Silicon Power launches Blast Plug BP75 and BP80 wireless Bluetooth earbuds

Bluetooth headphones are no longer the future of portable audio -- they are the present. Since Apple killed the 3.5mm audio jack on the iPhone, and many Android manufacturers followed along, wireless headphones have exploded in popularity. And yes, Apple AirPods are leading the trend. The thing is, while AirPods are very popular, they aren’t necessarily the best. In fact, if you are an Android user, you should absolutely look elsewhere. Today, Silicon Power launches two new sets of wireless Bluetooth earbuds with "Blast Plug" branding. Called "BP75" and "BP80," the former can be had in three colors -- white, black,… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft is dramatically improving Bluetooth audio in Windows 10

With the release of Windows 10 Build 21370 yesterday, Microsoft gave us a glimpse of the direction in which it is taking the operating system in the coming months. As ever, the Insider build includes a number of enhancements, and chief among the improvements this time are changes to Bluetooth audio. Perhaps the most exciting change is the arrival of support for Bluetooth AAC, delivering higher quality wireless audio streaming. There's also an important fix for an issue that has plagued people using wireless phones. See also: Microsoft releases PowerToys v0.37.0 -- and it's still missing a key feature Microsoft… [Continue Reading]

Best Windows 10 apps this week

Four-hundred-thirty-six 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. The next feature update for Windows 10 is almost here. Microsoft picked a build for the update this week, which is already available for testing. 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 the best deals.… [Continue Reading]

Security is the top risk to enterprise multi-cloud adoption

New research from IT services provider Ensono finds that security is the biggest concern for IT professionals considering, or already using, multi-cloud strategies. UK IT professionals rate security, governance and cost optimization as their top three concerns for multi-cloud strategies, while security, cost optimization and maintaining a positive end user experience are the top concerns in the US. Managing cloud deployments has led many to look for external support, 43 percent of surveyed IT leaders have turned to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to overcome issues with their multi-cloud strategy. Of those working with MSPs, 46 percent are attracted by… [Continue Reading]

Why the CI/CD pipeline is vulnerable to attack [Q&A]

Recent high-profile supply chain attacks such as SolarWinds have highlighted how vulnerable the software development pipeline can be. To find out more about why the CI/CD pipeline is particularly vulnerable to attacks and what can be done to prevent them, we spoke to Vickie Li, developer evangelist at ShiftLeft, which has just launched a new product, ShiftLeft Illuminate, aimed at reducing risk to the software code base. BN: What is CI/CD? How does it differ from the CI/CD pipeline? VL: Continuous Integration (CI) and continuous delivery/deployment (CD) enables developers to deliver software changes more frequently, seamlessly, and safely. The CI/CD… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases PowerToys v0.37.0 -- and it's still missing a key feature

The development of PowerToys continues, and this widely appreciated labor of love is gradually gaining more and more utilities. The latest instalment in the tool's story sees Microsoft releasing PowerToys v.0.37.0. For now, this is primarily a bug fixing and improvement-introducing release, and some important changes have been made to some of the individual utilities. As of this release, PowerToys now requires at least Windows 10 version 1903 (because of future adoption of WinUI 3). While this requirement will not represent much of an issue for many people, the fact that the eagerly anticipated Video Conference Mute is missing is… [Continue Reading]

Pandora releases a beautiful home screen widget for Apple iPhone and iPad

You know what was funny? The excitement of iPhone users when Apple finally added home screen widget support to iOS. It was comical because Google had widget support on Android pretty much forever. In other words, the Apple faithful were getting all hot and bothered over what Android users considered "old hat." But OK, it doesn't really matter which platform had widgets first -- both Android and iOS/iPadOS have them now. While there has long been a Pandora widget for Android, today, the music streaming company launches a new widget for Apple's mobile devices too -- as long as they… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 21370

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that the Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1) was being prepared for release, with Windows Insiders in the Release Preview ring the first to be offered it. Today, the software giant rolls out a new build to Insiders in the Dev Channel. SEE ALSO: Microsoft's huge change to the Windows 10 taskbar is starting to roll out to all users now Build 21370 improves the Bluetooth audio experience with a unified audio endpoint and support for the AAC codec. There have also been some small adjustments made to icons in File Explorer’s address bar, the touch keyboard… [Continue Reading]

Government sector faces growing danger from cyber threats

We looked last week at how government agencies are adapting to remote working, but a new report from ESET shows they are also facing a growing attack surface and greater challenges from APT groups and cybercriminals. Many of the threats facing government have come from organized criminal groups, which have been increasingly willing to work together towards a common goal. Plus the line between cybercriminals and nation-state actors continues to blur. APT attacks against governments in Europe have continued to grow, with espionage groups like XDSpy using COVID-19 spearphishing attacks to spread malware among Eastern European government entities, and others… [Continue Reading]

New platform helps find and fix security blind spots

The pandemic boost to digital transformation last year has brought security into the spotlight as companies have scrambled to shift almost their entire organization to remote operations. It’s more important than ever for businesses to identify and fix risks that could leave them open to a data breach, which is why RedMonocle is adding new features to its SaaS platform aimed at helping CISOs and other security leaders anticipate threats in their technology security stack. "CISOs are feeling extra pressure this year to minimize security risks across the ever growing security stack while maintaining compliance to security standards and fending… [Continue Reading]

Modernizing data protection becomes a top priority for enterprises

A new study carried out by IDC for cloud data management company Zerto reveals that modernizing data protection, including backup and disaster recovery, is an IT priority that is crucial to digital transformation for 90.8 percent of respondents. It also shows that 94.7 percent have seen an impact to their work-from-home data protection as a result of COVID, and that 80 percent of new applications will be deployed in the cloud or at the edge. The top three IT priorities for organizations as they modernize backup and disaster recovery are seen as: cloud-first deployments, IT transformation, and implementing cloud-based disaster… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft is fixing multiple monitor support in Windows 10 so it remembers window positions

Working with multiple monitors is great -- in theory. The extra space is obviously useful, as is the ability to use different screens to group together related apps, documents and windows. Sadly, Windows 10's implementation of multi-monitor support is a little flawed, particularly when using DisplayPort. Many people with two or more screens will have experienced a problem that sees app windows being randomly rearranged, particularly after a system wakes from sleep. But this should be coming to an end as Microsoft is finally addressing the issue. See also: Microsoft brings taskbar improvements and more to Windows 10 with KB5001391… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft brings taskbar improvements and more to Windows 10 with KB5001391 update

Microsoft has released a new "C" preview update for Windows 10 ahead of May's Patch Tuesday. With the optional KB5001391 update, anyone running Windows 10 2004 and Windows 10 20H2 can get the new News and Interests feature in the taskbar. While there are no security fixes in this update, it is still well worth installing -- not just because of the new taskbar feature, but also because of the number of performance, stability and other non-security issues it addresses. See also: Hidden settings in Windows 10 unlock new Sun Valley floating menus Microsoft issues emergency update to fix game… [Continue Reading]

Ubuntu 21.10 is called 'Impish Indri' -- here is when the Linux distro should be released

Linux distributions and silly names go together like peanut butter and jelly. For whatever reason, the maintainers of these operating systems seem to enjoy having fun with what they call them -- some argue it is childish. Hell, even Google -- a multi-billion dollar company -- once used sugary dessert names for the Linux-based Android operating system. I am glad the search giant stopped that nonsense. One of the most well-known desktop Linux distributions to use funny names is Ubuntu. It famously uses the convention of an adjective and a lesser-known animal, each starting with the same letter. The letter… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft preparing the Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1) for release

Windows 10 Insiders have been testing out the May 2021 Update for a while now, but it won’t be long before the update gets made available to non-Insiders. Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc says that Build 19043.928 is the final build for the May 2021 Update. It will be firstly offered to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel although they will need to request it. If you’re in the Release Preview ring you will be able to get the Update by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and choosing to  install 21H1. Although Build 19043.928 is the build you’ll… [Continue Reading]

Google launches Android Earthquake Alerts System in Greece and New Zealand

While we would all like to think the ground beneath us is stationary, the truth is, this giant sphere we call Earth is constantly moving. Not only is our planet simultaneously rotating and moving around the sun, but sometimes the ground can shake and rumble more than we'd like too. This can happen when the tectonic plates move about too much. This friction is what we call an earthquake. We call it this because a layer of earth beneath us quite literally quakes. These earthquakes aren't just scary -- they can be deadly too. Yes, people can be injured during… [Continue Reading]

Samsung launches Galaxy Book Pro Windows 10 laptops with OLED screens and Wi-Fi 6E

Long gone are the days where Apple was the sole manufacturer of elegant laptops. Quite frankly, Apple has become a bit stagnant with its designs. Truth be told, makers of Windows laptops (such as Samsung, HP, and Huawei) have met or exceeded Apple's MacBook looks. Best of all, these Windows notebooks are often much more affordable than Apple's offerings too. Not to mention, they typically have touch screens! Today, Samsung unveils its newest Windows 10 laptops and not only are they thin and beautiful, but quite powerful too. You see, they are powered by 11th-generation Intel Core processors. There is… [Continue Reading]