Windows 10 compresses system files and removes recovery image to increase disk space

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Microsoft cares about the amount of formatted, usable storage space users get on their Windows-running machines. The Redmond-based company announced today that, in an attempt to provide users with more storage on their hard-drives, Windows 10 operating system uses some impressive space-saving techniques. The forthcoming operating system uses file compression technology to save around 1.5GB of storage on 32-bit systems and 2.6GB on 64-bit machines.

Furthermore, the software firm notes that it is also stopping using a separate recovery image on its latest desktop operating system. PC makers use a separate recovery image on the computers they ship. Depending on the operating system version and the manufacturer, the space could be anything from 4GB to up to 20GB. The system recovery image shipped by the PC makers includes the disk image of a licensed Windows copy bundled with driver software and some other essentials and bloatware.

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Vote for your favorite contestant on NBC's 'The Voice' using Windows Phone

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I'm going to make a startling confession -- I've never seen American Idol. Why didn't I watch such a wildly popular show? Because I'm not into the lame music that the show puts out. Quite frankly, I'm not sure when such terrible music became acceptable, but I never participated. With that said, I do like some of Carrie Underwood's songs; "Before He Cheats" is an epic classic.

While I've never seen The Voice, I have more respect for it than American Idol, as the judges are kind of cool. The current judges, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams are all accomplished musicians who have created extremely popular music. Today, Microsoft announces that Windows Phone users are getting an official app for The Voice. Users of Microsoft's phone-focused operating system are often neglected, so this is a very pleasant surprise.

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No, John Gruber, Apple did not 'basically invent' USB-C

No Apple did not 'basically invent' USB-C, John Gruber

Two computers of note have been announced or released in recent days -- the 2015 version of the Chromebook Pixel and the redesigned MacBook -- that feature an all-singing, all-dancing USB-C port. It transfers data, it powers, it makes coffee, it doesn't matter which way round you insert it, and it practically guarantees an orgasm (OK... maybe we got a little carried away).

It’s a progression of USB technology, and one that has been well-received, at least in principle. Who could be responsible for this marvellous technology feat of design? Blogger, Markdown inventor, and owner of Daring Fireball, John Gruber seems to be under the impression that it's an Apple invention. But he's wrong.

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Apple bribes Android and Windows Phone users to switch to iPhone

Apple bribes Android and Windows Phone users to switch to iPhone

Apple may be about to launch a new phone trade-in program in a bid to encourage more people to invest in iPhones. Hand over your old Windows Phone, Android handset -- or even a BlackBerry or aged iPhone -- and you could receive a gift card that can be used as part payment for an iPhone. The news comes from the usually-reliable 9to5Mac where it is suggested that Apple Store employees will place a value on handsets before handing over a gift card in exchange for it.

It's not a completely new venture for Apple; the company has previously run programs to encourage iPhone users to upgrade to the latest version of the handset, but this will be the first time the scheme has been opened up to rival smartphones. While previously this was an incentive to upgrade, this time around it's little more than a bribe.

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Mozilla approves Nazi-themed, anti-feminism Firefox extension [Update]

Mozilla Men Kampf Firefox extension

Mozilla could soon find itself at the center of a new controversy, as it just approved a Firefox extension, called Men Kampf, designed with the sole purpose of replacing so-called "radfem rethoric [sic] with nazi friendly alternatives".

Men Kampf scans the page that the Firefox user visits for any words considered to be linked to feminism -- certainly not radical feminism, as claimed in the description -- and replaces them, on the fly, with said "alternatives". As such, an article about feminism will quickly appear to be one about nazism. The developer behind the extension, Erim Secla, says that it's all "just for fun" in Men Kampf's description. Except that it's not.

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Microsoft launches Office 2016 IT Pro and Developer Preview

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Hot on the heels of Office 2016 Mac Preview, Microsoft today launched Office 2016 Preview for developers and IT professionals. We've already heard a little about the direction in which the office suite is heading but -- leaks aside -- this is the first time most of the suite has been seen outside of private testing.

Microsoft is a company that is all about previews nowadays; the days of not having a clue what will appear in the next version of apps are gone. There's the disclaimer that "this early build doesn’t yet contain all the features we're planning to ship in the final product", but it's still an intriguing taster of what's to come.

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The evolution of Lync is Skype for Business -- Technical Preview available now

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In the world of business, the typical office is fading away. Yes, there are still places where employees are housed in the same location, but the reality is, talent is scattered across the globe. Less people are spending their entire careers at a single company, so the concept of uprooting an entire family to move for a job is no longer realistic.

The Internet, of course, has afforded talented professionals to work offsite from home or satellite locations (or even outdoors!). The problem is, email is not the most productive collaboration tool, as chains can become convoluted and hard to manage. Phone conferences alone can be quite unproductive as well, as employees mentally check out and mute themselves to work on other things. Microsoft's Lync has been a dream come true for project collaboration, and today, the first preview of the next-generation of the tool, now called Skype for Business, is released.

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Predictive communication helps optimize online sales

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Modern businesses spend a lot of money on customer service and on e-Commerce solutions, but often it seems that there's a disconnect between the two.

California-based company Altocloud has come up with a solution that combines machine-learning technology with real-time communications to predict the right time to interact with customers.

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Most consumers don't care about Apple Watch

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Is the Apple Watch not going to make the impact Apple is hoping for over in its home turf of the United States? This is the case according to a fresh poll of Americans.

The Reuters survey, carried out by Ipsos, took in the opinions of 1,250 US citizens, and found that 69 percent said they are not interested in buying Apple’s smartwatch.

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Sony rolls out Android 5.0 Lollipop, Xperia Z3 family getting it first

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While other Android makers have long begun to roll out Android 5.0 software updates, Sony is only now starting to make the first Lollipop incarnation available to its customers. The priority is the Xperia Z3 family, which includes Sony's current flagship smartphone.

Sony has decided that Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact should be its first smartphones to get Android 5.0 Lollipop. The roll-out starts today, in Baltic and Nordic Europe. Here's what's new.

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Yahoo introduces On-demand passwords and demoes end-to-end-encryption

Yahoo introduces On-demand passwords and demoes end-to-end-encryption

The idea of forgetting the password for your email account might seem odd, but it happens. You might be one of those people who signed up for a Yahoo email address years ago, moved on to something better, and now only check in every few months to see if you've missed anything.

To combat the problem of forgotten passwords, Yahoo is introducing a new feature called On-demand passwords. There's no need to battle through the process of answering security questions to reset your password when you forget it; now you can create a temporary password that gets sent to your phone.

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SunsetScreen dims your PC screen at night

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Skytopia has released SunsetScreen, a free tool for Windows XP and later which automatically reduces the glare on your screen at night.

In theory, reducing your exposure to blue light in the evenings may help avoid problems with melatonin production, and so give you a more restful sleep. But even if that doesn’t work, having the screen match your current lighting conditions could make your computer more comfortable to use.

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Anonymous accuses Facebook of siding with Islamic State [Update]

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Facebook has just updated -- or rather clarified -- its Community Standards document, which outlines the type of content that are not allowed on the social network. Among the list of banned topics is, as you might expect, terrorism.

Anonymous has been battling terrorism online for a while now, taking down Islamic State related sites and Twitter accounts via its #OpISIS campaign. The aim of this operation is to prevent the terrorist organization from spreading its message online, but now Facebook has taken steps to prevent Anonymous from spreading its own message on the social network.

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SoftWatch offers SMBs smoother transition to cloud office tools

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For businesses moving to a cloud-based office solution the biggest problem can be understanding and controlling the licensing costs involved.

Cloud transition specialist SoftWatch has a solution for this in the form of its analytics tool which provides in-depth information on how businesses are actually using desktop-based and web based applications as well as cloud storage and web conferencing.

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Advancements in car technology and the risks that can come with it

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Over the years there has been a large investment in car technology due to how life changing it will be. Currently there are a number of factors that put people off learning to drive, including tricky parking and busy traffic. But these issues may be distant memories if the following technologies are introduced in everyday vehicles.

It’s important to remember that these technologies aren’t expected to be added anytime soon. There are both major and minor risks which need to addressed before the public will ever see an official release. We will focus on a number of different car technologies that are being worked on extensively, but with difficulties that still need to be ironed out.

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