Should Microsoft rethink its Windows 10 feature update plans?
Over on Ghacks, Martin Brinkmann posted his thoughts on Microsoft’s Windows 10 feature updates schedule. The software giant is committed to rolling out two major updates to Windows 10 every year. In April we had the Creators Update, and in a few months' time the Fall Creators Update will begin to roll out.
Martin asks if this rapid release schedule is such a wise idea, and he has a good point.
UK companies reluctant to embrace public clouds
The UK is lagging behind much of Europe when it comes to seeing the real benefits of cloud services, new research has claimed.
Despite businesses on the continent fully embracing the cloud, companies in the UK appear more reluctant to make the move, meaning they are potentially missing out on some major advantages, according to a report from Barracuda.
Microsoft shutters Windows App Studio
Microsoft is killing Windows App Studio, its web-based app development tool. The news was announced late last week by the Windows Apps Team. However, don't be too alarmed -- the Redmond giant has already prepared a replacement.
Windows App Studio has long been the go-to place when it comes to the first steps in app development. Starting as a Windows phone app, it transformed over the years and became available for desktop operating systems, including Windows 10.
Thermaltake releases Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1250W Titanium TT Premium Edition PSU
While you should never buy any low-quality components for a computer build, I can't stress enough how important it is to never get a cheap no-name power supply unit. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with saving money, but a chintzy PSU has the potential to not only cause instability, but it could even fry your other components. Heck, it could even cause a fire. Please stick with well-known PSU brands, folks.
One such company that offers quality power supply units is Thermaltake. Today, that manufacturer unveils an absolutely beautiful such offering. Called "Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1250W Titanium TT Premium Edition," it features Japanese capacitors, and as the name indicates, it offers an impressive 1,250 watts of power. The 80 PLUS Titanium certified PSU is fully modular, meaning you only need to connect the cables you need -- good for both appearance and cooling. Its RGB fan has 16.8 million colors, which Thermaltake claims is the first ever on a PSU. It even has a mobile app that can alert you to fan failure -- very cool.
Speccy 1.31 improves Creators Update compatibility, provides system information for Windows PCs
Piriform has released Speccy 1.31 and Speccy Portable 1.31, an updated version of its system information tool for Windows PCs. Version 1.31 comes with the promised of improved compatibility with the recent Creators Update release of Windows 10, and provides users with the ability to get detailed stats about their computer for diagnostic or sharing purposes.
Speccy 1.31 also improves the 32-build version’s architecture and comes with updated GPU information and sensor tracking along with the usual minor tweaks: improved localization and languages support, minor GUI improvements and minor bug fixes.
Samsung Electronics to invest $26 billion in its South Korean memory chip manufacturing business
Samsung is to invest more than KRW 37 trillion ($32 billion) in its global production facilities. Of this, KRW 30 trillion ($26 billion) will be pumped into its latest semiconductor factory in Pyeongtaek to further expand its production capacity.
The South Korean company says that the new facility has started to produce its 64-layer, fourth-generation V-NAND chips, and it wants to push more off the production line.
Microsoft structural changes could lead to thousands of layoffs
Microsoft is set for a major reorganization as it moves to focus more on selling cloud services, and less on selling traditional software, according to new reports.
A report by the The Wall Street Journal, claims that the Redmond giant has kicked off "structural changes" first proposed in 2014, when Satya Nadella took over the company.
Photobucket messes up Amazon, eBay and other sites after introducing charges for third-party hosting
A change to Photobucket's terms of service is having disastrous consequences on numerous sites as users discover they can no longer host images for use on other sites free of charge. Users of sites such as Amazon and eBay -- as well as owners of personal sites, and social media users -- were more than a little disappointed to learn that in order to continue using third-party image hosting, they would have to upgrade to Photobucket's most expensive package.
With the Plus 500 Plan costing $399 per year, upset users have complained that Photobucket is holding them to ransom. While Photobucket issued a notice that terms and conditions were changing, the company failed to highlight the change or give enough notice to satisfy many people.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Max features dual cameras and a huge battery
If there is one thing that you can expect from a smartphone in the ZenFone Max series it is a seriously large battery. The latest model, the ZenFone 4 Max, is no different, packing a 5,000mAh battery. But it does also have a feature that you might not expect: a dual camera setup.
The ZenFone 4 Max is a pretty interesting proposition in its segment, thanks to its up-to-date internals and massive battery, but the dual camera setup makes it stand out from the crowd. After all, only a handful of devices have one, and they're typically flagships.
How to remove subtitles from MKV videos
Matroska Multimedia Container -- or MKV as it’s more commonly known -- is a great format that supports most codecs and offers a lot of features. It can store numerous video, audio and subtitle tracks, in addition to any metadata.
If you have an MKV video with (non-hardcoded) subtitles, turning them on or off can be quite simple, if you’re watching the video in an app like VLC Media Player (just go into the Subtitle menu and access the options there). But these subtitles may play by default if viewed on a TV, for example, with no way of disabling them. Fortunately, there is an easy way to strip out these subtitles.
Video calls are more effective than voice calls
Almost three quarters (72 percent) of workers in the UK and US agree that video calls are a more effective work communication channel than voice calls.
According to a new report by Kollective entitled Generation Now, almost two thirds (64 per cent) of workers now trust a message more if they see a person actually delivering it.
Facebook fights gagging order that prevents it telling users about US government search warrants
Currently barred from telling three of its users about government search warrants seeking to gain access to their information, Facebook is fighting back. The social network is challenging what it says is a threat to freedom of speech.
Documents filed at a Washington DC appeal court show that Facebook wants to notify the users about the warrants so they have an opportunity to object to them. The company cites the First Amendment in seeking to let users know about the warrants, at least one of which relates to protests against Donald Trump.
Protecting hybrid apps from attackers [Q&A]
In order to speed up development times and roll out their apps across multiple platforms without the need to create entirely new code, companies are increasingly turning to hybrid apps. The problem is that these rely on HTML and JavaScript code which is relatively easy to reverse engineer.
How can businesses prevent this and keep their apps and the data they handle safe from hackers? We spoke to Andrew Whaley VP of engineering for Europe at application protection specialist Arxan Technologies to find out.
Computer glitch disrupts technology stock prices
The stock prices for many major US technology companies nose-dived last night following a computer glitch. The problem also sent shares in Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft to the same price after the pre-Independence Day early closure of the stock market.
With all four companies seemingly having a stock price of $123.47, Microsoft's market value appeared to increase by nearly 80 percent, while that of Google and Amazon were both slashed by more the 85 percent. Nasdaq stresses that actual stock prices were not affected, and no trading completed with incorrect pricing.
Nearly half of football fans watch illegal streams of matches -- a third do so regularly
A survey by the BBC reveals that over a third of Premier League football (or soccer, if you insist) fans are getting their gaming fix using unofficial (that is, illegal) online streams.
Kodi boxes and similar dedicated devices are used by more than a quarter of fans for this very purpose. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is younger adults who are more likely to make use of illegal streams.
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