Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » août 17, 2014

BetaNews.Com (5 non lus)

Xiaomi's MIUI 6 beta is here and the Android ROM shames Google's stock experience

Publié: août 17, 2014, 9:01pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

As a Linux user and lover, I prefer Android smartphones to iOS. While I love the freedom and functionality of Google's mobile operating system, there is one thing I hate -- the UI. That is a pretty big deal and usually a deal-breaker for a consumer. However, I put up with the dreary UI and clunky app drawer because I can customize it with different launchers, wallpapers and icon packs. While this is passable, I long for a redesign to mimic something similar to iOS 7. I crave beauty and art, but alas, Google seems disinterested in doing anything radical -- Android L "Material Design" seems too safe and boring.

The design savior for many years has been the Chinese-born ROM, MIUI; however, as more and more devices ship with impossibly hard-to-hack locked bootloaders, the gorgeous ROM has not been ported to as many devices; even unofficially. And so, users have been limited to MIUI-styled launchers, but not the full experience. Excitingly, MIUI 6 is now released in beta form, but sadly, most Android users will not be able to flash the beta, or the final version for that matter. This locked bootloader nonsense is a tragedy, as MIUI 6 is sexy as hell and puts Google's vision of Android to shame.

"We believe that it takes more than just good features to create a beautiful design. From orderly workflows, clear hierarchies and fluent responses, we believe that good design exists in everytap, drag and pinch you make. Natural and intuitive, just the way it should be.This is MIUI 6. It's visually stunning, stunningly simple. It's the start of a new chapter", says Hui Yan Zhao of Xiaomi.

Besides being full of eye-candy and beauty, it also has a strong focus on security. Meredith Han of Xiaomi explains, "with MIUI 6, you won't need extra safety tools. Top security is guaranteed within the operating system to protect against malicious apps and viruses. The built-in Permission in MIUI 6 prevents unauthorized apps from accessing your data without your permission. Besides, the exclusive Virus Scan helps you check and kill virus before installing any app. We've got it covered. Clean Master, the world's most downloaded Android cleaner, is built-in to help you free up storage. With complete network control features, Data Usage is capable of helping you monitor network traffic and save data".

While some people argue that Xiaomi copies Apple with its designs, I have never found this to be true. Sure, there are similarities, but it is not simply a clone of iOS. Actually, it is far more advanced and beautiful than the fruit-logo company's mobile offering. Unfortunately, like stated earlier, due to locked bootloaders, most Android phone owners will not even have the chance to try it.

If you are an Android fan, I urge you to watch the video below and tell me in the comments if you find it more appealing than stock Android.
Microsoft pulls download links to Windows 8.1 August Update, recommends users uninstall some updates

Publié: août 17, 2014, 8:52pm CEST par Wayne Williams

The August Update for Windows 8.1 (once rumored to be Update 2) has been pulled from the web and is currently no longer available for download after Microsoft received complaints that it was causing errors and system instability for some users.

If you attempt to visit the original download links you’ll be met with a message stating "The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable".

The worst offender appears to be MS14-045 (Vulnerabilities in Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege) and Microsoft recommends that users uninstall that particular update. There’s Knowledge Base article covering this at KB2982791 which includes all the known problems and detailed uninstallation instructions.

I haven’t had any problems with the update, have you? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below.

Image Credit: Syda Productions/Shutterstock
Amazon App Store holds a Coin sale

Publié: août 17, 2014, 7:06pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Amazon's app store utilizes its own currency system, in the form of Coins. These can be used by customers to purchase apps, but like other monetary inventions, it does cost real money. However, Amazon is currently holding a sale.

The company is offering its Coins at a discount, saving customers 20 percent off the regular price. That's a nice saving for the apps you want to grab.

"Available on both Android and Kindle Fire devices, users can purchase discounted Amazon Coins in the Appstore or on Amazon.com to begin saving on their favorite apps and games (and even on in-app purchases)" the company announces.

A Coin is only worth one cent, so buying 500 of them will net you $5.00, though it will currently only cost you $4.60. Customers can purchase up to to 10,000 of them.

The deal isn't available for long, so customers who wish to take advantage should consider doing so soon using the link above. The offer will expire on August 23 and you can use the Coins to grab both apps and games.
SingularLabs releases free clipboard manager Remembr

Publié: août 17, 2014, 5:23pm CEST par Mike Williams

Shane Gowland’s SingularLabs has announced the release of Remembr 0.0.0.1, a simple free clipboard manager for Windows.

As with similar programs, Remembr lives in your system tray, and maintains a list of the text and images you copy to the clipboard.

The list can be viewed on demand. A plus point is that every item has key details displayed -- the time they were copied, resolution of images, number of characters for text items -- making it easier to find whatever you need.

A built-in search tool enables you to locate items containing particular keywords. A Preview pane displays whatever item you select, and you can restore it to the clipboard with a click.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a first release, there are lots of issues, mostly relating to the very limited interface. There are no keyboard shortcuts (not even Del to delete an item), no right-click or double-click actions, Search is hidden away in a menu and its results are handled poorly (hits are highlighted in the list instead of being displayed separately, meaning you might have to scroll through 50 items to find the 2 you need).

Remembr looks good, though, and the core functionality works well enough, which is really what matters for the first version. Most of the program’s other issues could be resolved in a morning, so we expect big improvements will be arriving soon.
EarlyClaim reserves usernames so you don’t end up with a crappy handle

Publié: août 17, 2014, 10:57am CEST par Mark Wilson

You never know when the next Twitter is going to crop up. When a new service like Pinterest, Vine, or Skype appears, if you're not quick off the mark there's a high chance you'll miss out on your preferred username. You want MarkWilsonWords? Sorry, that went ages ago… you'll have to settle for MarkWilsonWord09868. Getting stuck with a crappy username sucks, but it's very hard to monitor all of the new services that pop up so you can bag your ideal name as early as possible. This is something that EarlyClaim can help with.

It's a free service that seeks out new startups and reserves a username on your behalf -- you just say what handle you'd like, and EarlyClaim does the hard work for you. For businesses, it is important to have a brand identity that is the same across different social networks (who is going to take notice of Coca Cola 1897 on Facebook?) but it's also something that is valuable to individuals. How many times have you signed up for a site only to find that you're unable to secure the username of your choice and had to opt for something far inferior? Every time you use that service there is a constant reminder that you weren't fast enough at signing up.

EarlyClaim is described as a "ground zero for online identities". The service trawls the web for new startups, actively seeking out new sites -- startups are also invited to get in touch with EarlyClaim to get involved. In either case, startups register to use the API and EarlyClaim can then reserve your desired username for a few days. You also have the option of reserving a second and third choice of username, and this will be used should your first choice be deemed unsuitable by a particular site. To take advantage of this feature, you need to spread the word about EarlyClaim by sharing a personalized link through social networks.

If you're worried about becoming inundated with endless spam, the site claims that "EarlyClaim.com digests all out-bound communication, emails and messages from the startups, funneling them into a single daily digest email to each user’s personal email".