Cisco secures its SDN

Cisco is looking to provide threat protection for data centers and clouds by integrating acquired security technology with its programmable, policy-based networking portfolio.Cisco this week announced that it is combining the FirePOWER threat protection services software obtained from the 2013 acquisition of Sourcefire with its Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) automated policy fabric. ACI is Cisco’s response to software-defined networking.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco secures its SDN

Cisco is looking to provide threat protection for data centers and clouds by integrating acquired security technology with its programmable, policy-based networking portfolio.Cisco this week announced that it is combining the FirePOWER threat protection services software obtained from the 2013 acquisition of Sourcefire with its Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) automated policy fabric. ACI is Cisco’s response to software-defined networking.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft preaches the gospel of universal apps at Build

With its universal Windows apps concept, Microsoft is promoting the notion of apps that can be developed once and run across a variety of form factors. Unsurprisingly, the universal apps effort will be prominent at this week's Microsoft Build 2015 developer conference.The conference's session list details Microsoft's outreach in this vein, including a discussion on the use of XAML for building universal Windows apps. "XAML UI took a big step forward in Windows 10 with new controls and new features to simplify tailoring app experiences across devices," the session description says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 killer tips to get your Apple Watch set up just right

Navigating the Apple Watch can be a little confusing at first, and it definitely takes a while to get your notifications dialed in so it’s not bugging you too often, but you’re still finding out what you need to know. These tips can help you adjust what the watch shows you and how, so you’ll spend less time fiddling with settings and more time enjoying your new arm candy.Take control of notifications If you’re one of those people who allows push notifications for every app on your iPhone, the Apple Watch will drive you insane. This is a gadget that requires very specific tailoring to ensure you’re only getting the most important alerts. Otherwise your wrist will be barraged with taps. Get to know the Apple Watch app on your iPhone: It will make your watch the personalized device you want.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Spec showdown: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs. LG G4

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has emerged as the benchmark for flagship smartphones running Android, but there are lots of challengers, including the new G4 from LG Electronics.The companies have had many of the same goals when building their respective high-end models, including improving the looks and the cameras. But there are still differences that may be relevant to your purchase decision. Here’s a spec comparison between the phones:DesignA more premium design has been a common theme for this year’s launches of high-end smartphones. The Galaxy S6 combines a metal frame with a glass back, while the G4 has a plastic frame and offers the option of a back made of leather or a mixture of ceramics and plastic.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

A fantastic overview of the Elastic Cloud project from Luca Relandini

A fantastic overview of the Elastic Cloud project from Luca Relandini

This post shows how the porting of the Elastic Cloud project to a different platform is achieved with UCSD

http://lucarelandini.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-elastic-cloud-project-porting-to.html?

And don’t miss this excellent recent post which explains how to invoke UCS Director workflows via the northbound REST API.

http://lucarelandini.blogspot.com/2015/03/invoking-ucs-director-workflows-via.html 

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Wednesday, April 29

Build opens Wednesday, here’s what to expectAt Microsoft’s Build developer’s conference—starting in San Francisco on Wednesday—look for a focus on Windows 10 phone, and tools for building universal apps that run not only across the huge installed base of Windows PCs but also on mobile devices, says PC World. It’s also likely that Microsoft will make the app store available on all of your devices, and it may outline plans for third-party app development for Office. Finally, don’t be surprised if there’s talk of Windows as a service; CEO Satya Nadella likes the idea of recurring revenue from subscriptions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Flaw in Realtek SDK for wireless chipsets exposes routers to hacking

The software that controls wireless networking chipsets made by Realtek Semiconductor contains a critical vulnerability that could allow attackers to compromise home routers.The flaw exists in a firmware component called miniigd that’s present in router models based on Realtek chipsets. The component is part of the software development kit (SDK) for RTL81xxx chipsets that Realtek provides to router manufacturers.The vulnerability was discovered by Ricky Lawshae, a researcher with Hewlett-Packard’s TippingPoint Digital Vaccine Labs (DVLabs) which runs the well-known Zero-Day Initiative (ZDI) bug bounty program.“An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute code with root privileges,” the ZDI team said in an advisory published Friday. Exploitation does not require authentication, it said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Ham radio attempts to fill communication gaps in Nepal rescue effort

Amateur radio has stepped in to fill communication gaps in Nepal, which is struggling with power outages and a flaky Internet after a devastating earthquake on Saturday killed over 5,000 people.The hobbyist radio operators, also known as ham radio operators or hams, are working round-the-clock to help people get in touch with relatives, pass on information and alert about developing crises ever since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit about 80 kilometers from Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu.Ham radio sends voice or morse code messages across radio frequencies and has often helped in emergencies. It can work off solar power or low-voltage batteries, which means that the radios can continue to work even after smartphones and laptops are discharged, said Jayu Bhide, National Coordinator for Disaster Communication at the Amateur Radio Society of India, on Wednesday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Pebble seeks to tap the Chinese market

Pebble hopes to replicate in China the success it has had in the U.S., by working to build a fanbase for its smartwatches.Three years ago, Pebble’s first product launched on Kickstarter as a crowdfunded project that initially raised over US$10 million from thousands of backers.“We have always had a tight relationship with the people using the product, and our intention is to continue that in China,” said Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s CEO in an interview on Wednesday.The Silicon Valley startup is still in the early stages of tapping the country’s market, and only a month ago it upgraded its software to support Chinese language characters. It also began offering its smartwatches as a crowdfunding campaign on local e-commerce site JD.com that managed to rake in almost 300,000 yuan ($49,000) from 1,400 supporters earlier in April.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung regains number one position in smartphone market

Samsung Electronics regained the number one position in the smartphone market in the first quarter, but its market share dropped to 24 percent from 31 percent a year earlier, according to a research firm.The South Korean company and its arch rival Apple were tied with shipments of 74.5 million smartphones each in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to Strategy Analytics.The researcher said Tuesday that Samsung had shipped 83.2 million smartphones in the first quarter in comparison to 61.2 million phones from Apple.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung profits drop as it faces the iPhone 6

Samsung Electronics registered its sixth straight quarterly decline in profits in the first three months of this year as competition bit into its key smartphone and display businesses.The company said net profit during the January to March quarter fell 39 percent on the same period last year to 4.6 trillion won (US$4.3 billion). Revenue was 47 trillion won, down 12 percent, in line with guidance issued earlier in April.Samsung is under fierce pressure in the smartphone sector, where low-cost Chinese rivals are eroding sales at the low-end while Apple is winning customers at the high end.The company doesn’t disclose precise smartphone sales figures, but it said it sold 99 million phones of all types during the quarter. Of those, the share of smartphones was in the “mid 80s percent,” it said in a conference call with investors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung profits drop as it faces the iPhone 6

Samsung Electronics registered its sixth straight quarterly decline in profits in the first three months of this year as competition bit into its key smartphone and display businesses.The company said net profit during the January to March quarter fell 39 percent on the same period last year to 4.6 trillion won (US$4.3 billion). Revenue was 47 trillion won, down 12 percent, in line with guidance issued earlier in April.Samsung is under fierce pressure in the smartphone sector, where low-cost Chinese rivals are eroding sales at the low-end while Apple is winning customers at the high end.The company doesn’t disclose precise smartphone sales figures, but it said it sold 99 million phones of all types during the quarter. Of those, the share of smartphones was in the “mid 80s percent,” it said in a conference call with investors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

HDS big-data tools should help IT, mobile health workers

Hitachi Data Systems is aiming its big-data expertise at health care and enterprise IT departments with specialized products for combining types of information.The company has been expanding beyond its traditional storage business through development and acquisitions in big data in recent years. It bought Avrio and Pantascene last year for public safety video and sensor systems, and this year it has announced acquisitions of SAP services specialist Oxya and business analytics vendor Pentaho.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Twitter eyeing Apple to help distribute its tweets

Soon, when you do a search on your iPhone for someone’s contact info, a recent tweet from them might also pop up.Twitter is working with Apple to incorporate Twitter content and accounts into Apple’s Spotlight search feature, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday. Spotlight search is a feature in Apple’s iOS mobile system, and OS X on Macs, that generates results from content stored on the devices and from other content such as Safari Web results and mail from Apple’s Mail app.Tweets might be next on the list.Costolo did not provide any other details on the status of the talks, beyond saying that such an integration would be geared toward making it easier and quicker to find content on Twitter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Romania, Panama cutting back on spam

Romania and Panama, two of the world’s notable sources of spam, now have fewer computers producing it, according to security vendor Cloudmark.The U.S. remains first in having the most systems blocked by IP address for sending junk mail, though by the percentage of its total IP addresses, it ranks fairly low.Cloudmark, which specializes in providing antispam products to ISPs, said it is blocking 13 percent fewer IP addresses worldwide for sending spam, with notable improvements in a few small countries, according to its first quarterly report for this year. The report covered IPv4 addresses, which are used for the vast majority of Internet traffic.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Bill to rein in NSA phone data collection reintroduced

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has reintroduced legislation aimed at ending the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of telephone records across the country.Four senior members of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee planned to reintroduce the USA Freedom Act late Tuesday. The House passed a watered-down version of similar legislation in last May, but the Senate failed to act on it before November’s elections.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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