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CES 2015 - We just reported about the Acer Liquid Jade S handset, but Acer has also unveiled the new Liquid Z410, too. The difference between the two handsets, is that the Liquid Z410 features a 4.5-inch qHD display compared to the 5-inch 720p display on the Liquid Jade S.

Acer have provided a MediaTek MT6732 CPU backed up with an ARM Mali-T760 GPU, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera backed up by a 2-megapixel selfie-shooter. We have 4G LTE capabilities, and a battery that Acer says is good for up to 400 hours of standby, or around 5.5 hours of talk time.

The new Liquid Z410 will be made available in the European market at the end of February, for €129 or $154.

Malware threats garnered major media attention throughout 2014, but cybersecurity experts are concerned that casual users and business decision leaders aren't going to proactive enough to prevent breaches.

There will be more attention directed towards ransomware, which typically begin with a successful phishing attack. Ransomware demands monetary payments for criminals to turn over control of systems and data back to the victim, and evasion techniques used to deliver payloads are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

"In 2014 we saw a number of significant wins against malware with the dismantling of several major botnets. This type of takedown will be much harder in 2015 with malware becoming stealthier," said Andy Avanessian, VP of professional services at endpoint security company Avecto, in a statement published by Forbes. "In the coming months, we will see increased use of p2p, darknet and tor communications, forums selling malware and stolen data will also retreat further into hidden corners of the internet in an attempt to avoid infiltration."

CES 2015 - Acer is on a roll today, unveiling its new Revo One RL85 entertainment PC, which is a "stylish personal computer designed to become the entire family's entertainment center."

Acer's new PC is built for entertainment, content streaming and much more, with the ability to be powered by an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor. We have dual display support, with one HDMI and one mini DisplayPort output, which supports up to 4K monitors or TVs. There are three HDD storage spots, each capable of taking a 2TB drive for 6TB of total drive space in Raid 0/1/5. Wi-Fi 802.11ac is also here, which will provide wireless freedom throughout the house.

Where the Revo One RL85 shines is in its design, with Acer crafting a PC that can be placed anywhere and not look out of place. It comes in both black and white, with a nice polished glossy look with "aesthetic curved lines and rounded corners." We have an SD card slot, four LED smart indicators, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and miniDP. Acer is shipping the Revo One with an optional multi-use remote control, which will make placing the PC in your lounge room even better.

CES 2015 - Acer has burst right out of the gate here at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, announcing two new great gaming LCDs as well as a new 15-inch Chromebook, but they aren't finished yet. We are now being introduced to the new Liquid Jade S smartphone, a cheap new handset that features an 8-core processor, and more.

The Acer Liquid Jade S features an 8-core 64-bit processor from Mediatek in the form of the MT6752M, as well as 4G LTE capabilities to make sure the internals of the phone can match the network speeds. The SoC features eight 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A53 CPUs, and a Mali T760 graphics chip which will handle the graphics side of things.

The Liquid Jade S features a 5-inch 1280x720 display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera backed up by a 5-megapixel up front for those detailed selfies, and a non-removable 2300mAh battery. All of this arrives in a handset that weighs just 116g and is 7.78mm thick. Acer will have the Liquid Jade S for €299, or around $358 and will be made available in Europe starting later this month.

Storage Visions 2015 - WD has a new 4TB HDD that works in tandem with an integrated SSD with up to 128GB of capacity. The new drive connects via the new SATA Express (SATAe) connection, which communicates over the PCIe bus. This is accomplished with a new cable that plugs into a special port embedded on the motherboard. SATAe has been in the works for several years, and new products are just now coming to market that can utilize the blazing speed of the connection. WD's implantation comes as two separate drives merged into one, which allows users to either use a caching setup or install the operating system directly to the SSD, and use the HDD as storage. Another key point is that the ASRock and GIGABYTE systems on display have the integrated connectors. This signals that major motherboard manufacturers are already leveraging the new technology.

The Prototype version of the drive comes in 4TB and features 128GB of JMicron flash. It communicates via the PCIe Gen 2 x2 connection. There is no external RefClock cable needed, which is a big improvement over the early versions of SATAe drives.

There is also a Prototype II version. We were able to obtain the spy pics, but have no further information on the difference between the two drives. We will follow up with more details later in the day.

CES 2015 - Peripheral maker NYNE launched the Edge, Verge and Rock water-resistant Bluetooth speakers, designed to be used while exploring the outdoors.

All three speakers support Bluetooth 4.0 for streaming and NFC for one-tap connections. A built-in microphone allows for hands-free calling, along with a USB power bank, 3.55mm aux input and up to 12 hours of battery life.

The Verge, Edge and Rock speakers will be available during Q2 of 2015, with the Verge sporting a $119.95 MSRP, Edge will cost $159.95, and Rock will be available for $299.95.

Ralph Osterhout was responsible for creating underwater vehicles featured in two James Bond films, he's developed smaller and cheaper night vision goggles for the military, he has invented many children's toys throughout the 90's (Yak Bak, TalkBoy and Power Penz) and is now working with his company, Osterhout Design Group. on a Google Glass competitor - the ODC Smart Glasses.

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chip, these glasses are described as "basically a full Android Tablet you can wear on your head", giving users a transparent heads-up display instead of a touchable surface. The screen is quoted to feel like a 55-inch 3D floating screen floating eight feet in front of your eyes, provided by two 720p micro displays.

This product also features a five-megapixel camera and various different sensors for application purposes. Theoretically you could use these glasses as your own personal 3D Cinema like the Sony HMZ headset, however no cords are needed.

Storage company Seagate has unveiled the Seagate Personal Cloud and Seagate Personal Cloud 2-Bay storage solutions for consumers to be able to enjoy content at home, in the office, and via mobile devices. The drives also can be used as central backup for PCs, Apple OS X machines, USB flash drives, Apple iOS, and Google Android mobile devices.

The storage solutions can stream to the Sony PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox 360 or Xbox One, and other DLNA-based devices. It'll be possible to auto-backup to Amazon S3, DropBox, Google Drive, Box, Baidu, HiDrive and Yandex.Disk, according to Seagate.

The Seagate Personal Cloud will begin shipping later this month, with 3TB, 4TB, and 5TB storage capacities available. The Seagate Personal Cloud 2-Bay will launch with 4TB, 6TB and 8TB capacities. Pricing details weren't made available.

Xiaomi, the No. 3 global smartphone manufacturer, saw its sales triple in 2014, racking up more than 61.1 million units sold in 2014. It's impressive growth from 18.7 million units in 2013, as the company continues to expand outside of China - with a focus on India, Russia, and other markets.

Sales also doubled year-over-year, up to $11.97 billion, as the company continues to prove it may have what it takes to put pressure on Samsung and Apple. Although the company has focused on selling cost-friendly devices - with no specific rush to enter the United States or UK - there are plenty of first-time smartphone owners the company is able to cater to.

"In 2015, the smart devices playing field will become extremely competitive, especially as the growth of the smartphone industry in mainland China slows down," said Lei Jun, Xiaomi founder and chief executive, in a blog post.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has a large amount of momentum to start 2015, with 65 percent of American consumers reportedly moderately or extremely interested in adopting some type of smart home product, according to the Internet of Things Consortium (IoTC). There is great potential for manufacturers to sell these products to consumers, with 54 percent of consumers saying word-of-mouth is the largest consumer factor.

It is now up to manufacturers to make affordable, easy-to-use solutions, along with creating proper security protocols to keep customers safe. Constant connectivity could be a great asset, but not if customer data and privacy are at risk.

"This survey highlights that IoT is moving towards mass adoption, but that industry leaders must make their connected home solutions intuitive, simple and cost-effective to put into play," said Nate Williams, CMO of Greenwave Systems, in a press release. "Consumers don't really care how they manage their smart devices, but they want a frictionless experience - ideally with a solution that someone else installs for free - that saves them money and improves their quality of life over the long-term."

If you're looking for an excuse to bludge your way through the new working year, you just cannot wait until the launch of the new Star Wars film or you're a big space fanatic - NASA has just released their new "NASA's Eyes" application - created by NASA themselves, allowing users to explore the galaxy and view information collected by Kepler, Hubble and Spitzer.

If download sizes are a concern, the whole package amounts only to 28.5mb, also including self-updating capabilities the ensure you're always kept up-to-date with the latest findings and information.

NASA also provide a bunch of video tutorials to get you going, alongside a handy "demo" mode - which sets out to rescue any idle PC by zooming between Earth, satellites, telescopes and the Kepler stars.

Intel has given Vuzix a $24.8 million investment, as the hardware manufacturer wants to help Vuzix possibly create fashion-based wearable glasses. Vuzix will use the Intel cash investment to accelerate fashion-based wearable display products directly to the consumer market, as Google Glass seemingly fell flat.

Intel missed the boat on smartphones and tablets, but is interested in making sure it has a major presence in the wearables market. The Silicon Valley company has already created a partnership with Opening Ceremony to create a wearable smart bracelet, catering to a higher-end market.

Meanwhile, Vuzix has had success in wearable development - and the enterprise market seems most appealing to manufacturers - but with Google Glass unable to appeal to most consumers, Vuzix has a unique opportunity to use Intel's investment to invade the market.

Sony Pictures received a lot of public criticism, from the Obama Administration and the public, for its decision to pull "The Interview" from theaters ahead of its Christmas release. The company decided to push ahead and release the movie in a smaller number of theaters, while heavily pushing online rentals and sales.

There are now questions as to whether movie studios should begin offering movies directly to the Internet from day one - while also screening movies in theaters. It's not going to be an overnight change, as movie theaters still help produce increased revenue per viewer than online rentals or sales, industry figures indicate. However, this could help spur interest in movies from viewers that otherwise wouldn't go through the trouble of seeing a movie in theater.

"The floodgates are now open for digital distribution," said Roger Kay, technology analyst and founder of Endpoint Technologies Associates, in a statement published by the San Francisco Chronicle. "Yes, these were special circumstances, but they allowed the world to see there's no reason not to stream on day one. I think it will change movie distribution ever."

CES 2015 - If you're still searching for a GeForce GTX 970 card, Zotac will be showing their new AMP! Extreme and AMP! Edition models in Las Vegas very soon at CES 2015.

Quoted as "designed for enthusiast gamers" in their recent press release, these two new graphics additions to the Zotac family will be focused around extended features and performance capabilities.

ZOTAC will be displaying these cards in an SLI configuration, showcasing their stellar 4K gaming capabilities to the public. One system each will be displaying their AMP! Edition and AMP! Extreme Edition cards.

Acer are looking to please the gamer with their recently announced release of the XB270HU and XG270HU gaming monitors.

Their XB270HU model is claimed as the world's first NVIDIA G-SYNC gaming monitor equipped with IPS technology, with Acer's XG270HU being quoted as "the world's first gaming monitor with an edge-to-edge frameless display" as according to their newly issued press release.

Both of these models feature WQHD, 2560 x 1440 resolution coupled with a speedy 144hz refresh rate - said to massively improve and enhance in-game performance and feel. The XB270HU will provide a large 178-degree viewing angle all held up by its multi-functional ErgoStand - enabling the user to tilt, swivel and adjust the screen to their optimal position.

CES 2015 - SteelSeries will be showcasing their new Sentry eye tracker at CES 2015 in Las Vegas and streaming the action live via Twitch TV. This new technology sets out to improve a users game play in any popular competitive or eSports title, helping them track their eye movements and analyze the results or see through the eyes of their favorite professional gamer.

SteelSeries' CEO, Ehtisham Rabbani, commented in their recently issued press release, saying that "today, with our Sentry Eye Tracker, we are announcing an entirely new way for streamers and viewers to see the game. This is just the tip of the innovation iceberg for Sentry, and we could not be more excited to realize all the possibilities that emerge when your game knows where your eyes are looking." This eye tracking technology has been made in partnership with Tobii Technology. Their president, Oscar Werner is reportedly quite excited about the project, stating that "eye tracking also provides an entirely new way for streamers and eSports competitors to entertain their audiences and use their eye tracking data to train and enhance their gaming strategy/ We are thrilled to partner with SteelSeries to realize the impact our eye tracking technology can have across different audiences throughout the video game industry."

Claimed as "the future of streaming", the Sentry will enable viewers to view the game through the eyes of the streamer, giving the fans an insight into the gamers though process, map awareness and other extremely important aspects when learning to master a game. The Sentry will also enable for out-of-game analysis of results, pointing out different screen fixation points and how often they complete crucial tasks like glancing at the mini-map.

Password length, complication and changes are something that many companies, news outlets and IT whizz-kids often drum into the general consumer. One of the best ways to prevent yourself falling victim to your 'general hacker' is to keep your passwords fresh, long and complicated.

iDict is a basic password-guesser that has just been pushed to GitHub. Containing a list of 500 passwords in its library, it will try to guess your accounts password based solely upon the list it has at hand. If your password looks anything like those of this list, we suggest you change them immediately for all services and never look back.

These types of simple passwords are often seen in the 'most popular password lists', with password1 or 12345 often ranking quite highly.

CES 2015 - Still not sure what you want to be when you 'grow up'? Well Acatel's new Pixi 3 phone isn't either. Released with the ability to operate on Android, Windows or Firefox operating systems - you'll have to wait until CES 2015 to see the full information listing.

This phone wont be running the three operating systems within a single unit, you'll be able to select which OS you want to use when purchasing the phone. It's certainly a very cool advancement in the mobile scene, seeing a single company supporting a wide user-base of people searching for different operating systems all under the same phone structure.

If you're wanting one for yourself, you will also have the ability to chose from various sizing options. They will be releasing the Pixi 3 phone in 3.5-inch, 4-inch, 4.5-inch and 5-inch variations - giving the consumer the ability to pick which OS they require on any of the offered models. The only catch is that their 3.5-inch product will not feature LTE.

Remember how children these days are taught not to 'joke' about security when in an airport? The same should go for online mediums. Homeland Security blogger, David Garrett Jr., spent his new years day being questioned by the FBI - thanks to an apparent joke in which he 'threatened' CNN, posing as a GOP member and leading the FBI to believe the threats to be real.

Thankfully for Garrett, this was poised as a joke and he 'came clean' straight away. In a statement to Fusion, Garrett claimed that a FBI investigator wisely told him "in the future, it's a good idea not to pretend to be someone they're investigating."

In the end everyone has come out unharmed with the only cost being a waste of the FBI's time. Take note kids, sometimes the feds can press charges and make arrests even for what you might think is a joke - luckily in this case, Garrett was let go without prosecution.

Netflix is undoubtedly one of the biggest and best online-streaming platforms available today, but unfortunately for some countries (like Australia), its services aren't supported - seeing them region locked due to copyright and various other laws. As there is a demand we've seen a sub-culture of users who are located within this 'exclusion zone' - they're still paying members of Netflix, but utilize a VPN to trick this service into thinking they live in America.

Are they pirates or not? Its a commonly asked question among media entities and the public. Although these users are paying members and are not stealing content, they're using a VPN to trick the streaming platform into thinking they live in a supported country.

TorrentFreak has just reported of Netflix's implementation of specific blocks, said to block some services that get around geo-blockers. Although not everything has been taken down just yet, reports claim that more of these VPN extensions and applications may be stamped out one-by-one from here on in.