TechLife June 2021

They say there are two inevitabilities in life – death and taxes. Once upon a time I am sure this was true, but in this modern age there is a third one: at some point, your PC is going to be compromised. It could be from malware, set in place to take advantage of the unwary. It could be unwanted ads, tracking your every online move, or a nefarious ransomware attack locking you away from your own data! And at some point, your personal details and passwords will almost certainly be revealed, either through the actions of a hacker, or plain, simple incompetence. But it need not be this way! This issue’s cover feature will help you minimise those threats, and even negate some completely. We’ll show you how to be savvy…

Ashampoo Backup 2021 Backup software to easily back up and restore entire partitions. Ashampoo Backup 2021 backs up and restores entire disk partitions, including bootable Windows installations, in just a few clicks. Incremental auto-updates ensure backup files are always up-to-date and prevent data loss. The user interface was designed with simplicity in mind and is intuitively usably by anyone. Backups are always restorable, even in the event of highly corrupt or ransomware-infested systems, thanks to a built-in rescue feature that requires no technical knowledge. This backup software is self-explanatory and streamlined to cover the most essential features so there is no learning curve. Download: www.techlife.net/exclusives Ashampoo Snap 10 Capture great screenshots and videos with ease. Ashampoo Snap 10 captures your screen contents as images and videos. Various post-processing tools that include graphical elements, symbols and effects…

From $1,199, www.acer.com What you get with the Acer Swift 3X is a fairly standard, yet clean, laptop design. It won’t blow you away, but we still like the look and feel of it. Our only worry is that the screen seems a little thin, as it feels like it wouldn’t take much to break it – though thankfully we didn’t find out during our review. Apart from that, the HD display is good. Acer’s Swift 3X comes with a 14-inch (35.6 cm) LCD screen that looks great and uses ComfyView (anti-glare) technology. A slightly larger display would be nice, but that’s our only complaint on this front. We’re also fans of the fingerprint scanner. It was as easy to set up as on any smartphone, and we found it reliable too. However,…

A security researcher has published a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit on Twitter for a recently discovered zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers. While this zero-day vulnerability has already been publicly disclosed, it has not yet been patched in the latest version of Chrome or Edge. Security researcher Rajvardhan Agarwal created the PoC exploit for a remote code execution vulnerability for the V8 JavaScript engine found in Chromium-based browsers and published it in a tweet. Although the vulnerability has been fixed in the latest version of the V8 JavaScript engine, it’s still unclear as to when Google will add it to Chrome. The PoC HTML file created by Agarwal and its corresponding JavaScript file can be used to launch the calculator app on Windows 10 when loaded in a Chromium-based…

Dell has redesigned its Inspiron laptops from the ground up with the latest PC innovations, modern designs and new elemental colors inspired by nature. These new devices are designed to keep users connected whether they’re working from home or on the go and with Dell Mobile Connect, these new laptops can seamlessly connect to a user’s Android or iOS device so they never miss a text or call. Dell’s new Inspiron series also aligns with the company’s green vision and all of the company’s new laptops deliver on its promise to be environmentally conscious. For instance, 100 percent of their painted parts use low volatile organic compound (VOC) wateborne paint, their packaging trays are made from 100 percent recycled materials and other packaging components are comprised of up up to 90 percent…

While remote work has been a rising trend for many years, Covid-19 has undoubtedly acted as a catalyst for the movement. Many major companies have embraced the shift to remote work, for example with employees at Twitter being offered the choice to work from home indefinitely, going into the office if and when they choose. However, this can bring with it some disadvantages. With many knowledge workers realising that remote work isn’t always the personal liberation that it’s trumpeted to be, organisations need to look at offering employees the flexibility to choose. So what does the future of work look like – remote, in-office, or hybrid? In my opinion, it’s all about hybrid work. The pitfalls of remote work Working exclusively at home has become a reality for many across the globe, blurring…