Biometric Authentication: Making mobile devices and apps safer
According to comScore, from September 2010 to September 2014, smartphone usage increased by 394 percent, while tablet usage rose by an astronomical 1,721 percent in the United States. So it’s certainly no surprise that mobile payments are predicted to skyrocket over the next five years. mobilThis shows that the global mobile payment volume in 2015 was 450 billion U.S. dollars, and projects that number to surpass 1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019.
With the growing interest in and use of mobile devices and payments, users are rightfully concerned with cybersecurity threats. To combat these threats, there has been a surge in using biometric technologies for user authentication.
Work-life balance gains importance as tech worker salary expectations fall
What are the trends driving the careers of tech professionals? A new report based on information gathered from the Woo platform, which allows workers to find jobs with companies that offer the things they really want, reveals what has changed in the first quarter of 2016.
The Woondex (Woo Index) shows there has been a 12.6 percent drop in salary expectations compared to the final quarter of last year. However, there's an 8.2 percent increase in the number of workers looking for a better work-life balance over the same period.
Get the lowdown on your PCs storage devices with Diskovery
Bvckup 2 developer Pipemetrics has released the first beta of Diskovery, a free system information tool which reveals all about your PC’s storage devices.
It’s a familiar idea, but Diskovery stands out for its thoroughness, using multiple technologies to discover and talk to drives.
New Start Menu features on the way in Windows 10 Anniversary Update
Windows Insiders will soon be able to try out a new Start Menu when preview builds of Windows 10 Anniversary Update begin to roll out. We already know some of what to expect from this big update to Windows 10 -- such as badge notifications in the taskbar for UWP apps -- and now we can see what the updated Start menu looks like too.
The same Microsoft software engineer who shared details of badge notifications -- Jen Gentleman -- has posted an animated GIF to Twitter that shows the Start Menu in action. There are a few notable changes in the updated version, including a nested hamburger menu.
How to stay safe using public Wi-Fi hotspots
One of the most convenient things about connecting to the Internet through your computer, tablet, or smartphone is being able to tap into public Wi-Fi from pretty much anywhere. These days, there are hotspots available all across the country, so you’re practically never without Internet access. However, it’s a smart move to be cautious when it comes to connecting to public Wi-Fi.
When you’re tapping in to an unfamiliar hotspot, you could potentially be putting your personal data -- and the security of things like your bank accounts, your passwords, and your identity -- at risk. Even if a public WiFi hotspot looks secure, you might still miss the small red flags that signal trouble. Let’s take a look at how public WiFi works to connect you to the Internet, some risks that come with it, and how to ensure you’re keeping your data safe while you’re on a hotspot.
MacClean promises to improve security and privacy as well as clean your Mac
iMobie has released MacClean 3.0.5, a brand new version of its freeware Mac cleanup tool. The app, which boasts a large number of cleaning tools, returns with a new security bolt-on and completely redesigned user interface.
Version 3.0.5’s major new feature is the implementation of new privacy and security tools, the latter based around the open-source ClamAV malware scanning engine.
The cloud revolution you probably haven't heard about yet
Like the PC, World Wide Web, and virtualization, the cloud is considered a revolutionary technology because it completely changes business processes, cost structures, and time to value. Volumes of information have been written about the benefits of the cloud, with most stories focusing on low-cost storage, reducing hardware costs, anywhere access to applications, and relocating and scaling compute resources.
But another cloud benefit, a cloud-based application integration framework, is just beginning to resonate in many c-suites. This framework has the potential to completely transform application economics by dramatically simplifying business processes, reducing costs and accelerating time to value. Best of all, this particular cloud revolution can be introduced into an organization incrementally, leveraging existing investments.
Consumers would trust PIN authentication for online transactions
Nine in ten (90 percent) of frequent online shoppers are confident that PIN is a good authentication method for mobile commerce transactions. Those are the results of a recent survey by myPINpad, provider of multi-factor authentication technology for touchscreen devices.
Following the survey, the company has released a new report, entitled PIN: From Brick to Click, which takes a closer look at the PIN, and if consumers are ready to use it on their smart devices the same way they use it, for example, at ATM machines.
Pedants revolt -- the Internet is dead, long live the internet
In a move that's likely to prove somewhat divisive -- old-fashioned stick-in-the-muds on one side, sensible people on the other -- the Associated Press is dropping the capitalized Internet from its widely-adopted style guide.
For what seems like far, far too long, the internet has been treated by the AP and countless websites, magazines and newspapers as a proper noun, driving those of a sensible bent mad. But now it's only a matter of weeks before Internet is consigned to history and 'internet' will become the norm.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update to bring badge notifications to the taskbar
The idea of badges is a very familiar concept on mobile phones. A little numerical overlay on app icons provides at-a-glance info about the number of notifications there are to look at for different apps and services. Now Microsoft has revealed that the same feature is coming to the desktop.
Among the changes in Windows 10 Anniversary Update are taskbar badge notification for Universal Windows Platform apps. This new style of notification joins improved toast notifications and changes to the Action Center. Developers will be able to try out the feature soon, and we've got a sneaky glimpse of how things will look.
SmartThings brings new Belkin WeMo devices to the UK family, certifies Harmony
There's no shortage of connected devices on the market these days and more seem to come along almost daily. The problem, to an extent, is interoperability. That's improving somewhat as devices are starting to play nice with other systems.
Now SmartThings, one of the more popular offerings on the market, is introducing new products to its UK line. Both are from Belkin, which makes the WeMo line.
Turn your PC into a wifi hotspot with NirSoft’s HostedNetworkStarter
NirSoft has released HostedNetworkStarter, a free tool which turns your wifi-enabled PC or laptop into a wireless hotspot.
There's no installation required, no network drivers or anything else involved: the program is just a simple front-end for the standard Windows wifi hosted network feature.
10 'ARGH!' moments every computer user experiences
Computers make life easier, right? Computers are fun, valuable tools, yeah? True, but they can also be such utterly infuriately pieces of tech that they seem to serve no purpose other than to raise our blood pressure and drive us mad.
I'm not talking about when Windows crashes, when an app hangs, or the internet slows to a crawl. I'm talking about those 'ARGH!' moments we've all experienced where there's no one to blame but ourselves. When things go wrong because of 'user error' it doesn't make them any less infuriating; in fact, the opposite is often the case. Here are ten of the most frustrating scenarios that just about every computer user has encountered at some point.
Tidal: one year and 3M subscribers later
April 1st marks my first-year anniversary subscribing to Tidal, which relaunched the same day last year, under new ownership of Jay Z. I love and loathe the music streaming service, which I cancelled at least five times and always renewed—typically before the billing cycle ticked over. But checking archived emails, I see that my sub completely expired thrice but not since July.
Gotta ask: What fool starts a business on April Fools, and what does the day foreshadow; if anything? Apple did it, 40 years ago today. Many commentators have called Jay Z the fool for buying Tidal, which competes against established players like Spotify and newcomer Apple Music. The service claimed to have 540,000 subscribers when acquired last year. This week, Tidal revealed globally there are now 3 million subscribers. Someone correct my math—456 percent increase, right? If Jay Z's the fool, gimme some of that foolishness.
Brits would share their data with tech companies for financial gain
Brits would love to share personal data with companies, for the promise of monetary gain. Not only that, but they’d give companies access to their connected home habits, if that means they’d get paid for it.
Those are the results of The Global Internet of Things Smart Home Survey. Sixty-three percent would share data about their daily habits, 61 percent would give companies access to their connected home devices, and 77 percent would do it to get bonus tax credits.
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