IT Executive news

• The eyes have it: How one startup aims to change the future of VR

  12-02-2016 23:45
  
  Augmented and virtual reality headsets could be the future when it comes to computing, but right now, navigating virtual worlds and interacting with applications is often a clunky experience.That's the problem Eyefluence aims to solve with a technology that tracks the movement of your eyes. Eyefluence isn’t developing its own VR and AR headsets; it's leaving that to other companies and hopes to put eye tracking inside their devices.The company is led by CEO Jim Marggraff, an entrepreneur b
  
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• Gaming on Linux, Steam machines set to soar with DirectX competitor Vulkan

  12-02-2016 21:46
  The look of games on Linux-based Steam machines and mobile devices should improve significantly with the soon-to-be-released Vulkan API (application programming interface).Vulkan can be used for many applications, but is most relevant to games, much like DirectX for Windows. The new API is a much-needed upgrade from the aging OpenGL, which was first introduced in 1991 by Silicon Graphics.Khronos, the consortium behind the development of Vulkan, hasn't provided a formal release date for Vulkan. B
  
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• Mobile security Q&A: Securing the mobile minimum viable app

  12-02-2016 21:09
  
  As enterprises struggle to keep up with their internal demand for mobile apps, more are turning to more speedy development workflows, such as the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) , which essentially calls for mobile development teams to focus on the highest return on effort when compared to risk when choosing apps to develop, and features to build within them. That is: focus on apps and capabilities that users are actually going to use and skip those apps and features they won’t.I would imagin
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Behold the monster!

  12-02-2016 20:45
  
  Technology presentations usually announce something new: new hardware, new software, new additions to the ecosystem, etc. And anything new can meet with resistance. Significant changes based on the introduction of new technology can be emotionally disruptive in any organization.The audience is more likely to respond with enthusiasm if the changes are framed within a familiar narrative. Presenting a compelling narrative, which an audience can adopt as their own, will lead to broader support for y
  
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• Custom software drives Vitamin World stores remodeling

  12-02-2016 20:04
  
  CIOs contemplating ways to transform their businesses for the digital age must make a series of important technology choices. One such decision helped nutritional supplement outfit NBTY cut by more than half the remodeling time of its Vitamin World stores thanks to custom software that helped architects and other workers more quickly share information.NBTY is applying lessons learned from that digital makeover to automate business processes and boost operational efficiencies for its Puritan's Pr
  
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• Most enterprises plan to boost cloud use this year

  12-02-2016 20:00
  
  The cloud market shows no signs of slowing down, with 90% of enterprises planning to maintain or boost spending on cloud computing this year, according to a survey from Washington, D.C.-based research firm Clutch.
  The majority of enterprises in the U.S. said they would increase cloud spending in 2016, with 42% eyeing increases of between 11% and 30% and 14% looking to boost cloud spending by 31% to 50%. Another 7% plan to increase spending by more than 50%.
  Those increases are consistent with n
  
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• Google didn't abuse its position in Streetmap case, UK court rules

  12-02-2016 19:50
  
  Google has prevailed in a court case, filed by U.K. online mapping company Streetmap, accusing the search giant of anticompetitive behavior.The case, which dates back to 2013, charged Google with abusing its dominant search position to promote Google Maps at the expense of Streetmap's service. Google abused its position by placing a Google Maps clickable image at the top of its search results page and relegating Streetmap to a link lower down on the page, Streetmap contended.Streetmap
  
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• How Fiorina failed to use analytics to succeed in business and politics

  12-02-2016 19:28
  
  One of the fascinating things about watching a technology CEO run for office is the fact they never really seem to learn how to use the technology they sold. Before running for office both Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman ran companies that had impressive analytics capability, yet it was President Obama who used analytics to capture the presidency. It doesn’t seem that any of the candidates learned his trick. You would think Fiorina, given that she worked on McCain’s campaign and saw th
  
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• GitHub apologizes for ignoring community concerns

  12-02-2016 18:29
  
  GitHub, under fire by developers for allegedly ignoring requests to improve the code-sharing site, has pledged to fix the issues raised.
  GitHub's head of open source, Brandon Keepers, wrote in a letter today that HitHub is sorry, and he acknowledged it has been slow to respond to frustrations.[ Get the most out of collaborative programming with InfoWorld's 20 essential pointers for Git and GitHub. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with InfoWorld's Application Development newsletter. ]
  "W
  
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• New Chromebook won't break with 365-pound person standing on it

  12-02-2016 18:03
  
  A new laptop targeted toward classrooms is perhaps among the toughest Chromebooks out there.CTL claims its NL6x Extra-Rugged Chromebook for Education won't break if a 365-pound (165 kilogram) person stands on it. It can also withstand drops of 70 centimeters, more than 2 feet.That makes the US$269 laptop ideal for classrooms, where clumsy children can drop and rough up laptops. The device has the look of a small briefcase, with a retractable handle on the top to carry it.The laptop has been rein
  
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• New SourceForge owners kill contentious DevShare bloatware program

  12-02-2016 17:49
  
  After last summer’s bloatware incident, the new owners of Sourceforge hope to improve the site’s image as a haven for trusted open source downloads. Bizx LLC, which also owns Slashdot, recently announced on the SourceForge site that it would halt the download site’s DevShare program effective immediately.
  DevShare was a revenue-sharing scheme that allowed developers to bundle other applications with their downloads. It was introduced to SourceForge in 2013 by the site’s
  
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• Nasdaq to use blockchain to record shareholder votes

  12-02-2016 17:09
  
  Add shareholder voting to the list of applications for blockchain technologies.Later this year, Nasdaq plans to record stockholders' electronic votes on its own blockchain system for companies listed on one of its exchanges. By digitizing the entire process, it expects to speed and simplify the proxy voting process.Blockchains -- the best known of which is the public ledger of bitcoin transactions -- are distributed records of events, each block in the record containing a computational "hash" of
  
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• Google VR may ditch the smartphone with motion-tracking standalone headsets

  12-02-2016 16:28
  
  Google’s virtual reality plans may include more than just headsets with smartphones inside.
  Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reports that Google is working on a standalone VR headset that doesn’t connect with a PC or rely on a smartphone. The idea would be to occupy a middle ground between devices like Samsung’s Gear VR, which uses a smartphone for the display and processing power, and Facebook’s Oculus Rift, which must be tethered to a high-end PC.To read
  
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• North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un hates freedom, loves his Macs

  12-02-2016 16:18
  North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un isn’t exactly known for encouraging personal choice and freedom. “North Korea remains among the world’s most repressive countries,”  Human Rights Watch says, counting al the ways: There’s no independent media or religious freedom. Dissidents are thrown into what HRW calls “secretive prison camps.” Red Star OS, the country’s homebrew Linux operating system, is rife with surveillance tools and preventative
  
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• Intel SSDs may get speed, capacity boost with new Micron chips

  12-02-2016 16:00
  
  Intel's solid-state drives could be poised for a big jump in capacity and speed with new 3D flash chips coming from Micron.Micron, which makes the flash in Intel's SSDs, has started volume shipments of its 3D NAND flash chips. The chips could lead to SSDs the size of a pack of gum with more than 3.5TB of storage and standard 2.5-inch SSDs with capacities greater than 10TB.SSDs have been advancing in capacity and durability. Fixstars last month shipped a 13TB SSD, which is priced at about US$1 pe
  
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• Five sue Apple over Error 53 and bricked iPhones

  12-02-2016 15:42
  
  Five plaintiffs yesterday sued Apple and asked a federal court to designate the case a class action lawsuit because their iPhones were allegedly "bricked" after they had either repaired their smartphones themselves or went to a third-party shop for repairs.
  According to a complaint filed Thursday, the five were represented by the Seattle, Wash. law firm Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, Amala (PCVA), which earlier this week solicited possible plaintiffs for a class action suit.
  The complaint was based o
  
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• AT&T to run field trials of 5G wireless in Austin this year

  12-02-2016 15:06
  
  AT&T announced today it will being field trials of faster 5G wireless technology this summer in Austin, Texas.
  The 3GPP industry standard for 5G, also known as Fifth Generation wireless, is notexpected to be completed until 2020, with the earliest phase completed in 2018.
  Wireless speeds with 5G could be 10 to 100 times faster than with 4G LTE, which generally averages in the 10 Mbps to 20 Mbps range for users downloading data.
  Both AT&T and Verizon have ambitious 5G rollout plans, prom
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 things we learned from Cisco’s acquisition of Jasper Technologies

  12-02-2016 14:59
  
  A few days ago, Cisco announced that it was acquiring IoT platform provider Jasper Technologies for $1.4 billion. The amount is the equivalent of Jasper’s latest funding round, which is a testimony to Jasper’s market traction during the last few years. Jasper focuses on the emerging IoT lifecycle management space providing capabilities to automate and manage the deployment of IoT solutions. The acquisition represents a great addition to Cisco’s IoT software portfolio, with very
  
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• How to prepare IT workers for the impact of automation

  12-02-2016 14:23
  
  Seven out of 10 corporate executives say they are making significantly more investments in artificial intelligence (AI) than just two years ago, according to Accenture’s recent Technology Vision survey. And more than half (55 percent) say they plan to use machine learning and embedded AI solutions extensively.[ Related: IT pros don’t fear rise of the robots ]But rapid advancement of AI and robotics in the workplace has many professionals on edge—no more so than in IT. As machin
  
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• White-hat hackers key to securing connected cars

  12-02-2016 14:14
  
  WASHINGTON -- It's a scary prospect, barreling down the highway when a hacker seizes control of your brakes and power-steering system.The specter of hacking a vehicle, potentially a matter of life and death, demands auto makers to elevate security as a priority as they develop ever-more sophisticated in-car technology, a member of the Federal Trade Commission is warning.[ Related: Senators call for investigation of potential safety security threats from connected cars ]To read this article in fu
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 4 ways to maintain control of the project work

  12-02-2016 14:07
  
  We’ve kicked off the project, we’ve agreed on requirements and everyone is on the same page as we head into the building of the project solution for the customer.  All that is left is…well…everything else. As the project manager, where do you start?  What is most important?  What is least important?  Hint - the answer is nothing.  And how do you stay on top of everything that is going on while still keeping everyone up to date, on the same
  
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• How Apple could take the original video market by storm

  12-02-2016 14:00
  
  Apple is rarely the first company to market in a new product or service category. Instead, it's famously known for biding its time while it improves on existing technologies and then releases its iterations to the masses. The strategy has been effective in many ways, particularly in the world of entertainment. However, Apple still sits on the sidelines of the modern TV renaissance, and has yet to enter the rapidly evolving market of original video programming.For years, speculation mounted aroun
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to brick your iPhone by changing the date

  12-02-2016 13:48
  
  Bugs are a given when it comes to software, and the iPhone is no exception. The latest bug making the rounds on tech sites and discussion forums involves bricking the iPhone by setting its date to January 1, 1970. Please note that I do not recommend that you do this.This video on YouTube demonstrates what happens:I'll share my thoughts below, but as you might imagine the iPhone bricking bug caught the attention of Apple redditors and they had quite a bit to say about it:To read this article in f
  
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• There’s something fishy about those Windows 10 market-share numbers

  12-02-2016 13:40
  
  It seems pathetic, but Windows 10 fans are celebrating that, by NetMarketShare’s count, Windows 10’s market share has finally surpassed XP’s numbers.Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about a shiny, much-hyped operating system that, after some six months out of the gate, has finally beaten a 15-year-old OS that hasn’t been supported in years.Sadly, I don’t even trust NetMarketShare’s numbers as far as I can throw them. It’s not just that NetMar
  
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• CDO moet afdeling afstemmen op rol data in organisatie

  12-02-2016 13:11
  De snelle opmars van de CDO in organisaties laat onverlet dat belangrijke vragen over de structuur en de positionering van diens afdeling binnen organisaties beantwoord moeten worden, zegt Gartner. Om CDO's en andere beslissers te helpen met het afstemmen van de behoeften van hun grotere organisatie op de... lees meer
  
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• 7 Android tools that can help your personal security

  12-02-2016 12:30
  
  This isn't your typical Android security story.
  Most articles about Android security tools focus on malware-scanning suites like Lookout, Norton and AVG. But with the layers of protection already built into the platform, those sorts of apps are arguably unnecessary and often counterproductive -- or even needlessly expensive.
  For most Android users, the seven tools below should cover all the important bases of device and data security. Some are third-party apps, while others are native parts of
  
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• Detailhandel kan best klein beginnen met big data

  12-02-2016 12:19
  Een meerderheid van Nederlandse consumenten is heel voorzichtig met zijn persoonlijke gegevens. De bereidheid om zulke informatie te delen met detailhandelaren is in de afgelopen twee jaar sterk gedaald. Consumenten delen eerder informatie met lokale, zelfstandige winkeliers dan met ketens of online winkels. Dat zegt... lees meer
  
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• Unilever gaat ict’ers ontslaan door off- en nearshoring

  12-02-2016 11:34
  Unilever heeft aangekondigd dat 200 werknemers in Nederland boventallig zijn. Het zou om werknemers in de ict en de accountancy gaan en er zouden gedwongen ontslagen gaan vallen, aldus vakvereniging FNV. Dit meldde Computable deze week.  Offshoring naar India, de Filippijnen, Mexico en Polen is de reden dat de... lees meer
  
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• Apple's iPhone sued for infringement of touch feedback patents

  12-02-2016 07:30
  Haptic technology company Immersion has accused Apple and carrier AT&T of infringement of three of its patents in the latest iPhone models and Apple watches.
  Immersion, which claims over 2,100 issued or pending patents worldwide covering various aspects and commercial applications of haptic or touch feedback technology, has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban the import of the specified iPhone and Apple Watch models in the U.S., besides suing for damages in a Delaware feder
  
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• Is the road to machine learning paved with API providers?

  12-02-2016 02:17
  When it comes to machine learning, the future is already here, but it’s not yet evenly distributed. Taking advantage of breakthroughs in the field can require a lot of work, which is tough for small companies and those without a whole team to build custom applications and algorithms.According to Okta CEO Todd McKinnon, there’s a lot of hype around the potential of machine learning, but companies aren’t actually taking advantage of it. It's similar to how people discussed big da
  
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• Navy tests first ‘reversible’ clean energy fuel cell storage system

  12-02-2016 01:30
  
  Boeing has announced that, after 16 months of development, it has delivered a "reversible" fuel cell for the U.S. Navy that stores energy from renewable sources and generates zero-emissions electricity.
  The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) system, which can generate 50 kilowatts (KW) of power, is the largest of its kind and can use electricity from wind or solar power to generate hydrogen gas, which it then compresses and stores. U.S. Navy Photo by Michael Ard /releasedThe SOFC system after being i
  
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• Risky business? Online dating fraud dips during Valentine's Day

  12-02-2016 01:28
  
  Good news, singletons. According to research from device intelligence and fraud prevention company iovation, fraud on online dating sites is lower leading up to Valentine's Day.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Need data-science skills? Now your team can learn together

  12-02-2016 01:16
  
  It's an opportunity-filled world for those with data-science skills; for everyone else, the question is mostly how to get them.That's where DataCamp comes in. Founded in late 2013, the online data-science school offers training for students and professionals alike, including those who want to make a career switch. More than a few of its customers are large companies and universities.Data visualization, dynamic reporting, R programming and large data sets are all among the topics on DataCamp's cu
  
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• Einstein was right: Gravitational waves exist!

  12-02-2016 00:50
  
  A ripple in the space-time continuumIn one of the great astronomical discoveries scientists today said they made direct observation of gravitational waves -- ripples in space-time foretold by Albert Einstein 100 years ago. Physicists said the detected gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes – that were about 29 and 36 times the mass of the sun, to produce a single, more massive spinning black hole. This collision which happen
  
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• Hackers of two Ukrainian utilities probably hit mining and railroad targets, too

  12-02-2016 00:32
  The attackers who crippled Ukrainian power operators in December probably committed attacks shortly before against a mining company and a railway operator, Trend Micro said Thursday.
  The security company said its latest technical research shows that the same malware -- dubbed BlackEnergy and KillDisk -- were probably used in the earlier actions. It didn't name the targets of those attacks, which took place in November and December.
  "There is remarkable overlap between the malware used, infrastr
  
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