Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » juillet 1, 2014

BetaNews.Com (15 non lus)

Media Browser offers a great media streaming solution for shared households

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 10:12pm CEST par Nick Peers

In recent years there has been a lot of love shown for Plex, the slick and frankly brilliant media sharing solution that encompasses just about any platform. But it’s not the only media server in town.

It’s lurked in the shadows for some time, but now there’s a serious competitor starting to eye up Plex’s crown, and that solution is Media Browser.

Like Plex, Media Browser comprises multiple parts, a mixture of free server and desktop software and paid-for mobile solutions for accessing that media on the go (both over your local network and further afield via the internet). At its heart is Media Browser Server, which is installed on the Windows PC housing your media collection.

Media Browser follows the same naming convention as that used by Plex and XBMC, so if you’ve already optimized your files from either platform, you’ll be able to easily switch them to Media Browser (and if you haven’t click here for my guide to platform-agnostic media management).

Setup is very simple, although your security software may take exception -- wrongly, of course -- to both server and Media Browser Theater setup programs. Like Plex, configuring your media server is done within your web browser, starting with a very simple configuration wizard to get you up and running.

Once complete, you’ll find yourself at the main dashboard. From here, the first thing to do is take advantage of Media Browser’s multi-user support. While Plex has some support for multiple user profiles, it’s currently limited to paid-for PlexPass users and doesn’t have the same range of options as found in Media Browser.

This feature is perfect for shared households, as it allows you to create user profiles for every person in your house. You can restrict access to certain media libraries, apply parental restrictions to younger members and prevent other users from administrating the server. Your users then get to tweak their own profiles so they can fine-tune the media browsing experience to their personal tastes.

Watch anywhere, anytime

With your server set up, it’s time to choose how you actually enjoy and consume your media. You can watch through your server PC’s web browser, or install Media Browser Theater for other Windows 7 and 8 PCs.

For watching content on the go, you’ll find Media Browser apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows RT/8 devices. There are also plugins available for XBMC and other popular media centers, as well as a Roku app in development. Thanks to Media Browser’s DLNA support -- your smart TV and set-top boxes should also be able to access your content, albeit without the beautifully crafted user interface.

Media Browser is still very much in development, and lacks some of the polish of Plex. While there are beta builds of the server for Linux and Mac, they’re not for the average user, so at present it’s largely confined to Windows machines.

Nevertheless, there range of configurable options, coupled with that multi-user setup, could be enough to swing Media Browser your way. Media Browser Server 3.0 and Media Browser Theater 3.0 are both available as free downloads for PCs running Windows 7 or 8 (the server also supports Windows Vista and Server).

Also available for free is Media Browser for iOS 1.5 for iOS 7-powered iPhone. Media Browser for iPad 1.1.2 costs $3.99, while Media Browser for Android 1.0.45 costs $4.59. A one-day trial of Media Browser for Windows 8 1.8 can also be downloaded, the full version costing $4.99.
Swapping 'Surface' for 'Lumia' -- is Microsoft really about to commit branding suicide?

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 8:46pm CEST par Randall C. Kennedy

Boneheaded. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think about Microsoft abandoning its Surface branding in favor of Nokia Lumia.

You see, successful branding is a tricky business. Getting people to internalize your brand or product name as part of their everyday vocabulary is a herculean task. Coke did it. So did Xerox and Kleenex. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone to "Xerox" something, or asked the person next to me to pass me the box of "Kleenex".

And Coke? I’d like to buy the world one and then teach it to sing in perfect harmony. Enough said.

Now we have Surface. And for the first time in my rapidly declining memory, an IT product not made by Apple has achieved this kind of popular brand identity.

When I’m in a meeting, and someone asks me to pass them their iPad, there’s no question as to which device they’re referring. Likewise, when someone asks me to pass them their Surface, there’s absolutely no confusion about the request. They want me to pick up that slick-looking slab of magnesium and glass -- the one with the Microsoft branding all over it -- and hand it across the table.

You can’t say the same about any other Windows-based PC or device. You don’t hear people saying "pass me my HP Envy x2," or "hand me my ASUS Transformer Pad T-whatever".

You might hear them say "pass me my tablet". But tablet is a generic term. There is nothing uniquely identifying or iconic about the word tablet. They could just as well be asking you to pass them a slab of baked clay covered in cuneiform.

But Surface? Here, Microsoft has actually pulled-off the impossible: It’s created an iconic product/brand identifier and embedded it into the public’s consciousness.

I knew this to be true the first time I heard Joe Average Consumer asking his companion whose "Surface" she was holding while waiting in the return line at a local retailer (just to be clear, she was NOT there to return the Surface).

And this was way back in April of 2013! A year of additional brand building progress later and what does Microsoft do with its miracle baby? It tries to kill it by replacing the now iconic brand name "Surface" -- which implies a flat area that you can work on (i.e. the perfect metaphor) -- with the nebulous "Lumia" moniker that has no such branding chutzpah.

I mean, what the hell is a Lumia anyway? The closest thing that comes to mind is a crappy early 90’s coupe from Chevrolet, the "Lumina". Given the poor build quality of that wretched Detroit abomination (so much plastic!), Microsoft would do well to steer well clear anything with even a remote phonetic similarity.

Is this really happening? Are we really doomed to watch as Microsoft destroys its most iconic brand outside of Windows and Office? I’ve heard that the Lumia rebranding is just a rumor, or that it might be isolated to the company’s smaller-screened, Windows RT-based offerings (thus leaving the deliciously iconic Surface Pro untouched).

God, I hope that’s the case. Because I, for one, will not be buying anything from Microsoft called "Lumia".
Microsoft empowers man to overcome disability with Surface Pro and Xbox One

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 6:53pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Right now, it is summer in New York. The temperature keeps creeping up and the humidity is causing crankiness. There is no better place to witness the crankiness than the parking lot of a big store like Best Buy or Walmart. People will camp out for a close parking spot with their car's blinker on and fight with each other. Why? They do not want to walk far in the heat. Me? I gladly park far away from the store, because I am thankful that I can walk. No, I am not being judgmental -- only observing perfectly healthy people taking their blessings for granted.

For someone who cannot walk or move their arms, life must be a frustrating, maddening struggle. Luckily, in 2014, we have technologies that can assist people in overcoming their disabilities. Prosthetic technologies are getting better every day and medicines keep improving. A Seattle man named Tyler Schrenk is leveraging technology to live a full life despite being paralyzed, but you may be surprised by what he is using -- a Surface Pro and Xbox 360.

"Using his voice, Schrenk operates a variety of Microsoft products and services -- Internet Explorer, Bing, Outlook, Word and Excel. Now, he uses his tablet for a growing number of tasks: an Excel spreadsheet to track his caloric intake; Outlook to send email; and Internet Explorer to keep track of his fantasy football league, and follow his favorite teams: the Seattle Seahawks and University of Washington Huskies", says Microsoft.

Tyler Schrenk also uses the Kinect feature of Xbox One to watch movies and TV by using his voice. Critics have decried Kinect for adding extra cost to the Xbox One's launch price and for being a privacy risk. However, when you see the technology improving someone's life, it makes the complaints feel inconsequential.

Microsoft should be applauded for this. Not only has it created technology that improves the lives of others, but it is making the world aware by highlighting Tyler Schrenk's story. Hopefully this will give people a reason to pause and reflect on what is truly important in life, instead of nonsense like the Kardashians and Justin Bieber.

What do you think about Tyler Schrenk's story? Tell me in the comments.
Connected cars will help to make our roads safer

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 6:11pm CEST par Tom Phelan

As a young Londoner, I'm not much of a driver, but boy do I see some congestion. Our capital's streets are bursting at the seams with cars, buses, bikes and trucks, and the majority are completely unconnected to each other.

So it was with interest that I attended NXP's Innovation Day in Eindhoven, Holland, to witness a range of technologies developed by the semiconductor company, including the latest automotive innovations. Falling under the ever-expanding category that is the Internet of Things, the connected car is seen by many to be the future of sustainable transport.

This is not to say though that you'll be seeing a Johnny Cab pull up at your door tomorrow. Maurice Geraets, senior director business development automotive, NXP, was keen to make this clear. The great shift into autonomous driving lies years ahead, he insisted. In the meantime we shall see a period where assisted driving will coexist with traditional vehicles. Bringing in-car data real time to the cloud is hoped to improve traffic safety and reduce congestion and emissions.

Safety

The safety benefits of cars that effectively talk to each other are easy to imagine. Whereas the traditional driver relies on human senses to avoid collision, the assisted driver is aided by the vehicle's connection to others around it. The connected car can warn all those behind it, should it be involved in an accident, thus preventing a pile-up. In January 2013, both NXP and Cisco invested in Cohda Wireless to this end, in a move to advance automotive connectivity.

Mobility

Likewise, removing the human element presents opportunities for congestion reduction and maximized mobility. If in 2030, as the World Health Organization predicts, six out of every ten people will live in urban areas, then more efficient road usage will be welcome to many-a city. "Car-to-X communications," as NXP has so termed them, will provide traffic jam management and rerouting options that will streamline our cities' streets, and hopefully help cope with projected population influxes.

Human error

A car is more than just a machine to many though. The tangibility of being in control of one's vehicle is a beautiful thing that some drivers will cling to. Therefore one can foresee a potential conflict on the country's roads, between the connected and the disconnected, and this includes cyclists and pedestrians. I posed the issue to Maurice.

"The highly automated vehicles -- not to call it fully autonomous yet -- will have to anticipate what is happening with the other traffic," he said.

"On pedestrians we have a project... which is called VRUITS (vulnerable road user intelligent transport systems) to really see how we can also incorporate the technology into the pedestrians, because the vulnerable road users are a quite important role in road safety and road faculties".

"You could imagine that you have, for example, cameras on dangerous intersections that monitor what's happening and do warn cars that are approaching, in the beginning not even with a specific instance, but just with the warning: 'Ten children are playing around here.' Then the driver can take over the control of his highly automated vehicle more so that he can carefully steer his car through that situation".

Clearly, working out how to deal with us unpredictable human road users is still in the development stage.

NXP faces competition from Google, whose driverless cars can sometimes be seen on the roads of California and Nevada. The search giant's vehicles have now logged 700,000 miles of accident-free autonomous driving, and the cars can react to cyclists, sensing when they are turning left or right or approaching from behind. Hesitant to focus on full autonomy yet, NXP has aligned itself with market leaders such as Audi to develop interfaces for the connected car.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Big data makes research more difficult say data scientists

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 4:31pm CEST par Ian Barker

Given the amount of hype surrounding it you could be forgiven for thinking that big data is the answer to most business and scientific problems.

But a new survey by database specialists Paradigm4 reveals that almost three-quarters of data scientists believe that big data has made their research harder. The reason for this is not, as you might expect, the volume of data but the variety.

The results, from a survey of 111 US data scientists, show that 40 percent say they struggle managing new types and sources of data and 36 percent say that getting answers from big data takes too long.

Hadoop comes in for criticism too with 76 percent saying it's too slow, takes too much effort to program or has other limitations. So much so that 35 percent of scientists who have tried using Hadoop or Spark say they have now stopped using it.

Problems cited include 39 percent saying it takes too much effort to program and 37 percent saying it's too slow for interactive ad-hoc queries. 30 percent also say it's too slow for performing real-time analytics.

It seems that despite all this, however, big data still has a key role to play. 91 percent of those surveyed say they’re using or plan to use complex analytics on their big data within two years.

If you want further insight into the trials of being a data scientist, you can get hold of the full survey results on the Paradigm4 website or there's a summary of the findings in handy infographic form below.

Image Credit: aslysun / Shutterstock
AutoCAD 360 lands in Windows Store

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 3:11pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Like Windows Phone, Windows 8.x does not get anywhere near the same level of attention as its more popular rivals, Android and iOS, receive from top developers. Still, the app selection has slowly gotten better, thanks in no small part to third-party offerings, reaching the point where it ticks all the right boxes for casual users.

But, Windows Store is also seeing improvements in its selection geared towards professionals. The latest major Modern UI offering to greet Windows 8.x is Autodesk's AutoCAD 360, which arrives as a free preview. This is a huge win for the platform.

Why? Because AutoCAD is popular with professionals from a wide range of industries, like surveying, civil and mechanical engineering. AutoCAD 360 may not be as powerful as the traditional software or any of its tailored variations (like AutoCAD Architecture, Map 3D or Mechanical), but it gives users the option to view DWG, DWG and DXF files while in Modern UI, switch between model and paper spaces, and sync with their AutoCAD 360 accounts.

So far, professionals had to use the Desktop version of AutoCAD to view blueprints. AutoCAD 360 can come in handy when using a touchscreen-equipped device, like a hybrid or tablet, in the field or during presentations, where it is much easier to navigate by swiping on the screen than using a touchpad or mouse.

AutoCAD 360 is available to download from Windows Store.
Mobile Identity Connect provides secure single sign-on for enterprises

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 3:00pm CEST par Ian Barker

One of the biggest concerns that businesses have about the increasing use of mobiles and BYOD is how to keep their data secure. Traditional security tools were built to cope with desktop devices rather than the on/off existence of mobile connections.

Mobile platform specialist Kinvey aims to help mobile developers to seamlessly secure mobile, tablet, and responsive Web apps with its newly-launched Mobile Identity Connect product.

Using already proven mobile standards, Mobile Identity Connect eliminates the complexity of authenticating mobile apps with existing enterprise security systems. It manages the mobile security layer and provides single sign-on using Kinvey's AuthLink Connector technology to bridge existing enterprise identity into a mobile-friendly OAuth-2 authentication flow.

By using secure pre-built mobile ID management it frees developers to concentrate on the user experience. It gives IT departments a controlled and secure self-service platform for app development which has the four key features required for all mobile applications: identity management, data services, business logic, and engagement services.

"Most enterprise-grade identity and single sign-on systems were designed in a pre-mobile world, and don’t take the unique challenges of mobile technology into account," says Sravish Sridhar, CEO of Kinvey. "Kinvey Mobile Identity Connect provides enterprise mobile developers an OAuth-to-anything connector to enable enterprise-grade security with authentication protocols designed with mobile in mind. Mobile developers don’t want to deal with the complexity of tying directly into identity systems that were not designed for mobile every time they build an app".

By managing the handshake between the mobile app, the identity system, and enterprise data, Mobile Identity Connect ensures that existing security policies are maintained and data can be consumed by the mobile app in a consistent manner across identity and data sources.

For more information Kinvey's backend as a service mobile development platform and Mobile Identity Connect, visit the company's website.

Image Credit: bloomua / Shutterstock
Tablets more popular with children for gaming than Nintendo 3DS

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 1:30pm CEST par Darren Allan

When it comes to portable gaming, the iPad and whole ensuing tablet explosion saw the start of a shift away from traditional gaming handhelds, and a new piece of research has underlined this with the news that tablets have now outdone the Nintendo 3DS.

The study from Futuresource Consulting posed over a hundred questions to children aged three to twelve across the UK (and also the US, Germany and China). It found that in the UK, tablets are now the most popular personal device owned by kids -- with 44 percent having a slate, meaning that they've overtaken the 3DS as top gaming dog.

Even the lowest age group, three to four, showed a result of 30 per ent tablet ownership (most likely of the kids variety, we'd imagine, with offerings like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids around).

Parents also said that tablets were the most likely future purchase for their children (within the next six months), as well, meaning this trend is set to continue. Indeed, a tablet is more than twice as likely to be bought for kids than a smartphone or games console.

Speaking of smartphones, they are of course still getting more popular with youngsters aged nine and up, with one in four nine to ten-year-olds owning one. At eleven, that rises to 46 percent. And 17 percent of parents spend £100 or more on mobile tariffs for their offspring, the study found.

Futuresource Consulting did also note that tech isn't everything for kids, and more traditional activities still have quite a hold. 45 percent read books every day (across all four countries where the survey was undertaken), and 39 percent spend five or more hours doing jigsaws and playing board games.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Windows Phone users can also Yo now

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 1:08pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Communication tools have evolved so much in the past couple of years alone, with developers adding even more features and improving existing ones to allow us to better communicate and understand each other. Improved voice and video calls? Group chats? Instant translations? New, cooler emoticons? You bet!

On the other hand, we have chat app Yo, which, instead of trying to offer more than the rest of the growing pack, is trying to differentiate itself by giving users as little features as possible -- they can only say "Yo". It launched nearly two weeks ago for Android and iOS, and now it arrives on Windows Phone too.

There is little that can be said about Yo (named Just Yo in Windows Phone Store) for Windows Phone, other than it bucks the trend of arriving too late on the platform. Right now, it is still in vogue.

Here is what the company behind Just Yo, Life Before Us, has to say about its simple, uncluttered creation:

The simplest & most efficient communication tool in the world.

Yo is a single-tap zero character communication tool.
Yo is everything and anything, it all depends on you, the recipient and the time of the Yo.

Wanna say "good morning"? just Yo.
Wanna say "Baby I'm thinking about you"? - Yo.
"I've finished my meeting, come by my office" - Yo.
"Are you up?" - Yo.
The possibilities are endless.

We don't want your email, Facebook, there is no search, no nothing. just Yo.

Open the app, tap Yo, that's it.

It's that simple. Yo.

Just Yo is available to download from Windows Phone Store.

Yo!
Here comes Samsung Galaxy S5 mini

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 12:07pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

As we have come to expect from Samsung in the past couple of years, shortly after launching a new flagship Android smartphone, the South Korean maker will also introduce a smaller model sporting similar design traits and less powerful hardware (and, of course, a lower price tag).

This year is no exception as today Samsung takes the wraps off its new Galaxy S5 mini. The smartphone does not push the boundaries of what mini stands for, featuring a decently-sized 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display and physical dimensions on par with comparable handsets. It also does not skimp on Galaxy S5 features, coming with a fingerprint reader on the front and heart rate monitor on the back.

"The Galaxy S5 mini allows consumers to enjoy the iconic design and essential and useful features of the Galaxy S5 through a maximized minimalism approach", says Samsung Electronics CEO JK Shin.

The 4.5-inch display offers a resolution of 720 by 1280. This gives it a pixel density of roughly 326 ppi (pixels per inch), which equals that of the Apple iPhone 5s. Inside, there is a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor (most likely a Qualcomm Snapdragon unit) aided by 1.5 GB of RAM and a 2,100 mAh battery.

Taking care of photos are an 8 MP main camera (with LED flash) and a 2.1 MP secondary camera. Both shooters can record 1080p video at 30 FPS, which is fairly standard for a mid-range device in this day and age.

As far as storage goes, Galaxy S5 mini comes with 16 GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot which can extend the capacity by a further 64 GB. The "standard" Galaxy S5 comes out on top thanks to a bigger display with a higher resolution, more powerful processor, more RAM, more flexible storage trims, and higher-resolution main camera and video recording. Galaxy S5 mini, however, retains the IP67 certification for dust and water resistance.

In regards to connectivity, Galaxy S5 mini supports 4G LTE cellular networks (with speeds of up to 150 Mbps for downloads and 50 Mbps for uploads), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (no 802.11 ac support, like in Galaxy S5), NFC (only in the 4G LTE version), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, USB 2.0 (Galaxy S5 brings USB 3.0 speeds), and IR remote.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung offers Galaxy S5 mini with Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and with the expected skin and branded apps and features on top, which include S Health, Private Mode and Ultra Power Saving mode.

Galaxy S5 mini comes in at 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1 mm and 120 grams. It will be available starting this month (that would be July 2014) in Russia with a planned global expansion in tow. Available color options include Charcoal Black, Copper Gold, Electric Blue and Shimmery White. There is no information regarding its price yet, but, as I mentioned earlier, expect it to be much cheaper than its flagship sibling.
Windows 8.x goes into reverse gear -- loses market share as both Windows 7 and XP show growth

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 10:50am CEST par Wayne Williams

I’ll be honest, although Windows 8.x losing market share is a shocking state of affairs -- and a new low for an operating system which has struggled since launch -- it’s something that’s been coming for a while. Windows 8 has been dropping share since Windows 8.1 arrived, and Windows 8.1 has been growing at such a glacial pace it was only a matter of time before the losses outweighed the gains, and that’s exactly what happened in June according to NetMarketShare.

In a month where Windows 7 and Windows XP -- the OS that refuses to die -- both gained market share, "new Windows" shifted into reverse gear and began shedding users.

The loss is minimal -- Windows 8 dropped 0.36 percent and Windows 8.1 gained 0.26 percent, so the aggregate is a drop of just 0.1 percent, but even so. Windows 8.x is the only easily obtainable Windows operating system, and it comes pre-installed on pretty much every new PC. Microsoft has made wholesale changes to try and get people interested in the tiled OS, and it’s just not happening.

Let’s not pretend otherwise, a drop in market share of any size -- any amount -- is a disaster for Microsoft’s new OS. You can blame the better weather (for those in the northern hemisphere), you can blame the World Cup (both have an impact on tech sales and use) but that argument doesn’t really hold water as 8.x is the only OS to drop share in June. That said, there is age to take into account. Windows 8.x users are likely to be slightly younger than users of older operating systems (less averse to change), and therefore more likely to switch from a PC to a non-Windows tablet at this time of year.

But even so.

Elsewhere Windows 7 managed to gain just under half a percentage point (0.49 percent) going from 50.06 percent in May to 50.55 percent in June, cementing its position as the fastest growing operating system. Imagine how well it would be doing if it was more readily available.

Windows XP went from 25.27 percent in May to 25.31 percent in June, for a 0.04 percent gain. Yes, it’s a minuscule amount, but again even so. This is a 13 year old discontinued operating system -- folks should be jumping from it like rats leaving a sinking ship, but despite the huge unmissable Windows 8.x lifeboats everywhere, users would appear to be happier to take their chances than leap aboard the new OS, which is crazy.

And while Windows 8.x is lying bleeding on the floor I’m afraid I have to deliver one last kick to the head. In June, Windows Vista -- yes, bloody Vista -- gained 0.5 percent market share. Twice as much as Windows 8.1. Oh dear.

It will be interesting to see how the tiled OS fares next month. Statistical anomaly or downward trend? Place your bets…

//

Photo Credit: Pieter De Pauw/Shutterstock
IBM set to open new SoftLayer data center in London

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 8:50am CEST par Jamie Hinks

IBM is opening a new SoftLayer data center in London next month that will be able provide space for over 15,000 physical servers and is part of a $1.2 billion global investment program.

The new data center is the latest of 15 that are being implemented to support the growth in cloud services in Europe and the rest of the world.

"We already have a large customer base in London and the region; we’re excited to give those customers a full SoftLayer data center right in their backyard, with all the privacy, security, and control the SoftLayer platform offers," said Lance Crosby, SoftLayer CEO.

"The work these businesses are doing -- the solutions and services that they are building in the cloud -- is inspiring. Organizations of all sizes are using SoftLayer services to disrupt their industries or even their own operations, creating new business models and applications".

The new facility, which complements those already constructed in London and Amsterdam, has the capacity for 15,000 physical servers and is able to offer the entire range of SoftLayer cloud infrastructure services including bare metal servers, virtual servers, storage and networking.

It is able to integrate a firm’s leading private network with all SoftLayer data servers and network Point of Presences (PoPs) around the world, both being available on demand and offering full remote access and control.

Orders for the London data center will get underway later this month and those that apply to be a part of the new facility will be able to take advantage of a special offer that gives up to $500 (£293) off new orders for a limited time.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
dMaintenance Home cleans up messy PCs

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 4:15am CEST par Mike Williams

Utilities developer Foolish IT has released dMaintenance Home Edition, a free version of its PC maintenance and cleanup tool.

The program can perform various maintenance tasks, including cleaning up your print queue, browsers (IE, Firefox and Chrome) and hard drive, as well as resetting your browser home page, clearing proxy settings, and resetting your HOSTS file. There’s an option to scan your computer with Windows Defender, and once it’s complete dMaintenance can create a restore point, reboot your PC or just shut it down.

As this is the free version, it’s no surprise that dMaintenance Home has some restrictions. The most notable is that you can’t schedule any maintenance tasks to run unattended, and so the program will be more about emergency cleanups than anything else.

We took dMaintenance for a test run, and noticed that its finished report seemed misleading, warning us “MALWARE FOUND: Windows Defender (or Microsoft Security Essentials) needs your attention!” In reality we’d just turned Windows Defender off, but it seems dMaintenance reports this as “MALWARE FOUND” rather than a more accurate “couldn’t scan”.

You also need to be careful which options you select. Checking “Delete %windir%\$NTUninst Dirs”, for instance, wipes the backup files created by Windows Update when it installs a new patch. This might save a lot of drive space, but it also means you won’t be able to uninstall any individual update.

DMaintenance isn’t something we’d use on our own PCs, then -- but if you need to clean up the PC of a non-technical user who’s not done any maintenance for a while -- or ever -- it could work well.

And please note, while dMaintenance Home Edition requires installation, it seems it can be used as a portable tool; we were able to copy the program folder to a USB stick and run it elsewhere without problems.
Amazon begins rolling out Fire TV update, adds music to the box

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 3:59am CEST par Alan Buckingham

Amazon is now into the set-top box market, diving in full force to compete with the likes of Roku and Apple TV. Since launching the procduct, the retailer has already released a software update, and now a second is rolling out, but on a gradual program. Some users are reporting having already received it, though not all of us have.

The update takes the software to version 51.1.1, upgrading from the current 51.0.2 and adding music to the mix. This seems logical, given Prime has just added a streaming service. However, according to Dave Zatz, who already has the update, that is surprisingly not included -- an omission that seems a bit strange.

"Of course, Amazon Cloudplayer was a bizarre and notable absence upon Amazon Fire TV launch and this update goes a long way towards filling the gap. Yet the Fire TV team clearly remains out of sync with other Amazon initiatives as the newly announced Amazon Prime Music service is MIA", Zatz writes.

BetaNews got in touch with Amazon to inquire about the update and addition of music, but the reply was somewhat less than we had anticipated, ignoring the music and focusing on the update aspect.

A narrow rollout began last week and we’re rolling it out widely over the next couple weeks. You should receive the update soon on your device.

Updated Fire TV details can be found here: [amazon.com]

That is the only information the company provided to us, and the link doesn't really go any further. It's baffling that Prime Music would not be included -- and likely it will be later -- but this seems a bit odd. The company obviously knew about it's launch, and could have, and should have, had something ready to go.
We are under attack! Malware targeting energy companies in the USA and Europe

Publié: juillet 1, 2014, 1:46am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Technology can be a wonderful thing. We live in quite the glorious time, where we have access to amazing medicines and computers. Science and technology have improved everyone's lives -- rich or poor, man or woman -- we all benefit.

Sadly and scarily, technology can harm us too. We have all become far too dependent on devices like smartphones and utilities like indoor plumbing and electricity. If you want to see the worst of humanity, look no further than a blackout. When there is a large-scale power-outage, society quickly breaks down. Friends and neighbors will turn on each other for a loaf of bread at a local bodega. Today, Symantec announces a malware discovery that targets energy companies, including in the USA. In other words, this malware has the potential to cause chaos and destroy society.

According to Symantec, a group of evil-doers called "Dragonfly" is conducting a cyberespionage campaign in the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and Poland by utilizing two pieces of malware -- Backdoor.Oldrea and Trojan.Karagany. However, Oldrea seems to be the primary tool in the attacks.

"Once installed on a victim's computer, Oldrea gathers system information, along with lists of files, programs installed, and root of available drives. It will also extract data from the computer's Outlook address book and VPN configuration files. This data is then written to a temporary file in an encrypted format before being sent to a remote command-and-control (C&C) server controlled by the attackers", says Symantec.

The security company further explains, "Karagany is capable of uploading stolen data, downloading new files, and running executable files on an infected computer. It is also capable of running additional plugins, such as tools for collecting passwords, taking screenshots, and cataloging documents on infected computers".

Whoa. What makes this really scary is that these are not lax third-world countries being targeted, but very advanced nations including the USA. This is very reminiscent of the stuxnet virus which targeted Iranian power plants. While that virus has been rumored to have been created by the USA, that has never been proven 100 percent, despite strong beliefs by many. Symantec implies that Dragonfly may have government sponsorship, but that is not confirmed at this time.

The ramifications are startling. These hackers could be spying on us through the use of malware. Even worse, there is the potential for sabotage -- creating a disaster or disrupting the energy supply.

While we are lucky nothing horrible has happened yet, this should serve as a huge wake-up call to the fragility of the internet and society. A hacker that is successful in sabotage of power companies could potentially cause chaos. Like I said, something like a large-scale power outage can bring out the worst of humanity.

Are you frightened by this news? Tell me in the comments.

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