Latest Technology News

Apple has bowed to pressure from China and started to remove apps from the App Store that use the CallKit framework.

There are strict cybersecurity laws in place in China which has already see VPN tools banned and led to a brief suspension of the popular WeChat app. While no specific reason has been given for the crackdown on the CallKit framework, it is suspected to be related to VoIP functionality.

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Microsoft has announced plans to acquire Semantic Machines, a startup based in Berkley, California, that specializes in conversational artificial intelligence.

The acquisition makes a great deal of sense because of Microsoft's desire to push Cortana forward, and the general increased interest in voice-powered digital assistants and chatbots -- and products such as Google Duplex. The Semantic Machines team includes members who have worked on Siri and with speech-recognition firm Nuance.

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Linux isn't just a hobby --  the kernel largely powers the web, for instance. Not only is Linux on many web servers, but it is also found on the most popular consumer operating system in the world -- Android. Why is this? Well, the open source kernel scales very well, making it ideal for many projects. True, Linux's share of the desktop is still minuscule, but sometimes slow and steady wins the race -- watch out, Windows!

A good example of Linux's scalability is a new robot powered by Linux which was recently featured on the official Ubuntu Blog. Called "Tennibot," the Ubuntu-powered bot seeks out and collects tennis balls. Not only does it offer convenience, but it can save the buyer a lot of money too -- potentially thousands of dollars per year as this calculator shows. So yeah, a not world-changing product, but still very neat nonetheless. In fact, it highlights that Linux isn't just behind boring nerdy stuff, but fun things too.

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For a long time, the words "don't be evil" were associated with Google. While not an official motto as such, the words were heavily ingrained in the company.

Google's method of operating has caused many people over the years to question the phrase, and when the company was re-organized under Alphabet the motto became "do the right thing". Nonetheless, in the Google Code of Conduct which is given to employees, "don't be evil" remained -- until just a few weeks ago when it was quietly relegated.

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LocationSmart, a company based in Southern California, is under investigation by the FCC after it was discovered that its website made it possible for just about anyone to access location data for the majority of US cell phones.

Security expert Brian Krebs reported that a bug on the LocationSmart website made it possible for anyone to check on the location of any AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon phone in the US. Even more worryingly, the data is said to be accurate to a few hundred yards.

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The phenomenon that is Fortnite will be making its way to Android, Epic Games has revealed.

An Android version of the game is something that mobile gamers have been begging for for some time now, and it seems it will not be long until these pleas are answered. While an exact release date has not been revealed, Fortnite for Android will be happening in the next few months.

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First, let’s clarify the difference between Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Virtual Reality (VR) blocks out the real world and immerses the user in a digital experience. Augmented Reality (AR) adds a layer of interactive digital elements on top of the real world. Or in simpler terms, AR can be defined as a technology which overlays a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world. The question is: when will we begin to see more Enterprise adoption of AR?

Companies are eager to jump on the AR bandwagon but are still unclear how to best use AR to drive sales around their product, improve efficiencies for their operations. Additional unknowns include how much it will cost to enhance the B2C/B2B experience and when companies could expect to see a return on their investment.

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PayPal has announced that it is to buy the mobile payment company iZettle. The announcement came as something of a surprise, as less than two weeks ago iZettle had said that it planned to go public.

iZettle is a Swedish fintech company whose mobile card readers have proved popular with small businesses, as has its ecommerce platform. The $2.2 billion purchase is PayPal's biggest acquisition to date.

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Later this year, Chrome will adopt a new approach to indicating site security. Starting in September, the browser will no longer use a security indicator to highlight the fact that you're visiting an HTTPS page.

Instead, Google will simply issue a warning when a website is not secure. As the company puts it, "users should expect that the web is safe by default, and they’ll be warned when there’s an issue". The change is coming in Chrome 69.

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As an American man that thinks monarchies are silly, I shouldn't be interested in the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding. With that said, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about it. I don't know why, but I find myself intrigued by the Royal Wedding. I make no apologies about it!

Unfortunately, the wedding is on a Saturday -- a day when many people are out of their homes running errands and having fun. Thankfully, you can watch the wedding online for free using your web browser or mobile device. In other words, even if you aren't in front of a TV, you can still experience the event live on YouTube.

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Two-hundred-and-eighty-three 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.

The new Windows 10 update that Microsoft released on April 30, 2018 does not play well with some Intel and Toshiba Solid State Drives. Microsoft blocked the update as a consequence and started an investigation.

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YouTube TV is a really great streaming TV service that I recommend very highly. Google's offering works so well, that I was able to cancel my cable TV without any regrets. For $40 a month you get tons of channels, local sports, an unlimited cloud DVR, and multi-platform support. Never did I think I would be passionate about a television provider, but here I am.

I follow @YouTubeTV on Twitter so I can learn about suggested programming, but also, that is where the service announces channel additions. That's probably my favorite aspect of YouTube TV -- it is often gaining new channels without raising the price. Case in point, today, YouTube TV announced on Twitter the addition of two new channels -- The Young Turks and Tastemade. In addition to the tweets, YouTube TV also emailed customers about the news.

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Enforcement of the GDPR Regulation will begin this May 25. Are you ready? If not, Microsoft offers some information-protection solutions to help your organization identify, classify, and protect your data. The tools track your adherence to the regulations, ensure you’re able to identify sensitive data, and can prevent that data from escaping your organization via email, etc.

While this article focuses on GDPR policy management, the info also applies to other regulations (e.g. HIPAA).

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The Internet of Things has taken the global tech industry by storm in recent years. The idea, in its simplest form, is the mass interconnectivity of billions of devices. All of this is in the hope that it creates a massive network of devices in constant communication with each other.

Why would this network be important? Because it has the potential to completely revolutionize how we interact with tech and with the world around us. When all of the devices in the world are interlinked then we have the possibility of extracting mountains of data and synthesizing it so that we may make improvements across the board.

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Making an app is hard, but getting it noticed on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store can be an even more difficult task. Optimizing your metadata is the biggest hurdle to getting noticed and finding users.

There are many "tips and tricks" articles out there that promise to help, but very few talk about what to avoid. Fortunately, with a strong App Store Optimization (ASO) strategy, you can stand out from the crowd while keeping an eye out for ASO pitfalls. By maneuvering around these pitfalls, you’ll be one step closer to improving your app’s visibility.

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