Cybersecurity Predictions 2015, Cybercriminals Leverage Espionage Tactics (video)

Cybercriminals to Leverage Espionage Tactics: Sentonas: Video - Bloomberg:
(Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)

McAfee's Mike Sentonas gives his cybersecurity predictions for 2015. He speaks with Bloomberg's Rishaad Salamat on "On The Move Asia." (Source: Bloomberg  12/10)

techNEWS:

CNNMoney
Microsoft: Cheap PCs are here to stay
CNNMoney
... at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week. Microsofthas historically charged PC makers about $50 per Windows ... Microsoft is trying to fight off the insurgent threat of Google's Chromebooks ... That's a concern as Apple (AAPL, Tech30) Macbook sales have grown far ...


Fox Business
Google Named Best Place to Work
Fox Business
Much has been said about Google's free food and on-campus perks, but ... “There are fewer technology companies and more consulting companies, ...
This Is Why Google Is the Best Place to Work in America - TIME


CNET
Fight or flight: Amazon gets tough with the FAA
CNET
For Amazon and its drones, the FAA must seem like a heavy cloud cover that ... Amazonwas hoping to be among those allowed to do trial runs with its ... aircraft systems]technology innovation in the United States," Amazon's vice .... In the past he has been CNET's beat reporter for Google, Yahoo, Linux, ...


CNET
Apple-IBM venture offers up first iOS apps
CNET
The partnership between Apple and IBM is starting to bear fruit. ... Don Reisinger is atechnology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to ...
Apple releases iOS 8.1.2 update to fix bugs and address lost ringtones - Mashable


Forbes
Apple: Icon, Icahn Or iGone?
Forbes
The Christmas holiday season will probably help produce an excellent quarter for Apple. After all, it is a technology icon. But it may be their last great ...


CNET
Google injects smarts, stickers into Hangouts communication app
CNET
The updated app, available for Google's Android mobile operating system first but submitted to Apple for approval on iOS, also lets people express ...

Google Launches New Cardboard VR Headset App Collection
The Next Web
With Oculus VR and the Samsung Gear pushing the very limits of what you can cram on your face to see things in 3D, the Google Cardboard project is ...

HERE Maps for Android drives onto Google Play for free
Android Central
After tooling around in a beta for a while, Here Maps has arrived in Google Play. ... It is part of the services portion that Microsoft didn't acquire. ....

Google Publishes 'Live Channels For Android TV'
Android Police
Today Google has released an app for accessing live channels into the Play Store. ... All the technology exists to make it happen and the big boys are just going to bleed their cash cow until they're as relevant as Microsoftin Mobile. ... apple developer account in real time and show the latest sales.

more technology news below ( @ web version--link below)

Follow @expricom

Free Voice Calls From Google Hangouts App

Voice calls in Hangouts: call history (left); dialer (middle); in a call (right) (source: Google)

Free voice calls from Hangouts: "... Hangouts already makes it easy to send a quick message, or start a group video chat. But sometimes it’s best to just call to say “I love you,” and with the new version of Hangouts you can. Starting today you can make voice calls from Hangouts on Android, iOS and the web. It’s free to call other Hangouts users, it’s free to call numbers in the U.S. and Canada, and the international rates are really low. So keeping in touch is easier and more affordable than ever. To get started on Android, just grab the new version of Hangouts (v2.3, rolling out over the next few days), then install the accompanying dialer to turn on voice calls. On iOS and the web, voice calls
will be available the next time you open the app..."

Call phones in Hangouts: Worldwide Calling Rates

Turn any Hangout into a live video call with up to 10 friends or simply choose a contact to start a phone call from your computer. Who says you can’t be together even when you’re not?
Download Hangouts: Google Play | iTunes App Store | For your computer

More info on Google Hangouts

Exclusive: Nokia, Windows Phone Brands to be Replaced By Microsoft, Windows - Geek on Gadgets : Geek on Gadgets: "we can confirm that Microsoft will be completely dropping the “Nokia” branding from their devices, leaving “Lumia” as the hero brand for upcoming devices. In fact we understand that the Lumia 830 and Lumia 730 will be the final two devices to launch with “Nokia” branded on the phone.  Future devices will most likely carry the “Microsoft” name along with “Lumia”."

RadioShack's Last Hope for Survival: Shrinking Fast in Bankruptcy - Businessweek: "RadioShack’s mission—to shrink like crazy—hasn’t been accomplished fast enough. The ailing electronics retailer said on Thursday that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy. While still holding out hope for new financing, the company acknowledged it could run out of money as soon as this month..."


CNN
Facebook testing disappearing posts
CNN
(CNN) -- If you want to use Facebook a little more like Snapchat, you might soon get your chance. The social-media giant is testing a feature that would ...

What Exactly Is the Facebook Messenger App for iOS Tracking? | Motherboard: "... iOS forensics and security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski spent Tuesday morning disassembling Facebook Messenger’s iOS binary, at one point declaring via Twitter that “Messenger appears to have more spyware type code in it than I've seen in products intended specifically for enterprise surveillance.” In an email, Zdziarski said that Messenger is logging practically everything a user might do within the app, from what and where they tap, to how often a device is held in portrait versus landscape orientation; even time spent in the Messenger app, versus the time it spends running in the background...."

NBCNews.com
US threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data
Washington Post
The U.S. government threatened to fine Yahoo $250,000 a day in 2008 if it ... communications by users of Yahoo and other U.S.-based technology firms. ... The original order to Yahoo came in 2007 and set off alarms at the ... including Google, Apple and Facebook — to comply with the data demands.
Documents Unsealed in Yahoo's Case Against US Data Requests - New York Times


New York Times
Microsoft Sees More Than Fun in a Game Like Minecraft
New York Times
Technology |​​NYT Now ... And Microsoft likes the game so much that the tech giant wants to buy Minecraft's parent ... Already, Facebook bought a virtual reality headset maker for $2 billion and the Japanese ... Last month, Amazon agreed to buy Twitch, a streaming video site, for more than $1 billion.
Culture Clash: Minecraft Fans Fear Microsoft - Wall Street Journal

Google Continues To Build Upon Its Life Sciences Ecosystem
Forbes
Google has a mission to organize the world's information and make it accessible to everyone. The company is mostly known for its search engine and ...


Wall Street Journal
Europe's Google Piñata
Wall Street Journal
Mr. Almunia said in February he was satisfied with Google's third offer, reached after two rounds of renegotiation following competitor input on ...

A Google Glass fit for the factory floor
Fortune
 ... It wasn't long after Google first revealed its Glass project in 2012 that technology companies ...


NPR (blog)
Is Amazon's Failed Phone A Cautionary Tale?
NPR (blog)
Amazon slashed the price of the Fire phone from $199 To 99 cents. ... Google has gone to great pains to build versions of Android that use less and ...

Google's studied silence on net neutrality finally broken
Washington Post (blog)
After a long silence, one of the Internet's biggest companies has finally weighed in on the latest net neutrality debate. On Wednesday, Google said it ...

more technology news below ( @ web version--link below)

Follow @expricom

Amazon China Takes On Alibaba, Apple Watch Disappoints, Apple Pay video

Apple Pay Is a Game Changer: Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster

True Ventures' Om Malik and Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster discuss the launch of Apple Pay. They speak with Emily Chang on "Bloomberg West." (Sept. 9, 2014 Bloomberg)

Alibaba Grabs The IPO Money But The Future Belongs To Jeff Bezos And Amazon China - Alibaba Group Holding Limited (Pending:BABA) | Seeking Alpha: "While Alibaba touts itself and raises $20 billion from US investors, Jeff Bezos is busy in China with his Alibaba-killer business. Bezos has precision-targeted Alibaba's key weaknesses and is positioning Amazon China for long-term dominance. Amazon in typical style reveals nothing about its strategy or operations in China. Everything is secret. They're clearly spending heavily, but with outstanding results so far."

Wolverton: Apple Watch underwhelms - San Jose Mercury News: "....That need for an iPhone link is likely to greatly limit its appeal. Even if you already own an iPhone, you may wonder why you need to buy an extra device... The other big problem with Apple Watch is its price, which starts at $350... it's a high price to pay for what is basically a phone accessory. It's also likely to be a high hurdle for many young people, especially since many of them have yet to be convinced that they need to wear a watch at all... its screen is generally turned off. To turn it on, you press a button or raise the watch to your face. That's annoying... at first glance, I wasn't convinced it's a device that most people need -- or may even want."

Alibaba's IPO covered in two days - Alibaba Group Holding Limited (Pending:BABA) | Seeking Alpha: "Within just two days of its launch, Alibaba (Pending:BABA) has collected enough orders for its IPO to cover the entire deal, although there still is no indication to where most of the demand is within its $60-$66 per share price range.At the top end of expectations, Alibaba would raise $21.1B as the largest ever tech IPO, smashing Facebook's $16B listing in 2012."

T-Mobile will give you a customized router for better Wi-Fi calling — Tech News and Analysis: "T-Mobile will start providing a customized Wi-Fi router to subscribers that prioritizes voice calls over other packets. The device, called the T-Mobile Personal CellSpot, will require a $25 deposit and can work alongside an existing household router."


Google Hangouts Gets Google Voice Integration And Free VoIP Calls | TechCrunch: "Google has long said that Hangouts is the future of Google Voice. The regular Google Voice service and site will still continue to work for the time being and most importantly, Google says that if you have a Google Voice number today, it has no interest in taking that away from you. “The important thing that users should take away is that the number they have will be carried forward and the feature and functionality set will be growing,” said Google VP of Engineering Chee Chew in an interview last week." (To make use of these calling features, you have to have the latest version of Hangouts (2.3) and also install a special dialer app.)

Google Should Buy MasterCard - Google Inc. | Seeking Alpha: "It's unfortunate for Google that Apple is receiving all the attention right now for launching a service that Google has already been providing for three years. An acquisition of MasterCard would provide a definitive statement that Google is here to stay in digital and mobile payments. It would also provide an ever-growing boost in revenue and earnings for years to come, as the world gradually switches from paper to plastic, and from plastic to digital."

America's new class system: Column: "California now has the wealth distribution — and, in some disturbing ways, the political underpinnings — of a Third World country. In Silicon Valley, a group of super-wealthy tech oligarchs live lives of almost unimaginable wealth, while only a few miles away, illegal immigrants live in squalor."

more technology news below ( @ web version--link below)

Follow @expricom

Android Crushing Apple Worldwide

The Android L-Developer Preview is now well underway. In the first of a new series of DevBytes, Rich Hyndman brings together a look at the new features. (Jul 18, 2014)

Worldwide Smartphone Shipments Edge Past 300 Million Units in the Second Quarter; Android and iOS Devices Account for 96% of the Global Market, According to IDC - prUS25037214: "The dominant smartphone operating systems (OS), Android 84.7% and iOS 11.7%, saw their combined market share swell to 96.4% for the quarter, leaving little space for competitors. Android was the primary driver with its vendor partners shipping a total of 255.3 million Android-based smartphones in 2Q14, up 33.3% year over year. Meanwhile, iOS saw its market share decline despite posting 12.7% year-over-year shipment growth. While Android and iOS both realized gains from a year ago, the rest of the market recorded losses...."

A Fascinating Look Inside Those 1.1 Million Open-Internet Comments : All Tech Considered : NPR: ".... every emergent theme was "pro" net neutrality, or supports the idea of a level playing field for content on the Internet. The comments did include "anti" net neutrality positions. They included statements opposing the "FCC's crippling new regulations," as commenters wrote. But they came from a form letter, or template, and all comment clusters that came from templates (five separate ones in all, four of five supporting net neutrality) were collapsed into a single node. Taken with the entire body of comments sampled, there weren't enough unique or organic anti-net-neutrality comments to register on the map...."

TechStars NYC co-founder launches Spring, a brand-backed mobile marketplace - The Next Web: "David Tisch, the co-founder of TechStars NYC, today launched his new startup, Spring, an iOS-based ecommerce platform that has the support of several high-end brands. Shopping on the Spring app (US-only for now) feels like scrolling through Instagram if you only followed fashion brands, or Pinterest without all the amateur crafts. Product photos are meant to be edgy lifestyle images instead of your usual shots on a white background. At launch, Spring has over 100 brands on-board, including Warby Parker, Band of Outsiders and Hugo Boss. “The only brands we’re letting onto the platform is brands that care about the customer, brands that have a soul,” Tisch said...."

Exclusive: Ultra Violet: Google is testing a new design for Hangouts: "Given the all-encompassing redesign of various Google services, it was almost to be expected, now you can say it with any degree of certainty: Google Hangouts gets a new look...."

YouTube TV: YouTube refreshes television app for set-top boxes, game consoles and smart TVs "...The refreshed interface should pop up soon -- it's available now with Xbox One, and Google plans to roll it out to other devices within the next few weeks." https://www.youtube.com/tv

Google's IPO, 10 Years Later: "On August 19, 2004, Google went public in a highly anticipated initial public offering that valued the six-year old company at what seemed to be an astronomical $23 billion, with a price-earnings ratio of 80, a mere six years after its founding. The company was already generating annualized revenue of $2.7 billion and profits of $286 million. Today, Google’s market cap is $390 billion, with annualized revenue of $64 billion and profits of $13 billion. Google’s market cap is the third highest of any U.S. company, with only Apple and Exxon Mobil being bigger. Public market buy-and-hold investors have scored a “ten-bagger”, earning a return of more than 1,000% over the decade.... "

Google Exec Violated Ethics Rules While at DARPA | News & Opinion | PCMag.com: "...The Defense Department was tipped off in 2011 by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), which alleged that RedX received $1.75 million in contracts following Dugan's appointment to DARPA. The non-profit watchdog group also said she kept a financial stake in the company after her departure, Navy Times reported...."

Google goes DARPA: "...Today Dugan is leading a cadre of big-idea special forces—called Advanced Technology and Projects group, or ATAP for short—on an even grander mission for parent Google, where the unit is slated to remain after the sale of Motorola to Lenovo is completed later this year... "

more technology news below ( @ web version--link below)

Follow @expricom