It’s Friday already? You betcha! Here are five important stories from the technology world that you need to know about. Enjoy!
Windows 8 Update Brings Trouble – Oct. 21
Windows 8.1 stumbled earlier this week and frustrated users. The latest update is causing issues with some of the Surface RT touch screen devices. Specifically, the update will occasionally freeze tablets and laptops during the boot-up process. Without an answer, Microsoft removed the update from its website while the company searches for the root of the issue.
Source: BBC
Apple Unveils New iPads At Event – Oct. 22
The tech world was buzzing once more from another mystery event hosted by Apple. The Californian company revealed Tuesday the iPad Air, a tablet 20 percent thinner than the rest of their tablets. Despite being thinner, the iPad Air still has a 9.7-inch screen, making it the biggest tablet on the market, according to BBC. Alongside the iPad Air, Apple announced a new iPad Mini that features a higher resolution and a 7.9-inch screen.
Source: BBC
PBS Shows Coming to Xbox – Oct. 23
Xbox Live Gold members get yet another benefit from their subscriptions: PBS will now allow users to stream their shows on the gaming system. Among the programming will be local shows as well as PBS’s national shows such as Downton Abbey and Frontline. Users can stream full episodes plus clips from new and archived episodes of the station in addition to original video from PBS Digital Studios.
Source: Engadget
LinkedIn’s New Feature Shows Details of Careers in Emails – Oct. 24
LinkedIn now allows users access to Intro, a tool for iPhones that pulls details from profiles and ties them to the users’ emails. In other words, if you send an email, the recipient can access your LinkedIn profile immediately. Before you cry “Big Brother,” know that information will be limited to what the email senders allow anyone to see on their profile. In the last two years, LinkedIn’s mobile traffic has risen from eight percent to 38 percent. Expect that number to continue to rise if Intro is successful.
Source: The Seattle Times
YouTube to Release Spotify-like Feature at the End of the Year – Oct. 24
YouTube will release a music subscription service similar to Spotify near the end of 2013, with a price point around $10 a month. The program will be tailored to mobile devices and allow users to watch videos, listen to music without advertising. Record companies will receive larger royalties from the service, allegedly. Last week, YouTube announced that 40 percent of its traffic is from mobile devices. The company looks to strike while the iron is hot with this new program.
Source: New York Times