US Department of Defense gives nod of approval to five Samsung Galaxy devices
South Korean manufacturer Samsung announced, earlier today, that five of its Knox-enabled Galaxy smartphones and tablets have been approved by the US Department of Defense for use on its unclassified defense networks.
The devices in question are the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, running Android 4.4 KitKat, with Knox 1.x in tow. The company's latest smartphone flagship, the Galaxy S5, as well as other Android handsets sporting Knox 2.x have not received the nod of approval from the DOD, which would have allowed them to be included in the Defense Information System Agency's Approved Product List (APL).
SanDisk hopes to win the hearts (and wallets) of gamers with Extreme PRO SSD
Believe it or not, system builders are a diverse set. Some people focus on looks, others on performance and some on value. However, gamers are typically the ones that push the boundaries with performance and high-costs when building rigs. While some people will write-off video games as a silly time waster, they are actually a vital driver of personal computing innovation. Hell, it is also good financially for the hardware business -- new games need better hardware and gamers are willing to pay to play.
Beyond expensive video cards and overclocked CPUs and RAM, gamers are constantly looking for a way to gain an edge. Anything that can make a game load faster, even by seconds, is extremely attractive to them. Today, SanDisk announces the Extreme PRO SSD -- a storage solution for gamers that want to utilize SATA III rather than much costlier options. PlayStation 4 owners will want to take notice too.
Olympus has fallen: Microsoft and the FBI take down Zeus botnet
Microsoft has a digital crimes unit, which it has utilized to systematically go after botnets around the world. The company claims several victories, but none is likely as big as the one now unveiled.
Zeus, an especially troubling entity, has been taken down by a combination of the Microsoft DCU and the US FBI. The company announces that the game is now over for "GameOver", a variant of Zeus (also known as Zbot).
The irresistible rise of the Windows phone
Android may be the dominant force in the smartphone market, but according to mobile advertising specialist Vserv Windows is surging forward as a mobile OS.
As prices of smartphones continue to fall, making them more popular across global markets, this is good for the whole market and Vserv sees the adoption of the next generation of Windows-based phones as being all but guaranteed.
Android 4.4.3 KitKat available now, here's how you can install it
Google Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10 users are in for a treat, as Android 4.4.3 KitKat is now rolling out. The latest version of the operating system is also available to customers of US mobile operator T-Mobile, which has revealed the sort of changes users can expect from the upgrade.
Android 4.4.3 KitKat is not a major upgrade over its predecessor, as T-Mobile says there are no new features in tow, but only improvements related to security and the customary fixing of bugs. The US mobile operator lists the upgrade as rolling out starting June 2, for its Nexus-toting customers.
Jovial Notepad is a very lightweight Notepad replacement
Jovial Notepad is a portable Notepad replacement, exceptionally small (32KB download, a single 64KB executable) yet still managing to cram in plenty of interesting features.
The program looks at first much like the standard Notepad, but you’ll soon spot some differences. URLs become highlighted and clickable as you type them; the status bar displays the date, a character and line count; and a Symbols menu allows you to enter useful symbols (copyright, pi, degrees, various currencies) in a couple of clicks.
Apple opens the door to Bitcoin and other virtual currencies
Yosemite! Woo! iOS 8! Yay! New way of programming! Huzzah! These were the obvious highlights of Apple's WWDC keynote yesterday, but as the dust settles there are some additional interesting tidbits emerging. As this was a developer conference, it should come as no surprise that the announcements and revelations have the most immediate impact on developers -- but things will also filter down to users. One change that was not given any fanfare at the WWDC is an alteration to Apple's App Store Review Guidelines which paves the way for virtual currency support.
The guidelines themselves are surprisingly easy to read -- this document is nothing like an EULA! But if you'd like to cut to the chase, jump to 11.17 in the "Purchasing and currencies" section. Here you'll find the advice that "Apps may facilitate transmission of approved virtual currencies provided that they do so in compliance with all state and federal laws for the territories in which the app functions". There is no reason that this possible virtual currency support should not include Bitcoin, although the currency has not been specifically mentioned.
Bing turns five, promises the best is 'on the imminent horizon'
Five years ago today, Microsoft launched the Bing search engine. I remember it well. In particular I remember shaking my head at that name, but also admiring the photography that appeared on the home page.
To celebrate five years of Bing, Microsoft has put together a blog post that chronicles the changes that have occurred over the years, and hints at what’s to come. It’s also assembled a gallery of the best home pages.
HTC One (E8): The flagship without metal
HTC has been praised numerous times for making its two most-recent flagships, the One and One (M8), out of metal. That is because this material gives such smartphones a premium look and feel that is actually worthy of the asking price. And, in the Android world, it sets the company's flagships apart from the myriad plastic-clad competitors. Metal is undeniably good. Except when it is not.
The use of metal adds to the cost of HTC's smartphones, which makes them less attainable for many, if not most, consumers. So, to give them a chance to experience the One (M8), albeit on a budget, HTC has taken out the metal and replaced it with plastic. Meet the new One (E8).
Outlook.com custom domain support all but dead come July 31, 2014
After Google chopped off the umbilical cord from the oft-used Free Edition of its Google Apps suite back in late 2012, users were left wondering where they could take their custom email domain needs to. One of the best remaining alternatives was by far Outlook.com, Microsoft's free email service which I use in place of Gmail now. I penned an extensive how-to piece on getting Outlook.com working as your own custom domain host for email last year.
How the tables have turned in just over a half year. In an about-face, Microsoft recently announced on its custom domains page for Outlook.com (called the Windows Live Admin Center) that it is no longer accepting new applications for the service. PC World and ZDNet actually reported on this back in April, but I have been so busy with client work that I forgot to post this news over here for all the curious potential Outlook.com custom domain converts.
Dyson was testing Google Glass style specs a decade ago
Dyson is of course famous for its vacuum cleaners (along with hand driers and so forth), but the company has experimented with products in other fields -- including a tech effort which bears an uncanny resemblance to an admittedly much clunkier version of Google Glass.
It's not surprising that it's clunky by nature, though, given that Dyson was working on this concept some ten years ago.
The iOS 8 features Apple didn’t mention at WWDC
Tim Cook took to the stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference yesterday, to announce iOS 8, the next iteration of the company’s mobile operating system. As expected, the forthcoming release builds on the foundations laid down by its predecessor, refining elements and introducing some new features.
Craig Federighi, SVP of Software Engineering, ran through a lot of the changes yesterday, including interactive notifications, HealthKit, Family Sharing, Spotlight Suggestions, iCloud Drive, Continuity, Photos with iCloud, and context sensitive predictive text. But there were loads of features that Federighi didn’t mention.
Apple walks OS X 10.10 'Yosemite' down the catwalk to show off the pretty new clothes
Many people are loyal to a specific operating system. While I mostly use the wonderful Windows 8.1, I also use Linux and OS X too. Apple's operating system works and looks very well, but from a productivity standpoint, Windows still has it beat. Don't get me wrong, OS X is fun to use and rewarding, but it can't even do window-snapping on the edges of the screen. Don't even get me started on the horrible native email client.
Today, Apple showed-off the latest version of OS X (10.10), dubbed "Yosemite". The fruit-logo company has slapped a new coat of paint on the operating system, making it resemble the flatness of iOS 7. However, the appearance is only part of the story. It not only has a new look, but new features and improvements too. In other words, Yosemite looks to be an important update for Mac users.
HP Chromebook 11 without Google is less appealing
Let me start by thanking HP public relations for quickly responding to my information request, even after my warning the story would likely be ugly -- and it is. Today, the company unveiled a new Chromebook 11 model that is less than the original. As widely-rumored last month, the beautiful, 300-nit, IPS display with wide viewing angles is gone. "It’s an 11.6-inch screen with standard display technology", according to HP. That means dimmer and duller.
HP designed the first Chromebook 11 "With Google", which is branding appearing on the computer's underside. The laptop without Google matches the look of the 14-inch model, adopts similar fantastic keyboard, reduces display quality, and keeps the same aged ARM chip and puny 2GB of memory. The panel and processor choices perplex. If I had to choose between the original, which I reviewed in October, and its successor the choice is simple: Last year's model, which debuted at $279 and is available from Amazon for $225. The newer Chromebook 11 lists for $279 and sales start next month. Even if priced the same, I would choose the original.
Google launches Chromebooks in nine more nations
Last week I mentioned that I've been working from a Chromebook recently, in this case an HP 11. However, folks in other nations are not all so fortunate, as the platform is not yet available everywhere. That's something that Google would like to change, for both the benefit of itself and consumers.
Today nine more regions were checked off the list with a poetic announcement from Google's David Shapiro, who is director of Chromebook marketing.
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