Microsoft U-turns on Xbox Live Gold price increase after backlash from gamers
Microsoft increased the price of Xbox Live Gold yesterday, albeit briefly. The company announced that the cost of one-month membership would go up by $1 per month, with three-month membership increasing by $5.
Unsurprisingly, gamers were not happy at the prospect of paying more, and there was a vocal outcry at what Microsoft had planned. Ever conscious of keeping the customer happy, the company has now backtracked and said that pricing will stay the same. But more than this, it is now possible to play free-to-play games without an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
Microsoft releases KB4598298 update to fix Windows 10 crashes and restart problems
We might only be three weeks into 2021, but Microsoft has already issued a number of patches for Windows 10 -- and now it's time for another one. If you have been experiencing unexpected restarts in Windows 10, or crashes when using BitLocker, there's a new update for you to install.
Microsoft has released the KB4598298 update to fix a number of issues including BitLocker-related crashes, and restarts caused by exception code 0xc0000005 (Access Violation) in LSASS.exe. Before you rush to grab the update, however, it's worth noting that there is a known issue relating to system and user certificates that you should be aware of.
Are you overpaying for SQL Server licensing?
If you use SQL Server, you know there is a significant price difference between the Standard and Enterprise editions. If you have had the Enterprise version for a while, you probably bought it for features not available at the time in the Standard version. But over the past few years, things have changed.
Today’s SQL Server Standard edition can make more sense to your organization with its lower license fee without sacrificing performance, features and availability. Its added functionality and resources, such as the increased number of supported cores, increased maximum memory per instance, database snapshots, table/index partitioning, compression, in-memory OLTP, and Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), make it an attractive alternative to the Enterprise edition.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Four-hundred-twenty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft fixed the "Reset this PC" bug that some users were experiencing ever since the release of Windows 10 version 1607.
System76 Darter Pro Linux laptop returns with 11th Gen Intel Core processors
We are well into 2021 now, so we can finally stop thinking about the dumpster fire that was 2020. Instead, we can focus on more important things, such as Linux! Yes, folks, Linux is still going full steam ahead -- look out, Microsoft! And yes, companies such as System76 are still selling computers running operating systems based on the open source kernel.
Speaking of that company, today, System76's popular Darter Pro makes a return to its Linux laptop lineup. This new model of the 15.6-inch notebook is notable for having cutting-edge 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Iris Xe graphics. Of course, that is hardly the only exciting thing here -- it also features speedy PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage, Thunderbolt 4, and Wi-Fi 6. Not to mention, it uses System76's Open Firmware with coreboot.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 21296
For the previous two Windows 10 Dev Channel Insider builds Microsoft has focused mainly on the 'news and interests' feed it's adding to the taskbar. Today's flight, Build 21296, also for the Dev Channel, moves away from that.
The two big changes and improvements here are to the clipboard history, and Storage Spaces.
10 emerging technologies in 2021
Despite an inarguably terrible year and many concerning events happening around the world -- pandemic notwithstanding -- technology is still advancing at breakneck speeds. That looks to continue well into the coming year, with many fascinating and emergent solutions bubbling to the surface.
Here are 10 emerging technologies everyone should be on the lookout for in 2021:
Beeper is a cross-platform messaging tool that supports iMessage, WhatsApp and more
There are a huge number of messaging apps to choose from these days, and the chances are that many people you know use different chat tools. You may use Facebook Messenger with your family, WhatsApp with friends, and Slack for work, for example.
While there are various apps that claim to unify the chat experience and let you chat across multiple networks, they always miss out an important player. The same cannot be said of Beeper. This app lets you chat with people across no fewer than 15 messaging platforms, including Apple's iMessage, across MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
81 percent of financially motivated attacks are ransomware
Ransomware made up 81 percent of all financially motivated cyberattacks in 2020, according to a new report from Atlas VPN.
The remainder of attacks comprised a variety of approaches including point-of-sale intrusions, eCommerce attacks, business email compromise, and cryptocurrency mining.
2021 set to be the year of the vaccine scammers
The roll out of vaccines is seen as the light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 crisis, but like any major event it's also an opportunity for scammers and cybercriminals.
Deep learning-powered fraud prevention company Bolster has released a new report which finds that leading indicators foreshadow a raft of COVID-19 vaccine scams.
2020 saw fewer data breaches but more records exposed
The number of publicly reported breach events decreased by 48 percent in 2020. However, more than 37 billion records were compromised, an increase of 141 percent.
A report released today by Risk Based Security reveals that this is by far the most records exposed in a single year since the company began reporting in 2005.
Raspberry Pi Pico is a $4 microcontroller for projects
The Raspberry Pi itself is a powerful, low-cost device that can be used for a wide number of tasks, from playing games to learning how to program.
Today, the Raspberry Pi Foundation takes the wraps off Raspberry Pi Pico, a $4 microcontroller designed for physical computing projects. It can be used to control lights, buttons, sensors, motors, and even other microcontrollers.
Millions of Nitro PDF users' passwords exposed in leaked database
It is a few months since Nitro PDF was hit by hackers in a huge data breach. While the stolen data was initially put up for sale, now it has been made available free of charge.
What this means is that a database containing over 77 million user records is now freely available for just about anyone to download. The database weighs in at around 14GB and includes not only names and email addresses, but also passwords.
Careless scammers leave stolen passwords exposed online
Hackers responsible for a large-scale phishing campaign unintentionally left over a thousand sets of stolen log-in credentials accessible to the public via a simple Google search.
The error was uncovered by researchers at Check Point. and Otorio. The stolen credentials were stored in designated web pages on compromised servers.
Samsung making 90Hz OLED laptop displays
Most computer monitors and laptop displays have a 60Hz refresh rate, which is fine for most users. Gaming screens, however, often go much higher. Of course, a higher refresh is not only beneficial to gamers -- all computer users will appreciate the smoothness it can offer. Hell, just moving the mouse cursor around can be rewarding.
While 90Hz is hardly fancy these days (there are much higher refresh rates), it is apparently unheard of on OLED laptop displays. And so, Samsung is doing something about it. You see, the company is getting ready to mass-produce 90Hz OLED screens (primarily 14-inch) for use in upcoming laptops -- an apparent world's first.
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