Move over Kodi -- these are the top home theater alternatives you need
Kodi has long been a favorite for media enthusiasts, offering a customizable, open-source platform for streaming and managing media libraries, but it's not without its frustrations. The setup process, particularly installing and managing add-ons, isn't as intuitive as it could be, add-ons frequently break or becoming unsupported, and performance problems like buffering and crashes are common, especially on older devices.
If you’re searching for Kodi alternatives, you're in luck. There are several media center platforms that provide excellent options for streaming and managing your content. Here’s a look at the top 7 Kodi alternatives, along with key features to watch out for, and the download links you'll need.
AVerMedia launches VERSATI go (AM310G2) USB microphone
AVerMedia has expanded its GO series with the launch of the VERSATI go (AM310G2), a USB cardioid microphone designed to meet the needs of creators seeking high-quality sound. The microphone offers a balance between mobility, versatility, and ease of use, perfect for those who need professional-grade audio for streaming, podcasting, or other content creation.
The VERSATI go (AM310G2) captures audio at an enhanced 96kHz/24-bit sample rate, delivering clear, rich, and natural sound. Its cardioid pickup pattern is specially designed to focus on the user's voice while minimizing background noise. Additionally, the microphone includes a mute button with an LED indicator for easy control during live recordings, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for real-time monitoring.
Intel finally diagnoses the root cause of Core 13th and 14th Gen CPU instability issues
Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors have been plagued with instability issues, problems Intel seemed incapable of properly addressing -- until now.
The company says that it has finally been able to determine the root cause of the issue. In fact, there are no fewer than four possible scenarios that can cause what has been dubbed the Vmin Shift Instability issue. There’s also a new microcode update to add to the growing pile of patches that have already been released.
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Winamp source code now available on GitHub
There can be few computer enthusiasts of a certain age who do not remember with some fondness Winamp -- one of the first popular MP3 applications, and one famed for “whippin’ the llama’s ass”.
Having been open sourced earlier in the year, the source code for the iconic software has now been published to GitHub. The team behind the player is looking for help from developers to, “improve and modernize the player to meet current user needs”.
Weathering the alert storm
The more layers a business adds to its IT and cloud infrastructure, the more alerts it creates to detect issues and anomalies. As a business heads towards a critical mass, how can they prevent DevOps teams from being bombarded by ‘alert storms’ as they try to differentiate between real incidents and false positives?
The key is to continuously review and update an organization's monitoring strategy, specifically targeting the removal of unnecessary or unhelpful alerts. This is especially important for larger companies that generate thousands of alerts due to multiple dependencies and potential failure points. Identifying the ‘noisiest’ alerts, or those that are triggered most often, will allow teams to take preventive action to weather alert storms and reduce ‘alert fatigue’ -- a diminished ability to identify critical issues.
Meta introduces more affordable Quest 3S headset
Meta has introduced the Quest 3S, a more budget-friendly addition to its mixed reality headset lineup. Announced at the Connect event, the Quest 3S offers the same performance and mixed reality capabilities as the Quest 3, but at a lower price. Starting at $299.99, the device targets newcomers to mixed reality or users seeking an affordable upgrade from earlier models like Quest or Quest 2.
The Quest 3S includes features such as watching TV on a virtual large screen, personal fitness training, and multitasking capabilities. The headset builds on the Quest 3’s foundation, which introduced full-color Passthrough for blending the virtual and physical worlds. Meta continues to make improvements to its mixed reality ecosystem, with the Quest 3S benefiting from updates like enhanced spatial audio and improved contrast and color for a more realistic Passthrough experience.
As the workforce trends younger, account takeover attacks are rising
Account Takeover (ATO) incidents are on the rise, with one recent study finding that 29 percent of US adults were victims of ATO attacks in the past year alone. That isn’t necessarily surprising: what we call an “Account Takeover attack” usually comes as the result of stolen credentials -- and this year’s Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) noted that credential theft has played a role in a whopping 31 percent of all breaches over the past 10 years. Basically, an ATO happens when a cybercriminal uses those stolen credentials to access an account that doesn’t belong to them and leverages it for any number of nefarious purposes.
Those credentials can come from anywhere. Yes, modern attackers can use deepfakes and other advanced tactics to get their hands on credentials -- but the truth is, tried-and-true methods like phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks are still remarkably effective. Worse still, because people tend to reuse passwords, a single set of stolen credentials can often lead to multiple compromised accounts. As always, human beings are the weakest point in any system.
RTOS vs Linux: The IoT battle extends from software to hardware
There’s certainly something happening regarding operating systems in the Internet of Things (IoT). Chips are getting smarter, devices are getting smaller, and speeds are getting faster. As a result, device developers are more often experimenting with their operating system of choice, moving away from Linux and toward real-time operating systems (RTOS).
This is an evolution on two fronts. On the software side, applications requiring low latency and deterministic responses are turning to Zephyr, FreeRTOS, and ThreadX. And now, on the hardware side, we’re seeing more chip manufacturers entering the fray with RTOS-specific hardware that rivals or surpasses performance of entry-level Linux boards. This is a big deal since these chips optimize hardware-software integration, creating a more thorough ecosystem for purpose-built solutions with RTOS.
Samsung unveils 990 EVO Plus SSD with PCIe 4.0 and 7,250MB/s read speeds
Samsung has announced its latest solid state drive -- the 990 EVO Plus. This SSD features PCIe 4.0 support and advanced NAND technology. Built for gamers, content creators, and business users alike, the 990 EVO Plus provides a balance of speed and efficiency.
The new SSD offers sequential read speeds of up to 7,250MB/s and write speeds of 6,300MB/s, marking a substantial 50 percent increase in performance over the previous 990 EVO model. This performance boost is powered by Samsung’s 8th-generation V-NAND technology and a 5-nanometer controller. The innovative nickel-coated heat shield helps keep the SSD cool, improving power efficiency by 73 percent compared to its predecessor.
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Reolink launches Altas PT Ultra 4K battery camera with continuous recording and optional solar panel
Reolink has officially launched the Altas PT Ultra, a new 4K battery-powered camera offering continuous recording. This security camera combines 4K UHD resolution with auto-tracking and color vision for day and night monitoring.
The camera is designed to address common issues in home security cameras, such as missing events and limited battery life. It comes equipped with a 20,000mAh battery, offering up to 12 hours of 4K recording per day for eight days on a single charge. In standby mode, it can last up to 500 days.
Unforgiving consumers says poor software is as bad as contaminated food
A new survey from software delivery platform Harness finds that 66 percent of UK consumers think software companies releasing 'bad' code that causes mass outages is on par with, or worse than, supermarkets selling contaminated products that break laws on food safety.
The study of 2,000 UK consumers, conducted by Opinium Research, finds that 44 percent have been affected by an IT outage. 26 percent were impacted by the recent incident caused by a software update from CrowdStrike in July 2024.
Enterprises suffer surge in mobile phishing attacks
Cybercriminals are increasingly adopting a 'mobile-first' attack strategy to infiltrate enterprise systems by targeting weak, unsecured, and unmanaged mobile endpoints, recognizing mobile as a major entry point to corporate networks and sensitive data.
A new report from Zimperium zLabs shows a significant rise in mobile phishing -- or 'mishing' -- a technique that employs various tactics specifically designed to exploit vulnerabilities in mobile devices.
Can humans provide a cybersecurity edge? [Q&A]
It's usually the case that cybersecurity is seen as being all about technology and that humans -- making mistakes and falling for social engineering -- are something of a liability.
But are people really just a problem or can they also be part of the solution? Toney Jennings, CEO of DataStone, believes we need to shift our thinking away from the current paradigm to empowering people as a hidden asset in the protection of their organization. We talked to him to find out more.
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