Apple iPhone 6 models have been the subject of controversy and swirling rumors lately due to constant rebooting issues. Industry insiders opined that the crashing and reboot loops, only present on specific iPhone 6 models, is due to the use of TLC NAND. TLC NAND is denser and marginally cheaper than its MLC counterpart, but suffers from less endurance and lower performance. Apple only uses TLC NAND in select models with a lot of storage, and the 64GB iPhone and the 128GB iPhone 6 Plus are perfect examples. Whether or not TLC is at the root of the issue remains up for debate, and reports are circulating that Apple will abandon TLC entirely. Kbench, a Korean benchmark developer, has released tests of the 64GB iPhone 6 with MLC NAND against the same model with TLC NAND.

Unfortunately the released tests are limited to write benchmarking. TLC has inherent limitations with random write activity, but fares much better with read workloads. Mobile devices aren't subjected to as much heavy random write data as PC's, and as a general statement TLC fares well with sequential data. We mention this because these tests focused on random write data, which is the worst case scenario for mobile devices. Some read performance benchmarks would also be very helpful, and we are reaching out to Kbench for read performance results.

The Zero Fill test (at the top of the graphic) shows TLC blowing away the MLC competition. Zero Fill isn't a real-world test, it merely writes zero's to every address on the storage device. What isn't mentioned, however, is that this amazing speed with TLC hints at possible compression technology. It is interesting no one has connected the dots on this. SSDs that utilize compression and data reduction technology write Zero Fill data extremely quickly because compression algorithms can compress zero's so well that very little data actually hits the flash. One of the biggest challenges with TLC NAND comes on the endurance front. TLC NAND does not last as long as MLC NAND, and compressing the data results in less data actually written to the NAND, thus increasing endurance. Apple spent an estimated $500 million for Anobit, a company that was brought in specifically to increase the endurance of TLC NAND. Anobit doesn't entirely explain how they accomplish this feat, but adding compression in tandem with other techniques makes perfect sense.

The CoinValut ransomware victimizes businesses, encrypting critical work files - but there is an added twist with this particular piece of software. The criminals provide one free decrypt, providing access to a file, trying to provide additional faith in victims.

CoinVault uses 256-bit AES encryption, and the decryption keys are stored on remote servers - and Windows files cannot be recovered unless the bitcoin payment is submitted to cybercriminals. Victims are ordered to pay 0.5 bitcoins, around $200 at current market prices, with the price increasing every 24 hours.

Ransomware attacks typically rely on employees falling prey to social engineering techniques, designed to trick users into clicking suspicious links or downloading unknown files.

The future of passwords could be under pressure if Intel-owned McAfee can develop new biometric authentication technology that can be supported. The average user has around 18 passwords, so using some type of biometrics would be able to help reduce that chaos.

"Your biometrics basically eliminate the need for you to enter passwords for Windows log in and eventually all your websites ever again," said Kirk Skaugen, Intel SVP and GM of the PC Client Group.

Despite passwords being under threat to be eliminated - for several years now - it still remains the most common security procedure for email, online banking, and other user accounts. However, passwords paired with other security procedures prove to be significantly more secure, though consumers are still waiting to learn more before abandoning all of their passwords.

A whopping 83 percent of Internet users believe affordable and stable Internet access should be a basic human right, according to the CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust. More than two-thirds of the world's population don't have Internet access just yet, but there are more campaigns to help people across the world begin to access the Web - largely on mobile devices, such as mobile phones and tablets.

"Overwhelming global public support for the idea that access to the Internet should be a human right also shows just how important the Internet has come to freedom of expression, freedom of association, social communication, the generation of new knowledge, and economic opportunity and growth," said Fen Hampson, director of the CIGI Global Security and Politics Program.

"Unless they are brought online, a world of Internet 'have and have-nots' will not only contribute to income inequality, but also stifle the world's full potential for prosperity and innovation."

AC Ryan has just unveiled their fresh new 4K video player, known as the VEOLO 4K. AC Ryan's VEOLO 4K features a "staunch focus" on its User Experience (UX), with a fresh UI that is easy for users to navigate their Ultra HD media player.

The company has used what they discovered from their VEOLO 2 into their VEOLO 4K player, with some serious horsepower inside. The VEOLO 4K features a 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex-A17 ARM-based processor, a Mali T-764 GPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and 16GB of on-board NAND flash storage. There's H.265 hardware decoding abilities, HDMI 2.0 out that allowed for the 3840x2160 output, Android 4.4 KitKat as its OS, Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0.

AC Ryan supports the usual slew of media codecs, such as H.264, H.265 (video codec for 4K content), MPEG-4, MVC 4096x2048. Supported formats include but is not limited to AVI, BD-ISO, MKV, MOV, MP4, VOB among others. The company adds: "Having said that, Dolby & DTS naturally comes as a given, wrapping up the UHD experience". Inside of the box, it will include the VEOLO 4K itself, an IR remote, HDMI 1.4a cable, composite AV cables, 5V DC adapter and a quick guide. The company also sells a USB-based RF VEO Navigator Air Mouse, which is around $47, while the player itself is $239.

This year's third entry in the "Expendables" franchise was lambasted (and rightly so) for the studio chasing extra dollars by sanitising the hard R rating of the first two films for the sake of getting more kids in the theater. Now, star Sylvester Stallone has owned up to the mistake, in a new interview with CraveOnline.

'Expendables 3' was a financial disappointment for Lionsgate films, grossing $100 million less than its predecessor, despite their intentions. Asked about whether the third entry should have been released as a PG-13, Stallone responded:

I believe it was a horrible miscalculation on everyone's part in trying to reach a wider audience, but in doing such, diminish the violence that the audience expects. I'm quite certain it won't happen again.

Jeri Ellsworth has taken to Twitter to announce that the Technical Illusions team is finally shipping their first pair of castAR glasses. You might remember the startup took to Kickstarter to raise $1 million, spearheaded by ex-Valve engineers Jeri Ellsworth and Rick Johnson.

The AR glasses feature active shutter glasses, a camera for input and a projector that displays 3D images onto a surface. The company caalls the device "the most versatile AR and VR system" but it has more strength in its AR side, with its VR side not working until you buy the optional clip-on. We should hopefully have a pair in the coming months, so keep checking back here at TweakTown.

Tech company KOOM VR has announced pre-orders are now being accepted for the company's NOON virtual reality headset, a device being promoted as the first high-quality headset. The unit is compatible with most smartphones and virtual reality apps, and is optimized for the KOOM app, able to utilize your smartphone's sensors, on-screen display and computing power. The NOON VR headset will be available for just $79 - and pre-orders begin on Dec. 1.

The NOON VR has large, wide-angle lenses that offer 95-degree field of view, and head movements can be used to help navigate custom interfaces.

"We have set out to facilitate the creation and sharing of immersive video and making virtual reality content accessible and affordable to more people," said Kwang-Jin Choi, KOOM VR Chief Technology Officer. "Virtual reality can give us a new way of communication experiences, without any abstraction or interpretation. NOON VR and the ability to share content through the KOOM VR app will allow anyone to be completely submerged in a new reality."

Fidelity Investments is getting creative in its efforts to woo millennials into greater interest of the financial stock market, launching StockCity. The software uses a 3D mapping tool and feels similar to SimCity, providing virtual structures that analyze 90-day trade volume and market caps of selected stocks. StockCity also is available for the Oculus Rift, blending virtual reality with data visualization, providing a unique method to view your personal stock portfolio.

"Fidelity's target one with a bullet is the boomers," said Bill Doyle, Forrester Research VP, in a statement. "But if they don't pay attention to the next generation - which has a decidedly different feel, with a strong bias to digital touch points - they run the risk of being iced out by some upstart. They expect their best experience to come from software, as opposed to coming from a human being."

Sometimes as a boss, you've got to be sitting there in your executive chair wondering what your staff are doing at that exact moment. Are they planning world domination, are they doing hard work or are they on Reddit?

Well, if they're discussing that "ludicrous display last night" (See: IT Crowd) over instant messaging app 'Slack' - they could now be in some hot water. Slack's upcoming paid Plus plan includes a handy new feature named "Compliance Exports".

Announced to the public on Monday, Compliance Exports will make you feel like more of a vicious dictator than ever before, allowing management to peak into their employee's private communications - public and private. They've also included the ability to edit your workers messages or mark them for deletion - helping manage any conversation as you see fit.