Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » février 12, 2013

BetaNews.Com (19 non lus)

Microsoft pushes Office 365 with 'Quick Start' video series

Publié: février 12, 2013, 11:42pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Microsoft has made no real secret that it prefers you to buy an annual license for software, as opposed to purchasing a non-expiring version. Office 2013/365 is the first real example of that, but will surely not be the last. Since the products' release, the company has pushed out PDF guides to help guide you along.

Now the push continues with a video version of those "Quick Start" guides. Earlier today the Office team announced the release of five videos in a new series that will give users a head-start on the new app suite.

"If you have just six minutes to spare, you can get acquainted with the new Office by watching the five videos below", according to Microsoft.

The five videos cover very brief information on what is included in Office 365 Home Premium, how to get started, using Office everywhere, how to set up Office 365 on five computers and adding family members to your subscription.

To help lure you in, the company makes it as painless as possible with PDF and video guides to get you started, varied pricing that can be either monthly or annually -- warning: monthly costs more in the long run, and the ability to use one license on multiple home computers. Oh, and the company is also offering an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype credit.

Is there really any question left about which direction customers are being steered? Still, regardless of that, it probably is the best deal for most households. To check out the videos, one only needs to visit the Office blog for links to each and every one of the the five.
Dropbox for Teams targets the enterprise

Publié: février 12, 2013, 10:39pm CET par Alan Buckingham

I love my Dropbox account. Or, I should say that I love the idea of my Dropbox account. I will be the first to admit that I honestly do not use it very much. I work from home and rarely have reason to share files. My wife, however, uses that account on an almost daily basis. She shares school files with her students via Dropbox. In other words, it is a business tool -- even for someone who simply teaches Spanish to grade school kids one day per week. Now, the company has made it an even more useful business tool with a host of new features announced today.

In prefacing the announcement, Dropbox representative Emil Ibrishimov takes a second to brag about the fact that "people at over two million businesses and 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies are using Dropbox -- from law firms working with their clients to international businesses staying in sync across the world".

Ibrishimov goes on to explain that the company has been "working with our customers to design features that give them the insight and tools their businesses need, while keeping the simplicity that makes Dropbox so easy to use".

The new features are for the "Dropbox for Teams" service and offer better control for administrators. These include the ability to view recent activity, third-party apps that have been added, activity between all team members, sharing controls and more. Admins can even download reports that display all of that data, meaning those folks in the cubicles need to be even more careful about what they are sharing.

Dropbox for Teams is available on a scaled platform depending on the size of your business. Accounts start at $795 per year for five users and additional users will cost $125. Storage is also scaled based on this. The new features announced today are available immediately and all of this is controlled through a brand new Admin Console.

Photo Credit: T. L. Furrer/Shutterstock
Enterprise app stores seek to cure BYOD woes

Publié: février 12, 2013, 9:55pm CET par Joe Wilcox

The so-called "bring your own device to work" movement is great for employees looking to use their own (and newest) stuff and for business managers looking to cut hardware costs but a nightmare for IT admins. So they're fighting back, just too bad at the typically glacially slow pace of big enterprises.

Gartner predicts that by 2017 one-quarter of enterprises will have their own mobile app stores offering sanctioned wares for employees.

"Apps downloaded from public app stores for mobile devices disrupt IT security, application and procurement strategies", Ian Finley, Gartner research vice president, says. "Bring your own application (BYOA) has become as important as bring your own device (BYOD) in the development of a comprehensive mobile strategy, and the trend toward BYOA has begun to affect desktop and Web applications as well".

BYOA and BYOD extenuate problems going back to early PCs and extending through several waves, such as Palm Pilots, BlackBerries, iPhones and iPads, among others. Each of these is development platform, rich with apps, as well as device. Around them, employees commingle professional and personal activities and data, too often poorly managed and posing unforeseen security risks.

"Enterprise app stores promise at least a partial solution but only if IT security, application, procurement and sourcing professionals can work together to successfully apply the app store concept to their enterprises", Finley says. "When successful, they can increase the value delivered by the application portfolio and reduce the associated risks, license fees and administration expenses".

Enterprises have to do something, seeing as how many encourage BYOD. According to "Good Technology’s 2nd Annual State of BYOD Report", 76 percent of enterprises with more than 2,000 employees have programs in place, and the total is expected to reach 88 percent this year. However, the largest and smallest businesses are slowest adopters. Among organizations with 10,000 employees, only 46 percent have BYOD programs in place, up from 35 percent in 2011. One-quarter of businesses with less than 2,000 employees follow suit.

There is a startling shift in costs -- to employee up rather than organization down. Good finds that in half the companies with BYOD programs, employees pay for devices and supporting services, such as cellular data for cell phones, tablets and some laptops.

But that's for the hardware. Many IT operations must contend with BOYA, as natural consequence and nuisance. Hence, the rise of enterprise app stores.

In the short term, mobile device management (don't you just love these analyst conventions) will lead the way. "Today, most MDM providers have a simple way of extending apps to mobile devices, usually through a basic agent on the device, but many are launching more-sophisticated app stores that can host enterprise and third-party apps to be accessed by smartphones, tablets and PCs", Phillip Redman, Gartner research vice president, says. "The development of mobile apps and the support of MDM will drive most enterprise app store implementations during the next 12 to 18 months".

Long-term, Gartner sees enterprise app stores as a means of encouraging developers to submit competing apps. Employees get more choice, IT takes more control and businesses benefit from sanctioned choices rather than the Wild West they contend with today.

Photo Credit: andrea michele piacquadio/Shutterstock
Bluestacks brings 750,000 Android apps to Surface Pro

Publié: février 12, 2013, 7:52pm CET par Alan Buckingham

There has been a lot of news recently about Surface Pro. The new tablet made quite a splash over the weekend, but the jury still is out about the real success of the launch. However, Bluestacks is interested enough to bring its wares to the new platform and carry 750,000 Android apps along.

That may sound like a nice gesture towards Microsoft, but it also represents somewhat of a dig at the company. In fact, the website launched by Bluestacks is titled Get your Apps Back. The site even has a headline -- Missing your apps on Windows 8? While a dig at the lack of apps proliferating the new Windows Store, it is also a nice little bonus for Surface Pro early-adopters and other Windows 8 users.

For those of us who run Windows 8 in our computing environment, but prefer our mobile devices to be of an Android-persuasion, this is a big win. After all, we have invested money in our mobile apps and we want to be able to use those apps everywhere, including on our PC's and Surface tablets.

While this is touted as being "optimized for Surface" the new Bluestacks will run just fine on any Windows 8 device and add a lot of new options for any user, including thousands of free games. At first glance, a niche item, it really is more like a second app store for customers and is a win-win proposal for everyone.
Accidental Empires, Part 7 -- Our Nerds (Chapter 1d)

Publié: février 12, 2013, 7:04pm CET par Robert X. Cringely

Seventh in a series. Editor: Classic 1991 tome Accidental Empires continues, looking at a uniquely American cultural phenomenon.

The founders of the microcomputer industry were groups of boys who banded together to give themselves power. For the most part, they came from middle-class and upper-middle-class homes in upscale West Coast communities. They weren’t rebels; they resented their parents and society very little. Their only alienation was the usual hassle of the adolescent -- a feeling of being prodded into adulthood on somebody else’s terms. So they split off and started their own culture, based on the completely artificial but totally understandable rules of computer architecture. They defined, built, and controlled (and still control) an entire universe in a box -- an electronic universe of ideas rather than people -- where they made all the rules, and could at last be comfortable. They didn’t resent the older people around them -- you and me, the would-be customers -- but came to pity us because we couldn’t understand the new order inside the box -- the microcomputer.

And turning this culture into a business? That was just a happy accident that allowed these boys to put off forever the horror age -- that dividing line to adulthood that they would otherwise have been forced to cross after college.

The 1980s were not kind to America. Sitting at the end of the longest period of economic expansion in history, what have we gained? Budget deficits are bigger. Trade deficits are bigger. What property we haven’t sold we’ve mortgaged. Our basic industries are being moved overseas at an alarming rate. We pretended for a time that junk bond traders and corporate disassemblers create wealth, but they don’t. America is turning into a service economy and telling itself that’s good. But it isn’t.

America was built on the concept of the frontier. We carved a nation out of the wilderness, using as tools enthusiasm, adolescent energy, and an unwillingness to recognize limitations. But we are running out of recognized frontiers. We are getting older and stodgier and losing our historic advantage in the process. In contrast, the PC business is its own frontier, created inside the box by inward-looking nerds who could find no acceptable challenge in the adult world. Like any other true pioneers, they don’t care about what is possible or not possible; they are dissatisfied with the present and excited about the future. They are anti-establishment and rightly see this as a prerequisite for success.

Time after time, Japanese companies have aimed at dominating the PC industry in the same way that similar programs have led to Japanese success in automobiles, steel, and consumer electronics. After all, what is a personal computer but a more expensive television, calculator, or VCR? With the recent exception of laptop computers, though, Japan’s luck has been poor in the PC business. Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore have fared similarly and are still mainly sources of cheap commodity components that go into American-designed and -built PCs.

As for the Europeans, they are obsessed with style, thinking that the external design of a computer is as important as its raw performance. They are wrong: horsepower sells. The results are high-tech toys that look pretty, cost a lot, and have such low performance that they suggest Europe hasn’t quite figured out what PCs are even used for.

It’s not that the Japanese and others can’t build personal computers as well as we can; manufacturing is what they do best. What puts foreigners at such a disadvantage is that they usually don’t know what to build because the market is changing so quickly; a new generation of machines and software appears every eighteen months.

The Japanese have grown rich in other industries by moving into established markets with products that are a little better and a little cheaper, but in the PC business the continual question that needs asking is, “Better than what?" Last year’s model? This year’s? Next year’s? By the time the Asian manufacturers think they have a sense of what to aim for, the state of the art has usually changed.

In the PC business, constant change is the only norm, and adolescent energy is the source of that change.

The Japanese can’t take over because they are too grownup. They are too businesslike, too deliberate, too slow. They keep trying, with little success, to find some level at which it all makes sense. But that level does not exist in this business, which has grown primarily without adult supervision.

Smokestacks, skyscrapers, half-acre mahogany desks, corporate jets, gray hair, the building of things in enormous factories by crowds of faceless, time card-punching workers: these are traditional images of corporate success, even at old-line computer companies like IBM.

Volleyball, junk food, hundred-hour weeks, cubicles instead of offices, T-shirts, factories that either have no workers or run, unseen, in Asia: these are images of corporate success in the personal computer industry today.

The differences in corporate culture are so profound that IBM has as much in common with Tehran or with one of the newly discovered moons of Neptune as it does with a typical personal computer software company. On August 25, 1989, for example, all 280 employees of Adobe Systems Inc., a personal computer software company, armed themselves with waste baskets and garden hoses for a company-wide water fight to celebrate the shipping of a new product. Water fights don’t happen at General Motors, Citicorp, or IBM, but then those companies don’t have Adobe’s gross profit margins of 43 percent either.

We got from boardrooms to water balloons led not by a Tom Watson, a Bill Hewlett, or even a Ross Perot but by a motley group of hobbyist/opportunists who saw a niche that needed to be filled. Mainly academics and nerds, they had no idea how businesses were supposed to be run, no sense of what was impossible, so they faked it, making their own ways of doing business -- ways that are institutionalized today but not generally documented or formally taught. It’s the triumph of the nerds.

Here’s the important part: they are our nerds. And having, by their conspicuous success, helped create this mess we’re in, they had better have a lot to teach us about how to recreate the business spirit we seem to have lost.

Reprinted with permission

Photo Credit: NinaMalyna/Shutterstock
Do you run third-party antimalware on Windows 8?

Publié: février 12, 2013, 6:13pm CET par Joe Wilcox

Call me stupid. Someone typically does in comments. But let me give you reason: I don't run third-party malware detector in Windows 8. Should I? I asked my colleagues what they use, and the general consensus is nothing -- just rely on Microsoft Defender. Are we all nuts, or is there no cause for using something else?

Today is my 12th day using Surface Pro as primary PC and first serious commitment to Windows 8, which I really like on this machine. I didn't rush to install antimalware, like earlier versions. Somehow, I feel safe using Windows 8 Pro. My question: Do you?

There are several reasons for this sense of security, with Internet Explorer 10 being high among them. After years of ActiveX hell, IE on Modern UI is generally locked down from plugins. From a security perspective, Microsoft chose wisely, even though third-party browsers are largely shut out.

I love Chrome, but with exception of all the sync benefits (and they are many), I don't miss the browser as much as expected. IE10 is fast, fluid and fun -- at least on Modern UI. There's something to be said for browser developers conforming to web standards (or at least pretending to). I'd like to see Microsoft rally for a plug-in-free world. That's a dream.

I don't feel as safe about any browser on the Desktop. We'll see how I warm up, or not, over time. Chrome isn't gone from my life, being primary browser on phone and tablet, and I'll eventually want some sync benefits on Windows 8. But I must emphasize, with surprise: IE10 feels pretty good, which says as much about browsers reaching a necessary utility standard.

The cloud is another reason for my sense of Windows 8 safety. All my email comes through trusted services that scan for malware. Images and attachments don't load by default. Then there is the browser, which I consider to be better protection than apps like Outlook. Call me stupid, if you must. But I feel pretty confident about cloud and browser.

Related: Good computing habits. I don't go to bad Internet neighborhoods, rarely click on email attachments (sorry, Ma, but I trashed those cute kitty pics unopened) and carefully check sites in search before clicking links. The latter is important, as SEO poisoning is a real risk to anyone.

That brings me to fourth reason: Defender and SmartScreen, which are built-in to Windows 8. The one provides traditional protection, while the other is more proactive, such as (by default setting) blocking untrusted apps without administrator password. I don't doubt third-party antimalware can do better, but they're not necessary if what Microsoft provides, including hardened kernel, is good enough.

But good enough is the question. Is it? I never ran antimalware on OS X, nor do I on Nexus devices -- and I don't feel anywhere as safe with Android, outside of Chrome. Anything can be cracked, hacked or phished with enough effort, no matter how many layers of protection. There's a question of how safe do you need to be. I could just as easily be mugged as my PC infected. I don't carry a gun or wear a bullet-proof vest. Perhaps if I were a high-value target, something would be needed.

Do you use third-party antimalware software on your primary PC?

Perhaps my point is this: I've finally reached confidence level about Windows' safety. Microsoft has hardened the frame, put in airbags, requires seatbelts and added other safety measures. No protection can stop me, or you, from driving recklessly or getting creamed by some idiot plowing through a red light. Generally, I feel safe enough. But do you? Please take the poll above and answer in comments below.

Photo Credit: tanewpix/Shutterstock
eMusic cuts out subscriptions, opens store to everyone

Publié: février 12, 2013, 5:01pm CET par Alan Buckingham

eMusic, the audio download and streaming service founded in 1998, gets less attention than it deserves. But that may now be about to change with the announcement of a major move last night. The site, which is home to countless independent artists, has tried to become more mainstream, but has suffered due to its subscription model which places an enormous constraint on sales.

In the past, customers would need to purchase a subscription in order to simply access the store and buy a song -- a major deterrent for many would-be buyers. But now the company has lifted the restriction and opened up the store for everyone.

According to eMusic President & CEO Adam Klein, "beginning today, anyone can visit eMusic.com and purchase as many songs or albums as they want at retail price. The move makes eMusic more accessible to everyone, which is appealing to consumers and business partners alike".

Subscriptions haven't gone. Those who wish to remain members can continue to use the service in the same way it has operated in the past. However, eMusic is now more open for users who do not want to pay a monthly fee, but simply purchase a song or album here and there. This brings the company in line with rivals like Amazon MP3 and Google Music.

Kline goes on to state that "a number of major players have already taken interest in eMusic's new business model, which is making the brand more flexible and easier to partner with than ever before. We are in talks with potential partners in the OEM market, and also with wireless and cable operators, as well as big box retailers".

This is certainly good news for all music lovers, especially those who enjoy finding new and intriguing artists that may not be discovered otherwise or get the exposure they truly deserve. The subscription service will remain tiered, beginning at $11.99 per month.
Vertu launches its first Android smartphone. Anyone got a spare $21,700?

Publié: février 12, 2013, 3:48pm CET par Wayne Williams

Luxury British smartphone manufacturer Vertu used to be owned by Nokia and made its name producing incredibly expensive Symbian handsets. But times move on, and the company is now focusing on producing incredibly expensive Android handsets.

The first new product of this endeavor is the Vertu Ti. The 3.7-inch device sports a brushed titanium frame (making it up to five times stronger, and at 180g (6oz) quite a bit heavier than most other phones), with real leather trim and a sapphire-screen.

It boasts a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 64GB of internal storage, 8-megapixel rear-facing and 1.3-megapixel front-facing cameras, and is powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Yes, that’s right -- for the money you don’t even get Jelly Bean. It’s not 4G enabled either.

The device comes in four designs -- Titanium Black Leather (£6,700/$10,450), Titanium Pure Black (£7,900/$12,322), Titanium Black Alligator (£8,900/$13,882) and the top of the line Titanium Black PVD Titanium Red Gold Mixed Metals (£13,900/$21,678).

Vertu had reportedly originally considered making a Windows phone, but decided there wasn’t enough demand.

The handsets are only available in around 500 retail outlets, including 70 of the firm’s own boutiques. Most of Vertu’s sales come from Asia, followed by Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Create your own QR codes using Firefox

Publié: février 12, 2013, 3:47pm CET par Mike Williams

QR codes can be a very convenient way to convey URLs, images, text or other information to anyone who scans them with a compatible smartphone, or other mobile device.

And it’s just as easy to create QR codes for yourself. You don’t need to buy some complex package, in fact you don’t have to spend any cash at all: QrCodeR is an excellent Firefox extension which will create all the codes you need for free. (Although the author will happily accept -- and probably deserves -- donations, if you’re feeling generous.)

After the usual installation process, you should notice a new icon in the address bar. Clicking this tells QrCodeR to create a QR code for the current page URL.

And the extension also adds an "Encode to QrCodeR" option to the right-click menus for selected texts, images or URLs within the current page. (Or, if the object is an image and a link, then you’ll get separate "Encode image" and "Encode URL" options.)

Select any one of these as appropriate and within a moment or two a matching QR code appears in the middle of the screen. Hover a mouse cursor over it and any associated link is displayed, handy as confirmation that you’ve not accidentally selected the wrong page object.

And while you could capture the screen and reuse the code as you like, that’s not necessary: simply click the code and you’re able to save it as a PNG file.

This is all very straightforward, then -- no hassles, no fuss, no complications, and you’ll immediately understand what you have to do. Of course QrCodeR still isn’t for everyone, but if you do need to create simple QR codes then it’s an excellent choice, reliable and easy to use.

Photo Credit: Maxx-Studio /Shutterstock
Microsoft’s 'getting started' guide for Surface tells you everything you need to know

Publié: février 12, 2013, 2:32pm CET par Wayne Williams

If, like my colleague Joe Wilcox, you’ve already been lucky enough to get your hands on Microsoft’s new Surface PC, or you’re thinking of buying it in either the Windows 8 Pro or RT editions (and a stunning 45 percent of you say you'll be purchasing the former), you’ll want to download the new getting started guide immediately.

The official PDF manual from Microsoft Press is 68 pages long (1.35MB) and starts by introducing the device and explaining the differences between Surface RT and Pro, and also lists the accessories available to buy, before guiding readers through the setup process.

It covers everything from configuring Windows and adding accounts, to explaining how to use the interface, customizing the UI, and connecting devices and a second screen.

It’s a clear and concise guide, that really anyone with an interest in Surface needs to read (and which I would definitely have appreciated during my week long play with Surface RT).

You can download the getting started guide from here.
AOKP Jelly Bean MR1 Build 3 is available

Publié: février 12, 2013, 1:39pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Little more than three weeks since the last build, Android Open Kang Project, the team behind the popular AOKP green droid custom distribution, has unveiled Jelly Bean MR1 Build 3. The newest stable build sports the latest bug fixes and improvements added before Google released Android 4.2.2.

The team behind the project warns that issues related to Bluetooth should not be reported, as "it can’t/won’t be fixed before the 4.2.2 merge". The timing is rather interesting seeing as Google reportedly took charge and finally improved Bluetooth connections in the latest update, which arrives less than a day after the release of Jelly Bean MR1 Build 3. The new build introduces support for a couple of new devices, including the Acer Iconia Tab A510 (codename "a510"), the T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II (codename "hercules") and the LTE variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note II (codename "t0lte").

The latest build also introduces support for the international Samsung Galaxy S II in Exynos and OMAP trim (codename "I9100" and "I9100G", respectively), but the builds were removed with "a fixed version" announced for today. At the time of writing this article, neither of the two builds are available.

In terms of new features, AOKP Jelly Bean MR1 Build 3 brings support for different UI modes (users can choose between phone, phablet and tablet), transparency control "for all things", dual panel for any DPI, Car Home, timeout and instant lock for Slide to unlock, quick unlock, the ability to hide the navigation bar, recent panel in Gingerbread style, custom icon tint, menu UI overflow and LastApp toggle.

As usual it is recommended to wipe data before switching from another custom distribution or from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in AOKP trim.
DisplayFusion 5.0 lets you easily manage a multi-monitor setup

Publié: février 12, 2013, 1:32pm CET par Nick Peers

Binary Fortress Software has released DisplayFusion 5.0, a brand new version of its multi-monitor management tool for Windows. DisplayFusion 5.0, which comes in Free and Pro editions, gives users more control over multi-monitor management.

Version 5.0 is a major update, adding more online wallpaper sources and a background gradient option for desktop wallpaper, while Pro users also gain a number of Windows 8 enhancements, plus options for flipping and rotating desktop wallpaper.

Both Free and Pro versions gain access to two new online wallpaper sources: 500px and Binary Fortress’s own WallpaperFusion. Users can now also select a linear gradient for use as the desktop wallpaper background color via the "Background Gradient" option.

Users can now also quickly locate the current wallpaper image by double-clicking the image preview in the Desktop Wallpaper window. The Desktop Wallpaper tool now speeds up searches for desktop wallpaper by reusing the Image Chooser window for each monitor.

New features exclusive to the Pro version include support for four third-party Start menu replacements for Windows 8 users on the DisplayFusion replacement Taskbar, namely Classic Shell, Start8, StartIsBack and Start Menu X. The taskbar is also now capable of showing full jump lists for both pinned and running applications.

Also added to DisplayFusion Pro’s Desktop Wallpaper selection tool are options for both flipping and rotating desktop wallpaper -- both settings can be found on the Adjustments tab.

Windows 8 users will also benefit from a number of Pro-only enhancements, specifically a boot to desktop option to bypass the Windows 8 Start screen, plus options to reduce the Start Screen to a user-custom size, move the Power User menu to the current mouse cursor position and an option for adjusting the border size for application windows. This latter option is also available to Free edition users.

The new build also includes the requisite number of bug fixes, performance and stability improvements -- specific examples include fixes for issues involving Monitor Profile detection and loading, and a resolution for erratic window sizing of the Wallpaper and Settings windows when DPI scaling has been enabled.

DisplayFusion 5.0 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows XP or later. XP users will need to have installed the .NET Framework 2.0 tool. The program installs as a fully functional 30-day trial of DisplayFusion Pro before reverting to the cut-down freeware version. The Pro version, which is currently on sale for $17.50, adds support for multi-monitor Taskbars, TitleBar Buttons and customizable hot keys to simplify the task of using two or more monitors with a single PC. Users can cancel the trial version and revert to the free version at any time by right-clicking the program’s Notification Area icon and choosing Enter A License Key, then clicking the Change to Free Version button.

Photo Credit: corepics/Shutterstock
Easily manage a multi-monitor setup with DisplayFusion

Publié: février 12, 2013, 1:32pm CET par Nick Peers

Binary Fortress Software has released DisplayFusion 5.0, a brand new version of its multi-monitor management tool for Windows. DisplayFusion 5.0, which comes in Free and Pro editions, gives users more control over multi-monitor management.

Version 5.0 is a major update, adding more online wallpaper sources and a background gradient option for desktop wallpaper, while Pro users also gain a number of Windows 8 enhancements, plus options for flipping and rotating desktop wallpaper.

Both Free and Pro versions gain access to two new online wallpaper sources: 500px and Binary Fortress’s own WallpaperFusion. Users can now also select a linear gradient for use as the desktop wallpaper background color via the "Background Gradient" option.

Users can now also quickly locate the current wallpaper image by double-clicking the image preview in the Desktop Wallpaper window. The Desktop Wallpaper tool now speeds up searches for desktop wallpaper by reusing the Image Chooser window for each monitor.

New features exclusive to the Pro version include support for four third-party Start menu replacements for Windows 8 users on the DisplayFusion replacement Taskbar, namely Classic Shell, Start8, StartIsBack and Start Menu X. The taskbar is also now capable of showing full jump lists for both pinned and running applications.

Also added to DisplayFusion Pro’s Desktop Wallpaper selection tool are options for both flipping and rotating desktop wallpaper -- both settings can be found on the Adjustments tab.

Windows 8 users will also benefit from a number of Pro-only enhancements, specifically a boot to desktop option to bypass the Windows 8 Start screen, plus options to reduce the Start Screen to a user-custom size, move the Power User menu to the current mouse cursor position and an option for adjusting the border size for application windows. This latter option is also available to Free edition users.

The new build also includes the requisite number of bug fixes, performance and stability improvements -- specific examples include fixes for issues involving Monitor Profile detection and loading, and a resolution for erratic window sizing of the Wallpaper and Settings windows when DPI scaling has been enabled.

DisplayFusion 5.0 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows XP or later. XP users will need to have installed the .NET Framework 2.0 tool. The program installs as a fully functional 30-day trial of DisplayFusion Pro before reverting to the cut-down freeware version. The Pro version, which is currently on sale for $17.50, adds support for multi-monitor Taskbars, TitleBar Buttons and customizable hot keys to simplify the task of using two or more monitors with a single PC. Users can cancel the trial version and revert to the free version at any time by right-clicking the program’s Notification Area icon and choosing Enter A License Key, then clicking the Change to Free Version button.

Photo Credit: corepics/Shutterstock
NetTraffic lets you monitor your network activity in real time

Publié: février 12, 2013, 1:22pm CET par Mike Williams

Launch your PC and very soon there will be a host of processes making use of your internet connection. Your antivirus program might download new definitions; other programs will check for updates; your email client may scan for new messages, and of course there’s also your browser, download manager and anything else you’ve directly launched for some specific task.

If you have unlimited internet access and a speedy broadband connection, none of this will matter very much. But if you have limited bandwidth, a slow connection, or you’d just like to track your system’s network use, then installing NetTraffic could be a great way to monitor exactly what’s happening.

The program is free, a compact download (414KB) which installs quickly, with no adware worries. On launch it displays a simple icon in your system tray which flashes to indicate network traffic. And if you need to know more, then hovering a mouse cursor over the icon displays a tooltip showing the current upload and download speeds.

Right-clicking the system tray icon and selecting "Show" then displays a tiny scrolling graph, allowing you to watch how bandwidth use changes over time. This stays on top of other windows for convenience, and is resizable if you’d like to see more detail.

If even this isn’t enough, though, right-click the graph, select "Statistics", and you’re presented with tables showing your network traffic (total and average) for the past hour, day, month and year. The program will even try to predict how much bandwidth you’ll use in future. (This didn’t look too accurate in our initial tests, but perhaps the figures will improve as NetTraffic has more time to sample your usage.)

It’s even possible to zoom in on a particular period of time in your network history, and display charts of network use. So if there was an unusual spike in network traffic last December, say, you can drill down to try and find out when it happened.

And while by default these figures track all your network traffic, you can of course ask the program to monitor specific network interfaces only. Just right-click the system tray icon, select "Settings", clear the "Use all interfaces" box and choose your preferred network cards.

If there’s a minor issue here it’s that the program uses a little more system resources than we’d like, maybe 20-40MB of RAM on our test PC.

That’s not enough to make the faintest difference to most users, though, and so if you need to track your network bandwidth then you should give NetTraffic a try: it’s easy to use, provides plenty of information, and offers useful configuration options and settings to ensure it’s working just as you’d like.

Photo Credit: nmedia/Shutterstock
Android 4.2.2 rolling out for Nexus devices

Publié: février 12, 2013, 1:00pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Google Nexus owners, unlock your devices and start checking for updates because Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean is now rolling out. The latest software version is reportedly hitting Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 devices, with no word at the moment relating to the Nexus 4.

The Android 4.2.2 update bumps up the build number to version JDQ39 and mostly appears to contain minor fixes. No official changelog has been provided by Google at this moment, but users are reporting improvements for Bluetooth streaming which now presents "less hicups [...] but still not perfect" with apparent disconnects when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular data.

The update comes in at little over 46MB and considering the fairly significant size may feature plenty more under-the-hood changes. Android 4.2.2 is currently rolling out in waves and will likely hit the Nexus 4 in the following days if previous deployments are of any indication. For Galaxy Nexus owners there is an OTA Android 4.2.2 update file that can be manually downloaded and installed afterwards using ADB Sideload in the recovery.
Tesco launches free Netflix rival

Publié: février 12, 2013, 10:12am CET par Wayne Williams

UK supermarket chain Tesco is set to launch a free online video streaming service called Clubcard TV.

Currently being internally beta tested by employees and set to launch officially this spring, it will (as the name suggests) be available to all shoppers with a Tesco loyalty card. And the really good news is it will be entirely free. According to Tesco, the new service is a "thank you to our customers -- there are no charges, contracts or subscriptions". Rumors that

Powered by Blinkbox, the movie and TV streaming service that Tesco bought 80 percent majority stake in 2011, it will let customers watch both movies and on-demand TV. At the moment it’s web-only, but hopefully Tesco will be adding a mobile app at some point in the future.

Tesco, which has had its reputation severely damaged as a result of the recent horsemeat scandal, will probably want to avoid offering movies featuring livestock for a while. Virgin Media’s already had to make a (tongue-in-cheek) apology on the topic.
Making the case for the smart watch

Publié: février 12, 2013, 8:26am CET par Alan Buckingham

With all apologies to my colleague Joe Wilcox, who bashed the Apple rumor of an "iWatch", I must respectfully disagree. I get his point, don't get me wrong. Most people of the "modern" generation do not even wear watches. In fact, they may not even own them. The cell phone has become the time piece of choice in today's world. I also understand that a watch is not the ideal place to check your email. The screen is simply too small.

However, there are uses for these devices for some of us. Not all of us, but some. I am a runner. Have been since middle school -- more years ago than I care to mention. Those of us who ran cross country and track, and later moved to road races, care about time and smartphones don't cover it. Sure there are apps for that -- Map My Run, Run Keeper, Nike...they all do the job. My colleague Wayne Williams loves Zombies, Run! But, who wants to strap a 4.5-inch screen to their arm and go for a run?

I am not saying the rumored Apple "iWatch" is a good idea. What I am saying is that smart watches in general have a future, although it is certainly a niche one. Sure, if Apple releases a watch then the sheep will form lines around its store waiting to hand over their money, but it will be mostly be for a status symbol.

However, real smart watches, like the recently released Pebble, have a function for some of us. That particular item contains both GPS and Run Keeper, an app that can track your run, preventing the necessity of the old practice of driving a course before running it. Yes, some of us do that -- we are obsessed with distance and time, pace must be calculated. there are watches for that already, but what is wrong with a bit more functionality?

No, I don't need Dick Tracy-type software for a watch. I honestly do not need to know who is calling via my watch, although glancing at wrist, as opposed to fishing Galaxy Nexus from its home in my right front pocket would be handy. My Timex Ironman has worked just fine. But, devices like the Pebble could save me time and gas. I personally think this revolution can work, but it will be a small one. It is a niche product, but one that certainly has a home.
The future of Xbox isn't gaming

Publié: février 12, 2013, 6:34am CET par Joe Wilcox

Yusuf Mehdi is one of my favorite Microsoft executives. When he played a pivotal role within MSN leadership (before the division became the Online Services Business), a perennial, 7-year money loser turned a profit and continued doing so -- for eight consecutive quarters -- until the autumn 2005 reorganization that led to Windows Live rebranding. OSB hasn't made a dime since. Mehdi kicked around in different roles, talent greatly wasted, before moving to the Entertainment & Devices division in November 2011. I posted: "Yusuf Mehdi is the best thing to happen to Xbox in years".

However, out of respect for decorum, I should say next best thing. In September 2012, Microsoft named former CBS executive Nancy Tellem as E&D president. She is Mehdi's boss after all, and both spoke yesterday about Xbox's future. She comes from an entertainment background and he is corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, which should tip-off future direction.

"Yes, we started with video games, but we have been on a journey to make Xbox the center of every household’s entertainment", Mehdi asserts -- and that's a bold statement. Expressed differently: Entertainment console. Sony, which affiliate is a movie studio, has had only marginal success transforming rival PlayStation 3 into an entertainment platform. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 is about a decade in market and largely seen as a gaming console with entertainment benefits. How does A get to Z, or X, if you prefer?

Mehdi claims the transition is underway. Cumulative Xbox 360 and Kinect sales are 76 million and 24 million, respectively. Microsoft sold 5.2 million consoles just during the holiday quarter. Last month, the company put Xbox Live subscribers at 40 million through end of the year. Fresh number today: 46 million. Xbox Live subscribers spent about 3 hours each day on the console during 2012.

Ponder this number: 18 billion hours of entertainment consumed on Xbox last year. Not that Mehdi defines what the big "E" means. Entertainment app usage grew 57 percent from 2011.

"We believe that Xbox is being used by more people in the household, during more hours in the day and for more forms of entertainment", Mehdi claims. "People are using Xbox in the morning to work out with the Kinect Nike+ Fitness program, kids are watching cartoons, families are enjoying movies and of course people are playing blockbuster games like Halo 4".

NU Ads, NUI Direction

If you listen to Tellem, Xbox Live is becoming an entertainment network, with interactive TV content coming in the future. Dare I suggest original programming? Tellem is responsible for Xbox Entertainment Studios, based in Los Angeles, which produced an interactive red carpet experience for the Grammys and another for the upcoming Academy Awards. Kinect Sesame Street TV is project, too.

Anyone using console and cloud service surely can see where Microsoft is headed. From games to Hulu, Netflix, U-verse and Xbox Music -- or Kinect -- the 360 strives far from its video games roots. The question: How much more can the Redmond, Wash.-based company take Xbox?

Much depends on the efforts of execs like Mehdi and Tellem to make the content deals, or to extend the broader entertainment platform separate from and alongside Xbox 360's successor, which is expected for holiday 2013.

"When I worked in traditional TV, we would find ourselves saying things like 'Wouldn’t it be cool if we could add an interactive aspect directly into the show and engage directly with the viewers?'" Tellem says. "With Xbox, that is possible today".

Kinect's role cannot be understated. This year, Microsoft plans to release 40 voice-controlled, customized television apps. Prime objective: Interactivity, using the new user interface, or NUI.

Earlier I assigned TV network ambitions to executives' goals, in part because of advertising. Mehdi spent much of his remaining OSB years working on content and advertising, skills he brings to E&D. Once again, Kinect is pivotal. In autumn, Microsoft rolled out what it calls "NUads" in Canada, United Kingdom and United States, with Subway and Toyota among the advertisers. Consumers engage with the ads -- speaking or waving, for example. Mehdi claims that 37 percent of consumers responded to interactive-polling, which beats passive commercials TV watchers can skip using DVRs. (Photo top shows a poll.)

To date, Microsoft can't chock up great online services ad successes -- nothing like Google. Can NUads be different or can Xbox truly become an entertainment console? Perhaps, if the Mehdi magic making MSN profitable comes to Xbox.
Bill Gates finds his audience: Reddit

Publié: février 12, 2013, 3:32am CET par Joe Wilcox

If you're geek, and even if not, Bill Gates' Reddit chat is worth reading, if you missed the live event at 1:45 pm EST today. Microsoft's cofounder held the "Ask Me Anything" in part to promote the annual letter for the foundation he runs with wife Melinda.

I've seen Gates give speeches in numerous venues, many not suited to him. The worst must be about a decade of Consumer Electronics Show keynotes. Gates and CES mixed like positively-charged particles. I never saw one presentation there that really zinged. These weren't his people, no matter how much geekier the attendees after Comdex died.

But today, Gates found his audience and comfort zone, banging on keyboard unseen, firing off fast answers with charisma, wit and believability. Reddit seemed so right to start and proved to be in practice. On the same day that the Pope announced he would step down on February 28, another global shaker rocked the purest, most-modern incarnation of the computer bulletin boards of Gates' youth.

Select highlights

I've grabbed some questions (from Reddit users) and Gates' answers. The real charm (and annoyance) of Reddit are the comments. What I present below lacks the extended context and storytelling you can get by going directly to the AMA.

Q. "What is the greatest achievement of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in your opinion and how do you choose which causes to support?"

Gates answers: "So far our biggest impact has been getting vaccines for things like diarrhea and pneumonia out which has saved millions of lives. Polio will be a great achievement along with key partners when that gets done".

Q. "Which world-wide health cause are we perfectly capable of easily solving and on the cusp of achieving but just need to put it over the top with a little more attention or resources to actually solve?"

Gates answers: "Polio is the first thing to get done since we are close. Within 6 years we will have the last case. After that we will go after malaria and measles. Malaria kills over 500,000 kids every year mostly in Africa and did not get enough attention until the last decade. We also need vaccines to prevent HIV and TB which are making progress".

Q. "What is something that needs to be changed in the world, but money won't help?"

Gates answers: "It would be nice if all governments were as rational as the Nordic governments - reaching compromise and providing services broadly. The Economist had a nice special section on this last week. Africa governments have often been weak but you can't write a check to change that. Fortunately the average quality is going up. Mo Ibrahim tracks this in a great way. ([moibrahimfoundation.org])"

Q. "What's your worst fear for the future of the world? (edit: I terms of policy/politics/etc -- e.g. SOPA/ITU)"

Gates answers: "Hopefully we won't have terrorists using nuclear weapons or biological weapons. We should make sure that stays hard. I am disappointed more isn't being done to reduce carbon emissions. Governments need to spend more on basic energy R&D to make sure we get cheap non-CO2 emitting sources as soon as possible. Overall I am pretty optimistic. Things are a lot better than they were 200 years ago".

Q. "Windows 7 or Windows 8? Be honest, Bill".

Gates answers: "Higher is better".

Q. "What emerging technology today do you think will cause another big stir for the average consumer in the same way that the home computer did years ago?"

Gates answers: "Robots, pervasive screens, speech interaction will all change the way we look at 'computers'. Once seeing, hearing, and reading (including handwriting) work very well you will interact in new ways".

Q. "Since becoming wealthy, what's the cheapest thing that gives you the most pleasure?"

Gates answers: "Kids. Cheap cheeseburgers. Open Course Ware courses".

Q. "What type of computer are you using right now?"

Gates answers: "I just got my Surface Pro a week ago and it is very nice. I am using a Perceptive Pixel display right now - huge Windows 8 touch whiteboard. These will come down in price over time and be pervasive... ([i.imgur.com])"