mercredi 30 septembre 2015

AOC announces 16 inch 1080p USB 3.0 monitor (E1659FWUX-PRO)

AOCpro

While some people have the luxury of a beautiful office, not everyone is so lucky. Many people, myself included, work wherever they can -- Starbucks, in a parked car, or a kitchen table to name a few. This is actually freeing, and can be conducive to creativity, but I digress. The downside, of course, is having to work with a single laptop display -- a multiple monitor setup can be a godsend for productivity.

Believe it or not, there are portable secondary monitors, which you can attach with USB to a laptop, tablet, or desktop if need be. Today, AOC announces a 16 inch USB 3.0 variant, featuring 1080p. It supports both Windows and OS X, but Linux distros may work too. Best of all? Not only is video transmitted by USB, but so is the power -- a single cable! Plus, the price is very affordable.

"Its 300cd/m2 brightness makes it the brightest in its class. The widescreen monitor receives both power and signal via a single USB cable for plug-and-play connection. This means it does not require a power cord or VGA cable, so you have one less cord to worry about. It is ultra-lightweight and slim for maximum portability, making it perfect for displaying visuals such as business presentations or adding a second monitor to your desktop for increased productivity. The Mac and PC Compatible HD Pro USB Monitor is the perfect solution for the frequent traveler who needs to pack multiple displays, as it easily fits into a suitcase and comes with a carrying case. The monitor also comes with a foldable stand that goes from landscape to portrait view mode with auto-pivot. It is available for today on Amazon.com for $199", says AOC.

The value-focused monitor manufacturer further says, "the HD Pro USB Monitor with its foldable flexi-stand is ideal for viewing in landscape or portrait mode. Landscape mode is ideal for presentations and Excel sheets, while the Portrait mode conveniently gives you an easy vertical view of your instant messaging programs, infographics, or search results. This monitor has a unique auto-pivot feature that automatically adjusts the image according to the display’s orientation, so you will never have to change settings as you switch between landscape and portrait mode. The AOC HD Pro USB Monitor is also VESA 75 x 75 mm compliant, allowing you to easily mount the USB monitor to any wall. Multiple USB monitors can also be simultaneously connected to a single laptop or desktop computer to function as a multi-monitor PC or Mac, thanks to the built-in Display Link USB graphics".

AOCpro23

AOC shares the full specs below.

E1659FWUX-PRO
Pixel Pitch 0.252 (H) mm x 0.252 (v) mm
Display Area 344.2 mm x 193.5 mm
Brightness 300 cd/m2 (typ)
Contrast Ratio 500:1 (static)
Response Time 11ms (GtG)
Viewing Angle Horizontal: 90 Degrees (CR>10)Vertical: 65 Degrees (CR>10)
Scanning Frequency Horizontal: 48KHzVertical: 60 Hz
Optimal Resolution
Recommended
1920x1080@60hz1920x1080@60Hz
Supported Resolutions 640x480@60Hz for extended mode800x600@60Hz for extended mode1024x768@60Hz for extended mode1366x768@60Hz for extended mode
Color Depth 262K
Connectors 1 x Micro USB 3.0
User Control None
Adjustability Tilt: 15° ~ 30°, Auto Pivot
Power Source PC USB 5V

AOC-USB-Monitor1

Imagine sitting in Starbucks, and working on your laptop. Something comes up that requires intense multitasking, so you pull out this USB display (E1659FWUX-PRO), connect one cable and you are off to the races. How cool is it to have a svelte additional monitor in your bag? The $200 investment could pay for itself quickly when your increased productivity is factored in.

It is not yet in stock at Amazon, but you can order it here now for when stock comes in.



Facebook reveals mobile profile overhaul including video profile pictures

facebook_mobile_profiles

Facebook today announced a series of updates to user profiles on mobile devices, and one of the first candidate for a revamp is the humble profile picture. There are a couple of interesting options to play with, including temporary profile pictures that changes after a certain number of days.

This is an idea that was born from the popularity of banners which Facebook users added to their profile pictures to show support for a particular cause. Also in the pipeline are profile videos, which Facebook says will "add a new dimension to your profile". Forget static images, a looping video clip is now an option. But the profile updates don’t end there -- and, oddly, iPhone users are first in line to try out the new goodies.

Profiles are getting something of a redesign. Profile pictures are not only larger, but also centered, and Facebook now bring photos and friends to the top of the page when you visit someone else's profile. Privacy will never fail to be a concern for Facebook users, and the latest round of updates makes it easier to control what is publically visible.

At the top of your profile is a new area populated with information about you, and you can choose which fields are shared with the world. There's a new single-line bio field and it's now possible to add up to five featured photos to your profile for all to see.

We mentioned that iPhone users get to try things first. Facebook says:

We’re starting to test all of these features to a small number of iPhone users in the UK and California, and we’ll be rolling them out to more people soon.



Apple rushes out iOS 9.0.2 -- fixes crippling mobile data bug and other issues

celebrate-celebration-happy

After updating my iPhone 5s to iOS 9 and then using the backup to set up my new iPhone 6s I encountered an annoying bug that prevented certain apps from being able to use mobile data. The bug was so crippling that it (temporarily at least) had me regretting my recent purchase. You can read the full story here.

I wasn’t alone in suffering from this bug and Apple promised frustrated users that a fix was on its way. Well, today that fix arrives. And that’s not the only iOS 9 issue it addresses.

According to the details supplied with the update it:

  • Fixes an issue with the setting to turn on or off app mobile data usage.
  • Resolves an issue that prevented iMessage activation for some users.
  • Resolves an issue where an iCloud Backup could be interrupted after starting a manual backup.
  • Fixes an issue where the screen could incorrectly rotate when receiving notifications.
  • Improves the stability of Podcasts.

It's great that Apple has managed to issue the fix so quickly, although annoying it wasn't picked up before iOS 9 was made widely available.

Image Credit: PathDoc / Shutterstock

 



Logitech announces the Logi Circle Portable Home Connection Camera

circle01

When I leave my house, I always wonder what's going on inside. No, I don't want to spy on my family (not the humans, at least), but I do want to spy on my dog! Sometimes I go out for a few hours, come home, and she is still laying in the same spot. Maybe she is running around and playing in between; I'd love to know. In all seriousness, it would be nice to check on her well-being while I am away.

Logitech, or should I say "Logi", has created a new product that meets my puppy-watching needs, but is so much more -- security, communication, etc. The Logi Circle Portable Home Connection Camera is an Internet-connected camera that can be used in a stationary spot (including mounted to the wall if you choose) or portable. It even stores recorded content in the cloud. Very cool.

"Through the free iOS or Android app you can stream Live HD Video with 2-Way Talk & Listen over Wi-Fi. Smart filtering of all video happens with our Scene Intuition technology, so you see what matters most at home. It learns your home life patterns and filters the footage to send alerts only on interesting activity, so you don’t need to sift through spam footage. And, when you want to see what action has taken place in your home, Day Briefs provide an auto-generated, 30-second video summary of the best moments from that day. You can see this daily summary with one touch of the app", says Logi.

The company formerly known as Logitech further says, "because life doesn't stay still, the Logi Circle is portable and rechargeable. Take the camera room to room with you, and when you need to recharge it simply place on the included magnetic charging ring. The rechargeable battery can stream for up to three hours, and lasts up to 12 hours in power save mode".

I had the pleasure of trying the Circle a few months ago, and came away very impressed. True, Wi-Fi connected cameras for the home are not new, but Logi's offering is very easy to setup and use. The simple portability and convenient dock make it a good choice for those who want to use technology, not spend time making it work.

product-hero-2

The two-way mode makes it interactive too, so I can talk to my dog, and she can bark at me -- she may need some help and encouragement, though. Oh yeah, the humans in my family can use it to talk with me as well.

Want to buy it? You do not have to wait long. The Logi Circle Portable Home Connection Camera goes on sale next month -- in black or white -- for $199.99.

Will you buy it? Tell me in the comments.



Tens of thousands of medical devices are exposed to hackers

PC health repair clean

Thousands of critical medical systems such as MRI machines, completely out in the open and vulnerable to a hacker’s attack, have been exposed online, the media reported on Tuesday.

According to a report by The Register, more than 68,000 medical systems from a "very large" unnamed US organization have been exposed. That institution has some 12,000 staff and 3,000 physicians, it says in the report.

"Exposed were 21 anaesthesia, 488 cardiology, 67 nuclear medical, and 133 infusion systems, 31 pacemakers, 97 MRI scanners, and 323 picture archiving and communications gear".

This was all made possible through Shodan, a search engine for devices connected to the public Internet. Security researchers Scott Erven and Mark Collao found the machines by using Shodan to target medical institutions.

"Once we start changing [Shodan search terms] to target speciality clinics like radiology or podiatry or paediatrics, we ended up with thousands with misconfiguration and direct attack vectors", Erven said. "Not only could your data get stolen but there are profound impacts to patient privacy".

Collao said that the vulnerabilities could be used to steal patient data and build up detailed intelligence on healthcare organizations, including the floors in which certain medical devices are housed.

"You can easily craft an email and send it to the guy who has access to that [medical] device with a payload that will run on the (medical) machine", Collao said. "[Medical devices] are all running Windows XP or XP service pack two... and probably don’t have antivirus because they are critical systems".

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

credit: vision001/Shutterstock



Suspicious Windows 7 Update has users worried Microsoft's servers may have been compromised

Update

If you’re a Windows 7 user, you might want to check carefully which updates you install. Users on Windows forums, Reddit and Twitter are concerned about a new "important" update that looks more than a little suspicious.

The update appears to be a language pack, but the details that accompany it are far from the usual information you’d expect to see, leaving many to wonder if Microsoft's update servers could have been compromised.

The update information is along the following lines:

gYxseNjwafVPfgsoHnzLblmmAxZUiOnGcchqEAEwjyxwjUIfpXfJQcdLapTmFaq

HGCFsdvpLarmPJLOZYMEILGNIPwNOgEazuBVJcyVjBRL

Download size: 4.3 MB

You may need to restart your computer for this update to take effect.

Update type: Important

qQMphgyOoFUxFLfNprOUQpHS

More information:
http://ift.tt/1YOpMFX
http://ift.tt/1KKT017

Help and Support:
http://ift.tt/1YOpMFZ

The "More information" and "Help and support" site links are, understandably, what have caused alarm bells to start ringing.

We've reached out to Microsoft and will update this story once we get a response.

Have you encountered this update? Let us know in the comments below.



Microsoft flagship stores in New York City and Sydney get official opening dates

Print

Both Microsoft and Apple Stores are freakin' awesome. While the latter usually has more foot traffic, the former is no slouch. I rather enjoy playing with all of the cool stuff in the Microsoft Store, such as Surface, Band, Xbox One, and more.

Sadly, a flagship Microsoft Store has been absent in one of the world's busiest places -- New York City. The company has been working on changing this, however, and today it announces the official grand opening date for the flagship location. In addition to Manhattan, the first-ever "International" Microsoft Store in Australia receives an official opening date too.

"Today, we get one step closer to expanding our direct, face-to-face connection with Microsoft fans and are happy to share grand opening dates for both Microsoft flagship stores. Microsoft on Fifth Ave. and 53rd St. will open on Monday, Oct. 26, at noon ET and Microsoft at Westfield Sydney on Pitt Street Mall will open on Thursday, Nov. 12, at noon AET", says David Porter, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Retail and Online Stores, Microsoft.

Porter further shares, "we are going to celebrate the New York and Sydney communities in a big way. For starters, we will donate more than $5 million in software and technology grants to select local organizations, as part of our company mission to help people achieve more in their lives. Our grand opening festivities in each city will recognize the great work done by these organizations and we will share more details on our community celebrations soon".

As someone who has attended a Microsoft Store opening (you can see a video above), I can assure you that it is a total blast. Not only should there be music playing, giveaways and awesome deals, but the charity aspect is really inspiring.

Microsoft makes it a point to donate to local charities, rather than just support its national ones. In other words, when the company moves into a community it instantly starts helping it, and that is awesome. We are talking millions of dollars, folks.

Will you be attending either of the store openings? Tell me in the comments. Maybe we can hang out that day in NYC!



Samsung to shut down Milk Video service on November 20

samsung-milk-video

Samsung’s unloved video streaming service is shutting down on November 20th, after a lukewarm start and plummet in usage in the months after.

In a market dominated by YouTube, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Samsung Milk Video. The service worked with BuzzFeed and College Humor, but could not attract the viewers Google, Vimeo, and Twitch have won over the years.

Milk Video also suffers from a range of bugs that have plagued the service, forcing users to find the content elsewhere. In the Google Play store, it averaged 3.7 stars out of 5, but for long periods reviews were all 1 star, due to issues with videos not starting.

This lack of polish and quick updates was one of the final nails for Milk Video. It already suffered from a severe lack of content and subscription options, something YouTube has built for years to make users feel more included in the system.

Samsung will continue to maintain its Milk Music service, a streaming service for music and music videos. It is a big loss for the Milk brand, Samsung’s odd name for all things multimedia.

"Thank you for using Samsung Milk Video", says Samsung on the Google Play store. "While we remain committed to providing premium entertainment services, we have decided to end support for the Samsung Milk Video app as of November 20, 2015".

The focus on competing against Google might be ending, after failing to beat the search giant in several service markets. When Samsung launched the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, there was a lot more focus on third-party services than its own offshoot offerings.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.



Social intranet allows anytime, anywhere workplace collaboration

meeting virtual social network

Teams need to communicate in order to work effectively, but in the modern work-anywhere world with a scattered workforce this isn't as easy as just popping over to someone's desk for a chat.

Social intranet provider Incentive is helping organizations and enterprise teams stay in touch, with the announcement of its new mobile apps for iOS and Android and desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Chrome.

The new native collaboration apps are designed to help teams, regardless of location, connectivity or device, experience the business benefits of a seamless, intuitive and consistent social intranet. This should result in increased productivity for teams through improved collaboration and communication, all from one secure platform.

Using Incentive's online platform, the new mobile and desktop apps will help enterprise teams work together to share files across the entire enterprise, directly from a mobile device or desktop.

It will also allow staff to connect with anyone in the organization through private conversations or team chat rooms, as well as get notified when items are uploaded, edited, shared or commented on, or when a team member tags an individual or a group. There's instant access to collaboration features like wikis, blogs, tasks and photo albums, with a smart search engine that saves and indexes data, making it easily retrievable from any device.

It can help managers discover team members with particular skills or expertise to improve cross-team collaboration. It preserves an enterprise's collective 'braintrust' by housing corporate knowledge and assets within a single, secure, all-in-one platform.

"Today's employees are used to not only being constantly connected, but also enjoying a social user experience that mimics popular consumer applications on any device -- phone, tablet or desktop," says Rickard Hansson, CEO and founder of Incentive. "The availability of Incentive's native apps makes the social intranet experience seamless, consistent and fast, regardless of location, device or connectivity, so teams can get more work done, together".

For more information, a free trial and to download the apps you can visit the Incentive website.

Photo Credit: nmedia/Shutterstock



OS X Gatekeeper rendered useless by new malware exploit

castle_portcullis

On the day that Apple releases El Capitan details of an exploit that makes it possible to bypass the Gatekeeper feature of OS X have emerged. Designed to combat various forms of malware, the security feature can be bypassed using a simple trick involving the use of a signed binary.

Even when Gatekeeper is configured to use its highest level of protection, the ease with which the fortifications can be slipped through is staggering. Using a file that has already been deemed trustworthy by Apple, it is possible to trick OS X into executing a malicious file stored in the same folder as the signed one. No patch is yet available, and it is believed the problem affects all versions of OS X.

The vulnerability was discovered by security research Patrick Wardle from Synack. Talking to Threatpost, he explains that he has already shared his findings with Apple but the company is yet to produce a patch. Wardle found that Gatekeeper, while checking for authentication of files from Apple, failed to determine whether apps make calls on other apps or code that have not been signed.

Once an app has been given the go-ahead by Gatekeeper, it is free to execute whatever code it wants on the computer, and this is precisely how the exploit works. Users could be easily tricked into executing a signed, infected file that could wreak untold damage. Wardle says:

It's not super complicated, but it effectively completely bypasses Gatekeeper. This provides hackers the ability to go back to their old tricks of infecting users via Trojans, rogue AV scams or infect applications on Pirate Bay. More worrisome to me is this would allow more sophisticated adversaries to have network access. Nation states with higher level access, they see insecure downloads, they can swap in this legitimate Apple binary and this malicious binary as well and man-in-the-middle the attack and Gatekeeper won’t protect users from it anymore.

The issue is not being described as a big, but as a limitation of Gatekeeper. A fix could take some time to appear as Wardle warns that it would require "significant code changes" to OS X.

Photo credit: khd / Shutterstock



Yahoo wants to spin off Alibaba stake, risking billions in taxes

Yahoo_Sunnyvale_daytime

Yahoo is moving forward with its plan to spin off its Alibaba shares, even though it risks a tax bill of a couple of billion dollars.

In a filing posted with the US Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this week, Yahoo said that the company’s board authorized it to continue with the proposed spinoff. Yahoo added that it’s hoping the process will go without any hiccups.

But the stakes are high -- the transaction could carry up to $9 billion (£5.9bn) in taxes. The transaction is expected to be complete in the fourth quarter this year.

The value of the Alibaba stake is now worth significantly less than when Mayer initially unveiled her spinoff plans. When she announced the plans, they were worth $40 billion (£26.33bn). Now, they’re worth about $22 billion (£13.16bn)

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has, since January, talking about an elaborate restructuring plan that would see Yahoo offload its stake in Alibaba, without incurring taxes, all by transferring them to a new entity.

However, in the first week of September, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) declined to issue a private-letter ruling regarding the plan. A week later, the IRS issued guidance, which does not specifically mention Yahoo, expressing concerns of spinoffs that consist largely of investment assets and minimal operating businesses.

Yahoo will also transfer to Aabaco services for small businesses that it hosts in its Internet cloud.

The company bought a 40 percent stake in the Chinese company in 2005 for $1 billion (£660m).

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com



Microsoft (accidentally) reveals Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL Windows 10 Mobile flagships

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Store UK

If you have been keeping an eye on the Microsoft rumor mill, then you know that the software giant is expected to take the wraps off two Windows 10 Mobile flagships soon. These would be its first premium smartphones since taking over Nokia's phone business, and also the first new high-end Lumias to arrive in one and a half years.

We expect Microsoft to announce both smartphones at its upcoming media event on October 6. However, the team at Microsoft Store UK has decided to jump the gun, having just listed Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL on the site.

They did not go all the way, however, only mentioning a couple of the most important specs. There is no mention of price, but we do know what sort of displays and cameras they will offer as well as the storage space they offer. And, naturally, there are official images to accompany the listings.

Lumia 950 is the standard-sized flagship, featuring a 5.2-inch display. The resolution is typical of a high-end smartphone, being 1,440 by 2,560. There will be a 20 MP camera on the back, with Zeiss optics, as well as 32 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot (there is support for cards of up to 2 TB in size).

Lumia 950 XL is Microsoft's flagship phablet that is meant to rival the likes of Apple's iPhone 6s Plus and Samsung's Galaxy S6 edge Plus. It comes with a 5.7-inch screen, with the same resolution as Lumia 950. The camera and storage specs are the same, based on the listings.

The design seems to be typical of premium Lumias; there are physical buttons on the left side -- for volume, power and camera -- and a round camera hump on the back. They look unspectacular in the photos posted on Microsoft Store UK, but hopefully that impression will change when holding the devices in the hand.