Posts

Showing posts from August, 2021

Ghacks Deals: The 2021 Complete CompTIA Certification Prep Super Bundle

Image
The 2021 Complete CompTIA Certification Prep Super Bundle is a huge certification bundle that includes 16 courses in total. These courses prep you for CompTIA certification exams. The entire bundle is available for just $69 at the time of writing. You get lifetime access to the content, and updates are included. Here is the list of included courses: CompTIA IT Fundamentals+ (FC0-U61) — Get to Grips with Hardware Basics, Troubleshooting, Software Installation, Security & Networking CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501) — The Benchmark for Best IT Security Practices: This Course Covers Core Cybersecurity Knowledge & Skills in Pursuing an IT Security Career CompTIA A+ (220-1001/220-1002) — Set Yourself Up for IT Success with a Comprehensive Look at the Essentials for Networking, Hardware, Security & More CompTIA CASP+ (CAS-003) — Get Advanced Competency in Risk Management, Enterprise Security Operations & Architecture, Research & Collaboration, and Enterprise Security In

Your Android phone may be getting ‘smart’ RAM

Image
Machine learning is already being used in most smartphones. It is this feature that helps out system performance , translations, voice commands, camera quality, and more. However, Samsung is aiming to take it a step further. The Android phone creator just announced that they will be bringing smart technology to their RAM modules for smartphones. During the announcement, Samsung revealed that their processing-in-memory (PIM) tech was coming to RAM. This is on top of the technology landing in DRAM modules and the already improved high-bandwidth memory. In the press release, Samsung mentioned that their LPDDR5-PIM technology will be able to provide independent AI capabilities without relying on data center connectivity. They also reported that during simulation testing the LPDDR5-PIM more than doubled the performance, while reducing energy usage by over 60% when used in voice recognition, translation, and chatbot apps. At first glance, this sounds great as it will be improving machin

Mozilla plans to enable WebRender in Firefox 92

Image
Mozilla plans to enable WebRender in Firefox 92 for all supported operating systems and device types. WebRender is already enabled on Mac OS X (since Firefox 84) and on most Linux distributions (since Firefox 91). Starting with the release of Firefox 92, WebRender will also be enabled in Firefox for Windows and for Android. The main idea behind WebRender is to improve the rendering of web pages by making the experience faster and smoother. Developed in Rust, WebRender has been in development and testing for a long time. I wrote a guide in 2020 that explained how to find out if Firefox uses WebRender to render webpages. You can check it out to see if your copy of Firefox has the feature enabled already; here is just the short summary in case you are in a hurry: Load about:support in the Firefox address bar. Scroll down to the Graphics section. Check if the Compositing value is set to WebRender. Tip : you may also press Ctrl-F while on the page to search for WebRender. WebRen

Netflix’s gaming platform is released for testing on Android Mobile

Image
A mere month after Netflix announced that they would be introducing games to the mobile platform, we are already starting to see this. The streaming platform just announced that Polish subscribers can now test out Netflix’s mobile gaming on Android. This would appear to be the first test run before rolling out the feature globally. At the moment, we are not sure if the games will be tied in with the shows and Netflix originals that are on the streaming platform or if they are just fun games. After all, the two existing games currently on the platform are Stranger Things 3 and Stranger Things: 1984. These games were already released on Android, but since then have vanished from the Play Store. Now, they will be available to Polish Netflix subscribers to play on mobile Android devices. The costs of these games are also included in the subscription fee, so there will be no additional fees to enjoy the new gaming platform feature. Although this initial release is still minimal, Netf

Windows 11: installation on non-compatible systems possible

Image
Microsoft updated the minimum system requirements of the company’s upcoming Windows 11 operating system yesterday. Windows customers and administrators who had hoped for less strict requirements, did not get what they wished for. While Microsoft did add a handful of seventh generation Intel processors to the list of compatible processors, it did not change other requirements or unlock all 7th generation processors. For AMD hardware, nothing has been added in this adjustment of system requirements. The change is as minor as it gets, and most customers whose systems were not compatible previously are left hanging. The requirements prevent Windows 10 systems that don’t meet the minimum system requirements from being upgraded to Windows 11 using Windows Update. The new operating system won’t be offered via Windows Update. What Microsoft did not reveal in the updated announcement is that there is an official way to install Windows 11 even if the device is not compatible. Microsoft is qu

Microsoft changed the Windows 11 System Requirements and released an updated PC Health Check tool

Image
Microsoft published an update on the Windows 11 minimum system requirements yesterday on the Windows Insider blog. When the company unveiled Windows 11 and its minimum system requirements, it became clear quickly that many systems that were running the company’s Windows 10 operating system would be blocked from upgrading to Windows 11 because of hardware requirements. Microsoft released the PC Health Check tool at the time, which allowed Windows administrators to check whether a device is compatible with Windows 11. The two requirements that would prevent many systems from being upgraded to Windows 11 were the processor and secure boot/TPM. Microsoft pulled the tool shortly after its original release and announced that it would work on it and consider modifying system requirements of the new operating system. Yesterday’s post highlights the changes that Microsoft has decided upon. A new version of the PC Health Tool has been released to reflect these. A small set of 7th genera

Snapchat is releasing new AR features

Image
Snapchat is still a top-rated messaging app and hit one billion downloads even before Google Messages. Snap Inc has even further developed its offerings by experimenting with AR glasses and original programming. These features have pushed Snapchat way beyond its original concept. Now with a fully reworked Scan, they aim to bring AR search results to their users. Snapchat’s Scan feature is getting a massive overhaul . This feature is now accessible directly below the main record button within the Snapchat app. This move is already making the feature more useful as users no longer have to look for it. The app is also closer than ever to taking on Google Lens and can show results of anything in your viewfinder, including nutritional information , plant species, dog breeds, and even clothing items. This feature will also sync directly with Snapchat’s Lenses and pull suggested AR filters, music, and effects from the environment. This can be accessed through the Camera Shortcuts feature.

Google Chrome 94 Beta is available for download

Image
With Google releasing new versions of Chrome one after the other, there has been a surprising release. Google Chrome 94 beta has just been released, complete with beautiful Material You tweaks. Google announced in March that there would be new Chrome releases every four weeks instead of the usual six weeks. Google Chrome 94 beta is the first release to live on that four-week live cycle . Despite this fast release cycle , there will also be significant changes coming to the Android browser. For one, the browser will feel right at home on Android by simply flipping a few flags in Google Chrome 94 beta. This is thanks to the new wallpaper-based theming engine referred to as Monet. Upon activating the flags, your new tab page, the address bar, and tab switcher will show an accent color, just like many other aspects of Android 12 beta is already showing. We already received a few glimpses of Material You in Chrome 93, but Chrome 94 beta takes the theming feature to a whole new level.

How to use youtube-dl to download multiple YouTube, playlist or channel videos

Image
You have a lot of options when it comes to downloading YouTube videos or videos from other video sites. One of the most advanced programs for that kind of task is youtube-dl. Since it is a command line program, it may not be the first choice for users who don’t feel comfortable running commands on the command line. While that is understandable, especially for single videos that you may want to download, you may miss out on one of the best tools that is available today. One of youtube-dl’s strengths is the ability to download multiple videos from all supported sites. This guide provides you with actionable information to get started downloading multiple videos with a single command. You may download videos using a list of video URLS, videos from a channel or videos from playlists using the method. Before you can start using youtube-dl, you need to download the tool to your device. Instructions in this guide focus on the Windows version, but youtube-dl is also available for other oper

Android 12.4.1 released to fix some bugs

Image
The Android 12 beta 4 was released a few weeks ago . Along with this latest full iteration of the beta program, we received a few new features and bug fixes. Google has now released a minor update to fix a few bugs that were present in beta 4. So far, there are no apparent changes to the Android 12.4 OS. This means the latest release is probably just to fix a few of the bugs. This release is also a very small release at only 6MB, possibly indicating a last bug squashing before the final stable release, which should be coming in mid to late September. Beta 4.1 fixes a boot loop issue that irritated users, along with a fix that now allows your Android 12 device to connect to a VPN. Other issues addressed with this bug fix include fixing the heads-up functionality, which means that notifications now pop up immediately. Here is the full list of bug fixes that have been release: As mentioned they fixed issues where some devices ended up in a boot loop after restarting. Also, they

Mini previews feature being tested in Google Photos in place of Top Shot

Image
Top Shot is one of the best features on Google Photos for Android devices. This feature used to be represented by a simple text option , but it appears Google is testing new ways of representing this feature with mini previews. The Top Shot option is beneficial because it lets you choose a better photo from a range of similar ones you’ve taken. It has been around since Pixel 3 was launched and has remained a steady and useful feature of Google Photos since then. There is also the suggestion chip that pops up to remind you to make use of the feature. This text chip could soon be replaced by a row of mini previews instead, as a few users recently started seeing this feature. This is not available on all Android devices yet, pointing to Google still testing the feature and seeing how it performs before deciding to roll it out to all users. Currently, as is the case with most users, you need to tap on the text reminder chip. Then you are taken to the Top Shot UI, which shows other phot

Ghacks Deals: Heimdal Premium Security Home Plan

Image
Heimdal Premium Security Home Plan combines two of Heimdal’s cybersecurity products into a single package: Heimdal Threat Prevention Home and Heimdal Next-gen Antivirus Home. Heimdal’s solution promises better protection compared to traditional antivirus solutions for Windows. Besides the usual assortment of defenses, malware detection, phishing protection, real-time cloud-scanning or heuristic monitoring, it protects against advanced ransomware attacks, traffic-based malware, data leaks and a lot more. Here is the feature list: Threat prevention of the most advanced ransomware viruses, spyware, & APTs Traffic-based malware detection & blocking before it reaches your PC Multi-layered, AI-powered protection Secures your web-browsing Secures your online banking & payments Phishing protection Stops cybercriminals from extracting personal data Blocks data leakage Automatically updates your apps to close security holes in your PC Installs your favorite software sec

Firefox 91.0.2 will be released later today

Image
Mozilla plans to release a minor Firefox update later today. Firefox 91.0.2 is a non-security update that fixes two issues in the web browser, one of which affecting Firefox on Mac OS. The new version of Firefox is not available at the time of writing. Later today, on August 24, 2021, Mozilla will make it available to all users. Select Menu > Help > About Firefox to check the currently installed version of the web browser. Firefox 91.0.2 will be distributed via the browser’s automatic updating system and users may download it from the official Mozilla website . Firefox 91.0.2 Firefox 91.0.2 is the second minor update of Firefox 91 , which Mozilla released on August 10, 2021. Firefox 91 is the new base for Firefox’s Extended Support Release channel. The new version introduced features such as simplified printing and HTTPS-First connections in private browsing mode. Firefox 91.0.1 was released a week later on August 17, 2021. It fixed security issues in Firefox and addressed

Chrome’s Media Control widget gets finally a Mute button

Image
Google Chrome’s global media controls feature will get a mute button soon. Google started to roll out the global media controls feature in Chrome 79 , released in December 2019. Designed as a way to control media playback from Chrome’s toolbar, it improved a user’s ability to control playback. Previously, Google Chrome users had to switch to the tab that was playing media to stop it right on the page. With the new controls widget in place, users can use it top pause and stop media, skip forward or backward, or jump to the previous or next video or track. Global media controls lacked supported for a mute button or volume slider; this meant that Chrome users needed to activate the tab with the media in the browser to modify the volume or mute/unmute it, even with the media control widget in place. The latest Google Chrome Canary version introduces support for a mute button to mute/unmute media that plays in Chrome without having to switch to tabs anymore to change the state using the