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Massive Google Workspace update dials up the fight for hybrid working supremacy

March 31, 2022
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Google has lifted the lid on a series of updates for its Workspace suite of productivity and collaboration software designed to cater to the needs of the hybrid working era.

Some of the upgrades are small, like the ability to react with emojis during video meetings, but others could have a major impact on the way in which workers collaborate on shared documents, presentations and spreadsheets.

Most significantly, Google says it will integrate Meet directly into Docs, Sheets and Slides in the coming weeks, which will allow Google Workspace users to quickly spin up a meeting when collaborating on a project. Unlike traditional screen-sharing, video feeds will be housed within a dedicated sidebar, positioned alongside the content the team is working on.

Google Workspace for hybrid working

Since the birth of G Suite in 2006, Google has competed directly with Microsoft in the office software space, going up against the famous Microsoft 365 suite, which houses the likes of Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc.

One of the defining features of Microsoft’s offering is tight integration between apps and services, extending all the way out to the Windows operating system on which most business computers run. And although Google stole the march on Microsoft when it came to the cloud-based model, individual G Suite apps have historically felt much more isolated.

When Google rebranded its productivity suite as Workspace in 2020, however, the company announced it would make a concerted effort to create a more “deeply integrated user experience”, by improving the level of interoperability between its various productivity apps.

Google Docs — Google Meet will soon be integrated directly into Docs, Slides and Sheets. (Image credit: Google)

The latest round of Google Workspace updates take strides towards achieving this goal, capitalizing on the full breadth of the suite to create functionality that should help workers improve their productivity in a hybrid working setting.

> Google Drive update delivers a simple but effective productivity hack

> Google Meet aims to tear down the language barrier

> Google Calendar update will stop meetings clogging up your day

In addition to new synergies with Workspace office software, Google Meet will also receive a new picture-in-picture mode next month, which will allow Chrome users to bring up a floating meeting window that sits on top of other browser tabs.

And from a security perspective, Google is set to launch client-side encryption for Meet calls in May, with optional end-to-end encryption to follow by the end of the year, bringing the service on-par with Teams and Zoom.

To support asynchronous collaboration, meanwhile, Google is preparing a number of updates for its Spaces messaging platform. Most notably, the company is improving the search functionality to help users surface the most relevant conversations and rolling out Slack-like inline message threading, which is apparently a highly requested upgrade.

Google Workspace — (Image credit: Google)

“One of the hopeful signs of a return to normalcy is seeing many of our customers make plans to come back into their offices. And they’re asking for strategies that will make hybrid work a more equitable and productive experience for everyone. We’re also beginning our own transition to hybrid work in early April,” said Google.

“As we gear up for that, it feels like a time of optimism for new ways of working together and the potential for hybrid models to become the sustainable norm. When designed well, a hybrid model gives employees the flexibility to deliver their best from anywhere, while bringing them together thoughtfully for the power of in-person collaboration.”

Make sure your team hits your deadlines with the best project management software around

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

March 31, 2022
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Google has lifted the lid on a series of updates for its Workspace suite of productivity and collaboration software designed to cater to the needs of the hybrid working era.

Google Workspace for hybrid working

> Google Drive update delivers a simple but effective productivity hack

> Google Meet aims to tear down the language barrier

> Google Calendar update will stop meetings clogging up your day

Make sure your team hits your deadlines with the best project management software around

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

December 16, 2021
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Microsoft has taken aggressive steps to drive users towards its web browser Edge as it looks to close the gap on established rivals.

Last month, we reported that members of the Windows 11 early-access program were finding the operating system would no longer allow links with a custom Microsoft Edge URI scheme to open in any other browser.

As part of the last round of Patch Tuesday updates of 2021, it appears Microsoft has quietly extended this policy to all Windows 10 and Windows 11 installations.

Although the firm has not gone as far as to force all web links to launch in Edge (only those housed within its own services, like the Start menu), the move is unlikely to prove popular with Windows users, the majority of whom use a third-party browser as their daily driver.

Microsoft Edge backlash

Until now, Windows users have been able to rely on a free service called EdgeDeflector to counteract the Edge URI scheme, and rival browsers Firefox and Brave feature similar in-built workarounds. However, following the latest update, none of these solutions remain viable.

When hints of a crackdown first emerged, the creator of EdgeDeflector was openly critical of Microsoft, which he believes has strayed the wrong side of antitrust law.

“These aren’t the actions of an attentive company that cares about its products any more,” he wrote in a blog post. “Microsoft isn’t a good steward of the Windows operating system. [It’s] prioritizing ads, bundleware, and service subscriptions over their own productivity.”

“For users, the best action is to complain to their local antitrust regulator or switch to Linux. Your web browser is probably the most important – if not the only – app you regularly use. Microsoft has made it clear that its priorities for Windows don’t align with its users’.”

Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, also voiced its concerns about the forcefulness with which Microsoft is pushing its service on Windows users.

“People deserve choice. They should have the ability to and easily set defaults, and their choice of default browser should be respected,” said a Mozilla spokesperson.

“We have worked on code that launches Firefox when the microsoft-edge protocol is used for those users that have already chosen Firefox as their default browser. Following the recent change to Windows 11, this planned implementation will no longer be possible.”

However, as reported by ghacks, there remains one viable workaround in the form of an open source tool called MSEdgeRedirect, which gets around the Edge URI scheme in a different fashion to EdgeDeflector and Firefox.

It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will move to block this bypass as well.

Protect your online privacy with the best VPN services and best privacy tools around

Via Neowin

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

December 16, 2021
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Far from just allowing users to stay in touch with family and friends around the globe, Zoom now also wants to tackle online terrorism.

The video conferencing giant has announced it is joining the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) alongside the likes of Microsoft, Amazon and Meta.

“It is our responsibility to support our users and protect them against online threats,” Josh Parecki, Zoom's associate general counsel for trust and safety, told Reuters. “By collaborating with other leaders across the industry, sharing key learnings and advancing research, we aspire to make the digital world a safer place for all.”

Zoom GIFCT

Formed by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube in 2017 following a spate of deadly terrorist attacks across Europe, GIFCT says its mission is “to prevent terrorists and violent extremists from exploiting digital platforms.”

Now numbering 18 companies following Zoom's addition, the NGO was initially focused on sharing technical collaboration to combat online extremism, but has since expanded to managing a hash-sharing database.

This allows members to share unique “hashes” – records of original content that have had to be removed from their platforms or services following extremism concerns.

These hashes are then used by other GIFCT members to identify if similar content has been uploaded to their platforms.

In a statement, GIFCT Executive Director Nicholas Rasmussen said it was delighted to have Zoom as a partner. He noted that the group's mission “requires we work with a diverse range of companies …to develop cross-platform solutions that render terrorists and violent extremists ineffective across the Internet”.

After an initial surge in popularity and an explosion in user numbers at the start of the pandemic, Zoom came under heavy criticism for failing to secure its platform.

Following several high-profile “Zoombombing” incidents where outside parties were able to gain access to Zoom calls without permission, the company carried out a major upheaval of its security protections.

Check out our list of the best collaboration tools around

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

December 6, 2021
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U.S. military acknowledges targeting cybercriminals who launch attacks on U.S. companies.
Threatpost

December 2, 2021
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Microsoft has fired more flak at the Chrome browser, trying to persuade those who are attempting to download Google’s web browser that Edge is a superior piece of software.

As Neowin spotted, in the scenario that you are using Microsoft Edge, and you head over to download Google Chrome, Edge will serve a pop-up promoting itself – there are actually several messages which have been spotted on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems.

One of them insists: “Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft.”

And another pop-up really goes for the throat, stating: “That browser is so 2008! Do you know what’s new? Microsoft Edge.”

Do you know what isn’t new? Microsoft badgering users who are already using one of its products (Windows) to use its other products like Edge and OneDrive – and this practice was getting old some time ago.

Analysis: The heavy hand of Microsoft

As we’ve said before, this kind of promotional activity inevitably puts us in mind of the nag-fest days when Windows 10 was first launched, and Microsoft set about trying to convince Windows 7 and 8 users to take the free upgrade. It felt unnecessarily heavy-handed back then, and it still does now.

I suppose one thing we can be thankful for – sort of – is at least the pop-ups are gaining something of a sense of humor. Calling Chrome ‘so 2008’ did elicit a chuckle from us, but we guess you could argue this perhaps serves to remind people that Google has been working to refine and hone its browser for 13 years now. And just because something is ‘new’ does not equate to it being good (that said, we do think Edge is a good browser, in fairness).

As for: “Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft.” Well, it does indeed use Chromium – along with a number of other browsers – but as to the ‘trust’ of Microsoft, that’s a pretty bizarre angle to throw in. What is Microsoft trying to suggest? That Google is anything less than unimpeachable in the browser world? Tsk, tsk, whatever next…

To be honest, we are wondering what on earth Microsoft will do to promote Edge next, as the gloves are seemingly coming off. But the real shame here is that Edge promotes itself quite well on its own merits, and any perception of verging towards desperation to drive adoption will surely backfire.

Check out the best anonymous browsers

Via Windows Central

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

November 11, 2021
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Ransomware volumes are up 1000%. Aamir Lakhani, cybersecurity researcher and practitioner at FortiGuard Labs , discusses secure email, network segmentation and sandboxing for defense.
Threatpost

May 11, 2020
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UFC, or the Ultimate Fighting Championship in full, is the world's premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, with stars like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Holly Holm some of the biggest draws in all of sports. The often vicious and always unpredictable nature of MMA fights mean that title belts change hands regularly, usually at the promotion's monthly numbered PPV events, which resumed in May with UFC 249 and Justin Gaethje's stunning victory of Tony Ferguson.

Follow our guide and you'll see just how easy it is to find a reliable UFC live stream online and never miss a second of Octagon action ever again. Whether you're a dedicated UFC Fight Night fan or just tune in for the big cards, here's how to watch UFC events wherever you are.

The biggest UFC fights are reserved for its 'numbered' events. These take place once a month – so UFC 249 in May (delayed due to the coronavirus), UFC 250 in June and so on. They're typically available on a pay-per-view basis and held at big name venues in the US, though these are likely to be behind closed doors affairs for the time being.

On top of that, a second-tier of events exist called UFC Fight Nights. These are held on a weekly basis and occur all over the globe, usually featuring up-and-coming local fighters. They're still a darn big deal, though, being held at huge international venues with tickets changing hands for hundreds of dollars.

Both types of UFC events are shown exclusively on the ESPN+ streaming service in the US and almost always take place on Saturdays. There's also a third series of Octagon bashes called 'UFC on ESPN' – these occur intermittently and air on one of ESPN's TV channels in America. For the events that matter most, follow our guide and find out the best ways to watch a UFC live stream wherever you are.

Live stream UFC Fight Night and PPVs in the US exclusively with ESPN+

How to watch a UFC live stream in the UK

How to live stream UFC in Australia

Live stream UFC Fight Night and PPVs in Canada

UFC live stream in New Zealand: how to watch every event

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

January 25, 2020
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Two of UFC's most highly rated heavyweights go into battle in North Carolina on Saturday night. It's shaping up to be one of Fight Night's most intriguing clashes for some time, and you watch every moment as it happens with our UFC live stream guide below.

Illinois' Curtis Blaydes faces former champ Junior dos Santos in a showdown that both men will see see as a stepping stone to a title shot against current belt holder Stipe Miocic.

The two fighters share a common low point, having both been on the receiving end of defeats to Francis Ngannou, with Dos Santos losing TKO to the Cameroonian-French star in his last outing. Despite those setbacks, past form shows both brawlers remain more than worthy challengers for the heavyweight crown.

Blaydes boasts a bunch of formidable stats including nine out of his 12 wins coming via KO, and holds also the record for the most number of takedowns in UFC's history. And prior to his defeat to Ngannou, Dos Santos had been on an impressive streak of three wins against big hitters Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis.

It looks set to be an enthralling showdown and its you can watch the action in its entirety by following our UFC Fight Night live stream guide below.

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How to live stream UFC online in the US

Live stream UFC from outside your country

Worry not if you're a huge UFC fan but aren't in the US to watch that ESPN+ coverage this weekend. If you've got your subscription sorted but then find the coverage is geo-blocked, you can try using a VPN to change your IP address to a US server and watch as if you were back at home.