General Tech

Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are the organisation behind keeping track of UK citizens and their taxes. It turns out that HMRC has been storing taxpayers audio signatures after a default opt-in of a new Voice ID system that allowed taxpayers to use their voices as their password. Big …

Windows 10 on ARM isn’t really all that popular. There isn’t any hardware that can really run the operating system to the level that x86 CPUs can. Qualcomm is looking to change that with the Snapdragon 1000, a 12W SoC aimed at competing with Intel. Arstechnica reports that the SDM1000 …

Whilst some cars can be unlocked via a smartphone, these models are few and far between and are often very pricey additions. The Car Connectivity Consortium is looking to change this, by creating a standard so that more manufacturers can easily implement a Digital Key system that works no matter …

When you get a smart assistant such as Alexa or Google Assistant, it never really stops feeling unnatural to add Ok, Google, or Hey, Alexa before every command. Google is looking to tackle that problem with a new feature for Google Home, known as ‘Continued Conversations'. This feature was a …

European Parliament has sent the tech industry into a frenzy this week as the JURI committee voted to pass Articles 11 and 13 of the EU Copyright Directive legislation. If enacted, the pair could dismantle the internet as we know it, filtering out uploaded content against copyrighted material. Article 11 …

HDR is a feature that must be seen to be believed, offering fantastic colour depth that is simply unrivalled by SDR screens. Soon, you will start to see HDR10+ rated panels as manufacturers now have access to a royalty-free programme that will allow them to prove their TVs match the …

Yesterday we learned that Facebook is planning to further monetise Messenger with auto-playing video ads. Now, we have more details on the social networks future monetisation plans, with Groups set to get subscription fees. Facebook made the announcement in a press release today, with the company claiming that it often …

Microsoft has been pushing deeper into the VR space throughout the past year, ushering in mixed reality for Windows 10. Unfortunately, it seems that this is where virtual reality will stay as the company has dialled back its efforts to bring the technology to Xbox consoles. Virtual reality has always …

Brave is one of the most popular browsers on Android, and it is slowly making inroads on Windows too. The developers of Brave are big believers in Blockchain technology and they want to use it to create a fair advertisement system that benefits both promoters and viewers. Yesterday, Brave announced …

While the United States has been a prominent figure in the space race for decades, President Donald Trump is pushing for dominance outside of Earth’s atmosphere. The initiative, dubbed the uh, “space force,” has garnered a lot of opposition from US officials for adding unnecessary bureaucracy. The space force is …

This year during Computex, we saw several new systems boasting Rivet Networks' new Killer Wireless xTend technology, which is rolling out alongside the new Killer Wireless-AC 1550 chip. We'll be seeing this new wireless technology implemented in motherboards and laptops throughout the year, but what is it and what does …

Five years ago, Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos announced ‘Mayday', a live video calling support service for the company's own Amazon Fire tablets. The idea was to bring something new to customer support, making assistance quicker and faster. However, it looks like Amazon is now ready to move on, with Mayday …

Despite growing legal troubles surrounding the design of its first HoloLens, Microsoft is pushing forward with a second iteration with an unveiling planned for later this year. The HoloLens 2 is currently codenamed Sydney, boasting a variety of improvements while dampening the cost. Alongside the “Scarlett,” the codename attributed to …

Over the last year, user privacy and data control have become hot button topics and many companies are making changes so as not to be caught in some form of scandal. This week, Google is making its own changes, giving users better control over targeted advertising. Google now has an …

Two days ago, the FCC abolished Net Neutrality for good, thwarting the Senate’s attempt to block the repeal. Successfully predicting the outcome, the state of Washington has enacted its back-up plan to install its own its own state-wide Net Neutrality rules, helping to protect both consumers and fledgling tech start-ups. …

According to Google’s own research, just under 10% of extensions submitted to the Chrome Web Store between 2012 and 2015 were malicious. Google is looking to continue cracking down on malicious extensions with a new ban on inline installations on all platforms, essentially removing the ability to install extensions outside …

Snapchat is known for its disposable nature of messages and images, or at least it was until it allowed recipients to forcibly retain messages if they choose. Now, Snap is giving control back to the sender, introducing a new ‘Clear Chats’ function that allows users to delete messages entirely. Clear …

Video applications are pretty much a standard on any modern device, from smartphones to consoles, making it a noticeable absence on last year’s Nintendo Switch. Luckily, owners of the hybrid handheld might not have to wait much longer as Best Buy accidentally launched listings for Netflix, YouTube and Hulu. Hulu …

Back in January, Tesla-founder Elon Musk debuted the Boring Company Flamethrower, selling all 20,000 in its first weekend. Now, the first 1,000 have made their way into the hands of owners who lived close enough to the SpaceX headquarters to manually pick theirs up. In an unsurprising, yet unfortunate turn …

Amazon’s Fire TV Cube has been rumoured since September last year, with whispers that the new smart device would be powered by the company’s personal assistant, Alexa. The shopping giant has now made the Fire TV Cube official, endowing the streaming box with the ability to push 4K content while …

Despite the numerous controversies it’s found itself in as of late, Facebook is still moving ahead with its plans to further combat streaming platforms such as Twitch and Mixer. Moving things over from the main site, Facebook has now launched FB.gg, a one-stop hub for viewers and content creators alike. …

Despite the strides made in AI technology, artificial intelligence still carries a heavy stigma with it, prompting fears of the machines rising above humans. This might seem the stuff of fiction, but those in the field know the implications of misplaced values in a system designed to think and act …

The eighth generation of video game consoles has marked a strange turn for the market, seeing iterative editions introduced in the middle of a consoles life with the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, as well as significant advancements in cloud gaming. As a result, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot believes …

Firefox was getting a lot of stick from users as a bloated and unstable browser, but after the Quantum update, it is right back on track. With two new additions to its Test Pilot programme, users can now easily make their own themes and open two tabs in the same …

ASUS recognises that the smartwatch market is dying down a little, but its foray with wearables is far from over. Moving on from the ZenWatch 3, the company is now aiming to help the World Health Organization bring down blood pressure statistics with its new VivoWatch BP. Research has shown …

MSI is no stranger to small form factor PCs, with its Trident line offering high-end hardware in a compact console-like package. MSI’s newly introduced Trident A is over two times bigger than previous entries, but with it comes its first full-sized GPU and an SFX PSU. The previous Trident 3 …

For the past 10 years, Valve’s Steam client has been vulnerable from a bug that could have resulted in remote code execution (RCE) in all 15 million clients on the platform. Luckily, security researcher Tom Court revealed the bug before any damage could be done, resulting in Valve finally patching …

Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo devices are meant to make home life a little easier, enabling users to ask questions on the fly, plan days out and, apparently, record your conversations unknowingly before sending it to members of your contact list. At least, that is what happened to one Portland-based family in …

As the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect, waves of companies are updating their policies in accordance. An interesting amendment comes from Facebook-owned chat service WhatsApp, which suggests that the two platforms can once again share data after agreeing not to with the UK's Information Commissioner's …

Despite predating Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant, Microsoft hasn’t made as much of an impact with its Cortana voice assistant since its mid-2014 debut. Doubling down on its investments, the company has now absorbed conversational A.I. technology firm Semantic in hopes of playing catch-up and, preferably, make Cortana a little …