, informed some in the media (including PCWorld) that his company will no longer sell machines with AMD graphics cards inside. Given the timing, you have to wonder about Origin’s motivations. Indeed, it’s especially odd that a PC manufacturer would go out of its way to tell the press that it’s dropping support for a specific component manufacturer. This is not the kind of move that usually warrants a communication to journalists. Here’s an excerpt from Wasielewski’s statement, which bore the subject line of “Origin PC is going green!”
Nobody likes unwanted marketing. Here's how to get that annoying "sent from my phone" message out of your email signature.
, numerous smart phone manufacturers have announced plans to upgrade the operating systems on their older model handsets, namely to the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean release. Here’s a look at some of the more notable handsets that are getting imminent updates before the end of the year. that make it a compelling update for users on older OS versions. One of the most important updates is the inclusion of Bluetooth Smart (also known as Bluetooth Low Energy or Bluetooth LE), which will be required for your phone to connect to the new breed of Android-based smart watches, like the Samsung Galaxy Gear. Jelly Bean also adds some usability features, including phone number autocomplete, easier text input, faster switching between users, and a simplified setup wizard when setting up a new device. Graphics have also been updated under the hood, giving Jelly Bean devices access to the latest OpenGL standard, which should enhance video playback quality and gaming performance.
Microsoft warned potential buyers last week that its second-generation Surface tablets were close to selling out, at least at its own online Microsoft Store. On Monday, the company’s prediction appears to be coming true, at least in some small part. Not to worry, however. So far, it appears only the more expensive versions of the next-gen Surface tablets are affected, and the delays are minimal—just a few days to a week. It’s also not clear whether the same devices being sold at Best Buy and other retailers are also back-ordered. And if you really want a Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2, try visiting a brick-and-mortar Microsoft Store on launch day, Microsoft has said—they may have them in stock. In any event, Microsoft may be able to make the “sold-out” claim to win some positive PR—if it chooses to. designed to enhance the functionality of the basic Surface experience.
U.S. President Barack Obama should add actual technologists to a group reviewing the nation’s surveillance technologies, IT-related groups have said. . But the board is “limited in technical expertise,” said Sascha Meinrath, director of the Open Technology Institute at the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank. , due Monday. “Revelations regarding the breadth and scope of the NSA’s surveillance have raised serious concerns among a variety of stakeholders within and outside the United States, including technology companies, civil liberties groups, and the millions of citizens who rely upon digital communications in their personal and professional lives,” Meinrath wrote. “It is critical that the Administration rebuild trust in the United States as a benevolent steward of the Internet and reaffirm the nation’s respect for international law and commitment to protecting civil liberties and human rights both at home and abroad.”
However, comments by the same Sony exec suggests that the PS4 controller's touchpad may not be compatible.
Despite disagreements, Europe’s justice ministers Monday agreed “in principle” that companies doing business in the European Union will have to answer to only one data-protection authority rather than 28. The “one-stop shop” principle is central to the proposal put forward by E.U. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. Under the proposed rule, when personal data is processed by a company in more than one member state, one single supervisory authority should be responsible for monitoring the activity—namely, the supervisory authority of the member state in which the company has its main establishment. French officials had called for a joint decision-making method between national supervisory authorities, but others, including Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter, were strongly against the idea. The new one-stop shop rule could have big ramifications for Ireland as many international companies such as Facebook and Google are based there, meaning the Irish data-protection authorities would have jurisdiction.
The new "Rebel rocket attack" vid is both disturbing and hilarious. Therefore, it's art.
in February, it was a blatant attempt to blur the line between operating systems. It turns out, however, that Google had a far more brilliant idea up its sleeve: Chrome OS for Windows 8. Yes, the full-fledged version of Chrome OS is apparently on its way to Windows 8's modern UI. we first saw in early 2012, an app launcher, and even a little clock in the lower right corner. Before I get the hopes of Google fans too high, let’s be clear that we don’t know if this is just an experiment or a serious effort to bring Chrome OS to Windows 8. Given the massive install of Windows 8 compared to Google’s OS, using the modern UI to deliver Chrome OS is pure genius—and embarrassingly obvious in hindsight.
Enterprises have another option for accessing SAP’s in-memory database technology: Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems has been approved to offer HANA Enterprise Cloud. The in-memory database technology can process large data volumes from business applications more quickly than standard server implementations, and also supports new integrated analytical methods, according to T-Systems. Just as with other hosted offerings, one the biggest advantages is a lower threshold to entry. With HANA Enterprise Cloud, companies can enter the world of big data analytics without having to make any major investments, T-Systems said. HANA Enterprise Cloud was announced in May, and it’s offered via SAP’s own data centers as well as through partners. It takes care of a lot of the important but more mundane tasks such as provisioning hardware and disaster recovery, SAP said
Facebook has announced new changes to the way Graph Search discovers information, including the fact that status updates, photos, check-ins, and comments are now included in search results. This new stream of information offers criminals developing phishing campaigns all-new attack surfaces to exploit. , a tool that allows people to search for specific content on the social network. Previously, Graph Search was limited to information on a person’s profile or pages on the site, but now additional information, such as status updates, photos, check-ins, and comments will become discoverable as well. While these features are being touted by the social giant as a good thing, the risk they create is anything but. This new stream of data offers a potential goldmine for criminals developing phishing campaigns, and for more experienced attackers, because searches can now focus on certain groups of people, from a given area, who are interested in, or have a relation to, a specific business, organization, topic, or hobby. It’s even possible to filter results by time, details from long forgotten comments or posts to see the light of day once again. The data that is returned for a given search is limited only by the privacy settings on the post itself, or the overall settings by the user or their friends. Unfortunately, many people are still on default settings. As such, their profiles—including posts—are set to be shared to a much wider audience than they may intend.
It's another step towards Xbox assuming Microsoft's all-encompassing entertainment brand, but don't expect this to open the achievement point floodgates if you're on non-Windows systems.
Twitter now has official stats on social engagement with TV shows to convince big brands that the network is an important ad outlet.
(Mostly) nothing surprising to see here folks. Though there is that mysterious circle on the back...
No one stays healthy forever. At some point, your loved ones will need access to all of your accounts. You can make that job easier for them. ask: In our password-protected digital world, how do you prepare for that inevitable day when you die or otherwise become incapacitated? This is no small problem. When you're gone, or have otherwise lost the ability to remember or communicate, loved ones will need access to your email, contacts, bank accounts, and more. Without your pre-planned help, this can be quite a challenge.
Hosting provider LeaseWeb became the latest high-profile company to have its domain name taken over by attackers, highlighting that DNS (Domain Name System) hijacking is a significant threat, even to technically adept businesses. For a short time on Saturday, leaseweb.com, the company’s main website, was redirected to an IP address that wasn’t under its control. This was the result of a so-called DNS hijacking attack in which attackers managed to change the authorized name servers for the company’s domain name. Due to the way DNS records get propagated through Internet servers and the fact that some DNS resolvers cache the records for a longer time than others, not all users were affected by the incident. for the attack.
Move over, Samsung: LG's making a curved smartphone display, too.
In a world full of largely similar Chromebooks, HP's 14-inch (and aptly named) HP Chromebook 14 stands out largely because of its comparatively big screen; all other Chromebooks rock roughly netbook-sized screens. , numerous references to an "HP Chromebook 11" have popped up on the PC maker's website. . ), and Beats Audio support.
. This Chrome extension embeds Web content right inside your Gmail email messages so you can view it without having to open a new tab or click away from Gmail proper. iFramely works this bit of embed magic for over 900 services, everything from 500px and Flickr to Twitter and YouTube. (It wisely ignores links from "marketing bots.") It can also pull content from everyday Web sites, like, say, PC World. to see just the text of the linked story.
Toshiba's first cloud offering will come with a twist -- users will be able to customize the remote hardware being used to host the virtual desktop and storage service. Users will be able to configure a remote desktop's processor, storage capacity and memory, which will determine the response time of applications and performance of the service, the company said on Monday. The remote desktop can be accessed through a browser on PCs, smartphones and tablets, said Terry Cronin, vice president of business development and channel marketing at Toshiba's Cloud Services Division. Toshiba is partnering with Citrix and VMware for the service. By allowing customization, Toshiba wants to bridge the gap between remote desktops and PCs or tablets. The built-to-order feature allows users to determine the quality of service they get from the hosted offering, much like users selecting the quality of laptops or tablets based on the processor, memory and storage capacity.
Samsung Electronics is working on a new 13-megapixel camera module with optical image stabilization, an area where Samsung has fallen behind its competitors.
Toshiba took the wraps off a new line of business notebooks and mobile workstations today. Each machine is manufactured from magnesium alloy and is powered by a fourth-generation Intel Core processor, with vPro technology and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) support. All five of the new machines can be mated to the same optional dock, so that IT departments can source just one port replicator no matter which new Toshiba laptop they purchase. Each of the new Portege and Tecra notebooks is outfitted with three USB 3.0 ports, full-size VGA and HDMI ports, an SD card reader, gigabit ethernet, and a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter. Some Ultrabooks—such as Lenovo’s X1 Carbon Touch—omit the ethernet adapter altogether, but I like Toshiba’s innovation: The adapter is upside down, so that your finger pushes the retaining clip down from the top to release it, instead of squeezing it up from the bottom. I'm cooler about Toshiba's decision to drop DisplayPort in favor of HDMI. HDMI is fine on consumer gear, but it lacks DisplayPort 1.2's daisy-chain feature for connecting multiple displays. Toshiba provides both display interfaces on its optional port replicator. Since businesses tend to be more conservative when it comes to supporting new operating systems, Toshiba will ship the notebooks with Windows 7 Professional preinstalled (Windows 8 Professional will be available as an upgrade option).
Real-time phishing detection highlights Webroot’s upgrades to its three major SecureAnywhere products for retail users. The company on Monday announced new versions of Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus, and Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete. All are available for yearly subscription rates. Webroot’s answer to slow-scanning antivirus programs is to put its services in the cloud. Webroot’s products are supposed to load quickly and tread lightly upon system resources. As a file starts, the program sandboxes it and watches it run before it’s allowed to proceed. If something needs to be cleaned, the programs tackles the infections and can restore the system to an earlier, safe state. All the programs protect PCs and Macs with their antivirus, malware, and phishing programs. The Plus version adds support for iOS and Android devices. (Windows RT and Windows Phone products are currently not supported, a company spokesperson confirmed). The Complete version adds system diagnostics, plus online backup and file sync, including 25GB of free cloud storage. The company also redesigned the interface of the products so it would look consistent across platforms—a nice convenience for families or businesses managing multiple machines.
Wi-Fi has evolved over the years, and so have the techniques for securing your wireless network. An Internet search could unearth information that’s outdated and no longer secure or relevant, or that’s simply a myth. We’ll separate the signal from the noise and show you the most current and effective means of securing your Wi-Fi network. ). By default, a router will broadcast its SSID in beacons, so all users within its range can see the network on their PC or other device. Preventing your router from broadcasting this information, and thereby rendering it somewhat invisible to people you don’t want on your network, might sound like a good idea. But some devices—including PCs running Windows 7 or later—will still see every network that exists, even if it can’t identify each one by name, and unmasking a hidden SSID is a relatively trivial task. In fact, attempting to hide an SSID in this way might pique the interest of nearby Wi-Fi hackers, by suggesting to them that your network may contain sensitive data.
Free doesn’t have to mean cheesy, especially when it comes to freeware. A developer’s passion project can become something you can’t imagine being without, and the fact that you don’t have to lay out any cash to acquire it is a major bonus. Some developers accept donations to further development, so consider giving what you can if you find value in their efforts. Here are some of our favorite freebies. Please tell us about yours in the comments section. It’s imperative to secure your PC against the nasty stuff it will encounter on the open seas of the Web. Fortunately, it’s easy to assemble a bullet-proof security suite for nothing. is excellent. Upgrading to the pay-for edition delivers additional features, including protection from zero-day malware (which is new enough to confound traditional AV programs).
Millions of pieces of malware and thousands of malicious hacker gangs roam today's online world preying on easy dupes. Reusing the same tactics that have worked for years, if not decades, they do nothing new or interesting in exploiting our laziness, lapses in judgment, or plain idiocy. But each year anti-malware researchers come across a few techniques that raise eyebrows. Used by malware or hackers, these inspired techniques stretch the boundaries of malicious hacking. Think of them as innovations in deviance. Like anything innovative, many are a measure of simplicity. Take the 1990s Microsoft Excel macro virus that silently, randomly replaced zeros with capital O's in spreadsheets, immediately transforming numbers into text labels with a value of zero—changes that went, for the most part, undetected until well after backup systems contained nothing but bad data. Today's most ingenious malware and hackers are just as stealthy and conniving. Here are some of the latest techniques of note that have piqued my interest as a security researcher and the lessons learned. Some stand on the shoulders of past malicious innovators, but all are very much in vogue today as ways to rip off even the savviest users.
A new toothbrush tailored to your mouth through 3D imaging can automatically clean teeth in seconds by just biting and grinding on it.
Security firm Malwarebytes has designed a USB stick that can plug into any PC to automate the process of finding, logging, and cleaning up a range of malware. Called the product is a key-shaped USB flash drive designed to get around the need to install software on every system being inspected for malware. Simply plugging in the drive starts the scanning process which can be left to complete on its own before a log file is saved. Handy for business, the drive can be moved from PC to PC, saving the results for each in a separate folder. Quarantined files are saved on the drive itself. If necessary, Techbench can work in an automated mode to a system without an administrator having to be present. What's on the drive? The drive contains Malwarebytes' own plus a protection system called Chameleon used to force a scan even when malware is trying to block its operation.
Cyan Worlds, the development studio behind the classic point-and-click adventure game Myst, is putting together a new project, according to CEO and co-founder Rand Miller. Miller was on hand at the IndieCade conference this weekend in Los Angeles to discuss the 20th anniversary of Myst, the game he co-created with his brother Robyn Miller. That’s right—it’s been two decades since players first found themselves standing on an abandoned dock and began cracking Myst Island’s many secrets. Over the course of the hour-long talk Miller gave a broad overview of Cyan’s history, from simple HyperCard developer to what Miller called the studio’s “very traumatic experience with Myst Online.” , also known as Uru Live, was supposed to be a massively multiplayer continuation of the franchise. The project was ambitious; Cyan planned to add new worlds, or “Ages” to the game regularly, and wanted fans to create custom content also.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Penguin 5, With The Penguin 2.1 Spam-Filtering Algorithm, Is Now Live The fifth confirmed release of Google’s “Penguin” spam fighting algorithm...
Online security software provider Disconnect launched their latest search tool, Disconnect Search this week. According to the announcement, Disconnect Search allows users to perform private searches on sites like Google, Yahoo and Bing via their address bar or omnibox, “without having to...
Today, Google is making public what several speakers at SMX East alluded to last week: local availability for Product Listing Ads. The latest iteration of Google’s wildly successful Product Listing Ads, which will be referred to simply “Local PLAs” in this article, are currently...
Attend SMX Social Media Marketing for cutting-edge tactics to capitalize on opportunities and overcome the challenges of social media. Whether you are responsible for buying social media advertising, managing communities or customer service, you’ll get the techniques and best practices you need to...
Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, said on Twitter yesterday that Google won’t be pushing out a new Google Toolbar PageRank update this year. Niels Bosch asked on Twitter if we should expect an update to PageRank before 2014. In response to that, Matt Cutts said, “I would...
On Thursday, Google released yet another algorithm update, no – not the Penguin update, but an algorithm to combat mugshot web sites from showing up highly in their search results. In February, Jonathan Hochman wrote a story here named Why Google Should Crack Down Harder On The Mugshot...
Last month, I asked you to imagine the future of SEO with a focus on Entity Optimization as I interviewed veteran semantic strategist Barbara Starr. We discussed an “answer engine” that uses relevant, machine-recognizable “entities” on Web pages to answer specific,...
A couple of months after the paid search world had to transition to AdWords Enhanced Campaigns in the name of simplified and more relevant cross-device ad management, we are finally getting some initial food for thought with regard to cross-device performance. I called it the “next frontier...
A few months back, I wrote an article for Marketing Land called “Is The Art Of Paid Search Marketing Dead?” in which I foolishly suggested there was still a small bit of art left in search marketing. Art? Are you kidding me? Ugh. I haven’t been so wrong or felt so foolish in a long […]