Sling TV, yes from the folks who brought you the Box, has launched and it's heading in many directions all at once. Earlier we heard that Xbox One would be the first gaming console to feature the service, now we're learning of the set-top box makers also partnered with Sling.

The new internet TV and video service has also teamed up with two of the most popular device makers currently in this market -- Roku and Amazon. Both companies plan to carry this new internet-based video service.

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Despite the fact we now have 5K available, most people still haven't even made the leap to the Ultra HD, or 4K, technology. Satellite TV provider DISH Network is taking aim at that crowd now, announcing it will be moving into this growing field. With the failure of 3D, it seems TV makers have finally found a viable way to lure people into buying a new set or box.

The company is announcing the new Joey, a set-top box compatible with this latest video technology. It claims "that it will be the first pay-TV provider to launch a 4K ‘Ultra HD’ set-top box. Named the 4K Joey, the unit is designed to easily integrate with DISH’s Hopper Whole Home HD DVR system".

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Whether you're a home or business user, one thing you've probably had drummed into you for years is the importance of virus protection, an effective firewall and malware guards. Well, as we start our journey into 2015 such security tools may not be anywhere near as effective as they used to be. Is it worth investing in them at all?

The suggestion isn’t that we should ditch firewalls and malware protection altogether -- that would be insanity. But security expert Ilia Kolochenko says that we need to rethink our reliance on automated security tools.

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Sling Box and Xbox may have similar names, but they are rather different technologies. However, that doesn't mean the two products can't get together to improve the entertainment in your living room. That's exactly what is now happening as Microsoft announces Sling TV (a bit different from Sling Box) for its gaming and entertainment console.

Sling TV which will be coming to the Xbox One, adding even more entertainment options. The service will carry many channels, including live sports, news, internet video and more. The new partnership has been announced by Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, or Major Nelson as he is more commonly known.

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Preparing your PC for work -- or play -- often requires several steps. You might launch a word processor, a spreadsheet, database, maybe a couple of websites, for instance. Or perhaps you’ll free up system resources by closing all non-essential programs before running a game.

None of this takes very long, but it’s tedious. Especially if you’re repeating the same steps, time and time again, each and every day. And that’s why you might want to simplify the process with Skwire Empire’s latest freeware release, Splat ( Simple Program Launching and Termination).

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Jump on the iDevice bandwagon and one of the first decisions you'll need to make is choosing capacity. This may be determined largely by budget, but what if you run out of space further down the line? Not many people are in a position to just invest in the same device with more space, but Leef iBRIDGE is a neat plug-in solution.

Just as you can expand the storage space of your computer or laptop with a USB drive, Leef iBRIDGE works in much the same way for your Apple device. Available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, the little plug-in modules give you a little breathing room for more music and photos.

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Consumers appear to have little to no interest in smartphones with curved displays. This much is clear, more than one year after Samsung's Galaxy Round first tried -- and failed -- to woo the market. Even the makers which have tried to drive up interest in this exotic form factor are still heavily relying on flat screens for most of their (popular) devices. Curved displays are just as rare of a sight today on smartphones as they were when they first came out.

Still, despite the cold reception, LG is not yet ready to leave smartphones with curved displays behind, as the South Korean maker today announces the successor of G Flex, called G Flex2. The new model, unlike its predecessor, is, however, more likely to have mass-market appeal in the premium segment, in no small part thanks to its less-intimidating size.

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As technology excels, hardware seems to shrink. With the exception of smartphones and televisions, smaller is better. Quite frankly, even though the economy is improving, many people are still hurting. As more and more people share residences, available office space in a home is becoming scarce. Many people no longer have room for a monstrous desktop tower.

HP is a great company, with a rich history and today it is addressing both space and money constraints, with two new tiny desktops -- the Stream and Pavilion Mini Desktops. Unlike limited Chromeboxes, these are full-fledged Windows machines that can do things like run full Microsoft Office and utilize optical drives. Hell, they are low-wattage with a max of 45 watts, so they may even lower your electric bill.

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We're all familiar with Chromecast, Google's nifty media streaming dongle that makes light work of chucking a video from your computer, phone or tablet to your TV. Fancy doing something similar with audio? Google must have been listening to you because the company has just launched Google Cast for audio.

The idea is virtually the same as Chromecast -- in fact it's based on exactly the same technology -- and it's just as simple to use. Start listening to music on your Android phone or tablet, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows computer or Chromebook and you can throw it to a set of compatible speakers without the need for wires.

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Identity, access and governance issues remain a priority or many, yet create a number of hurdles for organizations worldwide. But these are not their only pain points. Various systems and multiple networks often stand in opposition to a streamlined approach, but are vital to the automation of a workplace.

Saving time for IT managers from floods of password reset calls, for example, allows these teams to focus on more important priorities, but this is not their only headache. In fact, there are several modern headaches that IT manager unfortunately must face. But there are simple solutions. Let’s take a look.

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2014 was a big year for Roku, with the debut of the streaming stick as well as Roku TVs. But 2015 promises to be even bigger, with announcements coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas this week. The set-top box maker has a lot to talk about for the new year.

To start out, Roku claims TCL will release a whopping 12 new models of TVs featuring the software. All will be coming in the first half of this year. The new lineup will come with varying hardware configurations that promise different designs.

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Now that 2014 is done and dusted, it’s time to look ahead and start thinking about what this year has in store.

We recently had the chance to hear from Getronics CIO Tim Patrick-Smith, who shared his thoughts on what will be some of the key IT trends in 2015.

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The tablet market experienced something of a slump in 2014 and things don't look like being much better this year according to a new report by research specialists Gartner.

It estimates that tablet sales will reach 233 million units in 2015, an increase of only eight percent over last year's figure. Worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) for 2015 are estimated to reach 2.5 billion units, an increase of 3.9 percent over 2014.

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It is difficult to imagine that 4K is no longer the best that you can get today. After all, it is just starting to gain traction among consumers, and the selection of available devices has not even matured yet. However, 5K is already here, knocking 4K down a notch.

Apple is the first major player in the industry to have embraced 5K, when it announced iMac with Retina 5K display a couple of months ago. And, now, HP is following suit with its own 5K offering, the new 27-inch Z27q.

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If you have been experiencing problems accessing Netflix through a VPN recently, it's not because the company has started taking a harder line. Despite an apparent increase in problems connecting to Netflix through a VPN, the company says that it is not handling things any differently to normal.

TorGuard had reported an increase in the number of error messages its users experienced when trying to get their streaming fix, but Netflix is not owning up to clamping down on VPNs and proxies. While TorGuard expressed surprise at the appearance of a VPN-related error message, Netflix insists that it is business as usual.

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