GLENN’S SHOWNOTES
Google to support Chrome on XP until 2015
Google will support those on the Chrome browser for Windows XP until “at least” April 2015 – a year after Microsoft pulls the plug on its OS
XP users are also barred from modern versions of Internet Explorer – the latest version they’re able to upgrade to is IE8, leaving them with Chrome and Firefox as more up-to-date alternatives.
New iPads expected at Apple event
The company sent out invitations to media on Tuesday for the 22 October event that read, “We still have a lot to cover” and sported a close-up, half-view of Apple’s logo.
The usual stylised, elliptical apple-stalk is replicated and scattered throughout an attached image in multiple hues.
Windows 8.1: return of the Start button hits TV advertising
Microsoft is advertising its upcoming version of Windows with television ads that celebrate the return of the Start button.
The commercial focuses on a hand sifting through Windows’ tiled interface as an Australian narrator says: “Start up like this. Or like this. And hit the Start button to flip back and forth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afcnxmYLBBc
Windows 8.1 will be released in Australia on Friday the 18th of October as a free upgrade to existing Windows 8 customers. Microsoft claim the download will vary between 2.5 to 3.3GB in size
First Twitter app for Android tablet hits Samsung Galaxy 10.1
Although the company’s offered a mobile app for Android for some time, this is the first time the company’s created an app tailored for larger screens.
But it’s limiting the rollout to the “2014 edition” of Samsung’s tablet until the end of the year, excluding anyone who owns a Nexus 7 or even other popular Samsung tablets for now.
The company said it had partnered with Samsung to extend the mobile app’s features, which might explain the exclusivity.
These include a landscape mode, allowing users to view tweets in full screen. Tapping individual tweets expands them to the right, letting you see photos, videos and article previews. Tapping again lets you view that content in full screen. There’s also a new multiscreen function, which lets you snap Twitter to one side while running another app to the right.
Twitter’s also made a new homescreen widget, which seems like an excuse to show off its curation features. The widget doesn’t require login, displaying local breaking news, sports and photo updates. Logging in to the widget gives you the ability to favourite and retweet updates.
Finally there’s an intriguing, if silly, “draw” function, giving you a Paint-like canvas from which to share doodles. The feature also lets you draw on pictures in your photo gallery and share them to Twitter. Twitter noted that Galaxy Note owners can use the accompanying S-Pen stylus for the doodle function.
Microsoft: Surface RT branding confused customers
Microsoft has admitted that customers don’t know the difference between the Surface RT and the Surface Pro – but claims rebranding the RT to Surface 2 should clear up any confusion.
“We want to help make it easier for people, and these are two different products designed for two different people,” marketing manager Jack Cowett said but didn’t explain how Surface 2 is any less confusing.
Aussie channel veteran launches rival to LinkedIn
ChannelPace officially launched in 56 countries in September, after a year of development, beta testing and piloting.
The platform was co-founded by Larry Lewis, a 20-year veteran of the banking sector who started coding on punch cards in 1973.
ChannelPace combines contact management, business networking, company CRM and social communication on one platform – and was driven by Furlong’s “frustration” with the slow uptake of CRM systems and “the general difficulties faced in having access to accurate and contextual information”.
“Today, in my opinion, it is even more difficult, as most of us have our network of contacts spread across our phone, email client, business networking sites and CRM systems. This has actually made having access to accurate information even harder,” he told CRN.
“One of the most annoying things to me about LinkedIn is that there is no way to have any confidence that when a person says they are at ‘XZY Company’, they actually are.”
ChannelPace avoids this through crowd-sourcing: if a user hasn’t logged in for 30 days, the system automatically switches to crowd-sourced information, which is more likely to be updated.
“All people associated with that contact, and people in their company, are now able to keep the information updated or even flag the person as having left the company.
Ireland is to close a tax loophole used by Apple
Apple, and other firms, have been able to funnel profits into Irish subsidiaries or “ghost companies” that had no declared tax residency anywhere in the world.
On Tuesday, the Irish government said it planned to make it illegal for a company to have no tax domicile.
But firms would be able to nominate any country as their tax residence.
That includes countries such as Bermuda which offer zero tax rates.
Because of that, tax experts say that the change announced on Tuesday will not make much difference to the amount of tax paid by Apple.
Google and Microsoft have Irish subsidiaries that legally channel money to Bermuda where they pay zero tax.
CommBank, Coles to offer ‘pay tag’ stickers for mobile payments
CommBank’s pay tag sticker will be available for $2.99. It attaches to the back of a smartphone but does not interact directly with the phone.
The stickers use the same technology as a credit card when processing a payment, routing through the bank’s infrastructure and back to the application on the smartphone.
The application offers customers the option to turn the pay tag on or off as well as select which account they would like to pay from.
The tag can be used for payments up to $100. CommBank said it would be available in the coming months.
Coles announced a similar initiative this morning, with 5000 customers to trial its new pay tag nationally.
The Coles sticker is based on MasterCard technology and can be used in any retail location that accepts MasterCard PayPass
Apple to slow production of iPhone 5C
Apple has told manufacturers it will reduce orders for the 5C smartphone in the final three months of the year, the source told Reuters
Pegatron, which assembles many of Apple’s iPhone 5Cs, had seen orders reduced by less than 20 percent, said the source, who asked not to be identified because the information is sensitive.
Dodo launches $60 unlimited NBN plan
https://connectto.dodo.com/wizard/?product=DodoFibre
Plans across all NBN speed tiers are available with 10GB, 50GB, 200GB of data included. Dodo is also offering plans with 2TB of data for all three speed tiers except 12/1Mbps, where it’s replaced by the unlimited option. Any plan can have unlimited off-peak data as an add-on for an extra $15 per month.
The company’s top plan costs $89.90 for 2TB of data (1TB on-peak and 1TB off-peak) at 100/40Mbps.
Excess downloads on all plans cost $2 per GB. Plans are available on a month-to-monht, 12 month and 24 month basis.
The cheapest Dodo NBN plan, ‘Lite Fibre’, costs a minimum $29.90 per month and includes 5GB of on-peak data and 5GB off-peak data every month at 12/1Mbps; the plan costs up to $59.90 depending on the speed tier.
Recovered Troughton stories hit iTunes charts
The recently recovered Patrick TroughtonDoctor Who stories The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear have been a hit on iTunes in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
Due to the serial nature of the stories, iTunes is listing each story as a “series” (UK) or “season” (US, Canada and Australia). The Web of Fear is currently #1 in the UK iTunes Store “Top Series” chart, with The Enemy of the World at #2; in Australia, the positions are reversed. In the United States, The Enemy of the World is at #2, whileThe Web of Fear is at #4. In the Canadian chart, The Web of Fear is in third place, while The Enemy of the World is in fourth. The individual episodes are also charting in the UK’s iTunes store. These placings are remarkable for 45-year-old programmes.
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