Analyzing IBM analytics
When people last week started reading my IBM eBook (available Friday in paperback from Amazon and most distributors -- make Mrs. Cringely happy and send one to all your friends) the tales of IBM customer and employee woe were generally accepted as simple fact but some people had a hard time with my assertion that IBM analytics will probably not be successful (I said IBM is already too late to that party).
One especially informed reader hit me pretty hard on the topic and I think our conversation is worth repeating here. He’s asked to remain anonymous but I assure you he’s in a position to know.
Smart TVs can be hijacked using a $250 antenna
Smart TVs are the latest product to be exposed to dangerous vulnerabilities that can be exploited by burying malicious code in signals sent to the connected devices and even able to attack other devices in the home.
Researchers have found a loophole in the technology used in the advanced sets that allows attackers to hijack TVs in a straightforward way, leave no trace, and do anything that the owner of the TV can do.
YouTube set to debut on the Sony PS4
Microsoft differentiated itself from Sony in the game console market by positioning its offering as an entertainment device -- a living room hub, with HDMI pass-thru and lots of options. However Sony has a few of these as well, and now will be adding one more.
At the E3 gaming show, the company announces YouTube will be arriving on its console. "Sharing your greatest gaming moments on YouTube will be a piece of cake on PS4, thanks to the dedicated sharing capabilities at the very heart of PS4. YouTube will officially be one of the social options offered when you press the Share button on your DualShock 4. After pressing Share , you’ll see the YouTube icon pop up alongside Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and Ustream, and in just a couple of quick steps, you can go from playing your favorite games to publishing videos on your own YouTube channel. You’ll also be able to see your friends’ shared YouTube videos using the 'What’s New' feed", the company states.
Want to keep Google out of your home? Buy a Honeywell Lyric instead of Nest
I have a confession -- I like Google's services a lot. Gmail is my primary email, I watch YouTube videos everyday and Google+ is my favorite social media network. With that said, it can be scary for one company to have so much control of the internet and to know so much about me. While I trust Google, I can understand people's hesitation to put blind-faith into the search-giant.
When Google bought Nest, many people were up in arms over the deal. After all, if you don't trust the company with your email, you certainly won't trust it controlling your home. Luckily, if you want a smart thermostat, but don't want Google, you can go in a different direction -- Honeywell. Yes, today, that iconic company announces a Nest competitor called Lyric which is downright sexy and best of all for some people -- Google-free.
Adobe releases Flash Player 14 and AIR 14
Adobe has released a major update to its web media player and runtime platform with the release of Adobe Flash Player 14.0 and Adobe AIR 14.0.
The new releases deliver a number of new features and updates: a PPAPI Flash Player content debugger, support for Atom-based Android devices and -- of most interest to end users -- support for the AIR Gamepad API.
HTC Desire 610: A not-so-good Android smartphone [Review]
HTC has been extremely busy recently in terms of unleashing handsets upon us. Over a period of just a few weeks I have reviewed the flagship HTC One M8, the smaller format HTC One mini 2, and the HTC Desire 816. Now, with barely a pause for breath following those last two reviews, here comes the HTC Desire 610.
Styled by HTC as a good value, entertainment-focused handset, the Desire 610 costs around £235. It shares a lot of design features with its more expensive, higher specified cousin the Desire 816, which will set you back close to £300. So, if you need to save money but like what the Desire 816 has to offer, is this handset a good buy?
Firefox 30 adds new Sidebar button, GStreamer 1.0 support for Linux
Mozilla has released Firefox 30.0 FINAL for desktop, with Firefox for Android 30.0 also imminent.
Despite the landmark version number, Firefox 30 is a relatively minor release -- particularly on the desktop version -- with little in the way of new features for end users.
CCleaner for Android now available
It’s been well over a year since Piriform first announced plans to bring CCleaner to Android. At the time the company suggested the release would be "soon" but it took until April this year for the first Beta version to be made available.
Tens of thousands of users signed up to test the app, and Piriform has added some additional features along the way. Today, the company finally announces the full version is now available on Google Play, and as you’d expect from Piriform, it's totally free and without ads.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 is here -- IT departments should start brewing coffee
When it comes to Linux, home users can be rather lackadaisical with their installations. What I mean is, they can tinker, install any package they want and generally play around. If they break something, the worst case scenario is they reinstall and start from scratch. If they encounter a bug, they can jump on something like IRC and get support from their peers.
Businesses however, are not afforded such luxury. In the enterprise, there can be devastating consequences from data loss or outages. After all, besides the business, its customer's data must be protected too. Not to mention, outages could ruin a company's reputation. Businesses need to have official support -- message boards and IRC won't cut it. Today, the open-source darling of the enterprise world, Red Hat, Inc., announces the seventh version of its popular and dependable Enterprise Linux (RHEL). If a company is interested in a secure, trustworthy and affordable platform with support, it should definitely take notice.
Spanning launches 100 percent restore guarantee for Google Apps
Backup specialist Spanning Cloud Apps has made two announcements to help cement its position as a trusted SaaS backup and recovery provider.
The first is an update to its backup product for Salesforce. This includes on-page Salesforce data restore which makes it easy for end users to quickly and easily compare and recover previous versions of Salesforce data objects, such as Accounts, Opportunities and Contacts. As before the backup product is delivered entirely via the Salesforce interface.
Here's a Windows Phone toolkit app that is powerful and looks great
Features are extremely important in mobile apps as they give users the ability to do all sorts of interesting things with their smartphones and tablets. But, a great design matters as well (just as much, probably, if not more), as it builds up the enjoyment of using those kind of offerings. And, yes, we can have both.
Apps that do not place an emphasis on design, relying on dull-looking interfaces, put me off, plain and simple. It is an unfortunate situation that plagues many capable offerings, especially on Android, but on Windows Phone too. My toolkit app of choice is mighty-powerful, but looks like it was designed by robots, which is why I find #1 ToolKit to be a refreshing alternative.
Box wants IT to be more user-focused
Companies must think more about end users and the way technology is used in terms of the cloud and mobile or risk the failure of projects according to one prominent cloud storage firm.
Box gathered together a range of different technology CEOs and IT executives to discuss how to put user requirements at the centre of planning and design with a list of principles already out there forming a model that will "lead to higher adoption, agility, and success" for organizations.
Wise Care 365 version 3 sports major new interface, adds four new modules
WiseCleaner.com has released Wise Care 365 3.11, a major update to its all-in-one Windows maintenance tool. Version 3.11, which comes in free and paid-for versions, opens with a complete redesign of its user interface.
The new release also adds four new tools, revamps two of its major engines and comes with a number of optimizations to other parts of the suite.
Apple showcases OS X 10.10 Yosemite in new video
In early-June, at WWDC 2014, Apple took the wraps off the latest iteration of its Mac operating system, named OS X 10.10 Yosemite. It is now undergoing beta testing, being available only to registered developers. The official launch is set for this fall.
If you want to take a peek at how OS X 10.10 Yosemite looks and some of the new features it brings on Macs, Apple has released a new video, titled The New Look of OS X Yosemite, which showcases the new OS.
ChargeKey and ChargeCard ensure you’ll never be without a USB charger cable again
As we become more and more reliant on mobile gadgets it's inevitable that running out of battery life on your phone or tablet will become a regular occurrence.
Since we don't tend to carry chargers around with us all the time this can be a bit of a problem. If you have access to a USB port, however, your problems may be over.
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