Droid Maxx -- Moto X's big brother [Review]
When it comes to Android, bigger is usually better. Bigger screens, improved specs, more features -- experience is often an afterthought. The wonderful Moto X was the first Android device in recent memory that had the user focused on the experience rather than the specs. However, some users will still want the biggest and baddest device and that is where the Droid Maxx comes in. You can't review the Maxx without comparing it to the X, so the question becomes, which is better?
By the end of this review, I hope to have an answer for you. After all, on paper, the Maxx has a bigger screen, bigger battery, and wireless charging while retaining the voice interaction of the Moto X. Surely the Maxx is better right? Read on...
How to set up Outlook.com with IMAP in OS X Mail
Despite pitching Exchange ActiveSync as the better protocol, Microsoft has turned the lights on IMAP support for its Outlook.com consumer-oriented email service. The newly added protocol brings along with it a slew of benefits, including support from services like Unroll.me, and an improved user experience for those who connect to Outlook.com from a number of third-party clients such as the Mail app from OS X.
Setting up Outlook.com, using the IMAP protocol, in the OS X Mail app is not a straightforward process, as either the needed configuration settings are missing or the software automatically chooses POP as the unchangeable, de-facto protocol. A bit of trickery might be involved. Here is what you need to know.
Piracy isn't theft… but its effects are wide and far-reaching
Philip Pullman -- UK author of His Dark Materials and Golden Compass fame -- is upset. In a column for the Index On Censorship he bemoans the invention of the Internet as a vessel that makes the lives of thieves easier, saying that piracy is theft "as surely as reaching into someone’s pocket and taking their wallet is theft".
Often, the argument against piracy is a slightly odd one. For many people it is a simple black and white affair -- it's not yours, and if you take it without paying for it you are stealing. But for others, online piracy -- be it movies, music or software -- is not tantamount to theft. It is the ethereal, non-physical nature of these types of goods that seems to bring about confusion.
Taking programming back to the 1980s -- hands on with the FUZE [Review]
Back in the late '70s at the tender age of 19 or so I learned to program in COBOL on a system that used punched cards -- a Sperry UNIVAC for those who care about these things. There was no instant gratification to be had with this method, non-essential (i.e. student) programs were run as overnight batches so you had to submit the cards holding your carefully-crafted code in a cardboard box. You went back the next morning (OK, afternoon) to collect your output which, naturally, came on blue and white striped continuous paper.
The next generation were able to learn the joys and frustrations of writing code in the comfort of their own bedrooms and lounges thanks to home machines that ran BASIC, no longer did it take 24-hours to fix a bug. Today though affordable PCs and off-the-shelf software for just about any purpose mean that everyone can use a computer without having any need to understand what makes it work.
Microsoft admits its pulled anti-iPhone ads were 'off the mark'
On Friday, Microsoft uploaded a series of seven videos to its Windows Phone channel on YouTube. The videos, headed "A fly on the wall in Cupertino" poked fun at the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c’s features and were, depending on your point of view, hilarious, genius, spot-on, unfunny, pathetic, and wide of the mark.
My colleague Alan Buckingham watched them all and then started to write a story, adding all the videos for your viewing (dis)pleasure. Unfortunately, before he got to post it, Microsoft switched all the clips to private in yet another of its now frequent U-turns.
Panasonic announces new headphones for iOS -- Palm and Blackberry along for the ride
Panasonic has introduced its new lineup of headphones, including four over-ear, or monitor styles, and two in-ear, or earbud, models. In-ear has become quite popular after the success of the iPod and now many smartphones even come with an included pair, albeit generally of questionable quality.
My Galaxy Nexus included a set that has proven to be quite a bit better than average, even featuring a remote button on the cord that allows for play and pause -- well, most of the time anyway.
The most popular stories on BetaNews this past week -- September 8-14
Big news came from Apple and Microsoft this week. Microsoft seemingly had a change of heart; having previously said that Windows 8.1 RTM would not be made available before its official launch date, the company announced that it would be released to people with TechNet and MSDN subscriptions.
The same group of people also gained access to the pre-release version of Skype. Microsoft was clearly in a very giving mood this week as the company also announced that it was giving free copies of Office 365 to non-profit organizations.
Restore lost files from your Windows shadow copies with Z-VSSCopy
In principle, the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service (VSS) was a great idea: a fully automatic system which would transparently back up your files at regular intervals, maintain multiple file versions as required, and allow you to restore them with the minimum of hassle.
VSS wasn’t exactly easy to configure, though. Restoration options used to be hidden away in the File > Properties > Previous Versions dialog, and in Windows 8 even that’s disappeared. So if you want to take control of your shadow copies, then you’ll need some third-party assistance from the free-for-personal-use Z-VSSCopy.
Apple opens iPhone pre-orders, Microsoft goes on short lived attack
Earlier today Apple opened up pre-orders for one of its latest devices -- the iPhone 5c. Right on queue the attacks began, though several comedic videos beat the product even to this early stage. But, in honor of this day, rival Microsoft is chiming in with a series of videos of its own, taking time away from the usual modus operandi -- attacking Google.
The series of seven videos plays off of the old "fly on the wall" saying, though this fly is deep within the bowels of the fruit-logo company's Cupertino, Calif.-based headquarters.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Forty-sixth in a series. The app growth this week fell under the 500 new apps mark when you look at the numbers. That is however only half of the story, as Microsoft seems to have removed quite a few applications from its store. The games category for instance lists 250 apps less than a week before.
The company must have removed more apps than this though, as new apps found their way into the games category this week as well.
Pale Moon update promises significant performance improvements
Moonchild Productions has released a major new version of its Firefox browser variant for Windows. As the version number implies, Pale Moon 24.0 and Pale Moon x64 24.0 are based on the same Mozilla code base as the latest stable build of Firefox, and come with the promise of significant performance improvements on top of a host of other changes and tweaks.
The performance improvements come from major changes and updates to Pale Moon’s rendering, scripting and parsing back-end, and should be visible in day-to-day use as well as via benchmarks.
Review: TuneUp Utilities 2014
Has your PC slowed down recently, become more unstable? You might be able to solve these problems manually, but it’s not always easy, and there are so many possible causes that it could take you quite some time.
TuneUp Utilities 2014 claims to offer a far simpler solution. Install the program, and not only will it detect and fix any existing issues, but it’ll also automatically monitor and maintain your system from that point onwards, keeping it running more smoothly in future.
Facebook to increase your mobile data usage with automatic video playback
A new feature is rolling to Facebook mobile, a feature that has been designed to provide "an easier way to watch video". "How could a video possibly be made easier to watch?", you may well ask. "All it takes is a quick tap to start playback!" The new feature will play videos as soon as you see them in your news feed -- no need for a tap.
Videos start playing silently and if you're not interested in watching you can just keep scrolling by. But if a video does take your fancy, how do you think you view it with sound and in full screen mode? That's right… you tap on it. Just like you do at the moment. The feature is not yet available to everyone, but if you don’t see it in your account on your mobile handset, you can check out a video of what it looks like in action.
Twitter explains why you and your friends may see different site features
When you use Facebook and Twitter, everyone's looking at the same website and has access to the same set of tools, right? Wrong. In the case of Twitter, users who have verified accounts have access to different tools and options and the same is true for different levels of users on other sites and social networks. But it seems that even two average Twitter users could find that they have a different experience from each other on the site.
In a blog post entitled "Experiments @ Twitter", Twitter's Vice President of Engineering, Alex Roetter, says that experimenting with new features and options may mean that two people see different versions of Twitter. Roetter explains "it’s rare for a day to go by when we’re not releasing at least one experiment", referring to both the website and mobile clients.
Apple's new iPhones will come to T-Mobile
Shortly after Apple unveiled its iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the company's online store displayed the on-contract pricing for the two smartphones at three US mobile operators: AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. The cost when opting for T-Mobile, which is one the four largest carriers in the country, was yet to be revealed.
Today, T-Mobile decided to shed some light on the matter and announced that it will officially offer the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C under its "Un-carrier" financing deals, with sales to kick off on September 20 (same day as at other local mobile operators).
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