Affichage des articles dont le libellé est NEWS. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est NEWS. Afficher tous les articles

vendredi 13 janvier 2017

Microsoft rolls out second Windows 10 Creators Update test build in a week

Just three days after releasing a Windows 10 Creators Update test build chock-full of new features, Microsoft is releasing another new test build, but this time to both PC and Mobile Fast Ring testers.
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On the heels of Windows 10 test Build 15002, which Microsoft delivered on January 9 to Fast Ring PC Insiders only, Microsoft rolled out 15007 on January 12.
This new build has quite a few new features, especially for Windows 10 phone users who haven't had a new Windows 10 test build in weeks.
On PCs, Microsoft has added some new capabilities for discovering and enrolling in Windows Hello facial recognition. There's an improved progress indicator when signing in, plus visual guidance for tracking faces in real time.
On PCs, Cortana can now help users pick up where they left off by displaying quick links in the Action Center designed to help users get back to the Edge sites or other documents they've been most recently using.
Build 15007 adds the ability to share tabs in Edge and to more easily import settings from other browsers to Edge.
On Windows 10 Phones running 15007, users can sign into Cortana with work or school accounts instead of their Microsoft Accounts. There are also new options to set recurring time-based Cortana reminders.
With 15007, phone users can now reset apps back to their original state, as they already can on PCs running Windows Anniversary update.Mobile testers now can sync settings using Azure Active Directory using Enterprise State Roaming. Users can sync passwords, Wi-Fi profiles, browser favorites and other app data. And they now can use the new Payment Request API for web payments that was added for PC users with Build 15002.
For a list of other updates and known issues for both PC and Mobile 15007 builds, check Microsoft's January 12 blog post.
Windows 10 Creators Update is expected to be released some time in April 2017, according to various reports.

mercredi 4 janvier 2017

This Android-infecting Trojan malware uses your phone to attack your router


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A new form of Android Trojan malware is capable of attacking the routers controlling the wireless networks of its victims, thus leaving them vulnerable to further cyberattacks, fraud, and data theft.
Dubbed 'Switcher Trojan', the malware uses unsuspecting Android device users as tools to redirect all traffic from Wi-Fi connected devices on the network into the hands of cybercriminal attackers.
The researchers at Kaspersky Lab said this is the first time Android malware has been used to attack routers like this. The malware attempts to infiltrate the router's admin interface by using a long, predefined list of password and login combinations -- a task which is made easy if the router still uses easily crackable default credentials.
If the attack succeeds, Switcher alters the Domain Name Servers (DNS) settings of the router, making it possible to reroute DNS queries on the infected network onto a network controlled by the perpetrators.
Your Android smartphone might still be vulnerable to ancient Ghost Push Trojan
Your Android smartphone might still be vulnerable to ancient Ghost Push Trojan
Researchers have warned that over half of Android devices are still susceptible to Ghost Push malware.
This type of DNS-hijacking attack allows the perpetrators to monitor all traffic on the infected network, providing them with vast swathes of information which could be used to carry out other cybercriminal or malicious activities.
According to figures on the cybercriminals' command and control servers -- seemingly left open to view by accident -- 1,280 Wi-Fi networks have been infiltrated using Switcher Trojan, putting traffic of all users on those networks at risk of being accessible to hackers and cyber fraudsters. The bad news is, even if the attack is detected, it can be difficult to remove the infection, thanks to the backup servers.
"A successful attack can be hard to detect and even harder to shift: the new settings can survive a router reboot, and even if the rogue DNS is disabled, the secondary DNS server is on hand to carry on," says Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity researcher Nikita Buchka.
Switcher Trojan currently appears to be mainly restricted to targeting internet users in China, spreading itself in two different ways.
The first uses a modified URL to disguise itself as a mobile client for the Chinese search engine Baidu, while a second technique is based around a fake version of a popular Chinese mobile application for sharing information about networks between users.
In both cases, the malicious software is installed due to users downloading applications from third-party sources, rather than the official Google Play store.
One of the key methods to avoid becoming victim to this sort of attack is to change the default login and password your network router. Google had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

samedi 31 décembre 2016

Microsoft's 2016: Windows 10 foibles and futures are the big stories

Microsoft's ongoing move to reposition itself as a cloud-first/mobile-first vendor continued in 2016. But readers of "All About Microsoft" here on ZDNet remained most interested in Windows 10's rollout and futures this past year.
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Credit: ZDNet
While it's Microsoft's commercial cloud story that many investors and analysts are watching most closely, Microsoft's moves as the Windows company are what had -- and will likely continue to have -- the most direct impact on its customers and partners in 2016 and 2017.
The most trafficked posts on my blog in the past year indicate where readers' interests are. Here are the top 20 posts for this site in calendar 2016, with the most popular listed first.
  1. Windows 10 free upgrade is still available using Windows 7 and 8 product keys
  2. How existing Windows users can refuse Microsoft's Windows 10 update
  3. How much does Microsoft Office 2016 cost without a subscription
  4. Microsoft confirms Windows 10 Redstone 1 will be available this summer
  5. Microsoft makes blocking Windows 10 recommended update nearly impossible: Report
  6. Why I broke up with Windows Phone: It's not me, it's you
  7. Microsoft's Surface all-in-one PC said to headline October hardware launch
  8. Latest update to Windows 10 anniversary causing installation woes for some
  9. Microsoft: Our Android Windows 10 bridge is dead but iOS, Win32 ones moving ahead
  10. Microsoft: More details on the end of get Windows 10 and what's next
  11. Microsoft starts pushing Windows 10 as a recommended update
  12. Microsoft to show Bash on Linux running on Windows 10
  13. Microsoft pushes back Windows 10 Redstone 2 to Spring 2017 to line up with new Microsoft device wave
  14. Microsoft prices Windows 10 enterprise subscription at $84 per user per year
  15. Microsoft comes through with rollup of updates and fixes for Windows 7
  16. Goodbye Microsoft Lumia; Hello Surface Mobile
  17. Microsoft: Two Windows 10 feature updates coming in 2017
  18. Microsoft rolls out several new Windows 10 cumulative updates
  19. Microsoft no longer allows administrators to block Windows Store access in Windows 10 Pro
  20. Microsoft's x86 on ARM64 emulation: A Windows 10 Redstone 3 Fall 2017 deliverable
Windows 10 dominated my blog's most-read posts list in 2015, too. Interestingly, in 2016, a story with a Windows 7 angle was No. 1 again this year, as it was last year, too.
Microsoft's decision to make Windows 10 a nearly-impossible-to-refuse update via some rather underhanded tactics was, understandably, a hot topic among All About Microsoft readers.

mercredi 28 décembre 2016

2016 was a momentous year in storage




LEGACY VENDORS AND THE CLOUD

The cloud has devastated revenue, growth and margins of legacy vendors. Any CFO can look online to see what similar capacity, performance, and higher availability costs compared to the huge capital costs of traditional RAID arrays.
2016 saw the world's largest independent storage company -- EMC -- bought by Dell, after shopping itself to all the big system vendors. The $60 billion price tag was excessive given the rapid obsolescence of much of EMC's intellectual property, but a worthy capstone to CEO Joe Tucci's brilliant leadership of the storage giant.
Tucci saw what many other CEOs denied, which is that the scale-out commodity-based storage systems and the internalization of storage have forever changed the storage industry. EMC needed a system partner to leverage their storage expertise, and Dell needed a robust enterprise sales force.
NetApp acquired SolidFire, a promising flash array vendor, that finally got them into the highest growth area of legacy storage. Plagued by years of flash misfires and infighting, NetApp has done well in the new market, but has had to lay off thousands of employees.
NetApp is touting their integration with Amazon Web Services -- cloud -- but that is a rear guard action as cloud vendors gobble up more enterprise dollars. Their next big problem: object storage systems are getting faster, offer much better data protection, are much more scalable, and more cost-effective than NetApp's flagship NAS boxes. I hope their CEO, George Kurian, recognizes the threat and acts decisively in 2017.

LEGACY VENDORS AND THE UPSTARTS

Legacy vendors are getting squeezed between the cloud and aggressive storage startups. Companies like Nimble Storage, Nutanix, and Pure Storage offer modern architectures that leave the RAID paradigm in the dust. All three had successful IPOs, and now have the money to bring the fight to the legacy vendors.
Other startups have been acquired by legacy vendors to remake their products lines. DSSD, supported by Silicon Valley legend Andreas Bechtolsheim, was bought by EMC a couple of years ago. NetApp acquired SolidFire this year. HGST acquired Amplidata last year and are making a solid play for the active archive market. The storage startup scene continues to boil.

NON-VOLATILE RAM

NVRAM is the Next Big Thing for servers and notebooks, as support from Intel and Microsoft shows. Some versions -- there are around 10 -- are almost as fast as DRAM, but use much less power and are much denser. Terabyte DIMMs, anyone? Big Data will especially benefit from high capacity NVRAM equipped servers.
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2016 was supposed to be the year that Intel introduced their NVRAM 3D XPoint Optane drives, but like many ambitious engineering projects, they've slipped into 2017, and may be one reason the recent MacBook Pro's were delayed. But Intel isn't the only player, and certainly isn't the first to market.
MRAM vendor Everspin IPO'd this year, raising funds needed to further enhance their NVRAM line. Nantero licensed their NVRAM to a couple of major fabs, putting their carbon nanotube technology on the fast track.

THUNDERBOLT 3

I've been a happy Thunderbolt 1 user for years. It's a great technology that is fast, stable, and low-cost.
2016 saw it get even better, now that one Thunderbolt 3 connector supports 40 Gbit/s bandwidth with half the power consumption of Thunderbolt 2. That's enough bandwidth to drive dual 4k displays at 60 Hz, PCIe 3.0, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, as well as 10 Gbit/s USB 3.1. Plus to to 100 watts of power to charge systems and up to 15W for bus-powered devices.
Using newly available and cheap PCIe switches, Thunderbolt 3 can be stretched to build large clusters at low prices. We'll see more of that in 2017. On notebooks it offers performance and connectivity undreamed of 10 years ago. External drives with gigabyte per second performance are already here, with more on the way.

THE STORAGE BITS TAKE

I've been involved with storage for over 35 years, starting when a disk drive cost $40 a megabyte. For the last 15 years the industry has been on an innovation spree that has upended many companies and delivered incredible capabilities.
Storage is the basis of our digital world. Given the crisis of a post-fact world, I take comfort in the fact that a $100 billion plus industry is working hard to store and protect the data that is critical to the challenges humanity faces.
Courteous comments welcome, of course. (Disclosure: I've done some work for HGST and Nimble in the last couple of years.)

mardi 27 décembre 2016

Meet 2017's hot new smartphone brands: Nokia and BlackBerry




Before the rise of iOS and Android, Nokia and Blackberry (nee RIM) were the top smartphone companies in the world. But they were also among the last companies to adopt a new operating system strategy in the wake of operating systems optimized for capacitive touchscreens. Nokia ultimately adopted Windows Phone and Blackberry released Blackberry 10. But neither operating system attracted a critical mass of popular apps and a dwindling number of phone supported those operating systems.
Indeed, while Microsoft, which purchased the Nokia phone business, can claim a smattering of phones that run the phone version of Windows 10, Blackberry per se has exited the phone business. Its last homegrown phone, the cult-favorite Priv, abandoned Blackberry 10.

SEE ALSO

Smartphones in 2016: What worked, what didn't
Smartphones in 2016: What worked, what didn't
Seemingly small features became must-haves throughout the year.
Nokia and Blackberry still exist as companies developing telecom equipment for carriers and and enterprise mobile software. In 2017, though, the Nokia and Blackberry phone brands will rise again, this time in an alternate future where both companies embraced Android. And both phone brands will be used on devices made by licensees.
Blackberry, of course, has already based a few phones on designs from TCL, which also licenses the Alcatel brand. But TCL plans to expand the portfolio in 2017 to include Blackberry-branded devices. Nokia has licensed its brand to HMD Global, which has already begun releasing feature phones bearing the fabled name. It's expected to start selling premium Android smartphones next year.
Between the two, TCL in some ways has the easier task. Blackberry-branded smartphones have continued to trickle into the market. TCL has seen strong growth with Alcatel models such as the gorgeous and well-appointed Idol 4S. And Blackberry's security software is a clear differentiator, albeit one that has relatively limited appeal outside of regulated industries. Perhaps those long-abandoned Playbook owners may even see a new Blackberry-branded tablet.
The first few TCL-derived Blackberry designs have not been very distinctive, and indeed it may be challenging to produce something that evokes the brand -- say, with a physical keyboard -- that has broad appeal. However, using Android will certainly help bridge the productivity app gap. Blackberry is also not the first pioneering smartphone brand licensed by TCL. The company picked up the Palm trademark almost a year ago, but thus far has kept it on ice.
In contrast, expectations are unclear for what a Nokia-branded Android phone would bring beyond maybe a killer version of Snake (but that already exists). Nokia was once renowned for its phones' imaging capabiltiies, but that is a field in which Apple, Samsung and now even Google (with its Pixel smartphone) have made strong inroads.
That said, the Nokia brand remains one of the world's most recognized and there are of course still many consumers in the world that still have Nokia-branded devices. Much like Google with the Pixel, Nokia-branded smartphones have a window to gain some ground in the top end of the Android market after the disappointing showing of the LG G5 and the recall of the Galaxy Note 7.
It's all but impossible for either the new stewards of the Blackberry and Nokia brands to return the status of those brands to the heights they once occupied, particularly as high-end smartphone sales are declining in saturated markets, but there's a lot of potential upside between where those phone businesses are now and their glorious past.

mercredi 21 décembre 2016

SK Telecom, Ericsson, Qualcomm to conduct joint 5G NR trial

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SK Telecom, Ericsson, and Qualcomm will conduct interoperability tests and field trials based on 5G New Radio (NR) standards together, the companies have announced.
The trials will be compliant to 5G NR specification, the standard set by globlal standard-setting body 3GPP, for the coming fifth-generation network.
It will drive the mobile ecosystem towards validation and commercialization of the standard in scale, SK Telecom said.
The companies will utilize wide bandwidths available at higher frequency bands that will help achieve gigabit per second data transfer rates.
Telcos are expected to use ultra-high frequncy bands for 5G networks for high data transfer rates.
Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology that meets the standard with adaptive beam forming and tracking techniques, which will allow sustained communications at higher frequency bands, will also be tested.
The tests will begin in South Korea in the second half of 2017. Designs for radio stations, equipment, and handsets have begun now.

Microsoft just won this giant support deal with the US Department of Defense

The US Department of Defense has signed a $927m, five-year deal for Microsoft's enterprise technical support services.

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Under the contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Microsoft will provide consulting services that include software developers and product teams "to leverage a variety of proprietary resources and source code" and Microsoft premier support services, such as tools and knowledge bases, problem resolution assistance from product developers.
The DoD also said the deal would include "access to Microsoft source code when applicable to support Department of Defense's mission".
The support will mostly take place in the US, but the DoD said support services may also be required at multiple locations outside the continental US.
In January 2016, the DoD announced plans to migrate four million devices to Windows 10 by January 2017, although rollout in some military organizations may take a year longer. The DoD said the move would improve its "cybersecurity posture, lower the cost of IT and streamline the IT operating environment".
DISA is a combat support agency of DoD with 6,000 civilian employees, 1,500 active duty military personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, and approximately 7,500 defense contractors. The agency provides and operates command and control and enterprise information systems.
Microsoft and DISA have not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

lundi 19 décembre 2016

This Chinese phone looks like a brilliantly curved iPhone 8 concept



We haven't seen any plausible iPhone 8 photo leaks just yet, but Apple's long-rumored curved design could end up looking like this brand new phone out of China.
The Honor Magic is the latest Android smartphone from the Huawei brand, and its curved 5.09-inch screen helps it stand out even more than the shiny Honor 8.
It's a real head-turner thanks to its noticeably curved AMOLED display on the right and left sides, reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
To literally top it off, the top of the Honor Magic also appears to bend inward. This is a a lot like the distinct 2.5D glass on the LG G5.
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Honor's 'Magic' revealed


There's a bit more to the Honor Magic than its 3D-glass good looks that are ripe for Apple's picking. We now have full specs and software details.
It has the familiar Hisilicon Kirin 950 chipset, boasting an octacore processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB or internal storage, according to the Honor website.
We found all of these identical specs to be speedy enough in our Honor 8 review, but what's dramatically different are the onboard sensors.
Honor Magic will automatically unlock when you look at the screen (face detect, seen it), but it'll also turn off when you look away. 
Going one step further, its FaceCode detection will only display lockscreen notification details to pre-registered faces. No more potential awkwardness.
Huawei promises more intelligent software features like this, and it also touts fast charging: 40% in just 10 minutes (great) and 70% in just 20 minutes (astounding) via its proprietary speed charging technology (meh).

Ripe for Apple's picking?

Honor Magic isn't coming to the US, UK and Australia, at least not yet. But we could see this smartphone design from the iPhone 8 for several reasons.

Apple is said to be working on a curved iPhone for 2017, the 10th anniversary of its groundbreaking touchscreen handset. And it's ready for a fresh new look.
What's more is that Apple has taken a liking to completely rounded off edges (see the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus) on its most recent smartphone designs, save for the boxy iPhone SE.
Just don't expect that headphone jack – ever
The the top, left and right curves on the Honor Magic demonstrate that exact look. It doesn't hurt that Huawei's software looks like iOS 10.2 re-imagined and the name uses a version Apple's absolute favorite work: "magical."
There's no Honor Magic release date just yet for the West, but we'll keep you updated if that changes and, of course, give you the latest Apple's iPhone 8 news at the same time.

Get an Insignia Bluetooth mini sound bar for $39.99

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Are you doing TV wrong? You might be if: a) You haven't done anything to resolve the dreaded soap-opera effect; b) You're settling for the tinny, anemic sound produced by those tiny built-in speakers; and c) You spend time watching soccer. (Whoa! Who said that? I kid, I kid!)
Let's talk b). You can greatly improve your TV audio by connecting a sound bar -- even a small, inexpensive sound bar. And when it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, so much the better.
Like this one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Insignia NS-SB216 two-channel sound bar with Bluetooth for $39.99. Shipping is free, but you'll probably have to pony up for sales tax. (Incidentally, it's also available via eBay for the same price.)
It's not immediately clear from the photo, but this is a very small speaker: It measures just 12.6 inches across. Most sound bars are a lot wider, not ideal if you're looking to pair them with a smaller TV, like one in a bedroom or den.
Speaking of pairing, if your TV has built-in Bluetooth or you own a Bluetooth transmitter, you could potentially set this up as a wireless speaker. But that would preclude you using it as a Bluetooth speaker with your phone or tablet, as it can pair to only one device at a time. Personally, I'd go for the traditional RCA or optical wired connection, leaving Bluetooth free for streaming audio. (I've also heard that TV audio can lag slightly when delivered via Bluetooth.)
There's not much else to report, other than the 4.1-star rating from nearly 100 buyers. If you're looking for an easy and inexpensive TV-audio boost, it's hard to beat the price tag on this.
Résultat de recherche d'images pour "Insignia Bluetooth mini sound" Bonus deal: Game time! I'm old enough to remember playing -- and loving -- the very first Castle Wolfenstein game, so I'll always have a special place in my heart for the series. If you like story-driven first-person shooters as well, you'll love this: For a limited time, GameStop has Wolfenstein: The New Order (for PC) for $6.59. Price elsewhere: at least $19.99.

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This 2014 alternate-reality shooter (think: "The Man in the High Castle") received widespread acclaim from critics and players alike, with solid 8/10 ratings pretty much everywhere you look. For less than $7, you simply can't go wrong. Just take note: The deal was live as of 8 a.m. ET this morning, but I have no idea how long it'll last.
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Photo by Mycharge
Bonus deal No. 2: Regular readers know my position on mobile chargers: They should have built-in wall prongs and cables, even if it means paying a little extra. One of my all-time favorites is on sale: TechRabbit has the Mycharge Hub 6000 for $24.99 shipped. This 6,000mAh mobile charger features -- wait for it -- built-in wall prongs and cables, one each for Micro-USB and Lightning devices. (There's also a standard USB port for charging anything and everything else.)
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