September, 2015 | IT newspaper

Didn’t ask for Windows 10? Your PC may have downloaded it anyway

September 15th, 2015 | Edited by Zoran Stosic | software

Sep
15

Microsoft confirms auto-download of massive Windows 10 files, even for users who don’t opt into the upgrade.

Whether you want Windows 10 or not, Microsoft says it may download the files to your PC regardless.
In a statement to the Inquirer, Microsoft confirmed that it automatically downloads Windows 10 installation files on eligible PCs, provided automatic updates are enabled through Windows Update. The download occurs even if users haven’t opted in through the Windows 10 reservation dialog.
“For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade,” Microsoft told the Inquirer. “When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”
When reached for comment, Microsoft told PCWorld that the downloads occurred around the time of Windows 10’s July 29 launch.
Why this matters: Microsoft appears to have crossed a line in its zeal to move people onto its latest operating system. Several reports indicate that the Windows 10 files take up as much as 6GB of storage in a hidden folder, potentially hamstringing machines that don’t have much free space left. Even worse, users who have strict data caps could face hefty overage charges for a massive download that they didn’t even ask for.

Bye-bye bandwidth

PCWorld has also heard from several readers on this issue, including one whose data plan has been affected by the automatic download. The reader, who runs a small computer repair shop, did not reserve Windows 10, yet recently noticed 6GB missing from his main desktop.

Upon further investigation, the reader’s daughter—who lives in an area without wired Internet and relies on Verizon Wireless for connectivity—had also automatically downloaded the installation files. “They do not wish to upgrade at this time, as they prefer to stay with Windows 7,” the reader said. “But they’re four days into their wireless plan, and have used more than half of their allowance because of the Windows 10 download.”

The Inquirer also spoke to a reader who said Windows 10 tries to install itself every time the machine is booted. It’s unclear if this is typical behavior for those who haven’t opted into the upgrade.
This isn’t the only instance where Windows 10 has gotten users into trouble with data caps. By default, the system also uses peer-to-peer networking to distribute Windows 10 updates, potentially eating up bandwidth without users’ knowledge.

What you can do

It’s worth noting that Windows Update provides users with a few auto-install options. Enabling “Important” updates provides security and stability fixes, while “Recommended” updates are meant to improve non-critical issues. There’s also a “Microsoft Update” option for other software such as Office. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to see which of these tiers enables the auto-download of Windows 10 files.In the meantime, some users have reported success at removing the files and Windows 10 update prompts by entering the following into command prompt as an administrator:
WUSA /UNINSTALL /KB:3035583code>
This should at least remove Windows 10’s update notifications, but we haven’t confirmed whether it removes the installation files and prevents further downloads.

Source: www.pcworld.com

Spotify cleans up privacy mess with plain language policy update

September 12th, 2015 | Edited by Zoran Stosic | software

Sep
12

Spotify is making amends for its privacy policy mistakes with plainer, clearer language.

“What do you mean?” has been a big theme around Spotify in recent weeks. Justin Bieber’s tune of the same name just had the biggest first week for a single on Spotify to date. The phrase also sums up perfectly the public reaction to Spotify’s recently revised privacy policy.

Spotify is now hoping to clear up the confusion that sparked panic, an apology, and at least one heated conversation on Twitter. Ek took to the company blog on Thursday to announce some revisions to the privacy policy that the company hopes will clear up any confusion.
“We did our best to explain the intent behind the changes in the Policy and our commitment to our users’ privacy,” Ek said. “We took note of many people’s comments that they appreciated the clear commitments in the blog post that were easier to understand than some of the details in the Policy itself.”
To that end, Spotify said it has introduced a plain language introduction to the policy. The revision is meant to clarify what the company’s “approach and principles” are regarding privacy.
“We still need to provide greater detail in the body of the policy,” Ek said. “But those details are, and will always be, in keeping with the fundamental privacy principles we outline in the Introduction.”
Basically, the new introduction clarifies many of the objections people brought up with the new privacy policy in August. It addresses how the company would handle access to your photos, contacts, microphone, and why it wants access to your device sensors.
Spotify says it would only access photos that you explicitly choose, for example. The company also categorically states the company “will never scan or import your photo library or camera roll.”
If you want to give it a read, Ek posted the new introduction in full in his blog post.
Why this matters: Spotify wasn’t the first company to run afoul with its users and the press after a change to its privacy policy. But it could be the last. Spotify’s clear language introduction that addresses specific issues is a change that all technology companies should adopt. Using plain language shows a basic respect for your users and allows people to understand what data you want from them and why.

Source: www.macworld.com

21.5-inch iMac could get its Retina 4K upgrade in November

September 10th, 2015 | Edited by Zoran Stosic | hardware

Sep
10

At 4K resolution, Apple’s smaller all-in-one would match the 27-inch 5K iMac in pixel density.

One year after dialing up the screen resolution of its 27-inch iMac, Apple will reportedly do the same with its 21.5-inch all-in-one.
Citing unnamed sources, 9to5Mac claims that Apple will announce the 21.5-inch iMac with 4K Retina display by the end of October, alongside the launch of OS X El Capitan. The new high-res iMac would then ship in November.
The exact screen resolution will be 4096-by-2304, 9to5Mac claims. This resolution has previously appeared in the code from Apple’s El Capitan Developer Preview. Currently, the 21.5-inch iMac has a resolution of 1920-by-1080.

With a 21.5-inch display, the 4K iMac’s pixel density would come out to 218.6 pixels per inch, just a tad higher than the 27-inch Retina iMac’s 217.6 ppi display. While 9to5Mac doesn’t mention the Retina branding, it seems likely that Apple will use it once again for its smaller iMac. As with the 27-inch iMac, the 21.5-inch model should have improved color saturation and faster processors to drive all those extra pixels.
There’s no word on pricing, but users should expect to pay a premium for the 4K display. Apple currently charges $1,999 for its basic Retina 5K iMac, though thedebut model had slightly superior tech specs and cost $2,499 at launch. Meanwhile, Apple still sells a non-Retina 27-inch iMac for $1,799. The current 21-inch model ranges in price from $1,099 to $1,499, and could stick around as a lower-priced alternative.
Why this matters: The 21.5-inch iMac is one of just three Apple products that don’t offer a Retina display option, the other being Apple’s 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs. With OS X El Capitan set for this fall, it makes sense for Apple to tie the launch a smaller, presumably more affordable Retina iMac.

Source: www.macworld.com

20 must-know keyboard shortcuts for Windows 10

September 5th, 2015 | Edited by Zoran Stosic | hardware

Sep
05

Windows 10 has a bunch of new features that bring new keyboard shortcuts along with them. Here’s a list of the best keyboard shortcuts to know to make your time with Windows 10 more efficient.
With Windows 10, Microsoft has added a ton of new keyboard shortcuts to give you easier access to the new Action Center, Cortana, Task View, and virtual desktops. So much so, in fact, that Microsoft recently released a handy-dandy Word document with Windows 10’s Windows key shortcuts to aid in your study.

If you’re new to keyboard shortcuts, however, one glance at that list can be overwhelming—and there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts that don’t involve the Windows key whatsoever. To help you streamline it a bit, here’s a list of 20 must-know shortcuts for Windows 10.
This isn’t just a list for Windows 10, however. Many of these shortcuts work with older versions of Windows, and you’ll find a few standard browser shortcuts as well. If you’re on Windows 7 or 8.1 but new to shortcuts this list will also help you take control of your Windows machine and make you more efficient by lessening your dependence on the mouse.

Windows 10’s newest features

Windows key + A: Open the Action Center
Windows key + C: Launch Cortana in listening mode (for voice commands)
Windows key + I: Open the Settings app
Windows key + S: Launch Cortana
Windows key + Tab: Open Task View
Windows key + Ctrl + D: Create a new virtual desktop
Windows key + Ctrl + F4: Close the current desktop
Windows key + Ctrl + left or right arrow: switch between virtual desktops

Standard Windows shortcuts

Windows key (Windows 7 and up): Open/close the Start menu
Windows key + X (Windows 8.1 and 10): Open/close the Start button’s right-click context menu
Windows key + left or right arrow (Windows 7 and up): snap current window to right or left of screen
Windows key + E (Windows 7 and up): Launch File Explorer
Windows key + L (Windows 7 and up): Lock the desktop
Alt + PrtScn (Windows 7 and up): Take a screenshot of current window and copy it to your clipboard
Windows key + PrtScn (Windows 8.1 and 10): Take a screenshot of entire display and save to Computer > Pictures > Screenshots

Browser shortcuts (works in Edge and most other browsers)

Ctrl + T: Open new tab
Ctrl + D: Bookmark page
Ctrl + L: Highlight current URL (good for typing a new address or copying the current one)
Ctrl + Tab: Cycle through your open tabs
Ctrl + Enter: add “.com” to the end of a web address (e.g. type ‘google’ then Ctrl + Enter to get google.com)

Apple, Samsung battle to the end over damages payment

September 3rd, 2015 | Edited by Zoran Stosic | software

Sep
03

Apple is demanding that over $548 million in damages be paid.
It may take some time for Apple to see any damages from its patent infringement dispute with Samsung Electronics.
Apple is asking a district court to order Samsung to pay over $548 million in damages, in a long-drawn patent dispute between the two companies that dates back to 2011.
But Samsung has fired back asking the court to declare invalid the claim of an Apple patent also known as the pinch-to-zoom patent, which figured in the lawsuit, or to stay proceedings.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decided in December that claims of an Apple patent had been found invalid, according to Samsung’s filing. The South Korean company also wants a vacation of damages awarded to Apple in connection with the patent.
The iPhone maker asked the court this week to order the payment after an appeals court denied Samsung a review of the damages and also refused to stay its mandate to the district court to go ahead with a final judgment on the damages.
For Apple, the $548 million in damages is just a part of what was originally awarded by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The court awarded Apple damages of $930 million after a jury found that Samsung infringed Apple’s design and utility patents and diluted its trade dresses, which relate to the overall look and packaging of a product.
On appeal, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit went along with the jury’s verdict on the design patent infringements, the validity of two utility patent claims, and the damages awarded for the design and utility patent infringements appealed by Samsung.
But the appeals court reversed the jury’s findings that the asserted trade dresses are protectable, and vacated the damages relating to trade dress dilution. That order shaved off $382 million in damages but $548 million still remained.
In a request for review by a full-bench of the Federal Circuit, which was denied, Samsung challenged $399 million of the balance, which is an award of its entire profits from products found to infringe Apple’s design patents. Samsung contests the basis for the award of the damages, and has said it will appeal to the Supreme Court.
After failing on Tuesday in its bid to get the Federal Circuit to stay its mandate to the district court, Samsung has now filed a motion in the California court, asking it to enter a judgment of invalidity on claim 8 of U.S. Patent No. 7,844,915, after a final decision by the PTAB that such a claim is invalid. Samsung has asked the court alternately for an order staying all proceedings, including any entry of judgment.
District Court Judge Lucy H. Koh has on Thursday ordered a stay on more filings by either side, without the court’s permission, as the court has not yet received the mandate from the Federal Circuit.
Apple can appeal the PTAB’s invalidity decision in the Federal Circuit. Its petition for rehearing before the PTAB is also pending, according to court records.

Source: www.macworld.com

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