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Microsoft has given us a sneaky glimpse into the future, showing off some of the design changes that are coming to its Office apps. The company has revealed the updated UX that Microsoft 365 users can expect to see.

In addition to introducing a more muted color palette and fully embracing the Fluent Design language, Microsoft is also making some key changes to the ribbon. Part of this involves incorporating AI into the software so that a more flexible ribbon can contextually adapt to what you are doing.

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Since adopting the Chromium engine, Microsoft Edge has been making great progress and gained a batch of new features that place it head and shoulders above its predecessor. Now in an update addressing the feedback received from people on the Edge Insider program, Microsoft has revealed some of the new features that are coming to the browser.

The company has also reiterated that Edge is coming to Linux, but it's the new additions that are of more interest at the moment. Setting out the timetable of features currently being worked on, Microsoft reveals that the option to synchronize browsing history between devices is on the horizon.

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There are no shortage of laptops shipping with Linux-based operating systems these days. Chromebooks aside, you can buy notebooks from System76, Dell, and Tuxedo Computers to name a few. True, you can also buy a Windows laptop and install a Linux distribution yourself, but why should you have to? After all, some Linux users define themselves by the operating system they use. For them, it can be quite annoying to have their precious laptops sullied by a Microsoft OS.

Another seller of Linux computers is Slimbook. That company is largely known because the KDE Community chose to partner with it for the "KDE Slimbook," which is an officially sanctioned KDE laptop that runs KDE neon. Today, the third generation KDE Slimbook is revealed, and it is very big news. Why? Because it is the world's first Linux Ultrabook to be powered by AMD's Ryzen 4000 series of processor. There are two screen size options, 14-inch and 15.6-inch, which are both 1080p. They both feature a magnesium body with a thickness less than 20 millimeters.

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Microsoft has released a couple of updates that address range of problems in Windows 10 caused by previous updates.

Having already acknowledged that the KB4556799 update led to LTE connectivity issues for some people, the company has now released KB4559004 to fix this and other problems. This update also addresses issues with Magnifier and File Explorer, while another update, KB4559003, fixes a large number of other problems.

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The year 2020 undeniably belongs to AMD. The company's processors aren't just impressing reviewers and tech pundits, but consumers too -- they are universally acclaimed. It's not hard to see why, either -- AMD Ryzen desktop and mobile processors offer superior performance while also being offered in affordable computers from major manufacturers. Enthusiasts and gamers that build their own PCs are increasingly turning to AMD too. Lord knows what it's like to work for Intel these days... quite depressing, I'd imagine.

Today, AMD takes a victory lap around Intel by releasing its long-awaited Ryzen 4000G APUs. What is an APU, you ask? It is essentially a CPU and GPU in one, allowing respectable graphics performance without needing to buy a dedicated card -- often a great value. These 7nm Zen 2-based processors essentially come in two "flavors" -- regular and PRO. Unfortunately, there is one big catch...

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My first experience with a home voice assistance was Amazon Echo. You know what? It was life changing. While asking Alexa questions was neat, the real value was linking it to my smart home devices. It may not seem like a big deal in 2020, but the first time I turned on a lamp with my voice it was magical. Over time, I mostly transitioned to Google Home, however, as I found the search giant's assistant to be superior.

Not to mention, I fell in love with the Nest Hub -- a hardware assistant that I keep on my nightstand next to my bed. I trust it in my bedroom as it doesn't have a camera, but I digress. As a YouTube TV subscriber, I can even watch the TV service on the 7-inch screen, but I really don't. Why? Because I have a larger TV in the same room. That's why today's news that you can watch Netflix on Nest Hub and Hub Max doesn't really excite me. Is there a legitimate scenario where someone would use one of those devices to regularly watch Netflix video?

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With more digital communication tools available than ever before, enterprises and end users have started to demand more tailored options that can improve their experience and make it even easier to connect.

Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) is one such tool that can enhance deployment of voice and video and tools within browsers and apps. 

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How many boot discs or flash drives do you own? It’s possible to build up quite a collection, from Linux live CDs and antivirus rescue discs to boot media for apps as diverse as drive imaging to data recovery.

Thanks to Ventoy 1.0.15, you can now consolidate all your boot media: instead of five, six or however many boot discs you need, everything is stored on a single flash drive. The larger the flash drive, the more boot media you can install on it.

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LG is known for its revolutionary V-series and elegant G-series lines of Android smartphones. Over time, however, there became less of a difference between the two lines. Ultimately, LG's smartphone offerings became a bit crowded and confusing. Things felt a bit... stale.

This year, however, the company decided to go in an exciting and different direction. You see, with its new LG Velvet 5G phone, the company revamped its design focus and branding. For instance, it has a beautiful "teardrop" rear camera array. Today, LG announces that the Velvet is finally coming to the USA! You won't have to wait long either, as it will become available tomorrow -- on one carrier, at least. Best of all, it is shockingly affordable for a 5G smartphone.

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Faced with an ever changing landscape, skills shortages and budget constraints, IT departments are increasingly seeking to automate repetitive tasks.

Automation specialist BitTitan is looking to capitalize on this with the launch of an IT toolbox designed to centralize and automate IT tasks for more effective management of resources, security and data governance.

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According to a new report, 89 percent of security professionals are most concerned about phishing, web and ransomware attacks, but only 48 percent confirm that they have continuous visibility into these risk areas.

The 2020 Cybersecurity 360 Report from Balbix also shows 64 percent of organizations are only, at best, somewhat confident in their security posture, and that the lack of visibility into security is the primary concern for organizations.

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Businesses experience problems in leveraging information to make data-driven decisions, communicating between teams and management layers, dealing with 'software sprawl', and accurately quantifying the cost of feature delivery delays a new report shows.

The survey by Accelerated Strategies Group (ASG), commissioned by CloudBees, also shows that many organizations have been able to tackle some of the facets of modern software delivery management, but that there’s still much room for improvement.

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Companies with the worst privacy practices are 80 percent more likely to experience a data breach according to a new study.

Data privacy platform Osano used its evaluation framework to measure the privacy practices of the top 10,000 websites against 163 different factors to develop an Osano Privacy Score.

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The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) came into effect six months ago, granting California residents increased rights over how their personal data is gathered and shared by companies.

But despite the skepticism expressed by many companies ahead of CCPA's enactment, new data from security specialist Akamai shows only five percent now think that the current legislation is enough.

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Chromebooks are wonderful computers and anyone that says otherwise is simply uneducated on the subject. These laptops run a Linux-based operating system called "Chrome OS" that is arguably the most secure web surfing platform on the planet. Not only can Chromebooks run web apps, but Android apps and desktop Linux programs too, giving them a huge library of useful software. Most importantly, they are very easy to use. For instance, you get periodic OS updates that silently install in the background -- very unlike the complicated Windows 10.

Even though Chromebooks are simple to use, that doesn't mean everyone will become an expert on day one. Through experience and education, Chrome OS users can always improve their knowledge of the platform. Today, Google launches a new app for Chromebooks called "Explore" aimed at helping users get the most from the Chromebook experience. For instance, as part of the onboarding process, it can teach you how to change your wallpaper or lock your screen.

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