Samsung Chromebook 2 is delayed
Sorry, but I can't tell you why yet. I have this statement from Samsung PR about 13.3-inch Chromebook 2, in response to my inquiry: "The product is now shipping at the end of May". That puts the computer in the channel a month later than planned. I have asked for a reason but don't expect to get one.
Samsung unveiled Chromebook 2 in March, in 11.6- and 13.3-inch configurations. The company started taking preorders more than two weeks ago, offering a free case to anyone purchasing before April 27. I ordered one on April 8 from Amazon with delivery date of April 29, which put expected launch a day earlier. But then on April 10, Amazon emailed that my new delivery date would be May 2 and the website indicated availability on the 1st. Last week, Amazon changed the date to May 15 and by the beginning of this week to May 29. Around the same time, Samsung stopped taking preorders of this model and the 11.6-inch white. The manufacturer still accepts preorders on the black, smaller Chromebook, for which Amazon lists May 7 release.
You've got content -- Microsoft and AOL join forces
My first computer, a Packard Bell, ran Windows 95. My father bought it for me after I begged him relentlessly. It was a huge expense that we really couldn't afford, but he came through. I sold him on it by promising to use it for schoolwork and learning. However, my true motives were far more devious -- I wanted AOL. Yes, believe it or not, the concept of talking to a girl over the Internet in a chat room was an amazing feat in 1996. This was very intriguing to a teenage nerd.
My love affair with AOL continued for a while, until broadband was introduced years later. I then promptly ditched the service for a cable modem. However, to this day, the Microsoft/AOL power-couple of the 90's still conjures nostalgic feelings. Today, AOL announces that it is teaming up with Microsoft for an all-new content deal.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Seventy-eight in a series. Welcome to this week's new Windows 8 apps overview. Several popular first-party and third-party apps were updated this week.
Microsoft's One Note application received an update that added support for additional languages, inking and rule line improvements, performance improvements, as well as an option to go to the location of the page from the recent notes view.
Best iOS apps this week
Sixteenth in a series. Apple reported its second quarter results this week, and they beat analyst expectations with the iPhone doing especially well. Apple shipped 4.14 million Macs, 16.35 million iPads and 43.72 million iPhones during the quarter. iPhone sales grew by 16.8 percent while iPad sales declined by 15.9 percent. Although the iPad’s slump looks very bad in the quarter you have to remember Apple struggled to meet holiday demand the previous year, leading to an inflated number of shipments in the March 2013 quarter.
New and updated apps worthy of your attention this week include a Sonic racing game, a "ridiculous animal simulator", an activity tracker, a travel app for iPad, a world-time clock, and an alternative to Fruit Ninja with better graphics.
After Heartbleed -- what has the vulnerability taught us?
The Heartbleed OpenSSL vulnerability has sent tremors down to the very foundations of the IT world. But now that we're over two weeks on from the news of the bug first breaking what have we learned and has anything really changed? We talked to some leading security experts to find out.
There’s little doubt of the seriousness of the problem, Technical Manager at security firm Cigital, Amit Sethi says, "This is indeed one of the worst vulnerabilities in the history of the web. It has been present in OpenSSL for over two years, during which time it has made it into a lot of software. Unlike many other vulnerabilities in SSL implementations that we have heard about in recent years, this one does not require the attacker to be positioned between your computer and the server. The attacker can go directly to the server and get any information that you recently exchanged with it over a secure channel".
Nokia's Devices & Services business now in Microsoft's hands
Finnish maker Nokia announced, only moments earlier, that the sale of its Devices & Services business to Microsoft is now complete. The deal was announced in early-September 2013, and was initially expected to complete in the first quarter of this year, but faced regulatory delays which pushed the sale by a month past the original time-frame.
Nokia expects to receive slightly more from this transaction than the initial estimate of €5.44 billion. As expected, the Finnish maker's Chennai Indian factory will not be transferred to Microsoft, due to the local government freezing the asset, and neither will the Masan one from South Korea. The deal is not solely about hardware, as Nokia has also licensed patents and various usage rights to Microsoft.
Why SaaS vs. on-premise doesn’t have to be an either/or decision
Much has been written about the pros and cons of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications versus on-premise software. Although SaaS is clearly the driving trend for a wide range of compelling reasons, does every organization need to be forced into making a choice? For some there are still very good reasons for keeping an application in your own data center.
Depending on your business needs, choosing an application that you can deploy in either model and that gives you the option of moving back and forth between a SaaS environment and on-premise may give you the best of both worlds.
Android device tracker Cerberus goes free for one day
Keeping track of where your Android device is may not be something that you need to do every day, but when it is stolen or misplaced having a dedicated tool goes a long way toward finding it. There are many options to choose from, but one of the most feature-rich, and my personal favorite, is Cerberus.
Cerberus is one of the first tools of its kind for Android, which can even take advantage of root permissions in order to give you access to extra tracking and protection features (GPS auto-enable and uninstall protection). The app just reached version 2.5 and, as it celebrates its third birthday today, Cerberus is now free, but only for one day.
Android Bitcoin mining malware found on Google Play
Using a mobile device to mine for Bitcoin is hugely impractical. A recent experiment involving 600 quadcore servers managed to create just 0.4 Bitcoins over the course of a year, which makes mining with a mobile a lot like digging in a mostly-spent goldmine with a spoon.
But, in theory, if you could harness the power of enough mobile devices -- hundreds of thousands, or maybe millions -- you might be able to start generating Bitcoins. BadLepricon, a new piece of malware, takes that view and uses your phone’s processing power to mine for new coins. It’s disguised as a harmless wallpaper app, and several instances of it have already been found on Google Play.
Google injects steroids into HTTPS for Chrome on Android
As the online world gets scarier by the day, security becomes a more discussed topic. This is a shame because, computer security should always be on the minds of users. Sadly, it takes something like the Heartbleed bug, the Target breach or a whistleblower like Edward Snowden to make people start caring. In other words, security is not more important today than it was prior to Heartbleed -- it is just finally being discussed.
Say what you want about Google, but the company seemingly has security as an important focus. After all, it patched Heartbleed on its services with incredible speed. Today, Google announces that earlier this year, it improved HTTPS connections on Chrome for Android, making it dramatically faster and stronger.
Microsoft Q3 2014 by the numbers: $20.4B revenue, 68 cents EPS
Today, after the closing bell, Microsoft disclosed results for fiscal third quarter, during most of which freshly-minted CEO Satya Nadella captained the ship. Of course, he carries a course set for him by predecessor Steve Ballmer, and his real impact is really quarters away. But there's a fresh presence behind the wheel and a new hat hanging in the captain's cabin. That's reason enough for Wall Street to forgive any storms the good ship Microsoft sales -- eh, sails.
For the three months ended March 31, Microsoft reports $20.4 billion revenue, flat year over year. Operating income: $6.97 billion. Net income: $5.66 billion, or 68 cents a share. All figures are GAAP.
Hulu brings remote control app to iOS and Android
Hulu, arguably one of the big three streaming services on the market right now, is available on almost any platform you can name. However, one thing it has been lacking is a remote control app to allow customers to use a mobile device to add Hulu content to the TV.
That changes today as the company announces it has produced its first official remote app. "Expanding on the great Chromecast support we successfully launched last year, remote control functionality for Hulu Plus brings that same awesome experience to your living room through the Hulu Plus app on your Xbox One, PlayStation3 (PS3) or PlayStation4 (PS4) systems", says Mitch Walker, a senior developer with Hulu.
Google invites children to 'Take Your Classroom to Work Day'
When you are a child quite often your parents' careers are foreign to you. Sure, you may see them get ready for work in the morning and you may even know their title ("Fireman", "Lawyer", "Janitor"), but what they do throughout the course of a work-day is a mystery.
In reality, it is very important for children to know what a work-day entails. After all, children grow-up, and they need to be prepared for the real world. Unfortunately, while some businesses offer things like "Bring Your Child To Work Day", not all do. And so, many children are unable to get the exposure that they need. Well, Google is aiming to change this, using its Hangouts service, for what it calls "Take Your Classroom to Work Day".
PlayOn brings 100 broadcast channels to Chromecast
PlayOn has become a symbol of the cord-cutting movement, providing customers with access to an array of broadcast stations that can be watched on both the TV and mobile devices. There is a long list of gaming consoles and set-top boxes that support the service, allowing users to get the content to the big screen.
Add to that list one more -- today PlayOn announces full support for Chromecast, the little HDMI dongle from Google. "PlayOn’s support for Chromecast will instantly bring online content from more than 100 channels to Chromecast users including content from CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central and Hulu (no Hulu Plus subscription needed)", the company says.
CCleaner adds support for Windows 8.1 Update, improves browser cleaning
Piriform Ltd has released CCleaner 4.13 and CCleaner Portable 4.13, the latest versions of its popular Windows cleaning tool. Version 4.13 adds support for Windows 8.1 Update and Windows Server 2012 R2 Update.
It also comes with improved browser cleaning tools as well as some general program improvements and support for three new applications, including Real Player Cloud.
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