Latest Technology News

If you have ever created or sat through a PowerPoint presentation for work, or created a report for school lately, you've surely seen or used clip art. There is nothing inherently wrong with using images to enhance a presentation or document, but the clip art in Office has been downright terrible. The images are typically outdated and cliched examples of business life, drawn by artists who likely came straight from hell (I kid -- actually, I bet they are very nice people).

Today, we may have finally seen the last of these horrid Pablo Picasso-esque nightmares, as Microsoft kills the Office clip art and image library. This is surely a time for celebration, but you are probably wondering where you will get images for your next quarterly presentation. No worries, Microsoft will now be directing users of Office to Bing Image Search instead.

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Google Code-In has been running for a few years now and serves as a platform for promoting the importance of programming and computer science to students. The current batch of computing student represents the next breed of app coders, website designers and computer experts. Google is keen to encourage teenagers to get involved and today is the day that registrations open for Google Code-In 2014.

One of the aims of the event is to promote the open source community, and encourage 13-17 year olds to get involved in whatever way they can. Google Code-In is a contest but it has been set up in such a way that it simulates working on a real-world open source project.

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It still has plenty of haters, but Windows 8.1 is finally finding an audience. It may not be anywhere near as sizable as the audience Windows 7 commands, but after losing usage share earlier in the year, the tiled OS is finally headed in the right direction, and at speed.

Earlier today I reported on NetMarketShare’s figures which show Windows 8.1 as having 12.10 percent of the desktop OS market, but now StatCounter has released its own figures which show Windows 8.1 as having just hit a pretty special milestone -- overtaking Windows XP for the first time.

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Unauthorized access to networks is currently one of the most serious threats to the hosting business. Intruders and viruses present the two biggest security threats to the industry. Let us examine three key definitions: intruders (or hackers), intrusion, which is a formal term for describing the act of compromising a network or system, and Intrusion Detection Systems, which help business detect when they are vulnerable to an attack.

Intruders can be external or internal and their intents may vary from benign to serious. Statistically 80 percent of security breaches are committed by internal users and these are by far the most difficult to detect and prevent. These intruders create a significant issue for network systems and IT equipment. Intruders come in a variety of classes with a varying level of competence -- an external user without authorized access to the system will want to penetrate the system to exploit legitimate user accounts to access data, programs or resources with a purpose of misuse. Intruders may even use compromised systems to launch attacks.

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Rain? Wind? Ice? Snow? Just about everyone needs to know what’s happening next with the weather, and there are a vast number of tools and websites to keep you up-to-date.

Most weather monitors try to win you over by piling on the features: multiple locations, detailed long-term graphs, customized alerts, whatever it might be. The results can be very powerful, but also bulky and complex.

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As a fat guy, I am an easy mark for the Girl Scouts. When they knock on my door and ask me if I want to buy cookies, that question is rhetorical; of course I want them! Heck, they don't only get me at home, but in public too. Coming out of the grocery store, they will often be camping out for sales. There too, I gladly buy a box of cookies, feeling ashamed as I walk to my car.

I can't speak for all fat people, but myself and others may feel embarrassed to buy cookies, when we are already so out of shape. Yes, it is for a good cause, but you imagine people seeing you buy them, and judging you; perhaps rightfully so. Today, however, this changes as the Girl Scouts are going online with Digital Cookie; you will soon be able to buy the cookies directly online. In other words, I can buy Thin Mints and Do-si-dos without shame or judgment.

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Cyber Monday is once again set to break records for online sales and web traffic, but there’s a darker side to the day too.

Social risk management company ZeroFOX has released the results of some research into the risks associated with the Cyber Monday spending spree.

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As first revealed on BetaNews just before Thanksgiving, a rogue Microsoft blog post seemed to let slip that the company was on the verge of acquiring Acompli. Now it's official. Both Microsoft and Acompli have confirmed that the acquisition is going ahead and the "innovative mobile email apps for iOS and Android" are now in the hands of Microsoft. Seen by many as the mobile app that Outlook.com deserves, Acompli fits neatly into Microsoft's plan to expand further into mobile realms.

Corporate Vice President of Outlook and Office 365, Rajesh Jha says "it's essential to give people fantastic email experiences wherever they go". The existing Acompli app is destined to become integrated into the work already carried out by the Outlook team. While iOS and Android are both mentioned, no reference is made to Windows Phone.

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It's that time of year when industry analysts like to start rolling out their predictions for the year ahead. One of the first out of the blocks is technology research specialist Ovum with a new report on enterprise mobility.

Up to now mobility has been driven by the consumer market with employees demanding to use their own devices in the workplace. Among Ovum's predictions are that this will continue to lead to a 'mobility mismatch' where employee demand isn't matched by IT department's ability to deliver.

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It used to be that you'd buy a new PC or laptop and have to spend the first hour or so removing all of the crap that the manufacturer had installed. The same idea carried across to mobile phones, particularly in the case of Android handsets, but the key difference is that -- at least without rooting -- many carrier apps can be all but impossible to remove. Now, thanks to "post-loading" the problem is about to get worse.

As the term suggests, post-loading makes it possible for a carrier to push apps to handsets and install them secretly. This is all thanks to Digital Turbine's Ignite system, and the likes of Vodafone, Verizon, T-Mobile and more are listed as clients. Of course, it's all about money or, as Digital Turbine puts it, "maximizing the efficiency of pre and post loading applications on smartphones for more advertising revenue".

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Having a strong and unique password for every website you visit is a great idea. Unfortunately, there is a major problem with that -- it can be impossible to remember them all. If it becomes a tedious affair, users will start recycling passwords for multiple sites, which is a huge best-practice "no-no". Think about it; if a hacker gets your password from one site, they now have it for other sites too. Even worse than recycling passwords? Writing them down on Post-It-Notes and sticking them on a monitor.

While it is easy to judge people for not securing their passwords, remember, it is not their fault that current systems are deficient. True, there are password management solutions by various companies, but how can a user know which one to trust? Luckily, consumers will soon have a very trustworthy name available -- Intel. Today, that company announces it is acquiring password management solution PasswordBox.

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Enterprise software specialist SAP has announced the availability of a new manufacturing application to help deliver data integration across businesses using the SAP HANA platform.

SAP Manufacturing Execution includes the SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP MII) application and SAP Plant Connectivity software. This allows it to provide machine-to-machine integration and orchestrate intelligent manufacturing.

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Mozilla has released Firefox 34.0 FINAL for desktop, with Firefox for Android 34.0 due to follow in the coming days.

Firefox 34 rolls out the new Firefox Hello real-time communication client and promises faster and simpler persona switching. It also includes a number of improved features, widens support for HTML5 and unveils a new WebIDE app for developers.

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Twitter is a great tool, not only for communicating, but also for making money. There are a whole host of individuals out there who have forged successful careers out of money made on Twitter. However, you do not have to be a social media genius to get in on the action.

All you really need to make money on Twitter is some creativity and ambition. Below are 7 tips that can help you out.

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The countdown to the end of 2014 is now underway. With less than a month until the arrival of 2015, Microsoft -- specifically Microsoft Lumia -- wants to help anyone making a New Year's resolution to stick to their goals. The idea is simple. Research shows that people are more likely to hold their resolve if they make a public pledge of their intentions. With this in mind, the #MakeItHappen encourages anyone with a goal for 2015 to announce it.

But more than just giving you a public place to announce what you would like for the New Year, Microsoft is also selecting one person a day throughout December and will help them complete their unfulfilled resolutions from 2014.

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