sincity

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Lenovo/ThinkPad%20Yoga%2015/Yoga%2015/Yoga15office-470-75.jpgMicrosoft is introducing a new way for consumers to log into their PCs and authenticate themselves within Windows 10. With Windows Hello, users can log in with a PIN, fingerprint, iris recognition or a face scan. Microsoft's face-scanning feature is more secure than the face scan systems found on Android smartphones today, as it requires a new camera module that is less likely to be fooled by hackers. Unfortunately, what this means is that if you want to use face recognition to log into your favorite workstation, Ultrabook, notebook or tablet, you'll need a PC with Intel's RealSense 3D camera. If your existing machine doesn't come with Intel's camera, like my review unit of the HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 (non-Limited Edition variety), then you can buy an external camera ($99, £63, AU$134) to do the job. The good news is that some Windows 8.1 systems on the market today already ship with a RealSense 3D camera. Hello, face!Once you upgrade to Windows 10 starting July 29, the RealSense 3D cameras on these systems will become activated to work with Windows Hello. Here are the systems that come with Intel's camera module: Dell Inspiron 15 5548Acer Aspire V7 NitroLenovo ThinkPad Yoga 15Asus N551QAsus ROG G771JMAsus X751LDHP Envy 15t TouchLenovo B5030Dell Inspiron 23 7000HP SproutAdditionally, there are a few Japan-only models that are Hello-compatible. If you reside in the Land of the Rising Sun, you can expect to use Windows Hello out of the box with these systems: Fujitsu Esprimo WH77/SLaVie Note Standard NS850/AABLaVie Desk All-in-One DA970/AAB (23-inch)LaVie Hybrid Advance HA850/AASBoth the LaVie Note and LaVie Hybrid Advance systems are available rebranded under the Lenovo name outside of Japan as the Lenovo LaVie Z and Lenovo LaVie Z 360, respectively. Intel's website doesn't indicate that the Lenovo variants come with the RealSense 3D cameras. Windows HelloWindows Hello is part of Microsoft's efforts to make consumer computing more accessible and secure. Business users will still have access to enterprise features, such as TPM, Smart Card and fingerprint scanning. In addition to Windows Hello, Windows 10 will also come with Windows Passport. Passport is part of Microsoft's single sign-on so you don't have to reauthenticate with trusted apps or websites. The goal with Passport and Hello is to bring security features to consumers while at the same reducing friction in adoption. For example, today consumers may choose to bypass using a traditional password for Windows login because it takes time and is too much of a hassle. A scan of a fingerprint, iris or face is less time consuming and requires little extra effort from the user. Both Microsoft and Intel promise that new systems with RealSense 3D will ship this year. Read the latest trends in biometric security http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565676717/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4837429b/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565676717/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4837429b/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565676717/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4837429b/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565676717/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4837429b/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565676717/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4837429b/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4837429b/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/q89M-CPq-kc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowToDeleteLockedFiles/delete_locked_files-470-75.jpgGot an Apple, Mac or iOS tech question? We have the answer. This time we have a reader who wants to know how to get rid of files that he's tossed into his Mac's Trash but can't be deleted because they have "protected" status. We'll show you how to get rid of such files with a few simple steps. QuestionI have a 21-inch iMac and have recently moved some of the files from my backup disc to the trash, but they won't delete. I'm getting a message saying that they are protected. Is their any way to get rid of them? AnswerLocked files in OS X are a way to ensure that important files cannot easily be moved to the Trash and removed from the system. Fortunately, there's an easy way to remedy this. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowToDeleteLockedFiles/Ask-LockedFiles-420-90.jpg Follow these steps to disable file locking: 1. Right-click the file and choose "Get Info." (Or click the file and press Command + I.) 2. Uncheck the "Locked" checkbox. 3. Close the Get Info Panel. You can also skip the warning that appears when emptying the Trash and remove the locked files at the same time by using the keyboard shortcut of Shift-Option while emptying the Trash (this works in OS X 10.1 and later). Got an Apple tech question? Email ask@maclife.com. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565676716/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483742a1/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565676716/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483742a1/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565676716/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483742a1/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565676716/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483742a1/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565676716/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483742a1/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/483742a1/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Lp57HwNbZ2Y

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%2020%20features/windows%2010%2020%20things%20Hero-470-75.jpgIn the build up to the launch of Windows 10 in 12 days, we have produced a series of polls – to be more precise - related to Microsoft's forthcoming operating system. Our first poll was about whether our readers will upgrade to Windows 10 in 2015. Given that the OS will be available for free to a year for people who run genuine versions of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, results turned out to be surprising to say the least. Only two thirds of the respondents in our survey said that they would upgrade to Windows 10 in the five remaining months of 2015. Windows 10 will be free until the 29th of July 2016 and there is pretty much no excuse not to upgrade unless there are a few underlying issues that Microsoft hasn't addressed. There are a number of reasons why you wouldn't want to upgrade to Windows 10. Not having the required license would be one as would the usual apprehension surrounding the launch of a new operating system. Microsoft has confirmed that users will get a month to revert back to Windows 8.1 should they decide to upgrade to Windows 10. More than 3000 TechRadar readers took part in the exercise, all of them UK based. The three other polls still running can be found here, here and here. One random winner will be drawn out for each with a computer (laptop, desktop or tablet) being given out together with a random router. OS showdown: Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1 vs Windows 7 http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565698279/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483692b9/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565698279/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483692b9/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565698279/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483692b9/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565698279/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483692b9/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565698279/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/483692b9/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/483692b9/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/SkvUO42Mk7s

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Wearables/HTC/HTC%20Grip/HTC%20Grip%20hands%20on/P1110035-470-75.JPGEvery tech company and its four-legged subsidiary is looking to get in on the wearables hype train, so it was far from surprising when HC announced the HTC Grip back at Mobile World Congress this year. But today the Taiwanese phone maker has confirmed that the fitness band – which was being created in conjunction with fitness company Under Armour – has been delayed from launch until later on in the year. According to a statement from HTC, the reason for the delay is not one born of production problems, but a decision based in offering a more complete suite of fitness-related products later in the year. Getting a grip on the market"Through our partnership with Under Armour, we have continued to refine our vision and approach to the health and fitness category. Our goal is to offer best-in-class products for our customers and partners," the statement reads. "After extensive wear testing and user feedback, we have decided to align GRIP with the entire product portfolio for health and fitness launching later this year. This will be a state-of-the-art comprehensive portfolio of products for this category powered by UA RECORD. We are excited to launch this new comprehensive product suite and will share further details as we get closer to launch." Given the wearables market is already pumped full of fitness trackers offering comprehensive data on everything from heart rate to REM sleep, as well as standard steps counted and calories burnt, having a comprehensive product lineup will definitely help HTC compete. If you can't wait for the HTC Grip, you might want to check out the Jawbone UP3 http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565657414/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48325389/sc/23/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565657414/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48325389/sc/23/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565657414/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48325389/sc/23/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565657414/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48325389/sc/23/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565657414/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48325389/sc/23/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/48325389/sc/23/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/KNrb2JZCFAU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/DOWNLOADS/video/Kodi/Kodi-1-470-75.jpg 7 essential add-ons for the Kodi media playerhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/video/Kodi/Kodi-1-420-90.jpgThe media player formerly known as XBMC has a lot of hidden talents. At its base level, Kodi is a fantastic media player that has become almost the de-facto media player for many home theatre PCs. It's also the go-to player on a variety of Android-based media players. One thing that very few people explore, however, is the wild world of Kodi add-ons. To be fair, there's often a good reason: an awful lot of add-ons are in poor shape, and often barely work when they work at all. There are some gems in there, however, and it's most definitely worth exploring them. Fusionhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/Fusion-420-90.jpg Before we get to the add-ons, we'll need to walk through adding Fusion Installer, an add-on manager for Kodi. The default Kodi install does not come with a full list of add-ons; instead you get a heavily curated selection of "official" add-ons that misses out on some of the best. Fusion fixes that, giving you full access to a whole suite of add-on repositories. To install Fusion, follow these steps: 1. Fire up Kodi, then go to System->File Manager on the main page. 2. Select Add Source. 3. In the field where it asks you to enter a path for the media location, type in http://fusion.tvaddons.ag 4. You can also enter a name into the field to identify the source (Fusion). 5. Fusion will then be added to your list of sources. 6. Go back to the main page of Kodi, and select System. Click on the Add-ons tab, then select Install from Zip (you may have to click on '..' to navigate up to the top level of the add-ons tree). 7. A list of sources will appear. Select Fusion. Then select start-here. Finally select plugin.program.addoninstaller-1.2.0.zip. (The version number may have changed by the time you read this, of course). 8. A note saying that Fusion is installed and active should briefly flash on screen. In some cases you might have difficulty starting the add-on, but if you close and restart Kodi, it should resolve it. There should be a brief popup saying that it's building a database of add-ons. 9. Now when you click on Programs from the main page of Kodi, Addon Installer should be listed under installed add-ons. Select it, and it will take you to the directory, from which you can select any add-on you'd like – including all the ones listed below. Now to take a look at some of the most polished add-ons available for Kodi! Video add-ons: Genesishttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/Genesis-420-90.jpg Much like the stand-alone application Popcorn Time, Genesis makes us a little queasy from a copyright point of view. It's an app that streams TV and movies from a variety of online sources, not all of which are legit. Its legality aside, however, it is an amazing technical achievement. It provides a very convenient curated list of movies and TV shows, drawn from BitTorrent and direct download cloud drives. From a user perspective, it very easy – just select your sorting criteria (IMDB rating, release date, popularity) or perform an actor or movie search. A list of hits with covers and IMDB info will appear, and you just select the movie or TV show you want. It will show you a list of sources that have that video available. Select the one you want, wait for the buffering period, then watch away. Video add-ons: Navi-Xhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/NaviX-420-90.jpg Where Genesis is a well-ordered video "store", Navi-X revels in glorious user-generated chaos. Users, including you, can create their own playlists of music, movies and photos drawn from various online sources: YouTube, Icefilms, BitTorrent, cloud services and streaming media sites (including major TV channel streams). These playlists can be shared and viewed by other people using Navi-X. The playlists appear as a simple on-screen list of media; select any one to view it. You can right click on any item to add it to your favourites. The most popular lists tend to be on the illegal side ("top movies of 2015"), but there is plenty of legitimate content and really cool user lists to be found as well. It's a strange, chaotic experience, but well worth investigating. Video add-ons: Veetlehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/Veetle-420-90.jpg Veetle is an interesting add-on. In terms of content it's not that great right now, but it's a compelling idea that we hope gains some traction in the future. It draws streams from the Veetle website and is essentially a venue for user-made television channels, complete with advanced schedules and a program guide. It doesn't use a video-on-demand system; all streams are live (so if you miss something you'll have to wait until it streams again). Most of what is streaming right now seems to be television marathons ("all of the Game of Thrones episodes in a row!"), but we could see compelling user content in the future. Video add-ons: 1Channelhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/1channel-420-90.jpg An older streaming media add-on, 1Channel is similar in function to Genesis, though perhaps a little rougher around the edges. It draws media from cloud drives and streams them directly to your stream. It's easy to navigate and use: find what you want to watch, select which source you'd like to stream it from, hope it works (and if it doesn't, try another source). Like Genesis, it's well managed and curated, making it easy to browse through the content available. Music add-ons: SHOUTcast 2http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/Shoutcast-420-90.jpg SHOUTcast 2 is an internet radio add-on, letting you listen to one of thousands of online radio stations right in the Kodi interface. It's very easy to use, although given the raw volume of channels available it can be difficult to find just the right one for you. Thankfully it organises channels by Genre, which makes it a little easier to browse. Program add-ons: SickBeard, CouchPotatohttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Kodi/Sickbeard-420-90.jpg We've previously spoken about how to use programs such as CouchPotato or SickBeard, to automatically download TV shows and movies. SickBeard XBMC and CouchPotato Manager are add-ons that let you control these apps from within the loungeroom-friendly interface of Kodi. You'll still need the apps installed on your PC to use them. You can add new shows or movies, and check and stream your library with these apps, and they do a good job of letting you get to the core functionality of the apps. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565655526/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831d659/sc/23/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565655526/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831d659/sc/23/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565655526/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831d659/sc/23/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565655526/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831d659/sc/23/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565655526/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831d659/sc/23/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4831d659/sc/23/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0PyzxnowQ2g

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/How%20tos/Automation%20Apps/Cover%20Image-470-75.jpgHow to automate repetitive taskshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Automation%20Apps/Cover%20Image-420-90.jpg There are some tasks that you do on a computer that are mundane and repetitive and, unfortunately, they're also often the most important. However, you can turn many of these boring processes into one-click (or tap) affairs by using an automator application. What are automators? Programs that essentially let you build your own mini applications, which string together commands to allow your computer to complete these tasks automatically, with any interaction from you. Building applications? We know it sounds complex, but there are a number of apps out there that have made it as simple as a dragging and dropping action icons, letting you bypass the need for coding skills (or even knowledge of the command line). These automation programs are simply laid out, surprisingly powerful and do everything in their power to make themselves look unintimidating. And the biggest limitation of most will be your ability to come up processes that will be useful to automate. Here's how to get started with the major automation apps on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Windows: AutoHotKeyhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/computing/software/utilities/images/batch_processing_tools/batch_autohotkey-420-90.jpg AutoHotKey is perhaps the most well-known Windows automation program out there and though it began as a platform for shortcut hotkeys, it since developed into something much more full-featured. AutoHotKey is powerful, but it's less user friendly than the other automation apps we've talked about here. There are no user interfaces or menus. Specific commands are instead entered in as code text, then saved as documents that can be run by the app. So even though AutoHotKey is by far the most versatile Windows option, we'd actually suggest another program that's a bit easier to pick up. Windows: Actionshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Automation%20Apps/Actions%20NEW%20IMAGE-420-90.jpg Actions is an application that attempts to bring the same user friendly interface to Windows automation as seen on the other platforms. It uses Java to run automations, so it won't be ideal for every PC user, but for those who are a little intimidated by the level of knowledge required to effectively use code, then Actions is for you. While it's less padded out than the OS X app Automator, Actions still hosts a respectable range of actions and states and can complete a heap of useful tasks. If you want more advanced options that aren't on the prefabricated actions list, you can run manually created scripts as well -- making it limitless with a bit of Java know how. Mac: Automatorhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Automation%20Apps/Automator-420-90.jpg Automator has been around for some time now -- since the beginning of OS X some 15 years ago -- but don't feel disheartened if you haven't come across it before; it's something most people wouldn't even think to look for, unless they work in IT. The thing is, it probably shouldn't be so obscure. For many users, the concept behind Automator will make it feel like it should belong in the 'too hard' basket, but the app's reassuring helper-icon -- a funny little cyclops robot holding a pipe -- accurately reflects how streamlined and user-friendly the application actually is. In our job, one of the most useful processes we have found for Automator is resizing images for the web. Granted, it doesn't really take that long to open an image, crop it and then export it. Though if you multiply that process by 200 -- as you do when uploading for a reasonably successful blog -- and you have many hours of work in front of you. With Automator you can create a desktop app that will resize images into a predefined format and then copy them into a new folder. It's launched simply by dropping the images you want onto a desktop icon. Automator will chew through those 200 images in a minute and you won't have to do a thing. iOS: Workflowhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Automation%20Apps/Workflow-420-90.jpg What's great about automation applications is that they're no longer just limited to desktop platforms. iOS isn't known to host many apps that play nice together -- the integration permissions of the whole system are as strict as a 19th century boarding school -- but the automation app Workflow (combined with iOS 8) seems to be making some headway with this. With a gallery of recommended, importable workflows and the ability to create your own lists of actions as an icon in the app, Workflow is almost as powerful as its desktop counterparts. The first automation that sticks out is the GIF maker, which will first open your camera allowing you to take three photos, from there it will automatically turn them into a GIF and email them to a pre-specified email address. Pretty cool! You can scan QR codes, set reminders for locations -- useful as Siri can't do this yet -- and it will even grab your list of events from the calendar and ask if you would like it to book an Uber ride for your next one. Like Automator, Workflow is arranged with action icons that you drag and drop onto your workflow page, with all the optional input fields available to tweak. It's super simple and works really well across a massive array of apps and system processes already. The best bit is that you can even create shortcut icons for workflows, putting them directly onto your home screen. Android: Taskerhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Automation%20Apps/Tasker-420-90.jpg As great as the iOS app Workflow is, Android's Tasker is better. The open nature of the Android operating system means that Tasker has access to way more commands and can connect them to pretty much any application or system command on the device. For example, it can turn your emails notifications off at night or on the weekends, or open your music app when you plug in your headphones. Tasker is slightly less intuitive than Workflow and it will take longer to get the hang of the fundamentals: Actions, Tasks, Profiles and Scenes. A bit of work can go a long way however, and can even allow you to enjoy features well before they're available elsewhere. Some of the latest most impressive things to hit Google Now (the Android digital assistant) -- like setting reminders for specific locations -- were able to be done on Tasker years ago. And over time, there've been a ton more plugins and contexts added to the application. Because Android has less built-in blockades when it comes to interconnectivity, Tasker isn't the only automation app out there. AutomateIt is a really good alternative if you're new to automation; it has a lot of commands and a much simpler interface. But if you're willing to learn a little, Tasker is astoundingly simple considering the amount of versatility and power it packs. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565659213/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831aa0f/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565659213/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831aa0f/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565659213/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831aa0f/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565659213/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831aa0f/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565659213/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4831aa0f/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4831aa0f/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/fL0MNKhP3Cc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Cover%20Image-470-75.jpgHow to take notes like a prohttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Cover%20Image-420-90.jpg Taking notes isn't like tying a shoelace... there's more than one way to do it. Not only does everyone have a slightly unique way of approaching note taking, but the methods also vary depending on what you're taking notes for. Is there a right way? No -- but that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of great techniques that can make your note-taking more efficient. Taking better notes isn't just for students at school or university either; it's a skill that follows you into the workplace. At TechRadar we're constantly taking notes. Some of us use apps like AudioNote to jot down key points on our phones while recording audio; some of us use iPads with rubber pen-like styluses; some have Bluetooth pens such as the Livescribe 3 Smartpen; some have transcription programs and standalone recorders and some of us still like to, on occasion, use the high-tech ballpoint pen with a plain-old paper notepad. (Image credit: tinyurl.com/TLA36-Notebook-Couch.) Less is morehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Less%20is%20more-420-90.jpg There are a wide variety of tools that will allow you to take notes more efficiently but first, it's worth looking at ways to make the notes you're taking better. For a class or meeting that requires you to process some complex information, the best advice for improved note taking is to take less. Taking effective notes requires a discerning eye to know what details are important to remember in order to explain or outline the topic effectively. This may be hard to do if you don't already have a decent background knowledge of the subject; something you think is a crucial detail may just be context for a smaller point and vice versa. However, actually taking fewer notes initially will help free up some mental capacity to engage with the topic better. If you are worried about missing stuff, take an audio recording of the meeting or lecture and make more comprehensive notes on it later. (Image credits: tinyurl.com/TLA36-ColourfulNotes.) Synthesizehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Synthesize-420-90.jpg After a few encounters with a specific topic, you should be able to pick out what's important. Writing good notes when you're actually in a meeting or presentation (as opposed to returning to a recording later) can save time, but don't attempt to cover everything in detail; fewer notes will allow you to engage more with the content. Writing down topics and subtopics is a good general technique, as this will help you conceptualize different parts of the bigger picture and how they fit together. Doing a mind map, or following what's known as the Cornell Method, will help you synthesize the important information quickly. Under the Cornell Method, you put a vertical line down the page about one third of the way across, creating one small and one large column. The small column on the left is for key words or headings and the bigger column on the right is where you can expand on the important aspects of the topic. (Image credit: tinyurl.com/TLA36-IQmatrix) Pictureshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Pictures-420-90.jpg Draw diagrams, pull images from the web and use colours. A 1,000 word magazine article with no pictures is like a toffee apple without the toffee. Images are interesting, and if you have images that contribute in some way to your notes, you're far more likely to re-read them and be more engaged. Using colours can also be a subtle way to give your notes an added depth and will help you remember how things are organised. Getting a sense of ithttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Getting%20a%20sense%20of%20it-420-90.jpg We have five senses, which means five different types of ways we can learn things. As much as you may think that you're only using your eyes (and maybe your ears) when you write notes, your brain is actually taking in everything that you're doing, and attempting to bind it to what you're learning. So, one of the best pieces of advice for taking notes is to vary your sources. Use videos, text and images, but when possible, try to bring in elements of touch, smell and taste too. It sounds a little silly, but all these types of information are processed in different parts of the brain, and having different knowledge types can creates more triggers for remembering things. (Image credit: tinyurl.com/TLA36-LotsOfNotes.) Note Taking Softwarehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Note%20Taking%20Software-420-90.jpg There're a number of PC and mobile applications available that tap into and expand on these note-taking tips, ranging from simple and clean, single-font typing apps to full subscription word-processing and transcription services. Like many apps, lots of the free and inexpensive options focus on doing one thing right -- which is normally a good way to go. Though, as there's no 'silver bullet' for note taking, it can take quite a bit of versatility to just do notes right. Versatility is a core component of our favourite note-taking platform, Evernote and underpins its longstanding reputation as the best free -- and optional premium subscription -- note taking application out there. If you haven't used Evernote before, we've taken a quick look at some to the ways this app lets you interact with your notes. (Image credit: tinyurl.com/TLA36-IQmatrix) Evernote: Featureshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/cloud_services/Evernote/evernote-high-res-420-90.jpg The note window has a simplified word processing layout with a few added extras, like the ability to attach reminders to specific notes (like to-do-lists) or to view your notes in a presentation mode. It's capable of annotating PDF files directly, attaching important documents to notes and you can record audio without leaving the app. Another major bonus is the web clipper extension, which sits in an easily-accessible location on your browser and can rip information from web pages in either its original format, or as a simplified text-and-images only article. If you're often using the web for research, this feature is a serious time saver. Evernote: Add onshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Note%20Taking/Add%20Ons-420-90.jpg Evernote also has a huge amount of extensions and affiliate apps like Skitch, Penultimate and Scannable. These apps are just a few of the hundreds available, but they'll allow you to expand the power of Evernote even further. If you're a mind mapper, Skitch is a simple application (available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android) that's hard to beat for mixing drawings with small blocks of text. It has all the basics you could want; arrows, text boxes, colours and symbols, and Skitch will also let you import an image or diagram as a background or insert. Penultimate is an iPad note-taking app for those who want the familiarity of handwriting without having to carry notebooks and ballpoint pens. You can download skins that look like you're working in genuine ruled paper notebooks and there's a choice of styles, tailored for different tasks. You'll need to BYO stylus for best effect, though. Lastly, Scannable is an iPhone app that can find a document on a table using your phone's camera, then scan and crop it automatically before letting you export it to wherever you like. The app itself only performs optical character recognition on business cards, but by exporting to Evernote you can do larger documents, leaving you with searchables PDF that live alongside your other notes. Evernotehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/features/Christmas-countdown/evernote-420-90.jpg Evernote, much like traditional pen and paper, is organised via notebooks. Through the ability to search these notebooks using text, and by adding tags to specific notes, you can effectively store and use a thousand-times the amount possible from paper notebooks. The capacity to manage large volumes of notes -- and the versatility to take many different kinds of notes -- gives Evernote a presence that is almost as tangible as (and even more convenient than) an actual notebook. If you're serious about taking killer notes, then Evernote is our pick -- it gets even more powerful as you accumulate more notes and once you've mastered how to use it, there really are very few equivalents. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565684656/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48315fdb/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565684656/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48315fdb/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565684656/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48315fdb/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565684656/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48315fdb/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565684656/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48315fdb/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/48315fdb/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/dIIarUIDP6M

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowtoMakeCustomRingtones/ringtones-hero-FLAT-470-75.jpgEverybody loves to personalize their iPhones with custom ringtones, but Apple doesn't make it obvious how to do so - it's not as simple as assigning one of your songs as a tone. Fortunately, by following this guide, you'll be able to whip up your own custom ringtones in a jiffy without having to resort to additional apps or anything outside of what's built right into iOS 8 and Mac OS X Yosemite. Start the process by opening the sound file you want to set as your ringtone in iTunes on your Mac. You'll need to export a copy of the song and edit it to a suitable length (30 seconds or less), if necessary. You can edit within iTunes and then export, or, if you wish, you can edit with an additional app (such as QuickTime) after exporting. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowtoMakeCustomRingtones/1-EditSongLength-420-90.jpg For this tutorial, we'll do the editing from within iTunes itself. Highlight the song, then hit Command + I to get info. Click on the options tab, and adjust the start and stop times to capture the portion of the song you want as your tone. (Of course, if the sound is already less than 30 seconds, this adjustment is optional.) Once you've adjusted the length, export the edited song by clicking on File > Create New Version > Create AAC version. You must do this even if the file was already in AAC format! (Also, after you've made the copy, be sure to deactivate the start/stop options from the original version of the song so it will play normally the next time you listen to it.) http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowtoMakeCustomRingtones/2-CreateAACVersion-420-90.jpg Locate the newly created AAC version in the finder; you should find it in Music > iTunes > iTunes Media > Music > [artist name] > [album name] > [song name], possibly with a "1" added onto the file name. Copy the file and put it somewhere convenient, such as the desktop, then change its file extension from .m4a to .m4r. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowtoMakeCustomRingtones/4-RenameAsm4r-420-90.jpg Next, drag the file to the Tones folder (Music > iTunes > Tones), then open it by dragging it to iTunes or double-clicking it. Navigate to the Tones section of iTunes (hit Command + 8 for easy access) and you should see the ringtone there. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowtoMakeCustomRingtones/5-PlaceInTonesFolder-420-90.jpg In some cases - usually if your original sound file was in a non-AAC format like MP3 or WAV - the ringtone might not show up in the Tones section of iTunes. If this happens to you, it's best to temporarily delete the original and edited versions of the song from iTunes (highlight each one and press the delete button, but choose to keep the file if you're given the option), and to move the original m4a file out of its designated folder to someplace safe (again, like the desktop). With that done, drag the m4r file to the Tones folder, then drag it to iTunes or double-click it. The ringtone should now show up in the tones section, at which point you can put the original song back in its designated folder (or simply play it) so it will show up in your music library once again. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/MacLifeWebContent/HowtoMakeCustomRingtones/6b-Sync-v2-420-90.jpg Now that you've created a ringtone that's recognized by iTunes, you need to sync it to your iPhone. Connect your iPhone to your Mac, go to the device tab by pressing the button in the upper-left, select the Tones section, then check "Sync Tones" (all tones or selected tones is up to you). When you sync your phone, the ringtones will copy over. Here's how you can try iOS 9 public beta http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565618069/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48301c20/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565618069/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48301c20/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565618069/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48301c20/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565618069/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48301c20/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565618069/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48301c20/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/48301c20/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/YLvCT22Aazg

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20downgrade-470-75.jpgWhat if you downloaded Windows 10 on July 29 and have buyer's remorse after trying out the operating system? Like most purchases, Microsoft is giving you a 30-day purchase window to decide if Windows 10 is right for you. If you find out that you didn't like Windows 10, you can simply rollback to whatever version of Windows that was on your system before you decided to dive head-first into Microsoft's new world. DowngradingThe rollback feature isn't new, and Microsoft had provided this option in early preview builds of Windows 10 to testers in the Windows Insider program. However, the most recent Build 10240 release, which is believed to be the Windows 10 release sent to manufacturers, or the RTM build, comes with language stating that you have a month to downgrade. Preview builds did not have this time stipulation. "This option is only available for a month after you upgrade to Windows 10," Microsoft warns on Build 10240. On my Dell Latitude 12 7000 Series (E7250) Ultrabook review unit, the option to downgrade is found when I clicked on the new Start menu, navigate to Settings and chose the Update and Security option. Within that menu, when I clicked on Recovery in the left navigation pane, I was given three options: Reset this PC, Go back to Windows 8.1 and Advanced startup. Choosing the second option would allow me to go back to the version of Windows on my Latitude prior to my upgrade to Windows 10. Since Dell ships the Latitude 12 with Windows 8.1, this was explicitly stated as the option, but I imagine that if you're upgrading from Windows 7 the option would read "Go back to Windows 7." Resetting the PC would give me a clean installation of Windows 10 on my Latitude. It's a useful option for Insiders who have upgraded through the various builds in the Preview program and want to start their official Windows 10 experience with a fresh copy. So if you're unhappy and you know it, you have approximately a month to time travel to your own happier days on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. The best practice is to have the recovery media that comes with your Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 systems. Newer laptops may not ship with a recovery DVD, but you can create a recovery USB drive with the software tools that the manufacturer preloaded on your PC system. This way, you'll be able to downgrade outside of Microsoft's timeframe. It's unclear if users if users of Windows XP or earlier versions of the operating system will get the option to downgrade. Microsoft has been quiet to date about Windows 10 upgrades for users on older OSes. Windows 10Windows 10 will launch on July 29 to consumers globally. The operating system brings with it new features, such as the Halo-inspired Cortana digital assistant, a new Start experience that combines the familiarity of the Start menu of Windows 7 and the Live Tiles on Windows 8, a new Microsoft Edge browser, more ways to multitask with virtual desktops and snapping, improved support for hybrid and convertible notebooks with Continuum and a new desktop background. If you're upgrading from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade during the first year of launch. On July 29, eligible customers will receive Windows 10 as a free download during the first year of launch, and those customers migrating from Windows 7 or later will be able to continue using Windows 10 with regular updates for the life of their devices. For users who don't qualify for the free during the first year promotion, Windows 10 will cost $119 (£99, €135) for the Home edition and Windows 10 Pro will cost $199. Microsoft has not announced global pricing for Pro. If you paid to purchase Windows 10, refund policies for software vary depending on where you purchased your copy. Microsoft will provide Windows 10 on a rolling update schedule for consumers, meaning that you may not receive your digital download immediately on launch day. As a courtesy to those who have helped test the operating system, Microsoft previously said that Insiders will be among the first to be able to download the new operating system. These are the best Windows 10-ready laptops http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565615836/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482f62da/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565615836/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482f62da/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565615836/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482f62da/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565615836/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482f62da/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565615836/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482f62da/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/482f62da/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ExofBSUoexs

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/windows_logo-470-75.jpgWindows XP users hanging on for dear life are less safe than they've ever been after Microsoft made the already holey security safety net surrounding it even more porous. First reported by Beta News, Microsoft has stopped providing the Malicious Software Removal Tool as well as updates to its Microsoft Security Essentials in the hope that users finally ditch it in favor of Windows 10. There are, of course, plenty of other options open to people that want to carry on with Windows XP as third-party security software can keep it going for even longer and there are governments that have paid millions to keep support. Google has even agreed to keep support for its Chrome browser within Windows XP until at least the end of 2015, despite originally claiming that they would shut down by April 2015. Upgrade to Windows 10Windows XP's official end-of-life date was back in April 2014 when most updates, except the small ones mentioned above, ceased and users were advised to upgrade their systems to a new version to stay secure. The release of Windows 10 on July 29 could sway the last tranche of users that it's high time they upgraded to a new version of Windows and if that doesn't do so then the increasingly insecure nature of the OS will likely push them to do so. HP gives us a very good reason to move away from Windows XP http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565660328/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e1171/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565660328/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e1171/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565660328/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e1171/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565660328/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e1171/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565660328/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e1171/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/482e1171/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/cLYrzwtWv2U

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Windows%208.1%20hands%20on/81forRT/81forRT%20(8)-470-75.jpgWindows RT might be one of Microsoft's biggest failures but that doesn't mean Microsoft won't be blasting it with a new lease of life very soon. That's right. Gabe Aul, head of the company's OS group, revealed on Twitter that Windows 8.1 RT Update 3 is well and truly in the works and will be arriving a little over a month after Windows 10, in September. Aul failed to give any more details beyond the fact the update will be arriving and it's unclear whether the Windows 10 universal apps will worm their way onto the largely abandoned operating system. What it does mean is that Microsoft's Surface RT tablets won't be getting Windows 10 any time soon although in January it did reveal that the update it was working on would include "some of the functionality of Windows 10." Many problemsWindows RT first arrived on Surface tablets and was supposed to be a way for manufacturers to move away from Intel chips and embrace what ARM chips could bring (low cost, versatility, low power consumption etc). Unfortunately a conundrum of problems such as low marketing, poor implementation, failure to attract developers, and high prices meant that it never managed to become at all successful, although anyone that still has one of the slates will be very happy at the latest news. Windows 8.1 RT hands-on review http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565660327/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e117b/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565660327/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e117b/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565660327/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e117b/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565660327/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e117b/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565660327/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482e117b/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/482e117b/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/A6tzDZqLw9E

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%2020%20features/windows%2010%2020%20things%20Hero-470-75.jpgIntroduction and Windows 7It's easy to think that the main difference between Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 and Windows 10 is the interface; whether you have a Start menu or a Start screen, whether you use desktop programs or apps from the Windows Store. But the fundamental changes in security, performance and mobility are just as important. As Windows develops, you gain and lose features, but the underlying operating system platform changes are more significant, if not always as obvious. Windows 7: Faster, smaller, betterWhen it came out in 2008, Windows 7 had new user interface features – a taskbar you could pin icons to, jump lists, aero snap – and plenty of security improvements. But the changes under the hood were also significant. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/w10%20v%20w8%20v%20w7/w7connect-420-90.jpg Windows 7 began the process of making the Windows code base smaller, reversing the trend where new versions of Windows had needed larger and more powerful PCs to run on. That was partly an understanding that Moore's Law was under pressure (as ever-smaller nanometre production processes were going to hit the limit of silicon so small you can't reliably fit in enough electrons – meaning that chips weren't going to keep up the same pace of getting faster and more powerful every year), and partly a response to the popularity of netbooks and the rising interest in mobile. That also meant making features like wireless networking, Bluetooth connections, mobile broadband and hibernation more reliable, and there was even support for touchscreens (as well as pens, for tablet PCs), and accelerometers. But Windows 7 was also the first time Microsoft was able to take advantage of an internal refactoring it had been working on for five years, trying to untangle the interlocking spaghetti of code that makes up the operating system. Called MinWin, this let the team building Windows improve specific pieces of their code without worrying about how they depended on other code, so it was easier to update and add new features. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/w10%20v%20w8%20v%20w7/minwin-420-90.jpg Windows 7 improved battery life by adding power management to the BIOS and even to hardware drivers, so the system could turn off unused devices – like the USB port if nothing was plugged in – and power down parts of the CPU to reduce so-called idle power (how much energy it takes to run a PC when you aren't using it to do anything). This was also when Windows began to stop applications interrupting the CPU, so that it could spend more time in a low-power state between instructions (a setting Chrome continues to change, prioritising performance over power savings). Windows 8.1 and Windows 10Windows 8.1: More than just MetroThe full-screen Start screen, the charm bar and the new smartphone-style apps (known at the time as Metro) that opened in their own windows were the most obvious new features of Windows 8 (and the Metro-only Windows RT version that ran on ARM tablets), and the emphasis on touch alienated plenty of desktop and mouse users. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/w10%20v%20w8%20v%20w7/RTM%20start%20screen-420-90.jpg But Windows 8 was also crammed with support for new hardware, significant security improvements like secure boot, improved biometrics and a new firewall with packet filtering, a Windows To Go option for running Windows straight from a USB stick, improvements to Direct X, and a version of Hyper-V for virtualisation that was almost exactly the same as in Server 2012. It added connected standby – a way of powering down PCs with SoC CPUs so that they could stay connected, so email would be up to date. Windows 8 also improved battery life by measuring the power usage of every single component in a PC and then turning them on or off in the most efficient order. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/w10%20v%20w8%20v%20w7/windows%208.1%20metro%20was%20unpopular-420-90.jpg A year later, Windows 8.1 put the Start button back, let you choose to boot straight to the desktop and made some changes to the Metro interface to let you choose what size window each app appeared in. But it also added a wide range of security and management improvements for business users and built in support for more new hardware, from Miracast for streaming your screen to another device to Wi-Fi direct printing. It also integrated OneDrive (then called SkyDrive) with Explorer. That meant signing in with your Microsoft account didn't just get you apps from the Store and sync your settings to other PCs; it let you see and save files in the cloud, even if you weren't connected. Windows 10: Forward and backWith Windows 10, Microsoft has backed off on many of the ideas of Windows 8. Metro apps – now known as Universal apps – run on the desktop like any other app, but the same app can run on a PC, a Windows 10 phone, Xbox One and even HoloLens. OneDrive integration is far more basic – you can still choose what folders to sync but you no longer see the list of your folders when you're not online. The charm bar is gone, replaced by an iOS-style Action Center for notifications. There's a brand new browser called Edge, that's far more like Chrome, while Internet Explorer is only there for compatibility with older business sites (although IE will likely get a lot of use until Edge gets more of its missing features later this year). http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/w10%20v%20w8%20v%20w7/windows%2010%20brings%20back%20the%20start%20menu-420-90.jpg Again, there are plenty of security improvements, from the Windows Hello system that can log you in with your face or iris as well as your fingerprint, through to two-factor authentication, containers to protect business data, and more ways of using Hyper-V to protect your information. The performance improvements continue, and the new way of installing the OS is faster and more likely to be able to keep your files and software. Windows 10 is even better at cleaning up after installs and updates so it leaves more disk space free. Away from the user interface changes, which are designed to make Windows 10 work well with the mouse and keyboard while still being fairly easy to use on a tablet, many of the improvements build on the developments in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. And the shift to Windows as a Service, where you keep getting new features without getting a new version of Windows, means that these major updates from one release of Windows to the next, might become a thing of the past. Microsoft is hoping that instead of deciding whether to shell out for an upgrade to the next version of Windows based on specific new features, that you'll just keep using a PC with Windows and get the features as they come along. You might also want to check out: 20 smart new and improved features in Windows 10 http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565653229/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482ce2f4/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565653229/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482ce2f4/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565653229/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482ce2f4/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565653229/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482ce2f4/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565653229/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/482ce2f4/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/482ce2f4/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/v2SmolBGb0Y

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Streaming%20Services/Presto/Best%20On%20Presto/Presto%20lead-470-75.jpgPresto has a pretty impressive lineup of content on both its TV and Movies service, but since it launched, the service has been stuck in the standard definition past. But that's all about to change, according to a post on its community forums. As picked up by Gizmodo, the post announces that the team has been testing HD streams, rolling out 1080p programming in a test phase to the service. This means Presto customers could potentially find some HD programming on their device right now. According to Presto, "Our plan is to progressively upgrade our content to be available in HD (where possible) and to also upgrade the enablement of HD on the devices and applications which Presto is currently available on – this may take some time, especially for some devices. We want to be sure our HD service is up and running before we start shouting about it!" Double the dataOf course, all that extra quality doesn't come without its own cost, in this case significantly increased data consumption. Presto says that an HD stream will consume about 3GB per hour, compared to 1.5GB per hour for SD, but on the upside, Telstra home broadband and Foxtel Broadband customers will get the increased quality included as unmetered data. There's also going to be a boost to include 5.1 sound on HD streams, with Presto confirming there will be an announcement coming in the not too distant future. This announcement will probably influence our Presto vs Netflix vs Stan comparison

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Netflix/Netflix%204K%20feature/NetflixBuilding-470-75.jpgEver since Netflix launched in Australia earlier this year, it has given us a pretty useful comparison of the speeds across the country's leading ISPs. Now we have June's figures, things aren't looking so rosy for Telstra customers. Despite ranking last back in April with an average download speed of just 2.23Mbps, that number has dropped even further this month to 2.09Mbps (after a slight increase to 2.32Mbps back in May). Of course, the numbers at the top end of the speed spectrum are hardly worth popping the champagne for, with iiNet this month taking the top spot with an average download speed of 3.36Mbps. Buffering... BufferingThe first time Netflix announced its speed results, Telstra hit back by saying that because of the size of its ADSL customer base, its average speeds were dragged down by those who have truly terrible connection speeds. This obviously makes sense – Telstra has more customers – especially in regional areas – who would be using Netflix on lower quality connections. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/other/AU%20News/Netflix%20speeds%20June%202015-420-90.jpg However, the trend for Telstra to drop so significantly in the past month, where most rivals are improving speeds or staying the same (TPG is the only other exception, dropping from 3.38 to 3.34Mbps), it's a worrying trend for Telstra. With the NBN rollout continuing, there's hope that we'll start to see the average speeds across all ISPs dramatically increase over the next few years. Need something to watch? Check out the 25 best shows on Netflix

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/portable_media_players_and_recorders/Pono/NeilYoung_Pono-470-75.jpgIf Taylor Swift has the power to make corporate giants change their way with an open letter online, why not folk rocker Neil Young? The creator of the high-res PonoPlayer has sent a message to fans on his Facebook page announcing that "Streaming has ended for me. I hope this is ok for my fans", and that he will be removing his catalogue from streaming services immediately. Young points out that his reasons for doing so are less about the money, and more about the quality of the streams, claiming, "I don't need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution." Pono'dAs the creator of the Pono Player, and the FLAC music Ponomusic store, Young's war on MP3s has been ongoing for a few years now, so it's hardly a surprise that he would take this stand against the lower quality of services like Apple Music. Young points out that he's not against the idea of his music appearing on streaming services at all, should they bring the level of quality he is after to his audience: "For me, It's about making and distributing music people can really hear and feel. I stand for that. "When the quality is back, I'll give it another look. Never say never." Currently, Young's music can still be found on Spotify and Apple Music at least, and it will be interesting to see if his tune changes in regards to Tidal's high quality option as well. Digital music quality is getting better all the time, but it can be a bit confusing

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/windows-10-store-hero-470-75.jpgWindows 10 is on the fast track for its final release just weeks before its official release on July 29th. After months to years of teasing and demos, Windows 10 has finally gone gold and is ready to release to manufacturing (RTM). The Verge reports Microsoft has released a new build designated as RTM 10240, which will be making its way into new laptops and PCs from Original Equipment Manufacturers. Don't get too jealous though, because only a very limited number of these machines preloaded with Windows 10 will actually hit the streets on July 29. Tiny test groupFor now, build 10240 is only available to Windows 10 testers, which includes a small group in Microsoft Insiders program. The RTM release also spells the end of Windows 10 preview builds. Gabe Aul, engineering general manager for Microsoft's OS group confirmed that Microsoft will focus on working with Insiders to use, stress, and validate the new operating system's distribution and upgrade processes. As the final version of Windows 10 will release to retail in a digital form later this month, its likely that build 10240 will become outdated come July 29. In the event that were to happen, there very well could be a Day One update for these new machines. Microsoft Office is read for Windows 10 http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565557609/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48276b4a/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565557609/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48276b4a/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565557609/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48276b4a/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565557609/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48276b4a/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565557609/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48276b4a/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/48276b4a/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/81jeRBkgJDE

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/screenshot-on-windows-470-75.jpgKnowing how to take a screenshot within Windows is a must, mostly because you never know when you might need it. It's perfect for snapping a picture of a shocking article headline or a funny chat you had with a friend. But taking snapshots of your computer's display can also be an essential utility if you need to snap photos for record keeping or if you need help troubleshooting a problem with your computer. Thankfully, taking a picture of whatever it is that you'd like to is easy. Much like learning how to copy (CTRL + C) and paste (CTRL + V,) the shortcut to take a screenshot in Windows involves, at most, two keys at a time. Follow our guide and you'll be a quickdraw with these shortcuts in no time. How to take, copy and paste a screenshotIf you're looking to take a screenshot of your entire display and quickly paste a copy of it into the body of an email, for example, the process is simple. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Microsoft/windows-captured-desktop-420-90.jpg Tap PrtScn on your keyboard once to temporarily save an image of your display. This works similarly to copying and pasting text. Simply right click on the mouse and select Paste or, alternatively, hit CTRL + V to paste the image. How to copy and paste a screenshot of only one windowLet's say that you just won a hard-fought match in your favorite video game and you want to share the accomplishment with your friends. One problem, you're watching Teletubbies off to the side. To ensure that no one finds out, make sure that the only program that you want to take a picture of is selected in the taskbar. Then, tap and hold ALT and PrtScn at the same time. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Microsoft/windows-alt-desktop-420-90.jpg Now, only the contents within the specified program's window will be captured. To share the image, right click and select Paste in a text field, or alternatively type the shortcut CTRL + V. How to snap and save a screenshotIf you're looking to take a picture and come back to it at a later time, we have just the keyboard shortcut for you. This feature is currently available only to Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users, but with the arrival of Windows 10, which will be a free upgrade for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users, even more people will be able to access this awesome feature. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Microsoft/windows-key-1-420-90.jpg To take a photo, press and hold the Windows key (it looks like the Microsoft Windows logo) and PrtScn at the same time. You'll receive a confirmation in the form of a brief flash of the screen. By default, you can find the photos you've captured inside a folder called Screenshots that Windows automatically creates within your Pictures folder. How to screenshot with a Windows tabletIf you're using Window 8 on a tablet, you might not have a keyboard on hand. Thankfully, Microsoft made it easy to capture a screenshot of the display without one. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Microsoft/windows-screenshot-folder-420-90.jpg To take a screenshot, press the Windows button on the bezel and the decrease volume button at the same time. You'll know that the picture was captured when the screen quickly flashes. Similar to the PC version, these screenshots will be automatically saved in a folder called Screenshots, which is nested inside the Pictures folder. Whether you intend on taking screenshots on Windows for fun or for work, these shortcuts make saving memories or work-related materials surprisingly easy. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555278/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec68/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555278/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec68/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555278/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec68/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565555278/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec68/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565555278/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec68/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4826ec68/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/uBjl2KiJWmk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Google/purchases%20with%20google-470-75.jpgGoogle is taking on the likes of Amazon with a new buy button, which will be coming to mobile search in just a few weeks times. Announced today, the new feature will let you place orders directly through the sponsored ad results and through Google Search on your mobile, which will expand as you click on it and have a "Buy on Google" button. Your payment information will be stored directly with Google, and the search-giant will also be handling the checkout pages. Currently, this will only be available in the US, and there is no word yet on Google expanding this to other parts of the world. Shop everywhere, anywhereTo start with, Google is partnering up with "a dozen or so" retailers for purchasing directly through Google, with plans to later partner with more. These retailers will be in charge of handling order fulfillment, and users will also be able to search for other items directly through Google that the retailer sells. Google is also partnering with eBay and other retailer apps, so if an ad pops up from one of these retailers, you'll be able to to click on it and be directly taken to the retailer's app to complete the purchase. Google is also improving voice searches on your smartphone when related to shopping, and there are two new cards also being added to Google Now. One of these cards will show product reviews, while the other is named "Price Drop", showing any discounts on a product that you've previously searched for. What do you think is the best app from the past 12 months? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555277/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec70/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555277/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec70/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555277/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec70/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565555277/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec70/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565555277/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec70/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4826ec70/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/71lzrWm_tVE

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/Microsoft/Office%202016%20Windows%20Touch%20and%20Mac/5%20things%20about%20office%20touch/excel%20startup-470-75.jpgWorried Office won't be ready for Windows 10's debut? You have no need to fret as Microsoft has already added the new apps to the OS. The new app store included inside the latest Windows 10 preview build includes the apps for the first time and any users will already be marveling at Word, Excel and PowerPoint in their full Windows 10 glory. Finding the new apps is as simple as downloading build 10166 and then heading to the app store. Once inside there, it's important to note that the apps are actually designated as mobile apps and will be listed as such. Don't worry though because it works perfectly on full screen PCs as well as mobiles. Ready to beat out Google DocsMicrosoft getting Office out there before Windows 10 is released is a wise move considering just how many competitors it has in this same productivity department, like Google Docs, Evernote and a clutch of others. It goes without saying that you should be more patient with the apps as they're still at a reasonably early stage, however, by the time Windows 10 is released in two weeks time they'll be well and truly ready for action. Windows 10: Hands on review http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555276/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec72/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555276/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec72/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555276/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec72/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565555276/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec72/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565555276/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec72/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4826ec72/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0mP6WK80bHI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/hands%20on/10074/10074%20(5)-470-75.jpgWindows 10 preview builds are officially off the menu after Microsoft suspended delivery in advance of the main course being ready. Suspension isn't likely to be long and the company explained that members of the Insider program will instead be given the next builds through the production channels and advised insiders to use Windows Update. "Starting tomorrow, we will also not be delivering any additional ISOs at this point as we really need Insiders to be using, stressing, and validating our distribution and upgrade processes. We'll make ISOs available again in the future, but for now we ask you to upgrade your current build via Windows Update once the next build is released," confirmed Gabe Aul, engineering general manager for Microsoft's OS group in a blog post. RTM very closeGetting down to the specifics, it means that builds 10162 and 10166 are no longer being offered through Windows Update and the ISOs for build 10162 will be completely taken down from the Insider portal with pre-release keys no longer able to activate the builds. By getting rid of the build and ISOs for a while, Microsoft would seem to be very close to the release to manufacturing (RTM) date that will be the last huge milestone before the new OS is ready to go. Windows 10: release date, price, news and features http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555275/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec74/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555275/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec74/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565555275/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec74/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565555275/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec74/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565555275/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826ec74/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4826ec74/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/B9sK26sQ7eA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/Windows%2010%20Jan%202015%20Hands%20On/Photos%20on%20Windows%2010%20and%20phone-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has firmed up its relationship with Facebook after adding deeper integration into the company's newest SDK tool. The new feature makes it easier for developers to design universal apps with Facebook integration from the start and that goes for apps on Windows Phone 8.1, 8.1 and of course Windows 10. Using the new SDK, developers can allow various authorizations such as logging in and out, feed or request dialogs, and use Facebook's Graph to post to a user's feed, upload a photo, like a page or object and create custom stories. Make no bones about it - Microsoft is betting big on the Windows apps that will be omnipresent across PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones and any other device running Windows 10. By adding Facebook integration into the bargain it only goes to bolster their chances in the long run. Cross device identityWindows apps will move to a centralized brand identity and users with a Windows 10 device will recognize them regardless of the device. Further to that, details have already emerged of what Skype will look like across different versions of Windows 10. We're already well on the home straight when it comes to the revolutionary new OS that will be released into the wild by July 29 and with integrations like this one, the future of the new OS looks very bright. Windows 10 hands-on review http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565552772/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826e1e0/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565552772/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826e1e0/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565552772/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826e1e0/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565552772/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826e1e0/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565552772/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4826e1e0/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4826e1e0/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/DrrMFYwz9tQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/windows10missing-470-75.jpgIntroductionhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/windows10missing-420-90.jpg When Terry Myerson announced in January that Windows 10 was going to keep getting new features, he said "we'll deliver new features when they're ready, not waiting for the next major release." But the reverse is also true; the launch of Windows 10 isn't being held up just because some of the features Microsoft has already announced aren't ready yet. On July 29, you'll get Windows 10, but you'll have to wait until the autumn for some of the features that have already been promised (as well as other new features we haven't yet heard about). Some of those are enterprise security features, like the Enterprise Data Protection containers for files, which are waiting on the management tools to set them up, but there are also consumer features that are still in development. Here's what we know will be missing at the end of July. 20 smart new and improved features in Windows 10Edge extensions and extrashttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/edge-420-90.jpg Many of the missing features in Windows 10 are in Microsoft's new Edge browser. The browsing engine is fast and powerful, and Edge is going to be a modern browser that's a lot more like Chrome, but at this point the browser application it's built into is still missing a lot of the features you expect in Internet Explorer and other browsers. You can't pin a site to the taskbar from Edge, for example, and you can't drag a tab from one browser window to another – or drag a file into the browser window if you want to upload it to a site like OneDrive. Those features are both planned for the autumn update of Edge, which will also get the favourite syncing that's currently missing. That should work as it does in Internet Explorer, using your Microsoft account to synchronise your browser favourites, saved web passwords and your browsing history to all the Windows 10 devices you use that account with (including phones), and letting you see tabs that are currently open on those devices. Because that's not ready yet, you have to export your favourites from another browser and then import them. But the big feature that's missing from Edge that we know won't arrive until the autumn is extension support. Edge will never support most of the add-ons and plugins that Internet Explorer does, although it has Flash built in. We know that it will get the same kind of extension model as Chrome, where extensions are written in HTML and JavaScript rather than as binary plugins like ActiveX controls. That will let you right click on a page to translate it or install an ad blocker – which you'll want because Edge isn't going to get the Tracking Protection List feature from IE – or install a password manager (Edge can save your passwords, but it doesn't have the same password creation features as an extension like LastPass). The Edge team says that the extension model will be deliberately similar to the way things work in Chrome, so that should let extension creators move them to Edge pretty quickly, once it supports extensions. OneDrive offlinehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/onedrive-420-90.jpg One of the big losses from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 is the offline functionality in OneDrive. Placeholders that used to let you see not just all the folders in your OneDrive, even if you weren't syncing them to your PC, but even the files and image thumbnails in those folders, were removed from Windows 10. They confused some users (imagine Microsoft executives getting on a plane to find they didn't actually have the PowerPoint file they wanted to edit downloaded), and the image thumbnails took up space. So currently, you have to pick folders to sync in an all or nothing way. The OneDrive team has promised tools that will handle the same scenarios as placeholders, although we don't know how they will work yet – only that we won't get them until the autumn update. Cortana in more countrieshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/cortana-420-90.jpg Windows 10 will be on sale in 190 countries and it will run in 111 different languages, but Cortana won't work in nearly as many languages. Initially, the voice recognition will be limited to a few languages and countries where it will work well – the supported countries in the preview builds have been the United States, China, UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. It's not just a question of Cortana understanding the language, and in particular different dialects and accents (Spanish is spoken in many countries beyond Spain, for instance) – but also it's because Cortana looks up addresses and tracks news stories, so the system needs to have mapping data and a lot of information about a country to be really useful. Microsoft has promised Cortana support for additional countries in the future, but that will come later. Windows 10 Mobilehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/wp10-420-90.jpg Despite sharing much of the code and the universal apps from the small tablet version of Windows 10, the mobile phone version of Windows 10 won't be available at the end of July, or for quite some time after. Again, we expect to see it as an upgrade and on new phones in the autumn. That's partly because carriers will want to test the new OS before they let Microsoft push out upgrades to phones on their network, but also because Microsoft started work on the desktop and tablet versions of Windows 10 first. As Kevin Gallo of Microsoft told us at Build this year: "Our desktop design stabilised first and the phone designs are stabilising later. People think they're on the same cadence, but they're not." Windows 10 for Xboxhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20missing%20features/xbox10-420-90.jpg The version of Windows 10 for Xbox One is also coming this autumn. That will be a system update that adds a new interface that will look reasonably similar to the current Xbox One dashboard but with Cortana. That doesn't merely mean voice control, of course, as Microsoft's console has had this functionality since Xbox 360, but like on your phone and PC, Cortana will show reminders and useful information. The Xbox Home screen will show your recently played games, as well as clips you've recorded and your achievements (and pins move down to the same section, so you just keep scrolling). There's a new guide screen that shows your friends lists, invitations and messages, and notifications (think of it as the Xbox equivalent of the Action Center), and a similar Community section that shows updates from your friends. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565557244/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4824a19e/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565557244/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4824a19e/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565557244/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4824a19e/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565557244/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4824a19e/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565557244/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4824a19e/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4824a19e/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/GVkx47xDhcE

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/grasshopper-470-75.JPGWe recently talked about how to flush your DNS cache on your Mac should you have trouble connecting to certain websites or have other network difficulties within OS X. We now want to take another look at DNS, and specifically see how we can utilize discoveryutil to find additional details out about the DNS caches in OS X. UDNS Cache Statshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/computing%20how%20tos/how%20to%20check%20on%20dns%20cache%20stats/udns-cache-stats-420-90.JPG To see the unicast DNS cache statistics, open up the Terminal app (located in /Applications/Utilities), then enter the following command: sudo discoveryutil udnscachestats After entering this command, press return, and you will be prompted to specify your administrator password. When done, press return again. You'll see something like this: UDNS Cache Stats: Cached 310 of 5000 This stat tells you how many DNS entries are currently cached on your Mac. When flushing the DNS cache, you will see this number drop back down to 0. Note that if you have multiple network interfaces, the stats will be repeated for each of the interfaces on your Mac. MDNS Cache Statshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/computing%20how%20tos/how%20to%20check%20on%20dns%20cache%20stats/mdns-cache-stats-420-90.JPG To see the statics for the multicast DNS cache, simply open the Terminal again, but use this command instead: sudo discoveryutil mdnscachestats Again, you'll see something like this printed to the Terminal screen: MDNS Cache Stats: en0: Cached 169 of 7500 Once again, the command will be repeated for each network interface on your Mac, so you may see multiple entries in the Terminal. If you flush the MDNS cache like we showed last week, then this number will also drop down to 0, letting you know that the cache has been cleared. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565530477/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48239ebd/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565530477/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48239ebd/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234565530477/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48239ebd/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234565530477/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48239ebd/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234565530477/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/48239ebd/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/48239ebd/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8UF02sImFOY

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/hands%20on/10074/10074%20(8)-470-75.jpgWell, now we’re all confused. Dell Inc. CEO Michael Dell said on Twitter that he expects Windows 10 to ship on new Dell PCs on July 29, contradicting a statement made yesterday by Microsoft. Microsoft, which is still testing the highly anticipated operating system, said consumers would have to work with their local retailers to upgrade to Windows 10 after purchasing their new devices, in a blog post. This means that all new units, such as the Dell XPS 15, on which Microsoft demoed Windows 10 during Computex, would not come with Windows 10 preinstalled, but rather users would have to upgrade at retail locations. ContradictionsHowever, a PCWorld staff writer, Twitter user, @MarkHachman, explicitly asked Michael Dell if his company still planned to ship units with the operating system preinstalled, to which Dell replied, “Yes. We are ready.” Dell also provided a link to a Dell Inc. landing page that includes a countdown to when Windows PCs will begin shipping. The start date: July 29 at 4AM Central Time. Interestingly enough, the XPS 15 is not included on the list of select PCs that will come with Windows 10 pre-installed. The XPS 13, however, is included, as are a range of Inspiron laptops and desktops. Why this mattersIf Microsoft has confirmed that manufacturers would be able to preinstall Windows 10 on new devices starting July 29, this would seem to indicate that a final, or "release to manufacturing," build is complete. Unfortunately, this runs counter to what Yusuf Mehdi, Vice President of Windows and Device Marketing, told Bloomberg yesterday. "You will see computers running with Windows 10 installed very soon after the 29th and then in the fall a whole new class of machines for the holidays," Mehdi said. If it’s ready...Whenever the operating system becomes available, it will first be distributed to the 5 million Windows Insiders who participated in the Insider Preview program as a test flight, similar to how preview builds are delivered. This has not yet occured. Microsoft was not immediately available for comment. We will update this piece if we receive a response. Read our Windows 10 preview http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/233194753900/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf87e/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/233194753900/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf87e/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/233194753900/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf87e/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/233194753900/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf87e/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/233194753900/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf87e/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/481cf87e/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/fD1-CUQTxL0

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Firefox/Flash%20disabled-470-75.jpgIn case you were wondering why videos and games on Facebook aren't working in Firefox anymore, the makers of the browser have decided to disable Adobe's Flash Player for the foreseeable future. Mark Schmidt, head of Firefox's support team, announced a new Occupy Flash movement on Twitter stating that the latest version of the browser blocks all versions of Flash Player. However, it won't be a permanent blockade. Schmidt explained Mozilla will re-enable Flash support when Adobe fixes the vulnerabilities currently plaguing the browser plugin. Everyone hates flashThis latest protest against Flash comes as a reaction to a recently discovered vulnerability, which allowed hackers steal more than 400GB of confidential data owned by an Italian security surveillance company named the Hacking Team. Adobe has since released an update on July 8 to patch the critical vulnerability, which potentially allowed attackers to take full control over a computer system. However, the leaked Hacking Team files have also revealed two additional vulnerabilities that Adobe promises to fix in the coming week Despite the quickly released software update, several tech giants including Facebook's new security chief has demanded Adobe to announce an end-of-life date for Flash. What's the best web browser on PC? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/233194753899/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf885/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/233194753899/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf885/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/233194753899/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf885/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/233194753899/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf885/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/233194753899/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/481cf885/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/481cf885/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/NsjO1Rz66EI