Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and ninety-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 in the past seven days.
The week was rather slow in regards to new releases. Microsoft did bring video game pre-orders to the Store however, and seems to have removed thousands of low quality apps recently too.
Box and IBM team up to increase productivity in cloud workflows
Thanks to a new partnership between Box and IBM, Box users will be getting a new workflow solution which will allow any business users to build, manage and track custom and pre-built workflows.
The new solution, called Box Relay, will be a part of the "all new Box", to be presented during BoxWorks 2016, Box's annual San Francisco conference.
Critics lambast Mark Zuckerberg after Facebook censors iconic image of Vietnam war for nudity [Update -- Facebook backs down]
The photograph taken by Nick Ut showing Kim Phúc (sometimes referred to a 'napalm girl') fleeing a napalm attack is one of the most iconic images of the Vietnam war. It's a picture that's seared into the memory of anyone who has seen it, and the Pulitzer prize-winning photograph is often held up as an anti-war image.
But Facebook sees things differently. The company saw fit to censor the image by deleting a post by a Norwegian writer who used the photo. The writer, Tom Egeland, was also suspended from the site. Facebook stands accused of abusing its position as "the world's most powerful editor" in a scathing attack by the editor-in-chief and CEO of Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten. Today Espen Egil Hansen uses a front page editorial to launch a blistering diatribe against Mark Zuckerberg.
Lyrics Here instantly displays lyrics on YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, more
There are many ways to find lyrics to whatever you’re playing online, but they’re usually slow, inconvenient, maybe inaccurate, and sometimes all three. Lyrics Here is a browser addon for Chrome, Firefox and more which instantly finds and shows the lyrics for whatever you’re playing on YouTube, Spofify, Deezer, Google Music, SoundCloud and 40+ similar sites.
There’s nothing to set up or configure. Just visit YouTube or a music site, find and play something, and a new pane quickly appears (usually at the same time as playback starts) with the song title and lyrics.
Google updates its transparency report for removal of copyright material
Google's regular Transparency Reports make for interesting reading for those with an interest in how the company operates. As well as revealing how Google responds to government requests for data, they also show how it deals with copyright removal requests.
Now the company has updated its reports to make the data easier to read and easier to interpret. It also shows more information about the sites and companies associated with removals.
Belkin unveils the 'Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar' adapter for Apple iPhone 7
Yesterday, Apple announced that it was removing the 3.5mm audio jack from its upcoming iPhone 7 and 7 Plus smartphones; some people are still comically reeling from the news. Understandably, not everyone can see the benefits of Apple's forward thinking subtraction now, but the world will catch up eventually -- as usual.
While killing the outdated decades-old audio port was the correct choice, understandably, not everyone is ready to invest in Apple's AirPods. Some folks will prefer wired headphones. Luckily, Apple is bundling both a 3.5mm dongle and Lightning audio wired earbuds with the iPhone 7 (and Plus). While that partly solves the dilemma, some folks will hit a roadblock -- they cannot listen to wired headphones while charging their iPhone devices. Today, Belkin creates a solution for that problem with the all new 'Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar' adapter.
How to install Windows Media Center on Windows 10 Anniversary Update
Microsoft dropped Windows Media Center from Windows 10, citing "decreased usage" as the reason it would no longer be available. In its place the software giant released a DVD Player, but this was expensive and incredibly basic.
If you miss Windows Media Center, and alternatives such as Kodi aren’t filling the gap for you, the good news is you can, with a little trickery, install Windows Media Center on Windows 10.
Google Maps adds Lyft and Gett ride-sharing options -- should Uber be worried?
Uber is considered the king of ride-sharing in the USA by many. Why is this? There are many likely factors, but ultimately, its brand got an early boost. There is definite name recognition, and the company's marketing keeps the brand on consumers' minds. In other words, "Uber" is to ride-sharing, as "Band-Aid" is to bandages. Many people do not consider alternatives.
But what if consumers did not need to be aware of the alternatives? What if they were instead shown multiple brand options -- including pricing -- next to Uber? This would not be good for Uber. There would be very visible alternatives -- with potentially lower prices -- which could take business from the aforementioned leader. Today, Google Maps is slowly enabling this very thing by expanding on its initial ride-share options, adding some significant choices when searching for a ride -- Lyft nationwide, and Gett in NYC. While Uber should be worried, consumers should be absolutely thrilled.
Protecting your wireless security camera footage
About four years ago, before I had children, I was quite surprised when friends of mine had a baby monitor with a video display -- not because I didn't think something like that was possible, but the fact that it was normal and available in a nice wireless package was striking for someone inexperienced in the baby world.
Several years later, my wife now checks on our younger child every night with one. The sense of security and convenience that come with a device to instantly check on someone or something that you care about can be extremely valuable.
Oracle buys LogFire to boost supply chain management tools
In order to boost the features of its supply chain management cloud offering, Oracle will be acquiring the Atlanta-based LogFire that provides cloud-based warehouse management applications.
Oracle believes that LogFire's applications will really help complement the logistics functionality of its own Oracle Supply Chain Management (SCM), through the addition of the ability to manage warehouses. The financial terms of the company's proposed acquisition have yet to be disclosed, but both LogFire's employees and management will be joining the Oracle SCM Cloud Team.
Amazon announces Fire HD 8 with quad-core processor and 12-hour battery life
Today, Amazon reveals details of the latest addition to its Fire range of tablets, the Fire HD 8. As the name would suggest, this is an 8-inch tablet and the key selling point is the fact that it is absolutely dirt cheap.
Of course, this is not its only selling point: there's also 12 hours of battery life -- something which is important for an entertainment-focused device. Much of the hardware has been upgraded from previous models, but it is by no means a powerhouse.
Chrome to warn users of insecure HTTP sites that transmit passwords or credit card info
With Chrome, Google is on a mission. A mission to make the internet a safer place. Its ultimate goal is to display a warning that HTTP sites (rather than HTTPS) are insecure, but this is a long-term plan and there are many stages to go.
Starting at the beginning of next year in Chrome 56, the plan moves to its next stage. As of January 2017, any HTTP sites that transmit passwords or credit card details will be flagged up as being insecure.
NirSoft releases FullEventLogView, EventLogChannelsView
Freeware supremo NirSoft has released two new tools, FullEventLogView and EventLogChannelsView. FullEventLogView lists all events from your local event logs, the events of a remote system or the contents of a .evtx file.
The program makes it simple to sort the events by time order, group them by type (information, warning, error) and more.
New cloud suite aims to eliminate passwords
Passwords are old technology and were never really designed to protect public access to sensitive information like bank and healthcare details. Yet despite the introduction of new technologies like two-factor authentication, biometric recognition and others, the password continues to cling on.
Identity and authentication platform Trusona wants to hasten the death of the password with the introduction of its Cloud Identity Suite, offering three tiers of identity-proofing and authentication, and making the basic level available for free.
More than half of malware infected files in cloud apps are shared with others
The latest report on enterprise cloud usage and trends from cloud security specialist Netskope reveals that 55.9 percent of malware-infected files found in cloud apps are shared publicly.
It also finds that ransomware is now one of the most common threats, with 43.7 percent of malware infections found in enterprise cloud apps having delivered ransomware. These include Javascript exploits and droppers, Microsoft Office macros and PDF exploits.
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.