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.
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.
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.
Epic calls Google 'irresponsible' for exposing Fortnite security flaw
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.
Report: Apple to launch three iPhones later this year
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.
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.
Shooting at Madden NFL 19 tournament leaves three dead
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.
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.
Fortnite installer had a serious security flaw that Google just revealed
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.
Microsoft's Your Phone Android app now available for Windows 10 Release Preview Insiders
A week ago, Microsoft made its new Your Phone app available to all Windows 10 users. The app, which lets you sync content directly from a phone to a Windows 10 PC, was pulled shortly afterwards, as it transpired it was released accidentally.
Fast ring Insiders were still able to access and use the app though, and today Microsoft makes it available to Insiders on the Release Preview ring as well (this is the ring in which you run the current, public version of Windows 10 but still get early access to updates, applications and drivers).
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17746 to the Fast ring
If you’re a Fast ring Insider, you’ll be aware that new builds of the next Windows 10 feature update -- 1809, aka Redstone 5 -- are coming thick and fast these days, as Microsoft works hard to get it finished in time for its Fall release.
Three days ago, the software giant rolled out Build 17744, and today we get Build 17746.
You can now power your Raspberry Pi over Ethernet
The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ launched five months ago and as well as being faster, with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, it came with the ability to be powered through Power over Ethernet (PoE) via a HAT.
Today the Raspberry Pi Foundation announces that the HAT is now available to buy, and at a reasonable price too.
T-Mobile hacked -- over 2 million accounts exposed
T-Mobile has revealed that it fell victim to a security incident earlier in the week, and details of around 2.3 million accounts were accessed.
The hack attack took place on Monday, August 20, and while T-Mobile stresses that no financial data was taken, it concedes that it detected "unauthorized capture of some information". The exposed data includes names, billing zip code, phone number, email address, account number and account type, which would be enough for hackers to launch successful phishing attacks.
Does your website risk leaking personal data?
Recent scandals surrounding the use of personal data, such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal, plus the large fines that can be levied under GDPR, have focused minds on the protection of information.
But is your website at risk of exposing your visitors' data? Auditing and monitoring specialist DataTrue has produced an infographic looking at the risks site tags may pose to privacy.
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