Tech Spite

Microsoft has lifted the lid on a number of updates designed to improve the printing experience across Windows 11 and its office software applications. As explained in a series of new entries to its product roadmap, Microsoft is taking steps to address various issues surrounding incompatibility, waste and security. For example, employees running Windows 11 via virtual desktop will soon gain access to Universal Print, which should reduce complexity associated with sending jobs to office printers. Print-phobia Separately, the company is working on a new system whereby printers will only release documents once a QR code has been scanned inside the Microsoft Office mobile app. Although this will involve a level of added friction, Microsoft says the approach will minimize waste and eliminate the opportunity for snooping on other people’s prints. Anyone who has stepped foot near an office printer will know that the experience is far less straightforward than it should be; the inte...

An update to a retail listing for the official Hogwarts Legacy art book might have just offered us a hint at when the game could release. As spotted by Hogwarts Legacy fans on Reddit (via VGC ), the Amazon UK listing for The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy: Exploring the Unwritten Wizarding World has been updated with a release date of December 6.  Customers who have pre-ordered the book have also, VGC reports, received emails to state that the release date has been revised to December 6.  amazon_uk_has_the_hogwarts_legacy_art_book_slated from r/HarryPotterGame In light of this updated release date for the official art book, fans are speculating that it could mean that the game will launch, if not exactly on December 6, then perhaps around the same time in early December. At the moment, Hogwarts Legacy only has an official release window of ‘Holiday 2022’. Although the art book for the game won’t necessarily release on the same day as the game, one Reddit user in t...

Let me ask you a question: what does the name “ Wi-Fi ” mean? Considering how omnipresent Wi-Fi connections are, this should be an easy question to answer; especially if you work in the tech industry. If your answer is “wireless fidelity”, that is actually incorrect despite what you were lead to believe, so keep guessing. Could it be “wireless fiber”? “Wishful firedrake”?  Give up? It’s actually a trick question: the name doesn’t mean anything.  An old 2005 interview with one of the founding members of the Wi-Fi Alliance has been making the rounds again and recounts the origin story of Wi-Fi. According to founding member Phil Belanger, the name was picked from a group of ten names that were created by consultancy firm Interbrand. The original name for Wi-Fi was “IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence” and the Alliance knew that name couldn’t be used. They needed something catchier if the standard was going to be widely adopted, so "Wi-Fi" was picked. Mistakes were made If you s...

Data breaches are costlier and more impactful than ever before, a wide-ranging study by IBM has found. Surveying 550 organizations from all over the world, the company claims that the global average cost of a data breach has now hit $4.35 million - an all-time high, and  up 13% compared to the same period two years ago. However, it’s not just the affected businesses that feel the sting of a data breach - everyone else does, too, albeit passively. IBM says that there is a chance that the rising costs of goods and services could be tied back to these incidents, as well. The company bases these conclusions on the fact that almost two-thirds (60%) of the respondents claimed to have raised the prices of their products or services, due to a data breach.  Paying ransomware doesn't pay What’s more, if a company suffers one data breach, it’s bound to suffer another. More than four in five (83%) have experienced more than just one breach in their lifetime, the report found. Then, t...

The company’s second fully electric car was designed from the ground up to be purely battery-powered, but its sub-300-mile range comes up short. from Wired https://ift.tt/5ZV8kzr

Google Workspace has unveiled a much-needed upgrade to some of its most popular software tools aimed at making them easier to use and experience on larger-screen mobile devices. The updates will cover Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Keep on Android, and look to address several key pain points seen by users with larger-screen Android smartphones or business tablets . With more of us now working flexibly and across multiple devices, Google hopes that the updates will bring improved usability and less frustration for workers everywhere. Google Workspace on tablets The new features include the ability to drag and drop files from one Google Workspace app to another to improve the links between different services. For example, users can now drag a table from a Google Sheets form directly into a Google Docs document on the same display, ending fiddly copy-and-paste functions, or drag a Google Drive file into a new Keep note. (Image credit: Google Workspace) Mobile and...

James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar is being remastered in high frame rate (HFR), along with his 1997 film, Titanic. That announcement comes from Pixelworks, the developers of the TrueCut Motion technology being used to transform the director’s signature blockbusters for a return to theaters. “We’re bringing Avatar and Titanic back to the big screen, looking better in every way,” said James Cameron in a Pixelworks press release. “We will be presenting both films in 4K with high dynamic range visuals and have been working with Pixelworks’ TrueCut Motion platform to remaster the films in high frame rate, while keeping the cinematic look of the original.” What is HFR? To explain HFR, we first need to discuss frame rates, and how they differ between film and video formats. Motion pictures shot using both film and digital cinema cameras are captured at a 24 frames per second (fps) rate, while TV shows like news, sports, and sitcoms are shot on video at either 50 or 60 fps depending...