What the heck is happening at Apple?

"What the heck is happening at Apple?" people ask me. "Has the company lost its mojo?" "Why no new product categories?" "Why didn’t Apple, instead of AT&T, buy Time Warner?" And "Why are the new MacBook Pros so darned expensive?" After first getting out of the way the fact that Apple is still the richest public company in the history of public companies, let’s take these questions in reverse order beginning with the MacBook Pros. In addition to their nifty OLED finger bar above the keyboard, these new Macs seem to have gained an average of $200 over the preceding… [Continue Reading]

AdWords malvertising targets MacOS users

Researchers at threat prevention company Cylance have discovered a malvertising campaign on Google AdWords for the search term 'Google Chrome', where unsuspecting MacOS users were being tricked into downloading a malicious installer. The installer, identified as 'OSX/InstallMiez' (or 'OSX/InstallCore'), ultimately downloads a malicious file named 'FLVPlayer.dmg'. The malware hash changes on each download, making it difficult to detect and track. Once the installation is completed, the browser is redirected to a scareware page. Clicking on the link leads to another page offering a potentially unwanted program (PUP) claiming to cleanup OS X computers as well as starting a download for… [Continue Reading]

What you need to know about data centers

Data centers, in the sense of a centralized space where business information is stored, have always been important, but as we move towards an increasingly digital economy, and indeed, way of life, they have taken on even greater significance. The importance of data centers to our everyday actions can be glimpsed simply by taking a look at the amount of energy that they consume. According to the National Resource Defense Council, the Internet, which relies on data center infrastructure for its utility, represents 1.1 to 1.5 percent of all global electricity use -- with the associated annual greenhouse gas emissions… [Continue Reading]

Hello 'Sense with Voice' is an evolution of the company's original sleep system revolution

When people think of health, they often forget about sleep. This is unfortunate, as getting meaningful nighttime rest is an important part of a healthy life. The problem? Fitness wearables that double as sleep-trackers have a fatal flaw -- if you wear them day and night, when the heck do you charge them? This was my problem with Microsoft's (now-canceled) Band -- I wanted to wear it at night, but on some evenings, I couldn't, as I had to charge it. A company called "Hello" brilliantly solved this dilemma, by offering a dongle that connects to your pillowcase (called "Sleep Pill"), which… [Continue Reading]

British empire strikes back with new cyber security strategy backed by £1.9 billion investment

The UK government has today launched a new National Cyber Security Strategy, setting out decisive action to protect the nation's economy and the privacy of British citizens, and strike back against attackers, while encouraging industry to up its game to prevent damaging cyber-attacks. The strategy sets out how the UK will use automated defenses to safeguard citizens and businesses against growing cyber threats, support the UK's growing cyber security industry, develop a world-class cyber workforce, and deter cyber-attacks from criminals and hostile actors. The announcement also promised £1.9 billion (around $2.3 billion) of investment for action in three key areas,… [Continue Reading]

Analyze and compare video quality with QCTools

QCTools is an open-source cross-platform tool for analyzing and objectively measuring video quality. The program is aimed at helping professional users identify problems with digitized footage, but it could also help to compare video codecs, conversion tools and more. QCTools is available for Windows, Linux and Mac. It’s a lightweight package -- a single executable and a few text files -- and installed easily on our test PC. Drag and drop a video or two onto the program and it begins analysis. This is an in-depth, frame-by-frame process, so you’ll probably need to be patient (even a 150-second test video… [Continue Reading]

Enterprises put themselves at risk by running outdated Microsoft products

According to a new report 65 percent of Windows systems are still running Windows 7, and a small percentage of devices are still running Windows XP. The survey from trusted access specialist Duo Security analyzed more than two million endpoints and found 63 percent of them running Microsoft operating systems. Yet only 24 percent are running Windows 10. Windows 7 remains the most popular despite there being over 600 vulnerabilities affecting unpatched versions. The unloved Windows 8.1 is on eight percent of surveyed systems. Although only one percent of systems are still running XP that still accounts for tens of thousands of… [Continue Reading]