Apple may not have announced the long-desired Retina MacBook Air during Monday’s media event, but it arguably did one better when it introduced a brand new 12-inch MacBook with Retina Display. The new MacBook is impossibly thin and incredibly light, measuring in at just 2 pounds.
FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2012 file photo, a student works with a computer and a calculator at Reynoldsburg High School in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. According to a new survey from Pew Research Center released Monday, March 16, 2015, more than half of Americans are worried about the U.S. government’s digital spies prying into their emails, texts, search requests and other online information, but few are trying to thwart the surveillance. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than half of Americans are worried about the U.S. government's digital spies prying into their emails, texts, search requests and other online information, but few are trying to thwart the surveillance.
That's according to a new survey from Pew Research Center, released Monday. A main reason for the inertia? Pew researchers found that a majority of those surveyed don't know about online shields that could help boost privacy or believe it would be too difficult to avoid the government's espionage.
Usually, iOS devices don't begin showing signs of slowness until a few years of updates, when older hardware simply cannot handle the newer features. If you have newer hardware and are experiencing slowness, however, there are a few sure-fire tricks to get your device back up to speed. Here are four tips and tricks that will make your device snappier.
1. Reboot
This may be one of the simplest tips, but it really can help. Most users are accustomed to never turning off modern devices because they can stay powered on for so long without needing a reboot. However, sometimes the best fix for a slow device is to simply power it off, then wait a few seconds before powering it back on.
Software giant is set to unveil its new flagship operating system imminently
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is set to unveil Windows 10 at some point this year, and this will be an absolutely critical release for the software giant. Windows 8 was pretty much a complete disaster for Microsoft, with the operating system being extremely unsuccessful in attracting business users in particular.
While Windows 8 attempted to be all things to all people, but ultimately alienated its core audience, Windows 10 is purported to be an all-singing, all-dancing version of the operating system. Microsoft has attempted to listen to its customers and reinstate aspects of the original Windows portfolio of features, after a strong negative public reaction against Windows 8.
We should therefore expect considerable improvements with Windows 10 when it is released. So here is a rundown of the latest rumors and confirmed features of Windows 10, which are intended to ensure that it is a significant improvement over the previous iteration in the Windows series.
If you’ve downloaded any of the early builds of Windows 10 from the Windows Insider program, including the freshly released build 10041, you’re probably relishing the powerful new Start Menu Microsoft has finally gotten so completely right.
Researchers at the University of Surrey in England have tested a record-breaking wireless data connection that blows away your smartphone’s 4G LTE speeds.
According to the folks at the British technology site V3.co.uk, the new connection, which the researchers refer to as 5G, is capable of reaching speeds as high as 1 terabit per second, thousands of times faster than your average LTE connection.
One of the most useful tools in the quest for productivity in office work is the use of keyboard shortcuts. The proper shortcuts can turn your keyboard from a writing tool into a command center for your computer.
For Apple users, the proprietary keys can be daunting at first, but they offer a host of great shortcuts to make your workday easier. There are the old standards, such as cut and paste, but you can take it so much further.
Here are some Mac keyboard shortcuts that will improve your workflow.
Command + Tab
This key combination will allow you to cycle through open applications. Start by holding down the "command" key and pressing "tab" to cycle through applications. Each time you press tab, it will switch to the next application in line.
Command + Spacebar
This shortcut simply opens the spotlight search and moves your cursor into the search bar. This is a great tool to help you quickly get to a buried file or folder.
Shift + Control + Power button
If you use multiple displays this will be especially helpful, as this combination immediately puts all displays to sleep.
Command + Shift + G
When you have a finder window open, use this shortcut to open a direct line to a specific folder. Simply put the folder path in the space the appears and it will take you directly to the folder.
Command + Bracket
By pressing "command" and the left bracket ([) you can move to the previous folder. By pressing "command" and the right bracket (]) you can move to the next folder.
(Thinkstock & Microsoft/Illustration by Yahoo Tech)
Earlier this week, Microsoft told Reuters that it would provide free Windows 10 upgrades to people running “genuine and non-genuine” versions of Windows when the new operating system comes out this summer.
Translated from geek speak, it sounded as if Microsoft would be giving everyone, even people running pirated versions of Windows, the option to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Many publications, including Yahoo Tech, reported that pirates would be given amnesty for their stolen versions of Windows and be given, for free, a licensed version of Windows 10.
If that sounds too good to be true, it is.
When Terry Myerson, head of Microsoft’s Operating Systems group, made the announcement, he left out a specific but important caveat, which is that any upgrade from a pirated version of Windows would be registered as non-genuine. In other words, the upgrades won’t be legit in Microsoft’s books.
If you’ve ever used a non-genuine version of Windows and tried to upgrade it, you’ve likely noticed that as soon as Microsoft’s servers see that your copy of Windows is illegitimate, the desktop flashes black and adds bars that tell you your Windows install is non-genuine. You also get a ton of annoying notifications telling you to upgrade to genuine Windows.
Obviously, pirated versions of Windows are apt to carry malicious software, given that they usually come from unknown sources via peer-to-peer networks.
If you’re running a non-genuine version of Windows 7 or 8, Microsoft still lets you download critical security updates — better to keep everyone safe — but you can’t get optional updates or use Microsoft’s built-in Windows Defender security software.
Microsoft hasn’t said how it will handle non-genuine versions of Windows 10, which means that we don’t know if those using non-genuine versions will have access to security updates.
Here’s what Microsoft told us about the matter:
“We have always been committed to ensuring that customers have the best Windows experience possible. With Windows 10, although non-Genuine PCs may be able to upgrade to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the genuine state of the license. Non-Genuine Windows is not published by Microsoft. It is not properly licensed, or supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. If a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade. According to industry experts, use of pirated software, including Non-Genuine Windows, results in a higher risk of malware, fraud (identity theft, credit card theft, etc), public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions.”
So, yes, you’ll be able to upgrade your pirated version of Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10, but it’s not going to be a full-on legitimate upgrade, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll still be able to get all of the important software updates you’ll need.
On September 9, 2014, Apple finally unveiled its long-rumored wearable device, the Apple Watch, aka Watch. While many expected the wearable to be called the "iWatch," Apple actually opted to use the Apple symbol () followed by "Watch" for the device's name. According to Apple's head of design Jony Ive, Apple has been working on the device for three years. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that Apple's objective with the watch is to "change the way you live your life."
The Apple Watch is designed to be both functional and fashionable, available in two sizes of 38mm and 42mm (1.5 and 1.7 inches), with six different casing materials and six separate interchangeable band options in a variety of colors. Organized intothree separate collections, from the simple "Sport" to the high-end luxury "Edition," the Apple Watch has been created to appeal to a wide range of tastes.
Prices for the device, which will be available launch in the first nine countries on April 24, 2015, start at $349 for the aluminum Watch Sport collection. The stainless steel Watch collection starts at $549, while the the gold Watch Edition collection starts at$10,000 and goes as high as $17,000.
Designed with either an ion-strengthened or flexible sapphire display (depending on model), all of the Apple Watches include an HD Retina screen, sapphire-covered sensors built into the zirconia backing, and an NFC chip to allow the devices to work with Apple's Apple Pay mobile payment service.
The Apple Watch interface, much like its exterior, has been created with end-user customization in mind. Apple has designed several unique watch faces that users can choose from, featuring traditional watch designs, whimsical characters, animated images, and more, all of which are "extensively customizable." According to Apple, one Apple Watch can have millions of different appearances. Apps on the device are organized into a unique cluster design for quick and easy access.
