Gmail to get much-needed visual updates and advanced security features
In an email sent to G Suite administrators on Wednesday, April 11, Google announced plans to roll out a new look for Gmail with a host of other new features, most of which will be outlined in the future. The new features will first be delivered to G Suite via a limited early adopter program.
Another initial coin offering ‘exit scam’ steals $660M from Vietnam’s investors
Reports stemming from Vietnam claim that a company developing two cryptocurrency platforms raised $660.79 million in initial coin offerings and disappeared with the money. The company initially paid commissions to investors with cash, but then reverted to tokens that couldn't be withdrawn for money.
Forget cloning dogs, A.I. is the real way to let your pooch live forever
Researchers from the University of Washington and the Allen Institute for A.I. have created a deep learning artificial intelligence that’s designed to behave just like a dog. The technology could one day let your family dogs live on forever -- in shiny robot form, of course.
Yahoo Japan invests in a cryptocurrency exchange platform launching this fall
Yahoo Japan and BitARG Exchange Tokyo both confirmed on Friday a 40-percent investment in an upcoming Bitcoin exchange platform launching this fall. Yahoo Japan will supposedly make additional investments in the beginning of 2019 to launch a full-blown product by April 2019.
Google is learning to differentiate between your voice and your friend’s
We may be able to pick out our best friend's or our mother's voice from a crowd, but can the same be said for our smart speakers? Thanks to new research detailed in a paper titled, "Looking to Listen at the Cocktail Party," a new AI system is able to identify voices by looking at people's faces as they speak.
Get your pickaxe ready: The next MineCon Earth show streams in September
Microsoft and Mojang revealed the date for the next MineCon Earth live-stream event. Taking place this September, the show will include live gameplay, discussions between Lydia Winters and community co-hosts, and more Minecraft goodness. There will also be chances to personally appear during the show.
Ransomware shifts focus from holding passwords hostage to hijacking your PC
A malicious site reportedly designed to extort by demanding cryptocurrency payment in exchange for not leaking a user's password has quickly shifted course. Now, the site will instead hijack a user's computer power to mine for cryptocurrency in the background.
Your Mac will now start warning you about your 32-bit apps
Starting today, April 12, whenever you fire up your Mac, you will start getting a notification whenever you fire up a 32-bit application. Eventually, you won't be able to run software that's not 64-bit, and so this warning is essentially a heads up to give you time to start planning for the transition.
You may need to pay extra if you want to buy a home with Bitcoin
One NYC townhouse is listed for $30 million, but if you'd rather use Bitcoin to seal the deal, you'll need to shell out the equivalent of $45 million. The seller says that the 50 percent premium is set to cover market volatility with cryptocurrency exchanges, so it's still cheaper to pay with cash.
Get the top-notch Dell XPS 13 laptop with Core i7 processor at a $400 discount
One of the best Windows laptops is now $400 off. If you're in the market for a stylish Ultrabook, Dell's late 2017 XPS 13 delivers long battery life, along with great performance, thanks to Intel's quad-core Core i7 processor. And now, the XPS 13 is 30 percent off, bringing the price to just $899.
Reddit continues to protect racist language in favor of free speech
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman made a startling revelation that hate speech is permissible content on the site. Whether his recent admission will draw more racists hurling racial slurs to the site is yet to be seen, but protecting hate speech can result in more cases of cyberbullying and online harassment.
Despite PC industry’s flat year-to-year growth, HP dominated first-quarter sales
The latest IDC report shows that PC sales fell flat in a year-to-year comparison in the first quarter of 2018, with no overall growth or decline. Meanwhile, HP experienced a 4.3-percent growth, claiming 22.6-percent of the PC market in the first quarter followed by Lenovo and Dell.
IoT Group revives a power plant to fuel a blockchain applications complex
IoT Group teamed up with Australia's Hunter Energy to revive an old coal-fueled power station located in Hunter Valley. Inside the facility will be a Blockchain Application Complex serving up power at wholesale cost. This will be a cheap alternative to running blockchains on Australia's power grids.
Windows 10 Stocks, Weather, and other apps may retire in favor of web versions
Unnamed sources indicate that Microsoft is pulling developers away from secondary Windows 10 apps to work on Microsoft Edge features. The company is also adding developers to the Edge team who previously worked on canceled features previously planned for the upcoming Windows 10 Redstone 5 update.
Futuremark ditches its name again, will now be known as UL
Benchmark developer, Futuremark, announced that toward the end of April it will be retiring its current name and will instead be taking on the name of its parent company, UL. Nothing much else will change, but it represents an end of the company's 20-year name.
Those ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers are illegal, says the FTC
No longer will you have to resign yourself to a life in which you refrain from pulling off stickers that read "warranty void if removed." As it turns out, these stickers are not only ugly, but in fact deceptive and potentially illegal in the U.S., as per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Here’s how to check if Facebook shared your data with Cambridge Analytica
In keeping with earlier promises, Facebook has rolled out a tool that will show you whether or not your data was in the hands of Cambridge Analytica.
AMD has a fix for Spectre variant II, but will motherboard makers support it?
AMD has released a microcode fix for the variant 2 of the Spectre exploit for its hardware, but this is not a fix that can be distributed by Microsoft through Windows Update. This fix will need to come from the motherboard manufacturers and it's not clear when or if that will happen.
HP targets gamers on a budget with new Pavilion notebooks, desktops, and more
HP introduced a new family of notebooks, desktops, and even a 32-inch display under its Pavilion Gaming brand.
HP’s mainstream Pavilion PCs refreshed with latest AMD Ryzen, Intel Core CPUs
HP refreshed its entire family of Pavilion-branded devices spanning its 2-in-1s, laptops, and tower desktops. The devices now support new eighth-generation Intel Core and second-generation AMD Ryzen processors, depending on the model. You'll also find plenty of discrete graphics options, too.
Major web browsers will support web-based fingerprint, facial authentication
The World Wide Web Consortium said on Tuesday that Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla are currently working to incorporate the new WebAuthn standard into their browsers. This will enable web-based biometric authentication without the need for additional software.
Facebook will offer you $40,000 to find the next Cambridge Analytica
Facebook needs your help to secure your data and keep future elections fair. In an effort to prevent another Cambridge Analytica scandal potential meddling in elections, the newly announced Facebook Data Abuse Bounty will reward users who report any apps that maliciously collect and use data.
Verizon agrees, ransomware is the most popular form of malware
According to Verizon's 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, ransomware has emerged as one of the most common forms of malware among organizations. The reason: cybercriminals are mostly influenced by a desire to make money and ransomware is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to attack.
Google’s new ‘tablet mode’ further blurs the line between Chrome OS and Android
It’s still too early to tell if Chrome OS will replace Android on tablets, but with a new tablet mode, Chrome OS tablets will gain more touchscreen support. As Google focuses on touch, Chrome OS may not be as reliant on the keyboard and mouse for input in the future.
Leap Motion’s prototype augmented reality headset includes hand tracking
Leap Motion revealed a new prototype headset combining hand tracking with augmented reality. The open source community will have access next week.
Chrome is scanning Windows, but it may be a bug
It turns out that Chrome is scanning Windows, but it isn't intended. Rather, it is a bug that Google intends to fix in future updates.
Telegram app is a favorite of Kremlin officials, but Russia wants to block it
Telegram, the encrypted messaging app, is popular in Russia because it's a secure method of communication. Russian security, however, wants backdoor access and is threatening to block the app entirely.
Razer’s Mamba Hyperflux, Firefly charging mat could redefine gaming accessories
The Razer Mamba Hyperflux and Firefly charging mouse pad are a herald of a tidal shift coming to the gaming accessories market. Here's why that's great for gamers.
Windows 10’s Mail app may display an Office 365 ad for some users
Windows 10 device owners are jumping on Reddit to reveal that they're seeing an advertisement for Office 365 in the Mail app.
Asus just rolled out the world’s slimmest gaming laptop with GTX 1070 graphics
Asus dumped a load of new Republic of Gamers notebooks and laptops on PC gamers this week, including the world's slimmest laptop with a GTX 1070 GPU.
Recent data suggests that GPU supply might be stabilizing and prices falling
The price of midrange graphics cards like the RX 580 and GTX 1070 have exploded following a renewed interest in cryptocurrency mining. Nvidia is not happy with this new trend and has requested retailers take action to curb it.
The Surface Pro being discounted by up to $300 from Microsoft Store and Amazon
Microsoft's Spring Sale includes discounts on two Surface Pro configurations. Meanwhile, Amazon is discounting nearly all Surface Pro models.
Indian central bank looks to block Bitcoin, while creating its own cryptocurrency
The Indian banking authority, RBI, is going to cease offering banking services to anyone involved in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
New Google Glass smartglasses: Everything we know
Google Glass smart glasses may have disappeared but that doesn't mean Google isn't working on a new version. Here's everything we know.