Latest Technology News

Kaspersky has released updated installer versions of Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014. Both updates include the recently rolled out "Patch B", which adds support for Windows 8.1 and Firefox 23/24.

The update also fixes a number of bugs, but previously had to be installed separately after installing KIS 2014 or KAV 2014.

Continue reading →

When Windows 8 advertisements first started airing on TV, Fresh Paint was often shown as a way to highlight the touch capabilities. Not only is the app a good demo, it is also fun and functional. From amateurs to professionals, anyone can easily use the app to create art and use their imaginations. However, Microsoft is not resting on its laurels and announces a new version is coming this month.

"Today I'm excited to announce that the new Fresh Paint will launch in tandem with Windows 8.1 on October 18 and that we'll also have new features coming to the Windows Phone version on October 14. Best of all, Fresh Paint will continue to be free, and everyone who updates to Windows 8.1 will get the improved experience", says Brandon LeBlanc of Microsoft.

Continue reading →

We all realize, or should do, that whatever we do online leaves a trail. Usually this is in the form of cookies or other information over which we have some control and which is subject to a degree of legal regulation, but what about other, more insidious, forms of tracking?

New research carried out by Netherlands-based university KU Leven reveals that a small number of sites are secretly tracking their users. The study by KU Leuven-iMinds researchers has uncovered evidence that 145 of the Internet's 10,000 top websites carry out tracking without the knowledge or consent of their users. The sites do this by using hidden scripts to extract a device fingerprint from users' browsers. This technique avoids the legal restrictions imposed on the use of cookies as well as ignoring the Do Not Track HTTP header. The study's findings suggest that secret fingerprinting is being used to get around legitimate barriers to tracking.

Continue reading →

The Nexus 7 has gone down well with the team here at BetaNews (despite a few teething problems) and it's proving popular with a lot of other people as well. Part of the tablet's appeal is that it offers great value for money. But just because something is relatively cheap, it does not mean that it should not be looked after.

Whatever phone or tablet you have, there are countless protective skins to choose from and also various ways in which to stamp your mark on your mobile device. With a couple of Nexus 7's (Nexi?) to take care of, I thought I'd take a look at some of the options that are available. The official sleeve has been available for a while and the official case has been unveiled. At $50 it's worth seeing what else is out there as well.

Continue reading →

I gave up on the idea of "inbox zero" a long time ago, and now simply embrace "inbox full to bursting", but Taper is offering a new approach to email management that might just make it easier to stay on top of things.

It’s on Kickstarter now, and currently a long way away from its funding goal (but with over a month still to go) so may never see the light of the day, but it’s such a crazy idea that I wanted to share it with you.

Continue reading →

There is not a lot to go on at the moment, but Lenovo is teasing us with the promise of something interesting that's coming at the end of the month. Head over to the company's website or Facebook page and you are greeted by the promise that "A #betterway is coming".

A date of 30 October is mentioned and visitors are invited to "Join the Event" or sign up for more information. There's also a nice-looking cropped close-up of a brush aluminium case.

Continue reading →

Many of us are so attached to our mobile devices that we take them to bed with us, but we're failing to take basic security precautions. This is among the findings of the 2013 Norton Report.

The report shows that whilst the number of online adults who have experienced cybercrime has fallen, the average cost per victim is up by 50 percent. In the UK, however, the cost per victim has fallen, down from £144 in 2012, to £101 in 2013.

Continue reading →

So… you don’t want Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 7, eh? What are you going to do? Block it! Ahead of the release of the completed version of IE11, Microsoft is giving Windows 7 users the chance to avoid automatically updating. The Internet Explorer 11 Blocker Toolkit can be used to prevent the web browser from being pushed as an "important" update when it is released.

IE11 comes as an integral part of Windows 8.1 (Windows 8 users can currently only get it by upgrading) and a Release Preview of the browser was made available for Windows 7 three weeks ago. There's no official word on when the finished version of IE11 for Windows 7 will see the light of day, but it's likely to be fairly soon.

Continue reading →

While Google+ is my social network of choice, Twitter is a close second. My favorite thing about the blue-bird-logo social network is that it is platform agnostic. You see, a great experience can be had whether you are on Windows Phone, Android, Windows 8 (including RT), OS X or iOS. Heck, it can even be used on a dumbphone with SMS. However, the Android app, while functional, was never optimized for a tablet experiene.

Today, the company releases a tablet version but it is only available for Samsung variants -- starting with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. In other words, Twitter has managed to alienate the majority of Android tablet owners.

Continue reading →

Back in August, when the weather was still warm, Microsoft announced a new contest surrounding its Bing search engine. The Hometown Homepage Photo Contest was designed to bring attention to local photographers, both amateur and professional, and provide them the opportunity to get some recognition.

The winner was chosen by the public after the Bing team narrowed the choices down to nine finalists and will receive a Nokia Lumia 1020, 500px membership, and a canvas of the image. Plus, the photograph is appearing today as Bing daily image, bringing nationwide recognition.

Continue reading →

When Microsoft is not attacking Google with cheesy videos and questionable statistics, the software giant is busy trying to use the search company's platforms for its own gain. While we still anxiously await the arrival of Office (without a 365 subscription) on Android, we do have OneNote and Outlook.com, the latter of which is receiving a big update today.

"Our goal is to provide our customers with the best possible email experience, delivering the features that you've been requesting. We've listened hard to the feedback from you and made several improvements that you asked for", says Microsoft's Steve Kafka.

Continue reading →

A company paying developers and users to discover and report bugs is not new. In fact, these bounty programs are rather widespread. Heck, Microsoft even got into the game back in June of this year. However, Google is expanding on that concept and announces that it will pay users for simply improving open-source software; such as components of the Linux kernel.

"We thought about simply kicking off an OSS bug-hunting program, but this approach can easily backfire. In addition to valid reports, bug bounties invite a significant volume of spurious traffic -- enough to completely overwhelm a small community of volunteers. On top of this, fixing a problem often requires more effort than finding it", says Michal Zalewski of the Google Security Team.

Continue reading →

The emergence of a generation of smart machines taking over middle-class jobs within 15-years is a "futurist fantasy" according to 60 percent of respondents to Gartner's 2013 CEO survey. However, the analysts predict the rise of smart machines will have widespread business impact within only seven years.

"Most business and thought leaders underestimate the potential of smart machines to take over millions of middle-class jobs in the coming decades," says Kenneth Brant, research director at Gartner. "Job destruction will happen at a faster pace, with machine-driven job elimination overwhelming the market's ability to create valuable new ones".

Continue reading →

Reports from leading analysts for the third quarter of 2013 suggest that the PC market is still in decline. However, sales haven't declined as quickly as predicted.

According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker PC shipments totalled 81.6 million units in the third quarter. This represents a 7.6 percent decline over the same period last year, better than the 9.5 percent that was being predicted. IDC says the market was buoyed by business purchases plus the channel intake of Windows 8.1 systems in September.

Continue reading →

Let me preface this story by saying that, here at BetaNews, we have a policy against discussing rumors. Quite often some "leaked" information, provided by anonymous sources, turns out to be false, and we feel that it is best to report details that we know to be true, based on official sources that can be verified and our experience with various products. That said, I cannot help feeling surprised by what Nokia just revealed in one of its blog posts, after reading the rumor stories floating around the InterWebs.

Prior to any major press event Nokia usually posts a teaser showing a small part of an upcoming product, or a hint at what will be unveiled. This approach is designed to keep people interested, or to pique their interest at least, and add a shroud of mystery. But this time around the Finnish maker has released a full-blown poster which most likely features all the devices that the company will announce in Abu Dhabi, the place where its next big press event will be held.

Continue reading →