Samsung forcing out software update to render Galaxy Note7 batteries rubbish
Samsung's Galaxy Note7 fiasco has been in headline for some weeks now, most recently when it emerged that the company was working with telecoms companies to cut off the phones from networks in New Zealand. Now Samsung has announced that it is pushing out an update to US users that will limit how much the battery can be charged.
This is not so much a case of limiting the charge to make the phone safer, rather an attempt to annoy Galaxy Note7 owners who have not yet taken advantage of the 'refund and exchange' program to do just that. The hope is that by limiting phone charge to 60 percent, and showing a popup, stubborn Galaxy Note7 owners will give in and relinquish their handsets.
Hacker discovers Gmail vulnerability that leaves any account open to compromise
A student and security researcher from Pakistan has found a serious issue with Gmail that makes it possible for a hacker to take over any email address.
The vulnerability relates to the way Google handles the linking of a primary Gmail account to another email address for the purposes of message forwarding. In just a few steps it was -- before Google fixed the problem -- possible to take over ownership of an email address by tricking the system into sending out the necessary verification code.
Capture and analyze your network traffic with Dripcap
Dripcap is a cross-platform open-source packet analyzer which allows even total network novices to inspect their network traffic.
The program is simple to set up, as there’s no installation or third-party capture tool required -- just unzip the download to any convenient folder.
G.SKILL unveils insanely fast 3600MHz Trident Z DDR4 64GB RAM kit
While many people buy pre-assembled PC gaming machines nowadays -- including diminutive mini variants -- there is still much to be said for building your own computer. Selecting your processor, chassis, PSU, and memory can be extremely rewarding. You get the opportunity to create your vision, and sometimes it can be more cost-effective too.
Today, G.SKILL unveils some system RAM which should make PC builders absolutely giddy. The company's latest member of the Trident Z family is a four-module 64GB DDR4 kit. What makes it so special? It can run at an insanely fast 3600MHz!
The common causes of IT stress and how to deal with them
Anyone who works in IT knows that there are times when it can be an extremely stressful occupation. Especially when you’re expected to drop what you’re doing and fix a problem.
Meeting technology specialist Highfive has put together an infographic looking at some of the most common causes of stress and how they can be managed.
What you need to know about blockchain
For all the recent buzz surrounding the cloud and big data, it remains a fact that at the heart of much business computing there is still some form of database. In particular the operation of digital currencies like Bitcoin relies on databases that are able to track large volumes of transactions and keep them secure.
The solution used by digital currencies -- though it’s increasingly finding other applications too -- is the blockchain. First implemented in 2009, blockchain technology consists of blocks that hold batches of timestamped transactions, each block is linked to the previous one, thus forming a chain.
You can use your phone, just shut up about the election!
Smartphone use at family dinners used to be something of a frowned on activity. But a new survey reveals that people are becoming more tech tolerant.
The study from connected experience agency Sequence shows that while 35 percent of those surveyed say smartphone use at the holiday table creates tension, far more (65 percent) are bothered by discussing politics.
Google: HTTPS usage is rising among Chrome users
Google is actively pushing websites to embrace HTTPS, going as far as to warn Chrome users when they visit a page that can transmit sensitive data over the unsecured HTTP protocol. The search giant hopes that this will speed up HTTPS adoption, and to help us keep track of how things evolve it has updated its Transparency Report to reveal how HTTPS usage is increasing among Chrome users.
Google says that the majority of pages that Chrome users access on desktops are now loaded via HTTPS, and two thirds of their time is spent on pages loading the secure communications protocol. The platform with the highest rate is Chrome OS, which is approaching the 75 percent mark.
Will scanning documents help my business?
Have you ever needed to access an important piece of information from an old document, and ended up spending hours rifling through filing cabinets and searching for the folder where you think you might have put that required piece of paper?
Or maybe you know what information you need, but can’t remember exactly which document it’s on. You’ve got shed loads of stored documents, and you know it could be a 'needle in a haystack' attempt to check multiple files and find the necessary document. It’s these time-consuming, frustrating and inefficient processes that document imaging addresses. When done correctly, it can change the way your business operates for the better, and save you both time and money.
How to speed up Windows 7 update checks
When Windows 7 checks for updates, the process can take an age. Often you might find yourself staring at the screen while nothing much seems to happen.
Finding the list of updates for you to install should only ever take a few minutes at worst, but for many people that isn’t the case. Thankfully there’s a quick fix to try.
What you need to know about social relationship management
The importance of social media to businesses has long been recognized. According to a recent survey, time spent on social platforms represents 28 percent of all online activity, so if it’s important to customers, it naturally becomes important for companies too.
While some firms are content to carry out intermittent checks on Facebook and Twitter, many businesses are now demanding more nuanced ways of monitoring social media content. Social relationship management, or SRM, is a software solution that promises to strategically analyze social network interactions to give your business a competitive edge. With organizations from a broad spectrum of industries all realizing the importance of social media, gaining greater insights in this field could make the difference between success and failure.
The trends in Public, Private, and Hybrid Cloud: Which is right for you?
Organizations are rapidly migrating to the cloud. According to the 2016 Cloud Migration Survey, the top reasons for the cloud rush are the promise of high availability, reliability and potential cost savings. Companies, however, are not taking a one-size fits all approach. They are recognizing the pros and cons of private versus public cloud and tailoring their migration strategies to meet their needs.
The RightScale 2016 State of the Cloud Report, which includes responses from over one thousand technical professionals, notes that private cloud adoption by organizations will rise from 63 percent in 2015 to 77 percent in 2016. Because more companies are adding private cloud to their environments, it opens up the possibilities for hybrid cloud. Seventy-one percent of them now operate in a hybrid cloud environment which enables them to combine the benefits of both public and private platforms.
Evernote enables sign-in with Google
Have to keep track of something like a to-do list, shopping list or other items? There are multiple apps that will handle this for you and sync across platforms, allowing your lists to go on the road with you. That ability is one of the keys to choosing a good note-taking app, but things such as easy sign-in are also important for most users.
You are, perhaps, used to seeing options that allow you to bypass entering a username and password and instead click a button that will log you in automatically.
Here we go again! Microsoft throws more ads into Windows 10
With Windows 10, Microsoft faced criticism for its heavy promotion of the new operating system. Windows 7 and 8 users became more than a little annoyed by the presence of persistent nagging upgrade prompts, and others have been irritated by the addition of 'promoted apps' to the Start menu.
Now Microsoft is at it again. Apparently unhappy with the number of people using its Edge browser, the company is now trying to encourage people to switch from rivals by using popup ads to push Edge and Bing Rewards. Will the company never learn?
Best Windows apps this week
Two-hundred-and-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on Windows Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft released a new Windows Insider build this week. You can check out what is new here.
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