Will you buy an Apple iPhone 6s? [Poll]
Over the weekend my colleague Brian Fagioli revealed he'd pre-ordered his first iPhone, and detailed the reasons for making the switch from Android. He opted for the 128 GB super-sized 6s Plus model.
I also pre-ordered the new Apple phone over the weekend. My reasons for doing so aren’t exactly worthy of a special post -- I have an iPhone 5s and it’s time to upgrade. As much as I like my wife’s HTC One M9, and most of Samsung’s flagship phones, I love the iPhone, and its apps, and the 6s offers enough new functionality -- 3D Touch in particular -- to make upgrading a no brainer. I also opted for the 128 GB size, but I went with the pocket-friendly iPhone 6s. No plus size for me, thanks.
Maximizing IT budgets to achieve better business outcomes
According to global analyst firm Gartner, global spending on IT products and services is forecast to hit $3.5 trillion in 2015. Spending on IT is an initiative undertaken not just by CIOs, but by CMOs and other line of business managers that need solutions to drive growth. More and more, technology has become linked to business outcomes, and this has inadvertently led to the uptick in IT purchasing.
It has never been more important for IT professionals to gain control of budgets and think of new ways to help their organizations make more informed decisions, especially when it comes to allocating budget resources. Here are four tips on how IT professionals can maximize their budgets to achieve business ends:
Moto X Play review
Motorola’s Moto range for 2015 includes two variants on the standard Moto X. The Moto X Style is focussed on how it looks, and this phone the Moto X Play is aimed at providing a good entertainment experience.
To that end it has a large 5.5-inch 1080p screen, a standard version of Android and a 3,630 mAh battery that promises plenty of use between charges. There’s a 1.7 GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage (a 32GB version is available too), plus 21 MP rear and 5 MP front cameras. Naturally it’s 4G and has dual-band Wi-Fi.
Get reading with these three free ePub viewers
EPub is a popular format for eBooks, but PC viewing support is still a little patchy, and the files can be hard to open.
Fortunately there are plenty of free ePub readers around which make it easier to build and browse your own eBook library.
Apple gives you the middle finger
Apple in its operating system update to iOS 9.1 in autumn, is set to give users not only a better user interface. It is also set to add new emojis, which will include the "hotly-anticipated" middle-finger image.
The Unicode Consortium, the industry body which sets the standard cross-platform options, has approved a new batch of emojis in June 2015. Some of these designs, as well as previous approved lists, can be used in the iOS 9.1 update, which has just been made available in beta.
Leaked Windows 10 build 10537 includes new context menus, icons, and more
After the official release of Windows 10, the stream of Insider builds has slowed to a trickle. It is a few weeks since build 10532 was released to preview testers, and it seems that a follow up could be just around the corner. There's no official word from Microsoft yet, but build 10537 has now leaked online.
Renowned leaker Wzor posted screenshots of the newer build -- specifically 10537.th2_release.150829-0745_CLIENTPRO-CORE_OEMRET -- to Twitter, with the promise of ISOs to follow. Of course it didn’t take long for the build to make its way online, and it shows that Microsoft has listened to feedback about context menus in the previous build. There are also a couple of other visual changes to enjoy.
New solution improves access control for hybrid clouds
The growth of cloud and hybrid environments brings challenges for security professionals when it comes to control, monitoring, and management of access to critical systems by privileged users and third-party vendors.
A new solution from secure access specialist Bomgar allows companies to quickly enable controlled system access and defend against cyber attacks without requiring complex process changes.
Apple's new iPhone 6s has 2 GB of RAM, iPad Pro gets 4 GB
Apple does not like to dive much into the technical side of things when it talks about how its new products perform. So, when it unveiled the new iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus last week, Apple focused on how its processor stacks up against the previous generation instead of detailing its clock speed, number of cores, manufacturing process or even how much RAM is inside. The new iPad Pro was no exception.
Those things are important, of course, but they do not mean much to the average consumer, who likely has no idea what RAM actually is or whether a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor is actually faster than a 2.3 GHz quad-core solution. But they can more easily understand that, for instance, 50 percent faster in some area is actually better. However, us enthusiasts, still want to know what's inside. Ahead of a teardown, we now know how much RAM the new A9 chip packs.
The state of Android security [Q&A]
In recent times Android has come under increasing threat from malware which has led to more people looking to install security software on their phones and tablets.
Mobile security specialist 360 Security recently announced that it had gained 11 places on the Android download charts in August, indicating a renewed interest in protecting devices.
Moto X Play with FHD display launches in India starting at Rs 18,499 ($275)
Motorola today launches the Moto X Play in India. The highlights of the handset are its high-end specifications and an equally interesting price point starting at Rs 18,499 ($275) for the 16GB storage variant.
As for other specifications, the Moto X Play sports a 5.5-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display offering 403ppi pixel density and Corning Gorilla Glass protecting the screen from scratches. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octal core processor clocked at 1.7GHz coupled with an Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM.
Could Bitcoin-powered micro-payments help reduce piracy and ensure artists get paid?
The likes of Adam Ant and Billy Bragg are among the names backing the Free At What Cost? project. Launched by British composer Hélène Muddiman, the idea behind the campaign is to ensure that artists and content creators get a fair deal by charging for online views and listens.
The basic idea is to protect content against free viewing in an extension of the idea of simple DRM. While the logistics are still to be fully detailed, one of the proposals is to use a Bitcoin-like payment system to enables people to pay artists directly for access to their content.
Tor gains extra security as .onion becomes Special-Use Domain Name
Tor -- The Onion Router -- is used as a way of browsing the web (more) anonymously. Most well-known for providing access to what has become known as the Dark Web, Tor has faced competition from other secure browsing systems such as HORNET. But now it is set to benefit from key changes that will improve security and have further implications.
Engineering Task Force (IETF) along with Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, part of ICANN, has granted formal recognition to the .onion domain, adding it to the list of Special-Use Domain Names. Previously known as a psdeuo-TLD it was technically possible for the .onion domain to be used on the regular web -- now it is limited to Tor. There is also the possibility of site-specific encryption and the use of security certificates.
Hey Google, I ordered my first-ever iPhone -- here's why
My smartphone journey began with Palm. I started with a Treo 650, then a 680, 700p and 755p. From there, I bought a BlackBerry Storm, opting not to get an iPhone for some insane reason. Finally, I settled into Android, with a bunch of models since then.
This is about to change. You see, on Saturday morning, I ordered an iPhone 6s Plus. This will be my first-ever Apple smartphone. While I still like Android, the flawed security and update model has driven me away from using the operating system full-time. As a Microsoft user, iOS is a great choice too.
You guys realize the iPad Pro will fail, right?
At its media event on September 9, Apple unveiled the iPad Pro, a 12.9-inch tablet. Touted as a productivity device, the company hopes that the iPad Pro will be the future of computing. Need a tablet? Use the iPad Pro. Need a laptop? Plug-in the $169 keyboard accessory and begin typing. The problem, however, is that at its current state, the iPad Pro is an awfully large tablet and iOS mobile operating system, which the device runs, isn't good enough to replace your desktop operating system.
After talking to a number of people -- both tech enthusiasts as well as average Joes -- one thing was pretty clear to me: nobody finds the iPad Pro exciting. A couple of people are actually looking forward to the iPad mini 4, which is the successor to the iPad mini 3, and largely carries the same hardware as the last year's iPad Air 2.
Apple spends just $234 making each iPhone 6s
Analysis by Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that the components part of the iPhone 6s cost Apple $234 -- only a very slight increase from the iPhone 6. With the 64GB model selling for $749, Apple is pulling in $515 from each sale before the costs of manufacturing and distribution is factored in.
The biggest cost is for semiconductor parts, accounting for $127 of cost. The 64-bit A9 processor costs just $25, while various sensors add up to around $22. The estimates suggest that the screen of the iPhone 6s is the most expensive part, coming in at around $50 on its own.
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