News written by Matti Robinson (May, 2015)

Windows 10 has been largely unveiled by Microsoft in endless test versions on Windows Insider Program and to the masses at Build conference. It has however been unclear how much the operating system will cost.

For Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users the cost is zero. Microsoft has already promised a free upgrade for the newer OS versions. For Windows XP and older the price might have just leaked by electronics retailer Newegg, WindowsCentral reports.

The retailer's website reveals Windows 10 Home and Professional versions with $109.99 and $149.99 price tags respectively. The release date is marked as August 31 which isn't entirely in line with previous information on release. It is believed that Microsoft will release Windows 10 in late July.

Windows 10 comes in seven different versions which cover phones, tablets, schools, companies, homes and more.

At Google I/O the Mountain View search giant revealed a new feature on Android M that will ensure you'll use their search no matter what app you are using. The company calls this feature Now on Tap.

Now on Tap is a more integrated version of Google Now. It allows you to search contextual information with one tap. The feature automatically recognizes searchable elements from the display view whether its a movie title in a text message or a point of interest on Twitter app. The AI behind it can also suggests reminders.

Google says that app developers do not have to do anything special in order to add the functionality. It also suggests reminders.Now on Tap works Android-wide on all apps, although it probably searches only text.

The feature is used by pressing and holding the home button and if relevant information is not found the user can search using the Google Now voice search.

CNET has kindly shared a little video from the Google I/O keynote explaining how the feature works.

Google has been among the very first to get very excited about Internet of Things (IoT). Every day items and devices that include internet connectivity and use it to enhance the experience.

That is what Google's three billion dollar Nest is all about. However, Google hasn't really managed to do anything remarkable with IoT. Is it about to change with their new Brillo platform?

Brillo is a new try to conquer homes with smart devices. It's essentially a lite version of Android that only has the simplest of functions and features, including of course Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The communication between Brillo devices and smartphones or cloud services is done with a protocol named Weave.

The platform is naturally compatible with Nest systems but it remains to be seen if it will actually gain some traction among the developers.

Google's one of the biggest announcements at Google I/O was the new photo cloud service that it calls Photos ‐ naturally. The service to replace the mess that is Google+ photos and Picasa offers unlimited storage for free. Can't beat that, right?

Google's offering is very compelling. Photos is said to work on "all devices" and offers storage for personal photos and videos for free. There is no limit in quantity but quality is limited to 16 megapixels in still photos and Full HD in videos.

Google did say that the compression it uses to reduce file size retains the picture quality almost identical. For original pictures Google offers 15 gigabytes of Drive space for free.

Google officially unveiled the operating system update that is currently known as Android M at Google I/O. Even though it doesn't have a full name or a version number yet Google did give specifics about the features.

Android M will be an update that focuses largely on quality, speed, and user experience rather than new functionality. There are however new features but they might not sound flashy to the end user.

Firstly Android M will bring a revamped app permission system. In the new version the permissions are not asked as the user installs the software but instead when they are used. This makes installing apps faster and permission requests more relevant.

Custom Chrome Tabs allows apps to use Chrome browser in a cleaner way. The user will get the app's user interface even in websites that the app opens with Chrome. It's a customized web view that includes all the functionality of Chrome.

One of the most important technological advances in the works is mobile payment. Google has addressed this before with Google Wallet but has now introduced a new feature called Google Pay. In addition to support for fingerprint sensors across Android devices this feature is ready to challenge iPhone and Apple Pay.

If there's anything that Google had to do with their maps it was adding proper offline support for mobile. And that is exactly what they've done at this year's Google I/O. There is a catch though.

Google announced that Maps app is becoming offline friendly with not only the map pictures but also navigation with voice assistance. The app currently only allows to download small areas for offline use and there is no navigation.

The company didn't reveal how the roll out will be happening but it did refer to developing countries a lot which might mean that in the US and Europe the feature might not appear immediately.

In addition to maps the YouTube app will feature offline mode as well. The videos can be downloaded for 48 hours after which they delete themselves. Good news to travelers.

A bug has been found in iOS that allows a certain message to crash your iPhone or iPad. The bug in the messaging app or notifications makes the device freeze when receiving specific Arabic text string in iMessage.

The string shown in the picture crashes the device in such a way that it is unusable until fixed. Luckily there is a simple fix: send another message to the device. You can do this with Siri or from another device.

Since Apple has also acknowledged that the bug exists and suggests using Siri to answer the message. This also unfreezes the device. Apple also recommends to remove the entire conversation.

It seems that the bug is in parsing of the Arabic language or specific text format. Apple has promised a fix to the issue in the next software update. Until then you have to rely on these workarounds.

In a document leaked by 9to5Mac Apple lists the products that will become obsolete (or vintage) in June this year. This means that they will lose their repair support.

Included in the devices are the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS as well as a couple of iMacs and MacBook Pro models. In most markets the status is "obsolete" but in Turkey and in California they are considered "vintage" because of the required support.

The products listed below will enter the new status in June 9, 2015. This means that repair support is no longer offered via Apple retail stores or authorized partners.

In January, Lenovo unveiled its super-light LaVie Z laptop. Weighing only 777 grams or 1.7 lbs its more lightweight than the new MacBook. Now the miracle laptop Lenovo calls the world's lightest 13-incher is available to purchase via Lenovo's website.

On the website there's one version of LaVie Z and one version of its touchscreen-equipped sibling (with Yoga-like hinge) LaVie Z 360. Both of them feature a 13-inch QHD (2650x1440) display, 8 gigabytes of RAM, 256 GB SSD, and a Core i7 processor. LaVie Z is on sale for $1499 (original price $1699) and LaVie Z 360 for $1699 (original price $1849).

When revealing the product Lenovo said that the starting price will be $1299, exactly what the new MacBook starts at. This Core i5 version is yet to be added to the online store but I will provide a much better performance in a lighter body thanks to the Core i5 processor. MacBook however is slimmer and the Core M processor provides a much better battery life.

Microsoft has been unveiling more about its upcoming operating system this past week at Build conference in San Francisco. The company also told to ZDNet that it will be killing off the Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Center was released in 2001 as a full screen media experience for Windows XP. The development halted already in 2009 but the software has been included to this day in Windows 8. Now it seems however that the interface will not be seen on Windows 10.

The software was meant for media consumption of music, video, photos, and TV. It was designed to be intuitive with a remove controller, often provided with the Windows Media Center PCs. Even if the software will not make a return in Windows 10 the functionality largely will surely be in place – if not by Microsoft, by 3rd party developers.

Microsoft is readying its Windows 10 launch this summer and has been promoting its new features this week at its Build conference in San Francisco. According to The Verge the operating system will not be ready for phones quite as soon though.

Windows 10 is an operating system that by large is the same for both mobile devices as well as desktop and laptop computers. Microsoft says that much of the underlying technology is shared by all of the Windows 10 versions. However the phone OS release will have to wait until early fall.

This will also probably mean that the new Lumia hardware powered by the new version of Microsoft's operating system will be released in fall as well. The official word from Microsoft's Joe Belfiore is that phone version will arrive "after PC version". Thus no dates have been revealed as of yet.