13 new shows arrive on Amazon Prime -- couch potatoes beware
If you're fond of watching TV, and most folks are, then you likely have some accounts with online services to supplement your viewing options. Several good choices exist, one of which is provided by online retail giant Amazon. Prime includes video streaming that competes with rival Netflix and now it's beefing up the original content available from this service.
13 new shows are debuting on the service, though they are pilots only. Amazon prefers to let the viewers decide what becomes a series and what gets shelved. So, your viewing and comments help here.
Windows Phone fans, get excited -- Microsoft pushing Lumia Denim to more devices
I have a confession; I love Windows Phone. I must whisper this, as Microsoft's mobile operating system has fallen out of favor with the tech community. Well, it was never popular to begin with, but lately, even fanboys have been jumping ship. It's hard to blame them, as there are many limitations to the platform; most notably apps. With that said, I still enjoy it.
If you are like me, and haven't yet given up on Windows Phone entirely, you are in for a treat. Today, Microsoft announces that Lumia Denim is officially rolling out for more devices this month. What does this mean? If you have a Lumia handset, better performance and new features are on the way.
A live video chat with Microsoft's Major Nelson and Xbox team -- watch it here tonight!
Regardless of which console you prefer, Xbox One or PlayStation 4, one thing is for sure -- you love video games. Sure, the consoles can do much more than gaming, but it would be silly to spend so much money to just watch video services; you can buy a Roku or Fire TV instead. So again, if you own a game console, you do love video games.
With that said, I am sure you love reading and talking about them too. Tonight, Larry Hryb, aka 'Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson', is conducting a live Google+ Hangouts session with fans. Not only can you listen to and watch him speak about video games, but interact with him and the Xbox team too. Even if you are a PlayStation fan, you should be excited for the opportunity to chat with the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. So what are you waiting for? Watch it here with us, live!
Ready yourselves, Windows 10 Technical Preview users! Updated program terms ahoy!
Microsoft has sent out emails to people signed up for the Windows Insider program, informing them that changes are on the way to terms and conditions. These changes will affect anyone who is using Windows 10 Technical Preview which is due for a new build very soon.
There have already been several public preview builds of the next version of Windows, and it is widely expected that the next big update will be unveiled in under a week's time on January 21. "The next chapter" of the Windows 10 story is due -- possibly including a Windows Phone 10 preview -- and it seems that new terms and conditions are needed.
IT debt and legacy systems
In 2010, Gartner issued a controversial press release: "Gartner Estimates Global 'IT Debt' to Be $500 Billion This Year, with Potential to Grow to $1 Trillion by 2015". IT debt was defined as "the cost of clearing the backlog of maintenance that would be required to bring the corporate applications portfolio to a fully supported current release state".
In Gartner’s view, most IT departments had been forced to ignore keeping applications properly updated, especially after years of budget cuts. At the same time businesses kept adding new applications, creating an unstable hodgepodge that would need to be addressed at some point in the future. And ignoring it isn’t a good thing. Until it’s addressed, IT debt is a "hidden risk" that threatens the entire business.
Google Glass is dead -- will anyone mourn its passing?
Google Glass was an interesting project, but now it is no more. It never really took off, and was never likely to. It was ahead of its time -- promising much, but never quite delivering. Along the way it encountered numerous stumbling blocks -- it cost a fortune, made you look daft, and could well result in you getting mugged, or thrown out of a cinema if you tried to wear it while a film was on.
Google has said that it will stop producing Glass in its present form, and will instead focus on "future versions", but that’s just the search giant’s polite way of avoiding saying the project is dead, and the Glass team will be using its corpse as a stepping stone to something new.
CompuLab MintBox Mini is a cute and diminutive Linux Mint computer
When it comes to Linux desktops, there are a few routes to go. The most common is to buy a Windows desktop and either replace Microsoft's operating system or partition the drive with your favorite Linux distro. If you are a bit more technical, you can build your own machine, but this can sometimes be costly (depending on your needs).
The coolest option, however, is to buy a pre-built Linux computer. Why? Well, it is a great way to show your support for the open source movement and can also financially support the makers of the pre-loaded operating system. Today, the Linux Mint team announces the MintBox Mini; a tiny computer running that distro. The cute PC is even mint-colored to create a unique experience.
Lumoid's wearables service lets you try before you buy
Lumoid wants to make the wearable buying experience a little less painful by launching a 'try-before-you-buy' service, allowing users to test five wearables for a limited time and find out which one suits them the best.
Users will be able to choose up to five wearables for $20 and have seven days to test them out, after which users send back all the wearables and can keep any they want to buy.
SAASPASS makes two-factor authentication available to the masses
Passwords are increasingly being seen as inadequate for protecting information and businesses and end users alike are looking for more secure alternatives.
San Francisco-based SASSPASS is making it easier to implement two-factor authentication with the launch of its Computer Connector. In conjunction with a SAASPASS mobile app it enables quick and easy 2FA for Macs and PCs.
Changing employee behavior can cut security risk by up to 70 percent
Whilst companies employ an array of sophisticated technology to combat security risks, often the weakest link remains the person sitting in front of the screen.
New research from Wombat Security Technologies and the Aberdeen Group suggests that changing employee behavior when responding to cyber threats via social media, phishing and other popular attack vectors can reduce an organization's risk by as much as 70 percent.
Play Maths Scrabble with Scrabble3D
Scrabble is a classic word game, every bit as engrossing today as when it first appeared back in 1938.
That’s our view, anyway. But if you’re tired of the regular game, would like to mix it up a little, then you might be interested in the open source Scrabble3D.
Top Gear meets Lego in trailer for new season
Jeremy, James and Richard are coming back for a 22nd season. Oh, that guy in the white suit and helmet will be there too, but "all we know is he's called The Stig". There will likely be some fast and expensive cars involved, and certainly there will be entertainment. But how do you advertise a show that really needs no introduction?
The answer to that question seems to be a merger with the Lego empire. You know -- those toys that adults also like to play with. You'll find all of the characters in the new trailer, or pieces of them anyway.
Xiaomi reveals its iPhone 6 Plus competitors
Chinese maker Xiaomi is going after iPhone 6 Plus with two new premium phablets unveiled today at a special event in Beijing. Called Mi Note and Mi Note Pro, the two Android handsets feature high-end hardware and, in typical Xiaomi fashion, lower price-tags than their Apple-made rival.
Xiaomi is calling both devices a flagship, although, judging by the specs alone, Mi Note Pro is clearly more deserving of the title, as it features the latest-available technologies. It is also better equipped to take on iPhone 6 Plus, which has proven to be quite successful for a phablet.
CommVault launches endpoint protection for mobile enterprises
The growth of mobile workforces means that employees are often reliant on data that's stored outside the protection of the normal IT infrastructure.
With global data breaches having an average cost of $3.5 million, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute, due to lost or unrecoverable data on employee devices, organizations are beginning to embrace centrally managed platforms that can be used to address data protection, collaboration, regulatory, and eDiscovery requirements in a secure manner.
Three steps to the perfect smartwatch
Even with all the trillion dollar estimates on what the wearables market will become by the turn of the decade, the outlook at the current juncture is slightly bleak for all but the biggest of manufacturers. Research released by the University of Pennsylvania showed that of 6,223 wearables users it studied, over 50 percent had given up on the devices and two thirds of that number did so in the first six months.
It’s becoming abundantly clear that tech firms need to arrest this decline and, although there is expectation that Apple’s entry into the sector can give everyone a jolt forwards, plenty more can be done.
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