EFF files in the Federal Appeals Court against tracking phone activity
We've heard endless talk about our phones being tracked by the government and law enforcement, all done without a warrant. In other words, it's a massive gathering of data "just in case it's needed". That's a very broad swath, and likely most of it is never used for any reason, though there may be scans for certain keywords -- bomb, would be a good example.
The rules for this data gathering have been challenged in court and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is at the forefront of this battle.
Alibaba launches big data cloud platform in China
The Alibaba Group is launching a "big data" cloud platform which it plans will make data asset technology widely available throughout China.
Alibaba Cloud Computing (AliCloud), said on Thursday that the cloud "Big Data Platform" would offer an initial 20 products or solutions and services, which would cover all aspects of the so-called data development chain. This includes data services and visualization products that assist with data processing and analysis, but also provide a compute engine with capabilities for machine learning.
Politicians question Google's 'sweetheart' tax deal
Late last week, Google agreed to pay £130 million in back tax in the UK. Despite being heralded as a 'major success' by the Tory chancellor George Osbourne, the feeling among politicians is that Google should still pay much more tax. The deal struck between the search giant and HMRC has also been dismissed as "only a start", "breathtakingly complacent", and in need of further explanation.
MP John McDonnell was granted a Commons urgent question on the tax deal, leading to an impassioned debate. MPs said that it appeared the government was giving Google preferential treatment, and that had smaller businesses failed to pay taxes in the same way, they would have found themselves in court rather than at the center of a headline-making deal.
Warning: This secret website can crash Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, plus reboot your iPhone!
For many of us, a web browser is our window to the world. It is how we get news, send emails and access social media to stay in touch with friends and family. Modern browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari, are very mature and stable, lending to a positive overall web-surfing experience.
Unfortunately, today, a malicious website has been going viral. If you visit this website by either typing in the URL or clicking a link, the browser will crash by consuming huge amounts of RAM.
FBackup 6 debuts cloud backup
Softland has shipped FBackup 6.0, a major update of its freeware file backup tool for Windows.
The new release finally brings support for cloud backups, with an option to save your data to Google Drive.
Enterprise apps will drive augmented reality adoption
We might look at augmented reality (AR) as another means of entertainment, but it is its business applications that will fuel growth for the next five years, a new report suggests.
Beecham Research's Augmented Reality and Wearable Technology -- an operational tool for the enterprise report suggests that different markets such as manufacturing, healthcare and retail, areas where AR offers a new way for people to interact with information without the use of hands, is where this technology is expected to shine in the next five years.
Inateck BR1002 Bluetooth transmitter/receiver [Review]
We live in a world where we increasingly expect everything to interface with everything else. New cars come with Bluetooth and wireless connections for example to access information from your phone, and audio systems are able to stream music around your home.
But what if you have an older car, or if you want to link a smartphone to your non-smart home Hi-Fi? Inateck has an answer in the form of the BR1002, a neat little gadget that can turn your older devices into Bluetooth enabled ones.
Samsung globally rolls out Gear S2 Classic New Edition in Rose Gold and Platinum
Samsung announced a premium version of its Gear S2 smartwatch at CES 2016. Called Gear S2 Classic New Edition, the wearable uses high-end materials like gold and leather, making it a more attractive competitor to Apple Watch than its older brother. If you have been waiting for its arrival, Samsung has just announced the start of its global rollout.
Samsung says that Gear S2 Classic New Edition is available first in China, with the rollout to continue in markets across the globe "early this year". Here is what you should know about it.
In defense of Microsoft: there was no Surface failure at the NFL playoffs
Brace yourselves: I'm about to stick up for Microsoft. While I'm happy to criticize the company for its failings (and maybe kick it when it's down from time to time), complaints that cropped up over the weekend seem completely unjustified. I'm talking about this weekend's NFL playoffs.
I'm far from being a football (or indeed sport of any description) fan, but my news timeline has been filled with headlines about how Microsoft suffered embarrassment when its Surface tablets (now famously used on the sidelines and mistakenly referred to as iPads) failed during the Broncos-Patriots game. Except the problems that led to an information blackout was absolutely not the fault of Microsoft, or its Surfaces.
DDoS attacks and how they work
DDoS attacks are one of the greatest threats that companies face and can lead to financial losses and damage to customer relationships.
But how exactly do these attacks work? Cloud delivery security company Incapsula has put together an infographic explaining the anatomy of an attack.
Why mobile app analytics are critical for a competitive edge
Mobile usage is continuing to explode and is taking up significantly more of people’s time than desktop and other media, according to eMarketer. Mobile applications account for 89 percent of consumer media time in mobile, according to Nielson.
Today’s mobile usage landscape creates a new set of challenges for companies including more competition than ever for users to choose and use their applications. As a result, companies are racing to develop apps to take advantage of this growth, but many don’t have the right analytics in place to adequately measure their effectiveness. As such, companies investing in mobile app development should always optimize their apps using mobile analytics, or risk being unclear on their apps’ reach, engagement and if it is performing the way it is supposed to. Here is a quick introduction to mobile app analytics and why they are so important to businesses.
Not a fan of Microsoft Edge? Here's how to block the new browser in Windows 10
Microsoft Edge is deeply integrated in Windows 10, but while it’s a reasonable browser it still has a long way to go before it even comes close to rivaling the likes of Google Chrome or Firefox.
If you don’t use Edge, and I don’t, then its presence in Windows 10 might be a bit of an annoyance, especially when it sets (and occasionally resets) itself to not only be the default browser, but the default PDF reader too. Fortunately, you can block the browser, so you don’t need to ever worry about it again.
Google donates more than $5 million to give Chromebooks to refugees
For many consumers, a Chromebook is looked at as an inexpensive secondary computer. The truth is, yeah, they make excellent complementary devices. With that said, when it comes to consumers without a lot of money, laptops running Google's Chrome OS can be a perfectly fine primary computer too -- depending on needs, of course.
Chromebooks are more than low prices, however; they are also very low-maintenance too. Updates are automatic, and malware is largely non-existent. It is for that reason that the machines are perfect for scenarios where resources are scarce. Today, Google announces that it is donating $5.3 million to put Chromebooks in the hands of refugees.
SMEs and the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is usually thought of in terms of its impact on consumers, but it has an impact on business users too.
UK support company Supreme Systems has produced an infographic looking at what the IoT can do for smaller businesses.
chrlauncher is a free Chromium updater for PCs
If you like Chrome, but aren’t so keen on Google’s tracking code and other extras, then you could switch to Chromium, its open-source browser engine.
Sure, you’d lose the integrated PDF viewer, various codecs, the Flash player (actually, that might be a good thing).
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