Latest Technology News

If you regularly investigate raw databases, executables or other binary files then you might sometimes find "dates" that seem to be random numbers, like 12883423549317375.

This probably means the date is encoded, but there are many different formats, and no obvious way to detect which one has been used.

As more businesses turn to the use of public cloud services, they're keen to find ways to gain more visibility into their deployments and make them more secure.

Cloud native networking pioneer Aviatrix Systems is addressing this with the launch of its Cloud Native Networking 2.0. The solution combines a software-defined network controller and software gateways to enable businesses using a combination of public, private and hybrid clouds to quickly and easily roll out virtual private clouds.

Amazon Prime has become hugely popular, and it's easy to see why. For $99 per year, customers get free two-day shipping, streaming video, streaming music and Kindle lending library. Sonos is less adopted because of the price, but if you've invested in it then you have a great whole-house audio system.

Six months ago, the two came together in the US to add to your musical enjoyment and today Amazon Prime Music will be debuting on Sonos in the UK and filling British homes with tunes.

In November last year, Microsoft announced that it would be cutting back on the amount of free storage offered to OneDrive users, taking the base storage figure from 15GB to 5GB, and discontinuing the 15GB camera roll storage bonus. Office 365 Home, Personal, and University users were also informed that they would no longer get unlimited storage, and some paid tiers were to be removed too.

After an outcry from outraged OneDrive users, Microsoft backtracked and permitted users with 15GB of OneDrive space to keep their base storage quota and camera roll bonus, even after the changes rolled out, but only provided they acted before January 31 2016. If you didn’t take action before then, you’ve probably been wondering exactly when you were going to lose your storage. Well, now we know.

At its Dropbox Open in London, Dropbox unveiled a preview of its new Project Infinite technology. At its heart, it's a simple idea. Regardless of whether files have been synced to a device or not, they will show up in Dropbox on the desktop.

The aim is to reduce the reliance on browser-based tools which can slow down workflow. It allows for collaborators to gain instant access to files their co-workers have shared with them and allows files stored in the cloud to be treated in the same way as those stored locally.

When businesses have specific compliance requirements -- because of the industry they're in for example -- managing them across cloud and hybrid infrastructures can be a tough challenge.

Managed services specialist Rackspace is addressing this by adding CloudPassage Halo as the underlying security and compliance platform behind its Rackspace Compliance Assistance service, targeting companies that prefer to outsource the management of their compliance initiatives.

Mozilla has released Firefox 46.0 FINAL, a relatively minor refresh of its desktop browser for Windows, Linux and Mac with no standout new features.

Also released is Firefox for Android 46.0, which does at least include some noteworthy new features such as the ability to display previously cached pages offline and support for sync via Firefox Accounts.

Nokia used to be a name associated with smartphones but now the Finnish company is looking to venture into a different area of the mobile device market. Today the company announced plans to acquire French health, fitness and wearables firm Withings for €170 million ($191 million).

Withings will join Nokia Technologies as the former smartphone manufacturer branches out into the Internet of Things and the lucrative health market. The acquisition will be settled in cash, and is expected to be completed by Q3 this year.

BlueLife KeyFreeze is a freeware Windows tool which can selectively lock your mouse and/ or keyboard, without hiding the screen.

This is ideal if you’re leaving your toddler to watch a cartoon on your laptop, for example– even if they decide to bash the keyboard or click the mouse, it won’t do any harm.

Mobile operator EE said it will cover the entire UK (well, 95 percent of it, at least) with 4G connectivity by 2020. It also said it will shut down its customer call centers in India and create 600 new jobs in the UK and Ireland.

The announcement comes after EE landed a contract with the Government, under which it will replace the Airwave radio network and eliminate blinds spots, or 'not-spots' in connectivity, The Telegraph reported recently.

If you play PC games, you surely know of Steam. If you aren't such a gamer, please know that it is a video game delivery and management platform for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is a great way to purchase games, and unlike using Microsoft's Windows Store, games can take full advantage of your hardware.

Valve is not satisfied with Steam only being for games, you see, and the company is focusing on other media too. Today, Valve announces that Lionsgate movies will be distributed through its delivery solution. More than 100 films, including the wildly popular Hunger Games series, will be available on Steam for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

There has been a lot of interest in online abuse in recent months, and social networks are taking steps to weed out the trolls and abusers. Twitter has already introduced a number of measures to help tackle trolls, and today announces the availability of a new reporting tool for users.

Now rather than having to report a number of abusive tweets individually, it is possible to report up to five tweets simultaneously. As well as reducing the workload for someone who feels the need to report content, the new tool also makes things easier for Twitter as it allows for additional information to be gathered.

Microsoft's Surface line of computers have been rather wonderful, although its latest machines have been plagued with problems. For the most part, issues for both the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 have been fixed through updates, but like a game of whack-a-mole, more pop up as others are smashed down.

Despite these issues, Microsoft is highlighting the good aspects of its latest Surface devices -- plus Windows 10 -- in a series of new video advertisements. Over on YouTube, you can see all eight videos, as seen below.

ISIS has been able to gain notoriety not only because of the atrocities committed, but through incredibly careful and calculated use of technology in general and the internet specifically. The likes of Twitter and Facebook have been embroiled in an on-going battle against terrorist social media accounts, and now the US military is taking the fight online as well.

Cyber Command is waging cyber war on Islamic State, trying to cyberbomb the terrorist organization into submission and prevent it from recruiting or spreading propaganda online. Using information gathered from the NSA, Cyber Command has turned its attention away from its usual targets such as Russia and China to focus instead on ISIS.

It's easy to assume that investors are only interested in making money and adopt a follow-the-leader approach to getting the best returns.

However, a new report from online startup investment platform Propel(x) shows that the top reasons for investing are: the management team, cited by 75 percent, ability to understand the technology (52 percent), and the potential return on investment (42 percent).