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The report, from the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, said too many senior government officials lack the “know-how for making good decisions and to drive digital business change”. The committee also found it had “no clear plane to replace or modernize legacy systems and data” that are critical to public service delivery. SEE: Innovation is hard. Here are five ways to make it easier “Legacy systems, some of which date back to the 1970s, are widespread across government, which relies on them for important services such as managing the UK’s borders and paying the state pension,” the committee said....

But if USB-C is so good, why is the iPhone still stuck using Lightning? Good question. Maybe because shifting would result in masses of e-waste? Or maybe because Apple gets money every time a company licenses the use of the port? But whatever the reason, its days could be numbered. According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15 will likely drop Lightning for USB-C. Another possible reason driving this – think of all the money Apple can make from selling new accessories!...

“You’re familiar with the hype cycle, right?” he asked ZDNET last week, ahead of the company’s annual event, Autodesk University. For those who are not familiar with it, the “peak hype” phase is followed by a “trough of disillusionment”. Nevertheless, Autodesk is all-in on the concept of the metaverse. The company makes software widely used by “makers” – that includes architects and engineers, product designers and manufacturers, as well as media and entertainment professionals....

A stand for the HomePod Mini smart speaker is not something I ever thought I’d use or want, but I was slightly intrigued. Review: Apple HomePod (2023): Way better sound quality than HomePod Mini The stand has three legs made out of real wood, with a metal ring in the middle that acts as a base for the HomePod Mini. There’s no setup, because, well, it’s a stand. You take it out of the box, put the HomePod Mini on it, and you’re done....

The brainchild of Zurich-based Suitart, the custom tailored “Diamond Armor” is a bulletproof, diamond-encrusted suit which looks classy but keeps security first. Diamond Armor is certified bulletproof by NATO standards, waterproof thanks to nano-technology sealing and has an EMPA air conditioning system in-built to keep the wearer cool. The style-conscious are unlikely to be disappointed, as the suit is encrusted with over 880 black diamonds with a carat weight of over 140 decorating the lapel and buttons....

The worldwide economic conditions combined with decreased consumer demand will cause contraction as the surge in buying over the past two years subsides. SEE: Decline in PC shipments suggests consumers are tightening their belts Further contraction is also expected in 2023 as consumer demand slows, education demand is largely fulfilled, and enterprise demand gets pushed out due to worsening macro-economic conditions. “With economic headwinds gaining speed, we expect worsening consumer sentiment to result in further consumer market contractions over the next six quarters,” said Linn Huang, research vice president for devices and displays at IDC....

By upskilling individuals to manage a team of robots, mundane tasks can be left to the machines while experts handle big picture thinking and overall management of the warehouse. But where do decision makers, who often see a need but don’t have technical expertise in automation, start looking? Where are the opportunities and what’s at stake for companies that don’t adapt? To gain insights into these and other questions about this new role and growing opportunity, I reached out to Bryan Siegal, VP, Customer Success, Vecna Robotics, as well as Mahesh Nikam, Shape Excellence System Manager, Shape Corp....

So, what’s my verdict on the $799 Apple Watch Ultra? It’s complicated, and the easiest way to distill my thoughts is to look at the good, the bad, and what’s missing. Before I continue, here are a few points I want to make. Firstly, over the past week, I’ve not run an ultra-marathon, jumped off cliffs, swam with sharks, or climbed Everest. While I do venture into the outdoors for more mundane hiking and cycling and photo/video adventures, I have to be honest and say that I’ve mostly been using Apple Pay in coffee shops, rather than using the siren to summon help after losing a fight with a grizzly....

Disclosure: ZDNet may earn an affiliate commission from some of the products featured on this page. ZDNet and the author were not compensated for this independent review. 

I first experienced spatial audio with the Apple AirPods Pro and loved it even more on the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Dolby Head Tracking is a similar head-tracking sound feature and the LG Tone FREE T90Q is the world’s first Dolby Atmos earbuds to have it. That said, I’ve been quite impressed by the earbuds’ comfortability, long battery life, and bacteria-killing UV light. But are they worth the $229 asking price?...

But if you’re a hobbyist, then you don’t really want to be dropping over $100 on an all-singing, all-dancing USB power meter that does it all. For most folks, a power meter that shows the basics is all that’s needed. Also: This powerful, pocket-sized gadget is perfect for all your USB troubleshooting needs And this is what the ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 offers. ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 tech specs Length: 1.5 m/5 ft....

If you live in any cities delineated on the map, you may spot these electric vans delivering your holiday goodies to your doorstep. Also: The best early Black Friday deals under $30

Yesterday it said it had no set date for a return to the office and also outlined a slew of new features for Teams that would support hybrid-working arrangements, including: AI-enabled third-party cameras for Teams Rooms where workers are present and remote; a PowerPoint feature dubbed ‘Cameo’ that uses a Teams camera to create a talking head next to slides in a presentation; richer in-room features for Companion Mode in Teams mobile and quicker controls for mute and disabling cameras; better hotdesking support for Teams displays; and Teams support for Apple CarPlay for hands-free meetings using Siri....

Consider this: Every time you sign up for a site/service or make an online purchase, you use an email address. That email address can be used by trackers to keep tabs on your behavior. No one wants that, which is why DuckDuckGo has released the beta of its email protection service to the public at large. What is DuckDuckGo’s email protection? Simply put, the DuckDuckGo email protection allows you to define your actual email address with the service, and then, when you need to use an email address online, you then use DuckDuckGo to create either a personal or private “Duck” address for the website in question....

Here are the four key findings of the report: To better understand the impact on business based on these key trends, I connected with one of the world’s top customer service and support experts in the world. Michael Maoz is senior vice president, of Innovation Strategy at Salesforce. Prior to joining Salesforce, Maoz was Research Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner, serving as the research leader for the customer service and support strategies area....

Total novices can dive right in with the “AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Course.” It teaches you how to design secure solutions with AWS, so you can pass the certification exam to become a Solutions Architect Associate. Get a twofer with “AWS Machine Learning Using Python 2022” and learn Python programming, as well as AWS Rekognition machine learning, with lots of hands-on instruction. Companies are actively searching for AWS professionals who can help them move into the cloud, and “AWS Cloud Migration for IT Professionals” teaches you how to do that....

The earbuds operate at a Bluetooth frequency range of 2.402-2.480GHz and a maximum output power of –6 to +4dBm. Upon opening the case I was concerned that the battery was low. Both Flybuds have an LED that flashes red as soon as I opened the case. The case however has a four-bar indicator that showed that the case was fully charged. Connecting to Bluetooth is really quick – I did not have time to put them fully in my ears before I heard the ‘connected’ voice prompt....

Trickbot began its journey as a relatively simple Banking Trojan alongside the likes of Zeus, Agent Tesla, Dridex, and DanaBot. However, after the Dyre botnet was retired in 2016 and the infrastructure supporting the prolific Emotet botnet was disrupted by Europol and the FBI last year, more attention has been paid to Trickbot activities. The malware is modular, which means that users can adapt the software to conduct a wide range of attacks – and these assaults can be tailored depending on the desired victims....

According to the new report, a total of 46.7 million reviews were submitted to the service during 2021, representing a quarter of all reviews ever submitted to it since its 2007 launch. As the number of reviews submitted to Trustpilot surged, so too did the number of fake review removals. The service counted some 2.7 million fraudulent reviews it removed over the course of 2021. Of this total, Trustpilot claims 1....

Australia’s Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk on Friday said US-based Uber Technologies Inc and Dutch-based Uber B.V. failed to appropriately protect the personal data of an estimated 1.2 million Australian customers and drivers, when it was accessed from a breach in October and November 2016. It came to light in late 2017 that hackers had stolen data pertaining to 57 million Uber riders worldwide, as well data on more than 600,000 drivers....