Disable ads and tips on Windows 10 Anniversary Update's lock screen
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update introduced a lot of changes to the new OS, including several to the lock screen.
Cortana can be used there, and you may also see fun facts, tips, and advertisements before you log in. If you don’t want to see those, you can disable this new feature. Here’s what you need to do.
Play thousands of classic Amiga games for free in your web browser
The Internet Archive has a good selection of games in its collection. You can play vintage console games, classic DOS games, and more, all directly in your browser.
If you were an Amiga owner back in the day you’ll be thrilled to know that the site has now added thousands of games from that classic computer to its library.
Apple finally announces a bug bounty program of its own -- but it's not open to everyone
Bug bounty programs have become commonplace in recent years. Tech companies offer up rewards to coders, engineers and hackers who manage to unearth security vulnerabilities in software, and this means that problems are detected and patched faster than normal.
It is something that the likes of Google and Microsoft have offered for some time, and now Apple has decided it wants a piece of the action as well. Starting in September, the company will pay out up to $200,000 to anyone identifying vulnerabilities in its software and services.
Linux Kernel 4.8 will add Microsoft Surface 3 support
If you are a Windows user, and want a really great computer, you should consider Microsoft's Surface line. Not only do they serve as wonderful tablets, but with the keyboard attachment, they can be solid laptops too.
While many Linux users dislike Microsoft, some of them undoubtedly envy Windows hardware. While it is possible to run Linux distros on some Surface tablets (I've done it), not everything will work flawlessly. Today, release candidate 1 of Linux Kernel 4.8 is announced, and it seems a particularly interesting driver has been added -- the Surface 3 touchscreen controller. Will Microsoft's lower-priced (starting at $499) hybrid computer become the ultimate mobile Linux machine?
'QuadRooter' vulnerability affects 900 million Android devices -- the sky is falling!
As a Linux desktop user, you'd think I'd be a big Android proponent. Actually, I rather detest Google's mobile operating system lately. Other than Nexus devices, most Android devices fail to get regular updates, leaving users exposed to vulnerabilities. That is unacceptable! It is why I own an iPhone now, but I digress.
Sadly, yet another set of vulnerabilities have been discovered for Android. Dubbed 'QuadRooter', all Qualcomm devices are affected. In other words, this is really, really, bad, folks. You see, 900 million phones and tablets are impacted, and most of them will probably never be patched. The Android sky is falling!
Use Windows 10 Anniversary Update's Connect app to cast your Android phone to your PC
If you have installed Windows 10 Anniversary Update, you now have an incredibly easy way to cast your Android phone to your PC. There's a new app built into Windows called, appropriately, Connect -- and this is all you need.
Casting from phone to desktop or laptop is a great way to watch videos or share content without the need to transfer files from one device to another. Here's what you need to do to get started.
Google Compute Engine lets users create their own encryption keys
Until now, anyone using the Google cloud platform, Google Compute Engine, was forced to use encryption keys generated by Google. Clearly this spooked a lot of people, and there have long been calls for users to be granted greater control of security.
Now this is happening -- users are able to provide their own encryption keys. Customer-Supplied Encryption Key (CSEK) are used to provide a second layer of security, on top of the Google-generated keys that are used by default.
After KickassTorrents the latest torrent site to disappear is Torrentz
KickassTorrents was the most recent high profile torrent site to hit the headlines after it was seized by feds. The site reappeared in the form of mirrors, but ultimately the site lives on only as a community. Out of the blue, Torrentz.eu has also dropped off the face of the internet.
Running for more than 13 years, Torrentz.eu was one of the largest torrent sites in existence, but it differed to many of the other big names. It was considered a meta-search engine, and pulled in results from other sites including KickassTorrents and the Pirate Bay.
Facebook cuts the clickbait to make newsfeeds newsworthy
Clickbait causes anger, and it's everywhere. From the 'One weird trick' hooks through 'she opens the door, what happens next will blow your tiny little mind' all the way up to '10 cheese recipes, number 8 will drive you insane' -- you know it when you see it and it likely rubs you up the wrong way.
You've probably noticed that such headlines proliferate on Facebook, doing little to improve the quality of content in your newsfeed. You're not alone in noticing; Facebook is aware of the problems and is taking steps to clear out the crap and cut back on clickbait.
Incipio buys Griffin
In the technology market, there are many types of manufacturers. Two such examples are those that make devices and those that make accessories for those devices. This works quite well, you see, as not only do consumers love gadgets, but they love customizing them with cases and other things too.
Speaking of accessory makers, Griffin is well known for its quality offerings. Apple users in particular have long been buying that company's products, but it makes accessories for non-Apple devices too. Today, popular case-maker, Incipio (which also owns Incase and Braven), announces that it has acquired Griffin for an undisclosed amount of money. Is this good or bad?
IFTTT gets integration with Microsoft Skype
If This Then That has become pretty popular, working with countless devices and websites. You can program it to do many things, recipes as the company calls them. There are channels where you can find what you're looking for if you'd prefer something already pre-written by another user.
Now IFTTT is coming to Skype, the communications service purchased by Microsoft and one of the leaders in today's connected world.
Why Ashley Madison's 'oh no' data breach didn't scare new users away
There once was a time when most people hadn’t heard of casual dating site Ashley Madison. That all changed in July 2015, when hackers stole sensitive customer information and posted the information on the dark web in a massive data dump, 9.7 gigabytes in size. The files included account details and logins for approximately 32 million of the dating site’s users.
One year later, the dating site is doing several things to redeem its damaged reputation, including rebranding its parent company from Avid Life Media to Ruby, bringing in a new CEO and President to lead the business, revamping their value proposition and launching their first-ever TV ad.
Apple's water gun vs. Microsoft's realistic pistol -- which emoji is right? Vote now!
Regardless of your stance on guns, I think everyone can agree that firearms deserve to be treated with respect. Even staunch 2nd amendment proponents will tell you that the weapons are not toys. Proper training and understanding of their potential danger are key for safety.
Understandably, however, some parents don't want their children -- or themselves -- to have guns in their lives at all. Thanks to emoji, guns are sort of unavoidable nowadays. While parents can refuse to buy toy guns for their children, pistol symbols in communications are now a thing. Well, except on iOS 10 beta, that is. Apple has chosen to go against the tech world and Unicode consortium by using a water gun to represent the pistol emoji. Are Tim Cook and company right or wrong in this decision?
Business apps are not ready for EU's GDPR rules
Time is relentless. The GDPR is moving ever closer, while at the same time apps aren’t. And that’s a huge problem for businesses, because if apps are not GDPR-compliant, they’re not GDPR complaint. That can mean huge fines, possibly even the end of businesses.
The fact that apps are far away from being GDPR compliant came as a result of a new and extensive study by Blue Coat Labs. The company analyzed more than 15,000 enterprise cloud applications in use and 108 million enterprise documents stored and shared within them.
Latin America set to see major mobile growth
Until now the Latin America region has been slow to adopt mobile apps, partly because of limited availability of high-speed data connections.
But as the Rio Olympics kick off and the world focuses on the region, Yahoo's analytics arm Flurry is releasing its first-ever report analyzing mobile activity across Latin America.
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