The Latest in Computer News

Crypto ransomware hits major websites through banner ads in past 24 hours

http://www.neowin.net/news/crypto-ransomware-hits-major-websites-through-banner-ads-in-past-24-hours

We already know that ransomware has become a growing threat to users around the world. Just last week, Mac users saw their first such attack on Apple's operating system. By encrypting a user’s local files and holding them ransom for payment in the hundreds of dollars, the perpetrators have become increasingly sophisticated in their methods to extract money. The software is so difficult to deal with that the FBI advises people and businesses to just pay up to unlock their files.

Now, according to Trend Micro, the past 24 hours have seen a rash of new crypto-ransomware spreading through popular websites. The attack, dubbed Angler Exploit Kit, is taking advantage of vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, among others, to feed the malware through compromised ad networks.

Malwarebytes is reporting that the “malvertising” is hitting the BBC, MSN, nfl.com, The New York Times, my.xfinity.com and many others in the form of clickable banners. The anti-malware company provided lots of detail around the exploit, reporting a number of suspicious domains through which the ads are apparently served. Google’s ad network carried trackmytraffic[.]biz, while the AOL, Rubicon and AppNexus ad networks carried talk915[.]pw as well. Other suspicious domains include brentsmedia[.]com, evangmedia[.]com and shangjiamedia[.]com.

Google’s ad network was compromised in this attack, according to MalwareBytes. Last year, Google reported to have made progress in filtering ad injectors and malicious sources across the ad networks it manages. However, it would appear that the ad network still has work to do.

Source: Trend Micro and Malwarebytes via Ars Technica | Images via Trend Micro
 
Microsoft is giving $100 off Surface Book until April 9th

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-is-giving-100-off-surface-book-until-april-9th

Microsoft is offering a discount of $100 off its Surface Book devices. The offer became available yesterday and will run through to 11:59PM PST on April 9, 2016. The deal is only available for customers in the US (including Puerto Rico). The saving makes quite a dent in the overall cost of the Surface Book, bringing the entry level device down to $1,399 from $1,499.

Microsoft offers six Surface Books with varying specs, with the discount they each cost:

  • 128GB / Intel Core i5 (8GB RAM) - $1,399
  • 256GB / Intel Core i5 (8GB RAM) - $1,599
  • 256GB / Intel Core i5 (8GB RAM / dGPU) - $1,799
  • 256GB / Intel Core i7 (8GB RAM / dGPU) - $2,099
  • 512GB / Intel Core i7 (16GB RAM / dGPU) - $2, 699
  • 1TB / Intel Core i7 (16GB RAM / dGPU) - $3,199
Aside from the features listed above, the Surface Book comes with Windows 10 Pro, a 13.5" PixelSense display with a resolution of 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) and 10 point multi-touch, a battery which lasts long enough to play 12 hours of video, and a TPM chip for enterprise grade security. The full specifications are available on the Microsoft Store website.

Source: Microsoft Store
 
Looks like Microsoft’s Edge browser is getting built-in ad blocking

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/31/11336416/edge-ad-blocking-microsoft-browser


Microsoft Edge represents the future of web browsing on Windows, and it's a future that apparently makes ad blocking easy. A workshop at Microsoft's Build conference this week titled "What's Next for Microsoft's New Browser" included a slide showing built-in ad blocking is scheduled to launch with the next version of Edge. The slide was spotted byZDNet, and follows a clear trend in the tech world of making ad blocking easier. We've contacted Microsoft to try and confirm the company's plans.

CONSUMERS LOVE AD BLOCKING, PUBLISHERS NOT SO MUCH


Previously, ad blocking was mainly the domain of the tech-savvy, with those in the know installing browser extensions to block ads. Last year, though, Apple introduced the concept to a wider audience by allowing ad blocking on its mobile Safari browser through third-party extensions. Then this January, Mozilla's co-founder introduced a browser named Brave with built-in ad blocking, and in March, Opera unveiled native ad blocking for the developer edition of its browser, promising it would mean websites loading "up to 90 percent faster."

This promise of faster web browsing, as well as less data consumption and a smaller chance of getting a virus, are the reasons why ad blocking is popular. But as many people have pointed out, it's also bad news for websites, which stand to lose a lot of revenue. It seems, though, that the debate over the future of web publishing will have to be conducted quickly. Native ad blocking is currently only available to a small portion of web users, but if Microsoft has decided to include the feature in Edge, it clearly shows where the industry is heading.
 
HP says its new ultra-thin laptop will out-innovate Apple

http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/4/11359566/hp-apple-ultrathin-laptop-macbook-innovation-competition

Having made a habit of emulating (if not outright imitating) Apple's MacBook andMacBook Air lines in recent years, HP believes its latest laptops are going to propel it to a position of design leadership. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal ahead of unveiling a new premium laptop on Tuesday, HP PC chief Ron Coughlin said that "for years, Apple has been seen as the innovator and the driver of innovation," but now "HP is really taking over that mantle."

It's a bold claim to make, though HP may feel encouraged by the reception its business-focused Elitebook Folio received during the Consumer Electronics Show this January. That laptop (pictured above) measures less than half an inch in thickness, and HP is expected to go even thinner with this week's debut. Both are therefore thinner than Apple's MacBook, which already feels almost as thin and light as a tablet. Whether shaving a few more millimeters off makes a difference, we'll have to wait and see.


HP WANTS ITS LAPTOPS TO BE IN THE SAME PREMIUM CONVERSATION AS APPLE'S MACBOOK

HP's combative talk is an encouraging sign for competition in classic laptop design. At a time when everyone from Lenovo through Microsoft and even Apple and Google is developing hybrid and convertible designs, Dell has asserted itself as the leader among conventional Windows laptops with its standard-setting XPS 13 line. Many people prefer the simplicity of a laptop that simply works as a laptop — which is why Apple introduced the refreshed and simplified MacBook last year — and HP is preparing to make a renewed effort to appeal to them with its new hardware.

Set to launch during the International Luxury Conference in Versailles tomorrow, HP's new laptop doesn't seem likely to be a mass-market machine. As NPD analyst Stephen Baker puts it to the WSJ, "the challenge for doing really, really thin and light products is it’s a very, very thin and light segment to go after." Still, for HP it might well be worth it just to stake its claim as an innovation and design leader.
 
Cortana on Windows 10 can now instantly translate from French, German, Italian and Spanish

http://www.neowin.net/news/cortana-...nslate-from-french-german-italian-and-spanish

Back in September, Microsoft expanded the skill set of its Cortana digital assistant on Windows 10, by adding the ability to instantly translate from English and Chinese (Simplified) into dozens of other languages. Now, the company has added four new origin languages, allowing millions more users to use Cortana to quickly translate phrases from those new languages into others.

Along with the two original languages, Cortana now supports instant translations from French, German, Italian and Spanish in those localized versions of Windows 10. The assistant can then translate into the following languages:

Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Estonian
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Haitian Creole
Hebrew

Hindi
Hmong Daw
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Kiswahili
Klingon
Klingon (plqaD)
Korean
Latvian
Lithuanian
Malay
Maltese
Norwegian
Persian
Polish

Portuguese
Querétaro Otomi
Romanian
Russian
Serbian (Cyrillic)
Serbian (Latin)
Slovak
Slovenian
Spanish
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Vietnamese
Welsh
 
Virtual Desktop for VR is a glimpse at a future without monitors

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/18/virtual-desktop-vr-windows/

I can trace my computing history along a path of display milestones. The 10-inch VGA monitor that came with my Packard Bell desktop in the '90s was a huge leap forward from the low-res Apple II displays I used in school. Then there was the 20-inch Sony Trinitron flat CRT that I brought to college with my first custom-built desktop, which served as my dorm entertainment center for years. These days, I rock two 24-inch 1080p LCDs at home, and I'm eyeing an ultra-wide screen upgrade at some point. After spending several hours with Virtual Desktop, a $15 app developed by Guy Godin for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive that brings the full Windows experience to VR, it seems like we're close to yet another display revolution.

 
This motorized standing desk can also be your PC

http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/20/11466458/motorized-standing-desk-pc-dk-04-lian-li

You've probably seen plenty of standing desksbefore, but likely not one that also promises to be a home for your computer. This is what respected PC case maker Lian Li has created with the DK-04. From the outside it looks like your regular motorized standing desk, with an LED display and control panel for adjusting the height, but open up the tempered glass top, and there are slots waiting for the components that make up a regular PC. All you need to do is fit in a processor, hard drive, RAM and graphics card, and you've got a desktop that's also a desktop.

It's not the first chassis of this kind that Lian Li has made, and follows in the footstep of a whole range of "computer desks" going back to the comparatively compact DK-01. The DK-04, though, is the first that doubles as a standing desk. It was unveiled earlier this year at CES and a newly-published YouTube video (above) shows the chassis in full. There's space for up to two hard drives, four 120mm fans, support for liquid cooling systems, four exterior USB 3.0 ports, and built-in support for monitors and stands. And if that's not crazy enough for you, Lian Li also makes a PC chassis in the shape of a yacht.

 
Watch Acer unveil its newest PCs and gaming machines

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/21/watch-acer-unveil-its-newest-pcs-and-gaming-machines/

The sun is out, the weather is fine -- perhaps best of all -- there's some new hardware waiting for us. Acer's got a big to-do in New York City this morning, where it's expected to go a little crazy showing off its brand new desktops and laptops. We'll be there to get up-close and personal with the company's new rigs as soon as they're announced, but in case you want to feel even closer to the action, check out the livestream below. The show kicks off at 11AM Eastern/8AM Pacific, so stay tuned for a little showmanship (hopefully) and a lot of new stuff.

 
Acer reveals new Predator gaming desktop, notebook and display

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/21/acer-predator-gaming-pcs/

Acer is made a truckload of PC announcements at its NYC event today, and new gaming gear was part of the news. The company pulled the wraps off of a trio of Predator series devices, including the Predator 17X gaming notebook, Predator G1 gaming desktop and Predator Z1 monitor. The trio joins Acer's gaming line that already includes a pair of gaming laptops, desktops, displays and even an 8-inch tablet. Let's take a closer look at each of the new machines, shall we?

For those who prefer to do their gaming on a desktop, Predator G1 remains compact enough to take with you, should the need arise. The G1 supports NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X graphics alongside 6th-gen Intel Core processors and can employ up to 64GB of RAM. Acer says its taken the internals from its previous Predator G6 desktops and crammed them into a much smaller enclosure. Best of all? The G1 is ready to handle VR, and it does so without taking up a ton of space.
 
Acer's Switch Alpha 12 is a silent, liquid-cooled hybrid laptop

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/21/acers-switch-alpha-12-is-a-silent-liquid-cooled-hybrid-laptop/

When you think of a liquid-cooled laptop, a giant gaming monstrosity like the ASUS GX700 probably comes to mind. But with its latest convertible, the Switch Alpha 12, Acer is taking that technology in the other direction to create a slim and silent notebook. It's the first hybrid laptop to run Intel's sixth generation Core processor without a fan, a notable accomplishment since fan noise is still a problem with today's thin laptops. The Switch Alpha 12 also packs in a kickstand and a detachable keyboard, both of which gives it the vague profile of Microsoft's Surface devices.

As you can probably guess, the Switch Alpha 12 packs in a 12-inch screen. It's running at a 2160 by 1440 resolution, which is almost as sharp as Apple's Macbook Retina. As for that cooling setup, Acer says it uses the heat of the coolant as it expands into gas to keep the entire system moving. That's why it doesn't need an external radiator or pump, like the ASUS GX700's clunky accessory.
 
Microsoft and Google kiss and make up, drop all regulatory complaints against each other

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsof...-all-regulatory-complaints-against-each-other

Last year, Microsoft and Google agreed to drop 20 long-standing patent disputes against each otherin the US and Germany, and said that they anticipated "working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers."

Even so, both companies continued to maintain regulatory complaints against one another - until now.
Microsoft and Google have now reached an agreement to drop all outstanding regulatory complaints each other around the world. In a statement to Re/code, a Microsoft spokesperson said:

Microsoft has agreed to withdraw its regulatory complaints against Google, reflecting our changing legal priorities. We will continue to focus on competing vigorously for business and for customers.

Google also acknowledged the agreement, adding:

Our companies compete vigorously, but we want to do so on the merits of our products, not in legal proceedings.

Earlier this week, European regulators formally accused Google of 'abusing its dominant position' in the EU mobile market with Android, but the timing of today's announcement is apparently coincidental, as both companies say that they've been in talks to drop their mutual complaints since before those charges were filed.

According to The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source, Microsoft and Google "have agreed to talk to each other first in the future", and will apparently now consider complaints to regulators only as a last resort.

Source: Re/code
 
This will be a good thing for Chrome due to it has very little Apps I still thing Google should fully embrace Android and due away with the Chrome OS. If they do this might have to look at a Chrome book just to have for surfing the web.. :) Poke

Google's Chrome OS will soon get Android app support

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Googles-Chrome-OS-will-soon-get-Android-app-support_id80484

A recent discovery in the Chrome OS source code is any indication, Google's notebook operating system is about to officially get access to Android apps.

This weekend, a Reddit user discovered a new and interesting checkbox in the settingsmenu of Chromebooks running v51 of the OS. Further researched showed that the Chrome OS source code indicates that users will soon be able to access "more than a million" apps from the Google Play Store. To us, this is a clear indication that Google's Chrome OS will soon get support for Android apps.
 
More curved screens on the way.
They didn't work out all that well in TV applications so they want to redeem themselves in computer monitors?

As computer monitors, curved screens make more sense as there's typically only one viewer and viewing angle is never an issue.
 
They didn't work out all that well in TV applications so they want to redeem themselves in computer monitors?

As computer monitors, curved screens make more sense as there's typically only one viewer and viewing angle is never an issue.

Yeah I'm not crazy about the curve as well I and would never bought one that's why when I bought my Samsung 4K Tv I bought the best model I could that was a Flat.. :)
 
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