X-Doria unveils Defense Helix Car Mount with Qi wireless charging for Android and iPhone
As far as I'm concerned, wireless charging is one of the greatest inventions of the last decade. OK, true, there is still a wire involved since the charger plugs into the AC outlet, but it is just so elegant to not need to plug a cable into your phone. Convenience aside, this will also reduce wear and tear on the port, potentially causing your device to last longer.
Case-maker X-Doria has a new wireless charger, but it is not designed for your home -- unless you live in your car, that is. Yes, the "Defense Helix Car Mount," as it is called, is designed for your vehicle. Not only does it charge your phone (both 7.5W and 10W), but it props it up on your dashboard too.
Popular VTech children's tablet can be easily controlled by hackers
Risk management and cybersecurity specialist SureCloud has discovered that the popular VTech Storio Max children's tablet can easily be hacked, enabling criminals to take control of the devices and snoop on unsuspecting victims.
This can be done by simply adding an image or link to a website. When accessed by a child via the tablet's web browser, the exploit would attack the tablet and enable the attacker to take full control of the device.
Razer Blade Stealth gets improved graphics, 4K display, thinner bezels, and better battery life
Razer is a company that is known for its gaming accessories, but also, its gaming-focused notebooks. Its Blade Stealth laptop isn't a gaming machine, but it is quite svelte and beautiful. Seriously, folks, the Blade Stealth is an impressive Windows 10 notebook.
Today, the Razer Blade Stealth gets a massive refresh. It now has a 4K screen option, thinner bezels, a Windows Hello camera, and significantly improved battery life (up to 13 hours). Best of all, you can opt for NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics for modest gaming capability. Thanks to Thunderbolt 3, you can also add an eGPU for when even more power is needed.
Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo finds Google personalizes search results even for logged out and incognito users
You might well expect that if you perform a Google search while signed into your Google account that the results will be tailored according to what that company has learned about you over the years. But what about when you're not signed into your account?
A study carried out by the privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo yielded some slightly surprising results. In tests earlier in the year, it was found that even when people searched without logging into a Google account -- or when they used private browsing mode -- "most participants saw results unique to them", suggesting there was still personalization of results.
These are the best apps, games, music, movies and more of 2018... according to Apple
The end of the year approaches and so the "best of" lists start to emerge. Jumping on the bandwagon is Apple, providing us with a lengthy list of the best apps, games, music, podcasts, TV shows, and just about everything else digital you can think of.
The charts have not been compiled by simply calculating which apps have proved most popular with user. Apple describes it as "an invariable list of the who's who and what's what from the past year" which is a combination of both "top charts and selects from our editors". Are your favorites featured?
Hate Edge? Microsoft may be ready to move on to a Chromium-based browser
If Microsoft isn't careful, it is going to start getting through web browsers faster than Google gets through messaging tools. Having moved on from Internet Explorer to Edge, the company is now said to be looking to transition to a Chromium-based browser for Windows 10.
It's fair to say that Edge hasn't won itself too many fans since it first appeared three years ago, so the suggestion that Microsoft may ditch EdgeHTML in favour of a browser based on Chromium is likely to be widely welcomed. Said to be codenamed Anaheim, the news Microsoft has a new rendering engine on the horizon will go down well with those who have been disappointed by Edge.
Fake ransomware 'cures' actually just pay the scammer
In an interesting new trend some companies are claiming to be able to unlock encrypted files following a ransomware attack, but are in fact simply acting as brokers between victims and attackers.
Researchers at Check Point have discovered a Russian IT consultancy named Dr. Shifro that claims to unlock and recover consumers' and businesses' encrypted files.
Google Santa Tracker gets even better for Christmas 2018
Santa Claus is real. While it is popular to think the jolly fat man is merely fiction, that simply isn't true. Don't believe me? Back in the early 90s, when I was a kid, I asked Santa for a Super Nintendo and I got it! How else can that be explained? Exactly.
If you want further proof that Mr. Claus exists, every year, Google launches a Santa Tracker that allows you to track his gift-delivering journey around the world. The search giant's offering is more than just monitoring Santa's route, however. Actually, Google also shares a fun interactive online "village" with cool games and activities. This year, the Santa Tracker village is better than ever, with such things as an "Elf Maker" which allows you (or your child) design a custom elf. Beginning December 23, users of Google Assistant can ask it "Google, where’s Santa?” to get live location updates.
True Key by McAfee uses facial recognition to securely store your passwords
After listening to years of security advice, many of us now use different passwords to access various websites. Problem is, how do you store and synchronize this data across your devices? You can’t remember every unique password.
The secret is a password manager which enables you to store a central 'master password' (which you can remember) and then gain access to this securely stored data on any supported device. Problem is, can you trust a centralized password manager after previous security issues?
100 million Quora users data exposed in major breach
Question and answer site Quora has revealed that its user data has been compromised as a result of unauthorized access to its systems by a 'malicious third party'.
The breach occurred on Friday and Quora is still investigating the causes. It has taken the step of logging out all users who may have been affected and forcing them to reset their passwords. It also says it will continue to make security improvements.
Microsoft says the iPad is fine for six-year-olds, but Surface Go is a 'real computer'
The iPad remains by far and away the most popular tablet, with Apple securing 34.9 percent market share this year, up from 29.9 percent in 2017. The iPad is one of the few tablets to enjoy any kind of growth this year -- the market as a whole was down 13.5 percent during the second quarter of 2018.
Apple’s tablet is therefore the obvious target for any rival companies to aim for, and Microsoft has really gone on the attack with a new holiday ad for Surface Go.
New Kodi 18 'Leia' Release Candidate (RC2) available to download now!
We are edging ever closer to the full and final release of the next big version of Kodi, codenamed Leia.
The second release candidate drops today, meaning the Kodi Foundation is still on target to release the final build this year.
Tumblr turns family-friendly and bans ALL adult content
Tumblr has announced that it is to introduce a ban on all adult content across the platform in a major reversal of policy. The site has long been home to all manner of explicit content, and this lack of censorship is part of the reason for Tumblr's popularity.
The site says that, as of December 17, "adult content will not be allowed on Tumblr, regardless of how old you are". The announcement was made in the Tumblr Help Center, and it comes as the company aims to appeal to a wider age range.
Barnes and Noble launches NOOK Tablet 7-inch for less than $50
For a while, it seemed like tablets were going to become the most popular consumer devices, but then, they weren't. People tired of trying to retrofit them with keyboards to make them faux-laptops -- they just used actual laptops instead. Not to mention, with smartphones getting increasingly larger screens, tablets began to feel a bit redundant. With that said, tablets have their place for media consumption -- I still prefer my iPad to my iPhone for watching videos.
If you know someone that wants a tablet this holiday season, but you don't want to spend too much money to get one, Barnes and Noble has a new model that may interest you. Its newest NOOK features a 7-inch screen and has access to the Google Play Store for just $49. This is significantly cheaper than the 10.1-inch variant it launched last month. Best of all, the gift recipient will very likely think you spent more money than you actually did!
The future of project management technology
Emerging technologies are set to revolutionize project management. That won’t come as much of a shock to the average reader -- there’s been plenty of media coverage about the extent to which new technology like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) will transform industries from the bottom up.
However, people often struggle to isolate the challenges that emerging technologies will solve, and the specific practices they will change -- even within their own industries. There’s a tacit assumption that change will come -- but the 'what', 'how' and 'when' of these seismic shifts remains unclear. Project managers want to tackle the challenges and grasp the opportunities of today’s workplace faster and better than their competitors. It’s vital, therefore, that project managers not only understand the potential of emerging technology, but how to use it to best effect.
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