Software & Apps - Page 80

Microsoft hasn't hit the same popularity it did with Windows 7 with its latest two operating systems: Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, but will it strike the iron again with Windows 9? We are now being treated to an early look thanks to some leaked screenshots of the next version of Windows' Start Menu.

The new build of Windows is still codenamed "Threshold" which is another major desktop revamp, with one of those bits being the much-talked about Start Menu. We can see that the new screenshots show off an impressive looking Start Menu that features some "Metro-style" apps that are pinned to the Start Menu itself, as well as the usual applications to the left.

The Verge is reporting that these images are genuine, and are from the current development versions of "Windows 9". The second screenshot shows that Microsoft is hoping to have Metro-style apps run in the desktop as either fullscreen or windowed. This is a large part of Microsoft's plans for the upcoming version of its OS, something that will make mouse and keyboard users have a better experience on the desktop.

The European Commission has taken Apple to task over in-app purchases, asserting that the Cupertino company has failed to protect consumers from their kids racking up enormous bills in misleading "free" apps.

Following a deluge of complaints across the continent, the Commission approached individual countries to consult on what could be done, before approaching Google and Apple themselves. According to the EC, Google decided on some appropriate changes that are due by September this year. Part of Google's proposals included scrubbing the term "free" from any apps that enabled in-app purchases. But the EC insisted it had not yet heard anything concrete from Apple. "No firm commitment and no timing have been provided for the implementation of such possible future changes," the EC said in a statement. "CPC authorities will continue to engage with Apple to ensure that it provides specific details of changes required and put its practices into line with the common position."

Apple suggested the protections currently in place are enough as they are. "The parental controls in iOS are strong, intuitive and customizable," a spokesperson told the Irish Independent. "And over the last year we've made sure any app which enables customers to make in-app purchases is clearly marked."

Microsoft's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Turner, has said that his company faces a tough future, where he has said that Microsoft operating systems (in whichever form) only power a small amount of devices across the world.

During a presentation at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), Turner said: "The reality is the world's shifted, the world's evolved. We now measure ourselves in the total device space. And in the total device space we have a 14% share of devices, total worldwide devices". The new figures come from Gartner, which estimated that Windows share of the shipped devices market in 2013 was just 14%, and would decrease this year to 13.7%.

It's not all doom and gloom for Microsoft, which is under fresh control and direction, with Turner saying: "We have a much bigger opportunity than we've ever had in the past to grow our mutual businesses, but we have to rethink how we look at our businesses". The numbers are quite a shock considering Microsoft's operating systems power smartphones, tablets, desktop and notebook PCs, and a bunch of other devices such as 2-in-1 devices and much more.

If you're an Android user, you should begin to get excited for the next iteration of Android, simply known right now as the 'L' release. Rewinding back to when Jelly Bean was released, which featured Project Butter - an initiative that improved the overall speed and performance of the entire OS.

When Google unleashed KitKat, we saw Project Svelte tightening things up, optimizing the installation of Android to run on just 512MB. This allowed entry-level smartphones and tablets to rock the latest mobile OS from Google, without requiring the latest and greatest hardware. Moving onto the new L release, which should arrive as Android 5.0, and its new Project Volta.

Project Volta has the aim of battery life in its sights, with Ars Technica getting its hands-on Android L's Project Volta, and chucking into a battery life test. In their Wi-Fi browsing test, the Android L Developer Preview was able to beat out Android 4.4 KitKat by 36%, which is a huge difference. This provides an additional two-or-so hours of battery life, which is some what of a small, but gigantic victory for Google. The testing itself was performance on what Ars Technica explains as a "beat-up, daily driver phone" so we should expect even better numbers with Google's official release.

Microsoft is having a very hard time convincing users of its operating system that it is worthwhile to upgrade. That means that the profitability for its Windows division isn't what it used to be. The next major Windows release is expected to happen in the spring of 2015.

The name of that major release is up in the air, it is being called Windows "Threshold" right now, but it could ultimately be called Windows 9. The main goal of the operating system is to lure Windows 7 holdouts to upgrade. To get Windows 7 users to go to a new OS, Microsoft will fit it with features specifically aimed at desktop users that interface with a mouse and keyboard or touch.

Reports indicate that the OS will use profiles that make it look different depending on what type of hardware it is running on. The next version of Windows will have versions that are designed for desktops and put Windows Desktop for legacy apps in the forefront and version that supports switching for convertible devices between metro-style mode and Windowed mode. Interestingly, there is some indication that Threshold may be a free update for everyone on Windows 8.1.

The second update to Windows 8.1 is expected to roll out in the coming months, with Windows 8.1 Update 2 set to roll out to users across the world in August-September, but there's news now on just how big this download will be.

A Microsoft representative has reportedly taken to the EightForums, stating that the company is currently training its support employees for Windows 8.1 Update 2. This rep confirmed the August-September timeframe for its release, which will be released into the Windows Store. Something that should surprise most is that Windows 8.1 Update 2 will be a huge 3GB in size.

Considering Update 1 was 'just' 700MB, 3GB is a huge contrast in sizes. This person could just be talking nonsense, but we could also expect Windows 8.1 Update 2 to be 3GB, and if it does, what do you think about that?

The Department of Transportation (DoT) is struggling to keep up with navigation apps on smartphones and tablets, seeking regulation from Congress regarding mobile devices behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would be given permission to restrict navigation apps, and make future changes if needed to preserve driver safety.

Automakers support the measure, as they are used to adhering to voluntary guidelines that put restrictions on built-in navigation systems. Not surprisingly, technology companies are against government interference, saying legislation would be difficult to enforce.

"They don't have enough software engineers," noted Catherine McCullough, Intelligent Car Coalition executive director, said in a recent interview. "They don't have the budget or the structure to oversee both Silicon Valley and the auto industry."

Skype users that use the iPhone app will soon have a new version that they can download and use. The new version of the app is much faster than the previous version. In fact, Microsoft claims that the app is five times faster than the current iPhone Skype app. The redesigned app is Skype 5.0.

Skype 5.0 has improved group chat, better navigation, and improved notification sync across devices. The updated app has smoother scrolling and simplified navigation to make it easier to swipe between conversations, contact lists, and your favorites.

Group chats are easier to initiate with the updated app. Users can also send messages and photos to offline users and the content will be saved until they come back online. Synchronization between devices is also improved in the updated app with messages read on one platform marked as read on all others where Skype is installed. The app will roll out next week.

Tinder is a dating app that lets users select people they are interested in. It then allows the people you are interested in to swipe left or right on photos to indicate if they are interested in you back. Tinder has unveiled something new for its users that allows them to share photos with matches.

The new feature is called Moments. With Moments, the user can take a photo using the app and that photo will be broadcast to all of your matches. The matches can then swipe left or right to indicate if they like the photo or not.

Matches that like your Moments will then be able to start chats with you. Any of the matches who are using moments will be at the top of the matches list. Moments also allows users to view all of the shared photos by tapping on the stack of cards at the top of the screen.

Yesterday we wrote some news up about performance on NVIDIA GeForce GPUs being superior to that of AMD... well, we should've waited 24 hours. AMD has just dumped out a very impressive, and unexpected set of Catalyst drivers that offer huge performance gains on Ubisoft's open-world hacking game.

AMD's new Catalyst 14.6 Beta drivers offer improvements of up to 25% for Watch Dogs on Radeon R9 290X at 1920x1080 with 4x MSAA enabled, and up to 28% improvement on the same GPU at 2560x1600 with 4x MSAA enabled. When Radeon R9 290X CrossFire scaling is in play with Watch Dogs at 4K (or 3840x2160 with 4x MSAA enabled) we see 92% scaling.

There are plenty of other improvements in the drivers, with Murdered Soul Suspect seeing 16% more performance at 2560x1600 with 4x MSAA enabled, and much more. You can download the new AMD Catalyst 14.6 Beta drivers for Windows here.

Watch Dogs launches just hours from now, so you'd better get the companion app, ctOS Mobile. ctOS Mobile is available for both iOS and Android, is free, has no microtransactions and doesn't require players to own Watch Dogs, either.

Ubisoft's ctOS Mobile app includes two modes, the first is Race - where the distance between checkpoints are short for gamers who have GPS enabled. The second is Free Ride, which opens up the distance of the checkpoints and turns the GPS off. As Watch Dogs gamers reach the checkpoints, they gain time, with gamers sitting on their mobile devices using the ctOS Mobile app can hack the city through a top-down view.

Using the mobile app, they can trigger barricades, set off explosions, call in assists from helicopter-stationed snipers, and the police. ctOS Mobile players have the task of stopping the gamers in Watch Dogs, and if they assist, they win. Just don't download the torrent copy of Watch Dogs, folks.

Chinese officials have banned the Microsoft Windows 8 operating system from government computers, reportedly concerned over foreign-based spying techniques, according to Xinhua. However, the Chinese government - or the Xinhua news agency - never clarified how the ban would help improve security. The decision to ban Windows 8 from government-owned PCs was made last week, according to media reports, as Microsoft continues to struggle inside of China.

The majority of government PCs in China operate using Microsoft Windows XP, which reached its end of support earlier this month, as Chinese software security companies have stepped up to provide additional protection.

Both China and the United States are engaged in a rather fragile technology relationship, with growing concern of spying from both sides. The US Department of Justice charged several members of the Chinese Army of hacking activities, with accusations of organized hacking against U.S. companies. Previously, Huawei officials were angered to hear that the National Security Agency (NSA) reportedly targeted the Chinese electronics giant.

Keeping track of our PCs performance and vital signs is one of the more fun aspects of being a custom PC enthusiast, and this morning, NZXT, announced a new piece of software that makes this easier than ever before. The new NZXT CAM software is designed to monitor and track your PCs vital signs and activity in real-time. Furthermore, CAM allows users to sync and store the data generated from CAM in the cloud, which lets you view them on your mobile device.

"Giving a modern refresh to antiquated monitoring methods, CAM offers the ability to sync your data to the cloud, allowing you to access your data and control CAM from anywhere using your mobile device. More than just a piece of software, CAM is a companion you can trust," NZXT said in a release. "With its all-encompassing approach to PC health, CAM actively monitors and tracks all of the important PC statistics ranging from network speeds, storage space, component temperatures, load usage over time and much more."

NZXT is releasing the software to the public, free of charge. I am really interested in seeing how CAM can make my PC experience better. I have CAM installed and will be testing it out over the next few days, so keep an eye on TweakTown.com for a full review of the software. If you would like to download and try it out, head over to the source link below for a free download.

Gmail for Android has been updated, which includes quite a few changes and improvements. The new Gmail for Android app is now capable of saving attachments directly to your Google Drive account, instead of saving it onto your smartphone, and then shifting it over to Drive. A full list of changes is below:

Everyone has a stack of business cards just laying around somewhere, and for those of us in the professional world, we have entire drawers dedicated to the tiny rectangles of paper. I for one have about 1000 business cards I have collected from the past year alone, and unfortunately that is just too many for me to organize and keep track of. LinkedIn and Evernote are both very aware of this issue and each have separate business card digitization apps to help alleviate the stress of keeping up with your contacts.

Today the two companies announced that they have teamed up to create the perfect business card. LinkedIn is leveraging its 300 million professional user base along with Evernote's excellent business card scanning feature to enhance the way business cards are captured, sorted and stored. "Benefitting from LinkedIn's network of more than 300 million professionals, Evernote can now automatically build a content-rich note around every business card you scan," the company said in a blog post. "With full contact information, a link to their current LinkedIn profile, and a photo, plus a section for notes, business cards become searchable contacts in Evernote."

The way it works is that once a card has been scanned, Evernote instantly digitizes it and, through integration with LinkedIn, creates a searchable note in your account with the most up-to-date, relevant information about your new contact. Everything is automatic, and all users need to do is take a photo of the business card they wish to digitize.

It was barely a week ago that AMD released its Catalyst 14.4 RC (Release Candidate) drivers, but now the company has just unleashed its WHQL-certified drivers, the Catalyst 14.4 WHQL set of drivers.

The new drivers support the Radeon R9 295X2 dual-GPU, feature CrossFire frame-pacing improvements for multiple games, full support for OpenGL 4.4, and various bugfixes for its Mantle API. You can grab the new Catalyst 14.4 WHQL drivers right here.

According to a Russian leaker, the next version of Windows will be a free, cloud-based OS known as Windows Cloud. Windows Cloud would require an Internet connection for full functionality of the OS, but to receive functions past the basic ones provided for free, a subscription would be required.

The person behind the leak, Wzor, has been right on previous rumors, such as an early version of the Windows 8.1 update. According to PC World, part of Windows Cloud would be stored locally on your computer, possibly sitting in your PC's BIOS, with the rest of it downloaded from the Internet. When not connected to the Internet, it would offer the user just basic functionality.

This would work similar to how Windows 7 Starter gave users basic functionality, with the option to upgrade to other versions of Windows.

Today Google announced the launch of a new app for Android called Google Camera, confirming recent rumors that the company was working on developing a new camera app with some unique features. The new standalone app branches away from the current Android 4.4 camera app, and features a more refined UI and is overall, easier to use. The camera app brings several new features to Android devices as well including Spherical images, software-based lens blur, and even a more intuitive panorama mode.

"Achieving this optical effect has traditionally required a big lens and aperture, and therefore hasn't been possible using the camera on your mobile phone or tablet. That all changes with Lens Blur, a new mode in the Google Camera app," Google said in a blog post. "Lens Blur replaces the need for a large optical system with computer vision algorithms and optimization techniques that are run entirely on the mobile device, simulating a larger lens and aperture in order to creating a 3D model of the world."

The Camera App also features new Spherical and Panoramic imaging modes that let the user align dots with a central point on the camera screen to create large images of their surroundings. I did notice that when taking spherical images larger than 5 points would slow my HTC one down quite a bit as the image began to process. The same happened with a panorama that was larger than 7 images.

I was one of those 50 million users who installed "Brightest Flashlight" onto my Android smartphones, but location data from each user - which is a number that climbs over 50 million - was transmitting users' real-time locations to ad networks and other third parties.

The Federal Trade Commission in December last year exposed Brightest Flashlight's wrong doings, announcing a proposed settlement with GoldenShores Technologies, the maker behind the app. GoldenShores Technology is actually a one-man operation based out of Idaho. The FTC explained how the app deceiving tactics in its privacy policy and user license agreement.

Last Wednesday, the FTC confirmed that GoldenShores' owner, Erik Geidl, are not to collect users' geolocation data without clearly outlining how and why they're doing it, and they have to confirm who is receiving the location data. Geidl is forced to inform the FTC about any new businesses he decides to start in the next ten years, and just a few days left to delete all of the data he had collected. The problem here is, that the FTC does not even touch down on the money that Geidl made selling 50 million users' geolocation data. There would have to be a very large sum of money there, but for now it seems like the FTC gave him a simple slap on the wrist.

Google isn't seeing massive adoption rates no Android 4.4 KitKat, even though the updated mobile OS is capable of working on more devices than the OS it succeeded on. KitKat's adoption rate is sitting at a lower point than Jelly Bean was when it first launched.

Chitika's number crunching abilities see that Android 4.4 KitKat is on around 10% of devices, six months after it was launched. After six months of Jelly Bean being available, it was on 14% of devices. Chitika explains: "[L]ooking beyond the device type breakdown, on a wider scale, KitKat has not progressed quite as quickly as Jelly Bean in North America from an adoption perspective. We previously observed Jelly Bean users generating 13.6% of North American Android Web traffic approximately 24 weeks following its debut on the Nexus 7. This overall number is 10.1% for KitKat as of this study, close to 22 weeks following its release on the Nexus 5".

Chitika has analyzed just North American numbers here, with its ad impressions blasting onto tens of millions of US and Canadian Android-based devices between March 31, and April 6, 2014. When it comes to the US, around 61.8% of devices are running a version of Jelly Bean. 20.3% of traffic is coming from Gingerbread-based devices, while Ice Cream Sandwich sits on 21.3% devices.