UK SMEs see their future in the cloud

Cloud computing features strongly in the plans of SMEs for the coming year, with 57 percent planning increased adoption, according to a new report. The study from UK IT services provider OGL Computer shows that 59 percent plan on increasing the use of applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Teams and SharePoint. But despite these plans, 76 percent of UK SMEs are nervous about moving from an on-premise IT infrastructure to a cloud infrastructure due to concerns over data security. The study also shows 81 percent confirmed that they have suffered a data breach or cyberattack, with two in five… [Continue Reading]

Best Windows 10 apps this week

Three-hundred-and-seventy-one 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. Mark discovered an interesting tool this week called Hidden Windows 10 Features that Windows 10 administrators may use to make modifications to the system to enable or disable certain features. 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… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft celebrates Super Bowl LIV with limited-edition Madden NFL 20 Air Max 90 Xbox One X giveaway

Friday is finally here, signaling the unofficial start to "Super Bowl Weekend." The big game isn't until Sunday, but there will be plenty of coverage of Super Bowl LIV leading up to the actual game. As a New York Jets fan, I am used to not having a horse in the race, but I will still enjoy watching the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers battle it out for the championship. To celebrate Super Bowl LIV, Microsoft has teamed up with EA (developer of Madden 20) and sneaker-maker Nike for a very cool limited-edition Xbox One X console. It is so… [Continue Reading]

Satechi launches USB-C Slim Multi-Port with Ethernet Adapter

Does it stink that many new laptops are only coming with USB-C ports? Well, maybe -- it depends on the consumer, I suppose. Look, some people have no need for any ports (beyond charging). I mean, think about it -- between cloud storage and wireless internet, a modern laptop user may never need to plug in any accessories. And so, why litter the computer's design with things like HDMI, USB-A, and Ethernet if it won't be used? Of course, there are still those that want to plug in old-school hardwired network cables, external storage devices, and displays. Thankfully, having at… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 19555 with some important fixes

Another week, another new future Windows 10 build for Insiders to test. Build 19555.1001 isn’t the most exciting of new releases, but if does offer a number of important fixes, including one that could result in the Start menu and apps not opening. The list of changes, improvements, and fixes include: Resolved an issue where certain external USB 3.0 drives ended up in an unresponsive state with Start Code 10 after they were attached. The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC is now back up and running on this build. Fixed an issue resulting in ARM64 devices not being… [Continue Reading]

Avast apologizes for selling user data and shuts down its marketing analytics subsidiary Jumpshot with immediate effect

Avast has been facing growing criticism following an investigation by Motherboard and PCMag that revealed the company’s free antivirus software was harvesting user data and selling it onto marketers. In a bid to appease users, Avast published a blog post explaining why it was collecting user data, and announced that going forward this collection would be opt-in, but that the company would continue to sell the data via its analytics subsidiary Jumpshot. Throughout the post the security firm insisted that collected data was fully "de-identified", despite the fact that Motherboard and PCMag’s investigation showed how it could be linked back to… [Continue Reading]

IBM launches new open source tool to label images using AI

Images for use in development projects need to be correctly labeled to be of use. But adding labels is a task that can involve many hours of work by human analysts painstakingly applying manual labels to images, time that could be better spent on other, more creative, tasks. In order to streamline the labelling process IBM has created a new automated labeling tool for the open source Cloud Annotations project that uses AI to 'auto-label' images and thus speed up the process. Backed by IBM Cloud Object Storage, Cloud Annotations enables users to store as much data as they need,… [Continue Reading]

117 new emojis coming in 2020, including mustached brides, a gender-neutral Santa Claus, and blueberries

Emojis are the greatest thing to happen to written communication since the invention of the printing press. Not only does it help people to better express their emotions when sending text messages and emails, but it allows them to properly represent their identities. Nowadays, people can proudly choose their gender, for instance, and emojis reflect humanity's evolution on this subject through diversity. For example, later this year, we will get 117 new emojis, many of which support evolved thinking towards gender, For instance, we will get images of mustached men in wedding veils, showing that women aren't the only ones… [Continue Reading]

New application delivers easier data access for business analysts

Businesses are collecting more data than ever, but ensuring that employees have easy and reliable access to information they need for their jobs can prove difficult. Now though Kloud.io has raised $4 million in seed funding for its spreadsheet-based application that enables financial analysts to directly access data from multiple sources, such as Salesforce, Oracle, Netsuite, and hundreds more. Using Kloud.io a business analyst can directly pull in data without leaving their spreadsheet, whether it's Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Smartsheet, or Airtable, and without involving the data engineering team. Kloud.io already has over 250 customers including Rakuten Rewards, Oyo Rooms,… [Continue Reading]

Avast defends its data gathering and sharing practices -- 'that's how antivirus works'

Two days ago we reported how a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag discovered that Avast's free antivirus software was harvesting user data and selling it onto marketers in a way that could be linked back to an individual. Following the inevitable backlash, Avast has responded, defending its data gathering and attempting to justify the practice of selling it on, while continuing to insist that the data is fully "de-identified". SEE ALSO: Avast free antivirus sends browser history to marketers In a blog post, Avast insists its data gathering does not put anyone's privacy at risk: We want to reassure… [Continue Reading]

OpenMandriva Lx 4.1 RC KDE-focused Linux distro now available for download

Today, there is some great news for the Linux community -- OpenMandriva Lx 4.1 is RC now available! Yes, there is a new version of the KDE-focused Linux distribution. Before you get too excited, please know that RC stands for "Release Candidate." What does that mean? Well, it should be more stable than an Alpha or Beta, but it is still pre-releases software. Essentially, with an RC, the developers are proposing that this version could be stable enough to become "final" or "gold." ALSO READ: Official how to switch from Windows 7 to Ubuntu Linux tutorial now available As with OpenMandriva Lx… [Continue Reading]

LibreOffice 6.4 offers better performance, improved help and a QR code generator

The Document Foundation has unveiled LibreOffice 6.4 64-bit and LibreOffice 6.4 32-bit, its popular open-source office suite for Windows, Mac and Linux. LibreOffice 6.4 is a major point release -- the last in the 6.x product line -- and comes with the promise of improved performance along with several new universal features and the usual mix of minor changes and improvements to individual applications within the suite. The new release kicks off with the promise of significant improvements to the speed of opening and saving files in Impress and Calc. The Help system has also been improved to make finding… [Continue Reading]

Most antivirus companies will continue to support Windows 7

Microsoft may have dropped Windows 7 like a hot stone, but that doesn't mean everyone is. Recognizing the fact that large numbers of people are going to continue using the aged operating system, most antivirus firms are going to continue to offer support. Support from the likes of AVG, Avira, Kaspersky and Trend Micro for at least two years is great news for those concerned about the security of sticking with Windows 7. Of course, this doesn't mean that the operating system is entirely safe to use now that it has reached end of life, but with the right software… [Continue Reading]

New solution allows businesses to find and protect sensitive documents

Modern businesses have large numbers of documents, many of which contain information that is commercially sensitive. But poor file management, incorrect permissions and uncontrolled sharing can put that information at risk. The unstructured nature of this data makes it notoriously difficult to keep track of. Now though California-based Concentric is launching a new solution to allow enterprises to identify and protect these documents. The Concentric Semantic Intelligence solution uses powerful deep learning technology to autonomously develop an understanding of each document to deliver a complete, detailed and accurate risk-oriented view into business-critical information. When the solution finds at-risk files, native… [Continue Reading]

Open source email client Thunderbird finds a new home

If you prefer to access your email through a desktop client, then Thunderbird is one of the better choices. However, the future of the open source tool has been a little rocky in recent years after the Mozilla Corporation decided to stop supporting it. However, there’s a lot of love for Thunderbird out there, and it’s managed to survive, and even grow thanks to user donations. And now the email client has found a new home. Thunderbird’s Philipp Kewisch says: "As of today, the Thunderbird project will be operating from a new wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, MZLA… [Continue Reading]

How eCommerce fraud is evolving [Q&A]

Online fraud has gained in sophistication in recent years. As consumers have moved to using mobile devices and have come to expect a consistent shopping experience across platforms,  so the fraudsters have never been far behind. We spoke to Michael Reitblat, co-founder and CEO of eCommerce fraud prevention specialist Forter, which recently published its latest Fraud Attack Index, to find out more about the fraud landscape and how businesses can protect themselves. BN: How has eCommerce fraud evolved over the past decade? MR: The defining trend over a decade of increased sophistication is that fraud solely at the point of… [Continue Reading]

Apple releases iOS update featuring U1 chip location tracking fix

The latest update to iOS will please anyone with privacy concerns. iOS 13.3.1 gives iPhone owners the chance to toggle the location-tracking U1 Ultra Wideband chip on and off -- something Apple promised a couple of months ago. There was controversy when security experts discovered that the chip meant iPhones were periodically tracking people's location even when location services were disabled. Now it is possible to ensure that such tracking cannot be carried out. See also: Apple: iPhone 11 Pro handsets check location to comply with regulations Apple may replace your iPhone XS, XS Max or XR Smart Battery Case… [Continue Reading]