Yahuui Blog: July 2014

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Apple : Apple retail tipster claims iPhone 6 on sale Tuesday Oct. 14

Apple retail tipster claims iPhone 6 on sale Tuesday Oct. 14
Shazam for Mac means your desktop is always listening out for those tunes
New 27-inch iMac for 2014 rears its head, but will it be 4K?
Apple TV set-top reportedly pushed to 2015 as content stalemate drags on
Always wanted a Retina MacBook Pro tablet? Now you can have one

Apple retail tipster claims iPhone 6 on sale Tuesday Oct. 14

Posted:

Apple shifted iPhone launches from summer to fall in recent years, but one thing has otherwise remained constant: Consumers always line up around the block on a Friday, but that could be changing this year.

MacRumors today reported that Apple may be planning to reveal the forthcoming iPhone 6 at a media event on Tuesday, September 16, but has tentatively staked out October 14 for the actual on-sale date - presumably for the US and other first-world countries, at least.

According to an unnamed source attending a recent "internal Apple Retail Store meeting," a senior Store Leader apparently remarked how that particular day would be an "immense" one for the company, whose brick-and-mortar stores are expected to be busy all month long.

The report has raised eyebrows in many circles, considering every Apple iPhone launch since the first-generation handset in 2007 has taken place on a Friday, yet October 14 very clearly falls on a Tuesday this year.

Enough for everyone?

The only explanation offered by the source for swapping the day of the week was "high customer demand," which seems to be motivating Apple to ramp up iPhone 6 production to unprecedented levels in order to keep "an ample supply" available.

A separate report earlier this month outlined plans for a mid-September Apple event to take the wraps off iPhone 6 and iOS 8, with a second event penciled onto the calendar in October to announce the release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, Mac and iPad product refreshes and possibly even a launch for the mythical iWatch.

In recent weeks, conflicting reports have questioned Apple's readiness to launch 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models of iPhone 6 at the same time, with several rumors claiming the larger device may be held up by ongoing production issues.

With summer rapidly winding to a close (already!), Apple watchers won't have much longer to wait for official confirmation from Cupertino on when they can start lining up to buy the shiniest, newest toys on the block.

Don't forget about our review of Apple's current iPhone 5S!

Shazam for Mac means your desktop is always listening out for those tunes

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Most companies are moving from desktop to mobile, but Shazam is going in the other direction, announcing today that its popular music and TV recognition app is now available to download on Mac as a desktop application.

When on, Shazam will silently listen in the background for music played from both the Mac itself and other device around you, giving you a gentle notification when it finds a matching song or TV show.

Shazam on desktop might not immediately sound like an obvious fit, but when we consider how many times we grab our phones to scan a bit of a YouTube video or TV show we stumble across, the benefits start to surface.

You can choose to have Shazam run from startup, or just activate it when you need it. Shazam.com has also been given a facelift for the launch of the new app. You can hop straight from Shazam's app to the website where you'll find lyrics for the song and more information about the artist discography.

The bad news for PC owners is this is going to be only for Mac for the time being, however Shazam Chief Product Officer Daniel Danker told TechRadar that PC could get it in the future. "We have a brilliant partnership with Apple so we started there. We'll see how it goes. If this is a phenomenal success, we'll be looking at other platforms as well."

Mac users can go download the Shazam app from the Mac App Store right now.

The sound of music

Shazam

And once it's found a match, Shazam will offer a quick way to see lyrics for the music you're hearing. Unfortunately you can't use Shazam for Mac to boot up a song in Spotify, but Danker promised us that "absolutely streaming services are going to make their way into this at some point."

While Shazam's always-listening function is just an option, there will no doubt be more than a few who are concerned about privacy. But Danker told us that Shazam has no way of candidly recording conversations when it's listening out for music.

"We're incredibly clear about privacy," he said. "We actually don't record audio. We instantly convert the audio coming in into an audio fingerprint, and that fingerprint essentially just identifies the distinctive points about that music.

"It then compares those distinctive points with the tens of millions of tracks that are in our database. So there's no audio moving back and forth. In fact you can't even use the fingerprint to reconstruct the audio."

Thanks to a partnership with Shazam, users of Apple's upcoming iOS 8 will be able to scan songs with a single press of the home button. After Shazam for Mac, Danker believes this is the next obvious phase of making Shazam more easily and quickly accessible.

After all, time is of the essence when you're trying to recognise a catchy tune from a fleeting advert. "The Siri integration is a good third step on the path to more seamlessly integrating it into people's lives."

The evolution of Shazam: from music maestro to TV tagging

New 27-inch iMac for 2014 rears its head, but will it be 4K?

Posted:

Apple just introduced a new lineup of speedier MacBook Pros, but it doesn't appear to be resting on its laurels. A new leak reveals a new larger iMac mdodel is slated for release sometime this year.

The French tech site ConsoMac first spotted an internal document revealing a forthcoming 27-inch iMac model. Other than the fact the new Apple All-in-One will be compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 and that it's a mid-2014 model, there wasn't any documentation indicating specs or other details.

However, it isn't a stretch to think this new 27-inch model could be the recently rumored iMac featuring a Retina 4K display.

Long overdue

The 21.5-inch iMac saw an upgrade with the recent introduction of a new lower-end model stuffing MacBook Air internals inside the larger PC. However, the current 27-inch iMacs are still the 2013 units introduced over a year ago.

News of the updated iMac line comes along with rumors that Apple will also introduce a new Mac mini for the first time in two years.

Before we invest too much hope in these machines, the accidental listing doesn't describe much. Although it was taken down almost immediately, the leak could have been a clerical error or another sort of slip up. In other words, don't put too much weight on the leak.

The introduction of a 4K display and revival of the Mac mini would likely be announced at a press event rather than slipped into the Mac store, so we'll look for Apple to make them official at its typical September/October events.

Check out our hands-on review of OS X Yosemite!

Apple TV set-top reportedly pushed to 2015 as content stalemate drags on

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The long-rumoured Apple TV set-top box overhaul won't be adorning home entertainment set-ups until next year, if a new report is to be believed.

According to The Information (pay wall), Apple has shoved the launch of the device into 2015 after failing to entice content providers to buy into its vision for IPTV distribution.

The site's sources believe the cable providers are concerned that acquiescing to Apple's advances could see Cupertino replace them at the top of the television food pyramid.

The ongoing saga of the proposed merger between Time Warner and Comcast is also contributing to the hold up, the report claims.

2015, but when?

The Information's report says Apple is blaming the cable companies for the hold up, while those holding the rights claim Apple is biting off more than it can chew with its plans to modernise TV consumption.

As a result of all this, Apple is now working towards the 2015 timeline, although there's no mention of an exact release date.

Of course, this is not a new issue. As far back as a year ago it was reported that a failure to reach accords with content providers was behind Apple's inability to get a rumoured iTV flatscreen set (remember that?) out of the gate.

Can Apple convince the cable dinosaurs its plans aren't a big flaming meteor coming to wipe them out and start a new world order? Let us know your thoughts below.

Five reasons Amazon Fire TV can take on Chromecast and Apple TV

Always wanted a Retina MacBook Pro tablet? Now you can have one

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Apple's latest MacBook Pro models are things of beauty, but if you've ever wished one of them could be converted into a powerful tablet, there's now a Kickstarter campaign just for you.

Modbook announced the Kickstarter-exclusive launch of Modbook Pro X, the company's most ambitious hardware project to date. The Modbook Pro X converts a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display into a pixel-rich tablet computer.

Billed as a "content creation powerhouse," the contraption is meant for creative professionals and casual users alike. The Modbook Pro X can be built from an existing MacBook Pro for a starting price of $1,999 (about £1181, AU$2138), although early backers won't actually receive the modified hardware until early next year.

Paired with a pen input device capable of 2,048 pressure levels and powered by the forthcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10, Modbook Pro X can be configured with up to a quad-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB RAM and maxed out with 2TB of flash storage - double what Apple currently offers.

Take that, iPad!

Those kind of specs would make even the iPad Air run for cover, especially when Modbook claims the resulting device "functions like a regular MacBook Pro in the Mac ecosystem," even after being converted into a tablet.

Modbook Pro X does include a few tantalizing customization options, including Keybars, an eyes-free method for entering shortcuts, and a Keyboard Stand that serves triple duty as an easel mount, keyboard and screen protector.

The folks at Modbook have been converting Mac computers into award-winning tablets for years, seamlessly integrating with existing Mac OS X technologies, including Boot Camp support for dual-booting into Windows 8.1 and beyond.

We've asked Apple for comment on how Modbook's Kickstarter campaign might ultimately affect the warranty status of a MacBook Pro (don't hold your breath), and whether Cupertino frowns on such modifications (we're guessing they do).

Speaking of powerhouses, check out our review of Apple's new Mac Pro!

Software : Apple retail tipster claims iPhone 6 on sale Tuesday Oct. 14

Apple retail tipster claims iPhone 6 on sale Tuesday Oct. 14
Google unleashes its 64-bit Chrome browser for Windows
Return Path and ExactTarget's Marketing Cloud help optimize email marketing

Apple retail tipster claims iPhone 6 on sale Tuesday Oct. 14

Posted:

Enough for everyone?

Don't forget about our review of Apple's current iPhone 5S!

Google unleashes its 64-bit Chrome browser for Windows

Posted:

Google announced in June that it had upgraded its Chrome browser for Windows 7 and Windows 8 to 64-bit, and now that version of the browser is available to the public in beta.

Upgrading the browser's bit count has made it faster and more secure, according to Google.

The 64-bit Chrome for Windows build first arrived in preview builds for developers last month, and this is the first time the general public has had access to a steady build.

The beta is available now from Google's official Chrome releases page.

Max beta

"The new version replaces the existing version while preserving all your settings and bookmarks, so there's no need to uninstall a current installation of Chrome," Google's release blog promises.

However it's important to remember that as a beta version of Chrome, this 64-bit release is likely far from stable.

If you do encounter any bugs you can let Google know on this Chromium code page.

In the meantime the less adventurous out there might want to wait for a full, official release of Google's 64-bit Chrome for Windows, which is more than likely right around the corner.

Explorers unite: read TechRadar's latest review of Google Glass

Return Path and ExactTarget's Marketing Cloud help optimize email marketing

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Salesforce.com added new features to its ExactTarget Marketing Cloud Journey Builder tool. Among the new tools are maps that enable brands to plan customer interactions, triggers that enable brands to respond in real time to things like abandoned carts and affinity changes, and metrics that allow brands to test and optimize interactions.

I sat down with Matt Rausenberger, Senior Director of Channel Sales at Return Path, an email marketing intelligence company, to discuss the ways in which Journey Builder helps his business and his clients. Also joining Matt and me were Kent Ragen, VP of Channels at Return Path and Scott Roth, VP of Global Marketing at Salesforce ExactTarget Marketing Cloud.

TechRadar Pro: How long have you been working with SalesForce and ExactTarget?

Matt: We've been working together about six years, and more heavily the last 3.5 years. We've got our product integrated into their platform so that the customer can experience the product within the solution.

TRP: How does ExactTarget's Marketing Cloud help you provide better email intelligence to your clients?

Matt: After the email is delivered ExactTarget helps to provide the insight and the intelligence on how the consumer interacts with the message. We can then help our clients optimize the next sends to make them more effective to produce more traffic and more revenue.

TRP: Is it more about optimizing the immediate experience or providing data after the fact to make the next experience better?

Matt: We have data on the back-end more about the delivery of the message. We have our insight product that can be used as a strategy and planning tool to look at competitor programs and best practices for sending email. After the fact we can get more into deliverability. Did the message make it to the inbox or spam folder? We're tied in with both for ExactTarget.

TRP: How will the new Salesforce announcements help Return Path?

Matt: Journey Builder will be beneficial. We can be part of the journey and the back end. We will create apps that we will plug in for certain cases for specific journeys to acquire new customers, whose emails are typically wrought with deliverability issues. We can help them set goals and measure those goals over time. We're going to plug in really nicely and pick and choose what those goals are going to be.

Kent: Historically we've been active at the campaign or program level. With Journey Builder we're looking at one-to-one interactions to look at engagement on the one-to-one level.

TRP: Will this change how mobile email is sent?

Matt: We measure what device people read email on the most. We've found that more than 50% of emails are read on mobile. That data helps with the planning. [As a marketer],how will I optimize? How can I target email based on what they're reading?

TRP: How will wearable devices change the email marketing industry, and as a result, your business?

Matt: We've heard email is obsolete for years now but it's the center of the universe. Everything starts with email. It will continue to be important. Even journeys on wearables will start with email.

Kent: Our business is a data business. It's a question of protocols. Until SMS or some other new communication mechanism proves to be dominant over email our intention is to continue to build expertise [in email].

Matt: The inbox has your whole life in it. It's a big part where you get notices, shipping notices, purchases, transactions. We're monitoring all that now and providing that data back to marketers to be more effective.

Scott: In the past it's been all about execution. Looking great, rendering properly, getting into the inbox. Now we can help with strategy. Return Path's ability to have amazing data about the best and worst brands to help our clients build that email strategy is a game-changer.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Apple : Buying Guide: Best laptops for students: our top 5 picks

Buying Guide: Best laptops for students: our top 5 picks

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Even for those who feel at home with their nose in a textbook, the end of summer break is a bummer. But as much as it's a return to school and schedules, it's an opportunity. This is a fine excuse to invest in some fresh tech to make the coming academia-addled year a little more bearable.

If you're still reliant on a desktop, or if your laptop winces at the sight of a high-definition video lecture, it's time to look into an upgrade. And thankfully if you know where to look, it's possible to get a sleek and impressive notebook without blowing through your savings (or student loans).

We've pored through our laptop reviews from the past several months and picked out five laptops for school (with a few honorable mentions) that range from bag-sized little options for classroom note-taking to more powerful selections that'll do better around a dorm room for a variety of budgets.

Toshiba Chromebook

Best laptops for students

For the undeclared or liberal arts student that's strapped for cash (i.e. most students these days), it's hard to go wrong with a Chromebook. And Toshiba's entry just so happens to be one of the best. One of the few models available with a 13.3-inch screen, the Toshiba Chromebook (starting at $279, £207, AU$440) will get you through any term paper or assignment that you'd otherwise use Microsoft Office for.

However, this is neither the most powerful machine around nor the most supported in terms of apps. So, don't be surprised if your professor's online class tool of choice won't work on your Chromebook.

That said, app support is only growing as Chromebooks invade schools of all levels. If you've yet to declare a major or don't have much need for very specific apps or hardware, this is no doubt the way to save a few hundred bucks.

Read our full Toshiba Chromebook review

Dell Inspiron 15 7000

Best laptops for students

Looking for a general use machine for the dorm with that premium feel and performance to match, without the primo price tag? Then look no further than the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series (starting at $649, £629, AU$1,899).

With an aluminum finish, excellently snappy keyboard and trackpad, this multimedia laptop will not steer you wrong while typing away in your dorm or the local library. However, be warned that this unit errs on the heavy side. Commuters: prepare your backs.

But that's one of very few caveats to attain something close to that Apple look and feel without paying through the nose for it. If you need a general use laptop that both looks and feels powerful for less, this should be your first stop.

Read our full Dell Inspiron 15 7000 review

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga

Best laptops for students

Let's say you're attending the business school within your college of choice, but want to both impress your professors (and your peers), but want a machine that can have fun, too. The Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga (starting at $949, £851, AU$1,399) offers both, with its trademark ThinkPad looks, power and sensibilities and Yoga-inspired versatility.

While it's tough to find many concrete uses for such features – like several touch-focused use modes – in the business, they make more sense for the student. Take notes and churn through spreadsheets while looking like a pro, and prop up the device in tent mode while winding down with a Netflix binge in the dorm.

The ThinkPad Yoga is positioned as a business tablet with a penchant for leisure, with so-so results. But Lenovo might have missed this notebook's true calling: the MBA candidate.

Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga review

Dell Precision M3800

Best laptops for students

If you're working toward a career in film editing or post-production, 3D modeling and design, or some hardcore data crunching, this mobile workstation is all you. The Dell Precision M3800 (starting at $2,570, £1,756, AU$3,299) is by no means cheap, but is designed to handle the most intense computing tasks with ease.

With Nvidia Quadro graphics and an optional 3,200 x 1,800 15.6-inch screen, you'll be able to get work done fast and see more of what you're doing. Not to mention that the machine also looks super slick, with an aluminum lid and soft-touch plastic finish.

This is one of the ultimate MacBook Pro competitors if there ever was one, from its internals to its dashing good looks. The Precsion M3800 is proof that not all mobile workstations need be backbreakers or harsh on the eyes.

Read our full Dell Precision M3800 review

13-inch MacBook Air

Best laptops for students

Now now, before you start, this has way less to do with being with the "in" crowd than it does with unparalleled battery life and an operating system that's ramping up in popularity in a number fields, namely media. If you're after a degree in anything from design to advertising to editorial (and more), chances are those companies are running on Mac OS.

Therefore, it's best to get intimately familiar with the de facto flagship OS of the media world now for an extra résumé mention than to spend the first few weeks of your first internship learning an all-new system. Plus, the 13-inch MacBook Air (starting at $999, £849, AU$1,199) is cheaper and more powerful than ever.

Finally, the MacBook Air is one of the thinnest, lightest and longest-lasting laptops available today. Windows laptops is just now catching up in these categories. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better technological investment for breaking into the media world.

Read our full 13-inch MacBook Air review

Originally contributed by Chris Thornett

Updated: Top 10 business apps for iPad

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Intro and apps 1 - 3

The iPad has invaded our personal lives, but it also has a place in the business world. Whether you're a large company with employees who have access to iPads for work, or a small business running your entire enterprise from the device – the key to productivity is in the App Store. So, without further ado, here are our top 10 picks for the best business apps which you can get for your Apple slate.

SignNow

1. SignNow

SignNow is a great free app for filling out and signing documents on your iPad. SignNow can handle more than just signatures, it also allows you to fill out forms and other PDF documents. Open up any PDF, Word, or RTF document on the app to add text, ticks, and signatures to a file. You can send the finalised document by email or to other apps like Dropbox or Google Dive for storage.

A great feature of this app is its ability to request signatures on a document from other people, allowing you to manage all your documents from one place – although you will have to unlock this feature with an in-app purchase. In fact several features are hidden behind in-app purchases, and at some point you will be encouraged to upgrade to a Pro account – but as long as you are a light user you won't encounter any problems not doing so.

Overall, SignNow provides a great user experience, which is boosted by the inclusion of syncing and storage for your documents via a free account. For a free app, this offering certainly boasts an impressive amount of functionality.

Price: Free (Upgrade to Pro for £17.49 per month)

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/signnow-sign-fill-pdf-word/id489262811?mt=8

Splashtop

2. Splashtop Business

The Splashtop Business app allows you to access your work computer from your iPad. Effectively, the app turns the iPad's screen into your computer screen which you can access from anywhere.

The clean interface is simple to use, and although the remapping of the keyboard and mouse is tricky at first, it soon becomes second nature. To allow this app to open, run, and edit files located on your computer, you will first need to download and install the Splashtop Download Streamer on your PC. Once downloaded there is a simple onetime setup, but after that, as long as both devices have a good internet connection, you'll have access whenever you need it.

Privacy concerns are reassured by the provided 256-bit SSL encryption the software boasts, making Splashtop a must-have app for businesses that rely on software which is not available for iPad, but need their data to be secure.

The business package from Splashtop is reasonably priced at $60 per user, per year (around £35 or AUD$63). Note that if you're only planning on personal use it is worth checking out Splashtop 2, which sports many of the main features for only £11.99 a year.

Price: Free (Requires £35 yearly subscription)

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/splashtop-business-remote/id650739354?mt=8

3. Telegram

Earlier this year when Facebook bought WhatsApp, companies and individuals fled the service, and as a result Telegram's encrypted messaging platform became a hit almost overnight. Telegram is a secure private messaging service which looks and feels almost identical to WhatsApp, down to the cartoon icons in the background of a conversation window.

On a more serious note, the security Telegram provides for messages is amazing. The option for cloud-based encrypted messaging is standard, but for even more secure communication you can initialise a new Secret Chat in which messages are encrypted end-to-end. Messages in a Secret Chat cannot be forwarded and can even be set to self-destruct from both devices after a set amount of time.

The app was initially only available for iPhone, but unofficial versions of Telegram have been made available for iPad, Mac, Windows and Google Chrome – a truly multi-platform solution. The developer of the iPad creation admits the app is a work in progress, but at least there is an option available for iPad.

Price: Free

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/telegram-for-ipad-unofficial/id861876884?mt=8

Apps 4-6

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn in a well-known business social network, aimed at keeping you connected with family, friends and colleagues in a career-focused setting. The platform provides you with the ability to create an online CV, and relies on other members endorsing your skills – creating a socially verified page that can be shared with potential business partners. The same applies for businesses; they can add themselves to the site and create new business links, follow industry leaders, join groups and increase exposure.

The site works on the principle of six-degrees of separation. Once you have built up a foundation of known connections, you should be able to find the person or business you need by passing through your contacts' connections. This also makes the service perfect for finding potential employees as you are able to see references from previous employers. Throw instant messaging into the mix and you quickly realise how powerful a business tool LinkedIn really is

Price: Free

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/linkedin/id288429040?mt=8

Google Docs

5. Google Docs/Sheets

Google Drive is the tech giant's offering in the cloud storage market, and until recently the app supported the creation and editing of text and spreadsheet files. However, Google made the decision to split these two elements off into their own standalone apps – Google Docs and Google Sheet.

Dropbox is still my personal favourite cloud storage solution, but their app only lets you view the contents of certain file types, and lacks the ability to edit or create files. These two apps from Google can combine to provide you with a solution to managing and creating text or spreadsheet files – although note that the files you create can't be sent from the app, you can only invite people to co-author a document with you. This means that the recipient will have to sign up for Google Drive as well. On the plus side you can collaborate with colleagues on documents, and add comments.

Overall, Google provides a great solution for a quick synced document that is easily available on more devices than just your iPad, but lacks the features that more detailed projects will probably require.

Price: Free

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/google-docs/id842842640?mt=8

Numbers

6. Pages/Numbers

Pages and Numbers are easily described as a paid upgrade to the previous recommendation Google Docs and Sheets. The additional cost provides a ton of extra features when creating and editing documents, along with more options in terms of how you can save and share the files.

The Pages and Numbers apps will let you share the file with other apps and can also save your document in a PDF format, which is extremely useful if you don't want the contents to be changed at a later date.

With excellent templates included on both apps to get you started, and great spreadsheet and text editing options, making professional looking documents has never been so easy on an iPad.

Price: £6.99 each (or free with iPad since September 2013)

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pages/id361309726?mt=8

Apps 7-10

Puffin Browser

7. Puffin Web Browser

We have all been in a situation where a website won't load properly on the iPad – and it's more than likely because your iOS device does not support Flash. Most of the web has accommodated and provided mobile versions of their sites, but there are still situations where Flash is required, and that is where Puffin browser steps in. The browser connects to the internet via the company's servers, which process the web content before streaming it to your iPad.

Puffin has several features added to the browser, including theatre mode which will take video full screen, but its main selling point is the ability to deliver a site running Flash to your iPad. The app is not really designed to replace the main browser on your iPad, but when Safari on your iPad doesn't load a page, Puffin will more than likely save the day.

Price: £2.99

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/puffin-web-browser/id406239138?mt=8

Genius Scan

8. Genius Scan – PDF Scanner

The app store is flooded with apps that scan in your physical documents using the iPad's camera, so they can be sent as images or PDFs to your contacts. The app that seems to float to the top and always find itself in the Top 10 of the business charts is Genius Scan.

With this little app on your iPad you are basically carrying around your own personal portable scanner. Take a picture of the item you would like to scan and use the Genius software to locate the corners of your document. The app then takes over and adjusts the image accordingly, taking care of any perspective issues you encountered whilst initially taking the photo.

The finished product is a colour scan of your page cropped to size, and this app is commendably easy to use. Genius Scan also caters for documents by grouping together scans with other pages of the same document to help keep things organised and tidy.

Price: Free (Upgrade to Genius Scan+ for £4.99)

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/genius-scan-pdf-scanner/id377672876?mt=8

Invoice2go

9. Invoice2go for iPad

If you have a small business, creating invoices and estimates can be a time sapping chore. When you also take into account the additional filing required you will more than likely realise too much of your precious business time is being wasted on paperwork.

Invoice2go for iPad is a great solution for your business invoices, estimates, credit memos, purchase orders and more. Choose from over 20 templates to find a layout that suits your business, which can be personalised with your company's logo and branding.

The feature list is awesome, but a few of my favourites include the ability to add PayPal buttons to your invoices so customers can click and pay you instantly, and the ability to keep track of customer payments and know how much you're owed and make business decisions with over 10 built-in reports and charts.

Price: £10.49

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/invoice2go-for-ipad/id415577978?mt=8

Kashoo

10. Kashoo Accounting

Kashoo has provided an iPad app to complement its solid online accounting services. Kashoo enables businesses to keep track of all their income, outgoings and view Kashoo generated reports. Essentially, Kashoo provides you with the tools you need to do all the business basics from your iPad, from quickly entering expenses to creating professional looking invoices. Financial reporting is its real strong point, as it goes into some detail. Kashoo also gives you a really useful clean and simple overview of your accounts so your business can keep track of its finances.

To start with, Kashoo is free to download and the majority of features are free, but you will need to upgrade to a Pro account if you would like to remove the Kashoo branding from your invoices, or if you need offline access to your files, or require additional reports and templates.

Price: Free (Upgrade to Pro for £34.99)

Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/kashoo-accounting/id442878143?mt=8

Software : Microsoft in the dock following antitrust claims by Chinese government

Microsoft in the dock following antitrust claims by Chinese government
Instagram's Snapchat rival is very real, but its initial availability is very limited
Spotify for iPhone and iPad revives the boombox glory days with new equaliser
PCMark 8: everything you need to know
Windows Phone 8.1 update details reveal 7" devices, app folders and more
Windows Phone gets into shape with Fitbit, its first major wearables app

Microsoft in the dock following antitrust claims by Chinese government

Posted:

The Chinese State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) office has confirmed that it raided Microsoft's offices in China as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation.

A Google-translated press release reveals that the Chinese are interested in finding out about any potentially illegal tie-in between its Office productivity suite and its Windows operating system.

It appears that law enforcement officers took two computers, emails and other files including contract and financial statements as part of the anti-monopoly investigation.

Steamy Windows

Whether the current tug-of-war between the Chinese government and the Redmond-based company is linked with the recent ban on Windows 8 remains to be seen.

It is a mere coincidence but one can only wonder whether the Chinese are looking to pressure Microsoft into giving them better rates should they upgrade their computers from Windows XP.

A number of US companies - including Qualcomm and Apple - have recently been investigated by Chinese regulators either for so-called monopolistic behavior or suspected "back door" access.

Via Mercurynews

Maybe the Chinese government should read our "End of support for Windows XP: what are the options?" article.

Instagram's Snapchat rival is very real, but its initial availability is very limited

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It seemed inevitable that Instagram would eventually launch its own Snapchat competitor, and today the company proved the rumors true with the announcement of Instagram Bolt.

The new iOS and Android app lets users send photos and videos to their friends with a single tap.

Much like in Snapchat and other apps like Taptalk and Facebook Slingshot, the content then disappears as soon as it's viewed.

There's just one problem if you want to get your hands on Instagram Bolt right now: it's only available in three countries.

Promises

Instagram Bolt has launched in New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa, and an Instagram spokesperson told TechRadar that the company expects to release it elsewhere "soon."

"We decided to start small with Bolt, in just a handful of countries, to make sure we can scale while maintaining a great experience," the spokesperson said.

In additio, The Verge received a statement noting that 65% of Instagram users live outside the US, "so an international launch, while different, is actually not all that out of order with what we do."

"This isn't a side project," that spokesperson promised. "We are totally behind this thing."

How Bolt works

The Bolt app appeared first in a banner ad inside the Instagram app for Android on July 24, but now we get to see its features fleshed out.

Using the app is dead simple: tap on a friend's face to open the camera, shoot and send them a photo, or long-tap to send a video. You can add overlay text, or reply to content you've received. Content disappears once it's viewed and swiped away.

Instagram bolt

Despite Instagram being owned by Facebook, Bolt will only import friends from your phone contacts, not from your Facebook friends.

And users can set up to four favorites that will stay on the app's main page, though Bolt only lets users send content to one friend at a time.

It's a pretty app, but time will tell whether Instagram Bolt has what it needs to compete with the glut of other quick-and-dirty photo messaging apps popping up.

Grudge match: Facebook Slingshot vs Snapchat

Spotify for iPhone and iPad revives the boombox glory days with new equaliser

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Music streaming giant Spotify has updated its iOS app to include an equaliser that allows users to fine tune musical selections according their precise aural sensitivities.

The new equaliser gives users plenty of genre-based presets, such as Latin, Rock, Dance, etc., but the most useful may be the Small Speakers setting, to optimise the audio for users without headphones.

For true audiophiles, Spotify patrons can also manually alter the various bass, middle and treble frequencies by moving a finger up and down on a visual EQ graph.

The equaliser, which Spotify says is its most requested feature on iOS, can be accessed through Settings > Playback rather than the regular options on the Play screen.

iOS only for now

Elsewhere in the update, the Discover section has been moved within the Browse tab and iPad users will have redesigned artist pages to peruse.

Those pages will now include the latest release and the chance to snap up merchandise.

No word yet on if and when the update will land on Android (which already has a very basic equaliser), but we don't see why not.

We recently updated our Spotify review to see how the service is ageing.

PCMark 8: everything you need to know

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PCMark 8 is a benchmarking program for Windows PCs that includes a range of tests designed around common user scenarios. Each test gives a score, which you can use to compare different PCs, and detailed results to get a deeper understanding of system performance.

PCMark 8 Professional Edition is the only version licensed for business and commercial use. It offers additional Extended Storage tests, command line automation, the ability to export results as XML and PDF files, and priority customer support. PCMark 8 Professional Edition costs £1,005 (or $1495.00). Site license options are also available.

PCMark 8 Advanced Edition for home users includes all five tests, battery life testing, custom testing options, in-depth hardware monitoring graphs and the ability to save your results offline. It costs £29.99 (or $49.95).

PCMark 8 Basic Edition is free, but only includes the Home, Work and Creative tests. You can grab all three versions from here.

We spoke to Futuremark regarding its program and how PCMark 8 differs from other benchmark suites, and how benchmarks might evolve in the future.

TechRadar Pro: What are PCMark 8's components?

Futuremark: PCMark 8 includes five benchmark tests. The Home, Work and Creative benchmarks use workloads that reflect typical PC use in the home, the office, and for a selection of more demanding creative, entertainment and media tasks.

The Applications benchmark measures system performance using popular programs from the Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. The Storage benchmark is a dedicated test for measuring and comparing the performance of SSDs and HDDs. The tests are explained in detail in the PCMark 8 Technical Guide.

The PCMark 8 Home, Work, Creative, and Application benchmarks can also be used to test the battery life of laptops, notebooks and tablets.

TRP: How does it differ from other benchmark programs on the market?

FM: PCMark 8 benchmarks show the real-world differences between systems by measuring performance for common home and office tasks. Futuremark believes this approach is more useful to end users than synthetic component tests whose results may only be of practical use to engineers and other industry insiders.

TRP: What does Futuremark consider to be best practice when it comes to the benchmarking process?

FM: To get accurate and consistent benchmark results you should test clean systems without third party software installed. If this is not possible, you should close as many background tasks as possible, especially automatic updates or tasks that feature pop-up alerts such as email and messaging programs.

1. Install all critical updates to ensure your operating system is up to date.

2. Install the latest WHQL approved drivers for your hardware.

3. Restart the computer or device.

4. Wait 2 minutes for start up to complete.

5. Exit all other programs, especially those that run in the background or task bar.

6. Wait for 15 minutes.

7. Run the benchmark.

8. Repeat from step 3 at least three times to verify your results.

TRP: What are the challenges facing the benchmarking industry?

FM: Without a doubt, the biggest challenge for benchmarking is the change driven by mobile devices. It can be hard to create benchmark tests that scale from smartphones and tablets to desktop PCs and dedicated workstations.

A test that highlights differences between smartphones may not be relevant when comparing desktops. A test for desktops may be too heavy for a tablet. The challenge is to create useful benchmarks that help people compare performance, not only across all the different form factors, but across operating systems too.

The other significant challenge is that measuring performance alone is no longer enough. Battery life, power efficiency and thermal management are important considerations when choosing a new mobile device. Benchmarks must now do more than test the speed of the processor. They must measure the complete experience.

TRP: How do you see benchmarks evolving over the next few years?

FM: Over the next few years the quality and usefulness of mobile benchmarks will increase significantly. The standard will be raised by developers like Futuremark who have the expertise, wide industry connections, and open processes required to create high quality benchmark tests that are accurate, relevant and impartial.

Unfortunately, many of the mobile benchmark apps used today are created by single developers, or small teams, who lack the experience and industry connections needed to design fair and neutral tests. And even well-intentioned benchmarks can fail to present meaningful measures of performance, instead providing synthetic results that are difficult to relate to the differences seen when using real apps.

Windows Phone 8.1 update details reveal 7" devices, app folders and more

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Exciting updates to Windows Phone 8.1 are just around the corner as Microsoft inadvertently spilled the beans on some of the biggest changes coming soon to its mobile OS.

Microsoft accidentally revealed its release notes for Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1, otherwise known as Update 1, on its Developer Center. Among the upcoming changes is the addition of app folders. It's a little sad this long-held iOS and Android feature has taken so long to come to Windows Phone, but we suppose it's better late than never when it comes to better app tile organization.

The update also adds a Cortana entry into the phonebook, allowing users to trigger speech controls through a car's navigation system. This could be useful for activating speech on handsets in cars that don't support the feature via Bluetooth.

Yet another big updates users will be able to take advantage of is the added support for voice over a Wi-Fi connection, a great service for those who don't have a lot of mobile minutes to spare.

Big screens, interactive covers

The premature spill also reveals Microsoft is preparing Windows Phone 8.1 for some of its biggest devices yet. The update adds support for screens 6.01- to 7-inches in size with 1280 x 768 WXGA resolutions.

Once the update takes, Windows Phone 8.1 devices with 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution screens will also become a possibility.

Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 also introduces the possibility of interactive case accessories. Like the covers made for the HTC One M8 and LG G3, these will allow Microsoft's mobile devices to display information on a phone screen even when a case is in use.

While there aren't any interactive covers nor 7-inch Windows Phone devices yet, the update indicates they could be here before long.

Touchy touchy

Although the gift-bearing update isn't yet upon us, Microsoft did release some new interactive lock screens to the current version of Windows Phone 8.1.

The Live Lock Screen beta brings the newfangled lock screens first debuted at Build 2014. They replace boring swipeable pictures with rotating image locks and text that slips off the screen's edge as users unlock their device.

Currently there are six themes Windows Phone 8.1 users can access upon installing the app. However, users might be better off sticking with the lock screens they already have as PC World reports many of the new ones are buggy.

Supposedly the experience lags quite often while other users have reported the Live Lock screens cause their devices to crash repeatedly.

Microsoft is going in a different direction under Satya Nadella

Windows Phone gets into shape with Fitbit, its first major wearables app

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Windows Phone users hoping to accessorise their activities with a trendy fitness wristband can now do so thanks to the launch of the Fitbit app for Microsoft's mobile operating system.

As promised last month, Fitbit launched its companion app for Windows Phone today, finally allowing users to wirelessly sync data with wearables like the Fitbit Flex and Fitbit One.

The Fitbit app, already available on iOS and Android, allows users to view real time and historical activity data, while also logging their food intake from a possible 350,000 items.

As great as this sounds for Windows Phone users, it's not entirely universal. Smartphone owners will need Windows Phone 8.1 as well as the new Lumia Cyan update to make use of the FitBit app.

Ending the wearable duopoly

The launch is the first time a major fitness tracker manufacturer has embraced Windows Phone.

The likes of Jawbone, Nike, LG, Samsung and Garmin have all eschewed the third-placed platform thus far, making Fitbit the de facto choice for fitness-focused Windows Phone users.

In depth: How Big Data is keeping us fit and entertained

Monday, July 28, 2014

Apple : Analysis: iTunes 12 in OS X Yosemite: why Apple needs to think different

Analysis: iTunes 12 in OS X Yosemite: why Apple needs to think different

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It's sometimes hard to recall just how revolutionary iTunes was on its debut in 2001. It arrived during a genuine revolution in music, as the industry lurched from the comfort of CDs to the unknown territory of digital. The market was dominated by Real Jukebox, which then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs dismissed as "too complex" and "difficult to learn and use". He argued people needed something "really clean" and "really simple".

That was iTunes. Version 1 was a digital jukebox, enabling you to rip CDs, create playlists, and flirt with copyright law by burning custom shiny discs. The app was also free, essentially destroying competition and consigning the likes of Panic's excellent Audion to history.

Growth spurt

The capabilities of iTunes slowly evolved: support for the original iPod arrived, followed by smart playlists for automating collections rather than laboriously crafting them manually. Next: a music store and podcasts. Things were starting to move beyond "really clean" and "really simple".

By iTunes 10, the app was a music, video and podcast player, a store for buying media, a means for managing devices, and storage for digital books. There was a section for iTunes U and another for radio. There was even a social network, Ping, and no-one really understood why that existed. All the while, the interface had mushroomed into a messy, complex beast.

When Apple revealed iTunes 11, it was touted as a fresh start, a revamped UI re-emphasising albums with a grid of cover art, and dealing with cruft and bloat. Only that wasn't really the case - iTunes 11 merely hid the complexity. The sidebar was still there, lurking, and the app still had to do too many things - and wasn't great at any of them. On the Mac at least, iTunes still hadn't become a truly bad app, but it was a long way from the exciting, fresh-faced newcomer that wowed and elicited whoops of joy from the audience at 2001's Macworld.

With OS X Yosemite, there was hope for change. iTunes 12 could break from the past simply by not existing. Instead, Apple could continue being influenced by the focus and elegance of its iOS output - iBooks and Maps moved to OS X, and Photos will follow in 2015. Similarly, we could have had Music, Podcasts, Videos (instead of QuickTime Player) and iTunes U.

Apple's brightest could surely have also made short work of a revised store and a device sync app. Each component of iTunes would finally be its own entity, truly fit for purpose.

A dirty dozen

Alas, it was not to be. With the latest Yosemite beta, iTunes 12 arrived. The release notes make quite a lot of noise about the "elegant new design", "streamlined design" and "simplified design", adding that the info window has been "completely redesigned". There's a theme there, if you look carefully.

But it's clear iTunes 12 is mostly a 'Yosemited' iTunes 11: flatter, a touch sleeker, but still trying to do far too much. There are improvements: the new info bar is very nice; the store's integrated, an in-context component of whatever media you're exploring, rather than being its own entity; and complexity has been dialled down a notch through the sidebar going to 'live on a nice farm in the country'. But it's not enough - iTunes 12 feels better than its predecessor in the same way receiving a scowl beats being yelled at.

Perhaps it's too much to expect radical changes from Apple software. Despite the odd major ta-da moment during its history, the company for the most part has moved in slow, considered steps.

OS X Yosemite itself is evidence of this - a reserved but well-considered evolution of a desktop operating system rather than scorched earth and rebuilding. Additionally, there's the need for a Windows version, and one app - iTunes - is probably less hassle to maintain than several.

But with its iOS apps and increasingly its OS X output, Apple has shown us a template for something better. It's time to rethink the monster iTunes has become, and once again give people something "really clean" and "really simple" for playing their favourite media.

Fancy Apple for the car? Here is what we think of Apple CarPlay

Apple's MacBook Pro line might be getting a pre-Yosemite power boost

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If you happen to be reading this on your phone while stood in the line at the Apple Store, excitedly awaiting to swipe yourself a shiny new MacBook Pro - hold the phone! You might be better to wait out a little while longer.

That's because Apple looks set to launch a refreshed line of 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros with speedier Haswell processors and 16GB of RAM across the range, or so says a photo that's supposedly come from its store in Chongqing, China (as posted to BBS Feng).

The entry-level model comes with an Intel Core i7 2.2GHz processor (up from 2GHz) with 16GB of RAM (up from 8GB).

The second comes with a 2.5GHz Intel Core i7, while the third packs in a 2.8GHz processor and 1TB of flash storage. As previously mentioned, both those also come with 16GB of RAM also.

Triple trouble

Macbook

The first of the range comes with Intel's Iris Pro graphics, while the latter two pack both Iris and Nvidia's GeForce GT 750M.

At least in China, Apple's keeping its price points the same, which means it might not be offering up a cheaper MacBook Air as it recently announced.

No word on when we might see these, or even if they're legitimate, but it's not unlikely that Apple will give its line a refresh in time for Yosemite's full launch later this year.