Microsoft is working to beef up its Windows Store in advance of the release of the highly anticipated Windows 10 to make it easier for developers to monetize their apps. The Windows Store is Microsoft’s take on marketplaces like Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
Despite trailing them in app count and popularity, Windows Store did make some big gains in 2014. Microsoft’s mission in the new year is to keep this momentum going and help improve the Windows app ecosystem.
A recent presentation at the Chaos Communications Congress hacking convention used information from the archive of leaked Snowden documents to identify the communications technologies, such as Skype, that the NSA routinely monitors and from which it collects data.
Yet other technologies–such as the onion routing protocol used by the TOR network and the Zimmerman Real-Time Protocol—appear to have hobbled the agency’s data collection plans. The documents date back to 2012 but are thought to be an accurate representation of the NSA’s current capabilities.
While 3D printers were originally used mostly by product manufacturers, aerospace companies and other major businesses, they are now being used by enterprises of all sizes. Much of the latest enthusiasm for 3D printing comes from a blooming hobbyist or “maker” movement that has helped bring down the cost of smaller devices to where companies of any size can now afford to try one.
The high-end division of Seagate Technology, LaCie, has unveiled the Mirror portable hard drive as well as the 4-terabyte Rugged RAID mobile drive. The drives are designed to enable users to optimize them for speed or data security according to their workflow and use it on any Mac or PC.
The Mirror portable drive was designed in collaboration with the acclaimed French designer, Pauline Deltour. The drive is wholly encased in scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass that is chemically strengthened to prevent cracking or shattering.