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BetaNews.Com (16 non lus)

Microsoft aims squarely at Apple with new SkyDrive promo

Publié: août 7, 2013, 11:06pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

In June of 2012 Apple officially shut down MobileMe, migrating customers to iCloud. With storage space now being downgraded, the market apparently seems right to Microsoft to take advantage of cloud customers by offering its own alternative, in the form of SkyDrive -- or the service soon to be formerly known as SkyDrive.

The only official announcement came from the service's official Twitter account, simply asking a question and offering a solution -- "did Apple cancel your extra MobileMe storage? Fwd the downgrade email to HelpMeSkyDrive@outlook.com for an extra 15GB of SkyDrive for 1 year".

The service generally offers 7 GB of free storage, though users who were early adopters got grandfathered into 25 GB of free space. The solution is also tightly integrated with Windows 8, Office 2013 and Windows Phone, giving Microsoft one more incentive to make this deal -- the hope of winning over new users.

A request for a statement from the software maker resulted in no official comment at this time, though it did promise that more information would be forthcoming in the near future.

Office 365 and Yammer fly to the UK via IAG

Publié: août 7, 2013, 9:26pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Microsoft Office 365, and its business social platform Yammer, have been steadily finding their way into corporations and government offices in a battle with Google Apps. Now the software giant takes wing across the Atlantic with its latest conquest -- the friendly skies of the United Kingdom.

Today the company announces a deal that brings the applications to International Airline Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, Iberia and Vueling.

"Giving our employees the tools and freedom to achieve more in their day-to-day activities was a key component in our decision to engage with Microsoft," said Nigel Underwood, chief information officer at IAG.

This opens up the services to 58,000 employees worldwide, as the company covers 230 destinations. Microsoft points out that "in particular, a key part of the airline’s strategy for the future is better internal communication and collaboration through the use of social tools. Yammer brings together the companies’ employees inside a private and secured enterprise network that enables communication, collaboration and information sharing regardless of business unit or location".

The perhaps endless battle between Microsoft and Google continues, in a seemingly long-lasting struggle. That war benefits consumers in the long run as it leads down the path of innovation.

Photo Credit: Lasse Kristensen/Shutterstock

Amazon announces HTML5 for Appstore support

Publié: août 7, 2013, 8:26pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

HTML5 has become one of the buzzwords for the modern web, with the seeming demise of Flash -- the Adobe app, one of many, that has been under serious attack in recent times. Now Amazon is opening up its App Store to the HTML5 world, allowing for easier development for those wishing to take advantage of the platform.

"Amazon today launched web app support in the Mobile App Distribution Program", the retail giant said in an announcement. "Developers can now submit URLs for their HTML5 web apps and mobile websites and have Amazon offer that content to millions of Kindle Fire and Amazon Appstore customers in the same, convenient way as native apps. Developers can submit and distribute mobile web content without using third party software or doing any native app development, and they can take advantage of Amazon’s In-App Purchasing API for JavaScript, which provides them the option to build sales of digital goods into their apps".

This will allow developers access to easier distribution of apps, a native experience on the Kindle Fire HD -- a tablet that currently is on sale for $40 under regular price -- and a better revenue stream.

"We’ve heard from developers that making their web apps available for mobile devices is hard because many times it means rewriting their app, which takes extra time and often requires third party tools," said Mike George, the Vice President of Amazon Appstore, Games and Cloud Drive.

Today’s launch of web app support in the Amazon Appstore is the latest offering in an array of services that aims to put Amazon at the front of the race, with its new support and AWS integration.

Vodafone's 4G network hits London 29 August

Publié: août 7, 2013, 6:12pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Vodafone reveals that its 4G network will be made available to mobile users in London on 29 August, with several other key cities being added to the list by the end of the year. SIM-only tariffs, with a 12-month contract, start at £26, matching the cheapest tariff offered by O2.

The mobile firm has teamed up with Spotify and Sky Sports to provide content to subscribers. Anyone signing up for a 4G package will be able to choose between a Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV bundle, gaining access to music and live sport. Both bundles are provided free of charge for the first six months, but after this Sky Sports Mobile TV costs £4.99 per month, and Spotify Premium £9.99 per month.

The key benefit of 4G is speed of downloads -- and for many people this will mean downloading more than they have done in the past. Vodafone has a Data Test Drive option that will enable users to determine which data package they should sign up for.

For three months, users are free to download as much as they want at no extra cost; at the end this period Vodafone will let them know which package would be most suitable for that level of usage.

Non-Londoners have slightly longer to wait to join the network. 4G is coming to Vodafone customers in Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield by the end of 2014, and the company aims to have 98 percent coverage of the UK in the next couple of years.

Photo Credit: stefanolunardi/Shutterstock

Average UK broadband speed quadruples in five years

Publié: août 7, 2013, 5:15pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Throughout the UK internet users are benefiting from accelerating access speeds according to research by Ofcom. The average residential broadband speed now clocks in at 14.7Mbit/s -- around four times the speed back in November 2008 when figures were first published.

Of course, these are average figures, and the majority of web users will find that their actual connection speed is well above or below 14.7Mbit/s. One of the key factors influencing obtainable speed is location. Customers in rural areas were found to have download speeds that were less than half of those enjoyed by customers in urban areas -- 9.9Mbit/s compared to 26.4Mbit/s.

The increase in average speeds has been driven largely by a surge in the availability of "super-fast" connections -- those offering speeds of 30Mbit/s and above. In particular, Plusnet’s "up to" 76Mbit/s and Virgin Media’s "up to" 120Mbit/s cable service are likely to have bumped up the numbers. This type of connection is more widely available in urban areas, and this will come as no surprise to anyone living out in the country.

Despite the fact that average broadband speeds are increasing faster in rural areas than anywhere else, the difference in download speeds between urban and rural areas is greater than ever. This can be attributed to the availability of significantly faster services in towns and cities. "Super-fast" connections are available to rural dwellers, but far less widely.

The research also revealed that internet access speeds are fairly stable throughout the day. It seems that the days of web access slowing to a crawl in the evening are gone, although speeds do still drop off -- but only down to 88 percent of full speed on average.

If you fancy crunching the numbers yourself, the full report is available at the Ofcom website where you'll also find some analysis of the figures.

Migration from XP made more complex by demand for BYOD

Publié: août 7, 2013, 4:16pm CEST par Ian Barker

Microsoft will pull the support plug on Windows XP on April 8 2014. But with only 10 months to go to the deadline as many as 39 percent of enterprises have yet to migrate to another version of Windows, warns services and solutions company ITC Infotech.

Current trends towards BYOD are also making the migration process more complex but businesses need to address the issues in order to future proof their operations.

A recent survey by Forrester shows that more than two-thirds of North American and European information workers personally select the smartphones and tablets they use for work. Some 46 percent also use laptops that aren't on their company's approved list. The result is a blurring of the boundaries between personal and business IT with staff using their own devices to access company applications and data.

In switching from XP to Windows 7 or 8 organizations need to ensure they retain the flexibility for staff to use their own devices and maintain a secure environment. ITC Infotech warns that companies need to start the migration immediately or risk overshooting the deadline. Those that are still using XP, come April 2014, could face increased costs as Microsoft will raise the price of support for the old system to encourage migration of reluctant users.

Hardeep Singh Garewal, President -- European Operations, ITC Infotech says, "Once the deadline date is overshot, it will lead to cost escalation of up to three times as much to continue to receive support for XP, and then after a short period, support will be cut off altogether. It's therefore imperative that the transformation begins now and it would be relevant and appropriate to address the BYOD issue at the same time".

Does your business have a plan in place for the end of XP support? Will you be switching to a newer version of Windows or moving to a different platform entirely? How will you cope with demands for BYOD? Do let us know your thoughts.

Connectify Lite sports new look, adds random password generator

Publié: août 7, 2013, 1:55pm CEST par Nick Peers

Virtual router Connectify Lite 6.0 has been released, boasting a redesigned look, more flexible user interface and new menu bar alongside a random password generator.

Connectify makes it possible for users to turn their computer’s network connection -- wired or wireless -- into a personal Wi-Fi hotspot through their PC’s wireless network adapter. There is also a Pro version with enhanced and exclusive features not found in the free build.

Connectify Lite 6.0’s most visible change is its new look. The user interface, which is accessed via the program’s Notification area icon, can now be resized and dragged anywhere on the desktop for ease of access. It’s also no longer always on top of other windows, so can be hidden when not required.

The program also replaces its single menu with a menu bar splitting its options into three separate sections -- Settings, Tools and Help -- as well as a button for upgrading to the Pro version.

The new build also offers a Generate Password button that will allow users to quickly choose a more secure password for their hotspot. However, it has dropped support for WPS thumbdrives -- this feature was removed in Windows 8 -- while the Pro-only "Clone Wi-Fi" feature has been renamed "Wi-Fi Extender" to make its functionality more obvious.

Users should also find an increased number of companies and icons in the client vendor database, making it easier to identify which devices have connected to the virtual hotspot.

Connectify Lite 6.0 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows 7 or later (older builds for earlier versions of Windows are available). A Pro version is available with extra features, such as support for 3G/4G adapters, custom SSID name, Wi-Fi extender functionality, drag-and-drop file transfers and firewall controls. It’s currently available for $25 (annual license) or $40 (lifetime) at the Connectify website.

Get an in-depth troubleshooting report on any PC with RegRun Reanimator

Publié: août 7, 2013, 1:51pm CEST par Mike Williams

If you regularly help to troubleshoot PC problems for friends and family then you’ll know that understanding their system setup is a good place to start. This can be a challenge, though, particularly if they’re far away and you can’t get to visit the computer in question.

You could try to get around this by asking the system owner to run particular applets -- Device Manager, say -- and report on what they see. But that will also take a while, so it might be easier for them to install a single tool which can assemble a detailed report on their entire PC setup. And that’s precisely what you’ll get with RegRun Reanimator.

The program won’t be most people’s first choice as a troubleshooting tool, of course. It’s mainly designed to detect and remove malware, and an awkward interface means it’s really not a good choice for the PC beginner.

There are also plus points, though. RegRun Reanimator is entirely free for personal use (no adware or similar hassles). It’s supremely compatible, running on any version of Windows from 95 upwards. And the program includes a very handy reporting function (Start > All Programs > Reanimator > Detailed System Report) which assembles a host of essential details into a regrunlog.txt file on the desktop, ready for immediate emailing.

This report really is detailed, too. On our test system it reported our Internet Explorer version, system pages (Home, Search, Blank), browser helper objects, search providers, extensions, toolbars and more, as well as returning useful information on our Chrome and Firefox settings.

If there are problems with Explorer, then you might want to check the Windows Shell section, which details key file associations, Explorer extensions, shell policies, print monitors and more.

And of course there’s a vast amount of more general background information: drivers, Windows services, startup programs, running processes, loaded drivers, installed codecs, network settings and more.

The RegRun Reanimator report may be aimed at identifying security issues, then, but it also has many more general troubleshooting applications. And so if you do ever need a way to capture a snapshot of a PC’s configuration, give the program a try -- you might be surprised at what it can do.

Photo Credit: arka38/Shutterstock

Get ready to watch the LG G2 launch live here

Publié: août 7, 2013, 12:54pm CEST par Wayne Williams

LG is set to launch the G2, its new flagship smartphone, in New York later today. The usual raft of pre-launch leaks means we know the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display and come with a 13-megapixel camera.

Other details will be revealed by the South Korean electronics giant during the launch event, but if you’re not in New York, or haven’t received an invite to the unveiling, don’t worry -- BetaNews has saved you the best seat in the house.

You can tune into the event here live, and if you’re a bit late -- thanks to work or other pesky distractions -- you’ll be able to catch up on it afterwards (and skip ahead to the really good bits).

The event kicks off at 11am New York time, which is 8am in San Francisco and 4pm in the UK. We’ll also bring you news on the device once it’s been officially announced.

Read all about it! Facebook reveals details of its news feed algorithm

Publié: août 7, 2013, 12:34pm CEST par Mark Wilson

It's one of the mysteries of life. It may not quite rank up there with who shot JR or why the word "monosyllabic" has so many syllables, but there can be few Facebook users who have not wondered why particular stories appear where they do in their news feed. Now, Facebook reveals details of the secret algorithm that determines how content is ranked.

According to the social network there are around 1,500 stories waiting for the average user to see upon logging into their Facebook account. Few people have the time to scroll through all of them, with research showing that users manage to work through just over half of the stories. Prioritization is needed and this is where the algorithm comes into play.

The secret formula takes into account not only how frequently users interact with each other, but also how popular a post is proving globally and whether users have expressed an interest in similar content. This enables Facebook to pull out around 300 posts it thinks you're most likely to want to read.

But the algorithm post is about more than how things have and do work; for the algorithm is changing. To help ensure users don’t miss out on stories, older items will be pushed further up news feeds -- assuming they are gaining sufficient likes and shares from other Facebook users, that is.

Tests have shown that this change results in a 'like' increase of between 5 and 8 percent -- great news for anyone, or any business, using Facebook to interact globally as it helps to minimize the problem of working in different time zones.

So in a nutshell, the news from Facebook is old is the new new.

Photo Credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock

Microsoft announces change to Outlook.com messaging history

Publié: août 7, 2013, 12:14pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Social integration is one of the most interesting features of Outlook.com, as it allows users to manage emails and, at the same time, chat with friends on Facebook, Google Talk and Skype. Microsoft started to integrate the latter service in late-April, with the roll-out continuing into the summer and, now, the company announces a new change as the process reaches its final stages.

Microsoft just revealed that, "as part of adding Skype to Outlook.com", users will no longer be able to access the social messaging history through the adjacent folder, as it will be removed "sometime this fall". The feature will still be available, but only through the Messaging panel.

While I do not rely on the Messaging history folder, I do have to point out that it provides a simpler and much easier method of following past social conversations compared to its panel counterpart.

Microsoft advises Outlook.com users to move the messaging history from the current folder into a new one, as to keep the existing conversions even after the upcoming change. Taking into account the fact that Microsoft provides no exact estimate as to when this will occur, it is best that you heed the advice as soon as possible.

The migration can be done by creating a new folder, selecting all existing social conversations from the current folder and moving them into the new one. Microsoft provides no exact explanation as to why the company forces this change upon Outlook.com users nor why folks should manually backup their social conversations.

Microsoft warns Windows Phone users not to use WiFi -- wait, what!?

Publié: août 7, 2013, 10:06am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Windows Phone is a very closed system -- much like Apple's iOS. Because of this, users can comfortably use the operating system without fear of malware. However, this does not mean that the OS is free of vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, Microsoft has warned that Windows Phone 8 and 7.8 are vulnerable to a security weakness regarding Wi-Fi.

According to Microsoft, it is "...aware of a public report that describes a known weakness in the Wi-Fi authentication protocol known as PEAP-MS-CHAPv2 (Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol with Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol version 2), used by Windows Phones for WPA2 wireless authentication. In vulnerable scenarios, an attacker who successfully exploited this issue could achieve information disclosure against the targeted device". This is scary stuff!

The company further explains the vulnerability by saying, "...an attacker controlled system could pose as a known Wi-Fi access point, causing the targeted device to automatically attempt to authenticate with the access point, and in turn allowing the attacker to intercept the victim's encrypted domain credentials. An attacker could then exploit cryptographic weaknesses in the PEAP-MS-CHAPv2 protocol to obtain the victim's domain credentials. Those credentials could then be re-used to authenticate the attacker to network resources, and the attacker could take any action that the user could take on that network resource".

Microsoft offers a solution by suggesting that a certificate be used to authenticate all access points. However, this is not practical; users want to access Wi-Fi without thinking about it -- sad but true. Also, the average user will simply not know how to do this.

Comically, Microsoft offers a second suggestion to prevent the Wi-Fi vulnerability from being exploited -- turning off Wi-Fi. Microsoft advises users, "In Settings, Wi-Fi, tap to toggle 'Wi-Fi networking' to Off". This reminds me of the old joke, where a patient tells a doctor that his arm hurts when he raises it above his head. The doctor offers a solution, "so, don't do that".

As a Windows Phone user I am not too concerned about the vulnerability. I've yet to meet another person using Windows Phone in public -- I don't think hackers are focused on the platform right now. Also Microsoft says it is "...not currently aware of active attacks or of customer impact at this time". Hopefully it stays that way.

Photo Credit: 3Dstock/Shutterstock

Depeche View Lite lets you quickly search and explore plain text files

Publié: août 7, 2013, 10:02am CEST par Mike Williams

Searching one or two plain text files is easy. Windows Search and Notepad will probably be enough. But when you need to browse ten files, a hundred, maybe even thousands, then you’re likely to need a little specialist assistance. And that’s where the free-for-personal-use Depeche View Lite comes in.

Point this tiny portable program at a location and it will open every plain text file in that folder tree (up to a maximum of 10,000 in this build, anyway -- the $40 commercial version is unrestricted). These are all displayed in a flat view, one above the other, and that alone can be useful as it’s easy to scroll down and browse them all.

When you do have a lot of files then you’ll soon want to start searching, of course, and this is extremely easy. There’s no need to open a dialog box, just start typing and the screen immediately updates, displaying only matching files and highlighting every occurrence of your keyword.

Should you need more searching power, your text can also include operators like AND, OR and NOT, as well as the * wildcard. And you’re able to define a path mask which restricts your searches to particular files (main*.html NOT .html.old , say).

If you prefer to keep typing to a minimum, you’ll appreciate the program’s many mouse options. For example, just clicking a word highlights it, and displays floating icons with more options (search, copy to clipboard, highlight phrase, and so on). Or right-clicking a word leaves your current window alone, and instead opens a pane on the right hand side with the results of your search.

And if you need to keep track of the various items you’ve found, that’s not a problem. Locations within any file can be bookmarked for speedy recall later.

At some point you may want to edit a file, and life isn’t quite so convenient here: unlike its commercial big brother, Depeche View Lite doesn’t have an integrated text editor. Just pressing Ctrl+E at any point will open the current file in Notepad, though, and you can customize this to have the program use whatever editor you like (Settings > Options > Search, Edit).

There are some issues with the program, and most of them relate to the, well, quirky interface. Features don’t always work as you expect, and it takes a while to find your way around.

Once you’ve learned the basics, though, Depeche View Lite proves an interesting and very capable search tool. And if you regularly work with large numbers of plain text files then it could save you a lot of time and hassle.

Yahoo tries on 30 days of new logos to find one that fits

Publié: août 7, 2013, 9:48am CEST par Wayne Williams

When a company wants to reinvent itself, portray a different direction or show a modernization, the change is usually accompanied by the arrival of a new logo. Microsoft, for example, last year changed its decades old design to reflect its transition into a devices and services company.

Now Yahoo, which under Marissa Mayer is attempting to modernize its image and become more relevant after years of neglect, is planning to change its logo too. No, it’s not going to be swapping the exclamation point for a question mark or anything as interesting as that, but it is going to try on various logo styles.

Starting today, Yahoo will be showing off 30 designs, one a day. You’ll be able to view each day’s new logo on the company's Tumblr, Facebook page and on Twitter. The first attempt is shown above.

Sadly you won’t be able to vote on which you think is the winner. Yahoo understandably isn’t going to hand over the keys of its branding to 4chan. Instead, it will be revealing the official new logo on September 4th at 9pm PST.

Don’t expect anything too outlandish, or different for that matter. According to Kathy Savitt, Chief Marketing Officer, "We also want to preserve the character that is unique to Yahoo! -- fun, vibrant, and welcoming -- so we’ll be keeping the color purple, our iconic exclamation point and of course the famous yodel. After all, some things never go out of style".

Windows Phone App Studio beta makes a developer of everyone

Publié: août 7, 2013, 2:13am CEST par Mark Wilson

The app market is crazily busy. With so many thousands of apps to choose from, a developer looking to get noticed needs to come up with something pretty special. But the people with the best ideas aren't necessarily those with coding skills, and funds available to individuals and startups are usually limited. The solution? Make app development as easy as possible. Enter Windows Phone App Studio.

The online service is a new beta tool that can be used to create Windows Phone apps in a few simple steps. The idea is to keep things as simple as possible so even new developers should be able to create an app fairly quickly. No coding knowledge is required as this is all taken care of automatically. There are a number of templates available into which content such as text, video and RSS feeds can be dropped.

Windows Phone App Studio beta is available to anyone who wants to try it out, not just old hands at the game. The simplified registration process means that anyone and everyone is free to sign up for an account, register a phone to use as a test platform and work with up to two apps. Microsoft is touting the tool as not only a means for new developers to get started in the world of app creation, but also as a way for more seasoned coders to create prototypes very rapidly.

The Windows Phone Developer Blog also announces a new "Click to Chat" feature for registered developers, as well as the addition of Costa Rica, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malta, and Trinidad and Tobago as supported markets.

Fancy the idea of getting into the Windows Phone App Studio beta website? Now is your chance to get creative and publish the next big thing.

Take that Feedly! MultiPLX announces free search

Publié: août 7, 2013, 1:01am CEST par Alan Buckingham

On the heels of what is a minor kerfuffle, where Feedly announced a Pro version that involves paying for search (and a bit more), another service comes along to trump the new darling of RSS. "We are starting with 4 features: search in my feeds, one-click Evernote integration, premium support and HTTPS", Feedly announced late yesterday.

Today, rival MultiPLX began rolling out emails assuring users that its new search feature was free -- "today we are glad to announce the launch of 'search within your RSS feeds' feature and it is free for all our users. Please check out www.multiplx.com for 30 seconds to experience. There is no need to signup".

The message came directly from founder Emre Kosmaz, and seems too timely for coincidence, and continues to assure users "after the announcement of GR shutting down, we also added all its features such as list/condensed view, public folder sharing, feed clips/ blog rolls to MultiPLX as well as an API platform [on] par with Google Reader's API. SSL will be our next addition planned to be live next week".

So, where is your RSS landing spot after the untimely demise of Google Reader? Many a service has popped up to fill the void, though Feedly seems to be the main choice -- perhaps until this most recent announcement at least. Others seek to grab the space, and there is little room for error in direction in this market.