Twitter launches new Safety Center to educate and protect users
Over the years Twitter has taken various steps to help users avoid spam, trolls, abuse, and other online problems. Today the social site takes the wraps off the Twitter Safety Center. This is home to advice about staying safe on Twitter and online in general, as well as including links to the various tools that Twitter has to offer.
The Safety Center is divided into three sections -- Tools, Policies, and Enforcement -- and the idea is that users are given the information they need to keep themselves safe. Each of the sections includes advice and guides about improving security, maintaining privacy, and avoiding unwanted content.
Google+ Photos dies August 1, replaced by Google Photos
Wielding its axe above its head, Google today prepares to sever another limb from Google+. It's only a couple of months since Google Photos launched, and we knew back then that the writing was on the wall for the Photos component of Google+. Now we know that the axe drops on August 1.
From this date Google+ Photos will be no more. The service will shut down first for Android users, followed quickly by the web and iOS versions. If you want to continue to take advantage of cloud photo storage, editing, and sharing, you'll need to make the switch to Google Photos.
Microsoft releases emergency security patch for all Windows versions
Microsoft has released an off-schedule patch for all currently supported versions of Windows. A serious vulnerability has been discovered in a font driver that could be exploited by a hacker to remotely execute code on a compromised machine.
The problem affects Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows RT, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2012. Windows 10 is not at risk. Microsoft describes the issue as 'critical' and has pushed an emergency patch to Windows Update.
Why organizations should embrace wearables
From its roots as a quirky, consumer-centric niche just a few years ago, wearable technology has pushed its way into the headlines.
The recent launch of the Apple Watch generated huge amounts of media hype (not to mention almost a million pre-orders before release), suggesting that a growing number of organizations could be playing host to wearable devices over the coming months and years -- if they aren’t already.
GE chooses Microsoft Office 365 for its 300,000 employees
Microsoft Office is the best office suite on the planet. Nothing annoys me more than when someone suggests that LibreOffice is a comparable solution. If you are a home user, sure, you can get by with a limited word processor and spreadsheet offering. If you are a business owner, however, you are crazy to use anything other than Microsoft Office.
Today, GE -- one of the world's most respected companies -- announces that it chose Microsoft Office 365 for its 300,000+ employees. Not only is GE's decision very wise, but it is a huge win for Microsoft too.
Google blames other driver for latest self-driving car accident
Google’s self-driving car has been involved in yet another accident and the company has said it wasn’t the autonomous vehicle’s fault.
The car was rear-ended at a crossroads, and the company laid the blame on the human driver behind it.
Samsung annouces PM863 and SM863 data center SSDs with up to 3.8TB of storage
The hard disk is not going away any time soon, but make no mistake -- it is on death row. Solid state drives, or SSDs, are becoming more reliable, getting less expensive, and gaining larger storage capacities. It is only a matter of time before mechanical spinning drives get the heave-ho.
While consumers will be the first to shun hard drives, data centers will likely be the holdouts. Why? Cost and capacity. Right now, gigabyte per dollar is far less expensive compared to SSD. More importantly, however, SSDs just don't have comparable capacities -- yet. Today, Samsung announces the PM863 and SM863 data center SSDs. The latter features a top capacity of 1.9TB, while the former maxes out at a mind-blowing 3.8TB!
What are the perks that employees want the most?
It’s a question that CEOs and managers around the world are asking: "How can I keep my employees loyal?"
In the modern working world, staff loyalty is almost a thing of the past. Whereas employees used to stay at the same company for most, if not all, of their career, jumping from one job to another in quick succession has become the norm.
Microsoft's culturally-aware Cortana spreads around the globe ahead of Windows 10 launch
Microsoft really is going all-out with its Windows 10 campaigning in the week and a half before launch. The latest carrot to dangle tantalizingly in front of would-be upgraders is the news that Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant, is spreading into new markets. When Windows 10 launches on July 29, Cortana will be available in the US, UK, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
Today, Microsoft says that the tool will be made available to Windows Insiders in Japan, Australia, Canada (English), and India in the coming months. Cortana will continue to spread around the world launching in Brazil, Mexico, and Canada (French) by the end of the year. If you were wondering, there's a very good reason that Cortana is not available everywhere from day one.
New security service helps protect the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is growing fast, according to Gartner around 4.9 billion devices will be in use this year, up 30 percent on 2014, and there could be 25 billion IoT devices by 2020.
But with all of these devices being rushed to market security can be left behind. According to managed security specialist Trustwave's 2015 Security Pressures Report, 77 percent of respondents said they had been pressured to unveil IT projects that were not security ready.
Why I will not buy a Microsoft Lumia flagship anytime soon
Microsoft is rumored to be working on two Windows 10 Mobile flagships, that would serve as replacements for the aging, Nokia-made, Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520. On paper, both look great, with specs that match those of high-end Android smartphones. And Windows 10 Mobile is not too shabby either, featuring lots of improvements over its predecessor. As someone who is frequently shopping in this segment, I should consider at least one of them as my next smartphone. However, going down this road again feels like a huge mistake.
After taking everything into account, the cons clearly outweigh the pros. It does not help that I currently use an iPhone 6 Plus, which constantly reminds me why I am not longer rocking a Windows Phone flagship as my daily driver. There is a whole host of reasons why I do not plan to buy a Lumia flagship in the foreseeable future, and here are the most important.
Pattern-lock Android apps with ES App Locker
Android devices have plenty of security options -- passwords, PINs, pattern locks -- but they’re mostly about blocking access to the entire system. Get past the lock screen, and if a friend picks up your phone they can do whatever they like.
ES App Locker -- from the developers of the popular ES File Explorer -- adds another layer, enabling you to block access to individual apps by drawing a pattern on the screen.
Frustration mounts as Microsoft fails to fix Skype's spoof message problem
Over on the Skype community pages there are lots of disgruntled Skype users. For a number of weeks now, many users have been plagued with spoof messages from people on their contact list, telling them to visit a Russian website. Others complain that their contacts say their own account has sent out a similar message. Despite the problem having been reported nearly a month ago, Microsoft has still to address the issue.
For now, all the company has to say is "change your password", insisting that a team is working on the issue. The spoofed message includes a shortened URL, so those clicking it have no idea where it leads until it is too late. Rather than offering a full solution, all Microsoft has to suggest is to change Skype passwords -- it seems the company is too busy focusing on Windows 10 at the moment.
Here is Marshall's first smartphone
For those unaware of what Marshall is – it’s one of the world’s best guitar amplifier maker. That is a fact at least for the author of this article who has, in his lifetime, tried at least 30 different amplifiers.
The lovable guitar amp maker has surprised the entire world when it unveiled its first Android smartphone and, you guessed it right, this one is all about music.
TV and porn dominate piracy statistics
With the launch of Apple Music and a number of high-profile artists withdrawing their music from streaming services, piracy has been in the headlines of late.
But a new infographic from application security company Arxan reveals that piracy of music is only a small part of the overall problem.
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