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• 

  Extend your battery life with Comodo Battery Saver for Android

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 7:58pm CEST par Mike Williams

  

  There’s no real secret to extending the battery life of your Android device: just keep your screen brightness and timeout to a minimum, while turning off, disabling or uninstalling everything you don’t really need.

  Applying these tweaks at the right time is often a hassle, of course, and it could be simpler to allow the free Comodo Battery Saver to manage everything for you.

  Install the app and it monitors your battery level, automatically switching to a power-saving mode when it’s getting low. By default it uses "Economy Mode", which turns off almost everything, but there are various other presets available: "Reading Mode" for reading, "Cinema Mode" keeps your device quiet in meetings, "Gaming Mode" delivers maximum performance with minimum interruptions.

  If none of these suit your needs then you can also design a Custom Mode which adjusts only your chosen settings (screen timeout, brightness, vibration, Wi-Fi, mobile network, auto sync, Bluetooth, touch feedback).

  Tap Settings > Intelligent Options and you can have Battery Saver switch to your preferred mode when the battery level drops to a certain level. A scheduler optionally switches modes at a specified time range (use 23:00 -- 08:00 to turn off most features at night, say), and the app can also disable features when your device is locked.

  Once you’re set up, the app’s Battery Info page will keep you up-to-date with your current battery level and how long you’ve got until it’s exhausted. You’re able to manually change profiles here, as well as manually enabling/ disabling key features (Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and more) with a tap.

  If this still doesn’t deliver the results you need, Battery Saver’s Utilization page displays your most power-hungry apps, and stops or uninstalls them in a couple of taps. And the app also keeps you informed with an alert when you device can be unplugged from charge, and status bar notifications on your current battery levels.

  There are limits to what this kind of tool can do, and if you already monitor your battery use carefully then it’s not going to make too much difference. Comodo Battery Saver does simplify the process, though, and if you’re not happy with your current battery life then we’d give it a try

  
• 

  Samsung and Spotify team up for new multi-room wireless speaker system

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 7:54pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

  

  Whole home audio does not come cheap, and the big player to date has been the Sonos system. Now Samsung is jumping into the market and has found a major music player to partner with in its implementation of the system.

  The electronics maker and music streaming service Spotify are announcing the new Samsung Wireless Audio Speaker range (M7 and M5). "With Spotify Connect built in, you can stream your favorite music and playlists directly from Spotify. Hit play on your mobile or tablet, and the music booms out in any room of your home. You can even play through multiple speakers at the same time", the streaming service states.

  The new audio system will be compatible across multiple Samsung devices, including smart TVs, soundbars and other company products. The speakers are also compatible via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

  Like Sonos, the system does not come cheap, so expect a hit to your wallet to set things up. You can view the options here,  You can control the system via a mobile app, and that is, thankfully, free.

  
• 

  Ashampoo Music Studio 5 adds Opus support, improves tag editor

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 7:53pm CEST par Mike Williams

  

  German multimedia developer Ashampoo has announced the release of Ashampoo Music Studio 5, its all-in-one music management suite.

  Improvements include an extended Analyze tool which checks your chosen audio files for common problems (missing tags, incorrect file extensions) and corrects them in a few clicks.

  New support for Ogg’s Opus format means Music Studio 5 can open Opus files, and convert them to or from MP3, Ogg, WAV or FLAC.

  Enhancements include cover art support when ripping discs and in the tag editor, as well as more customizable disc copying (you can now choose which tracks to copy).

  Elsewhere, a revised Organizer renames or moves files based on their tags, and there’s an audio editor, a recorder, a normalization tool, a cover art and inlay designer, and more.

  Ashampoo also reports that there are "many technical improvements under the hood", and the suite now comes in a redesigned and simplified interface. (We’re not sure it’s a great improvement, but at least the company hasn’t just churned out yet another Windows 8-like clone.)

  Ashampoo Music Studio 5 is priced at $29.99. A 10-day-trial is available now, and that can be extended to 40 days if you register the program.

  

  
• 

  1Password for Android now supports on-device password editing and management

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 7:50pm CEST par Nick Peers

  

  AgileBits has unveiled 1Password for Android 4.0, a complete rebuild of its app for giving Android device users access to passwords stored securely using the 1Password service.

  Previously, the app only gave users read-only access to passwords created on other platforms, including Windows, Mac and iOS, but is now a fully fledged password manager in its own right.

  Version 4.0 ships as a freemium app, with the read-only functionality still available for free. Users can then unlock the rest of the app’s functionality with a one-off, in-app purchase -- price yet to be determined. Until August 1st the app is fully functional for free.

  The app has been redesigned from the ground up with a hybrid UI for both phone and tablet devices. It adds editing, organization and syncing capabilities alongside a built-in browser and top-end security.

  Users can now manage their vault directly from the app, meaning they can add, edit and delete items. There’s support for viewing attachments added from Mac or PC platforms, a strong password generator for creating new passwords and the ability to view both custom fields and web form details.

  Also added is the ability to mark items as Favorites for faster access. Other organizational improvements include updated and expanded item categories as well as support for folders and sub-folders.

  Syncing tools include Dropbox, folder, automatic and background sync capabilities, with sync notifications and the ability to merge locally stored data with an existing vault.

  Security features in 1Password for Android include locking all important items behind a secure Master Password. The vault is protected with AES-256 Authenticated Encryption, and is automatically locked when idle. Clipboard contents are automatically cleared and users can add another layer of security by adding a PIN code.

  1Password for Android 4.0.1 is available free now. All features are available until 1st August, when an in-app purchase will be required to unlock editing capabilities -- price to be determined. Also available as trial downloads are 1Password for Windows, Mac and iOS.

  
• 

  MouseController records and replays your mouse actions

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 7:46pm CEST par Mike Williams

  Tedious PC tasks can sometimes by automated by scripting, command line switches, maybe an application’s own built-in scheduler. But if those options don’t work for you then you could try MouseController, a very lightweight tool which records and replays your mouse actions.

  The program is absolutely tiny -- a 32KB download -- and doesn’t require installation. Just unzip it, launch the single executable and you’re ready to go.

  The MouseController interface is basic, but straightforward enough. Hit the customizable hotkey (F9 by default) to start recording, then carry out whatever actions you’d like to record, pressing the hotkey again when you’re doing to turn the recording off. A "Start Playback" button tests your macro immediately.

  An "Add random delay to repeat" option could also be interesting. Even if you don’t need to automate anything in particular, the setting may help you simulate user activity, keeping a system awake when no-one is around.

  This kind of technique still needs to be treated with caution, because MouseController doesn’t have any idea what it’s clicking. You might use the program to launch something from the Start menu, then click a button on its toolbar, and initially this will probably work just fine. But if the Start menu is reordered, or the toolbar layout changes, or you’re just using a different screen resolution, then you might run something completely different -- perhaps with disastrous results.

  If you work to reduce the risks, though, MouseController can still be helpful. Don’t use it to launch applications, for example. Maximize the program you’re automating, if possible, and close everything else. Keep your macro task small and simple, try to avoid clicking anything which might be customized later (the position of a toolbar), and it should work just fine.

  
• 

  Amazon Appstore for Android triples app selection, still lags Google Play Store

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 6:55pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

  Amazon can make a great Android device, as demonstrated by the Kindle Fire HDX tablets and Fire TV media box. However, there has been a legitimate knock on the offerings -- lack of apps, including Google's. The trade-off for the beautiful hardware is the frustration of missing some of your favorite apps.

  Amazon has been making major improvements to app availability in its Appstore though and today, the company announces actual numbers and analysis behind it. The number of apps available have tripled. Yes, Amazon's Appstore is growing and becoming a legitimate threat to Google's, but will it ever actually surpass it?

  "Amazon today announced that Amazon Appstore selection has nearly tripled in the past year and developers continue to report strong monetization from the apps they offer in the store. The Amazon Appstore now has over 240,000 apps and games, is available in nearly 200 countries and on a multitude of devices. Additionally, Amazon Coins have become widely popular -- customers have spent hundreds of millions of Amazon Coins on apps, games and in-app items. The broad growth in the Amazon Appstore is enticing developers -- the number of new developers joining the Amazon Appstore per month close to doubled in the last year", says Amazon.

  The online-retailer further explains, "according to an IDC survey commissioned by Amazon, developers building apps and games for Kindle Fire are making at least as much money (often more) on the Kindle Fire platform as on any other mobile platform. IDC conducted a survey of 360 smartphone and tablet application developers. The survey examined developers' experiences selling apps on the Kindle Fire platform".

  Here are some of the analysis I referenced earlier:

  • 65 percent of developers said that Total Revenue on Kindle Fire is the same or better than developers’ experience with other platforms.
  • 74 percent of the same developers said that Average Revenue per App/User is the same or better on Kindle Fire than other platforms.
  • 76 percent of developers indicated that the Kindle Fire platform helps them connect with new market segments—an important indicator that the Kindle Fire platform can be a significant source of net-new business and "reach" for developers at a time when new market segments may be difficult to find on competing platforms, the study noted.

  Happy developers are key to improving app availability, so it is good news to see that developers are satisfied with Amazon's Appstore. However, there are still some issues. For one, no matter how large the store gets, it is doubtful that Google will ever host its own apps there, such as Chrome, Maps or Hangouts. This will be a major negative for consumers entrenched in the Google ecosystem.

  Also, even if many popular paid apps show up on Amazon, it is questionable whether consumers will be willing to re-purchase them for an Amazon device. This could make a switch to a Kindle Fire tablet or rumored Amazon smartphone a costly upgrade. It is (relatively) understandable to have to buy apps again when moving to an entirely different platform such as iOS or Windows Phone. However, spending that money on the same exact Android apps just because it is a different app store is a hard pill to swallow.

  Would you swallow that pill? Tell me in the comments.

  
• 

  BlackBerry brings protected messaging to the enterprise

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 4:40pm CEST par Ian Barker

  

  One of the major concerns of mobile use in the enterprise is keeping company data secure. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) already offers a reliable messaging service with millions of users worldwide, but now with the launch of a new service it lets employees benefit from speedy, reliable and private business communication.

  The new BBM Protected service offers enhanced security for messages sent between BlackBerry devices by adding an extra layer of encryption to the standard BBM which encrypts messages in transit.

  BBM Protected incorporates three layers of security in transit. Messages between users of the system are protected by encryption using unique public/private keys. A 168-bit key is used to encrypt and authenticate messages, and TLS transport layer encryption helps protect against eavesdropping in transit. It also protects data on the device, building on the existing BlackBerry security model.

  A key feature of BBM Protected is that it's seamless for the end user. The same app is used for both company and personal BBM messages, if the recipient is also a Protected user the extra encryption is automatically applied. This means it can be used to chat securely to BBM Protected users at other companies too without any extra configuration being needed. It also offers notifications so that you can be sure the recipient has read your message.

  Because it's designed for mobile from the outset it offers better performance than other enterprise IM clients that originated as desktop solutions.

  For companies that are already using BlackBerry Enterprise Server, BBM Protected can be easily deployed via the existing management console. It offers full logging and auditing features to ensure compliance too.

  You can find out more and see the full system requirements on the BlackBerry website.

  Image Credit: Diego Cervo / Shutterstock

  
• 

  iOS 8 multitasking: What’s the holdup?

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 1:58pm CEST par Randall C. Kennedy

  Has Apple painted itself into a corner with iOS 8 multitasking? I ask because, like many technology enthusiasts, I came away from WWDC feeling a bit let down. After all, everyone and their grandmother was expecting Apple to announce some sort of split-screen multitasking capability for iOS 8. Yet when Mr. Cook and friends took the stage there was no mention of the feature.

  So, what happened? According to my sources, it all comes down to a programming mechanism known as "Auto Layout". Introduced with iOS 6, Auto Layout allows developers to create apps that support dynamic resizing, using pre-defined rules for object spacing to adapt an app’s UI to fit a particular screen resolution or orientation.

  It’s an elegant solution to the problem of how to make iOS’ UX scalable across multiple display configurations. It’s also the cornerstone of Apple’s approach to split-screen operation: Assuming an app supports Auto Layout, it should be able to adapt to a reduced (I’m hearing 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 screen window sizes are planned) display area without too much trouble.

  The problem is, not all developers use Auto Layout. And those that do often eschew Apple’s graphical tools (Auto Layout is part of Xcode’s Interface Builder) in favor of hard-coding their own dynamic resizing logic. And once developers start working around a platform’s established methods, all compatibility bets are off.

  Thus Apple finds itself in a bit of a bind. It can’t force developers to retool their apps for split-screen operation. Nor can it simply implement split-screen and hope users don’t mind the occasional buggy app experience (think Android’s early tablet days). The world’s most valuable company got to where it is by paying attention to detail, and a half-baked multi-windowing implementation is never going to make it out the doors of Apple’s Cupertino headquarters.

  So, iOS users sit. And wait. And hope that their favorite technology company gets it all sorted out. Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to make hay with its side-by-side comparison spots showing how Windows 8.x lets you snap two or more apps onto a single screen (while quoting such gems from Siri as "I’m sorry, I can only do one thing at a time").

  As a Windows tablet enthusiast (HP Envy x2) and sometime iOS user (I have a lowly iPod touch), I know first-hand how useful Windows 8.1’s split-screen multitasking can be. I use it every day when teaching class, researching lesson plans, or simply composing a letter in response to an email. It’s fast, fluid and makes my iPod running iOS 6.x feel anachronistic.

  Frankly, I hope Apple finds a way out of that corner. The company’s devices are sleek and sexy. Its customers deserve an equally slick multitasking implementation, one that lets them take full advantage of the premium hardware they paid so dearly to procure.

  In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the fruits of Microsoft’s labors. The Redmond behemoth had the foresight to bake dynamic resizing into its Modern UI guidelines from the start -- an upside of approaching touch computing from a PC-centric perspective.

  
• 

  Here are the first Micromax Windows Phones

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 12:09pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

  

  Manufacturer support is key for Windows Phone in the ongoing battle against its more popular rivals, Android and iOS, as it needs a more diversified handset portfolio to successfully cater to the needs of a wider range of consumers, most of whom are not part of its growing user base. The platform is heading in the right direction though, as, since earlier this year, Microsoft announced a significant number of new partnerships, some of which have already borne fruit at Computex.

  Indian smartphone maker Micromax, which is the second-largest vendor in its home market, is the latest new partner to add to the Windows Phone collection. The company just announced the Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092, which are similar in specifications to the Nokia Lumia 630 and Lumia 525, respectively.

  The two new Windows Phones, which appear to run Windows Phone 8.1 judging by Microsoft's own announcement, are aimed at the Indian market, sporting low-end hardware and affordable prices. Locally the Canvas Win W121 will be available for Rs. 9,500 (roughly $158), while the Canvas Win W092 will go for Rs. 6,500 (roughly $108). Here is what they offer.

  The Canvas Win W121 (pictured above) packs a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 by 1280, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 MP main camera with LED flash, 2 MP secondary camera, 8 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and dual-SIM support. Micromax is giving its smartphone a "leather finish back panel", which should make it feel more premium than it is.

  Meanwhile, the Canvas Win W092 (pictured below) offers a 4-inch IPS display with a resolution of 480 by 800, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 5 MP main camera with LED flash, 0.3 MP secondary camera, 8 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and dual-SIM support.

  

  A quick comparison with the aforementioned Lumia devices reveals that both of Micromax's new Windows Phones offer better hardware specifications for a similar amount of money, which is something that will be highly appealing to prospective buyers on a budget.

  
• 

  Comodo introduces new mobile device management features

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 11:51am CEST par Ian Barker

  

  One of the best ways for businesses to cope with the demands of mobile usage and BYOD is to use a mobile device management solution to allow the IT department to stay in control.

  Security specialist Comodo has announced a range of new features to enhance its existing MDM product and make it more attractive to administrators needing to secure and manage large-scale deployments of mobile devices.

  Comodo MDM has an integrated antivirus engine and allows admins to define device and identity certificates. It allows asset and application management but unlike some other solutions Comodo licenses users rather than devices, allowing each individual to protect up to five devices. This makes administration easier as although you may not know how many devices are in use you should know how many users you have.

  New features in the latest version include an application catalog for Android allowing admins to define recommended or mandatory applications which can be managed via an enterprise store. A similar application management feature is available for iOS systems.

  Admins are able to define stricter policies on Samsung SAFE supported devices. This allows them to define Wi-Fi and VPN configurations, remove options like screen capture, copy/paste, USB connections and more. An access control feature allows restrictions on devices that can access the company mail server.

  There's also enhanced group management and a better GUI plus improved communication speeds and the whole thing can be administered from a central console.

  You can find out more about the product’s features and download a free trial version on Comodo's website.

  Image Credit: jannoon028 / Shutterstock

  
• 

  Hacker discovers a way to double your money on PayPal

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 8:26am CEST par Paul Cooper

  

  A former hacker once convicted for hacking into NASA and the Pentagon claims to have found a way to reliably double your money by exploiting a loophole in PayPal's system.

  Razvan Cernaianu, who goes by the nickname TinKode, claims scammers need to open three PayPal accounts in order to pull off the scam. One is a legitimate buyer, another is a disposable seller and the third is a mule. The latter accounts need to be linked to virtual credit cards.

  "You transfer the money to the second account with the pretext of buying a phone. From the second account you again transfer the money to the third account as a gift. After 24 hours, you use the chargeback function from the first account to get the money back with the excuse that the phone did not arrive on time", Cernaianu explained on his blog.

  "As the second account is only a virtual one, it will not have real money from which Paypal can extract. Therefore you are left with $500 restored by PayPal, and $500 in your third account".

  Cernaianu said he reported the loophole to PayPal's bug bounty team, who have claimed that the problem results from an issue with its Protection Policy.

  "While the abuse described here is possible in our system, repeated abusive behavior by the same and/or linked account(s) is addressed," PayPal reportedly told Cernaianu.

  However, the company has not issued a response on what it has done to prevent one-off abuses of this kind.

  The Romanian hacker, who also goes by the online alias "sysgh0st", brought down websites belonging to the Royal Navy, the Pentagon and NASA using advanced SQL Injection techniques to plant malicious code in the website's source code, before being arrested in 2012 and forced to pay $120,000 in damages.

  Whether or not this loophole could be used to extort thousands of pounds out of PayPal is dubious, considering their considerable investment in anti-fraud technology. However, it just goes to show that there are loopholes in even the most advanced and secure systems.

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

  Image Credit: komar_off / Shutterstock

  
• 

  IBM back in the USSR?

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 8:10am CEST par Robert X. Cringely

  My book, The Decline and Fall of IBM, is now available in paperback, on the iPad and Nook, as well as on the Kindle. A dozen other platforms plus an audio book will be available shortly, but these are the big ones.

  Over the weekend I received a very insightful message about the book from reader Steve Jenkins in Australia, where IBM is showing the same behavior problems as everywhere else. Steve has an insight into Big Blue that I wish I had thought to include in the book because I believe he is absolutely correct.

  "Finished your e-book, but skimmed the blog comments," wrote Steve. "The ‘Financial Engineering’ is important: the C-suite is converting 15 percent of the company into share ‘value’ each year to feed their bonuses. Is that a 6-year half-life? It’s a technique with a limited application, but could work well for a decade.

  "Reading your analysis, I was wracking my brain trying to think of precedents, in the Industry and really couldn’t. Not even Unisys. But there is one, it’s glaring, obvious and should be frightening to shareholders & customers: Communist USSR & the Eastern European Bloc.

  "Same deal, I think. Cooked books, pain for the working classes, luxury and riches for the Ruling Elite, Ethics & Morals of no consequence. And those ‘Five Year Plans’ are the same: full of certainty and false promise, based on measuring and rewarding the wrong things (like tons of nails made) -- with no concern, checking or consequences for gaming the system.

  "You absolutely nailed one of the Cultural problems: 'The Big Bet'.

  • Hollerith had the punched card
  • then IBM dominated with tabulators (the 1949(?) anti-trust suit)
  • then TJ Watson Jr did the S/360.
  • and since 1992, they’ve been hunting for the Next Big Monopoly.

  "I don’t think IBM’s Board & C-suite is in denial. I suspect it’s more like the Kremlin in 1988 and I don’t have good words for it. Fantasy Land, definitely. Disconnected from Reality, certainly. Denial implies some recognition or understanding of the truth".

  Thanks for the insight, Steve. Yes, IBM in 2014 is the Kremlin in 1988 with the big question being whether Ginni Rometty is Mikhail Gorbachev? I don’t think she is. Gorbachev at least took a shot at trying to manage the transition which Ginni so far has not. That would make her Gorby’s predecessor, Konstantin Chernenko, who died in office.

  I suspect that will be Ginni’s fate, too, at least metaphorically. As more people read my book and come to understand not just the house of cards that IBM has become but that it’s just an extreme example of what’s happening all over American big business, IBM’s board will come to life and try to save itself by ejecting her in favor of a more Gerstner-like character.

  Heck, Rometty’s replacement could be Lou Gerstner.

  My next column (the last in this series I’m sure you’ll be happy to know) is about the probable endgame for IBM.

  
• 

  Root almost any Android device, including AT&T or Verizon Galaxy S5, with towelroot by geohot

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 2:04am CEST par Brian Fagioli

  

  Sometimes things are serendipitous in the tech world. This past Friday, I received a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 to review for BetaNews. Yesterday, as part of my testing, I wanted to see how easily I could achieve root access. To my surprise, after many weeks on the market, root was still not achieved by anyone. I even learned that the xda community had raised $18,000 in pledges for whoever could achieve root for both the Verizon and AT&T variants.

  Well, coincidentally or serendipitously, root access is announced today, merely one day after I began my search. Fabled internet hacker geohot, most famous for jailbreaking the iPhone, is the man to claim the $18,000 bounty. He has released a simple APK that does the work -- no ADB or computer needed. However, his discovery goes far beyond the S5 and could work with almost any Android device released before June 3, 2014.

  It is surprisingly easy, and relatively safe, but BetaNews warns to do this at your own risk. If you brick your device, or have a negative experience in any way, you are to blame, not us. With that said, just follow these steps:

  1. Enable developer mode by going to "Settings", "Security" and checking "Unknown sources".
  2. Click here to download the APK.
  3. Install the APK by running it from "Downloads".
  4. Run the installed app from your app drawer
  5. Click the button that says "Make It Ra1n".
  6. The phone reboots and you now have root access!
  7. Install your favorite root app from the Play Store, such as SuperSU.

  This worked perfectly for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5. I am successfully running root apps, like Root Explorer, plus the Xposed Framework is installed. If you want to learn more, just visit the official site here.

  Did it work for you? For which device? Tell me in the comments.

  Photo credit: Vladimir Gjorgiev / Shutterstock

  
• 

  Troubleshoot TCP/IP issues with 'Why Can’t I Connect?'

  Publié: juin 16, 2014, 1:48am CEST par Mike Williams

  Why Can’t I Connect? is an open source tool which can help to identify and solve TCP/IP connection errors.

  Typically you'll use the program to try and connect to one of many common server types (Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL Server, FTP, SFTP, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, IRC, LDAP and Usenet are supported, along with generic servers and clients). Why Can’t I Connect? then tries to make the connection for you, reporting on what happens at every stage, and offering possible explanations for whatever errors crop up.

  If you can't receive email from a POP3 server, say, you would choose the POP3 option, enter your server name or IP address, and optionally select a protocol (STARTLS, SSL/ TLS) or enter a port. (You don't have to enter a user name or password at any point, and so there's no need to worry about security: Why Can't I Connect? tries to reach the server only, it doesn't handle authentication.)

  Once you’re set up, click OK and Why Can't I Connect? attempts to make the connection, displaying its various steps in the program's trace window. This includes identifying the current host name, checking for a bindable IP address, binding it to a socket handle, setting the receive and send timeouts, locating an IP address for the server and trying to make the connection.

  If any of this fails then an error message appears with possible explanations: "your network connection is down", "your DNS server is down", "the port is being blocked by a firewall", "the server is slow", and so on.

  This final analysis won't usually give you a definitive answer. When we tried running a POP3 connection to a web server, for instance, we got a “permission denied” error, with suggestions including "your network connection is down", "the port is not listening/ active", "the port is being blocked by a firewall", "the maximum connections for the server has been exceeded". The second was correct -- there was nothing listening at port 110 -- but the program has no way to know that for sure, and you'll need to do more work to turn its report into a solution.

  Why Can’t I Connect? can help point you in the right direction, though, and it has some welcome bonus features thrown in. Bridging (tracing the conversation between an existing client and server) is our favourite, but there are also tools to report on connecting/ listening/ reserved ports, and a scripting option can automate testing to track down intermittent errors. Go grab a copy immediately for your troubleshooting toolkit.