John Lister

Dell has unveiled some creative ideas for new computers and gadgets to meet changing use demands. However, it's only calling them "Concepts." At the moment and there's no guarantee any of them will become available to buy. Perhaps the most credible ... is Concept Luna, a laptop that's easier to repair and thus more sustainable. The goal is to make it easier to replace specific components rather than having to buy a new device altogether. Historically that's been difficult with laptops as the components need to be packed much tighter together than in a desktop case, making it more fiddly to make ... (view more)

US President Joe Biden has ordered the federal government to modernize its online services. It aims to remove a "time tax" on citizens navigating inefficient services. It comes in an executive order, which doesn't require legislation passed by ... Congress. The order says the US government is responsible for "designing and delivering services with a focus on the actual experience of the people whom it is meant to serve." (Source: whitehouse.gov ) The main requirement of the order is to overcome the current problem of limited interoperability between different government sites, which often require ... (view more)

Microsoft appears to be offering discounts on legitimate software to people running pirated copies. The Office deal isn't quite a like-for-like offer however. The offer, spotted by the Ghacks site, appears to be limited to users in specific ... countries. It's not clear if there's a pattern such as targeting countries with high rates of piracy, or those where people are likely to have enough money to buy legitimate software. (Source: ghacks.net ) A message shown to some users of unlicensed copies of Office 2019 in the ribbon bar reads "Get up to 50% off. For a limited time, save up to 50% on a ... (view more)

Mozilla has announced a rethink of a key technology used to make web users safer. The latest update to its Firefox browser improves the "sandboxing" approach. One of the biggest security concerns with web browsers is the way a single application ... (the browser) can handle data from multiple sites open in different tabs. It creates the risk that a compromised site could access data from another site; for example, one tab might display or transmit emails, login details or financial information. The way browsers tackle this risk is called sandboxing. That means telling operating systems such as ... (view more)

Google has cracked down on a key method that scammers used to distribute Android malware through the Play app store. But like a game of whack-a-mole, the scammers are adjusting their tactics for greater success. The Google change is to the way it ... handles accessibility tools on Android devices. These include screen-readers, voice input systems and other modifications for users to interact with the device. Such tools often need access to key components such as the camera, microphone or speakers, access that can be abused by malware. Google relaxes the security and permissions system on such ... (view more)

Microsoft has taken control of websites - or rather their domain names - believed to be uses by Chinese hackers. It's the latest example of a tactic that overcomes the usual problems of dealing with an international online threat. According to ... Microsoft, the "Nickel" group is based in China and is a "nation-state actor": in other words, it at the very least has the backing of the Chinese government. It uses a variety of tactics to try to spy on victims and intercept their data. Targets include government agencies and human rights groups. Microsoft somewhat understatedly says there's "often a ... (view more)

Microsoft looks set to reverse a controversial change to Windows 11 settings. The move will make it easier to change the default browser away from Microsoft Edge. Before Windows 10, browsers could easily set themselves as the default, meaning they ... would automatically open any web pages or links. While that was meant to work only where the user had given permission, Microsoft concluded there was too much risk of rogue software setting itself to open web links, in turn letting it display bogus pages designed to install malware or trick users into providing login details. With Windows 10, ... (view more)

Microsoft appears to have cut the period during which users who upgrade to Windows 11 can change their minds and roll back to Windows 10. They'll now have just 10 days to roll back without much hassle. Upgrading to Windows 11 seems to have proven a ... relatively straightforward process for most users, or at least those with the option to do so. Microsoft is rolling out upgrade availability starting with those machines it assesses as least likely to experience problems, though some will never officially be able to run a fully supported Windows 11. Whether to cover cases where Windows 11 doesn't ... (view more)

The latest version of Android adds several new privacy features. However, users may need to make some manual tweaks to take full advantage. The changes come in Android 12 which is rolling out to newer phones at the moment. Older models will either ... get it later on or will never be able to get it, depending on the manufacturer. The biggest change is more information about the permissions system. That's the set-up by which users don't have to give an app complete access to the hardware and software on their system. Instead they can individually grant or restrict individual permissions, each of ... (view more)

Predictive text may not make typing messages on phones quicker or easier according to a new study. In many cases, the study says, it will slow things down. The research comes from Pe Ola Kristennson, a professor of interactive systems engineering at ... the University of Cambridge, and colleague Thomas Mullners. (Source: acm.org ) They previously ran a study in 2019 asking 37,000 volunteers to copy sentences on a mobile phone. Those who used predictive text averaged 33 words a minutes, slightly slower than the 35 words a minute of those who didn't use any technologies. (Source: theconversation. ... (view more)