Eight things Microsoft should be thankful for in 2012
Another Thanksgiving arrives here in the United States, and some people consider what they have to be grateful for. I celebrate by talking turkey, not just eating it, about the companies I cover. It's tradition, going back to 2006, that I present the things Microsoft should be grateful for.
Last year, 11 items made the list, keeping with the 2011 theme. For 2012, I reduce the list to eight; my hat tip of respect to Windows 8, which launched nearly a month ago. There are many more things Microsoft could be grateful for, but I chose some that might not readily come to mind. The list goes from least to most important.
LG Optimus G, your bootloader can now be unlocked
The LG Optimus G is one of the most powerful smartphones available today, but sadly it's not the most modder-friendly device because it ships with a locked bootloader. Thanks to Project FreeGee that is no longer the case for the AT&T and Sprint versions of the South Korean smartphone that now have an unlockable bootloader.
The advantage is obvious for modders. With an unlocked bootloader owners of the AT&T and Sprint variants will be able to install Android Open Source Project-based distributions such as AOKP Jelly Bean Milestone 1 or CyanogenMod 10, once support is added. Another benefit comes from the Nexus 4 sources, which can be used to streamline the development process for compatible custom distributions, as the two devices share underpinnings.
Paul Otellini isn't enough -- fire Intel's board of directors, too
Two days ago, Paul Otellini resigned his position as CEO of Intel. Analysts and pundits weigh-in on the matter, generally attributing Otellini’s failure to Intel’s late and flawed effort to gain traction in the mobile processor space. While I tend to agree with this assessment, it doesn’t go far enough to explain Otellini’s fall, which is not only his fault but also the fault of Intel’s board of directors. Yes, Otellini was forced out by the board, but the better action would have been for the board to have fired itself, too.
If there was a single event that triggered this end to Otellini’s tenure at Intel I’m guessing it is Apple’s decision to abandon Intel chips for its desktop computers. There has been no such announcement but Apple has sent signals to the market and the company doesn’t send signals for fun. The question isn’t if Apple will drop Intel but when and the way product design changes are made the when is not this Christmas but next.
HTC DROID DNA available for purchase at Verizon Wireless
Starting today the HTC DROID DNA is available for purchase at Verizon Wireless. On a two-year contract the J butterfly's US brother runs for $199.99, while off-contract it costs a marginally higher $599.99.
Like the J butterfly, the DROID DNA comes with a massive 5-inch Super LCD3 display with 1920-by-1080 resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for protection. Power comes from a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor backed by 2GB of RAM and a relatively small 2020mAh non-removable battery. Unlike the J Butterfly, the big red version has to make due with just 16GB of internal storage as it does not feature a microSD card slot.
Bitdefender Windows 8 Security has your back
Bitdefender has announced the availability of Windows 8 Security (priced from $59.95), a new suite which the company has called “the first Windows 8 antivirus”.
And while of course there are plenty of other antivirus tools which run under Windows 8, what Bitdefender are claiming is that this one is specifically designed for the new operating system.
Going codeless can save the jobless
Being a multi-linguist, or a pianist, or an amateur philosopher, is not something you’d expect most IT job candidates to have on their resumes. But today’s workforce, due in part to the slow moving economy and ensuing recession, has adjusted to a more adaptable lifestyle than previous generations.
While yesterday’s career map was more straightforward -- major in a specific field, enter the sector on the bottom or near-bottom rung of the ladder (depending on who you knew), and work your way up until retirement, building a reputation for yourself along the way -- today things have changed.
Nokia HERE for iOS will get you where you want to go [review]
If you want to get directions on an iOS device, you have two main options. 1) use Apple’s built-in mapping app to go to somewhere other than intended, potentially risking your life and the lives of your passengers along the way, or 2) fire up the mobile version of Google Maps, which is good but not as great as the old app that vanished when Apple decided its users would be better off with sketchy, featureless maps and inaccurate directions.
Thankfully, while Apple’s map team is trying to push its Toyota Prius out of a field that should be a freeway, and Google is still putting the finishing touches to its shiny new Maps app, Nokia has arrived to save the day with HERE, a mapping and location service powered by NAVTEQ data (as used in the majority of in-car navigation systems).
Custom recoveries available for Google Nexus 4, 10 with Android 4.2 support
Custom recovery is at the core of Android modding by allowing users to root or load custom green droid distributions. The recently launched Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, can also join the modding train with new custom recoveries from ClockwordMod and Team Win Recovery Project.
With Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Google introduced a new feature -- multiple-user support -- which modifies the internal storage structure by adding a "0" folder for the default user. Aside from the obvious benefit, the new functionality also causes issues with custom recoveries that are not designed to take it into account. Now though CWM 6.0.1.8/9 and TWRP 2.3.2.0 are available with support for the recently introduced Nexus 4, 10 and multiple user support.
RetroUI Pro: Run Windows 8 Store Apps on the desktop
If you do not like the Windows 8 Start screen, you can bypass it easily with a few simple modifications or by installing a program that handles that for you. If you miss the Start menu on the desktop, you can get that back as well by installing a program like Start8 or Classic Shell that also handle the redirecting and mapping of shortcuts keys for you if you want.
RetroUI Pro is another Start menu program for Windows 8. It looks different than the others as you can see from the photo, but on first glance, it is just another Start menu for the operating system.
Norton Mobile Security now supports both Android and iOS
Symantec today released Norton Mobile Security 3.2, the latest version of the flagship Norton security software for Android and iOS devices.
It's been just about a year since we last looked at Norton Mobile Security, and in that time, a number of new features have been added.
It still contains the remote lock and wipe, call and SMS blocking, SD card scanning, and remote geolocation features it included previously, but now it also includes multi-device (cross platform) support with a single license, contact list backup and restore, a "scream alarm" for finding a lost phone, and web-based management.
Firefox for Android update supports older devices
Parent company Mozilla announced that Firefox for Android now supports older green droid devices using ARM v6 architecture. The latest update allows the open-source browser to run on smartphones such as HTC Status, Motorola Fire XT or Samsung Galaxy Ace, but also looks to the present with improvements for newer versions of Android.
Mozilla claims that limiting Firefox for Android to run solely on the ARM v7 architecture would eliminate "roughly half of the nearly 500 million Android phones", obviously making a dent in its market share and popularity among green droid users. The minimum hardware requirements now involve an 800MHz ARM v6 processor accompanied by 512MB of RAM. What about less "ancient" devices?
HP CEO Meg Whitman explains alleged Autonomy accounting fraud
Hewlett-Packard's $8.8 billion fiscal fourth-quarter write-down, and reasons for it, shine a stunning spotlight on Meg Whitman and predecessor Léo Apotheker's lingering legacy. HP ousted Apotheker in September 2011, less than a month after he brokered the Autonomy acquisition. Today, during the company's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings conference call, chief executive Whitman had to answer for mistakes she inherited.
While expressing "we remain 100-percent committed to Autonomy and its industry-leading technology", she also acknowledges alleged fraudulent accounting that only recently came to HP's attention. Regarding the $8.8 billion, "the majority of this impairment charge is linked to serious accounting improprieties, disclosure failures and outright misrepresentations that occurred prior to HP's acquisition of Autonomy and the associated impact on the expected financial performance of the business over the long term. The balance of the impairment charge is linked to the recent trading value of HP stock".
Opera 12.11 fixes bugs, improves stability and security
Firefox 17 FINAL isn't the only browser news of the day. Opera 12.11 also is available. This minor release is a maintenance one, promising better security and stability through the implementation of a number of bug fixes, and follows on just two weeks from the more notable launch of version 12.10.
Opera 12.11 is available as a freeware download for PC, Mac and Linux. A separate 64-bit build is also available for Windows users.
Firefox 17 releases, features click-to-play blocklisting
Mozilla has launched Firefox 17 FINAL, the latest stable release of its open-source, cross-platform web browser. Version 17 has one major new feature -- click-to-play blocklisting, which prevents vulnerable plugins from running without the user’s permission.
Other changes include a slight tweak to the Awesome Bar, additional developer tools and web standards, plus fixes and performance improvements. The new release comes on the same day that rival browser Opera 12.11 gets a minor update.
Google Nexus 4 Toolkit is available for modding enthusiasts
Last week Google launched its new flagship smartphone -- the Nexus 4. Shortly after, Android developers bestowed the LG-made device with root, but for hassle-free modding there is an all-in-one toolkit available as well.
Manual modding operations offer more control over the process, but take more time to perform. The Nexus 4 Toolkit is designed to automate a considerable number of tasks ranging from rooting Android 4.2 Jelly Bean to setting file permissions on Google's flagship smartphone. Users can also lock/unlock the bootloader, perform a full-system backup using ADB, install BusyBox, download the factory image, flash a custom or stock recovery and much more.
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