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BetaNews.Com (25 non lus)

Sony announces PlayStation 4 Pro and slimmer 'standard' PS4

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 11:46pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Can you believe it is almost four years since the PlayStation 4 was initially announced? Since then, the video game console landscape has been wild. Nintendo totally dropped the ball with the Wii U, while Microsoft has been giving Sony consistent competition with its Xbox One. Actually, the Windows-maker recently released a more svelte version if its console, making the PlayStation 4 look a bit dated. Today, Sony sort of follows Microsoft's lead by announcing a slimmer version of its existing PS4. The company refers to this refresh as the 'standard' version of its console. This is important to note, you see,… [Continue Reading]
Apple AirPods will forever change the wireless headphone industry

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 9:54pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

When Apple does something, markets react. The company is not the first to remove a 3.5mm headphone jack from a smartphone, for instance, but it will be the only one to cause the headphone industry to pivot. The decades-old audio port was just begging to die, and today, with the iPhone 7, the jack's death-clock officially starts counting down. Further burying the 3.5mm jack and wired headphones overall, Apple today introduces its new AirPods to the world. These are no mere wireless headphones, but a total reinvention. Chocked full of ground-breaking technology, they are poised to be wildly popular with iPhone,… [Continue Reading]
Apple gives and Apple takes away with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 9:00pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Today Apple unveiled, at long last, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus complete with a new quad-core A10 Fusion chip and iOS 10. Rumors have been circulating for some time about just what we could expect to see from the company's latest additions to the iPhone family, and many of them have turned out to be true. While much has been added, this years' model is also about taking away. When it comes to storage, the 16GB is now a thing of the past -- 32GB, 128GB and 256GB models are your new options. As expected, also consigned to… [Continue Reading]
Apple unveils Watch Series 2 -- twice as fast and waterproof

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 8:31pm CEST par Wayne Williams

The Apple Watch was first announced two years ago and arrived six months later. That's a long time in tech, so a refresh was always on the cards, and today Apple announces the wearable's successor -- Apple Watch Series 2. It is, as you might expect, much faster, but there’s more to the new wearable than improved speed. Let’s get the specs out of the way first. The new device will sport a second generation system-on-a-chip that’s dual core, and two times faster. The new GPU is also twice as fast, and there’s a twice as bright display too. Announcing… [Continue Reading]
SoftBank completes $31.4 billion ARM acquisition

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 8:29pm CEST par Anthony Spadafora

In July, SoftBank revealed its plan to acquire the British chip designer ARM Holdings for $31.4 billion and now, less than two months later, the company has announced that the acquisition is officially complete. The Japanese telecom company has been expanding its company lately through a series of acquisitions and investments, including purchasing Sprint for $20 billion and investing $15 billion into the Japanese division of Vodafone. ARM is known worldwide for the chips it designs which are later licensed to large electronics manufacturers including Apple, Samsung and many other well-known companies for use in mobile phones and tablets. In just… [Continue Reading]
Mario comes to the Apple App Store… Sonic the Hedgehog fans rejoice

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 7:43pm CEST par Wayne Williams

At today’s Apple event, Tim Cook spoke about the success of the App Store, with the big numbers being 140 billion downloads to date, 106 percent year-over-year growth, and 500,000 games in the store. But while there are some excellent games and franchises available, someone, he lamented, has been missing, until now… Mario! Yes, Nintendo’s most famous character is set to finally arrive, officially, and exclusively on iOS, but anyone hoping for a traditional Super Mario Brothers game will likely be disappointed. The first game to feature the famous plumber will be Super Mario Run, and it will be an… [Continue Reading]
Android Pay now supports Google Chrome, Chase cards, and Uber Payment Rewards

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 7:15pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Cash is dumb. No, I do not necessarily mean stupid; I mean it is not "smart" from a technology standpoint. Understandably, some folks like the idea of paper money as it allows their honest transactions to occur below the radar, and for a privacy standpoint, I understand that. However, cash also assists people that commit crimes, such as drug dealers -- and that is not cool. Once all monetary transactions are digital, and cash no longer exists, law enforcement will have an easier time tracking illegal transactions, while honest folks can more easily track and budget their finances. Digital payment systems,… [Continue Reading]
How to crack Windows and OS X passwords

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 6:32pm CEST par Mark Wilson

A security researcher has revealed a way to determine the password needed to access a protected Windows or OS X account. Using Rob Fuller's technique, it doesn't matter if the computer in question is locked, and it uses a USB SoC-based device to crack user credentials. By modifying the firmware of a USB dongle, Fuller was able to make the device appear as an Ethernet adaptor. By spoofing a network connection, it is then possible to trick a target computer into giving up an account password. Fuller provides a detailed breakdown of how the attack works in a blog post.… [Continue Reading]
Emergency communications in the modern age

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 5:21pm CEST par Nick Hawkins

Organizations have an increasing number of employees who travel. According to a 2015 report by Strategy Analytics, the global mobile workforce is expected to grow to more than 1.75 billion by 2020, accounting for almost half of employees. For organizations of all sizes, mobile workers make communicating in an emergency increasingly difficult. In the event of an emergency effective communication is crucial. The safety of employees is of importance to organizations. When a location-based crisis occurs (such as a fire, explosion, natural disaster or terrorist attack) organisations need to have the tools in place to communicate with employees quickly and… [Continue Reading]
The FAA may ban Samsung's Galaxy Note7 on flights

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 5:13pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

Samsung has recalled the Galaxy Note7 after receiving reports of exploding batteries from early adopters, and the Federal Aviation Administration has taken notice. Due to the risks posed by the faulty batteries, the Android flagship could soon be banned on flights. There is no telling when or if a Galaxy Note7 will explode -- which is likely why Samsung has announced a recall so early -- and there is no telling what could happen if that takes place during a flight. By the looks of units which have exploded so far, it could lead to some serious burns, at least… [Continue Reading]
Remove browser hijackers with ZHPCleaner

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 5:02pm CEST par Mike Williams

Every browser claims to protect users from hijackers and adware, but their defenses are limited and over time it’s easy for your system to fill with junk. ZHPCleaner is a free tool which aims to help by scanning your PC, detecting dubious addons, toolbars and settings, and removing them on demand. The program is very convenient to use. There’s no adware, no registration, no need to install anything, not even an archive to extract -- just download and run the single executable, and click "Scanner". If you have any browser windows open, ZHPCleaner displays a warning alert. You can then… [Continue Reading]
Three will continue with ad-blocking plan in 2017

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 4:56pm CEST par Anthony Spadafora

UK carrier Three is committed to its plan to offer ad-blocking for customers using its network at some point in 2017, despite opposition from the EU. In May, the carrrier first revealed its plan to block mobile ads for its customers for the entirety of one day in June. Three is of the belief that its users should not be forced to use their mobile data to display ads which are irrelevant to them and often invade their privacy. Now, Three is planning an even larger roll out of ad-blocking on its network in 2017. In its opinion, mobile ads are… [Continue Reading]
What IT doesn't know about mobile apps can hurt the enterprise

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 4:55pm CEST par Maureen Polte

Ubiquitous in the workplace, mobile devices vastly increase employee productivity, connectivity and their ability to collaborate. Employees can easily access corporate networks and sensitive enterprise data with a mere swipe -- whether they are bringing their own device (BYOD) or via a corporate-issued device. At the same time, mobile devices present significant privacy and security challenges for organizations. Employees commonly install personal apps on devices they also use for work. Often, employees don’t think twice about whether an app they’re using could potentially expose their corporate network to risk. In fact, an alarming percentage of mobile apps used within the… [Continue Reading]
What Carrie Underwood's success teaches us about IBM's Watson failure

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 4:33pm CEST par Robert X. Cringely

I have a TV producer friend I worked with years ago who at some point landed as one of the many producers of American Idol when that singing show was a monster hit dominating U.S. television. She later told me an interesting story about Carrie Underwood, the country-western singer who won American Idol Season 4. That story can stand as a lesson applicable to far more than just TV talent shows. It’s especially useful for the purposes of this column for explaining IBM’s Watson technology and associated products. You see the producers of American Idol Season 4 knew before the… [Continue Reading]
Growing number of cyber attacks suggests no one is safe

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 3:53pm CEST par Sam Pudwell

I've been at CloudSec 2016 in London, listening to various security professionals from the likes of Trend Micro and Microsoft talk about the challenges businesses face in securing their data in the cloud. As you could probably have guessed, talks have centered around the ever-expanding threat landscape, the continued industrialization of cybercrime through various underground marketplaces around the world and general cyber security trends. But what's been really catching my attention throughout the day -- rather appropriately, seeing as I'm at a security conference -- has been the stream of data breach notices and press releases that have been appearing in my… [Continue Reading]
Limelight launches web application firewall

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 3:48pm CEST par Ian Barker

Increased reliance on the Internet means businesses face a number of different security threats aimed at bringing down websites, impacting performance or stealing information. Many of these attacks are aimed at the application layer. Content delivery specialist Limelight Networks is adding to its Cloud Security services with the launch of a new Web Application Firewall (WAF). This is a new cloud-based security service that detects and stops application attacks in real-time, protecting websites and web applications from both common threats and specialized attacks. The Limelight WAF service eliminates HTTP application threats by identifying and blocking common attacks such as Cross-Site… [Continue Reading]
How to watch Apple's iPhone 7 launch live on any device including Windows, Linux and Android

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 3:16pm CEST par Wayne Williams

In just a few hours, Apple will be taking the wraps off its latest smartphones, the iPhone 7 and dual-camera equipped 7 Plus. Will Apple ditch the headphone socket as rumored? Will we get our first glimpse of the Apple Watch 2? We'll find out soon enough. The event is scheduled to start at 10am PDT/6pm BST, and as always it will be streamed live so you can tune in at home or (maybe) work. Apple likes to preach to the faithful, so there are the usual restrictions in place. Live streaming the event requires Safari 6.0.5 or later on… [Continue Reading]
New alliance of security companies aims for a holistic approach to data breaches

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 3:15pm CEST par Ian Barker

One of the biggest problems organizations have in staying secure is a lack of visibility across the whole enterprise, giving hackers the opportunity to exploit gaps between security solutions. Access control specialist SecureAuth is taking the lead in the creation of a Connected Security Alliance with the aim of building a reference architecture that will help organizations address every stage of the attack lifecycle from initial penetration, to lateral movement, to escalating privileges. The alliance will initially be composed of SecureAuth and cybersecurity solution providers CyberArk, SailPoint and Exabeam. It's designed to better protect organizations and reduce the time it… [Continue Reading]
Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector 2.0 available for Windows 10, Mac

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 1:25pm CEST par Mike Williams

Popular Wi-Fi scanner Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector has finally hit version 2.0. The release brings support for Windows 10, and introduces the first Mac version. Compatibility improvements include new support for the Wi-Fi standards 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2. There’s also a Network Vendor column to identify the manufacturer of each network device. Overall it’s a great-looking tool which displays plenty of information about the wireless networks around you. There are plenty of gaps in functionality (it can generate attractive graphs, but has no way to save them), but also some unexpected extras (simple troubleshooting tests), and the program remains… [Continue Reading]
What enterprise workloads are right for the cloud? [Q&A]

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 11:33am CEST par Ian Barker

The question many businesses are asking themselves is, 'should we be moving to the cloud?' The public cloud is clearly a success, as shown by the significant adoption of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Companies are benefiting from the pay-as-go nature of the cloud, as well as from the ability to turn up services as needed without the traditional hardware spend. Gartner recently reported that cloud computing will affect more than $1 trillion in IT spending by 2020. But even with this growing popularity, corporate IT departments are still struggling with how to integrate public clouds into their data center initiatives. One of… [Continue Reading]
EE rolls out 4G LTE Cat 9 in UK

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 11:09am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

UK carrier EE has launched a new layer of extra capacity for its 4G network to help high-end smartphones use their full potential, which will make smartphones "faster on EE than any other UK network". EE has also said that it will make Cat 9 devices faster. Cat 9, or Category 9 4G, is capable of supporting 450Mbps download speeds, and devices such as HTC M10 or the Samsung Galaxy S7 are capable of achieving these speeds. "There’s no point having the latest smartphones on a network that can’t support the top speeds the device is capable of", says EE CEO Marc… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft opens UK datacenters for Office 365 and Azure

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 10:58am CEST par Mark Wilson

Microsoft has announced that local datacenters are now available in the UK to Office 365 and Azure customers. This enables companies dealing with UK-only customers to ensure that data remains within the country and fully complies with data protection and privacy laws. Describing itself as the "first global cloud productivity provider" to offer UK residency for data, Microsoft says Azure and Office 365 are now generally available from multiple data center locations in the UK. It has already attracted the custom of the Ministry of Defence. Microsoft's new data centers are located in London, Durham and Cardiff and will be in… [Continue Reading]
Google shows off improved battery life with Chrome 53

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 10:24am CEST par Mark Wilson

Chrome has long been held up as an example of software being battery hungry. It's something that Google has been working to address with the Android version of the browser; now the company has turned its attention to the desktop build. In a new video that highlights the improvements that have been made in recent months, Google compares a Vimeo video running in Chrome 46 to the same video running in Chrome 53 on identical hardware -- a Microsoft Surface Book, since you ask. The results are impressive. Google's tests show that Chrome 53 gives more than two hours extra… [Continue Reading]
LG V20 boasts Android 7.0 Nougat, removable battery, and two screens

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 9:28am CEST par Mark Wilson

LG is something of a quiet player in the mobile market, but that could be set to change with the launch of the LG V20 -- the first smartphone to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat pre-installed. Announced just hours ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 event, LG's new flagship handset boasts more than just the very latest version of Android. There's a 5.7-inch, 513ppi screen which is supplemented by a secondary 160 x 1040, 513ppi ticker display. One top of this there is a 3,200 mAh removable battery, dual rear cameras, all powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of… [Continue Reading]
Almost half of Samsung Galaxy Note owners want to switch to Apple iPhone 7

Publié: septembre 7, 2016, 1:26am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Tomorrow is the big day -- Apple's September product event. While there is probably more than one product being unveiled -- maybe even new MacBooks -- the most anticipated device is the iPhone 7. Are Apple fanatics the ones most excited for the new iPhone? Not necessarily. Actually, according to a new study by Market Strategies (called "iPhone 7 Market Landscaper") almost half of Samsung Galaxy Note owners expressed interest in potentially switching to Apple's iPhone 7. "As the battle heats up between Apple and Samsung, a new study conducted by Market Strategies International reveals that 33 percent of all… [Continue Reading]