Microsoft Band is dead -- just like Windows 10 Mobile
Microsoft's Band wearable is actually a decent product, albeit very limited. As Apple Watch dominates the smartwatch market with exciting features and apps, Band is essentially just a boring fitness wearable. While being focused isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is simply too expensive and uncomfortable for what it is. There were some significant quality issues too, such as the strap tearing.
Today, Microsoft essentially kills the Band. It has pulled the wearable from its stores, while also shocking the world by announcing a third-generation model will not be released in 2016. True, a Band 3 was never officially announced, but the Microsoft faithful were holding out hope for the holidays. Sadly, just like Windows 10 Mobile, it is time to bury the Band six feet under. Rest in Peace, little wearable!
Anonymous' new weekly news show will make you angry
Four weeks ago, I reported on how hacktivist collective Anonymous was planning its own weekly news show. The aim of Teh Weekly News is, Anonymous says, to "balance establishment media by providing unregulated investigative news that has not been molded to corporate or government interests".
The first episode of the new show is available to watch below, and does a good job of covering all of the stories that likely anger you when they appear, often only fleetingly, in the mainstream news.
Oracle loses appeal against Google in Java API case
Oracle has once again been unsuccessful in its latest effort to obtain a new trial in its Java API copyright claim against Google. Judge William Alsup of the San Francisco District Court has denied Oracle's latest motion to have its case reheard on the grounds of misconduct on the part of Google's lawyers.
Since 2010, the two companies have been in an ongoing legal war that was ruled in Google's favor. However, in the six years that have passed Oracle has repeatedly appealed the ruling multiple times.
IBM buys Promontory Financial Group
In an attempt to improve its financial capabilities, IBM will acquire the Promontory Financial Group which will be integrated with its global business and will aid in training its Watson artificial intelligence (AI) platform. The company announced the acquisition on Thursday but it did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Promontory was founded by Eugene A. Ludwig, who is a former top banking regulator and a friend of of former President Bill Clinton from law school. The Washington firm became one of the leading financial organizations following the 2008 financial crisis. Promontory's current employees include many former financial regulators from across the globe, and it has advised numerous banks on regulatory matters.
Steam shows Windows 10 usage dropping among gamers too, as Linux and Mac make gains
September wasn’t a good month for Windows 10. After enjoying uninterrupted meteoric growth since launch, usage share for the new OS actually dropped off last month, according to the latest figures from NetMarketShare announced on Saturday.
That's not the only bad news for Microsoft either. Gamers, who typically prefer to be running the latest operating system, also turned their back on Windows 10 in September.
Same hacker collective may be behind the biggest data breaches
You know that Yahoo breach that just happened recently? The one where 500 million credentials were stolen? Well, a highly respected security researcher claims the hack was done by the same group that breached MySpace, LinkedIn, Badoo, VK.com, and a few others.
The researcher in question is Andrew Komarov, and he told The Register that not only did the same group do all these things, but the number of breached Yahoo accounts is probably a billion. Double what was reported. Komarov says the group, referred to as "Group E", is a "small Eastern European hacking outfit" that makes money by hacking big companies and selling their data to whoever is willing to pay.
Mirai botnet code used to launch DDoS attack on Krebs On Security leaks online
Fears are mounting that there could soon be a rise in large scale DDoS attacks after the source code used to launch the recent crippling attack on Krebs On Security was shared on a hacker forum.
Brian Krebs' website was hit by what has been described as the largest ever DDos attack recently, and the Mirai botnet source code has now been made available for anyone to make use of. The style of attack is particularly interesting as it involves using compromised Internet of Things devices such as webcams and other connected IoT hardware.
Change the color of your world with LIFX bulbs [Review]
One of the fastest growing areas in home automation seems to be lighting. Every day new products come on the market and one of the most popular has been the Philips Hue, thanks to not only simple automation but also the ability to change colors. However, it is not the only one on the market with such a chameleon quality.
LIFX also produces bulbs that can set the color to your mood or taste. The LIFX Color 1000 is one of the latest models from the manufacturer and it will do all that other bulbs in this market are capable of.
You can now buy a Samsung Galaxy Note7 again
Things are slowly but surely starting to move in the right direction again for Samsung and its troublesome Galaxy Note7 flagship. Most affected units have been sent back, with the vast majority of customers opting to have their device replaced with a "new" -- or safe -- one. The only main thing left to do for Samsung is make the Galaxy Note7 available again.
During the recall, Samsung paused sales of the Galaxy Note7 to avoid introducing even more potentially dangerous units on the market. But now that there are enough safe Galaxy Note7 devices in stock, potential customers in some markets can get their hands on the flagship again.
Facebook Marketplace takes on eBay and Craigslist
Today, Facebook launches a new way to buy and sell goods online -- Facebook Marketplace. While the service may not win any prizes for the originality of its name, it provides a more efficient and effective way to find things that are for sale near you than currently exists on the social network.
To start with, Facebook Marketplace will be available to mobile app users on iOS and Android, but it will also come to Facebook on the desktop eventually. Facebook is taking a very hands-off approach to buying and selling, and is not getting involved in the murkier aspects of transactions such as payments or handling feedback.
KC Softwares unveils 'Wi-Fi troubleshooter' dot11expert
SUMo and KCleaner developer KC Softwares has unveiled its latest project, Wi-Fi troubleshooting tool dot11expert. The package displays low-level details about your network adapters, local wireless networks and access points: signal quality, SSID, MAC address, channel, authentication and more.
A separate graph plots the signal strength of all detected networks.
Linux Kernel 4.8 released with Microsoft Surface 3 touchscreen support
Over the weekend, Linux Kernel 4.8 was unleashed on the world. This version of the kernel has been available in no fewer than eight release candidate builds, but now there's a stable build for everyone to play with.
If you've been following through the release candidates, there are not a huge number of changes with the stable release -- mainly driver, architecture and a few bits of generic code. But for anyone who skipped these releases, there's more to look forward to including Raspberry Pi 3 SoC and Microsoft Surface 3 touchscreen support.
Microsoft Surface Book: Not the ultimate laptop, but close [Review]
The developing digital landscape has changed the way people interact with hardware. We are now more device-agnostic than ever -- both in our personal and professional lives -- meaning we are often carrying around two, sometimes three, devices to complete different tasks.
The 2-in-1 (or hybrid) market has looked to address this by merging the power and performance of a laptop with the flexibility and mobility of a tablet. For the most part, Microsoft has led the way in this area with its Surface and Surface Pro devices, but is now being pushed hard by the likes of Apple and Huawei.
Carphone Warehouse leaks full Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL specs
Google is on the verge of launching the Pixel and Pixel XL, but no launch would be complete without its share of leaks. This time around the slipup comes courtesy of UK retailer Carphone Warehouse which posted details of Google's upcoming phones, complete with photos and full specs.
The same mistake was made by Canada's Bell, effectively confirming the specifications which thus far have only been rumors. The listings not only reveal what we can expect in terms of hardware, but also show that Google is going to offer free, unlimited photo backups at full resolution for Pixel owners.
Google faces fines for anticompetitive Android practices in Europe
European regulators could hit Google with large fines if the company does not stop offering financial incentives to smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its own apps on handsets. Documents obtained by Reuters show that a potential fine could be linked to the revenue Google makes from AdWords.
With advertising being Google's primary source of income, this has the potential to be a fine of unparalleled magnitude. The European Commission knows that it needs to hit Google where it hurts if anticompetitive practices are to be effectively discouraged. The Commission says it "intends to set the fine at a level which will be sufficient to ensure deterrence".
Recent Headlines
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.