Microsoft continues to add new features to Windows 11, and Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel get to try out some of the more experimental ones.

New in Build 25967, released today, is a redesigned homepage in Settings that offers a "dynamic and personalized experience". Microsoft says it provides an overview of your device, quick access to key settings, and helps manage your Microsoft account.

Continue reading →

Today, HyperX (the gaming peripherals division of HP) announces three new additions to its product lineup. Designed for both gaming creators and streamers, there is the HyperX Vision S Webcam, HyperX Audio Mixer Audio Interface, and the HyperX Caster -- a toolless spring-loaded microphone arm.

"We are excited to expand our portfolio of products and provide a more complete creator solution. The Vision S Webcam offers superb video quality and user-friendly features, and the Audio Mixer Audio Interface provides content creators with professional-grade sound. Since the listening experience for a content viewer is so important, we’ve added a volume meter to offer a quick and easy way to check input levels at any time. HyperX remains committed to enhancing the gaming and content creation experience, empowering users to unleash their full potential," says Sean Peralta, the company’s Director of Product Management.

Continue reading →

Raycon today launches its Magic Charger 100W. The new product utilizes Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, crafted meticulously to shield your gadgets from overcharging and overheating, all while retaining impressive charging speed. And yes, the prongs on the rear are foldable.

The Magic Charger houses three Type-C ports alongside one USB-A port to juice up several gadgets at once. It should be quite beneficial for those who juggle between multiple devices, as they can plug their laptops into the charger's USB-C port to harness the full 100W charging power. Alternatively, they can mix and match the ports to charge their mobile phones and other gadgets simultaneously.

Continue reading →

From Here to Financial Happiness is the day-by-day guide for anyone dreaming of a better life. Whether you’re dealing with debt, uncertain about retirement or simply want to get a grip on your finances, this book can put you on the road to happiness with a simple 11-week journey. Just 5-10 minutes a day to think about money, your habits, your goals, and your dreams.

What steps can you take today to get your finances on track? What bad habits, bad investments, and misconceptions should you let go of? This book is packed with 77 days’ worth of real, actionable guidance for getting your money right -- for good.

Continue reading →

Today’s enterprises are grappling with a very modern IT dilemma: how to carry out cloud migration as cost-effectively as possible.

According to recent research on the views of IT leaders, more than half of enterprises worldwide (55 percent) believe a move to the cloud is "inevitable." The benefits of migrating to the cloud are now widely-acknowledged -- from replacing unreliable legacy infrastructure that hinders business agility, to providing support for modern, collaborative workloads. Many enterprises’ eagerness to adopt AI technologies is also driving cloud migration. This is because the cloud offers the computing power required to deploy AI models at scale.  

Continue reading →

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a market investigation into the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK. Between them, Amazon and Microsoft enjoy a combined market share of 60-70 percent of Britain's cloud computing industry.

This follows a referral by telecoms regulator Ofcom which has expressed concerns around egress fees, discounts -- which may incentivize customers to use only one cloud provider, and technical barriers to switching.

Continue reading →

AI is making its way into more and more areas of life and work. In some areas though, particularly scientific research, it's vitally important to ensure the accuracy of results.

Norwegian company Iris.ai has developed a method to measure the factual accuracy of AI-generated content -- testing precision and recall, fact tracing, and extraction.

Continue reading →

Ransomware is being deployed within one day of initial access in more than 50 percent of engagements, according to research from Secureworks Counter Threat Unit.

In the last 12 months the median dwell time identified in the annual Secureworks State of the Threat Report has fallen from 4.5 days to less than one day. In 10 percent of cases, ransomware was even deployed within five hours of initial access.

Continue reading →

Thanks to high-profile tools like ChatGPT, we've witnessed AI appearing in more and more areas and projects this year. Next week sees the launch of the latest Chatbot Summit, held at ExCel London on October 11-12, bringing together industry experts to share practical skills, knowledge, and insights.

We spoke with Chatbot Summit 2024 founder and executive chairman, Yoav Barel, to discuss the impact of AI technology and how businesses can prepare, as well as what summit attendees can expect from the event.

Continue reading →

Windows 11 is far from being new. The current version of Microsoft's desktop operating system has been with us for a couple of years and has been treated to numerous significant updates and new features since its launch.

Despite this, Windows 11 remains pretty unpopular. We're not just talking about people having complaints and quibbles about the OS. The latest figures show that the vast majority of Windows users are avoiding Windows 11, with Windows 10 remaining almost three times as popular.

Continue reading →

Google has decided to bring emoji reactions to Gmail, giving users the chance to respond to email with little more than a tap. Can't be bothered to type a proper reply? Just send a smile instead. It's an idea that has worked well on social platforms, so Google appears to believe it's something that will work with email too.

For anyone happy to send a quick and impersonal response in this way, the arrival of emoji reactions is great news. But for anyone who is not a Gmail user it is likely to be a serious source of irritation.

Continue reading →

In a world where our smartphones are extensions of ourselves, safeguarding them should be a top priority. The newly launched Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are no exception to this, and OtterBox has announced new cases for these gadgets. The brand's Defender Series and Symmetry Series offer a blend of rugged defense and sleek protection, ensuring your phone stays relatively unscathed.

The Defender Series promises robust protection. With its multi-layer construction, it's tailored to shield the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro from severe drops, dirt, and those pesky bumps and scrapes we all experience. The series doesn't just stop at drop protection; it ensures easy access to the charging ports and buttons while keeping dust at bay with covers on all access points.

Continue reading →

Earlier today, Google officially unveiled the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and the Android community is abuzz with excitement. These smartphones highlight the search giant’s commitment towards embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core of user experiences.

The unveiling has brought to light numerous first-of-its-kind features, all backed by the robust Google Tensor G3 chip. A promise of seven years of software updates accompanies these devices, ensuring they age like fine wine, with regular Android OS upgrades, security updates and Feature Drops.

Continue reading →

The big new update for Windows 11 began rolling out last week. This introduces a wealth of new features to the operating system, chief of which is Copilot, Microsoft’s new AI-powered assistant.

This addition is still quite new, and so not without its problems, but Microsoft is working on improving it. Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel today get a new build which adds to Copilot's abilities. There are a number of known issues with Copilot to be aware of, however.

Continue reading →

Excel 365 is Microsoft’s latest cloud-based version of its world-famous spreadsheet app. Powerful and user-friendly, it’s an ideal solution for businesses and people looking to make sense of -- and draw intelligence from -- their data.

The Excel 365 Bible carries over the best content from the best-selling Excel 2019 Bible while reflecting how a new generation uses Excel in Excel 365. The authoring team with their decades of Excel and business intelligence experience and recognition from the Excel community as Excel MVPs delivers an accessible and authoritative roadmap to Excel 365.

Continue reading →