Logitech buying Blue Microphones

When one company acquires another, the deal it is often judged by how much financial sense it makes. For instance, when Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26 billion, many pundits thought it was a colossal waste of money. I suppose time will tell if the Windows-maker made a mistake or not. On the flip side, Amazon's acquisition of Twitch for nearly $1 billion is now looking quite brilliant -- the video platform is getting more popular every day. Today, Logitech announces it is acquiring Blue Microphones for $117 million. While obviously not as big as the two aforementioned acquisitions, it is… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17728, teases new Your Phone app

The second Windows 10 Redstone 5 Bug Bash is currently underway, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft rolling out Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17728 (RS5) to Insiders in the Fast ring. This new build introduces a number of changes, improvements and fixes, and Microsoft also used this new flight to detail the forthcoming Your Phone app which will soon allow iOS and Android users to sync content from their phones to a Windows 10 PC. SEE ALSO: These are all the websites Windows 10 connects to after a clean install How to install Microsoft Windows Essentials tools -- including Movie… [Continue Reading]

Businesses overestimate consumers' level of 'digital trust'

How much do you trust businesses with your data? A new report from CA Technologies reveals 48 percent of consumers have stopped using the services of an organization because of a data breach. Yet the study, conducted by analysts Frost & Sullivan shows varying attitudes to data stewardship among businesses, with nearly half admitting to selling customer data, while claiming that data protection is paramount. This is highlighted by a 14-point gap between the Digital Trust Index of consumers (61 percent) and the perceptions by business decision makers and cybersecurity professionals (75 percent), showing mismatched perceptions among these audiences in… [Continue Reading]

These are all the websites Windows 10 connects to after a clean install

Windows 10 has always had a bad reputation for snooping on users. While that was a valid issue at the start, each new feature update has made changes to the privacy side of the operating system, and users now have much greater control over things. When you perform a clean install of Windows 10, the operating system connects to a large number of sites for different purposes, including -- naturally enough -- to send and receive email, download apps and security updates, and so on. The sheer number of endpoints that the operating system connects to might surprise you however.… [Continue Reading]

Managed detection and response supports internal security teams

Companies are facing a constant battle against cyber threats, add to this a growing skills gap and security teams don't always have the staff or knowledge to effectively monitor and respond to threats. Automated detection and response company Fidelis Cybersecurity is launching a new managed detection and response (MDR) service to supplement in-house security resources. The 24x7 Fidelis MDR service provides a team of skilled security experts who use patented technology to analyze rich network and endpoint metadata, content, behavioral and asset characteristics, as well as enterprise IoT devices to aid in hunting and investigations. "With the risk enterprises face… [Continue Reading]

FireEye uses machine learning to guard endpoints

Traditional signature-based security solutions find it hard to keep up with the fast pace of malware development, so security companies are turning to other solutions. FireEye is launching a new version of its Endpoint Security product with the addition of a machine learning engine called MalwareGuard. MalwareGuard is the result of a two-year research project from FireEye's data scientists, plus testing in real-world incident responses. The MalwareGuard model is trained using advanced machine learning techniques to enable it to make intelligent malware classifications on its own and without human involvement. The machine learning model is trained using both public and… [Continue Reading]

Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 3 'Cindy' BETA available for download

Back in June, we reported that Linux Mint Debian Edition 3 BETA would be released in July. Well, LMDE 3 did make the deadline, albeit barely. Yes, today, on the final day of the month, the BETA version of the rolling release operating system becomes available. Unlike the traditional Linux Mint operating system which is based on Ubuntu, LMDE is based on Debian. To be more precise, LMDE 3 BETA is based on Debian Stretch. While this Debian version of Mint is perfectly usable as a daily driver, its real focus is as a contingency plan in case development of… [Continue Reading]

How automation can address the challenge of an aging workforce [Q&A]

A trend that's already started and will continue for at least the next decade is the loss of skilled workers as older employees start to retire. The effects are being felt across industries, with Gartner reporting the aging workforce as one of the biggest challenges to the utilities industry. What's more, the skills gap resulting from retiring employees leaving and entry-level employees entering the workforce is causing all industries to look at new solutions to solve the need for experienced and highly skilled workers. New technologies are gaining traction to help address low staffing levels and improve productivity. We spoke… [Continue Reading]

Ubuntu Linux-based Lubuntu no longer focusing on old hardware after move to LXQt

Ubuntu is a great Linux distribution, but understandably, the GNOME desktop environment isn't for everyone. Thankfully, there are many flavors of the operating system with alternative DEs, such as Xubuntu with XFCe and Kubuntu with KDE. Ultimately, with so much choice, you should have no problem finding a version of Ubuntu that best meets your needs and wants. One popular Ubuntu flavor is Lubuntu. If you aren't familiar, it uses the lightweight LXDE desktop environment which makes it a good choice for older hardware. In fact, one of the focuses of the Lubuntu developers is to support aging computers. When… [Continue Reading]

93 percent are worried about online privacy

Compared to a year ago 93 percent of people have the same amount or more concern about their online privacy. This is according to a survey of of 1,000 people across the US by VPN comparison site TheBestVPN. It finds 51 percent are worried about their information being stolen by hackers, and 26 percent about companies collecting and sharing data. In addition 14 percent worry about US government surveillance, while nine percent worry about foreign governments. Interestingly perceptions are different between the sexes, while men are more concerned about hackers, women worry more about online surveillance. There are also worries… [Continue Reading]

AlgoSec launches updated security management for cloud and hybrid

As businesses shift their systems to the cloud there is inevitably an increase in complexity that makes maintaining security more of a challenge. Security policy management specialist AlgoSec is launching a new version of its Security Management Solution to enable policy management across clouds and software-define networks. As well as support for a wide range of on-premise security devices, and AWS Security Groups, AlgoSec 2018.1 provides full end-to-end automaton of security policy change management processes for Microsoft Azure and Cisco ACI -- from planning, through risk and compliance checks, to deployment directly onto the device -- with zero touch. Other… [Continue Reading]

HyperX launches affordable Pulsefire FPS Pro RGB gaming mouse

Kingston's "HyperX" gaming brand is very well respected by both professional and amateur gamers alike. The company manufacturers top quality RAM, keyboards, mice, headsets, and more. Not only does this hardware function brilliantly, but they feature hip and cool designs too. And yes, looks matter. Today, HyperX launches the previously announced Pulsefire FPS Pro RGB gaming mouse, and it is surprising affordable. If you aren't familiar, this "Pro" variant features an improved Pixart PMW3389 sensor compared to the Pixart 3310 found in the model. Plus, it features customizable RGB lighting -- a must for a gaming product these days! ALSO… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft has a patent for a folding dual-screen, dual-camera device

Although Panos Panay has dismissed rumors that Microsoft is working on a Surface Phone, we have already seen some evidence that the company is working on some form of "pocketable" folding Surface device codenamed Andromeda. Now a Microsoft patent has come to light that reveals more about the form this device could take. The patent -- entitled "Three-way video calling on hinged multi-screen device" -- shows a foldable, dual screen device with multiple cameras. It bears a marked similarity to the renders we saw recently of the rumored foldable Surface device. See also: Panos Panay: Microsoft is not working on… [Continue Reading]

As if the platform wasn't irritating enough already, LinkedIn is getting a voice messaging feature

LinkedIn is supposed to be about connecting with people and communicating with them, and a new option is on the way -- voice messaging. As anyone who has signed up for LinkedIn will know, it's very common to be hit with a barrage of connection requests and messages from people you don't know. Now there's yet another way to get frustrated with needless communication which will almost certainly go one of three ways: getting ignored completely, being referred to email like most modern communication, or just having a phone call for efficiency. LinkedIn poses the question: "Have you ever typed… [Continue Reading]

Rachio 3 Wi-Fi Smart Lawn Sprinkler Controller with Alexa support [Review]

Owning a home is not in a walk in the park. Actually, being a homeowner can be downright daunting. Why? Well, things constantly break and need either fixing or replacing. Not to mention, there is normal upkeep, such as mowing the lawn, gardening, and for some folks, shoveling snow too. This is why I am such a fan of the smart home. Anything I can do to get a little help is appreciated. Things like smart lights and thermostats not only make my life easier, but they can save me money too. Recently, I have been testing the 3rd generation… [Continue Reading]

Twitter to suspend users who repeatedly post abusive comments on Periscope

As part of its continuing attempts to clean up its platform, Twitter has announced that it is going to apply its rules more strictly on Periscope. Starting in mid-August users who repeatedly post abusive comments or harass others run the risk of being banned. Twitter will enforce its guidelines more aggressively during live broadcasts. The company says that it will "review and suspend accounts for repeatedly sending chats that violate" its rules. See also: Twitter responds to Donald Trump's allegations that Republicans are being shadow banned Twitter removes 143,000 apps, now requires developers to request API access How to edit… [Continue Reading]

Dell XPS 13 (9370) Developer Edition finally available with Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS

The Dell XPS 13 is wonderful laptop regardless of which operating system you choose for it. While it comes with Windows 10 by default, you an also opt for the "Developer Edition" which instead comes with Ubuntu Linux. Unfortunately for some, Dell has been shipping the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition with Ubuntu 16.04 despite the newer 18.04 being available. This really isn't such a bad thing, as like 18.04, 16.04 is LTS (long term support) and is still supported by Canonical. Some consumers probably appreciated this, as 16.04 was more proven. With yesterday's release of Ubuntu 18.04.1 and its included… [Continue Reading]