Latest Technology News

Samsung unveils blazing fast NVMe-based Thunderbolt 3 Portable SSD X5

NVMe solid state drives are one of the best PC innovations ever. This storage is insanely fast, making SATA SSDs look slow in comparison. Seriously, folks, a quality NVMe drive will make your computer scream.

Today, Samsung announces a new Thunderbolt 3 SSD that uses NVMe storage. In other words, it is an external drive that matches the ultra fast speeds found in internal variants. Called "Portable SSD X5," it will be sold in three capacities -- 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Not only is it fast, but quite beautiful too. As you can expect, the X5 is very pricey.

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Email security systems miss thousands of malicious links

Malicious email

A new study from email security company Mimecast shows that malicious links in emails are being missed by many security systems.

Mimecast examined more than 142 million emails that had passed through organizations' email security vendors. The latest results reveal 203,000 malicious links within 10,072,682 emails were deemed safe by other security systems -- a ratio of one unstopped malicious link for every 50 emails inspected.

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New real-time dashboard helps resolve live streaming issues

Live stream

Live streaming is increasingly popular, not just for entertainment but for business use too. However, poor quality streaming with pauses and drop outs can rapidly lose you an audience.

Live streaming specialist Mux is aiming to address these problems with the launch of its new Real-Time Streaming Dashboard, designed to help video engineers and product managers detect live stream issues in real-time.

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Fileless malware attacks rise 94 percent in 2018

Malware magnifier

The first half of 2018 has seen a 94 percent rise in fileless malware attacks according to the latest Enterprise Risk Index Report from endpoint security company SentinelOne.

It also finds that PowerShell attacks jumped to a record of 5.2 attacks per 1000 endpoints, compared to 2.5 in May. Ransomware attacks remain popular too, ranging from 5.6 to 14.4 attacks per 1000 endpoints.

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TP-Link announces a trio of new Kasa Smart light bulbs to brighten your day

In 2018, the smart home market is absolutely exploding. There are more and more smart products being released every day. Using myself as an example, I have a smart thermostat, smart sprinkler controller, Wi-Fi security cameras, and more. My favorite smart home product category, however, is lighting. Being able to turn lights on and off using an app or my voice feels both futuristic and magical. I particularly like the ability to turn on the lights remotely when away from home -- my dog doesn't have to sit in the dark when I am out late.

TP-Link is a company that manufactures exceptional networking hardware and devices at affordable prices. Its routers are legendary with cost-conscious consumers. Today, the popular brand unveils a trio of new smart light bulbs. Using its "Kasa Smart" branding, there is the KL110, KL120, and KL130 -- all of which are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

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Microsoft Windows task scheduler 0-day outed on Twitter

Angled Microsoft logo

A privilege escalation bug has been discovered in Windows' task scheduler and revealed on Twitter. A proof-of-concept has been published, and the vulnerability has been confirmed to be present in a "fully-patched 64-bit Windows 10 system".

The security flaw was exposed on Twitter by user SandboxEscaper -- who has since deleted his or her account. An advisory about the vulnerability has been posted on CERT/CC, and Microsoft says that it is working to fix the problem.

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Xbox All Access is Microsoft’s latest scheme to catch up with Sony PlayStation 4

Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are great consoles, but let’s be honest — Sony is dominating Microsoft. Many true gamers simply prefer the PS4 thanks to its superior game library. Sony’s success isn’t Microsoft’s failure, however — there is enough room for both.

With all of that said, Microsoft is probably very embarrassed to be perceived as the big loser for this generation of video game consoles. Desperate to catch up with Sony, today, the Windows-maker unveils it’s latest scheme — Xbox All Access.

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New Kodi 18 'Leia' Beta arrives, download it now!

The Kodi Foundation is hard at work polishing up the next big version of its hugely popular home theater software -- Kodi 18 'Leia'. The finished update is expected to roll out later this year, but today the team announces it has arrived at an important milestone.

The first beta of the new software is now available for anyone to download, and 18 has a lot of new features and improvements. Check out the changelog for details.

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UBports Foundation releases Linux-based Ubuntu Touch OTA-4

Canonical once had an ambitious vision of making Ubuntu a dynamic operating system that would scale to desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Unfortunately, this goal was ultimately a failure -- the Ubuntu Touch plan was abandoned. Later, the much-maligned Unity environment was killed off. Why did it all fail? Quite simply, as Microsoft learned with Windows Phone, it is pretty much impossible to compete with Google and Apple in mobile. Android and iOS are just too mature and too good. Ubuntu Touch had no real chance due to a lack of apps and device support.

For those that still own devices compatible with Ubuntu Touch, all is not lost. You see, the UBports Foundation has picked up development. Today, the foundation releases version OTA-4, which is based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. It is chock-full of improvements, but unfortunately, despite the "OTA" name, you apparently cannot upgrade over the air.

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Epic calls Google 'irresponsible' for exposing Fortnite security flaw

Fortnite for Android

The CEO of Epic Games has slammed Google's "irresponsible" disclosure of a security bug in its hit game Fortnite. Tim Sweeney accused Google of trying to "score cheap PR points" by revealing a vulnerability in the game's installer.

Epic chose to bypass Google Play when it released Fortnite for Android leading to concerns about security. On Friday, Google revealed details of a security flaw that could be exploited to secretly install malware onto people's phones.

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Report: Apple to launch three iPhones later this year

Apple store sign

Following the success of the iPhone X, the tech world is waiting to see what Apple has up its sleeve next -- and with new devices expected to be announced mid-September, we shouldn't have to wait too long to find out. Now a new report suggests that next month we'll see not just one or two new iPhones... but three.

Citing "people familiar with the matter", Bloomberg says that Apple is set to launch no fewer than three handsets with the full-screen look of the current iPhone X. The trio of phones has been designed to have broader appeal with a wider range of pricing, sources say.

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Creative unveils Sound BlasterX G6 USB DAC for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One

While your computer's onboard sound might be "good enough," if you are serious about audio quality, it would be wise to invest in a sound card. USB variants in particular are a great way to easily update your desktop or laptop's sound. This won't just benefit listening to movies and music, but in some cases, gaming too.

Creative has long manufactured superior PC sound hardware -- its "Sound Blaster" products are legendary. Today, the company announces its latest such offering. Called "Sound BlasterX G6," the USB DAC offers an insane 130dB dynamic range. Best of all, it is compatible with PC (Windows and macOS), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It will probably work with Linux-based operating systems -- such as Ubuntu and Fedora -- too.

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Shooting at Madden NFL 19 tournament leaves three dead

GLHF Game Bar

Three people have been killed and several injured in a shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. A gunman shot two participants dead before killing himself at the event which was livestreamed on Twitch.

Police say that in addition to the three fatalities, eleven people were injured in the shooting. The shooter has been named as David Katz from Baltimore; he is said to have become angry after losing the tournament and pulled out a handgun.

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Apple replaced my butterfly keyboard

Yesterday, the local Apple Store emailed that my wife's former 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar was ready. We picked up the laptop hours later. If you haven't heard about specks of debris causing MBP keyboard failure, I can confirm from our experience that such problem occurs. In mid-June 2018, Apple initiated a free repair program, which we used last week with surprisingly positive results.

I purchased the custom-configured MBP in mid-November 2016, and right out of the box the spacebar occasionally skipped. The malfunctioning worsened over time, and, coincidentally (or not), reached crisis a few days after Apple admitted to problems with the Butterfly keyboard. The spacebar became stiff to touch, requiring considerable pressure to push, sometimes working but more often not.

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Fortnite installer had a serious security flaw that Google just revealed

Fortnite logo

It seems that the concerns about Fortnite's security were well-founded -- although not necessarily for the reasons some people might have expected. Epic Games has been criticized for its decision not to make Fortnite available through Google Play, leading Google to show warnings to anyone conducting searches for the game.

Now a Google engineer just revealed that the first version of Epic's installer had a serious security vulnerability, placing Android users at risk. A post on Google's Issue Tracker shows that the installer could be abused to secretly download and install any app with any level of permissions -- a Man-in-the-Disk exploit.

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