Computerworld News
Far from shrinking, the scale of mercenary surveillance companies paid by governments to spy on journalists, human rights campaigners, and other members of the civil state is growing. Today Apple warned iPhone users in an astonishing 92 nations that attacks against them have taken place. (The company sends out these notifications several times each year.) Without opposition, governments and other entities will not quit this unconstrained descent into becoming a surveillance society. You are a surveillance target According to TechCrunch, Apple wrote users: “Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the [...]
Spreadsheets can be vast, often containing thousands of rows of repetitive data that makes them impossible to parse at a glance. Fortunately, Excel offers two powerful features — PivotTables and PivotCharts — for summarizing data sets and presenting them visually. What is a PivotTable? A PivotTable allows you to take an extensive data set with multiple columns and rows and summarize that data in a compact, easy-to-read table. You can create multiple PivotTables from the same data set, each highlighting different aspects of the data. And PivotTables are interactive — you can easily manipulate them to filter or rearrange the [...]
The one thing that seems about as certain as death and taxes is that, over time, your Windows 10 PC seems to slow down. There are a variety of reasons this can happen, from accumulated apps and background processes that run amok to registry problems and outdated drivers. How to speed up your computer Want your Windows 10 PC to run faster? We’re here to help. By tweaking some of the operating settings, your machine will be zippier and less prone to performance and system issues. And if you’re already running Windows 11, we’ve got you covered there. Check out [...]
Google has rolled out a premium tier for Chrome Enterprise, offering additional security features for the popular web browser. Google launched Chrome Enterprise in 2017 as a business-focused edition of its Chrome browser with built-in management features for IT admins and security teams. On Tuesday, Google unveiled Chrome Enterprise Premium, promising enhanced security with features not available in the core version. This includes malware deep scanning, data loss prevention, the ability to filter URLs based on website category, and “context-aware access controls” that help enforce zero-trust access to cloud applications. There are also additional controls that enable admins to enforce enterprise [...]
As Apple becomes more deeply embedded in increasingly regulated enterprises, IT needs new tools for security compliance to keep their fleets in shape. Jamf introduced a batch of solutions to achieve this at a special event this week. I spoke again with Michael Covington, vice president of portfolio strategy at Jamf, to learn more about what the company has made available. “We see organizations of all sizes struggle to establish good security hygiene for their Apple devices,” Covington said. “Our research shows 39% of organizations operate at least one device with known vulnerabilities, so improving basic endpoint configuration is low hanging fruit for security [...]
Google has added a new way for Workspace users to access generative AI (genAI) features for collaboration without requiring a full subscription to its Gemini AI assistant. The AI Meetings and Messaging add-on, which costs $10 per user per month, offers a range of Gemini features via Google’s Meet video conferencing tool, with functionality for Chat — the team messaging app in Workspace — to follow eventually. Features for Google Meet include generative backgrounds, AI-powered video quality enhancements, an automated caption translation (available now in preview), and automated note-taking during meetings (available in June). Also in the pipeline is an adaptive audio feature [...]
Your deep generative AI (genAI) large language model (LLM) knowledge and experience could set you up for a $1 million pay day. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that software engineers who are experienced in training LLMs and who can rectify troublesome genAI problems, such as “AI hallucinations,” are in extremely high demand. According to the publication, the industry is willing to pay over $1 million in salary, bonus, and accelerated stock options to the most experienced individuals. “There is a secular shift in what talents we’re going after,” Naveen Rao, head of generative AI at Databricks, told the Journal. “We have a [...]
Connected, data-intensive and ubiquitous, endpoint devices — ranging from PCs and smartphones to internet of things (IoT) devices — are among the most valuable IT assets an organization can have. For a growing number of enterprises, unified endpoint management (UEM) is the platform of choice for managing endpoints and keeping them from becoming security, privacy, and regulatory compliance risks. UEM explained UEM platforms are software suites that provide a single management interface for the oversight of endpoint devices within an organization. These systems evolved from and in many cases are replacing mobile device management (MDM) and enterprise mobility management (EMM) tools. MDM products [...]
If you’ve spent much time wading around this warbly ol’ web of ours lately, you might be feeling a teensy sense of unease over your internet browsing history. The reason, in case you’ve been living under a metaphorical boulder for the past several days, is the revelation of a new legal settlement related to Google’s Chrome browser and its incognito browsing mode. Or, to more accurately reflect the most common drive-by misinterpretation of the news: “Google is, like, totally spying on you, bro! Everything you do in incognito mode is being logged to your account and sneakily used for advertising, [...]
A Windows launch isn’t the end a process — it’s really just the beginning. As with Windows 10, Microsoft continually works on improving Windows 11 by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features. In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent version of Windows 11 — currently version 23H2. For each build, we’ve included the date of its release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first. The easiest way to install updates is via Windows Update. Not [...]
GameInformer News
We recently revealed the newest big cover story from Game Informer – our blowout look at Massive Entertainment’s Star Wars Outlaws. We were excited by the chance to visit the studio in Sweden to play the game and interview the team. We were especially thrilled at the gorgeous art from the game that we shared on the cover, where we see protagonists Kay Vess and Nix firmly ensconced in the scum and villainy of that fictional galaxy far, far away. To celebrate the new cover, we’re giving away five numbered copies of this issue’s Game Informer gold edition. If you’re [...]
The 20th Annual BAFTA Games Awards have concluded, and we’ve gathered the full list of winners. Baldur’s Gate 3 leads the pack with five awards, but other games such as Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Hi-Fi Rush, and Viewfinder didn’t leave empty-handed. In case you missed it, check the complete list of nominees here. And the winners are: Best Game - Baldur’s Gate 3 Animation - Hi-Fi Rush Artistic Achievement - Alan Wake 2 Audio Achievement - Alan Wake 2 British Game - Viewfinder Debut Game - Venba Evolving Game - Cyberpunk 2077 Family - Super Mario Bros. [...]
With Rise of the Rōnin’s release, Team Ninja has added another strong action title into its vaunted portfolio. The samurai epic, which tells a fictional story within a historical Japanese period of revolution, is one of the studio’s most ambitious titles from both game design and story perspectives. We got the opportunity to sit down with producer Yosuke Hayashi and director Fumihiko Yasuda to probe into how Rise of the Rōnin got made. One aspect of the game that sets it apart from other Team Ninja titles is the monsters or demonic enemies that pervade its other games are nowhere [...]
Warhorse Studios, the developer of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, has announced plans to reveal its next game. The wait won’t be long, as it’s happening next week. On Thursday, April 18, at 8 p.m. CEST/11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET, the Czech studio will reveal whatever it has cooking on its YouTube and Twitch channels. This will be Warhorse’s second title; the studio debuted with the 2018 cult favorite medieval RPG Kingdom Come Deliverance. pic.twitter.com/CePZumVQoK — Warhorse Studios (@WarhorseStudios) April 11, 2024 It’s anyone’s guess what Warhorse has in store, but there’s a solid chance the new game is a Kingdom Come [...]
On this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses our recent trip to Sweden for our Star Wars Outlaws cover story, Game Informer's review of Amazon's Fallout show, and our hands-on impressions of The Rogue: Prince of Persia, a new roguelike from Dead Cells developer Evil Empire. Before diving into listener questions, Marcus and Alex chat about two standout indies you can play now: Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom and Botany Manor. Watch The Game Informer Show: Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Brian Shea (@BrianPShea) The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering [...]
Sketchy Fables is a hand-drawn, first-person adventure created by solo developer Alle Jong using 10,000 drawings. And it's something you simply have to see, whether you're interested in first-person exploration games or not, because it's a sight to behold. As someone who cannot draw, I'm always fascinated (and impressed) with people who can. That Jong was able to create an entire game using 10,000 drawings is all the more fascinating, and if the trailer below is any indication, it's a game I can't wait to check out. Watch the Sketchy Fables gameplay trailer for yourself below: There's not much more [...]
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC Publisher: Whitethorn Digital Developer: Balloon Studios Release: April 9, 2024 Rating: Everyone I’ve never had much of a green thumb. For years, I largely believed growing a plant required little more than burying a seed in the dirt, pouring water, and letting the sun handle the heavy lifting. Botany Manor asks players to perform those crucial first steps before challenging them to deduce the additional methods necessary to make their seedlings blossom. As I explored the beautiful grounds of a mysterious manor in search of answers, clever [...]
Fallout 4's new-gen update hits PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S later this month, bringing with it 60 FPS, increased resolutions, stability improvements, and more. Hot on the heels of Amazon's Fallout TV series, which premiered yesterday with all eight episodes available for viewing, the Fallout 4 new-gen update arrives on April 25. With this update, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players will get a new native Fallout 4 application (assuming they already own previous-gen versions of the RPG), Performance and Quality Mode settings in the game, stability improvements and fixes, 60 FPS gameplay, and increased resolutions. On previous-gen consoles, Fallout 4 [...]
Giant Bomb's Jeff Grub reported earlier today that EA's Motive Studio was working on a Dead Space 2 remake before it was shelved following lackluster sales of the team's Dead Space remake last year. However, EA has denied Grubb's reporting, telling IGN, "We don't normally comment on rumors but there is no validity to this story." On Giant Bomb's Game Mess Mornings show, Grubb said, "They were working on it, they were working on Dead Space 2 and they are no longer working on it. It is on the shelf because the first game had lackluster sales, is how it was [...]
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Massive Entertainment Release: August 30, 2024 As one of the main components of our trip out to Malmö, Sweden, for this issue's cover story, we were the first to get our hands on Star Wars Outlaws, the highly anticipated open-world action game from Massive Entertainment, the studio behind The Division and last year's Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Taking place between Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Outlaws puts you in the shoes of Kay Vess, a common pickpocket-turned-thief who gets in over her head [...]
