Spotify is filing for an unconventional IPO
Music streaming service Spotify is planning to go public. The company is making a "novel" move which it acknowledges is "risky": opting for a "direct listing" rather than the more usual fundraising route.
The company will allow its investors and employees to sell shares, and there will be no need to raise more capital or hire an underwriter. It is expected that Spotify will go public in late March or early April when it will appear on the New York Stock Exchange using the symbol SPOT.
YouTube says it was wrong to remove some right-wing videos and channels
YouTube has said that new moderators were to blame for the removal of some right-wing videos from the site. Just a few days ago InfoWars' Alex Jones had a video removed for violating YouTube harassment policies and following this a number of right-wing and conspiracy theory channels received warnings or were suspended.
Now the video site has admitted that some of the removals were the result of its policies being applied incorrectly -- side-stepping the claims of censorship that have been banded around. It says that any videos that were removed in error will be reinstated.
QNAP launches QXG-10G1T 10GBASE-T PCIe NIC for NAS, Windows, and Linux
In many households and small businesses, there are gigabit Ethernet devices in use. Believe it or not, most of them are not being used to their full potential. Why? Well, most internet providers don't offer service that can saturate it. Where 1Gbps hardware can be beneficial, however, is for sharing files between hardwired devices on a network, such as PCs and NAS. With the prevalence of Wi-Fi, that is largely a rarity these days.
With all of that said, there are cases where 1Gbps connections are being used fully by home and business users. On top of that, sometimes even more speed is desired. Luckily, cards capable of 10Gbps are becoming both more popular and affordable. Today, QNAP launches the QXG-10G1T -- a 10GBASE-T PCI-E network interface controller for QNAP NAS devices plus Windows and Linux computers.
Should Amazon create its own cryptocurrency and banking products?
Amazon is a company that isn’t afraid to take risks, and try new things. Some of its ideas -- like the Echo -- paid off handsomely, while other gambles, like the Amazon Fire Phone, failed miserably.
Amazon is also happy to splash the cash to expand its reach, buying Whole Foods in 2017, and Ring this week. But where can Amazon go next? LendEDU ran a poll of 1,000 American consumers who had purchased something from Amazon in the last 30 days, and asked them whether they’d be interested in using an Amazon-created cryptocurrency for purchases, or banking with the retail giant. The results may surprise you.
Oath becomes a Linux Foundation Gold Member
With the Linux community being rather fragmented, it’s nice to know there are some organizations that aim to unify it. The Linux Foundation is one such group that has done a lot of good for the overall community. It does a great job of bringing companies -- such as Microsoft, Samsung, and AMD, to name a few -- into the Linux fold as official foundation members.
When a company becomes a Linux Foundation member, there are different tiers that can be chosen, such as Platinum, Gold, and Silver. These levels carry different annual fees. Today, The Linux Foundation announces the newest Gold member -- Oath. If you aren’t familiar with Oath, please know it is a Verizon subsidiary that is comprised of assets such as AOL, Yahoo, and more.
BleachBit 2.0 adds drag-and-drop file shredding to open-source disk cleaning tool
Open-source cleaning tool BleachBit 2.0 has been released for Windows and Linux, along with BleachBit 2.0 Portable for Windows.
The update -- the first in over two years -- introduces support for dragging and dropping files on to the program window in order to shred them using BleachBit’s disk-wiping tools.
Over half of enterprises willing to sacrifice security for speed
A new survey reveals that 52 percent of companies admit to cutting back on security measures to meet a business deadline or objective.
The report into SecOps (Security Operations) from intrusion detection company Threat Stack also reveals that 68 percent of companies say their CEO demands that DevOps and security teams don’t do anything that slows the business down.
The ASUS ZenFone 5 is trying to be a cheap iPhone X
There have been lots of devices revealed at MWC 2018 this week, and it is little surprise that there are handsets copying the look of Apple's iPhone X. In this number are the ASUS ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z, both of which feature a controversial "notch" at the top of their screens.
It is clear the look of the latest ZenFones have been inspired by the iPhone X, and it's hard to imagine that Apple's lawyers are not considering allegations of plagiarism. In all, there are three phones in the family: the high-end ZenFone 5Z, the mid-range ZenFone 5, and the budget ZenFone 5Q (known at the ZenFone 5 Lite in some parts of the world).
Mid-market organizations hardest hit by ransomware
Mid-market organizations -- those with 1,000-5,000 employees -- have been hit the hardest with ransomware in 2017, with 29 percent experiencing a ransomware attack, according to a new report.
Security awareness training company KnowBe4 has released its 2018 Threat Impact and Endpoint Protection Report which shows organizations in manufacturing, technology and consumer-focused industries experienced the most ransomware attacks.
Zoho launches an AI-powered assistant for sales teams
Popular business platform Zoho is aiming to make its CRM offering more attractive to sales teams with the launch of a new AI powered conversational interface.
Zia Voice adds speech and chat capabilities to Zia, Zoho's AI-powered sales assistant. Zia can now also predict deal closures and analyze email sentiment.
You'll be able to disable and hide Firefox Sync in Firefox 60
For some people, Firefox Sync is a great way to synchronize browser settings, add-ons, bookmarks and so on between computers. For others it's a privacy nightmare and a massive annoyance.
Starting with Firefox 60, Mozilla is making it possible to not only disable the feature, but also hide it. This might seem like a minor change, but for anyone irritated by the mere presence of Firefox sync, it's something that should have happened sooner.
The rapid growth of digital data
The volume of digital information in the world is growing at a scarily fast rate. In fact 90 percent of the digital data that exists worldwide today was created within the last two years -- and 2.5 quintillion bytes of extra data are created each and every day.
We browse websites, stream music and video, and post on social media all of which contributes to this deluge. But how did data get to be such a key part of modern life?
Amazon buys smart doorbell and home security firm Ring for over $1 billion
Amazon has opened up its wallet and splashed more than $1 billion on buying Ring. Famed for its selection of smart doorbells, security cameras and other security devices, the purchase of the Santa Monica, California firm is Amazon's latest foray into home security.
While details of the deal are currently a little thin on the ground, it is expected that the Ring name will live on, and it is likely that future products released under the brand will feature Alexa smart assistant integration.
Logitech Craft keyboard gets new features, more supported apps, and GitHub-hosted SDK
When it comes to keyboards, it can be hard for manufacturers to truly create something revolutionary. For the most part, new keyboards just get silly things like RGB lighting, because, well, everything must have lights these days, right? This lack of innovation is sort of OK, because let's be honest, folks -- existing keyboards are already rather wonderful. With that said, my colleague Mark Wycislik-Wilson recently reviewed a rather unique keyboard from AZIO that looks pretty cool.
Last year, Logitech decided to take a stab at creating an innovative new keyboard, and not surprisingly, it succeeded. I was not surprised, because that company is known for well-executed products. The innovative keyboard to which I refer is simply called "Craft" and its revolutionary aspect has nothing to do with typing. Actually, it is the useful rotating "crown" that adds additional control over compatible apps. Unfortunately, that was the rub -- only a small number of apps (albeit great ones such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop) were supported. Today, however, Logitech announces support for even more apps like Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and Quicktime. Arguably more significant, there is now an official SDK on GitHub.
Microsoft promotes piracy on Xbox One
As the maker of Windows, Office, and Xbox, Microsoft is undoubtedly against software piracy. When people pirate its games and other software, it arguably takes money out of the company’s pockets.
Believe it or not though, Microsoft is actually promoting piracy! No, not software piracy, but traditional piracy, like with actual pirates. Well, the historical/make-believe type at least. You know, peg legs, eye patches, parrots and such. You see, today it announces the Xbox One S Sea Of Thieves Bundle.
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