Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » août 24, 2015

BetaNews.Com (21 non lus)

Russia bans Wikipedia because Russia (and drugs)

Publié: août 24, 2015, 8:30pm CEST par Mark Wilson

red_square_russia

Russia has placed a complete ban on Wikipedia because of an article about cannabis. The country's Federal Service for the Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) took exception to an article about charas -- a cannabis product popular in India.

The Russian Federal Drug Control Service deemed the article illegal because it included information about how the drug is made. Wikipedia's policy of not removing individual articles could mean that Russia's censors have no alternative but to block the site in its entirety.

Wikipedia initially tried to sidestep a request to remove the offending article by simply changing its URL, but this failed to impress Roskomnadzor. The government body complains that Wikipedia's actions do nothing to prevent access to content it has deemed illegal. It says:

In the event that [Wikipedia] refuses to comply with the court’s ruling, Roskomnadzor will block the webpage on Russian territory using the registry of illegal information. In this case, insofar as Wikipedia has decided to function on the basis of https, which doesn’t allow restricting access to individual pages on its site, the entire website would be blocked.

As noted by the Libertarian Republic:

Wikipedia does not take down individual articles except by user consensus. It uses the HTTPS security protocol, which means pages on its domain cannot be blocked individually. These two policies mean that Roskomnadzor will almost inevitably wind up blocking the entire encyclopedia.

Reddit suffered the same fate in Russia earlier this month after an article about hallucinogenic mushrooms attracted the ire of the government. As with Wikipedia, Reddit uses HTTPS for security making it difficult to block individual pages. Of course, as we have seen in China, just because a website is blocked, it does not mean that it is completely inaccessible -- mirrors for the Russian version of Wikipedia will almost certainly spring up, and proxies will also grant access.

Update:

The ban has now been lifted.

Photo credit: Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock

Travel tips for mobile employees

Publié: août 24, 2015, 7:52pm CEST par Keith Poyser

man beach summer

Long days, warm weather, the lure of travel, if only to a nearby park or beach -- many employees, naturally, are thinking of escaping the office for time away.

For the past year, since the passage of home working legislation in the UK, employees who have been on the job at least 26 weeks have had the right to request flexible working hours.

That flexibility could take the form of working at home a day or two every week, or, especially this time of the year, it could simply mean leaving the office early on a Friday afternoon for a quick jaunt to the beach.

So far, few employees have taken advantage of the flexible hours, despite last year’s legislation. A survey by HR firm Timewise found that nearly half of the working population in the UK wants to work flexible hours but only six percent of job advertisements mention flexible hours as a job feature. It would seem, therefore, that businesses fail to understand or appreciate just how important flexible working hours are to employees.

But are IT departments ready to send employees off with their BYOD devices given all the business data those devices contain?

These days, suitcases and backpacks are not the only things that need preparing for time on the road. The average mobile worker is now carrying three mobile devices (typically a smartphone, a tablet, and laptop). It’s important for IT departments to remember that, when employees board crowded trains, hop from hotel to bus to taxi, or linger on deck chairs or in restaurants, so do their mobile devices, along with whatever business content those devices contain.

To keep those devices and their content safe, here are some security travel tips:

Education

First, educate users about the importance of mobile security and best practices for keeping BYOD devices safe. Remind them that the devices that they are carrying, if lost or stolen, give criminals a foothold in your organization.

Smartphones and tablets should be protected with PINs or passcodes. When connecting to public Wi-Fi hot spots like those in hotel lobbies and cafés, employees should make sure they are connecting to a legitimate portal, not a laptop or other device posing as one. They should be cautious, too, about downloading apps that might contain malware.

If a device does happen to be lost or stolen, the owner should let their IT department know right away, not two weeks later when they return to work.

Security

Second, the IT organization should make its own preparations by deploying an enterprise-grade mobile security solution that protects enterprise content on every device, every day, everywhere.

It should enable IT administrators and compliance officers to monitor the distribution of files and to remotely "wipe" business content from any device that goes astray. The solution should also work with whatever mobile devices employees are carrying, and it should make it easy for them to access the content they need for work without the need for struggling with slow, cumbersome VPNs.

"Secure container" technology like built-in AV scanning can protect business content on BYOD devices from mobile malware or other types of interference from personal content and apps.

There is clearly a pent-up demand for flexible working conditions. By making mobile content security a regular part of an enterprise’s BYOD environment, IT departments can help employees work securely inside the office or out, bringing a bit of summer freedom to the workday, all year round.

Keith Poyser is EMEA GM at Accellion.

Image Credit: Rawpixel / Shutterstock

Microsoft releases Cortana to Android as public beta

Publié: août 24, 2015, 6:37pm CEST par Max Nottingham

cortana__contentfullwidth

Microsoft’s Cortana is now officially available on Android. The company announced earlier this year that it would release its digital voice assistant to Android and iOS later this year. Prior to the official release, a private Android beta of Cortana leaked this July. Today the company releases a public beta client of Cortana for devices powered by Google's mobile operating system.

In case you’ve used Cortana on a Windows Phone handset before, it wouldn’t take much time to get settled with it on Android. It maintains the same interface and functionalities. In case you haven't used it before, Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Google's Google Now assistant. You can use Cortana to ask for directions, and get your queries answered, among other things.

Setting it up might take a few minutes. During the first run, it will ask you to sign in with your Microsoft account, a nickname, and ask you to agree to its terms and conditions.

Cortana is also available on the Windows 10 desktop operating system.

Cortana's Android client can be used as a companion app to its desktop counterpart. Once you've integrated both, you'll be able to see all your important phone notifications on the desktop and all of your computer's notifications on your mobile.

Cortana for Android is available for download through the Google Play Store.

Synchronize media players for group viewing with Syncplay

Publié: août 24, 2015, 6:32pm CEST par Mike Williams

Syncplay

Syncplay is a free tool which syncs media players over the web, allowing a scattered group of friends to watch videos together.

To get started you must specify a server and choose a room name, something unique which represents your group.

You’ll also need a compatible media player (VLC, mplayer2, MPC-HC and mpv are supported). If the video isn’t available on a streaming URL which your player can handle then everyone must have a local copy of the file.

VLC Media Player users might even be able to sync DVDs, but this feature is "experimental" right now.

These details may be saved for instant recall next time, though, and once you’re up and running the program is reasonably straightforward. A "Notifications" panel lists users as they connect to the server, you can start play with a click -- once everyone is ready -- and if anyone pauses the player, maybe steps back a scene or resumes, then everyone else’s playback is synced automatically.

This isn’t quite as easy to use as it should be. When choosing a server you might expect the program to display a list, for instance, but no -- you have to open a browser window at the syncplay.pl site to see what’s available.

Syncplay handles its core task well, though, and overall it’s a fun way to enjoy more social video viewing, even when your friends are scattered around the world.

Xiaomi releases MIUI 7 beta -- here's how to install it on your smartphone

Publié: août 24, 2015, 6:15pm CEST par Max Nottingham

Xiaomi today releases the highly anticipated beta of MIUI 7 global ROM. The new Android-based ROM is built on Android 5.1 Lollipop and comes with a number of notable features and improvements. If you've recently purchased a Xiaomi smartphone and need assistance with the installation of the beta ROM on your device, here's a guide to help you out.

MIUI 7 beta ROM features several themes and interesting features. Visual IVR, for instance, lets you navigate through the IVR menu without even listening to the caller. The new ROM also features Opera Max to significantly reduce the data usage.

In addition, the new Android-based build offers a claimed 10 percent increase in the battery life and a 30 percent performance boost over Xiaomi's current MIUI 6 ROM. The company says that the ROM has also become snappier, with substantially improved response time.

The MIUI 7 beta ROM is available through the company's forum and supports the following handsets: the Redmi 2, Redmi 1S, Redmi Note 3G, Redmi Note 4G, Mi 3, Mi 4, and Mi 4i.

To install the device, you will first need to download the correct version of MIUI 7 beta ROM for your device. You will need to download both the Fastboot and Recovery images.
Once you've downloaded the file (hold tight, it could take a while as the files weigh around 2GB), you need to rename the downloaded ROM file (Recovery file) into "update.zip" and transfer it to your Android device's "downloaded_ROM" folder.
Once done, launch the "Updater" app on your device and tap on the "reboot to recovery mode" option. This will boot your device to recovery mode. You can now use volume keys to navigate through the option, and the power button to confirm the change.
Choose your preferred language, and select "Install update.zip to System One", and click the option that says "Yes".
This will initiate the installation process. Sit tight, and wait for around 20 minutes while your device installs the latest Android version.

Are you enjoying the MIUI 7 beta? What's your favorite feature about this ROM? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.0 launched for Windows 10 users

Publié: août 24, 2015, 6:08pm CEST par Nick Peers

Ultimate Windows Tweaker

The Windows Club has released Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.0 for Windows 10 users. The lightweight, portable freeware tool makes it easy to tweak various aspects of Windows that usually hidden away or require access to Registry editor or Group Policy Editor.

The new release sits alongside the previous versions, Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.1.2 for Windows 8/8/1 and Ultimate Windows Tweaker 2.2, which requires Windows Vista or 7.

The latest build of Ultimate Windows Tweaker now ships with over 200 tweaks, an increase of around 20 percent on the previous Windows 8.1 release. Like its predecessors, it’s a portable tool (so requires no installation), and ships in a small 549KB zip archive.

Again, the app has been redesigned to fit in with the Windows 10 user interface, with new tweaks added, and existing ones updated or removed if no longer relevant. An additional category of tweaks has been added too, with a whole section devoted to the desktop context menu, allowing users to add their choice of additional options (including modern and built-in apps, as well as system tweaks) to the right-click menu.

Two new tabs also replace the "Additional" tab found in the previous version’s Customization section: Windows 10 and This PC. The latter makes it possible for users to add shortcuts that appear when in This PC view in File Explorer, while Windows 10 contains a series of OS-specific tweaks focused around performance and its look and feel.

The first time users launch the tool, a SmartScreen security dialog may pop up -- users should click for additional options and choose to "Run anyway". The app will now launch, and the SmartScreen dialog won’t appear in future.

Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.0 is available now as a freeware download for Windows 10 users.

As stock markets tumble, Kim Dotcom recommends Bitcoin -- again

Publié: août 24, 2015, 6:02pm CEST par Mark Wilson

bitcoin_and_benjamin

Kim Dotcom -- he of Megaupload/Mega infamy -- has been out of the headlines for a while, but he's creeping back into the public eye once again with the launch of a new music streaming service, Baboom.
However, Dotcom is not just interested in promoting his latest venture, he also has a lot to say about many aspects of the tech world.

Back when he launched file sharing site Mega, rebuilt from the rubble of Megaupload, Dotcom was a proponent of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Now he's at it again, advising people to invest in Bitcoin in the wake of the Chinese -- and then global -- stock market tumble.

Fears over China have led to European and US markets nosediving, and billions of dollars wiped off the value of companies. The likes of Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook have all taken a hit on Monday trading. While companies around the world are feeling the impact of the worst day of trading in China for a number of years, it is technology firms that are really taking the brunt of it. This is hardly surprising considering the Chinese tech market.

Black Monday has gripped the world as fears mounted about how the Chinese government intends to tackle its economic weakness. Writing on Twitter, Kim Dotcom suggests that things could be able to get a whole lot worse and points to Bitcoin as a good investment:

Is the China bubble ready to pop? A significant global stock market correction is imminent? Get some #Bitcoin. Just in case. Thank me later.

— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 24, 2015

Advice you're willing to take, or would you rather steer clear of virtual currencies?

Tim Cook took the time to write to CNBC's Mad Money presenter Jim Cramer as many have voiced concerns about what the situation in China might mean for Apple:

Apple's @tim_cook just e-mailed @jimcramer @CNBC pic.twitter.com/zzEqmDKFUK

— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) August 24, 2015

Photo credit: Lightboxx / Shutterstock

Virtual infrastructure means higher recovery costs

Publié: août 24, 2015, 5:59pm CEST par Ian Barker

cloud money cash cloud hands

Businesses may be paying a lot more to recover from security breaches if they're using virtual rather than conventional in-house infrastructures.

According to a study by Kaspersky Lab enterprises pay more than $800,000 on average to recover from a security breach involving virtual systems, which is twice as much compared to incidents involving only physical infrastructure.

The problem affects smaller businesses too. SMBs reported damage of more than $26,000 for an attack on their physical infrastructure. The involvement of virtual infrastructure in a security breach, however, drives the cost up to nearly $60,000.

The main reason behind the additional cost is that many businesses use virtual infrastructure for their most important operations. The survey finds 62 percent of companies use virtualization in some form. As a result, many organizations are likely to entrust virtual environments with critical business processes. While an attack on physical nodes leads to the temporary loss of access to business critical information in 36 percent of incidents reported, this rises to 66 percent when a breach affects virtual servers and desktops. Attacks affecting virtual environments also typically require additional third-party expertise to fix. Businesses have to request help not only from IT consultants, but may also involve also lawyers, risk management experts and others.

The survey found that 42 percent of businesses believe that security risks in virtual environments are significantly lower than in 'physical' ones. In addition, 45 percent of companies report that security management in virtual infrastructures is seen as a problem and yet only 27 percent of businesses have deployed a security solution specifically designed for virtual environments.

"Businesses expect that going virtual will drive down their IT spend and streamline their infrastructure," says Matvey Voytov, Corporate Products Group Manager at Kaspersky Lab. "However, the survey results show us that if there is not enough attention paid to security matters in the virtual environment, expenses may exceed the benefit. Our view is that businesses should use customized, virtual-aware security solutions with centralized management and reporting. The solution should have a low impact on resources, a high detection rate and the ability to spot suspicious activity right away".

The full report is available on the Kaspersky Lab site.

Photo Credit: Andy Dean Photography/Shutterstock

Screen flicker and Explorer crashes in Windows 10? Blame Norton Antivirus, iCloud, or IDT Audio

Publié: août 24, 2015, 5:58pm CEST par Mark Wilson

windows_10_screen

We've looked at many of the problems that you might experience after upgrading to Windows 10 -- from issues with audio to bothersome browsers. Some users are having problems with the explorer.exe process crashing and an annoying screen flicker. Three particular applications -- Norton Antivirus, iCloud, or IDT Audio -- have been cited as culprits, and Microsoft and Symantec have solutions.

There's no need to go as far as uninstalling Windows 10, but Microsoft does suggest that you restart your computer in Safe Mode and uninstall any of the aforementioned programs. Of course, Symantec would much rather than you continued to use Norton Antivirus, so the company has its own fix for the problem.

Actually, Symantec does agree with Microsoft to a degree. Part of the fix, as described by WinSuperSite, is to uninstall Norton Antivirus; but after running a special problem-fixing tool, the security software can be reinstalled. The company provides full details on its support pages, but in summary, you need to:

Restart Windows in Safe Mode.
Run Symantec's special fixing tool as an Administrator.
Restart Windows as normal.
Use the dedicated Norton Remove and Reinstall tool to uninstall the AV software and then reinstall it.

Have you experienced problems with these three applications -- or any others -- since installing Windows 10?

Photo credit: Suzanne Tucker / Shutterstock

The history of home automation from the beginning

Publié: août 24, 2015, 5:03pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

home automation

That's a broad topic for a headline, and one that could fill a book. It dates back much further than people think. Thanks to today's modern technology and graphics, we don't need to write that book. It's all laid out before us in a nice infographic that shows the highlights of what you need to know about how we arrived at things like Harmony, Nest, Philips Hue and more.

The concept of home automation has been around for a long time but the technology just wasn't there. Many science-fiction writers included it in stories, Ray Bradbury famously among them.

As for the remote control, you'll really need to set your time machine to "way back" mode -- think about the famous electrical genius Nikola Tesla, who first created one to control a toy boat. That was in 1898, in the days he was competing with Edison to figure these things out.

There were many more advances after that, but things moved slowly. Technology had to catch up to ideas and the phrase Smart Home finally came around in 1984, ironically enough (the year, not the book).

It all leads us to today, and a world where I can tell Amazon Echo to turn off my light and it will do so...usually. I didn't say things were perfect.

Graphic courtesy of Alarm Traders Direct

Alarm Traders Direct home automation systems
offer a range of home automation products from the LightwaveRF range including lighting, heating, dimmers, light switches, remote controls and the
Lightwave link from Alarm Traders.
Infographic designed by
Reflect Digital

Photo Credit: bergserg/ Shutterstock

How to completely remove OneDrive from Windows 10

Publié: août 24, 2015, 4:49pm CEST par Wayne Williams

No OneDrive Windows 10

OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service, is heavily integrated into Windows 10. We've already explained how you can remove the OneDrive entry from File Explorer, but what if you don’t want the service in your new OS at all?

You can disable or uninstall it completely by following these simple steps. This will remove it from File Explorer, and everywhere else.

There is a catch though, and that’s to disable OneDrive you need to use the Group Policy Editor and that tool is only available in the Professional, Enterprise and Education editions of the OS. It isn't in Windows 10 Home.

To launch the Group Policy Editor, click Start and type gpedit.msc. Go to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive. Then enable Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage.

You can uninstall OneDrive through the Command Prompt. Right-click the Start button and select Command Prompt (Admin). Terminate any running OneDrive processes by typing taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe. Hit enter.

If you’re using the 32-bit version of Windows 10 type:

%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

Or, if you’re using the 64-bit edition, type:

%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

There’s no confirmation that this has successfully removed OneDrive from Windows 10, but you’ll find the app will no longer be available (your OneDrive files and folders will still exist however).

There’s also a third-party tool you can use to uninstall OneDrive if you want the simplest method. It’s available here.

You can reinstall OneDrive at any point in the future by going to %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\ in File Explorer and running the OneDriveSetup.exe.

What to consider before cutting the cord

Publié: août 24, 2015, 4:39pm CEST par Peter Davidson

cord-cutting

Today’s technologically advanced society offers consumers a multitude of ways to view their favorite programming. The most common and traditional way of watching the news, entertainment, sporting events and many other types of programming is of course through your cable television package.

However, every day, thousands of consumers are figuratively cutting the cable cord and choosing another less expensive and more convenient option: Internet TV.

Internet TV and apps that offer live TV streaming can be less expensive than costly cable TV packages, and there are other benefits as well that make such an option attractive to those fed up with paying high monthly cable bills. If you have been thinking about cutting the cable cord, or if you would like to know more about Internet TV and why online TV streaming is getting popular, then consider these important factors, so that you can make a more informed choice.

The More Programming You Wish to Watch, the More Expensive Cable Can Be

This is one consideration you are probably already aware of. Basic cable is offered at one monthly price, but if you wish to add additional channels, such as movie channels or sports channels, then you will have to pay additional fees each month.

On the other hand, many Internet TV streaming services let you watch live Internet TV channels for free. You will, of course, pay a monthly fee for other types of TV streaming, but the cost is typically a great deal less than any cable service, and sometimes you’ll find that an Internet TV service offers more exclusive programming and special events than your cable TV does. It is important that you research any streaming service first, so that you can compare the costs and programming options.

Internet TV Lets You Watch Anywhere on Your Mobile Device, Smart TV, Computer or Laptop

With many live events, such as sports events, you needed to be home to watch the game. But with Internet TV, gone are the days of having to rush home to watch the game, lamenting over great plays you might have missed, or trying hard not to hear the outcome of a game until you have had time to watch what you recorded on your DVR.

With Internet TV and live TV streaming, you can be sure to be able to catch that big game at any time, so long as you have a device with you capable of streaming the video. If you are a big sports fan, you’ll definitely want to look for a streaming service that offers a lot of the major sporting events and networks.

Do You Have a Strong Internet Connection?

Before you engage in cord cutting and make the switch to Internet TV, you’ll want to be sure you have a strong Internet connection. Excellent, consistent bandwidth is required in order to ensure that all streaming runs smoothly, without annoying buffering interruptions or lagging video.

If you plan on streaming video that is high bandwidth you may want to upgrade your Internet connection. Additionally, you don’t want an Internet package that charges you according to your data usage. Video streaming uses up a lot of data, so an unlimited data plan is definitely the best way to go.

Is One Internet TV App Enough?

If you want to watch specific programming, you may need to use different streaming services. For example, if you like some of the shows exclusive to HBO, you’ll of course want the HBO app, and if you like streaming movies, you want to choose Netflix.

But there are also plenty of services that offer a large combination of live TV channels, movies, and many other types of programming, which will save you an ample amount of money as well as be more convenient.

Less Equipment Needed

With cable, you need your TV, along with a cable box, remote, and cable cords, and possibly a DVR. With Internet TV, all you need is an app and a source for viewing the video, such as a tablet. This saves money as well as space, because most cable companies also charge a monthly fee for the use of their equipment in addition to the cable package price.

Additionally, equipment such as cable boxes are often prone to malfunction, which can be infuriating if it happens often. But with Internet TV, so long as you have a strong Internet connection, there should be no issues.

Have you already made the move to Internet TV or are you thinking about doing so in the future? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with Internet TV so that others can become more informed.

Image Credit: zimmytws / Shutterstock

Network Inventory Advisor is a one-stop auditor for PCs and Macs

Publié: août 24, 2015, 4:27pm CEST par Mike Williams

Network Inventory Advisor

Managing one computer can be difficult, but connect a few systems in a network and your problems rapidly multiply.

Network Inventory Advisor is a professional tool which can help by providing detailed reports on all Windows, Mac and Linux computers, along with other network devices. It’s free for small networks of up to 10 nodes, and licenses for larger setups start from $89.

The program doesn’t require any agents to be installed on the remote systems, and as long as you’ve an account with administrator experience on each computer, doesn’t need any particular network expertise. You don’t even have to specify an IP address range, just accept the Enumeration Wizard’s defaults and Network Inventory Advisor will scan each of your systems.

The end results are displayed in a "Network Structure tree", and clicking any of the computers and devices displays more information.

We found the program displayed plenty of hardware details on our test Windows systems: CPU, motherboard, RAM, drives (including free and used space), video and network devices, graphics, sound, printer and more.

There’s also IP and MAC address, assorted Windows details (version, service pack, installed patches, user accounts) and a full inventory of your software, including installed applications, some product keys, Windows startup programs and more.

It’s a powerful tool, and these initial reports are just the start. Run another scan some time later -- a day, a week, a month -- and the program highlights anything that’s changed. You can then scan just those (hopefully) few lines, making it much easier to pick up on any potential problems.

Network Inventory Advisor is a shareware network audit tool, free for small networks, and available for Windows and Mac.

Is Netflix changing how we watch TV forever?

Publié: août 24, 2015, 3:46pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Netflix

The media landscape has been changing at an increasing rate. It's not something that cable and satellite providers wish to face, because it pushes out the most lucrative part of the business in favor of making them an ISP. As it is, Netflix has had to pay off Comcast, something John Oliver likened to a mob shakedown.

So how much is a service like Netflix changing TV habits? Obviously there's a variety of on-demand entertainment available from it. There's also an increasing amount of original content, some of which has been nominated for, and actually won, awards.

The number of Netflix subscribers is growing steadily each year, with 2015 being the largest so far. So too is the amount of original content, causing Frame Your TV to ask "is this the death of the network?"

The most popular device to watch Netflix on seems to be PlayStation 3, followed by Xbox 360 and then a PC. That's a bit surprising given the success of Roku 3, Fire TV and Chromecast. Surprising, but not a total shock.

Binge watching, likewise, brings in viewers. You can watch an entire season of a show in a day or two -- providing you have the time, of course.

You can check out all the stats from Frame Your TV in infographic form below.

Netflix-Effect-Frame-Your-TV-Infographic

How to view and delete your browsing history in Microsoft Edge

Publié: août 24, 2015, 2:31pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Edge history

If you’re used to using Firefox or Chrome (or Internet Explorer for that matter), switching to Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 can be a little confusing at first, as it’s not always obvious how to do relatively straightforward tasks in the new browser.

We've already shown you how to change Microsoft Edge's default download folder, and also how to change the default search engine (one of our most frequently asked questions). But how do you access your browsing history in Edge?

It’s actually very straightforward. Tap on the Hub button at the top (three lines) and click on the clock icon. The standard keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+H works in Edge too.

You can browse your history, and wipe it entirely by clicking the Clear all history link at the top. You’ll be given the option to remove Browsing history, Cookies and saved website data, and Cached data and files (all three are selected by default), as well as optionally clear Download history, Form data, and Passwords. Click 'Show more' and you’ll also be able to clear Media licenses, Pop-up exceptions, Location permissions, Full screen permissions and Compatibility permissions.

If you just want to clear select entries (searches for birthday presents or porn, perhaps), click the x next to the items you want to remove.

Summing up BYOD advantages, disadvantages and alternatives

Publié: août 24, 2015, 2:11pm CEST par Barclay Ballard

business mobile

Bring your own device, or BYOD, is certainly something that businesses can no longer afford to ignore. By 2017, Gartner predicts that half of all employers will require staff to provide their own work devices.

But before organizations ultimately decide to embrace or reject BYOD, they must be aware of the advantages and disadvantages at the heart of this mobile dilemma.

The benefits of BYOD are well documented. By using their own devices, employees gain a greater sense of autonomy and responsibility, which in turn manifests itself as better staff morale. Bring your own device policies also give employees greater flexibility by enabling them to choose their own smartphone and mean they are likely to be contactable and productive even when away from the office. Already stretched IT budgets will also save themselves significant sums by not having to purchase smartphones for employees and avoiding maintenance costs.

However, BYOD also poses challenges, chiefly that it is difficult for businesses to retain control of their own data when they do not own the devices on which it is stored. Enforcing password security and robust firewall protection is also difficult when employees can purchase and manage their own devices. If a personal device is lost or stolen, the potentially sensitive business information stored within it is also at risk.

However, there are options available to IT leaders wishing to implement BYOD without compromising their company’s security. Firstly, there are BYOD variations that might be more suitable, including CYOD (choose your own device) and COPE (corporate owned, personally enabled).

Both of these options place restrictions on the devices that employees can use for work, giving the business greater control, but still allow staff a degree of mobility. Mobile device management (MDM) software is another possibility, as it enables firms to oversee the movement and storage of company data and software.

Overall, it’s up to each business to assess the risks and benefits of BYOD before deciding whether or not to implement it.

Image Credit: Syda Productions / Shutterstock

LG announces G Pad II 10.1 tablet

Publié: août 24, 2015, 1:07pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

LG G Pad II 10.1

LG is slowly refreshing its Android tablet line, announcing today the successor to last year's G Pad 10.1. The new G Pad II 10.1, as it is called, is generally better across the board, featuring a higher-quality screen, faster internals and a price tag that is just as attractive.

There are a couple of standout features on G Pad II 10.1. It comes with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box, which is the latest version of the operating system available at this time. LG has teamed up with Microsoft, pre-loading the latter's Office suite on the tablet. Also part of the partnership is 100 GB of OneDrive storage offered for free to users of G Pad II 10.1 for two years. And, for those who want to use a G Pad II 10.1 hooked up to a mobile network, there is a 4G LTE model.

"Customers asked for a large display, bigger battery and faster performance all without raising the price. The G Pad II delivers on all counts", says LG Mobile's Chris Yie. Last year's G Pad 10.1 can be had for $223.99 on Amazon, down $50 from its original $279.99 asking price, and it looks like G Pad II 10.1 is likely to cost sub-$300 when it goes on sale. For the money, it's very well equipped.

G Pad II 10.1 comes with a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,200, and is powered by a 2.26 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, backed by 2 GB of RAM and a 7,400 mAh battery. None of those specs are going to impress those who shop in the premium segment, but they are still more than adequate for a high-end tablet.

The tablet offers 16 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot to extend the capacity. On the back, it features a 5 MP camera, while a 2 MP shooter is on the front. There is Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac support, and the 4G LTE model supports Cat. 4 networks which means download speeds of up to 150 Mbps over mobile operator networks.

It measures 254.3 x 161.1 x 7.8 mm and 489 grams. There is only one color option, and that is Brilliant Bronze. G Pad II 10.1 will be available in "key markets" across North America, Europe and Asia. There is no word yet on its release date, as this information will be revealed at its "official" unveiling at IFA 2015, in Berlin, early next month.

Censoring transparency: Twitter denies Politwoops access to API

Publié: août 24, 2015, 12:46pm CEST par Mark Wilson

twitter_censorship

Twitter has blocked Politwoops from using its API, effectively killing the service that archived and published tweets deleted by politicians. Politwoops has a number of international sites, each concerned with the politicians of different countries and it monitored the account of prominent politicians for deleted tweets before publishing them for all to see.

The US version of the service was denied API access earlier in the year, but over the weekend Twitter extended the ban to a further 30 Politwoops accounts. The tweets deleted by those in politics are often far more telling and revealing than those that remain in place, and this was the reason for Politwoops existence. Not for the first time, Twitter has entered the political arena, indicating that it views the deletion decisions of elected politicians as more important than the right of the electorate to see tweets that have been self-censored.

Open State Foundation, the group behind all of the accounts, reports that it was contacted by Twitter and informed that its API access was being revoked following "thoughtful internal deliberation and close consideration of a number of factors". Used by journalists the world over, Politwoops prides itself on helping to increase the transparency of politicians and what they say.

Open State Foundation's director Arjan El Fassed says that it is important for people to be able to see precisely what has been tweeted by politicians:

What elected politicians publicly say is a matter of public record. Even when tweets are deleted, it's part of parliamentary history. These tweets were once posted and later deleted. What politicians say in public should be available to anyone. This is not about typos but it is a unique insight on how messages from elected politicians can change without notice.

Twitter has defended the move saying:

Imagine how nerve-racking -- terrifying, even -- tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable? No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice.

Open State Foundation says that it will explore what other options are available to help it keep the electorate informed.

How to make Windows 10's UAC prompts less obtrusive

Publié: août 24, 2015, 12:17pm CEST par Wayne Williams

UAC

User Account Control (UAC) has been part of Windows since Vista. When it was first introduced it was incredibly annoying, but over the years Microsoft has tamed it a little to the point where it only springs into action when it has to. Most of us don’t really pay too much attention when the prompts pop up now.

However, they can still be rather obtrusive at times. Try to launch regedit in Windows 10, for example, and you’ll be presented with a full screen UAC prompt that temporarily prevents you from doing anything else until you've clicked it away. This is the most annoying aspect of UAC, but the good news is you can stop the prompts from taking over your PC in this way.

The following trick doesn't disable UAC, you’ll still need to click the prompts when they appear, but what it does do is disable the dimming of the screen, allowing you to continue using your PC.

Go to Start, type Control Panel and hit enter. Select User Accounts and again in the next window. Click the Change User Account Control settings link at the bottom. Move the slider from Notify me only when applications try to make changes to my computer (default) to Notify me only when applications try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop). Click OK and accept the UAC prompt that appears.

The best enterprise firewalls based on user reviews [Infographic]

Publié: août 24, 2015, 11:22am CEST par Sam Pudwell

Security Lock Circuit

A good firewall will keep your company’s and customers’ private information secure in order to prevent issues such as identity theft, hackers and viruses by shutting off access to your network where necessary.

With recent data breaches like that of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and at Harvard, firewalls are gaining increasing importance in business.

IT Central Station, a crowdsourced platform for unbiased enterprise tech reviews, recently announced its top ten enterprise firewalls based on data from over 85,000 views from 2014 to Q1 2015. IT Central Station is a trusted vendor neutral site that helps keep users informed in order to help them make the best buying decisions for their company.

They additionally use a triple verification process including community policing, interviews, and LinkedIn to promote transparency and ensure the validity of reviews. Currently, there are 252 postings on firewalls on the site, with 1,546 followers, and so far this month, FireEye has been trending up based on member views.

In the below infographic, users on the site distinguished Fortinet FortiGate as the best overall firewall, followed by Cisco ASA and pfSense. Others in the top ten include Cyberoam UTM, FireEye, WatchGuard XTM, and Sophos UTM, as well as Check Point VSX, Juniper SRX, and Cisco Sourcefire Firewalls. Even though FireEye came in fifth, it was given a 9.8 ranking by users, making it the highest rated firewall.

FireEye is followed by Cyberoam and ptSense, rated 9.2 and 8.8 respectively. Meanwhile, WatchGuard has the most active customers, receiving 18 reviews, and is followed by Cisco, with 16 reviews. Meanwhile, Fortinet far outstripped its competitors in terms of views, with 23,615 page views, well over 1.5 times its nearest competitor, Cisco.

Fortinet and Cisco again lead the way in terms of followers, but Palo Alto Networks WildFire comes in as a close second, with 726 followers.

Top enterprise firewalls of 2015

Photo Credit: wk1003mike/Shutterstock

Windows 95 launched 20 years ago today and changed the world

Publié: août 24, 2015, 10:14am CEST par Wayne Williams

Windows 95 launch

I first started writing about computers for a living in 1993, when I joined a UK magazine called PC Home. Back then we used Windows 3.11 and MS-DOS, and much of our online life was spent on CompuServe, although the World Wide Web (and the "information superhighway") was slowly starting to make its presence felt.

After I’d been in the job for a couple of years, Microsoft announced a new version of its OS: Windows 95. The launch event was held on a 12-acre sports field in Redmond. Over 500 press representatives attended, along with 2,000 computer industry heavyweights. Over 70,000 others watched live worldwide via satellite television feeds. The new OS was hugely different to 3.11 -- being 32-bit for starters, integrating DOS and Windows and boasting a smart new look that included a desktop, taskbar and Start button. And I absolutely hated it.

I wasn’t alone. For the first few months after its arrival only one person in our office used Windows 95 as his primary operating system and the rest of us used his computer when we wanted to write something about it. Other tech journalists I spoke to weren't that keen either.

Fortunately for Microsoft, consumers were far less reticent to try something different -- Windows 95 sold some seven million copies in the first five weeks, buoyed by the multimillion-dollar hype (Microsoft spent an estimated $300 million promoting the OS, which included some $12 million for the rights to use the opening chords of the Rolling Stones song "Start Me Up" as its theme tune).

I eventually made the switch to Windows 95, begrudgingly, but I soon embraced it, learned to love it, and I’ve liked every version of Windows since, even -- albeit to a lesser degree -- the much maligned Windows 8.

Looking back to 1995/96 I find it amazing, stupid, crazy that I clung on to Windows 3.11 as doggedly for as long as I did. Preferring to type commands into DOS instead of using menus in a GUI. I can’t see what possible reason I had for resisting change, avoiding making such an obvious upgrade, even though it must have been very clear to my youthful self back in the day. I'm sure there are people clinging onto Windows 7 instead of opting to upgrade, for free, to Windows 10 right now, and who in years to come, will wonder what took them so long to make the switch (although Windows 10 is far from revolutionary, as Windows 95 was back then).

What's your first memory of Windows 95?