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BetaNews.Com (16 non lus)

Surface 3 is Microsoft's chance to take on the iPad

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 11:16pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Microsoft's Surface Pro took many people by surprise. It was a bit of a late entry to the tablet game, but it showed how to do things properly. This was full caffeine, full sugar, full alcohol Windows in tablet form. For those who need a little more flexibility, there's the option of adding a keyboard. With Surface Pro, Microsoft carved out a niche for itself.

It tried to do the same with Surface, and Surface 2, but there was one problem. Windows RT. With the Windows 10 wheels now in full motion, Surface 3 has been pulled out of the bag. Microsoft has made the sensible decision to ditch Windows RT and provide a cut-price tablet with full-blown Windows 8 -- and ultimately Windows 10. This is Microsoft's chance to take on the iPad head to head.

Surface 3 actually offers more than the iPad in many ways. Of course it will be difficult for Microsoft to persuade people away from the church of Apple, particularly if they are currently loyal members of the congregation, but there's plenty to draw people to the Microsoft altar if they're torn between the two camps. Expandability is one key area in which Surface 3 pulls ahead. As well as full blown Windows, there's also a mini DisplayPort and a full blown USB 3.0 port. The latter can be used to plug in a variety of peripherals, but it is more likely to be used to boost storage. If you don’t want to tie up the USB port in this way, there's a microSD card slot. Beat that, Apple!

The starting price for both the iPad Air 2 and the Surface 3 is $499 -- a price point which is affordable and inviting. But what do you get for your money? In terms of storage, a dollar short of 500 gets you just 16GB; with the Surface 3, you're treated to four times this -- 64GB. To get the same amount of storage in an iPad Air 2, you'd have to part with an extra $100. These are both portable devices, so dimensions and weight matter. The iPad Air 2 is slightly thinner than the Surface 3 at 6.1mm compared to 8.7mm, but what's 2.6mm among friends? The Surface is also somewhat weightier at 622g compared to the Apple tablet's 427g. Heavier, maybe, but hardly something that will weigh you down.

In terms of power, processors are what many people focus on. Apple's tri-core (yeah... just had to be different) A8X is clocked at 1.5GHz, and backed up by 2GB of RAM. Microsoft has made the decision to move away from ARM for the Surface 3, opting instead for a quad-core Intel Atom X7-Z8700 processor running at 1.6 GHz and offering a Turbo Boost speed of up to 2.4 GHz. Microsoft's tablet may not set any records in benchmarks, but it's not supposed to. This is not supposed to be a powerhouse tablet, it's a tablet that's realistic about what people 'need' from their hardware.

Of course there will be plenty of people ready to mock the specifications, but think about what most people use their tablets for. In all likelihood, the Surface 3 will be used, like the majority of computers, to browse the internet, check Facebook, send emails and perhaps write the odd document or spreadsheet -- oh, there's a free year-long subscription to Office 365, forget compromising with Pages et al. A quantum computer is simply not needed for simple tasks like this. Even games and most apps that aren't too reliant on 3D graphics will run fine. What's the point in GHz you're not going to use?

Where else does Surface 3 win? The kickstand is a good example. It might not be the highly adjustable version from the Surface Pro 3, but it's still a multi-position stand that should suit most situations. If you want to achieve something similar with the iPad Air 2, you'll need to invest in some sort of case/cover that doubles as a stand. In terms of user experience, it's hard to argue with the Surface 3 for existing Windows users. Running exactly the same operating system as desktops and laptops means that there is no learning curve and no compromises, and the inclusion of a stylus is a nice touch.

We've touched on software in mentioning the inclusion of Office 365, but Surface 3's major selling point is its ability to run any Windows software you care to mention. You might be a fan of Windows Apps from the Windows Store, or you may prefer traditional .exe-based software -- either way, you're covered. The tablet could even be used as a full desktop replacement for the less demanding user; a docking station lets you take advantage of your larger monitor, wired network, and gives you more USB ports.

It's the best of many, many worlds, in a flexible and affordable piece of kit that should do a great job of shaking off the poor image associated with the first two generations of Surface. Apple may not yet be quaking in its boots, but with Surface 3, Microsoft is making slow and steady headway on the inside track.
Acer announces the world's first Chromebase All-in-One Desktop with a touchscreen

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 8:52pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Chrome OS is a wonderful operating system for some users. If you live in the web browser, Google's Linux-based OS can be a brilliant way to both work and play. Some people may have trepidation in investing in such a limited ecosystem, where only one web browser is permitted, and that does make sense. However, others are comfortable with one company controlling their window to the web, and that is OK too. In other words, people have different needs and ideology, and that is a beautiful thing.

While many associate Chrome OS with Chromebooks, there are many other form factors too, such as Chromebox, Chromebase and the recently announced Chromebit. Today, Acer announces the world's first Chromebase with a touchscreen. Yes, you can finally have a Chrome OS All-In-One with touch-friendly design.

"The Acer Chromebase is powered by a class-leading NVIDIA Tegra K1 quad-core processor, helping it deliver a responsive and rich multi-tasking experience, and stay quiet even when running heavy workloads. It has a built-in HD webcam, so that users can chat face-to-face with family and friends on Google Hangouts with amazing video image quality on the 21.5-inch 1080P Full HD display. The Acer Chromebase is VESA-compliant so that it provides flexible viewing options when mounted to a VESA-compatible stand, bracket, arm, or wall mount suitable for search or navigation use in public areas. It has two 3W audio speakers and provides HDMI out, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 ports in addition to 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity", says Acer.

The manufacturer further explains that the computer "comes with a Full HD resolution, 178-degree viewing angle display which incorporates 10-point touch technology, enabling more than one user to work, play and interact together. The device boots up in 10 seconds, and has multiple layers of security built-in with automatic system updates. Chrome OS supports multiple users and accounts while photos, videos, music, and documents are all synchronized and backed-up with the user's Google account. Acer Chromebase also comes with a complimentary 100 gigabytes of Google Drive storage so users have plenty of space".

The design is very nice; the black bezel coupled with the white chassis is absolutely gorgeous. Both the keyboard and mouse are white, lending to a feeling of elegance. More importantly, however, they are both of the wired variety, which I appreciate. Why? I hate batteries!

This touch-friendly Chromebase will be available in Q2 2015, which means we will not have to wait long. Sadly, price and configuration options are not yet available. I am hopeful that there will be a model with at least 4GB of memory, as 2GB just is not enough.

Will you consider buying Acer's Chromebase? Tell me in the comments.
Chromebook self-browsing is for REAL

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 8:01pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Google got me. Not because I didn't get the joke but for how far it actually goes. Perhaps you saw the April 1st post, "Re-rethinking computing", which introduces the project from a "rogue team of engineers...Today, we’re excited to announce a way to make your Chromebook self-browsing". Of course, it's an April Fools gag.

I first saw the post on my Nexus 9 tablet while exercising on the stationary bike. Later, thinking to post a quickie to Google+, I pulled up the URL from synced History on Chromebook Pixel LS. On the N9, I had clicked the post's last link, which did nothing special but when opened on the Pixel took me to the Chrome Web Store with option to install the self-browsing extension. Now that was unexpected. What to do, what to do?

When you're being pranked, and you know so, how far do you go? "The best April Fools are the ones which are real", my colleague Wayne Williams says. Indeed they are. So I installed the extension and launched it -- the self-browsing began! Hilarious.

I would have ignored the whole thing as a worthless prank, but as a wordsmith clever phrasing gets me every time: The Fools blog ends: "The first version of our self-browsing software is now available at this very easy to remember link: [goo.gl]. Give it a shot -- then sit back, relax, and watch the future unfold. This is the last link YOU will ever click". I love the last line.

If you're on a Chromebook and looking to waste a few minutes, install that self-browsing extension linked above.

The other Google gag of note: "#ChromeSelfie". When browsing the web on my Nexus 6 soon after midnight, an orange notice spanned the lower scteen: "NEW: Share your #ChromeSelfie". Sure enough, you can snap and share. Go on, prank yourself.
HP wants to replace data centers with The Machine

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 6:20pm CEST par Charlie Boon
The Machine is the name of a project HP is developing for data centers based on several novel technologies. At this distance, The Machine seems like a fantasy as it’s still at least two years from its launch as a unified product.

If the project is successful, it may replace what we consider computers now; the promised changes to server power draw alone would be revolutionary. It’s initially intended for data centre use, but established, expensive technologies tend to trickle down to individual consumers eventually. Examples of the trickle down effect of technologies first widely implemented on a business level are numerous, and include tech such as solid state disks, 64 bit operating systems, and multiple cores. It may be that the technologies HP is developing will become ubiquitous in the industry for both consumers and businesses.

HP has already begun rolling out technologies related to the Machine, intending to base its specialized cores on its Moonshot technology.

To understand the breadth of HP’s ambition, here’s an overview of the technologies they intend to implement in the Machine:
- Replace Von Neumann architecture with a flatter architecture
- Replace generalized processors with clusters of specialized processors
- Utilize memristors for caches, storage and main memory
- Utilize photonic interconnects
- Create new operating systems tailored for the new hardware architecture
HP also intends to increase security at the hardware level, which would be a relief considering the firmware issues present right now.

As yet, some of these technologies have no functional consumer models. HP has competition in some of these endeavors, but it appears to be alone in attempting to replace the system from top to bottom.

As it stands, the only major companies that create x86 processors are AMD, Intel and VIA, making them integral to most home computers. AMD and Intel compete heavily to introduce new processor technologies and AMD is heavily involved in HSA (Heterogeneous System Architecture). Among HSA’s goals is one similar to the Machine’s intent to flatten architecture, although less drastic. HSA is intended to more efficiently orchestrate the processing power of GPUs and CPUs to utilize their strengths more effectively. The scope of this project is fairly large; the HSA Foundation (HSAF) created to promote HSA has a distinguished list of members and weight in the industry. The HSAF it has to both replace hardware and engage developers at the same time. HSA uses existing parts more efficiently; the Machine intends to replace those parts entirely.

That’s the first of the Machine’s hardware challenges. The second is that it’s rethinking the physics behind computing. This research isn’t brand new, but it hasn’t seen mass market production yet. Memristors utilize ions to create durable solid state memory and HP intends to replace all functional memory with it. HP intends to launch memristors as a separate product later this year.

HP also intends to use photonic interconnects seen in fibre-optic networks on a computer level, which requires reducing the size of the beam even further. It’s not the first developer to tackle this project, but if successful, HP believes photonic interconnects would reduce power consumption considerably.

The next challenge is building new operating systems while involving 3rd party developers in creating software for those operating systems. HP appears to be developing both a desktop-oriented OS as well as a mobile one. These are familiar challenges as both Apple and Google have successfully created markets for mobile devices. The mobile marketplace is extremely lucrative, making it a success for both developers and their hosts, although not every company has succeeded in reproducing the success of the trailblazers.

Far from the mobile marketplace, the home computer marketplace hasn’t had any major shake-ups since cloud computing took off. Considering the lack of shake-ups in the marketplace, it is no wonder that home computer users are slow to migrate between versions, let alone platforms. Because of the slow migration of users, Microsoft has had trouble convincing its users to upgrade, while Apple has tried to approach the issue by offering upgrades for free.

Many consumers have invested thousands in services like Steam, Origin or the App store, anchoring users to a particular platform. To ease the pain of transitioning between platforms, Apple introduced Boot Camp and there are several emulation services available to use Windows in an OS X environment. Consumer loyalty inspired by investments tied to a particular platform may prove a deterrent to any new operating systems for individual consumers, not to mention the difficulty of relearning basic tasks and simple inertia. Despite these expected problems, HP’s project doesappear to be progressing.

For the Machine to be successful, all of those technologies would have to succeed and companies would have to adopt it. To be adopted by typical consumers, the hardware would have to fall in price, and consumers and developers would have to embrace the new OS. Only time will tell if HP’s holistic approach will seize the market, or if the technologies it intends to introduce will be absorbed by the dominant market forces and integrated into existing systems one breakthrough at a time.

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

Image Credit: Eugene Kouzmenok/Shutterstock
The risk cloud partners pose to enterprises

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 6:04pm CEST par Darren Allan

Cloud security firm Skyhigh Networks has released its Cloud Adoption and Risk Report for Q1 2015, with some unsettling findings in terms of the risks businesses are taking.

The report is compiled by analyzing real-world cloud usage over some 17 million employees, and for the first time in this sixth report, it delved into the risk to enterprises posed by business partners connected via the cloud. This follows a spate of recent data breaches which have been the fault of a third-party, of course.

The headline stat was that an enterprise has, on average, 1,555 partners connected through the cloud, and that 8 percent of these partners are labelled high risk, with 30 percent of an organization’s total data assets shared with those risky partners.

A high risk partner, incidentally, is one suffering from malware attacks, or a breach itself, or a third-party with gaping vulnerabilities which haven’t been patched or properly dealt with.

Skyhigh Networks also observed there was a breed of super-partner companies -- 58 of these in total -- and they’re connected to more than half the enterprises out there. Naturally, a vulnerability in one of these super-partners could have a massive domino effect in terms of data leakage.

The situation is more worrying still, because a greater percentage -- 12.5 per cent, or one in eight -- of these is labelled as high risk. They include IT services and software firms, but also organizations like pest control. Skyhigh Networks cited one airline partner that had 209 devices infested with malware, and 9,716 credentials up for sale on the Darknet -- and it was still vulnerable to Poodle (and not alone in that respect).

Sekhar Sarukkai, co-founder and VP of Engineering at Skyhigh Networks, commented: "Security of any enterprise is only as strong as its weakest link and recent breaches have shown that partners are often the weakest link. Therefore, enterprises must have visibility into the security risks of their business partners so they can take the necessary steps to protect themselves".

You can check out the full report here.

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

Photo Credit: bahri altay/Shutterstock
Point of sale systems at risk from underlying vulnerabilities

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 5:02pm CEST par Ian Barker

Last week we reported on the PoSeidon malware threatening credit card security by stealing transaction details.

Charles Henderson vice president of managed security testing at information security specialist Trustwave believes that there's a bigger underlying problem with the way retailers implement PoS systems putting them at risk.

Card transactions have always been the subject of attacks going right back to skimming details by stealing the carbons from old-style card machines. As technology has advanced they've progressed through physical mods made to electronic card readers to malware on back office systems, allowing attacks to become more virtual. While new technologies like chip and pin make it harder to create cloned cards but don't protect details at the point of sale.

Henderson warns that retailers are failing to take some basic precautions that would help protect them from attacks, for example, "One of the most popular makes of PoS terminal has a six-digit default password which has been the same since 1990 and was published on news groups back in 1994. Yet of the terminals we test 90 percent are still using that default password".

By failing to fully test their deployment retailers are leaving themselves open to attack. Yet as Henderson points out, "Averaged out of the number of PoS terminals deployed testing isn't a big investment as you only need to test one of each type". Modifications to systems can introduce vulnerabilities too and any changes need to be properly tested before deployment.

Rather than react to new pieces of malware like PoSeidon, businesses should look towards closing the loopholes that allow them to get onto their systems. "The industry hasn't learned from parallel technologies -- routers for example -- which are now mostly supplied already secured," says Henderson. Back office systems need to be kept secure too as employees can inadvertently introduce malware by actions such as playing games or opening infected email attachments.

In order to combat attacks he recommends a three pronged approach: network segmentation and security testing, user security awareness training, and anti-malware technology as a backstop.

More information on threat and vulnerability management is available on the Trustwave website.

Image Credit: scyther5 / Shutterstock
How secure is your bank? Security firm reports vulnerabilities in 70 percent of mobile banking apps

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 4:58pm CEST par Manish Singh

People are becoming increasingly concerned about their security. They use two-step authentication, login alerts, and third-party security services to better protect their email and social media accounts. One would hope for a similar -- if not more secure -- level of protection from our banks. After all, this is the place where we put most of our earnings and savings. However, apparently we are all mistaken. Mobile security firm Appvigil is reporting that as many as 70 percent of the top 100 mobile banking apps on the Android operating system in the APAC region are vulnerable to security attacks and data leaks. Don’t live in the said region? That’s no reason to relax. The report further pinpoints vulnerabilities in mobile banking apps found in other regions as well.

The security firm tested the mobile banking apps of the top 29 Indian banks and 71 more in the Asia Pacific region and the results are staggeringly bad. "Most of the mobile banking apps failed and many didn’t employ even the basic security checks expected. The communication between the apps & their servers is still in the unencrypted format i.e. in HTTP instead of HTTPS", the report reveals.

In the past couple of years as security threats reached new heights, most of the banks in European and American regions implemented security measures such as authentication using e-tokens, one-time passwords (OTP), and confirmation of transactions through codes sent to Android phones, but as Appvigil points out -- which is in line with news reports we have seen previously -- cybercriminals have developed tools that bypass these measures.

"There are numerous ways by which security loopholes can arise in an Android application. Organizations today, are focusing more on state of the art features, responsive and performance optimization issues without paying much heed to security. In most of the cases people react to security issues only when they face some discrepancies via a malicious threat agent", the report adds.

Furthermore, the report chalks out loopholes -- such as issues of system clock accuracy, and time synchronization -- arising due to ignorance by our carriers and network admins. "If certain processes run out of sequence, such as transaction processing and backups, then the results of these processes may cause discrepancies, due to the transaction times failing to tally. Mismatched timestamps often cause financial and database program errors".

The firm found a staggering 983 security vulnerabilities in the 100 mobile banking apps it tested. These vulnerabilities include exploits such as intent spoofing, unintended data leakage, SQL injection, JavaScript injection, XML injection, and unencrypted sockets among others. "The findings of our analysis presented in this report have a different story to tell. It's evident from the report that most of the apps are vulnerable to security attacks with 82 percent of apps carrying high severity vulnerabilities in them. On an average, 14 security bugs per app are present. Surprisingly, we found five mobile banking apps which had more than 50 security vulnerabilities in each of them". You can read more about it here.

You should be concerned about this even if you don’t live in the APAC region. Gizmodo did a comprehensive rundown of existing security measures utilized by all major banks in the United States and other regions, and the results were woeful. We contacted AVG, a popular mobile security firm to see what they think about this report. "There are banking apps in many markets which can be vulnerable to compromise but we are aware that banks do prioritize working on a fix obviously", Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CTO at AVG tells BetaNews.

"An example of one of these vulnerabilities is where an app downloads data and caches it on the device in multiple places. Some of these files may be able to be accessed by other apps and may not be removed after the banking app has used them. An uninstaller app would help ensure such data is removed for security purposes. Another example would be where an app is using a vulnerable WebView component, such as on a version of Android that is earlier than 4.1, which may leave it open to risk.", he added.
OnePlus unveils $20 DR-1 miniature drone

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 4:21pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

OnePlus, best known for its One "flagship killer", is now looking to gain the attention of drone enthusiasts, as today it unveiled a highly-affordable remote-controlled quadcopter touted to be the smallest in the world. And, no, it's not an April Fools prank, unlike what other companies have been trying to pull in the last 24 hours.

Called DR-1, OnePlus's first miniature drone has a wingspan of only 70 mm, and four blades with a diameter of 30 mm. Given the specs, it's only going to serve as a fun little toy, and not something that you can attach a GoPro to.

OnePlus has bestowed DR-1 with orientation LED, and a fairly powerful engine. The remote control offers two thumbpads, for horizontal and vertical control; for those interested in stunts, it's possible to initiate automated four-axis flips.

Seeing as it's quite small, you'll only be able to fly DR-1 for five to eight minutes at most. A full charge is said to take 20 minutes, so there's little downtime.

The price? OnePlus is asking $19.99 for DR-1. However it is said to be "one-time offer", and at the time of writing this article OnePlus' site lists DR-1 as sold out.

But, if you want something that's similar in size, you can check out this HJ 993 Super Mini 2.4G, which looks very similar to DR-1. It costs even less, only $14.97.
NewRetroArcade has classic 80s games -- in a VR arcade

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 3:46pm CEST par Mike Williams

If you’re interested in 80s arcade games then you’ve probably played clones of Space Invaders, Pac-Man and other classics. If you’re a real fan then you might have set up an emulator to run the original game ROMs.

NewRetroArcade goes further. Not only does it give you MAME emulated playable arcade games, but it actually presents them in a Virtual Reality arcade for Oculus (although you can also run it on your Windows desktop to get a basic idea of what it can do).

You can walk around, look at the machines (and the ten-pin bowling alley, and the basketball machines), listen to music of the time via streamed internet radio, maybe try out the playable Gameboy and emulated SNES console. The only mildly unrealistic touch is there’s no-one else there, but at least it means there’s no queuing for your favorite machines.

Keep in mind that this is a free tech demo and doesn’t have a polished installer. Or any installer, really. Unzip the download and read "Install+Readme.txt" for guidance, details on the controls and more.

When you first run NewRetroArcade.exe you’ll be asked if you want to download a game pack. Agree, download Game Pack 1 and unzip it into your main NewRetroArcade folder.

Relaunch NewRetroArcade and you should find your arcade now has games like Asteroids, Street Fighter II, 1942, Frogger, Space Invaders, Out Run, Missile Command, Gauntlet, Defender and more. That is probably enough to keep you entertained for a while, but if not, the bundled Arcade Builder has further ways to tweak and customize the system.
After one week of Sling TV, here's the good and bad

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 3:27pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Almost a year ago DirecTV and I parted ways. I grew tired of the $60 per month charge when I only watch a handful of shows. The excessive amount of channels included in my bundle was also a bit of a joke -- I probably used ten of them. I'd have gladly paid less for those -- the à la carte TV that people talk about, though it never materializes.

I already had an Amazon Prime subscription that entitled me to movies and some TV shows, and it costs as much per year as one and half months' worth of satellite. I threw in Hulu Plus for an additional $7.99 and get most of my shows, though I have to wait until the next day to watch them. But live TV escaped me, with the exception of the occasional event broadcast online. Those live broadcasts online are fine, but neither Roku nor Amazon Fire TV has a web browser. Then several weeks ago Sling TV appeared on the scene. Live TV from multiple sources and, for once, no cable or satellite subscription to verify. Suddenly there was access to ESPN, History Channel, HGTV and many more. I've been using it for the past week and I have some observations.

The Sunny Side of the Street

The live streaming has been working flawlessly The channel selection "mostly" meets my needs. Combine it with Hulu Plus and the bases are pretty much covered. As a sports fan, having ESPN and ESPN2 is a dream come true. TNT is also there, and that allowed me to watch my basketball team lose in March Madness last week -- see it isn't all good! I can't exactly hold Sling responsible for that one though.

The interface is very simple, though there are some tricks that aren't obvious and we'll get to those in a bit. There's even some on demand shows, just in case you missed it live. It is essentially a scaled down cable service based online, something many people have wanted for a while. So what's not to love?

Welcome to the Dark Side

Things aren't all roses here, and that is easily noticeable by the price. $20 per month doesn't sound like a lot, but combine it with other fees like Hulu and Amazon Prime and you realize that you're headed back towards cable pricing again. It gets worse as well, because there are packages you can purchase to enhance that basic subscription. Each will add another $5 to your monthly bill. While ESPN and ESPN2 are basic, there's a sports package that adds more channels, like Universal Sports and ESPN News. Now your price is really heading up.

The interface, while simple once you know it, isn't intuitive. It will take some trying to get the hang of things. A down arrow press gives a channel selection and up makes on-demand appear. It is perhaps telling that Sling felt the need to explain how to access on-demand in a recent blog post.

One final tidbit -- Slashgear is reporting that some content may be getting restricted. I haven't encountered this problem thus far, so we'll see what comes of it.

In the End

While the price isn't cheap, it's still less than cable and satellite, and it works absolutely as well, though I suppose that depends on your connection. In my case there is no hesitation and no stutters. Once you've figured out a couple of things about the options it becomes easy and there's enough channels in the basic package to keep some, perhaps most, satisfied. For the moment I intend to keep it and perhaps even grab that sports package as well.
Tune your Windows Services with Easy Service Optimizer

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 2:52pm CEST par Mike Williams

Popular utilities developer Sordum has released Easy Service Optimizer 1.0, a free tool for optimizing system services on Windows XP and later.

The program works much like an automated version of Black Viper’s classic tuneup site. It has four profiles ("Default", "Safe", "Tweaked", "Extreme"), each of which disables progressively more services, and you can apply the profile you need in a couple of clicks.

If you think this type of program is likely to cause more problems than it solves, you might have a point, but Easy Service Optimizer is safer and smarter than most. It detects your Windows version (XP-10) and automatically adjusts its profiles accordingly. It only tweaks a subset of your services (the most critical are left alone), and the only change made is to each service startup type, so it’s relatively easy to undo.

Easy Service Optimizer is also very configurable. Its profiles aren’t hard-coded, and if you have your own ideas about which services should be disabled then you can set up the program to do just that.

Even if you never use its main profiles, the program could still help with troubleshooting or system repair by restoring your default Windows Services settings in a couple of clicks (Default > Apply).

As usual with Sordum products, Easy Service Optimizer is compact (a 456KB download), portable and entirely free of adware or other marketing hassles, so if you’re interested in the idea, it’s safe to take a look.
Windows 8.x is flatlining

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 11:51am CEST par Wayne Williams

With Windows 10 arriving in the summer it’s no surprise to find that Windows 8.x’s growth has stalled (not that the tiled OS ever really took off in the first place).

According to NetMarketShare, Windows 7 was the big usage share winner in March, going from 55.99 percent to 58.04 percent, an increase of 2.05 percentage points. Windows XP, still shedding users, lost 2.21 percentage points, and is now on 16.94 percent. Which, naturally, is still way more than Windows 8.x.

Talking of the tiled OS, Windows 8 went from 3.55 percent to 3.52 percent, a drop of 0.03 percentage points, while 8.1 rose from 10.49 percent to 10.55 percent, gaining 0.06 percent. In total 8.x gained just 0.03 percentage points. This flatlining is a trend we’ll likely see continuing until Windows 10 arrives, after which Windows 8.x will go into steep decline (there's a flashing neon "do not resuscitate" sign over its head).

Windows 10 Technical Preview now sits on 0.9 percent. It was at 0.8 percent in February, so it should hit the dizzying heights of 1 percent next month, which is pretty good for an early preview.

Photo Credit: Tripplex/shutterstock
Smart homes: Consumers are ready to start living like the Jetsons

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 11:34am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić
Consumers clearly see the benefits offered by home automation but they also have very specific requirements that need to be met before they’d consider investing, a new survey has shown.

The survey, which asked US, UK and German consumers their attitudes towards the smart home, showed that almost half (46 percent) of consumers think smart home devices will become mainstream within five years and revealed a strong preference for smart home solutions that offer tangible benefits.

The new research from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group released today shows that most appealing smart home gadgets are those that allow consumers to control their environment, such as smart heating/thermostats, smart lighting and smart security/monitoring devices.

But consumers know exactly what their devices should be like: 54 percent said a device should be straightforward to use, and 41 percent believe it should be easy to set up.

Price and security also figured prominently, with 42 percent of consumers feel that both keeping their data secure and offering products at competitive price points will make smart home devices much more desirable.

Currently, 67 percent of consumers are concerned that some smart home devices would make their data vulnerable.

"This study confirms consumers are looking for smart home products that 'just work'," said Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. "It’s evident demand for smart home devices is ramping up and consumers are keen to live in the scenarios conjured up by the Jetsons over 60 years ago. Smart home manufacturers need to deliver products that are simple, cost-effective and secure for this segment to become mainstream".

Here are the survey’s key stats at a glance
- 6 percent think smart home devices are already mainstream i.e. most people own a smart home device or consider it normal to do so
- 46 percent think smart home devices will be mainstream within the next five years
- 66 percent think smart home devices will be mainstream within the next 10 years
The top five most important factors when deciding which smart home device to purchase are:
The top three types of devices consumers find most appealing are:
- Smart home heating/thermostat -- 45 percent
- Smart lighting/light bulbs -- 34 percent
- Smart security and monitoring devices -- 33 percent
- 66 percent would like to be able to program their home system to perform automatic actions, such as lights turning off when exiting a room or heating turning on when returning home from work
- 73 percent would like to receive smartphone notifications from their home security system if it detects a threat
Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
More Android apps coming to Chromebook as Google opens ARC program to all developers

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 10:29am CEST par Manish Singh

Last year Google introduced support for Android apps on its Chromebook lineup. Since the announcement, we have seen several popular apps arrive at the Chrome Web Store, including Duolingo, Vine, and Flipboard, but the number of such ported apps has been pretty low so far. In an effort to lure in more uber-apps like VLC and others to the Chrome OS, the company announces at an event, that it is opening the ARC program -- previously only accessible to select firms -- to all developers. The move will foster the growth of apps at the Chrome Web Store.

The Mountain View-based technology company last year at its developer conference I/O introduced support for Android apps on Chrome OS-powered laptops. The company had showcased a native client extension called “App Runtime for Chrome (ARC)” that runs Android apps on a Chrome OS-powered notebook almost natively through a sandboxed Dalvik VM.

"As more and more Android tablets have come into the market, there have been many more nice, full-screen-sized apps. So we thought -- this is kind of crazy -- what if we could run an unmodified APK file, an Android app, on Chrome OS?", Josh Woodward, a product manager at Google told PC World.

Until this announcement only about thirty Android apps were available to use on a Chrome OS-powered device. By opening the ARC program, Google is allowing developers to test their Android apps and make changes to them as they see fit. Once done, developers will also be able to publish the app on the Chrome Web Store. For those who are interested, all the details are mentioned in the official Chrome developer documentation. There’s also a guide to get you started with the ARC.

Not only will the support for Android apps make Chromebook more useful as a notebook device, but it will also help Chromebooks distinguish themselves from Windows laptops and MacBooks that require third-party apps to run Android apps and still lag and crash -- leaving a lot to be desired.
It's April Fool's Day 2015! Here are hilarious fake products from Google, Motorola and more

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 7:03am CEST par Brian Fagioli

It's April Fool's Day! This is a day where people play jokes on each other. Practical jokes can be funny if they aren't happening to you, but quite the opposite when you are the target. Oh, you put a whoopee cushion on my chair and everyone thinks I passed gas? Thanks for that. You replaced the grape jelly on my PBJ with petroleum jelly? Hilarious. I think that is poison actually, and probably a crime, but you have fun. Enjoy your wacky day.

I'm a bit of a scrooge on April Fool's Day, because I am usually the target of such jokes. I'm a busy guy, and I forget the date constantly, so all day today I will forget it is April Fool's Day. While in-person pranks with friends and family are annoying, online pranks from companies can be fun (sometimes). They have become a tradition and are admittedly hilarious. Google often leads this, and 2015 is no different. Here are some of the fake products that companies are pranking us with in 2015.

Smartbox by Inbox (Google)

Google explains this fake product by saying, "Mail is a wondrous thing. From the early days of the homing pigeon to the herculean efforts of the Pony Express, mail has connected us for generations. The advent of email brought the world even closer together. And yet, despite this leap forward, physical mail still just sits there. In a box. All day. So today we’re excited to introduce Smartbox—a better, smarter mailbox that fuses physical mail with everything you love about the electronic kind". You can see the joke video below.

#ChromeSelfie (Google)

Google can't just pull one prank, however. No, it also gets its Chrome Browser involved.

"If you’re a selfie fanatic like me you've probably sent a lot of selfies in reaction to articles in the past, but it takes a lot of time and hassle to exit Chrome, open the camera and snap a pic. In fact, with so much of our time spent browsing online, most Chrome users lose up to 6 hours of selfie-taking time every day! And we think it’s a tragedy that your reactions, as well as luscious lashes and beautiful brows, are going uncaptured. With #ChromeSelfie you can share sites with your family and friends on social media and via instant messages, along with a handsome selfie instead of cumbersome text", says Google.

Panda (Google)

The most bizarre fake product of the bunch is Google's "Panda". The company staged an entire press event for this prank from Japan. What is Panda? An interactive stuffed bear. Check out the weirdness below.

Google Actual Cloud

Staff at Google seem to have too much time on their hands at the moment. The Google for Work team is in on the act too with Actual Cloud.

"We're answering the question that's been in front of us the whole time: why isn't cloud computing built in actual clouds? Well, as of today, it is." Features include boosting performance from electrical storms and delivering content via rain. It's all explained in this video.

Com.Google (Google?)

It is not yet clear if this is officially from Google, but if you visit http://com.google, you will see the search engine in a mirror-like mode as seen below. Very fun!

Moto Selfie Stick (Motorola)

Motorola is no longer a Google company, but the search-giant's influence remains. Selfie Sticks are all the rage nowadays, so it is only natural that Motorola would bring its customization skills to the segment, right? Watch the below video to see a craftsman put his heart and soul into the Moto Selfie Stick

Roku Rendezvous (Roku)

Everyone wants to find love from their streaming media box, right? No? Roku spoofs the online dating scene with Rendezvous, its new (fake) dating service.

The company explains, "the first dating channel where single streamers can scroll through profiles of others streamers to find that special someone worth sharing the remote with. To determine a prospective partner's compatibility, Roku Rendezvous uses a super-secret, proprietary Roku algorithm developed after analyzing the billons of hours Roku customers have spent streaming entertainment from the 2000+ channels on the Roku platform".

Look how happy the below couple is. I'm sure Apple TV will have something better soon, with much more "magical" matches...

Samsung's Galaxy BLADE edge: Chef's Edition

This is a clever fake product from Samsung. It's the "world’s first smart knife with smartphone capabilities" and Samsung describes it as the "ultimate cooking companion". It apparently lets you chop, cut, slice and dice up to 50 percent faster. It's waterproof, with a foldable handle, has a diamond edge blade and thermometer stylus. It's also good at food photography. Find out more here.

MS-DOS Mobile for Lumias

Microsoft is going back to where productivity began for millions of people, launching its most beautifully simple mobile OS yet. The MS-DOS Mobile preview is an essential download for those who remember life before Windows, those who want to go back to BASIC, or even those looking to boot into DOS for the first time. What's great is there's even an app for it here.

Meerkat Ultra-Mini (System76)

"The World's smallest desktop computer. Apple CEO Tim Cook even marveled at its amazing size. 'It's so thin and light I don't even know I'm holding it right now!'".

Lol!

We will add new examples as they come in. Please share the ones you discover in the comments below.

Image Credit: Gang Liu / Shutterstock
Microsoft releases Music and Video Preview apps for Windows 10 -- drops Xbox branding

Publié: avril 1, 2015, 3:01am CEST par Brian Fagioli
While I love Spotify, I recently invested in an Xbox Music Pass subscription. The reason why is quite simple -- cost. On March 14, which is Pi Day, Microsoft offered a steep discount on a year of the service. While the experience is sub-par on Android, it works brilliantly on Windows.

Today, Microsoft releases previews of both the Music and Videos apps for the Windows 10 Technical Preview. While there are many changes -- both visually and under the hood -- the most surprising is the apparent dropping of the Xbox branding. Is this the sign of a bigger change?

You can download the apps using the below links. Please note, you must be on Windows 10 Technical Preview 10049.

Download the Music Preview app (PC)
Download the Video Preview app (PC)

I eagerly downloaded both apps, but was far more excited for the Music Preview, as I actually use it. Typically, I will use VLC for watching locally stored video files and stream stuff from Netflix and Amazon Prime. Quite frankly, I have no use for Microsoft's Video app.

Microsoft shares the following about the Video app.

Features to try:
- Browse and play video files (including MKV!) on your device: Try out filtering and sorting your collection and adding a folder of videos to include in your collection.
- Browse and play movies & TV shows you’ve purchased from any Xbox Video device: Try starting a purchased video on one Xbox Video device and pick up playback right where you left off on another device.
What's coming next:
- Discover great new movies and TV shows in the Windows Store Beta – until then you can still get them in the existing Video App or the new web Store at here.
- Download movies and TV for offline play
- New device management so you can play your downloads offline more reliably on the devices you care about
- Improved search results
- Movie reviews and cast information
- Settings improvements
- And much more!
Here's what we know isn’t working quite right yet:
- Movies and TV shows downloaded in other versions of the app cannot be played in this preview app. They can only be streamed. This preview app only supports streaming at this time.
- Playback of purchased content may take several seconds to begin.
- Adding or removing folders from your video library can hang the app. Instead, use File Explorer to manage your video library.
- Playback of movies and TV may fail with error 0x8004c029. If it does, go here to learn more about how to fix it.
- Expired rentals incorrectly show a play button. Playing expired content will result in a playback error.
Microsoft shares the following about the Music Preview app.

Features to try:
- Browse and play your music collection: MP3s on your device, songs you’ve put in OneDrive, or music you’ve added to your collection with an Xbox Music Pass will all show up in the Music Preview App. Try out shuffling, filtering, and sorting your music collection. And try playing a Radio station based on one of your favorite artists or bands.
- Make playlists: Make playlists with all your music including music from OneDrive. Just create a new playlist and drag and drop the songs you want in that playlist. You can access all your playlists across your Windows devices, Xbox consoles and on the web at music.xbox.com.
- Xbox Music Pass: If you have an Xbox Music Pass, you can browse our full catalog and stream or download music for offline use and discover new music with artist radio stations.
What's coming next:
- Browse and buy music in the Windows Store Beta -- until then you can still buy music in the existing Music App
- Right-click context menus
- Better back button for easier app navigation
- Dark color theme
- Compact mode
- Settings improvements
- Improved support for accessibility
- And much more!
Here's what we know isn’t working quite right yet:
- After heavy use you may see galleries disappear and show a blank white page. Restarting the app will solve the issue.
- Playback of Music Pass content may fail with error 0x8004c029. If it does, go here to learn more about how to fix it.
- There are no playback controls on hover when the app appears in the taskbar.
So, is the Xbox Music brand going away? Time will tell, but I get a strong feeling that this may be the case. Gone is the "Xbox Music" logo in the music app and the iconic green and back colors in the app too. You can see side by side images above (click to enlarge). Hell, even the Xbox Music Pass is simply referred to as "Music Pass" in the settings.

Quite frankly, moving away from the Xbox Music branding is probably a smart idea, as some consumers could misunderstand it to only work on an Xbox console.