Apple may have an entirely portless iPhone planned
If the predictions of noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo are correct, in 2021 the company could be planning to launch an iPhone that not only ditches the Lightning port, but doesn't replace it with USB-C or anything else.
Instead, the top of the range 2021 iPhone will not feature any sort of charging port; it will rely on wireless charging and wireless synchronization. Next year, the company is also said to be embracing 5G.
Microsoft is forcing Windows 10 November 2019 Update on people
Microsoft has started to push the Windows 10 November 2019 Update (Windows 10 version 1909) onto users.
Keen to get as many people as possible running the latest version of Windows, the company says that it will "automatically initiate" the upgrade process for people currently running Windows 10 October 2018 Update (Windows 10 version 1809).
Apple: iPhone 11 Pro handsets check location to comply with regulations
It recently came to light that even with Location Services disabled, iPhone 11 Pro handsets appeared to be checking for location data, sparking concerns about privacy.
Having initially dismissed this as "expected behavior", Apple has now gone into more detail about what's actually happening. Rather than being a sinister case of tracking iPhone users, the company says that location checks are actually required because of the ultra wideband chips found in newer iPhones.
Kanguru Defender Bio-Elite30 is a fingerprint hardware encrypted USB flash drive for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Hardware encrypted USB flash drives are fairly common, but usually, they leverage keypads for unlocking. Biometrics -- such as a fingerprint reader -- are far more convenient, however. Today, Kanguru launches a new hardware encrypted flash drive that uses your finger to decrypt it.
Called "Defender Bio-Elite30," the company claims the drive will work on any operating system, meaning those on Windows, Mac, or Linux can take advantage of the biometric unlocking. The drive will even work with devices such as Smart televisions. The Defender Bio-Elite30 is bus-powered too, so you won't have to be concerned about an internal battery failing. Believe it or not, despite the cool technology, it is rather affordable.
Get 'LinkedIn For Dummies, 5th Edition' ($24.99 value) FREE for a limited time
LinkedIn is the premiere social network for professionals looking to discover new opportunities, enhance personal branding, connect with other professionals, and make career advancements. With LinkedIn For Dummies, you’ll have step-by-step instructions on how to take advantage of the latest tools and features to do all of this and more.
This book will teach you how to create an attractive profile that employers will notice, as well as ways to expand your network by making connections around the globe. You'll also learn how to best navigate the new user interface, write recommendations, take a course with LinkedIn Learning, and conduct your job search.
Why the future of security is biometric
With the security of IDs and passwords increasingly under scrutiny, more people are becoming interested in using biometrics to verify their identity and authorize payments.
Technology education course guide Computer Science Zone has produced an infographic looking at the advantages of biometrics and how they are gaining in popularity.
Online retail fraud up nearly a third in the 2019 holiday season
A new study shows a 29 percent increase in suspected online retail fraud during the start of the 2019 holiday shopping season compared to the same period in 2018, and a 60 percent increase over the same period from 2017 to 2019.
The findings from iovation, the fraud prevention arm of TransUnion, are based on the online retail transactions analyzed for its e-commerce customers between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday over the last three years.
New Any.do integration lets you create tasks and reminders in WhatsApp
While WhatsApp is primarily a communication tool, a new integration from Any.do also makes it possible to extend the capabilities of the chat app to create tasks and reminders using natural language.
As WhatsApp is often used in both the business and personal worlds to discuss a set up meetings, appointments and get-togethers, the ability to set reminders at the same time as discussing plans makes perfect sense. Like Any.do and WhatsApp themselves, the new feature is cross-platform, and can be found on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.
New software delivery models mean a change to customer relationships
The move to new business models for software, such as subscription services and SaaS, will require suppliers to better understand their customer relationships and offer improved usage data, says a new report.
The study from Flexera suggests that with subscription and usage-based models comes a demand for consistent, persistent level of customer engagement, supported through compliance and transparency.
TEAMGROUP launches T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB gaming RAM with mirror design
Are all sticks of RAM the same? No. Any seasoned system builder will tell you that opting for cheap budget memory can lead to frustrating experiences of troubleshooting errors and blue screens of death in Windows. Saving a few bucks is never worth it. Take my advice and stick to reputable companies for both RAM and power supply units -- you will be thankful you did.
With all of that said, there are many reputable companies manufacturing sticks of RAM these days, making it hard to know what to select. You probably know all the typical names, such as G.SKILL, Crucial, and HyperX, but there are other lesser-known brands you can depend on too. Case in point, TEAMGROUP -- many system builders trust its memory. Today, that company announces its latest DDR4 RAM and it is absolutely gorgeous. Called "T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB," it features customizable lighting, a mirror design, and an achievable overclock of up to 4800MHz.
Your iPhone 11 Pro tries to collect location data even when all location services are disabled
Security researcher Brian Krebs has discovered a peculiarity with the iPhone 11 Pro and its collection of location data.
In what is described as a "possible privacy bug", Krebs found that the iPhone 11 Pro seeks location data even when system services and apps are configured to never request this information -- the location arrow icon can be seen popping into view at unexpected times. Curiously, despite seemingly contradicting its privacy policies, Apple says that it is by design.
Plex introduces free TV and movie streaming
Plex has introduced a new free streaming service which you can use to watch a range of TV shows and movies without paying for a Plex Pass subscription, or having to pay for things on an individual basis.
Of course, "free" comes at a price. Ads. Plex says that it is going to be streaming "thousands of free movies, TV shows, extreme sports films, music documentaries, Bollywood musicals, and more" but content will be punctuated with ad-breaks. Free streaming is available in more than 200 countries, which will be appreciated by people in parts of the world that tend to miss out on such services.
Microsoft pulls Notepad from the Microsoft Store
Microsoft announced this week that it won't offer Notepad through the Microsoft Store anymore. Notepad, the default plain text editor on Windows, is included in every version of the operating system.
The functionality of the text editor has been improved in recent times; Microsoft added support for text zooming, new shortcuts, improved text wrapping, line endings, and more.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 (2004) Build 19035 to both Fast and Slow rings
The next big feature update for Windows 10 is drawing ever closer to completion, although there are still a number of known issues for Microsoft to address.
Today the software giant releases Build 19035 to Fast and Slow Insider rings, as well as Cumulative Update Build 19035.1000 (KB4533028). The latter features no new changes but is designed to allow Microsoft to test its servicing pipeline for 20H1.
You can now give the gift of YouTube with Amazon
Millions of people are regular YouTube users, and it's not hard to see why. The Google-owned site provides countless hours of quality video entertainment for free -- just watch the occasional short ad. I literally spend hours daily on YouTube watching quality content on my desktop computer, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV. Hell, even my television comes from Google's video service, as I subscribe to the wonderful YouTube TV.
If you aren't sure what to get someone for the holidays this year, why not give them the gift of YouTube? After all, it is something that they are pretty much guaranteed to love. This year, Google is making it easier than ever to give YouTube as a present -- you can now order a Gift Code through Amazon.
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