Intel’s SSD 545s has size and speed at an affordable price

It’s not too hard to find inexpensive solid-state drives that offer either a lot of storage or brisk performance, but finding both? That’s hard. Intel, however, thinks it has a chance. It’s launching a budget 2.5-inch drive, the SSD 545s, that theoretically offers both high capacity and speed without straining your wallet. The key is the nature of the storage itself. This is the first shipping drive to use extra-dense 64-layer 3D flash storage, which lets Intel offer an abundance of space using relatively few chips (and thus a lower price) while maintaining performance. The 512GB debut model, for example, costs $180 brand new — it’s not the cheapest out of the gate, but street prices could make it very tempting.

Its transfer rates aren’t anything to write home about on the surface: 550MB/s sequential reads and 500MB/s sequential writes are good, but they’re not too far off of last year’s 540s. Sustainable performance is another story, however. AnandTech notes that the 540s and some rival budget drives tend to bog down when they’re pushed to their limits, but the 545s keeps chugging along at nearly the same speed as it would muster under ideal conditions. You probably won’t regret saving a few bucks on a lower-cost drive, then.

There will be more capacities available in the weeks ahead, ranging from a modest 128GB to a hefty 2TB. The biggest problem: the competition isn’t standing still. Samsung, Toshiba and Western Digital have all signaled that their own 64-layer 3D drives are on the way. Intel may have an edge right now, but it might not last long. Not that we can complain too loudly. The fierce rivalry could easily lead to price wars and push down the cost of SSDs — it’d take us one step closer to ditching old-fashioned spinning hard disks.

Source: Newegg, Intel

You won’t need cable to watch the Premier League next season

Good news for football fans in the US who love the English Premier League: NBC Sports has announced a standalone streaming package that will include 130 games, both live and on-demand, from the upcoming 2017-2018 campaign. The Premier League Pass, which is set to cost $50 per season starting in August, is definitely going to appeal to cord-cutters all over the country — especially since they’ll be able to watch on their desktop, smartphone, tablet and TV with a compatible set-top box. Bye bye, illegal streams.

In addition to the 130 matches, NBC Sports says subscribers will have access to highlights, weekend reviews as well as pre- and post-season rundowns. There’s more though, as the $50 service also offers original content from the network, including Behind the Badge, The Men In Blazers Show and Premier League Download.

All in all, it’s been a great day for footie fans, what with the news that the Champions League is coming to Facebook. And although you can’t get NBC’s Premier League Pass just yet, because clubs are still in full offseason mode, you can sign up here to be one of the first to know once the service is live. In the meantime, you can reminisce the fact that Arsenal didn’t even manage to get a top-four spot last season. Hashtag Wenger out.

Via: Recode

Source: NBC Sports

Scientists are developing heat-resistant cows to prepare for a hotter planet

Why it matters to you

Cows of the future will be better placed to cope with changing climates — and they’ll taste great, too!

No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you: Researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences really are trying to genetic engineer heat-resistant cows of the future — and they received a three-year, $733,000 federal grant to help them achieve their goal.

The project involves the use of genomic tools to produce a new kind of bovine that has the ability to adapt to live in hot weather, while also producing top-quality beef in the process.

“Heat stress is a principal factor limiting production of animal protein and negatively affecting health and welfare of cattle in subtropical and tropical regions, and its impact is expected to increase dramatically due to climate change,” Dr. Raluca Mateescu, an associate professor in the UF/IFAS department of animal sciences, told Digital Trends. “Development of effective strategies to improve the ability to cope with heat stress is imperative to enhance productivity of the U.S. livestock industry and secure global food supplies.”

For their research, University of Florida researchers will be studying the Brangus cow, a mix between an Angus and a Brahman that is good at thriving in warm climates. They aim to pinpoint the DNA segments from the breed, and its Angus and Brahman forefathers, that let it so effectively regulate its body temperature. This will then open up new possibilities, thanks to the wonder of gene-editing technology.

“The main goal is to discover genetic variants responsible for thermal tolerance, and use this knowledge to develop genomic tools to improve thermal tolerance in cattle populations at risk of exposure to heat stress,” Mateescu said. “In-depth knowledge of the genomic variants with major effect on thermal regulation and the maturation of technologies for gene editing means that thermotolerance genes can be rapidly introduced into thermally sensitive breeds such as Angus, Simmental, and Holstein to allow producers to exploit genetic lines of cattle selected for high productivity with minimal disruption by heat stress.”

Should all go according to plan, it should not be too long before gene-editing technologies bring a whole new crop of superior heat-resistant cows to pastures around the U.S.

Looking for a new job? What about being Siri’s culturally aware assistant?

Why it matters to you

It may seem like Siri knows everything, but that is only because she has a great team behind her. Here’s your chance to join that team.

They say every therapist should have a therapist, and in today’s technologically driven world, every personal assistant ought to have an assistant, too. That’s right — you no longer have to be a CEO in order to have someone at your beck and call, ready to answer your questions, schedule your meetings, and make your reservations. Sure, that someone may be named Siri, but she still counts. And now, Siri needs an assistant of her own — a human one. If you’re in the job market, here is a new role for you to consider — on Monday, Apple posted a new job description for a role called the Siri Event Maven.

The lucky person who lands this role will be able to “play a part in the next revolution in human-computer interaction.” After all, this individual will not, in fact, be an assistant, but rather a computer scientist (or at least, someone with the “ability to understand large-scale software and system architecture,” as well as familiarity with languages like Python, Ruby, or Bash.

But those are just the technical specs — the more interesting part, of course, comes in the actual day-to-day responsibilities. If you are someone who brings “Wookie Cookies” to your office for “May The Fourth Be With You” (May 4), or celebrate “Pi Day” (March 14) or “Talk like a Pirate Day” (September 19), then this job may be for you. Apple says that the Siri team is in need of “someone to help us keep Siri up to date on all the various events happening around the world.”

Ultimately, the Event Maven will aid in planning Siri’s understanding of events in a calendar year, working alongside Apple’s Engineering and Design teams “to provide strategic awareness of cultural happenings in the collective zeitgeist.” So if you are someone who lives and breathes pop culture but also has programming down pat, you may be at the uncommon intersection Apple is looking for.

So why the sudden need for such a role? Well, it could have something to do with Apple’s upcoming launch of its HomePod, which could result in Siri being asked even more bizarre questions than she already receives. But whatever the reason, you have got to admit — being a Siri Event Maven does not sound like a bad gig at all.

Target is testing its own Prime Pantry-like delivery service

Target is taking on Amazon’s Prime Pantry with its own version called “Restock.” The company announced a trial run of its new service today, which it tested with employees earlier this year. Like Prime Pantry, with Restock, customers can fill a box with up to 45 pounds of loot for a flat added fee. But Target is undercutting Amazon by a dollar, pricing their box at just $5. Additionally, Target is offering next-day service with their boxes, whereas Amazon’s usually arrive within four business days.

Target is able to offer its quick delivery because it’s filling Restock boxes with items in nearby stores instead from warehouses like Amazon and customers have to put in their ZIP code before they can begin shopping. Walmart also recently began utilizing its many brick-and-mortar stores as a way to compete with Amazon — using them and its employees to cut down on shipping costs.

Restock is currently being tested in the Minneapolis area and it has 10,000 items for shoppers to choose from. To use the service, you need to have a Target REDcard and a Target.com account. The company hasn’t said how long they expect to test the service or when they plan to launch it more widely.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Target

Dropbox collects privacy settings into a security checkup page

Giving apps and services direct access to your Dropbox account is easier than locally downloading files and re-uploading them. But can you name every one you’ve linked up? Today, Dropbox has reorganized the most important user security settings in one place, letting you manually check which third-party apps, devices and web browsers have access to your account or reset your password on the same page.

The all-in-one “security checkup” concept isn’t new — Facebook set up a dedicated page for mobile users to review access preferences and change passwords since late 2015 — but social media sites are different than cloud storage services, where folks might stock their sensitive files. Proactively de-linking your Dropbox from a public computer browser you used once or your ex’s device might prevent a shady someone from copying your private stuff. Or if you need to change login info if a hacker gets access to 60 million Dropbox logins, as happened back in 2012.

Source: Dropbox

Google News redesigned with a cleaner look

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited Google News, now may be the best time to take a peek. Google has given its News website’s looks a thorough cleanup, retaining key elements and giving you more control while getting rid of anything that adds clutter. In short, it doesn’t look like a search results page anymore. Gone are the blue links and the article snippets. It has adopted a card format that groups related stories together and has relevant tags you can click to delve deeper into particular topics. Even better, clicking a link opens a new tab, so you don’t have to click back to explore the other stories.

The design’s best new feature lies outside the cards, though: you can now customize the menu on the left-hand side of the page. All you need to do is click “Manage Sections” to add new a new search term and to give that new entry the appropriate title. That could make following any unusual topic you may be interested in a lot easier.

Source: Google

Apple Stops Signing iOS 10.3.1

Following the release of iOS 10.3.2 on May 15, Apple has stopped signing iOS 10.3.1, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers.

Customers who have upgraded to iOS 10.3.2 will no longer be able to downgrade their devices to iOS 10.3.1.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 10.3.2 is now the only version of iOS 10 that can be installed on iOS devices by the general public, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 10.3.3, a future update that is being beta tested and could see a release in the near future.
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New WannaCry-like ransomware attack is in the wild, affecting PCs globally

Why it matters to you

Here is yet another reminder to make sure your PCs are running a supported OS, are fully patched, and are adequately backed up.

The WannaCry ransomware attack became a worldwide problem a few weeks ago, with more than 700,000 machines infected and numerous organizations held hostage. One of the most important lessons to derive from the attack’s severity and its widespread impact was that it involved a vulnerability that was already patched in current versions of Windows.

That means that anyone running a fully updated, current version of Windows was protected against this particular attack. And now, the same vulnerability is being reported at the center of a new global ransomware attack, security specialist Graham Cluley reports.

The newest attack appears to be based on the Petya or Petrwap malware that is based on the same Eternal Blue exploit that was created by the National Security Agency (NSA) and that was involved with WannaCry. That exploit was patched by Microsoft in March on systems dating from Windows XP and later, even though older versions like XP and Windows Vista are no longer supported even for security patches.

Symantec analysts have confirmed #Petya #ransomware, like #WannaCry, is using #EternalBlue exploit to spread

— Security Response (@threatintel) June 27, 2017

That means that anyone who is infected by the newest attack is running either a very old and unpatched version of Windows or a newer version that is not been updated with the latest security patches. Apparently, according to Reuters and other news outlets, this includes a variety of organization including a bank and a shipping company, among others.

The text that the new ransomware displays outlines the nature of the attack quite clearly:

“Ooops, your important files are encrypted.

If you see this text, then your files are no longer accessible because they have been encrypted. Perhaps you are busy looking for a way to recover your files, but don’t waste your time. Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service.

We guarantee that you can recover all your files safely and easily. All you need to do is submit the payment and purchase the decryption key.”

As Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo Rozenko tweeted, the attack begins with a thorough encryption process that comes across as oddly considerate of a user “inadvertently” losing data by shutting off the affected PC:

Та-дам! Секретаріат КМУ по ходу теж "обвалили". Мережа лежить. pic.twitter.com/B74jMsT0qs

— Rozenko Pavlo (@RozenkoPavlo) June 27, 2017

According to Ars Technica, there are even unconfirmed reports that fully patched machines are suffering from the attack. If true, then that would make it different from WannaCry in terms of who is affected. However, the payment is a similar $300 in Bitcoin, and the new attack also goes a step further in also stealing credentials that are stored on the affected machine.

There are still many uncertainties around this latest attack, but a few things remain certain. First, you should have a good backup system in place, including maintaining an offline backup of your important files that can’t be touched by malware such as this. Second, you should ensure that all of your machines are running supported operating systems that are fully up to date on all security patches.

While this new ransomware might end up being something completely new and it might affect fully patched systems, those two steps remain important advice to follow.

Score 64 percent off Amazon’s No. 1-selling iPhone 6 portable charging case

Worried about your phone losing its charge too quickly? Throw your worries to the wind with the Smiphee 2500mAh Portable Charging Case, which is currently 64 percent off on Amazon. The case is designed for iPhone 6 and 6s phones and is the Amazon No. 1 bestseller in the cell phone battery charger cases category.

The case is one of the slimmest charging cases, adding only 0.18 inches and 2.22 ounces to your iPhone 6 or 6s, so it fits and feels just like a standard iPhone 6 case. Compared to other charging cases, it does not have the excess bottom area, which makes it comparable in size to a standard iPhone case. With no extra bulk, you can conveniently use your headphones without an audio jack extender.

The case has a Lightning cable input, so you can charge your battery case and iPhone 6 or 6s simultaneously with your existing iPhone lightning cable. With the input, there is also no need to remove the case when it needs to charge or when you want to sync your phone with iTunes. You can charge your phone first then automatically switch over to charge the case. And because the case charges using your existing Lightning cable, there is no need to buy a new one, which is not the case for all of the top-rated extended battery cases for the iPhone 6.

The battery case is 100 percent compatible with all iOS versions, Apple Pay, and future iOS software updates, with the exception of Apple CarPlay, which is not supported. The case allows you to double your battery life. It has a powerful 2500mAh built-in lithium polymer battery that provides an extra 11 hours talk time, eight hours internet use, or seven hours gaming time to your iPhone 6 or 6s.

The top-rated device has an average 3.8 out of a 5-star review rating on Amazon, based on more than 900 customer reviews. Reviewers tend to highlight that they like the fact they can use their existing headphones without an issue and that the case is conveniently lightweight and non-intrusive. TopWiral also features the case in its article of 10 Awesome iPhone 6/6s Extended Battery Charger Cases.

The Smiphee 2500mAh Portable Charging Case normally retails for $100, but right now this Amazon bestseller is currently discounted to $36 on Amazon, saving you $64 (64 percent).

Buy it now from

Amazon