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Showing posts from September, 2022

64-core Ryzen 7000 Threadripper monster caught in the wild

It’s been only a few days since AMD rolled out its Ryzen 7000 processors with up to 16 Zen 4 cores and there are already rumblings of its next big CPU announcement. What appears to be the follow-up to the world’s fastest x86 processor - the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5995WX -  has appeared in a popular scientific computing project, einstein@home , as reported by prolific CPU chaser Benchleaks ( via Tom'sHardware ). The processor is listed as an “AuthenticAMD AMD Eng Sample: 100-000000454-20_Y [Family 25 Model 24 Stepping 1]” which, with 128 threads (64 cores, two threads each) and an unusual identifier, doesn’t correspond to any current AMD processor. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, this impending Storm Peak product is likely to be called named 7995WX and have four dies stuck together (probably underclocked 65W AMD Ryzen 9 7950X), reaching a TDP of around 260W with some overheads (I/O etc.), which will nicely match the 280W TDP of the Zen 3-powered 5995WX. The lat

Why NetSuite isn't bothered about chasing Salesforce or any other competitor

Oracle NetSuite is unconcerned about chasing the leaders of the pack in sub-markets like CRM , despite its stake in these areas, the firm’s GVP of Strategy has said. In conversation with TechRadar Pro at SuiteWorld 2022 , Jason Cowan answered questions around the company’s ability to compete with Salesforce in the CRM market, as well as single-product vendors in other segments covered by its platform. “At the end of the day, the core to Salesforce is CRM and the core to NetSuite is the ERP financials,” he told us. “I don’t think that means we need to chase Salesforce, to create a best-of-breed CRM. We can have a very compelling offering for a lot of industries, without saying we have to win in every market.” Greatness in ‘suiteness’ Although NetSuite is a powerhouse in the ERP market, it plays second fiddle to Salesforce in CRM specifically. Equally, Salesforce is fast expanding outwards beyond CRM - into areas like ecommerce , analytics and so forth - in such a way that may have

Many businesses are still just using passwords to stay safe

Security experts have once again highlighted how it’s almost 2023 and we’re still holding on to the password as our number one cybersecurity measure.  Despite a continued stream of headlines concerning businesses suffering tremendous losses due to poor cyberhygiene practices, most employees are still being reckless with their sensitive data, sharing them with other people, or simply keeping them around for everyone to see. Research from Yubico surveying more than 16,000 employees in different industries, and in eight countries found over half (59%) still rely on usernames and passwords as their primary method of authentication. Multi-factor authentication The company's State of Global Enterprise Authentication Survey 2022 found that not only do people rely mostly on passwords, but 54% also admitted to writing down, or sharing their passwords, as well.  At the same time, almost a quarter (22%) consider passwords the most secure method of authentication. More than half (54%) s

Google Chrome ad blockers live on after API changes postponed

Google Chrome extensions are set to see another year of support for enterprise use following the company’s decision to postpone their deletion from the Chrome Web Store until January 2024. The announcement on the Google Chrome Developers blog offers a stay of execution for sweeping changes to the Chromium engine that privacy advocates say will neuter web browser extensions designed to block advertisements. But no such reprieve is being offered to personal Chrome users, who Google say will be subject to extensions built on the existing Manifest V2 (MV2) API being temporarily phased out in a series of “experiments” next year. Google Chrome’s phased API changes Though the new enterprise policy will give businesses more time with extensions critical to their workflow, Google Chrome extension developers have less time to adapt to the browser’s adoption of the Manifest V3 (MV3) API. From January 2023, Google says that it will no longer highlight MV2 extensions on the Chrome Web Sto

The best cheap Apple Watch deals, sales and prices for September 2022

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Apple Watch deals can save you some serious cash on the high-end smartwatch, and we're holding out for some even better discounts on the Watch 7 over the next few weeks as well. That's because the new Series 8 will shortly take centre stage, pushing previous generations further down the price bracket and offering up some excellent Apple Watch prices for the rest of us.  We're making sure you're always on top of even the most fleeting Apple Watch sales, with price comparison technology bringing you all the web's lowest prices just below. You'll find all the best discounts across the current lineup here, updated every half hour. We've been tracking these savings for years now, so we're also rounding up all the retailers we regularly check for the heaviest savings further down the page as well. The Apple Watch 7 has had a few months on the shelves now, and so is primed for some major discounts. However, we'd also keep a close eye on sixth generation

A new dangerous malware is turning Windows and Linux devices into DDoS tools

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new malware strain that infects Windows and Linux endpoints of all sizes and uses them for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and cryptocurrency mining. Experts from Lumen's Black Lotus Labs say the malware is written in Chinese and uses China-based command & control (C2) infrastructure. They called it Chaos, and say it is built on Go. It is able to infect all kinds of devices, from those running on x86 infrastructure, to certain ARM-based devices. In a nutshell, everything from home routers to enterprise servers is at risk. Apparently, Chaos is the next iteration of the Kaiji malware, another strain that was able to mine cryptocurrencies and launch DDoS attacks.  Kaiji returns "Based upon our analysis of the functions within the more than 100 samples we analyzed for this report, we assess Chaos is the next iteration of the Kaiji botnet," they said. It expands by looking for known, unpatched vulnerabilities,

This evil dropper infects you with a dozen malware strains at the same time

Cybercriminals have been observed using SEO poisoning to distribute a new malware loader which tries to infect the target endpoint with a dozen malware families. Researchers from Kaspersky discovered that for many people, typing the keyword “software crack” into Google brings up multiple websites distributing this new malware loader, some of which have even made it to the famed first page of the search results. The loader in question is called “NullMixer”, and is designed for the Windows operating system and apparently, it installs all kinds of password stealers, viruses, backdoors, banking trojans, crypto miners, you name it. The only thing seemingly missing is ransomware . Among the malware families installed this way are Redline Stealer, Danabot, Raccoon Stealer, Vidar Stealer, SmokeLoader, PrivateLoader, ColdStealer, Fabookie, PseudoManuscrypt, and others. Baiting with cracks The attackers chose “software crack” as their main keyword, researchers believe, due to the fact tha

Home solar power is simpler than you think with Bluetti

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Sometimes it's easy to forget that we have the greatest power source in the universe merrily burning away a mere 150 million kilometers above us. With blackouts, increasing energy bills and controversy over fossil fuels becoming more and more widespread, why did just 5% of global electricity come from solar power in 2021? On a domestic level, cost and complexity are the twin barriers to powering our homes with sunlight. But they're no longer as insurmountable as you might think. The heart of the system is Bluetti tech's EP600 power station, with form as simple and striking as its function. Traditionally this kind of kit comes encased in the same sort of injection molded, ruggedly masculine plastic as power tools, but the Bluetti model resembles nothing so much as a handcrafted piece of designer luggage. No terminals or wires, just nice rounded corners and a subtly stenciled logo. (Image credit: Bluetti) Just plug a solar panel (either one of Bluetti's own

Google reveals big changes to make its search easier, swifter and better

Google has announced a bunch of changes to its core search functionality, focusing on making searching the web a quicker and more convenient process, and more besides. Announced at its Search On conference , All of these changes will be rolling out in the US down the line, and the first major introduction is that shortcuts to various tools are going to be brought in, nestling right underneath the search bar. These are things like an icon for translating text with the camera, or identifying a tune by humming it, or indeed to help with a homework problem via the camera – common tasks that you might need, and can now be very swiftly accessed with a tap on the relevant shortcut. In this case, the feature is coming to the Google app for iOS in the US (English language) to begin with, and a wider rollout will doubtless follow. In terms of making core search quicker and more intuitive, Google is ushering in topic options that appear directly below the search box as you type a query. Th

Google announces a new way to search, alongside a better look for translating text

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At its 'Search On' conference (September 28), Google announced a bunch of improvements to its services, such as Multisearch which can combine queries into one search, and its Translate feature, which can remove the blurred box of the previous language, as if the poster was always English or another language to begin with for example. The company has also been announcing a bunch of improvements to its search services at the conference , with better ways to shop for the right product. Alongside this, there's been improvements to Maps and better recommendations for places and businesses . Google has been slow to adapt it products to the features that Microsoft and Apple have been bringing out lately, with iOS 16 and Windows 11's first major update showcasing LiveText and better accessibility features. However, Search On was the company's stake in the sand to show just what its apps are capable of, and what it could be to its millions of users in the coming mont

Some older versions of WhatsApp have a critical security vulnerability, so patch now

WhatsApp has patched a major security vulnerability that allowed threat actors to run malicious code on target endpoints remotely.  As explained in its official security advisory, the flaw is an integer overflow vulnerability, discovered in WhatsApp for Android prior tov2.22.16.12, Business for Android prior to v2.22.16.12, iOS prior to v2.22.16.12, and Business for iOS prior to v2.22.16.12. The vulnerability is now tracked as CVE-2022-36934 and carries a vulnerability score of 9.8, putting it in the “critical” territory. Important updates As explained by The Verge , the flaw allows threat actors to run malicious code on the target device, remotely, by sending a specially crafted video call. The malicious code could result in the device getting all kinds of malware installed, or having sensitive data and identities stolen .  Users whose mobile apps don’t update automatically are advised to update manually as soon as possible.  As part of the same update, WhatsApp fixed another

Google unveils host of Google Maps upgrades at Search On showcase

Google has lifted the veil on a slew of Google Maps upgrades heading to Android and iOS devices in the coming months. The majority of incoming changes, revealed as part of the company’s latest Search On showcase , will improve the ways in which Google Maps presents 2D geographical data. “By tapping into the newest advancements in computer vision and predictive models, we’re innovating beyond our 2D map to make it more visual and immersive,” Google announced at the event, “allowing you to experience a place in a multi-dimensional way – so you can feel like you’re right there, even when you’re not.” So what are these Google Maps upgrades, exactly? The first is neighborhood vibe, a new feature that’ll let you see the most popular spots in any given neighborhood by simply clicking on the area you’re interested in.  By leveraging AI with local knowledge from Google Maps users who, according to Google, add more than 20 million contributions – think reviews, photos and videos – to Goog

Google is about to change the way you search

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Google has set out plans to overhaul the formatting of its search engine results pages, with a view to surfacing a broader selection of content types. Presented at this year’s Google Search On event, the update will see images and video content blended directly into results, as opposed to featuring under separate tabs or in dedicated box-outs. Speaking to TechRadar Pro and other press ahead of Search On 2022, Google’s VP Engineering, Rajan Patel, explained the goal is to “organize results to better reflect the way people explore topics.” (Image credit: Google) Multimedia makeover Beyond the ability to highlight relevant resources across a range of formats, Google says the update will also mean results that appear further down the rankings are likely to become more valuable. “There are so many questions where a range of results can be helpful, and there are so many ways you might branch off. So we’re making it easy to scroll down the page and find all the different paths

Intel has a killer app in the works that will copy off Mac’s best feature

Intel is adding a brand new feature to its PCs: an app called Unison, which will allow users to call, text, and send files between Windows and Android devices. It’s a feature that Macs have had for years with its own products, and is meant to keep users focused on their workflow. The move, according to Engadget , comes a year after Intel acquired Israeli company Screenovate , which resulted in the tech giant overhauling its phone integration tool and allowing for VPN, firewall, and IT support. Through Unison, Intel is also able to handle wireless connections between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular networks while being more battery efficient. Unison app will make it possible to quickly push file transfers, like photos or video, from your phone to PC or vice versa. Though at this time, there’s no official confirmation on how fast those transfer speeds are. According to Josh Newman, Intel's VP of mobile innovation, only a few HP 12th-generation Evo PCs will have Unison now, and it’

Amazon launch live blog: Alexa, Ring, Echo, Fire and more gadgets are launching soon

If you're a big fan of Amazon products, like Ring, Echo, Alexa, Fire, Halo, Kindle or any of the many other sub-brands the online retail giant has, today is going to be a big day for you. At 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST, which is 2am AEST tomorrow if you're in Australia, Amazon is hosting its big annual product launch – judging by previous years, we're probably going to see a deluge of new products. New gadgets in the Echo family of smart home hubs, Ring line of smart cameras, Fire range of TVs and tablets, Halo series of fitness trackers, and possibly Kindle ereader line might show up. We also often see some weirder devices, like the Astro robot or Echo Loop smart ring, and software like Halo membership and the games streaming service Luna. It's going to be a bumper event full of both serious and seriously strange gadgets, and judging by previous events, we could see anything upwards of two hours' worth of new device information. Amazon could also try to start t

Google Play Store and Apple Store adware downloaded millions of times

Almost a hundred apps across the Android and iOS ecosystems have been discovered engaging in advertising fraud, researchers have claimed. The apps, 80 of which were built for Android, and nine for iOS, have more than 13 million downloads between them, and include games, screensavers, camera apps, and more - some with more than a million downloads.  Research from cybersecurity firm HUMAN Security found that by targeting advertising software development kits (SDK), the unknown threat actors were able to compromise these apps for their own personal benefit, in multiple ways: by pretending to be apps they’re not; by rendering ads in places where users wouldn’t be able to see them; and by faking clicks and taps (keeping track of real ad interactions and faking them later). Evolution of Poseidon The campaign, which HUMAN dubbed Scylla, is still ongoing, meaning at least some of the apps are still up and running. “These tactics, combined with the obfuscation techniques first observed i

Skullcandy is ready to go after your gaming ears - again

Skullcandy is coming back to the world of gaming with three new headsets: the SLYR, SLYR Pro, and the PLYR headphones; all of which are aimed at varying levels of gamers. It’s been about 10 years since Skullcandy launched its last gaming headset, the PLYR 2 , a device the company doesn’t officially sell anymore. Since then, gaming headsets have evolved dramatically, which means Skullcandy has its work cut out for it. The solution, at least according to the announcement , is to offer headsets that have a wide range of functionality for multiple platforms at a decent price. Each pair of headphones is currently available for purchase on Skullcandy’s online store and are compatible with PC, mobile devices, and gaming consoles.   Features and specs First, you have the SLYR ($59.99) headset. Compared to the other two, this device is the more barebones model. It's a basic set of entry-level headphones; great for people who just want to plug in and listen. It houses two 50mm drivers

This devious malware is pretending to be gaming cheats, so watch out

Cybercriminals are trying to distribute new information-stealing malware by presenting it as gaming cheats and hacks.  According to cybersecurity researchers from Cluster25, the malware, dubbed “Erbium”, is a malware-as-a-service, meaning whoever pays the monthly fee, gets to use all of its features. Right now, the tool is being distributed as a game crack, but that could change at any time, should another threat actor rent it out, or go after a different type of victim. Cheaper than RedLine Stealer When it comes to features and prices, Erbium is similar to the infamous RedLine Stealer in its abilities, but is available for a fraction of its cost.  The researchers are saying it can steal information stored in popular browsers (passwords, cookies, payment data, autofill information, etc.), data from cryptocurrency wallets (Atomic, Exodus, Electrum, and many others), two-factor authentication codes from a number of tools (Trezor Password Manager, EOS Authenticator, Authy 2FA, Au

Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro Specifications Suggest Incremental Upgrade Over Pixel 6

Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro specifications have been leaked online and it seems the phones will offer nominal upgrades over last year’s Pixel 6 series. The latest Google phones will be launched on October 6 globally, including in India. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/rYvVQ32

Google Pixel 7 Pro leak suggests it won’t worry Apple

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Just a day ago we saw a full specs leak for the Google Pixel 7 , and now the source of that is back with a similarly complete leak for the Google Pixel 7 Pro, but it’s a similarly disappointing one too. Yogesh Brar – a leaker with a solid track record – has tweeted out this specs list, and almost nothing is different from what we saw on the Pixel 6 Pro . The only real difference is the presence of a Tensor G2 chipset, which is Google’s next-generation chip. We know this will be present because Google has confirmed as much, but it might still lag behind the competition if leaks are to be believed. Google Pixel 7 Pro(rumoured)- 6.7" QHD+ OLED, 120Hz, LTPO- Google Tensor G2 SoC- Titan security chip- Rear Cam: 50MP + 12MP (UW) + 48MP (Tele)- Front Cam: 11MP- 12GB RAM- 128/256GB storage- Android 13- 5,000mAh battery, 30W fast charging- Wireless charging September 27, 2022 See more The rest of the listed specs meanwhile include a 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED screen with a 120Hz refr

JioPhone 5G Price in India to be Set Between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 12,000: Counterpoint Research

JioPhone 5G will reportedly be priced in India between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 12,000. The upcoming handset from Reliance Jio will reportedly be available in multiple variants, with different screen sizes and specifications, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/w96Wzci

The price of QD-OLED TVs could fall closer to regular OLED quicker than expected

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If you're hoping to see big price drops in OLED TV prices over the next couple of years, it looks like you'll be disappointed. According to a report from Display Supply Chain Consultants (via The Elec and OLED-info ), the two big makers of TV-sized OLED panels – LG Display and Samsung Display – will both stop spending on new equipment for building these screens in 2023. This price of the best OLED TVs has fallen a lot in recent years, in no small part because of huge expansions in their creation – they've become more efficient and easier to mass-produce, and have become more popular as a result. But according to DSCC's report, that expansion won't just slow next year – it'll totally halt, with nothing at all spent on increasing production.  That's likely to mean that the prices of the screens used in the majority of OLED TVs won't change much from now in 2023 or 2024. Now, the overall prices of the TVs could change depending on other factors (such a

Your Chromecast with Google TV will get a big free update to Android 12

Google will soon update its top-of-the-line Chromecast to Android 12, finally bringing it on par with smart TV platforms offered by its rivals. Currently, the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) only runs on Android 10 , despite both the hardware and software being developed by Google itself. Thanks to this upgrade the streaming stick should now get several benefits including support for a broader selection of third-party game controllers, automatic refresh rate switching to reduce video stuttering, and a slew of minor improvements. This follows the announcement of the new, more budget-friendly version of the tv stick: Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – which keeps many of the same features but swaps 4K visuals for full-HD, drops Dolby Vision , and has a lower price. Google hasn’t given a firm date for when its best streaming stick will get Android 12 ,  but with the Chromecast, with Google TV (HD) launching with Android 12 we expect the OS update will come sooner rather than later to i