Author: ttcsadmin

  • Google Earth Pro is now free

    Google has made Google Earth Pro, formerly a paid product, available for free.

    google-earth-pro-pos-ttcs
    Screenshot of Google Earth Pro showing Port of Spain, Trinidad

     

    So what are the features of Google Earth Pro compared to Google Earth?

    From the Google Earth Pro website:

    Google Earth Pro gives you access to Google’s comprehensive globe, including aerial imagery, street data, panoramic Street View images, historical imagery, and points of interest. In addition, Google Earth Pro offers tools and capabilities designed specifically for business users, including:

    • Print high resolution screenshots
    • Map large GIS datasets
    • Quickly map thousands of addresses
    • Create custom movies to share with clients and customers
    • Measure area with a polygon or circle
    • View demographic, parcel and traffic data displayed in colorful layers

     

    Unfortunately,. the satellite imagery for Trinidad is somewhat out of date. For example, the satellite imagery doesn’t show the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain which was built around 2009.

    Download Google Earth Pro, and complete the form to have a free license key emailed to you.

  • Apple releases iOS 8.1.3 ; reduces the amount of storage needed to perform a software update

    io813-notes

    Apple has released iOS 8.1.3 for all devices running iOS 8. One key feature of the update is that it reduces the amount of storage needed to perform a software update.  Its a 247MB download so you may want to connect your phone or tablet to your computer and perform the update via iTunes.

    See http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/01/ios-8-1-3-released-reduces-the-space-you-need-to-install-updates/

  • Apple reports fiscal 2015 quarterly results ; Revenue $74.6 billion US ; Profit $18 billion US

    picjumbo.com_HNCK2574

    From the Apple Press Release :

    Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 first quarter ended December 27, 2014. The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $74.6 billion and record quarterly net profit of $18 billion, or $3.06 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $57.6 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.9 percent compared to 37.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 65 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

    The results were fueled by all-time record revenue from iPhone® and Mac® sales as well as record performance of the App Store℠. iPhone unit sales of 74.5 million also set a new record.

     

     

     

  • Adobe releases third security update this month for Adobe Flash for Windows, Macintosh and Linux (January 27 2015)

    Adobe Flash Player logo

    Another security flaw for Adobe Flash Player being exploited in the wild means another security update for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, Mac and Linux, the third update this month.

    According to the Adobe Security Bulletin dated January 27 2015:

    Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, Macintosh and Linux.  These updates address vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.

    Adobe is aware of reports that CVE-2015-0311 is actively being exploited in the wild via drive-by-download attacks against systems running Internet Explorer and Firefox on Windows 8.1 and below.

    So update ASAP!

    The latest versions bumps the latest version of Flash Player for Windows and Mac OS X to version 16.0.0.296.

    To determine what version of the Adobe Flash player you have on your Windows, Macintosh or Linux system, visit http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

    To download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player without any adware or bundled third party offers, visit
    http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html

    Windows users should note that the Flash Player in Microsoft Internet Explorer v9 and earlier versions of Internet Explorer and the Flash player in web browsers like Opera, Mozilla Firefox and Safari are separate installs.
    You should install and update both versions of Adobe Flash.

    For Internet Explorer v10 and Internet Explorer v11 (for users for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8), these browsers have Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update their Internet Explorer browser versions.

    Google Chrome browser users has Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update the Google Chrome browser to the latest version. See https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414 on how to do so.

  • Music streaming service Rdio available in the Caribbean ; announces partnership with Digicel

    Rdio logo (via http://www.rdio.com/)

    Rdio, a music streaming service for desktops and mobile devices is now available in Trinidad and Tobago and many other Caribbean territories thanks to an exclusive partnership with Digicel.

    From the Rdio blog post :

    In the coming weeks, Digicel will offer all prepaid data customers 30 minutes of free Rdio Internet radio listening per day on their mobile phones without accruing data usage charges – all through the exclusive partnership. Digicel will also be collaborating closely with us to infuse local influence in each of our new territories, curating playlists and stations together with Digicel Brand Ambassadors in each country and territory. Through this unprecedented arrangement, listeners in each market will have convenient access to popular music from around the world in addition to local artists they already enjoy.

    Effective today, Rdio is available in the following new markets: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. In addition to the new markets where Rdio is launching, Rdio’s exclusive partnership with Digicel is effective in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Martinique, Bonaire, El Salvador and Panama.

    You can sign up with Rdio at http://www.rdio.com/ and stream music to your computer, phone or tablet. See http://www.rdio.com/home/en-tt/#apps

     

     

  • Adobe releases critical security update for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, MacOS X & Linux (January 22 2015)

    Adobe Flash Player logo

    Adobe has posted a second critical security update for Adobe Flash Player on January 22 2015 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

    According to the Adobe Security Bulletin dated January 22 2015:

    Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, Macintosh and Linux.  These updates address a vulnerability that could be used to circumvent memory randomization mitigations on the Windows platform.

    Adobe is aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2015-0310 exists in the wild, which is being used in attacks against older versions of Flash Player.  Additionally, we are investigating reports that a separate exploit for Flash Player 16.0.0.287 and earlier also exists in the wild.

    So update ASAP!

    The latest versions bumps the latest version of Flash Player for Windows and Mac OS X to version 16.0.0.287.

    To determine what version of the Adobe Flash player you have on your Windows, Macintosh or Linux system, visit http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

    To download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player without any adware or bundled third party offers, visit
    http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html

    Windows users should note that the Flash Player in Microsoft Internet Explorer v9 and earlier versions of Internet Explorer and the Flash player in web browsers like Opera, Mozilla Firefox and Safari are separate installs.
    You should install and update both versions of Adobe Flash.

    For Internet Explorer v10 and Internet Explorer v11 (for users for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8), these browsers have Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update their Internet Explorer browser versions.

    Google Chrome browser users has Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update the Google Chrome browser to the latest version. See https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414 on how to do so.

     

  • Techcrunch: Microsoft Announces Project Spartan, Its New Browser For Windows 10

    http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/microsofts-browser-with-a-halo-codename/

  • Ars Technica: Windows 10 free for all Windows 8.1 and 7 users for first year after release

    http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/windows-10-free-for-all-windows-8-1-and-windows-7-users-for-first-year/

    “The biggest news is that the new OS will be completely free for current Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 users for its first year of availability—after that time period has expired, OS upgrades will presumably need to be paid for as they are currently (though Microsoft was less than clear on this point, it made no mention of a paid, Office 365-style subscription for Windows upgrades). The Windows 10 upgrade for Windows Phone 8.1 users will also be free.”

  • Trinidad and Tobago Government owes US $3 million in outstanding software licensing fees

    piles-of-US-money

     

    Via an Trinidad Guardian newspaper article on Friday January 16 2015 , Minister of Science and Technology (of Trinidad and Tobago), Dr. the Honourable Rupert Griffith has said that the Trinidad and Tobago Government owes 3 million US dollars in outstanding license fees to software and service providers like Microsoft.

    The amount owed to Microsoft and other software providers (which weren’t named in the article) was as high as 23 million US dollars but this was reduced to 3 million US dollars after the Trinidad and Tobago Government negotiated with the software providers.

    The non-compliance use of software by the Trinidad and Tobago Government was discovered by Microsoft, who brought it to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s attention for the Government to be more compliant. According to Dr. Rupert Griffith in the article:

    “It is not a question of penalties, it is a question of compliance,” he explained.

    “Over the last nine months the non-compliance was looked at. We entered into a negotiation with all of the providers, when we saw the $23 million. We negotiated the price and they were very kind to bring it down to about US$3 million.

    “It is not a question of penalties.”

    ….

    “We did our own survey through iGovtt and the Ministry of Science and Technology and we realised there was a lot of non-compliance in the use of some of the licenses,”

    Read the Trinidad Guardian article “Govt owes US$3m for licenses” 

    dated Friday January 16 2015

     

  • Adobe releases critical security update for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, MacOS X & Linux (January 13 2015)

    Adobe Flash Player logo

    Adobe has posted a critical security update for Adobe Flash Player on January 13 2015 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

    According to the Adobe Security Bulletin dated January 13 2015:

    Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, Macintosh and Linux. These updates address vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. Adobe recommends users update their product installations to the latest versions

    So update ASAP!

    The latest versions bumps the latest version of Flash Player for Windows and Mac OS X to version 16.0.0.257.

    To determine what version of the Adobe Flash player you have on your Windows, Macintosh or Linux system, visit http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

    To download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player without any adware or bundled third party offers, visit
    http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html

    Windows users should note that the Flash Player in Microsoft Internet Explorer v9 and earlier versions of Internet Explorer and the Flash player in web browsers like Opera, Mozilla Firefox and Safari are separate installs.
    You should install and update both versions of Adobe Flash.

    For Internet Explorer v10 and Internet Explorer v11 (for users for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8), these browsers have Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update their Internet Explorer browser versions.

    Google Chrome browser users has Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update the Google Chrome browser to the latest version. See https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414 on how to do so.