SmartAboutThings - Slashdot User

Submission + - Pinterest Reveals its First Transparency Report

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Monday March 10, 2014 @09:25AM

SmartAboutThings writes: There’s been a lot of brouhaha surrounding privacy these days, and despite the fact that Pinterest isn’t among the most targeted websites when it comes to government data requests, the company, which is said to have near 80 million users, has decided to make public its first ever transparency report. Given the nature of the service and the fact that it is much smaller than Facebook, it was only natural not to expect too many data requests. According to Pinterest’s report, from July to December 2013, the company has received only 7 warrants, 5 subpoenas, 1 civil subpoena, and 0 other requests about 13 user accounts. Compare that to Microsoft which has received more than 35,000 requests during the second half of last year while Facebook received somewhere around 15,000.

Submission + - Flappy Bird Clones Flood the Windows Store

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Sunday March 09, 2014 @01:37PM

SmartAboutThings writes: I never understood the craziness and popularity behind the Flappy Bird game and I somewhat agreed with the founder when he pulled down the game from mobile stores. But now more and more copycats are basically flooding the Windows Store . In the ‘New & Rising’ section on the Windows Store there are featured 1,000 Windows 8 apps and from my basic calculation, around 20% are Flappy Bird clones. Considering the fact that there are now more than four million daily downloads from the Windows Store, I wonder how many of these contain Flappy Bird copycats

Submission + - FreedomPop Unveils Cheap Privacy Phone For $189

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @11:50AM

SmartAboutThings writes: FreedomPop, the US budget carrier that not too many have heard about, has now announced the “Snowden Phone“ n, a customized version of the Galaxy S2 with a focus on privacy. According to FreedomPop, this is the only smartphone and mobile service that allows for encrypted communication. FreedomPop users of the “Snowden Phone” will communicate via voice calls and text messages in a secure environment using 128-bit encryption for the protect of your connection. You will also be able to anonymously browse the internet without having to worry about online marketers tracking your web activity, as data is funneled through a pre-installed VPN.

Submission + - Apple CarPlay – iPhone Integration in The Car Announced

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Monday March 03, 2014 @03:41AM

SmartAboutThings writes: At the Geneva International Motor Show, Apple has finally unveiled what was previously rumored as “iOS in the car”. Premiering with leading auto manufacturers like BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover and many others, Apple has unveiled CarPlay , ‘the smarter, safer and more fun way to use iPhone in the car. The new Apple CarPlay product will be available as an update to iOS 7 and will work with Lightning-enabled iPhone 5s, 5c and iPhone 5. You will be able to easily control CarPlay from the car’s native interface or just by using the push-and-hold voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri. Thus, you will be able to perform a wide area of functions such as making hands-free calls, using Maps, listening to music or access written and audio messages. By using Siri, drivers will be able to dictate responses or make calls, without getting distracted from driving.

Submission + - 500 Billion Microsoft Office Documents Were Made in 2013

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Monday February 24, 2014 @12:46PM

SmartAboutThings writes: At the MWC 2014 edition in Barcelona, Chris Flores, the director of communication for Microsoft’s Windows group, has informed us about a very interesting statistics that you were probably curious about at least once in your life time – just how many Microsoft Office Documents get created during an entire year across the world? Well, they say around 500, 000, 000, 000. That’s pretty big when we consider the following – these are probably official numbers from those who are running paid versions of Microsoft’s suite.

Submission + - Intel Catches up With Apple, Unveils Moorefield & Merrifield 64-bit Chips

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Monday February 24, 2014 @07:46AM

SmartAboutThings writes: Intel has just unveiled the new, low power 64-bit mobile processor platforms at the Mobile World Congress. Intel hopes that with the next-generation Atom Z3400 “Merrifield” dual-core processor and Atom Z3500 “Moorefield” quad-core chip it can finally challenge Qualcomm and other ARM-based CPU vendors.Of course, Intel means targets Apple and the iconic smartphone.

Submission + - Microsoft Confirms Windows 8.1 Spring Update, to Focus on Non-touch Devices

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Sunday February 23, 2014 @08:49AM

SmartAboutThings writes: At a special event at the Mobile World Congress, Microsoft has announced the 'spring' update for Windows 8.1 . Joe Belfiore, who is the head of platform at Microsoft, for smartphones, tablets and desktop devices, said that the Windows 8.1 update will come this spring and with it, it will come with improvements for non-touch devices. Belfiore said that the spring update will focus on bringing back some of the "old" features to Windows 8.1, such as the much-hyped about start button, but this won't have a negative impact on the touch experience.

Submission + - Windows 8 Has Surpassed 200 Million Licenses Sold 2

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Friday February 14, 2014 @03:52PM

SmartAboutThings writes: Back in March, 2013, we knew that the number of Windows 8 sold copies was somewhere near sixty millions, nearing almost 100 in the middle of last year. Now, Microsoft has confirmed that there are now more than 200 million Windows 8 sold licenses. The information was first made available by Tami Reller, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of Marketing during Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference. The number includes Windows licenses that ship on a new tablet or PC, as well as upgrades to Windows 8 but does not include volume license sales to enterprise.

Submission + - iWatch Prototypes Could be Ready, Apple Hires Fitness Physiologists for Tests

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Thursday February 06, 2014 @06:07PM

SmartAboutThings writes: Recently, Apple has been on a hiring spree, allegedly adding to its 100+ team of members of the iWatch team a sleep expert, a former expert in pulse oximetry and many others. Now, according to a recent job listing on Apple’s own website, it seems that Cupertino is looking for physiologists for fitness and energy tests. In my opinion, this can only mean that the iWatch is nearing its final stage and that experts are required to assess how it fares.

Submission + - Satya Nadella is The New Microsoft CEO

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Tuesday February 04, 2014 @10:22AM

SmartAboutThings writes: Microsoft has been hunting for a new CEO ever since it has been announced that Steve Ballmer would step down from the position that he held for more than 13 years. Back in August 23, Microsoft said that Ballmer would resign within 12 months and that moment has come today as Microsoft’s Board of Directors has appointed Satya Nadella as the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Nadella had previously worked as the Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. Also, Bill Gates, the iconic Microsoft Founder will be supporting Nadella in shaping new technology and products as John Thompson, a lead independent director for the Board of Directors, will take over the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors that Gates held.

Submission + - Edward Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Wednesday January 29, 2014 @11:04AM

SmartAboutThings writes: Edward Snowden has a chance of getting the 2014 Nobel Peace Price, as two Norwegian members of the Parliament have nominated him – Baard Vegard Solhjell, a former environment minister and Snorre Valen. For those who don't know, the Nobel prize has been running since 1901 and is awarded annually in Oslo, Norway. So, the fact that members of the Norwegian Parliament have proposed him for the Nobel Peace Prize could improve his chance of winning. After all, if Obama got this prize, why wouldn't Snowden get it?

Comment Re:Not At MWC 2014 (Score 1) 153

by SmartAboutThings on Wednesday January 29, 2014 @06:20AM (#46098413) Attached to: Samsung's First Tizen Smartphone Gets Leaked

FTFA:

Unfortunately, we might not see the phone at MWC 2014, as our source indicates that the launch has been pushed further to accommodate other launches (psstâ¦ Galaxy S5).

So I guess whomever wrote the summary didn't read all the way to the bottom of the 2nd link.

No, just that when I submitted it, we didn't have that information at our disposal

Submission + - One Billion Smartphones Shipped In 2013

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Tuesday January 28, 2014 @10:43AM

SmartAboutThings writes: According to market research firm IDC, there have been more than 1 billion smartphones shipped last year , which marks a 38.4% increase from 2012. Samsung is the world’s biggest vendor, with a 31.3% market share which translates into 313.9 million smartphones; followed by Apple with 153.4 iPhones, which constitutes a 15.3% share. On the following positions we find Huawei, LG, Lenovo and other companies. Total smartphone shipments back in 2011 reached 494.4 million units worldwide, so last year's numbers are more than double. IDC says that large screen devices and cheap smartphones were the main factors for this amazing increase.

Submission + - Samsung's First Tizen Smartphone Gets Leaked

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Tuesday January 28, 2014 @10:31AM

SmartAboutThings writes: We are less than a month away from seeing the first ever Tizen smartphone from Samsung. The leaked image points towards Feb 24th launch date at MWC 2014 in Barcelona. The phone design is very similar to Galaxy phones, while the UI reminds us of Windows Phone 8 . Samsung is also the world's top smartphone vendor, so it has all the chances of developing a mobile OS of its own, what do you think?

Submission + - OneDrive is Microsoft's Rebranded Name for SkyDrive

Submitted by SmartAboutThings on Monday January 27, 2014 @11:24AM

SmartAboutThings writes: Microsoft has just announced that SkyDrive, their cloud storage service will be renamed to OneDrive very soon. This follows the news of trademark infringement case filed by British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB)last year over SkyDrive branding . Microsoft had initially hinted at fighting BSkyB’s claims over SkyDrive branding, but then decided to step back and rebrand their cloud offering. The Redmond giant has registered onedrive.com and has also posted a promotional video on YouTube announcing the upcoming change.

Slashdot Top Deals