Apple : What to expect from business tech in 2015

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What to expect from business tech in 2015 Posted: 2015 promises to be an exciting year for enterprise technology. Will this be the year when tablets finally out-ship PCs? Can cloud storage get even cheaper? Who will hackers target next? Judging from the four quarters already behind us, the year to come will certainly be chock full of new challenges for companies of all shapes and sizes. Journey with us now as we polish our crystal ball in an effort to get a clearer look at the next 12 months ahead and how they might impact key areas of technology. Tablets at work Last summer, Gartner predicted 2015 would be the year tablets finally outsell traditional desktop and laptop computers, achieving shipments of 321 million units as PCs declined to only 262 million units. While it's too early to know for sure if that prediction will pan out, there is little doubt companies are favoring the adoption of tablets and smartphones, which offer greater mobility and cross-platform support for applications. With the right enterprise-connected applications, employees can be more productive on the go, especially when Wi-Fi and cellular data connectivity is factored into the equation. Among the companies placing big bets on tablets this year are JPMorgan Chase & Co. (via BizJournals), who will begin testing tablets in many branches as a faster way for customers to open accounts and make transactions without having to stand in line waiting for a teller window to open up. Tablets should also get a big boost in 2015 with the arrival of a touch-enabled version of Microsoft Office for Windows and Android, nearly a year after Redmond debuted the software on Apple's market-leading iPad. Internet of (software) Things It's little surprise the internet has gone from simply connecting computers and mobile devices to almost everything else in our lives. According to recent IDC data, the so-called "Internet of Things" is expected to connect as many as 30 billion items by 2020, becoming a potential $3.04 trillion (about UK£1.96T, AU$3.74T) market for businesses in the process. Of course, those impressive figures assume vendors will succeed in finding creative ways to integrate products that consumers will actually want to own and use. Research firms appear to be pinning these hopes and dreams on more nimble startups and smaller companies, rather than larger, more traditional firms. Analysts predict all of these internet-connected gadgets will likely strain IT networks over the next three years, consuming what has previously been excess storage capacity. One burgeoning market is likely to come from "smart cities" as more local governments buy into the advantages of technology. The biggest change for the Internet of Things in 2015, however, could wind up being less about hardware: At least one venture capitalist sharing predictions with Forbes anticipates that companies will begin focusing more on the software driving the hardware, rather than the actual "things" themselves. Data security gets personal From Target to Heartbleed to Sony Pictures, 2014 will likely go down as a banner year for hackers, who made headlines around the world for their devious and generally expensive antics. Security experts anticipate the worst may still be yet to come, however. Web sense (PDF link) predicts healthcare providers could become a prime target for IT attacks this year, along with the industrial sensors being used to connect such businesses to the Internet of Things. Older open source code is also expected to come back to haunt companies with further vulnerabilities yet to be discovered. Although financial information would appear to be the most high profile target for many hackers, analysts say our personal data – Social Security numbers, for example - is likely to become far more attractive for digital thieves. Computerized patient data and the personal details consumers provide when applying for credit cards or loans have also been cited as evolving targets. Mobile devices will also become increasingly large goals, but not necessarily for the goldmine of data they contain. Instead, attackers will look to exploit the new authentication methods (such as two-factor authentication and Apple's Touch ID) being used to safeguard personal data on smartphones as more users adopt such technology. Apple embraces business Everyone seems to have an opinion on what Apple may or may not do in 2015, but last year's enterprise partnership with IBM will certainly be hard to top for getting the iPhone and iPad into the hands of even more business users. Already beloved by more than 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies, Apple's newfound assault on the enterprise was a clear shot across the bow at the likes of BlackBerry, fresh off their defeat in the consumer smartphone and tablet space. Apple is expected to kick off the year with an initial batch of IBM-powered MobileFirst for iOS apps, which will eventually include more than 100 titles available preloaded with new devices. Apple is widely rumored to follow up the IBM partnership with a so-called iPad Pro, a business-centric 12.9-inch version of Cupertino's tablet likely to have more potential to replace Windows-based PCs than the Mac ever could. Such moves could also help alleviate one of Apple's few Achilles heels: The seasonal marketing of the company's consumer lineup. The renewed focus on business could help shore up Apple's financials without customers having to line up for a new iPhone. Falling cloud prices There's little doubt 2014 will be remembered as the year of more affordable cloud storage for consumers and businesses alike, a trend most experts seem to agree will continue into the New Year. But challenges lie ahead as organizations weigh the convenience of public cloud services against the need for additional data security. Amazon, Google and Microsoft made headlines last year duking it out over falling cloud storage prices, moves that had ripple effects across the rest of the industry. Even traditionally more costly services like Dropbox jumped into the price cut fray, while Microsoft made an annual Office 365 subscription look like a sweet bonus for users receiving an unlimited OneDrive storage bump. We expect Google and Microsoft to keep at each others' throats this year - after all, nothing is truly "free," and massive, cheap cloud storage offers each company an advantage when it comes to locking in businesses and consumers alike for the long haul. Lower prices will continue to go hand-in-hand with more generous storage capacities in 2015, although businesses should expect prices to level out a bit, presumably with less dramatic decreases than last year. Wearables for business As the consumer world braces for the arrival of Apple Watch early this year, businesses are likely to be more focused on devices worn on areas of the body other than the wrist. Forrester Research (via Information Week) recently predicted Google Glass could find its niche this year in the medical and manufacturing trades, after largely being ignored by consumers spooked about privacy and the general lack of style smart glasses have displayed thus far. Perhaps because of lackluster consumer adoption to date, the wearables market also isn't expected to become the next big goldmine for developers in 2015. That could change if Apple or Google succeeds at growing their respective app store concept for smartwatches, but for now enterprise solutions are likely to be far more lucrative for software designers. Wrist-worn wearables are also expected to cede ground this year to gadgets clipped onto clothing, or even built directly into the fabric. Ralph Lauren introduced (via CNET) such sensor-equipped smart shirts in time for last year's US Open, and other companies are working on jackets, shoes and even bras for this year. Splitsville For decades, corporations have acquired smaller rivals to accelerate growth plans, in keeping with the old adage "the more the merrier." 2015 will go in the opposite direction for a few tech behemoths, which are quickly coming to grips with the realization there may no longer be safety in numbers. Among the more high profile separations already announced are eBay and PayPal. After nearly 13 years together, the online auction giant plans to send the payment service packing sometime during the second half of the year after months of shareholder pressure. In October, Hewlett-Packard announced another 5,000 heads would roll as part of the company's split into two publicly traded organizations: One focused on enterprise (servers, software, cloud), while the traditional printer and PC business will have to stand on its own two feet by the end of the year. Antivirus behemoth Symantec followed HP's lead with plans to shave about 10 percent of its workforce this year as the company regroups into two entities, focused on security and storage, respectively. Cars make the connection What a difference a few years make: Connected automobiles are expected to steal the show from smartphones, video game consoles and other gadgets during this year's Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off in Las Vegas next week. Back in 2007, Ford paved the way after teaming with Microsoft to develop the in-car infotainment system Sync. Tech pundits and attendees at the time were left scratching their heads wondering what the fuss was all about, but last year the picture became clearer as Apple and Google announced their own intentions to put CarPlay and Android Auto into the dashboards of new automobiles. The Consumer Electronics Association (via Bloomberg) is forecasting that factory-installed auto tech could become an $11.3 billion (about UK£7.28B, AU$13.89B) business this year – and that's not counting wearable-based technology from the likes of BMW, who's working on a smartwatch capable of parking your car with nothing more than a voice command. Google's self-driving car continues to roll ever closer to reality, although this year's focus will be about more realistic goals, such as equipping new vehicles with affordable 4G LTE wireless to make all this connectivity more practical in the first place. VR moves beyond games Facebook made headlines last year for throwing $2.3 billion (about UK£1.48B, AU$2.83B) at virtual reality startup Oculus Rift, but 2015 is likely to be less about deal making and more about marketing as manufacturers give the technology more time to simmer. Gaming and entertainment remains the most viable short-term options for VR, although companies will continue to refine its potential to replace traditional keyboard and mouse user interfaces on the computer as well. Businesses may also find opportunities, however. Samsung recently predicted (via The Verge) the rise of "digital shops" this year, allowing retailers to circumvent high rent and inventory constraints for virtual reality customers. With Sony also vying for a spot at the VR table, analysts are predicting (via Cantech Letter) the consumer market could rake in upwards of $7 billion (about UK£4.51B, AU$8.61B) by 2018, with the majority of that revenue not surprisingly coming from the software side of the equation. Desktop OS wars Microsoft has made no secret of plans to unify desktop Windows with its mobile counterpart, and those ambitions should come to fruition with the release of Windows 10. Early adopters have already been putting the Technical Preview through its paces for a few months now, although the united OS isn't expected for release until later in the year. With an improved desktop experience and better multitasking, Windows 10 should take center stage at a media event on January 21, when Microsoft details some of the consumer-facing enhancements engineers have been cooking up in the labs. Apple is also expected to continue its now-annual tradition of updating the Mac operating system, presumably by rolling out a new California-themed OS X 10.11 build for developers at the yearly Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Cupertino will likely continue making the Mac and iOS platforms play well together despite keeping them as separate entities. Now that Apple's Touch ID is ubiquitous on iPhone and iPad, could an updated fingerprint-friendly trackpad (Magic Mouse or Trackpad for the latest iMac and Mac Pro) provide similar security for desktop Macs? We hope so. We also wouldn't be surprised to see Apple make further overtures into enterprise with the Mac, perhaps in tandem with former archrival IBM. With iOS factored in, Apple operating systems are already expected to outsell Windows on the consumer side this year, even as devices running Google's Android continue to dwarf all three platforms worldwide.

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Software : What to expect from business tech in 2015

---

• What to expect from business tech in 2015
• Download of the day: aTube Catcher
• Downloads: The five best apps for speeding up your PC
• Best free software of 2014: Dropbox

What to expect from business tech in 2015 Posted: 2015 promises to be an exciting year for enterprise technology. Will this be the year when tablets finally out-ship PCs? Can cloud storage get even cheaper? Who will hackers target next? Judging from the four quarters already behind us, the year to come will certainly be chock full of new challenges for companies of all shapes and sizes. Journey with us now as we polish our crystal ball in an effort to get a clearer look at the next 12 months ahead and how they might impact key areas of technology. Tablets at work Last summer, Gartner predicted 2015 would be the year tablets finally outsell traditional desktop and laptop computers, achieving shipments of 321 million units as PCs declined to only 262 million units. While it's too early to know for sure if that prediction will pan out, there is little doubt companies are favoring the adoption of tablets and smartphones, which offer greater mobility and cross-platform support for applications. With the right enterprise-connected applications, employees can be more productive on the go, especially when Wi-Fi and cellular data connectivity is factored into the equation. Among the companies placing big bets on tablets this year are JPMorgan Chase & Co. (via BizJournals), who will begin testing tablets in many branches as a faster way for customers to open accounts and make transactions without having to stand in line waiting for a teller window to open up. Tablets should also get a big boost in 2015 with the arrival of a touch-enabled version of Microsoft Office for Windows and Android, nearly a year after Redmond debuted the software on Apple's market-leading iPad. Internet of (software) Things It's little surprise the internet has gone from simply connecting computers and mobile devices to almost everything else in our lives. According to recent IDC data, the so-called "Internet of Things" is expected to connect as many as 30 billion items by 2020, becoming a potential $3.04 trillion (about UK£1.96T, AU$3.74T) market for businesses in the process. Of course, those impressive figures assume vendors will succeed in finding creative ways to integrate products that consumers will actually want to own and use. Research firms appear to be pinning these hopes and dreams on more nimble startups and smaller companies, rather than larger, more traditional firms. Analysts predict all of these internet-connected gadgets will likely strain IT networks over the next three years, consuming what has previously been excess storage capacity. One burgeoning market is likely to come from "smart cities" as more local governments buy into the advantages of technology. The biggest change for the Internet of Things in 2015, however, could wind up being less about hardware: At least one venture capitalist sharing predictions with Forbes anticipates that companies will begin focusing more on the software driving the hardware, rather than the actual "things" themselves. Data security gets personal From Target to Heartbleed to Sony Pictures, 2014 will likely go down as a banner year for hackers, who made headlines around the world for their devious and generally expensive antics. Security experts anticipate the worst may still be yet to come, however. Web sense (PDF link) predicts healthcare providers could become a prime target for IT attacks this year, along with the industrial sensors being used to connect such businesses to the Internet of Things. Older open source code is also expected to come back to haunt companies with further vulnerabilities yet to be discovered. Although financial information would appear to be the most high profile target for many hackers, analysts say our personal data – Social Security numbers, for example - is likely to become far more attractive for digital thieves. Computerized patient data and the personal details consumers provide when applying for credit cards or loans have also been cited as evolving targets. Mobile devices will also become increasingly large goals, but not necessarily for the goldmine of data they contain. Instead, attackers will look to exploit the new authentication methods (such as two-factor authentication and Apple's Touch ID) being used to safeguard personal data on smartphones as more users adopt such technology. Apple embraces business Everyone seems to have an opinion on what Apple may or may not do in 2015, but last year's enterprise partnership with IBM will certainly be hard to top for getting the iPhone and iPad into the hands of even more business users. Already beloved by more than 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies, Apple's newfound assault on the enterprise was a clear shot across the bow at the likes of BlackBerry, fresh off their defeat in the consumer smartphone and tablet space. Apple is expected to kick off the year with an initial batch of IBM-powered MobileFirst for iOS apps, which will eventually include more than 100 titles available preloaded with new devices. Apple is widely rumored to follow up the IBM partnership with a so-called iPad Pro, a business-centric 12.9-inch version of Cupertino's tablet likely to have more potential to replace Windows-based PCs than the Mac ever could. Such moves could also help alleviate one of Apple's few Achilles heels: The seasonal marketing of the company's consumer lineup. The renewed focus on business could help shore up Apple's financials without customers having to line up for a new iPhone. Falling cloud prices There's little doubt 2014 will be remembered as the year of more affordable cloud storage for consumers and businesses alike, a trend most experts seem to agree will continue into the New Year. But challenges lie ahead as organizations weigh the convenience of public cloud services against the need for additional data security. Amazon, Google and Microsoft made headlines last year duking it out over falling cloud storage prices, moves that had ripple effects across the rest of the industry. Even traditionally more costly services like Dropbox jumped into the price cut fray, while Microsoft made an annual Office 365 subscription look like a sweet bonus for users receiving an unlimited OneDrive storage bump. We expect Google and Microsoft to keep at each others' throats this year - after all, nothing is truly "free," and massive, cheap cloud storage offers each company an advantage when it comes to locking in businesses and consumers alike for the long haul. Lower prices will continue to go hand-in-hand with more generous storage capacities in 2015, although businesses should expect prices to level out a bit, presumably with less dramatic decreases than last year. Wearables for business As the consumer world braces for the arrival of Apple Watch early this year, businesses are likely to be more focused on devices worn on areas of the body other than the wrist. Forrester Research (via Information Week) recently predicted Google Glass could find its niche this year in the medical and manufacturing trades, after largely being ignored by consumers spooked about privacy and the general lack of style smart glasses have displayed thus far. Perhaps because of lackluster consumer adoption to date, the wearables market also isn't expected to become the next big goldmine for developers in 2015. That could change if Apple or Google succeeds at growing their respective app store concept for smartwatches, but for now enterprise solutions are likely to be far more lucrative for software designers. Wrist-worn wearables are also expected to cede ground this year to gadgets clipped onto clothing, or even built directly into the fabric. Ralph Lauren introduced (via CNET) such sensor-equipped smart shirts in time for last year's US Open, and other companies are working on jackets, shoes and even bras for this year. Splitsville For decades, corporations have acquired smaller rivals to accelerate growth plans, in keeping with the old adage "the more the merrier." 2015 will go in the opposite direction for a few tech behemoths, which are quickly coming to grips with the realization there may no longer be safety in numbers. Among the more high profile separations already announced are eBay and PayPal. After nearly 13 years together, the online auction giant plans to send the payment service packing sometime during the second half of the year after months of shareholder pressure. In October, Hewlett-Packard announced another 5,000 heads would roll as part of the company's split into two publicly traded organizations: One focused on enterprise (servers, software, cloud), while the traditional printer and PC business will have to stand on its own two feet by the end of the year. Antivirus behemoth Symantec followed HP's lead with plans to shave about 10 percent of its workforce this year as the company regroups into two entities, focused on security and storage, respectively. Cars make the connection What a difference a few years make: Connected automobiles are expected to steal the show from smartphones, video game consoles and other gadgets during this year's Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off in Las Vegas next week. Back in 2007, Ford paved the way after teaming with Microsoft to develop the in-car infotainment system Sync. Tech pundits and attendees at the time were left scratching their heads wondering what the fuss was all about, but last year the picture became clearer as Apple and Google announced their own intentions to put CarPlay and Android Auto into the dashboards of new automobiles. The Consumer Electronics Association (via Bloomberg) is forecasting that factory-installed auto tech could become an $11.3 billion (about UK£7.28B, AU$13.89B) business this year – and that's not counting wearable-based technology from the likes of BMW, who's working on a smartwatch capable of parking your car with nothing more than a voice command. Google's self-driving car continues to roll ever closer to reality, although this year's focus will be about more realistic goals, such as equipping new vehicles with affordable 4G LTE wireless to make all this connectivity more practical in the first place. VR moves beyond games Facebook made headlines last year for throwing $2.3 billion (about UK£1.48B, AU$2.83B) at virtual reality startup Oculus Rift, but 2015 is likely to be less about deal making and more about marketing as manufacturers give the technology more time to simmer. Gaming and entertainment remains the most viable short-term options for VR, although companies will continue to refine its potential to replace traditional keyboard and mouse user interfaces on the computer as well. Businesses may also find opportunities, however. Samsung recently predicted (via The Verge) the rise of "digital shops" this year, allowing retailers to circumvent high rent and inventory constraints for virtual reality customers. With Sony also vying for a spot at the VR table, analysts are predicting (via Cantech Letter) the consumer market could rake in upwards of $7 billion (about UK£4.51B, AU$8.61B) by 2018, with the majority of that revenue not surprisingly coming from the software side of the equation. Desktop OS wars Microsoft has made no secret of plans to unify desktop Windows with its mobile counterpart, and those ambitions should come to fruition with the release of Windows 10. Early adopters have already been putting the Technical Preview through its paces for a few months now, although the united OS isn't expected for release until later in the year. With an improved desktop experience and better multitasking, Windows 10 should take center stage at a media event on January 21, when Microsoft details some of the consumer-facing enhancements engineers have been cooking up in the labs. Apple is also expected to continue its now-annual tradition of updating the Mac operating system, presumably by rolling out a new California-themed OS X 10.11 build for developers at the yearly Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Cupertino will likely continue making the Mac and iOS platforms play well together despite keeping them as separate entities. Now that Apple's Touch ID is ubiquitous on iPhone and iPad, could an updated fingerprint-friendly trackpad (Magic Mouse or Trackpad for the latest iMac and Mac Pro) provide similar security for desktop Macs? We hope so. We also wouldn't be surprised to see Apple make further overtures into enterprise with the Mac, perhaps in tandem with former archrival IBM. With iOS factored in, Apple operating systems are already expected to outsell Windows on the consumer side this year, even as devices running Google's Android continue to dwarf all three platforms worldwide. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Download of the day: aTube Catcher Posted: A free video downloader and converter, aTube Catcher gives you a powerful platform to manage videos and take them with you wherever you go. Why you need it Six billion hours of video are watched every month on YouTube, so it's probably fair to say we're a little obsessed with online video. But if you want to transfer your favourite videos to your device, watch offline or convert them to different formats, you need aTube Catcher. This handy tool lets you download videos from the world's most popular video websites, then convert them to a range of formats – ideal for when you're travelling to areas with patchy internet reception but still want to tune in. In fact, there are so many conversion options available (including AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MP4, PSP, 3GP and more) that you should be able to play your videos on pretty much any device. You can also burn videos to DVDs ready for TV viewing, while there's a screen recorder for when you want to keep a record of video conferences and group calls. There's tons on offer with aTube Catcher, so give it a go for free. Key features Works on: PC, Linux (with additional software) Versions: Free Download: Grab videos from some of the world's most popular websites, including YouTube, Dailymotion, Metacafe and MySpace Convert: aTube Catcher gives you numerous choices when it comes to converting video, so your files should work on most devices Record: There's a useful screen recorder function, which can help you keep a copy of video conferences should you need them later You'll also like Free Studio Free YouTube Download Any Video Converter Total Commander Avidemux

Downloads: The five best apps for speeding up your PC Posted: If your PC is slowing down, it might be time for a new machine; or you might just need to clear out the clutter. Tuning up your system, clearing out software you don't use and making sure you're not running programs you don't need in the background can make a big difference to performance. What's more, cleaning up your system like this is better than running tweaking tools that promise improvements but can end up disabling system features you need for Windows to work properly. 1. Autoruns The Windows Task Manager shows you what programs are running automatically when you turn on your PC, and even how much they slow you down. But if you really want to dig into what's starting up when the system boots, what runs when you log in and why it's running, get Autoruns. You can see if what's running is coming from the registry, your startup folder or some unexpected location and whether it's a toolbar, a service, a browser helper object, a shell extension in Explorer or an actual program you want to run. You can check your own account or all the accounts on the system, and you can stop programs running just by clearing a checkbox. 2. PC Decrapifier The number one thing slowing down your PC is likely to be the pre-installed software that came with it. Sometimes you get useful software like Adobe Photoshop Elements, but you can also find your PC is running other tools automatically. What you need in this case is PC Decrapifier. Utilities that provide a secondary desktop interface or integrate with cloud services can be handy, but if you don't need them they'll just slow things down, plus you may find tools that look for updates or nag you to register your PC. PC Decrapifier is a reliable way of finding and removing software that came with your PC; it can also remove other software you no longer need. 3. WinDirStat If your hard drive fills up (which happens more quickly on devices with small SSDs), Windows doesn't have as much space for the virtual memory it uses to keep your software running fast. You can run the built-in Disk Cleanup wizard to get rid of old system files cluttering up the system, but the best way to find out what's really taking up space is a tool like WinDirStat. It runs in under a minute and shows a visual map of your drive, colour-coded by file type; bigger files take up more space on screen, so you can instantly see if it's Windows that's bloated or if you're using up all your disk space on photos and music. 4. Revo Uninstaller Free If you need to clean up a PC with a lot of old software on, give Revo Uninstaller a try (and it's worth paying for the full version if you want even more power). The standard Windows Uninstaller does a reasonable job but badly behaved programs can leave a lot of cruft behind on your PC. Revo Uninstaller digs into the registry to make sure they're gone. It can even remove programs when their uninstall tool isn't working (or you've accidentally deleted it). It's not as fast as we'd like it to be and you will often have to go through both the Revo interface and the uninstaller interface for the software you're removing, but it's certainly thorough, so sit back with a cup of tea and let it work its magic. 5. Microsoft Security Essentials There are plenty of antivirus tools to choose from, but the big name options that are packed with extra features can also slow your system down significantly. If you have a recent version of Windows, it comes with Microsoft Defender built in, but you can download the same software as Microsoft Security Essentials for earlier releases of Windows and get real-time protection against malware and regular scanning. This is a particularly helpful download if you're trying to tune up PCs for friends and relatives; it will find malware that might be slowing their system down and keep them protected without overloading their system when they're busy.

Best free software of 2014: Dropbox Posted: There are plenty of file sharing, or file storing, services out there that store information in the cloud to be accessed anywhere. Box is doing it for enterprise. Apple is doing it with iCloud. Microsoft is doing it with Azure. Google is doing it with Drive. But beyond all of these, Dropbox has always been my go-to client for online storage. Due to competition from other services in 2014 (namely Google Drive and iCloud), Dropbox has been forced to drop the price of its subscription service (called Dropbox Pro) and increase the storage. For £7.99 a month, users get 1TB of space, accessible from any device (for comparison, Google charges $9.99/month for 1TB while Apple charges £14.99/month for the same) with the free tier offering 2GB of space, upgradeable through promotion to friends. Dropbox creates a simple folder on your computer which can be accessed from any device, alongside a web based interface. As such Dropbox is not tied to a major corporation and so can work freely between any software or hardware; there is no necessity to use Google Docs or Apple's iWork and no bias towards a certain device, both of which ruin the experience of Drive and iCloud somewhat. While there is always the (faint) possibility that Dropbox will fold, the company has grown at a pace during 2014, introducing new, and better, apps for all major platforms. Investing in a Dropbox account has never been more attractive.

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Software : Download of the day: Notepad++

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• Download of the day: Notepad++
• Best free software of 2014: OpenOffice
• Windows 10 could come with a brand new Microsoft browser

Download of the day: Notepad++ Posted: The default text editor in Windows, Notepad, is great for simple tasks, but for anything else you'll want to get your hands on the free Notepad++. Why you need it Notepad++ is more than just a simple text editor; it comes with useful features for all manner of different tasks, from web editing to letter writing and more. Let's say you want to work on HTML code for a website. Whereas Microsoft's Notepad app simply displays the code with all formatting removed, Notepad++ highlights the code's syntax in different colours, making it simple to find what you're looking for. Then there are the bookmark, auto-complete and document map features, which all serve to make text editing that much easier. You can also customise the look and feel of Notepad++, giving it tabs to make editing multiple documets easier, plus there's the multi-editing tool, which allows you to change several instance of the same piece of text at once – great if you're playing with web code. Key features Works on: PC Versions: Free Customise: Notepad++ lets you customise your experience with the program through changeable layouts and plugins Web editing: If you're working on developing a website, Notepad++ makes it easy to work your way around the code Extend: There are far more tools available in Notepad++ than in the basic Windows Notepad app, allowing you to do more when it comes to text editing. You'll also like LibreOffice OpenOffice Microsoft Word 2013 Word Viewer Powerpoint Viewer

Best free software of 2014: OpenOffice Posted: Editing and creating documents is one of the cornerstones of computer use. In almost every job, there is a need to create and edit documents ranging from word files to spreadsheets. Currently, the main way of doing this is Microsoft Office, which is available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android – but it's expensive. Office 365 starts at £5.99 a month for one user, increasing to £7.99 a month for up to five PCs, which for the cash-strapped is just too much. Apple's iWork suite is free, but only works on OS X and iOS, requiring the purchase of expensive Apple hardware. Enter OpenOffice, a free open-source project by Apache to offer word processing, presentation creation and spreadsheet creation on Windows, Mac and Linux. Offering all the benefits of Word, PowerPoint and Excel for free, OpenOffice exports and imports .docx, .ppt and .xls, guaranteeing integration with peers and colleagues. Having used OpenOffice on and off over the years, it deserves a place on our countdown for offering one of the only legitimate alternatives to Office and iWork, and at no cost.

Windows 10 could come with a brand new Microsoft browser Posted: We've heard lots and lots of rumors about Windows 10, but until now there's been little word about what browser the new operating system will use. According to ZDNet's sources Microsoft is building a completely new browser to replace the ubiquitous but oft-maligned Internet Explorer. This new Windows browser is being called "Spartan," and it seems it's a completely new browser not based on Internet Explorer at all. This is pretty surprising, considering how long Microsoft has stuck with Internet Explorer, but what isn't shocking is that the new browser will reportedly look and feel more like Chrome and Firefox. Future revelations Preview builds of Windows 10 have included a desktop version of Internet Explorer, though granted an old version that was always bound to be replaced in future Windows 10 builds. Microsoft creating a new browser from scratch would explain why they haven't fit a new version into any Windows 10 previews so far. However the new browser will reportedly use Microsoft's Chakra JavaScript and Trident engines rather than the common WebKit, just like IE does, and Windows 10 may actually ship with both Spartan and the existing version of Internet Explorer 11 (or one slightly updated) for backward compatibility's sake. "Spartan" for now is just a codename, but we may find out exactly what the new Windows browser will be called at Microsoft's impending January event. The Nexus 6 is Google's best Nexus yet

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Apple : Microsoft wants MacBook users to switch to Surface Pro 3

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Microsoft wants MacBook users to switch to Surface Pro 3 Posted: MacBook aficionados, Microsoft wants you to consider its Surface Pro 3 hybrid tablet/laptop as a potential alternative. Its marketing team has put up a microsite that aims to convince those mulling a move to bite the bullet. The resource centre walks any prospective switcher through four steps (discovering Windows, discovering Surface Pro 3, moving your content and making the Surface Pro 3 interact with the rest of your Apple ecosystem). Microsoft debuted its Surface range back in 2012 and it has proved to be a relative success given that Microsoft released two subsequent iterations. It has however yet to release the successor to the Windows-RT-powered Surface 2. What Microsoft's tablet convertible has done though is pave the way for other similar products such as the Asus Transformer TX300, the Acer Aspire Switch 10 or the Schenker Element 10.1. The site targets Apple's MacBook Air, more specifically the 11-inch model. That said, while a similarly configured Surface Pro 3 costs the same as a MacBook Air, adding a Surface Pro 3 type cover bumps the price by nearly 15%. Check our review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.

Apple Pay set for mid-2015 launch - if it can win over the big banks Posted: Apple Pay has yet to launch in the UK but rumours are that, with big banking contracts signed, we should see the service come in mid-2015. According to the Telegraph, Apple has been busy showing off the merits of Apple Pay to the UK's banking sector but negotiations have been trickier than anticipated. Unnamed sources have indicated that Apple's data mining could be what's stalling talks, given Apple will essentially be collecting a mountain of personal and banking information from all that use the service. Pay, the Apple way It is thought that despite this issue, all the major banking groups will sign to the service, after uptake in the US has been strong. Currently one percent of transactions are being done through Apple Pay in the US. This is some three percent off of Google Wallet but that service launched back in 2011. Earlier in December, the first signs that Apple Pay was coming to the UK appeared. A job listing for the UK arm of the service appeared but was swiftly taken off of Apple's job board. With the Apple Watch mooted to launch in early 2015, Apple will be hoping to get Apple Pay into shops as soon as possible.

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Software : Download of the day: McAfee Stinger

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• Download of the day: McAfee Stinger
• Best free software of 2014: Evernote
• Industry voice: The future of the omnichannel experience

Download of the day: McAfee Stinger Posted: Use McAfee Stinger if you want to clear out an infection on your computer and restore it to a clean bill of health. Why you need it If you know you PC is infected with malware, you'll need a program like McAfee Stinger. This free tool targets worms, trojans and viruses already lurking on your computer, then rapidly destroys them to leave your PC infection-free once more. Why, you ask, do you need McAfee Stinger when your own antivirus software already exterminates threats? Well, Stinger is a much more targeted tool, searching in the registry and directories that viruses use to avoid the long scans performed by your antivirus program. That means Stinger can find threats that your regular software may well miss. There's no installation required, just double click on the .exe file to load up McAfee Stinger. That makes it ideal for when you need to eliminate a threat as quickly as possible. NOTE: McAfee Stinger is not a replacement for your normal virus scanner. You should scan your system regularly using antivirus software to look for infections; if you find anything, you can then use McAfee Stinger to rid yourself of the infection. Key features Works on: PC Versions: Free Find threats: McAfee Stinger looks in places that viruses are known to hide – places that your antivirus software may miss Clean your system: Target and delete all known infections on your computer You'll also like Kaspersky WindowsUnlocker avast! Free Antivirus Avira Free Antivirus Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Microsoft Security Essentials

Best free software of 2014: Evernote Posted: Having become synonymous with work (their slogan is "a workspace for your life's work") and now boasting over 90 million users, Evernote have spent 2014 updating their apps across all operating systems, including Windows 8. In October, the Evernote team announced a new app and a major redesign, thus increasing the company's hold on the productivity market. Evernote operates as a multi-purpose notebook – the Swiss army knife of notebooks, if you will – and can bundle together a myriad of different types of media into one place, including voice, images, pen input and the typed word. Alongside this, clippings can also be saved and notebooks shared. Evernote's uses extend far and wide. Using Evernote is free and operates on a tiered payment system, with the "Premium" option enhancing search features and adding the ability to search offline notebooks on mobile. Just as with Spotify, the Premium tier offers the most value and is thus worth investing in. As an app that has grown into an indispensable piece of software during 2014, Evernote has more than earned its place in this series.

Industry voice: The future of the omnichannel experience Posted: Throughout 2014 we have witnessed a massive surge in digital technology, especially around mobile. As a result of these advances in digital and mobile technologies, today's businesses and brands have more marketing tools available to them than ever before. However, these advancements are often outpacing an organisation's ability to interact, not only with their customers, but also with each other internally as there are so many tools at their disposal. It is evident that those brands that focus on engagement via a single channel, such as email, social or mobile, can become leaders but it is this limited focus that disables a business' capabilities to provide a consistent unified experience to a consumer across a number of channels. This year, we've seen many leading retailers strive to offer their customers a seamless omnichannel experience, investing heavily in upgrading their digital infrastructure in a bid to move closer to obtaining the mythical 'single customer view'. But is this really working in practice? Over the past year we have seen many business that have created siloed environments, data points and analytics that drive consumer communication that is relative to just one channel, such as web, with no cross federation of customer data and profile analytics to another channel, such as the app. For example, as a consumer, if I'm on my app, I receive communications based on what I do in my app. If I am on the website on my laptop, I receive an email, often post event, to recap on what I was looking at and suggest new things I should look at or do on the website. Occasionally l may see a pop up on the website which references what I am currently doing. Does this really sound like an omnichannel experience to you? This apparent lack of an omnichannel experience is predominantly driven by the fact that companies are unable to "identify" users or people across all the interaction points and channels and understand what they do and what channels they use regularly in an aggregated view. This aggregated view would allow businesses and brands to be able to instigate communications based on what users are doing across the entire digital estate. For example, if I were to do one thing via one channel, I would receive a communication across all channels or a specific channel relative to driving a marketing objective. These interactions should take place in real time when the consumer is engaged and are accessing the brand. Of course interactions can take place "post event" but all metrics suggest real-time interactions increase conversions. As a result, brands should be looking to create an aggregated view of their digital estate and the "people" that sit behind them, throughout 2015 and beyond. By having this information at their disposal, real personalisation can occur across channels. We believe that key to capturing the omnichannel consumer is this linked-up approach. To ensure consistency, brands and businesses must connect multiple customer touch points and understand and communicate with people and not just the users of individual devices. All interactions will be driven by customer name not just behaviour allowing consolidation of data, CRM and analytics. This will allow true real-time and valued post event communications, which will in turn unify the experience. By proxy this visibility will save significant investment around acquisition across channels as many times businesses and brands pay to acquire "people" that have already been acquired on another channel but just don't know it. Paul Putman is the Chief Executive Officer, Donky

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Software : Best free software of 2014: Spotify

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Best free software of 2014: Spotify Posted: There has been much debate in the music industry recently about whether Spotify is 'good' for music producers. Royalties are notoriously low and listeners to tend to be fickle, listening to a song a handful of times as opposed to an album repeatedly. Either way, Spotify is definitely good for those who listen to music – and the quality of the app reflects this. The Spotify app has been reworked in 2014 to include a new, darker design that translates across all devices from tablets to desktops to smartphones. Whereas before there was one design for each, now there is a unified design, and the unification doesn't stop there. Music can be controlled on a laptop from a smartphone, increasingly the usefulness of Spotify at a party or when moving from room to room. The speed and reliability of the desktop programme has also been improved, with far fewer crashes in my experience. Spotify has also opened up the free tier to include streaming on mobile devices (albeit with 'skip' limits), improving the experience for those who use the ad-supported version. Spotify has now cemented its place as the best music streaming service, overtaking Rdio and Pandora and earning a place on over 50 million users' devices.

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Software : Best free software of 2014: VirtualBox

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• Best free software of 2014: VirtualBox
• Industry voice: Are Consumer Operating Systems Right for Your Enterprise Mobile Devices?
• Google is cracking down on shady Play Store 'user testimonials'

Best free software of 2014: VirtualBox Posted: There are very few emulator programmes available for Windows, and even fewer that are free. If you want to instal a new OS, partitions must be created and so on – a lot of work to run the odd Linux programme. Luckily, VirtualBox, a piece of software created by Oracle, comes to the rescue, offering the power and flexibility of more popular emulator apps (such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion) for free. As part of Oracle's enterprise suite, VirtualBox enjoys regular updates and bug fixes. Alongside this, VirtualBox supports a wide range of operating systems, including older versions of Windows. Throughout my usage of VirtualBox, I have never experienced a crash of the emulated OS, even when running more intense programmes. Obviously this is somewhat hardware based, but Oracle's backing of VirtualBox pays dividends in performance,stability and continued updates to the software. Being able to run a different OS from a free, multi-platform app is fantastic and, as such, VirtualBox more than justifies its place on this list. The software has been continuously updated throughout 2014, offering bug fixes and feature additions, and it continues to get better and better.

Industry voice: Are Consumer Operating Systems Right for Your Enterprise Mobile Devices? Posted: In this article, Ritesh Gupta from Zebra Technologies, looks in more details at whether consumer operating systems are fit for (enterprise) purpose before recommending steps you can take to protect your devices, apps and data if you're making the move to a consumer OS. It's anticipated that Android will be more widely used in the enterprise this year. Drivers for this include Android's dominance of smartphones and broader support for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Android's momentum is underlined by the fact tha each day, 1 million people power up a new Android device, the number of Android devices is expected to top 1 billion by the end of this year and Android has 81.9% share of the smartphone market (end of 2013). That explains why the days of a single OS dominating the enterprise mobile market look to be over. Among a number of reasons for this, five stand out: OS versatility: With mobile devices now used across the organisation, there may well be a case for using a blend of operating systems to better tailor your devices to people's specific roles. Employee demand: Employees are pushing their organisations to give them work devices that offer the same appealing and tactile interface that they enjoy on smartphones. End of life: With popular versions of the dominant enterprise OS coming to an end, customers of are looking for alternatives. Cost savings: Consumer operating systems promise cost savings. For example, with 81.9% of smartphones using Android, most people can just pick up and use an Android device without training. Accelerated deployment: With a huge range of developers, programmer resources and ready-to-go 'pro-sumer' apps available, you can quickly develop and launch a mobile platform. While there are compelling reasons to 'go consumer', there are drawbacks – the most important being security. A consumer OS is not fully designed to be part of a corporate IT system and lacks critical features to protect devices and apps. Another big issue is the speed of revisions, with consumer operating systems upgraded or renewed on average every six months. These revisions will require you to amend your apps and device software and can consume considerable resource. We take a look below at how to combat these critical issues. Securing your devices One of the best things you can do to protect your devices is to install Mobile Device Management (MDM) software to remotely manage and protect devices. For instance, you can review device usage and enforce security protocols, ensure that users can only access a list of approved websites, kill or wipe lost or stolen devices, enforce software updates, change security settings any time and protect against malware. You can also take steps at the device level to protect data by containerising it in highly secure encrypted areas on your devices.. You also have the option of encrypting your devices and any data sent over wireless networks. Encryption software provides the most robust level of security available and is appropriate where your people are working with highly sensitive information. Another important decision in securing your mobile platform is the choice of OS. For example, with Android you can select two flavours: Google Mobile Service (GMS) or AOSP (Android Open Source Project). GMS has a lot going for it with access to the Google Play app store with over a million apps,. But there's a trade-off. You'll need to sign up to a Gmail account for these features. And by doing so you agree to the collection and possible analysis of your user's behaviour including web searches, location data and email activity. With this in mind many of our customers are opting to use Open Source that's increasingly seen to be a more appropriate OS for the enterprise. A growing number of devices are pre-installed with Android Open Source Project, it's easy to customise and secure the OS, and a wide range of apps are available that have been created for business: for instance, navigation apps that can be used in off-line mode to save on data charges, highly secure email clients, and proven, specialist apps designed for different sectors including field services, field mobility, logistics and many more. Protecting your app investments To reduce the impact of OS amendments we suggest looking for ways to make your apps as agnostic and resilient to change as possible. Key to achieving this resilience is how you develop. You have three options: developing natively for one OS, using a hybrid model or building your apps in HTML5. In today's much more nimble mobile world we advise against locking in to one OS. In regards to the hybrid model, we're seeing some customers take this route. The thinking behind this is that core processor-heavy apps run more smoothly when developed for a native OS. For example a delivery company whose drivers are using navigation, proof of delivery and scanning apps a lot would develop these natively. Supplementary apps, such as an email client, they would build around HTML5. However, if that company wants to bring a new OS into the business, and if they have, say, 60% of their core apps written in native code, they will have to re-engineer them – at considerable cost. Our advice then is to develop using HTML5. Once you've created your apps, any changes are easily made to the core code to make them compatible with OS revisions. In our experience HTML5 is robust, it's easy to develop with and, because it's OS-agnostic, it gives you much more versatility to provide your people with the best devices for their roles. Consumer confidence There has long been a case for introducing consumer operating systems into the enterprise. But there has always been a concern that rich usability comes at a high potential cost – compromised security. But security loopholes are closing. And new tools are available for IT teams that enable them to better monitor, control and protect their mobile apps and devices – whether the devices are owned by the business or employees. We believe that now's the time to confidently consider using a consumer OS in the business with the expectation that the familiar and engaging interfaces will help your people achieve even more through their mobile devices. Ritesh Gupta is senior Manager WW technical operation at Zebra Technologies.

Google is cracking down on shady Play Store 'user testimonials' Posted: Google has updated the "Keyword spam" section of its Android developer guidelines to forbid app developers from including "user testimonials" in their app descriptions. The search company says developers use these "dubious" testimonials to game the search system with keywords and competing app names, and that customers' feedback should be relegated to official user reviews. "Please do not include user testimonials in your app description," the updated guidelines read. "They tend to be dubious and are frequently utilized to include references to popular search terms and competitor apps in violation of the policies outlined here. Let your users speak for themselves via Play's comment review system." The Google Play Store has long been notorious for having less regulation than Apple's iOS App Store, although to be sure plenty of crap slips through the cracks in both systems. In any case it's nice to see Google making positive changes to its policies. The Samsung Galaxy S5 was no revolution

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