Hulu recently announced that it would join both Netflix and Amazon Prime in allowing its users to download content to watch offline, but in Hulu's case, it comes with a twist. If you subscribe to the $7.99 a month tier, in addition to downloading the content you want to watch, you'll also be downloading the advertising associated with that content. It's an important distinction because Hulu is structured quite differently from Netflix and Amazon Prime. Much of Hulu's programming is … 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
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
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
Are Lasers The Answer To Completely Wireless Computing And Charging?
Researchers at the University of Washington just might change the face of computers and computing forever. It may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but based on their research, the day may soon be coming when computing devices are completely un-tethered, requiring no wires for either power or recharging. The team was able to successfully charge a smartphone from across a room using nothing more than lasers. Right now, their approach has an effective range of about forty feet. Devices … Read more
Panera Bread Customer Accounts Exposed To Threats
Panera Bread company is the latest to find itself in hot water. Recently, security researcher Dylan Houlihan discovered that the company had failed to encrypt (or otherwise protect) a file containing usernames, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and loyalty account numbers for a staggering thirty-seven million of its customers. The file was found stored as plain text, and accessible to anyone who bothered to go looking for it. The good news is that no one appears to have … Read more
You Can Now Search Google From iMessage With App Download
There's a fun, new update for Apple's iMessage app that will probably make lots of power users happy. As long as you also have Google's iOS app installed, you'll be able to perform Google searches from within iMessage itself. In order to make it work, you'll have to go into the app drawer (App Store icon) and enable the iMessage extension. Once enabled, all you have to do to use Google search is to tap on the Google shortcut icon to get the search box. Even better, the update includes … Read more
New Freemium Offer Mines Cryptocurrency
Freemium software is certainly nothing new. They are free apps that offer premium features if you don't mind ads displaying while you're using it or paying a small fee to have the ads removed. At least one company is trying a new business model on for size, albeit with limited success. The company is Qbix, and their freemium app is called "Calendar 2." It's a solid calendar app with more features than Apple's default app, and the Qbix offers its users premium features if they're willing to … Read more
New Chips Support Increased Network Speeds To 400Gbps
Marvell Semiconductor has a new product out, and it's a game changer. Their new "Alaska" chip (the Alaska C 88x7120) is the first on the market to support the new 802.3 standard. The 802.3cd is on tap to eventually replace current Ethernet ports running at 25Gbps to 100Gbps with ports that will run at 50Gbps, 200 Gbps, and 400 Gbps. The future is now. Granted, the Alaska chips aren't for sale just yet, but they are sampling to customers ("Sampling" in the chip world is akin to beta … Read more
New Android OS To Improve Lower End Phones
Google has another new product out. A slimmed down, streamlined version of the Android OS called "Go." Unfortunately, it's release didn't gather as much press as you'd expect when a new OS is released. The reason for that is simple. The new, slimmer, sleeker Android Go was designed for low-end phones with limited storage capacity, which don't typically get much press either. Despite the relative lack of fanfare, Android Go is an interesting app that deserves some attention, even if you … Read more
