The X99 Micro2 motherboard by EVGA represents the successor of the EVGA X99 Micro, and it comes with a series of performance-related improvements complemented by a better layout and a new BIOS. Clearly aimed at gamers and enthusiasts, the X99 Micro2 offers complete overclocking support thanks to EVGA’s new GUI BIOS that was designed specifically for the task. Even though technology advances on a rapid pace nowadays, this motherboard probably won’t need replacing for a long time, and that’s because it boasts modern features such as USB 3.1 Type-C connectors, SATA 6G expandability, M.2 support and SLI.
Its compact mATX form factor allows it to fit into small cases without problems, and just in case you’re looking for specifics, I’ll tell you that it measures 9.6 inches x 9.6 inches. Below you will find a list of the X99 Micro2’s complete specifications.
Intel X99 Express Chipset
Up to 3-Way SLI Support
mATX Form Factor
Highly Efficient 6-Phase Digital VRM
Onboard Power, Reset and Clear CMOS
Onboard CPU Temperature Monitor
Black Nickel CPU ILM
Built in USB 3.1 Type-C Port
10x SATA 6G Ports
Audio Isolation for Superior Sound
2 Socket M Supports up to 32Gbps
Would you buy this motherboard for your own system?
Thank you TechPowerUp for providing us with this information.
Twitter has been cooking up a new homepage for its social media platform and it is now ready to launch. The social media platform plans to roll out their new homepage today, but what is the ultimate goal here?
From the looks of it, Twitter plans to get more people to join its platform. When you previously navigated to Twitter.com, the page would only display categories, but this is now going to change with the latest homepage. Twitter wants to draw more people in by showing a bit of what’s going on in and how the social media interaction is on the platform.
The new and improved homepage will display actual tweets by targeting and displaying ‘high value tweets’, something that Twitter hopes will get newcomers’ attention. In my opinion, Twitter was a bit of a mystery at first and it didn’t expose what you would expect from the platform. This made me a bit skeptical and I haven’t joined the platform until recently.
So, in a sense, Twitter’s Interim CEO Jack Dorsey has a good idea with the homepage. In addition to that, his ‘question everything’ perspective aims to get more out of user expectations and opinions in order to make the necessary changes and additions to expand Twitter even further. But until then, how do you find the new homepage? Is it something you were looking forward to?
Thank you Buzzfeed for providing us with this information
Sharkoon announced two new docking station for storage and they each have their little extra function. The two new Sharkoon docking stations are the QuickPort XT Duo Clone and the QuickPort XT HC. Both will add a hot-swappable hard disk dock ability and connect through USB 3.0.
The Sharkoon QuickPort XT Duo Clone allows you to dock two drives at the same time, both can be 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch models, and it also comes with a built-in clone feature. The cloning feature doesn’t require the unit to be connected to a PC or other device at all and works simply by pressing a button on the rear of the unit. Just remember to place the full and empty drives in the correct port, so you don’t copy the full over with the empty one.
The QuickPort XT HC drive dock only supports one drive, but it comes with a card reader instead. Connect one SATA storage drive as well as SD or MMC cards via the built-in USB 3.0 connection and expand the connectivity options of your system. The integrated card reader won’t get the fast USB 3.0 5Gbps speeds as it only connects through the USB 2.0 protocol.
Both units should be available now where the Sharkoon QuickPort XT Duo Clone and QuickPort XT HC will cost you €38.99 and €37.99 respectively.
Nvidia’s Shield Tablet is definitely one of the most powerful Android-based tablets out there, at least as far as the 8-inch niche is concerned. However, it seems that even though the company went to great lengths to create a design that would facilitate optimum heat dissipation during gaming sessions, the device’s battery is not able to handle the extra warmth, which is why it is now considered a fire hazard. What’s worrying about this is not the fact that Nvidia are now recalling certain Shield tablets sold between July 2014 and July 2015 but the fact that they found the fire hazard one year after the product’s launch.
The company has not provided any specific details regarding the overheating issue, but it is “asking consumers to stop using the recalled tablet, except as needed to participate in the recall and back up data.” Basically, if you own a Shield Tablet with a certain battery type, it’s definitely a good idea to swap it for a new one, and just in case you’re finding the process too bothersome, you should know that Nvidia has set up a dedicated website in order to help you out.
Thank you TheVerge for providing us with this information.
Controversial German web entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, founder of defunct file sharing site Megaupload, and its sister cloud-sharing service Mega, has warned that Mega has been forced out of his control via a hostile takeover and into the hands of the New Zealand government, via a Chinese businessman wanted for fraud.
Dotcom revealed the news during a Q&A session on Slashdot, during which he responded to user questions ranging from his foray into politics with the Internet Party in New Zealand to his dealing with US law enforcement. When asked, “What assurance could you give someone to the point that their files may not be kept secret while hosted on [Mega]?”, Dotcom replied:
I’m not involved in Mega anymore. Neither in a managing nor in a shareholder capacity. The company has suffered from a hostile takeover by a Chinese investor who is wanted in China for fraud. He used a number of straw-men and businesses to accumulate more and more Mega shares. Recently his shares have been seized by the NZ government. Which means the NZ government is in control. In addition Hollywood has seized all the Megashares in the family trust that was setup for my children. As a result of this and a number of other confidential issues I don’t trust Mega anymore. I don’t think your data is safe on Mega anymore. But my non-compete clause is running out at the end of the year and I will create a Mega competitor that is completely open source and non-profit, similar to the Wikipedia model. I want to give everyone free, unlimited and encrypted cloud storage with the help of donations from the community to keep things going.
Mega, if it was ever trustworthy, certainly isn’t now. Deleting your files and closing your account seems like a sensible move.
Thank you Slashdot for providing us with this information.
Remember that old TV series “Around The Twist” with the family that lived in the lighthouse? How long did people spend talking with their friends and family about living in a lighthouse or windmill? Well, people in the Netherlands might be closer to the dream than everyone else thanks to a dutch architect.
Doepel Strijkers designed the building, set to stand at a giant 173 metres tall and is designed to use not only wind and water, but also electric fields in an attempt to generate not only sufficient energy to power itself but also enough to power nearby buildings, with an estimated output of 1 megawatt. Just for reference 1 megawatt would be enough to power on average 1000 U.S. homes.
Designed for low maintenance and quiet running, the building will not only generate electricity but will contain a restaurant, a seven-story hotel, a whopping 72 apartments and some space for offices as well.
With everything from solar panels on the outside of the building, a pipe to deliver industrial heat from the local port to help heat the building and a system of negatively charged water molecules within the air in a fashion similar to thunder clouds, which when it strikes (in small amounts) the charge can be converted to useable energy.
The design allows for the creation of miniature thunder clouds and uses them to harness the natural energy stored within the air and generated by molecules hitting the highly charged beams that will run across the wind tunnel.
Ultra-cool looking building – Check. Green Energy – Check. Dream house – Check! Oh and did I mention that it would pay for itself in just 10 years?
Thank you PopSci for providing us with this information.
VIA Technologies has announced part of the company will be sold under a new branch entitled, VIA Telecom. The deal is estimated to be worth $100 million and has already been completed with an undisclosed buyer. VIA used to be the world”s largest manufacturer of motherboard chipsets and produces other components including CPUs and Memory. Intel are the most likely source of the investment with enough capital to expand their stronghold in the PC and mobile sector.
According to VIA’s official statement, the takeover should be completed by the fourth quarter of this year barring any last minute disagreements. We reached out to both Intel and VIA but neither commented to deny or confirm the alleged agreement.
Hopefully, more substantial evidence will emerge in the coming weeks but I highly doubt any other major technology firm are interested in VIA. As with any unconfirmed reports, it’s important to remain cautious but I’m fairly confident that Intel are the purchasing party. Does this mean Intel’s dominance is becoming a complete monopoly? Only time will tell, and the lack of real competition is hindering any kind of price wars or significant increases in compute performance.
I do wonder what the future holds for VIA and if they are considering selling off even more assets so Intel can use their financial resources to develop upcoming technologies.
Those of you who played the entire Assassin’s Creed series so far might be baffled and confused on where the story is headed. I am a huge Assassin’s Creed fan myself and since Black Flag, everything seems to have turned into fragments and totally different stories around the world, whereas everything up to Assassin’s Creed 3 seemed to follow Desmond Miles’ present story and his ancestor’s life stories.
However, Ubisoft wanted to assure its fans that everything is connected and hinted that all of it will have a meaning and be explained in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Sure, things got a bit weird since Black Flag, when players found out that the present day character is now a Templar ‘guinea pig’, but you must have seen Shaun and Rebecca briefly during the exploration side missions around the Templar HQ.
During a GameSpot interview, creative director Marc-Alexis Cote wanted to reassure fans that the story is actually heading somewhere, though the above mentioned signs were somewhat obvious. He said that the story is divided into cycles and everything up to Assassin’s Creed 3 was the ‘Desmond cycle’, as he calls it. Black Flag was actually the transition point between cycles and beginning with Syndicate, a new cycle will start and explained in the upcoming title.
Cote did not go into too much detail, of course, but judging by the actual signs who some might not have been aware of so far and what was briefly explained during the interview, we might actually see Syndicate be released with an amazing comeback in terms storyline. So how excited are you about this?
Thank you GamingBolt for providing us with this information
We all know about hackers. They’ve been in the news a lot in the last few years, from the Xbox and Sony Christmas Day hacks to the large databases of customer details being hacked on a nearly monthly basis. One hack was actually targeted on a hacking group, the Hacking Team and ended up with 400GB of their data being taken. This included everything from their hacking tools and the information required to use them to target companies and everyday users. After this, a small piece of legislation was developed and marketed to the US government, a piece of legislation which is now possibly going to be scrapped following concerns from pretty much everybody in the IT security industry.
The Department of Commerce first put the legislation forward and stated that the development and testing of exploits, zero-day and intrusion type software should not only be limited and controlled but also made illegal in some aspects. Say hello to the outcry from professionals who not only deal with writing but also stopping software like this from being used for malicious means, who even stated that not only would it limit and criminalise the research into nasty software, but also mean that all those nasty bugs and exploits that you don’t want people using, would be pushed onto the black market.
While the department of commerce stated that “a second iteration of this regulation will be promulgated”, it’s clear that while they may not be able to get away with vague descriptions and tight control on security software, they will still attempt to get some form of control pushed regarding what they call “weaponised software”.
Thank you Reuters for providing us with this information.
We haven’t heard much about Google’s Glass Project in a while, but not because it is dying, but more that it is now focusing on the enterprise side of things. Everyone went nuts when Google cancelled the Explorer program earlier this year, thinking that it was the end of Google Glass as well. Fortunately, it wasn’t, but we mere ‘mortals’ won’t be seeing it on the market anytime soon.
Re/Code got word that Google the second edition of Google Glass has been distributed to the Glass at Work enterprise partners. The team is now thinking about how to further improve the wearable and get it at a reasonable price on the market. Rumours are that the next edition of Glass will be well below $1.500, which is not surprising.
Since Google Glass first debuted, the wearable market has been constantly filling with a lot of competition. Google’s main competitors on the market now are ODG, Epson and Vuzix. Even so, Google Glass is still far from perfect. I mean you have Microsoft’s HoloLens for example, which not only displays everything you want right in front of you, but also lets you interact with augmented reality in unimaginable ways.
Looking at the Glass, it has a lot to catch up on. However, this is why Google chose to stick with the enterprise market and is constantly improving it for enterprise AR applications. Google stated that it is “going to take time to get it right”, but will they be able to pull it off in the end? What do you think?
Thank you Re/Code for providing us with this information
Microsoft has launched Windows 10 now and everyone is talking about it. A lot of people have already upgraded while just as many wait for their downloads to finish. There are of course also those who don’t want to upgrade or aren’t eligible for the free upgrade and then there is them that own a Raspberry Pi.
Yes, you read that right, you can also get Windows 10 for that tiny $35 pocket PC as well as other mini-systems such as the MinnowBoard Max and Intel Galileo. Okay granted, this isn’t the full desktop version, but rather the IoT (Internet of Things) version and you’ll need an already upgraded PC with the normal Windows 10 to get started. But from there on it is an easy task.
The Windows 10 IoT Core tools are available to download directly from Microsoft. Flash it onto an SD card and boot up your Raspberry Pi and get coding and controlling. Windows 10 IoT Core will boot automatically after connecting the power supply. This will take a few minutes. Once the device has booted, the DefaultApp will launch and display the IP address of RPi2. You can now connect through PowerShell or SSH to your freshly installed Windows 10 Pi.
Many Windows users look like they’re jumping right onto the Windows 10 bandwagon right away. According to Microsoft, more than 14 million devices have upgraded to and are using Windows 10. Given that many users on Windows 7 and 8/8.1 that are eligible for upgrading but have not yet gotten their prompt, that number is likely to balloon for the near future.
These early adopters are sure to face a whole slew of issues though. Microsoft’s touted personal assistant Cortana is currently limited to a select few countries and even then, sometimes it has trouble activating. Other bugs like the app store and other Metro apps crashing have also popped up. For instance, I was unable to install any of the Universal apps and have multiple app store crashes. Along with some other issues and privacy concerns, it’s probably not quite that time for an upgrade yet.
For those that are eager to try out Microsoft’s new OS but have not yet gotten their upgrade option, you can find our guide to download Windows 10 here. Having tried Windows 10 myself yesterday, Microsoft really should have spent a bit more time fine tuning the OS in improving the UI and bug fixes before launch. Overall though the OS is largely fine but still feels rough around the edges. It will take a while yet till we know how the public at large responds to Windows 10.
Following the discovery of the Stagefright vulnerability, another potentially dangerous Android hack has been found. The bug, uncovered by Trend Micro, can leave an Android device effectively dead, killing the screen and all communication functions, including calls, and can be found in Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) up to the current Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop). Though it was first reported late-May of this year, there has not been a patch fix released through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code by the Android Engineering Team.
The fault can be exploited by either a malicious app or a phishing site, using a malicious MKV video file – much like Stagefright, which also used media files to compromise Android operating systems – designed to auto-start whenever the device boots.
As for the technical details, I’ll leave that to Trend Micro:
The vulnerability lies in the mediaserver service, which is used by Android to index media files that are located on the Android device. This service cannot correctly process a malformed video file using the Matroska container (usually with the .mkv extension). When the process opens a malformed MKV file, the service may crash (and with it, the rest of the operating system).
The vulnerability is caused by an integer overflow when the mediaserver service parses an MKV file. It reads memory out of buffer or writes data to NULL address when parsing audio data.
This wil cause the device to become totally silent and non-responsive. This means that:
No ring tone, text tone, or notification sounds can be heard. The user will have no idea of an incoming call/message, and cannot even accept a call. Neither party will hear each other.
The UI may become very slow to respond, or completely non-responsive. If the phone is locked, it cannot be unlocked.
Short of being careful and vigilant when downloading apps or visiting websites, the vulnerability will remain a potential threat until patched by Google.
Thank you Trend Micro for providing us with this information.
Noctua is one of the most recognisable cooling brands around and for those who don’t recognise the name, you will most likely recognise the colours. Noctua are famous for two things, extremely high-quality products and that beige/brown colour scheme; love it or hate it, you can always pick a Noctua out of a crowd.
“Continuing the renowned legacy of Noctua’s award-winning NH-U9 series, the NH-U9S is a premium quality quiet CPU cooler in classic 9cm size. Its asymmetrical design with 5 heatpipes not only provides even better cooling performance than the previous generation but also improves compatibility: Thanks to its 95x95mm footprint, the NH-U9S clears the RAM and PCIe slots on all Intel and most AMD based mainboards, including µATX and ITX. Combined with its 125mm height, this makes the NH-U9S a highly versatile solution with excellent case, RAM and PCIe compatibility. The included NF-A9 premium fan supports automatic speed control via PWM for outstanding quietness of operation and a second, optional NF-A9 fan can be added for further improved performance in dual fan mode. Topped off with the trusted, pro-grade SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system, Noctua’s proven NT-H1 thermal compound and full 6 years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-U9S is a deluxe choice through and through.” – Noctua
It’s no secret that Noctua has made some truly amazing coolers over the years, offering products that are virtually as good as you can get before taking the leap up to a water-cooled solution; which isn’t ideal for every kind of build anyway. Their latest cooler certainly is set to take on the world of water cooling, but it does promise to be a premium quality solution for those who need a more compact cooler. Equipped with a 95mm fan, a compact cooling tower and a tight bundle of heat pipes, I’m eager to see how this little cooler performs!
Nicely designed packaging with all the major specifications you’ll need to know clearly labeled.
In the box, you’ll find everything comes meticulously packaged, with separate pouches for both Intel and AMD mounting kits, as well as the general components, extra fan clips and a syringe of Noctua’s award-winning thermal paste.
You’ll also find some nicely formatted and easy to follow instruction booklets for each socket type.
The cooler is very compact, yet surprisingly heavy; it may be small, but there’s a lot of metal here.
There’s a single 95mm Noctua fan included with the cooler, which comes pre-installed, although you will have to remove it to install the cooler. It’s a fairly typical Noctua fan in terms of design and naturally, it’s of a very high quality.
The 95mm fan mounts using two simple metal clips and comes with rubber coated corners to help reduce any vibrations.
The fin stack is tightly packed and the individual fins are quite thick and strong compared to most coolers. Since this is the “S” version, it clocks in with 95mm dimensions, compared to the “B” model, which is 120mm, this means that it’ll provide you with improved compatibility with chassis, motherboards and other components.
Despite its tiny size, the NH-U9S packs five copper heat-pipes to help move heat through to the aluminium cooling fins.
The copper base plate and the heat pipes come with a gorgeous nickel playing and the CPU contact plate is polished to a mirror shine.
Japanese scientists have developed and fired the world’s most powerful laser, capable of producing a whopping 2-petawatt (2 quadrillion watt) pulse, thanks to an integrated device called the Laser for Fast Ignition Experiment (LFEX). Though the beam can only be sustained for a trillionth of a second, it has the concentrated energy equivalent of 1,000x the world’s electricity consumption; I’ve definitely used that excuse myself before.
The LFEX laser projector, based at Osaka University, Japan, is around 100 metres long and constructed from a series of glass ‘lamps’, designed to amplify the beam as it travels the length of the device. The process allows the laser to concentrate the power of the laser while only using about 200 joules of energy, about equal to using a microwave oven for 2 seconds.
Junji Kawanaka, an electrical engineer at Osaka University and member of the LFEX team, is already looking to the future, saying, “With heated competition in the world to improve the performance of lasers, our goal now is to increase our output to 10 petawatts.”
Sadly, though, the laser will not see the advent of cool space battles. “If one wanted to destroy a satellite, the Japanese LFEX laser would not be the answer, as it would not propagate far through the atmosphere – even if it could be pointed towards the satellite,” Michael Donovan, Associate Director of Texas Petawatt Laser program, told Defence One. “The higher you get, the thinner the atmosphere. So a laser launched in space could propagate, but a petawatt laser is too large to economically launch into space.”
I wish I’d realised that before I invested in this shoal of sharks.
Thank you Science Alert for providing us with this information.
Prison Architect is a game that has had a very long and public development phase that is about to come to an end thanks to the announcement of Prison Architect version 1.0 and its launch this October.
The two main people behind this simple yet extremely fascinating game are Mark Morris as Producer and Chris Delay as Designer. Every month like clockwork they’ve released a new alpha version for the ones that bought one of the early access packs. The game has been on sale quite a few times already and this has been going on for a little over 35 months now. There have been exceptions due to “family addition”, where the fans had to wait an extra month for the next version as well as a new video each time.
And while the game is great, I have to admit that I’ve almost enjoyed the 50 minute long videos even more. Mark and Chris do a voice over the video where they show the new features and what else they’ve done, or as they describe it themselves: “Our audience expect a and ready, badly edited, long rambling discussions and bulls##t – and the occasional new feature.”
For now Alpha 35 is the newest version and this game has already come a long way from the very basic sandbox building game without many features and lots of bugs. It has become a very challenging game that can keep you occupied for hours and hours on end and I personally can highly recommend it, that is if you like building games.
Design and build your own prison, manage the finances and rehabilitation as well as all the prisoners needs, such as food, sleep, and hygiene. Deal with riots and catch escaping prisoners as well as gangs. Hire personal and create a beautiful place, or not. The choice is really yours, but you’re also the one that has to deal with what the prisoners do as a result of their treatment.
Prison Architect is truly a prime example on how early access should be handled. Create an almost working base and then continuously and regularly update with bug fixes and new features while you listen to your early backers and try to create the game that they really want. Well done guys, I for one can’t wait to get the “final” version to play.
Google’s efforts to bring free internet to some of the world’s most remote areas is certainly commendable, and even though Project Loon is a very difficult project to complete on a global scale, Google is definitely making some incredible progress. To be more specific, Project Loon is expected to launch for the first time in Sri Lanka, which makes sense since this particular island country has been very supportive of the endeavor. Also, the fact that Sri Lanka measures just 25,000 square miles definitely helps.
The actual plan involves Google working closely with the island’s own internet providers in order to allow them to expand their range and service quality, which means that Project Loon for Sri Lanka won’t deliver free internet for everyone but will rather expand the coverage of existing networks. Keep in mind that the service can only deliver 3G speeds at this point, which means that tasks that require a bit of bandwidth such as high-quality video streaming will likely not be supported. However, light web browsing and the occasional YouTube video can be enjoyed in 3G without too many issues. Sri Lanka currently boasts about 20 million citizens, out of which only a bit over 3 million enjoy internet access. Therefore, Project Loon has the potential to improve the quality of life for many people. Google plans to start launching balloons by next March.
Thank you TheVerge for providing us with this information.
Windows 10 is out as of today (Wednesday 29th July 2015) and on the surface is a major improvement over the much maligned Windows 8. This should be excellent news for consumers, which it is to a large extent, but what is lurking under the hood in terms of privacy?
Well, according to the Windows 10 piracy and service agreement (even word knows where I am going with this as I typed privacy and this was changed to piracy) There are a few settings which you might want to take note of.
Data Sync
Firstly, Microsoft has implemented “Data Syncing” by default, this means when you sign in with your Windows account, the operating system immediately syncs settings and data to the companies servers. This includes your browser history, favourites and the websites you currently have open as well as saved app, website and mobile hotspot passwords and Wi-Fi network names and passwords.
You can opt out of this if you look under “settings” but just to be clear, you are already opted in to Data Sync unless you decide that you would rather not have your history on Microsoft’s servers.
Information Cortana shares
Like the idea of voice assistant “Cortana” you might also like to know what data is also shared within this feature, which includes information such as your device location, data from calendars, the apps you use, data from emails and texts, who you call, your contacts, how often you use your device (takes in a deep breath) What music you like, alarm settings, if you have the lock screen on, what you view and purchase, your voice input as well as nicknames, names of people and appointments, whether or not you’re building an underground lair aaannnndddd how often you interact with them on your device. Granted Cortana is designed to “learn” from analysing information, a lot of information as it turns out.
Microsoft’s encryption and collection of data
The terms and conditions also state that Microsoft will collect app use data for apps that run on Windows’ and ‘data about the networks you connect to” Windows 10 will also generate a unique advertising ID for each user on each device, this can and probably will be used by developers and ad networks to profile you. You can turn advertising profiling off in the settings, which might be worth a look.
Like the idea of encrypting your drive? It might be worth mentioning that your BitLocker recovery key will be backed up to your OneDrive account.
Disclosing data
Now for the killer privacy lacking feature, the following is what Microsoft defines as to who they might disclose your data to.
“We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to protect our customers or enforce the terms governing the use of the services”
This is not clear when the criteria would be met and who they might disclose private data in folders to. Behind the glossy façade lays at the very least a few questionable policies which might infringe on basic liberties. If you’re using Windows 10, I would have another look at the settings to see what can be turned off, that is unless you’re happy with Microsoft’s new arrangements with its customers.
The launch of the much-anticipated operating system from Microsoft occurred at midnight two days ago. I installed it onto my laptop yesterday and so far, I have to be honest, I’m not overly keen. The OS seems much slower to boot and load applications than previous editions including Windows 8.1 but does admittedly look quite sleek with some nice new, major features.
One of these major features is Cortana which made its debut on Windows Phone devices a year or so ago. The personal assistant is a contender in the battle against Google Now and Siri – two very good voice recognition pieces of software for both Android and iOS respectively.
This time Microsoft have released Cortana as part of their full operating system for desktop and laptop devices, and you are able to start it by simply saying “Hey Cortana” or by typing in the search bar on the left-hand side of the taskbar.
The pop up is again, black and sleek-looking with very simple icons along the left-hand side:
When it works, Cortana asks a few set-up questions and then you’re good to ask her pretty much anything. However there is a catch. On our own Windows devices we cannot seem to enable the virtual assistant. Whenever we attempt to enable Cortana we get the following error:
When we checked out our regional and language settings, they were all set to English (UK), you would think this is fine but from our own experience and after reading several Reddit comments we have found out that Cortana will only function if your device is configured in American language format.
To prove changing language to American works, here is our Time and Language screen in Windows 10 after we make some changes to English (United States):
See how it is set to English (Unites States)? Well, let’s try a command to Cortana:
Ok, so now it works – well, it does but all of the units are in Fahrenheit – not much good for us UK residents and others around the world! However you can ask “Whats the weather in celsius?” to combat this issue.
Amusingly, Microsoft made the same blunder with their release of Windows Phone a year or so ago. To use Cortana you would have to change your language and settings to United States to get her to function. This restriction was lifted a few months after the launch though, so there is hope for Cortana yet.
Microsoft have said that they are aware of the issue and it is affecting a lot of people that are now using the brand new OS. They are currently working on a patch that will be released via a system update. So make sure that you keep installing any windows updates that become available for your device, as it may fix Cortana!
However for those who are eager, you can manually change your country and region settings so you can use Cortana. To do this use the following:
Open the Start Menu by pressing the icon or the Windows key on your keyboard
Type “Settings” into the search bar
Click the icon that says “PC Settings”
This will the load up another window, here click “Time & Language”
On the left-hand side of this window, select “Region & Language”
Change the setting from United Kingdom to United States
Then change to the Speech tab on the left hand side
Change this to English (United States)
Go back to the Region and Language menu on the left-hand side
Where it says “Will be displayed language after next sign in” Click here
Then select options
At the bottom change the keyboard back to United Kingdom
Done! You may need to reboot for the change to take effect
We’re currently getting mixed reports on this, with some stating that it’s working fine from the UK and other countries, so please let us know where you are from and if it’s working fine for you.
Of course, we accept no responsibility by you altering your regional settings, but we can’t see any disadvantages of doing this, but for us it is simply an annoyance that should just work, but at least Microsoft are aware and this should be rectified soon, we hope.
It looks like the rumors regarding Nokia’s virtual reality device have proven true, as the Finland-based company has recently unveiled its OZO camera – a next generation device that was designed to capture cinematic video and audio in 360 degrees. The device is aimed at professional studios and content creators, which is why we should expect it to cost quite a bit. it’s also worth noting that the OZO camera is still going through some testing, which means that it’s not exactly market ready at the time of writing. Still, we can tell you a few things about its performance and specs.
OZO boasts eight synchronized global shutter sensors that enable stereoscopic 3D video capturing while its eight integrated microphones capture spatial audio. The resulting images can be “glued together” and viewed as a panoramic image in real-time thanks to a special software solution. The OZO camera was presented for the first time in Los Angeles during a special event, but its pricing and full technical specifications will be revealed a bit later. Shipping is expected to commence during this year’s Q4, but until then, you can catch a glimpse of this new product in the video below.
What do you think about Nokia’s latest gadget?
Thank you TheVerge for providing us with this information.
MSI has been busy getting everything updated and ready for the Windows 10 launch and we’ve seen quite a few new products launched these few days. The latest on is an all-in-one PC called the Pro 24 2M and it is as the name suggests from the professional series of all-in-one PCs.
The Pro 24 2M is fully compatible with Windows 10 and also comes with the brand new operating system installed. It is based on an Intel Core i5-4460S CPU and the Intel H81 chipset. It comes with 4GB DDR3 memory and can be upgraded to 16GB total. The 500GB 3.5-inch hard drive takes care of the storage while it also features a card reader and plenty of other connectivity options.
The Pro 24 2M can be used with two types of stands. By default it is delivered with the holder, in this diagonal stance it’s an ideal standing work solution. Optional there is a foot stand, which makes it possible to make use of more flexible modes and angles.
You get Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0, and four USB 3.0 ports next to the HDMI and D-Sub VGA outs. It also features two serial ports and audio jacks. The monitor is a 23.6-inch LED backlight panel with full HD resolution and 2-point touch. It also comes with a front facing 1MP web camera.
It has happened before that someone sued Twitter on the grounds of failing to remove copyrighted material upon request and now it is happening again. This time it is the award-winning photographer Kristin Pierson that has filed a lawsuit against the social-media giant Twitter after she claimed that they failed to respond to a takedown request on one of her photographs and equally failed to remove it.
User-generated sites can generally not be held accountable for copyright infringement done by their users, as long as the have a takedown policy and responds to the requests made. This is the same for twitter and they’re taking down a lot of links and images based on that, but this time it must have failed.
This week Kristen Pierson filed a complaint against Twitter at a California District Court where she accuses Twitter of hosting or linking to one of her works without permission.
“A Twitter user or users copied the Infringing Image without license or permission from Pierson and on information and belief sent one or more Tweets publicizing and linking to it. The Infringing Uses were hosted either on Twitter or on third-party servers,” the complaint reads.
This isn’t the first time that this has happened and Twitter got sued by a photographer. Christopher Boffoli previously sued the company for the same offense and that case was settled outside of the courtroom.
Pierson didn’t mention whether she sent any follow-ups on the original request and TorrentFreak couldn’t find the takedown notice in question on Chillingeffects.com where Twitter publishes its takedown notices. Pierson wants to prevent Twitter from hosting or linking to her work and in addition she demands both statutory and actual damages which could very well exceed $150,000 USD.
The photo in question was still online available until yesterday, but it has since been removed and can’t be found on twitters twimg.com URL anymore. The original takedown request was sent on March 4th last year.
Thank You TorrentFreak for providing us with this information
Canon has unveiled a new full-frame, 35mm multi-purpose camera that can shoot full colour, full HD video in pitch black conditions. The ME20F-SH achieves this feat with an incredible ISO of 4,000,000. For photography novices, a camera’s ISO scale determines its sensitivity to light; the higher the ISO, the more sensitive to light the camera is, and the less light it needs to shoot a clear picture.
The drawback with higher ISOs is that it increases the signal-to-noise, so the more sensitive to light the camera is the more digital noise it will pick up. Canon has managed to compensate for this drawback by limiting the CMOS sensor to a below-industry standard 2.26 megapixels, and increasing pixel size to 19μm, 5.5-times more than a high-end DSLR.
Canon has been testing its ultra-low light sensors for a number of years, as evidenced by this impressive video (sadly in 360p):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHnUtmenGQ0#t=19
The hope is that the ME20F-SH can usurp Sony’s A7 camera, the current industry leader for low-light shooting with its 409,600 ISO and 12.2-megapixel (8.4µm) CMOS sensor. Check this impressive video by photographer and filmmaker Philip Bloom, shot with an A7, and imagine what the Canon ME20F-SH could be capable of:
Thank you DigitalRev for providing us with this information.
Tom Cruise has reprised the role of Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. The adrenaline-fueled action-thriller contains a scene showing Halo 5 in action displayed on a triple-screen setup. In the movie, Simon Pegg who plays Benji Dunn, is pictured with an Xbox One controller and the camera briefly pans to Halo 5’s cover art.
The Xbox One is only capable of driving a single screen as there is only one primary display output. As a result, this gaffe is just another example of movies integrating video games in a rather embarrassing fashion. Hopefully, moviegoers will be aware of the Xbox One’s limitations and don’t expect to run any game on a multi-monitor configuration.
While it doesn’t ruin the film’s appeal, it seems a rather silly mistake. In all seriousness, I highly doubt the average movie-buff will be using anything more than a single 1920×1080 or 4k Television. Multi-monitor setups are prevalent on PC but still a niche outlet. On consoles, it’s practically non-existent.
Microsoft’s unified strategy could indicate AAA titles such as Halo 5 will end up on PC. If this eventually happens, it will be the only way to play Halo 5 on a triple-monitor solution.
Are you a fan of the Halo series, if so, which game is your favourite?
Thank you Tweaktown for providing us with this information.
If you were looking to buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, you might consider waiting until next month. Samsung may be dropping their prices for the latest flashgrips soon, so hang in there for a month and get it at a discount.
All facts point to the company trying to get out of their Q2 sticky situation. Their profits fell four percent this year compared to the same time last year and as Apple is getting ready to reveal their latest iPhones, things are not looking so good. The predictions don’t look so good either, falling 3 million smartphone sales prediction short by the end of the year. Oh year, they have teased an event planned for mid August where they plan on announcing a bigger and better S6 Edge, but will they be able to make up for the demands this time?
The whole things started after they announced the S6 and S6 Edge, who had a bigger than anticipated success. This led to a short supply and high demand, thus the company missing their targets right now. However, with this kind of pressure on them, the only practical solution is to make ‘adjustments’ to their latest handsets on the market. This means that the S6 and S6 Edge will see a price drop in the near future, something that Samsung thinks will get them back in the high-end smartphone game by the end of this year.
In the end, people could get to buy their long-awaited S6 or S6 Edge at a lower price and Samsung could see more numbers of smartphone sales added by the end of the year. However, let’s just see how much Samsung is willing to slash off the latter handsets’ price tags. Excited? I know I am!
Thank you Endgadget for providing us with this information
If (for some reason) you don’t feel like upgrading your current version of Windows to Windows 10 or you just don’t want to purchase the operating system on its own, you can just buy one of these gaming notebooks from MSI and enjoy the pre-installed new Windows. MSI has recently announced the availability of thee gaming notebooks featuring Windows 10, namely the GT72 Dominator, the GE72 Apache and the GE62 Apache. Early reviews suggest that Windows 10 is a very good choice for gaming rigs because it comes with a series of innovative features that were designed to improve performance.
The most important implementation is, obviously, DirectX12, which is expected to enable incredibly realistic visuals as well as unprecedented gaming performance. Other highlights include the ability to stream games from a console to a PC, not to mention the recording, editing and sharing of videos using GameDVR.
As far as the three aforementioned MSI notebooks are concerned, they are each quite impressive in their own way, but the GT72 Dominator is undoubtedly the pack leader thanks to its powerful GTX 980M graphics card and G-Sync capabilities. You can check out the specs as well as the prices for all three MSI notebooks below.
Thank you TechPowerUp for providing us with this information.
Drones are becoming more popular than ever, but flying them around now poses a bit of a risk. This is why Google wants to bring order to low altitude airspace, namely the airspace below 500ft, so its Wing drones may be able to fly safely and avoid collisions.
Google proposed that all people operating a drone should send their location info back to the airspace access and collision avoidance. In doing so, air traffic control authorities then could pass on the information to private airspace service providers. This is how Dave Vos, head of the Wing project at Google, said it sees the future of drone control.
Vos said that private airspace control companies, which he calls ASPs, can manage these low airspace requests from anyone willing to fly drones around. In his vision, ASPs should be given a brief flight plan of drones who request take-off, which are evaluated based on other drone flight paths. The ASPs can then determine if flight path changes need to be made to avoid collision, or even deny requests based on how congested the traffic is in the area.
At this point, low altitude airspace is mostly left unregulated, so everyone with a drone or any other sort of flying contraption can make use of them. However, with Google, Amazon and other big companies starting to take an interest in drones and how they can use them in their daily business activities, low altitude airspace needs some sort of traffic management system.
But this also means that most people who want to fly their drone in parks or above their house will most likely be denied to do so once regulations are in place. So how comfortable are you with this decision? Do you think that a low altitude airspace management system is needed? Let us know!
Thank you PCWorld for providing us with this information
