Google expands fact checking to help tackle fake news
It's something that should delight Donald Trump -- Google is helping to fight fake news. Whether the company's move to help keep web users better informed is in keeping with the US president's penchant for "alternative facts" remains to be seen, but for everyone else it is great news.
Google is far from being the first technology company to lend its support to the fake news fighting army -- Facebook and the BBC are already doing their bit too. The expansion of Google News fact checking means that the Fact Check label is spreading further around the globe, giving people in more parts of the world the assurance that what they're reading has been verified.
Yahoo notifies users about 'forged cookie' security breaches and it could cost the company millions
Yahoo -- or, rather, its users -- have not been doing very well recently when it comes to security. Having already revealed details of a huge historic attack that led to the theft of details for millions of accounts, Yahoo is now notifying an unknown number of users that their accounts may have been breached by hackers using forged cookies.
At the same time, Bloomberg is suggesting that the impending deal with Verizon has been renegotiated. The latest revelations coupled with the previous security issues could have just cost Yahoo $250 million.
How to disable auto-playing sound on Facebook videos
As you'll no doubt have seen, Facebook is introducing several big changes to video on its platform. The most divisive change will be the introduction of auto-playing sound.
"Videos in News Feed have previously played silently -- you tap on a video to hear sound. As people watch more video on phones, they've come to expect sound when the volume on their device is turned on. After testing sound on in News Feed and hearing positive feedback, we’re slowly bringing it to more people. With this update, sound fades in and out as you scroll through videos in News Feed, bringing those videos to life," says Facebook. If that sounds like something you really don't want (and who would want that?), the good news is it's easy enough to disable the new feature.
Microsoft delays its February patches for a month
For the past several years, Microsoft has released security patches on the second Tuesday of the month -- the so-called Patch Tuesday.
However, Microsoft missed the date this month and now says the new patches won’t arrive until the middle of next month.
ASUS ROG unveils Strix Impact wired gaming mouse with RGB lighting and DPI button
When it comes to gaming mice, there are often two schools of thought for design. Some manufacturers go overboard, thinking consumers want flashy-looking mice with tons of features. Other makers go a more conservative route, where the user wants fewer distractions. Neither is wrong -- consumers have different tastes. There is also the wired vs. wireless debate, with many gamers preferring the former for reduced lag and no need for battery charging.
Today, ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) unveils an all-new wired mouse with a more conservative design approach. Called "Strix Impact," the wired gaming mouse is certainly attractive, but it does not look not too funky or childish. The RGB lighting allows the owner to customize the appearance, while a dedicated button lets them change the DPI on the fly. The ambidextrous-friendly mouse is also built to last, with high-quality Omron button switches, which ASUS ROG claims will last for over 50 million clicks!
Google Search gets fun facts
This may surprise you (or not), but I am a total bore at parties. I usually don't speak much, and if I do, it is surely something that isn't interesting. Why is this? Well, I usually don't have anything to say, nor do I really care for banter. This is probably why I rarely get invited to parties!
Today, Google launches a new way for party-poopers like me to seem more interesting than they actually are. How? By sharing fun facts on various topics on the search engine. These interesting and enjoyable facts can be found when searching, and then used in conversation later. For example, Google shares that strawberries aren't actually berries -- I didn't know that, but now I do!
Ford makes $1bn investment in Argo AI to research and develop self-driving car tech
One of the world’s largest car manufacturers, US-based company Ford, plans to invest $1 billion to research and build artificial intelligence for its vehicles.
Ford states that it will invest $1 billion in the Argo AI startup within the next five years, which will focus on building and developing self-driving car technology.
Cyber attacks against the UK are increasing
The number of cyber attacks launched against the UK has increased significantly with 188 high-level attacks occurring within just the last three months.
The news of the attacks came from Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), who told the Sunday Times that a number of the attacks were sophisticated enough to threaten national security.
Samsung will officially unveil Galaxy S8 after MWC 2017
Samsung is expected to introduce the successors to the hugely popular Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge soon. Considering that new devices in the series were introduced during Mobile World Congress in recent years, this year's event seems like a safe bet as to when the unveiling will take place.
However, an official announcement from Samsung indicates that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 edge will actually make their debut later in the year. Samsung is still expected to present them during an Unpacked event, but it will no longer take place during MWC as it did before.
Win an Xbox One S Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition Bundle from Microsoft!
Video gamers are very spoiled nowadays, as there are so many great games and consoles to buy. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are great, for example, and Nintendo will be launching a new console called Switch on March 3. Let's not forget PC gamers -- they have lots of powerful hardware and quality games available too.
One game that has many gamers excited is Halo Wars 2. It will be launching very soon, on February 21. If you ordered the "Ultimate" edition, however, you get to play it a few days earlier on the 17th. Don't have an Xbox One? Don't panic. To celebrate the release of Halo Wars 2, Microsoft is giving away an Xbox One S Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition Bundle! In addition, the Windows-maker will be giving away other cool prizes too.
Microsoft unveils Windows Insider program for enterprise users
Microsoft may have a "mobile first, cloud first" mantra, but we shouldn't forget that the software giant is also highly invested in the enterprise market as well. It's incredibly lucrative, as business clients spend billions upon billions of dollars on its products, a list of which includes the likes of Windows and Office.
So, naturally, when Microsoft is working on a product it has to take that into account as well. With Windows 10 things have been going rather well, if you compare it to Windows 8, when it comes to enterprise adoption, but the software giant is looking to improve things with a new Windows Insider program aimed at businesses, referred to as WIP4Biz.
Privacy-protecting Ghostery extension sold, Ghostery Inc becomes Evidon after acquisition
There's big news in the world of Ghostery Inc, the company best-known for the browser extension that boosts privacy. The firm's consumer operations have been sold to Cliqz, a German company part-owned by Mozilla, where the Ghostery extension will live on.
Ghostery Inc is rebranding to its former identity of Evidon, which will have a B2B focus. Evidon Inc will provide "monitoring and consent solutions for over 500 leading brands across the world." The deal with Cliqz is an all-cash affair, but details have not been released.
UK tackles attacks with new National Cyber Security Center
The UK is getting a national center to combat cyber attacks, and it's the Queen who gets to open it. The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) will reportedly be opened in central London by the Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh and Chancellor Philip Hammond.
The NCSC is part of intelligence agency GCHQ and has already tackled 188 attacks in the last three months. It will look for holes in sites belonging to the public sector, will tackle spoof emails and pull phishing sites down.
Brexit forces Microsoft to push up Surface Book price by £150
The UK's decision to leave the European Union continues to hit the pockets of consumers. The latest victim of Brexit is Microsoft's Surface Book, with every model in the range hit with a £150 price hike.
While not a direct response to the Brexit vote itself, the resulting drop in the value of the pound has already seen many companies push up prices to compensate. We've already seen Apple increase the cost of apps in the UK by 25 percent, and Microsoft has already increased the price of enterprise software. Representing an 11 percent price jump, the new Surface Book price tag makes the already-expensive laptop even less attractive to would be buyers.
IBM and The Weather Company use edge computing to issue vital alerts
Communicating news of severe weather events or natural disasters is something mobile phones are well suited to, but if there's limited or disrupted network coverage the message may fail to get through.
IBM and The Weather Company have developed a new app that will use peer-to-peer connections within the mesh network to send alerts to individuals via their smartphone devices.
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