Geeks Will Soon Have Fewer B&M Options As RadioShack & Staples Announce Closures

Weak sales and fierce competition continue to take a toll on brick and mortar locations, leaving tech geeks fewer and fewer in-store buying options. Earlier this week two more retailers announced they'll be shuttering several location across the U.S., leaving us with even fewer options.

Long time geek favorite RadioShack, has announced it is closing 1,100 stores across the U.S. These 1,100 stores represent about a fifth of its total, with about 4,000 stores remaining once the closings are complete. Following suite Staples announced that it would close hundreds of members of its own chain. According to CNN, Staples plans to close 225 stores in North America by mid-2015, which equates to about 12 percent of its North American stores total.

Both companies reported that lower than expected sales and earnings during their last quarter, a period that included the holiday shopping season, and increased competition from online retailers like Amazon, and Newegg, as well as fiercer competition from other brick-and-mortars, such as Office Depot are the two major contributing factors to the closures.

Samsung Shows Off The Galaxy S5, Gear 2, and Gear Fit In Official Introduction Videos

For you smartphone Geeks out there, Samsung has posted a little bit of Geek Pr0n today with two new videos featuring the company's recently announced flagship device and its two new wearables. The first video seen below shows off some of the newest features packed into the all new Galaxy S5, including a look at the device specs, new camera features which include auto focus and selective focus, as well as some of the other new features like the download booster and ultra battery saving mode.

In the second video we get an overview of the Gear 2 and Gear Fit. The video includes a look at the newly update design with an interchangeable strap, the addition of the hear rate monitor and a look at the new UI on the Gear 2. We also get our first detailed look at the all new Gear Fit, including the screen and some of the available applications.

Cellphone Unlocking May Soon Be Legal Again

Did you know that as of Jan 26, 2013, it was "illegal" to unlock your phone? Today however, the tides have changed and the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act by a vote of 295-114. The new bill would make it entirely legal for any consumer to 'unlock' any device (no longer on subsidies we suppose) and take said device to any carrier of their choosing.

For those unfamiliar, service providers like AT&T and Verizon typically lock their devices so they can only be used with their service. If unlocked, phones can be taken over to other carriers. This is hugely important for promoting healthy competition and empowering consumer choice, not to mention being very useful for travel.

A provision of the DMCA and federal copyright laws has always made it illegal to circumvent phone locking software and unlock phones to use on a different carrier without the original carriers permission. Until last year that provision was granted exemption by the Librarian of Congress who is allowed to grant exceptions, and did until his October 2012 decision to allow the DMCA to regulate cell phone locking.

Fast forward to Jan 26th, when the exceptions expired, and the software used to lock phones quickly lost its exemption and once again became covered under the same digital copyright laws as most other software. Meaning users could no longer bypass those locks or software, or create any software that could be used at unauthorized attempts at unlocking phones.

Under current law, those unlocking their phones without permission could face legal ramifications, including jail. The notion of undoing that law has had wide support from both Republicans and Democrats as well as many consumer groups since the bill's introduction in the House in 2013.

If passed within the Senate, and signed into law, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act would repeal the Library of Congress (LOC) rulemaking determination and reestablish the previous exemption to those provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) prohibiting such circumvention and permitting the use of computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, to unlock phones.

This would be great news for consumers looking for choice in their wireless plans. Major carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US and U.S. Cellular, in December made a voluntary pledge to make it easier for consumers to unlock their cellphones. However, there have still been several hurdles to for consumer to clear and the process has been anything but painless.

Would You Buy A $25 Firefox OS Based Smartphone?

We've know for awhile now that Mozilla has been working on a Firefox OS based smartphone and now it looks like we have a bit more detail as to what those phones might look like and how much they might cost.

Mozilla, the company all geeks should know as the parent to the Firefox web browser, has teamed with mobile SoC maker Spreadtrum to come up with a prototype for a smartphone that costs just $25. The key to the prototype is an ultra-cheap processor from Spreadtrum, the SC6821 SoC. The chip’s predecessor, the SC8620, sells for about $1.40 in mass quantities. Meaning even if the new chip cost a bit more, a $25 device running Firefox OS would be well within reach.

For $25, Spreadtrum says you’ll be able to get a humble 3.5″ HVGA display, rear-facing camera, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and FM radio support. Full specs aren’t being discussed yet, and that’s because they’ll be left up to the individual OEMs that actually build handsets using Firefox OS and the Spreadtrum SC6821 chip. Spreadtrum is providing the necessary internals, and Mozilla’s worked with them to ensure full hardware support within Firefox OS.

While Mozilla and Spreadtrum have said the initial goal is to bring their low cost entry level Firefox OS phones to emerging markets in developing countries they have not ruled out the option of offering them to US based carriers. So they question begs, would you be interested in the low cost phones or would you hold out for something with a bit more substance?

Personally I prefer higher end devices, which we are also starting to see with various new operating systems. For instance, Mozilla has also announced several new Higher Performance Firefox OS devices which include the ZTE Open C and Open II, Alcatel ONETOUCH Fire C, Fire E, Fire S and Fire 7 tablet, all using Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm Technologies Inc. We've also seen reports that we should expect an influx of Ubuntu based smartphones in 2014.

InfoGraphic: The Internet of Things Explained

Every geek knows what "The Internet of Things" means right? Well if like some you aren't entirely sure then this new infographic will help make sense of the often confusing term. 

For those not into infographics here is our brief explanation: The term “the internet of things” is an all encompassing reference to the plethora of devices which can communicate and share data with each other. Devices like smart watches, health monitors, and even household items like internet connected refrigerators, blenders, smoke detectors and security systems. All with sensors and intelligence built into those physical objects. These devices will talk to and monitor each other, regardless of distance or power consumption.

According to Gartner there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the Internet of Things by 2020. According to ABI Research more than 30 billion devices will be wirelessly connected to the Internet of Things (Internet of Everything) by 2020. Cisco created a dynamic "connections counter" to track the estimated number of connected things from July 2013 until July 2020 (methodology included).

Check out the infographic below for a visual explanation of the internet of things, and how it works.

As Galaxy S5 Launch Date Nears Samsung Talks KitKat 4.4

If rumors are true, and we highly expect them to be, then Samsung's newest flagship device the Galaxy S5 will launch next week at the Samsung 2014 Unpacked Event. Ahead of that launch date we've seen plenty of rumors surrounding the newest addition to the Galaxy family. Many of which revolve around the devices hardware. One major rumor though involves the potential of a new TouchWiz UI and perhaps even a major change in operating systems.

It was long suggested that the Galaxy S5 would be running Android KitKat 4.4. However, at least a few sites have suggested that might not be the case. The rumor mill has suggested we might see a GS5 running Samsung's Tizen OS. While we'll have to wait to see if those rumors hold true we do now know that Samsung will be updating all most all of their current devices to Android KitKat 4.4.

Samsung verified that most of its Galaxy devices will soon be upgraded to the newest offering by Google. According to the posting, beginning today several U.S. gadgets will start seeing the roll out. Some carrier such as Sprint have already started rolling out the update to GS4 owners. With US Cellular rumored to be releasing theirs tomorrow.

Scheduled to receive the update include select carrier variants of the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy S III, Galaxy S III Mini, Galaxy Mega, Galaxy Light, Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Tab 2, Galaxy Note 10.1, and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

The upgrade provides a number of innovative, easy-to-use features that enhance the user experience, including a more intuitive user interface, enhanced messaging capabilities and updated applications:

• Location Menu: An integrated location menu enables users to easily activate GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks, while simultaneously checking the battery usage of apps running location service capabilities.
• Enhanced Messaging: Enables users to choose between Messages or Hangouts as their preferred default messaging application, and select from a larger assortment of updated Emoji icons.
• Upgraded Google Mobile Service (GMS) apps: Users can automatically back up photos and video and can open, view, rename and share Google Docs and files.

As with all of Samsung's updates availability will vary by carrier and product. Which means even though the updates are said to be beginning today some devices and some carrier might not see them for awhile as Samsung has said the roll will be ongoing and continuing throughout the coming months.

Microsoft Asks OEMs To End Windows 7 PC Sales Oct 31st

Microsoft has set a deadline for OEM PC manufacture's such as Dell, HP and others to stop the sale of Windows 7 equipped home PCs as of Oct. 31st. End of sales refers to the date when a particular version of Windows is no longer shipped to retailers or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

On the Windows Lifecycle site where it posts such policies, Microsoft now notes that Oct. 31, 2014, is the end-of-sales date for new PCs equipped with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate.The setting of such deadlines is nothing new to Microsoft, and users wanting to get their hands on per-manufactured machines will still have the option of business machines equipped with Windows 7 Professional.

Microsoft's practice, first defined in 2010, is to stop selling an older operating system in retail one year after the launch of its successor, and halt delivery of the previous Windows edition to OEMs two years after a new version launches. The move is an intentional one, with Microsoft hoping to spur sales of its newest operating systems as well as keeping consumers updated to the latest versions.

Often citing high consumer demand, some OEMs, notably Hewlett-Packard, have made headlines for marketing PCs with previous version of Windows Pre-loaded. Most notable in the case of Windows Vista and Windows XP. Poor feedback and low consumer demand for Vista prompted many OEM's to release PCs with downgrade options to XP.

Microsoft's Windows 8 originally showed impressive numbers, hitting 100 million licenses sold as of last May. However, since then sales have slumped and the new OS continues to lag behind its predecessor.

Tami Reller, Microsoft's executive vice president of marketing, announced that Microsoft has sold 200 million Windows 8 licenses in about 15 months. That's way ahead of Windows Vista, which only hit 180 million licenses after 18 months, but well behind Windows 7, which only took a year to reach 240 million licenses sold.

With Windows 7 still holding a dominate market share one would have to question why Microsoft would be pushing so strongly to stop the sales of the popular OS. Perhaps they are looking to avoid the fiasco of Windows Vista and Windows XP?

Adobe Offers 45 Min Video For Photoshop Beginners

For those that are new to Photoshop the experience can quickly become overwhelming. Even with its much more friendly design and more intuitive tools Photoshop is still an immensely powerful program with a fairly steep learning curve. The sheer volume of features alone makes picking up even the basics in the application a daunting task for many users.

While most user might choose to jump right in, others will opt for searching the web for Photoshop tutorials or how to guides. However, even these can be confusing, enter Adobe's Terry White. Terry has put together an excellent 45 minute video showing you how to accomplish "10 Things Beginners Want to Know How To Do".

The video runs through a gamut of useful tools, like spot correction, layers and adjustment layers, cropping, fixing exposure and white balance, content aware fill, and more. So if that sounds like something you'd like to learn, carve yourself out a block of time, and get yourself an education.

Now for those of you who are advanced Photoshop geeks, obviously, this video isn't aimed at you, and even an intermediate user might find some of the content a bit redundant. But someone just starting out will probably find the videos Terry has created are invaluable—and the rest of us might just pick up a new method or two along the way, too.

If you like this video Terry has several more Adobe Creative Cloud Videos available on Adobe Creative Cloud TV or for more videos from other Adobe Evangelists and Experts checkout Adobe TV.

Apple Sheds Light On Law Enforcement Data Collections

Government inquiry reports are nothing new, after all Google, Verizon, AT&T and others have published 'transparency reports' for awhile now. Today however, marks one of the few times ever that we have seen Apple disclose their NSA and law enforcement data numbers.

The report, which can be viewed here as a PDF file, comes on the heels of several tech companies reaching a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice over disclosing national security information requests. A deal which will enable more tech firms to report more detail about security requests.

According to the report Apple responded to fewer than 250 national security requests and roughly 927 law enforcement request nationally from the period between January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 disclosing data for 747 accounts, Apple objected to 102 requests and disclosed no data in 254 requests, for a total disclosure rate of 81 percent.

Apple said the numbers reported are "the actual number of requests for information related to law enforcement investigations and all of the national security orders received under FISA and NSLs guidelines."

This data represents every U.S. national security order for data about Apple's customers regardless of geography. The report also reiterates previous statements the company has made that unlike some other tech companies during the time from they did not receive any orders for bulk data.

Apple believes the number of accounts affected in comparison to the sheer volume of accounts the registered with the company is "infinitesimal". Yes I'd say so! So much so that I'd be skeptical of how accurate these numbers are and call into question the results. In comparison to the numbers we generally see these seem minute.

One reason may be is that perhaps the government agencies are circumventing the need for a direct order and obtaining the data needed in other ways. According to a new report from The New York Times and corroborated by other news agencies, the NSA can obtain data from iOS and Android apps as it travels over the Internet, in real time.

FBI Warns Retailers of The Likelihood of More Credit Card Attacks

Following reports of targeted attacks on retailers and the theft of personal information from customers, the FBI has released a statement warning retailers of the potential for future attacks, as well as the increased trend in malware affecting POS (Point of Sale) machines such as cash registers and credit card swiping devices.

According to Reuters, which initially obtained the report, there have been about 20 hacking cases in the past year that involved the same kind of malicious software similar to that used against Target stores over the past holiday shopping season. This high number of reported attacks not only has the FBI on alert and leads them to believe that "POS malware crime will continue to grow over the near term, despite law enforcement and security firms' actions to mitigate it".

In their 3 page report they also made note of the availability of malware on "underground forums" as well as the large potential for profits to be made from POS attacks, as warnings to the retailers in an attempt to get them to tighten up security. The report was dated January 17 and entitled "Recent Cyber Intrusion Events Directed Toward Retail Firms." A spokeswoman for the FBI confirmed the agency had issued the report as part of efforts to share information about threats with the private sector.

The vice president of the National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade association, stated that "Retailers have been and remain vigilant in their efforts to provide the highest level of security for their data systems in order to protect against malicious and criminal acts. As the criminal investigation continues and more information becomes available, you can be sure that the retail industry will be responsive and engaged to ensure this particular cyber-attack does not happen again."

Only time will tell, however, exactly how proactive these retailers will be in protecting their customers' personal information. One thing is clear: retailers need to move quickly to get better tools in their networks that can analyze traffic patterns on the fly and identify any unusual activity, said another expert in retail security, who has audited POS systems to find vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

Your Banking App May Be Putting Your Money At Risk

With several recent high profile data breaches making big headlines more and more consumers are questioning the security of not only the retailers they use but the websites they shop and apps the use on their mobile device. We often fall victim to a false sense of security believing that official apps are more secure than they really are. Security is undoubtedly very important in every app, of course, but if there is one group of mobile apps that we tend to believe should be secure more secure than any others we use it would probably mobile banking apps. 

Earlier this month security researcher Ariel Sanchez of IOActive published a rather shocking report that indicates that 90% of mobile banking apps from top banks around the world may have serious security vulnerabilities that could potentially compromise sensitive user data. Ariel Sanchez took a close hard look at mobile banking apps for the iPhone and iPad from 40 of the 60 top banks in the world and discovered serious security flaws in almost all of them. Here is a small sampling of his discoveries:

• “A few apps (less than 20%) did not have Position Independent Executable (PIE) and Stack Smashing Protection enabled. This could help to mitigate the risk of memory corruption attacks.”
• “40% of the audited apps did not validate the authenticity of SSL certificates presented. This makes them susceptible to Man in The Middle (MiTM) attacks.”
• “50% of the apps are vulnerable to JavaScript injections via insecure UIWebView implementations. In some cases, the native iOS functionality was exposed, allowing actions such as sending SMS or emails from the victim’s device.”
• “90% [of the apps] contained several non-SSL links throughout the application. This allows an attacker to intercept the traffic and inject arbitrary JavaScript/HTML code in an attempt to create a fake login prompt or similar scam.”

This incredibly troubling study should open the eyes of the consumer as it lifts the veil on that false sense of security that we all have. The research brings to light a few very serious problems for the banking industry — and for consumers that utilize these apps — that will only become more severe over time as mobile banking app usage grows. Sanchez notes in his report that the various security vulnerabilities he identified could allow malicious hackers to intercept sensitive data, install malware or even seize control of a victim’s device handing over full account access and control.

“Home banking apps that have been adapted for mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, have created a significant security challenge for worldwide financial firms,” Sanchez stated in his conclusion. “As this research shows, financial industries should increase the security standards they use for their mobile home banking solutions.”

Intel To Dish Out $1.3 Million To Inventors Who 'Make It Wearable'

Intel is making a major leap into the 'wearable computing' market and they are looking for developers to help them make it happen. In his CES keynote address, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich issued a challenge to the smartest and most creative minds to participate in the Intel "Make It Wearable" challenge (PDF).

Intel will award $1.3 million in cash awards to winners and will connect contenders with industry luminaries to help realize their ideas. Winners will create wearable devices that will help computing evolve to become ever more personal and connected. The inventors are encouraged to consider areas of importance for the proliferation of wearable devices and ubiquitous computing, such as meaningful usages, aesthetics, battery life, security and privacy.

 Guidelines for submissions are as follows:

• The challenge will begin in summer 2014 and is open to individuals in selected countries to submit ideas via a website (makeit.intel.com) for new wearable products. 
• Winners will be announced by January 2015 
• The grand prize winner will receive US$500,000. The second and third place winners will receive $200,000 and S$100,000, respectively.
• The ten finalists will receive $50,000 to help get their ideas off the ground Each will be provided with more than 70 hours of intensive mentoring over two months
•  The product must be based on Intel technology and be a sensor or computing device that is attached, embedded or worn on the body. 
• Categories include fashion, wellness, social, education, environment, security and healthcare. 
• Judges and mentors will be luminaries in various fields related to wearables such as technology, entrepreneurship and design. 

Visit makeit.intel.com for more details, additional eligibility requirements and official rules, to be posted before submission opening.

Holiday Gift Guide: Fellowes Powershred 73Ci Review

Still looking for those end of the year gifts, or perhaps a little extra something to start the New Year with some safety and security. Earlier this month we introduced our readers to the new Fellowes Powershred 73Ci. Here are our thoughts and opinions after putting the cross cut shredder through its paces.

Here are some of the features:

• 100% Jam Proof System that eliminates paper jams and powers through tough jobs
• Proprietary Energy Savings System which maximizes shredder energy savings 100% of the time – both in use and out of use
• Capacitive touch screen controls
• Heavy-duty Cross-Cut blades that destroy a single sheet of paper into 397 particles, making it nearly impossible to piece back together yet tough enough to cut through credit cards, paper clips, staples, and CD/DVDs

The first thing you'll notice after grabbing and opening the box is that this shredder is a monster. Thanks to its heavy-duty motor it carries a little more weight than you'd really expect. Don't let that stop you though, it comes equipped with wheeled waste bin that allows you to easily maneuver the machine around the office and makes waste collecting a snap. Inside the box are the shredder, waste bin, machine oil for the gears, four metal swivel casters (which will need to be attached), recyclable bags, and an instruction manual with basic usage details.

The setup is pretty straight forward. Start by attaching the casters, which fit snugly onto the bottom of the bin, and snap in so there’s no need tool. Of course, you can also leave the wheels off, but as mentioned this thing is rather heavy so the casters make it easier to maneuver.

Once the casters and bin are in place, hoist the beefy top onto the bin and that is it, you are now ready to shred. Just flip the power switch on the back and plug the unit into any AC outlet. The front touch panel comes alive as blue LEDs show off the power button, forward and reverse keys. To start shredding, all you have to do is just insert some paper straight in and let go. This thing is rather powerful and can chew through stacks of paper in no time.

In our testing we tested the claims that it could shred up to twelve sheets of paper, we even tossed a few DVDs and Credit Cards at it. The motor seems to have a couple stages, when shredding a light load is seems to run slow and quiet and then a second stage kicks in when shredding heavier loads. Running a DVD through doesn't seem to slow it down at all. Though we did noticed a bit of a slow when processing several sheets of fairly dense paper, but it never jammed up.

The Powershred 73Ci is equipped with SafeSense Technology, which stops shredding when hands touch the paper opening. However, the intake area has a sloped recession and is rather deep, so it seems really unlikely that the feature would ever be put to the test, even by a child.

My final thoughts and opinion

Keeping personal information safe these days is a must! We see reports almost daily about how prevalent ID Theft is. For anyone looking to step up their protect, either at home or at the office Powershred 73Ci is a powerful option. I personally like the fact that I can shred optical disks and Credit Cards with a breeze. I know in my own life I've all to often forgot how much personal information or pictures a DVD might contain. So adding that extra level of protection is a necessity for me these days.


The 73Ci is available at office superstores and their online counterparts for a suggested retail price of $199.99. For more information on keeping your personal identification secure this holiday season be sure to follow @FellowesInc and hashtag #IDSafetySeason


This post was created in partnership with Fellowes. All opinions are my own.

Microsoft Offering 12 Months of Premium Skype Features For Free

In celebration of this month's launch of the Skype Collaboration Project Microsoft is running a new promotion that is will offer Skype users free group calls, free group screen sharing, no advertising and access to live customer support, for free. All of these features are typically reserved for premium account holders but by singing up now you can get them free for 12 months.

The Skype Collaboration Project, was launched as an online destination that focuses on the intersection between technology and creative industries. The projects goal is to shine a spotlight on creative talent, including celebrated British fashion designer Victoria Beckham. With The Skype Collaboration Project, Skype wants to inspire emerging creative talent in four ways:

• Using technology to bring innovative ideas and products to life
•  Channeling passion and entrepreneurial spirit into success
• Shaping inspiration into reality through the power of collaboration
• Exhibiting the incredible craft from artisans around the globe
• As part of the project, The Skype Conversation Series, will offer students, fashion fans and creatives exclusive access to the innovators, experts and fashion insiders at the heart of industry.

To signup for the 12 month offering simply visit the Skype Collaboration offer page, enter a valid email address, yes it must be a valid email as they will send a code to your inbox, and you are done. The offer must be redeemed on or before 30th April 2014 and commences on the redemption date. Skype account required and subscription may only be redeemed in respect of one Skype account. Skype's Terms of Use apply. To redeem your code, click here.

Google Zeitgeist 2013 Report

As the year draws to an end, Google this week has revealed its top 10 global trending searches of 2013. Sprinkled amongst the top searches are two rather surprising terms (when compared to the rest of the searches). Apple's iPhone 5S, which made it to the number 3 spot and Samsung's Galaxy S4 which made it to number 8.

Technology aside, the rest of Google's top 10 global trending searches for 2013 has both sad and bright parts. The first two places belong to people who have passed away recently: Nelson Mandela, former South African president, Nobel Peace Prize winner and social activist, and Paul Walker, the actor who gained international fame thanks to his role in the Fast and the Furious series.

The 13th annual Google Zeitgeist lists, which were released on Tuesday, are meant to provide a “sign of the times” as a barometer of global interests on the Internet’s largest search engine.

Here are some of the top results:

Top Trending Searches 2013

1. Paul Walker
2. Boston Marathon Bombing
3. Nelson Mandela
4. Cory Monteith
5. iPhone 5s
6. Government Shutdown
7. James Gandolfini
8. Harlem Shake
9. Royal Baby
10. Adrian Peterson

Trending People 2013

1. Paul Walker
2. Cory Monteith
3. Nelson Mandela
4. Aaron Hernandez
5. Adrian Peterson
6. Miley Cyrus
7. James Gandolfini
8. Paula Deen
9. Mindy McCready
10. Trayvon Martin

U.S. Trending Events 2013

1. Boston Marathon
2. Government Shutdown
3. VMAs
4. Moore, Oklahoma Tornado
5. Royal Baby
6. Zimmerman Trial
7. Typhoon Haiyan
8. New Pope
9. Syria Conflict
10. Mayweather vs. Canelo

Trending TV Shows 2013

1. Breaking Bad
2. Game of Thrones
3. Orange Is the New Black
4. Scandal
. House of Cards
6. Downton Abbey
7. Suits
8. NCIS
9. Dexter
10. New Girl

Most-Searched TV Shows 2013

1. Breaking Bad
2. Duck Dynasty
3. Big Bang Theory
4. Good Morning America
5. South Park
6. True Blood
7. Big Brother 15
8. New Girl
9. Castle
10. Attack on Titan


For more on this years list checkout the Official Google Blog.

SteamOS Beta Now Available For Download

Valve’s new SteamOS software is now available to download for consumers and manufacturers, but Valve has issued the warnign that this new operating system is an early beta release only suitable for those that are very experienced with Linux and are comfortable with testing true beta software. Valve has flicked the switch on the availability of SteamOS for the benefit of the 300 beta testers who are receiving their units this weekend.

Initially designed to allow users to run PC based Steam games on their television sets the new SteamOS also features a basic Linux based desktop mode that can run regular Linux applications. The hardware requirements for this 1.0 release are a 64-bit Intel/AMD CPU, 4GB or more of memory, 500GB+ hard disk space, UEFI boot support, at least one USB port for installation and Nvidia-based graphics.

The software is not meant to be instlled on a main PC, and for now is not meant to be used in a dual boot situation as the current installation procedure will erase everything currently on your machine. The installer weighs in at a hefty 960MB and you can get at it through the links in the Steam Database announcement. If you are brave enough to test it out I'd suggestion reading the ArsTechnica walkthrough on installing the OS to your system.

The Linux-based SteamOS was unveiled to the world back in September, with Valve promising an operating system for the TV and the living room. Steam Machines packaged together with the fully finished SteamOS are due to go on sale at some point during 2014. For more details checkout the Official SteamOS Site and Official SteamOS FAQ

MetLife Seeking To Become A Technology Leader With New Tech Hub In North Carolina's Research Triangle

Earlier this year, MetLife, Inc., a leading global life insurance and employee benefits company, announced that it is breaking ground in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area for a new best-in-class global technology hub.

Located in Cary, N.C., the new hub will house the infrastructure that enables MetLife to deliver world-class service to its customers. MetLife’s entry into the Research Triangle area, coupled with its new U.S. retail headquarters in Charlotte, represents a $125.5 million investment in North Carolina. This is on top of the $1.2 billion in insurance funds that MetLife has invested in North Carolina housing, agriculture, commercial real estate, health care and utilities.

The opening of MetLife's new campus in Cary, North Carolina means a lot of new job growth and opportunity for Raleigh. They are currently breaking on a state of the art campus that is slated to open in 2015. MetLife intends to create 2,600 jobs with the new technology solutions center, which will provide one of the largest jobs creation institutions in North Carolina's recent history. Over the coming months more than 1,000 positions will open across various functions including engineering, development, app maintenance, IT risk and security and tech support.

MetLife is targeting LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold certification or higher for the state-of-the-art workplace, which will feature an environment designed to facilitate collaboration and innovation. The campus will consist of 427,000 square feet in two 213,500 square foot office buildings with structured parking. The buildings will be situated on 26.5 acres fronting the 520-acre Lake Crabtree, which is adjacent to I-40 and the nearby Raleigh-Durham International Airport. In addition, the campus will feature sprawling outside space including a great lawn, amphitheater, patio and places to engage in activities such as basketball and volleyball.

For more information about MetLife GTO, including job opportunities, visit www.metlifegto.com and be sure to follow MetLife GTO viaTwitter @ML_TechandOps

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between our site and Metlife GTO. This could include MetLife Global Technology and Operations group providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Keep Personal Information Safe This Holiday Season With The Fellowes Powershred 73Ci Cross Cut Shredder

The holiday season is here and the last thing most of us want to do is worry about our personal and financial information slipping into the wrong hands. Often times in the rush to get shopping done, presents wrapped or taking care of the other details we overlook one important item. Those pesky credit card receipts, bills and other materials that identity thieve would love to get their hands on.

According to Javelin Strategy & Research, there was one incident of ID fraud every three seconds in 2012. The holiday season is an especially dangerous time of year for this crime as consumers are distracted and sharing their confidential information frequently. One of the best ways to avoid such hazards is to shred your personal documents, statements and other bills.

But what do you do with those other personal items such as those left over photo CD/DVDs you might have made, or those expired credit cards? Did you know with the right shredder you can shred those as well?

For those geeks out there looking for that perfect shredder to add to their #HolidayGiftGuides checkout the Fellowes Powershred 73Ci Cross Cut Shredder. This beast of a machine is packed with features that are perfect for the gadget loving geek, home office user or just about anyone that is looking to make sure all their personal information is safely shredded.


Features include: 100% Jam Proof System that eliminates paper jams and powers through tough jobs, SafeSense Technology which automatically stops shredding when hands touch the paper opening and Heavy-duty Cross-Cut blades that destroy a up to 12 sheets of paper into 397 particles or cut through credit cards, paper clips, staples, and CD/DVD.

The 73Ci is available at office superstores and their online counterparts for a suggested retail price of $199.99. For more information on keep your personal identification secure this holiday season be sure to follows @FellowesInc and hashtag #IDSafetySeason


This post was created in partnership with Fellowes. All opinions are my own.

Microsoft Warns: Xbox One Backwards Compatability Hoax Will Brick Your Systems

We've all heard the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true it usually is." Well it appears that rings true in the case of a forum post that has been making big promises about Microsoft’s Xbox One. The post details an option that allows users gain backwards compatibility (capable of playing Xbox 360 games) by going into the system and enabling developer tools.

Micrsoft has warned that this, hack or hoax as it now appears, simply isn’t true, and playing around with those tools could render your system bricked.

Microsft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb tweets:

“To be clear there is no way to make your Xbox One backwards compatible & performing steps to attempt this could make your console inoperable.”

Neither the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4 are backwards-compatible and cannot be used to play previous generation games, no matter how much tweaking or reconfiguring you might attempt. The six-step tutorial passed around Facebook and Twitter actually opens the Developer Mode of the Xbox One and fixes it in a constant reboot cycle.

The origin of the prank isn’t clear, but the tutorial image proudly announces that “Xbox 360 games will now be playable on your console.” Microsoft intionally left the deloper options open so that anyone with the desire to become a developer can eventually be granted access to the developer tools on Microsoft’s new games console. Once the feature is ready to go live Microsoft will allow delopers the option to turn their current consoles into a developer unit without paying out extra for hardware — all that will be required when the feature goes live is a license fee and authorization code.

NORAD Santa Tracker Now Online, Now Offers 3D and Touch Support

With Christmas right around the corner it is that time of year gain when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (“NORAD”)launches their famous Santa Tacker. A website which allows children around the world to tack Santa's journey around the globe. Since 1955, children of all ages have tracked his route with the help of NORAD’s radar, satellites and jet fighters. This year, Microsoft has lent a hand to make the experience the most magical yet, putting a fresh spin on the time-honored tradition with the launch of the new www.NORADSanta.org website.

The new website now offers children more than just a way to track Santa on Dec. 24. It lets you immerse yourself in the holiday throughout the month of December. With a nostalgic, 3D Claymation look and feel, the new site features a recreation of Santa’s village that you can explore to discover new games daily, music, videos and more.

The new site is fully touch-enabled, which makes for a truly immersive experience, if you are using a touch device. On Dec. 24, a touch-enabled 3-D globe will light up as Santa begins his journey worldwide. With a modern browser you will be able to spin the globe with a swipe of a finger and pinch and zoom to get an in-depth look at Santa’s stops.Whether you’re mapping Santa’s route in a browser on a computer or in an app, you’ll see beautiful, high-fidelity images. Bing Maps is the canvas on which Santa’s journey is plotted.