Latest Technology News

Today, Plugable launches its first-ever single-chip hub. Called "USBC-4IN1," this adapter combines power and data transfer capabilities in a compact package. The hub, which utilizes the PS188 chip, offers dual-function USB-C port capabilities, including 100W power pass-through charging and high-speed 10Gbps data transfer.

The hub is compatible with laptops that have a full-featured USB-C or Thunderbolt port. As far as operating system support, it will work with macOS 11+, Windows 10+, or ChromeOS.

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In our modern hyperconnected world, we are constantly sending emails, instant messages, SMS messages, chats on social media, and much more to send information professional and personal. As each aspect of our lives continues to become digitized -- and as cybercrime gets ready to reach more than $10 trillion by 2025 -- it's becoming more important than ever to use encrypted messaging and secure communication tools to preserve our privacy.

Guarding your digital realm is thankfully more than viable with encrypted messaging and secure communication, in particular technologies such as end-to-end encryption, decentralized messaging platforms, and advanced privacy-enhancing features. To that end, let's talk about how these pioneering tools are playing a crucial role in protecting individuals, businesses, and journalists from cybercrimes.

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Having previously rejected the X app from its App Store for having too short a name, Apple has had a change of heart, changing the rules for the renamed Twitter.

It used to be the case that app names had to be at least two characters in length, and this led to delay in getting the X app listed. But with Apple having relaxed for rules after Musk's latest example of spontaneity, X is the first -- and currently only -- app to be listed with a name comprising a single character.

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When you've spent any amount of time using Windows 11 with two or more monitors, it's hard to go back to a single display setup.

But while working with multiple screens is a great productivity boost, it is far from being a perfect experience. Thankfully, Microsoft feels the pain of Windows 11 users and is bringing some helpful changes to settings that will make the experience far more pleasant.

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MX Linux 23, the latest stable version of the popular operating system, is now available for download. This release is built on the sturdy foundation of Debian 12 “Bookworm” and MX repositories. Just as with previous versions, MX Linux 23 defaults to sysVinit while keeping systemd as an optional choice for installed systems.

One of the most noticeable changes in this release is the revamped live boot menus, featuring a more prominent “check media” function. This new feature offers an automatic media check before proceeding to boot, thus providing a smoother user experience.

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In recent years, large language models (LLMs) have revolutionized the field of natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI). These sophisticated models are used widely in AI solutions, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, and have been designed to understand and generate human-like text, enabling them to perform various language-based tasks. People are incredibly excited by the potential of this technology which is poised to revolutionize how we live and work. However, to understand the true potential of LLMs, it is crucial that people know how they function.

LLMs, at their core, are neural networks trained on vast amounts of text data. They learn to predict the next word in a sentence by analyzing patterns and relationships within the training data. Through this process, they develop an understanding of grammar, syntax, and even semantic nuances. By leveraging this knowledge, these models can generate coherent and contextually relevant responses when given a prompt or query.

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Cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations operate, enabling scalability and helping businesses remain agile in ever-changing landscapes. However, what may have originally been touted as a cost-saving solution has become increasingly difficult to manage. 

Hyperscaler cloud services have the potential to offer huge cost savings due to their economies of scale. However, these savings may not always be passed down to customers. Moreover, the opaque pricing models of the larger service providers make the accurate estimation of costs difficult. The ease of provisioning resources in the cloud can also lead to significant overspending if not properly managed. Yet there are a variety of methods that can help cloud users better manage their increasing costs. Through the correct management, users can both reduce their cloud spend and better anticipate their monthly bill. 

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No one would dispute that communication is vital, if not the most critical factor, to the success of any organization. But in the now not-so-new remote and hybrid work environment, it is harder than ever before to maintain the same level of communication, collaboration, speed -- and therefore productivity -- that was once available in the office environment.  

As enterprises look to technology to navigate the challenges of remote and hybrid working, providing tools that help employees work in a safe and secure manner is now, more than ever, an enabler of business success. Equipping employees with full-featured mobile messaging and collaboration tools with built-in security, control, and compliance is essential for helping them safely succeed in the digital world of work. 

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New research from Lookout finds that 40 percent of security pros have no clue about the UK Cyber Essentials framework -- the government backed program that aims to help UK organizations improve their cyber resiliency against the most common cyberattacks.

The research, carried out at Infosecurity Europe, surveyed 246 security professionals and finds only 28 percent of organizations had fully implemented Cyber Essentials. Of those that had not implemented the scheme, 58 percent say a lack of awareness or understanding is the reason why they hadn't.

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Over the past decade data modeling -- setting up data structures aligned to business requirements -- has tended to take something of a back seat as businesses have rushed to bring products to market.

But we're producing more data than ever and need ways to process it effectively. That's why Satish Jayanthi, CTO and co-founder at Coalesce, believes it's time for data modeling to make a comeback in enterprise strategy. We spoke to him to find out more.

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Apple has acknowledged a flaw in its Screen Time software that means children may be able to access their iPhones and iPads longer than their parents would like.

A bug in the Downtime feature can cause Screen Time settings to reset so unlimited access is possible. Apple has confirmed that it is aware of the issue and it working to "improve the situation". But users may have doubts about the importance the company is placing on developing a fix; the bug has existed for months, and has persisted through a patch that was supposed to address the flaw back in May.

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As we become increasingly mobile, the need for compact and efficient tools to enhance our tech-enabled lives grows too. With this in mind, Sabrent has launched its all-new USB4 Travel Hub (HB-U4HP). This device is compatible with Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, and Android.

Designed to provide the flexibility to connect a variety of USB-C devices, this USB4 hub offers impressive speed and compatibility, capable of transfers at up to 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) per port and an outstanding 40Gbps total upstream to host. With three USB-C ports (two for data and one for power delivery input) and a single USB-A port for legacy devices, the Travel Hub takes care of all your connectivity needs.

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Cybersecurity has become one most crucial aspects of many organizations due to the speed at which cyber threats evolve. The "speed of cybersecurity" makes it vital to have timely and agile defense measures to detect, analyze, and mitigate cyber risks -- as it is the only way to stay ahead of attackers and protect assets in an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world. 

New technologies like cloud computing and automation have led to transformative changes in cybersecurity, though these changes weren’t immediate. The use of the cloud within other IT teams advanced much faster than it did in cybersecurity departments, as security teams were hesitant to cede control to technologies in the hands of others.  

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With so many apps and websites vying for our attention, notifications and alerts have become part and parcel of being a technology user. For some time, Microsoft has used the Windows 11 system tray to indicate that there are notifications that should be looked at -- but this notification indicator is about to become less useful.

In the latest build of the operating system, the company has made an unusual change that means the system tray no longer shows how many notifications are there, just the fact that there are notifications. It is not clear what prompted the decision to remove notification counts, but is likely to be a polarizing change.

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Fans of lightweight Linux distributions, please prepare yourself for some excitement. You see, 4MLinux 43.0 has achieved stable status! Yes, folks, you can download version 43.0 of the operating system now.

For those seeking efficient productivity tools, the 4MLinux 43.0 series boasts LibreOffice 7.5.5, a powerful option for document editing. It further includes GNOME Office software such as AbiWord 3.0.5, GIMP 2.10.34, and Gnumeric 1.12.55, offering a well-rounded solution for a diverse range of tasks.

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