Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » septembre 12, 2014

BetaNews.Com (22 non lus)

Latest Windows 9 videos show live tiles and the virtual desktop feature

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 9:30pm CEST par Wayne Williams

After having released some screenshots from Windows 9 build 9834, an early build of the forthcoming Technical Preview which is expected to debut later this month, WinFuture.de released a video showing off the new Start menu in action.

The site has now followed that up with two new videos. The first gives us another look at the new Start menu and live tiles, while the second shows us how the new virtual desktops will work.

Virtual desktops is a feature new to Windows (unless you installed a third-party tool), but it’s something Linux and Mac OS X users will be very familiar with, and lets you switch between different workspaces. It's a feature that many power users will definitely appreciate.

The video shows how easy it is to add new desktops and switch between them, and the feature is called up simply by clicking the dedicated button on the left side of the taskbar.

With this being an early build of Windows 9, what you see here might not be entirely respective of the finished OS, but it does give us a good idea of what to expect.

Both videos are available to view below. If you haven't already seen it, you can watch the first one here.
Apple's next big thing is even bigger for Invensense

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 8:57pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Analysts and the Apple faithful alike fawned over the new device when Apple introduced the Apple Watch on Tuesday, the company’s first new product of the Cook era. However, if you’re one to believe rumors, an upstart company called Invensense may stand to gain the most from Apple’s latest device.

An increasing amount of evidence now suggests that the San Jose, Calif. based company stands to cash in on the Apple Watch, as it is believed that Invensense is supplying Apple with the components necessary to power the Apple Watch’s most compelling features.

Inven-who?

Who is Invensense? Its chips and sensors --including those so-called "system-on-a-chip" solutions -- can be found on devices including cell phones, tablets, remote controls, and gaming devices. Although founded in 2003, the company didn’t see significant growth until the past five years or so, when mobile sensing technologies became more ubiquitous.

Device manufacturers looked for more intuitive ways for user interaction. The standard point and click (or in mobile device terms, point and tap) gave way to gyroscopes, accelerometers, compasses, and other methods to measure motion in free space. Invensense specialized in these technologies, and was primed to capitalize.

The company’s bottom line reflects this: annual revenue has nearly tripled over the past three fiscal years ending in March. Invensense president and CEO Behrooz Abdi said in a recent earnings release that recent design wins are "positioning us for strong market share increases in the coming quarters".

Could one of those design wins be Apple? There are some hints that the answer could be yes.

It’s All About Battery Life

The aforementioned components that Invensense focuses on -- while making our phones more useful -- also drain the device’s battery. Ensuring minimal battery drain is going to be paramount in a device as small as the Apple Watch.

Apple is certainly concerned with battery life. LTE adoption in the iPhone was held up long after it had become commonplace elsewhere due to battery life concerns. There is even evidence as reported by Re/code earlier this week that current iterations of the Apple Watch drain the battery in less than a day.

Invensense is positioned well to meet these challenges. Low power is a signature of its product lineup, and one of its new chips seems like a good fit. In June, the company announced the release of a new gyroscope chip that uses just under six milliwatts of power in a chip that is only .75 millimeters thick. Invensense also has several other products aimed at low-power applications which seem a natural fit for devices like the Apple Watch.

Apple: The Big Get

Product additions alone aren’t sufficient evidence that Apple is ready to jump on board with Invensense. Another clue could come in the company’s dramatic increase in production capacity. Earlier this year, the company announced it was ramping up capacity from 400 million units to nearly one billion units annually.

Such a dramatic shift in production is not made on a hunch alone, especially for a relatively small (at least for now) chipmaker. The company must have gained a major customer, as there are very few electronics companies able to place large enough orders to warrant this need. Several of those companies are already Invensense customers, but not Apple.

Those changes caught the eye of stock analysts like Pacific Crest’s John Vihn, who said with the new capacity Invensense "remains extremely well-positioned to penetrate Apple this year". Other analysts argue that getting into the Apple Watch provides a gateway into Apple’s other portable devices, creating even more upside for the company’s bottom line.

Of course, with Apple’s secretive nature and its control of its partners and what they can say, it is likely we’ll get no confirmation until the new year at the earliest. But if true, Invensense may be well positioned to become Silicon Valley’s next hot company.
Apple takes the lead in the health and fitness race

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 7:36pm CEST par Sam Pudwell

The health and fitness industry is one that Apple has been involved in for a while now. Its partnership with Nike has seen a bunch of dedicated apps appear on several previous iPhone and iPod models. Apple's latest batch of products is no exception. In fact, the fruit-themed company has made the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch much more fitness-focused than any of its previous products, which clearly suggests that the company sees this area as a potentially lucrative one.

The first illustration of this comes through the iOS 8 operating system, which will be available as a free upgrade from 17 September. iOS 8 will be released with a health app, as well as a tool for developers called 'HealthKit,' which will bring information from a potentially unlimited amount of health apps straight to your fingertips.

According to Apple, "The new Health app gives you an easy-to-read dashboard of your health and fitness data. And we've created a new tool for developers called HealthKit, which allows all the incredible health and fitness apps to work together, and work harder, for you. It just might be the beginning of a health revolution".

The tech giant has demonstrated some of the possibilities that the app offers through its recent 'Strength' advert, which shows a host of athletes using various pieces of software to track their exercise progress, monitor weight loss, analyze golf swing technique and even trace the trajectory of a football. Although the ad specifically looks like it is targeting iPhone 5S users, the campaign is clearly also directed at the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and showcases apps that will appeal to the whole range of potential users, from the part-time runner to the professional sportsman.

Then we move on to the Apple Watch, which I believe shows more potential as a fitness tool than any other smartwatch currently on the market. Apple says that the watch, "Unites the capabilities of an all-day fitness tracker and a highly advanced sports watch in one device," and you know what -- it's not lying.

Firstly, it features an accelerometer to measure movement, as well as a built-in heart rate monitor to measure the intensity of your exercise, immediately providing competition to traditional fitness-tracking wearables from the likes of Fitbit and Garmin.

Next up is the Activity app, which has three different modes to measure your daily exercise. The 'Move' mode shows you how many calories you've burned and suggests daily goals based on your history, the 'Exercise' mode monitors the amount of more intense exercise that you do each day and the 'Stand' mode tracks how often you stand up during the day and provides reminders if you've been sitting down for too long.

Add to this the dedicated Workout app that provides real-time statistics, such as distance travelled and calories burned, allows you to set goals, gives you updates of any milestones you've reached and tracks your achievements, and you've got a pretty comprehensive exercise tool on your hands. Or should I say, wrist.

But I know what you're thinking. There are plenty of wearables out there that do similar things and are probably a fair bit cheaper. The difference with Apple, I think, is threefold. Firstly, there's the sheer amount of information at your disposal, which is more comprehensive than in any other device.

Secondly, the HealthKit platform means that there is no limit to the apps that could sync to the Watch and thirdly, the partnership that Apple has with Mayo Clinic and Epic Systems, the electrical health records vendor, means that all of this information can connect to health institutions and actually be put to good use.

So, although I'm willing to admit that Apple's latest batch of products may not immediately revolutionize how we keep track of our exercise and fitness, they are certainly leading the race so far.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Want to know if your Gmail account is vulnerable? There's an app for that

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 7:14pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Google is an amazing company that offers many products and services that make our lives better. For example, Gmail, YouTube, Maps and Android help many people every day. Unfortunately, there is one downside to living in Google's world -- having one password.

You see, with Google services, one password gains access to them all by utilizing a central account. If your password is exposed, nefarious people can wreak havoc across Google, including your precious Gmail account. Unfortunately, this recently happened to 5 million users and you could be one of them! Don't panic -- there is now an app for iOS and Android that can tell you if you are affected.

"On Wednesday, reports of a massive Gmail password breach came to light. Up to 5 million stolen Gmail accounts and passwords were published on a Russian forum. After further analysis, as many as 5 million Gmail addressees as well as 5 million passwords were published. However, it is an important distinction that many of the passwords do not match the Gmail accounts with which they are associated. Google announced that only 1 to 2 percent of the passwords match and that it has secured those. It has also stated that its systems were not breached in any way", says Avira.

Vinod Varma, head of engineering, R&D at Avira, explains, "it could be that passwords stolen from previous security breaches such as Adobe or LinkedIn happened to be the same ones that people used for Gmail and the hacker put together different data sets to come up with this list. All 5 million breached Gmail accounts have now been added to Avira's Identity Safeguard database for the public to check their individual email accounts".

Yes, by downloading Avira's free Identity Safeguard for Android or iOS, you can check to see if your Gmail account credentials have been exposed. What makes this solution intriguing, is that it is does not only apply to this specific exposure; Avira is maintaining a database that will alert you of future breaches too.

If your account is on the list, you should immediately change your Google password. If you use that same password on other sites, you should change it there too. With that said, keep in mind, it is a best practice not to share passwords across multiple sites.

The app is available for download on Android and iOS. Give it a try and tell me in the comments if your account was listed.

Image Credit: PathDoc / Shutterstock
T-Mobile brings free Wi-Fi calling to its customers, and it's terrible news

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 4:48pm CEST par Mark Wilson

At its seventh Uncarrier event in San Francisco, T-Mobile unveiled plans to clutter up the internet for everyone -- T-Mobile customers and non-T-Mobile customers alike. On the face of it, things sound great. The T-Mobile Personal CellSpot offers free Wi-Fi calling and "fast data". The Cellspot is essentially a router which can be yours for a deposit of $25 but the difference is that it has been tweaked so that it prioritizes HD Wi-Fi calls over other traffic on the network. If you live in an area with poor mobile reception -- which can be just as frustrating as having to put up with a terrible internet connection -- this might sound like wonderful news, but when you look at the bigger picture, it is really such good news?

Let's try to ignore the fact that in order to get hold of one of the Personal CellSpots, you need to stump up a refundable deposit -- whoever heard of renting their router? -- and ask the first question: who actually needs "HD" phone calls? Pictures are HD, and there really have been very few complaints about the overall quality of voice calls on mobiles over the years. This is just gimmicky and inefficient. T-Mobile CMO Mike Sievert indicated that customers would enjoy the portability of the device -- easy to take on the road and set up anywhere. But how many people take a router away with them? Is this really going to become the norm?

The routing of calls and texts over Wi-Fi is being dubbed "Wi-Fi Unleashed", and T-Mobile CEO and president John Legere explodes with joy talking about it:

"Wi-Fi Unleashed is a game changer. This is like adding millions of towers to our network in a single day. The difference between us and the traditional carriers is that they'll do everything they can to make more money off you. We'll do everything we can to solve your problems, and today, that's about uniting Wi-Fi with our data strong network for unprecedented coverage".

T-Mobile explains that its entire portfolio of phones will be able to take advantage of Wi-Fi calling and texting, and owner of older handsets will be given the opportunity to upgrade. With a suitable phone, any wireless access point that customers can connect to is transformed into a means of making calls and sending texts. Is this really the best use of the internet? T-Mobile customers will eat up acres of internet. Get a bunch of T-Mobilers in Starbucks and they'll just suck up all of the bandwidth that other customers could be using. Expand this idea on a national scale and the gigbytes of data being gobbled up will be staggering.

Of course there's nothing to stop people switching to making regular cellular calls, but how many people will bother? The small print on the T-Mobile website explains that "most devices will not transition between Wi-Fi and the wireless network", and "will not transition between Wi-Fi and the cellular network" -- so if you forget to switch manually, you could find that you're either cut off in the middle of a phone call as you walk down the street, or that you don’t receive any calls or texts as you forgot to switch modes. Snuck into the small print is the announcement that "devices using wireless connections may be vulnerable to unauthorized attempts to access data and software stored on the device". Well that's reassuring, isn’t it?

T-Mobile's announcement also includes the news of a venture with Gogo Air which will enable customers to "text, picture message, even check T-Mobile Visual Voicemail at 30,000 feet". Marvellous! That five hour cross-Atlantic flight can now be punctuated by endless beeping notifications as fliers send photos of the view out of the windows, and awestruck recipients fire off replies whose arrival in-cabin is announced with grating tones. Joy of joy.

So thanks, T-Mobile. Thanks for ruining flights, and for slowing down the internet for everyone.

Photo credit: Ralf Maassen (DTEurope) / Shutterstock
Open Broadcaster Software shares your desktop with the world

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 4:42pm CEST par Mike Williams

You’ve taken some great new photos, finished your best-ever presentation, achieved total mastery of some major game -- whatever the reason, it’s now time to share your talents with the world.

If your needs are simple then you could take a few screenshots. Run a screen capture tool. Send a few emails. And maybe that’ll be enough.

But if you’re after something more, the free Open Broadcaster Software not only records your desktop, it can also broadcast it live via Twitch TV, DailyMotion, YouTube, hitbox.tv and more.

The program opens with a fairly basic interface. There’s no launch wizard to walk you through the setup process, no icon-packed ribbon, no toolbars: just a menu bar, a few buttons and list boxes. A beginner might easily be left wondering, "what now?"

Fortunately it’s not difficult to get started. Your broadcast will be made up of one or more "scenes", each of which can have multiple sources: text, an image, a slideshow, a game, a program window (your media player, perhaps), your entire screen (multiple monitors supported), or a video capture device. Right-click in the Scenes box to add a scene, the Sources boxes to choose a source, and select whatever options you need.

This can be very simple. Choose a "Slideshow", point the program at selection of images, and click Preview to view a basic slideshow. Once you’re happy with the results, clicking "Start Record" launches the stream and saves the results to disk: an instant MP4/FLV video slideshow. Click Stop Recording when you’re finished, and File > Open Recordings Folder to view the results.

Alternatively, open a media player, maybe your browser at some streaming source. Choose a "Program window" scene, select that window, and again Open Broadcaster Software can record everything you’re watching.

Best of all, the program supports broadcasting your stream online via several popular services, and this is also relatively straightforward.

Sign up for a free account at somewhere like Twitch.tv, choose Twitch and enter your details at Settings > Settings > Broadcast Settings, click "Start Streaming" and anyone will be able to view your stream at www.twitch.tv/UserName.

The interface could be more helpful, then, but Open Broadcaster Software is easy enough to use. We were recording and broadcasting within minutes, and the program has an array of configuration options to help fine-tune the results. Worth a try.
Companies shouldn't 'over think' internet of things security

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 3:36pm CEST par Ian Barker

The internet of things opens up a vast range of new opportunities for individuals and businesses. But as we saw yesterday with expert predictions on the impact of the Apple Watch it also brings additional risks.

Analysts at Gartner are predicting that by 2017 more than 20 percent of businesses will have security devices aimed at protecting services and devices in the internet of things.

"The power of an Internet of Things device to change the state of environments and of itself will cause chief information security officers (CISOs) to redefine the scope of their security efforts beyond present responsibilities," says Earl Perkins, research vice president at Gartner. "IoT security needs will be driven by specific business use cases that are resistant to categorization, compelling CISOs to prioritize initial implementations of IoT scenarios by tactical risk. The requirements for securing the IoT will be complex, forcing CISOs to use a blend of approaches from mobile and cloud architectures, combined with industrial control, automation and physical security".

On Gartner's predictions the number of "things" -- which doesn’t include PCs, tablets, smarthones, etc -- will be around 26 billion by 2020. This is forecast to create a $309 billion opportunity for suppliers delivering IoT products and services.

"In an IoT world, information is the 'fuel' that is used to change the physical state of environments through devices that are not general-purpose computers but, instead, devices and services that are designed for specific purposes", says Perkins.

Securing the IoT then brings new challenges in terms of the type and scale of technologies involved. As Perkins points out there is no, "guide to securing IoT" to provide CISOs with a framework. Even the definition of an IoT device is still open to interpretation.

Perkins concludes, "Gartner advises security leaders against over thinking IoT security by attempting to draft a grand strategy that encompasses all IoT security needs to this point in time. Instead, they should lower the residual risk of the IoT by assessing whether the particular business use case provides better control and performance. Lessons from these initial use cases will serve as building blocks for a broader strategy for addressing the security of the IoT".

Security solutions for the IoT will be discussed further at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit next week in Dubai.

Image Credit: PlusONE / Shutterstock
Best Windows 8 apps this week

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 2:45pm CEST par Martin Brinkmann
Ninety-eighth in a series. Welcome to this week's episode of the best new apps and games for Microsoft's Windows 8.x operating system. This week saw the release of several high profile apps in store including the official New York Times Crossword application and the simple but addictive game Dots Out.

Both are not 100 percent free however, which explains why no app was awarded the best app of the week title.

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

Here is the list of apps and games that have been discounted this week by at least 50 percent.
- Sesame Street Touch & Learn TV, interactive Sesame Street content, for $3.49
- Stuntmania Reloaded, a 3D car stunt driving game, for $2.49
- Reading Trainer, improve your reading speed and retention rate, for $1,49
- LiveATC, listen in to conversations between pilots and air traffic controllers, for $.099
- Plight of the Zombie, a fun strategy game, for $0.99
- MetaMoJi Note, a note taking, whiteboard and sketchbook app, for $3.99
Best Windows app of the week

none this week

Other apps

The New York Times Crossword

The app brings the popular New York Times crossword puzzle to Windows 8. The app is free to download and use for the first seven days only.

If you want to continue using it after that point you need to sign up for a paid subscription.

The free version makes available the puzzles of the past seven days and a mini puzzle which you can play.

Subscribers gain access to 18-years' worth of crossword puzzles from the archives and an ad-free environment on top of that.

Billabong Surf Trip

Surf Trip is an arcade-style surfing game in which you explore some of the world's most popular surf spots, ride the waves and try to perform all kinds of tricks to beat the high score.

Waves are different depending on the location, and you can perform 18 tricks in total using the controls.

The game can be played with the mouse and keyboard or by touch, with both control options working equally fine.

You can customize your surfer, male or female, using a variety of boards, hairstyles or shorts, and meet professional surfers who help you out with tips.

Mindgames Pro ($4.99, free trial available)

Mindgames Pro ships with a selection of "brain games" that help you practice mental skills.

A total of 23 different brain exercising games are available, from remembering objects displayed on the screen to practicing math to improving your vocabulary.

All available games are displayed on start and it is up to you to select one from the list. Each game is introduced with a how to so that you know what you are supposed to do.

Results are displayed in the end and options to explain the score are provided.

Letter Drop

Letter Drop can be described as a mix of Tetris and Scrabble. You try to create words by dropping letters from the top at the board. When you create a word it is removed to make space for additional words.

Several power ups such as bombs or options to switch letters are provided to help you achieve that task.

The game itself can be quite challenging since you need to reach a point target in each level and avoid at the same time the letters that hit the top of the board.

Spelling Spells

This is a typing arcade game similar in style to Typing of the Dead for the Sega Dreamcast.

Your task in the game is to type words or letters to hit the undead and other creatures that walk towards you to prevent them from hitting you.

The game can be played on touch-devices but works best if you use a traditional keyboard for input.

You earn coins for defeated enemies and can spend the money on upgrades to improve the strength of your word attacks.

Boss monsters appear at the end of a stage which are not as easy to beat. Instead of having to type what is displayed above the monster's head, you need to make calculations and type the result.

Dots Out

Dots Out is a game that you can only play against human opponents either locally or on the Internet.

The objective of the game is to shoot all enemy dots off the board. To do so you select one of your dots on the board and use the arrow to set a direction and power.

Game mechanics are really simple and easy to learn, and the 160 different levels that ship with the game offer a good amount of variety.

Most levels are locked however, and new ones are only unlocked when you beat the previous one. What makes this difficult is the fact that you have to pay chips to play a game which are added to a pool that the winner gets.

If you happen to lose, you may not have enough chips to continue playing the game unless you purchase chips in the built-in store.

This is not an issue when you play locally against friends.

Twixel

Twixel is a Twitch client for Windows 8 that brings all streams of the site to the operating system.

It displays a featured stream and top games based on users watching them on the frontpage.

A click on a game displays all available streams for it which you can tune in with another click. It is furthermore possible to search Twitch for other games or streams you may be interested in.
Dropbox lets users know about government activity regarding their data

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 2:45pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

We've grown accustomed to "transparency" reports in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations. We all now realize we are being watched and listened to, and that tech companies like Google and Microsoft, complicit or not, have given up user data, though the latter is currently fighting a court order to do so.

"Over the past year, revelations about government surveillance have shown that we need more transparency into when and how government agencies get access to people’s information online", states Bart Volkmer of Dropbox.

The cloud storage service is releasing its latest report to let users know what has been happening regarding recent activity. The numbers are not terrible, but nobody would be thrilled with them either.

Some of stats include 120 search warrants received, 109 subpoenas, and two court orders. Other data isn't so easy to come by thanks to current restrictions on reporting it. For instance, the company can only let us know that it received somewhere between none and 249 National Security Requests.

The company points out that "the rate of government data requests received per user remains steady -- this means that the number of requests received grew proportionately to Dropbox’s user base". It also lets customers know that it is continuously asked by the government not to notify users when their data is requested, even though the feds have no right to do so. It states that a warrant is required and data will not be handed over without it.

The cloud service is also pushing for a bill currently in the works that will better protect user data. "A bill currently in Congress would do just that by reining in bulk data collection by the US government and allowing online services to be more transparent about the government data requests they receive". It remains to be seen where that will go.

Image Credit: Andresr / Shutterstock
Get $100,000 worth of Google Cloud Platform credit for your startup

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 2:42pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Having a startup business is all the rage nowadays; it is as trendy as a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Actually, if you go to Starbucks, you can probably overhear chatter from hipsters about some lamebrain scheme to launch a business. Of course, the business must have a wacky name to make it cool; throw a bunch of consonants (vowels are so passé) in a hat, pull out 5 and that's the new business name.

Despite the deluge of posers thinking they will be the next Mark Zuckerberg, there are legit people with sound business ideas too. These up-and-coming startups need all the help they can get. Today, Google announces that some startups can receive $100,000 worth of Cloud Platform credit.

"This offer is available to startups around the world through top incubators, accelerators and investors. We are currently working with over 50 global partners to provide this offer to startups who are less than 5 years old and have less than $500,000 in annual revenue. In addition, we will continue to add more partners over time", says Julie Pearl, Director of Cloud Developer Relations and Partner Engineering, Google.

Pearl further explains, "thousands of startups have built successful applications on Google Cloud Platform and those applications have grown to serve tens of millions of users. It has been amazing to watch Snapchat send over 700 million photos and videos a day and Khan Academy teach millions of students. We look forward to helping the next generation of startups launch great products".

If all goes to plan, with Google's help, the next cutting-edge company may grow from this initiative. While not all startups prosper, and most probably won't, it is still great to see a large company offering a helping hand to the little guy.

If you are interested in learning more, please check it out here.

Image Credit: Artit Fongfung / Shutterstock
OutlookStatView delivers detailed reports on your Outlook accounts

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 2:23pm CEST par Mike Williams

Use Outlook for a while and it’s all too easy to let the messages pile up. Soon your inbox is a bloated mess, too large to tackle easily, and so you just try to ignore everything older than the last week or so.

NirSoft’s OutlookStatView helps out by drilling down into your accounts and producing some detailed reports. Who’s sending you the most emails? The bulkiest attachments? How many messages are you handling each hour, day, week, month, year? It’s all just a click or two away.

Launch the program and initially it scans your default account, listing the following details for everyone who’s ever sent you an email: their display name, email address, domain, the total number of incoming and outgoing emails, the total size of incoming and outgoing emails, the average size of incoming and outgoing emails, their first and last message date, and the email client and computer address they used for those first and last messages.

There’s also an option to display hourly/ daily/ weekly/ monthly/ yearly summaries, which are just about email traffic in general (the total number and size of any messages you’ve received).

Any of these can be sorted by clicking a column header, a quick way to analyze the data further. You could check who’s generating the most incoming traffic, where you’ve mostly been sending emails this month, how many email addresses are contacting you from any given domain, or whatever else you need to know.

The program can produce its reports on any Outlook account, in any version of Outlook, and you’re able to save them as text or HTML reports for reference later.

As usual with NirSoft’s reporting tools, this probably isn’t something you’ll use every day. But it can be helpful occasionally, for example highlighting mailing lists which are generating the most and the bulkiest traffic (we found three we didn’t need and unsubscribed right away).

OutlookStatView’s portability means it’s also a handy forensics tool. Would you like to know how someone else is using their Outlook account? Just run the program on their system to find out. (Although if you don’t have any right to this information, beware: someone else can do precisely the same to you.)
Yahoo resisted NSA Prism requests -- US government threatened $250,000 daily fines

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 1:35pm CEST par Mark Wilson

It's transparency time once again! After Edward Snowden opened the can of NSA surveillance worms, internet users' collected attention has been focused on online privacy. We still don’t know the full extent of the monitoring that took place, but more information continues to leak out. All of the big names -- Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and the rest -- have slowly trickled out little snippets about government data requests. A new blog post from Yahoo's general counsel Ron Bell sheds further light on the resistance the company put up against requests for data.

Just like Google and Microsoft, Yahoo is keen to let it be known that it tried to stick up for the privacy rights of its customers. A new cache of documents -- stretching to War And Peace baiting 1,500 pages -- from seven years ago shows just how much of a fight Yahoo tried to put on its users' behalves. Way back in 2007, the US government started to request information about users from a number of online companies. Yahoo was one of the companies who -- initially, at least -- refused to comply, and tried to fight the government in court.

Some of the documents that have just been released give an insight into not only Yahoo's attempts to avoid handing over user data, and the company's fight to make the secret court papers publicly available. One particularly interesting little scrap of information included in the paper is the fact that the US government threatened to fine Yahoo $250,000 for failing to comply with requests for information. Not as a one-off fine, but as a recurring, daily fine. A fine of a quarter of a million dollars per day for failing to hand over information about customers.

In his blog post, Ron Bell explains that:

Users come first at Yahoo. We treat public safety with the utmost seriousness, but we are also committed to protecting users' data. We will continue to contest requests and laws that we consider unlawful, unclear, or overbroad.

He also makes it clear the Yahoo continues to fight the US government:

We are still pushing for the FISC to release materials from the 2007-2008 case in the lower court. The FISC indicated previously that it was waiting on the FISC-R ruling in relation to the 2008 appeal before moving forward. Now that the FISC-R matter is resolved, we will work hard to make the materials from the FISC case public, as well.

Photo credit: lculig / Shutterstock
Mobile carriers are trying to control your texting

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 1:12pm CEST par Robert X. Cringely

Who owns your telephone number? According to Section 251(b) of the Communications Act of 1934, you own your number and can move it to the carrier of your choice. But who owns your texting phone number? It’s the same number, just used for a different purpose. The law says nothing about texting so the major wireless carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) are claiming that number is theirs, not yours, even if you are the one paying a little extra for unlimited texting. And the way they see it, unlimited is clearly limited, with carriers and texting services not offered by the Big Four expected soon to pay cash to reach you.

Those who’ll pay to text you include mobile carriers not in the Big Four led by the largest independent, US Cellular, as well as so-called over-the-top texting service providers that presently offer free texting services. These companies include pinger.com, textplus.com, textnow.com, textme.com, and heywire.com. Service continues for now but the incumbents are threatening to shut it down any day. T-Mobile started trying to impose fees several weeks ago and Sprint, I’m told, will start trying to charge next week.

Verizon shut off texting access to their network for two weeks starting April 3 as a shot across the bow of the over-the-top (OTT) carriers. Texting suddenly stopped working for OTT users, supposedly to limit spam texts. It quickly became documented that 98 percent of SMS SPAM was coming from ATT and T-Mobile SIM card fraud, which was not affected by the OTT cut-off, so the Verizon switch was turned back on, though OTT carriers were now on warning.

This is tied, by the way, to the emergence of a new business -- 800 texting. Want to report a problem to your cable company or check your bank balance? Send them a text. This was supposed to become a big business but now may not even start because the providers who make it possible are all OTT. The incumbent carriers don’t enable 800 texting because they don’t have the technology. This is their way of getting a piece of this new business.

For that matter, the carriers also didn’t have the ability to do billing for this type of service so they asked the two large US SMS aggregators (SAP & Syniverse) to track it on their behalf, which they have reportedly done. Now it’s just a matter of pulling the trigger.

Texting used to mean big bucks to mobile carriers back when it was charged a la carte and the fathers of teenager girls were getting bills for hundreds -- sometimes thousands -- of dollars per month. Unlimited texting and family plans have changed that for most of us. But the carriers miss that income and this gambit for control of our texting number may be an attempt to regain some of that old revenue, and some of the influence that has shifted in the past few years to non-SMS messaging apps such as Snapchat (raising money at huge reported valuations), Viber, acquired earlier this year for $900 million by Rakuten, and Whatsapp, acquired for $19 billion by Facebook. To the extent these services tie into SMS networks, they may feel some of the carrier’s controlling effect.

Apple can do texting with its iMessage, but that’s Apple and is dependent on its ownership of the operating system and the great deal it cut with carriers back in 2007. Google and Android don’t have a deal like Apple’s. So iOS comes out of this looking good.

The point of pain here is interoperability -- where OTT networks try to interface with legacy text networks which aren’t OTT. The FCC, which nominally regulates mobile phones, is nowhere to be found in this story because texting is considered neither voice nor data service under the Communications Act. Texting is signaling, which used to mean just setting-up and disconnecting calls but could include a short message. Unregulated, the carriers can charge what they like, which looks to be 2-3 cents per text. But to add another first, the big carriers are aiming to charge for both sending and receiving. Remember that even under the old regulated phone system it didn’t cost money to receive a call. So a transaction with your cable company involving a text and a response will incur a total of four charges -- two transmissions and two receptions costing someone up to 12 cents.

This is just plain-text we are talking about. Picture texting is another service, also unregulated by the FCC, and subject to its own set of carrier negotiations. If plain-text costs 3-12 cents, picture texting will cost more. In picture texting, too, Apple’s iMessage has an advantage.

OTT texting last year amounted to just under 100 billion messages so the big carriers are looking for up to $10 billion in new revenue (on top of $21 billion in existing text revenue). Internet startups will die or be sold if these changes go through and presumably the carriers will pick up those businesses. This does not bode well for innovation, though it bolsters somewhat text and chat services like SnapChat that don’t even attempt to deliver through the mobile phone’s native texting.

It is unclear how this story will play out. The FCC can do nothing unless someone complains and until you read this column nobody even knew to complain. So decide how you feel about it.

Photo Credit: iofoto/Shutterstock
Western Digital to launch 10TB hard drive

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 12:02pm CEST par Barclay Ballard

Western Digital's HGST unit has announced plans to launch the first 10 terabyte hard drive, the largest capacity drive released so far.

The firm also announced it will be shipping its 8TB Ultrastar He8 drive shortly, which uses pressurized helium to fit two extra disks into the drive, but still relies on perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology.

The planned 10TB drive, however, will instead utilize shingled magnetic recording (SMR), a technology that overlaps data tracks like roof shingles.

While the new drive is being sampled by select customers, it is unlikely that consumers will be seeing 10TB hard drives for their desktop or laptop PCs any time soon. SMR drives are generally better suited to continuous writing and erasing date, such as log files, a constant stream of images, or handling big data stores like Hadoop, rather than more traditional applications.

That being said, the new 10TB drive still pushes the potential density of storage media up to 3 trillion bits per square inch of disk platter, up from the 200 gigabits per inch capable with PMR technology. This means that the increased storage capacity could come in use for customers who have to keep large quantities of "cold" data, such as the millions of images posted by Facebook users each day.

HGST confirmed that the 10TB drive would be compatible with cloud and cold storage options, but did not confirm a release date for the product.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Which one is best for you?

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 10:01am CEST par Mihaita Bamburic
Small displays are passé nowadays, as consumers increasingly prefer large screens. There are obvious benefits to it. Even Apple has finally acknowledged it with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which dwarf all previous iPhones when it comes to display size. But, now that we have bigger iPhones, we find ourselves in the unusual position of having to choose which one to buy.

That was not a problem before, because, since the original iPhone was introduced, Apple only had a single flagship in its lineup. In late-2013, it tried to shake things up a bit with iPhone 5c, but it was actually designed as a mid-range offering. With iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there are more similarities. Nonetheless, figuring out which new iPhone is best for you is easy.

Specs

iPhone 6: 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 750 by 1,334 (326 pixels per inch); 64-bit A8 processor; 8 MP iSight main camera with f/2.2 aperture and 1080p video recording at 60 FPS/720p video recording at 240 FPS; 1.2 MP secondary camera with f/2.2 aperture and 720p video recording; 16 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage; TouchID; 4G LTE cellular connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0; NFC; GPS. Battery life is rated for up to 10 hours for 4G LTE browsing (11 hours on Wi-Fi), 11 hours for video playback and 14 hours for 3G calls . Physical dimensions are 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm, with a weight of 129 grams.

iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1,080 by 1,920 (401 pixels per inch); 64-bit A8 processor; 8 MP iSight main camera with f/2.2 aperture, optical image stabilization and 1080p video recording at 60 FPS/720p video recording at 240 FPS; 1.2 MP secondary camera with f/2.2 aperture and 720p video recording; 16 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage; TouchID; 4G LTE cellular connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0; NFC; GPS. Battery life is rated for up to 12 hours for 4G LTE browsing (12 hours on Wi-Fi), 14 hours for video playback and 24 hours for 3G calls. Physical dimensions are 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm, with a weight of 172 grams.

Seeing as quite a few things are the same, let's go through the differences that matter.

Display and Size

The display is what will drive most people towards one or the other. There are some notable differences to consider here. First of all, the 4.7-inch display of iPhone 6 comes with a low resolution, by modern flagship standards, which is barely higher than 720p. That will make everything appear less impressive than it does on iPhone 6 Plus, the screen of features a much, much higher resolution. The difference in pixel density -- 326 ppi for iPhone 6 and 401 ppi for iPhone 6 Plus -- speaks for itself, and, here, bigger is better.

But, when it comes to handling and pocketability, iPhone 6 definitely has the upper hand. It is much shorter (20 mm shorter) and narrower (10.8 mm shorter), slightly thinner (0.2 mm thinner), and much lighter (43 grams lighter). That is not to say iPhone 6 Plus is huge, just that it will be more difficult to handle and fit inside a pocket than iPhone 6.

And, lastly, there is another difference when it comes to the display, but this one comes from iOS 8. To make iPhone 6 Plus more manageable and useful, Apple has included two important optimizations specifically for it. To make it easier to use with one hand, iOS 8 will move the shown content to the lower half of the display when double-tapping on the home button, allowing users to more easily reach the screen with their thumbs; it's referred to as Reachability. And, also, when held in landscape mode, iOS 8 on iPhone 6 Plus will take advantage of the extra screen estate by showing additional content, like avatars in Messages and email in Mail.

But, basically, it all boils down to whether you want a phablet or not. If the answer is negative, then go for iPhone 6. But, if you have waited for Apple's answer to Samsung's Galaxy Note series, then iPhone 6 Plus is the new iPhone to buy. Personally, I'd go with iPhone 6 Plus, because the benefits of the larger screen easily make up for the size difference.

Camera

As you probably noticed when going through the specs, the main cameras on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are almost identical, with the exception of optical image stabilization, a feature which only iPhone 6 Plus offers. Does it matter?

Well, optical image stabilization, as its name suggests, has one major benefit, and that is that it will increase your chances of taking sharp photos (photos taken using the secondary camera do not benefit from optical image stabilization), in both well-lit and poorly-lit conditions. You will notice the biggest difference in the latter case, as this is when iOS 8 will have to use longer exposure times, which can lead to blurry photos if the device is not held properly. Personally, this is another reason why I would choose iPhone 6 Plus.

When it comes to video, however, Apple says that both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus benefit from stabilization. This is where things get tricky, as we are talking about software stabilization, which is not as effective as optical image stabilization. The differences are likely to be more minor compared with stills photography, but for those who would like to take steadier videos, iPhone 6 Plus is still a better option, albeit slightly. Personally, as I rarely take videos, either one would do fine.

Battery Life

This one is easy: iPhone 6 Plus is better. If you are a heavy user, then it makes sense to get it. Otherwise, if Apple's ratings for iPhone 6 sound good (based on testing I saw so far of previous iPhones, I have to commend Apple, as they are usually accurate) then the extra battery life that iPhone 6 Plus offers should not make much of a difference to you. Personally, I find iPhone 6 Plus more tempting in this regard.

Pricing and Resale Value

The cost is another one difference between iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, although I suspect that it will not make much of a difference in the eyes of most of you looking to get one of the new iPhones. Still, the most affordable of the two is iPhone 6. Here's a breakdown for it, using both on-contract and off-contract prices:
- 16 GB: $199 on-contract or $649 off-contract;
- 64 GB: $299 on-contract or $749 off-contract;
- 128 GB: $399 on-contract or $849 off-contract.
Add $100 on top of the equivalent iPhone 6 to find out how much iPhone 6 Plus costs. That'll be:
- 16 GB: $299 on-contract or $749 off-contract;
- 64 GB: $399 on-contract or $849 off-contract;
- 128 GB: $499 on-contract or $949 off-contract.
Now, that pricing only applies to US and the top mobile operators in the country, except T-Mobile, which doesn't subsidize any of the new iPhones, as it offers financing instead. Those of you in other markets are bound to find a different pricing, but, in spite of this, iPhone 6 Plus will definitely be the most expensive of the two.

Resale value is a mystery at this point, but both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will hold their value well over time. Of the two, I think iPhone 6 Plus will still command higher second-hand prices, due to the fact that it is more expensive to begin with and also because it will probably be available in smaller numbers, at least at first.

Looking at the second-hand market, phablets generally sell for higher prices than than their smaller counterparts. But, the $100 difference between iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will probably not be reflected there. Another thing to consider is that phablets are becoming more popular, so it is unlikely that you will have trouble selling iPhone 6 Plus down the road, if that is of concern.

Which One Will It Be?

After going through the major selling points of each new iPhone, will you choose iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus?

If you haven't yet voted in our poll you can do so here.
Watch a video of Windows 9 in action [Spoiler: It looks great]

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 9:53am CEST par Wayne Williams

Want a proper look at the next version of Windows? WinFuture.de, the website behind the recent batch of leaked screenshots, has recorded a video showing Windows 9 Technical Preview (build 9834) in action.

The video focuses on the Start menu, and we get to see how well it all works. The tiled section on the right is unobtrusive, resizable, and disappears when not required. Microsoft has done a superb job of making a Start menu that works as you’d expect, but which is modern and beautifully presented. The video also shows Modern UI apps running on the desktop, and more.

The top of the Start menu shows the user name and clicking on it will let you change your account picture, lock the computer or sign out. A power button to the right lets you put your PC to sleep, shut it down or restart. The menu uses a folder system so you can get quick access to things like individual system tools, which is great. Apps, which are accessed through an All Apps section, can be opened, uninstalled, or pinned to Start and/or the taskbar directly from the Start menu.

You can customize the tiled portion of the menu in the same way that you can customize the Start screen. Apps can be rearranged, unpinned from Start, pinned to the taskbar, uninstalled and resized.

The best thing about the menu is it resizes intelligently. So the more apps you add to Start the larger the tiled area becomes.

The video shows the Windows calculator app in use and it looks much better running windowed on the desktop (it doesn’t fill the screen), but a native desktop version still looks much better. But that's just my personal preference. Later on we see how easy it is to switch apps between full screen and windowed modes.

Interestingly, we also get a look at the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties screen in action and it turns out there’s an option there to use either the Start menu or the Start screen. So users will in fact be able to switch between the two UIs after all.

The Start screen itself looks the same as it does in Windows 8.1, although that might change in future builds.

Overall I think it looks great -- it’s exactly what I would have hoped to see. Screenshots are all well and good but they only tell part of the story. Watch the video below and let me know what you think in the comments.
Watch a video of Windows 9 in action -- See the new Start menu and more

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 9:53am CEST par Wayne Williams

Want a proper look at the next version of Windows? WinFuture.de, the website behind the recent batch of leaked screenshots, has recorded a video showing Windows 9 Technical Preview (build 9834) in action.

The video focuses on the Start menu, and we get to see how well it all works. The tiled section on the right is unobtrusive, resizable, and disappears when not required. Microsoft has done a superb job of making a Start menu that functions as you’d expect, but which is modern and beautifully presented. The video also shows Modern UI apps running on the desktop, and more.

The top of the Start menu shows the user name and clicking on it will let you change your account picture, lock the computer or sign out. A power button to the right lets you put your PC to sleep, shut it down or restart. The menu uses a folder system so you can get quick access to things like individual system tools, which is great. Apps, which are accessed through an All Apps section, can be opened, uninstalled, or pinned to Start and/or the taskbar directly from the Start menu.

You can customize the tiled portion of the menu in the same way that you can customize the Start screen. Apps can be rearranged, unpinned from Start, pinned to the taskbar, uninstalled and resized.

The best thing about the menu is it resizes intelligently. So the more apps you add to Start the larger the tiled area becomes.

The video shows the Windows calculator app in use and it looks much better running windowed on the desktop (it doesn’t fill the screen), but a native desktop version still looks much better. But that's just my personal preference. Later on we see how easy it is to switch apps between full screen and windowed modes.

Interestingly, we also get a look at the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties screen in action and it turns out there’s an option there to use either the Start menu or the Start screen. So users will in fact be able to switch between the two UIs after all.

The Start screen itself looks the same as it does in Windows 8.1, although that might change in future builds.

Overall I think it looks great -- it’s exactly what I would have hoped to see. Screenshots are all well and good but they only tell part of the story. Watch the video below and let me know what you think in the comments.

[Update] Two new videos showing the Start menu and virtual desktops can also be viewed here.
85% of Android and iOS apps are failing on privacy

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 9:24am CEST par Sam Pudwell

A report carried out by the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) has revealed that the majority of apps are failing when it comes to user privacy.

Of the 1,211 apps examined, the study found that 85 percent didn't clearly explain what data was being collected and nearly one in three requested an excessive amount of personal information.

Simon Rice, the group manager for technology at the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said, "Today's results show that many app developers are still failing to provide this information in a way that is clear and understandable to the average consumer. The ICO and the other GPEN members will be writing to those developers where there is clear room for improvement. We will also be publishing guidance to explain the steps people can take to help protect their information when using mobile apps".

Dr Stephen Murdoch, a researcher at University College London, believes that the use of third-party advertising platforms should take some of the blame. "Often privacy leaks from mobile apps don't come from the app itself, but from the advertisements which are added. Quite frequently the people who are writing the application don't understand themselves what they advertisement code is doing. If you couple it with the fact that the money for these apps are made almost purely through ads - developers don't want to ask too many questions".

The report was collated from research carried out by various data watchdogs in nearly 40 countries, including the ICO who examined 50 of the most popular UK apps on the Android and iOS platforms.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
VirtualBox fixes startup problems with Windows hosts, squashes more bugs

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 9:15am CEST par Nick Peers

Oracle has released VirtualBox 4.3.16, the latest in a series of maintenance fixes for its cross-platform, part-open-source virtualization program.

The most notable fix in the new build affected a number of Windows hosts, which found themselves unable to open VMs. The only workaround had been to revert to the previous build (4.3.12).

The cause of these crashes -- first spotted in a pre-release version of 4.3.14 -- were eventually tracked down to conflicts with security software, and have been successfully fixed with the new release. Note, however, that those who reverted to version 4.3.12 may find the program doesn’t recognize an update is available; download and install it manually if this is the case.

A number of graphic user interface bugs have also been resolved with the new release: the mini toolbar should now produce less artifacts when used with 3D guest rendering, while Mac users should find the native full-screen to multi-screen transition no longer blacks out host screens for up to a minute.

One additional feature has been added allowing users to disable mouse capture for selected VMs -- typically headless machines or those using command-line interfaces where the mouse isn’t required. Sadly, this hasn’t made it into the graphical user interface; instead users should read section 9.19.10 of the manual for details of setting it using the command-line VBoxManage interface.

3D support has been improved for OS X hosts via the implementation of experimental support for rendering on offline GPUs in version 4.3.16. Other 3D fixes include one for MS Office 2013 support as well fixing an issue with video recording.

Bridged Networking has been tweaked to better support IPv6 when bridging to a wireless interface, while a number of USB regressions from version 4.3.14 have also been fixed. For a complete list of fixes and changes, check out the changelog.

VirtualBox 4.3.16 is now available as a free open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux, along with the companion VirtualBox Extension Pack 4.3.16, which is free for non-commercial use only.
HP embraces open source in the cloud with Eucalyptus acquisition

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 3:48am CEST par Brian Fagioli

There was a time, when open source software was synonymous with being cheap or on the fringe. In other words, companies embraced closed source options, because that was the thing to do -- there were not many options. Quite frankly, I do not blame businesses for playing it safe.

Today however, open source software and technologies, including Linux, are viable and attractive options. Companies like Red Hat have paved the way for others to move open source from the fringe to the spotlight. Today, major player HP acquires a company named Eucalyptus to bolster its open source technology in the cloud.

"Eucalyptus and HP share a common vision for the future of cloud in the enterprise. Enterprises are demanding open source cloud solutions, and I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to grow the HP Helion portfolio and lead a world-class business that delivers private, hybrid, managed and public clouds to enterprise customers worldwide", says Marten Mickos, CEO, Eucalyptus.

Martin Fink, CTO, HP explains, "we've said before that we believe the future of the Cloud is open source, and this transaction underscores our deep commitment to helping customers build enterprise-class, open clouds their way. We've already seen significant momentum since launching HP Helion and have put in place an outstanding team. I’m confident that Marten, a fellow open source devotee, will continue to build out the HP Helion portfolio into the enterprise cloud offering of choice".

Clearly, HP is saying all the right things, and open source fans should be excited by the acquisition. The corporate world seems to be turning to open source technologies more and more. When it comes to the cloud and data storage, it is understandable that companies are hesitant to potentially get stuck in a closed source, proprietary deal. Embracing open source may allow greater flexibility and control.

Image Credit: alexmillos / Shutterstock
Forget Me Not Child Alert System -- using technology to prevent toddler hot car deaths

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 2:35am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Life is a very precious thing, and for various reasons, not all people are lucky enough to procreate. Of course, adoption is also a great option to experience the miracle of seeing a child grow. Unfortunately, the experience of raising a child can turn tragic when something bad happens.

One of the biggest tragedies in the news lately, is toddlers dying in hot cars. When it happens accidentally, the parent will suffer in more ways than one. Of course, they will mourn the child's death, but also, live forever with the guilt. Such a horrific experience can destroy a family. Today, a new product is announced, that should prevent hot car deaths -- the Forget Me Not Child Alert System.

"Beverly Marketing Management (BMM) has just released its working prototype of a child monitoring system that will alert parents when a child is accidentally left in a car seat. The summer has been riddled with the tragic loss of 19 toddlers leaving inconsolable grief to parents, family and friends who are left to face the harsh reality of the accident. With all of the safety regulations for helmets, seatbelts, airbags and car seats today, this tragedy seems preventable. BMM has been diligently working on the design since May and now has a working prototype to put into production within 30 days", says BMM.

The company further explains, "the system can be installed within 3-5 minutes and is adaptable to any car seat manufacturer, car make, or model. The system consists of a sensor pad, an electronic component and a smart phone app. The operation of the system utilizes Radio Frequency and Bluetooth Low Power technology to transmit a signal between the car seat and cell phone. The placement of the child into the car seat triggers the device to automatically turn on. The device will ping once to assure the system is working properly. If the parent exits the car with the cell phone and gets within a distance of 10-15' without removing the child from the car seat, the phone will alert the parents with an audible and visible screen display that indicates the child is in the car seat. The optional revision of the audible alarm on a key fob will also be available in addition to the cell phone app".

While it is easy to think that this could never happen to you, I'm sure the parents that have done it, thought the same thing too. Come on, $99 is a small price to pay for peace of mind, right? Hopefully, toddler car seat manufacturers can integrate similar technology into future designs.

If you are interested, you can learn more here.
Google Drive and Docs gain accessibility options for visually-impaired users

Publié: septembre 12, 2014, 12:56am CEST par Mark Wilson

With a visual impairment, using any software or service can be anything from tricky to impossible. Windows and other operating systems have long included features that make them easier for blind and partially sighted people to use, and now Google is adding similar playing-field-levelling features to Google Drives and Docs. While traditional desktop software has been quick to adopt new methods of opening up to as many people as possible, the same cannot be said of online tools -- Google is looking to change that.

Starting today, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings and Forms all feature support for Alt tags for images, as well as better text-to-voice conversions. Tweaks include support for vocalized spelling correction suggestions, as well as the ability to listen to comments that have been added to shared documents. The arrival and departure of collaborators something else that's now spoken aloud. Changes are also to be found in the many keyboard shortcuts -- additional shortcuts are now available to provide access to a wider range of tools and option than before, including the editing of charts and pivot tables.

Docs is gaining support for Braille displays and Google has put together a series of guides to help newcomers get to grips with a feature that can be a little overwhelming. There are some nice touches such as the option to have Docs read announce the formatting that is in use at the current location so it can be replicated elsewhere.

There's a new accessibility website that gives a full rundown of what’s now available, and in the video below, Google shows off just how helpful the new accessibility option can be:

Photo credit: Pakhnyushcha / Shutterstock