9 reasons to get excited about the cloud
You could be forgiven for thinking that there’s nothing more to say on the subject of cloud computing.
After all, the technology has been available and widely adopted for some years now, with businesses of varying sizes moving their data and infrastructure to the cloud. In fact, the recently published State of the Cloud report by RightScale found that 93 percent of organizations are using the cloud in some capacity. However, whether it’s a move towards a hybrid cloud approach or analyzing why some businesses have not yet made the transition, there are still plenty of reasons to get excited about the cloud.
Apple has brand loyalty that most companies can only dream of
The iPhone 6 release in September of last year marked yet another successful product launch for Apple. Both the regular and "Plus" models combined exceeded 4 million pre-orders within 24 hours and sales of more than 10 million units in the first three days following release. Both were Apple records.
Considering that the regular iPhone 6 retailed for $649 at launch and the Plus model for $749, it would seem fair to assume that such premium-level prices would be reflected in premium specifications. After all, the iPhone 6 comes in at slightly more expensive than Samsung’s Galaxy S5 which was released a few months previous.
The Internet of Things will aid criminals and burglars
The billions of interconnected devices, which are expected by 2020, could be an invaluable tool in the hands of ‘offline’ criminals, a new study suggests.
The main reason behind this claim is the fact that these devices are not designed with privacy or data security in mind.
Google needs to streamline its TV product line
Initially, Google’s new Chromebit add-on appears hugely impressive. The HDMI dongle simply plugs into the back of your TV and provides you with a fully-fledged Chrome OS computer for less than $100.
However, when you line up Chromebit next to the search engine giant’s other products, it looks like another piece in an increasingly confused jigsaw puzzle. Google’s product line-up includes Android TV, Chromecast, the Nexus Player and now Chromebit.
To store or not to store, that is the cloud question
Eighty feet below street level, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds one the world’s most secure vaults. With a comprehensive multichannel security system, tons of steel, concrete and a 24-hour monitoring service, the gold housed within is virtually theft-proof.
With such stringent security measures, it would be foolish to store items less precious than gold inside. However, when it comes to storing personal items on the cloud, 'precious' is a highly subjective notion. Although the items stored within a safe and on the cloud are often similar, there is no universal code for what users should be storing and digitally encrypting. What’s important to one user may not be so important to the next, and, with such unpredictable tendencies, cloud storage providers should allow users to decide what needs the most protection.
New aluminum-ion battery can be fully charged in a minute
A new fast charging battery tech could mean the end of inconvenient waits when it comes to juicing smartphones up.
It’s always a major pain when you realize you forgot to charge your handset, and haven’t much time before you leave the house -- meaning you will likely run out of battery well before the day is out. And while there are quick-charge technologies out there, the new battery -- an aluminum-ion affair rather than lithium-ion power pack -- can be charged in just a minute flat, as opposed to a matter of hours.
Twitter rolls out 'retweet with comment' feature
Twitter has rolled out a revamped retweet feature, allowing users to post comments on other people’s tweets without having to shorten the original post.
If the above statement is a bit confusing, that’s because I tried, and most likely failed, to explain a somewhat complex feature with a single sentence.
Facebook usage linked to depression
If you’re feeling a bit depressed lately, try logging off Facebook. No, seriously, get off Facebook.
According to a recent study, there is a link between people becoming depressed, and them scrolling through Facebook all day. It’s not the social media itself which causes depression though, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Is the UK government's plan to fund IoT and Smart City apps a waste of £40 million?
With Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s announcement that the government will pledge £40 million in funds to develop applications for the Internet of Things and Smart Cities as part of the 2015 budget, it got me thinking about how this funding could be utilized to best effect.
Every app development provider around the country must be putting together their proposals as you read this, but is this really the best use of tax-payer’s money?
DevOps can help minimize downtime, fix problems sooner
With businesses becoming increasingly reliant on applications to generate revenue, it’s essential that downtime and glitches are kept to a minimum.
Research from IDC and AppDynamics has shown that infrastructure failure costs $100,000 per hour on average in this 24 hour service environment. Although it’s practically impossible for businesses to prevent application failures completely, the time taken both to predict and fix them is one factor that can be improved.
Robots will steal our jobs and we just have to embrace it
Why aren’t the politicians doing anything about it? Why aren’t we talking about it more? No it’s not immigration, the economy or terrorism. It’s bigger and, readers, you created it.
I am talking about the idea that within the next 20 years, half of all jobs on this planet will automated. Those with routine low skilled jobs will be the first to go followed by huge swathes of white collar workers. Yes, the robots are coming.
Malicious Pirate Bay clones scamming pirates
When The Pirate Bay was taken down in late 2014, IsoHunt announced the Open Bay Project, a way for internet users to collaborate and make sure the torrenting service was always available on a domain.
Now that The Pirate Bay is back online, it looks like some of these pet projects are being used by hackers as a way to steal users’ bank information. The hackers are using the iFrames plugin for WordPress to embed malicious content on WordPress sites without the current update.
South Korea looking to scrap ActiveX payment requirement -- bad news for Internet Explorer
In 1999, South Korea pushed a law that forced online vendors to adopt Microsoft ActiveX, in order to utilize the SEED cipher developed by the Korea Information Security Agency (KISA) for online transactions.
Even though at the time it seemed like a good decision, the government is now looking to scrap the system and create new online encryption that works with all browsers and supports SSL.
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge buyers complain of screen defects
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge customers are complaining that their handsets are being received with scratched displays and dead pixels.
Although the flagship device is not supposed to launch officially until 10 April, T-Mobile has begun shipping the smartphones in advance.
The technology that could have prevented the Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 tragedy
In the wake of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525’s tragic crash, there has been much talk about how this will affect the aviation industry going forwards. Will all airlines adopt the "rule of two" cockpit procedure? Should there be more intense scrutiny of pilots’ mental health?
The debate over what can be done to limit a repeat of the catastrophe will rage on and on, but away from the human causes and aftermath, there is an existing technological solution that could potentially have saved the lives of all 150 on board.
© 1998-2026 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.