Best tablets 2021: Because the iPad is no longer your only option | Mashable

August 2, 2021August 1, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Even if you have a very capable smartphone and a nice laptop, tablets are still a worthwhile hunk of tech to add to your arsenal.

The touchscreen that can be carried anywhere makes for a portable studio for creatives, a crucial sidekick for commuters and frequent travelers, and a mini TV for people who aren’t missing the newest episode of Loki just because they’re on vacation.

A simple question kicks off the process of narrowing down your options: Are you an Apple person? Whether that’s yes, no, or an “I have no idea,” the buying guide below lays out the pros and cons of the main picks from Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Microsoft.

Microsoft fixes critical PrintNightmare bug | BBC News

July 8, 2021July 7, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft has issued a fix for a critical bug dubbed PrintNightmare.

It says, hackers are using the bug, accidentally disclosed by researchers.

It can help them “install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights” remotely on all versions of Windows.

It affects the Windows Print Spooler, software that manages printing, controlling the order in which print jobs from computers in an office are put in a queue, for example.

Microsoft Spring Event to Feature Surface Laptop 4, Webcam | Digital Trends

March 10, 2021March 9, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It could shape up to be a busy spring hardware season for Microsoft. The company is rumored to be launching a new webcam, as well as the Surface Laptop 4 and other peripherals, at its next Surface event in a few weeks, according to Microsoft watcher Brad Sams.

Details are naturally scarce, but it is believed that this new webcam could sport a privacy cover, as well as support for high dynamic range video. This would be Microsoft’s first external webcam since the 2006 release of the Lifecam, which is actually still available for purchase.

Windows 10 is rumored to be getting a major redesign. Don’t screw this up, Microsoft! | CNN

January 7, 2021January 5, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a major redesign of Windows 10 that could bring big changes to the way the PC operating system looks and functions.

Windows 10 could use a refresh. Aside from twice-annual tweaks, Windows 10 been mostly unchanged since its release in 2015. Six years is long in the tooth for any PC operating system, and a revolution is coming to personal computers that threatens Windows’ standing as the dominant productivity operating system.

Still, Microsoft (MSFT) doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for fixing operating systems that ain’t broke. So a lot is riding on Microsoft’s ability to turn the next iteration of Windows 10 into something hundreds of millions of computer owners will want to keep using.

It’s Official: Salesforce Buying Slack For $28 Billion, Taking On Microsoft With Benioff’s Biggest Deal Yet | Forbes

December 2, 2020December 1, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

After nearly a week of speculation, Salesforce confirmed its intent to acquire popular workforce chat platform Slack in a deal valued at $27.7 billion on Tuesday, marking the enterprise cloud giant’s largest-ever acquisition and positioning it to compete more forcefully with the nation’s second-largest tech firm by market capitalization, Microsoft.

Daily Crunch: This TikTok deal is pretty confusing | TechCrunch

September 22, 2020September 21, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Companies send out conflicting messages about the TikTok deal, Microsoft acquires a gaming giant and the WeChat ban is temporarily blocked. This is your Daily Crunch for September 21, 2020.

The big story: This TikTok deal is pretty confusing

This keeps getting more confusing. Apparently TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has reached a deal with Walmart and Oracle that will allow the Chinese social media app to continue operating in the United States, and the deal has been approved by Donald Trump. But it’s hard to tell exactly what this agreement entails.

Xbox Series X specs revealed by Microsoft | CNN

March 17, 2020March 16, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft revealed the technical specifications of its next generation video game console, the Xbox Series X, in a Monday blog post. Although pricing is still unknown, Microsoft said the Series X is coming this holiday season and has several new features that would give it a leg up over older consoles.

The Series X will be capable of running 4K graphics at 60 to 120 frames per second, meaning that game graphics should display clear details and games will appear smooth even during action-packed scenes.

How Windows 7 Twice Saved Microsoft From Driving Over a Cliff | Digital Trends

January 27, 2020January 26, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Windows 7 is dead. And yet, at the time of support ending for Windows 7, 26% of PCs worldwide were still running the nearly 10-year-old operating system. It was a beloved piece of software that people have been clinging to for years.

But Windows 7 also plays an important role in Microsoft’s recent history. In two dire times of recent Microsoft history, Windows 7 was the stalwart operating system that kept the legacy of Windows alive and well.

Tech Giants Are Becoming Defenders of Democracy. Now What? | WIRED

August 23, 2018August 22, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

ON TUESDAY, A trifecta of tech companies announced that they had thwarted what appear to be significant cyber attacks from Russia and Iran. First, Microsoft CEO Brad Smith announced that the company had caught another round of phishing attacks on political groups in the United States, which it attributed to the Russian hacking group Fancy Bear. Then it was Facebook’s turn. On a call with reporters, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company had shut down 652 pages, accounts, and groups affiliated primarily with Iran, though some had ties to Russia. Twitter almost instantly followed suit, saying it too had taken 284 accounts offline, which appeared to have originated in Iran.