Microsoft can’t even give Windows 8 away… or can they?

Posted by David Bernstein

As you may or may not know, Windows 8 has not been a huge success and has been met with resistance by die hard Windows fans who like their start button and start menu. Windows 8 is Microsoft’s operating system designed to work with PCs and tablets but as most of us have found out its better suited for tablets or at least touch screens.

Now it seems that Microsoft may be giving away Windows 8 for free (or very cheap) in what they call “Windows 8 with Bing” in an effort to get more people to use Windows 8 and upgrade from Windows 7. This free version will be very similar to the retail version of Windows 8 but come pre bundled with Microsoft apps and services that they think you would use.

There has been a trend going towards selling services rather than operating systems so this may be a way for Microsoft to get Windows 8 on more devices and make their money on services or applications rather than the OS itself. It may also be a way for Microsoft to compete with cheaper “cloud” based PCs like Google’s Chromebook.

HP sticks it to Windows 8 with new Windows 7 PCs

Posted by Jim Bernstein

If you are even slightly into computers then you know how different Windows 8 is from previous versions of Windows and how it’s been a real struggle for Microsoft to get people to adapt to and embrace it. And if you have used it yourself then you know how frustrating it can be to do things you used to be able to do easily before. Then again there are many people who love the new interface but not nearly as many as Microsoft would like there to be.

Hewlett Packard (HP) is a huge computer manufacturer and sells countless numbers of new computers each year. Now it seems that they are promoting Windows 7 over Windows 8 as a preferred option for new computers calling it a "familiar and intuitive environment" and “back by popular demand.” Of course you will still be able to get a new HP computer that runs Windows 8 but now you will be able to “downgrade” to Windows 7 if that is what you are really after.

HP is most likely doing this to boost PC sales which have lost some serious ground to tablets in the last couple of years. Since Windows 8 is designed to run on tablets its better suited for someone with a touch screen rather than a keyboard and mouse so that is part of the problem for diehard PC users. With Windows support set to continue until 2015 we may see more personal computer manufacturers doing the same thing.

Courts rule against Net Neutrality

Posted by David Bernstein

The Internet is a place that most of us consider to be free and open where we can reach any website out there without having to worry about being cut off or restricted. This was the goal of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Net Neutrality plan which would require internet providers to treat all traffic equally and not pick and choose what traffic goes through and who gets what bandwidth.

A federal appeals court ruled against the FCC and Net Neutrality saying its regulations were overreaching and some say that competition is enough to keep things fair. But supporters of Net Neutrality say that regulation is needed otherwise bandwidth will be sold to the highest bidder and internet providers will be able to discriminate against their competitors and not having it benefits the larger carriers such as Comcast and Verizon giving them more control.

The FCC may try to appeal the ruling since they have the authority to write rules “governing broadband providers’ treatment of Internet traffic” but that may not be enough to get their legislation passed.

YouTube to offer 4k video

Posted by Jim Bernstein

If you have a semi new TV then you know what HD looks like and are familiar with terms like 1080p and 720p in regards to the resolution\definition of the picture. And if you watch YouTube videos you most likely know that most videos have the option to watch in HD assuming the uploader recorded the video in HD to begin with. Most of the time switching to HD makes quite a difference in picture quality but can sometimes cause slower performance and lagging with the video itself.

The latest and greatest video quality standard is called 4k and it offers higher resolution and has 4 times higher resolution than 1080p. YouTube has announced that they will be offering 4k video support for YouTube videos in the near future. But Google will be using their own codec that they have been developing called VP9 which is a royalty free codec and an alternative to the H.265 video codec used by other 4k implementations.

Google has partnered up with other companies such as LG and Sony to help kickoff the VP9 codec and they have 19 partners lined up pledging to support the new V9 codec. Google has said that they are not opposed to supporting the H.26 codec and don’t want to start a codec war. By using this new codec Google says you will not only have better quality video it will also reduce the amount of data needed to stream video by half which will help with the dreaded buffering we are all used to.

NSA malware on over 50,000 computers

Posted by David Bernstein

We all know how big of a problem malware is these days with cyber criminals trying to steal your personal information. And one would think the government is trying to prevent these types of cyber attacks from happening so we can have some sort of peace of mind when it comes to our home computer.

But now there is a new report that the NSA has infected over 50,000 computers with their own malware designed to collect information that can be used for their own purposes… whatever that may be. According to the report the malware was put into systems belonging to telecommunications providers and other companies around the world and sits there unnoticed until it needs to come to life and do its thing. When it’s activated it collects the data its needs and sends it off to the NSA.

Since malware spreads itself to other computers one would think that it may make it onto computers that were not intentionally meant as targets. It would also seem possible that outside agencies or hackers could tap into the data or take advantage of the malware and use it for their own criminal activities.

Windows 7 retail sales have ended

Posted by David Bernstein

If you are looking to upgrade the version of Windows running on your computer to Windows 7 or are looking to build your own Windows 7 computer then you better get your hands on a copy of Windows 7 before they become extinct. Microsoft has announced that they have discontinued distributing retail copies of Windows 7 to retailers in October of this year.

For now there are still many companies like Amazon that have inventory left so you are not completely out of luck. And if you want an OEM version then they will still be available. The good news is that PC manufacturers will still be able to sell new computers with Windows 7 installed since there has not been a cutoff date announced for that yet. And companies with volume licensing agreements will still be able to do new Windows 7 installations.

Some people believe that Microsoft is doing this to try and boot (or force) the sales of Windows 8 to people in need of an operating system upgrade. Windows 8 accounts for around 9% of market share while Windows 7 stands at around 46% and Windows XP is still at 31%. If you are worried about support then you still have some time because mainstream Windows 7 support will end in January 2015 while extended support will expire in January 2020.

Not even your video games are safe from prying eyes

Posted by Jim Bernstein

With all the recent NSA and Edward Snowden news about government spying one would wonder what you can and can’t do in the world of electronics that is safe from "the man". We already know that phone calls and emails are subject to surveillance but it doesn’t end there.

If you are an online video game player then you know how easy it is to hide behind you character and pretend to be something you are not. Most gamers assume that the huge axe wielding character is really a 13 year old boy anyway. But what are the odds that your online fighting buddy is really a terrorist trying to recruit others via a video game?

Now it seems that the US and British governments are spying on our online video games as well with their own characters. Online games such as World of Warcraft and some Microsoft games have been infiltrated with spies trying to gather information on potentially dangerous real life people. The report states that the meeting places and private chat rooms are perfect places for people to plot their real life attacks. Microsoft and World of Warcraft maker Blizzard Entertainment released statements saying they didn’t know of any spies snooping in their online environments. Supposedly there has been a lot of information gathered but who knows for sure if its really useful or helpful.

Next generation USB is faster and the connector fits both ways

Posted by David Bernstein

If you have ever plugged in a USB device (and who hasn’t), you must have at some time fumbled with plugging it in the right direction since the connections look pretty much the same on both sides. But don’t count on using it with existing USB pugs because it won’t fit because it will be smaller than today’s USB plugs and closer to Micro USB size.

There is going to be a complete redesign of the USB Type-C connector for USB 3.1 devices. The new connector will also be able to distribute power to devices without the need for a separate connection like you see in many dual USB devices. The specifications for USB 3.1 include a 10 Gbps data speed which is twice that of USB 3. This will come in handy for today’s HD video playing and large file transfers.

Expect there to be adapters to be able to connect between the cable types. The specifications of the USB 3.1 are expected to be finalized by Summer 2014 so don’t plan on seeing any USB 3.1 devices or cables until after that.