Verizon plans to install spyware on ALL its Android phones

Two days ago, the US House voted to destroy the rights of American web users, essentially putting their privacy up for sale. Now, as reported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Verizon has announced plans to install software on Android devices that will track which apps customers download and use. This data will be shared with other Verizon companies, including AOL, and used to push targeted ads on you across the internet. If that doesn’t sound all that bad, the EFF points out the ads could be based on things such as "which bank you use and whether you’ve downloaded a… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft launches English-speaking chatbot in India

Microsoft has released yet another chatbot, and this one is aimed specifically at the Indian market. Named Ruuh, the chatbot is said to enjoy chatting about Bollywood, music, humor, travel and browsing the net. It is available only in India and only in English, at least for now. It was launched on February 7, with Microsoft filing for a trademark on March 15. "At Microsoft, we're focused on helping people and organizations achieve more through new conversation models," a company spokesperson told ZDNet. "We're excited about the possibilities in this space and are experimenting with a limited pilot program of… [Continue Reading]

IT workers need clearer career paths

Despite the on-going uncertainty as the UK triggers Brexit proceedings, IT employees remain in high demand as rapid developments in IT are increasingly causing companies to experience wider skills gaps that they are struggling to fill. At 21 percent, IT and digital skills were cited as one of the top three skills most needed by organizations to achieve their business objectives this year. IT professionals in cloud infrastructure, projects and change management, development and security saw the biggest salary increases last year of over two percent, however almost half of IT employees were dissatisfied with their rate of pay this year. Aside… [Continue Reading]

অবশেষে! Bangla language comes to Microsoft Translator

There are a lot of languages in the world -- there are many you probably have never heard of before. Many people think each country uses just one language, and that is it. This is far from the truth, however. Canada, for instance, uses both English and French. Heck, despite English being predominate (for now), the United States doesn't even have an official language! In the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the most spoken language is Bangla. Despite the South Asian country being the eighth most populous in the world, for whatever reason, Microsoft Translator did not support the language. Today this changes, however, as… [Continue Reading]

Excited for Windows 10 Creators Update? Here's how to get it a week early

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that the Windows 10 Creators Update will begin rolling out to users on April 11. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll get it then. As with last year’s Anniversary Update, Microsoft will roll out the update in waves, with newer PCs and tablets receiving it first, so it could be a while before it comes to your device. However, if you’re keen to be among the first to install it, there’s a simple trick you can use to get it nearly a week early -- on April 5. Provided you’re running a system with a licensed version of… [Continue Reading]

ADATA unveils Ultimate SU700 3D NAND 2.5-inch SATA SSD

Solid state drives are absolutely fabulous, but serial ATA variants are getting a bit long in the tooth. Don't get me wrong, if you are still using an old-fashioned mechanical hard drive, any SSD should give you better performance. With that said, NVMe M.2 drives are far superior. Of course, not all computers support the faster standard, so 2.5-inch SATA models are still relevant -- for now. Today, ADATA announces a new 2.5-inch SATA SSD. Called "Ultimate SU700," it features 3D NAND and capacities up to 960GB -- just shy of a terabyte. "The SU700 reaches 560MB/s read and 520MB/s write, once… [Continue Reading]

UK companies doing little to address cloud skills gender gap

When it comes to cloud skills, there’s a significant gender gap, and it’s particularly visible in the UK. This is according to a new report by Microsoft, entitled "Microsoft Cloud Skills Report: Closing the Cloud Skills Chasm." According to it, the gender mix among technical IT staff is 20 percent female versus 80 percent male. In just a fifth of companies (21 percent) the gender mix was 40 percent or greater. Microsoft says this gender imbalance is "concerning," but perhaps even more concerning is the fact that very few companies are actually doing something about it. A third (35 percent)… [Continue Reading]