Before Google released its Chrome browser, Firefox felt pretty good about their arrangement. They got a handsome reward in exchange for making Google.com their default search engine. It was a win-win. These days though, Firefox's position is a bit more precious. The Google deal is still the main source of the company's income, but they're also in direct competition with Chrome. If Google one day decides to pull the plug on the deal, the company could find itself in dire straits … Read more
Lego and Alexa Team Up For Storytelling Through Device
In terms of toys, what could possibly be better than LEGOS? How about LEGOS, combined with Alexa? That's the latest idea from Amazon, who has paired the unlikely duo in a newly announced service called "LEGO Duplo Stories." The new service ("skill," in the parlance of Alexa) will be available on any device that offers Alexa support including Echo Dot and Amazon Echo. It provides a selection of stories with audio prompts that guide children in the construction of something with their LEGO … Read more
Having Chrome Issues Since The Latest Windows 10 Update?
Microsoft has been having some "issues" of late. It's April Windows 10 rollout had to be delayed on account of some mysterious BSOD ("Blue Screen of Death") issues. This month's rollout is plagued by similar problems, trading the BSOD issues for problems with both "Hey Cortana" and Google's Chrome browser. The problem is that when you try to navigate the web using Chrome with the latest Windows 10 update, the entire system will inexplicably hang. The company is hoping to have a fix ready … Read more
Facebook Is Adding New Features, Including Dating
At this year's F8 Developer's conference, Facebook announced a raft of changes and updates it will be rolling out later this year. Some are fun, others practical, but they're all interesting. Here are the highlights: Get Ready for "FaceDate" This announcement is interesting. Not so much because the idea of using Facebook to meet someone is new, but because of what the announcement did to the stock prices of existing companies. The new feature will look and feel a bit like Tinder, with … Read more
Healthcare Sector Facing Rise In Ransomware Attacks
The Department of Health and Human services has issued a warning to healthcare providers to be on high alert for the SamSam strain of ransomware, which has been used to attack eight different health care entities so far this year. SamSam made its first appearance in 2016 and is seeing increasingly widespread use so far this year. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry is considered by most to be a soft target. On the Dark Web, healthcare data has become more highly sought after than credit … Read more
Windows 10 Gets iTunes App For Apple Users
Apple promised that its iTunes app would be available on the Microsoft Store by the end of 2017. The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm, but unfortunately, the company didn't meet their own deadline. They cited the need for more time to build a more robust user experience for Windows users. The wait is finally over, and its big news, because some Windows 10 machines can only download apps, and prior to this, iTunes was offered as a standalone download only. The app is fairly … Read more
T-Mobile And Sprint To Merge Companies
The on-again, off-again talks about a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint is definitely back on, with T-Mobile planning to buy Sprint for a staggering $26 billion. The deal has been in the works since before Trump was elected President. It died quietly when it became clear that the Obama administration would not allow the deal to go forward, due to concerns that it would leave the US with only three telecom providers, which could harm consumers. The Trump administration has made it clear … Read more
Use Caution Traveling, Hackers Now Have Keys To Hotel Rooms
Score one for the good guys, but with hesitation. Unfortunately, in today's fast-moving digital world, even a victory doesn't mean the end of a problem. Recently, a pair of researchers (Tomi Tuominen and Timo Hirvonen of F-Secure) released information about a new hack they had discovered. It takes advantage of a critical security flaw in the magnetic VingCard locking systems used in hotel chains around the world. This particular system produced by Assa Abloy is deployed in more than 42,000 … Read more
Apple Will Officially No Longer Sell Routers
After more than two decades in the business, Apple is officially going to stop selling routers. The writing has been on the wall for a while now, since the company's "AirPort" family of products hasn't received a significant update in more than five years. When Apple first introduced its AirPort product line, wireless computing was still something of a rarity, and Apple's offerings were ahead of their time. In the years between then and now though, the market has changed significantly. … Read more
WiFi Sync on iOS Vulnerable To TrustJacking
Owners of Apple devices have a new attack vector to worry about, called "TrustJacking." Symantec researchers recently stumbled across a pair of scenarios that take advantage of Wi-Fi syncing of various Apple devices. These are scenarios that also take advantage of the trust users have in the security of their own devices, allowing hackers to take complete control over those devices. The flaw is a consequence of the way that iTunes Wi-Fi Sync is designed. The vulnerability manifests when a … Read more
