Lenovo's ThinkPad P50 and P70 laptops have Windows 10 and Linux configurations
When it comes to laptops, there is one word that conjures visions of quality like no other -- ThinkPad. Yes, the branding made famous by IBM and carried on by subsequent owner Lenovo, is an indicator to consumers and businesses that a laptop is worthy of their dollars. While not every ThinkPad branded product has been a home run, buying one rarely results in disappointment.
Today, Lenovo unveils the latest laptops to carry the prestigious branding -- the ThinkPad P50 and P70. Both computers run Windows 10 and have impressive specifications. Are one of these notebooks in your future?
Microsoft publicly releases Windows 10 IoT Core for Raspberry Pi 2 -- free download!
When the original Raspberry Pi was released, I knew I had to have one. While it was intended as an inexpensive computer on which students could learn coding, the Linux and tinkering community drooled at the diminutive machine's potential for other things. It proved to be a fun open source toy.
The official follow-up device, the Raspberry Pi 2, is much more powerful than the original, while retaining the same low price. This increased horsepower apparently caught the eye of Microsoft, as the company announced that Windows 10 would be released for it. Well, today is finally the day -- Windows 10 IoT Core is officially available for both the Raspberry Pi 2 and less-popular MinnowBoard Max.
Using Amazon Echo to control your lights with Wink and GE Link
Home automation has become the wave of the future, for better or worse. Not everyone trusts it, but many others embrace it. However it seems to be here to stay now, with websites and podcasts dedicated to it, as well as an ever growing number of products hitting the market, including some rather odd ones.
However most people jump into this endeavor with lights. They seem to be the drug that gets people hooked. And now you can incorporate Amazon Echo into this, as it is quite capable of controlling a growing number of such products.
Larry Page announces Alphabet and massive Google restructuring with Sundar Pichai as CEO
Sundar Pichai is the new CEO of Google as the company undergoes a huge restructuring. Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are moving to a new company called Alphabet -- which has a superb URL -- which will serve as an umbrella company for Google and its various projects.
Google itself is being, in Page's words, "slimmed down" and the change is quite an extraordinary one. Page quotes the original founders' letter that was written 11 years go. It states that "Google is not a conventional company", and today's announcement makes that perfectly clear. There's a lot to take in...
Users are unhappy that Windows 10 automatically sends emails about child account activity
Windows 10, just like its predecessor Windows 8.1, allows for the creation of child accounts that can have limitations imposed upon them. It's a feature that many parents take advantage of, but as more and more people start to upgrade to Windows 10, increasing numbers are complaining about the way in which Microsoft monitors account activity and sends out regular emails about that activity.
The account activity email is optional in Windows 10 -- just as it was in Windows 8.1 -- but it is switched on by default. While many parents like the idea of being able to place restrictions and limitation on a child's Windows account, the "creepy" email that many are seeing for the first time is viewed as a step too far.
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Yahoo collaborate to fight child sex abuses images
The Internet Watch Foundation today announced that it is working with some of the biggest names in technology to stamp out child sex abuse images online. Part of the problem with stemming the flow of such images is that once they are removed from one site, it takes little time for them to reappear elsewhere.
Working in conjunction with Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and Yahoo, the IWF says that it intends to share image hashes with a view to making illegal images faster to identify. Three different types of hash will be created -- the familiar MD5 and SHA-1, as well as Microsoft's PhotoDNA -- helping to improve rates of detection.
Customize Windows 10's Start menu with these third-party apps
Microsoft’s operating systems have always been easy to customize, and Windows 10 is no exception. We’ve already shown you how to make changes to the Start menu, modify Windows 10's title bar color, automate login and bypass the lock screen, and more. But what if you want to go way beyond the basics? Well there are already third-party tools available that will let you make much bigger design changes to Windows 10 than Microsoft usually allows.
With the right apps you can customize the look of the tiles in the Start menu (not simply resize them and toggle the Live Tile feature on or off) and even redesign the icons of built-in apps and use your own artwork (or someone else's).
SMBs need to consider 5 layers of data protection
Digital data has become central to all our lives and businesses from the largest multi-national organisations to the smallest family run start-ups now store the majority of their data in bytes instead of boxes. Current estimates are that there is now up to five zettabytes (the equivalent of one trillion gigabytes) of information on the planet and it could be ten times that by the end of the decade.
Many of us blissfully assume that the data we store electronically will be eternally safe. However, the real world is fraught with potential "data disasters". The data loss scenarios painted in the media may focus on cyber attacks or natural disasters, but often it is the everyday occurrences such as accidental file deletion, an overnight waterpipe breakage or spilling a hot drink on a piece of hardware that can cause the biggest disruption to a business if data is not properly stored and backed up.
Facebook's privacy settings allow for harvesting data through mobile numbers
If you've added your mobile number to your Facebook account, you might want to reconsider in light of a new security exploit. A software engineer was able to access user data just by entering their mobile number. Profile pictures, names and locations were all accessible even for users who had not made their number public.
There is potential for such harvested data to be misused by malicious parties, as it provides an easy way to link a mobile number to an individual. Reza Moaiandin was able to use a special tool to quickly generate tens of thousands of numbers which, when passed through a Facebook API, fed back the associated user profiles.
Big data being used in the war against Islamic State
ISIS might be a formidable force, but you know who they can’t defeat? Robots.
Yes, that’s right, artificial intelligence is getting the better of ISIS, and according to a BBC report, researchers have used it to better understand the group’s tactics.
Google stops neglecting Hangouts for Android -- releases 4.0 update in Play Store
When I need to communicate with friends, family or colleagues, I often turn to Hangouts. The reason why is simple -- most of them have Gmail accounts, which in turn, means they can be contacted on Hangouts too. Not to mention, the service is available for all platforms, except the lowly Windows Phone, of course.
Unfortunately, the Android app has been lagging behind for a while now. For whatever reason, the iOS version has been superior, in both usability and appearance. Today, this changes, as Google finally pays attention to Android users and delivers Hangouts 4.0.
Windows 10's forced cumulative update (KB3081424) causing endless reboots, but there is a solution
Forcing updates on all users must have seemed like a good idea in the Windows 10 planning meetings -- no more PCs at risk from unpatched vulnerabilities -- but already the mandatory updates are causing major headaches for many users.
Even before Windows 10 officially launched, there was an update (KB3074681) that caused crashes in File Explorer, and NVidia driver updates that were breaking some people’s computers. Last week’s servicing rollup fixed various bugs and issues, but for some users it actually caused their PCs to go into a reboot loop.
Tips to improve your team collaboration and take back the work day
According to a recent survey* of 200 North American business professionals, workers waste nearly two working months per year trying to collaborate, making it harder to complete high quality projects on time and on budget. What are the issues that lead to these inefficiencies? What can employees, teams, and organizations do about it? Here are some answers and tips for teams to work together more effectively.
One issue is the increasingly distributed nature of teams. Indeed, 70 percent of the people surveyed said they participate in projects that require external collaboration with contractors, consultants, agencies, and other outside parties. Also, on average, a third of people collaborate with team members who are geographically dispersed, and nearly 40 percent work across different departments in their company. Trying to communicate across geographies, time zones, and organizational boundaries is a challenge for any team.
European retailers rush to go digital for a competitive edge
Perhaps more than any other type of business, retailers are always keen to gain an advantage over their competitors. A new study by IDC suggests that they're increasingly turning to technology in order to stay ahead.
It reveals that 64 percent of retailers in Western Europe are currently undertaking some form of digital transformation effort while 21 percent are planning to do so by the end of the year.
VPaint is a clever vector editor and animator
Vector editors are commonplace, but vector animation is a little more unusual -- and VPaint combines both technologies in an open source package for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Right now the program is very much a beta (or "experimental" according to the developer), distinctly short on features, but don’t let that put you off -- there’s more than enough here to give you a feel for how VPaint is going to work.
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.