Bad news for Microsoft as Windows 10 loses market share -- again
According to NetMarketShare, in January, Windows 10 hit a big milestone. The new OS managed to grow by nearly one percentage point, to give it over 25 percent of the market. That’s pretty good going.
However, in February, Windows 10 went back into reverse gear, losing share, and not for the first time.
Samsung Galaxy S8 revealed a month early
In addition to launching some new tablets, Samsung also used MWC 2017 to tease us about its forthcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone. The tech giant even released a little video announcing that the eagerly awaited flagship will be unveiled on March 29.
If you’re wondering what the new device will look like, and what changes it will deliver, the good news is you don’t have to wait until the end of the month to see the new phone in all its glory.
Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15046 for PC arrives on the Fast ring
Work continues apace on the next big update to Windows 10, and Microsoft has rolled out a new build to the Fast ring a mere four days after the last one.
Build 15046 for PC (no new Mobile build yet) adds some additional functionality and tweaks to the OS, as well as squashing plenty of bugs.
Raspberry Pi Zero W is a $10 Linux-friendly computer with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The Raspberry Pi Foundation launched the $5 Pi Zero in late 2015, and it sold out immediately. Every time new batches of stock arrived, they were snapped up in minutes of going on sale.
Launched to coincide with the original Raspberry Pi's fifth birthday, the new Raspberry Pi Zero W is likely to suffer from similar demand. It’s essentially a Pi Zero with the addition of the two features many people have been requesting -- wireless LAN and Bluetooth.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 15042 for PC and Build 15043 for Mobile arrive on the Fast ring
Like buses, you wait over a week for a new Windows 10 Insider Build… and then two come along at once.
In this case, there are two distinct builds -- Build 15042 for PC, and Build 15043 for Mobile. We’re edging ever close to the release of the Creators Update, and so while a lot of the changes in these releases are about squashing bugs and fixing issues, Microsoft has still managed to introduce some new features.
You'll be able to unlock any device running Windows 10 Creators Update with a Samsung phone
If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, and run Windows 10, we’ve got some good news for you.
From April, which is when it’s anticipated that Microsoft will be rolling out the Windows 10 Creators Update, you’ll be able to unlock any Windows 10 device by using your phone… and that’s not all.
First Windows 10 Redstone 3 build sighted
Microsoft is currently working hard on the next big update to Windows 10, which it’s calling the Creators Update. This will be the second release on the Redstone branch (Redstone 1 being the Anniversary Update).
There is yet another release from the Redstone branch planned for later this year, and although Microsoft has yet to name it, work is already underway internally.
Tech reporting is more negative now than in the past
I like to think that while I do certainly criticize technology products and technology companies for any failings -- Microsoft forcing Windows 10 on to customers against their will last year, for example -- I’m fair. I still get as excited about a new phone, or a new version of Windows, as I did in the past, and I don't deliberately look for negatives. The same is true for all other BetaNews writers.
However, a new study finds that tech reporting is generally more pessimistic now than in the past, and for two very different reasons.
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If you're looking for a way to get started in Cloud computing, or to get more out of an existing setup, Cloud Management and Security from Wiley is an essential read.
Written by an expert with over 15 years’ experience in the field, the book usually retails for $109, but for a limited time you can download the full ebook version for free.
How to find (and copy) your Windows product key
There are all sorts of reasons why you might need to locate your Windows product key. Perhaps you’re thinking of upgrading from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10 (doing so is still free, despite what Microsoft has said), or you might want to perform a clean install.
In the past, tracking down the key usually involved finding your installation media, but the more modern approach is to simply pull it directly from your Windows installation.
HTTPS now protects half of all web traffic
Websites that implement HTTPS reap a lot of benefits. Not only do they protect their users by preventing third parties from snooping on web traffic, and safeguard against content hijacking and cookie stealing, but they also enjoy a better ranking in Google as the search giant uses HTTPS as a signal in its search algorithms.
Few privacy-minded people would be happy about logging in, or entering credit card details, on a site which doesn’t afford the proper protection that HTTPS brings.
Microsoft issues some Windows security patches in February after all
Patch Tuesday occurs on the second Tuesday of every month, and is when Microsoft releases security patches for all supported versions of Windows.
However, due to a "last minute issue," Microsoft was unable to push out the patches for February, and made the decision to delay them until next month, a move that understandably didn’t go down all that well with customers, and even led to Google publishing details of an unpatched Windows bug.
How to securely connect to a Raspberry Pi from anywhere
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a client/server technology that lets you remotely control any target device. RealVNC has been around for many years and its VNC Connect tool is now available for Raspberry Pi.
VNC Connect is included in the Raspbian repositories, and lets you connect to your Pi from anywhere in the world, from a range of devices, using a cloud brokered or direct connection. The Pi version comes with some extra features and functionality, but there are some steps you'll need to follow before you can start using it.
How to disable auto-playing sound on Facebook videos
As you'll no doubt have seen, Facebook is introducing several big changes to video on its platform. The most divisive change will be the introduction of auto-playing sound.
"Videos in News Feed have previously played silently -- you tap on a video to hear sound. As people watch more video on phones, they've come to expect sound when the volume on their device is turned on. After testing sound on in News Feed and hearing positive feedback, we’re slowly bringing it to more people. With this update, sound fades in and out as you scroll through videos in News Feed, bringing those videos to life," says Facebook. If that sounds like something you really don't want (and who would want that?), the good news is it's easy enough to disable the new feature.
Microsoft delays its February patches for a month
For the past several years, Microsoft has released security patches on the second Tuesday of the month -- the so-called Patch Tuesday.
However, Microsoft missed the date this month and now says the new patches won’t arrive until the middle of next month.
Wayne's Bio
Wayne Williams is BetaNews' managing editor. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for over 20 years now. He’s written for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a fair few of them in his time also. If you like what you read, you can Buy Me a Coffee!
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