PCWorld

In a landmark decision, a U.S. district court recently found Google’s search and advertising business to be an illegal monopoly. But no sanctions were handed down, presumably leaving that open for future determination. For now, then, nothing will change. But the 277-page decision (plus appendices) clearly labels Google as an illegal monopolist in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Google said it would appeal the decision. The court case began in December 2020 and has moved in fits and starts ever since, over a nine-week bench trial, over 3,500 exhibits, and evidence that reached into the petabytes, the court wrote. Plaintiffs included the U.S. government and the state of Colorado. “After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a…

Intel’s 13th- and 14th-generation Core desktop CPUs have been the subject of controversy for months now, with instability and performance issues resulting in crashes and permanent damage for many users. Intel has been investigating the problem for a while with regular promises of a fix, and we now know that all 13th- and 14th-generation Intel Core processors with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 65 watts or more can cause your PC to crash and blue screen. According to Intel, the thermal and power protection mechanisms in the BIOS/UEFI were disabled by motherboard manufacturers at the factory to allow Core processors to run at high voltages and frequencies for extended periods of time, and this contributes to the issue. Motherboard vendors rolled out BIOS updates to include an Intel Default Settings option,…

If you think phishing scams only happen over the internet, you’d be dead wrong. In fact, there are many different types of phishing scams, including a recent type that occurs via traditional mail. In Germany, the State Office of Criminal Investigation of Lower Saxony recently warned people about phishing attempts via mail in the form of fake letters that purport to come from their banks. Some of these phishing letters look surprisingly close to the real deal, and some even contain personalized information. Complete with official logos, they give the impression that they’re authentic. Known cases have impersonated Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank, but any bank can be imitated—and it can happen all around the globe. Here’s what you need to look out for. HOW THIS MAIL PHISHING SCAM WORKS The phishing letter informs you of…

Windows 11’s ads are out of control. Microsoft is always finding new ways to disrupt and annoy users—and this time, it comes in the form of an unavoidable pop-up notification. Even while most people are still upset by constant Windows 11 update notifications, Windows 11 has recently started displaying more and more information about cloud backups. Specifically, Windows users are being notified that their systems aren’t backed up with the built-in Windows backup solution. A corresponding message appears with the advice that it’s best to make backups so that all data is stored “in case something happens to the PC.” It almost reads like an indirect threat, but Microsoft is actually just pointing out the option to store file backups on its own OneDrive cloud service. And it’s also advertising more storage…

A Wi-Fi–connected security camera is an easy and technologically simple way to watch your home and give yourself a little peace of mind…or maybe you just like knowing the moment your Amazon packages arrive. Honestly, it’s mostly the second thing. But while Wi-Fi security cameras are meant to equip homeowners and apartment dwellers with thief-deterring measures, thieves are now using tech to even the playing field. According to a tweet sent out by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire division (spotted by Tom’s Hardware), a small band of burglars is using Wi-Fi jamming devices to nullify wireless security cameras before breaking and entering. The thieves seem to be well above the level of your typical smash-and-grab job. They have lookout teams, they enter through the second story, and they go for small, high-value…

Logitech’s vision of a “forever mouse” isn’t just a bad idea. It’s predatory, and a practice that’s not only bad for consumers but doesn’t even make sense as an actual product. Here’s what’s going on. Recently, Logitech’s new chief executive Hanneke Faber spoke to The Verge’s Decoder podcast, where Faber mentioned that she’d recently been shown an example of a “forever mouse.” The idea, she said, was that you’d buy a well-made mouse, with great software and services that you’d constantly update, and you’d never throw the mouse away. Sounds great—but then the other shoe dropped: “The business model obviously is the challenge there,” she said. “So then software is even more important when you think about it. Can you come up with a service model?” And you know where the conversation went…