• Article

We all know people who seem to not like anything. There are very successful people who sometimes seem to have reached that success entirely through saying "no." I’m not that kind of person. I’m an optimist. I’m even a bit of a risk-taker. But I can’t say that we’re going to see anything beyond more beta tests of self-driving cars in 2019. So my Prediction #4 is that self-driving cars won’t hit the retail market in any fashion this year. We simply aren’t ready and probably won’t be for years to come.

The problem with self-driving cars isn’t the technology. Heck, we’ve had the technology pretty much whipped for the past decade. Throw-in all the more recent data collected by Google and -- especially -- all those Teslas on Autopilot and nearly all the kinks have been worked out of having cars drive themselves. Still, it won’t be allowed to happen because people are going to die, mainly because of idiot drivers.

Continue reading →

Downloading and installing is just so passé, and Google knows it. It is with this fact in mind -- and an eye firmly on the future -- that the company today announces its new game streaming service, Stadia, at GDC 2019.

The audience at this year's Game Developers Conference were treated to a preview of the cloud-based gaming service that can be accessed from mobiles, desktops, laptops, TVs and more. Google is hoping that the allure of cross-platform, instant-play gaming will attract droves of gamers to the platform.

Continue reading →

Last month, Micron released a solid state drive designed for consumers. Called "1300," it used the SATA interface, meaning it was slower than the much faster NVMe drives many enthusiasts crave these days. Offered in both 2.5 inch and M.2 form factors, it would make a good drop-in for consumers looking to upgrade.

Today, Micron unveils yet another SSD, but this time, it uses the speedy NVMe interface. The "2200," as it is called, will mostly be sold to computer manufacturers, but it could show up for direct retail for end-users too. It can be had in your choice of three capacities -- 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. You can also opt for self-encrypting variants if that is important to you. And yes, it will work in NVMe enclosures, such as this excellent one from Plugable.

Continue reading →

It’s Tuesday, so that means Microsoft is rolling out a new Windows 10 build for Insiders on the Fast ring.

We’re edging ever closer to the next big feature update’s release next month, so Build 18361 is all about fixing problems and making general improvements.

Continue reading →

Do you own a Kodi box? The open source home theater software runs on all manner of hardware, from Windows, Mac and Linux systems, to Kodi boxes and the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

All of the many devices running Kodi have one thing in common though -- they aren’t official Kodi products, and they haven’t been made or licensed by the Kodi Foundation.

Continue reading →

Just a day after launching new iPad Air and iPad mini models, Apple has announced the latest updates to its iMac range. The update has been a long time coming; it is well over a year since there were any changes made to the iMac line.

But good things come to those who wait. Apple's updates bring the humble iMac closer to the iMac Pro thanks to the addition of 9th-generation Intel processors and Radeon Pro Vega graphics -- which Apple says doubles performance. Despite the boost, Apple has made the pleasing decision of keeping pricing the same as before.

Continue reading →

The Kodi Foundation has long been a supporter of open source software and today the developer announces that it has joined the Linux Foundation as an Associate Member.

The Linux Foundation is a non-profit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and open source in general, and providing support for the open source community as well as sponsoring Linux creator Linus Torvalds, and maintaining the linux.com website.

Continue reading →

Google is far from being a stranger to launching and shuttering apps and services willy-nilly, and the latest victim is Inbox.

We have actually known for a little while that Google Inbox was due to close down -- it was just a matter of when. Now Google has revealed the closure date, and it is just two weeks away: April 2. We wave goodbye to Inbox on the same day as Google+.

Continue reading →

Prioritizing vulnerabilities can be difficult if you don't know which ones are being actively exploited. The latest annual research from Recorded Future looks at the top vulnerabilities and which products they are targeting.

In 2018, the company observed more exploits targeting Microsoft products compared to Adobe ones. Eight out of 10 vulnerabilities exploited via phishing attacks, exploit kits, or RATs were targeting Microsoft products.

Continue reading →

Mozilla has rolled out Firefox 66.0 for Windows, macOS and Linux, along with Firefox for Android 66.0.

The new release is light on new features, but heavy on delivering significant improvements across the browser. The big new addition is that websites will now automatically be blocked from playing sound -- however, the customizable feature won’t be immediately available to all users

Continue reading →

Medium-sized businesses now account for over 60 percent of US jobs, and are investing fast in technology, but they must ensure they have the skills and management in place to avoid falling behind.

A new study from Aruba looks at how mid-sized businesses around the world are currently adopting workplace technology,

Continue reading →

Google will be holding a keynote at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco shortly, where it is widely expected that the search giant will take the wraps off its new cloud gaming platform.

Google says it will be revealing its "vision for the future of gaming" at the event and you can watch the announcement here, live, as it unfolds.

Continue reading →

Plugable is a company that I respect very much. I have been buying its products for many years from Amazon. Historically, its offerings have been reliable, affordable, and extremely useful. Whether it be USB hubs, dongles, adapters, or docking stations, you can typically rely on receiving a quality product. I'm sure many computer nerds like myself have purchased a Plugable product at some point in their lifetime.

Today, Plugable announces a new product that falls outside its usual focus -- a gaming headset. Called "HS53 Performance Onyx Gaming Headset," the over-ear headset has a brushed aluminum frame and features a beautiful textured black design. Despite the use of memory foam for both the headband and sealed earcups, the company claims your ears and head should both remain cool -- not hot and sweaty.

Continue reading →

Businesses increasingly understand that staying competitive means making smart use of their data. But a new survey from Syncsort finds that just nine percent of respondents say their organization is 'very effective' at getting value from data while 48 percent responded 'somewhat effective'.

Making data accessible to users across the enterprise is the third most cited IT challenge and only half call their organization effective in getting data insights to business users.

Continue reading →

This month, Verizon announced its intention to increase its use of edge computing technology, having tested edge functions in its 5G network in Houston resulting in massively decreased network latency.

This move is another example of how new technologies will enable and extend digital transformation projects at the edge, and this is only the beginning.

Continue reading →