You take great pains to come up with a strong password when registering for an account on a website -- only to see your efforts go for naught when that site gets hacked. Several sites had their databases of user accounts not only breached but stolen this year, which include the necessary information for logins (i.e. username, password). The following sites are ranked starting at the fewest number of user accounts with passwords that were taken.Also, these hacks were reported to have been executed during 2016. So this list does not feature Myspace (427 million user accounts stolen) or Yahoo! (a cool billion). Both were hacked supposedly before 2016, but were only reported this year. This list also does not include reports of user records that were exposed due to poor security, but where there is no evidence they were actually stolen.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
We experimented and tinkered with numerous bots that are available for Slack, the cloud messaging service meant mainly for business. (You can still use Slack for non-work reasons, particularly under the service’s free option.) Here are 10 that could be most helpful working alongside your Slack team.1. Ace: Saves your to-do list, and conducts your polls and surveysYou can build a to-do list by sending each task item as a message to this bot; it will store them, and show the list to you upon command. A task can be designated to a channel and assigned to a member in your Slack team, and labeled as prioritized (i.e. more important than others). Ace includes other functionalities: you can create simple polls and number ratings surveys with the bot, for which it will tally and provide a summary of the results of your team members’ responses.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
We experimented and tinkered with numerous bots that are available for Slack, the cloud messaging service meant mainly for business. (You can still use Slack for non-work reasons, particularly under the service’s free option.) Here are 10 that could be most helpful working alongside your Slack team.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Every year, tech companies come up with fantastic ideas for cutting edge, futuristic products. Some of these products turn into huge hits. Others end up bombing. And still others become precursors or inspirations for the next generation of innovations. Here’s our list of eight products that caught our eye this year.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Recently, while going through my bookmarks in Chrome to determine which ones I wanted to keep, I accidentally deleted all of them. Rather than panic, I felt an odd sense of…relief. I realized that I had collected several hundred bookmarks over the years, and that managing them was difficult.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Since its release, a major point of controversy with Windows 10 has been the many ways that it can track your personal activity and gather other data about you. Many people don’t mind sharing personal information in exchange for enabling or enhancing a helpful app or service.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
A biometric fingerprint reader makes it convenient to sign into your computer, by just pressing or swiping your finger on the reader which scans your fingerprint. It bypasses the need for entering a password while increasing the level of security for the computer -- anyone can enter your password if they get it somehow, but not your finger, after all. It can also be a convenient and secure system to set up on a computer at work that should be accessed by only a specific person or persons.In late September, BIO-key launched three fingerprint reader devices for the business and everyday computer user. Each sells for $40: the EcoID, the SideSwipe, and the SideTouch. You plug these readers into an USB port on your computer. They’re meant to be used with Windows 10 and this OS’ biometric sign-in feature, Windows Hello. (The EcoID and SideSwipe also run on Windows 7.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A biometric fingerprint reader makes it convenient to sign into your computer, by just pressing or swiping your finger on the reader which scans your fingerprint. It bypasses the need for entering a password while increasing the level of security for the computer -- anyone can enter your password if they get it somehow, but not your finger, after all. It can also be a convenient and secure system to set up on a computer at work that should be accessed by only a specific person or persons.In late September, BIO-key launched three fingerprint reader devices for the business and everyday computer user. Each sells for $40: the EcoID, the SideSwipe, and the SideTouch. You plug these readers into an USB port on your computer. They’re meant to be used with Windows 10 and this OS’ biometric sign-in feature, Windows Hello. (The EcoID and SideSwipe also run on Windows 7.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Among the new features that Microsoft rolled out with last month's Anniversary Update to Windows 10 is an app called Quick Assist -- a remote-access tool that is especially designed to work with Windows 10 systems. As you likely know, remote-access applications allow two computers to connect over the internet so that a person at one of them can remotely control the other. In this way, the person controlling the computer remotely can diagnose or fix a problem with it -- for example, by running an anti-malware program or uninstalling a troublesome hardware driver.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Happy AnniversaryMicrosoft’s latest update to Windows 10, dubbed the Anniversary Update, is slated to officially drop on Aug. 2, a year after the initial release of Windows 10 last July 29. Windows 10 has been installed on more than 350 million devices, making it Microsoft’s most successful OS launch. However, there’s always room for improvement and this update introduces several changes, customization options, and new ways to interact with Windows 10. Here are the highlights:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A new OS often retires features that were in its predecessor. If you’re still holding onto Windows 7 because a feature you’re fond of doesn’t appear in Windows 10, chances are there are alternative programs you can install to replace it. Here are five of them, and they’re all free.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Copy catsSeveral new Windows 10 tablet computers have either been released, or announced to be released soon, that copy the industrial design of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 and Pro 4. Like the Surface tablets, most of these clones have a kickstand that you flip out to prop them up on a flat surface; and they use a keyboard which can fold over onto the tablet’s display to protect it. While the Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 and can cost as much as $2,699, these clones are generally less expensive.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It was a bountiful year for hackers who gained unauthorized access to countless corporate and government databases. Here are the online breaches that hauled in the largest amount of personal data -- most of them tallying into the millions.No. 10: U.S. Internal Revenue ServiceNumber of people affected: About 334,000Security experts said it technically wasn’t “hacking” when thieves stole the tax information of 100,000 people through the IRS site. It was a case of weak security: They entered through the IRS’ “Get Transcript” service by answering security questions correctly, using personal information on their victims that had been obtained elsewhere, or simply guessing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Surface Pro 3 tipsWe’ve collected several tips for Microsoft’s popular tablet computer. Most are useful or interesting, one is kind of silly, and another is a nearly literal hack to the Surface Pro 3. Enjoy!Train Surface Pro 3 to better recognize your handwriting The Surface Pro 3 has software that’s already set to learn your handwriting when using the Surface Pen, for converting your written notes to typed text. If you use the tablet a lot for note taking, though, then you should run the Handwriting Personalization program and take a moment to train it to improve its recognition of what you write. There are two ways to do this: by writing specific characters and words you want it to recognize, or following the program as it instructs you to write out sentences or characters (letters, numbers, symbols) that it assigns you.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Franken-phoneWhen it was reported that Microsoft might invest in CyanogenMod, the mobile OS built on the open-source release of the Android codebase, speculation arose as to why. Although eventually Microsoft decided not to contribute to Cyanogen, it got us thinking: What if Microsoft or someone else created a smartphone running CyanogenMod, and it had no apps by Google. Instead, it was preloaded with Microsoft equivalents. Could such a Microsoft-dominant Android smartphone be viable? Technically, we would have to say, yes. Here, we compare how Microsoft’s apps would fare as replacements for their Google counterparts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
ZenbookAt first glance, you might mistake the ASUS ZenBook UX305 as a dark-gray edition of the 13-inch MacBook Air. It shares nearly the same design cues and size, but is thinner than the Apple notebook is at its thickest point, and weighs less. It also beats many of the current 13-inch MacBook Air’s hardware specs. And it costs less -- a whole lot less – at $699, compared to $999 for the MacBook Air.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
ZenbookAt first glance, you might mistake the ASUS ZenBook UX305 as a dark-gray edition of the 13-inch MacBook Air. It shares nearly the same design cues and size, but is thinner than the Apple notebook is at its thickest point, and weighs less. It also beats many of the current 13-inch MacBook Air’s hardware specs. And it costs less -- a whole lot less – at $699, compared to $999 for the MacBook Air.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Surface Pro 4Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 has become a surprise hit, bringing in more than $900 million in revenue, according to industry analysts, and generating such enthusiasm that fans are looking forward to the next version. The Surface Pro 3 was designed to present Windows 8.1 at its best, so it’s expected that its successor will serve as a showcase for Windows 10, which could come out as early as this summer. Perhaps a “Surface Pro 4” will debut at the same time or soon after Windows 10 launches. Here’s what we’d like to see in the Surface Pro 4.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A new generationA new generation of gadgets is poised to hit the market in 2015. In fact, some launched with limited shipping just before Christmas. Others are highly anticipated, but won’t be out until later in the year. Some will change the world. Others will end up in the tech scrap heap. Here’s a preview of what’s coming.Amazon Echo (Siri in a can)Ship date: Began shipping right before ChristmasTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Howard Wen