Secure messaging app Telegram gains end-to-end encrypted voice calls
In an age of constant surveillance and eroding privacy, there is increasing interest in secure messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. While Telegram has gained quite a following, there is one feature that users have been begging for: voice calls.
Now users' prayers have been answered. The latest update to Telegram finally heralds the arrival of secure voice calling, and it features an interesting key exchange mechanism: users need just compare four emoji. If the emoji match, the connection is secure!
Twitter tweaks replies to give you more characters and greater clarity
Recent changes at Twitter have focused mainly on clamping down on abuse and trolling, but there have also been adjustment tweaks that allow users to send longer messages. Now the site is introducing another change that effectively means you are able to send longer replies to people.
The latest change does not mean that you are given more than 140 characters to play with, but the 140 character limit is now put to better use. In short, all 140 characters are available for you to reply with as @usernames no longer count towards the total.
[Updated] There's also a Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ Microsoft Edition available to pre-order
Yesterday's Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ announcement held few surprises (with the possible exception of Samsung DeX) thanks to all of the leaks ahead of the event. But something we didn’t find out until today is that there is a customized Microsoft Edition of the handset available too.
Not only will there be a Samsung Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition and a Samsung Galaxy S8+ Microsoft Edition, but the smartphones will be available to buy direct from Microsoft. Pre-orders start today, but only in Microsoft's US retail stores.
Four best practices for leveraging Office 365 Groups
It’s no secret that cloud-based collaboration tools are transforming the way we work, and Microsoft, with Office 365, is playing a major role in shifting workplace communication. Last year, Microsoft continued to enhance and develop Office 365 Groups as a powerful hub for team productivity. When armed with Office 365 Groups, employees have the opportunity to collaborate within a dedicated space with popular Office 365 features like mail, persistent chat, and collaboration powered by familiar technologies like Exchange, SharePoint, OneNote, Skype for Business, and Planner.
Before organizations can embrace this new way of working, however, IT teams need to combat the challenges of natively managing Office 365 Groups. Why? First, there are several ways for users in an organization to create a Group within an Office 365 tenant -- meaning IT admins must determine the most effective way to implement administrative controls to prevent unnecessary sprawl. Once users have the ability to create new Office 365 Groups, IT is also tasked with controlling group membership, placing safeguards around content within groups, and overseeing the lifecycle of Groups, including the eventual decision to delete or archive a Group and its content.
Facebook introduces 'personal fundraisers' so you can raise money for yourself
If you need money for something, you might think about using a service such as GoFundMe to ask people to donate cash to you. But now you can turn to Facebook instead, as the social network launches a new "personal fundraiser" feature, as well as Donate buttons in Facebook Live for Pages.
As the name suggests, a personal fundraiser is a way for individuals to raise money for themselves -- or someone they know. To start with, Facebook says that it is only possible to raise money for "critical financial needs" that fall under one of six headings, but this may expand over time. So how do you go about looking for donations through the social network?
Why I will not upgrade to Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung just unveiled what are likely the best Android smartphones of the year -- the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. They have novel displays, impressive cameras, the fastest hardware, superb build quality, and cutting edge software. If you're looking to get one of the new flagships, you can pull the trigger right now because, chances are, you'll be super happy with it...
...except if you have a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, that is. As attractive as the new flagships are, and as much as I like having the latest and greatest smartphone, there simply aren't enough reasons to upgrade. Here's what I mean.
Security professionals still struggle with the cloud and IoT
Organizations are using multiple cloud services and security staff are worried about the visibility problems this presents as well as the risks presented by IoT devices.
These are the findings of a survey of RSA attendees, carried out by security management and threat intelligence specialist AlienVault. A third of respondents to the survey describe the state of security monitoring within their organization as 'complex and chaotic'.
Calls for transparency as UK government meets technology firms to discuss encryption and privacy
The UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd is today meeting with technology firms to discuss how they can help to combat terrorism. The meeting comes just days after Rudd said that encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp should not be a "secret place to hide."
Calls for backdoors to be built into encrypted apps and services have been met with shock, derision and incredulity, but some have pointed out that the controversial Investigatory Powers Act (aka the snooper's charter) already grants the government the right to force the removal of encryption. Ahead of the Rudd's meeting, civil liberty organizations have written a letter demanding transparency.
Daptly's smart display is a digital assistant for your home
More and more of us are using voice operated personal assistants like Siri and Alexa, but a voice only interface can prove frustrating as it offers no visual cues.
Technology startup Daptly is aiming to build a better assistant with a smart, gesture and voice controlled display that manages your life and seamlessly blends technology into your home or office.
Plex Pass Perks give you money-off deals through special promotions
For anyone looking to stream music and movies around their home to various devices, Plex is a solid media server solution that won’t hurt your pocket; it's free! But things are about to get even better for Plex Pass subscribers thanks to the arrival of the Plex Pass Perks hub.
Depending on where you are in the world, you might be able to bag yourself a discounted external hard drive or NAS to use with your server, and there is the promise that new deals will be added all the time.
Amazon unveils Connect contact center solution
Amazon has announced a new contact center solution aimed to "power millions of customer conversations." The solution, named Amazon Connect, is a cloud-based offering, with customers paying by the minute of usage.
It all starts with the "Virtual Contact Center" solution, integrated deep within AWS. According to Amazon, it only takes a couple of minutes to set the feature up and it requires no special training to use. Payment by the minute goes on top of telephony costs, a pricing model AWS uses in its cloud services, too.
Google Calendar finally arrives as an iPad app
It has been a long time coming. A very long time coming. But -- finally -- there is an iPad-optimized version of the Google Calendar app available. Let joy be unbounded!
It has taken a full two years for Google developers to pull their fingers out and create a version of the app that is not designed just for iPhones. Google Calendar for iPad takes full advantage of the increased screen real estate, and supports Split View.
Ultimate Ears announces waterproof WONDERBOOM Bluetooth speaker
We are officially in the season of spring, meaning summer is right around the corner. Before you know it, it will be time to barbecue some meat, frolic on the beach, and go swimming in the pool. Quite frankly, summer is probably my favorite of the four seasons thanks to all of the possible activities.
A big part of summer fun is listening to your favorite music. Yeah, you can use your smartphone's integrated speaker, but that is hardly an enjoyable experience -- especially outdoors. For better clarity and volume, a Bluetooth speaker is a wise investment. Ultimate Ears is well known for its amazing portable speakers, and today, it announces a new model. Called "WONDERBOOM," not only is it waterproof (IP67-certified), but it floats on its own too. In other words, you can toss it in the pool without worry.
Discover and create appealing color schemes with Just Color Picker
Just Color Picker is a freeware Windows and Mac design tool which helps you capture eye-catching shades and create appealing color combinations.
If you’ve ever used another color picker you’ll know the basics already. Moving the mouse cursor around your screen displays a magnified view of that point, pressing Alt+X saves the currently selected pixel color to a list, and you can copy it to the clipboard for reuse in other apps. What’s interesting here is this program isn’t "just" a color picker. It has a host of neat extra touches which take it to a whole new level.
Businesses lose 44 data records every second
Before you are done reading this article, there will have been more than 2,500 digital records stolen. This is according to a new report by Gemalto, which was released to show just how unprepared UK's businesses are for cyber risks.
Gemalto says that in 2016 1.37 billion data records were compromised. That basically means 3,776,738 records every day, 157,364 every hour, 2,623 every minute, or 44 data records every second.
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