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The countdown to July 29 ended a little bit early for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. That’s because he’s spending the  biggest day the company has seen in years  10 time zones away in Kenya. Nadella announced the trip that coincides with the much anticipated launch of Windows 10 on Twitter, posting a picture on Tuesday from the Nanyuki Airfield. That puts him about three hours outside Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi — one of 13 cities where Microsoft is  holding special launch events  on Wednesday. Satya Nadella It’s an unusual place to go for such an important moment for Microsoft, but the company is doing all sorts of things different with this Windows launch — like the fact that it’s happening earlier in the year than usual and will be a free upgrade for many users. Nadella’s trip almost certainly is part of the company’s “ Upgrade Your World ” campaign, which will give $10 million to nonprofits around the world. Several of ...

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\ Sometimes a flurry of updates come all at once to Google’s apps. That’s the case with new versions available for Google Play Music, the Google app, and Google Play Services. There are a lot of small pieces that should add up to a better experience if you use a lot of Google services. The impact on you:  Most of what directs your day-to-day use on Android comes from Google’s apps and services instead of Android operating system updates. So staying aware of new features and updating these core apps are essential to life as a happy Android user. Google Play Music This update fixes a particularly troublesome bug that was eating music stored offline when SD card storage was enabled. The update is live in the Play Store and on APK Mirror. Google app Version 4.9 has a new toggle in the settings that lets you turn on or off lock screen notifications for cards. An APK teardown by Android Police also uncovered a setting to tell Google to stop collecting data ab...

If you sat around this weekend and watched EVO—the largest fighting game tournament of the year—you might’ve seen one Seth Killian doing commentary. Killian’s a familiar face in the fighting game community, thanks both to years in the scene and a stint working at Capcom on Street Fighter IV . And now he’s working on a PC-only fighting game, Rising Thunder . Rising Thunder is built for PC and for keyboard inputs. It’s aimed specifically at online multiplayer. It’s free-to-play (supported by cosmetic items). It’s got huge robots fighting other robots. But most importantly, it sounds like Killian and crew are focused on making fighting games more accessible by simplifying inputs. Instead of lengthy, complicated lists of maneuvers—a mainstay of fighting games—you’ll be able to pull off devastating moves with a single button press. That makes the game more about when to use certain moves than inputting the correct commands. In other words, it’s more about the p...

  Microsoft hasn’t said much about the Windows RT update that’s coming in September, but a new report says users should prepare for disappointment. Unnamed sources told WinBeta that “Update 3” will include a pop-up Start menu, though it’s based on a version from the early days of the Windows 10 Technical Preview. While some users actually prefer the older version, it doesn’t support certain features such as resizing, drag-and-drop for programs, and Jump Lists. Apparently Microsoft couldn’t recreate this menu in Windows RT due to its use of XAML and several Windows 10 APIs. WinBeta’s sources also claim that the Windows RT update won’t allow Windows Store apps to run in windowed mode on the desktop, nor will it support Continuum, which automatically switches between tablet and desktop interfaces when the user plugs in a keyboard. Again, the features rely on Windows 10 APIs and code that won’t run on Windows RT. (Users may be able to manually toggle betwe...

Windows Insiders, we know testing out a new build of Windows 10 is its own reward, but Microsoft has another for you: If you show up to a Microsoft Store on July 29, you’ll get a 20-percent discount on PC hardware and accessories. How do you get it? Well, Microsoft’s offer is available only via the Windows Insider Hub app on Windows 10. (We assume everyone will receive the same deal, but we can’t be absolutely certain.) Repeat: It’s open only to Windows Insiders. You’ll need either to print out the offer or bring the physical device to the Store and show it to a clerk.  Insiders also have a shot at scoring an exclusive T-shirt, though you’ll have to be one of the first 50 in line. The Insider Hub isn’t installed by default on Windows 10 PCs, at least not with the latest builds. You’ll need to install it to receive the discount. To access the Insider Hub, go to  Settings > System > Apps & features > Man...

  It's no secret that torrent sites can be sketchy, but now MalwareBytes is trying to do something about it by adding several sites to its block list. According to TorrentFreak, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware has tagged Isohunt.to and LimeTorrents.cc as malicious, along with several other smaller sites. Users of the website protection tool in MalwareBytes' premium service won't be able to visit these sites without unblocking them first. It's worth nothing that MalwareBytes doesn't consider the sites themselves to be harmful. However, they may be relying on hosting services whose IP addresses have been associated with malware. “We’re blocking the IPs (amongst others) because there’s a plethora of IPs on the [same network] housing a ton of malvertising and fraud sites,” MalwareBytes analyst Steven Burn told TorrentFreak. In other words, it's guilt by association. Separately, Malwarebytes is blocking certain IP addresses when users connec...

Ethernet cable (either CAT5e or CAT6) is the gold standard of home-networking technology. If you can string cable from your router to everywhere you need Internet access, do it. You'll get out-of-this-world speed and impeccable reliability. That’s easier said than done, of course, which is why there are alternatives. Wi-Fi is the easiest to deploy, but its range can be limited and you might have areas that wireless signals can’t reach at all. That leaves you with two other courses of action, both of which piggyback on your home’s existing wiring: Powerline network adapters (which use electrical wiring) and MoCA network adapters (Multimedia over Coax, which use the same cable as your TV). So which is the better alternative? To answer that question, I compared the performance of one of the fastest powerline network adapter kits, ZyXel’s PLA5405KIT (based on the HomePlug AV2 MIMO standard) to one of the few MoCA adapter kits on the market: Actiontec’s Coax Netwo...

When something new arrives, you blow out older inventory to make way for it, right? That’s exactly what some PC vendors and stores appear to be doing with the release of Windows 10 just nine days away—blowing out Windows 8.1 machines at significant markdowns. HP, for example, is offering discounts on its multiple machines, with some appearing to be pretty good deals. A Pavilion 11 with a Bay Trail-based Pentium CPU that previously sold for $399 is going for $299, and a higher-end Core i3-based Pavilion x360 is “marked down” from $529 to $499. Other models reported by Maximum PC this morning also feature pretty healthy mark downs, with the Envy X2 taking a cut from $1,049 all the way down to $699. Why this matters: With consumers putting PC buying on pause as they wait for Windows 10, vendors and stores are apparently pulling out the stops to try to goose sales of “older” PCs with Windows 8.1. HP isn’t the only place to get Windows 8.1 PCs on “clearance” ...

No one likes to talk about death, much less plan for it. But if you don’t think about what happens to all that data stored on your phone, you could create some serious problems for a loved one should you pass away unexpectedly. That’s because your mobile device, and by extension your Google account, hold key financial data, passwords, connections to other accounts, and of course a lot of pictures, especially if you’re using the new Google Photos for backup. ADVERTISING If you don’t plan ahead for someone to access your smartphone and account data, it could be a serious headache for those close to you. Fortunately there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure the right person gets access to your phone and the right data without compromising your day-to-day security. Here’s how to set up a nearly foolproof system that protects your accounts but lets the right person in should something unfortunate happen. Use Google’s Inactive Account Manager...

  July 29 is Windows 10’s launch day, and Microsoft is working hard to make it a big event. Insiders who faithfully downloaded preview builds and provided feedback will get the best deals, but Microsoft also has some things in store for everyone else—at, you guessed it, Microsoft Stores. Microsoft will hold special launch events at nine of its stores in the U.S. A tenth, Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colo., is scheduled to host a free live concert with OneRepublic. Nine additional stores will host special guests—the Santa Clara, Calif. store, for instance, will host NBA Finals MVP and Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, while the Seattle store will host Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks. In addition, 16 Microsoft Stores in malls will host Windows 10 Experience Zones beginning July 29, giving people a chance to try the new operating system. And yes, there will be giveaways. Perhaps most importantly, the Stores will assist users in up...

  Windows 10 has a lot of great things going for it: The returned Start menu, Cortana’s introduction, long-demanded virtual desktops, and a new Action Center are just the tip of the iceberg. PCWorld hasn’t issued an official verdict yet—since launch day isn’t until next week—but offhand, Windows seems like a pretty alluring mix of bribery and compromise, mixing the best of Windows 7 and Windows 8. But Windows 10 won’t appeal to everyone. Do you plan to stay put with what you know, be it Windows 7 or Windows 8? Why? PCWorld wants to hear from you . Tell us what you refuse to give up about the operating system you’re using, or what you dislike about Microsoft’s new operating. Tell us why you’re staying put. Pour your heart out! Your feedback may wind up in PCWorld coverage similar to this article.

  On Monday, Microsoft pushed out an emergency out-of-band update for a critical security vulnerability that could allow an attacker to gain complete control of your system. The flaw affects all systems from Windows Vista and up—including the Windows 10 Technical Preview. The exploit works if you open a document or visit a webpage that contains malicious embedded OpenType fonts. Those bad-acting fonts then take advantage of a weakness in how the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library handles OpenType fonts. OpenType is a font file format developed by Adobe and Microsoft. The security update is available immediately through the Windows Update mechanism. If you're set up for automatic updates, your PC should download the update later today, if it hasn’t already. Anyone doing manual updates should check Windows Update immediately. To verify if your PC has the critical update on Windows 8.1 (Windows Vista and 7 users will have a similar process), open the Control ...

    Windows  Phone,  a platform which is hated by media, and loved by its fans! Windows phone OS, when it was first launched years ago, lacked even the most basic features like the ability to copy-paste (yes, believe me!). So, off course, nobody liked it then, as it was far behind it's competitors Android and iOS. Now who would like to own a phone which was light-years behind their friends' phone? So as expected, Windows Phones had no buyers, because of which none of the app developers were interested to build apps for the platform. It still has a global market share of ~3% in the smartphone world, which is dominated by Android and iOS.    Time passed, things changed, and Microsoft was desperately trying to catch up to its rivals, and with the launch of Windows Phone 8.1, it almost succeeded by adding a host of new features like action centre, background images and a lot more features sans apps. But still it failed to attract customers du...

   I didn’t know what to do. In November 2012, I flew to Dubai to cover the overseas launch of Windows 8. I was a freelancer then, relatively new on the beat, and a handful of reporters mingled among sheikhs and other Middle-Eastern bigwigs in the bowels of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. A freelance reporter that I had just met asked me to give him a tour of Windows 8. ”Windows 8 isn’t for everyone. If you’re mostly a desktop PC user comfortable with Windows 7, upgrading to Windows 8 is probably not worthwhile.”—Loyd Case, from PCWorld’s review of Windows 8 I was new to the whole swiping concept, but knew enough to tap on a tile to launch an app. But whoever had set up the laptops hasn’t connected them to any Wi-Fi, so there was little to see. And for a few moments I forgot what “Desktop” referred to, even as I tried to find the shortcut that took you to the “Windows screen.” My earliest memories of Windows 8 were therefore ...

Performing regular and periodic maintenance is key to keeping your PC running in tip-top shape. It takes discipline to remember to do it, but fear not, forgetful desk jockeys: You can automate many basic PC maintenance tasks, such as removing temporary files, fixing drive errors, keeping drivers up-to-date, and backing up files. Beyond helping to keep your own PC finely tuned, this can be especially useful for those who are the on-call tech for family and friends. At least basic maintenance can be taken care of without your intervention. Defragmenting the hard drive If you’re using Windows Vista or later, this one is easy-peasy—no need to do anything. Windows automatically runs the Disk Defragmenter every week if fragmentation is found. However, it would have to be manually scheduled for Windows XP. Scheduling Disk Cleanup to wipe temporary files Disk Cleanup is a Windows utility that can delete many types of temporary files to help free up disk space on ...

Over time, a backup can require a huge amount of drive space. Part of the problem is deleted files. You can open up space on your internal drive by deleting files, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will get deleted from the backup. And any good backup program does versioning, saving old copies of altered files. Therefore, your computer may have only the latest version of a frequently-edited file, while your backup may contain many versions. Fortunately, good backup programs know how to purge old backups—removing files that don’t need to be backed up anymore. I’ll tell you how to purge in the file backup programs that come with Windows 7 and 8, as well as with EASEus Todo Backup Free—a program I frequently recommend. I’m sticking with file backups, as opposed to image backups, because that’s what I recommend for daily use. And I’m sticking to local backups, because purging isn’t a user issue with cloud-based backup. In the cloud realm, pu...

If you're an avid photographer, you've probably shot tons of photos, investing a large chunk of your time and disposable income in a digital SLR camera. And you’ve spent even more time learning the ins and outs of photography, including lighting, composition, and image editing. So why don’t your photos look better than they do? Maybe it’s your monitor. Why Should You Calibrate? Calibrating your PC display is an important step, for one simple reason: You want the colors and black levels to look as accurate as possible. The most obvious benefit of proper calibration is that it ensures the best results when you're editing or viewing photographs. But accurate colors and black levels also make videos and games look better on your monitor--you’ll be viewing content in the way the content's creators intended. In this article, I'll talk about how you can use Windows 7’s built-in tools to perform a quick calibration. Then I’ll mention a website ...

  O D worries that other people, including criminals, can see his IP address. “What can happen if they come into my router?” As I pointed out last year, your router’s IP address is anything but a secret. Every website you visit gets a look at that number. And from that IP address, they can discover your ISP and your general location (your neighborhood, but not your address). But can they infect your router with malware? It’s not likely, but the danger is significant enough to take precautions. Last year, researchers discovered a worm, which they called TheMoon, that infected several Linksys routers. Linksys soon issued a fix to stop it. This wasn’t the first such attack, and it will almost certainly not be the last. Note that TheMoon infected only  Linksys routers. I’m not picking on Linksys; the next attack could be on D-Link or Netgear routers. That’s the nature of this kind of  malware— it’s manufacturer-specific. So chances are that a worm...