Google doubles top Chrome Reward Program payout to $100,000
Many people look at hackers as bad guys, and yeah, some are. However, some of these people are actually good -- their work is beneficial for security. When they discover exploits, and report them, it can result in more secure software -- if companies listen, that is.
Google is a huge proponent of for-good hacking, and it even has its own Chrome Reward Program aimed at motivating these people. Basically, Google will pay hackers to find and report security issues in its Chrome software. Today, the company is upping the ante by increasing how much it will pay out.
Most IT pros are unprepared for data migration failure
Among businesses, data migration seems to be a much bigger issue than previously thought. Those are the results of a new report by Vision Solutions, entitled 2016 State of Resilience.
It gathered responses from more than 2,000 CTOs, CIOs and other IT leaders all around the world, from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and looked at various data trends including migration, HA/DR, cloud and data sharing.
Microsoft Project AIX is an open source Minecraft-based artificial intelligence solution
Many people fear artificial intelligence, and the reasons range from sensible to science-fiction. Some people are worried it could lead to a loss of jobs, while others fear a robot-fueled apocalypse, such as in the Terminator films. Me? I'm not worried, but excited. Don't fear progress, y'all.
Today, Microsoft announces a new artificial intelligence solution, called Project AIX. It is quite intriguing, and should excite millennials, as it is based on the wildly-popular Minecraft video game. The really interesting aspect, however, is that Microsoft is making it an open source project.
Some of the best adventure games ever are now playable on Raspberry Pi
It’s Pi Day, so naturally the Raspberry Pi Foundation has a little gift for Raspberry Pi owners. No, it’s not new hardware, but rather news that you can now play some of the all-time best point and click adventure games on the diminutive board.
The popular adventure game emulator ScummVM has now been ported over to the Raspberry Pi, allowing users to enjoy some of the greatest games from the early 1990s.
Explaining the struggles of Apple Pay and mobile payments
Apple Pay was introduced 18 months ago to rave reviews from the press and technology analysts. It was billed as an example of "mobile payments done right" -- simple, intuitive and painless. And yet, its impact has been muted at best, even in key western markets. According to a recent survey, 80 percent of iPhone 6 users had never used the service and just 3 percent used it regularly. Customer satisfaction among Apple Pay users remains high, but word-of-mouth appears to have had no impact on adoption. What is the cause of this divergence?
Looking at these figures, it appears that Apple Pay is struggling to "cross the chasm" between early adopters and mainstream consumers. Early adopters genuinely looking for a mobile payment solution would have no doubt been delighted by Apple Pay's implementation. However, most "normals" aren't specifically looking for a mobile payment solution. Any substitute to existing payment solutions has to be superior enough to existing offerings to break long established habits (in this case, pulling out a credit card). And it is here that Apple Pay, and mobile payment solutions in general, face a key challenge.
Peer deep inside .NET files with PExe
PExe is a tiny free tool for identifying and disassembling .NET executables.
This could be useful for basic troubleshooting (is this a .NET program?), looking inside an application before you run it, detecting signs of malware, and more.
Microsoft celebrates Pi Day with a Dell laptop sale
The bad news is that today is Monday. The good news is that it is not just another Monday. March 14 is also Pi Day and, to help celebrate it, Microsoft is holding a sale on select Dell laptops, offering a major discount on XPS 13, Inspiron 13 and Inspiron 15 devices.
Fortunately, the discount in question does not match Pi's (approximate) value, as 3.14 percent wouldn't have impressed anyone. Instead, Microsoft has settled for a 31.4 percent discount, which translates into savings of hundreds of dollars.
Save up to $650 off a Surface Pro 4 as Microsoft launches new trade-in program
If the price of a Surface Pro 4 has been putting you off upgrading, Microsoft's new 'Trade in, trade up' could be just what you’ve been waiting for. Apple is famous for running trade-in programs to encourage people to upgrade to the latest devices, and Microsoft has also got in on the action more recently.
The latest deal means you can ditch your old MacBook, PC or Surface and receive up to $650 back to put towards your Surface Pro 4. There are conditions, and you might find that it makes more sense to sell your old device privately, but it's certainly well worth checking out to see if it could work in your favor.
DRaaS vs backup: Which is best for your business?
According to a report by one of the big four auditors, KPMG, more than 40 percent of companies that suffer a major business disruption are unable to recover from the long-term impact of the failure, and go out of business within two years.
To avoid this fate, organizations must have a solid disaster recovery strategy in place.
Encrypt all the things! Facebook, Google and WhatsApp to increase privacy and encryption
Privacy and security has always been a hot topic, but never more so than in recent months. The Apple/FBI case has really brought things to a head, enlivening the debate between privacy and security advocates, and those who side with the government. As Apple fights to prevent the FBI from accessing the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, Facebook, Google and others are looking to increase encryption and lockdown user data even further.
The Guardian has learned that a number of Silicon Valley companies are working on ultra-secure encrypted messaging systems. With President Obama having made a sideways reference to supporting the inclusion of backdoors for government, Facebook is planning to not only bring encryption to Whatsapp's voice messages, but also to bolster the security of Facebook Messenger.
Microsoft continues to show Apple love -- adds Touch ID support to Outlook for iPhone and iPad
While both Android and iOS are solid and mature mobile operating systems, Apple's offering seems to get more developer support. Even though Google's OS reigns supreme from a market share perspective, iOS generates the most profit. Not to mention, Apple's products don't really deal with the fragmentation issues that Android does.
Microsoft doesn't discriminate between the two, offering many apps for both platforms. One of its most popular apps is Outlook. The email client works brilliantly, but on iOS, it is gaining a new trick -- Touch ID support. Yes, you can now protect your email on iPhone and iPad with biometrics.
Microsoft drops Bitcoin support for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile purchases
Microsoft's love affair with Bitcoin has proved to be short-lived. The company has updated its support pages to indicate that it no longer supports the cryptocurrency for purchases made in the Microsoft Store.
No explanation has been given for the decision, but it's likely that Bitcoin's failure to hit the mainstream -- yet, at least -- is to blame. From now on, Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile purchases will have to be made using other payment methods, although Microsoft says current balances paid for with Bitcoin can still be used.
80 percent of internet users believe privacy is a fundamental right
People care more about their privacy than ever before according to the latest Consumer Openness Index by open source messaging and office productivity company OpenXchange, with 80 percent believing they have a right to privacy.
The survey of 3,000 Internet users in the US, UK and Germany shows that over the past year, public opinions about data privacy have hardened. The internet-aware public in all regions surveyed are more likely to say they would stop using websites and services if news of a privacy scandal broke.
Only collaboration will solve the encryption dilemma
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety". So goes the quote from Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, in 1755. Little did he know that over 250 years later, his words would be frequently cited in one of the most complex debates of modern times.
In a world where data is collected, shared and sold as the norm, the liberty vs. security question has never been so relevant. The topic has been brought into the public eye by the UK Home Secretary’s draft Investigatory Powers Bill -- or Snoopers’ Charter -- and honed-in on the issue of encryption. More specifically, whether government agencies should be given the power to access encrypted, private communications, by forcing service providers to hand them over.
Telegram gets major 'Supergroups' update
When it comes to cross-platform chat, I used to be a huge proponent of Skype. Since Microsoft's offering is on a number of platforms, it made sense. Unfortunately, the company didn't keep up with quality, letting Skype get stale. Even worse, it has seemingly abandoned its Linux development, making it a non-starter for many.
Telegram is emerging as one of the best cross-platform chat solutions, being available for Windows, Android, iOS, Ubuntu, etc. Best of all, it is constantly being updated. It is beautiful and clearly cared for. Not to mention, it offers encryption -- something very important in today's security climate. Today, one of its killer features, Supergroups, gets a major upgrade. Yes, Telegram is getting even better.
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.