IT Executive news

• Sol Voltaics says breakthrough could boost solar panel efficiency by 50%

  21-04-2016 23:41
  
  Swedish advanced materials start-up Sol Voltaics today announced a research breakthrough that allows nanowires to be used to boost the efficiency of thin-film solar modules by as much as 50%.
  The vast majority of solar modules being manufactured today have a sunlight conversion efficiency rating of 15% to 17%; the rating refers to the percentage of photons striking the modules that can be turned into electric current. The best solar module efficiency ratings from companies such as SolarCity, Su
  
  Read more

• Microsoft's weak phone sales drag down its Surface and cloud wins

  21-04-2016 23:31
  
  Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia is proving to be quite the albatross around the company's neck. The company has stepped away from focusing on phones, and its handset sales revenue fell by almost half in the first quarter.Microsoft sold only 2.3 million Lumia phones during the quarter, 73 percent fewer units compared with the first quarter of 2015. That meant Lumia handset revenue fell 46 percent. This dragged down the company's overall device revenue despite major gains in its Surface business.
  
  Read more

• Scientists can now make lithium-ion batteries last a lifetime

  21-04-2016 23:16
  
  Who says playing around is a waste of time?
  Researchers at the University of California at Irvine (UCI) said that's exactly what they were doing when they discovered how to increase the tensile strength of nanowires that could be used to make lithium-ion batteries last virtually forever.
  Researchers have pursued using nanowires in batteries for years because the filaments, thousands of times thinner than a human hair, are highly conductive and have a large surface area for the storage and trans
  
  Read more

• A new AMD licensing deal could create more x86 rivals for Intel

  21-04-2016 23:06
  Things just a lot more interesting in the x86 server market.AMD has announced a plan to license the design of its top-of-the-line server processor to a newly formed Chinese company, creating a brand-new rival for Intel.AMD is licensing its x86 processor and system-on-chip technology to a company called THATIC (Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment Co. Ltd.), a joint venture between AMD and a consortium of public and private Chinese companies.AMD is providing all the technology needed f
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Pennsylvania slapped Uber with an $11.4 million fine for operating without a license

  21-04-2016 22:41
  
  The Pennsylvania Public Service Utility Commission has voted to fine Uber US $11.4 million for operating without its authority and failing to comply with data requests for an investigation.The PUC's vote on Thursday reduced the fine from the $49.9 million that administrative law judges had recommended last year. The PUC had accused the ride-hailing service of operating without a PUC license from February to August 2014.
  To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• One of GNU/Linux’s most important networking components just got an update

  21-04-2016 22:34
  
  The software framework that powers the network connections on many GNU/Linux systems just got its second major update in less than a year and a half, with the version 1.2 release of NetworkManager.
  Version 1.2 brings several improvements to NetworkManager, including better security and usability for Wi-Fi. The changes should make the list of available access points more responsive and manageable, save energy on mobile devices and laptops, and even improve privacy by MAC address randomization, a
  
  Read more

• Yahoo's Firefox deal risks dropping into the red

  21-04-2016 22:27
  
  Yahoo's annual payments of $375 million to Mozilla for making the search provider Firefox's default in the U.S. increasingly looks like a bad deal for Yahoo as Firefox's user and usage shares continue to contract.
  According to documents filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Yahoo paid Mozilla $375 million in 2015, and is obligated for the same amount each year through 2019 under a five-year contract.
  Yahoo's annual payment was about $100 million more than Google paid M
  
  Read more

• Qualcomm’s ARM server chip inches forward, while AppliedMicro surges ahead

  21-04-2016 21:55
  
  Qualcomm’s long-awaited server chips may start going into systems in the second half of next year, judging from comments by the company's president.
  In answer to an analyst’s question on Qualcomm's quarterly earnings call Wednesday, President Derek Aberle gave the most specific forecast yet for the chips, which will mark Qualcomm’s entry into server processors.
  “Our assumption is that we will be shipping samples toward the end of the year, and revenue would be something
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Qualcomm’s ARM server chip inches forward, while AppliedMicro forges ahead

  21-04-2016 21:55
  
  Qualcomm’s long-awaited server chips may start going into systems in the second half of next year, judging from comments by the company's president.In answer to an analyst’s question on Qualcomm's quarterly earnings call Wednesday, President Derek Aberle gave the most specific forecast yet for the chips, which will mark Qualcomm’s entry into server processors.“Our assumption is that we will be shipping samples toward the end of the year, and revenue would be something tha
  
  Read more

• How do you stop patent trolls? This algorithm just might do the trick

  21-04-2016 21:38
  Patent trolls are a big enough problem that they've attracted the attention of the White House, but there's little consensus on how to stop them. A new tool from artist and engineer Alexander Reben looks to algorithms for help.Patent trolls are companies that buy up patents with the primary goal of pursuing infringement claims in court, while doing little or no technology development of their own. The practice has been a particularly big problem in the world of software, but Reben -- a graduate
  
  Read more

• VR hardware sales are about to skyrocket

  21-04-2016 21:22
  
  Shipments of virtual reality hardware will begin to "skyrocket" this year and keep climbing through 2020, market analyst IDC said.An estimated 9.6 million VR devices will ship in 2016, IDC predicts. That's up from about 350,000 units, mostly developer kits, shipped in 2015.It's not a shock that VR systems will see huge growth this year, after several VR devices, including the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition VR headset, all debuted in recent weeks.Bu
  
  Read more

• Acer's new Predator gaming systems are powerful beasts that will also run your VR headset

  21-04-2016 19:51
  
  Acer is firing on all cylinders with its powerful new Predator gaming PCs, which will also provide the compute muscle for your virtual reality headset.The Predator 17X is a 17.3-inch laptop with an Intel i7-6820HK Core processor that can be overclocked to 4.0GHz. The GeForce GTX 980 GPU can be overclocked as well, to 1310MHz, which is a whole load of graphics performance.For a big laptop it's fairly portable, especially considering its "custom triple-fan cooling system," akin to what you might f
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: How to make good project decisions that make sense

  21-04-2016 19:44
  I'm tired of people making decisions that don't make sense. Or people making subjective decisions based on a poor understanding of the situation. Or a less than thoughtful interpretation of the situation. Or even worse, their own “reality” or assumption of “what happens next” interpretation of the situation.I had that a few months with an organization that recognized that I was a successful consultant. They wanted to hire me as a remote project manager but were afraid tha
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: Disintermediation and intermediation beyond theory

  21-04-2016 19:38
  
  Disintermediation removes the middleman from business transactions and by doing so improves the value of an existing product or service. Disintermediation is often accomplished by changing the perception of delivery. Inversely, intermediation injects a middleman between distribution channels e.g. a customer and businesses that previously sold directly to consumers. Intermediation gains traction when the platform is so large that companies can’t afford not leverage the platform to reach cus
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: How to install Ubuntu Bash shell on Windows

  21-04-2016 19:15
  
  The enterprise landscape is changing with the rise of Linux and open source, both have emerged as a dominant player in this segment. Even Microsoft admits that a Linux runs on more than 25 percent of machines on its Azure platform. Customers running Linux need native Linux tools to manage their machines. Windows doesn't have those capabilities. Microsoft has been working on PowerShell, but it has its own limitations. Developers running Windows machines can use virtual machines, but they have ove
  
  Read more

• 25 highest paying companies: Which one outranks Google, Facebook and Microsoft?

  21-04-2016 19:07
  
  Tech companies dominate Glassdoor’s ranking of the highest paying companies in the U.S., snagging 20 of the top 25 spots. But no tech company ranks higher than Juniper Networks, which pays its workers a median total compensation of $157,000.The next-highest ranking tech company is Google, which landed at No. 5 on Glassdoor's list with a median total compensation of $153,750.While tech companies earned the most spots on the list, consulting firms set the high bar for compensation in&nb
  
  Read more

• Get ready for your new co-worker – the robot

  21-04-2016 19:04
  
  Sure, robots and intelligent machines are likely to replace jobs in the not so distant future.The situation, though, isn't as dire as some would have you believe, according to Tom Davenport, co-author of Only Humans Need Apply: Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines. The book is due out in May.Instead of stealing humans' jobs , artificial intelligent systems and robotics will help many people do their jobs better.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• Acer puts liquid cooling in its Switch Alpha 12 tablet

  21-04-2016 18:26
  
  One wouldn't typically imagine liquid cooling in a tablet, but Acer has pulled it off with its latest Switch Alpha 12.The liquid-cooling feature is especially noteworthy, considering fans are disappearing from tablets and hybrids. But tablet has Intel's Skylake-based Core I processors, and it needed a cooling mechanism, and Acer didn't want fans in it.While announcing the tablet Thursday, Acer said it is the first fanless tablet with a Skylake Core I processor. The device doesn't use Intel's pow
  
  Read more

• SunEdison, world’s largest renewable energy firm, files for bankruptcy

  21-04-2016 18:02
  
  SunEdison, a pioneering manufacturer of silicon wafers and the world's leading renewable energy developer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today.
  The move was not unexpected, as SunEdison incurred about $12 billion in debt after going on an acquisition binge over the past two years. Those acquisitions "drove its debt to unmanageable levels and sent investors running for the exits," said Jenny Chase, head of solar research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.To read this article in full o
  
  Read more

• BrandPost: CIO Interview with Eric Foster, Senior Vice President and CIO of Baxalta

  21-04-2016 17:00
  
  Information technology has to balance patient privacy and smart strategic planning. Senior Vice President and CIO Eric Foster is leading the tech charge at the biopharmaceutical company Baxalta. He shares how technology is rapidly evolving within his industry and the opportunity it provides to re-shape healthcare.How does Baxalta’s patient focus influence its approach to technology? At Baxalta, we have a strong emphasis on being patient centric and everything we do is about creating value
  
  Read more

• Dropbox is dropping Windows XP support and blocking Windows XP users this summer

  21-04-2016 16:47
  First Google Chrome, now Dropbox. It’s getting harder to be a Windows XP holdout. Dropbox recently posted a help page on its site announcing that the company’s desktop program would stop supporting Windows XP this summer.
  The end of the line for Dropbox on XP will come in two waves. First, on Sunday, June 26, you will no longer be able to download the Dropbox desktop program for XP. When that happens, Dropbox will also prevent you from signing into an existing account or creating a
  
  Read more

• CIOs must ‘go way outside’ their comfort zone

  21-04-2016 16:02
  
  A recent webcast hosted by the CIO Executive Council (CEC) explored new challenges facing CIOs, including the need to work side-by-side with other business managers to transform and streamline the organization. As one CIO put it: CIOs need to “go way outside of our comfort zone,” help to reinvent the business, “ask big questions,” and focus on the ultimate customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
  Read more

• Facebook Messenger adds group voice calls

  21-04-2016 15:57
  
  Facebook Messenger's feature improvements aren't stopping with the recent chatbot push. Now, anyone with Messenger for Android or iOS can now initiate a group voice call for up to 50 people.
  The feature builds on Facebook’s group text chatting feature. Inside a group chat, you should soon see a red phone icon. Tap that button and your call will start. Once the call is ongoing, a new screen allows you to manage participants. Users should see the phone option worldwide by Thursday, Fac
  
  Read more

• Top drone startups find venture capital flying their way

  21-04-2016 15:53
  
  With unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e., drones) here to stay, entrepreneurs are pouncing on the opportunity to safeguard people from having these flying machines drop in unexpectedly and venture capitalists are buying in. 
  SkySafe, a San Diego startup formed last year by a team from MIT, UC San Diego, the Air Force Research Lab and more, says its goal is “to build safe, secure airspaces as a new wild west of drone development and innovation emerges.” The company this week announce
  
  Read more

• Is Zuckerberg selling his soul for Facebook access to China?

  21-04-2016 15:23
  
  Mark Zuckerberg recently went on an all-out charm offensive to curry favor with China’s government. His visit may have played well with Chinese officials, but from this side of the Pacific, it looked as if he was willing to sell his soul to gain access to the Chinese market.
  Facebook had an estimated 1.59 billion users by the fourth quarter of 2015, but it’s still denied access to China, the world’s biggest Internet market, where more than 721 million people have Internet acce
  
  Read more

• Whaling emerges as major cybersecurity threat

  21-04-2016 15:20
  
  A clever variant of phishing scams is proliferating among enterprises, forcing CIOs to up their game even as they are still refining their cybersecurity practices to contend with various zero-day attacks. Called whaling, the social engineering grift typically involves a hacker masquerading as a senior executive asking an employee to transfer money.Jay Wessland, CTO of the Boston Celtics."We have seen a few of those," says Jay Wessland, CTO of the Boston Celtics. He says atypical example he's see
  
  Read more

• Organisaties meer vertrouwen in cloud, IT-beslissers huiverig

  21-04-2016 15:03
  Internationaal onderzoek in opdracht van Intel Security duidt erop dat een grote meerderheid (driekwart) van de respondenten aangeeft dat hun organisatie ‘meer’ vertrouwen heeft in cloud computing dan een jaar geleden. Tegelijkertijd vertrouwt slechts 13% van de IT-beslissers er op dat gevoelige data goed... lees meer
  
  Read more

• This tool can block ransomware on Mac OS X, for now

  21-04-2016 14:53
  
  A security researcher has created a free security tool that can detect attempts by ransomware programs to encrypt files on users' Macs and then block them before they do a lot of damage.Called RansomWhere? the application is the creation of Patrick Wardle, director of research and development at security firm Synack. It's meant to detect and block the encryption of files by untrusted processes.The tool monitors users' home directories and detects when encrypted files are rapidly created inside t
  
  Read more

• Making your command line more helpful and fun!

  21-04-2016 14:51
  
  The default terminal settings on most linux systems is to use colors to serve as hints about file types and permissions. For example, you'll see directory names in blue, executables in green, and file archives in red. And, if you don't want to see the colors -- like when they're just too distracting, you can turn them off easily. The command line colors are set when the ls command is aliased to an ls command that uses the --color option like this:
  alias ls='ls --color=auto'
  To turn off font col
  
  Read more

• CIOs, CMOs share tips for successful partnerships

  21-04-2016 14:00
  
  The CIO role is in a state of perpetual evolution, and while this reality can be daunting it also presents new opportunities for IT executives. Marketing hasn't traditionally been considered part of the CIO's domain, but that's all changing as more businesses revamp their operations for the digital future.Marketing continue to grow more complex as businesses incorporate additional data points, technologies and automation to achieve objectives. CIOs may not have the same expertise as their collea
  
  Read more

• Where’s the employer feedback in the interview process?

  21-04-2016 13:33
  
  Lately, I've written a lot about transparency and openness in the workplace; from getting rid of traditional performance reviews in favor of continuous feedback to using software to gauge employee engagement on a monthly or even a weekly basis. The feedback loop has become a superhighway. I've also written about the issues with applicant tracking systems, and how to use marketing automation and CRM-style practices to develop a candidate pipeline. Again, a feedback loop. But there's one place I'v
  
  Read more

• Twitter provides mission control dashboard for Fabric mobile apps

  21-04-2016 13:03
  
  Developers who use Twitter's Fabric mobile apps development suite will soon have a mission control dashboard that provides metrics for mobile applications. 
  The mission control application is intended to provide a view of the "pulse" of apps. It aims to help developers answer two basic questions: How  is an application performing and what needs attention? The dashboard unites in a single place application data such as tracking of crashes and monitoring of user
  
  Read more

• IT salaries increase across 12 tech job categories

  21-04-2016 13:02
  
  Salaries increase across 12 tech job categoriesImage by ThinkstockMondo's 2016-2017 IT Salary Guide points to steady increases in tech salaries across 12 verticals. The study points out that as technology influences every industry, the demand for STEM workers is only going to increase, with a projected 1.5 million open positions in STEM by the year 2020. If you are already in the technology field, or are hoping to break into it, it couldn't be a better time. Mondo tracks the salaries of popular
  
  Read more

• Android N: All the little things in Google's latest version

  21-04-2016 13:00
  
  N is what's nextThe second developer preview of Android N is here.  At first blush, it looks a lot like Android 6.0, Android Marshmallow. But beneath that layer of familiarity, you’ll find lots of little tweaks and improvements to Google’s mobile operating system. It’s early going for Android N, and a lot may change between now and the final release, but let’s dig in and take a look at some of what this new OS has to offer.To read this article in full or to leave a c
  
  Read more

• You’ve been hit with ransomware. Now what?

  21-04-2016 12:53
  
  Imagine waking up to an urgent 5 a.m. call: Something has taken over your corporate network and encrypted all of your data, and supposedly the only way to get it all back is to pay a significant sum to an anonymous third party using Bitcoin. While that scene might sound like something out of Hollywood, it is actually very real – and it’s exactly what several variants of ransomware are doing to organizations around the globe.Two recent appearances of ransomware in the news demonstrate
  
  Read more

• What Siri’s WWDC scoop could mean for this year’s event

  21-04-2016 12:30
  
  It’s become something of an April tradition: Shortly after Apple sends out the WWDC invitation, we all start trying to figure out what Tim Cook might be hiding up his sleeve. Like an optical illusion or a poorly-lit dress, we each interpret the conference logo and tagline in our own way, and by the time the keynote actually arrives, it’s been deconstructed to the point of absurdity.
  But our guesses are most often wrong. Last year’s invite, for instance, with its rounded square
  
  Read more

• 9 free Windows apps that can solve Wi-Fi woes

  21-04-2016 12:30
  
  If you believed the vendors, you'd think Wi-Fi was simple: Turn on your computer or other device, hop on the Internet and you're set to go.
  But as we all know, life isn't quite that easy. Your home or office network can have dead spots where devices can't seem to connect, or where the connections get slow or flaky. Public hotspots can make you prey for hackers and snoopers. And when you are at a hotspot, you might need to share your connection with your other devices, including smartphones and
  
  Read more

• Why can’t the public security sector and the government get along?

  21-04-2016 12:10
  
  At loggerheadsImage by Derek KeatsAs cyber threats increasingly represent one of the main dangers to national security, government offices are upping their efforts to more closely align with the expertise of the private sector. However, the divide between government and the security industry presents several challenges when looking to form partnerships with the goal of improving cybersecurity. In order to illustrate what it will take to move forward with these partnerships, security professional
  
  Read more

• Meet the new Ubuntu: A Linux release tailor-made for enterprises

  21-04-2016 12:00
  
  Meet the new Ubuntu: A Linux release tailor-made for enterprises Image by CanonicalUbuntu Linux 16.04 LTS is now out, and its extended support makes it particularly suitable for businesses. Here's an overview of what you can expect to find.Five years of supportImage by CanonicalTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• How to break into Android development

  21-04-2016 12:00
  
  With hundreds of millions of Android devices in use today, there’s little wonder why the Android development job market continues to show strong demand.
  Job search website Monster.com, for example, consistently shows more than 1,000 Android developer job postings, with California continuing to be a top destination. Android developers are also in high demand in New York City and Boston, among other cities. And job search website Indeed.com reports $163,000 as the average salary for Android
  
  Read more

• Chip card payment confusion, anger rages on

  21-04-2016 12:00
  
  Six months after U.S. retailers began assuming liability for debit and credit card fraud, only a fraction of the nation's in-store payment terminals can accept the highly secure chip-enabled cards.
  As a result, customers often face confusion and delays at checkout counters when trying to make payments. Many small, mid-sized and independent retailers still rely on insecure magnetic-stripe cards, despite the warnings of banks and card companies that those cards can be defrauded by criminals who s
  
  Read more

• Opera browser build adds a first: Free, unlimited VPN for secure surfing

  21-04-2016 10:35
  
  After successfully launching a version of its browser that offered ad blocking, Opera just won’t quit. On Wednesday night, the company released a free VPN service with unlimited bandwidth, built right into its latest beta. The Opera release is developer edition version 38.0.2204.0 for the Mac and the PC.
  Opera also won’t make you pay for the amount of bandwidth that you route through the VPN—which would normally cost you about $48 per year.
  A virtual private network
  
  Read more

• SpyEye botnet kit developer sentenced to long jail term

  21-04-2016 07:13
  
  Aleksandr Andreevich Panin, the Russian developer of the SpyEye botnet creation kit, and an associate were on Wednesday sentenced to prison terms by a court in Atlanta, Georgia, for their role in developing and distributing malware that is said to have caused millions of dollars in losses to the financial sector.Panin, who set out to develop SpyEye as a successor to the Zeus malware that affected financial institutions since 2009, was sentenced by the court to nine and half years in prison, whil
  
  Read more

• Here's what the new Intel will look like

  21-04-2016 02:45
  
  The PC market has been in trouble for ages, but last year took the biscuit. Shipments dropped below 300 million for the first time since 2008, and IDC declared it the worst year in history. That explains a lot about what happened at Intel this week.The chip maker has been reducing its dependency on PCs for some time, preferring to focus on its more successful data center business. But the announcement that it would lay off 12,000 people is a sign that Intel is finally turning a corner.To read th
  
  Read more

• Uber and Twitter have jacked up their spending on political lobbying

  21-04-2016 02:19
  
  Uber and Twitter both significantly expanded their efforts to influence members of Congress through political lobbying in the first three months of the year, new data reveals.The companies stood out among their peers in the tech industry, who generally reported only a modest increase or reduced spending on lobbying compared to the first quarter last year, according to disclosure statements filed on Wednesday.Uber almost tripled its spending last quarter, to $320,000 from $110,000 last
  
  Read more

• GitHub updates Atom, with focus on Windows dev

  21-04-2016 02:10
  
  Version 1.7 of GitHub's Atom programmable text editor for cross-platform development is now available, featuring Windows enhancements and tab improvements. GitHub is also offering a 1.8 beta release.
  To improve the experience on Windows, Atom 1.7 documentation clarifies how to build in the Visual Studio 2015 IDE; Appveyor CI builds are now supported as well. Portable mode is documented in the Atom Flight Manual, and file types now can be easily associated with Atom.[ Thinking of striking out on
  
  Read more

• Feeling angry and betrayed, IT workers mount protest

  21-04-2016 02:07
  
  In midtown Manhattan Wednesday, around 25 EmblemHealth IT employees and their supporters held a protest over the firm's decision to shift work to IT services firm Cognizant.
  On the sidewalks next to EmblemHealth's midtown offices, they yelled "Protect U.S. jobs," "Keep jobs in the U.S.A." and, to the people passing by: "It's our jobs now, your jobs next." They waved signs and slowly moved along.
  The IT employees gathered for the protest outside St. Michael's Church on 34th Street near 9th Avenu
  
  Read more

Follow @ITExecutiveNews on Twitter!