Software & Apps - Page 71

Showtime have some of the best shows on TV right now, with the likes of Homeland, Ray Donovan, and finished shows like the incredible Dexter (if you forgive that abysmal finale). But without a presence in the mobile world these days, you're not going to secure as many customers as your competition.

The company has just announced it is streaming Showtime to your Android device for $11 per month, without the need of a cable subscription. All you'll need is a credit card, a compatible device, and the new Showtime for Android app. Before this, the only way you could enjoy Showtime shows was by adding Showtime to Hulu, at $9 per month.

New users can even get a 30-day free trial when they download the app from the Google Play Store.

Microsoft has been working hard since June to make it so inter-language conversations are possible on the Skype desktop program, courtesy of Skype Translator. As of today, it's finally possible, as the company begins its slow rollout to users, which will be complete within a few weeks.

Skype Translator covers both voice and text chat: six languages for the former, and 50 for the latter. Among the more popular: Chinese, English, French, Hindi, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and just for good measure, Klingon (which was assisted by the Skype community).

Apparently the results earlier this year were impressive, so they should be even better now.

We've seen Microsoft merge the worlds of Windows RT and the desktop side of Windows 8 at the time into a singular OS; Windows 10, but Apple has no such plans of merging iOS and OS X.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated the news in a chat with Aaron Levie from Box, where he said that it "subtracts from both", with Cook arguing that you "don't get the best experience with either". Cook said he feels no pressure to catch up to Microsoft in this regard, adding that he doesn't believe in "holding grudges" and that Microsoft and Apple can "partner on more things" than they compete in.

We've seen iOS-friendly versions of Office updates that were unveiled with the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and iOS 9, showing that Microsoft and Apple are very friendly indeed. The enterprise on the other hand, wants to see Apple and Microsoft working together, and not fighting. Considering Apple secured itself a very hefty $25 billion in enterprise revenue in the last 12 months, it should come as no surprise that Apple has pushed into the enterprise-class market with the iPad Pro and its collaboration with Microsoft on iOS-friendly Office apps.

Privacy has been a big concern for a lot of Windows 10 users since the operating system's launch two months ago. If you believed the rumors, you might think we really were headed for a Skynet situation.

Today, Microsoft's Terry Myerson assures users there's nothing to be alarmed about, that their only goal with the information they collect is to make Windows perform better and be more personal. From the Windows Blog: "We collect a limited amount of information to help us provide a secure and reliable experience. This includes data like an anonymous device ID, device type, and application crash data which Microsoft and our developer partners use to continuously improve application reliability. This doesn't include any of your content or files, and we take several steps to avoid collecting any information that directly identifies you, such as your name, email address or account ID".

He continued: "A great example of how this data was used effectively was just last month, when aggregate data showed us that a particular version of a graphics driver was crashing on some Windows 10 PCs, which then caused a reboot. This driver was not widely used, but still the issue was impacting customers. We immediately contacted the partner who builds the driver and worked with them to turn around a fix to Windows Insiders within 24 hours. We used the data on Insiders' devices to confirm that the problem was resolved, and then rolled out the fix to the broad public via an update the next day - all-in-all, this data helped us find, fix and resolve a significant problem within 48 hours".

Said to help deliver "a custom experience" for Chinese users through the implementation of local browsing and search options, Microsoft's partnership with Baidu was announced in September 23 and aims to spread Microsoft throughout this Eastern nation.

This partnership will see Baidu.com become the new Windows Edge browser home page, plus a 'Windows 10 Express' app will be developed in order to help end users install the operating system in the first place. If this wasn't enough to entice users, Baidu will also be offering "Universal Windows Applications for Search, Video, Cloud and Maps for Windows 10" as reported by ZDNet.

Microsoft says that "we remain deeply committed to delivering Bing around the world and we're also committed to offering locally relevant experiences - like Baidu in China - to provide great Windows 10 experiences" when asked about what this partnership will do to its own search engine.

With Yellow Cabs being combatant against the rise of Uber and other similar applications, a lawsuit was launched to have this method of transportation banned from use. However, Queens Supreme Court Justice Allan Weiss recently ruled that for-hire vehicles requested through an electronic medium may continue operate alongside Yellow Cabs - effectively ensuring Uber is safe to live another day.

Addressing the case at hand, the judge wrote that "any expectation that the medallion would function as a shield against the rapid technological advances of the modern world would not have been reasonable," adding "in this day and age, even with public utilities, investors must always be wary of new forms of competition arising from technological development."

The lawsuit was filed by four Queens credit unions who each have stakes in Taxi medallions. Their lawyer, Todd Higgins, told media that this ruling is "a stunning abdication of leadership and responsibility that will haunt New York City for years to come," adding "a catastrophe is unfolding, as an entire industry continues to be illegally destroyed, while elected officials allow it to happen on their watch."

There's an Android app going around that is holding people ransom, but not before it snaps a picture of the user. Adult Player is a porn app that secretly takes a picture of the user through their front-facing camera, after which it locked the users device and demands $500 to unlock it again.

Adult Player has not been approved by Google Play, and can only be downloaded from a website. US security firm Zscaler says that Adult Player's ransom message sits on the smartphone's screen at all times, reappearing if the smartphone is rebooted. Zscaler said: "This ransomware acts as a porn app named 'Adult Player' and lures victims who assume it is a pornographic video player". Zscaler added: "When the victim starts using it, the app silently takes a photo of the victim, which is then displayed on the ransomware screen, along with the ransom message. The app demands a ransom of 500 USD".

Zscaler says this is the second porn-focused ransomware they've discovered and is particularly nasty as it pops up once a smartphone has been rebooted. It completely locks the user out of the own smartphone, forcing users to pay the $500 to remove the block from their smartphone. Adult Player can be removed, but Zscaler says that it is quite difficult to do so. The security firm added: "The ransomware is designed to stay stagnant on screen and does not allow the the victim to uninstall it. Rebooting the device does not work in such cases as ransomware app becomes active immediately after reboot, which leaves no scope for the victim to get into device "settings" and uninstall the ransomware".

If you've already installed Windows 10, you might have already received a few security updates and patches for your OS, but come next month, there will be a major, non-patch update for Windows 10 known as Threshold 2, or Wave 2.

The new update will arrive in November after it has been delayed from its original October release window. The new Threshold 2 update will include a few smaller changes, as there is a bigger 'Redstone' update that will be released sometime in 2016. As for the patch expected in November, we are to expect a new Messaging app that will have Skype integration and Chrome-like extension support for Microsoft's Edge browser.

We will have more information on the patch in the near future, but I think the Redstone patch is going to be the big new interesting one, coming in 2016.

We've seen some interesting emails and marketing campaigns come out of Mozilla in recent times, including it's FoxYeah! slogan - asking all users to 'invite your peeps' over to what Firefox has to offer.

This email is a little more tame - informing users that the newest Firefox is now here and stating three simple reasons as to why Mozilla thinks that its browser is worth a look at. First up is more security, with the company stating that its download protection will prevent you gathering nasty virus'. Next up is better performance, which comes in the form of improved video playback, smoother animation and better scrolling. Lastly is "the independent choice," with Mozilla priding itself on respect for your private information.

With some users being unhappy with Chrome reportedly hogging resources, have you made the change to Firefox? If so, what's your own reasoning?

Facebook is testing out its own AI-controlled service called "M" that's aimed at making your digital life easier.

The new Facebook AI is called "M" and will be very much like Siri and Cortana, but instead of being tethered to a specific OS, M will be embedded in Facebook's messaging system. So that means everyone can use it regardless of the brand of your device. Touted as a digital assistant, M isn't like the other AI on the market, and will actually roll up its sleeves to complete specific tasks.

"Unlike other AI-based services in the market, M can actually complete tasks on your behalf," David Marcus,Facebook's Vice President of Messaging Products, said in an announcement post. "It can purchase items, get gifts delivered to your loved ones, book restaurants, travel arrangements, appointments and way more."

In case you didn't know, Microsoft has the rights to install system software updates to your installation of Windows 10, whether you want to, or not. Some experts don't agree with this stance from Microsoft, but it is leaving some users completely baffled about what is being installed onto their systems.

Microsoft recently spoke with The Register, where it confirmed that the "only time it will detail the type of updates it pushes down to users machines will be for significant updates", reports BGR. Microsoft continued: "As we have done in the past, we post KB articles relevant to most updates which we'll deliver with Windows as a service. Depending on the significance of the update and if it is bringing new functionality to Windows customers, we may choose to do additional promotion of new features as we deploy them".

The Register added: "Updates that offer minimal information about their functions don't inspire confidence. They should inspire the opposite - suspicion - not least because of Microsoft's historic sermonising about trust". And we would have to agree. Not knowing what is being installed into the operating system of your machine, if it were by someone else, would be malware, a trojan horse, or similar. Microsoft is definitely not providing confidence in users installing Windows 10, that's for sure.

Released recently, the latest update for Microsoft's technical preview of its new Windows Server 2016 operating system has seen the inclusion of containers for apps, explained by iTnews as "created and managed with the open-source Docker set of tools."

This feature is said to be more efficient than virtual machines of the past, allowing the use of shared resources from a host OS, rather than relying on a numerous virtual machines to process apps separately. This means that applications running within the container will be able to function separately as if they were running on different operating systems, but be contained within one single OS.

Microsoft has promoted the flexibility of these containers, promoting use towards open source operating systems and applications. The idea of running apps separately isn't exactly a new one, but this is a large step towards easy integration into a base operating system.

It hasn't even been a month since Microsoft released Windows 10, but there have been 53 million installations of the new operating system so far.

According to StatCounter's data, Windows 10 now accounts for 4.95% of the OS market share, with Windows 10 being installed on 1500 machines per second at its peak. NetMarketshare is reporting that Windows 8.1 had 13.09% of the market by the end of July, while OS X 10.10 had 4.74%. Windows 10 has, in three weeks, surpassed Apple's most recent desktop OS.

The best numbers will come directly from Microsoft, with the only announcement so far being 14 million installations. It would also help that most people installing Windows 10 are upgrading for free, from previous versions of Windows.

UPDATE: According to a report from Know Techie, Microsoft will only disrupt access to pirated Xbox One or first-party games that attempt to utilize one of its many services like Xbox LIVE of the Xbox app. The publication relates this measure to any online DRM mechanism such as not being able to directly update fraudulent games on Steam or the PlayStation Store.

In the freshly updated EULA, Microsoft effectively stipulates that if you use its software it can effectively search your Windows 10 devices for fraudulent games and "unauthorized hardware peripheral devices" and disable access to said content.

"We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices," reads section 7b of the Updates to the Services or Software and Changes to These Terms subsection.

Kaspersky has reportedly created its own malware in order to get its competitors' software into flagging, and quarantining important, non-viral files on consumers' PCs. The report is coming directly from Reuters, which gives it some serious credit.

The malware that Kaspersky created would inject malicious bits of code into important files on consumers' PCs, such as .ini files for your important devices like printers and scanners, which the anti-malware would then pick up as a false positive, quarantining it, or deleting your important files.

Kaspersky Lab co-founder Eugine Kaspersky reportedly created the malware as an attack against Kaspersky's competitors, as he thinks that his competitors have copied his anti-virus system rather than create their own. An anonymous source of Reuters said: "It was decided to provide some problems" for other companies, with the source adding: "It is not only damaging for a competing company but also damaging for users' computers".

Basemark, free from the shackles of Rightware, has just announced Basemark Web 3.0, a new product that will be the successor to the Browsermark product line. The new benchmark is even capable of testing out the new WebGL 2.0 API. Basemark Web 3.0 has three different suites:

The new Basemark Web 3.0 will work on "virtually all modern browsers, operating systems, and devices" and will arrive in four different versions. The free version will be "for everyone", the community version will be for open source projects, a professional version will be available for consumers who want more detail on browser performance, and a corporate version for corporate customers, with the ability to run on its own servers.

Basemark Web 3.0 will be available by the end of 2015.

With the release of Windows 10 last week, some users are excited about the Xbox One to Windows 10 game streaming feature, which has been detailed in some newly released screenshots.

Thanks to some screenshots released by DualShockers, we now have some shots to look at the game being run natively on a Xbox One, compared to being streamed to a PC running Windows 10. We have a bunch of screenshots to show, with the native Xbox One version on top, while the version being streamed to Windows 10 is underneath it.

As you can see, there's a dip in quality and texture detail because of the compression used to stream the game, but it's not too bad at all.

Featuring support for Widows 10 and CUDA detection for this new operating system, the new TechPowerUp GPU-Z software update further features GPU voltage monitoring for AMD "Fiji" cards, memory controller load monitor support for AMD "Sea Islands," "Pirate Islands," and "Volcanic Islands" video cards and better detection for AMD Radeon R9 300 series cards.

Support has also been added for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970m, 980M cards and GeForce 940M, 930M editions. Intel Atom x7-Z8700 and Celeron N3150 processors are now detected alongside AMD desktop card support which includes AMD R9 370, R9 370X, R9 380, R9 390, R9 390X and R9 Fury.

Last but not least is added support for the AMD Radeon A8-7100.

With Windows 10 hitting PCs all across the world, some are shocked to see that there are video ads in Solitaire. These video ads can be removed for $10 per year, yes - subscribing to remove your Solitaire ads.

The Microsoft Solitaire Collection comes pre-installed on Windows 10 with five different variations, daily challenges and multiple themes. As for the video ads, they show up randomly in between games and are a full-screen takeover video ad that takes up around 30 seconds. You can pay $9.99 per year for premium Solitaire, or pay $1.49 per month.

But don't worry, sinking money into Solitaire will gain you not just the removal of ads, but it will provide more coins for the daily challenges, and a boost in two modes of play. Windows 8.1 had ads in Solitaire, but it wasn't pre-installed with the OS, which is a big difference.

Many people across the world are happy to upgrade to Microsoft Windows 10, but the realization that everyone's browser default has been to changed to Edge just wasn't nice.

It looks like Mozilla, maker of the Firefox Web browser, also took exception to the unwelcome decision:

"These changes aren't unsettling to us because we're the organization that makes Firefox," said Chris Bear, CEO of Mozilla, in the letter. "They are unsettling because there are millions of users who love Windows and who are having their choices ignored, and because of the increased complexity put into everyone's way if and when they choose to make a choice different than what Microsoft prefers."