Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » août 18, 2016

BetaNews.Com (19 non lus)

Twitter introduces new notification settings and a tweet quality filter

Publié: août 18, 2016, 10:10pm CEST par Mark Wilson

There are many complaints levelled at Twitter, but two crop up time and time again. The first is that if you follow a lot of people, you're likely to be overwhelmed with notifications; the second is that there's just too much crap out there. Twitter is introducing a couple of changes to address both of these problems with an update that's rolling out today. Arguably the more interesting of the two is the "quality filter setting". The filter is a feature that Twitter says has been in testing for some time, but is now ready to roll out to everyone.… [Continue Reading]
UK tech salaries continue to grow

Publié: août 18, 2016, 9:25pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Salaries for tech jobs in the UK are still rising in the second quarter of the year, despite the fact that the number of jobs in the industry is slowly declining. This is according to a new report by Dice, the online career site for the technology community. Together with Watch, it lists the most wanted jobs and skills in the industry. The two companies say cloud and security skills are still most wanted, both in permanent and contract roles. Most wanted skills in Q2, for permanent roles, were agile software development, SQL, JavaScript, .NET, C#, Java, CSS, Linux, project management,… [Continue Reading]
Cisco will cut 5,500 jobs

Publié: août 18, 2016, 8:45pm CEST par Sam Pudwell

According to reports, Cisco Systems is planning a mass jobs cull with 5,500 jobs in danger -- or around seven percent of its global workforce. Cisco, the world’s biggest networking equipment company, is expected to announce more details of any potential cuts in the next few weeks a part of an ongoing transition to a more software and cloud-orientated strategy. As of 30 April, Cisco had around 70,000 employees globally and less than a year ago opened new offices in London, bringing its UK employee headcount up to around 7,000. Following a decrease in spending by telecom carriers and enterprises… [Continue Reading]
Finance organizations rely too much on spreadsheets

Publié: août 18, 2016, 7:53pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Pretty much every finance organization in London (97 percent of them) is worried about how reliant it is on spreadsheets. These are the results of a new research by finance function solutions provider, Accountagility. The worry stems from faults experienced when using it for both planning and reporting, as four out of five (80 percent) of organizations have had such experiences. Just under half (49 percent) also consider a problem the fact that manual effort is needed to both validate and analyze Excel data. "Our research reveals that this problem is not just limited to The City, but is an issue… [Continue Reading]
Twitter has terminated 235,000 terrorist accounts in just six months

Publié: août 18, 2016, 7:14pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Twitter continues its drive to clean itself up, purging unwanted content and users from the service. Today the company announces that in the last six months it has closed down 235,000 accounts relating to extremism. It's part of the company's plans to scrub as many accounts from existence as possible that push "violent threats and the promotion of terrorism". With the recent spate of terrorist attacks around the world, Twitter's resolve has been hardened. With the 125,000 account closures announced back in February, today's terminations bring the total number of account suspensions to 360,000 since the middle of 2015. Of… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft PowerShell now open source and available for both macOS and Linux

Publié: août 18, 2016, 7:12pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Microsoft has been a big proponent of open source and Linux lately. Heck, Ubuntu binaries are in Windows 10! Satya Nadella's leadership seems to be a big catalyst here. While we do not yet have top-tier software like Microsoft Office running natively on Ubuntu or RHEL (yet), the company has been putting resources behind open source projects and Linux-compatible software such as Skype. Today, the Windows-maker cements its status as a Linux and open source champion by putting its command-line PowerShell tool and language on GitHub. This shows a strong commitment from Microsoft towards the Linux community. Is this a bad… [Continue Reading]
Windows falls to 0.6 percent share in the smartphone market

Publié: août 18, 2016, 6:45pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

Windows continues to lose ground to Android and iOS in the smartphone market, according to a new report from Gartner. Driven by the poor performance of the Lumia line, its share dropped to just 0.6 percent in Q2 2016, down from 2.5 percent a year ago. Microsoft is the largest platform vendor, selling over 90 percent of the smartphones that run Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, so its performance has a direct impact on Windows' share in this market. And, since in Q2 2016 it only sold 1.2 million Lumia devices, it dealt the platform yet another blow. Gartner's… [Continue Reading]
T-Mobile One gives you unlimited data for $70 per month

Publié: août 18, 2016, 5:57pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

In what it calls its "12th iconic Un-carrier move", T-Mobile today announces a new plan that removes "the single biggest pain point in wireless" -- limited data. Called T-Mobile One, it gives customers access to unlimited calls, data, and texts for just $70 per month. T-Mobile One also includes the Simple Global, Mobile Without Borders, Carrier Freedom, Wi-Fi Unleashed, Stock Up and T-Mobile Tuesdays benefits, as well as unlimited tethering. "The era of the data plan is over", says T-Mobile CEO John Legere. "After Un-carrier 12, the wireless industry will never be the same again". The plan is also targeted… [Continue Reading]
Save hundreds on Apple products and more in Best Buy's 50-hour, 50th anniversary sale

Publié: août 18, 2016, 5:46pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Best Buy is turning 50 and what better way to celebrate than by encouraging people to throw some of their hard-earned cash in its direction? That is precisely what's happening in a 50-hour 50th anniversary sale which is including 50 Black Friday-like deals. The company points out that the sale comes just in time for those essential 'back to school' purchases, but with a bundle of money to be saved off the likes of MacBook Pros, and iPhone 6s Plusses, there's something for everyone. The 50th anniversary is on August 22, but the sale kicks off slightly before the big… [Continue Reading]
Finding the right tools to manage data in today's modern world

Publié: août 18, 2016, 5:40pm CEST par Amedee Potier

A common concern among companies is if their resources are being used wisely. Never before has this been more pressing than when considering data storage options. Teams question the inherent worth of their data, and often fall into the trap of viewing it as an expense that weighs too heavily on the budget. This is where wisdom is needed with respect to efficient resource use and the task of successful data storage. Companies must ask themselves how storing particular data will benefit their business overall. Incorporating a data storage plan into a business budget has certainly proven to be easier… [Continue Reading]
Facebook teams up with Unity to create a gaming platform to rival Steam

Publié: août 18, 2016, 4:59pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Facebook is starting to take gaming far more seriously. Not content with funneling the likes of Candy Crush through its servers, the social network is now joining forces with the company behind the Unity game engine to create its own desktop gaming platform. The aim is to tap into not only the millions of gamers that are already on Facebook, but also to gather more from the PC-gaming community. It's a new venture that very clearly treads on the toes of Steam, and is likely to cause ripples in the gaming world. The scope of the work between Facebook and… [Continue Reading]
Besiter Eclipse: A nicely designed power bank [Review]

Publié: août 18, 2016, 3:18pm CEST par Ian Barker

As we become more and more reliant on our portable devices, running out of battery power at a crucial moment is always a risk. Fortunately there are plenty of USB power banks on the market to give your device a boost. The latest to come our way is the Besiter Eclipse from UK company Kavson. It claims to have one of the most powerful batteries available, making it able to charge an iPhone 6S up to 5 times and a Samsung Galaxy S7 up to 3 times over. Out of the box, first impressions are that it has a weighty,… [Continue Reading]
Satechi launches elegant Wireless Charging Pad for Qi-enabled smartphones

Publié: août 18, 2016, 2:58pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

As an iPhone user, there is one thing that I am jealous of when it comes to Android -- wireless charging. While plugging in a cable is hardly a chore, a wireless charging pad is not only more convenient, but really cool too -- it feels futuristic. It is not enough to make me leave iOS, but I digress. If you have a Qi-enabled smartphone, and want to buy a wireless charger, Satechi has a new product that may interest you. The unimaginatively named 'Wireless Charging Pad' looks great and is reasonably priced. Best of all, if your phone is compatible with… [Continue Reading]
Advancing call center technology: The importance of integration

Publié: août 18, 2016, 1:57pm CEST par Kerry Sherman

Cloud-based technology is becoming a universal means for storing data across various fields of IT, and it is no different within the call center industry. Cloud-based call center solutions are transforming customer service, while at the same time helping companies become even more efficient. The introduction of the cloud has also allowed small and medium-sized businesses to compete with larger enterprises while also providing these larger corporations with the bandwidth to expand globally. Cloud-based call center technology has created a more effective and efficient solution for call centers. However, that’s not where the efficiency should end. It would benefit companies… [Continue Reading]
Ransomware: How to identify the threat and protect yourself against it

Publié: août 18, 2016, 1:48pm CEST par John Hurley

Ransomware has affected over 13.1 million US citizens. That’s 4 percent of the entire US population. Half of those people will pay a steep ransom of up to $500 to retrieve their information. Do not let this be you. Arm yourself against the epidemic and read on to find out how keep yourself from being a part of the statistic. The Nitty-Gritty Behind the Nightmare Ransomware is extremely common, but how does complicated malware like this actually work? To break down the inner workings of ransomware, we will take a closer look at the .locky strain. Let’s pretend it’s a… [Continue Reading]
Watch and analyze chess games with Kvetka

Publié: août 18, 2016, 12:58pm CEST par Mike Williams

If you’re looking to improve your chess skills then watching the best players at work will usually teach you a lot. There are plenty of chess sites to help you do just that, but they mostly offer only a very basic view of the game with few tools or options. Kvetka is a free Windows package which can display games from chess.com, chessbase.com, chessgames.com, chessok.com and many other sites, as well as opening PGN, FEN and other formats, and importing games from the clipboard. The program comes bundled with the Stockfish engine for analyzing games, although it works with other… [Continue Reading]
New spear-phishing attacks seek out industrial and engineering targets

Publié: août 18, 2016, 12:14pm CEST par Ian Barker

Researchers at Kaspersky Lab have uncovered a new wave of targeted attacks against the industrial and engineering sectors in 30 countries around the world. Named 'Operation Ghoul' by Kaspersky's researchers, the attacks use spear-phishing emails and malware based on a commercial spyware kit to seek out valuable business-related data stored in their victims' networks. The campaign appears to have been organized by a cybercriminal group which has been tracked by researchers since March 2015. The latest attacks appear to be the most recent operation conducted by this group. The malware is delivered as an attachment and is based on the… [Continue Reading]
Google updates its open source Santa Tracker in time for Christmas

Publié: août 18, 2016, 11:36am CEST par Mark Wilson

Yeah, OK... it's only August, but we're going to start talking about Christmas. Well... Google is, anyway. As it has done for a few years now, the company is planning to run its Santa Tracker tool in December and it has a few updates to share. The web and mobile based versions of the tool are open source, meaning that developers are free to work their Christmassy magic and come up with new and innovative ideas for kids. Based on Firebase and Polymer, Santa Tracker has been tweaked to be as battery-friendly as possible for mobile devices, and optimized to… [Continue Reading]
Users know the risks, but connect to Wi-Fi hotspots anyway

Publié: août 18, 2016, 11:34am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

People are risking a lot when they connect to a free Wi-Fi, which is particularly important knowing how many people use mobile devices for work. According to a new report by NordVPN, a company selling VPN services, Wi-Fi networks can be hacked easily and attackers could steal valuable data, including corporate information, credit card information or identities. "Hackers often position themselves as Wi-Fi hotspots and easily steal personal information of each individual that logs in", says NordVPN. "In addition, identity thieves have lately been using wireless sniffers, a software designed to intercept and decode data when it is transmitted over a… [Continue Reading]