Tech Spite

There's a new tvOS 15 in town, after Apple announced the 2021 overhaul to its Apple TV operating system at WWDC . Overhaul might be a strong word for what transpired, though. We got a glimpse at a couple of small tweaks and features coming to tvOS 15, though nothing like the radical redesign that had been hinted at by the rumor mill in the past few weeks. It was odd not to see any substantial mention of Apple TV Plus either. There's some additional support for the HomePod Mini, and new collective features that make sharing an Apple TV 4K with your family a little bit easier – but that's it. It's somehow more disappointing than last year's update, which brought in gaming-specific features like quick game resume, support for the Xbox Elite Series 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controllers , HomeKit updates, and the arrival of picture-in-picture mode for dual-feed watching. We'll run you through these changes in more detail below, but we wouldn't expect too much her...

Failing to properly maintain subdomains can leave organizations at risk as they often contain overlooked vulnerabilities according to a new report from security researchers at the Vienna University of Technology and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. While cybercriminals often try to hijack organizations' subdomains , the researcher's “ Can I take your subdomain? ” report, which will be presented at the USENIX Security Symposium in August, highlights how even large businesses with well-funded IT teams can fall victim to an attack by abandoning or ignoring unused subdomains. As reported by The Register , once a subdomain has been neglected by an organization, it can become vulnerable to cookie-based attacks. In such an attack, a cybercriminal will set up their own site hosted on a different server which they will use to replace a company's subdomain. We've built a list of the best web hosting services available These are the best business web hosting provide...

At the WWDC 2021 keynote, Apple revealed watchOS 8, its upcoming update for its Apple Watch operating system. While we likely won’t see its full release until September or October when we expect the Apple Watch 7 to launch, eager adopters can sign up for the watchOS 8 beta now. The watchOS 8 update brings a new Mindfulness app, sleep app updates to track Respiratory Rate, Fitness Plus updates, and more. They don't look like huge changes, but check watchOS 8 features below for all the new perks coming to your Apple Watch. And there's good news for older Apple Watch owners: the watchOS 8 support devices list hasn't changed from last year's watchOS 7 , meaning Apple Watch 3 and newer devices will be able to download the operating system. While we don't expect watchOS 8 to publicly launch until later in the year, Apple did release a developer beta immediately after WWDC 2021, which is available now for anyone with a developer account.  For everyone else, a watchO...

Later in the year, iPad users will be able to download iPadOS 15, the 2021 operating system update, and thanks to Apple's WWDC 2021 keynote speech we're finally getting to find out all about the upcoming update. A sister update to iOS 15 , the new iPadOS has lots of the features of that iPhone operating system, but with a few extras that make the most of the tablet form factor. It sounds like iPadOS 15 isn't a huge update for Apple tablets, simply improving iPadOS 14 features (and adding some that were curiously absent from 2020's update despite already being on iPhone), but some people might like one or two of the changes. While a developer beta went live shortly after WWDC 2021, the public beta came out a few weeks later at the end of June – any user with an iPadOS 15-compatible device can download the public beta now and install it for free. Just keep in mind that, while more stable than developer betas, public betas can be a little finicky. Meet Apple's...

As WWDC 2021 kicked off this week (June 7), it began with the official unveiling of iOS 15 which is Apple's operating system for the iPhone line. As we have already detailed the features for macOS Monterey , watchOS 8 and iPadOS 15 , here are all the useful features announced, both at the keynote and on Apple's site, of what is included in iOS 15. Want to give it a try? While the developer beta was released shortly after WWDC 2021, the iOS 15 public beta went live at the end of June, and it's available for anyone with an iOS 15-compatible device. It's worth noting that this isn't the finished software – just the first of many public beta versions that will slowly add new features.  All features will arrive in iOS 15's finished and full release, which we expect to come out alongside the iPhone 13 . While iOS 14 brought widgets and improvements to iMessage and Shortcuts, it isn’t without its issues, despite how much it improved the operating system for bo...

Want to see what’s coming in the big operating system updates heading to iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Apple TVs later in the year? The iOS 15 public beta is now live, along with those for iPadOS 15 , watchOS 8 , and tvOS 15 . While developers have been able to preview the big OS updates since just after the WWDC 2021 keynote in June, anyone who wanted in needed to be part of (and pay for) the Developer Beta Program. But the public beta for each is truly free, and takes just a little work to get running on your device. At least for every OS except for the macOS Monterey public beta – sorry, that’s not available yet. Keep in mind a few things – first, that the betas are just starting to roll out, so access might be limited in each region as they become available to users in more areas. But more importantly, while public betas are usually more stable than developer or internal betas, it’s still somewhat risky to load on your device. Thus, we recommend creating a backup of your...

Panasonic has unveiled the Toughbook G2 and the new 2-in-1 combines the power and performance of a rugged laptop with the portability and versatility of a rugged tablet . The device has been designed with usability and security in mind while still providing mobile workforces with access to important legacy systems. It's also more secure as it is a Microsoft Secured-Core PC that runs Windows 10 but will be upgradable to Windows 11 . New additions to the Toughbook G2 include eSIM and 4G connectivity for field workers and the next generation 2-in-1 also features double the RAM and storage of its predecessor. Improved screen brightness makes the Toughbook G2 easier to use in direct sunlight while three customizable buttons on the front frame of its display offer quick access to frequently used applications and settings. We've assembled a list of the best rugged laptops available These are the best rugged tablets on the market Also check out our roundup of the best rugge...

A Russian-based VPN service that was popular among cybercriminals has been seized by an international law enforcement operation led by the Dutch National Police with support from Europol and Eurojust. As reported by BleepingComputer, DoubleVPN was commonly used by cybercriminals due to the fact that it offered a double-encryption service to help them evade detection when conducting their illegal activities online.  However, what they didn't know is that the service was keeping tabs on them in the form of customer logs that were seized along with servers and data from the company. We've built a list of the  best VPN  services available These are the  best Windows 10 VPN  services for your PC Also check out our roundup of the best business VPN When using DoubleVPN, requests are encrypted and transmitted to one VPN server and then sent to additional VPN servers before finally connecting to the final destination. This allowed cybercriminals to hid both t...

For businesses across the globe, the march toward going fully digital has quickly become a race, and one largely run and supported by developers, coders, and other IT professionals.  However, many companies are long past the point where demand for these experts has out-stripped the supply of qualified candidates.  This shortage, evident across multiple industry sectors, has led to a wealth of knock-on issues, including overworked IT, tech debt, and an overall slowdown in the growth of innovation. However, with the right tools, your business can thrive under pressure — particularly if one of those tools is low-code. Low-code: what is it and how can it help my business? Low-code is hardly a new concept — for almost as long as we have been coding and developing software, there has been a demand to make the process easier and more accessible. This is especially true in the business world, where significant resources are spent trying to do just that. This is where low-code beg...

Juggling the IT demands of your business can be a daunting task, with a myriad of different wants and needs to be balanced across different departments. It's a sad truth for many businesses that outdated business processes cost time and resources that could be better spent elsewhere. From seemingly simple tasks like resetting an employee’s password to something as time-consuming, yet critically important as invoice processing, clunky, siloed systems can take employees away from the work they were hired to do. With IT experts often among the most overworked and in-demand employees, transforming tedious manual processes into automated digital workflows is likely to become just another entry on a long list of projects that take a backseat to more time-sensitive, critical tasks. However, thanks to the rise of powerful new low-code platforms , ordinary employees are taking app development into their own hands.  The rise of citizen developers Businesses looking for new ways to digi...

As businesses expand and grow their use of enterprise applications, app sprawl can become an unexpected, but serious drain on company resources.  App sprawl occurs when the rollout of multiple applications outstrips IT’s ability to keep track of its resources and tools, and can lead to money and resources being wasted on software that goes unused or underutilized — and that’s without also considering the potential security risks when “shadow IT” applications are put in place without proper oversight. As your workforce grows and the number of internal processes and services spirals with it, the risk of having too many apps and programs is all too real, and the problem of app sprawl raises its ugly head. So—how do you satisfy your employees’ demand for new and better workflow applications while maintaining control of your IT assets? The answer begins with a well-constructed citizen developer program .  Creative and compliant In recent years, the demand for coders, developer...

Secure storage device vendor Apricorn has unleashed a mammoth 20 TB Solid State Drive ( SSD ), which it bills as the industry’s largest portable drive . Like all Apricorn products, the Fortress L3 SSD series of drives feature hardware-based 256-Bit AES XTS encryption and ship in rugged enclosures. The new 20 TB standard-compliant drive is designed to help businesses ferry large amounts of sensitive data securely. We've built a list of the best portable SSDs around Here's our list of the best external hard drives around Take a look at our collection of the best large SSDs and HDDs “The 20TB Aegis Fortress L3’s mass storage capabilities enable fast response, restoration, and recovery in the event of a disaster, reducing downtime and minimizing financial and reputational damage," said Jon Fielding, Managing Director EMEA at Apricorn. "This is critical for businesses looking to build resilience at a time when ransomware attacks, in particular, are becoming a...

The best audio PCs boast more than sheer power to run Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software. As essential tools for music producers and musicians, these computers can be rather demanding when it comes to specs. So it’s true that every audio PCs has to have enough power to run DAW software like Image-Line FL Studio, PreSonus Studio One and Cubase without a hitch - no matter how many tracks you're working on. Still, the best audio PCs and laptops need to have more than just cutting edge components. They should also be able to allow you to plug in multiple musical instruments, have a large enough hard drive to store your projects and uncompressed audio files, and have top-notch onboard audio quality – not to mention the ability to plug into external speakers and monitors. If you're looking for the best audio PCs, then you've come to the right place. We've listed the top machines that are ideal for music production, taking everything above into consideration. It’s q...