5 reasons you should NOT buy Microsoft's Surface Duo
Microsoft is a wildly successful company, and when it comes to desktop computing, no one comes close to competing. Whether a computer is for home, education, or business, Windows is probably powering the experience. And yet, when it comes to mobile, Microsoft is a huge failure. The company got a head-start with Windows Mobile pre-dating the iPhone, but it squandered that lead with terrible products such as Kin, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 Mobile.
Microsoft finally admitted defeat by killing Windows 10 Mobile. Ultimately, the company embraced Android by bringing its own launcher to Google's Linux-based operating system. Today, Microsoft launches its first-ever Android device. Called Surface Duo, it copies the dual-screen concept pioneered by LG. Sadly, the smartphone appears to be a train wreck. Here are just five reasons why you should not buy it.
Upgrade to Windows 10 Professional for just $39.99 and use Group Policy Editor to tweak and secure your computer
Windows 10 Home offers you a number of personalization, customization and tweaking options, but Windows 10 Professional takes things even further. Thanks to the inclusion of Group Policy Editor, not only can you tweak the hell out of the operating system, but also lock it down for ultimate security.
Group Policy Editor is unique to the Professional edition of Windows 10, and it gives you access to hundreds of settings that are either simply not available in the Home edition, or have to be implemented through awkward registry edits.
Force Windows 10 to always use YOUR choice of browser and search engine
Windows 10 has a number of things that users find annoying about it, not least that it forces you to use other Microsoft products. Type a web query into the Windows search box, or ask Cortana something, and the results you receive will come from Bing.
Microsoft has recently replaced its old Edge browser with a Chromium version, and while this is a big improvement, the software giant has forced it onto users and made it hard (but thankfully not impossible) to remove.
How to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows
Microsoft has been quite aggressive in pushing out the Chromium-based version of Edge, and not everyone is happy about it.
There is understandable anger at having a browser that isn't necessarily wanted being forcibly installed -- and to add insult to injury, Microsoft has also made it impossible to uninstall Edge. But there is actually a way to get rid of the browser. Here's what you need to know.
Microsoft's redesigned Windows 10 Start menu is a big improvement
Windows 10 has been around for five years now, and although Microsoft has introduced a number of big changes over the years, the Start menu doesn't look hugely different from how it was when the OS debuted back in 2015.
That’s all about to change though. Microsoft is planning to overhaul the menu, and it’s released a number of new images to give us a clearer idea of how it will look.
This Microsoft Certified Partner tried to sell me the non-existent Windows 11 [Updated]
Microsoft has previously said that Windows 10 is the last version of Windows. We've talked about Windows 11 concepts here on BetaNews, but that's all they are -- concepts dreamt up by eager designers.
So what was a Microsoft Certified Partner thinking when it popped a pre-order page for Windows 11 on its site? A major update or a new version of Windows is always going to generate a lot of interest -- and probably a lot of money too, particularly with a $174.99 price tag attached. Having stumbled across a site inviting me to "preorder your Windows 11 before anyone else", I decided to investigate and find out what the company had to say for itself. [UPDATED with comments from both Microsoft and the Microsoft Certified Partner]
Windows 7 returns with the stunning 2020 Edition
Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows 7 five months ago, giving users a pretty stark choice -- switch to Windows 10, or stick with an aging operating system that the software giant is no longer supporting.
While the more sensible choice would be to upgrade to Windows 10, there are plenty of people who have avoided doing so for various reasons, not least that they just prefer how Windows 7 does things -- no Cortana, no forced Bing integration, no invasive telemetry…
How and why you should upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Professional
When you bought your computer with Windows 10 pre-installed, the chances are that it came with Windows 10 Home. You're probably aware that Windows 10 Professional is available, but did you know just how cheap and easy it is to update and the benefits it can bring you?
We have some great news. Windows 10 Professional keeps everything you’ve learned to love about Home but adds a lot more. Not only is upgrading to Windows 10 Professional incredibly simple, it does not mean that you have to reinstall from scratch; it takes little more than changing your product key. We also have a great special offer that makes upgrading even cheaper than normal, so let's take a look at what you stand to gain if you do make the jump.
Save 80% on Windows 10 Pro -- limited time offer
Windows 7 is no more -- or, more accurately, no longer supported. That means no more bug fixes and more crucially, no more security updates. If you’re still running a Windows 7 PC, it’s time to move.
What are your options? You could buy a brand-new PC, but the truth is that your current PC is probably more than capable of running Windows 10. If you’ve no need, desire or budget to buy a whole new computer, then discover how to upgrade to Windows 10 for as little as $29.99 with two fantastic deals.
How to legally download any version of Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Microsoft Office
If you want to download an ISO file of the latest version of Windows 10, the process is very straightforward -- just use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool to generate the image file for you.
But what if you want an older version of Windows 10, or one of the many Windows Insider builds? Or what if you want a copy of Windows 7 or 8.1, or a copy of Microsoft Office? We have the answer.
How to run Android on your iPhone right now
Android and iOS are both great mobile operating systems, but Apple's hardware is considered by many to be second to none. And so, for many years, it has been the dream of many to run Android on an iPhone. Obviously this isn't everybody -- I'd guess the majority of iPhone owners would never want to sully their precious device with a Google-made operating system. Then again, many of them run Chrome, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube apps on their iPhone, so maybe the search giant's mobile OS wouldn't be looked down upon after all.
Well, regardless of your feeling on the subject, the bottom line is, you can now run Android on your iPhone -- as long as you have a compatible model that is. In fact, you may even be able to run Android on an iPod Touch. Best of all, this is not some old version of Google's mobile OS, but the latest and greatest Android 10! This is all thanks to a new hack called "Project Sandcastle" by Corellium -- a company Apple is already suing. And you'd better believe Steve Jobs (RIP) is rolling in his grave.
This Windows 98 themed version of Windows 10 looks amazing
Microsoft Windows has evolved a lot over the years, and while there are still plenty of people who prefer Windows 7 over Windows 10, I can’t imagine there’s many users out there who truly hanker for the days of Windows 95 or 98.
But there are people who enjoy customizing Microsoft’s operating system, and a Redditor by the name of WunJZ has given his copy of Windows 10 an impressive Windows 98 makeover.
Discover a free tool to enable the hidden features of Windows 10
Windows 10 has been with us for a number of years now, so you might think that you know about all of its features by now -- but there could well still be things for you to discover.
As you're probably well-aware, there's a lot that can be achieved by editing the registry; it's a common way to change inaccessible settings, for instance. We've discovered an exciting free tool that save you from having to delve into the registry, but gives you the opportunity to access hidden options, features and settings. We present the freeware tool Hidden Windows 10 Features – it's like a modern day TweakUI for Windows 10.
How censorship in Silicon Valley is killing free speech
As the role of Silicon Valley further permeates into the vast expanses of our daily lives, so does the spotlight on the decisions it makes regarding who can use their platforms and in what manner. There's no denying that, as private companies, these entities have a legal right to uphold policies which ensure fair and equitable access for their users.
But there's one particular arena that these tech supergiants are wading in which is getting increasingly murky, and ultimately, quite troubling. I'm referring to their insistence on setting the goalposts for protected and censored "free speech," if that term can even be considered as having its structural integrity still intact.
The top 20 passwords that you shouldn't be using
Despite data breaches involving stolen or cracked passwords constantly being in the news, it seems people are still making poor choices when it comes to their login credentials.
Password manager NordPass has compiled a list of the 200 most commonly used passwords of 2019 and highlighted the 20 you should never be using.
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