Sunday, 17 March 2019

Forbes. First published in 1917, Forbes continues to this day as a twice-monthly magazine covering business, finance and investing news. It’s also picked up a sizeable audience for its dedicated coverage of technology and science news. With 15 foreign language editions, lifestyle platforms and a widely visited website, Forbes is influential, iconic and (most of all) relevant.
WIRED. From the very beginning, WIRED covered technology and pop culture. Back in the early ‘90s when it launched in San Francisco, the magazine embraced the digital revolution in a serious and stylish manner. At one time, it regarded itself as “the Rolling Stone” of technology. The magazine’s fortunes have ebbed and spiked over the years, but the influence it continues to have on the tech community cannot be overstated.
Medium. For five years Medium has presented an exciting hybrid of social commentary and journalism. As a publisher, it aggregates content like other popular social media platforms. As a host, you can curate a backlist of articles relevant to you, and as a reader, you can subscribe to posts in the same way you might subscribe to a newspaper or magazine. The paradigm of media has changed and Medium is a good example of that.
TechCrunch. As a branded network of websites, TechCrunch reaches 12 million visitors per month. In addition to core tech industry readers, TechCrunch also attracts an audience of general interest readers. The site’s entertaining and forthright reviews of gadgets and consumer items are one of its top draws.
The Wall Street Journal. Among the notable newspapers in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal is one of the most popular of them with an average circulation of almost 2.3 million copies. Along with its news and lifestyle articles, The Journal, named after the most famous financial district in the world, specializes in continuous and in-depth coverage of business and financial news.
ZDNet. More than 25 years ago, ZDNet was launched as a “general interest technology portal.” But these days its readership is more targeted. Says the site: “ZDNET delivers 24/7 news coverage and analysis on the trends, technologies and opportunities that matter to IT professionals and decision makers.” Owned by CBS Interactive, ZDNet covers hardware, software, mobile, security and research. It’s considered required reading for people working in technology.
CNBC. Available on basic cable (as well as the internet), CNBC is a news channel that focuses on U.S. and global financial markets. Its programs include air sports and entertainment shows. Considering its place on this list, the cable channel also puts a big emphasis on tech news. Like a lot of media companies these days, CNBC understands how technology affects both the global economy and our daily lives.
Reuters. As an international news agency with headquarters in London, Reuters publishes in a dozen different languages and employs more than 3,000 reporters and photographers. As a result, its reach and influence is remarkable. With the tech world borderless, the convergence of global news gives Reuters a special place among leading media.
Bloomberg News. Founded in 1990 as a small financial news agency in New York City, Bloomberg has grown over the years to become an international organization with content available on television, radio, and the internet. The focus is the same today as it was back then, however. It covers general interest topics, but it’s mostly concerned with business and economic news. That purview also includes tech news.
Business Insider. An online website with editions around the world, Business Insider provides business and financial news, commentary and analysis with an emphasis on digital media. Like many new media operations, it also aggregates related content from across the internet. Since its launch in 2009, Business Insider was embraced by the tech industry and was even nominated for a Webby Award a few years ago.

Saturday, 5 November 2016

Bill Gates' Open Letter

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It has been 40 years since Bill Gates wrote his open letter to the software industry complaining that computer hobbyists were stealing his BASIC program. That was so long ago that Wikipedia has a picture of the source code for "Micro-Soft" BASIC on paper tape. A lot of things have changed since then.
In the 1970s when Microsoft was getting started, it was common for people to copy, swap or donate software simply because they could. Especially in the hobbyist community such as the Homebrew Computer Club, people bought hardware and they got software in any way possible. It was easy because there was no security on the distribution media, and there were so few devices that could read the media it really didn't matter.

Lenovo's Yoga Book Aims for Top Shelf

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Lenovo's recently unveiled 2-in-1, the Yoga Book, is available in Android Marshmallow and Windows 10 Home versions.
Reviews have been mixed, with some praising its look and feel, but some considering its capabilities not up to scratch. Its Intel Atom processor doesn't provide enough power for a workhorse device, they have argued.
The Android version costs US$500 and the Windows version goes for $550.

Inside the Covers

The Yoga Book runs on a quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8550 with a 2-MB cache that goes up to 2.4 GHz. It has 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of ROM, and a microSD card with up to 128 GB capacity.
The Atom processor "was a cost-saving measure, because Lenovo hasn't yet shown that its customers will shell out top dollar for a device with a sixth- or seventh-generation Intel processor," said Eric Smith, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Gadget Ogling: Google Embraces a Hardware Future

  
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Welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that's taken just enough time away from pondering how many major email providers have built tools to let the government scan everyone's messages to pore over Google's latest hardware.

Microsoft Sees 3D Future for Everyone


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Microsoft last week unveiled its new vision for bringing 3D to the masses through a modernized version of its Paint application for Windows 10. Paint 3D will be available in the Windows 10 Creators Update.
Anyone who would like to start creating and sharing in Paint 3D can do so by joining the Windows Insider Program -- available for PC and Phone -- the company said.