Techno-News Blog

February 28, 2013

Cloud Adoption Increases as More Educators Use Cloud Services

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By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Ed

Educators and government workers help drive cloud adoption in their organizations, a 2013 State of the Cloud Report shows. In a CDW-G survey of 1,242 IT professionals across six sectors, 73 percent say their employees’ personal use of cloud apps has somewhat or significantly influenced their organizations’ decisions to move toward cloud computing. On top of that, 68 percent of IT professionals said employee requests for cloud services have increased over the last two years.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Educator-Cloud-Adoption.html

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Will Google Glass be the next Segway?

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By Patrick Seitz, Investors.com

Google’s (GOOG) augmented-reality eyewear, Google Glass, could be the most exciting new consumer technology to hit the market since Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone. But it also could turn out to be the next Segway Human Transporter. Like the overhyped Segway, Google Glass raises societal and legal concerns about its use. After Segway debuted, questions quickly arose about whether it was legal to drive the self-balancing scooter on roads and sidewalks. That ended up hindering adoption of the Segway. Now consider Google Glass. If cellphones are illegal for drivers to use in many places because of distracted driving, what about Google Glass and their eye-level computer display? Maybe that’s one reason why Google is also working on self-driving cars.

http://news.investors.com/technology-click/022013-645175-google-glass-faces-legal-and-societal-concerns.htm

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Google to Sell Internet Glasses to Contest Winners

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By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP

Google is giving more people a chance to pay $1,500 for a pair of the Internet-connected glasses that the company is touting as the next breakthrough in mobile computing. The product, dubbed “Google Glass,” will be offered to “bold, creative individuals” selected as part of a contest announced Wednesday. Participants must live in the U.S. and submit an application of up to 50 words explaining what they would do with the Google Glass technology. Entries must include the hash tag “ifihadglass” and be submitted through Google Plus or Twitter by next Wednesday. Google did not say how many glasses it will sell this way. Winners will receive the “Explorer” version of Google Glass, a forerunner of the product that is expected to be released to the mass market next year. Google Inc. already sold an unspecified number of the glasses to computer programmers who also paid $1,500 apiece at a company conference last June.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-sell-internet-glasses-contest-winners-18548390

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February 27, 2013

Microsoft to begin connecting Skype and Lync by June 2013

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By Mary Jo Foley, ZDNet

Microsoft’s mission to connect its consumer and business communications services is running later than many expected, according to the latest Lync roadmap. Microsoft provided an updated roadmap for its Lync unified-communications platform on February 19, the opening day of the company’s first Lync Conference in San Diego. The biggest piece of new news is that Lync-Skype connectivity/federation is coming later than many expected. The first piece of that connectivity — sharing of presence, instant messaging (IM) and voice across the two services — will be available to all Lync users as of June 2013. Video connectivity between Skype and Lync isn’t coming until some time in the next 18 months, officials confirmed today.

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-to-begin-connecting-skype-and-lync-by-june-2013-7000011488/?s_cid=e539

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On the internet, now everybody knows you’re not a dog

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By Steve Ranger, ZDNet

Internet anonymity is being eroded by desires to streamline online transactions and the demands of web businesses to know more about us. But is this new world of bring-your-own-ID a good thing? And our social media identities are becoming valuable beyond the boundaries of the website where they were created. “Social media as a source of identity is already being used widely,” said Bob Tarzey, analyst with Quocirca: Facebook users, for example, can use their identity to sign into services such as Spotify, or other websites to post comments. Tarzey sees these identities being used more broadly in the future, which he describes as ‘bring your own identity’ or BYO-ID. According to Quocirca research sponsored by CA Technologies, increasing numbers of organisations are using social media identities as a way of recognising customers and staff — leading to increased interest in identity and access management technologies. “Is it even possible in future that your Facebook or Google identity could be the basis for your access to online banking?” the research asks.

http://www.zdnet.com/on-the-internet-now-everybody-knows-youre-not-a-dog-7000011439/?s_cid=e539

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Shuttleworth’s one device: The smartphone is the tablet and the PC

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By Jason Perlow, ZDNet

Forget post-PC. Canonical’s Mark Shuttleworth envisions a future where the smartphone is the brain of your tablet as well as your laptop and even your TV set, all connected to the cloud. Specifically, Shuttleworth believes that the smartphone of the future will be the single device at the center of the end-user’s universe. In summary, it will act as a “brain” for the tablet, laptop, and even TV sets, which will simply be just modular display and peripheral extensions of the handheld device. In the future, according to the video, smartphones will contain the CPU, storage, and wireless connectivity “core” of the user experience, running on a unified mobile operating system — in this case, Ubuntu running on the ARM architecture.

http://www.zdnet.com/shuttleworths-one-device-the-smartphone-is-the-tablet-and-the-pc-7000011522/?s_cid=e539

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February 26, 2013

Apple confirms attack by same hackers who hit Facebook

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by Hayley Tsukayama, Washington Post

A new report from a Virginia-based security company said it has traced 141 cases of computer hacking to a single Chinese military unit, based outside of Shanghai. The malware found its way onto Mac computers through a vulnerability in an Internet browser plug-in developed for Oracle’s Java program. Apple said it will release a software patch Tuesday to prevent the problem from spreading.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/apple-confirms-attack-by-same-hackers-who-hit-facebook/2013/02/19/fc9ba61a-7ac5-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html

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Successful hacker attack could cripple U.S. infrastructure, experts say

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By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

The experts say that a successful hacker attack taking out just a part of the nation’s electrical grid, or crippling financial institutions for several days, could sow panic or even lead to loss of life. “I call it cyberterrorism that makes 9/11 pale in comparison,” Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC News on Tuesday. An American computer security company, Mandiant, reported with near certainty that members of a sophisticated Chinese hacking group work out of the headquarters of a unit of the Chinese army outside Shanghai.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/19/17019005-successful-hacker-attack-could-cripple-us-infrastructure-experts-say?lite

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US officials addressing cyber threat at ‘highest levels’ with China, on heels of hacker report

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By Barnini Chakraborty, Fox News

Obama administration officials said Tuesday they have “serious concern” with China’s alleged cyber-snooping and are raising the issue “at the highest levels” in Beijing, on the heels of a report that claimed China’s People’s Liberation Army had stolen data from 115 U.S. companies over a seven-year period. U.S. officials would not comment directly on the report. But they said the U.S. is bulking up its cyber-defenses while stressing a new — albeit controversial — White House executive order aimed at helping protect computer networks of crucial American industries from cyber attacks.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/19/us-raising-highest-levels-cyber/

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February 25, 2013

Did screenshots of a Samsung Altius smartwatch leak?

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by Don Reisinger, CNet news.com

Move over, Apple — there might be another smartwatch entering the fray. An unnamed Korean forum has posted images of what could be a Samsung smartwatch, Slashgear is reporting today. Slashgear did not, however, link to the forum posting. The images published by Slashgear show black-and-white display screenshots that Slashgear says measure 500×500 pixels. It’s not clear, though, whether the watch comes with a 500×500 display or the images were crunched down. Some of the images themselves show time being displayed, while others illustrate the ability to choose other entertainment options like music. The screenshots indicate that whatever the device is that’s pumping out the images, it only supports black and white.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57569591-94/did-screenshots-of-a-samsung-altius-smartwatch-leak/

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Gates disappointed at Microsoft’s performance in mobile computing, calls for change

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By Kevin Bostic, Apple Insider

Microsoft’s chairman Bill Gates says the software giant hasn’t been innovative enough with regard to the new era of mobile computing, saying the company’s initial approach was “clearly a mistake.” Asked in an interview with CBS This Morning whether he was happy with Ballmer’s performance, Gates said that he and the Microsoft chief executive are “two of the most self-critical people you can imagine,” adding that neither is satisfied that the company is doing everything it can to move computing forward.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/02/18/gates-disappointed-at-microsofts-performance-in-mobile-computing-calls-for-change

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How Samsung is out-innovating Apple

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By Steve Kovach, CNN

There’s no arguing that Apple set the standard for modern mobile devices with the iPhone and the iPad. It didn’t take long after those two products launched for competitors to rush out their own copycat devices. Even then, it took another few years before Android was good enough to go toe to toe with iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system. But it’s no longer about being just as good as Apple. You have to be better. Competitors have built upon the foundation Apple laid in mobile and are now leapfrogging it with bunch of useful features you can’t find on iPhones and iPads. The evidence is everywhere, but it’s most apparent in products made by Apple’s biggest mobile rival, Samsung.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/18/tech/gaming-gadgets/samsung-apple-innovation/

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February 24, 2013

6 Ways Campuses Are Scaling Up Online Learning in 2013

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By Bridget McCrea, Campus Technology

Three higher education CIOs discuss their e-learning agendas and wish lists for the year ahead. For administrators in higher education, each new year presents a clean slate that they can use to consider, test out, and implement new technology projects. In 2013, campus technology leaders are focusing more of their efforts on academic computing. Some initiatives are small in scale and limited to a handful of classrooms or departments while others permeate entire campuses. Regardless of size and scope, each of these projects comes together to contribute to the institution’s educational mission.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/02/07/6-ways-campuses-are-scaling-up-elearning-in-2013.aspx

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Samsung has a rumored smart watch, too

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by Casey Johnston, arstechnica

Samsung may be working on a smart watch to complement its Galaxy line of phones, according to screenshots found by Slashgear Thursday. The watch, allegedly named the Galaxy Altius, runs an OS titled “AltiusOS beta2,” so though it follows the Galaxy path, it’s unclear whether the watch will be part of the Android family. The screenshots from the watch are black and white and 500×500 pixels in size (though it’s unclear if any post-processing took place) and according to one of them, the watch packs 235MB of internal storage space. One screenshot shows selection panels for music, e-mail, and maps. The watch also appears to tell time.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/02/saddle-up-apple-samsung-has-a-rumored-smart-watch-too/

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Expand wireless Wi-Fi access to public airwaves

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:15 am

Editorial – Sacramento Bee

Should bands be allocated through bidding for exclusive licenses – as with TV channels and cellular phone service – that transmit sound, data and video in a particular geographic area? Or should bands remain unlicensed for shared use among many players? To meet the goals of accessibility, affordability and continued innovation, it is time to free up more spectrum for unlicensed use. The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in a 2012 report highly recommends this major change: “the norm for spectrum use should be sharing, not exclusivity.”

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/16/5194770/expand-wireless-wi-fi-access-to.html

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February 23, 2013

Facebook Hacked, Claims “No Evidence of User Data Compromised”

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by All Things Digital

Facebook announced on Friday that it had been the target of a series of attacks from an unidentified hacker group, which resulted in the installation of malicious software onto Facebook employee laptops. “Last month, Facebook security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack,” the company said in a blog post. “The attack occurred when a handful of employees visited a mobile developer website that was compromised.”

http://allthingsd.com/20130215/facebook-hacked-claims-no-evidence-of-user-data-compromised/

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Good Fit for Today’s Little Screens: Short Stories

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By LESLIE KAUFMAN, NY Times

The Internet may be disrupting much of the book industry, but for short-story writers it has been a good thing. Story collections, an often underappreciated literary cousin of novels, are experiencing a resurgence, driven by a proliferation of digital options that offer not only new creative opportunities but exposure and revenue as well. Already, 2013 has yielded an unusually rich crop of short-story collections.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/books/a-good-fit-for-small-screens-short-stories-are-selling.html

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Navigating With Devices That Know Landmarks

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By ROY FURCHGOTT, NY Times

An important goal for makers of GPS navigation devices is to deliver maps and route guidance that will not be dangerous distractions for drivers.Spoken directions would seem to be a good solution, but telling people “Turn right at Baker Street” might just make people ignore the road ahead while straining to read street signs. Garmin has taken the next step with its Real Directions feature, which gives route guidance using landmarks, much as people naturally do. Instead of saying “Turn left at Belvedere Avenue,” six of Garmin’s new models, ranging in price from about $200 to $380, say “Turn left at the stoplight,” or “Turn left after the Starbucks.”The screen shows a map with an icon for the landmark.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/automobiles/navigating-with-devices-that-know-landmarks.html

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February 22, 2013

Best Buy to make online price-matching policy permanent

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By Alexis Santos, Engadget

Best Buy started matching prices of online retailers in time for the holidays last year, and now it’s set to make the practice permanent in an effort to cure its showroom syndrome and turn window-shopping visitors into paying customers. Come March 3rd, the policy will go into effect for the outfit’s website, typical brick and mortar locations, Best Buy mobile shops and even phone orders. Officially dubbed the Low Price Guarantee, the plan will meet prices for all local competitors and a total of 19 online storefronts, including the likes of Amazon, Apple, Staples, NewEgg and Target.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/16/bestbuy-online-price-matching-policy-permanent/

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Tick tock: why timing your Mac hardware upgrades makes good sense

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by Geoffrey Goetz, GigaOm

Planning out your MacBook upgrade to coincide with Intel’s chip releases should ensure that you are getting the largest performance gains with each purchase. Here’s a look at the historic Apple-Intel upgrade cycle. One of the questions I get asked every time Apple has a modest update to one of their Macs, is whether or not “now” is a good time to buy a new Mac. Most just want to know how long they would have to wait for the next release, and if it is not too far off, they will wait. Some Mac refreshes have significant performance improvements while others are just minor updates. But knowing whether or not the upcoming release will offer a major overall performance boost can help you decide.

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/16/tick-tock-why-timing-your-mac-hardware-upgrades-makes-good-sense/

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Google going retail?

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:15 am

by Barb Darrow, GigaOm

Google isn’t just an internet search company any more. As it pushes Google TV, Google Glasses, and Chromebooks, it needs to let customers try-before-they-buy. Inspired by the wild success of Apple’s retail stores, Google plans to open some brick-and-mortar stores of its own, according to a report by the 9to5Google web site. The move makes sense now given Google’s big push into physical (i.e. non-software) products including Chromebooks, Google TV, and Google Glasses. These are the kinds of products people want to touch and feel before buying. Microsoft launched its own retail stores (pictured above) a few years ago for many of the same reasons and is currently using those stores to drum up excitement around its new Surface devices and other products.

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/15/google-going-retail/

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