Change the look of your Windows Phone 8.1 homescreen with Theme+
Windows Phone 8.1 may not be as customizable as Android is, but the newest iteration of the tiled smartphone operating system does give users a fair bit of leeway when it comes to their homescreen layout and appearance. There are quite a few live tile colors to choose from, two background options, and, if that is not custom enough, an image can be set as background for pinned live tiles.
However, users can go even further with the homescreen customization in Windows Phone 8.1 by turning to third-party apps, like Theme+. It can generate custom images which are sized to work properly as live tile backgrounds.
Adaptiva OneSite boosts WAN performance and optimizes Windows 8 environments
With business becoming more global and having remote offices in different locations, network performance is more than ever a key issue for administrators, especially when performing system updates.
System management specialist Adaptiva has launched a new version of its SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) tool OneSite, aimed at improving WAN performance and scalability as well as making the most of Windows 8 environments.
Adobe Voice lets iPad users quickly create slideshow-based video stories
Adobe has unveiled a new free app for iPad users. Dubbed an app for storytelling, Adobe Voice 1.0 allows users to create animated slideshow-based video stories based on their own narrated scripts.
Each slide -- or "page" -- consists of a recorded sentence or two, a choice of layouts and then a selection of text, icons or photos that are automatically animated and edited together into a single movie that can be played back or shared online.
Add a pattern password to your PC with Eusing Maze Lock
PC access is usually restricted with a plain text password, but this isn’t the only option. Windows 8 users can already create a picture password, where they log in by drawing custom gestures (with a fingertip, or the mouse) over their chosen image.
If you’re not using Windows 8, then installing Eusing Maze Lock similarly protects your lock screen with a smartphone-like pattern password, this time using custom swipes over a 3×3 grid of dots.
Why 'Look Up' is just a load of nostalgic nonsense
Whether you like poetry or not, you've probably seen or heard about Gary Turk's "Look Up" -- a video that laments Generation Y's constant lust for information from Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and other social media on mobile devices.
Since being uploaded to YouTube on 25 April, Look Up has racked up over 29 million views and divided opinion across the net as to whether we're drowning ourselves in a pool of useless notifications, or actually an empowered and more socialized society due to our circles of Internet friends.
Top changes in Internet Explorer 11 for Windows Phone 8.1
Microsoft officially announced Windows Phone 8.1 at the Build conference in early-April, and later released a preview build to developers and early adopters. The new iteration of the tiled smartphone operating system comes with important new features and improvements over its aging predecessor, among which being the much-awaited notification center and the Cortana personal assistant. The upgrade has yet to be rolled out to Windows Phone 8 smartphones.
As it is gearing up for the public availability of the OS, Microsoft has detailed some of the most important changes it introduced in Internet Explorer 11 for Windows Phone 8.1. By the looks of it, the browser is finally able to rival what the likes of Chrome offer on competing platforms.
Google Nest -- not real, but it could be
Google acquired smart hardware company Nest Labs at the beginning of the year as part of its move into the home. The Internet of Things is set to be big in the coming years, and Google inevitably wants a slice of that pie.
A new site, Google Nest, has been launched that showcases a number of new Google products created off the back of that purchase, and which are "for living life on the web with ease and comfort" while at the same time restoring "confidence in the opportunities the internet offers". The new products are Google Trust, Google Hug, Google Bee and Google Bye. It all looks very convincing, but it’s actually a parody site set up to take a well-aimed shot at Google’s sometimes questionable policies and practices.
Nokia XL reaches APAC, IMEA
Nokia XL is part of a highly-anticipated Android lineup the Finnish company unveiled in late-February, before the sale of its Devices & Services business to Microsoft. It is targeted at the entry-level smartphone market, and sports a look similar to more upscale Lumia handsets.
Stephen Elop, former Nokia CEO and current head of Microsoft's Devices and Studios division, has said the software giant would remain committed to the X lineup (despite the role it plays in the Windows Phone market), following the sale's completion. That makes Microsoft an Android vendor (one of many). And with the availability of the Android device in the two extra regions, the software giant is not hindering the smartphone's chances of success.
Give images a fun 3D effect with WiggleGif
WiggleGif is a $0.99 Windows 8 app which can give your images a fun animated 3D effect (look right for an example).
While this can look quite sophisticated, the underlying principles are very basic. There’s no clever combining of multiple images here, WiggleGif generates the different views itself and exports the results as an animated GIF.
5 areas that need improvement in Office 365 Outlook Web App
Microsoft's timing on a blog post released today, provocatively titled "Outlook Web App provides more efficient calendar delegation and management than Gmail," is rather ironic. That's because I was gathering some thoughts on the areas in which this tool still needs improvement and is lacking. So while Microsoft is busy tooting it's own horn, I'm going to turn up the heat a bit for a reality check on the part of 365 I spend the most time in daily, which is OWA.
Don't get me wrong -- I absolutely love OWA in Office 365 and have been using it primetime since my IT company ditched Google Apps late last year. But it's not without its rough edges.
Microsoft working on a smartwatch according to new patent
Apple's iWatch is becoming more strongly rumored as the months pass, but Microsoft could also enter the smartwatch arena -- we've previously heard plenty of speculation on this front, and now a patent for such a watch has been spotted.
The watch has fitness and health capabilities -- heart rate monitoring and all the usual gubbins such as calories burned -- and there's a twist to the design whereby the watch body can be detached from the strap, and then used with other hardware. For example, it could be docked with other fitness-related devices to share data.
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others band together in petition to FCC
If you've just crawled from beneath a rock then you may not be aware that Chairman Wheeler, head of the Federal Communications Commission, is proposing new rules regarding net neutrality. The current chairman is a former lobbyist and certainly can expect to land a posh position when his tenure ends. While that is Washington DC politics in a nutshell, it doesn't mean things must remain status quo.
Before getting to the open letter in question, a bit of background is in order. First, you can find the organization's "open internet" guidelines here. However, it is not all what it appears to be on the surface. The proposal from Tom Wheeler gives service providers, the likes of 600 pound gorilla Comcast, the right to prioritize traffic. This is something the cable/ISP companies have been doing for sometime in a successful effort to get money from places like Netflix.
Linux desktop environment LXQt achieves first release
Besides being stable and versatile, Linux-based operating systems are very customizable too. You see, most distributions allow you to customize the UI by selecting different environments. While GNOME, KDE and Unity are a few of the popular environments, there are many others as well.
Two such less-known, but well-respected environments are LXDE and Razor-qt. Surprisingly, last year, the projects decided to merge. It makes sense, as they both share the focus of being lightweight and functional. Today, the fruition of their merger goes public -- LXQt 0.7.0.
Tomorrow only -- Get your mom the HTC One M8 for $99
Your mom is a lovely lady, I'm sure. Let us not forget that she carried you in her womb for nine or so months. She went through the pain of birth for you. If you are reading BetaNews, there is a good chance that you are really smart and have a huge cranium. Imagine the agony she endured!
So, what are you buying her for Mother's Day this year? I hope you didn't forget -- it is this upcoming Sunday. Hell, if you have kids you need to buy your wife or baby-mama a gift too. This year, you could get the moms in your life a gift card to Walmart or a massaging foot-bath, but come on, that is just weak. This year, man-up and get the lady an HTC One M8. Tomorrow, HTC will be selling it for half off.
6 tips to increase company security post-Heartbleed from LastPass CEO, Joe Siegrist
Heartbleed was a security nightmare that caught the technology world unaware and unprepared. There was a good deal of panicking in the immediate aftermath, but looking back a month down the line there is a lot to learn from what happened. But perhaps the most important thing is what happens moving forward.
Post-Heartbleed, Joe Siegrist, CEO for LastPass has a series of tips for companies to help protect data and improve privacy.
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