Google AutoDraw is like autocomplete for your doodles
Machine learning has been put to lots of powerful uses, but Google has a new way to make use of the technology. AutoDraw is the company's "fast drawing" tool for everyone, and it works much like autocomplete on your phone.
AutoDraw is a web-based drawing tool that uses the same technology as Google's Quick, Draw! AI experiment and it helps you to quickly create an image by "guessing" what it is you’re trying to draw. If this all sounds a bit mad, that's because, well, it is really. But it's also unique enough to make it well worth checking out.
Preventing cyber attacks -- this time it's personal
Security professionals are putting pressure on themselves to secure their organization's systems according to the findings of a new report.
The 2017 Security Pressures Report from managed security specialist Trustwave surveyed over 1,600 security decision makers around the world and finds that while 53 percent of respondents report increased pressure in trying to secure their organization, that pressure is becoming more personal as 24 percent say they put the most pressure on themselves, up from 13 percent last year.
Brexit voter registration website may have suffered DDoS attack at the hands of Russia or China
The Brexit process is now officially underway, but there is still a good deal of talk about the validity of the outcome. A number of members of parliament have expressed concerns that a foreign government may have interfered with the referendum, making it difficult or impossible for people to register to vote.
The Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee (PACAC) has published a report which looks at the possible causes for the crash of the "register to vote" site last year. It suggests that the crash bears the hallmarks of a DDoS attack, and notes that this is a tactic employed by both Russia and China in the past.
Google Chrome gets scroll anchoring
Google Chrome is a great web browser for many reasons. Like Firefox, it is a cross-platform program based on (mostly) open source technologies, but compared to Mozilla's offering, its development moves at a much faster pace. Google is constantly pushing the envelope, creating a largely positive web browsing experience.
Today, Google introduces a new Chrome web browser feature that highlights the search giant's forward-thinking. Called "scroll anchoring," it literally "anchors" the web page, preventing the page from scrolling to the top in certain circumstances. In other words, if the user is reading text on a page, it will prevent the page from shifting and interrupting the consumption. The brilliance of this feature is its overall impact -- this annoyance has probably been experienced by most, if not all, web surfers.
Logitech unveils 'Z537 Powerful Sound With Bluetooth' 2.1 speaker system
Bluetooth speakers can be very convenient, as they are often designed to be compact and portable. With that said, the wireless connection can be used in tabletop speakers too. After all, sometimes you just want to connect a phone or tablet while relaxing at home -- a battery is not needed. In fact, home speaker systems can sometimes have better and louder sound, thanks to bigger speakers and the ability to move them apart for better stereo separation.
Today, Logitech announces a new speaker system called "Z537 Powerful Sound With Bluetooth." This 2.1 system features dual satellites and a subwoofer. You can connect devices to it wirelessly, but also via a wire. You can easily switch between the two connection types too. Unfortunately, bass control is located on the rear of the subwoofer -- not the control pod.
The real cost of on-premises backups
The adoption of cloud IT services by small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) is increasing at an exponential rate. But despite the robust adoption rates and proven track record of cloud technology, many organizations of all sizes, including SMBs, are still relying on on-premises backup methods. By doing so they may very well be draining themselves of valuable resources, including financial resources.
This article discusses the specific ways in which these organizations that continue to rely on on-premises instead of cloud backups are costing themselves money. It discusses benefits of adopting the cloud backup model, and addresses common concerns and misconceptions IT and business professionals often mention as reasons for staying with on-premises backups instead of adopting the cloud.
UK national weather service has new mainframes that can perform 23,000 trillion calculations a second
Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, has a new IT solution, thanks to a partnership between the service, IBM and Computacenter. It will allow the Met Office to process greater volumes of weather data faster.
Currently, the service collects and safeguards around 200 million weather observations every day. The new environment includes two new mainframes with 44 cores, and 200 terabytes of attached storage.
How millions of Android devices could be at risk of total takeover
Originally developed as a digital camera platform, Android has definitely come a long way. It just surpassed Windows to become the most popular operating system for Internet usage in the global digital realm.
This has been established through a report by StatCounter, which states that the global OS Internet usage market share of Android (37.93 percent) is 0.2 percentage points ahead of Windows (37.91 percent). You can check out the global operating system market share map, here. This is a huge win for Android, which accounted for a mere 2.4 percent of the worldwide Internet usage almost five years ago. Interestingly, Microsoft had been leading this market since 1980.
G-Technology unveils G-DRIVE USB-C storage drive with up to 10TB capacity for MacBook Pro
The newest MacBook Pro only has USB-C ports. For some, this can be a pain point. For others, it is refreshing to only have the most modern connectors. As time marches on, other manufacturers will likely follow Apple by forgoing USB Type-A entirely too.
Today, G-Technology unveils a beautiful new external storage drive. Called "G-DRIVE USB-C," it is designed for the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but it will work with Windows and Linux too (a Type-A cable is included in the box). The 3.5-inch 5400 RPM drive features speeds up to 195MB/s, is available in capacities up to 10TB, and offers power-delivery so it can charge your Mac too -- how cool is that?
Software-defined sensor technology improves cloud visibility
While companies are keen to benefit from the agility and cost savings of using the cloud, there are still concerns about the ability to monitor and secure systems to an enterprise standard.
Ireland-based network analysis specialist Corvil is addressing this with the launch of a software-defined solution for packet-level instrumentation of virtual machines in public, private and hybrid cloud infrastructures.
Noontec Hammo TV wireless headphones review
Wireless headphones are great. There's no question about it. I became a convert after using the Noontec ZORO II last year, which are so good that I haven't touched a wired pair since. But recently I found myself using -- and liking -- another Noontec product more.
It's called Hammo TV and it's pair of wireless headphones designed for the television crowd. But, based on my experience, the Hammo TV is also great if you just want to listen to your favorite tunes on your smartphone or enjoy a movie on your laptop. And, compared to the ZORO II set I reviewed, they have a lower MSRP and are better value too.
How to rollback and uninstall Windows 10 Creators Update
The Windows 10 Creators Update is rolling out to users from today. If you install it and encounter major problems, as some users have, you might want to go back to your previous version, and wait until the update is a bit less buggy.
If you been using Windows 10 for a while, you’ll probably know how to do this, although the process has changed slightly this time around.
New platform delivers crowd insights into consumer preferences
A combination of big data and the web means that there's more opportunity than ever for companies to study and understand the habits of consumers.
Online lists and voting site Ranker is using its wealth of polling data to launch a new Ranker Insights platform for marketers to uncover details of consumer behavior.
Microsoft gives free Surface Dock with Surface Pro 4 purchase -- because of Surface Pro 5?
The Surface line of computers are absolutely wonderful. If you want one of the best experiences for running Windows 10, it is hard to beat Microsoft's self-made PCs. Heck, they recently beat Apple's iPad tablets in overall satisfaction. Not only can they serve as laptops and tablets, but desktops too. By connecting the Surface Dock to the Surface Pro 4, for instance, you can easily connect a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. The problem? That dock costs $199.99.
If the thought of shelling out two "Benjamins" for the dock gives you pause, I have great news. Starting today, Microsoft is giving away the Surface Dock when you purchase the Surface Pro 4! To get the deal, you must make the purchase from the Microsoft Store.
Free up over 20GB of hard drive space in Windows 10 by cleaning up after the Creators Update
Microsoft has just released its biggest update to Windows 10 yet. The Creators Update introduces lots of new features and general improvements, including new privacy and security options, Paint 3D, Night Light, Game Mode, Dynamic Lock, and more.
However, a big update like this requires a big download, and the files that Microsoft places on your system don’t get removed afterwards. In other words, the Creators Update could be responsible for taking a massive bite out of your free hard drive space -- tens of gigabytes in fact. Fortunately it’s easy enough to reclaim this.
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