Latest Technology News

Opera Software has released Opera 64, the latest major update to its Chromium-based web browser for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The major highlight of this new release is the addition of built-in protection against tracking.

Opera claims the new feature, which sits alongside existing VPN and ad-blocking tools, makes the browser 20 percent faster than previous releases. Elsewhere, the browser’s Snapshot screengrab tool also gains several improvements.

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After a period of beta testing, Apple has released macOS 10.15 Catalina for everyone. There's quite a lot to the latest version of the operating system, including the break-up of iTunes, an update to Sidecar that lets you use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac, and numerous security updates.

However, the dropping of support for 32-bit apps (Catalina is fully 64-bit), means some people installing the free update are finding that the apps they rely on no longer work. More than this, Apple has even gone as far as warning people who are reliant on XML files -- such as DJs -- to hold off installing the update for the time being

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Chromebooks used to be glorified web browsers running atop the Linux kernel, but these days, they are far more useful. If you need more than just web apps, you can now run Android apps and traditional desktop Linux programs on Chrome OS. Best of all, you can run them all side by side, making it all feel like a cohesive experience -- it doesn't feel like you are using a mixture of software intended for different platforms.

Today, Samsung launches its latest Chrome OS laptops -- the 11.6-inch Chromebook 4 and 15.6-inch Chromebook 4+. The former weighs just 2.6 pounds, while the latter is a heftier 3.75 pounds. Both laptops are powered by the same Intel Celeron N4000 CPU, and you can choose between 4GB and 6GB of RAM. Strangely, there is no option for 8GB of memory. Storage options are 32GB or 64GB, and sadly, regardless of capacity, you will get a sluggish eMMC drive. Both machines have USB-C and micro SD readers, which is cool, but the Wi-Fi is only 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) -- not the newer 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).

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Windows Insiders provide feedback on new test builds of Windows 10, and Microsoft has frequently talked up the importance of the community in relation to the development and direction of its newest operating system. In reality, however, Insiders mostly just identify bugs for Microsoft to (maybe) fix.

In recent months there has been a lot of negativity surrounding the quality control of Windows 10, with updates breaking everything from printers to the Start menu.

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Amazon has launched a child-friendly version of its Kindle ereader -- the Kindle Kids Edition.

At $110, this special edition device is slightly more expensive than the cheapest Kindle, but it has one massive advantage that will appeal to parents, kids and others: it is free from ads. But there are lots of other features to cater for young readers, including access to more than 1,000 books, and achievements to encourage reading.

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Email is now the preferred communication method for businesses, but this brings with it greater risk of employees leaking data due to errors or deliberate activity.

A survey from data security company Egress shows that of employees who had accidentally shared data almost half (48 percent) say they had been rushing, 30 percent blamed a high-pressure working environment and 29 percent said it happened because they were tired.

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Back in April, teardown site iFixit took an in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Following complaints and intervention from Samsung, however, the teardown was removed from the site.

Now iFixit has taken a look at the redesigned Galaxy Fold and, while it found that things have improved since the first version, there is still cause for concern. As well as pointing out that there are plenty of points of entry for dirt, dust and other debris, iFixit also says: "You wouldn't even have to drop this thing to break it, meaning screen replacements seem inevitable, and that's a scary thought".

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Adobe has released major new versions of its entry level image and video-editing suites with the joint release of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 and Adobe Premiere Elements 2020 for Windows and Mac.

Both new products add a smattering of new features to add to their already rich capabilities. Photoshop Elements includes the ability to automatically colorize photos and select subjects in a photo with a single click, while Premiere Elements adds a feature to reduce grain from noisy videos.

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Unless you are a gamer or enthusiast, owning a desktop computer these days is sort of, well... stupid. Look, even if you do most of your computing at a desk, you should still buy a laptop. Why? Think about it -- a desktop keeps you tethered to one place, while a notebook is portable. Thanks to Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C, you can use your laptop as a makeshift desktop by using a docking station. In other words, you can connect your notebook to a monitor, keyboard, mouse, web cam, external hard dive -- pretty much anything you need. The dock will charge and power your computer too. A traditional desktop is very limiting.

One such docking station that piqued my interest recently is a Thunderbolt 3 model by StarTech.com. Called "TB3CDK2DP," it has a very unique feature -- it is compatible with USB-C laptops that are lacking TB3. In other words, if you have a Thunderbolt 3 laptop, this dock will work in full TB3 mode. If you have another computer that only has a regular USB-C, however, it will function in a USB mode. This essentially gives you the best of both worlds. I have been testing this docking station extensively with a MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3, as well as a Windows 10 laptop and Chromebook that only have USB-C and not TB3. Unfortunately, I do not have a Windows machine with Thunderbolt 3.

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Ransomware is a pervasive problem, and for victims it can be difficult to know whether paying up will help them to regain access to their maliciously encrypted files. So when ransomware decryption keys are released free of charge, it's always good news -- and this is exactly what has happened for HildaCrypt.

The developer of this particular strain of ransomware has released the decryption keys after a security researcher shared detailed of what was initially thought to be a new type of ransomware.

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Microsoft has had an appalling run of problematic Windows 10 updates recently, and the spate of dodgy patches shows no signs of letting up.

With the recently released KB4517211 update, users are now reporting problems using Windows 10's search function, as well as finding that the update is preventing VMWare Workstation from launching.

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If you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus that won't start up, you are not alone. Apple has acknowledged a problem with a batch of handsets that means some iPhone purchased in the last year cannot be turned on.

Apple says that handsets bought between October 2018 to August 2019 are affected, and the problems stems from the failure of an unnamed component. The company has launched a free repair program for anyone experiencing the issue.

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Another update for Windows, and another set of unwanted side effects. Continuing Microsoft's recent run of problematic updates, users are reporting that KB4524147 is killing the Windows 10 Start menu.

KB4524147 was supposed to fix -- among other things -- a printing problem that was introduced by the KB4522016 cumulative update. But rather than helping, this latest update seems to be making things worse, resulting in people seeing the error message "Your Start menu isn't working. We’ll try to fix it next time you sign in".

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Earlier this week, Microsoft unveiled several new devices, such as Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3, Surface Neo, and Surface Duo. What has many consumers excited, however, is the Surface Pro X. This new 13-inch tablet is designed to compete with the iPad Pro. Despite being powered by an ARM Processor, Surface Pro X can run legacy Windows software, making it very attractive to those that rely on Windows but want a svelte device with long battery life.

Like other Surface Pro devices, the X can double as a laptop with a keyboard attachment -- sold separately of course. They keyboard is quite cool, as it has a dedicated place to store the optional Surface Slim pen; the stylus wirelessly charges while stowed away too.

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Three-hundred-and-fifty-five 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 unveiled a range of new Surface devices this weeks and a new version of Windows 10 that it calls Windows 10X.

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