• Article

The German cartel office, the Bundeskartellamt, has imposed new restrictions on how Facebook processes the data it gathers about users of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Germany's antitrust watchdog has hit the social network with a ban on combining user data it gathers from different sources, unless it has explicit consent from users. While Facebook is still free to gather data about Instagram users and WhatsApp users, this data cannot be automatically combined with data gathered via a users' Facebook account.

Continue reading →

A new survey from identity platform Okta shows that 67 percent of knowledge workers prefer Microsoft Word over Google Docs, while only 15 percent report the opposite.

Another 16 percent identify Google Docs as a top-three most frustrating app. When it comes to email, 49 percent prefer Microsoft Outlook over Gmail, while 35 percent report the opposite.

Continue reading →

A few months after adding background blurring to its Teams tool, Microsoft has brought the same option to Skype on the desktop.

The feature serves two purposes. Firstly it helps to focus attention on the person that is speaking, but secondly -- and perhaps more importantly -- it hides any untidiness (or secrets) that may be going on behind the speaker. It's another push from Microsoft to move people away from Skype Classic to Skype 8.

Continue reading →

Under Yahoo, Flickr gave free users a whopping 1TB of storage for their photos, but new owner SmugMug was never going to be as generous. Three months ago the site announced its free plan would be changing, and non-paying users would be limited to storing a maximum of 1,000 photos online.

The cutoff for users to download their images or risk losing them forever was yesterday, February 5, but there’s some good news for anyone who failed to take action prior to then, as well as those who found themselves struggling to complete the export by the deadline as a result of Flickr only allowing 500 images to be saved at a time. 

Continue reading →

Mesh networking is very popular these days, and for good reason -- its use of several access points makes it possible to blanket a home in Wi-Fi. The problem? If you already have a good router, it would be foolish to replace it entirely with a mesh system -- that would be a costly affair. Instead, if you need to deliver wireless access to a dead zone in your home, you should opt for a range extender. They are fairly inexpensive, and best of all, will work with your current router.

Today, TP-Link unveils its latest range extender -- the RE220. This little dual-band 802.11ac access point simply plugs into a power outlet. Then, with the help of a smartphone app, you can configure it to connect to your router. Also cool? It has a gigabit Ethernet port, so it can do double-duty as a wireless adapter for an internet-connected device that doesn't have Wi-Fi -- such as a desktop computer. Performance aside, it also has a striking white design with a gray crisscross pattern.

Continue reading →

A number of options are available for providing high availability protection for applications running in the Azure cloud. Some of these options are cloud-based services. Some are in the operating system or application software. And some are purpose-built by third-parties. The numerous permutations and combinations available can make it extraordinarily difficult to choose the best and most cost-effective solution for each application.

In general, failover clusters are the best option for assuring high availability. Historically, failover clusters were relatively easy to configure and test in the enterprise datacenter using shared storage and standard features built into Windows Server. But in the Azure and other public clouds, there is no shared storage. This creates a need to find other options for running mission-critical applications in a public or hybrid cloud environment. This article examines the options available for providing high availability (HA) for applications running within the Azure cloud. Special emphasis is given to SQL Server as a particularly popular application for Azure.

Continue reading →

A disgruntled security researcher has revealed a one-click exploit that takes advantage of a macOS vulnerability to reveal all of the passwords stored in a Mac's keychain.

Linus Henze developed an exploit tool called KeySteal that uses a 0-day bug to extract keychain passwords on macOS Mojave and older. He stresses that neither root access nor administrator privileges are required, and no password prompts are generated by the tool. Henze is not going to help Apple to fix the problem because the company does not offer a bug bounty program for macOS.

Continue reading →

Airlines could be putting the personal data of their passengers at risk by using unencrypted links, according to a new report.

Researchers at security and data management company Wandera have uncovered a vulnerability affecting a number of e-ticketing systems that could allow third parties to view, and in some cases even change, a user's flight booking details, or print their boarding passes.

Continue reading →

According to a new report released by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by BMC software, 66 percent of organizations bypass IT when buying new technologies for digital transformation.

But despite this, 43 percent of firms still hold IT accountable if something goes wrong with their digital transformation initiatives.

Continue reading →

Special edition video game controllers aren't very special anymore. Look, they are still cool, but there are so many different styles and colors being released, it can be hard to get excited each time one is announced. Microsoft even offers the ability to create a custom controller with its neat Xbox Design Lab.

With all of that said, I find myself smitten with a new Xbox One controller. Called "Sport Red Special Edition," it should not surprise you to know it is red. It isn't merely a red paint job, however -- it has different shades of red for the thumb sticks and buttons. The D-pad is a metallic red, and the face features a beautiful design of black crossing lines that create a series of triangles. It's definitely a stunner.

Continue reading →

Google+ is nearing the end of the line, and ahead of this Google has announced that its Notifications Widget is also to be killed off.

The widget -- which appears in the upper right-hand corner of various Google products including Gmail -- lets users know when there are notifications for various services such as Google Photos, Hangouts Chat and Google+. But when March rolls around, you'll have to rely on alerts for individual services instead.

Continue reading →

Windows 7 may be creakingly old now, but it is still widely used. While large numbers of consumers have migrated to Windows 10, there are still plenty of organizations that are clinging to the old operating system out of a sense of nostalgia, an unwillingness to upgrade, lack of funds for upgrading, or legacy requirements.

As of January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer be providing support or security updates for Windows 7 -- apart from for those who are willing to pay for it. The company is offering up to three years of Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU), and pricing has just been revealed.

Continue reading →

In an increasingly-connected world where data is collected and shared, privacy has become ever-more important to people. If you are of that mind, you may have enabled the Do Not Track (DNT) setting in your web browser in the hope that it will stop the websites you visit from tracking your online activities. Bad news: it probably makes no difference whatsoever.

This might be something you knew already, but research by privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo -- which famously does respect DNT requests -- found than more than three-quarters of people were not aware of that that many sites ignore DNT settings.

Continue reading →

Microsoft's in-house game development division has undergone a rebranding. Previously known as Microsoft Studios, the division's new moniker is Xbox Game Studios.

Made up of a total of 13 game studios purchased by Microsoft over the years, and the division's corporate vice president, Matt Booty, promises that they are all "working hard to deliver incredible exclusives, original IP and all-new chapters from your favorite franchises".

Continue reading →

At the end of last month, BetaNews shared with you that System76 was preparing to release a refreshed version of its Darter Pro laptop. This computer features a large 15.6-inch display and a rather thin and light body. There are many useful ports too, such as USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, USB-A, gigabit Ethernet, an SD Card slot, and both HDMI and DisplayPort for video. If you are a Linux user, the new Darter Pro really looks like a home run. System76 even managed to fit a number pad on the right side of the keyboard -- a much desired feature for many consumers.

We reported that the laptop would become available for purchase on February 5, and thankfully, that proved to be correct. Yes, dear Linux users, you can finally buy the new Darter Pro. Pricing is very competitive, starting at just $999!  Best of all, by purchasing a System76 computer, you are supporting a longtime contributor to the Linux community.

Continue reading →