Showing 61 - 70 of 1,086
Microsoft ends game streaming, teams up with Facebook
AFP, Published on 23/06/2020
» SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft said Monday it was throwing in the towel on its livestream gaming platform and teaming up with Facebook to better compete with rivals like Amazon-owned Twitch.
China foundering in IT advances
Life, James Hein, Published on 17/06/2020
» - As I write this it has been a strange two weeks in the world and this has kept most news on the technology front well in the background.
Virus exposes the good and bad of tech
Life, James Hein, Published on 22/04/2020
» Google has not been doing so well in the UK. A High Court battle between Foundem and Google, which has been ongoing since 2006, has reached an interesting stage. The issue is ranking algorithms. Readers will remember that I've written about this subject in the past. Foundem had asked the court to approve a review of Google's ranking algorithms by an independent expert. Their claim is that Google demoted Foundem in favour of paid adverts because Foundem is a commercial rival. Google was given the offer to withdraw their evidence that only a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) engineer could understand and when they refused, a choice was made to let an expert examine an unredacted version of the evidence and comment on it. This puts Google in an interesting place. If they withdraw their redacted evidence, it could indicate they are trying to hide something and if they refuse expert analysis, it could indicate the same thing. Their claim is that if an expert looks at the code, they will lose their competitive advantage. Yes, the judge saw through this one as well. The case is currently on hold amid the current Covid-19 situation.
Learning in the time of crisis
Life, James Hein, Published on 08/04/2020
» There is a mix of good and bad information regarding Covid-19 on the internet so be careful that what you are reading isn't fake news, especially when it comes to numbers and cures. The numbers available are those reported by each country and are based on testing and the honesty of each government, so will vary from the actual state. This is where the major social media platforms are being exposed even more. They are deleting valid information, such as on hydroxychloroquine trials, while promoting hit pieces on globalisation.
Get flipped
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 27/03/2020
» Samsung's first attempt at foldable phones with the Galaxy Fold was commendable though there was definitely a lot of room for improvement. Not even a year later, they've released the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, and I've got to say that from the get-go, it's already looking better than its predecessor.
Try not to drop your phone
Life, James Hein, Published on 25/03/2020
» The big news these days is coronavirus, the family name that covers the latest version, Covid-19. The impacts on tech are fairly obvious -- a lot of stuff is made in China these days. Apple, for example, is heavily invested in Chinese manufacturing and it has closed stores because the supply chain has run dry. Replacement iPhones are in short supply, so if you've damaged your phone, expect a potentially long wait before a full replacement is available. This also applies to replacement parts. So don't drop your phone. Employee travel is also discouraged while the virus spreads across the globe. At the time of this writing, stores in China have reopened and will not close. As an aside, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a non-partisan think-tank, named Apple as one of 83 internationally known brands utilising the slave labour of Uighur Muslims.
Technology is enabling a safe escape from coronavirus
Life, Published on 11/03/2020
» For people hunkering down due to the coronavirus epidemic, the tech sector has become their new best friend with an array of lifestyle solutions making "social distancing" easier.
Protecting the jewels
Life, James Hein, Published on 11/03/2020
» A while back I looked at the LG V20 as a new phone option but I ended up getting the latest Samsung. The next LG top-end model is the V60 ThinQ. Its 5000 mAh battery offers a lot of battery life and will eventually be used by the Samsung S20. It will come with a 17.2cm edge-to-edge screen and unlike the S20 will retain the headphone jack. It also supports a clip on second screen but with a hinge between them. This allows two apps to run side by side, useful in a number of circumstances. It has 8K video recording but not the 10x optical zoom found in the top end S20. Pricing is expected to be less than the S20 range. When you're buying a new phone these days there are a lot of options so find the features and price point that suits you. After that it probably comes down to the colour of the case.
A new era for Windows?
Life, James Hein, Published on 29/01/2020
» When you read this, Windows 7 will have reached its end of support, but it still has about 27% of the current market share on Windows desktops. The Microsoft term "end of support" refers to technical support and security updates/fixes, and it means that over time your operating system will become less secure and more open to attack by malware.
Ghosting around
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 25/10/2019
» Infiltrating enemy lines and leaving without a trace is the signature of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (or at least that's how it's supposed to be depending on how you play it). Its latest installment, Breakpoint, transports you from its predecessor's drug cartel-run Wildlands to the lush jungles, sandy beaches and urban landscapes of the island of Auroa. Sounds like paradise? Sure -- until bullets start flying.