Microsoft Edge bests Google Chrome in battery life and security tests

While Windows 10 is gaining some serious ground in the PC market, the same cannot be said about Microsoft Edge. Looking at the usage share of the major browsers on Windows 10, it is pretty much in the same place as it was a year ago -- a distant second to Google Chrome. While it may be easy to dismiss Edge, Microsoft has rolled out major improvements since it debuted in mid-2015. And it's touting the benefits every chance it gets. Two new ads released by Microsoft promote better battery life and increased security over its main rival. Microsoft has… [Continue Reading]

You can still get Windows 10 for free -- for now at least

Microsoft officially called time on the free Windows 10 upgrade offer in 2016, but allowed anyone using assistive technologies to continue to upgrade to the new OS without paying a penny. This offer worked on an honor system -- you weren’t required to provide any proof that you used assistive technologies in order to make use of the deal -- allowing anyone to continue to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Microsoft finally closed this loophole on December 31, 2017, except (whisper it) the site, and the deal, are still available. SEE ALSO: This is your last chance to get… [Continue Reading]

2017: Year of the data breach

Barely a week seemed to go by in 2017 without news of a new data breach exposing customer or commercial data. But just how bad was it? File transfer specialist Ipswitch has put together an infographic looking at the year in breaches. In terms of the number of records compromised, 2017 didn’t break any records. 2013 still occupies the top slot there when the Yahoo breach alone exposed some three billion sets of credentials. Data breach activity was high in 2017 though, with 1,202 breaches in the 11 months to November, according to a report from the Identity Theft Resource… [Continue Reading]

Intel chips have a huge security flaw, and the fix will slow down Windows and Linux machines

A design flaw has been discovered in Intel chips that will require major changes to be made to the Windows and Linux kernels. While patches are being worked on -- and in the case of Windows Insiders, have already rolled out -- users of both operating systems can expect to experience something of a performance hit. macOS machines running on Intel chips are also affected. Intel is -- for the moment -- remaining tight-lipped about the specifics of the flaw that has been unearthed, but it is believed to affected processors produced in the past decade. Developers are currently estimating… [Continue Reading]

Samsung CJ791 is world's first curved Thunderbolt 3 QLED display

Curved televisions are gimmicky and an overall bad idea. I bought a curved 4K TV a couple years ago, and while I do like it overall, it has a big negative -- it shows a lot of glare when the sun comes through the windows. Ultimately, the curved aspect doesn't seem to provide much (if any) value over a flat set when sitting on my couch. Where curved displays are wonderful, however, is for computer monitors. When you are sitting closer to a display, such as at a desk, it provides a more immersive experience -- it is great. Today,… [Continue Reading]

Lindows rises from the grave! Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 Linux distros now available

About 16 years ago, a for-pay Linux distribution caused quite a stir all because of its name -- Lindows. Yes, someone actually thought kicking the billion dollar hornets nest that is Microsoft by playing off of the "Windows" name was a good idea. To be honest, from a marketing perspective, it was brilliant -- it got tons of free press. Microsoft eventually killed the Lindows name by use of money and the legal system, however. Ultimately, the Linux distro was renamed "Linspire." Comically, there was a Lindows Insiders program way before Windows Insiders! After losing the Lindows name, the operating… [Continue Reading]

Hundreds of Android and iOS apps use your mic to check what TV shows you are watching

Advertisers are keen for their ads to be seen, that goes without saying. But it's more important to be seen by the right people, hence the explosion in targeted advertising. Social media is a great way to gather massive amounts of data about people and deliver ads accordingly, but some mobile games take things further. There are a large number of games for both iOS and Android which include Alphonso software. This uses smartphones' microphones to record audio which is then used to determine which TV shows and commercials you're watching -- and then deliver targeted ads accordingly. Is this… [Continue Reading]