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BetaNews.Com (10 non lus)

IObit Advanced SystemCare Ultimate 7 Beta 1 showcases real-time protection

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 8:05pm CET par Nick Peers

Hot on the heels of the recently released Uninstaller 3, IObit has launched the first public pre-release version of its forthcoming commercial system and security suite, IObit Advanced SystemCare Ultimate 7 Beta 1. The new build adds official support for Windows 8, 8.1 and Internet Explorer 11, but also bundles a new anti-virus engine with real-time protection.

The update also debuts a revamped user interface similar to found in IObit Uninstaller (and in Advanced SystemCare 7 Free), and throws in some potentially useful new tools along with performance improvements.

The key changes come with the significant beefing up of the program’s security components. IObit is keen to stress that these do not conflict with existing anti-malware software, and include a brand new anti-virus engine that IObit claims offers a higher detection rate than that found in version 6.

The new build also offers real-time protection against malware for the first time, which also gets registered by Windows to show up under the Action Center’s Security module.

Users also gain new HomePage and Surfing Protection modules for protecting both the browser and user during web activity, plus the ability to manually schedule both quick and full anti-virus scans.

Away from bolstering its security, Advanced SystemCare Ultimate 7 Beta 1 also showcases two new tools: a program deactivator that can "intelligently" retrieve more system resources, and a tool for skipping the User Account Control dialog prompt for trusted programs.

The Toolbox gains a new Driver Booster tool for updating outdated drivers as well as bundling IObit Uninstaller 3 itself.

There’s the promise of faster scans and more stable performance using the Registry and Vulnerability Fix modules, full support for cleaning Modern UI app caches in Windows 8 with the Junk File Clean tool and updated privacy sweeping. Finally, the Cloned Files Scanner is now capable of removing duplicated files with one click.

IObit Advanced SystemCare Ultimate 7 Beta 1 is available now as a free trial download for PCs running Windows XP or later. As its beta software, caution should be applied when using the tool.
InsightSquared gives smaller businesses the edge in sales analysis

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 7:47pm CET par Ian Barker

Successful sales strategy is dependent on understanding the customer. But for small and medium businesses building up the kind of intelligence database needed can be time consuming and take staff away from the task of actually selling. It can be many months before the implementation of a traditional sales intelligence platform bears fruit.

Software company InsightSquared has used the Dreamforce 2013 conference to launch the latest version of its analytics tool aimed at helping smaller enterprises stay competitive. Designed to work with the Salesforce CRM application, InsightSquared 3.0 has been put together based on feedback from experienced CEOs, along with sales and marketing professionals, in order to provide best practice reports and drive effective sales management.

The turnkey SaaS solution can be up and running in under a day and incorporates three new technologies. Instant Sales Insight allows managers to clearly see the relationship between sales activity and conversions. Sure Forecast ensures more accurate forecasting based on existing conversions and pipeline deals. Thirdly the Smart Pipeline Manager makes it easier to spot high probability and high risk deals.

Reports from the system can be generated using a straightforward point-and-click interface and offer immediate insights that can be used to boost sales performance from day one.

Fred Shilmover, CEO of InsightSquared says, "We are taking sales and marketing innovation to a new level by making business intelligence powerful yet easy to use, which has never been done before. We’re delivering industry-changing innovation and setting a new standard for what modern business intelligence should be".

Visitors to the InsightSquared stand at Dreamforce 2013 will be able to register to get a sales report in 60 minutes. Alternatively you can sign up for a free trial on the InsightSquared website.

Photo Credit: amasterphotographer/Shutterstock
How to install Android 4.4 KitKat on Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 6:02pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic
After launching Android 4.4 KitKat alongside the Nexus 5, Google released the latest version of the mobile OS for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. The roll-out of the OTA upgrade kicked off on November 13 and the factory images arrived a couple of days later. Since I have already explained how to use the OTA files to get KitKat up and running, in this article I will show you how to do the same by leveraging the factory images.

Aside from allowing users to install Android 4.4, the KitKat factory images also come in handy for those who wish to upgrade, return their Nexus device to stock before selling it, and install various bits (the radios, the bootloader, etc.) to use with custom Android distributions. As you can tell, the factory images have a broader scope and, therefore, I will also cover the other most important ways you can benefit.

Backup

Before going any further, you should perform a backup of the data on your Nexus device. Nearly every outcome presented in this guide involves removing personal content, so it's best to err on the side of caution.

Requirements

Regardless of why or how you want to install Android 4.4 KitKat (or use the factory images), you will need a couple of things to get started:
- The Android SDK Tools, that you can download from the Google Developers site;
- The factory image for your Nexus devices, that you can also download from the Google Developers site;
- A program that can handle archived files, like 7-Zip or WinRAR (either one is fine; links to the official download pages are included).
I recommend you to store the downloaded factory image in a folder that is easy to access (as close as possible to the root of the drive). For the purpose of this guide I will use a folder named Root on the C drive (the default drive for Windows installs). The path for the folder, in this case, is C:\Root.

Preparations

Now that the aforementioned files are downloaded on your PC, you will now have to install the archiver of choice and the Android SDK Tools. After the latter is installed, open the Android SDK Tools Manager and select the following two items for download:
- Android SDK Platform-tools -- it contains essential tools for the process;
- Google USB Drivers -- it contains the right drivers for your Nexus device.
The two are needed to ensure that the PC is able to communicate with your Nexus device, and handle the files needed for the process. I advise you to only use the files provided by Google (and not resort to ones from third-parties) as those are always up-to-date.

To keep things as simple as possible going forward, go to the folder where Android SDK Platform-tools is installed (in my case its location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools) and copy the following files to the Root folder:
- AdbWinApi.dll;
- AdbWinUsbApi.dll;
- fastboot.exe.
For verification purposes, if you have followed these steps correctly you will have the following files in the Root folder (the picture below shows the folder items for the 2013 Wi-Fi Nexus 7):
- AdbWinApi.dll;
- AdbWinUsbApi.dll;
- fastboot.exe;
- The Android 4.4 factory image for your Nexus device.
You will now have to extract the contents of the Android 4.4 factory image to the Root folder. A file without any extension will show up; open it (use the Open With option in the context menu) with the archiver (look for the executable in the C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) folder) and also extract its contents to the Root folder. A new folder will be created inside Root (in my case its name is razor-krt16o); open it and copy all the contents inside it to the Root folder. Finally, the Root folder will look like in the image below.

The number of files inside the Root folder varies depending on the Nexus device. Factory images for the Wi-Fi Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 yield the same number as shown above whereas the factory images for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and 3G/4G Nexus 7 will add one extra (the cellular radio).

You will now have to install the right driver for your Nexus device. Follow the next steps for this process:
1. After connecting the device to the PC, power the Nexus off.
2. Turn on your device in fastboot mode; the key combination for your device is either volume down + power button (2012 and 2013 Nexus 7 and Nexus 4) or volume up + volume down + power button (Nexus 5 and Nexus 10).
3. From Device Manager (Computer -> Properties -> Device Manager) identify your device (it will show up with a yellow exclamation mark icon).
4. Right click on it, select Update Driver Software and then select Browse my computer for driver software.
5. Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
6. From Have Disk... option manually install the android_winusb.inf driver (in my case, its location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver). Accept any prompts you may receive.
7. Select the Android ADB Interface option when presented. Accept any prompts you may receive.
Final Check

In order to determine whether your Nexus device is ready for the process, you have to enter fastboot mode, open a command prompt window and test if it can communicate with your PC.

To perform the test, go to the Root folder, right-click inside it while pressing the Shift key and select Open command window here. Afterwards, type the fastboot devices command and press the Enter key.

If your device is listed you can continue as the drivers were installed correctly; otherwise you have to repeat the necessary steps as the drivers were installed incorrectly. The image below depicts both cases, with the former shown on top.

Clean Install/Return to Stock

In this scenario all your personal data will be erased from the device, so make sure you have taken my advice to perform a backup. Here is what you have to do to initiate a clean install or return to stock:
1. Connect your Nexus device to the PC in fastboot mode.
2. Open a command prompt in the Root folder.
3. Use the fastboot oem unlock command to unlock the bootloader. A prompt will show up on your Nexus device; use the volume keys to select Yes and press the power button to validate. This command will erase all personal data from the device.
4. Use the flash-all.bat command to perform a clean install of Android 4.4 KitKat.
5. Optional: use the fastboot oem lock command while in fastboot mode to re-lock the bootloader. This will not alter the state of the data stored on the device.
Upgrade

Using this method you can upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat and keep all personal data on the device. There is one major caveat, though -- the bootloader had to be unlocked before any personal was stored on the Nexus smartphone or tablet. Here is what you have to do in order to initiate the upgrade process:
1. Using Notepad, open the flash-all.bat file (or, right click on it and select Edit). To avoid any issues make sure that your Nexus device is disconnected from the PC beforehand.
2. Identify the fastboot -w update sequence.
3. Remove the -w so it now appears as fastboot update. Save the file.
4. Connect your Nexus device to the PC in fastboot mode.
5. Open the flash-all.bat file in the Root folder (or, you can use the flash-all.bat command in a command prompt window opened in the Root folder).
Install Individual Images

If you are looking to keep the current software (either stock or custom) but wish to install individual components from the Android 4.4 factory image -- the list usually includes just the bootloader, kernel, radio and recovery (which is what I'll discuss below) -- you have to go through the following steps:
1. Connect the Nexus device to the PC in fastboot mode.
2. Open a command prompt window in the Root folder.
3. Use the fastboot flash bootloader/boot/radio/recovery file_name command to install the bootloader, kernel, radio or recovery image (use the matching command, like fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img).
4. Use the fastboot reboot-bootloader command to reboot the device in fastboot mode. This is only required for the bootloader and radio installs (in both cases the same command applies).
You can now restore the backed up data and enjoy your Nexus device running Android 4.4 KitKat.

Update: The story was updated to remove section about the lack of the Nexus 10 factory image (the file can be downloaded from said page).
Amazon updates Kindle Fire HDX operating system

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 5:11pm CET par Alan Buckingham

With both models of the new Kindle Fire HDX tablets now out in the wild, Amazon can concentrate on tweaking the system to add features and fix bugs. The device, while considered to be a competitor to the Nexus 7, is really more about media, specifically that from the retail giant's ecosystem.

The latest update, which rolls out today, takes the OS to version 3.1 and adds several new features to enhance the 'media device' perception even more.

The first part of the update brings integration of social book service Goodreads, which Amazon purchased in March of this year. "Goodreads on Kindle lets you connect with the Goodreads community to follow friends and see what they are reading, and share and rate books on your Kindle Fire", the announcement explains.

Also added is 'cloud collections', which is essentially the ability to group apps, much the way you can on traditional Android devices. There is also second-screen technology that allows users to 'fling' content to the TV, though you'll need to have a Samsung Smart TV or PS3 -- no word if other devices will be added.

Finally, there is a 'Smart Lookup' feature for books, print capability, archiving to free space, enhancements to the clock app and new features for enterprise that involve managing security certificates and use of VPN.

It seems the update is going to be one of those 'gradual' roll outs, as many devices still display an up-to-date message when checked. If you just can't wait, then head over to Amazon to grab the file and then follow these instructions to install it. A word of caution -- the download is 795 MB.
PlayStation 4 users suffer Blue Light of Death -- Sony may have a fix

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 3:57pm CET par Mark Wilson
Yay! The PlayStation 4 is out in the wild! Yippee! Oh…. It's broken. Boo! Sound familiar? Think back to the Xbox 360 and Microsoft was blighted by the infamous RRoD (Red Ring of Death) that signified cooked hardware. It's looking as though the much anticipated launch of the PS4 is suffering a similar fate as more and more users complain about consoles that will not turn on, and exhibit nothing more exciting than a pulsing blue light -- the imaginatively name Blue Light of Death, or BLoD.

Sony may have been rubbing its hands with glee as more than a million consoles flew off the shelves in the first day on sale, but things very quickly took a turn for the worse. Take a look at the PlayStation 4 support forums and you'll find a large number of complaints from disgruntled gamers annoyed at the fact their console is not working. The hashtag #PS4broken has been trending on Twitter on and off as users take to the web to voice their annoyance.

So what's the issue? At the moment it is not entirely clear. Quite a lot of users are complaining about their PS4 being DoA and Sony has issued a troubleshooting guide that it hopes will alleviate the problem for a lot of people. A post in the support forum from Sony suggests that there are at least four possible causes for the blue light issues:
This blinking light issue could indicate any number of causes including but not limited to:
1. TV compatibility
2. Issues with PS4 power supply
3. Issues with PS4 hard drive
4. Issues with other PS4 hardware
There then follows a brief troubleshooting guide which includes checking that the console hard drive is correctly seated. Other suggested fixes include restarting the console in safe mode and reinstalling the system software, but Sony does say that investigations are on-going into the source of the issues.

How have you got on with your PS4? Are you enjoying a new generation of gaming, or do you find yourself lumbered with an expensive paperweight?
Wearable technology gets its own event

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 1:10pm CET par Wayne Williams

Google Glass is still being tested by a limited number of lucky users, and Apple’s rumored smart watch remains ever elusive, but wearables is clearly one of the fastest growing areas in technology, so it’s inevitable that an exhibition would be set up to showcase it.

The Wearable Technology Show will be held on the 18th and 19th March 2014, at the Olympia Conference Centre in London, and include three dedicated conference rooms, over 70 sessions on fashion, sports and fitness, health, M2M, live product demos, a developer hackfest and a business startup track.

Lisa Doerr, Event Director for The Wearable Technology Show says, "We are really excited to be launching the first show in the UK for wearable technology. We’ve already had considerable interest in the event, with pre-registrations for delegate passes already at 26 percent take up before our website went live!"

In addition the show will be hosting The Wearables -- the first dedicated awards for wearable technology in the UK.

Full details of the event, plus the list of confirmed speakers, can be found on The Wearable Technology Show website.
UK and Ireland get Twitter Alerts

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 12:51pm CET par Ian Barker

It's an indication of the impact of social media that Twitter is now often the first place where people learn of major news stories. But that's a double-edged sword because it can be hard to know how accurate the information you're reading is.

From today Twitter is making it easier for government organizations and charities in the UK and Ireland to make timely and accurate information available via Twitter Alerts. The alerts service launched in the US, Japan and Korea in September of this year and has already been used by a number of public services to share information during emergencies involving public safety, bad weather and so on.

Some 57 accounts are signed up to the UK and Ireland service at launch including all of the UK's police forces, the London Fire Brigade, the Mayor of London's office, the Environment Agency and the Foreign Office. A full list of organizations using the service can be found on Twitter's website.

Rita Dexter, Deputy Commissioner for the London Fire Brigade, says, "People act on information shared on social media. During a major incident accurate, verified and frequent updates are essential. Twitter Alerts will help us communicate quickly during a significant emergency".

If an organization is using the alerts service you’ll see an orange bell symbol on its Twitter account page. You can also go directly to the alerts page by adding /alerts to the end of the page URL -- for example the Greater Manchester Police page is https://twitter.com/gmpolice/alerts. You won't be automatically signed up to alerts even if you follow the main account, you have to opt in to receive them.

When an alert is issued it will be highlighted on your feed with the orange bell icon, if your mobile phone is linked to your account you'll also receive an SMS message. Users of Twitter for Android or iPhone will get a push notification to their device provided they're using Twitter for iPhone version 5.10 or higher, or Twitter for Android 4.1.6 or higher.

Photo Credit: bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock
Google and Microsoft work together to block access to child porn

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 12:46pm CET par Mark Wilson

To help fight the problem of child pornography online, Google and Microsoft are joining forces to block access to illegal content in the UK and then globally. Writing in the Daily Mail, Google's Eric Scmidt explains how new search filtering techniques now prevent more than 100,000 search terms relating to child pornography from returning any results. The filtering is starting in English speaking countries, but will soon roll out to more than 150 languages.

He explains that Google and Microsoft have worked with law enforcement agencies for many years and are proactively involved in the removal of illegal images. More than 200 extra employees have been assigned the tasks of developing new technologies over the last three months. This is very much a joint venture between the two companies, and Schmidt recognizes the input of Microsoft, saying that the company "deserves a lot of credit for developing and sharing its picture detection technology".

Google's primary weapon in the fight against child porn is blocking access to it -- it would be difficult for the company to stop such content from being created, but Schmidt is keen to make it clear that everything possible is being done to prevent its dissemination. As well as cleaning up search results, Google is also aiming to deter web users from seeking out child porn in the first place. When a search is placed using one of more than 13,000 child porn related queries, warnings are displayed about the illegal nature of such content, and links are provided to organizations that offer help and support.

Schmidt points out that automatically detecting and removing questionable images is very difficult. "Computers can't reliably distinguish between innocent pictures of kids at bathtime and genuine abuse. So we always need to have a person review the images." To help prevent the sharing of images that are detected, each is assigned a unique ID that makes it possible to rank it online -- this is something that Microsoft has been heavily involved in. Google engineers at YouTube have also developed technology that can be used to track videos of child abuse, and Google aims to share this with other companies in future.

It is great to see companies who are essentially rivals working together like this, especially for such an important cause. But there are fears that any blocking methods will always be open to circumvention and there is the risk of pushing things further underground and making them even more difficult to police. It is a tremendously difficult topic, but Google and Microsoft are taking steps in the right direction.

Photo Credit: Arcady/Shutterstock
Crack out the champagne -- Raspberry Pi sales hit the two million mark

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 9:32am CET par Wayne Williams

The Raspberry Pi has been at the top of my ten year old nephew's Christmas list for months now, and every time he comes to visit he asks me to power up the Model B I bought back in March, and of course I’m more than happy to do so -- any excuse.

The super-affordable uncased ARM GNU/Linux computer has been enjoying huge success since it launched in 2012, selling a million units in its first year (see the Q&A we ran with the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Liz Upton following that milestone) and we reported sales had hit 1.75 million a little over a month ago, so it’s impressive to hear that the British-made board has just smashed through the two million mark.

Based on the sales of the first year, the Raspberry Pi Foundation had expected to hit the second million around January 2014 -- or later -- so was pleasantly surprised (to say the least) to discover the 2,000,000th Raspberry Pi was actually sold in the last week of October.

Eben Upton was inspired to create the Raspberry Pi after noticing a decline in the number of children learning to code. He wanted to create a cheap computer designed to be programmed, much like the BBC Micro -- his childhood PC. Plenty of people told Eben there’s was no market for it, but he went ahead anyway and proved the doubters wrong. The BBC Micro, which was the UK school computer back in the 1980s, only sold 1.5 million units in total, so that makes the Raspberry Pi’s achievements all the more special for Eben and the team.

Sure, the PlayStation 4 might have sold a million units in a single day, but the Raspberry Pi’s colossal sales figures are much more impressive to me, and at the current sales rate I’m sure it won’t be long before we’re reporting the news that the credit-card sized computer has surpassed the three million mark.
Sony sells one million PlayStation 4 consoles on first day

Publié: novembre 18, 2013, 8:36am CET par Brian Fagioli

I am a big fan of the TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. My Tivo records it every day and I watch it in the evening. While I have been watching the show for years, I have never seen anyone actually win the show and leave with the full $1 million. That ultimate prize has proven elusive.

While Sony did not win a game show, the company announces something that was surprisingly not elusive -- one million PlayStation 4s sold in 24 hours. While the console was expected to be popular by many, nobody could have predicted such a remarkable feat on the first day.

Of course, pre-sales for the console started in June, so a large portion of day-one sales were already earmarked. While I was one of the people who preordered, I still went to my local Best Buy, Gamestop and Target to monitor the situation as a journalist. From my observations and inquisitions, all of these stores were sold-out of the PlayStation 4 and an enormity of desperate consumers were turned away sans gaming-console.

While Sony is undoubtedly happy with this sales revelation, the celebration may be short lived. You see, the release of Microsoft's competing console, the Xbox One is only days away. The first-day sale numbers of both consoles will be fodder for analysts and fan-boys alike. Fasten your seat-belts, this is going to be a thrilling next-gen console ride.