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BetaNews.Com (6 non lus)

Take a stroll through the Google graveyard

Publié: juin 27, 2013, 8:44pm CEST par Wayne Williams

In a couple of days, Google will pull the plug on Reader, its still much beloved RSS feed reading service, leaving dedicated users seeking refuge in the arms of Feedly, AOL Reader, Digg Reader, and numerous other alternatives.

There’s sadly no chance of a last minute reprieve. When Google decides to kill a service, it kills it. The company’s history is littered with such casualties -- great and not-so great ideas that for one reason or another just didn’t connect with a large enough audience or achieve the level that Google had hoped for.

To commemorate some of the many products and services that the web giant has killed off over the years WordStream has put together what has to be one of my all-time favorite infographics.

The Gooooooogle Graveyard -- A Resting Place for Great Ideas, covers the likes of Reader, iGoogle, Google Talk, Google Health, Knol, Buzz, Notebook, Labs, Dodgeball, Lively, and Google Answers. In total WordStream covers 20 services, some you’ll remember fondly and will no doubt have used, while others might have you scratching your head and wondering why you don’t recall them.

The graphic provides a little piece of information on each service, a screen-shot, and of course a gravestone marking the month and year (or just the year) when that little piece of Google history shuffled off this digital coil.

How many of these featured products have you used? Any you still mourn for?
Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad giveaway

Publié: juin 27, 2013, 8:10pm CEST par BetaNews Staff

Logitech's FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad is a case and keyboard combination designed to protect Apple tablets from shocks, scratches and water spills, and also provide a comfortable typing experience. It shields both the touch screen and back panel, offers two viewing angles and is available in a choice of colors. We reviewed this Logitech iPad case a couple of days ago, and really liked it.

The iPad keyboard case retails for $149.99; Logitech has kindly given us one to give away to a lucky iPad-owning reader.

To get a shot at winning all you have to do is leave a (polite) comment below, using a BetaNews account (if you use a general Disqus account, we won't have your email details, and so won't be able to contact you).

We'll randomly select a winner on Friday 28 June, and notify them by email. If we don't receive a reply within 2 business days, we'll select a replacement winner.

We're happy to ship the FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad to just about anywhere in the world, but you will be responsible for any duties, taxes or other charges.

More information on the case can be found on Logitech's site.
Netflix brings HTML5 goodness to IE11 in Windows 8.1

Publié: juin 27, 2013, 7:33pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Want more numbers thrown at you? The Microsoft beta release of its next-generation operating system, Windows 8.1, debuted yesterday and stole the news cycle. The aftermath continues today, as Netflix joins the party, announcing its latest offering to keep pace with market rivals Amazon Prime and Redbox Instant.

The company has plans to roll out video as extensions to modern browsers. "These extensions are the future of premium video on the web, since they allow playback of premium video directly in the browser without the need to install plugins", says the company.

Netflix says it is excited to announce that the video service has been working closely with Microsoft to implement these extensions in Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 8.1. If you install the Windows 8.1 Preview from Microsoft then you can visit Netflix.com today in the browser and watch both movies and TV shows using HTML5.

All of this comes with DRM, naturally. Microsoft has implemented both PlayReady and WebCrypto, which allows the company to encrypt and decrypt communication between the JavaScript application and the Netflix servers.

"We expect premium video on the web to continue to shift away from using proprietary plugin technologies to using these new Premium Video Extensions. We are thrilled to work so closely with the Microsoft team on advancing the HTML5 platform" announces the video streaming company.

For Netflix subscribers, this is one more reason to make the switch to Windows 8.1, as Microsoft refines the OS and partners up with services that users want. Is Amazon Prime and Redbox Instant around the corner?

Photo Credit: Zaptik/Shutterstock
Install Windows 8.1 Preview on Oracle VirtualBox

Publié: juin 27, 2013, 6:16pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Shortly after Windows 8.1 Preview was announced at this year's Build conference, Microsoft made it available to install through the Windows Store. The ISO files took a while to appear (MSDN subscribers got to download them first, followed by anyone with access to BitTorrent) but they are finally available to download officially from here.

Because Windows 8.1 is a preview version, and far from the finished article, you may not want to upgrade your existing operating system just yet. Fortunately, you can try the Windows 8 refresh without risk by installing it in a virtualized environment using the free Oracle VM VirtualBox.

Launch VirtualBox and click New in the Manager window. In the Create Virtual Machine dialog box enter "Windows 8.1" as the name of the operating system. VirtualBox will fill in the rest of the details. Hit Next.

Set the Memory Size. The recommended figure should be fine. On the following screen choose to "Create a virtual hard drive now" and click Create.

Accept VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) as the hard drive file type. You’ll be asked if you want the new virtual hard drive to be dynamic (meaning it will resize as required) or a fixed size. Although it will take a while longer to create a fixed size drive, the operating system will run faster afterwards, so I always recommend choosing the latter option.

Enter in a name for the new virtual drive ("Windows 8.1") and choose a size for it. The default size should be fine. Click Create and VirtualBox will begin building the drive. It will probably take around 10 minutes or so.

When done, click the Start button in the Manager. In the "Select start-up disk" window, click the folder icon and navigate to the Windows 8.1 ISO.

Click Start and Windows 8.1 will begin to load, showing the fish screen. Click the "Install now" button. Enter the product key (NTTX3-RV7VB-T7X7F-WQYYY-9Y92F) when prompted and accept the license terms. Choose the "Custom: Install windows only (advanced)" option. Click Next, and the installation process will begin, rebooting as necessary.

When that’s done, personalize the OS by picking a color and entering a PC name, and then choosing to use the express settings or customizing things further.

Set up a Microsoft Account if you don’t already have one, and sign in with it. You'll then be able to choose if you want to use SkyDrive to save your files to the cloud. Camera roll and PC settings are automatically backed up there.

Windows will set everything up, check for updates, and then start. Click View in VirtualBox to change the window size to Fullscreen or Scale. The easiest way to shut down Windows 8.1 is to click the X in VirtualBox and select "Power off the machine".
Yahoo News gets a refresh

Publié: juin 27, 2013, 5:45pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Yahoo is rolling out what it describes as a "more personal, intuitive and modern design" for its News site.

According to Mike Kerns, Vice President, Product, "The first thing that you’ll notice about the new Yahoo News is that it was designed around your interests and preferences. We made the news stream customizable so you can tell us what content you’d like to see more of. Yahoo! News will get smarter over time -- the more you use it when signed in with your Yahoo! ID, the more it learns about your preferences, creating a personal news hub just for you. And the new News is super-fast, articles now load faster than before".

The new design is certainly a big improvement, with the news presented in a single central column, and categories such as US, World, Politics, Tech, and ABC News easily accessible on the left hand side.

In addition, Kerns says "You’ll also notice an improved design when you visit Yahoo! News on your iOS devices, and soon on your Android devices. We wanted to be sure you’re getting not only a familiar experience but the best experience whether you’re sitting at your desk or on-the-go".

The redesigned Yahoo News is rolling out now. If you live in the US that is. The rest of the world will have to wait a while longer to see it.
Bitdefender’s Total Security 2014 now faster, adds password manager

Publié: juin 27, 2013, 5:17pm CEST par Mike Williams

Bitdefender has released its 2014 products, including new versions of Antivirus Plus, Internet Security and Total Security.

All editions now include Bitdefender’s new Photon technology, which it’s claimed "tailor-fits to each user’s computer for fast scanning, a quicker boot time, smooth interaction with apps and the same award-winning detection rate".

The new Wallet, a capable password manager which manages both your website and application logons, is also available in every package.

And a weekly Security Report sums up what’s happened in the past seven days, highlights anything you need to do, tells you about unused modules, and more.

Bitdefender Internet Security and Total Security owners shouldn’t feel left out, though, as they’ll see some worthwhile improvements. In particular, the spam filter is now fully cloud-based, cutting system impact and improving detection rates. Parental controls are significantly enhanced (you get full HTTPS as well as HTTP coverage, for instance), and the Safepay online banking environment stores your logons even more securely via the new Wallet.

On balance, adding a password manager seems like a smart move to us, and there are some worthwhile changes elsewhere. Overall, though, this doesn’t look like a major update.

When suites are as well regarded as these, though (independent labs regularly place Bitdefender ahead of the security pack) there’s no great need for any radical change. And so if you’re looking for new security software, this is still a product range which absolutely has to be on your shortlist. Trials of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2014, Internet Security 2014 and Total Security 2014 are available now.