Articles by Christian de Looper
Facebook Debuts Groups App for Mobile Users
Facebook has released a new app for its users of Groups, continuing its trend of releasing stand-alone apps for services that are part of its core website. The company will thankfully not be removing Groups functionality from its main app.
NYC Pay Phones Transforming Into Super-Fast Wi-Fi Hubs
New York City is implementing a new project that aims to convert pay phones into high-tech Wi-Fi spots that offer speeds of up to a gigabit. Users will be able to download a full HD movie in under a minute. The first 500 stations in the Links network should be open by the start of 2016.
'Dragon Age: Inquisition' Lands Tuesday. Are You Ready for BioWare's Latest Epic?
'Dragon Age: Inquisition' is set to hit shelves on Tuesday and is the first 'Dragon Age' game to be released since 2011. The game includes a number of great features, including the ability to import player data from previous 'Dragon Age' games.
Google Screening Android TV Apps Prior to Play Store Arrival
Google is planning on screening apps before they become available to Android TV. The decision highlights the control the search company wants to have over the platform as it aims to market it as a gaming device.
No More Free Lunch: Facebook Will Kick Out Unpaid Promotional Posts from News Feed
Facebook has tweaked its News Feed algorithm once again, promising that users will now see fewer overly promotional posts. The move may be great for users, but it is likely to frustrate businesses that have been complaining about their reach as it is.
US Government Is Spying on Criminal Suspects (and You) with Flying Fake Cell Towers
The U.S. government is using sophisticated technology to trick cell phones into giving personal identification information. While the program is targeted at criminals, it is likely that it also is picking up information of thousands of citizens.
Facebook Updates Privacy Policy and Releases 'Privacy Basics' to Help You Protect Your Privacy
Facebook has updated its privacy policy to make it easier for users to understand, cutting around 70 percent of the previous privacy policy. It has also launched a new service called Privacy Basics, offering an interactive way for users to control their privacy settings.
Now Skype Away from Your Browser Without Any Plugins (Courtesy Microsoft Skype for Web Beta)
Microsoft has announced Skype for Web, allowing users of Skype to take and make video calls straight from their browser without the need to install the Skype app. The new service currently requires a plugin and is invite only, but both those barriers will be broken down within the next few months.
Week In Review: Top 5 Tech Headlines Not to Miss
While it's been a busy week in tech, not everyone has had time to keep up with all the news. Lucky for them, we've put together a list of the top tech news for the week. Read on to find out exactly what happened in tech this week.
US Spying on Cell Phones to Hunt Criminals, Claims Report
The U.S. government is reportedly using fake cell phone towers attached to planes to trick cell phones into handing over unique identification information along with other sensitive and personal data. The spy method has been in operation since 2007.
Reddit Chief Takes Leave, Co-Founder Returns as Female CEO Steps In
Yishan Wong has stepped down as CEO of Reddit over a dispute reportedly related to new location and offices for the company. Taking over as CEO is Ellen Pao, a move many are hoping will help curb reported sexist behavior displayed by Reddit users.
SanDisk iXpand Aims to Pump Up iPhone, iPad Storage, Make File Transfer a Breeze
SanDisk has announced a USB drive aimed at helping iPhone and iPad users more easily transfer files between their computer and devices. It eliminates the need for cables and an Internet connection.
Facebook Goes Wind Power Route With Next-Gen Iowa Data Center
Facebook's newest data center in Altoona, Iowa, has officially begun serving traffic in the center of the U.S. This data center is not only extremely high tech but it is also powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
VSCO Cam 4.0 App Arrives for iPad. Photo Editors, Rejoice!
An update to the popular VSCO Cam photo-editing tool for iPhone has been posted, now adding support for iPad. The update includes a number of great features and allows users to compare filters and colors side-by-side.
Nvidia Shield Gets Lollipop Love, Grid Gaming Graduates Beta
In a series of announcements, Nvidia will be offering users of its Shield tablets Android 5.0 Lollipop this month. Not only that, but the company is pushing its Grid gaming platform out of beta and will be offering a number of games to stream for free until June 30, 2015.
Nearly 8 In 10 US Homes Boast High-Speed Net Service
A report on Internet access shows 78 percent of households in the U.S. have access to high-speed Internet. The report also reveals a divide among households in the U.S.
Microsoft Snaps Up Aorato To Better Protect Active Directory
Microsoft has announced its acquisition of Aorato, aimed at beefing up the security of Active Directory, a tool used by businesses for user credentials. The acquisition is said to be worth $200 million.
5 Videos To Help Shore Up PC Security
With computers being such a huge part of our lives, the security of data is becoming increasingly important. Many, however, don't know what to do in order to make sure data is safe. Here are five videos that can help.
Microsoft Patch Boasts 14 Security Updates For 33 Flaws. Whew!
Microsoft releases an update to Windows that addresses a whopping 33 flaws in Microsoft Secure Channel. The flaws allowed attackers to execute code on a Windows system running as a server.
AT&T Aiming To Be A Big Mexico Telecom With Iusacell Acquisition
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson says his company does not need to purchase assets from América Móvil to compete in Mexico. The news comes after AT&T announced it had entered an agreement to buy Mexican carrier Iusacell for $2.5 billion.
Amazon Aurora Relational Database Takes Aim At Oracle, And Is Cheap, Cheap, Cheap
Amazon has announced a new enterprise-grade database engine to rival the likes of Oracle. The new product is designed to be fast, reliable and cheap at only 29 cents per hour.
Microsoft Band reviews: A long road of improvements looms ahead
Microsoft Band, the company's first wearable fitness tracker, has a number of great sensors. But that's about where the accolades stop as Microsoft has a number of improvements to make.
Nintendo goes vintage, takes familiar design path in 2DS color choices
Nintendo says its 2DS handheld gaming console will be available in Crystal Blue and Crystal Red colors. The news comes as the company partners with Loot Crate to offer users a subscription to its Amiibo NFC toys.
Rackspace beats earnings expectations, cloud services going strong
Rackspace announced its financial results for the third quarter in 2014, showing better than expected results. The company is only expected to grow, although it is facing increased competition in the cloud computing market.
Microsoft Lumia 535 good choice for the selfie lover but light on power features, storage
Microsoft has released the Lumia 535, the first Lumia device to have Microsoft branding rather than Nokia branding. Despite the fact that the device is a low-cost smartphone targeted at the low-end market, it's still not getting great reviews.
Now Facebook News Feed allows you to unfollow boring (and annoying) friends and Pages: Here's how
Facebook is rolling out a new feature that gives users the ability to better customize their news feeds. Users tell the social media network that they want to see fewer posts from particular friends, without completely unfollowing or unfriending them.
Microsoft Word app tops Apple App Store's free app chart: Time to download?
After releasing a new suite of Office apps to the iPhone for free, Microsoft's Word app has shot to the top of the Apple App Store. Despite this, many suggest the move is too late for Microsoft and that many users have turned to other office apps on iOS.
'Race to zero' driving tech companies to clash in the cloud
With cloud storage becoming increasingly cheap, the speculation surrounding the 'race to zero' is growing. Large companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon continue to battle it out, but the winner of the race won't be the first to offer free storage, it will be the company to offer the best tools.
Facebook Messenger hits 500M user mark, nearly as much as WhatsApp
Facebook says its Messenger app now has a whopping 500 million monthly active users, up from the 200 million using it just six months ago. But where its newly-acquired messaging tech, WhatsApp, fits in remains unclear.
Firefox celebrates 10-year mark with 'Forget' button, developer version, search that protects privacy
As it celebrates the tenth anniversary of Firefox, Mozilla has updated its web browser to include a number of new features, including the ability to 'forget' browsing history from the last five minutes, two hours, or 24 hours.
