Microsoft Support & Discussions
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Today, we released Security Advisory 3046015 to provide guidance to customers in response to the SSL/TLS issue referred to by researchers as “FREAK” (Factoring attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys). Our investigation continues and we’ll take the necessary steps to protect our customers. MSRC Team
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Why the Mac may be poised for double-digit market share
by Guest Ben Bajarin- 0 replies
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As an analyst who studies the PC — personal computer — industry amongst many other categories, it's been fascinating to watch the story of the Mac unfold. At a high-level, based on many of the theories taught in business school, the Mac should not be gaining share against the once dominant Windows PC ecosystem. For the 2000-2010 sales period, the Mac averaged 3% share of annual sales. Now, at the end of 2014 the Mac was just over 6%. It's been steadily rising as a percent of annual PC sales. I genuinely believe Apple's share of the PC industry is poised for growth but what dynamics have changed from a decade where they averaged 3% to a new era where they are poised for…
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Garmin vivosmart fitness tracker review
by Guest Allyson Kazmucha- 0 replies
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Garmin's next generation fitness tracker trades in a year's worth of battery life for notifications, a slimmer design, music controls, and more. For some, the trade-off is a no brainer, for others, not so much. Once you put on the Garmin vivosmart, all you have to do is link it up with the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone. Once that's done you can not only set goals and view activity right on your wrist, you can also view notifications from your iPhone, receive inactive alerts, and lots more. But all of that matters little if the hardware and software don't do their job. The results? Let's find out! The good Interactive notifications right on your wrist Mov…
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Mac Help: Should I buy the non-Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro?
by Guest Peter Cohen- 0 replies
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The 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro (called the "mid-2012" model, in Apple parlance) is still available from Apple. It costs $1,099, making it cheaper than a Retina model by $200. Given that it's an older, slower machine that hasn't been updated since 2012, it's easy to overlook. But it's also the only MacBook that still ships with an optical drive, and that can be appealing for education and travel. That's what prompted this week's Mac Help questions from J.R. Is the standard 13-inch MacBook Pro still worth getting? Inside the standard MacBook Pro is an Intel Core i5 "Ivy Bridge"-era processor — current for the model year, but one major generation behind com…
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The iOS 8 animation curve
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
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Following the introduction of iOS 7 back in June of 2013, a common complaint from developers and designers was that the system animations took to long to complete, making the interface feel slow. Apple sped up the animations before release, but for some they still felt too slow. Since iOS 8 didn't fundamentally change the animations curves, that perception has lingered. Recently, to highlight the difference between pre-iOS 7 and post-iOS 7 animations, Omni developer William Van Hecke made a video: Did a crappy iOS 8 vs. iOS 3 vidja https://t.co/SWmRdURSGq — William Van Hecke (@fet) March 3, 2015 Van Hecke attributes the difference to a change in interruptib…
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GDC 2015: We have your first look at This War of Mine on iPad
by Guest Jonathan Dollison- 0 replies
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Critically acclaimed survival strategy game This War of Mine is making its way from your Mac to iPad soon and we've got your first look at it from GDC 2015. Unlike most games that revolve around a war, This War of Mine focuses on the civilians that are affected by it. Made by 11bit Studios, This War of Mine has you scavenging and trading supplies as you make sure your group is well fed, happy, and healthy in their makeshift shelter. The game features a night and day cycle that add different gameplay elements. For example, during the night you are forced to protect your civilians as they are always being attacked by hostile snipers. The game is set to come out in a…
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It’s way more minimalist and helpful than before. If you want a sneak peek of Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 offerings beyond what the company has already shown off, look no further. Microsoft blog WinBeta has posted video of a preview version of Microsoft’s new Internet browser, called “Spartan.” Check out the video above and you’ll see a rundown of the Spartan browser’s new features, including integration with Microsoft’s voice-enabled assistant, Cortana. (The “Spartan” and “Cortana” names pay homage to Microsoft’s hit video game series Halo.) Cortana can provide Spartan users with more information on a website or give more information than what’s on a part…
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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Get The Hobbit: Battle of The Five Armies from iTunes today
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
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Fans of Peter Jackson's Hobbit film series can now purchase the final installment, The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies, from the iTunes Store. The digital release comes a full three weeks before the movie's March 24 release on DVD and Blu-ray. The Battle of The Five Armies is the final installment in Peter Jackson's film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. It follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins and a company of dwarves as they try to reclaim the dwarves' home of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. Anyone who pre-ordered the movie should find it available to watch in their library on the Mac, iOS device, or Apple TV. There are a number of iTunes Extras included i…
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GSMA splits Best Smartphone award between iPhone 6, LG G3 at MWC 2015
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
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GSMA, the group behind Mobile World Congress, has handed out their Global Mobile awards for the 2015 show. Winners this year include Apple, LG, Motorola, and Microsoft. The award for Best Smartphone this year was split, taken home both by the iPhone 6 and the LG G3 both beating out last year's winner, HTC. The iPhone 6 was praised for its larger size over past models, as well as its improvements in design and specifications. From the judges: "With all round improvements, from designs, to specs, to functionality yet remaining true to the core this proposition offers unparalleled performance and unmatched consumer success". Other winners included Motorol…
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SXSW updates iPhone app for 2015, festival will once again use iBeacons
by Guest John Callaham- 0 replies
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The South By Southwest (SXSW) festival will once again be using iBeacons during the popular event in Austin, Texas, Attendees will be able to interact with the iBeacons through the newly updated and official SXSW Go app. SXSW used iBeacons for the 2014 festival and this year will see over 1,000 of them deployed during the event. The Next Web says: When an attendee checks in with the app, the beacons will let them know what's happening nearby and who else has arrived recently. The idea is make to networking at the massive event that little bit easier. The app also features attendee matching to hook up like-minded visitors, the ability to connect to Facebo…
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Why the Apple Watch Edition exists
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
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The Apple Watch Edition has dominated conversations about the company's upcoming wearable. And that might just be the point. The Apple Watch Edition has been surprisingly controversial. "Not Apple-like" has been a repeated charge, as has "betrayal of the ideals of affordable luxury." Typically, Apple makes a standard iPhone or Mac, and leaves the bedazzling to the aftermarket. Not so with the Apple Watch Edition: From the start, Apple senior vice president of design Jony Ive and newly official collaborator (and long-time watch designer) Marc Newson have set at least part of their Apple Watch sights on the high-end. But why? The watch market isn't the computer nor ph…
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CarPlay is at the center of the insane new Koenigsegg Regera
by Guest Adam Zeis- 0 replies
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This week at the Geneva motor show, Koenigsegg has revealed their new Regera supercar. The car has some amazing specs all around, including a CarPlay unit at the center of the action. We've seen some automakers like Volkswagen and Chevrolet gear up for CarPlay support already, but seeing it inside an awesome supercar like the 1782bhp Koenigsegg Regera is a pretty sight. There is certainly much to admire in the cockpit, but the CarPlay unit seems to fit right in. That means plenty of Apple goodies like maps, music, iMessage, and of course phone calls will be just a quick touch away. Then again, most of us won't get the chance to try it in the Regera first-hand, as…
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National Geographic’s Stephen Alvarez is taking smartphone photography to the next level
by Guest Geoff Carter- 0 replies
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Here’s a very abbreviated history of photography. The oldest surviving photograph dates back to 1826 and was created by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. A colleague of Niépce, Louis Daguerre, refined the chemical process of photography, making it more widely accessible. George Eastman made the first truly portable camera, called the “Kodak,” in 1888; in 1948, Edwin Land introduced the Polaroid Model 95, which combined portability and instant photography. From there, it’s a hop and a skip to the introduction of the first digital cameras in the late 1980s, and then to the late 1990s, when cameras were first added to mobile phones. Some of this might have occurred to Nat…
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This stylish iPhone 6 flip case doubles as your new wallet and is only $9.95 today!
by Guest Brent Zaniewski- 0 replies
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This synthetic leather iPhone 6 wallet case adds style and convenience to your device without putting on extra bulk with multiple layers. It protects from front to back and is secured by a strong snap-closure. The interior features three slots which can be used for storing credit cards, cash, business cards and receipts. Continue reading...
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Back this Kickstarter: Crystal Quest Classic
by Guest Peter Cohen- 0 replies
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A bona fide Mac game classic is back from the dead, but it needs your help to get over the finish line. Crystal Quest is beloved by a whole generation of Mac users who came up during the 1980s. It was the first color Mac game, an early entrant into the Macworld Game Hall of Fame and most recently resurrected for Xbox 360 in 2006. There's a new attempt to update Crystal Quest for new Macs, PCs and Linux boxes, but it needs crowdfunding to be successful, and time is running short. The premise of Crystal Quest is simple: collect all the crystals and a portal will open that transports you to the next level. You have to avoid mines and bad guys shooting at you: Easier …
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Sonos updates its iPhone and iPad app with a better rooms menu and more
by Guest John Callaham- 0 replies
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Sonos has updated its app for the iPhone and iPad to version 5.3, which includes a number of improvements to help owners of the company's connected speaker products. Some of the features included in this Sonos 5.3 update were previously released in a beta version in February. They include: Managing the music in all the rooms in the home is even faster. We made the menu for the rooms in your house available from any screen of the Sonos App so customers can effortlessly move their music around their home. New dedicated screens for Now Playing and music discovery on iOS and Android tablets makes toggling between screens more intuitive for a better tablet experience…
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Best selfie sticks for iPhone
by Guest Allyson Kazmucha- 0 replies
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Not all iPhone selfie sticks are created equal. That's why we did our homework and figured out which ones really are the "best"! I've recently come to terms with selfie sticks and that they actually have a place in mainstream society. But that doesn't mean I'd trust just any old selfie stick with my iPhone. Some are made with shoddy materials and others have mounts that could potentially scratch your casing. Not good. After testing numerous selfie sticks with both my iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, these are the ones I'll recommend without hesitation to any iPhone owner. Name games The selfie sticks I've listed are the ones I think are the best of the best in their…
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Pebble Time Steel hits Kickstarter today for $250, starts shipping in July
by Guest Adam Zeis- 0 replies
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The $299 Pebble Time Steel starts shipping in July and will be available in silver, black, and gold. Early birds can pre-order via Kickstarter today for $250. Just a week ago, Pebble Time launched on Kickstarter and became the fastest growing crowd-funding project in history. Raising well over their $500,000 goal, massive interest has already been shown in the next-generation device from Pebble. Today at Mobile World Congress, Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky unveiled a second version of the device, the $299 Pebble Time Steel. Pebble Time Steel will be available starting in July in black, silver, and gold finishes. While it will retail for $299, early birds can …
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Many have taken to Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and other social venues to bash Microsoft on its Windows 10 desktop icon design decisions. Some have asked Microsoft to fire its design team right now before things get worse. But, really if all there is to complain about is crazy new desktop icons in Windows 10, Microsoft is doing pretty well with its advances in developing its next client operating system. New screenshots have leaked from a Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10022, and though the company hasn't yet toned down the icon representation, it has adjusted the interface a bit. The screenshots don't show any massive changes, just better continuity. Here's a c…
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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OneShot for iPhone makes it easy to highlight and share your screenshots
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
- 38 views
OneShot is a new app for iPhone that lets you highlight and share your screenshots. Meant to help you share articles, OneShot lets you highlight your favorite passages, customizing how your selections will look when you share them. OneShot auto-detects screenshots taken on your iPhone. Select the screenshot you want, then get to editing. You can crop the image down to your favorite section, and highlight particular passages. You can choose your background color by sliding your finger over the color pad. Finally, you can select the source that should be detected from your image. Then you can share your final image on Twitter or save it to your Camera Roll. OneS…
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SanDisk launches 128GB version of its iXpand Flash Drive for the iPhone and iPad
by Guest John Callaham- 0 replies
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SanDisk is now selling a 128GB version of its iXpand Flash Drive that's been made for the iPhone and iPad. SanDisk previously launched versions of the iXpand Flash Drive with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage. The company said: In response to customer demand, SanDisk is now offering a new 128GB iXpand Flash Drive. When used with the new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 128GB models, the new iXpand Flash Drive instantly doubles the available storage for photos and videos, music, and other multimedia files. The well-rated and full-featured iXpand Sync app, available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad allows users to automatically sync, ba…
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Tim Cook talks privacy, Apple Watch, and Steve Jobs in new interview
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
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Apple CEO Tim Cook recently gave an interview with German newspaper BILD, speaking on topics ranging from the Apple Watch to data privacy, and Steve Jobs. The interview with Cook hit on many topics, including the importance of privacy. He talked about the security and privacy of Apple Pay, which has yet to launch in Germany. He also spoke about the need to keep communications private, according to BILD (translated from German): "I feel very close to the Germans because they share my views on privacy. We do not read your e-mails, we do not read your text messages - and we find it unacceptable if someone does that." Cook also spoke about the Apple Watch, giv…
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Apple Watch will reportedly ship outside the US in April
by Guest John Callaham- 0 replies
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A new report claims that Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the company's upcoming Apple Watch will be shipped and go on sale outside the US in April According to 9to5Mac, Cook told this plan to employees at the company's retail store in Berlin, Germany last week: Specifically, Cook said that the Apple Watch will launch in Germany during the month of April. It's possible that the Apple Watch will launch first in the United States in early April, with Germany and other countries following later in the month, but it definitely appears that the Watch's rollout will be more aggressive than the first iPhone and iPad launches… New Apple products often roll out in a …
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Apple and IBM release 3 new iOS-specific apps for enterprise
by Guest Adam Zeis- 0 replies
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Last year, Apple and IBM teamed up on a number of new enterprise solutions, and today they've released three new apps that join the existing lineup. The new additions to the bunch are Advisor Alerts, Passenger Care, and Dynamic Buy. The new apps join the current bunch that span industries like retail, transportation and banking. The iOS-specific apps are geared toward specific industry solutions, and there are plenty more on the way this year. The new apps include: Advisor Alerts: With the Advisor Alerts app built for iPhone and iPad, wealth advisors can serve their clients more quickly and efficiently than ever before. Push notifications provide updates on tra…
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Apple Watch's magazine world tour continues with stop in Hong Kong's East Touch
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
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The Apple Watch is continuing its tour of magazines around the globe, this time with a stop in Hong Kong's East Touch magazine. The Apple Watch graces the cover of the magazine, as well as its own multi-picture spread. It features the three different models of the Apple Watch: Apple Watch, Sport, and the gold Edition. First published in the print edition of East Touch, four of the photos in the spread were later published by Hypebeast: The Apple Watch has been on a bit of a world tour in the last few weeks. Most recently, Apple's first foray into wearables has found itself in the U.S. and French editions of Vogue, as well as the cover of Self Magazine. The …