Three Alabama hospitals fold to ransomware demands, Amazon releases new budget tablets, Sonos launches speaker subscription.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending today. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 8th, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
First, from my Feedly feed, three Alabama hospitals have paid their attackers to unlock their databases. According to Ars Technica, the attackers managed to install ransomware on the hospital’s servers, which prevented access unless provided a decrypt key. The attack crippled the hospital’s functions, forcing them to turn away most of its non-critical patients. Officials didn’t release the payout sum, but has confirmed that it has received the decryption key and is working to restore operations.
Trending on Google, Amazon has announced a new budget-friendly tablet. For $149.99, the Fire HD 10 tablet gets you a 10-inch 1080p display, stereo speakers, and a faster processor. By lowering the cost of entry, Amazon hopes to lure buyers into subscribing to Amazon services like Prime Video and Amazon Music. According to CNBC, the budget tablet will also display ads on the lock screen.
You subscribed to Spotify, Netflix, and even groceries, but have you considered subscribing to speakers? Sonos is exploring this uncharted territory by offering what may be the first speaker subscription. The Sonos One, Beam, and Playbar speakers are available at €14, €25, and €50 euros respectively. These prices sound a lot better than paying up to €2,206 outright, and can be canceled at any time.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Tom Li, thanks for listening.