Google warns DOJ breakup plan could destroy Android and Chrome -- plus hurt the US economy
Google is hitting back at the Department of Justice over a proposed plan that could force massive changes to how the company operates. The DOJ, which sued Google back in 2020 over search distribution practices, is now pushing for remedies that Google says go way too far -- and could end up hurting American consumers, innovation, and even national security!
In a new blog post, the search giant says the proposed changes are not only unnecessary but also dangerous. At the heart of the issue is how Google partners with phone makers and browsers to make its search engine the default. According to Google, people use its search because they want to -- not because they’re forced to. The company says blocking these deals would just make it harder for people to get to the services they prefer, with alternatives like Microsoft’s Bing being pushed on users instead.
TrueNAS 25.04 ‘Fangtooth’ debuts with Linux foundation and unified SCALE and CORE codebase
TrueNAS 25.04, codenamed “Fangtooth,” was recently released (download here), and with it comes a full embrace of Linux as the underlying base. While previous versions of TrueNAS were confusingly split between CORE (built on FreeBSD) and SCALE (built on Linux), this release finally pushes the project further into its beautiful Linux future.
This version builds on the foundation laid by TrueNAS 24.10 “Electric Eel.” That version brought improved performance and Docker support, and Fangtooth expands on it with more than 1,000 changes, including over 150 bug fixes. The update is being offered as a release version, but iXsystems is still recommending it for early adopters only -- at least for now.
Jack in the Box announces bizarre Fortnite experience that turns players into fake CEOs for some reason
Want to hear something absolutely insane? Apparently, Jack in the Box has decided it wants to be more than just a place to grab curly fries at midnight. You see, the fast food chain is now venturing into the world of Fortnite with something called “Jack’s CEO Minigames.”
Wait -- what exactly is that? Well, it is a very strange gaming experience where players compete in several challenges for the chance to become… CEO of Jack in the Box. No, seriously. This is really happening.
ASUS unveils Chromebook CX14 and CX15 with bold colors, recycled materials, and optional Plus AI features
ASUS is bringing some much-needed excitement to the Chromebook market with its newly announced CX14 and CX15 series computers. These new ChromeOS laptops deliver a fresh mix of style, performance, and environmental awareness. These 14-inch and 15.6-inch laptops are built for everyday users but with enough polish to appeal to professionals and students alike. What sets them apart isn’t just the design, but more importantly, the surprising variety of configurations. Not to mention, there is optional support for Google’s Chromebook Plus platform, which includes a year of Google One AI Premium at no extra cost.
The CX14 and CX15 models come in seven different color choices including Misty Green, Cream Pink, Rock Grey, Fabric Blue, and Quiet Blue. There are also three distinct finish types: Crystallice, Washi, and Paint. Believe it or not, the finishes are more than just for looks. For instance, the Paint version is mixed with diamond and stone particles, giving it 2.5 times the abrasion resistance of traditional coatings. ASUS clearly wants these Chromebooks to look good for the long haul, and the company is using 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastics in the chassis to help reduce environmental impact. Very cool, ASUS!
ADATA launches Premier Extreme SD 8.0 Express card, UE720 USB flash drive, and EC680 SSD enclosure
When it comes to mobile storage, speed and reliability can be absolutely crucial -- especially if you’re a content creator. Recognizing this growing need, ADATA today unveiled a trio of new products designed specifically to keep up with the demands of creative professionals and on-the-go users. We’ve got the Premier Extreme SD 8.0 Express memory card, UE720 USB flash drive, and the EC680 M.2 SSD enclosure.
The Premier Extreme SD 8.0 Express memory card isn’t your typical memory card by any means. It’s equipped with a PCIe Gen3 x2 interface, delivering insanely fast read speeds up to 1,600MB/s and write speeds up to 1,200MB/s! Folks, that’s twice the speed of SD Express 7.0 and an astounding twelve times faster than those old-school UHS-I cards you’ve probably got lying around. Heck, it’s even faster than many external SSDs!
TEAMGROUP unveils new X2 MAX portable SSD and S5 USB flash drive
When it comes to storage, flashy gimmicks really aren’t necessary nowadays. Look, most people simply want a reliable way to carry data without fuss or frustration. With that said, TEAMGROUP has announced two new products -- the compact X2 MAX portable SSD and the S5 USB flash drive. Neither aims to reinvent storage -- both are merely practical tools.
The X2 MAX portable SSD offers USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 speeds, capable of delivering read performance up to 1,000MB/s. One handy feature is the dual-connector design -- both USB Type-A and Type-C -- so users don’t have to annoyingly hunt down adapters when switching between computers, tablets, or even gaming consoles. It’s impressively compact, measuring just 75.9mm x 20mm x 8mm and weighing only 12 grams.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-forty-three 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.
The Windows 11 Snipping Tool is getting improved OCR support. The functionality is now available directly via a button or the shortcut Shift-Windows-T. You had to take a screenshot first previously to extract text from it.
What compliance with PCI DSS 4.0.1 means for businesses [Q&A]
The latest revision to the PCI DSS standard for protecting payment data, PCI DSS 4.0.1, was announced last year and came into force last month.
But what do these new requirements mean for businesses? We spoke to Simon Wijckmans, CEO at web security platform c/side, to find out.
Google has lost its ad tech monopoly trial... and Mozilla is scared
In a decision that surprised few, a judge has ruled that Google is guilty of “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in advertising technology. Google (or its parent company, Alphabet, at least) is obviously unhappy with the ruling, but it’s not the only one.
Mozilla was one of the first companies to react to the ruling, and CEO Laura Chambers has expressed alarm about what it means for the future of its Firefox web browser. She also voices concerns about the implication of the rules for the open web and online industries.
CISA adds Windows NTLM hash disclosure spoofing flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
A vulnerability in the Windows NTLM authentication protocol, which is known to have been actively exploited for at least a month, has been added to the US CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.
While Microsoft deprecated NTLM last year, it remains widely used. Security researchers discovered the hash disclosure spoofing bug, and Microsoft quietly patched it in March. But the creation of a patch is one thing -- having users install it is something else. By adding the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-24054, to its catalog, CISA is raising aware that action needs to be taken.
Flying high: Ubuntu 25.04 'Plucky Puffin' is here to deliver better performance to desktops and data centers
Canonical has announced the arrival of Ubuntu 25.04 -- "Plucky Puffin." This latest interim release introduces a number of updates across the desktop, as well as developer tools, and improved hardware support, with a focus on boosting performance and improving the user experience.
Ubuntu 25.04 ships with GNOME 48, offering new features like a Preserve Battery Health mode, HDR support, and Canonical’s triple buffering patches, now accepted upstream. A new Wellbeing Panel helps users manage screen time, while a redesigned install and boot experience adds improved partitioning options and experimental Dracut support for faster system startup.
Most enterprise hybrid Active Directory environments have critical vulnerabilities
A new survey of more than 1,000 IT and security professionals carried out for Cayosoft finds that 88 percent of enterprise hybrid Active Directory environments have critical vulnerabilities.
Microsoft Active Directory is a key element of enterprise IT, but the 2025 Active Directory Insights report identifies glaring gaps in resilience, security, and operational efficiency that could leave critical systems exposed to attack.
Credential theft escalates as threat actors use stealthier tactics
Cybercriminals are pivoting to stealthier tactics, with lower-profile credential theft spiking, while ransomware attacks on enterprises have declined.
These are among the findings of a new report from IBM X-Force which also observes an 84 percent increase in emails delivering infostealers in 2024 compared to the previous year, a method threat actors rely heavily on to scale identity attacks.
If you couldn't attend your Zoom meeting yesterday, GoDaddy may be to blame
Zoom going down is more than an inconvenience, it can be catastrophic. The online video meeting tool has become so important since the COVID pandemic, that it is hard to imagine life without it.
But for a significant period yesterday, Zoom was down. Some users were cutting off in the middle of a meeting, while plenty more were unable to connect in the first place. With Zoom out of service for almost two hours, the impact was significant, and the company has now revealed just what went wrong.
Microsoft admits classic Outlook for Windows has a massive resource usage problem
Users of classic Outlook for Windows have been complaining since last year that Microsoft's email client has turned into a massive resource hog. Months later, the company has conceded that the complaints are justified.
Microsoft is eager for everyone to move away from the classic version of Outlook to the newly updated edition of the app, and there have been suspicions voiced that high CPU usage is an underhand tactic to encourage the move. But having acknowledged the problem, Microsoft says that it is working to come up with a fix.
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