BlackBerry and Google team up to make Android more business-friendly
BlackBerry and Google have joined hands to make Android devices more secure and business-friendly. As part of their enterprise-focused partnership, the two companies will integrate BlackBerry’s BES12 enterprise device deployment service with Android 5.0 Lollipop’s latest security features.
BES12 that already supports Android has many device management features in addition to advanced data encryption and application wrapping features. Now, the company is going to integrate Google Play for Work, which will increase security and smoothly deploy enterprise-related apps on Android devices.
“New features are now available through Android and BES12 that enable organizations to further secure enterprise and personal data on Android devices, set new levels of hardware based encryption, and ensure tight integration with Google Play™ for Work, for increased application management, while delivering a consistent end-user and management experience across their Android fleet,” a post announcing BlackBerry’s partnership with Google read.
Now that the two companies have decided to work together, the probability of BlackBerry launching an Android-powered device (something we all want to see) certainly goes up.
Source: BleckBerry
Come comment on this article: BlackBerry and Google team up to make Android more business-friendly
Apple Launches Public Betas of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan
Just a day after releasing a new set of developer builds for iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, Apple today launched its public beta program for both upcoming operating systems. Apple had announced at WWDC last month that it would launch the public betas in July, and a new support document published yesterday regarding changes to two-factor authentication hinted a launch was imminent.
iOS and Mac users interested in trying out the public betas can sign up on Apple’s beta software program page.
We’ll be looking for any changes specific to the public beta versions, but they are almost certainly essentially identical to the developer seeds released yesterday.
iOS 9 is the first major version of Apple’s mobile operating system to see a public beta release, as the company did not initiate the program for iOS until iOS 8.3 earlier this year. OS X users may already be familiar with the public beta process, as a similar program was in place for OS X Yosemite last year.
Facebook says it has ‘no plans to go into music streaming’
Yesterday, it seemed like Music Ally blew the lid off of Facebook’s next big project: a streaming music subscription service the likes of which could rival Spotify or Apple Music. It all seemed to make so much sense, but the company says it’s not happening. “We have no plans to go into music streaming,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Verge. Instead, it’s reportedly working on something unique and new.
According to Music Ally’s original report, that “new” service is probably a robust video sharing service, complete with YouTube-like Content ID matching, competitive stream rates and, presumably, something musical to follow the social networks recent talks with major music labels. “We have all been really utilizing it in internal testing,” an insider source told Music Ally. “It is way, way ahead of YouTube.” That at least meshes well with Facebook’s track record–but for now, it’s just a rumor.
[Image credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Verge
HP won’t ship products for almost a week in August
We hope you weren’t dead set on getting that shiny new HP laptop in early August. HP is warning partners that it won’t ship any orders to customers and resellers between August 1st and August 6th due to a “shipping transition” necessary for its upcoming split into two companies. You can still order whatever you like during that limbo period, but it won’t start moving until August 7th at the earliest. It’s an unusual gap, to put it mildly, but likely important given that HP is orchestrating one of the biggest tech splits ever. Just don’t put off ordering that back-to-school PC — you don’t want corporate maneuvers hurting your academic pursuits.
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, HP
Via: Register Channel
Source: CRN
BT goes on the offensive against Sky’s pay-TV dominance
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is currently taking a long, hard look at BT and its subsidiary Openreach, which is responsible for managing the company’s broadband infrastructure. Ofcom’s deciding whether it’s in everyone’s best interests to split the two completely, a move championed by several of BT’s broadband competitors, Sky in particular. Recently, Sky published a report to further this agenda, using various stats to support its claim that Openreach provides an inadequate service that reflects badly on the companies using its network for their broadband products. It appears that BT has grown tired of being permanently on the defensive, and has today called for Ofcom to investigate Sky’s dominant position in the pay TV market, which BT claims is lumbering Brits with unfairly high prices.
John Petter, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, has accused Sky of using the BT/Openreach debate “as a “smokescreen” designed to obscure the real market failings in pay TV.” BT says that Sky customers are paying roughly £50 more each year for premium TV services than the EU average, and can be charged over £75 more than the average if they plump for additional sports and movie channels. Given these discrepancies, BT says that Ofcom needs to broaden its review of the UK telecoms market to “address competition concerns in pay TV.” Petter patted Ofcom on the back for “delivering positive outcomes for consumers and businesses” with its approach to regulating telecoms, but asked that it “apply the same degree of rigour” to the pay TV market, where Sky has a seriously dominant 64 per cent market share.
Petter claims there is currently “a large unserved part of the population unable to pay the high prices demanded by Sky,” evidenced by the 2.4 million BT Sport viewers who weren’t Sky Sports subscribers. He also said that Sky increasing its prices following the launch of BT Sport was “based on a calculation that customers don’t have anywhere else to go.” Noting that the rate of customer movement in the pay TV market is 50 per cent lower than the switching rate for broadband, Petter says “it is clear we just aren’t seeing the right levels of competition for Sky,” and that Ofcom should “give the UK a competitive pay TV market this is fit for the next decade.”
[Image credit: DaGoaty/Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: BT
Antimicrobial silver coatings could be hindering your chemo
Hospitals around the world use a silver coating on their chemotherapy equipment, such as IV catheters, because the noble metal prevents microbial growth. However, it turns out that this germ killing coating could be damaging chemo drugs that flow over it and harming patients. A team of researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology‘s (NTNU) Department of Physics revealed this effect in a study recently published in the journal 2D Materials. “We wanted to find potential problem sources in the tubes used in intravenous catheters…Chemotherapy drugs are active substances, so it isn’t hard to imagine that the medicine could react with the silver,” Justin Wells, associate professor of physics at NTNU, said in a statement.
The team employed x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) via the MAX IV synchrotron lab in Sweden to look at the surface structure of 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu), one of the most commonly administered chemo drugs around. The results were shocking: the silver coating wasn’t just breaking down bacteria; it was also breaking down the 5-Fu and releasing hydrogen fluoride, a harmful gas. So not only was the effectiveness of the chemo treatment reduced, this reaction was actively generating a dangerous byproduct. “Reactions between chemotherapy drugs and other substances that the drugs come in contact with have, as far as we know, never been studied like this before,” Wells says.
The team then ran the same tests using a graphene-based coating. And, given the non-reactive nature of the graphene molecule, the team found that the 5-Fu remained intact. This revelation could lead to the development of graphene-based coatings and more effective cancer treatments.
[Image Credit: Brian A. Jackson – Getty]
Filed under: Science, Internet
Via: Phys.org
Source: 2d Materials
Barnes & Noble’s Nook store closing outside of the US and UK
It’s no secret that Barnes & Noble has struggled to profit from its Nook reading platform. Still, there are people who continue to use and invest in the ecosystem, despite the rise of others including Amazon’s Kindle. Now, after ending its “strategic partnership” with Microsoft last year, the retailer appears to be preparing to close the Nook store outside of the US and UK — something that relied on Windows support across Europe. According to an email obtained by The Digital Reader, Barnes & Noble has informed international customers that, on August 7th, it will remove their content from Windows machines and start providing refunds.
“This means that your Nook content can no longer open on a Windows platform,” said the company in the email to users, which you can read in full below.
Dear Customer,
We recently announced that Barnes & Noble and Microsoft have agreed to terminate their commercial partnership. As a result, payments through your Microsoft account no longer supported. In addition, the NOOK App for Windows will from August 7, 2015 are no longer available outside the United States. This means that your NOOK content can no longer open on a Windows platform.
Our records indicate that you are outside the United States and that you are using your Microsoft account as a payment method in your NOOK App for Windows account. Therefore, you may be eligible for a refund from Microsoft for any purchases you have made with your Microsoft account.
“We continue to operate our Nook business in the UK. However, we no longer have a commercial partnership with Microsoft, and, as a result, we are transitioning away from our international business, based in Luxembourg,” a Barnes & Noble spokesperson told Engadget about the current situation. “As we no longer have a commercial partnership with Microsoft, the Win 8 app won’t be available in the international markets.”
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Misc, Software, Microsoft
Via: TechCrunch
Source: The Digital Reader
iOS 9 public beta is here
If you’re eager to get your hands on Apple’s latest mobile OS, and you don’t mind running unfinished software, you can now snag an iOS 9 public beta for your iPhone and iPad. To refresh, iOS 9 includes a significantly smarter version of Siri (which seems a lot like Google Now, at this point); better system-level privacy; and split-screen multitasking on the iPad. And of course, there will be a slew of other performance upgrades. This slightly more polished beta — which supports the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and later devices — comes after developers have had a chance to test out iOS 9 over the past month. That means most of the major issues have hopefully been ironed out. If you haven’t yet, you can sign up for the iOS 9 public beta on Apple’s website. As always, we can expect the final version of iOS 9 to land alongside new iPhones later this fall. We downloaded the beta here at Engadget HQ, so if you’re feeling adventurous, you should be able to do the same from the source link below.
[Lead photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple
Source: Apple
Samsung and TSMC racing to get 10nm chips out first
Samsung was set to produce it’s 10nm chips for upcoming big orders but it looks like TSMC is also beginning production. According to recent events it looks like TSMC will be skipping past 14nm and going straight to 10nm. Remind you of anyone? That’s similar to what Samsung did when it skipped it’s 10nm FinFet mark directly to 14nm in order for the trendy stacked method.
TSMC is preparing to begin production of it’s 10nm as soon as this year in order to capture some big orders. Samsung is not happy with this because similar with it’s 14nm process, Samsung tried to take large customers like Qualcomm and Apple away from TSMC. Samsung now relies heavily on it’s chip making process.
After the Snapdragon 810 overheating issues with TSMC, Qualcomm reached out to Samsung to manufacture the new upcoming 820 chipset. Apple has also reached out to Samsung for it’s new A9 chip production. Samsung believes if TSMC’s chipsets come out first rivals like Qualcomm and Apple will seek them for orders. As of now Samsung has not announced any change and will stick to its schedule to produce it’s 10nm chips at the end of next year.
The new chipset will bring improvements to power consumption and clock rates. We’ll see how this all turns out.
Source: BusinessKorea
Via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung and TSMC racing to get 10nm chips out first
Facebook denies reports of a music streaming service plans
Earlier this month, we came across reports claiming that Facebook was planning to launch a digital music-streaming service to take on the existing players in this domain such as, Spotify and Apple Music. However, in a statement issued to The Verge, the social networking giant has quashed such reports, saying that it isn’t building a music streaming service.
“We have no plans to go into music streaming,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Earlier, a report in Music Ally stated that Facebook was in early talks with music labels and it could launch an audio streaming service in the next few months.
While Facebook may not be currently looking to enter into a streaming war with Apple Music and the likes, sources familiar with the development revealed that Facebook indeed is in talks with major labels to create something unique and completely different from the existing services.
Source: Music Ally
Via: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Facebook denies reports of a music streaming service plans
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