Spotify now in Windows Store
While Windows users have long had the ability to use an official client for Spotify, there is a big dilemma -- Windows 10 S. The most recent version of Microsoft's operating system is limited to apps from the Windows Store. In other words, the official "Win32" Spotify client will not be compatible.
Luckily, Microsoft announced that both Spotify and iTunes were coming to the Windows Store. When they were coming, however, was unknown. While Apple's program is still missing, Spotify is finally here. As of today, Windows 10 users can get the official client from the Store.
Consumers ignore security risks for free Wi-Fi
A growing number of British consumers are using their neighbors' Wi-Fi, sometimes even without permission, because they can't afford their own.
This is according to a new report by Santander, which also says that the price of phone and broadband services has increased hugely over the past ten years.
Uber is rolling out the ability to tip drivers, other features
In what is one of the most fundamental changes ever made to Uber's business model, the ride sharing app has begun to roll out an update that will allow users to tip drivers, reversing a policy it had in place from day one as potentially the biggest differentiating factor between it and standard taxicab services.
Indeed, Uber's dominance in the on-demand transportation space was built almost entirely because of its cost effectiveness, with fares often less than half of what you might pay for a traditional taxi. Intentionally precluding the ability to tip your driver was an essential part of that value promise.
Microsoft: We disabled third-party anti-virus software in Windows 10 Creators Update to keep users safe
Two weeks ago, Kaspersky Labs filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe, alleging that the software giant disabled third-party antivirus software in Windows 10 in order to benefit Windows Defender.
In a long blog post today, Rob Lefferts, director of program management for Windows enterprise and security, admits (without mentioning Kaspersky specifically) that Microsoft "temporarily" disabled some parts of AV software it considered incompatible with Windows 10 Creators Update.
Mobile commerce grows as cost of acquiring new customers falls
A new report from mobile app marketing specialist Liftoff reveals that the cost of acquiring new customers for mobile shopping apps is falling.
The cost of getting someone to install an app is just $4.45, though converting that into a purchase costs considerably more (over $75), with an install-to-purchase rate of just 5.9 percent.
The OnePlus 5 is now official -- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 8GB RAM, and a price rise
Three years in the making, the OnePlus 5 -- the company's "most complete and competitive product yet" -- is now official. OnePlus says it's all down to the details, and the company has made endless minor adjustments, and over 100 prototypes to settle on a final design. The handset is just 7.25mm thick, and the overall layout of the phone is all but identical to the OnePlus 3 and 3T -- and yes, there is a headphone jack.
The phone is available in Midnight Black and Slate Gray and the specs are in line with the leaks and rumors we've heard over recent weeks. OnePlus is keen that we don’t focus entirely on specs, but with the inclusion of up to 8GB of RAM, they're hard to ignore -- and it's central to the "smooth experience" the phone offers.
Google Search now has a playable fidget spinner
Fidget spinners are this year’s big craze, especially among school children. There are lots of different types, and they can cost anything from a few dollars to a few thousand dollars.
Google is getting in on the fad, introducing a virtual fidget spinner to its search site.
Adobe Advertising Cloud TV to deliver highly targeted TV ads
Since the dawn of time, watching TV has always been an exercise in patience and frustration. Just as you're beginning to enjoy the unfolding storyline in your favorite shows or movies, they are interrupted by a series of commercials that you most likely are not going to find useful or interesting.
That has been starting to change over the past few years as the entire advertising landscape has undergone massive paradigm shifts, but there's still a lot of work to be done in the prehistoric landscape that is traditional TV ad buying. Enter Adobe.
Display live system stats on your taskbar with XMeters
XMeters is a free-for-personal-use system monitor which displays live CPU, RAM, network and drive stats directly on your taskbar. The details include CPU utilization by core, hard drive read and write rates, network upload and download speeds, and free and used RAM.
Right-clicking any of the monitors opens a configuration dialog. You can reorder these items, turn them on or off individually, change their display type (bar, pie or text), set colors and more.
SiriusXM comes to Alexa and it's great
SiriusXM is a really satisfying service. Not only is it great for commercial-free music, but it offers some great talk radio, such as Howard Stern. You can even listen to popular news programs from CNN, Fox News, and more. Let's not forget the great sports coverage too.
Unfortunately, many people only listen to SiriusXM in the car, as that is where their equipment is. Luckily, there is a new convenient way to listen to the satellite service in your home -- Alexa. Yes, Amazon's assistant has a new SiriusXM skill that allows an Echo device to play your favorite channels. I have been using it this morning and it is quite brilliant.
Microsoft Stream rolls out to Office 365 Enterprise customers
Last year Microsoft announced the preview of its Stream enterprise video service, intended to make it easy to share and discover business-relevant video content.
Today Stream becomes available as a stand alone product and is being rolled out to Office 365 Enterprise customers around the world.
Amazon Prime Wardrobe beta: money-saving clothes shopping with free returns
Not content with splashing some cash on Whole Foods, Amazon is also spreading out into other new ventures. The latest is Prime Wardrobe, a new clothes shopping service for Prime subscribers that's currently in beta and offers the chance to "try before you buy."
The service ties in with Amazon Fashion, and it covers more than a million items of clothing. Users can select three or more items to have shipped out to them completely free of charge, and payment is only required for anything that's kept. Returns are free, and Amazon gives shoppers a full week to try out clothes.
The pros and cons of smart light bulbs
Home automation, "the internet of things" or IoT, has been a popular subject for the past couple of years. Unfortunately, that subject isn't always good -- some things have proven infinitely hackable, making it a bit on the worrisome side.
One of the first items to make the mainstream was light bulbs, and we've played around with a few and here is what we have found.
BBC iPlayer now requires you to sign in for your catch-up TV fix
Last month, the BBC announced plans to force iPlayer users to sign into their account in order to watch the catch-up service. The requirement is now rolling out, and this means that the option to skip sign-in is starting to vanish.
Visitors to the site are now greeted by a message that reads: "You now need to sign in to watch. It's quick & easy. And we'll keep you signed in." Without following the instruction to sign in -- which gives the BBC the opportunity to check for a valid TV license -- it is not possible to watch any programming.
Web hosting company pays $1 million after Erebus ransomware attack
The cost of a ransomware attack can be pretty substantial. Businesses that are not well prepared are looking at lost revenue from downtime and massive damage to their reputation, not to mention a pretty hefty ransom bill as well.
For web hosting company Nayana, that was $1 million. Nayana, which is based in South Korea, had 153 of its Linux-based servers infected by the Erebus ransomware on June 10. The attack affected roughly 3,400 customers that relied on its services for hosting websites, databases and multimedia content.
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