Google improves Docs and Sheets with add-ons
For many, Microsoft Office is the best office suite. It is chock full of features that makes it ideal for power-users. A major corporation cannot realistically depend on anything else. Sure, a small business or student can get by with Libreoffice or Google's web apps, but a Fortune 500 company would be foolish to do so -- at least today.
Not everyone is a power-user though -- having too many features can ultimately become noise. This is where Google's Docs and Sheets shine -- they are simple and meet basic needs. However, that does not mean the software cannot evolve. Quite frankly, Google is a company that is a leader in evolution and forward thinking, so its software is always gaining new features. Today, the search-giant announces an evolution in Docs and Sheets with the ability to utilize add-ons.
Qplay is the Devil in my living room
So I received Qplay last week, but only set up the thing today. Definitely I won't ever spend cash on preview programs again. Mother of God. Sweet Jesus. Someone save me from the choppy performance controlling the streaming box from iPad Air.
Did these guys grow up before multitasking? If I'm watching a video and want to scan the thumbnail strip for something else, Holy Moly, the vid stops and waits for me to tap the next thing.
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Majority of mobile devices will be 64-bit by 2018 -- is Apple to thank?
Apple is revolutionary through evolution. The company did not invent the tablet, but the iPad sparked the modern trend. It did not invent the touchscreen smartphone, yet the iPhone revolutionized portable computing.
Speaking of the iPhone, last year, Apple introduced the iPhone 5s with a 64-bit processor. The fruit-logo company certainly did not invent 64-bit computing, however, competitors are now playing "me too" and trying to catch-up in the mobile sector. According to a new study, the majority of mobile devices will be 64-bit by 2018. Do we have Apple to thank?
Who's driving your car? AVG warns about connected vehicles
The 2014 South by Southwest festival is in full swing. It's a combination of tech, music and film rolled into one Texas-sized good time. While it all sounds like a fun-house, there is a serious note to some of the discussions. AVG was part of a forum on connected cars, taking a look at the data collected and what happens to it.
It's not all doom and gloom -- nobody showed a hack that will let the perpetrator literally take over your car. But who controls the data being collected by said vehicle is certainly a security concern. The security company's Judith Bitterli spoke during the meeting and then put her thoughts together in a quick post.
Stop your crying, Windows 8.1 Update is awesome, you babies
Windows 8.x has become an easy target for Microsoft haters. While the disdain for the operating system is not limited to fanboys of Apple, Google and Linux, they are definitely among the loudest -- and rightfully so. After all, Microsoft has dominated the home computing landscape for decades and people have been waiting for a misstep.
In reality, Windows 8.x is the first true Windows stumble. Sure, Vista wasn't great but history has been more unkind to that OS than it truly deserved. It wasn't so bad if you had decent hardware. While I like Windows 8.x, it is problematic -- on a desktop. Well, at least it was. You see, Windows 8.1 Update is an amazing update that dramatically improves the experience for mouse and keyboard users. My colleague Mark Wilson calls it the final nail in the coffin -- I call it the first move towards greatness. It is time for Windows users to stop crying like babies.
Take off your headphones and listen, internet radio is gaining in popularity
Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Live365... internet radio has become more normal to today's generation than that box which sat on the nightstand or kitchen counter when I was young. Now a new survey seems to show the correlation between age and the new way of listening to music.
Edison Research conducted a random phone survey, targeting users aged 12 and older and the results were rather emphatic. The numbers were collated for the 12 and up, 18-34 and 18-49 demographics and it seems many of you just may be listening to internet radio while you are reading my story.
Modernization Engine reduces the risks and costs of data center updates
Whether they involve upgrading equipment, switching operating systems or moving to the cloud, data center modernization projects can be complex and costly.
According to Agile Data specialist Delphix, many organizations estimate that their modernization projects will take years and cost millions of dollars whilst impacting on existing operations.
Manage offline Windows updates with Windows Hotfix Downloader
In an ideal world, updating Windows would never require any manual intervention. You’d set up your PC to install updates automatically, and get on with other things, leaving your computer to manage any patches all on its own.
Life isn’t always that simple, of course. If you need to update a PC which doesn’t have a fast (or any) internet connection, or maybe you have to manage the updates for several systems, then the regular Windows Update applet may not be enough.
Chromebook users can grab a 60-day free trial of Google Music
I'm not going to rehash all of the reasons Microsoft has to show concern over rival Chrome OS, but now Google is providing one more to add to that list. It's not major, and likely won't sway someone's decision towards a Chromebook, but it heaps another straw onto the camel's back.
The search giant is offering a 60-day free trial of its Google Music All Access, which normally costs users $9.99 per month -- or $7.99 if you got in very early, as I did.
Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Beta unveiled, supports commenting and annotating on text ranges in Writer
Apache Software Foundation has unveiled the first public beta of its forthcoming Apache OpenOffice 4.1 release. The new version continues to build on the major changes introduced when version 4 was released last year.
Although termed a minor release, version 4.1 does add one major new feature -- the ability to commentate and annotate on text ranges -- as well as a number of significant improvements. It also moves to 64-bit only on the OS X platform.
Incapsula launches load balancing in the cloud
Delivering services from the cloud has changed the face of business computing in recent years. But load balancing hasn’t really evolved beyond locally deployed systems.
Until now that is. Cloud-based website security and performance specialist Incapsula has announced an integrated cloud system to provide in datacenter and cross-data center load balancing as well as automatic failover for disaster recovery.
Make your mouse cursor disappear with AutoHideMouseCursor
Go to work on the Windows desktop and the mouse cursor is normally very useful, a helpful guide which ensures you’re always pointing and clicking in exactly the right place.
Sometimes, though, it’s a little different. If you’re taking screen grabs, maybe watching a full-screen application, you might not want the mouse cursor around. And that’s where AutoHideMouseCursor can help.
iOS 7.1 makes the iPhone 4 run faster
Apple's policy of updating older iPhones to the latest iOS version has its perks. Users are better protected against security exploits, get access to new features (but not all of them), and Apple can tout low fragmentation levels. However, there is also a downside. Newer iOS releases often make older iPhones sluggish.
I have first-hand experience with this, as my iPhone 3G ran slower after updating it to iOS 4.0, than it did before. The same thing has also happened with the iPhone 4, which Apple had vetted to receive the iOS 7.0 update, even though the mobile operating system was designed to work best with beefier hardware. Luckily, it looks like iOS 7.1, that was released yesterday, attempts to solve this problem, albeit not entirely.
TotalEdit Professional is a powerful -- and now free -- Notepad replacement
TotalEdit Professional is an interesting and very capable Notepad replacement. But it used to cost $29.99, a major issue when competing editors such as Notepad++ cost nothing at all.
It seems that the developers have also realized this is a problem, though. And as they’re looking to Android and iPhone products as a means to generate revenue, TotalEdit Professional is now available for free. (It still installs as a trial version, but just register with the license code 2D5B073C-93D0-6D40-8970-B041-C2C and it’ll be activated right away).
Microsoft, Samsung 'take a leading role' backing Qi wireless charging
Qi is one of the most popular wireless charging standards, used by many companies in devices like chargers, speakers, smartphones and tablets. It adds convenience to such products, giving users the option to top up the battery on their handsets without plugging cables into them. I personally use a Qi wireless charger, made by Nokia, with my Lumia 920 and Google Nexus 7.
One of the hurdles Qi has to overcome to become more popular and attractive to consumers is mass-market support from key players, like smartphone vendors and mobile operators, which can dictate which standard they embrace. Qi appears to be on the right track, as it just added Microsoft and Samsung to its growing list of supporters.