The launch of the iPhone 8 is still some way off but -- as with just about every smartphone of note (we're looking at you, OnePlus 5) -- lots of details have slipped out ahead of any official announcement. The latest leak "confirms" what we've long expected: that there's a quite significant redesign coming up.

We have already heard rumors that the iPhone will be near-bezel-less, and we've seen supposed production-line images that show off the front and rear panels. The front panel images showed a weird cut-out at the top of the phone and a new listing on accessory website MobileFun for an "Olixar iPhone 8 Full Cover Tempered Glass Screen Protector" appears to back this up.

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Terrorism is a scourge on society. When people live in fear, they cannot truly be free. While some governments are constantly working to fight terror, it cannot be done alone. To truly keep people safe, the private sector must participate in anti-terrorism efforts too -- especially when fighting propaganda and recruitment.

A good example of this is Google with YouTube. The company's video-streaming site is ubiquitous for a reason -- it is easy to use and non-restrictive when it comes to content. In other words, Google has supported free speech on its platform, but with that said, it also takes down videos that violate the terms of its service. Unfortunately, disgusting content -- including terror-related videos -- have slipped through the cracks. While expecting perfection is unrealistic, Google still wants to do better. In fact, the search-giant is presenting a four-part plan to better fight terrorism on YouTube. In addition, the company is working with other tech giants, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft to bolster its efforts.

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Debian is a very popular Linux-based operating system, but its development does not exactly move at a breakneck pace. In other words, it tends to focus on stability rather than bleeding edge. In fact, the development of Debian 9 "Stretch" has been going on for over two years!

Today, Debian 9 'Stretch' finally sees release. It is chock full of changes from the prior version. While GNOME 3.22 is the default desktop environment, you can opt for plenty of others, such as Xfce, KDE Plasma, and MATE. Users will appreciate LibreOffice 5.2, which is included. Also of significance, MariaDB replaces MySQL.

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With its latest redesign, many people are complaining that Twitter has stepped back in time. If you are not a fan of the "circles and curves everywhere" look, you can -- with a little help -- avoid the redesign and stick with the way things were.

There's just one catch -- you have to be using Chrome. If this is already your web browser of choice, all you need to do is to install an extension built specifically to "remove Twitter's 'bubbly' redesign."

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The International Data Company (IDC) has just released its latest spending estimates for the Internet of Things (IoT), and the research firm predicts that investments will grow by 16.7 percent in 2017 to almost $800 billion.

Global IoT spending is expected to hit nearly $1.4 trillion by the year 2021 as a result of enterprise investments in IoT software, services, connectivity and hardware.

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My first reaction to Amazon buying Whole Foods is "Huh?" Few brands could be any more different. The online retailer is all about giving customers the most for the least amount spent, while the grocer is the pricey purview of the alt-organic lifestyle elite. No moment is better metaphor for Whole Foods' clientele than the exchange I heard between a thirtysomething couple standing at the deli holding chicken luncheon meat. "Is it free range?" the women asked her husband. It had to be, or she wouldn't buy. They argued. I silently chuckled: luncheon meat—not a bird! It's all pressed meat, Honey. You do know that?

But from another perspective, and one transcending retail store presence, are other considerations, like brand affinity and buyer demographics. For the first, Amazon may be all about value, but in an increasingly middle-class and well-to-do demographic kind of way, particularly among city dwellers. Despite sharing similar cut-throat margin, expansive business philosophies with Walmart, Amazon doesn't carry the same stigma among the socially conscious "better-thans". For the second, who do you think plunks down 99 bucks a year for Prime membership or can't wait for two-day free delivery or is too busy to go to the store to buy groceries? Without hard numbers to back the supposition, I'd bet there is lots of existing and potential regular shopper overlap among these customers and those who walk Whole Foods' aisles.

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British businesses are being hit by more malware than ever, new research reveals.

In the wake of the huge WannaCry attack last month, an investigation by cybersecurity experts Malwarebytes found that malware incidents faced by UK businesses increased 500 percent year over year.

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Cloud-based security services saw a huge increase during the last 12 months,  according to the latest figures from Gartner.

In a new report, Gartner says cloud-based security services will reach $5.9 billion this year, representing a 21 percent growth compared to the year before.

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Freelancers are, quite literally, taking over the world. A 2016 study titled "Freelancing in America: 2016" from the Freelancers Union found that the freelance workforce grew from 53 million workers in 2014 to 55 million in 2016, currently representing 35 percent of the U.S. workforce and $1 trillion of the U.S. economy.

Working with freelancers can yield incredible benefits to technology companies that know how to use them. Freelancers are cost-effective and flexible, enabling companies the ability to stay lean and scale up and down as needed. Freelancers also mitigate the risks of growing too fast, fill talent gaps -- which are a particularly pronounced problem in the tech industry -- and give employers access to a boundary-free, limitless talent pool.

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Apple has Siri, Amazon has Alexa, Google has Google Assistant, and Microsoft has Cortana. Samsung doesn’t currently have a voice assistant, but one is on its way. Bixby is described as "an intelligent, personalized interface for using your smartphone" and Samsung is aiming to make it more advanced than the competition.

It was expected that Bixby would be included on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ at launch, but unfortunately its arrival was delayed as it struggled to understand English. The wait is nearly over however, as from today users can sign up to be the first to try out Bixby for themselves. Be warned though, there is a catch -- not everyone is eligible.

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The Surface Pro only just went on sale, but you might want to reconsider that purchase. Don't get me wrong, Microsoft's hybrid tablet looks great, but ASUS has a very similar new Windows 10 PC that might be better. Called "Transformer Pro T304," it features the ports that are missing from the Surface Pro, such as HDMI and USB-C -- no dongles needed. Don't worry, there is a USB Type-A port too.

Not only does the Transformer Pro T304 have plenty of ports, but plenty of horsepower too. Regardless of configuration, you get a 7th-generation Core i7-7500U and 12.6-inch display with a 2160x1440 resolution. While the display is slightly larger than Surface Pro, the resolution on the ASUS machine is less -- something to consider. For memory, 8GB is standard, but you can opt for 16GB. The increase in RAM also gets you a storage bump, going from 256GB to 512GB. The superior model also gets Windows 10 Pro rather than Home.

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Amazon's increasingly overt and aggressive push into the grocery retail market has officially gone into full-blown, alarm-blaring fever-pitch mode today as its plans to acquire the brick-and-mortar chain Whole Foods was publicly announced.

Under the terms of the tentative deal, Amazon will pay $42 per share of Whole Foods stock for a total purchase price of $13.7 billion. At the end of trading yesterday, Whole Foods was going for around $33 per share, making Amazon's offer represent a reasonable 27 percent premium.

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In many homes, a large television is the focal point of the living room. When people gather in that area, they tend to sit in chairs that face the TV. Times are changing, however, as people are spending more time watching videos on laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Maybe it is time to redefine the way we think of the television.

Samsung has done exactly that, you see, with its all-new 4K televisions called "The Frame." Since they were unveiled earlier this year, some people have been clamoring to get one. It isn't hard to see why -- they are super-thin and can be "framed" to look like works of art. You can then display images of art on the screen when not in use. In other words, you can look sophisticated as if you don't own a TV when company is over, while secretly watching The Bachelor and Maury when alone. Thankfully, we finally know the release date.

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Kodi does a great job of playing audio and video. However, if you prefer VLC Media Player, the good news is you can use that to watch all (or just some) of your Kodi content.

The process of redirecting playback is very straightforward, and once set up you can choose which player to use on a per-case basis. This gives you the best of both worlds. You can use Kodi to choose what to play, and then benefit from all the features that VLC offers, including all of its effects and filters.

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Salesforce has revealed the launch of its most advanced CRM analytics platform yet.

Called Einstein Analytics, this platform leverages artificial intelligence to the analytics workflow, allowing users to automatically create CRM insights. The AI will also be able to recommend actions which improve customer service and boost sales, as well as helping optimize marketing campaigns.

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