Windows 8.1 Update might change your mind about Windows 8

"Windows 8.1, released in October 2013, was a course correction of sorts, walking back some of the more egregious nods to trendy tablet thinking found in the original release of Windows 8, including a limited-use Start button and a search function that no longer required you to search apps, settings, and files separately. Despite these improvements, Windows 8.1 still felt like a one-size-fits-all solution, cramming a slate-style mentality onto every screen.

With Windows 8.1 Update, you now get a computing environment that feels flexible enough to work on 8-inch tablets as well as 27-inch desktops. Touch is still the preferred input method for working in the tile interface many still call Metro, but at last, mouse and keyboard users aren't completely left out."

Firefox OS 2.0 starts emerging from its cocoon - CNET

Mozilla's modernized mobile OS is catching up to Apple and Google rivals with improvements necessary to carry Firefox OS beyond its bare-bones roots. Copy-paste and find-my-phone tools patch significant shortcomings.

Firefox OS 2.0 starts emerging from its cocoon - CNET

Colbert to succeed Letterman; Internet rejoices - CNET

Twitter is alive with reactions to the (now official) news that Stephen Colbert will be the next "Late Show" host on CBS. Crave's Eric Mack seeks to capture the gestalt.

Colbert to succeed Letterman; Internet rejoices - CNET

Sen. Franken: Comcast can't have it both ways - CNET

"Sen. Al Franken criticized Comcast for an about-face to secure approval of big deals, saying the cable giant highlighted competition with Time Warner Cable to buy content company NBCUniversal but now claims its merger with TWC represents no competitive conflict.

"Comcast can't have it both ways. It can't say that the existence of competition among distributors, including Time Warner Cable, was a reason to approve the NBC deal in 2010 and then turn around a few years a later and say the absence of competition with Time Warner Cable is a reason to approve this deal," he said Wednesday at a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining the proposed $45.2 billion merger between the country's No. 1 and 2 cable companies."

Recommended read from Salon.com: Heartbleed: How did it get there? Why did it take so long to find?

"The major news today that a huge security flaw -- Heartbleed -- has for more than two years rendered most of the Internet vulnerable, such that emails, passwords, credit card data and more are all at risk, prompts a series of questions.

Laypeople and cryptographers alike are abuzz with speculation over the key points: How did such a major vulnerability spread through so much of the Internet (attacking OpenSSL, the encryption central to most online security)? How did the bug reside in most online servers so long without detection? And what prompted the discovery of Heartbleed now, simultaneously by two separate groups, security firm Codenomicon and members of Google Security.

The rumor mill is churning, and little can be firmly established at this point. But it seems worth noting some theories bouncing around corners in the crypto community."

What To Do Now That The Heartbleed Bug Exposed The Internet : All Tech Considered : NPR

LastPass Heartbleed checker

With news breaking on Monday, April 7th that the Heartbleed bug causes a vulnerability in the OpenSSL cryptographic library, which is used by roughly two-thirds of all websites on the Internet, we want to update our community on how this bug may have impacted LastPass and clarify the actions we're taking to protect our customers. LastPass recommends everyone with a Yahoo.com account, OkCupid.com or Github.com account changes their password. 

https://lastpass.com/heartbleed/

What To Do Now That The Heartbleed Bug Exposed The Internet : All Tech Considered : NPR

Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 vs Nexus 7 2013

Roku Streaming Stick vs. Google's Chromecast - CNET

Roku Streaming Stick vs. Google's Chromecast - CNET

Reasons not to buy the Galaxy S5 - CNET

Reasons not to buy the Galaxy S5 - CNET

RIP Windows XP - CNET

RIP Windows XP - CNET

5-year-old finds Xbox security flaw, becomes Microsoft researcher - CNET

A boy works out how to get into his dad's Xbox Live account without a password. Microsoft not only plugs the flaw but appoints Kristoffer Von Hassel as a security researcher.



5-year-old finds Xbox security flaw, becomes Microsoft researcher - CNET

Was Windows 8 a Mistake? Microsoft Seems to Think So

"Microsoft showed off the future of Windows this week at its 2014 Build developer conference, and it looks pretty retro. In fact, it looks a lot like Windows 7.

During a tease of some possible new features in a future update, Microsoft's executive vice-president of operating systems Terry Myerson revealed a tool that users will recognize from previous versions of Windows: a Start menu. He also showed that users would soon be able to run Modern — aka "Metro" — apps (those apps you buy in the Windows Store with touch-oriented full-screen interfaces) within individual windows on the desktop.

In other words, it's exactly how Windows used to work."

What’s Google really up to in wireless? Might not be what you think. - CNET

[commentary] Rumors are flying that Google wants to resell Verizon or Sprint wireless service, but CNET’s Maggie Reardon throws cold water on that theory and comes up with her own idea.

Back to the future: GOP runs to Romney’s right on immigration | MSNBC

mmigration reform is right around the corner, House leaders said at the start of the new Congress last year. And it will all start with legal status for undocumented youngsters, Majority Leader Eric Cantor repeatedly said, because who could oppose letting them stay? 

A whole bunch of House Republicans, apparently. Led by Alabama Republican Mo Brooks, conservatives organized a rapid and successful campaign to block a path to permanent residence for immigrants who served in the military.

“As soon as they raise their hand and say, ‘I’m unlawfully present in the United States,’ we’re not going take your oath into the military, but we’re going to take your deposition and we have a bus for you to Tijuana,” Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa told Breitbart News. “That’s the law.”

Back to the future: GOP runs to Romney’s right on immigration | MSNBC

Google gives peek at its Ara modular phone project - CNET

Meet some of the folks at Google's advanced-tech team working to design phones you yourself can build. Watch them snap pieces together!



Google gives peek at its Ara modular phone project - CNET

Mozilla Chief, a Gay-Marriage Foe, Steps Down - NYTimes.com

"Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation,” Apple said in a statement at the time.

Apple donated $100,000 to oppose the measure, and Google’s co-founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, had also reportedly donated a combined $140,000 to fight the bill."

Windows 8.1 Update Preview - CNET

The latest update to Windows 8 will be available on April 8 and brings much-needed tweaks for desktop users, restoring some of the features Windows users have been missing since the Metro interface first launched.

First and foremost, the OS now detects whether you're using a tablet or desktop and mouse setup, and delivers the best experience for your device. This means that upon launch, if you're on a desktop computer, the OS will boot straight to the desktop, and on a tablet, you'll get the touchable tiles of Microsoft's modern interface. But don't worry if you prefer the way Windows currently behaves; you still have the option to choose your startup preferences in the settings.

Microsoft also made some changes with full-screen apps making them a lot more intuitive for desktop users and more in line with the history of the Windows OS. Full screen apps now (once again) have a title bar at the top, with the X in the upper right so you can quit out of an app easily with a click of your mouse.

With the modern interface out of the way on your desktop, it makes sense that Microsoft would find a way to make the Windows Store more accessible. Now, with this latest update, the Windows Store is automatically pinned to the taskbar on your desktop.

Windows 8.1 Update Preview - CNET

Nexus 10 returning to sale 'soon', Google Play listing says - CNET

Following an absence from Google's Play store, the 10-inch Nexus tablet looks to be making a comeback, sparking hopes that an updated version could be imminent.



Nexus 10 returning to sale 'soon', Google Play listing says - CNET