SanDisk unveils 2.5-inch SATA Z410 SSD

Solid state drives are quite mature and ubiquitous nowadays -- the technology is no longer cutting edge. While some computers still ship with slow mechanical hard disk drives, SSDs are now largely the default option. SATA based drives are slow compared to newer NVMe PCIe variants, but still more than fast enough for most consumers. These 2.5-inch SATA drives are often less expensive too, making them a wise option for OEMs looking to build low or medium-cost laptops. Now, SanDisk announces the Z410 -- a drop-in solution for manufacturers, featuring a capacity of up to 480GB. "With up to 480GB of… [Continue Reading]

Adopt a dog or cat, get a free Logi Circle Home Security Camera

The month of May is National Pet Month. As an animal lover, it is very important to me. It breaks my heart to think of unloved cats and dogs in shelters. Whenever that ASPCA commercial comes on TV -- the one with the Sarah McLachlan music -- I have to change the channel; it can literally make me cry. If you are thinking of getting a pet, I urge you to go to a shelter, as it can save the animal's life. Logitech is upping the ante, however, as it is giving away free Logi Circle Home Security Cameras to those… [Continue Reading]

Facebook hit with lawsuit over new stock option that gives Zuckerberg a license to print money

When Facebook announced its first quarter results this week, it also announced that it created a new class of stock. The non-voting Class C stock proposed would enable Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to more easily fund their philanthropic ventures, whilst keeping Zuckerberg himself firmly in control of Facebook. In response to this, a lawsuit has been raised that says the proposed deal is unfair. The shareholder raising the class action lawsuit said the deal would grant Zuckerberg even more control and that the board committee didn’t do enough "to obtain anything of meaningful value" in return. The… [Continue Reading]

Outlinely Express is a powerful free outliner for Mac

Glam Software has released Outlinely Express 2.0, a free version of its popular Mac outliner, Outlinely. The new edition has all the same outlining features as its commercial cousin, with no annoying restrictions or limitations. You don’t get any library management features -- new tools for storing and organizing your outlines -- but the program is very usable without them. (Arguably Outlinely Express 2.0 is better than regular Outlinely 1.x, as it has a much-improved interface and many new shortcuts and productivity tweaks.) If you're new to Outlinely, it's essentially a text editor optimized for outlining. You already know how… [Continue Reading]

Apple: You're saying it wrong -- iPhones is not a word!

Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller has taken to Twitter to set the record straight about the nomenclature of the company's product names. Specifically, he takes umbrage with just sticking an 's' onto the end of product names to pluralize them. Yep -- iPhones is, apparently, not a word. Someone might need to speak with Tim Cook to get him on the same page though, as he doesn't seem to have seen the memo. Schiller goes as far as saying that there is simply no need to ever pluralize the name of any Apple product. If you've been referring to iPhones,… [Continue Reading]

Twitter's unfair token system gives it far too much control over rival apps

In recent days you probably heard about the demise, and subsequent resurrection, of the Twitter client Fenix. Earlier this week, the app became a victim of its own success, succumbing to what it described as "the infamous Twitter tokens limitation". It's now back in the Google Play Store having carved out some sort of deal with Twitter, but the debacle highlights an important issue. If you want to create a Twitter client -- and why wouldn’t you? -- you'll need access to the Twitter API. This is not something Twitter wants, or permits, to just be a free-for-all, and it… [Continue Reading]

A company reborn: Intel ditches Atom chips to focus on the cloud, the Internet of Things and 5G

Big changes are afoot at Intel. A spokeswoman has confirmed that the company is scrapping its Sofia and Broxton mobile Atom chips as well as Cherry Trail, and will instead shift focus to more profitable ventures. Having invested billions of dollars in Atom for smartphones and tablets Intel is now switching its attention to the world of connected devices. Giving Atom chips the chop comes just after the company announced 12,000 job cuts and effectively walked away from the PC market. In moving away from mobile devices as well, Intel is undergoing a rebirth. It is looking to focus on… [Continue Reading]

Qbot malware resurfaces with renewed powers ready to steal your banking credentials

Qbot -- also known as Qakbot -- is a form of malware that's been around for a number of years, but security researchers at Cisco Talos have noted that it has returned with a vengeance. Once installed the malware steals sensitive data stored in files and cookies, and also monitors live web sessions to grab login credentials. Detection and immunization is made difficult thanks to the fact that Qbot uses random strings, code blocks, file names and encryption keys to slip under the radar, although it can still be detected by its behavior. Cisco Talos analyzed no fewer than 618… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft looking into storing data using DNA

Now that users are generating more data than ever before, Microsoft has begun to explore the idea of using DNA molecules to store data. To begin investigating the possibility of accomplishing such a complex task, the company will be purchasing 10 million strands of long oligonucleotides -- or lab made DNA molecules -- from a startup in San Francisco called Twist Bioscience. DNA molecules are an ideal storage solution because they do not degrade in the same way that Blu-Ray discs and other physical media do. Data stored this way could remain intact and still be readable anywhere from 1,000… [Continue Reading]

What is the most popular Windows Phone?

The Windows Phone landscape has evolved at a slow pace in the past three years, and the list of the ten most popular smartphones running the tiled operating system is proof of that. Since July 2013 Lumia 520 has held the top spot in the charts, taking Lumia 920's crown just a few months after being introduced. But, fast forward to today and we finally have a new king. Before you get too excited and think that we finally have some major changes at the top you should know that Windows Phones appeal mainly to folks who shop in the low-end segment of… [Continue Reading]

Lack of data is a roadblock to account-based marketing

The idea of account-based marketing (ABM), treating B2B customers as individual marketing targets, has been around for a while. Technology has made it more practical approach in recent years, but a new survey reveals there are still factors holding back its use. Business insights specialist Avention has carried out a survey of 100 B2B sales and marketing practitioners about their use of ABM techniques and strategies. While more than 90 percent of those surveyed believe ABM is relevant to their businesses, respondents say that their number one roadblock to starting an ABM program is lack of access to the right… [Continue Reading]

How to boost your free Microsoft OneDrive storage back up to 15GB

Last year, Microsoft announced plans to drop the free OneDrive storage amount from 15GB down to 5GB, and also discontinue the 15GB camera roll bonus. Earlier this week we learned that the software giant will be putting this plan into action from July, which means if you’re currently using more than 5GB of storage you will either have to remove some files to get under the new limit, or upgrade to a paid plan. But hold on a minute. Before you do either, there is a third option which you can use to keep your free storage at 15GB. SEE… [Continue Reading]

Boys aspire to work in IT, girls find it boring

The Internet organization Nominet, best known for running the .uk infrastructure, has compiled new research on the dream jobs of today’s students that shows how male students have begun to aspire for careers in technology while female students find the field less interesting. The top three dream jobs of young boys all pertain to the tech industry, with computer game developers being number one, app developers being number two and website developers being number three. Twenty-four point eight percent of school aged boys would like to develop computer games while 17.2 percent envision themselves developing apps and 15.1 percent hoping… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft takes just 7 hours to patch colossal Office 365 vulnerability that exposed companies' data

Companies are often criticized for the length of time it takes them to patch security problems found in software. But this week Microsoft exceled itself, taking just 7 hours to patch a serious security hole in Office 365 that made it possible to gain unrestricted access to businesses' cloud accounts. A problem with the SAML authentication system meant that it was possible to gain access to just about any Office 365 account, including accessing connected services like Outlook, OnceDrive and Skype for Business. More than this, the exploit allowed an attacker to infiltrate companies and organizations such as Verizon, Georgia… [Continue Reading]

Facebook's mobile ads boosting revenue

Facebook has put other tech giants to shame by comfortably beating analyst expectations in the last quarter, with revenues over 50 percent up thanks to surging mobile advertising sales. As mobile web browsing continues to grow throughout the world, advertisers are realizing that taking a mobile-first approach has the potential to be extremely lucrative. Facebook has looked to capitalize on this by improving its mobile app and expanding its live video solution, both of which have attracted advertisers. As a result, advertising revenue increased 56.8 percent to $5.20 billion, with mobile ad revenue accounting for approximately 82 percent, up from… [Continue Reading]

Facebook transparency report shows increase in government data requests, most with gagging orders

Facebook has published its latest Global Government Requests Report covering the second half of 2015. The transparency report reveals that there has been as 13 percent increase in the number of government requests for data, but it also shows that Facebook is still not able to be as transparent as it might want. For the first time the social network is able to report about the number of data requests that have a non-disclosure order attached to them. More than half of the requests -- 60 percent, in fact -- have gagging orders that prevent Facebook from notifying users about… [Continue Reading]

Hacker creates reality TV with users' webcams

The webcam debuted long ago and has become integrated into many computer systems. People use it for any number of things, and products like Skype utilize this functionality. But the innovation has a darker side. It turns out this little add-on can be hacked, allowing the perpetrator to view the user. A hacker in Russia took this to a higher level by not only accessing people's cameras, but broadcasting the video online, right on YouTube. 2ch's users were hacked and the nation and its media watched it live. As users approached their computers the hacker launched a porn site, in… [Continue Reading]