Update

Android 3.1 Update Coming in June to Acer, Asus, and T-Mobile Tablets | PCWorld

May 19, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

The first major update to Google’s Honeycomb platform, Android 3.1, was announced last week at the Google I/O developer event, and it’s slowly rolling out as an over-the-air update to mobile broadband-connected Motorola Xoom tablets. When announced, Google was vague about when we could expect Android 3.1 on other Honeycomb tablets, but today saw update details flying across the Web for both the Acer Iconia A500 and the Asus EeePad Transformer.

The details remain vague, however. According to reports on ThisIsMyNext and Engadget, Asus Italia used its Facebook page to reveal an over-the-air update was coming in June. And Acer says an update is coming in June, as well. Mind you, we don’t know when in June, nor do we know if U.S. models will receive the update at the same time as other regions will. Still, add that T-Mobile says it will be doing an OTA update of the T-Mobile G-Slate,and we’ve got a bona fide Android 3.1 party.

via Android 3.1 Update Coming in June to Acer, Asus, and T-Mobile Tablets | PCWorld.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: engadget, Google, June, mobile broadband, Motorola, pcworld, platform, Update

Update: Microsoft Selected to Host SF Email; Google Claims Process Unfair | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

May 19, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, Microsoft and the city and county of San Francisco agreed on a $1.2 million contract that will shift more than 23,000 employees onto Microsoft’s Exchange Online cloud email solution.

Google, however, said that the bid process wasn’t truly competitive, and that it didn’t have a chance to fairly compete.

If that sounds like quite a little, it is: Jon Walton, the city’s chief information officer, said it will cost San Francisco just $6.50 per user per month, for a total of $1.2 million in the first year. That will be slightly less than the $1.7 million to $1.8 million the city can expect to pay when the solution is fully deployed, a spokesman for the city said.

Walton said that the company evaluated Google Apps and Lotus Notes over several years, and the city’s CIOs unanimously chose Microsoft because of the city’s established commitment to other Microsoft products, such as Word, Excel, SharePoint, and Azure, Microsoft’s cloud solution. Google, by contrast, charges users $50 per email account per year, although it throws in a whole suite of apps for that price.

Google said that the process wasn’t fair, and that it didn’t have a chance to adequately compete. “We’re disappointed we didn’t have an opportunity to compete for San Francisco’s business,” a spokesman said in an email. “Through a competitive bid process, the majority of customers choose Google, and the rest get a great deal on their Microsoft license.”

via Update: Microsoft Selected to Host SF Email; Google Claims Process Unfair | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: chief information officer, com, host, lotus notes, Microsoft, PCMag, Update

Apple releases iOS 4.3.3 to patch location bugs – Computerworld

May 4, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

Apple said it would take a while to issue an iOS update to fix a handful of bugs related to the storage of location data, but it’s taken just seven days between that announcement and the appearance of iOS 4.3.3.

As Apple promised in its location Q&A last week, iOS 4.3.3 addresses three bugs related to the database of location information on iOS devices. Firstly, it reduces the amount of the cached location information to a week’s worth, rather than relying on a size limit, as it previously did.

Secondly, it no longer backs up the cache to your Mac or PC via iTunes upon syncing, so the information isn’t available to anyone with access to your computer. And finally, the cache is now deleted from the device when Location Services are disabled in iOS’s Settings app.

Apple has also announced plans to encrypt the location information on iOS devices itself in the next major update to the operating system, which presumably refers to iOS 5.

via Apple releases iOS 4.3.3 to patch location bugs – Computerworld.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: announcement, appearance, cache, Computerworld, information, itunes, location data, Update

Google patches 27 Chrome bugs, pays out record bounties – Computerworld

April 27, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

Google today patched 27 vulnerabilities in Chrome as it boosted the “stable” build of the browser to version 11 on Windows, Mac and Linux.

The company paid out a record $16,500 in bounties to researchers who reported a majority of the bugs, beating the previous biggest payday by several hundred dollars.

Wednesday’s 27-patch update fixed 18 vulnerabilities rated “high,” the second-most-severe ranking in Google’s scoring; six labeled “medium”; and three pegged as “low.”

None of the vulnerabilities was ranked “critical,” the category reserved for bugs that may let an attacker escape Chrome’s anti-exploit “sandbox.” Google has patched three critical bugs so far this year.

via Google patches 27 Chrome bugs, pays out record bounties – Computerworld.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: Chrome, Computerworld, Google, majority, today, Update, vulnerabilities

Apple Confirms Verizon iPad 2 3G Snafu | ITProPortal.com

April 9, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

Apple has confirmed yesterday to a US-based online website that it is aware that some iPad 2 owners that are on Verizon have been hit by a problem that requires them to reboot their devices to re-enable 3G after turning it off.

Ina Fried of All Things Digital has been told that “We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the Verizon 3G network and we are investigating it”.

Apple is apparently working on an update that will be available in the next update to the iOS platform. Interestingly, neither Wi-Fi only models nor those on AT&T have been affected by the issue.

The only difference between AT&T and Verizon’s iPad is the presence of different baseband modules inside each tablet. AT&T’s iPad 2 uses Intel’s Infineon GSM solution while Verizon’s iPad 2 runs on Qualcomm’s solution.

via Apple Confirms Verizon iPad 2 3G Snafu | ITProPortal.com.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: com, iPad, ITProPortal, Qualcomm, Update, Verizon, Wi-Fi

Firefox Feeling Sluggish? Disable Your Add-Ons – NYTimes.com

April 5, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

Firefox 4 included an update to its JavaScript engine, which made for some serious performance gains. Now Mozilla is going after another cause of sluggishness: slow start-up times caused by add-ons. If your install of Firefox feels slow to start up, you may want to try disabling some add-ons. According to Mozilla, on average, each add-on a user has installed adds 10 percent to Firefox’s start-up time. But that’s only for the average extension; some add-ons have a much worse start-up time impact than others.

via Firefox Feeling Sluggish? Disable Your Add-Ons – NYTimes.com.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: cause, com, javascript engine, percent, Update

iPhone, iPad iOS 4.3 Adds MiFi, AirPlay, Tethering and More

January 13, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

Apple (news, site) has released the next update for iPhones and iPads to developers, giving us details on the upcoming collection of new tricks for both devices.

Tether Your iPhone

When Verizon unveiled its iPhone launch a couple of days back, it mentioned the personal hotspot as a feature, but AT&T users shouldn’t worry, as it is being rolled out to all iPhones and iPads in the next update of iOS 4.3. This has just been released to developers and includes a range of features for Apple’s mobile range.

The feature, long asked for by users, will allow other devices to connect to your phone and use the cell signal for Internet access of other systems. The practical uses of this aren’t that widespread in the age of rampant mobile broadband use. However, if your home broadband dies, or a router fails, it can provide a useful backup until the cavalry arrives.

via iPhone, iPad iOS 4.3 Adds MiFi, AirPlay, Tethering and More.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: home broadband, iPad, ipads, iphones, mobile broadband, range, site, tether, Update

Microsoft Issues Warning On Security Glitch In Older Windows Releases

January 4, 2011 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

The Windows Graphics Rendering Engine in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP has a security vulnerability and the company is developing an update to address the problem, Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) said Tuesday.

Microsoft issued a security advisory that said an attacker could use the vulnerability for remote code execution and install programs; view, change or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

Microsoft said it is not aware of any attacks relating to the vulnerability. The advisory provides mitigations and workarounds for the problem.

In addition to developing a “comprehensive security update” to address the problem, Microsoft said it’s “monitoring the threat landscape and working with partners through the Microsoft Active Protections Program to take action against malicious sites that may attempt to exploit this vulnerability.”

via Microsoft Issues Warning On Security Glitch In Older Windows Releases.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: code execution, Glitch, Microsoft, microsoft issues, msft, security vulnerability, Update, Warning

Faster Forward – Skype brings 3G video calls to the iPhone

December 30, 2010 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

The iPhone now makes a decent video phone — even if you’re away from a WiFi hot spot. Skype shipped an update to its free iPhone application Thursday that adds video-calling capability to the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS and the current, fourth-generation iPod touch.

And the new Skype 3.0, unlike Apple’s FaceTime, works over AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband.

That’s not through any cooperation with the wireless carrier, Skype says.

“We’ve not checked with AT&T,” said Neil Stevens, Skype’s vice president and general manager for consumer products, in a Skype interview Wednesday. “We don’t think it’s our position to check in with carriers.”

I tested the new app in a round of brief calls from an iPhone 4, loaned by Apple’s PR department, to an iMac and vice versa, then between that iPhone and a loaner iPod touch. Every call connected in a second or two, stayed up until I ended it myself and delivered Skype’s typically good audio quality. But Skype’s low-resolution video stream looked lousy even over five bars of an AT&T signal, and switching to my home’s faster wireless network didn’t improve it.

via Faster Forward – Skype brings 3G video calls to the iPhone.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: 3gs, application, iphone, mobile broadband, phone, Skype, Update, WiFi

Google includes personalized voice recognition in new search for Android | Software News – Betanews

December 14, 2010 By Global EDD Group Leave a Comment

Google launched an update to Android’s voice search capability on Tuesday that incorporates speaker recognition to improve results.

The new “personalized recognition” feature is currently quite limited: it’s only available in English in the United States on Android devices running 2.2 and above.

When turned on, the new feature stores your voice searches and builds a statistical profile based upon the pitch and timbre of your voice and the pronunciation and pace of your speech.

“Speech recognition is based on statistical modeling,” Google’s help file on the technology says. “To recognize spoken words, we compare the input search to a statistical model of the language and try to find the closest match – the system’s best guess at what the user said…Knowing what you said in the past allows us to build specialized models that are designed to match your voice and your words.”

via Google includes personalized voice recognition in new search for Android | Software News – Betanews.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: Betanews, recognition, search capability, software, Update, voice