Swim.com app transforms Apple Watch 2 into an advanced swim workout tracker
It was clear at the launch of the new Apple Watch that the company was focusing very much on the health aspect of its popular wearable, and by making the new iteration waterproof it could, for the first time, appeal to swimmers as much as runners.
Apple Watch Series 2’s basic swim functionality may be enough for some users, but if you take your swimming seriously, there’s a new Swim.com app designed with you in mind.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14936 for PC and Mobile arrives on the Fast ring
The Ignite conference in Atlanta might be keeping many Microsoft employees busy, but it hasn’t stopped developers working on the next big update of Windows 10.
A week after Build 14931 arrived on the Fast ring, Windows Insiders are today being treated to another new update -- Build 14936 for PC and Mobile.
Amazon launches all-new Fire TV Stick with faster hardware and Alexa Voice Remote
There are a lot of media streaming products to choose from, but my personal favorite is Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. It’s compact, powerful and gives you access to Amazon’s full range of on-demand video content, as well as apps and games.
Today, the retail giant announces a new version of Fire TV Stick that’s faster and adds Alexa voice control to the remote. No more browsing long lists of TV shows and movies, now you can simply ask Alexa to play anything you're interested in, launch apps, and more.
How to send secret messages in Facebook
There are lots of different messaging apps available, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google’s latest offering, Allo. Which you use will likely depend on what apps your friends prefer, but privacy might also be a big factor. Google Allo, for example, is a bit of a privacy nightmare, unless you use the Incognito mode.
You probably don’t want Facebook snooping on your private conversations, so may have steered clear of Messenger previously, but the good news is the social network now lets you send private messages to friends which can only be read on the device of the person you're communicating with -- and not by Facebook itself.
If you rip your music from YouTube, we've got some bad news for you
In the eighties and nineties, MTV was the place to go to watch music videos. That’s all changed now of course. If you want to watch a music video, YouTube is the number one destination.
If you like a song, it’s really easy to rip the music from the video, using one of the many free online services. Just paste in the URL and hey presto it comes out as an MP3. Some sites even let you specify the audio quality, and add tags. However, the music labels understandably aren’t keen on this "stream ripping", and plan to put a stop to it.
How to enable the dark theme in Microsoft Edge
Windows 10 Anniversary Update introduced a cool dark theme to the operating system, transforming the look of the user interface.
It’s a fairly global theme -- it affects much of the UI, although not all elements of it. File Manager, for instance, keeps the light look.
Windows 10 now on 400 million devices, but growth is slowing dramatically
Two months ago, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the software giant would be changing how it monitors the growth of Windows 10, tracking monthly active users -- rather than devices -- after it became clear slow sales of Windows Phones meant the new OS wouldn't hit the company's stated goal of one billion devices by mid-2018.
Today, at Ignite, however, Microsoft announced another devices milestone, saying the new OS is now running on 400 million devices. It’s a big number, but it does show that growth is slowing significantly, now that Windows 10 is no longer free.
Watch Microsoft's major Ignite keynotes here live
Microsoft Ignite, the software giant’s enterprise focused tech event, starts today, September 26, in Atlanta, Georgia.
The five-day event, previously hosted in Chicago, will cover all of the hot tech topics, including cloud, productivity and collaboration, machine learning, and the Internet of Things.
Consumer rights group strongly criticizes Microsoft over Windows 10
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has already ripped into Microsoft and Windows 10 for "blatantly disregarding user choice and privacy", and now consumer group Which? says Microsoft "must act over Windows 10 woes" and "do better".
Which? says it has received well over 1,000 complaints about Windows 10, with PC users claiming the new OS has brought them nothing but problems.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14931 for PC arrives on the Fast ring
A week ago, Microsoft rolled out its first really big new Windows 10 Insider Preview build since the Anniversary Update. As well as fixing a lot of problems, Build 14926 introduced some experimental new features, including the ability to "snooze" a tab in Microsoft Edge.
Today, Microsoft releases Build 14931 to the Fast ring, but unlike recent builds it’s only available for PC. Build 14926 introduced a couple of big problems for Mobile last week, so Microsoft has decided to hold off issuing a new build until they are fixed.
Google's new chat app Allo is a privacy nightmare
Four months ago, Google announced two new communication apps: Duo, for video calling, and Allo, for traditional WhatsApp-style messaging. Duo arrived for Android and iOS a month ago, while Allo is available from today.
While Allo is a good looking app, it has some big privacy issues that users need to be aware of.
Microsoft finally removes its scummy Windows 10 nagware from Windows 7 and 8.1 systems
15 months ago, in an effort to make it as easy as possible to upgrade to its new operating system, Microsoft introduced a Get Windows 10 app for Windows 7 and 8.1 that allowed users to reserve their upgrade.
While this tool was innocuous enough to start with, it soon turned into something much more akin to malware, becoming harder and harder to kill, and employing all manner of scummy methods in an effort to trick users into installing Windows 10 against their wishes.
Microsoft's Surface Phone set to have a fingerprint sensor
Windows Phone sales are currently insignificant -- according to Gartner, during Q2 2016 Microsoft’s mobile operating system claimed a share of just 0.6 percent worldwide -- and with no new Lumias on the horizon, it seems a fair bet to say the platform is doomed.
But not so fast. Microsoft is still banking on Windows 10 Mobile, and it’s long been rumored that the company has plans for a Surface Phone. There’s nothing concrete known about it at the moment -- will it be a single device, or a whole new family? -- but one thing that does seem likely is it will have a fingerprint sensor built in.
The iPhone's passcode security can be beaten for just $100
Remember how Apple and the FBI clashed regarding the unlocking of San Bernadino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone 5c some six months ago?
Apple refused to help the FBI find a way to unlock the iPhone as it believed doing so would, in Tim Cook’s words, "undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect". After lots of posturing from both sides, the FBI eventually found a way to crack the encryption without Apple’s help, although at a reported cost of in excess of $1 million. But now a Cambridge computer scientist says he has managed to crack the iPhone 5c’s passcode security for a lot less than that -- just $100, in fact.
How to check if your Samsung Galaxy Note7 is likely to catch fire
As you’ll no doubt know by now, Samsung has recalled its Galaxy Note7 smartphone because there is a danger of the battery exploding. An OTA update that limits the charging capacity of the battery has been issued which should reduce the danger, but if you own a Note7, you need to be looking to return it as quickly as possible.
The chances of your phone catching fire are slim, but even so you don’t really want to be carrying what is potentially a small bomb around with you. Here’s how you can check if you’re at risk.
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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