Microsoft is making Cortana much less useful for most people in a business-focused pivot

Microsoft is planning a major re-focus for Cortana; one that will mean the digital assistant becomes far less useful for most people. When Windows 10 version 2004 (or Windows 10 20H1) arrives, users will lose many of Cortana's consumer and third-party skills as Microsoft gives the assistant more of a business focus. In dropping feature, Microsoft says that Cortana will be "focused on your productivity with enhanced security and privacy". Other significant change is the impending removal of Cortana from the Android Launcher app and a closer relationship with Microsoft 365. See also: Microsoft releases KB4535996 update to fix Windows… [Continue Reading]

How to activate all of Windows 10's secret God Modes

Windows 7 introduced a useful hidden God Mode that displays all of the admin tools and control options on a single screen. Because Microsoft has yet to phase out Control Panel entirely, this feature works just fine in Windows 10. It’s very easy to action God Mode -- you just need to create a folder and give it a special name -- and there’s actually quite a few alternative God Modes available. Here’s what you need to do. To activate God Mode, right-click the desktop and select New > Folder. Highlight this folder, press F2 and name it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} Hit enter. Open… [Continue Reading]

Updated Microsoft Edge will protect you from malware, cyrpto miners and more

With the switch to the Chromium engine, there's a lot more to like about Microsoft Edge these days. Microsoft is now pushing the browser hard, with the promise of serious speed improvements being used as a lure. The latest update offers something extra -- protection against potentially unwanted applications (PUA). Microsoft Edge will now step in and block adware, cryptocurrency miners and other unwanted nonsense, particularly when downloading free software. The Microsoft Edge Team explains how to get the most from the protection. See also: Google displays warning in Microsoft Edge encouraging users to switch to Chrome Microsoft claims massive… [Continue Reading]

Industrial cybersecurity put on notice as state-sponsored attacks persist

The continuing conflict among nations around the globe has been fueling a surge in state-sponsored cyberattacks. Magnallium, a known advanced persistent threat (APT) group linked to Iran, has allegedly been trying to hack the US power grid by password-spraying private networks to potentially gain entry into this critical infrastructure. The act is believed to be part of a possible retaliation by Iran against the US in response to the escalation of military hostilities between the two countries earlier this year. Israel also recently reported to have thwarted hacking attempts on airport systems and planes of world leaders attending the World… [Continue Reading]

'M-m-m-my Corona!' [Humor]

The Coronavirus is everywhere! It’s in the air! It’s in elevators! It’s even crawling its way up through your toilet! There’s no question, this is a major public health crisis, one that requires drastic containment measures. Which is why I am hereby formally declaring war on all things Corona! Anything and everything even tangentially associated with the virus or its name (including its official designation, COVID-19) MUST BE DESTROYED! That includes products and services within the tech industry. For example, did you know that there’s Corona in your laser printer or photocopier? That’s right, every one of these devices includes… [Continue Reading]

Best Windows 10 apps this week

Three-hundred-and-seventy-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. It appears that Microsoft has started to roll out a change to the setup process of Windows 10 that makes it harder to create local accounts on systems. As always, if I've missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email. Discounts this week The following list is a selection of… [Continue Reading]

Arch Linux-based Manjaro MATE 19.0 'Kyria' available for download

A couple days ago, we shared some pretty great news with you -- Manjaro Linux 19.0 "Kyria" was finally available for download. This Arch-based operating system has exploded in popularity lately, so people were obviously excited to get the new version. While Manjaro 19.0 initially came with three desktop environment options (GNOME, KDE, and Xfce) that obviously wasn't enough to please everyone. After all, this is the Linux community we are talking about here -- many users treat distros and desktop environments like tribalism. And so, MATE fans were sadly left out of the party. Today this changes, thankfully, as Manjaro MATE… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases KB4535996 update to fix Windows 10 search and printing problems

Microsoft has released a new cumulative update that, among other things, addresses problems introduced by previous updates to Windows 10. The KB4535996 update applies to both Windows 10 1903 and Windows 10 1909. It fixes issues such as the Wiindows Search box failing to render properly, as well as network printing problems. See also: Google displays warning in Microsoft Edge encouraging users to switch to Chrome Microsoft is making it harder and harder to use a local account in Windows 10 Microsoft Defender ATP preview arrives for Linux distros -- iOS and Android versions to follow While this will be… [Continue Reading]

Why data quality is essential to cloud migration [Q&A]

Migrating to the cloud is an increasingly popular option for businesses, but to be successful the data involved needs to be in good shape. We spoke to Kevin Kline, principal program manager at SentryOne, to find out why the quality of data is so essential to successful migration and what businesses need to do to ensure their migration succeeds. BN: Why is it so important to review your data before migration? KK: It's important to consider validity and quality of data at all times. This need goes all the way back to the early programming concept of 'garbage in, garbage… [Continue Reading]

YouTube TV strikes out with New York Yankees

YouTube TV is without a doubt the best streaming television service, but it is about to lose a lot of subscribers. You see, the TV service has lost the New York Yankees! As a New York Mets fan, this doesn't really bother me, but there are many hardcore Yankees fans in NY, and not watching their games is a huge deal breaker. Sadly, YouTube TV sent out an email alert to its impacted subscribers in the New York area to tell them that at the end of this month, they are losing the Yes Network -- the channel that broadcasts… [Continue Reading]

What will infrastructure and data centers look like by 2025?

What do IT executives think the world is going to look like in five year’s time? To find out INAP presented several five-year predictions to 500 IT leaders and infrastructure managers to collect and analyze their opinions. Among the findings are that 81 percent agree that AI and machine learning will mean most common data center and network tasks will be completely automated. "For the most basic of tasks, technology advancements like AI, Machine Learning, workflow management and others are quickly rising to a place of 'hands off' for those currently managing these tasks," says TJ Waldorf, CMO and head of… [Continue Reading]

Raspberry Pi 4 Linux computer gets twice the RAM and USB-C power fix

The Raspberry Pi line has provided great little Linux computers to nerds -- its low price and small size makes it ideal for tinkering and doing projects. But also, the device has proven to be a solid media device, wonderful for watching videos and emulating classic video games. In other words, it has been a very versatile computer, serving as many things to many people. With the release of the Raspberry Pi 4, however, it finally became powerful enough to serve as a true desktop computer. By installing a Linux distribution, some people can use it for day-to-day computer use,… [Continue Reading]

Blacklisted apps in the Google Play store decrease by 76 percent

Despite a surge in app usage, with consumers downloading over 200 billion apps and spending more than $120 billion in app stores worldwide in 2019, Google's new security controls mean blacklisted apps available in the Play store dropped 76.4 percent. The latest Mobile App Threat Landscape report from RiskIQ shows total blacklisted apps across all stores are down 20 percent. But there are still hundreds of stores across the world in which threat actors can comfortably distribute their wares. The five with the highest concentration of malicious apps are named in the report as: 9Game.com, Feral apps, VmallApps, Xiaomi and… [Continue Reading]

LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen brings much-needed excitement back to Android

There are so many Android phones on the market these days, that it can be hard to get excited. Look, Samsung recently released its Galaxy S20 devices, and for the most part, the world shrugged. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the S20 line is great and all, but overall, the phones have hardly got consumers excited. Not to mention, there are many budget Android smartphones coming out of China nowadays that are actually quite good -- many consumers are starting to wonder why they should continue shelling out the big bucks for the name-brand phones if they are… [Continue Reading]

Why Google is wrong in its fight against Oracle America

"What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine." With all due respect to Pete Townsend and The Who, no, no it’s not. If you take something that’s mine without compensating me for it then it’s stealing, plain and simple. In fact, the concept of private property rights is so fundamental to the American experience that it’s literally baked into our founding documents. Yet, as details surrounding an upcoming Supreme Court case ("Google v Oracle America") attest, the folks at search giant Google appear to think they should operate by different rules than the rest of us. It’s true. The… [Continue Reading]

Google Translate gets quintet of new languages

Things would be much easier if everyone in the world spoke the same language, but sadly, we do not. Inconvenience aside, I suppose there is beauty in each and every language — it might be boring to only have one. Thankfully, thanks to translation technology, it is much easier to communicate with people that speak a different language nowadays. Google Translate, for instance, is a great service that can help people around the world speak with each other. Today, the service gets even better, as the search giant adds five new languages. "Translate learns from existing translations, which are most… [Continue Reading]

Malwarebytes launches enhanced business cloud platform

Malwarebytes is today launching a new set of enhanced enterprise features for its business cloud platform, Malwarebytes Nebula. The platform offers cloud delivery and management across the entire Malwarebytes’ product portfolio including Incidence Response, Endpoint Protection, and Endpoint Detection and Response. Native capabilities include guided UI, threat reporting, and simple API integrations, which enable security teams to overcome gaps in team experience and bandwidth. It also delivers administrative control over endpoint security agents to prevent tampering and features executive reporting to demonstrate the effectiveness of security to management. The company is also launching its MSP Premier Partner Program (MP3) and… [Continue Reading]