Microsoft has tended toward flat, monochrome icons ever since it moved to the Metro design language. Now known as Fluent Design, this interface will soon have a bit more color in . Microsoft unveiled new, colorful app icons late last year, and they’ve . At the same time, Microsoft is giving developers the option to deploy optional driver updates to reduce the number of issues in OS updates. The new icons are bursting with color, and they’re no longer completely flat — some have a bit of depth and shading. In the latest update, users will see new icons for Calculator, Groove Music, Mail, Voice Recorder, Alarms & Clock, Movies & TV, and Calendar.
Running out of storage? Today you can get several storage devices on sale, including fast SSDs and high-capacity external HDDs. Seagate’s FireCuda SSHD offers a balanced compromise between an HDD and an SSD. It packs in a large 2TB capacity with an 8GB SSD NAND chip. Its read/write performance can’t compete with an SSD and lags behind at 210MB/s, but frequently accessed files get transferred to the SSD chip and will load significantly faster as a result. Right now you can get this drive from Amazon marked down from $94.99 to $59.99. This external HDD can hold an enormous 5TB of data and is small enough to fit into the pocket of your jeans.
Microsoft has started rolling the new Edge browser out to users, leaving the old EdgeHTML engine in the past. The new Edge uses a Chromium base just like Google Chrome, and that means it can run many existing Chrome extensions. Attempting to use Google’s Web Store could be a little unsettling, though. Google has that they should really be using Chrome. The original Edge launched with Windows 10, and it never gained traction with users. Microsoft tried repeatedly to get Windows users to launch Edge, often resorting to scare tactics and annoying popups. Well, now the shoe is on the other foot.
Every year, the world’s most popular magazine dedicated to engineering and applied sciences, IEEE Spectrum, ranks the most popular coding languages used by its data-centric readers. In 2019, they changed their ranking criteria from the ground up…yet the findings were the same as 2018: . Python is powerful, adaptable and user-friendly — and if you’re thinking of a career in a data-driven field, it’s fundamental learning. You can take the first step to understanding and mastering Python with the training in , now . This comprehensive package of 12 courses unlocks everything a new Python user needs to know, from basic operations to valuable tool libraries to applying Python in projects ranging from data visualization to machine learning and artificial intelligence.
It was the perfect storm: A technology reporter rents a car-share Toyota hybrid that’s accessed and unlocked by the renter’s smartphone and an onboard modem. Rented in California, no less, which is ground zero for technology. Reporter and partner then drive into a remote coastal area, but still in California, hike to the beach, return, and the app won’t unlock the car. Reporter calls carshare company on cellphone, carshare company says there’s not enough cell service to unlock or reset/resync the car. The resolution was to send a physical tow truck to haul the Toyota back into cell reach that worked for the Toyota and the company.
The future of driving is not driving; at least that’s what companies like Tesla think. Elon Musk’s electric car company has focused on aggressively deploying self-driving technology in its cars, but as we’ve seen before, Autopilot isn’t perfect. A team of security researchers from McAfee has managed to trick Tesla vehicles into with a little bit of electrical tape. With Autopilot, Tesla vehicles can stay in a lane, change lanes, and adjust its speed. With the “enhanced” Autopilot mode, vehicles can dynamically move through traffic and (eventually) navigate surface streets to handle the entire driving experience. Teslas can even read speed limit signs using technology from Intel subsidiary Mobileye.
Android 10 launched barely six months ago, but Google is already openly preparing for Android 11. The next version of Android is . If you’ve got a recent Pixel device, you can install 11 right now to check out its enhanced privacy controls, messaging bubbles, and more. Most users will have to wait for the final version to experience Android 11, and that won’t drop until this fall. The next Android release will include more control over the data apps can access on your phone. In Android 10, Google gave users more control over location access, and Android 11 brings similar features to other sensitive permissions.
If you missed out on buying a new computer over the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend, you’re in luck. Today, Dell has several of its best computers on sale with hundreds of dollars marked off the retail price. This high-end system originally retailed for $2,756.70 as configured with a high-end Intel Core i7-8650U processor. Today you can get it with an enormous 78 percent discount that drops the price to $599.00. This model also comes with Dell’s Pro Sleeve 13 carrying case to help keep your system safe. Dell designed this modern laptop with one of Intel’s new Core i5-1035G1 processors and a fast 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD.
Not to get too conspiratorial, but if you have any concerns about government oversight infringing on your internet freedoms, you should pay attention to what’s happening now in Kashmir. Last month, the to the long-disputed Kashmir region and its 7 million residents. However, most social media sites remain banned — except for savvy users with VPN service, who are circumventing the block and emerging back to social sites with cries of “Viva La VPN.” And they aren’t wrong. You may not live under a dictatorship now, but a service like can help make sure you never fall prey to a politician’s whims.
