McAfee releases first McAfee Free Antivirus beta
McAfee has released the first public beta of McAfee Free Antivirus.
The package is very basic, and just includes real-time protection, and -- optionally -- McAfee WebAdvisor to keep you safe online. There’s not even on-demand scanning, although a grayed-out "Scan Now" button suggests it’s on the way.
How secure are professional services companies?
The number of high profile security breaches in recent years highlights the risk for individual organizations. But what about the risks that stem from other businesses in the supply chain?
Security ratings specialist BitSight has released new data that looks at the overall security ratings of four common business services industries -- law, PR, accounting and benefits administration -- each of which have access to sensitive data.
Microsoft improves Surface Pro 3 and Pro 2 performance in Windows 10
Microsoft frequently releases new firmware updates for its Surface tablets, improving performance and stability, fixing bugs, and adding new features in the process. And, in August 2015, the devices to get the software giant's attention are Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 2.
Given that Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 at the end of the last month, the firmware updates that it has now released, including last month's batch, feature enhancements for the new operating system, which is offered as a free upgrade to those who are using Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 2.
WhatsApp Web now finally supports iPhones
WhatsApp introduced a web interface for its messaging service early this year, giving Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone users the option to chat with their contacts straight from a browser -- that is, as long as that browser is Google Chrome. Those toting iPhones, however, have been left out.
The reason why WhatsApp Web has not supported iPhones from the start is, according to an official blog post that did not go into specifics, "Apple platform limitations". Luckily, WhatsApp has figured out a way around them, opening its web interface to iPhones.
Aston Martin is working on Tesla Model S electric rival
Tesla might face some real competition in the premium electric car market soon, with Aston Martin planning to launch an electric version of the Rapide and the DBX crossover.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said an all-electric, 800 horsepower version of the Rapide would be available within two years. The car would have a 200-mile range, a bit lower than the current Model S.
How to get brighter colors in Windows 10
It’s easy enough to customize your Windows 10 taskbar and Start Menu colors -- right-click the desktop, click Personalise > Colors -- but the official route only offers a small set of predefined shades, and the taskbar is always dark.
Fortunately Unchecky developer RaMMicHaeL has released Windows 10 Color Control, a free tool which gives you more choice of colors and -- optionally -- a brighter end result.
Pebble Time gets a firmware update, including Timeline improvements
Is the smartwatch the future? It's hard to say, although Pebble, Android, and Apple are all proving successful. It is a handy product. Receiving a phone call? Glance at your wrist -- no need to fish the phone out of your pocket only to find it's someone you don't wish to speak with.
The latest in the line of smartwatches from Pebble is called Pebble Time and it improves on the original model by adding more features and a better screen. With version 3.3 of the firmware things improve even more.
Vaio laptops return to US, but are consumers interested?
Vaio, the computer business formerly owned by Sony, is taking its first steps outside of its native Japan.
Sony sold the PC business back in February, and although it does retain a minority five percent stake, as a result of the declining laptop market, it opted to focus on smartphone sales.
When size matters, Acer Chromebook 15 is big [Review]
I am not a fan of overly-large laptops, but if I were to buy one, Acer's 15.6-inch monster would be among my top choices. The Chromebook packs in lots of value, which first and foremost is 1080p resolution to match the large screen, a benefit that is atypical for the price and size class. Screen brightness is no match for the Toshiba Chromebook 2, but the matte finish compensates for dimness by dramatically reducing glare. Meanwhile, the IPS display gives great viewing angles.
The point: Acer doesn't just offer bigger, but better, among the overall Chromebook category, where dim TN screens are standard fare. That also can be said of competing Windows laptops, where with same size screen in the price range, or even more costly, resolution typically tops out at 1366 x 768. Chromebook 15 is 1920 x 1080. By more than size, the display is a big benefit.
Go, Google's C-killing programming language, hits version 1.5
Six years and six updates later, Google's own programming language, Go, has reached version 1.5. Go 1.5 sees Google "removing the last vestiges of C code" from the code base, and the runtime, compiler and linker are now all written in Go rather than C.
Despite a massive overhaul to the code base, Google assures users that Go 1.5 maintains the promise that Go programs will continue to be supported by all subsequent releases. There is also a move towards mobile devices, with ports of the iPhone and iPad architectures and linking to the Go mobile project opening up the possibility of developing for Android and iOS.
Bing News now connects related stories to give readers better context
Always-connected mobile devices make it easier than ever to plug into the news and keep abreast of what is going on in the world. But reading on the move means that it is very easy to fall into the habit of skim-reading articles, or just reading part of a story which can mean failing to grasp the wider context of the news.
To try to help with this problem, Microsoft today announces a new feature for the mobile version of Bing News. Smart labels have been added to stories to give readers an at-a-glance way to see how a particular story relates to other stories and topics. It helps to, as Microsoft puts it, "connect the dots between news stories so you get the bigger picture".
Amazon UK ends Trade-In program that no one seemed to know about
Amazon has announced that it is ending its Trade-In program in the UK. What's that? You didn’t know about it? You're not alone, and this could well be part of the reason for the closure; it was hardly a well-advertised operation.
As you'd guess from the name, the Trade-In program gave people the option to exchange games, consoles, accessories, and books they no longer wanted for Amazon gift cards. Very little notice has been given as the program is set to close on 31 August 2015. If you are one of the people who has been making use of Amazon Trade-In, you need to act quickly so you don’t miss out on your earnings.
Parallels Desktop 11 adds Windows 10 integration, extends Cortana to Mac desktop
Parallels IP Holdings GmbH has released Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac, a major new release of its market-leading virtualization tool.
The app, which allows users to run virtual versions of Windows, OS X and Linux in a virtual environment, adds full support for Windows 10 while readying itself for El Capitan’s imminent release. It also promises significant performance improvements.
Intel to touch-first early adopters: No Windows 10 for you!
"Wintel, Wintel – why hast thou forsaken us?"
It's a sad day for early adopters of Microsoft's touch-first OS strategy. Customers who bought some of the first examples of Windows 8.x hybrid systems -- the HP Envy x2 and ElitePad G1, Dell Latitude 10, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 and Miix series, ASUS VivoTab, et al -- will not be able to reliably run Windows 10 because the powers-that-be are refusing to release a compatible video driver. In fact, anyone with an Intel Atom z2760-based PC is fresh out of luck when it comes to Windows 10 support. As far as the hardware vendor community is concerned, the demise of Windows 8.x signals End of Life (EOL) for your systems.
Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3 brings container support
As promised by Gabe Aul just over a week ago, Microsoft today releases Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3. One of the biggest new additions to this build is native support for Windows Server Containers, Microsoft's take on Linux containers.
Developers have been begging for container support in Windows Server for some time now, and the introduction of this feature could be the start of Microsoft offering up some serious competition to Linux server software. This is not the only new feature to be found in Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3, there's also software-defined datacenter enhancements and new Nano Server functionality.
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