Microsoft will hold another event one week after its October event
This is interesting: Microsoft has scheduled two events one week apart.
The company is holding an event in New York City on 26 October, when it’s expected to unveil new hardware, including an all-in-one Surface PC. It might also announce some Xbox and Windows 10 news. But don’t expect too much news in terms of software, because Microsoft has sent invites to the media for another New York City event. This one, which will be held 2 November, will supposedly focus on software and the Office suite.
- Microsoft’s October event: What to expect and where to watch
CEO Satya Nadella, Office CVP Kirk Koenigsbauer, and “special guests” will be there to discuss how Microsoft will “empower every team to achieve more”, which suggests the event will be very business-targeted. However, because Nadella is making an appearance, we can expect something interesting. ZDNet speculated Microsoft might show off its Facebook Workplace and Slack competitor, Skype Teams.
Microsoft owns Skype, and it doesn’t like that Slack is currently dominating in the messaging software space for large teams, so the company is reportedly getting ready to do something about it. According to MSPowerUser, Microsoft is developing a new messaging software that offers much of the same functionality found in Slack. The project is called Skype Teams, and it’s geared toward businesses, large teams, newsrooms, and more.
- Microsoft might launch a Slack-like app called Skype Teams
Microsoft’s two-hour event will likely also cover Office/Office 365 commercial products. Microsoft officials aren’t being too forthcoming at the moment, so stay tuned to Pocket-lint’s Microsoft hub for the latest details.
Enter the Xbox One S Giveaway to win this cutting-edge gaming console
You read that headline correctly. Enter this giveaway, and you can have a chance of winning your very own Xbox One S.
The only console with 4K Blu-ray, 4K video streaming, and HDR, the Xbox One S can turn any entertainment center into a gaming powerhouse. Just sign up, and you’ll have a shot at getting your hands on one for free.
The Xbox One S is 40 per cent smaller than its predecessor, but don’t let its size fool you. This console is packed with its own internal power supply and a whopping two terabytes of internal storage.
Boasting High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, the Xbox One S also delivers richer colors on screen and allows for greater contrast between lights and darks. That way, the Xbox One S gives your in-game graphics an even greater sense of depth.
Speaking of games, the Xbox One S is supported with a myriad of exclusive titles. From Forza Horizon 3 to Gears of War 4, this console gets you exclusive access to some of this year’s most anticipated games.
Of course, this console does more than just gaming. With its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and streaming capability, the Xbox One S can stream 4K content from sites like Netflix and Hulu with jaw-dropping detail. And with its IR Blaster, you can also configure your console to turn on other devices. That way, you can activate your TV or cable receiver without having to fumble for a remote.
This zenith of gaming technology normally goes for £316, but you can get your hands on one for free by signing up for the Xbox One S Giveaway.
Get a lifetime of login security with Sticky Password Premium (80 per cent off)
Elaborate passwords can help keep hackers out of your online accounts, but they’re useless if you can’t remember them.
That’s why you should let Sticky Password Premium do the memorizing for you. Trusted by millions of users, Sticky Password Premium makes managing secure passwords seamless and effortless. Get a lifetime subscription for just £24.72 ($29.99 USD).
Sticky Password Premium bolsters your online security by generating tough, encrypted passwords for all your accounts. Instead of having to memorizing each password, you can rely upon Sticky Password to manage all of them using a single master password known only to you. You can choose to store your password information on the Cloud or locally. Either way, you’ll have access to all your important data on all your devices, whether they’re PC, Mac, Android, or iOS.
On top of managing your passwords, Sticky Password Premium also streamlines the login process. Using the information you put into Sticky Password’s protected storage, you can automatically login to accounts on recognized sites. What’s more, you can even auto-fill forms online using Sticky Password. That way, Sticky Password does double duty, securing your logins with tough passwords, while still making them accessible for the person they’re protecting.
A lifetime subscription to Sticky Password Premium is normally £123.63, but Pocket-lint readers take 80 per cent off the retail price, bringing the final price down to just £24.72 ($29.99 USD).
Apple reportedly unveils new Macs on October 27th
Even before Apple’s September event, rumors swirled that the company would save any Mac-related updates for an October presentation. As the month has gone on, however, fans have wondered whether or not or not anything would happen. Isn’t it a little late to send out press invitations? Supposedly, you can relax. Recode sources claim that Apple will introduce new Macs at an event on October 27th. This would be a smaller-scale affair than the iPhone 7 introduction (possibly held on Apple’s campus), but that doesn’t mean that it would be devoid of interesting products. If you believe the rumors, just the opposite is true.
While the leak doesn’t give any hints as to what you can expect, there have already been plenty of rumors. The headliner may be overhauled 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros that include OLED touch strips and fingerprint readers, but ditch conventional ports in favor of multiple USB-C connections. You could also see a stand-alone 5K display and refreshed MacBook Airs with USB-C. And of course, nearly every other computer in Apple’s lineup is due for an upgrade of some kind — you could see a slew of revisions, even if some of them never get mentioned on stage. The purported unveiling is just over a week away, so you won’t have long to find out whether or not the story is true.
Source: Recode
Candy Crush is becoming a game show
Candy Crush, the once ubiquitous mobile game behemoth that’s now played almost exclusively by my aunt, is getting its own game show. CBS announced on Tuesday that it is teaming up with King Games and Lionsgate to produce the hour-long series. Details on game mechanics are still sparse but the network did explain that 2-person teams will “use their wits and physical agility to compete on enormous, interactive game boards.” The series will be executive produced by Matt Kunitz, the guy behind Fear Factor and Wipeout, however there’s no word yet on who will host or when the series will premier.
This move follows the recent successes of retro-style game shows like Celebrity Family Feud as well as mobile game crossovers like the Angry Birds movie and the upcoming Fruit Ninja feature. This is what we get for complaining about how Hollywood was only interested in rebooting existing franchises.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: CBS
Bill Belichick is through with the NFL’s Surface tablets
You’d think Patriots coach Bill Belichick is feeling over the moon right now. After all, his golden boy Tom Brady is finally back from a four-game suspension, handed to him by the NFL for his role in a cheating scheme now widely known as “Deflategate.” But no, Belichick isn’t happy. Instead, the Super Bowl-winning coach is lashing out at tablets. And while he doesn’t mention Microsoft’s Surface by name, that’s the device the league pays $80 million dollars a year for teams to use on the sidelines. It’s also the one he just smashed in a game against the Bills earlier this month.
“As you probably noticed, I’m done with the tablets,” Belichick said at a press conference today, in response to a question about issues he had with the tech during the Patriots’ latest game. “I’ve given them as much time as I can give them. They’re just too undependable for me,” he added. “I’m going to stick with pictures as several of our other coaches do as well because there just isn’t enough consistency in the performance of the tablets.
Belichick says he “just can’t take it anymore,” noting that he’s going back to relying on printed images to view and analyze plays. “It’s a personal decision. “I’ll use the paper pictures from here on because I’ve given it my best shot,” he added. “I’ve tried to work through the process but it just doesn’t work for me and that’s because there’s no consistency to it.”
The NFL gave us the following statement: “Microsoft is an integral, strategic partner of the NFL and implementing their technology on our sidelines has increased the efficiency and speed of collaboration between coaches and players to an all-time high. Within our complex environment, many factors can affect the performance of a particular technology either related to or outside of our partner’s solutions. We continue to work with all of our partners to ensure the best systems are in place to most effectively assist the clubs in the execution of their game plan.”
As for Microsoft, the company told Engadget that it respects Belichick’s decision, but naturally doesn’t agree with his comments about the Sideline Viewing System not being reliable. Unfortunately, the fact is there’s plenty of proof to suggest otherwise.
Here’s the full statement from Microsoft: “We respect coach Belichick’s decision, but stand behind the reliability of Surface. We continue to receive positive feedback on having Surface devices on the sidelines from coaches, players and team personnel across the league. In the instances where sideline issues are reported in NFL games, we work closely with the NFL to quickly address and resolve.”
Here’s Belichick’s full answer as to why he hates the tablets. Lasted five minutes and 25 seconds. pic.twitter.com/wcSqebtQRu
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) October 18, 2016
Source: Patriots
Ecuador confirms it cut Assange’s internet for US election interference
Last night Wikileaks confirmed Ecuador — whose London embassy its founder has been holed up in since June 2012 — was responsible for cutting off Julian Assange’s internet access. Now the Ecuadorean government has explained why it changed the WiFi password, claiming it’s due to Wikileaks releasing documents meant to interfere with the US presidential election. Specifically, its statement says “The Government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states.” As such, it has “exercised its sovereign right to temporarily restrict access to some of its private communications network.”
While the asylum it has granted Assange remains in effect, enabling him to participate in these releases via its embassy’s network was apparently too much. Wikileaks said last night that it has “activated the appropriate contingency plans” and released another batch of emails from the account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.
BREAKING: Ecuador admits it cut off Assange’s internet due to his use of it to interfere in the U.S. election. pic.twitter.com/VNJ6sdHhHj
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) October 18, 2016
Source: Ecuadorean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AP
OneNote can now use Android’s split-screen mode
As Windows Phone is not so much an ongoing concern anymore, Microsoft’s software is decidedly cross-platform at this point. Today, the company’s collaboration and note-taking software OneNote is getting some Android-specific updates. For starters, the OneNote app now supports Android’s new split-screen mode that launched with Android 7 Nougat — you can view the app side-by-side with other Office apps, or really any other app you want. For a productivity app, that’s pretty helpful.
The OneNote app also now lets you open password-protected sections of files and documents that were locked on other apps. Microsoft said this was a top user-requested feature — which makes sense, given that any locked file would be essentially useless without it. Microsoft also added back the ability to record audio directly in the OneNote app, with the recordings automatically backed up to the cloud. That’s a pretty handy feature if you do a lot of recording, as Android doesn’t really have its own built-in voice recording features.
You can also embed any PDF or Office document that you’ve saved in OneNote directly into any documents you’re creating in the app. Lastly, Microsoft will soon be adding the ability to customize the “section tabs” in your OneNote documents on the Android app — a pretty basic feature that seems like it should have been in the app for a while now. That feature isn’t available yet, but the rest should be rolling out to the app today. You can go get it in Google Play now.
Source: Microsoft
Fuzion V-1000 Electric Scooter Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Cars get stuck in traffic. Buses and trains don’t get you all the way to your destination. Walking is slow, and bikes take up too much room. If you need to get from A to B in a hurry, a folding electric scooter can kick some serious ass.
I’ve been testing out folding electric scooters for nearly a year, and the Fuzion V-1000, a customized I-MAX model, is a pretty decent pick. It’s for strong people — due to its hefty weight — who need to commute over bumpy roads and don’t mind plugging in nightly. This $1,100 (roughly £900 or AU$1,450) scooter isn’t the fastest or lightest ride, but it’s built like a tank, with cushy handlebars and one of the best suspension systems I’ve tried yet. You can buy it direct from Fuzion here.
Why might you buy or avoid the Fuzion V-1000? Let’s go in-depth.
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Up close with Fuzion’s V-1000 folding electric scooter
Pros
- A comfy ride: A front shock and a rear coil spring, plus soft scalloped rubber handgrips and air-core tires keep things smooth on moderately bumpy roads. My teeth didn’t chatter at all.
- Durable build: Extremely sturdy all-metal construction, with a beefy folding mechanism that completely eliminates any play in the handlebar column. (It feels like it could survive a bomb.)
- A wide deck gave me plenty of room for both feet, even side by side (instead of one in front of the other).
- Grippy tires make it easier to slow down and stop than its rival from EcoReco, and they’re big enough to easily clear shallow driveway bumps.
This beefy locking mechanism keeps the handlebar column completely stable during use.
Josh Miller/CNET
Cons
- It weighs 36 pounds. It’s way too heavy and bulky to bring on the bus, and I’m always afraid I’ll smack someone when I get off the train. It can be a pain to lift, or to kick when you run out of battery.
- Relatively slow top speed. Fast bicyclists would usually pass me, as would scooters from EcoReco (the fastest) and Uscooters (aka e-TWOW). Fuzion says the top speed is 18 mph, but it felt slower.
- Short range. Fuzion quotes 13 miles on a charge, depending on riding conditions. I’m a heavy guy, riding up gentle hills maybe a quarter of the time, and I only get about 7 miles on average.
- Rear brake only. It’s very hard to stop in an emergency without skidding — extremely hard when the streets are wet. (Rear brakes are less efficient.)
- Slow to fold. You need to stoop down to disengage the locking mechanism, and it takes a while to untwist and twist the ring to bring the handlebars down. Tough if you’re in a crowd trying to make your train.
- Too-big bike-style brake lever reduces grip. I’ve got normal-size hands, and couldn’t reach for the brake without losing most of my grip on the left handlebar.
- Not great at climbing hills. It slows down significantly, and eats a chunk of battery life when you try. Other scooters did better.
- The three-dot battery life indicator is wildly inaccurate. A single red dot can mean anything from “I will carry you for miles at top speed” to “It’s faster to get off and push.”
- Long charging time. Fuzion quotes 4-6 hours, some others can charge in half that.
- Weak kickstand. Step on the scooter with kickstand engaged, and you might break it. (I did.)
Tradeoffs
- Wide handlebars provide easy control and offer a bit of extra room for mounting accessories, but also make it tougher to weave around pedestrians and cars.
- Smooth acceleration: While many electric scooters can be jerky to start and stop, the Fuzion keeps it under control with smooth throttle control. But that means getting up to top speed can take a while.
Front and rear suspension make for a smooth ride, while fenders keep water on the ground.
Josh Miller/CNET
Bottom line
The Fuzion V-1000 definitely isn’t as good as I could ask for, but it gets the job done. It’s a comfortable, durable ride that feels like it’ll last for years to come. If you have a short commute, can handle the 36-pound weight and don’t plan to ride in the rain (it’s tough to stop), it’s not a bad pick.
But if you stay tuned to CNET.com, I’ll be reviewing some other folding electric scooters you might like even better.
Microsoft’s Outlook.com Premium gives you custom email
How much do you value control over your email? Enough that you’re willing to pay for a custom experience, but not so much that you’re willing to jump through hoops to do it? Microsoft might have your back: it just held a quiet launch of the public preview of Outlook.com Premium, a subscription version of its web-focused email service. Fork over $50 per year ($20 per year as part of a promo) and you’ll not only ditch the ads on the web, but receive five personalized email addresses at no extra charge during the first year (it’s $10 per year afterward). Microsoft will automatically share calendars, contacts and files between those custom addresses, too, so your family or small business will stay in the loop.
This is a preview, so it’s going to be rough around the edges. There’s no auto-forwarding or groups, for starters. If you can live with the omissions, however, the Premium service might strike a good balance between that urge for customization and the safety net you get through tech giants like Microsoft.
Via: ZDNet
Source: Outlook.com Premium
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