Latest Technology News

We're used to sharing information via social networking in our personal lives, but in the business world the impact of this has so far proved limited. Enterprise software supplier Deltek hopes to change this with the launch of Kona Business, a premium version of its cloud-based social collaboration and productivity tool.

A cross between a calendar, social network and project management tool, Kona Business brings together all of the interactions between people working on a project, allowing them to get things done more effectively and more quickly, and as it's in the cloud it can be rolled out easily via browsers or through Android and iOS apps.

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I love Bing. There aren’t many products (Xbox) that I’ll admit to being a fanboy of but Bing is getting pretty close to that status for me. I’m an oddity because most people don’t use Bing at all; either because they’ve used it and didn’t get the results they wanted, or based on word of mouth about it being so terrible. I don’t know where you fall, but I would bet most of you reading this don’t use or even like Bing. That’s unfortunate because you’re missing out.

Yes, Bing is good. But why do so many people hate it? Why do so many googlers refuse to even give it a try? Why do those who actually do give it a try, enter one search query, fail to get the results they want, and go back to Google, never giving Bing a second chance?

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The first time we heard the name of Microsoft’s forthcoming next gen console was when the company announced it at the reveal back in May. Part of the reason for keeping it so successfully under wraps was that Microsoft didn’t register any domain names in advance.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net were already taken. Unfortunately for the owner of those domains -- an individual living in the UK who had owned both since 2011 -- Microsoft wanted them.

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BitTorrent has been making waves recently with the release of its Sync client. To its credit, the organization seemed to see the coming privacy apocalypse that we have fallen into over the past few weeks, and built features into the service that it hopes will protect customers.

What began as private testing and entered alpha in April, is finally growing up. Christian Averill, a company representative, told BetaNews "BitTorrent Sync was designed to solve what we see as real, fundamental challenges to data synchronization: limitations on privacy, file security and dependency on cloud infrastructure. Also, limitations on speed, size, and space".

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Boris Eyrich Software has announced the release of Artweaver 4.0, the latest edition of its popular painting tool. It’s a significant update too, especially in comparison to the rather underwhelming 3.0, with both Artweaver 4.0 Free and the more powerful commercial Artweaver Plus (yours for around $40) gaining some worthwhile features.

Both editions benefit from a tabbed document interface, for instance, which makes it easier to switch between images.

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Google Glass may not have been officially released to the public yet (it is currently only available to testers dubbed "Glass Explorers" by Google), but mobile security juggernaut Lookout has already found a security vulnerability that makes it possible to hack the wearable computer for potentially dangerous and malicious purposes.

The vulnerability impacting Google Glass is initiated through QR codes -- basically advanced barcodes. By design, a Glass user can scan these barcodes with the device's camera to do things such as perform an action or change a setting. While this provides beneficial functionality to the user, it also offers a new gateway for malicious hackers.

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Microsoft is today launching a new initiative called the "Companion Web" which is designed to bridge the gap between the various different internet enabled devices we already use in conjunction with one another.

As Bryan Saftler, Senior Product Manager, Internet Explorer explains, "more than 80 percent of smartphone-owning Americans use [their handsets] while watching TV. Of those smartphone users, 4 out of 5 use their phone to look up content relevant to what they’re watching". Microsoft feels this manual seeking of information could be replaced with a more cohesive, tailored and engaging experience.

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Analyst group Gartner says in a new report that the global market for IT outsourcing is set to reach $288 billion this year. This though represents an increase of only 2.8 percent and growth is slower than predicted by previous forecasts.

Bryan Britz, research vice president at Gartner says, "Planned new adoption of ITO remains positive in all service line segments. However, constrained IT budgets, an evolving ITO delivery model, economic conditions and cost-focused buyers are limiting the growth potential of the ITO market".

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Popular social network Twitter just released a refreshed BlackBerry 10 app, which now finally brings support for traditional features, already available to those relying on the Android, iOS or Windows Phone counterpart, like multiple user accounts and the ability to save embedded images.

The latest update is designed to bring the BlackBerry 10 app closer, in terms of functionality, to Twitter's offerings from other platforms. It now "helps you connect more seamlessly to the people and topics you care about", according to the popular social network. Let's take a look at the complete changelog.

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Google showed off a new version of Google Maps for the web at its I/O conference back in May, but made the updated preview invite only. Yesterday, the search giant finally opened up the new Maps to all -- no sign up required. Just go to Google's Explore Maps page, click the Try Now button, and you’re ready to start using it.

In addition to that, a week after Google rolled out a "new mapping experience" for Android smartphones and tablets, the firm has updated its app for iOS devices, introducing the same enhanced search and navigation features, as well as an optimized iPad design.

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TrueCrypt is an excellent encryption tool, a very good choice for anyone who wants to protect their most confidential files. If you use its ability to save your documents in hidden containers, though, it’s worth keeping in mind that these aren’t quite as secret as you might think: TCHunt, a free Windows tool, can identify (though not decrypt) them in just a few seconds.

The program comes in the form of a compact (244KB) executable, with no extras and no installation required; you can just download and run it.

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Listening to music or watching movies on your PC can be a slight disappointment if the audio equipment isn’t as good as it could be. So with that in mind, Acer has developed a new all-in-one desktop system with two 3W front-facing Harman Kardon speakers built-in.

According to Acer, the speakers "leverage thorough and precise scientific methods to accurately produce crystal-clear audio that’s as close to the original recording as possible". The sound quality is further improved with the addition of Dolby Home Theater v4 optimized digital output technologies.

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When Microsoft released Office for iPhone, the sentiment among users was mixed. Some customers complained that it could be signaling defeat for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8, while others praised it as a good business move -- it was a mixed bag of emotions. The biggest backlash was the Office 365 subscription requirement which left paying standard Office users (non-subscription) out in the cold. Today, Microsoft continues its trend of supporting the mobile operating system, as it releases Outlook Web App (OWA) for iOS.

Unlike Office for iPhone, Outlook Web App supports the iPad as well. Slate support is essential as many business users are trading their laptops for the Apple tablet to get work done. Unfortunately, the Office 365 subscription requirement also applies here. This is very frustrating, as many large businesses and enterprise users without 365 subscriptions would hugely benefit from this particular app. These customers will be forced to use Webmail in a browser or use a 3rd party app such as the much maligned Good for Enterprise.

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PlayOn, the TV service that aims to make cord-cutting even more possible, with affordable prices, and even going free to Google TV customers, is now aiming at Blackberry users in both the United States and Canada. It brings with it all sorts of video goodies for this ride.

Today the company announces that "for the first time, BlackBerry 10 customers in the US and Canada can watch content from Hulu, Netflix and HBO GO on their smartphone. By downloading the new PlayOn app to a BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10 smartphone, and PlayOn software to a Windows PC, customers can stream online content from Netflix, Hulu (with no Hulu Plus subscription needed), HBO GO, CBS and 60 additional online channels to their smartphone".

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Linux creator Linus Torvalds is an interesting fellow. He is notorious for speaking his mind, demeaning developers and using profanity -- behavior which is appreciated by some members of the Linux community. On July 14, the RC-1 of Linux Kernel 3.11 was announced. Continuing his quirky behavior, Mr. Torvalds has named it "Linux for Workgroups".

While some may view this as a fun, tongue-in-cheek spoof of Windows for Workgroups 3.11, I find it to be childish and damaging to the overall Linux cause. Silly names are becoming a real problem for the Linux community. Below are some examples.

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