Need a free, compact web server? Try Serva
Equipping your network with a web server can provide some useful extra ways to share files and information. Of course if you’ve tried to set one up before then you’ll know the process isn’t always straightforward, but Serva aims to change all that.
The program offers straightforward support for several protocols (http, ftp, tftp, dhcp, dns, sntp, syslog), yet somehow remains ultra-lightweight (under 2MB). And better still, it’s portable, which means you can run servers just when you need them, without affecting the host system for the rest of the time.
Take control of MacBook Pro graphics with gfxCardStatus
Got a MacBook Pro with a dual GPU? gfxCardStatus is a free tool that enables you to not only see whether your system is currently using the integrated or discrete GPU, but also gives you the chance to manually switch whenever you want -- all without the need to log out of your account or restart OS X. The latest version of the app adds support for the Retina displays sported by the newest additions to the MacBook Pro range.
A simple menu bar makes it easy to choose which of your GPUs should be used, or to remain in dynamic mode so all of this is taken care of for you. There are various reasons why you might want to override the automatic settings. If you find that a particular app caused your discrete GPU to be used, you can get some extra life from your battery by opting to use the integrated GPU instead.
Slideshow Creator turns your pics into vibrant videos
When you’d like to share a particular set of photos with friends and family then you could just send them the JPEGs. Converting those images to a video slideshow with your own soundtrack, captions and custom transitions will look considerably more impressive, though -- and with a copy of Bolide Slideshow Creator to hand, that need not take very long.
Installing the program is quick and hassle-free. There are no toolbars to dodge, no unwanted extras to look for during setup, you’ll get the Slideshow Creator and nothing else.
Meet Google Nexus 7, Kindle Killer
I told you so, in April. Contrary to pundits at the time viewing Google's tablet as an iPad competitor, I saw something else: Google isn't gunning for Apple but Amazon. After getting my hands on the tablet this evening, and comparing the experience using my wife's Kindle Fire, there is no doubt. Google will probably save Android from Amazon, but the end cost may be greater gains for iPad.
By just about every measure -- the exception being buying tens of thousands of retail goods -- using Nexus 7 feels like Kindle Fire, only better in every way. Significantly, the experience is different from using Google Nexus smartphones or other Android tablets. That's because Google Play is so visible. I can't say if that's a function of Android 4.1 Jellybean or how Google has set up the tablet. But content pushes to the forefront, like Kindle Fire, and much of it is similar.
Google Nexus 7: yet another cheap Android tablet (YACAT)
The cat is finally out of the bag. After weeks of speculation surrounding Google’s vaporous "7-inch Kindle killer", the Nexus 7 is now real. And as I suspected, the search giant’s new reference platform is nothing more than another in a long line of cheap, uninspiring Android tablets.
I mean, what is there to differentiate the Nexus 7 from similarly-sized tablets by Samsung or Acer? They all have the same crappy build quality, the same limited output options (no HDMI?) and the same tinny, poorly-placed speakers that have come to define the 7-inch Android tablet category.
Autodesk cloud goes pretty much anywhere, even Chromebook [video]
Perhaps my biggest surprise walking around Google I/O 2012: Autodesk, and a Chromebook! Cough, cough, gag, gag. What the hell is this? Why would Autodesk demo its big-iron 3D design products on the Samsung Series 5 550. This is not MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
As Randy Young explains it's all about the cloud and extending Autodesk customers' capabilities in the cloud. Let's say you're a builder. You've got AutoCAD and your client doesn't. They can view the design in Chrome. Sure enough, there's an AutoCAD WS plug-in available in the Chrome Webstore. Yes, apps for Android and iOS are available, too. But the developer is here promoting Autodesk 360 cloud service. The concept: Store and share design files in the cloud. If your customer is crazy enough to buy Chromebook. No problem.
These developers love Android -- Chrome OS not as much [video]
This morning, before Google I/O 2012 keynote kicked off, I spoke with three developers from Ice Development Solutions, all from Phoenix, Arizona. They expressed excitement about Android and imminent Nexus 7 tablet announcement.
They feel real good about Chrome, too, but not as much about Chromebook. Some of their work involves games, and they say the hardware Chrome OS currently runs on isn't good enough. Get this: Their games run better on Ubuntu on the same hardware. Damn, good thing I don't game on the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook.
Apple's Mountain Lion will allow automatic security updates
In the most recently released developer preview of Mac OS X, Mountain Lion, Apple has included an automated system that lets the user check and install new Security Updates. Part of a new set of OS X 10.8 protection tools against the once non-existent Mac OS malware threat, the new feature is called "OS X Security Update Test 1.0," and it will be rolled into the release version of Mountain Lion when it comes out next month.
The new security automator can run at a daily scheduled interval, or upon system restart, and it offers the user the ability to download and install updates in the background. In the Mac App Store, Apple states that after restarting your Mac, it will provide a much more secure connection to Apple's update servers, providing an encrypted connection to help protect from possible man-in-the-middle attacks for each update.
T-Mobile USA CEO Gives himself the axe
T-Mobile CEO Philipp Humm announced in a statement today that he will be resigning from the top executive postion of Deutsche Telekom's US-based subsidiary.
Humm joined Deutsche Telekom in 2005, and was responsible for the company’s mobile business in Germany. In 2008, he took on the responsibility of managing the sales and service activities within the larger Deutsche Telekom Group. In May 2010, he moved to T-Mobile USA, taking over as CEO in November of that same year.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: a dozen or so of the biggest improvements
It appears that this round of mobile operating system updates will be incremental for all platforms involved.
Following Apple's announcement of iOS 6, and Microsoft's announcement of Windows Phone 8, Google on Wednesday outlined the upcoming features of Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean," and revealed the update will provide mostly under-the-hood changes that aren't geared toward "wowing" users.
Google unveils Nexus Q, the 'Tiny Android computer'
If Boxee shook up the design world by turning the standard set-top box form factor into an odd geometric shape, Google has completely eliminated the "box" from the equation, and unveiled the Nexus Q, a streaming home entertainment hub for connecting your TV to your Android devices and to Google Play for content distribution.
It features:
Google's Nexus 7 tablet goes up for sale at $199, ships in July
At Google's I/O 2012 developer convention on Wednesday, the long-rumored Asus tablet sporting the Google Nexus brand was finally revealed. Confirming the rumor from Gizmodo Australia earlier this week, the tablet is known as Nexus 7.
As the rumors had suggested, the $199 device is going to be the first to run Android 4.1 (aka Jellybean), sport a 7-inch, 1280 x 800 display, run on a quad-core 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with 1GB of RAM and a "12 core" GeForce GPU, be Wi-Fi only, and offer a 1.3 megapixel forward-facing camera, accelerometer, and NFC chip for device-to-device communication. The total weight of the device is just 340 grams.
Liveblog from Google I/O -- it's insanity
I'm here in San Francisco, undeterred by cancelled and delayed flights, and it's madness. At 7 am PDT, when the doors were supposed to open, the line wrapped around and down the block and around the next one. Man, you should have come. I/O closes an exciting month of developer events -- Apple's WWDC, Microsoft's TechEd, Windows Phone and surprise Surface announcement. But the last word goes to Google, which is expected today to debut the Nexus tablet, expand cloud services and delight with lots more. I'm too rushed to go through them all.
The keynote commences at 9:30 am PDT -- that's 12:30 pm Eastern Time, and all updates here will be in chronological order reversed -- meaning newest first. You'll want to refresh often.
I once was blind but now I see -- or, why I’ll never give up my PC for a tablet and smartphone
Oh man, what a hellish 10 days this has been.
Before we get too far, let me just warn you that when the doorbell rings, this little chat will be over. I don’t care if I’m in mid-sentence. That’s it. Period. End of story.
Secure your PC with Bitdefender 2013
Bitdefender has released its 2013 range: Antivirus Plus 2013 ($49.95), Internet Security 2013 ($69.95), and the high-end Total Security 2013 ($79.95).
And the headline addition this time is Safepay, a secure virtual browser which aims to protect your online banking and shopping details (although the technology will help to shield any confidential online activity). It’s a useful feature and is available on all three products.
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