Yahoo wants to spin off Alibaba stake, risking billions in taxes
Yahoo is moving forward with its plan to spin off its Alibaba shares, even though it risks a tax bill of a couple of billion dollars.
In a filing posted with the US Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this week, Yahoo said that the company’s board authorized it to continue with the proposed spinoff. Yahoo added that it’s hoping the process will go without any hiccups.
Microsoft (accidentally) reveals Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL Windows 10 Mobile flagships
If you have been keeping an eye on the Microsoft rumor mill, then you know that the software giant is expected to take the wraps off two Windows 10 Mobile flagships soon. These would be its first premium smartphones since taking over Nokia's phone business, and also the first new high-end Lumias to arrive in one and a half years.
We expect Microsoft to announce both smartphones at its upcoming media event on October 6. However, the team at Microsoft Store UK has decided to jump the gun, having just listed Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL on the site.
How the mobile security landscape is changing [Q&A]
As our mobile phones become increasingly central to both our personal and working lives, securing them and the data they hold has become paramount. The nature of the mobile space means that threats are more dispersed and change fast, so traditional security solutions are struggling to cope.
How does this change in the security landscape affect businesses who may be faced with supporting a range of different devices and operating systems thanks to BYOD policies? We spoke to Gert-Jan Schenk, VP for EMEA at mobile security specialist Lookout, to get his view.
Disable Wi-Fi Assist in iOS 9 to reduce data usage and cut your bill
We all demand to be connected at all times; losing connection to the internet is like losing a limb for some people. With this in mind, handset manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to introduce technologies that ensure as stable a connection as possible, switching between Wi-Fi and cellular as and when necessary.
It's something that can be found in iOS 9, but many people who have made the upgrade to the latest version of the operating system, or have just taken delivery of a new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, have been taken by surprise by it. The reason? iOS 9 has a feature called Wi-Fi Assist which will automatically switch to a cellular connection when Wi-Fi signal is weak, and it has led to a massive increase in data usage for some people. The solution to hefty data bills? Disable the feature.
New cloud platform offers up to 20x performance improvement
Modern applications and services need to deliver content to users at unprecedented speeds, without sacrificing quality or reliability. But as more systems move to the cloud that highlights the shortcomings of traditional delivery systems and WANs.
Cloud based networking company Teridion is announcing general availability of its advanced Global Cloud Network which it claims can provide up to 20x performance improvement for end-user generated, bi-directional internet content.
From KitKat to Marshmallow: How I transformed my aging Android phone to keep it fun and functional
Call me a smartphone agnostic. Thanks to a quirk of geography and a period of deliberate disengagement from the tech industry, I missed out on the initial wave of the mobile device revolution. By the time I bought my first Android phone, KitKat was already the dominant platform, iOS 8 had just been released, and both BlackBerry and Microsoft had been relegated to the obituary section.
So when I finally did go smartphone shopping on a trip back to the States, my requirements were as modest (I mostly wanted a mobile hotspot for my laptops/tablets) as my budget. All of which led me to my local Metro PCS shop and my first taste of budget Android telephony: A Samsung Galaxy Avant. For the ridiculously low price of $119, I got an unlocked Avant with a 4.5" qHD (960 x 540 pixel) screen, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a quad-core CPU, all tied to an unlimited data plan (another $60) that delivered 50Mbps LTE speeds to my condo in FL.
AdBlock Plus to introduce independent board to oversee Acceptable Ads program
Ad blocking has been in the news quite a lot recently, not least because of iOS 9's new support for advertising avoidance. Perhaps the most famous tool in the arena is Adblock Plus. It's something that many people have become reliant on for cleaning up their online experience but Eyeo -- the company behind AdBlock Plus -- has been keen to encourage people to permit the display of some advertising through its Acceptable Ads program.
That companies can pay to bypass Adblock Plus is nothing new, although Adblock Plus insists that most ads that are deemed 'acceptable' are added for free. Today Eyeo announces that it is going to hand over control of the Acceptable Ads program to a completely independent board.
How does Google's Pixel C compare to Microsoft's Surface Pro 3?
If you want a tablet that can double up as a laptop replacement, there really is no better option than Microsoft's venerable Surface Pro 3. It has been the undisputed king in this segment for well over a year now, and it is easy to see why: it has a big, high-resolution screen, it comes with a stylus, it can take a decent keyboard, its battery life is good, it is extremely fast, and, on top of all this, it can run every Windows program that you want. Nothing comes close, really.
But now that Google has announced Pixel C, its own productivity-oriented tablet, you may be wondering how it fares up against Surface Pro 3. So, let's take a look at the two and see which one is best.
iPhone supertest: All 12 of Apple's iPhones go head to head, but which one wins?
Unless you’re a hard-core Apple fan, or simply must have the latest and greatest iPhone at all times, there’s no need to jump on every new mobile device Apple releases. I switched from the iPhone 5s to the 6s this year, and found the difference between models to more than justify the upgrade.
If you’ve ever wondered how the different generations of iPhone compare when it comes to things like start up speed, performance, web page loading, camera quality, and more, a new experiment has the answer. And before you shout out that the iPhone 6s Plus is going to be the clear winner, here’s a spoiler: it isn’t.
Handle is a one-stop Gmail, to-do and calendar manager
With so many productivity apps around, time management should be easy. But the reality can be very different, as key areas of your life -- email, calendar, lists -- are often split across several tools.
Handle is a free Chrome extension and iOS app which takes a different approach, combining gMail, to-dos and your calendar in a single view.
Sling TV is on its way to Chromecast
Yesterday was the big Google event and we got to see new Nexus devices and an updated Chromecast. It was enough to satisfy the geek in most of us, but we always want more, so what's next? Well, an improved Chromecast needs better functionality, right?
Sling TV thinks so and it's bringing its service to the tiny Google HDMI dongle. The service claims that Chromecast support is its most requested feature.
Huddle speeds up enterprise collaboration
Heavy web traffic can dramatically impact performance and lead to a major source of frustration for users of any cloud-based service.
To combat this, enterprise collaboration specialist Huddle is announcing the addition of Dynamic Web Acceleration to speed up its cloud platform. This allows it to increase transfer rates by an average of 80 percent without compromising security, by using dedicated infrastructure in over 99 cities around the world in order to bypass internet bottlenecks.
Google's Pixel C: Can Android really compete on the desktop?
Now that Google has shown its forthcoming Pixel C tablet, the question on the minds of many IT decision makers is: Can Android really become a viable competitor to Microsoft Windows on the desktop?
There’s no disputing Google’s success in the mobile space. The billions and billions of Android handset users attest to its dominance. But the desktop is an entirely different animal, a fact the company itself seemed to recognize when it debuted Chrome OS a few years back. That platform gained substantial traction in the education and low priced consumer spaces but received a much cooler reception in the enterprise, ostensibly because of its web-only focus and limited offline capabilities.
If you're still using TrueCrypt, more security flaws mean it's time to move on
Security-minded computer users frequently turn to encryption to protect sensitive files. For those looking to go a step further, TrueCrypt offered full-disk encryption... at least it did until it was abandoned by its developers.
Since the software was dropped, researchers have discovered that it contains numerous security vulnerabilities, and two new flaws have been found that allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges. As part of Google's Project Zero, security researchers have been probing the encryption software -- which is still widely used -- for additional problems. The severity of the newly-discovered problems has led to renewed calls for remaining TrueCrypt users to seek an alternative.
How to avoid Apple Music automatically charging you when your free trial ends
Apple Music comes with a free three-month trial. If you signed up to the streaming service as soon as it became available this trial period is about to end. If you wish to continue to use it after today you will have to pay for the pleasure.
Decided to use a different service instead (maybe Amazon Prime Music now that it has the Universal Music Group onboard)? Don't think you can simply let your free trial expire and that will be end of the matter, because it won't. Apple automatically signs you up for an auto-renewal payment option. So when the trial comes to an end, you’ll start paying for the service, regardless of whether you're still using it or not.
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