AirPlay 2 brings HomePod stereo pairs and multi-room audio to iOS 11.4

Today sees the release of iOS 11.4 and with it Apple is adding AirPlay 2. This brings some important changes to HomePod, including the stereo pairing option that was missing at launch. AirPlay 2 also adds multi-room audio to HomePod, bringing Apple's smartspeaker in line with Amazon Echo and Google Home. Other new features of iOS 11.4 include the ability to access iMessages via iCloud on any Apple device. See also: Apple to add details of government app takedown requests to transparency report Download all the information Apple holds about you from its new Data and Privacy portal Apple removes… [Continue Reading]

PUBG sues Epic over similarities between Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Bluehole's PUBG -- the company behind PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- is taking Epic Games to court, alleging that Fortnite's Battle Royale mode violates the copyright of its own game. Both Fortnight and PUBG have proved to be incredibly popular games, and Bluehole's PUBG has made no secret of the fact that it believes Epic has drawn a little too much inspiration from its own game. SEE ALSO: Fortnite for Android is coming very soon The legal action was revealed by the Korean Times just a few days ago, although the suit was actually filed way back at the beginning of the year.… [Continue Reading]

Ghostery makes a huge privacy gaffe when emailing customers about GDPR

Ghostery is a company rooted in privacy, so that the firm should accidentally reveal users' email addresses would come as something of a surprise. Over the weekend, however, this is exactly what happened. The company -- as many others have been doing recently -- emailed its users with details of its updated privacy policy that complies with GDPR. Unfortunately, the message exposed the email addresses of hundreds of customers as the company failed to make use of the BCC field. See also: Facebook to ask all users to review privacy settings Download all the information Apple holds about you from… [Continue Reading]

Canada: Bank of Montreal and Simplii Financial hit by hackers

Over the weekend, the Bank of Montreal and Simplii Financial both issued statements indicating that they had fallen victim to hackers. In the case of Simplii Financial, around 40,000 customer accounts have been affected, but numbers have not been revealed for the Bank of Montreal. Both banks' statements indicate that they were contacted by "fraudsters" on Sunday, May 27, but it is not clear whether the two incidents relate to the same group. See also: US and UK issue joint warning about Russian hacking of routers and ISPs Banks struggle to defend against internal attacks Microsoft launches Defending Democracy Program… [Continue Reading]

How to check which of your conversations Alexa has been recording -- and delete them

There was concern recently when a couple of Alexa users found that the smart assistant built into their Amazon Echo had not only recorded a conversation they had been having, but had sent it to an acquaintance. Since this story broke, it is entirely understandable that other people who have Alexa listening in the background are worried that something similar could happen to them. If you want to check whether Alexa has been secretly/inadvertently recording you (delete according to your prejudices), we can show you how. If you find any recordings you want to ensure no one else hears, you… [Continue Reading]

Why SD-WAN is the right way to enable a digital business

An IDC survey of mid-market enterprises found that that enterprises are  embracing SD-WAN-based infrastructure services. The survey identified that drivers include better automation, bandwidth optimization, consistent application security and self-provisioning. IDC Network Infrastructure vice president Rohit Mehra noted that the enterprise WAN is rapidly being "re-architected to cost-effectively deliver new, secure capabilities" and that adapting SD-WAN is a "key ingredient for success." Good advice, no doubt, but let’s dig a little deeper. Here are the reasons why SD-WAN is the right way to meet your digital business needs today -- and tomorrow. Better Connectivity Needed in the Cloud Age Digital… [Continue Reading]

Pandora launches unlimited Premium Family plan for $15 per month -- with a 60-day free trial

With so much choice in the field of streaming music, any package on the market has to offer something special to stand out from the competition. Looking to set itself apart from the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, Pandora has launched a new Premium Family package. The new package offers unlimited access to all of Pandora's premium features for up to six people. The price is just $15 per month, but there's a 60-day free trial available so you can try it out for size first. Pandora explains that the new package offers "all of the features of Pandora… [Continue Reading]