Новости за 31.10.2016

Underwater explorers no longer need to get their feet wet to uncover some of history's most notable shipwrecks. Oxygen tanks and flippers are being replaced by underwater robots. Sam Macdonald is the president of Deep Trekker, a Canadian company that makes underwater bots. Since Deep Trekker's creation in 2010, the company's robots have become a standard in the aquaculture industry, but, Macdonald says, that wasn't the original intent. 

If you're not interested in Windows 10, System76 has a new Ubuntu laptop with Intel's Kaby Lake chip that won't burn your wallet.

Looking to broaden the qualities of its open source stack, the OpenSwitch project said SnapRoute and Dell EMC will add new features to its network operating system.

Mozilla last week named its next-generation browser engine project and said it would introduce the new technology to Firefox next year.

Boost the range of your existing WiFi and create a stronger signal in hard-to-reach areas with a WiFi range extender like this one from Netgear, which is highly rated and currently discounted 43% on Amazon. . This compact AC750 wall-plug WiFi booster delivers AC dual band WiFi up to 750 Mbps, and is small and discreet, easily blending into your home decor. Well over 13,000 people have reviewed the AC750 on Amazon (read reviews) and have given it an average of 4 out of 5 stars. Right now its list price of $70 has been reduced to $40. Читать дальше...

There is no clear winner in the debate of whether to buy or build software.

The yearly testing of our incident response protocol was on my radar for later this year, but circumstances moved it up on the agenda and turned it from a tabletop exercise to a real-world crisis.

Silicon Valley's overwhelming support of Hillary Clinton has one bug in it, according to tech billionaire Peter Thiel. With a week until the election, Thiel was in Washington Monday defending Donald Trump and criticizing Silicon Valley for failing to see outside its bubble.

Some people are calling for FBI Director James Comey’s head, claiming he violated the Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939 to stop federal employees and programs from showing political bias or using their position to influence or interfere with an election.

Since its release, a major point of controversy with Windows 10 has been the many ways that it can track your personal activity and gather other data about you. Many people don’t mind sharing personal information in exchange for enabling or enhancing a helpful app or service.

There’s a new battle for your hard-earned computing dollars.

The current skirmish is one for the ages, though. It’s Microsoft against Apple, the Mac versus Windows, the laptop versus the desktop.

This time, the desktop looks pretty dang appealing. The Surface Studio screen pivots down to become a canvas. There’s a Dial you use directly on the screen to select colors and effects in Adobe Photoshop. The same pen you use with the Surface Book works with the desktop, so you might as well buy a couple of spares. Читать дальше...

Today, a robust, VR-capable smartphone could cost you more than $500. But a new GPU from ARM could make VR a default feature in low-cost handsets by 2018.

The tenth-anniversary iPhone may integrate wireless charging and include OLED screens, the latest Nikkei rumors claim.

Mobile apps have become the business user’s lifeblood. When crucial apps including email and calendar fail, perform poorly, or don’t sync effectively, the results can be devastating. Fortunately, in today’s environment, there’s no reason for organizations to settle for any solution that fails to live up to enterprise expectations.

The Roverbeats Unify enables Bluetooth 4.0 capability on traditional audio systems lacking Bluetooth functionality. Just connect it to your system's A/V, RCA, or 3.5mm jack input. The Unify is the first Bluetooth receiver to have a 200mAh battery, allowing it to provide up to 10 hours of continuous high quality music playback. And with NFC capability, the Unify can quickly connect with any other NFC enabled device in the matter of seconds. The adapter gives you wireless control up to 33 feet.... Читать дальше...

Apple's dramatic price increase for its top-of-the-line MacBook Pro notebooks was aligned with the company's recent contention that the iPad Pro, when equipped with a keyboard, was a suitable substitute for a personal computer, analysts argued today.

Attackers are aggressively attacking Joomla-based websites by exploiting two critical vulnerabilities patched last week.

CenturyLink plans to acquire internet backbone company Level 3 Communications in a $34 billion cash and stock deal that aims to consolidate the networks and customers of the two companies.

The new MacBook Pro comes with two or four external ports, depending on the model you pick. But those ports are only of one type: Thunderbolt 3, which is compatible with USB-C.

How can a Linux geek have a fun Halloween? It's not as hard as you might imagine. Before you put away your costume and all those decorations that you put up to scare your neighbors' kids, make a stab at turning your office into a scary place for a day. Here are some tips that might help you enjoy your spooky day and bring a little cheer into your office.

Remember what happened with a SpaceX rocket two months ago?

I know -- it can be hard to recall something that happened last week, but this was kind of a big deal. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its satellite payload exploded on the launch pad. Now SpaceX is close to pinpointing the root cause of the explosion, and of resuming business as usual. Which for the company, is launching rockets into space. 

In IT Blogwatch, we get ready for liftoff. 

So what exactly happened? Well, that is what we are trying to figure out. Читать дальше...

Anyone in retail IT looking for a good ROI argument should simply refer to an advisory to shareholders that Rent-A-Center issued earlier this month. The $3.3 billion, 2,600-store chain on Oct. 11 advised that its revenues were dropping — and then it pointed the finger at POS problems.

When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted last Thursday (Oct. 27) to accept new privacy rules for ISPs, the move was heralded by many as an important step forward in U.S. privacy protections. But a closer look at the particulars shows a decision that has so many exceptions — and and that makes it easy for ISPs to hide customer permission deep within lengthy terms and conditions documents — it amounts to a big backward step for privacy, one that will likely embolden any ISPs that was inclined to violate privacy anyway. Читать дальше...

Tesla has announced four different solar roof tiles that the company plans to tie tightly into its manufacturing and sales of household and commercial battery systems, that will be able to store the energy while at the time making it available to charge Tesla electric cars.

The city of Kansas City, Mo., blazed a new technology trail in May when it launched its first streetcar line with public Wi-Fi that spreads across two square miles, covering more than 50 square blocks. It also marked the debut of the city's first-generation smart city corridor for new technologies, many of which will run wirelessly over one of the largest free public Wi-Fi zones in the country.