WebProNews

Category: NetworkNews

NetworkNews

  • Alphabet Takes Aim at Cybercrime with its Launch of ‘Chronicle’

    Alphabet Takes Aim at Cybercrime with its Launch of ‘Chronicle’

    As internet users are becoming more aware of online threats, cybersecurity is becoming a serious challenge for internet firms as they scramble for ways to dampen their users’ fears over online vulnerability. To take advantage of this need for more secure online systems, Alphabet, Google’s parent firm, has put up a new independent company with the goal of providing cybersecurity solutions to big businesses.

    Alphabet’s new cybersecurity firm is called Chronicle, which will offer state-of-art technology to boost companies’ online security. In particular, the firm will be using machine learning technology to help firms in the detection, tracking and blocking cybersecurity attacks.

    In a post, Chronicle CEO Stephen Gillett explains that it is the new company’s goal to help businesses address potential blind spots in their online security with its mix of technologies. He believes that Chronicle will give businesses the upper hand against cybercrime:

    “Add in some machine learning and better search capabilities, and we think we’ll be able to help organizations see their full security picture in much higher fidelity than they currently can. We hope that by making this mix of technologies available to more companies at affordable prices, we can give ‘the good guys’ an advantage and help us all turn the tide against cybercrime.”

    According to Gillett, Chronicle is in a unique position to help the security issues of other companies. First, the company will be running on “fast, powerful, highly-scalable infrastructure” giving it enormous processing power. This means that retrieval and analysis of a large amount of data can be done in mere minutes rather than days, a useful capability in detecting and blocking cyberattacks.

    Another advantage Chronicle has is in storage. Due to its infrastructure advantage, Gillett promised that the firm can provide a massive amount of storage to companies that need it at a lower cost.

    Gillett is confident that Chronicle can adequately meet any cybersecurity threat proactively. In his post, he wrote that “None of us have to settle for cybercrime being a fact of life, or for a reactive, expensive existence of cleanup and damage control.”

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • How a Zero Trust Network Can Keep Your Business Data Secure

    How a Zero Trust Network Can Keep Your Business Data Secure

    The numerous data breaches that occurred over the years clearly indicate that cybersecurity is still prone to failure. Every new security measure system defenders come up with is eventually thwarted by hackers.

    The number of affected users is staggering. A minimum of 500 million Yahoo users were affected by the 2014 security breach that hit the company. The last US presidential election was rife with reports of hackers stealing sensitive emails. Meanwhile, the US Navy, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Justice Department were also targeted by hackers.

    While there have been large-scale attacks on government agencies and the technology sector, hackers have also targeted businesses. As a matter of fact, 15% of international businesses have estimated that their sensitive data was potentially breached or compromised over a one-year period.

    The Operation Aurora attack in 2009, saw companies increasing perimeter security using firewalls and VPNs. By that time, Google had already developed a new security architecture—Zero Trust. As the name implies, trust is removed from the system so everyone, whether outside or inside the firewall, is considered a suspect. Everything attempting to connect to a company’s systems must be verified before being given access.

    Understanding Zero Trust

    The Zero Trust Architecture model was developed by John Kindervag in 2010. The security system’s concept revolved around the idea that institutions should not blindly trust anything or anyone outside or inside its perimeters.

    Previous security paradigms worked on the idea of “trust but verify.” Organizations concentrated on protecting the perimeter under the assumption that everything inside has already been cleared for access and therefore didn’t pose a threat. This method is clearly dangerous now as more corporate data centers are being housed in the cloud, with users (ex. customers, employees) accessing it using applications from devices in multiple locations.

    With Zero Trust, the idea is basically “trust no one.” According to Charlie Gero, Akamai Technologies’ CTO of Enterprise and Advanced Projects Group, Zero Trust doesn’t allow access to machines, IP addresses, etc. until it knows who the user is and whether or not they’re authorized.

    Benefits of a Zero Trust Security Network

    The zero-trust model meets the security demands that companies need today. The rise of cloud technology, ubiquitousness of mobile devices, and the use of third-party sources have opened a lot of loopholes in security systems.

    One major benefit of the zero trust architecture is how it enabled the system to take into account the changing nature of users and their devices. It does so by redefining the user’s corporate identity, along with their device at a given point in time. This provides the system with the context required to make trust decisions at the actual time.

    It also diminishes the importance of static credentials, which is an element often used in an attack. Since each access request is individually authenticated and accredited, every credential required to start a secure session is given a limited scope depending on the user and device linked to a particular resource.

    Challenges of Zero Trust

    As with any security system, organizations that use zero-trust will face challenges. One major challenge is the fact that this is not an install-and-forget setup. Organizations that implement a zero-trust system have to comprehend access rights starting from the lowest level of the technology right up to the topmost level.

    It’s often impractical for any corporation to have a complete, exact and detailed picture of all the resources used at each level through the whole enterprise architecture on an ongoing basis. Companies that do take on this daunting task will see their efforts rewarded.

    Cost and employee productivity can also be an issue with a zero-trust network since there’s some tradeoff between productivity and security. For instance, an employee might be unable to start working while the system is verifying their credentials.

    Fully employing a zero-trust system also demands the acquisition of expensive tools and a large amount of administrative manpower to get everything working smoothly. Luckily, sectors like IT support and employee productivity will see reduced spending once the system is running.

    There are still a lot of questions and doubts about the zero-trust security system. Some sectors believe doing away with trust is virtually impossible. There’s also the issue of cost and implementation. But there’s also no denying that the principle of the system is a good and achievable goal.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • Intel CEO Updates Industry on Recent Security Issues – Watch Brian Krzanich CES Keynote

    Intel CEO Updates Industry on Recent Security Issues – Watch Brian Krzanich CES Keynote

    At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Intel CEO Brian Krzanich provided an update on important security issues currently facing Intel customers. He focused specifically on a recent security research study.

    “Today is a day when we all come together to celebrate the lifeblood of our amazing industry – and that’s really about innovation. But before we start, I want to take a moment to thank the industry for coming together for another purpose – to address the recent security research findings reported as “Meltdown” and “Spectre.”
    “The collaboration among so many companies to address this industry-wide issue across several different processor architectures has been truly remarkable. Security is job number one for Intel and our industry. So, the primary focus of our decisions and our discussions have been to keep our customer’s data safe.

    “As of now, we have not received any information that these exploits have been used to obtain customer data. And we are working tirelessly on these issues to ensure it stays that way. The best thing you can do to make sure your data remains safe is to apply any updates from your operating system vendor and system manufacturer as soon as they become available.

    “For our processors, products introduced in the past five years, Intel expects to issue updates for more than 90 percent of them within a week and the remaining by the end of January. We believe the performance impact of these updates is highly workload-dependent. As a result, we expect some workloads may have a larger impact than others, so we will continue working with the industry to minimize the impact on those workloads over time.

    “When we come together like this, there are endless possibilities. And I’d like to share some of those possibilities now with you. So, if you’ll indulge me, I’d love nothing more than to simply put my phone away and take this evening to truly celebrate innovation with you.”

    Watch Brian Krzanich’s full keynote below:

  • Microsoft Announces its Acquisition of Avere Solutions

    Microsoft Announces its Acquisition of Avere Solutions

    Competition among big players in the emerging but profitable cloud computing segment is about to heat up. In a recent announcement made on Wednesday, Microsoft confirmed its acquisition of storage solutions firm Avere, a move specifically targeted to boost revenue by addressing the unique needs among companies in the middle of transitioning to a cloud-driven framework.

    As Microsoft puts it, Avere is “a leading provider of high-performance NFS and SMB file-based storage for Linux and Windows clients running in cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments.” In other words, Avere will cater to companies who are still in the process of moving to purely cloud-based systems by providing solutions that allow them to use cloud computing resources while still utilizing on-premises data storage.

    Of course, it is also a brilliant marketing move for Microsoft’s cloud computing business. By offering this type of service early on, it is more likely to retain the businesses of these companies even after they reach the end of the cloud migration process.

    In addition, Avere is currently working with Amazon Web Services and the Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft’s top two competitors in the cloud computing business. Microsoft’s acquisition of Avere presents a rare opportunity to increase market share if it can somehow manage to lure in those companies currently being served by Avere.

    Microsoft’s business thrust in its cloud computing division can be described as a hybrid approach when compared to that of Amazon and Google. Its Azure Stack private cloud software basically offers the same features as that of the Azure public could. At the same time, the company still offers database and server software for corporate data centers.

    Microsoft prides itself on offering the most flexible solution, a feature that could be of immense help for businesses still in the process of transitioning to a purely cloud-driven framework. Avere CEO Ron Bianchini had this to say about Microsoft:

     “Over the years, Microsoft has made significant investments to provide its customers with the most flexible, secure and scalable storage solutions in the marketplace and has made Azure the natural home for enterprise applications. This shared focus on large enterprise applications makes Microsoft a great fit for Avere.”

    At the moment, Microsoft has not disclosed the amount it had to shell out to acquire Avere. The deal could be finalized in the coming months after passing through the customary approval process.

    Featured Image by Microsoft

  • Cisco Ventures Into the Cloud, Acquires Broadsoft for $1.9 Billion

    Cisco Ventures Into the Cloud, Acquires Broadsoft for $1.9 Billion

    Cisco has just signed a check worth $1.9 billion for Broadsoft, a clear sign that the company is set on moving away from switches and routers and expanding its product portfolio.

    Cisco, the world’s biggest producer of networking gear, announced on Monday that it offered Broadsoft $55 per share, a 28% premium over its closing price on Aug. 29. The market day ended with the two companies enjoying a rise in their shares, with Broadsoft enjoying a 1.5% boost before the bell.

    News that Cisco was planning on acquiring the American telecom software company surfaced on Sunday, with the deal estimated to be valued at $1.71 billion based on its outstanding 31 million shares.

    The arrangement between the two companies would also give Cisco a firmer stronghold in selling consolidated communications software to major telecommunication companies. It also heralds the company’s move from being a purely networking company to one that focuses on software and services delivered via the cloud.

    The deal is expected to be wrapped up by the first quarter to 2018, after which Broadsoft employees will be joining Cisco’s communications technology division.

    Broadsoft is known for supplying software and services that allow fixed-line, cable and mobile service providers to offer integrated communications over their IP networks. It has historically been offering its products to big telecom companies like AT&T and Verizon, which then resells the software to their clients. Meanwhile, Cisco has been placing all its attention on high-growth sectors like cloud computing, the Internet of Things and security.

    While the move might have been surprising for some, Cisco’s management strongly believes the two companies complement each other. CEO Chuck Robbins said that the deal with Broadsoft will give their clients a way to better connect with their customers. According to Robbins, businesses have to think about how they interact with their customers when dealing with digital strategies. He also added that the “acquisition of Broadsoft actually gives us the most comprehensive set of collaboration solutions for our customers.”

    Cisco’s Broadsoft acquisition is the company’s second large-scale purchase this year after scooping up AppDynamics for $3.7 billion in March. The company is also gearing up to acquire more companies. In May, Cisco agreed to purchase Viptela Inc., a software-based networking start-up, for $610 million. It also has plans to acquire Perspica, an analytics company focused on machine learning-driven operations. Cisco reportedly has plans to integrate Perspica’s engineering team with the AppDynamics group.

    [Featured image via Cisco]

  • Google Using RAISR Technology on Google+ and Saving 75% in Bandwidth

    Google Using RAISR Technology on Google+ and Saving 75% in Bandwidth

    Google+ has become a haven for high end photos by professional photographers who obviously care about image quality. Google’s solution to the huge bandwidth requirements for their free service is a technology called RAISR. Lower bandwidth is also a benefit to the end user by increasing loading speeds and lowering data costs. This is especially concerning outside of the United States where it’s rare not to have to pay for internet based on data usage.

    Back in November Google introduced a machine learning technology called “RAISR: Rapid and Accurate Image Super-Resolution”, that creates high-quality versions of low-resolution images. “RAISR produces results that are comparable to or better than the currently available super-resolution methods, and does so roughly 10 to 100 times faster, allowing it to be run on a typical mobile device in real-time,” explained Peyman Milanfar, Lead Scientist at Google Research. “Furthermore, our technique is able to avoid recreating the aliasing artifacts that may exist in the lower resolution image.”

    Here’s how Google’s technical team (Yaniv Romano, John Isidoro, Peyman Milanfar) described it in June 2016:

    Given an image, we wish to produce an image of larger size with significantly more pixels and higher image quality. This is generally known as the Single Image Super-Resolution (SISR) problem. The idea is that with sufficient training data (corresponding pairs of low and high resolution images) we can learn set of filters (i.e. a mapping) that when applied to given image that is not in the training set, will produce a higher resolution version of it, where the learning is preferably low complexity. In our proposed approach, the run-time is more than one to two orders of magnitude faster than the best competing methods currently available, while producing results comparable or better than state-of-the-art.

    A closely related topic is image sharpening and contrast enhancement, i.e., improving the visual quality of a blurry image by amplifying the underlying details (a wide range of frequencies). Our approach additionally includes an extremely efficient way to produce an image that is significantly sharper than the input blurry one, without introducing artifacts such as halos and noise amplification. We illustrate how this effective sharpening algorithm, in addition to being of independent interest, can be used as a pre-processing step to induce the learning of more effective upscaling filters with built-in sharpening and contrast enhancement effect.

    “RAISR, which was introduced in November, uses machine learning to produce great quality versions of low-resolution images, allowing you to see beautiful photos as the photographers intended them to be seen,” noted John Nack, Product Manager of Digital Photography at Google. “By using RAISR to display some of the large images on Google+, we’ve been able to use up to 75 percent less bandwidth per image we’ve applied it to.”

    “While we’ve only begun to roll this out for high-resolution images when they appear in the streams of a subset of Android devices, we’re already applying RAISR to more than 1 billion images per week, reducing these users’ total bandwidth by about a third,” said Nack. “In the coming weeks we plan to roll this technology out more broadly — and we’re excited to see what further time and data savings we can offer.”

  • Cisco: It’s Increasingly Easy to Imagine a Time When Every Device is Connected to the Internet of Things

    Cisco: It’s Increasingly Easy to Imagine a Time When Every Device is Connected to the Internet of Things

    Yves Padrines, Paris based VP, Global Service Provider EMEAR at Cisco, says that all devices will soon be connected to the internet of things (IoT).

    From the Cisco SP360: Service Provider blog:

    It’s increasingly easy to imagine a time when every device – from the street lamps on your road to the fridge in your kitchen – is connected to the internet of things. So it’s probable people will use IoT in ways we haven’t even begun to imagine.

    The automotive industry is one area where IoT is already becoming a reality. Recent research by technology consultants Chetan Sharma found that in the first quarter of 2016, there were more cars added to networks than phones (32%, compared to 31%).

    The owner of a connected car might want to subscribe to a connected vehicle care service, including options like virtual in-car assistance, sensor-based maintenance alerts, and on-board scheduling of appointments. They might also want to assess their driving safety, limit the speed a teenage driver can reach, or even monitor the health of an older family member at the wheel. And lots of organisations would be interested in the data provided by connected cars – insurance companies, emergency services, and parking providers, to name just a few.

    In the US, AT&T already has over 8 million cars on its network. AT&T used Cisco’s virtualisation technology to create a network specifically for connecting cars. They required a fundamentally new mobile architecture that would enable machine-to-machine connections. Using Cisco technology, they were able to create a network that combined virtual and physical resources.

    Of course, it isn’t just cars that can benefit from being connected. Philips has announced it sees itself as “the lighting company for the Internet of Things”, and has begun partnerships with Cisco and Vodafone. And in a further indication of IoT’s huge potential, service providers like Orange France – who last year created a low power network for machine-to-machine applications – are investing in the technology.

    Read the rest on SP360: Service Provider.

    Below is a related interview with Guillaume Gottardi, a Consulting System Engineer at Cisco Systems based in Paris, France.

    Also worth watching is Cisco’s video on their IoT advancements with General Motors cars:

  • Google Adds New Features To Inbox

    Google announced the launch of three new experiences for its Inbox by Gmail product including streamlined events, “glanceable” newsletters, and saved links.

    For events, Inbox will now gather emails from a single event together and show you what has changed. When you tap on an event, you’ll see a comprehensive overview from one destination.

    The glanceable newsletters feature works similarly. You can preview the newsletters you read often, and click through to the article that interest you. After you’ve looked at the latest, newsletters will minimize.

    There’s a new Save to Inbox feature that lets you save links for later rather than sending yourself a bunch of emails. You can share the link on Android or iOS (like you would share to any other app).

    There’s also a new Chrome extension that you can use to share from he desktop. These links will appear when you check your email.

    Images via Google

  • Apple Gives MacBook Better Battery Life, New Processors

    Apple announced a new update for the MacBook, which features the latest Intel processors as well as improved graphics performance, faster flash storage, and an additional hour of battery life! There’s also a new Rose Gold finish option.

    “MacBook is the thinnest and lightest Mac we have ever made and it’s our vision for the future of the notebook,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are going to love this update to MacBook, with the latest processors, faster graphics, faster flash storage, longer battery life and a beautiful rose gold finish.”

    “MacBook comes with the incredibly small and versatile USB-C port for charging, data transfer and video output in a single connector that is one-third the size of a traditional USB port. Following the introduction of USB-C on MacBook, the ecosystem of Apple and third-party USB-C accessories has continued to grow, giving users added flexibility and capability,” the company says. “With no moving parts or vents, MacBook is entirely fanless for silent, efficient performance. Designed for the wireless world, MacBook is equipped with the latest wireless technologies, including built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 for fast wireless connectivity. It is perfect for tasks like streaming content from your MacBook to your Apple TV using AirPlay, exchanging files quickly using AirDrop® or using wireless headphones.”

    As part of the MacBook announcement, Apple said it has made 8GB of memory standard across all configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air.

    The updated MacBook is available immediately through Apple.com and will be in Apple’s retail stores and those of authorized resellers on Wednesday.

    You can get a version with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage for $1,299, or you can get one with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core m5 processor, 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage for $1,599. Configure-to-order options are also available with a 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core m7 processor.

    Image via Apple

  • YouTube Adds Spatial Audio For 360-Degree Videos

    YouTube Adds Spatial Audio For 360-Degree Videos

    Google announced the launch of spatial audio for on-demand YouTube videos giving depth and distance to sound the way it has done with video with 360-degree videos. This appears to be the next step in the video service’s foray into improved virtual reality technology.

    YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan says, “To make sure all creators can tell awesome stories with virtual reality, we’ve been working with companies across the industry. We’re working with companies like VideoStitch and Two Big Ears to make their software compatible with 360-degree live streams or spatial audio on YouTube and more will be available soon.”

    “What excites me most about 360-degree storytelling is that it lets us open up the world’s experiences to everyone,” he adds. “Students can now experience news events in the classroom as they unfold. Travelers can experience faraway sites and explorers can deep-sea dive, all without the physical constraints of the real world. And today’s kids dreaming of going to a basketball game or a concert can access those experiences firsthand, even if they’re far away from the court. What were once limited experiences are now available to anyone, anywhere, at any time.”

    There’s a YouTube playlist for “immersive videos with spatial audio” available here so you can try it out on your Android device. There are six videos on the list.

    YouTube intends to make 360-degree live streaming and spatial audio technologies available at all its YouTube Space locations. These are in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, New York, São Paulo, Berlin, Mumbai, and Paris.

    Image via YouTube

  • GoDaddy Offers Domains, SSL Certificates Through Microsoft Azure App Service

    GoDaddy Offers Domains, SSL Certificates Through Microsoft Azure App Service

    GoDaddy announced that it is now offering domains and SSL certificates through the Microsoft Azure App Service platform, building on an existing relationship with Microsoft.

    Azure App Service users can now buy and configure domain names right from the platform without having to leave the Microsoft environment. Customers will also be able to access Microsoft’s direct support.

    The integration makes use of GoDaddy’s latest set of APIs.

    “We’ve specifically designed our API to be powerful and simple to use, enabling quick access to our products and services,” said GoDaddy VP Engineering Charles Beadnall. “Giving Azure App Service customers the ability to register domain names right within their Microsoft account creates a better experience for everyone. We built our APIs to enable this type of usability, as it helps our partners and ensure a simple experience for their customers.”

    “Microsoft’s ability to offer GoDaddy’s domains and SSL product through Microsoft Azure App Service will increase the overall functionality of the platform and provide an improved experience for our users,” added Nir Mashkowski, Director of Program management for Azure App Service. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with GoDaddy and bringing even more products to market that directly benefit our customers.”

    Late last month, GoDaddy launched on AppDirect to provide custom domain names for those purchasing Office 365 in AppDirect-powered marketplaces.

    Last week, Squarespace announced it is now competing with GoDaddy with its new Squarespace Domains service.

    Image via GoDaddy

  • Amazon Prime Video Becomes Standalone Service To Take On Netflix

    Amazon Prime Video Becomes Standalone Service To Take On Netflix

    Amazon is now offering the option to subscribe to Prime Video without subscribing to Prime itself. Prime Video has, until now, basically been a perk for Prime members, who also get free two-day shipping, unlimited music streaming, access to over a million ebook, early access to lightning deals, and free-same-day delivery in eligible areas.

    Now, as it continues to build its original content library to truly compete with Netflix, Amazon is letting people just get its video streaming service without paying more per month to get all the other stuff. If you just want Prime Video, you can get it for $8.99 a month.

    prime-video

    Amazon doesn’t have the volume of original programming Netflix does, but that may change in time. Currently, its original series line-up includes Bosch, Hand of God, The Man in High Castle, Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent, and Red Oaks. In the children’s department, it has Annedroids, Creative Galaxy, Tumble Leaf, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, Wishenpoof!, and Just Add Magic. Original series that have already ended include Betas, Alpha House, and Mad Dogs.

    Amazon also has a continuation of Ripper Street (Season 4) and a number of other titles slated for the future. These include: Z: The Beginning of Everything, The Stinky & Dirty Show, Sneaky Pete, One Mississippi, The Last Tycoon, Jack Ryan, Great Men, an untitled motoring show from W. Chump and Sons, and an untitled Woody Allen TV series.

    Amazon also has exclusive streaming rights for a number of titles.

    While a standalone subscription to Prime Video is possible and the cheaper option (in the short term), it’s still probably worth it to most people to go ahead and get the full Prime package, which is just two dollars more a month. It’s actually cheaper in the long run to pay $99 a year and get the whole package. It works out to less than the Prime Video subscription at just $8.25. Understandably, not everyone wants to drop a hundred bucks at once on it though.

    The change comes as Netflix prepares to raise prices for its customers who have subscribed for two years and longer. The company announced a price hike in May of 2014. At the time, it raised the price for new subscribers to $8.99 Later, it increased the price of its most popular plan to $9.99 – again for new customers. With the 2014 announcement, they said existing users wouldn’t have to pay more for two years, but that two-year point is quickly approaching. Netflix referenced the increase in its most recent quarterly letter to shareholders.

    Image via Transparent (Amazon Studios YouTube Channel)

  • Google Drive For Mac/PC Gets Helpful New Features

    Google announced some new features for Google Drive for Mac/PC, the app that syncs files on your computer with Google Drive.

    You can now select what you sync and get new warnings to help you take better care of shared files and folders.

    “Drive can store terabytes (upon terabytes) but there’s a good chance your computer’s hard drive will run out of space if you sync everything. Fortunately, you can now select which folders or subfolders you want to sync — and deselect the ones you don’t,” says product manager Aakash Sahney. “When you deselect a folder, it’ll be removed from your computer but still kept safely in Drive. And Drive shows you the size of each folder, so you’ll know how much space you’re freeing up.”

    “After you sync your files, Drive makes it easy to move and delete items directly from your computer,” Sahney adds. “But doing that with shared files can cause others to lose access. Now, Drive warns you when this might happen.”

    The updates will roll out over the coming week.

    Image via Google

  • Microsoft Rolls Out Skype Video Calling For Edge

    Microsoft Rolls Out Skype Video Calling For Edge

    Microsoft announced (in preview) new video, voice, and group calling functionality on Microsoft Edge for Windows 10. It utilizes the ORTC media engine that was recently embedded into the browser.

    “If you use Skype online, whether it’s through Skype for Web, Outlook.com, Office Online or OneDrive, now it’s even easier to get in touch with anyone,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.

    No download is necessary. You don’t actually have to install a plugin. You can just sign in and click to start a call.

    “We’re lucky to have so many industry-leading engineers within the Skype and Microsoft Edge teams,” the Skype team says in a blog post. “They have combined their knowledge to deliver the very best plugin free calling experience during this Preview period. Because the Skype and Microsoft Edge teams work so closely, it means you’ll be able to take advantage of plugin free calling in certain calling scenarios from Microsoft’s Edge browser first: All Skype one-to-one and group voice and video calls to and from Microsoft Edge browsers are plugin free; All Skype one-to-one calls from Microsoft Edge to the latest versions of Skype for Windows and Skype for Mac are plug in free.”

    The roll-out is starting and should be complete by the end of April.

    Images via Skype

  • Google Calendar Now Finds Time For You To Complete Your Goals

    Google Calendar Now Finds Time For You To Complete Your Goals

    Google announced the launch of a new Google Calendar feature called Goals, which lets users add personal goals, which Calendar will actually find time in your schedule for to help you accomplish them.

    Google uses the example of a goal of running three times a week. In the video, a similar goal for yoga is illustrated.

    You can set a goal by answering questions about how often you want to do something and what the best time is. Calendar will then look at your schedule and find windows of time.

    “Goals aren’t easy—especially when the unexpected comes up—but Calendar can help you adjust in a number of important ways. For example, Calendar will automatically reschedule if you add another event that’s a direct conflict with a goal,” says product manager Jyoti Ramnath.

    You can also defer a goal at any time, and Calendar will make time for it later,” Ramnath adds. “Finally, Calendar actually gets better at scheduling the more you use it—just defer, edit or complete your goals like normal, and Calendar will choose even better times in the future.”

    The feature comes as Google celebrates Google Calendar’s tenth birthday.

    Image via Google

  • Amazon Kindle Oasis Unveiled with ‘Months’ of Battery Life

    Amazon Kindle Oasis Unveiled with ‘Months’ of Battery Life

    Amazon just unveiled its 8th-generation Kindle device called the Kindle Oasis. It’s thinner and lighter, and it comes with a charging cover that allows the device “months” of battery life according to the company. This is clearly the most interesting aspect of the Oasis.

    It features a new dual-battery system. When you connect the cover to the device, the battery in the cover begins recharging it automatically.

    “The battery in the cover uses a custom cell architecture that optimizes power and energy while keeping an incredibly small and light form factor and delivering months of battery life,” Amazon explains. “You can charge the device and cover simultaneously while both are snapped together and plugged in. Plus, a new hibernation mode minimizes power consumption when your Kindle is inactive.”

    The device has an ergonomic grip and weights only 4.6 ounces. At its thinnest point it is 3.4 mm thick. It’s 20% lighter than any other Kindle.

    Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 9.30.40 AM

    “Kindle Oasis is designed for extended reading sessions—with an entirely reimagined shape, Kindle Oasis shifts the center of gravity to your palm, to rest in your hand like the spine of a book so that the device feels balanced for one-handed reading,” the company says. “Effortlessly turn the page with either the touch display or physical buttons. Oasis is comfortable to read on with either hand—a built-in accelerometer detects whether you are reading with your left or right hand, and automatically rotates the page and page turn buttons to match.”

    The device is now available for pre-order for $289.99. It will ship in the coming weeks. Amazon gushes more about it here.

    The Kindle line-up now includes Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Voyage and Kindle Oasis.

    Images via Amazon

  • Netflix Price Increase Coming Soon For Those Who Have Been Subscribers For At Least 2 Years

    Netflix Price Increase Coming Soon For Those Who Have Been Subscribers For At Least 2 Years

    A Netflix price increase is coming soon for subscribers who have been with the service for two years or longer. A reported “millions” more will soon be forced to pay more if they want to keep the HD plan they’re used to.

    The company announced a price hike in May of 2014. At the time, it raised the price for new subscribers to $8.99 Later, it increased the price of its most popular plan to $9.99 – again for new customers. With the 2014 announcement, they said existing users wouldn’t have to pay more for two years, but that two-year point is quickly approaching.

    In fact, Netflix referenced the increase in its most recent quarterly letter to shareholders. It said this in the forecast section of that letter:

    In Q2 and Q3, we’ll be releasing a substantial number of our US members from price grandfathering on the HD plan and they will have the option of continuing at $7.99 but now on the SD plan, or continuing on HD at $9.99 a month. Given these members have been with us at least 2 years, we expect only slightly elevated churn.

    Of course some will likely just go with the SD plan without the price hike, but I would assume most will give in and pay a couple extra bucks. On the other hand, Netflix has a lot more competition than it once had, but HBO’s online streaming service is still significantly more expensive at $14.99 a month, and Netflix is quickly adding more and more high-quality original/exclusive content to keep itself a “must-have” for many people.

    Netflix’s library has reportedly shrunk by 30%, but it has grown its original shows and movies by an average of 185% per year. According to recent research, Netflix originals get better ratings on average than other content on the service.

    Either way, Netflix is expected to add more customers than it loses in the near future.

    Image via Netflix

  • You Can Now Use Reminders with Google Calendar on the Web

    Today in “I can’t believe this wasn’t already a thing” news, Google announced the addition of reminders to Google Calendar on the web, making it easier for users to keep track of important (and not so important for that matter) tasks

    On Android and iPhone, reminders that aren’t completed appear at the top of the calendar until they’re marked done. Reminders created in Inbox, Keep, and the Google app also appear in Google Calendar. Now, these things apply to mobile. Also, reminders created in mobile show up on the web and vice versa.

    Again, how wasn’t this already a thing? Either way, better late than never.

  • Microsoft Outlook.com Premium Pricing Discovered

    Microsoft Outlook.com Premium Pricing Discovered

    In February, reports emerged that Microsoft was piloting a new Outlook.com Premium service, which gives subscribers personalized email addresses with custom domain accounts thanks to a partnership with GoDaddy.

    ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley first reported on the news after a tip about this support page about the service. She confirmed the service with the company, sharing the following quotes a from a spokesperson:

    “Outlook.com Premium is not an existing offering, it is an experiment that we are piloting. We’re always investigating new features based on the wants and needs of our users, and we have nothing more to share at this time.”

    “We are evaluating interest in custom domains for Outlook.com. At this time, we are testing with a limited number of users in the United States and will evaluate the experience over time. The previous program required the user to manage the process of purchasing a domain. We are evaluating the appeal of custom domains but with Microsoft managing the processes of procuring the domain.”

    While Microsoft has yet to make an announcement, a new page was discovered (via TechCrunch), which puts a price on the service.

    According to the page, Outlook.com Premium (still in pilot) will give you five personalized email addresses, an ad-free inbox, and more, free for a year. After the year is up, it costs $3.99 per month.

    On the linked support page, Microsoft says it has partnered with GoDaddy to supply the email domain names users choose to power their personalized email addresses. The domain names are therefore subject to availability and GoDaddy’s terms.

  • Google Says Drone Technology Isn’t Ready, Goes For Parachute Deliveries Instead (For April Fools’ Obviously)

    Google loads the web with April Fools’ pranks each year, and the company is getting even more attention than usual for one particular prank this year. Read about the ill-fated Gmail Mic Drop feature, which Google pulled relatively early in the day due to…complications.

    Another (perhaps less infuriating) joke came from the company in the form of a YouTube video about a new option from its Google Express delivery service. Admitting that drone delivery technology is interesting, but not ready for prime time, the company says in the video that it’s launching parachute deliveries.

    Somehow, we think people would be less weirded out by this.

  • Google April Fools’ Joke ‘Gmail Mic Drop’ Goes Wrong

    Google April Fools’ Joke ‘Gmail Mic Drop’ Goes Wrong

    Every year, on this day, Google puts out a whole bunch of April Fools’ Day jokes. It’s a tradition, and is completely expected by much of the Internet. This year is no different except that one of the company’s jokes has already backfired.

    Google introduced the “Gmail Mic Drop” feature, which placed a new send button in Gmail when the user composed a message. Clicking this included in the email a GIF of a Minion dropping a mic.

    “Today, Gmail is making it easier to have the last word on any email with Mic Drop,” Google software engineer Victor-bogdan Anchidin wrote on the Gmail blog. “Simply reply to any email using the new ‘Send + Mic Drop’ button. Everyone will get your message, but that’s the last you’ll ever hear about it. Yes, even if folks try to respond, you won’t see it.”

    Unfortunately, it appeared in users’ accounts and people were clicking it inadvertently. Some claimed to have lost jobs and others shared concerns for potential job loss. Matthew Alba wrote in the Gmail Help Forum:

    SEND + MIC DROP!!?!?? So I’ve been going back with a potential employer all week and last night sent a critical follow up email and accidentally clicked “Send + Mic Drop” Not only am I mortified of the mistake, but this could potentially cost me my dream job. Who am Google may I speak to about this? This was a horrible, horrible idea with potentially irreparable damages for me. Please let me know what can be done. I’ll gladly show anyone the emails so you can see for yourself.

    Abdus Salam wrote:

    This mic drop is perhaps the most stupid thing you could possibly come up with. I have been interviewing with this company for 3 months now and mistakenly sent the email directly to guess who? The HR! Why would you do that? I so want this job; was due to start on Monday!

    Allan Pashby wrote:

    Thanks to Mic Drop I just lost my job. I am a writer and had a deadline to meet. I sent my articles to my boss and never heard back from her. I inadvertently sent the email using the “Mic Drop” send button.There were corrections that needed to be made on my articles and I never received her replies. My boss took offense to the Mic Drop animation and assumed that I didn’t reply to her because I thought her input was petty (hence the Mic Drop). I just woke up to a very angry voicemail from her which is how I found out about this “hilarious” prank.

    There are plenty of additional complaints here.

    It’s worth noting that any of these complaints could be made up, mini jokes as well, but Google has put a stop to the Mic Drop feature. In an update to its post, Google says, “Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year. ? Due to a bug, the Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. We’re truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page.”

    Google does have some better April Fools’ announcements that are less likely to disrupt users’ jobs and businesses. These include a new “SnoopaVision” feature to let you watch 360-degree YouTube videos with Snoop Dogg…

    …and a new Google Cardboard Plastic headset:

    Have fun with the Internet today, folks.

    UPDATE: Check out Google’s parachute delivery joke video.