AfterDawn: Tech news

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft event: The Surface Pro 4 is here to showcase Windows 10

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 07 Oct 2015 11:17

Microsoft event: The Surface Pro 4 is here to showcase Windows 10 Microsoft has introduced their latest Surface Pro reference tablet, a bigger tablet than its predecessor with high-end guts.

Starting at $899, the Surface Pro 4 is powered by a 6th-generation Skylake Intel Core m3, i5 or i7, 4B, 8GB or 16GB of RAM and Windows 10 Pro.

If you are into gaming, the lower-end device has Intel HD graphics 515, the mid-range tablet has Intel HD graphics 520 and the i7 version has Intel Iris graphics.

The screen is larger than its predecessor, at 12.3-inches, and the Surface Pro 4 has a 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI) PixelTouch display with 10 point multi-touch.

There are stereo mics and speakers with Dolby audio, dual cameras 8MP/5MP and a minimum of 128GB of SSD storage topping out at 1TB, almost unheard of for a tablet. The tablet also has a next-generation Surface Pen, a mini Display Port, a full-sized USB 3.0 port and a microSD slot.

With its decked out specs, the tablet is also relatively light, at 1.69lbs or 1.73lbs.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft event: Display Dock turns your Lumia 950 into a PC

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 07 Oct 2015 10:53

Microsoft event: Display Dock turns your Lumia 950 into a PC Microsoft announced its long-rumored Lumia 950 and 950 XL yesterday, and with the new phones came the Display Dock, a hardware adapter that allows you to convert your phone into a PC.

The adapter lets you connect a monitor, keyboard and PC, and has three ports including a USB Type-C, HDMI and DisplayPort.

You must install the Continuum app on your phone to be able to use it, and the phone will power a Windows 10-esque operating system that runs universal Windows 10 apps rather than a full desktop experience.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft confirms 110 million Windows 10 installs

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 07 Oct 2015 10:27

Microsoft confirms 110 million Windows 10 installs Microsoft has confirmed another milestone for its Windows 10 operating system: 110 million installs since launch in July.

A couple of other numbers the company threw out were the amount of webpages served through the new Microsoft Edge browser, 650 billion, and the amount of questions that have been asked to the voice activated digital assistant Cortana, at one billion.

In its first month of release, Windows 10 saw 75 million installs, so an extra 35 million in the second month is a figure we are sure Microsoft is proud of.

Of course, a significant amount of the installs are likely those with Windows 7 and 8 upgrading for free to the new operating system, so the next few months will be telling as real sales trickle in.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft event: The Lumia 550 is a mid-range device for just $139

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 06 Oct 2015 11:39

Microsoft event: The Lumia 550 is a mid-range device for just $139 In addition to their Lumia 950 and 950 XL flagships, Microsoft also unveiled a new budget device: The Lumia 550.

The new device will replace Microsoft's aging Lumia 640, and the phone will be the company's main seller in developing markets and will compete against the Android-powered Moto G and Moto E in the U.S.

Lumia 550s will have a 4.7-inch 720p display, 1GB RAM, a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 210 and shockingly, a 5MP camera. The 2100 mAh battery should hopefully get you through the day.

Microsoft says the device will launch in December for just $139, although U.S. availability will not be until 2016.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft event: The Lumia 950 XL is the first Windows 10 phablet

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 06 Oct 2015 11:22

Microsoft event: The Lumia 950 XL is the first Windows 10 phablet Two years after Nokia released their Lumia 1520 phablet for Windows Phone, we finally have another flagship phablet for the operating system.

Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 950 and its larger brother the Lumia 950 XL, with similar high-end specs.

The new flagship device will feature Windows 10 Mobile, a 5.7-inch WQHD (1440 x 2560) AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 3, 3GB RAM, a 2.0GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, liquid cooling and a 3340 mAh battery with USB Type-C fast charging support.

As with its smaller brother, the Lumia 950 XL will also have a great camera featuring a 20MP PureView lens, triple LED flash, 4K capture, and "Rich Capture" for intelligent auto pictures.

Just like the 950, the XL also supports Windows Hello biometric scanning and Windows Continuum, which lets you connect the phone to a monitor through a special adapter and also by letting you attach a wireless keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft event: Here is the crazy powerful Lumia 950 flagship

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 06 Oct 2015 10:42

Microsoft event: Here is the crazy powerful Lumia 950 flagship It's been leaked for months, but now it's official: Microsoft has unveiled the Lumia 950 scheduled for release in November.

The new flagship device will feature Windows 10 Mobile and will pack hardware specs that match any other flagship out there.

Microsoft's latest has a 5.2-inch WQHD (1440 x 2560) OLED screen with Gorilla Glass 3, 3GB RAM, a 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor, and Microsoft says it includes liquid cooling, as well, even though it is a bit unclear how that exactly works.

In an effort to compete with the latest Samsung, Apple and Nexus devices, the Lumia 950 will also have a great camera featuring a 20MP PureView lens, triple LED flash, 4K capture, and "Rich Capture" for intelligent auto pictures.

Finally, the phone has 32GB internal storage, USB Type-C fast charging support, and a 3000mAh battery. On the software side, the Lumia 950 also supports Windows Hello biometric scanning and Windows Continuum, which lets you connect the phone to a monitor through a special adapter and also by letting you attach a wireless keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth.

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AfterDawn: News

Russian hacker receives 4.5 years in prison for running botnet

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 06 Oct 2015 10:06

Russian hacker receives 4.5 years in prison for running botnet Dimitry Belorossov has been sentenced to four and a half years in U.S. prison for his part in using the Citadel banking Trojan and for running a botnet.

The accused Russian cyber criminal, who went by the name Rainerfox, plead guilty to conspiring to commit computer fraud.

Belorossov ran a Citadel command and control server and controlled over 7000 victim computers. According to the court docs, the "botnet contained personal information from the infected victim computers, including online banking credentials for US-based financial institutions, credit card information, and other personally identifying information."

While Rainerfox was not accused of building the Trojan, he "provided online assistance with the goal of developing suggested improvements to Citadel, including posting comments on criminal forums on the internet and electronically communicating with other cyber-criminals via email and instant messaging."

Belorossov, who lives in Russia, was picked up while vacationing in Spain and was extradited to the U.S. The young developer/hacker will also have to pay $320,000 in restitution.

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AfterDawn: News

AdBlock was secretly sold this week

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Oct 2015 2:48

AdBlock was secretly sold this week Adblock, the popular ad blocking software for Chrome and Safari has been sold this week, although it is unclear to who.

The extension has over 40 million users, so clearly there was some value there although it is a bit strange that we don't know the amount of the sale, or to whom. When asked, Adblock says the buyer asked to not be named and therefore they could not disclose.

Creator Michael Gundlach will also be leaving the company, with previous director Gabriel Cubbage now taking over under the new owner.

Users are understandably worried about the future of the software given the fact that the buyer could be an advertising company (we have no idea) who will look to cut deals with companies to although their ads through, for example. Most likely, however, the buyer was Adblock Plus.

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AfterDawn: News

T-Mobile data hack exposes 15 million customers

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 Oct 2015 12:21

T-Mobile data hack exposes 15 million customers A data breach at a credit agency has exposed personal data of over 15 million T-Mobile customers, or potential customers, the carrier has warned.

Experian, which processes credit applications on behalf of T-Mobile, has publicly disclosed a security breach detected on Sept 15th, which may affect millions of T-Mobile's customers. The data breach affected a server that contained personal information for consumers who applied for T-Mobile USA postpaid services between Sept. 1, 2013 and Sept. 16, 2015.

While no payment card information or banking information was exposed during the breach, the information that was accessible may put millions of individuals at increased risk of identity theft. The server stored records containing names, addresses, social security number, date of birth, ID information (drivers license, passport numbers etc.) and other information used for T-Mobile's credit assessment.

While the social security numbers and I.D. information was encrypted on the server, Experian has determined that the encryption may have been compromised.

Experian has notified federal and international law enforcement agencies of the hack and is cooperating with the investigation. It is also notifying the individuals who may have been affected and is offering free credit monitoring and identity resolution services for two years through ProtectMyID.

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AfterDawn: News

Which Xbox One holiday bundle should you buy this year?

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 Oct 2015 11:33

Which Xbox One holiday bundle should you buy this year? Microsoft has announced six Xbox One holiday bundles that will go on sale before the end of 2015, here is a quick comparison of what they all offer.

Microsoft has gone a little Bundle crazy this year, but we will only focus on the six detailed in the past week and not previously announced bundles, such as the Halo 5 bundle or the Xbox One Elite bundle. We'll take a look at what's on offer, when they are available (and for pre-order) and what they will cost.

The six new Xbox One bundles announced this week by Microsoft are:

  • Xbox One Rise Of The Tomb Raider Bundle
  • Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle
  • Xbox One The LEGO Movie Videogame Bundle
  • Xbox One Special Edition Gears Of War Bundle
  • Xbox One With Kinect Bundle
  • Xbox One Fallout 4 Bundle
So let's take a look at what comes with each bundle!

Xbox One Rise Of The Tomb Raider Bundle


The Rise of the Tomb Raider bundle will be available starting in November for $399 USD. Here's what you get:
  • Xbox One console with 1TB HDD
  • Full-game download of the highly anticipated Rise of the Tomb Raider
  • The exclusive Tactical Survival Kit Content Pack, which contains a new outfit and weapon skin for Lara
  • Full-game download of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
You can pre-order the bundle now from the Microsoft Store.

Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle


The Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle will be available starting 28 October for $399 USD. Here's what you get:
  • 1TB Xbox One console
  • Xbox One wireless controller with 3.5mm headset jack
  • Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
  • Rare Replay, featuring 30 iconic games from Rare
  • Ori and the Blind Forest full game download
  • Xbox 360 Gears of War collection
You can pre-order it from the Microsoft store now.

Xbox One The LEGO Movie Videogame Bundle



The Xbox One The LEGO Movie Videogame bundle will be available in October for $349 USD. Here's what's included with the bundle:
  • 500GB Xbox One console
  • Xbox One wireless controller with 3.5mm headset jack
  • The LEGO Movie Videogame
It is already available from the Microsoft Store and other outlets.

Xbox One With Kinect Bundle


The Xbox One with Kinect Bundle will be available starting in October for $499 USD. The bundle will include:
  • Xbox One 500GB Console
  • Kinect for Xbox One
  • Full game download of Dance Central Spotlight
  • Full game download of Kinect Sports Rival
  • Full Game Download of Zoo Tycoon
The exact date isn't announced yet but it is available to pre-order from Microsoft already.

Xbox One Special Edition Gears Of War Bundle


The Xbox One Special Edition Gears of War Bundle will be available starting in November for $349 USD. The bundle includes:
  • Xbox One 500GB Cirrus White console and controller
  • Full download of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
  • Superstar Cole multiplayer skin
  • Early access to the Gears of War 4 Beta
While not exclusively part of the bundle, it is worth pointing out that for a limited time, when you play Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on the Xbox Live service, you will also receive the Xbox 360 Gears of War collection playable on Xbox One for free. This bundle is exclusive to Walmart in the United States.

Xbox One Fallout 4 Bundle


The Xbox One Fallout 4 Bundle will be available 10 November for $399 USD. You can already pre-order the bundle today. This what you will get in the bundle:
  • 1TB Xbox One console
  • Xbox One wireless controller with 3.5mm headset jack
  • Fallout 4 full game download
  • Fallout 3 full game download, now playable on Xbox One
  • 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial

For me, the Fallout 4 bundle would appeal the most, but it comes down to personal preferences. Microsoft previously announced a whole bunch of bundles available in multiple territories to cater to different tastes as the holidays approach.

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AfterDawn: News

Facebook makes significant changes to your ability to customize your profile

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Oct 2015 10:49

Facebook makes significant changes to your ability to customize your profile Facebook has made some major updates to their profiles policies this week, allowing videos, temporary profile pics and more.

Reads Facebook's post:

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AfterDawn: News

TiVo unveils 4K-supporting Bolt DVR

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Oct 2015 10:26

TiVo unveils 4K-supporting Bolt DVR TiVo's latest set-top box, the Bolt, is making a play to be your primary streaming device.

The Bolt supports cable and Verizon FiOS, has inputs for an OTA antenna and supports Wi-Fi and Ethernet making it very versatile.

Currently, the box supports 4K video from Netflix and YouTube, and has quite a few popular streaming apps like Amazon Instant Video, Xfinity, Pandora, Spotify and Vudu. Notably missing, however, is Hulu. At least at launch.

"From a hardware perspective, it's about changing and future-proofing the platform, getting 4K and speeding up the speed,"
said Jim Denney, TiVo's vice president of product management and strategy. "From the user standpoint, it's about getting you through your content more quickly and then really being that one-stop shop for all of your content, letting you organize easily as you navigate to it and through it."

New features also include "SkipMode" and "QuickMode," the first of which allows you to skip ads from 20 major channels and the latter of which helps speed up your video by up to 30 percent while correcting the pitch of the audio, allowing you to get through a program quicker (I guess if you are very busy?).

The Bolt with a 500GB HD will cost $299, and 1TB will set you back $399. You get one year free of TiVo with either purchase, but it costs $149 year afterwards.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft accidentally confirms its oft-rumored Lumia 950 and XL models

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Oct 2015 9:57

Microsoft accidentally confirms its oft-rumored Lumia 950 and XL models Microsoft accidentally posted specs for its highly-anticipated Lumia flagships, ahead of any official confirmation.

The Lumia 950 and 950 XL (codenamed Cityman and Talkman) will be Microsoft's Windows 10 reference devices, and there have been various leaks over the past nine months that appear to have been accurate given the new listings.

If you want the 950, you are getting a 5.2-inch WQHD display, Windows 10, 32GB internal storage (with a microSD slot for more) and a 20MP camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and optics. The 950 XL is basically the same, spec wise (from what we can see) except it will have a larger 5.7-inch WQHD display.

Although unlisted, both devices are expected to also have USB Type-C connections, wireless charging, Windows Hello biometric unlocking support, and support for the Surface Pen stylus.

Microsoft has an event set up for October 6th, where we expect to get an official unveiling of the devices and a new Surface tablet, as well.

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AfterDawn: News

HTML5 replacing Flash? BBC is latest to edge away

Written by James Delahunty @ 01 Oct 2015 9:39

HTML5 replacing Flash? BBC is latest to edge away Why is everybody seemingly running with open arms to HTML5, and away from Adobe Flash?

Back in 2007, it was considered a drawback that Apple would snub Adobe's Flash plugin in the browser on its brand new iPhone, and it would later continue to ignore Flash products in future iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe even stated that Apple's decision meant that users were being denied a full web experience, citing the extremely high rate of Flash support on Desktop web browsers and its use on millions of webpages.

It wasn't until 2010 that Steve Jobs explained to customers why Flash won't be supported in Apple's mobile products. Chief among Jobs' concerns were the proprietary nature of Flash, its chequered security track record and its efficiency for video playback. Jobs' favoured the comparably open HTML5 standard to Flash, and the advantage of hardware decoding for H.264 video (which Flash supported by then, but hardware decoding support was inconsistent between sites).

Security concerns stood out for Jobs for good reason. The Adobe Flash plugin for major web browsers has been a consistent target for hackers seeking vulnerabilities as a means to attack web users. New Adobe Flash security flaws are still very common, and it seems Adobe is in a constant race to save the image of Flash.

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AfterDawn: News

Americans to lose $1.5 billion to common scam in 2015, says Microsoft

Written by James Delahunty @ 01 Oct 2015 8:22

Americans to lose $1.5 billion to common scam in 2015, says Microsoft Are you one of the estimated 3.3 million Americans caught up in this common scam this year?

If you haven't been targeted with it, you likely know friends or family who have been. It is simple, but very effective and common enough that Microsoft feels the need to educate the public about it.

It would work something like this: You receive a phone call from an unknown or blocked number, and a polite sounding person on the other end is revealed as an employee of Microsoft, calling to inform you that your PC or other device has been compromised with malicious software. The polite employee then offers to help.

At this point, you may be asked to follow instructions that will either take you deep into your operating system settings, or to a webpage where you can download a client that will allow this nice person to fix your problem for you. The software will allow the other person access to your computer.

After this point however, things will likely take a clearly suspicious turn as you will inevitably be enlightened on the fee you will need to pay for fix the "problem". It would not be uncommon for your device to be locked at this point until you pay the fee, and unfortunately a lot of people do pay up. So many pay up, in fact, that Microsoft predicts that tech support scams of this nature will hit an estimated 3.3 million Americans this year, and generate $1.5 billion for the scammers.

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