Despite Microsoft's increasingly aggressive tactics, Windows 10's growth continues to slow
Microsoft is largely unrepentant about pushing its new operating system so aggressively, and early in the year it will be marking Windows 10 as a "recommended update" in a bid to get larger numbers of Windows 7 and 8.x users to make the switch.
Since its launch, Windows 10 has been gaining usage share at a steady, if rather unexciting rate, but there’s a clear downward trend that shows users of older operating systems are in no hurry to upgrade.
Ring in the new year by installing deepin 15 -- a beautiful Debian-based Linux distribution
As 2015 comes to a close, we must again face the reality that Linux is a failure on the desktop -- its share of the pie is almost nonexistent. While the kernel is wildly popular on smartphones and servers, Windows is still the dominant force on home and business workstations. You know what? That's fine. Regardless of popularity, or lack thereof, desktop operating systems based on the Linux kernel aren't going anywhere. We Linux users aren't going anywhere.
Today, a beautiful operating system from China, deepin, hits version 15. No longer based on Ubuntu -- the project has switched to a Debian base -- it is gorgeous and has an intuitive HTML5-based environment. And yes, it is available in English. Happy New Year, fellow Linux users!
My favorite tech items of 2015 [Brian]
According to man-made calendars, today is New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is the first day of 2016, which in the grand scheme of things is inconsequential. Still, it is fun to reflect on the last year and choose the tech that I enjoyed the most.
Yeah, I'm like Oprah or Ellen. Here are my favorite things -- tech related, of course -- for 2015; laptops, smartphones, tablets, and more. While there are many products on my list, there are two products that stand out to me as being rather exceptional -- the crème de la crème, if you will.
Is your data integrated across platforms?
The lifeblood of any application is the data it uses to make decisions. It used to be that all data and applications resided within the confines of the corporate firewall, but public cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure provide elasticity and cutting-edge features to today’s organizations. Because of that, more and more companies are challenging the conventional thinking that all corporate data should always be stored on premises.
But when is it appropriate to silo data, versus integrating it across different cloud platforms?
My favorite tech items of 2015 [Wayne]
I’m looking forward to next year when, hopefully, I’ll finally be able to get my hands on the Oculus Rift which is expected to start shipping to consumers in Q1 2016. Pre-orders were supposed to start this year, but that’s clearly not going to happen now. Still I’ve waited long enough to get my VR fix, what’s a few more weeks/months?
While I didn’t get a Rift to play with this year, plenty of new technology did make its way through my hands and into my life. Here are some of the standout pieces of tech I'd definitely recommend you check out.
My favorite tech items of 2015 [Alan]
It's been another long year, with technology products appearing at a seemingly accelerated rate. It all began back in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, a spectacle that is now right around the corner once again.
With 2016 looming it is a time for some introspection -- what products made your year special? For me there were a few that I really enjoyed. It was typical year filled with a few good items and some worth forgetting.
Get a full year of Sticky Password Premium, worth $19.99, for FREE with our New Year's Day giveaway!
Online security has made big headlines in 2015, and will continue to do so as hackers continue to outwit even the biggest firms. This is what makes our final giveaway so essential: a year’s license for Sticky Password Premium.
Sticky Password is a suite of products for mobile and desktop that allow you to store your online passwords, form fills and credit card information securely – our giveaway will give you access to all its Premium features across all supported devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
When and how your business should develop an app
Regardless of your business size, there are numerous benefits in developing your own app. The ability to engage with potential customers on mobile devices is increasingly advantageous as smartphones increase their market share. An app allows you to provide consumers with a curated way to view your products and services, as well as increasing brand awareness.
It is not as easy as just creating an app though. It must serve as a fitting representation of your brand and integrate seamlessly with your operations. For every company that achieves this, many more make the most basic mistakes, wasting time and money. Never forget that creating an app can be costly and very time-consuming.
Is your business ready for the cashless economy?
New research findings reveal that UK shoppers are dreaming of a cashless Christmas -- well, when it comes to their spending habits that is.
The survey, conducted by EE, found that 80 percent of shoppers this festive season expect to pay for any transaction using a credit or debit card. Furthermore, a quarter said they would abandon transactions if they couldn’t use their cards.
Universal USB Installer adds Windows 10 support
Bootable USB key creator Universal USB Installer has been updated with new support for Windows 10.
The developer says it’s "untested", but we pointed the program at a Windows 10 setup ISO, and it built a bootable USB version without difficulty.
Microsoft's promise of spying warnings is an empty gesture
Yesterday we reported that Microsoft will warn users of 'state-sponsored' attacks on their accounts. Sounds great, but does it actually mean anything? Is it a useful service by the tech giant, or just PR bluster?
Considering the covert nature of spying and digital attacks, coupled with legislation around the world, it seems likely that the announcement is little more than meaningless hot air. In the UK, for instance, the planned snooper's charter would make it illegal for companies to alert users to hacking and surveillance by British agencies.
US is spying on its allies for 'national security' purposes
Even though US president Barack Obama promised to end the eavesdropping on highly-positioned officials among US allies, which was revealed during the Edward Snowden events, it seems that some officials are still under close watch by the NSA.
Among those is the prime minister of one of US' biggest allies -- Israel. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the White House decided to keep certain high-ranking officials under close watch, including Netanyahu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey.
This New Year's Eve, make sure your PC is safely backed up with our O&O Disk Image 9 Downloadcrew Giveaway, worth $29.95!
What better way to prepare your PC for 2016 than by providing a failsafe backup this New Year’s Eve? That’s right, today, December 31 we’re providing you with a 24-hour giveaway of the brilliant O&O DiskImage 9 Professional, worth $29.95!
Whether you want to take a full backup of your Windows system and applications, or back up individual files and folders, O&O DiskImage 9 will have you covered. So make sure you bookmark the Download Giveaway page ahead of midday (EST) on December 31!
Adobe Flash gets the final security patch of 2015
There’s nothing quite like kicking a dead corpse, and that’s basically what Adobe is doing with its once powerful product Flash.
Adobe has issued a security update for Flash, one which, according to it, addresses "critical vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system".
The bad security habits enterprise IT needs to leave behind in 2016
2015 has played host to some significant cyber breaches. Experian, TalkTalk and Ashley Madison all fell foul of malicious attacks, and they weren’t the only ones. In 2016, businesses need to resolve to do better -- but the question is, how?
What bad security habits need to be given up to ensure a safer, more secure experience next year? What lengths could, and indeed should have businesses gone to this year in order to prevent some of the data breaches that occurred?
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