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BetaNews.Com (20 non lus)

Lenovo announces modular, moddable Moto Z range with swappable Moto Mods

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 10:03pm CEST par Mark Wilson

It looks like the next big movement in smartphone design is going to be physically customisable handsets. The latest company to do more than just add bigger screen, ramp up the processor speed and chuck in a bit more RAM is Lenovo. Today the company announces the Moto Z family with Moto Mods. At the moment, the 'family' comprises just two phones: the Moto Z, and the more powerful Moto Z Force. Things get off to a promising start with the handset boasting impressive specs, and measuring just 5.2mm thick (which Lenovo boasts is 'The world's thinnest premium smartphone'). Which… [Continue Reading]
Facebook lets users upload interactive 360-degree photos

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 9:03pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Interactivity is the name of the game these days, as illustrated by the explosion of interest in VR. Facebook may not have gone quite as far as bringing virtual reality to your newsfeed, but it does now support 360-degree photos -- or 360 Photos as it has been dubbed. Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to upload either 360-degree photos, or panoramic photos. On the web, these become interactive images that you can scroll around using a mouse, but on a smartphone you have a couple of options. You can either tap and drag your way around an image, or hold… [Continue Reading]
Google rolls out Android update that brings location-aware Nearby feature to handsets

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 8:01pm CEST par Mark Wilson

An Android update is rolling out that makes it easier to take full advantage of location-aware apps. You might be somewhere for which there is the perfect app to enhance your visit, but if you don’t know of its location-specific capabilities, you just might never use it. Enter Nearby from Google. Google offers a number of example scenarios in which Nearby might be useful. Walk into a CVS, and you could be notified of the in-store photo printing service. Visit a key landmark, and you could enjoy a virtual tour, or learn more about it. Developers are being encouraged to… [Continue Reading]
Self-driving cars and cybersecurity: What are the risks of car hacking?

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 7:54pm CEST par Charles Krome

Can hackers get into the driver’s seat in autonomous vehicles? The short answer here is a resounding "Yes!" Just last year, researchers/hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek exploited a security issue with the mobile Wi-Fi system available in some Fiat-Chrysler products: They demonstrated they could use a laptop to take control of key vehicle systems in a Jeep Cherokee. Not only were they able to change the audio volume, adjust the air conditioning, and turn on the windshield wipers, they gained control over the transmission -- bringing the vehicle to a stop on the highway. Luckily, it was all part… [Continue Reading]
European workers use cloud services for whistle blowing

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 7:41pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Wait until you hear what employees in Europe are using cloud services for. Oh, boy. Blue Coat Systems has polled more than 3,000 workers in France, Germany and the UK, asking them about their cloud usage habits, and, as it turns out, some employees use such services (Dropbox, Box, Office 365, Slack, LinkedIn, Facebook, Gmail, etc.) to store data before starting a new job, for corporate espionage, whistle-blowing and even "personal protection". Eight percent of employees said they stored data to be later used for whistle-blowing, and those employees are most usually HR professionals (17 percent). "This research highlights the behavioral… [Continue Reading]
Mozilla launches Secure Open Source (SOS) Fund

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 6:33pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Open source software is ideal for security. Its transparency allows code to be publicly reviewed and audited. This not only helps to detect bugs and vulnerabilities, but intentional backdoors too. In contrast, closed source software can be a mystery to users -- who knows what is lurking in your favorite such programs? Unfortunately, auditing open source software takes resources. While everyone has the freedom to review code, most consumers do not know how to do so, meaning things can be hiding in plain sight because folks with the know-how don't have the time to look at it. Thankfully, Mozilla is aiming to increase resources… [Continue Reading]
Buffer overflow vulnerability in PDFium PDF reader affects Google Chrome

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 6:24pm CEST par Mark Wilson

The name PDFium might not be immediately familiar, but if you're a Chrome user there's a high chance you're using it to view PDFs. The PDF viewer is built into Google's browser, and a vulnerability has been discovered in the jpeg2000 library which could allow for malicious code to be executed. Unearthed by Aleksandar Nikolic from Cisco Talos, the heap buffer overflow vulnerability could be exploited by simply getting a user to open a PDF document with an embedded jpeg2000 image. The National Vulnerability Database entry warns that the security flaw affects versions of "Chrome before 51.0.2704.63 [and] allows remote… [Continue Reading]
IDC: Windows 10 is hurting -- not helping -- the PC market

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 6:18pm CEST par Wayne Williams

It’s not news that the PC market is in serious decline. We’ve been talking about the death of the PC here for more years than I care to remember, and the latest forecasts from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker don’t provide any relief either. According to the analyst firm, worldwide PC shipments are forecast to decline by 7.3 percent year over year in 2016, with Windows 10 cited as one of the reasons behind the drop. It’s not due to PC buyers scrambling to buy Macs or anything like that, I hasten to add, but rather the free upgrade that’s… [Continue Reading]
Philips unveils Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected smart toothbrush with Bluetooth

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 6:10pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

One of my favorite things is my Philips Sonicare toothbrush. While I used to think folks that spent so much money on a fancy toothbrush were a bit crazy, my dentist always recommended it. I ended up receiving one as a Christmas gift, however, and I couldn't be happier. The Sonicare not only makes my teeth feel cleaner, but is more hygienic, thanks to the UV light holder for the replaceable head. If you take your dental health seriously, and value a quality toothbrush, Philips has a new product that will make tech nerds giddy. The Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected… [Continue Reading]
Number and frequency of DDoS attacks rising

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 6:06pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

The number, and the frequency of DDoS attacks (distributed denial of service) continues to grow, a new report by content delivery network (CDN) services provider Akamai Technologies says. The company said its DDoS mitigation platform, the Akamai Intelligent Platform, mitigated 4,500 DDoS attacks during the first quarter of 2016, representing a 125 percent jump, compared to the same period last year. Almost all attacks were based on reflection attacks using stresser/booter-based tools. More than half of attacks (55 percent) were against gaming companies, with 25 percent targeting the software and tech industry. The report also highlights a new record in… [Continue Reading]
Watch Lenovo reveal its latest tech innovations, including a Protect Tango smartphone, here -- LIVE

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 5:53pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Lenovo has attracted a lot of criticism recently due to its occasional bundling of malware and flawed applications on its PCs, but the Chinese technology company does produce some very good products. Today marks the start of Lenovo Tech World, the firm’s annual technology showcase, and among the products set to be launched will be the world’s first Project Tango-enabled smartphone, which Lenovo says "promises to make AR and VR as pervasive as your GPS". We’re expecting to see two Moto Z handsets revealed -- the Moto Z Style and Moto Z Play -- with a modular backplate nicknamed MotoMods.… [Continue Reading]
Intel improves its Unite conference room technology

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 4:42pm CEST par Ian Barker

With businesses becoming more geographically dispersed and employees often working on different platforms, conferencing is a vital tool. But the challenge of getting equipment to cooperate can result in loss of time and productivity. Chip maker Intel had this issue in its own business and came up with an in-house solution to solve the problem. Intel Unite improved the company's meeting set-up time by 70 percent and was made available to other businesses. Now it wants to make Unite more attractive with some new enhancements to the product. Intel Unite allows any PC to wirelessly connect to existing monitors, whiteboards and projectors… [Continue Reading]
When and where can you buy OnePlus 3 on launch day?

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 4:42pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

As we are getting closer to the launch of the OnePlus 3, we are learning more and more about the new flagship killer. Today, OnePlus reveals exactly when and where prospective buyers will be able to get their hands on its latest smartphone. The OnePlus 3 will officially launch on June 14, and that is when we will also find out how much it will actually cost. OnePlus says that it will be released on the same day in major markets across the globe, and, unlike in the case of its predecessor, you will not need an invite to buy one. OnePlus… [Continue Reading]
Older workers can handle new technology

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 4:41pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

The stereotype of older people having trouble using new technology is nothing more than that -- a stereotype. At least, according to a new report by Dropbox and Ipsos Mori. The two companies surveyed more than 4,000 workers aged 55 and more about their use of technology in the workplace. The results will most definitely be surprising to some. Older workers use, on average, 4.9 forms of technology per week. An overall average is 4.7. They also find using technology in the workplace less stressful than their younger colleagues. Only a quarter of this workgroup found tech in the workplace stressful,… [Continue Reading]
SCOSCHE goBAT 4400 is both a portable USB battery pack and flashlight

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 4:21pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

It is amazingly sad that in 2016 consumers still must face a major dilemma -- battery anxiety. Laugh all you want, but the fear of running out of juice is a legit issue. Yes, this is partly due to concerns about trivial things like being disconnected from social media and texting, but more importantly, it can be scary to lose the ability to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Hopefully battery life in future smartphones will last weeks, not mere hours. If you are constantly worrying about battery life, a portable USB battery pack is a smart purchase. There are countless… [Continue Reading]
Partnership deal aims to help businesses transform using big data

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 4:07pm CEST par Ian Barker

Many businesses are keen to exploit the advantages of big data, but they struggle to find the resources needed to do so. A new partnership between management consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and analytics specialist Mu Sigma aims to let clients exploit cutting-edge big data and analytics solutions to transform the way they do business. The partnership will enable organizations across all industries to gain a powerful set of capabilities to pursue business transformation supported by waves of data analytics. It will allow companies to make data-driven decisions and adds the ability to build a sustainable capacity for analytics and decision… [Continue Reading]
How to choose when Windows 10 can install updates

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 3:41pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

Windows 10 updates may add new features, beef up security, and refine the user experience, but they can also be a source of frustration if the operating system decides to install them at the wrong moment. There are times when you really want to keep using your PC, and not let Windows 10 restart it to finish the job. Just ask this pro gamer who had a Twitch stream ruined right in the middle of a gaming session watched by 130,000 followers. So what can you do? You may be tempted to disable automatic updates or Windows Update altogether, but that is obviously not ideal. However,… [Continue Reading]
New solution adds machine learning analytics to VMware environments

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 3:13pm CEST par Ian Barker

With virtualized environments performance issues can be hard to pinpoint. IT departments can find it difficult to spot whether the cause is in the application, network, storage, or virtualization layer of the infrastructure. Software optimization specialist SIOS is bringing machine learning to bear on this problem with the latest release of SIOS iQ, its analytics software for VM environments. The new release integrates SIOS iQ with SQL Sentry Performance Advisor, bridging a critical gap between IT infrastructure administrators and SQL Server administrators. For the first time, IT staff can easily identify and resolve the root causes of performance issues based on analysis… [Continue Reading]
No more Tinder for under-18s

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 10:52am CEST par Mark Wilson

Tinder is updating its terms of use, preventing people under the age of 18 from using the app. The dating app experimented with allowing teenagers from 13 to 17 to hook up with people from the same age group, but as of next week this will no longer be possible. This sub-section of user represents just 3 percent of Tinder's user base, but the company feels that tightening up on access is "the right thing to do". Moving forward, of course, there is little that can be done to prevent under-18s from signing up using a false date of birth.… [Continue Reading]
ScanFS is a speedy PC file finder

Publié: juin 9, 2016, 10:50am CEST par Mike Williams

ScanFS is interesting desktop search tool, easy to use but with some unexpected extras. The program starts much like any other search app. Enter a file mask, a starting folder, click Enter to view the results: simple. Your searches can be extended by entering multiple file masks (*.mp3;*.flac), and filtering the results by size ("more than" x, "less than" y), or created and modified dates. There’s a separate "Results filter" (*.jpg containing the text "Rome", say) to trim down the results a little further, without having to run the full search again. There’s an optional preview pane for images and… [Continue Reading]