Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » mars 17, 2015

BetaNews.Com (22 non lus)

Microsoft Azure moves to the Internet of Things with new suite for businesses

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 11:21pm CET par Alan Buckingham

The Internet of Things (IoT) are three words that can both terrify and fascinate. On the one hand you have the Jetsons-style modern future, but on the other a darker side filled hacks to products in your home. Microsoft's latest move isn't heading into your home, at least yet. Instead it aims to harness the power of Azure to aid the business world in this new frontier.

Microsoft shoots to "better connect people, processes and assets, and better harness data" with this new offering. The company claims it will allow businesses to more easily monitor digital assets, thereby bring a host of benefits along with it.

"The Azure IoT Suite is an integrated offering that takes advantage of all the relevant Azure capabilities to connect devices and other assets" claims Microsft's Lee Stott.

Microsoft is offering a lot here, claiming all sorts of efficiencies, capturing, integrating and analyzing data in order to display it to the relevant parties.

"The offering, while customizable to fit the unique needs of organizations, will also provide finished applications to speed deployment of common scenarios we see across many industries, such as remote monitoring, asset management and predictive maintenance, while providing the ability to grow and scale solutions to millions of things", Stott explains.

Those interested can find out more by visiting the new IoT site. The announcement came from Satya Nadella and was part of Microsoft Convergence 2015, which is taking place in Atlanta.
Google starts vetting Android apps and implements age rating system

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 11:05pm CET par Mark Wilson

For a long time now Google Play has been home to just about any sort of app imaginable. Apps covering every subject under the sun are available, with quality ranging from atrocious to incredible. To help sort the wheat from the chaff, Google has announced two important changes to the way apps appear in the store.

Apps that are submitted to Goole Play are now subject to a review process, and an age rating system is being introduced to help indicate the target audience for apps. Google says this will help to weed out "violations of our developer policies earlier in the app lifecycle".

For Android users, the new review policy should help to reduce the number of instances of malware in Google Play, but there's also good news for developers. Should an app be denied entry to the store, the Google Play Developer Console now includes greater details about the reason for rejection or suspension. Google says that there will continue to be an emphasis on speed, both in terms of getting apps available in the market place, but also identifying issues so that developers can get to work on fixing them.

For app downloaders, the new age rating system will be of particular interest. Introducing the feature, Google explains:

Today we're introducing a new age-based rating system for apps and games on Google Play. We know that people in different countries have different ideas about what content is appropriate for kids, teens and adults, so today's announcement will help developers better label their apps for the right audience. Consistent with industry best practices, this change will give developers an easy way to communicate familiar and locally relevant content ratings to their users and help improve app discovery and engagement by letting people choose content that is right for them.

The rating system is in keeping with a number of existing systems around the world -- including International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Pan-European Game Information (PEGI), Australian Classification Board, Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) and Classificação Indicativa (ClassInd). Developers will need to answer a questionnaire about their apps to gain a rating, and apps that are not rated run the risk of being blocked in some parts of the world.

Photo credit: William Perugini / Shutterstock
If you haven't taken our Apple Watch buying poll...

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 8:29pm CET par Joe Wilcox

There is still time, and we need more responses to get a representative sample of BetaNews readers. The question is easy: Will you buy Apple Watch? Preorders begin April 10 and sales start on April 24. Prices range from $349—please excuse my spitting out coffee—to $17,000.

As I post, the majority of respondents, 46 percent, don't plan to buy any smartwatch. About that finding, I am not the least surprised, given limitations like battery life, smartphone tethering, and functional overlap. Twenty-four percent plan to buy another smartwatch, while 14 percent say no for other reasons. That works out to 84 percent in the No category. The remaining 16 percent is no smaller number, assuming intentions materialize into purchases, particularly considering how costly is Apple Watch.

However, polls like this one—or any other asking about buying intentions, for that matter—foreshadow future trends and nothing more. No buying poll, even with tens of thousands respondents, is remotely reliable. Because the measure isn't what people will do but what they say they want to do. That's why I laugh and shake my head with disgust when seeing splashy headlines making claims like "One in three consumers will buy [insert product of your choice here]". What someone wants and what he or she does often don't match. Otherwise, based on buying polls conducted by outfits like ChangeWave early in the decade, every American would own an iPad pr iPhone.

Still, the polls are fun, reflect attitudes among our readers, and can give reasonably quantifiable sense of interest—or lack of it—in the next, new thing. Besides, many of you enjoy bashing Apple, and poll stories present fresh opportunities to comment.

So, let's look at some responses. "I think of the Apple Watch as an Aston Martin", Chris Averill, CEO of we are experience, says in a BetaNews commentary posted today. Shall we chock that up as one sure sale for the Gold Edition, which price starts at $10,000, then? I can think of more worthy contributions. For 10 grand, Averill can have my autograph on the photo of an Aston Martin that he chooses. For that much money, I can arrange gold-color ink. By the way, as I write, 2 people responding to our poll say they will buy that pricey gold Apple Watch.

"Ugly and useless as it is, I'm sure Apple is going to make a bundle from the 10k watch", GS5 comments to the first poll story. "Since there are many die-hard fanboys that will probably sell their car or mortgage their home to buy one". Now don't discredit him or her for likely being a Samsung Android user.

Responding to the Aston Martin story, ircolby45 opines: Meh—too much flash and not enough battery life. I think smartwatches will get there eventually, but for now they remain lackluster".
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Commenter phreeon adds: "An Aston Martin of wearable tech would assume there is something impressive 'under the hood' of the wearable. Considering the base Sport model specs are no different than the Edition model, lackluster battery life, and limited memory, this Apple Watch is more the equivalent to a Chrysler of wearables, decidedly average". Ouch!

Thing is, you can't buy a new, 2015 Chrysler for $17,000 at the list price. Hehe. The Chrysler 200 MSRP starts at $21,800. But let's suppose a dealer will sell you the car for $17K. Will you choose a new car? Or new Apple Watch?

Apple marketing consistently focuses on the apirational, which makes Nick Thorpe's comment to Wayne Williams' commentary "I should want an Apple Watch—but I don't" mighty relevant to the poll: "The question for me is it going to improve my life? is it going help me? Or is it just a gizmo extension of the iPhone? So far I can't see how it is going [to] make life easier and more productive as the iPhone has".

To answer the one question—"Will you buy Apple Watch?"—consider the other that Thorpe poses: Is it going to improve your life? Will you be happier wearing the smartwatch, and, if so, for what price? Please take the poll, if you haven't, and add your reasons to comments.
What do you want in a mobile operating system?

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 6:55pm CET par Mark Wilson

I'm not going to open the 'which mobile operating system is best' can of worms -- let's get that clear from the offset. This is not me trying to push my preferred operating system on you, or trying to convince you that you're wrong about the OS you've opted for. This time it's over to you. What you do want?

Do you want things handed to you on a plate, or would you prefer to be granted more control over the operating system on your phone and tablet? Is there mobile platform that meets your needs at the moment, or would you like to combine elements from Android, iOS, Windows Phone and even BlackBerry OS? Just what is it that makes the perfect operating system for your phone or tablet?

We are currently presented with what is essentially a three horse race, with each having its own strengths and weaknesses. Whilst anyone buying a handset has clearly indicated their preference, few would claim the OS installed on their phone is perfect. Whether you've opted for iOS, Windows Phone or Android, you will almost certainly have spent time weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of each before placing your chips on the one that had the most positives and fewest negatives according to your requirements.

But even if you are happy with your choice, you probably had to make the odd compromise here and there.

Maybe you opted for the operating system that came installed on the hardware you could afford, maybe you were swayed by brand image. Perhaps your key concern was the ability access the widest range of apps, or perhaps you needed an app that is only available for one particular operating system. If security is what worries you most, this made have caused you to give one operating system a wide berth.

Do you want to be in complete control of your phone? Looked at through the most objective of eyes it's fair to say that some operating systems lend themselves to personalization and customization more than others. But is this at the expense of security or user experience -- and does it matter? Of course, there is not really a perfect operating system -- what works for one person will not be suited to someone else. Microsoft, Google and Apple all -- obviously -- aim to please as many people as possible with the software they put out, but there's a danger that this means trying to please everyone and ending up pleasing no one.

So… over to you. Does your perfect operating system already exist, or are there changes that need to be made to attain perfection? What elements, if any, would you like to borrow from the competition, or do you think there are key features that are missing from all of the main mobile operating systems? Vent your spleen, spill your vitriol, list your desires, and sing praises in the comments -- I'm interested to learn just what everyone is looking for.

Photo credit: max sattana / Shutterstock
Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport to revolutionize security and the Internet

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 6:11pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Typing a password is prehistoric. Sadly, many of us enter multiple passwords every day. Not only is it tedious, but potentially dangerous. Remembering a unique password for every site and computer is almost an impossibility. This leads to people reusing the same password at multiple sites, which is a poor security practice.

I got wise recently and started using Lastpass to generate and secure my various credentials. Fingerprint scanners such as those found on some of the newer iOS and Samsung Galaxy devices enables biometrics to unlock your device, but also interface with password managers like the aforementioned Lastpass, or 1password, Sadly, similar solutions for Windows computers have been bolted-on and are clunky to say the least. Today, Microsoft announces that it is putting a real focus on biometrics with Windows Hello and Passport.

"Windows Hello introduces system support for biometric authentication -- using your face, iris, or fingerprint to unlock your devices -- with technology that is much safer than traditional passwords. You -- uniquely you -- plus your device are the keys to your Windows experience, apps, data and even websites and services -- not a random assortment of letters and numbers that are easily forgotten, hacked, or written down and pinned to a bulletin board. Modern sensors recognize your unique personal characteristics to sign-you-in on a supporting Windows 10 device", says Microsoft.

The manufacturer further explains, "there will be plenty of exciting new Windows 10 devices to choose from which will support Windows Hello. And, if your device already has a fingerprint reader, you'll be able to use Windows Hello to unlock that device. For facial or iris detection, Windows Hello uses a combination of special hardware and software to accurately verify it is you -- not a picture of you or someone trying to impersonate you. The cameras use infrared technology to identify your face or iris and can recognize you in a variety of lighting conditions".

This is a huge convenience for end users, which can potentially make individual machines and networks more secure. While it is frowned upon, many employees are guilty of writing down their login credentials on notepads, or worse -- a post-it note on the monitor. A finger swipe or glare into a webcam may solve this dilemma.

The real magic will be integration with Microsoft Passport. The company explains, "Passport is a code name for a programming system that IT managers, software developers and website authors can use to provide a more secure way of letting you sign-in to their sites or apps. Instead of using a shared or shareable secret like a password, Windows 10 helps to securely authenticate to applications, websites and networks on your behalf -- without sending up a password. Thus, there is no shared password stored on their servers for a hacker to potentially compromise".

Think about this for a moment. A website or app can take advantage of this technology to verify your identity. Instead of giving a password to the website, Windows verifies your identity with biometrics, tells Passport you are the verified user, and then Passport grants you access to the website. There is no need to remember a password at all -- a password doesn't even need to exist!

Even if a hacker steals your machine or device, they cannot unlock it without you being present. Microsoft promises that hackers won't be able to use things like photographs to trick the machine either.

While most existing fingerprint scanners will work, most webcams will not. Microsoft specifically lists Windows Hello compatibility with only one such camera, the Intel RealSense 3D Camera (F200), for facial recognition.

For now, this is only planned for Windows 10, but I am hoping the self-proclaimed devices and services company will bring the solution to other platforms such as iOS, Android and OS X. Hell, maybe they can even show Linux some love.

Are you excited about this new solution? Tell me in the comments.
Document Cloud moves Adobe further down the SaaS track

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 5:34pm CET par Ian Barker

Adobe's latest offering Adobe Document Cloud will, says the company, address the waste and inefficiency associated with document processes.

It's made up of a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and personal document hub. Users will be able to create, review, approve, sign and track documents whether on a desktop or mobile device.

"People and businesses are stuck in document-based processes that are slow, wasteful, and fragmented. While most forms of content have successfully made the move to digital (books, movies, music), documents and the process of working with them have not, and that needs to change," says Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Technology and Corporate Development at Adobe. "Adobe Document Cloud will revolutionize and simplify how people get work done with critical documents".

Document Cloud uses Acrobat DC, with a touch-enabled user interface, which will be available both via a subscription model subscription and as a one-time purchase. Its Tool Center offers simplified and quick access to the tools you use most. Also, Acrobat DC uses Photoshop imaging magic to convert any paper document into a digital, editable file that can be sent for signature.

The subscription includes eSign Services that allows users to electronically send and sign any document from any device. There's also a Mobile Link feature to allow access to documents on the move and a Send & Track feature that allows documents to be shared whilst still protecting sensitive information.

None of these features is particularly innovative in itself, but Document Cloud is significant since it joins Adobe's Creative Cloud and Marketing Cloud in a move towards shifting the business to an SaaS model.

The Adobe website has a video preview of Document Cloud in action or you can read more about it on the company's blog.

Image Credit: Adobe
Apple Watch is the Aston Martin of wearables

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 5:05pm CET par Chris Averill

I guarantee the Apple Watch will shake up the wearable market and, as with many of Apple's other launches, cause a change in customer behavior because the product experience, the interface and the build quality will be beautiful. Apple Watch will become the standard that all others are measured by.

Is a digital watch the innovation the mass market is looking for? I doubt it, but if Apple crack the display of information on a tiny screen and the input needed to drive it, then it takes us one step closer to world and human-computer interaction that is interface free and therefore, frictionless.

It’s surprising to see three models and such a variety of straps, Apple does not usually go in for range, the only personalization to an iPhone is picking a different color.

Developing the iPhone 5c allowed Apple customers to be more individual, and building on Henry Ford’s world where you could have any color as long as it was black, Apple knows customers want to be collectively individual.

The range of watches does hit the three core markets: sport, fashion and luxury. Does $10,000 represent good value? Of course not, but the branding will command those prices.

Can Apple push its watch in the Patek Philippe and Rolex market? Yes. But it will never replace those luxury brands; the Apple Watch is a technical marvel but it isn’t a classic timepiece.
Apple is already a premium brand, its phones, laptops and tablets are significantly more expensive than technologically superior rivals, yet Apple still commands the biggest premium.
I think of the Apple Watch as an Aston Martin -- its sports watch is a DB9 and the Watch Edition is an Aston Martin One. A super premium product in a premium range.

Me, I’ll be buying one the day it comes out to add to my collection, but I can guarantee I will only be wearing it as much as any other luxury watch.

Chris Averill is CEO of we are experience.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
BlackBerry, Samsung and IBM join forces to create a secure tablet

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 4:58pm CET par David Curry

BlackBerry, IBM and Samsung have all partnered to create a new enterprise tablet, named the Secutablet, in cooperation with BlackBerry’s subsidiary Secusmart.

The tablet is focused on the business sector, taking the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and fitting a ton of new software inside to make it accessible for business and government bodies.

Secusmart’s encryption allows all phone calls, text messages and other activities to be private from any surveillance technology implanted on the device, or stolen through the airwaves.

IBM is adding its own software partition on the Secutablet, meaning if the user downloads a malicious app from the Google Play store, it will not affect apps inside the secure part of the device.

This secure partition can also not be looked at by apps like Facebook, Twitter and other services seeking new information for advertising purposes. This should make the Secutablet an excellent option for CYOD (choose-your-own-device) work programs.

It is not the first time BlackBerry has partnered with Samsung on a project. The two companies worked on Samsung’s KNOX security platform last year and Samsung pre-loaded BlackBerry Messenger on all Galaxy devices in Africa.

There were reports Samsung was eying up a potential acquisition of BlackBerry, but the two companies did not manage to strike a deal. This new partnership shows BlackBerry lack of interest in building a new PlayBook tablet, instead borrowing Samsung’s device.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Condusiv optimizes performance for network storage

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 4:53pm CET par Ian Barker

If you've been around the PC world for a while you’ll no doubt have encountered Diskeeper, the unattended defrag tool. With modern server storage using RAID controllers and SSDs you may think that the need for this kind of software is over, but Condusiv, the company behind Diskeeper, believes otherwise.

It's launching Diskeeper 15 Server, a fragmentation prevention solution for storage area network (SAN) systems connected to physical servers to keep both servers and storage running like new.

While modern RAID controllers do a good job of managing data at the physical disk layer, which helps in the fight against file fragmentation, it does nothing about fragmentation at the logical software layer that Windows sees. This is the primary reason why SAN storage performance degrades over time.

"Even with over 45 million Diskeeper licenses sold, Condusiv is not sitting still in regard to addressing performance-robbing fragmentation wherever it appears in the data center. Performance-robbing file fragmentation affects SAN storage equally as much as it affects server local storage or Direct-Attached Storage. As much as Condusiv offers a robust software solution to accelerate virtual environments, the fact remains that some of the most mission-critical applications still run on physical servers. That’s not a small number considering there are over five million physical servers in production across North America and EMEA," says Brian Morin, SVP, Global Marketing at Condusiv Technologies.

Diskeeper 15 Server's real-time fragmentation prevention software operates at the physical server layer where input/output operations originate. By preventing files from being fractured and broken apart into pieces before being written to disk or SSD in a non-sequential manner, fragmentation is eliminated before it becomes an issue. That means a SAN storage system never needs to be taken offline for defragmentation maintenance. Significantly it also reduces the amount of I/O needed to access the file as it doesn't have to be fetched in sections and reassembled.

Morin likens the effect to managing rush hour traffic, "It's like ensuring that every car has the maximum number of occupants so you use fewer vehicles to move the same number of people. With Diskeeper 15 Server you need fewer I/O cycles to access a file".

You can find more information about Diskeeper Server on the Condusiv website.

Photo Credit: klRr / Shutterstock
Track your PC activities with ManicTime

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 3:37pm CET par Mike Williams

ManicTime is a free activity tracker which can monitor exactly what you’re doing on a PC, then give you a detailed breakdown of which apps you were running, when, and for how long.

The program is aimed at business users who need to bill others for their time, but it can have other benefits. If you’re easily distracted, say, then seeing exactly how much time you’re spending on desktop games could be an important reality check.

Whatever your reasons for using ManicTime, it’s very easy to get started. There’s no complicated setup involved, just launch the program, get on with your work, and ManicTime runs in the background, tracking what you’re doing.

Switch back to the program window at any time and a color-coded timeline shows you when your computer was being used, which applications you were running, the websites visited and the documents you were working on. The raw data is also available in a table ("you used Notepad from 10:12:15 to 10:16:23"), while a summary details the length of your work session and the total amount of time you spend in each application.

If you need to stop work for a while, clicking the green circle in the bottom left of the window sends you "off the record". Whatever you do next won’t be included in the ManicTime totals.

Go back on the record, repeating all this as necessary until the job is done. You’re then able to filter your history by keyword -- a document, a website name -- helping group common tasks together. A Statistics tab provides more ways of presenting your activities (Top Documents, Top Applications, more), and any of these may be exported as a PNG image or CSV data.

This isn’t full-featured time tracking by any means, but if you’d just like to know how much time you spent in Word and Excel today, ManicTime will do the job very well.

And if you need more, a $67 Professional version adds server support (record what’s happening on multiple machines), more detailed reports, a history search function, and a "stealth" option which means you could use the program to monitor others without their knowledge.
Google Maps discovers the Brazilian islands

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 3:28pm CET par Alan Buckingham

The Google Maps team is at it again, trekking the world to bring images to its users, going around cities, down trails and into the oceans. This time the target is the islands of Brazil, which are seldom seen, even by tourists. These are the dots of land known as Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas, which lay just off the coast. According to Wikipedia, they are "an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, 354 km (220 mi) offshore from the Brazilian coast".

This is more than just beautiful tropical island landscapes, the Google crew also went beneath the waves for more images. You'll get to see the dolphins swim and even a grab a rare glimpse of sea turtles in their natural environment.

"This Street View journey not only takes you across golden beaches and around towering cliffs, but also deep into the ocean for Brazil’s first underwater Street View collection" according to Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager for Google.

Both areas are stunning in their tropical beauty and are seldom seen by tourists to the area, but more importantly "Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas are also sanctuaries for animals and marine wildlife precious to the regions, including dolphins, turtles, and a variety of fish". That's becoming increasingly important in today's age of extinctions. So kick back and enjoy your tour.
LiquidPlanner uses visualization to make project data more accessible

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 2:41pm CET par Ian Barker

Project plans can house a huge amount of data, but turning that into useful information which can help with business decision making can be difficult and time consuming.

Online project management specialist LiquidPlanner is introducing a new Dashboards feature designed to help teams easily curate and share project data with internal and external stakeholders.

"People are overwhelmed by too much information and bogged down by too many meetings. We created Dashboards to make sharing key project data with your stakeholders more efficient than ever before," says Liz Pearce, CEO of LiquidPlanner. "Dashboards are both easy to use and powerful, so all of your communication needs -- from team coordination to executive sponsor updates -- can be managed in one place and updated dynamically".

Members of LiquidPlanner workspaces can create customized Dashboards to communicate and share ideas, project data, status, or anything else related to a project, ensuring that the right information can always be made available to the right people.

Dashboards are made up of customizable widgets which are dynamically linked to the project data that already exists in a workspace. Widgets can include many dimensions of a project workspace such as data tables, charts, notes, documents and images, they can be easily organized simply by dragging and dropping a particular widget into a new space.

They can be used in a number of ways such as tracking key performance indicators, as a visual way for a creative team to share design concepts, or as a means for a professional services firm to update project status of with a client.

You can find more information about Dashboards and sign up for a free trial on the LiquidPlanner website.

Photo Credit: suphakit73/Shutterstock
30 years of dotcom -- what became of the first 100 domains?

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 2:23pm CET par Wayne Williams

Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the first ever 'dotcom' domain being registered. Symbolics.com (originally a homepage for computer programmers) was the first ever dotcom, followed a month later by Bbn.com (an American high-technology company) and then another month later by Think.com (a supercomputer manufacturer).

There aren’t many big tech names in the top ten (with the exception of Xerox and HP at 7 and 9 respectively) and despite its reputation as being an innovator, Apple didn’t register a domain until February 1997, making it the 64th oldest dotcom. There are now approximately 275,000,000 dotcom domains in existence.

To celebrate the anniversary, MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has looked back over the first 100 registered domains to see where they are now and produced an infographic covering its findings.

Tech and computing companies make up 65 percent of the first 100 dot com domains ever registered. Firms in the manufacturing industry account for 15 percent of the first 100, ahead of the IT sector with 8 percent.

But where are they now? 52 percent of the first 100 domains are still active and serve the same companies. 24 percent, including think.com, are just dead links. The final 24 percent are still active but redirect elsewhere.

This is the top ten in focus:

NUMBER: 1

URL: Symbolics.com

DATE: 15th March 1985

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: The now defunct Symbolics Inc was one of the first computer program writers and created several systems that remain in use today. Managerial issues brought the company to its knees in mid-80s and the domain was eventually sold.

DESCRIPTION NOW: Belongs to a small group of investors from Dallas, Texas who have great enthusiasm for domains. The website now serves as resource for interesting facts about the history of the Internet.

LINK ACTIVE: Link is active, but doesn't serve the same purpose it did when created.

NUMBER: 2

URL: Bbn.com

DATE: 24th April 1985

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: BBN Technologies is an American high-technology company which provides research and development services. It is a military contractor, primarily for DARPA, and also known for its 1978 acoustical analysis for the House Select Committee on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

DESCRIPTION NOW: BBN became a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon in 2009.

LINK ACTIVE: Link is active, but directs to Raytheon's website.

NUMBER: 3

URL: Think.com

DATE: 24th May 1985

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: Thinking Machines Corporation was a supercomputer manufacturer founded in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1983 by W. Daniel "Danny" Hillis and Sheryl Handler to turn Hillis's doctoral work at MIT on massively parallel computing architectures into a commercial product known as the Connection Machine.

DESCRIPTION NOW: The company filed for bankruptcy in 1994; its hardware and parallel computing software divisions were eventually acquired by Sun Microsystems.

LINK ACTIVE: Link is not active.

NUMBER: 4

URL: Mcc.com

DATE: 11th July 1985

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (Microelectronics and Computer Consortium - MCC) was the first, and -- at one time -- one of the largest, computer industry research and development consortia in the United States. In June, 2000 the MCC Board of Directors voted to dissolve the consortium, and the few remaining employees held a wake at Scholz's Beer Garden in Austin on October 25. Formal dissolution papers were reportedly not filed until 2004.

DESCRIPTION NOW: N/A

LINK ACTIVE: Active, but automatically takes you to a website with an unidentifiable purpose.

NUMBER: 5

URL: Dec.com

DATE: 30th September 1985

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: Digital Equipment Corporation, also known as DEC and using the trademark Digital, was a major American company in the computer industry from the 1960s to the 1990s. It was a leading vendor of computer systems, including computers, software, and peripherals, and its PDP and successor VAX products were the most successful of all minicomputers in terms of sales.

DESCRIPTION NOW: The domain is owned by Paul Kocher, who is a cryptography scientist.

LINK ACTIVE: Active, but automatically takes you to a new domain name..

NUMBER: 6

URL: Northrop.com

DATE: 7th November 1985

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: Northrop Corporation was a leading United States aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman in 1994. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, most successfully the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

DESCRIPTION NOW: N/A

LINK ACTIVE: Link is not active.

NUMBER: 7

URL: Xerox.com

DATE: 9th January 1986

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produces and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photocopiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies.

DESCRIPTION NOW: Remains the same.

LINK ACTIVE: Link is active.

NUMBER: 8

URL: Sri.com

DATE: 17th January 1986

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: SRI International, founded as Stanford Research Institute, is an American nonprofit research institute headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

DESCRIPTION NOW: Remains the same.

LINK ACTIVE: Link is active.

NUMBER: 9

URL: HP.com

DATE: 3rd March 1986

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States. It provides hardware, software and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health and education sectors.

DESCRIPTION NOW: Remains the same.

LINK ACTIVE: Link is active.

NUMBER: 10

URL: Bellcore.com

DATE: 5th March 1986

DESCRIPTION WHEN FIRST REGISTERED: The company was created on October 20, 1983, as Central Services Organization, Inc. as part of the 1982 Modification of Final Judgment that broke up the Bell System. It later received the name Bell Communications Research, Inc. Bellcore was a consortium established by the Regional Bell Operating Companies upon their separation from AT&T.

DESCRIPTION NOW: N/A

LINK ACTIVE: Link is not active.

You can view the full infographic below.

Photo Credit: Dragance137/Shutterstock
Root already available for Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 2:21pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Rooting is still a controversial topic among Android enthusiasts. Bring it up and be prepared to hear countless arguments for and against it. I don't fully support either side; I admit to having conflicting thoughts about it. On one hand, root opens up a world of possibilities, but, on the other hand, it's not often that one needs to take advantage of the cool things it enables.

However, we can all agree that what's most important is having the option to choose. And if you plan on getting a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge on launch day, then you should know that rooting its Android distribution will be possible right from the start.

Root for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is made possible by the CF-Auto-Root tool, developed by renowned Android modder and developer Chainfire. It has been tested on an actual device, so it is verified to work in real-world conditions.

I should point out that we are not talking about a rooting tool that covers all possible Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge versions, but rather one that supports versions of the two smartphones which feature an unlockable bootloader. That mainly includes the unlocked versions of Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge (not carrier-specific versions) -- or, at least in theory, as the tool is even more focused at the moment.

The first -- and only -- recipients in the family to receive rooting capabilities are the T-Mobile branded Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, which feature the model number SM-G920T and SM-G925T, respectively (software build number LRX22G.G920TUVU1AOC9 and LRX22G.G925TUVU1AOC3, respectively). Others will surely follow, as Chainfire gets his hands on the files he needs to assess root potential.

As always, there is a risk one has to assume before rooting Android. In this case, Chainfire points out that it is possible for root to be flagged by KNOX (Samsung's BYOD-friendly, security-focused software included with its Android distributions) and, as such, mobile payments -- specifically, Samsung Pay -- to be taken out of the equation.

My advice is to steer clear of root for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, until you get the full picture. That will only happen post-launch, which will happen shortly.
Half of users believe using the internet means giving up privacy

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 11:30am CET par Ian Barker

More than half of internet users in the US, UK and Germany believe it's impossible to keep their personal information private if they're to enjoy the Internet.

This is one of the findings of research by Open-Xchange, the German open source software company. The Consumer Openness Index surveyed 1,000 internet users in each of the three countries to gauge their opinions about online privacy.

Although they doubt their ability to remain private, 50 percent of respondents say that if they had a tool which could alert them when a website was sharing their personal data they would stop using the site immediately. Another 36 percent said they would revisit how or where their data is stored and make changes to it. Only 6 percent would simply continue using the website or service as normal.

The survey's respondents are also open to the idea of encryption for emails and online chats with 72 percent saying they could be convinced to use it. The top factors that would persuade users to adopt encryption are ease of use (54 percent saying they would use it if it involved just clicking a button). 47 percent would use it if it came standard with their applications, and 47 percent would use it if they had a better understanding of the technology.

"In today's age of famous whistle-blowers and nearly constant data leaks, most users know that their online privacy is severely compromised," says Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange. "However, we are seeing an acceleration of individuals who are open to new technologies and are demanding help to monitor their privacy and online communications. In order for such encryption technologies to become mainstream, however, they must be easy to use and straight forward to understand -- as these are currently the largest obstacles to adoption".

The results also show differences in attitude between regions. Germans are warier about making financial transactions online, with nearly a quarter (23 percent) saying they make no financial transactions online at all, compared with 16 percent in the US and just 6 percent in the UK. Similarly, the recent controversies surrounding Facebook's privacy policies and terms and conditions have resonated more with German users, 23 percent of whom have deactivated their Facebook accounts, compared to 18 percent in the UK and 14 percent in the US.

Regardless of where they live all respondents are frustrated by complex terms and conditions. More than 72 percent say that T&Cs are too long and complicated to read before agreeing to them. However, 80 percent would read terms of service in full if they were shorter, 64 percent if they highlighted the main points and 49 percent if they used language that was easier to understand.

"There are no quick and easy solutions to today’s Internet quandaries, where giant Data States hold our information captive with undecipherable terms and conditions," Laguna concludes. "But by listening to users, and keeping a finger on the pulse of 'openness' that's out there currently, makes it ten times easier for those of us in the Internet industry to continue to drive the changes that matter now, and that repairs the trust-gap being more and more experienced across the Internet's broken state".

Image Credit: iQoncept/Shutterstock
PeaZip gets a novice-friendly spinoff: PeaExtractor

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 10:58am CET par Mike Williams

PeaZip Software has announced the release of PeaExtractor, a PeaZip spinoff which can extract the contents from 150+ archive types: 7Z, ACE, BZ2, CAB, GZ, ISO, RAR, TAR, ZIP and more.

The program can’t create archives, it’s strictly about extraction only, keeping the entire process as quick and beginner-friendly as possible.

This could be as simple as dragging and dropping your file onto the PeaExtractor window, and clicking OK. By default the contents of your archive will be extracted to the same folder.

That’s not quite the end of the story. The PeaExtractor dialog provides further options to specify a password or keyfile, extract the files to a new folder, or define what happens if some of the files already exist (you can ignore, rename or overwrite them).

The program also supports a simple context menu. Right-click an archive and you can extract it to the current folder, or another of your choice.

There’s nothing here for experienced users, but PeaExtractor’s simple interface makes it ideal for novices, the extraction engine is a good one, and there’s no adware to get in your way.
Be a cloud storage tycoon with Google Nearline

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 10:00am CET par Robert X. Cringely

If you have an entrepreneurial bent it’s hard not to see an opportunity to start the next big cloud storage company in last week’s Nearline Storage announcement by Google. I saw it immediately. So did Google make a big pricing mistake? Probably not.

Nearline storage usually means files stored on tapes in automated libraries. You ask for the file and a robot arm loads the tape giving you access to your data in a couple minutes. Google’s version of nearline storage is way faster, promising file access in three seconds or less. It doesn't say how it works but it makes sense to imagine the data is stored on disks that are powered-down to save energy. When you ask for the file they spin-up the disk and give it to you.

Google Nearline costs 40 percent (not the four percent my ancient eyes originally saw) of the online storage price.

The chance here for storage price arbitrage screams out (or did, I guess, so kick me). Start your own cloud storage business for large files (video is perfect) based on Goggle Nearline. Keep a giant File Allocation Table (FAT) of nearline files in RAM on your web storage server. This is exactly how Novell revolutionized the LAN file server business in the 1980s with its Indexed Turbo FAT speeding file access by 1000X. Hold the most recently viewed files on a RAID array that also includes the first few megabytes (three seconds worth) of all other customer files. That way when the file request comes in the location’s already in RAM and the first few seconds can be delivered from RAID then the nearline data kicks in smoothly.

The result would be a cloud storage system for large files that’s as fast as any other -- as fast as Google -- for maybe 10 percent the cost per bit. I’d bet that’s exactly how Google manages YouTube files.

With such an obvious opportunity to build a business at their expense, why didn’t Google price Nearline higher? Maybe it has patents to cover some of this and thinks it can keep competitors like me at bay. But more likely it just wants Nearline to succeed and making it darned cheap should do that. In fact this could in the long run be the death of tape storage.

However a very smart friend of mine sees the market differently. He thinks cloud storage price competition is going away and the price per bit at every cloud storage vendor will shortly be the same -- zero. They’ll give sway the storage space and make money instead on the extras -- security, encryption, redundancy, geographic distribution, and integration with many operating and file systems.

Having given it some thought I agree. I’d go even further to suggest that some consumer cloud storage companies don’t care about the money at all. Their game is to be acquired so what really matters is the size of their user base and the best price for getting lots of users is free.

These business lessons were learned 20-30 years ago in the storage locker business. I have some of my meager retirement money invested in limited partnerships at Public Storage Inc., the national storage chain. That business is financed with hundreds of such limited partnerships. The PSI value proposition for limited partners is interesting. They build in seedier (cheaper) parts of town. They are able to charge rents equivalent to apartments on a per-square-foot basis without requiring the amenities or management labor of apartments. Even better, they have your stuff, so losses for deadbeats are near zero. If you don’t pay the rent they just auction your stuff. All very interesting, but not the major point. PSI makes its real money by building or buying storage units in the path of growth. They think 20 years ahead to what that seedy neighborhood will eventually become. Sometimes they build structures that can be converted to specific other uses when they are sold, increasing their value in a growing market. The actual storage business only has to run at break-even with the big bucks coming when the property is redeveloped or sold.

Now consider how this model might apply to cloud storage. They have your stuff, making most customers long-term captives. The value here lies in the customer relationship. The cost can go to zero because the real money comes from ultimately selling the customer relationship to a larger company. This makes every cloud storage company either an acquisition candidate (most of them) or a company that intends to become enormous then realize that customer value through selling value-added services down the line. It’s grow or die.

So the actual cost of providing cloud storage isn’t going to zero. Disk drives and bandwidth will continue to cost money. That’s just the cost of being (temporarily) in business.

Update: Reader Justin Fischer points out my math is off. Interestingly I wasn’t the only reporter to make this mistake. Sorry.
Sling TV launches on Xbox One just in time for March Madness

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 3:28am CET par Alan Buckingham

We've just passed Selection Sunday, which revealed the collegiate teams set to join in the hoopla that is known as March Madness. Live sports are still the bane of the cord-cutter existence, but Sling TV changes that a bit. The service offers multiple ESPN stations and Universal Sports, among the other channels included with a subscription.

Now the company is bringing its offering to owners of Microsoft's latest gaming console, the Xbox One. It's already live on various set-top boxes like those from Roku and Amazon, but Xbox is the first gaming console to get access.

"Xbox One users who subscribe to Sling TV will get all the great Xbox One benefits and features they love", Sling's Glenn Eisen states.

But the integration goes beyond that, giving customers the ability to pin Sling TV to the Home Dashboard, use voice and gestures to control the app (Kinect required, of course) and snap other items.

Sling TV isn't free, it will run you $20 per month. However, if you're considering buying an Xbox One then there's an added incentive as the two companies have a special offer. "If you’re not already the proud owner of an Xbox One, you can receive three free months of Sling TV service with the purchase of a new Xbox One". That's much more generous than the standard seven day trial everyone else gets.
Geeky students, act fast -- Google accepting applications for Summer of Code 2015

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 2:28am CET par Brian Fagioli

Geeky students have it made nowadays. You see, there are many outlets for their minds to be put into use. Sadly, before the Internet, it could be difficult for like-minded tech geeks to communicate and collaborate. Quite frankly, a curious mind could go undernourished as a result.

One of the coolest programs for tech-focused students is the Google Summer of Code. Why? For one, it is run by Google, so it is well funded and organized. More importantly, however, is that all of the projects in the program are open source. Today, the search giant begins taking applications. With that said, the window to apply is fairly small, so you had better do it soon.

"Interested students can submit proposals on the website starting now through Friday, March 27 at 19:00 UTC. Get started by reviewing the ideas pages of the 137 open source projects in this year's program and decide which projects you're interested in. Because Google Summer of Code has a limited number of spots for students, writing a great project proposal is essential to being selected to the program -- be sure to check out the Student Manual for advice", says Carol Smith, Google Open Source team.

Smith further explains, "students who are accepted into the program will put the skills they have learned in university to good use by working on an actual software project over the summer. Students receive a stipend and are paired with mentors to help address technical questions and concerns throughout the course of the project. With the knowledge and hands-on experience students gain during the summer, they strengthen their future employment opportunities. Best of all, more source code is created and released for the use and benefit of all".

To learn more and apply, you should head over to the official site here. The last day to apply is March 27th, so you had better apply soon. Look, I know how it is to be a student -- you say "I'll do it later", and before you know it, later is now. Be motivated and apply soon. This is a wonderful opportunity -- don't miss out!

If you are a Linux fan, both KDE and GNOME are participating -- how cool would it be to contribute to those projects?
Windows 10 compresses system files and removes recovery image to increase disk space

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 1:54am CET par Manish Singh

Microsoft cares about the amount of formatted, usable storage space users get on their Windows-running machines. The Redmond-based company announced today that, in an attempt to provide users with more storage on their hard-drives, Windows 10 operating system uses some impressive space-saving techniques. The forthcoming operating system uses file compression technology to save around 1.5GB of storage on 32-bit systems and 2.6GB on 64-bit machines.

Furthermore, the software firm notes that it is also stopping using a separate recovery image on its latest desktop operating system. PC makers use a separate recovery image on the computers they ship. Depending on the operating system version and the manufacturer, the space could be anything from 4GB to up to 20GB. The system recovery image shipped by the PC makers includes the disk image of a licensed Windows copy bundled with driver software and some other essentials and bloatware.

But will it work on all Windows 10 systems? No. Microsoft notes that whether or not its latest compression method would work on a system depends on a number of factors including the amount of RAM the system has and how quickly its CPU decompress algorithms when retrieving system files. If a system meets both the requirements, the compression technique will kick in. It seems Microsoft is also planning to test it out in an upcoming build of Windows 10.

But is this compression reliable enough? Microsoft thinks so. “On the topic of compression performance, we conducted extensive analysis and tuning for the first iteration of system compression (called WIMBOOT, we have a little more to say about WIMBOOT further below). Windows 10’s iteration of system compression retains that performance tuning and gains the advantage of tuning and enablement based on performance data from in-market devices. System compression enablement through software means Windows can adapt as the device landscape evolves.”, the company mentions on a blog post.

These space saving techniques aren’t designed for Windows phones just yet, but the company assures that the future Windows smartphones will utilize this technology. While laptops and desktop computers will be able to take advantage of the extra space, tablet users are likely to see the most benefited from this. A number of cheap priced Windows tablets have sold in the last couple of months and they all seem to ship with 16GB or 32GB of storage space. With Windows’ system files taking lesser space, users will be able to store a lot more files on their devices.

Photo Credit: Vladimir Mucibabic/Shutterstock
Vote for your favorite contestant on NBC's 'The Voice' using Windows Phone

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 1:41am CET par Brian Fagioli
I'm going to make a startling confession -- I've never seen American Idol. Why didn't I watch such a wildly popular show? Because I'm not into the lame music that the show puts out. Quite frankly, I'm not sure when such terrible music became acceptable, but I never participated. With that said, I do like some of Carrie Underwood's songs; "Before He Cheats" is an epic classic.

While I've never seen The Voice, I have more respect for it than American Idol, as the judges are kind of cool. The current judges, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams are all accomplished musicians who have created extremely popular music. Today, Microsoft announces that Windows Phone users are getting an official app for The Voice. Users of Microsoft's phone-focused operating system are often neglected, so this is a very pleasant surprise.

"Just in time for tonight's big show, The Voice Official App is available to download from the Windows Phone Store for free today. The Voice Official App gives you the ultimate viewer experience that is customized for each phase of the show, bringing you closer to The Voice than ever before!", says Microsoft.

The company touts the following features of the app.
- Instantly cast your vote the moment the show starts, and instant save on results night
- Vote for artists and see real-time results
- Share your choices on Facebook and Twitter and see what's trending
- Tweet the coaches straight from the app
- Make your own picks for battle winners and steals
- Suggest the songs you want to hear the artists perform
- Create a 'Favorites List' to keep track of your favorite artists through the season
- Tweet directly to your favorite artists to show your support
- Download artists’ songs quickly and easily
If you want to download the app, you can get it here. Please note, you must be running Windows Phone 8.1.

Who is your favorite contestant on the show? Tell me in the comments.
No, John Gruber, Apple did not 'basically invent' USB-C

Publié: mars 17, 2015, 12:38am CET par Mark Wilson

Two computers of note have been announced or released in recent days -- the 2015 version of the Chromebook Pixel and the redesigned MacBook -- that feature an all-singing, all-dancing USB-C port. It transfers data, it powers, it makes coffee, it doesn't matter which way round you insert it, and it practically guarantees an orgasm (OK... maybe we got a little carried away).

It’s a progression of USB technology, and one that has been well-received, at least in principle. Who could be responsible for this marvellous technology feat of design? Blogger, Markdown inventor, and owner of Daring Fireball, John Gruber seems to be under the impression that it's an Apple invention. But he's wrong.

In a recent podcast (jump to the 54 minute mark to hear the section we're interested in), Gruber said: "I have heard -- I can’t say who but let's call them informed little birdies -- that USB-C is an Apple invention and that they gave it to the standards bodies … and that the politics of such is that they can't really say that. They’re not going to come out in public and say that but that they did. It is an Apple invention and they want it to become a standard".

He goes on to say:

What I've heard is that it's an Apple invention that was sort of developed alongside Lightning and that they donated, they gave to the standards bodies because they want the industry standard to be thin enough for their devices and they want it to be reversible.

Sorry, to burst your bubble, John, but what you've heard simply isn’t true. You might love Apple, but you can just ascribe inventions to the company. Tacking on the caveat "the politics of such is that they can't really say that" is a bit of a cop out. We could say anything we wanted and tack that on the end of the sentence to cover our asses.

Sadly, it's an idea that's now out there. It has been picked up by the likes of Macrumors, TheTechBlock, and Cult of Mac (but of course) and is already well on its way to becoming an actual part of Apple's history. Repeat something enough, and people will eventually start to think it's true. This is very much what has happened here.

We got in touch with the USB Implementers Forum for clarification. A spokesperson explained that the "USB Type-C Cable and Connector Specification was developed by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group". A full list of contributors to the project can be found in the Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.1 Specification. Skip to page 10 of the USB Type-C Specification Release 1.0 document and you will indeed see that Apple is listed. But so is ACON. And Advanced Micro Devices. And Agilent Technologies Inc. And Cypress Semiconductor, Foxconn, Google, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung, Seagate, VIA and many more. Just about every name under the tech sun in fact.

So what are you going on about, Gruber? He has since clarified his position a little:

My comments on The Talk Show about Apple's role in the creation of USB-C were somewhat hyperbolic. It was a brief aside. I certainly didn't mean to imply that no other companies contributed to the final spec. Only that from what I've been told, Apple ought to be getting (and taking) credit as the leading company behind USB-C's innovations. Not that they "invented" it, but that they "basically invented" it. I completely stand by that. But there are a lot of politics involved. One reason Apple isn’t taking more public credit for their role: they truly want USB-C to see widespread adoption; a perception that it’s an Apple technology might slow that down.

I'll also point out that USB-C is a very Apple-like design. It is reversible and thin; because it can handle power, high-speed data transfer, and video, it (obviously, given the new MacBook) allows for a significant reduction in ports on a laptop. Every aspect of USB-C fits Apple's design goals. You can't say that about any previous USB port.

So what if the design of USB-C is very Apple-like? There are Samsung cables that could be described as being very Apple-like. This doesn't mean that the company invented them. Apple does have patent for a reversible USB connector (specifically a Reversible USB Connector with Compliant Member to Spread Stress and Increase Contact Normal Force), but this is different to USB-C. In fact it is more like a traditional Type A USB connector with a couple of tweaks.

Being involved in a project with dozens of other companies -- Apple engineers are outnumbered many, many times over by those from other companies -- is in no way the same as inventing the technology at the heart of the project. What does "basically invented" mean? Nothing essentially. It's something that could be said of any other company or engineer involved in the specification.

"Every aspect of USB-C fits Apple's design goals"? So what? It fits the design goals of lots of other companies too -- that's why it is an official specification adopted by and contributed to by many companies rather than a weird proprietary connector.

There's nothing wrong with loving Apple, John, but don't ascribe things to the company without justification. USB-C was a collaborative effort; it is not Apple's baby.

Photo credit: graja / Shutterstock