Now Lenovo offers a MacBook Air-like laptop, the Air 13 Pro
Chinese companies are going after Apple hard. And not just in terms of smartphones.
One day after Xiaomi announced a MacBook Air-like laptop called Mi Notebook Air, Lenovo unveiled its own Air-style, Air-branded machine. The Air 13 Pro laptop has almost all the same specs as Xiaomi’s laptop, including the same price, but there is a difference in RAM.
It comes with 4GB of RAM, along with a 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX940MX GDDR5 GPU. Other specs include a 13.3-inch IPS full-HD display, Intel Skylake Core i5/i7 processor, and 256GB of SSD storage. There’s even fingerprint-recognition tech included. The laptop is 1.48cm thick and weighs 1.29kg. For comparison, the 12.8-inch MacBook Air is 1.7cm at its thickest point and weighs 1.35kg.
Also, as for the Mi Notebook Air, which is Xiaomi’s first laptop, it’s available in 13.3- and 12.5-inch screen sizes, with the the bigger version coming with a Nvidia GeForce 940MX dedicated GPU and 1GB GDDR5 RAM. It also has a 256GB PCIe SSD with an additional SSD slot.
The Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air and Lenovo Air 13 Pro laptop cost CNY 4,999 each. There’s no word yet if either device will make it outside of China, but if they do and stay the same price, you can expect them to cost $750/£570 each.
Microsoft is about to stop giving out free Windows 10 upgrades
One year ago, Microsoft released a major update to its Windows OS: Windows 10.
Windows 7 and Window 8.1 users were able to grab the upgrade at no cost, but all that’s about to change. Microsoft said it would only let users update – free of charge – for a year. In other words, when 29 July 2016 rolls around, the company will stop being so nice. You therefore only have one day (or mere hours) to get Windows 10 for free. Microsoft’s free offer will expire at 11:59 pm UTC-10.
After that, if you want the upgrade, it will cost you $119/£100. Now is the time to get out your old laptop, desktop, or tablet computer, and ensure it’s up to date. Honestly, we’d be surprised if you haven’t done that already, because Microsoft has been a little aggressive about upgrade requests. Users of Windows 7 and 8.1 should be familiar those insistent popups urging them to “Get Windows 10”.
In some cases, Microsoft even automatically scheduled a date and time for PCs to update to Windows 10. If you’ve managed to avoid all that, but now find yourself in a hurry to get your copy, Pocket-lint has a step-by-step guide that’ll help you. Keep in mind once you upgrade, your PC will be licensed for the new OS, so you could roll back to Windows 7/8.1 but then upgrade again for free.
Also, in order to take advantage of the new Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which release 2 August, you’ll of course need to be running Windows 10. The click is ticking, so act fast.
Click here to see what Windows 10 features.
Windows 10 free upgrade ends 29 July: Here’s how to get it now
Stop being on the fence about Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade.
The clock is ticking. Microsoft is about to stop offering the upgrade free of charge. If for whatever reason you don’t take this opportunity to get your PC up to date, you’ll have to eventually pay for Windows 10 (it isn’t cheap) when you do decide the time is right. Also, you can’t take advantage of the new Windows 10 Anniversary Update rolling out in August if you aren’t already running Windows 10.
Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade offer officially expires 29 July at 11:59 pm. There’s really no reason to get out your old Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 machine and upgrade now. However, if you are finally ready, then grab your laptop, desktop, or tablet computer, and let’s go. Pocket-lint has explained everything you need to know, including the system requirements for Windows 10.
Microsoft
What is Windows 10?
It’s the latest major version of Windows.
Here’s some extra reading to get you up to speed on the software:
- Windows 10: Release date, price, and everything you need to know
- Microsoft Windows 10: Here are the top features to get excited about
- 10 new features you’ll love in Windows 10
- Windows 10 review: The OS upgrade we’ve all been waiting for
- Windows 10 tips and tricks: Here’s what your PC or tablet can do now
What is Windows 10 Anniversary Update?
Just eight months after Microsoft released Windows 10, it announced an “Anniversary Update” to the software that would rollout 2 August. Windows10 boasts over 300 millions users and has over 500 different device designs, and soon, it’ll get loads of new features, Microsoft said, thanks to the upcoming update, which was previously dubbed Redstone.
The software is set to bring new features that focus on Windows Ink and improving stylus-use. It’ll also bring extensions for Edge and upgrades for Hello and Cortona, among other things. Click here to see what else it features.
What are the system requirements for Windows 10?
You need to make sure your PC meets Microsoft’s Windows 10 minimum requirements, which it should, because they’re not too outrageous. You just need a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM (or 2GB for 64-bit), and 20GB of free disk space. You also must be running Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. You can check your current operating system on Microsoft’s website.
To update Windows 7, go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update.
To update Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, go to Start > PC Settings > Update and recovery > Windows Update.
Should you back up your PC first?
Yes. You should always back up your PC first – no matter if you are updating to Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10. Microsoft’s support page details the several ways you can get this done. All set? Awesome. Now, moving on…
How to upgrade to Windows 10
Have you reserved your copy?
If you already reserved your Windows 10 upgrade, the upgrade files may already be downloaded to your PC. Simply look for the notification that says your upgrade is ready, and then run the installer. The process should take up to an hour.
Have you not reserved your copy?
Now worries. Go to the “Get Windows 10” icon in your system tray. You can then reserve an upgrade or schedule an install. A notification from Microsoft will appear letting you know you can run the installer.
Is there another way to get your copy?
Sure is – here you go:
Go to the Windows 10 download page.
You’ll see an Upgrade now button at the top of the page. Click it. This will download the Windows 10 download client.
Double-click the Windows 10 download client to run it.
A User Account Control (UAC) window will appear. It’ll ask if you want to allow the program to make changes to your computer. Click OK.
The client will then download Windows 10. Follow the on-screen prompts that’ll walk you through the setup process.
Prepare to wait up to an hour. Your device might restart several times while you’re setting up Windows 10.
And that’s it.
Control Nest thermostats with your Apple Watch
The whole idea behind Nest’s smart thermostats is ease of use. And now in case you’d rather not fish your iPhone out of your pocket (or go on a hunt through the couch cushions for it), the smart home gadgets are controllable with an Apple Watch. The update seems pretty straightforward, right? That’s because it is. Assuming your Watch hasn’t run out of battery or your Nest gizmo works at all, of course.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: iTunes
Google reports big profits as it continues to invest in mobile
It’s been nearly a year since Google underwent a major organization do-over, with a renaming of the overall parent company to Alphabet, while Google itself was now just a sub-firm within. But, as its latest earnings results suggest, a majority of Alphabet’s profits still come from regular ol’ Google. Of the $21.5 billion it made in revenue, $21.3 billion was from Google-related ventures like search and advertising. Also, that $21.5 billion number? That’s a whopping 21 percent increase from this time last year.
Its “Other Bets” segments — which include Nest, Google Fiber and Google X — made money too, but it lost more than it gained. Specifically, it made $185 million in total but lost $859 million in expenditure. Which isn’t too surprising considering the experimental nature of most of these businesses, plus the loss is a drop in the bucket when compared to the company’s overall revenue and profit.
One of the reasons for such growth is Google’s big push in mobile. As CEO Sundar Pichai said during the investor call, mobile is the “engine” that drives much of the business. That includes advertising, YouTube, its platforms such as Chrome and Android, the cloud and of course mobile search. Indeed, CFO Ruth Porat says that ad revenue from mobile search was a big reason for the increase in profits this past quarter.
Going forward, expect to see a lot more investment in AI. Already, the company has put quite a bit of money in the area, using AI to improve everything from search to core Google products. “It’s a pivotal and transformational moment” in machine learning, Pichai said on the call. Search is smarter and more useful, he said, while GBoard (its IOS keyboard) and Google Photos are just a couple of Google products that are enhanced with machine learning and natural language processing. “Advances like these make searches even more relevant,” he said.
Pichai also called out AMP, its internal effort to make the mobile web experience faster and its work with YouTube. He says YouTube is a “thriving home for creators” and that the big part of its focus in recent years has been on live video. Though YouTube is a little late to the game as far as mobile live video streaming, Pichai says that the company is definitely committed to pushing it forward. A recent livestream of the Champion’s League in the UK, for example, was the country’s biggest ever livestream event.
As to what to expect the rest of the year, Pichai gave us few hints. He did, however, mention Daydream, Google’s VR platform. He says Google has been working with partners to turn out several Daydream-ready phones, controllers and headsets that’ll be ready by fall.
Source: Alphabet
Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $80 on a Dell Inspiron 11 laptop
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot—some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
QNAP TS-451 NAS
Street price: $350; MSRP: $450; deal price: $330 with code QNAPSAVE99
We rarely see sales on this particular NAS, and this is the best price to date. You’ll have to use the code QNAPSAVE99 to drop $20 off of the $350 price, bringing it down to $330.
The QNAP Turbo NAS TS-451 is our more bays pick for the best NAS. Samara Lynn wrote, “A two-bay NAS is the best option for most people, but if you need more capacity or data protection, get the QNAP TS-451. It has the same CPU and RAM specs as the TS-251, but with two more drive bays.”
Writing about the two-bay model, she said, “The TS-251 has remote access that’s easy to configure, plus mobile apps for media streaming and the most third-party apps of any NAS we tested. You can use the TS-251 as a media streamer, a home backup device, a mail server, a website hosting device, a BitTorrent box, a video surveillance recorder, a Plex Media Server—nearly anything you can do with a Linux computer. It even has an HDMI port so you can connect it directly to your home theater setup.”
Imprint CumulusPro Standing Desk Mat
Street price: $80; MSRP: $100; deal price: $62
This is the best price we’ve seen on the CumulusPro and a great deal on a mat that makes a huge difference if you’ve got a standing desk. This sale beats the last previous low from May by a few extra bucks, but that sale expired within a few days, so it’s unlikely that this deal will stick around for long. This deal is only available in the color brown.
The Imprint CumulusPro Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat is our top pick in the Best Standing Desk Mat guide. Nathan Edwards wrote, “If you plan to spend more than a few hours every day working at a standing desk, you should get the Imprint CumulusPro. It’s the firmest of the mats we’ve tested, but it provides the best support, won’t curl up at the edges, is easy to clean, doesn’t have a chemical-laden stink, is environmentally friendly, and has a 10-year warranty. Imprint says it’s 100 percent polyurethane with one-piece construction, so there’s no risk of it coming apart.”
On how the mat stands up over time, we added a long-term testing update: “The Imprint CumulusPro has held up well in the more than six months since I originally picked it as our winner. It hasn’t worn out or started curling up around the edges. I did go a month or so without standing at all at my desk, but I’ve been using the mat daily again recently and it’s treating me well.”
Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum Gaming Mouse
Street price: $75; MSRP: $80; deal price: $60
This matches a recent sale we saw on the G502, which at the time, was the first time we’d seen it drop this low. It’s rare to see more than a $5 drop under street price on this mouse, so it’s a great time to pick it up.
The Logitech G502 is our more buttons pick for the best gaming mouse. David Murphy said, “The Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum is a great alternative if you need a mouse with a lot of buttons. It has twice as many as the DeathAdder Chroma, and you can customize them to perform all sorts of actions using Logitech’s Gaming Software”
For some more detail about those extra buttons, “The extra buttons on this Logitech mouse are unobtrusive if you don’t use them and easy to access if you do. Two extra buttons sit to the left of the left-click button, two reside above the thumb, two buttons sit on top of the mouse (though one can only switch the click wheel from audible steps to silent free-spinning), and the click wheel allows nudging left or right to trigger actions. The mouse also offers a button in front of the thumb, which you can hold down to quickly toggle a specific sensitivity setting (or reassign).”
Dell Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop
Street price: $530; MSRP: $600; deal price: $450
This is a worthwhile deal on this hybrid tablet/laptop, and is pretty close to the best price we’ve seen. This laptop was on sale at the beginning of July for the same price, but the sale expired within a couple days, so if you missed it then, this is a great time to pick it up.
The Dell Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop is our versatility pick in the Best Laptops for Every Need guide. Wirecutter Staff wrote, “The Dell Inspiron 11 3000 has most of the right features for a small, $600 convertible laptop, including an Intel Core i3-6100U Skylake processor, an 11.6-inch screen (running at a resolution of 1366×768 pixels), and barely any bloatware. Though we wish it had more than 4 GB of RAM, the version we recommend comes with a 128GB solid-state drive that makes it feel fast and responsive.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
CBS and Showtime have two million internet-only subscribers
While CBS is busy licensing content to Netflix for display outside of the US and Canada, here its own streaming services are off to a good start. On today’s earnings call, execs said CBS All Access and the streaming version of Showtime have combined to reach more than two million subscribers, with the number “about evenly split” between the two.
$CBS Moonves: “CBS All Access and Showtime OTT streaming services have surpassed two million subscribers”
— CBS IR (@CBSInvestors) July 28, 2016
This is all well ahead of the upcoming All Access-exclusive Star Trek series, and in response to questions, the company stated that its service is helping to reach customers who get their TV only over the internet. The demographic is apparently “younger, skews slightly female…and consumes double the amount of content” as traditional viewers. The CBS digital news channel wasn’t included in those numbers, but still had “record” views in June. CEO Les Moonves claimed Star Trek: Discovery will be profitable “even before it launches,” which makes it less likely we’ll see any changes made to the current strategy.
Source: CBS Q2 2016 Earnings
Yahoo researchers built a powerful new online abuse detector
A team of researchers at Yahoo Labs have plumbed the depths of their company’s massive comment sections to come up with something that might actually be useful for detecting and eventually curbing rampant online abuse. Using a first-of-its-kind data set built from offensive article comments flagged by Yahoo editors, the research team was able to develop an algorithm that, according Technology Review, is the best automated abuse filter built to date.
Most current abuse filters rely on a combination of blacklisted terms, common expressions and syntax clues to catch hate speech online, but the Yahoo team went a step further and applied machine learning to their massive repository of flagged comments. Using a technique called “word embedding,” which processes words as vectors rather than either simply positive or negative, the Yahoo system can recognize an offensive string of words, even if the individual words are inoffensive on their own. According to the their findings, the system was able to correctly identify abusive language from the same data set about 90 percent of the time. While that figure is impressive, the ever-changing nature of hate speech means no system — not even a human one — will ever truly be able to know what’s offensive 100 percent of the time.
As Alex Krasodomski-Jones, an online abuse researcher with the UK’s Centre for Analysis of Social Media, told Technology Review, “Given 10 tweets, a group of humans will rarely all agree on which ones should be classed as abusive, so you can imagine how difficult it would be for a computer.”
Apple to Debut Revamped Apple Store App With ‘For You’ Recommendations
Apple will soon introduce a redesigned version of its dedicated Apple Store app, reports Bloomberg. The new version of the app, which is used to make online purchases of Apple products, will feature custom recommendations for new products to buy based on purchase history.
Citing sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans, Bloomberg’s report says Apple is likely to include a dedicated “For You” tab in the Apple Store app, mirroring the “For You” sections of the Apple Music and Apple News apps. This tab will offer up purchase suggestions “based on prior orders.”
The current Apple Store app, while outfitted with general product recommendations displayed in the “Featured” tab, does not give customers personalized suggestions on what to purchase. It is not known why Apple is making the shift, but it’s likely being done in an effort to introduce customers to new products they would not otherwise discover.
The shift toward using recommendations would mark a change for Apple, where privacy concerns have traditionally usurped efforts to use customer-behavior data to garner more revenue. While its music-streaming and news apps also recommend tracks and stories, they primarily do so based on interests that customers have chosen to declare. Amazon and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, meanwhile, regularly mine a user’s prior tastes and purchases to generate business by recommending complementary products.
Apple plans to introduce its redesigned Apple Store app in the near future, perhaps within the next two weeks. It will be a universal app that works on both the iPhone and the iPad.
Tag: Apple retail
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