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Blockchains and their use cases have evolved significantly since the advent of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. And for a few good reasons. The fully decentralized system lowers transaction costs, improves record-keeping and enables complete transactional traceability. These benefits make blockchains ideally suited for the hyperconnected digital era -- one in which trust boundaries between devices, networks, applications and users are being constantly redefined.

But what makes blockchains credible? A blockchain’s network participants are bound by certain rules, which are continuously validated by peers. Several built-in mechanisms, including proof-of-work, proof-of-stake and consensus-based decisions ensure trust is maintained and strengthened. The transaction ledger is open to participants for analysis and auditing purposes at any time, with data being replicated across multiple participants. Blockchains eliminate the need for a central or federated trusted entity -- the middleman -- which results in the democratization of trust. This is why blockchain has been dubbed the Trust Machine.

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In the past 20 years, we have seen a boom in mobile adoption and the arrival of the Internet of Things, but recently these advancements have been overshadowed by cybersecurity attacks which have targeted celebrities, the NHS and even the CIA. As a result, concerns for our online and mobile security have sky rocketed for both B2B and B2C customers.

These hackers’ skills are forever evolving, and our ability to stay one step ahead is becoming increasingly difficult, with providers embarking on a never-ending search for ways to stop these attacks. So, what are the current challenges facing the world of mobile security and how can telecoms and Mobile Service Providers (MSPs) overcome them?

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I've faced a bit of criticism for claiming the Windows Insiders program was getting confusing and convoluted. Yeah, for some of you, the program is totally clear -- I get it. Please understand, however, that not all Insiders have their lives revolving around Windows 10 like maybe you do. And that's a good thing. When collecting data, you want to have varying degrees of knowledge and understanding, as that provides more diverse feedback.

Today, Dona Sarkar legitimizes my concerns by acknowledging that things are getting a tad confusing. While announcing a new RS4 build for the "Skip Ahead" folks -- Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16353 for PC -- Sarkar clarified some aspects of the Insiders program; she also included a helpful graphic. This is a good sign for the Insiders program, as it reaffirms the company is willing to listen and improve.

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It's been a while since Sony came up with a flagship smartphone I wanted to talk about. The new Xperia XZ1 is an interesting proposition in the high-end segment, mainly because it comes with the latest and greatest version of Android out of the box, less than two weeks after Google announced Oreo.

I expected Sony to be late to the party, but this time around it managed to get ahead of the likes of LG and Samsung, which is impressive. What is not is the fact that the Xperia XZ1, just like its smaller Xperia XZ1 Compact brother, looks very similar to the Xperia Z1 from four years ago.

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Back in the day, when people wanted portable music, it usually meant using a giant boombox loaded with C or D batteries. These devices offered the ability to play AM/FM radio, cassette, and later on, CD too. The included carry handle allowed the owner to easily take it to places like the park or the beach. Heck, some people walked around with it on their shoulder blasting music on the go.

Nowadays, boomboxes have largely been replaced by small Bluetooth speakers and smartphones. JBL seems keen on resurrecting this product type, however, with its all-new "Boombox." This is a very large Bluetooth speaker with integrated carry handle, that promises exceptional bass. There are no C or D batteries here, however, as it has a massive rechargeable 20,000mAh battery which can provide up to 24 hours of music playback! That large battery can be used to charge other devices too, such as smartphones and tablets. You can even pair two Bluetooth devices simultaneously.

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It's been a long time since Thomas Edison gave us that little gift that slowly took candles from necessity to decoration. We've since come a long way, from gas lights through incandescent and on to compact fluorescent and now LED.

Each iteration has brought improvements in terms of such things as energy use and longevity. Today's, LED bulbs have a lifespan of roughly twenty years so changing them is almost unheard of. They are also full bright when you switch them on which is a big step up from the compact fluorescents we'd just grown used to. Those were almost like watching a sunrise.

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For a while, many Android device manufacturers were removing microSD card slots from their products. With the explosion of cloud storage, this sort of made sense. Not to mention, from a privacy perspective, removable storage can be seen as a weakness. Many consumers and tech reviewers spoke out against this trend, and, nowadays, plenty of Android smartphones continue to have expandable storage -- just look at the the Samsung Galaxy Note8 for example.

Today, SanDisk unveils a record-breaking microSDXC card. This new "Ultra" card features a massive 400GB capacity. Prior to it, the largest capacity for a microSD card was 256GB. This card will not only benefit Android users, but owners of other hardware too, such as cameras, drones, and more.

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The G6 is a nice high-end smartphone, but it cannot hold its own against Apple's next iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S8. LG's new V30, however, might just have what it takes to level the playing field.

LG is well aware that it cannot win a battle against the heavyweights in this market if it does not bring its A game, which is why the V30 comes with everything that you expect a flagship to have in this part of 2017 -- and more. It's actually the first LG-made flagship in years that I would want to buy.

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While digital advertising is increasingly popular, it suffers from a lack of trust due to fraud and, despite predictive technology, has relatively low accuracy. As a result, a high percentage of spend gets wasted.

Advertising ecosystem Papyrus, launching today, aims to bring together users, publishers, advertisers and developers of decentralized applications in a new way that permits them to interact in an environment with built-in fraud prevention and which offers an unprecedented level of control.

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Earlier today, Logitech announced a unique new keyboard called "Craft." It is designed to work in harmony with the company's excellent Logitech MX Master 2S mouse, but, of course, you can use it with any pointing device that you choose. Logitech is hoping to dominate your desk with these products not only because they work exceptionally well, but also because they will share an elegance and design style that will transform your work space into something beautiful.

Of course, a mouse and keyboard alone do not complete an elegant desktop experience, so the company is also introducing a new 2.0 desktop speaker system. Called MX Sound, the speakers don't only connect with a 3.5mm audio port, but they feature Bluetooth too. Actually, you can pair two Bluetooth devices at once. There is even a headphone jack on the rear. To lend to the overall beautiful design, there is no branding on the front of the speakers, allowing them to blend into your desk. The controls on the front even have proximity detection, so they will only light up when your hand gets close.

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In an effort to add a cloud component to its physical storage business, Western Digital has announced that it has acquired the cloud storage company Upthere.

Upthere was founded in 2011 and its app Upthere Home appeared on the App Store and Play Store in 2015. Since then, though, little has been heard from the company and it appears as if its app had a difficult time competing against the likes of Google, Apple and Microsoft in the cloud space.

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Email has become the default means of communication for both businesses and individuals, but as we saw yesterday it isn't without its problems.

A major issue email has is that of security, cyber criminals are getting better at creating phishing and other messages that accurately spoof commercial organizations. But there is a technology in the form of Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) which has the potential to restore faith in email communication.

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The man made famous by Megaupload, Kim Dotcom, thinks he may have come up with a solution to piracy. The solution pairs his new file-sharing site, K.im, with his micro-payment service Bitcache.

Working in a slightly different way to Megaupload, K.im is a decentralized cloud-based hosting system. Users can upload files and they will be distributed between various cloud services and also Bittorent. Coupled with Bitcache, a Bitcoin-based payment system, creators can charge for access to their content.

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When you type a URL into your browser’s address bar and hit enter, there will be a slight delay while the software asks a DNS (Domain Name System) server for the IP address of the site in order to be able to load it.

Switching to a faster DNS server could shave milliseconds off the lookup time, and ultimately speed up your browsing. You can do this manually, or there’s a simpler option.

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The latest device to be announced by Logitech is the Logitech Craft keyboard -- a wireless keyboard with a dial that's remarkably similar to the Surface Dial. It's so similar, in fact, that it's hard to imagine that Microsoft's lawyers aren't stroking their chins and wondering what to do.

Logitech refers to the new hardware as an "advanced keyboard with creative input dial," and the main target audience is people working with Photoshop or other design ventures. Of course, the company wants to appeal to as many people as possible, and points out that the dial -- known as the Crown -- is also useful in the likes of Word and Excel.

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