ADATA announces extremely rugged HD830 external HDD
When it comes to external storage, solid state drives are ideal. Since they have no moving parts, they won't be damaged by being jostled about in a bag. Not to mention, they are significantly faster than mechanical hard disk drives too. The problem? Solid state drives can be rather pricey compared to hard drives when cost per gigabyte is considered. And so, some people still leverage HDDs when on the go.
Looking to mitigate the potential dangers of using an external hard drive when out and about, ADATA today announces an extremely rugged model. Called "HD830," the aluminum body has an internal anti-shock coating and an external silicone casing. Yeah, this turns a typically slim 2.5-inch hard drive into a chunky monstrosity, but if protecting your data is important, the added thickness and heft could be worth it. Even the USB port is protected by a cover, although it is not USB-C sadly. Instead, it utilizes the awkwardly shaped micro USB 3.0. The drive exceeds IP68, and ADATA claims it can be submerged in 6.5 feet of water for up to two hours.
Samsung and Google are working together to bring RCS messaging to Android
Google has been working on RCS messaging for a little while now, hoping that the successor to SMS will take off. Earlier in the year, the company moved its Allo team to work on the RCS-based Chat. Now it has teamed up with Samsung.
The two companies are working together to help speed up the adoption of Rich Communication Service, ultimately aiming for global coverage. One of the first goals, however, is to ensure compatibility between Android Messages and Samsung Messages.
Whatever you do, don't break one of Apple's new iPhones
Yesterday, Apple took the wraps off three new iPhones -- the XS, XS Max, and the XR. These are attractive, powerful smartphones, with a premium price to match.
If you have the money to buy one, you’ll also perhaps need to factor in the cost of AppleCare, Apple’s insurance policy, which includes up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage (although you’ll still need to pay an excess charge for each repair). If you decide not to go for AppleCare and you break the screen, or damage the phone in another way, then the cost of an official repair will leave you stunned.
With its new iPhones, Apple drops not only the home button, but also the free headphone dongle
Yesterday's Apple event was mostly about heralding the arrival of the new -- a trio of new iPhones, and a new Apple Watch -- but it was also about losing a couple of things. None of the new handsets now feature home buttons, but this is not all that has gone.
Although the price of the new batch of phones is high by pretty much anyone's standards, Apple has taken the decision to stop including a headphone dongle in the box. If you want to use traditional wired headphones with your new iPhone, you'll have to shell out on an adaptor.
Apple bumps up the price of battery replacements
If you're thinking of getting an iPhone battery replaced, now is the time to do it. The announcement of the new iPhone pricing may well have made you consider hanging on to your existing handset for a little while longer, but if the battery is starting to show signs of age, a replacement will cost you more from next year.
This is not something that was announced on stage, but while Apple was busy talking about the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR, the iPhone Battery & Power Repair page of its support website was updated with new pricing information.
Google is killing off its Gmail alternative Inbox
Google has announced that Inbox is to close in six months' time. After four years of service, many -- although not all -- of Inbox's features have been incorporated into Gmail, and Google now feels it is time to concentrate on a single email tool.
Inbox users have until the end of March next year to consider whether to transition to Gmail, or whether they want to look for an alternative.
The price you pay Apple for (so-called) iPhone innovation
Trendsetter Apple has done it again! Just when you thought there was no innovation left in the smartphone market, CEO Tim Cook delivers the wildly price-disruptive iPhone XS Max 512GB for heart-stopping $1,449. Smartphones simply don't cost this much. What other company would stoop so low by reaching so high? This thing is a monster with its 6.5-inch (nearly) edge-to-edge display; 2688 x 1242 resolution at 458 pixels per inch (less than Google Pixel 2 XL at 2880 x 1440 and 538 ppi); and dual-SIM support (so telemarketers can ring more often on two numbers).
For anyone whose hands aren't too small to hold the new thang, iPhone XS Max is sure to draw maximum attention, letting all the little people know just how big a deal you are. Praise be Mr. Cook. Only the privileged can afford this beautiful, beastly slab, short of taking out a second mortgage or cashing in their 401K.
Apple HomePod becomes slightly less terrible thanks to new software update
I generally love Apple products. Every day, I use an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. For the most part, I am very satisfied with these devices. With that said, not all Apple products are great. For instance, Apple Watch, AirPods, and HomePod are spectacularly terrible. Not surprisingly, the products I hate are the ones released after the death of Steve Jobs.
The HomePod may offer high sound quality, but its high price and limited usefulness make it an overall poor product. Oh and don't forget -- it can ruin your furniture. For the money, you are much better off with a smart speaker powered by Alexa or Google Assistant -- Siri pales in comparison. In an effort to make HomePod less terrible, today, Apple announces a new software update which will improve it. Not only will the speaker get new features (including the long-awaited ability to make and receive phone calls), but new languages too -- Spanish (for those in Mexico, Spain, or USA) and Canadian French. While the update is appreciated, it is simply too little too late.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 19H1 Build 18237
Microsoft is busy polishing up the next big feature update of Windows 10, the October 2018 Update (aka Redstone 5), but is also working hard on the following update, codenamed 19H1.
This update, out next spring, isn’t hugely different from the current October 2018 Update release, but the latest build does add acrylic to the Windows sign-in screen.
Apple officially announces iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
As ever, there has been much hype and excitement about this year's Apple event and the promise of new iPhones. This year there have been more leaks than normal, and now everything has been revealed at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino
This time around -- as expected -- Apple has announced three new handsets: the "cheap" iPhone XR, the 5.8-inch iPhone XS and the huge 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max (not the XS Plus as had been thought for a little while). Here's what you need to know about the trio of smartphones, including confirmation of dual-Sim support.
Apple reveals larger Apple Watch Series 4
Today at the Steve Jobs Center in Cupertino, Apple took the wraps off the latest addition to its Watch range. Apple Watch Series 4 comes in two sizes -- 40mm and 44mm -- and the screen is over 30 percent larger in both instances.
Despite the large screen, the casing has hardly changed in size -- in fact it is thinner. Faces and apps have been redesigned to take full advantage of the edge-to-edge screen, and Apple says that it has managed to maintain the same battery life as the previous model, thanks largely to the new S4 chip with a custom 64-bit dual-core processor. New features include fall detection, and a new sensor that makes it possible to use Apple Watch to take ECG readings
Apple to sell 2 billionth iOS device
From an overall market share perspective, iOS trails Android quite dramatically. It’s not hard to see why -- devices running Google’s operating system are often far more inexpensive compared to Apple’s. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for Apple -- there are far more General Motors vehicles on the road than Mercedes, for instance.
People that prefer quality hardware and actual operating system upgrades choose Apple when possible -- iOS is an absolute delight to use with many quality apps available. Today, to highlight the success of the operating system, Apple CEO Tim Cook made a shocking revelation regarding how many iOS devices have been sold.
Tech Talent Matrix helps businesses hire the best developers
Finding the right technical talent has become a priority for businesses, but they often lack the data needed to know if they are getting it right.
The current way for companies to evaluate the success of their recruiting relies on blunt metrics like number of hires, time to hire and employee retention rate. None of which tell companies if they’ve hired the right people.
Malware-less email attacks on the rise -- especially on Thursdays
As email security solutions focus on detecting malware, cybercriminals are now adapting their attacks, exposing organizations to more malware-less assaults such as CEO fraud.
The report by intelligence-led security company FireEye is based on analysis of a sample set of over half-a-billion emails from the first half of 2018. It finds only 32 percent of email traffic seen was considered 'clean' and actually delivered to an inbox. The report also finds that one in every 101 emails had malicious intent.
Paint.NET 4.1.1 restores shortcut keys, builds on major 4.1 update
dotPDN LLC has unveiled Paint.NET 4.1.1, a minor update that follows less than a week after the major Paint.NET 4.1 release. This includes two notable bug fixes, reinstates Adjustment menu shortcut keys and one minor improvement.
The update was preceded by Paint.NET 4.1, which added support for GPU-powered effects, copy/paste for selections and bicubic resampling for the Move Selected Pixels tool.
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