The first week of the New Year is out of the way and Windows Insiders are eagerly awaiting the first Windows 10 build of 2016. The waiting may be over soon, as Microsoft says that it should be just "a few more days" before testers' patience is rewarded.

It's only a few weeks since the Redstone branch of Windows 10 became public, and Microsoft's Gabe Aul suggests that a new build could be on the way next week. The Windows 10 team just needs time to recover from Christmas and the New Year, and then we should also start to see more frequent build releases.

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The Windows Insider program was designed to help anyone test driving preview builds of Windows 10 to provide feedback and help shape the future direction of the operating system. But what happens with all of the feedback that's submitted?

Microsoft is starting to publish a new series of articles to the Insider Hub that seek to assure people that their feedback is not just disappearing into a black hole. The 'Made by you' sees Microsoft providing feedback on feedback, and helps to give Insiders some reassurance that their input is valued. The first article is about how Windows 10 handles display scaling.

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Amazon Echo continues to add features of all sorts. There's now integration with IFTTT, sports news and a growing number of home automation capabilities. The latest company to announce its plans with the Amazon device is Nexia.

The company is unveiling its latest products and integrations this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

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While I've been running Windows 10 for what seems like forever now, a desktop computer sitting in my office running Windows 8.1 has been crying out for an upgrade for some time. Having had a problem-free upgrade on three other machines, I expected nothing out of the ordinary with this computer. I was wrong.

Initially I left Windows Update to do its thing, but this failed on countless occasions. The error message suggested that a problem with my internet connection had interrupted the download, but this seemed unlikely. After numerous attempts, I decided to opt for a USB-driven installation. This also failed, this time with error 0xc0000017: "There isn't enough memory available to create a ramdisk device". Thankfully, the problem can be fixed -- here's what you need to do.

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All good things must come to an end. But the same can be said about bad things, and many people will be pleased to hear the death knell sound for Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10. While Microsoft may be keen for people to use Edge or -- if they must -- Internet Explorer 11, not everyone feels the same.

With the likes of Firefox, Opera, and Chrome available, it might seem like madness that anyone would like to stick with an ancient version of Internet Explorer instead, but choice is everything. A patch that is due to be delivered to Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, and Internet Explorer 10 in the coming day will introduce a nag screen that will pester users into upgrading. If you're happy with your decision to stick with an older version of IE, here's a hack to banish the pestering.

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In less than a week, Microsoft will only offer support for Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge. As of Tuesday 12 January, Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 will die. The aging browsers will receive one more update, and then will be consigned to the trash.

Tuesday is the day that older versions of IE reach the end of their support cycles, and Microsoft is keen for everyone to move to either Microsoft Edge or -- for the diehards -- Internet Explorer 11. If you have not already made the switch (or jumped to Chrome or Firefox), one more patch, KB3123303, will pester you into upgrading.

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While some people like to poke fun at Apple for always focusing on thin and light products, the truth is, it matters. Sure, it should never be at the expense of the overall user experience, such as battery life or performance, but if you can make a product svelte, why not?

Today, Toshiba delivers a very slim Windows 10 tablet. Actually, at 0.27 inches thin and 1.28 pounds, the dynaPad is the thinnest and lightest 12-inch Windows 10 tablet in the history of mankind. It isn't a one-trick pony, however, as it features a Wacom drawing and writing experience, with 2,048 levels of pressure too.

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The various privacy concerns surrounding Windows 10 have received a lot of coverage in the media, but it seems that there are ever more secrets coming to light. The Threshold 2 Update did nothing to curtail privacy invasion, and the latest Windows 10 installation figures show that Microsoft is also monitoring how long people are using the operating system.

This might seem like a slightly strange statistic for Microsoft to keep track of, but the company knows how long, collectively, Windows 10 has been running on computers around the world. To have reached this figure (11 billion hours in December, apparently) Microsoft must have been logging individuals' usage times. Intrigued, we contacted Microsoft to find out what on earth is going on.

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NetMarketShare’s latest desktop usage figures suggest that Windows 10 now has nearly 10 percent of the market. And that translates to over 200 million devices, according to the latest figures released today by Microsoft.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s corporate vice president, Windows and Devices Group, says "there are more than 200 million monthly active devices around the world running Windows 10" and he reports some other interesting adoption figures about the new OS, which will surprise a lot of people.

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CES 2016 does not officially start until January 6, but, as we have come to expect, most of the major product announcements will be made right before the big opening day. Case in point, Lenovo has just unveiled its new ThinkPad 13, alongside ThinkPad X1 Tablet and other new gadgets.

Why is ThinkPad 13 newsworthy? Well, Lenovo's choice of operating systems makes it one of the most interesting new products in its refreshed lineup, as the laptop will be offered with either Chrome OS or Windows 10.

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Acer is a company that historically makes value-focused computers and accessories. What does this mean? Well, its products offer acceptable performance at affordable prices. While some manufacturers put the emphasis on chassis materials or elegance, Acer often opts for cheap-feeling plastic. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad thing -- it gives consumers a choice as to how they spend their money.

Today, however, Acer announces a premium Skylake Core M-powered Windows 10 laptop -- the Aspire Switch 12 S. On this 2-in-1 notebook, Acer is opting for an anodized aluminum chassis, with integrated 2x2 MU-MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi antenna. Even the hinge has been updated from prior "Switch" models, with a more aesthetically pleasing design and zinc-alloy charging connectors. Beauty is more than skin deep here, however, as Acer has packed a whole bunch of awesomeness inside too.

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If you've ever searched high and low for a tablet but found yourself unable to track down the perfect device, Lenovo may have the answer. Taking a leaf out of Google's Project Ara design handbook, Lenovo today unveils the new customizable, modular ThinkPad X1 Tablet.

Powered by an Intel Core m7 processor and Windows 10, the tablet boasts up to 10 hours of battery life, but if this isn’t enough, there's a clip-on Productivity Module to ramp this up to 15 hours. This is the ThinkPad X1 Tablet's unique selling point -- a series of modules that can be used to personalize, customize and tailor the device to specific needs.

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Chuwi might not be a name that you're particularly familiar with (or have even heard of at all), but the Chinese company has some interesting hardware on the way in 2016. Can’t decide between a Windows 10 tablet, or one running Android? Chuwi Hi12 offers the ability to boot between Windows 10 and Android.

With more than a hint of iPad aesthetics, the Hi12 blends the worlds of Microsoft's and Google's operating system to create a budget version of the Surface with an Android bolt-on. As this is a tablet running both Android and Windows, it's no surprise that there's a Cherry Trail processor on hand to keep things ticking over.

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Microsoft is largely unrepentant about pushing its new operating system so aggressively, and early in the year it will be marking Windows 10 as a "recommended update" in a bid to get larger numbers of Windows 7 and 8.x users to make the switch.

Since its launch, Windows 10 has been gaining usage share at a steady, if rather unexciting rate, but there’s a clear downward trend that shows users of older operating systems are in no hurry to upgrade.

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According to man-made calendars, today is New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is the first day of 2016, which in the grand scheme of things is inconsequential. Still, it is fun to reflect on the last year and choose the tech that I enjoyed the most.

Yeah, I'm like Oprah or Ellen. Here are my favorite things -- tech related, of course -- for 2015; laptops, smartphones, tablets, and more. While there are many products on my list, there are two products that stand out to me as being rather exceptional -- the crème de la crème, if you will.

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