Microsoft has tried and tried, but it just can’t get away from Windows XP. In a way, Microsoft should be happy that it released an operating system so popular that it’s still running on millions of PCs more than 15 years after it was released. Microsoft sure isn’t happy that it still has to support XP, though. The company has , more than three years after ending support. It turns out unpatched Windows XP is a target of state-sponsored hackers. Microsoft began pulling back on support in 2012, but it wasn’t until 2014 that security patches were halted. The company still offers custom XP support for organizations that need to keep running the OS and are willing to pay for it.
Microsoft’s Xbox One X, née Project Scorpio, has been a . As we’ve previously written, the updated console packs considerably more firepower than anything Sony currently has on the market, though it’ll also debut at a higher $499 price as opposed to the PS4 Pro’s $399. According to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, that premium position is no accident. It’s a reflection of who the is meant to appeal to, and should signify that the console really doesn’t have any competition. “I look at Pro as more of a competitor to S than I do to Xbox One X,” Spencer Eurogamer in an extensive interview.
Apple’s autonomous car project has morphed yet again. This time, it’s being described as a massive exercise in artificial intelligence that concentrates on self-driving. It appears Apple may be leaving the hardware part — the steel, glass, and rubber car — to others. The latest information comes from a reliable source, Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a video interview with . Cook called it “the mother of all AI projects … probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on.”
When Netflix added support for content downloading , it was hailed as a long-overdue move for the popular VOD service. Having now used the option while traveling on several occasions, I can confirm that while it can be buggy — I’ve had to restart downloads multiple times and playback sometimes fails to rotate the content properly — it’s also handy to be able to grab a few episodes of a favorite show before you hop on a plane, especially if the jet doesn’t have a modern in-flight entertainment system. Up to today, the only limit I was aware of was the temporary nature of the downloads themselves.
If you want a desktop PC with a good balance between performance and price, check out the Dell Inspiron 3650. With a quad-core Skylake processor and a substantial amount of memory, this flexible PC is a fantastic bargain when you use today’s 50% total discount. (List price: $1212.99 — Coupon code: INS599) Spec-wise, the Inspiron 3650 includes a sixth generation quad-core 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-6700 CPU, a discrete AMD Radeon HD R9 360 graphics card (with 2GB of memory), 16GB of DDR3L RAM (1600MHz), a 2TB 7200RPM hard drive, a DVD burner, Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi support.
The weakest link in computer security is often the user, which is why so many online attacks involve social engineering. If someone can trick you into opening an email attachment or visiting a website, they can own your system. Even when you think you’re being careful, clever online villains might still be able to hack you. Security firm Trend Micro says a new method of delivering malware has popped up that doesn’t require you to even click on anything. All you need to do is hover your mouse over the wrong link. The one saving grace here is we’re not talking about any old link on the internet.
Several years ago, back when Intel was still trying to break into the smartphone market, the company announced a highly unusual partnership. Because Intel couldn’t build a smartphone modem integrated on-die on its own silicon at that time, the company decided to partner with TSMC, which handled its modem manufacturing. This allowed Intel to bring an SoC to market that could compete in the budget and mainstream smartphone markets of the time with the on-chip modem that was critical to competing in that space. The chip, dubbed SoFIA, had a multi-year roadmap and Intel also inked deals with the Chinese manufacturer to bring devices out for the mainland Chinese market as well.
Sometimes technology developed for one application turns out to be great for another. The world is full of beneficial accidents like this. Methylene blue, a dye, turns out to be a useful aid to microbiology and medicine. Ultrasound turns out to be useful for therapy, not just imaging. Other times, a development is so fundamental that it turns out to be useful in practically everything, such as James Clerk Maxwell’s insights into electromagnetism. The ability to manipulate single atoms has given humans the ability to custom-tailor individually point-flawed diamonds imbued with the characteristics — and only the characteristics — that they desire.
Need a new tower PC for your office or den? Right now, Dell is running an awesome sale on a quad-core Kaby Lake PC. Use today’s coupon code, and you can save over $400 off the starting price. • (List price: $998.57 — Coupon code: SAVE50) Inside, this config features a seventh generation quad-core 3.4GHz Intel Core i5-7500 CPU, integrated Intel HD Graphics 630, 8GB of RAM (2400MHz), a 1TB 7200RPM hard drive, and an 8X DVD drive. Featuring four USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, an SD card reader, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a DisplayPort 1.2 port, there’s plenty of flexibility here.
