John Lister

Audi will soon fit its cars with a technology that can coordinate with traffic lights in several US cities. According to Audi, the feature is being billed as more about convenience, rather than a safety measure. The new feature is being built into ... an existing navigation and information service called Audi Connect, which carries a $25 a month service fee. The feature will involve an extra display on the dashboard that coordinates wirelessly with traffic signals and shows the driver how long they have until the light will turn green if at a full stop. The theory is that this will let drivers ... (view more)

Google says a set of security flaws on Android devices may not be as serious as initially feared. It says 90 percent of devices should be largely immune from what's been dubbed the "Quadrooter" exploit. A security research company found the problem ... in software which works with processors manufactured by Qualcomm, which are used in an estimated 900 million Android devices. The bugs affect the communication between different actions (known as processes) running on the phone at the same time. The name of the exploit (Quadrooter) comes from the fact that there are four ... (view more)

Facebook says it will stop ad-blocking software from working on its website. It says ads are a core part of using Facebook, but will give users more control over which ads they see. Andrew Bosworth, who heads up Facebook's advertising division, ... announced the move in a blog post and followed up with comments to the Wall Street Journal. In the post, he accused the makers of ad-blocking tools of accepting money from advertisers to let their ads through, rather than block them. According to Bosworth, that's a sign ad-blocker makers don't always have the user's best interests at ... (view more)

Hulu is ditching its free TV service, though it will still be available in a different form. Analysts believe the move was forced on it by the television industry. Up until now, Hulu users had three options for streaming video online. The free, ... basic service let users watch many network and cable shows the day after broadcast - but only if users watched commercials. In most cases, the five most recent episodes of a show were available online. Customers can also pay $7.99 a month for a "limited commercials" option, or $11.99 a month to cut out commercials altogether. Both of these ... (view more)

Washington state officials are suing Comcast for allegedly misleading customers over a service protection plan. The cable and broadband company is accused of selling a $4.99 a month plan that many customers didn't need, and which fell short of its ... promises. The Comcast "Service Protection Plan" is promoted as covering the costs that would normally apply when a Comcast technician visits a home. The promotion claimed to have covered "all chargeable service calls for 3 ... XFINITY services without additional service fees." Many Repairs Free, Anyhow According to the state ... (view more)

Users of Android smartphones and tablets will soon get an instant warning when somebody attempts to log in to their Google account. The notification comes as an on-screen message, rather than by email. The new feature is designed to enhance ... two-factor authentication. That's an optional feature which means that if somebody tries to sign in to a Google account on another device, they will have to wait for a security code to be sent via email, text message or through a dedicated app so that they can continue to login to the account. If no code or the improper code is entered, then the ... (view more)

Just days after the deadline for free upgrades to Windows 10 passed (July 29, 2016), the first Windows 10 loophole has emerged. Reports suggest that users with disabilities can still claim the free Windows 10 upgrade, but proving eligibility appears ... to be nothing more than an honor check. For most users, the deadline for the free Windows 10 upgrade offer has passed and attempting to download and install Windows 10 from Microsoft's website now brings up only an option to buy the system, which costs $120 for the standard Home edition. However, Microsoft also has a separate page for people ... (view more)

Are smart devices a security risk? Security firm Rapid 7 seems to think so. According to the researchers, a range of Internet-connected light bulbs had at least nine security flaws. While the potential consequences are hardly life or death, it could ... be a blow to the concept of smart devices in the home. Osram's Lightify range of light bulbs lets users control lighting via a smartphone or tablet app. The idea is partly to allow more precise controls, such as dimming a bulb or even changing its color, and partly to allow users to remotely access the lights. For example, if a home owner is ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced several new features for its Office applications. They include a new research tool and improved spell check facilities in MS Word. The new features will be rolled out automatically to users of the online Office 365, rather ... than having users download and install the updates or upgrade to a new edition. (Source: office.com ) Microsoft Word has two major changes, dubbed Researcher and Editor. The Researcher tool is for exploring online information without leaving the document editing window, while the Editor tool enhances and simplifies spell check and grammar. Tool Only ... (view more)

The Windows 10 "Anniversary Update" is out this week and those who've already tried it are generally impressed. However, it doesn't seem like enough to push skeptics over the edge. The update is scheduled to start rolling out next Tuesday, two days ... after the deadline to get a free upgrade to Windows 10, which is July 29, 2016. It's arguably the biggest set of updates since the system debuted last summer. There's only one significant feature that's completely new, named Windows Ink. It's designed mainly for use with stylus and pens on touchscreen devices. ... (view more)