Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller gets Apple HomeKit support
As a suburbanite homeowner, nothing brings me more joy than having a nice yard. Yeah, it can be hard work to mow the lawn, rake leaves, and pull weeds, but it is totally worth it. Earlier this year, I even installed the Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller to more intelligently water my grass, and I came away very impressed. Not only does it keep my lawn looking good, but it saves me money too. How? It knows to skip watering based on the weather -- no more running sprinklers in the rain!
Believe it or not, starting today, the Rachio 3 is getting even better. No, the company is not upgrading the hardware. Actually, it is improving thanks to all-new Apple HomeKit support! Yes, owners of iPhone, iPad, HomePod, or other Apple devices can now control Rachio 3 using either the HomeKit app or Siri.
Companies continue to use vulnerable open source components
Use of known vulnerable open source components has increased by 120 percent over the last year and 62 percent of organizations say they have no meaningful control over OSS components, according to a new study.
Sonatype's fourth annual State of the Software Supply Chain Report shows that open source continues to be a key driver of innovation -- with software developers downloading more than 300 billion open source components in the past 12 months. However, hackers are exploiting this growing trend, and even beginning to inject vulnerabilities directly into open source projects.
Zoho taken offline by domain registrar for phishing violations
CRM service Zoho disappeared from the internet after its domain registrar suspended it for failing to deal with phishing appropriately.
TierraNet blacklisted Zoho.com after receiving complaints about phishing emails sent from Zoho-hosted accounts. This meant that many businesses were unable to access their documents, address books and emails, causing chaos for many. Zoho has said that in order to ensure such an occurrence is never repeated, it will become a domain registrar itself.
Instagram co-founders resign from Facebook-owned company to 'explore curiosity and creativity again'
Six years after their company was bought by Facebook, Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have resigned. The pair say they are "planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again".
But while the departures have been presented as being amicable, sources suggest that the resignations came about because of Systrom and Krieger's unhappiness at the direction in which Facebook was taking the app.
Roku unveils affordable Premiere and Premiere+ 4K streaming media boxes
If you don't yet have a 4K TV, what the heck are you waiting for? Granted, a couple years back, these televisions were expensive and there was little 4K content, but in 2018, these are no longer true things. A 4K TV can be had without breaking the bank, while streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube offer videos using this ultra high definition format.
Today, Roku unveils two new 4K streaming media boxes that are surprisingly affordable. The "Premiere" and "Premiere+," as they are called, are priced low while also being quite capable. True, they forgo 802.11ac, but N wireless is more than fine.
Apple acquires Shazam and promises an ad-free app for all
Apple has today completed its purchase of music-identification app Shazam after lengthy investigation by the EU -- and there's good news for anyone who uses it.
The app's millions of global users will soon be able to enjoy an ad-free experience. Apple just says that this will be happening "soon", without giving any sense of timescale.
HyperX launches internal FURY RGB SSD and external SAVAGE EXO SSD
The solid state drive revolution is in full effect for home consumers. Whether you have a laptop or desktop, you should no longer have a mechanical hard drive -- especially for running your operating system. SSDs are more affordable than ever, plus, insanely fast too.
With so many SATA solid state drives on the market with similar specifications, how does a company make its offering stand out? RGB lights, of course! Yes, today, Hyperx launches the FURY RGB SSD with customizable lighting. In addition to this beautiful internal drive, the company is also launching an external model -- the SAVAGE EXO SSD.
Microsoft launches Azure-based Windows Virtual Desktop for running Windows in the cloud
Microsoft has announced Windows Virtual Desktop, a way to run virtualized instances of Windows and Office in the cloud.
Running on Azure, Windows Virtual Desktop offers multi-user supports and enables several people to remotely log into the same Windows 10 virtual machine. Microsoft says that the service is also optimized for Office 365 ProPlus and notes that it includes free Windows 7 Extended Security Updates.
Microsoft is launching the Surface Hub 2S in 2019, and the Surface Hub 2X in 2020
Microsoft has announced that it is launching the Surface Hub 2S in the second quarter of 2019. The next version of the company's gigantic, business-focused touchscreen display is (slightly) smaller at a mere 50.5 inches, rather than the existing 55- and 84-inch options.
Following on from this in 2020 is the Surface Hub 2X which brings not only multiuser login, but also the ability to rotate and tilt the screen. Interestingly, an upgrade will be possible from the 2S to the 2X by means of a removable processor cartridge.
New solution adds biometric authentication to messaging platforms
Messaging systems like Skype, Slack, Telegram and others are increasingly used by both individuals and businesses. But how do you know the person you're talking to is who they say they are?
A new product from biometric solutions company ID R&D offers multi-layer continuous authentication across messaging platforms without any impact on the user experience.
Browser Reaper: exploit causes Firefox to crash
A security researcher has developed an attack that exploits a Firefox bug, making it possible to crash the web browser.
Sabri Haddouche used his Browser Reaper website to share a live test version of the exploit -- the site is also home to exploits for Chrome and Safari. The Firefox attack uses JavaScript to crash or freeze the browser, with the effect of the exploit depending on whether the browser is running on Linux, Windows or macOS.
Windows 10 now has its own exclusive Linux distro -- WLinux
There are a number of Linux distros available for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), including Ubuntu, openSUSE Leap 42, Debian GNU/Linux, and Kali Linux.
However, these distros tend to lack development tools and contain unnecessary packages, such as systemd. WLinux is a new, open source Linux distribution based on Debian stable that has been specially optimized for WSL.
Users balk as Chrome 69 forcibly signs them into the browser
Chrome users have reacted angrily after the discovery of a new forced sign-in for the web browser. In short, the change means that when you sign into a Google service -- such as Gmail -- you are also automatically signed into this account within Chrome itself.
While a handful of people have welcomed the new sign-in activity, there is a very vocal number who are extremely unhappy. In addition to the perceived privacy concerns, what has particularly upset people is the fact that they are being signed into Chrome without being told about it.
Belkin unveils BOOST↑UP Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone + Apple Watch
While the iPhone XS and XS Max look to be great smartphones, they are hardly revolutionary. In fact, as is customary with Apple's "S" models, they are simply evolutionary. This isn't a bad thing. Hell, for owners of prior iPhone devices, it is sort of a good thing -- there should be less of a desire to spend money on an upgrade. For instance, earlier this year, I chose the 8 Plus over the X, and none of the newest models (including the budget-friendly XR) have me chomping at the bit to spend my hard earned money on an upgrade.
One feature that got me to upgrade from the 6S Plus to the 8 Plus is wireless charging. I didn't have it before, and after buying the new iPhone, I did. Sadly, Apple still hasn't released its own such charging pad, so as more and more folks get iPhone devices with the capability, they must rely on third-party offerings. One such company that consistently releases quality accessories is Belkin, and to coincide with the release of the XS, XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4, it announces the BOOST↑UP Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone + Apple Watch. Yes, as the name implies, it can wirelessly charge both an iPhone and Apple Watch.
PayPal bans Infowars for spreading hate speech
Alex Jones' Infowars has found itself cut off from yet another platform. Having been booted from social media sites including Twitter and Facebook, as well as YouTube and the App Store, PayPal has now given it the elbow.
The online payment service has taken exception to Infowars' promotion of "hate" and "discriminatory intolerance" and has hit Jones' cash cow where it hurts -- in the wallet. He has been given ten days to find a new payment processing service.
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