Secure Ports with Lockable CAT5e/6/6A Cables

3 Series are Black Box's best cables ever! Use these high-performance, lockable CAT5e/6/6A patch cables for everday network connections. When you need security, insert the Locking Pin into the patented LockPORT™ boot. Once locked, cables can only be released with the Removal Key.

Google Brings Portable Native Client To Chrome

Developers can now compile native C and C++ code to run in Chrome across different hardware architectures.
 As part of its ongoing effort to make Web apps perform as well as native apps, Google on Tuesday released Portable Native Client (PNaCl), a software framework that allows developers to compile native C and C++ code so that it can be embedded in and run from any website.
Native code can take advantage of CPUs and GPUs in a way that Web applications still cannot to enable computationally demanding applications that involve sophisticated graphics.
Portable Native Client differs from Google's Native Client (NaCl) technology in that it creates architecture-independent output. Where native code compiled with NaCl emerges tuned for a specific instruction set, like x86, ARM or MIPS, programs compiled with PNaCl will run on any hardware platform. In other words, they will work on mobile and desktop devices.

Learn About Cell Phones with Always-on Sensors

Round-the-Clock Sensing.Always-on sensors in a few new mobile phones will likely make them more contextually-aware and bring new capabilities to such applications as pedestrian navigation, health, and fitness tracking. The typical approach to extending mobile device operating time between battery charges focuses on switching off sensors whenever they're not urgently needed. But a few phones turn this strategy on its head, incorporating a highly power-efficient coprocessor that operates and manages all of the sensors, permitting always-on sensing without draining the battery too quickly.

Why Android Updates Take So Long To Get To Your Smartphone

It’s like geek Christmas: The newest version of Android comes out and it's full of exciting new features and designs. You rush to the Android Developer portal to learn about all the new functionality and check your smartphone manufacturer's website to see when your phone will receive the latest and greatest from Android.
Then you wait. And wait. And wait.
So why exactly does it take so long for Android updates to reach your phone? The signal originates at Google, but an update must traverse a complicated series of portals through manufacturers, chipset makers and carriers before it finally reaches your smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy SIV Is The Best Smartphone For Battery Life

In one of its typically rigorous tests, Which?, the UK consumer association, has found that Samsung's latest flagship handset not only lasts the longest between charges, its battery life is almost double that of the iPhone 5C.
OK, it may not have a 64-bit processor or fingerprint sensor, run the latest version of its platform's operating system or use anything other than plastic in its exterior design, but Samsung Galaxy SIV owners finally have a comeback when teased by their iPhone wielding (or any other brand of smartphone, for that matter) friends.
In simulated tests designed to examine talk time and web use, the SIV has beaten all-comers. In fact, its owners can chat for 1,051 minutes — 280 more than the second-placed HTC One (771 minutes) and 400 minutes more than an iPhone 5S (651 minutes, fourth place). Of the new handsets tested, the Nokia Lumia 1020 came in eighth and final place, managing just 460 minutes of talk time before the battery needed charging. Still, that is only marginally less than the seventh-placed iPhone 5C's 564 minutes.
Although talk time is a good indicator of battery life, the fact is that smartphones are no longer primarily used for voice calls. But, in simulated web use (via wi-fi) tests, the SIV was still top dog albeit with a much smaller margin of victory. It offered 405 minutes of surfing, just beating the SIV Mini's 394 minutes. The HTC One Mini came third in this test with 385 minutes and its bigger brother, the HTC One, fourth (339 minutes). In this test the Nokia also redeemed itself with 306 minutes, putting it in sixth place ahead of the iPhone 5S in seventh place (298 minutes) and the iPhone 5C in last with just 252 minutes.
Of the results, Which? technology researcher Jon Barrow wrote in an accompanying blog post: "Our tests prove that while the batteries in the new iPhones last longer than those in the old iPhone 5, they still can't match the capacity of those in the best Android phones."
However, he also stressed that better battery life came with a trade off. The iPhone is much more portable than the Galaxy SIV and the HTC One: "You'll have to choose what's more important — a compact iPhone that can be slipped into your pocket, and is easy to use one-handed, or a bigger, heavier Android-alternative that'll keep on going long after the iPhone has run out of juice."
The results in full:
Call time
1 Samsung Galaxy SIV: 1051 minutes
2 HTC One: 771 minutes
3 Samsung Galaxy SIV: 746 Mini minutes
4 Apple iPhone 5S: 651 minutes
5 BlackBerry Z10: 600 minutes
6 HTC One Mini: 592 minutes
7 Apple iPhone 5C: 564 minutes
8 Nokia Lumia 1020: 460 minutes
Internet use
1 Samsung Galaxy SIV: 405 minutes
2 Samsung Galaxy SIV Mini: 394 minutes
3 HTC One Mini: 385 minutes
4 HTC One: 339 minutes
5 BlackBerry Z10: 335 minutes
6 Nokia Lumia 1020: 306 minutes
7 Apple iPhone 5S: 298 minutes
8 Apple iPhone 5C: 252 minutes.

Apple considering two iPhones with larger screen sizes and metal casings

Apple's considering larger screens for its next iPhones. Because, yeah, the mobile market's been trending that direction for a while now, so it'd make sense. That doesn't mean it's necessarily true, but with the Wall Street Journal weighing in on it today, the notion is gaining a bit more credibility. This is all, of course, attributed to "people familiar with the situation" that peg Apple's next two phones as having target screen sizes larger than 4.5-inches and 5-inches, respectively. What makes this rumor even juicier is the possibility that Apple might abandon the polycarbonate casing of the iPhone 5c in favor of the tried-and-true metallic approach of its latest generation.
All of this could change, however, as the alleged strategy is still being bandied about internally at Apple, with only the smaller-sized iPhone model being considered for mass production. That means your dreams of a phablet-y iPhone will have to remain just that for now. September is still far, far away and we won't know for sure what Cupertino's cooking up until then. But you can bet there'll be more rumors, more leaks and more fakes from the internet's iFandom to keep us all guessing as to Apple's next (relatively) giant leap. I heard the rumor and want to pass it on

OneDrive To Rule Them All: Microsoft Rebrands SkyDrive Following Trademark Ruling

Microsoft has just announced that it’s set to change the name of its popular SkyDrive cloud storage service to OneDrive.
The rebranding comes as a result of a court ruling in June last year that ordered Microsoft to drop the SkyDrive name as it breached the “Sky” trademark of British TV broadcaster BSkyB.
Fortunately, the new designation of SkyDrive is not without its evident branding merits, as pointed out by Ryan Gavin, General Manager of Consumer Apps and Services at Microsoft, in his announcement post on the service’s newly renamed official blog:

Why OneDrive? We know that increasingly you will have many devices in your life, but you really want only one place for your most important stuff. One place for all of your photos and videos. One place for all of your documents. One place that is seamlessly connected across all the devices you use. You want OneDrive for everything in your life.

Industry's Smallest, Lowest-profile Micro SIM Card Connector — SF56 Series

JAE's SF56 Series features include: card detection switch to prevent incomplete insertion, balanced four hold-down points for good EMI performance, card ejection stroke of 4.1 mm, 0.5 A per pin current, and 10 V per pin voltage. Ideal for use in smartphones and tablets.

Plug-and-Play IP Cores Improve Design Reuse

To meet growing customer demand for system-level design support for the use of multiple IP cores from diverse internal and third-party sources, Xilinx has launched the Plug-and-Play IP initiative. It leverages industry standards, such as AMBA AXI 4, IEEE P1735, and IP-XACT XML, to accelerate IP integration in system-level designs. Besides vastly improving designer productivity by supporting easier IP reuse, the initiative allows design teams to create complex systems with minimal effort.

ARM Tools Automatically Optimize Code

Implementing patent-pending techniques, UK-based Somnium Technologies Ltd. has readied a novel development tool set for ARM processors, including multicore designs and heterogeneous system chips, that performs software optimization automatically. As a result, the tools can significantly decrease the code size and, therefore, the energy footprint. All this can be done without altering source code. Consequently, it delivers better results faster than is possible with existing software development methods.

Laser Mark Electronics with Epilog Laser

Mark electronic devices and components quickly and easily with a laser marking system from Epilog. Powerful, user-friendly laser systems allow you to mark data matrix codes, serial numbers, and other UID marks at the touch of a button, saving manufacturers valuable time, and resources. Contact Epilog for information and complimentary laser samples!

Europe Kicks off 5G Standardization Work

Efforts are under way in Europe to develop fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks for 2020 and beyond. Towards that goal, following the footsteps of the 3GPP, the European Commission (EC) has officially formed the 5G Public-Private Partnership Association (5GPPP). While 4G LTE and its continuous evolution will be sufficient until the end of this decade, the 5GPPP believes that beyond 2020 a new generation of technologies will be needed to address market demands. Wishing this will be available in Nigeria as well to actualize the said vision 2020.

Discover the World's Smallest Laptop Adapter

Startup Shrinks Size of Laptop Adapters
Power conversion start up FINsix has unwrapped a new laptop power adapter, which the maker claims is the world's smallest. Packaged as a standard wall plug, the power unit is one-fourth the size and one-sixth the weight of traditional adapters. It incorporates proprietary VHF power conversion technology that allows switching at hundreds of MHz while offering high efficiency.

Integrated Digital Laser Scanning Solutions for Demanding Applications

Cambridge Technology, announces its unsurpassed innovation with the all-digital Lightning II platform providing unmatched speed and accuracy for emerging applications. With its integrated controller and software, CTI has unleashed the power of LII to achieve unprecedented speed, accuracy, reliability, flexibility with graphic capability for customer integration. culled from Cambridge Technology Inc.

Discover What You Can Do with Your Camera Phone

 Mobile-phone Imagers Fuel New Apps
That high-resolution camera in your smartphone can be used for much more than just taking  self pictures. Scandinavian researchers extracted the image sensor from a phone to make a mini microscope capable of analyzing samples placed directly on the sensor chip. The system accurately detected parasites in patient samples, demonstrating potential as a cheap point-of-care analyzer for infectious disease. Elsewhere, Arden Photonics and the UK's National Physical Laboratory re purposed a commercially-available mobile phone liquid lens to produce a compact, economical laser beam analyzer.

THE TOP 5 TRAVEL APPLICATIONS FOR BLACKBERRY 10

Going either to a new city or overseas can be a daunting experience for many, but luckily your good old trusty BlackBerry10 smartphone has you covered. There's a ton of travel related applications in BlackBerry World, but we've selected the best 5 which I'm pretty confident will make your travels not only easier - but also less stressful. 

They range from organizing your trip, navigating, to finding places to eat and visit - all of which can be a major pain in the butt if you are relying on old school paper maps and tourist guides.

For relief, checkout these top 5 applications on your Blackberry10...Enjoy your travel with

-BlackBerry Travel
- BlackBerry Maps
- Sky scanner
-Ar Kick
-Foursquare

SIX THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHIP TECHNOLOGY

The days of credit and debit cards with black magnetic stripes across the back are not the future. The U.S. is moving toward EMV and chip cards. The media has recently made references to this important change. So what do you need to know?
Q.  The Basics – What are Chip Cards?
EMV chip cards have computer chips embedded in them. They are widely used in Europe and Asia and are beginning to be adopted in the U.S.
People who frequently travel abroad may already have chip cards or may have seen them used in London, Toronto and Istanbul. The rest of us are likely to have chip cards in our hands by 2015.
Q.  Why Chip Cards?
Chip cards better protect your account information from fraud. And every electronic payment – credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets – is almost always more secure than cash.
The magnetic-striped credit and debit cards you are accustomed to contain “static” data, or payment data that does not change. The data stored in the magnetic stripes includes your 16-digit card account number, expiration date and 3-digit security code (CVC) like the one found on the back of your card.
Chip cards contain the same data and more. Each purchase or transaction that you make generates “dynamic” or unique data that is encoded in a safe mode.
EMV helps protect you even if your card or your card data is lost or stolen, the technology:

• Makes it difficult for anyone but the rightful owner to use the card
• Protects against the creation of counterfeit cards because dynamic data is only good for a single purchase or use

Q. What is MasterCard Doing?
MasterCard is one of the original founders of the chip card standard known as EMV, short for EuroPay (now part of MasterCard), MasterCard and Visa.
We continue to advance the technology and introduce it to every country around the world . . . allowing you to safely use your MasterCard no matter where you are.
Q.  Will this Change The Way I Pay for Things?
A little bit. Rather than swiping your card, you may soon insert it into or tap it against a card reader so the chip on your card and the reader can “talk” and establish a secure connection.
Q.  Why Isn’t the U.S. Currently Using Chip Card Technology?
Historically, countries with higher fraud rates switched to chip cards earlier than countries with lower fraud rates.
Q. What will I see as a Cardholder?
First, you will see new card readers or payment terminals in your favorite stores and restaurants. Many of the new readers are already in place, especially if the business caters to travelers from outside the U.S.
Next your bank or credit union will send you a new chip card. Some EMV cards are already available in the U.S. However, the chip cards are provided predominantly on an “at request” basis and, as mentioned, most often to international travelers.

KLOQE iPHONE 5s CASE FOR THOSE WHO HATE CASES

A new case that has found its way onto Kickstarter claims to be the very first all-aluminum iPhone case that doesn’t affect reception and it’s also designed for people who hate iPhone cases.
The case is designed in the same naked form of the iPhone 5S, so that it essentially keeps the same form factor as the original case, only bulkier than the original.
According to Cult of Mac, the new KLOQE isn’t quite as seamlessly as it claims to be, and still adds a bit of bulk to the overall design of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
Still, for an extra bit of moderate protection, I can’t say that the case looks all bad. The form factor is at least sleek, and the additional colors are as sexy as Apple’s original iPhone 5S design.The case will be available for $99. Culled from iphone news.

SMART PHONES FOR SENIORS

At a recent press conference, Google's Motorola Mobility subsidiary launched its Saudi Arabia product portfolio for the year 2014. Releasing details about its forthcoming devices aimed at the Saudi Arabia market this year, Motorola unveiled its affordable Moto G handset, describing it as a marvelous smartphone for customers looking for a low-cost, no-compromise device.
Introducing the Moto G handset at the press conference, Motorola said that the handset will be priced at SR899 for the 8GB model; and SR999 for the 16GB configuration. The handset will, thus, cost one-third the price of most of the current high-end smartphone. However, despite its affordable price-tag, it will be capable of delivering a premium smartphone experience.
For Nigerians you may wish to convert the price above to Nigerian Money.