Apple didn't kill the 3.5mm headphone jack on its new lineup of MacBook Pros, but new design changes to Apple's revamped notebook lineup will undoubtedly irk many customers.Sure, the new Touch Bar looks amazing, and sure, the specs on the new MacBook Pro models certainly warrant getting excited about, but the port situation on the MacBook Pro is a mixed bag.+ Also on Network World: First Look: Apple’s new MacBook Pro lineup, and more +
As Phil Schiller explained during today's event, Apple's new MacBook Pros feature four Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C ports, and conveniently, each of these can be used to charge the machine. Now, USB-C is incredibly versatile, and Apple will use the advanced port for power charging, HDMI and much more.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Run your fingers over this!Apple rolled out the newest generation of the MacBook Pro today at a showcase event at the company’s Cupertino campus. Along with – get this – thinner and sleeker construction, Apple’s latest MacBook Pros have had several important features redesigned, and one big new feature added. Have a look.The Touch BarImage by AppleTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices. Click here to subscribe. For many security professionals, passwords are the scourge of the authentication world, and their death can't come soon enough. Passwords are too often stolen, shared, forgotten or simply too weak or obvious to be effective. According to the 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 63% of confirmed data breaches involve the use of weak, default or stolen passwords.End users hate passwords too, because they create a bad user experience (UX). We are advised (or forced) to use complex combinations of numbers, characters and symbols that are practically impossible to remember, and we are supposed to have a different password for every system and application we use. Years ago I resorted to a password manager to keep track of my 300+ sets of credentials.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft was quiet about several planned features in the Creators UpdateImage by Blair Hanley FrankMicrosoft showed off a handful of marquee features for next year's Windows 10 update on Wednesday, but the company sneakily hid 11 more new releases in its sizzle reel preview of the Creators Update. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A user of Reddit’s section devoted to systems administration yesterday offered up for inspection an F-bomb-laden phishing email that had eluded his company’s spam filter despite the filter having been set to weed out such cursing. Then this exchange ensued: Reddit
I also laughed out loud.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The recent DDoS attacks launched from IoT devices demonstrate that the internet of things spans all parts of IT and that most companies deploying it still need a lot of help.That's the message from ARM, the chip design company behind nearly every smartphone and a big chunk of IoT, at its annual TechCon event this week in Silicon Valley.Small, low-power devices like sensors and security cameras are the most visible part of IoT, and they’re right in ARM’s wheelhouse as the dominant force in low-power chips. But on Wednesday, the company highlighted a cloud-based SaaS offering rather than chips or edge devices themselves. IoT depends on back-end capabilities as much as edge devices, and the company wants to play a role in all of it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
When it comes to cars, there can be little question that Formula 1 is at the bleeding edge, pushing the limits of engineering. So, it is fitting that it is now helping to push the limits of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).For the third year running, the motor racing competition's "Official Connectivity Provider," Tata Communications (also the Official Managed Connectivity Supplier of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team), operated the F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize — which seeks to leverage F1's legacy of innovation to inspire fans around the world to harness their technical expertise and passion for the sport to drive their own innovation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
PowerIQ and VoltageBoost technology combine to provide the fastest possible charge of up to 2.4 amps per port on this charging station from Anker. A total of ten ports pump out 60 watts of power, enabling simultaneous multi-device charging, from smartphones to tablets and everything in between. Built-in safety features protect you and your devices. This powerful 10-port charging station currently averages 5 out of 5 stars from 1,100 people on Amazon (read reviews). Its typical list price has been reduced 60% to $39.99.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
“How many of you or your staff had trouble getting on the internet Friday?”That was how cybersecurity consultant Bryce Austin kicked off his talk Tuesday at SIMposium 2016, a big gathering of CIOs and IT execs at the Mohegan Sun resort in Connecticut, on the "Unintended Consequences of the Internet of Things."Uncomfortable laughter ensued.Austin, who then went on to make attendees even more uncomfortable, swears that even though his session didn't make the original program, it wasn’t added to the agenda as a result of the now notorious IoT-exploiting Dyn DDoS attack that unfolded Friday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A security researcher has devised a method of hijacking a wide variety of radio- controlled airplanes, helicopters, cars, boats and other devices that use a popular wireless transmission technology.The attack was developed by Jonathan Andersson, manager of the Advanced Security Research Group at Trend Micro DVLabs, and targets a "wideband, frequency-agile 2.4GHz signal protocol" called DSMx. This protocol is used in radio-control (R/C) toys, including in drones, that are owned by millions of users.Andersson's attack exploits weaknesses in DSMx and was presented in detail Wednesday at the PacSec security conference in Tokyo. The researcher built a device that he dubbed Icarus, using off-the-shelf electronic components and software-defined radio (SDR). With it, he can take over the control of drones or other R/C devices and lock out their real owners in seconds.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Looking to protect military personnel from a swarming drone attack is the goal behind a new system that the researchers from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are set to develop.The three-phase program, called Mobile Force Protection will in the next few years potentially develop a prototype system that could sense an attack, identify the attacker and then use a number of techniques, from communications jamming to capturing mid-flight any attacking drones. DARPA says it will offer $3 million for each phase 1 developer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microprocessor maker Qualcomm is spending its way out of a stagnating mobile phone industry, offering to buy NXP Semiconductors, a company with a strong position in automotive chips, for more than US$37 billion.Qualcomm formalized its offer Thursday, barely a month after rumors began circulating that a deal was in the offing.NXP has only just digested its own multibillion acquisition, of Freescale Semiconductor, which closed in December 2015.The combination of Qualcomm and NXP will have annual revenue of around $35 billion, Qualcomm said. That's still well behind the $55 billion Intel reported for its full fiscal year 2015, although catching up.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Businesses are increasing their spending on technology, with cloud services as the big beneficiary.
Hardware and software spending is declining as spending on cloud services rises, particularly on SaaS, according to the most recent annual survey from the Society for Information Management (SIM).
Analytics/business intelligence and cybersecurity are the top two IT spending priorities, something that has been true for the several years. But marching into this mix now is "innovation" spending, an IT category signaling business expectations for IT.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The PDF format has long been the standard for legal papers, forms and other documents -- as a result, iOS and Android phones and tablets tend to come with basic PDF readers. However, many users need to do more than just read PDFs -- they need to create and edit PDFs on the move. In this roundup, I look at what I consider the most useful PDF editors for mobile devices.PDF Expert 5To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
School is in sessionGoogle has turned up the heat on its Android partners by controlling every aspect of software and hardware for its Pixel line. While it doesn't have every single feature you'd find in comparably-priced phones from LG, Samsung, HTC, or Sony, it does so many things right that it's currently the phone to beat.Here are some of the things we like about the Pixel that we hope to see in future premium phones.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
LAS VEGAS -- In the next five years, every important decision, whether it's business or personal, will be made with the assistance of IBM Watson. That's the vision of IBM president and CEO Ginni Rometty, in a keynote speech at IBM's World of Watson conference Wednesday.
Watson, the company's artificial intelligence-fueled system, is working in fields like health care, finance, entertainment and retail, connecting businesses more easily with their customers, making sense of big data and helping doctors find treatments for cancer patients.
The Watson system is set to transform how businesses function and how people live their lives. "Our goal is augmenting intelligence," Rometty said. "It is man and machine. This is all about extending your expertise. A teacher. A doctor. A lawyer. It doesn't matter what you do. We will extend it."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Privacy Shield, the legal agreement allowing businesses to export Europeans' personal information to the U.S., is under fire.An Irish privacy advocacy group has challenged the adoption of the decision in the EU's second-highest court, Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the case.Privacy Shield entered effect in July, replacing the Safe Harbor framework, which had itself fallen victim to a legal challenge in October 2015. The new agreement supports transatlantic commerce worth US$260 billion, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker has said, and has consequences for many companies offering cloud services to consumers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A few months ago at the OpenStack Summit in Austin, Texas, Don Rippert, IBM’s general manager of cloud strategy, challenged the various players involved in the OpenStack initiative to demonstrate that OpenStack distributions are, in fact, interoperable—between each other and across on-premises, public cloud and hybrid cloud deployments.The Interop Challenge had a very good basis, since one of the major criticisms of OpenStack has been that there is very little consistency between distributions, and as a result, users need to chose their “flavor” of OpenStack and stick to it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Best Deals of the Week, October 17th - October 21st - Deal AlertCheck out this roundup of the best deals on gadgets, gear and other cool stuff we have found this week, the week of October 17th. All items are highly rated, and dramatically discounted.75% off DKnight MagicBox II Bluetooth 4.0 Portable Wireless speaker, 10W Output Power with Enhanced BassThe DKnightMagicBox II Bluetooth speaker offers great quality sound with the latest Bluetooth 4.0 technology. It features two highly powerful 40mm total 10W acoustic drivers for excellent sound. With the ultra-compact size and the soft touch rubber design, it can be easily fitted into a backpack, suitcase, or a travel bag. The built-in 2000 mAh rechargeable battery enables an 10-12 hours of playtime on a single charge. This speaker is strong enough to fill up a kitchen, living room, or classroom. It is ideal for personal usage, indoor party or outdoor BBQ or picnic with friends and family. This portable speaker averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 8,700 people (read reviews). With a typical list price of $129.99, this 75% off deal is just $32.99. Check out buying Continue reading