Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » mars 27, 2014

BetaNews.Com (21 non lus)

I gave up the Ghost

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 11:54pm CET par Joe Wilcox

I spent time with the Ghost blogging platform today. I am intrigued by the visuals and promised simplicity. But I don't see the latter. At this stage, I just see complexity. Yet the whole premise is stripping back to basic blogging, rather than managing content as WordPress increasingly demands.

This month I put up a website for my personal independent publishing brand, and there are few posts, making it a good test case for migration. I easily used the WordPress plugin for exporting posts in Ghost format and imported them just fine. But I see too much trouble adapting themes, most of which look fabulous, BTW, or prepping other basic features.

Maybe I misunderstand something here. But I don't grok the modernness of Ghost. I see the same old tired blogging concept, only less-developed at this early stage, creating complexity, rather than eliminating it.

Information sharing should be contextual. Anywhere. Anytime. On anything. By any means your senses allow. Context is what modern design should be all about. Simple isn't Markdown language, which Ghost uses instead of HTML, but voice. Let me dictate and post. If pure blogging is the goal, then simplify.

Provide an easy touch drag-and-drop interface so that I can mashup content form various sources and create something new. Concepts like Pinterest are 10 feet down the right path. Don't just pin one thing but pull together five elements mixed to make something fresh.

The infant-stage -- or alpha, if you prefer -- of this concept: When someone uses a photo of, say, Grumpy Cat and adds text, mashing together two different things. The recent craze in animated gifs is similar.

Based on visuals, I was ready to sign up for a monthly paid Ghost blog. But after seeing the complexity and finding the approach far less modern than the hype, I deleted the blog and my entire account after a few hours experimentation.

If you have different experience with Ghost, if there is something I just don't get, please educate me. I love trying new things.

As for our mashup future, Google Glass promises much there, Imagine capturing a moment and incorporating directly and hidden in metadata contextual relevancy.

Hypothetical: 20-second video clip with GPS coordinations; current weather conditions when taken; touch-induced pop-up bubbles about various parts of the location at that moment in time; pop-up YouTube videos from the vlogs of people in the photo or who live in visible domiciles; and much, much more.

That's modern blogging. That's contextual blogging. Each moment is its own production, chock full of vitality, and stands as a living archive for you, your family, mates, and posterity.

Photo Credit: jagoda/Shutterstock
Microsoft launches Office for iPad

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 9:30pm CET par Mike Williams

It’s taken a very long time, but today, finally, Microsoft unveiled Office for iPad. Despite the name, Office for iPad is three separate apps -- Word, Excel and PowerPoint -- which are individually available in the App store.

The apps have a familiar interface, with the same Ribbon interface and layout. But at the same time, they’re not just a port of the regular desktop version. Menus have been optimized for touch; objects can similarly be dragged, rotated or resized with a swipe; Excel has a special formula keyboard to help you enter data quickly, and everything scales properly in both portrait and landscape mode.

There’s solid integration with other iPad features, too; you can use voice dictation to create a document, perhaps, or AirPlay to project your finished presentation.

Best of all, there’s plenty of functionality here. This isn’t the hobbled Office Mobile for iPhone: there are templates, tables, footnotes, filters, transitions, collaboration tools, and just about everything else you’ll need. Formatting is preserved so documents look just as you’d expect, and of course you can save and share your documents in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business and SharePoint.

If you’re just looking for a viewer, then the good news is that the Office apps are free. Just download them and you’ll be able to read and present documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

To create or edit documents, though, you’ll need an Office 365 subscription. If you have one already, no problem; you’re covered for all the apps installed on up to five tablets, as well as five further Office installations on your PCs and Macs.

If you’re not a subscriber, Microsoft says Office for iPad will be covered by the upcoming Office 365 Personal at $6.99 a month ($69.99 a year).

There’s no doubt that Office for iPad looks great, is powerful and easy to use. But whether it’s good enough to justify the price, when there’s so much free competition, is another question.
Amazon announces April 2nd event featuring an update on video

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 8:30pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Invitations have been hitting email inboxes today for an Amazon event, even as Microsoft was busy holding its own show. The invitation hints at what is coming, though it does not come right out and say exactly what to expect.

For now we know only one thing, the subject – "Please join us for an update on our video business". The company frequently updates its Prime video library, partnering with an increasing number of studios. These can be a big deal, depending on the movies and TV shows that come along for the ride, but the announcements have always warranted nothing more than a blog post. In other words, this is something bigger.

Rumors have been swirling that Amazon will release its own set-top box, or perhaps even simplify it into a Chromecast-like stick. That seems the most probable option, as it's unlikely an event would be held without a hardware product to unveil.

Amazon has the streaming ecosystem, through Prime, to warrant such a product, and it has proven an ability to produce high-quality, popular devices. We will find out next week -- the event will occur on April 2nd, beginning at 11am ET.
DiskAid speeds up device cloning, improves backup and restore options

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 6:32pm CET par Nick Peers

DigiDNA has released DiskAid 6.6, a new build of its tool for converting spare storage on an iOS device into an external hard drive for wireless or USB access from a Windows or Mac computer.

Version 6.6 speeds up cloning one device to others, improves support for restoring device backups and allows users to manually add or remove contacts on the iPhone via USB.

DiskAid is primarily used to facilitate the transfer of data from one computer to another using an iPad or iPhone’s spare drive capacity as the intermediary. It eliminates the need for a USB drive, while users can also access files directly from their iOS device using the companion FileApp file management tool.

Other supported features allow users to transfer data from phone to computer, including music and video, and SMS texts. Version 6.6 introduces a number of new improvements, starting with the cloning feature, which now allows users to clone a device to one or multiple devices in a single operation.

Users also now gain the choice of restoring all or just a selection of data sets from a device backup. A progress bar is now also displayed when loading datasets, part of an improved reporting of an operation’s progress.

Version 6.6 also allows users to now manage -- and change -- the backup password, plus alter the default backup location via DiskAid’s Preferences dialog.

A new feature makes it possible for users to now manually manage -- through adding or removing -- contacts on the iPhone via USB, eliminating the need for cloud syncing. The update is rounded off with a number of bug fixes.

DiskAid 6.6.0 is available now as a free, function-limited trial for Windows and Mac. The full version, which allows copying of more data between devices, can be purchased for $29.90.
Government requests at Google increase 120 percent -- your privacy is under attack

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 5:31pm CET par Brian Fagioli

When you choose to establish a relationship with a company, there is a certain level of trust. You hope that the company "has your back". However, you can never be 100 percent sure. After all, companies are run by real people and human beings are not infallible. Things get muddied further when governments get involved. Quite often, a company may be forced to do something against its users' wishes, due to a government order. Even worse, the same government may ban the company from speaking about it.

Google is a company that many users trust. Nowadays, you almost have to, as the company's tentacles expand to the furthest reaches of the Internet. While Google allegedly participated in the NSA Prism program, it still seems to have its users' privacy in mind. To showcase its commitment, the search-giant began publishing a transparency report in 2009, which highlighted the number of government requests. Today, the company announces that those types of requests have skyrocketed a staggering 120 percent since the report began.

"This updated Report details the number of government requests we received for user information in criminal investigations during the second half of 2013. Government requests for user information in criminal cases have increased by about 120 percent since we first began publishing these numbers in 2009. Though our number of users has grown throughout the time period, we’re also seeing more and more governments start to exercise their authority to make requests", says Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security, Google.

Salgado further explains, "we consistently push back against overly broad requests for your personal information, but it's also important for laws to explicitly protect you from government overreach. That's why we're working alongside eight other companies to push for surveillance reform, including more transparency. We've all been sharing best practices about how to report the requests we receive, and as a result our Transparency Report now includes governments that made less than 30 requests during a six-month reporting period, in addition to those that made 30+ requests".

While not all government requests are bad, it is still sad news that the number of requests have increased so dramatically. However, Google should be applauded for two things -- transparency and "push back". Educating users through transparency is key to bringing this serious issue to light. Unfortunately, the company can only be as transparent as the law allows -- the same governments that request the information, can also block Google from disclosing. This is a disgrace of justice and arguably an abuse of power.

Luckily though, Google is actively pushing back against broad requests. In other words, Google doesn't just follow the governments mindlessly like a zombie. No, the search-giant is trying its hardest to combat this tyranny. To explain this further, Google produced the below video.

Do you think governments are abusing their power? Do you trust Google with your information? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: Marius Pirvu/Shutterstock

Windows' future is looking increasingly bleak

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 5:09pm CET par Wayne Williams

Analyst Gartner has just released its latest worldwide devices forecast, which shows, unsurprisingly, traditional PC shipments declining, and tablets, mobile phones, and ultramobiles (hybrid and clamshell) all growing. In total, device shipments are set to rise 6.9 percent, up from the 4.8 percent growth achieved last year.

There are few surprises in the report. Shipments of mobile phones, the most popular device type in the market, are expected to reach 1.9 billion units in 2014, a 4.9 percent increase from 2013. The worldwide tablet market is forecast to grow 38.6 percent in 2014, shipments of traditional PCs are forecast to total 276.7 million units in 2014 (a 6.6 percent decline from 2013), and ultramobiles are set to grow from 21.1 million in 2013 to 37.2 million this year. Gartner has also forecast shipments by operating systems, and while Windows still shows growth, overall it's far from happy times ahead for Microsoft.

The meteoric rise of mobile devices shows Microsoft was right to try and counter the threat of Android and iOS with a new touch-friendly OS. No one argues with that, but unfortunately the tech giant's move came a little too late in the day, and the gamble to produce an OS designed to run on touch and keyboard and mouse systems really hasn't paid off. Windows 8.x growth is plateauing, and Windows tablets and phones are hardly taking the world by storm.

Android’s growth on the other hand is nothing short of spectacular. Google's mobile OS shipped 879.8 million units last year, and is expected to break the billion and reach 1,171 million this year, continuing to grow to 1,358.3 million in 2015. Gartner says iOS tablet growth has slowed in North America and Apple will need to reinvigorate its replacement cycle, but still shows iOS/Mac OS growing from 241.4 million in 2013, to 286.4 million in 2014 and reaching 324.5 million in 2015.

So what's happening with Windows? Gartner says 324.1 million units were shipped in 2013, and the number will grow to 339.1 million this year, reaching 379.3 million in 2015. Still ahead of iOS/Mac OS, but with the gap closing significantly.

Let's put that in percentage terms. From 2013 to 2015, Gartner sees Android growing by 54.39 percent. In the same time frame iOS/Mac OS will grow by 34.42 percent. And Windows? 16.67 percent -- and that’s with it appearing on a broad range of devices from various big manufacturers.

Worldwide Device Shipments by Operating System (Millions of Units)

Operating System	2013	2014	2015
Android	879,8	1,171.0	1,358,3
Windows	325,1	339,1	379,3
iOS/Mac OS	241,4	286,4	324,5
Others	873,2	683,5	565,2
Total	2,319.6	2,479.8	2,627.0

Source: Gartner (March 2014)

Windows is still growing, but the future for the operating system doesn’t exactly look rosy. While businesses and power users will still turn to Microsoft’s brand for productivity purposes, casual users are looking elsewhere, and will continue to do so. Windows XP is set to come to its end of life very shortly, and you can bet far more of those migrating users will switch to Android devices than upgrade to Windows 8.x.

A few years ago, the suggestion that Windows could be so easily deposed from the top of the OS tree would have had you laughed out of town. Now, for the first time in twenty or so years, Microsoft is looking increasingly vulnerable in an area where it has dominated for so long. Chrome OS is not, as of yet, posing any real threat to Windows, but the fact it exists on products from the likes of Acer, HP, ASUS and LG, shows the potential for disruption.

These are tough times for Microsoft, and things look set to get even tougher in the coming years.

Photo Credit: rnl/Shutterstock

The cheap, cheerful and lovable Microsoft Wireless 1850 mouse [Review]

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 4:20pm CET par Mark Wilson

What can you get for $15 these days? Not a lot, really. A few Starbucks, perhaps, a burrito and a couple of slices? Or you can get yourself a cheaper, almost throwaway, replacement mouse to chuck in your laptop bag. This is the bill that the Microsoft Wireless 1850 fits. The mouse was announced just recently, and we've got our hands on one to put through its paces. To cut to the chase, this is a perfectly acceptable mouse, but it ain't going to blow your mind.

This is a mouse designed with the pocket in mind in more ways than one. Yes, it's super low-cost, but it's also super lightweight; and I mean that both in terms of mass and features. Oh, at this point it's worth highlighting something I touched upon the other day when talking about the price of digital downloads. While in the US this mouse costs $14.95, over here in the UK it has a £16.99 price tag. Sure, US buyers have to factor in taxes, but $14.95 should translate into about £9, so the trip across the ocean from One Microsoft Way has resulted in the price almost doubling!

Still, whatever way you look at it, this is a cheap mouse, you just happen to get a better deal if you find yourself on the right side of the Atlantic. While a range of colors is promised for later in the year, Flame Red, Orchid Pink, and Pantone Purple (plus Wool Blue for the US market), it is the Coal Black that's available at the moment. At first glance, this is a simple mouse. At second, third and indeed fourth glance, it is also a simple mouse. But there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. This is a mouse that's here to get a job done with no unnecessary messing about.

The symmetrical design means it can be grasped by right-handed users and southpaws with equal comfort, while the ambidextrous out there will be able to throw the mouse between hands with gay abandon. The mini USB wireless receiver slips into a perfectly-sized cutout in the battery compartment, but there's none of the fancy magnetic holding it in place, just good old friction.

The peripheral does feel good in the hand, but while the scrollwheel is comfortable to use, it does have a slightly cheap feel to it. This isn’t a sense one gets from the mouse on the whole, also it is clearly a basic, plasticky affair. The wheel is rubbery, but has no textured grip. It's a personal thing, but I prefer my scrollwheels to have a bit of grip rather than being smooth.

Ultimately this is a mouse that achieves what it sets out to. It is cheap, comfortable and portable. It's light enough and small enough to take around without it being too noticeable and -- perhaps more importantly -- it's cheap enough that you're not going to shed any tears if it should get mislaid. It's basic, but gets the job done. Literally. The pointer moves around the screen and everything!
DDoS traffic soars and the bots get cleverer

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 4:14pm CET par Ian Barker

New research by website security specialist Incapsula looks at the impact of DDoS traffic on the internet with data collected over a five month period looking at over 154 million DDoS bot sessions.

It reveals some startling statistics, the main one being that at the application level DDoS bot traffic is up by 240 percent. More than 25 percent of all botnets are located in India, China and Iran, whilst the US ranks fifth in the top ten attacking countries.

The attack landscape is interesting too. 29.9 percent of DDoS bots can execute JavaScript and 40 percent of botnets attack more than 50 targets per month.

At network level, large scale SYN floods account for over half (51.5 percent) of all attacks and almost 81 percent of attacks are multi-vector threats.

The results show a shift towards so called "hit and run" attacks, relying on short bursts of traffic at frequent intervals, designed to exploit vulnerabilities in protection systems. The growth in multi-vector attacks is also being used to create "smokescreens" where one attack creates noise to divert attention away from the main vector. The first part of 2014 has also shown a rise in NTP (Network Time Protocol) amplification attacks which in February became the most commonly used method of large scale DDoS attack.

Whilst the volume of attacks is increasing, DDoS bots are becoming more sophisticated too. In the fourth quarter of 2013, Incapsula reported the first encounter with browser-based DDoS bots that were able to bypass both JavaScript and Cookie challenges -- the two most common methods of filtering bots. This trend has continued into 2014 with 30 percent of the encountered bots able to accept and store cookies.

In order to infiltrate systems bots are using spoofed user-agents. These help to bypass low-level filtering solutions, based on the assumption that bots which identify themselves as search engines or browsers won't be screened out.

You can read more and download the full report on the Incapsula blog or see an overview of the findings in the infographic below.

Photo Credit: Duc Dao / Shutterstock
Younger Millennials watch more video on alternative devices than TV

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 4:04pm CET par Alan Buckingham

It doesn’t come as any real surprise that more video is being consumed on alternative devices. With a growing amount of choice from services like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and others, our video entertainment no longer requires a TV.

According to a new study conducted by Deloitte, the younger portion of the Millennial generation, those aged 14-24, now consume the majority of their video through alternative devices -- computers, smartphones, tablets and gaming devices.

While the TV still accounts for the highest percentage, at 44, other methods make up the remaining 56-percent. Computers, both desktop and laptop, rank at the top, garnering 32-percent. This is followed by the smartphone, gaming console, and tablet in descending order.

Trailing Millennials, as they are referred to, were the only segment in which the TV lost. Leading Millennials, aged 25-30, still prefer the television, though just barely, at 53-percent. The popularity of the boob-tube rises as the age does, getting 70-percent of Gen X, an 88 share from boomers and 92-percent of Matures.

None of this is too shocking. However, the survey doesn’t seem to account for alternative set-top boxes like Roku. Granted, it can be argued that these are hooked to a TV, but so are game consoles. I would expect these numbers to continue to shift, likely at an increasing rate.

Photo Credit: holbox/Shutterstock
Watch Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s press briefing here LIVE

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 2:59pm CET par Wayne Williams

At 10am PT, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is set to discuss the intersection of cloud and mobile at an event in San Francisco.

Although there’s no mention of it in the details we’ve seen, and no pre-briefings have been given, it’s widely expected that Office for iPad will be unveiled at the event. This will be a big move for Microsoft if it turns out to be the case, but unlike Apple's iWork suite for iPad, which is sold for a one-time fee (and provided free on new iPads), Microsoft will likely tie access into Office 365.

Office is already available on iOS, but only optimized for iPhones, and again you need to be an Office 365 subscriber to use it. You can access it on an iPad of course, but viewing it in a tiny window, or blowing it up to 2x proportions, is far from ideal.

Of course, iOS has plenty of decent office suites available already, so the appeal of Office for iPad at this point of time, and tied into Office 365 as well, is debatable. What it does do is slightly undermine one of Surface’s major selling points -- try to find a Surface ad that doesn’t crow about Office’s inclusion.

Anyway, we’ll find out what Microsoft has planned soon enough.

The live webcast starts at 10am PT/1pm ET/5pm GMT so be sure to tune in then.
Watch Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s Office for iPad announcement

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 2:59pm CET par Wayne Williams

At 10am PT, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is set to discuss the intersection of cloud and mobile at an event in San Francisco.

Although there’s no mention of it in the details we’ve seen, and no pre-briefings have been given, it’s widely expected that Office for iPad will be unveiled at the event. This will be a big move for Microsoft if it turns out to be the case, but unlike Apple's iWork suite for iPad, which is sold for a one-time fee (and provided free on new iPads), Microsoft will likely tie access into Office 365.

Office is already available on iOS, but only optimized for iPhones, and again you need to be an Office 365 subscriber to use it. You can access it on an iPad of course, but viewing it in a tiny window, or blowing it up to 2x proportions, is far from ideal.

iOS has plenty of decent office suites available already, so the appeal of Office for iPad at this point in time, and tied into Office 365 as well, is debatable. What it does do is slightly undermine one of Surface’s major selling points -- try to find a Surface ad that doesn’t crow about Office’s inclusion.

Anyway, we’ll find out what Microsoft has planned soon enough.

The live webcast starts at 10am PT/1pm ET/5pm GMT so be sure to tune in then.
Songza to deliver weather-driven music recommendations

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 2:04pm CET par Wayne Williams

Songza is an online music streaming service that attempts to predict what you're doing or feeling -- based on day, time, device type, location and past behavior -- and provide a curated playlist to suit. It offers playlists for a range of diverse activities such as waking up, working out, commuting, concentrating, unwinding, entertaining, and sleeping.

Today, the service adds a new trick -- providing music to match the current weather. Thanks to a new partnership with The Weather Company, parent to The Weather Channel, Songza will now attempt to use weather data to better predict the "context" or state of mind of the user.

"Songza’s mission is to be everyone’s personal music concierge" says Elias Roman, co-founder and CEO of Songza. "That kind of premium experience requires being excellent at two things: expert human content curation and algorithmic, data-driven anticipation of users’ content needs, so customers don't have to work to find the perfect thing. With new data provided by The Weather Channel, we can more accurately predict your context, helping you enjoy more sunsets and weather more storms".

In addition to playlists curated to suit a summer stroll, or enhance a romantic sunset, Songza will use the data to better understand and accommodate subconscious modifications to routines driven by changes in the weather. Or as Elias Roman explained to me, "While there are obvious changes to users' routines caused by the weather (you're much more likely to picnic in the park when it's nice out, and you're more likely to sit by the fire when it's colder out), we expect that there are more subtle changes triggered by the weather as well. With the data we collect, we'll be able to pick up on these and use them to improve our ability to predict what a user is doing at a given moment (which is the first step in serving them the perfect, expertly-curated playlist to improve whatever they are doing). This will play out over time, as we collect more and more data. But a hypothetical example could be that extreme temperatures make users less likely to work out -- when it's really hot, working out sounds less appealing. When it's really cold, it adds additional friction to building up the momentum to leave the house and exercise".

Image Credit: Studio 37/Shutterstock
Microsoft Azure opens its cloud doors in China

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 11:56am CET par Mihaita Bamburic

After announcing the upcoming rebranding of Windows Azure to Microsoft Azure, the software giant has revealed its cloud platform is now broadly available in China. 21Vianet is responsible for the operation in the local Asian market.

"This significant milestone makes us the first global company to make onshore public cloud services available to customers in China", says Microsoft corporate vice president of Cloud & Enterprise Marketing Takeshi Numoto. Microsoft Azure has been available to local customers since June 6, last year, but only as a public preview.

Microsoft assures local potential customers that they will receive the same benefits as those relying on the cloud platform in other regions. "Windows Azure, operated by 21Vianet, is based on the same technology as Microsoft’s global Windows Azure service and offers a reliable, flexible and value-based service to bring Microsoft’s latest cloud technologies and benefits to Chinese customers and propel forward technological development in China as a whole", says Microsoft in a blog post.

The partner, which operates the cloud platform locally for Microsoft, allows the software giant to "ensure a compliant, enterprise-grade public cloud experience" in China. 21Vianet "has already delivered fully functional cloud services to more than 3,000 customers in China, including CNTV, LineKong, GMW.cn and Coca-Cola China".

Microsoft Azure can potentially make significant inroads in China, as the cloud platform comes with an attractive pricing scheme and an availability guarantee of at least 99.5 percent locally, which ensures little to no downtime.

Image Credit: frank_peters/Shutterstock
South Korean mobile operators jump the gun on Samsung Galaxy S5 launch

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 11:04am CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Mobile operators in Samsung's home country of South Korea have decided to give themselves a head start on the Galaxy S5 launch, by making the smartphone available starting March 27. Its official worldwide launch is slated for next month, on April 11.

SK Telecom, KT and LG UPlus are the local mobile operators in question, with SK Telecom being the largest one in South Korea. Two weeks ahead of the official launch, the smartphone is on sale for ₩866,800 (roughly $809 or €587).

Samsung did not give the three mobile operators the go-ahead to sell the Galaxy S5 today, per the statements issued by the company. The mobile operators have taken this route to avoid possible losses in sales following restrictions imposed by South Korean regulators, that overlap with the April 11 launch of the Galaxy S5. Samsung opposed the early launch, after being asked to agree to it.

You may wonder how the three can sell the Galaxy S5 today, seeing as stocks may not be large enough at this point to meet demand. Samsung says that mobile operators have received "a limited number of units", for purposes not relating to direct customer sales, that may actually be large-enough to entice potential buyers to pull out their credit cards before April 11.

The early launch of the Galaxy S5 may not be what Samsung officially says it wants, but it gives local (and even international) consumers the chance to get their hands on the handset sooner than most. It also places Samsung in the spotlight once again, which comes in handy after the launch of the HTC One, which is available for purchase ahead of its competitor in a number of international markets.

If the three mobile operators have agreed to the initial plan, Samsung can ask for a sales ban that will prevent them from selling the smartphone until April 11. On the other hand, a sale, even if it is not when the South Korean maker would have wanted it to be, is still a sale. It will be interesting to see if other mobile operators decide to follow suit, seeing as "they did it first".

Photo Credit: moomsabuy/Shutterstock
Kim Dotcom takes on politics and Bitcoin with the Internet Party

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 10:57am CET par Mark Wilson

Kim Dotcom -- the man behind the infamous MegaUpload, and then Mega -- has been out of the spotlight for a little while, but now he's back with renewed strength. This time around he's not trying to launch a new service, but a new branch of his career. Not content with bringing free cloud storage to the masses, Dotcom is now venturing into politics, launching the Internet Party in New Zealand. He finds himself in an interesting position as he is currently fighting extradition to the US where he faces charges of infringing copyright.

As the name suggests, the Internet Party is concerned primarily with what's happening online. The party has a fairly simple mission statement. "The Internet Party was founded on the spirit of the Internet, to get an open, free, fair, connected and innovative society". It is described as "a party that will give you faster, cheaper Internet, create high-tech jobs, protect your privacy, and safeguard our independence".

There are lots of other web-related aims in the party's sights -- cheap and unlimited broadband for the whole of New Zealand, the introduction of a government-sponsored digital currency (watch out Bitcoin!), reforming copyright laws, and stopping online spying and data collection. It's very much the sort of thing you'd expect to see, although there are also policies relating to New Zealand's independence, and the environment.

This is not the first time we have seen the web spawn a political career. In Sweden, the Pirate Party was set up in 2006 to promote the reform of copyright laws. With New Zealand going to the polls in September, we'll probably be hearing a lot more from Mr Dotcom over the next six months. At the moment -- although it is obviously very early days, things are not looking too promising, with just 17 percent of those polled indicating that they might vote for the Internet Party... but Dotcom sounds quite happy with the numbers:

#InternetParty tracking well at 17%! :-) #NZPol [t.co] [t.co]

— Internet Party (@InternetPartyNZ) March 27, 2014

Obviously, the Internet Party is limited to New Zealand, but if Dotcom's party ran for election in your country, would he get your vote?
iTunes Match made in heaven, ah, the cloud

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 6:05am CET par Joe Wilcox
Overnight Monday, I explained how "iTunes slaps DRM handcuffs on my music". Later that day, an Apple representative proactively contacted me seeking to resolve the problem. Someone still reads what I write. That started a process that mostly removed rights protection from my music and identifies several iTunes Match benefits not necessarily obvious but useful to most any Apple music buyer.

Recap: In October 2007, I declared DRM freedom and removed all rights-protected tracks from my library. For some unidentified reason, on Sunday, iTunes presented me with option to fetch from the cloud these previously purchased but deleted songs. Downloading retrieved the long-absent music in the original 128kbps protected-AAC format, not the newer, 256kbps DRM-free files. Now I know why.

What's unclear is the trigger. What prompted iTunes to offer the songs at all? I last scanned through my library five days earlier, and the cloud icons weren't there -- and I do turn on the "show iTunes in the cloud purchases" option. iTunes Match may have been turned off, but that's unclear; I will elucidate in a few paragraphs.

My situation is unique. Who deletes purchased songs because of the format? But the process applied to update the music can be used by most anybody paying Apple $24.95 a year for iTunes Match. Your library could get much better.

Get Back

I won't belabor the long troubleshooting process, but cast it in context of benefits that could matter to you. I thank the Apple rep for his generous assistance.

1. Unlike the early days, Apple lets buyers redownload purchased songs. In the iTunes Store under "Music Quick Links" option "Purchased" shows all your music and whether or not it is on your computer.

2. If the song isn't present, and you choose to download, iTunes will fetch the originally purchased format. For music acquired before Apple started offering DRM-free in late 2007, that's going to be 128kbps protected-AAC unless previously upgraded using the now defunct iTunes Plus program.

3. iTunes Match subscribers can replace the original tracks by process:
- Download songs "not in my library".
- Click "Update iTunes Match" from the iTunes menu.
- From "View" menu select "View Options" and check "iCloud status" and "bit-rate" boxes
- In iTunes song list view, organize the library by bitrate and scroll to where 128kbps tracks begin.
- Delete songs designated as either "Matched" or "Purchased" and choose to move to trash, but not from the cloud.
- A cloud icon will appear beside the deleted tracks and bitrate will change to 256kbps. Click cloud icon to download.
4. The process also works for music already on your computer that might still be protected-AAC. Use the steps above to organize the library, delete songs, and redownload them.

5. iTunes Match subscribers can also use this mechanism to upgrade music acquired from other stores or ripped at lower bitrate. Before Apple went DRM-free, I purchased some music from Audio Lunch Box. The service sold 192kbps MP3s from independent labels. Crunchbase still lists Audio Lunch Box, but the domain now goes to a music reviews site. iTunes matched all these songs and replaced them with higher-bitrate AAC tracks.

6. I buy rather than steal music, but your library may be full of music of questionable origin. Depending on state of the metadata, iTunes can match these songs and replace them. Call it, ah, music laundering. Your dirty songs go in and clean ones come out. Match. Delete. Replace.

7. Music labels occasionally re-release albums that are "Mastered for iTunes". Generally, you cannot upgrade without repurchasing. But there are exceptions, with The Beatles collection being front and center.

Don't Let Me Down

Some things you should know:

1. You won't lose upgraded music if in the future canceling iTunes Match.

2. However, should you ever need to redownload "Purchased" songs, iTunes will deliver the original tracks, which may have DRM.

3. You should occasionally check to make sure iTunes Match is turned on -- see the Store menu. When troubleshooting started with the Apple rep, my Match was off. It's believed that logging out of the iTunes Store flipped off the service. This state explains some of the problems I encountered.

4. Songs designated as "Uploaded" aren't matched but could be in the future. iTunes Match can make them available to any device but not upgrade to higher-bitrate AAC if less than 256kbps.

5. Many previously matched songs upgraded to 256kbps DRM-free don't show up as "Purchased" on albums in the iTunes Store. As such, reduced-cost "Complete my Album" doesn't apply.

Apple couldn't give me all the reasons. Metadata changes or mismatches are plausible explanations as well as label licensing restrictions.

6. Expect there to be mismatches, because of metadata. I see some songs in my library that are available in the iTunes Store but appear as "Uploaded" rather than "Matched". These tend to be tracks purchased or ripped long ago. I presume songs downloaded from torrents or other file shares for free are most likely to be troubled.

7. At 25 bucks a year, iTunes Match is a great value for people who previously purchased, buy music today, and want to better preserve their investments. However, all-you-can-download subscription services like Beats Music or Google All Access eliminate the hassle of deleting this, matching that, and downloading the other thing.

I personally find the audio fidelity to be more enjoyable using iTunes to play local content rather than what I hear from the streaming services. Much depends on what's good enough for you for price paid. Most people won't hear much, if any difference.

My ears can tell the difference between 128kbps and 256kbps or 320kbps encodes. The lowest bitrate is muddier. I also can detect differences with Mastered for iTunes music. But my aging ears are no longer so discerning beyond 256kbps AAC or 320kbps MP3. Some services, with Beats among them, amp too much bass for my taste, while Mastered for iTunes delightfully accentuates high tones and adds depth to the soundstage.

Now if vinyl cost as little and was as convenient...

Photo Credit: Regissercom/Shutterstock
Linux desktop environment GNOME 3.12 released

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 3:58am CET par Brian Fagioli
One of the great things about Linux distributions is the customization. In contrast, an operating system like Windows 8 is rather limited. Sure, you can change some colors, wallpapers and sounds, but pretty much, it is what it is. What you see is what you get. That is probably fine for most people, however, Linux users are not most people.

With an operating system such as Ubuntu or Fedora, the user can choose the interface in which they will interact. There are many desktop environments to choose from too, such as KDE, Mate, or my favorite, GNOME 3. Today, the open-source community is treated to the newest version of GNOME -- 3.12. Linux users can start salivating now.

"The GNOME Project has released GNOME 3.12 today. The next milestone release in the GNOME 3 series includes many new features, enhancements and updates, as well as new capabilities and APIs for application developers. The new version continues to improve the GNOME 3 user experience and includes many small bug fixes and enhancements", says The GNOME Release Team.

Christian Schaller, manager of the Red Hat Desktop Team says, "Red Hat is very pleased to see the GNOME community continuing to push the GNU/Linux desktop forward. We are looking forward to the innovations in GNOME 3.12 arriving in future versions of Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux".

While there are many new features, the GNOME Release Team touts the following:
- A significant update to the experience for finding and installing applications.
- Major facelifts for the Videos and gedit applications.
- Greater high-resolution display support.
- Big updates for the Software and Web applications.
- Improved start up times as well as more efficient resource usage.
- A new application folders feature, which lets you organize your apps.
Overall, this looks like yet another home run for GNOME and I cannot wait to try it. Sadly, users of Fedora, such as myself, must wait for the next version of the operating system to take advantage of 3.12. However, users of other distros, such as Ubuntu, should be able to benefit very soon by adding the appropriate repositories.

Are you excited about GNOME 3.12? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: sarahdesign/Shutterstock
Linux desktop environment GNOME 3.12 available

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 3:58am CET par Brian Fagioli
One of the great things about Linux distributions is the customization. In contrast, an operating system like Windows 8 is rather limited. Sure, you can change some colors, wallpapers and sounds, but pretty much, it is what it is. What you see is what you get. That is probably fine for most people, however, Linux users are not most people.

With an operating system such as Ubuntu or Fedora, the user can choose the interface in which they will interact. There are many desktop environments to choose from too, such as KDE, Mate, or my favorite, GNOME 3. Today, the open-source community is treated to the newest version of GNOME -- 3.12. Linux users can start salivating now.

"The GNOME Project has released GNOME 3.12 today. The next milestone release in the GNOME 3 series includes many new features, enhancements and updates, as well as new capabilities and APIs for application developers. The new version continues to improve the GNOME 3 user experience and includes many small bug fixes and enhancements", says The GNOME Release Team.

Christian Schaller, manager of the Red Hat Desktop Team says, "Red Hat is very pleased to see the GNOME community continuing to push the GNU/Linux desktop forward. We are looking forward to the innovations in GNOME 3.12 arriving in future versions of Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux".

While there are many new features, the GNOME Release Team touts the following:
- A significant update to the experience for finding and installing applications.
- Major facelifts for the Videos and gedit applications.
- Greater high-resolution display support.
- Big updates for the Software and Web applications.
- Improved start up times as well as more efficient resource usage.
- A new application folders feature, which lets you organize your apps.
Overall, this looks like yet another home run for GNOME and I cannot wait to try it. Sadly, users of Fedora, such as myself, must wait for the next version of the operating system to take advantage of 3.12. However, users of other distros, such as Ubuntu, should be able to benefit very soon by adding the appropriate repositories.

Are you excited about GNOME 3.12? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: sarahdesign/Shutterstock
Microsoft and Dell still BFF -- sign patent licensing agreement for Android, Chrome and Xbox

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 2:16am CET par Brian Fagioli

Peanut butter and jelly. Fish and chips. Salt and pepper. Dell and Microsoft. These are all things that go great together. Sure, Dell has strayed a bit, offering things like laptops with Ubuntu and tablets with Android. However, Windows has been and will likely continue to be the manufacturer's bread and butter.

In the technology world, Dell and Microsoft are "BFF" -- best friends forever. If the companies were teen girls, they'd be braiding each other's hair and gossiping about boys. Today, Dell and Microsoft have signed a monumental patent agreement -- tantamount to BFF's exchanging friendship bracelets.

"Through this arrangement, Microsoft and Dell have agreed to license each company's applicable intellectual property related to Android and Chrome OS devices and Xbox gaming consoles. Under the terms of the agreement, they agreed on royalties for Dell's products running the Android or Chrome platforms and on consideration to Dell for a license for Xbox gaming consoles", says Microsoft.

Horacio Gutierrez, VP at Microsoft explains, "our agreement with Dell shows what can be accomplished when companies share intellectual property. We have been partnering with technology manufacturers and vendors for many years to craft licensing deals, instead of litigation strategies".

While a patent licensing agreement signing isn't normally exciting, having Dell and Microsoft involved with things like Android, Chrome OS and Xbox, surely gets the mind going. It will be interesting to see what happens as a result. If nothing else, it is great to see the two companies working so closely together like in the old days. Hell, maybe it is time to get the "dude you're getting a Dell" guy out of retirement.

Are you excited by this agreement? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: JJ Studio/Shutterstock
Maxthon web browser comes to Linux -- move over, Chrome and Firefox

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 1:23am CET par Brian Fagioli
When it comes to Linux distributions, there is quite a lot of software available. However, it is not always great. Many programs are third-rate, and the ones that are good, aren't the big name brands. Windows and OS X definitely have a superior selection of popular software.

One place where Linux does not lack, is web browsers. With the exception of Internet Explorer and Safari, all the other big-boys are represented -- Chrome, Firefox and Opera to name a few. One browser, Maxthon, was not available for Linux -- until now.

"Maxthon brings its high performance and seamless browsing to Linux, ensuring faster speed, improved performance and an overall out-of-the-box browsing experience. Running on an optimized WebKit core made faster by Maxthon's in-house WebKit R&D team, Maxthon for Linux features superior page rendering speeds and performance enhancements evident throughout the browsing experience", says the Maxthon Team.

Karl Mattson, VP of Maxthon's International Division says, "the addition of Linux takes our core value proposition -- high performance, independent, multi-platform browsing -- one step further. Desktop computing is evolving beyond the one-OS-to-rule-them-all dynamic and as that develops, Maxthon will be right there offering high performance alternative web browsers on the platforms that matter".

The company touts the following features:
- Magic Fill -- An AES 256 level encrypted password and user account prompt
- Personalized Quick Access-- Set and arrange a 'speed dial' of the most-commonly-visited websites
- Maxthon Passport Account -- A free service that allows users to encrypt and share Favorites, Quick Access and Magic Fill Data across different devices using Maxthon
- Mouse Gestures -- Execute common browser commands like 'forward, back and reload' by 'drawing' a gesture with the mouse
- Easy Tab Management -- Right and left click close and reload last tabs visited
- 'Restore Last' button -- One click and the browser will restore and reload the most recent session
- Extensions -- Native support for extensions, including full interoperability with Chrome Extensions
This is yet another big win for the Linux community. While some may say that yet another web browser is not needed, I say, "the more the merrier". Maxthon offers some unique features and the company seems committed for the long haul. Firefox and Chrome users should definitely take a look.

Are you a Linux user? Try Maxthon and let me know what you think.
Spam emails just not quite annoying enough? Google has the solution!

Publié: mars 27, 2014, 12:51am CET par Mark Wilson

Spam's great, isn't it? I know I just can’t get enough of it. I particularly love the in-your-face, unavoidable stuff that grabs my attention and ultimately has nothing to offer. Love it. This is one of the reasons I was indescribably happy when Gmail introduced its tabbed inbox feature. While some people saw it as a way of keeping their inbox clear, I saw it rather differently. Now I can see all of that level spam -- sorry, I mean "promotional emails" -- in one place: the handily named Promotions tab.

But there are too many emails that are just too subtle. They don’t grab my eyeballs and try to wrestle them from my head. Well, let joy be unbounded, Google has come up with the solution I've been looking for! It's like the company has been reading my mind! I've lost count of the number of times I've thought, "you know what's missing? Really big, graphic versions of my emails. If that was implemented, my spammy desires could be so much more effectively sated!"

Be still my beating heart!

No longer will I have to content myself with reading mere subject lines for emails companies have taken the time and effort to specially tailor to my needs and interests, oh no. Now I can enjoy the full graphical glory of a grid view which shows off the products these companies are so eager for me to see. This all comes thanks to a new experimental Gmail feature that you can request be added to your account. Check it out below and revel in its beauty for yourself:

Wow! Not just promotional marketing emails, but huge, gargantuan thumbnails showing off all of those products I just can’t wait to throw my hard-earned money at. But wait... it doesn’t end there. As Google kindly points out in a helpful blog post, "grid view also comes with infinite scrolling". So I can just keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and scrolling? An endless stream of aspirational images for all the products under the sun. I feel quite faint with delight!

If you're as excited at the prospect as I am, get yourself over to the special signup page to put your name down for the 'field trial'.

Disclaimer: Please do not attempt to replicate these levels of sarcasm at home. BetaNews cannot be held responsible for the consequences of doing so.

Image Credit: Sadovnikova Olga / Shutterstock