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• 

  You might soon be able to run Android and iOS apps on the same device

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 11:55pm CEST par Paul Cooper

  

  Since the mobile universe was first split into the great hulking behemoths of iOS and Android, smartphone users have been asking "How can I run Apple apps on my Android device?"

  Well, this could be the answer you're looking for. A team of US computer scientists has announced the development and successful testing of software that allows Android and Apple apps to run side-by-side on the same devices.

  The software, dubbed Cider, lets Android gadget owners mix and match the Android and iOS apps they load on their phone or tablet. It was created by postgraduate researchers at the University of Columbia.

  While the team claims that Cider is only a prototype, as a proof of concept it sends a powerful signal. Today, Android users are unable to get at apps that call on media in Apple's iTunes, and smartphone users running iOS struggle to use Flash-based content.

  Cider would change all that, allowing people to use a single device to access both.

  But this isn't simply virtualization, which can often come with some serious performance drawbacks.

  The Columbia researchers adopted a different approach that involves the kernel of the Android operating system. The approach works by acting on the stream of instructions passing through an Android device, and altering only those that pertain to the iOS apps.

  A demo video (below) demonstrates the apps running side-by-side on a Nexus 7 tablet. However, some have pointed out that the Apple apps are running relatively slowly.

  Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

  
• 

  Surface Pro 3 first impressions -- hands-on with Microsoft's new hybrid PC

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 10:48pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

  

  When I boarded the train earlier this morning to go to the Surface Event in NYC, I had small expectations. Let me clarify -- small but not low. In other words, I was expecting a Surface Mini. Truth be told, I wasn't overly excited about yet another small tablet (manufacturers are already doing a good job with them). However, despite my trepidation about a small tablet, I was excited because it would have been a Surface, which is known for high quality. Plus, there were rumors about a new Surface Pro 3, and that had me giddy.

  Imagine my surprise, when internet rumors about the Surface Pro turned out to be true and the Surface Mini was vaporware. I was front row today while watching Satya Nadella and Panos Panay unveil the Surface Pro 3 and I was smiling ear to ear the entire time. Not only was the tablet amazing, but so too was the presentation. It was very Steve Jobs-esque, which is rather appropriate. Today, Microsoft is finally a step ahead of Apple with devices. The magic has left California and gone to Washington. Here are some of my first impressions of the game-changing laptop/tablet PC hybrid.

  Many are probably thinking the tablet is an unwieldy brick. Well, I am here to tell you that it is not true. While the tablet is larger due to the bigger, 12-inch screen, the device is extremely thin. So thin in fact, that it is pretty much equal to the ARM-powered Surface 2.

  While the display is bigger, it is also better too, going from 1080p to 2,160 x 1,440 resolution. Microsoft has even coined a term for the screen technology, "Pixel Free". While the name is gimmicky, reminiscent of Apple's "Retina" propaganda, there is something to the name, as I cannot see any pixels in normal use -- it's that good.

  

  The kickstand has also been improved, going from a two-stage movement to essentially an infinite-stage. Microsoft has implemented a special hinge, that allows you to position it in any angle that you want. It is kind of scary to use, as you feel like it could break. But no, it is very solid and seems to take the abuse. Only time can tell though, if the mechanism will last.

  As far as ports, it is as to be expected -- a single USB 3.0, a mini DisplayPort and a microSD card slot. Sadly, I was hoping Microsoft would have offered a full-sized SD card slot, but it is not a deal-breaker at all. The power port luckily has been redesigned and is fantastic. While the plug still attaches magnetically, there is no fiddling required -- you can do it half-asleep.

  I have been a huge proponent of OneNote and a heavy user of the service. Two months ago, I said "Make no mistake, this will be a huge part of Microsoft's future". Well, not to toot my own horn (toot-toot), but it seems that I was correct. The Surface Pro 3 comes with a redesigned stylus that heavily integrates with OneNote. There is even a bright "OneNote-purple" colored button (yes, I am coining that color) on it. This button, when pressed, will turn on the tablet's display and launch OneNote. From here, the user can quickly jot down ideas or reminders. Based on today's presentation, it is clear that OneNote has a big future.

  The new stylus, or pen as Microsoft is calling it, has new technology that reduces lag. Ultimately, the user can write on the screen without thinking about it. This is a huge win for pen-users, as that lag can be a killer.

  The real question though, is how does it feel? Pretty darn good, I must say. While using it, at no point does my arm get fatigued, nor do I feel it is too large. It is solidly built -- tank-like if you will. During today's presentation, it was dropped onto a floor with nary a scratch or ding. While I will not be torture testing it in this way, it's nice to know that it is built to last.

  Many pundits will consider it too expensive, but I think it is important to look at the big picture. The least expensive unit starts at $799 and people pay more than that for iPads, which are arguably less useful. The particular unit I am testing is priced at $1299, but has a Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. This is more than enough power for most users and I can definitely see it replacing the laptop for some.

  Quite frankly, with the new dock, it can replace some desktops too. Did I mention that the docked Surface Pro 3 can output 4K? Yup! Imagine replacing a desktop, laptop and tablet with a single, powerful device. If you think of it that way, it is not unreasonable.

  Sadly, the Type Keyboard attachment is still a separate purchase, but it is immensely improved. Typing feels about the same, but it has a new trick. By folding it up ever so slightly against the screen, it attaches magnetically in such a way as to tilt for better typing. This also has the added benefit of making it more secure for lap use (Microsoft calls it "lapability"). The touchpad truly shines though -- gone is the friction and frustration. Fingers glide well and two-finger scroll is a dream. It is night and day better.

  While Microsoft has been one move behind the competition for many years now, things are starting to change. Windows Phone 8.1 is immensely improved and Windows 8.x is maturing through updates, into an OS that people actually love. Finally, with the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft is at last ahead of the competition.

  
• 

  Angry Cisco CEO calls on Obama to rein in surveillance

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 8:33pm CEST par Aatif Sulleyman

  

  Cisco's head has called on President Barack Obama to stop bugging his company's networking equipment.

  John Chambers was reacting to the emergence of pictures showing National Security Agency (NSA) workers breaking open Cisco networking equipment in order to install surveillance tools in them. These devices would subsequently be resealed and sent out to customers, including Internet service providers and other major tech companies.

  The incriminating snaps were published by former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald in his new book entitled 'No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the Surveillance State'. Greenwald worked closely with Snowden to expose the US and UK governments' PRISM spying program and made headlines when his partner David Miranda was detained for nine hours by British authorities at Heathrow airport, apparently under anti-terrorism laws.

  Miranda also had all of his electronic devices confiscated and examined.

  Last week, Chambers made his feelings known by penning a letter to Obama, saying, "We simply cannot operate this way, our customers trust us to be able to deliver to their doorsteps products that meet the highest standards of integrity and security".

  Chambers also called on Obama to implement new "standards of conduct" as soon as possible. Many US-based companies, including Cisco, have lost a great deal of customers to European and Asian rivals, due to a lack of trust from surveillance-wary customers.

  Earlier this year, we caught up with Trend Micro CEO Eva Chen, who said, "Trend Micro is a Japanese company, so actually... we benefitted [from the PRISM scandal] because we saw companies, especially in Europe, start to say, 'I'm not sure I want to use US companies' services'".

  "If these allegations are true," continues Chambers' letter, "these actions will undermine the confidence in our industry and in the ability of technology companies to deliver products globally... we are concerned that our country's global technological leadership will be impaired".

  Obama has attracted a lot of criticism for his handling of the saga. Back in January, given the opportunity to apologize for the NSA's actions, he went down a rather different track.

  "We will not monitor the communications of heads of state and government of our close friends and allies," he said. "But let me be clear: our intelligence services will continue to monitor the intentions of governments around the world. We shouldn't have to apologize just because our capabilities are greater than others".

  In his letter, Chambers also implored Obama to "take more steps and a leadership role to ensure that guidelines and reforms are put into place that can be honored across the globe".

  Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

  
• 

  Google buys translator app Word Lens -- and now it's free

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 8:19pm CEST par Mike Williams

  

  Google has acquired Quest Visual and its top translator app Word Lens, according to a statement on the Quest Visual site.

  One immediate benefit for everyone is that the app -- and its language packs -- are now free to download, although apparently "for a limited time" only.

  If you’ve not seen Word Lens before, it’s an impressive app which (almost) instantly translates printed words with your iOS/ Android device’s camera.

  We’re not just talking about grabbing an image and displaying an OCR translation elsewhere, either. Word Lens actually replaces the words in the picture with their translated version, so all you notice is that the menu (or notice/ sign/ invoice/ whatever) has suddenly become readable.

  There’s support for translating French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, both to English and back again.

  All this is very easy to use, too. Choose your required translation and direction (English > Spanish or Spanish > English, say), then just point your camera at the printed text in question, hold it very steady, and the image should update in a fraction of a second.

  There are also some issues. The translation quality is variable, and an extreme sensitivity to movement doesn’t help (if there’s the slightest tremor then the translation may change).

  Considering what it’s trying to do, though, Word Lens mostly performs very well. But presumably it’s not going to last long as a separate product: Google will just want to take the technology and use it elsewhere. So if you’re at all interested, don’t waste any time -- go grab your copy immediately.

  
• 

  Google invades Wales, gets Chromebooks into schools

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 6:00pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

  

  Google yn dod i ysgolion Cymru. Google continues to battle Windows and Office 365, trying to get its own products adopted in the market, focusing on education, business and governments. And Chromebooks have made inroads in this area.

  Now the search giant announces it has scored a victory in Wales, bringing its platform to schools within the nation. "Around the world, schools are finding innovative ways to use technology to break down the traditional walls of the classroom, while overcoming the challenges of higher academic standards and tighter budgets. Today, we’re pleased to share the stories from two schools in Wales who’ve gone Google to help them meet the demands of a modern-day education system" says Liz Sproat, head of education at Google.

  The schools that have jumped on board include Gowerton and Coleg Cambria, and both are adopting Gmail, Apps and Chromebooks. "We’re very keen to deploy more Chromebooks. Students love them because they are intuitive to use and give them instant access to Google Apps,” states Darren Long, Teacher of ICT and ICT Coordinator at Gowerton.

  This may be considered a small win, but each one adds up. And the battle is good for the consumers as both Google and Microsoft continue to innovate with their respective platforms.

  
• 

  Apple isn't Phabulous

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 5:47pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

  

  Goldilocks knocks on Apple's door looking for the right mobile device. She first picks up iPad Air, which with 9.7-inch screen is too big. Then she tries 4-inch iPhone 5s, but it's too small. Finally she grabs iPad mini, thinking the 7.9-inch display is just right. But unlike the fairy tale, Goldilocks is disappointed. She drops the tablet, goes next door to Samsung's house, and takes the Galaxy Note 3, which at 5.7 inches -- and with stylus -- is just right.

  There's a gaping hole in Apple's product line -- and one CEO Tim Cook better quickly fix. Through it sales leak to competitors, but into a category where Apple doesn't compete. Tech-Thoughts analyst Sameer Singh observes about first calendar quarter global handsets: "As of now, we can assume that ~20 percent of all smartphones shipped have screen sizes large enough to become acceptable substitutes for tablet computing tasks".

  Phablet-size devices 5.5-inches or greater accounted for about 12 percent of shipments -- or nearly 29 million units -- during Q1, according to Canalys. Looked at differently, smartphones with 5-inch or larger screens accounted for one-third of shipments -- 39 percent to China and 43 percent to Asia-Pacific. The category, which Samsung dominates, grew by 369 percent year over year.

  Apple offers no large-screen phones and certainly nothing in the phablet category. Problem: iPhone is too small and iPad is too big, and both cost too much for the majority of buyers in big-growth emerging markets.

  Apple calendar first-quarter results reveal the trend in progress. iPhone accounted for 57 percent of revenues and iPad 16.7 percent. But tablet revenue fell 13 percent year over year and by 34 percent sequentially. Meanwhile, iPad missed Wall Street consensus by about 3 million units. More broadly, tab shipments dramatically slowed, with IDC putting growth at just 3.9 percent.

  If phablets are the real reason for the recent growth decline in tablet shipments, implications are enormous for Apple. Sales saturation in mature markets mean slower tab replacements, but expected growth elsewhere is now uncertain. In emerging markets, the recent trend is users going from cellular phone (dumb or smart) to tablet rather than PC as their next computing device. Phablet is best-of-both option, and the just-right choice for many people.

  For example, in China, the world's largest smartphone market, during March, phablets accounted for 40 percent of smartphone sales, according to Kantar Worldpanel. "It’s clear that phablets really are changing the way Chinese consumers use smartphones", Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar Worldpanel analyst, says. "More than one in five phablet owners now watch mobile TV on a daily basis, half do so at least once a month, and this is without widespread availability of 4G".

  Personally, I've seriously looked at Google Play's fantastic deal on Sony Ultra Z. That thing is enormous, but for $449 all the phone and tab you could ever need.

  As more of us talk less, viable phone size options increase. For, say, a woman who always carries a purse or student who rarely travels without a backpack, phablet is a reasonable alternative -- for small business owners on the go, potentially even more so.

  Apple offers nothing in the category. In this fairy tale, there's no happy ending.

  Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox

  
• 

  PQChat secures your communications using quantum computing-proof encryption

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 4:50pm CEST par Wayne Williams

  

  After Edward Snowden’s many (and on-going) revelations, it’s easy to think there’s not much you can really do to avoid being spied upon or prevent your communications potentially being monitored. Of course you probably don’t have much to hide, and therefore what you say isn’t likely to be of major interest to the NSA or other snoopers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try to maintain a degree of privacy where possible.

  SRD Wireless has today announced the launch of PQChat, a free app for iOS based on SRD’s own Never-The-Same (NTS) encryption which protects data using the McEliece cryptosystem, the strongest currently known, and which has never been broken (as far as anyone is aware, at least).

  PQChat lets users share and delete encrypted messages, voice, video and images, and the application doesn’t store personal information either.

  "The ongoing Snowden revelations have brought home just how easily accessible our personal information is to the NSA or other groups. Yet most people are still handing over information to data miners, spammers and criminals without understanding what they are doing," says Andersen Cheng, Co-founder and CEO of SRD Wireless. "People need to take back control of their data: even the smallest amount of personal information can compromise your privacy and security. Modern communication tools simply aren’t built with this as a priority and so make compromises in order to allow communication. Our aim with PQChat is to place end-to-end security at the heart of the application".

  The app boasts the following features:

  • Minimal user information: PQChat only stores a one-way encrypted value of the user’s phone number, which cannot be reconstructed, plus an encrypted user-supplied nickname and pseudo ID image; making the user’s identity impossible to determine.
  • User-defined passwords: PQChat allows users to set their own Master Password to sign up to the service, as well as a 5-digit alphanumeric PIN. PQChat does not even store the Master Password in the app, meaning that users have complete control over their own security.
  • Video and Voice authentication: To ensure a message recipient is who they claim to be, PQChat uses SRD’s patented Man At The End (MATE) authentication. By providing a video and audio authentication message, users can be certain of each other’s identity.
  • Locker: To guarantee that important information isn’t lost, PQChat includes a secure locker where users can store information that they want to guarantee it is kept safe and private.
  • Complete control over messages: As well as sending, users can remotely delete messages, whether manually or after a particular length of time. Users can also be sent an acknowledgment to provide a guarantee that crucial messages have been seen and read.

  "Even if an application or service claims to be secure, the data it holds still represents a risk," continues Cheng. "For example, if an application stores personal details then a security breach can put all users at risk. Apart from having zero knowledge of any message contents, SRD Wireless vows not to obtain, store or share any personal details or password information from PQChat users: it is our belief that ultimately your security should be in your hands, not ours. Since SRD’s business model is based around selling solutions to enterprises rather than data mining, there is no need for us to hold any of this information. Quite simply, if we cannot guarantee this trust between us and our users, then all of our claims about the security of PQChat itself are worthless".

  PQChat is available immediately in the Apple App Store, with an Android version due to launch shortly.

  
• 

  Motorola Moto E: An attractive and affordable Android smartphone [Review]

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 4:07pm CEST par Sandra Vogel

  

  Anyone who regularly reads my handset reviews will know how important the Motorola Moto G has been. Since last November it has overshadowed every phone aiming at the £150 price range, and quite a lot priced a fair bit higher. Now Motorola wants the Moto E to achieve the same kind of dominance -- this time at the entry-level end of the phone market. The Moto E can be yours for £89 SIM-free.

  By modern standards this is a small handset -- its screen is only 4.3-inches. It is amazing how much the landscape has changed over the last few years, so that a 4.3-inch phone seems small and 5-inch feels like the optimum size.

  While the screen doesn’t sit in the chassis in an "edge to edge" manner (have a gander at the LG G2 if you want to see what that looks like), there’s not a lot of bezel around the long edges, so the Motorola Moto E is relatively narrow. It is, though, fairly thick and this means it doesn’t sit quite as comfortably in the hand as it could. It is heavy too -- 142g is way more than the 124g of the 5-inch Huawei Ascend P7, and almost a match for the 145g Samsung Galaxy S5. It does feel weighty in the hand.

  On the plus side, as far as the Moto E being a comfy hold goes, there’s a curvature to the backplate which helps the phone nestle in the palm, and the back itself has a soft-touch finish.

  The Moto E is a tough little cookie. The chassis is solid and doesn’t creak, and the backplate is a really tight fit -- it shouldn’t pop off if you drop the phone. The display is of course Gorilla Glass -- but the latest version, Gorilla Glass 3, providing the best protection you can get against scratches and blemishes.

  Motorola has even tried to compete with the latest trend for waterproofing handsets. No, the E doesn’t have an IP rating, but it does have a splash guard coating. It just might stand a better chance of surviving a drop in a puddle or the bath compared to the average handset.

  My review sample was black, but soon you’ll be able to get hold of shells in a wide variety of rich, bright colours just as you can for the Moto G. This could prove an important factor in the success of this handset, as for relatively little outlay you’ll be able to refresh the look of your phone.

  There are two buttons on the right edge -- power and volume. The headset slot is on the top, and microUSB on the bottom. This is the same basic design as the Moto G, although there is one notable design difference from the Moto G in that there are two silver bars on the front (one above, and one below the screen). Neither actually does anything -- you might think the one below the screen is a controller of some sort, but no. The speaker sits behind it, churning out pretty tinny music, I might add.

  

  The Android controls are on the screen itself. Motorola has not troubled itself too much in terms of trying to wow us with the screen. The relatively high pixel count we saw in the Moto G’s 4.5-inch screen of 1,280 x 720 has come down here to 960 x 540. Now, the screen is not awful -- I was happy enough looking at websites and graphics. But it is not a shining beacon of quality, either, and text can look a little bit grainy.

  I wouldn’t want to use a screen this small for eBooks or anything like that, so this is probably not a huge deal. What’s more annoying, in a way, is the relatively low brightness and shallow viewing angles. I kept the display on full brightness most of the time to ease these problems.

  Motorola has decided to cut back on camera capabilities in order to save costs. There’s no front camera, while the back one is limited to shooting stills to 5 megapixels and lacks a flash. Video capture is way below par, maxing out at 854 x 480 pixels.

  The processor is a fairly sedate 1.2GHz Snapdragon with 1GB of RAM in support. It won’t break any records and it may struggle if you are a big multitasker or want to do a lot of gaming. But it streamed YouTube without a hitch. It is great to see memory expansion here -- something Motorola dispensed with on the Moto G. The microSD slot is nicely protected under the backplate, as is the microSIM slot. This means you can build on the rather light 4GB of internal storage, 2.21GB of which is available for your own use.

  

  There’s no 4G and no NFC here, but you do get Android 4.4 in an almost unskinned form. There are some light tweaks, for example the Google Camera settings are on a carousel here instead of the stock slide-out panel.

  

  Motorola’s Assist is on board too. This is a great little app that you can use to set the handset up for specific tasks. It can, for example, automatically silence the phone when you are in meetings, allowing through a whitelist and persistent callers but nobody else.

  There’s a 1,980mAh non-removable battery that Motorola says will last all day. Well, I’ve heard that one before. This time, though, Motorola does seem to have a point. As far as I’ve seen in a relatively short time with the Moto E, it does seem to meet that all-day life claim with a usage pattern that includes regular email fetching, web use, a little music playback and even a (very) small amount of gaming. Very importantly it also does really well on standby dropping minimal charge.

  Verdict

  Motorola hasn’t quite produced the stunner that some people might want with the Moto E. The absence of a front camera will immediately put it out of the running for the selfie brigade, and the screen disappoints a bit too.

  Still, the robust build, Android 4.4, memory expansion, opportunity to add replacement back covers and that fantastic battery life are all points in its favour. Other ultra-low-cost handset makers now need to up their game.

  Manufacturer and Model	Motorola Moto E
  Network	3G
  Processor	1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200
  Ram	1GB
  Memory	4GB (2.21GB accessible)
  Memory expansion	microSD
  Display	4.3in, 960 x 540 pixels, 256ppi
  Main camera	5 megapixel
  Front camera	None
  NFC	No
  Wi-Fi	Yes
  GPS	Yes
  FM radio	Yes
  Battery	1,980mAh
  Size	64.8 x 12.3 x 124.8mm   (WxDxH)
  Weight	142g
  OS	Android 4.4

  Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

  
• 

  IcoFX adds three new adjustment tools, enhances crop selection

  Publié: mai 20, 2014, 4:00pm CEST par Nick Peers

  

  Romanian developer IcoFX Software has released IcoFX 2.7 and IcoFX Portable 2.7, a minor update to its commercial icon-editing tool for Windows.

  Version 2.7 adds three new tools to the Adjustment menu, plus refines the existing crop tool. It also introduces two new options, a shortcut key for quickly deleting sections and fixes a number of known bugs.

  Version 2.7 debuts a new Trim option -- accessible from the program’s Adjustments menu. This allows users to trim the current icon using a combination of sides and colors. Also added to the Adjustment menu are new Replace Color and Replace Pixels options, which both offer real-time previews of changes made.

  IcoFX 2.7 also debuts a subtly enhanced crop tool, which darkens the entire image apart from that subsequently selected by the user to aid them in more accurate selections.

  Users can now also configure the corner radius when using the rounded rectangle tool, plus version 2.7 adds an option to reverse the gradient for both gradient and shape tools. Users also gain the ability to add helper lines to the grid. One final enhancement sees a new keyboard shortcut -- the [Delete] key -- being used to delete a selection.

  Three notable bug fixes have been applied -- one that made an opened image not appear unless windows had been maximized, another that saw the Angle gradient having transparent pixels on Windows 8 machines and a final bug that saw the application occasionally crashing on being closed.

  The update is rounded off with unspecified minor enhancements and further bug fixes. IcoFX 2.7 and IcoFX Portable 2.7 are both available now as a free 30-day trials for PCs running Windows XP or later. Licenses start from $29.99 for a single home license.