Lenovo's new Yoga Book will be a sleek folding laptop with stunning secrets inside.Opening up the device reveals a big surprise: It has no hard keyboard. The keyboard area instead has a versatile touch panel that turns into a smartphone-like virtual keyboard, a draw pad, or a digital notepad.The new touch input panel, which has a back-lit virtual keyboard, is a big deal for Lenovo. It will be featured in a new line of 2-and-1s and laptops and is Lenovo's ambitious attempt to break a decades-old habit of using one-dimensional hard keyboards.The Yoga Book will be the company's first product with a touch panel replacing a hard keyboard to type, draw, or take notes. Its price will start at US$499, and come with Windows or Android. Lenovo hasn't provided a shipment date for the device.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Smartphone reviewers, including myself, write reviews that read more like Robert Parker’s reviews of expensive wines from great vineyards. Oenophiles and smartphone reviewers alike often meander through subtle differences that most consumers don’t have the palette to distinguish. The Moto Z with the Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod add-on module, however, allows smartphone reviewers, for the first time in a long time, to stop meandering with subtleties and gives them something tangible to write about.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Top mid-market software productsG2 Crowd, an online platform hosting more than 100,000 user reviews, has shared its list of top mid-market software products as rated by users of such tools based on how much they like the software and would recommend it to others. While you might be familiar with some of the products on this list, you won’t find much in the way from the highest profile software companies, such as Microsoft and Salesforce.com. “Like the majority of smaller organizations, mid-market companies [51 to 1,000 employees] require software products that are sophisticated but not too pricey, and also easy to use,” says Michael Fauscette, chief research officer at G2 Crowd.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Linux users come in many shapes and sizes, but those in the business world typically steer clear of the bleeding edge. That's why the OpenSUSE project recently switched to a two-pronged development approach, with one version focused on constant updates and another on enterprise-grade stability. On Wednesday, the latter took a big step forward.The first beta version of OpenSUSE Leap 42.2 is now available, giving enterprises and other stability-minded users the chance to check it out and get a taste of what's coming in the final release, which is due Nov. 16. This is the first key update to the Leap software since OpenSUSE adopted its dual-path approach late last year with OpenSUSE 42.1.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Virtual reality headsets are considered the hot new PC devices, and Asus is planning to stake a claim of its own.
Asus on Wednesday said it intends to release VR headsets. VR headsets can be versatile 3D PCs that make 2D laptops and desktops look pale in comparison, Asus said at the IFA trade show in Berlin.
"Asus has a few VR options coming up really soon. Once that happens, you will be free from devices and immersed in 360 degrees of pure entertainment that will blow you away," said Jen Chuang, Asus' design center director.
Asus didn't provide further details, but the company seems to want to focus on untethered VR headsets, or perhaps even mixed-reality headsets like Microsoft's HoloLens. It could tap into a few technologies to do so.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
File this under: What took you so long, Instagram?I can't tell you the number of times I've attempted to zoom in on one of my crummy Instagram photos, hoping I might see better detail than I usually capture in my faraway shots. Now Instagram has enabled pinching and zooming of not just photos, but videos, for those with iPhones and other iOS devices. And I checked: It works with existing photos and videos, not just ones created from here on."Starting today, you can pinch to zoom on photos and videos in feed, on profiles and on Explore. Dive into an adorable puppy’s smile or into every detail of your friend’s new shirt," Instagram proclaims.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
With an eye on the need for more scalable, real-time analytics, SAP today unveiled SAP BW/4HANA, its next-generation data warehouse product for the real-time digital enterprise.BW/4HANA will support on-premises deployments, but will also be available on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud (HEC), says Neil McGovern, senior director, Product Marketing, SAP Data Warehousing."We're trying to give our customers some options," he says. "AWS is infrastructure as a service (IaaS) — you can provision very quickly and inexpensively. With HEC, it's far more of a complete, turnkey solution — more platform as a service (PaaS)."
SAP’s next-generation data warehouse service, SAP BW/4HANA, provides interactivity with historical and live data whether that data lives inside or outside the enterprise. (Click for larger image.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It’s become fashionable to call CIOs chief integration officers because they integrate acquired assets, blend on-premises infrastructure and cloud technology, and collaborate with several stakeholders on digital services. HPE
Scott Spradley, CIO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
You can call Scott Spradley, CIO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a chief separation officer. Spradley is racing to complete his second major asset split within 12 months, extracting HPE's $20 billion enterprise services business in an $8.5 billion "spin merge" with Computer Sciences Corp. The technology services company will absorb HPE’s services business, acquired in a 2008 acquisition of EDS.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Facebook wants to make sure that any VR home movies shared on its social network won't make people puke. That's why the company is building a new video stabilization algorithm that will help smooth out all of the bumps and shakes that come from wielding a 360-degree camera. The new algorithm is designed for stabilizing 360-degree videos in particular, something that Facebook says is important for addressing the growing amount of spherical footage. Previous stabilization technology was designed primarily for videos with a smaller field of view because they were usually taken with traditional 2D cameras. It's an important step for Facebook, which has been focused on virtual reality content and 360-degree video, especially after its US$2 billion acquisition of VR hardware maker Oculus in 2014. The social network introduced support for 360-degree video a year ago and has been pushing it ever since. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A 17.5 foot long, 5.5 foot wide and 1.5 foot tall the 3D printed aircraft design tool has earned the title of largest solid 3D printed item by Guinness World Records.The 1,650 lb. apparatus known as a trim-and-drill tool is comparable in length to a large sport utility vehicle and will ultimately be tested for use in building the Boeing 777X passenger jet. Basically the tool will be used to secure the jet’s composite wing skin for drilling and machining before assembly according to researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ONRL) who developed the tool.+More on Network World: The hottest 3D printing projects+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
At VMWorld 2016 in Las Vegas up to one-quarter of the 23,000 attendees are expected to take a Hands on Lab, which allows customers and partners to test out VMware's software in a sandbox environment.
Check out our tour of the Hands on Labs in the video below.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
I have all the source code.That’s not some sort of metaphorical declaration of the glory of free and open source software; I’m not talking about simply having the rights to go download some source code. I mean it quite literally: I have the source code necessary to build all of the software powering my PC.Right now. Like, on my hard drive.+ Also on Network World: 30 days in a terminal +I did this simply because I could. Because the source code is there. Source code repositories galore. And as I sit here typing this, I have all of it—at least for everything I use every day. And I’ve backed it up.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology released its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, which finds IT workers can expect slightly bigger pay bumps than many other professionals are getting.Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase 3.6% in 2017. The largest gains will occur in tech – where starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8%.
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The hiring environment remains competitive, and many experienced IT pros can expect to receive multiple offers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This bias lighting strip, currently discounted by 54% on Amazon from $49.99 down to just $21.99, reduces eye-strain caused by differences in picture brightness from scene to scene in movies, shows and games, by adding a subtle backlight to your monitor or TV. The LED lights can be changed with up to 20 color selections customizing and setting the mood of your workspace. The strip is easy to install and can be cut to size and plugs directly in the USB port of the TV or monitor. Just Plug-and-play!To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Marketers have always enjoyed using a smattering of emotive words to describe their products and services. Traditional idioms over the years have included "super" and "extra."Now there’s a new come-on out there tumbling from the copywriters’ keyboards. And that word is "now," as in Amazon Prime Now, HBO Now, PlayStation Now and Google Now, points out market research firm Dscout.This declaration of "now" is about “instant information, instant credit, instant connection, instant stuff on my doorstep,” and it is what consumers are starting to expect, say researchers at Dscout, which has been studying what it thinks is a shift in consumer expectation to instant everything.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Department of Defense needs to move past open source myths that have been debunked and jump on the open source bandwagon or the Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. military will not be able to maintain tech superiority, warns a Center for a New American Security (CNAS) report.To maintain technological superiority, the DoD needs “to acquire, develop, deploy and maintain cutting-edge software” systems. “Unless the department is able to accelerate how it procures, builds and delivers software, it will be left behind,” said the authors of “Open Source Software and the Department of Defense” (pdf).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Acer's versatile Chromebook R 13 is one good device to run Android apps because it can function as a laptop or tablet.The 2-in-1 has a rotating 13-inch full HD screen that gives it dual functionality. The touchscreen gives it a mobile-like interface to run Android apps.The device has Chrome OS, but Google is making it possible to run Android apps from Google Play store on newer Chromebooks. Acer will add Android app support to the new Chromebook, the company said.Android app support adds to the versatility of Chromebooks, which are popular as cheap and low-cost laptops. The shipments of 2-in-1s are growing, and Chrome OS is better suited for those devices than Android.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
When most people think of digital businesses, names like Uber, Tesla and AirBnb come to mind. These companies were born in the digital era and have rapidly disrupted their markets.
Those aren’t the only digital companies, though. A number of other companies in verticals such as education, retail and healthcare have been aggressive with their digital plans.
One such company is Augmedix. The San Francisco-based company simplifies how doctors create electronic health records (EHRs) with a technology-enabled, HIPAA-compliant documentation solution for physicians.
+ Also on Network World: Using IoT-enabled microscopes to fight epidemic outbreaks +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Adobe Systems released critical security patches for its ColdFusion application server, which has been a target for hackers in the past.The updates are available for ColdFusion versions 10 and 11 and address a critical security vulnerability that could lead to sensitive information disclosure when parsing specially crafted XML entities.Administrators are advised to upgrade their ColdFusion deployments to version 10 update 21 or version 11 update 10, depending on which branch they're using. The ColdFusion 2016 release is not affected, Adobe said in a security advisory.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter is all you need to turn your favorite speakers into a wireless sound system for your smartphone and tablet. It connects to any powered speakers with a standard plug-and-play 3.5 mm or RCA connection—PC speakers, your home stereo system, even your A/V receiver. Simply plug your speakers or stereo system into this small and unobtrusive Bluetooth Audio Adapter, press the pairing button, and you’re ready to stream. Relax in your favorite chair and control your music with a reliable line-of-sight connection up to 50 feet away from your speakers. The Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 2,200 people on Amazon (read reviews). Check out the discounted Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here