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Today’s topics include Intel’s plans to evolve from a PC chip maker to a maker of IoT devices, University of California-Irvine researchers’ discovery that could greatly extend the life of batteries, Microsoft’s release of its Word Flow keyboard for iOS and the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report’s findings on the causes of data breaches.
The future of Intel, which over the past few decades has become the dominant supplier of processor chips for PC makers around the world, lies in new and emerging markets like the cloud and the Internet of things, according CEO Brian Krzanich.
He said the company is in the process of evolving from a PC chip supplier to a vendor that provides the technology that not only drives the infrastructure for cloud computing and the billions of intelligent devices and systems that make up the Internet of things, but that also powers the connectivity crucial to the new digital world and will be the foundation for future innovations.
And despite comments by some industry analysts, it will be done while driving the continued advancement of Moore’s Law, which the CEO said has much more life to it.
After swapping a key chemical ingredient for a different substance, researchers at the University of California-Irvine are optimistic about a new technology that could help make batteries that could be recharged more than 100,000 times for smartphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and other portable electronics.
The researchers, who have been experimenting using fragile, super-thin nanowires as a conduit for moving energy in batteries for portable devices, found that the structures would only allow about 5,000 recharging cycles before failing, Reginald M. Penner, a chemistry professor at UC-Irvine, told eWEEK.
The researchers found that by suspending the nanowires in a gel made from manganese-dioxide, the number of charging and recharging cycles could be repeated 100,000 times or more, Penner said. The researchers just published a paper on their work.
Windows Phone may have gone largely unloved by the masses for a variety of reasons, but its Word Flow keyboard isn’t among them. As of April 26, iPhone users can take the one-handed keyboard for a spin.
Microsoft Garage, the software giant’s experimental app unit, released Word Flow on the Apple App store for iOS devices yesterday. So far, the app has garnered a 4.5-star rating and has been branded an Editor’s Choice by Apple. The catch is that the Word Flow keyboard is currently only available in U.S. English.
The annual Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, released April 26, provides visibility into the state of security and why data breaches occur.
The 2016 report is based on Verizon’s analysis of more than 100,000 security incidents, of which 2,260 were confirmed as data breaches. Verizon once again found that little has changed in the breach landscape, with attackers using the same tactics and organizations failing in the same basic areas of security.
Known vulnerabilities continue to be a root cause for many breaches. According to the DBIR, 85 percent of all successful exploits in the last year can be attributed to 10 already-patched vulnerabilities. In some cases, the patches have been available for years and there are vulnerabilities from 1999 that can still show up as root causes of breaches.