Jive Software has eliminated the limit on the number of people who can use its social task management application Producteev for free within a company.It also added new features to the application, including the capability of assigning tasks to everyone in the company, not just to narrower sets of employees involved in a specific project."Now you can scale Producteev across large companies and have your entire network [of employees] all taking advantage of it," said Nathan Rawlins, Jive's vice president of product marketing.Producteev strikes a balance between to-do applications aimed at individuals and heavy-duty, complex project management software designed for project leaders, according to Rawlins.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

A survey of U.S. utilities shows many are facing frequent cyberattacks that could threaten a highly interdependent power grid supplying more than 300 million people, according to a congressional report.More than a dozen utilities said cyberattacks were daily or constant, according to the survey, commissioned by U.S. Democratic Representatives Edward J. Markey and Henry A. Waxman. The 35-page report on the survey, called "Electric Grid Vulnerability," was released on Tuesday.The report is in response to widespread concerns that hackers could damage parts of the U.S. power grid, causing widespread outages and prolonged economic effects. Markey and Waxman are members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, which held a hearing on cyberthreats and security on Tuesday.Power outages and quality disturbances cost the U.S. economy upwards of US$188 billion annually, with single outages costing as much as $10 billion, the report said. Replacing large transformers, for example, can take more than 20 months.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

New network software from Ericsson is designed to make sure mobile users get the best possible connection when there is both a Wi-Fi and a cellular network available. The software, which Ericsson introduced Tuesday at the CTIA Wireless trade show, is an enhancement to its platform for mobile operators that use Wi-Fi to supplement their cellular networks. It continuously measures which network will work best for a given subscriber and automatically shifts that users connection between the two, the company said. According to Ericsson, this capability can prevent subscribers from being shifted from cellular to Wi-Fi and then kept on the Wi-Fi network even though its slower than cellular in their current location. Why use Wi-Fi? Many carriers are deploying or partnering for Wi-Fi networks in order to offload data traffic from their cellular systems, embracing so-called heterogeneous networks. In addition to conserving cellular spectrum and capacity, this can give subscribers better connections when near the Wi-Fi networks, which most often are deployed in crowded areas. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

Yahoo again ranks as one of the worlds 100 most valuable brands. The Internet company nabbed the 92nd spot in the annual list of global companies from multiple industries including technology, retail and service, released Tuesday by BrandZ, a brand equity database. The ranking gave Yahoo a brand value of $9.83 billion, which is based on the opinions of current and potential users as well as actual financial data. Apple occupied the number-one position on the list, with a brand value of $185 billion. Google was number two, with a value of roughly $114 billion. The BrandZ ranking, commissioned by the advertising and marketing services group WPP, incorporates interviews with more than 2 million consumers globally about thousands of brands along with financial performance analysis to compile the list. Yahoo last appeared on the list in 2009 at number 81. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

Even great game franchises fall prey to mergers, acquisitions, and the vagaries of the game business. Such was the fate of FreeSpace 2, a space simulator originally released in 1999 to great critical acclaim, as part of the Descent and FreeSpace franchise. Due to business circumstances, it was the last in the seriesbut it can still be played today for the price of $10. and its source code, released in 2002, has been adopted by an active community of coders and modders. The FreeSpace 2 mission selection screen looks like the set of a Sci-Fi epic. The original game remains commercially available to this day through GOG, a service specializing in old-time games. While the original FreeSpace 2 offered very impressive graphics for its time, it can't hope to match modern space-sim games in the visauls department. Fortunately, it has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay and depth. Cockpit and HUD controls are intricate and well thought out, from subsystem targeting, through automatic speed matching, to smart indicators on your HUD showing a target's distance and bearing even when it's out of your field of view. FreeSpace 2 also makes good use of the keyboard, with an interface that expects you to memorize many keys. FreeSpace 2 helps you master the complex controls interactively, using tutorials. If you enjoy FreeSpace 2's detailed gameplay and only wish for some updated graphics, you're in luck: Open-source, free mods dress FreeSpace 2 in updated graphics from franchises you probably already know, and include new storylines and game mechanics to boot. I tried Diaspora, a mod based on the Battlestar Galactica 2004 remake, and was impressed by its slick graphics. It was nice to find myself in the pilot's seat of a Viper, trying to prove myself as a nugget (and badly failing). To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

VMware has launched its long-anticipated public infrastructure as a service (IaaS), touting its virtual networking capabilities as a differentiator from other established hybrid cloud offerings. VMwares vCloud Hybrid Service will be based on the companys vCloud architecture, allowing customers to shift their VMware encoded workloads between in-house and the VMware hosted service, a practice known as running a hybrid cloud. Joab JacksonVMware CEO Pat Gelsinger unveiling VMware's hybrid cloud strategy. You can write an application and be safe in the knowledge it can be run anywhere, said VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger, in a Web conference announcing the new service, adding that much of the complexity enterprises experience in deploying their workloads in the cloud comes from preparing their in-house applications to run in a new environment. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

Well, that didnt take long. A mere five days after Brian Krzanich took the reins as the new CEO of Intel, hes shaking things up at an organizational level. Krzanich has reorganized key business groups and created a new New Devices division to focus on emerging trends, including ultra-mobile devices, reports AllThingsD. Mike Bell, who formerly co-ran Intels mobile unitmost notably in the push to bring x86 to Androidwill take leadership of the new division. The group will be tasked with turning cool technology and business model innovations into products that shape and lead markets, Intel said in a statement to AllThingsD. Reuters first reported the changes after an anonymous source came forward with the information. Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy confirmed to Reuters that Krzanich had sent out an internal email outlining the changes, but didnt elaborate further on shake-up details. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

Plenty of applications help you show off your photos, and plenty help you show off your videos. But too few tools exist that allows you to show them off together. Enter Fantashow Pro, a $50-per-year application allows you to combine still photos with videos to create a custom video slideshow. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

Microsoft is making a big play for the living room with a new Xbox console that marries games with live TV, Internet browsing, music and Skype. The Xbox One could considerably expand Microsoft's presence in consumer electronics but is expected to compete with Internet TV devices from companies such as Intel, interactive set-top boxes from cable TV companies, and Sony's PlayStation 4. There's also a possible set-top box from Apple. It was unveiled during an event at Microsoft's Redmond campus. A launch date was not immediately announced. "Xbox On," said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft, as he began to demonstrate the device. The Xbox sprang to life and presented Mehdi with a home screen. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...

In an effort to streamline the development of wireless charging technology, Duracell subsidiary Powermat Technologies will merge with the Helsinki-based company PowerKiss. Together, the two companies are responsible for thousands of public stations used to wirelessly charge mobile phones in the United States and Europe. Until now, the conflicting systems used by each company have eliminated any benefit wireless charging technology might have for overseas travelers who rely on their smartphones. The statement released today explains that eliminating those incompatible standards is the primary motivation of combining under the Powermat umbrella. With their forces joined, the two pioneers will be pushing forward with Powermats PMA standard, which has already been accepted by global leaders like General Motors, Starbucks, and Duracell. Adding Powerkiss European presence to the PMA standard may well define it as the unofficial international standard for wireless charging. Powermat has instituted PMA wireless charging stations in more than 1,500 retail locations including Starbucks and AT&T stores. Likewise, Powerkiss has enabled wireless charging in more than 1,000 European locations, including McDonalds restaurants. In a remarkable commitment to the future of the technology, the merging of these two companies will ultimately ensure consistency across international borders. This is a huge step for the burgeoning industry of wireless charging. Our smartphones are heavily burdened with improving nearly every detail of our daily lives. Its a difficult task, even with vastly improved battery life aided by the efficient performance of processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon. For international travelers who already face issues with different outlets and service providers when theyre overseas, the introduction of seamless, consistent formats for wireless charging across the globe will be a big relief. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here More...