IT Executive news

• Apple hires NFL lobbyist and former Biden aide to oversee public policy

  14-04-2016 23:56
  Apple just added a big-league player to its executive lineup—literally. The company just named National Football League lobbyist Cynthia Hogan its vice president for public policy and government affairs in Washington DC, overseeing the Americas.PoliticoCynthia Hogan starts at Apple on April 29.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Let’s not make secure encryption illegal

  14-04-2016 23:13
  
  The encryption security debate that is the fallout from the FBI-Apple debacle has taken a dangerous — and utterly predictable — turn. Congress has gotten involved, in a most unhelpful way.
  A preliminary version of an encryption bill from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) would require device vendors that are hit with a court order to unencrypt data on their devices to either “provide such information or
  
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• Microsoft sues U.S. government over data gag orders

  14-04-2016 22:23
  
  Microsoft today asked a federal court to invalidate part of a 1986 law that it alleged has been abused by the government when authorities demand the company hand over customers' data, including documents, emails and other information stored in the cloud.
  In a lawsuit targeting the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Microsoft asked for a judgment that would declare unconstitutional a section of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), a 30-year-old law
  
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• 39% off GolfBuddy VS4 Talking Golf GPS - Deal Alert

  14-04-2016 22:22
  
  If you're a golfer, or need a gift for one, you may want to take advantage of this 39% off deal. With a regular price of $179.99, you can buy the GolfBuddy VS4 Talking Golf GPS for just $109.99.Just press a button and the the VS4 from GolfBuddy tells you the distance to the front, center and back of the green. It's as simple as that. The product currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 325 people (see reviews), and most reviewers seem to agree that it's accurate and easy to use.
  
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• Why AI still needs us: To build quantum computers

  14-04-2016 22:15
  
  We humans may still be licking our wounds following AI's victory at the ancient game of Go, but it turns out we still have something to be proud of: We're doing a lot better than machines are at solving some of the key problems of quantum computing.Quantum mechanics are notoriously mind-bending because so-called "qubits" -- the atomic-scale building blocks of quantum computers -- can inhabit more than one physical state at once. That's known as superposition, and it's what gives the prospect of
  
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• Chipmakers share the pain as PC, tablet, and smartphone sales decline

  14-04-2016 22:05
  
  For only the second time in its history, the semiconductor market is expected to decline, as demand for PCs and mobile devices falls in 2016.
  Gartner reported that global semiconductor sales are expected to fall slightly, by 0.6 percent, to an estimated $333 billion this year. This follows a decline of 2.3 percent in 2015, the firm said.
  James Hines, research director at Gartner, said the market is waiting for the next big demand driver. The traditional markets—PCs, ultramobiles (suc
  
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• BrandPost: Electronic Medical Records Reshaping Health Care Technology

  14-04-2016 21:33
  
  Healthcare may be going through the biggest technological metamorphosis today, as the Internet of Things, smartphones and cloud computing are transforming patient care. As CIO of the University of Vermont Health Network, a four-hospital system serving Vermont and northern New York, Dr. Adam Buckley explained how his organization is leveraging tech to save lives.Every CIO has to address different needs. What is your main focus? Right now, we’re looking at four things on a regular basis: Fir
  
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• Secretive Intel quietly woos makers in China

  14-04-2016 21:29
  
  Intel is in transition right now: An executive shakeup this month laid the path for new boss Venkata Renduchintala to put his imprint on the company's PC, Internet of Things and software operations.So no wonder the vibe at this week's Intel Developer Forum in Shenzhen was mellow. Intel kept the show a low-key affair, choosing not to bring it to the attention of a worldwide audience, unlike previous years.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Microsoft sues US government over secret requests for user data

  14-04-2016 20:50
  
  Microsoft has sued the U.S. government in an attempt to strike down a law allowing judges to gag tech companies when law enforcement agencies want access to their users' data.The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, argues that a section of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act is unconstitutional for requiring tech companies to keep requests for data under wraps. Microsoft argued the law is unconstitutional under the First Amendment
  
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• EU gives companies two years to comply with sweeping new privacy laws

  14-04-2016 20:40
  
  Companies could face massive fines in 25 European Union countries if they mishandle citizens' personal information, under a new privacy law due to take effect in 2018.New age restrictions will mean no more Facebook or other social media for European pre-teens.Today, fines for violations of EU data protection rules are typically limited to a few tens of thousands of euros, or hundreds of thousands in exceptional cases. That's hardly enough to upset companies such as Facebook or Google, which both
  
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• Apple probably won’t find out how the FBI hacked the San Bernardino iPhone

  14-04-2016 20:22
  
  The strange tale of the San Bernardino iPhone seems like it’s almost over, although it touched off a national debate about encryption that’s just getting started. Apple probably won’t find out what method was used by the third-party firm that broke into the iPhone 5c used by shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, reports Reuters.
  The government says that the unidentified international firm that did the hack has legal ownership of the method, so while the FBI got the data it wanted, it&rs
  
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• Ransomware authors use the bitcoin blockchain to deliver encryption keys

  14-04-2016 20:12
  Ransomware authors are using the bitcoin blockchain, which serves as the cryptocurrency's public transaction ledger, to deliver decryption keys to victims.The technique, which removes the burden of maintaining a reliable website-based infrastructure for cybercriminals, was observed in a recent version of the CTB-Locker ransomware that targets Web servers.CTB-Locker has targeted Windows computers for a long time, but a PHP-based variant capable of infecting websites first appeared in February, ma
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 qualities a leader must have to turn around troubled projects

  14-04-2016 20:12
  
  Turning around troubled projects is a tough thing to do. It requires an interdisciplinary team of professionals with the right skill mix and personality traits to pull it off. The team must be led by an accomplished leader with the right qualities. But what are those qualities?If you miss out on this step, don’t even bother to try to make a turn-around. Most likely you will end up with the same results: failed attempts. You have got to change the ground-rules and that takes courage. Y
  
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• Renogy's solar generator charges in 3 hours, offers 900 watt hours of power

  14-04-2016 19:54
  
  Solar panel supplier Renogy today announced an Indiegogo campaign to raise development money for a mobile solar generator that can charge in three hours and produce 900 watt-hours of power, enough to run a refrigerator for eight hours.
  Renogy's Lycan Powerbox also features an interchangeable lithium-iron phosphate battery that allows you to extend the generator's power life.
  With a pre-order price of $1,500, Renogy is charging a hefty premium for the clean solar power provided by the Powerbox.
  
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• Lack of confidence proving to be real killer for women in technology

  14-04-2016 19:49
  
  A pair of studies released this week shed light on challenges  -- including career advancement and equal pay -- facing women in technology.
  Tech learning site Pluralsight and the nonprofit Women Who Code joined forces on an online survey of 1,500 women working in tech and have shared the results here.
  The biggest challenges facing those women surveyed involve things that are lacking: opportunities for advancement, role models, mentors and work-life balance.To read this article in full or t
  
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• More than 43,000 sign petition against U.S. encryption-breaking bill

  14-04-2016 19:37
  More than 43,000 people have signed a petition against proposed U.S. legislation that would require tech companies to break into their users' encrypted data when ordered to by a judge.The proposal, from Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein, would require smartphone OS developers and other tech vendors to assist law enforcement agencies by breaking their own security measures.CREDO Action, a progressive activist group, launched a petition opposing the Compliance with Court Orders
  
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• BrandPost: 3 Ways Big Data Makes Manufacturers More Competitive

  14-04-2016 18:51
  
  Big data is nothing new to manufacturers. Electronic devices, applications and sensors continuously create new sources of data. The key to increasing competitiveness with big data, however, is managing the dynamics of the supply chain including plant operations, distribution and warehousing with new insights. What might some of those insights be? Below are three areas of intelligence manufacturers are taking advantage of with big data.*Produce Better ProductsThe ultimate goal of nearly every man
  
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• Cyberattack could knock out huge swath of US electric grid, lawmakers say

  14-04-2016 18:45
  
  The U.S. government is not prepared for a cyberattack on the electrical grid that takes out power over a large area for weeks, or even months.A widespread, long-lasting power outage caused by a cyberattack may be unlikely, but the U.S. government needs to better plan for the possibility, Representative Lou Barletta, a Pennsylvania Republican, said Thursday.With some experts worried that a coordinated cyberattack could lead to widespread power outages lasting for several months, the fed
  
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• Fed-up congresswoman proposes law to block robocallers

  14-04-2016 18:19
  
  It’s time again to make “Rachel” leave us alone. You remember Rachel; she’s the voice on the robocall telling you she’s from cardholder services, a nonexistent outfit that exists to scam the unsuspecting consumer.I’ve ranted about Rachel before, and various agencies have tried to put a stop to robocalling. But nothing has come of it. Americans are still barraged with millions of unwanted robocalls every year. This time, however, someone with clout has Rachel&r
  
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• HTC 10 review: It nails the fundamentals, but offers little innovation

  14-04-2016 18:00
  
  You can get a pretty great Android phone for $400 these days. Even the Nexus 6P, with its huge AMOLED display and full metal body, is reasonably priced ($499 on Amazon). So if a phone is going to carry a big premium price like the Galaxy S7 or LG G5, it needs to offer a little extra innovation. 
  The HTC 10 is a refreshing step forward for HTC. It’s elegant and reserved, focusing on the four main areas that make a phone great: design, performance, camera, and audio. But while I apprec
  
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• Sharp's robot smartphone coming in May for $1,800

  14-04-2016 17:04
  
  Japan's Sharp will launch in May a smartphone that's built into a humanoid robot. Or is it a humanoid robot with a built-in smartphone?The Robohon is said to be the world's first mobile robotic phone -- and judging from the price and slightly unwieldy form factor could also be the last.It's 19.5 centimeters (7.7 inches) tall and weighs 390 grams (13.8 ounces), making it several times the size and weight of a conventional smartphone, and it will cost 198,000 yen, which is just over US$1,800
  
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• Imagining Apple Car: How hardcore car enthusiasts see Apple's rumored automobile

  14-04-2016 16:35
  
  Cars have always had a high-tech story to tell, but now automobiles and consumer electronics are on a collision course of seismic implications. That big bang in the distance is the Apple Car, currently code-named “Project Titan” according to knowing insiders. It’s not a fait accompli, but all signs point to Apple working on something in the car space.
  And just in case an Apple Car does see the light of day, the editors at Motor Trend want to be prepared. For a story published
  
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• Chrome abandons XP, Vista and older versions of OS X

  14-04-2016 16:35
  
  Google yesterday released Chrome 50, and as promised last year, dropped support for Windows XP and Vista, along with three older editions of Apple's OS X.
  Theupgrade to Chrome 50 will not be recognized or downloaded by personal computers running Windows XP, Windows Vista, OS X Snow Leopard, OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion. Those operating systems debuted between 2001 (XP) and 2012 (Mountain Lion). Users of those OSes will be permanently stuck on Chrome 49, getting neither upgrades to new versio
  
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• BrandPost: PC Connection Wins Symantec Growth Partner of the Year Award

  14-04-2016 16:31
  PC Connection, Inc., a national provider of a full range of information technology (IT) solutions to business, government, healthcare, and education markets, has been named National Reseller Growth Partner of the Year at Symantec’s annual partner conference, Partner Engage. Each year, Symantec recognizes partners whose innovation and depth of expertise elevate them as top-level partners. Stephen Thomas, Vice President of Symantec’s Americas Channel Sales, said, “The S
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 4 ways to keep digital business development on course

  14-04-2016 16:27
  
  There is no doubt both businesses and consumers, regardless of their locations, are expecting digital options for everything from fast food to consulting services. Recent digital business research reports estimate that trillions of dollars are up for grabs within the global economy as new sectors are created and existing business transition to the digital marketplace.First and foremost, a digital business is a fundamentally different mindset, manner and way of approaching how your organization d
  
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• BrandPost: Breaking News: Important Microsoft Windows 10 and 6th Gen Support Extension

  14-04-2016 16:07
  You may have heard it first when I blogged about Microsoft’s recent announcement which indicated that they would effectively pull the plug on Windows 7 and 8/8.1 support for 6th Gen and higher processors after July 2017. In an effort to get this word out quickly we emailed, posted to our blog, and even recorded a video. Our commitment has been ongoing, and we have been busy talking to customers and gathering feedback for Microsoft. We found that many of our customers felt this change had
  
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• EU plan to collect, not share, air traveler data is ‘absurd'

  14-04-2016 15:56
  
  Air passengers entering or leaving the European Union will have their movements kept on file by police authorities from 2018 under draft legislation approved by the European Parliament.Critics, however, say a lack of provisions to share the data severely limits the plan's usefulness.Airlines running flights into or out of the EU must hand over the data to national Passenger Information Units (PIUs) that will hold the data for law enforcers. Member states may choose to gather data from travel age
  
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• BrandPost: Does Your Data Center Measure Up?

  14-04-2016 15:55
  As we continue our foray into the IT trends and topics of 2016, some things are already pretty clear: Megatrends like the Internet of Things (IoT) and businesses’ heightened reliance on data, applications, and timely analytics are not fading away any time soon. With the spotlight now on scalable, always-available computing, IT needs to ensure that its data center strategy is primed to handle the needs of the digital enterprise.Longstanding data center challenges around resiliency, securit
  
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• Top 6 reasons not to buy Amazon Tap (and 3 reasons you should) (updated)

  14-04-2016 15:47
  
  Here’s the big question that Amazon Tap raises for me: Is this thing worth buying?Amazon Tap ($130) [ find it on Amazon - *what's this?* ]  is a portable Bluetooth stereo speaker with Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant built in, and which works with Amazon's Alexa app (shown below). To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Top 6 reasons not to buy Amazon Tap (and 3 reasons you should)

  14-04-2016 15:47
  
  Here’s the big question that Amazon Tap raises for me: Is this thing worth buying?Amazon Tap ($130) is a portable Bluetooth stereo speaker with Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant built in, and which works with Amazon's Alexa app (shown below). Because Amazon Echo ($180), the sleeper hit Alexa-based device, isn’t truly mobile (it lacks a battery), you might be excited to hear you can take Alexa on the road with Tap.To read this article in full or to leave a comment,
  
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• Proposed encryption legislation: What you need to know

  14-04-2016 15:34
  
  The first draft of long awaited federal encryption legislation that would govern to what lengths vendors and service providers have to go in order to comply with court decryption orders has finally been released.It takes a stab at defining how to give law enforcement the authority to access encrypted information and under what circumstances that is OK. It also tells vendors and service providers to what lengths they would have to go to help out.The proposal has not been filed formally as a bill
  
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• 4 ways I make working-from-home work for me

  14-04-2016 15:15
  
  I've worked remotely now for more than 10 years -- as a writer, as an editor and as a freelance editor-slash-writer-slash-project-manager. In that time, I've changed jobs, moved three times, renovated a kitchen and had a baby, and so I've had to adapt my working schedule at times to accommodate new challenges like scheduling flooring contractors, pediatrician appointments, unexpected "sick kid" days and the usual errands and responsibilities that come with being a working parent. But over the ye
  
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• Optional Windows update aims to protect Microsoft wireless mice against hijacking

  14-04-2016 13:35
  
  Alongside its batch of mandatory security patches released Tuesday, Microsoft also issued an optional update aimed at protecting Windows computers against an attack that could hijack wireless mice to execute malicious commands.The attack, dubbed MouseJack, affects wireless mice and keyboards from many manufacturers, including Microsoft. It was discovered and presented earlier this year by security researchers from IoT security firm Bastille Networks.MouseJack exploits several vulnerabilities in
  
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• Barcelona faces the challenge to make its smart city truly smart

  14-04-2016 13:30
  
  Just about every major city wants to be called a smart city, it seems.
  Take one example: Barcelona made a big splash to be considered a smart city three years ago. Since then, it has installed noise and air quality sensors along a major thoroughfare. There are also smart streetlights, smart parking and even smartphone apps for tourists to use to navigate the city's sights.
  At the city's Llevant Beach, there are 22 self-powered lighting units, including six that rely on solar and wind power. The
  
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• 12 apps Windows power users must have

  14-04-2016 13:02
  
  Windows power users, ftw!Are you a Windows power user?You know, the guy who everyone approaches when they’re having trouble with their computer. The guy who knows all the shortcuts, tricks and tips for just about any app or program on said computer. The guy who has an app for something most people didn’t even know you could do, let alone have an app for.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Blockchain’s fungibility in a platform economy

  14-04-2016 13:00
  
  Autonomic, self-sufficient, and decentralized, blockchain’s distributed, and self-executing smart contracts set a new standard for social contracts. However, somewhere between the smart-city traffic sensor data to auto-pay for lane space with a bitcoin-denominated smart contract and the one-use QR code that pays for your rental car, hotel room, and medical procedure – simplicity has been misplaced.Technology fungibility
  Fungibility is a term rarely verbalized but when used it's often
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 3D Touch is the iPhone equivalent of bubble wrap

  14-04-2016 13:00
  
  When Apple released the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, one of the biggest new features was 3D Touch. 3D Touch lets you press down on the screen to access menus, preview web pages and emails, and even multitask quickly by pushing on the left part of the screen.And despite some of the criticisms of 3D Touch, it has proven to be not only a useful feature to those who use it, but also an addictive one. Think bubble wrap here. Yes, bubble wrap.If you’ve ever had a piece of bubble wrap in your hands, yo
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 things you may not know about managing projects

  14-04-2016 12:54
  
  There's logic, and then there's reality. You may know some of these, but I guarantee you that at least a few newbies will learn something they may not know about project management. Here's my list.1. If you're an experienced PM, you probably have a better resume than the person you report to.This may come as a surprise, but if you have a few years of proven PM experience you probably look better on paper than whoever you are reporting to. With my VP at one of my first companies here in Las Vegas
  
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• What is blockchain and how does it work?

  14-04-2016 12:48
  
  Blockchain technology backs up Bitcoin to this day, but there’s been a recent groundswell of interest from a variety of industries in making distributed ledger technology work.A blockchain is the structure of data that represents a financial ledger entry, or a record of a transaction. Each transaction is digitally signed to ensure its authenticity and that no one tampers with it, so the ledger itself and the existing transactions within it are assumed to be of high integrity.The real magic
  
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• How compliance can be an excuse to shun the cloud

  14-04-2016 12:38
  
  Every company has its reason for embracing or not embracing the cloud. In the case of companies in heavily regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services, regulatory compliance is a convenient excuse for luddites to shun the cloud and its potential benefits. And consultants who serve those markets say that while CIOs and other IT managers cite compliance as the reason for not embracing cloud services and applications, it's really an excuse by managers who just don't want to
  
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• How IT teams navigate unlimited vacation policies

  14-04-2016 12:30
  
  Take as much time off as you'd like, so long as you get your work done.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Hands-on: iOS 9.3, CarPlay, and the Chevy Volt are firing on all cylinders

  14-04-2016 12:30
  
  More new cars are shipping with CarPlay every year, including the Chevy Volt. GM loaned us one to try the new features Apple just added to CarPlay in iOS 9.3, namely the For You and New sections in Apple Music, and the ultra-handy Nearby feature in Maps.
  In the video above, you can see both features in action, but what you can’t see is how much more responsive the Chevy Volt’s touchscreen is than the aftermarket CarPlay stereo from Panasonic that I tested a year and a half ago. That
  
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• Review: Amazon Web Services is eating the world

  14-04-2016 12:00
  
  Is it possible to review Amazon Web Services in one article? Not a chance. What about a book? Perhaps a long one, preferably with several volumes. The reality is that Amazon’s cloud business is larger than ever and spawning new features, services, and options faster than any one person could begin to follow. The company is swallowing the Internet by delivering the simplest way to create complex, highly scalable, data-rich applications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, pl
  
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• Mingis on Tech: The littlest iPhone, mystery gadgets -- and a payphone?

  14-04-2016 12:00
  
  Okay, so we knew Apple's iPhone SE, newly unveiled last month and only recently arriving in users' hands, is small. But wow, that 4-in. screen in the land of the iPhone 6S and 6S+ makes the SE seem positively Lilliputian!
  Executive News Editor Ken Mingis, Apple guru Michael deAgonia and Senior Editor Keith Shaw debate the merits of the $399 SE and how hard it is to go small when you're used to big. Then Shaw plays a few rounds of "name-that-device" with Mingis and deAgonia, showing them some of
  
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• Manage those Macs: A guide for Windows admins

  14-04-2016 12:00
  
  Bringing Macs into an existing IT environment can make any Windows admin feel a little wrong-footed. Everything is familiar, in terms of the tasks and settings, but with enough of a twist to seem a bit foreign at first. Our ongoing series of Mac management tips is here to help guide you in rolling out Macs securely and productively.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Surprise! Next-gen Intel Pentium and Celeron chips are coming soon

  14-04-2016 04:30
  Intel's Core chips dominate PCs, but the company isn't giving up on its Pentium and Celeron brands.The chip maker will release a new generation of Pentium and Celeron chips, code-named Apollo Bay, in the second half this year.The chips will appear in low-cost laptops and desktops, and are based on a new, low-power CPU architecture code-named Goldmont. Future Atom chips will also be based on Goldmont.The Apollo Bay processors will offer better CPU and graphics performance and longer battery life,
  
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• Everspin ships high-density MRAM to safeguard data in flight

  14-04-2016 02:45
  
  Everspin today announced it's shipping samples of the industry's most dense magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), which can replace standard DRAM for write caching operations as it's 10,000 times faster than NAND flash.
  The non-volatile memory, which Everspin calls spin-torque MRAM (ST-MRAM), is the company's third generation of MRAM and it is aimed at replacing persistent DRAM on servers and storage arrays.
  Spin torque is simply a method of changing data bits from ones to zeros or vice versa by using a
  
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• Fitbit likely helped doctors save a man’s life

  14-04-2016 02:41
  
  When a 42-year-man arrived in a Camden, N.J. emergency room with an irregular heartbeat recently, physicians were unsure whether they could use a defibrillator to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm.
  Defibrillators can cause blood clots to be released if they caused the irregular heart rate, but can stop clots from forming by producing a normal rhythm.
  Doctors noticed the patient, who had a history of seizures, was wearing a Fitbit that tracked his pulse rate and recorded it through a sma
  
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• Facebook sees its future built on artificial intelligence

  14-04-2016 02:39
  
  SAN FRANCISCO --  According to one Facebook executive, if you think you're drowning in a flood of information now, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
  In four years, there are expected to be about 40 zettabytes of information in the world, according to Mike Beltzner, a Facebook product manager.
  Think of it this way: A zettabyte is more than 1 trillion gigabytes. If a gigabyte can store 960 minutes of music, then a zettabyte can store 2 billion years of music.
  "If you take a look at the sweep of da
  
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• Facebook wants virtual reality to 'redefine our tribe'

  14-04-2016 02:30
  
  Imagine a day when you're catching up with your college roommate in London as you sit in your office in Boston -- just like you would if you were in the same room together.
  That's the vision Facebook has for the future of social networking.
  That future, according to Yaser Sheikh, a Facebook Oculus VR researcher and associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, will be based on virtual reality, or Social VR.
  "Social VR done right lets us define our tribe and who we hang out with and do busi
  
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