Latest Technology News

With the launch of macOS High Sierra, Apple is making some changes to Safari. One of the key changes is the introduction of differential privacy technology which gathers data about the websites users visit in order to identify those that are problematic because of high memory usage or crashes.

As the name of the technology implies, as well as gathering useful data from users, one of the key features of differential privacy is that it respects the privacy of individuals. The AI-powered technology keeps, according to Apple's Craig Federighi, "the information of each individual user completely private" while still collecting data that will enable Apple to decide the priority with which it should tackle problematic sites.

Continue reading →

Apple has only just released macOS High Sierra, but before the update was even out of the door, a 0-day vulnerability had been discovered. A flaw in the Mac keychain makes it possible for malicious applications to steal the contents of the keychain, including plaintext passwords. It affects not only High Sierra, but also older version of macOS.

The way keychain works means that it should not be possible for the keychain to be accessed without providing the master password, but the vulnerability bypasses this requirement. The problem was discovered and demonstrated by security researcher Patrick Wardle from Synack, who is also a former NSA hacker.

Continue reading →

Donald Trump has been a divisive character for many years, and this trend that has continued with his presidency. On Twitter, his unique approach to dealing with world issues and global leaders has caused, to varying degrees, amusement, disgust and horror. In particular, his recent handling of North Korea has raised concern.

His continual references to Kim Jong-un as Little Rocket Man, and his suggestion that the leader and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho "won't be around much longer" and that the US may have "no choice but to totally destroy" North Korea has been seen by the Asian country as "a clear declaration of war". People are asking why Twitter has not taken action against such naked threats on its platform. Now the company has spoken out, explaining that the "newsworthiness" of Trump's tweets is why they have been left untouched.

Continue reading →

Welcome to the exciting world of Progressive Web Apps. You're likely reading this because you've been converted to the PWA cause: a best-of-both-worlds fusion of website reliability and app functionality. Finally, we have a mobile friendly way to combine the speed and directness of websites (no downloads required) with the functionality of apps, like offline browsing, home screen installation and push notifications.

With brands from Twitter to the Washington Post and Lancôme (more on that later) embracing the possibilities of PWAs, the question is no longer "Should you have a PWA?" but "What are the implications for my business?"

Continue reading →

Today, Apple releases macOS 10.13 High Sierra to the public after a series of beta releases. It has some cool new aspects, but for the most part, its is a very boring release. Don't get me wrong, the new APFS file system and the ability to use an eGPU, for instance, are both very big deals, but let's be honest -- the average user probably won't care.

Overall, the apparent differences are few and far between -- mostly in applications such as Safari and Photos -- and you know what? That is a good thing. The fact that High Sierra is largely uneventful for end users just shows how mature and refined Apple's Unix-like operating system is. Heck, this is probably why the operating system barely got a new name, only going from Sierra to High Sierra.

Continue reading →

Employees given one of the most popular choices of Android smartphones can now expect their devices to arrive preconfigured, meaning they can use them out of the box without the typical tedious -- albeit necessary -- setup process.

A new tool rolled out by Google, called zero-touch enrolment, aims to result in less work for both administrators and end-users. Admins will be sure all corporate policies are always in place, and end users only need to log in to start using their new smartphone.

Continue reading →

GoPro started a trend when it launched the Hero4 line with 4K video recording. Today, it is pretty much impossible to find a new action camera that does not advertise this feature -- even when, in reality, most are not actually capable of it.

The Hawkeye Firefly 8S is different. It is the first action camera that I have tested that offers true 4K video recording. It is also among the most affordable options on the market, which, on paper, makes it great value for money. But how good is it in the real world? I've tested it to find out.

Continue reading →

The Kodi media center is facing a lot of scrutiny in the media lately. Some people feel that the negative coverage is "fake news." It is important to remember that Kodi is not illegal. With that said, it can be made so with piracy-related addons. Since Kodi is open source, even if the developers removed the ability to install addons, other people could easily fork the code to add it back. Pandora's box cannot be closed.

Many people that use Kodi do so with a dedicated Linux-based operating system, such as the excellent LibreELEC. You see, these distros exist only to run the open source media center, meaning there are no resources wasted on unnecessary things. Today, LibreELEC (Krypton) v8.1.2 BETA sees release. You can install it immediately, and don't worry -- your addons like Exodus and Covenant will work fine.

Continue reading →

Apple is switching from Microsoft Bing to Google search to power Siri and Search in iOS, and Spotlight in macOS. The changeover is taking place right now, and should be complete by the end of the day.

The search switch coincides with the launch of macOS High Sierra, but Mac users will find that Bing will still be used for image searches in both Siri and Spotlight.

Continue reading →

AMD has been making big moves lately, releasing the Radeon RX Vega graphics cards and its Ryzen 3, 5, 7, and Threadripper desktop processors. The company now has a very diverse portfolio that can meet the needs of many consumers with various budgets.

Intel is not content to be out of the spotlight, however. After all, the company has long been the market leader for consumer desktop performance. Today, Intel announces its much-anticipated 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors. Believe it or not, pricing is quite reasonable. This line ranges from Core i3 to i7, meaning regardless of your budget or needs, there should be a product for you. Gamers and enthusiasts in particular should be very excited. As per usual, overclockers can have a field day with the unlocked "K" variants.

Continue reading →

The Internet of Things, commonly called the IoT, has become a hot topic these days for both the right and wrong reasons. It can be incredibly useful and time saving because of all the things that can be automated around the house, but there are also security risks.

Since the very early days of both Amazon Echo (Alexa) and the Wink home automation hub, the two products have worked together. Now that relationship is getting stronger, with the arrival of yet more Alexa compatible Wink products. While some of these new items will integrate straight with Alexa, others require a hub to work with voice control.

Continue reading →

It doesn’t seem that long ago that all website editing was made by hand, coded carefully, put live and tested until the page worked as planned. The advantage of producing web pages in this manner is that it developed coding skills and enabled just about anyone to get a basic website live.

Tools such as Dreamweaver came along in the early 00’s and changed everything, offering the ability to create web pages from simple templates, even closing off areas to non-developers so people making site changes could only edit the text components across a site.

Continue reading →

Five percent of all small and medium-sized companies in the entire world were victims of a ransomware attack in 2016 alone, with the money paid out to reclaim data reaching new highs, new research has revealed.

Datto's new State of the Channel Ransomware Report found that an estimated $301 million (£222 million) was paid to ransomware hackers from 2016-2017.

Continue reading →

Global accountancy firm Deloitte -- known as one of the "big four" -- has been hit by a sophisticated hack. With echoes of the Equifax data breach and CCleaner hack, the cyberattack went undetected for months and results in confidential emails being accessed, as well as company plans, and the private information of high-profile, blue-chip clients.

Deloitte says that only a small number of its clients have been affected, but the size and importance of those that it deals with -- including US government departments -- means that even a limited number could have great impact. The firm is said to have discovered the hack in March, but it is possible that attackers gained access as long ago as October 2016.

Continue reading →

Microsoft is using its annual Ignite event this week to show how technology can be used to help customers innovate and transform their business processes.

Announcements have covered Office 365, Windows 10, Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft AI as well as a look at how quantum computing may help solve some major challenges.

Continue reading →