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• 

  Apple's HBO NOW exclusive is the real Game of Thrones

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 8:29pm CET par Joe Wilcox

  

  As the dust settles from this week's big Apple reveal, one question lingers: Who gains more from exclusive distribution of new streaming service HBO NOW? I don't know what the device maker paid for the privilege, but big benefits belong to it. I wonder: What were HBO executives thinking by tying the service's early destiny to a single platform during telecast of the popular Game of Thrones series?

  Particularly for cord-cutters who don't have Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, or iPod and want GoT Season 5 the choice is simple: Buy ATV for 69 bucks or spend more on another device capable of running HBO's iOS app—or steal! Three days ago my colleague Alan Buckingham, who owns no fruit-logo products and cord-cuts, wrote that he might get the streaming box. Today I asked if he really plans to buy Aople TV. "I haven't yet, but I likely will", he says.

  Price Matters

  Who else, I wonder. Surely, there's no coincidence how the new pricing works out. On Monday, Apple cut the price of ATV by $30. HBO NOW is $14.99 per month, and free for the first one. Service is available April 10, and Games of Thrones returns two days later. Presuming the series spills over into a third month, Apple TV plus HBO NOW for the duration will cost what the device did before the discount. Pricing surely is deliberate.

  "Apple, instead of making a sweeping update to the Apple TV made two notable updates." John Buffone, NPD executive director, says. "That is, more attractive pricing that aligns within, as opposed to on top of, competitive offerings and access to a desirable new service HBO NOW. The new pricing is less than major competitors.

  For owners of other Apple devices, who don't otherwise subscribe to HBO but would for Game of Thrones, $29.28 to watch the series—plus other programming—looks like appealing, as well.

  I suspect Apple will move lots more ATVs because of the discount and exclusive distribution deal. In the United States, the device already is top-seller in the category. During fourth quarter 2014, at U.S. retail, according to NPD: Apple TV, followed by Roku, Chromecast, and Fire TV.

  "HBO is among a group of a few innovative networks blazing new ground by offering consumers their content outside of traditional pay TV channel bundles", Buffone says. "The exclusive with Apple provides significant exposure to the industry, media, and consumers that are apt to spread the word about their new service. This type of messaging is of tantamount importance as word of mouth tends to be a significant source of awareness for early adopters".

  Deal or Steal?

  My colleague Alan agrees. "HBO will profit from me because I was able to watch GoT early on, thanks to BitTorrent. They hooked me, and now I'll pay", he says. "I'm really just spending money so I don't have to use BT—something that the content producers don't seem believe people actually do".

  File-trading's benefits are often overlooked by content creators or distributors like HBO. Ten years ago in May, for MindJack, Mark Pesce wrote of the most important pieces of journalism ever about content piracy (Part One; Part Two). Before there was YouTube, and long ahead of streaming services like Hulu, BitTorrent trading of Battlestar Galactica and Dr, Who increased viewership and prompted Syfy (then SciFi) Channel to experiment by streaming full episodes online.

  Turns out that many of the technical-savvy users stealing episodes, simply couldn't wait for them to air in their area. For example, Battlestar Galactica debuted in the United Kingdom in October 2004 before broadcasting in January 2005 in the United States. Pesce explains the unexpected consequence:

  While you might assume the SciFi Channel saw a significant drop-off in viewership as a result of this piracy, it appears to have had the reverse effect: the series is so good that the few tens of thousands of people who watched downloaded versions told their friends to tune in on January 14th, and see for themselves. From its premiere, Battlestar Galactica has been the most popular program ever to air on the SciFi Channel, and its audiences have only grown throughout the first series. Piracy made it possible for 'word-of-mouth' to spread about Battlestar Galactica.

  I find interesting HBO's broadcast plans for Game of Thrones Season 5: Simultaneous in 170 countries, which surely means to deter piracy. The approach will be an important test case of Alan's assertion that people will pay if given opportunity. We will know next month.

  If more people pay because of simultaneous broadcasts, HBO will confirm that it is the innovative network that Buffone claims. But can the same be said about the exclusive Apple distribution deal? I wonder how many people buying Apple TV just to watch Game of Thrones will still subscribe to HBO NOW a few months later. The fruit-logo company benefits from clearing out inventory of its aging set-top box—Trojan Horse for other devices or services.

  NOW GO

  My family already owns Apple TV, which is the least-used streaming box in our home, generally only to view iTunes Store content the family already paid for. Among the streamers used in the Wilcox household, Amazon Fire TV is most responsive, and Roku 3 is more than satisfactory. By contrast, ATV is unmistakably slow. My device is newest generation running the most-recent firmware, and it is still a tortoise—even without the other boxes for comparison.

  We didn't wait for HBO NOW, and I am satisfied with the decision. For 7 months after I cut the cord in July 2014, Cox nagged me to add FlexWatch to the Internet access, and I strongly considered waiting for HBO's then-rumored standalone streaming service. FlexWatch costs $19.99 per month for HD cable box with local channels, plus Encore, HBO, and Starz. Price is guaranteed for 12 months; no contract required.

  Last month, I signed up, adding Showtime for another $5 a month, and have no regrets. We just stream and don't use the Cox box, which is stored in the garage. I can access HBO GO, and any of the other premium-pay channels, on most any device, any time, anywhere. NOW would mean access only from Apple devices. GO reaches many more.

  It's this limitation that baffles me most about the exclusive distribution deal that cuts out so many more potential new subscribers and compels me to conclude that long term Apple will benefit more than HBO.

  
• 

  Celebrate Pi Day 2015 with Microsoft -- Huge savings on Xbox Music Pass!

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 6:39pm CET par Brian Fagioli

  

  Tomorrow is March 14th; you know what that is right? Pi Day! If you aren't a mathematician or math nerd, Wikipedia describes pi as a "circle's circumference to its diameter". The true value of Pi is indeterminable, as the sequence goes on forever, but it is typically shortened to just 3.14. And so, from that, only the USA celebrates this as Pi Day, since that country displays dates as MM.DD. Most other countries use DD.MM. This year is particularly significant, however, as it is the only time the year and time will be represented too -- 3.141592653 can be seen as 3/14/15 9:26:53 AM.

  Unfortunately, while Pi Day is a real thing, how to celebrate it is a bit murky. For the most part, geeks on social media share that Pi Day has arrived as a way to show their geekiness, but beyond that, there are no decorations or traditions in the mainstream. Luckily, Microsoft actually has some cool stuff planned; will you celebrate with the company?

  Microsoft's Windows Team shares the following offers.

  1. New Digital Gift Cards with the Pi Day theme. Giving something special is a great feeling. When it’s a Digital Gift Card that can be redeemed for top apps, games and music, you’re giving the gift of choice! Download the Digital Gift Cards app for free for Windows and Windows Phone.

  2. Purchase an Xbox Music Pass for $31.41. Tomorrow only you can purchase a 12 month Xbox Music Pass for $31.41 (regularly $99). An Xbox Music subscription gives you access to millions of songs to play on your Xbox, the Web, or your Windows PC, Tablet and Phone. You can purchase this limited time offer tomorrow only (3/14/15) from the Microsoft Store. This offer is good for new subscriptions and renewals of existing subscriptions.

  3. Train your brain with Einstein Brain Trainer HD for Windows and Windows Phone. Did you know that March 14 is also Albert Einstein’s birthday? Now you can train like a true math-lete with Einstein Brain Trainer HD which offers 30 exercises for brain activation. This is a brand new app for Windows Phone and is already available in the Windows Store. Now for a limited time you can purchase these apps at 50 percent off!

   

  

  While the Pi Day themed gift-cards and discounted education games are appreciated, I doubt you care about that. The real meat of this Pi Day offering is the Xbox Music Pass at $31.41. The normal price is $99, so you are getting it for less than a third of the normal price. In other words,  you can have unlimited music streaming for the next year for about $2.61 a month -- insanity!

  Please know that Xbox Music Pass works on iOS, Android, Windows, Xbox, the web and even Windows Phone, so it is quite the amazing value. Even if you already have a favorite service like Spotify, Beats or Google Play Music All Access, at this price, it may be worth the switch. The deal is tomorrow only, so do not miss it!

  Image Credit: eurovector / Shutterstock

   

  
• 

  Oh god... screenshots from Windows 10 build 10036 look worryingly like Windows Phone

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 6:31pm CET par Mark Wilson

  

  OK, I'm starting to get worried now. I've been working my way through each of the public previews of Windows 10 and, on the whole, I've been fairly impressed. Not blown away, but generally satisfied. But some of the recent screenshots that have been leaking out have me a little concerned. -- there's more than just an air of Windows Phone, and that turns my stomach.

  Yes, I know that there's meant to be a merging of paths between Windows for phones and Windows for the desktop, but for Microsoft to veer towards the look and feel of Windows Phone is a huge mistake. I only hope that the screenshots currently doing the round from build 10036 are not representative of the build we're waiting to be released.

  What am I going on about? Well, we've already seen that Windows 10 is borrowing ideas heavily from Windows Phone. The Start menu has made a welcome return, but it's not The Start Menu we know and love from days of yore -- it's been Windows Phone-ified, all tiles and vertical lists. This is not news, but I should have been more worried earlier on, I think. When the much-talked-about Notification Center reared its head, it happened again. It's like looking at Windows Phone-lite.

  Not to worry, I thought... these are just early builds. These things will probably be ironed out, just like those pig-ugly icons. But now images are leaking which show that Windows 10 build 10036 continues the trend. The Wi-Fi network selection window has a new look. You've guessed it... it looks like Windows Phone. Don't believe me? Here's a screenshot posted on OSBetaArchive:

  

  What are you doing, Microsoft? We're meant to be moving forward. Looking to the future, not the past. Have you not learned by now that Windows Phone was a mistake -- people don’t like it. To be fair, they weren’t all that keen on Windows 8.x either (although I'm more enamored than many people are). This in mind, why would you want to sully the look of the next generation of Windows with elements from such a wildly unpopular mobile operating system? It just seems like insanity.

  My only hope is that I am not alone. If Gabe Aul's tweets are correct, we should start to see new builds of Windows 10 released more frequently. I hope in the name of all that is just that legions of Windows Insiders complain bitterly not just about the offensively ugly icons, but also the creep towards the look of Windows Phone that's taking place.

  Other screenshots from 10036 posted by Wzor show something with a more desktoppy feel to it, but the continued existence of modern apps just adds to the Windows Phone look. Each of these apps adds a little more to the Phoney look and spoils things.

  The journey towards the release of Windows 10 has been a complete rollercoaster ride for me. I've loved it, hated it, been ambivalent towards it. But this glacial creep towards Windows Phone is worrying. Windows Phone is a failure, and not without good reason. If Microsoft isn't careful, it'll be signing the death certificate for Windows 10 before its gestation period comes to an end.

  Photo credit: Christos Georghiou / Shutterstock

  
• 

  Amazon heads into the Internet of Things, purchases 2lemetry

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 5:50pm CET par Alan Buckingham

  

  The Internet of Things is a major buzz phrase these days and it encompasses all sorts of connected devices from light bulbs to crock pots. It's a market that every company wants to get in on with hopes of future profits. The latest firm moving into the field is retail giant Amazon, which has a history of getting into all sorts of areas including hardware, streaming media and much more,

  Amazon has purchased a company called 2lemetry, which describes itself in the following manner -- "2lemetry is an Internet of Things platform and technology company that powers the connected enterprise, tying people, processes, data and devices together -- transforming raw data into real-time actionable intelligence".

  2lemetry was founded in 2011 by Kyle Roche and Chris Chiappone, who claim extensive experience in IoT integration, listing companies like JP Morgan, Starbucks and several others as customers. The company claims that it can reduce the complexity and time involved in setting up IoT products. "What historically has been a complex and expensive undertaking, requiring significant upfront capital and taking months or years to implement -- 2lemetry makes possible within days or even hours", the company claims.

  Amazon has made no official announcement as to what this means going forward, although a standard statement which BetaNews received from an Amazon spokesperson reads "We can confirm that Amazon has acquired 2lemetry, and we look forward to continuing to support 2lemetry customers".

  Hopefully there will be more information pertaining to what Amazon has in mind for this acquisition. For now, the company already carries many IoT devices just in case you hope to get your home automated.

  
• 

  Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver still serving up malware

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 5:13pm CET par Wayne Williams

  

  Three weeks ago we reported on how celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s website was serving up malware. The site, www.jamieoliver.com, has around 10 million visitors a month, so the fact it had been hacked to redirect people to an exploit kit was a big deal.

  Naturally, Jamie Oliver’s management team acted swiftly to fix things, except according to Malwarebytes, which discovered the original problem, the site is now dishing up digitally signed malware.

  After the original issue was reported, and supposedly dealt with, Oliver’s management team put out a public statement:

  The team at jamieoliver.com found a low-level malware problem and dealt with it quickly. The site is now safe to use. We have had only a handful of comments from users over the last couple of days, and no-one has reported any serious issues. We apologize to anyone who was at all worried after going on the site. The Jamie Oliver website is regularly checked for vulnerabilities by both our in-house team and an independent third-party and they quickly deal with anything that is found. The team is confident that no data has been compromised in this incident but if anyone is worried, do please use the contact form on the site.

  While it’s fine, understandable even, for the site to play down the issues, not fully dealing with the problem, which is what Malwarebytes suspects has happened here, is inexcusable.

  "It is indeed quite common for a hacked server to retain malicious shells or backdoors that keep on reinfecting the site", Malwarebytes senior security researcher Jérôme Segura explains, adding that there’s every reason to believe that it is "the same infection that was not completely removed or perhaps that a vulnerability with the server software or Content Management System (CMS) still exists".

  Vulnerable systems are infected with a Trojan that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware detects as Trojan.Dorkbot.ED.

  Image Credit: Mr Pics / Shutterstock

  
• 

  CryptoLocker-like ransomware, Teslacrypt, targets gamers

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 5:04pm CET par Mark Wilson

  

  Ransomware is one of the latest tactics used by cybercriminals to extract money from victims. CryptoLocker hit the headlines last year, encrypting the files on infected machines until a ransom was paid. Now the same idea has spread to the world of gaming thanks to Teslacrypt.

  Teslacrypt works in much the same way as CryptoLocker, but its raison d'etre is seek out game saves and download content for dozens of popular titles and hold them to ransom. Until victims cough up $500 in Bitcoins, or make a $1,000 PayPal payment, there is no way to access the games.

  Despite the similarities to CryptoLocker, security analysts at Bromium say the malware comes from a different group of cybercriminals and doesn’t share any code. Infections come via a compromised gaming site which uses a Flash vulnerability to redirect visitors to the Angler exploit kit. As the site is based on WordPress, Bromium says it could have been compromised using any one of a number of exploits.

  Once a computer has been infected, the malware starts its hunt for 185 different file type, more than half of which are associated with games. On the list of targeted titles are Call of Duty, Half-Life 2 and Fallout 3, as well as online games including World of Warcraft and Steam titles.

  Bromium Labs' Vadim Kotov said:

  Files are targeted by extension. Concretely these are user profile data, saved games, maps, mods etc. Often it’s not possible to restore this kind of data even after re-installing a game via Steam.

  While CryptoLocker was cracked so that victims could decrypt their files without having to pay a ransom, this has yet to happen for Telsacrypt.

  Photo credit: Phoenixns / Shutterstock

  
• 

  Best Windows apps this week

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 2:51pm CET par Martin Brinkmann

  One-hundred and twenty two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows in the past seven days.

  Still no sign of a new Windows 10 Preview build but Microsoft promises that releases will be released faster to Windows Insider in the future.

  This week has seen the release of several high quality apps and games including the news reader Fedora Reader, the curated app store alternative AppFeds and Blitz Breaker Alpha, a well designed game supporting touch and the mouse.

  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.

  Discounts this week

  • A World of Keflings, an adventure game for $1.99
  • BabyUp: Beetles, a teching game for young children for $0.99
  • Dragon's Blade DX, a turn-based fantasy RPG for $0.99
  • iCalendar Importer, import iCalendar/ics in the native Windows 8 calendar app for $1.99
  • Toca Train, a train game for children for $0.99
  • InspirARTion, a drawing app for $1.49

  App of the week

  Blitz Breaker Alpha

  

  Blitz Breaker Alpha is a dexterity game in which you use swipe motions to push a tiny robot to the level exit.

  The game plays well with touch but also with the mouse. The only control you have is to push the robot into one of the available directions using a swiping motion.

  You will encounter traps, coins, keys and other objects in the game that you either have to avoid or collect.

  Keys for example are used to unlock blocked passages in the game while traps such as spikes prevent you from reaching the exit as you only have one live in each level.

  There is also a time limit that forces you to act quickly as you will have to restart a level if you run out of time and have not reached the exit by then.

  Other apps

  Fedora Reader

  

  The free news reader features a three column design that separates feeds, articles of the selected feed and one article in the interface.

  Feeds are added individually or from a curated list. There is unfortunately no option to import an OPML file from another reader which makes migration a long winded process.

  The layout is well designed and adjusts dynamically to the available window or screen size.

  Feeds are marked as read automatically when you select them or on command. Other options of interest are a night mode and integration of Windows' Share options.

  Fantasy Farms

  

  This is a building game in which you grow a farm in a fantasy land filled with orcs, dwarves and elves.

  Complete quests, build roads and different kinds of buildings to generate resources that you need to expand your farm further.

  The game is free to play but offers in-app purchases to speed up certain processes and buy in-game items. One interesting option provided is to disable these in the game so that purchases cannot be made any more.

  NewsCrawler

  

  NewsCrawler is a free RSS news feed reader for Windows 8. Feeds are added individually or by importing an OPML file that the majority of feed readers support.

  Feeds are displayed on the apps' homepage with their unread count. A new page is loaded when you click on a feed displaying all articles in a sidebar and one of the articles in the reader part on the screen.

  One interesting option is to show the full article which loads the web page the article was published on in the reader. This can be useful if a feed delivers partial articles only or if you want to access comments or other information that are not included in the feed.

  Parking Mania?

  

  Who would have thought that parking can be so much fun. Use the arrow keys or touch controls to park the car in each level in the designated (green) parking area.

  To make things interesting, you may only bump a total of three times into other game objects before the game over sign is displayed to you.

  The game is relatively short as it features only 12 levels and displays quite a few ads while you are playing which can be distracting at times.

  AppFeds

  

  The Windows Store alternative offers curated lists of applications that may get overlooked in the official store.

  It displays trending and latest apps in the interface as well as top and best rated, cheapest and apps with price drops.

  Track Builder

  

  Build mine carts or sky bucket tracks in the game to impress the seven dwarfs who judge each track.

  The two track types are designed in different ways. While you draw where you want the sky bucket to go, you pick specific track types when you build a mine cart track.

  You need to make sure that beginning and end are connected in the end but that is not the only thing you need to pay attention to as you score is determined by the judges and how impressed they are.

  Nebula Zoo Free

  

  Nebula Zoo Free is a dexterity game in which you fly around various planets in a spaceship.

  Your main task in the game is to rescue trapped animals to add them to your zoo gallery while avoiding other objects such as flying saucers, clouds or monsters roaming the planet.

  Bubble Bunny Blitz

  

  This is a Puzzle Bobble clone in which you shoot eggs to match three or more of them of the same color to remove them from the board.

  You need to complete a specific task  such as saving animals trapped by eggs or clearing a certain number of spots at the top of the game.

  The second difference to the original game is that levels are larger than the screen at times which means that they scroll vertically and you cannot see what is at the top which makes things harder.

  Disney Infinity 2.0 Play Without Limits

  

  Disney Infinity 2.0 introduces Marvel characters on top of Disney characters that you can play with.

  Characters come in form of play sets that introduce worlds and adventures in the game, and the new Toy Box 2.0 brings them all together so that you can mix characters and worlds to create your own adventures.

  The game is free but you are limited to three characters. Additional characters need to be purchased to introduce them in the game.

  Note that you need an account before you can play the game.

  
• 

  Cloud Expo 2015: How the '3rd Platform' is set to disrupt industry

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 2:42pm CET par Barclay Ballard

  

  The rise of the "3rd platform" is set to cause huge disruption across a wide variety of industry sectors, according to the opening talk at the second day of this year’s Cloud Expo event in London.

  Bernard Golden vice president of strategy at ActiveState Software, claimed that the growth of the 3rd platform is another example that the "pace of change is accelerating remorselessly".

  The 3rd platform is driven by the cloud and promises anytime and anywhere access to applications. It is also viewed as a confluence of social activity, mobility, cloud computing and big data. According to IDC, by 2018 a third of market share leaders in most industries will be "significantly disrupted" by competitors using the 3rd platform.

  Golden cited Uber as an example of a relatively new business that has completely unsettled the traditional practices of its industry. For example, in San Francisco (one of Uber’s hotbeds of popularity) taxi trips have fallen by 65 percent over the last 15 months, and yet Uber’s revenue has grown to three times that of the taxi industry.

  During his talk, Golden indicated that once companies were aware of the 3rd platform and the impact that it will certainly have, they then need to know how to embrace it themselves. Primarily, he highlighted three steps that businesses must follow in order to prepare themselves for the oncoming wave of technological change.

  Firstly, they must improve their agility, bringing apps to market quicker, experimenting more and enabling IoT support. They must also embrace technological innovation, including polyglot programming. Finally, infrastructure choice is critical, with a lightweight, hybrid cloud offering the most flexible solution.

  Golden emphasized that businesses cannot afford to stand still when considering the growth of the 3rd platform. He pointed to BlackBerry as an organization that struggled to keep pace with new technologies -- 10 years ago they dominated the smartphone market, but now are simply an "afterthought".

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

  
• 

  How about a Nokia Lumia 635 Windows Phone for just $29.99?

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 1:37pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

  

  If you want to get your hands on a new Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone without spending too much money or signing up for a two-year contract then Amazon might have just the thing for you.

  Amazon is now offering Nokia Lumia 635, which is basically a low-end Windows Phone, as its Gold Box Deal of the Day, for just $29.99, which is $70 less than the usual $99.99 asking price.

  We are not talking about the unbranded version of Lumia 635 here, as Amazon's is offering Lumia 635 at this price only in AT&T, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile trims. Still, the Windows Phone 8.1 handset is sold off-contract.

  There's not much flexibility in regards to color options, which is to be expected given the low asking price. You can have it in black with AT&T, blue with Boost Mobile and white with Virgin Mobile, and that's it.

  You should know that this deal is only good until 11:59 pm, today (that would be March 13), so you'll have to hurry up if you want to get your hands on a dirt-cheap Windows Phone 8.1 handset.

  Lumia 635 was unveiled in early-April 2014 by Nokia, alongside Lumia 630 and Lumia 930. Its highlights include: 4.5-inch IPS display, glove-friendly, with a resolution of 480 by 854; 1.4 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor; 512 MB of RAM; 1,830 mAh battery; 8 GB of internal storage; microSD card slot (can house cards up to 128 GB in size); 5 MP back-facing camera with 720p video recording (there is no front-facing camera, however); Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; GPS; Bluetooth 4.0 and USB 2.0. Physical dimensions are 129.5 x 66.7 x 9.2 mm and weight is 134 grams.

  
• 

  Microsoft's personal assistant Cortana headed to iOS and Android

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 1:13pm CET par Wayne Williams

  

  Microsoft regularly pits its personal assistant Cortana against Apple’s Siri in a series of adverts, with predictable results. Cortana is always much smarter, funnier and more helpful. She’s certainly one of the high points of Windows Phone, and is set to make her debut on the desktop when she arrives as part of Windows 10 later this year.

  However, it seems Cortana isn’t just going to be confined to working on Windows devices. According to Reuters, Microsoft is also working on bringing the personal assistant to iOS and Android in the form of a standalone app.

  "This kind of technology, which can read and understand email, will play a central role in the next roll out of Cortana, which we are working on now for the fall time frame", Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research and a part of the artificial intelligence Einstein project said in an interview.

  Although he didn’t confirm plans to make Cortana more widely available (Reuters cites "people familiar with the project") it would certainly be an interesting move, and consistent with Microsoft pushing its software and services on rival platforms, often ahead of its own.

  But is making Cortana available on other platforms going to significantly weaken Windows Phone’s appeal? She’s certainly one of the major selling points at the moment.

  What do you think of the news?

  
• 

  Network monitoring: A Day in the Life of an IT Pro

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 12:40pm CET par Kent Row

  

  Sometimes I feel a bit sorry for the network administrator.

  End users who don’t really know much about technology always lay their problems at their door first -- "I can’t access my emails, is the network down?", "My Word document is typing really slowly, is the network down?" "I’ve forgotten my password, is the network down?"

  It can get a bit tiring -- but you can’t really blame your average office worker. I wouldn’t like to admit it, but perhaps on an overly busy day I’ve batted tickets into the network admin’s court which I know probably aren’t their fault.

  Perhaps that is why Jane, our very own guardian of the network, has invested so much time in developing an all-singing, all-dancing, fault-proof monitoring empire.

  As I am sure you can imagine, Jane, is very proud of her Network Operations Center (NOC) and has huge dashboards filled with metrics of every type -- network, firewall, traffic, applications, storage -- you name it.

  Jane is very good at giving us heads-up before things nearly turn into a disaster, and we do appreciate it. Even if she is a bit of a know-it-all, (and if her monitoring empire has made it harder for us to bat an unwanted IT ticket into her court).

  Conveniently, we have our own log-ins to her monitoring application and use it to manage our local networks.

  Given that she is usually so on the ball, it was strange when one day, I noticed a few gaps in her normally smooth charts. "Iceberg!" I yelled. I took my feet off the desk and rang the office bell. This immediately sent us into a panic and we double-checked our systems, but everything was running just fine. We asked her if perhaps her monitoring server was broken -- which wasn’t received too well.

  Feeling a little suspicious, I used my own log-ins to browse the application monitors to have a closer look at what was being monitored. Interestingly, I noticed that server MSTRCTL was not being monitored. I raised a help desk ticket, requesting to add a monitor for her server. A few minutes later, said ticket was closed and at around the same time, the monitoring dropouts stopped. The notes on the tickets read: "virus removed from server".

  There are a couple of lessons to be learnt here.

  Firstly, there is always an argument for increased integration, so that network admins can share insights into tools and processes with the wider IT team, instead of operating in vacuumed silos.

  Secondly, this incident was a great reminder that all systems, especially the heart of your monitoring empire, should be included under its watchful eye.

  It was also good to know that Jane, like the rest of us, makes mistakes too.

  Kent Row is a seasoned evangelist for IT admins at SolarWinds. He is at the forefront of a technological age of hosting, firewalling, trolling, tweeting, blocking and CTRL-ALT-DELETING.

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

  
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  The keys to a successful BYOD policy

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 12:32pm CET par Ian Barker

  

  The BYOD trend is something that often creeps up on companies as employees take the initiative in using their own kit. That can leave businesses with a BYOD environment but no proper policy.

  There are many potential benefits to BYOD in terms of employee efficiency and morale, but that's of limited use if it puts the safety of commercial data at risk.

  Webmasters' blog StudyWeb has created an infographic guide to creating an effective BYOD policy. Whilst it acknowledges its popularity, with 74 percent of IT leaders saying that using personal devices can improve employee productivity, it also points out concerns about underground use, lack of oversight and security issues.

  It then goes on to examine the keys to a successful BYOD policy including listing approved and unapproved devices, requiring complex passwords, being clear on service policy, being clear on which apps can be used, and having an effective employee exit strategy.

  You can see the full infographic below.

   

  

  
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  Microsoft EMET blocks 'VBScript God Mode'

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 12:29pm CET par Mike Williams

  

  Microsoft has updated its exploit blocker Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) to version 5.2 with some welcome tweaks and enhancements.

  The Attack Surface Reduction mitigation has been extended to stop processes running malicious scripts via IE’s script engine. That’s good news as it’s a particularly powerful hack, and the basic "VBScript God Mode" idea has been around for quite some time.

  EMET now fully supports alerting and reporting (Event logs, system tray icon) from Modern Internet Explorer, and desktop IE with Enhanced Protected Mode enabled. We’re surprised it’s taken so long, but the delay has only been in reporting: the core protection technologies have always worked just fine.

  The latest EMET also employs a brand new protection technique called Control Flow Guard (CFG), which detects and blocks attempts to hijack its code.

  CFG is only useful when running on a "CFG-Aware" version of Windows -- which, right now, means Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 Technical Preview -- but the program will still run correctly on Windows 7 or later.

  Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit 5.2 is available for download now.

  
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  Google Apps leaks Whois data for over 280,000 protected domains

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 11:44am CET par Ian Barker

  

  Private information relating to more than 280,000 domains registered via Google Apps has leaked, leaving the registrants open to risk of identity theft or spear phishing.

  The ability to buy domain names from one of Google's partners is a feature offered by Google Apps to allow easier access to and management of services.

  A problem has existed since 2013 that has been slowly revealing the hidden registration information for domains that had opted into Whois privacy protection as they were renewed. Full names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for each domain have been leaked in the form of Whois records.

  There around 305,925 domains registered via Google's partnership with eNom. Of these 282,867 domains, around 94 percent seem to have been affected. Google says that new domains that haven’t yet faced a request for renewal are not affected and of course some registrants choose not to hide their details anyway.

  The leak was uncovered by security research group Cisco Talos which immediately notified the Google security team. Within days the privacy settings were restored to the affected domains. Google issued a notice to affected customers yesterday once it was sure the problem had been resolved. However, the information has been available for a long time, so anyone with a cached copy of Whois information will still be able to access it.

  There's an interesting side effect to all of this as some of the leaked data relates to domains associated with malicious activity. For example, the domain "federalbureauinvestigations.com" which has an extremely poor web reputation score and might lead to some embarrassing questions for the people who registered it.

  Cisco Talos concludes its blog post on the issue, "Organizations that handle any sensitive information must ensure that the appropriate systems are safeguarded and that the processes handle failure gracefully. In this instance, a simple check on domains changing state from being privacy protected to not being privacy protected could have identified the problem as it started to occur".

  Image Credit: Angela Waye / Shutterstock

  
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  Apple's App Store outage cost $25 million in lost revenue

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 11:02am CET par David Curry

  

  Apple’s App Store went down for over 11 hours on Wednesday, alongside iTunes, iBooks, iCloud and even its Mac App Store.

  It is the single largest outage Apple has faced, and happened due to an internal issue with its DNS [domain name system].

  The economic aspect of this outage has been valued at $25 million in lost revenue. For Apple, this is a few coins dropping out of a $178 billion wallet, but for app developers and musicians, this could mean a big loss in revenue.

  "We apologize to our customers experiencing problems with iTunes and other services," Apple said in a statement. "The cause was an internal DNS error at Apple. We’re working to make all of the services available to customers as soon as possible, and we thank everyone for their patience".

  DNS is the system that links IP addresses to domain names like apple.com. It is not clear why Apple had the internal issue, perhaps moving an IP address on one of its major servers lead to the crash.

  Apple iOS App Store is the bread-and-butter of its service revenue, with iTunes continuing to dwindle down in sales from a peak in 2009. When it goes down for 11 hours it is extremely bad for developers that only work on iOS or mobile.

  Thankfully, this is not a regular occurrence like PlayStation Network or EA Servers being down, meaning the likelihood of this happening again is extremely low (touch wood).

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

  
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  'Anonymous' targets Kanye West

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 9:59am CET par Wayne Williams

  

  Anonymous is a very loose collective of hackers. In the video setting the record straight on #OpISIS, it is described as a family that is as "divided and fractional as any more traditional, not so Anonymous family in any city, town, or isolated rural village in the world".

  Almost anyone can claim to be in Anonymous, and launch their own attacks or operations, and proving the point, someone claiming to be from the hacktivist collective has released a video targeting Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian.

  Whether it’s actually Anonymous behind the video is a matter for debate -- although the person who uploaded it has also posted numerous other Anonymous videos, including messages to the Madison Police Department and Israel -- but the new "Message to Kanye West" certainly takes no prisoners.

  It describes the rapper as a "spoiled child in a grown man’s body" and criticizes him for not knowing "when it is appropriate to blurt out your opinions", and for always having to "steal the moment from others who work equally as hard for their recognition". "You assume and even expect everyone else to be aligned with your personal opinions," the video states.

  The message also lays into Kim Kardashian, focusing on her recent "Break the Internet" nude photos in Paper magazine.

  Perhaps disappointingly the video isn’t threating to take Kanye West and his family off the internet, as you might expect from Anonymous, but is rather just a message to the rapper.

  The video ends stating, "Anonymous is sounding off the 'New Renaissance' era this year for humanity and if you don't shape up then your legacy will not be included. Poor examples such as yourself will not be tolerated anymore in the new age".

  What other "poor examples" of humanity should Anonymous be targeting?

  Photo credit: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock

  
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  The 80's called and they have a smartwatch for you

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 6:02am CET par Alan Buckingham

  

  For those who grew up in the 80's there are many things that stand out, and some we wish we could forget. There were Polo shirts worn with the collars up, Members Only jackets and the dreaded parachute pants -- leg warmers as well if you are female. But one thing from that era has endured -- Swatch. The company never went away, it just lost favor among the "in" crowd. But that piece of hardware on your wrist back then meant everything.

  Call it retro or nostalgia, but the company is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. So much so that, apparently, the watch maker feels emboldened to jump into the smartwatch market. Swatch has a unique take on things -- a mechanical version of this latest craze.

  Before you get too excited, the company isn't out to compete with the likes of Apple Watch and Android Wear, but instead will offer its own unique take on this budding industry. What the company has in mind appears to be a mechanical watch, but according to the BBC it will contain both NFC and Bluetooth.

  Swatch claims it has already made arrangements for payment systems, citing China UnionPay, though Visa could also be on board.

  It's all very interesting and certainly seems destined for the market, though time and pricing remain unknown. It's hard to say how many it will sell, but the brand still has market pull, despite the name having seemingly disappeared with Dexy's Midnight Runners.

  Image Credit: Zemler / Shutterstock

  
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  Microsoft update KB3033929 possibly causing problems for Windows 7 users

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 4:01am CET par Alan Buckingham

  

  Over the years Microsoft has managed to break computers with updates, though not intentionally of course. However, it's generally wise to wait just a bit after Patch Tuesday and keep an eye out for reports of any problems that other customers are experiencing. It's generally safe, but you can never be too cautious.

  Now those who have stayed behind, clinging to Windows 7, seem to be on the receiving end of just such an incident. If users of the TechNet forums are to be believed, and there's no reason to suspect otherwise, then KB3033929 could wreak a bit of havoc with Windows 7 systems.

  The message boards have lit up with pleas to the company -- "Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB3033929). Installation date: ‎3/‎11/‎2015 8:57 AM. Installation status: Failed. Error details: Code 80004005. Update type: Important. A security update. . . I can't find any info on this error. Tried the update twice and both times it failed".

  Others chimed in stating similar issues, and other tech help forums have followed suit. "Failed for me too on a Dell Optiplex 790 with Windows 7 Pro SP1 64-bit", and the like. Various fixes have been suggested, but were met with responses like "I tried to manually install with the link of Carey Frisch, it didn't work. I'm always stuck on 72 percent".

  This seems to be only causing problems for 64 bit users, though that's likely a fair amount these days. This appears to be only some users, so it is possibly based on software and configuration. There has been no word from Microsoft as of yet, but we'll update you if something comes along.

  Image Credit: Stokkete / Shutterstock

  
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  Apple releases a public beta of iOS 8.3 -- here's how to get it

  Publié: mars 13, 2015, 3:51am CET par Mark Wilson

  

  With Microsoft we've become used to the idea of publicly available preview builds of Windows 10 for desktop and phone. Now Apple is following suit and making iOS 8.3 available as a public beta. This is the first time a public beta of iOS has been released, although Apple has tried the same tactic with betas of OS X.

  The beta is in the process of rolling out at the moment, so you may not be able to grab yourself the bits just yet, but you can get yourself in line. What is there to look forward to? Not much at the moment, apart from wireless CarPlay and new emoji. Here's how to grab the beta.

  If you haven't done so already, sign up for the Apple Beta Software at the Appleseed website; if you've been testing the previewing builds of OS X, you won't need to do this. It does not matter what device you use to sign up for the program, but you will need to visit it from your iPhone to enrol specifically in the iOS beta program -- if you don’t see the option right away, try again later.

  When you’ve signed up for the iOS beta, you'll be invited to download a certificate. Once this is installed check Software Update and you'll find a copy of iOS 8.3 Beta waiting for you to download.

  Apple hasn’t really made a fuss about this public beta, and it's not clear how frequently updates will be pushed out, or how long the beta program might run for. Just like Microsoft with Windows 10 Technical Preview, Apple is looking for feedback about iOS 8.3. Install the beta and you could help to shape the future of your iPhone's operating system.

  Photo credit: file404 / Shutterstock