Dell has just improved its already brilliant XPS 13 -- it will now be available as a 2-in-1, which means the device has the versatility to be a laptop or a tablet.
I had the chance to play around with the device prior to CES. It has a clever design and wowed me with its sleek design and edge-to-edge screen, but it won't come cheap.
The starting price of the XPS 13 2-in-1 is US$999, and it'll start shipping this month. That's about $200 more than the starting price of the XPS laptop. You are paying more for the versatility of the XPS 13 2-in-1.
On the outside, the XPS 13 2-in-1 looks like the XPS 13 laptop, but Dell has changed the hinge connecting the keyboard base and screen. The screen can be rotated 360 degrees to turn the device into a tablet.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
IT buyers seeking a data warehouse often compare Oracle's Exadata system with Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Vertica system, according to IT Central Station, an online community where IT managers review enterprise products. And both systems have their fans.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
If Windows 7 represents peak Windows for you, you’re not alone. Twice as many people use Win7 as use Win10, even after 18 months of Microsoft pressure to get you to give up Win7 and jump to the shiny new version as your operating system of choice.Your reasons for staying with Win7 may range from mere convenience to mental inertia to an abject fear of the Win10 info borg. Whatever your reasons for remaining with Win7, there are steps you can take right now to ensure Win7 keeps working -- at least until Microsoft pulls the plug on security patches, on Jan. 14, 2020. (Yep, that’s a Patch Tuesday.)[ Give yourself a technology career advantage with InfoWorld's Deep Dive technology reports and Computerworld's career trends reports. GET A 15% DISCOUNT through Jan.15, 2017: Use code 8TIISZ4Z. | The essentials for Windows 10 installation: Download the Windows 10 Installation Superguide today. | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the Windows Report newsletter. ]
The key, as you might expect, is to stow away a solid “ground zero” full backup. From that point, you should patch judiciously, use incremental backups scrupulously, and tend to the maintenance jobs Continue reading
Keeping the lights onImage by ThinkstockMost businesses are critically reliant upon their IT systems. If these systems go down due to a natural disaster, temporary power outage, loss of data center, ransomware or hacker attack, lost or corrupted files, or an application failure due to a software virus, the results can inflict significant financial harm. In the worst case, the business will be unable to continue functioning.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Slack exploded onto the scene three years ago, and since then just about everyone from industry giants like Facebook to small groups of open source developers have been getting in on the team collaboration software act.Today the pace of collaboration software development and innovation is frenetic, and according to research by G2 Crowd, a peer-to-peer business review platform, the boom in corporate adoption shows no sign of slowing down in the near future. It found that more than half of all companies have already implemented team collaboration solutions of one kind or another, and 31 percent plan to adopt one in the next two years.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
TurboTax coaches you every step of the way and double checks your return as you go to handle even the toughest tax situations, so you can be confident you’re getting every dollar you deserve. Its typical list price of $59.99 has been reduced a generous 34% to $39.86, a deal that is exclusive to Amazon. Learn more, or take advantage of the deal now, on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apparently Santa thought that Raspberry Pi users deserved something special this Christmas because there, underneath the digital Christmas tree, was the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s x86 port of its Debian + PIXEL Linux desktop environment designed to run on pretty much any hardware even old, pensioned-off gear. Lovers of horrible backronyms might have rejoiced at the name PIXEL which is derived from “Pi Improved Xwindows Environment, Lightweight” but as clumsy as the name’s derivation might be, the PIXEL distro is way cool and a seriously good idea. Mark Gibbs
PIXEL is a highly modified version of the LXDE X11 desktop environment on Debian “Jessie” and was originally released in September 2016 but only for Raspberry Pi boards. This Christmas release now allows you to run PIXEL on most X86 devices including many machines that are veritable antiques.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
As with previous years, 2016 saw no shortage of data breaches. Looking ahead to 2017, the Information Security Forum (ISF), a global, independent information security body that focuses on cyber security and information risk management, forecasts businesses will face four key global security threats in 2017."2016 certainly lived up to expectations," says Steve Durbin, managing director of the ISF. "We saw all sorts of breaches that just seemed to get bigger and bigger. We lurched from one to another. We always anticipate some level of it, but we never anticipate the full extent. I don't think anybody would have anticipated some of the stuff we've seen of late in terms of the Russians getting involved in the recent elections."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Gone but not forgottenImage by Dat7 via Creative Commons2016 was brutal year in the tech business. Ambitious projects sputtered out, beloved niche products became unsustainable, and there was at least one colossal corporate embarrassment. Take a look back at all the technology that died this year—then console yourself by imagining it’s still being enjoyed by David Bowie and Prince.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Android is in a very different place than it was when 2016 began. While the last 12 months were filled with much of the usual pomp and circumstance surrounding the release of new handsets, connected gadgets, and OS refreshes, the state of Android has never been more promising or less predictable. Google stepped out from behind the curtain and into the spotlight. Headsets took over smartwatches as the trend of the moment. And Samsung’s phablet woes opened the door for smaller players to make big gains.Through it all, one thing was constant: Android’s dominance. Throughout 2016’s wild ride, the mighty platform continued its reign, extending its penetration to a near-90 percent of the global market, and all but ending the OS wars once and for all. And somehow it still seems like Android is still just getting its feet wet. So before we step into what’s shaping up to be an exciting 2017 for Android, let’s take a look at everything that made this year so memorable:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This year, we saw outsourcing integration challenges multiply, production workloads and enterprise systems hit the cloud, and security hit the top of the agenda.So what’s ahead for 2017? Uncertainty for one thing. Industry watchers expect a number of shifts in the IT and business process services space — not least of which will be the initiation of more flexible outsourcing terms as the world watches and waits to see what happens once president elect Donald Trump takes office and Brexit takes hold.[ Related: Trump presidency could sound death knell for offshore outsourcing ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
DowntimeImage by Thinkstock2016 has seen major downtime events lead to lost revenue for a number of highly-recognizable brands and caused a severe knock to their reputation and consumer confidence. One of the most common causes of outages is unplanned configuration changes to a system, often when an immediate fix for a bug or potential system vulnerability unintentionally creates a much larger problem.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The U.S. government has sanctioned Russia's main two intelligence agencies, four military intelligence officers and is kicking out 35 Russian diplomats over what it says was aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations around the 2016 presidential election.
The move follows up on a pledge made by President Obama to retaliate against Russia for hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other political targets.
The U.S. also released a detailed assessment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the cyber attacks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In November, researchers from cybersecurity firm Invincea reported a vulnerability that could have allowed hackers to infect Belkin WeMo smart plugs with malware. The flaw was located in a configuration protocol that worked over the local area network and didn't require any authentication.In 2015, when researchers from vulnerability intelligence firm Rapid7 analyzed nine Internet-connected baby monitors, they found hardcoded credentials in four of them. Those backdoor accounts provided administrative access to the devices over the local network.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The travel booking systems used by millions of people every day are woefully insecure and lack modern authentication methods. This allows attackers to easily modify other people's reservations, cancel their flights and even use the refunds to book tickets for themselves, according a team of researchers who analyzed this online ecosystem.
Karsten Nohl and Nemanja Nikodijevic from Berlin-based consultancy Security Research Labs have spent months investigating the security employed by the Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) that are used by travel agencies, airlines, hotels and car rental companies. They presented their findings Tuesday at the 33rd Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Anyone who works within a large organization will be well aware of what Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is. For those unaccustomed, essentially VDI is a technology whereby on any device, anywhere, a user can log in and access a virtual representation of a desktop computer. It’s a way to use the applications, user setup and security of a fixed physical device without needing to use a fixed physical device.That’s the good part. But alas VDI has a negative side: poor user experience, often laggy processing and a “one size fits all” approach that doesn't really cover the multitude of form factors that end users actually need.So, when I heard awhile ago that a new player in the VDI space picked up some funding, I wrote a post that articulated my incredulity that an investor would actually see the space as attractive. A friend of mine, a particularly studious chap who, given a science background, has a preference to empirical data and research-based findings, called me out and sent me an email critiquing my commentary about VDI.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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. Saving files is easy too-just drag-and-drop. Take advantage of the fast data transfer speeds with the USB 3.0 interface by connecting to a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port. This drive receives 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, where its typical list price of $149.99 has been reduced 27% to $109.56. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This was a big year for Microsoft. The HoloLens began shipping to developers, Windows 10 made it through its first year intact (though not without controversy), and the company got into the desktop computer market with a stunning mega-touchscreen.
But there were a few key announcements that flew under the radar this year. While they may not have the splash factor of a Surface Studio or HoloLens, these developments have the potential to alter Microsoft and the world for years to come.
Here’s the rundown on what you probably missed.Microsoft’s new bot tools help build conversation partners
At its Build developer conference, Microsoft outlined a vision for a conversational computing platform. The idea is pretty simple: Traditional user interfaces are hard to understand right off the bat, so we should let people just talk with computers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Fight for the Rebellion or Empire in a wide variety of multiplayer matches for up to 40 players, or in exciting challenges inspired by the films available solo, split-screen or through online co-op. Star Wars Battlefront combines this epic action on a galactic scale with stunning visual recreations of some of the most iconic planets, weapons, characters, and vehicles in the Star Wars universe and the original sound effects from the films, to give Star Wars fans the ultimate, authentic and immersive interactive experience they’ve been looking for. This discounted deal Includes Star Wars Battlefront standard video game for PS4 and an official SteelBook, an Amazon Exclusive. A SteelBook is a limited, high quality, premium metal case. Check it out on Amazon now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The iGrill2, a Bluetooth Smart meat thermometer, aims to make grilling and smoking easier, more convenient, and smarter. The unit comes packaged with two probes, and can support up to four, making it possible to measure multiple areas at once with a min and max temp setting of -22 to 572-degrees fahrenheit. With a 150-foot range, the iGrill2 gives you the freedom to walk away and entertain your guests or watch the game while your grill or smoker cooks to perfection. It's compatible with iOS devices and most Bluetooth Smart Ready Android devices. The iDevices Connected app, powered by Bluetooth Smart technology, is the central hub for managing your iGrill. Monitor your temperature progression and get a more detailed view for each probe with customizable views that can be exported (because why not). The iGrill2 averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 770 customers (see reviews), and with this 40% off deal it's list price of $99.99 has been reduced to $59.99, just in time for Father's Day. See the discounted iGrill2 from iDevices on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here