Ubuntu 19.04 Disco Dingo Beta now available with Linux kernel 5.0 and GNOME 3.32
Ubuntu is a great operating system. In fact, it has been so good for so long that many people take it for granted. Seriously, folks, think about how remarkable it is that such a high-quality Linux distribution is available for free. Despite it not costing anything, Ubuntu is arguably superior to the much-maligned Windows 10. Microsoft's operating system actually costs money now, and many users didn't even upgrade when it was offered for free.
Today, Canonical's operating system reaches a major milestone. You see, Ubuntu 19.04, which is named "Disco Dingo," has achieved Beta status. And yes, you can download it immediately -- a great way to get this weekend started! Fans of GNOME will be glad to know that version 3.32 is included in the standard Ubuntu Desktop release. Also cool? This is the first version of Ubuntu to use Linux kernel 5.
Russia orders NordVPN, ExpressVPN, HideMyAss and other VPNs to block numerous sites
VPNs are frequently used by people to increase security, improve privacy, to browse the internet as if in another country, and to bypass restrictions put in place by ISPs and governments. Aware of this, authorities in Russia have ordered ten big-name VPNs to block access to various sites banned in the country.
Among those to have been contacted by the authorities are NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish, HideMyAss and TorGuard. At least one of these VPN providers has decided to pull out of Russia.
The revolutionary LG G8 ThinQ Android smartphone is coming to America
Android fans should be in heaven right now -- there are several excellent smartphones on the market from companies like LG, Samsung, Huawei, and more. Let us not forget about Google's own Pixel phones too. Quite frankly, picking an Android device can be a bit overwhelming, but I suppose too much choice is a good problem to have!
Today, LG announces that its highly anticipated smartphone, the LG G8 ThinQ, is coming to America. Yes, if you are in the USA, you will be able to get it next month. Should you be excited? Uh, yes, because this phone has some revolutionary technology.
UK watchdog says Huawei poses a national security risk
In its fifth annual report, the UK's Huawei oversight board says that the Chinese firm poses a threat to national security. It reached the conclusion after discovering that the company has made "no material progress" in addressing the security flaws highlighted in last year's report.
But while the report was damning of Huawei, saying it found additional "significant technical issues in Huawei’s engineering processes leading to new risks in the UK telecommunications networks", the board stopped short of calling for a ban on Huawei's involvement in 5G in the UK.
Large enterprises face problems with unsecured applications
A new survey of more than 200 CISOs in the US and Canada finds that large enterprises typically operate 1,300 or more complex applications but only protect 60 percent of them, leaving more than 500 applications unprotected at a time where adversarial attacks are increasing.
The study from crowdsourced security company Bugcrowd along with the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), also shows strong interest in using DevOps to automate security.
Viper Gaming launches VPN100 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
If your computer has an NVMe M.2 slot, you should absolutely be using it. Look, I'm sure that SATA solid state drive you have is great and all, but the difference in performance can be significant. With prices dropping and speeds increasing, you really should upgrade to an NVMe variant if you have the cash -- it is a "no brainer."
There are many solid NVMe SSDs on the market from respectable manufacturers, and today, another one enters the market. Called "VPN100," it is a new drive from Viper Gaming with a pre-installed black heatsink that should help performance through cooling. Not familiar with Viper Gaming? While not widely known, enthusiasts know Viper to be the gaming brand of Patriot Memory -- a high-quality company. This SSD is very speedy, thanks in part to its Phison E12 PCIe Gen 3 x 4 NVMe controller.
Encryption backdoors raise the likelihood of attack
Countries with government-mandated encryption backdoors are more susceptible to nation-state attacks according to 73 percent of security professionals.
A survey from machine identity protection company Venafi also finds 69 percent believe countries with encryption backdoors suffer economic disadvantages in the global marketplace as a result.
Facebook explicitly bans white nationalism and white separatism
The "praise, support and representation" of both white nationalism and white separatism are to be explicitly banned on Facebook and Instagram. The new policies will be enforced as of next week.
Facebook announced the change in policy as it and other social networks face increasing pressure to do more to counter hate speech. It also comes in the wake of the Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shooting, footage of which was shared on the platform.
See the Samsung Galaxy Fold hinge in action in an official stress-test video
Aside from 5G, it seems that the next big movement in the world of smartphones is going to be folding devices. Both Samsung and Huawei have announced foldables in recent weeks, with each adopting different designs.
As smartphones with folding screens are a new category of device, users understandably have questions about them. What are they like to use? Is the crease visible? Will the screen hold up to continued folding and unfolding? In a new video, Samsung shows how its Galaxy Fold is stress-tested to ensure that it can withstand 200,000 openings and closings.
Nearly three quarters of Windows 10 users still don’t have the October 2018 Update
The October 2018 Update, or Windows 10 1809, has been nothing short of a disaster for Microsoft. It was so buggy it had to be pulled shortly after its release last October, and it only began to be pushed out as an automatic update a week ago.
AdDuplex, which monitors the share of each version of Windows 10, has been reporting for months on the incredibly poor adoption of Windows 10 1809, and March was another month in which the update gained hardly any additional share. With the next big feature version scheduled to arrive next month, it looks as if most people will be skipping the older update.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18865 to the Skip Ahead ring
If you opted to join the Skip Ahead ring, bypassing the 19H1 builds, you are currently being served up flights from the 20H1 branch -- the feature update that Microsoft is set to release a year from now.
Today the software giant rolls out Build 18865 which fixes numerous problems, including multiple issues affecting Narrator.
Privacy for the win! Startpage.com defeats Google and Bing to become best search engine
Google may be the world's most popular search engine, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is the best. Don't forget, Google is notorious for tracking users and logging search activity. Not to mention, there are many other search engines out there, such as Microsoft's Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo to name a few.
Believe it or not, a lesser-known search engine, Startpage.com, has defeated Google (and all others) to become the search champion! You see, following an in-depth investigation, German organization "Stiftung Warentest" has declared the search engine to be the best. Not familiar with that organization? Please know, it is similar to Consumer Reports in the USA. So yeah, this is a big deal. And yes, Startpage.com also defeated fellow privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo.
BitTorrent Inc announces BitTorrent Live, a social streaming platform that's not based on BitTorrent
BitTorrent Inc has announced plans to launch a new social media platform for live streaming. It will be called BitTorrent Live and -- at least initially -- it will be centralized rather than decentralized, meaning that it is not based on the BitTorrent protocol or other P2P technology.
The first beta version is expected to launch in the coming quarter, and it will compete with the likes of Facebook Live. BitTorrent Live will enable users to stream content to mobile devices, or broadcast live, and will include social media elements.
More than half of internet users think complete digital privacy is impossible
According to a report from Kaspersky Lab, 56 percent of internet users feel that complete privacy in the modern digital world is impossible.
For many people, their worries about digital privacy may come from personal experience. Kaspersky's research finds that 26 percent of people have had their private data accessed by someone without their consent, rising to almost a third (31 percent) among 16- to 24-year-olds.
Data breaches more common than rain in the UK
The UK has something of a reputation for its wet climate, and its citizens for constantly talking about the weather. So it may come as a surprise to find that in the UK the chance of experiencing a data breach is higher than that of encountering a rainy day.
A survey by technology services company Probrand shows 43 percent of UK businesses having suffered a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months as against just 36.4 percent chance on average of encountering a wet day.
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