Latest Technology News

WinStep Nexus Dock and Extreme 18.5 unveil major Dock improvements

WinStep Software Technologies has updated its flagship products, WinStep Nexus Dock and WinStep Extreme, to version 18.5. Despite the point release, WinStep is billing this as a "massive release".

Docks are now accessible through NextSTART while the Media Player’s internal command gains enhanced features for unobtrusive music playback. There are also numerous improvements and features added to the Nexus Dock component.

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Facebook is killing off Trending as it tries to revamp newsfeeds

Facebook logo on blue background

Facebook has announced plans to kill off the Trending feature of its newsfeed. The social network says that this is to "make way for future news experiences".

Over the years, Facebook has experimented endlessly with the presentation of news, and has faced criticism for failing to weed out "fake news" and also accusations of liberal bias. Now the company wants to find new ways to help people find news that matters to them, ensuring that it comes from reliable sources.

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Telegram says Apple is blocking its app updates globally

Telegram icon on iPhone X

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says that Apple has stopped approving updates for its mobile app on a worldwide basis.

He says that it coincides with Russia implementing a block on Telegram, and it means there have been no updates rolling out to users anywhere in the world for a month and a half. Apple has said nothing about the apparent update block, and the lack of transparency has forced Durov to go public.

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#BetaNews20 Giveaway: Linksys Velop Dual-Band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System

Today is officially the day -- BetaNews is celebrating its 20th birthday! While people typically get presents on their birthday, we are flipping the script a bit. To celebrate the occasion, we will be doing giveaways all month long. This is our way to thank our dear readers for two decades of loyalty. Whether you have been a reader since the beginning or you are new to the site, we wish you luck in our many June giveaways.

The first giveaway is a really exciting new product from Linksys -- the all new Velop Dual-Band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System. If you aren't familiar with mesh networking, please know its like having a router with super-long range. How does it work? Several access points -- in this case three -- work together to blanket your home in glorious Wi-Fi. We have one system to award as a prize, with the value being $299.

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Court rules that Samsung doesn't need to update older phones

Samsung phone closeup

One of the problems with choosing an Android phone is that it is difficult to know quite how long it will be supported. While Apple tends to offer updates for quite a number of years, it's a very different story for Android users.

Now -- in something of a blow for consumers -- a court in the Netherlands has ruled that Samsung does not need to offer updates for its older handsets. A consumer association filed a lawsuit against the company, arguing that it should be forced to keep phones updated for at least four years; the court disagreed.

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BetaNews' Big 20th Birthday Giveaway #BetaNews20

On June 1 1998, BetaNews hit the web for the first time. We’re celebrating the site’s 20th birthday with a huge, month-long giveaway, and there are some truly spectacular products up for grabs.

Throughout the month of June, we will be giving away thousands of dollars worth of hardware products, including a mesh Wi-Fi system, Xbox router, digital art frame, robot vacuum cleaner, hardware encrypted hard drive, smart home camera, keyboards, mice, and more! There will be the opportunity to enter multiple times for each product, giving you more chances to win.

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Best Windows 10 apps this week

Two-hundred-and-eighty-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.

Microsoft published a bunch of new PWA applications to the Windows Store. These applications work only on Windows 10 version 1803 or newer. New additions are: Rand McNally, EasterSales, News.com.au, Boots.uk, Rocketmiles, and EBTH.

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Microsoft updates parental controls and allows for location tracking through Android Launcher

Parent and children at computer

Ever keen to bolster its family-friendly image, Microsoft has revealed a number of updates to parental control options across a range of apps, services and devices. The company says it wants to "make it easier and safer for families to interact with technology and, each other, across devices and platforms".

The changes include updates to Edge and Microsoft Launcher for Android, which allows parents to not only limit what children can see, but also track their whereabouts. Microsoft is also introducing a specially-curated MSN Kids.

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Shhh... something BIG is happening tomorrow (but what?)

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17682 to the Fast ring

Microsoft seems -- finally -- to have got the hang of its six monthly update schedule for Windows 10. Not only has it pushed out the April 2018 Update to over 50 percent of Windows 10 users in a very short space of time, but the next feature update, codenamed Redstone 5, is shaping up very nicely already.

The big new feature in this next major update is Sets, and Build 17682 introduce some improvements to it based on Insider feedback.

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Microsoft suggests mobile Groove Music users switch from iOS or Android to Windows Phone

Believe it or not, Groove Music was a very good streaming music service. Unfortunately for Microsoft, consumers largely did not give it a chance, causing it to shut down. Despite the service dying, the Groove Music apps have lived on.

Sadly, Microsoft today announces that it is killing the mobile apps for both iOS and Android later this year on December 1, 2018. What does the company recommend these mobile users do? Switch to Windows Phone, of course! No, seriously...

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New Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition may be the coolest flagship smartphone right now

Xiaomi follows a pretty basic recipe when designing a new high-end smartphone: it has to give consumers lots more bang for the buck than the competition. So, its flagships tend to offer very similar specs to their main rivals and cost hundreds of dollars less. They do, however, lack the edge that many buyers in this segment look for: a compelling feature or benefit to make them stand out from the crowd.

The new line of flagships introduced today is different. The Mi 8 Explorer Edition, which sits above the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE in the company's lineup, is an impressive bit of kit, packing 3D face unlock, like the iPhone X, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, which you can't get on a major rival right now, and a transparent back, which gives you a nice look at what's inside the device.

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Consumers' privacy concerns not backed by their actions

Data privacy

A large majority of people say they are concerned about their online privacy, but this is not reflected in their actions according to a new study.

The survey from Blue Fountain Media reveals that 90 percent of respondents are very concerned about their internet privacy and 48 percent wish 'more was being done about it'.

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Review: RAVPower AC Outlet 27000mAh Power Bank

RAVPower AC Outlet 27000mAh Power Bank

Power banks are a dime a dozen nowadays, offering a way to ensure that your phone stays charged while you're on the move and away from a power socket. But while there are plenty of power banks with USB connections, what about those devices that require AC power?

There are some laptops that can charge using a USB-C connection, but most need AC -- and this is where the RAVPower AC Outlet 27000mAh Power Bank can help. As you might guess from the name, this is a portable battery pack that offers 27000mAh of power and could just save you from running out of juice when you travel.

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Judge dismisses Kaspersky lawsuits about US government software ban

Kaspersky Labs logo

Kaspersky has had something of a tough time of it over the last year, first being hit by a ban on its software being used by the US government, and then a ban on advertising on Twitter. The Russian company sued the Trump administration over the software ban, and a judge has now dismissed the suits.

Kaspersky Lab had been looking to overturn the governmental ban, saying "we've done nothing wrong" in response to claims that the company is linked to the Russian government. The firm says it plans to appeal against the latest ruling.

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