IT Executive news

• Apple will release an iOS update to help resolve the growing number of iPhone 6s battery shutdowns

  06-12-2016 23:40
  
  The number of people affected by iPhone 6s battery issues is growing to the point that Apple is now looking into a software fix.
  Apple admitted on its Chinese support website this week that “customers outside of the affected range” are also experiencing unexpected shutdowns due to a faulty battery on their iPhone 6s. This means that Apple has spotted similar problems with devices that were manufactured outside the original September and October 2015 timeframe.
  To address the issue,
  
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• EU approves LinkedIn deal after Microsoft makes concessions

  06-12-2016 23:35
  
  The European Union's regulators on Tuersday approved Microsoft's acquisition of social network LinkedIn on the condition that the U.S. company abide by several minor concessions it made to secure the deal.The conditions were reminiscent of those forced on Microsoft in past antitrust actions, including the settlement between the firm and the U.S. Justice Department early in the century, and a later judgment against Microsoft in the European Union (EU).Microsoft promised it would not require PC ma
  
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• Interactive GIS map helps victims of Gatlinburg wildfires

  06-12-2016 23:27
  
  Wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn. killed 14 people and destroyed or damaged more than 1,700 homes and businesses over the past two weeks. It's considered one of the deadliest wildfires ever in the U.S.
  The tragedy prompted the creation of an interactive online map that allowed residents who had been evacuated to remotely pinpoint which structures were spared -- days before evacuations were lifted.
  The map shows hundreds of red dots in Gatlinburg alone, an indication that a structure was destro
  
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• China leads the world in solar power installations

  06-12-2016 23:22
  
  China continues to lead the world in solar-power installations and is expected to increase its capacity by more than 7 gigawatts (GW), or 7billion watts, over last year, according to a new report.
  Last year, China installed 15.13GW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, reaching a cumulative solar capacity of 43.48GW, according to research firm GlobalData.
  This year, China's cumulative capacity has already surpassed 50.3GW. The country's PV installed capacity has increased around 15-fold sinc
  
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• 59% off Kangora 300 Lumens LED Tactical Mini Flashlight, Pack of 5 - Deal Alert

  06-12-2016 23:05
  
  Heavy duty, compact and tough as nails makes the Kangora tactical torch perfect for hunting, camping or your next search and rescue mission. An ultra Bright zoomable 300 Lumens LED illuminates up to 600 feet. Features high, low, and strobe modes and a sturdy belt clip. Operates off a single AA battery. Right now Amazon is selling a pack of 5 for the discounted price of $23.99.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Trump’s plan for protecting IT jobs raises hopes, fears

  06-12-2016 22:12
  
  President-elect Donald Trump is showing a willingness to wage an economic battle with firms that move jobs offshore. He's threatening tariffs and promising H-1B visa reform, but may be offering carrots as well, namely tax incentives.
  These actions may be raising hopes among some IT employees who have lost jobs, or are losing them, that the incoming Trump administration is serious about keeping IT jobs in the U.S. But Trump's proposals -- particularly the tariff -- are also raising much uncertai
  
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• Budweiser 'smart' beer fridge encourages drinking on the job

  06-12-2016 22:11
  
  Those wacky folks over at Anheuser-Busch (AB) are always up to some PR stunt designed to draw attention away from all the beer-guzzling customers it's losing in droves to craft beer brewers. Either that or they're buying one of those breweries that makes the latest double India pale ale, or DIPA if you're a hipster beer nerd like me. Today, AB issued a press release about a new, free beer refrigerator it's calling the "Bud-E Fridge" that is meant for use in corporate offices. And, yes, it's
  
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• Big Switch adds security perimeter around SDN data center

  06-12-2016 21:58
  
  Big Switch Networks today unraveled a wide-ranging group of products aimed at mitigating security attacks, scrutinizing cloud and container environments and improving its existing SDN-based monitoring software.
  In the security realm Big Switch rolled out its BigSecure Architecture, a high-performance cyber-defense platform that the company says will help enterprises protect against Terabit-speed attack.
  +More on Network World: 20 years ago: Hot sci/tech images from 1996+
  “What we are seei
  
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• Zuckerberg shows off upcoming Facebook features

  06-12-2016 21:39
  
  Facebook executives are showing off new features and technologies that could be added to the social network in the not-so-distant future.
  Using Facebook Live, company co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with different groups of engineers and developers who showed off what they had created in their latest corporate Hackathon.
  While some of the projects are the beginnings of large, long-term efforts, others could be available to users early in 2017.
  "The Hackathon prototypes that are good brea
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: What retirees do when they leave the workforce

  06-12-2016 21:32
  
  When you think about your life after leaving the workplace, do you think of a beach or some other form of an extended vacation? This is not unusual as it comes from your frame of reference.Think about how you spend your days before retirement. Work consumes much of the time, and you try to fit in everything else on your days off and the time before or after work.The only time this is different is when you go on vacation, and that's why it is easy to think about retirement as a permanent vacation
  
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• Google will use 100% renewable energy in 2017

  06-12-2016 21:14
  
  Google today said it will be able to power all of its global data centers and corporate offices from 100% renewable energy in 2017, a goal the company has been working toward for years.
  Six years ago, Google began signing long-term contracts to buy renewable energy directly from solar and wind farm suppliers. The company's first contract was to purchase all the electricity from a 114-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Iowa.
  Last year, Google purchased another 842MW of renewable energy, nearly doubling
  
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• How to merge IT and product development into one department

  06-12-2016 20:04
  
  With software making its way into the products and services of most companies, it can be hard to determine where the work of IT stops and where product development starts. As executive teams begin to redraw the lines of accountability for "technology" versus "product," CIOs would be wise to start bringing a product management mindset to the table.That means shifting the discussion from "development initiatives" and "project managers," to "the customer experience" and "product managers." It means
  
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• Arago teaches an AI to play games, the better to manage IT systems

  06-12-2016 19:48
  
  If an AI could rule a world, would you trust it to manage your IT systems? German software company Arago is hoping you will.
  The developer of IT automation system Hiro (short for Human Intelligence Robotically Optimized) has been teaching its software how to play Freeciv, an open source computer strategy game inspired by Sid Meier's Civilization series of games, and in the process is learning to make IT management more fun.
  Hiro is an AI-based automation system that usually sits on top of other
  
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• Google says it will reach 100% renewable energy goal by end of 2017

  06-12-2016 19:42
  
  Google in 2012 announced a goal of running its operations 100% on renewable energy. Today the company announced that it plans to meet that target by the end of 2017, a year ahead of schedule.
  Google will purchase direct renewable energy and buy renewable energy credits that match the amount of power the company uses to power its global operations. That’s 2.6 GigaWatts of electricity, or 2,600 MegaWatts (MW).
  Google is just one of a handful of vendors, particularly those in the IaaS cloud
  
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• Enterprises face Windows 10 support deadlines as service model kicks into gear

  06-12-2016 19:39
  
  Enterprises that have adopted Windows 10 will face the demise of three versions of the operating system in the next 18 months, and so for the first time will be forced to keep up with the faster release and retirement cadence Microsoft has embraced.
  In March, Microsoft will end support for Windows 10's debut version, the build launched in July 2015. While the version -- designated 1507 in the company's year and month nomenclature -- will continue to work, security updates will cease, probably a
  
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• BrandPost: The Threat Among Us

  06-12-2016 19:29
  
  Not all employees and third party vendors are potential threats, but having a program in place to detect and respond to insider threats will strengthen security and protect an organization’s assets.In reality, every organization should function with the assumption that every employee and partner is a “potential” threat.  This might sound harsh, but here’s why. If a company assumes that none of the people who come into contact with their critical data, or even a porti
  
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• BrandPost: Our Continuously Connected Lives: What’s Your ‘App’-titude?

  06-12-2016 19:13
  
  With the continued evolution of IoT devices and the rapid pace of software innovation, everyone needs to change their ‘app’-titude around security.One of the most important themes for National Cyber Security Awareness aims to bring security to front of mind for both application developers and security practitioners who need to be more consistent with updates and patches.As business leaders, you are not only modeling best security practices for end users, but you also need to demand t
  
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• IBM building blockchain ecosystem

  06-12-2016 19:10
  
  IBM believes blockchain technology, with its capability to create an essentially immutable ledger of digital events, will alter the way whole industries conduct transactions. To make that happen, Big Blue asserts, requires a complete ecosystem of industry players working together.To that end, IBM today said it is building a blockchain ecosystem, complete with a revenue sharing program, to accelerate the growth of networks on the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Fabric. IBM envisions the ecosystem
  
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• Microsoft's LinkedIn deal clears the EU, will close in the coming days

  06-12-2016 19:07
  
  Microsoft's mammoth acquisition of LinkedIn has just cleared the last hurdle in front of it, paving the way for the tech titan to buy the professional social network for US$26.2 billion. European Union regulators have approved the acquisition, joining agencies in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and South Africa. The deal is expected to close "in the coming days," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post Tuesday.The news comes roughly six months afte
  
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• Samsung makes its Gear smartwatches more attractive with new bands, features

  06-12-2016 18:56
  
  Motorola may be rethinking its wearable strategy after announcing it wasn’t planning to release a new Moto 360 alongside the upcoming release of Android Wear 2.0, but Samsung is more committed than ever to its smartwatch platform.
  Gear S2 owners who have been envious of the G3’s new features can stop ogling their friends’ watches. A new Value Pack update delivers many of the new smartwatch’s goodies to the older model, including the pre-loaded watch faces, Reminders and
  
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• WD will make a record-breaking 14TB hard drive available next year

  06-12-2016 18:50
  
  With its enormous capacity, a new 14TB drive from Western Digital is unlike any seen before and is now being shipped to customers for testing.It's the highest-capacity hard drive developed yet, beating 12TB hard drives from WD and Seagate. It's a larger capacity version of the 12TB HGST Ultrastar He12 PMR hard drive, which also is shipping for testing.Hard drives ruled when it came to capacity, but this year were overtaken by flash-based SSDs. The 14TB drive, though setting a record for hard dri
  
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• Here’s how the Windows 10 Creators Update helps enterprises

  06-12-2016 18:00
  
  A few weeks ago, Microsoft unveiled its Windows 10 Creators Update with a focus on the software’s benefits for end users when it launches next year. On Tuesday, the company showed a different side of the next major patch for its new operating system, showing off features that will help IT professionals.Next year, IT folks will get new features focused on security, device management, and upgrade improvements. For one, Microsoft’s advanced security suite for Windows 10 is gaining addit
  
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• Dropbox boosts mobile productivity with offline folder support

  06-12-2016 18:00
  
  Users who need to make sure they can get access to files stored in Dropbox while they're on the go and away from the web have a new feature to help with that. The company announced Tuesday that users of its mobile apps will soon be able to save files locally for use offline.It's a move by the cloud storage company to better compete with the other players in the cloud storage space,  and provide users with functionality that will help them be more productive when they're on planes, out in lo
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: macOS: uBlock Origin comes to Safari

  06-12-2016 17:49
  
  Ad blockers have become more and more popular with web users as many people rebel against advertising overload on web sites. But one very popular ad blocker has been missing in action for Safari in macOS: uBlock Origin.Safari users, including myself, have often searched in vain for quite a long time for a version of uBlock Origin for the Mac. Thankfully, our long wait has come to an end and there really is a version of uBlock Origin for macOS.Download uBlock Origin for Safari
  The uBlock Origin f
  
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• Supreme Court kills $399M patent award against Samsung in Apple case

  06-12-2016 17:30
  
  The U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated a US$399 million infringement award against Samsung Electronics in a long-running design patent dispute with Apple.The court, in an 8-0 decision, kicked back the patent award to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, saying the lower court calculated the patent award based on the whole iPhone, while the design patents may cover only pieces of the device.The Federal Circuit's failure to consider a smaller damage award based on pieces of the iPhon
  
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• Say goodbye to the MS-DOS command prompt

  06-12-2016 17:29
  
  My very first technology article, back in 1987, was about MS-DOS 3.30. Almost 30 years later, I’m still writing, but the last bit of MS-DOS, cmd.exe — the command prompt — is on its way out the door.
  It’s quite possible that you have been using Microsoft Windows for years — decades, even — without realizing that there’s a direct line to Microsoft’s earliest operating system or that an MS-DOS underpinning has carried over from one Windows version t
  
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• App developers not ready for iOS transport security requirements

  06-12-2016 17:13
  A month before Apple is expected to enforce stricter security requirements for app communications in iOS, enterprise developers don't seem ready to embrace them, a new study shows.The study was performed by security firm Appthority on the most common 200 apps installed on iOS devices in enterprise environments. The researchers looked at how well these apps conform to Apple's App Transport Security (ATS) requirements.ATS was first introduced and was enabled by default in iOS 9. It forces all apps
  
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• Getting started with blockchain smart contracts

  06-12-2016 16:43
  
  Few managers look forward to negotiating contracts. In large companies, there are many stakeholders to consult and it’s easy to make a misstep. And then there’s the expense involved in working with lawyers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 21% off Seagate Expansion 1TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0 - Deal Alert

  06-12-2016 16:38
  
  The Seagate expansion desktop drive provides extra storage for your ever-growing collection of files. Instantly add space for more files, consolidate all of your files to a single location, or free up space on your computer's internal drive to help improve performance. Setup is straightforward; simply plug in the included power supply and USB cable, and you are ready to go. It is automatically recognized by the Windows operating system, so there is no software to install and nothing to configure
  
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• Fake news fallout: Facebook starts asking users if headlines are accurate

  06-12-2016 16:37
  
  Facebook has a big problem with fake news stories that are spread on the social network, and now it’s hoping users can help. People are reporting that Facebook is asking them survey questions to help determine whether news headlines are accurate.
  It’s not clear how many people are included in this survey or what, exactly, Facebook plans to do with the information it collects. Nevertheless, this appears to be part of Facebook’s plans to deal with the issues of clickbait and fak
  
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• 23% off LilGadgets Premium Children's Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with SharePort - Deal Alert

  06-12-2016 15:44
  
  These highly rated & multi-award winning Bluetooth headphones from LilGadgets are designed for kids. The Untangled Pro offers several fun color options, is durably constructed out of a high quality polycarbonate & stainless steel, and is covered with comfortable SoftTouch fabric. Fully charged, the Untangled Pro has a generous 12 hour battery life with 180 hours on standby. It features a 93db volume limiter for safe listening, and an integrated "SharePort" that lets multiple he
  
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• GoDaddy offers $1.8 billion for Host Europe

  06-12-2016 15:13
  
  U.S. web-hosting giant GoDaddy has agreed to buy German company Host Europe Group in a move that will take the number of domain names it manages to 70 million.Host Europe, based in Germany, has 1.7 million customers and manages 7 million domain names, while GoDaddy has 14 million customers and 63 million domain names under management.The acquisition values Host Europe at €1.69 billion (US$1.79 billion) and will make GoDaddy market leader in small business cloud services in Europe, the U.S.
  
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• Up close with Google Wi-Fi's setup process

  06-12-2016 15:00
  
  Google Wifi jumps into the wireless mesh spaceImage by GoogleGoogle's new Google Wifi system combines wireless access nodes called "points" with a mobile app that lets you manage your mesh system. A mesh is created when you add two or more points to the existing system.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• First look: Google jumps into crowded wireless mesh market

  06-12-2016 15:00
  
  Google made a bunch of new hardware announcements earlier this year, which included new smartphones (the Pixel) and a virtual assistant (Google Home), but they also announced Google Wifi (love how they drop the hyphen and lowercase the F, causing whatever copy editors are left on the planet to wring their hands in anger), a wireless mesh platform to go up against the likes of other startups like eero, Almond, Luma, Amplifi, to name a few. Google Wifi is the update to its OnHub Wi-Fi platform -
  
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• Cisco Meraki sees the hotel of the future in its new Wi-Fi gear

  06-12-2016 15:00
  
  The days when hotel Wi-Fi just connected travelers to the Internet are going away. Now it can be part of a system that helps give guests more personalized service – if they don’t mind the hotel tracking their location on the property.
  The new MR30H access point from Cisco’s Meraki division will work with Bluetooth beacons - small wireless location devices that stores and other businesses are starting to use so they can tell where people are.
  The benefits, as long as guests are
  
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• IBM amps-up Watson cybersecurity experiences

  06-12-2016 14:47
  
  Watson has gone through school and ready for first internship. IBM today said its Watson cognitive computing system continues its path to become part of a full-fledged cybersecurity service by announcing 40 customers have begun beta testing the technology as an enterprise protection tool.
  +More on Network World: IBM Watson/ XPrize open $5 million AI competition for world-changing applications+
  Watson has recruited enterprises from auto, banking and insurance realms -- including Sun Life Financi
  
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• Tell-tale toys open bedroom door to strangers, consumer groups warn

  06-12-2016 13:50
  
  Internet-connected toys subject children to hidden marketing messages and allow strangers to converse with them from a distance, consumer rights groups say.The groups highlighted breaches of security and basic consumer rights in two toys in particular, the i-Que robot and the My Friend Cayla doll.The toys connect via Bluetooth to smartphone apps that record children speaking and transmit the recordings to a voice recognition service provider in the U.S., Nuance Communications, allowing the toys
  
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• Using IoT to help protect the U.S. food supply

  06-12-2016 13:00
  
  When you warehouse and ship billions of pounds of food in the U.S.—food that is sold in Walmart, Costco and your local grocery store—food safety is a priority. Product must be protected and in the most energy-efficient way possible. 
  That’s the challenge Lineage Logistics faces daily. A food processing, warehousing and distribution company, Lineage Logistics controls 20 to 25 percent of the U.S. third-party cold food chain, said Elliot Wolf, director of analytics at the S
  
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• Surface Book i7 vs. MacBook Pro: Fight!

  06-12-2016 12:31
  
  Now that Apple’s introduced the first major update to its MacBook Pro lineup in years, it’s time to square off the best of the best in Mac and PC laptops to see who currently prevails in this age-old rivalry. It’s benchmarks at dawn between the new MacBooks, the new Surface Book i7, and a posse of other Windows laptops.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Common security mistakes in collaboration tools

  06-12-2016 12:29
  
  Working togetherImage by Rebecca SiegelCollaboration tools have become widely used across organizations today, as people come to rely on these handy tools to work more efficiently. They reduce reliance on email, increase conversation between teams and provide an easy way to share information with colleagues. However, with many workplace applications today, there are so many gaps where security settings can fail, and corporate IT is beginning to take notice. Mike McCamon, president at SpiderOak,
  
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• 10 companies with employee benefits you won't believe

  06-12-2016 12:28
  
  Startup culture introduced a lot of change to the traditional workplace by normalizing open office plans, fun break rooms, free food and flexible schedules. Part of these perks are a way to compete for the top tech talent, but they also serve as a way to keep current employees happy, encouraging them to stay with the company for the long haul.But now that companies like Facebook, Google and HubSpot have grown up, moving past their startup nature, they've started taking employee benefits a step f
  
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• Hackers wanted

  06-12-2016 12:06
  
  The U.S. Army ventured into unfamiliar territory last week, the first day of its “Hack the Army” bug bounty program that challenges dozens of invited hackers to infiltrate its computer networks and find vulnerabilities in select, public-facing Army websites.
  "We're not agile enough to keep up with a number of things that are happening in the tech world and in other places outside the Department of Defense," explained Army Secretary Eric Fanning in announcing the plan in mid-November
  
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• With A.I. announcement, Mastercard goes for the hype

  06-12-2016 12:00
  
  Corporations and politicians share a tendency to say things that are narrowly true, though a lack of context renders the statements misleading. Mastercard on Nov. 30 offered a terrific example of this in the security arena.
  On that day, the card brand rolled out something it calls Decision Intelligence, which it said “uses artificial intelligence technology to help financial institutions increase the accuracy of real-time approvals of genuine transactions and reduce false declines.&r
  
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• New PHP release brings another speed boost

  06-12-2016 12:00
  
  The PHP 7 line, which debuted a year ago, has received its first point release upgrade, improving performance and featuring nullable types.
  Version 7.1.0 also offers capabilities like a void return type and class constant visibility modifiers. But a key PHP advocate stressed performance. The upgrade "[provides] up to 35 percent better performance in CPU-intensive workloads," said Zeev Suraski, CTO at PHP tools producer Zend.[ InfoWorld's quick guide: Digital Transformation and the Agile Enterpr
  
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• Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs: Which works better for business?

  06-12-2016 12:00
  
  Have you been thinking of re-assessing which word processor your business should standardize on? The obvious choices are the two best known: Microsoft Word and Google Docs. But which is better?Online photos and researchTracking changes in a documentTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Grote organisaties bezorgd over hun innovatievermogen

  06-12-2016 11:51
  Vier op de tien organisaties in de top 500 van het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven en de overheid ziet zichzelf niet vooroplopen in het omarmen van nieuwe technologie. De helft hiervan acht de kans groot dat nieuwkomers hun markt gaan verstoren. Daarop duidt een enquête in opdracht van Sogeti.Meer dan de helft (55%)... lees meer
  
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• Macbook Pro vs Surface Book i7

  06-12-2016 10:00
  
  Earlier this fall, Microsoft announced a souped-up version of its Surface Book, offering a new configuration with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB drive and high-end NVIDIA graphics. And, right on que just a day later, Apple unveiled its latest Macbook Pro model, with a new "touch bar," and improved specs.At first glance, the Surface Book i7 and 2016 Macbook Pro both look like high-end notebooks that offer first-class performance but when you get past the sleek designs and stunning
  
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• Microsoft's new Zo chatbot dodges politics, doesn't always make sense

  06-12-2016 06:19
  
  Microsoft is taking another shot at giving users a friendly AI-driven bot conversation partner. On Monday, the company released Zo, a chatbot that users can converse with on Kik, the popular messaging platform. Zo is a follow-up to Tay, the tech giant's first foray into friendly, English-speaking chatbots. It's clear that the company has learned from its first attempt, when the friendly chatbot was turned into a font of white supremacist propaganda by malicious users. In contrast, Zo a
  
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• Privacy groups urge investigation of 'internet of toys'

  06-12-2016 06:05
  
  Privacy groups in the U.S. and seven European countries will ask consumer protection agencies to investigate the maker of two internet-connected toys for violations of laws designed to protect children's privacy.The complaints are scheduled to be filed Tuesday against Genesis Toys, maker of the My Friend Cayla and I-Que Intelligence Robot toys, and Nuance Communications, the provider of voice-recognition software for the products.The complaints, to be filed in the U.S., France, Sweden, Gree
  
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• Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube will share terror content info

  06-12-2016 05:12
  
  Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google's YouTube have agreed to share with one another identifying digital information of violent terror content that they find on their platforms.When they remove "violent terrorist imagery or terrorist recruitment videos or images" from their platforms, the companies will include in a shared industry database the hashes, or unique digital fingerprints, of the content.Other participants can use the shared hashes to help identify matching content on their hosted
  
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