GE to pay $1.4B for two 3D printing companies to expand manufacturing

General Electric today announced plans to spend $1.4 billion to acquire two of the world's top suppliers of metal-based 3D printing manufacturing equipment, Arcam AB and SLM Solutions Group AG.Both companies will become part of GE's Aviation division, where the technology will be used to increase GE's production of aircraft components and other parts through additive manufacturing. SLM Solutions Group Turbine blades with internal conformal cooling channels to improve performance of jet engines printed by SLM Solutions using selective metal sintering. SLM can use a range of metal powders to print from non ferrous, tool steel, stainless steel and light alloys.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Enterprise IT pros see most workloads in cloud by 2018

Within two years, a majority of enterprises expect to be running their workloads in the cloud.After getting past considerable concerns about privacy and security, companies are increasingly placing their faith -- and their information and services -- in the cloud.The level of enterprise workloads in the cloud is expected to go from 41% today to 60% by mid-2018, according to technology research firm 451 Research, which surveyed more than 1,200 IT professionals worldwide in May and June. 451 then combined that information with separate interviews done with senior IT buyers and IT executives.The study also showed that 38% of enterprises said they have a cloud-first policy, which means they at least consider, if not prioritize, the cloud for all deployments.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: More huge tech acquisitions

The market for tech acquisitions is booming in 2016 as legacy technology companies shed old assets and consolidate, and companies in other industries scoop up tech assets at a historic pace. This comes despite 2015’s boom in overall M&A waning, the market for initial public offerings declining, and as data shows some tech “unicorns” may wait until at least 2017 to make their market debut. The tech industry appears to be an anomaly, with analysts expecting deal making to remain strong for the foreseeable future, despite near-term macro uncertainties such as the U.S. election. —Market Watch

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Big data is already a $46 billion market, but you ain’t seen nothin’ yet

Big data has been a big buzzword for more than a few years already, and it's got some solid numbers to back that up, including US$46 billion in 2016 revenues for vendors of related products and services. But the big data era is still just beginning to dawn, with the real growth yet to come.So suggests a new report from SNS Research, which predicts that by the end of 2020, companies will spend more than $72 billion on big data hardware, software, and professional services. While revenue is currently dominated by hardware sales and professional services, that promises to change: By the end of 2020, software revenue will exceed hardware investments by more than $7 billion, the researcher predicts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s new kit makes gadget development with Raspberry Pi easier

If developing a cool gadget using the Raspberry Pi 3 seems like an insurmountable challenge, Microsoft's got your back.Microsoft's IoT Grove Kit has the ingredients needed to make the development of gadgets with Raspberry Pi boards much easier. The kit is a small collection of must-have components and connectors commonly used in making smart devices, drones, or robots.It doesn't come with the Raspberry Pi 3 board, which can be acquired separately for US$35.The kit is listed for $154.99 on the websites of online retailer Digi-Key and Seeed Studios, with which Microsoft co-developed the product. A shipment date wasn't immediately available.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

OpenOffice may be fading into the sunset

OpenOffice, the productivity suite viewed as an alternative to Microsoft Office developed as an open source project, is at serious risk of being closed down due to a lack of help. There have been only three updates since 2013, with the last coming in October 2015.The developers behind it have not only been slow to update the software, but they were slow to fix it. A major security flaw in July took a month to be patched, and while they were working on it, people with the project suggested switching to Microsoft Office or LibreOffice as temporary workarounds. An email entitled "What would OpenOffice retirement involve?" (and first noted by Ars Technica) was sent out last week by Dennis Hamilton, vice president of Apache OpenOffice, a volunteer position that reports to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) board.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Exascale Might Prove To Be More Than A Grand Challenge

The supercomputing industry is accustomed to 1,000X performance strides, and that is because people like to think in big round numbers and bold concepts. Every leap in performance is exciting not just because of the engineering challenges in bringing systems with kilo, mega, tera, peta, and exa scales into being, but because of the science that is enabled by such increasingly massive machines.

But every leap is getting a bit more difficult as imagination meets up with the constraints of budgets and the laws of physics. The exascale leap is proving to be particularly difficult, and not just because it …

Exascale Might Prove To Be More Than A Grand Challenge was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

15% off APC 650VA 8-outlet Uninterruptible Power Supply and Surge Protector – Deal Alert

The electronic devices you rely on every day for communication, security, and entertainment are at risk of damage and disconnect due to unexpected blackouts, voltage fluctuations, and other power disruptions. The BE650G1 from APC provides instant battery power to your critical electronics when the power goes out, keeping you connected and available both personally and professionally. Or at the very least, allowing you time to save your work and safely shut down. This model has 8 total outlets – 4 battery backup and 4 surge only outlets. It performs periodic battery self-tests, giving you early warning when its internal battery needs attention. This UPS is covered by a three-year limited warranty, and also comes with a lifetime equipment protection policy: APC will repair or replace attached equipment that sustains surge-related damage while properly connected, up to $75,000. Currently averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 4,100 people (read reviews), its typical list price of $79.99 has been reduced 15% to $68.31. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Can cybersecurity save the November elections?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s disclosure earlier this month that foreign hackers had infiltrated voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona came as no surprise to some cybersecurity experts.“Given where cybercrime has gone, it’s not too surprising to think about how information risks might manifest themselves during the election season to cause some level of either potential disruption, change in voting, or even just political fodder to add the hype cycle,” says Malcolm Harkins, chief security and trust officer at network security firm Cylance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s 3-level Android patch could cause confusion

Google has released another large monthly batch of security patches for Android, this time fixing 55 vulnerabilities, eight of which are rated critical.The novelty of this release is that the fixes are split into three different "security patch levels" -- date strings that indicate to users how up-to-date their devices are. While this could make it easier for device manufacturers to integrate patches applicable to their devices, it could lead to confusion among regular users.Since August 2015 Google has released security updates for Android according to a monthly schedule. This was intended to add some predictability to Android patches and indeed, some device makers committed to monthly security updates as well.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s 3-level Android patch could cause confusion

Google has released another large monthly batch of security patches for Android, this time fixing 55 vulnerabilities, eight of which are rated critical.The novelty of this release is that the fixes are split into three different "security patch levels" -- date strings that indicate to users how up-to-date their devices are. While this could make it easier for device manufacturers to integrate patches applicable to their devices, it could lead to confusion among regular users.Since August 2015 Google has released security updates for Android according to a monthly schedule. This was intended to add some predictability to Android patches and indeed, some device makers committed to monthly security updates as well.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

British Airways blames glitch for long check-in delays

The old “IT glitch” was reportedly the cause of British Airways’ multi-continent check-in delays on Monday. Angry travelers waited in check-in queues for hours while the airline fell back on the old school method of handwriting records, boarding passes and baggage labels.British Airways has been rolling out a new check-in system since last year; a BA spokesperson described the check-in delays as “teething problems.”At first, BA claimed the glitch causing check-in delays was not a worldwide problem, but a “patchy” problem. While the glitch in the check-in system affected more than people in the U.K., travelers took to Twitter to complain about long delays in at least San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Rome, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Vancouver, the Bahamas, D.C., Seattle, Zurich, and Mexico City.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

British Airways blames glitch for long check-in delays

The old “IT glitch” was reportedly the cause of British Airways’ multi-continent check-in delays on Monday. Angry travelers waited in check-in queues for hours while the airline fell back on the old school method of handwriting records, boarding passes and baggage labels.British Airways has been rolling out a new check-in system since last year; a BA spokesperson described the check-in delays as “teething problems.”At first, BA claimed the glitch causing check-in delays was not a worldwide problem, but a “patchy” problem. While the glitch in the check-in system affected more than people in the U.K., travelers took to Twitter to complain about long delays in at least San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Rome, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Vancouver, the Bahamas, D.C., Seattle, Zurich, and Mexico City.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Cheers! Choose the right wine with Sommely IoT smart caps

Choosing the right wine for a meal takes both skill and a little luck. It’s an area where many wine drinkers could use some help.Sommely wine caps help when a sommelier isn’t available.This elegant IoT-based solution combines wine recommendations, inventory management and the ability to physically locate wine bottles. It addresses a need that’s common in managing other perishable inventories, such as: What is in the inventory? When are the items in inventory about to expire? Which items in the inventory best meet the demand? Where is the physical location of the items so that they can be easily retrieved? Wine selection is a complex decision with dozens of wine varieties and thousands of brands. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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