Nintendo teases its next games console, Kaspersky helps defeat CryptXXX ransomware, Google Calendar helps you find a time, Mark Zuckerberg thinks he's omnipotent, and not even weather forecasters can avoid the Windows 10 nag-screen.

Nintendo Will Launch the NX in 2017

Nintendo has announced that its next games console, the mysterious-sounding NX, will be launched in March 2017. Unfortunately, the Japanese gaming company isn't ready to tell us any more details about the successor to the Wii U, even though the NX is now less than a year away from release.

The release date was revealed during Nintendo's latest earnings report [PDF link], with the company stating:

"For our dedicated video game platform business, Nintendo is currently developing a gaming platform codenamed 'NX' with a brand-new concept. NX will be launched in March 2017 globally."

However, that was all that was said, and the gaming press has been left to speculate as to what the NX will actually be. Any hopes that the NX was going to be revealed at E3 2016 were dashed when Nintendo suggested the focus at that event will be on the new The Legend of Zelda game, also due for release in 2017. Then again, Nintendo could be trolling us.

Based on past rumors it looks as though the NX will be a hybrid home/portable console, with Nintendo merging the Wii U and 3DS into one unit sure to fly off store shelves. But little is clear beyond that. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima recently told Time:

"I can assure you we're not building the next version of Wii or Wii U. It's something unique and different. It's something where we have to move away from those platforms in order to make it something that will appeal to our consumer base."

Which is as clear as mud, to be honest. The only thing we know for sure is that the NX needs to deliver. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are both doing well, but the Wii U spectacularly failed to set the world alight. Nintendo needs a win, and only time will tell whether the NX is capable.

Kaspersky Defeats CryptXXX Ransomware

Ransomware is a particularly nasty form of malware that has risen in popularity in recent years. After invading your system, it encrypts the files on your computer and holds them to ransom, demanding you pay hundreds of dollars, usually in the form of Bitcoin, to release them.

CryptXXX is a new variant of ransomware discovered earlier this month, and it's even nastier than other variants. As well as encrypting your files on your PC it encrypts files on attached devices, and scans for sensitive data it can send back to base. In other words, it sucks.

However, Russian security firm Kaspersky has developed a tool designed to help you regain control of your files without paying the ransom. The tool, which is called RannohDecryptor, as it was originally developed to tackle the Rannoh variant, is free, but does require the user to have one non-encrypted copy of a file CryptXXX has locked.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee RannohDecryptor will continue to work against ransomware, as the criminals behind it will no doubt be working on more effective malware. Still, for the time being, you should make note of this link, and (ideally) try to protect yourself from ransomware in the first place.

Google Helps You Schedule Meetings

You can now schedule meetings with other people more quickly and efficiently thanks to Google. Anyone using Google Apps for Work or Edu will find a new option in Google Calendar for Android. It's called "Find a time," and it helps you coordinate meeting times with others.

Designed for people who share their calendar with colleagues, whether at work or at school, "Find a time" identifies suitable times to hold a meeting based on the availability of all those involved. It only offers suggestions though, with those involved still ultimately in charge.

While this is only currently available on Android, Google is working on bringing it to iOS too.

Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Save the World

Facebook is doing very well for itself, adding millions of users, and making billions of dollars. And the company is now proposing a stock split designed to keep Zuckerberg in control for as long as he wants to be. Which led to this gem from a Note from Mark Zuckerberg, as published on Facebook yesterday (April 27):

"While helping to connect the world will always be the most important thing I do, there are more global challenges that I feel a responsibility to help solve — like helping to cure all diseases by the end of this century, upgrading our education system so it’s personalized for each student, and protecting our environment from climate change. That’s why Priscilla and I created the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and committed to give 99 percent of our Facebook shares during our lives to advance human potential and promote equality."

Now, Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook, and has become very rich because of it. However, does creating a social network automatically make you capable of fixing the entire world of its various ills? In a word, No, but someone clearly forgot to tell Zuckerberg that sad truth.

While it's good to see the richest people in our society trying to make the world a better place, the wording suggests Zuckerberg sees himself as some kind of Second Coming. Which he obviously isn't. To borrow a phrase from Monty Python, "He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy."

Windows 10 Interrupts Weather Forecast

And finally, anyone who is running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 is likely to have encountered the annoying Windows 10 nag-screen by now. It pops up, begging you to upgrade to Windows 10, even if you have already declined the upgrade on numerous occasions. And it turns out even meteorologists aren't immune from Microsoft's unwanted advances.

As you can see in the video above, Metinka Slate was breezily forecasting the weather for Iowa when Windows decided to gatecrash the party. Slate handled it well, making reference to the intruder on her screen, and then carrying on regardless. However, this is bad PR for Microsoft, which has already annoyed users with its insistence we all upgrade. [H/T Betanews]

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Are you looking forward to the release of the Nintendo NX? Have you ever been hit with ransomware? Will you be using Google's new Find a Time feature? What do you think of Mark Zuckerberg's ambitions to fix the world? Have you succumbed to the Windows 10 nag-screen yet?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Tech News Digest is a daily column paring the technology news of the day down into bite-sized chunks that are easy to read and perfect for sharing.

Image Credit: Guian Bolisay via Flickr