A short history of text messaging
The text message has become such a key part of our modern lives that it's hard to believe that the concept behind it dates back 31 years. Email to SMS gateway service Neon SMS has produced an infographic tracking how SMS has evolved.
The first text message was sent in 1992, although it had to be from a PC because it was the following year before Nokia introduced the first SMS-enabled phone. In 1997 the Finnish company produced the 9000i Communicator, the first mobile phone to feature a full keyboard.
Wi-Fi Aware could be what the Internet of Things has been waiting for
The Internet of Things -- or IoT if you will -- is much more than just a buzzword. It's also much more than 'the next big thing'; it could be fundamental to the future of technology and how we interact with it. When we talk about the Internet of Things, we tend to do so in reference to the home and business -- but there is more to it than that.
There's a lot to consider when it comes to working with data gathered by various sensors built into smart devices, and the most recent game-changer has been unveiled by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi Aware certification has just been opened up with a view to enabling the creation of smart devices that can wirelessly exchange data directly, react to location, and discover other devices. This, rather than a connected fridge or oven, is what is exciting about the Internet of Things.
A VMI strategy is the optimum solution for BYOD adopters
In the BYOD era, enterprises are searching for the optimum mobile work environment -- one that will strike the right balance between security and user needs.
The enterprise’s goal is to achieve the highest level of security. Employees, on the other hand, want the simple, fun user experience they get as consumers. A Virtual Mobile Infrastructure (VMI) strategy can be the ideal solution.
How personal devices are changing the American workplace
We're all familiar with the idea of BYOD and allowing employees to use their own devices for work. But how much impact is it having out in the real world workplace?
Workspace as a service provider Workspot has produced an infographic based on a survey of 500 US workers sheds some interesting light on things. High numbers of Americans are using their own devices for work, with 64 percent admitting that they sometimes do so. Those that do use their own devices do so for between 10 and 30 percent of the work day.
How mobile access is changing the Internet
Mobile Internet doesn't just liberate us from the constraints of a wired connection, it offers hundreds of millions around the world their only, or primary, means of getting online.
The latest Global Internet report from the Internet Society focuses on mobile usage and how it has changed, and is changing, the way we use the Web.
Could 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina Display with Force Touch trackpad be right for you? [Review]
Reviewing most any MacBook Pro is a pointless exercise, because this year's model isn't much different from the previous—or the one before. That's why I typically buy refurbished rather than new. But I broke with that practice last month, after a sudden electrical calamity laid my wife's laptop to rest. Fried and died it is. With Apple releasing new versions of iOS and OS X and launching a streaming music service, a summer sojourn seemed opportune.
I considered going Windows 10, which arrives later this month. But most of my BetaNews colleagues are headed that way, so I set out down the Apple reviews track. Again, I probably wouldn't have done so if not for my wife's computer catastrophe. I lent her my Chromebook Pixel LS and purchased a new MBP. She will never give up the Google laptop, BTW.
Google will eliminate accidental mobile ad clicks
Ads are part and parcel of being online, but they can be particularly annoying for mobile users. When playing games on a phone or tablet, it's all too easy to accidentally tap an ad you have absolutely no interest in, pulling you out of the game you were playing or the site you were reading. If you've cursed when this happened to you, Google hears you.
The company is taking steps to make the "user experience" of ads a little better. It recognizes that advertisements that get clicked accidentally don't benefit anybody. They end up irritating the clicker, and are unlikely to be of value to the company that placed the ad. With around half of ad clicks being made by mistake, Google is now taking steps to stop this from happening -- great news for users and advertisers alike.
Android is the biggest target for mobile malware
Most of the malicious software for mobile devices targets Google’s Android operating system, a new report by Pulse Secure says.
Last year, almost one million individual malicious apps for Android were released, according to Pulse Secure’s Mobile Threat Report. That means the number of threats quadrupled in comparison to the year before.
Enterprise mobile apps to be in very high demand
The demand for new enterprise mobile applications is about to rapidly increase, a new research shows.
Sponsored by Kony, the new 451 Research global survey of IT management, IT development and line of business professionals found that more than half of the 480 respondents, from North America, Europe and Australia, plan to deploy 10 or more enterprise mobile apps during the next two years.
Business mobility programs: 5 recommendations for employees
Companies worldwide are equipping their workforce with the latest mobile technology. Many company-provided mobile devices allow for personal use so employees aren’t inconvenienced by being required to carry multiple devices.
This is commonly referred to as Corporate Owned Personally Enabled or COPE. With an ever-evolving mobile ecosystem, IT leaders are forced to continually adjust the rules and devise new approaches, and that’s likely to continue as complexity increases.
iOS 9 users will be able to block ads
The next update to Apple’s mobile web browser Safari will include a way to block annoying ads, working similar to AdBlock Plus on desktop browsers.
Under the banner of user experience, Apple promoted the new loading system capable of blocking JavaScript, cookies and even images from displaying. The system came to the desktop version of Safari first. Users will be able to opt-in to this experience on iOS 9.
AVG partners with ZTE to bring security to mobile devices
Mobile security is starting to get attention, but still doesn't garner the same amount as the computer does. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be a concern, only that the average user isn't looking at it that way. However, we're starting to see that landscape slowly changing, with phones coming with built-in security software.
The latest will be devices from Chinese manufacturer ZTE, as the company has partnered with security firm AVG, which has long offered mobile apps to protect consumers.
Facebook Lite gives a social fix without eating mobile data
With its Internet.org project, Facebook is trying to not only spread into new parts of the world by bringing the internet to places where it is not currently available. With a focus on minimal data usage to help keep down costs, it was only a matter of time before a stripped down version of the Facebook app appeared.
Today is the day that Facebook Lite arrives. As the name suggests, this is a data-light version of the familiar Facebook app, and it starts its life on Android devices. It is designed with developing markets in mind, and today it starts the rollout process in Asia before it spreads further around the globe.
Tim Cook is an opportunist
Nine years ago, a NPR interviewer asked me about Google and other U.S. companies censoring search results in China. The question was one of morality -- to which I gave answer she didn't expect. That response, or my recollection of it, is appropriate for rather ridiculous and self-serving statements that Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly made two days ago.
"We believe that people have a fundamental right to privacy", Cook said, Matthew Panzarino reports for TechCrunch. "The American people demand it, the constitution demands it, morality demands it". Oh? What is moral? The answer I gave NPR in 2006 applies: There is no moral high ground in business. The high ground is quagmire, because all public companies -- Apple surely among them -- share a single, moral objective: Make profits for stockholders. Plain, pure, and simple.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 ROM dev preview for Android flagship Mi 4 test users
In March earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it has partnered with Xiaomi to beta test Windows 10 Mobile ROM on the Chinese company’s flagship Android Mi 4 smartphone. The company has just seeded out the ROM to the phone for select beta testers.
Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive VP of operating systems, announced earlier that "a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 power users will be invited to help test Windows 10 and contribute to its future release later this year. These power users will have the opportunity to download the Windows 10 Technical Preview - installing it and providing their feedback to Microsoft".
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