Ad blocking estimated to cost publishers nearly $22 billion in 2015
The advertising industry could be in for a rude awakening, with the growing adblock trend snatching $21.8 billion in revenue from the web in 2015. This figure is expected to grow, with a report from PageFair and Adobe claiming a potential $41.4 billion in lost advertising revenue by 2016 worldwide.
In the UK, adblock services grew up 82 percent, with 12 million users deciding to block adverts. AdBlock Plus is the most popular service, which provides a large database of blocked adverts alongside some approved adverts that are not obnoxious.
10 things you should know about Motorola's Moto G (3rd Gen)
The Motorola Moto G (3rd Gen), also known as Moto G 2015, had its launch event on 28 July 2015.
Since then, there have been many reviews of this device, but there are some things about the new Moto G that you you should know about to help you decide whether this is the right phone for you.
HTC and Samsung phones storing unencrypted fingerprints
HTC is having trouble keeping investors happy, reporting its worst quarter in history earlier this month. If that wasn’t enough to contend with, FireEye researchers have found a way to steal fingerprint information from the HTC One Max and Samsung's Galaxy S5.
Fingerprints were stored in an image file named dbgraw.bmp in an open, readable folder. This means anyone that gains access to these files is capable of editing the fingerprints, deleting them and even forcing fake fingerprint scans to pay for items. Malicious apps can utilize the fingerprint files by asking for them in start-up.
SMBs need to consider 5 layers of data protection
Digital data has become central to all our lives and businesses from the largest multi-national organisations to the smallest family run start-ups now store the majority of their data in bytes instead of boxes. Current estimates are that there is now up to five zettabytes (the equivalent of one trillion gigabytes) of information on the planet and it could be ten times that by the end of the decade.
Many of us blissfully assume that the data we store electronically will be eternally safe. However, the real world is fraught with potential "data disasters". The data loss scenarios painted in the media may focus on cyber attacks or natural disasters, but often it is the everyday occurrences such as accidental file deletion, an overnight waterpipe breakage or spilling a hot drink on a piece of hardware that can cause the biggest disruption to a business if data is not properly stored and backed up.
Big data being used in the war against Islamic State
ISIS might be a formidable force, but you know who they can’t defeat? Robots.
Yes, that’s right, artificial intelligence is getting the better of ISIS, and according to a BBC report, researchers have used it to better understand the group’s tactics.
Tips to improve your team collaboration and take back the work day
According to a recent survey* of 200 North American business professionals, workers waste nearly two working months per year trying to collaborate, making it harder to complete high quality projects on time and on budget. What are the issues that lead to these inefficiencies? What can employees, teams, and organizations do about it? Here are some answers and tips for teams to work together more effectively.
One issue is the increasingly distributed nature of teams. Indeed, 70 percent of the people surveyed said they participate in projects that require external collaboration with contractors, consultants, agencies, and other outside parties. Also, on average, a third of people collaborate with team members who are geographically dispersed, and nearly 40 percent work across different departments in their company. Trying to communicate across geographies, time zones, and organizational boundaries is a challenge for any team.
Tesla Model X ships to customers on September 30
After three years of waiting, Tesla has finally set a launch date for the Model X. It will be shipping to customers on September 30, and arriving at show floors shortly after.
The Model X pre-orders started in 2013, with production set to start later that year. Sadly, Tesla went into a state of polishing for two years, where they didn’t want to release the car without making it perfect for the customer.
Oculus will let you enjoy VR movies with friends
Facebook-owned Oculus plans to make going to the virtual reality cinema a bit less of a lonely experience, by adding a new multiplayer mode to sit in the cinema with friends.
The movie will play at the same time across all Oculus VR headsets, and the user will be able to see friends sitting next to them in the VR cinema. This might be a weird experience, but it is part of Facebook’s goal to make VR a more social experience.
Microsoft doubles budget for bug bounty program
You might think you have the best programmers in the world, but chances are there’s a kid in his parents’ basement somewhere who’s smarter than all your engineers combined.
That’s why bounty hunting for bugs has become hugely popular among software makers, employing pretty much every hacker worldwide in their search for overlooked bugs. Microsoft is one of such companies, and it’s using the Black Hat conference to promote its new bug bounty program, which sees the bounty doubled.
Hackers can steal fingerprints from Android phones
Hackers can steal fingerprint data on a large scale through insecure Android phones, researchers claim, saying that vendors that ship with fingerprint sensors don’t lock them down well enough.
FireEye researchers Tao Wei and Yulong Zhang are singling out Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One Max as the most vulnerable examples, and are set to announce new research during the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Parents, monitor your kids' spending in Angry Birds 2
Angry Birds 2 has already hit 10 million downloads in three days, but it might not all be fun and games for parents letting their kids use bank accounts on mobile.
"Whilst gamers delight in the arrival of the latest version of our feathered friends in the form of Angry Birds 2, the new format should come with a slight health warning for unsuspecting parents", says Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of Money.co.uk. "With 8.7 million 5-16 year olds on school summer holidays at the moment, this well-timed launch lands in peak season for children racking up bills on their parent’s online payment accounts".
China moves to increase online censorship even further
China’s online censorship program has taken a decidedly aggressive turn, following the announcement that police officers will now be stationed inside large Internet companies.
The country’s deputy minister of public security Chen Zhimin revealed the plans earlier this week and explained that "network security offices" would be set up inside digital firms "to find out about illegal Internet activity more quickly".
Microsoft: Windows 10 collects users' private information, but not for ads
It’s been a week since Windows 10 was released, and the biggest issue about Microsoft’s latest OS seems to be in the nature and the amount of private data it collects.
We recently wrote about Cortana, the digital assistant, and how much it collects, and now Microsoft has updated its terms of service agreement to better clarify what it collects and how it uses such data.
Apple will release OS X 10.10.5 to fix Thunderstrike 2 vulnerability
Apple has promised it will fix a major vulnerability which recently cropped up in its OS X Yosemite operating system.
The worrying zero-day vulnerability allows malware authors to modify a hidden configuration file to get root permissions on the victim machine, security firm Malwarebytes explained in a blog post, allowing for the installation of adware and other assorted malware nastiness.
Android Lollipop is now relevant
Google released its monthly distribution numbers for Android earlier this week, showing quite a large spike in Lollipop growth in the month of July. Lollipop went from 12.4 percent in June to 18.1 percent in July. The growth mostly came off the back of Jelly Bean updates and new device sales.
Jelly Bean, the previous holder of the top spot, slumped down to 33.6 percent in July from 37.4 percent last month. KitKat received a slight boost of 0.1 percent this month, most likely due to continued sales of early 2015 devices running the OS.
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