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BetaNews.Com (22 non lus)

Come Home to Google's new personal assistant

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 10:27pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Up until now Amazon has had a free reign of the market for home assistants thanks to the success of Alexa. It was time to get some competition, which tends to make things better all around and few companies are more capable than Google. That's exactly what the search giant is doing today. While rumored as the event to unveil the Pixel Phone, other things were also on tap for showing off, including a new Wi-Fi system and Home, Google's answer to Alexa. Google Home will handle all of the expected chores, giving you weather, traffic updates, playing music and… [Continue Reading]
Google Wifi reinvents the wireless router -- but does it need reinventing?

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 9:24pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

When wireless routers first went mainstream they felt like magic. Connecting your laptop to the internet without a cable? Amazing. As time marched on, routers became more impressive, getting longer range and faster speeds. Nowadays, there are many affordable routers on the market, and many consumers are happy with them. Apparently, Google thinks the router needs to be reinvented, as today it announces the unimaginatively named "Wifi'. Yes folks, that is what the search giant came up with as the name for its Wi-Fi router. This product is special, as it is very easy to set up and multiple units… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft's bot platform has 45,000 developers -- more than Facebook's, less than Google's

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 8:47pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Facebook, Google and Microsoft are currently locked in a battle over which bot platform will have more developers, and currently it's Google that's winning -- but it's not that simple. Just before releasing its chat app Allo, Google acquired API.ai, a bot-building platform through which developers can make bots for various platforms. API.ai is currently being used by 60,000 developers, according to VentureBeat, putting Google at the top of the pack. Considering that it has just only acquired the start-up, it’s easy to argue that the company didn’t really do much to hit that milestone. Facebook and Microsoft, on the other hand, have been… [Continue Reading]
Pixel and Pixel XL are Google's iPhone killers

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 8:47pm CEST par Mark Wilson

It may have been one of the worst kept secrets in tech launches, but today Google officially took the wraps off its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. In terms of hardware it could be argued that there is nothing too spectacular here, but even if you ignore the (still very impressive) hardware side of things there are two features that directly take on Apple: Google Assistant to compete with Siri, and unlimited full-resolution photo backup. Unlike Google's previous Nexus range, the Pixel handsets carry no other branding -- these are the first phones designed and built inside and out by… [Continue Reading]
Big Data and IoT leave businesses more vulnerable to cyber attacks

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 7:52pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

In the next three years, there will be more cyberattacks than there were in the past five, a new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) claims -- it points the finger at the growth of IoT. The report says that out of 200 operators of critical infrastructure worldwide, 80 percent say the proliferation of IoT and Big Data is making them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Telecom and IT services are the most vulnerable types of companies, as an attack would create the most damage, followed by banking institutions. "The increasing connectedness of critical infrastructure is improving the quality and reach of services, but it… [Continue Reading]
Zone Photo Studio X ships with layers and cloud storage integration

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 7:29pm CEST par Mike Williams

Zoner Software has shipped Zoner Photo Studio X (aka version 19), the latest edition of its one-stop photo editor. Top of the "What’s New" list is full Layers support, with all the features and blend modes you need. New effects include a smart Dehaze tool, non-destructive gradient filters, and a reworked Perspective tool where you can tweak horizons, perspective, and receding lines all from one place. The photo manager can now automatically sort geotagged photos by country, region or community. Facebook and Cloud Storage integration means the program is able to find your photos on Google Disk, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox,… [Continue Reading]
Chromecast Ultra delivers 4K content for just $69

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 7:25pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Google’s Chromecast has evolved a fair bit since the streaming dongle first launched three years ago. The newest member of the Chromecast family, announced today at the Made by Google event, keeps the same puck-like design of its predecessor, but offers 4K resolution video streaming, for a very affordable price -- just $69. There’s more to the new Chromecast Ultra than just 4K support though. It’s 1.8x faster than previous models, and will also support HDR and Dolby Vision. It has an integrated Ethernet port in the power adapter which is great for anyone who wants a stable wired connection.… [Continue Reading]
How to stop your Mac from automatically downloading macOS Sierra

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 6:26pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

Apple is doing something out of the ordinary. Shortly after launching macOS Sierra, it started to automatically download the latest version of the operating system onto Mac devices. This is great if you want to upgrade to macOS Sierra now, but annoying if you planned to wait a bit longer to make sure all the major kinks are ironed out, or want to forgo the upgrade altogether. Fortunately, it is very easy to close the door shut on any attempts to push the large setup file onto your device. All that you need to do to prevent macOS Sierra from… [Continue Reading]
IBM and Carbon Black announce new endpoint security solution

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 5:38pm CEST par Ian Barker

Addressing endpoint vulnerabilities is a major challenge for businesses, often compounded by a lack of visibility into which devices are being actively exploited. According to Gartner 99 percent of vulnerabilities exploited are ones that professionals have known about for a year, but have lacked the solutions to address. To tackle this IBM and Carbon Black have got together to design a new integrated offering, which links Carbon Black's endpoint activity data with public Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) databases to deliver a prioritized list of actively exploited vulnerabilities that's tailored to each organization. By combining IBM BigFix and Carbon Black… [Continue Reading]
Apple loses patent cases to VirnetX again -- will have to pay $302.4 million

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 5:37pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

"Third time's the charm", VirnetX is probably now thinking, as a US court has, for the third time, ruled that Apple has infringed the company’s patents. A federal judge in Tyler, Texas ruled on Sunday that Apple must pay $302.4 million (£235.10m) for infringing VirnetX’s patents in services like FaceTime and iMessage. Back in 2010, VirnetX was awarded $368.2 (£286.25m), but the ruling was partially overturned because it wasn’t exactly clear how the jury calculated the damages. The second time, earlier this year, the court ruled Apple should pay, setting the figure at $625.6 million (£486.37), but that ruling too was… [Continue Reading]
Self-service solution improves the quality of Salesforce data

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 4:24pm CEST par Ian Barker

Thanks to the explosion in cloud applications and the increasing number of IoT devices, enterprises have more data than ever. But there's no easy way to ensure its quality. Data management specialist Informatica is launching its Cloud Data Quality Radar a self-service data quality solution for business. Salesforce users will be the first to benefit. The cloud-based solution is designed to easily identify, fix and monitor the quality of data within and across applications, whether in the cloud or on-premise. By offering self-service it means data owners and users can be actively involved in keeping data clean, regardless of where… [Continue Reading]
New platform provides coaching insights for sales managers

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 3:14pm CEST par Ian Barker

In recent times many CRM platforms have tended to focus on using machine learning to boost sales. Sales capabilities company Qstream, however, is keen to address the human side of improving sales performance. At this week's Dreamforce '16 conference it's announced that its expanding its Sales Capabilities Platform with a Coaching Hub, which allows managers to identify gaps in their team's required knowledge or behaviors and address them faster. The data-driven Coaching Hub brings together a number of metrics, observed sales skills and confidence ratings at the individual or team level in a single click. It shows a graphical coaching activity… [Continue Reading]
Watch the 'Made by Google' hardware event here, live

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 2:34pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Google, as you’ll no doubt be aware by now, is hosting a major hardware event today where it will be taking the wraps off, among other things, its new Pixel phones. The "Made by Google" event will showcase the next generation of Google created hardware, and start today at 12PM ET/5PM BST / 9AM PT. In addition to the new Pixel phones, the company is expected to announce: Google Home, the search giant’s Amazon Echo rival A 4K capable Chromecast Ultra Google Wi-Fi, its latest home router Daydream VR, an Android powered VR platform. The great news is you can… [Continue Reading]
Apple starts to 'randomly' download macOS Sierra on to users' computers

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 1:55pm CEST par Mark Wilson

It's something that has faint echoes of Microsoft's approach to pushing Windows 10 on to users. This week Apple is making macOS Sierra available to users as an automatic download -- interestingly, users who receive the automatic download treatment are being selected randomly. Apple confirmed the nature of the roll out to The Loop, which also reports that the download will only start for people who have automatic updates switched on, and if they have sufficient storage space available. Unlike Microsoft, Apple is taking a rather less aggressive approach when it comes to suggesting users might like to upgrade to… [Continue Reading]
Three areas every business can apply analytics to in order to avoid regulatory trouble

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 1:32pm CEST par Matt Matsui

Every business leader understands the importance of regulatory compliance and is aware of how dire the consequences can be if an organization is found to be out of compliance. With stringent regulations enforcing compliance, such as HIPAA or Sarbanes-Oxley, it’s imperative that companies maintain strict procedures to avoid facing potential fines or lawsuits, and risking consumer distrust. Any one of these factors can seriously threaten the long-term viability of the brand. However, implementing the right infrastructure and policies to adhere to these requirements is a challenge that every company faces. With the hundreds, if not thousands, of customer interactions and… [Continue Reading]
How to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 11:26am CEST par Ian Barker

Phishing attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The old days of badly written emails are largely behind us, making today’s attacks much harder to spot. To mark the fact that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month in the US and European Cyber Security Month, data loss prevention company Digital Guardian has released an infographic to help users recognize and avoid phishing attacks. It covers the different types of phishing including 'whaling' -- targeting senior people within a company. It also looks beyond email at voice phishing (vishing), SMS phishing (smishing), and social media phishing (make up your own cute name… [Continue Reading]
Mozilla awards $300,000 to four open source projects

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 9:33am CEST par Mark Wilson

Mozilla's love of open source is nothing new -- just look to the Mozilla Open Source Support (MOSS) program. Loving a philosophy is one thing, but Mozilla has also put its money where its mouth is. In the third quarter of this year, MOSS awarded more than $300,000 to four projects which it either already supported, or which were aligned with the organization's mission. One of the smallest awards -- $56,000 -- was made to Speech Rule Engine, a text-to-speech style component that makes mathematical and scientific content more accessible. But more money was splashed on Track 1 Foundational Technology… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft will build a data center in France

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 9:04am CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Microsoft has announced that its investments in cloud computing in Europe exceeded $3 billion, as it plans to open a new data center in the country next year. Besides making this announcement, Microsoft has also released a new book, entitled A Cloud for Global Good, containing policy recommendations for things like data protection. The company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, says the investment comes as a result of a "growing demand" from both European customers and partners. "Building a global, trusted, intelligent cloud platform is core to our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. There’s never been a better time… [Continue Reading]
WhatsApp copies SnapChat and allows you to add emoji to photos... and more

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 8:54am CEST par Mark Wilson

Until concerns were raised about data sharing with Facebook to help deliver targeted ads, WhatsApp was seen as the messaging tool of choice for those concerned about privacy. As well as offering encrypted messaging, WhatsApp has always been one of the more stripped back messaging apps out there -- but no more. Bowing to pressure to fit in with the crowd and offer the same features as the likes of SnapChat, WhatsApp is adding photo and video editing and enhancement tools. The ability to add emoji to photos, or draw and write on images are just two new options that… [Continue Reading]
Google finally launches its long-awaited Mi Box

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 7:02am CEST par Alan Buckingham

As Google TV struggled, Roku and Amazon Fire TV were seemingly taking over the market. Google finally let its TV platform go, but announced it would be replaced with Android TV. The company also promised its own set-top player known as the Mi Box. It has taken since June, but the much-anticipated Mi Box, announced at Google I/O, is finally hitting the market. Hugo Barra, formerly of Google and now of Xiaomi, tweeted the news today and the box was soon up for same on the company website for $69 (already out of stock). The box is based on Android… [Continue Reading]
Amazon finally prohibits incentivized customer product reviews -- mostly

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 3:17am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Amazon is my absolute favorite retailer. Not only are its prices fair, but with a Prime subscription, I get free two-day shipping on many products. Instant gratification is a must nowadays, and waiting more than a couple of days for an item to arrive can be unbearable. Of course, Prime gives you much more than just fast shipping, but I digress. Another great aspect of the site is the customer reviews, helping shoppers find quality products based on the honest recommendations of others. Sadly, incentivized reviews have damaged the trustworthiness of the feedback. Too many recent Amazon reviews have the caveat that the… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft Band is dead -- just like Windows 10 Mobile

Publié: octobre 4, 2016, 12:35am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Microsoft's Band wearable is actually a decent product, albeit very limited. As Apple Watch dominates the smartwatch market with exciting features and apps, Band is essentially just a boring fitness wearable. While being focused isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is simply too expensive and uncomfortable for what it is. There were some significant quality issues too, such as the strap tearing. Today, Microsoft essentially kills the Band. It has pulled the wearable from its stores, while also shocking the world by announcing a third-generation model will not be released in 2016. True, a Band 3 was never officially announced,… [Continue Reading]