The expectations of instant service: Uber-important
We live in the "instant service" era, ushered in by constantly changing on-demand technologies. Businesses, across verticals, that are technologically nimble and harness the power of "instant" are among the success stories. Uber, Instacart (instant groceries) and Drizly (instant alcohol) are examples of companies that swooped in with instant service models, and now it’s a consumer expectation. CEOs and startups that aren’t figuring out a way to incorporate "instant" into business strategies -- whether it’s the core of the model, or a design principle for building out product features or communication with customers -- won’t remain competitive. Investors are keener than ever to it, and the money doesn’t lie -- instant service is what comes to mind when perusing the largest startup funding rounds of the last two years.
But, entrepreneurs and startups need to differentiate between the hype and real business opportunities in the tech landscape to establish lasting power. It takes a combination of flexibility, on-demand service, convenience and transparency to catch fire with an audience after instant gratification -- and to catch the eye of investors.
Now you can follow up to 5,000 people on Twitter -- if you're insane
If you're a fan of information overload, Twitter has some great news for you. It is now possible to follow up to 5,000 accounts, up from the previous limit of 2,000.
There are still no limits on the number of followers you can amass, but putting a cap on users' ability to follow others helps to "alleviate some of the strain on the invisible part of Twitter". But what if you have a genuine need, or desire, to follow more than 5,000 accounts? It is actually possible...
devd is a lightweight http server
Web servers can be complex, with many modules to install and a lengthy list of settings to figure out.
Devd is an open source http server for 64-bit Windows, OS X and Linux, which proves it doesn’t have to be that way. The program arrives as a single executable, no other dependencies or modules required. Just unzip it and you’re ready to go.
Anonymous threatens to reveal identities of 1,000 Ferguson KKK members
One thing no one seems to understand is that you don’t mess with Anonymous. Not unless you want all your dirty laundry publicly exposed on the plains of the digital world.
This time around, Anonymous has set its crosshairs at the KKK, or to be more specific, the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (TAKKKK) of Ferguson. It plans on revealing the identities of 1,000 of its members.
Facebook kills the Other Inbox and launches Message Requests
Facebook is pretty much all about communication, so the existence of the Other Inbox has always seemed a bit weird. Receive a message from someone you don't know, and it will disappear to this message dungeon, most likely never to be seen again. The lack of notifications meant that such messages would tend to go unnoticed for months.
Now Facebook is addressing the problem. The Other Inbox is now dead, replaced by Message Requests. Now if you are contacted by someone you are not already friends with, rather than vanishing into the void, the message will generate an alert on the Messages tab on the web, and in Messenger on mobile devices.
Penclic announces MK1 Mechanical Keyboard for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Mechanical keyboards are all the rage nowadays, and for good reason; whether you are a gamer or typist, you can experience improved accuracy and feedback using them. Quite frankly, once you use one it is hard to go back, as many modern keyboards are mushy and terrible.
Today, Penclic announces the MK1 Mechanical Keyboard. This model has some nice features, such as brown switches and backlit keys. My favorite aspect, however, is the key design -- the font looks funky; caps lock and shift are particularly unique. Even cooler? The "super" button does not have a Windows logo; Mac and Linux users should appreciate that. It would go great with an Ubuntu-powered System76 computer.
MagicStick, the fastest HDMI stick PC available, runs Windows 10 and Android
Bigger is usually regarded as better, but with PCs there has been a recent trend towards miniaturization. We've seen all manner of stick PCs in the last year or so, and MagicStick is the latest contender to throw its hat into the ring. Rather than just being a run-of-the-mill clone of the competition, the MagicStick proudly proclaims itself to be the "fastest pocket computer based on Intel's latest 14nm Cherry Trail processor".
The HDMI stick can be plugged directly into a television, monitor, or projector, and managed to smash its Indiegogo target in just four days. The specs are certainly impressive, rivalling many laptop and desktop systems and -- unlike other similar portables -- there are numerous configurations available. Oh, and it's IoT-ready.
Oracle and Intel going after IBM Power Systems users
Oracle and Intel are partnering up in a bid to tempt customers away from what the companies describe as aging IBM Power systems.
The new scheme, jointly funded by Oracle and Intel, goes by the name of "Exa Your Power", and wants to see IBM Power customers migrate their Oracle Database across to Oracle Engineered Systems driven by Intel Xeon processors.
Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 suffering from an ugly flickering screen problem -- but there is a fix
Surface Book went on sale yesterday, and today we’re seeing the first reports of a big problem with Microsoft’s MacBook rival. According to numerous reports, the device is blighted with a nasty intermittent flickering screen issue.
It’s not only the new laptop that has the problem either, it’s affecting the new Surface Pro 4 too -- epileptics beware. You can see the flickering in action below.
Facebook at Work signs up 100,000 RBS workers
Facebook at Work, the social network’s business version, has signed an agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), bringing the service to 100,000 of its staff.
The deal, dubbed "ground breaking partnership" by RBS will "allow employees to communicate faster and more efficiently", the bank said.
Google announces a new ASUS-built OnHub Wi-Fi router with Wave Control
When Google announced its first OnHub wireless router, my colleague Brian Fagioli had one question -- why? The answer, according to Joe Wilcox’s excellent review, is it gives great Wi-Fi and is, in a word, "fantastic". High praise indeed.
The TP-LINK-built OnHub was always intended to be the first in a series of easy to use wireless routers from Google, and today the second device arrives, this time coming from ASUS.
15 year-old suspected of TalkTalk cyber-attack
The Metropolitan Police have released a statement saying that a 15-year-old boy has been arrested in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in relation to the recent TalkTalk cyber attack.
He has been arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offenses and is currently being questioned by detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Motorola announces all-new 'shatterproof' Droid Turbo 2 and Maxx 2 Android phones
The Android smartphone market has been extremely stagnant lately. With the exception of the brilliant Samsung Galaxy Note5 and 6 Edge Plus, none of the designs have been particularly impressive. This is the unfortunate result of a now-mature segment.
Today, however, Motorola injects some much-needed excitement into the world of Android with the Droid Turbo 2 and Droid Maxx 2. While both phones should be fast and have long battery life, the real wow-factor is the shatterproof design of the Turbo 2. Are you a klutz when it comes to dropping or breaking your phone? Then you should definitely take notice.
WinZip 20 widens sharing support, adds File Management ribbon
WinZip International LLC has released WinZip 20, a landmark release of what is perhaps the world’s best-known archiving tool. Version 20 builds on changes introduced in version 19 that saw the app move towards a unified file management system.
WinZip 20 introduces a new file management ribbon and frequent folders feature, plus makes working with files and folders more flexible while also widening its sharing options.
Killer smart devices and other cyber threats you'll face in 2016
The world of online security never stands still, and if the past year has shown us anything it's that you don't need sophisticated technology to launch a successful cyber attack.
Security company Trend Micro has released its annual security predictions report outlining the threats it expects to be facing next year. It forecasts continued growth in online extortion, hacktivism and mobile malware, as well as a shift towards an offensive cybersecurity posture for government entities and corporations.
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