IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 11/7/2013

The AnandTech Mobile Show - 002
Yesterday we announced that we'd be doing our first (technically second) live mobile show tonight at 7PM ET. We're now just over 1.5 hours away from going live. I'll update this post with an embed of the stream for those who want to watch it live. For everyone else we'll be pushing it out to our YouTube channel as soon as it's done. I've heard the requests to toss it in the podcast stream as well, which we should be able to do but that'll come a little later.
Brian and I will be talking about the following on the show later tonight:

The iPad Air
Investigations into Apple's A7 and Cyclone CPU Architecture
ASUS Transformer Book T100 & Retail Bay Trail
A Discussion of 64-bit in Mobile
The Haswell MacBook Pros
HTC's One Max
Brian's Initial Thoughts on Google's Nexus 5

On at least a couple of these topics we'll be disclosing details for the first time before ever appearing in written content on the site. This is a new format for us, but if we can get enough support both from you all and potential sponsors it won't be the last.

Check back here at 7PM ET for the live stream.

Update: We are done, check it out below:

TeamViewer Releases Version 9 Public Beta

About a year ago, I stumbled across TeamViewer, a remote control/remote access utility. The details of the experience are still vividly clear: I had spent the better part of a weekend trying to help my mother get rid of a virus. She lives in another state, so just visiting wasn’t a possibility, and let me be clear: she is not at all computer savvy – I get that more from my dad, though with him having long since passed retirement age, he’s almost as bad as my mom when it comes to computer problems these days. Anyway, long story short is that after trying to get Windows Remote Access working (and failing repeatedly), I looked for an alternative and found TeamViewer. 15 minutes later, the last remnants of the virus were removed. Huzzah!
It’s now a utility that I use all the time to help friends and family, simply because it’s tons easier to do certain things on my own rather than trying to explain a few “simple” steps over the phone. Now, if someone has a problem, the first step is explaining to them how to install TeamViewer. I know the old saying: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Well, it’s true of computers as well, but trying to teach some people about computers is like trying to convince your dog that he needs to learn to read and write.
Cutting to the chase, TeamViewer 9 has just entered public beta. The changes from TeamViewer 7 to 8 weren’t particularly massive (it added support for Windows 8’s Charms Menu and a few other items, Apple Retina support, and additional items for commercial users), and the changes from 8 to 9 are likewise incremental updates in most areas. There’s a new tabbed view (so each session can be in a separate tab rather than in a separate window), Wake-on-LAN is now available on supported PCs, and they’ve added two-factor authentication. TeamViewer 9 is also “ready for Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks”, though I’d guess the previous version will work with the new OSes as well. Here’s the quick list of updates from the press release:

Two-Factor Authentication – adds additional protection of TeamViewer user accounts by allowing users to retrieve an optional secondary code with their mobile device and a standard authenticator app.
Easy File Sharing – ability to share files of any size without having to start a traditional remote access session. Faster than email and can transfer files cross-platform.
Universal Clipboard – gives users the ability to copy files from their device and paste directly onto a remote desktop simply by using Copy & Paste (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V).
Notifications – a friendly notification pop-up window located in the Computers & Contacts list that gathers all TeamViewer system notifications including ITbrain alerts in one place for easy management.
Custom Branding – Businesses can customize the TeamViewer modules QuickSupport, QuickJoin and Host one time without the need to repeat after a software update. A unique customizable link guides supported users to the current version of a module stored within the TeamViewer Management Console, where the module can be shared and customized within a support team.

With the announcement of TeamViewer 9 Beta the company is also launching its public API that allows companies to integrate the TeamViewer software even further into their existing infrastructure. This is more for larger institutions with in-house developers who want flexibility for their applications, and it’s available to all users with a TeamViewer 9 license. The TeamViewer API consists of two features:

Reporting API – a language-neutral and power REST API to retrieve report data from the TeamViewer Management Console, saving time by automating complex reporting tasks and integrating TeamViewer data with existing business data for deeper insights.
User Management API – allows organizations to minimize disruption by synchronizing user data between the company’s existing user management system and TeamViewer. This allows developers to write applications to manage TeamViewer user accounts in a company profile as well as migrate from and integrate with existing IT infrastructure.

I can’t personally point at any of the new features as things I’ve needed, but for commercial use I can see some as being interesting. The ability to transfer files (without establishing a remote session) in particular looks promising. More important is the ease of use, and that’s one area I’ve noticed over the past year where TeamViewer tends stands out.
TeamViewer is simply easier to get running than competing solutions (e.g. Google’s Chrome Remote Desktop), and while I haven’t noticed screen updates as being substantially faster/better, the ease of setup factor is critical – especially when dealing with a computer neophyte. Chrome Remote Desktop is a nice free alternative, but the requirement of that I install the browser and Remote Desktop on each PC means a larger download and more time. Once set up, both work reasonably well, but for personal use I still gravitate to TeamViewer. Your mileage may vary.

Humble Bundle: Batman Edition

I’ll be honest with you: there are a lot of games we’ve used as benchmarks that I haven’t quite finished, and some that I hardly even play. So when a game is good enough to keep me playing, it’s usually worth a look. Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the games I completed. Now I’m not saying it was the greatest beat-em-up game ever, but it did a better job of making you feel like a superhero than any other game I can recall. It was visceral, and it controlled well with a mouse and keyboard or with a gamepad; it helped that the graphics were good as well, and the story kept me going.
All of that is a nice lead-in to the latest Humble Bundle, courtesy of WB Games. As you can guess, Batman: Arkham Asylum is part of the package, but it doesn’t stop there. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin and F.E.A.R. 3 (or F.3.A.R. if you prefer) are also part of the base package, which means any donation of $1 or more snags you those games, with Lord of the Rings: War in the North rounding out the collection. You might notice a couple of things with the list; first is that they’re arranged in order of decreasing score, so Batman walks away with a 91%, FEAR2 gets 79%, FEAR3 71%, and LotR scrapes by with 66%. The second thing you’ll notice is that the original F.E.A.R. is sadly missing from the list, which is a shame as that was probably the best game of the series. The reason for the omission is pretty simple, though: it wasn’t published by WB Games.
There are two additional titles as part of the collection, provided you pay more than the current average ($4.47 at the time of writing). Scribblenauts Unlimited is a fun little game that’s perhaps better suited to a device with a stylus or finger input. The final title is a great way to wrap things up, Batman: Arkham City. The sequel to the original sports improved graphics and a larger game world, and it’s every bit as good (in my opinion at least). Even if the package only included the first two Batman games, it would be worth the price of entry – provided of course that you didn’t already own both, which I do; in fact, I already own most of the games, with LotR and Scribblenauts Unlimited being the only ones missing from my Steam list, and I’m still planning on buying the bundle. If you’re curious, the six games on Steam (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, F.E.A.R. 2, F.E.A.R. 3, War in the North, and Scribblenauts Unlimited) would set you back a combined $124.94 (plus tax where applicable).
Interestingly, the only charity option this round is We Can Be Heroes, and not surprisingly Warner Brothers is involved with that campaign as well. You can read more about the charity on their site, or as usual you can send the money to the Humble Bundle or WB Games. The choice is yours.
Final Note: Make sure to pay more than the current average (e.g. by $0.01) to unlock the extra games. And if you don't, you can increase your donation, but make sure that you increase it by the missing amount if you're looking to be frugal. I made the mistake of donating $4.47, then increased it by $4.48. The interface didn't make that perfectly clear, but I should have known better. It's still a great bargain, regardless.

Gallery: Humble Bundle: Batman Edition

Microsoft Shortens List of Potential CEOs
There are at least five external candidates and three internal candidates left

HTC Abandons High-End as Desperate Cuts Continue
Company yet again flip-flops as it bleeds cash and searches desperately for direction

Study: Problems with Surgical Robots Going Unreported to the FDA
Some of these problems have resulted in the injury or death of patients

T-Mobile Beats Verizon in Branded Additions For Second Straight Quarter
T-Mobile shakes the establishment with impressive results, becomes the force AT&T tried to stop

11/5/2013 Daily Hardware Reviews -- AMD Radeon R9 290 Edition
DailyTech's roundup of reviews from around the web for Tuesday

Johnson Controls Shrinks Micro-Hybrid Battery Pack to Size of Shoebox
It's expected to have lower up-front costs for fuel efficiency, but only has a lifespan of four years on the battery

American Airlines Joins JetBlue and Delta to Welcome Expanded Use of Electronic Gadgets
Airlines now allow the use of personal electronic devices gate to gate

Acer CEO Resigns After Wider-Than-Expected Q3 Loss, Poor PC Sales
Acer's PC sales dropped by almost 35 percent in the quarter

Nikon Df D-SLR Camera Gets Official
Df is the smallest and lightest FX-format DSLR camera Nikon has ever produced

Apple Planning Arizona-Based Plant for Glass Manufacturing
It will create 2,000 jobs

Available Tags:AnandTech , Microsoft , HTC , Hardware , AMD , Radeon , Acer , CEO , Nikon , Apple ,

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 11/7/2013

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