Twitter gets an online interface revamp for 2014
It was announced very casually with very little fanfare. Twitter is getting a new look. It is in the process of rolling out around the world and when the revamped interface hits your account you'll find that the new look closely mimics that found in the iOS and Android apps. The redesign follows a recent update to the mobile apps, and while there are not many dramatic changes, the standardized look helps to create a more uniform experience moving between devices.
The tweet composition section is now found to the left hand side of the screen -- gone is the pop-up box in favour of an inline option. The two-column design has a very neat look to it, and does an excellent job of keeping related data together. The left hand column houses the profile box and composition field, and beneath this you'll find suggestions for who to follow, as well as a list of trending topics.
Google buys Nest -- will the search giant lay golden or rotten eggs in it?
The concept of a thermostat is pretty simple. If you are cold, turn the heat up and if you are hot, do the opposite -- a no-brainer. However, as the internet of things continues to expand, enhanced capabilities and internet connections are introduced to previously simple devices.
If you aren't familiar, Nest Labs was founded by two ex-Apple employees, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers. The design of the company's products makes that apparent. The first product released by the company, a thermostat has a round, clickable interface that is reminiscent of the iPod Classic. It can be connected to the internet, to allow networked control. Today, Google announces the acquisition of the company for $3.2 billion -- a surprising announcement to say the least.
Backup, protect and migrate your data with Acronis True Image 2014
The start of a new year is always a good time to review your computing habits. If you’ve not yet done so, make sure 2014 is the year you finally implement a long overdue backup plan for your PC with the help of our current favorite backup tool, Acronis True Image 2014.
Not only does True Image contain all the tools you need for backup and recovery, you can use it to clone your hard drive when upgrading to a new model or (if you buy the Premium version) even transfer an entire Windows installation from one PC to another.
View, convert and save web maps with Terra Incognita
You need to quickly check a map? It’s never been easier. Launch the relevant app -- or just open a browser on any device -- and you’ll have all the information you need, within seconds.
Maybe your needs are a little more complex, though? Perhaps you want to compare maps from different providers; convert them from one format to another; add tracks, or waypoints? Then you may get better results from the open source Terra Incognita.
Best social apps for your Windows Phone
Mobile devices have completely transformed the way we connect with others. We can chat from anywhere these days, assuming there is an Internet connection available. What was once primarily aimed at browsers and traditional PCs has since fully embraced mobile computing, or vanished. There are also new, mobile-friendly apps and services that leverage features offered by smart devices to offer more personal and private ways to reach friends, family, coworkers and other folks.
For social butterflies Windows Phone has quite a lot to offer. The tiled smartphone operating system neatly integrates with popular services like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, allowing users to easily post updates from within their Me tile, see what others are doing and respond to their activity on said social networks in the People hub. But there are also dedicated apps available in Store that offer more, and we are going to take a look at the best of them in this article.
Dropbox talks about its weekend outage, says data is safe
Over this past weekend Dropbox went down, and thanks to all of the recent news about companies being hacked, the worst was feared. But those unconfirmed reports have proven to be false, as the cloud storage service has set the record straight.
The real truth behind the incident turns out to be much more mundane. In fact, it was simply a scheduled maintenance that went wrong. "On Friday at 5:30 PM PT, we had a planned maintenance scheduled to upgrade the OS on some of our machines. During this process, the upgrade script checks to make sure there is no active data on the machine before installing the new OS. A subtle bug in the script caused the command to reinstall a small number of active machines. Unfortunately, some master-slave pairs were impacted which resulted in the site going down".
New Oracle Retail Suite aims to improve the shopping experience
The internet has changed the way we shop. Even if you don't buy online you’re likely to check prices before hitting the stores or use click and collect services to ensure what you want is in stock.
With its latest Retail Suite Oracle allows retailers to respond to these trends and remove the boundaries between the different supply channels.
Run Windows 8 or 8.1 directly from a USB drive on any computer -- for free
The Enterprise edition of Windows 8.x has a feature called Windows To Go that lets you create a working version of Microsoft's tiled operating system on a USB memory stick. You can boot into this and be instantly up and running in the new OS from any computer. Which is great -- provided you have the Enterprise edition of the OS and a "certified" USB drive. If you only have the standard version of Windows 8.x then the option isn't available to you.
But there is a very easy way you can build a personalized and bootable copy of Windows 8 or 8.1 on a USB drive, for use anywhere. All you need is a USB 3.0 device with at least 13GB capacity (it will run on a USB 2.0 memory stick, but slowly), a copy of Windows 8.x (either an installation disc or an ISO -- you can get the Windows 8.1 ISO by following these instructions but you will need a Windows 8.1 key), and a free partitioning program. Here's what you need to do.
oCam is a very configurable screen recorder
Screen recorders are great for creating tutorials, saving streaming videos and otherwise recording your desktop activities. There are plenty to choose from, each with their own advantages, but if you’re new to the technology then oCam could be a very good way to start.
After a simple installation (just look out for the option to change your browser homepage, and clear that checkbox), the program launches with a floating, re-sizable frame, and a toolbar. At its simplest you can manually reposition the frame to whatever area you’d like to record, then click Capture to grab a single image, or Record to begin recording a desktop video (clicking the button again to stop). Clicking Open then opens the Explorer folder containing your captures, ready for review.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 starts to receive the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update
South Korean maker Samsung is now rolling out the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for its Galaxy Note 3 phablet. The software upgrade arrives more than two months after Google announced the latest version of its mobile operating system.
The code that Samsung is rolling out now is identical to the version that leaked earlier, and is available for the international (SM-9005) model of the Galaxy Note 3. Unsurprisingly, the first stage of the roll out commences in Poland.
Consumer mobile apps won’t make you money
If you're looking to the earnings from your innovative mobile app to keep you in your retirement, you may need to think again.
A new report by Gartner predicts that through 2018 fewer than one percent of consumer mobile apps will be considered a financial success.
Why I hope curved screens don't become the norm
One of the most memorable presentations given at CES this year saw Samsung showing off its latest curved screen TV. Sadly for the tech giant it was Michael Bay's on-stage brain fart that most people took away from the talk (if I can just leave you with the delightful image of taking away someone's fart with you...), but Samsung would much rather we concentrated on the display technology it was showcasing. It excited a great many people, and for some it is seen as the way ahead and something we could see a lot more off. I sincerely hope we don't, particularly on the desktop.
Why? There are lots of reasons that I am opposed to the idea of curved screens, particularly when used for TVs and monitors -- smartphones are slightly different, but I'm not too keen on that either. Curved screens are not really a brand spanking new technology; there have been curved cinema screens for a number of years now, and I can see the benefit of the curve in this setting. Used in a theater the curve eliminates the problem of trying to find a seat right in the center because it matters far less where you are in relation to the screen. Everyone gets an equally good view of the action. It is a democratizing technology. So why am I down on it?
My favorite product from CES 2014 [Mark]
There has been a lot of talk about 2014 being the year of wearable tech. I'm yet to try out Google glass, but I can see its appeal -- providing the price drops a little! -- yet what interests me are smart versions of existing things we already wear. (I will grant you that Glass kind of falls into this category, but not everyone wears glasses) There have been quite a lot of smart watches over the last year, but they have a tendency to be rather ugly, bulky, or require an additional, specific device in order to function correctly. Yes, Galaxy Gear, I'm pointing at you.
But things are starting to evolve quite nicely. The new Pebble Steel is a spectacular smart watch that overcomes the looks issue that has blighted other models. The three models -- black leather, stainless steel and black matte -- all look great, and don’t stand out for the wrong reasons. This is a smart watch that looks like a watch rather than a smart watch, and this is where wearable technology stands or falls. An incredible piece of technology should be capable of just blending in and getting on with its job rather than jumping up, grabbing your eyeballs and demanding LOOK AT ME!
Target security breach is even worse -- now an estimated 100-million customers
Apparently Adobe should not rest on its laurels, as Target reaches record-setting data losses. Over the past couple of weeks we have gradually learned of a security breach at the retailer that exposed customer data, including credit card information.
The whole thing seemed bad enough right off the bat, when we reported the number of affected customers at 40 million. It grew worse this week, when that total rose to 70 million. Now the retailer has truly hit the big time.
Microsoft's Twitter account hacked
Jerry Lee Lewis famously sang "there's a whole lotta shakin goin on". Lately, it feels like there is a whole lot of hacking going on. While the world is still reeling from the Target hack, it seems that Microsoft and Twitter have unwillingly joined the retailer as victims.
Today, one of Microsoft's Twitter accounts, @MSFTnews was infiltrated by The Syrian Electronic Army -- a group that claims to be supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. But who is at fault, Microsoft or Twitter?
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.