By introducing this additional layer of protection, Google is hoping to protect high-profile people who are especially at risk of being targeted by online attacks. The new feature was rolled out to users earlier this week. We’re taking a look at how this new feature will protect users from online threats, as well as how much of a step up this is from the existing APP. Although APP users are already well protected from phishing attacks, cybercriminals are now misleading people by encouraging them to download malicious files instead, with Google citing malware as an example....

In an update to the Duplex support page, Google expanded the service’s availability from the Google Pixel line of phones, in a limited number of states, to pretty much all phones on the market. This means that more people than ever will be able to let their phone’s AI make simple calls for them. Booking a restaurant for dinner? Or making an appointment at the dentist? You’re far too busy for all that – let Google do it for you....

But for workaholics, it can be hard to completely unplug and step away from the emails, meetings, and workload that still needs to be worked through. Here are some tips to help you get excited to unplug and relax away from your company email. Here’s how your vacation could be they key to staying productive in the workplace. Schedule Smart For those who have a full schedule, it could be beneficial to get a head start scheduling your vacation....

According to the release, High Alpha Studio “creates, operates and supports new companies by providing a blend of services including: product development, sales and marketing, finance, brand and design, and talent development.” Whereas High Alpha Seed “invests in High Alpha Studio companies and other emerging enterprise cloud companies.” High Alpha will be led by Scott Dorsey, Mike Fitzgerald, Eric Tobias, and Kristian Andersen, all of whom worked at, founded, or partnered with ExactTarget, which was later sold to SalesForce for $2....

“HoverStat’s product disrupts the insurance industry by providing precise drone-automated roof inspections in less than 10 minutes,” says Eckelberg, the CEO and one of the co-founders. Eckelberg also says the HoverStat team just saw their biggest partner/ competitor get authorization to experiment with drones for commercial purposes, which means they are on track to disrupt the market. HoverStat is making enormous strides, but Eckelberg has learned a number of lessons along the way and advice to other entrepreneurs....

Pride Month, a month-long celebration of LGBTQ people, was originally created to honor the Stonewall Riots in 1969. With parades, parties, workshops, picnics, and concerts, Pride Month is a chance to make the world a more inclusive place, and tech companies are happy to play their part. Everyone from Apple to Spotify is taking part in the Pride celebration in one way or another. Take a look at what some other tech companies did to promote LGBTQ Pride this month....

Around 2014, Epperson’s kids had grown a little older and more independent. What’s more, the family had settled in Carbondale, a sleepy mountain town in the central Colorado Rockies. This slower pace of life allowed Epperson the space to begin thinking about getting back into her career, which she’d set aside years ago. It was an exciting possibility, but also an intimidating one—a lot had changed in the field of web development since Epperson had been involved in it 13 years earlier....

As you can easily imagine, this is a really complex topic that can be discussed from many points of view. However, some mistakes are much more common than others. With this in mind, here are some things that you will want to remember about your marketing budget. You Have to Track Every Expense The common approach is to have the budget and then spend on things that are seen as necessary, when they appear....

Every good startup needs a customer support team in place to assist customers with problems and requests for information. Unfortunately, the cost of maintaining a full-time customer support staff along with the technology to support them can be quite high. If you would like to minimize your customer service costs, consider the following tips: Use Social Media Today, many customer service tickets aren’t opened through your 800 number or the support page on your website....

It makes sense: Users have been swapping Venmo and PayPal handles for years, so this streamlines the process of crowdfunding an unexpected vet bill or applauding a particularly good tweet. But there’s a catch. In some cases, users might expose their home address or their personal email account. Here’s why your data privacy is at risk, and how to prevent it. What’s Going On? To be fair, the problem does not lie on Twitter’s end, or even with most of the payment processors that users can use the tipping service with (Venmo, Cash App, Patreon, and Bandcamp)....

How VR Is Changing the Advertising Landscape In November last year, Facebook was the first to introduce 360-degree ads to a selected pool of brands including Coca Cola, HBO and Nestle. YouTube is standing close by with a #360Video channel. With over 2 billion consumers, who already can experience VR for cheap with Cardboard – a Google-backed device, folded into a viewer for your smartphone, it’s just a matter of time when brands can figure out the new ways to convey their messages and persuade people to buy products....

When choosing the web host for your site, it is important to assess the type of site you want to have, so that you can make sure that the choice will take all the site’s requirements into account. For example, some hosts can be better and offer more support for e-commerce based websites, while others are more stripped down and, thus, perfectly suitable for static websites. Big sites that have to handle lots of traffic will often require a more specific care, like local server load balancing....

A study released by AARP in 2013 forecasts a dramatic decline in the availability of family caregivers. While the number of Americans over 80 is projected to increase by 79 percent between 2010 and 2030, the demographic of people between the ages of 45-64 will increase by only 1 percent. This highlights a rapidly growing need for elder care with virtually no growth in supply from the primary caregiver source....

That’s where we come in. Every week, we’ll be rounding up the stories you don’t want to have missed from the last week. Not necessarily the best stuff, but the news and tidbits that we thought were cool, weird, interesting or just new. So, let’s get started. Nike’s Self-lacing trainers It’s not the first time that Nike has dropped a pair of trainers that’ll lace themselves, but this new pair, called the Nike Adapt BB are the cheapest yet....

The first thing that sticks out to potential donors is the fact that these bulbs are fully controllable via Bluetooth. ilumi has an app for both iOS and Android that gives you full systematic control over your lighting, and since ilumi utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the need for Wi-Fi networks, bridges, and high installation costs are eliminated. The technology at work in the bulb not only achieves the highest lumens per watt of any multicolor LED light, but also features a processor, memory, and real-time clock to give users the ability to adjust, customize, and program their bulbs....

Communication Zopim This is a great tool to use for live chatting. There are loads of great features, and the price is lower than other options such as SnapEngage. Zopim has recently been purchased by Zendesk, which is already a trusted brand. Asana This is a task tracking system that is for both web and mobile usage. It will help to get rid of a lot of email clutter, and can be used for creating tasks, assigning tasks, and tracking group projects....

Tagging products allows any interested potential shopper on Instagram to find exactly where to buy any item with just a tap. It’s evidence that Instagram continues working toward delivering on a 2021 promise: That they’ll move beyond simple photo sharing by, in part, boosting shopping functionality. Product Tagging: What to Know Before it goes live, you’ll get the option to tag a brand, and after that brand is locked in, you’ll be able to tap a second prompt to “Tag Products,” letting you browse through everything that brand has to offer until you find the product featured in your own post....

This isn’t the only time the agency has made the headlines in the past few weeks, having recently been at the center of a row between Republicans and Democrats regarding its expansion and funding. Data leaks and breaches are becoming increasingly common, as is the usage of tech like password managers to combat them and training for staff to spot threats like email phishing campaigns. What IRS Data was Leaked, and How?...

Unfortunately, if you invest in them without doing research or taking appropriate precautions, you could be inviting strangers into your home. Even your webcam is vulnerable. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg covers his webcam with tape to ensure that hackers cannot peer into his home and personal life. A webcam is hardly cutting edge technology, yet a person who probably has access to the most advanced online security protections still feels the need to keep himself safe with something that can be found in the junk drawer of your home....

When: Thursday, October 28th, 2010 – 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CTWhere: John Barleycorn Wrigleyville, 3524 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60657What: A “cocktail of TECH people”Price: $10 (online early bird), $15 (standard), $20 (at the door)(You must be 21+ to attend) Helping Startups Get ExposureTech Cocktail offers a handful of startups an opportunity to show off in an expo-style to the rest of the Chicago entrepreneurial community for FREE....