Prior to Apple 'Hello Again' Mac event, Satechi unveils Slim Aluminum Wireless Keypad
Next week, on October 27, Apple will hold a press event called "Hello Again". While the company has not officially announced the products to be unveiled, rumors suggest we will see new Mac computers. Apple has long neglected its desktops and laptops (it still sells a MacBook from 2012), and consumers have been eagerly anticipating refreshed machines with better specifications. It is quite likely that the wants of these folks will be met next week.
Unfortunately for some, Mac computers (and many Windows machines too) no longer have number pads (aka keypads). For those that work in the financial sector, or simply learned to type using a keyboard with a number pad, this can be problematic. Fortunately, there are many third-party options on the market. Today, Satechi releases the all-new Slim Aluminum Wireless Keypad and it looks like a winner. If you are planning to buy one of the rumored new Mac computers, this could be a godsend. Not only does it come in colors to match Apple devices, but it is slimmer than Satechi's prior offering.
Not every iPhone 7 is created equal
Depending on which iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus version you buy, you may experience slower storage and cellular speeds compared to other models in the lineup -- and, at least when it comes to the wireless performance, there may be nothing that you can do about it.
A report on the storage performance of the base iPhone 7 Plus, which features 32GB of storage, reveals that it is a couple of times slower at the same task than a 128GB iPhone 7, in both synthetic and real-life benchmarks.
Microsoft Q1 FY2017 by the numbers: $22.34 billion revenue, $5.98 billion profit
Microsoft has posted its earnings for Q1 FY2017 (Q3 CY2016), revealing revenue of $22.34 billion, operating income of $7.1 billion, net income of $5.98 billion, and earnings per share of $0.76 cents. The software giant beat analyst expectations of $21.71 billion in revenue and EPS of $0.68. The stock is up around 5.5 percent over yesterday, with shares trading at over $60 -- a record value for the company.
How do the latest numbers compare to Q1 FY2016? A year ago Microsoft reported revenue of $21.66 billion, operating income of $7.07 billion, net income of $5.66 billion and EPS of $0.70. So the revenue, operating income, net income, and EPS are up.
What you need to know about virtualization
The first question that businesses are likely to ask when considering virtualization is: what exactly is it? In IT terms, hardware virtualization refers to the act of using virtual, rather than physical computer resources. Practically speaking, this means that there is an abstraction layer between the physical hardware and the IT resources that the business consumes. For example, virtualization software will enable a single, physical machine to deliver multiple workloads simultaneously, with each workload only accessing the specific physical resources that are allocated to it.
In its most simple form, virtualization may refer to the partition of a hard drive, as this makes a single, physical storage device behave as if it is two hard drives. However, IT virtualization examples also come in much more complex forms. The core concept to remember is that to the end user, virtualization makes it appear as though they are accessing a single IT component or resource, regardless of the underlying hardware. Virtualization enables businesses to consolidate IT resources, such as network, CPUs, memory and storage and provision them as they see fit, usually via a network connection.
How can form analytics help businesses increase conversions?
A form is one of the most important elements on many websites because it is where conversions happen, leads are created, and relationships begin.
According to MarketingCharts, Lead Gen forms have an average conversion rate of just 17 percent. As dismal as these numbers are, the good news lies in the immense opportunity left by the 83 percent of visitors who do not convert on forms -- and the data-driven solution to help win over more of them.
The legal challenges for autonomous vehicles
Gartner described 2015 as the peak of the driverless car "hype cycle", as the battle between established car manufacturers and technology companies intensified to produce driverless or autonomous vehicles. However the driverless car phenomenon has escalated very quickly in recent months with Uber, Google and now traditional car manufacturer Ford having announced their plans to create and test self-driving vehicles, and rumors surfacing of Apple acquiring McLaren.
The US has also recently issued Federal proposed guidelines setting out 15 benchmarks car manufacturers will need to meet before their autonomous vehicles can hit the road. Ford is currently developing in-car connectivity, ride-sharing and autonomous technologies through its subsidiary; Ford Smart Mobility (FSM) and will launch its self-driving car by 2021. This vehicle will come without a steering wheel, an accelerator or pedals -- an image of a car that was probably unimaginable a decade ago and the battle for the dashboard becomes easier to imagine.
Photo-to-painting converter FotoSketcher gets a test Android release
The popular PC "photo-to-painting" converter FotoSketcher is now available on Android in a very basic, advanced-user-only test release.
This alpha app is only available as a stand-alone .apk file, and if you manage to install it anyway you’ll find there’s only a single painting effect, and even that is a work-in-progress.
How to enable free 'Canonical Livepatch Service' for Linux kernel live-patching on Ubuntu
Linux 4.0 introduced a wonderful feature for those that need insane up-time -- the ability to patch the kernel without rebooting the machine. While this is vital for servers, it can be beneficial to workstation users too. Believe it or not, some home users covet long up-time simply for fun -- bragging rights, and such.
If you are an Ubuntu 16.04 LTS user (with generic Linux kernel 4.4) and you want to take advantage of this exciting feature, I have good news -- it is now conveniently available for free! Unfortunately, this all-new Canonical Livepatch Service does have a catch -- it is limited to three machines per user. Of course, home users can register as many email addresses as they want, so it is easy to get more if needed. Businesses can pay for additional machines through Ubuntu Advantage. Want to give it a go? Read on.
What you need to know about DevOps
The term DevOps is being thrown around a lot in the IT industry at the moment, but what exactly does it mean and, more importantly, how can it help an enterprise?
As a combination of developer and operations, DevOps looks to bring these two different areas of digital business together to provide the perfect combination of innovation and user-focused processes during software development. Continuous deployment and continuous delivery are both important aspects of this and, when adopting DevOps, it is vitally important that businesses assess which one is right for them. It also looks towards the automation of delivering changes to infrastructure and software.
Samsung's 8GB RAM module will let you run virtual machines on mobile devices
Pretty soon it will be common for high-end smartphones to have as much -- if not more -- RAM than your PC, as Samsung just unveiled a new 8GB LPDDR4 module for mobile devices featuring large, UHD displays.
Samsung believes that mobile devices equipped with 8GB of RAM will be able to handle 4K video playback with ease but also virtual machines. The latter scenario is not a common on smartphones and tablets, but Samsung wants to bring mobile devices on a similar level to desktops and laptops, at least in consumers' minds.
What you need to know about quantum computing
Most people will be familiar with Moore’s Law which states that the number of transistors it’s possible to get on a microprocessor doubles every 18 months. If this holds true it means that some time in the 2020s we’ll be measuring these circuits on an atomic scale.
You might think that that’s where everything comes to a juddering halt. But the next step from this is the creation of quantum computers which use the properties of atoms and molecules to perform processing and memory tasks.
New automation tool helps businesses deploy Docker containers
Automated software delivery specialist Puppet is launching a new Docker Image Build tool, which automates the container build process to help organizations as they define, build, and deploy containers into production environments.
It adds to existing Puppet functionality for installing and managing container infrastructure, providing a standard, consistent way to install Docker operating environments as well as building and deploying containers.
Nintendo Switch is both a home and portable video game console
As someone who was born in the 1980's, Nintendo was a huge part of my childhood. My first console from the company was the iconic NES. My family did not have much money, but my parents ended up surprising me with it one day. Hilariously, we hooked it up to a black-and-white TV at first -- I only saw color in my games when playing at a friend's house. Nintendo nostalgia is common with folks that grew up in the 80's and 90's.
Unfortunately, the company hit a rough patch with the Gamecube, but redeemed itself with the gimmicky Wii. Sadly, the next home console from the company, the Wii U, was a horrific flop, making some wonder if the game-maker should exit the hardware business entirely. Today, Nintendo looks to hush the haters with the all-new 'Switch' console. This tablet system (formerly known as NX) is a hybrid of sorts, as it has the ability to serve as both a portable or home console. Will millennials and other consumers care?
LeEco enters US smartphone market with $399 Le Pro3 flagship
Chinese tech giant LeEco is making its entrance in the US smartphone market. The first device to be officially available is its high-end Le Pro3, which features cutting edge hardware at an appealing price. It costs $399, but on launch day the Le Pro3 will actually be offered for just $299, after a $100 rebate is applied.
LeEco's approach is no different to that of other Chinese vendors, like Xiaomi, as it also delivers flagship-grade hardware at a price that undercuts its premium rivals by hundreds of dollars. But, unlike many of its home rivals, LeEco will soon have an official presence in US, which will make a big difference when it comes to consumer trust and sales in the country.
US Presidential debate launches latest Twitter meme
The US has perhaps grown used to the political season, complete with its ugly mudslinging. The name-calling-laced tirades become something that many just tune out, sometimes in fear for their own sanity. 2016 has become an example of gutter-talk that will be held up for many years and it has fueled late night comedians like no previous campaign.
If nothing else, the debates alone have kept Saturday Night Live relevant, though one candidate no longer thinks a show he once hosted is very funny anymore and has even stated that it should be taken off the air.
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