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BetaNews.Com (18 non lus)

Apple will not approve updates and new apps during winter holidays

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 9:21pm CET par Mihăiță Bamburic

The winter holidays are fast approaching and, just like other workers, many folks in the tech industry are looking forward to their vacation days. But, before employees can celebrate and unwind, companies have to adjust their schedule accordingly and prepare their customers for the limited (or lack of) office hours. Apple announces its schedule today, advising developers to submit their updates and new apps for approval in time, to avoid any delays and inconveniences. Between December 23 and December 27, Pacific Time, Apple says that it will not validate any updates or new apps, "so any releases should be submitted, approved, and… [Continue Reading]
The cloud can be a driving force for your startup

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 8:51pm CET par Kevin Linsell

Amazon Web Services (AWS) turned ten earlier this year and posted some pretty impressive figures to go with it (which have continued to impress in subsequent quarters). The public cloud provider revealed it is on course to generate more than $10bn in 2016, which highlights the success of the public cloud. Organizations from all over the world are tapping into this success, but could it also be the driving force behind successful start-ups? If so, what can enterprises learn from start-ups flourishing in the cloud? Airbnb and Uber highlight the success that can be achieved from launching a start-up. Both… [Continue Reading]
Google successfully uses machine learning to detect diabetic retinopathy

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 7:51pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Diabetes is a hell of a disease. While many people view it as nothing more than the inability to eat sweets, it is actually much more devastating than just that. If untreated, having high glucose levels can wreak havoc on a patient's body -- these folks can go blind, have limbs amputated, or worst of all, die. Diabetic eye disease is caused by retinopathy. Affected diabetics can have small tears inside the eye, causing bleeding. Over time, they can lose vision, and ultimately, they can go blind. Luckily, Google has been trying to use machine learning to detect diabetic retinopathy. Guess what? The search… [Continue Reading]
Mitigating the risks of third-party access to your data

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 6:55pm CET par Charlie Howe

If your office was broken into, you would fear what the intruders might take. Being so concerned about the possibility, you fit all the right locks and alarms and have good door and window security. However, do all the service providers that access your office do the same? If they’re not as security conscious, and they get broken into, the intruders could get hold of the access card or key to your office and then they’re in. It would be galling because, despite having done all the right things to protect your company’s assets, your defenses were still breached. There… [Continue Reading]
You can now play classic arcade games in Facebook Messenger -- Here's how

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 6:28pm CET par Wayne Williams

You’ve been able to play basic games in Facebook Messenger for a while -- things like chess, soccer and basketball -- but from now you’ll be able to play classic arcade games too. So, if in a middle of a chat with a friend you’re suddenly overcome with the need to challenge them to a game of Pac-Man, Galaga, Space Invaders, Puzzle Bobble, or Track & Field, you can. Available in Messenger for iOS and Android, the new gaming feature is very easy to use. Start a conversation with a friend, or friends, and tap the game controller icon below… [Continue Reading]
The Snooper's Charter is now law, giving the UK some of the most extensive, invasive and draconian web surveillance powers in the world

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 6:27pm CET par Mark Wilson

The Investigatory Powers Act 2016, the Snooper's Charter, legalized spying: call it what you will, the UK now officially has some of the most extreme internet surveillance powers in the world. The Investigatory Powers Bill was today given royal assent, meaning it has now passed into law. Unsurprisingly, there have been huge protests from privacy groups, and an online petition against the new powers has already gained more than 136,000 signatures. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 not only requires ISPs to store records of their customers' browsing history, but also make this data available to dozens of government agencies, and… [Continue Reading]
Plagued by Apple Calendar spam? Here's how to stop it

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 5:29pm CET par Wayne Williams

Recently a lot of people have been complaining about spam calendar invitations in iOS, and it’s something I’ve experienced too -- particularly on Black Friday. "$19.99 Ray-ban&Oakley Black Friday In-Store & Online" said one unwelcome invitation. While you can easily decline these invites, that’s not the greatest idea because -- just like responding to a spam email -- it has the side effect of telling a spammer that your account is active. Thankfully, there is an easy way to stop them. The problem happens because iOS and macOS automatically scan your inbox for invites so they can be added to… [Continue Reading]
Digital transformation is top strategic priority for half of execs

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 5:27pm CET par Ian Barker

Digital transformation is at the top of the strategic agenda for enterprises, and half of executives surveyed believe the next two years will be critical for their organizations. These are among the findings of a new report by Forbes Insights, in association with Hitachi Data Systems, which surveyed 573 senior executives worldwide as well as holding one-on-one conversations with top executives. Among the findings are that investing in new technologies to enable digitization is the top investment priority for 51 percent over the next two years, along with increasing data and analytics capabilities also cited by 51 percent. Drivers for… [Continue Reading]
Sophisticated social engineering attacks target hotel chains

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 3:45pm CET par Ian Barker

In the run up to one of the hospitality industry's busiest periods, cyber criminals are targeting hotel chains with a series of targeted attacks. Cyber security company Trustwave has investigated the attacks, which combine social engineering with sophisticated malware, against a number of its clients in the past month. Believed to originate from the prolific Carbanak crime group, the attacks start with a phone call to customer services staff claiming to be having trouble making an online booking and asking permission to email a document containing travel details. The attackers are careful to research their targets beforehand so that they're able… [Continue Reading]
TeamViewer 12 brings up to 20x file transfer speeds

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 3:35pm CET par Mike Williams

TeamViewer has just released TeamViewer 12, the latest edition of its popular remote control package. Major performance improvements include up to 20x faster file transfers, and frame rates of up to 60 fps. Connection settings can automatically adapt to network connections, giving you the best possible quality at all times. TeamViewer Premium users get mobile-to-mobile remote connections and screen sharing for any mix of Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices. New deployment features include a "silent host roll out" to install TeamViewer across thousands of devices simultaneously (Corporate and above). There are also options to centrally manage TeamViewer settings from… [Continue Reading]
Two factor authentication is not enough

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 3:24pm CET par James Romer

The general consensus appears to be that two-factor authentication (2FA) is the answer to our authentication needs. Be that from usage of consumer sites in our personal lives or as part of our daily requirements when signing into enterprise infrastructure and applications at work. However the cyber-attack on Three's customer upgrade database is yet another example of how 2FA is not enough. Organizations must move away from relying solely on usernames and passwords, as once again access was gained with a stolen employee login. The misuse and abuse of systems using username and password alone is now so common that… [Continue Reading]
Sling begins rolling out cloud DVR beta for Roku users

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 1:53pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Cord-cutters are certainly aware of services such as Sling TV and devices like Roku, the latter also being popular even with those who still retain a cable or satellite connection. There are drawbacks to some of this since you can't record a show you'll miss, though Sling does allow you to go back and watch what has already aired -- on certain channels. Now Sling wants to change all of that, bringing a cloud DVR to its service. The new release is a slow roll out and is beta only. However, the stats on it are promising. There is no… [Continue Reading]
Samsung considering advice to split in two

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 12:45pm CET par Anthony Spadafora

Samsung is currently deciding whether or it not it should follow the advice of the US hedge fund management firm Elliott Management that has proposed that the company split its business in two, with one holding company for ownership and another for operations. Elliott first proposed the split in October with the aim of boosting shareholder value. However, this move would also benefit the Lee family that owns Samsung as it would grant them tighter control over the company. The proposal will be decided on by the company's board of directors on Tuesday, November 29. The Korean Exchange is eager… [Continue Reading]
Cold War 2.0: Russia is borrowing the Great Firewall of China to implement greater state censorship and control

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 11:57am CET par Mark Wilson

The Great Firewall of China is a famous tool of censorship and state control of the internet -- and Russia wants to throw up its own version of the web filtering system. Russia already operates the so-called 'red web' which is used to not only monitor what Russian citizens are up to online, but also implementing blocks and filters such as the recent ban on LinkedIn. But now President Putin wants to steps things up a notch. Russia and China have become close allies in recent years, particularly in the field of state control of the internet, and there are… [Continue Reading]
Welcome to the Post-Decision Age

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 11:41am CET par Robert X. Cringely

There are more things to talk about than Donald Trump, though I doubt that Donnie agrees with me. But we have to get on with our lives which, at least in my case, means getting on with my reading. Where does all the crap I write here come from but reading, talking to people, and waiting in line at Starbucks? Nowhere else! And if you want to be like me you may choose to read a new book by Michael Lewis, The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds. Of course the book is very good and it’s very… [Continue Reading]
Ofcom to force Openreach to separate from BT

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 11:01am CET par Mark Wilson

BT has been under pressure from industry regulator Ofcom to separate Openreach, its broadband telecoms network, from its retail business. Having failed to voluntarily cooperate, the company will now be forced to separate in order to address concerns about competition. There have long been worries that BT's position of controlling the UK broadband network while simultaneously operating a retail business was a conflict of interest, and Ofcom recently informed BT that Openreach must be transformed into a "legally separate company" to BT. Ofcom believes that creating a separate Openreach will help in its goal of "better service quality and encouraging… [Continue Reading]
The benefits of thin clients for IT administrators

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 10:37am CET par Simon Richards

IT administrators should no longer be shackled to the desktop, trapped in permanent rounds of helpdesk visits, security patches and upgrades. The future could be an estate of efficient and remotely managed desktops and mobile devices; freeing IT administrators to focus on deploying IT innovation for competitive advantage. For many IT administrators the feeling of being shackled to the desktop will be all too familiar. An endless round of responding to helpdesk tickets raised by users, running security patches and rolling out upgrades. "Surely there must be more to life than this?", they ask as they trudge off to solve… [Continue Reading]
Google releases 'Featured Photos Screensaver' app for Mac

Publié: novembre 29, 2016, 2:26am CET par Brian Fagioli

Google and photography seem to go hand in hand. The company's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones take very high-quality pictures, while its Photos app for Android and iOS is a brilliant way to both store and categorize images in the cloud. Today, Google takes its passion for photography to another level with an all-new app for macOS. Dubbed 'Featured Photos Screensaver' it creates a screensaver using images that are sourced from user photos which were uploaded to Google+. Don't worry about privacy, folks -- these are images that users have agreed to share. Google+ photographers can choose to opt-out if they prefer. "From… [Continue Reading]