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Showing posts from January, 2016

Microsoft's new Minecraft Education Edition - written in C++ - will outrun the Java version

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The forthcoming Minecraft: Education Edition, written in C++, looks faster and smoother than the old Java version, but won't be compatible with all the old mods. If Microsoft mis-handles the transition, a split could damage the Minecraft community that underpins the game's stunning success.... Microsoft will release a beta of  Minecraft: Education Edition  written in C++ rather than Java, which looks like removing the performance problems associated with running the current version of Minecraft. The Education Edition should run well on the types of Windows laptop commonly found in schools, and in homes. Microsoft announced the Education Edition at the BETT 2016 educational technology exhibition held last week in London. Microsoft also announced that it had  purchased MinecraftEDU , an educational version of Minecraft, from Teacher Gaming LLC. (Microsoft  acquires MinecraftEdu from Teacher Gaming .) MinecraftEDU will not be developed any further, but most of its feat

Ocean: The Linux web server that fits in your pocket

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Summary: Want a portable Linux-powered web server that will fit into your pocket? Look no further than  Ocean . Ocean may look like a smartphone, but it is in fact a fully functional Linux-powered web server that you can fit into your pocket. Ocean has been designed from the ground up for portability, and features an integrated battery that allows you to run web and Bluetooth applications in places where direct power is limited. The device is approximately the size of an iPhone 6, and can easily fit in your pocket. Because it packs the power of a Linux operating system (the default is Debian, but you can install your own), Ocean can be used for a variety of functions: Building and deploying web applications using frameworks such as Node.js or Ruby-on-Rails Building a custom router IoT hub iBeacon or Eddystone beacon prototyping The device can also act as a portable battery pack for iPhones and Android devices, and holds enough power to recharge an iPhone 6 1.3

Intel to supercharge NUC mini-PC with Skull Canyon edition

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Summary: The chip giant is preparing a gamer-friendly version of its pint-sized desktop with a quad-core Skylake Core i7 processor and Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to external graphics solutions.   As a result, these pint-sized PCs are perceived to be for a budget buyer, or someone who values their tiny footprint over specs. Intel has been trying to change that perception, having introduced a NUC  with a beefy Core i7 Broadwell CPU  nearly a year ago. Now it's looking to go a step further with a forthcoming model that it hopes will appeal even more to the performance crowd.Intel has made strides in  helping to reinvent the PC  with its Next Unit of Computing (NUC) systems, which are one of a number of tiny Windows computers that are shaped like the Mac Mini. The small size obviously limits the ultimate performance of these mini-PCs, as there's only so much room (and ability to dissipate heat) for components. The new NUC is being called "Skull Canyon" as a

Google surrenders to Oracle as Microsoft allies with Cyanogen

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In a surprise development, Google has abandoned its own Java standard libraries for those of Oracle. The move might be the first step in settling an ongoing lawsuit, but the implications for the Android community are profound. And it offers a possible opening for Microsoft. For a company that regularly brags about its commitment to open source, Google is remarkably closed about how it develops Android. The result is occasional shock at a sudden change in direction. The latest example emerged last week, when the Android community stumbled across a major change that appeared in the Android code base last November Google confirmed to several sources, including  VentureBeat , where I first saw the story, that it is dropping its own implementation of the standard Java libraries that are at the heart of Java, in favor of Oracle's OpenJDK libraries. That would be ho-hum software-plumbing news, except for the fact that Google and Oracle have been locked in a years-long copyright lawsuit

Android users targeted with sophisticated new banking Trojan

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A relatively new Android Trojan family has been bringing grief to users around the world, posing as a Flash Player or  WhatsApp update , stealing online banking credentials, one time passwords (OTPs), and login credentials for popular Android apps. FireEye researchers dubbed the family SlemBunk. They have analyzed over 170 samples of the malware they located in the wild, and found that, over time, the authors of the malware have been adding capabilities for targeting more and more financial institutions.The latest variants are designed to imitate the legitimate apps of 33 financial management institutions and mobile payment service providers in the Asia Pacific region (many Australian banks), North America and Europe. “When the app is launched for the first time, it activates the registered receiver, which subsequently starts the monitoring service in the background,” the researchers explained. “On the surface it pops up a fake UI claiming to be Adobe Flash Player, or other a