Now you can listen to BetaNews stories as well as read them
TuneIn is the world's largest mobile radio app with over 50 million monthly users. The company works with the likes of ESPN, BBC and Wall Street Journal, and now it will also be providing audio versions of BetaNews stories.
If you’re a regular visitor to our site, you may have noticed some stories have had an audio player at the top of the page (like the one above here). We’ve been trialling the service for a while, and now it’s ready to go fully live.
Adobe announces Brackets 1.0 and Extract for Brackets (Preview)
Brackets is an open source text editor built with web technologies for web designers and developers. Adobe created the tool three years ago, and has been contributing to it ever since. Now, after 45 minor releases, Brackets finally hits the long awaited 1.0 milestone.
The program blends visual tools into the editor, making it easier to design in code. Recent additions include multiple cursors, split view, theme support, and more. The latest release also comes with a preview version of Extract for Brackets, which is a new Creative Cloud service that speeds up the process of pulling design information like colors, fonts and gradients out of a Photoshop file, and turning it into CSS.
Malware on the rise, with Trojans by far the biggest threat
Not worried about malware? Provided you take sensible precautions when on the web, and have decent anti-malware installed, your chances of getting infected are relatively low, but the threat still persists and isn’t to be underestimated.
According to PandaLabs, a total of 20 million new strains were created worldwide in the third quarter of 2014, which works out to 227,747 new samples being identified every day.
PlayStation 4 sales double that of Xbox One in first year
If you’ve been following the sales of Microsoft and Sony’s next gen consoles, you’ll know that the PS4 has been outselling its rival each month. However, a year after they went on sale we finally get to see the scale of the sales difference between the two.
In the last quarter, Sony shipped 4.1 million PlayStations globally, of which 3.3 million were PlayStation 4s. Microsoft on the other hand shipped 2.4 million Xbox units. Now we don’t know how many of those were Xbox Ones, and how many were Xbox 360s (Microsoft doesn’t provide a breakdown), but given the older console still sells very well, it’s safe to assume the PS4 sales were double that of the Xbox One in that quarter. Now, let’s look at the bigger picture.
Windows 8.1 finally takes off -- shows staggering market share growth
Hands up if you saw that coming? We’ve been so used to Windows 8 and 8.1 losing usage share month on month, that any kind of move in the right direction -- i.e. growth -- seems almost an anomaly. And when Windows 8.x does gain usage share, it’s usually pretty minimal.
Not in October. According to the latest usage share figures from web analytics firm NetMarketShare, Windows 8 use grew in that month, and Windows 8.1 (finally) took off like a rocket. In fact, Windows 8.1’s growth in that month is so impressive you’ve got to imagine the number crunchers at NetMarketShare spent a long time checking and re-checking their findings to make sure there wasn’t a mistake at their end.
Frightening facts about email
There are days when I get absolutely swamped with email -- my work and personal inboxes are frequently filled to bursting -- and I’m not alone in struggling with the never ending deluge of demanding messages.
Unroll.me, a service which helps users keep their inboxes under control, has put together a Halloween-themed infographic detailing some of the most frightening facts about email. Did you know, for example, that the average person in the US, spends four hours a day reading, composing and replying to messages?
10 clever ways Microsoft could improve Windows 10
Aurélio "Baboo" knows what he wants to see in Microsoft’s next operating system, and has put together his own vision of Windows 10 "build 9928", spending over 50 hours on creating images in Photoshop that show the changes he thinks Microsoft should implement.
Top of his list, and that of many Windows users, is the return of Aero. Flat might be where it’s at right now, but there’s no question that adding some transparency effects to windows looks good, and I’d be happy to see Microsoft include this option in Windows 10. "I’m honestly not worried about the extra cents in energy consumption Aero that costs me when I’m using my desktop or laptop, because Windows is much more enjoyable with it", Baboo says.
Apple Pay rival CurrentC hacked -- email addresses stolen
Yesterday, Ed Oswald wrote a story about the retailer-backed payment network CurrentC, describing it as a threat to iPhone and Android users alike. In the article he spoke about the security of the system, saying "CurrentC is overly complicated, and just leaves too many opportunities for something to go wrong, or a hacker to make their way in".
He turns out to have been spot on, as today MCX admits its service has already been hacked, with email addresses of participants in the pilot program and other interested individuals being stolen. Hardly the most auspicious of starts. The following email was sent to those affected:
Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, or Roku Streaming Stick -- which is best?
As my colleague Brian Fagioli said yesterday when reporting on the launch of Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick, there’s no shortage of streaming devices available to choose from, and knowing which to go for can be tricky.
If you use Chrome, have an Android phone, and love YouTube, then Chromecast is probably for you. If, on the other hand, you are an Amazon Prime member, then the Fire TV Stick is a good choice, especially as it can currently be had for just $19. The Roku Streaming Stick has over a thousand channels to choose from and loads of options. Still not sure which to go for? Let’s take a look at what they all have to offer.
Home appliances set to become wireless charging points for phones and other devices
At the moment, when you want to charge your smartphone or tablet you have to either plug it in, or (if it supports the technology) place it on a wireless charging mat. That's all set to change though, as soon you’ll be able to charge your electrical equipment simply by being near a fridge or washing machine.
It sounds like crazy science fiction, but it’s just very clever science. Energous today announces a partnership with Haier Wireless, the world's largest appliance manufacturer, that will see its WattUp wire-free charging transmitters embedded in a wide range of home appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, microwaves, stoves and more.
Fire Phone flops badly, burns Amazon
Amazon didn’t have a good third quarter, reporting a net loss of $437 million, which is up significantly from the $41m loss it reported for the same quarter last year. Contributing to that loss is the abject failure of the Fire Phone.
My colleague Brian Fagioli described Amazon's handset as Android done differently in his review, and although he liked it, he said it wouldn’t be for everyone. It turns out it’s for hardly anyone.
B&O PLAY introduces BeoPlay A2, its first Bluetooth speaker
Bluetooth speakers can be a mixed bag, audio-wise. I have a Cambridge Audio speaker which I’m very happy with, but I may be tempted to stray now that B&O PLAY has launched the BeoPlay A2.
The stylish new speaker is designed be carried and has a leather strap/handle on the side. It features Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound and delivers 180W power, with True360 omni-directional performance so the audio should sound good no matter where you are in the room. It has two speaker drivers on each side -- a 3/4-inch tweeter and a 3-inch full range driver.
EHEAR E2: A wearable Bluetooth video camera that won't break the bank [Review]
You never know when you’ll see or hear something interesting when out and about. If you want to record what's going on around you, the easiest solution is to whip out your smartphone, but that’s not always practical -- if you’re driving for example, or performing any task that requires both hands (like mountain biking down a treacherous slope).
The EHEAR E2 is a small finger-sized recording device that hooks over your ear, and lets you record what you see. You can fire up the camera with a single tap, and then view your recordings on a phone or tablet later on.
Is the iPad mini losing its appeal?
When Apple announced its new iPads last week it was, unsurprisingly, iPad Air 2 that got the most focus. It’s Apple’s flagship (and most expensive) tablet after all, and received the greatest improvements.
The iPad mini 3 had little new to offer, and so was presented almost as an afterthought. Rather curiously, Apple is now selling three generations of the mini at varying price points, but new sales data suggests the smaller tablet is falling out of favor with consumers.
The best free Start menus for Windows 8.1
With Windows 10, Microsoft will finally restore the missing Start menu to its tiled operating system. That’s great news for anyone who isn’t a fan of the Start screen and Modern UI. But Windows 10 is still a good six months away (probably longer), so until it arrives, the only options for users of Windows 8.x is to either accept the Start screen, or install a third party Start button and menu.
The good news is there are plenty of excellent free options available. Here are our top 12 recommendations.
Wayne's Bio
Wayne Williams is BetaNews' managing editor. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for over 20 years now. He’s written for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a fair few of them in his time also. If you like what you read, you can Buy Me a Coffee!
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