Adobe Launches Voice, A Smart Story Creation Tool For Apple's iPad

Adobe has launched a new app called Adobe Voice, a piece of software that promises to help users “create stunning animated videos in minutes.” You can download the new application free of charge on the App Store, and as of this writing Adobe Voice is optimized for the iPad only.

The idea behind Adobe Voice is simple: users speak into their iPad’s built-in microphone and then match their spoken words against one of more than 25,000 “beautiful iconic images” which are included with the app. From here, Adobe Voice takes care of the rest, adding in animations and an inspiring soundtrack, both of which turn your fairly minimal input into an impressive video.

In the app’s release notes, Adobe explains:

Voice helps you create stunning animated videos in minutes. No filming — just talk to tell your story. Pick from over 25,000 beautiful iconic images to show your ideas and Voice automatically adds cinematic motion and a soundtrack. Persuade, inform and inspire anyone online. Make an impact.

Here’s a complete list of features offered by the application:

• Fun, fast and super simple.
• Touch to record your voice, one line at a time.
• Voice automatically adds the perfect soundtrack. Play it back and hear yourself sound amazing.
• Pick from the stunning collection of over 25,000 icons and millions of images, or use your own.
• Choose a custom look with one tap: beautiful fonts, colors, and motion make every element memorable.
• Voice automatically adds cinema-quality animation so your story looks incredible. Effortlessly.

Creations can then be shared by email, to Twitter, to Facebook, or even to a personal Web page. Adobe Voice promises to make the entire process as simple and as easy-to-use as possible.

Source:

appadvice.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 3:08 AM in Adobe Launches, Adobe Voice, App Store, Apple's iPad, new application free, Persuade, Smart Story Creation, software, soundtrack, Voice automatically

Fire at Samsung facility affects website, Smart TV content

A fire at a Samsung facility in South Korea on Sunday resulted in a temporary outage that shut down its website and caused the company’s Smart TV products to report error messages.

The fire broke out at a facility of Samsung SDS, a subsidiary of Samsung Group and a provider of software services, outsourcing and consulting.

In a statement, Samsung Electronics said it detected a “brief service disruption” that lasted for four and a half hours, before the service was restored at about 7:30 p.m. local time.

Samsung did not provide more information. During the outage, the Samsung.com website was down, along with the company’s Smart Hub service, a media content portal used by its Smart TVs. Users took to Twitter to complain.

A post on a Samsung SDS blog said the fire was the result of a power supply issue, and the blaze resulted in injury to a person hit by debris. Certain company services such as online payment and Internet services have been affected, the post added.

Samsung SDS said the company is cooperating with authorities to investigate the incident, and transferring affected data services to its other facilities.

Earlier this year in March, another fire erupted at a Samsung supplier in South Korea called DAP Corporation. The supplier produced printed circuit boards for the company’s smartphones. But Samsung said the incident would not delay the launch of its Galaxy S5 handset.

Source:

www.pcworld.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 7:38 AM in Galaxy S5 handset, online payment, restored, Samsung, Samsung SDS, SDS blog, Smart TV, software, South Korea, website

Beats Music update lets you subscribe from inside the iOS app

Odds are that you weren't riveted by Beats Music when it first arrived, but the streaming service has just delivered a pair of big updates that may give you a good excuse to tune in. For the iOS app, the biggest improvement is visible when you're signing up -- you can now subscribe from within the software rather than heading to the web. The move makes it that much easier to keep the music flowing after your trial is over, and may just help Beats grow its fledgling customer base.

Not that Beats is neglecting its Android app by any means; you get a "brand spanking new widget" for your home screen if you're running Google's mobile platform. Both the Android and iOS releases also share some common improvements, including the ability to find Facebook friends who use Beats, better social network linking and thousands of new tracks in the Sentence playlist generator. There's no guarantee that either refresh will have you rethinking that Rdio or Spotify subscription, but it's hard to knock upgrades that make it easy to start listening.

Source:
www.engadget.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 10:11 PM in Beats Music, big updates, fledgling, Google's, help Beats, improvements, playlist generator, software, subscribe, upgrades

TIME FOR AN UPGRADE! MICROSOFT STOPS WINDOWS XP SUPPORT, MAKING THE SYSTEM VULNERABLE TO HACKERS

If you’re still using Windows XP, you’re out in the cold. Microsoft has ceased offering support for the outdated software and, according to Microsoft’s research, Windows XP computers are six times more likely to get infected because there will be no more updates to patch holes in the system that can be exploited by hackers.

Granted the operating system is now 12 years old, but this news is leaving many worried about cyberattacks. Microsoft will no longer provide security updates that patch holes in the software so if hackers find bugs in XP, they will be able to exploit them easily. Many are concerned since Windows XP is still widely used on devices that store sensitive data and by computers controlling municipal lights and water.

What’s even more troubling, an estimated 95 percent of bank ATMs operate on XP. “GE Intelligent Platforms, which sells industrial software, discovered 75 percent of its utility customers still use it. Cybersecurity provider Cylance says one of its clients is a major hospital where XP is still on more than 100,000 devices, including computers that hold patient records,” reports CNNMoney.

And according to Greg Rosenberg, a security engineer at Trustwave, point-of-sale systems at about 30 percent of retail stores. Remember Target’s massive security breach? It could happen again.

Those still using the old system are advised to upgrade. Select an operating system that still receives updates from Microsoft, the best option being Windows 8. Microsoft will reportedly continue to support it until 2023.

Microsoft will be adding Windows 8′s missing start button in the next update. The company is also giving away $100 in credits for new PCs.

XP users are already migrating to newer systems. “From early 2013 to 2014, the share of computers using XP dropped from 35 percent to 14 percent, according to cloud security provider Qualys,” reports CNN. That number is expected to drop to 10 percent by the end of April.

Transportation and health care sectors slashed their Windows XP usage a great deal. The Defense, Labor and Home Security departments have been spending millions to upgrade from XP, found a CNNMoney review.

Experts advise even small business owners to invest in an upgrade. “The majority of folks in these industries aren’t technical. They want to serve food, sell widgets and keep doors open,” said Trustwave director Christopher Pogue. “If there are vulnerabilities identified, there’s going to be no defending against it.”

Source:
madamenoire.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 10:10 AM in 12 years old, CNNMoney, computers, cyberattacks, Microsoft, outdated, PCs, software, Windows 8, Windows XP

Motorola Mobility names Rick Osterloh as COO ahead of Lenovo buy

Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of product management for Motorola Mobility, describes the size of Motorola's new Moto X phone at a launch event for the phone in New York, August 1, 2013.

(Reuters) - Motorola Mobility has named Rick Osterloh as its chief operating officer, reporting to the Motorola Operating Board at Google Inc until its acquisition by Lenovo Group Ltd is completed.

The appointment was made public on Wednesday on Motorola's official blog by Jonathan Rosenberg, who will continue in his role as Google liaison and adviser to Motorola through the transition period. (r.reuters.com/buj48v)

Lenovo agreed to buy Google's Motorola handset division for $2.91 billion in January, in what was China's largest-ever tech deal.

"We're confident in his (Osterloh's) ability to not only manage a smooth transition at Motorola from Google to Lenovo but, also to lead the business forward for continued growth," said Liu Jun, EVP, Mobile Business Group, Lenovo.

Osterloh, who was responsible for the delivery of software and operation of the Android platform at Motorola, joined the company seven years ago and left for a 2-year stint in between at Skype.

(Reporting by Arnab Sen in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Source:
www.reuters.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 1:14 AM in Android, COO, Jonathan, Lenovo buy, Mobile Business, Motorola Mobility, Rick Osterloh, software, tech deal

Google’s new thermostat officially launches in first European market

A custom Nest thermostat version has finally launched in the U.K., The Verge reports, as the Google-owned company has modified the U.S. model to suit the requirements of the local market. Nest has added a new Heat Link component that connects the thermostat to a boiler via a wired or wireless connection. Apparently this particular component delayed the official launch of Nest in the region, although the thermostat has been unofficially available in as many as 120 countries on top of the U.S. and Canada, the only countries where it was released so far.

In addition to hardware changes, the Nest’s software has also been updated, the publication reports. In the U.K., Nest will know it has “to switch off heating before the desired temperature is reached, accounting for the effects of the residual heat in the boiler.”

After the U.K. launch, Nest plans to “aggressively expand throughout Europe,” although it’s not clear in what markets the device will be launched next. In the U.K. the thermostat costs £179 or £249 depending on what kind of installation the customer chooses. The device also comes with a unique accessory in the region, a £29 stand that appears to be exclusive for the U.K., and which is not compatible with the U.S. Nest version.

Source:

bgr.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 6:37 AM in 120 countries, aggressively, Canada, European market, Google’s, software, thermostat officially, U.K., unofficially, Verge reports

Ex-Microsofter arrested over Windows 8 trade secret theft

Alex Kibkalo is accused of sharing enterprise secrets

UNITED STATES law enforcement authorities have arrested a man on suspicion of pinching Windows 8 software from Microsoft and sharing it.

The chap arrested was Alex Kibkalo, an ex-Microsoft employee. The Seattle PI newspaper said that he is accused of stealing trade secrets while still in the employ of the Redmond machine, and showing them off.

Kibkalo was a seven year veteran at the firm when allegedly he began taking trade secrets home with him. He is accused of snatching elements of Windows 8 and sharing them with a French blogger, who remains unnamed so far.

The ex-Microsoft staffer is accused of taking the lead on the leaks, and allegedly began discussing the possibility of sharing Windows software in the summer of 2012. The Seattle PI said that he mooted sharing enterprise software and that this was cautiously accepted by the blogger.

"I would leak enterprise today probably," Kibkalo allegedly said, according to charging papers. "Hmm," the blogger replied. "Are you sure you want to do that? Lol."

The blogger raised the point that leaking the software would be illegal, and the accused leaker allegedly acknowledged that.

Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing investigators suspected Kibkalo and were able to trace the French blogger to a Hotmail account. There they read that the source had previously and successfully shared Windows 7 code, and was planning to access a Redmond building and take over a server.

The Seattle PI reported that Microsoft suspects Kibkalo also leaked internal documents. He allegedly started leaking materials after receiving a poor performance review. µ

News Source: www.theinquirer.net

Posted by Editorial Team on 5:49 AM in Alex Kibkalo, arrested, Ex-Microsofter, French blogger, Seattle PI, secret theft, software, United State, Windows 7, Windows 8