Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and fifty in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x/10 in the past seven days.
Lots of games this week again and only a few applications. It should not be surprising considering that the games category is by far the most popular in terms of downloads and activity.
Trends and opportunities in enterprise storage [Q&A]
The enterprise storage market has undergone significant change in recent years. In particular it's seen the rise of flash and the consequent decline of disk as a storage medium.
But what effect are these changes having on business? And what trends can we expect to see in the future? We spoke to Arun Agarwal, CEO of storage specialist Infinio, to find out his view of the market.
BBC starts to block VPN users from accessing iPlayer
Streaming video services are frequently tied to specific countries and steps are taken to prevent people in other parts of the world using them. This is nothing new, and there has been something of an on-going battle between service providers and users who try to find a way around any blocks that may be put in place.
Now the BBC is going to war, and it has VPNs in its sights. VPNs are frequently used by those outside of the UK to view programmes on BBC iPlayer -- but they are also used by security-conscious users. But the BBC is not concerned about the security side of things, just that the tools can be used to bypass geo-restrictions. TorrentFreak reports that UK-based VPN servers are now detected and blocked.
Addressing the IT security talent gap [Q&A]
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the US and the Department of Homeland security is calling for more attention to be paid to securing systems.
But whilst cybersecurity is a growing industry we risk a developing skills gap where workers aren't qualified or prepared for jobs in the field. We spoke to Andrew von Ramin Mapp, CEO of Data Analyzers, a cyber security and digital forensic firm, to get his view on how the industry can address this.
How to uninstall antivirus
You don’t need an antivirus package any more? It should be easy: just run the uninstaller and try something else.
Sounds great, until the uninstaller hangs, crashes, or won’t run at all. And you can’t install a new version because it demands you remove the old one first.
Yahoo brings Jimmy Kimmel Live concerts to its platform
Music has always been a part of late night television, regardless if it's the shows own group or a special guest performing live. To catch most of these acts you need to watch live or on demand and obviously need a TV. But now you can catch some of it right on your computer.
Yahoo is announcing the addition of concerts on Jimmy Kimmel Live and it kicks off tonight. If you tune into the site you can watch Duran Duran beginning at 11:35pm CT. The band just released its 14th studio album titled "Paper Gods".
Microsoft sets Guinness World Record for being quiet
Setting a world record is one of the coolest things you can achieve. It means you stand alone with a claim no one else can make. For instance, being the world's strongest, fastest or smartest would be awesome. Other records would not be so cool, however, such as world's fattest or smelliest.
A congratulations is due to Microsoft as it has been awarded a Guinness World Record. However, the record itself is kind of weird. You see, a room on its Redmond campus is now officially the quietest place on Earth.
Microsoft says Start menu app suggestions in Windows 10 are not ads
Earlier today I wrote about my surprise at the sudden appearance of what I referred to as an 'ad' in my Start menu. The comments the article gathered made for interesting reading, and it was clear that there was more than a little confusion and disgust at the prospect of the Start menu being used as advertising space. I mentioned in the article that I had contacted Microsoft for comment, and I've now heard back with some clarification.
First off, Microsoft insists that the promotion of apps in the Start menu is not advertising, merely the App Suggestions feature. The company stresses that no payments are made by software publishers to be highlighted in this way and explains that this personalized suggestion service is now rolling out to Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users on the Insider program. Microsoft has more to say, but is it enough to allay the concerns of Windows 10 users?
Microsoft has forcibly upgraded some computers to Windows 10
The other day I wrote about problems my father had after an inadvertent upgrade to Windows 10. In the comments there were numerous mocking remarks suggesting that he had been provided with plenty of opportunity to avoid the upgrade -- but it seems that may not have been the case. Microsoft has admitted that the upgrade has been automatically installed on some computers.
This has been described as "a mistake" after the optional update was marked for download and installation by default. Microsoft has already raised the ire of some users who were unhappy to discover that Windows 10 setup files had been downloaded without their permission, but the unwanted installation take things to the next level. So what’s the deal?
Microsoft releases ISOs of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565
Microsoft pushed out Build 10565 to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring three days ago. This preview includes Skype integration, Microsoft Edge improvements, Cortana enhancements, some new icons, and support for nested virtualization. It also introduces a change to the way the activation process works -- you can now activate Windows 10 using a Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product key.
New Fast ring preview builds can usually only be obtained through Windows Update, but Microsoft has today taken the unusual step of making Build 10565 available to download as an ISO to allow Windows Insiders to try out the new activation paths.
Ubuntu Phone hit with serious security vulnerability
Ubuntu and other Linux-based operating systems are extremely secure, but nothing is infallible. While you are arguably safer than on Windows or OS X, the argument can also be made that a little common sense goes a long way. In other words, all modern operating systems can be rather secure, as long as the user is not lackadaisical in their behavior.
You may be surprised to hear that Ubuntu Phone has a rather nasty security vulnerability. Don't worry, the desktop operating system is not impacted; it is a phone-only affair. Still, it is scary to see something like this fall through the cracks.
Microsoft makes starting a Skype chat much easier -- no account needed!
As someone who uses many different operating systems, I prefer software that is cross-platform. Skype is one of the best in this regard, as it is available for Windows, iOS, Android, the Web, OS X, Ubuntu and more. While Microsoft's execution has not always been the best, the communication solution is getting better all the time.
The problem with Skype, you see, is that other people must have an account in order to chat with you. Well, this is no longer an issue. Today, Microsoft makes stating a conversation insanely easy. By simply sharing a link, you can chat with someone on Skype without them needing an account or the app. Awesome.
Microsoft partners with YouTube to launch Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox
While it isn't always reciprocated, Microsoft does its best to support other platforms, putting its apps on rival mobile operating systems and releasing its videos via Google's YouTube. Now the software giant is planning a big release celebration for the much-anticipated Xbox title Halo 5: Guardians, and will be bringing the festivities directly into the homes of fans.
Today Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, AKA Major Nelson, announces that Microsoft will utilize YouTube to show "Halo 5: Live,” a six-hour live broadcast featuring exclusive gameplay reveals, celebrity appearances, live interviews with the 343 Industries development team and much more.
India wants to regulate ride-sharing apps
India has proposed a set of rules aimed at regulating ridesharing apps such as Uber. The rules will see the tech companies operate more like traditional taxi fleets, a move which will probably please other taxi companies in the country.
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released the guidelines proposal, which suggests all cars run by these companies should have an emergency button and an in-app feature to call the police.
When should you expect Office 2016 for your Office 365 subscription?
While Office 2016 is out, not everyone has it. Starting with the 2013 version of the software, Microsoft offered subscription plans called Office 365 -- customers could pay monthly or annualy, with the latter providing a discount. You can also install 365 on up up to five systems. The differences stop there as both provide a full Office suite on your computer.
So when will Office 365 subscribers see the new version of the suite? Like seemingly all things Microsoft, it's complicated. In a blog post, Microsoft's Todd Sweetser laid out the time frame for upgrades.
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