Apple is poised to dominate the media landscape -- here's why
There have been a lot of "media moves" in the mobile world recently, including the launch of Facebook News, Samsung’s "rebrand" of Bixby Home to Samsung Daily and more that demonstrate the battle for consumer attention on mobile devices is quickly heating up.
But Apple’s moves in both hardware, software, and media put them far ahead in making frictionless, seamless, and integrated media experiences. Apple’s hardware and software (already in the hands of millions) extends from the watch and the phone to the tablet and TV enabling cross-device media integrations (e.g., recommendations, control, etc.) that will transform the media landscape. Additionally, Apple already owns or has partnerships with streaming video, news publishers, game makers, and more, giving them the power, scale, and reach to dominate media.
Tensions between the US and Iran expected to lead to a Bitcoin surge
When news broke that the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani had been killed in a drone strike ordered by Donald Trump, the value of Bitcoin jumped by 5 percent.
With tensions between Iran and the US now at an all-time high, the price surge is expected to continue. This is the belief of Nigel Green, the CEO and founder of deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial services and advisory organizations, who says that the cryptocurrency is increasingly seen as being as safe as gold.
Implications for CEOs who miss security targets [Q&A]
Increasingly IT security is seen as an issue for the entire organization. This means it's often included in business targets, but setting these in a meaningful way -- and being able to meet them -- is a major challenge .
We spoke to Joseph Carson, Chief Security Scientist and Advisory CISO at Thycotic, to find out more about the difficulties of setting and measuring the success of targets for security.
SuperTuxKart 1.1 is here -- download the free open source Mario Kart game clone for Linux, Windows, and Mac
There are many excellent open source software projects these days, such as the Linux kernel, GIMP, and LibreOffice to name a few. But what about games? Yes, there are open source games, one of which is SuperTuxKart. If you aren't familiar, STK is essentially an open source Mario Kart game clone. While it is very popular with Linux users, it is also available for Windows and macOS.
Today, SuperTuxKart reaches version 1.1. While it features bug fixes and other improvements, the real star of the update is the addition of a new arena called "Pumpkin Park."
Samsung to reveal completely bezel-free Q950TS 8K QLED TV at CES
CES is about to kick off and we can expect announcements to come thick and fast over the coming days. There are often leaks and rumors ahead of official announcements, but Samsung has revealed details of its Q950TS 8K QLED TV before the event has even started.
The reveal comes courtesy of Samsung's Korean website where we learn that the company's Infinity Screen helps to eliminate the bezel so it is possible to use 99 percent of the screen face. The new 2020 model QLED 8K TV is just 15mm thick, and Samsung has used an AI quantum processor to upscale any footage to 8K.
Samsung to reveal new devices on February 11 -- Galaxy Fold 2 and Galaxy S11?
Having just announced the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note10 Lite, Samsung is gearing up for another couple of announcements -- possibly the Galaxy S11 and Galaxy Fold 2. There have also been suggestions that one of the announcements could relate to the Galaxy S20.
The company has officially announced that its Galaxy Unpacked event will take place in San Francisco on February 11. Promised are "new, innovative devices that will shape the next decade of mobile experiences".
Electronic Arts is banning some Linux gamers from Battlefield V
Some Linux gamers who are using Wine to play Battlefield V are finding themselves permanently banned from the game.
Player using the DXVK package are falling foul of Electronic Arts' anti-cheat system, seemingly because the DXVK Direct3D DLLs -- used to render 3D scenes in Wine -- are detected, for some reason, as being a cheat tool.
Error codes are coming to Chrome to help get to the bottom of Aw, Snap! messages
When Chrome crashes, a message reading Aw, Snap! appears -- and it's not particularly helpful. Mindful of this, Google is going to introduce error codes to the browser to help users determine what has gone wrong.
The idea is similar to the blue screen of death (BSoD) that will be familiar to many Windows users. It's currently being tested in the Canary build of Chrome 81, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the error codes will appear in the final build of this version number.
Apple will engrave poop (and other emojis) on your AirPods case for free
Many people love Apple's AirPods, but others think the wireless ear buds are crap. Well, now you can prove them right, if so inclined, as the company will gladly emblazon your AirPods case with the poop emoji engraved onto the front. In fact, there are several emojis from which to choose, such as a unicorn, smiling face, or a chicken.
Best of all, this service is entirely free -- when buying new AirPods, of course. In other words, those that already own Apple's wireless ear buds are out of luck.
XFX leaks full details of AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card
AMD hasn't yet announced its Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card, but everything you could possibly want to know about the "the world's most technologically advanced card for 1080p gaming" has leaked.
Electronics firm XFX has -- seemingly inadvertently and without AMD's say-so -- published full details of the graphics card on a page entitled XFX AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB GDDR6 THICC II Pro Staging. Just about the only thing we don't get to know from this highly detailed page is how much the card will cost.
Samsung announces Galaxy S10 Lite and Note10 Lite
Ahead of CES, Samsung has revealed two new additions to its range of Android smartphones. The Galaxy S10 Lite and Note10 Lite are cutdown, cheaper versions of their expensive flagship stablemates.
But while these are not as feature-packed or powerful as the fully fledged Galaxy S10 and Note10, they are pitched as upper mid-range devices. Samsung is making much of the phones' cameras and display -- hardly surprising when the 6.7-inch handsets both feature 32MP units on the front and a trio of cameras on the rear.
Firefox 72 will let users delete data the browser collects about them
As we entered 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) came into force, giving residents of California GDPR-like rights and protection. One of the rights afforded to people by the new law is to request that companies delete their user-specific data.
To comply with CCPA, Mozilla has announced that Firefox 72 -- due for release next week -- will include a new option that enables users to request the deletion of desktop telemetry. Although CCPA is only applicable in California, the new setting will be made available to Firefox users around the world.
Foreign currency specialist Travelex suspends some services after cyber attack
Travelex, the London-based foreign exchange company, has suspended some of its services and taken its UK website offline following a cyber attack that took place on New Year's Eve.
A malware infection caused the company to take the decision to cut the cord on its services. It said that this was merely a "precautionary measure" which was done "in order to protect data". The suspension of services has caused problems for customers around the world and has had a knock-on effect for other companies including Tesco Bank and Asda.
Dell announces XPS 13 (2020) Developer Edition with Ubuntu Linux and 32GB RAM
Dell's XPS 13 is a legendary laptop, not just with Windows users, but hardcore Linux fans too. You see, through the company's Project Sputnik program, Dell has long provided special "Developer Edition" variants of its laptops that come pre-loaded with Ubuntu. Operating system aside, the XPS 13 has been highly lauded for its build quality, attention to detail, and top specifications. Ultimately, you buy an XPS 13 and always know you are getting a quality laptop.
Today, Dell announces the newest XPS 13 Developer Edition and it looks incredible. This 10th generation computer (which is being dubbed "2020") is thinner and smaller while offering even better specifications, such as an improved 13.4-inch display (with 16:10 aspect ratio) and the ability to be configured with up to 32GB -- double the previous generation's maximum memory. There are no USB-A ports, sadly, but it does have two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a micro SD card reader. You get thinner bezels and a larger trackpad too. Believe it or not, Dell is even promising proper fingerprint reader support in a future software update, meaning you can finally secure Ubuntu with biometrics!
Samsung unveils affordable and elegant Galaxy Book Flex α (Alpha) 2-in-1 laptop
Long gone are the days where Apple was the sole manufacturer of elegant laptops. Quite frankly, Apple has become a bit stagnant with its designs. Truth be told, makers of Windows laptops (such as Samsung, HP, and Huawei) have met or exceeded Apple's MacBook looks. Best of all, these Windows notebooks are often much more affordable than Apple's offerings too. Not to mention, they typically have touch screens!
Today, Samsung unveils a new Windows 10 laptop that isn't just elegant, but affordable too. Starting at well below $1,000, the Galaxy Book Flex α (Alpha) features a useful 2-in-1 design that should be beneficial for both work and play. It has a beautiful 13.3-inch QLED FHD display, long battery life, a fingerprint reader, a USB-C port. and a 10th gen Intel Core processor.
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