First Look: Qihu 360 Internet Security 2013
Qihu 360 Software may not make too many headlines in the security world, but the company is huge in its native China, claiming an impressive 450,000,000 users in total. (To put that in perspective, even a big name like AVG only claims around a third of that number.)
It seems that Qihu has ambitions to expand further, though, this year finally releasing its free 360 Internet Security 2013 -- an antivirus product, despite the suite-type name -- in an English language version. Is it worth your time? We took a quick look.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within a year
There will be plenty of people thrilled by the news that Microsoft’s long-term CEO is planning on standing down. After all, Microsoft hasn’t exactly had the greatest success with Windows 8 and Surface in recent months, and maybe it is time for a new hand on the tiller as the tech giant continues to head off into new and at times uncharted waters as a devices and services company.
Even so, the news is a shock. In a press release Microsoft says "Steve Ballmer has decided to retire as CEO within the next 12 months, upon the completion of a process to choose his successor". That doesn't mean he'll be around for another year, it simply means he'll be in charge until a successor is found, which could be a matter of months.
Orbit Downloader includes DDoS code, says ESET
First released back in 2006, Orbit Downloader’s ease of use and lengthy feature list helped make it one of the most successful download managers around. And so it’s all the more surprising that new research by ESET claims the program includes a component designed to assist in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Starting with version 4.1.1.15, the main Orbit Downloader executable has apparently been communicating with the orbitdownloader.com site, silently downloading a DLL file and retrieving configuration data.
Ho Ho Ho! Fedora 20 could be called 'Santa Claus' (or 'Cherry Ice Cream')
A month ago my colleague Brian Fagioli complained that childish names were undermining Linux. He singled out Fedora 18 -- "Spherical Cow", and Fedora 19 -- "Schrödinger's Cat", as prime examples of the problem.
Fedora contributors are currently voting on the name for Fedora 20, and Brian will no doubt be lobbying hard for fan favorite "Santa Claus", although "Cherry Ice Cream" and "Superego" both also have a shot of being picked as the next release name.
UK tech boss launches £1m fund to protect online business
The man behind UK cloud and hosting provider UKFast is launching a new fund to help protect businesses from online threats. Called BASE (Building A Safer Environment) it aims to make quality security solutions available to businesses who can't afford the inflated costs charged by suppliers.
The fund set up by Lawrence Jones, CEO of UKFast, aims to help businesses add security features to their network and grow to the next level. UKFast grants £5,000 to each business that qualifies for the funding to boost their solution.
Moto X -- The future is OK Google Now [Review]
I can't get these words out of my head. I've been repeating them over and over. No, I am not going crazy (I hope), I have been using Motorola's newest flagship Android device, the Moto X -- "OK Google Now". This device focuses heavily on voice interaction -- particularly with those words that have found a home in my brain.
There was a lot of hype and buzz leading up to the big unveiling of this device. The closest comparison from a hype perspective is the original iPhone. My colleague Joe Wilcox recently released a book, titled "This Book is not a Kindle Single (The Rejected Essay)", which makes mention of the Moto X in comparison to the iPhone as seen in the below excerpt.
Put on some gentle music and drift off with Pandora
Pandora, the popular music service, is adding yet another feature to its mobile app. The customizable radio station service, built on the Music Genome project, splits its time between development and fighting for its right to be treated as a radio station in the eyes of the MPAA.
Today the service announces an update to the mobile app that brings a new sleep timer feature for both free and "One" customers. "Today I’m thrilled to share that we’re releasing a new version of our Pandora mobile app for both iOS and Android that contains one of our top-requested new product features from listeners: a Sleep Timer. With the new Sleep Timer in version 4.5 of our app, you can now fall asleep to the sounds of your favorite Pandora stations", says Pandora's Mike Grishaver.
Record every detail of your family history with My Family Tree
Building your family tree on a website like Ancestry.com has plenty of advantages. You'll get easy access to a host of records; you can use these to locate and add missing family members in just a few clicks, and it’s simple to share your work with anyone else who might be interested.
These sites may not be as configurable as you’d like, though. View and reporting options are often limited, printing is generally poor, and you might prefer to keep all those personal details to yourself, anyway. Sounds familiar? Then you may want to install a local genealogy application, instead, and the free Windows-based My Family Tree is one of the best options around.
Windows Phone wins over Delta, 19,000 flight attendants get new handsets
Windows Phone has been struggling up the long road to success, recently surpassing Blackberry as the number three mobile operating system. Now the platform takes another major step forward, scoring a victory in signing up a large corporation to provide Windows Phone devices to its employees.
Microsoft and Delta have announced a partnership which will place Windows Phone in the hands of its flight attendants. "Windows Phone is about to rack up some serious frequent flier miles. Delta Air Lines today said that it’s equipped 19,000 flight attendants with Windows Phone 8-powered Nokia Lumia 820 smartphones", says Microsoft's Michael Stroh.
Lenovo partners with Pokki -- Microsoft should be worried
While many people dislike the Windows 8 Modern UI, it is easily avoidable by installing a third-party Start menu replacement like Classic Shell. However, this is generally bad for Microsoft as it fragments the user experience and potentially steers users from the Microsoft Store. Today, the software giant was dealt another blow as Lenovo partners with Pokki to pre-install that company's Start-menu replacement software on the ThinkPad and IdeaPad line of computers.
"We’re excited to announce that the #1 PC maker in the world, Lenovo, will be shipping Pokki on new Windows 8 devices worldwide! In other words, you’ll soon be able to buy a brand new Lenovo laptop or desktop with our full Pokki software suite integrated and ready to use out-of-the-box!", says Pokki. Yikes, Microsoft cannot be happy!
Microsoft offers preview of new Lumia 1020 ad
Back in April, Microsoft released a Windows Phone 'wedding' ad that may have finally brought the tech giant out of the advertising dog house it has been in -- remember Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld? Now the company follows it up with a brand new offering, depicting a children's recital that takes a turn for the worse.
Without giving too much of a spoiler, and I honestly can't because this needs to be seen to be appreciated, the ad contains a scene of a recital that, in 30-seconds, goes from opening curtain to total destruction.
Ubuntu Edge smartphone falls far short of its $32 million funding target
When Canonical launched its crowdfunded Ubuntu Edge campaign on Indiegogo, few people expected it to succeed. Building a "smartphone and desktop PC in one state-of-the-art device" was a noble and ambitious aim, but seeking $32 million to do it meant the project had little chance of victory.
Before Ubuntu Edge, the most funding a single project had raised on Indiegogo was $1,665,380, for a Tricorder-style medical scanner. Rival Kickstarter’s record was $10,266,845 for the Pebble smartwatch. Ubuntu Edge did manage to eclipse both, which was an impressive achievement in itself.
Outlook.com gets improved alias management
Now that Outlook.com is actually working, Microsoft can redirect its focus on improving the service rather than fixing it. Today, the tech-giant announces that they have improved the management of aliases on the web-based email service.
"Several years ago we launched the ability to rename or to add aliases to your account, which gave important flexibility to manage these changes. But we found that these tasks were a little too monolithic. For example, sometimes you wanted to sign in with one alias but use another to send mail or display on your Xbox. So we started working to break these tasks down to give you more flexibility", says Eric Doerr, Group Program Manager for Microsoft account.
Tumblr ‘hack’ leads to a spate of undeletable posts
Tumblr is downplaying a suspected hack attack that left users facing the appearance of a series of undeletable posts in their blogs. Reports of problems spread through Tumblr itself as well as Twitter. The problem is not just that posts are undeletable, but also that they were not created by the blog owners.
While some of the content is fairly tame, some users have complained about the appearance of pornographic posts. Researchers at ThreatTrack Security Labs are advising users to change their account passwords, as bloggers are left facing not only undeletable posts, but many also finding themselves unable to access their dashboards.
Google Street View takes you to the zoo
"Someone told me it's all happening at the Zoo". Google's Street View team has traveled around the world from coral reefs to canyons and down the trails of National Parks. This time the trekkers caught a break with something a bit more relaxing than a miles long hike or a dive in an area known for its sharks.
Now the team visits zoos, allowing you to get a sneak peak of a place you wish to visit, or simply enjoy the view from the comfort of your chair. "Lions and tigers may be standard attractions, but starting today, you can also use Street View to see the panda bears noshing on bamboo and tumbling around the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. More than 30 percent of this endangered species calls this important conservation and breeding facility home", says Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager.
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