Wayne Williams

Microsoft is pushing Bing heavily in Windows 10. Bing is the default search engine in Microsoft Edge, and while you can change this to Google (or any other choice), the process of doing so is far from intuitive -- you can’t simply pick "Google" from a list of options.

Cortana, Microsoft’s built-in personal assistant, is powered by Bing too, which means when you ask her a question she doesn’t immediately know the answer to, she’ll open up your default browser and display a list of results sourced from Microsoft’s search engine. There is a way to get her to use Google instead though, but you won’t find this in any Settings.

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Windows 10 has officially launched and is available to all, but that doesn't mean the end of the Insider Preview program. Far from it. Sure, there haven't been any major updates since the OS arrived at the tail end of last month, but that's only because the primary focus has been on fixing issues and improving performance on the mainstream version. If you're a Windows Insider on the Fast ring it's time to get excited once more, as Microsoft has just rolled out a brand new build.

Build 10525 offers a couple of changes, but the biggest addition by far is the introduction of updated color options. If you want to change the default color for Start, Action Center, Taskbar, and Title bars, you can now do so easily. The new feature is potentially buggy, and disabled by default, but you can toggle it on by going to Settings > Personalization > Colors.

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I’ve read some interesting guestimates on the number of Windows 10 downloads lately. One blog plucks a figure out of the air -- "50 million sound fair to you?" -- another blog inflates the number -- "Let’s go with 53 million!" -- and then a whole bunch of other blogs and sites that should know better run with these numbers as if they are real.

The only way we’ll actually know how many Windows 10 downloads there have been to date is if Microsoft releases numbers (and even then, they probably need to be taken with a slight pinch of salt), but we can get a rough, and reasonably accurate idea of Windows 10’s usage share and, from there, the number of downloads to date.

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Despite its name, AMC (Advanced Mobile Care) Security 5.0 doesn’t just keep your Android phone safe from malware and other threats. The recently updated app can also clean up junk, boost your device by killing unnecessary tasks, extend its battery life, block calls and SMS messages, and uninstall unwanted apps.

The security side of things is of course the app’s main focus and this includes an antivirus scanner, surfing guard, and anti-theft. There’s also a security guard which lets you toggle settings like Bluetooth, and GPS on or off.

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Although Google has been dropping some very heavy hints lately, we didn’t know exactly what sweet treat the next version of its Android operating system would be named after.

Well, if you were hoping to place a bet on "M&Ms" (or go for a truly outside flutter on "Maltodextrin"), you’re too late I’m afraid, and also lucky as you’d have lost your stake. M, Google says, is for Marshmallow.

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Google is an original name. It’s based on the word googol (1.0 × 10100), but with a different spelling. Alphabet, the name of the tech giant’s new parent company, is far from unique, however. There are hundreds of other "alphabet"-named companies right across the globe. The best known of these being the BMW subsidiary Alphabet International GmbH which owns both www.alphabet.com and www.alphabet.co.uk.

BMW is currently looking into whether Google has committed any form of trademark infringement with its new company name and obviously has the financial clout to take things to court if it feels it has a case. But BWM isn’t the only example of a company with Alphabet in its name, and some -- like Alphabet Signs based in rural Pennsylvania -- find themselves in the weird (and painful) position of paying Google for searches that have nothing to do with them.

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Windows 10 is a good operating system, but it does suffer from annoying inconstancies, and frustrating bugs. Microsoft is slowly addressing the latter by rolling out updates designed to make the OS run more smoothly.

The latest update, KB3081438, resolves various issues and, in Microsoft’s own words, includes "improvements to enhance the functionality of Windows 10".

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There’s a new type of mobile phone crime happening in London, according to the BBC, and it’s been dubbed "cyber-flashing". This, in a nutshell, is when the victim -- a woman in the first reported case of its kind -- receives pictures of a stranger’s genitals on their phone.

The offending photos are received via Apple’s Airdrop feature, and so it only affects iPhone owners.

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Samsung is holding its annual Galaxy Unpacked event at New York’s Lincoln Center today, and we’ll be there to bring you hands-on reports following the presentation.

We’ll have to wait to see what’s unveiled, but it’s expected the South Korean tech giant will be announcing two new 5.7-inch smartphones -- the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge Plus -- and maybe a new smartwatch, the Gear A. If you can’t be at the event, don’t worry, you’ll be able to watch it right here live.

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Although it’s primarily designed for business and classroom use, the IN114x DLP projector is a good all-rounder that’s as suited to the home as it is to the office.

It’s affordable, offers decent image quality, and can display 2D and 3D content from a range of sources, including Blu-rays, PCs, and cable boxes. It’s not the smallest projector on the market, but it is compact and lightweight enough to make it easy to transport from location to location.

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Yesterday Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul teased a new Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build was on the horizon, and today it arrives to those Insiders on the Fast ring.

Microsoft has been rather preoccupied with the PC and tablet version of its new OS over the past couple of weeks (understandably) but now it’s back to business as usual on the development of the Mobile edition.

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Windows 10 is a stable OS, but it does have a few problems and glitches still in need of ironing out. New Insider Previews are set to begin arriving shortly, but in the meantime Microsoft is pushing out updates which are designed to improve the functionality of Windows 10 and resolve various vulnerabilities.

Last week the software giant released the first servicing rollup for Windows 10 which fixed several issues (but also introduced new ones for some unfortunate users), and today it releases a new cumulative update.

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As you’ll know, Microsoft has made updates mandatory in Windows 10. When updates are pushed out, the new operating system installs them automatically. Whether you want it to or not. This should be a benefit, as it means no more unpatched PCs at risk from serious vulnerabilities, but if the software giant rolls out an update that causes problems for users -- as has already been the case in several instances -- there’s no easy way to avoid it.

Windows 10 Pro users can defer updates, but Home users don’t have that luxury. Thankfully if you need to delay or block software updates in Windows 10, there are several ways to do so, regardless of which version of the OS you're running.

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Windows 10's new modern browser certainly has potential, but Edge is far from a finished product. It lacks major features, including support for add-ons, and anyone using it is going to find it difficult to change certain browser settings. While you can change the default search engine, the process for doing so is far from intuitive. We explained the steps you need to take here.

But what if you want to change the default download location? Surely this is something that can be done easily in Settings, right? Nope. You can change the download folder, just not in Edge itself.

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Microsoft’s operating systems have always been easy to customize, and Windows 10 is no exception. We’ve already shown you how to make changes to the Start menu, modify Windows 10's title bar color, automate login and bypass the lock screen, and more. But what if you want to go way beyond the basics? Well there are already third-party tools available that will let you make much bigger design changes to Windows 10 than Microsoft usually allows.

With the right apps you can customize the look of the tiles in the Start menu (not simply resize them and toggle the Live Tile feature on or off) and even redesign the icons of built-in apps and use your own artwork (or someone else's).

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