VirtualBox adds multi-touch, webcam support, and allows users to video-capture sessions
Oracle has released VirtualBox 4.3.0, a major update to its open-source virtualization tool for Windows, Mac and Linux. Version 4.3 introduces a virtual multi-touch user interface, adds new virtual devices including webcams, as well as a session-recording facility, plus offers improved networking functionality.
In addition, VirtualBox 4.3.0 also extends official support to the latest builds of Windows, OS X and Linux, including the forthcoming Windows 8.1 and Max OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
DataStax offers free software for startups
Online application specialist DataStax has announced a new initiative to help startup businesses. DataStax software delivers a scalable big data platform and is used by large organizations including Adobe, eBay and Netflix, but the DataStax Startup Program allows eligible startups to deploy DataStax Enterprise applications for free.
The company has also launched a new DevCenter tool, which is free for its existing users, to allow the graphical creation of queries and database objects in Cassandra Query Language. This is along with free online training courses to teach users how to work with big data in the open-source Apache Cassandra database.
Mainframe2 runs super-powerful Windows apps in the cloud
My friend Nikola Bozinovic (say that three times fast) is a very sharp software developer originally from Serbia who has, over the years, worked for most of the usual suspect American software companies. He is also the guy who restored from a grotty old VHS tape my film Steve Jobs — The Lost Interview. And as of this week he’s the CEO of Mainframe2, an exciting startup strutting its stuff at the DEMO conference in Santa Clara.
Mainframe2 claims it can put almost any Windows application into the cloud, making apps usable from any device that can run a web browser supporting html5. We’re talking Photoshop and AutoCAD on your iPad. This is a big deal.
Yahoo realizes it’s the 21st century -- plans HTTPS as default for Mail
Email encryption for Yahoo Mail may not seem like major news. In fact, Yahoo introduced the use of HTTPS as an option earlier in the year. This was not only several years after the likes of Gmail and Hotmail (and now Outlook.com), but also an optional security feature. But now security campaigners can breathe a sigh of relief; in just three short months, email encryption will be enabled by default in Yahoo Mail.
The news comes from Jeffrey Bonforte, SVP of Communication Products who says in a blog post that "at Yahoo, we take the security of our users very seriously". It will come as great news to not only Yahoo users, but also the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) who wrote a letter to Marissa Mayer back in November expressing their concerns about the (then) absent HTTPS option.
At what age should children be allowed to use the internet?
The internet is an amazing tool, especially for children looking to learn. It is essentially the world's biggest library available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But the web also has a darker side, and parents have to ask themselves the question "when is the right time to let my child go online?" Or, as Director of Online Safety at Microsoft, Kim Sanchez puts it "How old is too young to go online?".
This is a far more complicated problem than it used to be. It is not all that long ago that the average household had no more than one computer, which may not have been connected to the internet. Now, however, we live in a time when households could have multiple computers. There might still be one shared "family" computer, but it is also very common for children to have their own computer or laptop. There are also phones and tablets to think of. Pester power is an incredible thing, and it’s a strong parent who is able to resist giving into demands for a tablets when "all my friends have one".
Avast 2014 available -- new look, better protection, faster scans
Avast Software has announced the release of Avast 2014, the latest edition of its antivirus and internet security range. The new build is now available in four consumer variations: Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, and Avast Premier.
Every edition benefits from a range of new protection features. There’s enhanced streaming updates for real-time detections; a new DeepScreen technology helps the program make smarter decisions about unknown files; extended cloud scanning again assists in detection; and if something does turn up, then improved cleaning will get rid of it more reliably.
Microsoft shows off Xbox One racing accessories
Microsoft will release its Xbox One on November 22nd, and a steady build-up is already in full swing. Launch day titles are being announced, and exclusives are aiming to create a reason to choose the console over rival Sony's PS4. Xbox Live gaming chief Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, is at the forefront of this marketing push, continuing to release tidbits of information.
Today Hryb posts a brand new video of himself and Branden Powell, Director of Strategic alliances on the Xbox One partner development team, looking at what is on the horizon in the way of hardware for racing games. Both Forza Motorsport 5 and Need for Speed Rivals are on the list of "day one games" for the new console, and this is the gear that serious gamers will want for playing them.
Microsoft gives free access to Office 365 through Student Advantage
Children are the future and they all deserve a great education. However, as the world trends towards being digital and paperless, students are not always fully empowered with the right tools. Sadly, this largely comes down to cost -- while a student can download LibreOffice or use Google Docs for free, they are just no match for the perennial Microsoft Office.
Don't believe me? According to a new study by IDC, "the only software package called out within the top 20 skills across all occupations is Microsoft Office, explicitly required in 15 percent of high-growth, high-salary positions. Microsoft Office is No. 3 on the list of skills most required, and Microsoft PowerPoint and Word are No. 11 and No. 13 most required skills".
Rdio jumps into original video content with Red Bull Stratos documentary
When it comes to original online video content, many services spring to mind, but Rdio is likely not one of them. However, not to be outdone by the likes of Amazon and Netflix, the online music service has produced and released its own original documentary that chronicles last year's Red Bull Stratos challenge.
Some of you may remember the event -- that Sunday morning when we sat glued to our computer screens watching as Felix Bomgartner slowly rose into the sky on the way to a record-setting 128,000-foot jump from the stratosphere.
How to install Windows Phone 8 Update 3
Microsoft has officially taken the wraps off Windows Phone 8 Update 3. The latest version of the tiled smartphone OS introduces a number of noteworthy changes, including support for Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, larger displays with 1080p resolution, extra rows and columns of live tiles on phablets, auto-rotation screen lock and the option to close apps from the multitasking menu.
Aside from the aforementioned good news, Microsoft also revealed that Windows Phone 8 Update 3 is available in preview form to developers and early adopters, ahead of the public roll-out, through the Dev Center and App Studio programs. And here's how you can install it on your Windows Phone 8 handset.
Phrozen Windows File Monitor lets you watch file system activity in real time
Phrozen Windows File Monitor is a free portable tool which makes it easy to track all kinds of file system activities on a PC. You can watch file and folders being created, changed, renamed or deleted, as well as some network activities, very useful whenever you want to understand exactly what a program is doing on your system.
Windows File Monitor arrives in a 1.55MB archive containing a single executable, so it’s not exactly difficult to use: just unzip it, launch the program, and click Record when you want to start the monitoring process.
BullGuard Internet Security gets improved detection and a better interface
Security specialist BullGuard has launched what it's calling its most advanced Internet Security suite yet. It's designed to offer industry leading protection regardless of the user's ability and to run quietly and efficiently in the background.
Aside from dropping the year from the product's name, highlights of the latest version include an enhanced behavioral detection engine to guard against zero day threats, a revised user interface offering easier one-click access to functions, free 24/7 support and free upgrades to newer versions.
Emsisoft releases Online Armor 7
Emsisoft has announced the availability of Emsisoft Online Armor 7.0, the latest edition of its versatile firewall. The update doesn’t bring any new features, and instead optimizes the program’s existing features for enhanced usability, protection and performance.
New support for asynchronous connection handling means existing connections will no longer be blocked if you have a pending firewall alert, for example.
Twitter now allows you to receive DMs from anyone
Twitter is changing the way direct messages work. Up until now DMs could only be exchanged between people who were following each other. But now all that changes as Twitter is making it possible for users to opt to receive direct messages from any of their followers, regardless of whether they are following them in return.
The setting is switched off by default, but once enabled you can receive direct messages from any one of your followers.
Breaking Moore’s Law
No law is more powerful or important in Silicon Valley than Moore’s Law -- the simple idea that transistor density is continually increasing which means computing power goes up just as costs and energy consumption go down. It’s a clever idea we rightly attribute to Gordon Moore. The power lies in the Law’s predictability. There’s no other trillion dollar business where you can look down the road and have a pretty clear idea what you’ll get. Moore’s Law lets us take chances on the future and generally get away with them. But what happens when you break Moore’s Law? That’s what I have been thinking about lately. That’s when destinies change.
There may have been many times that Moore’s Law has been broken. I’m sure readers will tell us. But I only know of two times -- once when it was quite deliberate and in the open and another time when it was more like breaking and entering.
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