Windows 10 to get Cortana voice control / search

Took their time. I hope it improves on OS dictation. Double tapping Fn on a Mac is a great feature I've been surprised MS haven't been eager to replicate.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-cortana-gets-refined-adds-hey-cortana-feature

Gigabit-over-copper VDSL successor G.fast signed off at last

G.Fast standard is ready to roll. Lets hope BT don't drag their feet and put this to good use while also opening up support quickly for other ISP's.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/08/gfast_at_last_phy_standard_signed_off/

Windows 10 will play your .MKV and .FLAC files all on its own

Great news! Here's more from Engadget: 

High-end audio enthusiasts love FLAC since it promises to preserve everything just as it was heard in the studio. Unfortunately, it isn't the most widely-supported of formats, but it appears as if it's going to get a warm embrace in Windows 10. Gabriel Aul of Microsoft's Windows Insider program tweeted out a screenshot (above) showing FLAC support in Windows Media Player, later adding that the OS is offering platform-level support - so any compatible app will now be able to play the files without a plug-in. Given that Microsoft also recently let slip that it'll support the .MKV container in its next-gen OS, it's clear that Redmond is reaching out to the inner AV geek in all of us.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/27/windows-10-native-flac-mkv-support/

TalkTalk Gobble Virgin Media’s UK Copper ADSL Broadband Users

That'll boost TalkTalk's subscriber base while increasing Virgin Media's average Download speeds no doubt (while possibly decreasing Virgins operating costs also). 

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/11/uk-isp-talktalk-gobbles-virgin-medias-copper-adsl-broadband-users.html

Microsoft's Office for iPad, iPhone, and Android goes free!

I'm guessing it wasn't doing so well.. They shouldn't have avoided those markets for so long.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/6/7163789/microsoft-office-free-for-ipad-iphone-android

Diagnosing a fault MacBook Fan.

Argh! One of the fans in my Macbook is humming away on its last legs.

On the plus side, this fan controller is great for diagnosing the fan in question as there are two in the device..

Mine is a MacBook Pro Mid 2012 and the right fan.

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23049/smcfancontrol

The app could do with some better auto adjusting profiles based on temperature. It has three 'modes': AC-Power, battery and charging which can have separate profiles.

I can happily turn up the fans on any GPU / CPU intensive tasks now and keep the system cooler than Apple seemed to want to, prolonging the devices life in the long run!


For repairs on this laptop see iFixit!:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Retina_Display_Mid_2012

EE 4G+ hits London with a top speed of 150Mbps

Trying times ahead for fixed line providers if we see mobile infrastructure keep going at the current rate!

http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/ee-4g-hits-london-with-a-top-speed-of-150mbps

Drone racing in the woods evokes more than a few Star Wars memories

This is cool!



http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/08/drone-racing/?ncid=rss_truncated

Eurogamer Expo 2015 headed to Birmingham NEC next September

"EGX has experienced amazing growth during our four years at Earl's Court," Gamer Network head honcho Rupert Loman explained.

"While we are sad to leave, we see the move to the NEC not only as a real opportunity to continue its success, but also to evolve and improve the experience we offer both attendees and exhibitors."

More details on EGX 2015 will be announced in due course.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-10-01-egx-2015-headed-to-birmingham-nec-next-september

Solarbox london phoneboxes get solar powered charging

I think it would be better implemented in bus stops with a larger top surface area and where people would generally be waiting around. 

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-10/03/solarbox-london-phone-chargers

Tesco's Hudl 2

Tesco's sold 750,000 of their last tablet with a reasonable price point, decent specs and a toughened exterior aimed at lower age groups and parents. This should also be a winner then...

FreeNAS 9.2.1.8-RELEASE is now available

Time for another FreeNAS release! This one fixes a number of issues in 9.2.1.7 as well as addressing the “shellshock” security vulnerability in bash (to which FreeNAS is not generally vulnerable as bash is not the system shell, but it was still worth fixing).

The list of bugs fixed in 9.2.1.8-RELEASE can be found here. The release notes for 9.2.1.8:

• Fix bug where use of NONE cipher in replication erroneously reported an error on a successful replication.
• Don’t enable lz4 compression on replication by default if upgrading from a pre-9.2.1.7 release.
• Multiple kernel iSCSI / CTL improvements. This includes VMWare VAAI and Microsoft ODX acceleration support, improved performance and fixes for number of bugs. Kernel iSCSI can be activated by checking the experimental target checkbox under services -> iSCSI.
• Improve performance of viewing snapshots when replication tasks are set up.
• Allow binding CIFS to specific IPs.
• Fix LDAP bind URL when using TLS.
• Validate AD advanced settings. If the GC or DC are manually specified make sure they are reachable.
• Set UNIX permissions when the Mac permissions radio button is selected. Netatalk does not play nicely with ACLs.
• Fix a bug in the mail sending routines used by FreeNAS. With some mailserver configurations the To: address could’ve been set to root instead of the address specified in the root user.
• Fix a bug that prevented the system from showing the replicated status of a snapshot if the remote path differed from the local path.
• “Shellshock” security vulnerability in bash (which is not the system shell FreeNAS or FreeBSD) proactively closed.

http://www.freenas.org/whats-new/2014/09/freenas-9-2-1-8-release-is-now-available.html

Here are the 6 new features inside Windows 10

• Start menu: The familiar Start menu is back, but it brings with it a new customizable space for your favorite apps and Live Tiles.

• Everything runs in a window: Apps from the Windows Store now open in the same format that desktop apps do and can be resized and moved around, and have title bars at the top allowing for maximize, minimize, and close with a click.

• Multiple desktops: Create desktops for different purposes and projects and switch between these desktops easily and pick up where you left off on each desktop.

• Find files faster: File Explorer now displays your recent files and frequently visited folders making for finding files you've worked on is easier.

• New task view button: There's a new task-view button on the taskbar for quick switching between open files and quick access to any desktops you create.

• Snap enhancements: You can now have four apps snapped on the same screen with a new quadrant layout. Windows will also show other apps and programs running for additional snapping and even make smart suggestions on filling available screen space with other open apps

http://www.wpcentral.com/new-features-windows-10

Netflix's first original movie will be a sequel to 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

Not content with Original TV shows. Netflix is moving into the movie space.

Clue:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/29/6870271/netflix-first-original-movie-will-be-a-sequel-to-crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon#

Sky Seeks Code Powers to Support New UK PIA and SLU Broadband Trials

This'll be interesting.

They'll likely get code powers but the issue of multiple PCP's (those green boxes you see on the street) will have to be addresses or we'll be seeing thousands of extra ones. Hopefully the can implement them below ground level or something.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/09/sky-seeks-code-powers-support-new-uk-broadband-trials.html

Things that are going to speed up the internetz

Derived from Google SPDY protocol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_2.0

HTML Picture element to be introduced to all browsers:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/09/how-a-new-html-element-will-make-the-web-faster/

ISP PlusNet Highlights Rising UK Demand for Netflix Video Streams

I think for the major ISP's willing to host Netflix's Open Connect platform this is simply an issue of staying on to of capacity. For smaller ISP's without this hardware it must become tricky managing the  evening congestion on their peering / transit and making sure there is enough capacity at all times.  Especially with events such as the iOS release coming up in September where ISP's usually have a bit of a meltdown in terms of consumer traffic.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/08/uk-isp-plusnet-highlights-rising-demand-netflix-video-streams.html

First 64-bit Android phone has no 64-bit software

When Apple launched the iPhone 5S with a 64-bit processor, it sent the rest of the spec-obsessed SoC world on a race to catch up. After about a year of lag time, the Android ecosystem has finally started to catch up, with HTC announcing the Desire 510, the first 64-bit Android phone.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/first-64-bit-android-phone-has-no-64-bit-software/

AMD’s Big Bet on ARM Powered Servers: Opteron A1100 Revealed

Looks like CDN farms might find a new processor king in the near future.... AMD  are really doing some innovative stuff with Mantle and now this. Good to see them keeping Intel humble.  

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8362/amds-big-bet-on-arm-powered-servers-a1100-revealed

OpenGL 4.5 released—with one of Direct3D’s best features

"The Khronos Group today released OpenGL 4.5, the newest version of the industry standard 3D programming API. The new version contains a mix of features designed to make developers' lives easier and to improve performance and reliability of OpenGL applications.



The group also issued a call for participation in its next generation OpenGL initiative. Amid growing interest in "low-level" APIs, such as AMD's Mantle and Microsoft's forthcoming Direct3D 12 specification, Khronos is working on its own vendor-neutral, cross-platform API to give developers greater low-level control and to extract more performance from 3D hardware.



The big feature in OpenGL 4.5 is Direct State Access (DSA)."
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/08/opengl-4-5-released-with-one-of-direct3ds-best-features/

Virgin Media Expand UK Network to Cambridgeshire Village, But is it FTTP?

"Virgin Media has confirmed to ISPreview.co.uk that a “small-scale development” is currently underway and in the “early stages” of expanding superfast broadband and TV (but not phone) services into the large village of Papworth Everard near the city of Cambridge, but will it be a 152Mbps coax (DOCSIS) or 300Mbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network?"
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/08/virgin-media-expand-uk-network-cambridgeshire-village-fttp.html

Gamescom 2014: More social features, new ways to watch TV, and USB and DLNA Support Coming Soon

Lots of new features plus lots of additional file formats supported.

Xbox One compatible file types:

• 3gp audio
• 3gp video
• 3gp2
• aac
• adts
• animated gif
• asf
• avi divx
• avi dv
• avi uncompressed
• avi xvid
• bmp
• jpg
• gif
• h264 avchd
• mjpeg
• mkv
• mov
• mp3
• mpeg 1 ps
• mpeg 2
• mpeg 2 hd
• mpeg 2 ts
• mpeg 4 h264 aac
• mpeg 4 sp
• png
• tiff
• wav
• wma
• wma lossless
• wma pro
• wma voice
• wmv
• wmv hd

http://majornelson.com/2014/08/12/kicking-gamescom-2014-social-features-new-ways-watch-tv-usb-dlna-support-coming-soon/

TfL to trial new bus WiFi technology

The trial will see WiFi technology installed on a route 12 bus, operating between Dulwich and Oxford Circus, and a route RV1 bus, which operates between Covent Garden and Tower Hill, that will allow passengers to keep in touch through email and social media, browse the internet and even complete their weekly grocery shop.


Suppliers of the technology include: 

• On bus WiFi - Bluepod Media
• Upper deck seat availability - Timespace Technology
• Passenger information screens - Moviken Group and Navaho Technologies Ltd.

http://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/august/tfl-to-trial-new-bus-technology

Ubuntu's next test release dates and 14.10 release date.

UK's GCHQ certifies Master's Degrees in Cyber Security

This marks another significant step in the development of the UK’s knowledge, skills and capability in all fields of Cyber Security as part of the National Cyber Security Programme.

 

The National Cyber Security Strategy recognises education as key to the development of Cyber Security skills and, earlier in the year, UK universities were invited to submit their Cyber Security Master’s degrees for certification against GCHQ’s stringent criteria for a broad foundation in Cyber Security.

Full certified status:

• Edinburgh Napier University - Degree - MSc in Advanced Security and Digital Forensics
• Lancaster University - Degree - MSc in Cyber Security
• University of Oxford - Degree - MSc in Software and Systems Security
• Royal Holloway, University of London - Degree - MSc in Information Security

Provisional certified status:

• Cranfield University - Degree - MSc in Cyber Defence and Information Assurance
• University of Surrey - Degree - MSc in Information Security

http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/03/gchq-certifies-security-degrees/

http://www.gchq.gov.uk/press_and_media/press_releases/Pages/GCHQ-certifies-Masters-Degrees-in-Cyber-Security.aspx

Naked Security: Hacking, spamming, rogue SMSes and browsers - 60 Sec Security

Virgin Media UK Lab Testing 10Gbps DOCSIS 3.1 Broadband Upgrade

Good to see Virgin aren't sitting still. They also recently broadened their deal with Sky for Whole Sky sports channels so their offerings look pretty good. I personally find them a bit pricey compared to Sky FTTC though. 

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/07/virgin-media-uk-lab-testing-10gbps-docsis-3-1-broadband-upgrade.html

Ars editor learns feds have his old IP addresses, full credit card numbers

Seems like they are keeping a unnecessary amount of info back on travels in the US.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/ars-editor-learns-feds-have-his-old-ip-addresses-full-credit-card-numbers/

Google's not bringing its super-fast fiber internet to the UK anytime soon

Doesn't look like Google is coming over the pond to challenege the main ISP's anytime soon.

To be fair it wouldn't be easy without a partnership anyway as the market over here is extremely competitive and heavily regulated.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/18/google-fiber-rumor-uk/

UK anti-piracy campaign set to begin

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28374457

Rasberry Pi gets a useful update.

Same processor and RAM but vastly improved power management, two more USB ports and a micro sd card slot.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28263659

LibreSSL crypto library leaps from OpenBSD to Linux, OS X

Snipped the good bits fro The Reg. Link at the bottom:

The OpenBSD project has released the first portable version of LibreSSL, the team's OpenSSL fork – meaning it can be built for operating systems other than OpenBSD.

The LibreSSL project, which aims to clean up the buggy and inscrutable OpenSSL code, was founded about two months ago by a group of OpenBSD developers, so it only makes sense that getting it running on that OS would be their priority.

...

The LibreSSL developers have also worked to get OpenSSL's unorthodox and inconsistent source code into "kernel normal form" (KNF), a standard C coding style used by the OpenBSD project.

In addition, although the goal of the LibreSSL project is to create a secure, drop-in replacement for OpenSSL, the developers have also tried to undo some of the OpenSSL developers' more ill-advised design decisions.

For example, the OpenSSL library relies on a quirky custom memory-management layer that behaves in strange ways, which makes it impossible to audit the code with tools designed to flag memory management problems. The LibreSSL team has been replacing this code with new routines that use memory allocation routines from the standard C library, making it far easier to spot bugs.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/12/libressl_portable/

Getting a Logitech G510's Windows key to work as the command key on OSX

So the G510 has a joystick stick on the upper row of the keyboard next to mute and MR button. If this is on the Logitech Gaming software doesn't detect the Command key when you try to detect the button.

Click the plus sign next to the word 'Command', detect it and add it to your keystrokes list. Its also worth saving it to a separate profile if you switch between PC's a fair bit.

Chrome OS to mimic OS X Yosemite with smartphone continuity features

This might actually be the first feature to make me want to try Chrome OS. 

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2352134/chrome-os-to-mimic-os-x-yosemite-with-smartphone-continuity-features

NASA scientists have created 460GHz vacuum tubes

Won't be replacing those 4GHz Intel / AMD CPU's anytime soon though..



http://hexus.net/tech/news/industry/71493-nasa-scientists-created-460ghz-vacuum-tubes/

Two Days in the life of Football - Plusnet

Check out the link below on Plusnets analysis of the football, streamed on their network.




http://community.plus.net/blog/2014/06/23/two-days-in-the-life-of-football/

Slingshot - If you won't let Facebook buy you then they'll destroy you!

Looks like Facebook liked Snapchat so much so that when Snapchat rejected the 3 billion $ bid they went ahead and made their own very similar app.

iOS or Android

Intel approached AMD about access to Mantle

Looks like Intel knows a good thing when it sees it...

http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/intel-approached-amd-about-access-to-mantle/

Google Glass now in the UK.

Google Glass is now available in the UK. It's £1000 so I'll be waiting a long while for that to get to a more reasonable £500-600 before I'd even consider it.

It's a strange one because I don't like wearing my glasses (slightly short sighted so I'm fine without them) but with these I don't think I'd like wearing them without the addition frames as they do look a bit ridiculous.

You can currently have one set of frames or shades free.I personally like the bold frames:

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Glass_Explorer_Edition_Charcoal?id=glass_charcoal

and if you don't like the idea of Google Glass but do like the idea of wearables, then maybe a Ruffus Cuff is more up your street:

http://store.rufuslabs.com/the-rufus-cuff/

Android and Windows to get 'kill switch' as well.

This should have been done years ago! Hopefully it won't be circumvented anytime soon. 

"Google and Microsoft will add a "kill-switch" feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.

The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.

Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27935972

Ofcom proposes new rules to ensure competition exists in fibre market

The central pillar of UK telecom regulation for some thirty years has been to increase competition and regulate the pricing that BT charges, either at the wholesale or retail level. A large degree of freedom was afforded to the BT Group and Openreach when the fibre based broadband roll-outs started in 2009 and the price of the FTTC services or equivalent products in the areas where FTTP is the native option has pretty much remained static, while the retail pricing has slowly crept down, offset in part by the increases in voice line rental.

Now that fibre based services are popular to the extent of some 2.7 million connections on the Openreach network Ofcom is making moves to ensure that the BT Group does not manipulate pricing so that competitors cannot compete. Effectively what we will see is the price of BT Retail fibre based services kept high so that TalkTalk and Sky can undercut them.

Today’s proposals preserve that pricing flexibility, while seeking to ensure that BT does not set prices in such a way that prevents other operators from competing profitably for superfast broadband customers. In May, Ofcom announced its intention to set out proposals on this issue.
Ofcom is proposing to put in place a regulatory condition requiring BT to ensure that the margin between its wholesale VULA charges and its retail superfast broadband prices is sufficient for rival operators to compete and make a profit.
Extract from Ofcom announcement
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/6499-ofcom-proposes-new-rules-to-ensure-competition-exists-in-fibre-market.html

GeoIP lookup from the CLI in Ubuntu

rich@rich:~$ sudo apt-get install geoip-bin

rich@rich:~$ geoiplookup 212.159.177.252
GeoIP Country Edition: GB, United Kingdom

reference:

http://pleasefeedthegeek.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/geolocation-lookups-in-linux-ubuntu/

You can preload all your new PS4 games starting next week

I wonder if we'll see video services start doing this for major VOD released (i,.e. Netflix or new BoxSets on Sky Go).

Still, for the time being it should keep gamers happy as there is nothing more frustrating that having to wait for something you've purchased to come down when you just want to jump straight into the action.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/18/ps4-preloading-transformers/

Unicode 7.0 introduces 2,834 new characters, including 250 emoji

The Unicode Consortium has just announced the release of version 7.0 of the Unicode Standard, the list of characters "which specifies the representation of text in all modern software products and standards." Unicode 7.0 adds 2,834 new characters to the existing list of 110,187 characters defined by Unicode 6.3, including new symbols for currency, new "lesser-used and historic scripts," and extended support "for written languages of North America, China, India, other Asian countries, and Africa."

US lifts restrictions on more detailed satellite images

Sites like Google and Bing Maps will be able to use higher-quality satellite images, thanks to US government restrictions being lifted.

Companies had not been allowed to make use of images where features smaller than 50cm were visible.

But one imaging firm, Digital Globe, said it would be able to sell images that showed features as small as 31cm.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27868703

With the Americas running out of IPv4, it’s official: The Internet is full - Ars

The march towards IPv6 continues with Ars reporting that ARIN is started to exhaust its stock of IPv4 as well with only 17 millions unique public IP addresses left in reserve. 

Story here:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/06/with-the-americas-running-out-of-ipv4-its-official-the-internet-is-full/

Which new wireless earphones to purchase?

So my beloved Nokia Purity Pro's had a ill fated break (cup broke away from the headband) and although I love them I think they are a bit too pricey to reward Nokia / Monster with another purchase considering the lack of help neither would give me for such a flimsy structural design. Instead I'm considering earphones again as opposed to headphones. Bluetooth being the key driver hear for convenience.

As far as I can see these are the best options on the market within reasonable price ranges:

Sony Stereo Bluetooth® Headset SBH80 product page

Amazon link to purchase - £64.99

Plantronics Backbeat Go 2 product page
Amazon link to purchase - £55.95 without charging case
Amazon link to pruchase - £71.75 with charging case

POWERBEATS² Wireless press release - unrealeased yet website states £169.95. 

4G home broadband in London - Was only a matter of time.

As I predicted before 4G had even hit the ground. If 4G delivered on its promises (bandwidth, latency) then it would mount a serious challenge on the fixed line market.

Enter: Relish, offering unlimited data with multiple service offerings.

Surprisingly what looks to have given them this ability might be that they are not wholesaling from the big 4 cellular networks and are using UKBroadband's network for 4G instead.

Considering there is no line rental to pay. £20 for unlimited data providing isn't that bad and 1 month contracts are available! At the moment its limited to central London but as UKBroadband's network expands, i'm sure they will as well.

https://www1.relish.net/athome#inyourarea

Not to mention that we might start seeing other providers popping up who Wholesale off them. Lets just hope that contention doesn't become a big problem later on down the line when/if their network gets busy.

Google quality report is out now in the USA

Released in Canada first, it's now hitting the US and will be expanding further shortly.

It's rather like Netflix's ISP speed index. Thay want to show up internet service providers (ISP's) where they have bottle necks either through limited peering and transit off / on their network or where they restrict third party services.  Also it will give a good indication of which ISP's networks contain their caches (CDN's like Googles GGC or Netflix's OpenConnect) which keep the content closer to the customer to it doesn't have to traverse the wider internet.

The idea being that if the ISP's don't provide good access to the third party video content (more data = more cost loosely speaking) then their customers can be made aware and vote with their feet if they want.



http://www.google.com/get/videoqualityreport/

Report: Apple defines specs for Lightning headphones with 48kHz output

I'm all for better sound quality but I think if Apple was to remove the 3.5mm audio jack and opt for a lighting only connection it was cause outrage.

It would be nice if they could push for USB3 compatibility with the connector first.

As Netflix pushes the video on demand market forward with 4K HTML5 DRM enabled browsers, are apple looking to do similar with audio while locking customers into their ecosystem with the promise of definition?

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/06/report-apple-defines-specs-for-lightning-headphones-with-48khz-output/

Xbox One controllers now work with your PC

Now we just need the wireless adapter so we don't need cables!

Summery: The drivers will be baked into a Windows update shortly.

If you can't wait, go here: http://majornelson.com/2014/06/05/pc-drivers-for-the-xbox-one-controller-available-now/

Google releases its first 64-bit Chrome web browser candidate

We're starting to get somewhere! I've been on various mailing lists keep an eye on this for a while, wondering when this was going to happen! See here for further details.

Swiss company to launch ‘ZeroG experience’ in 2015 to rival Branson’s Virgin Galactic

Need therapy for a fear of flying? a company is taking a commercial approach to what NASA uses to train astronauts. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2639614/All-aboard-vomit-comet-Swiss-company-launch-ZeroG-experience-2015-rival-Bransons-Virgin-Galactic.html

Apple makes it official: $3 BEEELLION for Beats

Personally I would have thought Monster were a better fit in terms of hardware but I guess they don't have a online music store presence.

Whats really interesting is suddenly Apple now makes apps for Windows phone (Try getting Google to do that) and Android!

From The Inq:

Apple has confirmed weeks of speculation, announcing that it has agreed to acquire Beats Electronics for $3bn.

The company on Wednesday issued a formal announcement revealing a deal which will see the House that Steve Built shell out $2.6bn in cash and an additional $400m in payments that will vest over time to bring Dr Dre and company on board. The final price was slightly lower than the $3.2bn figure which circulated when word of the deal first broke in May.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/28/apple_makes_it_official_3_beeelion_for_beats/

Beats Music will still be available on Android and Windows Phone after the deal, @Tim_Cook tells @FT. "It’s all about music." Story @FT soon

— Tim Bradshaw (@tim) May 28, 2014

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/28/5759014/apple-now-makes-android-and-windows-phone-apps

Sounds like a good deal for roaming businesses.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/23/truphone_beats_steelie_neelie_to_offer_flat_rate_roaming/

Word Lens gets bought by Google. heres hoping for more language support

This is a great app, basically take a picture of clear sign and the app converts the writing to english.
Would be great for holidays. I just wish it did Turkish!

http://wordlens.com/

Driven by necessity, Mozilla to enable HTML5 DRM in Firefox

Mozilla announced today that it will follow the lead of Microsoft, Google, and Apple and implement support for the contentious HTML5 digital rights management specification called Encrypted Media Extensions (EME).

The organization is partnering with Adobe to make the change. Mozilla will provide the hooks and APIs in Firefox to enable Web content to manipulate DRM-protected content, and Adobe will provide a closed source Content Decryption Module (CDM) to handle the decryption needs.

For a group that's committed to open standards and open source, this was a difficult decision. DRM, which tends to restrict fair use access to copyrighted content, and closed source modules both run counter to Mozilla's goals. Explaining the decision, Mozilla Foundation CEO Mitchell Baker argued that the decision was driven by necessity. With Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Safari all enabling EME, Mozilla faced a problem: if it refused to support EME, it risked driving users seeking to watch DRM-protected content to other browsers.
Read the rest at Ars: 

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/05/driven-by-necessity-mozilla-to-enable-html5-drm-in-firefox/

Engadget piece on automation service IFTTT

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/10/irl-ifttt/

Er... their about page has a rather interesting URL:
https://ifttt.com/wtf

Google's self-driving cars are now tackling street driving

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/googles-selfdriving-cars-are-now-tackling-street-driving-but-are-they-too-wimpy-9299888.html

2015: planes with apartments to live in during your flight!

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/04/etihad-a380-residence/

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom.

I'm tempted by this when it's released in the UK. An optical zoom in a compact form factor where I get the best of both worlds. Running Kit-Kat as well so will have the latest support and run apps smoothly from the looks of the spec sheet. I've not been able to decide what phone I'd like next for a while. The Lumia 1520 / 930 are still lacking Sky Go which is a real pain for me and everything else has been a bit bland or gimmicky. I do also like the HTC One M8 but it feels rather delicate and also like it'll be a scratch magnet! 

Cheesy Promo:

Samsung K zoom Product Specifications:

Network	LTE	Cat4, HSPA+ 42Mbps LTE 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600 HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
	3G	5-band HSPA+ 42Mbps HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
Display	4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED Display (1280x720)
AP	Hexa core: 1.3GHz Quad-Core + 1.7GHz Dual-Core Processor
OS	Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
Camera	Main(Rear): 20.7 Mega pixel 1/2.3 BSI CMOS Sensor, 10x Optical Zoom, OIS, 24-240mm, F3.1-6.3 AF Assist LED Sub(Front): 2.0 Mega pixel
	ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Continuous Shot: 3fps MAX with AF Format: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WBMP, BMP, AGIF Xenon Flash, SMART Mode, Expert Mode(P/M), My Mode
Video	Recording & Playback: Full HD (1920x1080 /60p) Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8 Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
Audio	Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC＋/eAAC＋, WMA, OGG (Vorbis), FLAC Format : MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Value-Added Features	SMART Mode(28): Auto, Pro Suggest, Program, Beauty face, Shot & more, Panorama, Virtual tour, Rich tone, Night, Continuous shot, Selfie alarm, Manual, Kids shot, Landscape, Dawn, Snow, Macro, Food, Party/Indoor, Action freeze, Waterfall, Animated photo, Sound & shot, Surround shot, Silhouette, Sunset, Fireworks, Light race
	AF/AE Separation, Object tracking , Studio, Smile/ Blink detection
	Ultra Power Saving Mode
	Kids mode
	S Health Lite
Google Mobile Services	Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube
Connectivity	Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, HT40, Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE USB: USB 2.0 NFC A-GPS + GLONASS
Sensor	Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor
Memory*	RAM: 2GB Internal Memory: 8GB microSD slot: micro SDSC (up to 2GB guaranteed), micro SDHC (up to 32GB guaranteed), micro SDXC (up to 64GB guaranteed) *User memory space may be less than the total memory space due to system files. **User memory may differ by region, carrier, and supporting language, and may change after software upgrade.
Dimension	137.5X70.8X16.6(20.2)mm, 200g
Battery	2,430mAh

http://www.samsung.com/uk/discover/mobile/galaxy-k-zoom-unveiled/

Developed a new radio technology and need regulatory space? Look here.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/spectrum/map.html

Microsoft must release email data held on Dublin server

Hopefully Microsoft (Who isn't exactly fond on the EU with the amount they've been fined) will turn to the EU for help on this one. US law should not apply to non US citizens outside of the US where the data has not been stored in the US.

Even if it was a US citizen doing something illicit outside of the US they should request the data via the judicial body where the activity happened.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27191500

Nokia to be rebranded as Microsoft Mobile

I hope they co-brand for a while like AMD did with ATI or this could go badly for them. Also they could do with having a better marketing brand... i.e. shortening Microsoft Mobile to 'MM'. It's going to look a bit ugly having that branded across devices. 

http://www.ebuyer.com/blog/2014/04/microsoft-to-rename-nokia/

New FreeNas release

I love FreeNas but they don't half release on an almost too regular basis.

They are planning a auto-update feature in their next major update which might be nice as long as they put some good QA in place before releases.

Anyway:

Release announcement:
http://www.freenas.org/whats-new/2014/04/announcing-freenas-9-2-1-5-waking-up-edition.html

Bug fixes:
https://bugs.freenas.org/projects/freenas/issues?query_id=75

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS desktop arrives this week as Windows XP alternative

Good timing. The OS as a whole could do with a fair amount of polish for the mainstream but it's still an awesome alternative.

The alternative versions are better if your constrained but older hardware though. Try Xubuntu for that.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2340343/ubuntu-1404-lts-desktop-arrives-this-week-as-windows-xp-alternative

Sky, TalkTalk and CityFibre to Launch 1Gbps FTTP Broadband in York

From ISP review. 

UPDATE 9am

After a bit of digging we’ve managed to learn that ownership of the joint venture does indeed split three ways, with Sky and TalkTalk both putting £5 million into the roll-out (CityFibre’s contribution is through their existing network / assets). Apparently none of BTOpenreach’s infrastructure will be used (i.e. no use of their cable ducts via PIA). The new network will thus remain entirely separate, with micro-trenching being part of the process to help build it.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/04/sky-broadband-talktalk-cityfibre-launch-1gbps-home-broadband-york.html

First Earth-size planet that may hold water confirmed

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/first-earth-sized-planet-that-may-hold-water-confirmed/

Microsoft, Apple and Google pledge to offer smartphone 'kill switch' programs in 2015

Wonder if this will be linked to proof of purchase / the serial. Manufactures have been making millions if not billions of those unfortunately enough to have been robbed.. Hopefully this will make insurance premiums go down as well. 

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-apple-and-google-pledge-to-offer-smartphone-kill-switch-programs-in-2015

I've tidied up my awesome freeware page!

I've tagged the suggestions with their OS specific platforms and actually proof read it so it should make a bit more sense thing time around.

http://blog.alpagot.net/p/awesome-freeware.html

HTML5 Video at Netflix

http://techblog.netflix.com/2013/04/html5-video-at-netflix.html

HTML5 should hopefully mean ease of use on any compatible browser. I.e. Sky Go on Windows Phone if they switch to HTML5 as well !

Windows Phone 8.1 finally makes the OS feel whole

Couldn't have summed it up better myself.

VPN, a Swype style keyboard and dual sim support all make this a nicely rounded phone. All it needs is Sky / Now TV!

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/14/windows-phone-8-1/

Heartbleed vendor notifications

https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Heartbleed+vendor+notifications/17929

LastPass and the Heartbleed Bug

http://blog.lastpass.com/2014/04/lastpass-and-heartbleed-bug.html

Broadband Forum CEO Claims 800Mbps G.Fast Is Not Just Another DSL Tech

The G.fast standard (ITU G.9700) is currently going through its final approval process and many expect this to be completed by around Q3 2014 (here). Meanwhile BT has already confirmed the first Huawei-based trials of G.fast at its Adastral Park facility near Ipswich in Suffolk (here) and they’ve had it in the labs, touching 800Mbps+, for even longer.

The new technology is similar to BT’s existing up to 80Mbps capable Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) service, which is currently being rolled out across the United Kingdom, although it’s designed to operate over much shorter copper lines (below 250 metres) and will utilise more radio spectrum (17 – 106MHz+) with improve noise cancellation (vectoring). Target speeds from 150Mbps and up to potentially approaching 800 – 1000Mbps are frequently talked about.
Full article here:
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/04/broadband-forum-ceo-claims-800mbps-g-fast-just-another-dsl-tech.html

PluralSight Buys Digital-Tutors For $45 Million To Add Media Software Training

http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/09/pluralsight-buys-digital-tutors-for-45-million-to-add-media-software-training/

Windows 8.1 update arrives April 8th and everything else you need to know

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-81-update-is-a-mandatory-update-for-windows-81-users

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-81-update-1-everything-you-need-to-know

GTC and Sky Sign 300Mbps FTTH Broadband and TV Deal for New UK Builds

OpenReach look to be cut out the picture on this one unless GTC are using them in the background. The market will be getting ultra competitive if OpenReach doesn't push FTTH properly. Doesn't look like the other large ISP's are going to sit idle. Virgin will have competitive options with the DOCSIS hybrid fibre network as well.

Would be surprised if TalkTalk started signing whole sale deals with developers putting in fibre deployments as well.

I'm sure Hyperoptic wouldn't mind teaming up with someone.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/04/gtc-sky-sign-300mbps-ftth-broadband-tv-deal-new-uk-builds.html

Prime Minister confirms BT asked to provide more detail on roll-out.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/6401-prime-minister-confirms-bt-asked-to-provide-more-detail-on-roll-out.html

UK tourist (data) roaming in Turkey

Going to do some digging but it really doesn't look like there are many good options for temporary data sims whilst out in Turkey.

I'll post my findings here as I'm off to Antalya in the Summer (Typically go to Bodrum so this will be a nice change).

Turkcell - Not ideal as a pay and go service as it's pay-as-you-go.
http://www.turkcell.com.tr/en/aboutus/visiting-turkey/tourist-tariff

EE - Europass does not cover Turkey.

On a side note this can't be good for business between the EU and Turkey with such data / call rates.


According to this link, http://www.prepaidsimmax.com/turkey-prepaid-sim-card/ it might be best to try and get a Turkcell nano sim and then load the prepaid sim with 4GB / 8GB of data (depending on how much you want to spend and how good your hotel WIFI is). The issue is getting the sim. Seems near impossible to get them abroad without knowing someone out there.

"Tablets and 3G modems do not require registration"  Seems to be a key point here for reusablity if you go back.

UK gets simultaneous Game of Thrones when it airs in the US.

If you have Sky Atlantic go to the following link and hit the remote record button:

http://www.sky.com/tv/show/game-of-thrones/article/season-four-simulcast

Or wait for on demand on Monday (3am onwards).