Let’s Encrypt has announced its first-ever certificate. Let’s Encrypt is a new certificate authority, made up of tech companies, organizations and researchers, whose goal is to make HTTPS the default protocol for the Web. “Today we mark an important milestone in our march to encrypt all of the Web: the first-ever certificate issued by Let’s … continue reading
Google wants to help developers build better apps with the introduction of new runtime permissions. The new permissions will be replacing the existing install-time permissions model in the company’s upcoming operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow. “Runtime permissions give your app the ability to control when and with what context you’ll ask for permissions,” wrote Ian … continue reading
Cortana for Android is now available to users through a public beta. According to Microsoft, the application for Android is similar to Cortana for Windows PC or Windows Phone. It features the ability to set and get reminders, search the Web, and track information such as flights. Currently the hands-free capability for Cortana is only … continue reading
Windows became Windows as a Service with the release of Windows 10, meaning the company will constantly release updates and improvements to the operating system. The only problem is the company won’t be giving users details about those updates and improvements, except under certain circumstances. The Register reported that the company has no plans to … continue reading
Google and Intel are teaming up to provide 3D capabilities to Google’s Project Tango smartphone. Project Tango is an Android smartphone designed to track 3D motion in real time. Intel recently announced it would be providing Project Tango and RealSense technology in an Android smartphone developer kit. The developer kit will enable indoor navigation and … continue reading
GitHub is making the jump from Web-based platform to desktop collaboration. This week’s GitHub Project of the Week is not a project at all, but the next natural extension of GitHub’s open-source platform itself. The repository-hosting service has become the social collaboration hub for open-source development, and with the announcement of GitHub Desktop, it looks … continue reading
Researchers from Georgia Tech have discovered an emerging class of C++ bugs, and Facebook has awarded them US$100,000 for their efforts. The bugs are rooted in a new method for identifying “bad casting” vulnerabilities in C++ programs casted dynamically or statically at runtime. The researchers, who presented their findings at the USENIX Security ’15 conference, … continue reading
Researchers from IBM’s X-Fore Application Security team have discovered a new serialization vulnerability that affect more than 55% of Android phones. According to the researchers, the vulnerability could allow attacks to perform arbitrary code execution and gain access to a user’s device. The vulnerability is nestled within the Android platform, and it affects Android Jelly … continue reading
Microsoft has released an early look at its open-source Windows 10 Bridge for iOS. Previously known as “Project Islandwood,” the bridge allows iOS developers to build and run apps on Windows. The version currently available to the open-source community is a work in progress, and Microsoft is encouraging feedback and code contributions before the final … continue reading
Windows 10 officially arrived this week, and not everyone is impressed. In an open letter to Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, Mozilla’s CEO Chris Beard called the company out on what he calls a disturbing feature of Windows 10. The latest release of the operating system automatically changes users’ default apps, such as making Microsoft Edge … continue reading
Windows 10 is now available as a free upgrade in 190 countries worldwide. Available today for Windows Insiders, Microsoft’s next-gen operating system will be rolled out in stages to Microsoft PC and tablet consumers over the next few days. The free Windows 10 Mobile upgrade will be released later this year. (Related: A preview of … continue reading
Microsoft has made many moves in 2015, with each step proving it is not the Microsoft of old. The company is embracing change, from open-sourcing parts of the .NET framework, to building applications for competing platforms—sometimes before their own platforms. This year we are getting a new version of Windows, both desktop and mobile, and … continue reading
