Fitbit adds Cortana support to its Windows Phone 8.1 app
When Fitbit launched its free, native app for Windows Phone 8.1 four months ago, it was a huge win for Microsoft which has in the past struggled to entice big names to its platform. The Fitbit app includes pretty much everything an owner of one of the firm’s activity trackers could want, including real-time and historical stats, automatic wireless syncing, activity and food logging, and the ability to pin the Fitbit Live Tile to your Start screen.
But where some companies simply port Android or iOS versions of their apps to Windows Phone and then forget about them, Fitbit shows just how committed it is to Microsoft's mobile platform by updating its app to introduce Cortana integration for easy voice-activated food & activity logging, as well as various other features.
Bitrix24 rolls out new business communication and collaboration tools
One of the biggest trends in enterprise systems this year has been the rise of social collaboration tools within the workplace.
Business intranet tools specialist Bitrix24 has been a major player in this field and is releasing a new and enhanced suite of unified communication and collaboration solutions targeted to businesses of all sizes.
Apple releases iOS 8.1.2 -- it's as minor as small updates come
Even though iOS 8.0 has received four updates since launching in mid-September, which have introduced new features, but also squashed quite a few (nasty) bugs, the latest incarnation of the popular mobile operating system still has its fair share of issues. To change that, Apple just introduced iOS 8.1.2.
Maybe fifth time's the charm, right? Well, that depends on what sort of issues you have been having, even while on iOS 8.1.1, because, according to the information provided by Apple, this update only fixes a single noteworthy problem.
Android business users get a virtual desktop in the cloud
One of the key reasons why businesses migrate their systems to the cloud is to make them easier to access from anywhere.
But that can create complications where office systems are Windows based and mobile devices are running a different OS. Cloud services provider dinCloud has an answer in the form of webHVD, its HTML5-based virtual desktop.
Update Scanner alerts you when web pages change (Firefox)
If you’d like to know when your favorite websites are updated then you could monitor their RSS or ATOM feeds, maybe a Twitter account or Facebook page. But if they don’t have any of these -- or checking them all seems like too much effort -- then you’ll probably just keep revisiting the site, again, and again, and again.
Update Scanner is a Firefox addon which saves time by automatically detecting and notifying you about changes to your chosen web pages.
Ad blockers under threat from Google, Microsoft and others
Several internet giants and media publishers, (Google, Microsoft and Le Figaro newspaper included), are threatening legal actions against the developers of software that blocks ads from reaching consumers.
This is, obviously, a problem for websites that rely on advertising as the web becomes more and more popular.
Dropbox 3 brings interface revamp, long path support
Cloud storage provider Dropbox has released a new stable build for desktop in the shape of Dropbox 3.0.3 for Windows, Linux and Mac.
The interface has been rewritten, bringing high DPI support on Windows, a revamped setup wizard for Linux, improved performance, and reportedly fixing "a large number of issues/ glitches" reported over the years.
Apple vs Samsung: Still no end in sight for the patent war
It seems as though the Apple vs Samsung patent wars will never end. Samsung has asked the US court to toss the $930 million lawsuit that Apple won, claiming that it didn’t plagiarize the iPhone and that the compensation was too high.
Samsung’s lawyer Kathleen Sullivan, argued that the lower court made an error and that the phones have separate distinct features, such as Samsung’s phones not having a 'home' button.
What tech changed your life in 2014?
As the year comes to a close, I'd like to ask you something: What was the best tech purchase you made (or received as a gift)? What about it is so good?
December is a time of reflection and preparation for a new year and when blogs and news sites fill space with stories looking back on the past 12 months and making predictions for the year ahead. I avoid writing the latter type but have opined about some companies' successes and failures, typically Apple, Google, or Microsoft. But if you'll oblige me, I would like my 2014 reflection(s) to be about you -- to make you the star.
kchmviewer: a better way to browse CHM files
It may be very old, but Microsoft's Compiled HTML Help (CHM) is still a common format for software documentation, as well as the occasional e-book.
Windows has a standard HTML Help viewer which should be able to display most files, but it’s a little fragile (just search the web for "regsvr32 hhctrl.ocx"). It may not work well if you need to display files in various character sets. And even if there are no problems, it's still a very basic viewer.
Google lists the top YouTube videos of 2014 -- did your favorites make the cut?
Even though we are in a golden age of television, with shows like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, more and more people are turning to YouTube for their video watching. It is hard to blame them, as the online videos are usually concise, entertaining and more importantly, the stars are oftentimes more accessible. In other words, while getting a tweet from a Hollywood celebrity like Jim Carrey is rare, getting one from iJustine or Chris Pirillo is not so far-fetched. Not everyone gets tweets from Jay Z like I do.
Today, YouTube is sharing its "YouTubeRewind 2014" -- a mashup video that celebrates the best of 2014 (seen above). In addition, the search giant is listing the overall top videos, plus filtered categories for music and advertisements. Did your favorite videos make the cut?
Forget male and female, Google+ now supports infinite gender identities
What's your gender? For some people it's a simple question -- nothing more than checking one of two boxes. But it can get more complicated than simply indicating that you're male or female. Many people feel that gender is not important and would prefer to keep this information to themselves. This is now a wish that Google respects on Google+.
In fact Google is going far beyond this. Starting today Google+ includes support for an infinite number of gender identifies. So whether you would rather not disclose where you fit onto the gender spectrum, or want to proclaim it outside of the confines of the usual binary options, now you can.
The Pirate Bay is offline following Swedish police raid
The Pirate Bay has hit turbulent seas once again. Earlier today torrent users noticed that the site appeared to be offline. This in itself was nothing particularly unusual -- all sites have occasional downtime -- but it soon transpired that the site was down around the world. The Pirate Bay has already been blocked by many ISPs around the world, but it was clear that this was something different.
Now it seems that the reason for the disappearance of the Pirate Bay is a raid by Swedish Police. And it is not just the main site that's gone -- the same fate became the site's forum (Suprbay.org) and associated sites Bayimg.com and Pastebay.net.
Amazon Instant Video goes 4K Ultra HD for Prime members but there is a catch
4K video is a runaway train at this point -- it is no longer a fad. It is looking like it will definitely become the next widely-adopted standard. While many people say 1080p is "good enough", that type of mindset stops progress. In the technology world, nothing is ever good enough; we must always push for more.
Unfortunately, 4K content is a bit rare at the moment, but growing every day. Today, Amazon announces that Prime members can watch 4K content for free. While this is very exciting news, there is a catch.
Secunia reveals some of 2014's top software vulnerabilities
Whilst high profile vulnerabilities in popular products tend to make the headlines, they’re often not the ones that most of us face on a regular basis.
IT security specialist Secunia has released a new quarterly Vulnerability Update revealing the day-to-day threat landscape. It lists the number of vulnerabilities disclosed for software products over a three month period.
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