Amazon announces HTML5 for Appstore support
HTML5 has become one of the buzzwords for the modern web, with the seeming demise of Flash -- the Adobe app, one of many, that has been under serious attack in recent times. Now Amazon is opening up its App Store to the HTML5 world, allowing for easier development for those wishing to take advantage of the platform.
"Amazon today launched web app support in the Mobile App Distribution Program", the retail giant said in an announcement. "Developers can now submit URLs for their HTML5 web apps and mobile websites and have Amazon offer that content to millions of Kindle Fire and Amazon Appstore customers in the same, convenient way as native apps. Developers can submit and distribute mobile web content without using third party software or doing any native app development, and they can take advantage of Amazon’s In-App Purchasing API for JavaScript, which provides them the option to build sales of digital goods into their apps".
Vodafone's 4G network hits London 29 August
Vodafone reveals that its 4G network will be made available to mobile users in London on 29 August, with several other key cities being added to the list by the end of the year. SIM-only tariffs, with a 12-month contract, start at £26, matching the cheapest tariff offered by O2.
The mobile firm has teamed up with Spotify and Sky Sports to provide content to subscribers. Anyone signing up for a 4G package will be able to choose between a Spotify Premium or Sky Sports Mobile TV bundle, gaining access to music and live sport. Both bundles are provided free of charge for the first six months, but after this Sky Sports Mobile TV costs £4.99 per month, and Spotify Premium £9.99 per month.
Average UK broadband speed quadruples in five years
Throughout the UK internet users are benefiting from accelerating access speeds according to research by Ofcom. The average residential broadband speed now clocks in at 14.7Mbit/s -- around four times the speed back in November 2008 when figures were first published.
Of course, these are average figures, and the majority of web users will find that their actual connection speed is well above or below 14.7Mbit/s. One of the key factors influencing obtainable speed is location. Customers in rural areas were found to have download speeds that were less than half of those enjoyed by customers in urban areas -- 9.9Mbit/s compared to 26.4Mbit/s.
Migration from XP made more complex by demand for BYOD
Microsoft will pull the support plug on Windows XP on April 8 2014. But with only 10 months to go to the deadline as many as 39 percent of enterprises have yet to migrate to another version of Windows, warns services and solutions company ITC Infotech.
Current trends towards BYOD are also making the migration process more complex but businesses need to address the issues in order to future proof their operations.
Connectify Lite sports new look, adds random password generator
Virtual router Connectify Lite 6.0 has been released, boasting a redesigned look, more flexible user interface and new menu bar alongside a random password generator.
Connectify makes it possible for users to turn their computer’s network connection -- wired or wireless -- into a personal Wi-Fi hotspot through their PC’s wireless network adapter. There is also a Pro version with enhanced and exclusive features not found in the free build.
Get an in-depth troubleshooting report on any PC with RegRun Reanimator
If you regularly help to troubleshoot PC problems for friends and family then you’ll know that understanding their system setup is a good place to start. This can be a challenge, though, particularly if they’re far away and you can’t get to visit the computer in question.
You could try to get around this by asking the system owner to run particular applets -- Device Manager, say -- and report on what they see. But that will also take a while, so it might be easier for them to install a single tool which can assemble a detailed report on their entire PC setup. And that’s precisely what you’ll get with RegRun Reanimator.
Get ready to watch the LG G2 launch live here
LG is set to launch the G2, its new flagship smartphone, in New York later today. The usual raft of pre-launch leaks means we know the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display and come with a 13-megapixel camera.
Other details will be revealed by the South Korean electronics giant during the launch event, but if you’re not in New York, or haven’t received an invite to the unveiling, don’t worry -- BetaNews has saved you the best seat in the house.
Read all about it! Facebook reveals details of its news feed algorithm
It's one of the mysteries of life. It may not quite rank up there with who shot JR or why the word "monosyllabic" has so many syllables, but there can be few Facebook users who have not wondered why particular stories appear where they do in their news feed. Now, Facebook reveals details of the secret algorithm that determines how content is ranked.
According to the social network there are around 1,500 stories waiting for the average user to see upon logging into their Facebook account. Few people have the time to scroll through all of them, with research showing that users manage to work through just over half of the stories. Prioritization is needed and this is where the algorithm comes into play.
Microsoft announces change to Outlook.com messaging history
Social integration is one of the most interesting features of Outlook.com, as it allows users to manage emails and, at the same time, chat with friends on Facebook, Google Talk and Skype. Microsoft started to integrate the latter service in late-April, with the roll-out continuing into the summer and, now, the company announces a new change as the process reaches its final stages.
Microsoft just revealed that, "as part of adding Skype to Outlook.com", users will no longer be able to access the social messaging history through the adjacent folder, as it will be removed "sometime this fall". The feature will still be available, but only through the Messaging panel.
Microsoft warns Windows Phone users not to use WiFi -- wait, what!?
Windows Phone is a very closed system -- much like Apple's iOS. Because of this, users can comfortably use the operating system without fear of malware. However, this does not mean that the OS is free of vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, Microsoft has warned that Windows Phone 8 and 7.8 are vulnerable to a security weakness regarding Wi-Fi.
According to Microsoft, it is "...aware of a public report that describes a known weakness in the Wi-Fi authentication protocol known as PEAP-MS-CHAPv2 (Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol with Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol version 2), used by Windows Phones for WPA2 wireless authentication. In vulnerable scenarios, an attacker who successfully exploited this issue could achieve information disclosure against the targeted device". This is scary stuff!
Depeche View Lite lets you quickly search and explore plain text files
Searching one or two plain text files is easy. Windows Search and Notepad will probably be enough. But when you need to browse ten files, a hundred, maybe even thousands, then you’re likely to need a little specialist assistance. And that’s where the free-for-personal-use Depeche View Lite comes in.
Point this tiny portable program at a location and it will open every plain text file in that folder tree (up to a maximum of 10,000 in this build, anyway -- the $40 commercial version is unrestricted). These are all displayed in a flat view, one above the other, and that alone can be useful as it’s easy to scroll down and browse them all.
Yahoo tries on 30 days of new logos to find one that fits
When a company wants to reinvent itself, portray a different direction or show a modernization, the change is usually accompanied by the arrival of a new logo. Microsoft, for example, last year changed its decades old design to reflect its transition into a devices and services company.
Now Yahoo, which under Marissa Mayer is attempting to modernize its image and become more relevant after years of neglect, is planning to change its logo too. No, it’s not going to be swapping the exclamation point for a question mark or anything as interesting as that, but it is going to try on various logo styles.
Windows Phone App Studio beta makes a developer of everyone
The app market is crazily busy. With so many thousands of apps to choose from, a developer looking to get noticed needs to come up with something pretty special. But the people with the best ideas aren't necessarily those with coding skills, and funds available to individuals and startups are usually limited. The solution? Make app development as easy as possible. Enter Windows Phone App Studio.
The online service is a new beta tool that can be used to create Windows Phone apps in a few simple steps. The idea is to keep things as simple as possible so even new developers should be able to create an app fairly quickly. No coding knowledge is required as this is all taken care of automatically. There are a number of templates available into which content such as text, video and RSS feeds can be dropped.
Take that Feedly! MultiPLX announces free search
On the heels of what is a minor kerfuffle, where Feedly announced a Pro version that involves paying for search (and a bit more), another service comes along to trump the new darling of RSS. "We are starting with 4 features: search in my feeds, one-click Evernote integration, premium support and HTTPS", Feedly announced late yesterday.
Today, rival MultiPLX began rolling out emails assuring users that its new search feature was free -- "today we are glad to announce the launch of 'search within your RSS feeds' feature and it is free for all our users. Please check out www.multiplx.com for 30 seconds to experience. There is no need to signup".
Intel announces Education Tablets -- powered by Android and Atom
Tablets allow students to leverage technology to improve learning. An iPad for instance, can offer a more immersible experience when compared to a paper textbook. While there are many educational based applications for Android and iOS, there hasn't been a serious education-focused tablet from a major manufacturer -- until now. Intel has announced a new line of Android-based tablets designed for learning.
According to Intel, the tablets "...available in 7-inch and 10-inch sizes, are designed specifically for education and built to meet students' needs. The multi-touch display and e-Reader software enable students to access rich online content. Ultra-portability allows them to take the device to the field to capture data with the built-in camera and analyze it with Intel Education Software. They can collaborate with their classmates, while comparing their findings to others on the web".
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