Tech Watch: February 2024
Want to keep your emails out of the junk folder? Make sure you're compliant with Google and Yahoo's new authentication rules for bulk senders, which we review below. In this edition of Tech Watch, you'll also learn about an AI-powered search engine that's attracting attention as well as the news that's keeping Apple in the headlines this year.
Return To Sender?
Google and Yahoo’s new rules for bulk email senders took effect last week.
The new guidelines focus on three areas: authentication of outgoing emails, reported spam rates and the ability to easily unsubscribe from email lists.
For authentication, IT departments are being asked to update DNS settings to reflect best practices when it comes to DKIM (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance), SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (DomainKeys Identified Mail) records.
Google also says that spam rates need to stay below 0.1% and “avoid ever reaching 0.3% or higher."
Finally, the new guidelines require an easy one-click unsubscribe, which has generally been adopted by most email sending services for years.
NYT Columnist Shines Spotlight On Search Startup
From the moment Chat GPT unleashed its service on the world in 2022, there have been debates on how AI-powered search may change online habits.
Kevin Roose, a tech columnist at the New York Times, says an AI-based search engine called Perplexity is promising and may shake up the search world.
The look and feel of Perplexity is similar to any search engine, including Chat GPT. In fact, Perplexity’s free version (there’s also a paid tier) leverages OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 model along with its own AI model.
Like ChatGPT, Perplexity delivers an answer to your question (or prompt). However, it provides links to sources at the top of its response.
The New York Times isn’t the only publication to take notice. The Wall Street Journal did a recent feature on Perplexity noting that Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon) has invested in the technology.
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Next Gen WiFi Available In New Gaming PCs
WiFi 7-enabled devices are finally here.
While WiFi 7 routers have been available for nearly a year, you would have been hard pressed to find a WiFi 7 laptop in 2023. That’s changed! The Verge reports that there were a number of WiFi gaming laptops on hand at CES, the annual tech conference, which was held in mid-January.
What’s so special about WiFi 7? It offers faster connection speeds, better bandwidth, and support for WPA4 security. For more on WiFi 7, read this helpful explainer from PC Mag.
Apple Dominates Headlines In First Weeks Of 2024
Apple’s had a very busy 2024 and we’re barely into the second month!
First, there was the criticism of their 27 percent app store tax. Then, there was news that their revenues increased in the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2023. The positive growth in revenue was a turnaround of sorts for the iPhone and iPad maker. The previous four quarters had all recorded revenue declines.
While those two stories presented somewhat of a mixed bag for the company, Apple benefited from big social media buzz thanks to its new Apple Vision Pro hitting stores on Feb. 2. The “computing headset” starts at $3,500 and depending on whom you talk to, it’s awe-inspiring, or far from perfect.
As they say in the PR biz, even bad press is good press.
No Rest For The Weary When It Comes To Cybersecurity
Things seem to change at a rapid pace nowadays. But one thing is consistent – cybersecurity threats are ever-present. In fact, global cybercrimes are expected to cost $9.5 trillion this year. To put that in perspective, the GDP of the world’s third largest economy (Japan) is only $4.2 trillion.
If that cost figure scares you, we recommend reading John Edwards’ recent article in InformationWeek where he shares 5 things you can do today to prepare for 2024 security threats.
First among the 5 things is creating a cyber resilience plan that includes “protection, prevention, detection, response, and recovery.”