Apple puts sales on hold in Russia as rouble collapses
The financial crisis in Russia is beginning to have an impact on the rest of the world. The value of the rouble has been fluctuating tremendously, but is generally on a downward trajectory -- it plummeted in value by 20 percent so far this week. For Apple the uncertainty about how things could pan out is too much, and the company has stopped sales of iPads, Macs and iPhones on the Russian version of its online store.
As reported by the BBC, Apple had to increase its prices in Russia last month as a result of the devaluing of the rouble. But now a more drastic step has been taken. Head to the Russian Apple Store now and you're greeted by a virtually blank page rather than the latest tech from the company.
First look: Veeam EndPoint Backup BETA
Back in October, enterprise virtualization specialists Veeam Software announced Veeam EndPoint Backup FREE, a free file and image-based backup tool for Windows.
The package is currently only available as a private beta -- you must sign up at their website and wait to receive a download link -- but we added our name to the list, and waited for our invitation.
35 percent of all security breaches take place in higher education
Higher education institutions with their rapid turnover of students' devices each year present particular problems when it comes to protecting data.
A new infographic from enterprise security and backup specialist SysCloud looks at the risks higher education bodies face and how they can improve their levels of protection.
Get a classic Start menu in Windows 10
Windows 10 is very much a work in progress, but one feature that’s definitely going to be around in the final release is the Start menu. Microsoft has done a clever job of blending the traditional Start menu with the divisive Start screen found in Windows 8.x. I’m a big fan of this approach, and the menu is customizable too, so if you really, really hate the tiles, you can turn them off.
However, for some people nothing less than a classic Windows 7 style Start menu is going to be acceptable. If you count yourself in that number, the good news is you can now get a traditional Start menu in Windows 10 thanks to Classic Shell.
Apple Pay gaining momentum as more companies sign up
Apple has announced that its mobile payment service Apple Pay has received even more support -- now 90 percent of all credit purchases by volume in the United States can be achieved by using Apple Pay.
SunTrust, Barclaycard, USAA, and dozens of other companies have joined the likes of Citibank and Chase in the last weeks and agreed to work with Apple, so that customers can buy things with little more than a wave on their iPhone, The New York Times reports.
Chrome OS is great, but Microsoft doesn't need to worry... yet
Not long ago I wrote asking if we still needed Windows. It's an interesting question without a real answer. On the one hand, many folks don't need it, as a Chromebook will suffice for what they do -- checking email and browsing websites. On the other hand, some people do need Windows for the apps that can't be had on Google's platform.
In other words, there is no easy answer to the question I posed. One thing became clear though. Windows won't be going anywhere soon. It may only be needed by a certain percentage of people, many of whom are in a business of some sort, either for themselves or in the enterprise community.
BuQu's PowerArmour case protects iPhone 6, doubles battery life
There are just two things I’d improve about Apple’s new iPhone -- its durability and battery life. Both are reasonable, but could be better. This is where BuQu’s PowerArmour case comes in. It will protect your device from drops, and provide up to 100 percent extra battery life. What’s not to love?
The Apple certified "Made for iPhone" case has an integrated 2,800mAh battery that keeps your phone charged at all times, and is sourced from the same manufacturer that provides batteries for Apple’s devices so you know it’s going to last.
Modern technology brings friends and family closer together
A new piece of research is arguing against the belief that modern technology is unsociable and interferes with families spending quality time together.
The research, commissioned by Tesco, found that almost a quarter of Brits surveyed felt better connected to friends and family thanks to gadgets like smartphones, tablets and computers.
Hub It can now charge your devices wirelessly
I reviewed Hub It a couple of weeks ago, and described it as an "essential, fully customizable sync and charging station for all your devices". I liked it so much in fact, I persuaded its creators, Eggtronic, to giveaway two to BetaNews readers. Enter here (but be quick, the giveaway ends soon).
The product comes with three USB 3.0 ports, as well as connectors for Micro USB, Mini USB, Apple 30 pin and Apple Lightning, but you’re not limited to those options. The station makes use of hot switchable cartridges so you can choose exactly which connectors it offers. And from today, you can add Qi wireless charging to the list.
Google reveals top searches for 2014
Another year is rolling to a close, and needless to say, another kajillion searches have been performed on Google over the course of 2014.
And as ever, Google has taken the time to post about the most searched for terms which users have been desperate for info on throughout 2014.
Grab every link on a web page with Copy All Links (Firefox)
You’re at a web page, maybe reading a forum post, looking at a list of links. You’d like to copy them somewhere, maybe share them with someone else. But your browser has no way to work with every link on a page, so you must copy them individually, select all the text and edit it later, maybe just bookmark the site and come back when you’ve more time.
It’s annoying. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Not if you’ve equipped yourself with the Firefox addon, Copy All Links.
Google makes End-to-End open source -- moves project to GitHub
Back in June, Google announced an alpha Google Chrome extension called "End-to-End". This project was designed to easily encrypt traffic between two points. Having encryption be easy is key, as users will avoid complicated solutions. The problem is, not everyone uses Chrome; some people prefer Firefox, Safari, Opera and more. Why is this a problem? In order for End-To-End to be effective and adopted as a pseudo-standard, it must be available for browsers other than Google's own.
Today, Google announces that the project is going open source, and moving to GitHub. While it is still designed for Chrome, the code can now be used by any interested party, potentially for use in other browsers and software. In other words, companies like Mozilla and Apple can start using the code today, and possibly make their browsers compatible. Unfortunately, territorial pissing-matches still exist in the tech world, and there is no guarantee that people will look to adopt a Google solution.
Pebble smartwatch gets an Android Wear notifications update
Like it or not, wearable technology seems to be here to stay. While, the likes of Google Glass remain aloof to most customers thanks to pricing, smartwatches have become fairly commonplace. Apple plans to enter the market, but Pebble and Google are already becoming established.
Now the two merge -- sort of. Pebble announces its latest update contains Android Wear notifications. This comes via version 2.3 of the app for your smartphone and it aims to add new functionality to your wrist.
Google increases security for desktop Gmail with Content Security Policy support
Google today revealed a new feature for Gmail that should help to increase inbox security. Newly added support for Content Security Policy (CSP) keeps Gmail extensions in check to ensure that none are malicious or try to interfere with your Gmail session.
It's essentially server-side malware protection for Gmail extensions, and this is just the latest move from Google that aims to increase inbox security. Email security is of interest to everyone online, but it's something that is particularly important to business and enterprise users -- groups Google is keen to keep happy.
Twitter could be on the verge of introducing auto-playing video ads
A little over a year ago, Facebook introduced videos that play automatically. If a report from AdWeek is correct, it looks as though others thought that this was a great idea because Twitter is reportedly considering implementing the same feature. As this is a report that appeared in AdWeek, it should be clear that one of the most likely reasons for introducing the feature would be to increase the visibility of ads.
Just as with Facebook, the concern here is that -- as well as being considered by many as an invasion of, if not privacy, then virtual personal space -- it will lead to an unwanted increase in data usage.
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