Deathmatch review: Windows 8.1 vs. OS X Yosemite

	Hands-on with Apple Pay | Bottom line: Should you upgrade to OS X Yosemite?
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	Deathmatch review: Windows 8.1 vs. OS X Yosemite With OS X 10.10 Yosemite now shipping and Windows 8.1 done with its 2014 update cycle, how do the two flagship PC operating systems compare? Windows 8.1 and some of its 2014 updates let users avoid most of the Windows 8 experience, so they can return to a Windows 7-like state of comfort. In contrast, Yosemite moves the Mac into new collaborative territory with iPads and iPhones, and it adopts iOS's visual conventions. In short, Windows has essentially languished this year as Microsoft turns its attention to the next version to debut next year, and Apple has continued its steady pace of evolving OS X into iOS territory.[ Can Windows 10 cure the Windows blues?  InfoWorld's J. Peter Bruzzese has new hope. | Also: Check out InfoWorld's first-look tour of Windows 10. | Learn about the liquid computing revolution that Apple's Handoff presages. ] My colleague Woody Leonhard has reviewed 2013's Windows 8.1 in depth, as well as the Update 1 improvements from 2014, and I encourage you to read his take to understand the nuances of Microsoft's tablet/desktop hybrid OS. I've previously detailed the intriguing new capabilities in OS X Yosemite, which I also urge you to check out. Here, I highlight the key differences, strengths, and weaknesses of the two OSes, both of which I've been using since their first betas were released, organized by InfoWorld's scoring categories for desktop operating systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More   : KnowBe4 Avoid the Nightmare of CryptoLocker Since September 2013, several ransomware strains are attacking end-users. You cannot just rely on your filters, you also have to train your end-users. Get a Quote for your organization now and your users trained ASAP. If your files get encrypted due to human error after your user steps through our training, KnowBe4 will pay the crypto-ransom. Learn more >> In this Issue Hands-on with Apple Pay Bottom line: Should you upgrade to OS X Yosemite? Spec showdown: Google Nexus 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Samsung sticks to US PC market with $249.99 Chromebook 2 Galaxy Note 4 review: Samsung finally listens to its fans, and it pays off Q&A: Will.i.am dubs his Puls wearable a bracelet, not a smartwatch Why the Surface Pro 3 has quietly replaced my work PC WHITE PAPER: Alert Logic   State of Cloud Security Report In a relatively short time, cloud computing, specifically Infrastructure-as a-Service, has shifted from a new but unproven approach to an accepted, even inevitable, model. Driven by flexibility and efficiency, the question facing most organizations is which applications and workloads to move to the cloud and when. Learn More Hands-on with Apple Pay Apple Pay, the new NFC payment system for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, went live today. IDG News Service's Martyn Williams checked out the new service to see how it works. Read More   Bottom line: Should you upgrade to OS X Yosemite? Recently we've covered OS X Yosemite up one side and down the other. Read through our guides for installing Yosemite; getting familiar with the new operating system's design; putting Handoff and Continuity to good use; and learning about changes to Safari, Notification Center, Spotlight, and Mail, Messages, and Calendars. That should give you a pretty fair idea of the changes Apple has wrought with Yosemite. Equipped with this knowledge it's time to ask the important question: Should I update or not?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More   WHITE PAPER: AT&T Network-Enabled Cloud: Key Considerations A network-enabled cloud combines the control, protection, and performance advantages of a private cloud with the economies and elasticity of a public cloud, and seamlessly integrates corporate VPNs with cloud-based resources. Learn more about key Considerations and Partner Selection Criteria in this IDC whitepaper. Learn More Spec showdown: Google Nexus 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 If you're on the lookout for a new Android smartphone with a big screen, the Motorola-manufactured Nexus 6 from Google and Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 4 are two hot possibilities.FThe Nexus 6 was announced on Wednesday along with Android Lollipop, the latest version of Google's mobile OS. It will compete with a growing number of smartphones with screens larger than 5.5 inches. But the biggest Android-based competitor is the Note 4. The success of the Note family is the main reason behind the "phablet" trend. Here's a spec comparison between the phones:ProcessorsLollipop, which the Nexus 6 will run, is the first 64-bit compatible version of Android. However, Qualcomm won't offer high-end 64-bit processors until the first half of next year. Therefore Google decided to go with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 processor, which is a 32-bit chipset that also powers the Note 4.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More   Samsung sticks to US PC market with $249.99 Chromebook 2 Samsung Electronics hopes its latest Chromebook 2 will reaffirm its commitment to PCs in the U.S., specially after a surprising decision last month to stop selling laptops in Europe.The latest Chromebook 2 NP900X3E-A02US, announced on Friday, has an 11.6-inch screen and weighs 1.2 kilograms. Starting at US$249.99, it is also Samsung's least expensive Chromebook 2 model.The model will ship next week in the U.S. The laptop offers nine hours of battery life and has 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM.Chromebooks are lightweight, low-cost laptops for those who do most of their computing online. The PCs run Google's Chrome OS, and most applications require wireless connectivity. Google is making more offline applications available in an effort to make Chromebooks full-fledged competitors to Windows PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More   WHITE PAPER: ForgeRock Why Organizations Must Take a Strategic Approach to IRM Forrester finds that to achieve this securely, companies need identity and access management (IAM) platforms that are adaptable, scalable, responsive, and high velocity. View now>> Galaxy Note 4 review: Samsung finally listens to its fans, and it pays off Galaxy Note 4 review: Samsung finally listens to its fans, and it pays off With the Note 4, it feels like Samsung took every little comment stuffed into its cobweb-covered suggestion box and actually listened to what its users want. From: Network World Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 01:36 More in Science & Technology Read More   Q&A: Will.i.am dubs his Puls wearable a bracelet, not a smartwatch Musician and technology entrepreneur Will.i.am unveiled the "Puls" on Wednesday, a high-tech bracelet that lets people make phone calls, check Twitter and Instagram, and tell the time.But don't call it a smartwatch."Just because it's on your wrist, this is not a watch," Will.i.am said during a joint interview with the IDG News Service and The Verge, following the official unveiling at the Salesforce Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More   Why the Surface Pro 3 has quietly replaced my work PC About two weeks ago, I unplugged my Lenovo ThinkPad Twist laptop and set it aside. I replaced it with the Surface Pro 3, connected my peripherals to Microsoft's docking station, and powered everything up. For the first time in my life, I'm working from a Windows tablet. Full time. For work and play.Think about the significance of that. Unless you fed punch cards into a mainframe, your first experience with a computer was likely a desktop PC. Over time, you embraced notebooks—maybe reluctantly at first, but eventually with enthusiasm. We're negotiating a similar transition today, as notebooks cede ground to mobile devices as the primary computing engines of people's lives. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More
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