Tableau 10.3 introduces data-driven alerts

Tableau Software, the global leader in visual analytics, has announced the general availability of Tableau 10.3. This release helps organisations achieve data-driven insights more quickly.

“Organisations want to do more with the vast data they have at their disposal,” said Francois Ajenstat, Chief Product Officer at Tableau. “It’s not just simple analysis our customers are looking seeking, it’s the power to unlock all of their data with ease and efficiency. With smart recommendations, customers can get to the right data faster than ever - without having to spend time finding the right tables and joins. And with proactive monitoring of key metrics through features like data driven alerts, they can take action immediately and be more agile.”

The upgraded software offers automated table and join* recommendations powered by machine learning algorithms. Tableau Server analyses aggregate data source usage to recommend popular tables and correlated data across the organisation. With recommendations, customers can save time by quickly identifying database tables that are relevant to their analysis and leveraging join recommendations to enrich their data.

It also includes data-driven alerts for proactive monitoring of key metrics. Version 10.3 unlocks six new data sources for analysis, including a new connector for extracting data from PDF documents. Additionally, Tableau Online customers are able to try Tableau Bridge in beta, which enables a direct connection to data stored on premises directly in the cloud.



In all, customers can now connect to more than 75 data sources via 66 connectors, without any programming. That includes a new PDF connector, which allows people to directly import PDF tables into Tableau with a click. Additionally, Tableau now comes with new connectors to popular data sources such as Amazon Athena, ServiceNow, MongoDB, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive.

Tableau Online customers can now leverage data stored on premises directly in the cloud with the new Tableau Bridge. Available to all Tableau Online customers to try, this will allow a secure, live connection to on premises data, meaning it’s no longer necessary to move data to perform a live query from Tableau Online. Many organisations have data on premises and in the cloud, and Tableau Bridge allows these customers to easily connect live to all of their data no matter where it is.

*A join refers to combining related data from different parts of a database. An example would be a database of customer names and other details, which could be joined with a database of orders for products so that a business can tell who orders what.

Parallels rolls out Parallels Toolbox for Mac version 1.5

Parallels has launched version 1.5 of Parallels Toolbox for Mac, a suite of software tools designed to simplify essential everyday tasks.

Parallels Toolbox makes working smoother through providing easy access to useful activities such as capturing a video of screen actions, archiving files to save storage space, or preventing the Mac from going to sleep.

The new Parallels Toolbox 1.5 adds several refinements and enhancements to the stable of tools.

For example, it is now easier for users to get to any one of their favourite tools as they can now drag their icons to the Desktop, to the Dock, to the Mac menu bar, or to a new “Favorite Tools” area in the Toolbox menu.

Parallels has also added the option to capture system audio - audio generated by the Mac or a Mac app - to its Record Screen tools.

Interested?

 

Parallels Toolbox 1.5 is a free update for existing Parallels Toolbox subscribers, and costs US$9.99 per year for new customers. 

Watch a video demonstrating what's new in the Parallels Toolbox 1.5 update

Qatar Airways adds Airbus A380s to Doha-Guangzhou route

Qatar Airways has will up-gauge its Doha-Guangzhou service with the introduction of its flagship Airbus A380 on the route. Guangzhou will be Qatar Airways fourth A380 destination, after London, Paris and Bangkok.

Daily flights on board the world’s largest commercial aircraft will begin 1 July 2016 from Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Passengers travelling to and from Guangzhou on Qatar Airways QR874 and QR875 will enjoy a unique and enhanced travel experience on the airline’s A380 super-jumbo aircraft. It is anticipated that travellers will be able to fly the A380 to Guangzhou for the Canton Fair - one of China's largest import and export trade events - in October. Qatar Airways is the official airline partner for the event.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, said: “This year marks our eighth anniversary of operations in Guangzhou and we are delighted to celebrate this milestone by introducing our bespoke A380 aircraft, re-affirming our long-standing commitment to China. The Pearl River Delta region is one of China’s most vibrant trade and travel hubs and we have witnessed steady passenger growth both to and from Guangzhou over the years. Passengers from Asia can now enjoy their entire journey on our luxurious A380 aircraft when they fly to popular cities such as London and Paris via our state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport in Doha.”

The A380 provides outstanding levels of comfort and reliability using state-of-the-art technology and sets new benchmarks for all the key qualities related to a passenger’s wellbeing while on board. Wider seats, lower noise levels, draught-free air circulation, and accurate temperature control are among the many advancements on the A380 that keep passengers feeling fresh and comfortable during a long flight.

The 517-seat aircraft is spread across twin decks in a triclass configuration of eight seats in First Class, 48 seats in Business Class and 461 in Economy Class. Seats in each cabin class are proprietary to Qatar Airways and have been crafted in close collaboration with the designers and manufacturers.

Source: Qatar Airways. In first class.

The First Class cabin features eight exclusive suites on the upper deck in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each seat features a 90" pitch with a fully lie-flat bed, 26" HD in-flight entertainment screen and direct aisle access. The First Class cabin also offers features such as spa-inspired bathrooms with luxurious amenities.

Qatar Airways’ Business Class cabin on the A380 features 48 seats on the upper deck in a 1-2-1 configuration, with an 80" full flat bed, 17" HD in-flight entertainment screen and direct aisle access. The upper deck also features an in-flight lounge offering First and Business Class passengers an escape from the typical airplane environment, a Qatar Airways experience that is unique to the A380. In addition, First and Business Class passengers can look forward to an on-demand à la carte service menu and Giorgio Armani amenity kits.

Source: Qatar Airways. The in-flight lounge.

The two Economy Class cabins on the Qatar Airways A380 can be found on the upper deck in a 2-4-2 configuration and on the main deck in a 3-4-3 configuration. Each Economy Class seat is 18.5" wide with a 32" seat pitch. Coupled with the higher ceilings on the main deck and a configuration that uses fewer seats, the inflight environment contributes to a feeling of real spaciousness when onboard.

Interested?

Doha (DOH) and Guangzhou (CAN) daily flight schedule (all times local)

Departs DOH QR874 at 2:30am, arrives CAN at 3.30pm
Departs CAN QR875 at 12.55am, arrives DOH at 4am

Watch the video on Qatar Airways' A380

Free upgrades to Windows 10 from July 29

Source: Windows blog.

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be available July 29 in 190 countries. Windows 10 will help people be more productive and have a more personal and natural experience across all their devices, the company said. Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade to people using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1¹, in effect enabling most existing Windows users to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. 

"Windows 10 is a new generation of Windows designed to empower you to do great things," said Terry Myerson, Executive VP, Microsoft. "Windows 10 starts to deliver on our vision of more personal computing, defined by trust in how we protect and respect your personal information, mobility of the experience across your devices, and natural interactions with your Windows devices, including speech, touch, ink and holograms."

With Windows 10, Microsoft returns to the Start menu as an easy access method for files, pinned applications and favourites. Windows 10 is also expected to start and resume quickly while extending battery life. It also has increased security features such as Windows Hello, Microsoft Passport and Windows Defender for anti-malware protection, as well as a commitment to deliver free, ongoing security updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Optimised for both keyboard and touch, the Windows 10 upgrade is designed to be compatible with Windows devices and applications. The experience will remain consistent across devices through Continuum technology, which enables tablets or Windows phones to act like PCs⁴.

The "more personal" part of the experience includes Cortana, a personal digital assistant that helps people get things done across all their devices². Cortana learns individual preferences to provide relevant recommendations, fast access to information and important reminders via talking or typing. Windows Hello³ greets people by name and lets them log in to their PC without a password with the help of biometric authentication. Windows 10 also lets people interact with their device via the traditional mouse and keyboard or through more natural ways such as voice, pen or gesture.

Microsoft Edge, the new browser, offers built-in inking, sharing and reading views. Integrated with Cortana, Microsoft Edge offers quick results and content based on individual interests and preferences.

In addition to the Office 2016 full-featured desktop suite⁵, new Universal Windows applications for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook will offer a consistent, touch-first experience across a range of devices. With new touch-first controls in Excel, people can even create or update spreadsheets without a keyboard or mouse.

On July 29, Windows users can get Windows 10 for PCs and tablets by taking advantage of the free upgrade offer, or through new Windows 10 devices. Windows 10 for other devices will be available later this year. New Windows 8.1 devices will also easily upgrade to Windows 10, and many retail stores will help upgrade new devices. 

Interested?

Reserve a free upgrade at Windows.com. Consumers will have one year from 29 July 2015 to take advantage of the free upgrade.

Read the official blog post

1 Free upgrade available for qualified devices. See http://windows.com/windows10upgrade.
2 Cortana available in select markets at launch; experience may vary by device.
3 Windows Hello requires a specialised illuminated infrared camera for facial recognition or iris detection or a fingerprint reader that supports the Windows Biometric Framework.
4 Continuum for phone available on select models at launch. 
5 Office sold separately.

LG G3s first to get the Lollipop upgrade

LG Electronics says it is the first global smartphone manufacturer to offer the Lollipop upgrade in 2014. The new version of the Android operating system which is used in smartphones, Android 5.0 or "Lollipop", will be rolled out to its G3 smartphones starting in Poland the week of November 10, to be followed by other key markets in the near future, LG said. 

Source: LG.

This latest Android OS delivers a host of improvements including added depth, shadows and animations. Notifications are improved with a new layout and colour scheme and will be available on the new lock screen. A new security feature to strengthen the connectivity between devices will include enabling users to unlock their smartphone when it is physically near a pre-registered Bluetooth device such as the LG G Watch or G Watch R. 

“LG is absolutely committed to giving our customers the best mobile experiences available and bringing Android Lollipop to G3 owners as soon as possible is a top priority,” said Dr Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The new features and improvements in Android 5.0 will bring a whole new user experience to the G3 and make it even better than it already is.”

Additional details related to LG devices, including an upgrade schedule for other LG mobile devices, will be announced in the near future as the Lollipop upgrade becomes available in local markets.

OS X Yosemite is a free upgrade

Apple has announced that OS X Yosemite, the latest major release of the desktop operating system used by Macs, is available as a free upgrade for from the Mac App Store. Yosemite delivers a new look and introduces Continuity features that make it easy to hand off activities between Mac and iOS devices and even make and receive iPhone calls from your Mac.

Yosemite also includes a new Today view, a redesigned Spotlight system-wide search feature, and updated versions of the Safari browser, Mail, Messages and iTunes.

“OS X Yosemite is the most advanced version of OS X we’ve ever built, with a brand new design, amazing Continuity features and powerful versions of the apps you use every day,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering. “OS X Yosemite ushers in the future of computing, where your Apple devices all work together seamlessly and magically. It’s something only Apple can do, and it’s available today.”

App icons have a consistent design, and a new system font improves readability on every Mac. and looks stunning on a Retina display.

Yosemite includes Continuity features that allow the Mac and iOS devices work more closely together.* Handoff automatically passes what you’re doing from one device to another, like writing an email or surfing the web. Instant Hotspot makes using your iPhone’s hotspot as easy as connecting to a Wi-Fi network.** AirDrop now works between Mac and iOS, so you can quickly and easily share content across devices. All the SMS messages that previously only appeared on your iPhone now can automatically appear in Messages on your Mac and all your iOS devices. You can even make and receive iPhone calls on your Mac.***

Yosemite introduces innovative new features, including:

§ The Today view in Notification Center, giving you quick access to informative widgets for Calendar, Weather, Stocks, Reminders, World Clock and social networks. You can also add widgets like Yahoo! Sports from the Mac App Store to customize the Today view;

§ a new Spotlight, delivering rich information right to your desktop from Wikipedia, Maps, Bing, App Store℠, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, top websites, news and movie showtimes;

§ iCloud Drive, so you can store files of any type in iCloud, organize them any way you like, and access them from your Mac, iPhone, iPad or even a Windows PC;

§ a streamlined new Safari that delivers the fastest performance, as well as the longest battery life for web browsing and Netflix HD video streaming on the Mac;

§ an updated version of Mail, which includes Markup for quickly filling out and signing forms and PDFs right within Mail, plus Mail Drop, which makes it easy to send large attachments up to 5GB for free;

§ enhanced Messages, so now you can add participants to your ongoing group conversations, see their locations on a map, quickly access attachments and even mute notifications;

§ iTunes 12, which has a new look, and makes it easier to switch between browsing your music library and discovering new music on the iTunes Store. A new Recents view makes it easy to access the media you just purchased or recently played.

Yosemite also delivers platform technologies that make it easier for developers to create new Mac apps. Swift is a powerful, next-generation programming language for iOS and OS X that’s fast, modern, interactive and helps developers write safer and more reliable code. SpriteKit makes it easier for developers to incorporate realistic motion, lighting and physics in games and when integrated with SceneKit, makes it simple to create games with animated 3D scenes and effects.

Yosemite supports all Macs introduced in 2009 or later, and some models introduced in 2007 and 2008. For a complete list of system requirements and compatible systems, please visit apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade. Continuity features require iOS 8.1, which is available as a free upgrade starting October 20. OS X Server 4.0 requires Yosemite and is available from the Mac App Store for US$19.99****.

*Some Continuity features require advanced Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi features available only in more recent Macs.
**Check with your carrier for hotspot availability.
***Cellular data charges may apply.
****Pricing refers to the US, and may vary in other countries.