EU opens non-compliance investigations against Apple, Alphabet, and Meta (but not Microsoft)
The European Commission announced today that it has opened non-compliance investigations against Apple, Alphabet, and Meta. The three companies make up one half of six gatekeeper companies under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
So-called gatekeepers have a strong position in a market, which may give them an unfair advantage over competing platforms and services. Platforms such as Windows, Google Android, and iOS are gatekeepers, but so are YouTube, Google Search, Google Ads, Chrome, or Safari. The full list of gatekeepers is available here.
SABRENT launches HB-3A4C 7-Port 20W USB-C powered hub with switches
Sabrent’s latest addition to its lineup of USB hubs, the Sabrent 7-Port Hub with Switches (HB-3A4C), offers an expanded solution for users needing additional USB ports for their laptops, desktops, or portable devices. This new hub is an upgrade from Sabrent’s popular 4-port switchable hubs, providing a total of seven ports for enhanced connectivity options.
The HB-3A4C features three USB-A ports with 5Gbps data transfer speeds (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) and a power output of 5V/500mA, suitable for basic accessories. Additionally, it boasts four USB-C ports, three of which offer 5V/900mA of power, while the fourth provides a robust 20W of power delivery (PD), capable of charging devices and hosting multiple accessories simultaneously. To support this, a power adapter is included, allowing the hub to deliver up to 48W of total input power, ensuring reliable connections.
Lenovo expands ThinkSmart portfolio with solutions for smart meeting rooms
Lenovo has announced the expansion of its ThinkSmart portfolio with two new solutions designed to transform meeting spaces into managed video conferencing spaces and Microsoft Teams Rooms. The ThinkSmart Tiny Kit and the ThinkPad Universal USB-C Smart Dock – ThinkSmart Edition aim to facilitate smart collaboration and provide IT managers with enhanced control over meeting spaces.
The ThinkSmart Tiny Kit includes the ThinkCentre M70q Gen 4 compute module and ThinkSmart Controller, enabling a Microsoft Teams meeting experience with a single front-of-room display and external audio/video. The kit is designed to transition from BYOD meeting experiences to a more managed Microsoft Teams Rooms experience. It supports features like one-touch join and Front Row, and customers can add certified peripherals like the ThinkSmart Bar 180 and ThinkSmart Cam to optimize room experiences.
Preparing for a post-quantum security landscape [Q&A]
As widely available quantum computing draws closer, organizations need to consider the extent to which their supply chain presents risks and start building in post quantum readiness to their risk assessments.
To do this, it's critical for businesses to understand the origin and authenticity of all the components that are in the supply chain (both hardware and software). This is especially true for IoT devices, which rely on systems and subsystems created by multiple partners and vendors bringing their solutions together to make a fully functioning connected product/system.
Microsoft is fixing a long-standing Chrome text issue in Windows 10 and Windows 11
Microsoft -- yes, Microsoft -- is set to address an issue that has plagued the look of text in Chrome running on Windows 10 and Windows 11. While this is not a problem that affects everyone, there are large numbers of people who have long-complained about strange-looking fonts in Google's web browser.
The font troubles stem from a font rending incompatibility which Microsoft is finally getting around to fixing. The ClearType Tuner of Windows is ignored by Chrome, but Microsoft's tweaks mean that the browser rendering will be noticeably improved.
Linux 6.9-rc1 provides a glimpse into the future of the open source kernel
Linus Torvalds has officially announced the release of Linux 6.9-rc1, marking the end of the merge window for this version. As usual, the update brings a ton of changes, with a significant portion attributed to AMD GPU header files. But let's not get bogged down by the sheer volume of these updates; the real excitement lies in the core improvements that promise to enhance the kernel's performance.
Two major updates steal the spotlight in this release: the timer subsystem and the workqueue subsystem. The timer subsystem has undergone a substantial rewrite, introducing per-CPU timer wheels. This enhancement is poised to boost the performance of timers, which is especially crucial for networking operations. On the other hand, the workqueue subsystem now supports BH workqueue support, providing a much-needed alternative to the long-deprecated tasklet interface.
Microsoft cites continuous innovation of Windows 11 and app compatibility improvements as it kills Test Base for Microsoft 365
Microsoft has announced that is it transitioning Test Base for Microsoft 365 to end-of-life in just a few weeks. The EOL process for the service started at the beginning of March and will be complete by the end of May.
As Test Base for Microsoft 365 is not something that everyone will have heard of, Microsoft explains that it is "a cloud-based app testing service on Azure that evaluates the compatibility of applications with new Windows releases or updates". The company has decided that it is no longer needed because so much work has been done with Windows 11 that app compatibility issues are rare.
Microsoft releases out-of-band KB5037422 update to fix Windows Server memory leak
Not for the first time, Microsoft has released a patch-for-a-patch after a recent update was found to cause memory leaks in Windows Server.
The problems stemmed from the KB5035857 update -- the March 2024 security update -- for Windows Server, which Microsoft acknowledged as having known issues. Now the company has released the out-of-band KB5037422 update which affected users will have to manually seek out and install.
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Americans lose millions of dollars to online tax scams, McAfee study reveals
As tax season reaches its peak, a new study by McAfee sheds light on the alarming rise of online tax scams in the US. The 2024 Tax Scams Study, which surveyed 2,500 American adults, reveals that a staggering 25% have fallen victim to these scams, with losses running into thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.
The study highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals who are now leveraging artificial intelligence to craft more convincing scams. AI-powered messages, deepfake videos, and AI-generated audio are becoming increasingly common tools in the scammer's arsenal. Despite these advancements, the study found that less than half of Americans feel confident in their ability to spot such fraudulent content.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-eighty-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft announced two new Surface devices for business yesterday. The new Surface Pro 10 for Business and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business are up to two times faster than their predecessors according to Microsoft. They are optimized for AI and come with the Copilot key.
At long last, Spotify Miniplayer launches on the desktop
It has been an extraordinarily long time coming, but Spotify has finally launched the miniplayer that users have been requesting for years.
The arrival of Spotify Miniplayer sees the music streaming service catching up with the likes of Apple Music. The new discreet player floats over other running apps, and gives users a choice of UI designs to switch between.
Which comes first? The pentest or the bug bounty program? [Q&A]
Bug bounty and penetration testing programs are often grouped as interchangeable, but they perform distinct functions.
To determine whether both deserve a place within a cybersecurity strategy, it is important to understand their specific qualities and how they have matured over recent years. We spoke to Chris Campbell, lead solutions engineer at HackerOne, to learn more.
Microsoft launches .NET Smart Components to give developers AI-powered UI controls
There is just about no field of technology that is not somehow being enhanced by artificial intelligence. Microsoft has already shown its own love of AI by introducing it to various aspects of Windows and other products, and the latest release from the company is .NET Smart Components.
These are described as "AI-powered UI controls" that Microsoft says can be quickly and easily add to .NET apps. Billed, unsurprisingly, as "genuinely useful", the company says the components remove the need to "spend weeks of dev time redesigning your UX or researching machine learning and prompt engineering".
Meta enters the fediverse by allowing some users to cross post between Threads and other platforms such as Mastodon
The groundswell of interest in the fediverse really kicked off when Elon Musk took over at Twitter, renamed it X, and made a seemingly endless series of controversial changes and decisions. A large number of users sought new homes, and the likes of Bluesky and Mastodon reaped the benefits.
Another recent entrant into the social arena is Threads -- Meta's answer to X. For quite some time there has been talk about plans to plug Threads into the fediverse, much to the disgust of many Mastodon users. Now this day has rolled around, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing that fediverse integration is now available to some users in beta.
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