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Showing posts from March, 2023

Google slams Microsoft's cloud dominance and deals with rivals

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support A senior Google executive has heavily criticized Microsoft for the way the company is handling its ongoing antitrust case, claiming the latter seemingly hopes to brush any dispute under the carpet with a new settlement between it and the three companies that initially raised the challenge. As recently reported, Microsoft is close to reaching a settlement with France’s OVHcloud, Italy's Aruba SpA, and the Danish Cloud Community, all of which have declined to comment on the matter so far, which will see the antitrust case suspended. Google, which trails behind Microsoft in terms of cloud market share, has slammed Microsoft’s efforts, in turn, urging the European Commission to more carefully consider the case. Google on Microsoft’s antitrust case Google VP, Amit Zavery, told Reuters that the imminent deals do little to solve the root cause, and that the concerns around the company’s licensing terms remain unanswered. Microsoft's Preside

This mega Microsoft security flaw could let hackers change Bing results, access Outlook emails

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Microsoft has patched a high-severity vulnerability in its Bing search engine, which allowed potential threat actors to not only alter search results, but also access people’s Office 365 data . Cybersecurity researchers from Wiz discovered the flaw in January 2023, identifying it as a misconfiguration in the Azure Active Directory (AAD) identity and access management service in Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. Asides from changing search engine results, the flaw could allow access to other people’s Office 365 data, such as Outlook emails , calendars, Teams messages, OneDrive files, and more. A common occurrence Some applications on Azure can use multi-tenant permission, and thus be accessible by any Azure user. That means developers need to set up a way to validate users and keep tabs on who gets to access what. According to The Verge, this is where many get it wrong, as misconfigurations in this respect are “a common occurrence.” Wiz say

AMD Ryzen 7000 successor statement is 'genuine mistake', says server firm

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support TechRadar Pro has reached out to Giga Computing, the enterprise arm of Gigabyte, to clarify a statement found in a recent press release announcing new AMD Ryzen-based servers that alludes to the launch of the next generation of Ryzen CPU in 2023.  Towards the end of the document, one can read how, "Even though these new products are entry-level servers, CPU support does not end here and the AM5 platform is supported until at least 2025." "The next generation of AMD Ryzen desktop processors that will come out later this year will also be supported on this AM5 platform, so customers who purchase these servers today have the opportunity to upgrade to the Ryzen 7000 series successor." Simple mistake? In an email, Gigabyte spokespeson Liam Quinn confirmed the wording was a mistake,  and that the company “do not know when the Ryzen 7000 successor will be released”, adding it will “make a comment on the press release to clarify b

Chatbot or adbot? Microsoft could bring adverts to ChatGPT-powered Bing AI

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Don’t look now, but Microsoft is exploring the idea of pushing adverts with its Bing AI chatbot. The ChatGPT-powered AI hasn’t been around for long, but has already achieved a measure of success driving more traffic to the Bing search engine , which is one of Microsoft’s main aims with the chatbot, naturally. However, another target Microsoft is now sighting up is the addition of advertising to monetize the chatbot in a more concrete way, as evidenced by a freshly written post on the Bing blog site . The content makes for worrying reading – though it’s a predictable avenue for Microsoft to assess, and we should note that this is very much early days still. The blog post talks about “exploring” the use of ads and that it’s mulling over “some early ideas,” so we shouldn’t get too carried away at this point. The ideas Microsoft is toying with include making it so that if the user hovers over a link, it’ll pop up a panel containing further links to

HP's new laser printers are its greenest and most efficient yet

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support HP has announced a range of updated business-focused Color LaserJet printers designed to tackle some of the biggest oppositions facing laser printers - namely, their typically heavier environmental burden compared with inkjet counterparts. As well as more energy-efficient models, HP has worked on more sustainable packaging options to appeal to eco-conscious IT decision-makers, but this still might not be enough to retain customers as inlet once again gains in popularity. The updates focus on the smaller 4200/4300 models and the Enterprise 5000/6000 series models as the company looks to appeal to target businesses of varying sizes all in one hit. Are HP Color LasetJet printers eco-friendly? The headline figure is a reduction in energy consumption by up to 27% which HP says is mainly thanks to the HP TerraJet toners that are optimized for the laser printers, meaning that third-party refills are unlikely to benefit from the same energy consumptio

Exclusive: OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite chipset, screen specs, and software confirmed

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is the next affordable entry in the OnePlus' lineup, with the company already confirming that it’s landing on April 4. But ahead of release, president and COO Kinder Liu has exclusively confirmed some of the phone's remaining key features and specs with TechRadar. Kicking things off, Liu told us that the CE 3 Lite would indeed pack a "120Hz 6.72-inch large screen;" that's notably bigger than the 6.59-inch panel on the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite and renders this the largest Nord device to date; suggesting a strong viewing experience (although we're not crossing our fingers on OLED tech, considering the phone's expected price point). Paired with the Lite's one-two punch of a large battery and promisingly-rapid fast charging, the company president continued, "[these are] features usually seen in our premium models." The Nord CE 3 Lite will again run on a Snapdragon 695 5G chipset; w

Quordle today - hints and answers for Thursday, March 30 (game #430)

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints. And you might need them - because this popular online game takes the Wordle format and quadruples the difficulty. So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints , you'll probably need some for Quordle too.  I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #430 and bookmark this page so you can easily return.  SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.  Quordle today (game #430) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today? • The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4 *. * Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).  Quordle today (gam

Calm down folks, ChatGPT isn't actually an artificial intelligence

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Alan Turing, one of the foundational figures in computer science, was obsessed with artificial intelligence towards the end of his tragically short life. So much so, in fact, that he came up with an unofficial test for when a computer can be said to be truly intelligent like a human, what we now call The Turing Test. The test is pretty simple. Have someone communicate with a computer and if they cannot tell that they are talking to a computer — that is, it is indistinguishable from a human to another human — then the computer would have risen to the level of human intelligence. Well, ChatGPT sure seems to pass that test with flying colors . In fact, it's not just passing Turing's test, it's passing med school exams, law school exams, and pretty much does the homework for every kid in the United States at the very least. And if you don't know what ChatGPT is, it can seem overwhelming. So much so that people are starting to projec

Microsoft’s mission to make Windows 11 worse continues with ads in the Start menu

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Windows 11 has just received an optional update which applies some useful fixes... but also something a bit more controversial for the Start menu. As spotted by Bleeping Computer , that’d be what Microsoft describes as “notifications for Microsoft accounts” appearing in the Start menu, a feature that some suspect has a hidden agenda. What do we mean by that? Well, in the support document introducing patch KB5023778 for Windows 11 22H2 PCs , which is still in preview but will be fully rolled out next month, Microsoft gives an example of a notification: a pop-up panel warning the user that they need to back up their files. Sensible advice, and of course, it's a good idea to back up your main folders (documents, pictures, and so on) to the cloud every now and then as suggested (and locally too, maybe using an external drive for instance). You can guarantee, though, that starting a backup from this prompt will try to get you to use OneDrive,

The Night Agent is Netflix's new TV show darling – but it won't surpass Wednesday

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Every so often, a new Netflix series comes out of nowhere and blows the competition away to stunning effect. Think Stranger Things , Wednesday , and Squid Game , and you'll get the idea. Three months into 2023 and Netflix has another unexpected TV-based success to add to that roster. Step forward The Night Agent , a politically-charged action thriller that stormed to the top of the Netflix TV charts less than a week after it debuted on the world's best streaming service . Based on Matthew Quirk's book of the same name, The Night Agent stars Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who becomes embroiled in a vast conspiracy at the heart of the US government. Cue a race against time to stop the mole leaking intel and potentially causing US society from collapsing in on itself. As plot synopses go, it's a simple one. Clearly, though, audiences have lapped up what's on offer in The Night Agent , with millions of viewers

Nintendo's Zelda-themed Switch OLED is the final link that's pushed me to upgrade

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support It’s not long until The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is released (May 12) and after months of speculation, Nintendo has finally announced a console to celebrate the upcoming Breath of the Wild sequel… and I, for one, think it’s absolutely beautiful. At the end of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demonstration , we were given a sneak peak at this console – and I’m tempted to upgrade now that pre-orders have opened in Australia (where I’m located, though it looks like pre-orders are also open in the US and UK too). Following the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet or Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch OLED consoles is no easy feat – both delivered great designs that stayed true to the respective franchises. But there’s just something special about Zelda-themed consoles that stands out above the rest, so much so that I’ve been living with the regret of never grabbing the golden Nintendo 3DS XL that came out alongside the re-release of Major

Nothing Phone (2) leak hints at a spiritual successor to OnePlus

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support The Nothing Phone (2) has been spotted on a Bureau of Indian Standards government site, spotted by 91Mobiles , a phone blog covering the local market. This means production may be finalized and a launch could be imminent.  This is good news for anyone interested in Nothing Phone, not just Indian fans, as Nothing CEO Carl Pei has pledged to bring the upcoming Nothing Phone (2) to more markets, making the US a real priority this time, and not just a late round beta testing zone.  We'd heard recently from loose-lipped Qualcomm executives that the Nothing Phone (2) would likely use the company's late-2022 flagship mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The current top-of-the-line is the 8 Plus Gen 2 platform, but the latter chipset is powerful enough to run phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 portable tablet. That makes it a serious upgrade for Nothing.  Nothing Phone (1) with Nothing Ear (1) earbuds (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

Elon Musk’s Twitter gamble has already cost him $24 billion - and he's still digging

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Oh, Elon. When will you learn? Never, if this latest development is anything to go by: according to a memo reported on by the Wall Street Journal , an internal valuation has just placed Twitter’s total value at around 20 billion dollars. Hilariously, that’s less than half of the $44 billion Musk originally paid for the social media site back in October 2022. But it seems Elon isn’t content with just sitting in the hole he’s fallen into; some unpaid intern has handed him a shovel, and he’s gonna keep on digging down until everyone on Twitter is paying for Twitter Blue - or the site collapses entirely. Musk’s latest move to drag more people kicking and screaming into $8-subscription land is to reveal more limitations on free accounts; unless you cough up for a Blue membership , your tweets won’t be recommended to other users in the ‘For You’ tab, and non-verified users won’t be allowed to vote in polls either. Now, any Twitter user with two brain

Marvel leaks Secret Invasion's Disney Plus release date – and it won't be a long wait

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Marvel has seemingly leaked the release date for Secret Invasion on Disney Plus. The studio, which has suffered from its fair share of bad press in recent days, appears to have accidentally confirmed Secret Invasion 's launch date. As revealed on Reddit – and later confirmed by many news outlets – the Marvel TV series is apparently due to arrive on June 21, 2023. Initially, Secret Invasion was expected to be released on Disney Plus in Q1 2023. However, in light of some release schedule tweaking on Marvel's part, the spy thriller show's launch was given a more generic 'coming soon' placeholder on the official Disney Plus Originals website. That was the case until yesterday (March 27), anyway. Overnight, the series' Disney Plus landing page was updated with its new release date.  Secret Invasion is seemingly set to arrive in June (Image credit: Disney Plus) Realizing their error, Marvel and Disney have now r

Bing shows off two new AI features that make Google Bard look basic

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Following the announcement of Bing Image Creator, Microsoft has dropped another update to the ever-popular improved Bing and introduced ‘Knowledge Cards 2.0’. These knowledge cards will appear on the right side of the Bing search results page and help give users a deeper insight into topics they’re interested in, but in convenient bite-sized chunks. These nuggets of knowledge include facts, timelines, and related topics all generated by AI. Of course, that last bit does make us a little wary, as Microsoft’s Bing AI does have a history of making stuff up . But we’re hopeful that Microsoft has done its due diligence and wouldn’t roll something like this out without making sure the bot has its facts straight. The blog post from the official site also details that the knowledge panels are accompanied by Stories; Bing will now put out AI-generated stories that will add more context to your area of interest in the search engine, using text, images, an

This Microsoft Teams update could fix one of its biggest issues - but only if we all behave

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support A new Microsoft Teams update is due to fix one of its most annoying minor issues - but could raise a whole host of other potential problems. The video conferencing service is working on a tweak that will allow meeting participants to change their display name to whatever they choose. Microsoft means well, of course, but knowing your co-workers, friends and whoever else you use Microsoft Teams with, how much this feature is used in a positive way might be up for debate. Microsoft Teams names In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap , the company notes that allowing name changes will allow users, "to have flexible representation in different meetings, regardless of their tenant set display name." The update is listed as being in development for now, but has a listed rollout start date of July 2023, meaning users shouldn't have too much longer to wait. Upon release, it will be available to desktop and Mac around the worl

New leaks show some big changes coming to Windows 11

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Fresh evidence of some significant changes to the Windows 11 interface have been aired, hinting at new features for widgets and a photo gallery feature for File Explorer. The latter image gallery remains hidden, but in test build 23419, PhantomOfEarth has done some further digging. After enabling the capability (using a Windows configuration tool), the leaker found that an important change has been applied to the feature – File Explorer now immediately shows tweaks made to any given image. The (hidden) File Explorer Gallery has gained a neat improvement in 23419 - it can now automatically refresh when you delete/edit (example: rotate) an image to show any changes instead of continuing to show the unedited/deleted image until you manually refresh pic.twitter.com/kQq2s3T2Fl March 25, 2023 See more As you can see in the video clip in the above tweet, the leaker rotates an image using the quick edit options in the top bar, and it gets turned