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Samsung unveils its Simband and Sami health platform

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 6:53pm CEST par Jamie Hinks

Samsung has taken a new march in the wearables race through a new wristband and development platform to revolutionize the way sensors are used to collect critical health data about the user.

The Simband and Sami [Samsung Architecture Multimedia Interactions] platform, which were announced at a San Francisco press event, will be used by third-party sensor developers to collect and store data.

Both solutions feature open software, hardware and mechanical design, and Samsung’s chief strategy officer Young Sohn explained to the BBC that the plan would only work if "we all work together as one".

To this end it has already worked with Imec, a nanoelectronics research center in Belgium, the University of California and software company TicTrac to design the software platform and is actively looking for more partners as the project develops.

As well as the wide range of sensors that can be added to the device there is also plans to include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity inside the Simband and a magnetic battery charger may be able to be attached to the product at night to enable it to be worn during sleep.

The South Korean company confirmed that it would have a 'beta' version of the Sami APIs and the Simband by the end of the year so that developers can start to use it as a guinea pig to gather and manipulate many different types of data.

During the presentation, Samsung demonstrated that one way for the data to be presented is in the form of a "wellness score". This would be interpreted as a percentage score showing how well the wristband wearer is taking care of themselves.

Samsung was at pains to explain that data would remain under the control of users and it remain the user’s choice when data is shared and dubbed Sami as a "custodian" of data. It went on to point out that $6.5 trillion is spent per year on global healthcare and one analyst went further to speculate that combining this with the burgeoning fitness, sports and activity monitors market could be a particular boon.

"The platform behind the actual Simband shows that Samsung want to be a key player in the internet of things and big data game, possibly signaling that going forward Samsung wants to be more like Google than Apple," said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Samsung will shed more light on the wristband and accompanying platform at its annual developers' conference that looks like it will take place in October.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
FileSearchy is a fast desktop search tool for Windows

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 6:43pm CEST par Mike Williams

FileSearchy is a free-for-personal-use desktop search tool with one or two interesting and unexpected features.

After a quick and easy installation, launching FileSearchy displays a very straightforward interface. Enter part of a file name in the Search box, and the results are updated instantly, just as fast as you can type. You can then double-click any file to view it, or right-click for the usual Explorer context menu.

FileSearchy supports regular expressions, giving you huge flexibility in how you specify your search term.

Search results may be filtered by file location, modification date or size range. You can then copy selected file names, paths, or multiple files to the clipboard, ready for reuse elsewhere.

Unusually for this type of program, FileSearchy is also able to index and search the contents of some file types (plain text, PDF, Office). There are plenty of settings to configure how this works: file types to be indexed, drives to consider, paths to exclude, and more. But the default settings worked well for us, although the authors do point out that you might need to install the Microsoft Office 2010 Filter Pack for the best results.

Search for content, and as usual, you’ll get a list of matching files. But this time clicking one displays any text matches in a preview pane, along with the sentence where they were used, great for establishing context.

If you need more than there’s an option to browse the contents of the whole file, although only in a plain text view. If you’ve found a match in a PDF file, say, FileSearchy will display its text contents only: no images or formatting. But this isn’t particularly important, as double-clicking any file launches it in your default viewer.

The tabbed interface is a notable plus. It’s easy to have multiple searches open and active at the same time. Or you might create one or more copies of an existing tab, then filter them in different ways: by modification date here, file size there.

We did experience one odd problem when FileSearchy crashed, apparently while indexing some PDF files. But this could have been some issue with a local file, and at least it only happened once.

For the most part, though, FileSearchy worked very well. We’d like it even more if the program were portable, but even now it’s small, simple and fast, with a good range of search features. If you could use its tabbed interface in particular then go take a look.

Acer Iconia A1: Small Android tablet for tight budgets [Review]

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 5:06pm CEST par Sandra Vogel

acer-iconia-A1-830-front_fullwidth Acer is probably not the first company you will think of when you start pondering tablets -- but in fact it has quite a pedigree. It has forayed into Windows-based tablets, with recent examples being the Iconia W4 and the Iconia W700 -- an attempt at an all-in-one/tablet combo. And its Android-based tablets are plentiful with A and B series lines alongside the more recently announced Tab 7 and One 7. ITProPortal actually reviewed the predecessor to this new model, the Iconia A1-810, last summer.

As tablets go the 16GB Acer Iconia A1-830 is a bit of a baby. It has a 7.9-inch screen, just a bit larger than the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7, and the same as the iPad mini. Its price marks it out as a budget buy at £140. For reference, the Nexus 7 16GB and 16GB Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch are both £199. The 16GB iPad mini is over £300.

So, with the Kindle and Nexus being obvious rivals for Android fans, Acer has to do some fancy footwork to win plaudits and make its £60 lighter price tag feel like good value rather than excessive corner cutting.

First impressions are quite positive. Yes, there's a lot of screen bezel on the short edges, but actually that can be a good thing. Holding the Acer Iconia A1-830 in widescreen mode, there was no danger of my fingers accidentally tapping at the screen's edges.

The screen itself is not too bad. The 1,024 x 768 pixels might not win any prizes up against the Nexus 7 and Kindle's 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, and the iPad mini's 2,048 x 1,536 -- but it is good enough for text to be readable and not fuzzy.

There's no auto brightness setting. This is always a bit of a nuisance, but at least you can pull down the brightness control from the notifications area to make manual adjustments. I had to rack brightness up to full whack to feel comfortable, but once that was done, I was happy. Acer talks up the screen's wide viewing angles -- they are indeed pretty good, though when you get to quite a sharp angle the reflectiveness of the screen cuts in to obscure what you're looking it.

The build is remarkably nice considering this is a low cost tablet. The white and silver colour scheme is an obvious homage to Apple, and it looks appealing. The matte metallic finish to the aluminium backplate looks nice, and it wraps around three of the four edges of the tablet, finishing in a shiny silver strip tying the front to the sides. On the non-metallic top edge a lozenge of white plastic provides slots for the charging cable and headphones. While this tablet is a little on the thick side, the whole build feels quite sturdy.

The power and volume rockers are white buttons sitting on the right edge. The overall look is pretty nice, though a couple of things let it down. There's a microSD card slot on the right edge which is uncovered and makes a rather ugly gash on the chassis. The microUSB, headset and microSD card slots are identified by symbols or words. Really, Acer, I don't think that's necessary and it just adds visual clutter.

acer-iconia-A1-830-rear-angle_original There are two speaker grilles on the back. They're nicely located as they are not easily covered while you're holding the tablet. Sound quality isn't great, but it is pretty loud. There is also a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a 2 megapixel one on the front. Neither is particularly remarkable and there's a lot of shutter lag -- you'll need a steady hand to get passable results.

One big surprise with the Iconia A1-830 is its processor: A dual-core Intel Atom 1.6GHz Z2560 is not exactly a popular choice for Android tablets. It has 1GB of RAM in support, and the good news is that it proved to be a decent performer.

There's always a certain irritation about response speeds when using lower-powered tablets. Whereas with higher-powered tablets, apps appear to run immediately when you tap, here there is a microsecond delay. The wait is longer and more noticeable when the Iconia A1-830 has to resolve a fair bit of data, performing tasks like zooming into a Google Maps location or presenting a web page after you've selected it following a search. These are not deal-breaking problems, though, and many people unaccustomed to using top tier products probably won't even notice an issue.

On board storage is set at 16GB and 11.25GB of this is free for your use. In conjunction with that microSD card this should be enough. A big irritation with this tablet is that it comes with Android 4.2 installed. That's now so far behind the times that it's a deal breaker. It is unskinned, and has been augmented by lots and lots of apps, some from Acer like AcerCloud, but many from third parties. Here's a list of a few: Amazon app store, Astro File Manager, Audible, Barcode scanner, Evernote, Kindle, Kobo, Life Image (an image-based journal type app), and more. There are various Amazon apps, actually -- and they are the only ones you can delete manually.

acer-iconia-A1-830-side_fullwidth

Battery life is reasonable, with the 4,000mAh cell seeing me happily through a day's browsing, gaming, reading and whatnot, though anecdotally I don't think it would last as long as that of my everyday Nexus 7. Indeed if weighing up between these two models, I'd advise anyone to try to save a bit more cash and go for the Nexus. Still, if the budget is really tight and you just can't wait, the Acer A1-830 should be serviceable.

Verdict

You might not immediately think of Acer when looking at tablet options, but if you are on a really tight budget and want to give a 7.9-inch Android tablet a go, it would be worth glancing in the direction of the Acer Iconia A1-830. Its biggest problems are poor cameras and the old version of Android on board, but if you can see past these issues, this isn't a bad buy.

Manufacturer and Model	Acer Iconia A1-830
Processor	1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 dual-core
Ram	1GB
Memory	16GB
Memory expansion	microSD
Display	7.9in, 1,024 x 768 pixels, 162ppi
Connectors	MicroUSB, MicroSD, headphones
Main camera	5 megapixel
Front camera	2 megapixel
WiFi	802.11 b/g/n
Battery	4,000mAh
Size	138.4 x 8.2 x 203mm (WxDxH)
Weight	380g
OS	Android 4.2

Best Windows 8 apps this week

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 4:35pm CEST par Martin Brinkmann
Eighty-third in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of new Windows 8 applications and games.

Microsoft removed the beta tag from its Internet Explorer Platform Status website which highlights the development status of web technologies in Internet Explorer.

Along with the launch came the confirmation that the company is working on a new set of features for Internet Explorer 12 including support for Web Audio, Media Capture and HTTP/2.

Microsoft runs two sales this week. First the usual Red Stripe Deals sale and then a Disney & Marvel games sale in addition to that.

You find information about both sales below.

Red Stripe Deals

All Red Stripe Deals apps and games are discounted by at least 50 percent.
- Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+, the classic game of Pac-Man for $4.99
- Scan - QR Code and Barcode Scanner, scanning app for $1.99
- Sunny Hillride, a racing game for $0.99
- Green Jelly, a puzzle game for $2.49
- Deadlings, a side-scrolling arcade game for $0.99
- KVADPhoto+ Pro, image processing application for photographers for $1.99
Disney & Marvel Games Sale

All games are discounted by 80 percent this week.
- Avengers Initiative, a fighting game for $0.99
- Toy Story: Smash It!, an action game for $0.99
- Disney Solitaire, a card game for $0.99
- Marvel Run Jump Smash, an action game for $0.99
- Temple Run: Brave, a dexterity game for $0.99
- Temple Run: OZ, another game in the series for $0.99
App of the week

Cooking for Giants

The game looks like yet another of those puzzlers where you have to combine-three-of-the-same-kind, but it is actually quite different.

While you need to combine three or more ingredients of the same type to create pastries, it is all about placing those ingredients on the board.

You can place one randomly selected ingredient each turn to create pastries once three or more of the same type are next to each other on the board.

It gets difficult quickly though. You do not get to place an ingredient on each turn, sometimes you need to place monsters or other non-ingredients on the board as well.

And instead of just combining three to remove them from the board, you sometimes need to create large versions of a pastry by combing three larger smaller pastries so that they are removed from the board.

You will eventually be able to save ingredients for later so that you do not have to place them right away, and use power ups such as transmuting dust to turn single ingredients into smaller pastries, and smaller ones into larger ones.

The game uses in-game currency for these power ups, and restricts lives to a maximum of five that get replenished over time or by buying additional lives with the in-game currency.

Other apps

Max Axe

Max Axe is not a Windows Store exclusive but it is a fun action game. Your main task in the game is to survive for as long as possible.

Since you walk automatically, all you need to do is to throw axes at the monsters that block your way.

Throwing axes feels natural thanks to the drawing motion that you make on the screen. Besides hitting enemies with all you've got, you are also tasked with collecting as much gold, gems and other loot as you can from around the map.

Each run earns you money which you can invest in better axes, armor, and lives.

Sensei Project Dashboard ($4.99, free the next 13 days)

The dashboard displays Microsoft Project schedule information and SharePoint Data. It is compatible with Project Online, Project Server 2013 and 2010.

The app displays the SharePoint document library, issues, risks and deliverables for a project, as well as project information and tasks.

Call of Zombies 2: World Domination

Stay alive for as long as you can in a sandbox that pits you against endless hordes of zombies. You have access to several weapons but limited ammo and need to find ammo packs on the map to survive.

There is not much to do besides shooting and running away from the zombies that rush after you, but that can be entertaining for a while if you like these kind of games.

The game lacks variety though, both in terms of zombies -- there is only one kind -- and maps, as there is also only one that you can play on.

Orbitz

The official Orbits application for Windows 8 that replicates what you find on the website. Research and book trips using the application, and sign in to get access to your trips and account.

The hotel finder in this application is especially helpful, as it displays all relevant information about the selected hotel on a single page.

This includes photos, amenities, a map view with information about nearby points of interests, dining information, and hotel policies.

Pocket Avenger

This is a fast paced running game in which you have to reach the exit on each map. Your character runs and shoots automatically, and your only task in the game is to jump when the time is right and to switch weapons.

While that may sound easy, it is actually quite challenging, especially in the later stages of the game as you won't have enough money to upgrade your equipment or base whenever suggested.

This means that you will either have to grind levels to earn enough money, or purchase in-game currency instead.

Pocket Avenger features weekly tournaments and boss battles that you can play against or with other players.

Booking Manager -- Place or Facility ($9.99, free for the next 11 days)

Set up places and facilities, and keep track of bookings using this app. You can define booking sessions and custom fees for booking periods, and enter reservation information using the application.

It displays booked periods automatically, and comes with a history feature that you can use to look up past bookings.

The reporting module allows you to display a summary for a selected time period.
Turn any business site into a social media hub for customers

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 4:10pm CEST par Ian Barker

User generated content is an important factor in getting consumers to trust online business. But not every enterprise has the time or the skills to build and manage a presence across multiple social media sites.

Customer profile management specialist Janrain has introduced a new product that allows users of any site to introduce and share social content.

Janrain User-generated Content (UGC) lets customers comment, share across social networks, chat, create original content, and see activity streams that automatically appear across a brand’s mobile and desktop experiences.

"Janrain UGC turns any site into a highly engaging social experience and gives consumers compelling reasons to share their social data with their favorite brands," says Larry Drebes, chief executive officer of Janrain. "When attention is the most valuable commodity, brands have to craft highly personal social experiences that people will want to share with their friends and return to again and again. Janrain is putting a suite of tools in the hands of digital marketers who want to build a lively interactive brand identity that draws people into a brand experience, gives them reasons to create accounts and relationships with these brands, and keeps them coming back".

Features include allowing visitors to publish comments on site content and monitor site activity filtered by individuals, social network friends or site wide. Companies can host real-time conversations for events like product launches, plus content from social media can be integrated into news feeds.

By allowing greater interaction with a site Janrain UGC helps improve customer engagement. The data collected can help marketers create personalized brand experiences which in turn gives visitors reasons to keep coming back and interacting with the site.

More information on what Janrain UGC can do is available on the company's website.

Image Credit: Oleksiy Mark / Shutterstock
Best iOS apps this week

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 3:24pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Twenty-first in a series. Lots of big Apple news this week. The company revealed it is indeed buying subscription streaming service Beats Music, and Beats Electronics (which makes the popular Beats headphones, speakers and audio software) for a whopping $3 billion. Following the announcement Eddy Cue, Apple SVP of Internet Services, took the opportunity to share some numbers relating to iTunes, and revealed that Apple has sold 35 billion songs, and iTunes Radio now has 40 million listeners. Cue also said that coming later in the year Apple has the "best product pipeline" that he’s seen in his 25 years at the company. Sounds exciting.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off on Monday, giving us a glimpse at some of what the company has in store for the rest of the year.

On to new releases, and this week's top apps include a Zelda-like fantasy RPG, a stylish Instagram client for iPad, a cartoon puzzler, a sketching app, and a soccer game.

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

Battleheart Legacy ($4.99)

The follow-up to Battleheart, this new game drops you into a rich and detailed fantasy world. Customize your hero with powerful skills and items, and then send them into battle against hordes of enemies. There’s a refined real-time combat system, and over 150 unique skills across 12 classes, and 200 pieces of equipment.

If you enjoy games like Zelda, then you’ll certainly like Battleheart Legacy.

Free App of the Week

Retro

Offers in-app purchases.

There’s still no official Instagram app on iPad, so Retro aims to plug that gap. Tiny Whale's Instagram viewer offers a choice of display modes (single column, grid, and mosaic), and will alert you whenever you get a comment or a new like. You can also see how popular your photos are.

Version 2.0 is a major update and boasts a redesigned interface, with a dark theme that can be set to launch when evening arrives. There’s a new background update option, and a recap photo generator which produces an image that sums up the last two months for you.

Other Apps

Drawect ($0.99)

This is fun sketching app aimed at kids and adults alike. It provides easy access to a range of controls, and offers a single drawing mode for "more ambitious artists" and a mirror drawing feature which lets you create perfectly symmetrical sketches.

Edna & Harvey – The Puzzle ($1.99)

We last saw young Edna and her talking stuffed bunny Harvey in The Breakout, an excellent cartoon adventure game. The Puzzle is a puzzle-based game that you can play on your own or with friends. There are 90 challenges to solve, plus 15 extra screens using images from the pair’s first adventurous outing.

Final Kick

Offers in-app purchases.

The FIFA World Cup is drawing ever closer, and this app lets you feel as if you’re taking part in one of the tensest elements -- the dreaded penalty shootout. You can take penalties or try to save them, and then watch slow-motion action replays.

Controlling the action is very simple -- you shoot or drag the goalkeeper to make saves, all using one finger.

There are 20 local offline tournaments, or you play against friends in real-time.

Inky Mail

Inky is a smart email client for iOS that understands what your messages are about and helps to organize them. Setting up accounts is easy -- you just have to enter your email address and password and Inky does the rest.

It can group content by message, conversation or sender, and offers a handy one-click unsubscribe option. You can even send quick canned replies to messages.

Inky is described as being free "for a limited time" so if you’re interested in what it has to offer you’ll want to grab it sooner rather than later.

Apple’s App of the Week

Infinity Blade II

Offers in-app purchases.

Apple’s free app this week is the second game in Chair Entertainment’s Infinity Blade series. Powered by Epic Games' Unreal engine, the fantasy hack and slash game is a true AAA quality title, and one that all iPhone and iPad users should own. It really shows what Apple’s hardware is capable of.

There are numerous enemies to battle across beautiful and immersive dynamically changing environments. You can choose your character’s weapons, armor and spells.

The latest game in the series, Infinity Blade III, is currently on sale for $2.99.
Google gives in, sets up 'forget me' form following EU ruling

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 3:22pm CEST par Mark Wilson

A couple of weeks ago, a European court ruling said that internet users had a "right to be forgotten". Google was at the center of the test case, and the internet giant expressed disappointment at the court's decision that individuals should be able to request that their details be removed from search results. Now a removal request form has been created for those looking to clear their name from search queries.

In order to use the form, individuals are required to provide a "valid form of photo ID". It is then possible to request that information that is "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive in relation to the purposes for which they were processed" be removed. Google has already made it clear that it found the court ruling "disappointing", and the company says that submitting a request is no guarantee of having details removed from search results.

"We will assess each individual request and attempt to balance the privacy rights of the individual with the public's right to know and distribute information. When evaluating your request, we will look at whether the results include outdated information about you, as well as whether there's a public interest in the information," the form explains. While the aim is to balance "the privacy rights of the individual with the public’s right to know and distribute information", there are a few exceptions mentioned right from the offset -- "information about financial scams, professional malpractice, criminal convictions, or public conduct of government officials".

The form only covers European countries and it's possible that it will change over time. "This form is an initial effort. We look forward to working closely with data protection authorities and others over the coming months as we refine our approach", says Google.

But one thing is certain: the task of balancing personal privacy, public interest, and censorship is going to be a tricky one, and Google is likely to be inundated with requests from people who are unhappy about appearing in search results.

Image Credit: Lane V. Erickson / Shutterstock
Cloud music player Style Jukebox goes ad-free

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:50pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Style Jukebox is a cloud player that lets you upload your personal music collection to the cloud so you can stream it to your Android, iOS, Windows and Windows Phone devices. It is designed to work both online and offline, so users can listen to their songs even in areas without cellular coverage.

Style Jukebox has been offered in a free, albeit ad-supported, version as well as in a premium one, the latter of which comes with more storage space, support for a higher number of linked devices, and support for more file types. Now, following a new round of funding, the startup's co-founder Ionut Antiu tells me Style Jukebox is improving its free plan so users will no longer see ads.

Antiu says this applies to all Style Jukebox apps, which the company started to update earlier today to reflect this change. The free plan, however, will still come with the same limitations as before, namely 1 GB of cloud storage, limited number of linked devices and no support for FLAC and M4A-ALAC file types. Those who want more can get the premium version, which is available for $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year.

Antiu also tells me the latest updates for the apps include new features and performance improvements. Windows Phone fans should be pleased to learn that Style Jukebox on Windows Phone 8.1 features Cortana support, allowing users to control playback and search for audio files using voice commands.

If you want to learn more about Style Jukebox, check out our Q&A.
Is Yahoo planning a video service to rival YouTube?

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:21pm CEST par Aatif Sulleyman

Yahoo is reportedly preparing a YouTube rival that will go live later this summer.

According to Advertising Age, which cites sources close to Yahoo, the Internet giant has harbored such plans since 2012, when Marissa Mayer first took over the company's reigns. Just over a year ago, it tried to pick up Dailymotion.

It seems that Yahoo initially intended to reveal its new service back in April, but contracts spats have delayed the launch.

The platform would share many similarities with YouTube, such as the ability for users to build their own channel pages and embed their Yahoo videos on other sites. However, Yahoo is hoping to trump its rival by offering content creators more lucrative financial offerings.

These would come in the form of chunkier revenue sharing agreements or significantly higher fixed advertising rates. Right now, exact numbers are unknown.

As things stand, YouTube creators currently lose 45 percent of their advertising revenues to Google, and would likely jump at the opportunity to make more from their videos.

However, Yahoo is believed to have upset a lot of creators with its content ownership proposal. According to sources, Yahoo wants total ownership of all clips shared to Tumblr.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life," said a producer involved in negotiations with the company. "Anyone who's done a content deal knows that would never fly".

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
NSA: Edward Snowden did not raise surveillance concerns internally

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:12pm CEST par Mark Wilson

In an interview with NBC earlier in the week, Edward Snowden -- ever a thorn in the side of the NSA -- defended his decision to leak documents to the press, saying "Sometimes to do the right thing, you have to break a law". The whistleblower has long insisted that his revelations were born of a desire to help his country, and claims that he previously tried to voice his concerns about the US government's surveillance tactics through official channels.

Speaking in Wednesday's interview, Snowden said "I actually did go through channels, and that is documented. The NSA has records, they have copies of emails right now to their Office of General Counsel, to their oversight and compliance folks, from me raising concerns about the NSA’s interpretations of its legal authorities". This is something disputed by the NSA who released details of a brief email exchange between Snowden and the Office of General Counsel.

The emails show Snowden querying whether Executive Orders or federal law took precedence. The NSA claims that this is nothing more than Snowden "asking for an explanation of some material that was in a training course he had just completed", going on to say this is the only relevant record to be found that supports his claims. The Office of General Counsel's reply to the email states that Executive Orders have the "force and effect of law", but "cannot override a statute".

It may seem like a minor point, but it is one that it important. One of Snowden's justifications for his leaks is that he thinks "it's really disingenuous for the government to invoke and sort of scandalize our memories [of 9/11], to sort of exploit the national trauma that we all suffered together and worked so hard to come through to justify programs that have never been shown to keep us safe, but cost us liberties and freedoms that we don't need to give up and our constitution says we should not give up". If there was a confusion between orders passed down by the White House and law passed by Congress the argument is that the NSA's activities were illegal.

The NSA is insistent that the short email exchange is not proof of Snowden voicing concerns internally. The agency goes further saying, "We have searched for additional indications of outreach from him in those areas and to date have not discovered any engagements related to his claims".

There are unsurprising claims of a government cover-up. Snowden's legal advisor, Ben Wizner said: "This whole issue is a red herring. The problem was not some unknown and isolated instance of misconduct. The problem was that an entire system of mass surveillance had been deployed -- and deemed legal -- without the knowledge or consent of the public. Snowden raised many complaints over many channels. The NSA is releasing a single part of a single exchange after previously claiming that no evidence existed".

This game of verbal tennis is likely to continue for months and years to come. Edward Snowden may have rattled governmental cages with his actions, but public opinion of his decisions remains divided. Surveys show that people in the 18-29 age bracket believe he served the public interest, and those in older age groups are more likely to feel he should face criminal prosecution.

Photo Credit: ollyy/Shutterstock
Scribus adds image alignment script, refines PDF export options

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:12pm CEST par Nick Peers

Open-source, cross-platform desktop publishing package Scribus 1.4.4 has been released. Despite the seemingly minor version number, it includes a number of significant changes.

The new build -- also available in portable form -- adds support for exporting documents in the PDF/X-1a format. It also improves image handling, introduces a new image-alignment script and features a number of stability improvements.

Support for PDF/X-1a means users can now export Scribus documents as PDF files with all fonts embedded and CMYK or spot-colored images. Version 1.4.4 also updates its Barcode plug-in to reflect the latest changes made to the underlying Barcode Writer in Pure PostScript (BWIPP).

The new release also rewrites -- and improves -- the Autoquote script, which is used to convert straight quotes in a text frame to correct quotation marks. The script, introduced in version 1.3.9, now provides more options to end users and adds thin spaces to French texts where appropriate.

A new script has also been added that allows users to quickly and easily align images in frames -- the feature is available via the Scripts > Scribus Scripts menu. Page borders can now also be used as guides, allowing users to snap items to borders.

Scribus 1.4.4 also comes with the promise of improved handling of transparencies in Photoshop-generated TIFF files, while Mac users regain the ability to export documents in various bitmap formats.

Version 1.4.4 also adds full support for the OpenICC Directory Proposal, and also integrates the CMYK color palette created by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) for newspaper advertisements. This is accompanied by a new color palette aimed at professional geographers.

The app also comes with the promise of various tweaks, bug fixes and improvements: adjustments have been made for Windows 8, while issues with the user interface and canvas display have now been resolved. Another bug with the spellchecker -- which resulted in a crash -- has also been fixed.

The update is rounded off with a number of updates and improvements to its documentation and translations.

Scribus 1.4.4 is available now as a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Windows users can also download and run Scribus Portable 1.4.4.
Menu Uninstaller Pro: an easier way to uninstall software

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:08pm CEST par Mike Williams

Uninstalling programs in Windows is a very common task for most people, yet can still require a little effort. Just finding the Uninstall option might take a moment as you check the Start menu first (if you have one), before heading off to Windows' "Programs and Features" applet.

Menu Uninstaller Pro is a free alternative which could help save you time, by providing several new ways to manage and remove installed applications.

The program installs easily enough, and without adware. It does require that you register with your name and email address, although you’re able to opt out of future emails.

Menu Uninstaller Pro immediately adds an "Uninstall" entry to the context menu for every shortcut. If you decide you don’t need a program any more, right-click its shortcut, select Uninstall > Standard Uninstall and it’ll be removed as usual.

You can also launch Menu Uninstaller Pro separately. Your installed programs are listed in a table, and selecting any of these displays its details in a grid. These are sometimes presented a little bizarrely, so you’ll see icons for "Install Location" and "Update Link" rather than the locations themselves. But they’re convenient enough to use: simply click "Install Location", say, and the program folder opens in Explorer.

You can also view your application’s uninstall Registry keys with a click, which can help you spot other information. We noticed that GIMP’s "QuietUninstallString" was "C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\uninst\unins000.exe" /SILENT , for example: that’s the command you can issue to remove the program without seeing any prompts.

One annoying problem is that Menu Uninstaller Pro runs in a fixed sized window (around 900×240 pixels on our test PC). It can’t be resized or maximized, and we were only able to view 7 installed programs at one time (expect lots of vertical scrolling).

You can at least reduce this problem by applying one of the built-in filters. You’re able to view only large programs, toolbars, software updates, or whatever you’ve installed most recently. And whatever you choose, a Search box makes it easy to zoom in on particular applications.

If you find something you want to remove, selecting it and clicking Standard Uninstall launches its regular uninstaller. (And that’s all: there’s no ability to clean up any leftovers, or uninstall a program itself.)

There is also an option to batch-uninstall programs, although this didn’t work as we expected. You can’t select multiple programs in the usual way, holding down Ctrl and clicking each in turn. Instead you must check a "Multiple Uninstall" box, then check boxes for whatever you’d like to remove.

Menu Uninstaller Pro includes one or two other small extras, dotted around its menus and toolbars. A Log tries to record anything you’ve removed with the program (it doesn’t always seem to work correctly); you can export your installed application list to a spreadsheet for later analysis; optional password protection helps to reduce the chance of your kids uninstalling all your software, and there’s one-click access to System Restore to help deal with lesser problems.

There are clearly a few issues here, in particular with the interface. People who want to use this kind of tool will by definition have plenty of installed applications, and not being able to maximize the program window is a real problem.

Still, if you’ll regularly uninstall programs from the shortcut right-click menu then this won’t be such a concern, and the ability to uninstall multiple programs should also save you time. If the standard Windows uninstall applet isn’t enough then Menu Uninstaller Pro makes a capable, if flawed replacement.
Bitrix24 launches free inter-company collaboration tool

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 12:06pm CEST par Ian Barker

Since its launch in April 2012, Bitrix24 has become one of the fastest growing online collaboration platforms, used by more than 180,000 companies.

It's now launching a new, free instant collaboration tool called Bitrix24.Network, allowing companies to work together without leaving their familiar corporate portal.

"Internal communications have been revolutionized by social intranets and enterprise social networks in the recent years. Intra-company communications, however, are still in the twentieth century, done mostly via emails. Our network fixes that," says Bitrix Inc president Dmitry Valyanov.

The new product is connected to, but is independent of, Bitrix24 itself and it allows people from different corporate intranets to communicate and collaborate in the same way they do inside their own company intranet.

It allows users to create temporary collaboration work spaces that are similar to throw away email addresses. Send a link to people you need to collaborate with, they log in with their Facebook or Twitter accounts and you start collaborating immediately. Once the task is over you have the option to abandon the collaboration space or keep using it for future projects. The service is free for all parties involved.

Currently Bitrix24.Network supports unlimited instant messaging, private and group chats, audio and video calls free of charge. File sharing, online document editing and other tools already available in Bitrix24 will be added to the network in the coming months.

New features are being added to the main Bitrix24 product too. There's now an email server inside Bitrix24 accounts, thanks to partnership with Yandex. Duplicate search and quotes have been added to the CRM module and the mobile app now supports extranet users.

Valyanov says, "We never believed that email is dead. Yes, social communications are effectively replacing email inside the company, but in order for a collaboration solution to be 'whole', you need to have social, chat, audio, video, telephony and email in one place. The addition of mail server inside Bitrix24 effectively completes the collaboration circle that we envisioned when we launched the service two years ago. We can now concentrate on polishing the existing tools and developing Bitrix24.Network, because it’s obvious that the next revolution is about how companies communicate with each other".

Bitrix24.Network is available from today and you can join a webinar of the launch at 11am EDT.

Photo Credit: Pressmaster/Shutterstock
Samsung Galaxy S5 gets the Active treatment

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 12:00pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Last year, South Korean maker Samsung introduced a number of variations of its Android flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, among which was a ruggedized model designed to work in harsh conditions. Dubbed the Galaxy S4 Active, it could even shoot video and play music through headphones underwater.

The specs of the new Galaxy S5 suggest that Samsung put an end to the Active designation, as the smartphone comes IP67-certified out-of-the-box. This means it is both dust and water-resistant, which suffices for those who do not leave their Galaxy S5 in the desert, construction sites, fish tanks, hot tubs, lakes and the like. Samsung, however, seems to think a Galaxy S5 Active has its place, as the smartphone was just unveiled.

Today, AT&T introduced the Galaxy S5 Active in its portfolio, revealing the features that set it apart from its less-rugged sibling. The former employs a different exterior design, which looks to make it more accident-proof, with physical hardware buttons on the front (the Galaxy S5 only has a single hardware button for home). The shell is also shock-resistant, and has a "convenience" button on the side which provides easy access to "outdoor activity" software. The heartbeat monitor is carried over from the Galaxy S5.

"Samsung Galaxy S 5 Active is built to handle the wear and tear of an active lifestyle, while still maintaining the level of performance customers expect from a premium smartphone", says AT&T Devices senior vice president Jeff Bradley. "Now you can enjoy the outdoors with a durable, premium smartphone on the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network".

As far as hardware specifications go, the Galaxy S5 Active comes with: 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 by 1920; 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor; 2 GB of RAM; 2,800 mAh battery; 16 MP back-facing camera; 2 MP front-facing camera; 16 GB of internal storage; microSD card slot; 4G LTE cellular connectivity; Bluetooth 4.0 LE (Low Energy); Wi-Fi 802.11ac; physical measurements of 5.72 x 2.89 x 0.35 inches and 6 ounces; Android 4.4 KitKat.

The Galaxy S5 Active is available now from AT&T, in Camo Green, Ruby Red and Titanium Gray, for $199.99 with a two-year contract. With AT&T Next 12 the smartphone costs $35.75 per month, while with AT&T Next 18 it runs for $27.50 per month. The off-contract price is $714.99.
Acer unveils Build Your Own Cloud (BYOC) Experience Center

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 8:14am CEST par Darren Allan

Acer has opened its BYOC Experience Center in Aspire Park over in Taiwan, a place which is designed to showcase the firm's Build Your Own Cloud ecosystem and its usefulness to both individuals and business organizations.

This is all part of Acer's push into cloud territory, as it looks to diversify away from the PC hardware business which has been hit hard lately by a downturn in demand (as tablets have gathered much momentum).

The BYOC Experience Center is designed to demonstrate how individuals and organizations can use Acer's ecosystem to easily build their own personal clouds, with a range of apps on show in four different zones.

Acer Chairman Stan Shih said: "Based on the Acer Open Platform, BYOC crosses platforms and industries and allies with partners to build new applications for a better quality of life. We are calling for partners to join the BYOC ecosystem to develop new technologies and apps, and in the spirit of Wangdao, create value for our mutual benefits".

Acer is eyeing the expansion of the Internet of Things -- the proliferation of connected devices -- and is developing concept products with various partners, including the likes of apps for connected cars and the smart home. The BYOC center apparently highlights a number of scenarios showing mobile devices being used to remotely control home appliances.

BYOC for the enterprise will also be a major theme, with topics focused on including eAuction services (B2B online auction websites for real-time bidding) and eTicketing.

On the consumer level, Acer has also launched a suite of BYOC apps (abApps) to allow for the use of secure cloud storage lockers synced across Windows, Android and iOS. The first abApps (which are free) will be abFiles, abPhoto, abDoc and abMusic, which -- well, you can probably guess what they pertain to.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Adware comes to the World Cup 2014 through Android app

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 3:07am CEST par Alan Buckingham

We are not far off from the proverbial kickoff of the 2014 World Cup. The tournament takes place this year in the South American nation of Brazil, beginning in June. With a major sporting event comes web sites and apps, letting folks follow all of the action. However, in some cases, not all is what it seems.

Avast researchers uncovered an app that, while not actually dangerous, is designed to feed you only ads. "Some of the Android gaming apps we downloaded primarily displayed ads instead of letting us play. Let me just point out a few from many. We were unable to play Corner Kick World Cup 2014 at all because it displayed nothing but a white screen, with ads popping up now and then", says Flip Chytry.

There are immediate warning signs -- the app is less than one MB in size. It also does absolutely nothing. You will be opening a plain white screen that does nothing but display pop-up ads.

Further research showed more apps from the same developer, and all performed in an identical manner.

"This is, unfortunately, a quite common and sneaky way for developers to make some money. With applications like this, the only person who benefits from them are the developers. They may get some money if you actually click on the ads their apps display", Avast states.

Google has been actively trying to eliminate these sort of apps from the Play store, but crap still sneaks in, so pay attention when installing something. Not all is what it seems.

Image Credit: Paul Michael Hughes/Shutterstock
Steve Ballmer agrees to buy the Clippers for $2 billion -- a billion less than Apple paid for Beats

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 3:05am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Besides being a big fan of technology, I am also hugely into the NBA. As a New Yorker, I grew up idolizing Knicks players like Anthony Mason, John Starks and Patrick Ewing to name a few. While I still bleed orange and blue, it has been a difficult road -- my team has never won a championship during my lifetime.

While the Knicks at least won championships in 1970 and 73, the Clippers have never won a ring. That franchise has historically been viewed as a loser and in the shadow of the Lakers. However, they have made huge improvements in recent years and are finally respectable. Sadly, that is being overlooked due to the racist comments of the current owner, Donald Sterling. As a result, the owner is being forced to sell the team. Well, guess who may be buying it? None other than Steve friggin' Ballmer, Mr. "Developers, developers, developers". Hey, he already has a haircut like Michael Jordan and Shaq, right?

According to the LA Times, Ballmer has reportedly won a bidding war to own the Clippers. He has offered a mind-boggling $2 billion. While this is a monstrous amount of money, for him, it is merely a small slice of his overall pie of wealth. Despite leaving Microsoft under fairly bad-terms and presiding over some of the company's arguably biggest disasters, he has earned quite the fortune during his career.

The rumor mill is already swirling with speculation that Ballmer may try to move the team to Seattle, since that city lost the Sonics years ago. Remember, California has four NBA teams -- Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Warriors. It is not so crazy for that state to lose one. Not to mention, like I stated earlier, the Clippers will always be in the shadow of the Lakers for as long as the team plays in Los Angeles. Hell, the Clippers do not even have their own arena -- they share with the Lakers! By moving to Seattle the team would finally have a definitive identity.

Of course, Ballmer is not yet the owner of the Clippers. Donald Sterling needs to sign-off on the deal, and the NBA must approve it. Plus, there is always the possibility that Sterling could tie up the process in the courts as a last-ditch effort to hold on to his precious Clippers.

Are you surprised that Steve Ballmer may become an NBA owner? Tell me in the comments.
MSI unveils sexy and hardcore All-in-One desktop gaming PCs

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:18am CEST par Brian Fagioli

When you think of gaming PCs, your mind may immediately conjure huge ATX towers with LED lights, and massively large and expensive graphics cards. Yes, the rigs of many a gamer will resemble the previously envisioned computer. However, why does it have to be this way? Not all PC video gamers are teens looking for flash and pizzazz. No, some of them are adults and want something more mature and subdued.

Today, MSI unveils gaming all-in-one desktops that are mature and tame in design, but still sexy. The machines pack a significant amount of power, but the footprint on a desk will be no more than a typical monitor. In other words, the gaming PC has grown up.

"MSI's new gaming AIOs pack the same high-performance components found in bulkier desktops into an attractive and compact design, including Intel Core i7 processors for ultra-fast speed, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 800M series graphics for outstanding image quality, up to 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, and Killer Gaming Networking for lightning fast and lag-free connectivity", says MSI.

The company further says, "to provide even more devastating power, select models feature Super RAID (2 SSD's in RAID 0), touchscreen capabilities and Blu-Ray disc burner. Super RAID and Plextor True Speed Performance Technology delivers unprecedented and stable long-term speeds by eliminating the drop in read/write speeds experienced by SSDs after long use. This combination results in stable and reliable read speeds of up to 1000MB/sec".

MSI lists the following specs:

As you can see, these computers are no joke. Clearly MSI means business and intends to grab the attention of gamers. While the 27-inch is the most desirable, all three variants are very respectable. Sadly, pricing is only listed as starting at $1,249.99, which I can safely assume is for the 21.5 inch. More details on pricing will be revealed next week, when these computers hit Newegg, Amazon and more.

Will you be buying? Tell me in the comments.
Limited-time BetaNews offer: Get Bitdefender Mobile Security free for 6 months

Publié: mai 30, 2014, 1:00am CEST par Wayne Williams
With Android security threats becoming more sophisticated each day, your mobile device needs extra protection. Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android keeps your most data-sensitive apps secure with its new App Lock feature.

App Lock lists all the apps installed on your phone and allows you to easily set up a PIN to restrict access to one or more of them. Nobody can access a locked app without the Bitdefender PIN.

Bitdefender Mobile Security also offers enhanced Anti-Theft functionality to help you find, wipe or lock your missing device faster and easier. It can pinpoint apps that access sensitive data such as contacts lists, messages and calendar entries or saved photos, and the cloud-based scanning technology blocks malicious websites, phishing and fraud attempts.

Here’s a quick overview of Bitdefender Mobile Security’s key features:
- AppLock -- Adds an extra layer of security to your preferred mobile apps.
- Privacy Advisor -- Shows how installed apps use, and can abuse, your personal information.
- Anti-theft -- Allows you to send SMS commands, lock, track and wipe your Android from any Internet-connected device.
- On-install and on-demand malware scanner -- Shields Android devices from the newest malware threats and aggressive adware.
- Web Security -- Protects users in real time when browsing websites using Chrome and Android’s default browsers.
Bitdefender Mobile Security usually retails for $9.95 a year but BetaNews readers can use it absolutely free for six months. The only hitch is that you have just 24 hours to take advantage of our exclusive offer, so act fast!

To get your free six month version of Bitdefender Mobile Security just click here.