holiday shopping

Newegg Black Friday sales come early -- here's 20 pages of incredible technology deals!

Thanksgiving is Thursday next week, and yeah, it is a nice holiday. If you are a computer nerd or technology enthusiast, however, the following day -- known as Black Friday -- is far superior to "Turkey Day." On Friday, there will be many great discounts on tech products, including computers, components, accessories, and more.

Newegg has long been a favorite store of in-the-know system builders, and as usual, the website will once again have Black Friday deals this year. Well, calling it Black Friday is a bit of a misnomer, as this year, the special sales begin on Monday the 19th. Yes, Newegg is getting a huge jump. Best of all, the company's discounts have already hit the web, allowing you to come up with a game plan in advance.

By Brian Fagioli -
Mobile ads

Fighting mobile ad fraud with artificial intelligence

The mobile advertising market is massive, around $75 billion worldwide according to Forbes, and that makes it an attractive target for fraudsters.

Fraud rates have almost doubled over the past year and companies are under increasing pressure to monitor data for clients, allowing them to identify and prevent the risk of fraud hurting campaign performance.

By Ian Barker -
Phishing

New tool helps identify and block phishing attacks

People are often the weakest link in the IT security chain and hackers are keen to exploit this with ever more sophisticated attacks.

Predictive email defense specialist Vade Secure is launching a new anti-phishing solution that helps security operations centers identify and block targeted phishing attacks.

By Ian Barker -
password reminders

Poor security habits made worse by the speed of digital transformation

According to a new study, 75 percent of people admit to reusing passwords across accounts, including work and personal, compared to 56 percent who admitted to doing so in 2014.

The Market Pulse Survey by identity management specialist SailPoint shows that digital transformation efforts are leading to increasingly complex IT environments for businesses and employees to manage securely.

By Ian Barker -
Google Squoosh

Google launches Squoosh, an open source online image conversion app

Google Chrome Labs has released a new online image conversion app by the name of Squoosh. The open source tool is essentially a simple browser-based image editor, and the focus is very much on speed.

Showcased at the Chrome Dev Summit, Squoosh is not limited to working only in Chrome -- other browsers are also supported. While the conversion options are useful to many people, Squoosh is really an opportunity for Google to show off new web technologies.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
intel-xmm-8160-modem-1

Intel XMM 8160 5G modem coming in 2019

Next year, you are gong to hear a lot about 5G. No, seriously, you will be bombarded by both news and marketing surrounding the upcoming wireless internet standard. Quite frankly, I expect to be physically nauseated by all the 5G talk. With that said, 5G is worthy of all the hype. It will make current LTE internet seem downright slow. Make no mistake, 5G is not just a mobile data thing, either -- many homes will get internet with 5G, removing the stranglehold current cable-dependent ISPs have on the market.

Of course, before we can enjoy 5G, we need hardware, such as towers and modems. Rumors suggest Apple will use Intel modems for the iPhone in 2020, and today, we get some strong evidence of this. You see, Intel is promising to release its upcoming XMM 8160 5G modem earlier than expected -- in the second half of 2019. Consumer devices that contain the modem won't be available until 2020, however.

By Brian Fagioli -
Gboard AI

Google brings AI-powered GIF, emoji and sticker suggestions to Gboard

Google recently rolled out a floating keyboard option to Gboard, and now the company has introduced another new feature -- AI-driven suggestions for GIFs, emoji and stickers.

The move sees Google acknowledging that we increasingly communicate with images rather than words. Or, as the company puts it, it's a feature designed "for those of us who just can't even without the perfect GIF".

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Microsoft Surface Go

Microsoft opens pre-orders for the Surface Go with LTE Advanced -- yours for $679

Microsoft has announced that pre-orders for LTE-enabled versions of its Surface Go tablet are now open.

There are three models to choose from, ranging in price from $679 to $829, and you can pre-order today and expect to receive the device on November 20. The Surface Go with LTE Advanced supports AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, and two of the models are designed with businesses in mind.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
netflix-logo

Nintendo is shutting down Netflix and other video streaming services on Wii in January

If you're a Wii owner who uses the console to not only play games but also enjoy binging on Netflix, you're going to have to find an alternative soon. Nintendo is closing down streaming video services on the device in January 2019.

We already knew of Nintendo's intention to shut down the Wii Shop channel in January 2109, but the addition of shuttering video streaming will come as an added blow to Wii owners.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Angled Microsoft logo

Microsoft acquires InXile and Obsidian as it grows its game studio portfolio

At Xbox Fanfest this weekend, Microsoft announced that it has acquired two more gaming studios.

InXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment join the company's ever-expanding portfolio, and what's interesting about these two latest acquisitions is that both studios have a focus on RPGs. It is not currently known how much money has changed hands as part of the deals.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
MacBook pro 2017

Some MacBook Pro SSDs could fail -- Apple launches free service program

Apple has discovered a problem with a "limited number" of SSDs used in non-Touch Bar 13-inch MacBook Pro that could lead to drive failure and data loss. The laptops in question were sold in the year between June 2017 and June 2018.

Apple has launched a service program that will enable those with affected drives -- 128GB and 256GB models -- to have the issue addressed free of charge. The problems have come to light just as the company launched a free iPhone X screen replacement program to people suffering with a "ghost touch" problem.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Cloudflare 1.1.1.1

Privacy: Cloudflare brings its DNS switching tool 1.1.1.1 to iOS and Android

Cloudflare has just made it a whole lot easier to hide your mobile browsing from your ISP -- and access content that might otherwise be unavailable. The company has launched a 1.1.1.1 app for smartphone users, making it incredibly easy to switch between DNS services with a couple of taps; what amounts to a free VPN tool.

Earlier in the year, Cloudflare launched its 1.1.1.1 DNS service to bring privacy and speed, but it was a little off-putting to users unfamiliar with tinkering with such settings. With the launch of 1.1.1.1 for iOS and Android, the process is much, much simpler -- and the app and the service itself are free.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
iPhone X on a black background

Apple might repair your iPhone X screen for free

If you're an iPhone X owner, you could well be one of the unlucky people who has experienced a ghost touch problem with the screen.

Acknowledging that there is a problem, Apple has announced a free display repair program which customers can take advantage of if they have handsets with the issue. Here's what you need to know about getting your screen sorted out free of charge.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
microsoft-black-friday-sales

Microsoft reveals Black Friday 2018 deals on Surface, Xbox One, and more

Thanksgiving is coming, which makes me rather happy. I love catching up with family while chowing down on turkey, stuffing, and the like. After the big meal, I like to go through the paper advertisements for stores such as Target, Best Buy, and Kohl's to find the best deals. Then, that night at midnight, I leave the house to score some things I want for Black Friday! In the digital age, this sort of outdated -- I can just as easily shop online, but I cherish the experience. It's fun.

Microsoft has been making quite a mess of things with buggy Windows 10 updates and failing to put USB-C on its latest Surface Laptop 2 computer, but understandably, some of y'all still want/need a Windows PC. If you need a new computer, Xbox, or other tech-related product, Microsoft has finally revealed Black Friday 2018 sales. These are not just deals from Microsoft's own store, but on Windows 10 PCs found at other retailers too.

By Brian Fagioli -
xbox-one-x-controller

Keyboard and mouse support comes to Xbox One games on November 14 -- Fortnite is one of the first

We've known for a while that support for keyboards and mice was coming to the Xbox One, but there has been the question of "when?" hanging in the air. Now we have a date.

At its X018 event, Microsoft revealed that the date support will be added is November 14 -- so there are just a few days to wait. It is down to game developers to add the keyboard and mouse control option to their titles, and Fortnite will be among the first to push out an update that adds this support.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
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