Mario Kart figures

Nintendo delays the launch of Mario Kart Tour for mobiles

Fans of Nintendo's Italian plumber and his racing antics have been keenly waiting for the launch of Mario Kart Tour, the mobile version of Mario Kart. There's some bad news though: you're going to have to wait a little longer than expected.

The game was previously planned for a March launch, but things have been very quiet from Nintendo. In its Q3 earnings report, the company revealed that the game has been pushed back to summer.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Windows 10 laptop

Microsoft opens up Skip Ahead so you can try early builds of Windows 10 19H2

The Windows 10 19H1 update may not yet have been released to the masses, but Microsoft is already hard at work on the update that will follow it, predictably codenamed Windows 10 19H2.

If you're an eager beaver, you probably want to get your hands on this update as soon as possible, and Microsoft is giving you a way to do so. The company has opened up the Skip Ahead ring for Windows Insiders, and by signing up for this you can be among the first to try out Windows 10 19H2.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Google+ icon

Google reveals the shutdown date for Google+ and when your data will be deleted

We've known for several weeks now that Google+ is to close down, and Google has even brought forward the shutdown date. Now the company has revealed details of the timeline for the closure.

As of next week -- February 4 specifically -- it will no longer be possible to create a Google+ account, and commenting options will be removed in March. When April rolls around, Google+ will not only close down, but data associated with consumer accounts will start to be deleted.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Bluetooth 5.1

Bluetooth 5.1 knows where you are -- down to the centimeter -- and which way you're facing

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has revealed some new features of Bluetooth 5.1, and there's a lot to get excited about. While Bluetooth is perhaps most readily associated with connecting peripherals, there is so much more to it than that thanks to the addition of a direction-finding feature.

Used in conjunction with real-time locating systems (RTLS) and indoor positioning systems (IPS), Bluetooth 5.1 promises, among other things, improved tracking of devices, and better indoor navigation tools.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Dissolving clock

Time's up! Microsoft is flipping the IE 10 kill switch in 2020

Microsoft has been trying to encourage users away from Windows 7 for a while now, with support officially ending next year. But it's not just the operating system that is reaching the end of the line; Microsoft is also warning the remaining Internet Explorer 10 users that support ends in 2020, advising that it is time to migrate to Internet Explorer 11.

In a warning posted on its IT Pro Blog, Microsoft says that after January 2020, Internet Explorer 10 will no longer be supported. The company states, quite definitively, that it will "not release any security or non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content changes for IE10".

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Facebook logo on Samsung phone

Facebook has been paying people to install a VPN that harvests data about them

An investigation has revealed that Facebook has been paying people aged between 13 and 35 to install a data harvesting VPN tool. The "Facebook Research" VPN was offered to iOS and Android users who were paid up to $20 per month -- plus referral commissions -- to provide the social network with near-unfettered access to phone, app and web usage data (a Root Certificate is installed to give a terrifying level of access).

As news of the activity came to light, Facebook has announced that the program (sometimes referred to as Project Atlas) is being terminated on iOS, but it seems that it will be continuing on Android. If this sounds slightly familiar, you just need to think back a few months to when Facebook's Onavo Protect VPN was kicked out of the App Store for violating Apple's data collection rules.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Fortnite Chiller Grenade

Fortnite update brings support for external controllers to iOS and Android

Epic Games has released an update to the mobile version of Fortnite which will help to level the playing field between iOS, Android, console and desktop gamers.

If you've struggled to battle with the game's on-screen controls, Fortnite patch 7.30 could be just what you have been waiting for. In addition to other new features and bug fixes, the update adds support for Bluetooth controllers in iOS and Android -- and a new weapon!

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
FaceTime icon crossed out

How to disable FaceTime and protect your privacy

By now you have probably heard about the bug that's been discovered in Apple's FaceTime. In short it is an exploit that lets you connect a call you have placed rather than waiting for the recipient to pick up -- so you can then listen to audio and watch video.

Apple is working on a fix, and it you want to be sure that you don't fall victim to eavesdropping, you should think about disabling FaceTime on your iOS device. Here's how to do just that.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
FaceTime icon

Massive FaceTime privacy bug lets people eavesdrop on audio and video calls before they've been answered -- and Apple doesn't have a fix yet

Apple is scrambling to fix a serious bug that has been discovered in its FaceTime messaging services. The bug makes it possible to spy on the people being called, even if the call is not picked up.

This is a serious privacy issue, as it gives someone the ability to secretly eavesdrop on someone -- or even watch them -- without their knowledge. At the moment, Apple does not have a fix but the company says it is working on the problem and will address it by the end of the week. In the meantime, you may want to consider disabling FaceTime on your iOS device.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Dropbox on smartphone

Dropbox splashes $230 million on e-signature startup HelloSign

Cloud storage firm Dropbox has announced that it is to acquire HelloSign -- a San Francisco-based startup that provides electronic signature and document workflow services -- for $230 million in cash.

The acquisition is the largest ever made by Dropbox, and it is expected to be completed in the first quarter of the year. The purchase bolsters Dropbox's offerings and gives it a firm footing to better compete with the likes of DocuSign.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Facebook privacy checkup 2019

Try not to laugh -- for Data Privacy Day, Facebook wants you to take a Privacy Checkup

Facebook is not a platform that's synonymous with privacy -- far from it. In addition to the things users purposefully share with the social network and the people they are connected to on it, there have been a seemingly endless string of scandals about unauthorized third parties being granted access to private data, data being shared between apps, and so on ad nauseum.

With today being Data Privacy Day, Facebook is trying -- apparently without a faintest hint of irony -- to jump on the bandwagon. Starting today, the company is launching a new Privacy and Data Use Business Hub, as well as inviting users to take a Privacy Checkup.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Apple pie

Download updated Android Pie images for your OnePlus 5 or 5T

OnePlus had a Christmas present for owners of its OnePlus 5 and 5T handsets -- an OTA update to Android Pie.

Now, a month later, the company has made Android 9.0.3 images available for download; perfect for those who like to manually flash their handsets. But this is not the same version of Pie that rolled out at the tail end of last year. OnePlus has introduced a number of important updates.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Flickr mobile icon

Download your Flickr photos NOW if you don't want to lose them

Three months ago, Flickr announced sweeping changes to its different accounts, the most significant of which was the news that anyone with a free account would be limited to storing 1,000 photos online.

If you are a Flickr user with a free account, you may well have already noticed that you are unable to upload any more photos -- the new limit kicked on in January 8. But in under two weeks, Flickr will not only prevent you from uploading photos that tip you over the magic number, it will start actively deleting files to keep you within the 1,000 limit. If you want to keep your photos, you'll have to upgrade to a professional account or -- as we'll show you -- download them.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Face unlock with smartphone

Leak shows that Android Q will bring native face unlock to more phones

A new Android Q leak suggests that Google is ready to copy another of the features iOS users have come to know and love: facial unlock.

There are already a number of Android handsets -- including recent phones from OnePlus -- which have their own implementation of the biometric security feature, but with Android Q, it is looking as though the feature will be hard-baked into the operating system.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram icons

Insiders say Mark Zuckerberg plans to unify WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger

Like Google constantly launching and closing services, the appalling disparate mess of apps produced by Facebook is something of an industry joke. Mark Zuckerberg is well-aware of this, and it seems he wants to do something about it.

Insiders at the company say plans are afoot to change the way Facebook Messenger, WhastApp and Instagram function, unifying their messaging system for better integration. On top of this, Zuckerberg also wants each of the three messaging services to feature end-to-end encryption.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
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