Category: Biz Tech

Publications have been wildly awash with numerous reports this week of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's hacking efforts to spy on American citizens through the use of different tools outlined in WikiLeaks's document dump, causing a widespread maelstrom in the embattled narrative of data security. No, The CIA Can't Crack Your Encrypted Messages While the hacking tools were legitimate worries themselves, no less worrying was the assertion that the CIA is capable of bypassing encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp and Edward Snowden-endorsed Signal.

The United Nations' special rapporteur on privacy has lambasted a spate of new surveillance laws across Europe and the US, saying that there is "little or no evidence" that mass monitoring of communications works.In a report

Harmonix, the developer behind the Rock Band franchise, and Hasbro, the company behind several popular trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, are teaming up for a music mixing trading card game. Named DropMix, the game will be made available in September this year. 'DropMix': The Music Mixing Game DropMix, as described by Harmonix in its announcement, is a fast-paced music mixing game that allows players to create unique mixes through cards featuring songs from popular artists. "It's completely unlike anything else you've ever

Earlier this week, Microsoft acknowledged that it has been working to bring Windows Server to ARM. But the way this announcement unfolded was rather confusing.Once the dust

Flippy the robot is starting its culinary career with one simple task, but just like any rookie, it is learning on the job. With some practice

The Google Pixel XL is among the hottest Android smartphones currently available on the market, but it gets some serious competition from the newly unveiled LG G6. LG officially announced its latest flagship smartphone, the LG G6, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 on Feb. 26. The powerhouse comes with high-end specs and features all around, including a premium, waterproof build, a large HDR display and more neat features to take on the competition. The LG G6 is all set to

Do you have a network-attached storage (NAS) device holding your accounts payable, document archives, or just your baby photos? If so, you're running Samba, the open-source file and print server. Now, with the Samba 4.6 release,

A new Congress bill could make it harder for workers to prevent employers from accessing their personal genetic and medical information. The bill could also increase the financial penalties for individuals who opt out of workplace wellness programs. The bill, proposed by Republicans, suggests that companies should gather genetic data from workers and their families more easily, and it was introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Companies Could Gain Access To

It's amazing just how useful many of the hidden accessibility features built into the iPhone are. I've already talked about how amazingly useful the hidden shortcut menu is, but here's another one I've been using lately

Alphabet's Waymo is requesting for a preliminary injunction to keep Uber from pushing through with its self-driving car plans and thus stop the ride-hailing service from using allegedly stolen secrets. This move follows the lawsuit Waymo filed back in February against Otto, a self-driving truck startup, and Uber, the startup's parent company. The case argues that the defending party has stolen more than 14,000 confidential documents, including info for LiDAR or Light Detection and Ranging. However, Uber rebuffed the accusations at the time,

The tier gives limited access to 15 services. (Image: Google)Stressing its fundamental commitment to openness, Google on Friday announced that it's adding a free tier to the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Dogs are the best friend one can have. Apart from being the loyal partner, the four-legged creature is also blessed with a unique ability to adapt according to human emotions. Man's best friend also has the aptitude to recognize emotions and adopt them accordingly, by combining information's from different senses. Apart from being the loyal, playful, and adorable companion, dogs can also be devious when it comes to getting their favorite treat from their owners. A new study conducted by Marianne Heberlein of the Department of

Samsung Electronics has completed the acquisition of Harman International Industries in a deal worth $8 billion, the company announced.Harman stockholders will receive $112 per share in cash, and the deal was approved by the US firm's

Image: fileWe use URL shortening services so often these days we're seldom even aware of them. Until, that is, one of them fails. Today, one of the most popular of these, Bitly, stopped working for some

Bird flu has reared its ugly head not only in China but also in the U.S. and as fears of an epidemic escalate, measures are being taken all over the world to control the outbreak. The latest victim of the Avian Flu scare is the Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, which has administered euthanasia on a flock of 20 Dalmatian pelicans after the bird flu virus was found in their body. The decision to cull the birds was taken by the zoo after it

The internet as it currently stands is "not fit for purpose" to engage the connectivity of things and machines, according to Cisco ANZ CTO Kevin Bloch, as mobility requirements will be subverted by the Internet of

There is no doubt that there is still debate on the medical merits of cannabis, but the varying information still does not stop many people from using cannabis to aid their conditions. A recent survey in Australia shows that people with epilepsy are included in this population. Cannabis For Epilepsy In a first nationwide survey on cannabis use among epilepsy patients in Australia, researchers found that 14 percent of people with epilepsy have used cannabis products to manage their condition when the

A joint venture led by Qualcomm and the Brazilian government will see the launch of a semiconductors factory producing high-complexity equipment.The consortium, which also includes semiconductor manufacturing firm ASE Group, is predicted to make a total

Forget about a normal selfie. 2017 might just be the year of the lumy. For those unfamiliar with the term, a "lumy" is a photo or video that features an effect from the increasingly popular app Lumyer. Lumyer is an augmented reality app that allows users to add fun effects to their photos or videos to bring them to life. These lumys can then be shared on different social platforms like Instagram or Facebook. And it probably won't be long before everyone starts seeing

Since the dawn of cloud computing, one theme has been a constant: the idea that demand can be dynamic and elastic, that you pay only for the resources you use, and that the service is delivered

SecuritySpy is a very full-featured program that can support a wide range of camera types. Back in 2013, I showed how to build an Internet-centric, mobile-enabled video surveillance system using HD video transmitted over in-wall power

It's a tale as old as time, and now the story of Belle and the Beast can be explored in some of Disney's popular mobile games. In celebration of the upcoming theatrical release of the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, Disney announced that it is adding brand-new content related to the classic film across its library of apps. The new Beauty and the Beast-themed content will be available as updates that will roll out all month long. Previously Color by Disney,

Troy Toman, director of engineering at Planet Labs, explains how his organization effectively uses both AWS and Google Cloud. (via PCMag)

There is a growing hype about going on a gluten-free diet today. With more and more celebrities swearing by it, people get inspired to raid supermarket aisles for expensive gluten-free alternatives. Aside from weight loss, one of the purported health benefits of a gluten-free diet is the reduced risk of diabetes, which is considered one of the leading causes of death in the United States. But a new study from Harvard University says otherwise. What Is A Gluten-Free Diet A gluten-free diet strictly eliminates foods

Turkey saw just four percent growth in its internet population, but that means two million more people are online.

Comcast has completed its acquisition of Icontrol Networks' Converge business, which creates Internet of Things (IoT) and connected home security solutions. Converge already powers Comcast's XFinity Home, in that it allows Comcast to communicate with and

The connection between on-screen violence and off-screen aggressive behavior has been largely extrapolated. Most studies seemed to suggest that playing violent video games has a strong desensitizing effect and encourages negative demeanor. New evidence indicates, however, that violent content in video games doesn't induce antisocial conduct in the long run, and leaves empathy levels unscathed. Although previous research established graphic media exposure can lead to aggression, these studies only focused on the short-term effects of violent on-screen content and typically examined participants shortly

Historically, the marketing team within an organisation has had little to do with the IT department or the product development team, while the CEO was generally concerned only with the revenue marketing ventures were bringing into

Leave it to Game of Thrones to play with our emotions. HBO has released the first poster for the seventh season of Game of Thrones. The poster is typical GoT - cryptic and full of intrigue. The poster shows the series title and season against an icy background, but beneath this ice are fiery flames. With a simple poster, the show can be hinting about the general plot of the season. Fan theories exploded at the conclusion of season 6; the upcoming season

Viva Republica CEO SG Lee

China's Uber rival Didi Chuxing announced that it has officially opened its first US-based research and development lab in Mountain View, California this week. Didi Labs will seek out engineering talent and focus on artificial intelligence

The release of the Android 7.0 Nougat update for Samsung's former flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge had been delayed according to an official announcement from Samsung, but now appears to be rolling out. Owners of other Samsung devices expected to receive the update, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy A, J series and Galaxy Tab, are now wondering how the S6 delay will affect their expected upcoming updates. Android 7.0 Update For Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge Officially

Google Cloud Platform may not be the only cloud provider in an enterprise, but it's willing to offer discounts to make sure it gets its share. (Image: Google Cloud/YouTube)Google Cloud Platform rolled out Committed Use Discounts,