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The combination of technology and mental health can often have negative connotations. There is plenty of media attention surrounding the negative impact the former can have on the latter. In fact, there is research identifying that social media and too much screen time can increase the risk of depression and anxiety, which can lead to hampered sleep and increased stress levels. A recipe for disaster?

Looking at the other side of the coin, technology can also work to improve mental health and stress levels. In recent years, technology has brought about hugely beneficial health apps like Headspace, Calm and Stop, Breathe & Think. This has provided people with a way to help manage their own mental health conditions on a daily basis, such as anxiety and depression. Businesses can also employ different technologies to help address workplace stress. Together, let’s take a deeper look at that below…

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Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP back into 2014, but took the 'highly unusual' step of releasing a patch for the ancient OS two years ago in a bid to fightback against the WannaCry ransomware, and then included XP in that June’s Patch Tuesday updates.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that that would be the very last time Microsoft patched XP, but no. The software giant has included Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (also no longer supported) in today’s Patch Tuesday fixes.

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Everyone knows Google tracks its users. When you use a "free" service, such as the many the search giant offers, you essentially end up being the product. In other words, your personal data is the true cost. Unfortunately, Google is not the only company spying on its users. Microsoft is also guilty of this, especially with its overreaching telemetry in Windows 10.

That isn't Microsoft's only product that is anti-privacy, however. The company is now trying to spy with Office, and as you can imagine, its Bing search engine is tracking user activity too. Today, the Windows-maker openly brags about spying on your recent search activity by announcing a new "feature" for Bing Maps Autosuggest.

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True to form, the launch of the latest OnePlus handsets have been preceded by numerous leaks, rumors and teasers. As such, today's launch of the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro contained few surprises, but the phones are now here and the launch confirms and clarifies many details.

The OnePlus 7 Pro is at the top of the range. Boasting a 90Hz QHD+ Display, Snapdragon 855 and the option of up to 12GB of RAM. Then, of course, there are the cameras. The controversial pop-up design of the selfie camera isn't going to be to everyone's liking, but the specs of the main shooters are hugely impressive. We've known that this will be the first OnePlus handset to be more directly comparable with the likes of Samsung flagships in terms of price, and this means the OnePlus 7 Pro costs between $699 and $749. For those on more restricted budget, the OnePlus 7 clocks in at slightly lower price.

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By now you’ve heard the news: WhatsApp is currently rolling out an urgent update to all app users to close a major vulnerability that leaves unpatched phones at risk of being targeted by hackers. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, and if you plan to stick with the platform, don’t wait for an update notification: access your phone’s app store now to force install the update.

Except maybe now is the time to go one step further: perhaps it’s the perfect opportunity to switch to a different messaging platform. One that’s not owned by one of the major tech companies, is equally -- if not more -- secure, and which works on more than just your phone. Enter stage left, Telegram, and stage right, Signal.

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Historically data has been stored in silos in order to deliver a quick solution. But in the longer term silos can slow down decision making, make modifying systems harder, and hinder compliance with regulations.

One of the ways to break down barriers between silos is to allow data to be freely shared between them and open source has a big part to play in this. We spoke to Mandy Chessell, distinguished engineer at IBM Cognitive Applications, and recently elected leader of the Technical Steering Committee of the ODPi, to learn more.

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A new study finds that 46 percent of organizations which store customer personally identifiable information (PII) in the cloud are considering moving it back on premises due to data security concerns.

The research from information security software company Netwrix also shows that of the 50 percent of organizations that store customer data in the cloud, 39 percent had security incidents in the past year and more than 50 percent of those couldn’t diagnose the problem.

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As technology becomes increasingly complex and more devices are connected to the IoT, so the volume and complexity of field service requests increases too.

To help deal with this, automation company Zinier is launching its new Intelligent Service Automation and Control (ISAC) platform, an AI-driven solution enabling field service organizations to operate more efficiently.

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Social media services are hardly regarded as bastions of privacy, and the latest slip-up by Twitter goes some way to showing why. Twitter has revealed that it "may have accidentally collected location data" about users, that this data was shared with one of its "trusted partners".

Twitter blames the "inadvertent" data collection on a bug, and says that the issue affects some iOS users. It also says that precise location data was not collected or shared, but zip code or city-level only.

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Users of WhatsApp could be infected by dangerous spyware just by receiving a call. The spyware, which is thought to  originate from Israeli cyber intelligence firm NSO Group, can be installed just by calling a target -- there is no need for the call to be answered.

A security advisory on the Facebook website does not go into much detail about the exploit, which takes advantage of a buffer overflow vulnerability. WhatsApp says it was discovered earlier this month, and with 1.5 billion users, there are a huge number of people that are potentially affected.

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Lenovo is very well known for manufacturing high quality business laptops. Its ThinkPad line, for instance, which it inherited from IBM, is considered by many to be the best. Of course, there are others who prefer Dell, HP, or another maker.

Today, Lenovo launches a new line of Windows 10 laptops aimed at small businesses in particular. Called "ThinkBook," there are two models from which to choose -- the 13s and the 14s -- both of which have a screen size that match the model name. There is just one resolution for both -- 1080p. Each model will have an m.2 solid state drive by default --  either SATA or PCIe. You can get up to 512GB  of storage.

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The US Supreme Court has said that consumers can sue Apple for allegedly violating antitrust laws with its App Store.

A group of iPhone owners were seeking to bring a class action lawsuit against the company, and now Justice Brett Kavanaugh has said they can do so. The group says that in charging a 30 percent commission, Apple was making users overpay for apps, and that the requirement for apps to be sold through the App Store was unfair.

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The story of website attacks in 2018 was one of high profile cybercrime, targeted at cryptocurrency, business, elections and more.

A new report from website security specialist SiteLock reveals that attackers are now taking a stealthier approach.

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If you have a large home, it can be difficult to blanket it entirely with Wi-Fi. Sadly, many folks experience dead spots, meaning some locations in the house either have no Wi-Fi or an exremely low signal. Speaking frankly, this situation sucks. Sure, you can potentially remedy it with a range extender, and that can be a great solution, but it isn't as elegant as mesh.

Unfortunately, a mesh Wi-Fi system with multiple access points can be a pricey affair. While they have been coming down in price, these mesh systems are still largely too much money for many consumers. Today, TP-Link brings mesh Wi-Fi to the masses with an insanely low price. Called "Deco W2400," this Dual Band AC1200 system costs less than $100!

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When people decide to install home automation systems and also have security alarms they installed several years ago, it's highly likely the new tech and old gadgets won't be compatible.

Similarly, if they have a security system that doesn't work with a smartphone app, they typically have to invest in new hardware and deal with lengthy installations and high bills.

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