• Article

Microsoft Garage -- the Redmond behemoth’s R&D arm -- has released Dictate 5.0, a free add-on for those running Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 or 365 on Windows 8.1 or later. Also available for 64-bit versions of Office, Dictate brings dictation capabilities to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The app uses the same speech recognition engine found in Cortana to convert user speech into editable text using whatever microphone has been configured as the user’s default.

Continue reading →

I can't say this enough -- never go cheap on a wireless router. Whether for your home or business, a flaky connection can be absolutely maddening. Not to mention, if you opt for a model from a lesser-known company, you could get left with poor update support. In other words, there could be unpatched vulnerabilities. What you want to do is target a reputable brand that has historically offered plenty of updates. Then, select a model that meets your needs.

Despite some fairly overblown concerns about data collection, one such reputable company is NETGEAR. The company not only offers routers with great features and reliability, but excellent support too. Today, the company refreshes its aging Nighthawk X6 (R8000). The new "S" model -- which replaces its predecessor -- is called "X6S (R8000P)." This new router still has six antennas, but moves from AC3200 to AC4000 (750+1625+1625 Mbps). The new model gets multi-user MIMO and has a better processor, going from a dual-core 1GHz to a dual-core 64-bit 1.8GHz CPU. Like the prior model, the X6S also has Amazon Alexa support.

Continue reading →

Part of the joy of shopping online is being able to easily compare prices at a number of retailers so you get the best price. If you prefer to get all of your goods from the same place, eBay has a new deal that you'll love -- price matching.

The offer covers items in the eBay Deals section, and price matching is carried out against Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Walmart.com, HomeDepot.com, Target.com, Sears.com, Wayfair.com and Jet.com. But if you want to take advantage of the offer, you'll have to take careful note of the terms and conditions.

Continue reading →

Microsoft introduced a bug bounty program for Edge last August. Originally intended as a temporary thing, it will now live on as the software giant reports that it has lead to major improvements in its browser's security.

As is the case with bug bounty programs, part of the appeal for security researchers is the financial side. In this case, Microsoft says that it has paid over $200,000 in bounties in since it kicked off.

Continue reading →

Just one day after the launch of the long-awaited OnePlus 5, accusations of cheating in benchmarks started to creep out -- just as they did with the OnePlus 3T. Now another minor controversy has hit the brand new handset: it turns out that while it is strongly suggested that the OnePlus 5 has lossless 2x optical zoom, that is not actually the case.

OnePlus' marketing certainly pitched the dual camera as offering instant 2x zoom, and many people assumed that the arrangement was the same as with the dual camera iPhone 7 Plus which does offer 2x optical zoom. But the focal length of the OnePlus' two cameras is such that it needs a little digital help to boost the zoom to 2x -- and that raises the question of whether it is actually lossless.

Continue reading →

Logitech recently unveiled the versatile Circle 2 -- its second-generation home surveillance camera. Unlike the first version of the cam, the newer variant can be used both indoors and outside. Plus, thanks to the many mounting options, you can position it in many different ways. It looks like a great product.

Today, the Circle 2 gets even more attractive thanks to an upcoming new feature. You see, the internet-connected camera is getting integration with the upcoming Echo Show -- Amazon's assistant device that features a display. This actually makes a lot of sense, as it transforms Amazon's screen-having device into a voice-controlled surveillance monitor.

Continue reading →

We're all familiar with the concept of the dark web where information gained from hacks and data breaches is traded amongst cyber criminals. But just how much are your identity and account credentials worth?

Password manager and digital vault app Keeper Security has produced an infographic looking at how much various pieces of information trade for.

Continue reading →

Back in April, Imagination Technologies revealed that it had been dropped by Apple and would therefore no longer be supplying GPU chips for use in iPhones, iPads and other products. Now, having lost 70 percent of its value, the UK company is putting itself up for sale.

Shares in Imagination fell dramatically after Apple ditched it, but news of the sale led to a jump of 21 percent. The company is valued at around £425 million ($538 million) and the announcement comes after several parties expressed interest in an acquisition of Imagination Technologies Group plc in its entirety.

Continue reading →

It's a common belief that anything that appears online is fair game for downloading and sharing, and this idea extends to Facebook profile pictures. Facebook has found that in India in particular there is great concern from users -- particularly woman -- about uploading a profile picture in case it is download and shared elsewhere.

Responding to this, the social network is trialling features that will grant users more control over their profile pictures. Facebook is not only introducing a new profile picture guard, but also encouraging people to add a design layer to their images to discourage misuse by others. If the trial proves successful, the feature will enjoy a wider rollout.

Continue reading →

Despite newer developments like social media and mobile, email remains a powerful and effective marketing tool.

Website tool comparison site WebsiteBuilder has put together an infographic looking at why email marketing works, the techniques used, and more.

Continue reading →

Ethereum has redefined volatility in the cryptocurrency market. On the GDAX exchange, the second most valuable cryptocurrency dropped to as low as $0.10 in trading before the price swiftly recovered.

The price of Ethereum is hovering around the $336 mark at the time of writing this article. What caused the plunge? GDAX blames it on a basic sell order, albeit one of really high value.

Continue reading →

For decades, the Microsoft Security Bulletins have provided IT administrators with a monthly list of vulnerabilities and accompanying patches. Much to the chagrin of the IT community, these Bulletins have been replaced by the Security Update Guides portal (SUG), which many administrators believe will be a lot more work for them, especially for patch management professionals who already have enough on their plate.

Moreover, the additional time to research and understand the security patches required for their unique environments will only lengthen the time to patch. While the portal is searchable by Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), Knowledge Base (KB) article, product or release date, the change in process will impact the daily routines of IT administrators and security professionals around the world.

Continue reading →

Using the word 'fibre' to describe broadband services which are partly delivered using copper cable is misleading consumers according to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Conducted by specialist research agency Opinion Leader, using focus groups and in depth interviews with residential and business broadband users, the research shows that adverts using the word fibre don't enable people to make an informed choice.

Continue reading →

Cisco has unveiled its network of the future designed with the ability to learn, adapt and evolve to combat security threats and manage the increased load put on networks by an ever-increasing number of devices.

The company created its new network with the intent of developing an intuitive system that can anticipate actions, stop security threats and continue to evolve and learn over time. Cisco's network of the future will allow businesses to solve the challenges they face in a time of increased connectivity and distributed technology.

Continue reading →

Sometimes listening to music can be a very private affair -- especially with sad songs. Enjoying music can often be communal too, where friends gather together to enjoy some tunes. Heck, a concert is a great example of this. Sometimes it can just be more enjoyable to experience music with others.

Spotify apparently understands this, as today, it unveils a new integration with Facebook Messenger. Using the chat platform, a Spotify user can create a playlist and then invite friends to contribute to it. Best of all, the user's friends do not need to have Spotify accounts to participate.

Continue reading →