Cyber attackers battered Poland after the country’s change of government late last year. DDoS attacks at the end of 2023 were nearly quadruple the country’s average, according to cybersecurity firm NetScout’s observations. The surge began when the Law and Justice party (PiS) lost its majority in last year’s Polish general election. PiS had ruled the country since 2015. It was replaced by a coalition government, which reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion. NetScout described these developments as “a perfect storm” for adversaries. Several hacktivist gangs promptly responded with a barrage of cyberattacks. The most notable group was NoName057, which…
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Source:: The Next Web
Google this week once again said it will delay plans to eliminate third-party identity tracking software — cookies — from its Chrome browser and from Android OS. Now, it plans to remove them by 2025.
The tech giant said the latest delay is due to “ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers.”
As far back as 2019, Google was telling users it planned to limit third-party cookies and phase them out in Chrome and other Chromium open-source browsers by 2022. In 2020, it delayed its plans to eliminate them through its Privacy Sandbox initiative. Then in 2022, Google pushed back its plans to 2023. And last year, it delayed the plans again — to the second half of 2024.
In January, it again said it would find alternatives to cookies for identifying users and discovering their habits, but was pushing back plans to eliminate trackers.
“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem,” Google wrote in a blog post this week.
“For marketers, the message is clear: get off cookies now,” said said Ken Weiner, chief technology officer at digital advertising platform GumGum. “Most of the industry, including mobile and other browsers like Safari, have already moved away from cookies or never used them in the first place. Don’t wait for Google’s shifting timeline to take action; the transition should be happening now. Keep in mind that regardless of cookies, the web’s future—driven by consumer preferences and regulatory changes—is identity-less. Contextual targeting is the best way forward.”
Google has been working with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Information Commissions Office (ICO) on its plans to use its Privacy Sandbox instead of cookies. The British regulatory authority and others have voiced concerns about Google’s plan, saying it could “unfairly hinder competition” by giving preference to Google’s own advertising products, which would increase the company’s market dominance.
“We remain committed to engaging closely with the CMA and ICO and we hope to conclude that process this year,” the company said. “Assuming we can reach an agreement, we envision proceeding with third-party cookie deprecation starting early next year.”
A cookie is a small file that is downloaded onto a computer when the user visits a website. They can do helpful things, such as remembering preferences, recording what has been added to a shopping basket, and counting the number of people viewing a website. They can also use a person’s identity to allow third parties to bombard users with emails and targeted online ads.
Cookies often ingest and retain sensitive consumer information such as login credentials, personally identifiable information, and browsing history. As a result, the move away from cookies should help reduce some cybersecurity risks.
Over the past few years, the online advertising industry has been undergoing a sea change as regulators restricted how cookies can be used and browser providers moved away from them in response to consumer outcries over privacy. “They often feel surveilled; some even find it ‘creepy’ that a website can show them ads related to their behavior elsewhere,” according to a recent study by the HEC Paris Business School.
Google has said its Privacy Sandbox project will create new standards for websites to access user information without compromising privacy by sharing a subset of user information without relying on third-party cookies. “It will provide publishers with safer alternatives to existing technology, so they can continue building digital businesses while your data stays private,” the company said on its website.
For Android device users, Google will introduce new solutions that operate without cross-app identifiers — including Google Play services’s Advertising ID, which will limit data sharing with third parties and offer a user-resettable, and user-deletable ID for advertising.
Google Chrome, which is used for about 66% of all internet traffic, impacts more consumers than any other browser, so changing the way it tracks users would also have market-changing consequences.
“In the short term, there will be some disruption with advertisers struggling to market themselves effectively,” said Roger Beharry Lall, research director for IDC’s Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications practice. “This may seem good for consumers who are ‘cookie free.’ However, there will likely just be more irrelevant ads flooding the media trying to find an audience. So, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword.”
Browser Security, Browsers, Chrome, Chrome OS, Privacy
Source:: Computer World
Apple has cut Vision Pro production due to low demand for the $3,500 mixed reality headset, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst at TF International Securities.
Apple reduced shipments to between 400,000 and 500,000 units for the year, despite “market expectations” of around sales of 700,000 to 800,000 units, Kuo said in a blog post Wednesday.
Apple cut orders ahead of a planned international launch for the device, said Kuo,
Because of a sharp fall-off in demand in the US, Kuo had earlier claimed that between 160,000 and 180,000 of the spatial computing devices were sold in preorders before the February launch. But sales quickly slowed after that early burst of interest and Apple now takes a “conservative view” of demand outside of the US, Kuo said this week. (Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported this week that demand for Vision Pro demos in Apple stores has also fallen off significantly as interest waned.)
Apple now expects Vision Pro shipments to decline year on year in 2025, Kuo said, prompting Apple to review and adjust its product roadmap; plans for a second Vision Pro in 2025 are now reportedly on hold.
Apple may shed more light on the situation when it releases its Q2 financial results next Thursday.
Wider predictions for Vision Pro sales have varied significantly, and it’s difficult to point to a consensus on market expectations. According to an Ars Technica report in June 2023, Wedbush Securities forecast around 150,000 units in the first year of sales; Morgan Stanley expected sales of around 850,000; and Goldman Sachs predicted sales as high as 5 million.
It was rumored that Apple initially hoped to sell 1 million of the devices in the first year on sale, according to a Financial Times report in 2023; that expectation was later revised down due to production issues.
Morgan Stanley analysts predicted in January that Apple would ship between 300,000 and 400,000 headsets in 2024, according to a CNBC report, while a Wedbush analyst put the figure at 600,000 units for the year, according to Business Insider.
Kuo himself forecast sales of around 500,000 units for 2024, according to a January blog post.
What seems clear is that the Vision Pro will make up a relatively small part of the total market for AR/VR devices, which remains a niche product category.
While the first-generation device is powerful and impressive, said Ramon Llamas, research director with IDC’s devices and displays team, consumers still need to be convinced of its value and utility.
“As a multimedia consumption device, it is pushed up hard against consumers’ large screen televisions and computers,” he said. As a workplace productivity device, he added, it “remains to be seen exactly how it increases efficiency and productivity altogether.
“On top of this, the price most likely makes a lot of people balk,” said Llamas.
The wider market for AR/VR devices is expected to return to growth in 2024, up 44% from the previous year to 9.7 million units, according to IDC data. This follows a tough year in 2023, when headset sales declined 23.5%.
Meanwhile, Apple touted the enterprise potential of the Vision Pro earlier this month.
“There’s tremendous opportunity for businesses to reimagine what’s possible using Apple Vision Pro at work,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations and enterprise marketing, said in a blog post, pointing to VisionOS apps from the likes of SAP, Lowe’s, Porsche, and others.
Apple, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality
Source:: Computer World
Demand for industrial robots is rising in Europe, especially driven by the benefits of automation. However, there are ongoing challenges in ensuring seamless collaboration with humans while maintaining safety. To address this issue, a consortium of European universities, technology accelerators, and private research labs is launching the RoboSAPIENs project. The aim is to build the necessary safety mechanisms with a particular focus on adaptive industrial robots — a category of autonomous robots that can learn new behaviours without being reprogrammed and adapt to changes in their system structure or environment. One eye-catching ambition targets a big problem for adaptive robots:…
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Source:: The Next Web
By Hisan Kidwai
If you’ve shopped for headphones before, you’d know that finding a good pair of ANC headphones…
The post Sennheiser Accentum Review: Best Midrange ANC Headphones? appeared first on Fossbytes.
Source:: Fossbytes
By Hisan Kidwai
While emulation has been around for over a decade, Apple’s recent decision to allow game emulators…
The post 5 Websites to Download Free Emulator ROMs for iPhone & Android appeared first on Fossbytes.
Source:: Fossbytes
Meta will license the software underpinning its Quest headsets to third-party hardware manufacturers in a bid to spur wider adoption of mixed-reality technology.
Access to Horizon OS — the operating system used in Quest devices — should reduce barriers to market for hardware makers seeking to create new products, Meta said. And software developers will benefit from a larger audience for mixed-reality apps that can be sold in Meta’s Horizon app store (formerly Quest Store).
“Developers will have a much larger range of hardware that can run their apps, and more device makers will expand their market to a wider range of users, much like we’ve seen with PCs and smartphones,” Meta said in a blog post Monday.
The push for an open ecosystem offers Meta a chance to build on its early dominance in the AR/VR market, say analysts, while lowering the barrier for entry to hardware makers.
“This is a smart move for Meta to diversify their hardware ecosystem, while also working to make Meta Horizon OS the standard mixed-reality headset OS,” said Will McKeon-White, senior analyst at Forrester.“Before, they were effectively dependent on Oculus sales — this decouples their OS from their headset and hardware efforts.”
Based on a modified version of Google’s Android operating system, Meta’s Horizon OS is the result of a decade of work to build virtual and mixed reality products, the company said. Meta has spent billions of dollars in recent years to create devices such as the Quest 3 and Quest Pro. This includes adding features such as real-time video pass-through, “inside-out” tracking that tracks a user’s movements and position, and spatial anchors that allow digital objects to be fixed in physical space.
Several companies have already lined up to incorporate Horizon OS into their hardware: Lenovo, Asus, and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming business.
Asus and Xbox will focus on gaming, while Lenovo — which previously partnered with Meta to produce the Oculus Rift S — will develop headsets targeted at “productivity, learning and development,” Meta said. It may take a couple of years before the devices are available, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an Instagram video message Monday.
By opening its OS to others in the market, Meta is “taking a page out of the Google playbook,” said Ramon Llamas, research director with IDC’s devices and displays team, referencing Android’s position in the smartphone and smartwatch markets.
“Google put together the platform and a bunch of vendors ran with it,” he said, noting that Google’s own hardware competes with partners such as Samsung and others that rely on Android.
As with Android on smartphones, access to a pre-existing software ecosystem is a big draw for mixed-reality headset vendors, particularly at an early stage of the market when demand remains low.
Creating a mixed-reality headset is a significant engineering challenge for hardware makers, Llamas said, and the need to also build the underlying software compounds the issue. “Especially if you’re a small player, that’s a terrific hurdle to cross,” he said.
Some of those issues are now being removed, however. Headset vendors can now get specialized VR chipsets from Qualcomm, with a software platform available from Meta. “That’s an attractive value proposition — this is going to remove a lot of barriers for a lot of companies,” said Llamas.
A more mature ecosystem could help drive customer adoption. By incorporating Meta’s Horizon OS, hardware vendors could find it easier to convince customers they have the requisite apps and ecosystem to support their product, said Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.
Despite the potential benefits, hardware vendors need to consider whether partnering with Meta is the right strategy. “It remains to be seen who else is going to jump on board,” he said. “There’s a lot to like, but do your due diligence and make sure this is a good fit for you.”
Meta is the dominant player in AR/VR market, accounting for over 60% of units sold in Q4 of 2023, according to IDC data. It’s a large chunk of a relatively small market, with IDC forecasting 9.7 million devices will be sold globally this year.
Though demand for mixed-reality devices has not yet taken off, Meta faces competition on several fronts. The launch of Apple’s Vision Pro earlier this year provided a new rival (alongside validation of the device category), though Apple’s costly device is only expected to sell a few hundred thousand units this year.
Google is also expected to provide the operating system for Samsung’s mixed-reality headset that’s due to launch later this year. While Google is the major challenger to Apple’s mobile ecosystem with Android, the extent of its ambitions in the AR/VR market remain aren’t clear at this stage.
Meta, which has made the biggest investment in mixed-reality technologies in recent years, has an early advantage, said Sag, with a relatively strong library of 3D apps compared to Google and Apple; the latter two are effectively starting from scratch with their own software efforts.
The decision to provide access to its OS could provide another advantage going forward. “Meta has the headstart here…, opening their ecosystem and making development easier will be a challenge to Apple and Google and will ultimately benefit everyone, with more competition among ecosystems,” said Sag.
For mixed-reality device customers, increased competition in the market should be good news.
“The real winner in all this is going to be the end user,” said Llamas. “It’s going to be the consumer for now, and it’s going to be the enterprise user shortly thereafter.”
Augmented Reality, Google, Virtual Reality
Source:: Computer World
Dutch car-sharing platform SnappCar, which claims to be the largest of its kind in the Netherlands, has been fully acquired by AutoBinck Group — a shareholder in the scaleup since its founding in 2011. The ownership change also sees the return of SnappCar’s founder, Victor van Tol, in the role of the CEO. Van Told told local newspaper mt/sprout that the acquisition will enable faster decisions and eliminate the need for external investments. AutoBinck, which specialises in mobility and energy solutions, has a turnover of approximately €1bn. According to the two companies, the deal aims to support SnappCar’s further growth.…
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Or just read more coverage about: Airbnb
Source:: The Next Web
A startup promising “universal AI compute” has joined France’s thriving artificial intelligence sector. Paris-based FlexAI emerged from stealth today with a €28.5mn war chest and an ambitious plan to “unlock the future of machine intelligence.” To pick that lock, FlexAI is rearchitecting compute infrastructure. The startup’s centrepiece is an on-demand cloud service. Set to launch later this year, the product will enable developers to build and train AI applications with heterogeneous compute architectures. An integrated software layer will abstract and orchestrate the workload to the optimal architecture. As a result, users can apply multiple hardware configurations without complex code changes.…
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Source:: The Next Web
Has there ever been something as simultaneously invaluable and irritating as our modern-day device notifications?
All the beeps, bloops, and blorps our various gadgets send our way serve an important purpose, of course — at least in theory. They keep us attuned to our professional and personal networks and everything around ’em to make sure we never miss anything important.
But they also demand our attention, interrupt what we’re doing, and annoy us endlessly, often with stuff that really doesn’t require any immediate acknowledgment or reaction.
And while Android’s notification systems offer plenty of nuanced control over how different alerts do and don’t reach you, it still seems virtually impossible to avoid swimming in a sprawling sea of stuff in your phone’s notification panel at the end of each day.
So what if there were a better way — a smarter system that could monitor your incoming Android notifications for you, condense all the less pressing noise down into a single alert, and make sure you see only the messages, meetings, and reminders that really matter?
[Get fresh practical knowledge in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things to try every Friday!]
My friend and fellow Android-appreciating organism, have I got just the thing for you.
Brace yourself, dear biped: I’m about to draw your attention to one of the best and most powerful Android productivity tools out there — and one shockingly few mortal beings seem to be aware of.
Much like the Android app drawer enhancement we talked about the other day, it’s a perfect example of the type of advanced customization and efficiency-enhancing intelligence that’s possible only on Android. But you really have to be in the know to know about it.
Allow me to introduce you to a brilliant little somethin’ called BuzzKill.
BuzzKill is an Android app that, in the simplest possible terms, lets you create custom filters for your Android phone’s notifications — almost like Gmail filters, only for Android alerts instead of emails.
I’ve talked about BuzzKill before and shown you all the basics of how it works and what kinds of simple, insanely helpful things it can do for you. Today, I want to zone in on a specific new “experimental” feature the app recently started offering and why it might be worth your attention.
The feature is called Summarize. And it does exactly what you’d expect, from that name: It takes clusters of incoming notifications that meet certain conditions and then combines ’em together into a single, far less overwhelming and distraction-creating alert.
You might, for instance, ask BuzzKill to intercept all incoming notifications from your Android Messages app during the workday and combine ’em into one notification you can easily see at a glance when you’re ready to catch up. Or maybe you’d want it to collect all your incoming Slack alerts in the evenings and group those together to avoid a freeway-style backup at the top of your screen.
Heck, maybe you want it to watch for all notifications from Messages, Slack, and Gmail on the weekends, keep ’em all together in a single summarized notification, and then ding your phone incessantly if any of the incoming messages has a specific word or phrase indicating a need for immediate attention — something like, say, “urgent,” “broken,” or “holy humbuggery, what in the name of codswallop just happened?!”
Whatever the specifics, you’ll only have to think through and set up those parameters once. And from that moment forward, anytime notifications meeting your conditions come in, you’ll see something like this:
JR Raphael, IDG
Just a single combined alert for all that activity — not bad, right?
If there’s nothing particularly important, you can swipe it away in one swift gesture, using any finger you like (hint, hint; choose carefully). If you want to explore any of the summarized contents further, you can tap the “Expand” command in the notification’s corner to — well, y’know…

JR Raphael, IDG
Kinda handy, wouldn’t ya say?
Where BuzzKill’s powers really come into play are with all the extenuating circumstances you can set up — and how impossibly easy the app makes it to manage it all. All I did to get the above going was create a super-simple “if this, then that”-style rule within BuzzKill, like so:

JR Raphael, IDG
And then, to build in a supplementary rule that makes sure certain high-priority notifications stand out from that summary and grab my immediate attention, I created a second “if this, then that” guideline:

JR Raphael, IDG
See? Told ya it was easy!
And make no mistake about it: All of this all just scratching the surface of what BuzzKill can accomplish. One of my favorite ways to use it, for instance, is to keep low-priority notifications from interrupting me at all during the workday and instead have ’em batched together into a single evening-time delivery.

JR Raphael, IDG
I also rely on it to prevent rapid-fire back-to-back messages from buzzing my phone 7,000 times in seven seconds — a problem Android 15 appears poised to address, too, albeit in a much less nuanced and customizable way.

JR Raphael, IDG
The app’s new experimental notification summarization option is so interesting and packed with potential, though, I just had to share it with you once I really started exploring it and thinking through all the ways it could be helpful.
BuzzKill costs four bucks, as a one-time up-front payment. The app doesn’t require any unusual permissions, doesn’t collect any form of data from your phone, and doesn’t have any manner of access to the internet — meaning it’d have no way of sharing your information even if it wanted to.
It’s yet another illuminating illustration of the incredible productivity power Android provides us — a power anyone can embrace, with the right set of know-how.
And now, you have it. Happy filtering!
Learn all sorts of useful tech tricks with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things try every Friday — straight from me to you.
Android, Google, Mobile Apps, Productivity Software
Source:: Computer World
By Hisan Kidwai
Realme has been on a roll in 2024, with new phones launching every month. Keeping up…
The post Realme P1 5G Review: Best Budget Smartphone of 2024? appeared first on Fossbytes.
Source:: Fossbytes
A British startup aims to launch science satellites into space in 2025 after raising a fresh £2mn. Blue Skies Space has devised a unique business plan for the stargazers. They will be the first-ever science satellites that provide data directly to researchers via a membership model, the company said. The approach offers a new route to the secrets of our universe. Currently, researchers rely on government agencies such as NASA and ESA to access space data. Unfortunately, this supply doesn’t meet the demand. The James Webb Telescope, for instance, received 1,600 requests for observing time. Only of them 249 were selected. That equates to…
This story continues at The Next Web
Source:: The Next Web
In the simplest terms, iCloud Drive is Apple’s cross-platform cloud storage system that allows users to sync and store files, photos, videos, calendar events, contacts and other important data. iCloud Drive has been around since 2014, and while the platform is much more robust that it was in the early days, sometimes devices that rely on it don’t sync properly.
iCloud sync allows all of your devices to access the same updated data (or photos, videos, contacts, etc.), regardless of device. It’s usually reliable, but sometimes you’ll find content fails to sync between devices in the few seconds it should take. If this seems to be happening to you, these simple tricks can help get things running smoothly again.
Yes, iCloud should be syncing your data automatically. But if there are some things you don’t want synced across devices, you can specify what gets shared via iCloud in System Settings (macOS) and Settings (iOS). You can even turn it off completely if for some reason you don’t want your data to sync.
First, check to make sure you are running the latest version of macOS on your Mac, iOS on your iPad or iPhone, or Windows on a PC.
It also makes sense to double-check that iCloud services are working correctly before running through any other changes. You can visit Apple’s System Status page to make sure things are indeed up and running.
One of the first things to do is check Apple’s system status page for any outages.
Step two is to ensure you are logged into iCloud using the same Apple ID on all your devices. Go to icloud.com, login with your Apple ID and then tap iCloud Settings (either the gear-shaped box icon or by selecting it in the drop-down menu underneath your name at the top right of the iCloud browser window).
In the next window, you should see your storage space status and a row called My Devices. Are all the devices you want to sync included on the list? If not, it is possible they are not using the same Apple ID. (You can do quite a lot of useful things through iCloud’s online service).
Next, check all the devices that should be syncing. You must ensure these are configured to set time and date automatically and have iCloud Drive/Documents & Data enabled. Follow these steps:
iOS: Settings>Apple ID>iCloud>iCloud Drive. Toggle to On
Mac: System Preferences>iCloud>ensure all the iCloud services you want to sync are checked.
If you have a particularly balky app that isn’t syncing as it should, you’ll want to check System Settings (in macOS) or Settings (in iOS). Click on your Apple ID account, scroll down to iCloud, and check there to see which apps are using iCloud. If your iCloud access for the app isn’t on, you’ll want to enable it. If it’s there, toggle iCloud access off, then on again to (hopefully) get things in sync again.
If everything is syncing okay while you’re using Wi-Fi networks, but you run into problems while on a cellular network, you’ll want to make sure cellular access is turned on. You can check this in Settings (in iOS); scroll down to Cellular and check to make sure it’s enabled for the apps you use. Also, scroll all the way down to make sure iCloud Drive is enabled over cellular.
Once you know your system(s) are set up correctly, you can use this simple trick to force iCloud Contacts and Calendars to sync:
To refresh your iCloud Calendars, launch the app on your iOS device and tap the “Calendars” button at the bottom of the page. When you get to the next page just tap and hold your finger on the screen and drag the list down until the activity icon appears and release the page. The activity icon will spin briefly, and you should find iCloud has synced your calendars for you.
This also works with Contacts. Launch the app and select “Groups” on the All Contacts page. Once you are in Groups, just tap and hold your finger and drag the page down as you did for Calendars. The activity icon will appear, and your Contacts will be synced.
If you regularly experience sync problems with your iOS device(s) and you know your network is stable, then you should try logging out of your iCloud account on your iOS device or Mac, then log back in.
IMPORTANT: Before doing this, be certain to follow Apple’s extensive instructions to back up your iCloud data.

Sometimes, logging out of iCloud and then logging back in will clear up syncing problems.
Jonny EvansAt icloud.com you can see all of your devices in one place.
To log out, go to iCloud Settings/System Preferences and click Sign Out. You’ll have to respond to a series of prompts before this completes.
Restart your device, return to iCloud’s controls and sign back in. (Please make certain to use the same email address for your Apple ID across all your systems.)
Now you should re-enable all the iCloud features you want to use.
This process usually solves any sync problems you may have, though you may find it necessary to repeat this sequence on all your devices.
If problems persist then close and restart the relevant iCloud-enabled app: Contacts or Calendar, for example. Double-click the Home button (or swipe up to about halfway up the screen and hold for a second or so on iPhone X), swipe through your active apps and swipe up to close the app. (You can long press the app icon and then tap the X that appears on iPhone X.) Return to the Home screen and wait a few moments before launching the app again.
Another approach that sometimes works is to turn off iCloud Contacts and turn it on again. Go to Settings>Apple ID>iCloud, then turn off Contacts. Unless you have a copy of your contacts stored elsewhere, you should then choose Keep on My iPhone/iPad.
Wait a few moments and turn Contacts on again in Settings.
Never underestimate the power of a hard reset to resolve many iOS problems. To achieve a hard reset on iOS devices simply hold down the Power and Home buttons until the device turns off and the Apple logo appears. The device will restart and system processes will be refreshed, which sometimes fixes iCloud sync problems.
Google+? If you use social media and happen to be a Google+ user, why not join AppleHolic’s Kool Aid Corner community and join the conversation as we pursue the spirit of the New Model Apple?
Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I’d like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when fresh items are published here first on Computerworld.
Apple, Cloud Storage, iCloud
Source:: Computer World
Toxic work environments and a lack of internal upward mobility are adding to employee dissatisfaction, and many workers believe a primary cause of the problem stems from the behavior of their managers, according to a new study by career development and outplacement firm Intoo.
The survey, conducted in partnership with research firm Workplace Intelligence, also found Gen Z employees are engaging more in “AI Career Coaching” and claim to get their best career advice from ChatGPT. Around 47% of Gen Zers say they get better advice from a chatbot than from their manager. More broadly, 77% of employees and 79% of human resource leaders said they’d experienced at least one characteristic of a toxic workplace in their jobs.
Poor treatment at work and a lack of career advancement has also led to a growing number of workers to actively seeking employment elsewhere, according to the survey of 800 employees and 800 human resource leaders. The survey data, collected between Nov. 19 and Dec. 2, 2023, was originally published in February, then updated and re-released today.
The survey focused on what makes a workplace toxic and what would create a positive work environment that leads to greater job satisfaction, better performance, and higher retention.
The top factor contributing to toxic workplaces is managers showing favoritism towards certain employees, according to 46% of employees surveyed by Intoo and Workplace Intelligence. And 42% cited managers or leaders who ignore employee feedback as contributing to poor work environments.
Adding to the problem: bad advice from managers, according to the survey data. More than a third (39%) of workers said they’d received bad career advice from managers. In fact, employees said they get better career advice from their friends and family (62%), Google (44%), social media (36%), and genAI (34% overall) than they get from their boss.
According to Intoo’s survey, 63% of respondents felt their employer cares more about productivity than career development, and 54% said they feel completely on their own at their organization when it comes to career development. Forty-four percent said their employer does not value their career development.
In tandem with those sentiments, HR leaders in the survey predict that 25% of employees (and 44% of Gen Z employees) are likely to quit their jobs within the next six months due to a lack of support for career development.
A separate workplace study done by recruitment and outplacement firm LHH found that nearly half of 30,000 full-time employees in 27 countries (46%) want to change careers — but don’t know which path to take. And 72% of workers contemplate future plans — such as their next job, reskilling, and upskilling — at least once a quarter.
A majority of workers (86%) are confident that they could find a new job within six months up, from 61% in 2022, whether it’s through their own networks (74%), independent job search (71%), or a staffing agency (68%), according to the LHH survey. But nearly half (46%) don’t feel their managers would support them in moving to another role within the organization.
Additionally, 47% are keeping up to date with open job opportunities, yet not applying for them, according to LHH data. However, another 18% are actively applying for jobs and 19% indicated they’re interviewing with prospective employers. Only 8% are looking for new opportunities internal to their company.
Among other big takeaway from LHH’s report? Organizations need to invest in their employees in order to attract skilled talent, especially from tech. “Workers in tech are the most confident that their skills can transfer to another industry or to another role within the tech field,” the report said.
The broader sense of unease is shared across geographies and industries, especially in Australia (65%), China (62%), Turkey (59%), and the US (57%), where workers feel strongest that external factors affect their careers more than they do themselves. In these countries, employees are less likely to quit for salary reasons than because they want to start their own businesses, showing they want to feel empowered.
Many younger employees make career decisions based on their values and want to be able to drive change within their organizations, but feel powerless to do that, according to a recent survey by Deloitte. Over half of respondents (58% of Gen Zs and 55% of millennials) say their organization currently seeks input from employees and incorporates their feedback, but roughly a third (32% of Gen Zs and 35% of millennials) say decisions are still made from the top and employee feedback is not often acted upon.
Artificial Intelligence, Careers, IT Leadership, Technology Industry
Source:: Computer World
In a major win for the Dutch tech industry, chip giant ASML intends to remain and further expand in the Netherlands. The chip machine manufacturer has signed a non-binding letter of intent with the City Council of Eindhoven, eyeing a potential expansion at the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC), west of the city. Located at Eindhoven’s Brainport region — a major tech and innovation hub in Europe — BIC is dedicated to the high-tech manufacturing industry. For ASML, BIC represents an “interesting option,” Roger Dassen, the company’s CFO, said in a statement. That’s because of the campus’ close proximity to Veldhoven, where…
This story continues at The Next Web
Source:: The Next Web
I am really into (my friends might say somewhat obsessed with) coffee. Not just for the hits of caffeine that fuel our productivity-enthralled capitalist society, but also for the taste, as well as different styles of brewing (although my Swedish roots make me partial to a pour-over). Sadly, I do not often get to write about it, as — even though coffee roasting and brewing rely on technological engineering — tech startups and coffee hardly ever intersect in the news. Enter Helsinki-based Kaffa Roastery, and its new blend of beans called AI-conic. The blend for the coffee (which costs €12.90…
This story continues at The Next Web
Source:: The Next Web
We will all face the consequences of runaway climate change. Unless, maybe, you live in one of Elon Musk’s new homes on Mars. But for the rest of us poor souls, tackling global heating is pretty much the top priority. The bad news is that we are not on track to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. A new report has also revealed that temperatures in Europe are rising twice as fast as the rest of the world. We need to make drastic cuts in emissions. We also need to pull out some of the carbon we’ve already put in.…
This story continues at The Next Web
Source:: The Next Web
By Barry Elad
5G And Beyond Facts: With the rise in digital life and the Internet of Things term, 5G technology is bringing changes to the unimaged world. Just a decade ago, downloading a small file from the internet used to take hours, but now, it requires only a few minutes. Moreover, the increase in digital creators and gamers on various monetization-based platforms is the leading factor that is driving the demand for the same.
Recently, 5G has been launched across many countries. And it has been proven to be a boon to society. However, 5G and Beyond Facts show that there is a lot to happen in the near future. Internet speed won’t be limited to 5G but will reach more than that.
(Reference: statista.com)
5G and Beyond Facts show that, in 2023, there were 419 base stations per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest number in South Korea. It was followed by China, Japan, the European Union, and the United States respectively.
(Reference: statista.com)
As of 2023, South Korea had the highest average 5G download speed, 432.5 Mbps. Other countries in similar segments were Singapore, Brazil, Malaysia, Qatar, and India, contributing 376.8, 346.4, 322.7, 312, and 301.6 Mbps each.
(Reference: statista.com)
According to 5G and Beyond Facts, by 2030, the worldwide Internet of Things unit sales are estimated to have the majority of the share in the Industry 4.0 segment, with 22.3 million units. Furthermore, Smart City, Smart Energy, connected offices, smart security, connected health, and other segments will contribute collectively 22.2 million units, which is still less than Industry 4.0.
(Reference: statista.com)
5G and Beyond Facts show that mobile devices were the top device models with the most number of 5 G-enabled devices in 2023, resulting in 989. However, other types of devices are either available or are coming soon, including modules, fixed wireless access customer premises equipment, industrial/ enterprise/routers/gateways, modems, etc. All of these together are expected to make more than 1,000 devices.
(Reference: financesonline.com)
UHD video (4K and 8K) on mobile devices is the most popular 5G application among customers, as shown by 5G and Beyond Facts. VR entertainment applications, watching movies/videos in 3D, AR entertainment applications, and others are also demanding 5G applications, with less than 50% of the share each.
(Reference: statista.com)
Between 2020 and 2027, the global penetration rate of 5G smartphones is expected to reach 82.5%. Furthermore, around 59% of 5G smartphone mobile devices were shipped in 657.6 million. As of today, the penetration rate stands at 68%.
| Year | Shipments in Millions |
| 2020 | 238.8 |
| 2021 | 545.8 |
| 2022 | 629.2 |
| 2023 | 657.6 |
| 2024 | 780.7 |
| 2025 | 883.5 |
| 2026 | 980.3 |
| 2027 | 1,031.8 |
(Source: statista.com)
5G and Beyond Facts estimate that the number of worldwide 5G smartphone shipments will reach more than 1,000 million. Currently, the estimated shipments globally stand at 780.7 million. Overall, the estimates show that the number will increase year-on-year.
The world of mobile technology is on the cusp of a revolution. 4G, the current standard for mobile data, has served us well, enabling activities like streaming high-definition videos and video calling. But as our reliance on mobile data grows – fueled by social media, cloud storage, and ever-more sophisticated applications – 4G is starting to show its limitations. Enter 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology, promising to transform the way we connect and interact with the world around us.
Imagine a highway. On a typical day, a four-lane highway (think 4G) can handle traffic flow efficiently. But during rush hour, things can slow down considerably. 5G is like a ten-lane highway. Not only can it handle a much higher volume of traffic (data) at blazing speeds, but it also boasts several other advantages:
The development of 5G isn’t just about bragging rights for faster downloads. Several key factors are fueling the push for this next-generation technology:
The impact of 5G will extend far beyond faster downloads and smoother streaming. Here’s a glimpse of how 5G will reshape various sectors:
Despite its immense potential, 5G adoption faces some significant hurdles:
Countries and mobile operators need to carefully consider these factors before embracing 5G:
To experience the true power of 5G, you’ll need a 5G-enabled device. These devices will have special hardware components, including antennas and processors, designed to handle the higher frequencies and advanced functionalities of the 5G network. Here’s a breakdown of the key components:
The future of mobile connectivity is undoubtedly 5G. While challenges exist, the potential for innovation and transformation across various sectors is undeniable. As 5G technology continues to develop and become more accessible, we can expect a world with faster, more reliable, and more connected experiences. From revolutionising communication and entertainment to transforming healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing, 5G promises to usher in a new era of connectivity and innovation. The journey towards a 5G-powered future has begun, and it’s an exciting one to watch unfold.
2023 and 2024 have proven to be the era of most developed technologies, as many ways of such advancements were opened to the public. Starting from 5G to Apple Vision Pro, everything feels to be living in the future. The term “living in the future” is not just limited to movies but is now applicable in real-life situations. With the lightning speed of 5G, people are now able to stream movies and other high-quality content; gamers can play games without any interruptions. Not only this but downloading a high GB file within seconds is now possible. There is a lot to 5G and Beyond Facts, as this is just the beginning.
Source:: Coolest Gadgets
By Barry Elad
Intel Statistics: Intel is the 2nd leading brand in the semiconductor industry, starting from designing and manufacturing the tiny chips that power our computers, smartphones, and countless other devices. This brand is a household name synonymous with computer processing power. But how big is this tech giant, and what makes it tick? This Intel Statistics includes several analyses and current trends from different sources. Let’s dive into some interesting statistics to understand Intel’s impact on the world of technology.
(Reference: intc.com)
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(Source: communicationstoday.co.in)

(Source: businesswire.com)

(Reference: statista.com)

(Reference: statista.com)

(Reference: statista.com)

(Reference: intc.com)

(Source: techreport.com)
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(Reference: statista.com)

(Reference: statista.com)

(Reference: statista.com)

(Source: similarweb.com)

(Reference: semrush.com)

(Reference: similarweb.com)

(Reference: similarweb.com)

(Reference: similarweb.com)
The tech landscape is ever-changing, and Intel needs to adapt to stay ahead. Here are some potential future directions:
Despite its dominance, Intel faces some challenges:
Intel is a tech titan wielding immense power in the semiconductor industry. Their relentless innovation, financial strength, and global reach position them well for continued success. However, the company is navigating a competitive landscape by adapting to new trends, and overcoming manufacturing challenges will be crucial for Intel to solidify its dominance in the ever-evolving world of technology. If you are considering investing in the Intel market in 2024, this article on Intel Statistics will benefit you.
Source:: Coolest Gadgets
The four-day work week was unthinkable, except in science fiction, as recently as five years ago. But one of the many things the COVID-19 pandemic taught us is that the structure of the workplace can change significantly and still be viable. That realization has opened the door to considering a work week of four 10-hour days or even 32 hours as a real possibility.
The idea has been around since at least the 1950s; but until recently, it hasn’t been taken seriously.
A 2024 KPMG poll of 100 US CEOs found that nearly one-third of US companies are exploring the idea of dropping one day a week. That may sound unimpressive at first, but think about it for a moment. Let it sink in.
This is only the vanguard.
Four-day week trials and studies have been surprisingly positive for both employees and employers. The large UK four-day work week pilot program was so successful that, of the 61 firms that participated, 92% said they would continue their four-day work week beyond the trial, including 29% that had already decided to make the change permanent. Earlier studies were also successful. And several companies have reported success in many facets of their business with their own trials, such as US-based Exos.
Employees are receptive to the idea. A Washington Post-Ipsos conducted a year ago showed that 75% of US workers would rather work four 10-hour days than five eight-hour days for the same pay. Meanwhile, according to a survey by cloud-software vendor Qualtrics, 92% of US workers are in favor of a shortened work week, even if it means working longer hours each day.
European countries may be ahead of the curve on shorter work weeks, with the UK and Germany undertaking large-scale trials; Iceland, Portugal, and Spain are also running pilot programs; and Belgium is the first country to pass a law that gives workers the option to work a four-day 40-hour week.
A shortened work week can help companies attract top talent, boost employee retention, reduce employee stress, lower the carbon footprint of employees (and potentially that of the company), and save employees money on commuting and childcare. The largest benefit, however, is a major boost to work-life balance, which appears to foster an increase in work productivity. (Check out this list of pros and cons of the 4-day work week.)
The concurrent arrival of a host of generative AI tools should also bolster productivity, mitigating any risks when switching to a four-day work week.
Those who oppose the notion might see productivity as chiefly measured by time — so many minutes equals so much productivity. And that might be true for assembly-line manufacturing, for example; the four-day work week isn’t for every company.
For many other jobs where what’s being created is intellectual property, ideas, strategic plans, sales, marketing, and software, for instance, intellectual acuity is the essential ingredient — and burn-out is a very real challenge in such roles. To be sharp, you need to be well-rested in mind and body. A four-day work week could well boost productivity in that kind of environment.
Even before the pandemic, some companies had begun to loosen up. Casual Fridays became work-at-home Fridays, for instance. Switching to working four days a week seems like a natural progression in that scenario.
So, it’s not surprising that a common finding of many four-day-work-week trials is that employee productivity grows, even in 32-hour weeks. More days in a week allows for more meetings, more distractions, more long lunches, and more employee procrastination. Fewer days in a week forces employees to sharpen their time-management skills and focus on completing tasks. Getting your mind out of the job for three days recharges your batteries and brings new perspective to your work, which in turn can elevate productivity.
To ensure this change is successful, companies can’t just flip a switch and suddenly tell everyone that they work four days a week. According to the Harvard Business Review, four-day work week initiatives “only work if companies undertake substantial work redesign to reduce hours while maintaining business outcomes. This means streamlining operations, removing administrative burdens, and prioritizing high-impact work.”
For more information about successfully planning a four-day work week trial or roll-out, here are useful resources:
The future of work is a complex vista of remote work, hybrid work, return to office mandates, and flexible working arrangements affected by trends like genAI and the pursuit of work-life balance. A shorter work week is a significant alternative in the mix that could reshape work as we know it. What exactly that will look like is hard to predict, but it’s likely the four-day work week will play a leading role.
IT Strategy, Productivity Software, Technology Industry
Source:: Computer World
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