Latest Technology News

Imesart S.à.r.l has released Audio Memos Free 4.1.0 and Audio Memos Pro 4.1.0, major updates to its mobile digital voice recording apps. Version 4.1 comes with pinned controls for VoiceOver users to make the app easier to use for those with sight problems.

Other improvements -- restricted to the paid-for versions -- include options for easily erasing sections of memos, new storing options and variable scrubbing speeds for all sliders.

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O&O Software has released O&O Syspectr, a remote PC monitoring and management service.

Install the compact client on your target systems, and a browser-based console allows you to view running processes, installed software, Windows security issues (UAC turned off, missing antivirus software, a failing firewall), connected USB devices, basic hard drive details (space free/ used, S.M.A.R.T. status), and more.

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Two weeks ago my colleague Mihaita Bamburic wrote a piece on how a Facebook news reader app could give users the best tailored content. Today, Facebook announces Paper, a "new app that helps you explore and share stories from friends and the world around you". It's not quite the app Mihaita was hoping for -- not yet, at least -- but it does sound promising.

Paper is essentially a Flipboard alternative for iPhone (and Android eventually, presumably) that displays content from your Facebook friends, well-known publications, and "emerging voices" in a fullscreen, distraction-free layout.

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Watching my RSS streams in Feedly on a daily basis has had my head spinning lately. It's not the usual flood of tech news getting to me. It's all the stories hitting recently about the so-called Internet of Things. For a topic that has so little to show for it in the real world thus far, it sure garners a disproportionate amount of attention in the tech media. So what gives?

Perhaps someone can fill me in on what this Internet of Things is supposed to look like. Is it a different internet? Is it a network solely designated for these newfound "things" that need to talk to every other "thing" out there? Or is it just more of what we already see in the market: giving every device possible an IP address to sit on. I'm just as perplexed at this bogus concept as Mike Elgan from Computerworld. He's calling it a wild idea that is rightly "doomed from the start" for numerous reasons.

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Windows Sysinternals has released Process Explorer 16, a major update which sees the popular system monitoring tool gain full VirusTotal integration.

If you spot a process which looks suspicious, you can now right-click it, and select "Check VirusTotal". Process Explorer then submits the file hash, displays the number of antivirus engines which detect it as a threat ("4/48"), and clicking that figure opens a browser window with the full report.

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When a site decides it will no longer support outdated versions of a certain browser, usually an announcement of some sort follows, explaining that affected users should upgrade to a newer iteration, or switch to an alternative offering, in order to avoid a subpar experience. For the most part, the targets are Internet Explorer 7 and its predecessor, both of which belong to the annals of browsers, even in Microsoft's opinion.

But, NursingJobs.us has decided to take a different route. In a blog post titled "IE7 users, we need to talk...", the jobs site has announced that it has stopped supporting the said browser version (that is now more than seven years old), but in order to keep affected users happy it will give them "a new computer with a modern browser" for free.

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PC and server specialist Dell is launching a new mobile cloud access device that delivers a full HD user experience on any HDMI or MHL enabled display.

The company claims that Dell Wyse Cloud Connect is a completely new end-user device category, bridging thin clients and mobile devices to promote BYOD.

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There has been a lot of talk lately about Bitcoin, a digital currency that aims to provide the security of cash and is more convenient than a credit card. Just under a year ago, the "cryptocurrency" -- so named for its reliance on cryptography in order to operate -- was traded somewhere between $13–14. However, one year later, Bitcoin is now trading for over $800, with a peak somewhere in the $1,200 range.

Bitcoin’s rise to popularity has been sparked by its many advantages: it claims to be inflation-free; have low or zero transaction fees; anonymity for transactions; totally transparent transaction history; irreversible transactions (no chargebacks); protection from fraud; freedom from exchange fees; and does not require the acceptor to be PCI Compliant.

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Microsoft is asking us to rethink our opinion of Internet Explorer in its latest marketing blitz, and those with a Windows 8.1 device have been given further food for thought on which browser to use.

Internet Explorer has been named the browser that will squeeze the most life out of your Windows 8.1 laptop or tablet battery in a head-to-head study.

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When Google bought Motorola Mobility, I immediately questioned if it was ethical. You see, the search-giant maintains the Android operating system -- something many manufacturers license, including Motorola. Owning one of the manufacturers could be seen as a conflict of interest. In other words, Motorola could get preferential treatment such as quicker access to updates and trade secrets. This could cause animosity amongst Android handset makers.

Today however, balance was restored to the Android world as Google sells Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion. This is shocking because the search-giant bought the company in 2011 for a staggering $12.5 billion. Wow, what a deal Google!

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Today on the Windows Experience Blog, Microsoft has done something a little odd -- admitted that the Start screen "can take some time to get used to". But more than this, the blog post by Kirsten Ballweg outlines five tweaks that can be used to "make Windows 8.1 feel more familiar". Given that the first line of the post is "Windows 8.1 looks a whole lot different than Windows 7 or Windows XP", it appears that Microsoft is conceding that Windows 8.1 just isn't everyone's cup of tea.

The solution? A series of tips to help make the latest version of Microsoft's operating system feel more like a version that is several years old! The first tip is interesting. Rather than suggesting the ways in which the Start screen could aid productivity, rather than pointing out all of its cool features, users are advised to simply bypass it. Microsoft has given up trying to sell the new features of Windows to users, opting instead to show how they can be avoided -- after all "the desktop we all know and love is still there".

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Despite that we have had all sorts of news in recent weeks regarding music streaming services such as Spotify, Rdio and Pandora, one we rarely seem to mention is Last.fm. That changes today, as the company enters into an agreement with Spotify that it hopes will be mutually beneficial.

Beginning today Last.fm customers will have access to the full catalog of Spotify Music. "Last.fm's users, spanning over 50 countries, will now be able to listen to the entire Spotify music catalog on-demand, including individual tracks, full albums, playlists and Spotify recommendations. It’s never been easier to get access to both the music that you know and love, and all of the music we know you’ll love", says Spotify's Candice Katz.

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Google is the undisputed search king, but it is not the only player in town. Microsoft's Bing is a distant second, but some people prefer it. While I prefer Google's offering for search, I like Bing for one thing -- rewards.

Yes, Bing Rewards is pretty darn cool, as it provides perks to users for simply using the service. This is a win-win relationship as users earn points for searching and Microsoft gains search activity. Users can then redeem points for things like raffles and gift cards. Sadly though, the experience was not available for mobile -- until today. Microsoft releases Bing Rewards for iOS and Android. Shockingly, Windows Phone is not yet supported.

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You shouldn't be using your phone in the car, and laws in many locations tell you so. But there are uses that don't interfere with your concentration on the road, such as mounting your handset on the dash or windshield and using it for navigation. There are also hands-free devices and even built-in solutions within new cars.

Now Clickdrive wants to take this to another level, bringing in-car integration to vehicles that don't currently contain such technology. The hardware-software solution has just launched an Indiegogo fund-raising drive, stating "founder Mark Sutheran and business partner Rishi Saraswat have developed Clickdrive from the ground up to create the world's first device to be entirely dedicated to driving in the information age".

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As you would expect, tablets proved to be a popular purchase over the holiday period, with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker reporting a solid rise in global shipments.

According to preliminary data, worldwide tablet shipments grew to 76.9 million units in the fourth calendar quarter of 2013 (4Q13), delivering a 62.4 percent increase over the previous quarter and 28.2 percent growth over the same period a year ago. For the full calendar year, worldwide tablet shipments totaled 217.1 million units, which is up from 144.2 million units shipped in 2012. But despite that good news, things don’t look quite so rosy for the future.

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