Microsoft Support & Discussions

A security researcher has discovered a critical problem with MacKeeper, the controversial software for the Mac. I've already said my piece about MacKeeper — I don't think Mac users need it, and the developer's aggressive marketing tactics leave a bad taste in my mouth. If you need more evidence that you should stay away from it, MacKeeper is now the target of a new zero-day vulnerability security advisory. For the uninitiated, MacKeeper is an app you'll see plastered on pop-under ads around the Internet, especially in sleazy places like porn sites. The software purports to rid your Mac of junk you don't need, free up space and make it run better. To be frank, noth…

A new Mac app shot to the top of the App Store charts by selling fewer than 100 copies. What does that say about the state of the Mac App Store? Sam Soffes recently released Redacted, a $4.99 Mac app that makes it easy for you to pixelate, blur, or add black bars to images. If you already have an image editing app that does this, it's no big deal, but it's a handy utility for people who need that capability and nothing more. I doubt Soffes was expecting to burn up the Mac App Store charts when he released it. But that's exactly what happened. Soffes writes: Redacted was #8 top paid in the US and #1 top paid in Graphics at the end of launch day. (It's…

The Apple Watch is a great workout companion at the gym, especially when paired with the right apps. While an iPhone stocked with fitness apps has always been a decent gym companion, having to hold it during a workout when accessing information can often be inconvenient — especially since most exercises require two hands. But thanks to the Apple Watch, it's easier than ever to track and manage workouts right from your wrist. Whether you're learning new yoga poses, trying to bulk up and need to count and track reps, or just need a great interval timer, there's something for everyone. These are currently our favorite Apple Watch apps when it comes time to hit the gym!…

GOG.com is offering up classic Interplay games based on Star Trek for the Mac, PC, and Linux, for $5.99 each. If you're a retro-gamer hankering for a taste of the 1990s, make your way over to GOG.com and check out the new Star Trek games available for download. Two of them run on the Mac, Windows, and Linux, and one runs on Windows only. But at $5.99, you can pick and choose which you want. Interplay announced Thursday the release of the games, including Star Trek 25th Anniversary, originally published in 1992, and its sequel, Star Trek: Judgement Rites, published in 1993. Both of those games are available for Mac, Linux and Windows. A third game, Star Trek: Starf…

We're reviewing the Apple Watch live on our podcast! Join Georgia, Ally, Serenity, and Rene for all the opinions on all the things! Continue reading...

Need your Mac's serial number? If your Mac is awake, it's just one click to find it. Your Mac serial number is important information: If you need to get your Mac serviced, you'll need it. If you call Apple for help, they may ask you for it. But if you haven't written it down and can't read the number off the case, don't worry: There's another easy way to get it. At the store I work at, customers often call for help with their computers; to help them with their problems, I like to double-check their machine against a database we have access to by running their Mac's serial number. That way, I at least know how the Mac was configured when it left the factory. But ma…

Coffee Stain Studios isn't done with their popular, and very odd, Goat Simulator game series. This week, the team launched Goat Simulator GoatZ, for the iPhone and iPad. The game, developed by Gone North Games, is a stand alone expansion to Goat Simulator for $4.99. As the title suggests, it combines two things most people love to see: goats and zombies. Don't take our word for it; here's the official description. Mandatory crafting system - Craft anything in the world, as long as it's one of the half dozen weapons in the game. Zombies, zombies everywhere because this is a zombie game, remember? A pretty big map with some stuff on it. Fully fledged survival mo…

Ericsson has filed lawsuits against Apple over a wireless patent licensing dispute between the two companies. It's alleged Apple is using patented technologies without proper licensing in place. The Swedish company states it has continued to offer talks with Apple, but a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) agreement failed to materialize. Said lawsuits have been filed in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. It's claimed the iPhone, iPad and other hardware produced by Apple are infringing on Ericsson licensing that covers 2G and 4G technologies. From Ericsson's press release: "Apple continues to profit from Ericsson's technology without having…

Charge and sync your iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, or iPhone 5 with the compact and stylish Belkin Charge and Sync Dock. It looks great on any desk, counter or nightstand, and even works with most cases! Get yours today for only $24.95 Continue reading...

Nintendo's CEO and president Satoru Iwata announced in an earnings call today that its first smartphone game — developed in collaboration with DeNA — will launch by the end of 2015. The company plans to release five titles by 2017, and has made the necessary personnel additions to develop games tailored for smartphones. In March, Nintendo revealed its partnership with game publisher DeNA, which includes a cross-platform gaming service that will be available on a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets and PCs, along with Nintendo's 3DS, Wii U and its upcoming NX gaming console. Iwata reiterated that the upcoming games will not be ports of existing …

What's it like to use the Apple Watch throughout the day? Rene, Ally, and Ren weigh in. We've put up a lot of information, how-tos, thoughts, and reviews about the Apple Watch these past few weeks, but we haven't really talked about what our daily use cases for the Watch look like. So, two weeks in, Rene, Ally, and I got together to chat about how we actually put the Watch to work each day. Mornings Ren: After two weeks, the Apple Watch has replaced my iPhone as the thing I reach for first thing in the morning. In part, that's to reduce the amount of time I spend in bed reading Twitter, but I really do like browsing any missed notifications and checking quick…

Forget sketches and animated emojis — you can also send taps with Apple Watch. Taps are exactly what they sound like: Using Digital Touch, you can simply tap the screen in any fashion you'd like and whoever you send it to will feel the exact same sequence on their wrist. It's a fun way to nudge a friend or even just let a loved one know you're thinking about them — no words necessary. How to send a tap with Digital Touch on Apple Watch Press the side button on your Apple Watch to launch the Friends interface. Use the Digital Crown to select the person you want to tap. Tap on the finger icon. Tap the screen as many times as you'd like, where you'd like. When …

Expedia has updated its iOS app today with new sections for booking local activities and ground transport. In today's Expedia for iPhone and iPad update, the popular trip-planning service has added the ability to browse and book tickets to shows, themeparks, and tours, as well as secure transport from the airport to a hotel through the new "Activities" and "Cars" sections. Here's the full breakdown of what's new in today's Expedia update: We have tours, shows, theme parks and even ground transportation! Create your entire trip right from your phone! Get rewarded for your travels. Sign in to view the Expedia+ points you can earn. As Expedia notes, thi…

If you iPhone isn't within reach, you can use your Apple Watch to answer an incoming call. Don't want to dig through a purse or pocket to grab your ringing (or vibrating) iPhone? The Apple Watch lets you do it in a single tap. Just raise your wrist! You can see who's calling and decide whether you want to answer it. If you decide you don't want to answer the call, you can quickly mute it by placing your hand over your watch. If you do want to answer it, here's how: How to answer a call from your Apple Watch Raise your wrist or tap the screen (if you don't have the raise to activate option turned on) in order to view the incoming call. Tap on the green answ…

Craighton Berman’s sketch of Satya Nadella’s keynote at Ignite 2015. Ready to take a breath? Do it now before we dive into the news from this week, dominated by the announcements from Microsoft’s first Ignite conference. More than 23,000 attended in Chicago and thousands more watched online, learning how IT now means “innovation” and “transformation” – for all of us in the modern workforce. The modern workforce is a more apt description than the modern workplace – a misnomer, said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of Skype engineering. “Work is what you do; it’s not where you go,” he said. “People will work from wherever they are, with whatever devices …

Will Wright, one of the greatest game designers of all time, has expanded into mobile apps with the launch of Thred for the iPhone. Much like Wright's earlier games like The Sims and SimCity, which gave users free will to create their own cities and virtual people, Thred is designed to give users the freedom to make their own stories on the iPhone, using photos that come from other Internet sources as well as their camera roll. Here's a very quick description: Use THRED to make multi-image creations for anything from web comics, to logging your tropical vacation, to useful how-tos... or just as a platform for your infamous snark. THRED gives you the tools you…

Apple remains the top smartphone manufacturer in the United States, according to the latest data from research firm comScore. Between December 2014 and March 2015, Apple was the top smartphone manufacturer in the U.S., with 42.6% of all smartphone subscribers using an Apple device. That's up from 41.6% in December, likely due in part to the arrival of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They were followed by Samsung at 28.3%, with LG at 8.4%, Motorola at 5%, and HTC at 3.8%. In terms of operating systems, Android is still out in front, though it dipped slightly to 52.4%. iOS rose to 42.6%, up from 41.6% in December. Windows Phone held the third spot, with a slight incre…

The popular music streaming service Spotify could be planning an expansion into original video content, as the company announces a press event on May 20. The report comes from the Wall Street Journal, claiming that Spotify's video service will be available to subscribers and non-subscribers. The story adds that Spotify is taking a look at people who make content for Google's YouTube for their service. It states: The closely-held streaming service, which has shaken up the recording industry over the past few years, has been reaching out to companies that specialize in making content for YouTube to discuss both acquiring their material and co-creating original …

This synthetic leather iPhone 6 wallet case adds style and convenience to your device without putting on extra bulk with multiple layers. The Naztech Klass Case protects from front to back and is secured by a strong snap-closure. Leave your wallet at home and store your cash and cash inside! Continue reading...

Yahoo has updated Flickr, adding auto-uploads for all photos and videos on your device, a timeline view, Instagram sharing, and more. Flickr can now automatically upload all of the photos and videos you've taken on your device. These will all be set to private by default, which you can change in Flickr itself. The app also has a new look, with a new timeline view for better browsing. Check out the list below for all of the changes in Flickr 4.0: Put your free 1000GB to work like never before - auto-uploadr now grabs all photos and videos on your device. They'll be private, until you choose to share them! A timeline view with improved browsing, organization …

Legend of Grimrock, which became a big sleeper hit on the PC and Mac for developer Almost Human, has made its way to the iPad. The original PC version of the game was released in 2012 and got solid reviews and sales. Indeed, the game has sold over one million copies of the PC verison alone and has already spawned a sequel. The iPad version of the game has been optimized for touch-based interactions and some features like its tutorial have received improvements compared to the PC version. Here's what players can expect: Legend of Grimrock is a dungeon crawling role playing game with an oldschool heart but a modern execution. A group of prisoners are sentenced to…

If your iPhone isn't near and you receive a voicemail, you can listen to it right on your Apple Watch. The Apple Watch lets us worry less about where our iPhones are, especially when we're doing things around the house or the office. If an important voicemail comes through you won't have to wait until you get back to your iPhone to listen to it. Instead you can use the Phone app right on your Apple Watch! How to check your voicemail on Apple Watch Launch the Phone app from the Home screen of your Apple Watch. Tap on Voicemail. Tap on the voicemail you'd like to listen to. Tap the Play button. The voicemail will immediately start playing. You can use any…

When you buy a product you're also buying the company that makes it. Sales, gimmicks, ads, all pale to insignificance compared to how they treat you, the customer, in the days, weeks, months, and years following your purchase. It's something that needs to be considered part of the overall value and as part of the overall decision. Brian X. Chen, writing for the New York Times: Product reviews are broken. They are great at telling you about the speed of a computer or the brightness of a screen. But there's a big gaping hole in evaluations of most products, from phones to computers to televisions. The product evaluations neglect to mention the quality of a compa…

Apple's Senior Vice President of Operations, Jeff Williams, will be one of the featured speakers at Re/code's 2015 Code Conference. Jeff Williams manages Apple's supply chain, a job he inherited from current Apple CEO Tim Cook. It's likely that Williams' discussion at Code will go in depth on Apple's latest product, the Apple Watch, a project that Williams apparently manages, and ResearchKit, which Williams introduced on stage at Apple's "Spring Forward" event in March. From Re/code: But few know that two years ago Cook tapped him to also manage the development of the Apple Watch, the first new product category the tech giant has entered in five years. William…

If you know someone else with an Apple Watch, you can use Digital Touch to send them sketches. The sketch feature on the Apple Watch lets you send more personal messages to anyone else with an Apple Watch. It's a great way to send a little note to tell someone you're thinking about them, or to express an emotion that perhaps a stock emoji doesn't cover. Or if you're like us, it's just a fun and different way to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues! How to send a sketch with Digital Touch on Apple Watch Press the side button on the side of your Apple Watch to bring up your Friends circle. Use the Digital Crown to select the person you'd like to send …