Computrace back door could make millions of PCs vulnerable
Almost all recent PCs have Absolute Computrace embedded in their BIOS. It's a product designed to allow companies to track and secure all of their PCs from a single cloud-based console.
But researchers at Kaspersky lab have revealed that it often runs without user-consent, persistently activates itself at system boot, and can be exploited to perform various attacks and to take complete control of an affected machine.
Sony Xperia T3: Decent smartphone with a few issues [Review]
The Sony Xperia T3 updates the Xperia T2 which, er, was an update to the Xperia T. Except that's not quite how it is. When the T came out early last year it was the flagship phone for Sony. It even had a much talked about spot in a James Bond movie. The flagship handset line from the Sony range is now the Z series, and the Z3 is due very soon. The T series is now the mid-range in Sony's stable, and the Xperia T3 is priced at £299 online at Sony's website.
Sony has worked hard to consolidate design across its handset range, and that's evident with the Xperia T3. The monolith appearance with squared-off corners and distinctive button design and placement is carried through from the Z range, though the price differential has had a clear effect on materials. Where the Xperia Z2 has a glass back that I found rather too reflective and slippy, the T3 has a more usual rubbery finish on the back that's easier on the hands and doesn't act like a mirror for the narcissists among us.
Platform9 launches self-service private cloud
Today's IT managers are under pressure to deliver the sort of agility that's offered by the public cloud but with the security and cost benefits of using existing infrastructure.
California-based startup Platform9 has today unveiled an answer to this problem with its SaaS platform that transforms an organization's existing servers into an AWS-like agile, self-service private cloud within minutes. It significantly reduces the operational complexity for IT and offers a single point of management for Docker, KVM and VMware vSphere.
EFF's Privacy Badger automatically blocks web trackers
There are plenty of browser extensions around which try to block web trackers, but most have at least some issues: they’re complicated to set up, need custom configuration, use bulky blacklists, maybe there are some questions over the developer’s business model.
Electronic Frontier Foundation is trying to change all that with Privacy Badger, a trustworthy Firefox and Chrome extension which blocks tracking ads and cookies entirely automatically, no manual intervention required.
Super-secure Blackphone rooted at DefCon conference
The Blackphone, billed as a super-secure consumer alternative to standard smartphones, has been successfully hacked.
The hack comes not long after Blackphone sparred with BlackBerry after the latter called the secure device "unacceptable" for enterprise and petty customers.
IBM patent lets enterprises choose the location of their cloud data
IBM has developed a technique that should help enterprise firms manage where their cloud data is stored.
The technology could help businesses to comply with regional legislation regarding cloud content.
Netflix updates its monthly ISP shame and fame report
A lot of news recently has swirled around Netflix and its problems with ISPs, especially after the Comcast incident, where the service was forced to pay a premium simply for customers to get reliable service. However, Netflix is not shy about reporting the winners and losers on a monthly basis.
Today it announces its report of ISP streaming speeds. Despite the fee now being paid, Comcast still failed to finish at the top, coming in at fifth place. The giant of the US market ranked behind, in order, Cablevision, Cox, Suddenlink and Charter.
EA Access brings Netflix-like gaming to Xbox One
Watching a movie via Netflix has never been easier -- well, depending on your ISP, that is. Now EA would like to bring the same experience to playing games on that new Xbox One console sitting in your living room.
Electronic Arts has rolled out Access -- a new game service that works quite a lot like the movie service. Also like Netflix, it will work on a subscription basis, there is no free ride here. However, the games available should make it worthwhile for those wishing to partake.
Reveal lost images with Thumbcache Viewer
You’ve accidentally deleted some irreplaceable images. There are no backups; file recovery tools can’t find anything; it seems like they’ve gone forever. But wait: there may still be just a little hope.
Browse a folder in thumbnail view and Explorer generates thumbnails for every supported file, saving them in a local cache. These can live on for a long time, even if the source files are deleted, corrupted or otherwise trashed. And you can recover any or all of them with just a couple of tiny free tools.
Torrents come to iOS, Apple approves Blue Downloader
When people hear the word BitTorrent, they tend to leap to conclusions, some of which are inevitably wrong. The fact is, the technology is used to distribute all sorts of content, including Linux distros and music and movies that artists and directors make available.
However, it is largely one of those keywords that sets off alarm bells with Apple, which keeps a tight rein on the content that appears within its iTunes app store. That's why it was a bit shocking when Blue Downloader made its debut.
Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 6 adds new portrait tools, photo effects, delivers UI improvements
German developer Ashampoo has unveiled Photo Optimizer 6, the first major new build of its fast, user-friendly photo tool for over two years.
The program adds a number of new portrait-enhancing tools and a slew of extra effects, but also delivers various "structure" improvements to the user interface and promises a more efficient, faster image-editing tool. It also drops support for Windows XP.
Surface Pro 3 marketing is spot on target
I understand that it's the dog days of summer, when news is light, readers vacation, and writers struggle to produce current content. So I'll forgive colleague Mihaita Bamburic, for his misguided attack against Surface Pro 3. He asserts that Microsoft markets the computer to the "wrong crowd". If that would be tech writers, he gets a nod. Otherwise, I shake my head and point a finger.
I've read this misguided diatribe before, from tech reviewers switching to the Microsoft PC from an Apple, but never expected it from him. As someone who has bought and paid for MacBook Air and Surface Pro 3, I say that Microsoft's marketing is spot on target. The problem isn't the potential consumer buyer but geek writers, particularly those already using Macs.
Amazon kicks off new pilot season later this month
Last year Amazon debuted a number of pilots, though only two survived the final cut -- both Alpha House and Betas had first season runs. Of those, only the former will survive to season two. However, the company continues pushing its own original content, and is now set to debut a new run of pilots for viewers to decide upon.
On August 28th the retail giant will kick off several new shows, all available to any customer who has a Prime subscription. The episodes cover the gamut of content, so pick and choose as you wish.
Average US internet speeds -- how does your state compare?
While my colleague Mark Wilson endures glacially slow internet, I’m lucky enough to be on a super-fast 100Mbps connection (but even that’s a bit slow for me -- I’ll be upgrading to 152 Mbps early next year).
The average connection speeds for most internet users is a lot slower, but getting better. Broadview Networks took a look at the average internet speeds in America, and listed the results by state, showing average speed in Q1, and comparing the results quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year.
IT professionals lack confidence in managing compliance
Companies operating in industries like healthcare, financial services and retail inevitably come in for a hard time if they don’t take good care of their data.
Yet a new survey by Dimensional Research for Dell Software shows the rather startling result that almost all of the IT professionals surveys in these industries lack confidence in their organizations' ability to manage governance, risk and compliance.
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