Latest Technology News

One of the features that has been removed from Windows 10 -- at least for home users -- is the ability to pick and choose when updates are installed. Microsoft has taken Windows Update out of the hands of users so the process is, for the most part, completely automated.

In theory, this sounds great -- no more worrying about having the latest patches installed, no more concerns that a machine that hasn’t been updated will cause problems for others -- but an issue with NVidia drivers shows that there is potential for things to go wrong. Irate owners of NVidia graphics cards have taken to support forums to complain that automatically-installed drivers have broken their computers.

LinkedIn caused a storm a couple of days ago when it removed the option to instantly download contacts. Many users of the professional social network were more than a little irked to discover that while contact exporting was still available, a wait of up to three days had been put in place.

Unsurprisingly, users revolted, having been particularly upset by the fact the change was implemented with no warning or announcement. But the company has managed to turn things around by quickly backtracking on its decision after listening to a stream of complaints on Twitter.

Sometimes it just takes someone with a big enough name -- and voice -- to draw attention to something that thousands of others have been saying for a long time. Proving this, Kim Kardashian (of all people) has made a suggestion for a feature that Twitter should adopt: editing. Twitter loves the idea. And when we say 'Twitter', we don’t mean 'people on Twitter' -- we mean Twitter itself: none other than co-founder Jack Dorsey.

Kardashian tweeted to her 33.8 million followers letting them know that she'd got in touch with Twitter to share her idea. In a matter of hours she received tens of thousands of replies, favorites, and replies. If she has husband Kanye West on board, that's another 13.5 million followers.

Can a joke be copyrighted? Twitter seems to think so. As spotted by Twitter account Plagiarism is Bad a number of tweets that repeat a particular joke are being hidden from view. The tweets have not been deleted as such, but their text has been replaced with a link to Twitter's Copyright and DMCA policy.

The joke in question? "Saw someone spill their high end juice cleanse all over the sidewalk and now I know god is on my side." Perform a search for the text and, while you will find several tweeted instances of it available at the moment, there are many examples of tweets that have been censored.

It's no secret that computers are becoming smaller. What used to gobble up voluminous space once -- think about a couple of rooms -- are now available in miniature form factor. But how powerful are these USB flash drive-shaped computers? We tested the Intel Compute Stick and here is how it fared.

Intel has an ambitious plan. It claims that its tiny computer will suffice the basic computing needs for most. The tiny computer in question is called the Compute Stick. It is powered by the company's own entry level Atom chipset dubbed Z3735F, its own HD graphics card HD audio card coupled with 2GB of RAM.

Microsoft has talked about a lot of the new features of Windows 10, but something that has only really been mentioned in passing is Windows Hello. A couple of weeks ago we showed you a video of the security feature in action and now a new animated ad has been unearthed that shows the benefits the security feature brings.

Unlike the other videos we've shared in recent days, this video is not one that Microsoft has officially released -- not yet at least. If you're still in the dark about Windows Hello, check it out to find out more.

If you haven't yet upgraded to build 10240 of Windows 10, now is the time to do so. Anyone sticking with an earlier build of the preview will no longer be able to use the Windows Store, and this in turn means they will not be able to update any of the apps they have installed.

Microsoft has been busy promoting Windows 10 this week, providing a number of reasons for people to upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8 after July 29, but even before this date the company is keen to move people away from older builds.

If you're looking for a reason to upgrade to Windows 10 next week -- or whenever the upgrade appears for you -- how about the fact that it is the most secure version of Windows ever released? This is the angle Microsoft takes in its most recent video promoting the up-coming operating system.

We've already been treated to a series of videos showcasing some of the highlights of Windows 10. From gaming to multi-tasking, Microsoft has come out with all guns blazing as it prepares to push its latest baby out of the door. Will security enhancements swing it for you?

It's not that we're (necessarily) lazy, but technology entices us all to find quicker ways of doing things. The internet is something of a behemoth and there are plenty of tools out there that aim to tame it -- one of which is automation service IFTTT.

Harnessing the power of apps, devices, and the cloud, IFTTT has just unveiled five open source projects. Now available on GitHub, the projects can be used by anyone to integrate IFTTT automation in their apps and services.

While Google's Chromecast is impossibly small physically, it is absolutely enormous in its usefulness. The search giant successfully bridged the gap between device and television with a cute little HDMI dongle. Originally, the selling point was its low price, but as more and more companies choose to leverage the cute hardware, it becomes more than a simple value purchase.

The dongle is apparently celebrating a second birthday. While it is weird to celebrate the "birth" of an inanimate object, the tech community has normalized the practice to become acceptable. After all, we tech nerds love our devices like family, right? While the birthday boy or girl is usually the one receiving gifts, this time, Chromecast owners are getting the present. What is it, you ask? A free movie rental! What will you rent this weekend?

When it comes to cars, I only consider American manufacturers. Every car I've ever owned has been a Ford, but I am open to GM and Fiat Chrysler vehicles like Chevrolet, Jeep, Dodge and Ram. Lately, I fell in love with the Jeep Renegade -- an Italian-made American SUV -- which was tempting me from Ford.

Due to the reported security deficiencies in Jeep vehicles -- potentially deadly hacks -- I immediately came to my senses. No such vehicles in my future. While the Renegade is not impacted, the brand is, at least for now, tarnished for me. Today, Fiat Chrysler is voluntarily recalling the vehicles that are prey for hackers -- Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Ram are all on the list.

Six major US film studios, and Sky UK have been charged by the EU on the basis of unfair restriction of content across the European Union.

Competition chief Margrethe Vestager said that the European consumers want to watch the pay-TV channels of their choice regardless of their location in the EU. But according to their investigation, the film studios cannot restrict the content because of the licensing agreements. They believe that these studios might be in breach of the EU competition rules.

We're always being told that we need to use stronger passwords, but most of us tend to trade off security for real world convenience.

Minneapolis-based Password Boss is hoping to convert people with the launch of its free password manager and digital wallet aimed at consumers.

The launch of Cloud Storage Nearline brings Google firmly into the battle against Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and all the other cloud platforms currently available, but, unlike search, Google is way behind the competition.

To gain some early customers, Google is offering an enormous 100 petabytes (100 million gigabytes) of storage for free. To a single customer, that is enough to last a lifetime, but for a medium sized business it may last a few months.

Microsoft has started sending out emails to Windows users who have reserved their copy of Windows 10 in advance of the launch next week. As reported previously, you probably won’t get your copy on the big day -- Microsoft says "After July 29, when Windows 10 is ready for your device, it will download in the background. You’ll then get a notification to schedule your upgrade right away or at another time that’s convenient for you".

Before you do install it, you’ll want to make sure your PC or tablet is ready for the upgrade.