Apple Watch sales are a disaster
While no official sales figures have been released, analysts suggest that Apple Watch sales figures are dire. The suggestion comes from analysts at Slice Intelligence, with figures pointing to sales now sitting at a fraction of what they were three months ago.
The excitement surrounding any Apple launch means that sales are likely to be high immediately after release, but by anyone's standards Apple Watch sales appear to be a disaster. From a high of around 44,000 sales per week in April, Apple is currently shifting fewer than 5,000 of its wearables each week.
Adobe recognizes major Flash vulnerability, will patch it today
Flash, a product that has only been in the press for bad reasons lately, is back in the news. For a similar reason, of course. Adobe has issued a security bulletin to notify its users about a vulnerability -- referred to as "the most beautiful Flash bug for the last four years" by hackers -- in all versions of its Flash product for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
The vulnerability, first spotted by security firm Trend Micro, is the aftermath of a mega security breach at Hacking Team. The infamous group that offered hacking services to spy agencies was hacked earlier this week, and most of its internal documents -- consisting of 400GB of emails, source code, client lists, invoices etc -- were made available to the public.
Logitech transforms! New logo, design philosophy and 'Logi' label
In the technology business, companies come and go all of the time. This is due to many things, but mostly changing trends and companies resting on their laurels rather than constantly evolving. A recent example of this is BlackBerry -- formerly known as RIM. It was on the top of the world -- it owned the enterprise smartphone market while also being wildly popular with consumers. Today, the company is arguably on life support -- a shell of its former self -- caught off guard by the iPhone.
Enough talk about failures, let us instead talk about a success in the technology world -- Logitech. The peripheral maker formed in 1981, making impressive mice. It has since branched out to make much more, like headsets, speakers, and keyboards to name a few. Of course, it still makes awesome mice! Today, the company is making some very bold moves -- a new logo, design philosophy and 'Logi' sub-brand.
No shit! Experts say backdoors and encryption limits are security risks
Adding backdoors so governments can access data is a "major security risk". This is the (perhaps slightly obvious) conclusion of security experts and cryptographers writing in a report entitled Keys Under Doormats: Mandating insecurity by requiring government access to all data and communications.
The report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab criticizes plans to allow law enforcement agencies unfettered access to encrypted data through the use of either front doors or backdoors. More importantly it poses the question: "if we want to maintain the security of user information, is this sort of access even technically possible?"
What is San Diego Comic-Con really about?
Tomorrow night begins my seventh sojourn to the greatest geekfest and pop-culture event on the planet. Imitator shows are everywhere this Century, but none commands character and class like the original. San Diego Comic-Con is an amazing amalgamation of hopes and aspirations—and the grandest storytelling—where, for four days and a Preview Night, tens of thousands of people can be themselves—fit in, rather than feel oddball—or be whom they would want to be by dressing up as beloved superheroes or villains and by adoring the storytellers and actors behind them.
The first, full three-day event took place from Aug. 1-3, 1970, at the U.S. Grand Hotel, with about 300 attendees and sci-fi luminaries, including Ray Bradbury and A.E. van Vogt. This week, 130,000 attendees will storm San Diego Convention Center to enter an alternate reality, where the social rules binding them everyday no longer apply.
Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10149 hits Slow Ring
Builds of the desktop version of Windows 10 have been released at an accelerated pace in recent weeks, but Windows 10 Mobile users have had far fewer updates to install. A couple of weeks ago, build 10149 was made available to Insiders on the Fast Ring and today it makes its way to the Slow Ring.
Build 10149 has been deemed stable enough to make its way to a larger audience. New features to look forward to include Microsoft Edge, Cortana improvements, updated apps, and plenty of bug fixes.
NSA's XKeyscore may be collecting your Skype, webcam and router data
The NSA's covert data collection has become the worst kept secret in the world. Edward Snowden blew the lid off the program and has released many documents providing validity to what he has said. While he continues to harbor in Russia, the US is split over whether he is a traitor or hero. Whistle blowers certainly aren't new -- they date back many years and include the famous Deepthroat who revealed Watergate.
Now more information has come to light in the form of XKeyscore, a program designed to glean data from user's router, webcam and Skype calls. It's just as scary as it sounds.
Pressure mounts on Google to extend Right to Be Forgotten to US
The Right To Be Forgotten has proved controversial. A little over a year ago Google was told by a European court that it should accept requests to remove from search results pages that are "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant". Now, calls for the scheme to be extended to the US are growing ever-louder.
Consumer Watchdog not only says that the Right To Be Forgotten should be brought to the US, but also that Google's refusal to do so is an "unfair and deceptive" business practice. The consumer group is writing to the Federal Trade Commission calling for the search giant to be investigated and forced to consider the removal of certain search results. As has been proved in Europe, it's something that is not without controversy.
Bitcoin prices rise after Greece referendum
A crisis to some is an opportunity to others, and Bitcoin seems to be taking full advantage of Greece’s current situation.
IBTimes reported on Monday how the price of Bitcoin rose to a four-month high this past Sunday. The price rose after Greece voted "No" in a referendum regarding the international bailout.
Translation Connector for AEM helps companies manage localized content
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is used by many businesses to control content and ensure that it's consistent across channels. But what it doesn't help with is localizing sites into different languages.
Into this gap is stepping translation specialist Smartling with Translation Connector, which brings its cloud-based translation management platform to users of AEM 6.1.
Malware-as-a-service is cyber criminals' new lucrative business
Organized criminal gangs (OCGs) are increasingly using software services of the type more usually associated with legitimate corporations to grow their operations. By offering malware-as-a-service, OCGs are employing business models similar to those developed by legitimate companies in order to extend their global reach.
The companies providing the software used by OCGs to break into organizations’ IT systems, commonly called malware, now employ business models frequently comprising a revenue stream, a budget, market researchers, a global pool of developers, software quality assurance and testing, help desk support, and even money-back guarantees. This process is now being referred to as the industrialization of cyber crime.
How mobile access is changing the Internet
Mobile Internet doesn't just liberate us from the constraints of a wired connection, it offers hundreds of millions around the world their only, or primary, means of getting online.
The latest Global Internet report from the Internet Society focuses on mobile usage and how it has changed, and is changing, the way we use the Web.
Skype for Business debuts on Windows Phone
Skype for Business is Microsoft's new enterprise communication tool, serving as a replacement for Lync in the software giant's business-oriented lineup. It was officially released in April, with new features and improvements coming from its predecessor, but is only now available on Windows Phone.
Windows Phone is actually the first major mobile platform which offers a Skype for Business app, with Android and iOS still having the old Lync 2013 client in their respective app stores. The transition from Lync 2013 to Skype for Business, on Windows Phone, is accompanied by new features.
Bing Maps gets major redesign, available now in preview
Whenever I use Bing Maps I get the sense that Microsoft has long conceded that its service will never be as popular as Google Maps. Otherwise it would look more visually appealing -- not as if it is a low-priority product -- and frequently gain new, powerful features. With Windows 10 on the horizon -- and Bing a key part of the experience -- not having Bing Maps ready for an influx of new users feels like a missed opportunity.
However, Microsoft is actively working on a major redesign for Bing Maps, which might put it back on consumers' radar. "Users want a map experience that is fast and easy to use, and makes the most of the visually rich data that maps can bring to life", says the team behind the service. And with lots of changes, it certainly looks promising.
New backup service protects data stored in cloud apps
You might think that by moving applications to the cloud your data is automatically protected and worrying about backups is a thing of the past.
But just storing and processing data in Office 365 or Salesforce doesn't guard against user errors like accidentally deleting files. To offer extra peace of mind, backup specialist KeepItSafe is launching a new Cloud2Cloud service to protect data in SaaS applications.
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