Month: December 2013

Online safety, security and privacy were hot topics in 2013. Scandals, large-scale hacks, and system vulnerabilities were the order of the day (or the year). But what was the most important news when it came to software and online issues? Softonic lays it out for you.

MEGA

In early January, Kim Dotcom launched the MEGA cloud service. The service was to be revolutionary in the field of privacy, but shortly after the launch of the service there were already whisperings about password issues. After several defensive responses from Kim Dotcom, the developer closed the discussion on online privacy. He also encouraged users to secure their account with a strong password to protect it properly.

Two-step verification

This year saw the transition from a standard password to two-step verification. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft switched to a new system of users having a password and verification code to log in. The extra step in security ensures that hackers have more difficulty in accessing personal information. Unfortunately, the method is not without flaws: online security guard F-Secure reported that it was easy to hack Twitter’s login authentication.

iOS

The mobile operating system from Apple, iOS, also experienced security issues in 2013. Update 6.1.2 was released to fix battery problems from the previous version, but proved hugely sensitive to lockscreen hackers. This, however, didn’t hold Apple back. The American company launched iOS 7, a completely new operating system with a number of problematic security issues: even a way to access photos, email, and Twitter on a locked device. It was later discovered that it was possible use a linked credit card without entering a password – therefore enabling the hacker to make purchases.

Adobe

Software giant Adobe had a difficult year. In early October, the company announced that the account information of 2.9 million users had been hacked in a large-scale cyber attack. Adobe announced that the company did everything to secure the accounts. Users whose information had been stolen during the attacks were informed and, in addition, all payment details encrypted.

However, the same month it became clear that many more profiles had been hacked: 38 million Adobe accounts seem to have been affected by the attack. The truth came to light as AnonNews.org got hold of the original file with all the data. The information service from Anonymous also reports that more than 150 million locked passwords had been stolen. Shortly after, in order to win users back, two popular Adobe programs (Lightroom and Photoshop 5) were offered at a discounted price.

NSA & PRISM

And last, but certainly not least, the scandal that set the online world on fire: the PRISM files that were leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The world’s perception of online privacy changed overnight. The world wide web was no longer a place where you could display all your information without a care in the world, no, it was announced in June 2013 that the U.S. government was watching. Your Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and many other accounts were suddenly in the public domain. Snowden’s files showed that it’s not only terrorists who are being monitored.

The NSA was found to have access to a huge proportion of databases on the internet (voluntarily and involuntarily). It began with the rumor that the government had access to certain servers, but more information was quickly released. Not only did the NSA look for information on Google and Microsoft users, but the government’s watchdog was even spying on the virtual world of World of Warcraft and Second Life users.

A number of internet companies rallied behind a new law that internet users should get more insight into the information collected about them. All this commotion led to the question: is it too late for online privacy?

2013 was a turbulent year in the field of online and software security. Many major attacks on established names such as Microsoft, Adobe, and Twitter gave users the feeling that even their familiar, trusty software was no longer safe. The revelations from Edward Snowden on the scale of the NSA’s spying on individuals just added to the feeling of insecurity. Services such as DuckDuckGo, an anonymous browser, and Dark Mail, an encrypted e-mail service now seem more important than ever for people who like to safeguard their online privacy.

We’re wondering what 2014 has to offer in the area of ​​privacy and security! Softonic will be looking into it and keeping you informed in the New Year too.

Original article created by Sophie Notten for Softonic NL

2013 will be seen as a pivotal year in Microsoft‘s strategy – alongside hesitation and change, Windows users were able to feel equally at home on PC or mobile. It was a difficult challenge, but overall, we think Microsoft has come out on top, even though it wasn’t easy.

While that was going on, Microsoft also had to deal with the closure of MSN Messenger, one of its most used programs, in favor of the previously acquired Skype. In short, things haven’t been easy for Mr. Ballmer. Let’s look back over 2013.

Windows 8.1: the savior?

2013 was a year marked by a rather disappointing first review for Windows 8. Launched at the end of 2012 in an environment marked by declining PC sales and the rise of mobile devices, Windows 8 faced a tough challenge.

Despite a modern user interface, Windows 8 received a lot of criticism. We’re obviously thinking of the glaring absence of the Start button.

Guilty of wanting too innovate too much, Microsoft frightened its users. Windows 8.1 was released to respond to the criticism without actually solving the problem. Worse still, the system failed to convince the corporate market, a crucial sector for Microsoft.

Despite this, Windows completed its integration with SkyDrive and revamped its Store. Windows responded decisively to at least some of the criticism, its app store, for example, is now well stocked and continues to attract developers.

2013 hasn’t been synonymous with success for Windows 8, but speaking of “failure” is too strong. If we were teachers, we’d probably tell Windows that it “could do better”. The post-PC era isn’t so easy to get a good grip on, after all.

Windows RT : an OS with an uncertain future

Windows RT, one of three OS versions offered by Microsoft (alongside Windows 8 and Windows Phone), also remains one of the great mysteries of 2013. Designed for tablets, it has many features in common with Windows 8 without, however, offering the key features that users seem to enjoy.

Given the failure of tablets offering this OS, manufacturers have announced their decision to gradually stop offering Windows RT. Microsoft certainly had huge difficulties selling its Surface tablet, providing even more proof that RT just wasn’t a runner. So what’s next for the future of Windows RT?

MSN/Skype and the case of the unhappy users

Another major issue in 2013 was the end of Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger), set aside in favor of  Skype. Forced migration began in March after a final reminder was sent to users of the service. Regular users saw this forced transition in a very dim light and didn’t hesitate to make their dissatisfaction known, on social networks or right here on Softonic.

A non-customizable, austere interface with a limited number of emoticons and various features that have to be paid for, Skype is a far cry from being a unanimous success! Add to this the technical problems seen around the time of the switch and the inability of some users to connect, and you get a totally catastrophic outcome.

Despite saying all the right things, Microsoft failed its fans. Many users have moved to other messaging solutions, with Facebook being a particularly popular choice.

Almost a year after the migration, Microsoft has finally got the message and has significantly improved its VoIP software to bring it up to speed. 2014 could therefore mark an interesting resurgence of Mircosoft in the battle for messaging app supremacy.

What about you? Do you think 2014 will be a good year for Microsoft?

Original article created by Pierre Vitré for Softonic FR

In 2013, Android settled into its place as the absolute ruler of the world’s mobile operating systems. Apple maintained the pace with iOS, especially in the US, but rest of the market was the setting for an interesting battle for survival.

The strongest competitor was undoubtedly Windows Phone. The Microsoft operating system took a solid 3rd place with a little over 4% of the market. Although it didn’t launch any major new features in 2013 (just three small updates), it made strong a presence in Europe, where it reached nearly 10% of the market.

Apps and Nokia rescue Windows Phone

Windows Phone’s trump card in 2013 was undoubtedly the arrival of the apps that users wanted most: Instagram, Vine, Waze, and Papyrus. These and other apps have begun to make WP a mobile ecosystem that has a real chance of competing with major players. Thanks are due almost exclusively to Nokia, most of which was bought by Microsoft. Both HTC and Huawei, on the other hand, have pulled back from Windows Phone development.

BlackBerry’s twilight years

On the other side of the coin lies Blackberry 10, once slated to be the 3rd most popular mobile operating system, but has actually sunk spectacularly. Blackberry’s complete makeover, complete with Alicia Keys, couldn’t even begin to stem the bleeding – Balckberry 10 was ignored by users and developers alike. Perhaps the success of Blackberry Messenger, a multiplatform app, will serve as consolation to the Canadian firm. The launch of BBM for iPhone and Android, and the company’s business solutions are now their last hope.

Firefox OS, the mobile for all

Mozilla’s Firefox OS has jumped into a very different battle. With the support of Spanish firm Telefónica, Firefox OS wants to be a middle of the range operating system capable of attracting users in emerging countries. Its biggest challenge is ensuring developers of popular apps make versions for the OS, but it’s not going to be an easy task. Even though Mozilla has promised WhatsApp, for example, WhatsApp are denying all knowledge.

The Nokia leftovers: Sailfish is in, Symbian is out

While some are just arriving, others have already left. Symbian bid the ultimate farewell after Nokia decided to focus its efforts on developing Windows Phone devices. The Finnish company confirmed it would be abandoning Symbian, leaving us with a bad taste in our mouths – a system we thought had life in it yet is vanishing for good.

From another Nokia leftover, Meego, Sailfish OS is born. The future of this alternative operating system will be decided in 2014. This year, we saw the company taking at least one intelligent decision – it will be able to run Android applications, meaning it will be born in to a solid app ecosystem and you’ll be able to install it over Android.

CyanogenMod against the giant

CyanogenMod can also be easily installed over Android, but Google doesn’t seem so happy about it. While Cyanogen announced an agreement with Oppo to offer Cyanogen  Mod as a default install on the Oppo N1, Google removed Cyanogen Mod Installer from Google Play because it violated the terms for developers allowing users to “void their warrenty.”

The Ubuntu mystery

Last, but not least, Ubuntu Phone ended the year as it began, as the great unknown. Canonical led a campaign to develop a phone, but in reality it was just some free publicity. The system received an update or two during 2013, but apart from a  few small changes, it’s exactly the same one we saw during the 2013 Mobile World Congress.

We’re about to see the curtain come down on a busy year in social networks. 2013 has seen Facebook change and become more “mature,” Twitter aim high, and Google+ take aim… at the world. Or at least try to. And how was 2013 for social network users? What are people looking for in a social network? And who was the most retweeted person in the world? Here’s a look at social networks in 2013…

Facebook – time to change

Time waits for no man… even Facebook. Facemash recently turned 10 years old – this was Mark Zuckerberg’s first experiment and the predecessor to the social network that has conquered the world. Facebook was born soon after, on 4 February 2004. On the eve of its tenth anniversary, Zuckerberg’s social network is still the star of the social world, but alternatives such as Snapchat are waiting in the wings (and in the meantime are taking a significant share of the audience among teenagers). “Innovate or die” seems to be Facebook’s battle cry, and in 2013 they changed (almost) everything. Goodbye old news section and hello to News Feed, a new, completely revamped home page that offers larger images, multiple feeds and a uniform appearance between web and mobile versions. News Feed was launched last March, but many users are still waiting to have it activated on their profile. Graph Search, the new search tool for Facebook that lets you find anything and everything, from discovering which of your friends are “fans of Star Wars and Harry Potter,” to also finding “friends of my friends who are single and live in my city” launched in January. Graph Search is not available to everyone, but you can take a look at the preview image here.

2013 also saw the arrival of Facebook Home – an ambitious project launcher for Android, which has not yet found favor with the general public – and improvements to Facebook Messenger, which has a new style, lots of additional functions, and the now seemingly inevitable stickers. It would also seem that the time is ripe for a social network with fewer kittens and more news, as shown by the recent algorithm rehash from Facebook, which tries to promote the quality of news and content. Facebook is becoming very serious. Or is it? All we can do is wait until 2014 to know how the most popular social network in the world will evolve.

Twitter – the little bird is spreading its wings…

The blue bird with 140 characters has started to branch out. In 2013, Twitter launched its video sharing service, Vine. The app soon started to get noticed, not just for the spread of porn that accompanied its debut (now slowing down), but also for its immediate popularity, which has meant the app has now been taken up by Android and, recently, by Windows Phone. Twitter has also steadily improved the usability of the web version of its app, for example allowing the direct synchronization of messages between all devices. It’s more convenient,  as well as safer, thanks to the introduction of the new log-in verification system.

And, in an effort to fly high, the social network also launched its music streaming service, Twitter #music, although this doesn’t seem to have gone down too well in the general public. With a constantly growing number of users, however, the sun continues to shine in the Twitter sky. But there are clouds on the horizon, especially now that Facebook seems determined to steal a piece of the action by copying… ahem… introducing hashtags and trending topics. How will 2014 look for Twitter?

Google+ – my dad says…

The social network from Google wants to get rid of users’ Cinderella complex, and win over users who until now have remained happily satisfied by Facebook News Feed and Twitter timeline. Google started thinking big and in 2013 staked a really big claim, totally revamping Google+. The Big G social network ​​is now all new, and offers SMS integrated with Google Hangouts, GIF conversations, HD calls on any device, and more. In fact, Google+ is actually a pretty nice network, and also offers interesting photo editing tools.

But Daddy Google insists that we use its social network even when we don’t feel like it, for example by integrating Google+ into the YouTube comments. Now, those who want to leave a comment on YouTube will, by necessity, have to have a Google+ profile, so have to give up their anonymity. Goodbye to trolling? Perhaps, but in the meantime the network is protesting: the new system of YouTube comments would seem to encourage spam. How will 2014 treat Google+? We hope it will continue to improve, but give up on trying to impose its presence at all costs …

Users – Free to Choose

Meanwhile, what have the users made of social networks? Loyal but not always so, they have continued to use Facebook, Twitter and Google+ convincingly, but have not given up looking for alternatives. Like, for example, Snapchat, the photo messaging app that’s increasingly popular among teenagers and has recently introduced its own version of the Timeline. And speaking of loyalty, users of 2013 have shown particular interest in somewhat spicier apps. This was indeed the year of Bang with Friends and Tinder, two applications based on Facebook that help set up intimate encounters between third parties. All this anonymously, more or less… Confronted with this somewhat bleak scenario, it’s comforting to know that Instagram recently celebrated its third birthday with the hashtag #love. Love always triumphs, even among social network users… A tribe that never cease to surprise us, even when it comes to unpredictable spiritual inspiration. The most retweeted person in the world on Twitter? The Pope. Wow, maybe we’re even deeper than we thought!

Happy 2014!

Original article created by Laura Ceridono for Softonic IT