Software & Apps News - Page 160

Windows 8 is set to make it easier than ever for users to manage their Wi-Fi and mobile connections, with group program manager on Microsoft's devices and networking team, Billy Anders, publishing a post on Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog, that outlines steps taken to improve the wireless connectivity experience.

Mobile broadband is being integrated alongside standard Wi-Fi in Windows 8. In Windows 7, it was included, but there were several steps required to be taken before the mobile device could connect, such as installing third-party drivers and software. Microsoft are removing that annoying step, by working with mobile broadband hardware partners to develop a universal driver that will work with all mobile devices and eliminate the need for additional drivers or software.

Windows 8 will include a new networks settings menu that allows you to turn off individual radios (Bluetooth, mobile broadband, Wi-Fi) or disable them all at once with the new airplane mode. This native radio management is said to eliminate conflicts and confusion that is often introduced when third-party manufacturers add their own connection software.

Originally, this was going to be my "Download of the Day", but I figure that this would only be applicable to a small percentage of users compared to what has now become Download of the Day. Think of this as "Download of the Day 1.5". TRIM Enabler 2.0 for OS X Lion is now available.

What makes this release special? Well, usually TRIM is reserved on Lion for Apple SSDs. Non-Apple SSDs don't get the TRIM goodness within OS X Lion. Older TRIM enablers required Terminal usage, and knowledge on how to use it. Oskar "Cindori" Groth developed an app called TRIM Enabler. The app has hit version 2.0 and is now compatible with OS X Lion. Version 1.x worked in Lion, but included an old kext from Snow Leopard that caused worse performance for some users.

TRIM Enabler 2.0 patches said kext file for you and repairs permissions, something that would normally require the user to do manually through a Terminal-based method. TRIM Enabler also supports S.M.A.R.T. monitoring on some SSDs, allowing the user to see lifetime reads, and the amount of retired blocks, for example.

In 2011, Google shut down their Google Labs' doors, leaving many, disappointed. Popular app "Android App Inventor" was handed over to MIT, as well as a decently sized donation to help fund a new mobile learning initiative.

What has happened between now and then? Well, behind closed doors, a lot it seems. Google and MIT have just announced the Android App Inventor source code, with both Google and MIT both pleased to announce the initial free and open-source release of App Inventor.

In a blog post on the new MIT website, with app designer Hal Abelson writing:

Windows 8 requirements are quite interesting, more interesting are the details inside for "device requirements". If you want to check them out, here's the link. Better get a coffee, energy drink or similar because it's nearly 1000 pages long. Onto the good stuff!

Within Windows have covered the interesting requirements, where Microsoft have stated that there must be five hardware buttons on Windows 8 tablet/convertible PCs, as well as a minimum component set for tablets and convertible PCs.

Microsoft requires '5-point digitizers', which is a minimum. This means it supports at least a hand of fingers on the screen at once. NFC "touch marks" are featured in Windows 8, where any tablet or slate must have a sticker of similar signage telling the user its NFC-capable. Microsoft also require that Windows 8 has the aforementioned 5 button minimum, with those buttons being Power, Rotation lock, Windows Key, Volume up, and Volume down.

Vodafone have started 2012 off with an app release of "My Vodafone" for iOS and Android-based devices. The app lets you monitor your monthly data usage, so you don't go over your data cap and get hit with excess usage charges.

Post-paid (12-, 24-month, or month-to-month) Vodafone customers with a My Vodafone username and password get access to the full suite of functionality in the application. Pre-paid customers can download the app, but to access your account services on pre-paid, the app will link you directly to the mobile version of My Vodafone, where you can log-in.

The app features are:

CES 2012: Research in Motion (RIM) unveiled at CES a software update for its slate, BlackBerry PlayBook, PlayBook OS 2.0. PlayBook OS 2.0 includes native e-mail, contacts and calendar applications. The former two serve as hubs for not just PlayBook messages and contacts, but those in your social networking accounts like Twitter, LinkedIn and more.

The e-mail app offers a bunch of text formatting options to do, well, normal things like bold, italicize, create bullet points, change font type, color or size. The calendar app is reportedly standard, but has been said to include good things with the cross-app integration. BGR reports that the contacts are tied to meeting entries in the calendar for quick and easy access. The calendar also syncs with popular services from Google, AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail and Microsoft Exchange.

PlayBook OS 2.0 also revamps the homescreen, now allowing users to group applications into folders and place your most used applications on a dock. A "reading view" mode is included in the browser, which is similar to Apple's desktop and mobile Safari browsers, as well as an improved version of BlackBerry Bridge, which sports a remote control function that allows you to type, navigate and perform gestures on a PlayBook using a BlackBerry smartphone.

CES 2012: Google have plans to update their television service software by year-end, where they'll also be adding content and making it easier than ever for users to find shows. According to director of product management, Rishi Chandra, Google TV will undergo annual software updates.

Chandra went onto say:

We don't intend to stop iterating. You'll see cool interaction stuff, you'll see a lot of cool things happening on the recommendation engine and on the discovery experience.

CES 2012: Microsoft announced during their final CES keynote that the Windows 8 beta will be released to their darling public late next month. On top of the release of the public beta of Windows 8, Microsoft will also launch the Windows Store.

Microsoft's Windows Store is their central repository for Metro applications. Windows Store will be available globally, and will support every language that Windows supports, which is great. At this point in time, there was no talk of the release candidate, but if we're seeing a public beta next month, we should expect a single release candidate of Windows 8, just like Windows 7 had.

It is worth pointing out that when compared to Windows 7, Windows 8's development is slightly lagging when on a calendar basis. The Windows 7 beta was released to the public on January 10th, while the Windows 8 beta arrives 6 weeks later. There was a 9.5 month gap between the Windows 7 public beta and retail availability, so we should expect Windows 8 toward the end of the 2012. Maybe on December 21, 2012 and that's what the Mayan's meant by the end of the world? Gasp.

Microsoft have released a rare out-of-band update to fix a vulnerability in the .NET Framework. The update comes weeks before the next regularly scheduled "Patch Tuesday" in mid-January, and addresses a flaw that could allow attackers to exploit hash tables to perform a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against a website built with Microsoft's ASP.NET application framework.

DoS attacks usually require thousands of malware-controlled systems in a botnet to overwhelm a site with requests. This opening would allow an attacker to cripple a vulnerable site by sending a certain type of HTTP request. Each of these requests would consume 100-percent of one CPU core. As you can imagine, the more of these requests, the more CPU power that is zapped away.

Microsoft says "Attacks targeting this type of vulnerability are generically known as hash collision attacks." They also added that the problem is not specific to Microsoft's Web services as it affects PHP 5, Java, .NET, v8 and even PHP 4, Ruby and Python. The people behind these platforms will release updates soon, but the holidays will dampen these efforts.

Bad Robot, the company behind Lost, Alias, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Super 8, have just released a free iOS app called Action Movie FX. Action Movie FX lets you shoot a small video, and then layer in some special effects such as a Missile Attack or Car Smash.

The app comes with two free effects, the above mentioned Missile Attack and Car Smash, but for $0.99 you can download extra effects such as Chopper Down, Tornado, Air Strike and Fire Fight.

Some of the effects look crappy, but there are a couple there that wouldn't look too bad if you shot the video well. There will be more effects added in the future, and the app works on the following devices: iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPad 2 and fourth-generation iPod Touches.