Latest Technology News

Travel apps have evolved to make life easier for users, with regular updates and enhancements to features and usability. But new research highlights inadequate security in the 10 most popular mobile apps for travel on both Android and iOS devices.

The study by self-defending app specialist Bluebox looked at more than a dozen security parameters in the 10 most popular travel apps on the App Annie iOS Top App Charts and Google Play Top App Charts and revealed that critical flaws were present in all of the apps examined.

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Music streaming service Tidal seems to be going back to the old school ways, as well as morphing into an e-commerce site as it has now started selling physical music formats (i.e. CDs).

Prince is selling his new album, HITNRUN PHASE ONE, exclusively on Tidal, both in physical format copies and through downloads on the site.

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Listening to music on a smartphone speaker is passable, but to truly enjoy your tunes you should invest in good headphones and/or a Bluetooth speaker. While I enjoy bobbing my head while wearing my Beats Solo 2 headphones, sometimes I want to relax on my couch, lawn chair, or bed with nothing on my head. For this, I connect to one of my favorite portable Bluetooth speakers, the UE BOOM.

Today, Ultimate Ears announces a successor to that portable Bluetooth speaker -- the unimaginatively named UE BOOM 2. Yes, this popular speaker is getting an upgrade. The best part, however, is that the price stays exactly the same. Sweet!

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As our electronics become more and more advanced, there is still something that is severely lacking -- battery life. While there are always promises of longer-lasting batteries, they still prove to be deficient. Making it through a full day with heavy use is still impossible for most smartphones, causing consumers to carry battery packs and spare chargers.

Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology has been a godsend for charging. While it won't make your battery last longer, it will allow you to juice it up much faster. The second version of the technology, for example, can charge a device 75 percent faster than traditional methods. Today, the company announces Quick Charge 3.0 and it means even less time tethered to an outlet. Hallelujah!

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The first weekend of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus preorders are behind us, but Apple already looks ahead. This morning, the company presumably sought to quell last week's Wall Street jitters in statements to CNBC, Financial Times, and MarketWatch, among other news services popular with investors. This is perception-management at Apple's finest, and it is metaphor for success selling smartphones and why most competitors flounder by comparison.

I didn't receive the statement and so cannot attest to its veracity. But presuming esteemed financial news services accurately report, misdirection isn't much better than this. Apple doesn't give an exact figure, instead stating: "We are on pace to beat last year's 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale Sept. 25". How circumspect is that? Ten million the first weekend two weeks later?

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With everything from your local takeaway to fashion retailers and airlines now requiring an account, it is expected that within five years we will have, on average, over 200 accounts requiring passwords.

Managing passwords has become a nightmare for almost all internet users. In the face of this, people respond differently. Some of us use the same passwords for all our accounts. This is naïve -- each password acts as a gateway to our valuable personal data and using a single password means that one breach results in vulnerability on all fronts.

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Computers in cars have created wonderful advances in safety, navigation and performance. Of course, this makes automobiles far more complicated. By making vehicles internet-connected, however, we have opened them up to remote hackers. This is not just a theoretical vulnerability either; there have been actual proof-of-concept attacks on some Jeep models.

Unfortunately, this trend will likely continue. As long as cars are internet-connected, they will always be vulnerable to remote hackers. Today, however, Intel announces a plan to protect us from those evil-doers. You see, it has created the Automotive Security Review Board (ASRB).

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There are currently more than 600 million personal computers in use that are at least four years old and ready to be replaced, according to research from Intel. That is a huge number of people who are going to buy new computers in the near future, and they will all need to migrate their applications and data to their new PC. However, moving into a new PC can be a challenge. Most users have spent years shaping a comfortable PC environment -- its "personality". Getting a new PC similarly configured and setup, with all the applications and data, can be a daunting task -- one that is time-consuming and often difficult for non-technical consumers.

The good news is that migrating data and applications between computers doesn’t have to be an arduous, dreaded, fear-ridden process. A new computer typically means faster computing speed, more memory and enhanced new features. It also represents an opportunity to start fresh by organizing your computer’s content (i.e. archiving old files and cleaning up folder structures) before the transition. Transferring files and data between systems or via the same platform doesn’t have to be a complicated undertaking if you know the proper steps to take. Here are the three stages of an efficient and convenient migration.

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Wzor has come up with the goods once again. After leaked screenshots of Windows 10 build 10537 earlier today, we've been treated to a follow-up of release notes and ISOs. This build has not been officially released by Microsoft so you won’t be able to download it through Windows Update, but we're sure that you'll be able to track down a copy if you're particularly keen to try it out.

We've already mentioned some of the changes that are to be found in this latest build (MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.10.CLIENTPRO-CORE.TH2.10537.X64.OEMRET.ENGLISH.DVD) but the official release notes go into more detail. Dating back to 2 September, the release notes detail not only the new features and changes, but also the bug fixes. But, perhaps more importantly, it shows that progress has slowed over at Microsoft.

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With major changes in the Windows touch interface in version 10, it’s worth looking at how Microsoft’s approach to on-screen input has evolved since the release of Windows 8. For example, whereas previous versions essentially forced a touch-first UI onto users, Windows 10 features a more adaptable UI that changes based on the user’s input method. Whether or not this constitutes an improvement for most users will depend on which platform they are migrating from.

If a user is switching to Windows 10 from a mouse-and-keyboard centric UI, like Windows 7, chances are they’ll find Windows 10 to be more familiar and welcoming than Windows 8 or 8.1. This is mostly because of the former’s inclusion of a (heavily modified and "evolved") Start Menu, for which many Windows 7 users have shown a particular affinity. However, if a user is approaching Windows 10 from a touch-centric environment -- for example, Windows 8.x running on first generation tablet PC, like an ASUS VivoTab or Dell Venue 8 Pro -- they’ll no doubt find the new UI model a bit jarring and, in many cases, counterproductive.

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Microsoft Excel has been around for 30 years, it’s one of the most popular programs in the world and it’s likely that most of us at some point or other have used spreadsheets at work.

Recent reports show that, 78 percent of middle-skill jobs require digital literacy and 67 percent of office roles require expertise in Microsoft Excel. So sharpening up your Excel skills really can help improve pay and job prospects.

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Unfortunately, at any given time, almost every company has data issues, ranging from the minor to the severe. In almost all cases these issues tend to go neglected until problems arise. The fallout can range from unforced errors, such as inaccurate sales forecasts resulting from data redundancies, to public relations disasters caused by data breaches.

The key is having an effective data governance plan in place so that data issues are addressed before such crises arise. Here are eight common signs that there may be trouble on your data horizon.

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Privacy International has created a platform through which individuals and organizations can file complaints with GCHQ about surveillance of phone calls and internet usage. The charity has long concerned itself with government surveillance, particularly the sharing of data between the NSA and GCHQ.

The legality of mass surveillance has been questioned by many, and it has already been determined that human rights organization Amnesty International was illegally spied on. Edward Snowden's NSA revelations have led to a huge increase in awareness of privacy issues, and now Privacy International is making it easier to find out if you were spied on, and to lodge an official complaint.

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The iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus have received an overwhelming response from buyers. The Cupertino-based company on Monday said that it is on pace to beat last year's iPhone first-weekend record of selling more than 10 million iPhone models.

"Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and preorders this weekend were very strong around the world", the company told CNBC in a statement. "We are on pace to beat last year's 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25".

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Google has teamed up with RailTel Corporation of India to bring free Wi-Fi hotspots to more than 400 train stations. The state-run company already has a fiber network in place across the country, and the new venture -- which goes under the name of Project Nilgiri -- is set to roll out over the next four months.

TelecomTalk reports that hotspots will enable travellers to get online with a high-speed connection free of charge for half an hour, and then speeds will be reduced. SMS verification will be used to provide web users with the necessary passwords, and screenshots of the portal that will be used to get online have also leaked.

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