Amazing! Apple wins the smartwatch wars without ever shipping a device!
That is the only takeaway from today's brutal bias assault against Android Wear. Canalys reports half-year 2014 shipments of 720,000, and the Apple-loving free press categorizes the number as a failure. Meanwhile, the analyst firm boasts that "All eyes are now on Apple, which will reveal further details about the Apple Watch prior to its release in April". Not mine. Are yours?
Over at Wall Street Journal, Rolfe Winkler begins his hatchet piece with: "It's been a slow start for Google’s smartwatches". The search and information giant doesn't sell any of the devices, developing the underlying platform. Nitpicking aside, he ridiculously writes: "Apple sold roughly 114 million iPhones over the same period. That means Apple sold almost as many iPhones each day as makers of Android smartwaches sold over the six months". Oh yeah?
All smart home security systems are insecure
Every "smart" security device in your home is vulnerable, a new study suggests.
Results of a security testing study conducted by tech giant HP show that 100 percent of the studied devices used in home security contain significant vulnerabilities, including password security, encryption and authentication issues.
Microsoft confirms that it has acquired calendar app Sunrise
Following on from the rumors that surfaced a week ago, Microsoft has confirmed its acquisition of calendar app Sunrise. The Android and iOS calendar app is widely recognized as one of the best that's available, and the announcement marks the latest move in Microsoft's recent productivity focus.
This is the second big acquisition Microsoft has made recently -- just a couple of months ago, the company snapped up email firm Acompli. It also sees Microsoft adopting rather Apple-esque language, referring to "meaningful, beautiful experiences in mobile email and calendaring".
Google's PerfKit Benchmarker tests the performance of cloud services
For both software and data, there is a relentless move to the cloud. But with so many different cloud services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which one is best. To help make things a little easier, Google today launches PerfKit Benchmarker.
The open-source tool makes it possible to run benchmarks across a variety of cloud platforms, and a dedicated visualization tool, Perfkit Explorer, has been created to help with the interpretation of results. The tool provides essential data to developers who are creating applications in the cloud.
Facebook's real name policy now causing issues for Native Americans
You might poke some innocent fun at your Native American friend Sitting Bull while he's on the toilet, but if you're that Native American, you wouldn’t want to be trolled by, let's say, Facebook.
That's exactly what happened to Shane Creepingbear, a Native American who, Facebook thinks, is using a fake name.
Recovery Rapids video game uses Microsoft Kinect to provide therapy to stroke victims
If you or a family member suffers a stroke, it can be a life-changing event. While some people do not have lasting effects, many face paralysis and weakness in different parts of their body. In other words, someone who is very active and mobile, can be relegated to a more sedentary lifestyle. This change can have psychological impacts too.
Luckily, there are therapies for victims of stroke, that can return the patient's strength and mobility. While this therapy is normally a boring affair, the Ohio State University has devised a new technique that is beneficial to recovery, while also being fun too. You see, it uses Microsoft's Kinect device.
Datameer brings big data analytics to the cloud
As more businesses want to take advantage of the insights that analysis of big data can offer there's greater demand for the cloud to allow direct access to stored data.
San Francisco-based big data platform specialist Datameer was the first big data analytics platform purpose built for Hadoop. Now the company is first to market with a big data analytics platform designed specifically for the cloud.
Do you love Amazon? There's a Valentine's Day sale going on
Amazon, originally known as a book seller, has become an all-around retail super store with a growing list of its own electronics. Sales are not infrequent as the company tries to push its devices, in many cases selling them at a loss with plans to make up the money once the customer is ensconced in the ecosystem. It's a plan that seems to pay off.
Now, if you're looking for that special gift for Valentine's Day, which fast approaches, Amazon is holding yet another of these sales. Discounts are available on many of the products produced by the company.
Get organized with sChecklist's to-do manager
Task management software should be all about making you more productive, saving you time, but it doesn't always work out that way. Especially if the software is so complex that you waste most of your time just trying to figure out how it works.
SChecklist isn't that kind of package. You won't spend an age figuring out how to set up sub-tasks, time requirements, dependencies or web sync because it can't do any of that. It's just about creating lists of item names, with checkboxes, and there's absolutely nothing else.
HERE Maps gets major map update on Android, Windows Phone
HERE Maps users on Android and Windows Phone are being treated to a major map update today, which expands the list of regions where turn-by-turn navigation is available, improves map quality in a number of regions, and increases the accuracy of public transit information in more cities, among other things.
In fact, Nokia claims that there are too many changes in this update to list individually, but says that they impact users all over the globe. Let's take a look at the biggest changes.
DH2i launches first container management solution for Windows Server
Containerization of applications has done much to enhance the flexibility and portability of software as it makes it easy to move between in-house, private cloud and public cloud.
Until now, however, it's been restricted to Linux systems, using solutions like Docker, or Oracle servers running Multitenant. Now though containerization is coming to Windows servers as DH2i launches its DxEnterprise container management solution for Windows Server.
Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 finally comes to Verizon Nokia Lumia Icon [Update]
Nokia Lumia Icon is among the last Windows Phones to receive a software update to Windows Phone 8.1, despite its flagship credentials. But this shouldn't surprise anyone. After all, Lumia Icon features Verizon's logo. And we all know that big red is not exactly quick with updates.
In fact, despite being a Verizon exclusive, Lumia Icon is long gone from the carrier's portfolio. Talk about support there! The only Windows Phones Verizon sells now are HTC One (M8) for Windows and Samsung ATIV SE. Still, Lumia Icon will at least get Lumia Denim, which is based on Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, quite possibly before any other high-end Windows Phone in US.
Clean PC infections with Trend Micro Anti-Threat Toolkit
Trend Micro may not always make the headlines, but it produces some great antivirus products which are loved by the independent testing labs (the company came top of the list in AV-Comparatives' December 2014 Real-World Protection Test).
Detection rates aren't everything, of course, and you might prefer something else. But if your system gets infected anyway, you can try out the company's technology for free with Trend Micro Anti-Threat Toolkit.
Most mobile email users prefer iOS over Android
People in the UK really love Apple products. OK, to be more precise, people in the UK with email accounts love Apple products.
More than half of all email in the UK (54 percent) is opened on an Apple device, says SendGrid, an email delivery platform. The total number of opened emails on iPads and iPhones has increased by 18 percent and five percent respectively.
Here are the specs for Sony's upcoming Xperia Z4
It looks like the Xperia Z4 will be coming to stores earlier than expected, following a new leak from Geekbench showing a Sony device running Android 5.0.2 and Snapdragon 810 processor.
Not many devices come running the latest Android Lollipop update, and only two devices currently feature the Snapdragon 810 processor, the LG G Flex 2 and Xiaomi Mi Note Pro.
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