Linux Mint-powered MintBox 2 has security vulnerability -- needs Microsoft Windows to fix it

Scared_Concern_Man

There is a belief that Linux-based computers are inherently secure, and yeah, there is some truth to that. With that said, no operating system, kernel, or hardware is infallible. All computers have vulnerabilities and can ultimately be hacked.

A good example of this is the Linux Mint-powered MintBox 2. While the diminutive PC is not built by the Linux Mint team (it is merely a rebranded Intense PC), it is supported by them. Today, it is revealed that the computer is suffering from a dangerous vulnerability that can impact the machine's BIOS. Luckily, a patch is available.

Continue reading

Microsoft faces Windows 10 antitrust investigation for disabling Kaspersky antivirus software

Black Microsoft shop logo

Security software firm Kaspersky Labs has filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe. The complaints center around Microsoft disabling third party antivirus software in Windows 10 to favor its own Windows Defender.

The Russian company complained to the German Federal Cartel Office and the European Commission, saying that Microsoft abused its position. Microsoft has made some changes to the way Defender works, but Kaspersky does not believe this goes far enough.

Continue reading

How to watch Microsoft's E3 Xbox briefing live, and in 4K

Xbox

E3 2017 kicks off on Saturday, June 10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, California, and Microsoft will be there to take the wraps off the latest Xbox announcements and future games.

If you can’t be there yourself, don’t worry, as the Xbox E3 briefing will be streamed live as always, but for the first time Microsoft will be broadcasting it in 4K and there are numerous ways for you to tune in.

Continue reading

Microsoft releases Face Swap app for Android

microsoft-face-swap

After selfie taking, the act of face swapping is an incredibly common use for smartphones. iPhone users have a plethora of tools to choose from -- as, indeed, do those who prefer Android devices, and Microsoft has decided to get in on the action with the appropriately-named Face Swap app for Android.

The free app does very much what you would expect -- combining the joy of selfies with the fun of face swapping. Snap a selfie and you can then swap faces from another photo -- it's a simple idea, and Microsoft has put its own twist on it by integrating Bing Image search.

Continue reading

Leak reveals Microsoft planning three new power versions of Windows 10

Shock

Last week, Microsoft accidentally pushed out a buggy new Windows 10 build that caused problems for users. The software giant later apologized, and offered some tips for overcoming the issues, including suggesting time travel as a solution.

As it happens, the leaked build also revealed something interesting -- Microsoft is planning three new versions of Windows 10.

Continue reading

Microsoft suggests time travel as a way to avoid its rogue Windows 10 Build 16212

Doctor-Who-1

Yesterday, Microsoft accidentally pushed out a new, buggy, internal Windows 10 build to PC and Mobile that caused big problems for users. The Windows-maker pulled the problematic Build 16212 quickly, but it was too late for some.

In response, Microsoft issued an apology and offered some tips to help users who had installed the build to recover. However, despite this action, some users are still seeing Build 16212 waiting to be installed and for those people, Microsoft has an interesting solution -- time travel.

Continue reading

Microsoft apologizes for 'unintentional' Windows 10 builds, offers recovery tips

facepalm head

Yesterday, Microsoft pushed out Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16212 for PC and Mobile to users on the Fast, Slow, and Release Preview rings and the Retail version. Unfortunately the buggy build wasn’t intended to go out, causing problems for anyone who installed it.

Apologizing for the "inconvenience", Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar explains it "happened because an inadvertent deployment to the engineering system that controls which builds/which rings to push out to insiders." While Microsoft was quick to pull the update, it was too late for some.

Continue reading

Seagate Game Drive for Xbox Game Pass Special Edition HDD has up to 4TB capacity

GameDrive_Xbox_GamePass_SE_4TB_Hero-Right_Hi-Res

Earlier today, Microsoft officially launched its Xbox Game Pass service for all users. If you aren't familiar, please know that it is essentially an all-you-can-eat-styled video game service. For a mere $9.99 per month, you can download and play 100+ Xbox One and 360 titles. It is insanely cool and a great value.

The problem? The games you download will take up a lot of space on your Xbox One's internal hard drive. Luckily, Microsoft makes it easy to expand the console's storage capacity -- just plug in a USB HDD or SSD. Today, Seagate announces an external mechanical hard drive that is designed for the console. The Game Drive for Xbox Game Pass Special Edition, as it is insanely called, can be had in either 2TB or 4TB. To sweeten the deal, you will get a complimentary Game Pass subscription!

Continue reading

Microsoft accidentally releases buggy Windows 10 Insider Preview build that's causing chaos for users

Angry frustrated furious guy biting fist

It’s been a while since Microsoft pushed out a new build to Windows 10 Insiders, so it was expected that we’d see one today. However, Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar put the kibosh on that earlier, stating "newer builds have WAY too many bugs to pass our selfhost bar."

That should have been the end of things, but Build 16212 managed to escape into the wild -- hitting the Fast, Slow, Release Preview and Production rings -- and eager Insiders quickly discovered the downside of installing it.

Continue reading

Xbox Game Pass opens up to everyone

xbox_game_pass_june_2017

Microsoft has officially launched its Xbox Game Pass service, allowing gamers to play Xbox 360 and Xbox One games in a streaming capacity, for all Xbox One users.

The service, which debuted to monthly-fee-paying Xbox Live Gold members last week, has more than 100 available titles (consisting of both Xbox One and Xbox 360 games). As soon as you subscribe, you're instantly able to play any and every title in that list. As long as you keep your subscription, you can keep playing. Microsoft says it will continue to update and add new titles to the burgeoning collection on a monthly basis.

Continue reading

Open source 'Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit' for deep learning reaches version 2.0

open source

Last year, Microsoft released an open source project called "Cognitive Toolkit." This toolkit was designed with a focus on deep learning and artificial intelligence.

Today, after a fairly long beta period, Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit is finally updated to version 2.0. Not only does this production release have new features, but bug fixes too. Unfortunately, the release isn't entirely backwards compatible due to deprecated and renamed aspects of the toolkit.

Continue reading

Microsoft unveils a massive redesign of Skype, heavily plagiarizing Snapchat

skype-redesign

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there's a hell of a lot of flattery going on in the world of chat and messaging apps. Such is the level of feature borrowing and design inspiration that we're entering a phase of unbridled homogeneity. This isn’t enough to put off Microsoft, of course, and today the company lifts the lid on its latest -- and arguably most radical -- redesign of Skype.

Coming first to Android -- as is becoming increasingly common for Microsoft these days -- the Skype redesign boasts a fresh new look that makes it clear from the start that things are going to be different around here. While Skype is well known for its voice and video calling capabilities, now the focus switches rather more toward messaging; as Microsoft puts it: "chatting is front and center."

Continue reading

Microsoft Surface devices are immune to Intel AMT security vulnerability

Surface Pro (1)

Intel revealed in early-May that there is a critical security vulnerability in its Active Management Technology, which can be exploited to gain remote access to PCs. The feature is designed to help system administrators manage devices, so, due to its nature, it is more likely to affect enterprise users than consumers.

However, since the Surface line is popular with businesses, Microsoft wants to let its enterprise users know that no Surface devices are affected by the AMT vulnerability, despite it being offered in some of the processors available with its tablets and laptops.

Continue reading

Microsoft Planner now available for Android

Microsoft Planner iPhone Android

Nearly two weeks after introducing the iPhone app, Microsoft officially announces the availability of Planner on Android. The tool was released a year ago to help teams using Office 365 better manage and collaborate on projects.

Microsoft says that Planner is available to Office 365 subscribers on the Business Essentials, Business Premium, Enterprise E1 to E5 and Education plans.

Continue reading

Bad news for Microsoft as Windows 10's growth slows

Windows 10 snail

When Microsoft started the roll out of Windows 10 Creators Update on April 11, it seemed likely the new OS would see a boost in its market share as a result. Indeed, April’s usage figures from NetMarketShare suggested that was the case, with Windows 10’s share growing by a decent amount for the first time in months.

But the Creators Update roll out has been more of a dribble out so far, with only 15.2 percent of US Windows 10 users running it, and the boost that the operating system enjoyed in April hasn’t continued in May.

Continue reading

Load More Articles