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Microsoft's success with their Surface lineup was in doubt right from the beginning. The company was in the midst of failing their mobile platform, and these new tablet devices weren't anything special either.

Gladly Microsoft didn't give up Surface like they did with smartphones, so that we can have some of the best laptop, tablet, and convertible devices around.

The company has been trying to create products that truly fill in the gap between the traditional laptop and the tablet, and their next product might be the one that does it in a way none have even tried.

Market research firm IHS Markit suggests that Microsoft is developing a new type of Surface product that features things like a dual-screen, Windows 10, as well as support for Android apps.

According to a report by Forbes, the device would feature two 9-inch displays, and it would be a foldable, ie. clamshell, design. The Windows 10 planned for the device is a new WCOS (Windows Core OS) version which supports the dual displays.

The specs are said to include a new Intel system-on-a-chip, codename Lakefield, which is built with 10 nm technology. Furthermore this new Surface would include support for iCloud as well as LTE or 5G connectivity.

OLED panels started as a quirky feature mostly on some Samsung Galaxy phones years ago. They provided better blacks and contrast but not really many other advantages compared to LCD displays.

Now years later they've become the de facto display technology for the higher end mobile devices, and for a good reason. They use less power, offer saturated colors, and amazing contrast. So it's only natural that manufacturers are trying to expand them to larger devices as time goes on.

While OLED TVs already exist, they are way beyond regular people's comfortable price range. However, the laptops are already getting more and more OLED displays, and Apple might be soon in that boat too.

According to Korean ETNews, Apple is planning on moving to OLED screens in some of their upcoming Mac products. The iPhone already made the move with iPhone X, and one could expect that iPads are on their way too.

They reason for the move might not be what you think, though. ETNews suggests that Apple has been promising to purchase OLED panels more than it has required due to slowing iPhone sales.

Another possibility is that Apple will turn their entirely iPhone lineup next time around to OLED. Previous XR model didn't feature an OLED screen, and it was a big seller.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates cites the dominance of Android in the mobile space as his greatest mistake in the Redmond firm's history.

Speaking with TechCruch, Gates spoke about the "winner-take-all" markets that exist in the software world, saying that there is only room for one non-Apple operating system. Of course, that operating system is Android, and Gates claims it is worth about $400 billion.

"So, you know, the greatest mistake ever is the whatever mismanagement I engaged in that caused Microsoft not to be what Android is, [meaning] Android is the standard non-Apple phone form platform," Gates told TechCruch.

"That was a natural thing for Microsoft to win."

While Gates did acknowledge that Microsoft is still very much a leader in the software space with assets like Windows and Office performing strongly, he bemoans the fact that Microsoft really messed up in the mobile space, which makes sense given that Windows Mobile precedes Android by many years.

"So this idea that just small differences can magnify themselves doesn't exist for a lot of businesses. You know, if you're a service business, it doesn't exist. But for software platforms, it's absolutely gigantic. And so that's partly where you have the mentality of every night you think, 'Am I screwing this up?' And eventually, we did screw up a super important one."

Rumors have suggested for quite a while that Microsoft is readying up not only a next-generation Xbox, which is undeniable at this point, but in fact two different versions of it.

While Microsoft did reveal some new information about the upcoming Xbox, Project Scarlett as they call it for now, but they didn't touch the subject of multiple devices.

However, according to an interview by Business Insider, there will only be one next-gen Xbox.

This doesn't nullify the previous rumors entirely, even though Xbox boss Phil Spencer jokingly suggests that the first one was the previous genration disc-less Xbox and the second one is Project Scarlett device.

There in fact was a plan to introduce two distinct Project Scarlett devices but that plan has now been scrapped.

These devices were known as codename Anaconda and Lockhart, and they woudld've differed in both performance and price. Anaconda was the proper next-gen console while Lockhart was planned as the slighter improvement over current Xbox One S.

The new move by Microsoft seems to be to offer lower-cost gaming with their new xCloud cloud gaming platform rather than a cheaper next-gen console.

The true love of the geeks, the miniature computer Raspberry Pi, has been upgraded to a new major version. Raspberry Pi 4 Model B changes pretty much everything there was in the previous version - and to the better.

Previous flagship model, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ sold for $35 and the same base price remains for the new model, too. But the components, connectors and everything else have gone through a major revamp.

First of all, the system chip has been updated. Raspberry Pi 4 now uses Cortex-A72 system chip with quadcore architecture, running at 1.5GHz. New chip has built-in H.265 video decoding ability, just to mention one of the perks of the new chip.

Previous Raspberry Pis have shipped either with 512MB or 1GB or RAM, but the new model takes a leap forward here, too. The cheapest option ships with 1GB of RAM, but you can also get a version with either 2GB or 4GB of RAM. Furthermore, the memory tech has been upgraded from previous LPDDR2 to LPDDR4 tech, meaning that the memory is also significantly faster than previously.

A petition doing the rounds seeking the removal of a 'blasphemous' show from Netflix is met with amusement and ridicule.

There have been many such petitions shared around social media that demand streaming services remove content that offers certain groups of people. In that sense, this is nothing new. However, when you want a streaming service to remove a show from their platform, make sure that the show is actually on their platform.

It turns out that the petition - posted by Christian group Return To Order - was demanding that Netflix remove 'Good Omens' from its platform, despite the fact that Good Omens is actually a show on Amazon Prime. At its height the petition gathered about 35,000 signatures, but unfortunately they seem to have now removed it, undoubtedly prompted by the ridicule.

"This is another step to make Satanism appear normal, light and acceptable," the organization noted on its website originally, according to BGR.

"We must show our rejection. Please sign our petition, telling Netflix that we will not stand silent as they destroy the barriers of horror we still have for evil."

A service that cleaned out objectionable material from Hollywood films and streamed them to customers is ordered to pay studios for copyright infringement.

VidAngel would buy physical DVD copies of films and then manually remove sexual content, violence, profanity and other stuff that isn't considered family-friendly. It would then offer the sanitized version of the film for streaming through its online service.

The operators of the website believed the practice was entirely legal under the Family Entertainment And Copyright Act, which provides legal safe haven for tech products and services that are used to censor aspects of films.

However, U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte had previously ruled that VidAngel's service was illegal and ordered the service shut down in December 2016. This only left a jury decision on damages up in the air.

Hollywood heavyweights Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. had requested the jury impose the maxiumum $125 million penalty for illegally streaming 819 separate movies. Meanwhile, the VidAngel defense attorney asked the jury only to impose the minimum $600,000 penalty, arguing that VidAngel CEO Neal Harmon was genuinely under the impression the service was legal under federal law.

Only a couple of days after Facebook and partners announced Libra, a U.S. Senate panel has already scheduled a hearing probing the proposed virtual currency.

Libra is a proposed permissioned blockchain virtual currency backed by Facebook and a wide range of partners that make up the Libra Association. While it doesn't have banks among its members, it does include MasterCard and PayPal.

When the virutal currency (sometimes called cryptocurrency, although it is quite different to Bitcoin and others) was announced by Facebook this week, it was immediately met with concerns over data usage and other things.

Maxine Waters, the U.S. Representative for California's 43rd congressional district, who oversees the House Financial Services Committee, called on Facebook to halt the development of the product. She wanted the U.S. congress and federal regulators to have time to examine the proposal.

Today the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs has scheduled a hearing for July 16, 2019. The hearing is described as, "Examining Facebook's Proposed Digital Currency and Data Privacy Considerations."

While the Banking Committee website says that witnesses will be announced at a later date, Reuters reports that David Marcus, who heads up Facebook's blockchain efforts, will be one of them.

Earlier this week, Samsung raised eyebrows by sharing a video instructing users of its smart TVs to run virus scans on them regularly.

Samsung's smart TVs run on the Linux-based Tizen operating system. We are all familiar with running anti-malware software and even running virus scans on your PCs if we have suspicions. Samsung posted a tweet with an embedded video to its Samsung Support USA account reminding users that the same practice should apply to their televisions.

"Scanning your computer for malware viruses is important to keep it running smoothly. This also is true for your QLED TV if it's connected to Wi-Fi," the tweet reads.

"Prevent malicious software attacks on your TV by scanning for viruses on your TV every few weeks."

An embedded 19-second video then guided users through a process using the remote control to access a sub-menu to activate virus checks. The video and tweet have since been removed by Samsung.

That is likely due to unexpected responses that ranged from users excmlaiming that this is an example of why you shouldn't connect your TV to Wi-Fi at all, to others pointing out that it's pointless advice because the TVs typically come loaded with specialized smart TV-focused McAfee security software that runs in the background.

The proposed age verification system for controlling access to adult entertainment websites (the UK's 'porn block') has reportedly been shelved indefinitely.

With the goal of attempting to protect underage Internet users from adult-oriented content, the UK government has been planning to implement an age verification system. It has already been delayed twice as it faces considerable criticism.

Sky News reports that Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Secretary Jeremy Wright will inform the Parliament that the system has been shelved for now. It was supposed to go into effect on July 15.

According to Sky sources, the issue was bureacratic, rather than technical.

Ever since it was first proposed in 2015 and has proceeded since, it has faced criticism. Understandably, it raised privacy concerns as the habits of Internet users could be tracked. It also had the potential to open people up to blackmail.

On top of that, some in the adult entertainment industry decried the fact that social media platforms like Tumblr or Twitter were to be exempt, meaning the producers of the content would be behind the block while the content could be easily accessible on those platforms.

Apple and Best Buy have announced a partnership to provide Apple-certified repairs for iPhones, iPads etc. at almost 1,000 stores across the United States.

Apple-certified repairs at an Apple store or an authorized service provider are performed by trained experts who use genuine Apple parts. Every repair is backed by Apple. With its partnership with Best Buy and authorized third party service providers, eight out of ten Apple customers will be within 20 minutes of an authorized service provider.

Best Buy's Geek Squad has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians ready to make same-day iPhone repairs or to service other Apple products. Aside from Best Buy, there are over 1,800 third-party Apple authorized service providers in the US.

This will help Apple customers who are located hours away from the closest Apple store.

"At Apple, we're dedicated to providing the best customer service in the world," said Tara Bunch, Apple's vice president of AppleCare.

"If a customer ever needs to repair their products, we want them to feel confident those repairs are done safely and correctly. We're always looking at how we can reliably expand our network of trained technicians and we're excited to partner with every Best Buy store so it's even easier for our customers to find an authorized repair location near them."

YouTube and Universal Music Group are to remaster just under 1,000 music videos with HD picture and improved audio.

YouTube likely houses the largest collection of music videos publicly available. A lot of these music videos are older and were shot and produced for tube televisions. On top of that, some of the audio quality of older music videos lags because a lot were intended for televisions with mono speakers.

From today, over 100 music videos that have been remastered to much higher video and audio quality can be found on YouTube, with the rest of almost 1,000 videos expected to be finished by the end of the year. Every week will see new remastered videos.

They will be available from the same URL as always and will be marked with a "Remastered" label in the description.

Videos that have already been remastered and are available are from artists including titles from Billy Idol, Beastie Boys, Boyz II Men, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Kiss, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, Maroon 5, Meat Loaf, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, The Killers, Tom Petty and more.

Here's an example of a remastered video.

The social media giant has partnered with dozens across industries in its ambitious plans to bring about a global cryptocurrency during the first half of 2020.

Along with partners that include MasterCard and PayPal, it has established the Libra Association, based in Geneva. Banks are curiously not among the listed partners for the Libra Association so far. The association will govern the global Libra cryptocurrency, while at the same time a Facebook subsidiary called Calibra will offer digital wallets.

Digital wallets allow consumers to store, receive and send cryptocurrency units.

Facebook and its partners are aiming the Libra system at both established commerce but also aim to offer financial services to some consumers in the world who previously have had no access to such services. It isn't likely to be an easy ride for Facebook and friends however, as scrutiny immediately followed the announcement of Libra.

Digital rights and privacy activists have raised concerns over how much more private data can be amassed by Facebook as it facilitates payments and transactions around the world. The social media giant has a very spotty record when it comes to the use of user data already.

Huawei has been all over the news recently, thanks to Trump administration blacklisting the company.

It is becoming increasingly hard to be competitive for Huawei if the blacklist goes into full effect and U.S. as well as many European ones can't or won't do business with them.

There's still ways for Huawei to avoid this, and even Trump's Treasury Secretary has noted that Huawei might be cleared off the blacklist if negotiations go appropriately.

However, tech companies are making sure that they'll avoid tariffs as much as possible if Trump and Xi Jinping don't find common ground.

For Huawei tariffs are the least of their problems. Things like not having an operating system (Android) or processors for their smartphones is far greater problem than losing some of the profitability, and they are preparing for that too.

Apple has never really been one to bridge the gap between operating systems, ecosystems, and platforms.

The company's stronghold over things like iMessage are essentially keeping people locked into iOS, although arguments could be made its totally escapable.

However, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, as Apple seems to be more willing to expand some of its services to competing platforms. After all, for example, Apple Music is available on Android and iTunes (later replaced with Apple TV after iTunes was effectively killed) was released earlier this year for LG and Samsung TVs

Now iCloud is making its way to competing operating systems. Apple and Microsoft have become closer partners, and Apple has released iCloud for Windows 10's Microsoft Store.

While you could've been using iCloud on Windows all along, there hasn't been an iCloud app in the Microsoft Store for it.

With the new iCloud app for Windows you can easily sync your data to the cloud using File Explorer. It supports iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, as well as Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, and Bookmarks. For Mail, Contacts, Calendars you'll need Outlook 2016 or later.