Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » avril 1, 2016

BetaNews.Com (20 non lus)

Brits would share their data with tech companies for financial gain

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 9:24pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

currency cash money

Brits would love to share personal data with companies, for the promise of monetary gain. Not only that, but they’d give companies access to their connected home habits, if that means they’d get paid for it.

Those are the results of The Global Internet of Things Smart Home Survey. Sixty-three percent would share data about their daily habits, 61 percent would give companies access to their connected home devices, and 77 percent would do it to get bonus tax credits.

At the same time, they’re quite worried about the security implications smart homes bring. Ninety-one percent fear hackers taking control of home devices and using those devices against them.

The "virtual babysitter" device is something the majority doesn’t want in their home. Also, three quarters are anxious about the number of passwords required to keep a smart home safe.

"Smart homes produce a wealth of data about the way we live and by leveraging this data, companies have the potential to improve how we go about our daily lives", said Simon Hunt at Intel Security. "People are aware of how valuable this data is for third party companies, but this data is not just valuable for these companies it’s also like gold dust for hackers. In the rise of the Internet of Things, security has to be addressed from the outset to prevent the smart home hackers. When done right, security can unlock the benefits IoT promises to deliver".

Photo Credit: Lucia Pitter/Shutterstock

Get loads more free space on your Apple iPhone with this one weird trick (seriously)

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 8:02pm CEST par Wayne Williams

iPhone magic

I have to apologize upfront for employing such a well-known clickbait-style headline, but I’m genuinely about to show you how to immediately reclaim a lot of free space on a nearly full Apple iPhone using a weird trick. It’s not an April Fool’s either.

If you have an iPhone that’s close to running out of space, you can use this method to free up a sizable amount of storage. On my iPhone, which was filled to bursting with vacation photos, music and apps I managed to claw back a couple of gigabytes, which is some going.

The trick only works on an iPhone that’s very low on space. What you need to do is note how much storage you have remaining by going to Settings > General > Usage, and then try to rent a movie from iTunes that is larger than the storage you have available. If you have 500MB free, for example, you could try and rent Bridge of Spies, which is a 5.79GB download.

You have to try to rent the film through the iTunes app on your phone, not through iTunes on your PC or Mac. Unless you actually want to watch the film that is.

When you click Rent, a loading symbol will appear but then you’ll receive a message informing you that "there is not enough available storage" to download the film, and you’ll be given the option of managing your storage in Settings.

Tap the Settings button, and -- ta-da! -- you should see the amount of free storage you now have is much greater than before. Repeating the process will free up even more space.

According to this Reddit post, it seems what the device is doing is deleting unnecessary files from installed apps in an effort to free up the room you need to install the movie.

Don’t worry though, even if you do manage to free up enough space for the film in question, it won’t be installed. Unless you click on Rent again that is...

Photo credit: Ollyy / Shutterstock

Egypt bans Facebook Free Basics for NOT spying on users

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 7:40pm CEST par Mark Wilson

facebook_on_mobile_phone

In another blow for Mark Zuckerberg's free internet service, Facebook Free Basics has been banned in Egypt. The Egyptian government made the decision after Facebook refused to allow it to use the service to spy on users.

The shutdown comes just five months after Facebook Free Basics launched in Egypt, having proved controversial in other countries for contravening net neutrality rules. But Facebook's refusal to permit government surveillance of users means that the service has been banned this time for political reasons.

The decision is not completely unexpected. The Egyptian government suspended Facebook Free Basics at the end of December because, as Reuters reports, the initial permit to operate was only temporary.

Egypt's Ministry of Communication implies that the ban comes as a result of anti-competitive behaviour, with spokesman Mohamed Hanafi saying:

The service was offered free of charge to the consumer, and the national telecommunication regulator saw the service as harmful to companies and their competitors.

While details are thin on the ground, Reuters cites 'two sources with direct knowledge of discussions between Facebook and the Egyptian government'. Whatever the thinking behind the ban is, it is unlikely to prove popular with Egyptians looking for a free way to gain access to the internet. Facebook had said at the time of the Free Basics suspension that it hoped to resolve the situation, but it has not commented on the current ban.

Photo credit: tulpahn / Shutterstock

Windows 10 is now on nearly one in four Windows PCs and tablets, according to Microsoft

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 7:28pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Shock PC

NetMarketShare today released its latest desktop OS usage figures, and they reveal a steady increase for Windows 10. According to the web analytics firm, the new OS currently has 14.15 percent usage share. However, Microsoft has updated its own market share figures and they paint a very different picture, showing the OS to be a much, much bigger hit.

According to the recently updated Windows and Store trends page, as of February, Windows 10 is on 24 percent of PC and tablet devices running Windows, growing at a pace of around 2 percent a month. And not only that, the new OS is also a huge hit with gamers, with Microsoft claiming Windows 10 is on 35 percent of their devices. So how come Microsoft’s figures differ so significantly from NetMarketShare’s? There are a couple of reasons.

Firstly, NetMarketShare records all operating system usage figures -- not just how many people are using the various flavors of Windows, but also Mac and Linux. Microsoft however, measures Windows market share -- how many people have installed its OS.

Additionally, NetMarketShare focuses on the desktop side of things in its figures, while Microsoft also factors in tablets.

That alone doesn’t explain the gulf -- Microsoft is claiming Windows 10 is on 10 percent more devices than NetMarketShare has recorded -- but the answer for the difference is a simple one. The software giant only includes Windows 10, 8, 8.1 and 7 in its charts -- ignoring XP and Vista as it no longer considers those versions relevant.

If we strip out those two aging Windows editions and all non-Windows systems from NetMarketShare's figures, the result is pretty close to those numbers reported by Microsoft for February.

Microsoft’s share breakdown has Windows 10 on 24 percent, Windows 8.1 on 18 percent, Windows 8 on 3 percent, and Windows 7 on 55 percent.

As Microsoft has claimed Windows 10 is now on 270 million devices, we can use the new percentages to roughly size the market, which suggests there are over 618 million Windows 7 users and 236.25 million Windows 8.x users out there for Microsoft to try to persuade to upgrade to its new OS. Factor in those Windows XP and Vista stragglers, and new PCs and tablets, and getting Windows 10 on one billion devices within the next couple of years might just be possible.

Photo credit: Brian A Jackson / Shutterstock

Get a Red Hat Enterprise Linux license totally free -- here's how

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 7:24pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

free_tag

While many people use the old cliché that nothing in life is free, that isn't always true. Are there often strings attached? Absolutely. With Gmail, Google combs through your communications for targeted advertising. Microsoft's Windows 10 is a free upgrade for many, but it has more strings than a gross of violins -- from a privacy standpoint, that is.

In the world of open source, however, free sometimes really means free. Today, Red Hat -- fresh from celebrating a historic $2 billion in annual revenue -- releases a developer-focused gift to the world. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux Developer Suite is totally free, including a RHEL license and valuable developer tools, like the JBoss Middleware portfolio. This is through the Red Hat Developer Program.

"Offered as a self-supported, non-production developer subscription, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Developer Suite provides developers with a more stable development platform for building enterprise-grade applications and enables a clear pathway to supported, mission-critical deployments across cloud, physical, virtual and container-centric infrastructures", explains Red Hat.

The popular open source company further explains, "with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Developer Suite, developers have access to a broad and up-to-date set of development tools, in addition to the latest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server, enabling the creation of modern applications for deployment across the hybrid cloud. In addition, enterprise IT teams who are embarking on modern application development, through DevOps, CI/CD or other practices, can now have a more simple and efficient environment with platform compatibility across development and deployment".

Red Hat shares the following components of the free program.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server -- An application development entitlement to the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform.

Development tools with long-term support -- Each major Red Hat Enterprise Linux release includes a broad set of base tools that, like the operating system, are supported for 10 years; including Python, PHP, Ruby, OpenJDK 7 (1.7), OpenJDK 8 (1.8) and many more.

Development tools with frequent updates - Multiple open source programming languages, databases, web servers, and development tools are updated yearly with the most recent, stable versions, and are packaged via Red Hat Software Collections and Red Hat Developer Toolset.

If you want to take advantage of this amazing offer, you can sign up here. If you aren't a developer, however, you shouldn't waste your time. If you are merely interested in the RHEL license (which is self-supported anyway), and are a desktop Linux user, it would be wiser to target the always-free Fedora or CentOS instead.

If you are a developer, you should definitely take advantage of developing on the platform. Red Hat is a leader in open source technologies, and it is smart to leverage this generous offering.

Photo credit: Aha-Soft / Shutterstock

Windows 10 will soon show you notifications from your Android phone

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 6:53pm CEST par Mark Wilson

windows_10_in_frame

The Notification Center in Windows 10 is a great idea but, many would argue, one that is both limited and poorly implemented. For anyone with a Windows 10 Mobile phone it is marginally more useful thanks to notification sharing, and this feature is due to expand to Android users as well.

At Build, Microsoft revealed that the Notification Center is in line for a major overhaul that will not only bring Cortana-power notification mirroring to Android users, but will also bring a richer, more image-heavy notification experience. The news isn’t so great for iPhone users as the more tightly controlled nature of iOS means Microsoft has a harder task on its hands.

It doesn’t end there. Also on the cards is a 'universal dismiss' option that will make it possible to kill a notification on one device and have it wiped from others at the same time. But it is almost certainly notification mirroring that will generate the most interest. It means that you will be able to see notifications from your Windows 10 computer on your Android phone, or phone notifications on your computer.

In addition to being able to see from your computer that a message has come through on your phone, you'll also be able to dismiss notifications, and even reply to messages without having to switch devices. For anyone who spends their days sitting at a computer and switching between PC and phone for different tasks, this could be a real productivity boost.

Developers will need to enable support for notification mirroring in their apps, and users will be free to enable and disable the feature for individual apps -- handy to ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed with messages.

Microsoft has not said when we'll be able to try out the feature for ourselves, but it's likely that it will make an appearance in the Insider builds that precede the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Photo credit: tanuha2001 / Shutterstock

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14295 ISOs now available for download

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 5:58pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Windows 10

A week ago, Microsoft released a new Windows 10 Insider Preview build for PC and Mobile. While Build 14295 isn’t the most exciting of releases, it does include a lot of notable bug fixes and Microsoft deems it stable enough for the Slow ring which is welcome news for any Insiders not on the cutting edge.

There’s also good news for anyone struggling to update their existing Insider Preview build through Windows Update (or for anyone wanting to do a fresh install or try out the new build in a virtualized environment) as Microsoft has just made Build 14295 available for download in ISO format.

It’s important to remember, that while Build 14295 is mostly just bug fixes, it follows on from Build 14291 which delivered extensions to Microsoft Edge, as well as pinned tabs and other Edge enhancements. There was an updated Maps app, and a wealth of other changes (including the introduction of a new Feedback Hub) in that build too.

If you’re not currently running Build 14295 you can download the ISOs for it from this link. You’ll need to be a Windows Insider, but you can join the program if you’re not already part of it.

Once you’ve downloaded the ISO you can burn it to DVD or write it to a USB flash drive, and install it.

Photo credit: charnsitr / Shutterstock

Facebook Messenger now lets you manage your KLM flights

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 5:40pm CEST par Anthony Spadafora

Facebook Messenger is used by 800 million people globally and now KLM Dutch Airlines will be the first airline to allow its customers to check in, receive flight updates and change their travel itineraries right from within the app.

Facebook believes that customer service can easily be handled and even improved through its Messenger app. The company was inspired by popular messaging services in Asia such as WeChat, Line and KakaoTalk that give their users the ability to schedule many of their day to day activities right from within their apps including hailing taxis, making reservations at restaurants, shopping for shoes, playing games and sending gifts such as coupons for meals and coffee.

Last year Facebook launched Messenger for Business to begin exploring the idea of "conversational commerce" with companies which are interested in adopting the site’s messaging platform to communicate with customers. Walmart, Everlane and even the hotel chain Hyatt have all tried out the service as a new way to interact with their customers.

Messaging has quickly gained in popularity and analysts predict that it could one day overtake social media as the main way consumers spend their time online. Two and a half billion people have registered for at least one messaging app and it is estimated that this number could reach 3.6 billion by 2018.

In the past, companies scrambled to quickly develop and deliver their own apps to consumers with the advent of smartphones and app stores. Now they have come to realize that most people only use a few app throughout the day. By interacting with customers through Facebook Messenger it will be easier to reach their clients who are now no longer burdened with installing a separate app for every company they have interactions with.

Facebook is eventually planning to sell its own services to customers through mobile, but the company sees Messenger for Business and companies such as KLM adopting Messenger as a cautious way to capitalize on the success and widespread use of its messaging service.

Losing selfies is a major concern for the majority of smartphone users

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 3:48pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

woman_taking_selfie

Mobile memory experts Leef quizzed the UK population to see just how important smartphones are for them, and how often they back such devices up. It turns out, not so frequently. As a matter of fact, some people don’t even know what backing up actually means.

So here’s the thing. The quiz polled 1,000 smartphone users across the country, and more than half would be terrified of losing their smartphone, mostly because of "their selfies and other irreplaceable photos from their smartphone", the Leef report says.

The percentage jumps even higher, to 62 percent, among the younger population, aged 16 - 24. The older generation has more fears of losing their contacts, and still rarely backs up their devices. On top of it all, five percent don’t know what "backing up" means.

"Increasingly often people are having great moments and photo opps blighted by the ‘memory full’ pop up on their phone. As we rely on our phones more and more, backing them up is vital!",said David Smurthwaite, partner at Leef. "If you don’t back your phone up because you are worried the cloud in unsafe, or you can’t be bothered with a clumsy web of cables -- search for a better solution! You don’t want to be left kicking yourself because you’ve lost years’ of precious content...".

Photo credit: Vladimir Gjorgiev / Shutterstock

FCC cannot investigate Netflix for throttling its own customers

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 2:46pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

sad sorry puppy dog

Netflix last week revealed that it has throttled the video streams of customers who have been accessing its service from AT&T's and Verizon's networks, after the two carriers were believed to be at fault. The company says that this has been done to keep those users from exceeding their monthly data plans, but some believe the video streaming service has taken things too far, right into the net neutrality danger zone.

Despite offering what looks to be a good reason for the throttling, Netflix is still in the wrong. Customers were not informed of the company's decision before it went into effect more than five years ago. There is no way of turning the "feature" off, at least not until a data saver option is introduced in May. And the focus of the throttling has been rather limited, with this move not extending to other carriers in US, like Sprint and T-Mobile. So, obviously, affected customers have very good reasons to complain.

The customers who Netflix targeted have been limited to 600 Kbps video streams, which is well below the capabilities of modern, 4G LTE cellular networks. The obvious advantage to doing this is a decrease in traffic, which could mean lower costs for Netflix. Although AT&T and Verizon also stand to benefit for the same reason, the former carrier, at least, says that it is "outraged" by Netflix's actions.

Naturally, some Netflix users feel the same, going as far as to suggest that Netflix may have broken the net neutrality rules by throttling their connections. As you may know, the Federal Communications Commission, lead by Tom Wheeler, is responsible for enforcing net neutrality rules, so if there's an agency that can do something about FCC should be it.

However, according to Wheeler, what Netflix is doing is actually outside of FCC's jurisdiction. The agency cannot investigate what so called "edge providers" or websites are doing, as those entities are "outside the open Internet" order, according to statements given to Reuters earlier this week.

That may be disappointing to hear but, as you may know, the net neutrality rules are designed with the idea of protecting customers from having their Internet connections throttled by ISPs. Since Netflix is not the company offering Internet service, it can apparently throttle its own customers at will with no repercussions from the FCC.

So what can you do about it? Well, it looks like, if Netflix throttles you, you will have to wait until it enables the data saver mode that it promised last week, so that you can unleash the full potential of your cellular connection while streaming video.

Photo Credit: JStaley401/Shutterstock

Google fails Gmail users with misguided 'Mic Drop' April Fool's prank

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 2:02pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

fail

As a tech enthusiast, I dread the stupid April Fool's Day every year. What should probably be a fun day for children to pull safe and respectful pranks, has evolved into a day when companies announce fake products. Is it all in good fun? Yes, but some of these companies are publicly traded and worth billions of dollars. It's time to grow up. Some of us are interested in legit news.

One such company, Google, provides services to billions of people -- including some for business use. And so it has a responsibility to its users, and shareholders, to not cause harm with goofy jokes. Today, the search giant does exactly that, however, with a prank called "Mic Drop". In fact, the prank was so misguided, that Google has since pulled it.

"Today, Gmail is making it easier to have the last word on any email with Mic Drop. Simply reply to any email using the new 'Send + Mic Drop' button. Everyone will get your message, but that's the last you'll ever hear about it. Yes, even if folks try to respond, you won't see it", says Victor-bogdan Anchidin, Software Engineer. Clicking the button sends a GIF of a Minion dropping a microphone before shutting down the email thread.

Really, Google? Placing a fake send button next to the real one? I am not sure who is in charge of the asylum over there in Mountain View, but people use your email service for serious things. Such a blatant disregard of respect could have dire results for people both personally and professionally.

Over on Business Insider, they share some examples of how things have gone wrong for some users -- if the users are to believed. Trolling or not, the potential for these things are all too real. As someone who planned a family funeral earlier this year, and utilized Gmail to do so, the last thing I would want is an April Fool's prank sabotaging it.

Those that use Gmail for business, could end up losing their jobs, or potentially embarrassing themselves in front of coworkers or clients. While you may think this is overkill, I am honestly rethinking my use of Gmail going forward.

perry

I covered similar nonsense in a 2014 article called "Hey Google, grow up -- enough with the April Fool pranks already". In it, I wrote the following regarding a "Shelfie" prank.

It set my theme as a picture of Katy Perry -- While seemingly harmless, I was checking my email in public. I like to get respect from people I work and meet with. The picture makes me look goofy. I actually like Ms. Perry, but not when I am trying to make a certain impression. Some may say that I could have just closed the window. However, the pop-up says "Not sure? Use the Top Trending Shelfies". I wasn't sure, so that's what I did.

Enough, Google. You have been doing this for far too long. Luckily, with the "Mic Drop" prank, Google got the message and pulled it. Anchidin writes the following.

Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year. Due to a bug, the Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. We’re truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page.

Calling this a bug is disingenuous, adding more fuel to the fire. Either way, it can't harm anyone else today.

Do you think it is time for Google to drop the April Fool's Day shtick? Tell me in the comments.

UPDATE: Google apologizes a second time.

We heard feedback that some of you were negatively impacted by this feature, so we quickly turned it off late last night. In addition, we are working to bring back Mic-Dropped messages that had subsequent replies to your inbox, so you can read those.

We realize many of you use Gmail for very important messages, and we are sorry if Mic Drop was in any way harmful to you. Note that if you’re a Google Apps business, education or government user this feature was never turned on.

At Google we have a culture of sharing what we learned when things go wrong, and we want to share these learnings with you:

We should have asked you before turning on the feature, and it should have included a confirmation before sending.

We didn't anticipate accidental clicks: "Send + Mic Drop" was too close to other send buttons ("Send" as well as "Send & Archive"), which caused confusion.

And yes there was a bug. It was rare, but possible to press the regular "Send" button and still Mic Drop if you did the following:

Opened a new compose window

Pressed the “Send & Mic Drop” button with no recipients and saw error message

Edited the message by adding message recipient(s)

Pressed the regular send button.

Again, sorry. We love April Fools jokes at Google, and we regret that this joke missed the mark and disappointed you.

Photo credit: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock

Windows 10 continues its slow march to desktop domination

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 12:52pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Marching boots

At Build 2016 Microsoft revealed that Windows 10 is now on 270 million devices. By switching the new operating system to a recommended update, the software giant has managed to add 70 million devices to its tally in just under 3 months. An achievement somewhat tainted by the fact that not every upgrade was actually wanted nor knowingly actioned, but that’s still a very respectable number to crow about.

With it being the first of the month, NetMarketShare has released its latest usage figures for the various flavors of Windows and, as you’d expect, Windows 10 shows the most growth.

The new OS had 12.82 percent of the desktop market in February, but gained 1.33 percentage points in March, and now stands on 14.15 percent.

That places it well ahead of its predecessor. Windows 8.1 lost 0.27 percent and now stands on 9.56 percent. Windows 8 actually gained 0.02 percentage points, to put it on 2.45 percent. Combined, the tiled OS dropped 0.25 percentage points and now sits on 12.01 percent, Just over two percent behind Windows 10.

Windows 7 shed 0.45 percentage points, but remains the dominant OS with 51.89 percent. If Windows 10 continues to grow at the same rate it posted in March, and Windows 7 declines by the same percentage, the new OS will overtake the old one in around two years' time.

Of course there are a lot of factors that might influence that including Microsoft finding new and even more aggressive ways to get Windows 10 on to systems, and we still don’t know what the software giant is planning to do regarding pricing once the free upgrade period ends in the summer.

Photo credit: Tamisclao / Shutterstock

Best Windows apps this week

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 12:42pm CEST par Martin Brinkmann

One-hundred and seventy-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 in the past seven days.

Microsoft's Build 2016 conference is still underway, and if you are interested in what is coming to Windows 10 later this year, I suggest you check out our coverage here on BetaNews.

This week saw the release of exciting apps and games, and an increase in Xbox game conversions. Game of the week is Killer Instinct which you can download and play for free in a base version.

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

The following discounts are provided by Red Stripe Deals, a weekly changing list of offers, and the Deals Hub application.

The following is this week's selection:

Pin More, pin custom tiles for $1.49
Vampire Legends: The True Story of Kisilova, an adventure game for $3.49
Runtastic PushUps PRO, push-up training app for $0.99
Space Marshals, tactical top-down shooter for $2.49
Doodle God: 8-Bit Mania, a puzzle game for $0.99
Sago Mini Superhero, a game for children for $0.99
Total Manager Pro, a file manager for $4.99
IP Cameras Online, access public IP cameras worldwide, for $2.99

App of the week

Killer Instinct

killer

Killer Instinct is a 2D fighting game that was originally released for the Xbox One in 2013.

This version, dubbed Season 3, is available for Xbox One and Windows 10, and like other games released by Microsoft recently, features cross-buy, -play and -save functionality.

The base game can be downloaded for free on Windows 10, but you will have to pay for the full experience.

The game features single- and multiplayer modes, supports controllers (recommended), and Xbox Live features such as leaderboards, achievements or Game DVR.

It is highly recommended to check the minimum and recommended PC specifications before you download the game.

Other applications

AFL Live

afl

The Australian Football League application features everything fans could ask for. From live scores and team/player stats to video highlights, interviews and press conference footage.

You get player profiles and information, as well as ladder and fixture information on top of that.

Some features that the app provides require an AFL Live subscription. With it, you can watch live video streams of games, watch on-demand full replays and gain access to the AFL TV channel.

Audiotica

audiotica

Audiotica is a music player and downloader that is now also available for Windows 10.

The player supports local music that you can add to it, and several online streaming services such as Spotify, SoundCloud, Deezer and Last.fm.

According to its devs, it is faster and saves 70 percent on battery life when compared to Spotify or Xbox Music.

Microsoft HoloLens

holo

The official HoloLens application from Microsoft provides you with options to pair your HoloLens device with the app to gain access to features such as starting and stopping applications, capturing "mixed reality" photos and videos, and viewing a live stream from the device's point of view.

The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt

pirates

The game plays a bit like the classic swashbuckling game Pirates. You start as a captain of a Sloop and work your way up the foot chain by fighting other ships, increasing your fleet, upgrading ship and captain skills, and more.

The game features a story driven campaign, different types of sea battles and -- for a Windows 10 game -- fine visuals.

Join by joaoapps ($1.49, free trial available)

join (2)

The app brings Android device notifications to the Windows Notification Center.

Options to react on notifications are provided as well, you can reply to messages directly from the Windows device for instance.

Air Asia

air-asia

The official Air Asia application for Windows 10 features a flight search, and flight status checks.

You can use it to check-in or print your boarding pass, and manage things such as in-flight meals, seat reservations and more.

Notable updates

AccuWeather -- Weather for Life updated with Cortana support, videos, new playlists and more.

Mail and Calendar updated. Add holidays to your calendar, view an entire year in year view, move messages to folders of your choice, and add attachments by pasting them into the message body.

Monster Buster: World Invasion with support for Windows 10 desktop and mobile.

Playcast, the casting app, has been updated. The update brings Chromecast bug fixes, crash fixes, and better DLNA server handling.

Adjust PDF brightness, contrast and gamma with YACReader

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 12:36pm CEST par Mike Williams

YACReaderLetter-768x571

Text-based PDFs are generally easy to read, with high contrast, crisp fonts, and a zoom tool if you need to check the small print.

PDFs of scanned images can be very different, especially if they’re old documents, maybe handwritten, and have faded over the years.

Open these images in a graphics editor and you’d be able to tweak brightness, contrast and whatever else you need, but unfortunately most specialist PDF viewers have no equivalent options at all.

YACReader is a comic (and PDF) reader which has been designed to handle images, and supports the image adjustment tools you need.

The interface isn’t as polished as the big name PDF readers -- just a tiny toolbar -- but initially it works just like everything else: hit Open or Ctrl+O, choose a document, and use the back/ forward buttons or left/ right keys to step through the pages.

If you’re struggling to read a faded page, click Options (the gear icon, top right) > Image Adjustment and you’re able to tweak brightness, contrast and gamma, which immediately made a huge difference to our test documents.

Hiding these settings away in a separate dialog makes them less convenient to access, and could be a problem if you want to tweak your settings from page to page.

Despite that, just having any adjustment options at all is a major improvement on most PDF viewers, and -- if this is a regular issue for you -- probably justifies the download all on its own.

YACReader is a free application for Windows, Mac and Linux.

How UK tech companies could comply with Snoopers Charter

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 10:48am CEST par Jonathan Parker-Bray

PC surveillance camera

It would be hugely ironic if the UK government’s plans to help it seize back control of the digital age actually pushed technology firms even further down the path of encryption.

The second version of the Investigatory Powers Bill -- or Snoopers Charter, as it has been colloquially dubbed -- was published by the Home Office on March 1. This came in light of criticism of the first version -- published in December -- from three parliamentary joint committees: the Science and Technology Committee, the Intelligence and Security Committee, and the Joint Committee for the bill itself -- which made some 86 recommendations alone.

The revised version aimed to appease demands for change, but has failed to pour water on the fears that ignited huge debate over public concerns around encryption, hacking and mass data theft.

Indeed, Dr Gus Hosein, executive director of Privacy International, said of the revised bill: "It would be shameful to even consider this change cosmetic... The continued inclusion of powers for bulk interception and bulk equipment interference -- hacking by any other name -- leaves the right to privacy dangerously undermined and the security of our infrastructure at risk".

What’s So Wrong With the Bill?

Summarizing the bill in general, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted: "By my read, #SnoopersCharter legitimizes mass surveillance. It is the most intrusive and least accountable surveillance regime in the West".

A key issue with the proposed bill is the requirement for service providers to keep an itemized list of users’ browsing histories in the last 12 months on file for access by the police and authorities. This has drawn understandable concerns over whether this data would remain secure, especially in the wake of the recent TalkTalk customer data hack.

The bill would also give security services greater power to acquire bulk collections of data -- NHS health records, for example -- and be legalized to bug computers and phones with an approved warrant -- which companies would legally have to assist them with.

The government’s outlined take on encryption is also extremely controversial. Companies have voiced their concerns that this could give security services the power to eavesdrop on messages whenever they liked. But the revised bill clarified the government’s encryption standpoint, making it clear that companies can only be asked to remove encryption that they themselves have applied, and only where it is "practicable" for them to do so.

Take a Positive Mentality

The implications of the Snoopers Charter may sound all doom and gloom for the technology and communications industries and the British public, but there is a glimmer of light for technology companies that choose to build a positive response to the language being used.

When it comes to encryption, the vagueness of the government’s use of the word "practicable" has the potential to be extremely broad, potentially encompassing anything that fits "when the government has a warrant and the technology company has the power to do it". It would therefore not be surprising if security companies took steps to make it impracticable for them to decrypt their solutions, in response to the government’s demands.

For example, in the current Apple/San Bernardino case in the US, the steps that the FBI is asking for, such as updating the iPhone with a new version of iOS that disables brute force attack protections, are entirely practicable. The FBI has a court order and Apple can do it, but are arguing that they shouldn’t. However, Apple itself has said it is currently working on solutions that will prevent it having to take this action with future devices, which is precisely what could turn laws like this into a positive driver for the security industry.

To protect themselves against the burden of the new legislation, UK companies may have to go a step further and ensure their products are secure, even from themselves. The only way businesses can protect their users’ data fully is by ensuring that they cannot access it, even upon request.

There are a few methods that could be taken to achieve this, such as making a device or software platform verify and reject updates that lower security standards. The goal then becomes developing security solutions that are more intelligent and resilient, and more capable of protecting businesses from outside threats and forced internal actions.

Another reading of the Investigatory Powers Bill was announced on March 15, with a final vote on its introduction likely before the end of April.

Jonathan Parker-Bray, CEO and founder of Pryvate.

Image Credit: Maxx-Studio / Shutterstock

Many Brits now do not trust online banking

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 6:51am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Banking login Internet Online

Almost half of people living in the UK (48 percent) fear either their identities, or their banking data will be stolen. Those are the results of a new survey from financial technology company Intelligent Environments. According to the report, the fear is well founded, with 20 percent of Britons being victims to some type of cyber-crime, either identity theft or bank details theft.

The report reveals a cybersecurity map of Britain. In it, it says that Birmingham is most concerned with cybersecurity, with 57 percent fearing banking information theft, and 59 percent identity theft. Birmingham is followed by Newcastle and Cardiff.

But perhaps the most important revelation of the report is that people are refraining from using online banking in the first place, thanks to security threats. Twenty-two percent don’t trust digital banking apps, and 12 percent don’t trust online banking. Another seven percent have given up on online banking having been victims to an attack.

"People are more on edge these days, and with good reason", says managing director of Intelligent Environments, David Webber. "High profile hacking attacks on organizations like Ashley Madison, Bitdefender and TalkTalk as recently as six months ago have put the issues at the top of people’s minds, and as a result they are rightfully concerned about their security online. Of course, banking data is always going to be a primary concern as it’s particularly attractive to hackers. We’re therefore calling on banks to play a more active role in educating customers on how best to keep themselves and their financial information safe while they’re online".

Image Credit: mama_mia / Shutterstock

An Apple 40th birthday reflection

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 6:12am CEST par Joe Wilcox

Summer 1984, Chapel Hill, N.C., I learned something about prejudice and discrimination in America and saw my first Macintosh. Strangely, looking back at Apple, which celebrates its 40th birthday today, the two things connect.

As I reflected in Jan. 18, 2004, personal post: "Racism and Naiveté", I never thought much about skin color growing up in a region of America where most everyone is Caucasian. Northern Maine is a white wonderland for more than abundant snowfall. Strangely, though, my best friends had last names like Chung and Zivic. The local Air Force base, Loring, added color to the populace, and when it came to people I was decidedly colorblind.

Because I witnessed so little racism, or discrimination, firsthand, I had no context to understand -- even when learning about slavery or the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in school. Twenty years after that landmark legislation came to be, I watched the film “From Montgomery to Memphis“, and it changed my perspective. First, there was the shock about black and white buses, then black and white waiting rooms at bus stations, and segregated bathrooms. Separate water fountains!

The same afternoon I watched the film, I wandered around the University of North Carolina campus contemplating the documentary. I ambled into the college bookstore, where placed prominently for anyone and everyone to see was Macintosh. I knew nothing about Apple, nor should I have not being a computer geek -- then or even now. But I nevertheless marveled at the graphic display. I had seen movie "WarGames" a few months earlier and recognized the dramatic differences between this machine and the one used by actor Matthew Broderick. (Hehe, Loring Air Force Base plays a role in one of the climactic scenes.)

The next year, I moved to predominately black Washington, D.C. for work, coincidentally. You don’t grow up white and male and suddenly have a feeling for what it’s like to be a minority or female of any race. One movie wouldn't change that, nor my long-time living in the D.C. metro area.

Hello, Mac

While residing there, I bought my first computer -- January 1994 -- months after reading a compelling story in Washington Journalism Review about the coming era of online publishing. I made a career change from general-interest magazine editor to tech-industry reporter. Except for a brief flirtation with IBM OS/2, I exclusively used Windows until December 1998, when I hauled a Bondi Blue iMac out of the local CompUSA. Curiosity -- and interest in expanding tech reporting beats -- prompted the impulsive purchase.

I came to love the fruit-logo company's products, while as a tech journalist developing a reputation for being anti-Apple -- which I am not. Several Apple fanboy bloggers fan the flames of hate through their criticism, sarcasm, and witlessness; they are defenders of the forbidden fruit and tolerate little real or perceived criticism.

I am not much bothered, as I don't typically read their posts or those from their accolades commenting on my stories (and other writers'). I abide by the "be hardest on those whom you love most" principle and therefore understand (and excuse) the misplaced "anti-" accusations. Few of my stories are kind, I concede.

I am not then, nor at anytime, have been a fanboy of Apple or any other tech company. The products are all just tools to me, and I use what makes sense at the time. Google gives greater contextual utility that matters to most everyone, but Apple does deliver things that make people happy to hold, look at, and use in a more human-like, responsive, and immersive way.

Apple Activism

In the nearly 18 years since I booted my first Mac much has changed. Apple has gone from being the little company that could to the behemoth that couldn't -- my first iMac is example of the one and the March 21st "Are you in the Loop?" event as metaphor for the other. CEO Tim Cook's innovation focus is customer retention rather than expansion, and maybe in the end that will prove to be the "can do" strategy.

Apple's empire is built on iPhone, which accounted for 67.4 percent of revenues during fiscal Q1 2016. Yesterday, Gartner warned that global smartphone sales would be flat in the two largest markets -- China and the United States. Existing iPhone owners in those countries could become larger customers, if Cook and Company deftly execute.

During this decade, Apple is also an activist, aggressively and vocally taking positions on real and perceived discrimination, equality, gender bias, and human rights issues, particularly in the United States. That includes the recent ruckus with the FBI about iPhone encryption. By contrast, the company showed little public social activism under Steve Jobs' leadership.

So the two threads tie together from that afternoon in 1984, when I saw America's bad past behavior magnified and a glimmer of the future displayed from a beige box. Prejudice and discrimination aren't easily swept away, and the United States still grapples with both. Eliminating either enables huge portions of our population.

Technology enables everyone, if iPhone's success means anything. No matter what Apple's future, over 40 years the company has succeeded to humanize technology and diminish the complexity using it. Nokia invented the smartphone two decades before Apple brought to market iPhone, which fundamentally changed the cellular handset market -- directly and by way of derivative, imitative devices released by other vendors.

Happy Birthday, Apple.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock/Sean Locke Photography

The right PC can improve job satisfaction

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 4:53am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Happy PC user

Do you want satisfied workers? Give them a well-designed PC, a good and secure mobile device, and let them work when they want to, where they want to. Those are, in a nutshell, the results of a new research by Redshift Research, which had polled 1,016 people, across France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

For 90 percent of IT decision makers, device security is a current concern, because in the last 12 months, a quarter of Europe’s businesses have been breached. That has resulted in less than a third (32 percent) being completely confident in the level of security offered by their current devices.

The report also says that PC design is important -- for 69 per cent of IT decision makers it must allow for mobility, and 77 percent believe it can improve job satisfaction.

"The way that we’re seeing our customers use their business devices is continuing to evolve and is resulting in greater collaboration, mobility and productivity for users", said John O’Reilly, director of Corporate, Enterprise & Public Sector and Personal Systems at HP. "However, this new way of working also presents a real challenge for IT decision makers in ensuring that their devices remain secure whilst being able to provide beautiful, stylish products that match the productivity and design demands from their employees".

In case you were wondering what might be wrong with their current PC setup, that’s mostly unattractive design (27 percent), and short battery life (25 percent).

Image Credit: Zurijeta / Shutterstock

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Investigate your PC’s RAM use with ATM

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 3:13am CEST par Mike Williams

ATM

ATM is a portable tool which gives an in-depth, low-level look at your PC's system memory use.

Forget the usual Task Manager clones, this is more about memory standby lists, the system file cache, Superfetch performance, page file effectiveness, even (on Windows 10) memory compression.

The program is designed for IT professionals, so there’s no hand-holding, no Help file, no attempt to hide complex details. Every figure is displayed in a huge block of text, which updates in real time.

Once you're past the initial shock, it’s not really so bad. At least all the data is displayed up-front, without you having to click on various tabs to find whatever you need. And there's useful information to explore here, too.

One example. We recently wrote about "Empty Standby List", a console program which could free up RAM by flushing the contents of various Windows standby memory lists. But which lists are best to empty on your system, and how much RAM are they using?

ATM gives you all this information, including the individual lists by priority, and the overall total, typically around 50% of the RAM on our test PC.

Would clearing these lists help? There are buttons to do it, or flush the file cache, process working sets and more.

The problem with this kind of memory "optimisation" is your system may have to reload data from disk, but ATM has that covered, too, with tools to assess your system file cache and page file effectiveness.

That works for us, but if you find yourself getting lost, just look to the right, where a colorful chart gives a simpler real-time view on how your RAM is being used.

ATM is a free and portable application which runs on anything from Windows 2000 up.

Acer unveils 'Chromebase for meetings' all-in-one with videoconferencing focus

Publié: avril 1, 2016, 1:22am CEST par Brian Fagioli

chromebaseacer1

While many people view Chrome OS as nothing more than a basic operating system for home users, it is actually much more. In fact, the Linux-based machines can work beautifully for businesses too -- depending on needs, of course. As more and more solutions become web-based, a traditional Windows/Office solution from Microsoft becomes less of a necessity.

One way that Chrome OS shines in business environments, is videoconferencing and collaboration with Hangouts. Google's 'Chromebox for meetings' has proven to be a great option in this regard for some companies, thanks to low cost and ease of use. Today, business decision-makers that prefer all-in-one solutions to diminutive desktops gain a new option -- Acer's Chromebase for meetings. With an integrated display, this all-in-one is inexpensive, attractive, and extremely easy to setup and deploy.

"Designed for videoconferencing, Acer's Chromebase for meetings features the largest screen of all Chrome OS devices on the market, a 24-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) display with IPS technology, reproducing consistent and accurate colors at up to 178-degree wide viewing angles. An array of four microphones and two speakers ensure that participants can hear and be heard clearly, while an adjustable HD webcam and a chassis that easily tilts from - 5° to 30° allows them to be framed perfectly on the call", says Acer.

Google explains, "so now, you can collaborate and meet over video from a dedicated device at home, your desk at work or a phone room. And since meeting in smaller spaces creates additional opportunity to work together across larger groups, we've also recently expanded the number of meeting participants to 25 people for Google Apps customers".

Click to view slideshow.

Acer shares the following specs.

CPU: CELERON-3215U
Ram: 4 GB
Storage: 16 GB
Screen Size: 23.88 inch
Form Factor: all-in-one
Touchscreen: Yes

I know what you are thinking -- what if a business sometimes needs a larger than 24 inch screen? No worries -- the Chromebase for meetings features HDMI out, so you can connect to a larger display, television, or projector if needed. Of course, if you have no need for the integrated display, a Chromebox could be a smarter buy.

It also features gigabit Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 2.0 port, 3.5mm audio jack and an SD card reader. Of course, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are included too.

This $549 computer will be available imminently at various retailers. In the interim, you can pre-order now here.