Meerkat vs Periscope: Which video streaming app is best?
The last few weeks have seen two new live video- streaming apps break into the market in a big way. Meerkat hit first and garnered plenty of attention, but was quickly usurped by the introduction of Periscope, which Twitter purchased earlier this year.
Despite Meerkat’s early lead, Twitter has been throwing its weight around to keep Periscope on top, including disabling some of Meerkat’s Twitter integration features. Still, the race between the two remains neck and neck, with celebrities like Aaron Paul, Ashton Kutcher, and Madonna taking sides. But what are the real differences between the two apps? I’ve been using them both for about a week now, taking a close look at the functionality as a watcher and as a streamer and here’s what I have discovered.
NFC can kill passwords for good
Since the dawn of the digital age, we’ve signed up to the password, trusting in its ability to keep our digital lives safe from thieves and those who would mean us harm.
Moore’s law tells us that every two years computing power doubles -- meaning every two years the amount of time it takes to crack a password using a brute force attack decreases considerably. It’s now reached the point where a password can be cracked in minutes, sometimes in as little as just six seconds. Six seconds to potentially lose your entire digital life.
Tips on staying safe when using free Wi-Fi hotspots [Infographic]
We’ve come along way since 2000. Just think, the only way most people could get online was by hooking up their computers to a phone line or an Ethernet cable. It might surprise you to know then, that the first portable computers were released way back before we learned to unshackle ourselves from all of those annoying cables. The first laptops were released in the 1980s and one of the first was Apple’s Macintosh Portable, weighing in at a lap crushing 7kg. It’s is safe to say we’ve come along way since that inauspicious beginning.
Although Wi-Fi has been around since 1985, it is was only in the 2000s that it became increasingly popular. Today, Wi-Fi is an integral part of our lives, and is often the first thing that we ask for when checking-in at a hotel, or going for a coffee. I’ve even heard children as young as six or seven demanding a Wi-Fi connection whilst at a hotel!
Elon Musk is changing the future
Elon Musk is renowned worldwide for his roles as co-founder of PayPal and CEO of green technology giants Solar City, SpaceX, and Tesla Motors. Now, the billionaire has crafted a feasible plan for supplying Internet to all areas of the world through the use of low Earth orbit satellites -- a project which he hopes will also act as a monetary springboard for an ambitious attempt at colonizing Mars. Of course, Musk has not forgotten his eco-friendly roots, and he is expanding on those with new technology for reducing environmental impact at home.
To grant Internet access to the entire globe, Musk wants to launch hundreds or possibly thousands of satellites. Since satellite Internet typically involves high latency and slower connections, due to the time a signal takes bounce between the Earth’s surface and a geostationary satellite, one of the major aims of Musk’s approach is to replace the current approach of using a small number of large, expensive satellites with an approach that instead uses hundreds of smaller, cheaper devices, expanding coverage and reducing data transmission times.
Windows 10: 'Free' can potentially cost a lot
It's been about a year since I’ve felt prompted to write anything; but the recent Microsoft announcements about Windows 10 has brought on the urge. I'm not really interested about the pricing or upgrade options for consumers as they have all been commented to distraction. My interest is the concept of the Operating System as a service.
Whenever anyone changes the goalposts on a supplier-customer relationship, it piques my business interest as there is no such thing as a free lunch -- particularly not from the likes of Microsoft or Apple.
ZTE Blade S6: An iPhone 6 copycat maybe, but a decent mid-range smartphone nonetheless [Review]
Until recently, Chinese Smartphone makers were disregarded as simple copycats. Now, alongside the revelation that Xiaomi has overtaken Samsung as China’s leading smartphone provider, Chinese firms finally seem to be realizing their potential. Good news all-round for the consumer.
Xiaomi aside, another representative of China’s emergence comes in the form of the ZTE Blade S6. The S6 is a phone that provides the perfect example as to why China’s is a blossoming but not yet fully-fledged smartphone superpower. Indeed, competitively priced, with a set of specs that defy its highly reasonable $250 price tag, the ZTE Blade S6 is well worth considering if you’re after a mid-range smartphone.
Majority of UK companies will miss the Windows Server 2003 deadline
Two thirds of UK companies will continue running Windows Server 2003, after Microsoft cuts the support for the service on 14 July, a recent report has shown.
The continued use of a program with no developer support leaves the user open to many risks, it says in the report called Windows Server 2003 (WS2K3) End-of-Life Survey, conducted by endpoint security specialist Bit9 + Carbon Black.
Shhh! Anonymous messaging app Secret shuts down
The new trend on mobile is anonymous messaging apps capable of hiding all personal information, while allowing thousands of people to converse on one platform.
It looks like not all of the apps are making a killing. Co-founder of Secret, David Byttow announced he would be closing the application and deleting all the content in the coming weeks, following the steady rise of apps like Whisper and Yik Yak, which appeal to the same demographic as Secret.
Android Wear: How to set up your smartwatch
So you’re thinking about getting yourself an Android Wear smartwatch, but you're not sure if it’s too complicated to set up?
The truth is it’s a very simple device and setting up is no different than, say, setting up an app on your smartphone.
LG G4 vs Samsung Galaxy S6: Which flagship has the better camera?
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 is a great device, no doubt about it. It has all the elements needed for a great smartphone: a large, high quality display, powerful processor, a great operating system with countless features, and two amazing cameras.
However, the competition out there is merciless. Apple has hit the South Korean giants hard with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models, and now the LG G4 seems to be out for blood, as well.
What Google's looking for in a manager
Being a manager at a company is a difficult task. You need to help people, motivate them to work, plan their projects, and make decisions. Even though a lot of people dream of becoming a manager, or any sort of boss at a company, not everyone is fit for that kind of pressure and expectation.
But when it comes to Google, being a manager is a completely different experience. The reason? It’s kinda hard to manage people that are most likely a lot smarter than you.
Are you a Bitcoin early adopter? Here's how you can minimize risk
Bitcoin has significantly shifted from being a commodity traded by investors towards being used as an actual currency used to pay for goods and services. Exponentially growing transactions in the past year as well as increased involvement from businesses and government figures suggest that cryptocurrency adoption will only continue. The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, stated his desire for the UK to become a "global center of innovation for financial technology" before the end of 2015, and has taken steps to both regulate Bitcoin exchanges as well as provide guidelines for organizations who deal in the currency. On the business side, the number of merchants accepting Bitcoin have already hit 100,000 this year -- this number is expected to reach 140,000 by the end of this year.
It is common knowledge that there are clear business benefits and opportunities to utilizing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. For example, any existing market currency can be converted to a cryptocurrency through the use of online portals. Once held, cryptocurrencies can be stored in an electronic "wallet" without the need for a bank account. If a company manages most of its assets in bitcoin, this will naturally result in a reduction of third-party costs, and represent an alternative to managing multi-currency risk -- however, this option is not without its own risks.
Bing predicts where your team will finish in the Premier League
The Premier League is almost over, but the final positions of the 20 teams is still up for debate, with several middle of the pack teams currently tied. Microsoft’s Bing Predicts looks to answer where every team will be come the end of the season.
Using algorithms based on past matches against future opponents, current form, injuries and other factors, Bing Predicts has a good overview of the entire situation, although nothing is for certain.
A day in the life of wearable technology
In 2015, the International Data Corporation estimates that more than 45 million wearable tech gadgets will be distributed globally. Although that number reaches less than 1 percent of the world’s population, wearable technologies are situated to increasingly impact lives and industries as mobile leaders push digital boundaries.
One unique opportunity will be the integration of wearable technology into the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is creating a more efficient digital ecosystem by augmenting how devices interact when connected. As a conduit for technological progression, wearable tech gadgets are a natural addition to this ecosystem. Even walking through just one day in a thought exercise, the opportunities for integration are abundant.
How to set up a passcode on iOS and Android
There was a time when phones only contained text messages and contacts that the value of your device had been more important than what it stores. But that period is now long gone. In today’s age of smartphones, information has become more valuable than the device itself, which is why having a PIN on your smartphone has become more important than ever.
Tons of information -- such as your social media accounts, email messages and bank details -- can be accessed from your phone and we all know that security is not something to be ignored in this day and age. Setting up a passcode is an easy task on both Android and iOS smartphones and here’s how it’s done.
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