Acer announces Predator G6-710 -- an Intel Skylake-powered hardcore gaming desktop
While Acer is normally a value-focused PC manufacturer, it has been branching out beyond its niche. Its Predator line of gaming desktops are well-received in the PC gaming community and a great choice for those that do not want to build their own rig.
Today, Acer announces its latest gaming offering, the Predator G6-710 desktop. It contains the top-of-the-line, freshly released, Intel Skylake processor (Core i7-6700K) and looks drop-dead gorgeous. Acer is pairing that brand-new CPU with a powerful NVIDIA GPU, the GeForce GTX 980.
Windows 10 Start Menu wins major design award -- Microsoft proves haters wrong
When Microsoft unveiled its legendary Start Menu in Windows 95, it changed everything. The usability resonated with consumers, arguably leading to a huge increase in personal computer sales. While the menu remained mostly unchanged for many years -- apart from small additions and appearance tweaks -- Windows 8 replaced it with a Start Screen that consumers largely rejected. Things were looking bad for Windows for a while there.
Luckily, Microsoft was on the right track with the much maligned Start Screen -- its innovative live tiles just needed to be delivered in a different way. Enter Windows 10. The latest version of Microsoft's operating system combines the classic Start Menu with the best aspects of the Start Screen and so far, consumers seem to love it -- sentiment has largely been positive on social media. Want proof that the Windows 10 Start Menu is revolutionary? Look no further than the prestigious digital design award bestowed upon it today!
Reddit decides to be a little less racist
Reddit has been nothing short of chaos recently. Users left, staff left, and lots and lots of people got very, very upset. Following on from recent subreddit shutdowns and restrictions, today the site announces that it is bowing to pressure from certain quarters and closing down a number of racist subreddits.
Having culled harassment sections of the site, the latest victims of Reddit's ban hammer are the subreddits /r/CoonTown, /r/WatchNiggersDie, /r/bestofcoontown, /r/koontown, /r/CoonTownMods, /r/CoonTownMeta. The bans come as the site updates its content policy meaning that the six racist subreddits are now in violation of Reddit rules -- and the new rules don't seem to be going down well.
Samsung and Google to release monthly OTA Android security updates
Google and Samsung announced today that they are taking steps to ensure the ongoing security of Android phones and tablets. Both companies said that over the air (OTA) updates will be released on a monthly basis with Google focusing on its range of Nexus devices.
Samsung made reference to the recent StageFright vulnerability in announcing that its Galaxy devices are in line for regular security updates. While Google will be pushing out OTA updates directly, Samsung is currently in talks with global carriers to ensure that updates can be delivered "about once per month".
Facebook Live lets celebrities broadcast live video
Facebook has become much more than just a social network for connecting with friends and family, evolving into a way to get in touch with companies and even celebrities. Today the site announces that celebrities are now able to share live video from the Facebook Mentions app directly to fans.
Regular Facebook users need do nothing more than follow the celebrities they are interested in, and any live video that is broadcasting by someone they follow will appear in their news feed. While comparable to the likes of Periscope and Meekat, Facebook Live is not a direct competitor as it is only available to those with verified accounts -- but it also has features that neither of these services offer.
Opera 31 unveils redesigned Discover service, tweaks sync options
Opera Software has unveiled Opera 31 FINAL, a new stable release of its desktop browser for Windows, Mac and Linux.
After the excitement of three major new features in version 30, Opera 31 is a bit of a damp squib. Only two relatively minor new features make their bow in this latest release: a redesigned Discover feature and improved sync capabilities.
Android Lollipop is now relevant
Google released its monthly distribution numbers for Android earlier this week, showing quite a large spike in Lollipop growth in the month of July. Lollipop went from 12.4 percent in June to 18.1 percent in July. The growth mostly came off the back of Jelly Bean updates and new device sales.
Jelly Bean, the previous holder of the top spot, slumped down to 33.6 percent in July from 37.4 percent last month. KitKat received a slight boost of 0.1 percent this month, most likely due to continued sales of early 2015 devices running the OS.
Microsoft pushes out a big update for Windows 10
There haven’t been many updates for Windows 10 since Microsoft launched its new operating system last week, but today the software giant is rolling out a cumulative update designed to "enhance the functionality of Windows 10 through new features and improvements".
If you’ve been experiencing problems with the new OS, as I have, then this update may go some way to overcoming them.
Intel releases unlocked 6th generation Core i7-6700K and i5-6600K Skylake processors
If you are looking to either build or buy a gaming desktop, and money is no object, you want Intel processors. Its chips offer the best performance by far, although you usually have to pay to play. Comparatively, AMD's processors can be less powerful in some areas, but offer great value for the money.
Today, Intel announces its 6th generation of "i" processors, code-named "Skylake" by releasing two new chips. The Core i5 and i7 chips are perfectly timed for Windows 10 as they feature DirectX 12 graphics support, but hardcore gamers will want to add a discrete card from AMD or NVIDIA anyway.
Upgrade to Windows 10 and your kids may no longer be safe
Parents who are upgrading their computers to Windows 10 are warned that the move from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will obliterate the safety features used to protect children. You may have spent time putting restrictions in place in a bid to keep your offspring safe when using your computer, but Windows 10 will change these child-friendly accounts into standard accounts with no limitations whatsoever.
The upgrade process wipes out website restrictions, game and app age ratings, time limits, and other parental controls and monitoring options. Unless a parent goes to the trouble of reinstating each of these settings individually, their children will have unfettered computer access. The discovery, revealed by The Register, will come as a surprise to many, but the worry is that many parents will simply be unaware that their children are not protected. And this is far from being the first time Windows 10 has been criticized.
Ransomware targets prospective Windows 10 users
If you’re still waiting for your free update to Windows 10, be careful, as there’s serious malware circulating around the net. As usual, cyber crooks are fast to react to a trending topic and will try to take advantage of it to place malware on unsuspecting victims.
This time, they are tapping into the Windows 10 upgrade trend and are trying to sneak malicious code to people who think they’re getting their copy of the latest Microsoft OS. According to a report by Cisco’s security group Talos, someone is "impersonating Microsoft in an attempt to exploit their user base for monetary gain".
Here is how Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 and S6 edge Plus look
As you may well be aware, Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge Plus will be revealed at an Unpacked event next week, and given the close proximity of the launch, it’s not surprising to see images of the phones leaked.
Check them out above -- they were leaked by the ever resourceful Evan Blass (as spotted by The Verge). Both handsets look pretty much as expected, with the Galaxy S6 edge Plus not changing much as you would imagine, and the Galaxy Note 5 following much in its footsteps with the premium metal and glass design.
The usual suspects top Forbes' Richest People in Tech list
Forbes today unveiled its inaugural 100 Richest People in Tech list. Comprising 100 billionaires, the top of the chart is dominated by all of the names you would expect to see -- Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Page take the top five slots.
It's not just the names that are familiar. The US is the dominant country in the chart, with more than half of the list filled by American billionaires. The image of California as being the center of the world of technology is borne out by the fact that 49 of the top 100 hail from the western state. So, yes, Bill Gates tops the charts with $79.6 billion, but where are the other big names?
Today's top malware threats -- are you prepared?
Today, data breaches are nothing short of the norm. Organizations like Target, Home Depot, and even the United States Government have fallen victim to cyber criminals illegally accessing and tampering with the sensitive data in their private systems. While cloud computing has simplified the way organizations manage data, it has also made it easier than ever for hackers to gain access to systems and get their hands on critical corporate information.
Of all the players taking part in today’s cyber crimes, malware authors are among the most powerful. Not only are they able to create new ways to steal sensitive information, they are also making the existing types of malware stronger and more effective. As malware becomes increasingly sophisticated, more and more household names and large corporations are becoming data breach victims. As result, headlines are flooded with news of the latest threats to be on the lookout for. Here are some of the top malware threats that companies should have on their radar and be prepared for.
Xbox 360 Preview Program update brings Activity Feed showing Xbox One and Windows 10
Yesterday we reported about the arrival of the Windows-powered update to Xbox One consoles in November. In the excitement we completely forgot about Microsoft's older console. Well, that's not strictly true -- we did mention that Xbox One is gaining backwards compatibility with many 360 games, but the humble Xbox 360 has a significant update of its own.
Currently available to those signed up to the preview program, the latest update brings a decidedly social element to the Xbox 360. The new Activity Feed displays gaming activity, message and more not only from Xbox 360, but also Xbox One and Windows 10. This is something that gamers have been hoping for for some time, and Microsoft has demonstrated that it has not completely forgotten about the ageing Xbox 360.
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