Bing teams with 500px in new photo offering
500px is a famous app for photographers -- but there are other reasons for its renown, most notably its temporary ban by Apple from the App Store on the grounds that it provided easy access to pornographic material. Regardless of that seemingly bad publicity, the service has signed a new a photography deal with Microsoft.
Bing has an iconic home screen that features a new image every day, showing off spectacular photography from around the globe. The company brags that "by following a simple, consistent theme of one beautiful image per day to show a unique perspective on the world our homepage has become synonymous with great photography".
Skype for Windows Phone adds People List Filter, improves Home Screen
Microsoft has released Skype for Windows Phone 2.9, an update to its popular video and audio messaging tool for Windows Phone users. Version 2.9 ships with two notable changes, an improved Home Screen and new People List Filter.
The People List Filter has been implemented as a direct result of user feedback, with Microsoft responding to user wishes to have the option of splitting Windows Phone contacts from Skype contacts in the Skype People List.
Amazon gets fancy, brings art galleries to your computer
Amazon sells many things -- customers can shop for everything from electronics to grocery store items. With a Prime membership you can even receive free two-day shipping. But I doubt customers think of the retail giant in the same breath as an art gallery -- the Louvre certainly does not come to mind.
To be fair, the famous Paris museum is not selling off its collection on Amazon, or anywhere else, but art galleries now have a home on Amazon. Today the retailer announces Amazon Art, "a marketplace that gives customers direct access to more than 40,000 works of fine art from over 150 galleries and dealers".
Firefox 23 enables mixed content blocking, consolidates search settings
Mozilla has released Firefox 23.0 FINAL, the latest version of its open-source, cross-platform browser for Windows, Mac and Linux. The new build’s main highlight is the implementation of mixed-content blocking for improved security, but it also comes with a host of minor changes, including one that has already provoked a negative response from power users.
The controversial change is the consolidation of search default preferences so both Address bar and Search bar use the same default search engine. Previously Address bar searches defaulted to Google regardless of the default provider set in the Search bar.
Surface sales are pathetic
It feels like repeatedly kicking someone when they’re down, but there’s really no other way to describe Windows tablet sales -- both RT and Windows 8 Pro -- other than pathetic and embarrassing for Microsoft. Which is a shame. Surface is a great tablet, Windows 8 on Surface is a good operating system, but people just aren’t buying the device in any great numbers. Well, pre-fire sale at least.
According to a new report from IDC, just 200,000 Windows RT tablets shipped in Q2 2013 (even the ailing BlackBerry PlayBook managed 100,000), and there’s no good news for other Windows tablets either as IDC reports just 1.8 million devices shipped with that OS onboard. Apple, by comparison, shipped 14.6 million iPads in the same quarter.
Apple announces takeback program for dodgy iOS power adapters
Ahead of its August 16 launch, Apple reveals details of a takeback program that aims to replace third-party power adapters with authentic units. Concern over the safety of third-party and counterfeit adapters for iPhones, iPads and iPods prompted the scheme, and Apple says any adapters handed in will be "disposed of in an environmentally friendly way".
So what's the incentive for just giving your current adapter to Apple? Well aside from that warm, fluffy feeling that comes from knowing that you're helping to do your little bit for the environment rather than just adding to landfill, Apple has another carrot to dangle.
New IBM Flex Systems squeeze a bigger cloud into a smaller data center
Announcing a raft of additions to its Flex System range, IBM aims to help companies consolidate their IT infrastructures and reduce operating costs. The new systems combine the latest server technology with updated virtualization, network and management tools. They will allow the fast deployment of increasingly large clouds without needing to boost the size of the data center.
IBM quotes Morgan Stanley's Cloud Perspective survey which has found that by 2014 businesses will have migrated at least 62 percent of their database workloads to the cloud.
Nokia Lumia 1020 Windows Phone is available to pre-order in UK
When Nokia unveiled the Lumia 1020, during its "Zoom.Reinvented" press event held in mid-July, the Finnish maker announced that its camera-oriented Windows Phone will initially only be available in the US. Prospective international buyers would have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the new smartphone, with the provided estimate being Q3 -- pretty vague for a launch date -- for China and important European markets.
Good news! UK retailers Clove and Expansys have started taking pre-orders for the Lumia 1020, allowing interested buyers to get the new Windows Phone as soon as it is available -- according to the former, the first batch is expected to arrive in the first week of September. And, both UK retailers offer international shipping, which should come in handy for some.
Keep IT flying under the radar
The Information Technology (IT) department is the oxygen of the business world. It’s crucial, but, many times, invisible. In fact, many of the complex processes that IT supports are most successful when nobody notices them at all. They just happen, and all is well. When something goes wrong, IT goes into fire-fighting mode and people start scrutinizing, asking questions and second-guessing.
The problem takes center stage and pushes all other IT priorities aside. It costs time, money and focus. Problems can cost reputations and customers, too.
Moborobo lets you manage iPhone or Android devices from your PC
If you’d like to manage your smartphone from a PC then just connecting the two devices should help you get started. Your device should show up in the Computer folder, and you’ll be able to drag and drop files to it, just like any other drive.
Need more? Then you might want to consider the free Moborobo. File transfers, backups, imports and exports are just the start of its abilities, and -- conveniently -- the program works both with Android devices and the iPhone.
Bing gets a sexy makeover for Windows Phone 8
While Android users are tightly integrated with Google Search, Windows Phone 8 users are even more tightly integrated with Bing. Heck, there is even a button that is dedicated to launching Bing Search. Today, the Bing Team announces that the search engine-related functionality is getting a brand new makeover to improve the experience on Windows Phone 8.
According to the Bing Team, the company will "...roll out a set of global updates for Windows Phone 8 similar to recent upgrades we've made to Bing.com on Android and iOS. With this release, we're excited to provide people with more info they need on their mobile device, including additional instant answers and Snapshot entity information". While this update is appreciated, it is disappointing that Microsoft gave similar updates to Android and iOS first.
Roku welcomes Redbox Instant
Roku customers have no shortage of viewing material, and the list continuously grows, most recently adding Demand 5 for customers in the UK. That only adds to features such as the numerous channels and premium services like Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix. But now, the little set-top box grows by one more option.
Today the company announces the launch of Redbox Instant, giving users one more choice for movie watching, popcorn munching fun. Again, this adds a minor fee to the monthly bill for customers, though it is still likely still less demanding, even with all features, than your cable or satellite tab.
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.
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