TechNewsWorld : Archives

How to Password-Protect Your Digital Life

Thursday - June 6, 2013

It's no longer acceptable to use dates of birth, pet names and so on for passwords. These easily guessed words were never secure, but it didn't matter much in the past -- quite frankly, who cared if a black hat got into your email account? So what? However, things are much different today, because our lives are now digitally enveloped. Everything from banking to relationships is now inexorably online. To protect your digital life, you need hardened passwords. [More...]

Microsoft Repairs Windows' Cracks

Wednesday - June 5, 2013

At this week's Computex trade show in Taiwan, Microsoft applied some polish to its beleaguered Windows platform. That included announcing that Outlook will finally arrive on Windows RT as well as making the first public demonstration of its forthcoming Windows 8.1. Also on hand at the show were a variety of new devices decked out to show off Windows' consistent experience across screens. [More...]

TECH TREK
London Police Now Pen Pals With BitTorrent Operators

Wednesday - June 5, 2013

Britain's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has begun sending letters to people it suspects of operating websites that provide access to unauthorized content for "criminal gain." The letters state that law enforcement authorities are working with the government and "industry bodies" and go on to say that operators of copyright-happy sites are in breach of the Serious Crimes Act. [More...]

Sony Woos the Well-Heeled With Vaio Hybrid, Ultrabooks

Wednesday - June 5, 2013

Sony has launched a new Vaio hybrid tablet/laptop and two new Vaio Ultrabooks. All three have premium audio and visual technologies, and they use Intel's Haswell processors, which were designed for low power consumption. At $1,150 to $1,400, they're pricier than the comparable MacBook Air or other Ultrabooks. "They're clearly for premium buyers," said tech analyst Rob Enderle. [More...]

Even Hands-Free Phone Use May Be Hazardous in Cars

Wednesday - June 5, 2013

We all know by now that using a cellphone while driving can be a dangerous practice, but talking on a hands-free phone may not be much better. That's because people talk on the phone so regularly that they have developed learned habits that take over their awareness, according to Robert Rosenberger, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology. [More...]

It's Game On for Wikipad

Wednesday - June 5, 2013

After considerable delay and a significant redesign, Wikipad announced that it will release its gaming tablet on June 11 at a price of $249. A global launch is planned for this summer. Featuring a capacitive, multitouch 7-inch screen, the new tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and slips into a cradle that adds digital and analog controls to make the Wikipad 7 a full-fledged game device. [More...]

WHICH APPS DO I NEED?
All Things Appy: Top 5 Android Fashion and Beauty Apps

Wednesday - June 5, 2013

The fashion and beauty industry is fast-moving, and apps are a good way to keep track of developments, because app content lead time can be significantly shorter than for print magazines. This week's All Things Appy takes a look at the must-have apps in this genre for the Android platform, including apps to buy the gear, track trends, and social network with like-minded fashionistas. [More...]

Samsung Gives Galaxy Tab 3 Another Inch

Tuesday - June 4, 2013

Samsung on Monday announced two additions to its Galaxy Tab 3 line: 8-inch and 10.1-inch models. Both run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. There's some talk that the 8-inch tablet might cannibalize Samsung's previously announced 7-inch device. However, Samsung's strategy is hypersegmentation -- that is, identifying and exploiting a need not addressed by existing devices. [More...]

TECH TREK
No 'Big Yellow Duck' on Chinese Twitter

Tuesday - June 4, 2013

The anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 has prompted Chinese authorities to expand the list of words and phrases barred from Sina Weibo, the country's Twitter-like platform. This is par for the course in China, where in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 -- basically every year social media has been huge -- the Net police have exerted extra authority to squelch conversation about the event. [More...]

PODCAST
The Internet Against the World

Tuesday - June 4, 2013

Last December, the United Nations-sponsored World Conference on International Telecommunications accomplished... well, not a ton. Disagreement abounded, as Western democracies aligned against predictable foes to ensure that the proceedings ended at loggerheads. Despite the December stalemate, the UN's International Telecommunication Union hasn't given up. [More...]

Google Glass Won't Know Your Name - for Now

Monday - June 3, 2013

Google will not add facial recognition capabilities to Google Glass until it can add appropriate privacy protections to the new technology, the company said in a post on Google+ late Friday. "As Google has said for several years, we won't add facial recognition features to our products without having strong privacy protections in place," the post reads. [More...]

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY
Hack Reports Fly Ahead of China, US Presidents' Meeting

Monday - June 3, 2013

Numerous new accusations have kept cyberespionage firmly in the media spotlight in the run-up to President Barack Obama's meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Within 24 hours, stories broke about Chinese hackers pinching the designs for some of Uncle Sam's critical weapons systems and nicking the architectural plans for the $630 million headquarters for Australia's top spy agency. [More...]

TECH TREK
US, China to Hold Regular Cybersecurity Chats

Monday - June 3, 2013

Increasingly testy rhetoric and increasingly legitimate concerns have prompted the United States and China to announce that they will hold regular high-level talks on standards of cyberbehavior. The announcement precedes a meeting between President Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping scheduled for Friday. [More...]

OPINION
Could Windows 8.1 Be the New XP?

Monday - June 3, 2013

Windows has been through four major changes. Huge numbers of folks really didn't like them -- each one was painful. Windows almost had five major changes, but Microsoft Bob was so badly received Microsoft killed it. Windows 8 may seem like the most painful, but since I've lived through all of these I can say from experience that it isn't even close. [More...]

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