Kodi 17 'Krypton' unveils major facelift alongside suite-wide improvements
The XBMC Foundation has unveiled Kodi 17.0. Codenamed "Krypton", the new release is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and (jailbroken) iOS devices.
The new release unveils new default skins for both regular and touch devices. It also unveils significant improves to audio and video, music libraries, live TV and PVR.
UMi Plus E: An affordable smartphone with premium aspirations [Review]
Smartphones have replaced tablets and traditional computers for millions of users as the preferred -- and often only -- way to access the internet.
While the initial waves of devices were nothing more than souped-up feature phones, the past couple of years have seen the arrival of models that are not only far more sophisticated but also significantly more powerful than their predecessors.
Artpip sets beautiful artworks as your desktop wallpaper
Artpip is a free Windows and Mac app which sets your desktop background to a beautiful new artwork every day.
We’re not sure how large the library of images might be, but artists include Manet, Munch, Renoir, Whistler, Van Gogh, Gruner, Pissarro, Cezanne and more.
Microsoft says Tom Brady and New England Patriots will win NFL Super Bowl LI tonight
Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and I am so excited. Yesterday I went to the grocery store and bought chicken wings, fried mozzarella sticks, and seven-layer dip. By halftime, I will probably be in a food coma.
As a New Yorker and Jets fan, I don't have a horse in the race, but I do have a team that I am rooting for -- the Atlanta Falcons. Why? Because the Patriots have already won many championships, and quite frankly, New York and New England generally have a hardcore sports rivalry. Unfortunately for me and some others, according to Microsoft, Tom Brady and team will be victorious tonight.
US judge says Google must hand over foreign emails to FBI, even though Microsoft need not
A US judge has ordered Google to comply with FBI search warrants which ask for customer emails that are stored outside of the US. This is in stark contrast to a recent case in which a federal appeal court ruling concluded that Microsoft did not need to comply with such orders.
The FBI issued a warrant in relation to a fraud case, and Google argued that because the emails in question were stored on foreign servers, the authorities should not be able to seize the data. However, Google has been told that transferring the emails to another server for investigation by the FBI does not constitute seizure, but conceded it was a potential invasion of privacy.
First build of Microsoft's unannounced Windows 10 Cloud leaks online
Rumors have been swirling about Windows 10 Cloud for a while. The operating system is said to be a Chromebook-like version of Windows 10 -- the evolution of RT, really -- that only runs apps from the Windows Store.
Until now, there hasn’t really been any hard evidence of what the OS looks like, or how it behaves -- Microsoft hasn’t even announced it yet -- but that’s no longer the case, as both screenshots, and a usable build have surfaced on the web.
Tech Deals: Get a Dell Latitude 14 5000 laptop for only $599, plus other great bargains
Why pay full price for a new laptop or Smart TV when you can get one for a fraction of the cost?
Courtesy of our partners at TechBargains we have a selection of fantastic deals this weekend, with huge savings to tempt you. Offers include money off new PCs, televisions, electronics and components, and more. If you're in the market for a new laptop, you can save $80 off the price of a fantastic Dell Latitude 14 5000 business class laptop.
Privacy-focused Linux-based operating system Tails 3.0 will drop 32-bit processor support
If you find yourself needing an operating system that respects your privacy, you cannot go wrong with Tails. The live Linux-distro can be run from a DVD which is read-only, meaning there is less of a chance of files being left behind. Heck, Edward Snowden famously used it to protect himself when shining a light on the overreaching US government.
Unfortunately for some users, Tails will soon not work on their computers. The upcoming version 3.0 of the operating system is dropping 32-bit processor support. While a decline in compatibility is normally a bad thing, in this case, it is good. You see, because there are so few 32-bit Tails users, the team was wasting resources by supporting them. Not to mention, 64-bit processors are more secure too.
Acer XR382CQK is a curved 37.5-inch 21:9 ultrawide QHD FreeSync gaming monitor
If you are a PC gamer, you probably own a hardcore graphics card and fancy mouse, am I right? Some of you will even have a mechanical keyboard and premium headset. Here's the question, though -- how's your monitor, bro? Are you still gaming on a small 1080p display with poor viewing angles? We are in 2017 -- it might be time to upgrade.
If your computer is powerful enough, and your pockets are deep enough, Acer has a new monitor that will make you drool. Called "XR382CQK," it is a 37.5-inch 21:9 ultrawide QHD (3440x1600) monitor. It even features a 5ms response and 75Hz refresh -- nice! AMD fans will particularly want this display as it supports FreeSync. There is one huge problem, though -- the price.
Clean, secure and optimize your PC with Steganos Tuning PRO
Steganos Tuning PRO is a PC maintenance suite for cleaning, optimizing and securing your PC. It’s a commercial product, and pricey at $49.95 for a year, although that does at least cover you for 3 devices.
The program offers all the core functions you’d expect: junk file removal, Registry cleaning and defragging, startup program control, automatic updates for applications and drivers, tuning of Windows settings, power optimizations, a defragger for your hard drives, and more.
LG comes up with a fix for UltraFine 5K's Wi-Fi problems, but owners won't like it
The LG UltraFine 5K is supposed to be the monitor to get if you're a MacBook user wanting a modern, high-resolution Thunderbolt display. On paper it certainly looks like it. It even has Apple's endorsement, being presented by the company at its October event last year, alongside the latest MacBook Pros.
But, as we just found out, the UltraFine 5K has a serious problem: it can't deal with Wi-Fi interferences, which makes it unusable around routers. For a device that costs almost $1,000, that is a serious issue. The good news is that LG has come up with a fix. The bad news is that existing owners are not going to like it.
Microsoft announces open source GVFS (Git Virtual File System) with support for much larger repos
Git is a widely used version control system, but it's one that does not cope well with scaling up. As projects and codebases grow, performance can suffer massively, with common tasks taking hours to perform. Today, Microsoft comes up with an answer: GVFS.
Git Virtual File System has come into being partly because of the problems Microsoft itself has encountered with Git. The sheer size of the Windows codebase means that a simple operation such as checkout can take three or more hours. As the V in GVFS, the solution is a virtualization system that works at file system level to make it appear as though all of the files in a repo are present, saving lots of downloading.
Microsoft celebrates Outlook mobile's second birthday with the gift of iOS add-ins
Outlook mobile is, believe it or not, two years old. Microsoft is not fighting the terrible twos, but instead celebrating by bringing add-ins to the iOS Outlook app.
While it is iOS users who are treated to the first look at add-ins, there are plans to bring them to Android as well. In addition to add-ins direct from Microsoft, there are also offerings from the likes of Evernote, GIPHY, Nimble, Trello and Smartsheet which will "help you accomplish awesome things you simply couldn't do before from email."
The US cities with the highest malware infection rates
Computers located in Tampa, Orlando, and St. Louis are more likely than those in other US cities to be infected with malware.
This is according to a new report from ESG, the company behind the SpyHunter anti-spyware program. It compiled its results from SpyHunter detection data across the 100 largest cities in the United States in 2016.
WhatsApp's security flaw has legal implications
Earlier this month there was widespread reporting in both the tech and mainstream media of the discovery of a potential security vulnerability in Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service. Coverage of the likely flaw, which was reportedly discovered by researchers at Berkeley University in California, was a blow to Facebook given that WhatsApp places privacy and security at the heart of its service by providing end-to-end encryption of user's messages and photos, preventing third parties including its own staff from accessing them.
In a nutshell the potential security flaw would theoretically allow WhatsApp to intercept some users' messages, which would appear to them to be encrypted. This has resulted in considerable speculation that government agencies could exploit this vulnerability as a means of covert surveillance, by targeting specific individuals' messages or on a bulk extraction basis.
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