France drops Windows 10 privacy case after Microsoft changes telemetry settings
There have been lots of complaints about invasion of privacy since the release of Windows 10. Microsoft's telemetry lead to several lawsuits, including one from France's National Data Protection Commission which said Windows 10 was collecting "excessive personal data" about users.
But now the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) has decided to drop its case against Microsoft. The commission is happy that sufficient steps have been taken to reduce the amount of data that is collected and users are now informed about data collection.
AI could boost UK's GDP by 10 percent by 2030
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to provide a major boost to the UK’s GDP over the next decade, new research has claimed.
A new report by PwC says that by 2030, the country’s GDP could see a boost of around 10 percent thanks to AI -- equivalent to around £232 billion.
UK workers optimistic about automation
Every second office worker in the UK (48 percent) is optimistic about what automation technologies will do to their workplace in the future. The only problems are that it’s expensive and infrastructure is lacking.
This is according to a new report by Capgemini, based on a poll of more than 1,000 UK office workers.
Apple releases first macOS High Sierra public beta
Apple will not officially release macOS High Sierra until later this year, but, in the meantime, Mac users who want to check out the new features early can enroll in the public beta program to install preview builds of the new operating system.
The first public beta build lands today, coinciding with the release of a revised second beta for developers. Apple typically gives developers the option to sample a new Mac operating system early, so that casual testers can enjoy a more stable experience.
The iPhone is 10 years old -- and so are my horrible predictions about it
On this day in history, all the way back in 2007, a device that not only revolutionized an industry but changed the way everyone thought about all industries, was unleashed on the world.
Okay, okay, before I go any further, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, great, another one of those flowery, rose-colored articles about the nostalgia of all things Apple and how the iPhone changed cell phones forever. Kill me now." No, that's not what this is. It's a much broader reflection of how the landscape has changed around media, consumer culture, and communications of all forms, and the fact that mobile technology has been there every step of the way.
Learn how to protect yourself from ransomware with these free ebooks
Ransomware is barely out of the news these days. We had WannaCry wreaking havoc not so long ago, and now it’s the turn of Petya/NotPetya. And those are just two of the better-known threats; there are plenty more forms of ransomware out there which, while maybe not as prevalent, can have just as devastating an effect.
If you’re concerned about the threat of ransomware, which is easily one of the nastiest forms of malware out there, we have a selection of ebooks and whitepapers you can download for free which will give you all the knowledge you need to avoid becoming a victim, and which can help you recover from an infection.
What is AWS planning to do next?
Amazon Web Services is looking to transform the fortunes of all UK customers.
The company took over London’s ExCel center this week for its AWS Summit, the largest ever event held in Europe, and laid out its view for the next 12 months in the opening keynote.
Luxury smartphones are a terrible idea and Vertu's problems confirm it
When I dream of being rich, the one thing that I never imagine buying is a luxury smartphone. It just doesn't make sense to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a device that, realistically speaking, isn't better than an iPhone or Galaxy S flagship. I have not conducted a scientific study to back this up, but I suspect that people who are actually wealthy would agree.
A luxury item, at least from my perspective, has to stand the test of time. It has to be just as attractive today as it was yesterday. A Rolex Submariner from 10 years ago isn't looked down upon now or perceived as worse compared to the latest model. But a phone, that's different. It actually becomes less appealing as time goes by, because its core functionality becomes less and less attractive to the owner when new generations hit the market.
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will simplify enterprise device deployments
We've already seen that with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Microsoft is aiming to strengthen security. The company has today revealed a number of other new features aimed at business users.
The flagship among these is Windows AutoPilot Deployment, a cloud service designed to simplify the deployment and management of new Windows 10 PCs.
System76 unveils its own Ubuntu-based Linux distribution called 'Pop!_OS'
When Canonical announced the death of the Unity desktop environment, it sent shock waves through the Linux community. After all, Ubuntu is probably the most popular Linux-based desktop operating system and switching to GNOME was changing its trajectory. With Unity, Canonical was promising Ubuntu would be an OS that could scale from smartphone to desktop with a focus on convergence, and then suddenly, it wasn't. Overnight, Ubuntu became just another desktop distro -- not necessarily a bad thing.
While this hit many people hard, computer-seller System76 was probably impacted the most. The company only sells machines running Ubuntu, meaning its entire customer base would be impacted by Canonical's decision. Not content with simply following Canonical and embracing vanilla GNOME, System76 has decided to take its future into its own hands. Today, the company releases the first alpha of an all-new Linux-based operating system called "Pop!_OS," which will eventually be the only OS pre-loaded on its computers. While it will still be based on Ubuntu and GNOME, System76 is tweaking it with its own style and included drivers. In other words, the company is better controlling the user experience, and that is smart.
The original iPhone was considered a high-end feature phone, not a smartphone
It may seem strange now, but when the iPhone originally launched (10 years today, as if you didn’t already know by now), it wasn’t viewed as a smartphone in some quarters because of restrictions placed on the device by Apple.
Wireless industry analyst firm ABI Research’s definition of a smartphone was "a cellular handset using an open, commercial operating system that supports third-party applications", but Apple at that time was blocking third-party apps from the iPhone.
Enterprises gear up to face the inevitability of cyber attacks
A new study finds that while attacks increase and financial losses continue to mount, a growing number of companies are preparing to respond to breaches
The research from forensic security company Guidance Software finds that 54 percent of organizations feel well prepared to respond to a major breach in the coming year (up from 51 percent in 2016). Additionally, 25 percent of respondents say they're looking to build a formal security and incident management team within the next year up from 12 percent in 2016.
How AWS helps BP improve efficiency and minimize costs
Producing around 3.3 million barrels of oil through operations in over 70 countries, BP is one of the world’s largest energy companies. With so many crucial operations around the world, it’s no surprise that a reliable and robust IT system is required to keep everything on track and running smoothly.
"IT underpins every single part of our business at BP", Claire Dickson, the CIO of BP Downstream, which focuses on the refining and marketing of fuels, lubricants, and petrochemicals told the recent AWS Summit in London.
Huawei MateBook line of Windows 10 devices available for pre-order starting tomorrow
My favorite Windows 10 device of 2016 was the Huawei MateBook. Much like the Surface Pro, it is a tablet that can become a laptop with an optional keyboard purchase. While it was less powerful than Microsoft's offering, it was also less expensive. For basic needs, such as web surfing and word processing it was an absolutely fabulous value. Despite the meager internal specs, Huawei made the device feel premium with a beautiful outward design and the addition of USB-C (something no Surface has).
Last month, Huawei announced that it would expand the MateBook line beyond a single tablet to a total of three distinct machines -- MateBook X, MateBook E, and MateBook D. The "E" variant is the successor to the aforementioned tablet (which now comes with the keyboard), while the X and D are traditional 13 and 15.6-inch laptops, respectively. Sadly, exact availability and pricing for the USA was unknown. Today this changes, as Huawei not only reveals cost and pre-order date, but configuration options too.
BPing: a network Ping tool with added audio
BPing is a tiny console-based ping tool with an unusual extra: sound. Why? It gives you instant feedback on what’s happening without any need to watch the console window.
Double-click the program and by default it pings Google.com, playing a sound every time a reply arrives. That’s useful all on its own as a very obvious "my internet connection is up and the device is responding" message. If your connection goes down or the device doesn’t respond, the pings will stop.
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