Logitech protection [+] power case -- protect your Galaxy S5 or iPhone 5s while boosting the battery
Whenever I am going out for a day trip, like walking through Manhattan, the inevitable usually happens -- my smartphone battery dies. This seems to be quite the common problem, as Starbucks and similar places are overrun with people desperate for electricity. Yes, I can carry a USB energy bank for charging, but it is bulky and not ideal. Quite frankly, you may get weird looks with a giant bulge in your front pocket -- it is more of a backpack accessory.
What is really cool, however, is protective cases that double as a battery extenders. Sure, they can add bulk, but that is to be expected. Today, Logitech announces the Logitech protection [+] power case, designed for the Apple iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5.
OpenClonk 5.0 adds Worlds League, new scenarios, music, more
OpenClock.org has announced the release of OpenClonk 5, a major new version of its open source Worms/ Settlers/ Minecraft/ Terraria- like action game.
The new release adds two missions targeted at new players, two more "which can provide a challenge for the more experienced Clonkers”, and “an action-packed, cooperative scenario where you defend against waves of attackers".
Go from fartsy to artsy and trade the gas for class with eBay Live Auctions
The allure of art greatly escapes me. Don't get me wrong, I see beauty in paintings and sculptures, but I'd be just as happy with a cheap reprint as the original. Hell, I can see the Mona Lisa on my iPad while laying on my couch, why bother going to an art gallery or art auction? It seems like a waste of money. When I watch Pawn Stars, I yell at the TV when Rick buys art for thousands -- "Dude, save your money!"
Well apparently, having an understanding and appreciation of art is a sign of class, which I am told I am lacking. In fancy social situations, I picture myself like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack -- "whoa, did somebody step on a duck?" Yes, I am more "fartsy" than artsy and I have no business being at an art auction. Today however, eBay brings the art auction to your computer by launching Live Auctions. Yes, you can bid on classy art while sitting on the toilet -- finally.
Plex arrives on Xbox One and 360, brings your media with it
Retrieving media from a computer or home server and reproducing it in your home theater has become a growing need among people. Plex offers what is, perhaps, the simplest solution for accomplishing this task. It does so by simply working across almost every known platform, including mobile devices and set-top boxes.
One place where the end-user app has been surprisingly missing is Microsoft's gaming consoles. You'd think Plex would have arrived there long ago -- certainly before places like Roku and Fire TV. Well, that problem is now solved, or at least half of it is.
Blender gains new effects, tools and radial Pie menu feature
Non-profit organization The Blender Foundation has released Blender 2.72, an update to its cross-platform, open-source 3D graphics tool. The new build finally debuts a long-anticipated "Pie menus" feature.
Also improved are the Cycles Render tools, animation editor UI improvements, a new "Face split by edges" modeling tool and new Sun Beams compositing effect.
My Family Tree 4 extends GEDCOM support
Chronoplex Software has updated its free genealogy tool My Family Tree to version 4.0 with various small improvements.
The program’s relationship calculator -- which displays the connection between any two individuals in the tree -- now supports marriage (in law) and step relationships.
Top lessons you can learn from the 'App Masters'
Everyone understands how important apps can be for engaging and empowering customers, employees and partners, but less well known is the difficulty of delivering apps that meet the promises and expectations of the companies that design them.
Many enterprises are struggling to build apps on time, on budget, or with the intended business impact. Our latest research shows the extent to which global businesses are failing to meet their expectations when deploying apps. A quarter failed to meet their timeline, a fifth overran on their budget, and a similar proportion delivered fewer apps than planned. In total, almost half (45 percent) of all businesses failed in some way to meet the criteria for success in the following areas: app quality and performance, business impact, number of apps delivered, project cost and time of development.
Prelert cuts big data down to size for real-time analysis
Identifying complex anomalies that show up the presence of a persistent threat or pinpoint the cause of network and IT performance problems is the sort of thing big data analysis was made for.
The problem though is that big data is often just too big. This means it's usually necessary to transfer the information before doing any work on it which makes real-time analysis impossible and means valuable insights aren't available when they're most needed.
Security risk is the main reason for banning BYOPC
According to a survey of IT decision makers commissioned by efficiency software specialist 1E and carried out by Vanson Bourne 86 percent of companies that ban employees from using their own PCs do so because of security concerns.
To address these fears 1E is launching its new MyWorkNow solution, a client-hosted virtual desktop (CHVD) to offer a fast, low-cost way of mobilizing workforces using their own PCs.
MIT wants to use your Tweets to solve society's problems
Twitter is handing MIT full access to its real-time public stream and archive, as well as $10 million over five years to help with its research into social patterns across the media. The data MIT gathers from a variety of media platforms will be used to reveal interaction patterns and shared interests between users, while it develops new collaborative tools and mobile apps for public communication and social organization.
Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter said: "With this investment, Twitter is seizing the opportunity to go deeper into research to understand the role Twitter and other platforms play in the way people communicate, the effect that rapid and fluid communication can have and apply those findings to complex societal issues".
Using mobile messaging to deliver better customer service
As mobile devices become almost ubiquitous, their attractiveness as a channel for businesses to interact with their customers becomes greater.
According to last year's ICMI mobile customer service strategy survey, 68 percent of experts believe mobile can improve the customer experience. To help companies take advantage of the opportunities mobile offers, enterprise mobile specialist OpenMarket is launching its latest Mobile Engagement Platform. It's a SaaS-based solution, allowing enterprises to easily create and deploy smart, interactive mobile engagement services worldwide with connectivity to over 200 countries.
Who would pay more than $60,000 for an iPhone 6 prototype?
People do crazy things to get their hands on a new iPhone. They queue for days in a row, travel to another country or pay absurd amounts on black market imports. Still, none of those things is as expensive as the iPhone 6 prototype that is listed on eBay, for which some folks will go as far as paying over $60,000. That's just crazy.
At the time of writing this article, the latest bid for the iPhone 6 prototype -- a 64 GB model -- is $61,100. For the money, you get a hugely overpriced smartphone which may not even be legit. Normally, you would pay $750, off-contract, for a 64 GB iPhone 6, in Silver -- the same color as the prototype -- that is. But, wait, there is more.
Windows 10 is coming, but do we still need Microsoft's operating system?
For the past couple of months I have been working from my porch -- I enjoy the outdoors when weather permits. In doing so, I have adopted a Chromebook, which gets me by quite well, but leaves me in a quandary -- do we still need Windows? The answer to that question is quite a bit more complicated than it seems.
Most people will jump up and yell "yes" -- or Microsoft hopes they will. But it really comes down to usage, and for many people out there the operating system is no longer the be all-end all of computing.
Apple Watch not cool enough? How about a Samsung Gear Live running Windows 95?
Apple Watch could well be the device that brings wearables into the mainstream, but if you’re not a fan of Apple products, there are plenty of Android smartwatches to choose from, and if you want to really stand out from the crowd, how about a watch that runs Windows 95?
Microsoft’s veteran operating system will turn twenty next year, and enterprising Samsung Gear Live owner Corbin Davenport has managed to blend old and new, getting Windows 95 running on Android Wear.
Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 [Review]
Nowadays, all major operating systems are great. Regardless of your preference, it cannot be denied that Windows, OS X, iOS, Android and many Linux distributions are amazing feats of technology. It is not uncommon for me and many others to use multiple operating systems every day. While Windows is what I use mostly for getting work done, Android is my smartphone OS of choice, and the iPad is my bedtime entertainment computer. It is not necessary to live on a desert island-like environment from only one company exclusively.
Bluetooth keyboards have made typing on devices convenient; however, there is an annoying aspect -- pairing. If you use a Bluetooth keyboard with only one device, you should have no issue. Unfortunately, if you want to share it between multiple devices and operating systems, you have to re-pair it every time you switch. This becomes a tedious affair, turning convenience into a hassle. Luckily, Logitech has released a product, that should alleviate this nuisance -- the Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480.
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