Barence - Slashdot User

Can you buy tech with a clean conscience?-> 1

Submitted by

Barence

on Saturday May 26, @09:13AM

Barence writes "PC Pro has a feature asking if it's even possible to buy technology with a clean conscience? With the vast majority of gadgets and components manufactured using low-paid labour in Asia, manufacturers unable to accurately plot their supply chains, and very few ethical codes of conduct, the feature highlights the difficulty of trying to buy ethically-sound kit.

"So can you buy technology with a clear conscience? The answer would appear to be no. Too little information is available, and nobody we spoke to believed an entirely ethical technology company exists – at least, not among the household names," the feature concludes."
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"Inexact" chips save power by fudging the maths-> 0

Submitted by Barence on Friday May 18, @06:38AM

Barence writes "Computer scientists have unveiled a computer chip that turns traditional thinking about mathematical accuracy on its head by fudging calculations. The concept works by allowing processing components — such as hardware for adding and multiplying numbers — to make a few mistakes, which means they are not working as hard so use less power and get through tasks more quickly. The Rice University researchers say prototypes are 15 times more efficient and could be used in some applications without having a negative effect."
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The 30 best features of Windows -> 0

Submitted by

Barence

on Saturday May 12, @04:01AM

Barence writes "PC Pro has picked out its 30 best of Windows 8. Its countdown includes features such as the revamped Task Manager, the option to run ISOs and VHDs natively, and Windows To Go, which allows you to take a portable installation of Windows 8 with you.

PC Pro has also picked ten features it would like to see added to Windows 8, including the return of the Start button on the desktop, virtual desktops and one-click sharing of optical drives."
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Apple blocks Dropbox-based apps -> 0

Submitted by

Barence

on Wednesday May 02, @03:26AM

Barence writes "Apple is rejecting apps that use the new Dropbox SDK because they inadvertently allow users to buy extra online storage without Apple taking a cut.

Online storage service Dropbox is commonly used by iOS developers as a way of allowing users to share files created within their apps to other devices.

Dropbox's latest SDK has incurred the wrath of Apple, because users who don't have the Dropbox app installed on their iPhone/iPad are instead pushed to Dropbox's website via the Safari browser. Here, they can click a link to the desktop version of the service, which allows them to buy extra Dropbox storage without Apple taking its usual 30% cut.

"Apple should reject all web browser apps because they can take you to a page that lets you purchase stuff," writes one infuriated developer. "Go Apple! Crack down on all commerce!""
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British ISPs ordered to block Pirate Bay-> 0

Submitted by

Barence

on Monday April 30, @10:54AM

Barence writes "Five of Britain's biggest ISPs have been ordered to block access to The Pirate Bay. Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media have been told to block access to the site. Britain's biggest ISP, BT, has been given a few further weeks to "consider its position".

Music lobby group, the BPI, welcomed the move, saying music creators "deserve to be paid for their work just like everyone else" and calling for those who use The Pirate Bay to illegally download content to "explore the many digital music services operating ethically and legally in the UK.""
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Android fans: pay for your apps, please -> 2

Submitted by

Barence

on Friday April 27, @12:46PM

Barence writes "Android users need to spend more on apps if the platform is to have a long-term future, according to PC Pro's Mike Jennings.

The blog highlights how developers are questioning their support for Android, given the higher than average levels of piracy on the platform and the reluctance of many users to pay for apps.

"Plenty of people love Android but, conversely, plenty of its biggest fans seem to show their allegiance by resisting the urge to support some of its best software and most talented developers," writes Jennings. "If that continues, there might not be much of a platform left to exploit. It’s a worst-case scenario, but it’s easy to prevent: next time you feel like pirating rather than forking out less than the cost of a sandwich, reconsider. Your favourite phone platform might depend on it.""
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Microsoft's Hotmail challenge backfires -> 0

Submitted by

Barence

on Wednesday April 25, @09:26AM

Barence writes "Microsoft challenged the editor of PC Pro to return to Hotmail after six years of using Gmail, to prove that its webmail service had vastly improved — but the challenge backfired when he had his Hotmail account hacked.

PC Pro's editor say he was quietly impressed with a number of new Hotmail features, including SkyDrive integration and mailbox clean-up features. He'd even imported his Gmail and contacts into Microsoft's service. But the two-week experiment came to an abrupt end when Hotmail sent a message containing a malicious link to all of his contacts.

"What’s even more worrying is that it’s not only my webmail that’s been compromised, but my Xbox login (which holds my credit card details) and now my PC login too. Because Windows 8 practically forces you to login with your Windows Live/Hotmail details to access features such as the Metro Store, synchronisation and SkyDrive," he writes."
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Intel Ivy Bridge review with benchmarks-> 0

Submitted by Barence on Monday April 23, @12:22PM

Barence writes "Ivy Bridge is finally here, and the benchmark results can be revealed. It's not a huge step up in application performance — anything from 2-9% in PC Pro's tests — but the new HD 4000 GPU is a big step up, even running Crysis at Medium settings. Power consumption is also down significantly, so Ivy Bridge looks perfect for the next wave of Ultrabooks."
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Agony aunt an "expert witness" on net censorship-> 0

Submitted by

Barence

on Thursday April 19, @08:22AM

Barence writes "A tabloid newspaper agony aunt has been called as an expert witness in a Parliamentary Inquiry which recommended blanket censorship of British internet connections. Deidre Sanders is best known as the agony aunt for The Sun newspaper, answering "sexual, relationship, emotional and family problems for all ages", often in picturebook form.

She was among the witnesses calling for greater protection for children against internet pornography — even though her own newspaper runs photos of topless models on Page 3 every day. When asked about this apparent contradiction, she said she was comfortable with children looking at photos of topless women because “the Editor of The Sun thinks it’s okay” and because “nine million people read it”."
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Google: the pirates' best friend?-> 0

Submitted by

Barence

on Saturday April 14, @06:35AM

Barence writes "PC Pro has a feature examining whether Google does enough to combat piracy on its search engine. The article reveals how adding add the term “download” or “mp3” to a search query on a song title results in search results topped by a series of illegitimate download sites, including torrent search tools such as The Pirate Bay.

An infographic accompanying the article shows that legal download stores make up only a tiny fraction of first-page search results when searching for the latest chart hits.

However, as the feature points out, it's debatable how many people go to Google to search for illegal downloads. Google's own Trends tool reveals that searching for the band name and track was significantly more popular than adding the word “download” or “mp3”.""
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