Here’s why I reserved the affordable and customizable Slate electric pickup truck
The electric truck market is loaded with options these days, but most of them feel like they are designed for people who want to show off rather than actually get things done. Between all the oversized touchscreens, fancy features, and prices that could make your head spin, I found myself turned off by a lot of the choices out there. That is why the Slate Truck caught my eye -- and why I did not hesitate to put down my $50 to reserve one.
This unique truck takes a very different approach from the big names in the industry. It is all about simplicity and affordability. No giant infotainment screen. No powered seats or overly complicated tech to get in the way. Instead, you get steel wheels, crank windows, real knobs for the HVAC, and the freedom to bring your own phone or tablet to handle navigation and music. I actually respect that. It puts control back where it belongs -- with the driver.
Silicon Power launches Inspire microSDXC card
When it comes to capturing high-res video or running games on portable devices, storage performance can often be the deciding factor between smooth success and frustrating failure. Silicon Power is looking to give creators and gamers a reliable solution with the launch of its all-new Inspire microSDXC card.
The Inspire card is available in four capacities -- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The company says this card can hit maximum read speeds of up to 170MB/s. Write speeds will vary by model, with the 1TB version reaching up to 160MB/s and the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities topping out at 150MB/s.
5 reasons your company could be dealing with a data quality issue
Data is a window into understanding not just how your business operates, but how consumers engage with, and select, your solutions. But according to this annual analyst report from Precisely and Drexel University, 67 percent of organizations don’t trust the data they are using for decision making. That means that your organization could also be dealing with unreliable data. When poor data leads to incorrect decisions, it can mean lost opportunities and wasted resources -- which costs your organization money. In uncertain times, a business's livelihood could even be on the line.
Data quality -- especially when it comes to Marketing, Advertising and Sales data -- impacts how teams assess and move forward in the marketplace. These teams lean on datasets to adjust outreach activities and awareness campaigns. The insights used from data are often the underpinning foundation for how a business not just orients itself for short-term quarterly goals, but also how an organization pivots to gain an edge on competition in the long term.
Enterprises struggle with serious gaps in cyber response plans
A new survey of 1,000 businesses across the UK, UK, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region reveals a worrying disconnect between organizations' perceived readiness and actual performance in cyber crisis response.
The study for Semperis, with research from Censuswide, finds 90 percent of enterprises surveyed struggle with serious blockers to effective cyber response. Top issues include cross-team communication gaps (48 percent), out-of-date response plans (45 percent) and unclear roles and responsibilities (41 percent).
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-forty-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft announced the deprecation and removal of the Maps app by July 2025 from the Microsoft Store. The app won't be uninstalled on user machines, but it won't receive updates anymore and can't be installed again if it is removed by the user after July 2025.
From compliance to culture: Making security part of our daily routines
Every organization, sooner or later, writes itself a policy. It gets stapled into onboarding packs and waved about during training, and then quietly forgotten. It’s not that people mean to ignore it. It’s just that rules don’t always make themselves felt when the Wi-Fi’s down or the finance team’s in a rush. But culture -- that’s different. Culture settles into the way people think and work and react. It turns guidelines into instincts. That’s when you know security has taken root.
Understanding this shift often begins with a question: what, exactly, are we securing -- and how do we keep track of it all? Which is where you'll find DSPM explained in any sensible conversation. Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) refers to the ongoing process of identifying, monitoring, and reducing risks across sensitive data. It’s less about locking everything up and more about seeing clearly -- knowing where the data is, who can access it, and what it’s doing. The benefit isn’t just technical; it’s cultural.
Navigating data privacy and security challenges in AI [Q&A]
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape industries, data privacy and security concerns are escalating. The rapid growth of AI applications presents new challenges for companies in safeguarding sensitive information.
Emerging advanced AI models like Deepseek, developed outside the US, underscore the risks of handling critical data. We spoke to Amar Kanagaraj, CEO of Protecto -- a data guardrail company focused on AI security and privacy -- to get his insights on the most pressing AI data protection challenges.
Meta is taking steps to reduce ‘spammy content on Facebook’ by hitting those responsible in the wallet
Facebook is so far removed from the platform it first started as, it is hardly the same product. Many users would say it is not even the same platform it was a couple of years ago, and one of the biggest changes -- and irritants -- is the sheer volume of worthless content.
By this, we mean spam-like rubbish rather than stuff you’re just not interested in, and Meta has announced that it is finally taking action that it hopes will effectively reduce and discourage “spammy content”.
Microsoft has finally realized that not everyone cares about Copilot
Despite making claims to the contrary, Microsoft is not really thought of as being a company that takes much notice of user opinion. All too often it seems that incredibly unpopular options, features and changes are introduced with little regard for what users actually want.
But, to buck the trend, Microsoft has apparently been listening to feedback from people who are unhappy about the encroachment of Copilot into... well, pretty much everything, really. The decision to include a physical Copilot key on keyboards has been one such unpopular move, and the reaction from Windows 11 users has forced Microsoft’s hand.
Netflix introduces a big change to subtitles
Subtitles for shows and movies serve many purposes. As well as helping those with restricted hearing, they’re also handy for watching without the need for the volume to be too high, as well as addressing the problem of mumbled dialog.
Now Netflix is introducing what it describes as “a new way to experience subtitles”. To tie in with the launch of the latest season of YOU, viewers have the option of using subtitles that show only dialog and omits reference to other audio events. Here’s what you need to know about what this means for you.
Volkswagen and Uber bring self-driving ID. Buzz electric vans to Los Angeles
Volkswagen is making a serious push into the world of autonomous vehicles, and it is teaming up with Uber to help drive that effort forward. The two companies have announced a partnership that will put Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz AD vans (fully autonomous, all-electric versions of its iconic Microbus) on American streets as robotaxis. The rollout will begin in Los Angeles, with testing set to start later this year and commercial service planned for 2026.
While the plan is for these vehicles to operate without drivers, don’t worry -- there will still be human operators on board during the early phases of testing and launch. This approach is designed to help fine-tune the technology and ensure rider safety while waiting on necessary regulatory approvals.
Lexar launches NQ780 and NM1090 PRO SSDs with blazing speeds for gamers and creative pros
Lexar is looking to shake up the solid state drive market with the debut of two new high-performance NVMe SSDs. The company has released the NQ780 PCIe 4.0 SSD and the Professional NM1090 PRO PCIe 5.0 SSD, both aimed at gamers, content creators, and anyone who demands fast storage. Even better, both drives are available for purchase on Amazon right now.
The NM1090 PRO stands out as the flagship option, pushing PCIe Gen 5 storage to impressive new heights. Depending on which capacity you choose, this SSD can hit read speeds up to 14,000MB/s and write speeds up to 13,000MB/s. The 2TB and 4TB models both offer up to 2100K IOPS for random reads, while random write speeds can reach as high as 1800K IOPS. Even the 1TB model holds its own with 14,000MB/s reads and 10,000MB/s writes. It’s built using a 6nm controller to help keep heat in check and performance stable.
Google reveals ZAPBench to predict brain activity in zebrafish and unlock new AI-powered neuroscience research
If we are lucky, Artificial intelligence might one day help scientists understand the human brain the same way language models predict the next word in a sentence. And now, that future is closer to becoming reality thanks to a new project from Google Research, Harvard University, and HHMI Janelia. You see, these teams have introduced the Zebrafish Activity Prediction Benchmark, better known as “ZAPBench,” which could help researchers create more accurate models for predicting brain activity.
ZAPBench isn’t just another dataset, folks. Actually, this new tool is based on two hours of brain recordings from larval zebrafish, capturing how roughly 70,000 neurons fired in response to different virtual reality scenarios. These tiny fish were shown various environmental changes, including shifting light patterns and moving water currents, while researchers recorded brain activity at an impressively detailed scale.
New Qualys tool aims to streamline enterprise compliance audits
Enterprises are grappling with an increasing compliance burden, subject to multiple frameworks and more regulatory mandates that stretch resources and drive-up costs.
Misconfigurations can further complicate things, often leading to non-compliance and regulatory penalties. Plus time-consuming tasks like auditing, reporting, and system remediation are prone to human error.
Crisis in 'digital dexterity' threatens AI investments
A new study shows that 92 percent of IT leaders believe the new era of digital transformation will increase digital friction and that less than half (47 percent) of employees have the requisite digital dexterity to adapt to technological changes.
The report from digital employee experience (DEX) specialist Nexthink, based on a survey of 1,100 IT decision makers worldwide, shows a further 88 percent expect workers to be daunted by new technologies such as generative AI.
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