Samsung Launches S8 with an amazing design and Bixby AI assistant

New S8

Galaxy S8 and S are upon us. The phone comes in a 5.8 inch and 6.2-inch varieties with the edge screens and snapdragon 835 chips. 

6.2 and 5.8 inch

Those sizes sounds quite huge and scary but they are using a new screen resolution that has an aspect ratio of 18.5/9, almost 2 to 1 with almost no buzzes at all, so if you are holding the 6.2 inch and it's even easier to hold in your hand than even the google pixel or something like that.

Iris Scan

 They have the same edge display as the galaxy s7 edge, wireless charging like the galaxy s7 edge,  CMPMA supported , iris scanner like the ill-fated Galaxy note 7 that is no longer with us, face unlocking, it has the same camera with S7 and S7 edge but a new enhanced software so you are supposed to get a better pictures from it.

Gear VR

It has a new Gear VR that has a Gear VR motion controller.

This also comes with an HDMI like USB port, when you put it in there then connect it to with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse then you can use it a  desktop computer with real re-sizable window and all that.

Desktop connection

It has a smart home hub that helps you connect to all your smart home Samsung appliances and all your Samsung smart things so that you can see all of them and control them from your phone. It has also fingerprint scanner, IP 68 water, and dust resistant.

Smart Hub App

Here comes the big one, Samsung’s new AI intelligent interface companion, when you activate AI you are supposed to everything you can do by touching or tapping just by talking to it, every feature that you do in your gallery app. 

At launch, this AI feature will be limited but more is surely coming later. S8 has got the first 10-nanometer processor. I bet it’s going to be expensive because it does everything.

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Learn Microsoft Excel lesson #41

Challenge - Full-length practice exam

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Portable affordable and cute UE Wonderboom

The Ultimate Ears Boom family is growing with the introduction of the most recent member – the UE Wonderboom. And while the Bluetooth speaker is the smallest in the line, it packs a great punch just like its two larger siblings, the Boom 2 and the Megaboom.

The Wonderboom essentially looks like a compact version of the Boom 2. Weighing only 15 ounces, the speaker is a little more than 4 inches tall.

 It’s an outsized volume controls on the front side while the other controls are on top of the speaker. The simple touch control allows music fans to combine with their iOS device, play/pause/skip the music, and even connect with another Wonderboom to pump up the volume.

Ready-made for the forthcoming summer season, the speaker also sports an IPX7 waterproof rating and can be fully submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. And even better, the speaker will float when tossed into the pool.

 The integral battery will provide up to 10 hours of music before needing to be recharged, and your iOS device can be up to 100 feet away from the speaker itself.

Making it simple to require on the go, an integral rope loop may be connected to a backpack, purse, or different luggage. The speaker is roofed with stain-resistant cloth so if it gets dirty, simply wash it off and you’ll be able to come back.

And while the Wonderboom offers similar features to its larger brethren, I’m also happy to report the smaller speaker doesn’t skimp on the sound.

While it’s clearly not as pulse-pounding as the larger options in the line, it’s easily one amongst the best sounding smaller speakers I’ve ever tested. The sound is clear and crisp at the highs and lows, and everywhere in between.

Even at high volumes, where other petite speakers falter, there’s no sound distortion at all.

Just like the other choices in the Boom series, there are a number of various color choices to select from – gray, black, red, blue, pink, and lilac.\

While I’d still recommend the UE Boom 2 for anyone looking for a comprehensive top notch device for any scenario, the Wondeboom does an excellent job of giving variety of options that have created UE such big name n the Bluetooth speaker market.

And with a more consumer-friendly worth, I expect the Wonderboom will certainly be flying off the shelves as quick as its siblings. 

The speaker is ideal for anyone looking for an inexpensive and moveable thanks to rock out on the go or around the house without needing to interrupt the bank.

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Solutions- Charts and Objects

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 Challenge - Charts and objects

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Apple added six new colors to its line of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus cases

Apple simply unveiled six new colours for its silicone and leather iPhone 7 cases along with a slew of latest product, together with a special edition red iPhone 7 and less expensive iPad.

But to me, the new case colours were the foremost exciting product unharness of the day.

Apple added camellia, pebble, and azure to its line to silicone cases and berry, taupe, and sapphire to its line of leather cases. The silicone cases are $35 whereas the leather cases are $45.

They're stunning, and they are a departure from Apple's alternative cases, that are often shades of tan, navy, and gray. i may be giving Apple an excessive amount of credit here, however the new colours are, to me, an encouraging sign. Apple's color decisions in the past always appeared geared toward men, leaving me to shop for third-party cases that had a little more personality.

The only snag with the new cases is that Apple is barely adding new colours for its iPhone 7 cases. If you've got a 6s like so many others, you are going to be stuck with the same old boring colours. 

For both iPhone SE and 6/6s users, that is varying shades of brown, blue, and black (plus a Product RED case). \

There is also a white silicone case for 6/6s users, but nothing close to the brilliant berry or azure seven users get to have.

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Enermax Ostrog Advance ATX Mid-Tower Case

The Ostrog Advance (Ostrog ADV) comes with traditional features with modern bling. Let's take a look to see how this mid-tower case performs

Available for sale as both the Ostrog Advance and Ostrog ADV, Enermax’s flashy mid-tower is packed with traditional drive bays and even includes three fans. Bucking the switchable RGB trend, model number ECA3380AS is available in your choice of Blue (-BL), Red (-R), or Green (-GN) lighting

Type

Mid Tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX (Max 11.7"-deep)

Dimensions (HxWxD)

19.4x8.4x19.8" (49.3x21.3x50.2cm)

Space Above Motherboard

2.3" (58mm)

Card Length

11.7" (29.8cm)

Weight

15.6 lbs (7.1kg)

External Bays

(3) 5.25"

Internal Bays

(6) 3.5/2.5"

Card Slots

7

Ports/Jacks

(2) USB 3.0, (2) USB 2.0

Other

3s Fan, LED Controllers

The basic steel structure is dressed in metal mesh and plastic. While the lower face panel features push latches in its upper corners, the matching top panel uses the same style thumb latches as the three 5.25” external bay covers. All mesh panels have captured open-cell foam dust protection. Molded in 3D to provide around 7” of CPU cooler clearance, the plastic side window shows other features, such as an interior paint color that matches the external lighting.

In addition to a lighted ring that surrounds its top fan vent, the Ostrog ADV top panel includes two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Headset and Microphone jacks, an Off/On/Breathing/Strobe light mode switch, power and reset buttons, and a three

The right side features a bulge similar to the left side window, which is necessary for cable clearance. From the same angle we see that the Ostrog ADV has only the standard seven slots, a 120mm exhaust fan, and two grommet-lined holes under a folding side panel handle.

Unlike the open-cell foam of the front and top vents, the power supply inlet has easier-to-clean nylon screen dust filtration. The power supply mount above it is drilled with two patterns to allow flipping the power supply orientation

A look inside the space behind the motherboard tray shows the beautiful color scheme matching interior paint, along with the minimal 0.5” of cable clearance that mandated the extra 0.5” of side-panel bulge.

Peeling away the snap-on front panel, we find two 120mm intake fans with translucent silver finish, along with the six 3.5” bays that are also drilled for 2.5” drives.

Lacking space up front for a radiator, the Ostrog ADV provides a 2.3"-thick space between the top of the motherboard and inner chassis panel to hold a 2x 120mm or 2x 140mm radiator and fan combination. There’s also a 120mm fan mount on the base, though power supplies longer than 6.8” will partially block it.

The lower cage is riveted, but the upper cage is secured with two screws. Removing the upper cage extends card space from 11.7” to 16.3”, but only within the top five slots. Pins and grommets on the trays provide vibration damping to 3.5” drives.

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Insert and format graphic objects.

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Format Chart

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Microsoft Admits that it's Forcing More Users Onto Windows 10

win 10

Microsoft has stopped Windows 7 and 8 updates on Intel's seventh generation Core i3, i5 and i7 (Kaby Lake), AMD's Ryzen (Bristol Ridge) and Qualcomm's 8996 processors. Devices powered by these processors must update to Windows 10 otherwise they will receive not further update from Microsoft.

You experience this issue when you try to run Windows Update, when you will get an error message: "Windows could not search for new updates" and "Code 80240037 Windows Update encountered an unknown error".

"As new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. 

This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon”, a Microsoft spokesperson said in Response to a request to comment on the subject.

win 10 start menu

This does good only to Microsoft, make some sort of sense. It wants to make sure Windows runs as well as possible on new silicon. It can do that on Windows 10 because it's a current product, and it will be installed on most new-build PCs running these processors. It makes less sense to go back and optimise Windows 7 and 8, especially as the former is now officially in "extended support", which will end in 2020. Windows 8 support ends in 2023.

Additionally, the support for the Intel Skylake processors, currently running on Windows 7 and 8 will end come July 2017. So users with those operating systems will also be forced to upgrade in order to keep updates coming. 

Microsoft didn't explain to me how it would charge users now the free Window is closed. That said, I understand you can still use Windows 7 and 8 product keys on fresh Windows 10 installs. But please check that before blindly wiping all your data on my say so.

win 8

But Microsoft doesn't need to pull support for Windows Updates on new processors even though it's certainly true that Microsoft will optimise Windows 10 continually. However Microsoft is trying to get a greater number of people off Windows 7 and 8 and onto Windows 10. I understand the business objective, I'm just not fond of being held hostage over updates. I don’t buy.

What's more, the wording is clear that this will be an ongoing thing. Of course Microsoft pledged that it would put an end big numeric updates to Windows. There will be, it says, no Windows 11. 

But instead users will be updated to new versions of what I expect will become simply "Windows" in the future. But what that does also mean is that if there are additional things added to Windows that you dislike, you won't have any option to use an old version of Windows instead. While there will be user benefits to this strategy, it also means that Microsoft is taking away a measure of control from users.

win 7

Some people have very real problems with Windows 10 too. For example it's currently being accused of switching background updates on for metered connections (in a beta only for now). People have reported adverts in Windows 10's explorer, and even I get constant hassle about OneDrive on Windows. 


There are also some who are bothered by Windows telemetry, which is said to closely monitor some on-PC activity and report back to base.



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Zalman Rolls Outs White Version Of The ZM-K900M Keyboard

New Keyboard

Zalman has released a new version of its ZM-K900M keyboard. It’s identical to the previous ZM-K900M (except for the switches) but now comes in white. We first saw different color options for the ZM-K900M at Computex last summer; there was the familiar black one, but also white, blue, and yellow.

At the time, it seems Zalman was just testing the waters on the colors, but it’s apparently decided that the white model will appeal to users. 

New Keyboard top view

This makes sense: people love to match their peripherals with their systems, and though the pale blue and (almost) canary yellow look cool, those are not exactly common colors you’ll find on cases, lighting, and coolant.

And so, white it is.

One difference is that the black version of the ZM-K900M offers only Kailh Blue switches, whereas the white version comes with Kailh Brown. You can buy the black version on Newegg for $80. 

New Keyboard side view

The white version is now listed on Newegg as well; currently it costs $100, but there will be a launch promotion starting March 24 when it will drop to $80. That will be a Newegg exclusive.

If you’re keen on a white model, then, you might want to set a reminder to hit up Newegg on March 24.

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Microsoft Stops Win 7/8.1 Updates For Intel Kaby Lake, AMD Ryzen Processors

Microsoft has suspended updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users with Intel's 7th generation (Kaby Lake) processors, AMD's 7th generation (Bristol Ridge) processors, and Qualcomm's 8996 processors or newer.

The company said earlier that there will be no more release of new drivers for older Windows versions to support new hardware, but now it has stopped Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users with these new CPUs from scanning or downloading from Windows Update.

The decision makes sense for Microsoft. Windows 7 debuted in 2009, and Windows 8.1 was released in 2013. Neither was made with current generation processors in mind, and in the years since, Microsoft has shifted its focus away from those older operating systems and towards Windows 10. 

But as we explained in our review of Intel's Kaby Lake lineup after we experienced problems with HD Graphics 630 on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1:

"This may be a minor concern to enthusiasts who already keep up to date. But the estimated 47% of worldwide computer users who still use Windows 7 (and the 8% on Windows 8.1) need to account for the cost of Windows 10 as part of a Kaby Lake upgrade. Microsoft allows a limited number of component changes before invalidating your OS license, so it is a valid concern if you plan to upgrade an existing system with a 100-series chipset. It's noteworthy that Microsoft's official mainstream support for Windows 7 expired in January 2015, but the company has obviously not convinced a majority of users to upgrade. Interestingly, Microsoft still offers 'mainstream support' for the unpopular Windows 8 until Jan 2018, though that's misleading since it isn't supporting modern processors with the OS”.

Microsoft t tried to warn those people about its decision. The company said in a January 2016 blog post that it would only support new silicon with Windows 10--older operating systems would be restricted to older processors. Here's what the company said about its plans:

"Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon, while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon. For example, Windows 10 will be the only supported Windows platform on Intel’s upcoming 'Kaby Lake' silicon, Qualcomm’s upcoming '8996' silicon, and AMD’s upcoming 'Bristol Ridge' silicon".

Systems running on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 with new processors who try to scan or download updates via the Windows Update tool are greeted with one of two brick wall messages. The first is straightforward: "Unsupported Hardware [...] Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows and you won’t receive updates." The second message isn't quite as clear:

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Update or mute Microsoft Tells Skype desktop Users

Microsoft is forcing desktop Skype users to new client software.

As revealed in a post weeks ago, Redmond's new plan will mean that come March 1st, users of “Skype for Windows desktop (7.16 and below) or Skype for Mac (7.0 to 7.18) will no longer be able to sign in.”

To avoid that conversational interference, you need merely update your Skype client before the due date.

The change is necessary, Microsoft says, because the clients mentioned above were built for ye olde ſkype and its peer-to-peer architecture. 

Skype's now heading to a cloudy architecture, the better to allow baked-in services like file sharing from within the Skype client and mobile video chats.

The new software's yours for the downloading here

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Artificial Intelligence now in Linux Command Line

Let’s take a look at Devskim. Microsoft owned Devskim was released almost unnoticed to the public amid-december 2016.

The idea behing DevSkim is to help developers spot code errors that could be a security problem. It flags “potentially dangerous calls”, and “gives in-context advice” about how to fix them.

Take for instance, if a developer defined MD5 as a hash, DevSkim would show a pop-up telling the user they're making a critical error, and suggest they change SHA-256 or SHA-512.

Microsoft's also been crafting plug-ins to add DevSkim to various development environments. Since DevSkim first landed, it's dropped repos for Visual Studio 2015 (on Windows 7 or later), Sublime Text (Windows, Mac OS and Linux), and VS Code (Windows, Mac OS and Linux).

A penguin PA

If you want to run a nothing-like-Siri personal assistant from the Linux command line, right? Right. So if you want to type “Hotels in Chicago” at the CLI rather than in Google – and have the CLI open a suitable Google Maps page for you –  That is Jarvis.

The video above tells all you need to know, and in the interests of authenticity, developer Sukeesh even retains his typos.

Brick your USB

In the best traditions of CIA-style up-close-and-personal human intelligence, some of the hacks pushed out in Wikileaks' latest press release depended on physical access: to make them work you needed to get at the USB port, for instance.

Robert Fisk has a contribution to the problem. While his “firewall for USB” won't help if you're being hit with a spanner, it could save you from a device that's got malware on it while it's still bubble-wrapped.

The project is called "USG" and is simple enough: a USB device plugs into and gets scanned for stuff like BadUSB. If you don't want to buy Fisk's hardware (NZ$80, US$60 or AU$74), there are DIY instructions for working with Olimex development boards.

As he notes in the technical discussion here, some of his functionality is still under active development.

As always, feel free to bring interesting repositories to our attention, be they useful, amusing or just plain evil.

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Mozilla Terminates Firefox OS for Phones and devices focuses on IoT

Firefox OS Logo

The final version of Firefox OS is version 2.6, which is set for release at the end of may 2016. "Firefox OS for smartphones can no longer have staff involvement beyond may," the post states.

Competing with Android and iOS is simply too hard, says Roter:

"We made an awesome push and created an impressive platform in Firefox OS. However, as we announced in December, the circumstances of multiple established operating systems and app ecosystems meant that we were playing catch-up, and the conditions were not there for Mozilla to win on commercial smartphones. We have decided that in order to succeed in the new area of Connected Devices we must focus our energy completely on prototyping the future and exploring how we can make the biggest impact in IoT".

The statement isn't a surprise, given a post in December by Senior VP Ari Jaaksi which he enthuses concerning IoT (Internet of Things) and adds that "We can explore and prototype new use cases within the world of connected devices as an open source project with a clear and concise target, the user benefit and experience."

As for connected devices, Roter says there are three projects that have passed from the idea phase to active investigation, of which one is absolutely public, the Firefox OS smart TV.

Firefox OS Devices

Firefox OS is open source, therefore in theory community work may continue, but not with the backing of a significant sponsor it's unlikely.

The barriers to entry in the smartphone market are quite huge, therefore Mozilla's retreat was perhaps inevitable. all the same, it's a tragic moment for those in search of an open smartphone platform.

The thinking behind Firefox OS was to own a smartphone operating system supported browser technology so internet apps would port simply which everything would be designed with open standards. affordable smartphones mistreatment the OS are free by vendors as well as Alcatel OneTouch, LG, ZTE and Huawei.

Firefox OS

Firefox OS is the one and only mobile operating system that's open source, developed in a very transparent way and receptive of contributions, that has shipped devices.

"Android in the variety of AOSP is essentially an open source dump. Roadmaps aren't public, contributions rare. we tend to square measure discard one thing distinctive and necessary. WP, iOS, BB10 aren't open," says community member Andre Alves Garzia during a comment.

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