Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » février 26, 2014

BetaNews.Com (17 non lus)

Microsoft's attempts to persuade XP users to switch to Windows 8.1 are wide of the mark

Publié: février 26, 2014, 8:38pm CET par Wayne Williams

On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows XP. After that date, users of the aging OS will no longer receive new security updates, hotfixes, support options, or online technical content updates.

Obviously the tech giant is worried about the dangers than might befall XP users who continue to cling on to the decade-and-a-bit old OS after that date, and that’s the reason for all the blog posts that have been appearing lately. I mean, sure, it looks like Microsoft is cynically using the death of XP support purely to try and persuade people to upgrade to Windows 8.1 but that’s not the case, honestly. Oh, okay, maybe it is. A bit.

Today’s new blog post is a prime example. It helpfully goes into details on what is going to happen after April 8, pointing out that, "Many newer apps won’t run on Windows XP; new hardware may not support Windows XP; and without critical security updates, PCs may become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware and other malicious software that can steal or damage personal information and business data". It also adds that "driver support will be discontinued, meaning that new printers, scanners and other devices may not be compatible with PCs running Windows XP and Office 2003".

So far, so helpful, but then suddenly the inevitable Windows 8.1 hard sell kicks in, and XP users are told it’s time to make their move into the modern PC era and are presented with a list of reasons why they should choose the tiled OS, as opposed to the massively more popular Windows 7, or a Linux-based solution, which my colleague Brian Fagioli suggests.

The post describes Windows 8.1 as the "best Windows yet", which is kind of true, and kind of not. I use Windows 8.1 and think it’s great, but you have to ask, if it’s truly the "best Windows yet" why is Microsoft still making wholesale changes to it? But I digress.

Then comes a list of reasons why XP users should choose the new OS, all filled with airy talk of "touch performance", "apps and services" and a "beautifully redesigned Windows Store". If I was an XP user, that would instantly put me off.

If you’ve been using XP since it launched, or for a very long time at least, pretty much your only reason for considering upgrading now would be for security purposes, and to ensure any new software runs properly. A tiled interface, Bing integration, a food and drink app, and the inclusion of IE 11 "designed from the ground up for touch devices" really aren’t going to appear on any XP user’s wish list.

"Windows 8.1 was built around you," the blog post proclaims, "and features an improved and even more customizable Start screen with variable tile sizes and more background designs and colors…"

That doesn’t sound like something built around a Windows XP user.

But that’s the problem with all these blog posts Microsoft has been producing lately. They start off talking about the end of days for XP and then end up cutting and pasting from the Windows 8.1 sales brochure.

If Microsoft really wants people to switch from XP to Windows 8.1, maybe it should be focusing on the features that might actually appeal to those users. Like the ability to automatically back-up personal content, the inclusion of modern drivers, improved multi-monitor support, various future proofing features, built-in protection against malware, ongoing security updates and support, and the fact you can refresh your PC without affecting your files. There are plenty of reasons for XP users to consider upgrading to Windows 8.1 but few of those users will be persuaded to make the leap if the best Microsoft has to boast about is a colorful tiled front end and built-in Bing.

Image Credit: Digital Storm/Shutterstock

Canonical announces third edition of Ubuntu App Showdown contest

Publié: février 26, 2014, 6:32pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Chickens and eggs are pains in the butt. No, not the actual bird and its ovum, but the causality dilemma. The old argument asks if a chicken or egg came first. Of course, both answers are a dilemma as you need a chicken to lay an egg and you need an egg to get a chicken.

This applies to computer platforms and apps too. People may choose to buy an Android or iOS device because there are a lot of apps. Developers make the apps because a lot of people choose the platform. So, how can a new platform get apps if no one develops for it? In other words, if you don't have users, you wont get apps and if you don't have apps, you won't get users. In an effort to get developers interested in its mobile platform, Canaonical announces the third edition of Ubuntu App Showdown contest.

"Today we announce the launch of our third Ubuntu App Showdown contest! We are excited to bring you yet another engaging developer competition, where the Ubuntu app developer community brings innovative and interesting new apps for Ubuntu on mobile devices", says Canonical.

The company further explains, "contestants will have six weeks to build and publish their apps using the new Ubuntu SDK and Ubuntu platform starting today. Both original apps and ported apps, QML and HTML5, and apps specifically for the Chinese market will qualify for this competition".

There are four categories for which contestants can enter:

QML -- original apps written in QML or with a combination of QML and JavaScript/C++
HTML5 -- original apps written using web technologies, be it pure HTML (and CSS/JavaScript) or with platform access using Apache Cordova
Ported -- apps ported from another platform, regardless of the technology used
Chinese apps -- apps in this category will have to be original and specific to China and the Chinese culture. They will be judged by two native experts in our jury.

Canonical will be giving away Nexus 7 tablets to winners in the first 3 categories. However, two winners from the Chinese app category will win a Meizu device. While these prizes are appreciated, they are a bit...inexpensive. I had hoped Canonical would have delivered grander awards for the effort. However, the true prize is the recognition that the developer will receive.

Do you plan to enter the contest? Tell me in the comments.

Chameleon virus spreads between wireless access points like the common cold

Publié: février 26, 2014, 6:30pm CET par Mark Wilson

The latest breed of virus is airborne. We're not talking about a 24 hour bug that does the rounds at the office, but a computer virus. A team of researchers at the University of Liverpool, UK, demonstrated how a virus known as Chameleon was able to spread undetected over Wi-Fi by exploiting vulnerabilities in access points.

For town and cities where there are large numbers of routers and access points in close proximity, this represents a serious security risk as there is potential for a terrifying number of infections to be made in very little time.

The spread of the virus has been likened to the spread of the common cold, and it takes advantage of known weaknesses. What is particularly worrying about the spread is that it is very difficult to detect. "When Chameleon attacked an AP it didn’t affect how it worked, but was able to collect and report the credentials of all other Wi-Fi users who connected to it," says Alan Marshall, Professor of Network Security at the University. "The virus then sought out other Wi-Fi APs that it could connect to and infect".

Tackling the spread of such viruses is far more complex than those that take a more traditional form. Antivirus tools are only effective against viruses that can be detected on hard drives, in memory, or in network traffic, but in the case of Chameleon it is the Wi-Fi network itself that is infected. Just as the common cold can be carried by someone without them exhibiting any symptoms, so Chameleon can move from host to host until it finds one that can be fully infected.

It is not just fixed access points that pose a risk. Routers and other networking equipment are in plentiful supply in urban areas, but factor in mobile devices and there is then potential for the infection to spread even further afield. Professor Marshall explained that many businesses are likely to have advanced security measures in place that could thwart the spread of such a virus, but this is less likely to be the case for smaller businesses and individuals.

Full details of the research have been published online and are available for anyone to read, and the next move is to create firmware for access points that will be resistant to this type of attack.

Image Credit: Pressmaster/Shutterstock

Google becomes the official voting platform for American Idol

Publié: février 26, 2014, 5:47pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Music is my biggest hobby and passion. Whether happy or sad, it helps enhance my moods. When I am feeling good, I may put on some Ben Folds Five and conversely, Radiohead when feeling blue. Believe it or not, I also like Hip-Hop and Country.

Even though I love music, I have never been a huge fan of American Idol. This is surprising, as it is a wildly popular singing competition. However, I am a fan of one aspect of the show -- the voting. I love being empowered to pick a winner, regardless of the competition. Today, Google announces a partnership with FOX and American Idol to make voting even easier.

"Calling all American Idol fans! Tonight marks the beginning of American Idol's live finalist performance shows. Now, for the first time, you can vote for your favorite performers directly from Google. We've partnered with FOX to serve as an official voting platform for Idol and you can vote for Idol finalists on Google from your phone, tablet, or desktop", says Ardan Arac, Google.

Google lists the following steps to vote:

Search -- Visit google.com or use the Google Search App (iOS and Android) and search for [american idol] or [idol] during the voting window and select from your favorite finalists.
Vote -- Add up to 50 votes per contestant. You can select your favorites and submit your picks, directly from Google. You can vote for as many contestants as you want.
Submit -- Click submit to send your votes to American Idol. Then watch Idol videos on YouTube, share on Google+, or go back and vote for another contestant if you haven't yet.

So, even if you think American Idol is lame, you must admit that it is cool to vote through Google. I will be watching tonight so I can test the process. Who knows, maybe my vote will be the one that helps pick the next great singing sensation!

Are you a fan of American Idol? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: s_bukley/Shutterstock

Worldwide server shipments up in 2013 but revenues in decline

Publié: février 26, 2014, 5:28pm CET par Ian Barker

According to new research by Gartner worldwide server shipments were up 2.1 percent in 2013 whilst revenues declined by 4.5 percent.

Most of this shipment growth has taken place in the Asia/Pacific and Japan regions whilst the North American market has remained relatively flat. Vendor revenue declined everywhere except the Asia/Pacific region where it grew by just 0.6 percent.

"2013 presented some pronounced differences in various server market segments," says Jeffrey Hewitt, research vice president at Gartner. "We've seen ongoing growth in Web-scale IT deployments, while the enterprise remained relatively constrained. In terms of hardware platform types, mainframe and RISC/Itanium Unix platform market performance kept overall revenue growth in check".

In the Europe, Middle East and Africa market both shipments and revenue have declined. Adrian O'Connell, research director at Gartner says, "The EMEA server market continued to suffer as it recorded its 10th consecutive quarterly revenue decline. Economic weakness continued to have a profound effect on the EMEA server market. Total revenue in 2013 was only around two-thirds of that seen in 2007, before the downturn set in".

Breaking the worldwide figures down by manufacturer, HP dominates in terms of box shipments with 27.9 percent of the market, followed by Dell on 19.5 and IBM on 9.0. A different picture emerges when you look at revenue, however, with HP still leading on 28.1 percent but IBM close behind on 26.5 and Dell trailing in third with 15.2 percent. IBM's position shows a big decline, it had 34.9 of the market by revenue at the end of 2012.

The market for x86 servers remains strong as it's still the most popular platform for large data centers, showing a revenue increase of 0.8 percent despite a small drop in shipments of 2.6 percent over the year. HP is dominant here with 40.3 percent of the x86 blade server market, Cisco coming second on 15.9 percent.

The full breakdown of figures is available on the Gartner website.

Image Credit: watcharakun / Shutterstock

Is 2014 the year you cut the cord to cable and satellite?

Publié: février 26, 2014, 4:20pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Cord-cutting is a popular phrase these days. The act of getting rid of the overpriced cable or satellite subscription bill is certainly appealing, but is it practical for most people? Many of us no longer watch shows live -- we've become a DVR generation. But there is a catch to that, as live sports are still the biggest draw on US TV.

Recently Fox Sports streamed the Super Bowl, and it did so without restriction. In other words, you didn't need to prove you were a customer of Dish, Comcast or any other money-pit. You just tuned in, dealt with the ads, and watched the game.

That isn't the norm, sadly, but the exception. Many channels on devices like Roku still come with that tired old requirement, but the recent NFL-Fox stream shows that these things may be headed for change.

Services like Hulu, Amazon Prime and Netflix are also becoming attractive alternatives. Each now features original programing, and it is as good, or better, than what the networks are throwing at us. Yes, each costs a fee, but combine all three and I bet it's still less than that cable bill laying on your desk.

Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes like Roku, Google TV, Apple TV and others offer endless options, though again, some are restricted. But all are viable choices and that’s the problem facing today's TV providers. The momentum of the game is shifting, and it doesn’t favor the Comcasts of the world.

In 2014 we should see this trend continue and likely gain steam. Those providing TV today are going to have to face the prospect of being simple bandwidth providers. None of them wishes to end up like that of course, but the choice isn't in their hands. It may come to pass with much kicking and screaming, but it will happen none-the-less.

So, have you cut the cord, or do you think you could? I expect sports to be a major stumbling block for many of you, Fox and the NFL have proved that is changing, though.

Image Credit: auremar / Shutterstock

What's new in Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1?

Publié: février 26, 2014, 4:14pm CET par Nick Peers

Microsoft has unveiled the first Service Pack update for Microsoft Office 2013 with the release of Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit) and Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit). As expected, the SP1 is primarily a collection of previously released security patches and bug fixes, but does include some compatibility improvements as well as new apps for Office capabilities and APIs for third-party developers.

The update comes with the promise of improved compatibility with Windows 8.1 as well as Internet Explorer 11. It’s also optimized to work better with newer hardware, such as high-DPI screens and precision touchpads.

Program-specific changes include providing support for task pane apps in Outlook 2013, which will allow developers to extend the capabilities of the Compose window when writing new emails or calendar items. Meanwhile, PowerPoint 2013 gains the ability to insert and use content apps in individual slides.

Office 365 ProPlus customers also gain a new 3D visualization tool for mapping, exploring and interacting with geographical and temporal data in Excel called Power Map.

The update also renames its SkyDrive Pro client to OneDrive for Business, and includes all fixes and security patches released since Office 2013 rolled out -- a comprehensive list can viewed in this Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

The update also corrects a number of issues with Microsoft’s business conferencing tool Lync 2013, including one that made it impossible to hear the first few words of a call as well as another that prevented Windows 8.1 users from rotating the screen orientation in a video window.

Users are advised that if they subsequently uninstall the Service Pack from a Windows 8/8.1 machine, the Office application tile will become blank if pinned to the Start screen. Performing a repair install should resolve this behavior.

SP1 also blocks those COM add-ins known to crash on large numbers of machines -- users can selectively re-enable these via the File tab’s Options dialog: select Add-ins, then click COM add-ins on the Manager drop-down menu followed by Go. Simply tick those disabled add-ins and click OK to see if they’ll now work correctly.

Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit) and Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit) are both available now as free downloads for PCs running Microsoft Office 2013 -- the updates are already incorporated into those running Office as part of an Office 365 subscription. Also available is a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013.

US House of Representatives approves bill legalizing phone unlocking

Publié: février 26, 2014, 2:51pm CET par Mark Wilson

Do you rue the day you signed up with your phone provider? Maybe you've found a better offer elsewhere and want to take your cell phone to another company. Now, if you're in the US, you are able to -- legally -- unlock your mobile and take it to whatever network you like. The bill was approved yesterday, having been brought about by a massive petition that gathered over 100,000 signatures. A 2012 ruling made unlocking illegal by closing a DMCA exemption loophole that had been permitted in 2006 and 2010.

In other parts of the world it is common practice to unlock phones and move them between providers, so it's understandable that US residents felt they were getting a poor deal. Now the bill has been approved, handset owners are able "to legally unlock their cell phones so that they can use it on other cellular networks." But this does not mean there is going to be a free-for-all; unlocking must be carried out "without violating anti-circumvention provisions".

But the bill does not go as far as some people would like. The provision that "this bill does not permit the unlocking of cell phones for the purpose of bulk resale" is understandable up to a point, but there is also the risk that this serves to push up the price of handsets. There are also limits on the type of device that can be unlocked -- for now at least. Bill H.R. 1123 now permits the unlocking of phones, but a decision is yet to be made about tablets.

This is not to say that tablet unlocking will not be made legal at some point in the future, but for now the bill "directs the Librarian to study the issue of unlocking other cellular devices (e.g. tablets) and enact a rulemaking for these devices". It will be interesting to see just how quickly tablet legislation changes -- really there is no reason for them to be treated any differently to cell phones.

The bill is likely to be broadly welcomed by consumers, but for Public Knowledge, an organization fighting for consumer rights, it does not go far enough. A statement on the Public Knowledge website explains that the group "supported a previous version of the bill that did not draw a distinction between cell phone unlocking and bulk cell phone unlocking".

Sherwin Siy, Vice President of Legal Affairs at Public Knowledge said:

We're glad that the bill will allow Americans to unlock their phones. However, language recently added to the bill could be interpreted to make future unlocking efforts more difficult. We're disappointed that the House was unable to reach a compromise that would have prevented such barriers and still met the objectives of helping consumers.

It's clear that more needs to be done to prevent copyright law from interfering with consumers' rights and picking winners and losers between business models. There is bipartisan support for such an approach to reform and we're hopeful that the bill will be improved in the Senate.

Businesses will see the bulk unlock caveat as a serious obstacle and, ultimately, it means a worse deal (or at least not as good a deal as could be conceived) for consumers as well.

What do you make of it all? Is it a step in the right direction, or a watered-down piece of legislation?

Photo credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock

Find and uninstall junk programs -- from a batch file

Publié: février 26, 2014, 2:07pm CET par Mike Williams

As you’ll probably guess from its name, Crap Killer is a tool which scans your PC, trying to find browser toolbars and other junk, then offers to help you remove them.

This is all extremely basic, though. There’s no special detection of spyware here; if a program doesn’t appear in the Add/ Remove Programs applet then Crap Killer won’t find it. And there’s nothing to remove unwanted programs, either. All you can do is launch their official uninstaller.

What’s more, when we tested Crap Killer, it suggested removing plenty of perfectly legitimate applications (Freemake Video Converter, for example). Accuracy isn’t a strong point.

So, why are we telling you about this? There’s one main reason: Crap Killer is a batch file. That alone makes it a real technical achievement, but it also means you can freely edit its code to suit your own needs. Open the script in Notepad and you’ll find a line like this (only much, much longer).

@set include_list= /c:"toolbar" /c:"bar " /c:"coupon" /c:"shopp" /c:"shop to " /c:"shopat" /c:"shop at " /c:"arcade" /c:"price" /c:"deal" /c: "free"

Crap Killer works by scanning through your list of installed programs, and highlighting any which contain these keywords in its name. Using /c: "free" causes a problem because it appears in many legitimate programs, but as this is a batch file, you can just open it, remove that keyword, and try again. Easy.

The script’s detection algorithm is still almost entirely useless, of course, but again, because this is a batch file, you can reinvent it for some other purpose. What if you would like an easier way to remove a particular set of programs from your PC? Then you might replace the above line with something like this:

@set include_list= /c:"Adobe" /c:"Google" /c:"Nvidia"

Run the script now and it will list only Adobe, Google and NVIDIA programs. Launch the script with an /auto command line switch and it’ll even run each uninstaller automatically.

If you sometimes create batch files yourself, though, Crap Killer’s real value could be as an example of just what can be done. Are you curious how a batch file can find and process the list of installed applications, perhaps? Take a look at this (we’ve cut it down from the original, but the core remains).

FOR /F "tokens=1 delims=|" %%n IN (‘reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall /s ^& reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall /s 2^>nul ‘) DO echo %%n >> "%tmp%\tmpUC.txt"

Don’t worry about the precise syntax, just look at the basic structure: a For loop repeatedly calling the reg.exe tool, querying the Registry keys listing your installed applications, and saving the results as a file. Very nicely done.

There’s plenty more, too, from a simple trick to create a progress indicator, to a technique where Crap Killer elevates itself to gain admin rights (cheating, basically, though in a clever way). It may be a feeble junkware detector, but this is a very impressive batch file, with a range of interesting ideas which you can freely reuse in your own scripts.

Plan to buy Samsung's Galaxy S5? Get a microSD card too (or the 32 GB model)

Publié: février 26, 2014, 12:14pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

The amount of storage that is advertised in a product's specifications sheet never matches the user-available capacity when software is preinstalled on the device. That is to be expected, but there comes a point when customers may be getting too little space to store some content and install a few apps. With just a couple of games, that are growing in size nowadays, there might be nothing left available.

That is what upcoming Galaxy S5 buyers will have to deal with, as the preinstalled software on Samsung's new flagship takes up more than half of the advertised storage on the 16 GB model. Yes, that is roughly 8 GB occupied out-of-the-box.

A photo of the Galaxy S5's storage screen, posted by Android Central, shows the 16 GB model coming with just 7.86 GB available on the pre-release firmware. Expect nothing to change in the final version, as Samsung is unlikely to remove anything in the meantime.

Galaxy S4 owners probably saw this one coming, as last year's flagship also arrived with roughly half of the advertised storage occupied by the firmware alone. This issue extends to other devices, the most notable of which are the Microsoft Surface tablets which take up even more space for Windows 8/RT and additional partitions.

Prospective Galaxy S5 buyers should buy a large microSD card to increase the available storage and/or shell out for the more expensive 32 GB model which will give them more room to play with. Luckily, microSD storage comes at a low price.

The storage requirements for preinstalled software are unlikely to change, but it would be nice for manufacturers to start to offer at least 32 GB of storage in their flagship models, which we know to bundle quite a few (unnecessary) apps. As you can see, 16 GB is just not enough.

Are you reading this when you should be working?

Publié: février 26, 2014, 11:16am CET par Ian Barker

A study of 2,500 people in the UK shows that 68 percent have been distracted from completing work by browsing the web, checking emails and engaging in social media.

In addition, 63 percent said they had lost their train of thought while working on a report or long piece of written work because they responded to an email or social media alert.

The survey also reveals that 36 percent lose an hour or more a day in productivity to email and social media and that 53 percent thought that checking these things whilst trying to work revealed a worrying lack of control.

Excuse me while I check my Twitter feed...

Working from home doesn't help things either with 59 percent saying that they lost more time to online distractions. What's more this lack of self-discipline makes people unhappy, with 62 percent of respondents agreeing that there was a link to a reduction in their satisfaction and happiness levels when they realized they'd been less productive.

Playwright Will Little, creator of Webtrate.com says, "The survey suggests our impulse control is getting weaker in a world of instant gratification. Yet the pressure of work should mitigate against our desire to access the internet. Unfortunately the draw of the internet is so strong that our ability to concentrate is losing the battle. It is now directly impacting on productivity levels and many people just can't seem to help themselves. In many cases, they don’t even realize how much productivity they are losing to internet".

Ooh, interesting Facebook update there. Like...

Of those who said they were being distracted, 71 percent said they believed they'd get more done if they could disconnect from the internet for a time each day. Which brings us -- if you haven’t wandered off to check your email by now -- to the hard sell.

The Webtrate application forces users to disconnect from the internet and focus on their work goals. Developed by Little, who created it to boost his own output, it offers two options. It can disconnect at a set time but will allow you back online after a reboot, or if you need some extra discipline it won't allow you back online until a set time has expired.

Little concludes, "What we need is a way to separate our work from the distraction of the internet. I created Webtrate because my productivity levels dropped when I had access to the internet. Instead of working fully I checked emails and read endless news updates. Now since I developed Webtrate my productivity has improved considerably. I still engage with the internet but only when my work is done. And I'm a lot more satisfied and happy for it".

Webtrate is available now for Windows and Mac systems, you can find out more if you can concentrate for long enough to click this link.

Image Credit: Angela Waye / Shutterstock

Samsung details Galaxy S5's new octa-core processor (Yes, there is one)

Publié: février 26, 2014, 10:58am CET par Mihaita Bamburic

In keeping up with tradition, there will be two processors available in the Samsung Galaxy S5. The international version gets Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 801, while another model -- that will most likely be available in non-LTE markets -- ships with the company's own octa-core Exynos chip, that Samsung just unveiled at MWC 2014.

Samsung is increasingly reliant on Qualcomm processors for its flagship Android devices, like the Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3 and, most recently, Galaxy S5, as the Exynos chips that arrived in 2013 have failed to live up to expectations. Even though those were octa-core designs, the Qualcomm-made, quad-core, solutions performed similarly and came with a very competent LTE modem as well. Samsung is not giving up (yet), as the new Exynos 5422 still aims to turn the tables in the company's favor.

The Exynos 5422 is not an octa-core processor in the traditional sense. It has eight cores, but, like its predecessors, four are designed to take heavy loads while the remaining ones handle lighter tasks. It is more of a four plus four chip.

The 28nm processor is comprised of four ARM Cortex A15 cores running at up to 2.1 GHz and four Cortex A7 cores with a maximum frequency of 1.5 GHz. Due to the new design, the Exynos 5422 is marketed with a 34 percent improvement in performance over the previous models.

Samsung's big.LITTLE HMP (Heterogeneous Multi Processing) implementation should give the maximum performance in any combination of up to eight cores, according to the data the company provided. There is support for panels with a resolution of 2560 by 1600 (and, lower), compressed display data, adaptive hibernation, as well as other new features.

Power consumption is estimated to be lower by 10 percent compared to "traditional" solutions, which will come in handy when power-hungry 2k displays arrive in smartphones and tablets.

A lesser version of the Exynos 5422, called Exynos Hexa, is set to power the Galaxy Note 3 Neo. The design is similar, but with two beefy cores running at 1.7 GHz, instead of four, and four slower ones clocked at 1.3 GHz.

Samsung says that the Exynos 5422 processor enters production in Q1 2014, but samples are available now. Presumably, it will be available in the Galaxy S5 since launch, which is set to happen in April.

Microsoft rolls out Office 2013 SP1, includes fixes and features

Publié: février 26, 2014, 10:54am CET par Wayne Williams

Microsoft has released a service pack update for the latest version of Office. Service Pack 1 (SP1) promises greater stability, expanded functionality, and security enhancements for Office 2013, SharePoint 2013 and Exchange Server 2013, as well as improved compatibility with Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

The service pack contains all of the public and cumulative updates released since Office 2013 first became available, as well as numerous unreleased fixes and updates that reflect recent changes. SP1 improvements include:

Compatibility fixes for Windows 8.1 and Internet Explorer 11.
Better support for modern hardware, such as high DPI devices and the precision touchpad.
New apps for Office capabilities and APIs for developers.
Power Map for Excel, a 3D visualization tool for mapping, exploring, and interacting with geographical and temporal data in Excel, is now available to Office 365 ProPlus subscription customers.
Improvements to the Click-to-Run virtualization technology that installs and updates Office 365 desktop applications.
SkyDrive Pro is now OneDrive for Business.

Office 2013 customers will begin to get notifications of SP1 availability through Windows Update within the next 30 days, or you can download it directly below.

Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit)

Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit)

Office 365 subscribers are always on the most up-to-date version of Office products so don’t need to do anything.

Photo credit: kurhan/Shutterstock

Hey BYOD, Samsung's new Knox is here

Publié: février 26, 2014, 9:54am CET par Mihaita Bamburic

BYOD BYOD is in full swing, but most businesses are not prepared for it. In order to maintain a high level of security, companies that embrace the movement, or want to, have to change, or adapt, their existing policies to accommodate the wave of devices their employees are bringing in, which is not what 55 percent of them are doing, according to a study issued last week.

Samsung is among the few mobile devices manufacturers to take an active role in ensuring its products are BYOD-ready and enabled straight off the bat. Its response to the movement is Knox, a solution the company released one year ago, to augment the Samsung for Enterprise program. And, now, the successor arrives to beef up Knox even further.

The latest, and greatest, Knox iteration was unveiled at MWC 2014, in Barcelona, as a major upgrade over its predecessor. Samsung even released an SDK (Software Development Kit), which includes over 1000 APIs, to allow customers to tailor the BYOD solution to fit their needs.

There are improvements related to security and flexibility, like two separate containers per device which will come in handy for those who have two jobs and wish to keep related content isolated. Google Play software that supports the Android multi-user framework can now be used inside Knox containers. IT administrators can control what is installed on Knox-toting smartphones and tablets, through app whitelists and blacklists.

There is also a new feature that pertains to the security of the installed Android distribution. The new Knox iteration adds a real-time monitor for the operating system's kernel that is touted to improve the protection against malware. Check the link in the paragraph above for the complete changelog.

Alongside the beefed-up Knox, Samsung also introduced the Knox Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) and Marketplace. The former aims to give customers a "simple, effective and affordable way to manage their mobile devices, user identities, user access privileges, role-based policies, and deployed apps", while the latter is basically an app store for Knox software and SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions.

As you might expect, the latest Knox iteration will be available in select Samsung smartphones and tablets. There is no information at the moment that mentions the exact release date.

Photo credit: Ivelin Radkov/Shutterstock

Kaspersky launches a 'safe' Windows Phone browser

Publié: février 26, 2014, 9:03am CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Due to its low market share, Windows Phone is not a popular target for malware writers, which gives users a sense of security. Whether that is genuine or false it remains to be seen, but, for the time being, the platform can be considered devoid of any malware.

Like iOS, Windows Phone limits what users, and apps, can do to increase security, which is also one of the reasons why malware is not running rampant. This is achieved through a number of dedicated features, like sandboxing. However, the operating system cannot keep users from visiting the darker corners of the InterWebs, or keep them safe from potential risks while doing so. Russian security company Kaspersky has decided to take matters into its own hands, and help those who navigate to suspicious or unsafe websites, by launching Safe Browser.

The app is meant to "help you browse the web safely and protect your personal or corporate data against theft", according to its description. Safe Browser is designed to be used casually as well as in corporate environments, where IT administrators can control the app's settings and adjust them to the company's policy.

Kaspersky does not provide any details that explain what exactly makes Safe Browser a good choice for Windows Phone users, but it has some neat tricks up its sleeve, some of which the company is not mentioning directly. The app can be used to block specific types of websites, for instance, like the ones that feed nudity or violence, and offers a quick way to get rid of any browsing traces.

Kasperky's Safe Browser is also among the few third-party browsers that are available in Windows Phone Store today, joining the likes of Nokia Express, Maxthon and UC Browser.

Kaspersky Safe Browser is available to download from Windows Phone Store.

iOS 7 has dangerous keylogging vulnerability

Publié: février 26, 2014, 2:55am CET par Brian Fagioli

When it rains, it pours. Sadly for Apple, it seems the company just cannot catch a break. Most recently, a nasty SSL bug was discovered in both iOS and OSX, which potentially enabled man-in-the-middle attacks and lessened security. While iOS was patched pretty quickly, OS X ws not patched until earlier today.

While that alone is enough to damage a company's reputation on security, yet another Apple vulnerability has surfaced today. Security firm FireEye has discovered a keylogging-like bug in iOS 7, which could allow evil-doers to track all touchscreen and button presses.

"Background monitoring mobile applications has become a hot topic on mobile devices. Existing reports show that such monitoring can be conducted on jailbroken iOS devices. FireEye mobile security researchers have discovered such vulnerability, and found approaches to bypass Apple's app review process effectively and exploit non-jailbroken iOS 7 successfully. We have been collaborating with Apple on this issue", says FireEye.

The security firm further explains, "we have created a proof-of-concept 'monitoring' app on non-jailbroken iOS 7.0.x devices. This 'monitoring' app can record all the user touch/press events in the background, including, touches on the screen, home button press, volume button press and TouchID press, and then this app can send all user events to any remote server [...] Potential attackers can use such information to reconstruct every character the victim inputs".

Sadly, this bug even affects the recently released 7.0.6, which patched the SSL bug. The security firm is already working with Apple, so 7.1 will likely fix this vulnerability. However, users shouldn't be forced to wait that long -- 7.1 does not even have a definitive date yet. Hopefully Apple can get a patch out quicker.

In the interim, FireEye suggests closing all unnecessary apps by double tapping the home button and swiping up to close them. Even if you trust the app or it serves a valid purpose, there is no telling if this malicious code could be hidden inside. In other words, by design, hackers could hide the code in something like Flappy Bird. Even though the game runs and functions, it could be tracking you too.

Image Credit: Eric Von Seggern/Shutterstock

Apple finally patches massive OS X security bug with Mavericks 10.9.2

Publié: février 26, 2014, 2:06am CET par Brian Fagioli

While I am a Linux guy at heart, I love OS X. After all, both Apple's operating system and Linux distributions are Unix-like. While Microsoft's Windows is relatively safe nowadays, I still feel safest on OS X or Fedora. Well, at least I did feel safe. While Linux remains rock solid, OS X and iOS have been dealt a huge blow from a trust perspective.

You see, on both of Apple's operating systems, there was a massive bug discovered, which rendered SSL to be virtually worthless. The bug was an honest mistake, any programmer could have made it. However, in a company the size of Apple, with all of its billions of dollars, it should have been caught. The entire fiasco puts a spotlight on Apple's checks and balances. Even if this is a one-off oversight, perception by consumers is everything. While the fruit-logo company was (arguably) quick to patch iOS, Mac users were left in the cold. Today, Apple finally throws its users a blanket, and releases an update to patch the nasty bug.

Surprisingly, the bug-fix was not rolled out on its own, but packaged into an entire Mavericks update -- version 10.9.2. This is disappointing, as it likely delayed the bug-fix to accommodate Apple with an easier update schedule. Even if that isn't the case, like I said earlier, perception is everything; releasing the bug-fix separately could have sent a more reassuring and apologetic message.

Now that the SSL bug is fixed, Mac users can feel safer on an unknown or untrusted access point. This fix minimizes the dreaded man-in-the-middle attacks. However, it is important to remember that not everything goes over SSL. It is still best-practice to only connect to trusted and well-known WiFi.

Besides the SSL bug, Apple touts the following benefits of Mavericks 10.9.2:

Adds the ability to make and receive FaceTime audio calls
Adds call waiting support for FaceTime audio and video calls
Adds the ability to block incoming iMessages from individual senders
Improves the accuracy of unread counts in Mail
Resolves an issue that prevented Mail from receiving new messages from certain providers
Improves AutoFill compatibility in Safari
Fixes an issue that may cause audio distortion on certain Macs
Improves reliability when connecting to a file server using SMB2
Fixes an issue that may cause VPN connections to disconnect
Improves VoiceOver navigation in Mail and Finder

I upgraded my Hackintosh today without issue and I am happy to report that I feel safer already! On a serious note, all compatible OS X users should update ASAP. Mavericks 10.9.2 is full of both goodies and bug fixes. Facetime audio-calls is a cool feature and as everyone knows, Mail.app needs all the help it can get -- fingers crossed that my Gmail starts to work better with it.

Have you updated? Was it smooth? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: SynthManiac/Shutterstock