This is the Surface Studio, Microsoft’s new all-in-one PC

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Studio Yesterday, an all-in-one PC with a 28-inch PixelSense display, with the thinnest display ever built according to Microsoft and a 3:2 display ratio. It also has an Intel Core processor, with a 2TB hybrid hard drive and an NVIDIA GPU, as well as integrated 2.1 speakers and a haptic feedback controller puck device.

The computer has a unique hinge on the back designed to make it more flexible for creative pursuits, and Microsoft’s Panay Panos said onstage it’s designed to “fundamentally change” the way people create.

The Studio has a touchscreen, 32GB RAM, a 2TB hybrid drive that combines HD and SD storage, four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, Audio, SD and Mini DisplayPort (no Thunderbolt) and the new radial input Surface Dial with haptic feedback. The speakers, ports and drive are contained in the base, which is a short, square box that lies between the chrome supports under the display.

Surface Studio’s display is designed to immerse the user as much as possible, according to Panay, which includes using 13.5 million pixels to make for a 192 PPI density that doesn’t reveal individual pixels no matter where you’re viewing from, according to Microsoft. The display also includes a feature Microsoft is calling TrueColor, which Panay says allows creators to “render the world… as he or she believes it needs to be rendered.”

What this means is that you can change your color space on the fly, meaning a filmmaker working in DCI-P3 can easily switch to sRGB to see how their content will look on TVs that don’t support the wider P3 color specification.

The display also features something called “True Scale,” which allows it to display print products at actual scale on the screen. “One inch on the screen is one inch in real life,” Panay said onstage at Microsoft’s product reveal on Wednesday.

Surface Studio’s hinge, which consists of two chrome arms attached to the base, is also designed to be reflective on purpose to further help it “fade to background,” according to Panay. It’s an interesting tactic for trying to reduce the user’s awareness of the actual hardware itself, and one that sounds a bit more like marketing hype than effective measure.

The Studio’s display includes a “linear mic array” that’s able to pic up a user’s voice from across the room, making it essentially an integrated Echo-like speaker thanks to the inclusion of Cortana in Windows 10.

Surface Studio also supports Surface Pen, making it an amazing option for graphics professionals. The Surface Dial works with the screen intelligently, giving you software tools like color sliders in various apps.

The hinge is designed to easily let you go from upright to flat working device without resistance, and the Surface Pen support really helps make that True Scale feature very appealing. It basically means you can write in full speed (the latency looks incredibly low) on a 1:1 8.5×11 piece of virtual paper on the screen.

Onstage, Panay also introduced and demonstrated the Surface Dial. It’s designed a new input device, in line with but different from things like mice and keyboards. Dial has global controls built-in, meaning they work throughout Windows at the system level. The Dial can work either laid out on the desk like a keyboard, or placed directly on the display, as in the image above. It’ll have different functions depending on which way you’re using it. Surface Dial also works with Surface Book, Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 for off-screen functions.

 demo of the Surface Studio’s creative prowess included a demo from Madefire founder Ben Wolstenholme, who used it to create a thumbnail for an animated comic for his app. Wolstenholme explained how he used to do the same workflow on paper and in multiple steps, but he can now do it entirely digitally right on the Surface Studio, complete with assigning handy shortcuts like zooming for detailed inking to the Dial.

“It’s amazing to me that Surface Studio makes it possible for me to have my entire creative workflow in one place,” Wolstenholme said.

Surface Dial is open to developers, letting them create on-screen use cases that make it possible to use it to do things like change color while you’re actually in the act of digital painting, or adjusting scale and switching between tools on the fly.

The Surface Studio is available for pre-order now, and will arrive in Microsoft Stores for hands-on demos starting October 27. It’s going to ship in limited numbers by this holiday season, and is priced starting at $2,999.

The Sirius A is a full desktop PC that fits in your pocket

Forget hulking tower PCs, here's a Windows 10 machine so small you can fit it in your pocket.

Despite it's phone-like appearance, the Sirius A, made by Dutch hardware firm Ockel, runs a desktop version of Windows 10 and has the ports needed to be hooked up to a monitor, keyboard and network.

Currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, the mini-PC also includes a six-inch touchscreen, 1080p display for use on the go, 64GB in-built flash storage, a microSD booster slot, 3.5mm audio port and a 3,000mAH battery.

But unlike a smartphone, the Sirius A also comes with two USB 3.0, a USB Type-C, HDMI, DisplayPort and Ethernet ports, as well as a 12V power input for when it is used as a desktop. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity are also included.

To ensure Windows PC software runs on the device, the Sirius A ships with Windows 10 Home 64-bit as an OS, and packs an Intel Atom quad-core processor with 4GB RAM.

Cooling is provided by a heatsink built into the aluminium casing and the Sirius also houses an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer.

Another possible forthcoming feature is called "switch mode", which Ockel says it's working on with Microsoft to allow the device to function as a mouse or keyboard when attached to a display.

One downside for those hoping to use the portable device, measuring just 85mm x 150mm, on the go might be the battery life, which last about three hours under casual usage.

The campaign for the Sirius A has already passed its $100,000 target, raising $261,371 from 495 backers so far and has 22 days left. During the campaign period, prices start at $549, however the device will sell for $699. Ockel is hoping to ship the finished product in May next year.

Last year Ockel released the Sirius B, which has similar specs to the Sirius A but lacked a touchscreen display.

While somewhat novel, a pocketable Windows 10 device isn't entirely new. The recently released HP Elite X3 allows users to dock the six-inch phone and link it to a monitor and keyboard. The Windows Phone device can run Windows 10 apps and a limited Windows 10 desktop. However, the phone is slightly more expensive, selling for $799.

FRANCE Warns Microsoft to stop collecting Windows 10 users Personal data

We have heard a lot about privacy concerns surrounding Windows 10 and accusations on Microsoft ofcollecting too much data about users without their consent.

Now, the French data protection authority has ordered Microsoft to stop it.

France's National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) issued a formal notice on Wednesday, asking Microsoft to "stop collecting excessive data" as well as "tracking browsing by users without their consent."

The CNIL, Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, ordered Microsoft to comply with the French Data Protection Act within 3 months, and if fails, the commission will issue a sanction against the company.

Moreover, the CNIL notified Microsoft that the company must also take "satisfactory measures to ensure the security and confidentiality" of its users' personal data.

The notice comes after a series of investigations between April and June 2016 by French authorities, revealing that Microsoft was still transferring data to the United States under the "Safe Harbor" agreement that a European Court court invalidated in October last year.

Allegations on Windows 10

The CNIL's list of complaints about Windows 10 does not end there, as it goes on to read:

• Microsoft is collecting data on "Windows app and Windows Store usage data," along with monitoring apps its user's download and time spent on each app, which according to the CNIL, is irrelevant and "excessive" data collection.
• Microsoft is also criticized for its lack of security, since there is no limit set on the number of guesses for entering the four-digit PIN used to protect your Microsoft account.
• After Windows 10 installation, Microsoft also activates a user's advertising ID by default, which enables Windows apps as well as other third-party apps to monitor user browsing history and to offer targeted ads "without obtaining users' consent."
• Windows 10 does not give you any option to block cookies.
• And as I mentioned above, Microsoft is transferring its users' personal data to the United States under the "Safe Harbor" agreement.

 In a statement, the CNIL said: "It has been decided to make the formal notice public due to, among other reasons, the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory)."

Microsoft Response on the CNIL Notice

Microsoft has responded to the notice, saying the company is happy to work with the CNIL to"understand the agency's concerns fully and to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable." 

What's more interesting is that Microsoft does not deny the allegations set against it and does nothing to defend Windows 10 excessive data collection, as well as fails to address the privacy concerns the CNIL raises.

However, the tech giant does address concerns about the transfer of its users' personal data to the U.S. under the "Safe Harbor" agreement, saying that "the Safe Harbor framework is no longer valid for transferring data from European Union to the United States."

The company says it still complies with the Safe Harbor agreement up until the adoption of Privacy Shield.

"Microsoft has in fact continued to live up to all of its commitments under the Safe Harbor Framework, even as the European and US representatives worked toward the new Privacy Shield," says Microsoft. "We're working now toward meeting the requirements of the Privacy Shield."

Windows 10 Privacy concerns seem to be a never ending topic. Over the last year, Microsoft has annoyed users with a number of weird practices around Windows 10, including aggressive upgrades and transferring too much information about users back to Redmond.

Since there is the promise of a statement about privacy next week, let's see what happens next. You can read Microsoft's full statement, courtesy of David Heiner, vice president and deputy general counsel, on VentureBeat.

Windows 10 Blue Screen of Death comes with QR code

If you are a Microsoft’s Windows user, you may have encountered the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

The Blue Screen of Death generally appears when Windows encounters any critical error due to software or hardware issues, displaying a sad face and no information other than "Your PC ran into a problem."

However, now the company is apparently giving its infamous Blue Screen of Death a makeover.

With the Microsoft's Anniversary Update, the company is making the Blue Screen of Death a little helpful for its users.

Microsoft is adding QR code to its Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 10 that will make it easier for users to identify potential issues with their devices.

The new QR codes are featured in the Redmond's latest Windows 10 Preview, Build 14316, which will debut this summer as the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Now, when your operating system fails, you will see not just a sad face, but a QR code that would be helpful in two ways:

1. You would be able to scan this code with your smartphone and be directed to a Web page that could include the details on the encountered error.
2. You could also call Microsoft support to figure out the problem by determining the source of the bug based on the specific QR code and even help you troubleshoot or fix it.

Though the change is not groundbreaking one, it will surely benefit millions of Windows 10 users whose hearts stop for a while when their screen goes blue.

The BSOD QR codes are expected to come out this summer when Microsoft releases the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Microsoft's Anniversary Update for Windows 10 will bring a lots of new features, including Ubuntu file system that will allow you to use Bash to run command-line Linux applications without a virtual machine.

How many of you think the BSOD QR codes would be useful?

Let me know in the comments below.

Windows 10 - started showing FULL screen Ads on Lockscreen - here is how to turn it OFF

If you've upgraded your older version of Windows OS to an all new Windows 10 operating system then you may have noticed an advertisement appearing on your desktop or laptop’s lock screen over the past couple of days.

Yes, this is what Microsoft has chosen to generate revenue after offering Free Windows 10 Download to its users: Monetize the Lock Screen.

Thanks to Windows 10's new Spotlight feature that usually shows you clean and beautiful photographs and fun facts on your lock screen, but now started displaying advertisements to over 200 Million devices running Windows 10.

Some Windows 10 users have reported seeing ads for Rise of the Tomb Raider with links to Windows Store from where users can purchase the video game. Microsoft started selling the game last month.

Although the ads are not as annoying as the Windows 10 privacy concerns related to the way Microsoft collects your personal data, the good news is that you can turn the ads OFF.

Here's How to Turn the Ads OFF

The advertisements are because of the Windows Spotlight feature in your Personalization settings.

If you don't want to see these intrusive ads, follow the steps given below to disable Windows Spotlight:

• Open the Start Menu and look for 'Lock Screen Settings.'
• Under 'Background,' Choose either 'Picture' or 'Slideshow,' instead of Windows Spotlight.
• Now, Scroll down to 'Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen' and uncheck this box.

The advertisements are turned ON for your lock screen by default, which is definitely a clever way to offer companies to reach their customers, without mentioning the word 'advertisements' to the Windows users.

As I previously said: Nothing comes for Free, as "Free" is just a relative term. Everything comes with its own price.

As warned last year, Microsoft also started pushing Windows 10 upgrades onto its user's computers much harder by re-categorizing Windows 10 as a "Recommended Update" in Windows Update, instead of an "optional update."

Windows 10 Sends Data Everyday, after tweaking privacy settings

Myth: By disabling all privacy compromising and telemetry features on Windows 10 will stop Microsoft to track your activities.

Fact: Even after all telemetry features disabled, Windows 10 is phoning home more than you could ever think of.

Ever since the launch of Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 10 is believed to be spying on its users. I wrote a number of articles to raise concern about Windows 10 privacy issues, including its controversial data mining features and privacy invasion features.

The only solution believed to cope up with these issues is to disable all the telemetry features or use an automated tool to disable all privacy-infringing features in just one click.

But unfortunately, all these efforts got wasted because Microsoft still tracks you, even after you tighten your Windows 10 privacy to an extreme level, claims the recent analysis conducted by a Voat user CheesusCrust.

Traffic Analysis Reveals Extent of Windows 10 Spying

Curious to know the extent of Windows 10 spying, CheesusCrust set up his Linux laptop with a Windows 10 Enterprise virtual machine as well as a DD-WRT router that was being utilized to monitor traffic.

CheesusCrust also disabled every single tracking and telemetry features in the operating system. He then left the machine running Windows 10 overnight in an effort to monitor the connections the OS is attempting to make.

The results are not so surprising:

Eight hours later, he found that the idle Windows 10 box had tried over 5,500 connections to 93 different IP addresses, out of which almost 4,000 were made to 51 different IP addresses belonging to Microsoft.

After leaving the machine for 30 hours, Windows 10 expanded that connection to 113 non-private IP addresses, potentially allowing hackers to intercept this data.

Taking his test to a step further, CheesusCrust again installed Windows 10 Enterprise virtual machine on his laptop, disabled all tracking features and enabled a third-party tool known as DisableWinTracking. 

After this, the number was reduced to 2758 connections to 30 different IP addresses in the period of 30 hours.

The interesting fact here is: This analysis was conducted on Windows 10 Enterprise Edition that comes with the most granular level of user control, far more than the standard Windows 10 Home Edition used by a sizable audience.

The Greatest Cost to Owning 'Free' Windows 10

However, based on these logs, it would be inaccurate to say that Windows 10 is sending your personal data to Microsoft's servers. But, thousands of connection attempts in the period of 8 hours just to check for updates or adjust the time, sounds more complicated than thought.

A September 2015 blog from Terry Myerson, head of the Windows team, explained that while Windows 10 does send some of your data to the company, everything is encrypted and doesn't include any of your personal details.

Here's what Microsoft says about the Windows 10 Spying concerns:

"We collect a limited amount of information to help us provide a secure and reliable experience. This includes data like an anonymous device ID, device type, and application crash data which Microsoft and our developer partners use to continuously improve application reliability. This doesn't include any of your content or files, and we take several steps to avoid collecting any information that directly identifies you, such as your name, email address or account ID."

While this research doesn't provide what details Windows 10 is sending to the company even after disabling the telemetry features, you have to keep this in mind that Nothing comes for FREE. "Free" is just a relative term. May be you are paying the greatest cost to owning Windows 10.

Future Processors will only Support Windows 10

Microsoft is seemingly going to a new limit to define Windows 10 as the ultimate platform for the people of its ecosystem. In short, older OSes will no longer be supported by newer processors, making Windows 10  the absolute minimum starting point for people who are still holding out to their outdated hardware and software configurations.

As it turns out, the AMD, Intel and Qualcomm processors of the future will only support Windows 10 to get enterprise support. This news will allow Microsoft to further add reluctant business users who have stuck faithfully to older OS iterations.

What about Windows 7, 8 and 8.1?

The company is making it mandatory for Skylake processors to upgrade in the near future. It has made a list of these 6th-gen chips that will get support for Windows 7 and 8.1, but that too will end barely a year-and-a-half later on 17th of July, 2017.

After the expiry of the 2017 deadline, it is almost certain that an upgrade is needed and only those updates will be rolled out that don’t risk the “reliability or compatibility of the Windows 7/8.1 platform on other devices”.

Users with older versions of Intel and other options will get the support till Jan. 14, 2020 and Jan. 10, 2023 for versions 7 and 8.1 respectively.

Here’s Tyler Myerson in his own words regarding the change:

“Windows 7 was designed nearly 10 years ago before any x86/x64 SoCs existed. For Windows 7 to run on any modern silicon, device drivers and firmware need to emulate Windows 7’s expectations for interrupt processing, bus support, and power states – which is challenging for Wi-Fi, graphics, security, and more. As partners make customizations to legacy device drivers, services, and firmware settings, customers are likely to see regressions with Windows 7 ongoing servicing.”

It is not immediately clear what hardware developments are making Windows 7 a nuisance at this point, but as Skylake has shown, a better power management between the chip and the OS it runs on is possible. With Koby Lake coming soon, this and much more can be taken to an all new level.

Bluestack 2: For Android Apps on Windows & Mac OS X

Bluestacks, the first app player for running Android apps on Windows, has launched the latest version of its Android emulator platform with one major upgrade:

• The Ability to Run Multiple Android apps Simultaneously.

BlueStacks 2 Released

Bluestacks previously only run a single app at a time. However, with the launch of BlueStacks 2, the app adds a tabbed interface that allows you to jump between multiple Android apps in the same window.

This is great for you to run gaming and messaging apps, or news and messaging apps at the same time.

The update also adds a toolbar that allows you to quickly tell the Android emulator to simulate rotating the device screen or to perform other functions, such as copying and pasting.

In BlueStacks 2, players now have options to marry game play and app discovery, meaning when they click an advertisement, a new tab will appear so that the players can continue playing their games without being interrupted.

How to Run Multiple Android apps Using BlueStacks 2

BlueStacks 2 is currently available only on Windows, but will soon debut on Macs in July.

Follow these simple steps to go:

Step 1: To use and run multiple Android apps simultaneously, you need to first Download BlueStacks 2, which is free.

Step 2: Install BlueStacks 2 software on your Windows computer.

Step 3: Once installed, you will land on the Welcome Tab. Just Move to 'Android' tab.

Step 4: Software will ask you for One-time Google Account Setup, just like an Android device ask for.

Step 5: Login with your Google account to complete the Setup and you are ready!

Step 6: From 'Android' tab select multiple apps you want to run in parallel. BlueStacks 2 will open each app in a new Tab within the software interface.

With the seventh-largest Android user base in the world, Bluestacks has crossed more than 109 Million app downloads, engaging more than 1.1 Billion Android apps every month.

"When we started, mobile apps, with their crisp resolution looked and sounded gorgeous on PC and TV," said Shashi Kant Sharma, Product Manager at BlueStacks.

"What we’ve learned is that the wider visual space lends itself more naturally to app discovery. Once someone discovers apps on PC or TV, they tend to use them across all of their devices, giving the BlueStacks platform powerful reach for developers."