Latest Technology News

Orcs, trolls, balrogs, ring wraiths, dark lords -- it's a dangerous world out there, especially if you are a hobbit. Despite these dangers, Google has elected to brave Middle Earth, taking its cross-platform browser along for protection. The company does so in the name of improving the web experience, specifically for mobile devices.

Chrome for Android now supports technologies ranging from WebGL and WebRT to Web Audio, and Google is anxious to show this off. It's doing so through a new interactive experience, based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien books and award-winning Peter Jackson movies -- The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

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There are far too many award shows nowadays. It seems like every week, the entertainment industry puts on a show to give itself awards -- Oscars, Emmys and MTV Music Awards to name a few. However, what about the nerds and geeks? Where are the awards for people like web developers? Sure, they aren't trendy and don't dress in meat-clothing like Lady Gaga, but they deserve awards nonetheless. Microsoft apparently agrees with this sentiment as the company announces the all-new Developer Awwward as a part of the coveted website awards, Awwwards.

"We're delighted to announce there’s a new web award celebrating websites that seek to balance innovative design with quality code. In conjunction with Awwwards, today we are launching the Developer Awwward, which recognizes the work of web developers and designers who care about the inner beauty of their websites. The Developer Awwward was inspired by the amazing work behind some of the best experiences on the web that demonstrate what it means to be inclusive of all people, regardless of device or browser", says Microsoft.

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Google's Android platform is on fire these days, with a new operating system, a latest and greatest smartphone, in the form of the Nexus 5 and rumors of an updated 10-inch tablet coming soon. However, the company is also known for killing off products, which makes today's announcement of a newsreader for Android all the more interesting.

Newsstand, according to the search giant, "puts the news you care about most front and center and presents stories that interest you based on your tastes". However, before you jump the gun and think this is Reader reincarnated, know that the service is a bit different.

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As business networks get faster it's inevitable that traffic levels increase. But often older network and security tools can't keep up with the latest 10G and 40G data rates which means admins can be left in the dark about what's happening on their networks.

A study by TRAC Research has found that 59 percent of IT leaders are concerned about the number of dropped packets and 51 percent are concerned about the reliability of data captured by current network analysis solutions.

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Pazera Free Audio Extractor is an excellent tool for saving video soundtracks as audio files which was just upgraded to version 2.0 with a host of welcome additions and improvements.

The previous edition supported all the main video and audio formats, but 2.0 adds even more. The new formats are M4B, WebM, OGV, OGA, DTS, DTS-HD, EAC3, AIFF, GSM, MP1, QCP (qcelp), RA, TrueHD, VQF, MP4V, MKA, M2TS, MTS, WTV, F4V, F4P, F4A, F4B, VIDEO, M4R and AVS files, while your audio tracks can be saved as MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, AC3, FLAC, WAV, and -- new this time -- M4A.

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Smartphones have positively impacted the gaming industry. Casual touch-based games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga have turned some non-gamers into dedicated ones. However, hardcore gamers interested in more complicated things are forced to use on-screen virtual controls (d-pad, buttons, etc.). Unfortunately, for many, this virtual solution is unacceptable. Since you cannot feel the controls, it is easy for your fingers to wander and cause unintended consequences. Sure, there have been third-party controller options, but they have mostly been unpolished and largely ignored by developers.

With the unveiling of iOS 7, Apple introduced support for game-pads. Today, Logitech announces its first such offering for iPhone and iPod touch devices, with the PowerShell Controller + Battery. The company says it "turns your compatible iOS7 device into a pocket sized mobile console, all while roughly doubling your play time with its on board battery".

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If you ever work with personal or confidential documents then you’ve probably considered using a shredder, a tool which overwrites your files so they can’t be recovered by others. And there are plenty around: searching for "secure delete" returns lots of capable programs in just the first few hits.

Which file shredder is best for you, though? Most recommendations focus largely on the length of their feature list, but if you’re just looking for something simple, a convenient way to get the job done with the minimum of hassle, then BitKiller could be more interesting.

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Smartphones and tablets are changing many aspects of our day-to-day lives, even the way we do our shopping. The latest Mobile Audience Insights report from mobile ad specialist JiWire is focused on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market and how mobile devices are affecting our buying habits.

Among the key findings of the report are that 60 percent of consumers use their smartphone to create their shopping list and 65 percent add products to their list after seeing a mobile ad, 46 percent are willing to try a new product after seeing an ad. Also 69 percent would be happy to see their shopping experience enhanced by receiving information like discount coupons or recipes from the retailer on their mobile.

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Opera Software has unveiled Opera 18, an interesting update which sees the browser gain new multimedia support, easier tab handling, speedy search engine creation, and more.

This starts with getUserMedia and webRTC-based support for your camera and microphone, which means sites can implement advanced features like video conferencing without the need for plugins.

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Of all top Android manufacturers, HTC and Motorola seem to be among the least likely players to release timely Android upgrades. Prior to the One and Moto X neither of the two has actually been quick to announce immediate roll-outs nor reassuring plans to do so for the foreseeable future. Yet here we are today with both HTC and Motorola doing just that. Interesting how their strategies have changed.

HTC's US arm has announced that the North American models of the HTC One will receive the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade by the end of January 2014. This estimate also includes the Verizon version, which has yet to even get Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. HTC, however, says that this situation will not affect its plans.

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I use, and love Windows 8.1. Although I was never a huge fan of Windows 8, the changes in the upgraded OS have won me over and I could never imagine going back to an older version of Windows. For that reason, tablets like Surface really appeal to me, but I can’t see myself replacing my iPad with Microsoft’s slate any time soon.

The 4th gen iPad I own is a constant companion that I use for everything -- work, entertainment, social networking, and so on. There are some areas where I know using a Surface would be better (by "some areas" I really just mean "work"), but when I do upgrade, I’ll be going for an iPad Air (sorry Microsoft). This is why:

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I'm a Surface Pro user; that I won't deny. I also own an iPad -- it's an old iPad 2, but it still does the job. It may not have the fancy 'more pixels than you can see without the aid of a microscope' display of newer models, but it's perfectly functional. However I'd still pick the Surface over Apple's tablet for just about everything. I'll admit I was tempted by the idea of an iPad Air when it was launched, but after thinking it over a little, I decided to stick with the old model and continue to enjoy my Surface Pro.

But the time will come when I am in the market for a new tablet. Having had my attention flagged by the iPad Air, it would seem that it would be a toss-up between the Surface 2 (Pro or regular) and Apple's offering. However much I think about it, I still find myself falling on the side of the Surface. Why? Several reasons:

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About this time of year Symantec starts gazing into the company crystal ball and making predictions on what the future holds -- security wise -- for us all. The 2014 list is very short, just four items, but it’s an interesting selection nonetheless.

Given that 2013 put our lack of privacy front and center with stories of PRISM, NSA spying and numerous hacks, it’s no surprise that for the first prediction, Symantec thinks that people will finally begin taking active steps to keep their information private in 2014.

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You’re at work, tied up with some major project: browser tabs are open, maybe a Word document, while you’re adding polish to some graphics in Photoshop. And deadlines are looming, so you’d like to carry on at home. What do you do?

If you’ve set up a syncing service like Dropbox then your key documents will probably be accessible already; if not, you can always just copy them to a USB key. But for real convenience, you might prefer Cupcloud. Click "Cup" and your application states are saved; click "Uncup" later, on this computer, or another PC and Mac, and the programs reopen, just as they were. Easy.

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When it comes to Linux, I am very flaky. You see, I tend to never settle on a specific distro. While I always seem to end up on Fedora, I do tend to cheat. Yes, I am monogamous for the most part, but I can be found canoodling with Mint, Netrunner and openSUSE from time to time. The latter operating system is well-known for being rock-solid and well-supported. My wandering eye is always keeping tabs on the chameleon-logo distribution and today, there is big news.

"Dear contributors, friends and fans: The release is here! Eight months of planning, packaging, adding features, fixing issues, testing and fixing more issues has brought you the best that Free and Open Source has to offer, with our Green touch: Stable and Awesome", says Jos Poortvliet, community manager at SUSE.

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