Raspberry Pi celebrates 10 million sales by launching an official Starter Kit
Raspberry Pi has been an incredible success. Originally aimed at schools, the credit card sized bare-bones computer has found an appreciative audience outside of the education system, and in just four and a half years sold a whopping 10 million.
I chatted with Liz Upton, Head of Communications at Raspberry Pi Foundation (and wife of the foundation’s Executive Director Eben), when they’d sold their first million devices, and things have certainly moved on a lot since then with the introduction of new models, and the $5 Pi Zero.
Industry analysts question whether Apple has made mistakes with the iPhone 7
The event is over. The dust has settled. We now know everything there is to know about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Despite all of the new features and cosmetic changes that Apple implemented in its latest smartphone, the focus after the announcement has been very much on the 'courageous' decision to ditch the headphone socket.
Some view this -- as Apple does -- as a move that took courage; others see it as a cynical marketing move that simply opens up yet another line of revenue. But this is not the only change to the iPhone 7 that has raised eyebrows. Many industry experts are questioning other decisions made by Apple. One such person is Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer at Blancco Technology Group.
Android's September security update patches Quadrooter flaws
Google has released a new Android security fix that deals with the final two flaws in the Quadrooter set of vulnerabilities that was discovered last month.
Quadrooter refers to four undiscovered security vulnerabilities found in Android phones and tablets containing Qualcomm chips. These vulnerabilities are particularly troubling as they were found on every version of Android and affected at least 900 million devices.
Dario Health unveils Lightning connector diabetic glucose meter for iPhone 7
People with diabetes have to check their blood sugar often. Not only do they have to worry about high glucose levels, but low levels too. Having blood glucose outside of normal levels can cause long term health risks, but in the short term, it can cause symptoms like dizziness and confusion too.
Unfortunately, many glucose meters are fairly low-tech -- a far cry from modern devices. Luckily, there are newer meters that can connect to smartphones for improved blood sugar tracking. Dario Health offers an iPhone compatible model that leverages the headphone jack. The problem? Apple killed that port today. If you are upgrading to the iPhone 7, do not panic. Today, Dario Health announces a new meter that utilizes the Lightning connector.
Sony announces PlayStation 4 Pro and slimmer 'standard' PS4
Can you believe it is almost four years since the PlayStation 4 was initially announced? Since then, the video game console landscape has been wild. Nintendo totally dropped the ball with the Wii U, while Microsoft has been giving Sony consistent competition with its Xbox One. Actually, the Windows-maker recently released a more svelte version if its console, making the PlayStation 4 look a bit dated.
Today, Sony sort of follows Microsoft's lead by announcing a slimmer version of its existing PS4. The company refers to this refresh as the 'standard' version of its console. This is important to note, you see, as Sony also announces the PlayStation 4 Pro -- a more powerful version of the console. Even with the added CPU and GPU horsepower, that naming convention seems a bit silly -- how the heck is a video game console professional?
Apple AirPods will forever change the wireless headphone industry
When Apple does something, markets react. The company is not the first to remove a 3.5mm headphone jack from a smartphone, for instance, but it will be the only one to cause the headphone industry to pivot. The decades-old audio port was just begging to die, and today, with the iPhone 7, the jack's death-clock officially starts counting down.
Further burying the 3.5mm jack and wired headphones overall, Apple today introduces its new AirPods to the world. These are no mere wireless headphones, but a total reinvention. Chocked full of ground-breaking technology, they are poised to be wildly popular with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac users.
Apple gives and Apple takes away with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Today Apple unveiled, at long last, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus complete with a new quad-core A10 Fusion chip and iOS 10. Rumors have been circulating for some time about just what we could expect to see from the company's latest additions to the iPhone family, and many of them have turned out to be true. While much has been added, this years' model is also about taking away.
When it comes to storage, the 16GB is now a thing of the past -- 32GB, 128GB and 256GB models are your new options. As expected, also consigned to history is the traditional headphone socket, although there is a bundled 3.5mm to Lightning headphone adaptor for those who want to stick with their own earpieces rather than the bundled Lightning EarPods (which use Apple's proprietary Lightning technology). Destined to the technology trashcan as well is the clickable Home button, replaced by a touch-sensitive button with haptic feedback.
Apple unveils Watch Series 2 -- twice as fast and waterproof
The Apple Watch was first announced two years ago and arrived six months later. That's a long time in tech, so a refresh was always on the cards, and today Apple announces the wearable's successor -- Apple Watch Series 2.
It is, as you might expect, much faster, but there’s more to the new wearable than improved speed.
SoftBank completes $31.4 billion ARM acquisition
In July, SoftBank revealed its plan to acquire the British chip designer ARM Holdings for $31.4 billion and now, less than two months later, the company has announced that the acquisition is officially complete.
The Japanese telecom company has been expanding its company lately through a series of acquisitions and investments, including purchasing Sprint for $20 billion and investing $15 billion into the Japanese division of Vodafone.
Mario comes to the Apple App Store… Sonic the Hedgehog fans rejoice
At today’s Apple event, Tim Cook spoke about the success of the App Store, with the big numbers being 140 billion downloads to date, 106 percent year-over-year growth, and 500,000 games in the store. But while there are some excellent games and franchises available, someone, he lamented, has been missing, until now… Mario!
Yes, Nintendo’s most famous character is set to finally arrive, officially, and exclusively on iOS, but anyone hoping for a traditional Super Mario Brothers game will likely be disappointed.
Android Pay now supports Google Chrome, Chase cards, and Uber Payment Rewards
Cash is dumb. No, I do not necessarily mean stupid; I mean it is not "smart" from a technology standpoint. Understandably, some folks like the idea of paper money as it allows their honest transactions to occur below the radar, and for a privacy standpoint, I understand that. However, cash also assists people that commit crimes, such as drug dealers -- and that is not cool. Once all monetary transactions are digital, and cash no longer exists, law enforcement will have an easier time tracking illegal transactions, while honest folks can more easily track and budget their finances.
Digital payment systems, such as Samsung Pay and Apple Pay are paving the way for a cashless society. Google's Android pay is also part of the push, and today, it is getting even better. Not only is it adding many new banks to the program, such as Chase, but it is also adding support for mobile Google Chrome and Uber's Payment Rewards program.
How to crack Windows and OS X passwords
A security researcher has revealed a way to determine the password needed to access a protected Windows or OS X account. Using Rob Fuller's technique, it doesn't matter if the computer in question is locked, and it uses a USB SoC-based device to crack user credentials.
By modifying the firmware of a USB dongle, Fuller was able to make the device appear as an Ethernet adaptor. By spoofing a network connection, it is then possible to trick a target computer into giving up an account password.
Emergency communications in the modern age
Organizations have an increasing number of employees who travel. According to a 2015 report by Strategy Analytics, the global mobile workforce is expected to grow to more than 1.75 billion by 2020, accounting for almost half of employees. For organizations of all sizes, mobile workers make communicating in an emergency increasingly difficult.
In the event of an emergency effective communication is crucial. The safety of employees is of importance to organizations. When a location-based crisis occurs (such as a fire, explosion, natural disaster or terrorist attack) organisations need to have the tools in place to communicate with employees quickly and reliably. For example, if there were riots taking place in the same area an employee was traveling, it is important for an organization to be able to notify that person and make them aware of the danger, as well as provide the necessary actions to guide them to safety.
The FAA may ban Samsung's Galaxy Note7 on flights
Samsung has recalled the Galaxy Note7 after receiving reports of exploding batteries from early adopters, and the Federal Aviation Administration has taken notice. Due to the risks posed by the faulty batteries, the Android flagship could soon be banned on flights.
There is no telling when or if a Galaxy Note7 will explode -- which is likely why Samsung has announced a recall so early -- and there is no telling what could happen if that takes place during a flight. By the looks of units which have exploded so far, it could lead to some serious burns, at least -- which cannot really be treated in the air.
Remove browser hijackers with ZHPCleaner
Every browser claims to protect users from hijackers and adware, but their defenses are limited and over time it’s easy for your system to fill with junk. ZHPCleaner is a free tool which aims to help by scanning your PC, detecting dubious addons, toolbars and settings, and removing them on demand.
The program is very convenient to use. There’s no adware, no registration, no need to install anything, not even an archive to extract -- just download and run the single executable, and click "Scanner".
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