Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » novembre 6, 2015

BetaNews.Com (15 non lus)

HTC One A9 is the iPhone 6s for Android

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 11:39pm CET par Joe Wilcox

Without even turning on the HTC One A9 (which I haven't yet), the physical similarities with iPhone 6/6s are unmistakable. The smartphones share striking design ethic, separated by the shape of the home-button fingerprint sensor, placement of the rear-facing camera, and left-side SIM and microSD card slots. But these differences aren't immediately obvious.

My question: Is this the Android for people wanting the iPhone 6s look but something more flexible than the iOS platform? If there is truth in marketing, HTC's tag lines reveal much: "Design worth imitating", which while referring the company's One legacy also could be interpreted as backhanded praise or even fist-to-snub about Apple's device, which some could argue imitates earlier One models. "Power to choose"—customization and personalization options not offered on fruit-logo handsets.

HTC takes bold strides, which may or may not succeed. I watch with interest. The A9 ships with Android 6 Marshmallow. One of the big benefits: The OS can treat microSD cards as extended, integrated storage. While the handset ships with only 32GB storage, it is truly, seamlessly extendable to 2TB. You read rightly: terabytes.

Price is another benefit: $399 for a limited time before going up to $499. iPhone 6s with twice the storage capacity sells for $749—both phones unlocked and contract-free. Two-year old iPhone 5s sells for $50 more than the A9 at the promotional price. Android buyers get similar design ethic, with expandable storage, Marshmallow, and other benefits for considerably less cash out of their pockets.

Again, it's gutsy but also risky. HTC struggles right now. During calendar third quarter 2015 the company lost $139 million on revenue of $660 million. Gross margin: 18 percent. By comparison, Apple revenue reached $51.5 billion with net profit of $8.5 billion. iPhone generated 62.5 percent of total sales. Gross margin: 39.9 percent.

There is great risk selling a high-end phone for so little, direct, and without massive supporting retail channel. The strategy means tighter margins that only pays off if HTC gobbles up market share.

How high end? Specs: 5-inch 1080p LCD display; 1.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Octa-core processor; 3GB RAM; 32GB storage, expandable to 2TB via microSD card; 13-megapixel f/2 rear camera and UltraPixel on the front.

By comparison, the similar looking iPhone 6s: 4.7-inch LCD display (1334 x 750 resolution); Apple A9 chip; 16, 64, or 128GB storage (depending on model) and non-expandable; 12MP f/2.2 front and 5MP f/2.2 front cameras.

The A9 measures 145.75 x 70.8. x 7.26 mm, and the 6s is 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm. Both weigh 143 grams. Say, is it coincidence, that HTC chose A9, which is same name as Apple's processor, for such a physically imitative smartphone? Depending on who copies whom.

By first impression, and again without yet powering up, the new HTC One feels much better in the hand than iPhone 6s. Physical balance is fantastic. While both enclosures are made of aluminum and use rounded rather than flat bevel, they don't share the same design problem. I find either the 6 or 6s to be too slippery, which is what I expected from the A9. But in carelessly fumbling the HTC around, that's not the case. I get better grip on the One than the iPhone.

I will start seriously using HTC One A9 over the weekend ahead of writing my full review. But that's my out-of-the-box fast, first impression.

Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox
People care more about hacker attacks than break-ins

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 10:38pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

People feel more violated when someone hacks into their computer, than when someone breaks into their house, a new research has shown.

The research, done by American multinational software Citrix, polled 2,000 full-time workers in the UK about hacking and private files they keep on their computers. The poll shows that 48 percent of young people, aged 16 to 24 have more than one private file on their computers which they want to remain secret.

Almost half (45 percent) would feel more violated by the thought of someone hacking in and stealing their personal information and files than a stranger breaking into their home.

"The fact that younger generations are willing to store a large amount of personal, and often secret, data online could cause severe security concerns around sensitive corporate data as this age group enters the workplace over the coming years", the follow-up press release states.

Older users are not so keen on putting sensitive data online -- among those aged 55 and above, only 16 percent would do so.

The increasing awareness around the risks and consequences of data theft is more acute in London than any other region, with more Londoners (49 percent) finding data theft a more serious concern than somebody breaking into their home (44 percent).

The research also revealed that one in four (25 percent) of 16 to 24-year-olds keep all of their passwords in one file on their computer or mobile device. As a result, just one instance of data theft could in fact make all of their accounts and folders vulnerable to attackers.

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

credit: Blazej Lyjak/Shutterstock
Pebble doesn't see Apple Watch as a threat -- sales double year-over-year

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 7:21pm CET par Phoebe Jennelyn Magdirila

Pebble, one of the first tech firms that jumped into the smartwatch foray via a Kickstarter campaign, has been unaffected by the competition brought by the Apple Watch, says the company CEO Eric Migicovsky.

Migicovsky revealed that the company’s sales has improved, which experienced a double year-over-year growth. Apple Watch had "no material impact" on the company, Migicovsky claimed, adding that this is due to the difference in the market the companies tap.

He said that since Pebble targets the mass market, while Apple targets the high-end market and is focused on "being the Rolex or the Tag [Heuer]", the two smartwatch makers have no overlap.

"We are building something that’s fun, a little bit more colorful. It’s affordable. At the core, it’s just a different type of watch", Migicovsky explained. If there is something Apple has done, it is bringing "a ton of attention to this [smartwatch] space".

Pebble recently launched the Time, the company’s first wearable with color screens since it launched in 2012. Another wearables maker, Fitbit, also said that it is not affected by the presence of Apple Watch in the market also due to the different markets it taps.

The smartwatch market remains at its nascent stage, with only three percent of the adult US population owning one, recent research by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech revealed.

Such premise brings lot of potential for more smartwatch developers to enter the market in the future.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Christmas is coming -- Google Maps and Search get holiday hours

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 6:33pm CET par Brian Fagioli

I hate leaving the house. Don't get me wrong, I love nature and fresh air, but my fellow humans can be sort of annoying. A trip to Walmart, or a mall, can be the most soul-crushing experience -- fewer people have manners nowadays. In other words, many shoppers do not know how to properly behave in public. This is why I try and do all my shopping online.

If you are a glutton for punishment, maybe you enjoy shopping in brick and mortar stores. With Christmas -- and other holidays -- approaching, many stores will have special hours, both shortened and extended. Now Google is making it easier to see these special holiday hours.

"Ever trekked all the way to your favorite restaurant just to realize it’s closed for the holidays? Well, we have. Now Google Maps and Google Search will help you avoid that common holiday mistake. We've added holiday hours to Maps and Search, so when you search for a business and a major holiday is within the next seven days, you'll see whether the business has a special holiday schedule. Not only will you avoid showing up to find the doors locked, but you'll save time by not having to call the business or check the website for hours", says Jonathan Sidi, Product Manager, Google Maps and Local Search.

Sidi further says, "we've got you covered pretty much everywhere you search and anywhere you go. Because holiday hours and warnings are available globally, if you happen to be celebrating Boxing Day in the UK or New Year’s Eve in Sweden, you’ll see info specific to the country you're in".

Under protest, I will surely visit some stores in person this holiday season -- potentially even on Black Friday if an exceptional deal presents itself. With that said, I will take advantage of this Google feature if I do. I use both Maps and Search regularly, so I will likely stumble upon it organically.

Will you leverage this new feature in Google Maps and Search this holiday season? Tell me in the comments.
How many users are actually paying for Dropbox?

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 6:31pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

Stat attack: Dropbox has more than 400 million users worldwide. Out of that number, some 8 million are business users.

From those 8 million, there are more than 150,000 paying ones. Those are the numbers given by the company’s chief executive officer Drew Houston, during the Dropbox Open conference, held in San Francisco yesterday.

The company had 130,000 paying customers just a few months ago.

"We have added 50,000 paying business customers in the past 10 months", Houston said.

He also discussed the competition, without actually saying the company’s name. "We’ve added more paying business customers than they have in their lifetime, think about that", Houston said. VentureBeat believes he was actually talking about the publicly traded Box.

Dropbox’s unnamed "competitor" is facing a "challenge", Houston said, because it doesn’t "have that kind of bottoms-up adoption. It’s a lot harder for them to get customers".

During the conference Dropbox also announced the launch of Dropbox Enterprise, a tier of service that builds on Dropbox Business and is leaning toward the biggest businesses.

Dropbox Enterprise provides the same core security features, admin capabilities, and modern collaboration tools as Dropbox Business -- plus new deployment tools, advanced controls, and services and support designed specifically for large organizations.

With Dropbox Enterprise, IT can give employees the Dropbox they love while getting the advanced capabilities they need to effectively manage tens of thousands of users, protect company data, and get the most from the investment.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
ProtonMail sets a dangerous precedent and opens itself up to further attacks by paying ransom

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 6:07pm CET par Mark Wilson

In the world of malware, one of the most recent trends is ransomware -- malicious software that either blocks access to a computer until a fee is paid, or files are encrypted until a ransom is put forward. As with ransomware and kidnapping, a ransom is often demanded by hackers and instigators of DDoS attacks.

This is precisely what happened to 'secure' email provider ProtonMail the other day when it found its datacenter inundated with traffic. At the time, the company asked for donations to cover the costs of the "quite expensive solutions" needed to fight back against "the sophistication of this attack". But rather than fighting back, ProtonMail decided to pay the ransom instead. This could prove to be a terrible mistake.

When asked to pay a ransom, there is more than an element of trust involved. In this instance, ProtonMail was told that unless it paid a 15 bitcoin ransom, it would be attacked. Sure enough, a barrage of attacks followed. ProtonMail promised to fight back and gathered funds to do so. But then the Swiss company buckled. It 'grudgingly' coughed up the money (just under $6,000) and hoped that would be the end of it.

But it wasn't.

The attacks continued meaning that ProtonMail had parted with money for no reason. And this is very real danger facing any technology firm held to ransom; it's very much a case of Sophie's choice. Opt not to pay up and you run the risk of sustained attack. Pay up and you have no guarantees that the attacks won't continue, nor that more money will be demanded. In fact, stump up the dough and a dangerous precedent is set. It marks the company out as weak and willing to bend: the perfect target for any group looking to make a quick buck.

The BBC reveals that the attack appears to have been carried out by Armada Collective, a Swiss group responsible for numerous other online attacks. It seems that ProtonMail now regrets its decisions to pay the ransom. The company says it would advise anyone else against doing so. It is now trying to raise money to pay more than $100,000 for DDoS protection from a commercial security firm.

Our ISP came under renewed DDoS attack this morning so we are offline again. We need your help to fight this: [https:]

— ProtonMail (@ProtonMail) November 6, 2015

But this is a route that is certainly not open to everyone -- and at this stage it's not clear whether it's really a viable option for ProtonMail either. The problem of ransom demands places companies in a real dilemma, and the problem with paying up is that you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.

Photo credit: Robynrg / Shutterstock
Samsung takes on Roomba with its own robotic vacuum

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 5:08pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Don't feel like cleaning? That's where robotics take over. The "creatures", like home automation, are a growing segment of today's tech market. After all, who wants to vacuum or get up to turn lights on or off? Yes, we're an increasingly lazy species.

Samsung is rolling out, so to speak, an automated vacuum cleaner to rival the long-standing king, Roomba. The company wanted to push the product out in time for the holiday shopping season, stating that customers need to get ready for, and clean up after, the parties. It states that "In fact, a recent survey found that almost one-third of consumers said they stress about cleaning the floors and rugs when they think about holiday entertaining".

The new device is called POWERbot Essential and it isn't the company's first foray into this market. It's actually a lower priced alternative to its big brother, the POWERbot. Samsung claims it offers ten times more cleaning power than its sibling and the device also touts an enhanced digital camera that maps your home so it can find its way around.

"Consumers are looking for effective shortcuts to help keep sanity intact during the holidays, and Samsung’s new POWERbot Essential is the ideal cleaning partner for homeowners who want to find the most convenient way to keep their floors clean without taking time away from other tasks", says John Herrington, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Home Appliances at Samsung Electronics America. "With POWERbot Essential, Samsung delivers yet another practical innovation to help solve consumers’ everyday cleaning concerns. Consumers can now look forward to less cleaning-related stress this holiday season by putting Samsung’s latest robot vac to work for them".

The device is available now for $699, which isn't cheap, but it does mean you can sit on the couch and witness your house being cleaned around you.
Marshmallow running on 0.3 percent of Android devices

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 5:02pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Since a new version of Android is initially available only on a handful of devices, most of which feature a Nexus logo on the back, you can expect its market share to be extremely low in the first few months following its release. Lollipop, for instance, needed over two months to break past the 0.1 percent barrier -- and we are only talking about Android land here.

The latest version of Android, however, is already proving to be way more successful. In just a month, Marshmallow has reached 0.3 percent of Android devices. This adoption figure comes from Google's Android distribution share chart, which was just updated with data collected in the seven days ending November 2.

With 0.3 percent share, Marshmallow has made its debut in the charts in penultimate place, ahead of Froyo (2.2), but behind distributions like Gingerbread (2.3.x) and Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x) which continue to run on 3.8 percent and 3.3 percent of Android devices, respectively.

The king of Android is version 4.4 KitKat, which has a share of 37.8 percent. In second place is the first Lollipop incarnation (5.) with 15.5 percent share. Third place is claimed by the second major Jelly Bean release (4.2.x) with 13.9 share.

It is interesting to see that, even though Lollipop as a whole has a 25.6 percent share, the most up-to-date version (5.1) only runs on 10.1 percent of Android devices. The second major Lollipop release saw the light of day in the first quarter of the year.

Much of how the landscape may change in the next couple of months will depend on software updates. As Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the version to have, manufacturers will chose it over, say, the second Lollipop iteration as the base for upcoming software updates. This means that we can expect Marshmallow to receive a healthy boost in share in the months to follow.

Of course, we should not dismiss the importance of any of the upcoming flagships from the likes of Samsung, which are typically introduced in the first quarter of the year. Galaxy S6's successor, for instance, is very likely to ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

With under two months to go before the end of the year, the Android landscape looks pretty much as you would expect it to. All that is new struggles, while old distributions thrive. There is something else worth noting, and that is that right now we are looking at 10 different Android distributions -- each represented by its own API release -- in the chart, making it more crowded than ever. And, as far as developers are concerned, things will not get any simpler anytime soon.
My OS X El Capitan and Windows 10 upgrade woes

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 2:23pm CET par Ian Trump

What’s the next step after an operating system upgrade on a Mac or PC? To see if you can work with your existing applications. When moving to OS X El Capitan and Windows 10 I got off to a rough start, which left me frustrated.

Let’s address the El Capitan problems first. Did the upgrade install? Yes! Was I able to work? Nope.

I consider Office 2011, specifically Outlook 2011, a basic requirement for my work. Post upgrade to El Capitan, Outlook 2011 is crashing, hard -- no email for me and no ETA on a fix from Microsoft.

What makes me incredulous is this statement in Apple's release notes: "After months of beta testing with developers and with public users we are releasing [...]". So, in months of beta testing no one tried Office 2011?

I’m an MSDN subscriber so my first instinct was to upgrade to Mac Office Pro Plus 2016. With key code in hand and downloading the .pkg file, I’m thinking the end is in sight and I’ll be back in email action shortly.

Wrong. "We know that some users of Office 2016 for Mac are experiencing issues as a result of upgrading to Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan. We are actively working with Apple towards resolution".

At this point I’ve lowered my expectations of "working". Outlook 2011 was completely non-functional, so I would settle with less broken at this point. Download, install and migrate the existing Outlook 2011 identity DB to 2016 -- that took forever.

But finally, yes. Outlook opens! I see my mail... but wait. "Activate License to go online, you can use Outlook 2016 in offline mode, Word is view only" -- what in all Hades is now going on? What is this fresh new Hell?

Turns out I’m an E1. That’s not a US Military Rank, it's what Enterprise Office 365 Subscription I have. Turns out you need E3 or better to actually have "rights" to a physical install of the software on your machine -- this includes Macs -- despite having a legitimate install code for the software, apparently that has to line up against your "E > 3" subscription.

It would appear you can’t do Office 2016 for Mac without an Office 365 subscription that gives you physical rights to the software install on your machine. Upgraded the subscription and all of a sudden my Office 2016 Pro Plus for Mac was back in business. E3 is $12 a month more than E1.

In the process, I called MS support (transferred across three departments) because I started a free trial and thought I had purchased (accidentally) 25 licenses of E3 -- an increase of several hundred dollars per month in invoicing. I just need one license to get my Outlook 2016 working again. I’m already in trouble for a near $1,000-dollar cell phone bill from being on the road for seven weeks.

I also mentioned upgrading to Windows 10, so here is that story.

I’m like a ferret on crystal meth when it comes to my email. I use my smartphone to read and delete email, but when carefully crafting a potentially career-ending response, it’s important to not misspell words like "Analyst". So, a bigger keyboard is essential.

When I requested a key for Office 2016 Professional Plus I got some sort of error with a reference number and did not want to download something I could not license, so I downloaded Office 2013, got a license key and installed and... wait, what now?

The same requirement to go online and license against an Office 365 subscription, but this time in very small font were found these magical words: "use key code instead". I input the key code and hey, presto, my email on a budget Lenovo Thinkpad is up and running. The Windows 10 Office 2013 experience was less traumatic than the El Capitan upgrade on my current generation Mac Mini.

The moral of this story is to beware of vendors bearing gifts of free operating system upgrades. I didn’t follow my own advice, which is to monitor social media to find about any problems with the upgrade. I'm equally disappointed in Apple for not doing more rigorous testing and Microsoft’s lack of enthusiasm for supplying a quick fix.

Both corporations had months to address these problems. With all the emphasis on "new", "better", and "shiny", I plunged down the latest and greatest hole and am digging myself out.

Ian Trump is security lead at LogicNow. Trump serves as a board member of the Canadian Cyber Defense Challenge and IC2.

Image Credit: Syda Productions/Shutterstock
Best Windows apps this week

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 2:01pm CET par Martin Brinkmann
One-hundred and fifty-three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x/10 in the past seven days.

This week saw a surprisingly large number of applications and only a handful of games worth mentioning. If you followed the Best Windows Apps of the Week series you know that this is not often the case as games tend to dominate the Windows Store.

Disney Infinity 3.0 is without doubt one of the largest applications yet in Windows Store -- it's nearly 30 GB in size. It is my app of the week but if you are not interested in games, you may find applications like BBC Store, Sygic GPS Navigation, or mTalk more to your taste.

As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.
Discounts This Week
Red Stripe Deals are back. Microsoft added them to the new Windows 10 Store. You find them listed under Collections when you open the store.
- Quarto, a puzzle game for $1.49
- DjVu for Windows, a DjVu and PDF reader for $2.99
- Game of Clowns, an action game for $0.99
- Train Sim, a train simulation game for $0.99
- Tiny Empire Premium, a strategy game for $0.99
- Troubles' Land, a jump and run game for $0.99
Best app of the week

Disney Infinity 3.0

Probably the largest game yet on Windows Store with a size of nearly 30 GB.

Disney Infinity is a sandbox video game that combines physical toys with story-driven game play in the Disney universe.

The game features so-called play sets which are pre-created campaigns based on popular Disney brands such as Star Wars, The Incredibles or Pirates of the Caribbean, and a Toy Box mode which enables you to create your own game by using characters, weapons, gadgets and other items that are available to you.

Disney Infinity 3.0 adds the Star Wars universe to the game allowing you to play several play sets based on Star Wars and create your own Star Wars adventures in Toy Box mode.

Other apps

Sygic GPS Navigation

The application is powered by TomTom maps which you can download for countries and regions you are interested in after start as you are automatically signed up for a 7-day premium trial.

Features like offline access to maps, smart route planning and free map updates remain available to you after the premium trial expires.

The premium version adds advanced navigation features such as lane guidance, speed limit warnings or turn-by-turn voice guided navigation to the application's feature set.

Loadkit Download Manager

This download manager integrates with Firefox and Google Chrome according to the Windows Store description, but that did not work for me.

It supports http, https and ftp protocols, authentication, and background downloading among other features.

Apart from that, it supports scheduling and download queues, pause and resume operations, and options to categorize downloaded files.

The free version of the app is limited to 64 download list items.

Descendants

Descendants is an adventure game based on Disney Channel's series of the same name.

It is a social game at its core in which you dress up your character, complete missions, meet new friends and explore the campus.

An interesting game for fans of the series and people who like social games.

mTalk

mTalk provides you with access to more than 100,000 web forums that you can access directly from within the app.

You may use the built-in search to find forums of interest, and sign-in to existing accounts to read private messages or make new posts from a simple-to-use interface.

BBC Store

BBC Store brings a large digital collection of BBC shows to buy that include popular shows as well as classic titles from the archives.

You need a BBC Store account to sign in to the application and use it. Shows can be streamed or downloaded after purchase, and features like parental controls and Cortana support on Windows 10 make it a great experience.

The app is only available for users from the UK.

Tweakolor

Open any image that you have on your computer and repaint it with the colors provided by Tweakolor.

The image is loaded in black and white by default, and it is up to you to add colors to it to accentuate individual items or recolor it fully.

Great application for kids and adults alike.

Prune ($3.99, no free trial)

Prune is a beautiful tree growing game in which you grow and shape your tree with the swipe of a finger while avoiding the dangers of the world.

At its core, it is a puzzle game with breathtaking visuals, audio that enhances the experience tenfold, and an overall tranquil experience

Perfect Pad

Perfect Pad is an unofficial Wattpad client that brings the popular writer and reader community to Windows.

Use the What's Hot, Featured or Undiscovered tabs to discover new books or stories of interest, browse categories, or follow authors you like.

You may move stories to your reading list or archive stories that you have finished reading.

Miriel's Enchanted Mystery

This is a time management game in which you try to serve customers requesting various items from your store.

What is easy at first becomes difficult quickly as you need to combine items sometimes to create new ones.

Flour and Water for instance are turned into bread, and it takes a while before you can serve the freshly baked bread to the customer.

Yandex Search for Windows

The official Yandex app brings Russia's number one search engine to the Windows platform.

Use it to search the Internet, or get direct answers for questions that you may have.

Notable updates

The official Twitter application has a new look. In addition to that, it enables you to watch videos within your timeline now, and a new option to pin lists to the Start menu.

TripAdvisor published an update that brings Windows 10 compatibility and ships with UI modifications.
Location is key to app experiences but users are reluctant to share it

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 12:56pm CET par Ian Barker

According to a new survey 83 percent of app users say location is crucial to their app experiences, but nearly 40 percent are hesitant to share their location.

These are part of the findings of a study by Skyhook Wireless which looks at the extent to which people turn location services on or off for their apps and tries to understand why many smartphone users choose not to take advantage of the benefits sharing location can bring.

The results reveal that nearly 40 percent of app users hesitate to share location data, with 18 percent turning location services off for all apps. 50 percent of those users name privacy concerns as the top reason to turn off location, 23 percent don't see the value of location data and 19 percent cite battery drain concerns.

Out of the nearly 20 percent of app users who turn off location services for all of their apps, 63 percent have done so because of battery drain concerns, 45 percent privacy concerns, 23 percent don't see the value of giving their location data and 20 percent switch location services off in an effort to avoid advertising.

Consumers expect real benefits from their apps in exchange for turning location on. Half of all app users expect an accurate location, relevant app content and targeted offers or coupons once their location data is shared. 34 percent of smartphone users expect personalized communications and 25 percent keep location services on in order to get offers and notifications.

"This data suggests that there's a huge and largely untapped opportunity to create value from location services that many app publishers and advertisers could be taking full advantage of," says Skyhook CEO Jim Crowley. "Ultimately, it's all about the payoff to consumers. Users need to be informed about the ways in which location services add meaningful value to their app experience, and educated about how their privacy is being managed -- so that the critical benefits outweigh any attendant concerns".

You can see a summary of the research findings in infographic form below, and there's a look at techniques for getting users to turn on location services on the Skyhook blog.

Image Credit: Ralwel / Shutterstock
How to get back the Insider Hub if Windows 10 Build 10586 kills it

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 10:57am CET par Mark Wilson
Windows Insiders working with the preview builds of Windows 10 are used to the odd quirk here and there. Windows 10 Build 10586, released yesterday, is no different.

This latest build is widely believed to be the Threshold 2 release that is expected to roll out later this month. While it fixes numerous issues and adds new features when compared to the RTM build, it can also remove the Insider Hub. Here's how to get it back.

As Windows 10 Build 10586 has only been released to the Fast ring, it's fair to say that those installing it are Windows diehards. They are the most likely to want to keep abreast of the latest news, and provide feedback about their experience -- these are the very people who need the Insider Hub.
- Open Settings and click System.
- Move to the Apps & features section and click Manage optional features.
- Click Add a feature and then select Insider Hub.
Job done!

Photo credit: Stanislaw Mikulski / Shutterstock
Should your business make the move to Windows 10?

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 10:55am CET par Ian Trump

Deciding whether to upgrade your operating system is always a big decision. It is one that should not be made lightly, especially when it is a major upgrade like Windows 10.

Over the years, there have been mixed reviews regarding Windows upgrades. I just need to mention the word 'Vista' and some IT folk breakout into a cold sweat!

I’m not going to say whether your organizations should or should not migrate to Windows 10 -- that has to be a decision based on your business and its unique needs. What I will say, is that I believe there are two major points an organization needs to consider and base its decision on: Security and testing.

Security Is a Winner with Windows 10

Windows 10 offers organizations the opportunity to introduce new security technology that will make life even more difficult for cyber criminals to infiltrate their business. Whilst Windows 10 cannot be an excuse for businesses to let their guard down and ‘just assume’ that they will be safe because they have the technology, it will facilitate the opportunity to make security improvements.

Notably, Windows 10 incorporates Bit Locker (full disk encryption) and Application Locker (application security), which provides organizations with a huge opportunity to increase the security of their users. I believe that the loss of an unencrypted laptop is a clear example of an organization that has not placed a priority on security.

In the UK there have been a couple of high-profile examples of this type of security breach, where personal data has been lost on a laptop with no encryption. Another type of ‘quick win’ opportunity, where data can be easily safeguarded with two-factor authentication, is a huge leap forward for security and will give a lot of organizations peace of mind (and save their blushes!).

There is also an opportunity to change the way business is done in organizations within large technology upgrades. Looking back to Windows 7, IT departments adopted an approach of, "this is the way we do it with Windows 7, so that’s what we’ll do". The Windows 10 upgrades are a genuine opportunity to move IT security practices and processes forward.

I also believe it is a great way to achieve a much harder and more robust IT infrastructure roll out without the traditional obstacles of trying to convince the organizations and the powers above that security is a priority. I think you will see many professionals look at Windows 10 and say, "we could never have invested in two factor authentication before because of the high costs; we can now because it’s built into Windows 10".

When designing Windows 10, I feel that Microsoft realized that its operating system was pivotal in the fight against cybercrime. It has introduced a number of security features, including a more robust architecture to hold passwords in memory and to allow secure access to those passwords in a network environment.

This will help combat sophisticated cyber criminals. Microsoft has also included application white listening and two factor authentication. There is also the ability, once you have Windows 10 in a network environment, to include data loss prevention. Imagine being able to email someone a spreadsheet but being able to stop them from forwarding it on.

Think Before You Act

I cannot stress how strongly I feel about this: migrating to Windows 10 should not be a snap decision. The last thing you want to do is find out that some of your key business applications do not work in Windows 10, following the upgrade. Therefore, testing has to be a priority.

The good news is that because a lot of businesses have moved to the cloud, the cloud is browser ready and can deliver applications. Chrome on Windows 10 is unlikely to be that different to Chrome on Windows 7. Therefore, adoption of Windows 10 is likely to be a lot easier than in the past, when you had server architecture and supporting software to worry about.

However, the reality is that there still might be a requirement for access to legacy systems. By carrying out thorough testing, you’ll be able to see if there are any applications that are struggling with the upgrade and they can be addressed.

Windows 10 is not that different to Windows 7 in terms of layout. However, when it comes to IT management, there are a lot more features that need to be adjusted in the business environment. Therefore, organizations cannot ‘rip and replace’.

They have to test and be sure that the upgrade is suitable. Businesses need to think about building their corporate image to mimic that of their business processes. For example, permissions that you used to be able to deal with in Windows 7 might not be the same or located in the same place in Windows 10.

Is Your Future Windows 10?

I believe those who move to Windows 10 will reap the security benefits, both in terms of value and ease of deployment. Windows 10 is offered at a relatively attractive price and is free for the first year. More importantly, Windows 10 is being seen as the next development platform.

You will see a lot of enthusiasm for Windows 10 because it works easily on tablets and mobile phones, bringing the cost of development for new applications down whilst creating a better user experience. In all, large growth is inevitable for Windows 10 across all platforms.

Ian Trump, Security Lead, LOGICnow.

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

Photo credit: tanuha2001 / Shutterstock
REXPaint is an amazing ASCII art editor

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 9:29am CET par Mike Williams

ASCII art is a graphics design technique dating back to the 1960s, where pictures are produced entirely from text characters.

The results are, well, basic. But they can have plenty of retro appeal, and producing them is a whole lot easier than you think.

REXPaint is a free portable ASCII art editor for Windows XP and later which delivers a surprising amount of features and functionality.

The program’s text-based menus seem a little unusual at first, but otherwise it works much like any other graphics editor.

You’ll start by choosing a "font", a text character, then clicking and dragging over the canvas to draw.

There are tools to draw lines, rectangles or ovals, which again work just like other paint programs. Click, drag to size your shape, release when you’re happy or hit Ctrl+Z to undo.

A color picker on the sidebar makes it easy to change colors as required, and the Fill tool fills an entire region with your preferred shade.

There’s a Zoom option, although it’s well hidden. Click one of the "< >" characters below the Font selector and RexPaint steps the font size up or down, increasing or decreasing the picture’s dimensions.

REXPaint even has layers support to handle more complex designs.

When you’re finished, your project may be saved in the program’s native format, or exported as PNG, XML, CSV, BBCode or TXT.

REXPaint is an amazing ASCII art editor, definitely worth a look if you’re interested in this area. But if you’re still not quite sure, check out the developer’s "Features" page, where animated GIFs show various editing features in action
Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum RGB 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset [Review]

Publié: novembre 6, 2015, 2:22am CET par Brian Fagioli

While I am not a hardcore gamer, I do enjoy gaming on both my PC and Xbox One. While playing single-player games can be fun, I much prefer the online multiplayer variants. I am still blown-away at the concept of playing a game against random people from around the world. Keep in mind, my first console was a hand-me-down Atari 2600 -- you younger cats probably take it for granted.

While playing against other people is cool on its own, I also like talking with them. Whether trash-talking or planning strategies, gaming with a headset is super great. If you are going to invest in a headset, however, you should do it right. I have been searching for a really nice headset for games, movies, music and chat and recently came across the Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum RGB 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset. When looking for accessories, Logitech is always a great place to start. Will the G633 continue the long tradition of quality?

Specs
Headphone:
Driver: 1.6 in (40 mm)
Frequency response: 20Hz-20KHz
Impedance: 39 Ohms (passive), 5k Ohms (active)
Sensitivity: 107dB SPL/mW Microphone (Boom):
Microphone Pickup pattern: Cardioid (Unidirectional)
Size: 4mm
Frequency response: 100Hz-20KHz Connection Type: USB
LCD Display: No
Audio Controls: Yes
Microphone: Yes
Microphone Type: Cardioid (Unidirectional)
Noise Canceling: Yes
Unboxing

Impressions

When you take the Logitech G633 Artemis out of the box, you immediately see that it is not a standard headset. No, this is special -- full of buttons and features. You get both 3.5mm audio and USB cables, giving two ways to connect. By using USB, you will bypass your PC's sound card, which should be superior to any existing obnoard or PCI options.

Sound quality aside, USB is what really allows the G633 to meet its full potential. When used with the special Logitech drivers and software, you can customize the experience. The headset is full of LED lighting, and the software will allow you to change both the color and the speed at which the lights pulse. You can easily choose some default colors or get really crazy and opt for different shades. Sadly, dear Linux users, you cannot take advantage of the customization as Logitech does not make a compatible app (it will work fine for audio, however).

The really cool customization, however, are the three "G" buttons found on the rear. You can map any keyboard keys or combos to these buttons. Let's say you are playing a game where a certain key launches a grenade -- you can map that to the headset, so you can launch it from your head instead. This is very cool for gamers, but you can also use it for other things too, such as launching the Start Menu, or pausing a movie -- the choice is yours.

Of course, you are probably wondering why you would do this rather than just use the keyboard. Well, the USB cable is insanely long, so if you want to sit far from your computer with a gamepad, you can -- this will allow you to store some keyboard keys on the headset t00. There may even be some accessibility benefits too, for example, users with limited use of an arm.

If you want to use the G633 with a game console (such as plugging into the Xbox One controller), smartphone, or mp3 player, you can remove the USB cable and connect the 3.5mm wire instead. This makes the headset an analog-only affair. Sound quality is still great in this mode -- music, movies and games will make your ears happy. You can even fold the microphone away when not needed (which mutes it too).

Speaking of movies and games, you can experience simulated surround with Dolby 7.1 when connected by USB. In other words, it will sounds like you are in a room with a proper 7.1 setup even though the headphones only have two speakers. While it works, it is not spectacular -- I preferred watching videos in Stereo mode instead.

Strangely, the outer part of the left and right ear pads are held on by magnets and removable (see above). The only reason I can see this being beneficial is is the user wants to replace it with a custom logo, maybe using a 3D printer. Unfortunately, this means they constantly fall off when adjusting the headset. On numerous occasions, when either putting the G633 on or off my head, these pieces fall off and land on the floor. It is simply a poor design that gets annoying quickly. I ultimately took these parts off and left them off -- they are only for appearance purposes anyway.

The important part, of course, is the inside of the headset -- the part that touches your head and ears. Here, the G633 truly shines, as it is extremely comfortable. Whether gaming or listening to music, I never experienced pain. More importantly, the ear pads did not make me sweaty or itchy -- something other models do. The material that Logitech chose to contour your ears is incredible -- I want a couch made out of it!

Conclusion

Ultimately, the Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum is a great headset. Other than the aforementioned weird design choice with the outer part of the ear pads, it is a home run. They are comfortable, sound great, and look darn-cool too. Best of all, they seem to be well-constructed, meaning they should last a long time. Durability is very important when you are spending $149 on a headset -- am I right, guys?

The Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum RGB 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset is recommended.