Degrees of protection -- 360° Case for Nexus 7 and the iPad family
Tablets are über cheap these days. It seems as though just about every electronics company has them flying off the production lines. But even if you manage to pick up a cheap tablet, you still want to keep it protected -- no one wants to end up with a screen that is scratched to the point of being unusable, or a body that's smashed to smithereens. The need to protect is even greater if you have handed over a few hundred dollars / pounds for something from the Apple family, and there are all manner of cases to whet the appetite of those keen to keep things safe.
One such offering is the 360° Case from Everything Tablet (operating in the US and Canada as well as the UK) which features a folio-style wrap-around design. I took a look at the Nexus 7 model and my previously svelte 7 incher was transformed into something resembling a leather-bound personal organizer from the 80s. Such is the price one pays for protection, I guess.
RefactorU Q&A: Courses for those who want to reinvent themselves
Education is undergoing significant transformations, due in no small part to technology. Video chats give students and teachers the opportunity to interact without even being together in the same room, software makes teaching and learning more effective, reading books can be done without turning even a single page and, for an increasing number of students, jotting down notes has shifted from pen and paper to PCs.
It should not surprise anyone that, in this day and age, eager students can learn new, relevant skills and land good paying jobs through alternative learning programs that require much less of their time to graduate and are more affordable, compared to traditional education. RefactorU is one of the companies which offer alternative learning programs that "challenge" people to reinvent themselves, giving them the chance to learn how to code, manage projects or how to build and fly drones. I chatted with RefactorU CEO Sean Daken to learn more about what it offers, the entailed cost and more.
World's thinnest soundbar: Humax STA–1200 BSW packs a punch
Whether you've been following Alan's guide to cutting the cord and have opted to ditch your traditional TV service in favour of something web-based, you're keen on sticking with your cable or satellite setup, or you're a gamer, sound is incredibly important to any setup. You could opt to go down the 5.1 (or even 7.1) surround sound route, but all too often this will involve trailing cables around the room in somewhat untidy fashion.
In recent years there has been something of a surge in interest in soundbars -- single units that pump out pseudo-surround -- and there is a huge range to choose from. Many are big and bulky, but the latest offering from Humax -- of set top box fame -- has something of a unique claim to fame: it is, allegedly, the slimmest soundbar in the world.
Microsoft OneNote for Mac adds new features, still lags behind Windows version
Microsoft has released OneNote for Mac 15.1, the first major update to its note-taking tool that was released back in March.
Version 15.1 comes with printing support, a new Format Painter tool and support for embedding web links. It’s joined by OneNote for iPhone 2.2.1, which is now capable of creating notebooks and sections from scratch as well as bundling Office Lens functionality for document scanning.
The top five technologies driving the internet of things
We're hearing more and more about the internet of things at the moment, but what are the technologies that are doing most to make it a reality?
Entrepreneur’s group TiE Global has produced an infographic highlighting industry insights and predictions for the top internet of things technologies for this year.
Oculus Rift launch date officially confirmed for 2015
If you can't wait to start hurling yourself down virtual sled slopes and exploring full 360 environments, an Oculus Rift spokesperson has revealed the company expects to ink a launch date for some time next year in 2015.
Saying that the company would be "disappointed" if the virtual reality headset wasn't on shelves by 2016, the unnamed spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that after months of waiting we're one step closer to an official retail release.
Doctor.com prescribes Chromebooks as cure for insecurity
Chromebooks are very capable computers that many dismiss as a glorified web browser. However, those detractors should think outside the box a bit. For many people, the low-cost Chromebook can meet all of their needs. If all you need is a hammer, it is silly to argue that the hammer isn't also a screwdriver. If all you need is to drive nails, the hammer is fine.
One company, Doctor.com, has found that Chromebooks are meeting a need in a certain usage case. In other words, it is the right tool for the job. Even though a Macbook or Windows laptop may offer more features, the extra cost is wasted if the features are not needed.
Microsoft is the boy who cried wolf -- will issue IE update for Windows XP
Are you familiar with the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf? Basically, a shepherd boy watching over some sheep thought it would be funny to lie and shout "Wolf!", as a joke. Ultimately, when a wolf really does come, no one believes him and all of the sheep are slaughtered.
Apparently, Microsoft is not aware of this story. The company has been proclaiming Windows XP to be dead and no longer supported over and over again, in an attempt to get users to upgrade. Windows 8.1 has even seen an increase in usage lately, possibly as a result. Today, the company announces that it will issue an Internet Explorer security update for Windows XP. If Microsoft is crying wolf, are XP users the slaughtered sheep?
Windows 8 UX Pack and Windows 8 Transformation Pack 8.1 ship with major bug fixes
WindowsX has refreshed its pair of skinning tools with the dual release of Windows 8 UX Pack 8.1 for PCs running Windows 7, and Windows 8 Transformation Pack 8.1 for earlier versions of Windows, including XP.
The latest version of the tools, which aim to give users the Windows 8.1 look and feel in earlier versions of Windows, have been updated to squash bugs and generally improve each pack’s stability.
Logitech announces revolutionary case+ for iPhone, but it costs $200
Lessons can be learned anywhere at anytime. As a child, a visit to the playground can teach you about balance when using the seesaw. You see, if one kid is fat and heavy and the other is light and svelte, the experience will not be ideal. Proper balance is the key.
The same can be said of consumer products. For example, a gold-plated phone would be wonderful, but too expensive. Like the seesaw, a manufacturer must balance price with quality. Today, Logitech announces a revolutionary, modular, iPhone 5/5s case, but sadly it costs a staggering $200. Is it too expensive?
Find, browse and reuse PowerShell scripts with Microsoft Script Browser
Microsoft has released Script Browser 1.1, an excellent PowerShell ISE add-on which makes it easy to find, view and download PowerShell scripts.
The program equips the ISE with a simple TechNet search tool. Enter a keyword or two here, click Enter and it displays a list of any matches, including script name, rating, description and author. Double-clicking displays more details -- including the script itself -- and you can copy it to the clipboard, or open it in the ISE.
PC users struggle to keep all their software patched
The average private user PC in the UK has 76 different programs from 26 different vendors, which leaves users struggling to keep everything up to date.
Vulnerability management specialist Secunia has published a report on the state of security among PC users in the UK based on scans from Secunia Personal Software Inspector between January and March 2014.
Playcast launches beta trial for Ouya
Ouya began life as a Kickstarter darling that everyone was talking about. However, since its actual launch, the little Android gaming console has largely been a non-factor in the market.
Now Playcast may bring a bit more legitimacy to the platform, as the service has begun beta testing on the Ouya box. Playcast, if you aren't familiar, is a cloud gaming service that licenses and offers console-level games, from shooters to action, sports, and more.
10 PRINT "Hello 50 years of BASIC"; 20 GOTO 10
On May 1, 1964, Professor John Kemeny ran the first BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) program from a timesharing terminal at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire. Created by Kemeny and Professor Thomas Kurtz, BASIC was designed to make it easier for students to use computers.
BASIC enjoyed huge popularity in the mid-late 1970s and 1980s, and anyone over a certain age will likely have learned to program on a microcomputer using it. I certainly did. My first computer was a ZX81 from Sinclair Research. It’s a name people in the UK will recognize instantly but will mean nothing to most outside of the British Isles (it was released -- in a slightly modified form -- as the Timex Sinclair 1000 in the United States). To use it, you had to master Sinclair BASIC and that was my first experience with what initially seemed like an alien language.
The consumerization of software development in business
For far too long, enterprise software has lagged behind its consumer counterparts.
When compared to the progress in digital media and consumer software, some of the applications used to power the world’s biggest companies look as if they are stuck in 1990. Yet this is no longer the case thanks to the growth in expectations from business users who spend hours a day on high end devices and mobile apps.
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