Gmail for iOS unveils Material Design-inspired look, allows users to unsend email
Google has unveiled a major new version of its iPhone and iPad email app with the release of Gmail 5.0.3. The major highlight of this new build is a complete redesign to more closely match its web and Android interfaces.
Gmail 5.0.3 also comes with a handful of new features, including instant search, an option to unsend mail and swipe-to-archive functionality.
Samsung uses full-page newspaper ads to say it is 'truly sorry' for the Note7 fiasco
Just when you thought the Samsung Galaxy Note7 saga was over, there's a new twist. The Korean smartphone manufacturer placed a full-page ad in US newspapers yesterday, apologizing to customers for the problematic handset.
The ad appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post and the company says it is "truly sorry" for failing to deliver "best-in-class safety and quality".
Facebook forced to stop using WhatsApp data to deliver targeted ads to users
Threatened with legal action if it failed to do so, Facebook has agreed to stop harvesting data from WhatsApp users and using that data to deliver targeted ads. The move comes weeks after the UK's Information Commissioner announced an investigation into the actions of the social network.
Facebook had already been blocked from doing this in Germany, and now the same restrictions are in place in the UK. With so much public interest in privacy, it is likely that other countries will follow suit in clamping down on Facebook's data collecting activities.
Cerber ransomware now targets databases
Security company McAfee warns that the cybercriminals behind the Cerber ransomware have begun to target businesses as well as individuals by encrypting their databases until payment is received.
During July, those responsible for Cerber launched over 160 campaigns at 150,000 users. These attacks generated $195,000 in that month -- of which the developer behind the ransomware received $78,000. Overall it is estimated that creating and using ransomware to launch cyberattacks earns the creators of the malware and those who employ it in their attacks around $1 million to $2.5 million a year. The infosec firm Trustwave noted in 2015 that a ransomware creator could earn up to $84,000 a month just by selling their malware on the dark web.
The case for Trump: Why Donald bests Hillary on key tech policies
Solely based on media coverage, you'd think that all of Silicon Valley and the tech world at large was undoubtedly behind Clinton in this critical election. But as has been reported in muted fashion by a few outlets, there is such a thing as the "silent majority" which is going to surprise many this election. I'm confident that polls are having a hard time capturing the factor that quantifies this part of the electorate which isn't being vocal about its Election Day preferences, but will deliver a decisive blow come Tues Nov 8.
Those in the tech industry publicly supporting Trump are far and few in between. And it's not entirely surprising. With the amount of undue heat that Peter Thiel, a gay conservative who co-founded PayPal, is receiving, it's not shocking to see many staying mum about their preferences. But with such an important election at stake, and with candidates who I see as having vastly different consequences for America, sitting idle and staying silent is perhaps a worse reality than risking standing on the losing side of Election 2016 history.
Google adds High Dynamic Range (HDR) video support to YouTube
For some millennials, YouTube stars are more important than popular pop musicians or famous Hollywood actors. Older folks may not understand this phenomenon, but it actually makes a lot of sense -- YouTube is a platform where many young people spend their time.
Today, Google announces that it is making YouTube even better. The service can already stream video in 4K, and is available on countless devices, but now the videos are gaining High Dynamic Range (HDR) support too. This means the content will be presented with better contrast and more vibrant colors. Of course, the benefits will only be relaized with displays that support HDR.
Google: EU commissioners don't understand antitrust law
In an effort to soften the European Commission's inquiry into business practices, Google has claimed that those bringing charges against it do not fully understand antitrust law.
Kent Walker, senior VP and general counsel, took to the company's corporate blog to respond to the commission's concerns over how it has prevented rival sites and services from competing in the areas of online advertising and sales. In his blog post, Walker was quick to point out that the Commission had failed to acknowledge the role that Amazon plays in how consumers shop online.
What you need to know about data warehousing
Data warehouses are at the core of many information driven business initiatives. They’re used to store large volumes of historical data which can then be used in business intelligence projects to create knowledge-based reporting.
But a data warehouse isn’t just a single, huge repository of data, they come in a number of different types. What they all have in common is that they’re separate from day-to-day operational systems. Data is uploaded to a warehouse after it has served its primary purpose, so that it can be used for statistical analysis and decision support, once out of date for this purpose it can then move on to be archived.
Android Auto can now be used on your phone in any car, regardless of age
It's quite some time since Google launched Android Auto -- around two years, in fact -- but adoption has been hampered by one little niggle: you needed a compatible car to take advantage of it. Today that changes.
Starting today, Android Auto is available as a stand-alone phone app that can be used to bring the tool to any car via an Android device. This means that older vehicles can now feel the benefits of Android Auto and use it to get directions, listen to music, and much more.
Open Hardware Monitor: it’s still alive!
After almost two update-free years, the Open Hardware Monitor project has jumped back to life with the release of version 0.8.
The open source project is a free tool for monitoring CPU load, clock speed and temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, video adapters, RAM usage and more.
Online retailers warned about price-fixing ahead of Black Friday
Black Friday is just around the corner, and while shoppers may be looking forward to making big savings the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a warning to online retailers about price-fixing.
The consumer body has not revealed which retailers it has written to, but it says that "a number of online companies" have received letters. It's part of a campaign to make it clear to companies selling online that "discussing and agreeing price levels with competitors is illegal, and can result in serious penalties".
How Western businesses should manage their websites in China
The idea that the Chinese market is emerging is an idea that firmly belongs in the past -- while online gaming is worth $22 billion, the construction market is worth a staggering $2 trillion. Cross-border ecommerce sales -- consumers from China buying goods from outside China -- is expected to reach just under a trillion US dollars in 2016. Outbound tourists from China reached 120 million in 2015, and they spent $104.5 billion around the globe.
Internet usage and access in China is growing, despite the restrictions in connectivity the region faces. Even though the Great Firewall of China can block certain types of content completely, making websites inaccessible and cause long load times, according to China Internet Watch there were 667 million internet users spending around 25 hours a week online in 2015 -- and this is only set to grow further. Combine these trends -- the necessity of digital commerce and the rise of China as a viable target market -- and then suddenly Western businesses need to carefully scrutinize how their brand presents online.
Prisma-like NeuralStyler brings more creative control
Open-source video-to-art creator NeuralStyler has hit version 1.2 with some handy new features. A simple video trimmer allows selecting the scene you’d like to transform. It’s not precise -- you choose your start and end points by seconds, not frames -- but that’s still enough to save you a lot of time and hassle.
If you’re converting an image, a "Style Strength" slider instantly customizes the effect. Again, it’s basic, apparently just blending the converted image with the original, but we found it helped fine-tune the results.
How to block Windows 10 popups for Microsoft Edge and Bing Rewards
Just the other day users started to notice that Microsoft was using Windows 10 to push ads for its Edge browser. Already riled by ads for Windows 10 itself and the appearance of app ads in the Start menu, people were soon asking how to stop the unwanted popups.
One suggestion that started doing the round was that simply unpinning Microsoft Edge from the taskbar does the job -- but it doesn’t seem to work for everyone. Here are a few more things you can do to prevent the appearance of Microsoft's ads.
Employees feel pressure to use personal devices for work
Of employees in the US who use their personal smartphones for work, 45 percent are required to do so by their employers and 55 percent do so voluntarily. However, of those voluntary users 42 percent feel pressured to use their phone for business use outside of work.
This is among the findings of a new survey by platform services company Syntonic which reveals mounting pressure on employees to use their personal devices for work even if not required by their employer.
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