Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » novembre 6, 2013

BetaNews.Com (16 non lus)

Amazon gives a Preview to new content

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 9:59pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Amazon Prime, at least the video arm of it, has been rolling along and seemingly gaining momentum recently. New original content has debuted, with some shows picked up for a season run, and more are currently in the pipeline. However, finding this menu of new videos has not always been easy, save when the company displays links on its homepage.

Rather than relying on a fortunate link or a search of the content, Amazon is giving viewers an option to fast-forward straight to what's new, and do so ahead of your friends.

"Amazon Preview is your chance to help create great new original content. As a member, you'll be able to view and provide feedback on movies and TV series before they're available to the general public. If you received an email invite, simply follow the instructions we've provided to join", the site proclaims.

As you can see, this is a bit more than just the pilots we've come to expect, but instead promises real sneak peeks -- as in seeing something before other Prime subscribers have access.

All of this may sound wonderful, but bear in mind that you will need an invitation, and may be waiting a bit to receive it. You can head over to the new site and get yourself on that waiting list now, but your fate remains in the hands of the retail giant.
jAlbum now faster and more responsive

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 8:51pm CET par Nick Peers

jAlbum AB has released jAlbum 11.6, a performance-oriented update of its cross-platform web album builder that’s free for personal use. In addition to improving performance, version 11.6 adds a few minor changes and includes a number of notable bug fixes.

The main highlight of version 11.6 comes with vastly improved performance when editing videos, both when selecting a representing thumbnail and starting or stopping editing. Also notable is an improvement to the user interface, which is now more responsive when managing images that lack cached thumbnails.

Performance increases should also be felt on machines with slower hard drives -- including network storage -- thanks to jAlbum making fewer file IO calls. This is accompanied by the promise of a massive 600 percent performance gain when using SAMBA mounted network drives.

Similarly, the program is now more conservative with memory usage when scaling huge images to more than 10,000 pixels wide, while there’s also improved wait cursor handling for long operations and fewer disconnects via the ftp4j connection.

Functional improvements include jAlbum now keeping track of when objects are added to albums, adding a "when added” sort option to album objects. Users can now also view specific information about album objects simply by hovering the mouse over that object.

Version 11.6 also adds support for the MPO file format, updates the Turtle and Minimal skins and adds a pricing link next to the sign-in button for unlicensed users. There are also a few API updates for developers.

Bug fixes include making sure the user interface thumbnails are refreshed when users rotate or apply image tools to images. A painting error in the Edit panel has been resolved, and non-image album objects can no longer be selected to represent a folder or album.

jAlbum 11.6 is a free-for-personal-use download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Published web albums are ad-supported -- users can purchase a license or jAlbum hosting account to remove these. Prices start from $39 for a Standard, non-commercial license.
Happy 10th birthday, Fedora Linux!

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 7:19pm CET par Brian Fagioli

People celebrate birthdays every year but the celebrations have expanded beyond humans. A search of YouTube reveals people baking birthday cakes and having celebrations for their pets. However, birthdays can be celebrated for anything, including Linux distributions.

Today, The Fedora Project (which is owned by Red Hat Inc.) celebrates 10 years of bringing open-source joy to the Linux Community. It is hard to believe that the operating system choice of the controversial Linus Torvalds is now 10 years old. That's like...a really long time in internet-years.

"In 2002, Warren Togami launched Fedora, a volunteer-driven academic project that aimed to simplify the search for quality software packages for Red Hat Linux. On November 6, 2003, however, the Fedora Project became much more with the launch of Fedora Core 1, a full-fledged Linux distribution and the predecessor to the Fedora that we know and love today", says Red Hat.

The company further says, "for 10 years, the Fedora Project has beaten progress’s drum for the open source world, delivering the latest features and technologies approximately every six months, thanks to the dedication of a diverse global community of contributors. Advancing technologies like virtualization, cloud computing, and software-defined everything, Fedora releases from Yarrow to Heisenbug have continuously pushed open source to new heights and addressed the most complex challenges of next-generation computing".

Fedora is my personal preference for a desktop operating system -- I like the speedy kernel updates and commitment to staying open-source and truly free. I look forward to using it for another 10 years and hopefully, many years beyond that. So, happy 10th birthday, Fedora Linux!

Are you a Fedora Linux user? Please share your fondest memory of the project in the comments.

Photo credit: Pinar Ince/Shutterstock
Internet Explorer 11 not cute enough for you? Download the official Anime version

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 6:17pm CET par Wayne Williams

Inori Aizawa, the official mascot for Internet Explorer (in Singapore at least) is an Anime heroine who spends her time fighting against the dark side of the web.

On her official Facebook page she describes herself as a personification of Internet Explorer, and the parallels between her life and the browser are clear. "When I was younger", she says, "I used to be a clumsy, slow and awkward girl. However, just like the story of ugly duckling, people told me that I have really matured and changed over the years. I feel confident in my abilities now, and I'm eager to show you what I can do. Why don't you get to know me a little better?"

Inori and Internet Explorer even share the same birthday -- 16 August 1995 -- which is one of those amazing coincidences...

Microsoft has released a short video showing Inori in action (likely the first of many such Anime adventures) which you can view below.

http://youtu.be/BHTUlF7NA2o

If you like what you see, are a fan of Anime, or just find the regular Internet Explorer boring, you can download a special, cuter Inori version of the browser here. You'll need to be running either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

At the moment the link is down (it was working a short while ago) but you can set your Internet Explorer home page (IE9 and upwards) to [internetexplorertan.com] if you want to start enjoying the Inori experience early!

It’s certainly a different way to attract people to the browser -- what’s your take on it?
Activate the hidden 'Slide to shut down' option in Windows 8.1

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 4:40pm CET par Wayne Williams

One of the (many) complaints people had about Windows 8, was how unnecessarily awkward it was to shut it down. Windows 8.1 makes that aspect of things much easier. You can still go through the Charms bar, but you can also now right-click the new Start button and shut down, or sign out there.

There is another method though, and that’s to use the "Slide to shut down your PC" option. This isn’t activated by default, but it’s easy to summon, and you can create shortcuts for it.

To try the feature, launch the Run box (Windows+R is the quickest way to do this) and type slidetoshutdown.exe. Hit OK, and a shutter-style screen will appear. Drag down on this, to shut down Windows.

Since you don’t want to be opening the run box and typing in a command every time you’re done with your computer, you can create a shortcut to it.

Browse to C:\Windows\System32, scroll down and right-click on slidetoshutdown.exe and choose the action you want. You can create a desktop shortcut or pin it to the taskbar or Start screen.
Can smartglasses have a role in the workplace?

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 4:04pm CET par Ian Barker

Google Glass has caused a bit of a stir, whether it's for the ability to turn us all into government spies or for causing the slightly distracted Google gaze. But there's been relatively little discussion of how smartglasses might be useful for business.

Until now that is, because a new report by Gartner says that smartglasses have the potential to boost worker efficiency in areas like healthcare, manufacturing and field service.

"Smartglasses with augmented reality (AR) and head-mounted cameras can increase the efficiency of technicians, engineers and other workers in field service, maintenance, healthcare and manufacturing roles," says Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner. "In the next three to five years, the industry that is likely to experience the greatest benefit from smartglasses is field service, potentially increasing profits by $1 billion annually. The greatest savings in field service will come from diagnosing and fixing problems more quickly and without needing to bring additional experts to remote sites".

As yet smartglasses have seen little adoption in the business world and take up is likely to remain low until apps and services emerge to make them truly useful. Gartner expects the biggest impact to be in heavy industry such as oil and gas production where the technology could be used to provide on the job training and access to technical documentation on site. Workers would therefore be able to carry out tasks even if they couldn't remember all of the procedures. Quite whether you'd want the guy who's fixing your nuclear reactor to be reading the instructions as he went along is another matter -- "insert control rod A into reactor housing B".

There's a role in quality control too. The technology could be used to make a video recording of a procedure to prove to management or safety inspectors that it had been carried out correctly.

What the report calls the "weightless" industries like finance and media are likely to see less benefit. Though smartglasses could be useful for, say, insurance assessors looking at damaged properties.

"...the goals of corporate training may evolve away from memorizing procedural steps to knowing how to use smartglasses and access key information using voice commands," says Tuong Nguyen, principal research analyst at Gartner. "Classroom training and tests on the content of manuals can be reduced since much of the practical training can be done 'on the job' with the assistance of smartglasses. However, training must always include safety and employees should continue to know how to use equipment for routine tasks".

In healthcare Gartner says that smartglasses could help doctors consult with specialists during a patient examination. In conjunction with facial recognition the glasses could also be used to bring up a patient's records as they walk into the surgery. Of course from the other side of the desk you would never be sure whether your doctor was looking up your symptoms or checking on the football scores.

The full report is available on Gartner’s website.
Prefetcher shows which programs launched on your PC, and when

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 3:13pm CET par Mike Williams

Prefetching is an excellent Windows Vista/ 7/ 8 performance-boosting technology where the system monitors applications as they start, detects any dependent files they might need, and preloads them when the program next starts. This can drastically cut down disk access times as an application switches from one file to another, making a real difference to your system boot and application launch times.

There’s more to prefetching than PC optimization, though. You can also use this data to monitor which programs are being launched on your system, and when. And you can view the files a program accesses when it first starts, which could be useful when troubleshooting. All you need is a forensics tool like Sanderson Forensic’s Prefetcher to interpret the data for you.

After a simple installation, the program must be launched as an administrator. Operation is then very straightforward: click File > Open Folder, the default Windows prefetch folder (\Windows\Prefetch) will be selected, and all you have to do is click OK and wait for the finished analysis.

The Prefetcher report appears in four tables, the most interesting being on the left. This lists every program which has been launched on your system recently, either automatically -- at boot time, say -- or by a user, along with a "last executed" time.

(You don’t see anything? Prefetcher needs to be run on a Vista or later system. Prefetching must be turned on; it could be disabled if you have an SSD. And you really do need to run the program as an administrator, as you won’t see a warning if you forget. Close Prefetcher and try it again).

If you do see the report, though, you can get more information just by clicking any program in the left-hand list and checking the three right-hand tables. The bottom one displays some of the most recent launch times (sometimes the same time would be listed more than once, we’re not sure why), while the others show the dependent files and folders accessed when your target application first starts.

In theory you can also click the "last executed" column header to sort by launch time, making it easy to see what’s been launched today, yesterday, or on some other date. In practice there’s a problem, because the program uses string rather than date ordering (it will sort into an order like 06/11/2013 > 07/09/2013 > 08/10/2013, even when the second number represents the month), but it can still give you at least some idea of how the system is being launched.

Prefetcher also has a powerful filtering system, which you can use to display only the files, folders or dates which interest you (click one of the Customize buttons to find out more). Or you could just copy particular data to the clipboard for analysis elsewhere: simply click any table, press Ctrl+A to select everything, right-click and choose "Copy selected to clipboard".

There’s plainly a lot of scope for improvement here, but that’s because Prefetcher is really just a proof of concept tool, more about the technical details of what can be done than delivering a super-polished user interface. The program is still a useful way to interpret Windows Prefetch data, though, and if that’s at all interesting to you then we’d recommend you give it a try.
Develop enterprise mobile apps in record time with built.io

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 3:02pm CET par Ian Barker

With the increasing trend towards using mobile devices in the workplace, IT departments sometimes struggle to keep up with demand from their users. As we've seen elsewhere, this can lead to employees using unauthorized software.

Companies interested in speeding up the build time for mobile apps will want to take a look at San Francisco-based raw engineering’s built.io product which comes out of beta and is generally available from today.

Unveiled at DEMO Mobile 2013, built.io is a backend as a service (BaaS) product that allows enterprise mobile apps to be developed faster. It looks after managing servers, cloud infrastructure, database structure and scaling, allowing developers to focus their talents on building the user experience.

"Using built.io, our team was able to build variations of Twitter and Google Docs in under a week. That kind of timeframe really changes the game for enterprise apps. It's now cost-effective for businesses to experiment and create really interesting, powerful apps, even for short-term needs like a seasonal customer promotion or internal sales meeting," says raw engineering CEO Neha Sampat.

The move out of beta coincides with the introduction of some new features. These include a new management console, geo-location features, intelligent notifications, cloud extensions, social network integration and more powerful analytics.

As a result the product allows developers to build apps on top of an existing platform. They can also easily add social features such as allowing users to follow comments on a shared document.

"By taking care of all the heavy lifting involved with building an app backend from scratch, built.io gives businesses a way to finally meet the pent-up demand for apps sparked by today’s mobile workflows, 'app store' culture, and BYOD trends," adds Sampat.

For more information on the built.io product and its pricing model you can visit http://built.io/plans.
Nexus 5 Bumper Case vs Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case -- which deserves your money?

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 3:01pm CET par Brian Fagioli

While the Nexus 5 is relatively inexpensive (in smartphone terms) at $349, you should still protect your investment. Android fans will likely want the official bumper case, but that costs $35 -- a bit expensive at 10 percent the cost of the device itself.

I decided to purchase an alternative, third-party case, so that I can compare the two. The Cruzerlite series of cases are quite popular on Amazon -- they are inexpensive, look good and get great reviews. And so, I chose the Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case which is almost a third cheaper at $12.95. The question becomes, which deserves your hard-earned money?

Nexus 5 Bumper Case

This is the official case sold directly from the Google Play Store. I obtained the bright-red variant (which appears orange) and it looks very good. While color preference is subjective and won't affect my decision, it still must be mentioned. Google chose to use extremely bold hues that quite frankly, burn my retinas (not literally). Just looking at the case can change my mood and I like that.

While the color is (arguably) great, the case is not. When looking for a case, I aim for three things -- protection, usability and grip. Sadly, this case doesn't excel at any.

From a protection standpoint, the case will safeguard against scratches, as most of them will. However, I am not confident in drop-protection. The case is made of a very hard plastic, which does not offer shock absorption. If you drop your precious Nexus 5 while in this case, you will likely end up with a shattered screen.

The most baffling blunder of the Nexus 5 Bumper Case is the usability -- it sucks. I hate using that word as it is a bit low-class but it captures my feelings and is the first word that comes to mind. The button protection makes using the power and volume buttons difficult. I put this down to the hard-plastic material that Google chose to use. Listening to music and adjusting the volume becomes a chore.

The grip of this case is non-existent. In fact, it makes the phone more slippery than using it naked (without a case, not with the user in the nude). A protective case should not make you more likely to drop your phone but that is exactly what we have here.

Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case

Third party accessories can be a hit-or-miss experience. However, as stated earlier, Cruzerlite has built a solid reputation over the years at Amazon. The color palette used here is more subdued and I chose a white variant. While the color is not bold, the design on the back is. You see, like artwork, the back contains an etched Android mascot and circuit-board design. This looks really cool and should appeal to Android fans.

While the design on the back doesn't directly affect my comparison, it has the added benefit of improved grip. Yes, the circuit board print on the rear makes the case less likely to slip out of your hand. This can also be attributed to the softer, less-slippery material used by Cruzerlite.

Speaking of that softer material, it should also enhance the drop-protection. While not an "extreme" case like an Otterbox or similar, the softer materials will offer better shock-absorption.

Lastly, Cruzerlite has taken a better approach to the buttons by not offering any protection. Instead of covering the buttons and degrading the experience, the company wisely chose to use cut-outs and leave the buttons exposed. This makes using the power and volume switches a breeze -- just like the naked experience.

Conclusion

So, which is the winner? I must recommend the Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case as the clear champion. At a third of the price, it offers better protection, better grip and better usability. The only place where the Nexus 5 Bumper Case wins is in looks. While I love the design on the back of the Cruzerlite, the official case looks very "Nexusy" and has clean lines and ultimately makes the device look better. With that said, you should never choose form over function, especially when it comes to protecting your device.
AT&T Nokia Lumia 1520 available to pre-order, launches soon

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 12:56pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

When Nokia unveiled the Lumia 1520, the Finnish maker did not provide an exact launch date for its new Windows Phone 8 phablet. However, the device was announced to be available in a limited number of markets, including US.

Ahead of the official launch, Microsoft decided to shed some light regarding the US availability of the Lumia 1520 on AT&T. On the software giant's online store, the phablet is now listed as available to pre-order, with the release date set for November 15.

The AT&T version of the Lumia 1520 can be pre-ordered in black, red, yellow and white, and costs $199 with a two-year contract. That places it right in the Apple iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S4 territory, based on pricing.

The online store already lists six reviews, but after a closer look it is obvious that none is for the Lumia 1520, but for the Lumia 925 instead.

The Lumia 1520 can also be pre-ordered without an AT&T contract. In this case, the cost of the handset rises to $549, which is $200 less than what Nokia announced that its new phablet would cost for the unlocked version. However, there is no indication that the Lumia 1520 purchased without an AT&T contract will also be carrier-unlocked.

Here are the highlights of the AT&T Lumia 1520: 6-inch display with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 and Corning Gorilla Glass 2 on top; 2.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor; 2 GB of RAM; 3,400 mAh battery; 16 GB of internal storage; 20 MP PureView rear-facing camera; 1.2 MP wide-angle front-facing shooter and 4G LTE cellular connectivity. The phablet runs Windows Phone 8 Update 3 coupled with Nokia Black software enhancements. The AT&T Lumia 1520 comes in at 162.8 x 85.4 x 8.7 mm and 206 grams.
Apple joins the party and reveals details of government data requests

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 12:30pm CET par Mark Wilson

It's becoming a familiar story. A big name company decides to reveal figures about the number of requests for data that have been received from the government, apologizing straight away for the lack of detail it can provide. Microsoft has already done it, as has LinkedIn and Google. The latest figures come from Apple, and they make for interesting reading.

The report starts off by stating that Apple is revealing as much information as it is legally allowed to, and then immediately goes on the defensive:

Perhaps most important, our business does not depend on collecting personal data. We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers. We protect personal conversations by providing end-to-end encryption over iMessage and FaceTime. We do not store location data, Maps searches, or Siri requests in any identifiable form.

It also goes on to say that the company is unhappy with the reporting restrictions that are in place and, like every other company that has revealed similar figures, expresses a desire for increased transparency.

The report differentiates between requests made about users and requests made about devices. It points out that when a phone is lost or stolen, it may be reported to the police and a request may come as a result of this. But it is the '"account requests" that everyone is interested in -- personal details about users and their usage. Apple says that it usually hands over little more than details about a user's iTunes or iCloud account, but in "extremely limited circumstances" hands over other content such as photos.

Unsurprisingly, it is the US government that made the most requests, asking for details about more than 2,000 accounts. But there is an interesting note at the end of the document.

Apple has never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. We would expect to challenge such an order if served on us.

Had Apple received such a request, it would not be permitted to say either way. This means two things. Firstly that the company has not received any Section 215 request. Secondly -- and more interestingly -- should this note disappear from future reports, it could be indicative of the fact that such requests have been received. Interesting stuff.

Photo credit: Jirsak/Shutterstock
Google planning to use your Google+ profile image for caller ID

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 11:57am CET par Mark Wilson

Google is going to start displaying Google+ Photos as caller ID images from early 2014. The new feature will be enabled by default for anyone who has a verified phone number associated with their Google account.

This means that should you get a call from someone you have circled on Google+, but have not added to your phone's address book, you will still be able to see who they are -- or at least be able to see whatever their most recent Google+ profile image is.

For the time being, the feature will be limited to Android 4.4 KitKat users, and is enabled on the recently announced Nexus 5. The revelation is made in a post by Google's Attila Bodis and is described as the "coolest part of the new Caller ID by Google feature my team worked on". Google says:

Coming in early 2014, users who have verified their phone number and have discovery turned on will have their names and Google Profile photos display whenever they call you, or you call them (it’s great if a new friend who hasn’t been saved in your contacts yet calls you).

Users do have the ability to opt out of this by heading to the phone numbers section of account settings.

There will obviously be many people who are concerned about the privacy side of this, but there are advantages as well. As Bodis points out, it can be helpful in determining who is calling you and help you to decide whether to answer or not. Phone numbers are cross-referenced against Google Places listings to help you identify businesses.

Photo credit: Bizroug/Shutterstock
How to create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB drive

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 11:46am CET par Mihaita Bamburic
In keeping up with tradition, Microsoft has launched Windows 8.1 in both digital and physical form. Users can install the new operating system by using either a downloaded ISO file or the provided DVD. But what happens when neither option is right for you? You can use a USB drive.

There are a number of major benefits to using a USB drive for this process. It's compatible with virtually every device that is meant to run Windows, forgoes the need to have a spare DVD and the burner around and is much easier to store and carry with you wherever you may go. A USB drive can also be faster than any DVD, shortening the time needed for the install, and, chances are, you probably already have one lying around. Also, compared to ISO files which can only be leveraged from Windows, USB drives can be used with no software installed on the device.

Requirements

To create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB drive you will need the following:
- 4 GB or larger USB drive;
- Windows 8.1 DVD, ISO file or product key;
- A device that is running Windows.
What If I Have a Windows 8 Product Key?

If you have a Windows 8 product key, you can download the Windows 8.1 ISO file directly from Microsoft's servers, and create a bootable USB drive as well. My colleague Wayne Williams has already written a guide which details all the steps that you have to go through. Please note that you need a Windows PC for this task.

How Does the Windows 8.1 Product Key Help?

Obviously, you cannot install Windows 8.1 using just the product key. But, you can use it to download the ISO file directly from Microsoft's servers. Please note that the default Windows partition (usually "C") has to have at least 5 GB of free storage. You will have to follow these steps next:
1. Download and open the Install Windows 8.1 setup file from Microsoft;
2. Type in your Windows 8.1 product key and initiate the download;
3. After the download completes, select Install by creating media;
4. Select USB flash drive (it should be the default choice) and insert the USB drive;
5. Accept any prompts to erase the contents of the USB drive in order to kick off the process.
If you prefer a visual step-by-step guide, you can look at the screenshots posted below.

How Can I Create the USB Drive From a Windows 8.1 DVD or ISO file?

If you already have the Windows 8.1 DVD or ISO file, you will first have to copy the contents of the DVD or ISO into a folder on the internal storage of the device. You can use 7-Zip or WinRAR to extract the contents, if the file cannot be mounted. Please make sure the location you choose has more free space available than the size of the media -- more than 4 GB should suffice.

After you have copied or extracted the contents, follow the next steps:
1. Open the Command Prompt. This can be done by triggering the Run -- Windows Key + R -- feature, and opening "cmd".
2. Type "diskpart" to open the disk partitioning software. Accept the UAC security prompt, if asked.
3. Insert the USB drive.
4. Type "list disk". The program will then show you a list of all the physical drives (HDD, SSD, USB, etc.) that are attached.
5. Identify the disk number of the USB drive (it can be recognized by looking at the size column; it's usually the last listed disk) and type "select disk X", where "X" is the disk number of your USB drive.
6. Type "clean". This will erase the contents of the USB drive, so make sure you have the contents backed-up beforehand.
7. Type "create partition primary". This command will create a primary partition on the USB drive.
8. Type "select partition 1". This command will select the created partition.
9. Type "active". This command will make the selected partition active.
10. Type "format fs=ntfs quick". This command will format the created partition as NTFS.
11. Type "assign". This command will assign a letter to the USB drive, which will make it show under Windows Explorer.
12. Copy the contents of the Windows 8.1 DVD or ISO from the created folder on the USB drive.
Below is a visual step-by-step guide featuring all the commands presented above.

What Should I Do Next?

You have now created a bootable Windows 8.1 USB drive. To install the operating system from it you will have to set the device to boot from USB, right after powering it on. Afterwards, carry on with the process as you would normally.

Photo Credit: You can more/Shutterstock
Financial professionals use unauthorized apps to access company data

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 11:20am CET par Ian Barker

The increasing popularity of BYOD brings a number of challenges for IT departments, not least of which is ensuring that files are handled in an approved and secure way. The problem is that users don’t often see things the same way. A new survey by Workshare shows that 65 percent of mobile users at financial institutions are using file sharing apps that aren't approved by their IT departments.

Only 55 percent were using unauthorized apps to work on documents outside the office in 2012, but the figures are even more worrying when you take into account that 89 percent of financial professionals are now using their own devices for work -- up from a mere 3 percent last year. The report also shows that 78 percent of these workers are using free file sharing services like Dropbox and SkyDrive to access and store corporate documents.

Whilst 62 percent of "knowledge workers" use their own mobile devices for work, the report shows that the BYOD trend is at its most popular in legal, sales and marketing departments, with around three-quarters of employees in these fields using their own kit. By contrast only 18 percent of those in administrative roles use their own devices for work purposes.

Large companies with more than 20,000 employees seem to have a better grasp of the risk posed by file sharing solutions. However, in businesses with fewer than 500 staff only 24 percent of employees were using authorized file sharing apps.

It's clear from these findings that BYOD has become an important tool for many enterprises but that in some organizations the procedures and controls needed to use it safely haven't caught up. To address these concerns Workshare is launching a new version of its Protect Server product. This gives IT departments control over corporate files shared by email and webmail on mobile devices.

You can see an overview of the report's findings in handy infographic form below.

Photo Credit: bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock
O&O DiskImage 8 extends VHD support, adds plug-and-play backups

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 11:20am CET par Mike Williams

Berlin-based utilities developer O&O Software has released version 8 of its flagship backup and recovery tool, O&O DiskImage.

One very convenient new feature sees the program able to directly create VHD files. You’ll need to enable this first (Edit > Imaging Options > select "VHD File"), but once that’s done your future images will be saved in VHD, rather than O&O’s own OMG format.

In another time-saving move, it’s now possible to launch both file and image-based backup jobs whenever a particular device is detected. Just plug in your external drive and DiskImage 8 fires up right away.

Usability tweaks see a simplified interface for creating and editing backup jobs, while it’s now easier to create jobs with the Windows Task Scheduler.

The program now supports every version of Windows, from XP through to 8.1.

And of course there’s a very long list of features from the previous edition: you get imaging, cloning and file backups; full, incremental and differential images; GPT and dynamic volume support; CD, DVD and Blu-ray burning; BIOS, EFI and UEFI support; a comprehensive scripting interface for automation; a powerful boot environment with handy recovery tools, and a whole lot more.

O&O DiskImage 8 can be yours for $29.95, and a 30-day trial build is available now.
Internet Explorer 9 is no longer welcome in Google Apps

Publié: novembre 6, 2013, 1:31am CET par Alan Buckingham

Microsoft, while not innovating at Mozilla-Google rate, has been stepping up development of Internet Explorer -- thankfully moving on from the dim, dark days of IE6. Windows 8.1 comes with the shiny new Internet Explorer 11, and with that release Google implements plans to begin phasing out version 9 of the browser.

Don't panic yet -- this move is for Google Apps, a service used more in the business realm than the home. It really should not come as a surprise, as the search giant holds firm to a policy of support for current and previous browser versions -- in other words IE 10 and 11 now.

"Each time a new version of one of these browsers is released, we begin supporting the update and stop supporting the third-oldest version", the company proclaims.

Google goes on to explain that its "test plans have been adjusted to now stop all testing and engineering work related to Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), as Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) was released on 17 October 2013. End users who access Gmail and other Google Apps services from an unsupported browser will be notified within the next few weeks through an in-product notification message or an interstitial pages with information about modern browsers and how to upgrade to them".

This is not the end of the world, as it doesn't mean those on IE 9 (or earlier) will no longer be able access these services, but the lack of support could end up proving troubling. This will be a concern for business going forward, as well as home Apps users who do not stay up to speed on the latest in tech.