Major virus infection shuts down factories of iPhone chip-maker TSMC
A major virus infection forced the closure of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) factories just before the weekend; some remain closed or only partly-operational. TMSC is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world and is responsible for producing iPhone processors for Apple.
The company issued a statement indicating that it was not carried out by a hacker. The impact on Apple's iPhone production schedule is also not known, although TSMC expects the incident "to cause shipment delays and additional costs".
Avast pulls the latest version of CCleaner following privacy controversy
Piriform rolled out updates for CCleaner on a monthly basis, and this is something that has continued since Avast took over. The latest update, CCleaner 5.45, wasn’t at all well received due to a number of changes affecting privacy, and the company’s response to the matter proved to be unsatisfactory -- to say the least.
Now it seems that Avast has seen the light, and pulled the latest update. The current version available is 5.44. On its forums the company had this to say:
If you're looking for love, Facebook Dating is on the way
Think of dating apps, and the likes of Tinder, Grindr and Match.com spring to mind, and now Facebook is looking to take itself a slice of the action. We first heard about Facebook Dating at the social network's F8 conference back in May, and now more details are coming out.
Currently undergoing internal testing with employees, Facebook Dating is looking to be a feature of Facebook rather than a standalone app. Leaked images now give us an idea of what to expect from it -- but there'll be no swiping right.
Confirmed: Fortnite for Android will risk players' security by sidestepping Google Play
Fortnite for Android is one of the most eagerly-anticipated game launches of recent times, but the impending release could turn out to be something of a security nightmare. Following on from recent rumors, Epic Games has confirmed that Fortnite will not be made available through the Google Play Store.
Instead users will have to download the game directly from Fortnite.com -- something which means they will have to lower the security settings for their phone by allowing the installation of apps from unknown sources. Despite the security risks involved in this, Epic is eager to avoid paying a 30 percent cut to Google for Play Store distribution; but how long before the plan backfires?
LibreELEC 9.0 Alpha Kodi 18 Leia-focused Linux distro for Raspberry Pi and PC is here
Kodi is great software for consuming media, but the best way to experience it is with a Linux distribution that focuses on it. If you aren't familiar, LibreELEC is one such distro -- it allows the user to focus exclusively on Kodi without any distractions. Best of all, it doesn't just run on traditional PC hardware, but the Raspberry Pi too. Yes, by leveraging an inexpensive Pi device, you can create a powerful media box for your television.
Today, the first Alpha of LibreELEC 9.0 becomes available for download. This follows the recent release of Kodi 18 Leia preview, and yes, LibreELEC 9.0 is based on Leia.
Microsoft Surface Go is a repairability nightmare, and that's OK
The Microsoft Surface Go launched this week, and unsurprisingly, it seems to be quite polarizing. Some reviewers give it high marks, while others disliked its anemic performance. While I have yet to try the device myself, I totally expected that -- people have different needs and expectations, and that includes reviewers. In other words, if you have meager needs, it will probably be a dream, but you obviously shouldn't expect too much from a computer that starts at $399.
Today, popular site iFixit did its typical "teardown" of the Surface Go, and the results are exactly what they should be -- it is a repairability nightmare with a lowly score of 1/10. You know what? While Microsoft haters will use that to take shots at the Surface Go, it really isn't a computer that is intended to be repaired. Starting at $399, it isn't exactly disposable, but if you do break it, it really wouldn't make sense to fix it. Right or wrong, just like Android tablets and the iPad, Surface Go isn't meant to be opened up.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17730 with new Your Phone app for Android and iOS
Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17728 to Insiders on the Fast ring three days ago, and at the same it teased its new Your Phone app.
This app allows iOS and Android users to sync content from their phones to a Windows 10 PC. Today, the software giant rolls out another new Insider build, and announces that Your Phone is now live.
Handshake.org donates $400,000 to GNOME Foundation, with 25 percent going to GIMP
The GNOME Foundation does a lot of important work, such as developing the best overall Linux desktop environment (GNOME 3) and countless useful apps. Quite frankly, without GNOME, the state of desktop Linux would probably be woeful. As a non-profit, the foundation depends on donations from both organizations and individuals. For example, back in May, we learned a mystery donor pledged a staggering $1 million to the GNOME Foundation. To this day, we still do not know the donor's identity. What we do know, however, is how some of the money will be used -- the hiring of four new employees.
There is yet another sizeable donation being announced by the GNOME Foundation, but this time, the donor is not a secret. Handshake.org, which describes itself as "a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol," has pledged $400,000, with $100,000 of it being earmarked for GIMP -- the essential image editor and manipulator. As a reminder, GIMP -- which stands for "GNU Image Manipulation Program" -- recently started to be hosted by GNOME on GitLab. Handshake will be donating to other open source projects too.
Leaked: the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is a super power
Samsung is getting about as leaky as OnePlus these days, and there have been all manner of details about the upcoming Galaxy Note9 slipping out over recent days. Now an official image and leaked video show off the handset in all its glory.
The Galaxy Note9 is due to be unveiled on August 9, but an image (now removed) that appeared on the Samsung site in New Zealand gives us a great look at what to expect. Even better, a leaked teaser video gives us an even better view showing off a new yellow S Pen, and revealing that the phone is "1 terabyte ready".
The Surface Go is here, and people just don't know what to make of it
After much excited build up, Microsoft launched its latest Surface device yesterday -- the Surface Go. While many have suggested this is Microsoft's attempt to compete with Apple iPad, there's no getting away from the fact that this is a budget Surface, and compromises have been made.
If you're not sure whether this is the tablet for you, you may well start to seek out Surface Go reviews -- and you'll find that they are an incredibly mixed bag of opinions. It looks as though the Surface Go could be one of Microsoft's most divisive products ever. Is it "painfully slow" or "practically perfect"?
Motorola Moto Z3 Android smartphone is a Verizon exclusive with optional 5G upgrade
5G is the future, but it is certainly not the present. For now, 4G LTE will have to be good enough as we await the major cell carriers to roll out 5G networking across the United States. Once this blazing-fast next generation wireless standard becomes ubiquitous, it won't just revolutionize mobile internet, but it can potentially disrupt home internet too. Yes, the future may spell trouble for traditional cable-based ISPs.
Motorola and Verizon seem anxious to sell 5G phones to consumers, as the upcoming Moto Z3 -- which is exclusive to the carrier -- shows us. No, the Android smartphone does not contain a 5G radio -- it is still a 4G phone. However, Motorola promises a future "Moto Mod" that will snap onto the rear and enable Verizon 5G wireless connectivity. Since this radio dongle will likely drain the device’s battery, it contains its own 2000 mAh battery. The phone has the typical internals that you'd expect -- a Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM.
Satechi launches Aluminum USB Type-C UHS-II Micro/SD Card Reader
More and more laptops are being manufactured without SD card slots. For many consumers, this isn't a problem. For others, such as photographers, it is a huge pain point. Thankfully, adding a card reader to a notebook or desktop is as easy as plugging in a USB adapter.
Of course, these days, laptop manufacturers are also forgoing USB Type-A ports, making existing adapters incompatible without a USB-A to USB-C dongle. Alternatively, you can simply buy a USB-C card reader, and today, Satechi launches an absolutely gorgeous such product. Its new reader, which is made with aluminum, supports both SD and micro SD cards with up to UHS-II speeds. It doesn't just work with laptops, but tablets and smartphones too.
Apple kills off its app affiliate program
Apple has announced that it is removing apps from its affiliate program. The change means that people will no longer receive commission for iOS and Mac apps.
Having once enabled sites to earn 7 percent commission for app sales, Apple then dropped this to just 2.5 percent. As of October 1, no commission will be paid at all as Apple says the App Store does a good enough job of increasing app discovery.
Facebook API changes mean you can no longer cross-post from Twitter
Twitter users can no longer automatically cross-post to Facebook. The restriction has come about after Facebook made changes to the way third parties are able to make use of its APIs.
It means that Twitter users who have connected their Facebook account to make it easier to post the same content on both services via Facebook Login can't have their tweets automatically posted to Facebook. The -- rather unsatisfactory -- solution from Twitter is simply copy the URL of a tweet, and this can then be manually posted to Facebook.
Preempt allows organizations to detect and block hacker reconnaissance tools
Increasingly cybercriminals are using their initial attacks to probe systems and look for other vulnerabilities or network resources that they can later exploit.
Threat detection platform Preempt is launching new capabilities that allow enterprises to prevent lateral movement and unauthorized domain access due to the misuse of network credentials in reconnaissance tools.
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