Tech news

The Zorin OS 15 series, released last week in beta, introduces many changes to its desktop interface and utilities. It keeps Zorin on track with its goal of maintaining a Linux OS for everyone, not just advanced Linux users. Zorin OS 15 beta is the first major release since Zorin OS 12 in late 2016. This edition is well worth the wait. Major releases of Zorin OS come only once every two years. Minor updates are released every few months as needed. Zorin OS 15 is based on Ubuntu 18.04.2 Long Term Support. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2V2VuSH

The United States Federal Trade Commission has announced an investigation into the privacy policies, procedures and practices of seven Internet broadband providers and related entities: AT&T Inc., AT&T Mobility LLC, Comcast Cable Communications doing business as Xfinity, Google Fiber Inc., T-Mobile US Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., and Cello Partnership dba Verizon Wireless. The FTC has ordered the companies to detail how they collect, retain, use, and disclose their use of data from consumers and their devices. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2uvcdT0

Apple is getting into the credit card business. The company has announced a virtual payment card built into the wallet app on iPhones. Apple Card sports a number of features aimed at helping consumers lead a healthier financial life. "With our hardware, software and services, we think that Apple is uniquely positioned to make the most significant change in the credit card experience in 50 years," Apple CEO Tim Cook told the audience at an event held Monday at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2FDZvYy

Apple announced a raft of new services, including original TV programming and news and magazine offerings, at an event held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The Apple TV+ service, which will launch in the fall, already has a number of high-profile shows in its lineup, including Amazing Stories , a science fiction anthology produced by Steven Spielberg, and Morning Show , a series about a fictional TV morning show, with Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2YsyuhW

Telegram Messaging has introduced a new privacy rights feature that allows user to delete not only their own comments, but also those of all other participants in the message thread on all devices that received the conversation. Although the move is meant to bolster privacy, it's likely to spark some controversy.Telegram Messenger allows users to send free messages by using a WiFi connection or mobile data allowance with optional end-to-end encryption and encrypted local storage for Secret Chats. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2JHvUBE

I spent last week at Nvidia's GPU Technology Conference, and I expect this will be the last year it will go by that name. The company has evolved significantly during the last decade with robotics, artificial intelligence, and even complete workstations and servers taking it well beyond its GPU roots. One thing that is missing from Nvidia -- largely because its change has been gradual, and it doesn't fully get that it is primarily a solutions vendor -- is an effective way to convey how all the things it is doing will change the world. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2UUoJXJ

Cybersecurity experts at Microsoft's Windows Defender Security Intelligence Team this week reported their discovery of two new email-based phishing campaigns. One targets American Express users while the other targets Netflix customers. Both campaigns reportedly are very well-crafted, featuring legitimate logos and even fill-in forms that closely mimic those on the respective company's own websites. It isn't clear if these campaigns are being orchestrated by the same group, but each was launched last weekend, and each cast a wide net. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2TozUq7

SparkyLinux can ignite your daily computing experience. Its spark is pushing me to rethink my computing priorities. Regularly reviewing so many Linux operating systems for Linux Picks and Pans has a serious consequence for my computing sanity. Normally, I have a flirtatious episode with a new release each week. I'm always on the lookout for something new and shiny. Then my flash-in-the-pan relationship flames out in favor of some other newly released rival a week later. I love the freedom of choice that open source Linux OSes offer. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2TjKf6N

Facebook unveiled its Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. It will be available this spring for $399. With the Rift 2, Oculus "is following some of the trends set by Vive -- inside-out tracking, incremental improvement, and focus on comfort," observed David MacQueen, executive director of Strategy Analytics' wireless media strategies service. "I'm interested to see the continued focus on the gaming market from the announcement itself -- plus, of course, the actual launch is at GDC," he said. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2U43NAr

Google has pulled the wraps off Stadia, a new cloud-based gaming platform. Using the power of Google's global information infrastructure, Stadia can stream the highest-quality games to any screen, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in announcing the platform, which is expected to come online later this year. Stadia represents Google's vision for the future of gaming, "where the worlds of watching and playing games converge into a new generation game platform, perfectly built for the 21st century," added Google General Manager Phil Harrison. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2TQIza3

MORE Technologies last week launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $20,000 for development of its open source robot ecosystem. The company will fund the project if it reaches its goal by April 21. As of this writing, $6,485 of that $20,000 goal has been pledged. The MOREbot project teaches real tech skills to the next generation of innovators and problem solvers using MOREbot -- a series of open source, customizable robotics kits designed for classroom or home use. MOREbot is an expandable modular STEM learning robotic ecosystem. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Cq3t52

Apple has announced a new 10.5-inch iPad and a refresh of the iPad mini. The 10.5-inch iPad Air, which will sell for $499, provides 64 gigabytes of solid state storage and WiFi support. It has Apple's latest mobile processor, the A12 Bionic chip, and supports Apple Pencil and the company's smart keyboard. "The Bionic A12 is a cut above the processors used in all other tablets on the market," Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. The new 7.9-inch iPad mini, which will sell at a base price of $399 with WiFi support also has an A12 chip. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Fce2JE

Elizabeth Warren's desire to curtail Facebook, Amazon and other companies that have misused their massive power -- or may do so in the future -- is well founded. The U.S. appears to be trending toward civil war, and I'd place social media in general on the wrong side of this trend. However, just as you wouldn't hand a saw to a non-MD congressperson to deal with your broken leg, because it would end really badly -- with you legless and dead -- you shouldn't hand a virtual saw to any politician to cut up a company. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2F6eadm

Niantic last week offered a few members of the gaming press a chance to take in the magic of its upcoming Harry Potter: Wizards Unite augmented reality game. The game, which is being developed as part of a joint effort with WB Games San Francisco under the Portkey Games label, promises to build on Niantic's hugely popular Pokémon Go mobile phone game. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite , first announced in 2017, will use a mobile phone to blend augmented reality with the real world, much like Pokémon Go . from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2F7Ymaf

Time-tracking software records the time you spend on tasks. The time-tracking helps you create billing reports, prepare invoices, and analyze your workflow for better efficiency. This week's Linux Picks and Pans product review highlights some of the best free time-tracking applications for Linux. Most of these apps offer basic time-tracking functionality and little else. Some have some very useful additional features. A few are strictly old school Linux with only command line and/or text-based input and display. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2u8YOQh

Jigsaw, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, has released Tune, an experimental Chrome extension that lets users hide the types of comments they consider toxic. It is available for Mac, Windows, Linux and the Chrome OS. Tune builds on the same machine learning models that power Jigsaw's Perspective API to rate the toxicity of comments. Tune users can adjust the volume of comments from zero to anything goes. Tune is not meant to be a solution for all toxicity, noted Jigsaw Product Manager C.J. Adams. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2u6sZrt

Mozilla has announced Firefox Send, a free encrypted file-sharing service that works in a any browser. To share a file, you simply visit the Send site and drag your file to a box on the Web page. Unregistered users may upload up to 1 gigabyte in files, while registered users have a 2.5 GB allowance. After uploading your files, you choose an expiration time for the link used to share them. Expirations can be set for number of downloads -- one to five, 50 or 100 -- or in increments of time, from five minutes to one hour, one day, or seven days. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2u2N3ee

Plans to bring facial recognition to major U.S. airports by 2021 are on a fast flight path, despite concerns about the new technology's readiness. President Trump in 2017 issued an executive order expediting the deployment of biometric verification of the identities of all travelers crossing U.S. borders. It stipulates that facial recognition identification be used in the top 20 U.S. airports for "100 percent of all international passengers," including American citizens, by 2021. The mandate to accelerate the timeline for implementation of a biometric system initially was signed into law by President Obama. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2THJPeM

The tech market is defined by its battles: Microsoft vs. IBM; Apple vs. Microsoft; Netscape vs. Microsoft; Google vs. Microsoft. If Microsoft were a person, it likely would have PTSD. Then there was Apple vs. Google, and now the big one is Apple vs. Qualcomm. The screwy thing for me is that Huawei represents a far greater threat to both companies than they represent to each other. In fact, I'm really starting to wonder if Qualcomm isn't a proxy for Google in this fight, with Apple changing dramatically what its own real goal is. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Ho5EcJ

Parrot offers several options for running a Linux OS that pays much closer attention to security. If you already are handy with digital forensic tasks and want a state-of-the-art system to handle pentesting and privacy issues, check out the Parrot Security release, which offers a complete all-in-one environment for pentesting, privacy, digital forensics, reverse-engineering and software development. Typical Linux users who just want a leg up on privacy protections built into an all-purpose operating system should consider Parrot Home. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2ToRKOt

Long-term trends in the technology segment are often the result of structural change. One such change in the semiconductor space was the shift to outsourcing specialized functions, including technology development in the form of intellectual property, chip design, fabrication, and packaging and test. That change, along with the move to more specialized workloads and the need for original equipment manufacturers and service providers to differentiate, has sparked another trend, toward customized processors and System on Chip solutions. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2IYSHZm

Microsoft has been urging customers to upgrade from its Windows 7 operating system, while attempting to ease the transition with several options for extended support. It will stop providing routine fixes and security patches effective January 2020. Regular support for Windows Server 2008 also is scheduled to end at that time. Windows 7 enterprise customers can subscribe to Extended Security Updates to receive security fixes for uncovered or reported vulnerabilities in the OS -- those rated "Critical" or "Important" by Microsoft. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2EUnzpB

August has introduced a new smart doorbell to its product lineup. The August View, priced at $230, is a wireless doorbell that can stream sharp 1440p HD video. It supports two-way audio, so you can talk to guests via an Internet connection. The View can be paired with August and Connected by August smart locks. That means you not only can speak to visitors remotely, but also can let them into your house. That functionality can be handy for accepting package deliveries when you're not home. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2EFTwk5

EasyOS is an experimental Linux distribution that either will renew your passion for using something different or leave you disappointed in its oddball approach to computing. EasyOS is a blend of the best ideas from Puppy Linux and the now discontinued Quirky Linux. I have used several of the popular Puppy Linux variants over the years. I adopted Quirky Linux a few years ago as my go-to Linux distro on a USB stick, for use on other people's computers while in the field. Software developer Barry Kauler developed all three. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2EOBPjR

Facebook has undermined privacy on its network by exposing mobile phone numbers provided to secure user accounts through two-factor authentication. That's because anyone can use the numbers to look up a user's account. One doesn't even have to be a Facebook member to do so. Moreover, there's no way to opt out of the setting, although it can be limited to "friends" only. The security gaffe came to light when Jeremy Burge, a UK entrepreneur, posted a tweet that drew an outpouring of responses from angry Facebook users. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2XEsRgj

Like many of you I was fascinated by the Michael Cohen testimony last week in what was more performance art than fact-finding. It tends to be fascinating to watch disgruntled ex-employees testify, but they often aren't the most reliable witnesses. The personal nature of their termination tends to push them toward exaggeration, and many were fired for legitimate reasons. However, I'm a tech analyst, and I'm always thinking about how I would make something better. In this case, there were several ways you could define "better." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2SKI8bG

Learning to code, regardless of the path a child chooses to take, is crucial today. Research shows us that this knowledge will be important in any career. As both a female leader in technology and a mother of a 10-year old boy, I am acutely aware of its critical importance in both my professional and personal life. Coding is a necessary literacy in this technological age. Computer coding is a part of everything and is everywhere in the world around us. Scientific and technological innovation are cornerstones of our global economic system. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2UabVMy