Cybersecurity firm Fortinet’s purchase last week of wireless network manufacturer Meru Networks for $44 million is the second major acquisition of a Wi-Fi hardware vendor in three months – and, potentially, the start of a broader pattern.HP bought Aruba Networks in late February for $3 billion, in a move that upset the balance of the wireless industry by raising questions about Aruba’s OEM relationships with HP rivals like Dell. Now, that HP-Aruba deal looks as though it could be the herald of a more general consolidation in the wireless sector.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
With June already in full swing, the Apple world is gearing up for arguably the most exciting and important part of the year - WWDC. Though Apple doesn't typically announce major new hardware announcements at WWDC anymore, the company's annual developers conference is still compelling because it's where we get our first glimpse into upcoming versions of iOS and OS X, the software that powers Apple's beloved hardware.Of course, because the iPhone remains Apple's primary moneymaker, the most interesting thing to keep an eye on at WWDC this year will be iOS 9. While we already covered a few items we can expect to see in Apple's next-iteration of iOS, we're back with a second round of iOS 9 rumors to keep you in-the-know ahead of what are bound to be some exciting Apple announcements come Monday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In case you were wondering what it is exactly that Yahoo does these days, the company says its focus is on "search, communications and digital content." The rest must go, and as such, Yahoo today has announced some things it is getting rid of.For starters, the company is doing away with maps.yahoo.com (a.k.a. Yahoo Maps) at the end of June. Though maps will live on within Yahoo search and Flickr in some fashion. "We made this decision to better align resources to Yahoo's priorities as our business has evolved since we first launched Yahoo Maps eight years ago."RELATED: 7 Things Microsoft Killed Off in 2014To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
IDG Enterprise (which includes NetworkWorld, Computerworld and other news websites for IT pros) is in the process of fielding a survey with the objective of gauging strategy, challenges and drivers with regard to mobile technologies. You can expect to see articles across our publications based on the results in late summer.
We invite you to take the survey and enter a drawing to win a $500 cash prize.* Tell us about your organization’s top mobile priorities, and how emerging technology is changing roles and responsibilities within your organization.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Cisco's new Aironet 1850 Access Point supports 802.11ac Wave 2 WiFi technology
The new world of Wi-Fi is a bit like the proverbial airplane being built in mid-air: Unless you really need to enter the new world of LANs right now, it might make sense to hold off. A case in point is the first 802.11ac Wave 2 access point from Cisco Systems, introduced on Tuesday in advance of the Cisco Live conference next week.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
iPhone dongles can do everything from high-speed data transfers to testing for HIV.At Computex 2015 in Taipei this week, a local manufacturer is showing off a laser pointer for the Apple phone that can precisely measure short distances.The iPin Laser Ruler is a thumbnail-sized dongle that fits in the iPhone’s audio jack. It houses a class 2 laser pointer that shines a dot of a light on a nearby object, such as a wall or piece of furniture. An app on the phone uses the camera to focus on the dot to determine the distance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Uber has made enemies in the five years its cars have been on the road. Safety concerns have sparked lawsuits from regulators, its data collection practices have landed it in hot water, and CEO Travis Kalanick cant seem to shake his spoiled brat image.Hes aware of that. I can come off as a fierce advocate for Uber. I also realize that some have used a different A-word to describe me, he said on Wednesday.Im not perfect, and neither is this company, he said during an event at Ubers headquarters in San Francisco to commemorate the fifth anniversary of its launch in that city.During a talk attended by employees of the company and Uber investors, Kalanick painted an idealized picture of the company not so much as a mobile app service, but as a benevolent force for society.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Uber has made enemies in the five years its cars have been on the road. Safety concerns have sparked lawsuits from regulators, its data collection practices have landed it in hot water, and CEO Travis Kalanick can't seem to shake his spoiled brat image.He's aware of that. "I can come off as a fierce advocate for Uber. I also realize that some have used a different A-word to describe me," he said on Wednesday."I'm not perfect, and neither is this company," he said during an event at Uber's headquarters in San Francisco to commemorate the fifth anniversary of its launch in that city.During a talk attended by employees of the company and Uber investors, Kalanick painted an idealized picture of the company not so much as a mobile app service, but as a benevolent force for society.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Did you know "the U.S. accounts for more than 42% of the world's most dangerous mobile apps targeting non-jailbroken and non-rooted devices? These apps aren't found on shady third-party stores—they're found right in the trusted Apple App Store and Google Play—putting the everyday consumer at higher risk for privacy violation than they likely realize." That's just one nugget from Marble Security's threat stats after the firm's analysts, cryptographers, and cybercrime specialists analyzed over 3.5 million iOS and Android apps from more than 650,000 publishers. They scored each app "against 1,000 potentially malicious and privacy-leaking behaviors to determine whether it is risky or safe."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Tidal, the paid music streaming service owned by artist and businessman Jay Z, can now be accessed via a desktop app.Users can download the app, which is in beta release, from Tidal’s site. The app will detect audio sources like Apple’s AirPlay to let users play music on compatible stereo systems, Tidal said Wednesday. Tidal already has iOS and Android apps, as well as a web app optimized for the Chrome browser.Jay Z has positioned Tidal as a high quality music streaming service supported by musicians like Taylor Swift and Kanye West, but its success is far from guaranteed in a crowded market. Apple is expected to launch a revamped streaming service based on its Beats acquisition next week. Spotify recently added video and smarter playlist features to its app, including a function that picks songs based on the user’s running pace.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Washington Post pointed out this week that the head of Google's Project Loon, the initiative that sends large balloons flying around the world to beam internet signals to people on the ground, admitted in an MIT Review interview published earlier this week that the company is planning to launch the project in the U.S.From the MIT Review article:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is always chock full of announcements. We’re guaranteed to see previews of the next versions of iOS and OS X—after all, that’s why developers flock to San Francisco for the event. But this year, substantiated rumors are swirling around a new streaming music service, a refreshed Apple TV, and truly game-changing new iOS features.And now that Apple Watch is finally here, we might even catch a glimpse of the future of Apple’s most personal device.MORE: 10 mobile startups to watch
Here are the five big reveals we expect at WWDC, which kicks off June 8 at 10 a.m. Pacific.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft has launched an upgraded version of the Nokia 105 phone, but a growing interest in smartphones will make it difficult for the company to repeat the success of the original version.The US$20 Nokia 105 is aimed at first-time mobile phone buyers and people looking for a long-lasting backup device for their smartphone, according to Microsoft, which decided to keep the Nokia brand for its most basic phones.The new model has a bigger phonebook, better voice quality and longer talk time. Users can choose between models that have one or two SIM slots. It still has a 1.45-inch screen and an FM radio.The original model was introduced in 2013, and has sold more than 80 million units to date. Repeating that will be hard for Microsoft, since consumers all over the world are increasingly choosing smartphones. Microsoft’s overall phone sales dropped by about 30 percent during the first quarter year-on-year, even though Windows smartphone sales increased slightly, according to Gartner. At the same time smartphones represented 73 percent of total phone sales, up from about 63 percent.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The annual American Customer Satisfaction Index for 2015 placed Comcast and Time-Warner Cable near the very bottom of all telecom and technology companies in the rankings, the researchers involved announced Tuesday.The ACSI’s ratings – on a 100-point scale – gave Comcast a score of 54 as a TV service provider and 56 as an ISP, well below the industry average of 63 in both categories. TWC received a 51 in the former category and a 58 in the latter. The ratings were based on the ACSI’s in-house analysis of survey responses from 14,000 Americans, which were collected during the first quarter of 2015.+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Ransomware creator apologizes for 'sleeper' attack, releases decryption keys + Intel to buy Altera for $16.7B, eyes IoT market +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Magic Leap, the mysterious startup backed by Google that is developing a headset for augmented reality, wants outside help to create content for its device.On Tuesday, the company said it would be opening its platform to third-party developers with an SDK (software development kit) that would let developers create content for Magic Leap’s system.Magic Leap has developed what it calls a photonics light field chip, which would project 3D images directly on people’s eyes and superimpose those images over what users see in the real world. It’s designed to be superior to stereoscopic vision, which uses two different images to trick the eye into thinking something is 3D. Magic Leap thinks this “augmented” content could take any number of forms, for applications in gaming but also in storytelling and communications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Wi-Fi in your home or office could get a big speed boost by the end of this year with Qualcomm's newest chip, which reaches new highs in data transfer speeds.The peak wireless data transfer speeds of the QCA9994 and QCA9984 Wi-Fi chips will reach 1.7G bps (bits per second). That speed can be achieved through single or multiple data streams from devices on an 802.11ac Wi-Fi network.MORE: Full speed ahead for 802.11ac WiFiThe speed tops Qualcomm's previous high of around 1Gbps, which it achieved in products released last year. To put the wireless speed in perspective, the data transfer speeds of a wired USB 3.0 connection peaks at 5Gbps, which in most cases is considered adequate for external hard drives.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Researchers at Dartmouth College and the University of Texas at Austin have developed an Android app that they say can predict students’ grade point averages without prior knowledge of data such as SAT scores, IQ or school track records. What’s more, the technology could have future applications for predicting employee performance.SmartGPA is a cloud-backed app that relies on embedded passive sensors as well as special algorithms that can determine behaviors by the phone user, from studying to partying to face-to-face-communications to sleep. That information can then be crunched to predict students’ GPA within 17 hundreds of a point, according to Andrew T. Campbell, who co-authored paper on the research with colleagues from Dartmouth and the University of Texas at Austin.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Pinterest, whose site is used by many to bookmark desired retail items, will now let its users buy those items directly from its site.Content on Pinterest’s site is organized into visual bookmarks or “pins,” which users can save to their own profiles. Starting later this month, a new type of pin called “Buyable Pins” will arrive in users’ feeds, to let them purchase a variety of items without leaving Pinterest’s site.More than 2 million different products will be sold on Pinterest, through partnerships with major retailers like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, as well as smaller boutique brands like Cole Haan, Kate Spade and Poler Stuff.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
So many of the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 design concepts we see are wildly futuristic: They boast holograms and shape-shifting and increasing thinness.But Pierre, Cerveau, a Bangkok business development manager with engineering chops, has put forth a throwback iPhone design concept that goes all the way back to 1984, when Apple introduced its second Macintosh computer, the 512K. Gotta love that rotary dial.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here