Windows 10 could disable pirated games and unauthorized hardware
Cries of "FUD!" ring out whenever potential issues and concerns with Windows 10 are pointed out, but there's no denying that the launch of this version of Windows has been more blighted than any other. The latest controversy finds Microsoft updating its EULA so that it is able to block pirated games and unauthorized peripherals.
While on one hand this seems entirely reasonable -- few people would argue too strongly that they should be permitted to play pirated games -- on the other it is confusing and worrisome. It is yet another example of Microsoft causing trouble for itself by failing to properly communicate with its customers, being insufficiently transparent and clear in meaning. Just what is an 'unauthorized peripheral'?
Confirmed: Apple is working on a self-driving car to rival Google
Apple's Project Titan is not only real, but the self-driving car is further developed than previously thought. Documents obtained by The Guardian show that the company is currently looking for secure locations in the San Francisco bay area that could be used to test the vehicle.
The newspaper made a public records act request to unearth correspondence that revealed that the Special Project group from Apple met with representatives from the GoMentum Station. This former naval base is in the process of being transformed into test track for self-driving vehicles.
Apple iPod touch 6th Generation: A fun and powerful work of art [Review]
When Apple unveiled the first iPod, it was a game-changing moment. While not the first portable digital music player, it was the first to nail the interface and experience. Later models would feature the legendary click wheel and expand to photos and videos too.
With the release of the iPhone, however, the death of the traditional iPod was guaranteed, but it hung around longer than most expected. It was the iPod touch that was the obvious successor, as it not only played music, but ran iPhone apps too. Apple recently released the new 6th Generation iPod touch, and I've been testing it out. Is it the best iPod touch yet?
Why tech companies need an in-house translator
What makes a company successful? Success can be viewed in simple black and white terms -- profitability, number of users or customers, client satisfaction, etc. -- but let’s take "success" one level deeper. What is below the surface -- beyond today’s dollars and cents -- that makes a company truly thrive? I would contend that the ability to effectively communicate and ensure that everyone is focused on the same end-goal is paramount, while still taking into consideration each individual’s priorities, skillsets, and personalities. Seamless internal communication is always challenging and time consuming and yet it is critical to making the company’s objectives a tangible reality. In my experience, this relies heavily on having an individual or group of individuals within an organization play the role of an in-house translator. The translator role goes beyond the traditional project manager position. It relies on an experienced professional being positioned at the center of everything, armed with more than just a checklist and Gantt chart.
To successfully operate within this multi-faceted work environment, each department must be able to communicate in clear and comprehensible terms what they are working on and what they need from other groups to complete the job successfully. A common barrier when creating anything technical is the vision, end-user requirements, and end product not lining up correctly because the terms and conditions have gotten lost in translation.
Google teases with Android M name video
You might still be waiting for Lollipop to limp onto your handset, but just around the corner is Android M. We already know quite a bit about what to expect from the next version of Android -- you can even try out the Android M Developer Preview if you want -- but there's one thing that's far from clear: what is it going to be called.
There have been all sort of guesses since the codename was revealed by Google and now the company (Google, Alphabet... call it what you will...) is starting to tease us with name suggestions. There's also a video that offers a 'musical hint' at the name.
Hello, walking billboards -- wearable displays are coming
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have created a fiber-like LED that can be directly woven to create wearable fabric.
In plain terms, Korean scientists have created bendable wearable displays.
Does diversity in tech actually matter?
Diversity has become something of a buzzword in tech, and it's one that companies are only too keen to bandy about at every opportunity. The likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are eager to demonstrate how diverse a workforce they have built up -- but the fact of the matter is that they have all failed abysmally.
This much we know. We've seen that Facebook's workface is far from diverse, Amazon is about as white and male as it gets, and that Apple wants people to believe it's doing everything it can to foster greater diversity. Its latest report shows that the number of female, black, and Hispanic employees has increased but Tim Cook wants to do more. But the big question is: does diversity matter?
Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and forty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows in the past seven days.
Hot Windows 10 topics of the week deal with privacy issues, Windows Update issues, and yet another Lenovo faux-pas.
Solving the enterprise storage management problem [Q&A]
Many companies would like to use the cloud as a new approach to storage management, but it isn't without problems. High latency, unpredictable performance of internet transport and fear of data breaches may make the public cloud services unsuitable for many production applications.
We spoke to Ellen Rubin, CEO and founder of enterprise storage startup ClearSky Data to find out how enterprises can address these issues and get their cloud storage projects moving.
10 things you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 5 in NYC yesterday and there has already been a great deal of coverage of the handset. It is hard to beat getting hands-on with a phone but there are important factors that could sway you one way or the other when it comes to making a purchase.
Samsung has already produced an infographic pulling out what the company thinks are its highlights. To help you decide if the Galaxy Note 5 should be on your shopping list, here are ten things you need to know.
In BYOD companies trust -- or should they?
Running a business in today’s digitally-driven world means that most, if not all, of your employees will be using their own personal mobile devices to send and receive work emails, logging into the company’s intranet, posting messages on the corporate Yammer account, sending instant messages to one another and sharing files between computers and the cloud. This BYOD tendency is just a part of corporate life today and there’s no point in trying to fight it.
But just as there are pluses to having a BYOD workforce, there are also minuses. On the one hand, your employees are more productive and efficient -- they can stay on top of urgent business matters without having to physically be in the office. But on the other side of the coin are some serious risks that are often exacerbated by the fact that businesses just don’t know enough about mobile security, lack comprehensive BYOD security policies and aren’t always as diligent about monitoring employee use of devices inside and outside of work.
Troubleshoot your hard drives with DHE Drive Info
Modern hard drives are generally very reliable, and may survive the entire lifetime of your PC without any problems at all. There are no guarantees, though, so it’s wise to have one or two diagnostic programs to hand, and DHE Drive Info makes a feature-packed first choice.
The program is portable, just unzip and run, and a list of drives and partitions covers all the basics: drive model, type, temperature, health score, capacity, free space, read/ write indicators and more.
Ingress and Field Trip developer Niantic Labs is Alphabet's first independent spin-off
In the post announcing Alphabet, CEO Larry Page said Google would be "slimmed down" to focus on the goal of collecting all the world’s information. The first spin-off from Google to independent company will be Niantic Labs, the developers of Ingress and Field Trip.
The augmented reality gaming startup launched Ingress a few years ago, an augmented reality discovery game built on top of Google Maps. It is free and has over 12 million players, who try to track down gems around the city. On top of the two apps, Niantic Labs is also working on a TV show inspired by Ingress.
Advanced Persistent Threats still go unnoticed by website owners
The term "Advanced Persistence Threat" fills news pages on a regular basis. According to ISACA APT Awareness Study, 93.6 percent of respondents consider APTs to be a "very serious threat" for their companies.
However, many "APT" attacks, do not really fall under the 'advanced' category in terms of the attackers’ sophistication. A very recent exploit, combined with phishing or newly registered domains are rather "low-cost APTs", for which we should probably introduce the new term "LCAPT" or just "LAPT" to distinguish these from genuine APTs.
Vodafone Connect now live nationwide across the UK
Vodafone is launching its home broadband service nationwide, after a soft launch in Manchester, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire in June. Vodafone Connect will be available with options up to 76Mbps, utilizing the BT Openreach infrastructure.
Vodafone is using Cable & Wireless, which it acquired in 2012, alongside partnering with BT for full nationwide coverage. It seems unlikely Vodafone will acquire Virgin Media, as was rumored a few months ago.
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.