Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » juillet 21, 2016

BetaNews.Com (20 non lus)

KAPOW! Bubble Zoom in Google Play Books means better support for comics

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 8:11pm CEST par Mark Wilson

If you use your Android smartphone or tablet to read comics, your reading experience is about to get a whole lot more enjoyable. An update to Google Play Books sees the introduction of Bubble Zoom, a feature announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2016. It uses image recognition technology to identify speech bubbles and automatically enlarge the text of each, one at time as you tap. To celebrate, Google is offering 50 percent off certain DC Comics and Marvel comics. Bubble Zoom is currently described as a 'technical preview', and Google is looking for feedback that will be used to improve… [Continue Reading]
Brexit will not make GDPR mandatory in UK

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 8:07pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Another day, another Brexit story. It’s going to be years before we stop hearing the various implications and results of the recently held UK referendum on leaving the European Union. This time, it’s about private data and its sharing to third-parties, by private companies, without users’ consent. Currently, users need to opt-out of data sharing if they don’t want businesses sharing and/or selling their data to third parties. These features are usually squeezed away somewhere in a tick box, or in the end-user license agreements, where it’s easily overlooked. The upcoming GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is going to change… [Continue Reading]
Twitter Food Council celebrates cooking and eating

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 6:54pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

As an American, I have an obsession with food -- it is a big part of our culture. As my last name implies, I also have some Italian heritage, meaning the act of eating is not only a means of staying alive, but a way to celebrate pretty much everything. Heck, I even love watching cooking shows and competitions -- Chopped is my favorite. As a tech-guy who loves social media, I also share pictures of my meals with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. Speaking of the latter, there is an all-new 'Twitter Food Council' and associated hashtag (#FoodFlock). This new initiative… [Continue Reading]
BBC iPlayer Radio app launches in the US for iOS and Android

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 6:35pm CEST par Mark Wilson

The BBC pumps out a great deal of fabulous content, but there's one problem -- an awful lot of it can only be accessed in the UK. With the launch of the iPlayer Radio app for iOS and Android, this changes. As well as giving listeners the chance to tune in to live radio broadcasts, the app also provides access to podcasts, and boasts a catch-up feature for shows you may have missed. The iPlayer Radio app is available free of charge, and has already received rave reviews in the Google and Apple stores. Described by many as 'long overdue'… [Continue Reading]
Republican National Convention breaks records for data usage

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 6:27pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

It's an eventful week with the Republican National Convention (RNC) making all sorts of news. There have been a couple of bumps in the road during the show, but mostly it has gone off fairly smoothly. It certainly has not lacked for spectacle. However behind the scenes much more is happening. Everyone attending the event is online and that leads to some major headaches for the organizers who are making an effort to ensure that the experience is as seamless as possible. "Convention attendees, visitors and residents of Cleveland have been using Verizon’s 4G LTE network at a record pace… [Continue Reading]
Stack Overflow adds example-based Documentation to help developers improve

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 5:57pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

Having an example to go by can make a huge difference when you are dealing with something new, no matter how far you have progressed as a developer. Seeing how someone else has tackled the problem that you are dealing with, or one close to it, may help you to avoid running into the same issues as them or repeating their mistakes, get a better picture and, ultimately, find the path forward sooner than you would on your own. Stack Overflow seems to agree, as today the famous website that provides answers to the toughest questions in coding launches Documentation.… [Continue Reading]
Too strict mobile security can frustrate employees

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 5:49pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Executives are dancing on a thin line between state-of-the-art security for their company, and just overdoing it, frustrating their employees. This is according to a new report by BlackBerry Limited, which says that, as executives fail to implement the highest levels of security possible, they’re opening up their business to various vulnerabilities, mostly in the mobile segment. There’s an interesting survey following it -- 82 percent of executives said mobile security precautions cause "at least some frustration among employees" and is even being lined with hindered productivity. Overall, 44 percent believe too much security prevents people from doing their job.… [Continue Reading]
Mozilla will block non-essential Flash in Firefox from next month

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 4:54pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Flash is seen, quite rightly, as the scourge of the internet, and for some time there has been a vocal movement to eradicate all traces of it. Following the lead of Google Chrome and upcoming versions of Safari, Mozilla is taking the step of blocking Flash content from Firefox that is "not essential to the user experience". It's part of the company's drive to reduce reliance on Flash, whilst recognizing that there is still a need to provide a degree of support for "legacy Flash content". Mozilla has taken the decision to ditch Flash in a bid to improve browser… [Continue Reading]
Now it's easier than ever to submit changes and additions to Google Maps

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 4:29pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Google has done a great job of mapping the globe down to street level, but it's not perfect. You've almost certainly encountered errors and omissions on Google Maps, and starting today the company is making it easy to point out missing and incorrect data from the comfort of your mobile. Crowdsourcing the collecting of map data is a great way to ensure that Google Maps is kept constantly up to date. It means that as businesses close down, change names, or open up, users can submit feedback to Google straight away so the information is available to everyone as quickly… [Continue Reading]
New solution tackles ransomware at source

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 3:04pm CEST par Ian Barker

Ransomware is one of the biggest cyber threats businesses and individuals face and tackling it requires a customized approach. Israel-based illusive networks is launching a new Advanced Ransomware Guard product that uses deception techniques to spot threats across the entire network, endpoints and servers and neutralize ransomware activity at the source hosts. "Ransomware requires a dedicated solution," says illusive networks CEO Shlomo Touboul. "Unlike other malware types, ransomware immediately takes sensitive information hostage and ransom demand timelines are tight, so proactive and accurate detection and response is imperative. The market's initial responses have yielded solutions based on behavioral analytics and… [Continue Reading]
MemTest86 7.0 now faster, detects more RAM errors

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 2:34pm CEST par Mike Williams

PassMark Software has shipped MemTest86 7.0, a major update for the veteran memory diagnostic tool. Testing now runs in Parallel CPU Mode by default, as long as it’s supported by the UEFI firmware, significantly improving performance. Smarter testing for the row hammer effect should result in the detection of more "disturbance errors", where memory cells may interfere with each other’s operation and change their values. The MemTest86 Pro Site Edition gains full support for PXE network booting, and uploading report files to the server. (Sounds good to us, too, but keep in mind this is the $2,490 enterprise version.) There’s… [Continue Reading]
Brexit vote doesn't affect UK jobs market

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 1:03pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

The results of the Brexit vote don’t seem to have an immediate effect on the British job market, especially in the IT industry, according to a Morgan McKinley report. The global professional services recruiter also says that it still might be too early for a definitive conclusion. IT jobs in London were off to a slow start at the beginning of 2016, but that’s usually how things go in January and February. Interestingly enough, the slow period moved into the second quarter of 2016 in most sectors, and it wasn’t before the very end of the quarter that we saw… [Continue Reading]
UK crime rate doubles once all online crimes are taken into account

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 12:20pm CEST par Mark Wilson

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the true scale of online crime in England and Wales, and it is high enough to effectively double the overall crime rate. The previous estimate about the number of online crimes was 3.8 million, but the latest figures show that it is in fact over 5.8 million. The ONS says that a tenth of adults have fallen victim to online crime, and incidents are not specific to particular areas or social classes. The statistics take into account virus attacks, online fraud, phishing attacks and the like, with 3.8 million of the overall… [Continue Reading]
Capture and explore network traffic with Microsoft Message Analyzer

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 12:17pm CEST par Mike Williams

Microsoft Message Analyzer is an expert-oriented tool for capturing, displaying and analyzing network traffic, file activity, Windows Events and device activities on Windows 7 or later systems. This data may be filtered and presented in grids, charts, graphs, timelines and more. While the program is aimed at developers and system admins, if you’re comfortable with tools like Sysinternals Process Monitor then you could also find it handy. To get started, launch Microsoft Message Analyzer as an administrator. The "Favorite Scenarios" lists common capture types: click "Loopback…" if you’re using Windows 7 or 8, "Local Network Interfaces" if you have Windows… [Continue Reading]
Average ransomware demand doubles in six months

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 11:55am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Remember that recent article I wrote about how people value their online data much more than what extortionists are asking for when they hit them with ransomware? Well, extortionists seem to have caught on. Newest research paper from Symantec tells us that the average ransom demand is now £525, up from £223 at the end of last year. What’s more, the number of demands spiked to 56,000 in March, which is double the normal rate. Looking at new variants of ransomware, discovered this year, all but one were crypto-ransomware. Last year, 80 percent of new variants discovered were crypto-ransomware. The… [Continue Reading]
Why it's time for a new approach to Agile security [Q&A]

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 11:11am CEST par Ian Barker

Security is often something that gets left until late in the development cycle and as Agile development takes off, security can be an inhibiting factor. Since many security breaches now target the endpoint, there's more emphasis on building secure software which means it's something that needs to be integrated into the development process. Fixing security flaws late in the day can prove costly and time consuming. Software security firm Cigital has recently released its latest Agile Security Manifesto offering principles for building security into the development process. We spoke to Meera Subbarao, director of secure development practice and a principal… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft responds to allegations that Windows 10 collects 'excessive personal data'

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 10:56am CEST par Mark Wilson

Yesterday France's National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) slapped a formal order on Microsoft to comply with data protection laws after it found Windows 10 was collecting "excessive data" about users. The company has been given three months to meet the demands or it will face fines. Microsoft has now responded, saying it is happy to work with the CNIL to work towards an acceptable solution. Interestingly, while not denying the allegations set against it, the company does nothing to defend the amount of data collected by Windows 10, and also fails to address the privacy concerns it raises. Microsoft does… [Continue Reading]
Google A4A will speed up the web by making ads far more efficient

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 9:13am CEST par Mark Wilson

These days, the web is all about advertising. Whatever type of site you visit -- news, entertainment, music, or whatever -- you are almost certain to encounter ads. Many people turn to ad blockers not just because ads can be irritating (and something of a privacy concern), but also because they can dramatically slow down browsing. We've already heard about Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages project which looks to speed up the web for mobile users. But AMP is about more than just pushing page content to handsets quicker. Google has also developed a way to dramatically speed up the appearance… [Continue Reading]
KickassTorrents seized and taken offline as owner is arrested

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 8:27am CEST par Mark Wilson

The Ukrainian owner of KickassTorrents (KAT) has been arrested in Poland and his torrent-touting website seized by authorities. Artem Vaulin -- who also goes by the name 'tirm' -- stands accused of criminal copyright infringement, as well as conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and money laundering. The Department of Justice says that the site owned by 30-year-old Vaulin "has enabled users to illegally reproduce and distribute hundreds of millions of copies of copyrighted motion pictures, video games, television programs, musical recordings and other electronic media, collectively valued at more than $1 billion". Authorities now want to extradite him to… [Continue Reading]
Corning unveils Gorilla Glass 5

Publié: juillet 21, 2016, 5:46am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Some smartphones can be expensive. When you spend a lot of money on a device, it can be quite the anxiety-creating affair. Whenever you pull it out of your pocket, you must worry about breaking it, and ultimately wasting many hundreds of dollars. This can be said about less expensive devices as well, depending on your economic situation, of course. One of the most painful things to break or scratch on a smartphone is the screen, as it how you interact with the pocket-computer. Luckily, Corning's line of Gorilla Glass can make these screens a bit more durable. Today, the company… [Continue Reading]