Wayne Williams

It’s no April Fool -- Windows 10 is struggling. The new operating system enjoyed solid -- and rapid -- growth when it was free (and being forced on to users' computers), but in recent months, it’s seeing little to no increase in usage, according to NetMarketShare.

The OS hit the 25 percent mark in January, but since then it lost a little share in February, and made only very minor gains in March. Windows 7, in comparison, remains the operating system of choice for most people, with its share continuing to rise.

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Although Build 15063 is the RTM for the Windows 10 Creators Update, that doesn’t mean that Microsoft has downed tools and stopped working on the next iteration of its operating system.

The Creators Update doesn’t begin its roll out until April 11 (unless you opt to get it on April 5), which means the software giant will be working hard until then to squash any last-minute bugs and problems.

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Over the past few years, the wave of the cybercrime has risen rapidly. Nowadays, your personal information, bank account details, and your corporate database are some of the many targets for digital criminals. So, how can we investigate these crimes? Using digital forensics.

The Practical Windows Forensics ebook from Packt Publishing will tell you everything you need to know to get started. It will provide you with the knowledge needed to assemble different types of evidence properly, and walk you through the various stages of the analysis process. The title usually retails for $31 but for a limited time you can get it entirely free.

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Two days ago, the US House voted to destroy the rights of American web users, essentially putting their privacy up for sale.

Now, as reported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Verizon has announced plans to install software on Android devices that will track which apps customers download and use. This data will be shared with other Verizon companies, including AOL, and used to push targeted ads on you across the internet. If that doesn’t sound all that bad, the EFF points out the ads could be based on things such as "which bank you use and whether you’ve downloaded a fertility app."

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Yesterday, Microsoft announced that the Windows 10 Creators Update will begin rolling out to users on April 11. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll get it then.

As with last year’s Anniversary Update, Microsoft will roll out the update in waves, with newer PCs and tablets receiving it first, so it could be a while before it comes to your device. However, if you’re keen to be among the first to install it, there’s a simple trick you can use to get it nearly a week early -- on April 5.

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We knew that the Windows 10 Creators Update was coming in April, but now we finally have an official release date.

Microsoft today reveals that the big new update will begin to roll out to users around the world from April 11. And that’s not the only news.

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As you’ll know, today is a big day for Samsung, as it will be taking the wraps off its latest, and greatest flagship smartphone. This is a massive launch for the South Korean tech giant, following the well documented problems with the Galaxy Note7.

There have been a lot of leaks surrounding the Galaxy S8, so you’ll probably have a good idea of what it looks like (see above), and what features it will offer, but even so the launch is guaranteed to be interesting.

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Cortana has been available on Android for a year now (in the US at least), and Microsoft recently made its virtual assistant even more useful by making it accessible on the lock screen.

Today, however, the company takes things a stage further by making it possible to interact with Cortana above the lock.

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It’s easy to understand why Microsoft took the decision to take Windows 8 in a new direction. PC sales were falling, and people were transitioning to iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Microsoft felt it needed to do something radical to remain relevant in this changing world, and an operating system that could run on PCs, tablets, and smartphones seemed like a smart move.

The problem, of course, is the Start menu-less Windows 8 was too radical an approach for PC owners -- the bulk of Windows users -- and the OS itself was simply too half baked. There were too few decent non-PC devices around, and Microsoft had to build a Windows Store from scratch -- not easy.

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When adverts first started arriving in Windows 10, it wasn’t really a big deal. The operating system was a free upgrade after all, and these weren’t adverts, Microsoft insisted, as no money had changed hands.

Fast forward to 2017 and Windows 10 is now a paid product that’s filled with ads that Microsoft still insists aren’t ads -- they’re "suggestions", "prompted apps" and "tips". You can turn them all off, if you know where to look, but Microsoft hasn’t made it easy. Thankfully there’s a really quick way to disable most of the ads in a couple of mouse clicks.

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Building a complete modern DevOps toolchain requires not only the whole microservices development and a complete deployment lifecycle, but also the latest and greatest practices and tools.

The DevOps 2.0 Toolkit ebook from Packt Publishing will tell you everything you need to know to get started. The title usually retails for $29 but for a limited time you can get it entirely free.

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As well as introducing a red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple has today quietly refreshed its iPad line-up, replacing the aging 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 with a new, more powerful version called simply iPad.

While this isn’t exactly a revolutionary new product -- the lack of an Apple event to announce it is the big giveaway here -- it is newsworthy for the price alone.

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Windows 10 Insider Builds really are coming thick and fast now. Microsoft rolled out three new builds for PC last week -- 15058, 15060 and 15061 -- and today we get yet another new build -- 15063.

Unlike the three previous builds, this one is for both PC and Mobile. Here's what's new.

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A year ago, I wrote about popSLATE 2, a crowdfunded case for iPhone that looked amazing. The proposed product put a second shatterproof E-Ink screen on the back of the phone, and doubled as a battery pack.

I was so impressed with it, I immediately backed the campaign. There’s always a risk when funding products on the likes of Indiegogo (which this was) and Kickstarter, especially when it comes to technology devices, and sadly despite raising over $1.1 million (1371 percent of its funding goal), popSLATE has announced that the company has gone bust, meaning that backers won’t receive the new product and there will be no refunds.

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Microsoft is in the final stages of preparing the Windows 10 Creators Update, and rolling out Insider Builds at an accelerated rate. On Tuesday, it released Build 15058 for PC, followed by Build 15060 yesterday.

And today, barely giving anyone the chance to install the last build, let alone test it, Microsoft rolls out yet another new update. Like the previous two releases, Build 15061 is PC only. Microsoft was hoping to release a Mobile build this week but was prevented from doing so thanks to a pesky blocking bug.

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