Facebook to use facial recognition to notify users when photos of them are uploaded
A new feature touted as a privacy tool sees Facebook automatically identifying users in photographs that are uploaded. It uses the same technology already employed to make image tagging suggestions.
The social networking giant is using facial recognition to alert people when someone uploads a photo of them, regardless of whether they have been tagged in the image. For the feature to work, Facebook users will have to agree to the company keeping a record of them in a facial database.
John McAfee and the strange Twitter hack
In a cautionary tale for the festive season, unorthodox security guru John McAfee claims to have had his Twitter account hacked.
The account sent out a number of 'coin of the day' Tweets on December 27th encouraging followers to buy some lesser known crypto currencies. Nothing especially strange in that as McAfee has himself sent this type of message in the past.
Unofficial Kodi add-on provider TVAddons set to 'change how people access streaming media forever'
Six years ago, web developer umOuch launched XBMC HUB, the first add-on community for the XBox Media Center (Kodi's original name).
It provided an easy way to find and install unofficial add-ons, and later evolved into TVAddons, branching out into new areas in the process. In 2016, TVAddons even created its own fork of Kodi, called FreeTelly.
Kodi comes full circle, now available for Xbox One
Kodi started life as XBMC (XBox Media Center) and was designed to run on Microsoft's original Xbox. The software has since then enjoyed a meteoric -- and somewhat controversial -- rise, and is now available for most platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux.
One platform it was missing from was the latest generation of Microsoft's console, the Xbox One, but that oversight has finally been corrected. You can, from today, install Kodi on both that console and the Xbox One S. Although there is a catch.
Edward Snowden's Haven app turns a smartphone into a security device
The name Edward Snowden will always be associated with the NSA, but the man has fingers in many other pies. His latest venture is an app called Haven which can turn a smartphone into a security device that keeps an eye on your possessions.
Haven is an Android app, currently in beta, designed to be installed on an "extra" phone that you wouldn't mind losing. Placed with your belongings, it uses a phone's sensors -- microphone, camera, gyroscope, accelerometer, and so on -- to detect and record theft and tampering.
Twitter kills anti-Nazi bot Imposter Buster that tried to expose racists
A Twitter account designed to alert users about racist accounts has been shut down by Twitter. Imposter Buster was a bot created by journalist Yair Rosenberg in an attempt to expose racism on the platform.
But while many people welcomed the activities of Imposter Buster -- which would automatically join in the conversations of high-profile racist users in an attempt to expose their trolling of ethnic minority users -- Twitter saw things differently and slapped the bot with a permanent ban.
Kodi 18 'Leia' 64-bit for Windows is finally ready to replace the 32-bit version
There is a lot of software in the world, and much of it is terrible. It is rare that a truly great program comes along that actually disrupts things. When that software is open source, it is even more remarkable. That is why Kodi is such an impressive program. The open source project has impacted the way much of the world consumes music, movies, TV and more -- both legitimately obtained media and pirated content.
Earlier this year, we shared with you that a pre-release version of Kodi 18 "Leia" 64-bit for Windows was available. There was a big catch, however -- it was not up to par with its 32-bit brother. And so, many people just stuck with the 32-bit version, because, well... why not? It is finally time to make the jump to the 64-bit variant, however, as according to the Kodi team, it is now identical to the 32-bit version from a feature perspective.
Apple apologizes for slowing down iPhones, but we should actually be thanking them for doing it!
iOS is the best mobile operating system on the planet. End of story. Android is a solid choice too, but fragmentation and a lack of device updates makes it a non-starter for many. Pixel and Nexus devices aside, many users of Google's operating system get stranded on phones and tablets with known exploits. It is a mess.
I say all of this to highlight how great a job Apple does with supporting older devices. The company could easily stop issuing OS updates to a device after a couple of years, but instead, it chooses to reward its customers with very long support -- the iPad 2, for instance, was supported for five years. That's why today's Apple apology seems out of place. You see, the company is apologizing for slowing down older iPhone devices in an effort to make aging batteries last longer. The thing is, we shouldn't be forgiving Apple for this -- we should be thanking them!
Fall Creators Update already on more than half of all Windows 10 PCs
Microsoft releases two big feature updates a year for Windows 10. 2017 saw the arrival of the Creators Update in April, followed by the Fall Creators Update in October.
The Creators Update was a slow and at times problematic release. A quarter of Windows 10 users still didn’t have it by the time its successor rolled out. Thankfully, Microsoft seems to have learned some important lessons, and the Fall Creators Update is being installed at a much faster rate.
OxygenOS 4.7.6 rolling out for OnePlus 5T
After officially treating OnePlus 5 users to Android 8.0 Oreo last week, OnePlus is now rolling out another update. This time around it is for its latest flagship killer, the mighty OnePlus 5T.
OxygenOS 4.7.6, as it's called, comes with some pretty useful changes for the camera and system that improve performance and usability. The most useful addition -- at least for me -- is the new assistive lighting feature for face unlock.
G.SKILL Ripjaws 64GB DDR4 SO-DIMM RAM Kit is world's fastest at 3,466MHz CL17-17-17-37
There have been many RAM kits being touted as the world's fastest lately. It almost feels like an "arms race" where memory-makers are looking to outdo each other. For instance, both G.SKILL and Corsair recently claimed to have the fastest 32GB DDR4 SO-DIMM kit in the world. While both kits shared the same clock speed, the former beat the latter thanks to lower CAS latency.
Today, G.SKILL continues to brag about being the world's fastest, but this time, it is regarding its all-new 64GB DDR4 SO-DIMM kit. The 4x16GB kit runs at an impressive 3,466MHz with CL17-17-17-37 timings using 1.35V. Like the aforementioned 32GB SO-DIMM kit, these sticks are not designed for typical all-in-one computers or laptops, but instead, some desktops using the Intel X299 chipset.
Kodi warns users to update their software and addons for safer streaming
Using Kodi is not without risk. While crazy scaremongering attacks might (and indeed should) have you rolling your eyes at the people making the outlandish claims, the truth is there are legitimate issues to be aware of. You could be hacked, or spied upon.
The developers behind Kodi have announced that users should update to the latest version of the media center software immediately "to improve security and reduce possible risks."
Time runs out for WhatsApp on Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10
The start of a new year means saying hello to new beginnings and waving goodbye to a few old things. As 2018 rolls around, WhatsApp is killing off support for both Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10.
This should hardly come as major news. Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 are both very niche platforms, and WhatsApp had previously announced -- and then extended -- that support was coming to an end.
Download Android 8.0 Oreo for OnePlus 5 now
If you're the owner of a OnePlus 5, you've no doubt been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Oreo on your phone. Well, the wait is over; you can now upgrade to Android 8.0.
The release served as a great present for anyone who had their ear to the ground on Christmas Eve, and a nice surprise for anyone who was too wrapped up in festivities to notice. As ever, the update will roll out gradually, but if you're feeling impatient, it's easy to force the download.
Garmin launches vívofit 4 activity tracker with insane 1+ year battery life
Wearables haven’t exactly lit the world on fire. Quite frankly, devices such as Apple Watch and Android Wear watches have been disapointments for some. Yeah, Apple’s offering has seen respectable sales — for the “watch” category at least — but it’s hardly on the same level as the iPhone or iPad from a disruption standpoint. Not to mention, having to charge it daily is a definite pain-point.
Where wearables seem to shine, however, is for fitness. Fitness-focused devices have more of a purpose — they aren’t just glorified wrist-worn alert annoyances like Apple Watch. Today, Garmin unveils it’s latest fitness wearable and it looks quite nice. Called “vívofit 4,” it has an always-on color display and get this — the battery lasts more than a year. Wait, what?!
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