Microsoft, McAfee and more join forces to promote security with World Password Day
Security is fun! Security is sexy! In fact, passwords get so many hearts pounding that World Password Day had to be dreamed up just to create an outlet for the outpouring of emotion associated with them. This may be stretching things a little, but today really is World Password Day, a global movement involving McAfee, Microsoft, Dell, Acer, Lenovo and numerous other big names to educate the world about... passwords! I jest a little, but this is a day with a serious message -- we are all incredibly reliant on passwords, but too many of them are just not strong enough.
Head on over to the website and you'll find all manner of tools designed to stress the importance of strong passwords, and to promote good practices. Things get off to a fairly gentle start with a typing game in which you're invited to type common passwords and blast them out of the sky. There are also tools and tips from each of the companies involved in the project. Microsoft has a password checker that will test the strength of your password, McAfee (now nothing to do with John McAfee!) has a Heartbleed vulnerability checker, while Dell has the handy tip that one shouldn’t type one's password into the username field.
FreeRIP: not just a CD ripper
It’s a tough world for CD rippers. Windows Media Player already handles most basic ripping needs all on its own, so developers really need to layer on the extras if they want to attract attention.
It can still be done, though, with a little work -- and FreeRIP is a good example.
TuneIn updates platform, aims to be the Twitter of music
TuneIn Radio is one of the hottest music services right now, allowing customers to listen to both terrestrial and internet-based stations. Now the company is implementing a radical upgrade to the way it works.
The service is trying to become more social, a bit like a Twitter for music fans. "TuneIn will connect millions of listeners and broadcasters from all over the globe with new features including a personalized live feed, profile pages, and the ability to share content with the Echo feature", states the company.
Overlooked testing conditions that affect mobile app quality and performance
Building a mobile app is difficult -- it takes a lot of time, money, and some luck. Success not only depends on the content and functionality of the app, but also on how your app performs on real devices under real user conditions. Tools and SDKs for mobile app development have improved these last few years, but often the development and testing process misses the rigor and attention to detail that is required to give your app a fighting chance.
First and foremost, you cannot rely solely on post-launch crash reporting and monitoring tools. In the web world, companies learnt the hard way that bugs that caused sites to crash or payments to fail ultimately led to unsatisfied customers and lost revenue opportunities. As a result, a culture of pre-release testing is now ingrained in web development. So why shouldn’t the same apply for mobile and apps?
iOS 7 security flaw leaves email attachments vulnerable
A glaring bug in Apple’s iOS 7 mobile operating system has resulted in every email attachment on iPhones and iPads being left completely unencrypted, according to new disclosures.
According to the official support documentation provided by Apple, iOS provides data protection on all devices that offer hardware encryption -- specifically the iPhone 3GS and later, all iPads, and the third-generation iPod touch and later.
Samsung Galaxy S5 gets down to business
Businesses want to have a certain level of control over the smartphones their employees bring into work environments. This means vendors which cater to these kind of needs, through dedicated management tools and software designed to isolate personal and work content, are more likely to get on their good side, and grab significant enterprise market share in the process.
South Korean maker Samsung offers a BYOD-friendly solution that is meant for its top Android devices. Called Knox, it received two major revisions, the most-recent of which was unveiled at MWC 2014 in February, since its introduction more than a year ago. It has been made available for devices like the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3. And, today, Samsung announced Knox (albeit in its latest iteration, version 2.0) also greets the Galaxy S5.
JPEG Saver: the ultimate in slideshow screensavers?
Windows has included a basic slideshow-type screensaver for many years, and it’s always been very easy to set up. Choose a source folder, maybe a display speed, and that’s it: your PC will begin showing your digital photos whenever the screensaver kicks in.
While this works just fine, it’s a little -- okay, extremely -- limited. But there is an alternative. The free JPEG Saver can also be set up in a flash to display a quick and easy slideshow. But it can also customize what happens next in just about any way you like.
The force is still (too) strong with Android, iOS in the smartphone market
Any efforts to break the Android and iOS duopoly in the smartphone market appear to be for naught as the pair continues to take the lion's share of shipments and sales. Even third place occupant Windows Phone struggles to gain significant territory, despite higher unit volumes.
A new report from ABI Research shows Android, iOS, and Windows Phone shipments grew in Q1 2014, compared to the same period from 2013. Despite this increase, Apple's platform lost share quarter-over-quarter, dropping from 11 percent to 10 percent. Meanwhile, Android and Windows Phone's shares grew, sequentially, to 44 percent from 39 percent, and to 3 percent from 2 percent, respectively. The numbers are lower than what the likes of IDC report because ABI Research's data combines smartphone and phone shipments.
Google Maps updated for iOS and Android, improves navigation tools, offline maps support
Google has updated its mobile mapping apps with the release of Google Maps for iOS 3.0 and Google Maps for Android 8.0.
Both platforms gain improved turn-by-turn navigation controls as well as the addition of travel time estimates. Also added is support for saving offline maps with user-defined names and tagging favorite locations when signed in for access via any device.
Analogue Nt -- A luxury NES made from a solid block of aluminum
The Nintendo Entertainment System was the best console of its day and I still have very fond memories of playing classic games like Metroid, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out and -- of course -- Super Mario Bros 3.
If you’re hankering after a little old school NES action, but scaled up to a more modern 1080p, Analogue Interactive’s Analogue Nt could be just what you’re looking for. It’s the original NES guts (Ricoh 20A3 CPU and Ricoh 2C02 PPU) packaged into a single, stylishly crafted solid block of 6061 aluminum. The result is a lovely modern, yet thoroughly retro, console.
HP invests over $1 billion in new open source cloud products
As businesses shift more of their operations to the cloud so the demand for reliable, scalable services and platforms increases.
To address these needs HP is launching a new portfolio of cloud products and services called HP Helion. This incorporates existing HP cloud offerings with new OpenStack technology-based products, professional and support services in a single portfolio to help meet customers' specific business needs.
Acer Liquid Z5: You get what you pay for [Review]
Acer has come up with a low-cost 5in handset in the Liquid Z5, and one with a neat chassis design, too. However, it needs some distinguishing characteristics to make it stand out, as things are competitive in every segment of the handset market these days. So does the Liquid Z5 have what it takes to be a winner?
The Liquid Z5 comes in a Duo version -- that’s one which supports two microSIMs. That’s why the cover for the SIM slot on the single SIM model (which I was sent for review) is so very long. The dual SIM version is currently available online for £140, while Asda has my single SIM version for £95 as I write (the phone isn't currently being sold in the US). That is an attractive price for a handset with a 5in screen. Leading budget handsets cost more -- Motorola’s Moto G comes in at £150, and Sony’s Xperia M is around £135. So how has Acer managed to get down to this sub-£100 price?
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputizes Microsoft Office 365
Growing up, I watched a lot of television -- hey, thats what we American kids did in the 80s. One of my favorite things to watch was old episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. You see, it was fun to see how people lived in simpler times. Plus, it was interesting to see a sheriff and deputy keep the peace without hardly ever needing a gun.
Unfortunately for Andy and Barney, there were no computers back then in Mayberry. While the internet would have disrupted the simpler lifestyle, it also would have helped them solve crimes. Heck, they could have implanted GPS in Otis the Drunk to keep track of him. Today, technology is abundant and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has adopted Microsoft's Office 365 to assist them in official business. Yes, Office 365 has been deputized!
Emails suggest that Google was a willing partner with the NSA
Dear old Google. Dear, dear old Google. In the fallout from the NSA revelations, the company has been falling over itself to try to appear open and transparent about the relationship it had with the security agency during its surveillance program. But a series of emails dating back to 2012, obtained by Al Jazeera America, show that things were rather different than the picture that has been painted thus far. Google -- and other web companies who have, for whatever reason, cooperated with the NSA -- has made it seem as though they were unwillingly forced into taking part in NSA activities, but things may not be quite what they seemed.
Recently, a NSA lawyer made it clear that Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and others were fully aware of the levels of data collection that were being performed. This flies in the face of the earlier claims that these firms were completely ignorant of what was happening. You might have thought that such mass surveillance would be illegal, but no, this was absolutely fine according to a federal judge.
Pandora for Pebble comes to Android users
Pebble, the upstart smartwatch maker, has been busy so far in 2014, unveiling new apps and products. In the meantime, other companies are working to support the platform, including Pandora. The music streaming service today unveils its support for Android customers, matching what it has already done for iOS.
While this may sound simple -- Pandora was already on Android -- getting the tunes to your wrist is another story, and requires a special adaptation of the app. "We’ve already seen a great response to the first 'wearable' technology device that Pandora is available on, so we’re thrilled to share that the Pebble app is now available for Android smartphone users as well", says Pandora's Mike Grishaver.
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