QNAP launches QXG-10G1T 10GBASE-T PCIe NIC for NAS, Windows, and Linux

In many households and small businesses, there are gigabit Ethernet devices in use. Believe it or not, most of them are not being used to their full potential Why? Well, most internet providers don't offer service that can saturate it. Where 1Gbps hardare can be beneficial, however, is for sharing files between hardwired devices on a network, such as PCs and NAS. With the prevalence of Wi-Fi, that is largely a rarity these days. With all of that said, there are cases where 1Gbps connections are being used fully by home and business users. On top of that, sometimes even… [Continue Reading]

Should Amazon create its own cryptocurrency and banking products?

Amazon is a company that isn’t afraid to take risks, and try new things. Some of its ideas -- like the Echo -- paid off handsomely, while other gambles, like the Amazon Fire Phone, failed miserably. Amazon is also happy to splash the cash to expand its reach, buying Whole Foods in 2017, and Ring this week. But where can Amazon go next? LendEDU ran a poll of 1,000 American consumers who had purchased something from Amazon in the last 30 days, and asked them whether they’d be interested in using an Amazon-created cryptocurrency for purchases, or banking with the… [Continue Reading]

Oath becomes a Linux Foundation Gold Member

With the Linux community being rather fragmented, it’s nice to know there are some organizations that aim to unify it. The Linux Foundation is one such group that has done a lot of good for the overall community. It does a great job of bringing companies -- such as Microsoft, Samsung, and AMD, to name a few -- into the Linux fold as official foundation members. When a company becomes a Linux Foundation member, there are different tiers that can be chosen, such as Platinum, Gold, and Silver. These levels carry different annual fees. Today, The Linux Foundation announces the… [Continue Reading]

BleachBit 2.0 adds drag-and-drop file shredding to open-source disk cleaning tool

Open-source cleaning tool BleachBit 2.0 has been released for Windows and Linux, along with BleachBit 2.0 Portable for Windows. The update -- the first in over two years -- introduces support for dragging and dropping files on to the program window in order to shred them using BleachBit’s disk-wiping tools. In our tests, the feature only worked after we’d first deleted a file using the 'Shred with BleachBit' option that appears when you right-click a file or folder. When this had worked once, we could then drag and drop other files into the window to delete them. This seems to… [Continue Reading]

Over half of enterprises willing to sacrifice security for speed

A new survey reveals that 52 percent of companies admit to cutting back on security measures to meet a business deadline or objective. The report into SecOps (Security Operations) from intrusion detection company Threat Stack also reveals that that 68 percent of companies say their CEO demands that DevOps and security teams don’t do anything that slows the business down. This pressure comes from lower down the business pyramid too, with 62 percent of companies also admitting their operations team pushes back when asked to deploy security technology. "Businesses have grappled with the 'Speed or Security' problem for years but… [Continue Reading]

The ASUS ZenFone 5 is trying to be a cheap iPhone X

There have been lots of devices revealed at MWC 2018 this week, and it is little surprise that there are handsets copying the look of Apple's iPhone X. In this number are the ASUS ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z, both of which feature a controversial "notch" at the top of their screens. It is clear the look of the latest ZenFones have been inspired by the iPhone X, and it's hard to imagine that Apple's lawyers are not considering allegations of plagiarism. In all, there are three phones in the family: the high-end ZenFone 5Z, the mid-range ZenFone 5, and… [Continue Reading]

Mid-market organizations hardest hit by ransomware

Mid-market organizations -- those with 1,000-5,000 employees -- have been hit the hardest with ransomware in 2017, with 29 percent experiencing a ransomware attack, according to a new report. Security awareness training company KnowBe4 has released its 2018 Threat Impact and Endpoint Protection Report which shows organizations in manufacturing, technology and consumer-focused industries experienced the most ransomware attacks. On average, 16 workstations, 5 servers and 22 users within an organization were affected in any given attack with an average downtime of 14 hours. The organizations suffering the most downtime hours were again mid-market and enterprise (5000+ employees) organizations. The more… [Continue Reading]

Zoho launches an AI-powered assistant for sales teams

Popular business platform Zoho is aiming to make its CRM offering more attractive to sales teams with the launch of a new AI powered conversational interface. Zia Voice adds speech and chat capabilities to Zia, Zoho's AI-powered sales assistant. Zia can now also predict deal closures and analyze email sentiment. Zia is able to answer questions on everyday CRM information like new leads created, average deal revenue, or even monthly forecasts and converses with salespeople via simple chat and voice messages. It’s able to analyze interaction patterns and the progress of a lead or deal in the pipeline, and suggests the… [Continue Reading]

You'll be able to disable and hide Firefox Sync in Firefox 60

For some people, Firefox Sync is a great way to synchronize browser settings, add-ons, bookmarks and so on between computers. For others it's a privacy nightmare and a massive annoyance. Starting with Firefox 60, Mozilla is making it possible to not only disable the feature, but also hide it. This might seem like a minor change, but for anyone irritated by the mere presence of Firefox sync, it's something that should have happened sooner. See also: Microsoft Edge vulnerability exposed as Microsoft misses Google's Project Zero disclosure deadline Apple to store iCloud keys in China, sparking privacy fears Samsung launches… [Continue Reading]

The rapid growth of digital data

The volume of digital information in the world is growing at a scarily fast rate. In fact 90 percent of the digital data that exists worldwide today was created within the last two years -- and 2.5 quintillion bytes of extra data are created each and every day. We browse websites, stream music and video, and post on social media all of which contributes to this deluge. But how did data get to be such a key part of modern life? Digital asset management specialist MerlinOne has created an infographic looking at the history of digital content from its inception… [Continue Reading]

Amazon buys smart doorbell and home security firm Ring for over $1 billion

Amazon has opened up its wallet and splashed more than $1 billion on buying Ring. Famed for its selection of smart doorbells, security cameras and other security devices, the purchase of the Santa Monica, California firm is Amazon's latest foray into home security. While details of the deal are currently a little thin on the ground, it is expected that the Ring name will live on, and it is likely that future products released under the brand will feature Alexa smart assistant integration. See also: Amazon offers refunds to people who paid to remove ads from Prime Exclusive Phones Amazon… [Continue Reading]

Logitech Craft keyboard gets new features, more supported apps, and GitHub-hosted SDK

When it comes to keyboards, it can be hard for manufacturers to truly create something revolutionary. For the most part, new keyboards just get silly things like RGB lighting, because, well, everything must have lights these days, right? This lack of innovation is sort of OK, because let's be honest, folks -- existing keyboards are already rather wonderful. With that said, my colleague Mark Wilson recently reviewed a rather unique keyboard from AZIO that looks pretty cool. Last year, Logitech decided to take a stab at creating an innovative new keyboard, and not surprisingly, it succeeded. I was not surprised,… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft promotes piracy on Xbox One

As the maker of Windows, Office, and Xbox, Microsoft is undoubtedly against software piracy. When people pirate its games and other software, it arguably takes money out of the company’s pockets. Believe it or not though, Microsoft is actually promoting piracy! No, not software piracy, but traditional piracy, like with actual pirates. Well, the historical/make-believe type at least. You know, peg legs, eye patches, parrots and such. You see, today it announces the Xbox One S Sea Of Thieves Bundle. "As we approach the global launch of one of the most anticipated Xbox One exclusives for 2018, we’re pleased to announce… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Spring Creators Update (Redstone 4) Build 17110 for the Fast ring

We’re pretty much on the home straight for the next big feature update of Windows 10. Rumored to be called the Spring Creators Update, the final release on the Redstone 4 branch will introduce a lot of new features and improvements to Microsoft’s newest OS. Today's Insider build polishes things up and adds some improvements for enterprise customers. Build 17110 for Insiders on the Fast ring will allow enterprises to run custom actions/scripts synchronously during pre-install (before system and device compatibility scans run) and pre-commit (before the system reboots into the offline phase). Enterprises will also be able to run… [Continue Reading]

Supposed inventor of Bitcoin sued for $10 billion

The self-proclaimed creator of Bitcoin, Craig Wright from Australia, has been hit by a $10 billion lawsuit. The family of his former business partner is suing Wright for allegedly stealing Bitcoins and intellectual property. The pseudonym of the inventor of Bitcoin is Satoshi Nakamoto, but his true identity has never been confirmed -- but this is who Wright claims to be. The lawsuit accuses him of stealing Bitcoins from collaborator Dave Kleiman who died in 2013. It aims to get back these coins from the early days of mining, as well as the intellectual property of the business -- W&K… [Continue Reading]

Battle of the flagships: Galaxy S9 vs Pixel 2 vs iPhone X

With the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S9 and S9+, we now have a full contingent of new flagship smartphones to pit against each other. The S9 joins the iPhone X and the Pixel 2 as one of the handsets shoppers will be choosing between. While you may feel that you are settled firmly in the Android or iOS camp, it's not until you look at the full specifications of each of these top of the range phones that you can really make a decision. So that's just what we're doing. Here's how the Galaxy S9, Pixel 2 and iPhone X… [Continue Reading]

AZIO Retro Classic: an incredible steampunk-inspired mechanical keyboard [Review]

If it's not immediately obvious from a quick glance, AZIO explains that its striking Retro Classic keyboard is inspired by the look of a vintage typewriter. It's not just the look that's inspired in this way -- as it's a mechanical keyboard, there's a distinct typewriter sound to things. There is just so much to like about this keyboard. Regardless of whether you are a fan of steampunk, the look is undeniably eye-catching. The build quality is quite phenomenal -- well... you'd hope so at these prices. The key action is gorgeous, and the clickity-clack perfectly suits the typewriter-style keys.… [Continue Reading]