Employees worldwide have begun to go rogue by using unauthorized software and applications on their work devices despite being aware of the potential business risks involved according to new research from Snow Software.
The company's new study surveyed 3,00 professionals in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific to reveal stark contrasts between the mindset of today's workers and the priorities of IT leaders.
This rift was most notable in younger employees and Snow's survey revealed that millennials are almost as twice as likely to go behind IT's back when compared to older workers. In fact, 81 percent of those surveyed admitted to accessing something on their work device without permission compared to just 51 percent of baby boomers who have done the same.
President and CEO at Snow Software, Vishal Rao provided further insight on the survey's findings, saying:
“There is a tectonic shift happening in the enterprise, driven by a rapid move to the cloud and nearly unlimited access to technology. Part of what we see in this data is a philosophical evolution in what the future of work looks like. The CIO and their teams are now strategic business partners with the power to fundamentally change their organizations. That new role requires empowering a new generation of employees and enabling the business to be as effective as possible while also balancing financial, regulatory and compliance risks.”
Going against the IT department
Snow's research also revealed that many workers are breaking the rules in an effort to get their jobs done with 41 percent of global employees reporting that they use professional software or applications on their work device without IT's permission.
However, almost half (46%) of participants access personal documents without permission and even more use their devices to access popular personal content such as apps, music, videos and photos.
When questioned about the impact of needing permission from the IT department just to do their job, 40 percent of workers reported feeling watched, 32 percent said it slowed them down and impacted deadlines, 27 percent said it was frustrating and 26 percent felt it negatively impacted productivity.
As more millennials enter the work force, expect this issue to increase but businesses can take action proactively by implementing acceptable BYOD policies and educating their employees on why certain software and applications are not permitted in the workplace.
If you're looking to score yourself a brand new computer for work or for pleasure, then there's never been a better time to check out Dell's array of laptops, ultrabooks, 2-in-1s, and gaming rigs, thanks to an exclusive TechRadar site-wide sale.
Considering that the Dell XPS 13 currently sits at the top of our lists for both the best ultrabooks and best laptops available in Australia, it's definitely worth checking one out with these savings.
From June 1 until June 7, you can take a further 15% off any listed priceon Dell's site simply by entering the code TECHRADAR15 at the checkout. That 15% reduction will even be applied in addition to any discounts on items that are already on sale – although do note that it will not stack with other discount codes or vouchers.
While you can visit Dell's store homepage directly and have a browse yourself, we've gone through the site's current offers and picked out some of the choicest ones available, so you don't have to rifle through the options yourself.
New York City is hard. Fact. Here are two more NYC life facts: I'm never not carrying multiple things in my hand, and one thing I'm always juggling is my smartphone.
That's why I'm ready to say goodbye to fetching my yellow MetroCard every time I use the subway or bus, and say hello to New York's contactless payment system.
I'm so ready for the changeover I 'camped out' at Grand Central Station, as if this were an old-fashioned Apple launch, to be the first to use the MTA's now publicly launched OMNY (One Metro New York) contactless payment system today.
Using an iPhone XR and Apple Watch 4 to get through the Grand Central turnstile, I found it to be as seamless as it is overdue for New Yorkers.
Here are some facts we discovered on our first contactless NYC commute.
It's incredibly easy to use
It was hard to take a photo of the OMNY contactless payment process in action for this article simply because it happens so far. But that's the point of it, right?
We didn't need to open our iPhone, or authenticate with Face ID to pay. Just holding the back of the phone up to the newly installed turnstile screen gave us the green light to start our underground journey.
The thing that grabs me the most about this process is that it doesn't require people to fetch their MetroCard when we all usually have a phone in hand. I see folks paw at their purses and slim jean pockets with their one free [non-phone] hand, looking for the thin card.
OMNY represents less juggling for those of us who see everyday go by in a New York minute. Bonus points: we don't need to wastefully print out plastic MetroCards anymore.
But it was also unsurprisingly late
We got to demo the MTA's OMNY (One Metro New York) system the exact minute it went live to the public. It was, of course, a little bit late.
Its noon launch actually happened at 12:19pm ET, and it slowly spread to all of the Grand Central turnstiles. We dashed for the first one that lit up to test it out.
Late or not, seeing OMNY work without a hitch once the system was online was impressive. MTA workers overseeing the project were visibly excited (I even got a cheer when I went through the turnstile – again it's like an Apple product launch).
London, Chicago and other cities already have contactless systems like this installed (and have for years), so New York is late that different, too. Like we said, it's long overdue for the biggest transit system in the US.
Using an iPhone is great, using an Apple Watch is better
Paying with an iPhone via Apple Pay worked great. We haven't tried using Android yet, but we will next trip, and we know it works with Google Pay in similar fashion.
The Apple Watch is even easier when you have things in your hand (Image credit: TechRadar)
That said, I could see myself using the Apple Watch more regularly when carrying other things in both my hands, or rolling a suitcase with my phone in my pocket.
I did find I had to double tap the Watch side button to enter Apple Pay to get this to work, which is unlike the iPhone which works without any prompt needed. Hopefully this changes down the line, maybe with watchOS 6.
New Yorkers are overeager to use... incorrectly
The entire week, I witnessed New Yorkers pressing their plastic yellow MetroCards up against the NFC reader screen... to absolutely no effect. They wanted it to work already.
They were even more confused when the screen went from saying 'Testing phase,' to saying 'MetroCard only' with a yellow background in the last 48 hours. To them that meant 'press your yellow MetroCard here.' It really meant, 'Keep swiping.'
Now both of those pre-launch messages have vanished and MTA employees have been handing out OMNY explainer pamphlets to people. But now that things work, everyone seem to know what to do.
Officially on 4-5-6 trains, secretly works elsewhere
Here's something that wasn't announced, but we discovered today: it works on more subway lines than the MTA announced – if the 4-5-6 runs through the same station.
The dedicated 7 train entrance in Grand Central also works with OMNY (Image credit: TechRadar)
Officially, it works on the 4-5-6 subway between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Staten Island buses. For our second test, we used it on the 7 train at Grand Central (even the dedicated 7 train entrance worked flawlessly for us).
In other words, even if you don't use the 4-5-6 subway, there's a chance you could still take advantage of using your iPhone or Android to pay for your subway ride on a nearby track. The OMNY rollout is a lot bigger than anyone first expected.
But it's mostly for tourists and one-off riders today
Today is the beginning of the end of the MetroCard, but local New Yorkers with daily commutes may not be using it often because discounts fares don't apply.
It's meant for one-off full fares: $2.75. Commuters won't be able to add time (weeks or months) in 2019, and multiple ride discount seekers won't find any small savings.
Likewise, riders with disabilities will have to stay on the MetroCard, according to the MTA. Discounted rides via OMNY are a 2020 thing, alongside the system's more widespread rollout.
Image credit: TechRadar
You'll need iOS 12.3, but can't use iOS 12.4 beta
I had to roll back to iOS 12.3.1 to add Express Transit to my default credit card within the Wallet app. The Express Transit settings menu option vanished in iOS 12.4 beta.
That should change at WWDC 2019 should Apple officially launch iOS 12.4. Hopefully it remains an option if developers upgrade to the iOS 13 beta next week, too.
I ended up spending $16.50 to bring you this article
Oops. This article cost more than I anticipated simply because we have to tap our devices multiple times to get multiple photo, video and the full experience.
The OMNY reader does provide ample time for you to get through the turnstile, but it also does eventually time out (it seems like a minute and a half if you don't go through the turnstile). That's important information to mention, and my noting it means I can write this off... hopefully.
As the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices continues to rise, new research from Irdeto has revealed that eight in ten organizations have experienced a cyberattack on their IoT devices within the past 12 months.
The company's new Irdeto Global Connected Industries Cybersecurity Survey questioned 700 enterprises in China, Germany, Japan the UK and US to learn more about how hackers have targeted their organizations and their IoT devices.
Of the organizations whose IoT devices fell victim to a cyberattack, 90 percent experienced an impact as a result including operational downtime and compromised customer data or end-user safety.
Irdeto's research also discovered that organizations in transport, manufacturing and healthcare have suffered substantial losses due to IoT-related vulnerabilities with the average financial impact of an IoT-focused cyberattack costing more than $330k.
IoT security
The survey's findings also suggest that the previous mindset of IoT security as an afterthought is changing. While the security mindset may be changing, the research suggests a distinct lack of optimism about the future of IoT security within these organizations with only seven percent of respondents stating that their organization is equipped to tackle cybersecurity challenges.
Surprisingly, 82 percent of organizations that manufacture IoT devices are concerned that their devices are not adequately secured from possible cyberattacks. Additionally, 93 percent of manufacturers and 96 per cent of users of IoT devices said that the security of the IoT devices they manufacture or use could be improved.
Vice President of IoT Security at Irdeto, Jaco Du Plooy offered some useful advice to organizations considering an IoT deployment, saying:
“The benefits brought to a wide range of industries by connectivity and the Internet of Things are not in doubt. However, greater connectivity opens organizations and their customers up to a myriad of additional vulnerabilities that must be considered from the outset. If you want to take advantage of the benefits of connected devices or software, you need to choose wisely where to spend your time and budget. Organizations must understand the scope of their current risk, ask hard cybersecurity-centric questions to vendors and work with trusted advisors to safely embrace connectivity in their manufacturing process. Then organizations must incorporate multiple layers of security into their defenses.”
After weeks of rumors, teasers and all kinds of speculation, Panasonic has finally confirmed development of the third camera in its S series, the S1H.
The S1H is set to be a video-focused addition to its newest camera line, joining the S1R and S1 models that were announced back in September – and it has the honor of being the first model of its kind to record 6K video.
This can be captured at a maximum 24p in a 3:2 ratio, while 5.9K footage at 30p can be recorded in 16:9. Additionally, a 10-bit 4K option can shoot at 60p in either 4K UHD or 4K DCI modes, and Panasonic states that the model can capture footage for an unlimited length of time under certified operating temperatures.
V-Log comes to the S1
The S1H also comes with V-Log and V-Gamut pre-installed, which promise 14+ stops of dynamic range. This is in contrast with models like the GH5 that can only have V-Log made available via a paid-for update.
Incidentally, Panasonic has also announced that users of its existing S1 model will also benefit from an update that will bring 14+ stops of dynamic range through a V-Log recording option, together with 4:2:2 10-bit 4K recording to 30p/25p internally and 4:2:2 10-bit 4K recording to 60p/50p output through the HDMI port.
This update will be free of charge by redemption from July 8 2019 for existing S1 users, as well as for those purchasing the camera until September 30. Anyone updating their camera after this point will have to pay for the privilege.
New L-mount lenses
The S1H works with the same S-series optics as the S1 and S1R, which currently includes the Lumix S Pro 50mm f/1.4, Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/4 O.I.S. and the Lumix S Pro 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. lenses, although it's also set to work with L-mount options from L-mount alliance partners, Leica and Sigma.
Image credit: Panasonic
Additionally, Panasonic has re-iterated that it will be making 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8 and 16-35mm f/4 lenses available later this year for the system, something it disclosed earlier in the year in its roadmap for the line.
Two teleconverters have also been announced for the S series, namely the DMW-STC14 and DMW-STC20, which apply a respective conversion of 1.4x and 2x. These are set to work with the existing S PRO 70-200mm f/4 O.I.S. and upcoming 70-200mm f/2.8 S lens,
Panasonic S1H price and availability
The S1H will be available in the fall at a price of $4,000 in the US, although pricing for the UK and Australia has not been confirmed as of yet.
The DMW-STC14 and DMW-STC20 teleconverters, meanwhile, will retail at £489.99 and £579.99 respectively in the UK. Pricing for the US and Australia has not been confirmed.
Panasonic has finally revealed full details of its Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens.
The optic, which is said to be the world's fastest constant-aperture f/1.7 wide-angle zoom, is compatible with the company's G-series cameras like the G9, in addition to other Micro Four Thirds models, rather than its new full-frame S1 and S1R bodies.
Panasonic first announced development of the lens back at last year's Photokina event in September, and the official unveiling follows leaks of the specs and images.
The lens boasts an effective focal length of 20-50mm in 35mm-equivalent terms, and has a constant maximum aperture of f/1.7. Panasonic has designed the optic with 17 elements spread across 12 groups, with three aspherical elements among these, on top of four with extra-low dispersion properties.
The lens can be stopped down to f/16, and can focus as close as 28cm from the subject, giving a maximum magnification of 0.28x in 35mm terms. Its nine diaphragm blades, meanwhile, are claimed to produce a rounded diaphragm for attractive bokeh.
As a more premium offering in Panasonic's lens portfolio, it's no surprise to find the casing has been protected against dust and splashes, and Panasonic claims that it remains operational when used in conditions as low as -10C. It weighs 690g and measures 128 x 87.6mm, and accepts filters with a 77mm diameter via a thread at its front.
As with other recent G-series lenses, the optic communicates at a rate of 240fps with the host body, and this is said to help it deliver fast focusing speeds. The lens also sports a focus clutch system that allows for focus to be quickly alternated between autofocus and manual.
Panasonic has also crafted the lens with the videographer in mind, partly thanks to the inner focus system, which helps focus to be discreet, but also through a design that's said to minimize focus breathing. The de-clicked aperture ring also allows the aperture to be adjusted smoothly and without any noise during recording, while a further micro-step drive system also make these adjustments discreet when panning and zooming.
Panasonic has set a retail price of £1,799.99 for the lens in the UK and it should be available from July 15. Pricing for other territories will be made available shortly.
Apple could be retiring its iconic music software next week, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
The report came out on Friday – just three days ahead of Apple’s WWDC 2019 keynote – and it gives some key details on the Cupertino-based company’s plan to bring the apps we use on iPhones like Apple Music, Apple TV and Podcasts to macOS.
This could be problematic, as any iPhones currently use iTunes to manage backups and stored data but, according to Bloomberg's report, that could all be moved to the new Apple Music app.
Should these plans come to fruition, Tim Cook will likely explain the shift in full detail on Monday, but it seems like a smart move considering how much the music software is responsible for and how bloated it’s become in the last few years.
Three apps could certainly spread the workload some... although it comes at the cost of one of the world’s most-recognized pieces of software.
Is this iTunes' final overture?
What Bloomberg's sources didn't say is how long the migration from iTunes to Apple Music would take – if it will happen immediately or if Apple will draw it out for months.
While we'll still need specifics from Apple as to how the transition would work, it seems like an easy job porting your music library over to Apple Music and all your movies and shows to the Apple TV app. For the last two years Apple has used Music in lieu of iTunes on iOS, and – incessant offers to sign up for a monthly subscription aside – the change was barely noticeable.
Either way, we'll get full details on Monday morning at Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote.
Apple might also tell us a bit more about its Apple Arcade service...
First unveiled at CES this year, the nreal light augmented reality smartglasses are now available in both a consumer and developer edition.
The company has managed to bring AR smartglasses to the masses in a simple, yet wearable sunglass-like design that is much more approachable than Google Glass was when it launched in 2014.
The nreal light Consumer Kit will retail for $499 and includes one pair of the company's smartglasses that can be connected via a USB-C cable directly to compatible 'XR optimized devices'. The device itself is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform and allows users to enjoy immersive content on the go.
Head of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, Hugo Swart explained how the company worked together with nreal to ensure Snapdragon smartphone support, saying:
"nreal light provides a light-weight XR Viewer that allows consumers to take advantage of 5G including high bandwidth and low latency to deliver immersive experiences virtually anywhere. We worked closely with nreal to ensure Snapdragon smartphone compatibility and ecosystem integration to transform the way people connect and consume entertainment, and to further advance XR to make it the next generation of mobile computing."
nreal light
In addition to offering advanced AR capabilities at a reasonable price, the nreal light will also allow users to stream latency-free mixed reality content over 5G networks.
Nreal has partnered with a number of carriers worldwide to offer 5G services for its smartglasses including China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, KT, LG Uplus, Softbank and Swisscom.
Developers looking to create applications and experiences for the platform can do so using the nreal light Developer Kit which includes a pair of nreal light glasses, a 3 DoF controller and the company's proprietary computing pack for $1,199.
Interested developers can apply on nreal's website where they will be prompted to fill in information regarding their previous development projects and project ideas for the device. Developers will be selected on a rolling basis to purchase the nreal light Developer kit which will begin shipping in September.
Nreal will also provide developers with an SDK which can be used to migrate existing applications to the platform or to create new ones.
We’ve been in Taiwan at Computex 2019, checking out what tech companies envision for the future of computing gadgets. There, manufacturers have shown off new laptops, monitors, desktop computers and, most importantly, a whole host of components that can go inside.
With so many new components appearing at Computex, it can be easy to lose track of the biggest and most exciting ones. So, we’ve set out to round up our picks for the best revealed at the show, letting you find them all in one place. Here, we’ll lay out al the best PC components from Computex 2019, so you can start planning your next PC build or get excited for future devices.
Check out all of TechRadar'sComputex 2019coverage. We're live in Taipei to bring you all the breaking computing news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from fresh laptops and desktops to powerful new components and wild overclocking demonstrations.
AMD was all but guaranteed to dominate Computex 2019, thanks to the anticipated announcements of 3rd-Generation Ryzen processors (CPUs) built on the 7-nanometer (nm) Zen 2 architecture. And, AMD delivered. The new Ryzen 3rd-Gen chips were announced with staggering core counts up to 12 cores and 24 threads.
The company is launching the new CPUs on July 7, and has an initial lineup of an 8-core Ryzen 7 3700X at $329 (about £260 or AU$475), a 10-core Ryzen 7 3800X at $399 (about £315 / AU$575), and the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X at $499 (about £395 / AU$720). In a benchmark, the Ryzen 7 3800X went toe-to-toe with the Intel Core i9-9900K and performed evenly while costing substantially less.
The launch of an AMD Navi graphics card was just a sweet little extra.
A new era of storage speed is coming by way of PCIe 4.0, the new interface coming to motherboards with incredible bandwidth. And, taking advantage of the new interface’s speeds is Gigabyte’s Aorus NVMe SSD, which can outpace previous SSDs by over 40%.
The new SSD will need a new motherboard with the PCIe 4.0 interface, but when it’s paired with one, it can hit sequential read speeds of 5,000MB/s and sequential write speeds of 4,400MB/s. That’s a huge leap over even Samsung’s new 970 Evo Plus SSD.
While Intel had some more typical computer components to show off at Computex 2019, outlining its vision for the future, the slickest among them was the Intel NUC Compute Element. The company has put out plenty of NUCs before, which have been small barebones PCs. But, this one is a small card that can slot into a chassis to easily upgrade existing hardware.
In other words, you could have a laptop with a big screen, speakers, keyboard and ports, and when it’s time to upgrade, you’d just slide out the old card and slide in the new card. Everything else would remain. The NUC Compute Element will be available in the first half of 2020.
Intel’s 10nm Ice Lake processors are finally coming, and they’ll appear in laptops later this year. While they’re not going to be your standard desktop CPUs, and they won’t go head to head with AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs, they will power capable new laptops.
But, perhaps most exciting is the trick that Ice Lake CPUs have up their sleeves. The new CPUs will come with Intel’s Gen11 graphics, which offer a substantial boost from the previous integrated graphics and may even be able to handle even some AAA PC games.
In partnership with Lenovo, Qualcomm as announced a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) called the Snapdragon 8cx. The new computing system will not only be a 7nm platform for mobile computers, but it will also deliver 5G connectivity to laptops.
While 5G is still a nascent technology, rolling out slowly and lacking anything close to the level of coverage offered by 4G LTE, it will be the future connectivity standard. Laptops with 5G connectivity built-in will be able to take advantage of the high bandwidth and low latency of the connection, making them even more capable of taking advantage of cloud computing.
Apple is still at the top, this time around, selling 12.8 million units of its wearable Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats headphones, for a 49.5% YoY growth.
The ongoing trade war between the US and China is showing no sign of slowing down and it could actually get worse as China has announced plans to follow in the US' footsteps by creating a blacklist of its own.
The US recently created an Entity List filled with unreliable foreign firms that could jeopardize its national security and now China is preparing to do the same.
Spokesperson for China's commerce ministry, Gao Feng revealed that the nation will create an “entity list” that will include foreign businesses that have either stopped or limited their work with Chinese firms, saying:
“Foreign enterprises, organisations or individuals that do not comply with market rules, deviate from a contract’s spirit or impose blockades or stop supplies to Chinese enterprises for non-commercial purposes, and seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, will be included on a list of ‘unreliable entities.”
Chinese retaliation
The announcement of China's own blacklist comes just weeks after the US Commerce Department created an entity list that required American companies to get government approval before conducting business with Huawei and other Chinese firms.
However, a 90-day reprieve has been granted which would allow Google and other companies to offer critical support to Huawei.
Google, Intel, Qualcomm and several other American firms have begun to curtail their business agreements with Huawei following the US ban on the company.
Just as the US blacklist has, a Chinese blacklist could have huge implications for Silicon Valley tech giants that operate in the country.
You've just invested in a brand new SIM-free phone, or maybe your contract has ended but you've formed a sentimental attachment to the phone you've been lugging around for the past two years. No matter your situation, you need a new SIM only deal.
You could just grab the cheapest SIMO possible and be done with it, or you could go big and live in big data luxury. Considering how affordable big data SIM only deals have become recently, its not so much a question of "can I afford more data?" as much as "why haven't I gone for this before?" And once again, it's the Three network that's leading the way.
Amazon has reportedly expressed interest in buying Boost Mobile from US carriers T-mobile and Sprint as the ecommerce giant looks to expand its current offerings.
According to Reuters, two sources familiar with the matter revealed that Amazon is considering buying the prepaid wireless service as the deal would grant it access to use new T-Mobile's wireless network for at least six years.
New T-Mobile is the name T-Mobile and Sprint are currently using to refer to the new entity that will result from the potential merger of the two US telecoms.
Additionally, Amazon is also interested in purchasing any wireless spectrum that could be made available as a result of the merger.
Boost Mobile
The question as to why Amazon would be interested in purchasing the wireless network and spectrum remains unclear but the company has been known to explore new ventures. Providing wireless service in addition to its current offerings could help it better compete against Google and other tech giants.
As part of their planned $26bn merger, T-Mobile and Sprint have already pledged to sell Boost to reduce their market share in the prepaid wireless business as they seek regulatory approval for the deal. The two carriers are also considering selling off wireless spectrum to help the merger get approved.
If approved, the merger would leave the US with three wireless carriers instead of four and this has raised concerns among consumer advocates that the deal could lead to an increase in wireless prices.
The sale of Boost Mobile could earn T-Mobile and Sprint up to $3bn according to potential bidders.
