Create animated GIFs from video clips with Movie to Gif
They’re extremely basic, horribly limited, just about the most low-tech form of computer animation you can get. But then animated GIFs are almost 25 years old, so we probably shouldn’t expect too much. And even now, they’re still useful as a reliable way to display simple animations on just about every platform.
We’ve discussed several ways to create animated GIFs before, but the latest is Movie to Gif, which does exactly what its name suggests: point the program at a video and it’ll render a finished GIF for you.
Nokia Lumia 930: A Windows Phone game changer [Review]
Despite its repeated attempts to elbow its way into mainstream popularity, Windows Phone is going on four years old and is still being slapped down by iPhone and Android -- like an overly buoyant younger sibling with a penchant for multi-colored tiles.
Trouble is, now more than ever the pressure is on. LG, Samsung and HTC have all already fired their flagships into the market, and with the promise of a bigger, bolder iPhone in September, it's high time we saw a Windows Phone that can start leading the pack rather than trailing behind it.
Oracle sets out to redefine the data-driven enterprise
Data makes the modern world go round and by being able to use it effectively companies can gain a competitive advantage, improve customer experience and enhance operational efficiency.
Database specialist Oracle has combined a number of its offerings including the newly acquired BlueKai Audience Data Marketplace to form Oracle Data Cloud, a platform that provides customers access to world-class data-as-a-service (DaaS) offerings to allow companies to exploit marketing and social media data.
Meet Nokia Lumia 530 -- Microsoft's new entry-level Windows Phone 8.1 device
Nokia Lumia 520 has proved to be an extremely important entry-level handset for Windows Phone, allowing the platform to reach more consumers and become more relevant in emerging markets. Its successor has to live up to high expectations, as it has to exceed the 12 million activations mark quicker than Lumia 520 has managed to, in order to be considered a success. That is no easy task, when the competition in the entry-level smartphone market is heating up.
So does the new Lumia 530 have what it takes to become a worthy Lumia 520 successor? Well, it at least gets off on the right foot, as Microsoft says its new Windows Phone 8.1 entry-level offering is expected to cost €85 before any local taxes and subsidies, and under €100 "on the highstreet". And that goes for the Dual SIM version as well; it will play a key role in increasing Windows Phone's popularity among price-conscious buyers.
The technology behind the Commonwealth Games 2014
As the 20th Commonwealth Games kicks off in Glasgow, most of the attention will be focused on the athletes attempting to turn years of hard work into gold medals. However, there is another less public, yet still hugely important, side of the games that we think also deserves some attention.
Behind the scenes in Scotland, computer giant Dell will have an integral role in providing the IT infrastructure that will help meet the demands of the 71 participating federations and ensure that the entire event runs as smoothly as possible.
How to protect your company data without inspecting SSL
Since the start of this year, it has felt like Armageddon within the cyber-security arena. Attacks are coming thick and fast, with resultant breaches hitting the headlines. Advanced malware -- it’s clever, almost always relentless, and it's increasingly encrypted!
In every organization there are two types of traffic -- inspected traffic and non-inspected traffic. There’s a reason for that. Well, actually, it’s one of three reasons: performance, scalability or cost.
Motorola and Google unleash the mark of the beast with Digital Tattoo for Moto X
While I consider myself to be a relatively forward-thinking and open-minded guy, I do not blindly accept everything the media and corporate America shovels in my direction. For instance, I am very hesitant to support Google Glass and self-driving cars. I am hardly a conspiracy theorist -- just a realist in light of Snowden leaks.
Today, Motorola announces a new feature for the Moto X -- unlock with a tattoo. Yes, the company expects users to embrace a skin-worn unlocking method. While I am sure Motorola's intentions are good (I hope), this is not something I plan on utilizing.
CCleaner for Mac 1.08 adds support for Yosemite Developer Preview, improves browser cleaning
Piriform Ltd has released CCleaner for Mac 1.08, a minor update to the Mac version of its freeware cleaning tool. Unlike the Windows version, which is updated monthly, CCleaner for Mac’s updates are more sporadic -- this is the first new release since November last year.
The new version opens by adding support for the OS X 10.10 Yosemite Developer Preview, which should mean it’ll work with the final version when it’s released later this year, although a further update for official compatibility is likely.
Help fund a solar-powered Raspberry Pi school
The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Eben Upton was inspired to create his bare-bones credit-card sized computer after noticing a decline in the number of children learning to code. He wanted to create a cheap computer designed to be programmed, much like the BBC Micro, which was hugely popular in UK schools back in the 1980s.
Although the Raspberry Pi has since found a massive audience outside of schools, it’s still an educational tool at heart, and its low cost and energy efficiency make it ideal for introducing computers into rural schools in developing nations.
Amazon scores massive boost in apps prior to Fire phone launch
Nintendo has Mario. No matter how much more powerful Xbox One or PlayStation 4 are over the Wii U, neither console has Nintendo's Italian mascot. And so, if you want games featuring Mario, no other console will do. In other words, software matters just as much, if not more, than hardware. This is not just true of game consoles, but all computing platforms too. For instance, if you need Microsoft Office, Linux would be a poor choice -- you should use the platform that runs the software you need.
The most heated platform battleground nowadays is smartphones -- iPhone, Android and Windows Phone to name a few. Amazon recently announced its intention to enter the battle with the Fire phone. Yes, it runs Android, but it is so customized that it is essentially a new platform. Despite the phone's innovative hardware, it will not have access to Google play, and that makes consumers nervous. Like I said earlier, software matters. Worry no more. Today, Amazon announces that high-quality developers are embracing the Fire phone in a big way.
Nokia Lumia Icon Windows Phone goes to San Diego Comic-Con
Eighth in a series. What goes around comes around. It's cliché but describes my return to Nokia after abandoning the brand five years ago. I never expected to come back, and the app experience, while a backwater compared to Android or iOS, is little different than when I left. Cameras are great and app selection limited, but it's hugely improved because of Microsoft.
Nokia was in 2009 still the world's mobile handset leader, except for one major market: The United States. As such, Symbian dominated mobile app development, even as iOS rose in prominence. (Remember: Apple opened its app store in July 2008, and the first Android phone shipped a few months later.) But the majority of apps and supporting services, developed by Nokia and third-parties, best suited the rest of the world. Americans had limited choices on the company's handsets.
Little Box Challenge -- Google will pay you $1 million for power inverter shrinkage
On the TV show Seinfeld, George Costanza infamously declared "I was in the pool!" when a woman walked in on him changing clothes and saw him naked. You see, a part of his body got smaller due to swimming in cold water, something he and Jerry dubbed "shrinkage". While that shrinkage is bad, other types are good.
In the technology world, with the exception of displays and monitors, smaller is usually better, as it allows for a smaller footprint. It also allows things to become more efficient, such as die shrinkage with a CPU. Today, Google announces that in conjunction with IEEE, it will pay cash to anyone who can dramatically shrink a power inverter.
Need access to your Mac drives in Windows 8? Paragon HFS+ for Windows 8/8.1 Free Edition does the job
Are you a Mac user who’s just installed Windows 8 alongside OS X via Boot Camp? Or perhaps you’re a Windows user who’s just been tasked with the job of getting data from (or to) a Mac-formatted hard drive. In either event, to get full access to your hard drive requires third-party help.
Previously, gaining full read and write access to a drive formatted using Apple’s HFS+ file system would cost you money. If you’re a Windows 8 user, however, then give thanks for the release of Paragon HFS+ for Windows 8/8.1 Free Edition 1.0.
New software platform looks to open up the internet of things
We're only just beginning to see the potential of the internet of things. A wide range of devices able to exchange information over the web presents many opportunities for companies to deliver new products and services.
According to Gartner estimates, the IoT will include 26 billion units by 2020, and by that time, IoT product and service suppliers will generate incremental revenue exceeding $300 billion, mostly in services.
Chromebook shipments continue to rise, Acer leads the way
Google's Chromebooks have been making inroads as of late. Many schools have been adopting the platform, and there have even been stories of businesses moving over after the death of Windows XP. The latest numbers released show that this trend is continuing.
TrendForce reveals that shipments of Chrome OS devices have risen to 1.8 million in the second quarter of 2014, with Acer leading the way, ahead of all other OEMs.