Amazon Echo, Echo Dot finally come to UK and Germany
Amazon released Echo in the US a year ago, and has introduced a wealth of additional features to it since. You can use the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled cylindrical speaker to get answers to your questions, order food, request a taxi, play music and even control your home.
For those of us in Europe the wait for Echo -- and its personal voice assistant Alexa -- has been a long one, but today the retail giant announces the device is finally set to be made available in the UK and Germany.
One in five companies fail to test for security vulnerabilities
Many businesses don't carry out frequent security testing despite believing that it's critically important to securing their systems and data, according to a new survey.
The study from managed security services company Trustwave and Osterman Research finds that one in five businesses surveyed don't do any security testing, despite the fact that 95 percent of respondents reported encountering common security issues associated with security vulnerabilities.
IBM introduces new servers for AI workloads
IBM introduced a series of new servers dubbed "x86 killers". The devices, designed to give a significant boost to artificial intelligence, deep learning and advanced data analytics, were picked up by the Chinese telecommunications company Tencent, and IBM claims the results are basically out of this world.
"A large cluster of the new IBM OpenPOWER servers was able to run a data-intensive workload three times faster than its former x86-based infrastructure", IBM says in a press release. "While reducing the total number of servers used by two-thirds".
NeuralStyler: Prisma for the desktop?
The popular mobile app Prisma has been making headlines recently with its ability to transform images into works of art using the styles of various artists. Now the open-source NeuralStyler is claiming to deliver similar results on the desktop, for both pictures and videos.
This isn’t just ordinary pixel-based filtering, according to the developer. Instead NeuralStyler uses "artificial intelligence" to convert your source media using styles of artists like Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky and Georges Seurat.
Logitech K780 multi-device wireless keyboard first impressions [Review]
One of the biggest pain points for dual-booting computer users is Bluetooth devices. This is because every time you switch operating systems, you must do the pairing all over again. For a keyboard in particular, this is a big hassle. Logitech solved this dilemma in 2014 with the wonderful K480, and today, it unveils an update to the that model.
The all-new K780 MultiDevice Wireless Keyboard is designed for Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS -- it will work on traditional Linux distros too. It is thinner than its predecessor (thankfully), while adding a number pad. I have been testing this new product, and in my limited use, the Logitech K780 has left me quite impressed.
HP adopts Microsoft's Dynamics CRM
HP is turning away from Salesforce and Oracle software to run its sales processes and now plans to use Microsoft Dynamics customer relationship management (CRM) software exclusively in its sales and support departments.
The two companies have entered into a six-year contract and plan to roll out Dynamics CRM to 6,500 of HP's sales staff and 20,000 of its support personnel. Though the dollar amount of this deal is still unknown, around 50 percent of the company's workforce will now use Microsoft's software and services to manage their relationships with customers.
Apple 'Swift Playgrounds' coding app now available for iPad tablets running iOS 10
Today has been a great day for Apple device owners. The company released iOS 10 for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. In addition, tvOS 10 was released for Apple TV, while watchOS 3 was made available for Apple Watch. All of these operating system upgrades are impressive, making the Apple devices even better.
Not everything released by Apple today is operating system related, however, as the previously announced Swift Playgrounds app is released too. This iPad-only app is designed to help young learners to code. With that said, there is no reason why coding beginners of all ages can't get it on the action. After all, the educational app is totally free -- what do you have to lose?
Roku gets PEN (People / Entertainment Weekly Network)
Streaming media is more than just TV, movies, and sports. If you are more interested in real events -- as opposed to just mindless fiction -- there are plenty of news, lifestyle, and public interest options too. Heck, even Hollywood gossip can be a nice escape from the stresses of daily life.
Today, Roku gains access to the PEN channel. Not familiar with it? Neither was I, but it is actually very cool. It is a joint partnership between two major media publications -- People and Entertainment Weekly. This looks to be a match made in heaven, as they both offer entertainment news and fairly light public interest stories. It should prove brilliant for relaxing and temporarily getting your mind off your daily responsibilities.
iOS 10 update bricking iPhones and iPads [Update]
I’ve been waiting patiently for iOS 10 to arrive, resisting the urge to try out any beta versions, and today is the big day when the update officially becomes available to all.
Imagine my joy when the new software update appeared ready to install on my devices a short while ago. And then imagine my horror when the installation bricked both my iPhone and iPad. Thanks Apple. Just the upgrade I didn’t want.
CyberLink unveils PowerDirector 15, PhotoDirector 8
CyberLink Corp has launched the latest versions of its Director multimedia software. Video editor PowerDirector 15 (from $69.99) gets end-to-end support for 360-degree videos: importing, adding titles, effects and transitions, and producing the finished movie.
The new TRUE360 Viewpoint Designer imports 360-degree footage and allows it to be reused, with your choice of views, in standard videos.
BlackBerry launches new subscription-based Android apps
Canadian telecommunications company Blackberry announced new services for its Android Hub+ platform this week. Besides the Hub, Calendar and Password Keeper, which were available earlier, another six apps are now available for Android users, for both Marshmallow and Lollipop versions of the operating system.
These apps include Contacts, Tasks, Device Search, Notes, and Launcher, all part of Blackberry's productivity suite. They are available for a free 30-day period, after which they'll cost 99 cents per month. Hub, Calendar, Password Keeper, and Launcher will remain free, but with ads.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update may take up to three months to reach all users
The latest big update to Windows 10 began rolling out to users a month ago, but while the Anniversary Update officially became available on the 2 August, it was a staggered launch.
Microsoft targeted "newer" devices first, with those on older systems set to receive the update shortly afterwards. If you were keen to upgrade, you could of course hurry things along or take matters into your own hands.
Toshiba unveils OCZ VX500 SATA SSD
Solid State Drives are not the exciting products they once were. Having an SSD is so commonplace nowadays, that there are far fewer opportunities to 'wow' someone with an upgrade from a mechanical hard drive. SATA variants in particular are underwhelming in performance compared to faster NVMe models.
With all of that said, there is a place for SATA SSDs on the market, as not all computers offer compatibility with NVMe drives. If you are still clutching to an old HDD, or maybe needing to replace an existing SATA SSD, Toshiba has a new drive that may interest you. What the OCZ VX500 SATA SSD lacks in speed (550/515 MB read/write is expected for SATA), it makes up in potential longevity with MLC as opposed to TLC.
Amazon Prime members get free audio books and access to 'Audible Channels'
As someone on the go, I have always craved the ability to listen to audio books in my car. Whenever I research getting them, however, the high prices always scare me away. Look, I understand a lot of time and effort goes into creating versions of books that are read aloud, but with current pricing, it is simply not reasonable for an average person to truly take advantage.
Today, this changes as Amazon delivers audio-focused benefits to members of its Prime service. Users can now access 50 audio books for free, meaning consuming them is an affordable reality. In addition, Prime members are getting free access to the company's 'Audible Channels'.
Adblock Plus introduces new platform to increase Acceptable Ads’ transparency
It has been difficult to ignore the issue of online ads recently. Facebook’s approach to ads has been in the news in particular, but the battle between advertisers and ad blockers is one that has rumbled on for some time -- and looks set to continue to do so. At the forefront of ad blocking is Adblock Plus, and the company has just announced a new ad platform that aims to deliver ads that will not irritate internet users too much.
Acceptable Ads is an idea that has been bounced around for a while now, but today it has been relaunched as a completely new platform -- the Acceptable Ads Platform, funnily enough. It has two primary directives: to increase the transparency of Acceptable Ads, and to provide website creators with easy access to a database of pre-whitelisted ads that they can use to monetize their sites.
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