Black Friday 2016 is still about 2 months away, but the first ad leaks touting bargains on everything from the latest iPhones to tablets, TVs and PCs could surface by the end of next month. Look for Amazon to once again push the definition of Black Friday, with sales starting at the beginning of November (hey, they've already had Prime Day).FROM THE ARCHIVES: 40+ jaw dropping Black Friday 2015 tech dealsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google this week is expected to release Allo, an AI-powered app previewed in May at the Google I/O confab that's aimed at adding more pizzazz to text messaging.
Google said back then that it planned to release the app by the end of summer, and that would be this Wednesday, Sept. 21. Reliable mobile news blogger Evan Blass has tweeted "Hello, Allo (launches this week)," and Google watchers have been quick to rehash this.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Between the new AirPods and stereo speakers, audio was one of the biggest stories with the new Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. But it was hissing sounds reportedly coming from the new phones when their A10 Fusion CPU is under heavy load that were grabbing headlines over the weekend.Apple hasn't formally addressed the reported hissing sounds yet, though has responded to customer complaints, which have started popping up online since the smartphone became available on Friday. Twitter
Supposedly you do have to put the phones right up to your ear to really hear the hissing sound, but nevertheless, the noise is worrisome for those who just plunked down hundreds for the device.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The FBI has issued a plea for those who have been hit by ransomware to report this to federal law enforcement so that the country can get a better sense of just how bad this problem really is.Ransomware refers to malware that encrypts files on computers or locks users out of their computers, and requests ransom be paid to set files free or allow users to regain access. Such malware, often going by spooky names like Cryptolocker or TeslaCrypt, can be activated by clicking on a web link or even visiting a compromised website, or opening an file in email. One nasty variant even takes your money and still deletes your files.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This short video from the Conan O'Brien late night TV show depicts exactly what everyone thought the moment they saw Apple reveal its $269 wireless AirPods during its iPhone 7 announcements last week.
MORE: Bring on the iPhone 7 parody videosTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A Kickstarter project for glowing Bluetooth beacons designed to make your smartphone more useful has blown past its $20K goal with about a week to go.Iota Labs is building physical Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Dots that use location tracking to put your smartphone notifications into context. For example, stick one in the kitchen to prompt you to check food expiration dates or in your car to automatically open up Waze. Put one in the hallway to let you know -- via its LED color as it senses you being in the area -- if a roommate is home and might need a bit of discretion on your part. Or if you want to stretch this initially consumer-oriented product into a business tool, have one alert you to unread emails from your boss as you step into your office. (See Iota's video pitch below.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
We didn't claim that our recent story titled "Lights out! Why IT shops are disabling wireless AP LEDs" was tackling one of the world's major problems, but it clearly addressed one of the tech world's ongoing annoyances.Roughly 300 comments have been made about the story by those who found it on the Slashdot website, others chimed in on Reddit, and more contacted me directly. (The original story was prompted by discussion among IT professionals at universities, seeking ways to reduce light pollution in dorm and hospital rooms.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Many would like to see famed whistleblower Edward Snowden face the music for releasing classified information from the NSA a few years back, but who knew his actions would wind up having an impact on the music world itself?A slew of Snowden-inspired songs emerged from the DIY set in the immediate wake of the leaks back in 2013. But 2016 is shaping up to be another big year with fresh material.The latest Snowden song comes courtesy of Peter Gabriel for the new Oliver Stone biopic featuring Joseph Gordon-Leveitt called "Snowden." Gabriel's song, "The Veil," plays during the end credits of the film, and basically tells the Snowden story, as the former Genesis band member sings about Snowden being a hero to some and a traitor to others.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Many would like to see famed whistleblower Edward Snowden face the music for releasing classified information from the NSA a few years back, but who knew his actions would wind up having an impact on the music world itself?A slew of Snowden-inspired songs emerged from the DIY set in the immediate wake of the leaks back in 2013. But 2016 is shaping up to be another big year with fresh material.The latest Snowden song comes courtesy of Peter Gabriel for the new Oliver Stone biopic featuring Joseph Gordon-Leveitt called "Snowden." Gabriel's song, "The Veil," plays during the end credits of the film, and basically tells the Snowden story, as the former Genesis band member sings about Snowden being a hero to some and a traitor to others.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Carnegie Mellon University is boasting that nearly half (48%) of incoming School of Computer Science undergraduates are women, a new diversity record for the institution.
This echoes results at another top-notch computer science school, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Engineering, which says 46% of its 190 incoming freshmen CompSci students are women. That's up from 24% the year before.
Guy Blelloch, associate dean for undergraduate programs at CMU, says 38% more women applied for admission with SCS as their first choice. The school, which increased its first-year undergrad class in computer science by 30% this fall, says men and women are judged by the same admission standards.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The hardest news out of Apple during its iPhone 7/7Plus and Apple Watch 2 extravaganza last week is that the company will release a version of its Apple Watch made from ceramic, which as Apple says, is "one of the hardest materials in the world." Speculation this week is that Apple might use some of that zirconia ceramic to build its iPhone 8, too. Why deal with messy Bendgate issues involving its aluminum-body iPhones when it can build its smartphones from stronger material?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
With the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus now officially old news before they are even available, it's on to iPhone 8.At least according to so many headlines:*Fortune: "Many looking past iPhone 7 to next year's iPhone 8"*MacRumors: "Apple still working to perfect wireless charging technology for 'iPhone 8'"*NBC News: "Should you wait... for the iPhone 8?"To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Department of Energy says the $40 million it is investing in nearly two dozen multi-year projects will result in exascale computing systems that perform calculations on data 50 to 100 times faster than today's most powerful supercomputers.The DoE Exascale Computing Project says such high-performance computing systems can make at least a billion billion calculations per second, and will be used to process data for applications such as energy security, economic security, scientific discovery, healthcare and climate/environmental science. The U.S. is shooting to attain such powerful systems by the mid-2020s and China is aiming for 2020.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Department of Energy says the $40 million it is investing in nearly two dozen multi-year projects will result in exascale computing systems that perform calculations on data 50 to 100 times faster than today's most powerful supercomputers.The DoE Exascale Computing Project says such high-performance computing systems can make at least a billion billion calculations per second, and will be used to process data for applications such as energy security, economic security, scientific discovery, healthcare and climate/environmental science. The U.S. is shooting to attain such powerful systems by the mid-2020s and China is aiming for 2020.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Department of Energy says the $40 million it is investing in nearly two dozen multi-year projects will result in exascale computing systems that perform calculations on data 50 to 100 times faster than today's most powerful supercomputers.The DoE Exascale Computing Project says such high-performance computing systems can make at least a billion billion calculations per second, and will be used to process data for applications such as energy security, economic security, scientific discovery, healthcare and climate/environmental science. The U.S. is shooting to attain such powerful systems by the mid-2020s and China is aiming for 2020.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Reading about Cisco exec Rob Soderbery's departure from the company, I couldn't help thinking back to the first time I came across the enterprise products muckety-muck: Back at Interop 2013 in Las Vegas, where Soderbery took on Cleveland Cavalier star Kyrie Irving in a basketball shooting contest in the name of IoT marketing.The Stanford- and Caltech-educated Soderbery was pumping up Cisco's vision for software-defined networking as well as the internet of things, and it is IoT where the Irving cameo came in. Cisco was getting into the game of a much more connected pro sports world, where sensors in everything from basketball shoes to basketballs help teams better measure player and team performance and improve the fan experience.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple made it too easy on parody video producers, meme generators and comedians this week in announcing its iPhone 7 and 7 Plus smartphones and boasting of its "courage" in ditching the standard 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of a proprietary Lightning one.Jacksfilms, whose video had racked up more than 400K views as of Thursday morning, goes after Apple and its courage to sell $160 earphones that you need to charge, a typically out-there musical performance by Sia and Apple's special new dongle...
The Challenge accurately pokes fun at the "mini hair dryers" that are the new Apple AirPods...To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Having seen all sorts of makeshift fixes – from post-it notes to bandages to condom wrappers – used to block wireless access point LEDs from beaming and sometimes blinking, some IT shops have begun turning off the lights altogether even though it can make their jobs a little tougher. Lively discussion broke out online this week among a forum of university IT pros after one member inquired about this “first-world problem,” as he contemplates whether to disable LEDs on APs across the board in an effort to improve dorm residents’ quality of life (i.e., help them grab more shuteye by reducing in-room light pollution). More than a dozen peers replied that they have indeed turned off the lights, some doing so in a wholesale manner, others taking it case by case. They say technicians can re-enable LEDs temporarily if need be for troubleshooting.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If you've got 2 hours to spare on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 1PM EST, here's how to catch the live stream of the Tim Cook & Co., show revealing what's expected to be the iPhone 7, possibly a new Apple Watch and the latest on iOS 10. That is, if you haven't been invited to attend the event in person at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Apple makes it easiest to watch its antics and revelations online if you're using an Apple device, whether it be an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, though Apple also acknowledges the existence of Windows 10 users:
Requirements: Live streaming uses Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. HLS requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Safari on iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later, or a PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. Streaming via Apple TV requires an Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation) with software 6.2 or later or an Apple TV (4th generation).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple's confirmation that it will be making news on Sept. 7 means that our regular iPhone 7 rumor roundups are winding down, but you didn't expect the rumors to dry up before the big day, did you?Just this week, the following fresh scuttlebutt has surfaced, more or less confirming a couple of the most persistent rumors about the next big iOS devices:*Mashable cites a Dutch site that posted a technical document for the iPhone 7 Plus describing "EarPods with Lightning connector," adding support to the strong rumor that Apple is ditching the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. A Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter and Lightning-to-USB cable connector are also mentioned.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Bob Brown