IBM bets the server farm on flash
You may have seen the news that IBM has decided all enterprise Tier 1 storage should be flash-based and is putting in place plans to make the transition as fast as possible. Big Blue will be investing $1 million to integrate flash into all of its servers and storage systems and is introducing its own flash-only appliance.
Why the sudden move? Data centers increasingly demand the ability to process information more quickly, but traditional hard drives have only shown a small increase in speed over the last few years. IBM claims that flash solutions can speed up processing by around 90 percent for banking and trading applications. Other benefits include lower energy consumption, less maintenance and a smaller footprint.
Skype 6.6 for Windows and Mac offers video messaging tweaks, squashes bugs
Microsoft has released Skype 6.6 for Windows and Mac, which introduces minor updates to the company's popular chat service that "focus on quality by addressing user feedback and improving ease of use".
Version 6.6 concentrates on adopting consistent entry points for sending video messages across all platforms, plus implementing a number of platform-specific fixes.
Redbox Instant takes 'root' on Android
The war for your dollars escalates as more services vie for control of the wallet, enabling customers to watch movies and TV shows without need of running to the local store or kiosk to fill the video habit. Netflix and Amazon compete for the prized crown, but Redbox has launched Instant to get into the market as well. Blockbuster? Bueller? Bueller? Oh, that's right it tried too.
Redbox Instant by Verizon (yes, that is the whole official name) aims to up the ante in this war with its latest Android update. Finally bringing the streaming service to rooted Android devices.
The Curator: Why Microsoft is forcing us on to Modern UI apps
I've been struggling for a good year now with Microsoft's decision to push users as hard as it is pushing them to use the new, modern user interface, what was once code-named Metro. Even in Windows 8.1 (formerly known as Windows Blue), it is the primary UI. Why is Microsoft forcing us to use it?
"Forcing" is perhaps too strong of a word I suppose (although it's a good one for a headline). You can continue to run conventional Windows programs -- hell, even text-mode console software -- and keep using a traditional computer with a keyboard and mouse, but they're all legacy now, at least for Modern UI apps.
Samsung acquires Boxee
In 2008, Boxee started out with just an app. In those early days it could be used on computers and Apple TV, but soon the company launched its own set-top box. That endeavor was lost in the noise of competitors like Roku and Google TV, but now the little media-oriented Boxee may have found a new road and its savior from oblivion.
News breaks that Samsung, the electronics maker behind the Galaxy lineup of Android devices and many popular smart TV's and other devices, snapped up Boxee. Since there is no official announcement made by either party, I reached out to Samsung for a statement.
Second batch of Windows 8.1 updates improve application compatibility
Microsoft released a public preview of the upcoming Windows 8.1 exactly a week ago. The anticipated Windows 8.1 update introduces several changes to the operating system including the ability to boot to Desktop and more efficient Start screen app management.
The first batch of updates was released just two days after the public availability of the preview on June 28. Updates addressed performance issues of the Search charm, SkyDrive video playback, and ironed out two Windows Store kinks in the process.
Faster UK 4G from EE -- nice speed if you can get it
My colleague Mihaita Bamburic reported earlier on EE's rollout of faster 4G LTE services in 12 major UK cities with a potential to double current average internet speeds.
Despite the claims that this would make EE's mobile network unequaled in Europe I can't say I was especially excited by this news. Living as I do within 20 miles of one of those major cities -- Manchester -- it's sometimes hard to get a 3G signal here let alone 4G.
Put on your bell bottoms and grab Polamatic for Android
"You give us those nice bright colors. You give us the greens of summers". Sorry, wrong camera, but these trips down memory lane can get confusing as we grow older. No, the old Kodachrome may be dead, but Polaroid looms large in our nostalgic history and memories. It was a must have in its day, and remains today as an image (pun intended) of those bygone days of our youth -- okay, my youth, you may plead the fifth if you wish.
Now Appadana wants to confuse us old geezers by bringing back those days of yore with a Polaroid app for Android devices. Polamatic aims to recapture the good old days when muscle cars ruled the roads and disco took over the airwaves. Queue up your Donna Summer -- or Cheap Trick if your prefer -- and head over to Google Play for the opportunity of doing something you could have easily done years ago -- though for much more cost.
EE announces 'double speed 4G' in 12 major UK cities, new shared and pay as you go plans
On Wednesday, UK mobile operator EE (formerly known as Everything Everywhere) announced that, tomorrow, it will enable faster 4G cellular connectivity in twelve major local cities, with theoretical download speeds topping 150 Mbps.
The UK cities are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield. EE says that, in practice, users should see "double the current average speeds to 24 - 30 Mbps". The UK mobile operator claims that this should make its 4G network "unequalled" on the old continent, "faster than mobile networks in the US and Japan, and equal to the best in South Korea".
Bitdefender Total Security 2014 review
When you buy a program with “Total” in the name then you probably expect a very complete feature list, and Bitdefender Total Security 2014 certainly does not disappoint in this regard: the suite offers antivirus, firewall, anti-spam, browsing and social networking protection, privacy tools, parental controls, online storage, anti-theft service, PC tuneup module and more.
And although some people prefer to ignore the frills and assess security packages on their core essentials, Bitdefender does just as well here. An AV-TEST report on Bitdefender Internet Security 2013, for instance, shows it detecting 100% of the test malware samples -- this program is strong on the basics, too.
Opera 15 is a fresh start, not the end
Opera Software made a bold move earlier this year when the company announced that it would use WebKit as its rendering engine and V8 as the JavaScript engine for all new products. Later on it revealed that it would follow Google and use the Blink Fork instead of WebKit, but that did not change the explosiveness of the move.
It took the Norwegian company five months to release the first final version of Opera for PCs that is powered by the new engines. While that seems like a long time for users who wanted to find out how the change would affect them personally, the development time is not that long.
Microsoft announces new Dynamics CRM to deliver improved customer experience
Microsoft has announced that it is releasing an updated version of its Dynamics CRM package in the fall of 2013. The new package is designed to help enterprises engage with their customers and will be available as both cloud and installed systems.
The refreshed version is designed to deliver a fast and fluid user experience, enabling people to access information that’s relevant to their jobs and have deeper insight into customer requirements. It also offers improved social collaboration features as well as the ability to access information on a variety of devices including Windows 8 tablets and iPads. Android, iPhone and Windows Phone 8 versions will be available shortly after the package's release.
Touchy subject -- How do you use Windows 8? [Poll]
Although Microsoft created Windows 8 with touch devices in mind, there weren’t actually all that many Windows friendly touch screen PCs and tablets available at launch.
Since then of course, every manufacturer -- including Microsoft -- has rolled out devices designed to take advantage of the touch features built into the OS. We’ve seen regular PCs with touch screens, tablets, hybrids, and all manner of weird and wonderful variations.
A unicorn named Ouya knocks on my door
Hope is not yet lost. Though I pre-ordered, and paid, on day one, my Ouya console languished in Never-Never Land, perhaps cavorting with its brethren, the Lost Boys. This was a point of pain for more than just me, as other early backers of the little Android game box also failed to receive promised deliveries, despite the console becoming available in the local big-box store.
The anticipation, and mounting frustration, came to a close as my console came knocking on my door in the guise of a delivery man. It is here and sitting in my living room, still housed in its cozy little box, though that will be changing when I get a few spare minutes later today. At that point the review begins, and I will give it a few days before taking to this mini-series again to give impressions -- fairness is in order for any bit of technology and judgement should not be rushed, despite frustration caused by overdue deliveries and unkept promises.
Emsisoft Anti-Malware 8.0 improves cleaning, reduces memory usage
Emsisoft of Thalgau, Austria, released Emsisoft Anti-Malware 8.0, a major new version of its dual-engine protection tool for Windows. It is designed to run alongside existing security products and offer extra lines of defences against malware.
Version 8.0, which uses BitDefender's scanning engine alongside Emsisoft's own, promises to cut memory usage for faster, leaner performance, improved malware cleaning, user-interface tweaks and more.
BetaNews, your source for breaking tech news, reviews, and in-depth reporting since 1998.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.