Google has announced some pretty interesting things at its I/O conference today. Android Instant Apps is one of the things that really got my attention as it is compatible not only with the upcoming Android N but also with older versions of the popular mobile operating system.

But what is Android Instant Apps? This is a feature that will pull bits of Android apps that are published on Google's Play Store straight to your Android device when you need some functionality that is available in one of those titles.

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The last thing the world needs is more messaging apps. There are already too many of them, such as Telegram, WhatsApp, and Hangouts to name a few. Quite frankly, it can be maddening keeping track of them all. The same can be said for video chat apps too.

Today, Google introduces two new communication apps to the world. Called Allo and Duo, the search giant hopes that users will choose them over competitors' solutions. The question is, why should consumers care?

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There’s a Trojan out there that forces infected computers to automatically click on advertising banners. By doing so, its creators are earning money while businesses paying to be seen are just burning a hole in their budgets without achieving anything.

Those are the results of a new report by security firm Bitdefender, which has identified the Trojan as Redirector.Paco. According to the company’s press release, the Trojan has, since 2014, infected 900,000 machines.

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While a lot of people assume Android N will be crowned Nutella, following Google’s trend for naming each flavor of the mobile operating system after something sweet, that may not prove to be the case after all.

Nutella is still definitely in the running, but Google is opening up the naming process to the general public. Yes, that’s right. For the first time you can suggest a name for the next version of Android.

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Today at Google I/O, the search giant unveiled its Amazon Echo-baiting Home. Google Home is ostensibly a cylindrical speaker with an angled top featuring Google's iconic four colors. Far-field voice recognition allows you to issue commands to the device to control everything from music playback to look up something online.

Google's latest foray into the Internet of Things is much more than just a Wi-Fi speaker -- although it will function perfectly well in the role. Just like the voice-activated options in Android, Home can be used to set alarms and reminders, and can even be connected to other smart devices such as Nest thermostats.

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Shutterstock is now making it easy to find and add quality photos to your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, as it just launched a new add-in for the popular software that lets you explore and buy images from its vast collection.

"We know our customers are frequently using images to enhance their PowerPoint presentations", says Microsoft corporate vice president of Developer Experiences Steven Guggenheimer. "With this Microsoft Office 365 PowerPoint add-in, Shutterstock is broadening our ability to enhance productivity through its collection of high-quality imagery to professional users".

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I love shopping in brick and mortar stores (except Walmart and Dollar General). No matter what I am buying -- shoes, clothes, food, technology -- I have a blast. My favorite aspect of shopping, however, is getting deals. Spending money is certainly not one of my favorite things, but if I get a discounted sale, it makes the experience much more satisfying.

Unfortunately, many stores require membership and loyalty cards to get the lower prices. These pieces of plastic can accumulate quickly, becoming unwieldy in a wallet or purse. Digital payment solutions should alleviate this dilemma. Apple Pay recently introduced support for Kohls loyalty cards. Today, Samsung Pay is getting membership and loyalty card support too.

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One of the oldest phone brands is making a comeback. Today, Nokia announces that we will see its name on new smartphones, feature phones and tablets again. And, this time round, the smartphones and tablets will be running Android, the most popular mobile operating system today, as opposed to Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile or another niche OS.

Nokia will not be the one actually producing these devices though, as the Finnish company has given a third-party the right to manufacture mobile handsets featuring its well-recognized name.

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Cast your mind back to 2012 and the LinkedIn hack that had the grown up's social network scurrying to advise its users to change their passwords.

It was thought at the time that the 6.5 million sets of credentials posted on a Russian password forum was the extent of the breach. However, four years on a hacker under the name of 'Peace' is offering for sale a database of millions more LinkedIn accounts.

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Read its official description, and Past doesn’t sound like it has much general appeal. "Paleontological Statistics Software" covering "univariate and multivariate statistics, ecological analysis, time series and spatial analysis, morphometrics and stratigraphy". Really? Gulp.

But even though it’s aimed squarely at data analysis experts, Past has some features which could be useful for just about anyone.

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Thanks to their shifting population and the volume of personal and other valuable data that passes through them, universities have long been targets for cyber attacks.

With users that interact with a wider zone of the internet than any other group, university networks are particularly vulnerable to all types of attacks, from Trojan horse ploys to spear phishing.

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Security experts at McAfee have unveiled a new cyber-security education hub, aimed at making people stay safer online. It is called the Ultimate Guide to Security Threats.

The security firm decided to create the hub after realizing that many people are still fairly uneducated when it comes to cyber-security. At the same time, cyber-crime is growing at an unprecedented rate.

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The Internet of Things is here to stay, but it presents a number of new security risks. Despite this, 81 percent of companies say they intend to roll out IoT devices by 2017.

This is according to research from DDoS mitigation specialist Neustar which has produced an infographic looking at the risks the IoT presents.

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Bitly is one of the best URL shorteners and link management platforms around, processing more than 12 billion clicks every month globally.

Today, the company announces that it is partnering with LetsEncrypt to generate SSL certificates for more than 40,000 Bitly branded domains used by marketers to create links and share content. All links created through the platform will now be secure HTTPS ones.

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Hacking into newswire services can land you a 20-year prison sentence, in case you didn’t know. And this is exactly what 28-year-old Ukrainian hacker Vadym Iermolovych is facing.

The hacker pleaded guilty in a federal court in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday, on the case of making $30 million by trading non-public information about corporate earnings.

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