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Fired Google employees will file federal labor charges against the company
Four Google employees fired last week say they were let go for engaging in protected labor organizing, and that they plan to fight back. In a letter shared today, they say they're filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
Dropbox's 100GB file-transfer feature is out of beta
This summer, Dropbox introduced a new feature called Transfer as a private beta. The goal was to solve a longstanding issue with sharing files via Dropbox. For years, users have been able to share files, but changes made to the file on either the sending or receiving end would sync. That was great for collaborating, but it was less than ideal for, say, sharing files with a client. Transfer aims to solve that, and now, it's available to all users.
Windows Sandbox is a safer way to run programs you don't trust
Downloading and running an unknown .exe file can be fraught with terror -- or at the very least, a whole lot of a faff as you're required to set up a clean installation of Windows on a virtual machine. Now, Microsoft is introducing a new solution that brings it in line with a standard already found on other operating systems: Windows Sandbox. The feature creates "an isolated, temporary desktop environment" (and lightweight, at 100MB) on which to run an app, and once you've finished with it, the entire sandbox is deleted -- everything else on your PC is safe and separate. The feature is available for users of Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise running Build 18301 or later, and requires AMD64 and virtualization capabilities enabled in BIOS.
Apple gives PCs access to iCloud Drive before Macs
iOS 8 might working its way to iPhones and iPads, but Apple's long-awaited desktop refresh, Yosemite, is still receiving the final tweaks before it launches to the public. One element that features prominently between both platforms is iCloud Drive, Apple's own version of Dropbox. It's now available to mobile users, but Mac users can't enjoy its file-syncing features if they're using older versions of OS X. However, and this doesn't happen often, Windows users can get in on the action before their Mac-toting counterparts. In an updated version of the iCloud for Windows, Apple has added full support for iCloud Drive, letting PC owners interact with their files and documents from the comfort of their desktop. Mac users, of course, will enjoy additional iCloud features when Yosemite launches in the coming weeks, but for now, Windows users with iPhones and iPads can enjoy a very rare period of privileged access.
Google lets you use Chrome apps to open files on your Mac
Although Google has quietly been working to bring Chrome apps to the desktop, you've not been able click a file and have it open inside a browser extension. According to Chrome tinkerer François Beaufort, that's all about to change, after the search giant launched a new beta version of its Mac browser, which just so happens to add this kind of support for various file types. As you can see in the screenshot above, the Chrome extension Text can be assigned to edit (you guessed it) documents. Images are also supported, though it's not clear what other file types Google may allow extensions to access. Right now, it's limited to the Canary build of Chrome and requires a little bit of tinkering. Imagine a YouTube app that'll let you edit videos saved on your Mac while uploading them to the site: not something you can do currently, but Google could help make apps like that a reality.
Box acquires Folders, in what sounds like the least exciting acquisition deal ever
File-sharing service Box has acquired the technology behind a French app called Folders, which was never released, but is also centered on browsing and sharing files on the iPhone. Terms of the acquisition weren't revealed, but Box said that Folders would be a big influence on the next few iterations of the file-sharing software. The company also noted that its iPhone and iPad apps will be "cleaner, faster and more beautiful throughout 2013." Folders was originally designed as a viewer for Box with an impressive user interface and file-viewing features, but now will be "folded" into future versions of the app itself. Box boasts more than 15 million users at 150,000 businesses, and those numbers are growing all the time. If the folks at Box can find a way to team up with Staples and the Paper app, they could have a whole office!
Browser extension enables SkyDrive attachments within Gmail
Gmail users who envy Outlook's SkyDrive integration will find that the proverbial grass is now a little greener on their side, thanks to fresh features in Attachments.me's Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. With the plugin installed, files residing in Microsoft's cloud service can be attached to emails from within Gmail. Also included in the update is support for user-created rules that can direct attachments to SkyDrive as they flood into inboxes. Can't wait for Gmail to gain similar support with Google Drive, or just prefer Redmond's storage solution? Hit the source link below to infuse Mountain View's web mail with some of Microsoft's storage locker mojo.
Twitter's cooking up a way for you to archive your old tweets, relive your Bieber fever again and again
Frustrated by a lack of access to your thoughts and feelings about world events and sandwiches circa 2008? Twitter's working on a way to let users export and download old tweets into a file, according to CEO Dick Costolo. As far a service for search all users, the exec doesn't see such a solution coming any time soon, telling reporters, "It's a different way of architecting search, going through all tweets of all time. You can't just put three engineers on it."
Compelling idea for moving files from Mac to iPhone
We've all faced the difficulty of moving a file from our Mac to our iPhone. There's iCloud, Dropbox and a host of other services to help us tranfer these files, but there are no solutions as elegant as the concept devised by interaction designer Ishac Bertran. His idea for proximity-aware devices and a seamless drag-n-drop transfer is detailed in an article at Fast Company. You can get a glimpse of how the file transfer would work in the Vimeo video embedded below.
Mountain Lion developer preview changes file renaming options
One of my pet peeves with Mac OS X always appears when I'm in the process of opening a file from an app and want to either make a duplicate of an original or just want to rename the file. With Lion and previous versions of OS X, that meant that I'd have to close the "Open" dialog, open a Finder window, make the name change, and then go back to the dialog. AppleInsider noted today that the Mountain Lion developer preview adds some changes that will eliminate this pesky issue. Mountain Lion now includes "new and improved" Save and Open dialogs (see above) that finally let users rename files from the dialog -- no trip to the Finder required. With a double-click on the name, it becomes editable in the dialogs, exactly what you see in the Finder now. Files can also be renamed from the title bar of apps. The Versions pulldown currently displays options to lock, duplicate, revert to last saved version, or browse all versions. In Mountain Lion (below), the pulldown is changed so that it now adds Rename, Move to iCloud, and Move To items. While this is just a small change to the operating system, it's something that a lot of us have wanted for a long time.
Kindle Fire firmware update 6.2.2 brings full-screen browsing
The fine folks over at Amazon have further flushed out the firmware on its fiercely popular Fire tablet. Upgrading your Kindle Fire to version 6.2.2 will bring a handful of small performance tweaks, bugs fixes and, most notably, add a full-screen mode to the device's Silk browser. If you've gone ahead and rooted your Fire, applying the firmware bump will kill superuser access -- although a fresh build of BurritoRoot 2 should get you back on the straight and narrow. The new code is being pushed out over-the-air as we type, while those that enjoy the endorphin rush associated with instant gratification -- and know how to manually update a Kindle -- can find a link to the 6.2.2 firmware file below. Happy updating!
F-Secure reports Mac trojan poses as PDF
Security firm F-Secure has unearthed a troubling trojan for Macs that hides itself as a PDF, only waiting until the file is opened up and displaying some Chinese characters before it dives into your Mac's hard drive and sets up a backdoor control. Currently, according to F-Secure, the backdoor doesn't actually do anything harmful, but obviously that could change in the future, either if the original hackers take advantage of the trojan, or if someone else does. F-Secure says that the trojan currently doesn't have an icon associated with it, so in the current spotted form, it should be pretty easy to identify as a virus (especially if it shows up in just a random email). But if the trojan is embedded in a file with an extension and an icon that matches a familiar document type (like a PDF, or any other kind of file you'd open in everyday use), it's possible that the backdoor could get installed. In other words, you've got to do what you should always do on any computer: beware of any file downloaded from an untrusted source on the Internet, or any email attachments coming from a sender you don't know or recognize.
Microsoft showcases new copy, move, rename functions in Windows 8 (video)
Windows 8 has yet to see the light of day, but new details on the forthcoming OS continue to emerge. The most recent preview once again comes courtesy of Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog, where the company has posted new information on the software's copy, move, rename and delete functions. With the new system, all pending copy operations will appear in one dialog, where users can pause, stop and resume any job, while monitoring data transfer rates on a real-time throughput graph (pictured above). Redmond's developers have also made it easier to resolve file name collisions, with a new dialog that displays thumbnail images of source files directly alongside preexisting documents of the same name. This allows users to decide which files they'd like to copy or replace by simply hovering their mouse over the image to see its file path, or double clicking it to open in full view. For more information, check out the demo video that's waiting for you after the break.
CloseConnect brings HTC somewhat closer to NFC nirvana
HTC is progressing in its quest toward adding NFC support, most recently trademarking CloseConnect, which seems to be an all-encompassing solution for wireless communication. The description characterizes CloseConnect as a combination of hardware and software that links mobile devices, configures wireless networks, organizes and shares information, and yes, manages near-field communication activity. Given NFC's emerging status, along with HTC's desire to provide a distinct ecosystem, it should come as no surprise that the company is approaching this technology on its own terms. Whether CloseConnect goes cross-platform with Windows Phone is anybody's guess, although the trademark clearly describes support for smartphones and tablets alike. If you're excited about the possibilities -- and undeterred by legalese -- feel free to peruse the full description after the break.
Google trademarks Photovine, hints at new photo-sharing service
Well, it looks like Google's got the online rumor mill churning with its latest trademark application. Back on June 7th, El Goog filed a USPTO application for the name Photovine, sending sparks flying down the, er, grapevine about a possible photo-sharing program. The application cites a service dedicated to the "transmission of visual images and data by telecommunications networks, wireless communication networks, the Internet, information services networks and data networks." Unsurprisingly, it looks like the internet giant's also picked up the corresponding domain name. So is Google getting ready to add photo storage to its recent suite of cloud services? Or is it looking to up its social media cred? And where does Picasa fit into all of this? One things for certain: we won't be responsible for letting this round of speculation whither on the vine.
DataBot mouse and HDD concepts give weight to files, encourage data purges (video)
Mice have been a computing mainstay since pretty close to the dawn of the PC, but they don't offer much in terms of information about the on-screen data you're interacting with. What if they featured physical feedback to tip you off to things like the size of the files you're moving around? Two German students have answered that question likely before you even had a chance to ask. The result is an admittedly cool concept that slows the roll of your mouse, giving files the feeling weight based on the size of their contents. A "breathing" feature can also clue you in to how much a given file has been used. Also worthy of mention is their DataBot Harddrive concept, which expands and contracts based on the amount of space being used up. Video of weirdly lifelike peripherals after the break.
Google Docs now on Jolicloud Desktop, Joli OS
It already has one of the cutest names in cloud computing, and now it has Google Docs, too. Following up on its integration of Dropbox, Jolicloud just added support for the online office suite, which means you can access and edit all of your important missives and memos via the Jolicloud Desktop or Joli OS. Setting it up is as simple as clicking a button to link the two accounts -- after that, you can browse, edit, and do whatever you do in Google Docs, and because it's all stored in the cloud, you can pick up on one device where you left off on another. Sound familiar? For complete instructions, follow the source link below.
Sharp's XMDF format looks to bring e-books into the next generation
When it comes to boring 'ol text and images, there are plenty of formats that modern e-readers can manage -- your EPUBs and OPFs and the like. But, when it comes to integrating multimedia content into a kind of next-gen e-book experience, the sort Wired is pushing on the iPad, things are rather less standardized. Sharp wants to be on the forefront of bringing that style of content together under a single standard: XMDF, or ever-eXtending Mobile Document Format. It enables video and animations and flashy presentation to be mingled in with the text, surely with the intent of distracting you from actually having to read anything. Of course, XHTML can manage all this stuff too, but it never was particularly great at the sort of precision text layout publishers crave, and presumably that's also being addressed here. Naturally we're a little more excited about hardware, and Sharp showed off two prototype readers measuring 5.5- and 10.8-inches respectively... though it didn't have much to say about them otherwise. More details later this year, supposedly.
Elgato debuts Turbo.264 HD Software Edition, cuts price of hardware edition
Here at Engadget HQ, there's hardly a more overused piece of equipment than Elgato's (Mac only) Turbo.264 HD -- in our experience, it chews through bloated video files at a breakneck pace, leaving us with shrunken versions of CES hands-on and the like without any noticeable degradation in quality. Now, that same functionality is being introduced sans an easy-to-forget USB dongle as the Turbo.264 HD Software Edition. For all intents and purposes, the SE version does the exact same thing as the original, albeit at a presumably slower pace. 'Course, it'll still convert videos for use on portable devices (or just shrink the files sizes for easier archiving) far quicker than whatever method you're using now, and the $49.95 price tag is certainly a bit easier to swallow. Oh, and speaking of MSRPs -- Elgato just hacked $50 from the price of the hardware-accelerated version, leaving it at a delectable $99.95. Mmm, files. Delicious.
MusicDNA looks to supplant MP3, bring along updatable extras
As far as formats go, MP3 has managed to hang around for an impressive amount of time. To date, we've yet to see another digital audio file garner a similar amount of support (though ATRAC had a fighting chance!), but it looks as if an alternative from BACH Technology could be gunning for that crown. The new proposal is dubbed MusicDNA, and contrary to what you may expect, Dagfinn Bach -- who tinkered with the first MP3 player back in 1993 -- is all for it. Much like iTunes LP, the new format would include "lyrics, videos, artwork and blog posts, which [would] continually be updated." We're told that pirated files would still play back (as in, DRM shouldn't be an issue here), but none of the aforesaid updates would arrive. Currently, no major labels are onboard with the idea, but the company has suggested that the initial response has been pretty positive. Too bad it'll never go anywhere without a recognizable online storefront, but hey, we're rootin' for you over here! Update: The musicDNA used in the currently available musicGPS iPhone app is something completely different. Who knows if this will lead to a scuffle over naming rights.
