New James Bond movie No Time To Die has been delayed yet again, and will now release on October 8, 2021. The film has now been bumped back three times, and is scheduled for well over a year after its originally intended April 2020 release date. The 25th Bond film subsequently moved to November 2020, before shifting again to April 2021.
Theaters in many major markets are closed right now due to Covid-19, and even this new date seems like it could feasibly change again depending on how the situation looks in nine months' time.
The Hollywood Reporter last year suggested Apple had considered a bid for the movie for release on Apple TV Plus, but it didn't come to anything. The outlet's sources suggested studio MGM is accruing approximately $1 million in interest on the money it borrowed to make the movie. A lot is at stake here, then.
The film marks Daniel Craig's final appearance as 007, with Mr Robot's Rami Malek playing the villain, Safin. Returning character from past entries include Léa Seydoux as Dr Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter. Lashana Lynch and Knives Out's Ana de Armas are also part of the cast. Its director is True Detective's Cary Joji Fukunaga.
No Time To Die wasn't the only film to get a big delay this week. Sony followed MGM by shifting its own release schedule around, with the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife moving from June 11 to November 11, 2021. Spider-Man spin-off movie Morbius with Jared Leto will now open in January 2022.
When one or two movie studios delay their films, others tend to follow. And it's looking like we've still got a long wait ahead until the theatrical experience is back to normal.
New data released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that nearly nine million people across the country have been forced to borrow more money as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Figures have increased since June, with the proportion that had borrowed £1000 or more rising from 35% in the middle of the year to 45% in December.
According to the findings, self-employed people including freelancers, those in lower income groups and people living in rented accommodation have been among the groups most affected.
The self-employed in particular have faced a prolonged period of uncertainty, with many not able to claim some, or indeed any of the emergency benefits offered by the government as a result of COVID-19. Compounding the issue is the fact that many small business owners have opted to defer their annual tax payments.
Borrowing money
Data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, a weekly update issued by the ONS displayed just how badly affected the self-employed have been by the pandemic.
Compared to employees, self-employed people were more likely to borrow over £1000 in the run up to Christmas. A sizeable 61% had borrowed funds, compared to just 49% of those workers on PAYE.
The ONS said that self-employed people were the group that had noticed the biggest decrease in working hours, and reduced income as a result. Even people who had been able to quality for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) relief were worse off than before the pandemic hit.
In fact, the ONS has found that more than three quarters of self-employed people in the UK have not had any financial support whatsoever from the government’s support scheme for freelance workers. A mere 24.2 of self-employed people had benefitted from the SEISS scheme up to October it said.
Many disabled people have been similarly affected, with 36% having to borrow over £1000 compared to just 13% back in June of last year according to the ONS statistics.
Xiaomi’s Patchwall UI for smart TVs is one of the most popular interfaces for smart TVs we have seen. Xiaomi India has released Patchwall Replay 2020, a report revealing what Indians watched in 2020. The report highlights what Indians consumed and which all categories got more traction, and more insights.
With people spending more time at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown, work from home, and school at home, media consumption on TVs saw a boost. The television industry has largely benefited due to the aforementioned situations.
In India, the lockdown started in March and ended in May. While people were indoors they were either hooked to their smartphones, laptops, and televisions for the purpose of entertainment. As a result, many TV series, big-budget movies and more content started streaming online and thus online media streaming space exploded. Here is what the Patchwall 2020 report reveals.
Since there were no movies releasing in theatres, Xiaomi says Patchwall generated traffic similar to a houseful on a first day first show across all 3,000+ multiplex chains in India. There was a 2.5x increase in the number of people watching movies on weekdays as compared to 2019, which is a 97% spike in the movies category.
Some of the popular movies of 2020 included Laxxmi, Dil Bechara, Angrezi Medium, Lootcase, Chhalaang, Khaali Peeli and Chintu Ka Birthday, among others. Rajnikanth trended in February, followed by Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan in March, and Superhero movies taking the spot in May. As you’d expect in July, it was ruled by Sushant Singh Rajput. Soon in August, India’s focus shifted to Cricket. April to August were blockbuster months as per the report.
As far as the TV shows are concerned, the segment recorded 133% growth with shows like
Mirzapur 2, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Pataal Lok, Sam Jam, Loser, Geetha Subramanyam scoring big. Also, there were more than 3 million interactions across devotional content such as Ramayana, Mahabharat, Devon ke Dev..Mahadev, and Shaktiman.
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
Kids content sets new record
As one can expect, Kids spent more time in front of the television than anyone else. With schools and colleges turned digital, the educational category witnessed a 177% increase along with a 205% increase in overall kids streaming. Popular content in this category included Wheels on the bus, Tales of Akbar and Birbal, Bal Ganesha, Show yourself and Baby Shark. Also, there were more than one million sessions of kids mode by parents across India throughout 2020.
Everything else
A total of 14 billion interactions were recorded with via 25+ content partners
Regional language consumption increased by 56%
93% increased views in the Fitness category
Live news coverage received over 163% increase in views
More than 20 million minutes of music streaming happened in 2020 with Badshah, Arijit Singh, Vishal-Shekhar, A.R Rahman, and Neha Kakkar rocking the chart
Genda Phool, Illegal Weapon, Dus Bahane, Bhankaas, and Khulke Jeena ka songs were the most popular
Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali content saw an increased consumption
More than a million people created Watchlist and watched more trailers with the new feature added on Patchwall
Vidya Balan, Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Faizal, Maanvi Garoo, and Abhishek Bachchan topped the popular celebrity binge list
More than 40 new features were added in the last two years
We've now entered the fourth phase of the MCU, or Marvel Cinematic Universe - and judging by WandaVision, Marvel Studios' first foray on to the small screen, things are looking pretty funky for our favorite superheroes in 2021. Read on as we explain how to watch WandaVision online and stream all-new episode 3 of the Avengers spin-off starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany with Disney Plus today.
How to watch WandaVision episode 3
Release date: January 22, 2021
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, Kat Dennings, Randall Park
*Warning:minor spoilers for the Avengers movies, WandaVision episodes 1 and 2, and other Marvel content may exist below*
As Marvel's first live-action release since all the way back in 2019, the limited TV series is a pretty big deal and is designed to prepare fans for this year's onslaught of new MCU releases - many of which, like WandaVision, will focus on supporting superheroes from previous eras.
In this case, we're starting to get to know Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Olsen) and Vision (Bettany), who first appeared in the Avengers triology, a bit better. Or are we? As our WandaVision episode 1 recap and WandaVision episode 2 recap explain (both of which contain spoilers), this is Marvel at its most madcap and while the happily married couple are superficially living a perfect suburban life in sleepy Westview, something just isn't quite right.
After last week's double-bill premiere gave us a taste of WandaVIsion's mysterious world through a cleverly constructed lens that is as much a homage to classic sit-coms like Bewitched and I Love Lucy as it is a superhero show, we're hoping for some answers this week. Namely...how is Vision alive, given that Thanos killed him in Infinity War and WandaVision is set after the events of that movie?
But however confusing it may seem at times, there's no doubt WandaVision is up to something and Marvel has something big up its sleeve over the remaining seven episodes in the series - starting with episode 3, which is released today (Friday, January 22) at midnight PT / 3am ET / 8am GMT / 7pm AEDT
Follow our guide as we explain how to watch WandaVision episode 3 online and stream the new Marvel show right now. Want one final spoiler? All you need is a great value Disney Plus subscription!
How to watch WandaVision online with Disney Plus today
As Disney Plus has now rolled out in North America, Europe and parts of Asia and Latin America, watching WandaVision using the service is easier than ever. If you’re located in a country that does have access to Disney Plus, you just need to head to the Disney Plus website and sign up for the service to watch.
In addition to being the exclusive home of WandaVision and the entire MCU canon, Disney Plus also gives you access to Disney’s huge back catalogue, plus Fox’s and Pixar's as well. This means that adults will be able to watch every episode of the Simpsons ever made while kids can watch classic Disney films like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and more.
Disney Plus is already cheaper than competing streaming services like Netflix but you can save even more when you sign up for an annual subscription which gives you 15% off the monthly price. Obviously you have to splash the cash at the start, but with so much content to get stuck in to we very much doubt you'll run out of things to watch before the 12 months are up. You're looking at $69.99/£59.99/AU$89.99 for the year.
Or if your interests are farther reaching (and you're in the US), then we'd seriously suggest looking at the fantastic value bundle package. It adds Hulu and ESPN+ to your subscription price. The Hulu element opens up a world of Hulu Originals such as The Great, Upload, Helstrom and Normal People. While ESPN+ brings tonnes of exclusive live sport, highlights and documentaries. The combined bundle costs just $12.99 a month.
What else should I know about Disney+?
Disney Plus is showing no signs of slowing down since the service first launched last November. WandaVision is just the latest in a string of recent blockbuster releases exclusive to the platform, including Soul, The Mandalorian, Mulan, Hamilton, and much more.
Finally, now that Disney has set the precedent of releasing its live-action Mulan remake on the service instead of in theaters through its Premiere Access program, expect the company to keep bring more blockbuster films that were originally intended to be shown on the big screen to Disney Plus in 2021.
Social media platform Twitter's updated verification policy has come into effect from today, and the implication of this is mostly for verified profiles that have not complied with the new requirements. They stand to lose their coveted blue tick.
Also, with its updated policy, Twitter is also set to relaunch its verification, including a new public application process that it had stopped in 2017.
Twitter announced its updated verification policy, and the re-opening of public applications for profile verification in late last year.
Twitter has put in place rules to automatically remove verification from an account if, for example, it's inactive or if the profile is incomplete, as well as grounds to deny or remove verification from certain qualified accounts that are found to be in repeated violation of the Twitter Rules (on hateful conduct, civic integrity or glorification of violence).
Last call! As part of our new verification policy, we’ll remove verification badges from inactive and incomplete accounts starting tomorrow, January 22.We've reached out directly to those who need to take action to stay verified. For more info: https://t.co/pDI1YmZOM7 pic.twitter.com/J3Aj9H3X7xJanuary 21, 2021
Twitter's new updated policy seeks to define some of the core types of 'Notable Accounts' that are served by verification. Per this policy, “the blue verified badge on Twitter lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic. To receive the blue badge, your account must be notable and active,” Twitter had earlier said.
The six types of accounts it has identified that deserve to get the much vaunted blue tick are: a) Government b) Companies, Brands and Non- Profit Organizations c) News d) Entertainment e) Sports f) Activists, Organizers, and Other Influential Individuals.
Interestingly, Twitter, in a refreshing change in its approach, has fallen back on a popular meme pic (see image at the top) to drive home its message on its new blue tick policy.
Twitter is set to relaunch verification, including a new public application process, in a few weeks.
Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram!
Social media platform Twitter's updated verification policy has come into effect from today, and the implication of this is mostly for verified profiles that have not complied with the new requirements. They stand to lose their coveted blue tick.
Also, with its updated policy, Twitter is also set to relaunch its verification, including a new public application process that it had stopped in 2017.
Twitter announced its updated verification policy, and the re-opening of public applications for profile verification in late last year.
Twitter has put in place rules to automatically remove verification from an account if, for example, it's inactive or if the profile is incomplete, as well as grounds to deny or remove verification from certain qualified accounts that are found to be in repeated violation of the Twitter Rules (on hateful conduct, civic integrity or glorification of violence).
Last call! As part of our new verification policy, we’ll remove verification badges from inactive and incomplete accounts starting tomorrow, January 22.We've reached out directly to those who need to take action to stay verified. For more info: https://t.co/pDI1YmZOM7 pic.twitter.com/J3Aj9H3X7xJanuary 21, 2021
Twitter's new updated policy seeks to define some of the core types of 'Notable Accounts' that are served by verification. Per this policy, “the blue verified badge on Twitter lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic. To receive the blue badge, your account must be notable and active,” Twitter had earlier said.
The six types of accounts it has identified that deserve to get the much vaunted blue tick are: a) Government b) Companies, Brands and Non- Profit Organizations c) News d) Entertainment e) Sports f) Activists, Organizers, and Other Influential Individuals.
Interestingly, Twitter, in a refreshing change in its approach, has fallen back on a popular meme pic (see image at the top) to drive home its message on its new blue tick policy.
Twitter is set to relaunch verification, including a new public application process, in a few weeks.
Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram!
Tensions between Google and Australia’s Federal Government are continuing to escalate, with the tech giant threatening to pull some of its products from the Australian market entirely if legislation is passed that would require the company to pay Australian news media for the right to link to their content.
Mel Silva, the managing director of Google Australia, told an Australian Senate hearing today (January 22), that if the proposed code of conduct was passed, it would force the company to withdraw Google Search from Australia.
“If this version of the code were to become law it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia,” Silva said in a statement to the Senate inquiry.
She further described the code in its current form as “unworkable”, and stated withdrawal from Australia is Google’s “worst-case scenario”.
The proposed code of conduct has been drawn up by consumer-rights watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and instructs tech giants such as Google and Facebook on how to share the revenue they generate from using content produced by news outlets.
According to Google, part of the proposed revenue sharing would require the tech giant to pay media organizations for showing links and snippets to news stories in its search results.
In a video statement posted to YouTube (below), Silva says this requirement goes against how Google Search functions, and that “paying for links breaks the way search engines work”.
According to Silva, Google is not against a new law, but feels that the current option is an unfair one for its business.
“This provision in the code would set an untenable precedent for our business, and the digital economy,” she said in a statement.
In response to Google’s statements made in the Senate, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is doubling down, telling a press conference today that the “we don't respond to threats”.
While everything feels unusual at the moment, one thing in life can be certain – the world of digital marketing will continue to be fast moving. Given the pandemic has increased people’s focus on online tools and virtual interactions, ensuring digital marketing strategies are in check has arguably never been so important for brands. Digital can move so quickly that just an algorithm update from Google can upend a brand’s careful planning. With that in mind, here are our predictions and recommendations for elements marketers should keep a close eye on in 2021, to ensure their best laid plans not only stay relevant but stand out with rewarding results.
One of the big trends we will undoubtedly see in 2021 is an increased focus on privacy issues. As digital marketing evolves with a much more targeted approach, consumers are becoming more conscious and concerned about privacy. As a result, we are seeing top brands react very quickly. In March 2020, Safari blocked all third-party cookies. Apple is introducing intelligence tracking prevention across mobile apps, meanwhile, Google plans on also getting rid of third-party cookies by 2022. As many government bodies warm up to the idea of enacting legislation to protect personal data, there is no denying that the data privacy landscape will change immensely — and digital marketers will have to adapt. The impending loss of cookies is potentially a major issue, as so many businesses have become very used to using them as a primary source of insight on who their customers are, how they move, and how to find others like them. If your business is not yet seriously considering how to get hold of more first-hand data on your customers, preparations need to be made immediately.
Olga Andrienko is Head of Global Marketing at Semrush
One recent study suggests contextual targeting might be one of the best ways to handle the transition. However, given the turbulent nature of the new landscape driven by privacy changes, the best next move for many will be sticking to the tried-and-true practices — PPC advertising and content marketing. A rush to these channels could make them less effective given so many others are adopting the same tactics, so again, careful planning is needed.
The key driver behind PPC advertising — search engine queries — is that it is not predicted to be impacted by the privacy changes, and this allows brands to pursue their paid search efforts. This would be a good marketing channel to use that would see beneficial results during turbulent times. Another classic move is concentrating on creating good quality content. The importance of informative, educative and purposeful content positions a brand as leaders in the field and resonates with audiences, clients, consumers and customers.
It’s impossible to ignore that, for many, funds are on a tight leash and business cuts are inevitable. According to our analysis, digital advertisers of all sizes have reduced their online ad budgets by 20% on average. Whilst acclimatising to the new normal, businesses have prioritised online visibility, presence, and exposure. It seems unlikely that this priority will wane until the pandemic is under better control, globally. Spend on digital advertising will regenerate and grow exponentially, and the main growth driver here will be small and medium companies.
In more practical terms, mobile-friendly webpages will be a greater issue in 2021 - 70% of all website traffic comes from mobile phones, and the average adult spends around 5 hours a day on their device. Optimising sites to be mobile-friendly will be a key issue in 2021 - especially if companies aren’t thinking mobile-first, users will likely leave the site for others that are better optimised.
The issue of optimising for Core Web Vitals ties in with mobile-friendliness too. Core Web Vitals are factors that Google thinks is necessary to enhance overall user experience on a website. If a website has poor Web Vitals - this leads to poor UX and affects how users will interact and convert on your site. Digital marketers need to ensure that they are thinking in terms of Google EAT - Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness. With the rise of fake news and misinformation across the internet, it is getting increasingly hard to find trustworthy content, written by experts with authority in their respective fields. Google has already taken steps to boost content which is backed up with stats and details higher up the visibility ratings to address this issue.
Finally, when thinking of the bigger search picture, we can fully expect that AI and voice search will start to have a greater influence on how rankings function. In fact, the percentage of households predicted to own a smart speaker by 2022 is 55%. To optimise for voice search, consider keywords carefully. Try to match how people ask these questions in normal conversation. Voice searches tend to do better with longer, more natural-sounding phrasing. When people type, they tend to abbreviate. For example, a person might voice search, “What are the new SEO trends for 2021?” but type the words, “new SEO trends 2021.” When it comes to AI’s influence, it’s a matter of keeping a close eye on your performance factors. Google’s AI algorithm will be a major factor – but in typical Google fashion, they haven’t shared much about the specifics of how it works. Unveiled a few years back, the algorithm — called RankBrain — plays an important role in Google’s ranking factors for search engine results pages (SERPs) results. Experts have suggested that user experience signals are the primary determinant on its application. In this case, going back to the fundamentals of what makes a good UX is the best advice. Captivate and engage readers with useful, well-organised content. An on-page SEO checker can help you assess page strength based on points like readability, backlinks, and more.
One of the reasons digital marketing is so exciting, dynamic and effective is because it’s constantly expanding and evolving. Those experienced in keeping up with changing environments simply need to have their ear to the ground and eye on their stats to keep pace with new developments. Those who may be less used to evolving alongside with the internet, or less experienced in keeping a flexible approach to their plans, need to recognise that 2021 is likely to bring a number of significant changes, which could easily cause disruption. Everyone will need to prepare accordingly. Online visibility management not only helps businesses stay afloat but makes them stand out from their rivals in this competitive market.
The latest edition of Google Chrome has been released, featuring a number of useful security upgrades aimed at keeping users safe online
Chrome 88 browser comes with a new password manager feature that allows users to check, identify, and fix weak passwords in one place.
Users can have greater control over their saved details across multiple platforms and sites thanks to a new shortcut to identify weak passwords and quickly edit them.
To check your passwords, users just need to click on the key icon that appears under your profile or you can manually type chrome://settings/passwords in your address bar.
Password fixes
(Image credit: Google)
The Google Chrome password manager already saves users' credentials for multiple platforms and prompts if a password is weak.
However the new update will allow users to quickly check, identify, and fix weak passwords directly from the Chrome Settings menu, allowing users to sport multiple weak passwords in one place.
"Weak passwords expose you to security risks and should be avoided. In Chrome 88, you can now complete a simple check to identify any weak passwords and take action easily," Google said in a blog post.
The new password protection features come on the back of other security tweaks Chrome received late last year which included the ability to log in to websites using the credentials saved in your Google account without the need to sync those pieces of information through Chrome.
Google said password breaches remain a critical concern online, and that its Chrome’s Safety Check service is being used 14 million times every week.
"As a result of Safety Check and other improvements launched in 2020, we’ve seen a 37% reduction in compromised credentials stored in Chrome," the company said.
The new features with Chrome 88 will be rolled out over the coming weeks, arriving first on desktop and iOS versions, and the Android app receiving the feature very soon.
Windows 10X was recently leaked in the form of what’s apparently a near-final build, and enterprising developers have already got that version of Microsoft’s lightweight OS running on a MacBook (with M1 chip) and a Lumia smartphone, as well as the Surface Go.
Windows 10X is the inbound spin on Microsoft’s desktop operating system which is very much a stripped-back and simplified version, with some major differences in terms of the interface and overall functionality – plus it’s also designed to run on devices with an ARM CPU (and not just Intel chips).
The leaked build was successfully run on an ARM-based MacBook M1 using QEMU virtualization by developer @imbushuo, and reportedly performs well on the Apple notebook. (This dev previously ran Windows 10X on an Intel-powered MacBook).
Furthermore, other developers, those who are part of the LumiaWOA (Windows on ARM) project, have got Windows 10X running on a Lumia 950 XL phone, albeit with limitations (as Windows Latest, which spotted this, notes).
Also, as you might guess, this wasn’t a particularly easy feat to achieve.
Finally, a further spotting of the Windows 10X leaked build witnessed it happily chugging away on one of Microsoft’s own Surface Go tablets. Apparently it runs ‘fine’ in terms of performance levels, but there are sticking points, most notably the lack of Wi-Fi support.
Windows 10X 20279 running on the original Microsoft Surface Go LTE. Same as last year, sadly, no WiFi, no Cameras.Thanks to @NTAuthority @thebookisclosed @gus33000 and entire @Inside_Windows Community!We'll publish new instructions soon on https://t.co/iOPTFVXKvl. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/9jYXd5PyjSJanuary 17, 2021
The mentioned instructions are tweeted here if you want to check them out.
Windows 10X makes a lot of changes to the interface, as we mentioned at the outset, and turns the Start menu into something that feels more akin to the launcher on Chromebooks. Indeed, this initial incarnation of Microsoft’s OS, built for single-screen devices – the original intention was for 10X to be on dual-screen machines first – looks very much like an attack on Chrome OS.
Of course, the simplification that Windows 10X majors in means the removal of what some would consider to be key aspects of a desktop OS, including the lack of ability on the multitasking front, and not being able to run traditional Windows (Win32) apps – although support for the latter should arrive eventually (though maybe not any time soon).
App support will initially be limited to universal (UWP) and web apps, although apparently there is a pretty slick implementation of the latter from what we’ve heard.
Popular open source intrusion detection and prevention system Snort has received a major upgrade, featuring several new features including the ability to run across multiple environments and operating systems.
Snort 3, which analyzes network traffic in real-time to detect and prevent all kinds of attacks and malicious traffic over the network, started out as any other open source project, but is now developed by Cisco.
While Snort has become one of the most popular solutions for thwarting network attacks, the increasing complexity of the attacks and the changing deployment landscape called for a new solution. “When we started thinking about what the next generation of IPS looked like, we decided to start from scratch,” the company wrote in its release announcement.
The long anticipated release is the culmination of over seven years of development. “After many years of success, it is time for Snort to evolve by incorporating lessons we had learned over the many years of the software’s existence and make it even more effective,” acknowledged the developers.
One of the major highlights of Snort 3 is that it now supports multiple environments and operating systems.
The new release is more efficient thanks to support for multiple packet processing threads, which makes Snort 3 more scalable. It’s also now easier to write detection rules thanks to a new rule syntax that’s more concise.
The release also enhances Snort’s HTTP/2 inspection and network discovery capabilities, along with several other changes both in the back-end and to the user interface.
Windows 10’s latest cumulative updates are causing problems for some people, including what seems to be a nasty boot loop bug that stops the PC from starting up.
January’s patches, which are KB4598242 and KB4598229 for the most recent versions of Windows 10 – the former covers last year’s twoversions, and the latter the November 2019 Update – have suffered from gremlins including the seemingly commonly repeated bug whereby the installation fails with a mysterious error message.
Windows Latest further reports that there is a more worrying boot loop issue that some people are affected by, which drops users into the recovery environment.
One post on Reddit explains: “I got a ‘Automatic Repair’ bootloop issue with this update on Lenovo T14 AMD. I have tracked down the issue to update KB4598229. Immediate boot failure and reset without any BSOD or any other error. It just boot me into the recovery environment after failing the last boot.”
The user notes that the automatic repair fails – obviously – and the ‘update rollback’ option in the recovery environment doesn’t work either (it just produces an error). In the end, this Reddit denizen said that they managed to roll back the updates manually “using DISM in the command prompt” in the recovery environment, and this allowed the laptop to boot normally.
A reply to this post from another affected Windows 10 user observes that the DISM approach didn’t work for them, so of course, your mileage may vary if you do try this route.
There’s another Redditor on the above post who observes: “My PC goes into ‘preparing automatic repair’ loop after installing this update (same happened when I applied 20H2 a few months back. I had to reset my Windows installation). Any suggestion to fix the problem without resetting my computer?”
Furthermore, there are numerous posts on Microsoft’s own Answers.com forum describing various problems with these cumulative updates, including that very unfortunate boot loop.
One post reads: “So, I woke up to my laptop working in automatic repair mode this morning, and it telling me that automatic repair could not fix whatever issue occurred. I went to Advanced Options to see about going to a Restore Point, and the most recent was this morning at ~12:30AM for Windows Update. However, it says it cannot restore because of disk corruption.”
CPU usage
Other problems that folks have complained about include higher than normal processor usage (around 20% CPU usage showing in the Task Manager with no applications running whatsoever) which went away after uninstalling KB4598242.
Also, another user said that: “I installed this update (KB4598242) on my HP laptop and it’s become unusably slow since then. I have to attend online classes on my PC and I am not able to do so. I tried to do a system restore but even after hours, the screen was blank, so I force shut down the laptop. Then I started it again (it showed system restore failed) and somehow managed to uninstall the update but in vain, because the laptop is still heavily slow and unusable.”
How widespread these various issues are, we can’t be certain, but clearly there are a number of Windows 10 users out there having some trouble in one form or another.
Google is rolling out new features to the Chrome 88 browser that will allow users to enjoy safer password protection.
The new feature allows users to check, identify, and fix weak passwords in one place. Users can have greater control over their saved passwords for various platforms and sites.
Google’s Chrome 88 gives you an easy shortcut to identify weak passwords and quickly edit them.
"To check your passwords, click on the key icon that appears under your profile or you can manually type chrome://settings/passwords in your address bar," Google said.
The new password feature in Chrome 88(Image credit: Google)
The Google Chrome password manager already saves users' credentials for multiple platforms and prompts if a password is weak. The thing about the new update is it will allow users to quickly check, identify, and fix weak passwords right from Chrome Settings. Essentially, users can fix multiple weak passwords in one place as Google Chrome itself performs the role of a dedicated password manager.
"Weak passwords expose you to security risks and should be avoided. In Chrome 88, you can now complete a simple check to identify any weak passwords and take action easily," Google said.
The new password protection features come on the back of the tweaks that Chrome got late last year. Among others, it would let you log in to websites using the credentials saved in your Google account even without syncing those pieces of information through Chrome.
Chrome Safety Check used widely
Google said password breaches remain a critical concern online. It added that Chrome’s Safety Check is used 14 million times every week. "As a result of Safety Check and other improvements launched in 2020, we’ve seen a 37% reduction in compromised credentials stored in Chrome."
The new features with Chrome 88 will be rolled out over the coming weeks.
The feature is in addition to Chrome’s existing prompt feature when users update saved passwords. This feature will first arrive on Chrome for desktop and iOS versions. The Android app will be receiving this feature very soon.
Chrome was streamlining 3 million sign-ins across iOS apps every week. While biometric authentication is already available on the iOS app, Google will soon bring the same to Chrome on Android.
After the Indian government talked tough to WhatsApp and told its unilateral changes (to privacy policy) were 'unacceptable', the social messaging platform has responded in generalist, even vague, terms that reiterate what it has been saying all along.
"We wish to reinforce that this update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook. Our aim is to provide transparency and new options available to engage with businesses so they can serve their customers and grow," a WhatsApp spokesperson told the newspaper The Mint.
As it happens, this is not all that different from the clarification that WhatsApp offered in the aftermath of the furore to its original announcement of privacy policy change.
Considering that much of the outrage is centred around personal messages, WhatsApp also sought to address that point.
"WhatsApp will always protect personal messages with end-to-end encryption so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see them," the spokesperson was further quoted as saying.
WhatsApp also said that it was working to address misinformation and remains available to answer any questions.
But despite the clarifications, the public mood still remains aggressive.
The public outcry is more due to the fact that WhatsApp has not left users with a choice. Either you agree with the terms and conditions or you quit. Simple. And secondly, these new policies are in stark contrast with the basic idea of WhatsApp when it started.
WhatsApp may climb down
The Indian government was also particularly cut up with this aspect.
In its letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) had said the proposed changes in WhatsApp's Privacy Policy Terms, without giving users an option to opt out, "raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens".
The Indian government also suggested that Indian users are being subjected to differential treatment when compared to their European counterparts where the changes do not apply.
"By not providing Indian users with the ability to opt-out of this data sharing with other Facebook companies, WhatsApp is treating users with an 'all-or-nothing' approach," the government said.
The Indian government also suggested that Indian users are being subjected to differential treatment when compared to their European counterparts where the changes do not apply.
The government has asked WhatsApp to answer 14 questions related to the proposed update within seven days.
WhatsApp is expected to formally respond to the government queries separately.
The belief is that WhatsApp will climb down from its position and put off its May 15 deadline for the privacy policy tweak, sources said.
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The best file compression software will make it easy to compress files for easy storage, while also being able to work with multiple compression file types.
With the right file compression software, sharing and archiving files is easy. The ever-growing size of hard drives means the need to reduce file sizes when storing data has been reduced, but SDDs still cost significantly more per gigabyte than traditional spinning hard drives, so compressing files can still be very useful.
Compression is also very helpful when you want to send several files via email and keep them within the attachment size limit, share them via a service like WeTransfer, or send them to a remote cloud server.
That's not all – in addition to reducing file sizes, compression software offers plenty of extra features to take into consideration. Perhaps the best feature of compression tools is the ability to encrypt files and protect them with a password – something you'll find in all the tools we've picked here.
The most commonly used compression format is ZIP, but there are various other available. You never know which type you may encounter when downloading and sharing files, so it makes sense to have a program on hand that can handle more than one type. Here we take a look at a selection of the best tools, taking into account ones that offer the highest compression rates, and those that support the largest number of file types.
One of the most famous names in the world of software utilities, WinZip is still going strong after nearly 30 years, and is still one of the best file compression tools around.
However, you may wonder if you can justify spending money on a compression tool when there are so many free alternatives available. Ultimately it depends on your priorities, but you do get a lot of extras for your money.
In addition to support for a wide range of archive formats (including ZIP, ZIPX, RAR (extraction only), 7z, TAR, GZIP, VHD and XZ), WinZip offers integration with a number of programs including Office for easy zipping as you work.
Other bonus features include the splitting of large zip files to fit different media, advanced file sharing options, cloud support and an advanced zip management system that rivals Windows Explorer. The interface adapts to suit mouse and keyboard setups or touchscreen devices, and there are backup and security options thrown in to protect your files.
WinZip is an incredibly useful tool to have in your software arsenal, and it's flexible enough to work in the way that suits you best – you can create and extract via the program interface, or using the program window.
As famous as WinZip in certain circles, WinRAR created a name for itself thanks to its proprietary RAR format, which offers incredible levels of compression. Most compression programs can extract RAR archives, but only WinRAR can (officially) create them. This exclusivity comes at a price that is similar to WinZip.
Of course, WinRAR can be used to compress files into many other compressed formats, and the program benefits from the fact that it is available for just about every platform imaginable.
The interface is not the most pleasant to look at, and even if you opt to use the Explorer context menu to create or extract archives, beginners may well feel overwhelmed by the number of options and settings on display. That said, there is a wizard mode that take the hard work out of most tasks.
WinRAR's killer feature is undoubtedly full RAR support, but its encryption, speed, self-extracting archive creation and themes (if you're into that sort of thing!) mean it's well worth taking a look at the trial version to see if this is the compression tool for you.
The first free option in this roundup, 7-Zip is another program with an excellent reputation. It can handle pretty much any compressed file format you care to throw at it.
A real stalwart of the compression world, 7-Zip boasts its own compressed file format, 7z. This not only lets you compress truly gigantic files (up to 16 billion gigabytes, according to its developers), but also has an incredibly high compression rate. However, this does mean making speed sacrifices; 7z can use 'solid compression' to achieve tiny file sizes, but it can be very, very slow.
7-Zip's interface is far from attractive, and the number of context menu entries the program creates can be a little unnerving. Thankfully, if you venture into Options within the program, you'll find that it's easy enough to get rid of the options you don't need.
The look of this file compression software won't be to everyone's taste, but if you can get past this, you have a rock-steady and reliable utility on your hands.
It might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of file compression software, but Zip Archiver has a very healthy following thanks to its thoughtfully designed interface, excellent format support, and because it offers all this for free.
What makes this program interesting is its incredible ease of use. Even someone who is unfamiliar with the idea of file compression and decompression should find it easy to achieve the results they want.
Creating and extracting archives to one of a range of formats is reduced to a simple drag and drop process, and there's cloud support as a handy extra. What this means is that you can, in one quick and easy operation, create a compressed file, upload it to Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive, and have a shareable link created automatically.
If you're compressing files to share them, this is a brilliant option. If you're not a fan of the drag-and-drop interface, you can use the Windows context menu to take care of everything – the choice is yours.
There are dozens of compressed file formats, but Zip Archiver can handle them all. The only drawback is that Zip Archiver is only available for Windows.
Another free compression program, PeaZip (for Windows and Linux) is simple looking but surprisingly powerful, and offers plenty of security options
In addition to regular compression and decompression options, you can also use PeaZip to convert archives between formats. For the security conscious, this file compression software also offers AES256-based encryption and two-factor authentication, as well as a password manager.
As with the other compression tools in this roundup, you can make use of the main program interface, or fall back in love with the right mouse button and use the context menu.
PeaZip is one compression tool that can, sort of, create – as well as extract – RAR files. If you have WinRAR installed (be it the full version or the trial) PeaZip can make use of the software to gain full RAR support. Although no warning message will be displayed, you're not really supposed to use WinRAR after the end of the trial period, either on its own or through PeaZip.
Makers Academy has earned a good reputation as one of Europe’s best courses for learning code. The Makers coding bootcamp isn’t designed for absolute novices but for those who know a little bit of code and want to advance in skill. The physical academy is based in Shoreditch, at the heart of London’s tech industry, but if you can’t make it to the Big Smoke for a 12-week course, remote learning courses are available.
In this evaluation, we’ll assess if Makers is one of the best online cloud learning platforms for coding available today. By examining Makers’ pricing, services, and support options — before comparing it to the competition — we’ll help you decide if Makers is right for you.
Makers have offered remote learning to software developers for five years(Image credit: Makers)
Plans and pricing
Makers Academy promises participants a new career within four months for an £8,000 fee, which is reduced to £7,500 if you’re a woman or a gender minority. However, having the money in your pocket isn’t enough to be accepted onto the bootcamp. All applicants have to go through a selection process.
First, you must send a written application, and if your application demonstrates you have some coding experience, Makers will invite you to an interview. The next stage of the process is an interview and pair-programming session with a Makers coder. If you demonstrate sufficient skill in the programming session, you’ll be invited to pay a deposit to reserve your place on the course. Be sure to pay your deposit ASAP, as the course places quickly fill up.
Makers are clear that if you fail the selection process, you’re able to try again at a later date.
Courses at Makers Academy last three months, from Monday to Friday, full-time, and most weekends require you to complete a coding challenge. Makers promise that the average graduate earns £35,000 as their starting wage. As Makers is both a coding bootcamp and recruitment agency for top brands, you can be assured that your course guarantees some level of employability. Makers proudly advertise that they’ve placed graduates with over 300 companies.
Your coding bootcamp begins with a pre-course that ensures every developer in the class has the same knowledge base prior to starting. The aim of the Makers’ program is to produce ‘language agnostic developers’ who can acquire new languages in weeks. However, first, they want you to develop a good knowledge of the back-end coding language, Ruby.
After Ruby, you’ll progress to Rails, then Javascript and front-end development. From the beginning, Makers bootcamp aims to recreate the atmosphere of a real office by encouraging team collaboration on projects. Makers train would-be developers in agile software development to increase their employability among organizations that require coding team collaboration and individual flexibility.
The final assessment is in Week 11. You’ll be asked to produce a portfolio that reveals the goals you’ve achieved on projects throughout the course and explains how you achieved them. A coach will assess your portfolio and then schedule a meeting with you to determine whether you’re employable or not. If you fail your review, you can resubmit a different portfolio for assessment. If you pass, you’ll be encouraged to apply for vacancies with Makers’ hiring partners.
Makers has placed graduates with over 300 companies(Image credit: Makers)
Features and services
Makers Academy distinguishes itself with a collaborative learning process which creates employable developers with flexible thinking and team collaboration skills.
Makers acts as a recruitment agency for big-name brands and has placed graduate developers with over 300 businesses, including Tesco, Starling Bank, and the BBC. Because Makers must guarantee graduate quality to maintain relationships with hiring partners, you know they’ll train you to the highest standard.
Makers developers are encouraged to take command of their own learning as they would in a coding team. Learners are encouraged to solicit help and clarification from their coaches, instead of their coaches coming to them with advice. In addition to that, learners are encouraged to pursue their own side projects, which will be assessed positively during their final review.
Agile Software Development is taught to produce team players and adaptive problem solvers. Over the 12-week course, Makers developers will have to submit a minimum of two team projects, during which they’ll have to navigate communication and leadership dynamics with other developers in training.
Makers aims to produce ‘agnostic language’ developers who’ll always choose the best language to meet the demands of their current project. Learners will be trained in Ruby, Javascript, and Rails so that they can understand the fundamentals of programming languages and then apply that knowledge to mastering others.
Makers partners with businesses to place graduates in junior roles(Image credit: Makers)
Support and customer care
The year 2020 saw Makers change its guaranteed job offer upon program completion to a guaranteed career support program. Every developer who passes the Makers Academy course is still able to apply for vacancies at hiring partners through the Makers career service, as previously. However, now Makers cannot guarantee you’ll be hired at the close of the process due to increased economic uncertainty.
Every graduate gets personalized career support, and they’re expected to share evidence of applications with the Makers Career team. Regular check-ins with career team personnel aim to keep Makers developers motivated during the job application process. If graduates experience difficulty getting hired, they’re placed with a Career Coach, who’ll set tasks to improve their employability.
Makers provides a career support program for developers who’ve completed the Academy(Image credit: Makers)
The competition
One of Makers’ fiercest competitors is Bloc. Whereas Makers only teaches you Ruby, Rails, and Javascript, Bloc also educates students in HTML, CSS, Heroku, and Git. Another way Bloc improves upon Makers is with price, as Bloc only charges £2,499 for online learning in comparison with Makers’ £8,000. However, Bloc does not have a career support program, which puts it at a disadvantage.
DevPointLabs is another rival and improves upon the Makers academy by offering part-time courses better suited to those working alongside coding training. The scholarships DevPointLabs offers reduce the $5,500 tuition by 50%, which is more generous than the £500 Makers (and Bloc) deduct from their price. DevPointLabs scholarships are available to people of all minority backgrounds, not just gender minorities.
Bloc Academy rivals Makers, but they fall short on career support(Image credit: Makers)
Final verdict
Makers is a great choice for a novice coder who wants to acquire technical expertise and become attractive to hiring managers. As the Makers Academy mimics an in-house agile software development team, employers take a pass as an indication you’re able to conduct yourself professionally.
Course participants can feel confident their course is of quality as the success of Maker’s recruitment arm depends on keeping hiring partners happy.
Following the inauguration of Joe Biden as US President on January 20. several changes appeared on the official White House website, including the option to enable dark mode for the first time.
At the bottom left of the site, you'll now see a pair of icons – one that allows you to toggle a larger font size, and another that lets you switch to 'high contrast mode', which switches the site's usual white and cream backgrounds to black, with white and gold text rather than navy blue.
Dark modes for websites and apps are hugely popular. Microsoft and Google have spent the last few years gradually adding dark themes to their various apps and services, and early last year Facebook finally released its highly anticipated WhatsApp dark mode (complete with a trailer featuring an unreleased version of The Sound of Silence). But why?
Dark matters
Dark mode is partly an aesthetic choice; many people just prefer the way it looks, but there are some more practical reasons, too.
For resources like government websites, however, the main reason is accessibility; many users find pale text on a black background easier to read than black on white, and having the option to switch makes the site more usable.
According to its accessibility statement, the White House is working towards "conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, level AA criteria". These guidelines include making it easier for users to see and hear content, which can include providing a style switcher to switch to high contrast.
The jury is out on whether using dark mode will help you sleep better (conventional thinking is that too much blue light before bedtime simulates daylight and throws out your natural circadian rhythm), but we do know that dark screens use less power than those displaying white pixels.
This is particularly true on OLED screens, where pixels that need to be rendered as black are actually switched off, thereby using no power at all.
Dark mode isn't great for everyone, though. For users with astigmatism (wherein the eye isn't quite spherical), for example, white text on a black background can cause an effect called halation, which causes the writing to appear fuzzy. That's why a simple, easily located switch is so important.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the stock market regulator in India, has granted approval to the Future Group and Reliance Retail deal, much against the pleas of Amazon India that is fighting its best to thwart the deal.
In any case, Amazon's challenge of the deal is still pending in the Delhi High Court. And it is on this ground that Amazon wanted the SEBI to not issue the no objection certificate to the Reliance-Future Group pact.
SEBI, while giving its approval, has listed a number of conditions in accordance to the Composite Scheme of Arrangement, also making a reference to the misgivings of Amazon.
SEBI has also asked Reliance and Future Group to keep their shareholders informed about the legal dispute.
Last August, the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group worked out a Rs 24,713 crore agreement with Mukesh Ambani-helmed Reliance Retail. Future Group, which is in financial distress, sold its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehouse businesses to Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL).
Amazon had, however, bought 49% stake in one of Future’s unlisted firms in 2019 in a complex deal. Amazon's contention is that as part of this deal Future could not have sold itself to Reliance, Amazon's rival in the market place.
Future is saying that Amazon had failed to provide any help to the debt-laden firm that suffered a massive setback during the Coronavirus lockdown. Amazon contends that there were ongoing discussions on multiple options with partners and with the promoters of Future.
Last year, India’s antitrust watchdog cleared the deal between Ambani and Biyani firms.
Amazon to continue its legal proceedings
Amazon had written 8 letters in the last three months to SEBI asking the regulator to suspend its review of the Future-Reliance deal and not give it the go-ahead as the matter was before the Delhi High Court.
Last year, Amazon has also taken the matter to an arbitrator in Singapore and asked the court to block the deal between Reliance and Future.
The arbitration court in Singapore temporarily stopped Biyani's Group from going ahead with the sale.
Later, the Delhi High Court also rejected Future’s plea for an injunction to restrain Amazon from writing to regulators and other authorities over the deal. But the court also gave a go-ahead to the regulators to decide over the deal.
The SEBI approval now is being seen by analysts as a setback to Amazon.
An Amazon spokesperson has been quoted in the media as saying that the company will keep the legal fight going.
Amazon said SEBI's comments should be seen in the light of its reference that it is all "subject to the outcome of the ongoing arbitration and any other legal proceedings."
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Telstra has some of the most expensive NBN plans on the market, and it’s not too often they see a price cut. In a rare (albeit small) discount, Telstra has knocked down the price of its unlimited data NBN 50 plan to AU$80 a month.
The discounted price applies for your first six months with Telstra, after which your monthly bill will revert to costing AU$90. This type of six-month welcome discount is common among more budget providers but, with Telstra, not so much, making this a rare chance to try Australia’s biggest telco for less.
Telstra is also waiving its AU$99 connection fee for those that sign up online and, if you stick with the provider for 24 months, you won’t have to pay for the Telstra Smart Modem either, which usually costs AU$216. Staying connected for 24 months will see you pay AU$2,100 in total.
Before signing up though, it’s worth noting that while the telco advertises a typical download speed of 50Mbps during the evening hours, it also states that homes with a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) connection may be unable to reach this speed.
If you’re looking for extra speed, you might want to consider bumping up to Telstra’s NBN 100 plan, which has also been discounted for the first six months with the service. You’ll pay AU$100 a month for the first half-year before it increases to AU$110 each billing cycle.
Importantly, Telstra’s NBN 100 is only available with a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connection, which unfortunately excludes the most common connection type, fibre-to-the-node (FTTN).
Telstra’s discounted NBN offer ends on March 29, 2021.
