Today, Microsoft’s Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Group, announced details about the company’s upcoming plans for the next revision of Windows 10 (dubbed the Creators Update) and its approach to privacy. Privacy Improvements Coming to Windows 10 Creators Update The new version of Windows 10 will provide a refined experience, whether you are upgrading from a previous release of Windows or performing a new install. According to Myerson’s announcement, Microsoft is “making some changes by simplifying the privacy settings themselves and improving the way we present the privacy settings to you....

The Kin 1 & 2 was a two-year development project by Microsoft to make a social but affordable smartphone. The phones, to be retailed at $150 and $200, had Verizon forcibly slashing prices because these things just weren’t selling. Verizon is the exclusive carrier for the device and will continue selling phones until they have emptied their inventory. If you take a look at the Kin, it’s not really a wonder why it didn’t sell....

Microsoft Makes it Easier to Decline Windows 10 Upgrade The latest revision of the Get Windows 10 app now features an easy to find decline button. Previously, launching the app then closing it was interpreted as consent to carry out the upgrade. We have compiled solutions for managing GWX; it’s quite unfortunate it has taken this long to find common ground, though. How to Disable the Get Windows 10 Update GWX App Completely Stop the Windows 10 Upgrade with Never 10 or the GWX App Itself...

October and November have been big months for Microsoft updates. Microsoft has released for public use and testing the beta versions of many of their corporate line-up products. The in-beta applications are free to use, and I find it an excellent alternative to using limited evaluation copies, not to mention it’s a great opportunity to play with the latest software coming out of MS! Here’s the list of the beta business software and tools just released from Microsoft:...

According to Microsoft, “nearly 10 million of you took the opportunity to test out the new site and more than 80,000 of you even took the time to tell us what you thought.” And based on that feedback, Microsoft made several changes to the site. What’s nice with the new page is at the top there’s easy one-click access to favorite Microsoft services like Outlook.com and Skype, as well as social services Facebook and Twitter....

Previously Microsoft has been known to wait for a service pack release to unload patches as big as this one. With Windows 8, the company is doing things differently. Steven Sinofsky explains that “During the final months of Windows 8 we challenged ourselves to create the tools and processes to be able to deliver these “post-RTM” updates sooner than a service pack. By developing better test automation and test coverage tools we are happy to say that Windows 8 will be totally up to date for all customers starting at General Availability....

HTC One I was very happy to get the chance to play with HTC’s new flagship, even if for just a few minutes. And let me tell you, the company really got it right this time around. Apart from the great design, this thing is a beast spec-wise, too. It has a quad-core 1.7 GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR2 memory and a lot more, including Android Jelly Bean. Apart from that, it has a stunning 4....

— Dona @ #websummit (@donasarkar) November 2, 2017 Dona Sarkar, the leader of the Window Insider program, tweeted out a message letting us know that there are won’t be a Redstone 4 preview release to the Fast ring this week. The team is dealing with a bug that gives the dreaded “green screen when connecting to power.” If you haven’t heard of the Green Screen of Death (GSOD) before don’t worry....

The report quotes an interview with Nokia design chief Marko Ahtisaaari. And get this: a third of Ahtisaaari’s time is spent on creating the new device. This of course raises a few essential questions: is that a third of his whole time (i.e. 8 hours a day) or a third of the time he spends at work (and in that case, how long is that?). Just kidding; the idea is that he’s working on it very seriously....

What exactly is changing? Microsoft’s names changes for these business products: Office 365 Business Essentials change the name to Microsoft 365 Business Basic.Office 365 Business Premium change the name to Microsoft 365 Business Standard.Microsoft 365 Business change the name to Microsoft 365 Business Premium.Office 365 Business change the name to Microsoft 365 Apps (for business).Office 365 ProPlus change the name to Microsoft 365 Apps (for enterprise) If you are managing Office 365 ProPlus today with Office Deployment Tool to deploy Office, you don’t have to change anything in the XML file....

Launch Outlook. Above the Ribbon and far right, just click the small up arrow. To get the Ribbon back, simply click the tab you need. As soon as you click outside the Ribbon it’ll disappear. Once hidden from view, you’ve freed up clutter and gained back a bit of extra space. Do it with your email messages too. Follow the same steps to minimize the Ribbon as you compose your message....

More good news is that Windows Live Mail will work with any Internet email provider including the popular Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail services. Let’s take a look at how to set it up and a few of its principal features. The first question I like to ask about any software is, what can it do? Windows Live Mail is similar to Office Outlook in many respects; it can manage your email, calendar, contacts, RSS feeds, and newsgroups....

Ribbon Hero is a free add-on for Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010 that teaches you how to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote like a pro. After installing Ribbon Hero, the Ribbon Hero button will appear in the ribbon of Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote and keep track of your score. You get “Quick Points” for doing basic stuff, like copying and pasting, using the format painter or spell checking....

Similar to the launch of the original Galaxy S, Samsung has worked up another branding deal with U.S. carriers. After the massive headache that transposed from branding of the original, it is rather surprising Samsung would go this route again; unless of course their hand is being forced by the carriers themselves. PocketNow picked up on the trail from an accessories manufacturer that unwittingly leaked the branding names early. The models released are as follows:...

One simple, but useful feature, is the ability to scan individual files and folders with Windows Defender. Scan Files in Windows 10 with Windows Defender Scanning a file with Microsoft’s built-in antivirus utility is simple. Just right-click a file or folder that you’re not sure about and select Scan with Windows Defender from the context menu. Windows Defender will open up and begin the scan. When it’s finished hopefully, everything is clean, and no threats are found....

What makes this thing so special is the fact that a server can dictate what the Trojan does, meaning it’s quite sophisticated. The Trojan is in repackaged Android apps that look like legitimate ones. These apps have made their way onto a few Chinese third-party app stores. The Trojan is called Gemini and (here is what you really wanted to know), it can seriously compromise personal data on Android devices....

Erase Xbox One Data and Set to Factory Default Settings Head to Settings > All Settings > System > Console info & updates > Reset console. Next, you’ll get the following three different options: Reset and keep my games & apps – This is the best option to use if your Xbox One is unstable and you’re trying to troubleshoot the issue. The OS will reset and delete corrupt data and keep your games and apps....

Long ago, long before I was a blogger or an IT guy, I was a graphic designer. It’s what I went to school for. I enjoyed it, but it was pretty hard to find a job without moving far from my little hometown. That would have been fine, but I didn’t exactly have the money or the experience to get a job to make a living. It’s okay, because I found something I really like doing....

If you’re wondering what this even is, check out the system tray the next time you plug in a thumb drive or other USB storage device. A little USB icon with a green checkmark will pop up. This is the same icon that you can click to safely eject a device before you physically remove it from the computer. What Windows Says About It If you yank a USB drive out without safely ejecting it first Windows doesn’t pop up a warning message like OS X....

The application, developed by investintech.com inc, is entirely free. Although you’ll notice below that it does include a very minimal amount of self-promotion. I like the fact that it’s tiny and it does what you need it to do – read PDF files. Installation You can pick up a copy of SlimPDF Reader here: http://www.investintech.com/resources/freetools/slimpdfreader/ The Installation process is straightforward. Trial Registration during Installation? No Thanks! During installation, you are prompted to register your trial....