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For a long time, it was believed that the next big feature update for Windows 10 would be called the Spring Creators Update, following in the footsteps of the Fall Creators Update, and the Creators Update.

Then it was discovered that Microsoft was intending to call it the April Update, even though it looked increasingly like the new release wouldn’t arrive this month. Finally though, we have an official name, and a release date.

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Gaming hardware and accessories often feature very over-the-top designs, making them look like futuristic alien technology. While this is cool for some folks, others prefer more basic products with more conservative designs.

Today, Razer launches the Abyssus Essential optical gaming mouse which features a classic design. Razer calls the mouse "no-frills" and this is quite correct -- because of its ambidextrous design, there are no side buttons.

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At its earnings call yesterday, Amazon revealed that it is increasing the price of Amazon Prime by 20 percent for subscribers in the US.

The new price kicks in from May 11 for new subscribers, and from June 16 for those with existing subscriptions. The increase sees the cost of Prime jumping from $99 per year to $119, and Amazon has not yet given any indication that the hike will be implemented in other parts of the world. There's also a little trick that you can try that may enable you to avoid the price jump.

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Windows 10 is a great operating system, but its app store? Not so much. Don't get me wrong, the Microsoft Store is a serviceable solution, but it is deficient in many ways. Most notably, there is a lack of quality apps, as many developers haven't truly embraced the store. The apps that are there, however, are often fakes/imitations and low quality. If Microsoft wants to legitimize its app store, it needs to score some major software.

I was in attendance at Build 2017 when Microsoft announced an impressive score -- iTunes was coming to the store. Believe it or not, that announcement elicited a gasp from the Build crowd. True, Apple's media program is in dire need of a UI refresh, and it is quite bloated, but many people still use it daily -- especially for Apple Music. Unfortunately, the promised iTunes never came to the Microsoft Store -- until today. Yes, damn near a year after the announcement, iTunes is finally in the store. Better late than never, I suppose.

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Ubuntu is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions -- if not the most popular. While it may not be everyone's favorite operating system, it is largely responsible for making Linux accessible for average consumers. It is fairly easy to install, simple to use, and has a convenient application center. Ultimately, it is a pleasure to use for both beginners and experts alike.

Today, following an extensive beta period, the latest version of Ubuntu -- version 18.04 -- becomes available for download. Code-named "Bionic Beaver," it features GNOME 3.28 -- the best desktop environment -- rather than the now-abandoned (and much-maligned) Unity. As per usual, there are other DEs too, such as KDE, Xfce, and MATE. The kernel is based on Linux 4.15 and LibreOffice 6.0 is included by default. Best of all, Bionic Beaver is LTS (Long Term Support), meaning it gets an impressive five years of support.

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By now, most Windows 10 users would have been expecting to either be running the Spring Creators Update/April Update (take your pick of the name), or be waiting to be offered it. However, that’s not the case.

With no word from Microsoft on exactly when the new feature update will arrive, the Fall Creators Update remains the latest (non-Insider) version of Windows 10. And it also has the greatest usage share of any Windows 10 update, ever.

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Long-lasting DDoS attacks made a return in the first quarter of 2018 with the longest attack seen lasting 297 hours (more than 12 days). The last time a longer attack than this occurred was at the end of 2015.

This is among the findings of Kaspersky Lab's latest DDoS intelligence report which reveals that in the first quarter of 2018, DDoS attacks were registered against targets in 79 countries.

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A vulnerability arising from the default installation of popular business management platform SAP could lead to a full compromise of the system say researchers.

SAP security and compliance specialist Onapsis has revealed the flaw which is found in SAP Netweaver and can be compromised by a remote unauthenticated attacker with only network access to the system.

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It is now two years since Apple decided that an image of a gun had no place as an emoji. The company replaced the handgun icon with an image of a water pistol, leading to a debate about whether it was the right thing to do.

With further serious shootings and gun crimes bringing firearms into the spotlight time and time again, more technology companies decided to follow suit. The latest names to follow Apple's lead are Microsoft, Facebook and Google, all of whom plan to kill the gun emoji and replace it with a water pistol.

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For Microsoft, the patches it produced for the Meltdown chip vulnerability proved to be just about as problematic as the original issue, further reducing the security of systems. Following the emergence of an exploit for the Windows-maker's first patch, users are advised to hurry up and install the patch-for-a-patch that was later released.

Last month, Ulf Frisk from Sweden revealed that Microsoft's Meltdown patches were making things worse for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, making it possible to read and write kernel memory and gain total control over the system. Now code has been posted online that can be used to exploit the "Total Meltdown" vulnerability.

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Digg used to carry some major clout on the internet, but this all changed back in 2012 when the site was bought by Betaworks. Now the site has been sold again, this time to an ad-tech company.

Boston-based BuySellAds has just bought Digg's assets and its editorial and revenue teams for an undisclosed amount. The company says that it "plans to streamline Digg and build up its ad stack", which will come as sad news for those who still cling onto a nostalgic image of what Digg used to be.

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These days, 4K televisions and monitors are becoming much more common. Operating systems support them well, and there is a lot of available UHD content -- including on Netflix and YouTube. Not to mention, prices have dropped dramatically -- these 4K monitors are finally achievable by the average consumer.

Philips has announced an all-new 4K display called "Momentum" (model 436M6VBPAB) that is downright breathtaking. First of all, it is huge -- a massive 43 inches. Size aside, it has Quantum Dot technology, an insane 1,000 nits max brightness, 10-bit color, and most impressive of all, it is HDR1000 certified.

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While we’re still waiting for a release date for the next feature update of Windows 10 -- the April Update expected in May -- Microsoft has rolled out another Redstone 5 build for Insiders who have opted to Skip Ahead.

Build 17655 introduces a makeover for mobile broadband (LTE) connectivity and there’s a number of other changes and fixes to be aware of.

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Chances are you're not currently friends with Kim Jong Un on Facebook. And it's not likely to happen any time soon according to researchers at Recorded Future who have been looking at the internet usage patterns of North Korea's leaders.

In July last year they found that the country's ruling elite were plugged into contemporary internet society, were technologically savvy, and had patterns of internet use that were very similar to users in the West.

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The big news from Google today is the launch of the redesigned Gmail, but it's not the only news. The company has also launched a new app called Tasks which -- no prizes for guessing -- allows for management of to-do lists.

The Google Tasks service is nothing new, and it has been accessible from Gmail inboxes and Google Calendar for quite some time, but this is the first time there has been a dedicated app for it. As well as the app, there's also a revamp of the web-based version of Tasks.

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