Темы
Разделы
Интересы
Top 20
 |
| 781 | Sometimes, a word of support is all you need to make things happen. The most difficult of plans and projects can be completed if you just have someone by your side, encouraging you not to give up when the chips are down. And finding people who are supportive is really easy when you can use a service like Gonnasphere. Read more Learn more about Gonnasphere.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much Gonnasphere.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 782 | As "do not track" has taken center stage in debates about the Internet and personal privacy, many Web users remain unaware of exactly what tracking is and what it does -- or that they're even being tracked as they surf the Internet.
Tracking has been defined by the Center for Democracy and Technology as "the collection and correlation of data about the Internet activities of a particular user, computer or device over time and across non-commonly branded Web sites, for any purpose other than fraud prevention or compliance with law enforcement requests."
In simpler terms, it's what happens when you browse Web site A in the morning searching for a recipe for barbecued short ribs then when browsing Web site B that afternoon you are suddenly presented with an ad urging you to buy a stainless steel, propane-powered backyard barbecue "for a low, low price."
Coincidence? Hardly. You've been tracked.
Web site A gathered information about your visit and your search, and then placed a small file known as a "cookie" on your browser. Meanwhile, it sold that "profile" information about you and others making the same sort of search to a third-party tracker.
Web site B, which also works with the same tracker, picks up that profile from the cookie, takes note of the connections, and presents you with the ad for the barbecue, from which it makes money from the advertiser.
Although seemingly harmless and even beneficial -- if you are, in fact, thinking about buying a barbecue -- there is a dark side to tracking, as third party trackers collecting data can correlate that with other databases containing geolocation, financial and medical information.
Eventually, the tracker can build a profile predicting your age, gender, zip code, income, marital status, parenthood, home ownership and other identifying parameters.
Through tracking, you are now a valuable "target" to... newsfactor.com » | | 783 | The Clock of Doom is now reading two years and counting for Microsoft's XP operating system. On Monday, the software giant announced its "two-year countdown" for the venerable platform, as it tries yet again to get users to upgrade.
On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will officially end all support for XP, as well as for Office 2003, including all new security patches, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates. On its Windows blog, Director of Marketing Stella Chernyak wrote Monday that, "if you still have some PCs running Windows XP and Office 2003 in your organization, now would be a good time to start migrating them to Windows 7 and Office 2010."
'You Are Late'
Microsoft's Web site goes further. "If your organization has not started the migration to a modern PC, you are late," it said, because the average enterprise deployment can take 18 to 32 months "from business case through full deployment."
Chernyak described XP and Office 2003 as "great software releases for their time," but noted the rapid evolution of technology. Microsoft is recommending that companies upgrade now to Windows 7 and Office 2010, while there still is support for the older versions.
XP retains its popularity among many consumers and businesses, as a steady -- albeit limited -- platform. Given the lifespans of operating systems, XP is an elderly Methuselah, having gone on sale in the fall of 2001. When its life support is finally discontinued in two years, it will have been backed by the company about 30 months longer than the next oldest OS, Windows NT.
Charles King, an analyst with Pund-IT, described XP to us as "a terrific OS, very stable." He said companies "tend to migrate to new technologies when there are technical benefits to doing so," adding that he thought... newsfactor.com » | | 784 | You're frequently in front of someone else's computer. But whether surfing at an airport, library or client's office, you surely don't want the next person using the machine to know who you ogled on Facebook or which politician you read up on.
A USB by SurfEasy, a venture-backed start-up in Toronto, promises "plug-in privacy" when you browse the Internet from any public or third-party PC or Mac. The SurfEasy drive launches a password-protected browser that encrypts your cyberactivity without leaving any traces. No Web history, bookmarks, passwords or other personal information remain on the local computer. It's as if you were never there.
Instead, all that information is stored on the USB key. If you plug the drive into another computer -- and enter the password you signed up with the first time you plugged SurfEasy into a USB port -- you can access your surfing history, plus stored bookmarks and Web passwords. You might also be taken to the last site you visited, though that wasn't always the case.
Local searches are kept private. SurfEasy uses your Internet Protocol (IP) address to determine your whereabouts, but only tells Google for search purposes the city you're in, not your specific IP address. You can also disable the feature. SurfEasy's own IP addresses are in the U.S.; international locations are coming.
Employers and parents may not appreciate one other feature. The drive can help you bypass firewalls and other off-limit sites.
There's nothing complicated about SurfEasy's set-up: Just insert the drive. My first inclination was to insert it the wrong way because of where the logo is. Inserted properly, a blue light appears. You click an icon to launch the browser.
SurfEasy costs $59.99 and includes 2 gigabytes of encryption per month, covering about 45 hours of weekly Web browsing, the company says. If you plan to... newsfactor.com » | | 785 | Why can't your phone live on your wrist, like comic book detective Dick Tracy? A new Android-based wristwatch from Sony features e-mail, texting, Facebook and Twitter updates, and even a vibrating alert with notification when there's an incoming call.
Called, appropriately, the SmartWatch, the device connects to Android smartphones via Bluetooth, and is essentially a wearable remote control and display for your phone -- or, as Sony calls it, "a remote information center."
There's an App
The SmartWatch's touchscreen is a 1.3-inch OLED display, and the device works with most Android 2.1 and above smartphones.
Like an Android smartphone, a user can interact with the watch through a tap, touch, or finger swipe on the display. You can check your vibrating wrist to see who's calling, instead of having to take the phone out of a pocket or bag to check. A user can also access and control the music on a smartphone from the wrist device.
Apps for the watch are available through the Google Play online store, offering such functionalities as social updates, workouts and music.
There are apps for displaying scheduled events in chronological order, and for messaging, Gmail, Calendar notifications, finding your smartphone, and battery strength. For Sony and Sony Ericsson Android phones, there's an app to connect into corporate e-mail, and, of course, one with a variety of call handling functions.
Sony has plans to extend the reach of the smartphones beyond the SmartWatch. Paul Hamnett, head of the customer unit for Sony Mobile Communications in North America, said in a statement that SmartWatch is only the first of many Smart Extras from Sony that will "seamlessly connect and expand the smartphone's reach and user experience."
At the moment, though, other Smart Extras from Sony currently include only such modest add-ons as functional buttons on smartphone headsets or... newsfactor.com » | | 786 |  Хабы: Социальные сети и сообщества, Facebook
Социальная сеть Facebook старается следовать обещаниям своего руководства, которое в очередной раз сообщило о намерении сделать работу пользователя в среде Facebook более прозрачной. Ранее был создан инструмент «Download Your Information», позволяющий пользователю просмотреть и скачать многие свои данные, загруженные в социальную сеть в течение всего времени пребывания на этом ресурсе. Сейчас этот инструмент значительно обновлен.
Читать дальше → habrahabr.ru » | | 787 | If you're drowning in e-mails on Gmail, Google has a new tool that could help you swim through them faster. On Thursday, the software giant announced the availability of a new Gmail Meter that provides visual and numerical analytics about your e-mails.
The meter is powered by an Apps Script that runs on the first day of each month. The results, an e-mail with various statistics analyzing your e-mails, is then sent to your Inbox. The stats include Volume Statistics, Daily Traffic, Traffic Patterns, E-Mail Categories, and other metrics. The app was created by a Google Apps Script Top Contributor, Romain Vialard.
Word Count, Thread Lengths
Volume Statistics itemizes how many e-mails were important and starred, the number of different people who sent the e-mails, how many were sent directly to you, and how many replies or original e-mails were sent. Google said that data and other in the Gmail Meter can be useful in making choices in Priority Inbox, which offers automatic sorting, categorizing into sections, and predictive analytics.
Peaks in traffic flow are presented as a time-based graph, allowing users to see when they are most e-mail-productive, and other graphs show the volume of received and sent e-mails over the past week. A pie chart shows the percentage of categorized e-mails, and Time Before First Response indicates how long you take to answer -- and for others to answer you.
If you wonder whether your average e-mail response is too verbose, Word Count presents the data in a bar chart. Other metrics include Thread Lengths, which helps users understand if they're participating in long threads of e-mails, and Top Senders and Top Recipients, which show your most frequent e-mail correspondents.
Gmail Outage
Gmail Meter can be set up from Google Docs, by opening a Spreadsheet, installing the meter from Script Gallery in Tools, and generating... newsfactor.com » | | 788 | Хабы: Информационная безопасность, Google, Dura Lex Вчера Google презентовала новый сервис Google Drive, вызвавший множество противоречивых мнений — с одной стороны от корпорации давно ждали онлайн-хранилища и сервиса синхронизации/бэкапа, с другой стороны повышение цены на платное хранилище сделало Drive «ещё одним облачным хранилищем». Но поговорим мы не об этом, а о странных условиях использования, которые ныне одинаковые для всех служб Google, в том числе Google Drive.
Читать дальше → habrahabr.ru » | | 789 | iPhone 4S, meet the Galaxy S III. Samsung's latest model in its Galaxy lineup was launched Wednesday, and comparisons are being made with Apple's popular smartphone.
In fact, Samsung is trying to position the device as just a step beyond what's out there. In a statement accompanying the release, the company said the S III is a smartphone that "recognizes your voice, understands your intention," and maximizes sharing.
Smart Stay, S Voice
The new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone features a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display with 1280x720 resolution, an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.9 megapixel camera on the front. Burst mode takes up to 20 shots, and a Best Photo function automatically selects the best in a burst of eight shots.
There are 16 GB and 32 GB versions, and a microSD slot can expand the memory to 64 GB. Wi-Fi Channel Bonding doubles Wi-Fi bandwidth for faster connectivity. The HSPA+ version is being released first, followed in a few months by an LTE incarnation.
Some new features include "smart stay" to prevent the device from going to sleep during periods of inactivity if, for instance, the user is reading an e-book but only occasionally physically interacting. "Smart stay" uses the front camera image to determine if the user is looking at the screen, in which case the device stays awake.
The company also said the device can recognize "how you are using your phone," such as browsing the Web, by watching the user's eyes and then, if needed, maintaining a bright display. The phone also infers intention on occasion, such as dialing a person's number if you lift the phone to your ear after having texted the same individual.
There is also voice-control, called S Voice, for setting an alarm clock, replying to an e-mail, or launching the camera. "Smart alert"... newsfactor.com » | | 790 | Moving digital files between your work and home computers can be a pain. Add smartphones and tablet computers to the mix, and you've got yourself a giant headache.
Google Inc. unveiled its solution to the problem last week, while two other companies, Dropbox Inc. and Microsoft Corp., improved their existing offerings. The idea is to leave your files on their computers, so that you can access them from any Internet-connected device, wherever you are.
That means you can stop emailing big files to yourself, and you can stop carrying those USB thumb drives that fill up quickly, especially when transferring photos and video. These services also make it easier to share documents with others.
The three services I tried are free, though you'll have to pay if you need more than your allotted storage.
Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive share many core features.
You can store just about any type of file -- photos, videos, songs, spreadsheets and more -- on distant servers operated by those companies. All you need is a Web browser and an Internet connection. To upload a file to the online storage service, you simply move the file's icon to the browser window. The original file remains on your computer.
To access a file from another computer, you simply go to the service's Web site and log in. You can make changes on that computer and move the file back online. You can create Web links to entire folders or specific files for sharing.
You can install free software to simplify these transfers. The software creates a special folder on your computer for that particular service. Anything you add to it will automatically get transferred to your online storage. If you or colleagues make changes from another computer, the original version gets automatically updated.
A subset of features is also available through apps... newsfactor.com » | | 791 | In a move to distinguish itself from Facebook, Google+ has officially opened the doors to a new streaming video feature that lets its users publish themselves. Hangouts On Air is ready for the world.
The Google+ Hangouts On Air debuted when the social network was in its infancy to a limited audience. Essentially, it makes Google+ Hangouts -- a feature that lets you hold a video chat with up to nine people -- into a live publishing platform.
Google+ Hangouts On Air lets you tap into a larger audience -- or view other broadcasters. Put another way, it's a public broadcasting mechanism that taps into some of the technology Google acquired when it purchased YouTube.
The YouTube Connection
Chee Chew, an engineering director at Google, introduced Google+ Hangouts On Air to the Google Official Blog reading audience in a post that outlined its functions.
"Last year we introduced Hangouts On Air to a limited number of broadcasters, enabling them to go live with friends and fans, for all the world to see," he wrote on Monday morning. "Since then, this small community has grown the feature in lots of creative ways. And they've made one thing crystal clear: when groups of passionate individuals can broadcast live, together, the results are truly remarkable."
Google+ Hangouts On Air lets you broadcast publicly. By checking "Enable Hangouts On Air," you can broadcast your live Hangout from the Google+ stream onto your YouTube channel or on your Web site. During your broadcast, you can also see how many live viewers you've got.
"Once you're off the air, we'll upload a public recording to your YouTube channel, and to your original Google+ post," Chew wrote. "This way it's easy to share and discuss your broadcast after it's over."
Look Out, Ustream
We caught up with Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, to... newsfactor.com » | | 792 | You come into your office and randomly place your power-depleted smartphone and tablet on your desk. A few hours later, when you're ready to use them, they're recharged. That vision of wireless recharging utopia is behind a new initiative called the Alliance for Wireless Power, or A4WP.
This week, wireless leaders Samsung and Qualcomm joined the alliance, which previously included Ever Win Industries, Gill Industries, Peiker Acustic, Powermat Technologies, and SK Telecom. The A4WP is looking to release standards that will help to create what it described as "a true and ubiquitous wireless charging infrastructure."
'Spatial Freedom'
This "spatial freedom," as the alliance calls it, would enable owners of mobile devices to charge their units without the spaghetti-like configuration of wires and AC adapters that currently populate charging areas. Devices could be charged without wires in cars or on furniture, such as tabletops or desktops, and multiple devices could be charged at the same time.
The standards would involve an easy-to-implement transmitter for the charger and a receiver for the device, a simple wireless power control system, and the ability for power to be transmitted through non-metallic surfaces. The standards would lead to wireless chargers that could replenish devices of various sizes and requirements, from Bluetooth headsets to tablets.
In announcing that Samsung and Qualcomm were joining the effort, the alliance noted that shipments of wireless-power enabled devices are expected to exceed 100 million within three years. But the obvious key is that, whether at home or at work, wireless power infrastructures must be compatible with each other and with the devices.
'Could Be Huge'
In addition to creating standards, the alliance will also develop a certification program, assist with regulatory compliance, and support a marketing effort that is intended to expand the technology's ecosystem.
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Consulting, said compatible wireless... newsfactor.com » | | 793 | If you're feeling nostalgic about the days when you drank Pabst Blue Ribbon beer because it was cheap, not trendy, a new online tool from the Social Security Administration will take you on a walk down memory lane.
On May 1, Social Security launched a feature on its Web site, www.socialsecurity.gov, that allows workers to view an online version of their Social Security earnings and benefits statements. The program also allows you to estimate your retirement, disability and survivors benefits.
You can use this tool to show your kids how little you made when you started working (after you've reminded them that you walked 5 miles to get to school, without an iPod or cellphone). But more important, it can help you receive all of the benefits you're due, and make smart decisions about when to claim them.
Social Security used to mail workers an annual earnings statement, but suspended those mailings last year to save money. Starting in February, Social Security resumed mailing paper statements to workers 60 and older who aren't already receiving benefits. Later this year, it will mail paper statements to workers in the year they turn 25.
Before you can review your online earnings statement, you must go to www.ssa.gov/mystatement and create an account. The program will ask you a bunch of personal questions for security reasons, so be prepared to give up the name of your first pet and answer some multiple-choice questions about your finances. Social Security contracted with credit bureau Experian to provide information for verification purposes.
Once you've established your identity, you can create an account with a user name and password. Social Security recommends reviewing it annually.
Here's what you can learn from the online earnings statement:
Whether your earnings have been reported correctly. It's a lot of fun to reminisce about the year you earned a... newsfactor.com » | | 794 | In my five years on Facebook, I've shared a lot of photos, links and other tidbits about my life. I've commented on what my friends share, and I've endorsed plenty of their posts by hitting the "like" button. I've gained Facebook friends over the years, and I've lost some.
[I] decided it was a good time to take CEO Mark Zuckerberg up on his offer to give back to me everything I've put up on Facebook.
In announcing the Download Your Information feature in 2010, Zuckerberg promised "an easy way to quickly download to your computer everything you've ever posted on Facebook and all your correspondences with friends: your messages, Wall posts, photos, status updates and profile information."
It was billed as part of Facebook's effort to give you more control over your data.
Why might you want this?
Internet services sometimes lose data. A few of my Facebook posts have inexplicably disappeared over the years, so it's reassuring to know that I can download a backup anytime.
The feature also allows me to close my Facebook account without giving up all of my memories, should I ever want to. As long as Facebook keeps offering the feature, I can post to my heart's content and rest assured that I always have the option to leave without losing my digital investment.
Perhaps one day another social network will overtake Facebook. It would be great if you could populate that with years' worth of photos and musings from Facebook, rather than have to start over. There's no good way of doing so now. I'm surprised rival Google Plus doesn't have a huge "import" button for transferring over your Facebook life. But having that archive is a start, and it'll just take someone to build that transfer capability.
I'll also add that a Facebook archive could be useful if a... newsfactor.com » | | 795 | Хорошие новости для любителей stereomood.
Сегодня в marketplace появился клиент для данного сервиса, с блекджеком и бесплатным триалом.
Читать дальше → habrahabr.ru » | | 796 | A watchful eye has arrived to check out patrons of San Francisco's bar scene. A new app launched this weekend that will scan the faces of patrons in 25 bars across the city to determine their ages and genders. Would-be customers can then check their smartphones for real-time updates on the crowd size, average age and male-to-female mix to decide whether the scene is to their liking.
The Austin, Texas-based makers of SceneTap say the app doesn't identify specific individuals or save personal information. But in a city known for its love of both libations and civil liberties, a backlash erupted even before the first cameras were switched on from bar-goers who said they would boycott any venue with SceneTap installed.
SceneTap's ability to guess how old people are and whether they're men or women relies on advances in a field known as biometrics. A camera at the door snaps your picture, and software maps your features to a grid. By measuring distances such as the length between the nose and the eyes and the eyes and the ears, an algorithm matches your dimensions to a database of averages for age and gender.
SceneTap CEO Cole Harper says the app doesn't invade patrons' privacy because the only data it stores is their estimated ages and genders and the time they arrived -- not their images or measurements.
"Nothing that we do is collecting personal information. It's not recorded, it's not streamed, it's not individualized," Harper said.
Whether the company's promises are comforting or SceneTap still seems creepy, it portends a near future when any camera-equipped smartphone will have the ability to recognize faces with a click of the virtual shutter.
Already the iPhone's camera app will highlight a person's face on the screen with a green box before the picture is even snapped. And Apple's iPhoto... newsfactor.com » | | 797 | If you like the comfort of booking your stay on a hotel-owned Web site and dealing directly with the property when something goes awry, then a new collaborative venture, RoomKey.com, should be on your radar.
Founded in January by Choice Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Wyndham and Marriott, Room Key is designed to give the benefits of booking your room directly with the hotel and enough choice from these hotel chains and their partners that you won't be tempted to plunk your money down on an online travel agency site instead.
Here's how Room Key works:
You enter your desired destination and dates, and Room Key's default hotel results show properties based on their proximity to the city center. You can alternately change the sort order based on price, hotel name and star rating.
On Room Key, which has an attractive and uncluttered look, you can then view an overview of each property, along with photos, a map and ratings and review snippets from TripAdvisor.
Along with the room rate and estimated total price, including taxes and fees, some of the hotel listings feature "Book at" buttons that show the hotel logo. Others display "Book it" buttons with no logo. This logo or no-logo distinction is all-important on Room Key.
If you decide to book a property for which the hotel logo is shown, you'll navigate from Room Key right to the hotel Web site. There, you generally (but not always) will be able to reserve the room with your credit card without prepaying. You'll get the benefit of earning rewards points, avoid the unpredictability of diverse booking fees from online travel agencies, and make special requests for things such as early check-in or connecting rooms.
After the reservation, you also can pick up a phone and call the property with any changes or wish-list... newsfactor.com » | | 798 | Yahoo may have lost its CEO and its long-held title of search engine king, but the beleaguered Internet giant isn't giving up on search just yet. In fact, Yahoo just rolled out new software that it claims re-imagines the way people search and browse the Web.
Dubbed Axis, the new technology offers what Yahoo argues is the only search experience to allow consumers to enter a search and see and interact with visual results -- all without leaving the pages they are on.
Axis does this by integrating with any desktop browser and automatically connecting online experiences across multiple devices. It's available now for iOS devices and as a desktop plug-in for HTML5-enabled browsers.
"Our search strategy is predicated on two core beliefs -- one, that people want answers, not links and two, that consumer-facing search is ripe for innovative disruption," said Shashi Seth, senior vice president of Connections at Yahoo. "With Axis, we have redefined and re-architected the search and browse experience from the ground up."
Instant Search Answers
That's the theory. But what does Axis look like in practice? Yahoo describes the innovation as a means to give you instant answers and visual previews so you can discover and explore content without interruption. The idea is to keep you moving forward in your search instead of returning to a page of blue links. You can swipe or click the next result on the results page.
Axis also allows you to move seamlessly across devices. For example, after you download Axis you can start a search on your computer, flip through the results while out on your iPhone, and finish the search at home on your iPad. It's akin to the concept of reading a Kindle book on multiple devices and picking up where you left off. Axis also lets you share content via... newsfactor.com » |
|
| |
|