Everything removed or deprecated in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update

Microsoft is introducing a number of new features in Windows 10 1809, aka the October 2018 Update, including a dark theme for File Explorer, a new screenshot tool, and clipboard, search, Notepad, and Edge improvements. Sadly what promised to be the big new feature, Sets, hasn't made it into the OS this time around.

With each new Windows 10 update, some existing features get dropped, or stop being actively developed. Here are all the features that have been removed or deprecated in this forthcoming release.

Continue reading

CCleaner updating itself against users’ wishes [Updated]

It’s fair to say CCleaner has lost a lot of fans since Avast took over Piriform last year. We’ve seen problems with malware, bundled software, and pop-up ads, and then most recently Avast made a number of unwelcome privacy changes to the popular system cleaner, and removed the ability to quit the software.

It eventually pulled the most recent problematic update, and released a replacement, CCleaner 5.46, without the privacy issues, but it turns out that this release has problems of its own.

Continue reading

Trump imposes $200bn of import tariffs on China -- but the Apple Watch is spared

Black and white Trump

Donald Trump has imposed import tariffs of $200 billion on Chinese goods brought into the US, with the threat of even more on the way.

The tariffs have been blamed on China's "unfair policies and practices", but despite the president's pleas for Apple to shift production from China to the US, the Apple Watch will be exempt from the 10 percent import tax. Also exempt are Apple's AirPods and a range of other technology products.

Continue reading

Hooray! The option to view your Twitter timeline chronologically is coming!

Twitter on phone in pocket

People have many complaints about Twitter, but one that crops up time and time again from users is how the timeline is displayed. Like many other social media sites, Twitter ditched the idea of showing your tweets in the order in which they were posted in favor of using algorithms to show you what it thinks you want to see.

But now this is about to change again. After vocal outpourings from critics of the algorithm-driven timeline, Twitter is going to give users a choice -- have your timeline controlled by an algorithm, or view a chronological timeline instead.

Continue reading

Apple releases iOS 12 -- update your devices now!

If you own an iPhone (5s or newer), or an iPad, you can now officially update it to iOS 12, the latest and greatest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.

iOS 12 offers performance improvements, new AR experiences, Memoji, Screen Time, and Siri Shortcuts for apps, to name just a few of the new additions.

Continue reading

Microsoft and Canonical release Ubuntu Linux virtual machine image for Hyper-V Quick Create

Linux may be the future of computing, but Windows is the present -- on the desktop, at least. For now, both business and home users are wise to stick with Microsoft's operating system. With that said, tech savvy users might be better served by, say, Linux Mint or Ubuntu. While Windows 10 is riddled with privacy and user interface issues, it is still the least stressful way to use your computer -- you are less likely to have hardware or software compatibility issues.

If you are interested in Linux but need to use Windows 10, there are many ways to also run operating systems based on the open source kernel, such as dual-booting or running a virtual machine. Not to mention, with Windows Subsystem for Linux, you can even download and install distros directly from the Microsoft Store! Today, the Windows-maker and Canonical announce a new way to run Ubuntu on Windows 10 -- a special "Hyper-V Quick Create" VM image

Continue reading

The poor security habits of SMB executives

Written passwords

Over half of small business executives are convinced their business is not a target for cybercriminals, according to a new report.

The study from consulting and managed services company Switchfast also shows that 31 percent of senior management employees shared the password to their work email with another co-worker, while only 18 percent of associates have.

Continue reading

OnePlus is working on a smart TV -- and much more

Looking to extend its product range, OnePlus has revealed that it plans to release a smart TV -- called OnePlus TV. Details are sketchy at the moment, but the company is planning to launch the product some time in 2019. And this is not all OnePlus has planned.

In a post on the OnePlus forums, co-founder Carl Pei explains that he wants the company to take "the first step in building a connected human experience". He fails to go into detail, but suggests that OnePlus wants to work in the "four major environments we experience each day: the home, the workplace, the commute, and being on-the-move".

Continue reading

Linus Torvalds apologizes to Linux community for unprofessional 'flippant attacks'

Linux creator Linus Torvalds has used his regular Sunday email to the Linux Kernel Mailing List to apologize for unprofessional behavior, and to announce that he is taking a break from his Linux kernel work.

Acknowledging that he has previously launched "flippant attacks" on people -- something he labels as "unprofessional and uncalled for" -- Torvalds says he wants to "apologize to the people that my personal behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development entirely".

Continue reading

Amazon investigates allegations that workers accept bribes to leak data and delete bad reviews

Amazon logo on mobile

Amazon has been hit with allegations of staff bribery which the company says it is investigating.

A report in the Wall Street Journal this weekend claims that employees have been accepting bribes in return for leaks of sales data. It is also alleged that staff help out independent sellers by deleting negative reviews in exchange for payment, and restore accounts that have been banned.

Continue reading

Privacy: Grindr API is STILL exposing the location of its users

Grindr on smartphone

Earlier in the year it was revealed that a security flaw made it possible to determine not only the location, but also the HIV status of Grindr users. Months down the line, Grindr is still exposing the precise location of its users by failing to block third-party access to a private API.

Using a trilateration technique, and exploiting the fact that Grindr lets users know -- with some degree of accuracy -- how far away they are from others, it is very easy for just about anyone to build a tool that shows precise locations.

Continue reading

How to hide the Twitter bug reporter icon in Android

Twitter bug reporter icon

If you have enrolled in the beta version of Twitter -- and, in some instances, even if you haven't -- you may well have noticed the appearance of Twitter bug reporter icon in the Android status bar. It very likely annoys you, and you probably want to get rid of it.

Hunt through the app's settings, and you'll find nothing that relates to the icon. So, what can you do? You could move away from the official Twitter app and try one of the third-party options, but you may not want to. Read on to find out how to stick with the app you've come to know and love (perhaps) and banish the Twitter bug reporter icon once and for all.

Continue reading

Microsoft releases Windows 10 October 2018 Update Build 17760 to the Fast ring, with no known issues

Microsoft is in the final stages of polishing up the next feature update for Windows 10. Insiders who were annoyed that the operating system interfered with the installation of Chrome and Firefox no longer need to worry as Microsoft has turned off this particular annoyance.

If you play Tencent games, you’ll be pleased to know that Microsoft now says the October 2018 Update will be fully compatible with them.

Continue reading

Samsung launches N700NC, Y500, and Y100 AKG wireless Bluetooth headphones

If you are using the free earbuds that came with your smartphone to listen to music, you aren't living your life right. I mean, if you are happy with those chintzy pack-ins, more power to you. With that said, you would be much better served by a set of premium headphones.

Today, Samsung launches a trio of new AKG Bluetooth headphones. Why three? Well, each one has a different style -- N700NC is over-ear and features adaptive noise-cancelling, Y500 are on-ear, and Y100 are in-ear. And because they fall under the premium "AKG" brand (a Samsung subsidiary), they are a bit pricey, although not insanely so.

Continue reading

Researchers create a way to visually sort blood cell data

For more than five decades, researchers wanting to learn more about cellular composition and cellular physiology used a process called flow cytometry to examine the physical and chemical aspects of blood and other kinds of fluid. It involves passing the substance through at least one laser.

Any fluorescent molecules that are present emit fluorescence, while other particles show light-scattering properties.

Continue reading

© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.