In the wake of the 2014 Snowden revelations about mass surveillance programs some startups with concerns about overreaching government requests for user data settled on Switzerland as a base for their business — owing to what they dubbed favorable privacy laws. However, they might need to have a rethink after the Swiss public approved more invasive state surveillance powers in a… Read More
In May of last year, Ifty Ahmed was accused by federal regulators of conning his former employer — the venture capital firm, Oak Investment Partners — out of $65 million. Now, Ahmed suggests, Oak is doing the conning, and he says the stakes are even higher. You might remember Ahmed’s sensational story. According to his former colleagues, Ahmed — who’d joined Oak… Read More
Google is planning hybrid devices that run both Android and Chrome OS, including one convertible laptop, and one Huawei Nexus-branded tablet, according to a new report from 9to5Google. The report backs up another from Android Police today that says a convertible notebook is on the way. The Andromeda project bakes Chrome OS features into Android, giving you the best of both worlds in one… Read More
Drake’s new short film “Please Forgive Me” launched today ahead of schedule as an Apple Music exclusive. The 23-minute film begins with a plot similar to “Indecent Proposal,” as it involves a wealthy millionaire offering Drake’s girlfriend, played by Belgian model Fanny Neguesha, $1 million to spend the night with him. From there it delves into more of… Read More
Back in July, Microsoft tempered its Windows 10 expectations a touch, noting that its initial projection of mid-2018 for one billion active devices was probably a bit over-ambitious. That pronouncement came shortly after the company announced that its OS had hit 350 million machines (after hitting 300 million in May) — and roughly a fortnight before ending its free upgrade period.… Read More
Perhaps you’re still among those few, proud and generally indecisive undecided. Or, more than likely, you’re just tuning in for the fireworks show. Whatever the case, tonight’s first head-to-head showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is certain to be a spectacle, whatever shape it takes. In fact, tonight’s 90-minute, commercial-free affair is anticipated to… Read More
Google is continuing its push to get more Americans registered to vote ahead of the upcoming presidential elections by expanding its voter information guides in Google Search to Spanish. While the company was already providing web searchers with details on how to get registered and how to vote, based on your current location, those guides were only triggered by searches for English phrases… Read More
You’ve likely seen the headlines about consumer frustration with the transition to EMV payment cards in the U.S., most of which centers around how long the payments take versus good old-fashioned swiping. Those of us living in countries where EMV has been a fixture for a while might just shrug at this, but not Square: It’s focused on cutting transaction times to alleviate… Read More
If you’re at all interested in retro gaming, you’ve probably come across 8Bitdo, the company that makes throwback Bluetooth controllers inspired by classics like the SNES and NES. Now, it’s paying homage to another classic, the Apple II. The company’s new Kickstarter project seeks funding for a game controller called the AP40, featuring a full load-out of buttons,… Read More
Microsoft has already expressed some interest on bringing Office to the car, and it sounds like it’ll continue to do that work with Renault-Nissan via a new tie-up between the two companies. The newly formed strategic partnership will see Microsoft help the automaker develop more connectivity services, particularly through the use of Azure cloud services. What does the partnership… Read More
Uber is adding its own gift cards to the list of ways you can pay for the service. The ride-hailing startup has debuted physical cards that will go on sale in 35,000 retail locations across the U.S. over the next few weeks, including stores like Walmart, Target and CVS. The company will also be selling them directly from Uber.com, and the gift cards can be redeemed in the Uber mobile app.… Read More
You no longer need an always-on PC or any other network-attached hardware in order to use Plex’s media player. The popular service, which allows you to watch TV and movies from your own collection, including those you’ve recorded via an attached digital antenna, is making itself more accessible to mainstream users via a new online option, called Plex Cloud. Instead of installing… Read More
Lego’s Star Wars series is actually everywhere in my office, so I’m happy new sets from Rogue One: A Star Wars story are set to launch on September 30. I got the chance to check out one of those sets ahead of launch, and built the U-Wing, a ship new to the Star Wars universe featured in the film. The U-Wing’s official designation is the UT-60D, and it’s made by… Read More
At its Ignite conference today, Microsoft announced that it is making its Edge browser more secure in enterprise environments.
As Microsoft explained during a press conference ahead of the event, the so-called Windows Defender Application Guard insulates Windows 10 from untrusted browser sessions by running it in a container that is bound directly to the hardware. Microsoft argues that… Read More
Crowdsourcing live traffic data has been one of Waze’s key competitive advantages in navigation software for a while, but Germany’s HERE might give it a run for its money with new services that pull traffic info from cars on the road. The data gathered by Here’s upcoming traffic services, which it’s set to debut during the first half of 2017, will take info from… Read More
Microsoft’s Ignite conference is bringing 23,000 IT professionals to Atlanta, Georgia this week and the company is using this opportunity to talk about how it plans to bring more intelligence to its tools and platforms. As companies gather more and more data, Microsoft argues, it’s becoming imperative that the tools these companies use also become smarter. This means bringing… Read More
Confirming earlier leaks, Roku this morning unveiled a refreshed and rebranded line of streaming media players, with the intent of plugging every hole in the market. Instead of numbering the Roku devices as before, the new streamers use names like “Express” for the entry-level devices up to “Ultra” for the high-end player, and focus on consumers’ particular… Read More
Estify, a company that’s developed a new tool for auto repair businesses to better gauge the cost of its services for insurance claims, has raised $6.3 million in new financing.
It’s a way for car repair businesses to get payouts from insurers faster and better service customers.
And, at least until autonomous vehicles are a reality, it’s a service that’s becoming… Read More
Microsoft and Adobe today announced a major partnership that will see Adobe deliver its cloud services on Microsoft Azure and that will make Adobe the preferred marketing service for Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Enterprise CRM solution. Microsoft says Adobe will now make Azure its “preferred cloud platform” for its three main services: the Adobe Marketing Cloud, Creative Cloud… Read More
Microsoft loves to talk about how we are now living in a “cloud first, mobile first” world, but in this world, there is still plenty of room left for Windows Server. Today, at its Ignite conference in Atlanta, the company announced that Windows Server 2016 will be available for purchase on October 1 and will then ship in mid-October. That’s pretty much in line with… Read More
