Powerful quantum computers capable of solving tricky computing problems (and maybe undermining today’s encryption algorithms) are still years away, but progress is being made by Google, IBM, Honeywell Quantum and Cambridge Quantum, and many other efforts. Microsoft and KPMG are teaming up to solve quantum optimization through software by using the emulation of quantum computing on today’s hardware in the Azure cloud. KPMG calls it Quantum-Inspired Optimization or QIO. SEE: What is quantum computing?...

Loop the app looks and works a lot like the Notion project-management/collaboration tool in that it provides a canvas with portable components that can stay in sync across apps while users create as a team. But unlike the Notion app, Loop can be used both as a standalone app/canvas, as well as inside other apps in the form of embeddable components; a Microsoft spokesperson told me when I asked about the similarities....

These 15 IT certifications have the best ROI Today, September 16, Microsoft is undoing that drastic “no way but the cloud way” path by introducing a new certification that revolves around Windows Server. Officials said they’re soliciting candidates to take the two new beta exams that will make them “Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associates” once these exams are generally available. Officials made the new certification plans public during today’s Windows Server Summit; a virtual event focused on the recently introduced Windows Server 2022 product....

Update: Surprisingly (to me), this new Excel Live capability is not built on the Fluid service at all, a spokesperson said. Even though Fluid Framework/Fluid Relay is all about super-fast/near real-time coauthoring, Microsoft is enabling the new collaboration in Excel Live in some other unspecified way. Update No. 2: Actually, as I had guessed, Excel Live IS built on the Fluid Framework technology. Glad I double-checked what others were telling other publications....

See also: Microsoft again holds off reopening Redmond campus Teams Rooms are going to be getting a new category of AI-enabled cameras that will be able to handle speaker tracking, multiple video streams and people recognition. The AI-powered speaker tracking will enable in-room cameras to use audio, facial movements and gestures to figure out who in a room is speaking and then zooming in on that person. Multiple video streams will allow in-room participants to each be placed in her/his own video pane....

I was recently faced with that decision over my help desk software. I had about five years of customer cases tied up inside a product called Awesome Support. This WordPress plugin provides help desk capability right inside the WordPress dashboard. Awesome Support was originally awesome and was still awesome when it worked, but it was starting to fail. Getting support for problems with Awesome Support was anything but awesome. It was nonexistent....

The institution said the group of engineers have built the world’s longest flexible fiber battery, measuring 140 meters in length. The aim of the project is to show that the material can be made to any length desired and used in 3D-printing projects, for example, as a powered casing for electronic devices. SEE: Innovation is hard. Here are five ways to make it easier The group’s work focuses on “fibers as fundamental building blocks of fabrics and 3D-printed objects”, which could allow for the creation of “pervasive multidimensional power systems”....

In a blog post, AWS Oceania technology and transformation director Simon Elisha explained that AWS, together with PwC Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), undertook “extensive DDoS tests” prior to Census 2021 to ensure all data would be secured, in addition to building a web getaway so that each Census form was validated before it was passed along to the ABS processing environment. “This included an independent security and compliance assessment against the Australian Government’s Information Security Manual, through an Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessment,” he said....

As Instagram reaches two billion monthly active users and users look towards the AR metaverse as a way to own digital land and generate revenue, or shape the future of the metaverse, how do Americans feel about connecting online compared to the real world? Facebook which now wishes to be known as Meta, is making a big bet on its metaverse, despite recently leaked documents showing that the company has long known its platform hurts sleep, work, relationships, and/or parenting for about 360 million people worldwide....

Pricing The GM30 Clutch retails for $54.99 (£40, AU$78, CA$69), which puts it in the same tier as the Corsair Ironclaw ($49.99), SteelSeries Rival 5 ($59.99), and the Razer Basilisk Essential ($49.99). It’s fairly affordable for a mid-tier gaming mouse with as many perks as it has, though there are a few drawbacks which make the price tag feel a touch too high. Quality and performance The body of the mouse has a symmetrical design that fits the palm very well and reduces hand, wrist, and forearm strain by keeping everything in a more neutral position....

It was also at that time when I got to check out the new Magic Keyboard Folio, a $249 type cover that was Apple’s way of introducing a function row key to the iPad experience. As good as the accessory was, to this day, the price is still difficult to swallow. Sometime later, Logitech pitched me its Combo Touch keyboard cover and Crayon stylus for the 10th-gen iPad, touting superior functionality over Apple’s own keyboard and Pencil – at much more affordable prices....

The processor architecture will allow computing power to be scalable based on mission needs, which will significantly improve overall computing efficiency for exploration missions. The design will also make the processor more reliable, enabling spacecraft computers to perform calculations up to 100 times faster than today’s state-of-the-art space computers, according to NASA. SEE: NASA is blazing an inspirational trail. We need to make sure everyone can follow it “Our current spaceflight computers were developed almost 30 years ago,” said Wesley Powell, NASA’s principal technologist for advanced avionics....

The report sent Netflix shares up 2% in late trading. The company said that “After a lighter-than-normal content slate in Q1 and Q2 due to COVID-related production delays in 2020, we are seeing the positive effects of a stronger slate in the second half of the year.” Netflix cited the success of titles La Casa de Papel and Sex Education for propelling results: Netflix also touted the success of its big hit Korean-language series, Squid Game, which it said has been its most successful show ever: Revenue in the three months ended in September rose 16%, year over year, to $7....

The Netgear Armor security product, which is built into most routers like Orbi and Nighthawk, will now come with new threat detection features designed specifically for smart appliances. The new features include sensitive data protection – which blocks attempts to send login information, banking data, social security numbers and moreover encrypted networks – as well as an anomaly detection tool that uses machine learning algorithms to monitor how your connected devices usually operate....

CrowdStrike secured a sample of a new ransomware variant, as of yet unnamed, that borrows features from HelloKitty/DeathRansom and FiveHands. These ransomware strains are thought to have been active since 2019 and have been linked to attacks against the maker of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red (CDPR), as well as enterprise organizations. The sample discovered reveals similar functions to HelloKitty and FiveHands, with components written in C++, as well as the way the malware encrypts files and accepts command-line arguments....

AKHAN is taking on the competitive electronics display market. Corning, which makes Gorilla Glass, is the leader in the space. AKHAN thinks its underlying technologies and intellectual property will make it a dominant player. It plans to leverage its designs, processes, materials, and equipment to empower business leaders and engineers to develop and commercialize a new generation of products that are stronger, lighter, more powerful, and more heat tolerant. “Everyone is in search of the sleekest cell phone that doesn’t need to be protected by a bulky case, but that’s only the beginning when it comes to AKHAN and our diamond technology,” said founder Adam Khan....

Must read: iPhone, iPad, and Mac buyer’s guide: July 2019 edition Before we go any further, it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t a power bank that you can throw into a pocket or handbag. The thing is massive. It’s a solid brick of plastic that’s 12-inches long by 7.3-inches wide and 2.7-inches thick, and it weighs in at 7.5-pounds. It’s reassuringly large and robust, but far bigger than your regular power bank....

We tested a Modern Leather case, two new Sport cases, and the screen protector. Nomad also offers a Modern Leather Folio case and a Leather Skin that consists of a piece of Horween leather that secures to the back of your iPhone. Modern Leather Case The Horween leather cases from Nomad have always been my default favorite case and this year it is known as the Modern Leather case, available for $59....

Based on what we’ve seen, we would describe the Omniverse as Nvidia’s take on Metaverse. You will be able to read more about the Omniverse in Stephanie Condon and Larry Dignan’s coverage here on ZDNet. What we can say is that indeed, for something like this to work, a confluence of technologies is needed. So let’s go through some of the updates in Nvidia’s technology stack, focusing on components such as large language models (LLMs) and inference....

The fastest class of SSD available to most consumers right now is Gen4 NVME drives, and both of these options sit right at the top of the fastest drives in even that elite club. Western Digital’s WD_Black series is the company’s line of gaming drives. Their incredible read/write speeds (7000/5300MB/s) make it possible to copy massive files in seconds and to load even the most complex in-game maps equally fast....