Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is an uninspired boring upgrade that still lacks USB-C

Surface_Laptop_2

If you want a Windows 10 laptop, you can do much better than Microsoft's buggy Surface devices. Companies such as Dell, Lenovo, and HP make some excellent notebooks these days. I mean, look, Microsoft's homegrown computers aren't totally bad, but they are a bit overpriced and historically have had terrible bugs and driver issues. For a while, the much-respected Consumer Reports refused to recommend the computers -- something on which they've recently done a "180."

Today, with surprisingly little fanfare in New York City, Microsoft unveiled some new Surface devices, including the Surface Pro 6 -- a tablet with a floppy keyboard that needs to die already. The true star of the Surface line these days is the unimaginatively named Surface Laptop -- a surprisingly decent computer. Microsoft has upgraded the laptop's internals, given it a new color (black), and put the number 2 at the end of its name. Unfortunately, Surface Laptop 2 is a tragically boring upgrade -- very slight evolution instead of revolution.

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Microsoft unveils the Surface Pro 6

surface pro 6

Microsoft is holding a new hardware event today in New York City and has unveiled the latest generation of its tablet/laptop hybrid, the Surface Pro 6.

Microsoft’s iPad rival has come a long way since its debut back in 2012, when it was an unqualified flop. These days, it’s a true laptop alternative, and as you’d expect, the Surface Pro 6 is the most powerful version yet.

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Windows 10 October 2018 Update is available from today

Happy user

Microsoft is hosting a special event in New York City where it is taking the wraps off the next generation of Surface devices.

It’s not just about hardware though, as the tech giant has announced the next big feature update for Windows 10, the October 2018 Update, is now available to download.

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Facebook rolls out new tools to help those suffering bullying and harassment

Facebook bullying

The problems of bullying, harassment and trolling on social media are getting worse all of the time and the likes of Twitter and Facebook are under pressure to offer tools and protection to their users. Today Facebook unveils new options to help empower those who fall victim to such attacks.

One new feature provides a way to report or delete multiple posts at once, and there is also a way to report bullying on behalf of someone else. Facebook is introducing new protections for public figures -- who frequently find themselves under attack -- and is also pushing education programs.

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What is the Presidential Alert text from the National Wireless Emergency Alert System?

Presidential Alert text

Today -- Wednesday October 3 -- your phone will receive a text message; assuming you're in the US, that is, and use Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T or Sprint as your carrier. The text should arrive from 11:18AM PT / 2:18PM ET, and it will feature the dramatic heading of Presidential Alert.

You may be reading this because you wonder what on Earth is going on -- particularly if your phone has made a strange noise -- but there's nothing to worry about. Not this time, anyway.

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Android rooting tool SuperSU disappears from Play Store

SuperSU

If you haven't already made the jump to Magisk to cater for your handset rooting needs, now is very much the time to do so. The long-popular SuperSU has been removed from the Google Play Store, meaning one of the most popular rooting tools has been lost.

The disappearance is not entirely surprising as SuperSU has not been updated for some time and plenty of other root apps have grown in popularity -- but it will still come as a disappointment for its many fans.

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One in four cyberattacks targets ordinary users

Targeted user

While the majority of cyberattacks are aimed at businesses and other organizations, an increasing number are targeting ordinary users, according to the latest report from Positive Technologies.

The most attractive targets were personal data (30 percent) and credentials (22 percent), especially for online banking. To steal this data, attackers compromised a wide range of websites, including web stores, ticket vendors, and hotel booking services.

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Behavioral analysis used to predict cybersecurity threats

Data security watch face

Internet of Things security specialist ZitoVault has patented a new means of predicting upcoming cybersecurity events.

While most existing approaches only address the real-time detection of threats or anomalies based on a limited set of pre-established data points, ZitoVault's latest patent uses a new approach.

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Behold, Honor 8X!

Honor 8X black

Android smartphones are largely all the same these days. I mean, look, they are rectangular slabs that can run apps, surf the web, and take photos. Sure, specifications can vary, but for the most part, all modern Android phones are powerful enough to all run apps wonderfully. With that said, why would you spend a fortune on one? If you can score a solid smartphone without breaking the bank, you totally should!

If you want an elegant and inexpensive Android phone, look no further than Honor. That is Huawei's budget-friendly brand, but you know what? Low cost does not mean low quality. Today, the company officially launches the Honor 8X -- a drop-dead gorgeous Android smartphone with very respectable internals and a huge 6.5 inch display. Much like the iPhone Xs, you can unlock the device with your face, but unlike Apple's offering, it also has a fingerprint reader -- nice! Believe it or not, the Honor 8X even has a 3.5mm audio jack -- crazy, right? I guess Honor isn't as courageous as Apple! And yes, it has a notch, because... why notch?

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Financial services breaches triple since 2016

Broken piggy bank

2018 has seen nearly three times as many breaches at financial services organizations as there were in 2016, according to a new report.

The study by cloud access security broker Bitglass finds there have been 103 breaches in this year’s report compared to just 37 two years ago.

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Love Dynamic Desktop? Move up to 24 Hour Wallpaper

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We’ve worked for years with potential eye strain and it’s only recently we’re taking it seriously. The first step was Apple adding a warmer edge to the desktop panel, so by the end of the day you wouldn’t be looking at an LCD displaying sharp blue light.

Mojave introduced Dynamic Desktop, which will transition your wallpaper, so it matches both the time of day, your location and the ever-changing sunrise/sunset. Dynamic Desktop will show a bright wallpaper middle of the day, but by 10pm you’ll be seeing a nighttime scene.

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How to access Google's secret text adventure game

Broken Google logo

Google is well known for hiding Easter eggs in its software and tools, and a new little treat has just been discovered. Hidden in Google Chrome's developer console is a text adventure game.

While this is not exactly The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and it's unlikely to draw you away from Fortnite or Assassin's Creed, the game is a simple delight like Chrome's jumping dinosaur. Here's how to access it.

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Google is trying to make Chrome extensions safer with new Chrome Web Store review process and permission controls

Chrome icon with a padlock

Extensions are a great way to increase the capabilities of your web browser, but they can also be the source of problems. Malicious extensions can be a serious headache, and this is something that Chrome users know more than most. Now Google is looking to improve security.

The company has already promised that with Chrome 70 it is going to give users more privacy controls, and today it announced that this version of the browser will also introduce permission controls extensions. On top of this Google is introducing a new review process for extensions submitted to the Chrome Web Store, as well as placing a ban on extensions with obfuscated code.

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Microsoft re-open-sources early versions of MS-DOS on GitHub

MS-DOS

Back in 2014, Microsoft gave the source code for MS-DOS 1.25 and MS-DOS 2.0 to the Computer History Museum. Now -- in a move it describes as "re-open-sourcing" -- the company has pushed the code to GitHub for all to see.

Dating from mid-1983, the source code may moisten the eyes of anyone who remembers the days of text-based operating systems, and it gives an interesting glimpse into the world of software development a few decades ago.

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NetMarketShare shows Windows 10's share falling, Windows 7 rising

Shocked

Usage share monitoring service StatCounter saw Windows 10 overtake Windows 7 back in February, and its latest figures put the new operating system on 50.07 percent, well ahead of Windows 7 on 37.2 percent.

Rival monitoring service NetMarketShare disagrees however. While Windows 10 gained significant share in August, at Windows 7’s expense, the latest figures, for September, show a reversal of fortune.

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