no ads ad block

iOS 9 users will be able to block ads

The next update to Apple’s mobile web browser Safari will include a way to block annoying ads, working similar to AdBlock Plus on desktop browsers.

Under the banner of user experience, Apple promoted the new loading system capable of blocking JavaScript, cookies and even images from displaying. The system came to the desktop version of Safari first. Users will be able to opt-in to this experience on iOS 9.

By David Curry -
twitterdm

Twitter to remove 140 character limit -- on direct messages

Limitation breeds creativity. When a person's proverbial hands are tied, their humanity will always shine through. In other words, the human mind finds a way. Humans are very resourceful; for example, prisoners can make alcohol in a toilet. Yum.

Twitter is another good example of a limitation breeding creativity. You see, the 140 character limitation can make it difficult to communicate, forcing the user to think outside the box. While some people find it to be harmful to the English language -- use of abbreviations and lack of punctuation -- I find it to be healthy exercise for the mind. Today, Twitter announces that it will be removing this limitation -- on direct messages (DMs), that is. Is this change good or bad?

By Brian Fagioli -
mozilla

Mozilla offers up to $10,000 to security bug hunters

Bounty hunters can make a killing if they uncover security problems with software. There are lots of companies who will pay out in cold, hard cash to anyone who managed to unearth security vulnerabilities, and Mozilla has announced that it is increasing its top level bounty.

The company is appealing to white hat hackers and security experts to help plug holes in its software, and it is willing to cough up for it. Mozilla's security program had already paid out $1.6 million over the years, and the Client Bug Bounty Program has just been updated so that maximum payout is now $10,000.

g920-racing-wheel

Logitech G Driving Force Racing Wheels coming to PlayStation, Xbox and Windows

One of my favorite racing games of all time is Daytona USA. I remember playing it for countless hours on my Sega Saturn -- so fun. While the controller worked well, I eventually bought the official Sega steering wheel for that console. Not only was the experience more immersive, but my performance improved too.

The Sega Saturn steering wheel is a far cry from modern gaming racing wheels -- it is a toy by comparison. Modern variants make the racing experience feel extremely real. Today, Logitech announces new G Driving Force Racing Wheels -- including pedals -- for PlayStation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Windows. Racing fans, are your motors running?

By Brian Fagioli -
rack room servers IT

Lesson from an IT pro: Always make a back up

Any IT Pro will know that when you start out in the job, a large part of problem solving comes from finding the solution independently; either by bugging your friends or researching on community forums. A lifeline if you’re working under pressure with little guidance.

One of my first ever assignments was to set up a network lab disconnected from the production network. I was trying to configure the lab security device, Cisco ASA, which combined firewall, antivirus, intrusion prevention and other network security capabilities.

By Kent Row -
wtf

Microsoft kills Skype Windows modern application -- a huge mistake

Skype should be the world's best communication solution. It is backed by one of the most powerful tech companies in the world, Microsoft, while having great name recognition. Unfortunately, the execution is very much lacking, especially on the company's own Windows operating systems. Skype is simply clunky and ugly, while offering jarring advertisements. It needs to be ad-free.

Today, Microsoft aims to make it a better experience, as it kills the Skype Windows modern application. Yes, the "modern UI" version you would install from the Windows Store is going away. In its place, Microsoft is hoping users will gravitate towards the traditional Windows program version. Unfortunately, this is a huge mistake.

By Brian Fagioli -
businessman on cloud

100 percent cloud is closer than you think

Cloud management specialist BetterCloud has released the results of its latest survey into the pace of cloud adoption in businesses.

The survey of 1,500 IT professionals from 53 countries also looks at the differences in cloud office systems and their customers, the current and expected usage rates for cloud applications, and the effects of cloud office systems on productivity, collaboration, cost savings and more.

By Ian Barker -
oculus

Watch the unveiling of the Oculus Rift consumer headset here

Oculus will be one of several names demoing virtual reality products at E3 next week, but ahead of the big games show the company is going to be taking the wraps off of the consumer model of its VR headset later today.

The Oculus Rift consumer model isn’t actually due to go on sale until early next year, but today’s special event should give us a good idea of what to expect from the device, more concrete release details, and hopefully the all-important price.

By Wayne Williams -
SnapChat

Snapchat for Android, iOS gets two-factor authentication

Snapchat has bolted on some extra security to its Android and iOS apps in the form of two-factor authentication.

The Verge spotted that with the latest version of the Snapchat app, when you log on from a new device, the software will send a text to the mobile registered with your account containing a security number.

By Darren Allan -
Calendar delay

Windows 10 in the enterprise? Not for six months, thanks

According to a new survey from Microsoft System Center specialist Adaptiva, 71 percent of IT leaders plan on waiting six months or more before deploying Windows 10.

In the survey, conducted at Microsoft Ignite 2015, 49 percent said they planned to wait a year or more before updating. Of larger companies 80 percent of those with over 100,000 nodes said they are planning to adopt in a year or more.

By Ian Barker -
iOS 9 shown on iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 Plus

This is how you downgrade back to iOS 8.3 from iOS 9 beta

After Apple released the beta version of its latest operating system, iOS 9, many users wanted to see what the new release of their favorite OS brings.

However, as with any other beta version of any program out there, iOS 9 comes with untested bugs and broken features, making it unviable for daily use.

By Sead Fadilpašić -
banned

Reddit starts killing off harassment subreddits

Reddit is both famous and infamous. It's a source of news, a platform for disseminating such delights as the pictures that came out of the Fappening, and home to the ever-interesting Ask Me Anything sessions. But like any social website, it also has problems. Like Facebook, Twitter, and other sites, there are issues with spam, trolling, and abuse. Reddit has a particular problem with sections that are dedicated to harassing and abusing groups of people.

Now the site is fighting back. It is taking a proactive approach and removing subreddits whose raisons d'être are the harassment of people. The cull initially sees the removal of five offending subreddits, but the Reddit team explains that only one with a sizeable userbase is affected -- r/fatpeoplehate.

HTC_One_M9+_Poster_Silver

HTC details global One M9 update: Camera and battery life improvements

HTC is globally rolling out a new software update for its One M9 Android flagship. The device launched in late-March, with a still weak yet higher megapixel main camera compared to its predecessor and faster internals, but a mostly unchanged exterior design. It is one of the few handsets on the market powered by Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 810 processor, which is known for running a bit too hot.

The software update addresses camera quality, battery life and charging temperature, with improvements touted in all aforementioned areas. It has already rolled out in select Asian markets, and is now hitting Europe.

By Mihăiță Bamburic -
floating_twitter_icon

Twitter's block lists make it easier to avoid trolls and spam

You don’t have to be following too many accounts on Twitter for it to become overwhelming; there is an incredible amount of data created every minute. To make things more manageable, lists make it possible to organize content into different categories so it can be quickly filtered. Today Twitter announces an extension of the lists concept that can be used to tackle spam and trolling.

It is now possible to not only create lists of accounts you would like to block (so you are invisible to them), but also share these block list with others. It's a technique that has already been implemented by some third party Twitter clients, but it is now officially supported. Privacy and abuse have long been issues for Twitter, and this is just the latest move to try to tackle the problem.

Web redirect

Ecommerce traffic being hijacked by client side malware

According to new research 15 to 30 percent of eCommerce site visitors are infected with Client Side Injected Malware (CSIM) that causes them to view injected ads, malicious links and fraudulent spyware on otherwise legitimate sites.

These findings are from a study by online security company Namogoo which shows that CSIM has grown rapidly in the past two years and is able to operate completely undetected by site publishers because it lives locally on consumers' systems.

By Ian Barker -
Load More Articles