Hulu To Soon Offer Episode Downloading and Offline Streaming

May 24th, 2018

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.

Lego and Alexa Team Up For Storytelling Through Device

May 23rd, 2018

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.

Firefox To Start Showing Ads On Tab Page

May 22nd, 2018

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.

Having Chrome Issues Since The Latest Windows 10 Update?

May 21st, 2018

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.

Facebook Is Adding New Features, Including Dating 

May 19th, 2018

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.

Healthcare Sector Facing Rise In Ransomware Attacks

May 18th, 2018

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.

All Twitter Passwords Exposed, Change Your Password Now

May 17th, 2018

Twitter shot itself in the foot recently but is working hard to get out in front of the problem.  According to a recent blog post, the company experienced an issue with its hashing routine - a process which masks user passwords, making them virtually impossible to crack.

Windows 10 Gets iTunes App For Apple Users

May 16th, 2018

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.

T-Mobile And Sprint To Merge Companies

May 15th, 2018

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.

Some VW and Audi Cars May Be Hacked Through WiFi

May 14th, 2018

Thanks to researchers Daan Keuper and Thijs Alkemade (who work at the Dutch cyber-security firm Computest), newly produced Golf GTE and Audi A3 vehicles are a little bit safer, and a lot less vulnerable to remote hacks.

The duo found that by taking advantage of these vehicles' WiFi connection, they could access the cars' IVI, (in-vehicle infotainment system) and from there, gain access to other systems as well.