Is iOS 9 adoption REALLY 50 percent?
As has become the norm after a new iOS launch, Apple has been keen to crow about the high adoption rate for iOS 9. The company recently claimed that in just three days, more than half of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches had iOS 9 installed. Seems a little high? You're not alone in feeling that way. Has Apple massaged the figures about iOS adoption rates?
While there are many reasons to make the upgrade to iOS 9, the 50 percent figure is not in line with measurements from other sources. It's fair to say that only Apple has access to the real raw data, but Crittercism suggests that on the measurement date of 19 September used by Apple, adoption of iOS 9 was possibly less than half of what's been claimed.
DDoS attacks target online gambling sites
The online gambling industry is big business, estimated to be worth over $40 billion this year. But its success makes it a target for extortion and for DDoS attacks.
DDoS can prove particularly harmful for this type of site as around 60 percent of transactions are carried out in real time and are therefore sensitive to latency.
Belgium believes Facebook is as bad as the NSA for spying
Belgian Privacy Commission (BPC) said during a court hearing earlier this week that Facebook is spying on its users in Europe. The American social media company is allegedly violating privacy laws, monitors information of non-users and logged-out users, all for the purpose of placing ads, IB Times just wrote in a report.
This is a developing story which started in April this year, when the Centre of Interdisciplinary Law and ICT at the University of Leuven in Belgium claimed the social network’s privacy policy violates European Union laws.
New archiving solution helps businesses stay compliant
Companies are increasingly required to retain, quickly search and produce, as well as supervise electronic communications to meet regulatory compliance and e-discovery obligations.
To help businesses deliver on these requirements, hosted archiving specialist Smarsh -- not a villainous organization from a Bond film, honest -- is launching an enhanced version of its cloud-based Web Archiving solution.
Vodafone's #BeStrong campaign uses emoji to raise awareness of cyberbullying
October is National Bullying Prevention month in the UK, but the problem of cyberbullying is one that pays no regard to national boundaries. To help raise awareness of the issue, Vodafone has launched a set of anti-cyberbullying emoji, as voted for by thousands of teenagers.
Celebrities such as Alan Cumming, Monika Lewinsky, Caprice, and Dancing Man are getting involved, tweeting using the #BeStrong hashtag. For every retweet, Vodafone is making a donation to anti-bullying charities, and the telecoms company has also drawn inspiration from Jimmy Kimmel's 'mean tweets' as part of the campaign.
Here are the specs of 2015 Google Nexus 5
When Google unveiled its latest Nexus smartphone last year, many were disappointed that the search giant didn't announce a new version of the beloved Nexus 5. Yes, Nexus 6 was there to take its place, topping its predecessor in just about every regard, but the phablet was just too big for plenty of folks. So sales of the aging Nexus 5 continued until mid-March 2015, if only to just keep fans happy.
This year, however, Google will announce the real successor of the Nexus 5 we know and love. And, courtesy of Amazon India, who listed the smartphone ahead of time, we now know its main hardware specifications.
Evernote invites Windows and Mac users to try the new beta
Taking notes and making lists is something almost everyone does, and lists can become almost compulsive. For the task you need a good tool. Preferably one that works everywhere -- yes, paper covers that, but this is the technology era.
Evernote is one of the most popular alternatives to paper, as it runs on just about any platform, be it a computer or mobile device. While it all works well together -- create a shopping list on your PC, have it appear on your phone while you're in the store -- the company wanted to clean things up and modernize a bit. It has been working on an update and it's now ready for beta testing by Windows and Mac users.
BlueData simplifies big data infrastructure deployments
The complexity of the systems needed to handle it is often a major barrier to companies setting up big data projects.
A new release from big data platform BlueData aims to simplify things by offering a turnkey, purpose-built big data infrastructure solution for enterprises to accelerate their deployment times.
IObit Driver Booster 3 keeps your drivers up-to-date
IObit has released IObit Driver Booster 3, the latest edition of its one-stop driver updater for Windows XP and later.
A larger database -- 200,000 drivers and counting -- means the program can handle even more hardware.
A Windows 10 'virus' crippled my Internet connection (and I want it back!)
Ah! The joys of living on a tropical island. The sun. The sand. The surf... ing the web with high latency on a clogged Internet connection while paying through the nose for capped bandwidth. Yes, it truly is "paradise" -- unless, of course, you’re a seasoned Industry Analyst trying to get some work done over said connection. Which is why the latest bit of Windows malware to grace the PCs of my bandwidth-hungry teenagers has me absolutely livid.
Dubbed the "Massive Payload Virus" (MPV) by experts, this malicious code is designed specifically to cripple metered Internet connections by plastering any fully-activated Windows 7 or 8 system with gigabytes (over 3GB per PC, in my case) of data. The enormous download (which also appears to be code of some kind) is then spooled into a single, cleverly named folder in the PC’s root directory, where it lies dormant until triggered by an as yet undetermined external event.
People trust governments with their data, but not private companies
Here’s a plot twist: despite everything that’s been going on with governments spying on other governments and people, despite countries looking to ban encrypted communications apps and generally fighting against encrypted communications, people still trust the government with their data more than private service providers.
Those are the results of a survey made by secure Swiss-based data center provider Artmotion. It surveyed more than 1000 citizens in the US, Europe, Russia and Australia.
Google gives great WiFi with OnHub [review]
One word describes Google's wireless router: Fantastic! That should be enough said, but one of my colleagues asked me how much OnHub costs. He bristled at $199.99, calling it too much. So, okay, let's do a real review that explains the magic that Google and partner TP-LINK accomplish with this remarkable router. But I warn you now: Buying one, even for two C notes, isn't easy. This thing is out of stock most everywhere, as it has been for weeks.
Simply stated: OnHub is the best router ever to anchor my home network. Beauty, simplicity, availability, and extensibility are On Hub's defining characteristics. Sold in blue or black enclosures, the thing is gorgeous, and it feels as solid as it looks. Setup and maintenance are frightening for their ease. The usable wireless range far exceeds the Apple AirPort Extreme router that OnHub replaces in my home. The network device packs protocols and other features you won't need now but will want later on.
VisionTek High Power 40W Five Port USB Car Charger [Review]
Smartphone battery life has improved over the years, but it is still largely deficient. For many consumers, it is still impossible to make it through a full day without needing a charge.
Luckily, for those of us with cars, we can charge it while traveling. The problem? Most chargers will only accommodate one phone at a time. Yeah, some can handle two, or even three, but what if your family is larger than a trio? Ahh, well, that is where VisionTek's 40W Five Port USB Car Charger comes in. Yes, it offers five USB ports with simultaneous charging. Should you buy it?
Facebook and other social networks no longer have to reveal terrorist discussions to US government
Government snooping into online activity is something that has long appalled privacy groups around the world. In something of a victory for those concerned about privacy and government meddling, the US Senate has killed plans that would have required social networks to tell the government about any users talking about terrorism-related topics.
The change of heart is a win not only for social network users, but also the social networks themselves who will no longer be required to police content more than they already do. The policy had been criticized for being vague, placing undue pressure on companies, and limiting freedom of speech.
India drops insane encryption policy
The Indian government has performed a U-turn on a proposed encryption policy. Draft papers showed that the plan was to require people to store non-encryption versions of any data they have encrypted.
The draft policy was an all-encompassing one, and this led to a vocal backlash from users of social networks and messaging tools. The Indian government was forced to backtrack somewhat, making it clear that social media would be exempt and indicating that there is still a great deal of work to be done on the policy.
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