IT spend will reach $3.7 trillion in 2018
Global spending on IT is expected to grow 4.3 percent next year, according to new estimates from market analyst Gartner.
Gartner says spending is expected to hit $3.7 trillion next year, up from $3.5 trillion. The growth will be fueled mostly by communications services, followed by software spending which will see an increase of 9.4 percent next year, to a total of $387 billion.
Facebook test brings context to links that are shared in your newsfeed
One of the problems with Facebook -- and the internet in general -- is that it has been incredibly democratizing in terms of who is able to publish news and other messages online. Democratization of anything is usually perceived as a good thing, but as the genuine problem of "fake news" (i.e. not the notion peddled by Trump that anything presenting an opposing idea is fundamentally untrue) demonstrates, it can also be a bad thing.
To help with this, Facebook is testing a feature that helps to add context to stories and links that appear in your newsfeed.
Three-quarters of Brits worry about risks from connected homes
Despite their potential to reduce bills and make life easier, 76 percent of British consumers are worried about the impact of smart technology and connected homes.
A study by price comparison site MoneySuperMarket polled more than 2000 people and reveals many are fearful of the smart homes concept, with unapproved data collection cited as the greatest worry.
Microsoft Edge coming to Android and iOS
Microsoft today addresses one of the biggest shortcomings of its Edge browser, announcing its upcoming availability on the two biggest mobile platforms: Android and iOS.
Microsoft says that support for Android and iOS is "one of the most common requests" that it has received from Edge users on Windows 10. By making it available across multiple platforms, the software giant is making its browser a viable option in this space for folks who use a mix of devices.
More iPhone 8 Plus units splitting open while charging
Even though smartphone manufacturers rigorously test new devices before releasing them into the market, defects sometimes do make it into production. In the best-case scenario, you can live with them. Sometimes though, you get one so serious that the manufacturer has to recall the smartphone -- take the Galaxy Note7 for example, which had the bad habit of catching fire spontaneously.
Apple seems to have a potentially major problem of its own with the iPhone 8 Plus. A number of users are claiming that their new smartphone has split open while charging, effectively turning it into a very expensive brick.
Most organizations aren't sure where their data is stored
The modern IT landscape means that information can be stored across a number of platforms and locations. It's perhaps not surprising then that only 47 percent of organizations know where their data is stored at all times according to a new study.
The survey by McAfee of 800 business decision makers looks at how enterprises are looking after their data in the light of legislation including GDPR.
Cloudflare ditches sites that use Coinhive mining code after classing it as malware
Bitcoin has been in the news for some time now as its value climbs and drops, but most recently interest turned to mining code embedded in websites. The Pirate Bay was one of the first sites to be seen using Coinhive code to secretly mine using visitors' CPU time, and then we saw similar activity from the SafeBrowse extension for Chrome.
The discovery of the code was a little distressing for visitors to the affected sites, and internet security and content delivery network (CDN) firm Cloudflare is taking action to clamp down on what it is describing as malware.
Apple releases watchOS and iOS updates to fix connectivity and crackling problems
Apple's launch of the iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Series 3 has certainly not been without its problems. Buyers of the latest addition to the iPhone range have complained about crackling audio, while owners of the new smartwatch have been less than impressed by problematic LTE and battery life.
Now Apple has pushed out a couple of updates that should help with the issues -- watchOS 4.0.1, and iOS 11.0.2.
Human-driven AI can improve threat detection
Hackers and criminal syndicates are attacking enterprises with increasingly stealthy and sophisticated techniques. In response, companies are deploying a new generation of firewalls, IDS appliances, and Security Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM) servers to detect suspicious activity as quickly as possible.
Two problems are undermining these recent investments in IT security.
Mozilla announces extended end-of-life support for Firefox under Windows XP and Vista
Mozilla has revealed that support for its Firefox web browser on Windows XP and Vista is coming to an end.
The organization had previously announced that anyone using these old versions of Microsoft's operating system would be moved to the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR). This meant that support would be offered until "at least" September this year. Now the final kill date has been revealed -- and it's later than expected.
Google's instant-translation Pixel Buds are its most incredible release yet
There were numerous exciting releases announced by Google yesterday, but perhaps the most exciting -- certainly the most impressive -- was the Pixel Buds. Forget Apple's AirPods, Google's earphones have a mind-blowing trick up their sleeve.
Designed (ideally) for use with the Pixel 2, the Google Pixel Buds can translate spoken words on the fly. Real-time translations -- the Babel fish made real and implanted in your ear -- is now a reality, allowing for conversations between two people speaking different languages.
Purism exceeds $1 million in funding for Librem 5 Linux-based smartphone
Consumers don't care about privacy anymore, right? Wrong -- some actually do. True, we are systematically being conditioned to surrender our private information and rights nowadays, but some people are still fighting the good fight. In many ways, both the Linux and open source communities can be seen as the foundations of internet privacy.
The most popular mobile operating system on the planet, Android, is already based on Linux, but with Google in charge of it, many consumers cannot depend on it for privacy. With that said, Purism is planning to fight the impossible fight against Android and iOS with the "Librem 5" smartphone. This is a device that will run a privacy-focused Linux-based OS called "Pure OS," but the hardware is wide open for any OS, really. Purism is trying to raise $1.5 million through crowdfunding, and earlier today, it reached a significant milestone -- $1 million! Maybe the fight isn't impossible after all...
Oracle announces blockchain-based enterprise service
During the Oracle OpenWorld event, Oracle announced its entry into the world of blockchain with a new enterprise-oriented service. It is fully-managed, and built on the open-source Hyperledger Fabric project.
Prior to announcing the project, Oracle joined forces with IBM in building a blockchain service.
Google unveils 'Pixelbook' Chromebook, and it is much better than a Windows 10 PC
Fact -- Chromebooks are much better than Windows 10 PCs. Well, for some people, at least. I'll concede that some consumers will be better served by Windows or macOS, but nowadays, most home users can get by with Chrome OS. After all, many folks live in the web browser, doing things like watching YouTube and checking Facebook. While Windows 10 can arguably do more, it is also less secure. If you can get by with a Chromebook, you should! By the way, Chrome OS is not a glorified web browser, but instead, a well-designed Linux-based operating system.
Today, Google unveils the "Pixelbook," which is a high-end Chromebook with a 12.3-inch touch screen and stylus support. It can even convert into a tablet. It weighs a mere 1.1 kilograms and is just 10.3mm thick. Since it can run Android apps, there isn't much you can't do with it. True, it isn't a solution for, say, professional photo or video editing, but most people don't need that. And so, the Pixelbook is here to offer an elegant Chrome OS experience, reminiscent of the excellent Chromebook Pixel.
Google Store flubs Pixel Product Preorders
I would like to thank Google for saving me thousands of dollars in needless spending. Near the end of today's gangbuster hardware event, I was ready to order two new Chromebooks and smartphones, one each for me and my wife. But "error 500" pages on the company's store website and long-lead new product availability dates prompted me to cancel the one order successfully made and to delete the others in process from my shopping cart.
For a company whose product managers droned on this morning about all the reasons why artificial intelligence is so right, Big G got the store selling experience all wrong. I have waited through most of 2017 for a new Google-branded Chrome OS laptop. While hardly a fresh hardware design concept, Pixelbook is nevertheless tempting enough to bring me back to the AI and voice-assistant contextual future from the Apple rotting on the overly-obsessed touch-UI tree. I was willing and ready but instead walked away angry.
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