Tech News Archives - Page 133 of 135

Windows 8.1 to be available as a free download for Windows 8 users

Posted on May 15, 2013

windows-8-1 Microsoft has announced that Windows 8.1 (AKA Windows Blue) will be released as a free upgrade to Windows 8 some time before the Christmas season gets into full swing. I thought all along that it should be free since charging for it would be like “selling” a repair for a brand new recalled vehicle.

Of course Windows 8.1 won’t be free to those purchasing new PCs or wanting to upgrade from Windows 7 or earlier, but Windows 8 users will rightly be able to get it without having to pay for it.

The mind-boggling changes introduced with Windows 8 have led to mass confusion and frustration among long-time Windows users, as well as the largest year-to-year decline in new PC sales ever. In my opinion, Microsoft had no choice except to take quick action to stop the migration of Windows users to Macs, Linux boxes and tablet devices.

Among a number of small changes coming in Windows 8.1 are two biggies: [Read more…]

Adobe Creative Suite moves to the cloud

Posted on May 8, 2013

adobe-creative-cloud Back in January I wrote a post about how Microsoft was beginning the gradual transition of Office from a suite of desktop applications to a suite of cloud based apps.

Now Adobe has announced that they plan to end the development of new features for the popular Adobe Creative Suite desktop software package altogether and transition as many Adobe software users as possible to the cloud as well.

The new cloud-based bundle of Adobe software will be aptly named Adobe Creative Cloud.

Beginning with the launch of Adobe Creative Cloud on June 17, Adobe Creative Suite will no longer be updated. You’ll have to subscribe to the Cloud version in order to continue upgrading to the latest and greatest Adobe products when they become available. All the bundled apps in the Adobe Cloud suite will bear the CC moniker instead of the now familiar CS.

The Adobe Creative Cloud suite will include all of the following: [Read more…]

Free texting apps have paid texting plans on life support

Posted on May 1, 2013

heywire In 2012 more text messages were sent via free texting apps on smart phones than by traditional SMS Text Messaging services, and the number of free texts vs. paid texts is growing at a fast rate. This is a great thing for consumers, but the cell carriers are taking a major financial hit because of it.

SMS text messages have always been a major source of easy profit for the carrier. They cost virtually nothing to transmit but bring in boatloads of cash.

But the immense popularity of apps such as Heywire, iMessage and WhatsApp have cut those profits by huge margins. And the bleeding is likely to continue and even pick up the pace as more users find out about these apps and begin using them. [Read more…]

LivingSocial has been hacked – Change your passwords!

Posted on April 27, 2013

The popular “Daily Deals” site LivingSocial.com has announced that their site has been hacked and the personal information belonging to over 50 million users has been compromised.

If you have an account with LivingSocial you need to change your password immediately (click here for tips on selecting one that’s tough to crack, but easy to remember). You should also begin monitoring your credit report and financial statements for irregularities.

According to LivingSocial, the customer data that has been compromised includes the following: [Read more…]

Samsung smart phones outselling iPhones 2 to 1

Posted on April 27, 2013

samsung-smart-phone Korean electronics giant Samsung has quietly become the 800 pound gorilla in the smart phone marketplace.

According to market researcher IDC, in the first quarter of 2013 Samsung shipped 71 million smart phones compared to Apple’s 37 million. In fact, during that three month period Samsung’s market share was greater than the next four companies combined.

Of the top five smart phone vendors, Apple is the only company in the bunch that actually lost market share in the first quarter. And another recent study shows that more customers switch from iPhone to Android when purchasing their next phone than the other way around. [Read more…]