Technology Updates

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Lenovo Smart Display Review: Google Shows Off

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Lenovo Smart Display Review: Google Shows Off

Google Assistant finally gets a screen, making it an ideal kitchen companion. Our full review of the 8-inch and 10-inch models.

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Moto Z3 Play Review: Unlocked and Loaded

Motorola goes all-in on Mods and glass with its new Moto Z3 phones. Our full WIRED review.

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TechNewsWorld

Virus Attack on Chipmaker Could Delay Next iPhone

A computer virus over the weekend disrupted the operations of the Asian manufacturer that makes chips for the iPhone and other devices offered by top shelf high-tech companies. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said that a virus outbreak Friday evening affected a number of computer systems and fab tools at its facilities in Taiwan. The incident likely will cause shipment delays and create additional costs, the company said, as well as a 3 percent reduction in revenue and a 1 percent decline in gross margins in the third quarter.

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CEO Ousters: Is Elon Musk Next?

For pretty much my entire career, CEOs have been almost invulnerable. Even when Steve Jobs, Apple's founder and lead spokesperson, tried to get then-CEO John Scully fired from Apple, he lost and got fired himself. I've watched CEOs at companies with zero-tolerance employee dating policies have affairs with subordinates and get a pass. Even though Jobs went behind his board's back to issue himself stock options, he survived that during his term as CEO. Things have changed. Almost every week, another CEO bites the dust for misbehavior.

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BBC News - Technology

Lombok quake: Facebook 'regrets' earthquake balloons

The social network played a festive animation to Indonesian speakers posting about a tragedy.

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Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Google Android 9 Pie: The 5 Best New Features

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Google Android 9 Pie: The 5 Best New Features

Here are five key features from Android Pie, which was released today.

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BBC News - Technology

Ola to challenge Uber in UK ride-hailing market

Mammoth Indian ride-hailing firm Ola - with 125 million customers - continues its global expansion.

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German couple jailed for selling son to paedophiles on dark net

A court in Freiburg gives long jail terms to a couple who sold their son to paedophiles.

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TechNewsWorld

Behind Apple's Trillion-Dollar Company Numbers

Apple is one of the most popular and powerful companies in the United States, and last week it became the most valuable as well. That news brought back some personal memories of my time at IBM, when it was the most powerful and valuable technology company in the world. For a long time, it seemed virtually untouchable. However, IBM went off the rails in the late 1980s, and by the early 1990s the stock had collapsed, the CEO had been fired, and the company had announced massive, historic layoffs.

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Monday, August 6, 2018

Best Point and Shoot Cameras (2018): Canon, Sony, Olympus

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Best Point and Shoot Cameras (2018): Canon, Sony, Olympus

Ditch the DSLR and say "sayonara, smartphone" with these awesome compact cameras.

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BBC News - Technology

What's life as a YouTube child star really like?

JD and Arabella Daho went viral on YouTube at a very young age. But they've also been the subject of abuse - both online and off.

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Mars pulls ads from YouTube drill videos

The firm says it was "unacceptable" its brands were appearing next to the controversial rap content.

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Sunday, August 5, 2018

Fortnite to skip Google Play on Android

BBC News - Technology

Fortnite to skip Google Play on Android

Epic Games confirms Fortnite will bypass the Google Play app store when it appears on Android.

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Gear Latest

BioLite FirePit Review: A More Civilized Fire

Thanks to a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth-compatibility, you can get all the coziness and conviviality of a wood fire—without the hassle.

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TechNewsWorld

Microsoft Surface Go Earns Strong Marks

Early reviews of the Microsoft Surface Go two-in-one, now available in stores, mainly have been positive. "This Surface Go is far closer to what people seem to want in a small product that's more focused on productivity than the iPad has yet been able to deliver," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Reviewers have compared it favorable to Apple's iPad and Google's Chromebook. Education "and perhaps millennials" will be the strongest markets for the Surface Go, suggested Enderle.

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Samsung's Foldable Smartphone Slated for Next Year: Report

Samsung plans to launch a foldable-screen smartphone early next year, according to reports, possibly priced around $1,500. Samsung's foldable phone will resemble a book, with the main display inside the covers, said Ken Hyers, director of the emerging device strategies service at Strategy Analytics. The exterior will have a smaller notification display on the front, and a camera, or cameras, on the back. The main display will have a 7.3-inch screen. The foldable smartphone may have a 3,000 mAh battery or larger.

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Ribbons and Tabs Give OnlyOffice Suite a Fresh Look

Ascensio System SIA recently released its free office suite upgrade -- OnlyOffice Desktop Editors -- with a ribbon and tab interface plus numerous updated features. The refresh makes version 5.1 a potential alternative to Web versions of the Microsoft Office suite and Google Docs for Linux users. The three-module set of OnlyOffice Desktop Editors has an impressive collection of tools geared toward individual consumers and small offices. It provides many of the conveniences available when using MS Word or Google G-Suite apps.

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Saturday, August 4, 2018

Best Weekend Deals: SNES Classic, Apple Watch, Dell XPS

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Best Weekend Deals: SNES Classic, Apple Watch, Dell XPS

What's on your weekend shopping list? Roku, Apple, and Nintendo have a few ideas.

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Friday, August 3, 2018

Amazon tax bill falls despite profits leap

BBC News - Technology

Amazon tax bill falls despite profits leap

The online retail giant paid £1.7m in corporate tax even though profits almost trebled.

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Gear Latest

You Won't Miss Brookstone, But You Should

Brookstone has declared bankruptcy, and will shutter its 101 retail locations in malls across the United States.

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TechNewsWorld

7 Ways to Supercharge Your Netflix Experience

We've all been there: scrolling through a seemingly never-ending carousel of shows and movies available on Netflix, trying to find the one thing we might want to sit down and enjoy. Except we often end up spending more time looking for something to kick back and view than actually watching the thing itself. But fear not! You too can optimize your Netflix viewing experience, both in terms of finding something you want to watch, and amplifying how you watch it. Here's how.

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Thursday, August 2, 2018

Homeland Security Unveils Center to Combat Cyberthreats

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Homeland Security Unveils Center to Combat Cyberthreats

The Homeland Security Department has announced the National Risk Management Center, part of a new effort to combat cyberthreats to the U.S. The new agency's mission will be to defend the critical infrastructure through greater cooperation between the public and private sectors. The center will bring together government experts and industry partners to work out ways that the government can support the partners. The idea is to create a single point of access to all government resources that can be used to defend against cyberthreats.

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Gear Latest

Best Sonos Setup: Which Sonos Speakers, Soundbars Should You Buy?

We’ve tested every Sonos speaker and Soundbar at WIRED. We like them all, but which ones are worth buying?

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BBC News - Technology

Google in China: Internet giant 'plans censored search engine'

The US giant is reportedly developing a search engine that would block sensitive queries.

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Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Edge of Belgravia Shiroi Hana Knife Set: Price, Specs, Release Date

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Edge of Belgravia Shiroi Hana Knife Set: Price, Specs, Release Date

Edge of Belgravia’s new $299 Japanese-steel knife set will inspire your most wishful culinary dreams.

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TechNewsWorld

Televerde's Michelle Cirocco: Tech Enables Trust

"Everybody's using technologies like artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, marketing automation tools, search engine marketing and lead analytics tools," said Michelle Cirocco, head of global marketing for Televerde. "We're using all these tools and technologies to identify who we should communicate with, and we use them to set the stage for our marketing and demand-generation efforts, and to get our names or clients' names in front of their prospects. Ultimately, though, our real goal is to build relationships."

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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Dixons Carphone says data breach affected 10 million

BBC News - Technology

Dixons Carphone says data breach affected 10 million

The Carphone Warehouse and Currys PC World owner says details of 10 million customers have been affected.

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Uber halts development of self-driving trucks

The ride-hailing firm says it will now focus solely on the development of self-driving cars.

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TechNewsWorld

AI and the Future of Your Job

I just finished The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity, and it was one hell of a read. A lot of us are concerned about the coming of robots that arguably will be more capable than we are. This book likely will make some feel a tad more comfortable about the future, because it points out in some detail that a lot of the blue-collar jobs that supposedly would be going to these metallic false humans won't be. On the other hand, a lot of white color jobs probably won't be around for long.

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Gear Latest

Blueair Sense+ Review: Breathe Easy With This Wi-Fi-Enabled Air Purifier

Check on indoor air pollutants and bid them begone with Blueair's smart air purifier.

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Monday, July 30, 2018

Argos catalogue reveals unannounced DJI Mavic drone

BBC News - Technology

Argos catalogue reveals unannounced DJI Mavic drone

The store's literature has photos and technical details of the as yet unannounced Mavic 2 Pro drone.

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BT loses TV rights for 'ultimate fighting' and NBA basketball

The firm is understood to have lost the rights to broadcast NBA basketball and UFC ultimate fighting.

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Gear Latest

How to Pick the Perfect Phone Case

Protect your phone—and your sanity—with this helpful expert guidance.

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Sunday, July 29, 2018

Fake news 'crowding out' real news, MPs say

BBC News - Technology

Fake news 'crowding out' real news, MPs say

New laws must be introduced to clamp down on the "wild west" social media world, MPs say.

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TechNewsWorld

The Transportation Revolution: Much More Than Self-Driving Cars

The autonomous car has thrown the automotive industry -- an industry that is notoriously slow to change -- into the forefront of technology. The autonomous car has become a technology catalyst because it requires innovation in many areas, ranging from processor and sensor technology to AI. As with all new technologies, the industry rushes to focus on consumers because they represent the billion-dollar pot of gold, but as with many other new technologies, it is the industrial applications that are likely to take hold first.

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Gear Latest

When in Nature, Google Lens Does What the Human Brain Can’t

The visual search tool can identify a California poppy or Pacific poison oak with a single photo, bringing you deeper into the nature around you.

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Saturday, July 28, 2018

Weekend Tech Deals: Google Pixelbook, Vizio, Apple Watch

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Weekend Tech Deals: Google Pixelbook, Vizio, Apple Watch

Whether you're looking for a discounted 4K TV or an affordable Apple Watch, we have deals for you.

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TechNewsWorld

Lenovo Smart Display Shows Loads of Potential

Lenovo's Smart Display with Google Assistant has hit the market. There are two versions of the device, one with an 8-inch full HD screen and the other with a 10-inch full HD screen, priced at $200 and $250 respectively. "The cost is significantly below an iPad mini and it offers far more functionality than just a digital picture frame or a Bluetooth speaker," said Alan Lepofsky, principal analyst at Constellation Research. Buyers will get three months' free access to YouTube Premium. The Lenovo Smart Display runs on Google's Android Things OS.

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BBC News - Technology

Fake news a democratic crisis for UK, MPs warn

Social media sites should face regulation, the committee investigating fake news proposes.

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Friday, July 27, 2018

Facebook stops InfoWars host posting for 30 days

BBC News - Technology

Facebook stops InfoWars host posting for 30 days

The suspension comes after videos posted by the channel were found to break Facebook's policies.

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TechNewsWorld

Earrings With Earphones and a Smartphone Bonanza

Swings Bluetooth Earrings with built-in earphones showcase a practical, clever idea for people with pierced ears. Swings certainly could fix the problem of losing Apple's expensive AirPods to the ether or having to root around in one's pockets or purse to find one's tangled-up headset. The earphones are in the lower part of what look like beaded earrings, and the motion accelerators determine when you have swiveled them to nestle inside your auricle. You can expect five hours of listening time out of the Swings on a single charge.

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Gear Latest

Presto Nomad Review: A Portable Slow-Cooker With Serious Smarts

Presto rethinks the staid slow-cooker with a fun and portable design.

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Thursday, July 26, 2018

Russian Hackers Have Invaded Hundreds of US Utilities: Report

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Russian Hackers Have Invaded Hundreds of US Utilities: Report

Hundreds of U.S. utilities were penetrated by Russian hackers who could have disrupted the nation's power grid. The attacks were launched last year by threat actors belonging to a group known as "Dragonfly" or "Energetic Bear," which is sponsored by the Russian government, according to a report. The hackers used Black Hat tools such as phishing and waterhole traps to obtain credentials from legitimate users and leverage them to gain access to the utilities. It's unusual for the DHS to call out a nation-state attacker by name.

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Gear Latest

Microsoft's Xbox Adaptive Controller Gets an Accessible Box Design

Microsoft prioritizes accessibility with an innovative package design for its new Xbox controller for disabled gamers.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Sony's 48MP Sensor Delivers Greater Detail Despite Shrunken Pixels

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Sony's 48MP Sensor Delivers Greater Detail Despite Shrunken Pixels

Mobile phone cameras are about to get a significant performance boost. Sony on Monday introduced a 48-megapixel sensor for cellphone cameras that measures less than one-third of an inch diagonally. The sensor is slated for release in September. To pack that many pixels into such tight quarters, Sony had to shrink their size to 8 microns. Shrinking pixel sizes usually results in performance degradation, not improvement. It usually results in poor light collection and a drop in saturation sensitivity and volume.

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Next Up, Game Consoles: Is There Anything Google Can't Do Badly?

It's interesting to compare Google and Amazon -- two of the most incredibly powerful companies in the world. Amazon brings out product after product, with more successes than failures. Google largely buys companies and then loses interest in what they do. Amazon is a retailer, and profit is built into its efforts, while Google largely lives off selling users' information and providing access to content that doesn't belong to it -- kind of like living off an allowance from parents who don't really want to give it but don't see an alternative.