LinkedIn Hits 300 Million Users Amid Mobile Push

LinkedIn proudly broadcasted its increasing mobile traffic last week, but that's not the only growth the company is experiencing.
LinkedIn announced Friday it has reached 300 million registered users, a jump from 277 million members at the beginning of the year. LinkedIn announced the 200 million user milestone in January 2013, which means the company has added an average of 6.6 million new users per month over the past 15 months.

Was Windows 8 a Mistake? Microsoft Seems to Think So

Microsoft showed off the future of Windows this week at its 2014 Build developer conference, and it looks pretty retro. In fact, it looks a lot like Windows 7.
During a tease of some possible new features in a future update, Microsoft's executive vice-president of operating systems Terry Myerson revealed a tool that users will recognize from previous versions of Windows: a Start menu. He also showed that users would soon be able to run Modern — aka "Metro" — apps (those apps you buy in the Windows Store with touch-oriented full-screen interfaces) within individual windows on the desktop.
In other words, it's exactly how Windows used to work.

Facebook Launches 'Nearby Friends' Location Feature for Meet-Ups IRL

 Facebook has always encouraged you to share with your friends — your favorite movies, pictures, and life updates. Now Facebook wants you sharing your location, too.
The social network on Thursday announced Nearby Friends, a new feature built into Facebook's mobile app that allows you to see which of your friends are close by, and even share your exact location with others.

Report: Amazon considering free streaming service

Amazon might be taking a page from television broadcasters as it expands its streaming TV service and commissions more original shows.

 

Emphasis on the word "might."  

The company is planning a free streaming service that could complement the $99-a-year Amazon Prime product that it already has, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A few hours after the report surfaced, though, Amazon seemed to dispute it, telling reporters that "we have no plans to offer a free streaming media service."
The back-and-forth stoked yet more curiosity about Amazon's multimedia plans.
Related: Apple eyes partnership in bid to reinvent TV
Currently Amazon Prime has three main features: free two-day shipping, a streaming selection of TV shows and movies, and an e-book lending library. There's no way to access Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500)'s original TV shows, like "Alpha House" and "Betas," without a Prime subscription.
The free service Amazon is considering could change that. As described by The Journal, it would resemble Hulu, the online video site jointly owned by the parent companies of broadcasters ABC, NBC and Fox. Most visitors to Hulu only use its free, ad-supported version, but about five million subscribe to its paid version, called Hulu Plus.
Hulu Plus costs $8 a month, or $96 a year, roughly equivalent to Amazon Prime (but without the free shipping or other perks).
Related: Sony orders first original TV series for PlayStation
The free version of Hulu features many TV shows, including some that are exclusive to the website. But because of the various limitations and delays imposed on the free version, some visitors are persuaded to pay for Hulu Plus.
Amazon might be eyeing a similar two-tiered business model, especially as it prepares to sell a streaming video device of its own.
On Thursday, hours before the Journal report, the company invited reporters to an April 2 event where the device is expected to be announced. The long-rumored device -- which has been likened to Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) TV and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) Chromecast in press reports -- will help users watch Internet content, including Amazon Prime TV shows, on big-screen TV sets.
Amazon may also want to delve deeper into the advertising sales business. Selling ads before and after TV episodes (and other forms of content, like music videos) would take another page from the broadcasters' long-established playbook.
On Thursday evening, an Amazon spokeswoman said, "We have a video advertising business that currently offers programs like First Episode Free and ads associated with movie and game trailers, and we're often experimenting with new things, but we have no plans to offer a free streaming media service."

Facebook looks to drones, lasers and satellites for Internet access

Facebook is experimenting with new ways to bring the Internet to remote areas using drones, satellites and lasers.

(CNN) -- Two thirds of the world population does not have Internet access. Facebook already has more than a billion users on its service, but before it can sign up the rest of world it needs to get them online.

The social media company announced a new step in its ambitious plan to bring affordable, basic Internet access to "every person in the world." Facebook's new Connectivity Lab will research and test experimental technology including drones, satellites and lasers to spread the reach of the Internet to isolated locations that currently do not have Internet.

Apple v. Samsung: All you need to know about latest patent trial (FAQ)

The rivals will return to the courtroom on Monday. The trial is still all about smartphone and tablet patents, but this time, the accused devices are newer, including the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S.

Here we go again.
Almost two years after Apple and Samsung faced off in a messy patent dispute, the smartphone and tablet rivals will return to the same San Jose, Calif., courtroom and appear before the same federal judge who presided over their 2012 case to argue once again over patents.
The trial, which begins March 31, is the latest in a long-running patent infringement spat that has involved jury trials, International Trade Commission disputes, and numerous international suits.
Apple and Samsung have accused each other of copying features used in their popular smartphones and tablets, and a jury will have to decide who actually infringed and how much money is due. This trial involves different patents and newer devices than the ones disputed at trial in August 2012 and in a damages retrial in November 2013.

How to boost your WiFi speed by choosing the right channel

If you’ve ever poked around your WiFi router’s settings, you’ve probably seen the word channel. Most routers have their channel set to Auto, but I’m sure that a most of us have looked through that list of a dozen or so channels and wondered what they are, and more importantly, which of the channels are faster than the others. Well, I’m happy to report that some channels are indeed much faster — but that doesn’t mean you should go ahead and recklessly change them. Read on to find out more about 802.11 channels, interference, and the massive difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi.

Turkey becomes first nation to block Google DNS, claims Twitter is groveling at its feet

Turkey’s corrupt Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdoğan has upped the ante in his quest to “root out Twitter,” which is hugely popular in that country. Three days ago, Erdoğan banned Twitter in Turkey after links purportedly showing him ordering his sons to destroy evidence during a police investigation of corruption were shared through the microblogging site. Turkish citizens propmtly bypassed the ban by using Google DNS instead of local Turkish DNS servers — so the government has responded by banning Google DNS.
Erdoğan has come under heavy fire over the past year for violent crackdowns in Taksim Gezi Park after citizens rallied to halt him from destroying some of the last green space in Istanbul. Seven people were killed and more than 8,500 injured in the protests; Erdoğan has been at war with his own populace ever since. Heavily implicated in multiple corruption schemes, his decision to shut down Twitter in the wake of substantiated allegations is a desperate attempt to cling to power.

Microsoft releases historic MS-DOS and Word source code to the public

Microsoft, in conjunction with the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, has released the source code for MS-DOS 1.1, MS-DOS 2.0, and Word for Windows 1.1a. These programs are probably the three most important releases in the history of Microsoft: MS-DOS would create and secure Microsoft’s monopoly of the PC market for more than 20 years, and the massive success of Word for Windows would go on to cultivate Microsoft’s Office suite, which has generated hundreds of billions of dollars for the company.

Facebook to buy virtual reality firm Oculus VR for $2 billion

Facebook is getting into the virtual reality business.

The social networking giant announced plans Tuesday to buy virtual reality firm Oculus VR for $2 billion, its latest high-profile acquisition.

Oculus makes the Oculus Rift headset, which covers your eyes and immerses you in a virtual environment that responds to your head movements.
The Rift has demoed at tech industry events to rave reviews, though it isn't yet available to consumers. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declined to comment on when that might happen. Developers interested in building software for the device can purchase it for $350, and the company has received more than 75,000 orders so far.

Microsoft announces Office for iPad

After years of speculation, Microsoft Office is finally on the iPad.

In his first public appearance since being named Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) new CEO, Satya Nadella unveiled the next evolution of Office. The ubiquitous productivity suite, which includes apps such as Office and Excel, has been optimized for use with touch screens and fingers.

Microsoft had done some work on Office 2013 to make it more finger friendly, but with Office for iPad, it's a full-fledged step forward. The look of Office isn't radically changed, but many features have been subtly streamlined to make things less painful.

Facebook buy over Whatsapp

 

Mark Zuckerberg

I’m excited to announce that we’ve agreed to acquire WhatsApp and that their entire team will be joining us at Facebook.
Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. We do this by building services that help people share any type of content with any group of people they want. WhatsApp will help us do this by continuing to develop a service that people around the world love to use every day.
WhatsApp is a simple, fast and reliable mobile messaging service that is used by over 450 million people on every major mobile platform. More than 1 million people sign up for WhatsApp every day and it is on its way to connecting one billion people. More and more people rely on WhatsApp to communicate with all of their contacts every day.
WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook. The product roadmap will remain unchanged and the team is going to stay in Mountain View. Over the next few years, we're going to work hard to help WhatsApp grow and connect the whole world. We also expect that WhatsApp will add to our efforts forInternet.org, our partnership to make basic internet services affordable for everyone.
WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community. Facebook Messenger is widely used for chatting with your Facebook friends, and WhatsApp for communicating with all of your contacts and small groups of people. Since WhatsApp and Messenger serve such different and important uses, we will continue investing in both and making them each great products for everyone.
WhatsApp had every option in the world, so I’m thrilled that they chose to work with us. I’m looking forward to what Facebook and WhatsApp can do together, and to developing great new mobile services that give people even more options for connecting.
I've also known Jan for a long time, and I know that we both share the vision of making the world more open and connected. I'm particularly happy that Jan has agreed to join the Facebook board and partner with me to shape Facebook's future as well as WhatsApp's.
Jan and the WhatsApp team have done some amazing work to connect almost half a billion people. I can’t wait for them to join Facebook and help us connect the rest of the world.

The New Google Maps Is A Social Network In Disguise

The new version of Google Maps, which debuted at Google GOOG -0.43% I/O and will be rolling out via an invitation system in the coming weeks, is another leap forward for the cartographical gold standard. The design is cleaner and all screens—desktop, Android and iOS—now benefit from Google Now cards that pop up in appropriate contexts.
But just under the radar is the most ambitious attempt so far to make the Google+ social network relevant. Google has been on a mad integration binge of late, slapping plus signs on interfaces with abandon, but users find it hard to know why to bother. Matt Asay asks tartly on ReadWrite, “If Google+ Is So Good, Why Does Google Force It On Us?” Asay has a point, particularly about the obtrusive mating of Zagat and Google+ Local, but forcing is not quite the right verb.

Next Big Thing In Smartphones Could Be Coming From Google

It appears the next big thing in smartphones is coming neither from Samsung nor Apple but from Google GOOG -0.43%.
Last week at All Things D, Dennis Woodside, CEO of Motorola, announced Moto X.  Moto X may turn out to be the next big thing in smartphones because of the emphasis on making the phone ‘self-aware.’  Woodside neither showed the phone nor described it in enough detail to make a conclusive judgment about its prospects.  Having said that, the concept of self-awareness of a phone takes the ‘smart’ in a smartphone to the next level.
The following examples illustrate what self-awareness means:

• According to Woodside, “The new phone will know when you take it out of your pocket.”
• The phone will learn when you are about to take a picture and it will open a camera app by itself.
• The phone will know when you are traveling in a car.

BlackBerry Messenger Will be Free iOS and Android App

At the BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the popular service that has long allowed BlackBerry users to chat and share voice notes, images and video, will now be cross-platform with free apps for iOS and Android.
Heins reportedly called it a “statement of confidence.”

Whatsapp runs on BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, Symbian and Windows Phone (Screenshot from Whatsapp.com)

How to protect your Wi-Fi connection

 

Wi-Fi stands for “wireless fidelity” a trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance a body responsible for certifying wireless devices but is colloquially used to refer to hot spots and wireless networks (IEEE 802.11*) in general.  Although not all wireless appliances are Wi-Fi certified, it’s advisable to use certified equipment to maintain interoperability and security.

Brief introduction to C++

C++ (pronounced C plus plus) is an object oriented programming language, and its features are highly interrelated. To give a brief overview of the C++ and its features, this article will highlight the most important aspects in C++.
• History of C++
C++ is the extension to the previous programming version called as C. It was first invented by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was first called as “C with classes”, but later in 1983 it was renamed to C++. In those times, C was the most popular and globally accepted professional programming language; the advent of C++ was because of one major factor – increasing complexity. Even though C is an excellent programming language, problems started to show when programs started becoming more and more complex. C++ allowed programmers to break down code into parts at the same time keeping it together in a logical manner. Thus, allowing larger complex programs to be compressed and faster in execution.

Which is better for social networking: Twitter or Facebook?

 By:Jon Berwick

With Social Networks such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter growing by thousands every day, everyone is wondering one thing. Which one is truly the best out of all of them? To compare them on a smaller scale, one may be more efficient than the others depending on what you are using it for. Opinions may also vary from person to person depending on what they look for in a social networking site. In my opinion, I think Facebook is the best social networking site overall.

Ready for Windows 8? We're just starting on Win 7, says Dell

Some big Dell customers are just beginning to migrate to Windows 7 -- an operating system that came out in 2009.

Maybe everyone's focused on the wrong Microsoft operating system.
Dell said during its earnings conference call on Thursday that "commercial" customers, meaning corporate customers, are just now transitioning to Windows 7.
"I think you continue to see Win 7 on the commercial side of the business. It's driving a refresh cycle," said Brian T. Gladden, chief financial officer for Dell, during the conference call.
Yeah, you read that write. That's corporate customers switching from, for example, XP or Vista to Windows 7. And that is driving PC and hardware upgrades at Dell.

Yahoo confirms $1.1 billion Tumblr acquisition

The company said today that "substantially all" of the acquisition was payable in cash, and Tumblr will remain a separate entity.

Microblogging service Tumblr is being acquired by Yahoo.
Yahoo announced the news early Monday, saying that it "promises not to screw [Tumblr] up." The Internet pioneer is paying $1.1 billion for Tumblr, "substantially all of which is payable in cash," Yahoo said.
The news had been expected. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the Yahoo board had approved the deal.
Under the terms of the deal, Yahoo will allow Tumblr, which has over 300 million monthly unique visitors, to operate as a completely separate entity. The company's founder and CEO David Karp will remain in his position.