Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » août 29, 2014

BetaNews.Com (14 non lus)

Chrome 38 Beta makes user-switching feature more visible, adds 64-bit support to OS X and Windows

Publié: août 29, 2014, 10:53pm CEST par Nick Peers

Google has updated its Chrome Beta channel with the release of Google Chrome 38.0 Beta. The new release, also available as Google Chrome 38.0 Beta (64-bit) for Windows and Linux, has two major highlights.

The first is an improved -- and more visible -- way of managing and switching between multiple Chrome user profiles, while the other sees 64-bit support extended to the OS X platform.

The main new feature sees Chrome revamp and improve how it handles multi-user setups from a single machine. First, a more visible button can now be found in the top right-hand corner of the Chrome window, displaying the currently logged on user’s name.

Clicking this reveals a drop-down menu providing convenient shortcuts to managing the user's own profile, switching to another account or starting a private, incognito browsing session in a separate window.

Once users log into Chrome with their Google account credentials, their own profile -- including bookmarks, apps and theme -- is synced to that machine, enabling them to enjoy their own personalised browsing session. A Guest mode is also available to protect existing user privacy when sharing the computer with others -- choose Switch Person > Browse as Guest to access it.

The multi-user feature is already present in current builds of Chrome, but the changes bring it front and centre and make switching users more convenient than before. This is particularly true for people who haven’t set up a user profile in Chrome itself.

The update also sees the native Windows 64-bit build move out of the Dev channel into the Beta channel as it prepares to make its final release. It’s been joined by the first native 64-bit beta build for OS X too. All Mac users on the beta channel -- with the exception of first-gen Intel Macs – will automatically be migrated to this new build. Type chrome://help into the search bar to verify this switch has occurred.

Google Chrome 38.0 Beta is available now for Windows, Mac (32-bit and 64-bit) and Linux. A separate 64-bit build is also available for Windows and Linux.

Microsoft selling Acer E15 for $199 -- an awesome back-to-school laptop deal

Publié: août 29, 2014, 6:42pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

en-INTL-PDP-Acer-ES1-511-C590-US-15in-CWF-01765-Large

Nowadays, it feels like many children can be unappreciative (I'm sure yours are great though!). Whenever I go to Walmart or Target, there are sure to be whiny little ones begging and demanding things from their parents. If their parents do give-in and buy whatever they want, there is a chance it will be broken within a week.

This is the problem with buying a child a laptop. Sure, they may need a computer for school, but if you buy them an expensive unit, they could ruin it by spilling juice on the keyboard or stepping on the screen. In other words, buying a top-of-the-line laptop for a child could be like flushing money down the toilet. Luckily, Microsoft has the perfect back-to-school deal; a $199 15.6-inch laptop, that looks very sexy and thin.

"From running Office programs to kicking back with a movie, the Acer Aspire E 15 makes the perfect laptop for all your computing needs. Its 15.6-inch display provides big, bright views for everything you're looking at, and is great for keeping multiple windows and folders open at the same time. It's also powered by an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of memory for smooth and efficient performance for a wide range of tasks", says Microsoft.

This computer is ideal for surfing the web, writing papers, and editing photos. The 500GB hard drive is very roomy, but a bit slow at 5400RPM. There is no optical drive to be found, although you can add an inexpensive one via USB later if you really need it. The large 15.6-inch display makes working at a desk or table a dream, as your kid won't have to stare at a tiny screen.

Specs:

Display	15.6 in HD widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit (1366 x 768)
Processor	Intel Celeron N2830 2.16 GHz with Burst frequency up to 2.41 GHz
Memory	4GB DDR3L 1333 MHz
Hard drive size	500GB 5400 RPM HDD
Operating system	Windows 8.1 with Bing, 64-bit
Optical drive	None
SD card reader	Yes
Video	Intel HD Graphics with shared graphics memory
Ports	1 USB 3.0 • 2 USB 2.0 • HDMI • Headphone output/Microphone input combo • LAN (10/100/1000)
Battery	3-cell lithium-ion (up to 4.5 hours)*
Camera	Acer Crystal Eye webcam
Wireless	802.11b/g/n (Miracast enabled)
Bluetooth	Yes
Dimensions	14.74 x 9.84 x 0.63 in (374.39 x 249.93 x 16.00 mm)
Weight	4.73 lbs (2.14 kg)

Is this a top-of-the-line computer? Hell no, but it is a lot of bang for your buck. It is infinitely better and more functional than a Chromebook at the same price. Best of all, at $199, if your kid spills juice on it, you are only out a couple hundred dollars.

If you are interested, you can buy it here.

Could buying Cyanogen give Microsoft some smartphone credibility?

Publié: août 29, 2014, 5:36pm CEST par Mark Wilson

I'm not going to retread old ground too much here, but there's no getting away from the fact that Microsoft has something of an image problem when it comes to smartphones. But this could be set to change. The word on the grapevine is that Microsoft -- possibly in conjunction with the likes of Yahoo and Amazon -- is interested in joining forces with, or even, buying Cyanogen Inc, purveyor of some of the finest Android ROMs known to humanity. It's a branch of Android favoured by handset owners who live and breathe tweaking, who want an OS custom made to fit them like a well-tailored suit.

Little is known about what form any future arrangement might take, or how far talks have got so far. But we do know that Cyanogen Inc has met with Satya Nadella -- as reported by The Information. It would be interesting to see where this could go. There are two possible avenues that immediately spring to mind. The first -- and probably the least likely -- is that Microsoft might consider creating custom Windows Phone ROMs. This seems somewhat improbable, but there's another option: Microsoft could be looking to muscle in on Google's Android territory. This is not as far-fetched as it might first sound.

We have already seen Lumia devices running Android, and the HTC One (M8) -- a handset most readily associated with Android -- is available in a Windows Phone variant. Microsoft is not completely opposed to the idea of being associated with Android. While Cyanogen is based on Android, it is something of a different beast. As well as customization, there's a strong focus on performance but the number of supported handsets is slightly limited. Talks with Microsoft could mean that we see Cyanogen releases for more devices in the future.

With Windows Phone sales still struggling, and having invested heavily in Nokia, Microsoft is not going to let its baby go down without a fight. The release of Windows Phone 8.1 served as something of a life preserver, but looking to the future Microsoft just has too much ground to make up on Android; if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Photo credit: Tashatuvango / Shutterstock
What you really want is iPhone 6 with sapphire display

Publié: août 29, 2014, 5:00pm CEST par Darren Allan

What do you want to see most on the new iPhone 6 (if you care about Apple's upcoming device, that is)?

That was the question posed by Usell.com in a poll of a thousand mobile owners across the US, and the resoundingly top response was the much talked-about sapphire screen. 45 percent of respondents said they wanted a super-tough sapphire display, with 50 percent of Android and iPhone users saying they would ditch their current smartphone for the iPhone 6 if it came with such a screen.

Whether or not we'll see sapphire on the iPhone 6 is a bone of contention -- while the iWatch is likely to boast the material,Apple's smartphone may only have it on limited models at launch (namely the more expensive devices, to get folks forking out for iPhones with large storage capacities, and matching big price tags).

What else do people want on the next-gen iPhone? In second place with 19 percent was an infrared blaster to allow the handset to be used as a remote control. Fitness and health tools came third on 10 percent -- and unlike the above two points, these are pretty much guaranteed with iOS 8's fresh focus on health.

Surprisingly, the fourth element on the list was the ability to display 3D images, with 9 percent of respondents wanting a feature similar to Amazon's Fire Phone (we don't really see the point of this, but there you go).

The fifth and final item on the wish-list of those polled was cool headphones to go with the new iPhone, perhaps some Beats ones (though the acquisition is fairly recent, so that might be a push).

Usell.com also asked about what the most important improvements to existing iPhone features would be, with the majority indicating that better battery life was the primary concern here. This isn't the first time we've heard that battery life is the most important smartphone feature.

Second on this list was a bigger screen (which is definitely happening), then a better camera (again, guaranteed), improved phone reception (who knows on that), and more memory (rumor has it that Apple is planning to produce a 128GB model).

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

Photo Credit: Triff/Shutterstock
Best Windows 8 apps this week

Publié: août 29, 2014, 4:23pm CEST par Martin Brinkmann
Ninety-sixth in a series. Welcome to this week's installment of the best new apps and games for Microsoft's Windows 8.x operating system.

Microsoft removed 1500 apps from the store this week that did not meet quality guidelines and resulted in a bad user experience as a consequence. Users who purchased these apps are eligible for a refund according to Microsoft's announcement.

As far as apps are concerned, this week saw the release of a good selection of new games and applications. Among them NFL Now, one of the few official apps that lets users from all over the world stream videos, and the great looking Text-O-Matic app which provides you with the means to add text and other contents to photos.

As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.

Here is this week's selection of apps and games.

Red Stripe Deals

Up to six apps and games are discounted by 50 percent or more each week. This is this week's selection:
- TY The Tasmanian Tiger for $3.49 is an action-packed jump and run game.
- LunaSolCal for $1.99 calculates sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset, and more, based on your location.
- Firefly Runner for free the next seven days is a runner-game.
- writr for $0.99 is a writing application.
- Total Defense 3D for $0.99 is a tower defense game.
- The Bridge for $3.49 is a beautiful logic puzzle game.
Best Windows app of the week

NFL Now

NFL Now is an official application that is offering free limited contents to users from all over the world and what is called NFL Now Plus, a subscription to access additional content limited to subscribers.

Before you start watching videos you can pick your favorite team or link a fantasy football team as well. The app uses the information to provide you with contents of interest.

Several hundred videos are currently available for free including game previews, can't miss plays or division specific videos.

Other apps

Tw8tch

A third-party Twitch client for Windows 8. You can use it to find streams of interest or browse streams of popular games such as Dota 2 or League of Legends.

The client displays the streams right in its interface with options to change the quality of the stream at any time or watch it in full screen.

Information about streamers are displayed by the app as well, and you can follow users or share streams of interest easily directly from within the app.

Last Hope - Zombie Sniper 3D

This is a sniping game in which you try to survive by shooting onrushing zombie hordes before they reach your position.

The game supports touch and mouse/keyboard controls. It also features zooming in and out, and changing the sensitivity of controls.

It features a campaign and individual missions that you can play through.

You earn star, experience and money while playing the game and can upgrade skills and buy new weapons as well.

Tinder for Windows

Tinder for Windows is an unofficial client for the matchmaking service Tinder.

You need to sign up or in using a Facebook account and are presented with snapshots of potential matches afterwards.

All you can do at this point is to select yay or nay. Messaging options become only available if both select the yes option.

One interesting feature of the app is that you can set your location manually.

Domino Gang

Play a classic game of Domino against up to three computer controlled opponents or against up to three friends in local network mode.

The game supports three difficulty levels and several opponents that you can play against.

Text-O-Matic ($4.99, free trial available)

Text-O-Matic enables you to add text and artwork to photos and images on the device.

The app ships with 150 different typefaces and supports all fonts installed on the PC as well. In addition to that, it is offering 130 clip art symbols and 17 image effects on top of that.

Text-O-Matic supports touch and mouse controls. Once you have opened a photo in the app, you can use the available tools to add text and artwork to it, or apply one of the available effects.

Images can be shared directly and backed up on OneDrive to make them available on all devices.

Infinity Runner HD ($11.99, free trial available)

This is not just another endless running type of game. While you do run in it, its presentation is what sets it apart from other games of its genre.

You control your character with the mouse and keyboard, or by touch.

If you use the mouse, you use the left mouse button to jump and the right to slide, and a look to the left or right to pass corners.

You will also encounter guards in the game which you have to defeat by pressing a combination of buttons before the time runs out.

As far as the story goes, you are a prisoner trying to escape the ship that held you captive.

The game itself plays in a first-person perspective which is a stark contrast to most running games which use the third-person perspective instead.

Snapper

Snapper is the first full-featured Snapchat client for Windows 8.1 according to the author.

After you have signed in to an account, you can use it to send image and video snaps, and to review snaps that were sent to you by contacts.

Videos and pictures can be saved on the device, and various effects are available that you can apply to images before you sent them to others.

The app features chat and stories, and enables you to manage your Snapchat privacy settings.

Good looking apps that were not reviewed

Some games and apps are not available as free trial versions. The following selection of games looks great but could not be tested because of this.
- Emergency is a popular IPAD game in which you command fire brigades and rescue teams.
- Muffin Knight is a great looking platform game.
Apple and Samsung may have to settle in patent litigation

Publié: août 29, 2014, 3:00pm CEST par Jamie Hinks

Apple and Samsung are reportedly close to reaching an amicable conclusion in a long-winded patent litigation battle after the US firm lost another court case against its rival.

The familiar US District Judge Lucy Koh ruled against Apple's bid to impose a sales ban on some older Samsung smartphones in the US and it follows the decision to drop all suits against each other in a range of different countries in the past few months.

Apple's latest attempt targeted specific features in nine Samsung devices and offered what is dubbed a "sunset period" to gives its competitor the opportunity to circumnavigate the features before a ban was enforced, according to Bloomberg.

In this case, Apple targeted the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3 and Stratosphere.

Samsung's argument in the current case is that Apple suffered no "irreparable harm" from such infringements and it repeated its assertion that Apple failed to draw a close connection between infringement of patented features and a loss of sales.

"Apple has provided no persuasive justification for depriving the public of product choices created by a thriving level of competition other than its claim that an injunction serves the public's interest in protecting innovation and patent rights", said Samsung's court filing.

Koh has overseen an increasingly fraught patent battle between the two companies that got underway in San Jose in 2012 and has stretched across four continents over time.

Both sides have taken out litigation against each other with neither winning a significant enough case to make it worthwhile and Koh, as well as several other judges, has pleaded with the two companies to settle instead of dragging it through the courts.

Whether or not this is the end of the squabbling remains to be seen and no-one would be at all surprised if it all kicks off between the two once more.

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

Photo Credit: EDHAR/Shutterstock
Google Authorship comes to the end of the line

Publié: août 29, 2014, 2:30pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Continuing its propensity for terminating projects, Google has decided to kill of its Authorship program. The markup was introduced to provide online writers with a way to link their work to their Google+ profile and have their profile picture displayed in search results. But in its three year lifespan, Authorship did not really manage to take off, and Google Webmaster Tools' John Mueller announced that "we've also observed that this information isn't as useful to our users as we'd hoped, and can even distract from those results. With this in mind, we've made the difficult decision to stop showing authorship in search results".

Head to one of the Google Authorship support pages and you're greeted by the message: "Authorship markup is no longer supported in web search". This is an interesting move, especially considering how keen Google has been to push people into using Google+. Authorship not only enables writers to more visibly stamp their mark online, but also to gain a following. In practice it was found that Authorship did little to help drive traffic and "wasn't always easy to implement".

The move isn't perhaps entirely surprising. As recently as June, authors' profile pictures were stripped from search results on mobile devices and because of Google's desire to create a unified experience on mobile devices and desktop computers, this meant they also disappeared from other search results. Search Engine Land takes an in-depth look at the history of Google Authorship, explaining that back when the service launched, Google was excited at the prospect of helping authors remain associated with their work.

The article speculates that searchers gained little from the inclusion of author photos and bylines -- the thinking being that in a bunch of search results, it is the headline and opening sentence that grabs attention. There have also been studies that show that only a small percentage of sites managed to use the markup correctly. This has ended up being another Google service that has been unceremoniously shown the door after a seemingly endless period of "testing". Who knows what will be next to be trimmed.

As a writer or reader will you mourn the death of Google Authorship?

Photo credit: 1000 Words / Shutterstock
Display your external IP address on the desktop with Mr.IP

Publié: août 29, 2014, 2:00pm CEST par Mike Williams

Discovering your external IP address is generally very easy. Just visit a site like WhatIsMyIP and it'll give you the IP address, location, ISP, and a whole lot more.

If you need speedy access to this address all the time, though, it might be simpler to use Mr.IP, a tiny free tool which permanently displays your internet -- or external -- IP on the desktop.

The program arrives with an installer, but it doesn’t contain adware or anything significant. Install it, copy the program files to a USB stick, and we found they could be used on other PCs without difficulty.

On launch, Mr.IP displays your internet IP address in a tiny always-on-top window above the system tray. Double-clicking this copies your IP address to the clipboard, and you can close the window if it gets in the way.

Right-clicking the window title bar displays options to refresh the IP, or undock Mr.IP's window, allowing it to be positioned elsewhere.

The interface is a problem. It's poorly designed; the window is way too large for the font used (or the font could be increased for easier viewing). It's also ugly. The title bar should really go, and there's no control over how it looks, a problem when normally it's always in view.

Fortunately there is another option. Click the minimize button to the right of the window and it'll close. The IP address won't permanently be on display, but just hover the mouse cursor over Mr.IP's system tray icon and it'll be displayed as a tooltip.

There are some more advanced features, too. The program can be set up to launch along with Windows, to automatically refresh your IP address every few hours, even to send an email alert when your address changes (no SSL/ TLS support, though, so Gmail can't be used).

Mr.IP would benefit from an interface redesign, but if you need an easier way to find your external IP then it already works well enough. Grab a copy now, maybe they'll fix the visuals later.
Smartphone shipments show strong growth as Android dominates emerging markets

Publié: août 29, 2014, 1:04pm CEST par Ian Barker

More than 1.25 billion smartphones will be shipped worldwide in 2014, up 23.8 percent over last year, despite a slowing of growth in more mature markets, according to the latest data from IDC's Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

Growth in mature markets has slowed to 4.9 percent but emerging markets are surging ahead with 32.4 percent growth. Since these emerging markets have accounted for more than half of smartphone shipments since 2011 this is perhaps not too surprising.

"The smartphone market, which has experienced runaway growth over the last several years, is starting to slow. Mature markets have slowed considerably but still deliver strong revenues with average selling prices (ASPs) over US$400. Meanwhile, many emerging markets are still barreling along, but with ASPs of less than US$250", says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "The key for vendors now is to maintain a presence in the higher-margin mature markets, while establishing a sustainable presence within the fast-growing emerging markets. To enable this strategy, operating system companies are partnering with OEMs to provide low-cost handsets".

Looking ahead to the end of the year, IDC expects emerging markets to account for 73.5 percent of all smartphone volume shipped. This is being driven by Android devices which are expected to take up 88 percent of the volume. Further ahead, emerging market smartphone volume is expected to reach 1.4 million units by 2018, accounting for 79.5 percent of worldwide volume.

"The support that Google's Android platform has received from over 150 handset manufacturers has allowed it to gain the share it has in emerging markets", says Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "The lack of constraints around hardware and software specifications has helped bring to market many low-cost products, a lot of which could be considered borderline junk. With Google's recent announcement of Android One, they hope to change this by laying out a set of standards for manufacturers to follow".

Aside from growth in volume shipments, IDC sees a move towards larger screen mobiles, or phablets, which it expects to grow from 14 percent of the market this year to 32.2 percent in 2018. Apple's expected entry into this field should give it the ability to drive replacement cycles in mature markets.

More information about the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker is available on the company's website.

Photo Credit: 3Dstock / Shutterstock
Project Wing is Google's drone-based goods delivery system

Publié: août 29, 2014, 12:44pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Drones tend to be associated with surveillance and crowd control, but Google is the latest firm to express an interest in using the unmanned machines as a delivery service. Facebook has previously talked about using drones to "deliver the internet to everyone", and Amazon has also toyed with the idea, but now the search giant wants a piece of the action. The company's development team, Google X, has been beavering away on a delivery system powered by drones, and details of how it works have now been released.

Unlike other drones that tend to take a quad-copter design, Google's take on the idea sees a merging of a plane with a helicopter. Fitted out with a single wing and four propellers which move into different positions when flying, the drones have a housing unit for packages in the center of the wing. The Atlantic has a great deal of background about the project and it looks as though rather than being used to ship things that shoppers have bought, it is more likely to be used to help in disaster areas where aid is needed.

Tests in Australia have already shown that the drone system can be used to deliver "a first aid kit, candy bars, dog treats, and water", but the hope will obviously be that they could be used to deliver other goods quickly and efficiently. Although Google is publicizing its drones, it is still very much a work in progress. Partners are being sought to work with Google, and interested parties are invited to get in touch.

Think the whole thing sounds like a little pie in the sky? Google has a video for all the unbelievers to help show that it is serious.

Photo credit: vipman / Shutterstock
Nokia's powerful HERE comes to Samsung Galaxy smartphones

Publié: août 29, 2014, 12:20pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

HERE may be commonly associated with Windows Phone, but that is not stopping Nokia from also offering its powerful software on Samsung's Galaxy smartphones as well as the new Gear S smartwatch. Microsoft should be worried, as one of the main differentiating features of its Windows Phone -- the exclusive availability of the HERE suite, among top mobile platforms -- just vanished into thin air.

HERE is making its way to Galaxy smartphones with virtually all of its core features intact. That means turn-by-turn navigation in nearly 100 countries, detailed offline maps for up to 200 countries, live traffic information in more than 40 countries, and directions when using public transportation in more than 750 cities from more than 40 countries. It's pretty much the whole shebang.

"We believe that maps and location-related functionality are essential for any operating system. HERE aims to deliver fresh maps, platform services and location cloud experiences to as many people and businesses as possible, independent of the device and operating system they are using", says HERE Sean Fernback. "Partnering with Samsung for the Tizen OS, and providing maps and location services for the first time with the new Samsung Gear is another huge step for us in that direction".

On Android (excluding Nokia-branded X devices), HERE is available exclusively on Galaxy smartphones. This appears to be a long-term deal. "Samsung is committed to providing consumers with the best possible mobile experience and we always look for partners to help expand the capabilities of our smart wearable devices", says Samsung's Chan Woo Park. "We are thrilled to partner with HERE and bring innovative, personalized mapping pedestrian navigation services to our Tizen-powered smart wearable devices starting with the Samsung Gear S". I wouldn't be surprised to see HERE on the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 too.

HERE is touted to play nicely with Samsung's Car Mode and Glympse and, of course, with the Gear S smartwatch, which will fetch routes from Galaxy smartphones. The software will be available when Gear S launches, for free of course, in beta form.

This is not the first time that HERE makes its way to smartphones other than Windows Phones in recent times (obviously, not including Nokia's own non-Lumia devices), as HERE Maps had been made available on iPhones also, but it is the first time that virtually all of the core HERE features are offered outside of the tiled smartphone operating system (again, not including Nokia's own non-Lumia devices, like X handsets).

Update: HERE will eventually make its way to other Android devices, according to a HERE employee, but non-Galaxy users will have to wait until "later this year" for the app to show up.

@ingridlunden HERE for Android is part of our partnership with Samsung, but we aim to make HERE available to as many people as possible

— Pino at HERE (@haikus) August 29, 2014

@ingridlunden I don't have a precise date just yet, but it will be later this year

— Pino at HERE (@haikus) August 29, 2014
British parents set to spend millions on back to school gadgets

Publié: août 29, 2014, 11:52am CEST par Ian Barker

More than a quarter of British parents say they'll be buying new gadgets for their kids ahead of the autumn return to school, with an average spend of £329 per family making a massive nationwide total of £659 million.

This is among the findings of a new survey by comparison and switching site uSwitch.com which finds that the average school bag now contains around £130 worth of tech.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, says, "Kids today are learning to use gadgets even before they can walk, and parents are investing heavily in the latest tech for school too -- the new term has sparked a flurry of gadget purchases".

49 percent of children take at least one gadget to school. More worryingly, however, nine percent have had gadgets stolen at school and 14 percent have been bullied because of their gadgets -- usually because they're the "wrong" brand.

Technology is changing the pattern of study too. A third of homework is now typed rather than hand written and a quarter submit their work via email or via an online system set up by their schools. The majority (38 percent) use laptops to do school work, but tablets (24 percent) are now more common than desktops (20 percent).

The results show that parents are concerned about the move to technology. Whilst 82 percent recognize that it's an essential part of their children's lives, 43 percent are concerned that they lack the technical ability to help with homework.

Parents are also troubled about the effect of technology on their children's abilities. 66 percent worry about over reliance on spell check and 61 percent about the effect using computers has on their handwriting.

Kids are getting their gadgets at an earlier age too. The average age for getting a mobile phone is 9 years 10 months, whilst tablets come even earlier, British kids receiving their first one at 8 years 7 months.

Although 63 percent of parents say they restrict the time their children spend using gadgets, 70 percent admit to employing technology to keep children quiet. The average age at which parents start to distract their kids with smartphones or tablets is 5 years 8 months.

Doku concludes, "Although gadgets are great educational tools, it's important to monitor your child's usage to ensure they are safe online -- as well as actually doing their homework".

Image Credit: Pressmaster / Shutterstock
Easily inspect DXF files with de-caff DXF Viewer

Publié: août 29, 2014, 10:20am CEST par Mike Williams

DXF is a very popular CAD file format which has been around since 1982, so you might expect there to be plenty of good viewers around by now.

Unfortunately, the reality is very different. DXF can be complex, and while there are free viewers to be found, they're generally of not much use.

We didn't have much hope for de-caff DXF Viewer, then. But it didn't take long to realize this program is a little different.

This DXF Viewer doesn't just leave you guessing on what it can and can't do, for instance. The program website actually lists the entities it supports (all the basics, but not so much from AutoCAD R13/ 2013), so if you have specific needs then you can check them in seconds.

The viewer is convenient to use, too, arriving in the form of a 2MB Jar file which should run on any system with Java 6 or later.

The developer hasn't wasted any time on building a flashy interface, but that's fine with us; just click File > Open, browse to your target DXF and it should open.

Our test files were all displayed correctly, and proved easy to navigate. Clicking and dragging with the mouse spins the model, rotating the mouse wheel zooms in and out, and a toolbar offers plenty of other zoom, rotation and viewing options.

That's probably already enough for a novice user, but if you're interested in the file or model structure then there's much more to explore. Selecting the Layers tab on the right lists the model's layers and makes it easy to turn them on and off individually. Clicking View > Model displays thumbnails of the various named views, and the DXF Tree allows you to zoom in on individual elements, perhaps one of the entities, and inspect its properties in-depth.

Once you've found the view you need, solid export options then allow you to save that image as a BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, PDF, Postscript or SVG file.

As with any DXF file viewer, there are no guarantees. If your target files make heavy use of AutoCAD's encrypted entities or other recent features then the program may not tell you very much.

We found de-caff DXF Viewer delivered great results with simpler drawings, though, and its various viewing modes and export options are another plus. If you ever need to inspect a DXF then this is the program we'd try first.
Uber is stealing drivers away from Lyft

Publié: août 29, 2014, 7:00am CEST par Nathan Chai

Ride sharing startup Uber has been caught using "brand ambassadors" to steal drivers away from its biggest competitor, Lyft.

Uber provides teams of independent contractors with credit cards and "burner" phones (essentially phones that can be bought without signing a contract) who then order rides from Lyft and charm the drivers over to Uber.

The rival companies have been aggressively targeting each other for some time, but it came to a head last month when Lyft accused Uber employees of canceling over 5,000 Lyft rides. Uber struck back in a statement calling the claims "baseless and simply untrue" and also accused Lyft "drivers and employees, including one of Lyft's founders" of canceling "12,900" Uber trips.

However, in an interview with The Verge, an Uber contractor said "What's simply untrue is that not only does Uber know about this, they're actively encouraging these actions day-to-day and, in doing so, are flat-out lying both to their customers, the media, and their investors".

Allegedly, Uber brand ambassadors can earn up to $750 (£450) for recruiting a new driver to Uber. The project is called Operation SLOG (Supplying Long-term Operations Growth) and internal documents lay out Uber's step-by-step strategy for recruiting Lyft drivers. The Uber higher-ups have even gone so far as to label the emails #shavethestache in reference to the pink moustaches attached to Lyft vehicles.

The ride-share space is a heavily contested battleground for Lyft and Uber, with both companies offering financial incentives and perks. Lyft sets up free lunches for potential new drivers and offers them $500 (£300) to drive 10 Lyft rides, Uber offers the $500 and a guarantee that you'll earn $45 (£27) per hour for a month.

In response to the The Verge article Uber released a blog post sanitizing its tactics. Still, with statements like "We can't successfully recruit drivers without talking to them -- and that means taking a ride", and the phrase "unmatched economic opportunity", you can't help but smell the propaganda.

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