Adele '25' blows the roof off of digital music sales
Hello from Adele. The artist has had two critically acclaimed albums already in her young career, but nothing prepared anyone for the latest offering. 25 is the new album and it seems to be an incredibly hot commodity right now, at least according to new statistics released for the first week of sales.
Unsurprisingly, digital was at the top of the list with iTunes leading the way with 1.5 million sales. It was followed by Amazon at a distant 243,000 and Google Play at 55,000. In between were physical locations Target and Walmart.
Mozilla ditches Firefox ad tiles experiment
It can be hard enough to avoid advertising online, and Mozilla has been experimenting with yet another way to pull in money. The Tiles experiment has been running for a few months and saw ads brought to the Firefox homepage via, funnily enough, tiles.
The company has decided that the experiment is a failure, and now wants to shift its focus to delivering "relevant, exciting and engaging" content to users instead. Mozilla has been scrambling to find way to make its browser bring in the pennies, but admits that "advertising in Firefox [...] isn't the right business for us at this time".
BlueStacks 2 brings multi-tasking of Android apps to Windows
Popular Android emulator BlueStacks has been updated to version 2.0 with some major new features.
Launch an app and it now opens in a browser-like tab, allowing users to play multiple apps simultaneously.
Microsoft releases new Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10586.29
Microsoft is continuing to refine and polish its new mobile operating system, and is working to address feedback and issues reported by Windows Insiders.
The latest Windows 10 Mobile build doesn’t contain any exciting new features but rather is a cumulative update, which explains the new build number -- 10586.29. Microsoft is also planning to make this build available to additional devices early next week.
Linux Mint 17.3 'Rosa' is an early Christmas present that is ready to be unwrapped
While I am a fat guy, I am not particularly jolly. I also can't really grow a beard. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I would make a very poor Santa Claus. Still, I am excited to give gifts to my friends and family this year.
You know who would make a great Santa, however? Clement Lefebvre, the leader of Linux Mint. Actually, I have no idea what the guy looks like, but he is delivering presents to people all over the world. What is this gift he is distributing? Well, it is better than any toy train or video game -- it is the awesome Linux Mint 17.3 'Rosa'. Yes, the latest version of the wildly popular Linux-based operating system is ready to be unwrapped.
Curious about the news? CNNgo is now on Roku
There's always news happening somewhere in the world and recently there have been some big stories like the Paris and San Bernardino shootings and explosives. Many of us have likely been glued to the TV and watching in horror as these events unfolded.
Now the CNNgo channel is launching on Roku and will bring you all of the latest stories from around the world. Users will be able to browse hundreds of news clips, but this isn't live TV, just highlights -- unless you have a pay TV subscription.
David Cameron's Facebook page reported for posing a 'credible threat of violence' over ISIS
The UK's decision to start a military campaign in Syria to fight ISIS has dramatically divided opinion. Support and opposition is not split neatly down party lines, but a vote this week led to almost immediate airstrikes being carried out.
Taking to social media, Prime Minister David Cameron -- or his representatives -- used his official Facebook page to crow about the fact that vote went the way he wanted it to. This has had something of an interesting side effect. Facebook users are reporting the page for threatening violence.
A third of businesses use mobile banking to make payments
Not only does every other top manager make payments from corporate accounts via mobile banking, but it was also discovered that over 30 percent of companies use mobile devices to access corporate bank accounts and to make financial transactions.
Those are the result of a recent joint survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International.
Hackers hide malware inside Dropbox accounts to target media organizations
A new form of malware that targets mass media agencies has been discovered by researchers at the US-based security firm FireEye. The malware was detected in Hong Kong where it was being used to target a small number of media agencies with the initial targets of the attack being newspapers, radio stations and television studios.
The malware leaves a user vulnerable by offering a backdoor to their system. The way in which this is achieved is unique because its command and control or C&C server is hidden inside Dropbox accounts. FireEye was able to trace the malware back to a group of hackers by the name admin@338, who is believed to have ties with the Chinese government.
My fridge is listening to me
It seems oddly fitting that this week -- a week scarred by the bizarre and violent mass murder in San Bernardino -- that I received a LinkedIn invitation to connect with someone who listed this as their job description:
Install, maintain, and repair GPS, Wi-Fi, and security camera systems on tour buses. In 2010, working with grant money from Homeland Security, I installed security systems on a fleet of tour buses and I have been maintaining those systems since then. In 2011, I helped install multi-language listening systems on tour buses and have been the lead maintenance technician. Currently, I am project manager for upgrading a fleet of 50 tour buses with new GPS systems using Homeland Security grant monies. This requires coordinating with engineers of service providers to solve unusual, complex problems.
The Linux Foundation will participate in 'Hour of Code'
Nowadays it can feel like kids are more interested in social media, emojis and video games than math and sciences. Look, I was a kid once, and I know school can feel boring, but knowledge of STEM is important; not only for the children, but for all of society. It is imperative that something is done to motivate students to create and make so the world can continue to advance.
Luckily, there are many initiatives in place to increase interest in STEM. One of the most popular is the 'Hour of Code', which is described as a "one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics". Today, The Linux Foundation announces its support.
Microsoft introduces Office 365 E5 subscription
Microsoft has launched a new premium Office 365 package for its enterprise customers, accompanied by a significant price increase.
Office 365 Enterprise E5 replaces Enterprise E4, which will be dropped by June 2016, and will cost $35 per user per month, compared to $22 per user per month for its predecessor.
GoPro Hero4 Session gets $100 price cut, Xiaomi Yi launches in US
When GoPro introduced the Session action camera in its Hero4 line, it made the mistake of offering the new model at the same price point as the much more capable Silver. So, naturally, consumers wanting a $400 GoPro have pretty much ignored it.
That is, until GoPro announced in late-September that it would slash $100 off its price. But, even $299.99 seems to have been too high a price in consumers' eyes, as Hero4 Session just received another price cut.
Net neutrality on trial: judges hear lawsuits against FCC
The Federal Communications Commission finds itself in court today, as the hearing gets underway to determine the legality of net neutrality rules. A total of 10 lawsuits have been brought against the commission by a number of cable and telecoms companies.
Earlier in the year the FCC banned service providers from creating internet fast lanes that could have been used to give those willing to pay for it a faster service, or to offer certain types of traffic preferential treatment. This could be the hearing that decides once and for all whether the idea of treating all web traffic equally is a workable option.
Windows 10 Mobile is dead in the water
Windows Phone's market share took a huge hit last quarter, dropping to a ridiculously low 1.7 percent. Things could improve following the introduction of Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL and other Windows 10 Mobile smartphones, but, in the long run, the platform is not expected to regain much of the ground it lost to Android and iOS.
Windows Phone's market share for 2015 is expected to be around the 2.2 percent mark, according to an IDC forecast, which would be a major decline compared to last year, when its market share was 2.7 percent. But, that's not the real bad news. By the end of 2019, Windows on smartphones is expected to only see a slight bump to 2.3 percent.
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