When Google established Alphabet as a parent company for itself, things got very confusing. The newly established company became obsessed with establishing sub-company names under all letters of the alphabet -- seriously. In other words, Alphabet was taking its namesake way too literally. It felt forced and not at all organic.

Ultimately, it was decided that Nest Labs would be separated from Google, so it could represent the "N" for Alphabet. This has proven to be quite foolish, as it has seemingly slowed Google's innovation in the smart home market. Since then, Amazon has been making huge strides in the smart home segment. Google has apparently had enough of having its lunch eaten by an online bookseller. As of today, the Google and Nest Labs hardware teams are together again.

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When Microsoft was working on what became the Fall Creators Update, we typically saw weekly builds rolling out to Insiders on the Fast ring. With the Redstone 4 branch -- rumored to be called the Spring Creators Update -- new builds are coming out at a much slower rate.

Two weeks after Build 17083 arrived, Microsoft has rolled out new Build 17093 to Insiders on the Fast ring and Skip Ahead.

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Your LinkedIn profile is essentially a platform to shape how others see you, highlight your abilities, products, or services, and explain how your work impacts lives.

Whether your goal is job search, branding, reputation management, or sales, people are Googling you -- and your LinkedIn profile is more often than not their first point of contact. With a focus on who you are, the value you deliver, and the culture you cultivate, the profile you'll create with the help of this guide will make that first connection a positive one -- giving you a better chance to see results.

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There are many reasons for turning to VPN software, but anonymity and hiding one's location are pretty high up the list. A newly-discovered flaw in the popular free VPN Hotspot Shield, however, means that it is possible to determine key pieces of information about users.

The VPN -- produced by AnchorFree -- is used by 500 million people around the world, and security researchers have discovered a vulnerability (CVE-2018-6460) that means it is technically possible to home in on the location of an individual using the service.

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After something of a delay -- two years, no less -- Microsoft has finally ported Cortana from the iPhone to the iPad.

The company has not made a great deal of noise about the updated app, but its digital assistant has now been optimized for use on Apple devices with larger screens. The restrictions of iOS still mean that Cortana cannot compete directly with Siri, as it is only possible to access the assistant's tools once it has been launched.

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Hackers and cyber criminals are becoming wise to the fact that they can use cloud applications to spread malware.

In response, top cloud providers now offer malware protection in an attempt to stop files containing malware being uploaded. But a new report reveals that placing your trust in this protection may be ill-advised.

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If there's one thing that the cryptocurrency market is not lacking, excitement is definitely it. You can't get bored looking at the crazy swings in price. One day, you are looking at Bitcoin inching closer to $20,000 and, a few weeks later, you are wondering whether it will recover above $7,000. It's fun.

I am sure many investors would have a problem with my definition of fun in the crypto scene, but I can't help but feel amused. Prices fluctuate all the time, crashes happen frequently, rebounds are amazing, it's just how things are. Now, after a sudden move into sub-$300 billion territory, the market is getting close to stabilizing above the $400 billion mark.

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Just one month after its previous update, Opera Software has unveiled Opera 51.0, the latest version of its Chromium-based browser for Windows, Mac and Linux.

There’s no let up in new features and improvements in Opera 51. Chief among these is the promise of faster browsing on Windows, with Opera claiming it’s 38 percent faster than Firefox 58. This is down to the fact the program code is now compiled using Clang.

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A new survey by London-based Coeus Consulting reveals that 88 percent of respondents are unable to demonstrate cost transparency to the rest of the organization.

Those that can, however, are best positioned to deliver business agility for digital transformation and are more likely to be represented at senior level in their companies.

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Have you ever walked into a Starbucks and seen a bunch of millennials sipping expensive lattes as they type on their super-thin (and often fragile) laptops? Please know that is not the only way people work with computers. Actually, there are many hardworking men and women that do downright dirty jobs in the field -- a thin laptop and a fancy latte just won't do. These folks need a normal cup of coffee to go and a laptop that can withstand abuse.

For many years, Panasonic has been producing its "Toughbook" line of computers for the blue-collar workers that make the world turn. The company's machines can take a beating, making them ideal for first responders, construction workers, the military, and more. While they may cost a bit more up front, they can pay for themselves over time as they survive when other computers will have already died. Today, the company refreshes its famed 10.1-inch "Toughbook 20" 2-in-1 Windows 10 detachable laptop/tablet with a new 8mp rear camera, a bridge battery, plus updated processor and storage options.

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For many people a router is something that's supplied free by their internet service provider. Consequently they don't give much thought to it unless they encounter problems.

Yet, as we attach more and more devices to our home networks we put more demand on our routers and performance can start to suffer. The good news is that there's a whole world of routers out there that offer performance and connectivity features way beyond those of the basic units usually sent out by ISPs.

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Apple raised the anger levels of some iPhone users when it was revealed that handset performance was being purposefully reduced to maintain battery health. Some of this anger was dissipated when the company offered up cheap battery replacements, but Tim Cook also promised that users would soon be able to opt out of performance throttling.

The option to disable performance reduction is due to hit the masses with iOS 11.3, and the second beta of this version of Apple's mobile operating system has now been released to developers. It gives us our first glimpse at what the new battery health features look like.

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The video game "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" (better known as "PUBG") is wildly popular. With all of the buzz around this title, I decided to buy the PC version last year. You know what? I think the game sucks. Maybe I am just bad at it, but here's my impression of the game -- you parachute into a war zone, and after about 30 seconds, you die. The end. I find it frustratingly short, and quite frankly, the fun just isn't there. Maybe it is because of cheating, but I seem to just instantly die. I'll stick to Mario on Switch...

But OK, if you actually enjoy PUBG like most people seemingly do, Microsoft has a new Xbox One S bundle that might excite you -- if you don't already own the console, that is. The Xbox One S PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Bundle comes with the 1TB "S" game system, the full PUBG game, and more.

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Technology’s rapid advance continues, requiring companies to adjust quickly to keep pace. And with the arrival of 5G, businesses can anticipate even more rapid change beginning this year. In fact, it’s predicted that by 2025, 5G will make up 99 percent of all broadband carriers and have over 2.6 billion subscribers -- or one-in-five mobile connections worldwide.

If these numbers sound overwhelming, you’re not alone. Carriers around the globe need to prepare themselves for 5G to transform the way they service customers. But thankfully, with these three easy tips, any carrier can get ahead of the game and be ready for 5G to take the industry by storm.

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Just as we work to improve our physical health and well-being, it’s also vitally important to improve our cyber health and keep ourselves safe from online danger.

Here, on Safer Internet Day, are five easy fixes to keep yourself cyber safe this year:

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