*IT Exclusive News

Disney partners with Apple for cloud movie service

February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 enews

The Walt Disney Studios has unveiled its cloud-based digital movie service, Disney Movies Anywhere in cooperation with Apple. This app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and web experience enables consumers to discover, purchase, manage, and watch movies from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel at home and on the go. iTunes is the premier digital movie provider for Disney Movies Anywhere. With this announcement, Disney and Apple have chosen their own system rather than going with the UltraViolet consortium, which the two companies…

Telekom’s eastward push

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 enews

Quietly and efficiently, Deutsche Telekom is going about its plan to become the market leader in all CEE countries it is present in by 2018. This month we have already seen it acquire the remaining 39.23% stake in T-Mobile Czech Republic from the private equity group Mid Europa Partners (MEP) for €800 million. What is more, it has been reported that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has signed a memorandum approving the sale of the 49% stake in Slovak Telecom currently owned by the state to Deutsche Telekom, Once the…

Telecom firms mine for gold in big data despite privacy concerns

February 24, 2014February 24, 2014 enews

Big data might be controversial, but it also represents big business for many… Last year’s revelations over the US tapping of phone and internet data gave telecoms firms pause for thought over whether they should sell their “big data” for gain, but the commercial potential could prove irresistible. Although figures are scarce, analysts think selling data on mobile users’ locations, movements, and web browsing habits may grow into a multi billion-dollar market for the business. Big carriers like Telefonica, Verizon, Orange and Singapore’s Starhub warn that they are only just…

Kaspersky Security for Mobile Adds New Support for Windows Phone and Samsung SAFE Devices

February 24, 2014 enews

At Mobile World Congress 2014, Kaspersky Lab has announced two new capabilities for Kaspersky Security for Mobile. The company’s corporate mobile security solution will now support current and future versions of the Windows operating system for smartphones, which means all Windows Phone 8 business users can now be protected by Kaspersky Lab. In addition to Windows Phone 8 support, Kaspersky Security for Mobile now supports devices that meet Samsung’s SAFE criteria for secure mobile devices. By directly supporting devices that have met Samsung’s SAFE requirements, network administrator using Kaspersky Security…

Recent Trends in DDoS

February 22, 2014 enews

Distributed denial-of-service attacks aren’t new, but they’ve certainly gotten plenty of news coverage over the past year. In large part that’s due to the splash made by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters and their series of attacks against U.S. banks. A few months ago the Cyber Fighters announced phase four of their attacks, but since the announcement, it’s been fairly quiet. DDoS has also been the go-to tool for hacktivists, extortion, and business revenge. Here at HackSurfer we like to make fun of these so-called “hackers,” particularly those that…

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says software giant must reinvent itself

February 22, 2014 enews

Redmond chief talks about Steve Ballmer’s influence, and his plans for the future in his first interview. Microsoft’s newly installed chief executive Satya Nadella has given his first interview to The New York Times (NYT). During the wide-ranging chat, Nadella covered what he learnt from Steve Ballmer, the role of Bill Gates, and why Microsoft needs to re-invent itself. Nadella claimed the biggest lesson he learnt was from his predecessor Steve Ballmer who told him to “stay grounded, and to be brutally honest with yourself on where you stand”. The Microsoft…

Linkedin Gives Users the Blocking Feature They Asked for

February 22, 2014 enews

LinkedIn users who’d rather not receive job inquiries or other messages, or allow access to their profiles from certain other members, can now block them. “Member blocking,” was recently released by the professional social networking site after receiving requests from users. The feature adds an additional layer to privacy controls by allowing users to block profiles, direct interactions and network activity from other members with whom they do not wish to interact. “We built this feature not only because it was a feature our members requested, but because we also…

Microsoft rolls out new OneDrive apps for Windows Phone, Windows 8.1, Mac, iOS, and Android

February 19, 2014 enews

Microsoft relaunched its cloud-storage service SkyDrive as OneDrive today. As part of the rebranding, the software giant updated its apps available across various platforms. For those of you who have the SkyDrive client installed on your devices, Microsoft says that it will automatically get updated over time. But again, you can cut to the chase by visiting OneDrive’s download page, from where you can get the appropriate version for your device. Some of the new features you can expect to see in OneDrive’s client for your preferred device are: Video-transcoding:…

Air Serbia to upgrade check-in systems at Belgrade airport

February 18, 2014February 18, 2014 enews

Air Serbia, the national airline of Serbia, will this month mark another milestone in its journey to become a leading regional carrier, when it replaces its legacy check-in system at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla International Airport. The project will see Air Serbia move from its existing check-in system known as Gaeten, to a new state-of-the-art platform called SabreSonic check-in, on Tuesday 25 February 2014. Dane Kondić, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia, said: “Once complete, this important systems upgrade will enhance the Air Serbia customer experience at Belgrade International Airport, streamline…

Gartner Says Annual Smartphone Sales Surpassed Sales of Feature Phones for the First Time in 2013

February 14, 2014February 14, 2014 enews

Smartphones Accounted for 57.6 Percent of Total Sales in Fourth Quarter of 2013. Sales of Android Phones to Approach One Billion in 2014. Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users totaled 968 million units in 2013, an increase of 42.3 percent from 2012 (see Table 1), according to Gartner, Inc. Sales of smartphones accounted for 53.6 percent of overall mobile phone sales in 2013, and exceeded annual sales of feature phones for the first time. Table 1 Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 2013 (Thousands of…