Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » novembre 11, 2015

BetaNews.Com (23 non lus)

Facebook is receiving more government data requests than ever before

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 11:40pm CET par Mark Wilson

The time has rolled around once again for Facebook to release its twice-yearly report about government data requests. It will perhaps come as little surprise that in the current atmosphere of surveillance and privacy concerns that in the first half of 2015 Facebook received more government data requests than ever before.

The latest figures show that the number of data requests has jumped by 18 percent to 41,214. There was also a massive increase in the number of pieces of content that were taken down or 'restricted' for violating local laws -- a rise of 112 percent. Facebook reiterated previous assertions that it does not provide backdoor access to governments, and reveals that the US is by far the leading requester of data.

The latest Government Requests Report shows that the US was responsible for 17,577 requests relating to over 26,000 individuals. In just 20 percent of cases, no data was handed over -- in four fifths of cases Facebook imparted at least some information. India is the leading source of requests for content restrictions, accounting for a full 75 percent of all such requests.

In a blog post, Facebook's Deputy General Counsel, Chris Sonderby says:

As we have emphasized before, Facebook does not provide any government with "back doors" or direct access to people's data. We scrutinize each request we receive for legal sufficiency, whether from an authority in the US, Europe, or elsewhere. If a request appears to be deficient or overly broad, we push back hard and will fight in court, if necessary.

Over the last two years, we've regularly published information about the nature and extent of the requests we receive. To protect people's information, we will continue to apply a rigorous approach to every government request we receive. We’ll also keep working with partners in industry and civil society to push governments around the world to reform surveillance in a way that protects their citizens' safety and security while respecting their rights and freedoms.

The full report takes the form of an interactive map, and there is the option of downloading the data in CSV format if you like the idea o crunching them in a spreadsheet.

Photo credit: nevodka / Shutterstock
Shhh! How Ford plans to use noise-canceling headphone technology in its cars

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 9:21pm CET par Wayne Williams

Noise-canceling headphones do a great job of filtering out unwanted background sounds, such as the rumble of traffic or the chatter of crowds. It’s a clever technology, and one that Ford is set to implement in its vehicles, starting with the all-new Ford Mondeo Vignale.

The car giant’s Active Noise Control tech emits sound waves that cancel out engine, transmission, and wind noise, resulting in a much quieter journey. No need to crank up your music to drown out unwanted external sounds.

Three microphones, strategically placed in the interior, detect undesirable noises from the engine and transmission. The technology counteracts these noises with opposing sound waves from the audio system, all without affecting volume levels of music and conversation.

It also records and anticipates driver and vehicle behavior, for example when a driver is accelerating in a lower gear.

'Acoustic glass' in the windscreen and front windows additionally reduces the intrusion of wind noise caused by air flow around the window pillars.

"Whether listening to a favorite playlist, tuning into a much-loved station, or simply enjoying a respite from the demands of modern life, the experience of sound -- and just as importantly silence -- can be a fundamental part of an enjoyable car journey", says Dr Ralf Heinrichs, supervisor, Noise Vibration Harshness, Ford of Europe (fantastic job title!). "All‑new Mondeo Vignale with Active Noise Control offers drivers enhanced levels of comfort, and fewer distractions".

You can find out more about the new technology in this interactive infographic.
Adobe announces private data marketplace

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 8:57pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

Adobe today announced Audience Marketplace, a new data exchange in Adobe Audience Manager, the company’s data management platform (DMP).

Audience Marketplace is a private data marketplace that connects advertisers and content publishers to buy and sell second and third-party data faster and with more simplicity. The data exchange also enables companies to scale their high-value audience segments for personalized and targeted content across marketing channels.

Adobe says that through Audience Marketplace, customers will benefit from integrations with leading data providers, while Adobe will make sure they are adhering to standard data privacy and security policies. The network will be able to offer "large volumes of high-value audience data for more accurate and valuable insights".

Moreover, first-party, second-party and third-party data can now be merged, Adobe says: "For example, companies with look-alike audiences, such as an airline and a hotel, can exchange data since both audiences have similar consumer profiles associated with travel".

"Audience Marketplace redefines how marketers manage, activate and monetize audiences across marketing channels", said Amit Ahuja, general manager of Data Management, Adobe. "Unlike other companies, Adobe simply wants to connect customers with data providers without trying to monetize any of the data in the exchange itself".

Samsung was quick to praise Adobe’s new service: "Samsung is focused on delivering a cohesive, personalized customer experience across all digital touchpoints, and Adobe Audience Manager plays a critical role in our cross-channel data ecosystem", said Jesse Laskaris, senior product manager of Personalization at Samsung Electronics America. "With Audience Manager, we can aggregate our first, second and third-party data, and then build high-value audience segments to more effectively understand and engage with customers through programmatic buying, site personalization and other channel-specific tactics".

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

Image Credit: Marynchenko Oleksandr / Shutterstock
Apple's Tim Cook calls Microsoft's Surface Book 'Deluded'

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 6:35pm CET par Wayne Williams

There’s no question that Microsoft’s new Surface Book laptop/tablet hybrid has divided opinion. Some people love it, while others remain unconvinced, especially with regard to the high price and unconventional hinge. It’s very much designed as a rival to the MacBook Pro, and during its launch Microsoft made this clear by declaring its new device to be twice as fast as Apple’s offering.

So is Apple worried about the competition? Not so much. The company’s CEO Tim Cook took a swipe at the device earlier today while talking to students at Trinity College, in Dublin.

"It’s a product that tries too hard to do too much", he said. "It’s trying to be a tablet and a notebook and it really succeeds at being neither. It’s sort of deluded".

(Although the Independent.ie says Tim Cook used the word "Deluded" when describing Surface Book, it's possible he actually said "Diluted", which would make more sense in the context.)

Cook also took the opportunity to push Apple’s newly released iPad Pro, claiming he now only travels with that and an iPhone. But of course.

So what's your view? Is Apple's top man right about the Surface Book? Leave your comments below.
GCHQ finds major cyber-attacks against UK doubling in 2015

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 6:35pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

The number of "serious" cyber-attacks against the UK has doubled in just a year, BizTek Mojo reported on Tuesday, saying the company responded by forming a cyber-security academy to tackle the issue.

According to the report, GCHQ says there are, in average, seven serious threats faced by the country each day, and just last month it recorded 200 attacks, including state-sponsored assaults.

These "serious" attacks don’t include cyber-attacks on civilian home computers, but instead only track bank attacks, nuclear establishment attacks and attacks against power plants. Organized crime and state-sponsored attacks are also considered "serious".

"The GCHQ did not mention any state or nation that they had caught snooping around in the UK’s network", the report claims.

The UK responded to the increased threat by launching a cyber-academy. The University of Southampton is launching the Cyber Security Academy to aid average consumers, both big and small businesses, and government to be more prepared and protected against malicious attackers.

The Academy was announced on November 9 during an IAI5 event in London. Graduates from the CSA will be trained under industry-relevant CPD programs. It will also be responsible for hosting enterprise, consultancy and research regarding the field.

Roke Managing Director David Cole said: "In order to meet the demands of an increasing cyber security threat, the UK needs a continual flow of high quality engineers and consultants to protect our critical infrastructure and enterprises, and to protect personal data. The Cyber Security Academy partners will work together to drive forward the UK’s cyber capability and talent -- attracting and developing world class experts into the cyber security industry, facilitating technology innovation, creating new opportunities and driving UK productivity".

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

Photo credit: arda savasciogullari / Shutterstock
What you need to know about Disaster Recovery as a Service

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 5:58pm CET par Sam Pudwell

Cloud adoption is continuing to grow amongst enterprises and small businesses alike and, as competition in the technology industry becomes ever-more intense, it has never been more important to be able to respond to network outages and unplanned downtime.

This is where Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) comes in, providing a failsafe in the event of man-made or natural catastrophes through the replication and hosting of physical or virtual servers by a third-party.

Various studies have highlighted the importance of Disaster Recovery (DR). ComputerWeekly.com found that DR has been a top priority this year for 45 percent of UK IT departments but, in a study from Timico, only five percent of respondents were confident that their DR plan was adequate.

Read on for everything you need to know about Disaster Recovery as a Service, including tips on how to prepare your IT department and how to deal with unplanned downtime.

DRaaS in the Enterprise

Disaster Recovery as a Service is expected to grow at an unprecedented rate over the next few years, with spending predicted to rise to $1.2 billion (£766 million) by 2017. Furthermore, Gartner predicts that the market could be worth $5.7 billion (£3.4 billion) by 2018, which again illustrates its potential.

This growth is primarily being driven by cost-saving demands but is also being forced through by the multiple business benefits that DRaaS offers. Enterprises and CIOs are being drawn to the speed, scalability and security of disaster recovery solutions, with another key advantage being that it reduces operational complexity.

However, as with any modern technology, not everyone is convinced with DRaaS. For example, many IT professionals cite fears such as losing control and visibility, trusting cloud infrastructure and uncontrollable costs, all of which can be overcome with the right DRaaS solution.

Preparing Your Company

Having an effective disaster recovery plan in place is vital for companies of all shapes and sizes but many organizations -- particularly smaller companies, of which only 30 percent have a business continuity plan in place -- still aren’t preparing themselves well enough for when disaster strikes.

Although each business will have slightly different requirements, but there are some general steps that can be taken to prepare for unexpected downtime. As with all new technologies, planning and testing are vital to ensure everything is up to date and working as it should.

Enterprises implementing a DRaaS plan should also be focusing on areas such as storage, security and planned downtime, as well as making sure that critical systems are prioritized and that there is a plan in place for employees during an emergency situation.

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

Photo Credit: Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock
Microsoft to hide European data from the NSA with new German datacenters

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 5:42pm CET par Mark Wilson

The arms of the NSA may be long, but there are some parts of the world in which it holds no sway. Conscious of European concerns about US government web surveillance, Microsoft today announces German datacenter options for Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics CRM Online.

Starting in the second half of 2016, customers in Europe will be able to opt to have their data stored in Germany. The datacenters will be controlled by German data trustee, Deutsche Telekom who will oversee all access to customer data. With Microsoft’s "mobile first, cloud-first" philosophy, this is a move to try to rebuild trust in cloud services which the company clearly feels has been lost.

Many people would be surprised, and disturbed, to discover that their data was being stored in a country that could access it without permission. Microsoft explains that 83 percent of all German enterprises expect their cloud provider to operate local datacenters in Germany. This seems like a reasonable expectation.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft to offer cloud services from the UK

Satya Nadella introduced the new option which will be available to customers throughout Europe:

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every individual on the planet to achieve more. Our new datacenter regions in Germany, operated in partnership with Deutsche Telekom, will not only spur local innovation and growth, but offer customers choice and trust in how their data is handled and where it is stored.

Uniquely, even Microsoft will not be able to access customer data, at least not without the permission of both the customer, and that of Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems. Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges predicts the datacenters will prove popular:

Microsoft is pioneering a new, unique, solution for customers in Germany and Europe. Now, customers who want local control of their data combined with Microsoft’s cloud services have a new option, and I anticipate it will be rapidly adopted.
Qualcomm takes the wraps off Snapdragon 820 -- here are the performance figures

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 4:42pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Qualcomm has officially unveiled its new flagship mobile processor, Snapdragon 820. The new chip promises major improvements in performance across the board, like 40 percent faster graphics compared to Snapdragon 810, and supports new technologies, such as Wi-Fi 802.11 ad.

The CPU inside Snapdragon 820 has four cores running at up to 2.2 GHz, and is touted to offer twice the performance and efficiency of Snapdragon 810's CPU. This leads to a decrease of up to 30 percent in energy consumption compared to its predecessor, which has been reported to run a bit too hot.

The new Adreno 530 GPU is also said to be much faster than the Adreno 430 found inside Snapdragon 810, with Qualcomm claiming a 40 percent improvement in overall performance (graphics, compute capabilities and energy consumption).

In terms of cellular performance, the new X12 LTE radio inside Snapdragon 820 enables download and upload speeds over LTE of up to 600 Mbps and 150 Mbps. An interesting feature is support for unlicensed LTE spectrum (that would be the LTE-U bit), which is getting quite a bit of attention lately.

Needless to say, X12 LTE is meant to be a "global" solution, meaning it can connect to pretty much every type of network in use today, from LTE FDD and TDD to WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, EV-DO and GSM. It also supports Wi-Fi calling and link aggregation, the latter of which combines cellular and Wi-Fi radios to improve data speeds.

On top of the aforementioned Wi-Fi 802.11 ad support -- which is not even supported by consumer routers -- there is also support for Wi-Fi 802.11 ac 2x2 (MU-MIMO), the latter of which can offer speeds up to three times higher than the basic Wi-Fi 802.11 ac.

Snapdragon 820 also supports USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.1, LPDDR4 RAM, UFS 2.0, eMMC 5.1 and SD 3.0 (UHS-1), and, obviously, NFC. Users can expect to see faster file transfer speeds as a result, among other things.

It is also worth noting that Snapdragon 820 ships with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 technology, which is said to be up to 38 percent more efficient than the Quick Charge 2.0 we see in many of the current smartphones.

Here are other things you need to know about Snapdragon 820: it supports cameras with a sensor of up to 28 MP and 4K displays, and ships with various Qualcomm-branded technologies included in the so-called Haven Security Suite -- one of them is Sense ID 3D, which is tied to fingerprint sensors.

Speaking of the cameras, Snapdragon 820 can be matched with 14-bit sensors which allow for more data to be captured and should lead to improvements in photo and video quality. (Those can be usually found in DSLRs, but don't expect the performance to be the same.)

Qualcomm doesn't say when Snapdragon 820 will be available, but you can expect Android (and, perhaps, Windows phone) vendors to offer the new processor in their upcoming flagships.
Black Friday: What to expect as merchants prepare for the UK's first ever £1bn shopping day

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 4:29pm CET par Marco Vergani

This year’s Black Friday, a growing UK shopping phenomenon imported from the US, is happening later this month and is predicted to be the biggest one yet. With retail analysts suggesting that online UK sales could hit £1bn on that day alone, UK sellers are preparing for consumer spending like they’ve not seen before.

Last year in the UK, online spending hit an estimated £810m on Black Friday as consumers were successfully lured in by retailers that significantly discounted their products. This unexpected purchasing shift caught many retailers off-guard and exposed those that were unprepared. The event highlighted nationally that online merchants should devote just as much time to optimizing their digital commerce experience as they do their brick-and-mortar stores. The companies most likely to come out on top started planning many months ago. As consumers put the finishing touches on their shopping lists this year, they can expect more -- and will get more -- from their shopping experiences this Black Friday:

More Mobile. More and more online merchants are optimizing the shopping experience for mobile users. According to Monetate, nearly 31 percent of traffic to retail sites was coming from tablets and 25 percent coming from smartphones during the final quarter of 2014. With a growing shift to mobile, consumers will see more branded manufacturers catering to their mobile shopping habits with a responsive design that provides an optimal experience that’s effective and continuous from smartphone to tablet to desktop and back again.

More global. The emergence of a global marketplace has never been more appealing for consumers. The single biggest online shopping day in 2014 was 11th of November, when Chinese shoppers spent a staggering $9.3 billion on Singles Day. This new world record put a spotlight on the global online shopping opportunity and the importance of cross-border commerce. As the retail world becomes more connected, digital marketers’ promotional schedules are now a melting pot of global holidays that once were defined by physical borders. Today, European shoppers expect promotions during the U.S.’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday while American shoppers seek deals on China’s Singles Day. We fully expect the boundaries between international online holidays to blur and accelerate with each passing season.

More compelling deals. Under pressure from discounters and marketplaces around Black Friday deals, merchants -- even those with strict pricing policies -- are competing more aggressively on price. This trend is continuing in 2015, as customers come to expect compelling “flash sales”, deeper markdowns and other limited-time offers more often, and earlier than ever before.

More personalized. As consumer expectations around convenience, quality and personalization rise, "good" shopping experiences are no longer good enough. Even something as simple as page load times can impact buyers’ decisions. Research by Akamai notes that half of shoppers will go to another site to accomplish their task and nearly a quarter won’t return to a "problem" site when a page loads slowly or stalls altogether.

On 27th November, consumers can expect ecommerce sites to provide rich, satisfying customer experiences across devices, browsers, platforms and networks. And for merchants that fail to deliver on this promise? They risk jeopardizing both their Black Friday sales and future revenue sources.

Image Credit: Christos Georghiou / Shutterstock

Marco Vergani is Vice President and General Manager of Europe at Digital River, a leading global provider of Commerce-as-a-Service solutions. Based in Digital River’s London office, Marco has led customer-focused international sales operations for more than 25 years.
Amazon Echo price slashed for one day only

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 3:40pm CET par Alan Buckingham

A lot can be said about Amazon's Echo product. People either love it or don't trust it. After all, what you say goes through Amazon's servers to answer the questions and requests, and it works almost instantly.

Now Amazon has a deal for those who want to try it out, but you'll need to act fast because the deal is good for today only. The device normally retails for $179, but today you can get $30 knocked off that price, lowering the product to $149.

For those who have seen the ads, which seem to be all over TV these days, the device can do much more than what is shown. It doesn't just answer a few questions or give you the weather. You can get sports schedules and scores, find out about movies and much more. There's also a growing list of compatible home automation integration. Alexa now works with hubs from Wink, Insteon and SmartThings. If you have a generation two Fire TV then you can control that as well. Don't fret if you have the first iteration as Amazon promises support for that one is coming as well.

It's getting on towards the holiday shopping season so if you were thinking of grabbing the Echo then today would be a good time to do it.
New Clarizen release delivers simpler collaboration and improved visibility

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 3:38pm CET par Ian Barker

Work management software company Clarizen is announcing its latest release which delivers new options for viewing work and integration with the JIRA development workflow package.

Major features include an interactive Gantt view gives users visual representation of the workplan, on which they can take action, such as rescheduling work by dragging and dropping or creating dependencies by linking tasks. Users can also display key attributes -- for example percentage complete or dates -- on the Gantt bars, and share the Gantt as a widget with internal and external stakeholders.

A new real-time calendar display allowing users to view and manage all their work. This can be color-coded to focus on status, priority, or manager for improved visibility.

Analytic snapshot apps enable trend analysis on project performance to identify problem areas. Administrators can track daily active users on the application and identify where user adoption is low or where users may need extra training. They can capture information for daily trend snapshots, plus track actual, remaining and expected progress over time.

JIRA v2 integration strengthens connections between teams. When one part of a team uses JIRA for software coding and bug tracking while the rest of the project is managed in Clarizen, all stakeholders can be kept in sync as key JIRA data is reflected in Clarizen and vice versa. The flexible, out-of-the-box integration features best practice mappings and events, with an easy-to-use administration layer designed for business users.

Other new features include the ability to have multiple managers on all work objects, view project cases in separate panels, and push notifications for Clarizen's iPhone app.

"Teams are empowered when workers at all levels within an organization can view, manage and collaborate on their work," says Avinoam Nowogrodski, CEO of Clarizen. "Our Fall Release further expands our customers’ visibility into their businesses, so they can make decisions in real time".

The new release is available at no charge to existing Clarizen users, with the exception of JIRA integration which requires an extra license. A webinar showcasing the product's features will be held on 23 November.

Image Credit: Tischenko Irina / Shutterstock
Restyle the web with Stylish

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 2:15pm CET par Mike Williams

Websites often go through redesigns to keep them looking "fresh", changing colors, backgrounds, layouts and more. Which is fine, if you wanted something new -- but not so great if you were happier before.

Stylish is a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari which uses custom CSS code to restyle websites, changing colors, replacing fonts, dropping content and generally improving their look and feel.

Getting started is as easy as visiting your target site, clicking the Stylish icon and selecting "Find more styles for this site".

You’ll then see a list of available themes, a text description and thumbnail preview of each, and details including its upload date, the number of downloads so far, user rating and more. (Check out userstyles.org to see what’s available.)

If you like something, click it, select Install with Stylish > OK, and you’re done. Revisit the page and you’ll probably see the new look immediately (reload it, if not).

Stylish isn’t just about revamping individual sites. It also supports "global" styles to modify how all websites are displayed, perhaps changing colors or replacing fonts to make them more readable.

Browse and install as many site-specific or global themes as you like. We found these conflicted occasionally -- or just didn’t work at all -- but you can view, update or remove individual themes later from the Stylish management console.

Alternatively, if you think a theme just needs a minor tweak, an Edit option allows you to customize it further by editing the underlying CSS code.

You’ll need a basic knowledge of CSS if you want to do anything significant, but fortunately there’s some documentation on the developer’s site.

Stylish also has a very helpful forum. Post a question there giving full details of what you’re trying to do, and any problems you’re seeing, and there’s a good chance someone will post the necessary code.

Stylish is a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari.
Mozilla lets you experience Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview as an Android launcher

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 2:14pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Convincing smartphone users to try a different operating system is no easy task as it typically means they have to get a new smartphone that runs it. But Mozilla has gotten around this by making Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview available to those rocking an Android device as a launcher.

Android users who want to give the developer preview of Firefox OS 2.5 a go basically have to download the app from Mozilla, install it and then select the appropriate launcher. Unlike a typical Android launcher, Mozilla's offering changes pretty much everything to match the upcoming Firefox OS 2.5, including the settings menu and notifications panel.

It's obvious that Mozilla put quite a lot of thought into this launcher. Unlock your Android device and hand it to someone who doesn't know you're using a different launcher and they might be tempted to say it's running Firefox OS.

The launcher's UI does not "integrate" with third-party apps, which, when open, show the Android status bar at the top. But you can test the in-app experience of Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview by opening one of the apps included with the launcher.

Mozilla has included 13 new apps, the list of which includes Phone, Messages, Firefox browser, Video and Settings to name but a few. The Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview settings menu, for instance, is triggered when the user taps on the gear button in the notifications panel.

There are some issues with the launcher, like the fact that on my OnePlus 2 some icons look fuzzy, the information from various accounts I have set up is not mirrored by the launcher in its apps and the phone app doesn't let you make calls, but users can get a good idea of what Firefox OS 2.5 will be like when it debuts, likely early in 2016.

Based on my time with the launcher, it is clear that Firefox OS 2.5 will not be as feature rich as Android 5.1.1 Lollipop or 6.0 Marshmallow. And, because of that, I don't think that Mozilla has created this app to lure Android users, but rather to give them the opportunity to get familiar with Firefox OS so that, when its mobile OS is ready for them, a potential switch will involve as little friction as possible.

To install the app you need to have the unknown sources option turned on under Security in Android's Settings menu. To read more about the Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview launcher, check this Mozilla blog post.
Adblockalypse: nearly one fifth of web users employ ad blockers

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 1:12pm CET par Mark Wilson

Online ads are a major bugbear for web users, hence the existence of ad blocking software. Tools such as AdBlock Plus have long been popular, but despite efforts by publishers to discourage their use, more and more people rely on ad blockers to improve their online experience.

The Internet Advertising Bureau reports that ad blocking is on the rise. In the UK, 18 percent of people use software to prevent the appearance of ads -- up from 15 percent just five months ago. Not everyone, however, is looking to block every single ad they might encounter.

Given the choice between paying for ad-free content, or enduring ads to keep content free, 61 percent of people said they would rather put up with ads than pay for access. Just 4 percent were willing to pay for an entirely ad-free experience. More than a third (35 percent) of 18 to 24-year-olds used an ad blocker; for those aged 55 and over, the figure drops to just 13 percent.

Just 57 percent of those surveyed said that they were looking to block all adverts, with a fifth of people saying they wanted to block particular types of ads, or ads from particular sites. IAB found that women were less likely to use adblockers than men (13 percent and 23 percent respectively).

Guy Phillipson, CEO of IAB UK, says:

The small rise in people blocking ads is not unexpected considering the publicity it's been receiving. However, it does provide some perspective on the situation for those referring to an "adblockalypse". More importantly, it also provides a clear message to the industry -- a less invasive, lighter ad experience is absolutely vital to address the main cause of ad blocking. That's why we're developing the L.E.A.N advertising principles for the online advertising supply chain.

IAB's research found that 19 percent of Adblock users do so on a tablet, and 23 percent on a phone -- but this is a number that could well rise since Apple allowed adblockers to enter the App Store.

Photo credit: Allen.G / Shutterstock
The performance impact of internet security products

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 12:46pm CET par Ian Barker

Many people cite performance issues as a reason why they're reluctant to run or end up uninstalling internet security products.

Independent testing organization AV-Comparatives has released the results of its latest studies on a range of security products, focussing on how they impact system performance.

It tested 19 products on an HP 350 G1 system running Windows 10 Home 64-bit and measured the impact on file copying, archiving and unarchiving, installing and uninstalling applications, launching applications, downloading files, and the PC Mark 8 testing software.

Using a system with no security software as a baseline it came up with an impact score for each product. An 'out of the box' system with Windows Defender installed scored 16.2, least impact was recorded by Avira on 2.3 and Avast on 2.7 with Kaspersky third on 5.4.

At the other end of the scale there's a tie for most impact recorded, with ThreatTrack Vipre and Fortinet FortiClient both with an impact score of 27.5. Lavasoft on 16.3 and BullGuard on 16.7 both have similar impact to a standard Windows Defender system.

The report points out that other factors, such as the age of the machine, the amount of RAM available, the contents of the hard drive and whether other software is up to date can also have an impact on performance.

The full report can be downloaded from the AV-Comparatives site with details of all the products tested and charts showing how they compare for different functions.

Image Credit: alexmillos / Shutterstock
InstaAgent app steals usernames and passwords from Instagram users

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 11:54am CET par Mark Wilson

An app that enables iPhone users to keep an eye on who has been looking at their Instagram account has been pulled from the App Store after it was found to be stealing usernames and passwords.

Apple took the decision to kill "Who Viewed Your Profile -- InstaAgent" when the app was found scraping login details and sending them back to the developer's server. This in itself is worrying for users, but it gets worse: the usernames and passwords were sent in unencrypted format.

The app was reasonably popular, managing to attract around half a million users. Delving into InstaAgent's code revealed that the app was really little more than password-harvesting malware. The incident will once again call into question the vetting process that apps go through before hitting the App Store.

The password-stealing was first spotted by Peppersoft developer David Layer-Reiss who tweeted about his findings:

"Who Viewed Your Profile" #Instaagent will send your Instagram Username and Password to an unknown server! pic.twitter.com/8uZJljJdtO

— David L-R (@PeppersoftDev) November 10, 2015

With Apple having stripped InstaAgent from the App Store, it will no longer be possible for anyone to download it. If you already have it installed, however, the advice would be to uninstall it, and change your Instagram password immediately.

Photo credit: Yeamake / Shutterstock
How to create a bootable OS X 10.11 El Capitan USB drive

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 11:37am CET par Mihaita Bamburic
There are times when you may not want to use App Store or the recovery mode to install OS X 10.11 El Capitan on your Mac. So, Apple gives you the option of creating a bootable USB drive. You can use it anytime and anywhere to quickly get the operating system running on any compatible Mac. An Internet connection is not even required as everything you need is already on the drive.

Creating a bootable OS X 10.11 El Capitan USB drive is very easy. All you need is a Mac, as the tools provided for the process are only available in OS X, and a USB drive with a capacity of 8 GB or more. I will also explain how to use a dedicated third-party tool, in case you decide that this option suits you better.

But first you have to download the setup file from App Store. Use this link to take you right to its landing page, or search for it manually in the App Store app. After the download is complete, Install OS X El Capitan will be available in your Applications folder. A setup wizard should have appeared by now -- you can close it.

Also, you should backup the contents of the USB drive that you are using for the process, as everything that is stored on it will be removed. And, of course, make sure that you read the instructions carefully before starting.

Apple's Way, All the Way

Apple offers a dedicated tool in OS X specifically for the purpose of creating a bootable USB drive. Unlike most tools that ship with the OS, it is not accessible directly from Launchpad. However, it can be accessed through Terminal, which you will have to open for this part of the process.

Here is what you need to do:
1. Connect the USB drive to your Mac.
2. Using Disk Utility (it is typically found in the Other folder, under Launchpad), format the USB drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and name it OSXElCapitan. This can be done from the Erase tab within the app; make sure that there are no multiple partitions (turn to the Partition tab to verify and correct this).
3. Open Terminal (it is found in the same folder as the Disk Utility app).
4. Use (paste) the following command: sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/OSXElCapitan --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --nointeraction.
5. Type in your user password, when required, to start the process.
Based on my experience, this is the best method of creating a bootable OS X 10.11 El Capitan USB drive. It delivers consistent results every time, and does not cause any issues.

Because it is barebones, the tool does not provide any indication as to how much time is left until the process completes. It usually takes around half an hour in my case, but this depends on the speed of the USB drive -- the faster it is the sooner this step is over.

The More User-Friendly (Third-Party) Tool

DiskMaker X is the more user-friendly tool for the job. It automates the process of creating a bootable OS X 10.11 El Capitan USB drive, requiring little input from you. And the results are virtually the same with the aforementioned method.

If you wish to use DiskMaker X to create the bootable OS X 10.11 El Capitan USB drive, here is what you need to do:
1. Connect the USB drive to your Mac.
2. Open DiskMaker X and select El Capitan (10.11).
3. Select Use this copy to use the Install OS X El Capitan app from the Applications folder. (Select Use another copy... if the setup file is in another folder.)
4. Select An 8 GB USB thumb drive. (Alternatively, select Another kind of disk if you want to use something else).
5. If requested, from the given list, select the USB drive you are using for the process, and then select Choose this disk.
6. Select Erase then create the disk.
7. Select Continue.
8. Type in your user password when requested.
Unlike the official tool baked in OS X, DiskMaker X also lets you know how long the process takes. Like I mentioned before, this depends largely on the speed of the USB drive that you have, so, ideally, you should use the fastest one available, in case time is of the essence.

What Now?

Now that you have a bootable OS X 10.11 El Capitan USB drive, you should know how to install the operating system on your Mac.

What you need to do is restart the Mac, and, right after that, press the Option key, and choose to boot from this USB drive. Afterwards, you can use the step-by-step setup as you normally would to install and setup OS X 10.11 El Capitan.
The future for enterprise mobility [Q&A]

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 11:32am CET par Ian Barker

The shift towards mobile computing and BYOD has been the big story in enterprise IT over the past couple of years.

But has the trend towards mobile peaked? Can we expect BYOD to move into smaller organizations and what effect will legal and regulatory frameworks have? We spoke to Gary Greenbaum, CEO of BYOD billing specialist Syntonic to find out.

BN: Are we seeing a slow down in enterprise mobile adoption and if so is this a long-term trend or just a blip?

GG: The big trend at work is less about enterprise mobility adoption, that's already happened en masse. It's more about the consumerization of IT, whereby IT is adopting consumer-driven technologies brought into the work environment by employees, a trend that has been active for over five years and that shows no signs of abating. Increasing reliance on mobile devices in the enterprise is driven by ever more powerful mobile computing devices and employee preferences for consumer applications that can also be used for business, such as Outlook or Skype. The consumerization of IT trend has mutual benefits for the employer and the employee. The enterprise has enjoyed tremendous productivity gains as consumers bring increasingly powerful smartphones and other mobile devices into the workplace. Employees have achieved greater flexibility to work from anywhere and use the apps and tools they’re familiar with. The line between work and personal life has blurred. Work is no longer a geographic location where employees go: it's what employees do. BYOD is enabling this new way of working.

BN: What will be the effect of the class action lawsuits for BYOD employee reimbursement in California and Massachusetts? Can we expect these to spread elsewhere?

GG: What happens in California doesn't stay in California. The conclusion of Cochran v. Schwan's Home Services class action lawsuit was noteworthy because it simply reasserted existing labor law and didn't introduce any new law. BYOD reimbursement is fair work practice that is similar to other forms of business reimbursement. Similar labor laws are active in many other states and we expect to see on-going employee lawsuits seeking fair compensation.

BN: How will smaller businesses be able to cope with demands for BYOD and the associated regulatory pressures?

GG: The industry has been remiss about building solutions for SMBs. The same California law that requires employers to reimburse employees for mobile phone use applies to both enterprises and SMBs. Small and medium size businesses require a split billing solution, just as much as the large enterprise. Split billing helps SMBs remain compliant by ensuring accurate reimbursement for mobile usage. To date, Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) vendors have focused their offerings on large enterprises with solutions that aren’t well suited to the needs of SMBs.

SMBs are left with four options:
1. Force employees to fill out time-intensive expense reports
2. Estimate reimbursement amounts
3. Don’t reimburse employees
4. Adopt a split billing solution to accurately segment mobile usage

Options 1, 2, and 3 are not tenable. Forcing employees to fill out expense reports is costly and fraught with guesswork since mobile bills only list the date, time and megabytes used, with no tie-back to actual business usage. Estimating reimbursement amounts doesn't provide accurate accounting and leads to over-generous stipends that inflate company BYOD costs. Finally, the recent enforcement of existing labor law in California requires employers to reimburse employees when they use their mobile devices for business use.

Adopting a split billing solution, is the most cost-effective option since it not only allows employers to reimburse and remain compliant, but it also provides analytics insights to understand how employees are using mobile devices so businesses can better forecast and budget. Today's split billing also provides turnkey solutions that are easy to manage with minimal IT resources.

BN: Can we expect to see Apple making more efforts to take on Android in the workplace?

GG: Android has had tremendous success with BYOD outside of the US, while Apple has enjoyed the lion's share of the US BYOD market. It's not a birthright to have the dominant mobile OS, as Blackberry's past mobile ventures clearly demonstrate. Apple will do what's necessary to maintain their position, pursuing business feature parity with Android, and if the past is indicative of the future, they’ll provide differentiated value with their iOS enterprise offering.

There's also a channel need that hasn't been addressed. Consumers don't currently choose a phone by evaluating how well it meshes with their work environment, such as separating business use from personal use. A phone that makes it easy to get reimbursed by your employer opens up new opportunities for handset manufacturers, mobile operators, and solution providers to deliver new, differentiated value to consumers.

BN: Where is enterprise mobility expanding fastest?

GG: Core business services are pivoting to mobile due to the confluence of ubiquitous employee smartphone adoption, cloud services, and the growth of mobile business applications, Employers and employees now expect work to be conducted on mobile devices. The big drivers behind this growth are business productivity and employee flexibility. The landscape has changed: gone are the voice-only phones of the past. Business apps and services are now available online. The new opportunity for businesses is to efficiently grow employee mobile services while reducing Capex.

BN: Will we see further consolidation of enterprise mobility management providers in 2016?

GG: Yes. The IBM acquisition of Fiberlink's MaaS360, VMWare's acquisition of AirWatch, and Blackberry's acquisition of Good Technology are part of an overall EMM consolidation trend, aggregating functionality and services to single vendor solutions. Dell has become a one-stop destination for enterprise solutions with storage, network, cloud services, virtualized hardware, and device management. Consolidation is also an indication that the BYOD market is maturing and going mainstream.

Image Credit: Max Griboedov/Shutterstock
Intel adds new products to the Xeon D-1500 line

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 11:18am CET par Sead Fadilpašić

Intel has announced new products in the Xeon processor family, in a move which seeks to boost the Internet of Things industry.

The new products and collaborations will "accelerate the move toward more agile and cloud-ready communications networks that can address today’s demand for new telecommunications, cloud and data centre services and handle tomorrow’s devices and services", the company said.

Specifically, Intel announced new offerings in the Intel Xeon processor D-1500 product family, which will "provide a foundation for extending intelligence from the network core to the edge for improved performance and lower latency".

The eight new processors offer high-performance, low-power and twice the maximum memory of previous generations in an integrated system-on-chip, making them well-suited for various networking, cloud storage, enterprise storage and IoT applications that operate in dense, rugged environments.

There’s also the new Intel Ethernet Controller X550 family -- a low-power, cost-effective 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity solution. The company also announced that it was selected to be a technology consultant for América Móvil, a mobile network operator in Latin America, and that its Intel Network Builders program is now available in more than 180 companies.

To top things off, Red Hat is now the first ISV to actively contribute to all key focus areas of the Intel Network Builders Fast Track.

"Networks are facing extraordinary demands as more devices become connected and new digital services are offered", said Sandra Rivera, vice president, Data Center Group and general manager, Network Platforms Group, Intel. "Building intelligence throughout the communications infrastructure and using a standards-based approach offers service providers the foundation to build agile, cloud-ready networks that allow them to expand their services capabilities".

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

Photo Credit: Rose Carson/Shutterstock
Apple's Tim Cook on weakening encryption: 'Any backdoor is a backdoor for everyone'

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 10:36am CET par Mark Wilson

Tim Cook is concerned about privacy. The Apple CEO has spoken out against requests from governments for backdoors into encrypted products. Following the UK government's decision not to ban strong encryption but to force companies to provide authorities with access to encrypted data upon production of a warrant.

This is effectively a backdoor into products and Tim Cook gives a stark warning: "Any backdoor is a backdoor for everyone". He also suggests that security is something that needs to be tackled on a global scale rather than by individual countries.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Cook says that there are serious implications to any sort of weakening of encryption. Acknowledging the need to tackle online crime he says: "Everybody wants to crack down on terrorists. Everybody wants to be secure. The question is how. Opening a backdoor can have very dire consequences".

Referring to how the UK will move on from the dropped snooper's charter and the poorly-received Investigatory Powers Bill, Cook is not all doom and gloom:

I’m optimistic. When the public gets engaged, the press gets engaged deeply, it will become clear to people what needs to occur. You can't weaken cryptography. You need to strengthen it. You need to stay ahead of the folks that want to break it.

He restated Apple's commitment to ensuring people's privacy and security with end-to-end encryption. Echoing the views held by many regular internet users, Cook says:

To protect people who use any products, you have to encrypt. You can just look around and see all the data breaches that are going on. These things are becoming more frequent. They can not only result in privacy breaches but also security issues. We believe very strongly in end to end encryption and no back doors. We don't think people want us to read their messages. We don't feel we have the right to read their emails.

Photo credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock
No more Chrome updates for Windows XP from April 2016

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 2:23am CET par Mark Wilson

Anyone still desperately clinging to Windows XP only has another six months of updates for Chrome. Google has decided that the time has finally come to sever ties with the ancient operating system, and the same applies to Vista and OS X 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8.

Just as Microsoft has stopped issuing updates for Windows XP, so too has Google set a cut-off point of April 2016 for Chrome support on older OSes. These versions of Windows and OS X have been dropped by Microsoft and Apple, so it makes sense that other companies will move on as well. But as well as not getting new versions of Chrome, there will also be no more security updates.

Google says that using such old operating systems runs a far greater risk of virus and malware infection. The company is as keen as Microsoft and Apple that people move with the times and upgrade their operating system. Vista is the only one of the five operating systems that remains supported by the company behind it (until April 2017, believe it or not).

Writing on the Chrome Blog, Google says:

Today, we're announcing the end of Chrome's support for Windows XP, as well as Windows Vista, and Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8, since these platforms are no longer actively supported by Microsoft and Apple. Starting April 2016, Chrome will continue to function on these platforms but will no longer receive updates and security fixes.

If you are still on one of these unsupported platforms, we encourage you to move to a newer operating system to ensure that you continue to receive the latest Chrome versions and features.

Photo credit: 360b / Shutterstock
HyperX releases 2666MHz 128GB Savage and 3000MHz 64GB Predator DDR4 kits

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 2:11am CET par Brian Fagioli
While I love smartphones, laptops, and tablets, my true love is the desktop. My first-ever computer was a store-bought Packard Bell desktop, and ever since then, I have always preferred that form factor -- tower, monitor, keyboard and mouse. Nowadays, however, I build my own such computers; I love selecting all the components piece by piece.

One component that you should never overlook or "cheap out" on is RAM. Choosing a low-quality manufacturer is just asking for headaches. Nothing is more frustrating than diagnosing bad memory sticks. One company I swear by for RAM is HyperX -- a gaming division of Kingston. Its products are fast and dependable. Today, the company announces something so incredible, that I might drown in my own drool -- a 2666MHz 128GB DDR4 kit with its "Savage" moniker. Holy cow!

"HyperX Savage DDR4 is now available as a 2666MHz 128GB kit of eight with each DIMM containing a massive 16GB of RAM. It joins a family of other previously announced Savage DDR4 memory from 2133MHz to 3000MHz in various single modules and kits from 4GB to 64GB capacities. High-speed HyperX Savage DDR4 is perfect for gaming, video editing and 3D rendering. The built-in XMP ready profiles are optimized for Intel^® Core™ i5 and i7 processors, as well as Intel 100 Series and X99 chipsets, enabling users to easily overclock by selecting a memory profile without any adjustments in the BIOS", says HyperX.

The manufacturer further explains that "Predator DDR4 memory is also now available in 16GB DIMMs as 32GB kits of two and 64GB kits of four at 3000MHz. Specifically designed for the latest generation Intel 100 Series and X99 chipsets, HyperX Predator DDR4 combines high frequency and aggressive CAS latencies to provide users with one of the fastest solutions in the market. In addition to the new kits, HyperX Predator DDR4 ships in 16GB (2133MHz to 3000MHz) and 32GB (2133MHz to 3000MHz) kits of four, as well as a 64GB (2800MHz) kit of 8".

HyperX shares the following specs.

Savage DDR4
- Capacities: 4GB–8GB (single), 8GB–128GB (kits)
- Frequency: 2133MHz, 2400MHz, 2666MHz, 2800MHz and 3000MHz
- CAS Latency: 12–15
- Voltage: 1.2V or 1.35V
- Operating Temperature: 0°C to 85°C
- Storage Temperature: -55°C to 100°C
- Dimensions: 133.35mm x 34.57mm
- Compatible with: X99, Z170, H110, H170 and B150
- Reliable: 100% tested
- Guaranteed: Lifetime warranty
Predator DDR4
- Capacities: 16GB–64GB kits
- Frequency: 2133MHz, 2400MHz, 2666MHz, 2800MHz and 3000MHz
- CAS Latency: CL12–16
- Voltage: 1.2V–1.35V
- Operating Temperature: 0°C to 85°C
- Storage Temperature: -55°C to 100°C
- Dimensions: 133.35mm x 55.05mm
- Compatible with: X99, Z170, H110, H170 and B150
- Reliable: 100% tested
- Guaranteed: Lifetime warranty
So how much will this cost? You had better sit down. The 128GB 2666MHz Savage kit costs $1,205.00, while the 64GB 3000MHz Predator kit costs $808.00. Let's be honest though, how many gamers and PC builders truly need 64GB or more of RAM? Other than bragging rights, only a small fraction of computer users will truly have the need. Hell, I am running 32GB of DDR3 and that is totally overkill.

Do you have a need for 64GB or 128GB of DDR4? If yes, tell me for what application in the comments.
Apple Music arrives on Android as a beta

Publié: novembre 11, 2015, 1:27am CET par Mark Wilson

In a few short months, Apple Music has picked up millions of followers, and it has managed to do this whilst remaining exclusive to iOS. Now that changes. Today Apple's music app makes the jump to Android.

Currently in beta, Apple Music for Android is a free download, and includes a three-month free trial of the service. After this, should you want to continue using it, you'll have to cough up $9.99 per month. For the most part, this is a direct port of the iOS version of the app, but as it is in beta there are some notable differences.

At the moment, there isn't support for music videos although Apple promises that this is on the way. Of course, as this is an Android app, it is not a straight replica of the iOS version; it looks like an Android app, and you'd be forgiven for forgetting that it has anything to do with Apple. If you’ve already signed up for a family plan with Apple Music, you'll be able to use it from within the app, but it's not yet possible to sign up for such a plan through it.

While it is possible to stream music on Android, the lack of an Android version of the iTunes Music Store means that it's not possible to purchase individual tracks or albums. That said, any music you buy through iTunes on another device will be made available to you through the Apple Music app.

You can grab yourself a copy of Apple Music from Google Play.