Latest Technology News

Feeling fatigued by Windows 10 and its constant updates and privacy concerns? Can't afford one of those beautiful new MacBook Pro laptops? Don't forget, Linux-based desktop operating systems are just a free download away, folks!

If you do decide to jump on the open source bandwagon, a good place to start is Linux Mint. Both the Mate and Cinnamon desktop environments should prove familiar to Windows converts, and since it is based on Ubuntu, there are a ton of compatible packages. Today, the first beta of Linux Mint 18.1 'Serena' becomes available for download.

It's December and the season of giving and -- of course -- receiving is just around the corner. You may have written your Christmas wishlist, dropped subtle hints about what you wanted, and you're now just waiting for your desires to be fulfilled. While it's unlikely that keyboard themes and skins featured highly, SwiftKey today announced that all of its themes are now available for free.

If you've harbored a secret desire to sex up your phone's keyboard but simply couldn't justify splashing any cash on something so frivolous and, ultimately, pointless, now's your chance to skin away to your heart's content. Free SwiftKey themes for everyone!

Ransomware is expected to deflate a bit next year, but hackers won’t be resting on their laurels, that’s for sure. Instead, they might just move to dronejacking, for a "variety of criminal or hacktivist purposes".

This is according to McAfee Labs, whose new report, the McAfee Labs 2017 Threats Predictions Report, identifies 14 cyber-security trends to watch in 2017.

Parallels today releases a new version of its Toolbox app for macOS, adding five new tools that give users more control over their privacy and make it easier to use their Mac devices, bringing the total number of available utilities to 25.

The main addition in Parallels 1.3 is the ability to block all apps at once from accessing the camera. Parallels introduced this feature for folks who like to put tape over their Mac's webcam to protect their privacy. It is a more convenient solution to a problem some people seem to have, including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

Windows 10’s mandatory updates are designed to keep your system safe and always up to date. You do have limited control over the update process, but not as much as in Windows 7, for example.

You can stop updates in Windows 10, but it requires you to disable the Windows Update service in the Services manager, and most people won’t know how to do that. Thankfully there is an easier solution.

If you’re working on a document or design template then you’ll often need images of a specific resolution or aspect ratio, but finding matching pictures on your own system might take a little work.

One option is to add a few extra columns to Explorer. Go to the Pictures folder, right-click a column header, select More and add items like "Dimensions" (1920×1080) or Horizontal/ Vertical Resolution (xxx dpi). Click the Dimensions column header to group the images by width, and that should help you find whatever you need.

Hackers and cyber criminals are often seen as the biggest threat to company IT systems, but a report from behavioral firewall company Preempt shows that insiders, including careless or naive employees, are now viewed as an equally important problem.

The survey carried out for Preempt by Dimensional Research finds that 49 percent of IT security professionals surveyed are more concerned about internal threats than external threats.

The Raspberry Pi has been an incredible success. Originally aimed at teaching kids to code, it has found an appreciative audience outside of the education system.

You can do lots with a Pi, but some projects require more storage than you might have on your SD/microSD card. WD has introduced a new series of storage devices designed specifically for use with the Raspberry Pi, which combine microSD card and USB drive functionality with operating system installation software.

As it does every year, Google has just launched its Santa Tracker in the run-up to Christmas. Despite the name, this is about much more than watching Santa make his journey around the globe -- there's a bunch of fun and games to be enjoyed too.

As well as the online version of Santa Tracker, there's also an Android app, and even an app for Android Wear smartwatches. As we make our way through December, the Santa Tracker serves as an advent calendar, with a new treat revealed each day.

According to NetMarketShare’s desktop operating system usage share figures, in September Windows 10, on the back of no longer being free, went into reverse gear and managed to lose market share. It was only a drop of 0.46 percentage points, but even so.

October didn’t show much of an improvement for the new OS either. In that month it managed a minuscule rise of just 0.06 percentage points. Some good news for Microsoft in November then, as Windows 10 finally returns to actual growth.

After announcing that it would supply Mobileye and Delphi with chips to power their autonomous driving systems, Intel has announced that it has created a new group that will focus solely on designing self-driving solutions.

Intel's Automated Driving Group (ADG) will be led by Doug Davis who will move from its Internet of things (IoT) group to act as senior vice president and strategic lead. Kathy Winter from Delphi will work under Davis, handling day-to-day operations and will act as the VP and GM of the new group.

A new study shows that 75 percent of large businesses attempting implementation of the DMARC email authentication standard are not presently capable of using it to block unauthorized email.

This means that enterprises are putting their own security, compliance, and brand protection at risk. Automated mail authentication specialist ValiMail looked at email authentication policies for more than a million business domain names, including those of Fortune 1000, NASDAQ 100, and FTSE 100 businesses.

Despite the widespread predictions of Armageddon that preceded June's vote on the UK leaving the European Union, new research reveals that a majority of companies in IT and computing don't see Brexit as a threat.

The research by commercial insurer RSA shows that 70 percent of small and medium businesses in IT and computing don't see Brexit as a risk. Of those surveyed 43 percent say that leaving the EU will have no impact at all, and 27 percent say it will have a positive effect on their business.

SUSE has announced that it will acquire OpenStack and Cloud Foundry from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in a move to accelerate the company's growth and entry into new markets.

The German company will integrate the assets of OpenStack infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) into its own SUSE OpenStack Cloud. SUSE will use Cloud Foundry and its platform-as-a-service (PaaS) assets to help it bring a certified, enterprise-ready solution to market for all of the customers and partners currently using its ecosystem.

Starting today, the FBI will now have a much easier time hacking just about any computer it wants to. The use of VPNs and other anonymizing software such as Tor meant that it was previously difficult for the Feds to apply for the necessary warrant within the relevant jurisdiction.

Now the location doesn't matter. A change to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure means that investigators can obtain a search warrant regardless of location. The expansion of FBI hacking powers comes after a failed Senate bid to block the changes to Rule 41, and there are fears that it is power that could be abused by Trump.