Google discloses actively exploited Windows vulnerability before Microsoft patch is ready
Google has shared details of a 0-day vulnerability in Windows a mere 10 days after informing Microsoft of the problem. In Google's own words, "this vulnerability is particularly serious because we know it is being actively exploited", but the company is accused of putting users at risk.
Microsoft is yet to produce a patch for the security problem, and it's not clear when one will be released.
Thanks to Microsoft, Chrome is now 15 percent faster on Windows
In a bid to make its browser faster than ever, Google has started using Microsoft’s Profile Guided Optimization (PGO). Introduced in Chrome 53, this technology can help optimize high-use functions in the browser.
The nightly Chrome builds track how often functions are used, and these functions are then optimized by PGO, sometimes increasing their binary size. In addition, PGO optimizes the memory location of the browser code, keeping rarely and frequently used functions away from each other.
Seagate Game Drive for Xbox SSD brings fast external storage to Microsoft's game console
While the PlayStation 4 can be cracked open for storage upgrades, the Xbox One cannot. Luckily, Microsoft went an arguably better route -- USB storage expansion. This way, users can connect a second drive, while still utilizing the internal drive too.
Today, Seagate announces a new external SSD for the Xbox One. The unimaginatively named 'Game Drive for Xbox SSD' uses flash storage rather than a mechanical spinning hard drive, which should improve game load times.
Microsoft expands Surface Book lineup with new 512GB model
Available in a multitude of configurations, the Surface Book can meet the needs of many buyers in the premium segment. But, just in case you are looking for even more flexibility, Microsoft has introduced a new model in the range, which offers a higher storage capacity at a price that does not break the bank.
The Surface Book range is now comprised of seven models, four of which feature dedicated graphics. The other three -- the latest one included -- come with Intel's HD graphics, which is less powerful but not as costly an option. So, what does the new Surface Book model offer?
Is Apple Halloween 2016 Trick or Treat?
That's the question to ask if you're considering ordering the new MacBook Pro unveiled last week or wondering whether or not to cancel an already placed purchase before it ships. For fervent fanboys who drink Apple Kool-Aid like water, "treat" can be the only answer. But for the thinking public, the response depends on several factors, such as budget and whether or not buyers believe that the fruit-logo company advocates a rational design ethic.
Let's start with the latter. Apple is finger-obsessed and has been since before the first Mac shipped, as I explained in March 2010 post: "What 1984 Macintosh marketing reveals about iPad". The company lags behind Google getting to the next user interface, which is more contextual and immediately responsive: Voice, meaning touchless interaction, rather than touch, supported by artificial intelligence. By contrast, Apple isn't ready to abandon the finger-first motif, as Touch Bar makes so obviously apparent.
Trade in your MacBook and Microsoft could give you $650 off a Surface
Apple is clearly hoping you'll spend your hard-earned cash on making your next laptop a new MacBook Pro, but Microsoft has other ideas. If the lure of the Touch Bar is not enough to convince you to buy from Apple, Microsoft is dangling a carrot to sway you towards a Surface.
As the company has done before, Microsoft is offering a trade-in program for anyone willing to ditch their old MacBook in favor of a Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book. If you're ready to make the switch, you could save up to $650.
Demand for Microsoft's Surface Studio pushes delivery to 2017
If you were hoping to get your hands on a Surface Studio, you're going to have a bit of a wait on your hands. When the new all-in-one was announced, pre-orders opened straight away with shipping due in mid-December.
But demand has been such that Microsoft will now not be shipping newly ordered devices until early in the New Year. There's no word on precise details of availability, but all three Surface Studio models have now had their delivery dates pushed back.
Customizing Windows 10 Creators Update could become a costly habit
If you're the sort of person who likes to change the look of their desktop with themes, you had better start saving up ahead of the launch of Windows 10 Creators Update. We already know that Microsoft is using the next update to bring 3D tools such as Paint 3D to the masses, but it will also be used to make a bit of money.
A video showcasing what we can expect to see in Windows 10 Creators Update in early 2017 focuses mainly on the 3D side of things. But it also reveals that it will be possible to customize the look of Windows 10 using paid-for themes.
Apple is out of touch
I am not an Apple fanboy, but I have defended the company's decisions and philosophy more times than I can remember. And for good reason. But, looking at the new MacBook Pro line, I am finding it hard to see where that "touch of genius" is. What exactly makes its latest laptops anything more than glorified MacBooks?
Apple has never been afraid to take risks and innovate. But with the new MacBook Pros it has failed to improve upon their "Pro" status. It wrongfully applied the same approach it has used over and over again in the consumer space without considering that prosumers, the folks who MacBook Pros used to be designed for, have a different set of needs than the average Joe who buys a MacBook Air to go on Facebook at Starbucks. As a result, the new MacBook Pros, while different than before, are not evolved enough for this day and age. The so-called "touch of genius" tagline is proof that Apple has lost touch with the real world.
Office 2013 can now block macros to prevent infection -- here's how to enable it
If someone sends you a document, modern versions of Microsoft Office will automatically open it in Protected View, to keep you safe from malware. If you need to edit it, you can do so, but it's at your own risk.
Office 2016 also gives administrators the ability to prevent users from running macros in Office documents that originated from the Internet, adding further protection. Frustratingly, this feature wasn’t made available in Office 2013, leaving users of the older suite at risk.
Try Microsoft Paint 3D now -- no need to wait for Windows 10 Creators Update!
At yesterday's event in New York, Microsoft revealed Windows 10 Creators Update. Due to launch in the spring of 2017, this next update to Windows 10 sees Microsoft shifting some of its focus to 3D.
Earlier in the year we learned about the updated Paint app thanks to a leak, but now Microsoft has decided to make a preview version of the app available for anyone to try out. In order to test out Paint 3D Preview you will need to be a Windows Insider with Build 14800 or greater installed, and then you can try out the 3D capabilities of the app for yourself.
Surface Dial accessory is all about productivity and control
Alongside an updated Surface Book and the all-new Surface Studio, at its event today Microsoft also presented an interesting accessory for its Surface line that is designed to help users be more productive while using their device -- and make it easier to control.
It's called Surface Dial and what it does is enable Surface Studio, Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 adopters to handle content, access various and functions, and use various features on their device. But how does it work exactly?
Microsoft's new Surface Studio is an impressive but pricey all-in-one PC
At its Surface event, Microsoft today introduced not only an updated Surface Book but also an all-new all in one PC called Surface Studio. With a 28-inch screen, impressive specs and clever design, it is probably the closest and most appealing rival to Apple's mighty 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display.
The Surface Studio is aimed at prosumers, featuring a hinged stand that enables users to adjust the angle of the display -- which can be used upright, tilted back or almost flat on the desk. That is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive things about it. And, of course, it is a touchscreen. The name of the hinge is pretty cool, as Microsoft refers to it as the Zero Gravity Hinge.
Microsoft's updated Surface Book i7 delivers twice the graphics performance, keeps weird hinge
At its big event in New York, Microsoft has already introduced the next version of Windows 10, called Creators Update, and it has some hardware designed to run it on.
Last Year’s Surface Book divided opinion, with its rather weird, unsightly hinge, but it’s not a problem for Microsoft, which has decided to keep that look in its 2016 update.
Windows 10 'Creators Update' arriving next spring, and it's (mostly) all about 3D
At Microsoft’s Windows 10 event in New York, the software giant has lifted the wraps off the next big update of Windows 10, which it’s calling the Creators Update.
Yes, we know -- weird name, right? New in this update (among other things) will be a fresh version of Paint, called Paint 3D. This isn’t a minor update of the awful Paint program that most people have ignored for years, but rather a tool that lets you scan objects in the real world, and import them into a 3D environment.
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