ToastNotification200-175

How to display Windows 8 toast notifications from your own scripts

Scripts and batch files are great for automating complex tasks, but they’re not so good at keeping you informed about their progress. Typically you’re forced to Alt+Tab back to the command prompt window to try and figure out what’s going on.

ToastNotification is a tiny console tool which offers an alternative, at least for Windows 8 users. It allows you to display toast notifications -- pop-up status messages which disappear after a few seconds -- from your own scripts.

By Mike Williams -
cyberbully

How to protect your children from cyber-bullies and other online dangers

The research claiming that depression and anxiety among teenagers is higher than other generations fueled by sexting and online bullying clearly indicates the dangers facing young people in today’s digital world.

Yet the true extent of the problem is likely to be even worse as more and more children start engaging online from a younger age.

By David Emm -
yuphoria

Yu Yuphoria -- Yureka's successor -- is the latest dirt-cheap Indian smartphone at Rs 6,999 ($100)

At an event in New Delhi today Yu Televentures, a Micromax Mobile-owned subsidiary, launches Yu Yuphoria, the successor to its fairly successful dirt-cheap smartphone Yureka it launched late December. The Yuphoria is a stripped down version of the Yureka -- knocking Rs 2,000 off the original price -- making the smartphone enticing at Rs 6,999 ($100). The phone will become available for sale starting May 28 in flash sales. The registration for the first flash sale will begin today at 5PM on Amazon India.

As for the specs, the Yuphoria packs in a 5-inch HD display coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core 64-bit paired with 2 GB of RAM. As for the camera, the Yuphoria comes with 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors.

By Manish Singh -
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Emsisoft Anti-Malware and Emsisoft Internet Security 10 now available

Emsisoft has announced the release of Emsisoft Anti-Malware 10 and Emsisoft Internet Security 10.

The headline news is a dramatic cut in scan times, with a typical "Malware Scan" (aka the "Smart Scan" in previous editions) dropping from 13 minutes to 24 seconds.

By Mike Williams -
Teenage tablet users

UK teenagers are spending longer than ever online

Internet use in the UK has doubled in the past decade, thanks mostly to teenagers and young adults who access the internet on tablets and smartphones, new research has shown.

The research, called 'Media use and attitude' was carried out by communications watchdog Ofcom and found that people in the UK have spent in average of 20 hours and 30 minutes online each week in 2014.

By Sead Fadilpašić -
Snaptivity200-175

Get location-based photo sharing with Snaptivity for Android

There’s no shortage of ways to share your photos with the world, but the free Android app Snaptivity does it differently: by time and location.

What does this mean? Imagine you’re taking a picture of a group of friends. Use Snaptivity, and it only takes a tap to share the shot with everyone in the photo (as long as they also have the app).

By Mike Williams -
dead bird

Twitter account no longer mandatory for Periscope use

Live streaming video from your phone is such a stupidly genius idea, that many people are probably kicking themselves for not coming up with a solution themselves. While the concept is not new, the innovation of Meerkat and Periscope is their simplicity and ease of use. In other words, sometimes it is the execution that makes something take off.

As far as I am concerned, Meerkat is dead -- replaced by the arguably superior Periscope. Since Twitter owns Periscope, it pulled a wise, yet evil move -- block Meerkat from tapping into the social network. Today, in an odd announcement, Periscope announces that a Twitter account is no longer needed for the video service. Why do I call this odd? Periscope could drive Twitter account sign-ups -- why impede that?

By Brian Fagioli -
DDR4fastesrt

Kingston HyperX announces world's fastest 128GB DDR4 memory kit

As someone who grew up in the 80's and 90's, I was a huge fan of the sitcom "Home Improvement". If you aren't familiar, the premise was that the father / TV host, played by Tim Allen, would often hurt himself and cause damage in an attempt to get "more power". Yes, he was always trying to squeeze additional power from machines, much like computer enthusiasts and gamers do nowadays.

Unlike the sitcom, however, more power with computers does not have to result in injury, but it does often cause damage to one's wallet. Today, Kingston HyperX announces the world's fastest 128GB DDR4 Memory Kit. Not yet available to consumers, the RAM is insanely fast and will likely be very expensive when it hits the market.

By Brian Fagioli -
Cube_i6_Air

At $145, Cube i6 Air sports Retina display and dual boots Android and Windows

Every once in a while we come across a few exciting gadgets that stand out from the crowd. We’ve seen a dirt-cheap phone, a dirt-cheap TV, a dual-OS capable smartphone, and today we’re learning of another similar gadget. Called the Cube i6 Air, the $145 tablet runs both Android and Windows while sporting an impressive set of hardware.

This is a modified version of the Cube i6 Air 3G which was launched earlier this year in China. As the name gives away, the tablet supports 3G connectivity, but only supports Chinese bands. The Cube i6 Air fixes that problem introducing universal supported Wi-Fi. It’s also cheaper.

By Manish Singh -
Harman Kardon Nova

Harman/Kardon Nova is bright [Review]

My daughter's cat Cali loves to chew cords—a habit we will eventually break. Meanwhile, it's good excuse to invest in new wireless speakers that diminish some of the cord clutter. Our 20 year-old also is moving home for the summer, putting more wires at risk and necessitating some speaker swaps. She takes my Harman/Kardon SoundSticks, which subwoofer meets her requirement for thumping bass; I don't need it and switched to a space-saving, cord-reducing duo set.

Spectacular sound is my description for Harman/Kardon Nova, which deliver rich treble, magnificent highs, fine detail, and more-than-adequate bass for the kind of kit. Separation and soundstage are bold—dynamic! The speakers are best appreciated when matched to the right source. I stream from lossless leader Tidal on Chromebook Pixel LS, connected via Bluetooth. The combination is immensely enjoyable and makes me happy while working, which boosts the quality and speed of my productivity.

By Joe Wilcox -
Windows 10 desktop

Windows Insiders will need a valid license to upgrade to Windows 10 RTM

At the moment you don’t need a Windows license to run the Windows 10 Insider Preview. Anyone can download an ISO, install it, and update the OS as new builds arrive. Microsoft wants to get feedback from as many users as possible to avoid repeating the catastrophe that was Windows 8.

But what happens when the preview versions stop and we reach RTM? We know the operating system will be free (in the first year) to anyone running a copy of Windows 7 or 8.1, but if RTM is a straight update, like all previous Windows 10 builds, does that mean every Windows Insider will be able to upgrade to RTM for free?

By Wayne Williams -
Lakka200-175

Lakka is a DIY retro games console emulator

If you’re a retro gaming fan then installing something like MAME gives you access to a host of classic arcade games on your PC.

You don’t need a modern PC to run some 25-year-old game, of course, but that’s where Lakka comes in. It’s a lightweight OpenELEC/ RetroArch-based Linux distribution which transforms small computers into retro games consoles.

By Mike Williams -
network_cables

Microsoft invests in cables to cope with increasing cloud capacity

Microsoft's focus on the cloud means that the company and its users are more data-hungry than ever before. To help cope with a seemingly insatiable appetite for bandwidth, the company is investing in undersea cables to improve connectivity and bandwidth across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

With an increased push towards services like Azure and OneDrive, Microsoft's infrastructure needed to grow. The company has spent the last nine months forming fiber partnerships to improve intercontinental data connectivity and now new cable deals see North American datacenters connecting Ireland and the UK at greater speeds.

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Extend PowerShell’s command line with PSReadLine

Let’s be frank: Microsoft’s command line environments are terrible. When we’re having to wait until Windows 10 to get proper Ctrl+C/ Ctrl+V copy/ paste support -- something which the GUI has had for as long as many PC users have been alive -- you know there’s a problem.

Moving to PowerShell doesn’t in itself improve the situation, but at least you get access to PSReadLine, an excellent PowerShell module which does a lot to improve the command line editor.

By Mike Williams -
apple-watch-thee-models-900x506_contentfullwidth

The reasons why Apple Watch will succeed

Only the most fortunate among us will ever be able to afford $15,000 for the 18k gold Apple Watch, yet millions around the world recently watched as Tim Cook -- in his first new product launch as CEO -- unveiled Apple’s first major push into the wearables market.

According to The Wearable Future report, adoption rates of wearables parallels that of tablets. After two years, adoption of tablets was 20 percent and today, and 21 percent of American adults already own a wearable device -- so it’s safe to assume that wearables will begin to take off. There are several reasons that Apple’s launch of the Watch will be the beginning of the wearable breakout period.

By Sam Pudwell -
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