Leap Motion is pioneering how users interface with menus in mixed reality
Leap Motion has shown off a brand-new prototype user interface for augmented reality which gives the user full control over how its placed, distributed, and even how visible it is. You can minimize, drag, drop, or throw various UI elements wherever you want and bring them up as and when they are needed.
HoloLens virtual touchscreen is the futuristic tech we’ve been waiting for
Add touchscreen as another way to interact with the environment using Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality headset. Thanks to researchers at Microsoft Research, you can overlay a virtual touchscreen onto any flat surface while using HoloLens, giving you another way to visualize information and make inputs.
A lack of cryptocurrency miner demand may create discounts on graphics cards
Graphics card manufacturers may be forced to offer deep discounts due to a sudden lack of demand from cryptocurrency mining farm operators and channel distributors. Demand took a nosedive at the beginning of April as many farms are simply waiting for dedicated mining devices launching later this year.
AMD combats upgrade woes with ‘crates’ featuring discounted hardware bundles
AMD introduced its new Combat Crate program that bundles hardware together for a discounted price. For now, we have three based on AMD's first-generation Ryzen 5 1600 processor, its Radeon RX 580 graphics card, and motherboards supplied by Gigabyte and MSI. The bundles start at $263 without the GPU.
Here’s how to get the new Gmail right this second
Google's been teasing its new Gmail revamp for a while now, and you can get your hands on it today. As in right now. Right this second. If you're ready for a clean modern update to the dusty old Gmail, you're only a couple clicks away. Seriously, it's really easy, here's how to do it.
Latest Vivaldi browser fixes audio issues, provides more visual customization
A new version of Vivaldi is now available, bringing the browser up to 1.15. This release includes a list of fixes and tweaks, such as an option to use a custom image for the browser's background. Other ingredients include an additional bookmarks option, fixes to HTML5-related sound, and more.
A recent leak says Windows 10’s next update has been pushed back to May 8
The next Windows update, often called Spring Creators Update, but more specifically Redstone 4, still doesn't have a firm release date. A new supposedly leaked memo to Chinese retailers, however, suggests that we may see the new update on May 8 during Microsoft's next Build event.
Quantum mechanics could save the blockchain from quantum computers
A new type of 'quantum blockchain' that effectively acts like a time machine could make it possible to avoid the problem faced by developers when quantum computers can easily break traditional encryption systems. Such a system could, in theory, protect blockchain platforms like Bitcoin in the future.
Facebook acts as unwitting sales platform for identity thieves
Facebook has been the home to hundreds of ads offering stolen personal information on people for years with little oversight, a new report has discovered. Simple searchers turn up these ads and yet little has been done to crack down on their prevalence, even years after they first appeared online.
Material Design 2.0: rounded corners, darkened palette, and more
A now-privatized mention of "Material Designs 2" in a Chromium commit suggests that Google could be working on some new user interface elements for its Chrome OS browser and beyond.
Electronic locks in over 40,000 hotels worldwide compromised, says security firm
Security firm F-Secure has uncovered a massive security vulnerability in electronic locks sold by the world's largest lock manufacturer, Assa Abloy. Using the exploit, researchers were able to circumvent the lock system used in 40 thousand hotels worldwide by gaining master key access.
Philips claims a ‘world’s first’ with a 4K HDR display for PC arriving this summer
Envision Peripherals introduced a new desktop monitor under the Philips Momentum brand that will be the first to sport the VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification. That means its the top-of-the-line HDR-capable display with a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits. It will be available for $999 later this summer.
Hackers hijacked traffic through Amazon servers for two hours, undetected
The event, which only lasted about two hours Tuesday morning, saw traffic to Amazon's cloud web hosting servers redirected to malicious websites. Not all of the traffic, just a small slice of it, about 1,300 IP addresses according to Oracle. It's not the first such attack, either.
Pimax takes notes from Valve for its prototype ‘knuckles’ VR controller
Borrowing from Valve Software's unreleased 'knuckles' controller for VR, Pimax introduced a similar peripheral to be offered with its upcoming 8K VR headset. It will support all five fingers, providing thumb and trigger buttons along with a grip button and two sensors for your ring finger and pinky.
FCC’s net neutrality rules officially end, but 18 ISPs promise to stay honest
The Federal Register showed that the Federal Communication Commission's net neutrality rules officially came to an end on Monday, April 23. That means internet service providers no longer fall under the government-regulated "utility" umbrella. We'll have to see what happens next.
Windows 10 ‘Lean’ shows up in a preview build for Windows Insiders
Windows 10 Lean now appears in a Skip Ahead build for Windows Insider participants. There are no obvious app restrictions like Windows 10 S, but rather the removal of specific tools like the registry editor for a more secure, streamlined, lightweight footprint. Optical drive support is also missing.
Windows-powered medical scanners are being hit by health care hackers
Hackers have been targeting MRI and X-Ray machines, as well as pill label printers, logistics companies, and IT departments, all related to U.S. health care in some manner. It's not clear what the hackers want, but their ability to infiltrate national systems has security researchers concerned.
Code in latest Windows 10 preview hints at a Surface Phone
Newly uncovered phone APIs found within a Windows 10 Insider Preview build could hint at Microsoft's long-rumored Surface Phone. The APIs reveal Microsoft is planning on adding voice telephony features to Windows, and the dual-screen Surface Phone could be how Microsoft intends on showcasing these new features.
Windows users are going to hate what Microsoft just confessed
Microsoft acknowledges that tech support scams are on the rise, costing unsuspecting consumers an average of $200 to $400 per incident, and there's little that Windows Defender can do to protect you. The best defense is education and knowing if you've been targeted by scammers.
Internet Explorer has a zero-day bug that Microsoft needs to fix
There is a rather sophisticated Internet Explorer zero-day bug that's apparently in the wild. It was discovered by Chinese antivirus company Qihoo 360 Core, and it's able to bypass normal security thanks to an infected Office document that downloads malware in the background.
Baidu-owned ‘Netflix of China’ jumps into VR with a 4K headset with 8K support
China's top Netflix competitor, iQiyi, has been teasing the idea of high-end VR movie viewing for some time now and now we have out first look at the headset itself. With support for up to 8K movies, VR and 3D content, the head-mounted-display could help usher in a new age of ultra HD media viewing.
Upcoming XPS notebooks could have niche 3:2-aspect ratio monitors
Dell may explore new aspect ratios with future releases in its XPS range of laptops, according to the executive in charge of the range. Citing the success of competing products like the Surface range of Microsoft 2-in-1s, he claims Dell may look at 3:2 and even more niche aspect ratios for future designs.
Microsoft is working to cut the file size of the basic Windows 10 install
Microsoft is working on a trimmed down version of Windows 10 which lacks many of the basic features of the OS.One user noted several issues with this version of Windows 10. When he tried to install Microsoft Office, he received an error, but was given no details regarding the cause of the error.
Coinbase bans Wikileaks from its currency exchange platform
Coinbase, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has banned Wikileaks from the use of its platform. Wikileaks will still be able to accept payments via Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but it will have to find a new way, including other exchanges, to convert those tokens into hard currencies.
Twitter bans Kaspersky Lab from advertising on its platform
Citing alleged ties to the Russian government, Twitter has banned Kaspersky Lab advertising on the website. Twitter cited a Homeland Security notice that warned that the U.S. government was concerned about ties between "certain Kaspersky officials and Russian intelligence." Kaspersky denies the charge.
Udacity’s new online degree targets ‘most pressing issue of our time’
E-learning school Udacity is gearing up to launch its first-ever nanodegree program in cybersecurity. Aware of the growing threat of cyberattacks and the need for more specialists to tackle the issue, Udacity is putting the call out to relevant companies and organizations to help it design the course.
Some Gmail users woke up to find spam sent from their accounts
Something weird is happening with Gmail. On Sunday morning, some users work up to find spam sent from their accounts.
Google Arts & Culture explores remote world heritage sites in virtual reality
Using high-resolution cameras and 3D imaging, Google has opened up world heritage sites around the world for exploration to anyone with a virtual reality headset. The Open Heritge project is a collaboration with the non-profit foundation CyArk.
Apple offers to replace swollen batteries in certain MacBook Pros
If your MacBook Pro was one of the unlucky ones that has a battery swelling problem, then Apple has some good news. The company has promised to replace the defective components for free.
The Hilton Hotel in Panama features an insane Alienware gaming room
The next time you're on vacation in Panama City, you may not want to leave your room. The Hilton Hotel features an exclusive room designed for hard-core gamers, with Alienware PCs, high-definition displays, and even a virtual reality headset.
Acer, Dell slash gaming laptop prices to make room for new Intel models
Acer and Dell are slashing prices on gaming laptops for a limited time. For starters, Acer is now selling the Nitro 5 with a Core i5-7300HQ processor and a discrete GTX 1050 Ti graphics chip for dirt-cheap. Meanwhile, Dell's meatier Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming laptop packs a GTX 1060 GPU for $150 more.
Hackers can bypass the Windows 10 S lockdown due to security flaw
Google Project Zero researchers discovered a bug in Microsoft's .NET framework that allows anyone to run arbitrary "untrusted" code on Windows 10 devices with the User Mode Core Integrity component. That includes Windows 10 S desktops and laptops, and enterprise-based machines on an app lockdown.
Oculus wants to stretch your skin to see what it feels like to be human
In patents filings made public this week, Oculus describes a couple different technologies that could make its virtual reality even more realistic and immersive. The patents describe a couple methods for simulating touch in VR environments, one of which includes a "skin stretch instrument."
Tim Cook doesn’t believe customers want MacOS and iOS combined
In a recent interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he doesn't believe customers want MacOS and iOS to merge. Doing so would water down both for the convenience of one operating system. Both platforms are optimized and ideal for their target devices, thus a merge would mean trade-offs and compromises.