As a system builder, I am a sucker for all hardware. What really gets my motor running is when something is the "world's first". Yes, I am an early adopter. What does this mean? I buy unproven new hardware at a premium, just for the glory of having it first. Smart buyers will wait for price drops and bug fixes, but not I!

Today, MSI announces a new motherboard that has a world's first, and quite frankly, it is something the world has been waiting for. Here it is folks, the first-ever motherboard with an integrated reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port! This is definitely something that will have early adopters drooling.

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Online banking feels like an accepted channel for today’s consumers, especially compared with its latest mobile incarnation. Yet, with online attacks becoming more sophisticated, banks must remain vigilant by implementing technology defenses while enabling the online channel to provide the convenience that customers now expect. However, with their technology defenses, banks must be wary of putting both existing and prospective customers off with tedious password-enabled security measures. Creating a delicate balance between strong security and convenient access is an ongoing challenge.

Recent independent research commissioned by Ping Identity discovered that more than a third of customers would abandon their bank altogether for an experience that combined both security and convenience. Furthermore, only 28.7 percent of respondents described themselves as 'very loyal' to their bank. Banks are clearly walking a fine line with their customers.

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It's happening again. Check your Facebook wall and you'll probably find that at least one of your friends has posted a status update indicating that they withdraw the right for Facebook to use the content they've posted to their account. It's written in a pseudo-formal style, and even makes reference to an applicable law. Must be legit, right?

Nope. It's nonsense. Complete and utter twaddle of the most pure and unadulterated kind. By all means post the message to your own wall, but be aware of two things: it will have absolutely no effect on what Facebook is able to do with your information, and it also makes you look a bit silly.

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If you need a portable storage device, then are you are most likely looking to buy an external HDD. They are available in lots of sizes, and they are also pretty affordable. However, they are also slow. Too slow, I would say. So, if you need something that is fast -- that can transfer files quickly and open everything almost instantly -- then a portable HDD is not the answer.

However, a portable SSD would fit the bill just fine. On top of being faster, it will also be more energy-efficient and less sensitive to shocks. Targeting this crowd, Samsung today announced Portable SSD T1, which is about to hit store shelves in three storage trims. And it is so small and light, you can carry it in your pocket.

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More than ever before we expect our technology to come with us wherever we go and more importantly be able to survive the journey.

The weakest link in the past has usually been storage because even SSDs don't take too kindly to rough treatment. Storage company G-Technology is using CES to launch a solution in the form of its range of rugged drives.

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HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, aka H.265) is an amazing video standard which is just as good as its name suggests, routinely producing videos half the size of their H.264 equivalents.

It’s becoming more widely supported, too: the iPhone 6 can use it for FaceTime, Android Lollipop and Windows 10 handle it out of the box, some major applications (CyberLink’s PowerDVD, for example) added support last year.

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Apple is now finally selling SIM-free, unlocked iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus through its online and brick and mortar stores. The new models, which come nearly four months after the two devices launched, are available in all storage configurations, starting at $649 and $749, respectively.

Apple makes things slightly complicated for those looking to purchase an unlocked iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, as the company is advertising two "Unlocked and contract-free" models, for each of the two devices, on its site. The model that is available starting today is labeled "SIM-free", while the other one bears T-Mobile's logo. Be careful which one you buy, if you plan on using it in US or abroad.

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Facebook wants to talk your language. The latest step to achieving this sees Mark Zuckerberg's social networking acquiring speech recognition startup Wit.ai. The startup describes itself as providing "Natural Language for the Internet of Things" and has been doing so for just 18 months.

No details have been released about any money that has changed hands, but the plan is for the Wit.ai platform to remain open for developers to work with. The company is heavily involved in the Internet of Things, and was in line to work with Nest before Google took over.

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Security is very much in the news these days, with government surveillance, hacks and the like. However, what about video cameras that can recognize you simply by recording your face? Yes, that technology is also available, it's one of the things that scares people about Google Glass, The technology is there, so folks might as well get used to it.

Simplicam is debuting a home monitoring camera with built in facial recognition at the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. But it also goes a step further, telling the user who is at home.

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In late 2013, the Internet Archive introduced a new area of its site called the Console Living Room which lets visitors play classic console games from systems of the past (including the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Magnavox Odyssey and Astrocade) in a web browser. In 2014, it made over 900 classic arcade games playable in its Internet Arcade. And now, in 2015, playable DOS games arrive on the site.

If, like me, you spent a lot of the 90s playing games on the PC, this is like a late, but very welcome, Christmas present. There are currently 2,391 games available to play, including classics like Cannon Fodder 2, Boulder Dash, Duke Nukem 3D, Prince of Persia, Championship Manager, The Incredible Machine, Eye of the Beholder (and its sequels), Hexen, Sim City, Wing Commander Academy, and the Kings Quest, Space Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry series -- to name just a few. More titles are promised, and the collection will change over time.

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Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp has been taken offline after a hack attack relieved its coffers of $5 million. A message on the Bitstamp homepage explains that some of the exchange's operational wallets had been compromised, and warned customer to stop making deposits to previously-used addresses.

The attack took place over the week, but details are only now starting to come to light. Although more than 19,000 BTC ($5.2 million) were "lost" as a result of this, Bitstamp assures its customers that any Bitcoins stored up to January 5 are safe, but says that service is suspended for the time being.

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It's been a common joke in the technology industry for many years that the wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

But whilst it may be a joke, in the past conflicting standards have led to very real issues when it comes to getting systems to work together. In the modern era when we increasingly expect things to 'just work' compatibility issues are becoming less acceptable.

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Microsoft is expanding its Kinect team in order to push the boundaries of what is possible with motion sensor technology.

The Redmond-based firm posted a job listing online, hinting at some of the innovative features likely to be included in later versions of Kinect.

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It’s happened to us all. You’ve spent an age at a website, deep in thought, working on a lengthy forum post or similar wall of text, when the browser window closes unexpectedly -- and you’ve lost everything.

You could get angry, maybe throw things, before calming down and starting again. But it might be better to install Textarea Cache, a free Firefox addon which saves the contents of text fields locally, as you type, and makes them ready for recovery in seconds.

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Many years ago, bringing a stereo to the beach or the park was quite the ordeal. First, the boombox was large and usually took C or D batteries. Not only were those batteries expensive, but heavy too. Ultimately, many people would simply forgo bringing such a music device.

Fast-forward to today, and you have a virtual smorgasbord of small Bluetooth speakers -- with rechargeable batteries -- making portability a breeze. Hell, you can charge many of them in the car on your way! Ultimate Ears is one of my favorite manufacturers for portable Bluetooth speakers; the UE BOOM and MINI BOOM are built like tanks and offer impressive audio quality. Today however, the company announces the next generation of the "BOOM" family, the all-new UE MEGABOOM! It's time to party harder, baby! Woo!

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