HCSS debuts construction ERP apps for iOS, Android devices
Texas-based software company HCSS, which makes solutions for the construction industry, today announced a new suite of mobile applications for iOS and Android that connect construction field personnel with their home base job management and accounting systems.
With the new applications, simply called "HCSS Field Apps," employee and equipment hours can be tracked, production quantities can be managed, truck fleets can be tracked in real time, employee certifications and licenses can be handled, job site diaries and photos can be filed, and costs can be managed on a more granular and fluid level.
Voting for president via Android and iOS debuts
As the United States approaches its quadrennial general elections, the talk of election tech and voter security is beginning to rise once again. In 2008, during the last general elections, we saw portable, touchscreen voting machines, e-voting security issues, and mandatory paper trails.
Today, election security company Scytl announced it had successfully implemented its voting encryption technology on mobile platforms Android and iOS which could allow people to securely vote on their smartphones and tablets. It looks like this year "m-voting" is going to be a topic of discussion on top of the usual topic of "e-voting."
Xamarin Designer brings visual Android UX development to C#, .NET
.NET software development tool company Xamarin on Monday launched Xamarin Designer for Android, a drag-and-drop visual environment for creating native user interfaces for Android apps from within Visual Studio or within the Mono for Android IDE.
Xamarin is a young company made up of more than twenty ex-Novell team members who built the Mono open source .NET development framework. So far, the company is responsible for releasing Mono for Android, and MonoTouch for iOS.
Microsoft overhauls Bing in mission to innovate search
Microsoft on Thursday announced it will be rolling out the "most significant update" to its Bing search engine since it debuted three years ago.
The new Bing design eschews the decade-old single-page search result design that is a standard, and introduces a three-column interface that combines algorithmic search results (called "Core Web Results") with social network results (called "Sidebar" results) and actionable related services such as location, shopping, and more ("Snapshot" results).
iPhone camera app learns your appearance by your Facebook pics
In the three months ending on March 31, 2012, there were more than 300 million photos uploaded to Facebook every single day. Not only is it a staggering amount of content to organize, but it is also a huge stockpile of graphical data that can actually be put to use.
A new iPhone camera application was released on Thursday to take advantage of this mass of data.
Lenovo debuts Ivy Bridge family of ThinkCentre desktops and all-in-one PCs
PC and Information Technology company Lenovo on Wednesday announced its new lineup of ThinkCentre all-in-one PCs based around the third generation of Intel vPro Core processors (Ivy Bridge), with models targeting consumers, small- to medium- sized businesses, and the public sector.
The flagship ThinkCentre model is the Edge 92z, which has a 21.5 inch in-plane switching (IPS) LED display with 10-point multitouch capability and Wireless Display (WiDi) mode. At 2.5" in thickness, Lenovo says this is the slimmest all-in-one PC Lenovo has created thus far. Processors can be configured up to an Intel Core vPro i7, and the starting price will be approximately $699 when they come out in the U.S. this July.
Nokia fragments Windows Phone Marketplace with more exclusive apps
At a relatively quiet opening day of the CTIA Wireless International 2012 convention on Tuesday, mobile phone maker Nokia announced its Lumia Windows Phones will receive a handful of exclusive applications that other Windows Phones will not, including apps from ESPN, AOL, and Groupon.
When the Lumia line of Nokia Windows Phones launched, Nokia provided a few solid exclusives, including Maps, Drive, and Music to improve usability and desirability of the devices. These apps are still not available on other Windows Phones in the Marketplace.
Oracle's fight with Google over Android: still no clear winner
In late 2010, information technology company Oracle sued Google for unlawfully using Java to power the Android mobile operating system. Oracle claimed the popular operating system violated seven of its fundamental Java patents, and the two companies began a long courtroom battle which yesterday came to a crossroads over copyrights.
Jurors sitting in on the trial in the District Court of the Northern District of California rendered a partial verdict on Monday, agreeing that Oracle had successfully proven Google's infringement upon the overall structure, sequence and organization of its Java copyrights.
Microsoft's $99 Xbox 360 bundle: what a rip-off!
Last week, we heard rumors that Microsoft would be releasing a Xbox 360 console with Kinect for $99, subsidized by a two-year Gold subscription commitment to the Xbox Live service, in a fashion similar to mobile phone subsidies.
Monday, the offer went live on the Microsoft Store site, and the plan, which got us excited here in the BetaNews news room, turns out to be no deal at all.
HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE picks up where its predecessor left off
In the continuing stream of "sequels" to popular Android smartphones, HTC and Verizon Wireless on Monday announced the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, the follow-up to the popular Droid Incredible, which launched at this time two years ago.
Part of what made the first Droid Incredible a hit was its price-to-performance ratio. For $199, the phone offered a high megapixel camera, a good processor speed, and an acceptable screen. HTC appears to have stuck to this balance with the Droid Icredible 4G LTE, while adding the namesake LTE radio.
What do Yahoo's CEO, MIT's dean of admissions, Miss Virginia and a Buddhist monk have in common?
A: They all lied on their résumés.
Scott Thompson, who was named chief executive of Yahoo at the beginning of 2012, has come under fire for putting false résumé information on documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Samsung unveils Galaxy S III with natural user interfaces, better camera
Leading Android smartphone maker Samsung on Thursday announced the latest installment in its two-year old line of Galaxy S smartphones, the Galaxy S III.
Here are the specs, straight from Samsung:
Windows Live is dead, long live Windows Live
In a blog post on Wednesday, President of Microsoft's Windows division Steven Sinofsky announced the seven-year old Windows Live brand is being retired.
Do not be mistaken, there are more than 500 million users of the various Microsoft services that fall under the general classification of Windows Live. They are alive and well.
Google Play carrier billing now includes music, movies, and e-books
Google on Wednesday announced that it has added carrier billing to the entire selection of content (apps, music, movies, and books) in its Google Play marketplace in seven countries. Participating carriers now let subscribers charge their Google Play purchases directly to their monthly phone bill.
The countries and network operators that will offer total carrier billing include:
The Xbox console will soon be free
Microsoft wonk Tom Warren reports that a new Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle will be offered at $99 with a two-year Xbox Live Gold subcription beginning next week. If this proves true, it will be the first example of a video game console using the mobile phone carrier subsidy model.
According to Warren's sources, the deal will only be available at Microsoft Stores, and it will include the 4 GB Xbox 360 console with a Kinect Sensor. The cost of a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription is approximately $120.