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]