And while I really like the colossal capacity offered by behemoths, such as the new Zendure SuperBase V, sometimes I want something I can grab quickly to take with me on a job or in an emergency. The EcoFlow River 2 fits the bill exactly. Also: The 5 best portable power banks EcoFlow River 2 specs Capacity: 256WhNet Weight: Approximately 7.7lbsDimensions: 9.6 x 8.5 x 5.7inchesAC Input: 100-120V 50Hz/60Hz, 360W MaxSolar Input: 8A Max,11-30V 110WCar Input: 12V/24V, 8A, 100W MaxUSB-C Input/Output: 5/9/12/15/20V 3A, 60W MaxAC Output: 120V 50Hz/60Hz, 300W (Surge 600W)DC Output: 12....

One thing that is practically universal for all audiophiles is that we’re always chasing down the perfect sound. That chase is never-ending, as it will never be achieved. I cannot tell you how many hours I’ve spent adjusting cartridges on tonearms and tweaking various aspects of my system. Also: The best record players for your vinyl collection But there’s a particular area that doesn’t require nearly as much thought… keeping your stylus clean....

DIYers, photographers, and design pros share a common problem that can sometimes seem insurmountable: Finding an exact match for an existing color. Sure, you might remember what the flowers on the side of the road look like, but determining their precise hue is more challenging than you think. You don’t have to drive yourself crazy with trial and error if you have a portable color sensor like the Nix Mini V2....

When we first started conceptualizing this project, I intentionally recruited some students and graduates without much background and experience so that we would generate some fresh ideas. We created a simple tool that enables users to design workflows without writing a single line of code, using logic rather than technology. We managed to automate all Level 1 network operation’s day-to-day activities, including intercepting alerts, troubleshooting, resolution, and escalation to level 2 where needed....

The company is clearly aiming the Quest Pro, especially in its early days, squarely at business and enterprise users. Meta’s ambitions revolve around “collaboration and productivity,” with the Quest Pro’s new full-color AR capabilities powering a massive shift toward virtual workspaces, conference rooms, and collaborative design projects. To expand this effort, the company is bringing in Microsoft, Accenture, and others to create instant integration with well-known productivity solutions like Microsoft Teams....

With that in mind, I invited Michael Kagan, Chief Technology Officer of Nvidia, as my guest on episode 750 of the CXOTalk series of conversations on leadership, technology, and managing change. As Nvidia’s CTO, Michael coordinates technology architecture across the company, including the Omniverse, their collaboration platform for creating virtual worlds. To me, the most fascinating parts of the discussion centered on two areas: his explanation of the metaverse (or Omniverse, to use the Nvidia term) and his view of data centers as the core unit of modern computing....

Microsoft, IBM, Google, AWS, Cisco and others in the cybersecurity industry have been banging the ‘zero trust’ drum for the past few years. The case for zero trust was made clearer after this year’s software supply chain attacks on US tech firms, which came amid a mass shift to remote work that demonstrated the need to protect information inside and beyond a trusted environment in a world that spans BYOD, home networks, VPNs, cloud services and more....

Simultaneously, Microsoft has been rebranding a number of products from Windows-something to Microsoft-something (example: Windows Store is now Microsoft Store). Microsoft Defender is not the rebrand of Windows Security – which, to add further to the confusion, was formerly known as Windows Defender. For now, the Defender antivirus product is part of the Windows Security app that is built into Windows 10 and 11.

The Redmond giant’s latest round of patches, usually released on the second Tuesday of each month in what is known as Patch Tuesday, includes fixes for a total of four zero-day flaws, three of which are public. Products impacted by October’s security update include Microsoft Office, Exchange Server, MSHTML, Visual Studio, and the Edge browser. The zero-day bugs are tracked as CVE-2021-40449, CVE-2021-41338, CVE-2021-40469, and CVE-2021-41335. CVE-2021-40449 is being actively exploited....

Microsoft officials are saying for users on Windows 10, Meet Now using Skype will continue to be available (for as long as Windows 10 is supported – meaning at least until 2025, I would assume, though Microsoft didn’t provide an actual date). And officials are emphasizing that just because those Teams and Skype chat buttons are on the taskbar does not mean users still can’t opt for a different, non-Microsoft chat/video offering like Zoom....

Microsoft has been focusing on visual updates recently as it gears up core apps like Teams for hybrid work and revamps other desktop apps to align with the new look for Windows 11. Whiteboard is one of the apps that’s also getting treated to a user interface (UI) refresh. There are new features lined up for desktop, laptop and tablets, and separate updates that are available or coming soon to Android and iOS smartphones....

Microsoft announced the encryption feature was in the works in March at Ignite Spring 2021. E2EE means that neither Microsoft, nor anyone else can access the decrypted contents of a one-to-one call. Facebook in August rolled out E2EE for audio and video calls on its Messenger app. Enabling E2EE for Teams calls requires work from both end users and IT admins, whom need to enable it for their users. SEE: When the return to the office happens, don’t leave remote workers out in the cold E2EE works by encrypting information from one point to an intended destination and prevents anyone else from decrypting the transmission....

I have to admit I’m surprised but not mad Microsoft didn’t make at least the free version of Microsoft Teams a preload on Windows 11, given Microsoft’s positioning of Windows 11 as the best platform for hybrid home/work computing. Windows 11 will go to Insider testers next week and will start rolling out to mainstream users this fall and into early 2022. Windows 11 will be preloaded on select new PCs this holiday season....

Researchers with MITRE used the Triton malware to test the detection ability of five different cybersecurity products from ICS vendors. The results of the exam can be found here. Industrial control systems are used by many of the world’s most critical infrastructures, including energy transmission and distribution plants, oil refineries, wastewater treatment facilities and more. MITRE Evaluations created a “curated knowledge base of adversary tactics, techniques and procedures based on known threats to industrial control systems” and used it to test products from Armis, Claroty, Microsoft, Dragos and the Institute for Information Industry....

The report sent MongoDB shares up 16% in late trading. CEO and president Dev Ittycheria called the results “another fantastic quarter,” one that was “highlighted by 84% Atlas revenue growth and increasing our customer count to over 31,000.” Added Ittycheria, “We believe a key driver of our success has been the early, but growing, trend of customers choosing MongoDB as an enterprise standard for their future application development. Revenue in the three months ending in October rose 50% year over year to $227 million, yielding a net loss of 11 cents a share, excluding some costs....

Google’s smart doorbell, Nest, is known for shaking up the doorbell chime status quo, introducing festive and unique chimes since 2018. For Nest owners looking for more distinctive doorbell chimes, you’re in luck. While Google has already released festive doorbell chimes for Christmas, they’re now releasing themed tunes for other cultural holidays, like Lunar New Year and Diwali. SEE: The best video doorbell: Porch thieves beware For Halloween, a spooky witch’s cackle will be available to beef up the scare factor for trick-or-treaters....

As we add more internet-facing devices to our networks — such as smart speakers, baby monitors, smart doorbells, and home alarm systems — we effectively expand the potential attack surface hackers can attack, said Steve Beaty, computer science chair at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. “Maybe they can disarm your security system,” Beaty told WTKR News 3 on Tuesday. After a hacker has broken into and gained control of one device, all other devices on that network could be up for grabs....

The 2021 Global Tech Scam Research report [PDF] showed that in the past 12 months, 68% of Australians encountered some form of tech support scam. While it was a two-point decrease from 2018, it was still higher than the global average which came in at 59%, five points lower than in 2018. Of those Australians who encountered a scam in 2021, 9% lost money as a result, a three percentage point increase on 2018, and slightly higher than the global average of 7%....

Speaking of security gaps, 2021 has been a notable year for software weaknesses, with several public exploits circulating in the wild. Regarding this, the very popular software control panel and web-hosting solutions company cPanel alerted users of multiple software vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities are related to cPanel’s EasyApache-4 product. There were 3 vulnerabilities reported, one of which was classified as high-risk. About cPanel, L.L.C cPanel, L.L.C, established in 1996, is an American corporation that offers web hosting control panels and the respective management software for these products....

NASA engineers have found the bug that was causing critical instruments on the four-decade-old spacecraft to send “garbled” health information to mission controllers on Earth. Voyager 1’s attitude articulation and control system (AACS), which keeps its antenna directed at Earth, earlier this year started to send back information that didn’t reflect what was actually happening onboard. The AACS appeared to be functioning normally, but the data it was sending back was deemed invalid because it didn’t match any possible state the system could be in....