Microsoft: Surface 2 and Pro 2 'close to selling out' -- but are they really?
While we don’t have any accurate sales figures regarding the original Surface Pro, we do know that the slate’s cut down sibling, Surface RT, tanked badly on launch, forcing Microsoft to slash the price in an effort to shift at least some of the huge amounts of stock it was left sitting on.
But rather than give up on Surface, last Monday Microsoft announced new versions of its RT and Windows 8 Pro devices and, according to the tech giant, these new models are doing much better, with pre-order stock of the Surface 2 (64GB) and Surface Pro 2 (256 GB and 512GB) "close to selling out".
Gateway announces an affordable Windows 8 All-In-One PC
Gateway has long been synonymous with affordable, quality hardware. When Acer bought the company in 2007, the Gateway name lived on as a "budget" line of computers. However, even though the computers are inexpensive, they do not skimp on quality and value. Today, the cow-print computer manufacturer announces an affordable Windows 8 All-In-One PC, named the Gateway One ZX4270.
According to Frank Chang, director of product management for Gateway, "we're very pleased to offer this compelling platform that provides a great balance of affordability and performance for those who need a PC for email, online shopping, social media and productivity applications ... the AIO form factor is easy to set up, attractive and saves space, so it fits nicely in space-constrained areas such as the kitchen or office nooks".
Retrotastic! Microsoft uses 18-year-old game Hover to show off Internet Explorer 11
If you can cast your mind back far enough to the dim and distant days when Windows 95 was taking the world by storm, you may well remember Hover. Taking more than a little inspiration from Doom, this fun driving/maze game was buried on the installation CD of Windows 95. It was responsible for the loss of many hours that could have been spent doing something far more worthwhile -- but probably less entertaining -- and it's back! Hover is back!
The game has been revived to show off the capabilities of Internet Explorer 11, and you can try your hand at it -- for the first time or to relive your youth -- by heading over to Hover.ie. But more than this, the game feature touchscreen control so it's also a great way for Microsoft to highlight the causal gaming capabilities of the recently announced Surface 2.
How to secure your Yahoo account with second sign-in and App Passwords
Two factor authentication is all the rage. Google has done it, as has Facebook and LinkedIn. Yahoo is getting in on the action with a couple of security features -- second sign-in verification and App Password.
Second sign-in verification works much as you would expect any similar service to work. Whenever a login is attempted from an unrecognized device, you'll be prompted to enter a code that will be sent to your mobile.
Free Video Dub trims videos while preserving quality
Most video editors make it easy enough to delete the unwanted sections of a movie. Choose your start and end points, click "Cut" (or something similar), and repeat as required -- easy.
The problem comes about when you save the trimmed footage, because if your editor reencodes the file then it’s going to lose quality. What you really need is a tool like Free Video Dub, which cuts movies down to size without reencoding, producing videos which are just as crisp and clear as the originals.
MediaPortal integrates PowerScheduler++, improves support for IPTV
Team MediaPortal has released MediaPortal 1.5.0 FINAL, a major update to its open-source media center for Windows PCs. Version 1.5.0 sees the functionality of the PowerScheduler++ plugin incorporated directly into MediaPortal, and comes with the promise of improved support for TV broadcasts delivered over the internet.
The update also adds support for US CableCard tuners and Windows 8.1, but drops official support for XP.
The BFI announces new online movie-streaming service
The British Film Institute (BFI) today announces plans to launch its own online movie-streaming service, offering a mix of free and paid-for viewing, all presented in HD quality.
BFI Chair Greg Dyke unveiled the BFI Player at a London press event earlier today, saying: "The launch of the BFI Player is a defining moment in the BFI’s 80 year history -- it will unlock the past, present and future of British film and, most importantly, offers a new deal for UK audiences to get great films out to as many people as possible across the UK. I’m really excited about the BFI Player’s potential. The BFI is pivotal to identifying great films and nurturing and giving a voice to great filmmakers in the UK and now offers a platform to take these stories out to whole new audiences".
Emulex boosts data collection for faster corporate networks
Network connectivity and management specialist Emulex has launched a new NetFlow generator appliance designed to cope with the latest high-speed LANs.
For those unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of networking, NetFlow is the metadata that describes network traffic. It's used to diagnose problems and find security issues. In the past NetFlow has been generated by the switch, but 10GB Ethernet means some switches can't keep up leading to NetFlow that's intermittent or incomplete.
Hulu Plus debuts on Chromecast
Google unveiled the Chromecast HDMI dongle during its big new Nexus 7 launch event in July and the tiny device garnered quite a bit of attention. For $35, customers could suddenly get functionality once reserved for specialized set-top boxes like Roku and Google TV. Plug it into your display and start "casting" media to it.
Now Chromescast gets one more option, and it's something that even Google TV does not have -- Hulu Plus. Google's Shanna Prevé calls it "the same intuitive, remote-free experience you’ve come to enjoy with the other Chromecast-supported apps, and is as simple as pressing the Cast button which will now appear in the app".
HP EliteBook 840 G1 ultrabook touts 33 hours of battery life, with the obligatory asterisk
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.
Windows 8.1 available to pre-order ahead of the official consumer launch
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).
MyIT makes it easier for companies to embrace BYOD
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.
XMir gets axed as default display server on Ubuntu 13.10
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".
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.10 available now
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".
Just how much trust can you put in benchmarks? Is Samsung tricking us?
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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