Chrome has a hidden tab discard option that could solve your memory problems
For many people Google Chrome is their browser of choice. It may be popular, but most users would concede that Chrome has something of a memory problem -- it will gobble up resources like they are going out of fashion. To get around this issue, all manner of extensions have sprung up offering tab suspension -- but there's a hidden Tab Discarding option built in that does the same job.
As revealed by Google's François Beaufort, the Chrome development team is working on bringing the feature, which is already used by Chrome OS users, to the Windows, Linux and Mac versions of the browser. The Discarded Tabs feature works by unloading tabs from memory when resources are running low, and reloading them if and when they are next clicked. If you install the latest nightly builds, this is already available to you -- here’s how to use it.
Best Buy cashes in on free Windows 10 upgrades
It has been mentioned ad nauseum that Windows 10 is free. While retailers would normally make a killing through sales of a new version of Windows, this time around they are missing out. Not a company to shy away from raking in a few bucks, Best Buy has come up with a money-making solution to keep its finance department happy.
The secret formula involves taking advantage of the ignorance of people who are not particularly computer literate, and squeezing them for every cent possible. The chain might not be able to make much money selling copies of Windows 10, but it can sure as hell try to monetize the installation process and training.
Windows 10 doubles its usage share in a couple of days
NetMarketShare has released its monthly desktop operating system usage share figures, showing the fluctuations of the various iterations of Windows. All versions of Microsoft’s operating system registered drops in July, except of course Windows 10 which was launched at the tail end of the month.
Only being available for a few days meant the new OS was never going to shift the needle significantly, but there were enough upgraders (Microsoft says 14 million in the first 24 hours) to double the operating system’s share.
Facebook uses Lollapalooza to showcase new live streaming feature
If you can't make it to Lollapalooza this year, there's no need to be jealous of your friends who are attending. At the music festival, Facebook has started testing a new feature that allows people to live stream events on the social network, taking on the likes of Snapchat head-on.
Music festivals are far from cheap -- a full weekend pass costs $275 and that's before you factor in travel, food, and so on -- so the prospect of a social powered livestream will appeal to many... particularly those to whom the idea of camping is abhorrent. Facebook's Place Tips feature can be used by those in attendance -- including performers -- to post videos, photos and updates that can be enjoyed by those who chose to stay at home.
For some Facebook users 'hide' may no longer mean hide
What do you do if a story appears in your Facebook that you're not interested in? You might just ignore it, or you might try to train Facebook about your preferences by selecting the 'hide' option.
But if you're the sort of person who hides a lot of stories, Facebook might start placing less importance on your dislikes. This might sound counter-intuitive, but Facebook is convinced that it makes sense, saying that for some people opting to hide a story "isn't as strong a negative signal". So who are these people?
Should we all be as pissed as Mozilla about Edge taking over in Windows 10?
Microsoft is no stranger to controversy when it comes to web browsers. Internet Explorer has been the butt of jokes for many years, and the company also found itself in trouble in Europe as part of an antitrust case. With the release of Windows 10, history could be about to repeat itself.
Mozilla CEO Chris Beard penned a letter to Microsoft the other day expressing his disappointment that people upgrading to Windows 10 have their default browser choice overridden and changed to Microsoft Edge. While some may feel that Mozilla is whining, it could be argued that the company is right to be pissed -- and Windows 10 users should be just as pissed at the liberties Microsoft is taking.
Windows 10 is out, but when will you get it?
You won’t have missed the fact that Windows 10 is now out in the wild. The wait is over! Or is it? This is something of a soft launch this time around; not everyone will be getting the upgrade at the same time as it is being staggered.
Microsoft is sending out emails to people who reserved their copy of Windows 10 reminding them that they might have something of a wait on their hands. The email starts by posing the question: "When will my free upgrade arrive?" The fact of the matter is that you might want to stick a pot of coffee on to brew and put your feet up.
The LG G4: Will you get a better Android experience? [Review]
The smartphone market moves along at a fast pace, with a new device seemingly every day. Unfortunately for customers, upgrades from providers move at a much more sedate pace. You'll get one every two years unless you pay extra. That's generally fine, though most people end up longing for one before that magic date rolls around.
That brings us around to those who are set for that upgrade now. The latest flagship handset comes from LG, no stranger to this market. And, for the most part, it's an excellent piece of hardware. But let's take a closer look.
Thermaltake goes green with Core V51 Riing Edition Mid-Tower Chassis for gamers
With the release of Windows 10, many people are looking to not only buy new computers, but build them too. Building a new PC can be a very rewarding experience, as you can pick all of the components and customize it to your liking.
One of the most important parts of any build is the chassis, or case. Not only can the case design impact cooling performance, but it determines the overall aesthetics. Today, Thermaltake announces the all new Core V51 Riing Edition Mid-Tower Chassis. Not only is it beautiful, but its green color scheme makes it unique too.
The real price of Windows 10 is your privacy
Windows 10 is a free upgrade, right? Well, surely you know by now that there's no such thing as a free lunch. We're only 48 hours on from the launch of Windows 10 and already the complaining and criticism is underway. One thing that has been brought under the spotlight is privacy under the latest version of Microsoft's operating system.
Some people have been surprised to learn that Microsoft is utilizing the internet connections of Windows 10 users to deliver Windows Updates to others. But this is far from being the end of it. Cortana also gives cause for concern, and then there is the issue of Microsoft Edge, and ads in apps. Is this a price you're willing to pay?
The essential collection of Windows 10 guides -- everything you need to get started, fix annoyances, and more
Here on BetaNews we’ve posted a wealth of how-to guides designed to help you master Windows 10. While the new OS isn’t difficult to get to grips with, certain elements are far from intuitive.
With all the news that’s been happening, you may have missed some of these guides -- especially ones from before Windows 10 launched -- so we've put together this one-stop shop for all the helpful information posted so far. Below you'll find out how to download Windows 10, get the ISO, create installation media, install Windows 10 on Mac or in a virtual environment, change the default browser or the default search engine, block automatic updates, and much, much more. As new guides are added, so this article will be expanded to include the latest content.
HP rolls out a range of Enterprise Services for Windows 10
Businesses usually like to wait a while before rolling out a new operating system to allow any initial snags to be ironed out.
Of course systems providers have to be ready to support them when they do make the move and HP has announced the availability of a full suite of Windows 10 services designed to help enterprises control costs and smooth out the move to the new operating system.
Yahoo! launches! LiveText! video! messaging! app!
Yahoo is making a first step in the messaging world, with the launch of LiveText for iOS and Android. The app will be available in North America and Europe, following a brief test in Hong Kong and Taiwan last month.
The messaging app is similar to Snapchat, with an image or video and superimposed text. When video streaming is unavailable, LiveText will offer a text only option. Interestingly, the video will be silent, meaning no audio playback between the two recipients.
Turning Splunk data into pre-emptive breach detection
In case you haven't heard of it Splunk is one of the most popular machine data analytics tools, used to provide early warning of network and system issues.
IT teams often rely on access to this data for security information and event management (SIEM), but as malware becomes more sophisticated it can be difficult to spot what's important in time to prevent major breaches.
Apple's iPad still rules the tablet market, despite declining sales
Apple is still first place in the tablet market, despite two years of solid decline in sales. The figures released by IDC earlier this week show Apple as the major vendor, with 24.5 percent of the market share.
This is a far cry from Apple’s performance three years ago, when it held almost 50 percent of the tablet market. The tablet has continuously lost market share since, dropping three percent since 2014 and shipping 2.4 million less units.
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