Take full control of the Windows clipboard with CLCL

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If you’ve been using PCs for longer than 5 minutes then you’ve almost certainly run into the limitations of the Windows clipboard, and tried a few clipboard managers to keep a complete history of your copy-and-pasting.

Testing out yet another example in CLCL probably isn’t high on your list of priorities, then. But wait -- it’s way more interesting than you might expect.

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Context-aware security keeps businesses safe and employees productive

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Common access management processes limit employee productivity and often force employees to find workarounds that expose organizations to greater risk. In fact, 91 percent of business respondents report that their productivity is negatively impacted by security measures their employer has put in place.

This is among the findings of a new survey by Dell which shows that if a context-aware security approach were in place 97 percent of IT professionals say they would see the benefits, including improved worker productivity without compromised security.

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Our smartphone addiction, by the numbers

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One in ten smartphone owners in Britain checks the device the moment they wake up. Sky News, reporting on Deloitte’s research of the matter, calls it an addiction. (I thought everyone checks their smartphone the moment they wake up, but I guess I was wrong.)

Deloitte’s research on how much Britons use smartphones has shown some crazy statistics: a third of smartphone owners look at their device more than 25 times a day. Even worse, a sixth check it more than 50 times each day.

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Avant browser tops the vulnerability charts in the May-July quarter

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According to the latest quarterly update from vulnerability management company Secunia, the product with the most vulnerabilities over the three months from May to July was the Avant browser and, once again, IBM is the vendor with the largest number of vulnerable products.

Avant clocked 206 vulnerabilities over the period, and this is partly because it uses both the Chrome and Firefox engines making it open to the vulnerabilities in both. Also Avant's July 2015 update was the first major version since March and will therefore include many of the Firefox and Chrome vulnerabilities uncovered in the meantime.

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How to stop Slack from using Action Center notifications in Windows 10

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Slack has done an incredible job of taking over the hearts of countless offices and teams around the globe as a means of keeping in touch. It's what we use here at BetaNews, and it has become the go-to service for many other organizations. But while the app is great, it's not without the occasional issue, and a recent update spoiled an otherwise great user experience for some people.

To fit in with Windows 10, Slack's notification system was updated so that message alerts appear in Windows' Action Center rather than as little popups from the taskbar. 'Great!' you might think, but the Action Center is an incredibly inflexible, awkward, and irritatingly inaccessible place to have notifications. Thankfully there is a hidden setting you can use to shun Windows 10-style notifications and get things back to how they used to be!

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Image batch processor ImBatch adds script engine

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High Motion Software has extended its batch image processor ImBatch with a new scripting engine.

ImBatch 4.20’s Tools menu now includes a Script Editor, enabling users to dynamically change the current batch task based on any criteria, then maybe skipping one task, running something else, whatever they need.

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Messaging slowly replacing phone calls for smartphone users

Breakup Smartphones

Smartphones are a great way to communicate with people, but according to some new research, our communication is switching from voice to other means.

Talking over the phone is actually dropping in popularity. The number of people making a phone call once a week went from 96 percent to 75 percent over the past three years, according to research carried out by Ipsos Mori for Deloitte, The Guardian reports.

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More than a third of companies are looking for new file syncing solutions

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Over a third of companies are planning to adopt a new file, sync and share (FSS) solution in the next year according to the findings of a new survey.

The study released by enterprise sharing specialist Connected Data shows that 21 percent of companies surveyed plan to make a change in their current FSS solution within the next year. It also finds that 13 percent of companies plan to adopt their first-ever FSS system within the next 12 months.

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AT&T announces OBD II-powered ZTE Mobley automobile Wi-Fi hotspot

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Every year, automobiles get more and more high-tech. The problem, however, is that brand-new cars can be quite expensive. If you buy used cars, it can take a while for the latest and greatest technology to trickle down to you. One way to add tech to your car is by upgrading the stereo, which can give you improved media compatibility and Bluetooth.

Have you ever dreamed about having Wi-Fi in your existing car? Well, now you can. Even if you have a ten year old dented sedan, AT&T has a solution for you -- the ZTE Mobley Wi-Fi hotspot. While tethering from your smartphone or carrying a dedicated battery-powered hotspot has been available for a while, this device is very unique -- it is powered by the car's OBD II port.

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WhatsApp Web app vCard vulnerability leaves 200 million users at risk

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A security researcher at Check Point has discovered a vulnerability in the WhatsApp Web app. The app -- which allows for WhatsApp messages sent to a phone to be viewed on a desktop computer, as well as syncing data -- can be exploited if a malicious user sends a specially-crafted vCard contact to someone.

A problem with WhatsApp's filtering of the contact card means that it could be used to "trick victims into executing arbitrary code on their machines in a new and sophisticated way". What's particularly worrying about this vulnerability is the fact that all an attacker needs is the phone number associated with a WhatsApp account. With an estimated 200 million WhatsApp Web users, there are a lot of potential victims.

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Microsoft working to bring open source VP9 HD codec support to Edge

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The technology may exist that allows for ultra-fast transfer of very large files, but the efficient storage of data remains important in many circumstances. Streaming video is one area in which efficiency is particularly important, and the codec used to encode footage has a large bearing on performance.

With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft took the opportunity to unleash a new web browser on the world -- Microsoft Edge. Today the company reveals that it is working to bring WebM/VP9 to the browser. Initially destined for Windows Insiders in Windows 10 Preview builds, VP9 support will improve Edge's ability to stream HD videos at lower bitrates.

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Microsoft acquires cloud security firm Adallom

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Microsoft continues to look to the cloud -- not just with Windows 10, but with many of its enterprise services -- and security remains of the utmost importance. Now the company has announced the acquisition of cloud security firm Adallom in a move that will give customers additional ways to protect their data in the cloud.

The security company started life two and half years ago, and Microsoft sees value in adding it to its existing portfolio of acquisitions. Adallom co-founder Assaf Rappaport describes joining the Microsoft family as "another validation of [the company]", while Microsoft says it demonstrates its "commitment to delivering innovative identity and security capabilities".

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Apple Watch vs Android Wear: Which has the biggest effect?

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The rise of wearables has led to the biggest technology companies in the world developing smartwatches and other wearable devices.

Two of the most prominent are, of course, Apple and Google, with the Apple Watch dominating headlines since its release in May and Google’s Android Wear platform being used by a number of hardware vendors.

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Zotac unveils the diminutive ZBOX MAGNUS EN970 Windows 10-ready gaming PC

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Many consumers want gaming PCs, but simply don't have the space for a massive tower. For this reason, mini ITX systems have exploded in popularity. But what if you want something smaller? Maybe you are interested in keeping a HTPC in your living room where a small footprint is preferable.

Today, Zotac announces a diminutive gaming PC -- the ZBOX MAGNUS EN970. Not only is the Intel Broadwell-powered PC very small, but it should offer solid gaming performance with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 3GB DDR5. It even offers a mind-blowing 4 HDMI-out ports!

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VirtualBox squashes bugs, adds new guest resolution to pre-defined menu

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Oracle has released VirtualBox 5.0.4, the first publicly flagged maintenance release for the 5.0 series of its virtualization tool for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Version 5.0 introduced support for USB 3.0 and hardware virtualization among other improvements, and version 5.0.4 is almost exclusively a bug-fix update.

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