IDG Contributor Network: Survey: Texting is replacing talking for families with kids

Almost a third of people living together in homes no longer converse face-to-face and text as a substitute, says a British insurance company who polled random consumers.Insurance giant Aviva found that a massive 32 percent of respondents text each other “in the same house, rather than actually speaking face-to-face,” it claims in a news release.That statistic soars to almost half (45 percent) when the homes contain kids. One of the reasons, the company believes, is that folks don’t put down their smartphones, and other devices when they’re having meals. Smartphones, or mobiles as they are called there, are in use at mealtime in about a third of homes.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

15% off LaMetric Wi-Fi Clock – Deal Alert

The LaMetric Time tracks time, weather, emails, calendar events, tweets, followers, news, deadlines and any other metric needed for your home or business, and displays them almost in real-time. It works as an always-on display for the whole family by showing notifications from smart home devices and allowing anyone to control them with the click of a button. LaMetric Time eliminates the need to check multiple apps or news sites for the information you need. Instead, you receive key information at a glance, all in one place. The possibilities are endless. It also shows real-time notifications from IFTTT-connected services. LaMetric Time is standalone Wi-Fi device, iPhone or Android smartphone is needed for setting it up and configuration only. The interface is easy to use: left and right buttons for navigation between the apps, middle button for taking related actions. The form factor is sized to fit well on a table, shelf, shop-front or a counter. Wake up to your favourite Internet radio station or stream music from services like Spotify, iTunes, Pandora via Bluetooth. The typical list price on this one-of-a-kind gadget has been reduced 15% from $199 to $169 for a limited time. See this deal on Amazon.To Continue reading

Android gotchas: Fast fixes for 6 common problems

Smartphones have the power to make our lives more efficient. They also have the power to cause major migraines.Let’s face it: Technology wouldn’t be technology without the occasional facepalm-inducing failure—and mobile devices are no exception. But an annoying Android error doesn’t have to send you scrambling to the nearest clueless carrier store or online help forum. I’ve been covering and personally using Android since its infancy, and I’m here to help. (My certified-geek badge is on file in the main office if you need to see it.)[ Android is now ready for real usage in the enterprise. Read InfoWorld’s in-depth guide on how to make Android a serious part of your business. | Get the best office apps and the 38 best business-worthy apps for your Android device. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobile Tech Report newsletter. ] Check out the fixes below or save this story for a rainy day. With these troubleshooting tips in hand, you’ll be swatting away problems and getting back to business in no time—no aspirin required.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

4 powerful productivity features in the Windows 10 Creators Update

Despite the artistic implications of its name, the Windows 10 Creators Update, which started rolling out April 11, brings with it several nuts-and-bolts productivity enhancements. Here’s an overview of four that can make a big impact on your day-to-day routine. We’ll likely look at each of these more in-depth in the weeks to come.Recurring Cortana reminders Cortana is one of the most useful productivity features of Windows 10, thanks largely to its ability to provide contextual reminders around meetings, deadlines, and other important events. Surprisingly, though, it hasn’t allowed you to set recurring reminders.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The 10 best features in Android O (so far)

A sneak peek at Android OImage by GreenbotGoogle I/O is still more than a month away, but we’ve already gotten a sneak peek at what Google is planning for Android O. To help developers make sure their apps are in tip-top shape for the public release later this year, Google has given them the first preview a little early, opening up a brand new box of tricks and tools.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What it takes to become a data security strategist

By the time John Kronick became a data security strategist a few years ago, he'd already been in the security industry for 20 years. But he didn't come to security from IT.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

How to agonizingly wait for a promotion or raise

Whether you're pushing for a promotion or raise or management has broached the topic with you, one thing is certain: The process will take longer than you expect. In most companies, managers don't have the authority to give you new responsibilities or a pay increase. They must go through the proper channels to get approval."While it's natural to feel antsy while waiting for the raise they asked for, it's critical to find some more productive, tactful ways to prove their worth in the meantime," says Vip Sandhir, CEO and founder of HighGround, an HR software company.But just because the process may seem out of your hands, you don't have to sit around patiently waiting for your promotion or raise to kick in. There are plenty of small ways you can remain engaged and proactive in the process, and even help push it along.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Data Transfers Post-Brexit: Smoothing the Transition

The average internet user consumes vast amounts of data on a daily basis but rarely – unless an avid follower of Max Schrems - thinks about how the data flows or the mechanisms and legal arrangements in place to make it all happen. If companies like Cloudflare are doing their job well behind the scenes, you really shouldn’t have to – it just works, and so you can busy yourself emailing, communicating, transacting and sharing information.

Users benefit enormously from the free movement of data, and it is a highly regarded feature of living and doing business within the European Union. With the appropriate legal protections in place, scientific and societal benefits also flow along with the data, and the quality of our lives is improved immensely.

And the internet is an increasingly busy place:

Image courtesy of @LoriLewis and @OfficiallyChadd

Let it flow, let it flow...

The European Commission reported in a communication earlier this year that the European Data Economy – i.e the marketplace where digital data is exchanged as products or services derived from raw data – was estimated at EUR 272 billion in 2015, and that the value is expected to increase to EUR Continue reading

Deluxe Makes Case for Network Virtualization

Microsegmentation of virtual networks spanning both private and public clouds is critical to Deluxe’s return on investment.

HP’s new Pavilions can supercharge gaming with optional GPUs

Just two days after Microsoft's Windows 10 Creators Update arrived, HP announced two PCs that will come pre-loaded with the new OS.HP refreshed its Pavilion laptops and X360 2-in-1s with new processors and also is offering optional discrete GPUs with the new PCs.You'll be able to select AMD Radeon or Nvidia 940MX graphics when configuring the PCs. Intel or AMD chips (but not Ryzen) can be selected with the PCs.HP realizes entry-level gaming is becoming a basic prerequisite for many laptop users, and discrete GPUs will provide serious graphics punch that integrated graphics can't match. The Pavilion x360 is primarily a laptop but can be used a tablet after you fold the screen. Prices for an entry-level 11.6-inch model, which has only a 720p screen option, will start at US$399.99 with a Pentium N4200 processor, but it can be upgraded to Intel Core i3 or i5 processors. The 14-inch model with Core i3 starts at $499.99, while the 15.6-inch model with Core i5 starts at $699.99. The 14- and 15-inch models can be upgraded to full HD screens.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hybrid IT: The Human Impact

How to Clear Entire Configuration of your Juniper Device

How Does Internet Work - We know what is networking

If you have a Juniper device that needs to be sent to RMA or you are just putting it to some other use on your network, you will probably want to completely clear the configuration on it. There are different ways to do it for different purpose. If you want to securely wipe all data from this device and make it completely like when you received it from the store then next command is the right one to use: root@RSRX> request system zeroize This one will completely wipe your Juniper device and clear configuration together with all data from flash.

How to Clear Entire Configuration of your Juniper Device

IDG Contributor Network: Can Google’s Key Transparency make encrypted email ubiquitous?

Today I’m going to talk about a topic that has gained a lot of attention since the presidential election: encrypted email.Services such as ProtonMail—a secure email system with end-to-end encryption—have reported record signup numbers in recent months. This parallels the increasing adoption and provision of encrypted instant messaging services such as Signal, Telegram, iMessage and WhatsApp. As someone who works in security, I applaud this; more people communicating via encrypted messaging can only be a good thing.+ Also on Network World: Enterprise encryption adoption up, but the devil's in the details + However, there is a big problem with encrypted email, which is that it mostly sucks. The problem lies in the open nature of email itself. Unlike proprietary messaging systems like WhatsApp, email is based on open-standards. Anyone can run their own email server, and you can send an email to anyone in the world just by knowing their email address using any software you like.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Can Google’s Key Transparency make encrypted email ubiquitous?

Today I’m going to talk about a topic that has gained a lot of attention since the presidential election: encrypted email.Services such as ProtonMail—a secure email system with end-to-end encryption—have reported record signup numbers in recent months. This parallels the increasing adoption and provision of encrypted instant messaging services such as Signal, Telegram, iMessage and WhatsApp. As someone who works in security, I applaud this; more people communicating via encrypted messaging can only be a good thing.+ Also on Network World: Enterprise encryption adoption up, but the devil's in the details + However, there is a big problem with encrypted email, which is that it mostly sucks. The problem lies in the open nature of email itself. Unlike proprietary messaging systems like WhatsApp, email is based on open-standards. Anyone can run their own email server, and you can send an email to anyone in the world just by knowing their email address using any software you like.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung sees strong demand for Galaxy S8 despite Note7 fiasco

Samsung is seeing strong demand for its Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones, suggesting that consumers may be looking beyond the company’s debacle with the Galaxy Note7.The company’s head of mobile DJ Koh said at a media event in South Korea on Thursday that pre-orders for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ had outstripped those for its predecessors, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, which were launched in March last year.A Samsung spokesperson confirmed Koh’s remarks but did not provide figures for the pre-orders for the devices. The company disclosed, however, the number of pre-orders for the S8 and S8+ in home market South Korea, which were at over 728,000.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Leaf-and-Spine Fabrics: Featured Webinar in April 2017

I recently finished editing the videos from the Leaf-and-Spine Designs update to the Leaf-and-Spine Fabrics webinar, so it wasn’t hard to select the featured webinar for April 2017. The featured videos now include BGP in the Data Center by Dinesh Dutt, SPB Deep Dive by Roger Lapuh, and VXLAN with EVPN control plane by Lukas Krattiger.

A10 Networks ‘Harmonizes’ Multi-Cloud App Management

The company has been talking about “cloud harmony” since it acquired startup Apcito.

30% off TP-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug Mini – Deal Alert

This gadget from TP-Link plugs into a standard outlet and allows you to control it from anywhere using your smartphone, or with your voice through an Alexa device. Program on/off times or put it in "away mode" to simulate being home while you're away. The typical list price of $49.99 has been reduced 30% to $34.99. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

30% off TP-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug Mini – Deal Alert

This gadget from TP-Link plugs into a standard outlet and allows you to control it from anywhere using your smartphone, or with your voice through an Alexa device. Program on/off times or put it in "away mode" to simulate being home while you're away. The typical list price of $49.99 has been reduced 30% to $34.99. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

33% off ThermoPro Wireless Digital Cooking Thermometer with Timer and 300 Feet Range – Deal Alert

ThermoPro's wireless cooking thermometer lets you monitor the temps of your food remotely, up to 300 feet away. It includes a built-in timer and programmable temperature alarms. Or if you're unsure, it comes pre-programmed with USDA approved temperatures for various meats. The probe is capable of accurately measuring temps from 16°F to 482°F and comes with a lifetime replacement warranty. ThermoPro's TP07 thermometer averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 1,300 people on Amazon (read reviews), where its typical list price of $45.99 has been reduced 33% to $30.59. See this deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here