HP outsources WebOS in its new subsidiary Gram

The mobile operating system WebOS felt very lonely since the abandonment of mobile HP last year. A spin-off called Gram is created to continue its development.


The development of WebOS, the mobile operating system from HP, no longer provided by the parent in the future.  The California company has divided its activities by creating an independent entity (spin-off) called Gram, according to a letter circulated internally and issued by Cnet.

"We're a different company that focuses on software, user experience, cloud, engineering and partnerships," writes Martin Risau, vice president of HP, stating that the mission of the team " remains the same. "  Presented as a strategic redeployment, for the moment in "stealth mode" until the company finishes its incubation period, this should provide a Gram-off activity faster, outside the constraints of the parent.

 Having abandoned the production of its mobile devices in 2011 (which is why the company had bought Palm a year earlier to $ 1.2 billion), HP made ​​its division vivoter WebOS. The company was first reorganized in internal engineers to place the WebOS and marketing team under the direction of strategic department.

 In December 2011, rather than draw a line adventure WebOS, the U.S. had chosen to release its mobile operating system , so it can be exploited by the open source community, announcing want to "move toward a new generation of applications and devices. "  Three months later, the division WebOS knew a degreasing : 275 job cuts.  Finally last May, several engineers left HP to join Google ...

 Despite these injuries, the American continued to promise that he would keep afloat WebOS, indicating even want to recruit additional staff.  A statement confirmed by mail from Martin Risau that prompts the team WebOS to "operate its network, to help HP to recruit the brightest."

 Meanwhile the actual deployment of Gram, developers seem to respect the roadmap published in January and plan the launch of a beta of Open WebOS by September.

Twitter API Version 1.1 Brings More Regulation To Apps

Twitter announced that night the next version of its API, detailing its strategy for third-party services and especially its commitment to offer a consistent experience to all end users.

Once reserved for geeks, Twitter now has such an influence, particularly through the media, he is looking more than ever to gain control of its ecosystem, through the forthcoming version 1.1 of its API, which will limit the possibilities of some third party service.

 Twitter is such that end users receive the latest news, such as thematic pages and Twitter Cards opened mid-June, which promote relations with partners, enhance the attractiveness and thus the reputation of the service, and entail thereby term income.

Discouraged customers alternative

 The alternative traditional customers, such qu'Echofon Tweetbot or that are explicitly named, are no longer welcome, as they disperse users and delay the adoption of this type of functionality.  Twitter has therefore planned several measures to discourage them.

 For starters, the company will substantially limit their interest by imposing what were until now only recommendations on features and terminology to be used, and hence limiting their potential for innovation and added value.  It also will reserve the right to transmit its requirements to the editors of Popular customers, that is to say to those who will soon reach 100 000 users or those who are already beyond and that will double the number of users.  Finally, the origins of Twitter clients built some devices are more difficult to update, they in turn will be subject to prior certification.

 More supported services
 Many other third party services will however welcome: those proposing the analysis but no direct interaction with the timeline, such as Klout (phew!), and of course all those intended for professionals, more likely to generate income, including whether they allow you to publish tweets.

 Applications will be supervised more closely, however, through conditions of access to the API more strict.  More than any of its functions will be accessible without authentication, in order to reduce misuse.  Most applications will also be reduced from 350 to 60 interactions per hour per function, with the exception of clients who will benefit in contrast to an enhancement to 720 calls / hour, one every 5 s.


 Version 1.1 of the Twitter API will be published and implemented in the coming weeks.  Version 1.0 will then cease to function six months later.

Antivirus: BitDefender unveils 2013 range

As every year in August, BitDefender updates its line of security software. 2013 version of BitDefender offers including access on the protection of bank transactions, and includes protection for smartphones and Android tablets.

 The BitDefender range, which continues for the rest on the success of version 2012 and a simplified interface, and offers two new features common to the three versions.  The first is a protection module transactions.  Title SafePay, this one actually offers a secure browser using a VPN to access your banking sites.

Specifically, the software automatically detects URLs that you type and bank offers to switch to the secure environment, also presented in full screen mode completely isolated from the Windows desktop.  An option allows to memorize this choice for all banking sites.

Also new is not really one, but follows the trend initiated by Kaspersky, Symantec and McAfee to integrate its solutions for protection and tablets Android smartphone.  Protection is free for all versions of the product, including Antivirus Plus.  In contrast, anti-theft features, to locate the devices, lock them and delete their data remotely, are reserved for Total Security version.

 Finally, we note the integration of a tool for immunization of USB throughout the range, some improvements in parental controls (for BitDefender Internet Security and Total Security) and online backup module SafeBox (only for Total Security ), and a Windows gadget, something new happens to an inconvenient time, since they have been victims of recent security vulnerabilities, which prompted Microsoft to advise them off until a fix.  However, BitDefender announces the compatibility of its range with Windows 8.

 BitDefender 2013 range is available at a price of 39.95 euros for BitDefender Antivirus Plus BitDefender for 59.95 euros and 79.95 for Internet Security BitDefender Total Security.  The license includes the protection of 3 PCs for 2 years.  An/1PC a license is also available for BitDefender Antivirus Plus, priced at 19.95 euros.

Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen

Samsung took advantage of the launch this week, the U.S., the Galaxy Note 10.1 to unveil a new accessory dedicated to communicating his tablets: the HM5100, a dedicated stylus for drawing or taking notes can also serve as kit hands-free.

 The stylus HM5100 has not been an official announcement, but it appeared in the press kit distributed to journalists who attended the U.S. launch of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet , unveiled in early August, as reports Engadget.  Samsung has combined the functions necessary to use the stylus on the touch screens of the Galaxy Rating provided by Wacom, allowing a set to make a kit.

 This variant of the connected S-Pen then embarks battery, Bluetooth controller through which we can pair it to its shelf and the duet microphone / speaker needed to telephone calls.  Equipped with a micro USB connector and a button for answering and hanging up, he weighs 21 grams, and provide a range of about five days on standby.  In theory, nothing prevents us from using it with a phone or a tablet other than the Galaxy Note, even if the format pen will then lose its interest.


 Samsung has so far not clear whether this pen HM5100 would be marketed independently or simply supplied in a pack with some of its products.  Would it be the perfect companion for the Galaxy 2 Note that the South Korean manufacturer is expected to unveil on August 29.




Source : engadget

Instagram 3.0 now available for Android and iOS

stagram 3.0" is a major update of the popular application for Android and IOS. It focuses on navigation through improvements but also a new feature: geotagging.


A photo card to the limited interest
 The new version introduces therefore a "photo card" that displays the location where the photos were taken from a user at a time.  These cards are actually accessed from the profiles, it is not possible to display a map combining the photos of all subscriptions, or public display photos taken nearby.

 Almost all photos are geotagged with a user, through GPS or default of Wi-Fi environment, users are encouraged to make public their locations on the first launch of this third version.  They can and will handle this aspect for their entire library or for each photo.







Redesigns and optimizations
 Instagram 3.0 reviews the way the appearance of user profiles, instead of pages, pages hashtag and explore tab, which now display larger photos, larger buttons, and automatically load the photos below to scroll unlimited .  Page sending picture has also been modernized.

 This new version finally brings, as usual, are lot of performance optimizations.

 "Instagram 3.0" is now available on the App Store for the iPhone and the Google Store Play for Android smartphones.

 It is interesting to note that this major update, the first since the application is published by Facebook , does not provide any functionality related to social network and it keeps going, then we may fear that approximation from fading on Instagram.

Facebook 'Deleted' Photos Finally Deleted!

As he had announced in February, Facebook revised its system for storing files on its platform: the objective was to ensure a more rapid disappearance of files in its cache. Now, the photos deleted by users disappear permanently after one month.


 It is the site Ars Technica, which in 2009 had questioned the time to alleviation of photos on Facebook ... to discover, in February 2012 , that the social network had not yet completely erased snapshots deleted 3 years earlier by the user.  A finding that prompted Facebook to announce the arrival of a new backup system, more efficient.

 Three and a half years later, Ars Technica completes its investigation and announced that Facebook has finally solved the problem. "By working on our policy and infrastructure, we have established a maximum period of 30 days (for deleting files) on our network of content distribution," said the social networking site. "As you know, the pictures no longer be shown to other Facebook users as they are removed by their owners. The 30-day period applies only to images cached on the servers. "Frederic Wolens, Facebook spokesman, said that in most cases, the pictures disappear within less than that given.

 The news follows a lengthy investigation, and that sounds like a small victory for advocates of privacy.  Still, if the issue of storing images in the cache of Facebook seems settled, it is only a drop in the sea of ​​information packets recorded by the social network when a user publishes or registered something on his wall.

WHQL 305.68 Nvidia drivers to support the GeForce GTX 660 Ti

Nvidia on Thursday released a new version of drivers for its graphics cards, to accompany the launch of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti. For now, however they are deadlocked on Windows 8 RTM.

 The first buyers of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti launched Thursday by Nvidia can turn to 305.68 WHQL drivers, officially for the management of this new graphics card.  Now available for download, however they are limited to Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7: the U.S. does in fact not so far from unified version that would also take the public test version of Windows 8 RTM.








 The other GPU family are in turn affected by the latest stable release dated GeForce drivers, the 301.42 WHQL.  There is however little doubt that Nvidia will be keen to quickly consolidate his pilots around what will probably become the branch R305.