$99 Mineserver: The devil is in the details
You may recall my three sons ran a successful Kickstarter campaign last fall for their $99 Mineserver, a multiuser Minecraft server the size of a pack (not a carton) of cigarettes. On the eve of their product finally shipping here’s an update with some lessons for any complex technical project.
At the time we shot the Kickstarter video my kids already had in hand a functional prototype. Everything seen in the video was real and the boys felt that only producing custom cases really stood in the way of shipping. How wrong they were!
Amazon Echo meets Automatic, attempts to make your car smarter
It seems every product hitting the market these days is touted to be smart, with the catch-phrase Internet of Things being thrown around everywhere. While there have been security issues in this new product line, there are also some really cool things available, and it captures the imagination.
Alexa, the persona behind Amazon Echo, is one way to enter the market, though you need to add devices to pair with it. Lights, door locks, thermostats, there's no shortage of items to choose from and it's growing all the time.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Redstone Build 14291 delivers extensions to Microsoft Edge and other new features
Microsoft is having a very busy Thursday. As well as beginning the long-awaited rollout of Windows 10 Mobile, the software giant has also pushed the button on a new PC build for Insiders on the Fast ring.
Fast ring updates sometimes offer new features, but other times it’s just tweaks to the core and bug fixes. Windows 10 Insider Build 14291 is one the more noteworthy updates, finally delivering the long awaited extensions in Microsoft Edge, as well as pinned tabs and other Edge enhancements. There’s also an updated Maps app, and a wealth of other changes, including the introduction of a new Feedback Hub.
What you should expect from big data in 2016
Big data has truly progressed from being just a buzzword to being an essential component of many companies' IT infrastructure and business plans. How we store, analyze, and process big data is changing the way we do business, and the industry is in the midst of the biggest transformation in enterprise computing in years.
Organizations can now look for patterns that are indicative of current or even future behavior. And the acceleration in big data deployments is helping to identify where we can expect the really big advances to be made in the near future.
Should you upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile from Windows Phone 8.1? This is what you'll lose if you do
After what seems like forever, Microsoft has finally started rolling out Windows 10 Mobile to select Windows Phone 8.1 devices. It’s been a long, long wait for Windows Phone users, and if you’re one of them you’ll understandably be keen to begin the upgrade process as soon as possible (provided your device is compatible of course).
But hold on a minute. Sure, the new mobile OS has a lot of welcome features, as well as access to Universal Windows Apps, but don't start that upgrade just yet because you might lose more than you've bargained for if you do.
The majority of teens do not want a career in engineering
Teens understand the importance of technology and engineering for the future of the world, but aren’t really interested in pursuing a career path in the industry, a new research says.
A new study by the Elizabeth Prize for Engineering says that 82 percent of teenagers, aged 16 and 17, believe engineering is a key part in the future of innovation. On the other hand, only 21 percent are interested in pursuing a career in these fields.
Fitbit comes to Amazon Echo, Alexa can now track your activity
It seems as though there is a constant flow of new features and capabilities arriving on Amazon's voice-enabled platform Echo. You can play Jeopardy, listen to music and podcasts, even control your lights and thermostat.
Now the system is partnering up with Fitbit to allow Alexa to tell you about your activity. There is a new series of questions that you simply ask the device and get your answers.
Twitter sneakily enables new algorithmic feed -- here's how to disable it
Twitter is forever tinkering with timelines, and it's not all that long ago that the #RIPTwitter hashtag was trending after it was suggested that a new algorithm-powered timeline was to be introduced. Twitter users lashed out and Jack Dorsey stepped into the fray to try to allay fears.
A month ago Dorsey said that "we never planned to reorder timelines next week". He wasn’t wrong. It's happened now instead. Gone is the sensible, logical, chronological timeline, replaced instead with an algorithmic feed that's home to tweets Twitter thinks you want to see first. It's not only been launched with little fanfare, but now it's enabled by default.
LastPass Authenticator aims to make two-factor authentication simpler
LastPass has released LastPass Authenticator 1.0 for Android, iPhone and Windows Phone. It’s aimed at LastPass users who want a simple and convenient way to add two-factor authentication to their major online accounts.
The app is TOTP-compliant, so works with the same services as the better known Google Authenticator app, but aims to carve a niche for itself with a unique proposition for end users.
Microsoft begins rolling out Windows 10 Mobile to select Windows Phone 8.1 devices
Windows 10 for PCs and tablets launched way back in July last year. The mobile version of the new OS was expected to arrive a few months after, but instead what we got were numerous delays. When Microsoft introduced the Lumia 950 and 950 XL in November, both running the new OS, it seemed as if the wait was nearly over, but that turned out not to be the case.
If you have been desperately awaiting the arrival of the mobile OS, the good news is the rumors were true, and today Microsoft officially begins the roll-out to select Windows Phone 8.1 devices.
Intel Skull Canyon is the NUC of your dreams -- Core i7 6770HQ, DDR4, NVMe, Thunderbolt 3
Having a powerful computer does not mean having a large computer. Big power can come in small packages. While giant towers have long been the darlings of many gamers and technology enthusiasts, smaller boxes are starting to gain traction too. With Micro ATX, Mini ITX, and even smaller form factors, consumers can achieve performance while saving precious desk space.
When it comes to diminutive offerings, Intel's NUC is one of the most popular. These computers are small, attractive, powerful, and affordable. While they run Windows fine, they really shine on Linux, where all components work out of the box. Today, Intel announces its most powerful NUC yet -- the seductively named Skull Canyon. Powered by a super-powerful Skylake processor, it also has tons of new tech crammed inside. You can even connect an external gaming GPU, like the new Razer Core, by way of Thunderbolt 3!
Choetech 6 port USB charger: The quick way to charge multiple devices [Review]
Having multiple mobile devices is great. Charging them? Not so much. If you need to top the battery on a few smartphones and tablets at the same time, you are going to need as many wall chargers to be plugged in. But there is a better way -- enter the multiport USB charger.
A multiport USB charger can allow you to charge a significant number of handsets simultaneously, freeing up sockets in the process. I have been using Choetech's six-port USB charger for the past couple of weeks to find out how good it is and, ultimately, whether it's worth buying.
Druva extends data protection to popular enterprise cloud apps
The increasingly decentralized world of work means that data can be in many different places, on desktops, mobile devices, or in the cloud.
This creates challenges for security and governance, especially if there's a need to adhere to legal and compliance rules. Data protection company Druva wants to guard information wherever it's stored and is extending its inSync offering to cover Box, Google Apps for Work and Exchange Online.
Android Marshmallow's Factory Reset Protection may be useless on your smartphone
Last year, Google introduced a kill switch in Android to prevent lost or stolen handsets from being reused. Formally known as Factory Reset Protection, this security feature has been designed to, among other things, only allow the intended owner to use the device after a factory reset has been performed. In theory, it is a great idea, so much so that some markets have actually made a kill switch mandatory, in an attempt to deter smartphone theft.
In practice, however, Factory Reset Protection is not as effective as you might expect -- it can be bypassed on the latest version of Android, 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and in the latest Android N preview.
Anonymous serious about stopping Donald Trump's 'Fourth Reich', shares his cellphone number and more
Anonymous recently declared total war on Donald Trump (again), and is encouraging people to join in the fight against the Republican front-runner it compares to Hitler.
#OpWhiteRose is a new operation named after the White Rose Society. This non-violent group was originally set up in Nazi Germany to actively oppose Adolf Hitler, but has now been resurrected to combat the "menace" of Trump and his "new era of Brownshirt terrorists".
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