Latest Technology News

PDFs are astonishingly useful documents, but some are lazily created. You've almost certainly encountered a PDF file that comprises images of text rather than selected text. This is a serious annoyance if you were hoping to copy text into another document, but it's also a major problem for anyone who is reliant on text-to-speech tools to have document read aloud to them.

Google has some good news for users of Chrome; the browser is gaining the ability to convert images to text in PDFs, OCR-style. There is some bad news, however. This incredibly useful feature is -- at least initially -- not going to be made available to everyone.

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The Tor Project has announced the release of Tor Browser 12.5 for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit), macOS, Linux, and Android. The Firefox variant provides privacy conscious users with a means of accessing the internet through the open Tor network, designed to reduce the visibility of users online.

Tor Browser 12.5 introduces some major changes to the program, including an updated circuit display, new onion site icons and the promise of both better accessibility and a more user-friendly connection experience.

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We hear a lot about the cybersecurity skills gap, which the latest research puts at 3.4 million globally. There are lots of reasons why organizations find themselves dealing with a skills deficit -- from an actual dearth of qualified talent to internal factors including turnover, lack of budget/competitive wages, limited opportunities for growth and promotion, and lack of training. 

One aspect that is within a company’s control, but is often unremarked, is unrealistic hiring practices. While this can be a problem across all sectors -- after all, every business wants to be sure they get highly experienced people on board -- there seems to be a particular issue around cybersecurity hiring. 

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Cyberattacks are increasingly a feature of everyday life, yet many companies remain unaware of their teams' true readiness to defend against them.

Cyber defense specialist RangeForce is launching a new Defense Readiness Index (DRI), a pioneering scoring system which gauges an organization's readiness to effectively respond to the cyberattacks it is likely to face.

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Five-hundred-and-forty-eight 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 plans to retire the Mail and Calendar apps in late 2024. They will be replaced by the new Outlook for Windows app, which is currently available as a preview.

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There tends to be some confusion about where cyber risk ends and where IT risk starts and the terms are often used interchangeably.

We spoke to Gary Lynam, head of ERM advisory at risk management specialist Protecht, to find out more about understanding and managing the different types of risk that enterprises face.

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The Dev builds of Windows 11 are often where signs of Microsoft's experimentation with the operating system can be seen. It is something of a playground for the company to try out new ideas, tinker with settings and determine how changes are received by beta testers.

While it may often be accused of ignoring user opinion, the latest Dev build of Windows 11 illustrates how Microsoft not only listens to feedback, but also acts on it. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23486 sees the return of options that were controversially removed recently.

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Today, AVerMedia launches the AM350 -- a new USB condenser microphone custom-tuned by DIRAC. With its exceptional tuning technology and an array of impressive features, the AM350 should appeal to podcasters, vocal performers, singers, and more.

Featuring high-sensitivity capsules and a robust metal housing, the AM350 enables detailed audio capture while ensuring durability. Additionally, its ultra-low noise performance and built-in pop filter guarantee clear and pristine audio capture. Thanks to its plug-and-play USB interface, the AM350 is accessible to users of all levels, providing a professional recording experience without the need for additional equipment.

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Today, Lexar launches an all-new storage combo that is exclusively available at one of my favorite stores -- Costco. This USB SSD/flash drive bundle combines two essential storage solutions into one convenient set, catering to the diverse needs of users whether they are in the office or on the road.

At the heart of this bundle lies the 1TB NVMe Portable solid state drive, a storage device that boasts lightning-fast speeds of up to 2,000MB/s read and 2,000MB/s write. Encased in a sleek and durable premium aluminum enclosure with a sandblasted finish, this SSD is not only stylish but also designed to withstand the rigors of everyday use. This SSD provides both professionals and everyday users with generous capacity and speedy performance.

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Microsoft, like a lot of tech companies, believes that we’re finally edging closer to be able to say goodbye to passwords. The hope is that we will soon be able to use passkeys instead, which are more secure and harder to steal.

Today, the software giant rolls out Windows 11 Build 23486 to users in the Dev Channel and the big focus with this flight is on improving the passkey experience.

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In the UK, we have recently witnessed several issues around trust. These issues center around the ethics and control of data access and use, interaction through the Internet, digital risk resilience and how digital technology has eroded trust. In particular, this applies to trust in the government, whereby politicians have been called into question over their behavior, policies, protocols, appropriate use of technology, and more, especially post-pandemic.

To this point, the current stand-off between the Covid inquiry and the UK government calls trust into question again. In this case, the debate is about the use of appropriate messaging platforms as the government made some of the most important decisions in a generation.

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In an era where online privacy is becoming increasingly more important, finding a web browser that focuses on user data protection is absolutely crucial. DuckDuckGo, known for its privacy-focused search engine, has extended its commitment to user privacy with the release of DuckDuckGo web browser for Windows in public beta. This follows the release of the macOS beta version from last year.

DuckDuckGo for Windows comes with important privacy protections that are enabled by default. For instance, by blocking trackers before they load, the browser ensures that your online activities remain private. In fact, DuckDuckGo claims its desktop browser can consume about 60 percent less data than Chrome, making it a resource-friendly choice too. Additionally, this browser eliminates intrusive ads that rely on tracking, resulting in a cleaner and less cluttered browsing experience. Say goodbye to cookie consent pop-ups with the Cookie Pop-up Management feature, which saves you time and frustration.

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FinOps is increasingly being adopted, with 98 percent of respondents to a new survey from Cloudbolt either having a FinOps strategy or planning to implement one. But while 71 percent of companies have expanded funding for FinOps resources in 2023, 99.8 percent say they are still waiting to see any value from it.

In case you haven't been paying attention, FinOps is an operational framework that brings technology, finance, and business together to drive financial accountability and accelerate value through cloud transformation.

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This second edition book covers the new and exciting features of Microsoft Office 2021 for desktop and web apps, helping you broaden the skills from the previous edition.

Using real-world experiences, this book will guide you through practical examples that set off your thought process to boost productivity. To build new skills in each application, the book ensures that you gain a thorough understanding of new functions, such as PivotTables, Dashboards, and data manipulation methods in Excel.

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Windows 11 users who attempt to access Effective Access in the Advanced Security Dialog of File Explorer may be unable to do so according to a new confirmed issue by Microsoft.

The issue affects devices running Windows 11 versions 21H2 and 22H2, in other words all released versions of the operating system. The updates KB5026368 or KB5026372, or a newer update needs to be installed on these devices. Microsoft released KB5026368 and KB5026372 on May 9, 2023 on the May 2023 Patch Tuesday, but confirmed the issue on June 21, 2023.

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