Indiegogo project bRight Switch wants to add tech to your wall
Last week my colleague Derrick Wlodarz wrote a great deal about today's home automation push, comparing the entire thing to Skynet. I see his point, but I'm not sure I can resist the urge. After all, the convenience is so enticing, it's hard to ignore the technology that can add so much functionality to your home.
Over the weekend I stumbled upon an Indiegogo project that captured my fancy. bRight Switch is designed to replace your wall-mounted light switch, adding just a bit more technology to the room.
5 things Windows Phone 8.1 needs to succeed
Even though more than one year has passed since Windows Phone 8 arrived, Microsoft has yet to officially take the wraps off the upcoming new version of its tiled smartphone operating system. This long release cycle is uncommon in this business, as more popular competitors boast two major iterations launched in the course of a year. Windows Phone 8.1 has a lot of catching up to do, giving us plenty of leeway to compile and compare our own wish lists before the grand unveiling.
The foundation that Windows Phone 8 has laid out for its successor, starting with the original release that was subsequently improved by three minor updates, is solid enough for Microsoft to build upon and launch something mind-blowing (whenever that happens). Nothing else will cut it, as the platform needs a big boost to overcome the paltry 3.6 percent market share from last year. And, it is about time Windows Phone gets a solid head start on the competition, that has created an unshakable duopoly in the market, responsible for 94.4 percent of smartphone shipments in 2013. What Microsoft decides to bake in Windows Phone 8.1 can make or break the operating system's chances of ever becoming that respected third player, that is taken seriously due to its traits not its incidental place on the podium.
Security breach exposes personal data of 800,000 Orange users
2014 is not proving to be a very good year for security -- and it is not just down to the Syrian Electronic Army. Hundreds of thousands of Orange customers in France have had their personal details exposed after hackers managed to procure a mass of unencrypted data from the My Account section of the orange.fr website.
The attack was carried out on 16 January, but details are only coming to light some two weeks after the security breach.
Corero SmartWall helps service providers strengthen their defenses
Cyber threats and in particular DDoS attacks are a major problem for both service providers and customers and have grown in both frequency and sophistication.
Corero Network Security a leader in enterprise security systems has launched a new product to help service providers fend off these threats.
Windows XP showing much stronger growth than Windows 8.x -- Yes XP!
I have to admit I look forward to seeing NetMarketShare’s monthly breakdown of desktop OS market share. The figures always provide a great talking point. You can pretty much guarantee that Windows 8’s share will decline, Windows 8.1’s share will increase, and combined the tiled OS’s growth will be outpaced by one of the older versions of Windows.
Usually it’s Windows 7 that’s showing the top growth. Sometimes besting Windows 8.x by a tiny amount, other times absolutely trouncing its newer sibling. But this time around, there’s a brand new leader in the growth stakes, and it’s a 13 year old OS that’s set to reach its end of life in April.
Good news and bad as the enterprise threat landscape evolves
Technology giant HP has released its Cyber Risk Report 2013 which highlights the top enterprise vulnerabilities.
The report also offers an analysis of the current threat landscape, pointing out increased reliance on mobile devices, the spread of insecure software and the growing use of Java as adding to a growing "attack surface".
Syrian Electronic Army strikes again! PayPal and eBay come under attack
There have been a lot of website compromises in 2014 despite the fact we're only just into February. Now it looks as though the Syrian Electronic Army is at it again. This time it is eBay and PayPal who found themselves in the crosshairs, as some users discovered that they were redirected to sites that announced the hack, praised Syria and chided the US government.
It might seem obvious that the Syrian Electronic Amy was behind the attack, but in case there was any doubt, the group used their Twitter feed to claim responsibility.
Windows 8.1 Update 1 leaks online -- This is what's new
There have been lots of rumors about what to expect from Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8.1 update, including that it will allow users to pin Windows Store apps to the taskbar -- a time saving tweak for anyone who avoids the Modern UI but still likes to use apps from time to time. So is it true, and what other tweaks has Microsoft made to its tiled OS?
Well, a version of Windows 8.1 with Update 1 in place has leaked on to the internet, revealing (nearly) all. The 64-bit build is not the final release -- it’s three weeks old -- but it gives us a good look at what to expect from Update 1 which is set to be released next month.
Android location app tackles snooping fears
University researchers have developed an app that can reveal when others are tracking your location amid growing concerns that many people are oblivious to their data being accessed.
More than a third of Android apps can track and record your location yet some are doing so without disclosing it, security company Bitdefender has revealed.
Microsoft empowers people in new Super Bowl commercial
Super Bowl Sunday is a big day for Americans. While baseball may be the national pastime, football has captured the hearts and minds of many people with fantasy leagues and tailgating. Yes, for many, football is not about watching the actual game, but instead eating food, partying and watching commercials.
While it seems most Super Bowl commercials are about comedy, sometimes they tug at the heartstrings too. Last year, I damn-near cried when Budweiser showed a friendship between a man and a horse. This year, in an early unveiling, Microsoft has me both inspired and teary-eyed with its new Super Bowl commercial, simply titled "Empowering".
NFL unveils new mobile service 'Now' ahead of Super Bowl
Today is a big day if you happen to be a fan of American football. It's Super Bowl Sunday, and the stage is set for the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos to collide at Met-Life Stadium. The ads and the game itself, bring millions of viewers from all over the world, and the NFL has chosen this day to unveil its new mobile service.
NFL Now will be available this summer, and the league has an introductory commercial planned to air during the big game, but details about what to expect are being revealed ahead of kick-off.
Quickly change your DNS server with ChrisPC DNS Switch
Chris P.C. has announced the release of ChrisPC DNS Switch, an easy-to-use tool for updating your PC's DNS server.
The program comes with 34 DNS presets – OpenDNS, Google, Comodo, Norton, Yandex, DynDNS and more -- and you can update the settings for one or all of your network adapters in a couple of clicks.
Linux distro Mageia hits version 4 -- download it now
When the discussion of popular Linux distributions comes up, typically, you will hear about Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora. However, there has been a semi-newcomer making waves in the Linux community -- Mageia Linux (started in 2010). Originally a fork of Mandriva, it has grown to be so much more. In fact, it is currently ranked as number four on the Distrowatch page-hit ranking. While that ranking should be taken with a grain of salt, it is typically an accurate portrayal of popularity.
Today, Mageia announces that the fourth version of the operating system is ready for download. While the logic of making such an announcement on Super Bowl weekend is questionable, it is nonetheless exciting.
How to enable the hidden, experimental, center-aligned version of YouTube
YouTube, like many other websites, undergoes changes, and it has taken on a number of guises over the years. Some looks have lasted for a long time, while others have been shorter lived. There are also experimental looks, not all of which end up being released, but even when a redesign is rolled out, it can take a while to make its way around the world. Currently in the experimental stage is a center-aligned layout which includes a cleaned up interface a new menu and a few other tweaks.
In the new design, a top navigation bar is now locked to the top of the screen, remaining in place while the rest of the page scrolls. There is a customizable carousel and a new Upload button encourages visitors into sharing. It's not yet clear quite when this new interface will be officially released to a waiting world, but it's something you can enable now; all it takes is a quick cookie tweak.
Delete any locked or protected files with PowerTool
The Low-level PC monitoring utility PowerTool has been updated to version 1.6. This release has significantly enhanced the "force delete" option, allowing it to remove just about anything. Whether a file is locked by something, protected by Windows, malware, even antivirus software, it doesn’t seem to matter -- click File, right-click your file, select "Force Delete" and it'll disappear.
Whether it's really a good idea to delete protected or locked files is another matter, of course. Forcibly deleted files don't go to the Recycle Bin, either, so treat this option with extreme care.
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.