Latest Technology News

My smartphone is my most-used computer. When it comes to getting work done, I chose an iPhone for its reliability, security, and most importantly, app availability. I do not have time for roadblocks, such as the app-gap found on Windows Phone.

To enhance my productivity on Windows, Linux and iOS, I leverage the wonderful Dropbox for my cloud-storage needs. The company is constantly improving its service and introducing new features. Today, the company announces a partnership with Adobe to enable easier PDF editing on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. This is just the latest example of Dropbox focusing on its customers.

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The Path environment variable is an important setting which has been around since the days of DOS, yet for some reason Windows has always made it awkward to view and edit.

Fortunately that’s changed with Windows 10’s November update (1511), which finally offers an interface you might actually want to use.

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If you’re suffering a touch of deja vu looking at the photo above it's probably because my colleague Mark Wilson reviewed Inateck's similar sleeve for the Surface Pro earlier this year.

This one is designed for the iPad and MacBook fraternity and features a neat fold over design that allows it to act as a stand for the device as well as a sleeve to protect it. It has a smaller pouch in front of the main one and here are a couple of pockets on the back, one of which is big enough to take CDs. It also comes with a separate little pouch containing a cleaning cloth and which is big enough to take a mouse. It's not really suited to carrying bulky mains adaptors around though, so you’ll need to charge your device before you go out.

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A common recommendation for securing a mobile device is to set up a passcode. Having a PIN or password will make it harder for a third-party to have access to personal information, which lowers the chances of data theft or loss but also incrimination or blackmail.

But, when that third-party is a government agency looking to retrieve data from someone's Android device, it might be easier than you think to get in. On top of all the resources they have at their disposal, government agencies can also turn to Google to have the passcode remotely reset.

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Excel was born in 1985, and the business world has never been the same. This fall, the program celebrated its 30th birthday, giving spreadsheet users everywhere the chance to reflect on its success, its drawbacks, and its importance in the corporate marketplace. Rather than allowing this major milestone to pass us by, businesses should use the remainder of 2015 as an opportunity to consider their ongoing relationship with Excel.

Microsoft’s dominant spreadsheet software has claimed an unparalleled share of the corporate market, which is an outstanding achievement in itself. However, even though many businesses feel like they can’t live without it, some larger organizations have realized that they can’t live with it particularly well either.

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Big businesses are increasingly recognizing the potential of data science and machine learning. Until recently, however, it hasn't been readily available to smaller organizations and individuals.

But now companies like Amazon and Google are beginning to make machine learning available more widely. Is this the start of a new trend? What will it mean for businesses, and will we see the rise of a new generation of ‘citizen data scientists’?

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HP today announced the HP Elite x2 -- a hybrid it says is perfectly designed for the mobile professional.

According to HP, it is an "incredibly versatile" device that offers the "productivity of a full notebook with the convenience of a tablet".

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Windows 10’s growth might have slowed quite dramatically in recent months, but never underestimate the power of free.

According to the latest prediction from Gartner, the new operating system is set to enjoy not only the fastest growth of any version of Windows, but is poised to become the most widely installed Microsoft OS ever, quickly overtaking both XP and Windows 7.

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Even if you're not a fan, it can't have escaped your attention that there's a new Star Wars movie coming out soon. Google is as excited as millions of fans are, and to celebrate Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens it is giving you the chance to give Google apps and services a Star Wars makeover.

Choose to join the light side or the dark side, and Gmail, Google search, and more will be customized in a Star Wars style. Like the idea of being shown how to get to your destination by an X-Wing flying down the streets in Google Maps? Consider it done! But there's a lot more to look out for...

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Conventional wisdom has dictated for millennia that planning well in advance will put you in good stead for success. What this means for IT departments is to prepare for the worst -- and for online retailers that means November 27 and 30.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are approaching fast and now is the time for IT professionals to ensure their IT infrastructure capacity will not leave them sitting on the side-lines.

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Hey, Satya Nadella, you are doing a pretty good job at Microsoft. Windows 10 is a darn good desktop operating system, although you need to work on those confusing privacy settings, bro. Office 2016 is great too, as always, and your cross platform apps are wonderful. Hell, even Bing continues to get better.

We need to have a heart to heart about Windows 10 Mobile, otherwise known as the continuing of Windows Phone, though. Here's the thing -- nobody wants it. Other than some Microsoft fanboys and beat-writers like Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley, it's about as wanted as diarrhea. Yes, Satya, I am comparing your mobile operating system to loose stools. While that sounds a bit extreme, it sadly actually isn't. It's time to give up on mobile. Free your fanboys from their mental prisons.

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If you are still running your operating system from a traditional hard drive, I want you to slap yourself in the face. Why? You are doing your computing wrong. Sure, a mechanical hard drive is great for storage, but your OS will absolutely fly with a solid state drive. While they used to be expensive, the prices have dropped so dramatically in recent years, there is no excuse not to upgrade. It has become a cliché, but an SSD is the best upgrade you can make.

Recently, I have been testing the Toshiba Q300 SSD. The particular model I have been using is 480GB. Keep in mind, capacity can impact performance, so your mileage may vary based on the size you pick. This is a SATA variant, so performance won't be mind-blowing, but with that said, SATA will remain the most-used connection type for the near future, and for folks upgrading older machines. Is the Q300 a smart choice?

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Here’s an interesting story for the weekend -- it seems as if Microsoft has pulled the recently released November Update (aka Threshold 2) from both the Media Creation Tool and Windows Update.

That means if you don’t currently have the update on your Windows 10 device, you won’t be able to download it directly now.

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Ordinarily, if you want to receive money just for walking you'd need to do a sponsored walk -- and that money's supposed to go to charity -- or get yourself a job as a dog walker. But how does the idea of getting paid just for the walking you do each and every day sound? That's exactly what Bitwalking promises.

With a name clearly inspired by the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, Bitwalking works in a couple of ways. Walkers can earn 1 Bitwalking dollar (BW$) for every 10,000 steps they take, and these can be spent in an online store, or converted into cash. The system uses a smartphone to count steps, but there are also plans to produce a wristband.

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There's quite a lot of competition in the digital payment arena at the moment. Apple Pay is one of the latest to join the likes of Samsung Pay and Android Pay, and Apple is keen to demonstrate just how easy it is to use its payment system.

For many people, using a smartphone to pay for coffee is an intuitive process, but Apple wants to sell its service to more people. The company needs to break down any barriers that might be standing in the way of new users adopting Apple Pay, and this is the reason for the appearance of a video that serves as a 'how to' guide.

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