But your work is not complete. Microsoft’s default settings aren’t necessarily tuned for you, and a default setup comes with a handful of annoyances that you can quickly fix. When you get to the Windows desktop, I recommend taking a few minutes to do these six things before you go any further. Use a Microsoft account for maximum security On a system you own and manage personally, you have two choices for setting up your primary user account: a Microsoft account or a local account....

Microsoft also says it will no longer deliver updates to the OneDrive app on those PCs from January 1, 2022, although the app will continue to sync until March 1. Windows 7, of course, reached end of life in April 2020 and has become a greater security risk because Microsoft, as a rule, doesn’t offer patches for the OS. However, it has deviated from that policy for drastic malware outbreaks such as WannCry....

Prospects are so bad for his company, riddled with an unimaginable amount of debt, that he is also content to hand over his stake to any entity – government or otherwise – that can keep the struggling company afloat. To absorb how other-worldly that is, and the extent of its implications, not just for Indian telcos but for Indian business as a whole, consider the fact that Vodafone is not just any old struggler that is unable to manage strategy or pay its bills....

A report by Cisco on the impact of hybrid working found that workers view themselves as more dependable than their co-workers in being productive while working from home. In a survey of 1,050 UK employees, 75% of respondents said their manager trusted them to be productive while working remotely, yet a lower proportion (61%) felt their colleagues could be trusted to do the same. Workers also felt that bosses were more likely to micromanage when they were working remotely or in hybrid arrangements, with 43% of respondents reporting those micromanaging behaviours had increased....

Lensa AI is a free-to-download, photo-editing app that launched in 2018 and is available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. In late November, the app launched a “magic avatar,” which skyrocketed the app’s popularity, placing it at #1 in the Apple App Store charts for both the free app category and the photo and video category. The “magic avatar” converts 10 to 20 selfies you upload into artistic portraits of you – as an anime, fantasy or cosmic character, among other renditions – using stable diffusion....

Zendesk said in October that it entered an acquisition deal that would have seen Momentive shareholders receive 0.225 shares of Zendesk stock for each share of Momentive stock. The deal amounted to about $4 billion. Zendesk stockholders would have owned approximately 78% of the combined company and Momentive stockholders will own approximately 22%. But on Friday, Zendesk announced that it was terminating the deal after it did not receive the approval of its stockholders to adopt the proposal to issue shares of Zendesk common stock at its stockholder meeting on February 25....

According to the company, most quantum computers are currently error prone meaning that only the shortest and simplest algorithms can run, inhibiting on quantum computational capabilities being delivered to end users. However, through its research activities, the company said it has identified methods using AI and automation to reduce the number of errors. At the same time, the research was completed using conventional cloud access to commercial quantum computers and did not require any special hardware access....

“If you are going to spend time in the Metaverse, Snapdragon is going to be your ticket,” said Amon, referring to the company’s mobile application processor and modem platform. Also: Qualcomm beats expectations with record Q4 revenues across the chip business The majority of Metaverse-style devices, such as Facebook’s Oculus Quest, are “powered by Snapdragon,” said Amon. According to the CEO, Oculus Quest 2 has sold 10 million units and is the first major consumer device that runs on the Snapdragon XR2 platform....

With the addition of 5G into the enterprise networking has given companies like Qualcomm a better hook into IoT and digital transformation implementations. Qualcomm is launching platforms designed for edge computing and running artificial intelligence workloads closest to the data. With 5G, edge computing and IoT will surge: Now’s the time to upgrade your edge5G and edge computing: How it will affect the enterprise in the next five yearsResearch: What 5G means for edge computing...

Kronos. Colonial Pipeline. JBS. Kaseya. These are only a handful of 2021’s high-profile victims of threat groups including DarkSide, REvil, and BlackMatter. According to Kela’s analysis of dark web forum activity, the “perfect” prospective ransomware victim in the US will have a minimum annual revenue of $100 million and preferred access purchases include domain admin rights, as well as entry into Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Virtual Private Network (VPN) services....

I am not a car guy when it comes to car maintenance. I can field strip a PC tower blindfolded, but it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to open the hood (what UK folks call the bonnet) – the place that houses the engine and battery in most cars. The reason I had to grease monkey up was that lockdown was ending and we needed to go out on a mission-critical errand....

The researchers from Monash University, Sun Yat-sen University, Beijing Eaglevision Technology, Beijing Tongren Eye Centre, Capital Medical University, and University of Miami Miller School have developed the comprehensive AI retinal expert (CARE) system. The CARE system, according to the researchers, was developed using fundus photography in combination with a deep-learning system, which was trained using data from real-world case studies of retinal disease. It was then externally tested using fundus photographs collected from clinical settings the model would most likely be adopted....

“To date, there has been essentially no issuance of Australian dollar stablecoins nor use of them as a payment method in Australia,” the RBA said in a submission [PDF] to the Senate Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre. “Nevertheless … the working group [continues to] study the benefits and possible risks associated with stablecoins and to identify any possible regulatory gaps. “If a stablecoin is designed to be a safe payment instrument and act as an alternative to other forms of money, then it is important for consumer protection that it is appropriately regulated....

The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, quite a mouthful for a name, is clearly the most powerful robot vacuum I have ever tested with the first complete system I’ve used where I am required to have very few interactions with the system to get the job done. Give it a few more years, and I won’t have to do anything to maintain clean floors. Speaking of clean floors, mine have never been so clean as they were after the S7 MaxV Ultra, so for this device, you definitely get what you pay for....

That is practically all that you need to do to extend your Wi-Fi network beyond its current range. But its simplicity belies its technology. This Wi-Fi extender will deliver up to 300Mbps at 2.4GHz and 1734Mbps at 5GHz to ensure that all areas of your space has Wi-Fi connectivity. When correctly situated with a good connection to your main router the AC2100 will deliver Wi-Fi signal coverage up to 1292 sq....

The Roomba Combo j7+ is essentially the Roomba j7+ but with the addition of retractable arms to raise and lower a mop head. It has the same matte black design, auto empty base, PrecisionVision Navigation, and of course, intelligent iRobot OS software. Also: The 5 best robot vacuum and mop combos The difference? The Combo part. Thanks to the hands-free nature of the robot, it’s quickly become my favorite smart vacuum with mopping capabilities....

More than 4,700 reports on suspected vulnerabilities were submitted to Salesforce last year, and the highest bounty paid was $30,000. Since launching its bug bounty program in 2015, Salesforce has paid out about $12.2 million in total and accepted about 22,200 reports. More than $9.5 million of that has come since 2019, according to Salesforce data. Salesforce software engineer Anup Ghatage said engineering teams use data from the bug bounty program “to better understand the tendencies and methodologies of malicious hackers....

We probably all have a friend like this: the one who sits down and places their phone, face up, on the table when you meet them. To me it’s a very clear statement, and a challenge. Whether they mean it to or not, to me it’s a move that turns what should be a relaxed chat between friends into an exam invigilated by a slab of glass and plastic – one that will start flashing if I become too dull....

(A screenshot from the Samsung ad) The iPhone 14 has emerged and you can finally look forward to ordering an iPhone in a new color. Or, as Steve Jobs’ daughter Eve seemed to suggest, not ordering an iPhone at all. Samsung, though, still can’t cope with the idea that you’re a such a myopic, unimaginative Apple cult member that you’ll simply buy the iPhone 14 because that’s what you always do....

Starting at 9 am ET, the Samsung slide-in electric range, containing a smart dial and air fry mode, will be on offer for $1579, a saving of over $650 based on the standard $2,320 retail price. Furthermore, if you throw in an over-the-range microwave, you can expect 20% of its RRP, bringing the bundle price to $2078. This electric range goes beyond our standard, dumb appliances. Samsung has included a smart dial for more intuitive oven settings based on your preferences, as well as an air frying mode (tray included), which allows users to cook more healthily using little to no oil....