LinkedIn releases revamped Android and iOS apps
Popular business-oriented social network LinkedIn has unveiled new mobile apps for Android and iOS, touting a "brand new mobile phone experience, completely revamped with the general professional and everyday use case in mind". This comes a day after LinkedIn updated its Windows Phone 8 app, with major new features.
However, unlike the Windows Phone 8 app which offers a similar user experience as before, LinkedIn for Android and iOS sports an overhauled UI (User Interface) that is both more modern as well as better looking. Gone are the darker colors of before as lighter ones take their place instead.
CCleaner for Mac 1.07 scrubs cache, cookies and crud
Piriform, Inc has released CCleaner for Mac 1.07.233, a minor refresh of its Mac freeware cleaning tool. Modelled closely on CCleaner 4.0 for Windows, version 1.07 sports the same refreshed program icons and interface tweaks as found in the latest Windows build, but also sports a number of new and improved features.
Notable improvements in this new release include better compatibility with OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and better cleaning speeds when running in the latest version of OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion).
Freegate protects your privacy from prying eyes
Anonymous proxies can be a very useful privacy tool, hiding your IP address from websites, and perhaps allowing you to bypass local restrictions on the websites and pages you can visit.
The technology can also be complicated, interfering with your regular network settings, and drastically cutting your online performance, of course. But Freegate proves that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Microsoft adopts two-step authentication (finally)
I highly recommend two-step verification for major online accounts, even though the process sometimes is a real hassle. I've long ago applied the security measure to my Google account, but Microsoft offered no option. Hell, even Apple beat the software giant with the measure. That starts changing today.
"Over the next couple days we will roll out a major upgrade to Microsoft account, including optional two-step verification to help keep your account more secure", Eric Doerr, Microsoft Account group product manager, says. The logistics are similar to Google's -- two-step verification most places, application-specific passwords elsewhere and tool for generating authentication codes.
It's not Microsoft's fault you're too stupid to protect your PC
You may want to sit down, because I know this will comes as a shock, but it turns out that if you do not have antivirus software installed and enabled on your PC then you are more likely to get malware. If my truck gets stolen the next time I am at the store then I am more likely to walk home also.
Okay. I am making light of a serious study, but the statement from Microsoft that "malware infections [are] 5.5 times more likely without antivirus software" lends itself to a bit of levity.
ACLU files FTC complaint about Android security
Is the American Civil Liberties Union an iPhone shop, or is the organization really looking out for your best interests? I ask because the complaint filed yesterday with the Federal Trade Commission (and revealed today) is the kind of marketing Apple probably couldn't afford. This thing is a goldmine of FUD (you know, fear uncertainty and doubt) -- Christmastime good, when Santa packs the room with presents and they're all for you.
But, wait, Google gets gifted, too! Because the complaint is more about carriers dragging their bums updating Android than any fundamental security problem with the platform. The operating system has "known, exploitable security vulnerabilities for which fixes have been published by Google, but have not been distributed to consumers’ smartphones by the wireless carriers and their handset manufacturer partners", according to the legal filing.
Samsung is accused of posting fake HTC product reviews
The Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission is investigating allegations that Samsung representatives posted fake reviews of rival HTC’s products online. Allegations of dirty dealing come from whistle-blowing site taiwansamsungleaks.org, which posted documents it claims are from a third-party marketing agency employed by Samsung.
The documents reveal a raft of allegedly fake posts on popular Taiwanese gadget websites, prompting the leaks site to describe Samsung’s tactics as "evil". The company is accused of hiring students to post negative comments about HTC smartphones.
Bring Serenity to Google TV
No, I am not talking of the nerdtastic movie from Joss Whedon, but of an app. I have written twice now of my move from an HTPC to Google TV in the living room, with my most recent post surrounding ways to get both live TV and home media to the tiny set top box. For serving up home media I opted for Plex, which seemed the best solution.
Plex is both a server and app and both are free. Simply install the server software on an always-on computer and control it from a web browser dashboard. From there you can direct it to all of your media -- movies, TV shows, music and photos. It is dead simple to set up and maintain.
Traditional authentication is outdated, but what do consumers really want to replace it with?
Let's face it -- secure online authentication is a chore. Except for a couple of people who enjoy using very complex passwords and/or a password manager, most of us find it difficult to use a secure combination of characters for each and every website where we have an account. Two-factor authentication is also not all that comfortable to manage, requiring use of a secondary means of generating a secure code. Often that's a token given by the bank, a text message sent by the service provider, or an app.
Is that modern? Well, it depends on your definition of the word modern. I consider the online authentication today to merely be just a slight evolution from the methods which we have used in the last decade. That's not to say that is a bad thing, but certainly not where visionary pictures, videos or predictions from not too long ago would have us today. We're not using flying cars, that's for sure, nor some wonder authentication method for that matter.
Microsoft Research adds new functionality to Outlook
Most of the focus these days seems to be around Outlook.com, as Microsoft anxiously endeavours to move its apps online and turn software into a service. But, while the latest version of Microsoft's productivity suite -- Office 365 Home Premium -- includes the ability to access the apps on the web, ultimately it is still a software suite on your computer.
Now Microsoft Research wants to bring new functionality to the desktop version of Outlook and is announcing the release of Mañana Mail to do just that.
Windows Blue leaks (again) -- build 9369 arrives with new features
Little over three weeks after the first Windows Blue leak, another build makes its way onto the interwebs. Windows Blue build 9369 is now available (we will not tell you where, but you can easily find it). But are you really surprised? Every time there's a new version of Windows in development a leaked build somehow surfaces in the darker corners of the Internet. We can almost say that it's tradition and just a matter of time before the next one arrives.
Unlike the previous leak, Windows Blue build 9369 is only available in a 64 bit trim as far as I can tell and, depending on who is behind the leak, comes in at around 3.2 GB or 3.6 GB. There are also no telltale signs that Microsoft will name Windows Blue as Windows 8.1 further down the road, as was previously rumored. What we know, based on actual sources, is that the final name is not Windows Blue.
Facebook for iOS 6.0 adds floating chat heads
Facebook has released Facebook for iOS 6.0, a major update for its iPhone and iPad app. The major new feature in version 6 is the introduction of "chat heads", which allow users to chat from anywhere in the app -- this feature isn’t yet universally available, but should be rolled out to all users "soon", according to Facebook.
Chat heads are small circular icons representing both individual chatters and Facebook Messages. The chat head appears automatically when receiving a message, or can be manually set up by tapping the contact’s name in the contacts list.
LinkedIn for Windows Phone 8 introduces significant new features
If you are an avid LinkedIn user on Windows Phone 8 then you will certainly appreciate the latest update. The app has introduced significant improvements over its predecessor, ranging from a new live tile size, to speech recognition and expanded language support.
New versions of LinkedIn for Windows Phone 8 don't come often so any major update is likely to be the only one users will see in a while (a minor update for it appeared earlier this week, but without any noticeable new features or changes from the previous version other than, most likely, a couple of bug fixes and general performance enhancements). So what delights does LinkedIn 1.5 have to offer us? Let's take a look at the changes.
Amazon expands its Android Appstore to nearly 200 countries
Amazon is a truly global company but until now its Android Appstore was only available in seven countries -- the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan.
That’s about to change though as Amazon has today announced plans to introduce its Appstore to close to 200 countries, inviting developers to submit their apps with the promise that they’ll be able to reach millions more active Amazon customers by doing so.
Microsoft announces general availability of IaaS support for Windows Azure
Microsoft has announced the general availability of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) support for Windows Azure. The software giant also unveiled a couple of new features for IaaS meant to beef up the company's cloud platform. Timing is interesting --Amazon's AWS (Amazon Web Services) Summit kicks off in New York tomorrow.
Windows Azure's IaaS support introduces the Virtual Machine and Virtual Network features, and "is now live in production, backed by an enterprise SLA, supported by Microsoft Support, and is ready to use for production apps", according to Microsoft's Scott Guthrie.
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