The challenge of tablets in the enterprise
Independent analysis company Ovum has released a new report titled Challenges and Best Practices for Deploying Tablets in the Enterprise which finds that tablets are ever more prevalent in businesses.
It notes that as the market for tablets grows, usage of these devices is changing the way people work and is having a noticeable impact on the enterprise. Whether through units supplied by the company or BYOD, fast increasing numbers of tablets are being used to access corporate data and applications.
Are you a Bing-er or a Googler? Brits can take the test!
In the red corner, Bing. In the blue, Google. But which is better? Microsoft launches the Bing It On campaign in the UK to enable web searchers to choose which results are best. Google is such a ubiquitous online tool that it has become a verb and entered the dictionary; it is the search engine that automatically springs to mind for most people when they need to research something.
But this does not mean that there is not room for a little competition, and this is something that Microsoft is keen to exploit with its latest campaign.
Webroot SecureAnywhere adds new detection engine, real-time antiphishing
Security vendor Webroot has announced the release of the latest updates to its SecureAnywhere product range. And while the new builds are officially described as the rather low-key "version 8.0.4.17", this is no minor upgrade: with more than 4,000 improvements across the product, many significant, it’s effectively Webroot SecureAnywhere 2014.
One particular highlight sees all SecureAnywhere editions now including real-time antiphishing. There’s no reliance on database checks to figure out whether a site is safe; SecureAnywhere analyses sites as you access them, automatically detecting and blocking anything dangerous.
Acer announces the C720 Haswell Chromebook
The technology community is abuzz with excitement over the next-generation of Chromebooks. Yesterday, my colleague Joe Wilcox reviewed the sexy $279 Chromebook 11 by Hewlett-Packard. Sadly, while HP's Chromebook looks great, it is very much under-powered. After all, the specs are the same as last year's Samsung model -- ARM processor and a paltry 2GB of RAM.
Today, Acer announces the C720 which undercuts the HP variant in price and trumps it in specifications.
Explore, troubleshoot and manage your network with Axence NetTools 5
If you run into problems with your PC network then Windows provides a surprising number of tools to help. You’ll have to find them first, of course, and then master their various command line switches. But if that doesn’t appeal, there’s always Axence NetTools, which just might provide everything you need in one straightforward tool.
The program organizes its functions into twelve sections, each represented by a toolbar button. On first launch, say, you might click "Local info", which displays an enormous amount of information on your current network status: IP addresses, network adapters and interfaces, currently open network connections, ARP and routing data, TCP/IP statistics and more.
Google updates Maps, now sends you to multiple destinations
Over the past year there has been an endless supply of jokes about Apple Maps and a cry of relief when Google finally swept in to "save the day". But, with all the jokes aside, when Google claims it will send you to multiple destinations, it does not mean being lost in the outback of Australia.
Today, the search giant announces that it is rolling out a major update for its Maps program, though not quite in time for summer travel.
Archos announces the GamePad 2 -- Nintendo and Sony competitor?
I used to exclusively be a home console gamer -- I preferred playing games on a TV screen as opposed to a tiny handheld display. Heck, I even grew up during the GameBoy era but never got one. The NES was a better option for me, as portability was not a need at the time. Truth be told, I didn't get into mobile gaming until I got my first Android phone. Since then, I play all of my games on a smartphone or tablet. Sadly, platformer games are my favorite genre and virtual d-pads are a poor experience. I have always dreamed of an Android device with dedicated gaming buttons.
In July, the NVIDIA Shield was released. However, it serves as a dedicated gaming handheld -- it cannot realistically replace a tablet. It didn't make financial sense to buy both a tablet and the NVIDIA handheld. Today, Archos announces a new Android-based, 7-inch tablet that also serves as a gaming machine, called the GamePad 2 (the successor to the GamePad 1). In other words, it combines the functionality of a Nexus 7, with the gaming controls of the NVIDIA Shield. Amazingly, the company is releasing the product in Q4 of 2013, for the low price of $199.
Google-HP Chromebook 11 first-impressions review
Many people reading this review tangle up in features. They have a spec-sheet mindset that obscures seeing some products' benefits. Google gets the difference, and you should too. The paper holder that wraps around a Starbucks coffee cup is a feature. Protecting your hand from burning is a benefit. While related, the two are distinct. Any evaluation of Chromebook -- or any other thing to be purchased -- should focus on benefits first. Specs are a distraction.
In offering my first impressions about HP Chromebook 11, I step back from features and focus on benefits and who gets the most from them. Based on the out-of-the-box experience, for most people reading this review, I would not recommend the computer, which Google co-designed, over Intel Haswell-based Chromebooks. However, keeping with suspicions expressed yesterday, the tiny Chromebook would be right for students. Design, size, portability, functionality and value for price offer the right mix of benefits for preschool-to-grade 12 students. HP Chromebook 11 is what white MacBook was to kids last decade.
Google Slides gains widescreen presentations and editable slides
Presentations are loved and loathed in just about equal measure. A great presentation helps to drive a message home; a bad one makes a meeting drag on forever. PowerPoint may be the king of presentations, but the online office tools that are available in Google Drive also have a good following. Now Google has recognized the fact that monitors are almost universally widescreen these days, adding the ability to create widescreen format slides in presentations.
The change in aspect ratio may seem like a minor feature, but it is immensely useful. Be gone foul borders! Presentations can now make use of every pixel of your display, or give a full cinema experience when projected to a larger audience. Widescreen slides have not just been introduced, they have been made the default setting -- and there are 16:9 and 16:10 formats to choose from.
Microsoft promising five-day app approval for Windows 8.1
When it comes to Windows 8 and the Modern UI, the single biggest knock has undoubtedly been the sparse population of the app store. In fact, the ongoing app count has become something of a meme around the internet with every milestone generating stories from various tech sites.
Microsoft can't force developers to get involved, but it can provide incentives to encourage them and today, the tech giant is doing just that.
Twitter and Comcast announce See It -- control your TV with tweets
Folks are increasingly using Twitter while watching their favorite TV shows. A couple of days ago, Nielsen announced that viewers were becoming more engaged with television as a result. However, I argued that this could potentially distract users from both the programming and advertising. Today, Twitter and Comcast announce a partnership that looks to bring users to the TV with the power of tweets, rather than pull them away, with a feature called See It.
"It's a simple, but exciting tool that helps people more easily watch the shows they read about or discover online. See It lets people tune-in or record their favorite shows -- directly from the conversations happening on Twitter. In a typical week, #thevoice generates more than 350,000,000 Twitter impressions. What’s missing is how to seamlessly move from that conversation to consumption. And that's where See It comes in", says Sam Schwartz, chief business development officer at Comcast.
PlayStation 4 set to comfortably outsell Xbox One -- according to the world's least reliable survey
The Xbox One that’s currently available for pre-order is a very different beast from the system Microsoft originally announced back in May. Despite the changes that have been made to the games console/set top box, I think it’s a very promising product and one I’ll likely purchase at some point in the future.
But it’s Sony’s rival PlayStation 4 that’s going to be the big hit console this holiday season, pushing the Xbox One into a distant second place -- at least according to the findings of a new survey.
Apple's new iPhones will soon arrive in 51 additional markets
Apple's new iPhones, the 5s and the 5c, posted record sales in the first weekend of availability, with the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation shifting 9 million units in just three days. And the company is gearing towards boosting that number even further as, today, it announces that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will soon reach an additional 51 markets.
The iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c will be available in 35 more markets a little over two weeks from today, on October 25, with the two devices to arrive in the 16 remaining markets a week later, on November 1.
Bing Places for Business comes to UK and Canada
Microsoft opens up Bing Places to businesses in the UK and Canada, making it possible for business owners to promote themselves online more easily. This is essentially an online directory that enables firms of all sizes to gain an online presence and become more easily discoverable by potential customers. It is something of a quiet launch, but businesses are invited to create their online listing free of charge.
Bing Places -- or Bing Places for Business to give its full title -- is a rebranded version of Bing Business Portal. Business owners can check to see whether there is already a listing for them in the directory, and are given the chance to create a new one if there isn't. To help avoid the problem of fake listings being created, ownership then has to be verified either over the phone or via post.
BBC partners with streaming sites to launch Playlister
You know how frustrating it can be when you hear a track on the radio or TV and miss the announcement that tells you what it's called? With the public beta launch of its new Playlister tool the BBC aims to offer a solution to that problem.
Using Playlister you can tag tracks from across the BBC's web services which will be saved to a personal playlist. Once you've created a list you can export it as a PDF or print it out, but more usefully you have the option to export the list to Spotify, Deezer or YouTube so that you can stream the tracks. Other services are expected to be added in future.
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