Category: News

The number of people donating to charities through payroll giving has risen for the first time since the credit crunch began four years ago, an accountancy firm has found.

Figures from Wilkins Kennedy reveal that 15,000 more employees used the payroll giving in 2011/12 than in the year before, taking the total to 735,000. It is the highest number taking part in the scheme since 2008/09.

Employees also gave a record £118m through the scheme last year, the highest total since the scheme began in 1990.

But Wilkins Kennedy, which compiled the figures using the HM Revenue & Customs database, said the number of people donating through payroll giving was still below the 2007/08 level when 758,000 employees used the scheme.

John Howard, head of charity and not-for profit at Wilkins Kennedy, said that the rise offered “a slight glimmer of light” but added the recovery in payroll giving could be short-lived if the economy enters a sustained double-dip recession.

“The boost in users is a particularly welcome one for charities struggling with increased workloads and cuts to local authority spending,” he said. “However, if the current downturn continues and unemployment begins to move up again, the recovery in payroll giving will be all too brief.”

Nick Hurd, the minister for civil society, recently asked companies taking part in the scheme to come up with “radical ideas” that would increase the number of employees using it.

But Joe Saxton, co-founder of the research consultancy nfpSynergy, said last week that payroll giving was the “British Leyland of fundraising techniques” and should be scrapped in favour of employees setting up personal direct debits with charities that are then match-funded by employers.

Wilkins Kennedy says the government should promote the scheme properly and encourage more employers to take part.

Maps

Beautifully designed from the ground up (and the sky down), Maps will change the way you see the world.¹ Map elements are vector based, so graphics and text are incredibly detailed — even when you zoom all the way in — and panning is smooth. Tilt and rotate to view an area, and Maps keeps the names of streets and places where they belong. Get visual and spoken turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic updates. Even soar over cityscapes to see the sights from the air in amazing, high-resolution quality

Siri

Beautifully designed from the ground up (and the sky down), Maps will change the way you see the world.¹ Map elements are vector based, so graphics and text are incredibly detailed — even when you zoom all the way in — and panning is smooth. Tilt and rotate to view an area, and Maps keeps the names of streets and places where they belong. Get visual and spoken turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic updates. Even soar over cityscapes to see the sights from the air in amazing, high-resolution quality

 

Facebook

Now it’s easier than ever to interact with the world’s largest social network. And there’s no need to leave your app to do it. Share a photo to Facebook right from Camera or Photos. Post your location right from Maps. Brag about a high score right from Game Center. If you have your hands full, just ask Siri to post for you. You need to sign in to Facebook only once, and you’ll be off and sharing. Never miss another birthday or get-together, since Facebook events are integrated into Calendar. And your Facebook friends’ profile information is integrated into Contacts, so when they update an email address or phone number you automatically stay up to date. Now that’s something to post about.

Shared Photo Streams

Now you can share just the photos you want, with just the people you choose. Simply select photos from the Photos app, tap the Share button, choose who you want to share your photos with, and they’re on their way. Friends using iCloud on an iOS 6 device or a Mac running Mountain Lion get the photos delivered immediately in the Photos app or iPhoto. You can even view shared photo streams on Apple TV. If the folks you’re sharing with aren’t using an Apple device, they can view your photos on the web. People can like individual photos and make comments. And you can share as much as you want: Your shared photo streams don’t count against your iCloud storage, and they work over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

 

Passbook

Your boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, and more are now all in one place. With Passbook, you can scan your iPhone or iPod touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem a coupon. You can also see when your coupons expire, where your concert seats are, and the balance left on that all-important coffee bar card. Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appear on your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place — like when you reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your gift card or coupon. And if your gate changes after you’ve checked in for your flight, Passbook will even alert you to make sure you’re not relaxing in the wrong terminal.

Facetime

FaceTime now works over cellular networks as well as Wi-Fi, so you can make and receive FaceTime calls wherever you happen to be.³ You can even make and receive FaceTime calls on your iPad using your phone number. That means you can use FaceTime wherever you are, on any device. And never miss another wink, smile, air kiss, or eye roll.

 

Phone

iOS 6 adds new calling features to your iPhone. Now when you decline an incoming call, you can instantly reply with a text message or set a callback reminder. And when things are just too hectic, turn on Do Not Disturb and you won’t be bothered by anyone — except can’t-miss contacts like your boss or your better half.

 

Mail

Redesigned with a more streamlined interface for easier reading and writing, Mail in iOS 6 lets you set up a VIP list so you’ll never miss an important message from your accountant, your boss, or your BFF. It’s even easier to add photos and videos to email messages. And to refresh your mailboxes, all you have to do is swipe down.

 

Safari

iOS 6 brings even better web browsing to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iCloud Tabs keeps track of which pages you have open on your devices, so you can start browsing on one device and pick up right where you left off on whatever device is handy. Safari now saves web pages — not just links — in your Reading List, so you can catch up on your reading even when you can’t connect to the Internet.⁴ And when you’re posting a photo or video to eBay, Craigslist, or another site, you can take photos and video — or choose from your Camera Roll — without leaving Safari. When you really want to see the whole picture, turn your iPhone or iPod touch to landscape and tap the full-screen icon to view web pages without distractions

 

Accessibility

iOS 6 comes with even more features to make it easier for people with vision, hearing, learning, and mobility disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices. Guided Access helps students with disabilities such as autism remain on task and focused on content. It allows a parent, teacher, or administrator to limit an iOS device to one app by disabling the Home button, as well as restrict touch input on certain areas of the screen. VoiceOver, the revolutionary screen reader for blind and low-vision users, is now integrated with Maps, AssistiveTouch, and Zoom. And Apple is working with top manufacturers to introduce Made for iPhone hearing aids that will deliver a power-efficient, high-quality digital audio experience

 

Find My Iphone

It happens. You misplace your iPhone or your iPad or your iPod touch. Luckily, iOS 6 and iCloud now offer Lost mode, making it even easier to use Find My iPhone to locate and protect a missing device.⁶ Immediately lock your missing iPhone with a four-digit passcode and send it a message displaying a contact number. That way a good Samaritan can call you from your Lock screen without accessing the rest of the information on your iPhone. And while in Lost mode, your device will keep track of where it’s been and report back to you any time you check in with the Find My iPhone app.

 

Find My Friends

Find My Friends is a great way to share locations with friends and family.⁶ Those who share their locations with you appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are and what they’re up to. And with iOS 6, you can get location-based alerts — like when your kids leave school or arrive home. Find My Friends can also notify others about your location, so you can stay connected or keep track of the ones you love.

 

Remodeled Stores

iOS 6 brings a new kind of shopping experience to the redesigned iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore. See the best of what’s new in music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books at the top of each store’s home page. Browse with a swipe of your finger and tap to learn more. Keep track of the music, movies, and TV shows you previewed by tapping the History button, and when you’re ready, tap Buy to add something to your collection. With iCloud, your preview history is always up to date on all your devices. So you can start shopping on your iPhone and continue on your iPad. And now you can buy your favorite music, apps, and more without leaving the app you’re in.

 

Due for Release in September 2012.

 

 

A real-money gambling app has been launched on Facebook – the social network’s first.

Developed by London-based online gambling operator Gamesys, the Bingo Friendzy app allows users aged 18 and over to play games for cash prizes.

Facebook said only its UK members would be able to view the app.

The website’s largest gaming partner, Zynga, said it also planned to introduce real-money gambling versions of its games next year.

A Facebook spokeswoman stressed Bingo Friendzy was not a joint venture, saying the game had been developed entirely by Gamesys.

“Real money gaming is a popular and well-regulated activity in the UK, and we are allowing a partner to offer their games to adult users on the Facebook platform in a safe and controlled manner” she said.

Facebook intends to use age-gating technology to ensure under-18s and “vulnerable people” are unable to access the app.

The social network typically takes a 30% cut of transactions on its network, but would not confirm if that was the case with this title, saying it was “commercially sensitive information”.

Gamesys, one of the largest UK online gambling companies, operates the Sun Bingo and Heart Bingo, as well as the UK’s leading bingo-and-slots website Jackpotjoy.com.

In its press release, the company said users would have access to self-help tools to reduce the risk of gambling addiction, including the ability to set spending limits.

Facebook said the decision to launch a real-cash gambling app in the UK had been motivated by “a mature and very well-regulated gambling market”.

Gamesys’ gambling activities are licensed and regulated by the government of Gibraltar, allowing it to offer titles in the UK.

In the United States the situation with real-money online gambling is more complicated – the law currently forbids banks and others offering payment processing services to betting services targeted at US citizens.

Microsoft is overhauling its free webmail service, dropping the Hotmail brand it has used since acquiring the product in 1998, and adopting the name Outlook.com.

The revamped service will help sort messages as they arrive and allow users to make internet calls on Skype. It said the move would help tackle the problem of “cluttered” inboxes. The action may also be designed to win over users of Google’s rival Gmail service.

Microsoft said that in many cases email had become a “chore” because its users accounts had become “overloaded” with material. Its solution is to automatically sort messages into different areas to distinguish between emails from contacts, newsletters, package delivery notices, social network posts and other identifiers determined by the account holder. In addition it is taking steps to link the Outlook account with other services the user might have subscribed to.

Microsoft are giving you the first email service that is connected to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google, and soon, Skype, to bring relevant context and communications to your email. In the Outlook.com inbox, your personal email comes alive with photos of your friends, recent status updates and tweets that your friend has shared with you, the ability to chat and video call – all powered by an always up-to-date contact list that is connected to your social networks. Large photos and video can be sent via the firm’s Skydrive service avoiding attachment size limits

Also announced, the firm’s web versions of Office apps were built-in, potentially helping it counter competition from other web-based application suits such as Google Docs and Zoho Docs. Outlook.com also links up with Microsoft’s Skydrive cloud storage, allowing users to send photos and other documents via the service to avoid the risk of going over their attachment size limit. This could pose a threat to the rival Google Drive service as well as Dropbox, Sugarsync and others.

Microsoft is offering the service in a “preview” mode for the time being and has not announced an official release date. While it advises users to upgrade, Hotmail subscribers can stick with the old system if they wish – at least for now. Those who do make the change keep their @hotmail, @msn or @live.com email address ending, but can also add an @outlook.com address to their account if they wish.

Microsoft has confirmed the release date for its own-brand Surface tablet, with the RT version due to hit shelves on 26 October, the same day as Windows 8.

The next version of the Windows operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012, At that time, Microsoft will begin selling the Surface. That means it’ll be about three months before we see the quirky tablet, which features a fold out keyboard and a 10.6-inch display — squaring up to the likes of the iPad and the Google Nexus 7.

Only the Windows RT version will be available on the 26th, with the more capable (and doubtless much more expensive) Intel-powered Surface Pro expected to arrive 90 days later.

While the Surface Pro boasts a more comprehensive version of Windows, it’s the RT version that you should keep a close eye on; it’s the slate that will show off the tablet-specific version of Windows 8, and is the device that wants to knock Apple off its perch.

It’s also likely be cheaper, and much cheaper than the iPod, although recent reports suggest the Surface could be much pricier than previously anticipated.

While the cost remains a mystery, one thing’s for sure, Microsoft has a huge battle ahead if it wants to prove itself in the world of tablets.

Microsoft has unveiled a touch-ready version of Office, the latest version of the company’s market-leading productivity software suite.

It has been labelled as the firms “most ambitious release” to date.

The software is primed for mobile devices, cloud computing and social networking.

Office is the world’s most popular productivity application, with a billion users worldwide.

It is also Microsoft’s key revenue driver, and keeping it fresh is how the firm intends to maintain its market lead.

Throughout the hour-long demonstration on Monday, Mr Ballmer and Kirk Koenigsbauer, Vice President of Microsoft’s Office division, highlighted how the software had been adapted to keep its pace with technology changes.

Office 2012 is fully touch-ready, as is Windows 8, the company’s latest operating system, and its new tablet computer, Surface, which we expect to be released in October.

For the first time, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook are all responsive to touch-screen controls – taps, swipes and pinch-and-zoom can be used within documents, files and presentations. The user-experience is designed to be more immersive, visceral and multimedia-rich compared to earlier versions of Office.

In 2011, Microsoft Office was worth $14bm, more than half the company’s profits and while there are less expensive and free online alternatives to office like Google Apps, Zoho and Open Office. No company is taking away significant market share from Microsoft. And, although there has been some compatibly issues surrounding many versions of MS Office, that have been a big hurdle, it has kept its vast majority of users in the Microsoft camp.

Web giant Yahoo has confirmed it is investigating a breach of its system which may have exposed 450,000 user IDs.

US security firm Trustedsec said the attack appeared to have originated from servers connected to Yahoo Voices, a user-generated section of the site.

It said that hacking group D33DS had claimed to be behind the attack.

Hours after the attack came to light, Yahoo had not put a warning on its site.

In a statement Yahoo said: “We confirm that an older file from Yahoo Contributor Network… containing approximately 450,000 Yahoo and other company users’ names and passwords was compromised yesterday.

“Of these, less than 5% of the Yahoo accounts had valid passwords. We are taking immediate action by fixing the vulnerability that led to the disclosure of this data, changing the passwords of the affected Yahoo users and notifying the companies whose users accounts may have been compromised.”

According to US security firm Trustedsec, the compromised passwords were associated with a variety of email addresses including those from yahoo.com, gmail.com and aol.com.

It said that hackers used a well-established technique known as SQL injection to extract the sensitive information from the database.

“The most alarming part of the entire story was the fact that the passwords were stored entirely unencrypted,” the security firm said in its blog.

Initial analysis by another security firm Imperva suggested that the compromised database might have contained some private data as well including names, addresses including postcode, phone numbers and dates of birth.

Meanwhile social network Formspring has disabled nearly 30 million passwords following a separate attack.

It said it was a precautionary move after 420,000 passwords showed up on a security forum.

Formspring, which launched in 2009 as a crowd-powered question-and-answer site, has asked users to reset their passwords.

In a blog post it confirmed that a breach had occurred after someone hacked into one of the San Francisco-based company’s servers.

A spokeswoman said it had been alerted on Monday that some 420,000 encrypted passwords had shown up on a security forum which she refused to name because she did not want to draw attention to it. Encrypted passwords aren’t immediately useable, although they can sometimes be decoded by a clever attacker.

A drop in file-sharing following a court ordered block of Pirate Bay was short-lived, due to finding from the BBC.

A major UK internet service provider (ISP) said peer-to-peer (P2P) activity on its network returned to just below normal only a week after the measures were enforced earlier this year.

Critics had warned the ban would prove ineffective. But the BPI, the music industry trade body, has defended the action.

Its chief executive Geoff Taylor said the group would continue to pursue similar action in future.

The ISP – which shared the data with the BBC on condition of anonymity – said P2P traffic had peaked in the days court proceedings were taking place, largely due to increased media coverage.

Immediately after the ban was enforced on its network, the ISP said P2P activity had dropped by over 11% compared to average levels.

“We saw a fall at the time of the block,” the source said, “made more dramatic by the increasing amount of such traffic in the weeks leading up to it.

“But volumes are already pretty much back to where they were before.”

The firm stressed that the figures related to the volume of P2P traffic, not necessarily the number of users.

This made it possible, it said, that “hardcore” file-sharers might have become more prolific since the ban while casual users have been discouraged.

We recognise there is more to do to reduce illegal P2P use overall”

April’s court decision has meant six of the UK’s major ISPs have been forced to block the site. It followed a similar case in 2011 involving Newzbin 2, another file-sharing service.

The BPI, which represents rights holders in the UK, obtained the most recent court order on the grounds that The Pirate Bay “infringes copyright on a massive scale”.

In response to the new data, it argued that the measures had been effective – but admitted that more work was required.

“The goal of our action was to reduce UK use of The Pirate Bay, which was causing particular harm to British musicians and labels,” Mr Taylor said.

“Before the court case, the site was one of the top 50 most popular sites in the UK. Today it has fallen to number 282” however he added

“We recognise there is more to do to reduce illegal P2P use overall.”

In addition, the data is not able to distinguish precisely what material is downloaded and from where – meaning users may be using sites other than The Pirate Bay to access files.

The leader of Pirate Party UK, Loz Kaye, who campaigned against the ban said “We’ve always said that blocking isn’t an effective method, It’s not in any way productive. Anyone who knows anything about how the internet works can get around it.”

His party has set up a proxy server to allow users to still access The Pirate Bay, even if it has been blocked by their provider. Mr Kaye said a renewal in the sharing of copy-written files was “inevitable”.

O2 outage sees thousands unable to make calls or surf the web as outage heads into day two

O2 customers across the country found themselves unable to make or receive phone calls on Wednesday afternoon after the UK network suffered a national outage.

The mobile firm said its 2G network had now been restored and that customers should now be able to make and receive calls.

O2 is advising users to turn off their 3G setting while engineers work to restore that part of the network.

This However, hasn’t stopped customers airing their annoyance on social networking sites, with many claiming they will move away to another operator because of the fiasco.

But it’s not just O2 customers that are feeling the silence, O2 also provides network coverage for Tesco Mobile and Giff Gaff customers.

O2 is working on fixing the problem, but at this point in time, there is no complete fix in sight.

An update issued on the o2 website this morning at 7.00 GMT stated. “O2 has made further statements on its status update page through the night. The company has confirmed that it knows what the problem is. Sadly for O2 customers is doesn’t yet know how to fix that problem”

Microsoft has unveiled Surface, its own design for a Windows 8 tablet – and while rumors of a Barnes & Noble link-up proved unfounded, the reality is much more interesting.

Could the Surface be your next tablet – and your next PC? Here’s what you need to know about the Microsoft Surface Tablet.

 There will be two Surface models, one running Windows 8 Pro and one running Windows RT. The Surface RT processor will be an ARM one and the Surface Pro processor will be Intel. The Pro model will be more powerful, with a higher resolution and a slightly chunkier case.

The Windows RT model weighs 676g, is 9.3mm thin and comes with what Microsoft calls a 10.6″, 16:9 ClearType HD display. The battery’s a 31.5W-h model, you can choose between 32GB and 64GB of on-board storage, and connectors include MicroSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD VIdeo and 2×2 MIMO antennae for better WiFi performance. The processor hasn’t been named but the smart money’s on a Tegra 3.

The Pro model is heavier – 930g – and thicker – 13.5mm – to make room for an Intel Ivy Bridge i5 processor. This time the ClearType display is “Full HD”, which implies 1920×1080 resolution. The battery’s bigger too, at 42W-h, and the connectors include MicroSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort and the same antennae. Storage options for the big Surface are 64GB and 128GB.

Both tablets have twin cameras, stereo speakers and dual microphones tuned for Skype, and their cases are made of VaporMg, a magnesium alloy that’s very light and strong.

The Surface tablet also includes an integrated kickstand to prop up your tablet when you’re watching video.

 The Windows 8 Pro Surface tablet supports pen input at 600dpi resolution, and there’s a palm block so you don’t lose focus when your palm touches the screen. The pen can be used just like a real one, with digital ink annotating documents or filling in forms.

Microsoft Home and Student 2013 RT is pre-installed on the Windows RT Surface tablet.

 Microsoft has come up with a brilliant idea: a protective cover that doubles as a pressure sensitive multi-touch trackpad and keyboard and that attaches magnetically. If you’d rather have a chiclet keyboard, there’s one of those too: an ultra-thin one that, while it’s naturally a bit thicker than the touch one (5mm compared to 3mm), still doesn’t add too much bulk to the device.

The keyboards have built-in accelerometers, which mean they can tell when you fold them back over the screen: when you do, they stop drawing power. When you compare them to the kinds of keyboard docks we’ve seen for other tablets, such as Asus’s Transformers, they’re clearly remarkable bits of engineering.

It is expected that the release date will be this autumn, just in time for the Christmas market. Where prices are concerned, the word on the street is that the base model will start from £640.

Will Surface be as popular as the iPad? We will have to wait and see.