More than half of tech professionals would take a pay cut to work from home
Working from home is something of a luxury, but it's also not easy -- this is something I know from personal experience. I've been a home worker for around a decade now, but it does take some getting used to. Tell people that you work from home and there's usually a look of jealousy in the eyes the ones who have to stay behind at the office each evening. Home working means being able to pick your own hours, not having to deal with the daily commute, and not having to do the coffee round, but would you be happy to pay for the privilege?
We already know that most people would rather work from home than have to trudge to the office every day, but a new report from GetVoIP reveals that taking a pay cut would be an acceptable compromise for most tech professionals. A survey of 501 workers shows that 53 percent would be willing to earn a smaller pay check each month if it meant they could work from the comfort of their own home.
Japanese court fines Apple ¥330 million in click wheel patent case
Apple is ordered to pay ¥330 million ($3.3 million) to Japanese inventor Norihiko Saito after a court ruling.
The case refers to the click wheel controller used on iPod Classics since 2004. The court heard that Mr Saito's company held a patent for the technology dating back to 1998.
BlackBerry cancels Q2 earnings conference call and webcast
Tomorrow was supposed to the day BlackBerry held a conference call and webcast to discuss its Q2 earnings, but the company has now cancelled this. Complete second quarter financial results will still be released tomorrow (Friday, 27 September) at 7:00am ET, but there will now be no public follow-up immediately afterwards.
More details will be released, however, when the company publishes the Management’s Discussion and Analysis and consolidated financial statements next week.
Microsoft trawls Google complaint forums to make Office 365 look better
Microsoft is going on the offensive trying to demonstrate that Office 365 is better than Google Apps. A series of tweets sent out via the Why Microsoft Twitter account link to articles on the Why Microsoft website in which Office is compared to Google's offering in various scenarios. This latest campaign appears to be not just an exercise in advertising Office 365, but in actively putting down Google Apps.
A series of infographics draw comparisons between using the two tools in different professions. Things kicked off with a look at the life of a sales rep but there are other scenarios including the daily activities of a teacher and Microsoft is also keen to point out how different a company it is to IBM.
Twitter Alerts delivers the information you need in emergencies
Twitter announces details of its new Twitter Alerts service which will make it possible to disseminate information when other methods fail or when large groups of people need to be notified about something. What does this mean? In times of national emergency, crisis or natural disaster, Twitter Alerts could be used to provide details about what is happening and what steps are being taken by authorities.
In times of emergency, it is very common for people to turn to the internet. But as we know all too well, the internet is home to a wealth of misinformation so this could end up to be less helpful than it should be. A number of international organizations have already signed up to be part of Twitter Alerts including the American Red Cross, FEMA, the World Health Organization, and various police and fire departments. Other interested organizations are invited to take part.
Using Mailbox for iOS? There's a JavaScript security hole to beware of
A potentially serious security flaw in iOS email app Mailbox is being investigated. Michael Spagnuolo, an Italian computer engineer writes about discovering that the app automatically executes any JavaScript that might be embedded in the body of an email.
Michael has recorded a video demonstrating a few proofs of concept which leaves iPad and iPhone users open to potential attack. His example scenarios are purposefully harmless -- he has opted to show how opening an email could lead to an app being opened without permission or instigate a tweet or SMS (although it is not sent without confirmation) -- but the security hole is going to make many users feel uneasy.
Windows Phone is the least usable mobile OS in the world
The release of iOS 7 seems like as good a time as any to reassess the mobile operating system market, and this is precisely the thinking of Pfeiffer Consulting. The firm pitted Android, Blackberry 10, iOS 7, iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 head to head (to head to head to head), comparing the aspects of the OS that have direct impact on user experience. Rated in four key areas, Windows Phone 8 came bottom of the list in terms of overall usability.
The results are quite damning. Looking at what the report terms "cognitive load" (how easy it is to pick up the OS), Windows Phone 8 actually fared well, receiving the same rating as iOS 7 and being praised for its "streamlined user interface". However the OS is criticized for reducing the overall user experience and efficiency.
GOCLEVER announces 7-inch Aries 70 to bridge phone/tablet divide
With the release of the Nexus 7, Tesco's Hudl and new Kindle Fire HD and HDX, there are certainly plenty of tablets to choose from with screens around the 7-inch mark. GOCLEVER is the latest contender to enter the ring, announcing the availability of the 7-inch Aries 70.
Although this is a tablet with a budget- to mid-range price tag (£159.99 or €189.99), there is still a quad-core processor lurking in the innards -- pegged at 1.2GHz. Integrated GPS is a useful feature and, coupled with the 3G connection, makes it ideal for popping on the dashboard and getting directions on the road. The preinstalled maps perhaps reveal the Aries 70's roots or target market -- if you need to find your way around Poland, the Czech Republic or Slovakia, you're good to go right out of the box!
RealNetworks simplifies video sharing with RealPlayer Cloud
Now here's a blast from the past. RealNetworks (remember it?) is launching RealPlayer Cloud, a new service that aims to make it easier than ever to share videos between devices and across platforms. The service has been developed to help avoid the need to transfer videos from one device to another or upload them to an online storage repository ready to download elsewhere.
The idea is that users do not have to worry about the platform videos will be viewed on, or the format they are saved in. There are a huge number of video codecs in use, so the appeal of something that helps to overcome compatibility issues is understandable. There are plenty of services that already make it possible to stream video wirelessly from a PC to an iPad or other device. This is nothing new, nor is the ability to pick up from where you left off watching when you switch devices.
Roku reveals three new streaming devices and M-GO integration
Roku is expanding its streaming media product line with the release of the Roku 1, Roku 2 and Roku LT. The three new devices join the flagship Roku 3, and are targeted at the entry-level and mid-range market. The cheapest of three is the Roku LT at $49.99. It will only be available in the US and supports video output up to 720p. Next in line is the Roku 1 which will retail for $59.99 and ups the video support to full 1080p HD.
Topping off the new releases is the Roku 2 which will retail for $79.99 and will, like the Roku 1, be available in the US, Canada, the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Borrowing ideas from the existing Roku 3, the new Roku 2's remote includes a headphone jack and the device itself features dual-band Wi-Fi. All three models are available for pre-order now, and are expected to hit stores at the beginning of October. The entire range sports an updated look that is in keeping with the Roku 3.
Twitter updates @MagicRecs recommendation system for mobile users
Twitter is in the process of rolling out a new notification system designed to help users find interesting people to follow. It is not an entirely new system -- the micro blogging site is basing the feature on its @MagicRecs account, which started off as an experiment earlier in the year, making "magic recommendations" about who Twitter users might like to follow.
@MagicRecs monitors the activity of the people you follow and people in your network and sends out direct messages letting you know when several people you are connected to follow a particular user. The thinking is that if two or more people are interested in following someone else, there's a high chance that you will be too. In a blog post, Senior Software Engineer, Venu Satulur explains how the recommendation system has been tweaked and updated.
Apple updates iMac range with four new models
We're delighting in iOS 7 (mostly) and enjoying our new iPhones. Thanks Apple! As if this wasn’t enough, there are now new updated iMacs coming out from the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant. All told, there are four new models: two 21.5-inch and two 27-inch variants, with entry-level and high-end versions of each to choose from.
All four iMacs feature updated quad-core Intel Core i5 processors, and graphics and Wi-Fi have also been enhanced. With support for next generation 802.11ac, wireless performance is improved by up to three times. There's also support for faster PCIe-based flash storage, with a claimed speed boost of 50 percent. Graphics performance has been improved across the board with new chips from Intel and NVIDIA to be found throughout the range. No sign of Mavericks yet; the new iMacs are supplied with Mountain Lion.
Remotely add password protection to your lost or stolen Android phone
Protecting your phone may well be something you don’t think about until it is too late. I'm one of those people who can't stand PIN protection on phones -- heck, I hate the lock screen… I just want to switch on and start using my phone! For people like me, there is a new feature in the superbly useful Android Device Manager. This free tool was released back at the beginning of August, but there's now an interesting new option that has been quietly added.
Previously when you lost your phone you had a couple of options -- call it to locate it, or remotely wipe it (which is quite an extreme length to go to). Now when you head to the Android Device Manager Page you'll find a new feature in the form of device locking. But how does this work if you have not enabled locking on your handset?
Microsoft announces Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
At an event in New York, Microsoft reveals the successor to the Surface RT and Surface Pro -- the predictably named Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 (interesting to note that the "RT" is gone from the former's name) -- and Brian Fagioli was live-blogging from the event. So what do we have to look forward to from the product refresh?
The first generation Surface tablets suffered poor sales and came in for criticism from many quarters, so there is certainly room for improvement.
Tesco launches low-cost Hudl tablet to compete with Nexus 7
UK supermarket Tesco launches its own 7-inch tablet undercutting the price of just about everything else on the market. The Hudl may be cheap (just £119), but the specs are surprisingly high -- the budget price doesn’t seem to have meant having to make too many cutbacks. A 1.5GHz processor powers a 1440 by 900 display, and the 16GB of integrated storage can be expanded through the use of the microSD slot. The tablet runs Android 4.2.2 and Tesco wants it "to open up a world of entertainment and connectivity to all". It is priced well to compete with the likes of the Nexus 7.
Heading to the supermarket may not be where you'd first think to buy your next tablet, but Tesco's new Hudl is likely to change that. The tablet has been designed to be very family friendly; it looks approachable and has been configured so that parents are guided through the process of setting it up for use by children. The Hudl will be available in four colors -- red, blue, black and purple.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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