Latest Technology News

Windows Phone is a fantastic mobile operating system, hindered only by a lack of apps. To be more specific, Google's lack of support makes Microsoft's mobile operating system a non-starter for many. Hell, my colleague Joe Wilcox recently declared his disdain for the platform, even though he loves the hardware. It's unfortunate, really.

Today, Microsoft officially announces the Lumia 535 -- notably missing the Nokia branding. The first handset featuring "Microsoft Lumia" branding is a low-end affair that will do nothing to sway Windows Phone detractors, or woo users of the popular iPhone. Instead, it represents affordability and style, targeting cost-conscious consumers in emerging markets.

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The net neutrality debate has been raging for some time and Barack Obama has stepped into the fray, voicing his support for a free and open internet. More than this, the president is calling for broadband to be reclassified under Title II of the Telecommunications Act which would give the FCC greater powers of regulation. His statement has come as bad news for cable companies who have expressed a desire to create a two-tiered internet.

But while some providers have suggested that they would like to be able to offer a faster service to customers willing and able to pay more money each month, Obama is calling for a largely unfettered internet. As well as eliminating the idea of fast lanes, he calls for no blocking of legal content, no throttling, and greater ISP transparency.

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Every month streaming video provider Netflix announces its speed results for the biggest ISPs in the US and other nations. The report is aimed to let customers know why their video may be dodgy and also to praise those that get it right. The order tends to vary each and every time, but there is some relative consistency seen in the results.

This time around, the October report reveals that Verizon Fios remains in the top spot. Comcast also retained its position, though sixth is still not great given the provider is getting paid by Netflix to provide the best service. In between those positions you will find Cablevision, Bright House, Cox and Charter.

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Over the weekend I started to seriously review my photos from Comic-Con 2014. Goddamn, there are some good ones—each and every one taken with Nokia Lumia Icon, which is essentially identical to the 930 model reviewed by colleague Mark Wilson. He panned the device because of Windows Phone 8.1; I'm in love because of the camera. But sometimes love is lost, and regretted. My sister has the Icon now.

I lug around iPhone 6, which camera by every measure that matters to me is inferior but one—startup shooting speed. Apple's shooter can't compete with the Icon. Fanboys will disagree, but, hey, they always will. The difference isn't fewer megapixels—eight compared to 20—but the intelligence and usability baked into camera and editing apps, lens, sensor, and choices the device makes when auto-shooting.

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Many people accuse me of being both paranoid and a hypochondriac. Well, they are probably right; I tend to get caught up in the media hype and ignore common sense. Am I likely to catch Ebola on Long Island? No, but that did not stop me from buying masks and gloves from Amazon. Hell, after the Fukushima disaster I bought iodine pills too. Do I feel stupid afterwords? A bit, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

While Ebola in the USA is not probable, it is a disaster in Africa. Remember, love and humanity are borderless, and even though these Africans are not our countrymen, they deserve our support and compassion. Today, Google announces an initiative to raise money and fight the horrific virus. Will you give to the cause?

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The web browser is a very under-appreciated program. While the web is not the Internet in its entirety, for many people, the web is all they know. In other words, people live in the web browser, and enjoy it immensely, but don't think about the software that is acting as a portal to their favorite websites.

Mozilla's Firefox is certainly not the first web browser, but it is responsible for many design cues and technologies found in other browsers. Not to mention, Mozilla is on the forefront of fighting for an open web and Firefox shares that ideology -- by using the open-source browser, you are choosing to support a free web. Today, Firefox celebrates its 10th Birthday and to celebrate, I ask you to think of it fondly. Well technically, Firefox's Birthday was yesterday, but who cares, let's party!

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In a surprise move, Mozilla has unveiled Firefox 33.1 FINAL for desktop alongside Firefox for Android 33.1, introducing some major new privacy features in the process.

The update adds a new Forget button for wiping activity over a user-defined period at the click of a button, plus introduces DuckDuckGo searching, which allows users to search without being tracked.

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The iPhone 6 and iOS 8 have well and truly captured the public's imagination. The opening weekend sales of the latest iPhone were the best ever for a new Apple model, selling close to 10 million units, and over 52 percent of existing Apple users have upgraded to iOS 8.

Consumer adoption is bound to spill into the enterprise, just like with every other iPhone, but when it does, what new features will enterprise developers have at their disposal when developing for Apple's latest hardware and software? After sifting through over 4000 new APIs, here are the top highlights for enterprise developers.

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If you’re frustrated by the Windows clipboard and its one item limit then you’ve probably already tried a few clipboard managers, and we’ve covered plenty in the past (CopyQ, Clipboard History and Remembr, for instance).

Looking at yet another example probably isn’t high on your list of priorities, then -- but Clibor just might be worth the effort.

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The future of wearable technology is so bright we’ll soon all be wearing Google sunglasses.  Juniper Research expects worldwide spending on wearable devices to jump from $1.4 billion this year to $19 billion by 2018.

In another report, ABI Research claims that sales of wearable computing devices will exceed 485 million shipments worldwide by 2018. "Wearable technology such as smart glasses and those used for healthcare are better suited for the enterprise as corporate-liable devices. Smartwatches, on the other hand, will most likely follow the trend of BYOD into the enterprise," according to Jason McNicol, senior enterprise analyst for ABI Research.

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The US government's leading security clearance contractor has been the victim of a cyber-attack that took months to even be noticed, according to recent reports. USIS, which specializes in "providing information and security services to government agencies and commercial enterprises", has come under fire for failing to spot the potentially harmful infiltration into its computer systems.

The breach, which was first revealed by the company and government agencies in August, is said to have compromised the personal records of at least 25,000 employees at the Homeland Security Department, and is reported to have cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars in lost government contracts.

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Darkhotel sounds like it ought to be one of those budget hotel chains you find on the outskirts of towns -- possibly one built without windows to keep costs down.

In fact researchers at Kaspersky Lab have revealed that it's an espionage campaign, which has been operating for almost a decade, that steals sensitive data from corporate executives traveling abroad.

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Google is widely regarded as being one of the controllers of the internet. It is by far the most popular search engine and if a site does not appear in the first few pages of results, it may as well not exist. But Google is far from being the only gatekeeper to the internet; Facebook is increasingly vying for that crown, whilst making efforts to make access more secure through Tor. But what does this mean?

Facebook accounts for a terrifying percentage of web traffic -- it is the second most visited website in the world according to Alexa. This means that it has a huge influence online, giving the social network the opportunity to shape the web and holds great sway in determining which sites, services, and stories rise to popularity. To many people, this influence is all but invisible, and this is perhaps the most concerning part of the story. So how does Facebook's influence present itself?

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As you may know, HTC One (M8) launched as a Verizon-exclusive in late-August. Shortly after its introduction, both AT&T and T-Mobile revealed that they would too carry the Windows Phone, but at a later date. The former was the first to get it, last week, but now you can also buy it from the magenta carrier.

While things were pretty clear about the cost of buying One (M8) for Windows from AT&T, T-Mobile left this information for the day when it is actually available through its stores. Luckily, if you have waited this long, you will not be disappointed.

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For some strange reason, when Microsoft released Windows 8.1 it forced Windows 8 users to update through the Windows Store. If you wanted to download an ISO file for installing how and when you liked, you either had to be an MSDN subscriber or use a couple of clever workarounds (as detailed here and here).

Thankfully, better late than never, Microsoft has finally come up with an official tool which will let you create your own Windows 8.1 installation DVD or USB flash drive. If you need to install Windows 8.1 from scratch, no longer do you need to install Windows 8 first, and then update through the store.

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