Latest Technology News

Logitech BRIO 4K Pro Webcam is the new gold standard [Review]

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If you need a webcam, there is one company that you should look to first -- Logitech. No, they aren't the only maker of these cameras, but the company has a long track record of producing quality offerings. Best of all, Logitech webcams usually work brilliantly regardless of operating system -- Windows, Mac, and Linux-based.

The problem with buying webcams, however, is that they are already integrated into most laptops nowadays, making them seem like an unnecessary purchase. Yeah, I get that -- why buy a webcam when your computer already has one? The answer is simple -- quality. Many computers come with webcams that aren't even 720p. Apple infamously put a 480p webcam on its svelte MacBook... including the refreshed model in 2016! With that said, Logitech has created a webcam with an amazing 4K capability. Called the BRIO 4K Pro Webcam, I have been using it for a few weeks on both Windows 10 and macOS and I am absolutely in love.

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Facebook is finally getting a Dislike button... in Messenger

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Facebook is famous for its Like button, but there have been calls for the exact opposite for many years. People have been clamoring for a Dislike button for a long time, but the closest we've got so far is Reactions -- which at least give the option of responding negatively to something... even if it doesn't make any difference in the long run.

Now Reactions are expanding beyond the main Facebook site and appearing within Messenger. This gives users the opportunity to respond to messages -- just as they can to posts -- with a quick emoji from a pre-populated list. Best of all? There's a Dislike option!

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Windows Mixed Reality arrives in Windows 10 build 15048 with a demo you can try!

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From the look of the changelog for Windows 10 build 15048 that was released a few days ago to Insiders, it looked to be little more than a bug fixing release. But in fact Microsoft has already started to include references to -- and even a portal for -- Windows Mixed Reality.

We have seen reference to Windows Holographic in Windows 10 before, but this is the first time there has been anything to play with. It coincides nicely with Microsoft revealing that Windows Mixed Reality is the new name for Windows Holographic, and it gives Insiders the chance to not only see if their computer meets the recommended specs, but also to try out a Windows Mixed reality simulation.

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Amazon announces new pilot season for Prime video

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If you happen to have an Amazon Prime account then you're aware of the benefits that come along with your annual fee. There's the free two-day shipping, the streaming video service, the music, and more.

Amazon is also producing its own original shows, several becoming big hits, like The Man in the High Castle and Transparent.

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Officials say it's time for the Great Firewall of China to ease up on censorship

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The Great Firewall of China is famed for the restrictions it places on what Chinese citizens can access online. If a site provides access to news from the west, conflicts with state propaganda, or criticizes China or its ruling Communist party in any way, it is blocked. But some officials are now suggesting that it's time things changed.

The impetus is not a sudden softening of the political agenda, but a suggestion from the leading advisory body the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that censorship is damaging China's progress in terms of the economy and science.

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Small businesses aren't sold on SaaS

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Three quarters (75 percent) of large businesses now consider SaaS tools an essential part of their business. This is according to a new report by GoCardless, based on a poll of more than 1,000 senior decision makers.

Small businesses aren’t that convinced though, with every second company sharing the same thoughts on SaaS.

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G.SKILL unveils Flare X and FORTIS DDR4 memory kits for AMD Ryzen AM4 gaming PCs

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AMD recently released its all-new Ryzen 7 desktop processors, and many folks are excited. Well, I am sure Intel isn't too happy, actually. Why? AMD's new chips are comparable from a performance standpoint, but at lower prices. Believe it or not, with this new AM4 platform, this is AMD's fist time embracing DDR4 memory.

If you want powerful and compatible RAM for a new Ryzen build, there are many choices. With that said, there is one popular brand of memory that many gamers enjoy nowadays -- G.SKILL. Today, the company announces two new RAM kits -- Flare X and FORTIS. They can be had in various speeds and capacities, with the Flare X being offered with frequencies up to 3,466MHz!

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Surprise! Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15048 for PC and Build 15047 for Mobile arrive on the Fast ring

Surprise

Windows 10 Insider Preview builds have been coming thick and fast as Microsoft gears up to release the Creators Update next month.

Three days ago, Microsoft rolled out Build 15046 for PC, and today -- in time for the weekend -- the software giant releases Build 15048 for PC and Build 15047 for Mobile.

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Nearly 3 million UK businesses experienced a cyber-security incident in 2017

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More than half of businesses in the UK were victims of cybercrime last year, according to a new report by Beaming. The report says that 2.9 million UK firms, or 52 percent, experienced some form of cyber-security incidents, costing them £29.1 billion.

Most common incidents included virus infections and phishing attacks. Both of them have an equal share of attacks -- 23 percent. Less than a fifth (18 percent) went on hacks and data breaches.

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Get 'Learning Linux Shell Scripting' ebook ($36 Value) FREE for a limited time

Learning Linux Shell

If you're looking for a way to master Linux shell scripting (in any Linux distro or Windows 10), then this ebook from Packt Publishing is an essential read.

The book, which covers Bash -- GNU Bourne Again SHell -- usually retails for $36, but for a limited time you can download the full ebook version for free.

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How would a 'robot tax' work?

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On February 17, Bill Gates set the news agenda around the world by declaring that a so-called "robot tax" should be introduced in order to counteract job losses caused by automation. "Right now," he told online publication Quartz, "the human worker who does, say, $50,000 worth of work in a factory has that income taxed. If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you’d think that we’d tax the robot at a similar level."

There is no doubting that Gates' vision of job displacement is not of a distant dystopian future, but today's reality: in 2015 expenditure on robotics climbed to $46 billion, globally. A hotel in Japan, Nagasaki, is staffed entirely by robots. Even heritage British cake brand Mr Kipling has enlisted the help of 46 robots to pack its cakes.

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New Nokia 3310 may not work with your carrier

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Smartphones work on a wide range of cellular frequencies to support various networks and technologies. As a result, you can take a smartphone from the US to Europe, throw in a local SIM, and use it to make calls, send texts, and access the Internet. Sure, it may not work as you expect with every carrier, but it will get the job done on a basic level at least. Dumb phones, on the other hand, are much more limited.

That's because dumb phones are restrictive in terms of frequency support. In fact, many of them do not even support 3G networks. The new Nokia 3310 is one of them -- and that's a problem if you are looking to buy one. Here's why.

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Are you safe from information-stealing malware?

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SpyShelter Security Test Tool is a portable tool which can check whether you’re protected from keyloggers, webcam snoops and other information-stealing malware.

The program is entirely safe and from a trusted developer, but its use of malware-like techniques means there’s a chance your antivirus will flag it as dangerous. It’s not -- this is a false alarm.

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Password managers may not be as secure as you think

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Password managers are often pitched as a convenient way to secure online accounts. Their main appeal is that they can generate and store very complex, distinct passwords -- that would normally be virtually impossible for the average person to memorize (or for someone to crack) -- and the user only has to remember a master password -- that encrypts them -- to access those credentials.

But, for password managers to be truly effective, they have to be secure in the first place. And that may be a problem, according to a new report by TeamSIK, which found serious vulnerabilities in many of the popular options available on Android, including LastPass, Dashlane, and 1Password.

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Should enterprises dump legacy software?

legacy system

It may be hard to believe, but many companies still rely on spreadsheets to manage their business. In fact, according to a survey, one in five businesses use them to communicate and track data internally. With big data, cloud and SaaS technologies at our fingertips (literally), why are companies still using them to get important work done?

A new TrackVia survey sheds some light on this phenomenon. It reveals that business and IT executives feel that current enterprise software is too expensive and inflexible, overly time-consuming, or excessively complicated to adopt. Due to this reality, employees have no other choice than to resort to emailing spreadsheets around to get their work done.

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