Latest Technology News

New Windows 10 Mobile Preview Build 14327 lets you send and receive texts from a Windows PC

Microsoft released Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 14322 less than a week ago, introducing numerous improvements and changes to Action Center, notifications, Cortana, Settings, emoji, Microsoft Edge, lockscreen, and more.

Today, the software giant rolls out another new build to the Fast ring, Build 14327, which, as well as fixing various known issues, also introduces a couple of noteworthy additions, including a Messaging Everywhere preview which lets users send and receive text messages from a Windows 10 PC.

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Migrating Oracle apps to the cloud

Cloud access

With companies of all sizes across the globe waking up to the benefits of moving some or all Oracle applications to the cloud, the cloud is rapidly becoming a star in many IT strategies of organizations. The benefits include the reduced need for up-front capital investment in order to accelerate return on investment, as well as gaining greater business insight and an excellent user experience.

The reality of today’s cloud technology is now matching -- or even exceeding -- the hype of a few years ago. However, some organizations are still cautious about moving business-critical applications to the cloud, based on perceived risks that are often overstated and based on outdated concerns.

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Google Chrome turns 50

Dog years is too slow a measurement when it comes to the Internet, which pace maturing makes Moore's Law look like a skeleton sitting at a feast (it's too feeble a metric). Case in point: Google Chrome 50 officially releases this fine Wednesday, which is a long way from its late-2007 alpha. Whew, where did the years go?

Now before you quibble about who's how old when, let's clarify. By my math, and an official blog post, Chrome turned 50 one week ago. Maybe none of us noticed. I write this the afternoon before Big G rolls out the birthday cake, and Chrome was v49 when I checked but updated to 50. Perhaps this is a push comes to shove thing: Pushing the official day a week later when automatic update shoves the new version out to most users.

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Google Inbox makes it easier to manage links, newsletters and calendar events

When it comes to email, Google is about more than just Gmail. With Inbox, Google has looked to simplify and automate email, and today the company announces three new features that take this further.

But Google doesn't think that 'features' is strong enough a word; instead these are 'experiences'. Specifically, there are new experiences that make it easier to keep track of calendar events, manage the links you email to yourself, and view all of the newsletters you subscribe to.

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Canonical releasing Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS 'Xenial Xerus' tomorrow -- will you download it?

Ubuntu is one of the best -- if not the best -- desktop Linux-based operating systems. Many people, including me, trust it for their computing needs every day. Best of all, Canonical releases special LTS versions every two years, offering a super-long five years of support.

Tomorrow, the latest such LTS version, 16.04, will see its official release. I've been running pre-release versions of this operating system for a while now, and it has been brilliantly stable. Tomorrow's release will be the best Ubuntu ever, featuring things like new snap packages, CephFS, and ZFS-on-Linux.

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ITIF says Europe is 'misguided' in bringing antitrust allegations against Google

The EU may be bringing an antitrust case against Google in relation to its Android operating system, but the ITIF (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation) thinks that this is 'misguided'. Rather than Google harming customer choice, the institute says that it is the case against Google that should be in the spotlight.

Google has made much of the fact that Android is open source, and the ITIF says that "holding 'open' operating systems to higher standard only hurts consumer choice". Vice President Daniel Castro says that the Android ecosystem reduces costs for consumers, increases choice, and complains that the European Commission has failed to give details of precisely how consumers are being harmed by Google.

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MobileDemand xCase for Microsoft Surface 3 [Review]

Microsoft's Surface 3 and Surface Pro 4 are among the best tablets for enterprise use. A full-blown version of Windows, light and sturdy build, adjustable kickstand, good battery life and optional keyboard enables them to work equally well at the desk and on the go. In harsher conditions, however, some extra protection is required.

For use in the field, MobileDemand has introduced a rugged case, called xCase. It promises "unparalleled durability and superior protection" for Surface 3 and Surface Pro 4. Offered in two versions, basic and premium, I have tested the latter in a Surface 3 trim -- here are my impressions.

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Bioo charges your phone from a potted plant

You probably know that you can use a potato as a battery and power clocks and small light bulbs from it. You don’t have to use a potato either -- certain other vegetables and fruits work just as well.

Arkyne Technologies claims that plants can also be used as a power source, and has produced a product called Bioo Lite which is able to use leafy green flora to charge devices, like smartphones and tablets. The company is currently seeking finance for its invention on Indiegogo where it has already hit 112 percent of its funding goal with a month to go.

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Frustration with conventional password management leads to risky behavior

weak password

One in three Americans indulges in some form of risky password practice, such as writing them down, according to the results of a new survey.

The report from access control specialist SecureAuth finds that Americans are exasperated with conventional online password management. It reveals that 74 percent rely on means other than memory to manage their online passwords, 35 percent write passwords down and 25 percent use the same password across several accounts.

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HPE focuses on diversity with 2016 Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security

Diversity is a tricky conversation. While everyone should have a fair chance at a job despite skin color, disability, gender, or sexual orientation, you can't force a certain group to enter an industry. In other words, percentages in a diversity report don't really tell the whole story.

The best approach to diversity is simply fostering opportunities for those that want it. Scholarships are a great option as it simply opens a door -- the recipient must walk through it. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has been supporting such a thing -- the Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security -- and today, it announces the number of 2016 recipients.

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Businesses need to use text messages to reach millennials

text message

Millennials have an overwhelming preference for texting according to new research. In fact, when given the choice between only being able to text or call on their mobile phones, 75 percent of millennials would rather lose the ability to talk.

Respondents to the survey from enterprise mobile specialist OpenMarket say texts are preferred because they're more convenient and on their own schedule (76 percent), texts are less disruptive than a voice call (63 percent), they prefer to text rather than call in general (53 percent) and because they never check voicemails (19 percent).

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Microsoft Azure's Container Service now generally available

Microsoft Azure's Container Service in now available to help companies deploy and manage containers using their choice of software.

Users of the service will be able to move their container workloads to the cloud easily and can still run their operations using open-source tools. The two most popular tools -- Mesosphere’s Data Centre Operating System (DC/OS) and Docker’s Swarm and Compose -- will be both be supported by Azure Container Service and users will be able to continue running their operations using the one they prefer.

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Google denies Android breaches EU antitrust rules

The European Union has charged Google with anticompetitive behaviour, saying that the company abused the dominance of Android in the mobile marketplace. Regulators have taken exception to Google's requirement on phone manufacturers to install Chrome and Google search, saying that this stifles innovation and limits user choice.

Unsurprisingly, Google disagrees and has hit back at the charges saying that "our business model keeps manufacturers' costs low and their flexibility high, while giving consumers unprecedented control of their mobile devices". More than this, Google says it prides itself on having built a sustainable ecosystem built on open source software. It also says that Android has been designed in such a way that is "good for competition and for consumers".

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EFF sues Justice Department to discover if secret orders are used to decrypt user data

EFF (the Electronic Frontier Foundation) has filed a Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit against the Justice Department. The digital rights group wants to learn whether the government has made use of secret court orders to force tech companies to provide access to encrypted user data.

After the Apple vs the FBI battle, there has been renewed interest in how companies handle not only encryption, but government requests for access to such data. With services such as WhatsApp enabling end-to-end encryption, attention has now switched to what might be happening in the background without users' knowledge. While Apple very publicly refused to provide decryption keys, EFF -- and others -- are concerned that secret court orders may be used to hide what is really happening.

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New analytics platform aims to transform mental healthcare

Healthcare data

Healthcare costs for people diagnosed with mental illness and common chronic health conditions are 75 percent higher than for those without a mental health diagnosis according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

This is because there’s often a lack of coordination between multiple care providers, different state policies and diverse payment structures which can result in poor health outcomes and higher costs across health systems.

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