Where the money is… or was
Yesterday was Tax Day in the United States, when we file our federal income tax returns. This has been an odd tax season in America for reasons that aren’t at all clear, but I am developing a theory that cybersecurity failures may shortly bring certain aspects of the U.S. economy to its knees.
I have been writing about data security and hacking and malware and identity theft since the late 1990s. It is a raft of problems that taken together amount to tens of billions of dollars each year in lost funds, defensive IT spending, and law enforcement expenditures. Now with a 2014 U.S. Gross Domestic Product of $17.42 trillion, a few tens of billions are an annoyance at most. Say the total hit is $50 billion per year, well that’s just under three tenths of one percent. If the hit is $100 billion that’s still under one percent. These kinds of numbers are why we tolerate such crimes.
TripAdvisor 10 for iOS and Android adds Travel Guides, iPad-only optimizations
TripAdvisor has unveiled TripAdvisor for iOS 10.0 alongside TripAdvisor for Android 10.0. The app’s main highlight is the introduction of Travel Guides for selected locations.
The new release also allows users to submit up to 10 photos with each review, plus implements a number of optimizations for iPad users.
Apple Watch is coming… but when? [Update: not any time soon]
Apple’s first wearable went up for pre-order last week, with early estimates suggesting it managed to sell close to a million devices in the US in one day alone. Reuters estimates 6 percent of US adults intend to buy the device. Oddly though, Apple has so far not released any official pre-order figures, which is strange if the device is the success that it appears to be. Why isn’t Apple shouting about it from the rooftops? What is it waiting for?
Another more pertinent question is this: when will Apple start selling the device -- for real -- and in-store? 24th April you say? Well that’s what Apple originally said, but that no longer appears to be the case.
CyberLink PowerDVD 15 is smarter, smoother, even more powerful
CyberLink has launched CyberLink PowerDVD 15, a worthwhile update of its do-everything media player for Windows Vista and later.
CyberLink’s playback-improving TrueTheater technologies are smarter than ever. TrueTheater Color enhances hue and vibrancy but leaves skin tones alone, while TrueTheater Sound amplifies vocal range audio for crisper, clearer speech.
Lost your phone? Just Google it
Becoming reunited with your lost phone just got a whole lot easier. It doesn’t matter if you're alone and don't have access to another phone to ring your cell to see if it has slipped down the back of the sofa. To make life a little easier, Google is rolling out a feature that enables you to conduct a Google search for your phone.
Whether you have mislaid it in the house, or somewhere further afield, Google will help you to track down your beloved handset. You just need to make sure that your phone is updated with the latest version of the Google app and you're ready to go phone hunting. It's a bit like an extension of the feature found in Android Wear, so how does it work?
Jawbone's new UP4 range-topper activity tracker lets you make NFC payments
Wearables company Jawbone now has a new flagship activity tracker. Called UP4, it is the company's first offering to come with NFC payments support. Also announced is a new mid-range activity tracker, called UP2, which is touted to be an "elegant replacement" for the aging UP24.
To enable NFC payments in UP4, Jawbone has teamed up with American Express. To pay, UP4 wearers will simply have to attach their Amex card to their Jawbone account. This can be done straight from the Android or iOS mobile app.
Mark Zuckerberg defends Internet.org after many companies leave the program
A vast majority of Indian citizens don’t give a hoot about topics like net neutrality. But things have changed dramatically over the past couple of weeks. Not only have many of them started to understand what net neutrality actually means -- also why we should care about it -- but sites like SaveTheInternet.in are helping these critical topics become the word of mouth. TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) -- which started to seek people’s views on this matter last month -- has received over 600,000 responses. It will be taking these -- and many more that are yet to come -- into consideration as it moves closer to the deadline to make recommendations on the issue to Department of Telecom, a government ministry body which holds the power to take real action to uphold net neutrality in the country.
Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce portal, received so much criticism that Sachin Bansal, the company’s CEO and co-founder, had to step up to explain why Airtel Zero, a platform through which Airtel will offer users free access to select mobile apps and services, is important. When that didn’t tone down the uproar from several Indian communities, earlier this week Flipkart announced that it is leaving India’s largest telco’s Airtel Zero plan.
Microsoft Band goes on sale in the UK
The Microsoft Band has been available over in the US for quite some time now, and fitness band fanatics have had to wait patiently for the device to become available over here -- but the good news is, you can now buy one in the UK.
Yes, if you scoot on over to the official Microsoft web store, there’s a big "buy now" button you can click to get your fitness wristband. And how much will it set you back? £170 including VAT.
Adware-avoider Unchecky acquired by Reason Software
Reason Software, developer of herdProtect and Should I remove it?, has acquired RaMMicHaeL’s smart adware-blocking Unchecky.
The program is an innovative free tool which monitors software installations, looks out for bundled adware, and automatically clears their checkboxes to ensure they’re not installed by default.
Logitech's crowdsourced PX57 video game available now for Windows, OS X and iOS
When Logitech announced that it was crowdsourcing a video game using Reddit, I was dubious to say the least. I knew the company could pull it off, but I was fearful that anonymous Internet users would ruin the "Together We Game" experiment.
Luckily, my fears were unfounded, as not only has the game been released, it is actually very fun and normal. In other words, the Internet did not spoil the game. Best of all, the tower defense game is free and available for Windows, OS X and iOS. Will you download PX57?
Milk Amazon snooping to bag a bargain?
I best be watchful, for my wife is smarter than she pretends to be. If not, she's the mother of all coincidence. Because by all appearances, the woman used the vendor online tracking everyone suspects to snake a great discount from Amazon. Maybe you can turn to advantage persistant invasion of your privacy.
Our story starts on Feb. 11, 2015, when following days of price comparisons she ordered a 12-pack of one pound Café Bustelo from the Internet retailer. Price: $52.90. As we consumed coffee, she returned to Amazon on March 17, when a shocker waited: Same item cost $69.31. Ah, yeah. That's a 31 percent increase. But by apparently gaming the system, she later purchased for 19 percent less than previously paid.
ViewSonic introduces affordable 27-inch 4K monitor for professionals
ViewSonic has announced a new 4K monitor designed for professional work. The Ultra HD VP2780-4K, to give the monitor its full name, is a 27-inch LED panel offering a resolution of 3840 x 2160. It uses SuperClear IPS panel tech and is a 10-bit color panel.
Accurate colors are promised, with 100 percent sRGB, and 80 percent Adobe RGB high color coverage, meaning pinpoint colors for CAD work, serious photography and video editing and the like.
HBO says 'down Periscope' after Game of Thrones livestreamed on Twitter's app
Game of Thrones enjoyed an impressive season 5 premiere on Sunday, with nearly 8 million viewers tuning into HBO to watch it. Unfortunately for the broadcaster, millions more pirated the show -- as is the case every year -- and the situation wasn’t helped by the online leak of the first four episodes that came in advance of the new season’s launch.
HBO is obviously furious about that leak, which it confirms originated from an as-yet unidentified reviewer, but it’s equally unhappy with Twitter, whose Periscope app was apparently employed by some users to livestream episodes of the show on Sunday.
Apple releases first iOS 8.4 beta with new Music app in tow
Apple has released the iOS 8.4 beta and with it, the upcoming revamped Music app.
The new music app features a stylish design (as we would expect from Apple), and a well thought-through interface, which includes a mini-player that remains visible while you’re looking around the app.
The crosswalk awaits you -- Abbey Road comes to Google Maps
When it comes to music there is perhaps no more famous location in the world than Abbey Road. The studio has become legend -- created legends, in fact. The recording home of John, Paul, George and Ringo is still there, almost a museum of sorts, awaiting the tourists who want to get just a small sense of the Fab Four.
No need to traipse the crosswalk, let alone barefoot, to get your glimpse into where it all happened. Google Street View is here to make all your troubles seem so far away by taking you to Abbey Road, virtually.
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