Sam Catherman | Page 2 | World Tech Today

Skype is about to make some huge changes

Sep 21, 2015 by Sam Catherman Leave a Comment

It’s been a tough few weeks for anyone that relies on Skype for business or communicating with friends and family. According to a report from PC Mag, Microsoft’s video communications program has been unusable for some customers, prompting the company to pop open the hood and determine the cause of the problems.

Skype engineer Leonas Sendrauskas wrote in a blog post, “We have detected an issue with the status settings of Skype. We’re working on a fix for this issue and hope to have an update for you soon.” The company apologized for any inconvenience the forthcoming changes may have caused.

For some users, even logging into the service has proven difficult. Those who made it past the first hurdle found it impossible to start calls, change status, or appear as “online” to other users.

The glitch follows an announcement that the company will offer users the ability to make voice and video calls without installing a plugin on Microsoft Edge. It may be a few more weeks before the company is able to carry out its plans, but customers are not pleased in the meantime.

Volkswagen cheated on EPA emissions tests, apologizes to customers

Sep 21, 2015 by Sam Catherman Leave a Comment

The EPA accused automaker Volkswagen of intentionally violating clean air regulations during testing last week. According to an Associated Press report, the automaker allegedly included software in 500,000 of its diesel vehicles that allowed them to emit fewer pollutants during testing, but was shut off once the test was complete.

The EPA called for Volkswagen to repair the vehicles so that they comply with smog regulations at their own expense. The company could also face billions of dollars in fines for the violations.

The automobiles were all constructed over the course of the past seven years, and include Jetta, Beetle, Golf, and Passat models. The Audi A3 also allegedly included this software during testing.

The software allowed the emissions control system to be engaged only during an official test, and was shut off after the test was complete.

The EPA claims that the company’s use of the “defeat device” violated clean air regulations and posed a risk to public health. While the automaker will be responsible for repairs to the emissions systems, car owners will not be held liable for driving a car they had already purchased.

The software allowed Volkswagen to market their cars as environmentally friendly, will maintaining a high performance engine. They will likely face fines of up to $37,500 per vehicle.

Malware strikes Apple store, multiple apps deleted

Sep 21, 2015 by Sam Catherman Leave a Comment

Apple Inc. announced that it would pull a number of iOS apps from its App Store after discovering malware included in some of the most popular apps. According to a report from Mac World, the company is still trying to figure out exactly how many applications were affected.

Palo Alto Networks, the security company that discovered the malware, currently estimates that 39 applications were affected. Many of the apps were popular in Chinese markets, including the popular messaging app WeChat, ridesharing app Didi Kuaidi, train ticket app Railway 12306, stock-trading app Tonghuashun, and business card scanner CamCard.

Apple spokeswoman Christine Monaghan revealed the company’s decision to remove these apps from the App Store as the malware issue is resolved. Security consultants believe the malware was uploaded to the App Store through a bootleg version of Xcode from a Chinese server. The New York Times reported that developers who had disabled Apple’s safety conditions could install the malware, which could potentially record your IDs, passwords, and e-mails.