This is why gigabit internet is such a big deal
You’re watching the Game of Thrones episode you’ve been looking forward to all week, and just when you get to the pivotal scene, the stream cuts out, forcing you to adopt the salty language the show itself is known for. Your slow internet connection and your modem might face your wrath! Deep breath. Keep calm. Changes are afoot and internet connections are getting faster. How much faster?
Gigabit internet is the next generation of broadband technology and it is 159 times faster than the global average of 6.3 Mbps. A cross section of wired and wireless operators are all racing to deploy gigabit connectivity to feed our insatiable appetite for bandwidth. After all, Game of Thrones is renowned for building whole new worlds that were hardly possible on a television show just a few years ago, and communication service providers realize they’ve got to keep up.
Android 7.0 Nougat starts to roll out to Nexus devices
There have been numerous beta versions of Android 7.0 Nougat, and now the official rollout is underway. This is not a full-scale rollout just yet -- it's limited to the Nexus 6P, 5X, 6, 9, and Nexus Player, as well as the Pixel C and General Mobile 4G.
You'll notice that the Nexus 5 is missing from the list, but the remainder of the handsets are in line for an OTA update anytime over the coming weeks starting today. If you're impatient, you can always download the factory images and flash your device manually, but whichever route you go down, what do you have to look forward to?
Why encrypting virtual machines is so challenging
Virtual Machines have been mainstream for some time, and many IT managers think they have good management processes in place; they know where their machines are, their status, and the function they are performing. But is that enough? Whilst virtual machines (VMs) allow an IT infrastructure to be extremely agile in Private, Public and/or Hybrid Cloud environments, they also create opportunities for weak points, where data can be compromised.
Encryption is one of those major weak points, where VMs can be deployed without an encryption policy being followed, subverting compliance, and leading to machines in a live environment that lack the required protection. More often than not, those VMs will contain sensitive data.
Walgreens is the first company to integrate a loyalty program with Android Pay
Walgreens is my drugstore of choice for many reasons. Most importantly, I can refill my prescriptions using my smartphone's camera, thanks to the company's wonderful app -- a huge time saver. Then, when at the store, I can pay with either Apple Pay or Android Pay, which is very futuristic and convenient. Also important to me is the rewards program -- my family saves a lot of money with it. CVS is a nightmare comparatively, but I digress.
Today, Walgreens announces that is the first company to integrate a loyalty program with Android Pay. This is very convenient, as it means there is one less card for the customer to carry and pull out at the register (or enter their phone number). Using their Android phone, they can tap once to both pay and earn points. Nice!
New tool helps developers streamline release management
As the importance of software to almost all businesses has grown, so the competition to bring new releases to market and ensure they're error free is fierce.
Open source code collaboration specialist GitLab is addressing this issue with a new tool that enables developer teams to improve the software release management process, providing real-time visibility of project issues across an organization.
Microsoft buys Genee to bolster Office 365 intelligence
If you are running a business (regardless of size), a certain tool can help you to achieve success -- Microsoft Office. True, there are free solutions, such as LibreOffice, but they simply don't compare. When you use Office with Microsoft's other solutions, such as SharePoint, everything just works together in a brilliant way. Office 365 in particular is such a great value for both home and business.
Today, Microsoft announces it is acquiring a company called 'Genee'. This is an acquisition which will make Office 365 even better. How? With a major focus on intelligence, it can help employees to work smarter, not harder.
Privacy-flouting, Apple-only social app Lifestage is Facebook's desperate attempt to stay relevant to teens
Facebook has become so ubiquitous that even your mum is using it. This is just one of the many reasons the social networking giant has lost any vestiges of coolness, but the company is keen to try to claw some back.
The latest attempt to get down with the kids is a new social app called Lifestage. Aimed at 'high schoolers' the app is available for iPhone and iPad and for those with a profile it "makes it easy and fun to share a visual profile of who you are with your school network". It looks and sounds godawful, and comes across as a privacy nightmare.
US internet speeds lag behind the rest of the world
The United States Has a Speed Problem! If you’ve spent any time checking your email or surfing the internet while traveling in other countries, you probably noticed the internet was faster. When it comes to internet connection speeds, the United States doesn’t even crack the top twenty.
The fastest internet in the world is found in South Korea, where the average connection speed is 26.7 Megabits per second (Mb/s). Countries like Romania, Thailand, and Bulgaria all offer faster speeds than the United States. Incredible as it seems, if you rely on the internet for your work, you may be able to get more done on that beach vacation in Thailand than in your office at home.
OpenOffice gets an unofficial iPad port
He’s already ported OpenOffice to Android, and now Akikazu Yoshikawa has announced the release of Office 700, "the world’s first port of OpenOffice for iOS".
The package includes all the key functions: text editing, spreadsheets, presentation, drawing and just about everything apart from databases.
Hackers play the fame game to boost business
Hacking by its very nature tends to be an activity that takes place in the shadows. However, analysts at security awareness specialist Digital Shadows have identified a growing trend of some hackers actively seeking the limelight to promote their businesses.
Just as in the legitimate commercial world, reputation is important and players without one are less likely to be trusted. In order to boost their profiles therefore some cyber criminals have been using publicity to add to their credibility.
Samsung is planning an Apple-style refurbished phone program
If you want to get your hands on cheaper Apple products, you can opt for the secondhand market on eBay, or you could go for an official refurbished device from the company itself. Not wanting to miss out on a trick, Samsung looks set to launch its own refurbished smartphone program.
Citing "a person with direct knowledge of the matter", Reuters says the program could launch as early as next year. With Samsung hardware selling for something of a premium -- particularly flagships like the Galaxy Note7 -- consumers are as keen to seek out a saving as Samsung is to ensure ongoing profit in an ever-competitive market.
How to instantly fill web forms with dummy data
Filling web forms is dull. It’s bad enough when you have to fill a page of boxes just to sign up for something. It’s much worse if you’re testing a website and have to do it over, and over, and over again.
Fake Data is a very simple Chrome extension which can automatically fill those annoying text boxes with dummy data.
The glue that binds smart cities together
The visage of our 'smart' or 'connected' destiny is often presented to us in broad strokes: self-driving vehicles, connected homes, logistics, wearables -- the list continues on with each piece of evolving and maturing technology.
Smart cities have a bright future, and the application possibilities seem expansive, but often lost in the conversation is the technology that actually enables the connected world. Within a smart city -- or even at a micro level -- within one specific industry deploying smart technology, are a wide range of considerations:
My Family Tree 6 improves GEDCOM support, date handling
The free genealogy tool My Family Tree has hit version 6.0 with a host of small but welcome enhancements. Smarter GEDCOM handling includes a new import log to help diagnose any problems, and options to choose who to export when you’re saving a file.
Dates may now be input and displayed in multiple calendar formats: Gregorian, Julian, Hebrew, French Republican, lunar Hijri (Islamic), and solar Hijiri (Persian).
Restore access to your PC with Trend Micro Ransomware Screen Unlocker
With so much attention focused on the file encrypting-type ransomware it's easy to forget the simpler variety, which pops up when your PC boots and won’t allow access to your system until you pay up.
Even these basic infections can sometimes be tricky to remove, but Trend Micro offers a couple of tools which may be able to help.
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