Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » mars 28, 2014

BetaNews.Com (16 non lus)

Microsoft promises not to read customer emails again

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 9:08pm CET par Wayne Williams

After repeatedly bashing Google for going through its user's personal messages in the whole "Don't Get Scroogled by Gmail" campaign, Microsoft went one step beyond automatically scanning messages for keywords in order to serve up adverts, which Google does, and actually read a user’s private email, which Google doesn’t (as far as we know anyway).

Microsoft felt its actions were justified -- it was trying to prove a blogger had leaked pre-release Windows builds -- but users were rightly concerned that Microsoft had shown it was willing and able to read their personal emails should it choose to. The statement the company issued in light of the concern over its practices was hardly reassuring, and suggested Microsoft would do it again should the need arise. Today, Brad Smith, General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft, has posted a follow up blog that essentially says Microsoft made a mistake and will be making changes to ensure reading customer emails in this way won't happen again.

"Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer’s private content ourselves. Instead, we will refer the matter to law enforcement if further action is required", Smith says.

In addition to changing the company policy, Smith also says "in the coming months we will incorporate this change in our customer terms of service, so that it’s clear to consumers and binding on Microsoft".

There’s still no hint that Microsoft actually regrets its action in the previous case -- "our own search was clearly within our legal rights" Smith says, repeating the point made in the original statement -- but at least this is a step in the right direction.

In addition, Microsoft says it will be partnering with The Center for Democracy and Technology and The Electronic Frontier Foundation to help identify, flesh out and discuss important customer privacy issues like this in the future.

Photo Credit: auremar/Shutterstock
Microsoft promises not to read user emails again

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 9:08pm CET par Wayne Williams

After repeatedly bashing Google for going through its user's personal messages in the whole "Don't Get Scroogled by Gmail" campaign, Microsoft went one step beyond automatically scanning messages for keywords in order to serve up adverts, which Google does, and actually read a user’s private email, which Google doesn’t (as far as we know anyway).

Microsoft felt its actions were justified -- it was trying to prove a blogger had leaked pre-release Windows builds -- but users were rightly concerned that Microsoft had shown it was willing and able to read their personal emails should it choose to. The statement the company issued in light of the concern over its practices was hardly reassuring, and suggested Microsoft would do it again should the need arise. Today, Brad Smith, General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft, has posted a follow up blog that essentially says Microsoft made a mistake and will be making changes to ensure reading customer emails in this way won't happen again.

"Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer’s private content ourselves. Instead, we will refer the matter to law enforcement if further action is required", Smith says.

In addition to changing the company policy, Smith also says "in the coming months we will incorporate this change in our customer terms of service, so that it’s clear to consumers and binding on Microsoft".

There’s still no hint that Microsoft actually regrets its action in the previous case -- "our own search was clearly within our legal rights" Smith says, repeating the point made in the original statement -- but at least this is a step in the right direction.

In addition, Microsoft says it will be partnering with The Center for Democracy and Technology and The Electronic Frontier Foundation to help identify, flesh out and discuss important customer privacy issues like this in the future.

Photo Credit: auremar/Shutterstock
Create interface mockups in minutes with Pencil

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 9:02pm CET par Mike Williams

It’s no secret that interface design is difficult. Very, very difficult. Even the biggest and best companies regularly make big mistakes.

There are ways to improve your chance of success, though -- and you could start by creating a prototype of your app, program or website in the open source Pencil.

The core of the program works much like many other diagram tools. Drag and drop shapes onto the page, add text, set colors and more, then join them up with connectors.

Pencil doesn’t just come with the usual flowchart symbols, though. It also has web elements (headers, text, hyperlinks, panes and tables); desktop widgets (labels, buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, combo boxes); and a host of other components for Windows, Android and iOS interfaces.

Putting these together is straightforward. You might start with a frame, then add a few buttons. Click any of these and you can set their properties (size, text, font and more). Drag in whatever other elements you need, then rearrange and reorganize them as required.

As you drag elements around, they "snap" into place at key alignment points, so it’s easy to (for example) make a row of buttons line up. There are other options to control shape height, width, spacing and alignment. Once you’re happy with a part of your interface -- a title and set of radio buttons, perhaps -- you’re able to "group" these elements, and drag them all around together.

Creating one screen is easy enough -- but it’s just the start. Pencil allows you to build further designs on new pages, then link them all together. Export the document as an HTML file and you’ll be able to click on a button, say, and be taken to a separate page showing what happens next, a useful simulation of your program flow.

If you don’t need this kind of interactivity, then your document can be exported in several other formats: PDF, ODT, multi-page SVG, and individual PNG files.

Pencil has a few problems. Some of its interface elements are a little dated, there’s very little documentation, and it has a few minor bugs.

The wide range of shapes and excellent alignment tools are major pluses, though, and on balance Pencil gets a thumbs up from us.
Opera Next 21 sports hardware-accelerated Aura shell, promises more responsive UI

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 8:59pm CET par Nick Peers

Opera has moved version 21 of its web browser for Windows and Mac from the Developer (alpha) stream to the Next (beta) stream with the release of Opera Next 21. Most of the changes are system ones, designed to improve performance, but some other interesting tweaks have been implemented.

The move to the Next stream is part of the browser’s rapid-release development cycle, which brought Opera into line with rival browsers Chrome and Firefox.

The chief change in Opera 21 is added support for Aura. Aura is part of the open-source Chromium project and provides a hardware-accelerated rendering of the browser. The net result is that UI animations are less taxing, resulting in a leaner, faster feel when using it. Opera adds that it "gives us a solid foundation on which to make future UI changes".

One other advertised change allows developers and advanced users to force Opera’s Address Bar to always show the full URL – simply open Settings, tick "Show advanced settings" and then tick "Show full URL in combined search and address bar" from within the User interface section.

Users should also note that changes introduced in previous Developer builds -- such as experimental access to features for improving start-up times where users have a large number of tabs loaded -- should still be present.

Opera Next 21 is available now as a freeware download for Windows and Mac, and installs alongside other versions of the browser, including Opera 20 FINAL. Also available is Opera 12.16 FINAL.
Search and replace text in multiple files at the same time

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 8:56pm CET par Mike Williams

Most editors make it easy to replace text in the current document. Searching across multiple documents can be more challenging. And if you often need to replace text across a large number of files, perhaps of various formats, then it’s probably wise to call in some specialist help.

Multiple Search and Replace is a powerful free tool which can search multiple files -- plain text, PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, archives and more -- for the text you specify, then optionally replace it.

The process starts by building up your search query. This may contain multiple search terms across several lines, and there’s support for logical operators (AND, OR, NOT, XOR, NEAR), wild cards and regular expressions.

There’s even more flexibility in defining where you’d like to search. You’re able to look for files by location, type, size and attributes, as well as their modified, created or "last accessed" times.

Search criteria may also include the number of matches in a file, their line or page number, the character position in a line, and more.

Click "Find" once you’ve configured all this and Multiple Search and Replace will go to work, locating your files. When it’s finished you can browse a basic file list showing any hits, or view the results in context (this shows a few lines before and after your search term).

The program can then copy, move, delete or compress your found files, or just print/save a list of them.

If you need to run some manual investigation then you’re able to edit individual files from within Multiple Search and Replace, or via an external editor.

Alternatively, you can replace the search text across every file in a single operation. You’re able to replace your search terms, delete them, delete the whole line, insert text before or after them, and more.

And if you’re looking for even more automation, good news: the program has a command line interface, too.

Multiple Search and Replace is a hugely powerful search tool with an enormous list of features, and the array of settings can seem a little intimidating at first. It’s really not difficult to use, though, and after running a couple of test searches you’ll be feeling at home.
Black Entertainment Television launches BET NOW mobile app for Android and iOS

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 5:57pm CET par Brian Fagioli

When it comes to mobile media apps, there is no shortage of available content. It is simply overwhelming to choose between the various music and video services, such as Netflix, Beats Music, and Hulu Plus, to name a few. However, more choice is always a good thing, as it can cause a competition that ultimately helps consumers with lower prices.

One network that has been lacking a representation in the mobile app landscape is BET -- Black Entertainment Television. While the network self-proclaims to focus on African-American audiences, people of any color or nationality can enjoy it. Today, the network launches the BET NOW app for iOS and Android.

"With BET NOW, users are one download away from consuming some of their favorite BET shows on their tablets and phones. Apps are an increasingly important part of the mobile eco-system given the ubiquity of smart phones, the ability to have a direct connection to our consumers, and the growing rate of video consumption on these devices", says Brandon Lucas, Vice President and General Manager of BET Mobile.

The company explains, "BET NOW provides fans access to a library of full episodes of some of their favorite current shows including The Game, Let's Stay Together, Being Mary Jane, Real Husbands of Hollywood and 106 & Park as well as hit classics. Users can access this content via TV Everywhere authentication -- a process whereby users verify their subscription through their TV provider. It is now available to 55 million households across more than 20 distributors, including some of the largest, such as AT&T U-verse, Cablevision, Cox, DIRECTV, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS".

I downloaded the app on my Android phone and it seemed to work rather well. However, on a few occasions I received a "cannot reach server" error message when trying to load a video -- expected from such a new service. Overall though, it is well designed and chock full of original programming. By signing-in with your television provider credentials, you can add quite a bit of free content.

If you give the app a try, please tell me how you like it in the comments.
Best Windows 8 apps this week

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 5:08pm CET par Martin Brinkmann
Seventy-four in a series. Several Windows 8 applications have received important updates this week that increase their functionality significantly.

The official Music application by Microsoft for instance filters out music automatically that you cannot play when you are not connected to the Internet.

The Remote Desktop application for Windows 8 was updated as well this week. Its performance and reliability was improved, and it is now lets you manage RemoteApp and desktop connection resources directly from within the app.

This week's Red Stripe Deals

Microsoft makes available six apps and games at a discount of at least 50 percent.
- Rayman Jungle Run for $1.49 (jump and run game)
- Readiy Pro for $1.49 (RSS reader)
- Draw a Stickman: Epic for $1.49 (adventure game)
- Tiny Token Empires for $2.49 (puzzle game)
- Spectral Souls (ENG) for $7.99 (tactical RPG)
- Small Experiments for $1.99 (science game)
Best app of the week

Star Wars: Assault Team

A couple of Star Wars games and apps have been released to the store, but none were designed as well as Star Wars: Assault Team.

The game combines role playing elements with turn based combat.

Your party consists of a maximum of four characters each with unique abilities and talents.

Han Solo's Lucky Shot does double damage for instance, while the Rebel Medic can keep party members alive thanks to his healing ability.

The game has two major game elements. First the missions in which you are moved around passively. You interact with objects on the screen and when you encounter enemies, fight them in turn based battles.

Fights are tactical, as you not only need to make sure that your characters don't fall unconscious (there is no death), but also that you take out stronger enemies first.

The other part of the game is the character and party screen. Here you can level up your characters using cards and money you find, or change party members.

The game is free to play but uses common mechanics to earn revenue. You only have a certain amount of energy which you need for missions, and upgrades can only be purchased with gold or the premium currency gold.

It is not as bad as Dungeon Keeper on mobile devices though. You have plenty of energy and get quite a few gold coins and gems as well, so that you can upgrade your characters and play missions for a long time.

Other apps

Fifa 2014

This is a basic version of Fifa 2014 which you cannot really compare to the console version.

Still, EA managed to make available 34 leagues including the Bundesliga, La Liga or the English Premier League.

The game supports classic controller-based controls or touch-based controls. What's interesting about the latter is that you can use the mouse to emulate touch-based controls as well. This works extremely well once you get the hang out of it.

If you are in possession, click on another player to pass the ball, or swipe to shoot it instead.

If you are not in possession of the ball, click on opposing players to pressure them, or swipe to tackle.

The game offers nowhere near the controls of the console version, but it is still fun to play, at least for a while.

Bad news is that you need to unlock tournament, manager and kick off modes for the full experience. Without those, you can only play single games.

NarrowCast ($1.99, free trial available)

A powerful podcast manager and player that supports the importing of opml files and ships with a database of podcasts that you can search and subscribe to. You can add podcast feed addresses as well, naturally.

Podcast episodes can be streamed over the Internet or downloaded to the device for offline play.

The app supports Live Tiles, a queue that you can add episodes to, and the syncing of subscription information across devices.

Unroll It

Unroll It is a challenging puzzle game in which you need to clear the path for a ball from start to finish.

To do so, you pull or push pieces of the board around until the path is created.

The challenging aspect of the game, apart from the time limit, is to move the right pieces into the right position to complete the path.

TradingView

TradingView is a real-time stock market tracker that offers a beautiful interface that keeps you informed about select markets, stocks, futures and currencies while it is open.

The default view displays information about important markets such as the Dow, Dax or the Nikkei, currency exchange courses, and information about individual stocks.

You can use the search at the top to look for information you are interested in to add them to the display, and customize the selection by resizing and reordering items on the page.

Another interesting feature of the app is the display charts and tools used to create technical analysis drawings. An account is required to save those charts.

Individual items can be pinned to the start screen of the operating system.

Brick Breaker Blitz

Brick Breaker Blitz is an Asteroid / Breakout clone on first glance. While it shares many similarities with those games it adds game mechanics to make it more interesting.

You control a paddle at the bottom of the screen either with the mouse, keyboard or by touch.

The game offers 40 different levels that you can play through, each with its own unique design.

Some blocks leave power ups behind that you can pick up, if you are fast enough, to gain special powers for a short period of time. From additional balls to slow downs or the almighty acid ball that passes through all blocks unhindered.

Up in Flames

This game plays similar to Angry Birds but adds a fire component to the gameplay. Your task in each level is to free fellow dragons from imprisonment.

Your only weapon is a fire ball that you can shoot, and depending on where it lands, it either frees your fellow dragons or burns through wood and other creatures that block you from reaching your goal.

It is an interesting twist, and with 75 levels, you will stay entertained for a while.
UK set to make ripping your CDs and DVDs legal

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 3:55pm CET par Ian Barker

Although you weren't ever likely to be the subject of a dawn raid from the Sweeney for doing it, until now it has been illegal under UK copyright law to make copies of digital media.

From this summer though the government is changing the current legislation so that you'll be able to transfer music to your MP3 player or make backup copies of your movies without any risk of getting your collar felt.

In a guidance document for consumers released yesterday the Intellectual Property Office says, "Copyright law is being changed to allow you to make personal copies of media (CDs, ebooks etc) you have bought, for private purposes such as format shifting or backup". It goes on, "You will be permitted to make personal copies to any device that you own, or a personal online storage medium, such as a private cloud. However, it will be illegal to give other people access to the copies you have made, including, for example, by allowing a friend to access your personal cloud storage".

The government doesn't expect copyright holders to suffer significant harm from these changes, though they could generate extra revenue for technology companies such as those offering cloud storage.

At the same time new rules on "fair dealing" are being introduced to allow quotations and extracts to be used more widely. Currently quoting without permission is only allowed for criticism, review or news reporting. These provisions will also make it easier to use material for parody or pastiche without needing to gain permission from the rights holder.

The changes will come into force in June, so you still have a couple of months to enjoy the frisson that comes with an illegal rip.

Image Credit: Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley / Shutterstock
Beware of third-party Google-branded Windows Phone apps

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 3:00pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

The official launch of major Google apps on Windows Phone would qualify as the biggest news of the week, next to the release of Office for iPads. Such an event seems highly unlikely, as the search giant is focusing its mobile development efforts on the more popular platforms, namely Android and iOS.

Imagine my surprise when, only moments earlier, in group chat my colleague Alan Buckingham mentions these five Google apps, that seem legit at first glance: Hangouts, Voice, Maps, Search and Google+. They are now available in the US Windows Phone Store. Did the search giant just have a change of heart? The answer appears to be negative, as, first-off, Google does not sell such apps for $1.99 a pop, it makes them available for free. But, what is so special about them anyway? It is not like these are the only third-party Google apps in Store.

What immediately caught my attention was the name of the publisher, "Google, Inc.", which is meant to mislead users. The only official app Google has in Windows Phone Store reveals "Google Inc." as publisher. The comma is easy to go unnoticed. I would not touch any of the five even with a ten foot pole. Who knows what they may do?

The way these apps went through the Windows Phone Store validation process is baffling. The launch of major Google apps by a publisher that resembles Google should be a huge red flag. Perhaps, those responsible for validating them were so happy it finally happened they did not give them a second look. This seems unlikely, but raises questions about the way the process is performed, and how strictly Microsoft controls it.

I have reached out to Microsoft for an explanation of how the said apps were approved. I have reached out to Google as well, to confirm its connection to the "Google, Inc." publisher. I will update the story as I receive the official statements.

Update 1: In the meantime, Microsoft tells me the apps were removed. It is yet unknown what triggered this. Microsoft has provided the following response to my inquiry:

Microsoft takes the intellectual property our ecosystem seriously and we use several layers of deterrence and response to help protect it.

First, we encourage developers to take advantage of obfuscation tools for an added layer of protection. Because the Windows Phone Store is the only authorized source of public apps and games for the Windows Phone, developers can more easily police infringement of their apps by monitoring the Windows Phone Store and notifying Microsoft if infringement occurs.

Microsoft provides online tools and an email alias (reportapp@microsoft.com) to enable developers to quickly report infringement of any apps they locate on the Windows Phone Store for immediate review and, when appropriate, removal. In cases where the infringement is disputed, we permit alleged infringers to dispute infringement via counter notices.

Finally, Windows Phone educates every developer from the very start -- before apps are even submitted -- reminding them in our developer agreements and policies that Microsoft does not permit infringement of intellectual property of others.

Update 2: Microsoft issued a statement related to the removal of the said apps:

We removed a series of apps for violating our policies concerning the use of misleading information. The apps attempted to misrepresent the identity of the publisher.
Best iOS apps this week

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 2:46pm CET par Wayne Williams

Twelfth in a series. Microsoft rolled out Office for iPad this week, and it's excellent. Like Apple iWork, it's not a single app but rather three individual apps for Word, Excel and PowerPoint (an updated OneNote is available too). You need an Office 365 subscription to get the most out of it, as without one you can only view documents.

Other featured apps this week include a modern remake of Little Big Adventure (a classic game from the nineties), a touch typing tutor, a drawing app for children, a sweeping and rather too addictive Game of Thrones RPG, a Captain America tie-in, and a group text messaging app.

As always, if I miss an app that you think should definitely have been included, let me know in the comments below, or drop me an email.

Here is my selection for this week.

Paid App of the Week

Little Big Adventure ($3.99)

Originally released on the PC in 1994 (was it really that long ago?), Little Big Adventure -- also known as Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure -- gets a new lease of life on iOS.

In the game, you take on the role of Twinsen, a young hero living on Citadel Island. Locked up by evil dictator Dr. FunFrock you'll need to escape from your cell and find a way of saving your planet.

Although it’s been 20 years since the original was released, the game has aged well, and the updates added to make the most of the touchscreen abilities really improve the gameplay.

Free App of the Week

Office for iPad

Well no surprises here that my free app this week is Microsoft's new suite of Office apps. Before they were launched I wasn't really expecting great things, but Microsoft has crafted something very special here. Sure, you need an Office 365 subscription to use them, but that makes a lot of sense from Microsoft's perspective. The new apps have rocketed to the top of the Free apps list already, with Word currently sitting at the top, and Excel and PowerPoint taking the third and fourth spots respectively.

You can read all about the new apps here.

Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone has also undergone some changes and is now free for home use. The app lets you view and edit your Office content on the go.

Other Apps

Game of Thrones Ascent

Offers in-app purchases.

Game of Thrones is set to return to TV screens in a week, and to get you in the mood, Kongregate has released an iOS version of the Facebook and web game that is already enthralling some 2.5 million players around the globe.

The game offers improved Retina graphics and Game Center leaderboards and takes place in the days before the death of the King’s Hand. You choose your character’s background and swear fealty to one of the great houses -- Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Tyrell, or Greyjoy. All the familiar characters are here, and there are over 2,500 quests to undertake.

New quests are added each week, as well as updates to match the latest episodes as they are shown on HBO.

Schoola

Schoola helps parents shop for kids' clothes and help their school in the process. It’s a massive online store for brand name "like-new" kids clothes at major savings -- with a portion of each sale (40 percent) going back to the school from where it was donated. More than 3,000 schools across the USA already support it.

The app gives parents access to over 2,000 brands, including Gap, Hanna Andersson, Tea Collection and Mini Boden, and you get 40 percent off your first order (the promo code is included in the app).

iColorType ($2.99)

The iColorType iPad app teaches children (or adults) how to touch type using a colored keyboard. Would be typists learn the correct motor skills and build muscle memory by associating each finger with the corresponding colored keys on the keyboard. The app includes an introductory overview, typing speed test, short words beginner lesson, and full lesson plan with 10 learning modules. It's perhaps overpriced, but if you want to learn how to type properly it can definitely help.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($2.99)

Offers in-app purchases.

Gameloft's official game of the Marvel movie blockbuster lets you play as Captain America and lead a S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team against several nefarious criminal organizations. The game offers fun tactical action gameplay, and asynchronous multiplayer so you can join a clan and battle rival players.

The graphics have a stylish comic book look to them.

Greet & Send

Greet & Send lets users send group text massages with a personal touch. So if you want to fire off holiday greetings, invitations, thank you notes and more to a whole bunch of people, you don’t have to do each one individually, or send a boilerplate message. You can add your friend’s name to the message itself by clicking his or her name from the contacts list on your phone. The app also lets you edit the name on the message, prior to sending it.

Apple’s App of the Week

DRAWNIMAL

Offers in-app purchases.

This week’s free deal is a drawing app aimed at children aged between 0 and 5. To use it you’ll need your iOS device (iPhone or iPad), the app, and a pen and piece of paper. The app encourages children to draw an animal body around the outside of the device. There are funny animations designed to help children master the alphabet.
HTML to PDF Tools: a different kind of PDF converter

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 2:45pm CET par Mike Williams

There are lots of HTML to PDF conversion tools around, and most work in the same way: they’ll process the HTML code, convert it into an image, and save this as a series of JPEGs in the finished PDF.

This works, but the results are basic, image quality will be lost, and there can be various other problems (you might have to install a virtual printer driver, there could be dependencies on other software).

This "virtual printer" approach still works well in many situations, but if you need something more, you might be interested in the free HTML to PDF Tools.

The program’s first advantage is that it’s portable (well, sort-of). It comes in the form of a 201KB, which downloads a supporting DLL when first launched, or if the DLL is updated. There’s no adware, no virtual printer driver or anything else installed on your PC, and it doesn’t have any annoying dependencies (you won’t need to have a particular version of a browser installed, for instance).

Once the initial download is complete, HTML to PDF Tools displays a straightforward tabbed interface. Getting started is as easy as entering a source URL in one box, a destination PDF name in another, and clicking "Convert". The program downloads the relevant page, converts and saves it for you, and asks if you’d like it displayed.

Click "Yes" and you’ll quickly realize what makes Free HTML to PDF different. Its finished documents aren’t just static images, they actually work like the original site: you can select text, or click links and be taken to the appropriate web page.

The program embeds graphics at their original resolution, too, rather than just resizing them, so there’s minimal loss of image quality.

Elsewhere, a second "Merge Web Pages" tab allows you to enter multiple URLs -- www.domain.com/page1.html, www.domain.com/page2.html -- and saves all of these to the same PDF.

There’s also an "HTML to PDF" tab, where you can enter HTML, JavaScript or CSS code, then have it rendered and saved to PDF.

Finally, a Settings tab gives you control over the finished PDF document. You’re able to set "Page Size", margins, a zoom level, header, footer and more.

While this sounds great (and often is), the program also has plenty of issues.

HTML to PDF Tools can only render regular text, image and graphic content. If your target URL makes heavy use of Flash, say, those areas will be left blank in the finished page.

The program makes no effort to fit HTML content to your PDF document. If the source page is too wide, it’ll just be truncated at the right side. You’ll have to manually experiment with different paper sizes and zoom levels to get better results.

HTML to PDF Tools doesn’t remember the URLs or file names you specify. If you have 10 URLs you’d like to regularly save via the "Merge Web Pages" dialog, then you’ll need to manually enter them, each and every time.

The lack of helpfulness continues elsewhere. Every time you run a conversion, for example, you’re asked whether you’d like to display the finished PDF, and must click "Yes". Why not have an option to remember that, so the next time it happens automatically?

And it looks like there are some bugs, too, with two of our test conversions displaying cryptic error messages. These aren’t quite as bad as they seem, though -- we just clicked "Convert" again and the PDF was produced correctly.

These various hassles can be annoying, particularly if you need to regularly convert lots of pages.

But if you’re only running the occasional conversion -- and you’d like more dynamic PDFs, with selectable text and clickable links -- then HTML to PDF Tools could provide everything you need.
Office Mobile free on Android, iPhone is a clever bait

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 1:28pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Microsoft made Office Mobile available for free since launch, on both Android and iOS. But, in order to take advantage of its features, users had to tie the app to an Office 365 subscription. So it was free, but not void of additional costs.

Yesterday, Microsoft launched Office for iPad and announced a subscription is now no longer necessary to get the best out of Office Mobile, which was just updated on both platforms to reflect this decision. While this only applies to home users -- which means a subscription is still needed for non-personal (commercial) use -- it is certainly a welcome change. But, it also means Windows Phone just lost one of its most important advantages over its main rivals.

Devices and Services Mantra

The Office playing field is now, basically, level between the three most-popular smartphone operating systems. This makes the job of the Windows Phone marketing team more difficult, as it now has one less exclusive feature to advertise to consumers. Tough luck.

Microsoft may naturally want Windows Phone to be at the top of the food chain, but it is also committed to its devices and services strategy. Since Android and iOS make for more than 90 percent of smartphone shipments, which in 2013 meant close to one billion units, ensuring Office has a place in mobile users' hearts and devices is more important than Windows Phone altogether, which struggles to gain traction. Microsoft simply has bigger fish to fry, and it now seems fully aware of that.

Potential Revenue Gains

Office Mobile may now be completely free on the two platforms, however this is not a blow to Microsoft's revenues. I doubt iPhone and Android users bought Office 365 just to use the app, which, realistically speaking, is not nearly worth $99.99 per year. I suspect most -- if not all -- enrolled their smartphone to their already paid-for subscription.

That said, a free Office Mobile may lead to a larger number of Android and iPhone users liking the app, after being able to use it for free, and then purchasing an Office 365 subscription -- that is not cheap, but important to Microsoft's long-term revenues -- in order to use the suite on their tablets too, which are used increasingly as PC replacements.

The (Clever) Bait

Truth is, Office does not actually lend itself well to smartphone use, based on my experience with Windows Phone. To be productive, a physical keyboard is a must-have as it makes it easy to input text, format it, and write formulas (the things I use Office for the most).

The small screen size of smartphones, combined with the lack of a physical keyboard, makes it very difficult to make professional-looking documents and presentations, and create advanced spreadsheets. For quick editing and basic tasks it is adequate, but for anything else users are better served by a PC or tablet with attached keyboard, like the iPad which is often paired with one. So...

This makes free Office Mobile a segue to Office on iPads, with an Office 365 subscription in tow. It is very likely Android tablets are next. Give a little, ask a lot in return. It is clever, is it not?

Photo Credit: sellingpix/Shutterstock
Mark Zuckerberg details Facebook’s plans to deliver internet to everyone

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 1:23pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Internet is a basic human right, or so the United Nations tells us. To that end, companies like Google are testing such solutions as balloons to bring access to remote locations, while others are using alternative measures, such as satellites.

Facebook is going a bit further, apparently. An announcement from Mark Zuckerberg made me check my calendar to be double sure it wasn’t April 1st. The CEO details the experimental work being done by the company’s Connectivity Lab. "Today, we're sharing some details of the work Facebook's Connectivity Lab is doing to build drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone", Zuckerberg states in a Facebook post.

When I mentioned this in the BetaNews newsroom, my colleague Ian Barker simply replied "Isn't it missing a bit? ...deliver the internet to everyone, whether they want it or not". It is certainly a fair point, as there likely are people who do not want it, though I suppose they aren't going to be forced to use it, just "encouraged".

The company is working with internet.org to make the project reality, and has already been testing solutions in a pair of nations -- Paraguay and the Phillipines. Zuckerberg brags that this experiment has already found success, doubling the number of mobile data customers by adding three million new customers.

"We're going to continue building these partnerships, but connecting the whole world will require inventing new technology too. That's what our Connectivity Lab focuses on, and there's a lot more exciting work to do here", he goes on to promise.

To bolster the efforts, the Connectivity Lab has brought in people from NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and the Ames Research Center, as well as the folks behind Zephyr, the solar-powered plane that broke the record for "longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft".

This whole thing certainly sounds futuristic. Satellites are already used for internet access, though there are problems with latency. Drones and lasers, on the other hand, bring rather bad visions to mind, so this will be interesting to keep an eye on. When a member of an Amazon indigenous tribe Likes my story then I guess we'll know it was a success.

Image Credit: boscorelli /Shutterstock
Maintaining IT security is getting harder -- and it's your fault

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 11:33am CET par Ian Barker

Keeping systems secure is more difficult than it was a year ago and this is partly down to human error. So says a new study by security awareness company KnowBe4.

The rise of ransomware, the adoption of BYOD, and rapid changes in technology all make it harder for enterprises to guard against threats both inside and outside the organization.

The study, carried out among IT managers, finds that 51 percent of respondents are finding security harder to maintain now than a year ago while 40 percent find it's about the same. Less than 10 percent say are finding it easier.

Many of the risks come from human error. BYOD in particular is more difficult for IT managers to monitor and secure. User smartphones, tablets and laptops can create potential for undetected entry to a corporate network. "The human factor is a leading source of security threats for today’s IT Manager," says Stu Sjouwerman, CEO and Founder of KnowBe4. He advises, "To maintain security, every company should adopt the 'defense-in-depth' strategy and create a strong first layer that includes up-to-date security policies, procedures and security awareness training as this affects every aspect of an organization's security profile".

In the government sector, insider threats are seen as nearly as great a problem as external ones. In the survey 53 percent of defense IT pros named careless and untrained insiders as their top security threat. KnowBe4's study shows 60 percent of IT Managers are looking to Security Awareness Training to help solve security issues in addition to using it to support compliance.

Sjouwerman stresses how important it is to educate employees to recognize potential network security threats, "Cybercriminals are constantly devising cunning new ways to trick users into clicking their phishing links or opening infected attachments".

KnowBe4 offers a free test for companies to see what percentage of their employees are susceptible to phishing attacks.

Image Credit: Robert Kneschke / Shutterstock
Anvi Smart Defender sees a major revamp

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 8:33am CET par Mike Williams

Anvisoft has announced the availability of Anvi Smart Defender 2.0, a major reworking of its lightweight security tool.

A completely redesigned interface sees the old cluttered screens replaced by a simpler, cleaner look. Key functions are accessed via large, flat buttons, surplus options are stripped away, and the end result does feel notably easier to use.

Thirteen new "guards" offer a degree of real-time protection. The free edition gets six -- "File", "Registry", "Startup Item", "Web", "Privacy" and "Download" -- but of course the commercial build has many more: "Adware", "eShopping", "USB", "Behavior", "Remote Access", "Remote Execute" and "Anti Exploit".

Anvi Smart Defender 2.0 doesn’t stop at detection, though. A new Anti Hacker module scans your system, reports on vulnerabilities and poorly configured settings, and offers to fix them. This generally addresses very basic issues (check Windows Update is enabled, Autoplay is turned off), and there are a few checks which didn’t seem to make sense ("Check if critical account is normal"), but it may help security beginners.

Other tweaks see more versatile scheduling, a new right-click "Scan by Anvi Smart Defender" option, and better monitoring of the program’s own functions (making sure its database is properly updated, for instance). They’re the kind of features which should have been included with version 1.0, but at least they’ve made it now.

We’re still unimpressed by Anvi Smart Defender 2.0′s accuracy, and even with the new real-time features, the program is no substitute for a full antivirus application.

Anvi Smart Defender 2.0 is easy to use, though. The new interface looks good, its protection level is improving -- if slowly -- and we ran it alongside other security tools without difficulty. If you like the program and are already using it, this is a worthwhile upgrade.
Linux distro Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr Final Beta available now

Publié: mars 28, 2014, 3:43am CET par Brian Fagioli
There are so many Linux distributions nowadays, that it can be overwhelming for a new user to choose. However, a safe bet for a Linux newcomer is Ubuntu. It is popular, easy to install and well supported by a large community. Hell, it looks rather sexy too -- modern and classy.

Unfortunately, while Canonical releases new versions twice a year, a Long Term Support (LTS) version only comes every two years. If you aren't familiar, an LTS version gets longer support than a normal release -- 5 years rather than 9 months. This is quite the considerable difference. Today, Ubuntu 14.04, which will be an LTS version, reaches Final Beta status.

"This is a very exciting LTS (long term support) release for Ubuntu's family of community flavours, as this is the first time that all of our flavours have applied and been approved for LTS status, some for the same five years as Ubuntu itself, and some for a shorter period of three years. This will be highlighted on a per-flavour basis in the final release announcement", says Adam Conrad of Canonical.

Conrad further explains, "the beta images are known to be reasonably free of showstopper CD build or installer bugs, while representing a very recent snapshot of 14.04 that should be representative of the features intended to ship with the final release expected on April 17th, 2014".

The following flavors of Ubuntu have Final Beta versions available now:
- Ubuntu (Unity)
- Edubuntu
- Kubuntu
- Lubuntu
- Ubuntu GNOME
- UbuntuKylin
- Ubuntu Studio
- Xubuntu
As always, it is not recommended to use a beta version of an operating system on a production machine. Even though show-stopping bugs are unlikely at this stage, it is always better to be safe than sorry. However, if you do live dangerously and install it, tell me how you like it in the comments.

Image Credit: Dana Ward/Shutterstock