Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Twitter has acquired an Android security firm, but exactly what the social-networking company wants to do with it is currently unknown.
Whisper Systems announced on its blog today that it will become part of Twitter. Although the company didn’t disclose an acquisition price, it did say that it will bring its “technology and our expertise into Twitter’s products and services.”
Whisper offers a range of security products–currently all in beta–that focus on safeguarding device data, network connections, backups, and calls. Considering that, it’s quite possible Twitter will try to improve the security of its mobile apps with Whisper’s technology.
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That said, don’t expect to see Whisper’s apps, including TextSecure and RedPhone, to be available for a while. Whisper said that as part of its transition to Twitter, it will be forced to take its services down until the social network decides to put them back up. However, they will all be making a comeback.
For its part… [Read more]
Archived under IT
Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Google has begun adding its own ads to the top of Chrome's new-tab page.
(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Google just found another digital billboard for online ads: its Chrome Web browser.
I just started noticing the ads on one of my computers yesterday, and I’m not the only one to see them. Right now, the ads tout Google’s Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks, which not coincidentally happen to be on sale for the holidays.
The ads don’t interrupt ordinary Web browsing by pushing aside Web page content and don’t compete with regular Web page ads. Rather, they appear in a yellow-tinted box at the top of the new-tab page in Chrome.
That page is typically a mere way station for users on their way to other destinations, but it’s getting more important as a hub for Chrome Web Store apps and as the home screen for Chrome OS.
The ad reminded me most of the occasional promotions Google puts on its otherwise spartan Google.com home. They’re not obnoxious flashing distractions, but they stand out against amid the uncluttered field.
You can’t blame Google for wanting to take advantage of a chance to make money. But as the Spiderman saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.
When … [Read more]
Archived under IT
Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:56 pm
VMware Fusion is a virtualization program that lets you run Windows applications on any Intel-based Mac–and quickly switch back and forth between Windows and Mac apps. This app’s Unity feature alone makes it worth trying VMware Fusion’s 30-day trial. With Unity, Windows apps appear right alongside Mac apps as windows in your Mac OS, as well as in the Dock and Expose. This latest version of VMWare Fusion fixes bugs while running Mac OS X in virtualization.
Also this week, we have the latest version of Pixelmator, the full-featured image editor without the hefty price tag of big-name software. This latest release is primarily a maintenance release, but the recent update to 2.0 added a laundry list of new and useful features, making it much better than previous versions.
Our game this week is X-Plane, a popular flight simulator that lets you fly from one end of the country to another. While the full version of this game offers amazing features such as autogenerated scenery and downloadable planes and helicopters (or just about any flying machine), this demo limits you to only 60 minutes of gameplay. In other words, only those who are serious about flight simulators should take on the large download.
Don’t forget to check out ou… [Read more]
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Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Google's Matt Cutts urged people to upgrade their parents' browser if they're still using an old one.
(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Perhaps you have a hard time getting behind National Parfait Day or Dress Spotty Day.
Here’s a worthy cause for today, though: Update Your Parents’ Browser Day.
The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal came up with it as a constructive pasttime for the day after Thanksgiving, when many folks are visiting their folks at home.
If you can’t persuade your parents to drop Internet Explorer 6 because YouTube will stop working, “wait until they slip into a tryptophan-induced coma and then sneak into the den,” Madrigal suggests.
I’d throw protection against security vulnerabilities into the upgrade argument, too–there’s a time and a place for scare tactics, and browser upgrades is one of them. And I’d also advise sticking around to make sure your parents are comfortable with any user-interface changes.
My own personal motivation is a lot more carrot than stick, though. Using old browsers sucks up Web developers’ time as they struggle with compatibilit… [Read more]
Archived under IT
Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
A demonstration of Ice Cream Sandwich on the first-generation Android phone, the 2008-era T-Mobile G1.
(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Running a newly released version of Windows or Mac OS X on a 3-year-old personal computer is an unremarkable feat.
But it’s a lot more difficult in the smartphone world, where hardware and software have been changing at a breakneck pace. That’s why I recommend watching this brief demonstration of Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0, on the first-generation Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 from October 2008.
XDA Developers forum member jcarrz1 posted the video and an alpha version of his OS build yesterday, nine days after Google released the Ice Cream Sandwich source code.
As you may expect, the new OS drags on the comparatively ancient hardware, with slow app launches and long lags between a touch action and the phone’s response. But all the ICS apps work.
What doesn’t work at this stage, jcarrz1 said: Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth, and screen rotation.
… [Read more]
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Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Wait for it… Decide tells you if you should buy that gizmo now, or not.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
No matter how many times I write that physical retail is the refuge of the dumb shopper, from time to time even I find myself in a Best Buy or CostCo, fondling the box of some new gadget, itching to buy it on the spot. I, too, am dumb.
Fortunately, there’s an app for that. Several, in fact.
In addition to the multitude of shopping apps covered elsewhere on CNET (see the Related Stories box), I recommend two that are custom-made for the undisciplined electronics shopper.
First, Amazon’s A9 Flow. Amazon already has another strong app for scanning prices in stores, but Amazon Flow is great for the casual in-store shopper since you barely have to hold still for the camera on your iPhone to get a fix on the product or barcode you’re pointing at. It’s just too easy to see if the price of what you’re looking for on shelf in front of you is competitive with the online price. So get this app.
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Archived under IT
Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Students at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, are using
Mac notebooks to research class assignments and show results in ways they never could before. These include songs and podcasts recorded and edited in GarageBand, digital presentations and portfolios created in Keynote, campus news videos edited in iMovie and Final Cut Pro, and even iOS apps built using Xcode. Says sixth grade teacher Sandy Chang, “The Macs in my classroom are completely indispensable.”
Archived under IT
Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
In a CNET Editors’ review, Jason Parker gives the new GarageBand for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch 5 out of 5 stars, citing the app’s “uniquely designed and authentic-sounding instruments, smart touch interface, and tools that make song creation easy.” He adds: “Anyone with even a passing interest in creating music should download GarageBand for iOS. Frankly, we wish we could give it more than five stars for the virtually unlimited song possibilities, ease of use, and excellent touch-screen controls.”
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Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
New York Times columnist David Pogue reports on AssistiveTouch, an “amazingly thoughtful” iOS 5 feature that makes it possible to complete Multi-Touch gestures using one finger or a stylus. Writes Pogue: “I doubt that people with severe motor control challenges represent a financially significant number of the iPhone’s millions of customers. But somebody at Apple took them seriously enough to write a complete, elegant and thoughtful feature that takes down most of the barriers to using an app phone.”
Archived under IT
Posted by admin on December 1, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Apple announced that GarageBand, its breakthrough music creation app, is now available for iPhone and iPod touch. Introduced earlier this year on iPad, GarageBand uses Apple’s Multi-Touch interface to make it easy for anyone to create and record their own songs, even if they’ve never played an instrument before. GarageBand 1.1 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch is available on the App Store for $4.99 (US) to new users, or as a free update for existing GarageBand for iPad customers.
Archived under IT
