Microsoft confirms Windows 10 and Surface subscriptions are on their way
Ever since Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be free "for the first year", and also referred to the new OS "as a service", there has been speculation that the software giant would start charging a monthly fee for Windows 10, much as it does for Office 365.
Two weeks ago, a mention of Windows 10 subscriptions appeared in an Insider Preview build, suggesting that changes to the operating system’s model were on their way. Today, Microsoft reveals all by announcing new subscription service offerings for Windows 10 and its Surface line of tablets.
Skype for Business use on mobile expected to double by 2018
While Skype remains the most popular VoIP tool, the Skype for Business mobile client has been dogged by ongoing quality and technical issues that have slowed its rollout.
A new survey by Unify Square and Osterman Research finds that 30 percent of IT teams' total time spent troubleshooting the Skype platform is devoted to the mobile client.
Malware attack targets European energy companies
The Labs team at malware protection company SentinelOne has discovered a sophisticated malware campaign that's specifically targeting at least one European energy company.
The malware, called SFG, is the mother ship of an earlier malware sample called Furtim, which targets the industrial automation control systems with sophisticated malware and acts as dropper to deliver a payload which could be used to extract data or potentially shut down the energy grid.
Microsoft updates Skype Bots with new features
Microsoft has updated its Microsoft Bot and Skype Bot platforms with a host of new capabilities to ensure that its Bot Framework is ready ahead of its official launch at the end of 2016.
The company first announced its Skype Bot Platform in March during its Build developer conference. Currently there are 30,000 developers building bots for its platforms according to Microsoft.
Inker is a promising vector graphics editor for Chrome
Vector graphics editors are often bulky desktop applications, aimed very much at design experts, but Inker is very different. The package is a simple Chrome app, easy enough for almost anyone to use, and ideal for creating quick vector designs on a tablet which you can then reuse elsewhere.
The drawing tools cover the basics only, with a freehand pen, rectangles, ellipses, and text.
Brexit will impact IT spending in UK and Europe
Global IT spending is expected to be flat this year, hitting $3.41 trillion (£2.63tr), market analysts Gartner says. But an important factor hasn’t been taken into consideration.
Gartner says the global IT spending will be up from last quarter’s 0.5 percent negative growth. These changes are mostly driven by fluctuations in currency, so it should be business as usual. However, the forecast was made assuming the UK would not vote to leave the European Union. As we all witnessed, that surprise move has shaken global economy, so different outcomes are now also a reality.
Want 3 free months of Groove Music Pass for Windows 10? Here's how to score it!
Windows 10 is a great operating system, and many of Microsoft's services integrate well with it. For instance, if you need cloud storage, One Drive is conveniently pre-installed and ready to go.
While music fans have a lot of streaming choices on Windows 10, none is better for that OS than Microsoft's Groove Music Pass. Not only does it look and sound great, but it has a huge library of music. Best of all, it integrates with the desktop brilliantly. Heck, there is both a web and Xbox version too. It even has an official client for iOS, Windows Phone, and Android. The smartphone experience isn't fabulous, but it is passable. If you are interested in signing up, I have good news -- you can score 3 months for free! This is perfect timing for the summer and back-to-school. Intrigued? Read on.
Researchers store music video in DNA strain
Researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington managed to store a high-definition music video by OK Go into a DNA strain. This is actually much more serious than it sounds.
A team of scientists and researchers stored 200 megabytes of data on a molecular strand, and thus set a new record. A bunch of data was added, including digital versions of works of art, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in more than 100 languages, the top 100 books of Project Guttenberg and the non-profit Crop Trust’s seed database. Knowing IoT and Big Data are on the way, having a long-lasting and reliable data storage solution is essential.
Resisting stereotypes is the key to attracting women in IT
For many years forward thinking companies across the UK have been attempting to raise the numbers of women working in the IT professions. They make slow progress, and some might even say "no progress", since we know that around 20 percent of the IT workforce was female at the turn of the century and the number now languishes at about 17 percent. For those involved in the work to attract and retain women in the technical professions, the question arises: "What would the number be if we weren’t already taking action?"
When you look at it, the amount of activity to support the attraction and retention of women to the professions is astounding. It follows the lifecycle of girls and women. Many big organizations offer summer camps for girls (e.g. Apple, IBM, the bigger banks) to show them how exciting the digital world can be. Thousands of people are engaged in programs to talk to girls in schools about the technical professions as a career option.
Privacy warning: Pokémon Go has full access to your Google account data
Pokémon Go may be proving jaw-droppingly popular, but in the rush to catch 'em all, it seems that users have overlooked something of a privacy issue with the game. It's not unusual for apps and games to request, or require, access to your Google account but there are usually limits in place.
Not so with Pokémon Go. As reported by Search Engine Journal, iOS users have discovered that the game not only requires access to users' Google accounts, it requires full access. This is the highest level of access available to any app and if it is revoked, the game won't work.
Japan Airlines using Microsoft HoloLens to train pilots
Airplanes are one of the most important inventions. Why do I say this? Well, without them, the world would be a lot larger -- figuratively speaking, that is. You see, if we were limited to things like boats, buses, and and trains, it would take much longer to travel. What are relatively short trips by plane nowadays would be incredibly lengthy and tedious. Thanks to airplanes, you can travel from USA to say, Europe, in less than a day -- a miracle!
Of course, technology and air travel are forever linked, and today we learn that Japan Airlines is leveraging augmented reality to assist in the training of its pilots. This isn't just any AR, however, but Microsoft's exciting HoloLens solution.
Google's looking for 10 UK startups that 'think big'
Google wants to help UK’s young start-ups make it big, and it’s kicking off a start-up camp to make it happen.
A nationwide search has kicked off, with the goal of finding 10 start-ups "who think big". Applications are now open and will remain so until July 29. The 10 start-ups that do get selected, will have access to "bespoke support", including insights from London’s most experienced mentors and investors.
Amazon Prime Day about to begin, you can check now for deals
Amazon Prime is popular for many reasons, such as free two day shipping, streaming video and music, even a Kindle lending library. Now the company plans to once again celebrate those who cough up the $99 it costs for an annual subscription.
July 12th is Prime Day where users can take advantage of extra deals and large discounts are being offered on an array of items.
Kim Dotcom to launch Megaupload 2.0 in 2017
Kim Dotcom is a difficult man to ignore, and he's all set to get right back in your face after lurking in the shadows for a few months. In a series of tweets over the weekend, the German technology troublemaker announced that his file sharing service Megaupload is due to relaunch in 2017 -- on the fifth anniversary of a police raid.
Known as Megaupload 2.0 (remember the 2.0 phenomenon?), the platform is expected to appear on 20 January next year. Dotcom has previously expressed something of a passion for Bitcoin, and this looks set to continue with the relaunch -- complete with 100GB of free storage and on-the-fly encryption.
Microsoft Finnished!
As gifts to headline writers go, Microsoft's acquisition of Finland's Nokia mobile phone company keeps on giving. We already did the Finnish line gag when the deal to buy Nokia was announced in 2014.
Today the company confirmed that as part of the shedding of 1,850 jobs from its smartphone business, announced back in May, it's closing its Nordic subsidiary. This will lead to the loss of 1,350 jobs in Finland.
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