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Bill Gates won’t go back to Microsoft full-time, but is willing to 'help out' part-time

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 9:23pm CET par Wayne Williams

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates appeared on Bloomberg Television today to discuss his philanthropic work. While he was there the question of whether he would consider returning to run Microsoft full-time was raised. Gates has said previously that his future remains with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but many people -- including our own Robert Cringely -- would like to see him emulate Steve Jobs and return to once again helm the company he co-founded.

Given how the search for a new CEO is dragging on, and Ford’s Alan Mulally, the most fancied candidate by far, ruled himself out recently, it seemed a possibility that Gates might step in at least temporarily, but judging from his answers that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Responding to Bloomberg TV anchor Betty Liu's question of how involved he is on a day-to-day basis with Microsoft, Bill Gates said: "Well, I'm on the board, and the board's doing some important work right now. The foundation is the biggest part of my time, but then I put part-time work in to help as a board member". On whether he would go back to Microsoft full-time, Gates made his position clear, saying, "Well my full-time work will be the foundation for the rest of my life. My wife Melinda and I are enjoying that. I get to do it in depth. So I'm not going to change, although I'll help out part-time".

When pressed about the search for a new CEO, Gates said, "The board's working on that. There's nothing new to say. But it's a good board". Asked whether the board feels urgency, he said, "Yeah. I think you'd always feel that way. Then again, you want to pick the best person. So they'll move at the right pace".

Betty Liu also asked him about the state of the technology industry now, to which Gates replied, "Well the rate of innovation is faster than ever. Things like understanding speech and vision, taking large amounts of data and understanding that, big, high-resolution screens that'll be on your walls in the office at home. So we're really in a fantastic period where finding information, understanding information is going to get a lot better. And that will lead to productivity. We can simulate things so that new product design and innovation can go faster. We see it in biology, even understanding complex systems and what drugs should be tried out. So I'm a great believer that whether it's helping the poorest or just helping the global economy, technology can solve a lot -- a lot -- of problems".

You can watch the interview with Bill Gates and Bloomberg LP founder Mike Bloomberg below.

Interview and image credit: Bloomberg Television

LogMeIn Free is no more -- look elsewhere for your free remote access needs

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 8:15pm CET par Mark Wilson

Need a free remote access tool? Any day now your number of choices drops by one as the free version of LogMeIn will soon be no more. In a statement posted to the management section of its website, LogMeIn announces that LogMeIn Free is "going away".

Like a gentle parent euphemistically softening the blow about a departed pet or loved one having "gone to sleep", LogMeIn is using this terminology to usher in the news that if you want to keep using its products, you're going to have to pay.

After ten years of service, the free tool is vanishing as LogMeIn unifies its "portfolio of free and premium remote access products into a single offering". As you will have guessed by now, "this product will be a paid-only offering". So what does this mean for existing users? The free tool is not being shuttered with immediate effect. Notifications are gradually being sent out to users starting today.

Once a notification is received, users have a seven day grace period in which to decide whether to upgrade or not. During this period the app will remain free, but unless you upgrade to a LogMeIn Pro account, you will then lose access to your remote machines through the tool.

Anyone who has the iOS or Android version of LogMeIn Ignition installed on their phone or tablet will be offered discounts "as well as generous terms to ease the transition".

A FAQ has been set up but there is little that can be added to the statement -- a tool that once was free is no more. It is likely that there will be something of a migration away to one of the many free alternatives that still exist, but LogMeIn is going to remain an appealing choice for companies and individuals looking for support options.

Are you affected by this announcement? Will you be upgrading or looking elsewhere?

Photo Credit: gst/Shutterstock

The Wearable Technology Show announces its conference speaker lineup

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 7:04pm CET par Wayne Williams

The primary focus of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was very much on wearable technology. 2014 may not be the year when wearables hit the mainstream, but it’s clear this is where the future is headed with new smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness bands and the like being developed to keep us constantly connected.

The Wearable Technology Show, being held in London on the 18 and 19 March 2014, is the UK’s first dedicated wearable technology event and its organizers have just announced the speaker lineup for the conference program.

Delegates will hear from more than 70 speakers, with the opening keynote delivered by Steve Brown, Chief Evangelist at Intel. Joining him will be some of the industry’s biggest names including FitBit, Cisco, Samsung, and Misfit Wearables.

As well as briefing delegates on the latest in wearable technology and providing insight into where the current and future opportunities lie, the event will have a product demonstration area where visitors will be able to go hands on with Google Glass, smart watches and launches in every area of wearable technology.

"We are hugely excited to have attracted speakers of this caliber to our launch event", says Lisa Doerr, event director of The Wearable Technology Show. "We are already the biggest and busiest wearables event in Europe and will be adding more speakers and partners in the coming weeks".

The Wearable Technology Show is at the Conference Center, Olympia London on the 18 and 19 March 2014. Tickets for the conference are priced at £800 for a two day pass, and £495 for one day. Discounts are available for groups, educational establishments and other qualifying organizations.

Entry to the expo and the developer hackfest is free, but tickets are strictly limited. For further information visit the Wearable Technology Show website, contact john.weir@edpltd.co.uk or call +44 (0) 1179 323586.

Photo Credit: mindscanner/Shutterstock

Create, convert, rotate, secure, crop and generally tweak your PDFs with PDFFill Tools

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 7:01pm CET par Mike Williams

Most PC users need to work with PDF files, if only occasionally, and there are plenty of free tools around to help. Typically they’ll concentrate on a single function, though; just looking at their names tells you all you need to know about PDF to JPEG Expert and CHM to PDF, for instance.

PDFFill Tools is a little more ambitious, fortunately, cramming 15 functions into a single small and entirely free program. There are tools to create PDFs from images, PostScript files or direct from your scanner, and then you can add watermarks (text or image), headers or footers, merge or split the files, encrypt/ decrypt them, rotate the documents, crop them and more.

A virtual printer driver is included, too, enabling you to create PDFs from any printable document.

While this sounds great, there is a problem: the interface. Each of these tools is entirely separate from the others, represented by a separate dialog box with minimal visual feedback. If you’re adding an image watermark, say, you don’t get to view the target file first; you can’t point and click where you’d like your picture to be, and there’s no way to preview how the finished pages will look. Instead you must choose your image, set its position in inches, and export the file before you get to find out.

Once you understand how PDFFill Tools works, though, this isn’t a major issue. Several modules don’t really need any immediate feedback ("Scan to PDF", say), and they all have plenty of useful options and settings.

But if you do need a more visual approach, a trial version of PDFFill’s PDF Editor is included with the package. It has all the features of the tools, and more, and can be yours for a very reasonable $19.99.

Sandboxie now plays nicer with gamers, Windows 8.1 users

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 6:57pm CET par Nick Peers

Sandboxie Holdings, LLC has just released Sandboxie 4.08, an update to its shareware Windows sandboxing tool. The new build comes with the usual mixture of bug fixes and minor tweaks, but includes several significant improvements that should make it more reliable, particularly when run on Windows 8.1 systems.

Sandboxie’s prime purpose is to provide additional security by allowing users to run programs in an isolated environment, preventing them from making any changes to the hard drive without the user’s express consent.

The app, which adds an extra layer of security and privacy over any program the user wishes, makes three significant changes for Windows 8.1 users. First, support for Immediate Recovery has been extended to the latest version of Microsoft’s OS -- this allows users to immediately save trusted files created inside the sandbox -- such as program downloads from safe websites -- to a folder outside the sandbox.

Version 4.08 also extends support for allowing sandboxed programs to print from within Sandboxie in Windows 8.1 by adding support for a new dynamic variant of the print spooler. One final Windows 8.1 improvement fixes a problem between Chrome and LastPass when used inside Sandboxie.

The new build also adds support for the SetCursorPos API as used by many games that are controlled using the mouse. Users can now also paste bitmaps and metafiles from the clipboard within Sandboxie.

The update is rounded off with a number of bug fixes, including one that led to a blue screen of death, while NACL/NACL64 processes have also been added to the "lingering" list, which is used to manually terminate associated programs launched from inside the sandbox when it’s closed.

The new release comes just over a month after security developer invincea announced it had acquired Sandboxie, and is the original developer’s final contribution to the code before it’s handed over to invincea for future development.

Sandboxie 4.08 is available now as a function-limited shareware trial for Windows 2000 or later. Licenses start from €15 (around $20) for one year’s personal use at home.

PC and Mac games revenue to top $24 billion by 2017

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 4:46pm CET par Ian Barker

PC gamer

We've been focusing a lot on the decline of the PC hardware market of late, but the software spend still looks strong. The latest survey from market intelligence specialist IDC predicts that PC and Mac gamer spending will grow to over $24 billion by 2017.

It also finds that while global PC/Mac games revenue is set to grow at around four percent a year the US market will start to slip.

This is mainly a result of casual, browser-based games shifting to mobile devices and a drop in the popularity of subscription products like World of Warcraft. IDC says that this change is driven by a rise in living standards in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries, along with the failure of games consoles to make much headway in emerging economies.

"Other than the casino genre, it's been tough sledding for most casual-leaning PC game genres in the past year," says Lewis Ward, Research Director, Gaming at IDC. "Most of the growth is coming from hardcore-oriented freemium titles such as Tencent's and Riot Games' League of Legends, Valve's Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2, Wargaming.net's World of Tanks, and a handful of Chinese MMORPGs."

The company also forecasts that Valve's Steam service has the opportunity to expand into North American and Western European homes due to the Steam Machines initiative.

"Demand for prepaid digital games should remain stable if not rise at the margins through 2017 partly because key developers, publishers, and platform providers will ramp up their offerings on HDTVs," adds Ward. "The difference between what PCs, consoles, microconsoles, and perhaps even smart TVs will be able to deliver three years from now will be mostly semantic. The platforms that outperform will have great games, a wise mix of business models, an ability to strain key customer insights out of a sea of big data, and offer great a social experience."

Photo Credit: Patricia Malina / Shutterstock

Dr Dre launches Beats Music to deliver the right tune at the right time

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 3:57pm CET par Mark Wilson

What's that? Another music streaming service? Another one?! You could be forgiven for having this reaction to the news that Dr Dre's Beats Music is now available for iOS and Android; this is a market that is already rather saturated, and music lovers are not exactly short of options when it comes to picking a service to satiate their audio needs. So any new service vying for attention has to have something rather unique to offer if it is going to stand out from the competition.

Beats Music does have a unique selling point. It is a service that is about more than just streaming music, it aims to deliver the right music according to the time of day, what you are doing and where you are. Is this sort of stream tailoring enough to win over music fans? Only time will tell, but Beats Music certainly has a fight on its hands if it is to wrestle users away from the existing services that have been established for some time.

Dr Dre's Beats brand has already made something of a name for itself, and the Dre association may be enough to help Beats Music gain momentum from launch. But this is not the only name associated with the service; Jimmy Iovine, Luke Wood, Trent Reznor, and Ian Rogers are also involved. Featuring a catalog of over 20 million songs, Beats Music offers curated music. Forget creating your own playlists, the app can do it for you.

Whether you're looking for a workout playlist, something to relax to, a motivational soundtrack, or something completely different the aim is to provide the perfect tracks time and time again. In addition to this, there are also ready-made playlists from publications such as Mixmag and Pitchfork.

Beats Music is available for iOS as well as Android, and there is a Windows app in the pipeline. This is a subscription service that will set you back $9.99 per month, but there is a seven day free trial available and a special deal means that AT&T customers can use the service without charge for three months.

Staples wants to buy your used electronics

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 3:26pm CET par Brian Fagioli

The concept of selling your old electronics to buy newer ones is not new -- console gamers have been trading in the previous-generation for the newest for years. However, when it comes to cell phones, the desire for the latest and greatest was really escalated by the iPhone. Sure, before Apple's iconic phone, there was a desire for some new feature, such as a polyphonic ring-tone, but for the most part, consumers weren't pining for the newest flip-phone with the same manic desire.

There are a plethora of businesses that will offer you money for your old smartphone or tablet. However, many of them are online-only affairs. While stores such as Gazelle.com or Amazon.com have fine reputations, some consumers would prefer to do their trading-in with a brick-and-mortar store. Luckily, Staples announces that it will immediately begin offering the ability to do just that.

"Staples is not only committed to helping the planet, but to providing small businesses and consumers with a way to receive value for their used electronics. We encourage our customers to trade-in their old devices by offering them instant payment. By extending the program to Staples.com, we're helping them make more technology recycling happen", says Mark Buckley, vice president of environmental affairs, Staples.

The retailer explains, "customers can trade-in an array of tech products whenever and wherever it is convenient for them, in Staples stores or on Staples.com. Staples simplifies the online return process for small businesses and consumers by providing postage-paid shipping envelopes, letting them trade in their devices from the convenience of their homes or offices".

Of course, the company will not buy all electronics -- no one wants to buy your old CRT monitor with Star Wars stickers on it. However, Staples will turn nothing away; if it has no value, they will recycle it for you at no cost. In other words, you can finally get the spider-web-laden beige-box computers of decades past out of your garage.

I decided to do a comparison with Gazelle.com to see if Staples payments were competitive. I selected the quality as "Good" on both sites. Here are the results:

	Staples	Gazelle
Droid Maxx (Verizon)	$168	$200
iPhone 5 16GB (Verizon)	$256	$240
Nokia Lumia 925 (AT&T)	$92	$100

As you can see, prices can vary, with Staples paying more for an iPhone 5, but less for both the Nokia and Motorola handsets. However, Gazelle pays cash, while Staples gives store credit. Unless you want to buy something from the retailer, you may want to avoid it.

Will you be trading anything to Staples? If so, you can access it here or by going into a physical location. If you do, tell me how it goes in the comments.

Image Credit: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock

StereoPhoto Maker: create, view and work with 3D images

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 2:17pm CET par Mike Williams

3D is everywhere -- at the movies, on TV, games consoles -- but finding PC applications with significant support for 3D images can still be something of a challenge.

If you need to work with 3D pictures, then, the simplest approach is to grab a specialist tool like StereoPhoto Maker. It’s free, compact and portable, and comes packed with options to help you view, create and process 3D files.

At its simplest, you can use the program to open and view JPS, MPO, STJ and DAS files, as well as anaglyph images in regular formats. Keyboard shortcuts make it easy to step backwards and forwards through a folder, or view images as a slideshow. There’s a reasonable thumbnail browser, too, although for some reason it’s hidden away (click File > Open Image File List).

The program supports viewing 3D images in many different ways: side-by-side, color and gray anaglyphs, interlaced, above/ below and more. A convenient "flashing" option quickly switches back and forth between the two images, allowing you to get a feel for the 3D effect even if you don’t have glasses or a 3D display.

Your source pictures can be saved in various other 3D formats. Or if you’re more interested in 2D viewing, images can be saved as animated GIFs (with the "flashing" effect) or split into their component pictures (left/ right JPEGs, say).

The real power here comes from StereoPhoto Maker’s ability to create and adjust 3D images, though. At its simplest, you might open a 3D picture and use the cursor keys to re-align images, one pixel at a time. But if you’re working on a larger scale, the author claims StereoPhoto Maker 4.52 can "automatically batch-align hundreds of images and mount them to the 'window'".

You also get the option to create simple web pages which, in theory at least, allow you to share your favorite 3D pictures with others. We say "in theory" as it didn’t work well for us, but if you have more luck then this could save you a lot of time.

StereoPhoto Maker isn’t always easy to use. Creating new images in particular requires a good knowledge of 3D fundamentals (although there are some online tutorials which can help). It works just fine as a 3D viewer, though, and as the program is just a single executable, it’s not exactly going to get in your way. If you might ever need to work with 3D images then we’d recommend keeping a copy around.

Microsoft publishes a new expert guide to mastering Windows 8.1

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 1:35pm CET par Wayne Williams

Windows 8.1 -- or "New Windows" as it’s increasing being referred to -- is much easier to use than its predecessor, thanks to the inclusion of various help and tips built directly into the OS. There is still a learning curve for anyone coming to Windows 8.1 from an older, or different, operating system, but it’s nowhere near as challenging to get to grips with as Windows 8 undoubtedly was.

The new operating system is very powerful, but many people won’t be aware of just what it’s capable of, so to help users uncover the advanced features on offer Microsoft has published a new 20 page PDF guide covering areas such as File Explorer, Task Manager, Internet Explorer 11, Mobility Center, Windows To Go, Miracast, and SkyDrive.

The Windows 8.1 Power User Guide for Business is, as the name says, aimed at business users, but the information it contains will be of use to anyone looking for ways to do more with the tiled OS.

As the description accompanying the guide says:

With the new Windows, you have everything you need to work efficiently. Your familiar desktop is better than ever with advanced functionalities, like the new Task Manager and streamlined file management. Internet Explorer 11 gives you instant and fluid access to the world. And best of all, you can do it all feeling confident that your important data is secure. With the advanced features of Windows 8.1, you can get the most out of your device.

The guide explains how to access the various features, providing details for all input methods -- touch, mouse and keyboard.

You’ll be shown how to customize the taskbar, manage apps and services, use Windows To Go, master IE11, use Miracast to project Windows to a wireless display, protect your device, store stuff in SkyDrive, and sync your settings. There are also full pages devoted to getting the most out of touch, the mouse, and keyboard.

The Windows 8.1 Power User Guide for Business is available to download from here.

LG G Flex to reach 20 European countries starting next month, US this quarter

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 12:53pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

South Korean maker LG has announced that its G Flex Android smartphone is set to reach 20 European countries. The roll out of the handset, that offers a curved display and self-healing coating as its main highlights, commences in February on the old continent.

"The introduction of the LG G Flex in Europe demonstrates our confidence in the global marketplace for a curved smartphone", says LG CEO Dr. Jong-seok Park. "As a premium smartphone, the G Flex will further establish LG as a brand that offers something unique for every consumer segment. This is a device that is guaranteed to start a conversation wherever it goes".

Even though LG has not specifically mentioned all 20 European countries where the G Flex will be sold starting next month, the company said that Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and UK will be among those local markets. The G Flex is also set to reach US "sometime this quarter", where it will be available at local mobile operators AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

The G Flex specifications include: 6-inch curved P-OLED (plastic-OLED) display with a resolution of 720 by 1280 and "Real RGB" matrix; 2.26 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with Adreno 330 graphics and 2 GB of RAM; 3,500 mAh built-in battery; 32 GB of internal storage; 13 MP back-facing camera; 2.1 MP front-facing camera; 4G LTE cellular connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0; NFC and Android 4.2.2. Jelly Bean as the operating system of choice. The smartphone comes in at 160.5 x 81.6 x 7.9 - 8.7 mm and 177 grams. The only color available is Titan Silver.

There is no mention of pricing for Europe, but in the US AT&T has announced it will cost $299.99 on a two-year contract through its online and brick and mortar stores, when it will be available to pre-order on January 24 (official sales kick off on February 7).

Amazon holds (another) Kindle Fire sale

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 12:51pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Since the latest generation of the Kindle Fire family of tablets rolled out, it almost seems the devices are on sale more often than not. Just recently the retail giant celebrated being named number one in customer satisfaction with a promo code for its devices, now it’s using football as an excuse for one more deal.

It’s not hard to deduce why this latest bargain is being given -- Amazon is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, home of the Seahawks who are now Super Bowl-bound to battle the Denver Broncos. In fact, the graphic currently displayed on the homepage illustrates the Seahawks-49ers game this past Sunday.

The deal is offering $30 off the price, making the 7-inch model only $199. To take advantage, customers need to enter the promo code GameOn30 at checkout. You’ll need to grab the tablet today, as the offer expires at 11:59 PST on January 21.

Of course, if you miss out, there will almost certainly be another sale right around the corner. The company doesn’t need to earn money on the hardware, as it plans to make that up on the backend.

The rise of the phablet -- shipments to hit 120 million by 2018

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 12:42pm CET par Mark Wilson

The phablet. It's a device with a silly name, but it's a market that is gaining massive momentum. Analysis by Juniper Research suggests that the number of larger-screened devices that ship will rocket by 600 percent by 2018. Projected figures show shipments jumping from around 20 million devices in 2013, to 120 million five years later. But taking into account the loose definition of a phablet it is possible that the figures could be even higher.

In fact there is no "official" definition of a phablet, at least in terms of the size of screen a device must sport in order to qualify for the title. Juniper Research acknowledges that phones with very large screens are increasingly common, with many high-end handsets featuring 5 inch - 5.5 inch displays. For the purposes of its report, Juniper Research uses the term phablet to refer to handsets that have a screen size between 5.6 inches and 6.9 inches.

Although the research suggests that phablets will increase in popularity at both the high and low ends of the scale, it is expected that the devices will hold particular appeal in poorer countries. While this may sound counter-intuitive, the dual-functionality of a phablet -- replacing both a smartphone and a tablet -- could actually make more financial sense for people with a lower disposable income.

Juniper Research expects that established names such as Nokia and Samsung will dominate the upper end of the market, while lesser-known manufacturers will focus on emerging markets. The paper also suggests that just how things play out in the phablet market will be heavily influence by whether Apple gets involved or not. As things stand at the moment, dominance in the phablet arena looks to be a battle between Android and Windows.

Photo Credit: Tanjala Gica/Shutterstock

Management and employees out of step on IT policies

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 12:35pm CET par Ian Barker

Communication disconnect

Email encryption specialist DataMotion has released the results of its second annual survey focusing on email and file transfer habits.

This highlights a wide-ranging communications disconnect between IT management and non-IT employees on security and compliance policies.

Among the statistics to emerge from the survey are that while over 51 percent of IT managers say that free consumer file transfer products were forbidden at their companies, only 24 percent of non-IT workers believe that to be the case.

A similar picture emerges with BYOD. 56.1 percent of IT managers say they have a BYOD policy, yet 74.9 percent of non-IT employees say their company either doesn’t have a policy or are unsure. This is more surprising since over 86 percent of those same organizations say they allow the use of mobile devices for email.

Things are no better when it comes to compliance. Nearly 80 percent of respondents believe that co-workers and employees violate security policies when transferring files electronically. IT managers are offenders here too, with one in five saying they "take risks because we don’t have the resources to be totally compliant". Also almost a quarter admitted to turning off policy-based filtering because it caused problems with false positives.

There are some improvements over last year’s survey, however. 71.7 percent of respondents say they now have email encryption capabilities, a 6.2 percent increase over 2012 survey results. Confidence in compliance has improved too with 48.1 percent feeling "very" confident their company would pass a compliance audit, compared to only 37.5 percent a year ago.

"It’s good to see improvements in security and compliance since last year, but serious problems remain and new ones have cropped up," says DataMotion's Chief Technology Officer, Bob Janacek. "There’s always a demand for new tools such as email on mobile devices -- companies and workers look for better ways to get the job done. The challenge is to provide encryption and filtering tools that are easy for people to use, and dependable so they don't get disabled".

The survey polled more than 400 IT and business decision-makers across the US and Canada. It particularly focused on those in industries which routinely deal with sensitive data and compliance regulations, such as financial services, healthcare and government.

Photo Credit: Nagy-Bagoly Arpad / Shutterstock

Nokia Lumia Icon shows up on Verizon's site

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 12:31pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

The Lumia 929 is, without a doubt, the worst kept secret in Nokia's recent history. Pictures of the new Windows Phone have appeared numerous times, leaving nothing to the imagination. Furthermore, the handset even went on sale in China, at a local online retailer with its Verizon branding, ahead of its official launch.

Also ahead of its official launch, the Lumia Icon -- known as the Lumia 929 -- has appeared on Verizon's site, revealing every detail that one might want to know about the device. As you may have read so far, this Windows Phone is allegedly a big red-exclusive offering.

The information listed on Verizon's site, regarding the price of the device, may not be accurate, as $777 sounds highly unlikely for the Lumia Icon to cost with a two-year contract. However, the other bits seem more plausible, starting with the color options -- black and white.

Here's the full specs rundown, according to Verizon: 5.0-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top; 2.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor; 2 GB of RAM; 2420 mAh built-in battery; 32 GB of internal storage; 20 MP PureView camera on the back with optical image stabilization and dual LED flash (takes 19 MP photos, with 5 MP versions for sharing) with 1080p video recording; 1.2 MP front-facing camera with 720p video recording; 4G LTE cellular connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0 (with limited LE -- Low Energy -- support) and NFC. It supports the ISIS Mobile Wallet, wireless charging support and runs Windows Phone 8. Needless to say, the Lumia Icon offers a slew of Nokia-branded apps and services. The device comes in at 136.9 x 70.9 x 9.9 mm (5.39 x 2.79 x 0.39 inches) and 166 grams (5.86 ounces).

The specs differ when compared to the ones listed on the site of the Chinese online retailer Taobao. The latter shows the Windows Phone as having a microSD card slot and larger 3,400 mAh battery and 20.7 MP back-facing camera. Considering that Verizon's listing is not exactly official and, therefore, could include some mistakes, it is difficult to tell which one of the two is the most accurate. We will find out once Nokia takes the wraps off its new Windows Phone.

Microsoft takes on the government again, this time focusing on the international community

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 9:52am CET par Alan Buckingham

Microsoft and the government are not strangers -- they have met in court, most notably during anti-trust hearings. More recently, the General Council of the company took matters into his own hands when he deemed the US government an "advanced persistent threat". Now Brad Smith is back for round two.

This time the lawyer is aiming at the upcoming World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. Smith posted a missive today regarding the conference and calling for an international convention to address recent concerns.

He touched on the press conference given by President Obama, which we covered here, though he was much kinder than my colleague Mark Wilson was regarding the news that came out of that. "We appreciate the steps the President announced, which represent positive progress on key issues including privacy protections for non-US citizens", Smith stated.

He explains how tensions can arise during times of crisis, referencing the Napoleonic Wars, Civil War, and John Adams' Alien and Sedition Acts, even the US internment of Japanese-American citizens during the Second World War.

"The issues this time are even more complicated today than in the past. The War against Terrorism is more permanent than these prior wars. Hence, a moment has passed, but an era of concern continues", Smith explains.

The lawyer goes on the discuss international values, and English Common Law, and calls for an International Convention to embrace the common values of all world citizens, that could offer a resolution for both sides of this argument.

Smith explains that the company understands the needs of law enforcement in cases where criminal activity is known, stating "we should create new processes that promote public safety by facilitating timely access to data while ensuring appropriate privacy protections for individuals. A new convention could achieve this by creating new processes that supplement the existing MLAT rules".

The entire situation is complicated, to put things mildly, but Smith, for his part, does seem genuine in his efforts. We have no way of knowing if anything he calls for will be put into motion, but at least the effort is there. We can only hope he speaks for his company in this matter. Now it's a game of waiting to see if his words are heeded.

Photo Credit: pryzmat/Shutterstock

VLC for iOS gets a new look, Google Drive/Dropbox streaming

Publié: janvier 21, 2014, 9:48am CET par Mike Williams

VideoLAN’s popular media player VLC for iOS has been upgraded to 2.2 with a revamped iOS 7-style interface, along with new multi-touch gestures for easier navigation.

Google Drive integration and Dropbox streaming should make it much easier to access your media. And if that’s not enough, the new build also adds support for HTTP Live Streaming, m3u streams and https playback.

Media library improvements see TV shows now sorted by season and episode numbers. Any item can now be renamed in the library view, and you’re able to delete multiple items in a single step.

Low-level additions include new support for downloading files from UPnP servers, "dramatically" improved Wi-Fi upload reliability and convenient support for system-wide HTTP proxy settings.

There are plenty of useful smaller tweaks, too, ranging from new FTP server bookmarks to support for repeating the currently playing item.

An official blog post on the release has more details, if you need them, otherwise VLC for iOS 2.2 is available now.