a phone call while you are working and listening to music, there’s no need to bring the media player in front of every other running app before hunting for the pause button. Instead you can just hold your open palm in front of your webcam and playback will pause until you repeat the motion. Once gestures for track skipping and volume control are added this will be a great app, but for the time being it is still a curiosity that’s worth investigating.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Flutter review page.
Apple's divorce from Google is nearly complete: say goodbye to the native YouTube app. The change came within iOS 6 Beta 4 which released to testers on Monday. The reasons for the move are unclear: little was said other than the license to carry YouTube in iOS had expired.
Monday's news follows Apple's decision to dump Google Maps in favor of its own in-house solution. As competition heated up in the smartphone sector and Google's Android gained more market share, the two companies have begun to distance themselves from one another.
The only core Google functionality that remains default in iOS is search. However even there users are not bound to the Mountain View, Calif. search giant: they may instead search through Yahoo or Bing. Thus, in some cases iOS devices could be completely Google-free.
"Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended", Apple said of its move in a prepared statement. The company is recommending users of the iOS 6 beta take advantage of YouTube's mobile website, and say Google is working on a standalone version of the app which will be included in the App Store.
While beta users may find the ditching of YouTube as a minor inconvenience, in the end the divorce could work out better for both sides. iOS' YouTube app often worked kind of clunky, and video quality at times seemed inferior to that streamed by the HTML5 based app. There also hasn't been a major update to the app itself since its inception.
Google may like producing its own app more because it will no longer be bound by some of the tight constraints Apple likely put on the native app itself. It's not out of the question to expect the company to include advertising in its own in-house app. After all, that's where Google makes a good deal of its money.
A request for comment from Google on the move and on a timeframe for the standalone app went unanswered as of press time.
While the focus on Apple's next big thing has surrounded the likely release of the iPhone 5 next month, the Cupertino, Calif. company's decision to change the dock connector may affect its entire product line, a new report claims.
Rene Ritchie at iMore says sources told the publication that the entire iOS device lineup will receive a refresh when the iPhone 5 launches, rumored to occur on September 12. The report claims that date will see a refreshed iPad, new iPod nano and iPod touches, the iPhone 5, and even the debut of the 7-inch iPad.
Such a massive refresh would be unusual for Apple, which traditionally separates these unveils. At the same time, a move to a smaller dock connector presents an issue for the company itself and especially third-party accessory makers, who would for a period of time have to deal with producing accessories for two types of Apple dock connectors.
A single refresh of the entire line will allow for a gradual phase-out of the 30-pin connector to the new 12-pin one, which is believed to be a result of Apple needing more space for the LTE chipset and additional battery power. It also allows Apple to move the headphone jack from the top to the bottom of the device, which has been frequently mentioned as a likely design change in the iPhone 5.
For the other devices, it may not be as much about space as continuity and for the reasons already stated.
A change from the 30-pin to 12-pin adapter may in some cases obsolete a large number of accessories, however there has been some talk of an Apple-produced adapter being offered in the short term. Details have been scant, but it would not be out of the ordinary for Apple to do such a thing.
When the company updated its MagSafe adapter port, it offered an adapter for older models. It has also done the same with various display adapters, which sometimes were included in the box. While it is not clear if Apple will do the same thing with the dock connector adapter, there is precedent for such a move.
As for iMore's claims of a new 7-inch iPad, the site might find some validation in its rumors from events surrounding the Apple-Samsung patent trial currently underway. Reuters reported over the weekend that Apple officials were discussing a 7-inch model as early as January 2011, even as its ailing CEO Steve Jobs was publicly decrying such an idea.
These e-mails indicate that Jobs may have been speaking out of both sides of his mouth: Reuters described Jobs' attitude towards the suggestions of a 7-inch iPad as 'receptive'.
We've heard a handful of complaints about Google's Nexus 7 screen dimming and flickering, but they pale in comparison to this story from New York tech industry professional Ed Zitron, who is currently dwelling in Nexus 7 support hell.
I was really excited about the Nexus 7, for just two hundred dollars I could get a device that I could sling in my bag, play with, enjoy mindlessly and then put away --a nicety, a frivolity, something enjoyable and cheap that I wouldn’t worry about.
I went to buy the Nexus 7, and realized I did not have my credit card information stored on the account it logged onto. I have three Google Apps accounts. Naturally, I went to change the account to the right one, and received a lovely error about how I’d tried to start the purchase on another account.
I threw my arms up in annoyance and considered canning the whole purchase, but I soldiered on instead. I didn't know this was an omen.
I entered my credit card information. I bought it. It arrived in one day. I was very impressed.
The Nexus 7 was fast, slick, and looked great with movies. I went to download HBO Go, a great app choice for a device made specifically to consume digital content. Except on a tablet, the app looked like a big blown-up Android phone, with greasy, pixelated images. I tried this again with several other apps that claimed to work on tablets, receiving the disgusting blown-up version again and again.
Eventually I gave up and went to the Play store to spend my $25 on videos. I watched half an episode of Breaking Bad and smiled smugly at my digital aptitude. I took it home and boasted to my (unimpressed) fiancé.
I took it to work with me the next day. I loaded SNES games onto it. I was prepared to use it as it was meant to be used – as a big fat content device that I’d mess around with then slap back in my bag.
Then, out of nowhere, the screen went funny.
It was washed out. It ghosted. It looked bad. In fact, it was unusable. I reset it, both hard and soft, I upgraded the OS, I reinstalled the OS, I let it lose all of its charge. I called Google Support and waited on hold for 50 minutes before giving up.
I emailed support. I waited. I waited. I waited. I waited.
Days passed, and eventually a form letter told me to mail my Nexus 7 back to Google, and that a "simple link" below would let me order a new one. They’d authorize on my AMEX the cost of a new one, and I’d have 30 days to return it. When the link wasn’t there, I emailed them and got a new one. When I went to click it, I got an error.
"There was an issue loading your account information. This is probably just a server hiccup. Try reloading this page in a few minutes..."
In all this time I could have bought an iPad, broken an iPad, got a new iPad, broke that iPad, then got a new iPad. Apple –even Dell– would have given me more than radio silence and broken links, especially for a newly-released, and incredibly popular device.
I can overlook the fact that the Android homescreen doesn't rotate to landscape mode when I rotate the tablet like every single other tablet in existence does. I can overlook the fact that "Play Books," is a ridiculous name for an e-book store. That stuff is irrelevant. The problem is an absolute lack of support. Google hasn’t got the infrastructure for the Nexus 7 – either willfully or accidentally. They have no customer support, they have slow technical support. They have snippy, form-based email responses that do nothing to help or explain.
It’s been two weeks since my Nexus 7 broke, and any excitement I had for anything to do with it, or the Android platform, has evaporated in a cloud of misanthropy and frustration.
How can anyone consider Google a real competitor to Apple when it’s taken them years to get a device out the door that’s even good, let alone an iPad-beater, and they can’t support it?
How is a company with a half-assed tablet OS, a half-assed store and half-assed support able to confidently claim that they have a device that’s ready for market? I have no fanboyism. I don’t care if my device is iOS, Android, Windows RT, or Windows bloody 3.1 – if it provides the experience I want, I’m happy.
Right now, my Nexus 7 doesn’t even provide an experience.
Ed Zitron is a New York-based PR consultant and Forbes columnist. His long list of clients, and his infectious surrealist Twitter banter recently earned him the honorific of "Tech Superstar" by Business Insider.
Nuance Communications, Inc., the company known for Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation software, the Swype virtual keyboard, and T9 text completion has just announced its very own digital mobile assistant platform named Nina.
Nuance, who also contributed behind the scenes to Apple's Siri, is taking a different approach with Nina. Nina will be released as a global speech-based virtual assistant for both iOS and Android mobile apps, and will also come with a Virtual Assistant SDK.
Nina is, in effect, the Siri you can build into your apps. The SDK will include access to Nina's core APIs, including those that hook up to the the platform's core cloud services like speech recognition, text to speech, and Natural Language Understanding (NLU).
This provides the most control and customization possible to mobile app developers, which includes the ability to customize Nina's persona, allowing to have unique and custom UI support. Also, the API will come with plenty of source code references to inspire and inform developers
USAA, a popular U.S. military credit union, financial services provider and insurance company, has partnered with Nuance to be the first service to market with a Nina Virtual Assistant-enhanced mobile banking app.
"USAA’s innovative solutions are designed to make life easier for our highly mobile military service members, and increasingly for all members who now expect to get things done when, where and how they want," said Neff Hudson, assistant vice president of emerging channels for USAA. "We believe that the virtual assistant has tremendous potential to make it simpler, faster and more satisfying for our members to manage their financial affairs on their mobile devices."
"Nina is a watershed innovation for the automated customer service industry, not only because it brings the virtual assistant directly into an app, but because it raises the bar through its level of interactive dialog and language understanding," said Robert Weideman, executive vice president and general manager of the Nuance Enterprise Division. "Nina provides our customers a major competitive differentiator by enabling more successful self-service through their mobile apps. We are especially pleased to further our partnership with USAA, a company known for its innovation and approach to delivering a premier mobile customer service experience to its members."
The Nina Virtual Assistant SDK and cloud service is now available from Nuance in the United States, British, and Australian English. Additional languages are to be made available later this year.
If there is one thing that’s typical of Twitter, it's the long, long, long list of tweets that shows each of your Twitter friends' er…tweets. Slices for Twitter by OneLouder Apps is designed to make your Twitter experience better by adding "Twitter Content Discovery." Simply put, it provides improved functionality over the official Twitter app.
Slices for Twitter comes with five major features: Twitter Directory, Live Events, Timeline Slicer, Bookmarks and Mobile-to-Web.
To help keep track of your Twitter friends, Slices for Twitter utilizes Timeline Slicer (good choice of words) which helps categorize Twitter friends into lists. These individual lists are simply the functionality that Facebook and Google+ have already, which Twitter doesn't yet offer on its own.
Live Events is a feature that helps follow live Twitter events. According to OneLouder, the feed comes "from the 'right' people" on daily events ranging from music to sports. You could, for example, follow a live Olympic event through Slices for Twitter and it would give you relevant content.
Twitter Directory is another interesting feature available on Slices for Twitter, it provides 21 categories through an "Explore" section. You can browse through trending hashtags, like #Worldwide or #Miami, check Live Events, News or Humor. Basically, it helps find popular information easier.
Bookmark works as you'd expected. You get suggestions from available categories and they will be bookmarked for easier future access, but you can also follow them if you’re interested.
To make the Twitter experience seamless, Slices for Twitter automatically synchronizes Slices on your smartphone with the Slices website.
The website isn’t open to the public at the moment, but the smartphone apps are available via Google Play for Android 2.2+, App Store for iOS 5.0+ and Amazon’s app store, where Android 2.2+ is required as well. The application is free of charge on all listed application stores, but if you don’t want ads there is a Pro version available as well for $4.99.
Back in July, Microsoft engineer Aaron Stebner released a new version of his .NET Framework Setup Verification tool, a handy troubleshooting utility which can quickly tell you whether a particular .NET edition is installed and set up correctly.
And Stebner has followed up this up with an upgrade of his companion program, the .NET Framework Cleanup Tool. As the name suggests, this can fully remove a specified edition of .NET from your PC – files, folders, Registry entries, everything – and the new edition works with both .NET Framework 4.5 and Windows 8.
As previously, the program is strong medicine and something to be reserved as a last resort. Not least because using it will delete shared files and Registry entries used by other versions of .NET, so breaking them (and any dependent applications) until they’re repaired or reinstalled.
And so, if you’re having .NET installation, update or similar problems then you should start by following more conventional recovery steps, such as running a manual repair, uninstall/ reinstall and so on.
Stebner explains more about the dangers in a “What to do if other .NET Framework setup troubleshooting steps do not help” post on his blog, and the program itself has a useful Readme file with more information.
If all else has failed, though, the .NET Framework Cleanup Tool does at least make it easy to nuke your troublesome .NET build. It’s portable, so there’s no installation required: just run the program, choose your product from the list (which now includes the .NET Framework 4.5), click “Cleanup Now”, and watch as the destruction unfolds.
credit: Goydenko Tatiana/Shutterstock
According to Google's recent earnings report, the Mountain View search company has $43 billion in cash reserves. I'm no business expert, but that number seems unreasonably high and I think Google should use some of that money. Some have said that Google has run out of ideas, so to alleviate the situation here are a few ideas:
Sprint Nextel Corporation, Cost: $13 Billion
Sprint isn't the smallest of the four main carriers in the U.S. but it would still be a great way for Google to get its foot in the door. Just imagine what Google could do with a carrier, Android phones could be subsidized into oblivion, phones would at last be updated, no more bloatware, full Google Voice integration, and if Google really wanted to do no evil then every phone they sold would be unlocked. There is also this to consider, Sprint carries the iPhone, so Google and Apple would be in an interesting situation, but Google could play this to their advantage, as they say “know thine enemy.”
Dell, Cost: $20.8 Billion
Dell is the cheapest big-name computer company that Google could buy, and if they did, Google could take the Chromebook mainstream like never before. With the Dell brand, and the low price of Chromebooks, Chrome OS would appear on the radar of many consumers who wouldn’t have ever considered it otherwise. Google could also use Dell to get into the server room, and affect IT in ways that could benefit Google, what those are I have no idea, but Google could find a way to use that to their advantage.
Adobe Systems, Cost: $15 Billion
One of the complaints about Chromebooks are that they have no options for heavy file editing beyond watered down third party alternatives. If Google purchased Adobe and brought the whole Creative Suite to the cloud, Chromebooks would become a viable option for many businesses. Google would also own Flash Player if they purchased Adobe. As the internet makes the move to HTML5, Flash will play less of a role, but Google would still be able to benefit from having control of Flash.
Autodesk, Cost: $7.8 Billion
Autodesk makes 3D design software for a variety of uses in various industries, their most well-known product is AutoCAD. In July 2011 Autodesk purchased Pixlr a browser based photo-editing app. Of note, AutoCAD WS and Pixlr were both launch partners of Google Drive. Autodesk may not have any offerings for video or music editing like Adobe does, but Autodesk would not burden Google with the responsibility of Flash, and Autodesk already has some web apps in the Chrome Web Store.
Facebook, Cost: $44.6 Billion
Facebook is a little bit out of Google’s price range, but Facebook recently had a less-than-stellar earnings report and Facebook stock may be on a downturn, in the next couple of months Google may be able to afford Facebook. The only concern here is Google+, Google has invested so much into the social network that it might be too wasteful to give that all up and spring for Facebook instead, but if the price is right, it may be possible. Otherwise if Facebook gets too low then Apple might be the one with the giant social network instead of Google.
Google Fiber Nationwide, Cost: $400 Billion
The cost of doing Fiber nationally is estimated to be $400 billion and while Google wouldn’t be able to do it all at once, Google could really profit if they brought Fiber to more cities, and it seems that Google is ramping up Google Fiber, collecting Fiber-related patents, and looking to hire thirty new employees to the fiber team.
There is certainly no lack of ideas for what to do with all that money, and Google already shelled out $12.7 billion for Motorola, I think Google is just trying to figure what would be the best investment at this point, and that soon, Google will have another big acquisition.
Photo: Jokerpro/Shutterstock
When I set up my first Windows 8 system back when Microsoft released the Developer Preview, I was somewhat irritated by the removal of core operating system features like the Start menu that I had been using for over a decade in different versions of Windows. Even more alien was the new startpage that Microsoft had added to the operating system which felt like a new interface that had nothing to do with the desktop and the way Windows used to be.
I too believed at this point that Microsoft was making a huge mistake, that it was betting big on touch and that touch-enabled devices would become the de facto standard in computing. While I believed that they got it right for the mobile computing market, I could not see myself using a touchscreen on my desktop PC. Sure, the startpage and Charms menu did support mouse and keyboard as well, but it somehow felt like something that Microsoft added on top of the native controls.
The release of the Consumer Preview did not change my perception of the operating system and I joined the chorus of Windows users who felt that Microsoft was neglecting the desktop in favor of a system that did not work on the desktop, which after all was Microsoft's core home market.
The Release Preview came and I decided to install it on one of my desktop PCs that I work with on a regular basis. I saw this as a last attempt to test the operating system and I wanted to test the system extensively to make sure I was not missing out on something.
And after using the system for a while, it dawned on me that it was not really that different from previous versions. I liked the new search for instance. The controls for search are the same under Windows 8. You still press the Windows key and enter your search term afterwards. The core difference is that Windows 8 won't open the start menu anymore when you press the Windows key. It switches to the startpage instead where you search in full screen and with advanced filtering options that the search in previous versions of Windows did not offer.
I barely use the search in Windows 7, my other desktop operating system, as I have pinned all the important programs to the taskbar from where I can access them right away. And all installed programs are listed in the start menu, so it is that which I browse when I need to start apps.
In Windows 8, I use the search a lot to start applications that I do not want to pin to the start menu. I press Windows, enter Team and hit enter when Teamspeak 3 is displayed as a search result to load the voice communication software. When I want to open the Control Panel, I hit the Windows key, type "cont" and hit enter to load the full Control Panel. The browsing of the start menu is gone, which improves how I work with the operating system.
Sure, Microsoft could have simply pimped up the start menu to feature this kind of search, or even added a floating interface to the desktop that would act like the search in Windows 8: but it did not. And the company's solution is not as bad as some users make it look.
Do I use the startpage for anything besides search? Not really to be totally honest. But it is easy enough to ignore it. I have installed the free Start8 program that takes me directly to the desktop when the operating system starts, and I can even use it to search right from the desktop using the improved search functionality of the operating system.
Has that not always been one of the strengths of Windows? To install third party software and modifications to change the operating system and make it behave like you want it to?
You do not have to work with the start page if you do not want to. It is easy to bypass it and it can for the most part be ignored completely without issues.
If you miss the start menu, install a program like Start8 or Classic Shell and you have it again. It may look different but the functionality that you get is still there, and sometimes even better than before. And if you want, you can even hack the Windows 8 startpage, for instance by making better use of the All Apps screen.
Plus, if you install Windows 8 you get all the feature improvements that Microsoft has implemented into the system. I'm not talking about cosmetic changes to the Task Manager or Windows Explorer, but the underlying features like Secure Boot, the Reset and Refresh feature, Microsoft Account integration to sync user preferences, Storage Spaces, faster boot times, native support for new technologies such as USB 3.0, SmartScreen, a built-in PDF Reader, a touch-ready interface or the File History feature. And all of those and others are available even if you do not want to use the startpage.
UpgradingShould you upgrade your version of Windows to Windows 8? A lot speaks for it. You get the Pro version of Microsoft's latest operating system for only $39.99 regardless of the XP, Vista or Windows 7 version you currently have installed on your PC. This is an especially good deal if you consider that upgrades to Windows 7 Pro retail for $199.99, and even if you get it cheaper, Windows 8 Pro upgrades will turn out to be cheaper than that.
XP users furthermore need to think ahead, as support for their operating system is ending on April 8, 2014. While that gives them about 18 months of support after Windows 8 is released, they will eventually have to make a decision in this regard.
Vista users are in a better position, as support for their operating system is running out on April 11, 2017. If Microsoft keeps the three year release interval, they will be able to upgrade directly to Windows 9 if the upgrade path includes Vista.
Windows 7 users on the other hand may be the least inclined to upgrade to Windows 8. While they can take up Microsoft on the same offer, their operating system is closely related to Windows 8 and it is likely that users do not feel the need or pressure to upgrade to Windows 8. With a comfortable eight years of support on their plate, they may see two new Windows versions released before end of support is reached for their OS.
Closing WordsIt took a while and three attempts to get used to Windows 8 but Microsoft eventually got me on the hook. While I won't upgrade my Windows 7 system to Windows 8, I'll definitely upgrade the Windows 8 Release Preview PC to the new operating system to continue using it.
I'm pretty certain that some of you do not see it this way, and I too have my concerns about the general direction that Microsoft is heading to with the operating system.
What will you do when Windows 8 gets released? Will you upgrade or buy PCs that come with the operating system? Or will you ignore it and hope that the next version of Windows will be more to your liking?
What you're looking at is the Nexus D, a concept design created by patent-holding mechanical engineer and BetaNews reader Dorian Lust.
Lust is a Galaxy Nexus user and fan, and instead of idly talking about the features he'd want in the next version of the Galaxy Nexus, he designed it for himself...while watching the Olympics on television.
This update on the Galaxy Nexus design has one standout feature which would instantly make this an eye-catching phone in real life: the "light pipes" down either side of the chassis. These colored LEDs would be used for calling/messaging notifications, or as vanity lights for the forward-facing camera to illuminate the user. Other added features include a fingerprint scanner and IR blaster for universal remote functionality.
The back of the chassis is soft to the touch, and the entire body, including the screen, is curved to rest in the palm. For those times when it's not in the user's hand, it's got a kickstand.
Though the Nexus D is unique, and quite different from Apple's iPhone, we threw Lust a curveball when he first showed us the design by telling him it looked "kind of like an iPhone."
"Now I know how the Samsung designers felt!" Lust replied, somewhat stunned by the critique. "The only thing I looked at was my Galaxy Nexus, just as a reference of size."
But the comment started the wheels turning in the designer's head, and he conceded that there were a couple of similarities.
"The straight-on view of the outer profile is very similar, especially when they're not side by side for a size comparison, but this is a very 2D perspective," Lust said. "As an engineer I'm always seeing things in 3D, but I suppose many people do not think like that…Especially lawyers who are looking at sheet of paper with some 2D patent figures that have been dumbed down as much as possible."
Lust continued by pointing out the only concrete, measurable similarity between his design and the iPhone was the height-to-width ratio, which is actually quite similar between the real-life Galaxy Nexus and the iPhone. On the Galaxy Nexus, the ratio is 1.8 : 1, on the iPhone, it's 1.95 : 1.
"I think an eight percent difference is enough," Lust said. "But if [Apple] is going to sue Samsung they should sue every manufacturer on the market. Prior art negates any claims outside of a very narrow margin and they would have to back it up."
The designer's point is that the rectangular footprint is emblematic of this entire generation of portable devices, and the width-to-height ratio is very similar across the board: with notable exceptions being the Samsung Galaxy Note, and several of Motorola's 2010 Android devices like the Flipout, which opted for more square shapes.
But besides the general rectangular shape, this concept can stand quite strongly on its own. Lust even believes he can successfully incorporate some highly unusual features into his design. A laser pointer for example. When the device is remotely connected to a PC, or broadcasting a presentation via WiDi, the phone itself can be used to advance slides AND as a pointing device. Lust is also toying with the idea of designing a smartphone with built-in radar detection so when the device is in navigation mode, it can detect and geolocate speed traps.
We think Lust is onto something, and we fully support this type of creative thinking. What do you think?
Thursday it was announced that an unofficial port of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean CyanogenMod 10 custom ROM was available for the discontinued webOS powered HP TouchPad, with a big early thanks to XDA-Developers forum member and Android developer James Sullins, aka jcsullins.
Though it's discontinued, and mostly a niche device, the HP TouchPad is no slouch in the hardware world. It sports a 9.7 inch, 1024 x 768 pixel display, a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, has 1GB of RAM, and 16GB to 32GB of storage. It is still a very solid tablet.
Currently the Android Cyanogen10 Custom ROM has no hardware video or graphics acceleration, nor does it have audio or microphone support. Even the front facing camera doesn't work, but it is proof that drivers can be shoehorned in to get it working in a rather silent but usable fashion.
But why should we care? Hewlett-Packard killed Palm and tossed webOS out to the community. HP even gutted the resources they put to the 'Open webOS' platform project, an open source continuation of the of Palm/HP webOS mobile operating system. And even worse the Open webOS team made an announcement that Open webOS will not be able to support any existing webOS devices, including the TouchPad and Pre3. The reason given was that their processors and hardware, with proprietary drivers in the "closed" version of webOS do not support the Linux 3.3+ Standard Kernel. Nor are there complete open source replacements for hardware component drivers.
"For Open webOS we are aiming for support on future hardware platforms where SoC’s support Linux 3.3+ kernel and where open source replacements for proprietary components are integrated. Existing devices cannot be supported because of those many proprietary components, including graphics, networking and lack of drivers for a modern kernel (but of course, there is the Community Edition for those interested in improving the TouchPad)."
So Open webOS and Enyo is the future, and the Palm and HP hardware of the past is relegated to hobbyist status with Open webOS Community Edition. Still, if TouchPad drivers are created for Android, they can be applied to the Linux Kernel in Open webOS too, and help propel the platform forward. If Open webOS can gain traction, webOS as we know it might be able to make a comeback.
Maybe it's a bit fantastical to think about, but if the developer community can get the current HP executive staff to take notice of the work that's being put in, a webOS updated and ready for next-generation platforms could make for a serious asset to leverage.
WebOS is still one of the most beautiful modern mobile environments, and was groundbreaking for using one of the most impressive concepts of application development: a framework that used Javascript and HTML to make Web apps that hooked into the hardware. That now open sourced framework is called Enyo, and I for one want to see it make a serious comeback with the Open webOS platform.
At the moment, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the only Android smartphone that can be experienced the way Google wants. Of course, there were previous Nexus iterations like the Nexus S and Nexus One, but with the Galaxy Nexus, Google got it right. Well, right enough that I recently bought one.
Your first days with any new device are the honeymoon. There’s the initial joy of opening the package and peeling off the plastic sheets on both sides and looking inside the box for accessories. Then, the battery is in its rightful place, the back cover is on, and at a touch of the power button the SAMOLED displays "Google." Things get interesting, the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich animation pops up, I run through the initial set up and bang, I am now using my new shiny Galaxy Nexus.
Suddenly there’s an update. After downloading, I check to see the version number. It’s only 4.0.2...must be an older batch so no worries there. Playing around for a few minutes (again) another one pops up, so naturally I allow it to install and to my surprise it’s running Android 4.0.4.
"Great," I think. "Now I’m up with the Verizon boys."
Then it’s time to check for Jelly Bean, which was one of the main reasons for buying the Nexus in the first place. I press "check for updates" and it hit me: it was already up to date. You can imagine what went through my mind, especially after Jelly Bean was released more than a month ago at Google I/O and Google pushed the update to HSPA+ Galaxy Nexuses via OTA three weeks ago. So what’s up, dear Nexus?
Apparently I’m a very unlucky person, as my phone isn’t updated by Google, but instead by Samsung, according to my research on the build number I have: IMM76K.I9250XWLD2.
That "K" after IMM suggests that Google isn’t the one taking care of the build, but Samsung. The ROMs from Google do not have that "K" in the build number, and Samsung, unfortunately, hasn't clearly stated when its devices will be getting the Jelly Bean update. OTA upgrades have reportedly already been pushed out in parts of Asia. U.S. users continue to wait and speculate*.
So you know what this meant for me? Searching for a way to get Jelly Bean installed on my own. I just had to do it. I find it very ironic that despite writing the article on Google posting the Jelly Bean factory images, I was actually going to do just that: restoring using the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean images.
But since I was forced to do it by my own "must have the latest software" compulsion, I decided to throw in the one with Google Wallet. Now my Nexus will get updates when Google decides, and I feel that’s how it’s supposed to be.
I am writing this article in the hope that it will help my fellow Samsung Galaxy Nexus owners understand why Jelly Bean doesn’t show up via an OTA update, and how they can update if they choose to.
*editor's note: Mr. Bamburic is based in Europe
National wireless carrier AT&T plans to move completely past 2G wireless connectivity by 2017, a recent 10-Q filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission revealed.
Due to the impending 'spectrum crisis' that has been slowly edging toward wireless providers for the last three years, AT&T plans to eventually shutter its 2G network, and redeploy it for use on next-gen mobile broadband networks.
As of June 30, 2012, just about one-third of AT&T's smartphone subscribers were using "4G-capable device," and because of these types of devices, the demand for more wireless broadband connections is increasing at a rate greater than is manageable.
It should be noted that AT&T's figure here is somewhat padded, since the carrier considers HSPA+ to be a 4G technology, even though it is not sanctioned as such by the Third Generation Partnership Project. It is sometimes considered "3.5G" or "3.75G." Even still, the traffic continues to increase.
"We intend to redeploy spectrum currently used for basic 2G services to support more advanced mobile Internet services on our 3G and 4G networks. We will manage this process consistent with previous network upgrades and will transition customers on a market-by-market basis from our Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) networks (referred to as 2G networks) to our more advanced 3G and 4G networks," AT&T's filing says.
"We expect to fully discontinue service on our 2G networks by approximately January 1, 2017. Throughout this multi-year upgrade process, we will work proactively with our customers to manage the process of moving to 3G and 4G devices, which will help minimize customer churn."
AT&T said approximately 12 percent of its subscribers were still using 2G handsets at the end of June, but the company doesn't expect to feel any "material impact" from a forced upgrade for these customers.
Photo credit: Dr.OGA/Shutterstock
CodeAcademy, the free site for learning how to code, has just added the Python programming language to its tutorial platform.
CodeAcademy made a big impression on the Web back in August of 2011 when its cofounders, two graduates of the y-combinator startup training camp, Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski, announced the service on the ycombinator Hacker News forum. Since then, the site has seen extensive growth, and it currently offers a few hundred exercises in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery.
While the site has a substantial list of lessons already, the inclusion of Python marks a major turning point for CodeAcademy. Co-founder Zach Sims said in the the CodeAcademy LABS blog that CodeAcademy has been "Focused on client-side languages and markup - Javascript, HTML, and CSS...this is the beginning of new language support on CodeAcademy – Python is only the first server side language you’ll see."
Python programming language has been around for 21 years, and it is frequently used as part of the development framework for interactive Web applications. Python is even is one of the official five languages that Google uses, and its uses range from cross-platform scripting to powering backend services like the Google App Engine web apps hosting platform. The Python programming language is also used in a lot of NASA projects too, particularly in streamlining mission design processes.
While it’s true the simplest apps are often the best, you invariably find yourself torn over loving their simplicity while yearning for additional functionality. Imagine, then, an app that can fill a void you didn’t know existed – the need to quickly print out your entire desktop or an active window to paper – while providing all those extra features you don’t yet realize you want?
You can stop imagining, because that app exists. It’s been around for over a decade, benefits from frequent updates (it’s fully Windows 8 compatible, for instance) and – most pleasing of all – is completely free.
Step forward, please, Hardcopy.
Hardcopy’s basic functionality is refreshingly simple. You want to print out your desktop? Just press the [Print Screen] key. You’d rather print out the active window instead? Look for the little green Hardcopy icon that appears when a window is in focus, click it, and wait while the window – menus, toolbars and all – is output to your printer. Don’t want to click? Press [Alt] + [Print Screen] instead.
There’s your simplicity right there, but then eventually you decide you need more. No problem: Hardcopy has just about every conceivable function you could need, all controlled through its editing window, where you’ll find image-capturing and editing features to cover most bases: grab rectangular sections of the screen, or select specific objects. You can even use Hardcopy to pull bitmaps and icons out of program and DLL files, plus save your grabs in a myriad of different formats.
Hardcopy also allows you to group a load of different image files or screen grabs together for printing in one batch. And with annotation, editing and titling functions jostling with image-editing functions covering everything from colour correction to effects and filters, you’re looking at one fully featured tool that should satisfy most people’s screen-printing needs.
The app is one of those that has been around for what feels like forever – it’s compatible with PCs running Windows 98 or later – but which continues to benefit from frequent updates. The latest version, for example, features adjustments to work better with the forthcoming Office 2013, while another recent build added full support for Windows 8’s new tile-based Start menu. Sadly, one area that could use a facelift – at the expense of compatibility we suspect – is the user interface, which looks dated compared to contemporary apps. It’s not a deal-breaker, though.
Hardcopy 2012.08.01 is a freeware download for PCs running Windows 98 through to Windows 8. Registration – for around $17.50 – unlocks several new features, including automatic updates for a year.
Microsoft isn't known for its ability in picking catchy names, so it was somewhat shocking when the Redmond, Wash. company began referring to its clean, typography-first interface as "Metro". It was beautifully simple, and just seemed to fit.
Not anymore.
For whatever reason, Microsoft appears to have decided Metro is a bad word, and has instructed its teams to stop using the brand name.
We don't exactly know why, either. Tom Warren at The Verge initially reported Thursday that the change had to do with a possible trademark dispute involving a German company called Metro AG, Mary Jo Foley heard similar rumors from her own sources, but added the move away from Metro could be due to overuse.
Was Metro getting played out like .NET did nearly a decade ago? Was its meaning being muddied as a result, and Microsoft decided its overexposure was doing more harm than good? We just don't know, and the statement we received doesn't explain much either.
"We have used Metro style as a code name during the product development cycle across many of our product lines", Microsoft representatives told BetaNews. "As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog we will use our commercial names".
That was news to us. For what it's worth, Metro was never offered just as a code name. Typically, Microsoft code names are not so commonly used in both marketing materials and in public if there's no intention of holding on to it.
Metro had become a brand -- a recognizable term to describe the drastic change in Windows UI design. But now we're being told that it should never be spoken of again, and it just seems mighty strange so close to the public availability of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, where Metro (or apparently now, Windows 8 Style UI) plays a big part.
So where do we go from here? Although Microsoft would not comment further on the situation, elsewhere it was reported that the company could debut a new term to replace Metro as early as this weekend. I think we all share the hope that the new name doesn't go back to the clunky nomenclature that Microsoft has too often used in the past.
Until then, I guess we'll still be calling it Metro, and I'm willing to bet a lot of other people will too, regardless of the new name.
Photo: Imagestalk/Shutterstock
Canalys released its latest report on the state of the smartphone market based on shipments in Q2 2012, and the results provided by the estimates are going to stir some emotions among Android and iOS fans. Android dominates the market with iOS following its lead, but not from up close.
Android, Google’s smartphone operating system, shipped in 107.8 million devices in Q2 2012, a 100.10 percent increase over Q2 2011 when Android smartphone shipments reached 51.2 million units. Shipments have more than doubled year over year, and at the same time the share in shipments increased as well. In Q2 2011, Android shipments accounted for 47.6 percent of the smartphone market, and in Q2 2012 they have grown to 68.1 percent which is a 43.06 percent increase over the same period last year.
How does Apple's operating system fare against Google’s Android? iOS shipments accounted for 20.3 million units sold in Q2 2011 and year over year they have grown in Q2 2012 to 26 million, a 28.07 percent increase. How did the increase in Apple smartphone sales affect the share in shipments? Despite increased volumes, iOS only accounted for 16.4 percent market share in smartphone shipments in Q2 2012, a 13.22 percent decrease from the 18.9 percent share in shipments from Q2 2011.
As we have seen again and again throughout the last few years, Android and iOS are the two top-tier mobile ecosystems. But what happens with the rest of the pack? Let’s start with Windows Phone, which is faring better than it did in Q2 2011.
Windows Phone has actually managed to grow. Shipments have increased from 1.3 million in Q2 2011 by 292.30 percent to 5.1 million units sold in Q2 2012. Not only shipments have grown, but share in shipments as well, from 1.2 percent in Q2 2011 to 3.2 percent in Q2 2012, a 166.66 percent increase year over year.
Nokia’s preferred operating system was Symbian not long ago, but as it has fallen out of the upper echelon of manufacturers in the smartphone market, the consequences are still being felt. Symbian accounted for 18.1 million units sold in Q2 2011, but it has decreased by 64.64 percent year over year to 6.4 million devices in Q2 2012. Not only that, but share in shipments followed, dropping from 16.8 percent in Q2 2011 by 75.59 percent year over year to 4.1 percent in Q2 2012.
RIM hasn’t been forgotten, and it too has been affected through the decline of BlackBerry as the preferred smartphone operating system. BlackBerry accounted for 12.5 million units sold in Q2 2011, but has lost 32 percent in shipments year over year, which only account for 8.5 million devices sold in Q2 2012. If BlackBerry accounted for a share in shipments of 11.6 percent in Q2 2011, it can only claim 5.4 percent of it, down by 53.44 percent year over year.
Smartphone shipments increased year over year from 107.7 million in Q2 2011 to 158.3 million in Q2 2012, a 46.98 percent increase. If the U.S. market apparently reached its peak, the smartphone market has room to grow worldwide.
Apple, despite selling more smartphones (iPhones) hasn’t succeeded in gaining a higher share in shipments, losing over the same quarter last year, but Android manufacturers have managed to both sell more devices and gain a higher share in shipments. In report to Android sales, the iPhone sales are indeed slowing. Android is more popular than it was before and there are the numbers that prove it, while iOS is clearly far away from the little green robot. Compared to Android, iPhone sales used to be 2.51 times less than Android in Q2 2011, but in Q2 2012 iPhone sales are 4.14 times lower than Android sales. In other words, a 39.37 percent decrease year over year.
Microsoft should be pleased by Windows Phone as shipments and its share in shipments have grown as well and it’s the only operating system besides Android that actually managed to have better sales year over year. RIM is going through tough financial times and no new smartphones are to be released this year. The situation will only get worse, despite yesterday’s announcement of the 4G LTE BackBerry Playbook and from the currently available information it’s the only new product to be released until 2013.
Considering the estimates, RIM's retirement until 2013 and Symbian's abandonment, three main players will share the market: Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Who will come on top next year? Odds are Android, iOS and Windows Phone will rule the smartphone market in this order, but who's to say there will be no surprises?
Still reeling from the $1.5 million in funding it secured in July, Israeli startup Promodity on Friday announced its advertising campaign management platform for small businesses will now be free.
One of the main goals of Promodity's service is optimizing conversion rates, which is more or less the Golden Goose of Web marketing. The conversion rate, in short, is the ratio of people simply browsing to people actively buying. Of course, "buying" isn't always the goal for marketers, sometimes getting a website viewer to become a member is the goal, sometimes getting them to download an app or piece of software is the goal.
Essentially, though, the goal is this: marketers want to turn non-customers into customers, and Promodity combines many popular tools for doing this with tools for testing and tracking in a single Web interface.
Promodity lets businesses track their online marketing campaigns of all types: Media coverage, advertising, as well as social, affiliate, direct, and e-mail marketing, and lets them optimize their campaigns and even design new content directly from their Web-based campaign management dashboard.
Promodity looks at all the major aspects that gauge a campaign's progress: payment per click in content networks, clicks per minute and cost per click in display advertising, exposure in social media channels, and of course, Web traffic based on geography, language, time of day, and so forth. All of this information is presented in real time so the user can most effectively tailor his marketing budget for maximum efficiency.
Now that the company has secured the funding to develop its product even further, it wants small businesses to try Promodity out for free and give the team feedback on how it can grow the product.
This is itself a form of marketing (promotion), and you're reading this in a marketing channel (the media), but if you're in marketing, you knew that already. The important thing is that you can track the efficacy of something like this very article in Promodity to help your software business or website, and you can do it for free right now.
Photo: Arkady/Shutterstock
I hate flat things. Flat tires. Flat musical notes. Flat soda bottles because my teenage son can't bring himself to tighten the cap properly. I just can't stand stuff that lacks in one dimension or another.
So you can imagine my reaction to the recently leaked screenshots of the final Windows 8 RTM build's UI. Not only has Microsoft done away with the last vestiges of Aero, the company has taken a virtual steamroller to the entire Windows landscape.
From buttons to widgets to menus, all traces of the 3D richness that began with Windows XP, was transformed with Vista and finally perfected in Windows 7, have been erased from the UI. Transparency, too, has been given the heave-ho in favor of a return to the crayons and finger paint look of Windows XP Luna. It's like someone attached a digital hose to the side of every Windows 8 PC and sucked all of the the visual dynamism and character out of the user experience.
Has Microsoft really gone Flat Earth on us? The official line from the company is that the UI changes in Windows 8 are all about touch friendliness -- that, and some vaguely defined "energy savings" to be gained by using a less hardware resource-demanding look & feel.
It's this latter point that I have the most trouble with. Modern mobile computing platforms have long incorporated power-efficient graphics cores that render Microsoft's justification arguments moot. Going back as far as Vista's heyday (such as it was), many business class systems included "switchable" graphics for this very reason. For Microsoft to trot out this straw man today seems more like lame excuse making than a valid line of reasoning.
The touch-friendliness argument, on the other hand, makes perfect sense -- especially when you consider it within the context of Microsoft's broader failure to touch-enable the whole of the Windows OS. In fact, given how often Windows 8 and RT users will be blown out of the Metro (can we still call it that?) bubble and into the nasty, touch-unfriendly desktop, any changes that will help to gloss over this jarring transition are clearly welcome.
And there you have it. Microsoft has steamrolled the Windows UI because it is utterly incapable of delivering a fully-baked touch experience on its flagship OS. All of which points to the even broader issue of internal politics at Microsoft, one that I covered in previous post to this very website. The Office team still isn't fully on board with the "don't-call-it-Metro" UI transition, and the result is that -- after nearly two years gestating within the bowel of divisional president Steven Sinofsky -- Windows 8 still looks like it was designed by a bunch of two year-olds wired from watching an all-day Barney the Dinosaur marathon.
Pretty, neutral colors. Lots of simple lines. No transparency. Welcome to Windows Kindergarten edition, brought to you by the new Microsoft Flat Earth Society.
Catch Randall C. Kennedy's smart analysis of tech trends every Tuesday and Friday here at BetaNews.
"Patent trolls," or non-producing companies that buy up patents in hopes of litigating their way to profit, have been in the technology news for years. They have, in effect, created a cottage industry within tech where one company after another uses poorly written and overly broad patents to block new products, squash competing products from reaching the market, or just to try to defend themselves from possible legal extortion. However, a new bipartisan bill coming from the desk of US Congressional Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), cosponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) will be the first legislative deterrent to predatory patent troll lawsuits. The bill's goal is to amend Chapter 29 of title 35 of United States legal Code.
The new bill, H.R 6245 112th Congress, 2011–2012, 'Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes (SHIELD) Act' [GovTrack] could change the patent lawsuit game. The introduction to the bill states:
"To provide for the recovery of computer hardware and software patent litigation costs in cases where the court finds the claimant did not have a reasonable likelihood of succeeding, and for other purposes."
If a person or company files a patent lawsuit, and the court believes that the suit has weak credible patent usage, the person or company that filed the patent suit would have to pay for the legal costs of the defendant. So the SHEILD act would turn the once easy profit from patent licensing into a potential loss for the plaintiff if there is not justifiable damage being done.
In a public statement on his website, Rep Peter DeFazio stated:
Patent trolls don’t create new technology and they don’t create American jobs, They pad their pockets by buying patents on products they didn’t create … suing the innovators who did the hard work and created the product. These egregious lawsuits hurt American innovation and small technology start ups, and they cost jobs. My legislation would force patent trolls to take financial responsibility for their frivolous lawsuits.
In a June 2012 report by Boston University School of Law, it was estimated that "patent trolls" cost US bodies $29 billion just in the basic litigation fees.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) staff attorney Julie Samuels agrees, making a public EFF statement blog post opening with "Finally, a moment of sanity..."
Further, Samuels states that "Fee shifting, often called 'loser pays,' is not a new idea. It's long existed in copyright law, for instance, allowing a court to award a winning party costs and fees in certain cases. In patent litigation, this type of provision would help tilt the playing field slightly more in favor of the good guys."
Photo: Livestockimages/Shutterstock
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey on the usage of mobile phones in the United States, detailing problems encountered in daily use focusing on dropped calls, unwanted calls, spam and download problems. Satisfaction is the key word when using any phone, be it a smartphone or otherwise, and the results of this survey show that smartphone users experience more disruptions that could lead to a drop in satisfaction.
According to the survey, 88 percent of U.S. adults own a mobile phone, of which 72 percent seldom experience dropped calls, while 32 percent of them face a recurrent drop in calls minimally a few times a week.
Unwanted marketing or sales calls are experienced by 68 percent of mobile phone owners receiving one at some point, per the survey; furthermore the problem is pointed out by 25 percent of owners who receive such calls at a minimum of a few times a week. When it comes to texting the survey claims that 79 percent of phone owners use texts. Texting spam or unwanted texts are received by 69 percent of mobile phone owners, while 25 percent of them are faced with the problem on a weekly basis at the minimum.
How about Internet connectivity speeds? According to the survey, 55 percent of owners claim to use their phone to go online. That is, they use their phone to browse the Web, send/receive mails, or download applications. In the process of using the Internet on their mobile phones, 77 percent of mobile phone Internet users have experienced a slower than desired download speed, while 46 percent of the users are faced with slow download speeds on weekly basis at the minimum.
28 percent of feature phone owners experience dropped calls at least on a weekly basis, but a higher 35 percent of smartphone owners are faced with the same problem, 25 percent more to be exact. 49 percent of smartphone owners experience slow download speeds at least weekly, compared to 31 percent of feature phone owners, which is 36.73 percent less than smartphone users, a significantly higher number.
Unwanted sales and marketing calls are received by 26 percent of smartphone owners, while only 23 percent of feature phone owners report it as at least a weekly occurrence, 11.53 percent less. Unwanted texts and spam are received by 20 percent of feature phone users, while 29 percent of smartphone owners are faced with the problem on a minimum weekly basis a significant 45 percent higher.
According to the survey, smartphone users face the exact same problems as non-smartphone users, but as a whole, they report more of them. The data from the survey is based on interviews conducted from March 15 to April 3, 2012 by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International on a sample of 2,254 adults, 18 years of age or older and when comparing 2,254 adults with the entire adult population of the United States there are significant differences, so this survey must be tread carefully because the sample is not significant among U.S. adults.
Photo: Frank Fennema/Shutterstock
As image editors go, PicEdit is what you might call "limited." There are manual tweaks for brightness, contrast, hue and saturation, for instance, and a very short list of filters and effects (Mosaic, Blur, Sharpen, Noise, Invert, Grayscale), but that’s about it. You don’t even get a Resize tool.
PicEdit is fairly useless when it comes to photo corrections, then. But if you want to draw or annotate your images then it’s an entirely different story, because here the program turns out to be surprisingly capable.
Open the Stamps library, for instance, and you’ll find assorted images and icons which are ready to be added to your grab. Assorted mouse cursor images ("left click," "right click," "click and drag") will help if you’re documenting software; assorted arrows, ticks, crosses and other icons will be more generally useful, and there are odd bits of clipart thrown in. You only get a few in total (just under 40), but there are already enough to be useful, plus you can import new stamps in a click or two.
The Watermark tool makes it easy to customize your images. Just point PicEdit at the watermark image and you’re able to set its position, angle, opacity and more.
Need to add a text caption? The Text and Callout tools provide plenty of styles – boxes, thought and speech bubbles, more – all of which have customisable colours, line thicknesses and more. (They’re also confusing at first because clicking one of these and typing doesn’t display anything on your image, but once you realise that clicking and dragging on the picture displays your caption then all is well.)
And the surprising extras continue elsewhere. So when we clicked the Arrow tool, for instance, we expected just to be able to click and drag to draw a single straight arrow. But you actually get no less than nine arrow styles; we’ve seen flowcharting programs which offer less.
PicEdit is still too short on useful correction options to recommend as a general photo editor, of course. But if you already have your finished images and now want to dress them up with arrows, icons, watermarks or more then it could be useful, and we’ll be interested to see how the program develops in future.
If you still have a MySpace you likely fit into one of three groups: You forgot to formally delete your account; you are trying to advertise your small-time band to a couple dozen hardcore leftover users; you log into MySpace right after you finish signing into AOL Desktop merely as a matter of old habit.
But I'm not interested in singling out those still using the service, as the droves of users who have dumped the website outright far outnumber the faithful by now. I'm outlining something I'd call the "MySpace Effect".
Last year, MySpace shed as many as 10 million users in the single month of February. That's more than a Spring cleaning, it's more akin to a Spring wipeout. While direct comparisons between the dreadful downfall of MySpace and the current outlook for Facebook and Twitter may not be directly applicable, there can be some general extrapolation made to some of the early signs of things (soon) to come.
If Facebook's loss of 2 million users over the past six months is telling about anything, it's that the social media craze of yesteryear has peaked -- or is even on the slight decline already.
Facebook and Twitter are "Me-centric" Havens
When I was in college, Facebook still had a purpose. These were the days when the service was designed for college users only, and there was a sense of exclusivity for the site. But it wasn't the VIP club aspect that kept people like myself coming back daily. It was the tightly knit community feeling that existed among users back then. There was no such thing as Timelines to create online effigies of a life scrapbook. Advertising on the website was non-existent, and it was the discussion between classmates that kept you interested at next login -- not the useless updates about all five of your closest buddies checking in at the dive bar down the street.
Facebook and Twitter can boast about user numbers all they want, but those figures don't solve the core problem their products are causing: social media depression. More acutely, the American Academy of Pediatrics dubbed this new disorder Facebook Depression.
While CEO Mark Zuckerberg's brainchild takes name credit for the problem, I see clear lines between similar behavior affecting both obsessive Facebook and Twitter users. Utah Valley University came out earlier this year and solidified these initial connections between heavy social media users and health problems. Their study linked low self esteem to the very users who have a hard time logging off.
I've personally dropped my social media usage by fair margins. The Twitter account I had over a year ago was deleted after my dissatisfaction with the service, and my Facebook account now exists solely to keep tabs on my company FireLogic's presence on the network (if a personal account weren't necessary to handle this, I'd likely shut that side of my presence too.) I can see how people entrap their lives in the endless cycle of playing social catch-up. Your friends do something fun and exciting, so you have to one up them and display it to the world. They, likewise see the updates and get caught in the same euphoric reaction, and the downward spiral continues without end until one eventually gets diagnosed in the newly dubbed (and still relatively murky) Facebook Depression.
Are the 2 million users who logged off Facebook in the former part of 2012 a group that has grown disenfranchised with the "game" of keeping up with friends? Or are they merely jumping ship to other services like my favored Google+? Or perhaps, another scenario: are they just logging off from social media altogether? It's hard to say, and while there aren't any clear numbers to back up any hypothesis yet, I'd fairly assume that it's a healthy mixture of some or all the above.
Twitter's Content comes from under 1% of its User Base
Never mind the fact that research firm Pear Analytics came out with a study in 2009 that pinned over 40 percent of all tweets generated as "pointless babble." Even if four of every 10 tweets generated mean nothing to anyone, the Twitter faithful will still clamor to the 60 percent of tweets that still have some value. A pair of Rutgers University professors beg to differ, however, and in 2009 further proved that 80 percent of users on Twitter are merely on the service to promote their own self-centered activities: what they're wearing, where they're going, and what they're thinking. Maybe Time magazine got it right in 2006 for their Person of the Year special; perhaps it is all about us in the end.
If Twitter is supposed to give every user the power to disseminate useful information, then even more troubling to its longterm survival is the fact that 50 percent of all tweets generated come from only 0.05 percent of its users. How is this so, you might ask? Simple. Twitter's initial appeal of "me-power" eventually wears off for most users and they utilize the service to follow the legions built before them. Namely, that stands in the form of the Twitter upper-echelon that control the bulk of information shared on the service.
The "big four" as they call them include media, organizations, bloggers and celebrities. If this is truly the case, is Twitter even necessary as an information survival tool in the first place? I myself figured out that Google Reader still did a better job in delivering the news that I cared about, hence part of the reason I dumped Twitter altogether.
What does such a top-heavy service like Twitter truly offer for the long term? Once the big four start flocking to new avenues of user interest, I think Twitter will be joining in the MySpace emigration party. The above numbers clearly carve out a picture of the service that is anything but the idealistic "information nirvana" that enamored its claim to fame.
Google+ fosters a Breath of Fresh Air for Users
I'm not the only one who feels optimistic about the hopes for Google+ as a viable alternative to the aforementioned. While I'm not as active on the service as I'd like to be, perhaps that's the reverse psychology on why I enjoy it when I do log in: there's no feeling of being left out. There's almost an unwritten rule of the land on Google+, which keeps the update feeds fairly clear of photo dumps from overzealous vacation trips, status updates from wild bar nights and the other useless banter which Facebook and Twitter are flooded with. I'm not sure where the different thinking actually lies. Are users flocking to the service as a means to escape Facebook-ness? Can't say, but whatever it is, it's working.
Google+ must be doing something right though. While Facebook's users are starting to log off, and Twitter continues to get hammered by its "big 4" categories of tweeters, Google+ wins the hearts and minds of American users. Of all the social media heavyweights out there, the only service that can take top honors next to Google+ is Wikipedia. In the truest sense I wouldn't consider Wikipedia on the same level as Google+, but definitions aside, the bigger problem here is that Facebook and Twitter are languishing at the bottom of the satisfaction survey. In fact, the only service that ranks lower in satisfaction than Facebook is MySpace, and that's merely due to technicality since the website isn't being measured for satisfaction any longer (if you're curious why, check my second paragraph to this article.)
Where is the disparity, then, between the supposed upticks in user counts and downticks in satisfaction? I'd argue that while both Twitter and Facebook are still growing user bases in new territories overseas, the formerly entrenched State-side faithful of both websites are starting to feel a bit different about their appetites for established social media. While Pinterest has garnered some of the attention of a meandering (mostly female) user base, its satisfaction numbers still lag a fair margin behind that of Google+.
A more respectable argument would be that a good portion of these users leaving Facebook specifically are tired of being stuck in a constant uphill battle of social competition. At a certain point, one must ask: is it worth it? Waking day to day to merely get back onto the hamster wheel of virtual social movement?
Judging from the referenced statistics coming out about user behavior on both Facebook and Twitter, I think permanent separation is becoming a more tenable option for a growing majority.
Photo Credit: ra2 studio/Shutterstock
Derrick Wlodarz is an IT professional who owns Park Ridge, IL (USA) based computer repair company FireLogic. He has over 7+ years of experience in the private and public technology sectors, holds numerous credentials from CompTIA and Microsoft, and is one of a handful of Google Apps Certified Trainers & Deployment Specialists in the States. He is an active member of CompTIA's Subject Matter Expert Technical Advisory Council that shapes the future of CompTIA examinations across the globe. You can reach out to him at info@firelogic.net.
Suddenly RIM is in the news again, and this time it’s not about financial troubles or product delays to 2013.
Instead, the Canadian manufacturer announced the introduction of its new 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook, along with the specifications of the 4G LTE 7-inch tablet aimed to bring stability to a company that’s facing difficult financial problems. When’s it coming and where?
The RIM 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook has a 7-inch display with a 1024x600 resolution, packing a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity as well as HSPA+ support, 32GB of built-in memory, a 5MP rear facing camera with 1080p video recording, a 3MP front facing camera, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, micro USB port, micro HDMI port, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, HTML5 browser support with Adobe Flash 11.2 support, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VP, WMV 9 video playback as well as stereo speakers and microphones. BlackBerry PlayBook OS is running as the operating system of choice. At the moment, RIM’s website lists it only for Canada's Rogers Wireless, but there is the possibility of other carriers to offer it, or for RIM to offer it directly through their online shop. Pricing is unknown at the moment, but it should be higher than the Wi-Fi only, 32GB BlackBerry Playbook.
The 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook will debut in Canada on select carriers starting August 9, but additional models with cellular connectivity adapted to the carrier demands will arrive in the United States as well as Europe, South Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to RIM’s BlackBerry Blog.
Where the Wi-Fi-only BlackBerry Playbook differs is in processing power, with a 1GHz dual-core processor, the lack of LTE and HSPA+ connectivity and different built-in memory size. The Wi-Fi version comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of internal storage, unlike the Cellular+Wi-Fi BlackBerry Playbook which only comes with 32GB of built-in memory. The listed weight for the Wi-Fi BlackBerry Playbook is 425 grams. RIM’s online shop lists the BlackBerry Playbook 16GB version at $199.99, the 32GB for $249.99 and the 64GB variant for $299.99.
The most obvious opponent to the RIM 4G LTE BlackBerry Playbook is the Google Nexus 7, which like the BlackBerry Playbook has a 7” display, but it differs in resolution, with a higher one at 1280x800, has a quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 processor, internal storage is limited to 8 or 16GB, doesn’t come with cellular connectivity, be it 4G LTE or HSPA+ and is lighter at 340 grams. The Google Nexus 7 is listed at $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB variant, which is more expensive than the Wi-Fi only BlackBerry Playbook, but comes with better specifications than it.
RIM stock prices haven’t changed significantly after the announcement, despite the 4G LTE model being the first new model announced after CEO Thorsten Heins stated that BlackBerry OS 10 will be released along with new products in 2013. RIM’s stock price at the time of writing this article is $7.17 per share, marginally better than yesterday’s price of $7.12 at stock market closing time.
The question after RIM's announcement is this: will it help the company recover after the falling stock prices? RIM launched a new tablet today, specification-wise, by adding a different CPU and LTE connectivity and by the looks of it seems to have the Google Nexus 7 beat just because it has LTE and HSPA+ support, but will it beat it on popularity?
Norwegian browser developer Opera Software ASA has released Opera 12.01 FINAL, the latest stable build of its cross-platform, freeware web browser. Version 12.01 is a minor release, consisting mainly of bug fixes and security patches.
This follows the release of version 12, which boasted vastly improved startup times, experimental hardware acceleration, Do Not Track privacy features and 64-bit support on Windows and Mac. Version 12.01 follows shortly after Opera NEXT 12.50 released a new snapshot, previewing new features via a publicly available alpha build.
The key fixes in Opera 12.01 are cross-platform, and include non-specified fixes and stability improvements as well as a number of specific changes. There are improvements to memory usage when generating website thumbnails, for example, while favicons will no longer be excessively squeezed when a large number of tabs have been opened.
Download Opera 12.01 FINAL in Fileforum Now!The browser’s inline auto-complete feature has also been tweaked so it no longer prefers the shortest domain, while those using the mail component will be pleased to learn a crash involving mail databases on startup as been resolved as well as bugs involving inline HTML images and manually inserted images in the Compose window.
Certain site and service-specific fixes have also been implemented, most notably one that generated secure transaction errors when attempting to access Twitter. Other fixed services include both Google Map Labs and Yahoo! Chat.
Five security fixes have also been implemented, but those looking for major new features will be disappointed. Instead, they should take a closer look at Opera NEXT 12.50, which can be installed alongside the existing stable version of Opera.
New features that can currently be previewed in Opera NEXT 12.50 include more hardware acceleration support and HTML5 drag-and-drop improvements. Mountain Lion users can now choose between receiving notifications via Growl or the new built-in Notification Center, while a new implementation of the clipboard API aims to make it easier to cut, copy and paste both plain text and HTML from the browser window. The latest alpha build also sees the end of an era, as Windows 2000 support is dropped.
Opera 12.01 FINAL is a freeware download for Windows (32- and 64-bit,) Mac OS, and Linux. Opera NEXT 12.50 is also available for all platforms, but as an alpha build should be used with extreme caution.
A week after Madfinger Games made much to-do about piracy driving its decision to make first-person zombie shooting game Dead Trigger free on the Android platform, the game developer has now done the same for the iOS version.
Those who purchased the game while it was 99 cents will be given in-game currency 25 gold and ten casino chips in the 1.1.2 update. Unlike last time however, there is no grandstanding from CEO Marek Rabas on a privacy problem on Apple's mobile platform. All we know is that Madfinger is moving to a "freemium" model with Dead Trigger, and in one case, blamed it on piracy.
Mobile app piracy is indeed a growing problem, and the concern that it may be detrimental to the platform overall is growing as well. Android's freeform method of allowing application installs from other app repositories other than the official channels does make this a good deal easier.
This is significantly more difficult on the iOS platform because Apple controls the process from the top down. There's no way to get pirated content onto an iOS device unless it's jailbroken. Rabas admits this, and recently said "the number of pirates on iOS is comparable with the amount of jailbroken devices". The process of jailbreaking is still a somewhat complex effort, so its extent is probably overstated.
What's the real reason for making the game free? It's simple: for smaller developers, the freemium model works better. When you have next to no exposure, and are trying to get your app in the hands of as many people as possible, going free-to-download just works.
In conversations with small developers, I have found in nearly every case that this move not only increased downloads, but also made the game more profitable overall. The developer reels you in by allowing you to play the game for free, but you stay and end up purchasing something while you're playing to make the gaming experience more enjoyable. My BetaNews colleague Tim Conneally has even confessed that he makes more in-app purchases in games he likes as a gesture of support to the developer. It's a variation of the "pay what you like" model that many musicians have tried with new mp3 albums.
Madfinger said in a statement on its Facebook page that Dead Trigger is not freemium, but in the end there are still in-app purchases. People are still going to buy those extras, and Madfinger's going to make money -- it's as simple as that.
As much as Rabas and others may protest that point of view, most people do not spend endless hours in front of the computer writing thousands of lines of code just to give it away. If that was the case, why would Dead Trigger have been 99 cents in the first place?
To understand why Google subsidized the Nexus 7, you have to first understand what makes the tablet market unique from all other forms of personal computing. All personal computing devices fall into three major categories: PC, cellphone, and tablet (with possibilities for more in the future such as “smartglasses”, which Google and others are developing).
The PC market is mature, there have been very few changes since the nineties; functionality has steadily improved and the only big change was the advent of the laptop, which changed the form, although, it didn’t change the two main players: Apple and Microsoft, with Microsoft’s hardware manufacturers also playing an important role. The players in the PC market have changed little (sure HP bought Compaq and IBM sold out to Lenovo). It would take a truly revolutionary product to change anything even though there have been attempts -- the constant presence of Linux, and the recent (relatively) introduction of Chromebooks for example -- none have have managed to have any impact.
Similarly the smartphone market, while not mature, and certainly not immune to change, has a stabilizing element in the form of wireless carriers. There is a constant tension between the carriers and handset manufacturers -- the carriers and their affinity for bloatware and branding, trying to keep the phone about them, and the manufacturers trying to distinguish themselves from the bunch, and not give too much power to one carrier, while still remaining in their favor. An example of this is Samsung Galaxy S III, which has the same name on all carriers (not very common), but AT&T still managed to exclusively carry a “Garnet Red” Galaxy S3.
This competition among carriers creates a third dimension to selling a device, and has allowed Android to succeed even though it is flawed by nature (Don’t believe me? Just look at the state of OS updates), and is also why the iPhone does so well, because Apple doesn’t have to worry about manufacturers, only the carriers.
Tablets are Different
So while the PC market is dominated by the OS makers that maintain rigid control over their systems, and the smartphone market is -- thanks to Android’s open source nature -- controlled by manufacturer and carrier, the tablet market is controlled by the content providers.
The tablet market is dominated by Apple, due in some part to great advertising and marketing. Their lead-the-market strategy makes the iPad almost synonymous with tablet, and rightly so with 61 percent of US tablet users last year owning iPads, according to Pew. Kindle Fire is next with with 14 percent, followed by Samsung's Galaxy Tab family (5 percent). Amazon's table attained such remarkable market share with less than two months of sales for the entire year. Kindle Fire's success motivated Google to move into the tablet market. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt started dropping hints about the Nexus 7 back in January.
But the Question is, Who does the Tablet Benefit?
The 8GB Nexus 7 sells for $199, and comes with a $25 credit to spend in the Google Play store, so at a cost to the consumer of $175, the Nexus 7 is the cheapest mainstream tablet available. Margins are thin. IHS iSuppli's teardown puts Nexus 7's bill of materials and manufacturing at $159.25, which excludes marketing costs. Android tablets have largely failed; the continued dominance of the iPad as well as the meteoric rise of the Kindle Fire show that Android tablets need something else to succeed, so Google came as near to the quality of the iPad, while still at the price of the Kindle Fire.
Google contracted Asus to build the Nexus 7, so the manufacturer is also a winner. Asus is a distant fifth in tablet market share, and they make the somewhat popular Eee Pad Transformer line, which runs "stock" Android (Google's version).
So then, Who does the Nexus 7 Hurt?
Amazon loses the most from the Nexus 7, and Apple to a lesser extent too. There may also be some animosity between the Android manufacturers and Google. The nexus 7 under-prices all other mainstream Android tablets, and Google can only do that because they sell the content. Very few Android tablets besides the Nexus 7 will be sold in the near future, but Google still will make a profit off of the ones that do, and this may rankle the manufacturer’s hides, some may even consider pulling an Amazon and forking Android, however unlikely that may be.
We wouldn't want to forget about one other player in the tablet market, a newcomer, Microsoft. Randall C. Kennedy wrote an excellent article observing that Microsoft is manufacturing Surface because they won’t have to pay heavy licensing fees. Surface will come in a consumer version that runs Windows RT, and a business "Surface Pro" version that runs Windows 8 Pro they both have pretty much identical bodies, 10.6-inch screens cool covers, and a kickstand!
As I already said, a successful tablet requires content, and Microsoft's content is almost exclusively software and games. Apple's iTunes ecosystem led with music, and followed with video, apps, books and periodicals. Amazon's Kindle/Android ecosystem led with books and periodicals, then followed with music, video, and apps. Google's Play ecosystem led with apps and games, then followed with video, books, music and then finally periodicals. Microsoft does not yet have a Windows ecosystem to compete with all of that content. There is, however, Xbox Live.
So if Microsoft wants to succeed in the tablet space, they first need to have a great price. At an analyst-estimated price range of $300 to $400, Surface may be able to carve a niche between the iPad and the Kindle Fire, but with Google increasing the competition in the 7-inch range, it’s going to be all that much harder for Microsoft. Secondly, Microsoft needs the rest of the content to come from somewhere.
The Nexus 7 is a great tablet at a really great price, and while there are many reasons Google would want to make a tablet with such a thin profit margin and compete with their hardware manufacturers, Google’s goal was to get their foot in the door of the tablet market, and we can be sure they succeeded in that.
Yammer, the social network and messaging platform designed to be used within companies, announced on Thursday that Kanjoya's Crane sentiment analytics dashboard now integrates with Yammer, letting managers watch their employees' morale, attitudes, and reactions to procedural changes based upon their Yammer posts.
Crane correlates emotional "profiles" with behavior on the social network, and presents employee sentiment in various ways. Instead of trending topics, Crane shows Yammer's "trending emotions," Instead of finding the most popular and influential people, Crane shows whose posts on Yammer have the biggest emotional impact. It is similar to many content analysis engines, but it is tuned specifically to isolate emotional reactions.
"The conversations in Yammer provide a wealth of insight into employee sentiment across all facets of the business," Armen Berjikly, founder and CEO of Kanjoya said in a statement on Thursday. "Kanjoya's Emotional Intelligence engine takes this data from Yammer and delivers detailed, actionable analytics, changing the way companies monitor internal sentiment from subjective gut-feel to data-driven."
Kanjoya integration is available immediately for all Yammer Enterprise customers, but it requires a Crane account. Yammer admins can sign up for a free 30-day trial Crane account to try out the analytics before subscribing to the service.
Even though the Windows Store is still only in Preview Mode, Splashtop Inc. on Thursday announced it had launched its flagship remote desktop client for Windows 8 there.
The popular Splashtop application lets users access their PC desktop from their mobile device, and with it, Windows 8 tablets will be able to connect to other Windows desktops and Mac OS desktops over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G data connections, with low enough graphical latency to enable remote gameplay and HD video streaming.
In this version, Windows 8 native gestures are supported, including drag-and-drop functionality, favorites, and the ability to swipe to reveal hidden menus. The main drawback in this version is that dynamic IP assignation isn't yet supported, and the desktop being remotely connected to needs a static IP.
The free Splashtop server app runs Windows 7, Vista, and XP (including Home Premium), and even on Windows 8 Release Preview, so users can actually connect two Windows 8 devices together. Mac users require OS X 10.6 and up.
If you want to use the keyboard to switch from one Windows 7 application to another, you could press Alt+Tab repeatedly, cycling through all your programs until you reach the one you need.
But it could be easier to access it directly. If you see that Outlook’s taskbar icon is eighth from the left, for example, all you have to do is hold down the Windows key, press 8 and it’ll immediately jump to the foreground (or launch, if it’s a pinned shortcut).
Of course, if your taskbar is cluttered then it may take a moment to figure out exactly what number any particular icon might be. But that’s where the free 7 Taskbar Numberer comes in. Launch its single tiny executable and it’ll add numbers to each of your taskbar and system tray icons, so you can identify the one you need at a glance.
Every taskbar and system tray icon has a number added for instant identification
The end result isn’t particularly pretty, but it works and it’s very easy to use. RAM use is fairly minimal at 2.6MB or so, and if you decide you don’t need the program any more, then right-clicking its system tray icon will unload it, and remove the numbers right away.
One small annoyance here is that the program displays a small status window every time it’s launched. If you set up 7 Taskbar Numberer to start along with Windows, however, this turns out to be easy to fix: just add a -hidewnd switch to the shortcut. (Check the program Readme.txt file for more.)
Otherwise, though (and putting aside the horrible program name), 7 Taskbar Numberer is a small and simple tool which can make it easier to switch to and launch applications on your taskbar. It’s also entirely free of toolbars, adware and any other common freeware hassles, so if you’re at all interested in the idea then you can download and try the program without fear of any unexpected consequences.
As manufacturers release upgrades to Android 4.0, and people buy Ice Cream Sandwich-based smartphones, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) accounts for 15.9 percent market share of the Android operating system family, which is the highest distribution level since its introduction in October 2011. This statistic is provided by Google based upon the number of devices accessing Google Play within a 14-day period up to August 1. Net Applications rates ICS at an even higher percentage of the Android market.
Android 4.0.3 to 4.0.4 account for 15.8 percent Android market share, a whopping 99.37 percent of the Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich deployment. After the release of popular Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III running Android 4.0.4 or HTC One X running Android 4.0.3 as well as the updates to Android 4.0.4 to Sony Xperia S, Samsung Galaxy S II to Android 4.0.3, Motorola RAZR MAXX to Android 4.0.4, the update of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to 4.0.4 on Verizon and GSM owners who haven’t yet updated to 4.1 and to other older devices, ICS 4.0.3-4.0.4 is justifiably more popular than Android 4.0-4.0.2, which is now just a speck in its rear view mirror.
Android 4.0 – 4.0.2 account for an abysmal 0.1 percent Android distribution, or 0.62 percent of the ICS family (4.0-4.0.4). The frankly irrelevant market share can be attributed to smartphone manufacturers skipping the 4.0-4.0.2 build and going straight to either 4.0.3 or 4.0.4 (Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony all did this).
How about Jelly Bean? The latest Android build accounts for just 0.8 percent of Android's market after its release in June 2012 at Google I/O. While Google released the Nexus 7 with Jelly Bean and updated the Google Nexus smartphone to it as well, major manufacturers haven’t yet released upgrades to Jelly Bean. For instance, HTC confirmed the upgrade, but didn’t provide a release date.
The dinosaur of the Android family remains Gingerbread, which currently owns 60.6 percent distribution in the Android family, and it clearly represents the most significant Android version to date, with devices like the original Samsung Galaxy S locked on Gingerbread. For instance the Sony Xperia S was launched with Android 2.3 in February 2012, the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX and RAZR MAXX have also been released with Gingerbread as well with updates to ICS coming since late May or early June; manufacturers are still releasing Gingerbread smartphones to this day like the Sony Xperia Go, Samsung Galaxy Beam, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, even if more than a year and a half has passed since its release in December 2010.
Other newly released devices contribute to Gingerbread’s market share, but 60.6 percent represents the majority of Android operating systems, and in December 2012 two years will have passed since its introduction, making for an alarmingly high market share considering the fragmentation issues it brings up.
Android 2.2 Froyo was released in May 2010, more than two years ago, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich barely surpassed it, with just 0.4 percentage points which is a relatively low increase overall. Older Android devices are using Froyo and its market share will slowly decrease even further, based on Google’s statistics.
At the same time as Froyo loses market share, Gingerbread stays relatively constant. Ice Cream Sandwich appears to take away Froyo’s market share, not Gingerbread’s. It will most likely mean that Android 2.3 and Android 4.0 will be the two dominant Android versions in the future.
Net Applications released their Android market share statistics for July 2012 as well, and their numbers slightly differ from what Google provided, thanks to the different ways the two companies measure market share.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is rated at 17.56 market share, which is 1.66 percentage points higher than the 15.9 percent stated by Google, which only measured the distribution level for Android over a 14-day period before August 1, while Net Applications measured for the entire month of July.
Net Applications rates Android 4.1 Jelly Bean lower than Google does, at just 0.35 percent market share. Google claims it made up 0.8 percent. Android 2.3 Gingerbread is again at a lower 56.62 percent, compared to the 60.6 percent provided by Google. Android 2.2 Froyo shares the same fate at 12.02 percent compared to 15.5 percent according to Google.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will take off when manufacturers will release upgrades and new devices as well, but until then Gingerbread will still run the show and ICS will take away Froyo’s market share if we’re to judge by the trend shown by Google. With new devices launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (like Galaxy S III and HTC One X) its market share will rise with the sales, but Android 2.3 Gingerbread will still be the dominant Android operating system for some time. Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean, take your best shot!
Tucked away in Facebook’s company filings published this week, was an interesting snippet of information. Although the social network had 955 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) as of June 30, 2012, an increase of 29 percent from this time last year, some 8.7 percent of that figure – around 83 million users - were identified by Facebook as likely to have come from fake sources.
The number of people actively using the service is calculated using internal company metrics based on the activity of user accounts, and Facebook has determined that roughly 4.8 percent of its MAUs may have originated from duplicate accounts, with a further 2.4 percent coming from user-misclassified accounts (that is personal profiles created instead of pages for businesses or "non-human entities," like pets), and 1.5 percent from undesirable accounts (those created by spammers, for example).
In the report Facebook says "We believe the percentage of accounts that are duplicate or false is meaningfully lower in developed markets such as the United States or Australia and higher in developing markets such as Indonesia and Turkey. However, these estimates are based on an internal review of a limited sample of accounts and we apply significant judgment in making this determination, such as identifying names that appear to be fake or other behavior that appears inauthentic to the reviewers. As such, our estimation of duplicate or false accounts may not accurately represent the actual number of such accounts. We are continually seeking to improve our ability to identify duplicate or false accounts and estimate the total number of such accounts, and such estimates may be affected by improvements or changes in our methodology."
Facebook’s metrics are also thrown by mobile applications that connect to the social network automatically, without any user participation, although the company believes this equates to less than 5 percent of its Daily Active Users (DAUs).
While there’s little that Facebook can really do to identify and prevent fake user accounts, the news that 8.7 percent of all its active monthly traffic has come from such sources won’t sit well with advertisers. Especially those worried (in the light of a recent BBC investigation) whether or not their campaigns are actually reaching real people.
Photo: Elwynn/Shutterstock
If you install many apps and programs in Windows 8, you may notice that the system's Metro interface gets cluttered with shortcuts sooner or later. And while you can sort the shortcuts into groups to make everything manageable, it too is not an optimal solution.
When you switch to the All Apps screen of the Metro UI, for instance by right-clicking and selecting the All Apps option from the bottom toolbar that appears, or with the shortcut Ctrl-Tab, you may come to the conclusion that this interface is more suited for your needs.
All installed apps and desktop programs are listed here. What you will notice though is that Windows not only displays the program executable for all desktop programs, but also other files that have been placed in the program's start menu folder. Here you then see links to uninstallers, help and readme files or links to the company website that developed the program. Most of the time, those additional entries are not needed.
The second issue that you may have is that there is seemingly no way to open the All Apps page directly. You always have to open Metro first before you can open the All Apps page. If you do not care about live tiles and other Metro features, then you may prefer to bypass that Start page to go right to the All Apps page instead.
The following guide provides you with solutions to both issues. Keep in mind that while this works fine in the Windows 8 Release Preview, it may not work at all with the final version, which released to manufacturing on August 1. While it is unlikely that Microsoft will make changes to the way things are handled right now, it is nevertheless possible that this can happen.
Cleaning the All Apps Menu
I'm not sure why there is no option to remove items directly in the All Apps window. If you want to remove desktop program listings from here, you need to do so using Windows Explorer or a third party file browser. The following two folders list all start menu items that you see on the screen:
What you need to do now is remove any file that you do not want to see in the All Apps menu. You can delete the files or folders right away, or move them to a different location as a backup in case you need to access the files at a later point in time.
It is interesting to note at this point that Windows 8 seems to display desktop apps that are not listed in the Start menu locations. This is for instance the case with games that may be listed here even though they are not listed in the start menu itself.
What you can do to improve the order further is to use root folders for certain types of applications and programs. You may for instance want to use the games folder to list all of the installed games on the system, instead of seeing individual games scattered around on the start page. You can use the same method for other similar kinds of apps, e.g. maintenance or tools.
Remember though that you need to place the shortcuts directly into the folder. If you place them with a folder of their own into the root folder, they are still displayed individually on the Start page.
Lastly, you may also need to clear the thumbnail cache as the listing is not refreshing automatically otherwise.
To do that do the following:
Once the process has finished, check the All Apps page again with a tap on the Windows-key and the shortcut Ctrl-Tab or a right-click and the selection of All Apps. If everything went well, you should now see an updated listing on the Start page.
Shortcut to All Apps Start Screen
Now that the All Apps menu has been optimized, it is time to look at options to access the page in a faster fashion. Windows 8, however, does not ship with options to automatically load the All Apps screen on startup, or access it in a faster fashion.
There is, however, an option to create a shortcut that links directly to the screen, that you can place on your desktop, the taskbar or the Metro start page to access the All Apps screen with a click.
For that, you need to switch to the desktop either with a click on the Desktop tile in the Metro interface, or a tap on the Windows-key. Right-click the desktop and select New > Shortcut. Enter the following in the "type the location of the item" field that opens up automatically.
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f8-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Click next, enter a name and then finish.
I suggest you click on the shortcut afterwards to see if it is directly opening the All Apps Start page in the Metro interface. You can also right-click the file, and select Pin to Start to add it to the Metro UI's standard page, or Pin to Taskbar to pin it to the operating system's taskbar on the desktop for better accessibility.
Closing Words
If you prefer the All Apps page you can now make use of it in a more elegant manner. It takes some configuring and tinkering but you end up with a screen that resembles the original start menu of Windows 7 or previous versions of the operating system more than it does the Metro start screen.
Which version of the Metro start page do you prefer, if any?
Google on Wednesday afternoon made a huge announcement for its near field communications (NFC)-powered Google Wallet platform. Beginning August first, with an update to the Google Wallet app, Android phone users with supported NFC devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, HTC One X, or Fujistu Arrows, will be able to use any credit card from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover as an NFC payment solution. These credit cards can be used at one of the 200,000 MasterCard PayPass-supported retail locations across the United States.
Not only does the update support the full assortment of major U.S. credit card companies, but it also moves the encrypted secure bit for credit card authentication off the phone, and into the cloud on Google's servers. Previously, the wallet ID (virtual card number) was stored in a secure encrypted storage area of the Android phone. This could corrupt the wallet on the phone if software updates were performed, or firmware was updated without clearing the wallet data first. But now with the new permissions being passed down from the cloud, there is an added level of security. That new level of security is the ability to remotely disable your mobile wallet app if your phone is stolen.
The new service will pass through Google any retail purchases made on your card via NFC. Google will then instantly charge your chosen credit or debit card giving you detailed purchase information on the phone on top of showing it in your typical credit card statements. This, as Robin Dua, Head of Product Management for Google Wallet noted, will speed up the integration process for banks.
Banks that want to help their customers save cards to Google Wallet, including their custom card art, can apply on Google's new online bank support application site at no extra cost. Also, to remotely disable your Android devices' access to your wallet, Google has set up a device managment site.
This new platform could easily be expanded to a whole host of other services as well. The new web backend for the secure authentication could, for example soon lead to mobile transit cards and personal money transaction services with NFC, similar to PayPal and Square.
That's the question I repeatedly asked while attending San Diego Comic-Con, which wrapped up about two weeks ago. Ian Lewis' "Let’s not blindly give every latest tech marketing prophet his profit", posted here Sunday afternoon, has me thinking about phone as camera again, in context of what's good enough.
A year ago, I took to Comic-Con the Fuji X100 to shoot photos and Sony HDR-TG1 camcorder for videos. I processed and uploaded content on a Mac laptop. But July 2012, I was a month into an Apple boycott over patent bullying. I still have the devices but now use the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook. It's plenty good enough for processing photos using cloud services to edit, but I wasn't too sure about videos and decided not even to bother. During Google I/O I shot video on Galaxy Nexus, uploading directly to YouTube. That worked out just fine.
What Matters More
Photos are tricky shooting from the phone, however, within a crowded, indoor venue. I almost never use the flash, because it's harsh and rude, particularly during crowded events like Comic-Con. The X100 is a simply astounding low-light performer and my first choice for indoor shoots. Galaxy Nexus is way more convenient, but produces much more noise -- meaning grain -- when used in low light. Are the phone's images anywhere as good as the camera's? Not the least. Are they good enough? For the immediate context, yes. But there are big trade-offs.
I took the X100 for the second day of Comic-Con's four days and planned to carry it the other two. But I shot less than a dozen photos, posting just one. Meanwhile, I used Galaxy Nexus near constantly. I can snap, edit and upload from the device, which is exactly what I did, to Google+, over four days. The X100 stayed at home for the remainder of the event.
This is my second go round with the Fuji X100. I sold my original last December, only to buy another a few months ago. I really like this camera. It's compact, but packs dSLR-size sensor (think Nikon D90), outstanding prime lens (meaning no zoom) and real viewfinder (optical-digital hybrid). I can shoot amazing photos with the X100. But doing so is lots of extra work, too. I need to connect the camera to a PC to process and upload images, and there's no geotagging. From Galaxy Nexus I can immediately upload pics to numerous services. There's an auto-upload function, too. Besides on-phone editing tools, Google provides others online for images uploaded via Google+.
Convenience and immediacy proved to be more important, particularly as people responded to real-time posts. Some G+ commenters said they followed the show through my posts, further driving me to put immediacy over quality. In the context of shooting photos for print, say, the X100 is by far the superior choice for an in-door event like Comic-Con. But for immediacy -- and shooting for the web -- Galaxy Nexus proved good enough.
Shoot Me
But you wouldn't know that Galaxy Nexus could be a good-enough shooter given marketing and gadget geek bias about megapixels. Search for "Galaxy Nexus camera", and you will find lots of complaints about the phone only being a 5MP shooter, when Apple's smartphone -- or Samsung's S3 -- reach eight. But there's more to a good camera than megapixel count. It's my experience that for devices with smaller sensors, 5MP is typically optimal. Squeezing more pixels onto the same size sensor leads to distortion and other artifacts. It's a myth that more megapixels are better. Quality of lens and amount of software compression are other factors. Remember, 5MP was state of the art just a few years ago.
What makes Galaxy Nexus even a contender is the zero-lag shutter Google promises in marketing and delivers in reality. The phone takes pictures as fast as any dSLR I've used and better than every compact camera. Tap and shoot. Immediately. This capability is far superior to having more megapixels. Go to your local phone store and test it. You'll be amazed.
Then there is video. Days gone by, I would need to edit footage, adding titles, transitions, etc. using iMovie or other video-editing software. That's no longer necessary. Google provides basic editing capabilities on the phone and even more online. I can shoot and upload videos to YouTube right away, satisfying that immediacy need. Then go online and add the stuff I used to on Mac or Windows PC. The options aren't as fancy or pretty, but they get the job done and eliminate hours of work or delay from post-processing.
Google I/O and Comic-Con both put the video-recording capabilities to the test. Galaxy Nexus shoots 1080p, but what about audio? What shocks me: How well the microphone picks up the principles speaking in overly noisy areas, which eliminates the need for post-processing audio. Is it exceptional? No. But it's more than good enough.
Battery Life
Some people will scoff and say iPhone 4S can do as good or better -- and there's no question the handset is a great shooter. But what about battery life? iPhone 4S has a fixed battery. Galaxy Nexus' is not. I generally get exceptionally good battery life from the Android -- even 24 hours with moderate use.
During Comic-Con, I finally pushed the battery to the max, or beyond it. I got just 4 hours usage from my HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus. That's with near constant screen time -- shooting photos, shooting video, uploading video to YouTube and updating and checking Google+. Then I swapped batteries. You can't do that with iPhone 4S.
Because venue WiFi sucked (provided by AT&T), all the online activity was done over HSPA+. I wonder if battery life would have been better with LTE, since video would have pushed to YouTube faster. I wouldn't be shocked to see battery life a couple hours longer.
Day before yesterday, I sold the X100, and it went to a good home. For now, Galaxy Nexus is good enough in many situations, but by no means all. Starting today, I go on vacation for a week -- a rare occurrence for me. My daughter turns 18 and starts college in a few weeks. She and my wife deserve attention during this transition time.
I'll step back from BetaNews altogether, but continue to post to Google+, where the interaction is fun and refreshing. During this week, I'll see just how good the phone camera really is, and I must admit to having my eye on the Sony Cyber-Shot RX100.
If you're not on Google+, see ya August 9th.
If you’re looking for a faster way to access your Windows applications then you could pin the appropriate shortcuts to your taskbar, but that gets cluttered fairly easily. And while the Start menu offers more customization options, it’s also more bulky, and about to disappear in Windows 8 anyway.
Still, no problem, Gomigo is a more lightweight launcher that could be just what you need.
Launch the program for the first time and it’ll add a new icon to your system tray, and clicking this displays a small and very focused menu of applications. Which on our test PC included Calc, Notepad, and a couple of menus pointing to our installed browsers and Office 2012 applications.
This isn’t going to be enough, of course, and so clicking Control > New Element will allow you to add further options to the menu. You’re able to include new executables, documents, even web pages in just a click or two. Or you might opt to create a custom menu -- “Graphics”, say -- where you can then group together related programs, URLs and other resources.
We’re not entirely sure how necessary a program like Gomigo really is. If you want quick access to a particular set of shortcuts, you could always store them in a folder, then add that to your desktop (right-click the taskbar, select Toolbars > New Toolbar).
And that more homespun approach would avoid having to run Gomigo in the background all the time, where it can consume 20MB of RAM. (Not a great deal these days, but more than we’d expected considering what the program is doing.)
Gomigo looks good, works well and may be able to save you a click or two when running your favorite applications, though, which is more than enough to justify its existence. And so if you’re looking for a new launcher then it should probably be somewhere on your shortlist.
Santa Clara County Superior Court on Wednesday ruled that Oracle is contractually obligated to port its software products to HP's servers that utilize the Intel Itanium platform, despite Oracle's move to drop support for the 64-bit server platform in early 2011.
Intel's Itanium first began losing software support in 2009, when Red Hat announced Enterprise Linux 6 would not include the architecture, and then in Spring 2010, Microsoft announced Windows Server 2008 R2 would be the last version of the operating system to support Itanium, which was characterized as the industry's first CISC-based multithreading architecture.
Without support from the OS and application vendors, HP, who provided upwards of 95% of the market's Itanium-based server hardware, was faced with the inescapable promise of extinction. Former HP CEO Leo Apotheker singled out Oracle's move to drop Itanium support, and called it an "anti-consumer" gesture, and subsequently took Oracle to court.
The court on Wednesday ruled Oracle is obligated to uphold the contract former CEO Mark Hurd signed in 2010, demanding that Oracle continue to offer its software products on HP's Itanium-based server platforms, including any new releases, versions, and updates that have taken place on other platforms. Oracle has to continue to support the platform until HP discontinues Itanium server sales.
"Today's proposed ruling is a tremendous win for HP and its customers. The Superior Court of the State of California, Santa Clara County, has confirmed the existence of a contract between HP and Oracle that requires Oracle to port its software products to HP's Itanium-based servers," a statement from HP said on Wednesday. "We expect Oracle to comply with its contractual obligation as ordered by the Court."
"Last March, Oracle made an engineering decision to stop future software development on the Itanium chip. We made the decision as we became convinced that Itanium was approaching its end of life and we explained our rationale to customers here: Oracle.com/itanium," Oracle spokesperson Deborah Hellinger said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "Nothing in the Court's preliminary opinion changes that fact. We know that Oracle did not give up its fundamental right to make platform engineering decisions in the 27 words HP cites from the settlement of an unrelated employment agreement. HP's argument turns the concept of Silicon Valley 'partnerships' upside down. We plan to appeal the Court's ruling while fully litigating our cross claims that HP misled both its partners and customers."
Photo: Jnumber9/shutterstock
Amazon Instant Video, the little video service that could, has now moved into Apple territory. Starting August 1st, Amazon will be releasing an iOS iPad app for its Amazon Instant video service. The new app allows iPad users who are also Amazon Prime account members to access the 20,000+ title collection of videos available to them.
The new iPad app also allows viewing of Amazing Instant Videos not in the "free" Amazon Prime video section as well. The Amazon Instant Video App for iPad also offers access to "Your Watchlist," a list of all the movies and TV episodes Amazon members want to watch in the future, regardless of if they own the video or not. Also, the app provides access to a "Your Video Library" feature that gives iPad customers access to their previous purchases and rentals from Amazon Instant Video. Another nice feature is the option to either watch over a Wi-Fi connection or download the video for offline viewing mode.
"We want to give customers the convenience of being able to watch all of their movies and TV episodes, wherever they are, on their iPad," said Anthony Bay, Amazon.com vice president for video. "Today we’re excited to extend our ‘buy once, enjoy everywhere’ approach to iPad, giving customers the chance to enjoy more than 120,000 titles from Amazon Instant Video and more than 20,000 titles from Prime Instant Video anytime, anywhere."
However, some of the common features of iOS media apps are missing from the Amazon Instant Video app. For example, you can’t buy or rent new videos or subscribe to the Prime service directly from the new app, and you can't search for available videos through it either. This is similar to the omission of in-app purchasing in the Kindle app for iOS, which forces users to launch the iPad browser to buy content. Amazon Instant Video for iOS, likewise, makes users order and purchase content for the app through the web browser. Also, sadly the app has disabled AirPlay veiwing support on devices still missing Amazon Instant Video, like the Apple TV.
The app is free for download in the iTunes store and compatible with any iPad running iOS 4.3 or later.
Amazon Instant Video clients are also available on Kindle Fire, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Roku set top box, as well as on Vizio, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and Sony smart televisions and Blu-ray players.
Is your business cloud-ready? More importantly, are you using the cloud to mobilize your business? Mobile connectivity has become crucial to businesses, and in many cases a necessity. While on the road, it's important for your employees to have access to their email, mission-critical business applications, and the Web itself.
A recent study by research firm SMB Group showed that small-and-medium businesses are looking to mobilize, not only increase productivity but save money. Forty-four percent of all respondents said the ability to work from the field was a driving force in their mobile business strategy, while one-quarter say the ability to make decisions faster was a key factor.
That said, it's crucial to make the right decision when planning out your mobile business strategy.
Big, Big Data
Businesses transfer larger amounts of data, which vary based on the business: remote monitoring of company assets, telemetry data, security footage, fleet management, or offsite diagnostics are just a few data-intensive applications. Machine-to-machine solutions may help manage those costs.
Verizon is one of the companies focusing on M2M solutions, and might be the answer to manage big data in your IT deployment. The company currently offers four separate solutions along these lines, which can be customized based on need.
These include VMware vCloud Express, Verizon's on-demand computing solution; Enterprise Cloud, which offers IaaS functionality; colocation services in Verizon's more than 50 data centers worldwide; and managed hosting, which offers 24/7 managed services for both virtualized and dedicated resources.
Taken together, Verizon's cloud computing suite is an alternative to other major scalable computing offerings, including those from Amazon and the recently announced Oracle cloud. All these companies see a growing market -- and a lot of money to be made -- in big data.
It's About The Apps, And The Support
While getting into the cloud makes good business sense for these companies, the services are only as good as the apps available. It's the reason why Oracle made a big deal out of the 100+ apps its cloud supports, and why Amazon repeatedly boasts about its widespread support among cloud software developers.
In Verizon's case, the company has announced support for its own suite of business apps, as well as the popular Google Apps for Business. It will also host private app stores for its customers, which are vital for those looking to provide a central location for its employees for company-specific applications.
Obviously, Verizon is a communications company, so some type of communications product is going to play a key role. The company offers something called "Unified Communications and Collaboration as a Service (UCCaaS)" (which we'll discuss in the next section), as well as a mobile payment solution from Intuit GoPayment.
Given the success and popularity of Square, and its quick adoption among small-and-medium businesses, it should be no surprise that Verizon has decided to include such a service in its own mobile business packages. Mobile payment processing is a big deal, especially for those businesses where a large majority of the workday (and week) is not spent in an office.
You might also remember as part of the Oracle announcement that company's focus on what it called "world class support". Most cloud providers these days realize the key to a successful cloud offering is not only giving customers the computing power and application support they want, but also the support to ensure that it all works.
When choosing a cloud solutions provider, ensure it has sufficient support resources. Verizon points out to us that it has 3,000 professional consultants on call, which seems to suggest they're taking the support side of things just as seriously as Oracle has.
Staying Connected Inside and Outside the Office
While mobile connectivity is important, so is staying connected within the office. As mentioned previously, Verizon is a communications company first, which means their business cloud offering will highlight these inherent advantages.
The company features two devices that showcase its advanced communications strategy: the Cisco Cius, and the Mobile Unified Communications Client and Docking Station.
The Cisco Cius is a detachable business tablet integrated with a desktop phone that allows employees to use Cisco video and web conferencing tools. The Cius supports WebEX, and can improve communications through its wide array of telepresence and instant messaging features.
For those worried about security, data is protected through the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client to ensure that data never falls into the wrong hands.
The Mobile Unified Communications Client and Docking Station offers PBX functionality through select mobile devices, and allows mobile users to take advantage of features available through your PBX system -- such as low-cost international calling -- that might not be available on their handset.
To enable the PBX functionality, all the employee needs to to is dock their supported smartphone in the provided dock at the top of the phone. It's as simple as that.
To support SMBs advanced communications needs, Verizon offers Unified Communications and Collaboration as a Service, which like any cloud service allows them to pay for only the needed resources.
Top Photo Credit: James Thew/Shutterstock
Let me preface this article by saying I’m a long time Gmail fan. I signed up as soon as an invite came my way, and have used it as my primary email service ever since. Although I now have an Outlook address, and really like what Microsoft has done with its Hotmail replacement so far, I can’t see switching over to it full time. I’m too attached to Gmail to ever think of saying goodbye.
But, that said, I’m not as enamored with the webmail service as I used to be. There are just certain issues that prevent me from really, truly appreciating it as I have in the past. Gmail is still great, and I don’t want to appear churlish about a free service that mostly outshines the competition, but here are some problems I have with it.
1. It can be frustratingly slow. I have a fast computer with a 100Mbps Internet connection, and I use Chrome. Gmail should be very snappy for me, but a lot of the time just isn’t. It sometimes takes an age to load, and emails don’t always display immediately when clicked on (and occasionally take a suspiciously long time to arrive). Searching for messages can be pretty slow too. Granted I have a fairly busy inbox (74-percent full) with years and years of stockpiled emails, but I’m not sure that’s an excuse. Today, Gmail is actually very nippy for me but yesterday I had to check the speed of my connection to see if there was some sort of problem. There wasn’t.
2. The new design. Okay, so it’s not exactly new any more, and while I have got used to the changes (no change aversion here), I still prefer how Google’s email service used to look. Although Outlook clearly gets its inspiration from Gmail, I actually prefer its design, which feels more intuitive. Partly, I’m sure, because I generally prefer text buttons (which say what they do) to more confusing icon-only ones.
3. Google scans my messages. Yes, I know this is done automatically and there’s not a team sitting in a room somewhere physically reading every email I receive in order to serve up tailored adverts, but it’s still creepy. The press release for the new Outlook took great pains to point out that the webmail service doesn’t scan anyone’s messages, and that will be a big plus for a lot of people already worried about what information the big G holds on them.
4. Gmail offers too many superfluous features. I like some of the Labs offerings -- in particular Background Send and Undo Send -- and I like the fact I can enable or disable them. But I really don’t need a lot of the extra elements that Google has forced upon me, such as Tasks and Google+ Hangouts (or any Google+ features for that matter). I use Gmail for email. A “Get rid of the guff you don’t use” button would be lovely.
5. Offline mode is only available in Chrome. I use Chrome most of the time, but I also use Firefox. Why isn’t there an official offline option for Mozilla’s browser yet? Last August Google mentioned making its Gmail Offline extension available for other browsers. I’m still waiting.
Those are my pet peeves. But if you could change one thing about Gmail, what would it be?
Photo Credit: Julien Tromeur/Shutterstock
Change doesn’t happen overnight at Microsoft, but when the Redmond, Wash.-based corporation simply announced the new Outlook mail service yesterday, it was a big surprise. But surprise attacks can prove advantageous, and six hours after the Outlook team announced the service via Twitter, a million people had signed up for it.
What You Get
Microsoft calls Outlook a “modern email experience” and naturally there is a need to find out if it’s better than before and how it compares to its arch rival, Gmail.
The new Outlook focuses on three main areas:
The visual changes come to align Microsoft’s e-mail service with the design language found in Windows 8, a visually streamlined experience which is also found on their website and on the Bing search page.
Microsoft takes the "less is more" approach in Outlook by adopting two dominating colors, white and blue throughout, which removes the cluttered visual effect in Hotmail. You can have up to four tabs in Outlook, with a clear but subtle distinction between them.
On the left side there is the Search, Folders and Quick views panel, which has gained the Search tab compared to Hotmail, but other than that it hasn’t changed considerably. The placement of the search bar is better than before when it was on the right side of the screen; now it’s more intuitive and easier to find visually.
The biggest bonus of Outlook is the increased responsiveness added to the new interface, which is up to par with what Gmail offers at the moment. Switching from Inbox to Photos in Quick views no longer presents the lag which plagued Hotmail. It’s not instant, but it’s as good as Gmail is, which comes as high praise for Outlook’s interface.
The email list tab has changed as well, now coming with three buttons; unless an e-mail is selected that’s how the interface appears. After selecting an e-mail you’re presented with the usual tab of Reply, Delete, Junk, etc. The placement of the Mark read/unread button isn’t deemed as important in the new interface, which is an omission on Microsoft’s part because whenever multiple emails are selected Mark Read comes in handy if there is no need to read them. It’s something that I personally use when receiving emails that I do not need to read after looking at the title.
The Reading pane has a different appearance as well, but there is no apparent interface change. What’s changed is the introduction of a fourth tab, addressed to social networking. You can see Facebook updates, connect to LinkedIn, YouTube or Flickr among others. There is no Google+ offered momentarily which can be a problem if Google+ users would want to hypothetically switch to Outlook overnight. Furthermore, a similar feature is available in Gmail as well, named "Preview Pane" through Google Labs, in the Settings menu.
There is another problem when presented with the choices on connections, as the page still looks dated by having the old interface design. Granted, Outlook is a preview at the moment, but an inconsistent one at that.
Also, while you have the possibility to expand the Messaging tab, currently there is no way to collapse it, and it only closes partially. It’s an oversight on Microsoft’s part and a noticeable one when more screen estate is what the user wants, or if there are no connected accounts.
Skype and SkyDrive
Microsoft claims that Skype support will be added later on and it will be interesting to see how it works, but despite stating that it’s currently connected to Google and Twitter there is no possible way to do it at the moment (services don’t show as connections), as it will probably be added soon with the rest of the connections.
When connecting Facebook to Outlook it comes with the possibility to import the email addresses from your Facebook friends and it allows chatting with your Facebook friends as well via its chat system, but there’s probably more to come in the future.
Outlook comes with "Sweep" which is basically similar to what Gmail offers already through "Filter messages like these," but it’s not as simple to use, and in order to sweep mails Outlook needs to go into menus, unlike Gmail which can do it without switching. It doesn’t allow you to create a rule directly from the menu after selecting an email, and it can only be created manually. Gmail does it more easily and intuitively than Outlook, which is a strong suit for Google’s email service, and a weakness for Microsoft if it wants Gmail users to switch.
Web Apps is a strong suit for Outlook, as it allows viewing documents online and even editing them on the cloud, without having to download or use Microsoft Office on the computer. It works well, but it still has limitations. For example, it doesn’t render the documents the same way as Word does, but you can send them to Word, Excel or other Office programs depending on the type of file. When opening with Microsoft Office, there is a prompt asking for Windows Live credentials, then you can edit and save the file online. For some reason, even though I’m able to connect to Skydrive, Microsoft Office doesn’t recognize my Outlook credentials at the moment.
It works by uploading files onto SkyDrive, but there’s another hiccup as well. SkyDrive, like other Microsoft services, (including parts of the Outlook interface,) haven’t been updated to reflect the new design language Microsoft has taken, and it looks like a rushed change more than a definitive improvement. Furthermore, the initial impression matters more than the latter and because Outlook is very popular at the moment and it has an impression to make. It has to reward the six million plus users who jumped on immediately.
Finally, Outlook claims to offer the user "control" over the his personal information, by claiming to not deliver personalized ads and "industry leading spam protection" and "rock solid account protection," but it doesn’t differ from what similar email services claim. It’s reassuring, but nothing to write home about.
User Concerns
Outlook started as a preview and Microsoft is committed to further improvement through user feedback. The company’s effort is substantiated by their Reddit post, aimed to get people interested in its new email service as well as making it easy to provide feedback on how to make it better.
The user concerns mainly focus on IMAP support and captcha. One user stated on Reddit that "The captcha is impossible. I decided I was happy with Gmail after the 3rd failure," while another said that "I too took many, many goes to pass the Captcha - and my eyes work just fine! Case sensitive is crazy, especially as the letters are so distorted," with the Outlook team acknowledging that "Our CAPTCHA is case sensitive, so you might have run into that."
"Gmail is 8 years old now, and we think it’s time for something new," that’s how the Outlook team started their Reddit day and one user points out something that must be going through everyone’s mind when comparing Gmail with Outlook: "They keep saying that it's better because gmail is 8 years old, but in my opinion, that makes me more likely to stick with gmail. I've been using it for 8 years, I'm familiar with it, I know it, and it's the email address tied to everything I do online. I need a better reason than 'it's new and shiny!' to want to go through all the hoops of changing my email address."
More feedback focused on the functionality brought by Outlook compared to Gmail, with one user wittingly stating: "I cant believe how 'silly' you would have to be NOT to include all the functionality of your biggest competitor at the start. Do you guys not sit down and say well gmail does all of this we have to do better, or just dont bother looking at the competition and release a product with some bits better and others worse - who the hell is gonna switch for less features? Goddamit you guys invented drag and drop almost and cut/pasting from other things - how can you not include this!"
The replies haven’t stopped coming, with another user commenting on why Outlook wants users to switch "Hey guys, who cares if it doesn't have all of these conveniences?! You should switch... you know, just because!"
In case you were wondering, there’s also this: "Summary of this entire AMA: 'Thanks for the feedback, we will consider it'". It shows to point out that Microsoft’s first experience with Reddit feedback did get them plenty of it, but it also managed to make Outlook pale in comparison to what users think of Gmail, which according to them still has better functionality.
And this is how Outlook can be summed up: it brings nice, new features, but it doesn’t considerably differ from Gmail to justify a switch. Microsoft showed a good effort so far, but it needs to work on the rough edges in order to deliver a product as good as Google offers through Gmail.
To Summarize
The final product should correct the wrongs of Hotmail and speaking as a user of both services, I can wholeheartedly say that Microsoft’s effort with Outlook is commendable, but I wouldn’t recommend it over Gmail at the moment.
Microsoft on Wednesday announced the final Windows 8 RTM build has been released to its hardware manufacturing partners, in advance of the developer release on August 15, and ahead of general consumer availability on October 26. The RTM build is the version that OEMs place on machines that ship pre-loaded with Windows.
"While we have reached our RTM milestone, no software project is ever really 'done.' We will continue to monitor and act on your real world experiences with Windows 8—we’ve used the preview process to test out our servicing and we have every intent of doing a great job on this next important phase of the product," Windows President Stephen Sinofsky said on Wednesday. "Hardware partners will continue to provide new devices and improve support for existing devices. PC makers no doubt have quite a bit in store for all of us as they begin to show off PCs specifically designed for Windows 8."
According to a number of forums, the RTM build number that Microsoft "signed off" on is 9200.16384.win8_rtm.120725-1247. Previous rumors suggested that 9200 could be the number used in the final commercial release.
The next major milestone happens in just a scant two weeks, when developers will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via MDSN, and testers will be able to download it via TechNet. Additionally, the final build of Visual Studio 2012 will be available, and more information about the Windows Store will be available, presumably the launch of the new storefront.
In the meantime, the RTM Windows Store is open for paid apps and company accounts.
"Today marks an important milestone for the Windows Store as we move from preview toward the general availability of Windows 8. We’re again expanding our market coverage, committed as ever to creating a developer opportunity of unprecedented scale," Antoine Leblond wrote in the Windows Store blog on Wednesday. "We’re opening the Store up for company registrations and are now accepting paid apps. Finally, we’ve advanced the Store design in response to Release Preview feedback."
Windows Server 2012, Microsoft's "Cloud OS," has also been released to manufacturing today, and its availability will come on September 4. Jeffrey Snover of the Windows Server team on Wednesday said the final code is shipping to partners this week, and that volume licensees will have access to the software "in the next couple of weeks."
