Minutely brings a unique approach to weather on Android, iPhone
"I have a good weather app. It's called...looking out the window". That is what my colleague Brian Fagioli told me when I said I was testing Minutely, a new mobile weather service. Still, despite that rather true comment, we all still want to look up those possibly inaccurate forecasts, and this latest offering provides a better way to do it -- or at least a better looking way.
The name is derived from the app's promise to provide real time details right down to the minute - the rain slider feature allows you to travel in time and watch the rain move across your location. Minutely will let you know if it will be raining, snowing, hailing, or sleeting in any location you choose down to the minute for the next 2 hours.
Nokia parodies iPhone 5 advert, shows off the quality of Lumia 925's camera
Nokia has released a new video comparing the quality of the Lumia 925’s camera with that of the Apple iPhone 5. You don’t need to be a genius to guess which device comes out the clear winner.
Headed "Better Photos Every Day" the video might seem more than a little familiar on first viewing as it parodies Apple's iPhone 5 commercial and starts with a voiceover informing viewers that "every day more photos are taken on the iPhone than any other phone" before stating "at Nokia we prefer to build for quality not just quantity".
Linux Kernel 3.10 gets long-term support
A common misconception is that Linux is an operating system. While it is easier to think of it this way, in reality, Linux is a kernel that operating systems (or distributions) use. For example, Ubuntu and Android are operating systems that utilize the Linux kernel. And so, this kernel is extremely important, as it impacts many users on many different operating systems.
Since the Linux Kernel can change very rapidly, there is a need by some (usually companies) to have a long-term support version; supported for 2 years.
Find images quickly with Google Search by Image
And Google decreed, "Let there be image search, a tool whereby mortals may search for images by providing a source image". And it looked, and the tool was rather useful in its own way, but horribly awkward to use at times when you had to right-click the image, choose to copy its URL to the clipboard, switch to Google Image Search, paste the URL into the correct box and so on.
So Google said, "I can’t be faffing about like this", and its bods developed a browser extension to make the process much simpler. And so Google Search by Image for Chrome 1.5.0 and Google Search by Image for Firefox 1.1.2, were born.
Choose which Flash content to see with FlashControl for Chrome
While there are plenty of irritations to be found online, few are quite as annoying as Flash ads. Distracting animations, irritating music, applets expanding over content you’re trying to read -- it’s really no surprise that many people install ad blockers on a new PC before they do anything else.
Some ads will still penetrate your defenses, of course. And legitimate Flash content may occasionally be just as annoying as the worst adverts. To fully protect yourself, then, you’ll need a more general content filter, like the Chrome extension FlashControl.
Could Twitter's verified accounts be the answer to stopping tweet threats?
We've talked about Twitter and the subject of policing the Internet quite a bit recently. It's not just us. Countless websites, newspapers, blogs and TV news channels have debated just what can be done to stop the problem of online abuse.
Part of the problem is that Twitter is -- as is the case with much of the Internet -- largely anonymous; or at least that's what most users think. They must think that, or they would not behave so stupidly and recklessly online. The reality is that, unless someone has taken measures to cover their tracks through proxy servers or other masking techniques, it's not really all that difficult to link an online message to, if not an individual person, at least an individual machine -- with the help of ISPs and other parties.
AnyPerk provides big business-like perks to smaller companies' employees
In order to boost productivity and satisfaction among employees, big companies are known to provide various benefits ranging from free food during works hours and health care coverage, to team building events and kindergarten programs. The perks reflect the line of work and the image a company wants to project and, as a result, they can become an important factor when attracting and keeping employees.
Big companies that want to (or already do) provide employee benefits, can afford to implement in-house programs. However, the same principle does not usually apply to small businesses or startups, which have other, more pressing priorities to deal with (like staying afloat in the early or even late stages). But at the same time, for employees, receiving perks still matters, quite a lot for some, I might add. The middle-ground solution -- offering benefits without initiating costly, in-house programs -- appears to be dedicated services that allow businesses to enroll their employees, to receive perks, and pay a fee for it. Which is what startup AnyPerk provides.
6tagram for Windows Phone 8 -- the next best thing to an official Instagram app?
A common complaint addressed to Windows Phone 8, which is coming from users of the tiled smartphone operating system, the tech media or those who like other platforms, is the lack of an official Instagram app. Even though third-party clients like Instance -- which now has over 330,000 users -- prove that the popular photo and video-sharing network has its fair share of fans on Windows Phone 8, Instagram has yet to be persuaded to build a homebrew app. Let's not even approach the rumors, none of which have yet to bear fruit.
In my opinion, the lack of an official Instagram app for Windows Phone 8 is an issue blown out of proportion. Instance is a competent third-party client and, by the looks of it, the upcoming 6tagram is shaping up to be an ever better offering than any other non-official app available for the tiled smartphone OS. I have been using 6tagram for the past couple of days -- it is still in beta at the moment -- to tell you what you can expect after the public launch.
Is cyber insurance AAA for data or another back door?
A few days ago I promised "tomorrow" a column about the future of data security. Then, just as the electrons were flowing on that DefCon column, I bought on eBay a 1978 GMC Royale motorhome in Bismarck, North Dakota that Channing and I have been trying to bring home ever since. We’ve so far broken down in Fargo, North Dakota (air suspension leak) and Brookings, South Dakota (ignition failure), but are now back on the road headed for California. We met Rick, the tow truck driver who used to be a rodeo bull rider, and Wayne Westerberg, the RV mechanic who gave up his Friday night to get us back on the road. Try Googling Wayne’s name for a surreal component to this adventure, which I’m sure is far from being over.
Back to data security. That DefCon column was about the simple days of hacking and cracking 20 years ago -- a time when the only person really making money from data security on the consumer side was probably John McAfee. So much has changed since then. Today billions are lost and stolen through thefts of both data and financial instruments. Data theft is being viewed as a military problem and the term cyber warfare is rampant (more about that in part three of this series, which I’ll write during our next breakdown). What we know for sure is that we can’t go home again: vulnerability will be part of the game as long as we as a culture choose to interact and do business online.
Microsoft temporarily slashes Surface Pro price, following unimpressive revenues
Microsoft's Surface tablet lineup is a flop. The entry-level Surface RT has failed to become an iPad killer, with most consumers choosing to buy Android-based or Apple-branded slates instead. The software giant even revealed a related $0.9 billion write off, triggered by unsold stock (up to six million units). Meanwhile, the high-end Surface Pro has also failed to attract tablet buyers, contributing to the unimpressive $853 million in revenue, that was generated by Microsoft's two-slate lineup in the company's fiscal year 2013.
Microsoft tried to turn things around for the Surface RT, by slashing $150 off its price in an attempt to lure prospective buyers. And, for a limited period of time, the software giant applies the same treatment to its Surface Pro as well, by reducing $100 off of the slate's price.
Obama overturns ITC ban on the sale of various iPads and iPhones
In a letter to the International Trade Commission chairman, the Honorable Irving A Williamson, the Obama administration vetoes an earlier ITC ruling that was due to block the sale of a number of Apple products. The original ruling came in June and was to prevent the sale of various products including certain models of the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2.
The letter from Ambassador Michael Froman explains that having reviewed the information surrounding the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, he had decided to "disapprove the USITC's determination to issue an exclusion order and cease and desist order". Under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 the President is obliged to evaluate decisions made by the Commission during a 60-day review period, and in this instance the authority was passed to the USTR.
Four big reasons Xbox One, not PS4, will win over the masses
With Microsoft's recently-announced reversal of its anti-consumer DRM policies for the Xbox One, the next gen console war has suddenly been brought back to a level playing field. It's no longer a battle of who had the upper hand at E3 this year, who does/doesn't require impractical internet connectivity 24/7, or whose specs are better on paper. The most hated DRM underpinnings on the Xbox One have been unequivocally rescinded, meaning that we can finally have an honest discussion of what the two next gen consoles will offer apples-to-apples.
While Sony has been squarely riding its momentum on cruise control since E3 this year, trying to keep the debate on its terms after usurping Microsoft in the opinion war, reality is coming back into the middle ground finally. And seeing that we are just months away from these hotly anticipated console launches, Microsoft is slowly unraveling its winning plans for the Xbox One.
Stop embarrassing yourself -- Microsoft releases NoReplyAll for Outlook
I once worked with a manager who, as a joke, sent a nasty reply to an email from the training department -- the trainer was her friend and would get the joke. The problem was, she accidentally clicked "reply all", sending the message to 5,000 people company-wide. Its an error we make from time to time, and it can be something that makes us wish to crawl beneath the desk and hide.
Microsoft aims to help prevent this embarrassment, but takes a slightly different approach with its new NoReplyAll add-on for Outlook. The twist? The sender has to enable it.
Android Device Manager tracks down your lost phone
We've all done it -- put our hands to our pocket only to discover that the phone we thought was pressed close to our body is in fact missing. But where? That's the question. Android Device Manager is Google's latest solution to help you hunt out your hidden handset.
You could get a friend to call your phone -- that would seem like the obvious thing to do. But it's no help if you have put your phone into silent mode. Android Device Manager is able to call your phone and make it sound, even if the volume is turned down, so you can quickly determine if your Droid is nestling down in the back of the sofa or in the back of your car.
WordPress improves multi-user and revision features
Bloggers rejoice: WordPress 3.6 has been released, sporting the name "Oscar" and including a number of major new features to excite users. The open-source CMS system gains new features for both users and developers, including built-in HTML5 media player and new audio/video API.
The new release is joined by a brand new theme -- Twenty Thirteen -- that provides a modern-art inspired, single-column layout that’s designed to work across mobile and desktop platforms. Sidebars and widgets have been moved into the footer, and it comes with support for Genericon font-based icons.
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