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BetaNews.Com (10 non lus)

Streamnation lets you stream, download and securely share media with friends

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 8:22pm CET par Nick Peers

In the past, sharing media with friends and family meant physically pulling out the photo albums or having to meet up in order to swap a DVD or video. Of course, these days you no longer have to tie yourself to the living room or study in order to access media either.

It’s perhaps surprising then that it’s only now that a cloud-based service has thought about providing a secure, simple way of storing, streaming and -- this is the biggie -- sharing media online. That service is Streamnation.com.

Streamnation is simple enough to use for anyone used to the likes of SkyDrive, iCloud or other online backup services, but it’s geared very much towards the media lovers amongst us. Sign up for your free 2GB account, which can be swelled to a more pleasing 15GB by jumping through various hoops such as uploading video, installing companion apps such as Streamnation for iOS and the Streamnation uploader for Windows and Mac, or inviting others to join.

There are paid-for plans too, with prices starting from $4 a month for 100GB of storage, enough for most people to share more than just a handful of videos. Once signed up, you can start uploading your media.

The simplest way to do this is by downloading the Streamnation uploader app for Mac or Windows. This allows you to monitor specific folders, services (such as Picasa) and external drives on your computer for media, with any changes being synchronized to the cloud.

You can also upload files on an ad-hoc basis, which probably works best for those restricted to free accounts. Media is uploaded into one of three libraries: Photos and Videos covers personal media, while Movies and TV Shows are self-explanatory.

Media can be further organized into collections, letting you keep your comedies away from your dramas, or differentiating one set of holiday snaps from another, for instance. You can then install the Streamnation iOS app and stream movies there when you’re away from home -- you can even download media back on to your iPad for offline viewing, plus project your movies on to the big screen via AirPlay.

This is all well and good, but not exactly unique. Where Streamnation sets itself apart is in the way it allows you to share your media with others. The idea is that you "lend" specific videos to friends and family in lieu of sharing DVDs. Each person has their own account, and then links up with everybody else to make sharing easy.

To avoid the thorny issue of legality, there are strict limits to what you can and can’t do with it. First, you can’t share your media with the wider public -- only specific contacts with their own Streamnation accounts. Second, that sharing is directly from one person to another -- your friends can’t subsequently share your media with other people. Neither can people browse your content -- only media you share with them specifically can be seen.

Finally -- and perhaps crucially -- media can only be "borrowed" for up to 24 hours -- users can download your video on to their iPad or iPhone for watching offline, but it’ll self-destruct once the borrowing period is up. And while one person is borrowing that content, no one else can touch it, so only one person can ever watch that video at any one time.

If we’re honest, it all works rather well. The site is well-designed, making watching on your PC or Mac a simple affair. The iOS app works beautifully as a mirror of the site, providing a consistent user experience, and an Android version is in the works. And thanks to support for Chromecast (via the Chrome web browser) and AirPlay (via iOS), you can even watch content on the big screen, just as if you’ve borrowed the physical DVD or video yourself.

Streamnation for iOS 2.1.1 and the Streamnation 1.2 uploader for Windows and Mac are both available now as a freeware downloads. Users also require a free or paid-for Streamnation account.
Tech giants' surveillance reform rally is disingenuous and self-serving

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 8:10pm CET par Joe Wilcox

I'll be brief, because I'm seven days now with the flu and don't feel much like writing. But today's "open letter" for global government surveillance reform demands rebuke.

I'm all for curbing government snooping, but what about corporations collecting information? Tech Giant's -- AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo -- reform rally is disingenuous and self-serving. These same companies collect mountains of personal information for profit. So, what? It's okay for them to snoop, but not governments?

My thinking: Trust no one, particularly those with strong financial incentives. I soundly support reform requests from parties that don't directly benefit from curbs -- particularly, in the United States, those standing on the Constitution.

In assessing anything I report about, the first question asked: Who benefits? The letters' principal signers are the biggest beneficiaries. These companies seek immediate public relations gains, by disassociating from an unpopular practice for which they either are or are perceived to be complicit. Long-term, reform removes the government as an information-collector competitor, frees these companies from having to share customer information with authorities, and loosens corporations from government scrutiny -- if nothing else extent of their own information gathering and location of their web servers.

Edward Snowden's revelations about NSA spying are unfathomable to comprehend and surely unconstitutional. But bureaucracy collecting information en masse is very different from the cold, directed tactics the letters' principal signatories use. They are easily able to identify who you are and build portfolios based on online behavior.

We all know the controversies about cookies. But companies like AOL, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo know who you are once signed into their service. For some, like Google, that account follows you pretty much everywhere online. Okay, so the government amasses millions of Verizon phone records. I don't approve, but it's a wide net cast. By contrast, these tech giants hook and follow you directly. Which is more insidious then?

I don't defend government spying. Secret courts granting government unrestricted access makes my skin crawl. But that doesn't excuse corporate shenanigans. Someone needs to turn around these tech giants' self-serving demands and point the finger back.

The companies put forth five principles, which I adapt and apply to them:

1. Limit corporations' authority to collect users' data. Information tracking and gathering should be a 100-percent opt-in process. Users must implicitly agree, or no data can be gathered. If businesses prove they cannot be trusted, then it's time for a more anonymous model to emerge -- perhaps consumer tech that encrypts or scrambles all online activity or transactions.

2. Oversight and accountability. Government is incapable of overseeing corporate spying. There is implicit conflict of interest -- and bureaucracy moves too slow, while technology changes so fast. Corporations also cannot be trusted. Citizenary must work with bloggers, news media and free-speech groups to catch and publicize corporate spying. Boycott offenders.

3. Transparency about corporate information collection. All data collected about you should be immediately available on request. Companies must disclose with whom they share or have shared your personal information. There should be complete, unequivocal transparency.

4. Respect the free flow of information. Personal information gathering violates the very open principles behind the Internet. Corporations use your information to target advertising and even modify searches based on what some mindless algorithm determines are your preferences. Let users decide what's important to them, what information they want to share and with whom. Apply Principles 1 and 3 to achieve such end.

5. Avoid conflicts between corporations and customers. If users can choose whether or not to be monitored, see with whom personal information is shared and choose which third-parties see the data, both the corporation and customer benefit. Consent and control can endear users to their service providers. Consumers are informed and directly see the benefits of some information sharing. Trust binds them.

Photo Credit: mikute/Shutterstock
Amazon improves Kindle FreeTime with new educational features -- children groan

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 5:55pm CET par Brian Fagioli

While children may tout the educational features of tablets to fool adults into buying them, the truth is, no kid wants to use a tablet for education. It's simply a ploy to obtain a new toy on which to play video games and watch movies.

Sadly, some adults are actually responsible and enable these educational features on the device. To the dismay of children across the globe, Amazon announces new educational options for the FreeTime feature on the Kindle Fire line of tablets. In other words, learning is going to severely impact the playing time of Angry Birds.

"Kindle Fire is already the best tablet for kids and families -- and now we're making it even better. We know kids spend a lot of time every day looking at screens, and we're excited to add new tools that help parents make this time more educational. Parents can use features like 'Learn First' to ensure study comes before play and set daily educational goals for reading and learning. If you subscribe to FreeTime Unlimited, your kids will enjoy thousands of new educational books, apps, games and videos", says Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Kindle.

Amazon further explains, "parents can now choose to make sure their kids have reached their educational goals before they can watch cartoons or play games. Simply tap on Learn First, and all non-educational content is removed from the child's FreeTime library until they have met their daily reading or educational goals. Everything in FreeTime Unlimited -- plus the top 10,000 most popular kids' books, videos, and apps on Amazon -- has been categorized as education or entertainment, so when a parent sets goals for Learn First, the work of identifying which content is educational vs. entertainment has already been done for them".

In addition, parents can add additional time constraints on their children. Customized time-limits can be enabled for different days of the week, so your kid can play longer on the weekend and less during the school week. Also, a bed time can be enabled, so you can restrict tablet access when your child should be sleeping. Parents can also set requirements to use educational apps or read for a set amount of time daily. Of course, none of this is a substitution for actual parenting.

According to Amazon, these new features will be rolled out automatically "in the coming weeks". Alternatively, you can just not enable these features, let your young child use the Kindle Fire to watch Apocalypse Now on Netflix and hope for the best.

Image credit: ollyy /Shutterstock
Verizon releases confusing Motorola Droid videos featuring Edward Norton

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 5:31pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Strange and confusing ads are certainly not a new genre, in fact we see more than enough of them everytime we turn on the television. Verizon is taking this path now with a new series featuring Edward Norton -- it's no Fight Club, but it's almost as violent as that classic movie.

While the new campaign is certainly odd, it is also strangely compelling. The 30-second spot teases the real video without ever showing any sort of device to provide a hint of what this is all about. Instead it simply provides a hashtag and a "click here to see the full story" link -- #FortyEight, which seems to have a bit of traction on Twitter.

The ensuing minute-and-a-half video is a wild ride through all sorts of life threatening situations, involving mob bosses, crashing planes, pursuing dogs and more. All the while, Norton is fortunate enough to have his trusty Motorola Droid Maxx and "OK Google" to help him find his way out of trouble. The gist of the whole thing is summed up at the end -- "whatever you do in 48-hours, Droid does".

Despite the quirky nature of this whole campaign, it's the sort of videos you can't help but watch. And if you have followed Norton's career then you'll find it especially interesting. Well, without any more spoilers -- and the truth is, I really haven't come close to describing any of this -- you can check out both the teaser and the full-length piece posted below.
Amazon holding one-day Kindle sale

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 4:02pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Amazon has been all over the news in recent weeks, and much of that has surrounded the Kindle line of E-readers and tablets -- we'll ignore those flying robots that have been on your mind. If you didn't get in on the big Cyber Monday sale, then you'll get a second crack at a deal today.

Amazon is holding a today-only Kindle-fest that features select members of the family at new, lower prices. The basic Kindle E-reader Wi-Fi is down from its regular $69 cost to $56. Other deals available include the 16 GB Kindle Fire HD at only $135, Fire HDX 7 16 GB model for $183 and the Fire HD 8.9 16 GB slashed from $269 down to $229. All of these deals are for the Wi-Fi only versions of the tablets.

If you still have a bit of holiday shopping left to do, and which of us doesn't, then you can add these devices to your list for consideration. Several of us here at BetaNews have recently been enjoying the new Kindle Fire HDX, which has steadily become a great competitor to the Nexus 7 tablet, though it is certainly geared more towards those who use the Amazon ecosystem, specifically Prime video. That said, it's still a capable Android tablet and can run almost every app.
Government surveillance needs to be reformed, say Google, Microsoft, Apple, and others

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 1:33pm CET par Mark Wilson

Headlines about government surveillance of web usage all over the world have been difficult to avoid this past year. Since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on activities by the NSA, both companies and web users have been asking for greater transparency in data collection and there have been endless calls for dragnet data collection to be stopped completely. It is often the case that when confronted with a common enemy, some unlikely alliances are forged. This is certainly true with the NSA, and now Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter and AOL are all coming together to present a united front and push for legal reform.

The collective has written an open letter to President Obama and congress, warning that "the balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual". There has been quite a backlash against the number of requests for data that the US government has made of companies, and the letter makes it clear that the eight companies that have joined forces are not happy:

For our part, we are focused on keeping users’ data secure -- deploying the latest encryption technology to prevent unauthorized surveillance on our networks and by pushing back on government requests to ensure that they are legal and reasonable in scope.

Microsoft has also said that there is a risk that consumers will be discouraged from using the internet. "People won’t use technology they don't trust. Governments have put this trust at risk, and governments need to help restore it". A similar line is taken by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer who says: "Recent revelations about government surveillance activities have shaken the trust of our users, and it is time for the United States government to act to restore the confidence of citizens around the world".

The letter invites President Obama to take a look at the Reform Government Surveillance website where the consortium calls for five principles to be put into action: Limiting governments’ authority to collect users’ information, oversight and accountability, transparency about government demands, respecting the free flow of information, and avoiding conflicts among governments.

From these principles, it is clear that the companies not only want restrictions put in place, but also want to be allowed to tell their customers about requests for data made by government.

What do you make of this? How likely do you think it is that government will start to take notice now that eight big names are working together?
Darik’s Boot and Nuke lets you securely wipe all your PC’s hard drives

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 1:26pm CET par Mike Williams

When you sell or scrap a PC it’s important to consider your data security. The hard drive will almost certainly have contained confidential information at some point -- user names, passwords, financial details -- and even it seems empty now, it’s worth making sure that none of this can ever be recovered.

Darik’s Boot and Nuke is an open-source tool which offers one possible solution. Burn its ISO image to disc, use this to boot your PC, and it’ll securely wipe your hard drive with the minimum of hassle.

The program has a text-based interface, and so doesn’t exactly look pretty, but read the prompts and it’s reasonably easy to use. If you want to wipe every drive connected to the system, for example, just type autonuke when prompted, press Enter, and wait as the program overwrites your data.

If you need more control, press Enter to launch Darik’s Boot and Nuke’s "interactive mode". Here you can configure details like the wipe method (Quick Erase, RCMP TSSIT OPS-II, DoD Short, DoD 5220-22-M, Gutmann Wipe, PRNG Stream), number of passes, the drive to be wiped, whether you want to verify your data’s destruction, and more. When you’re happy with the settings, press F10 to start the overwrite process.

However you’re using the program, it’s important to be careful. There’s no hand-holding here, no endless "are you sure?" prompts, no reminders of just how much data you’re about to lose. Once you’ve told Darik’s Boot and Nuke to wipe your data, then that is exactly what it’ll do. Immediately, and without asking you again.

As long as you keep the potential dangers in mind, though, the program should serve you well: it’s compact, relatively quick, and an easy way to ensure the contents of your hard drives really have gone forever.
The stats don't lie: Windows 8.1 seriously underperforming compared to Windows 7

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 12:07pm CET par Wayne Williams

Following Windows market share on NetApplications, as I do every month, it’s clear to me that Windows 8.x isn’t the hit Microsoft hoped for. There are several reasons for this, all of which I’ve discussed previously -- dwindling PC sales, users dislike of touch and the Modern UI, and so on.

Last month Windows 7’s growth outpaced that of Windows 8.x by four fold, and it’s not the first time the older OS has proven the more popular choice either. It’s becoming something of a regular occurrence. Adoption of the tiled OS is slow, very slow. Especially compared with the strong pick up Windows 7 enjoyed from the start.

Statista has taken global market share of both Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 since launch and plotted the growth on a chart, and the difference is stark. While Windows 8.x has a respectable sounding 9.3 percent of the global market as of the end of last month, Windows 7 had claimed over twice that in the same time period (fourteen months).

And that’s not the worst part. While the Windows 7 graph shows a steep upwards trend, Windows 8.x growth is clearly slowing, and heading for a plateau. The launch of Windows 8.1 gave the OS a significant bump, but now the appeal is waning it seems.

It’s easy to make excuses for Windows 8.x’s failure to perform. Windows 7 adoption was higher because it followed the half-baked Windows Vista -- users on XP wanted a newer OS to switch to, and users on Vista wanted to get off it, quickly. Windows 7 was, and still is, hugely popular, and Windows 8.x is struggling to follow it.

But, however you look at things, Windows 8.1 was released a mere two months ago, and instead of the upwards curve you'd expect following a major launch we’re seeing significant slowdown.

It’s possible sales over the holiday period will boost market share for the tiled OS, and restart the (short-lived) growth spurt Windows 8.1 experienced at launch, but it would take a brave man to bet on that outcome.

Microsoft is advertising its new OS everywhere, the software is on all new PCs, but still consumers don’t seem interested. What else can the software giant do to boost Windows 8.x adoption?

Photo credit: Igor Kovalchuk/
O&O releases AutoBackup 3, adds real-time file sync

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 11:13am CET par Mike Williams

Berlin-based utilities developer O&O Software has announced the availability of O&O AutoBackup 3.

The big addition in this release is support for real-time synchronization. As soon as file is created or changed in your specified folders, AutoBackup 3 will copy it to the destination drive.

A new tabbed interface makes it much easier to get started. Define the files to back up, the destination drive, file type and when the backup should be launched (daily, weekly, on device connection and in real time), and you’re done. Simple backups really can be configured in seconds.

AutoBackup 3 is now Windows 8.1-compatible, of course (XP, Vista, 7 and 8 are also supported). And you still have the options available in the previous edition, including the ability to run commands before or after your backup.

The program isn’t going to win any awards for the length of its feature list, then, but if you need a quick and easy backup tool then O&O AutoBackup 3 could be ideal. There’s a 30-day trial build to help you find out, and you can buy a single PC licence for $13.95.
Textter wants to change the way you send and receive SMS messages [Q&A]

Publié: décembre 9, 2013, 11:13am CET par Ian Barker

Miami-based startup Textter has developed a new service aiming to revolutionize the way people send and receive text messages.

We spoke to company founder Carlos Cueto in an exclusive interview ahead of next week's official launch to find out more about the product and what it has to offer.

BN: For people who haven't heard of Textter can you give us a brief overview of what it does?

CC: Textter is a Live Messaging System (LMS), which allows users to see their friends' key strokes prior to pressing send. It's a Live communication tool in which you can respond prior to the other person pressing send.

BN: What gave you the idea?

CC: Observing my kids communicate with their friends via SMS texting. Kids today do not communicate on the phone. They literally spend all day texting, rarely calling anyone. The other reason, I do not have a lot of patience.

I use an iPhone and I am tired of seeing the 3 dots when I am waiting for a response. One day at the movie theater, I was in line buying goodies for my kids and their 8 friends. They were in the theater with my wife. The list was specific, when I got to the front of the line, the young lady told me they did not have watermelon Sour Patch Kids. So I texted my daughter and immediately saw the 3 dots. Unfortunately, I had people behind me but I wanted to read her response which was "The regular is fine, I am sorry, I got confused, the one on the Grove had the watermelon, love you!" The extra 20 seconds does not seem like a lot but when you are holding up a line, it's stressful. Had we had live messaging, I would have seen her response in 10 characters vs waiting for a 76 character entry and then her pressing send. Our service will literally save every Textter time every day.

BN: How big is the potential market and which services do you see as your competition?

CC: Currently, I have not seen any service similar to this, so the competition is nil. I believe eventually every smartphone, tablet and computer will load Textter as their Live Messaging System. At the start, our initial target market is 8 to 18 years old, 100s of millions of whom use SMS and are switching to web-based chats.

BN: What will make people choose Textter over other messaging apps?

CC: It’s the only live app available.

BN: Is Textter browser based or will it have its own app? Which platforms will it support?

CC: It will be an app plus browser based and will work across all platforms (smartphones, tablets and computers).

BN: Is it secure, are messages encrypted for example?

CC: Yes, connections made over SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and users must log in.

BN: Will this be a free app? How will you monetize it?

CC: Our basic tool will be free, eventually we will roll out a pro version for use in the office and another version to follow celebrities. Can you imagine reading a text/post from one of your favorite stars or athletes as they are pressing each letter? It's almost as if you can see what they are thinking.

BN: How will you take the product forward? Are there any other ideas in the pipeline?

CC: We use grassroots, social media and word of mouth to move it forward. Yes, we have quite a few additions we plan on launching but are keeping a lid on our secret for now. Development really starts after launch as we improve and adapt our product to service our users’ requests.

The service launches on December 16 initially on the iOS and Android platforms. You can register now for an invitation to use Textter by visiting the http://textter.com/ website.

Photo Credit: bloomua/Shutterstock