The Redmi 3s, which was made official by Xiaomi last month and went on sale in China a few days later, will be officially launched in India sometime next week, according to a new report out of the country. An exact date as well as information on pricing, however, was not mentioned.
The device, which is already available for purchase globally through Gearbest, is powered by Snapdragon 430 chipset and sports a 5-inch HD display. It comes in two memory configurations: 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB.
In terms of camera, the phone features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. A large 4,100mAh battery is there to keep the lights on. As for price, the variants cost around $105 and $135, respectively.
Cuts are aimed primarily at the company's ailing phone hardware business
Satya Nadella isn’t stopping the job cuts train at Microsoft any time soon. The company revealed Thursday that 2,850 people will lose their jobs by the middle of 2017, on top of the 1,850 cuts announced earlier this year.
According to a regulatory filing, those impacted will primarily be in its phone hardware business, which has already been hit hard by layoffs, and in global sales.
The cuts are more fallout from Microsoft’s decision to downsize its smartphone business, which it acquired from Nokia in 2015. Putting that acquisition in motion was one of the last things that former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer did before announcing that he would be leaving the company’s top job. His successor hasn’t taken the same shine to the phone hardware business that Microsoft bought.
Microsoft declined to comment about the job cuts beyond what was disclosed in the 10-K filing. Nadella has cut thousands of jobs since taking the top spot, many of them in the phone business.
It remains to be seen what this will mean for the company’s business overall. While Microsoft’s most recent quarterly financial report showed a year-over-year revenue decline, the company’s cloud businesses continued to grow. The phone hardware business has been a sore spot on Microsoft’s financials, seeing massive revenue declines for the past several quarters.
A proposed settlement for 15 lawsuits seeking class-action status would see Nvidia pay out $30 per card to GeForce GTX 970 owners.
A set of class action lawsuits relating to the controversy around Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 970 graphics card may be resolved soon.
A court filing from Monday shows a proposed settlement that would see GTX 970 owners reimbursed $30 per card. The settlement would also see the defendants—listed as Nvidia, Gigabyte, Asus, and EVGA—pay out $1.3 million in attorneys’ fees.
The court will hear the petition to approve the settlement on Wednesday, August 24, as first reported by Top Class Actions. A total of 15 lawsuits seeking class-action status would be settled if the proposal goes through.
PCWorld tried to reach Nvidia for comment early Thursday afternoon. At this writing the company had not yet responded.
The GTX 970 woes
After the GTX 970 rolled out in September 2014, gamers started to notice that the card's performance would suffer when it used more than 3.5GB of the card’s 4GB of VRAM.
Nvidia later admitted that the design of the card was to blame, which split the card’s memory into 3.5GB and 512MB segments. Nvidia’s CEO later explained that the memory segmentation was an inventive way to make the GTX 970 a 4GB card when it normally would’ve been 3GB.
At the same time of the memory fallout, Nvidia also divulged that the card had 56 render output units as opposed to the originally stated 64 ROPs.
Some online retailers offered refunds to irked customers as a result of the memory and ROP discrepancies, and the first lawsuit over the issue was filed in February 2015. The lawsuits largely claimed that Nvidia misled its customers. Nvidia denied those allegations. The proposed settlement would not force the company admit to any liability. The Register has a copy of the proposed settlement if you want to take a look.
At the time of the controversy, we said the GTX 970 still delivered great performance for the price. Knowing those key details about the graphics card's capabilities makes it easier for buyers to understand its potential strengths and weaknesses. For example, the reduced frame buffer makes the GTX 970 less appealing for people looking to use two graphics cards in one PC to drive a 4K monitor. That said, the GTX 970 has since been overshadowed by newer graphics cards that offer higher performance at equal or better prices.
The impact on you at home: Speaking of prices, GTX 970 owners will want to pay attention to court proceedings next month. Soon you may be able to get a $30 rebate on your card. In fact, if you bought your card from Amazon, you might even be able to get a refund right now. Users on Reddit’s PC forums are reporting that the online retailer is still offering a 20 percent refund on at least some GTX 970 purchases, similar to what it offered users in February 2015.
Broadband providers want additional judges to rule in the case
Trade groups representing many U.S. ISPs have filed an appeal challenging a court ruling that upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules.
Trade groups CTIA, USTelecom, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the American Cable Association on Friday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rehear their challenge of the net neutrality rules after a three-judge panel upheld the rules in June.
The challenge isn’t to the FCC’s rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web traffic, but to the agency’s reclassification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service, the NCTA wrote in a blog post.
“We believe this action is necessary to correct unlawful action by the FCC,” the NCTA wrote. “Dynamic Internet networks do not resemble or deserve to be treated like archaic telephone systems.”
The appeal of the ruling was expected. “It comes as no surprise that the big dogs have challenged the three-judge panel’s decision,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in an emailed statement. “We are confident that the full court will agree with the panel’s affirmation of the FCC’s clear authority to enact its strong Open Internet rules, the reasoned decision-making upon which they are based, and the adequacy of the record from which they were developed.”
A rehearing of the case would be before nine judges at the appeals court.
The FCC, in a 3-2, party-line decision, voted in February 2015 to pass the new net neutrality rules barring broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web traffic.
The commission, in an effort to give the rules a solid legal foundation, also voted to reclassify broadband from a lightly regulated information service to a more heavily regulated telecommunications service.
In the following months, more than a dozen groups filed lawsuits challenging the reclassification of broadband.
VR is still a burgeoning technology, but with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in the wild it's still a great time for a Steam sale.
The virtual reality revolution isn’t even a six months old yet yet and Valve is already rolling out a weekend sale for VR games on Steam.
The first VR Weekend Sale includes nearly 200 games and other VR applications. There’s also a $250 package that gives you 20 sale items for a total of 32 percent off.
The discounts on top items aren’t as deep as you’d find in other Steam sales, but overall the cuts are still good, typically ranging from 10-25 percent. Some games offer much steeper bargains, though. You’ll even find items that we’ve highlighted before in round-ups of our favorite HTC Vive games on Steam, and the top Oculus Rift experiences.
The Vive exclusive Audioshield is available for 25 percent off, as is Cloudlands: VR Minigolf. For Rift owners, some of our favorites that are on sale include Elite Dangerous for 30 percent off, and Titans of Space 2.0 for 15 percent off.
But don’t stop at our faves. There were many interesting looking experiences including House of a Dying Sun (Rift and Vive)the NoLimits 2 Roller Coaster Simulation (Rift and Vive), Gumball Drift (Rift and Vive), and Zombie Training Simulator (Vive only).
Steam’s sale also offers Virtual Desktop for 15 percent off. That's a nifty program that allows Rift and Vive owners to experience and navigate their PC's desktop in glorious VR.
Steam's VR weekend sale ends Monday. Duh.
The impact on you at home: Virtual reality is still in its early adopter phase, and the initial content library for these devices are still in the build-up phase. As a result quite a few games in the sale that are part of Steam’s Early Access platform. This allows you to play unfinished versions of a game and get regular updates (at the game developer’s discretion) as it’s being developed. Check out Steam’s blog post for a complete explanation of the program.
Galaxy Note7 now rumored to be out in Europe on August 16
Samsung's Galaxy Note7 is almost here. Almost official, as its dedicated special launch event is taking place next Tuesday, on August 2. We pretty much know everything about it already, save for one thing - when exactly will you be able to buy one? Well, that actually might depend on where you live. A report from earlier this month said the Note7 would go on sale on the day of its announcement, however that may only be valid for South Korea.
In Europe, on the other hand, the release date could be August 16. At least it will be in the Netherlands, according to a new rumor out of that country. If this pans out, then it's pretty likely that many other EU countries will get the phone on the same day. Apparently only the silver and black colors will be available from day one, with gold and blue to follow later.
The Note7 will probably cost €849 in the Eurozone. It's going to have a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED touchscreen with curved edges, a 12 MP Dual Pixel rear camera, a 5 MP selfie snapper, the Exynos 8893 chipset or the Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM, and a 3,500 mAh battery. Its dimensions will be 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm.
Microsoft only sold around 1.2 million Lumia phones in the April to June quarter
Although Microsoft hasn't revealed how many Lumia smartphones it sold in the second quarter of this year through its regular quarterly financial results, the company has an SEC filing out today that clears that up. In the document, Microsoft mentions that in its fiscal year 2016 (which started on July 1, 2015, and ended on June 30 this year), it sold 13.8 million Lumias in total.
The number for the April to June quarter of 2016 (Microsoft's fiscal Q4) is easy to calculate because we have official numbers for all the other three quarters - sales were 5.8 million in Q1, 4.5 million in Q2, and 2.3 million in Q3.
That means the company managed to nearly halve its Lumia sales from the January to March quarter to the April to June quarter. In this year's Q2 (its fiscal Q4) Microsoft only sold 1.2 million units. That's abysmal performance but really isn't surprising considering how Microsoft has been moving away from focusing on building smartphones lately. The trend is clear, with sales also nearly halving from its fiscal Q2 to fiscal Q3. At this rate in a few quarters Microsoft won't be selling any smartphones at all.
The SR910's design and sound issues tank this headset's appeal.
A few months ago, my look at G.Skill’s debut mouse, the Ripjaws MX780, left me impressed. G.Skill created a solid performer at a below-market price during its first time out the gate.
So when it came time to review G.Skill’s debut headset, the USB-enabled Ripjaws SR910 (available on Amazon), I had high hopes. If all went well, we could be looking at a HyperX Cloud type of surprise.
Built for giants
Sadly, the SR910 isn’t the breakout hit that the Cloud was. The most pressing problem is that this headset is huge. I already have a pretty big head—I tend to max out (or come close to maxing out) the adjustable bands on most headsets. But the SR910 is too large and loose for my head, so I can only imagine how poorly it would fit on a smaller noggin.
The SR910 borrows the suspension band design made famous by SteelSeries’s Siberia line (and recently appropriated by Kingston’s HyperX Cloud Revolver). With exposed wiring that needs to constantly stretch and retract, this style is quite a bit more fragile than a traditional headband. The most common issue is that the ear not directly attached to the input wire will stop working.
This design does have a benefit—incredible comfort. The headset almost seems to float, like it’s barely touching your head.
But it also adds to the SR910’s fit issues. Most of these suspension-band designs counter the floating band with a bit of pressure on the jaw. Not a ton, but enough to hold the headset in place. The SR910 doesn’t have nearly enough tension to stay in place, and when combined with its greater-than-average weight, the result is a headset that slips downward until it comes to rest on the tops of my ears.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the headset is weirdly tall. When I put on the HyperX Cloud Revolver or any of SteelSeries’ Siberia line, I don’t quite push the headset to the metal band, but it’s close. With the SR910, the top band still sticks up about an inch and a half, causing the headset to slip downward or tip over if I look down.
Because it’s all of a piece, there’s no way to adjust the headset to make it smaller. Thus I found myself having to readjust the SR910 upwards every few minutes, like pushing a pair of glasses up the bridge of my nose. Otherwise the weight would make the tops of my ears sore.
It’s a shame, because I typically enjoy these suspension-band designs. They’re only suitable as gaming headsets (and not as streetwear), but they’re comfortable and make a nice showpiece. I just can’t imagine who the SR910 was built for. I can admire its swooping red-and-black curves from a distance, but I’d rather not put it on.
Oh, and this wired headset’s cable is just plain ol’ rubber—no fancy fabric sheath here.
A bevy of drivers
If the SR910 sounded good, that would offset some of its design issues. Unfortunately, it’s one of the weakest headsets I’ve used in a while.
The SR910 has a decent gimmick. Many headsets nowadays rely on virtual (software-driven) 7.1 surround, but the SR910 features five drivers per ear for “real” 7.1. There are a couple other gaming headsets that do this, like the Razer Tiamat and the Asus Strix.
Why don’t more companies do this? Well, there are a couple reasons:
1) Headsets don’t really need “real” 7.1. (They don’t really need virtual 7.1 either, but that’s a discussion for a different day.) On any headset, the drivers are so close together and the earcups are so small that cramming in five per ear, as with the SR910, doesn’t provide any real benefit. The performance is on par (or worse) than just using a regular stereo headset with a decent sense of directionality—like, say, the HyperX Cloud.
2) Manufacturers skimp on the drivers, in order to fit multiple ones inside an earcup and to make the headset affordable. With a standard stereo headset, half the driver space and budget goes to each driver. Put in 10 and you’ve now drastically reduced how much you can spend per driver and still keep the headset a decent price.
These factors are evident when you put on the SR910. The tinny, washed-out sound of this headset overshadows whatever you gain by having 10 drivers. Listening to music is a particular chore, with the SR910 generally sounding worse than the $8 pair of Panasonic earbuds I wear around the city.
The sound is a little less flat than earbuds—that’s those 10 drivers at work—but the bass has no punch, the mids sound grainy and overly compressed, and the highs are almost nonexistent.
G.Skill has software that accompanies the SR910, and I’ve tried tweaking the sound in dozens of ways. I’ve wiggled the bass up, but it just got louder instead of fuller. I’ve tried boosting the mids, but it just sounded more compressed. I rolled off the highs, but that left recordings sounding flat. Whether in stereo mode, Quadraphonic, 5.1, or 7.1, the SR910 just doesn’t sound great. Certainly not good enough to justify its $160 list price, though its standard $80 Amazon listing does seem more in line with what I’d expect.
And heaven forbid you touch some of the other software tweaks that G.Skill provides. You can change the virtual room size to add or subtract reverb—settings like “Stone Room” or “Hangar.” Regardless of the setting, the post-processing leaves it sounding like you’re playing music through grandpa’s old AM radio.
Gaming performance is slightly better, insofar as it’s usually harder to notice distortion or compression in sounds like gunshots, footsteps, and the like. It’s still not great, though, and I’d place it towards the bottom of the headsets I’ve reviewed.
To its credit, G.Skill does include some handy features. I like that the headset comes with a control box included. While I’d prefer smaller inline controls, the volume knob is handy and it’s easy to adjust EQ settings on-the-fly. Click-to-mute is a superfluous feature, but it’s nice to have.
And the microphone is retractable, so props to G.Skill for hitting par on that one. It’s not a great microphone—I felt like I was yelling into it most of the time, and the audio output is tinny. But at least it gets out of the way when you don’t need it.
Bottom line
I can’t recommend the SR910. There are plenty of headsets that are solid, middle-of-the-pack contenders—headsets that I wouldn’t choose as my daily driver, but which I could see someone selecting for the design, or because they like this or that feature.
The SR910? Not compelling. Lackluster sound quality, a gets-the-job-done mic, and a tension band apparently designed for someone with a mammoth-sized melon do not a classic headset make. Hopefully G.Skill’s sophomore effort fares a bit better.
This story, "G.Skill Ripjaws SR910 review: Fancy features don't always make for a worthwhile headset" was originally published by PCWorld.
You will have to stomach some compromises with this inexpensive wireless headset, though.
For a long time, wireless gaming headsets were way overpriced. Take the Astro A50 and SteelSeries H: Sure, both had good audio and solid build quality, but they also each had a whopping $300 price tag. That’s a pretty huge premium on untethered convenience.
But the low end of the market has been filling out, with new sub-$100 wireless headsets from numerous companies in the last year. One of those is Performance Driven Products’ new version of its Afterglow headset—the AG 9, which is currently available on Amazon for well under a hundred bucks.
Setup experience
The AG 9 is easy enough to set up. It comes with a simple USB dongle transmitter, similar to Corsair’s latest wireless headsets, that you plug in. That’s it. If you see a blue light, it’s connected. All controls are built into the headset: a mode select button, a volume wheel, and a combination mute/unmute/power button. The volume wheel isn’t great—it’s so small that I found it hard to locate with the headset on, but at least it exists.
Audio performance
Inexpensive wireless headsets are all about compromises. Some skimp on audio. Some on the microphone. Some on build quality.
The AG 9 falls into that last category.
I don’t mean the design, though that’s certainly going to be polarizing. True to its Afterglow branding, the AG 9 lights up like a signal fire in the night. I’m not sure when we’ll hit the peak amount of LED lights on headsets, but the AG 9 does its best to set that bar. It gives the SteelSeries Siberia Elite Prism a run for its money.
The LEDs also come embedded under clear plastic, featuring exposed circuitry on one side and faux-electronics on the other. Some will probably like it, but it mostly reminds me of the old purple N64 controller. In other words, it’s a bit too “Look at me, I play games” for my taste.
The AG 9's earcups aren't super comfortable—one of the trade-offs of its low price.
Aesthetics are subjective, though. Less subjective is that the AG 9 simply doesn’t feel as comfortable or durable as similarly priced wired headsets like the HyperX Cloud. The earcups are covered in cheap-feeling leather, the headband in mesh, and the headset has a tendency to pinch inward on the jaw. It did loosen up a bit over time, but the weight of the earcups meant considerably more tension in the band than other sets I’ve worn.
But it’s a sub-$100 wireless headset, so I soldiered on with a slightly sore jaw.
The takeaway? I don’t think the AG 9 will win any awards, but its audio is decent enough for those who need to untether and are on a budget. And that is important to some people, what with the arrival of virtual reality and a greater need for wireless peripherals.
The AG 9 comes with two listening modes: “Pure Audio” and “Bass Boost.” The Pure Audio setting isn’t quite a flat response like you’d get from a decent pair of studio headphones, and the high end is a bit muted, but it’s noticeably less bassy than any other gaming headset on the market. Even less than Polk’s already-understated Striker Pro P1.
Of course, some people want that kick-in-the-teeth bass—especially for games. If that’s your bag, you can switch to the AG 9’s Bass Boost mode with the press of a button. It’s not super pleasing, though. It sounds artificial and churns out distorted bass even at low volumes. The rattling of the drivers is less distracting in video games, where the bass is typically tied to big explosions, but in music it soundscriminal.
Don’t touch this mode button. Just don’t.
In short, stick to Pure Audio, unless you’re a bass masochist or playing games where the distortion won’t be distracting. Or adjust the EQ settings yourself in third-party software—I encountered fewer audio issues with that approach than using the Bass Boost mode.
As for the microphone, the AG 9 follows recent trends and includes a detachable boom mic. It’s a mid-pack contender. Volume is a bit quiet and there’s a telephone-esque rasp to the sound, but the mic gets the job done. Also appreciated is a generous amount of sidetone, aka being able to hear yourself in the headset. I prefer it as a feature, though I know others don’t. The downside: There’s no chat mixer on the headset, so if you don’t like sidetone, you’re out of luck.
Range and battery performance
PDP advertises the AG 9 with a range of 40 feet. Like most wireless devices, that’s a theoretical maximum and not a guarantee of reality—especially if you live in a San Francisco apartment with plenty of solid walls and lots of spectrum interference. My testing topped out around 25 to 30 feet, with stability at that range slightly worse than with the Astro A50. That’s still plenty of reach for your usual gaming/television usage, though. Plus, my apartment is basically a worst-case scenario for wireless devices. You can also go wired—either through charge-and-play wireless or 3.5mm line-in.
The AG 9’s battery life does very well. Though I only got 12 out of the 16 hours PDP claims, that’s still on par with top-end competitors. For comparison, I typically get 5 to 6 hours out of the A50, 8 to 10 out of Logitech’s G933, and 12 or more out of the Razer Man O’ War and Corsair Void Wireless. This is a headset that can go all day, provided you find it comfortable enough to wear that long.
Bottom line
PDP’s Afterglow 9 is a solid-sounding wireless headset with a unique aesthetic and a decent microphone. It’s also made of flimsy-feeling plastic, is a bit uncomfortable, and that “unique aesthetic” is maybe too unique. Those are the compromises to get the price as low as it is. Whether that works for you will depend on what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to pay less than $100 for wireless headset.
This story, "PDP Afterglow AG 9 review: This sub-$100 wireless headset has a lot going for it" was originally published by PCWorld.
Battery life could be the one thing that falls short of outstanding.
The HP Chromebook 13 I’m reviewing just got a big compliment: “If HP doesn’t want that back when you’re done, let me know.” That came from one of my coworkers, who uses a MacBook Pro. He admitted he was lured by the Chromebook 13’s slender profile and brushed-aluminum sheen.
Melissa Riofrio
HP’s Chromebook 13 has a brushed-aluminum and magnesium shell.
No doubt about it, HP made a beautiful-looking laptop that no one will mind showing off. The Chromebook 13 also very powerful, however, and that helps it outshine the similarly priced Dell Chromebook 13 in speed as well as looks. The Acer Chromebook 14 looks similar and costs a lot less, but it can’t match the HP Chromebook 13’s performance.
Melissa Riofrio
HP’s Chromebook 13 (left), side-by-side with Google’s Chromebook Pixel (right). Both use aluminum in their shells for lightness and luster.
As for Google’s Chromebook Pixel flagship (specifically, the second-generation, 2015 model), the HP Chromebook 13 is its first serious competition. Our review unit, the third-highest of four SKUs, priced at $819, performed on par with the $999 Chromebook Pixel in our tests, plus it has a higher-resolution display.
The only thing about the Chromebook 13 that might be less than outstanding is the battery life, which fell well below HP’s spec in our tests, though it’s still pretty good. If you didn’t know before that device battery mileage may vary, here's yet another example.
Let’s dive deeper into this new machine, which should have all other Chromebooks worried.
High-end design
Melissa Riofrio
The chrome-plated piano hinge on the HP Chromebook 13 is beautiful and very strong.
HP says the Chromebook 13 is the slimmest in its class at just 0.51 inch thick, and it’s light at just 2.65 pounds (not counting the 0.55-pound AC adapter).
It has an aluminum-magnesium chassis with a brushed finish, and a swanky chrome-plated piano hinge that means your lid’s edge stays well above your work surface.
Melissa Riofrio
HP built a special, wider “chin” on the HP Chromebook 13’s left side to fit a USB-A port along with two USB-C ports.
Because the Chromebook 13 is so thin, HP had to build a little “chin” into the left side to accommodate a few ports: two USB-C and one USB-A (with the lower throughput of just 5Gbps instead of 10Gbps, alas), plus the audio jack. On the other side is a microSD card slot (I’m sensing that good ol’ SD card slots are on their way out).
The keyboard tray has a great-feeling, island-style keyboard and a good-sized trackpad with a diamond-chiseled rim. A Bang & Olufsen speaker stretches over most of the top, just underneath the piano hinge, and delivers pretty good sound (albeit a little tinny).
Melissa Riofrio
A Bang & Olufsen speaker runs almost the full width of the HP Chromebook 13’s keyboard tray. The sound quality is pretty good.
The 13.3-inch IPS display offers a first for Chromebooks: QHD+ resolution (3200x1800 pixels), which is higher than the Google Chromebook Pixel’s 2560x1700 resolution on its 12.85-inch display.
Almost needless to say, the image quality was as dazzling as the Pixel’s. Note, however, that actually doing any work at this resolution could be frustrating, because icons and dialog boxes shrink to unreadable sizes. (Can you see them in the photo below, even if you click the photo to enlarge? Therein lies the problem.)
Melissa Riofrio
At left, HP’s Chromebook 13 showing off 3200x1800 pixels, compared to Google’s Chromebook Pixel (2nd generation) at right, maxing out at 2560x1700 pixels.
Better to stick with what HP calls the “Best” resolution in the display settings, a much more readable 1600x900. That’s also the resolution we used for all performance testing.
I have a couple of remaining questions about this display. First, why no touchscreen? HP says a touchscreen version will be available later this year (no doubt for more money and a little more weight). More immediately, what’s with the jarringly plain, black-plastic bezel around this beauty? The Pixel stretches the glass all the way to the edge for a seamless look. If that wasn’t in the budget for the Chromebook 13, I’m surprised HP didn’t at least spring for an aluminum-look plastic.
High-end performance
Before we talk about the HP Chromebook 13’s performance, it’s important to note that this is the first Chromebook product line to use Intel’s 6th-generation Skylake processors—specifically, the Core m mobile chips. The lowest-end model, which starts at $499, has the Pentium, while the other three models have core m3 ($599), core m5 ($819), and core m7 ($1,029), respectively. Our core m5 SKU also comes with 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage.
These chips also allow the Chromebook 13 to be serenely fanless. In the course of testing I noticed some warmth under the upper-left area of the keyboard, but not to an alarming degree.
For comparison I updated and retested the Chromebook Pixel, which has a 5th-generation (Broadwell) Core i5 5200U and has been our star performer. A look at these charts (HP’s Chromebook 13 is the topmost in each) will show you why even the lofty Pixel needs to up its game.
Melissa Riofrio
The Cr-XPRT performance test measures Chromebook performance in basic productivity tasks as well as more demanding activities, such as watching movies or playing games. HP’s Chromebook 13 finished in the lead—by a small margin—compared to the Chromebook Pixel. To be fair, both the Acer Chromebook 14 and Dell Chromebook 13 offer good performance for everyday tasks, even though they can’t touch the HP Chromebook 13 or Google Chromebook Pixel.
Melissa Riofrio
Google’s Octane 2.0 JavaScript benchmark simulates advanced browser-based activities, including productivity applications, games, and interactive content. The HP Chromebook 13 came out ahead yet again.
Melissa Riofrio
The tables shift slightly in OortOnline, a WebGL test that focuses on graphics-intensive applications and games. Here, the HP Chromebook 13 falls slightly behind Google’s Chromebook Pixel. While the difference is small, I ran some WebGL experimental animations on both the HP Chromebook 13 and the Google Chromebook Pixel. I noticed that the HP could sometimes get a little stuttery in its renderings. The Chromebook 13 managed the more typical task of streaming movies just fine, though.
Melissa Riofrio
Basemark Web 3.0 recently replaced Browsermark 2.1 as Basemark’s comprehensive browser benchmark. The tests cover web-based technologies including WebGL 1.0.2 and WebGL 2.0 real-time graphics, as well as JavaScript. The Chromebook 13 finished a nose ahead of the Chromebook Pixel and far ahead of Acer’s Chromebook 14. (Note: We couldn’t add the Dell to the Basemark chart, as it was tested with Basemark’s predecessor, Browsermark.)
Battery mileage may vary...a lot
Battery life is the one question mark on an otherwise outstanding laptop. HP says the Chromebook 13’s battery life will range from 8.75 to 11.5 hours with the QHD+ display on our unit. You know as well as we do that laptop mileage will vary. Still, assuming you’re not cranking up the display brightness all the way or pushing the computer relentlessly, your battery life should be within the ballpark of what the vendor specifies. In our tests, using Cr-XPRT-2015’s projected-life benchmark, we usually get pretty close.
Melissa Riofrio
In the case of HP’s Chromebook 13, however, our results fell noticeably short in four out of five passes. The laptop has a 3-cell, 45Wh Li-ion battery. We set the laptop at or close to 200 nits’ brightness and obviously start the test with a full battery. In one pass, it delivered a projected life of 8.13 hours. In all other passes, it ranged from 6 to 6.38 hours of projected life. On the same test, Google’s Chromebook Pixel hit 13.05 hours, and Dell’s Chromebook 13 was projected to last 15.22 hours. Six hours is pretty good, just not close to what HP promised. We’ve discussed our results with HP and will let you know if we learn more.
Even with this issue, HP’s Chromebook 13 earns a very high rating. It’s light, fast, and beautiful, and it costs a little less money than Google’s Chromebook Pixel. It far outstrips corporate competition from Dell’s Chromebook 13 and Acer’s Chromebook 14. This is the new Chromebook to beat.
This story, "HP Chromebook 13 review: Google's Pixel has a rival for best Chromebook ever" was originally published by PCWorld.
Starting Aug. 2, admins will not be able to keep Microsoft from pushing the likes of Candy Crush Soda Saga onto Win10 Pro PCs on their networks because certain Group Policies will be deactivated
If you were wondering whether Microsoft could inflict even more damage to Windows' reputation, the answer is yes.
When the Anniversary Update rolls out on Aug. 2, Windows 10 Pro users will no longer be able to turn off certain kinds of advertising. That presents a real concern for admins, who will not be able to keep Microsoft from pushing the likes of Candy Crush Soda Saga onto their domain-joined Pro machines. It's also a frightening concern for anyone who paid for Pro's GPEdit feature.
Microsoft recently announced it will be able to push live tiles for the likes of Photoshop Express onto any Windows 10 PC, unless it's an Enterprise or Education version. Starting Aug. 2, you won't be able to block them.
The announcement came in a little-noticed TechNet post on Tuesday, from 'Softie J. Decker. In the Manage Windows 10 and Windows Store tips, tricks, and suggestions post, Decker describes the following:
Windows 10, version 1607 (also known as the Anniversary Update), provides organizations the ability to centrally manage the type of content provided by these features through Group Policy or mobile device management (MDM).
She then shows a table (see screenshot) that struck me at the time as quite opaque. In the upper-left corner it says that in the Anniversary Update, Windows 10 Pro users (and admins) will not be able to disable Windows 10 tips and tricks. Sounds innocuous enough, yes?
On Wednesday, two blogs posted detailed information about the consequences of that change. I can't tell if Sergey Tkachenko at Winaero got to it first, or Martin Brinkmann at ghacks, but both came to the same conclusion: Microsoft is making changes to the group policy editor -- GPEdit -- that keep customers from disabling certain settings in the Anniversary Update, build 1607.
The first change involves the Windows 10 Lock Screen. In the normal course of events, the Win10 Lock Screen appears before the Logon Screen, where you get to choose a user. In Win10 build 1511, you can turn off the Lock Screen in Windows 10 Pro. In Win10 build 1607, due Aug. 2, you cannot.
If the Lock Screen is turned off, you go straight to the Logon Screen, where you can enter your credentials and get logged on. If the Lock Screen is turned on, Microsoft can (and does) show you advertising. It's turned on by default -- part of Microsoft's Spotlight advertising effort (see my article, "Let the Start menu ads begin").
I've seen prompts such as "Like what you see?" and "Your personal assistant -- that's me, Cortana!" and ads for Tomb Raider. Decker has a TechNet post on the subject. Microsoft's been playing it cool -- so far -- with few ads displayed as part of the Spotlight push. Other, equally enlightening advertising is sure to follow.
In the Anniversary Update, build 1607, you can turn off the ads manually by going to Start > Settings > Personalization > Lock screen, turn "Get run facts, tips and more from Windows and Cortana on your lock screen" off. (Someone must've snorted a lot of marketing pixie dust before writing that one.) In the same location, you can choose a Background other than "Windows spotlight." It isn't clear to me which ads come from what source, but avoiding both should get rid of the spotlight.
In the current build, 1511, anyone running the Group Policy Editor (not available in Win10 Home) can turn the Lock screen off completely by using Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization > Do not display the lock screen. In build 1607, on Aug. 2, that setting will contain a note saying "This setting only applies to Enterprise, Education, and Server SKUs."
In addition, the Anniversary Update has similar restrictions in place for two more settings:
Force a specific default lock screen and logon image
Prevent changing lock screen and logon image
With the Anniversary Update, Win10 Pro users can no longer "Disable all apps from Windows Store" (in GPEdit, go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store). As explained in the GPEdit setting, this "turns off the launch of all apps from the Windows Store that came pre-installed or were downloaded. Apps will not be update. Your Store will also be disabled."
It's a setting that originally appeared in Windows 8. Ian Matthews on the Up & Running blog found out a few months ago it doesn't actually work in the current Windows 10 Pro, though it works in the current Win10 Enterprise and Education. Thus, the "new" lack of a setting in Win10 Pro Anniversary Update is an affirmation of the fact that it was already broken in Win10 Fall Update, build 1511.
In the Win10 Anniversary Update, Win10 Pro users and admins won't be able to turn off Windows tips. That's the subject of J. Decker's post, and it's a bit more far-reaching than you might imagine. Windows 10 tips appear -- much as Clippy did a decade ago -- when Microsoft's real-time telemetry determines that you're trying to accomplish a specific task. (That should make you feel warm and fuzzy.) According to Decker, the tips "appear based on specific user actions to reveal related Windows features or help users complete a scenario." They also include toast notifications when you log on.
The tips development effort inside Microsoft is co-owned by 'Softie Subhadip Ghosh, who says it's intended "to display the tips for offers on the taskbar, complete with telemetry framework to track user engagement and conversions." Additionally, per Decker, this includes "users who have a connected Microsoft account, toast notifications about their account like parental control notifications or subscription expiration."
You can find this setting in GPEdit under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content, Do not show Windows tips. It appears you can turn the setting off manually via Start > Settings > System > Notifications & actions, then slide Off "Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows." As is too common, there's no documentation I can find that links that Settings app setting with the similar-sounding entry in GPEdit.
Most disconcerting is the fact that Microsoft has disabled the GPEdit setting in Win10 Pro called Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences. It's located in GPEdit directly below the "Windows tips" entry. The obvious question is, what's a Microsoft consumer experience?
Last November 'Softie Michael Niehaus wrote a TechNet blog that explains the "feature" this way:
The latest Windows 10 feature upgrade released this month (1511) includes a new feature that automatically installs a few apps from the Windows Store… To disable the features, there is a group policy provided under "Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Cloud Content" called "Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences."
I can't find an official list of "consumer experiences," but they include a lot of tiles for crapware now being installed by Microsoft on new machines. My list is pretty impressive. Here are the crapware app tiles I've seen installed by Microsoft on my test machines, apparently as part of the Windows 10 consumer experience: Candy Crush Soda Saga, Flipboard, Adobe Photoshop Express, iHeartRadio, USA Today, Twitter (the official app), Farmville 2, World of Tanks Blitz, Duolingo, and Pandora. Microsoft's also pushed tiles for its own Minecraft, Get Office, and Solitaire Collection.
The apps aren't installed when you upgrade. They're installed in separate "consumer experience" steps, dribbled out slowly, under complete control by Microsoft. One morning you'll wake up to a Candy Crush Soda Saga tile on your Start screen.
From Aug. 2 onward, you're going to get tiles for any apps Microsoft wants to push, whether you want them or not, unless you're running Win10 Enterprise or Education. If you're connected to a domain, even your admin can't turn them off.
Usually GPEdit changes can be duplicated by manual changes in the Registry. In these cases, I haven't found any manual workarounds.
I think Tkachenko nailed it when he said:
It's a shame that Microsoft decided to make Windows 10 Pro behave so unprofessionally. These changes make the Pro edition far less attractive for business users. Those who rely on Windows for professional use will have to tolerate random apps and games from the Store being installed on their work PC. By doing these changes, Microsoft is directly forcing these customers to get the higher priced Enterprise or Education editions which are only available through volume licensing. Volume licensing is not only expensive, complicated but requires you to purchase a minimum certain number of licenses.
Remember how I warned about "unanswered questions" in Windows 10 -- how the great unknown is a major reason for not upgrading? Well, we now have one answer.
Microsoft is very good at spreading its own fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
Some of the researchers who will be at Black Hat will show how they hack and release the tools they used to do it
When Black Hat convenes next week in Las Vegas, it will be a rich environment for gathering tools that can be used to tighten security but also -- in the wrong hands -- to carry out exploits.
Researchers presenting generally point out the value these releases hold for researchers like themselves who operate in experimental environments as well as for enterprise security pros who want to build better defenses against such attack tools.
Presenters will detail a broad range of exploits they've carried out against devices, protocols and technologies from HTTP to internet of things gear to the techniques penetration testers use to test the networks of their clients.
Here is a sampling of some of the scheduled educational briefings coming up next week along with a description of the free tools that will accompany them.
HTTP/2 & QUIC -- Teaching Good Protocols To Do Bad Things
Presenters: Carl Vincent, Sr. Security Consultant, Cisco, and Catherine (Kate) Pearce, Sr. Security Consultant, Cisco
These two researchers took a look at HTTP/2 and QUIC, two Web protocols used to multiplex connections. The researchers say they are experiencing déjà vu because they have found security weaknesses in these protocols that are reminiscent of weaknesses they found two years ago in multipath TCP (MPTCP). Back then they discovered that because MPTCP changed paths and endpoints during sessions, it was difficult to secure the traffic and possible to compromise it. "This talk briefly introduces QUIC and HTTP/2, covers multiplexing attacks beyond MPTCP, discusses how you can use these techniques over QUIC and within HTTP/2, and discusses how to make sense of and defend against H2/QUIC traffic on your network," according to the description of their talk. They say they will release tools with these techniques incorporated.
Applied Machine Learning for Data Exfil and Other Fun Topics
Brian Wallace, Senior Security Researcher, Cylance, Matt Wolff, Chief Data Scientist, Cylance, and Xuan Zhao, Data Scientist, Cylance
This team applied machine learning to security data to help analysts make decisions about whether their networks are facing actual incidents. They say lacking an understanding of machine learning can leave you at a disadvantage when analyzing problems. "We will walk the entire pipeline from idea to functioning tool on several diverse security-related problems, including offensive and defensive use cases for machine learning," they write in describing their briefing. They plan to release all the tools, source code and data sets they used in their research. They'll also include an obfuscation tool for data exfiltration, a network mapper and a command and control panel identification module.
GATTacking Bluetooth Smart Devices - Introducing a New BLE Proxy Tool
Slawomir Jasek, IT Security Consultant, SecuRing
The internet of things is rife with devices that make use of Bluetooth Low Energy, but they don't always take advantage of all the security features of the technology. "A
LeEco and Coolpad are working together on a high-end smartphone launching in August
When it's not buying American TV set makers, LeEco is busy purchasing controlling stakes in established Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Coolpad. And now that the two companies have gotten closer (as LeEco holds a lot of Coolpad shares), they have also decided to collaborate on a new smartphone.
It's still unclear what this device will be called, but the result of the cooperation between LeEco and Coolpad will definitely be high-end. On the back, it will sport the ever more prevalent dual camera setup, as seen in the leaked image below which purportedly shows the phone.
It will also have a 5.5-inch QHD touchscreen, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 at the helm, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and a 3,500 mAh battery. As every other flagship smartphone out of China in the past few months, this too will feature a unibody metal construction as you can see. It has a fingerprint scanner as well.
The device is expected to become official and go on sale sometime in August, so we'll surely find out more about it soon.
LG has confirmed that a new V series smartphone will be launched sometime this quarter. While the South Korean company didn't reveal the device's name, it's reasonable to expect that the handset in question is the successor to last year's V10.
LG V10
The time frame revealed by LG is inline with a recent report that said the phone - alleged to be called V20 - will be made official in the month of September, which is less than a year after the V10 was launched.
The confirmation on the V20's arrival time-frame came as part of LG's Q2 2016 earnings announcement. While the company recorded an overall operating profit of $503.1 million, the mobile unit was still at loss - the figure stood at 132.10 million this time.
The change is rather minor, with a black design and a few other refinements to give the headset a sleeker look.
If you’ve yet to grab a Samsung Gear VR headset, you may want to wait a few days.
According to the usually reliable Steve Hemmerstoffer, who drops renders and other goodies from time to time under the handle @onleaks, a new headset is imminent. His tweet also included Note 7 renders, which have been available aplenty in the weeks leading up to the launch.
And #GearVR 2016... For more -> https://t.co/l3to2kjpzb pic.twitter.com/92XXqNS99n
— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) July 29, 2016
The black design is pretty sleek, with the visor more flush than the current model. This image also doesn’t show a strap that goes over the top of the head, but it’s likely that it just isn’t a part of this render. One horizontal strap probably isn’t enough to keep a headset on securely.
The big question is whether it will be backwards compatible with previous Galaxy phones, since the Note 7 is likely to have USB-C instead of microUSB. It might be possible with an adapter, and would make the new headset an appealing buy to those who aren’t yet planning on upgrading their phone.
The story behind the story: The answer to such questions will arrive next week at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on Aug. 2. Along with showing off the new Galaxy Note 7 (Samsung’s skipping ahead from the Note 5), we should see this elusive new headgear. Check in with us on Tuesday for all the juicy details.
This story, "Report: A new Gear VR headset is coming with a black scheme and minor tweaks" was originally published by Greenbot.
Broadband providers want additional judges to rule in the case
Trade groups representing many U.S. ISPs have filed an appeal challenging a court ruling that upheld the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules.
Trade groups CTIA, USTelecom, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the American Cable Association on Friday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rehear their challenge of the net neutrality rules after a three-judge panel upheld the rules in June.
The challenge isn't to the FCC's rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web traffic, but to the agency's reclassification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service, the NCTA wrote in a blog post.
"We believe this action is necessary to correct unlawful action by the FCC," the NCTA wrote. "Dynamic Internet networks do not resemble or deserve to be treated like archaic telephone systems."
The appeal of the ruling was expected. “It comes as no surprise that the big dogs have challenged the three-judge panel’s decision," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in an emailed statement. "We are confident that the full court will agree with the panel’s affirmation of the FCC’s clear authority to enact its strong Open Internet rules, the reasoned decision-making upon which they are based, and the adequacy of the record from which they were developed."
A rehearing of the case would be before nine judges at the appeals court.
The FCC, in a 3-2, party-line decision, voted in February 2015 to pass the new net neutrality rules barring broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web traffic.
The commission, in an effort to give the rules a solid legal foundation, also voted to reclassify broadband from a lightly regulated information service to a more heavily regulated telecommunications service.
In the following months, more than a dozen groups filed lawsuits challenging the reclassification of broadband.
CompTIA labor data indicates that digital transformation will drive employment, automation will have a greater impact on U.S. jobs than offshoring and IT outsourcing job growth will outpace corporate IT roles.
The U.S. IT sector added a total of 32,100 new jobs in June, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by technology industry association CompTIA, and continues to grow at a faster rate than overall national employment. Indeed, every category except technology manufacturing, experienced positive job growth.
CIO.com talked to Tim Herbert, CompTIA’s senior vice president of research and market intelligence, about what this labor data reveals about the state of the domestic IT services market, digital transformation as employment driver, why automation is likely to have a greater impact on American IT jobs than offshoring, and how IT outsourcing job growth will significantly outpace corporate IT roles.
CIO.com: The IT services sector added 1,900 jobs last month. What does that reveal about the current state of the domestic IT outsourcing market?
Tim Herbert, senior vice president of research and market intelligence, CompTIA: There are two components to the IT services figures: custom software development services (such as website or application design) and traditional IT services (which could include things such as value-added-reselling, managed services, implement/integration services, facilities management, or break/fix). Custom software development services accounts for approximately 44 percent of employment in this category, while traditional IT services accounts for the remaining 56 percent.
Growth of software development services has slightly outpaced growth of traditional IT services. Both are driven by strong customer demand for digital transformation technologies. This may take the form of modernizing legacy infrastructure — such as migrations to the cloud—or improving customer experiences — such as through new mobile commerce capabilities. Software and the IT services supporting implementation, integration, and ongoing management are front and center in digital transformation initiatives.
CIO.com: For some time, there have been concerns about the net impact of offshore outsourcing on American IT jobs — and more recently the effect of increasingly advanced automation has become a worry. Yet your analysis says that IT remains a key driver of jobs and growth in the U.S.
Herbert: Estimates of jobs displaced or jobs created due to offshoring and/or automation tend to vary widely due to lack of reliable data, which makes it challenging to assess the net effect. I don’t have hard numbers to back this up, but my sense is the job losses attributed to offshoring are probably slightly overstated, while losses due to automation are probably slightly understated.
The U.S. is a major exporter of IT services. In some cases, what may appear to be offshoring could be more a function of a U.S. tech company locating its workforce in the markets where it is doing business.
Prior CompTIA research among small to midsized businesses that utilize outsourced IT services found that the No. 1 reason for doing so was the need for greater expertise. While this is from the customer perspective, it is a reminder there are many factors at play [in outsourcing] beyond simple cost savings.
CIO.com: What level of growth do you expect in IT employment throughout the remainder of 2016?
Herbert: For the remainder of the year, overall growth is expected to fall in the two to two-and-a-half percent range—on par with the growth rates of 2015. Consistent with the growth curve of the past few years, IT services and software jobs are expected to outperform overall IT industry job growth, possibly yielding increases double the overall IT workforce growth rates.
CIO.com: What impact might Brexit have on the U.S. IT industry?
Herbert: According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, the UK was the 11th largest market for U.S. tech hardware exports in 2015 (the most recent year data is available) and the number one market for U.S. tech services exports in 2014 (the most recent year data is available).
It is generally expected that the UK economy will slow to some degree when Brexit gets underway. It’s tough to say exactly how this will impact spending by UK businesses in areas such as technology, but cutbacks could certainly impact employment at U.S. tech firms that rely heavily on exports to the UK.
The other factor at play is a falling British Pound relative to the U.S. dollar, which makes U.S. goods and services more expensive to UK buyers.
CIO.com: Have you determined yet what Clinton or Trump policies might mean for U.S. tech employment?
Herbert: It’s too soon to tell. But as we move on from the nominating conventions to the general election phase, we look forward to increased conversations on technology from both candidates. This conversation is imperative if we hope to keep America at the forefront of the technology revolution.
In May, CompTIA joined over a dozen technology trade associations in releasing the Technology Sector Presidential Platform to the presidential candidates. The platform urges the 2016 candidates to consider issues and implement policies that harness the power of technology, create jobs, grow the economy, foster innovation and continue to improve the lives of all Americans.
This story, "U.S. IT employment grows, with IT services jobs leading the way" was originally published by CIO.
Take the time to customize typing, browsing, and other settings from the get-go.
When you’re setting up a new or existing PC with Windows 10, Microsoft will offer to install the operating system with “Express settings.”
Although Windows 10 Express settings will get you up and running quickly, that convenience comes at a cost: By skipping over custom settings, you’re agreeing to all kinds of data collection and behavior tracking, much of which didn’t apply in earlier versions of Windows.
Here’s our advice: Instead of blindly enabling Express settings in Windows 10, take some time to understand what you’re agreeing to. Click the Customize settings link (in tiny text at the bottom of the setup screen), and disable the options you don’t want.
Below, we’ll walk through all of the custom settings in Windows 10 setup, the benefits and drawbacks of enabling them, and how you can turn them off later.
Customize Settings: Personalization and Location
This Windows 10 setup page governs the data Microsoft collects for targeted ads and for certain online services, such as Cortana and Skype. Here are the settings you can control:
Personalize your speech, typing, and inking input by sending contacts and calendar details, along with other associated input data to Microsoft.
Microsoft uses this data for spell-check, auto-complete, and handwriting recognition. For instance, if you have a friend with an unusual name, Windows 10 can avoid correcting the spelling when you type on a touch screen or write with a stylus.
This Windows 10 setting is somewhat contentious, with some critics calling it a keylogger. However, Microsoft told Lifehacker that it does not collect any personal information from writing or typing. The company chops up text into small bits that can’t be put back together, and performs multiple checks to strip away sensitive data such as email addresses and passwords.
You can disable the data collection, of course, but doing so will prevent Cortana from working.
To change this setting after the Windows 10 setup process, head to Settings > Privacy > Speech, Inking, & Typing, and click the button under Getting to know you.
Send typing and inking data to Microsoft to improve the recognition and suggestion platform.
This setting doesn’t provide any immediate benefits, but the aggregate data from lots of users could help Microsoft improve spell-check and auto-complete in the future. The same privacy contentions from the previous setting apply here, but you’re free to disable this setting without losing access to any features.
To change this setting after the Windows 10 setup process, head to Settings > Privacy > General, and uncheck “Send Microsoft info about how I write…”
Let apps use your advertising ID for experiences across apps.
Windows 10 has several types of advertising built-in, and to personalize those ads, Microsoft generates a unique identifier that tracks your behavior across Windows Store apps. Unchecking this option doesn’t remove the identifier, but it does prevent third-party apps from seeing it and showing you targeted ads. (If you don’t use any Windows Store apps, this is a moot point.)
To change this setting after the Windows 10 setup process, head to Settings > Privacy > General (the same menu pictured above), and uncheck “Let apps use my advertising ID…”
Let Skype (if installed) help you connect with friends in your address book and verify your mobile number. SMS and data charges may apply.
If you have an address book that you’ve added in Windows (for instance, through Outlook.com, Exchange, or Google), this setting adds those contacts to Skype for messaging, voice calls, and video chat. PC users needn’t worry about verifying a mobile number, as that setting only applies to Windows 10 phones.
Keep in mind that if you enable this setting, the only way to undo it is to manually remove those contacts from Skype.
Turn on Find My Device and let Windows and apps request your location, including location history, and send Microsoft and trusted partners some location data to improve location services.
Sharing your location allows Microsoft to update your weather information, find you in the Maps app, and provide location services in Cortana. This setting also lets third-party Windows Store apps (such as Uber and TripAdvisor) access your location, but they’ll have to ask for additional permission when you first open their apps.
After Windows 10 setup, you can toggle location services by heading to Settings > Privacy > Location. Click the Change button to turn off location for your device, or switch the toggle underneath to disable location for your account only. To disable location for individual aps, scroll down to the Choose apps that can use your location section.
Customize settings: Connectivity and error reporting
The second page in Windows 10 setup governs how Microsoft deals with Wi-Fi networks and collects telemetry data. Here are the settings you can control:
Automatically connect to suggested open hotspots. Not all networks are secure.
Microsoft maintains a list of known Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, and with this setting enabled, Windows 10 will automatically connect to them. While this may be convenient in some cases, open hotspots can also be slow and unreliable, and are more susceptible to eavesdropping. If you’re comfortable connecting to Wi-Fi networks on your own, it’s best to disable this setting.
After Windows 10 setup, toggle this feature by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, clicking Manage Wi-Fi Settings, and unchecking “Connect to suggested open hotspots.”
Automatically connect to networks shared by your contacts.
This setting lets you connect to any network that’s been accessed by your contacts on Facebook, Skype, and Outlook.com—and vice versa—without having to enter a password. It’s part of a broader set of features called Wi-Fi Sense, and it stirred up a controversy due to security concerns. Microsoft may be killing this feature in a future Windows update, but for now you’ll have to disable it during setup.
To disable this setting after Windows 10 setup, head to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, and click Manage Wi-Fi Settings (the same menu pictured above). Uncheck the “Connect to networks shared by my contacts” option, and uncheck all the boxes under “For networks I select, share them…”
Automatically connect to hotspots temporarily to see if paid Wi-Fi services are available.
This feature would come in handy if you’re at an airport or other public space and are willing to buy premium Wi-Fi access, but don’t want to dig through a list of other nearby hotspots to find the paid option. Again, turn this off if you’re comfortable connecting to Wi-Fi networks on your own.
To disable this feature after Windows setup, head to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, and click Manage Wi-Fi Settings (the same menu pictured above). Scroll down to Paid Wi-Fi services, and turn off the toggle underneath.
Send full error and diagnostic information to Microsoft
This setting helps Microsoft fix bugs in Windows 10, but there’s a trade-off: It allows the company to collect extensive data about your PC, including personal data from your own content. Microsoft says it only collects this data when it needs to diagnose a specific problem, and only from a small sampling of affected PCs. The company also says it won’t use this data for identification, contact, or targeted ads. Theoretically, this information should benefit all Windows 10 users, but Microsoft is asking for a lot of trust in return.
You can disable this feature in Windows setup, but Microsoft will still collect data about the third-party software you’ve installed, and about how you use certain features and apps. This “Enhanced” level of data collection is largely for diagnostic purposes, but Microsoft says it will also use the data to provide “a more personalized Windows experience.”
There’s no way to stop Microsoft from collecting any diagnostic data, but you can minimize the data collection after setup by going to Settings > Privacy > Feedback & diagnostics. Find the drop-down menu under Send your device data to Microsoft, and select “Basic.”
Customize settings: Browser, protection, and update
Rejoice: This is the last section you’ll have to deal with before you’re ready to go. It deals with settings in Microsoft’s Edge browser, along with peer-to-peer distribution for Windows updates.
Use SmartScreen online services to help protect against malicious content and downloads in sites loaded by Windows browsers and Store apps.
With this security feature enabled, Microsoft downloads a list of malicious websites to your PC, and throws up a warning if you attempt to visit any of them. You could turn this off if you’re not planning to use Edge (a similar feature exists in Google’s Chrome browser), but it’s probably best to keep this enabled, just to be safe.
If you want to turn SmartScreen off later, head to Settings > Privacy > General and uncheck “Turn on SmartScreen Filter…”
Use page prediction to improve reading, speed up browsing, and make your overall experience better in Windows browsers. Your browsing data will be sent to Microsoft.
With the Edge browser, Microsoft can guess which pages you’re about to click on, and load them ahead of time so you don’t have to wait. Turning this on will make web browsing feel faster, at the expense of more data collection. (Google Chrome has a similar feature, called prefetch.)
To turn off this feature after installing Windows 10, open Microsoft Edge, click the menu button (three horizontal dots) in the top-right corner, click Settings, then click View Advanced Settings. Scroll to the bottom and uncheck “Use page prediction…”
Get updates from and send updates to other PCs on the Internet to speed up app and Windows update downloads.
When your PC needs updating, Windows 10 can download small portions of the update from other PCs—both on your local network and from random users over the Internet—and those PCs can download bits of the update from you. This peer-to-peer distribution method can speed the download process and prevent Microsoft’s servers from getting overloaded, but it can take up bandwidth and eat into data plans. Disable this feature if your Internet service has data caps or slow speeds.
After setup, you can turn off peer-to-peer updates through Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update. Click on Advanced Options at the bottom of the page, then click Choose how updates are delivered. In this menu, slide the toggle to Off.
One last thing: Express settings don’t cover all cases of privacy and data collection in Windows 10. To take full control, complete the setup, then head to PCWorld’s step-by-step Windows 10 privacy walkthrough.
This story, "Windows 10 upgrade: Don't use Express settings if you value your privacy" was originally published by PCWorld.
Its free availability makes it likely that it will be used in attacks soon, researchers say
A new and potent Android Trojan has been leaked on several underground forums, making it available for free to less resourceful cybercriminals who are now likely to use it in attacks.
The Trojan app is called SpyNote and allows hackers to steal users' messages and contacts, listen in on their calls, record audio using the device's built-in microphone, control the device camera, make rogue calls and more.
According to researchers from Palo Alto Networks, SpyNote does not require root access to a device, but does prompt users for a long list of permissions on installation. The Trojan can also update itself and install other rogue applications on the device.
It's not clear yet how attackers intend to distribute it to victims, because researchers haven't observed attacks in the wild using it. However, they believe that such attacks are very likely giving that the SpyNote builder is now available for free.
The builder is a Windows application that can be used to generate customized versions of the malicious SpyNote APK (Android application package). Attackers can modify parameters like the app's name, icon and command server.
Most malicious Android applications are distributed from third-party websites and require devices to allow the installation of apps from "unknown sources." This feature is turned off on Android devices by default.
From time to time, malware also slips through Google's defenses and makes its way to the official Play Store.
Another possibility is manual installation of the Trojan app on an unsupervised device, for example by a jealous spouse, a business partner, or an ill-intended colleague. There have been cases where users have received pre-infected devices as gifts from people who wished to spy on them.
Newer versions of Android have antimalware features like Verify Apps and SafetyNet that can detect and block known malware applications when their installation is attempted and even if "unknown sources" is allowed on the device.
As a general rule, "installing apps from third-party sources can be very risky — those sources often lack the governance provided by official sources such as the Google Play Store, which, even with detailed procedures and algorithms to weed out malicious applications, is not impregnable," the Palo Alto Networks researchers said in a blog post. "Side-loading apps from questionable sources exposes users and their mobile devices to a variety of malware and possible data loss."
Lawsuits filed in Florida and Israel against Microsoft seek class-action status
It was bound to happen. Matt Day at The Seattle Times reported this week that two lawsuits have been filed against Microsoft over the ongoing Get Windows 10 controversy. A lawsuit in Florida cites unsolicited electronic advertisement laws, as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices. The other, filed in Israel, says Microsoft installed unwanted software without users' consent.
Both lawsuits are applying for class-action status.
The Al Khafaji et al v. Microsoft Corporation case, 0:16cv61763 filed July 22 in Florida Southern District Court, has been assigned to Judge Bill Zloch, who has been on the Southern District bench for more than 30 years. The plaintiff's attorney, Richard G Chosid, is located in Boca Raton, Florida. The law firm's Facebook page lists Chosid as a real estate lawyer.
Those of you who have been following my reports on this topic since last March know that I consider the Get Windows 10 campaign to be one of the lowest points in Microsoft's history. Deceptive? Certainly. Unwanted? Obviously. Destructive for Microsoft's reputation? Deservedly.
But whether the upgrades were "forced" is largely a matter of semantics.
Those who have Windows Automatic Update turned on and have ticked the box "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them" -- both of which are default settings -- have had Windows 10 upgrades triggered automatically many times over the past 12 months. Sometimes Microsoft warned users about the sudden updating behavior, sometimes it "forgot."
But as best I can tell, the upgrades have always been accompanied by an End User License Agreement that must be accepted before the upgrade will complete. Some of those EULAs obviously warn users they're accepting an upgrade to Windows 10. Many (as seen in this screenshot taken March 13) do not.
I don't know how the lawsuit will fare in Florida, but if the one in Israel hinges on the phrase "without the user's consent," it'll be considerably more difficult to pursue.
At least one judge in the United States has already ruled that Microsoft overstepped its bounds with its Get Windows 10 campaign. Many of you may recall Teri Goldstein, the travel agent in Sausalito, California, who won a $10,000 settlement from Microsoft in small-claims court over the upgrade. She has gone on to write a book about her experience, "Winning Against Windows 10: How I Fought Microsoft and Won," which is available on Kindle.
I must hark back to the promise made by Windows honcho Terry Myerson last October: "You can specify that you no longer want to receive notifications of the Windows 10 upgrade through the Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 settings pages."
We've been through a lot of permutations of having Windows 10 rammed down our throats over the past 10 months, but we didn't get a real "off" switch until a couple weeks ago -- so much for promises.
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
Melissa Riofrio 
