According to App Annie’s State of Mobile 2022 report released this week, mobile device use hit record-breaking numbers last year. The study found that the top 10 mobile markets (which include the US, Canada, Mexico, and Japan) spent an average of 4.8 hours a day on our phones – or one-third of a single waking day – which is up 30% from the past two years. App Annie’s CEO, Theodore Krantz, called mobile the “Greatest of All Time,” adding that it would be the go-to device of the future....

What started out as something I thought was just about the art has turned into what I’d call a hobby. I spend hours researching projects, being active in various communities and, surely, annoying my Twitter followers with tweets and retweets about NFTs. Also: Check our ZDNet’s Crypto Coach column Below you’ll find my own lessons learned over many, many hours. I’ve tried to explain what NFTs are, detail how you can get started, and offer some sage advice of my own....

While convenience is the main advantage of using a debit card, there’s another big one, too: With debit cards, you can’t slide into debt like you can with a credit card. You have the ease of paying with plastic, which allows you to make online purchases, and most banks will let you log in online to track your purchases, but you’re spared the monthly bill – and you’ll never pay interest because you’re spending money you already have....

In recent times, there has been a flurry of activity around platform offerings targeted at users with little or development experience – so-called “citizen developers” – as well as still serving the needs of professional developers hard-pressed to deliver apps in extremely tight timeframes. This new generation of low-code and no-code platforms are designed to make it relatively easy for people to design, build, and launch applications quickly, without having to worry about the nuances of underlying operating systems or scalability requirements....

According to a 2021 survey by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, less than a fifth of IT specialists in the UK are women: a figure that has grown just 3% since 2018. Women and black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) individuals are also under-represented in tech leadership positions. Evidence suggests that tech companies are especially prone to bias when it comes to recruiting, preferring to choose a candidate who reminds them of other candidates they might have previously recruited for the same role....

The good news is that most financial institutions have well-established procedures for handling your untimely demise. If the next of kin can hand over a proper death certificate, whoever’s handling the estate can have access to bank accounts, retirement accounts, insurance policies, and other assets. But for other online services, you’ll have to jump through some serious hoops if you can’t supply the proper credentials to sign in. The acrobatics can reach an extreme degree of difficulty if 2FA is involved....

Anne Neuberger, the deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, spoke to a bipartisan group of mayors virtually during a US Conference of Mayors event this week, addressing the spate of ransomware attacks on dozens of cities over the last two years. Neuberger “urged mayors to immediately convene heads of state agencies to review their cybersecurity posture and continuity plans,” according to a White House readout of the meeting....

Effective March 19, Twitter has decided to open up millions of user accounts to hacking and theft, just to pick up a little spare coin. Really? In Depth: These experts are racing to protect AI from hackers. Time is running out And, apparently, Twitter (or He Who Shall Go Unnamed) somehow thinks that users value their SMS two-factor authentication method so much that opening their accounts up to attack will motivate them to pay $8/month in protection fees....

Microsoft has flagged an upcoming change to Windows Insider testers on the Dev Channel. The company rolled out its first Dev Channel preview in late June with a new set-up experience, the ability to rearrange ‘pinned’ apps, a new Notifications Center and Quick Settings experience, a refreshed File Explorer, and extra Widgets from the Taskbar. At the end of July Windows 11 preview builds reached the Beta Channel too, and Microsoft forewarned back then that people on the Dev Channel who wanted more stable builds of Windows 11 should move to the Beta channel....

There is no information in the post as to how these features will be delivered. Will they be in a single Cumulative Update? Partially through the Microsoft Store? Rolled out via a Feature Experience Pack refresh? We have no idea. Update: Microsoft released a preview build of Android apps on Windows 11 to testers in the Release Preview channel today, January 26. Microsoft originally had planned to make the ability to run Android apps on Windows 11 part of its original release on October 5, 2021, but the feature wasn’t ready in time....

Wine 7.0 is the latest stable release of the compatibility layer from the 28 year-old ‘Wine’ project, named after “Wine is Not an Emulator”. Wine is not an emulator and doesn’t rely on virtualization, which would require a full version of Windows to run Windows applications on other platforms. Instead Wine translates Windows application protocol interface (API) calls to Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) calls/instructions for Linux and macOS. Wine only reached version 1....

Instead of paying thousands to go back to school for several semesters, you can just keep expanding your skills over the course of a year by preparing for exams to gain certifications that will make your resume stand out among a sea of competitors. And for a limited time only during our sitewide pre-Black Friday sale, you can use coupon code SAVE15NOV to get an additional 15% off the current sale price and pay only $296....

Your direct message (DM) inbox page now has a banner on the top that showcases profiles and the message the users have shared. To add your very own message, all you have to do is click your photo, type the text and send. The Note feature uses the same model as story sharing, keeping the 60 character messages up on your profile for only 24 hours. Users also have the option to easily react on other’s Notes by clicking on the note and sending an emoji or a message back....

Hardware manufacturer Satechi has a hub that’s been specifically designed for you. Also: The 6 best Macs The Pro Hub Slim takes the two USB-C ports on the left side of the MacBook and transforms them into all the ports you’ll ever need. Satechi Pro Hub Slim tech specs ZDNET Recommends Best laptop docking stations: Your essential accessory for working from home There’s never been a better time to upgrade your work-from-home setup with a docking station that transforms your laptop into a more comfortable working environment....

Having previously worked with YesWeHack on a private bug bounty programme that was open only to a few security researchers, ZTE’s new bug bounty is public and available to YesWeHack’s entire global network of more than 30,000 researchers to participate. They can be awarded up to €2,000 ($2,311) for each bug uncovered, with the final amount awarded depending on the severity level. YesWeHack researchers currently are based in 170 countries worldwide....

The report sent Progress shares higher by 8% in late trading. CEO Yogesh Gupta said the company was “very pleased to announce Q3 results that significantly beat our previous guidance for revenue and earnings,” adding, “and we’re raising 2021 guidance for the third time this year.” Added Gupta, “We also announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Kemp, a leader in the Application Experience (‘AX’) space. Kemp meets all our acquisition criteria, fits perfectly with our total growth strategy, and brings a very talented team to Progress....

You can become Python operational immediately by starting with “Python 3: From ZERO to GUI Programming”. “Learn to Code with Python 2021” offers a complete bootcamp in Python and is a big favorite with former students. They not only rated the class 4.7 out of 5 stars but gave the same rating to instructor Boris Paskhaver, who is an author, full-stack software developer, and Agile consultant in addition to being an educator....

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said Brugeaud would lead the taskforce, commencing on July 1. “Mr Brugeaud is uniquely qualified to work hand in hand with businesses to design and implement a cross-border trade system that meets their needs,” he said. Brugeaud has held the role of DTA CEO since 2018 after moving over from the Australian Bureau of Statistics where he was the deputy Australian statistician....

For example, the report warns that many organisations struggle with detecting the suspicious activity associated with ransomware and attacks that could provide early evidence that cyber criminals have compromised the network. That includes failing to identify unusual lateral movement across corporate networks, or being able to spot unauthorised users gaining access to corporate data. The cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks are accessing this data to not just encrypt it, but also steal it, using the threat of publishing stolen information as extra leverage to pressure ransomware victims into paying the ransom for the decryption key....

More than 300 North American IT and cybersecurity decision-makers were polled. Most, 62%, said they plan to increase spending on ransomware protection, as 43% admitted to at least one Ransomware attack within the past two years. The top attack vectors were all from outside the organization, with 37% citing remote worker exploits as a key issue. An additional 35% said cloud infrastructure was to blame, and 32% reported security problems with cloud-based apps....