Latest Technology News

I have to admit to being somewhat spoiled by the amazing battery life on my 13.3-inch Apple MacBook Air (mid-2013). It has completely transformed my usage habits and my perspective on mobility and laptops. Using it for 10 hours straight without any charging time is a common scenario, without being exactly light on the throttle. But even the mighty MacBook Air cannot compete with HP's latest ultrabook, the EliteBook 840 G1.

HP says that the EliteBook 840 G1, which is part of the manufacturer's new business ultrabook lineup, can deliver a whopping 33 hours of battery life. As you can tell from the headline, there is a "but" somewhere.

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Microsoft is now accepting pre-orders for its latest consumer operating system, Windows 8.1. The new release, which will be offered as a free upgrade to Windows 8 users through the app store, will officially go on sale later this month, on October 17 at 4 AM Pacific Time (that's 12 PM GMT for those across the pond).

The price of Windows 8.1 during pre-order is $119.99 for the base version and $199.99 for the Pro version, which is on par with what Microsoft announced the two editions will cost. As a result, there is practically no price benefit in placing an order ahead of the official consumer launch. Both versions will ship to customers as retail packages (the install DVD is included).

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Demand from employees to use mobile devices with different operating systems and applications is the bane of IT managers' lives at the moment. BMC Software aims to ease the burden with its latest version of MyIT. Featuring major new OS expansions and a new HTML 5 universal client to support mobile, desktop and laptop devices, MyIT 1.5 delivers single-point access to a variety of company resources from any device.

We looked at the MyIT app back in June at which time it was only available for iOS devices. The new version delivers native Android support, a wide array of new self-service features, enhanced language support, and fast and convenient integration with BMC AppZone for enterprise app store access.

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To say Canonical's Mir has been controversial is putting it lightly. After all, it is designed to usurp X Server as the typical display server on Linux (with compatible video cards). To make the transition easier, the company developed XMir -- a way to support X server-designed applications until they can be updated. However, many members of the Linux community are backing the alternative X Server successor, Wayland.

Things got ugly in August when Intel abruptly pulled XMir support from its xorg display driver, saying only "we do not condone or support Canonical in the course of action they have chosen, and will not carry XMir patches upstream". Canonical employee Michael Hall replied by saying "I've said it before, I'll say it again. You will not make your open source project better by pulling another open source project down".

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As a Fedora user and fan, I keep an interest in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). You see, Red Hat owns Fedora which many people consider a testing-ground for RHEL. Today, the company announces a new update to the fifth version of its commercial-focused Linux distribution.

Red Hat announces "the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.10, the latest minor release of the mature Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Platform. With an emphasis on providing greater stability for critical applications, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.10 offers enhanced features for reliability and security, including an updated version of OpenSCAP".

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Benchmarks are important. The quoted figures for any piece of hardware are all well and good, but potential buyers need to know how a hard drive, processors, computer, tablet or smartphone really performs. After all, two processors with a clock speed of 3GHz do not necessarily perform equally well, and it is only through testing that it is possible to determine which one comes out on top. Few people have the means to go out and compare two similar pieces of hardware, so this is where benchmarks prove useful.

People use smartphones and tablets for different things. One person might be happy being able to take notes and make phone calls, while someone else might be looking for a 60fps hi-def gaming experience. Here benchmarks matter. It is important to be able to accurately compare devices using reliable figures. If you want to know how quickly phone A shifts pixels around the screen compared to phone B, it is important that the tests are performed in the same way, and are carried out fairly.

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I am a big fan of music -- it is my passion and hobby. While the MP3 music-revolution has allowed us to fill our smartphones and tablets with tunes, the speaker quality on those devices tend to be poor. Conversely, on my home desktop, I use the wonderful Logitech Z-2300 2.1 speakers. I have owned these for many years with amazing results and, therefore, I view Logitech favorably for audio quality.

Today, the company announces "a major upgrade to the popular Logitech UE Mobile Boombox with UE MINI BOOM, a surprisingly small speaker that delivers unexpectedly huge sound in stylish and vibrant color options. The UE MINI BOOM takes the Ultimate Ears expertise in filling small speakers with big sound to a new level, with a personal speaker with clear highs and deep bass, giving you great stereo sound wherever and whenever you want it".

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Today Google releases Chrome 30 FINAL for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame and the latest build includes a new search option -- right-click an image, select "Search Google for this image", and you'll get a list of web pages containing matching graphics.

The Chrome Releases blog reports that version 30 also includes "a number of new apps/extension API's" and "lots of under the hood changes for stability and performance". The technical details are available in the SVN Log, if you happen to be interested.

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There’s not long to go now until Microsoft unleashes Windows 8.1 upon the world. In my view the operating system refresh is Windows 8 done properly, but whether it does enough to win over the masses remains to be seen.

Certainly Microsoft will be hoping for a change in fortunes because the tiled operating system's market share is currently pretty poor -- at least when you factor in how much of a push the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant has put behind it.

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Avira Operations has released the final editions of Avira Free Antivirus 2014, Avira Antivirus Suite 2014 (the new name for Antivirus Premium) and Avira Internet Security 2014.

If you’ve tried a beta then you’ll already know that the packages look and feel much as they always did. The best news is probably reserved for Avira Free users, who’ll find that the "notifier", the pop-up nag screen which appeared daily if you didn’t install the Avira toolbar, has been dropped.

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Google has unveiled the first public beta of Google Web Designer, its HTML5 web coding tool for Mac and Windows. Although geared towards advertisers looking to build rich interactive web ads using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript, Google Web Designer can also be used for a variety of wider applications too.

The app has been launched as part of Google’s drive to make it easier for advertisers to code content for a variety of platforms -- mobile and desktop -- using HTML5. The idea is that users can simply design the ad and it will work seamlessly across multiple devices with no additional tweaking required.

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Android is well known for its seemingly never-ending customization options and its permissive rooting credentials (well, among other things). Distributions that cannot be modified to enable elevated permissions are quite rare, as enthusiasts seek to have virtually every possible feature available at their disposal. But should you pursue that path? Does root provide what you need, or what you think you need?

There are a couple of good reasons why you probably should root Android. I've explained them in a past article. But, on the other hand, root is not for everyone, as the risks can far outweigh the benefits and you are likely to regret your decision once things get messy (and they can get messy). So here is why you should not do it.

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We are now just days away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear. If you're yet to be caught up in the hype and excitement, Samsung's first commercial for the two devices could help to whip you into a frenzy. There's a slight cinematic quality to the ad which is… well… take a look for yourself. "Different" is perhaps the word.

The advertisement finds us following an artist as she uses the two devices to help her prepare for a dance performance in the evening. We see the star of the ad flick through My Magazine whilst getting ready to leave the house before showing off the Air Command and Action Memo feature when making a note of an interesting event advertised on a poster in town.

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The Grammys and MTV Music Awards might be over for another year, but there's still a chance for your favorite artist to bag an accolade before 2014 arrives, as YouTube today announces its very own awards show.

Google wishes to pay tribute to the musicians who help to make the video service the popular destination it has become. "On Sunday, November 3, YouTube will host the first-ever YouTube Music Awards, a live-streamed event honoring the artists and songs that you have turned into hits over the past year", says Danielle Tiedt, Vice President of Marketing.

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IBM has announced that it's reached an agreement to acquire The Now Factory, a Dublin-based provider of analytics software that helps communications service providers (CSPs) deliver better customer experiences and drive new revenue opportunities.

Using The Now Factory’s software, CSPs can gain real-time insights into their customers by analyzing massive quantities of network and business data. With this type of insight they can provide an enhanced quality of service by better managing negative experiences and network outages.

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