Will you buy Chromebook Pixel 2015?
Because some BetaNews readers think Chromebook is a joke, I realized the necessity of getting out our Pixel buying poll before April Fools' Day. So here we are. Google released the second-generation Chromebook Pixel on March 11. The high-end laptop costs less than its predecessor (one model for under $1,000), but many potential buyers will question—and they should—the wisdom spending so much on a computer with browser user interface meant to be mostly Internet-connected.
Chromebook Pixel isn't for everyone—probably not most people. But our readers aren't most people. Many of you live on technology's cutting edge, and some bleed because of it. The laptop could be for you, and it most certainly is for me. I bought the high-end LS model on launch day and took delivery on Friday the 13th. I will have much good to report in my forthcoming review. But what works for me may not for you. So let's look more closely at the computer.
Microsoft brings mobile device management to Office 365
Microsoft has announced that mobile device management is now available in Office 365 for commercial customers. The feature is built into the office suite and allows administrators to control access to Office 365 data by Android, iOS and Windows Phone tablets and phones.
Security is very much at the heart of Office 365's mobile device management, and it includes a remote wipe feature. For businesses who have embraced the BYOD philosophy, this will bring peace of mind as it allows for the remote removal of Office and associated files even on personal devices.
Happy Torrent Day -- Kickass has plans for the occasion
March 30th is Torrent Day, or at least one site has proclaimed it so. The file sharing technology is used for all sorts of purposes, both benign and nefarious. However many sites will not be deterred from bringing to the masses what a number of people want, and Kickass Torrent is at the top the heap in that regard.
The site proclaimed the holiday for this date and has released a couple of special mementos for its user base. Both a music playlist and magazine are available for the big occasion. Naturally, you'll need to download both.
Kingston announces USB 3.0 FCR-HS4 High-Speed All-In-One Media Reader
Nowadays, it is very common to have an SD card reader on a laptop. Well, maybe not Apple's new MacBook, but I digress. Some desktop computers have integrated card readers, but not all do. The problem is there is more than one type of memory card, and many integrated solutions are SD-only. Plus, they are often USB 2.0, making them slow.
Luckily, if you have a USB 3.0 port, you can add a reader or upgrade to a faster option, with more card options too. Today, Kingston announces such a device; the FCR-HS4 All-In-One Media Reader. Not only is it fast and versatile, but attractive too.
How to overcome the challenges and difficulties of parenting in a digital age
In reviewing the daily news stream it is impossible to miss the escalating frequency of incidents coming out of schools all across the country which relate directly to social media, texting, or apps used by kids.
Sexting, cyber-bullying, sextortion, and intimidation seem to be on the rise. Sexting, in particular, seems to be proliferating and is now surpassing cyber-bulling in frequency and intensity. Consequences for online misbehavior of children can range from embarrassment or shame up to criminal prosecution. Depending on which state you live in, consequences can vary widely. It seems schools and parents struggle to grapple with the realities of a general lack of effective policies, rules, or legislation to address these problems head on.
Internet of Things brings a sense of purpose to cloud, mobile and Big Data
Since Cloud, Mobile and Big Data technologies started to go mainstream, individual strategies to support each of these technologies have been evolving and remain separate strategies today.
However the arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the strategic agenda very quickly. IoT as a 'collective & strategic' term has caught the interest of the enterprise and the consumer alike. IoT allows companies to effectively define one strategy that potentially embraces elements of cloud, mobile and Big Data. In short, IoT has brought a stronger sense of purpose to cloud, mobile and Big Data.
Apple extends its trade-in program to Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry
Earlier in the month we reported that Apple was about to start offering gift cards as part of a trade-in program for people buying a new iPhone. The updated program has now gone live so you can take your old Apple device, or non-Apple smartphone to an Apple store, or mail it in to receive credit.
The credit can be used in store or online against the purchase of a new Apple device, and this program expansion is the latest move from Apple to try to tempt users away from other platforms. You can check online to see how much you can expect to receive for your existing phone and decide whether it's worth your while. Hint: it might not be.
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge comes out unscathed after brutal drop test
We love watching smartphone drop tests. It does not even have to be a smartphone that we want to buy, watching it fall and meet the pavement is just too entertaining to pass. Some might even call it addictive. And predicting the extent of the damage, based on the build material or how exposed the display is, is part of the fun. Getting it right can be rewarding.
Samsung's new Galaxy S6 edge comes with all the right ingredients for a drop test that could end in massive damage. It's got a glass back, the main camera does not sit flush with the body, the surrounding frame is made of metal and, to top it all off, the display is curved on both sides. Before watching the so-called drop test, I expected to see a broom being used at the end.
Audacity adds real-time effects preview, updates noise removal tool
Open-source sound recording, editing and mixing tool Audacity 2.1.0 has been released, and comes with a slew of significant updates and improvements.
Version 2.1.0 debuts one major new feature: a Real-Time Preview for effects, which is accompanied by a major upgrade to the Noise Removal tool. It also offers various effects upgrades and redesigned Meter Toolbars.
Big data: All hype and no investment?
Although there's lots of talk surrounding the use of big data it seems that in many cases that's all it is and that companies aren't actually following through on deployments.
This is among the findings of a new report from Dimensional Research commissioned by data warehousing specialist Snowflake Computing which shows that whilst 91 percent of respondents have considered investments in big data, only 5 percent have actually put any investment into a deployment, and only 11 percent had a pilot in place.
Spotify joins forces with Sony, brings music to PS3 and PS4
Sony recently announced it would be launching a music program that would come to both current versions of its PlayStation console and to Experia mobile devices. The move puts the box more in line with the competition, adding entertainment features to compete. Now the company is making good on its promise, announcing Spotify to power the service.
The Japanese conglomerate is stating that Spotify will come to Sony Music in 41 different markets around the world and the roll out is beginning for both the PS3 and PS4. The partnership is touted as an "exclusive".
Inateck FE2004: Turn your old hard disk into a USB 3.0 external drive [Review]
You can of course buy ready to use external hard drives, but should you have a spare 2.5 inch disk from an old machine lying around it's easy enough to pop it in a case so you can use it for backups or transferring files.
There's lots of choice when it comes to buying an external enclosure and most of them aren't very expensive, so what makes this offering from German company Inateck attractive?
GitHub hit by its biggest DDoS attack ever
GitHub is still in the throes of a massive DDoS attack which has blighted the site since Thursday. While the origins of and reasons for the attack is not yet fully known, the fact that two projects relating to Chinese anti-censorship have been targeted speaks volumes.
Now into its fifth day, the attack turned into something of a tug-of-war. Just as GitHub thought it had managed to wrestle back control of the site, a fresh wave was unleashed. The evolving attack is the largest in GitHub's history and engineers "remain on high alert".
Office Image Extraction Wizard goes open source
RL Vision has announced that its Office Image Extraction Wizard is now open source.
The Windows application is a simple but effective tool for extracting images from Office and many other document types. Although, notably, not PDF (the company has a shareware application for that).
Fake Puush update steals passwords from Windows users
Screenshot-sharing app Puush has inadvertently infected Windows users with malware. Over the weekend, the Puush server was breached and a fake, malware-infected program update was put in place. This means that anyone updating to version r94 of the software is infected.
The malware tries to grab passwords from infected systems, and was noticed after users complained on Twitter that the latest update had been flagged up by BitDefender. As a precautionary measure, the update server has been taken offline, and a clean update has been made available as a standalone download.
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