Nest Thermostat moves ahead to third generation
The Nest Learning Thermostat has become quite popular, at least in the tech community. It learns from a user's habits and can be remotely accessed via an app on a phone or tablet. In fact, it can even be controlled using a Harmony Ultimate Home remote control.
Now the product has edged forward into its third generation, bringing a slimmer and sleeker design, as well as being "more beautiful", at least according to Nest.
TeleSign simplifies end user verification
Being able to accurately and safely verify identity is increasingly important as online fraud remains a major threat.
Mobile identity solutions specialist TeleSign is announcing the launch of TeleSign Smart Verify, a new unified API that simplifies end-user verification and two-factor authentication (2FA) for online and mobile app-based accounts to help prevent fraud and stop account compromise.
If the iPhone empire is collapsing, Apple should be pleased
Even when Apple is doing great, some people believe the company is in trouble. Just a few days ago, my colleague Joe Wilcox wrote Collapse of the iPhone empire, in which he explains how the brand that has made Apple so successful could just as easily fall from grace with consumers. Right now, however, this could not be further from the truth.
More than a quarter of smartphone buyers across Europe have dumped Android smartphones for iPhones in the three months ending July 2015, leading to a boost in market share to 17 percent, up from 14.5 percent over the same period a year prior. And Apple has not even launched its new iPhones yet, which could spell even more trouble for premium Android vendors.
Hundreds of unscrupulous black hat editors banned from Wikipedia
Crowd-sourcing of information by Wikipedia has helped create a vast resource, used by millions of people. But the fact that anyone is free to contribute to the online encyclopedia means that there is potential for corruption.
Wikipedia has just banned hundreds of black hat editors which were found to have been paid to edit articles. It is a violation of Wikimedia's terms of use to accept money to promote people, companies, and interests on Wikipedia as the site is supposed to be free from bias and undue influence.
Facebook and Twitter's autoplay videos in the firing line after Virginia shooting
The Virginia shootings in which two journalists were killed on live TV by Vester Flanagan highlighted one of the problems of social media: it can be used for terrible things. If the news of two needless deaths was not enough, countless Facebook and Twitter users were upset by footage of the killings that quickly spread around the social networks, automatically playing for many people.
This is not the first time that autoplay videos have been in the news, and it certainly won’t be the last. Now politicians in the UK are calling for Facebook and Twitter to better police content that is uploaded by users to avoid a repeat incident in which people are unwitting viewers of horrific scenes.
Acer pulls down the top on new convertibles, running Chrome OS and Windows 10
Today, at IFA in Berlin, Acer unveiled its first convertible Chromebook and updated the Windows counterpart, which gets 6th-generation Intel Core processors and USB 3.1 Type-C port. The two computers join a surprising assortment of new gear, including gaming notebooks and tablets and smartphones.
The Chromebook R 11 Convertible comes in consumer and commercial models. Base specs: 11-6.-inch display (1366 x 768 resolution); 1.6GHz Intel N3150 or N3050 Celeron processor; 2GB or 4GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB SSD; Intel HD graphics; webcam; USB 3; WiFi N; and Chrome OS. Weighs 1.25kg (2.76 pounds). There are four modes of operation, depending on positioning: display, laptop, pad, and tent.
Acer unleashes Predator on gamers
It's IFA Berlin, and Acer means business about play, unveiling new desktops, laptops, monitors, and tablets in its gaming series. The Predator G3 and G6 PCs get 6th-generation Intel Core processors and new thermal systems. The Predator 15 and 17 notebooks get 6th-gen processors and updated fan designs.
New monitors are available in 27, 28, or 35 inches. The new 8-inch tablet features FHD display and Intel Atom x7 processor.
You're probably about to notice a lot more ads in Gmail
On the same day that Google unveiled its new logo, the company also slipped out some other news that didn't get quite as much attention. Considering the news means that Gmail users are likely to be inundated with more ads than ever before, it's hardly surprising that Google wasn't shouting from the rooftops, but that's what's happening.
Native Gmail ads are now rolling out to AdWords users, giving companies a new way to gain a presence in potential customers' inboxes. This is not spam. This is not a new way to start an email-based ad campaign. It's actual AdWord-triggered ads at the top of inboxes.
How mobile can improve capture and analysis of retail sales data [Q&A]
Modern organizations collect large amounts of data across multiple platforms, but they can find it hard to extract useful, actionable insights from the raw information.
San Francisco-based Zenput provides real-time data capture and analysis to retail, restaurant and consumer goods companies to help them centralize operations and support more informed decision-making. How much difference can this technology make to businesses? We talked to Zenput CEO Vladik Rikhter to find out.
Apple's iPhones and iPads will work better with Cisco enterprise networks
Apple and Cisco have, through a joint statement, announced a partnership which will see Apple’s apps and devices become more productive in enterprise networks.
The goal of the partnership is to optimize Cisco’s networks for iOS devices and apps and integrate the iPhone with Cisco enterprise environments. That will create a "fast lane" for iOS business users, Apple has said in a press release.
Lenovo ideapad MIIX 700 is a Skylake-powered, Surface-like, Windows 10 tablet
Microsoft's Surface computers are very innovative, mixing some of the the best aspects of both laptops and tablets into one device. Heck, with the docking station, the hybrid computers can serve as solid desktops too. Unfortunately, many manufacturers have largely failed to capture the magic of the Surface line. The HP Spectre x360 is the only machine to meet, and in many ways, exceed Microsoft's tablet for a high-quality Windows experience.
Today, however, this may change. Lenovo announces the MIIX 700, with integrated kickstand and optional keyboard cover. It is largely a Surface clone, and that is a good thing. The tablet features all-new Intel Skylake Core M processors, which should make it very attractive to consumers. Besides being offered solely in black, a beautiful gold version is available too.
Lenovo Chromebook 100S is beautiful and affordable
Chrome OS is a wonderful operating system for what it is. Guess what? You can be a fan of Windows or OS X and still embrace Google's browser-focused Chromebooks. Sometimes you will be doing all of your computing in the web browser, such as email, social media, and web surfing. For that, a Chromebook might be the best tool for the job.
Choosing a model can be difficult, however. Why do I say that? Well, there are more duds than winners. Too often manufacturers release chintzy Chromebooks with poor specs or terrible build quality. Lenovo is hoping to change that with the upcoming 11.6 inch Chromebook 100S.
Intel's 6th gen 'Skylake' Core processor family revealed! Will it power Surface Pro 4?
Both Intel and AMD produce amazing processors. With that said, the former is currently outperforming the latter in overall performance. Gamers, business users and home consumers are all gaga over the company's processors.
Today, Intel unveils its full family of 6th generation Core processors, codenamed "Skylake". Many consumers have eagerly been awaiting the release of the chips. Best of all, they should run the recently released Windows 10 like a champ. Of course, Intel offers wonderful Linux support too.
SCOSCHE boomBOTTLE+ is the perfect Bluetooth speaker for an apocalypse
The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows. Not only are both the acting and stories wonderful, but the post-apocalyptic setting is exciting. For whatever reason, Americans seem to be obsessed with TV and movies that involve the breakdown of society.
If this type of scenario ever became real, you would want to stockpile guns, bullets, water and canned food. But how will you listen to music? If you are able to access electricity, and want to rock out to your favorite tunes, you will need a very rugged Bluetooth speaker. The SCOSCHE boomBOTTLE+ appears to be exactly that. It is durable, waterproof and serves as a way to charge a USB device. Oh yeah, it looks really cool, too.
Amid Windows 10 controversy, Microsoft quietly releases privacy botching features to Windows 7 and 8
It's been roughly a month since the release of Windows 10, Microsoft's newest desktop operating system. It packs in several enticing features including the digital assistant Cortana. But despite all the interesting offerings, Windows 10 isn't sitting well with many. Privacy advocates have criticized Microsoft for introducing several features that are seemingly concerning to those who care about their privacy. To make things worse, the company has now rolled out some of these annoying features to Windows 7 and Windows 8.
First spotted by Ghacks, some of the recent updates that Microsoft rolled out to Windows 8 and Windows 7 set a computer to regularly send reports of a machine's activities to Microsoft. The update dubbed 3068708, for instance, introduces the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service on the computers it is installed on. "By applying this service, you can add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights", Microsoft describes the purpose of the update.
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