China bans the installation of Windows 8 on government computers
China believes that Windows 8 poses enough of a future security risk that it’s banning government agencies from installing the operating system on any of its new computers. In a statement issued last week and picked up by China’s official news agency today, the Central Government Procurement Center has dealt Microsoft a massive blow by stating that all desktops, laptops and tablets must now run an OS other than Windows 8. Consumers aren’t affected, as it’ll only focus on computers used by government offices. It’s a curious decision, given the fact a reported 70 percent of Chinese computers run Microsoft’s 13-year-old Windows XP platform, but it’s believed officials are trying to stop agencies from being left in the cold should the company pull official Windows 8 support in the future. The government will now focus its efforts on its own Linux-based OS, which is an idea it’s been flirting with for a while already, firstly by promoting its use in an official capacity and then by attempting to persuade consumers in China to switch too.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Via: Reuters
Source: Xinhua, Central Government Procurement Center (Chinese)
Facebook rumored to introduce Snapchat competitor, Slingshot
According to a recent report from Financial TImes, Facebook has been building its own Snapchat like video messenger. The app otherwise known as “Slingshot”, would do just like Snapchat, by allowing users to send short video messages.
Last year, Facebook tried to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion and that deal fell through leaving Facebook to build its own version. The app hasn’t been released in beta to the public, Facebook is currently testing Slingshot within the company.
Who knows if Facebook will ever release it or if the world needs another Snapchat like app. However, if there was some way that Facebook could integrate its new Slingshot app within your Facebook app, that would be interesting.
Source: FT
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Klout rolls out Android app
The highly acclaimed app from iOS is now joining the Play Store. Klout’s motto “be known for what you love” is exactly what they say. Klout allows you to share with your audience, what you “love”. The app will also track your success and give you a Klout Score.
Below is an excerpt from Klout:
Klout analyzes the world’s largest collection of cross-network social data to make personalized content recommendations that help you become a better content creator. By sharing great content, you can enhance your reputation and grow your online influence. Klout is perfect for anyone who wants to use social media to be known, including professionals who want to advance their career, entrepreneurs who want to build their audience, and enthusiasts who want to share their passions with the world.
Features:
- Content Stream- Klout intelligently recommends articles that will strike a chord with your unique audience. Helpful tags identify great content that’s trending, hot off the press, or else a hidden gem that your audience hasn’t seen.
- Scheduling- Automatically publish your content when your audience is most engaged online.
- Topic Explorer- Enhance your personalized content stream by expanding your list of topics and interests.
The app is still in its infancy and has some bugs still, but that is expected. Head on over to the Play Store from the links below and check out a short video on what Klout is.
Source: Klout
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Is “Samsung Gear Blink” the name of Samsung’s Google Glass Competitor?
We’ve suspected for some time now that Samsung has been working on its own competitor device to the Google Glass wearable, currently known as Gear Glass in the Android community. While no real concrete evidence has ever really surfaced regarding the device apart from a few design patents, something has just surfaced out of Samsung’s native South Korea. According to reports, Samsung has trademarked the name “Samsung Gear Blink“, presumably referring the the action of blinking, which does sound a lot like a glasses-like wearable.
As was made clear with the launch of the Samsung Gear 2 smartwatches, the omission of the “Galaxy” in the name definitely suggests that whatever the Gear Blink is won’t be using Android as its operating system. Of course, there’s nothing to really suggest that Samsung will even use the name Gear Blink for its future products, but we like to imagine that the name will come up sooner rather than later, as will a Samsung-branded glasses wearable too.
What do you think about the name “Samsung Gear Blink”? Do you think the trademarked name has any significance? Let us know your 2 cents in the comments below.
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Sleep Number’s smart bed series now has a $1,000 entry-level mattress
Even if you’re resting, your Sleep Number mattress probably won’t be. We heard about the company’s smart beds back in CES 2014 (if you can remember that far back), but now the tech inside the firm’s premium model is being shared among the entire bed series.. The SleepIQ software inside apparently registers movement, breathing and heart rate around 500 times each second. Those brains previously commanded a premium: the X12 model clocked in at around $6,000. Starting this week, however, mattresses featuring the tech will start at a slightly more modest $1,000. Metrics for both you and your partner can be beamed to tablets, smartphones and PCs where you can log exercise, caffeine… and the rest of life’s mundanities. And who knows? Poring over said data could also prove to be its own sleeping aid.
Ofcom considers slashing fees for fibre broadband switchers
Under new rules put forward by UK communications regulator Ofcom, switching between superfast broadband suppliers could soon become a whole lot cheaper. Currently, if you switch from one fibre-optic provider to another, Openreach (the company that controls BT’s phone and broadband infrastructure) will levy a £50 connection fee against your new ISP, which is sometimes passed down to you. Ofcom’s new guidance will cut that wholesale fee down to just £11, possibly saving you money and promoting competition by making it easier for new companies to launch their own superfast services. That’s just one of many new regulations being put forward to the European Commission. The watchdog also intends to reduce the minimum-term contract for ISPs from one year to just one month (passing subscription benefits to consumers) and wants to force BT to fix phone and broadband issues within two days, but only when weather permits. All of today’s regulations will now be sent to the European Commission for review, and we should see the final decision arrive sometime in June.
Source: Ofcom
US targeting Bitcoin exchanges in hunt for drug money
While Bitcoin tries to go mainstream, many supporters still celebrate its “anarchist spirit” — but certainly not the FBI. According to the WSJ, they’re probing the now-collapsed Mt. Gox exchange and several others in connection to Silk road, the notorious former drug marketplace. Authorities recently arrested its founder, Ross Albrecht, and charged him with money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses. They’ve reportedly now issued subpoenas to exchanges including Mt. Gox, looking to see if they gave Silk Road crooks hard currency in exchange for Bitcoins. The investigation has just started, but such businesses now seem to be in the fed’s cross-hairs — despite the underworld’s love for cryptocurrency, they still need cold cash.
Via: Reuters
Source: WSJ
T-Mobile connected tablets now available at Walmart
T-Mobile on Monday announced that Walmart locations across the country are now selling connected tablets. The Trio AXS 3G Quad Core tablet went on sale last Saturday for $179; features include a 7.85-inch display, 16GB internal storage, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB RAM. Looking ahead to June, Walmart will offer the HP Slate 7 HD tablet for $229.
As a reminder, all T-Mobile tables include 200MB of monthly data for the life of the device. Customers needing more data can purchase plans that start at $10 per month for 1GB.
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Tego Power Grid review
One thing we’ve seen while reviewing battery packs is the lack of beautiful design. That’s absolutely not the case for the Tego Power Grid, a 4,200mAh battery pack. It offers a very unique design and enough juice to power your device two times over, but is a little pricey for our liking.
We’ve used this battery pack for almost three weeks, and we have a pretty good idea as to whether this is right for you. Take a look at our full review below.
Design
External battery packs could certainly use some work in the design field. It’s not uncommon to see a big black or white cube with a few USB ports. This one, however, is absolutely beautiful. The top and bottom feature a Lego-like rubbery design to ensure it won’t slide off a table or something of the like. It’s encased in a plastic white shell, and generally feels sturdy. You’ll find two 2.1A USB outputs on the top and a Micro USB port on the right for charging the pack.
It comes with a thick, flat Micro USB cord that only measures about two feet long. It’s not the longest cord, but it’s super high-quality and definitely won’t get tangled. The only thing we have an issue with is the Micro USB connection side. The plastic casing around the cable is too big to fit when using a phone case. Though the cord was a bit too big on one end for our liking, it’s still a premium-feeling cord.
The top row of buttons actually light up to indicate the charge level. The LED lights in this thing are really bright and almost never stop blinking, even when the device is charging. We would have liked to see the LED lights turn off while in use to conserve energy, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker.
Performance
The performance of this pack is great. It charges quickly due to the 2.1A outputs, and the LED lights are pretty accurate in indicating the charge level. When a device is plugged in, the Power Grid automatically recognizes it and turns on. This is a feature we wish we could see in all other battery packs.
We used this battery pack to charge a Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 7 (2012), Pebble Smartwatch, and a Galaxy S3. We’ve had no problems with the charging process, whatsoever.
Should you buy?
The Tego Power Grid is an amazing product. It looks fantastic, feels great, and charges things very quickly. However, the price is it’s major downfall. The Power Grid is offered directly from Tego for $59.00. We feel this price is way too high for a battery pack that can only charge most devices two times through.
We’ve reviewed 10,400mAh battery packs in the past that are a fraction of the price, while still keeping a solid design. Because of this, we simply can’t recommend the Tego Power Grid, solely for the price. If you do decide to invest in one, however, you won’t be disappointed in the performance or design fields at all.
If you’d like to check out a Tego Power Grid for yourself, head over to the Tego Power website.
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Telenav’s Scout app switches on OpenStreetMap
Telenav on Monday announced its mobile apps will begin using OpenStreeMap. More specifically, the iOS app will begin integrating the crowd-sourced maps later this week. The Android version, for its part, will see the feature roll out by June.
One of the key differences in using OpenStreetMap from other tools, such as Google, is the sheer number of “editors”. With more than 1.5 million contributors providing data, it far outweighs what is possible with a few thousand staffers. OpenStreetMap creates constantly-updated maps with details such as changes in roads, freeway expansion, and more. We’re talking about updates that happen every minute as opposed to once a quarter.
“This is a turning point for the mapping industry. The amount of effort and investment needed in order to provide high-quality turn-by-turn navigation using OSM crowd-sourced map data cannot be understated. We expect a significant return on our investments to create a better map platform for navigation using the free OSM.”
To help get OSM into Telenav has turned to skobbler, the first company to make use of the technology. Telenav acquired skobbler earlier in the year and will only serve to enhance the navigation experience.
In addition to the app new, Telenav also announced a new SDK for Scout Maps, which allows developers options to integrate OpenStreetMap and navigation features into their mobile apps.
Scout with OpenStreetMap is available in more than fifty markets and 200 countries around the globe.
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