Sorry haters, but science proves the Internet really, really loves Apple
During yesterday’s WWDC keynote, Apple showed off new versions of OS X, iOS, and watchOS, as well as taking the wraps off of its new streaming music service and radio station.
While the event was going on, people were tweeting about it, and Oxford University's TheySay linguistics tool monitored Twitter from just before the keynote started to just after it ended, and then used the data from 94,528 Apple-related tweets to work out the overall sentiment, including what people thought about each of the products and services Apple covered. The result was overwhelmingly positive.
Major Microsoft products lose Facebook integration
Social integration is a key aspect of Microsoft's vision for its most prominent consumer-facing products. For instance, on Outlook.com you can have a Skype conversation, on Skype you can chat with Facebook friends, and on Windows Phone you can see your contacts' social updates, like tweets, in People hub. This is one of my favorite things about the software giant's products. It is also a standout feature that its rivals are not yet offering.
A core component is Facebook integration, which is present in Windows and Windows Phone, as well as Office 365, OneDrive and Outlook.com. But, thanks to an update to Facebook's Graph API, integration with the most-popular social network is going away in all currently-supported products.
Mid-sized businesses are underusing their IT management
In 89 percent of mid-sized companies IT management focuses on day-to-day tasks that are often time-consuming and manual which means that business isn't getting the most from its IT investment.
This is one of the main findings of a survey by cloud-based IT management provider Kaseya which looked at 500 mid-sized enterprises globally and compares the practices of IT departments in faster growth companies with those in slower growth companies, and the practices of more mature IT organizations with those of less mature ones.
EU pushes forward with net neutrality plan, removal of roaming fees
European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günther Hermann Oettinger, is set to meet with national ministers next Friday to try and end the deadlock between national ministers and MEPs on the subject of net neutrality.
Negotiations on the so-called Telco Package had ground to a halt on Tuesday night when national representatives from the Council and those from the European Parliament failed to compromise on net neutrality or roaming charges, The Register writes in a report.
Botnets for hire mean anyone can launch a DDoS attack
The latest DDoS Threat Landscape Report from security specialist Incapsula reveals that whilst 71 percent of network layer attacks last under three hours, 20.4 percent last for more than five days.
At an estimated cost of $40,000 per hour according to Incapsula, the total cost of these attacks can run into millions of dollars. The longest attack recorded lasted for 64 days.
iOS 9 introduces six-digit passcode default for Touch ID devices
With iOS 9, Apple is improving the mobile operating system in a number of areas. As well as optimizing battery life and storage efficiency, making Siri more intelligent and beefing up multitasking, Touch ID-enabled iPhone and iPad owners will feel the benefit of improved security.
When iOS 9 launches in the fall, the minimum length of passcodes increases from four digits to six. It is already possible to use passcodes of more than four digits, but enforcing a stronger policy from the offset illustrates the importance Apple now places on security.
Samsung announces Galaxy S6 active, coming soon to AT&T
In making Galaxy S6 more visually appealing and compact, Samsung has decided not to keep the water and dust-resistance capabilities of its predecessor, Galaxy S5. And that is a shame, because it would have made this flagship an even more attractive proposition, especially for those who are likely to, for instance, find themselves using the device in pools or dusty areas. It would have also given Galaxy S6 a clear advantage over the competition.
Thankfully, for those looking for a (more) durable Galaxy S6, Samsung has introduced Galaxy S6 active. As its name suggests, it is designed for folks who need or want a water-resistant smartphone that can withstand drops, but without sacrificing any of the highlight features of a flagship product.
IBM launches new cloud collaboration to power application development
Businesses are constantly seeking to improve the digital experience that they offer their customers, delivering something that's engaging and personalized. Add in demand for mobile access from every device, integrated social capabilities, and the need to analyze data from the internet-of-things to quickly make decisions and companies are looking for faster ways to create improved customer experiences.
Today IBM and Portico Consultancy are unveiling new cloud services to help businesses of any size quickly build, test and deploy applications to deliver on their requirements.
Opera 30 adds sidebar extensions, improves tab views
Norwegian browser developer Opera Software has released a landmark version of its niche web browser for desktop and mobile. Opera 30 FINAL debuts with three notable new features.
Version 30 makes it easier to view and switch between tabs, adds new sidebar extensions and introduces a new Trash folder to make it possible to restore bookmarks.
Google's self-driving cars never caused crashes
After US organization Consumer Watchdog made what it claims were "repeated calls for disclosure", Google is now releasing monthly reports on its self-driving cars, which will detail the number of accidents said vehicles have been involved in.
Google’s report for May 2015 said that during the six years the self-driving car project has been running, a total of 12 minor accidents have occurred over the 1.8 million miles driven.
Apple Swift 2.0 will be open source
Apple is a company that embraces closed ideology. Its operating systems only work on certain hardware which it selects and sells. Its App Store features our-way-or-the-highway guidelines. Worst of all, on iOS, the user cannot even choose a default browser or email client. Hell, even when you use a browser other than Safari, it must use WebKit.
Today, however, this archaic ideology may be softening -- slightly. Among the hubbub of all the flashier WWDC announcements, Apple announced something miraculous -- its Swift 2.0 programming language is going open source. Yes, really.
U.S. government embraces HTTPS
When it comes to the web, you expect U.S. Government sites to be very secure. Hell, with all of the money we taxpayers pay, the websites should be the most secure in the world. Unfortunately, this is not the case. You see, not only are many .gov websites not secure, they do not even universally use HTTPS. In other words, there are shopping sites more secure than those of the most powerful nation in the world.
Today, however, this changes. Barack Obama's White House has completed a new standard that all U.S. government websites will be forced to follow. While it is embarrassing that this is only happening in 2015, it is better late than never.
Cortana joins the mile high club -- Microsoft takes your travel plans to new heights
While Windows Phone is not the best mobile operating system, Cortana is the best overall digital assistant. Google Now is very useful, but cold and heartless. Siri is just... a pleasant way to get the weather -- I'm only half-joking here. Microsoft's offering is a mix of personality and usefulness that truly makes life better; I cannot wait until she is available on iOS and Android.
Today, Cortana joins the mile high club. No, she is not doing anything naughty (I hope); she is making air travel a better experience for Windows Phone users. In other words, she is almost like a nagging mom or wife (or dad, husband) that gets you to the airport on time!
Apple to make it much easier for Android users to switch to iOS 9
Part of the reason why smartphone owners stay with their current choice of mobile operating system is they don’t want to have to mess around transferring personal data between devices. If you have an iPhone, upgrading to a newer model is very straightforward, and if you have an Android device, upgrading to a newer or different one is just as easy. Switching operating systems is, however, a real pain.
Apple wants to make it easy to go from Android to iOS and is introducing a new app called 'Move to iOS'.
Apple Music and Beats One radio launch to shake up audio streaming
It was not the industry's best-kept secret -- Sony let the cat out of the bag a little early -- but at WWDC today, Tim Cook officially took the wraps off Apple Music. Set to compete with the likes of Tidal and Spotify, Apple's new streaming music service sits neatly alongside iTunes and has the involvement of Dr Dre, Trent Reznor, and Jimmy Iovine to name but three.
Cook stepped into Steve Jobs' shoes for a moment, introducing the famous "one more thing" that has been missing from more recent Apple events. Not a company to hide its light under a bushel, Apple's Music service is not just a music streaming service, but "the next chapter in music". But there's more than just Apple Music; there's also Beats One, Apple's first ever radio station.
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