Build your own Windows 10 update blocker with Aegis
There are now a pile of Microsoft telemetry and Windows 10 update-blockers around, all claiming to protect your privacy and get rid of annoying "upgrade to Windows 10" alerts.
Unfortunately most give very few details of what they’re doing. You have to click the "Disable evil stuff" button and hope the developer has got it right.
Microsoft buys SwiftKey
Since November 2014, Microsoft has purchased a number of major apps and games to bolster its mobile portfolio on Android, iOS and, of course, Windows and Windows Phone. It has added Minecraft, Acompli, Sunrise and Wunderlist under its belt, titles which have been very popular and highly regarded by smartphone and tablet users. These acquisitions have turned the software giant into one of the strongest developers on the aforementioned platforms.
But Microsoft is not stopping there, as it just announced the purchase of SwiftKey, one of the most popular third-party keyboards available for Android and iOS. And, just like that, four of my favorite apps are now owned by the software giant.
Google to use ads in attempt to combat jihadi terrorists
Large swathes of the internet have taken it upon themselves to try to stem the flow of ISIS propaganda and other terrorist content. People working under the Anonymous banner are perhaps the most obvious, but now Google is getting involved as well.
In an overtly political move a senior Google executive, Dr Anthony House, has revealed measures that are being trialled to try to combat extremism. As well as making it easier to discover who is looking for extremist content online, the company is also piloting a scheme that uses its AdWords system to display anti-ISIS messages.
How communication tools are being used in the workplace
Interaction at work has been changed in recent years thanks to tools like Slack, but what do IT managers look for when sourcing communication tools?
According to the results of a new survey of 250 IT managers by West Unified Communications more than half believe that relying on best-of-breed communication and collaboration tools is more important than adopting solutions from the same vendor.
How much do UK businesses spend on mobile devices per year?
An average business in the UK spends approximately £1,272 every year on a mobile device and all the expenses that come with owning one.
Those are the results of a new survey by mobile data security firm Wandera. Surveying 500 UK IT decision makers, Wandera’s survey has shown the true cost of ownership (TCO) of mobile devices for UK enterprise.
My Apple iPad Pro adventure begins [first in a series]
The first thing you notice about iPad Pro is the size. The tablet is ginormous. Its 12.9-inch screen lays before you like a chalk slate -- a blank canvas demanding typed text or drawings made with Apple Pencil. Yet something also feels wrong about the thing. During the so-called Steve Jobs era, refined designs were smaller -- like iPod nano. Apple is no stranger to larger; 27-inch iMac today or 17-inch MacBook Pro of yesteryear are examples. Perhaps. But there's big, and BIG.
The giant tablet arrived around 2:50 p.m. PST on Groundhog Day 2016, marking a bold computing adventure for February: Using iPad Pro as my primary PC, and hopefully only one. Perhaps you read my recent obituary to Apple love lost and might wonder why buy anything Apple? I like to experiment and am paid to try out new things (so you won't have to). By sheer size, PC replacement -- not companion -- is the only sensible use for iPad Pro. Can it meet the demands? I want to find out.
AMD officially releases A10-7860K APU, Athlon X4 845 'Excavator' CPU, and new coolers
As a system builder, I am constantly looking for new hardware and good value. While Intel makes a fine processor, I often find myself choosing AMD solutions for builds. Why? The company makes great bang-for-your-buck processors and graphics chips. Its APUs are a phenomenal value, while its traditional CPUs are powerhouses. Gamers in particular should take a look at its offerings.
Today, AMD officially unveils two new processors -- the A10-7860K APU and Athlon X4 845 CPU. The latter is particularly notable as it is the first-ever CPU to feature the 'Excavator' architecture. To keep temperatures on these new chips low, AMD has revealed new coolers too.
Twitter tries to appeal to people who don’t like Twitter
It has been suggested that Twitter is on a downward spiral, losing users, popularity and significance. Twitter would clearly disagree, but that's not going to stop the company from attempting to make its site more appealing -- even to people who don’t have a Twitter account.
Despite the ubiquity of hashtags and the prevalence of references to tweeting, there is something of a problem with Twitter. Visit Twitter.com and you'll immediately be prompted to sign into your account. Not a problem if you have one, but if you don't have an account it means that you’ve hit something of a wall. Twitter is now tearing down this obstacle, transforming its homepage into a valuable source of news and information regardless of whether you have an account or not.
NSA's lead hacker offers security tips
An interesting talk happened recently during the Usenix Enigma security conference in San Francisco. It was held by Rob Joyce, basically the number one hacker of the US. He is the head of NSA's Tailored Access Operations, or TAO. That's pretty much the government's hacking team, tasked with breaking and entering into the systems of its enemies. Or allies, if need be.
This man, who assumed the position of hacker-in-chief just a few months before Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the whole ordeal, spoke about a lot of things which Wired summed up in one smart sentence -- he explained how to keep people like him out of your systems.
Microsoft accused of Iowa Caucus voter fraud with hashtag #MicrosoftRubioFraud
Here's the deal, folks. As I said in a previous article, open source is a necessity when it comes to voting. I praised Bernie Sanders' campaign for questioning Microsoft's motives in providing the platform for the Iowa Caucuses. With that said, Microsoft was ultimately not the problem, closed source was.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, as could be expected, it is now being accused of voter fraud by apparent Donald Trump supporters. Since Ted Cruz won last night, you would think the claim is that the Windows-maker fraudulently boosted him. Nope. Actually, conspiracy theorists are claiming Microsoft increased the number of votes cast for Marco Rubio, who placed third. This movement is using the hashtag #MicrosoftRubioFraud.
Download files from a script with fGet
Foolish IT has released fGet, a freeware portable tool which enables downloading files from a script.
The program uses Internet Explorer components to handle the tricky bits, which means the fGet executable can be a tiny 51.1KB.
How to block the Windows 10 'recommended' update on Windows 7 and 8.1
Microsoft has changed the Windows 10 update from "Optional" to "Recommended". And by "Recommended" it means "You’re getting it whether you want it or not".
If your Windows 7 or 8.1 PC is set to install recommended updates automatically (because -- more fool you -- you just wanted it to be up to date and safe) then Microsoft will cheerfully download the new OS and start the installation process for you. Don’t want that to happen? Here’s how to stop it.
Risk of malware infection growing in UK
UK's businesses have had a bigger chance of being attacked by a malware than those in the US or the Republic of Ireland in December 2015, a new report by security researchers suggest.
According to a report by Check Point, in December 2015, UK was the 99th most attacked country globally, surpassing the US (122nd) and the Republic of Ireland (116th).
New cloud solution offers one-stop backup, archive and recovery
As businesses adopt the cloud for increased flexibility and reliability, public cloud services are increasingly being used as a protection platform to provide backup, archiving and disaster recovery.
Data protection specialist Druva has recognized the importance of this market and is adding disaster recovery capability to its Phoenix product to offer a converged cloud solution.
Microsoft forcing Windows 10 onto people is wrong
Microsoft says it wants to get people to a "safer place" and that’s why it’s so aggressively pushing Windows 10. But it’s one thing to advertise the new OS on someone’s computer, and another thing entirely to force them to upgrade to it.
Microsoft Marketing Chief Chris Capossela, says a lot of people are putting off upgrading to Windows 10 ("constantly kick[ing] the can down the street" in his words), and so the software giant is taking steps to give them a "push" into taking action. But not with a gentle reminder, or even full on nagging, but by downloading and then starting the OS installation without permission, and that sucks.
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