New Spectre-Style Vulnerabilities Discovered If you are passionate about tech, you will surely remember Meltdown and Spectre, two CPU-based vulnerabilities that have existed in most processors since 1995, but were discovered only a few months ago.
And while Meltdown has been successfully patched through various OS updates, Spectre was much harder to patch. Why? Because the "fix" will only work by disabling certain CPU sections, and thus diminishing the performance of your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. Some people have reported significant slowdowns after applying the needed patches - up to 30%! But in the end, all the problems were fixed.
Three Android Apps You Must Try The summer is here, so it's time to install some fun apps on your Android smartphone. Here are the ones that have made it into my personal top three.
1. Google Podcasts. Yes, there are lots of podcast apps out there, but this one has been built by Google, so it's got a few nice features: - It can play your favorite podcasts at the desired speed and/or skip the areas where the speaker is silent; - It syncs across all the devices that are associated with a particular Google Play account, so you can listen to a podcast on your smartphone, and then, when you return home, resume it using your tablet; - It pushes the most recent podcast episodes straight to your phone, if you want to; - It helps you discover new podcasts based on your preferences and listening history.
Twitter Slashes Millions of Accounts to Build Trust I used to love Twitter. Actually, I still love this social media website, but I can't express my feelings anymore. Why? Because my Twitter account was deleted a few months ago. Trust me, I didn't do anything shady; I was only using a post/tweet scheduling tool to feed fresh, tech-related news to my account. I was using that tool because I didn't have enough time to find and post those tech news manually.
Apparently, I am not alone. Twitter has deleted millions of accounts within the previous 2...3 months. This means that your number of Twitter followers may have decreased. If this is the case, don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong; you've got fewer followers now because deleted and locked accounts aren't counted anymore.
Wi-Fi Alliance's EasyMesh Boosts Wireless Networks Since 1991, when the first wireless network was invented, people have done everything in their power to increase Wi-Fi signal strength. It all started with better antennas and better cables, but in the end everyone realized that a single router simply can't provide enough Wi-Fi signal for an entire home. This explains why mesh networks, wireless systems that utilize several routers which are placed in different areas and work together, were the next logical step.
And now, Wi-Fi Alliance has invented EasyMesh, a new type of router mesh architecture that utilizes several access points to create a self-adapting Wi-Fi network, which has the potential to offer a great wireless coverage in outdoor areas and indoor spaces.
