New Windows 10 Roadmap Highlights Several Upcoming Features

Microsoft has officially released the latest Windows 10 Roadmap highlighting the newest features we can expect in upcoming Windows 10 updates and releases. And while we already know the Windows 10 “Anniversary Update” will be coming this summer, many of the new features found on the Roadmap apparently aren't a part of that update.

“The Windows 10 Roadmap provides a snapshot of what we’ve recently made generally available, released into public preview, are still developing and testing, or are no longer developing,” Microsoft explains. While this newest Roadmap is meant specifically for Microsoft's business customers, there are still plenty of noteworthy features we may eventually see for consumers.

Here’s a basic rundown of a few of the highlight:

• Windows and Android phones as well as "companion devices" such as the Microsoft Band 2 will be able to unlock and authenticate apps on a Windows PC.
• Connecting a Windows phone to an external touch monitor through Continuum will allow for touch controls on the large display. Windows phones with Continuum will also support laptop-like docks, keyboards and accessories that utilize your phone's cpu and OS to run and act like a laptop.
• Windows PCs will be able to cast their displays to other Windows PCs making collaborations easier.
• Windows apps will get a picture-in-picture mode.
• Remote display for "display-less" devices, so users can seamlessly control Windows 10 IoT Core applications from any Windows 10 desktop PC, tablet, or phone*. In addition, the technology allows Windows 10 IoT Core devices to use remote sensor readings from any connected Windows 10 device.

Again these new features are being added in addition to the "Anniversary Update" features that we saw highlighted during the Build 2016 back in March. You should also keep in mind that these plans can change, something that Microsoft themselves highlight on their roadmap which also includes a section for canceled features, though it’s currently unpopulated. As for timing, Microsoft isn’t making any promises, and has not yet started testing any of the above features in its Windows Insider builds.

As to what we should expect in the Windows 10 “Anniversary Update” we already know we will see a few key additions, one of the biggest being Linux /bin/bash-support. This will not be a port or a virtualization. It’s a full Ubuntu command line running natively right in Windows, built in partnership with Canonical. As of right now this is mostly a tool for developers, but cross-platform power users may find this particularly useful as well.

We also know we will see updates to Cortana, for more efficient and effective use as well as greater app support and better notification support. You can also expect to see the new Windows Ink feature which allows for more stylus and handwriting support. According to Microsoft, Windows Ink puts the stylus “front and center” by introducing the Ink Workspace, a hub of apps that all focus on different things that a stylus can do.

Of course for you gamers Microsoft didn't leave you out. Microsoft says they will be working to deliver on top fan-requested features like support for multiple GPUs and the ability to turn off v-sync. Game developers will have access to a fully open ecosystem with the Universal Windows Platform, making it easy to bring the games people love to both Xbox One and other Windows 10 devices. With the Anniversary Update, any Xbox One can be a developer kit with Xbox Dev Mode, enabling anyone to develop for the living room. And, the Windows Store will offer a unified store experience for all developers, creating new opportunities to reach millions of new customers.

Amazon Prime Same Day Delivery Adds 11 New Cities Now Covers 27 In All

Thanks to a plethora of features Amazon Prime membership has been growing at an astonishing rate. According to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, membership grew 51% last year – including 47% growth in the U.S. and even faster internationally – and there are now tens of millions of members worldwide.

Prime started as Amazon’s unlimited two-day shipping option for subscribers, however over the past few yeas the service has changed significantly and morphed into an all encompassing service. The new Prime has become more of an all-you-can-eat, physical-digital hybrid with access to Prime Videos, music and more.

One of the latest perks Amazon has begun offering their Prime members is Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery. A feature that allows Prime members to place an order in the morning and receive all Same-Day orders over $35 before bedtime that very same day, seven days a week.

The service, which initially launched last year, has proved so popular that Amazon has announced today that they will be expanding the coverage area from the original 14 cities to include an additional 11 metro areas. Those areas include Charlotte, Cincinnati, Fresno, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton, and Tucson, plus new areas in Central New Jersey, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

“Prime was developed to make shopping on Amazon fast and convenient, and millions of members have used Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery to make their lives even easier,” said Greg Greeley, Vice President of Prime. “We keep making Prime better, and as our operational capabilities grow, we will continue to invent and expand delivery options that customers love.”

Running just $99 a year, Amazon Prime will offer customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 30 million items across all categories, unlimited Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in the expanded 27 metro areas, and one and two-hour delivery with Prime Now on tens of thousands of items available in more than 25 metro areas. In addition members have access to unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, more than one million songs and thousands of curated playlists and stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos and access to more than one million books to borrow with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

Learn more about Prime FREE Same-Day at www.amazon.com/sameday.

Bitdefender Says New Tool Uses 'Trickery' To Prevent Some Ransomware Infections

With ransomware infections making big headlines these days security researchers are looking at new ways to keep the malicious software from taking over users machines. Unfortunately, in this cat and mouse game the bad guys have seemingly been wining the war! All that may soon change as security researchers test new inventive ways to actually vaccinate machines from possible infections.

Antivirus firm Bitdefender is one such company that has been taking a new approach as to how it handles ransomware. They have just released a free tool that the company says can prevent computers from being infected with some of the most widespread file-encrypting ransomware programs: Locky, TeslaCrypt and CTB-Locker.

The new Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware vaccine is an update of sorts to a piece if software that the company designed to prevent CryptoWall infections. As with the previous tool this new 'vaccine' works by taking advantage of a very specific feature commonly used in several piece of ransomware. Those malicious pieces of software actually check to make sure the machine they are trying to attack haven't previously been infected. Bitdefender's Anti-Ransomware vaccine uses those checks against the ransomware by making it appear as if computers are already infected with current variants of Locky, TeslaCrypt or CTB-Locker. This prevents those programs from infecting them again.

Bitdefender has stated that in its current form the tool can only fool certain ransomware families and is not guaranteed to work as protection against those indefinitely. Therefore, it's best for users to take all the common precautions to prevent infections in the first place and to view the tool only as a last layer of defense that might save them in case everything else fails.

"While extremely effective, the anti-ransomware vaccine was designed as a complementary layer of defense for end-users who don’t run a security solution or who would like to complement their security solution with an anti-ransomware feature," said Bogdan Botezatu, a senior e-threat analyst at Bitdefender.

The new tool is available for download on the Bitdefender website.

Need Help Using One of Google's Sites or Services? Checkout The Official Google Tips and Tricks Webpage

It isn't often that you see a company devote time and attention to create detailed walk-throughs of how to better use their sites and services. Yeah most might compile a FAQ list, and some will offer up some basic help. But for the most part, most companies leave you, well Googling it!

Google has always been an exception to that rule! They have always done their best to offer users advice and tips & tricks on how to get the most out of their Google Search results as well as most of their other services. Just last year we mentioned that Google offered a list of essential tips for becoming a Google Guru. At that time the list of tips and tricks was still relatively small, at only 78. Today however, that list has blossomed to more than 170!

Google's official list of Google tips and tricks features easy to follow walk-throughs, videos and step by step guides on how to use just about anything related to Google. The tips are now broken down into six categories: Do More, Save Time, Online Security, New Device, Ask Google, and Improve Access. You can also access tips for each individual Google product. with tips & tricks encompassing everything from Android to Google Play to using Chrome. We'll note some of the categories for each product aren't fully covered and don't have any tips yet, but most do!

While many of these tips are going to seem remedial to a power user. Most if not all are going to be helpful to someone that is just now breaking their teeth on some of Google's services. Either way, the site is a great one to add to your tool bag and makes for a great resource for sharing with your 'new to Google' friends or less than tech savvy family members.

Must Have Geek Gadgets For Spending Time Outdoors This Spring

If there is one thing I know about my fellow geeks it is that we love our gadgets and as such we always find some cool new piece of tech that makes every life experience that much better. In the past we've talked about a few of our favorite gadgets for summer time fun, but today we are going to share a few suggestions aimed specifically at some of the challenges of being outdoors during the spring time.

Keeping Bugs Away!

Whether it be mosquitoes, ants or wasps nothing ruins a nice afternoon outdoors quite as much as bugs. Not to mention those little pests are known to carry and spread pesky little viruses like West Nile, Zika and even Lyme Disease (yes that is still around). Therefore it should be no surprise that are first few suggestions are going to help keep bugs at bay!

ThermaCell Mosquito Repellent Camp Lantern: The folks over at ThermaCell were nice enough to send us over this cool little dual action lantern and so far we have been nothing but impressed. The light produces 300 lumens which is plenty to bright to light up a full sized or a standard picnic table. The repellent, which can also be used as an independent unit, is said to offer 15'x15' protection from mosquitoes, black flies and a few other “no see-ums”. In other-words plenty of coverage for a small campsite or picnic area.

Rock Those Tunes!

No party is complete without some great music and what better way to enjoy that music than with a killer portable system? For those of you, that like me, grew up in the 80's and early 90's you'll remember the days with the boombox was king! It seemed as though everywhere you went someone had their beats blasting out of their own portable system. Then the days came where we decided to go more personal and portable with the walk-man and later MP3 players.

Monster is trying to put the boom back in boombox with the release of their new Monster Blaster Portable Bluetooth Boom Box. Dubbed the 'Boombox Re-imagined' the Monster SuperStar Blaster features bi-directional speakers with full range drivers in an angled 360⁰ orientation and a down-firing integrated powered subwoofer to offer plenty of sound for large outdoor spaces. For those that plan on being around the water it will also offer splash resistance, though we would suggest something like the BackFloat Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker if you are planning on enjoying the tunes in or around the pool.

Don't Get Lost Out There!

Your smartphone might be great at offering you directions when you are around town. However, using it as a functional GPS device while in the mountains or hiking in the backwoods just isn't practical. For that you'll need a dedicated GPS unit and while there are several great options from several great companies, there is only one unit that I can say I'll recommend 100% of the time. That is the Garmin Astro or new Garmin Alpha 100 series.

Both of these units not only offer you a fully function GPS unit with all the regular bells and whistles, but they both offer you the ability to track your four legged friends everywhere they go. There is nothing worse than being in the backwoods and loosing your family friends. With the Garmin Astro or Alpha you can track there movement on the devices pre-loaded topographical maps and see their distance from you and heading. The Gamin Alpha adds the training function with the help of Tri-Tronics electronic training. Allowing you to select traditional or linear progression plus tone or stimulation types.

Feed Those Hungry Geeks

Cooking in the outdoors can be challenging to say the least. Personally I prefer going with the simplest options possible, which usually means pre-made meals or sandwiches, but there are occasions that you'll want to chef it up. Nothing, and I mean nothing, ruins that experience more than forgetting your cooking essentials at home. The two things I've found that are essential for a good cooking experience while camping are a good portable bbq (gas preferably due to fire restrictions) and a nice portable stove.

The folks at Grub Hub have come up with a few ways to take the hassle out of camp cooking. The Grub Hub Camp Kitchen is a super portable unit the size of a large piece of luggage that organizes, stores and transports all your camp kitchen gear then sets up in less than 3 minutes to provide the ultimate camp kitchen and campsite. The full camp kitchen unit offers everything you need from the stove to the utensils to whip up your favorite meals in no time!

If the Grub Hub is a bit too much for your needs I wholeheartedly believe the Coleman single burner propane stove is the best thing ever. It is super compact so it fits anywhere and offers plenty of functionality for anything from heating up water for your pre-made meals or making coffee. Since camping isn't camping without a good BBQ I'd be a miss without adding a quick simple suggestion there too. Here I keep it simple with a Char-Broil Table Top Gas Grill. Small portable and always gets the job done!

Final Note: Now of course there are several other suggestions we could add to our short list here and we have discussed plenty of those in the past. We just wanted to highlight a few of the newest products out there that are on our wishlist and offer a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing. A few additions I'd always add are portable chargers or battery packs, an awesome flash light or camp lantern and of course we wouldn't be geeks without a multi-tool.

If you guys have suggestions for your favorite spring time tech gadgets be sure to let us know by dropping a comment in the comment box below. We are always looking for more toys and more ideas to build out our tech bundle.

Smaller iPad Pro Has One Nice Perk You Can Use Microsoft Office 365 For Free

While I'm sure many of you Apple fans are reveling in this week's Apple event and their announcements of smaller versions of both the iPhone and iPad Pro. Most of the tech world took a collective yawn! The truth of the matter is most tech pundits have historically shunned companies for creating the sort of fragmentation Apple just did. So it shouldn't be a shock that most of us aren't all that excited.

Whether you agree or disagree with Apple's latest approach of releasing their devices in multiple configurations, there is one rather minor benefit, at least in the case of the 9.7" iPad Pro, and that is that when buying the new smaller device users won't have to pay for a Microsoft Office 365 subscription to use Microsoft’s iOS Office apps! This isn't the case for 'power users' that are looking at the larger iPad Pro. The reason, a simple one, Microsoft's licensing terms and the differentiation of  how they view mobile devices.

Let me explain: Last year Microsoft attempted to distinguish what the company thought defined a mobile vs professional experience, and which devices would typically be used by the consumer on the go. The idea, according to Microsoft, was that the company wanted to offer customers the basic feature set while they are using their mobile device and charge the regular Office 365 licensing fees for those users who were using Office at a desk,in front of a larger 'PC'. Microsoft views mobile apps as more appropriate for light editing, rather than document creation.

“Currently, we are also using screen size to delineate between professional and personal use,” Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for the Office 365 Client Apps and Services team wrote. “Based on our research, we are classifying anything with a screen size of 10.1 inches or less as a true mobile device: You’re probably using it on the go, when it’s not practical to use a larger computing device such as a PC or a Mac. You probably aren’t using a mouse or a keyboard, instead navigating via touch interface. It’s probably not a “pro” category tablet that is used for design or presentations.”

Of course this may only be a minor benefit to most users, it is still a nice perk. Of course you still don't get all the benefits of a full blown Office 365 subscription or the full set of features. But for users that need to edit and view an Office document created elsewhere, it comes in handy.

Uber Launches A New Bug Bounty Program Offers $10k For Bugs

Bug bounty programs are big business these days, with researchers often seeing rewards of thousands of dollars to find bugs in software and security systems. Today we see yet another company joining the fold as Uber has announced that it’s officially launching a “bug bounty” program that will pay independent security researchers thousands of dollars in rewards for finding hackable bugs in its apps and websites.

Uber wants to pay researchers up to $5,000 for finding anything from a minor bug that could deface the company's homepage or expose users’ email addresses and up to $10,000 for more serious and critical bugs that could lead to attackers gaining the ability to fully take over Uber accounts or run malicious code on an Uber production server.

According to Uber the main reason behind the move to open a public bug bounty program comes as a result of the company's very own private program that turned up over 100 bugs — all of which have Uber has said have been fixed. This time the company is going a step further by offering hackers and security researchers not only more money but a new bug bounty “loyalty system” that gives bonuses for repeated bug discoveries. They have also created a “treasure map” for bug bounty hunters designed to guide them toward potential vulnerabilities in the site—mapping out the company’s code to make bug hunting as efficient as possible.

"Even with a team of highly qualified and well trained security experts, you need to be constantly on the look-out for ways to improve," Uber's Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan said in a statement. "This bug bounty program will help ensure that our code is as secure as possible. And our unique loyalty scheme will encourage the security community to become experts when it comes to Uber."

For more information about the program visit https://hackerone.com/uber.

Manually Closing Apps On Your Phone Make Actually Make Your Battery Life Worse

Old habits seem to die hard and there is one bad habit I know that I share with several of my fellow geeks, force closing apps on our smartphones. Unfortunately, for those of using still clinging to this old habit, we now have absolute confirmation that our habit actually does more harm than good.

Over the past week or so, both Apple and Google have confirmed that force closing your apps does absolutely nothing to improve your battery life. In fact, says Hiroshi Lockheimer, the VP of Engineering for Android, it might make things worse.

To put into simpler terms what we are seeing here, and why software developers from both Apple and Google have reached this conclusion, the operating systems for smartphones (and even PCs these days) have become some adept at memory and battery management that they are doing more good by continually running apps than you are by closing them. In more complex terms, both Android and iOS, utilize algorithms to run memory management. These algorithms control each app, the amount of memory allocated to those apps and allow them to sit dormant until they are needed again.

Why this matters you may ask? Think of it as a hot water faucet. Each time you turn it on you need to run more water to get the water hot. Thus you waste a lot of water. Now if you had that water circulating, but not being used, it would be hot instantly and you'd have little to no waste. This is sort of how these memory algorithms work.

These systems will close apps that need to be closed, typically ones that have been sitting dormant for a while or are using more power or memory than they should. They know exactly which ones they can and should 'disable' based on your usage. These algorithms build a profile specific to you as a user and they know when you’re going to need data, or want a refresh, or open an app again.

Apps that are already in memory open quickly, rather than having to fully start again; it’s like waking your computer from sleep rather than rebooting it completely. You’re far, far better off letting the system work for you rather than forcing it to re-open and re-start everything every time. Battery questions aside, it makes your phone slower and less coherent.

So now that we know that, are we really going to stop? Honestly, probably not! I've know about this for a few years now as it has come to my attention through various sources and through several discussions. Still I can't break the habit and honestly even if I did as a high level user I doubt I personally would notice a major improvement in battery life. You however, might see some improvements. These might only be minor, but that last second of battery life can mean a lot in the right circumstance!

My suggestions, if you are really that worried about it and you are really into saving battery is to follow a few of these tricks:

• Battery management - All phones have an option to see where they are using battery power. Learn to use your battery management tool so you can see where your battery life is going or get a freebie that helps you see even more info!
• Shut off that bright screen- Turn down your screen brightness or set it to auto adjust. When you check your battery management you'll likely see that your screen is using most of your battery. 
• Stop sharing your location - Turn off location sharing for apps that don’t need it (which is a good idea regardless).
• Turn off features you don't need - If you’re not using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC turn them off. Why waste power on things you aren't using right?
• Powering saving mode - Use Low Power Mode in iOS and power saving or Doze on Android. Cut back on some of the power your device has and you can shave a little off your usage.

Uber Launches UberEATS In The US But Would You Trust An Uber Driver to Deliver Your Food?

The on-demand market is a hot commodity these days for sure and by now most of us have used services like Uber and Lyft at least once. But how much do you actually trust the people that drive you around? Would you trust them to handle your food? Several new companies, including Uber, are hoping that you will. The company just today announced their UberEATS app is now available within a limited few cities in the US. The announcement, which came via  a blog post today, highlights some of the features of the new standalone app.

For us geeks that are too busy gaming to get out and get our own dinner the new UberEATS app will offer a few options. First you can opt to get regular delivery from a hundred or so restaurants in each service area, with the full menu available for you to pick and choose from. This portion of the service will be available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday, and you can see how long it will take for Uber to get the food to your doorstep within the app (15-20 minutes, 20-30 minutes, etc).

Or, if you want food delivered to you faster—Uber says as fast as 10 minutes or so—you can choose Instant Delivery, which features three to five daily dishes in every city, all displayed in big, clean photos in the app. Instant Delivery is only offered between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during weekdays.

According to Uber the company will feature a separate driver base handling UberEATS deliveries, which doesn’t overlap with the group of regular Uber drivers picking up people in their cars. However drivers can choose to switch between modes freely, by logging into and out of the app. Meaning that these new drivers may indeed simply be the same drivers we see on a regular basis.

So this begs to question, will you really trust an Uber driver to deliver your food? Uber makes no mention of specific details like food handling certification or any food specific training, something that most food handlers (at least in my area) are required to have. I for one may be a bit skeptical!

For you geeks out there that aren't as skeptical as I am the UberEATS App is available today on both iOS and Android and the service will be available in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Uber says it will be rolling out UberEATS in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Seattle and Washington D.C. in the coming weeks.

Win A Trip to Microsoft's Rare Studios to Be The First to Play Sea of Thieves

The Microsoft gaming development team at Rare, yes that is the actual name, has announced a new competition built just for fans (or would be fans since the game isn't out yet) of their latest game Sea of Thieves. With six lucky and the winners being offer the chance at an all-expenses paid trip to the UK studio to play the game before launch. The announcement video is below, while more details follow further down.

For a chance at winning this all-expenses-paid adventure, Microsoft and Rare are asking fans to create something that conveys their excitement for Sea of Thieves, and then share it with the world on social media via an image or video. The more creative and entertaining the entries, the better chance fans will have at winning the contest. This will be based on the judge's very selective and subjective opinions. In fact they have stated their selections will be based on the following three criteria:

• 33.00% - Creativity - you must show something new and different
• 33.00% - Entertainment value - you'll probably need to make them laugh
• 33.00% - Level of excitement for Sea of Thieves - don't be ho-hum about the game!

Once finished, fans must share a link to their image or video with us on Twitter @SeaOfThieves, or on Facebook via Facebook.com/SeaOfThievesGame, including the hashtag #SeaOfThievesContest.
 For a full run-down of the rules, be sure to check out our official rules page here.

There will be 6 prizes total. The prize(s) will be as follows: Each winner will receive a trip (for winner only) to Twycross, UK, for the opportunity to tour Rare Ltd and meet Rare game software developers. Includes:

• Round trip coach airfare from major airport closest to winner's home
• Transportation between airport, hotel, and studio
• Three (3) nights standard hotel accommodations
• Daily meals
• A tour of the Rare Studio

According to GameSpot, Sea of Thieves has been described by Microsoft as "the best game Rare has ever made," and given their rather extensive list of games that may or may not say a lot! The game that was first teased during E3 2015, with the promises to be a first person pirate adventure game with opportunities for exploring jungles, roaming the high seas and enjoy multiplayer naval combat. 

As of yet a release date has not been revealed and Rare has acknowledged on their official site that they have had very specific reasoning for limiting details about the game until now, but hopes this contest will generate buzz and excitement before the release.

Google's Project Fi Cellular Service Now Open to Everyone

Google has officially opened the doors to every that wants to sign-up for their Project Fi cellular service as the search giant has announced they are dropping their invite only requirement to join the program. In addition, those joining the program before April 7th will be offered the deepest discount ever on the Nexus 5X. If you buy the phone through Project Fi and activate it, you can get the normally $349 Nexus 5X for just $199.

Project Fi is Google's first ever attempt at breaking into the MVNO cellular service. It offers users a pre-pay service with no contracts. Services utilize cell towers  rented from Sprint and T-Mobile, switching automatically between whichever gives you the best services at the time. The service then combines all the best features of Google Voice, like visual voicemail, number forwarding, and the ability to send and receive SMS messages from any computer and via the Google Hangouts app.

One major downside, that Google is still apparently working on, is that the service is only available in limited areas and with very limited device compatibility—the Network switching feature means Fi only works on the Nexus 5X, 6, and 6P. The upside is that all calls on Fi are made over Wi-Fi by default if that’s available (and how doesn't have Wi-Fi these days), and then switches to the cellular network when a user moves out of range of a Wi-Fi signal.

Project Fi charges a $20 base fee for unlimited texting and calls, plus $10 per GB of data you use. Fi customers also only pay for the data they use, and then are credited with any data left over. So if you sign up and pay $20 for calls, plus $30 for 3 GB of data but only end up using 2 GB, you’ll get $10 credited back on your account at the end of the month.

For more details checkout the Project Fi home page as well as the Project Fi FAQ

Apple Moves Quickly to Squash Ransomware Concerns

While ransomware may hardly be a new thing, this weekend saw a new first for the malicious software as it for the first time ever has been confirmed as targeting Apple Mac OSX users.

Palo Alto Networks, A security research firm announced Sunday its discovery of what is believed to be the world’s first ransomware that specifically goes after OS X machines. The malicious code dubbed "KeRanger" ransomware, was found wrapped into Transmission, which is a free Mac BitTorrent client.

At this time it is still unclear exactly how the attackers managed to upload a tampered version of Transmission to the application's website. But compromising legitimate applications is a commonly used method. "It’s possible that Transmission's official website was compromised and the files were replaced by re-compiled malicious versions, but we can’t confirm how this infection occurred," Palo Alto Networks wrote on its blog.

The KeRanger malware imposes a 72-hour lockout window unless the victim pay up to unlock their devices. As mentioned the software was loaded to OSX machines unintentionally by users running version 2.90 of the Transmission software. A version that was signed with a legitimate Apple developer's certificate. This allowed the software to bypass one of OSX's security settings as users often set the setting to allow downloads from identified Apple developers. This setting means the person with the infected machine may not ever have seen a warning from Apple's GateKeeper software that the application could be dangerous.

According to reports by Reuters Apple revoked a certificate that allowed the software to be installed on Macs, and Transmission removed the download link from its website noting that any users that downloaded the infected version over the weekend should immediately upgrade to version 2.91 of the software, which was available on its website, and delete the malicious one.

Open Letter to Tim Cook: Privacy Vs. The Illusion of Privacy

Over the past few weeks we have seen a lot of debate over the ongoing fight between Apple, the FBI and the DOJ over a request being made of Apple to help bypass security software on a specific iPhone 5C once used by known terrorists Syed Farook, the man who with his wife shot 36 people and killed 14. By now most of us have taken up our sides and formed our opinions, with many of us ardently supporting our positions.

Just this past week I expressed several thoughts, concerns and questions when I asked why we fear our government, yet embrace corporations? I now realize that I have been looking at this from the wrong position the entire time. No, I do not now support Apple's position over the government's, I just realized that we are focused on the wrong aspects of this case.

I initially thought my question should be: Why is it that we should trust Apple over the government? Or give Apple the power to completely dismiss the government when they are making what appears to be a totally legitimate lawful request? 

I now realize the question we really should be asking is not why should the government want or need access to our data, but why isn't our government fighting for our privacy and limiting the amount of data that companies like Apple collect on us? After all it is the government's job, not Apple's, to protect the public trust. 

Like it or not our government is bound by the Constitution, our laws, Congress and the 

Supreme Court. They are the one's that have true public accountability, not Apple. Apple holds carte blanche on what it decides to do with your data it collects, not the government. Now of course we can argue government over-reach, misuses of information and the government's ability to reach far beyond anything Apple can do to you and of course those are all valid concerns. 

But think of this, Apple has for years collected all this data on you, and can still be compelled to share what it has collected. Double that with their lack of accountability for how they decide to share that data and with whom, and you see my issue!

So if Apple comes out on top in this case all we end up with is the illusion of privacy, not actual privacy. Companies like Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft will still be collecting that data and the government will still have some ability to subpoena what is being collected!

Tim Cook has gone on record stating that, "All that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission. Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk."

Well Mr Cook if you are truly about working for the public interest and working on doing the right thing when it comes to privacy and security then I ask you this: Why does your company continue to collect our personal private data for its unadulterated use by your company? Why is it every iPhone user is so stringently tied to your services, services from which you collect large amounts of personal information? Information that includes everything from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going.

Tim Cook you say say, "Some things are hard, and some things are right and some things are both and this [battle over privacy] is one of those things."  If Apple truly wants to proclaims an ethical duty it has to protect the privacy and security of millions of iPhone users worldwide then why not allow those users to divorce themselves from Apple once they have purchased their devices? Why not make using your services opt-in instead of opt-out?

So yet again I ask!! Why is this so called 'battle' for privacy' not being spearheaded by our government on behalf of us all? And why is it that the focus is not about what our government may access, but what our corporations are collecting on every user out there? 

I don't think we shouldn't be fearful of a government that wants a key to the lock, what we should be fearful of is a company that wants both the lock and key!

'Like' It or Not Facebook Reactions Debuts Today!

While the 'Like' button will always remain an iconic symbol for Facebook users have for years been asking for a little more. Today that wish has been granted with the official launch of Facebook Reactions.

Originally showcased and featured back in October, Facebook's Reaction emojis have no gone live for all users and will allow you to add a little more emotion and feeling to your responses to your friend's posts. The new emojis will feature a few focused reactions such as 'love', 'wow' and sad however what we won't see is that all-becoming dislike button.

To add a reaction, hold down the Like button on mobile or hover over the Like button on desktop to see the reaction image options, then tap either Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry.

Why these choices you may ask? Facebook has said their development team has spent more than a year conducting global research including focus groups and surveys to determine what types of reactions people would want to use most. They also used viewed a vast number of profiles and comments to determine how people are already commenting on posts and the top stickers and emoticons as signals for the types of reactions people are already using to determine which reactions to offer.

Notably, reactions will be available for both individual and business pages — meaning that even though we won't see that dislike button we all want, we will see some possibility of negative reactions to misleading posts and advertisements. This was likely something Facebook was trying to avoid, though they have said they plan to keep an eye on any misuse of reactions. So you may want to avoid over-reacting..to some of those ads, at least for now! 

Celebrate Star Trek's 50th Anniversary With Trek Talks Live Speaker Series

Geeks everywhere are celebrating 50 years of boldly going where no man has gone before and this week CBS Consumer Products has announced a new way to commemorate Star Trek's 50th anniversary. Dubbed Trek Talks, the new speaker series will be a world wide initiative designed to bring Trekkies together for a new and exciting live event program that will explore the impact and influence of Star Trek over its 50-year span.

Trek Talks will be locally produced and hosted by academic and entertainment institutions including colleges and universities, science museums, and pop culture centers and festivals as well as other non-profits and commercial corporations. Each selected organizations (in partnership with CBS) can choose a topic from a group of themes that will cover a broad arrange of our Trekkie favorites that showcase the full scope of Star Trek’s influence or they can develop their own theme.

Themes that selected speakers will cover will include:

• Trek Tech - Examining Star Trek’s impact on the information age
• Our Single World - Envisioning a future multicultural universe
• The Prime Directive - Exploring our universe, ethically
• A Star Trek Society - Addressing our world’s issues for 50 years
• The Final Frontier - Star Trek's 50-year influence on the space industry
• Thinking Boldly - Today’s philosophical issues in Trek’s tomorrow
• A Trek Economy - Evaluating Star Trek's economy to address world issues
• Science of Star Trek - Recognizing Trek's influence on scientific exploration

“Star Trek, reaching beyond pure entertainment, has helped shape our collective perspective,” said Liz Kalodner, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Consumer Products. “From technological advancements to racial and economic equality, Star Trek has broached a broad and varied range of subjects over the years. These Trek Talks will address its impact and provide an entertaining and educational forum to discuss such influence.”

Each participating organization will develop, promote and stage the event during Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary from July 2016 to July 2017. Current organizations participating in the project include NASA, Toronto International Film Festival, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, EMP Museum, and the Canadian Space Agency. Trek Talks is already slated to be staged at significant pop-culture and entertainment events including San Diego Comic-Con in July, the Star Trek Las Vegas convention in August, Star Trek: Mission New York in September, and Destination Star Trek Europe in October.

Star Trek celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016. Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on September 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons -- a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. Launching the careers of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, the series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics, the environment, and more. It spawned five more television series and 13 feature films spanning the course of half a century. 

Beyond its impact on the entertainment landscape, Star Trek has also inspired some of the greatest minds steering the direction of our modern world and sparking the biggest technological advancements of our time such as the cell phone, universal translator, smart watch, tablet, sonogram, and countless other inventions. Those who cite Star Trek as an influence on their lives include Stephen Hawking, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk, and countless others.

To further commemorate Star Trek turning 50 CBS Consumer Products will be hosting a 50th Anniversary Convention to be held in Las Vegas this August 3-7th. Additionally they will be hosting a first ever Star Trek Cruise, hosted by William Shatner and featuring appearances by fan favorites from the franchise will also join the voyage, including Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Picardo, John de Lancie, James Darren, Denise Crosby, Steven Rankin, Vaughn Armstrong and Casey Biggs.

CBS has also confirmed we will see a new Star Trek television series. The news series will launch in early 2017 with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service. The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.


Find Star Trek …

• On the Web: www.StarTrek.com
• On Facebook: Facebook.com/StarTrek
• On Twitter: Twitter.com/StarTrek
• On Instagram: Instagram.com/StarTrek
• On YouTube: YouTube.com/StarTrek
• On Tumblr: StarTrek.Tumblr.com

For more information or to become a partner visit: www.TrekTalks.com

Privacy: Why Do We Fear The Government Yet Embrace Major Corporations?

The recent firestorm around Apple's refusal to help the FBI crack the iPhone belonging to San Bernardino terrorists has certainly raised several questions. Not only about personal privacy and our government's access to our private data, but also about a company's role in protecting that data. For me however, it has raised a different set of questions, mainly the question of why we would trust a multi-national, billion dollar company over our own government that is sworn to protects its citizens.

I've long followed the case and leaked information Edward Snowden has provided the public with. Especially the disclosure of several NSA projects and programs that have for years used several high profile tech companies to conduct surveillance on 'everyday citizens'.

While I do believe there are plenty of nefarious projects out there, and that the government has been increasingly guilty of over-reach the question in my mind that has always remained was how much is it the government and how much is it the tech companies themselves or even the citizens. After-all, we are so willing to give up this information. Why wouldn't they want to take it?

So we now fast forward to Apple's most recent defiance of a court order that is meant to compel them to help the FBI access data on a locked iPhone. The question that is raised, is should Apple work with the FBI to bypass the locks that are in place and if they do, should those tools then be given to law enforcement agencies to use. We won't talk about whether or not Apple can/can't actually achieve this!

This brings me to my question: When did the notion that our government has somehow become a great evil become so entrenched in our brains that we are so blindly willingly to hand over all controls of our data to a company like Apple? Why are so many willingly to believe that they are actually going to act in our best interests over their own?

How is it that we are so willing to allow major corporations with no accountability complete and unfettered access to every aspect of our days lives and total control over our privacy yet we worry so much about our government, with a great deal of accountability and restriction, wanting to access even the most minor of details?

This is after-all a company that has the ability to act with an unfathomable level of impunity. They are shielded behind a TOS, which most users barely understand. We by all rights hand these companies that door, the lock and the key.  Yet we scoff at the government when they act within the full letter of the law to attempt to gain access to any portion of that data.

Why is it that we are so willing to allow major corporations with no accountability complete and unfettered access to every aspect of our days lives and total control over our privacy yet we worry so much about our own government? A government that has to act within the scope of the law and has a great deal of accountability and restriction!

Have we come so far from the days of seeking government oversight, consumer protections, the break ups of monopolies and 'robber barons' that we are now fearing the very entity that we once embraced to save us from these 'Orwellian Giants'? Do we really truly want the keys to the kingdom to reside solely in the hands of corporations that only see the bottom line?

Personally I think not! I think we should really take a good hard look at these companies, especially the ones that want to proclaim themselves above the letter of the law and 'protectors' of overreach by the government. Now this shouldn't mean to say I think the government should have unfettered access to things like encryption keys, user data, or any sort of 'backdoor' programs. In fact the opposite is true! I think our government should be held to even higher scrutiny and standards than it is today. That doesn't mean we should not then scrutinize companies and their motives as well. 

All You Need to Know About Twitter's New Algorithmic Timeline

Sometime change is necessary for companies and their websites to remain relevant to the world and/or to keep the cash flowing. Sometimes those changes are good, most the time they aren't, but almost always they are met with some level of negativity. Hey no one likes to change, especially when they are major shifts to your favorite sites!

Today one of our favorite social media sites Twitter has enacted a major shift in focus. One that has been met with a ton of negativity from users whom have made their opinions well known on the site with hashtags like #RIPTwitter trending for the past few days when rumors of the change first starting going mainstream.

Twitter's new 'algorithmic timeline' feature will display “important” tweets at the top of your news feed, instead of simply displaying the most recent tweets. On the company's blog, Senior Engineering Manager Mike Jahr explained how the new service works, and why Twitter thinks it is something that users will eventually like and want to use. Essentially their reasoning behind this massive change is they feel that by displaying tweets that Twitter thinks you will like best immediately at the top of your news-feed when you log in, you will be more likely to respond to or retweet them, increasing the amount of conversation around those tweets.

To put that into plain English, and to highlight why most Twitter users aren't all that thrilled with the new changes, what Twitter is saying is they are changing your feed so they can select what news they think is most relevant to you and which tweets they want you to see and ultimately engage with first. Basically it comes down to the dollar and their power ability to market sale position and tweets. This gives them more 'pulling power' which in turn means more revenue down the road.

Since they are choosing what is prioritized for you, instead of you just seeing what you want and being able to scroll through your normal feed as you always would, they now have an option to 'prioritize' paid accounts (should they go that route) contributing partners, or more advertisers without them appearing as ads. This shift isn't anything new, in fact is very similar to the way Facebook runs things now days, and well we see how many users hate that!

How Do I Opt-In or Opt-Out?

For now at least, Twitter has said the new timeline feature will be an Opt-In only option and that even after you have tested out and decided for yourself if you want to use it or not you can opt-out. However, we seriously doubt that will last and figure that eventually Twitter will make it go live for everyone. Their choice of phrasing on their blog post explaining the service was odd and seemingly admits it will be 'turned on' for everyone in the coming weeks.

To check it out now, just go into the timeline section of your settings and choose 'Show me the best Tweets first'. We'll be listening to your feedback and making it even better over time. Then we'll be turning on the feature for you in coming weeks — look out for a notification in your timeline.

You can turn the new algorithmic timeline or "Show me the best Tweets first" feature on or off from your account settings page:

On twitter.com:

1. Log in to your account on twitter.com and go to your Account settings page.
2. Under Content, look for Timeline and toggle the box next to Show me the best Tweets first to change the setting.

Twitter for iOS:

1. On your profile, tap the gear icon and select Settings.
2. Tap the account whose settings you’d like to adjust.
3. Under Timeline, tap Timeline personalization.
4. Next to Show me the best Tweets first, tap to turn it off.

Twitter for Android:

1. Tap the overflow icon (3 small dots)
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Timeline.
4. Next to Show me the best Tweets first, uncheck the box to turn it off.

For more details you can view the help center support page and of course if you would like to share your feedback with Twitter you can send them your thoughts, we hope everyone takes the time to! And please feel free to comment below letting us know how you feel about the new changes!

Going to Super Bowl 50? Don't Take Your Drone With You!

As drones have become increasingly popular we have seen more and more regulations aimed at preventing users from flooding the skies. While we have seen them banned in the past from major events, we have never seen a ban set forth as strict as the ones we are seeing for Super Bowl 50!

In a rather unprecedented move the Federal Aviation Administration has banned all drones from flying anywhere within a 32-mile radius of Levi's Stadium as part of a complex and strict set of rules for all air traffic. That's an area that includes all of Silicon Valley, San Jose, Oakland and most of San Francisco.

The ban includes any personal and seemingly commercial use of drones, model aircraft, model rockets, hang gliding, crop dusting and parachuting (of course). Essentially all none approved aviation activities are banned from 2 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. The game coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET.

"With so many drones being sold for recreational use, we want to do everything we can to get the word out that the game is a No Drone Zone," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement.

What does that mean and what happens if the rules are ignored?
FAA regulations state: "The United States government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft, if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat."

That doesn't specifically mean that they will shoot your drone out of the sky, however if you happen to be in compliance with the new drone registration regulations and have your drone registered you may face sever fines if they track the drone back to you. If you aren't in compliance with said regulations you may face even stiffer penalties for not only ignoring the no fly rules but also for ignoring the registration rules.

So it seems your best option here is to simply leave your drones at home! And I should note, we aren't just talking about your unmanned, camera armed, recording machine. We are talking about every for of drone including that pint sized toy you want to buzz around at your tailgate party.

Microsoft Issues Recall For AC Power Adapters For Surface Pro Tablets

Microsoft has issued a recall for close to 2.25 million Microsoft Surface Pro AC power adapters in the U.S. due to the potential risk of fire, shock and overheating. This recall involves AC power cords sold with Microsoft Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 computers before March 15, 2015.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission website Microsoft has received 56 reports of AC cords overheating and emitting flames and five reports of electrical shock to consumers prompting the immediate recall and replacement of those cords that may be affected. The CPSC noted that close to 2.25 million units are impacted in the US with another 190,000 power cords also sold in Canada.

For help identifying the product affected by this recall Microsoft has issued the follow: Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 devices have a black case with the product name on the back of the device toward the bottom. Surface Pro 3 computers have a silver case with “Windows 8 Pro” on the back of the device under the kickstand. This recall also involves accessory power supply units that include an AC power cord sold separately before March 15, 2015. The recalled power cords do not have a 1/8-inch sleeve on the cord on the end that connects to the power supply.

A replacement can be requested through Microsoft's support site. Once ordered, the replacement AC power cord should reach the customer within seven to 10 days, Microsoft said. For more details you may also call Microsoft toll-free at 855-327-7780 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

This recall DOES NOT apply to: AC power cords for Microsoft Surface RT, Microsoft Surface 2, Microsoft Surface 3, Microsoft Surface Pro 3 devices sold after March 15, 2015, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and Microsoft Surface Book  or AC power cords and power supplies for the docking stations for Microsoft Surface Pro, Microsoft Surface Pro 2, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and Microsoft Surface 3

Review: Monster Mobile PowerCard For When You Need A Power Boost On The Go!

Every geek out there has faced the issue of needing a little extra power while on the go, but with all the power pack options out there it is often hard to decide which option best suites your needs. Honestly, there is no one good answer, and if I were to tell you otherwise I'd be lying! However, today we are going to offer one solution that we've recently had the chance to checkout and that is the Monster Mobile PowerCard Portable Battery v2.

Monster does power packs?

When most geeks think of Monster power and power packs are likely the last thing on our minds. In fact most people out there usually think of Monster as a cable supplier, thinking only of their expansive line of audio-related accessories; such as premium audio cables and headphones. However, they do offer a rather extensive line of additional accessories including, memory cards, screen cleaning supplies, portable Bluetooth speakers and yes portable batteries.

While the fact that Monster has power packs may come to a surprise to many, the fact is they actually have had several options available and on the market for some time now. The Monster PowerCard we are checking out today is just one of their newest offerings.

Monster PowerCard v2 At a Glance

The PowerCard is meant to offer users a quick boost of emergency power in an ultra-thin ultra portable package! Measuring just 3.438"L x 2.125"W x 0.25"H the PowerCard is about the size of a credit card, or as you can see from our photo below the size of a pack of Dentyne Ice gum and weighs about the same at only 1.6 oz.. This means it is perfect for guys or gals on the go as it will slip nicely into any shirt or pants pocket or even the smallest purses out there. You also have 5 color options, Cherry Red, Cobalt Blue, Silver, Black and a Lime Green.

According to Monster the PowerCard offers up to 5 hours of emergency power and features what is called, “No Waiting Technology”, which an is auto-sensing charging technology that detects exactly what speed your smartphone or USB device charges at and provides it instantaneously. The power pack offers 1.5 amps for a quicker charge and boasts charging times that are 3x times faster than standard USB chargers.

These numbers are pretty impressive when you consider the PowerCard only offers a 1,650 mAh Li-Polymer battery, a rather small capacity by today's standards for sure, still quite remarkable though when you consider the overall size of the package!

As with most portable battery packs there isn't much to the outside of the casing. You'll find a dedicated power button, microUSB port for charging, full-sized 1.5 amp USB port, and 3 blue lit LEDs. Pressing on the power button once turns on the LEDs to indicate how much juice is left, something we'll get into a bit later, while long pressing initiates the charging process.

Monster PowerCard v2 Our Testing and Review

Getting the basics out of the way we unpackaged our PowerCard and as with most geeks just jumped right in without reading the manual (not that it tells you much!). As per usual right out of the box you need to charge it first, we didn't check the indicator to see how dead it was but I wouldn't rush to the store expecting to get a full charge of emergency power right from the gate!

Aside from a very short manual you'll receive a short microUSB to USB cable for both charging the PowerCard and charging your device. In order to keep things compact the cable is about 5-6" long, if more length is needed then I suggest using your phones own USB cable.

When charging you'll notice the 3 blue LEDs flash and continue to do so until it obtains full charge. The manual says you can expect a full charge from a USB AC power adapter in about 2 hours or less, or from a standard notebook USB port in about 3.5 hours. We originally charged ours for about 30mins to a full charge and then a second time after testing and from what was completely drained it took about 45mins to charge.

Given that the battery only has a 1650 mAh capacity we figured it wouldn't make much sense to try to charge multiple devices, or even a single large capacity device to full charge. So we tested our PowerCard on our Samsung Galaxy S5 with its 2800 mAh battery. Since we figure most geeks are like us and only think to use their back-up power packs when they truly need them the most we decide we'd start charging our phone at around 10% battery, of course we could always just use the Ultra Power Saving Mode, but that just isn't as much fun!

With 10% battery on our Galaxy S5 we let the PowerCard charge for about 20mins. At that time it went totally dead which as first we thought might be due to over heating because it was very hot to the touch. Upon checking it appears as  though we had drained the battery completely. The PowerCard only managed to charge our Galaxy S5 to about 40%, so the actual charge capabilities would appear to be well below the 1650 mAh as advertised.

**Now whether or not the minimal charge was due to the phone being on despite there being no apps running or not we aren't sure at this time. We'd need to run through several charges under a few different scenarios to confirm the best options and how accurate these results are. Either way that is a bit disappointing, but would still be better than nothing in a pinch!**

Monster PowerCard v2 Pricing

The PowerCard starts at $29.95 when purchased directly from Monster. However, they are currently offering a great sale on the Cobalt Blue model at $11.99 (unsure when this ends). Looking around the web it appears as though you can find them pretty regularly for around $15 each, not a bad price for what you get in this small package!

Conclusion
While one could certainly argue that there are several other more budget friendly options out there, and of course for hardcore users there are definitely larger capacity packs that can be had, we were pleasantly surprised by what this little PowerCard could do.

The initial price tag and lower than expected output would definitely hold us back from giving this a strong rating and we didn't really care for the flashing LEDs as a method of checking capacity as it wasn't all that accurate and was a bit confusing. Despite all that we think the Monster PowerCard would make a nice addition to the arsenal, especially if you can snag one on-sale for $11.99. We'd give it a strong B- (or 2.5 stars) mainly because it is so portable and does come from Monster, a highly reputable company.

Apple Recalls Several AC Wall Plug Adapters and Travel Kits Over Shock Risk

Apple has issued a voluntary recall of several AC wall plug adapters that were included with several Macs, along with several Apple World Travel Adapter Kits, included with few iOS devices shipped and sold between 2003 to 2015. A large number of markets are impacted, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Continental Europe, New Zealand and South Korea. Luckily for most US based geeks the current recall doesn't include any parts of North America.

At issue is the possibility that the actual adapters themselves could break open at the casing and causing a 'slight' risk of electrical shock if touched. One could also assume the exposed rronges could also potentially create other risks as well, such as fire, however at this time Apple has only stated there is a risk of shock and that they can confirm at least 12 incidents worldwide.

Apple has stated in their official press release that in “very rare cases,” the two-prong wall plug adapters may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched. Apple's support forum has already seen a few examples of what 'may' occur if the adapters break. One such example is the picture  found in this thread from Apple’s support forum.

Apple is asking customers to stop using affected plug adapters. Customers should visit www.apple.com/support/ac-wallplug-adapter for details about how to exchange the affected adapters for new, redesigned ones.

An affected two-prong plug adapter has either four or five characters or no characters on the inside slot where it attaches to the main Apple power adapter. Visit the program website for more details on how to identify an affected adapter.

Apple noted the recall doesn’t affect Apple AC wall plug adapters made for Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, or any Apple USB power adapters.

Why Bad Earnings For Apple May Mean Good News For You!

Apple's quarterly earnings report may be one of today's biggest headlines and while investors and analysts might be leery of what we may see and what a bad report may hold. For my fellow geeks out there could be a major silver lining in those dark clouds!

There are rumors and speculation abound over what we can expect when Apple reports their fiscal first-quarter earnings later this afternoon, and while many are expecting the tech giant to once again set a new iPhone sales record, some are bracing for a rough year this year. Most major analyst are expecting Apple to see lower sales totals in 2016 and are expecting Apple to post its first year-over-year sales decline for the iPhone since its 2007 launch.

While this might be bad news for some, it could potentially be great news for consumers and geeks alike! With lower than expected sales we could finally see Apple enter into the pricing wars that we have seen other major manufactures face over the past few years. This may mean that we may see Apple slash prices on some of there product lines in order to get more consumers buying and as such added to their ecosystem.

Now of course this is just a bit of speculation, and really all hinges on what we see in this Apple earnings report and what they share in their own advisories and earnings estimates.

However, we have seen Apple roll the dice with a few budget offerings like the iPhone 5c and what is rumored to be a new smaller 'second edition' device like the iPhone 5se. This means we could be seeing Apple finally opening the door to a price war. A war that we can hope will lead to other companies falling inline and either dropping prices to stay competitive and ahead of a slower than expected sales year, or offering even better features or bundles than we have already seen in the past!

For those interested, you can hear the live webcast of Apple's earnings report on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with Safari on iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later or a PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on January 26, 2016 at www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/.

Seagate In-Lab Data Recovery Services Now Offers Cloud-based Data Returns

Anyone who has ever gone through the heartache of facing data recovery knows the process can be a tedious time consuming one. First you have to package up your drives, then ship them off to the labs and finally cross your fingers and hope and pray that they are able to recover your precious data. Then of course there is the waiting game to get your data returned, all the while you face delays which more often than not mean money!

Now days the best way to avoid this hassle is undoubtedly having a great back-up plan! There are plenty of great options out there that are very cost effective, with several actually being free depending on your needs. However, should you still find yourself in need of actual physical data recovery from a dead drive, popular hard drive manufacture Seagate, has for years offered very reliable very cost friendly In-Lab recovery services.

Until recently Seagate only offered the traditional recovery options, which meant submitting your case (details of your drive and data needing recovery), sending in your physical drive and waiting for the data to be recovered and returned. However, now there is a much faster more reliable option. Seagate recently transitioned to a cloud based platform which will offer faster return times as well as access to your recovered data anywhere you are. A real positive for anyone that is on a time crunch or might be worried about lost or misplaced packages.

The new cloud option still offers the same benefits of Seagate's traditional In-Lab recovery services. So you still get the 'no recovery, no cost' option, as well as 24/7 recovery tracking and full data back-up to a new external drive. You'll just see the added benefit of online password protection access to your recovered files. The files will be saved for 60days, with a guarantee of removal afterwards.

For more details checkout Seagate's In-Lab Recovery Services FAQ's

Dying PC Market Means New Things For Intel

With PC sales continuing a downward spiral it should come as no surprise that major chip manufactures are looking to diversify offerings and move into more markets. That certainly is the case for the world's leading chip manufacture, Intel, who relies heavily on the Client Computing Group (CCG) side of their business to generate revenue. The company hopes 2016 will be different, as they are seeking to break their reliance on the PC market and move focus towards markets such as data centers, the Internet of Things and memory, which the company hopes will ultimately provide revenue exceeding that of PCs.

Intel's Data Center Group (DCG), IoT and memory divisions generated 40 percent of the company's revenue in the 2015 financial year. That will grow even more in 2016, said Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel, during a fourth quarter earnings call on Thursday.

Intel is expected to continue to drive innovation in the PC business, but it won't be the sole driver of the company's growth in 2016, Krzanich said. According to his statements, Krzanich believes Intel we see more diversification in the coming years. Stating that, "Our future as a company will increasingly be the virtuous cycle of opportunities in the data center, memory and IoT market segments."

Intel reported revenue of $14.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015, growing by 1 percent year-over-year, while profit was up 1 percent at $3.6 billion. CCG revenue was $8.8 billion, declining by 1 percent. Revenue for DCG in contrast grew 5 percent to $4.3 billion while the revenue of the IoT group was up 6 percent to $625 million.

For the past several years Intel has heeded the writing on the wall and has tried making the move away from a PC market that has seen steady declines as upgrade cycles and demand have shrunk thanks largely to more customers opting for mobile platforms over the traditional desktop or laptop.  

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 71.9 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015, declining by 10.6 percent year-over-year, according to IDC. According to Intel, desktop shipments declined by nine percent in 2015 compared to 2014. Laptop shipments were down 10 percent. The prices of PCs went up in 2015, which helped cut some losses.

So far Intel has unsuccessfully tried to diversify into the smartphone and tablet market. Intel's Atom chips account for only a small segment of the mobile market, finding their way into only a handful of smartphones and tablets that shipped in 2015.

With their acquisition of chipmaker Altera and the new offerings from that collaboration coming soon we may see that change. The first chips that combine Intel and Altera technology will be multi-chip modules, in which Intel's server chips and Altera FPGAs will be combined as separate processing units for servers. Samples of those chips are expected to be released this year with mass production ramping up down the road. Intel says we should also expect to see new chips from the the tandem making their way into cars, robots, the Internet of Things, automation equipment and other products in the near future.

Google Offers Freebies For Using Android Pay With 'Tap 10' Promotion

Google is looking to entice Android smartphone users into using their newest mobile payment platform with a new promotion that could net you some pretty cool freebies including a new Chromecast!

The promotion is a rather straight forward and simple one, in order to get users to start making payments with Android Pay, Google has launched a new promotion called Tap 10. Google is giving out various rewards in hopes of you making 10 mobile payments before the end of February. Included in the prizes are songs, movies and subscriptions from Google Play, and even a Chromecast for those of you that complete all 10 purchases using Android Pay. There are a few requirements you have to meet in order to qualify but those are rather basic.

First the basic details: All payments must be made through the Android Pay app (obviously) and must be completed by 11:59:59 p.m. PT on February 29, 2016. You also have to be over the age of 18 to qualify, sorry kiddos. The App Account Information must also match the information of the participant that completed the act of Tapping, sorry no using someone other persons details to try to earn rewards.

Now the real stuff: Participants who Tap to pay for a purchase at a contactless terminal at an Android Pay merchant may be eligible for a Reward. For a list of major participating store merchants go to: http://www.android.com/pay/; however a participant may Tap to pay for a purchase anywhere Near Field Communication (“NFC”) payments are available. The only time a Reward may be provided to a participant is within the first ten (10) Taps during the Offer Period; once a participant has reached ten (10) Taps, he/she will no longer be eligible to receive a Reward in this Offer. Note: Participants who reach ten (10) Taps may continue to use the App without penalty or issue. All Taps must be at least five (5) minutes apart to be eligible in this Offer.

Rewards will be sent via a promotional code to the Google Account linked to the individual participant’s App Account. Rewards and promotional codes expire at 11:59:59 p.m. PT on March 31, 2016. Unused Rewards after 11:59:59 pm. PT on March 31, 2016 will be forfeited, and no additional compensation will be provided to any participant. Limit one (1) Reward type per participant.  Click here for full rules and details.

So what say you, will this new offer get you out there using Android Pay, or are you still on the fence about mobile payment solutions? Personally I think I might have to add it as an option to my phone even though I don't think I shop at enough locations that accept NFC payments yet.

Microsoft Officially Drops Security Support For Internet Explorer 8, 9, 10

 All good things (or bad depending on your point of view) must come to end and right? This week we will see Microsoft's long planned end of support for older versions of Internet Explorer, meaning that much like users of the company's older operating systems that have been retired, users of the older version of the Internet Explored browser will no longer receive security updates for any un-patched flaws or exploits!

We are at yet another  Microsoft-imposed deadline, which heralds the end of support for outdated software. Next Tuesday will bring the first batch of Microsoft security bulletins for 2016 and it will also mark the end of security support for Internet Explorer versions 8, 9 and 10. Microsoft made the call almost 18 months ago, giving all of their customers and businesses ample time to prepare for the day when those versions of IE, battered by zero-days, exploit kits and targeted attacks, should be retired.

In reality, however, many users out there are either unwilling or unable to comply with these deadlines. This does not mean that we shouldn't take notice and shouldn't take Tuesday’s deadline seriously. In fact even if you aren't using IE on your own machine you should still be aware of the risks as they may potentially put businesses at risks and therefore may put your own personal data at risk as well!

Statistics from a number of sources show us that there is still a significant percentage of web traffic moving through IE. Netmarketshare.com, for example, says that while IE 11 holds more than 25 percent of market share, IE 8, 9 and 10 combined still account for more than 20 percent. Researchers at Duo Security, examining traffic moving through their services, put the percentage a bit higher for IE 9 and 10—almost 36 percent—running on Windows 7, 8, or 8.1.

Given that browsers historically offer hackers a much juicier attack surface than operating systems, folks may want to take Tuesday’s deadline seriously.

“In most cases an attacker will need to already have access to a local network or be able to trick users into opening malicious files as part of a successful attack leveraging Windows XP vulnerabilities,” said Tripwire security researcher Craig Young. “The web browser on the other hand is of course used to constantly process data from potentially untrusted sources leaving users exposed to a wide range of attack.”

Microsoft warns IE users that without action, after January 12, 2016, they will no longer provide security updates or technical support for older versions of Internet Explorer. Noting that security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer. Regular security updates help protect computers from malicious attacks, so upgrading and staying current is important.

For full details on the end of life cycle of Internet Explore and how you can update and protect  own system you can read the Windows lifecycle FAQ sheet to learn more. If you have not yet updated to Internet Explorer you can do so via the Windows Update portion of the control panel or via Microsoft's Download Site.

Lumosity to Refund App Users $2 million Due to Unproven Results

Users of the popular Lumosity "Brain Training" program may soon see a refund as the company has agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over unfounded claims that their set of applications actually worked as advertised.

“Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease," Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “But Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads.”

At the heart of the issue are claims that Lumosity made about their online apps and mobile games and whether or not those games actually impacted a person's ability to learn faster or stave off the effects of intellectual impairment that comes with aging.

In their complaint (PDF) the FTC charged that Lumosity falsely claimed that their dozens of online or mobile games, designed to train specific areas of the brain, would help customers reach their "full potential in every aspect of life," such as in school, at work, and in sports, and that using these apps would protect against dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Among other things, the company also claimed that the training could help customers reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

Under the terms of the settlement (PDF) Lumos Labs, the parent company of Lumosity, was imposed with a $50 million judgement, which will be stayed due to the company's poor financial standings. Instead the company must agree to pay $2 million dollars in damages that the FTC will then issue as refunds to customers that had signed up for the services or in app subscriptions. The order requires the company to notify subscribers who signed up for an auto-renewal plan between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2014 about the FTC action and to provide a means to cancel their subscription.

The agreement will also forbid the company from "making any representation, expressly or by implication" that the product "improves performance in school, at work, or in athletics" or "delays or protects against age-related decline in memory or other cognitive function, including mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease." The settlement also says the company cannot claim that the product "reduces cognitive impairment caused by health conditions, including Turner syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, or side effects of chemotherapy."