The days of random mischief on the internet are not over, but the most skilled hackers have moved on to more lucrative ventures. Stealing personal data and banking details has been a moneymaker for years, but more recently the threat of ransomware has appeared. These pieces of malware encrypt your …
Read More »Comcast cable costs jump $48 per year, thanks to increased fees
It’s late in the year, which means, inevitably, it’s time to play a game of “How much are cable companies jacking up prices?” This year the early award goes to Comcast, who is raising its Broadcast TV fee from $5 to $7 per month, while its Regional Sports Network fee …
Read More »Blizzard, Google team up to teach next-generation AIs how to play Starcraft II
Earlier this year, Google’s AlphaGo AI successfully beat world-class champion Go player Lee Se-dol in four games out of five. This was a significant milestone, thanks to the sheer number of positions that are possible within the game, and the difficulty of creating an AI that could efficiently evaluate them before the …
Read More »Who makes the most reliable hard drives?
For the last few years, Backblaze has released quarterly reports on its hard drive reliability and replacement rates. Backblaze is a provider of cloud backup services and uses its own custom storage solutions (dubbed Drive Pods) to hold hundreds of gigabytes of data in each pod. This month, the company …
Read More »4K Netflix is finally coming to PCs, but you probably still can’t watch it
Chalk this one up as mildly infuriating. In the past, we’ve covered Netflix’s 4K streaming limitations and how the platform was limited to handful of televisions, even though PCs are easily capable of handling 4K. Now we know that 4K content is officially coming to the PC with the release …
Read More »Apple dumps wireless router development, will exit the market
Apple has manufactured its own line of AirPort cards and routers for 17 years, dating back to the introduction of the original AirPort Base Station in 1999. Now, the company is apparently planning to kill its support for the AirPort division, not long after announcing it would also exit the …
Read More »Office Depot, OfficeMax claim new computers have malware to sell useless removal services
One of the common problems the less computer-savvy face are inevitable malware infections. A number of companies like Best Buy, Office Depot, and OfficeMax all offer computer services that will scan and remove malware from an infected system, but often only at a steep price. Separate investigations into Office Depot …
Read More »Google WiFi mesh networking crushes the competition in new test
While Apple is getting out of the router business, Google is doubling down. Or maybe tripling down, if you really buy into mesh networking. Google WiFi is set to ship in the next few weeks, and a third-party test of Google’s new wireless solution shows it clobbering other mesh networking systems. …
Read More »DIY: Extending Wi-Fi throughout your house
With the increased use of video streaming, and the explosion of the number of devices in most homes, users have become more aware of the limitations of their wireless router in providing high-performance wireless connectivity across their home or apartment. Along with that has come a wave of outdoor devices, …
Read More »Netflix finally offers offline viewing, video downloads
Ever since Netflix debuted its online streaming service, it’s had one major limitation — you couldn’t download shows for later viewing. This made the service less useful while traveling, since airport and airplane WiFi are often expensive and/or slow and relatively few vehicles are WiFi-enabled. Amazon implemented downloading for at …
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