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newer processors, making Windows 10  the absolute minimum starting point for people who are still holding out to their outdated hardware and software configurations.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.

Microsoft Hololens to come in Q1 2016 for Developers

After our experiences with smart watches, it is clear that an aspect as important as battery life is not to be underestimated. So far, HoloLens, said to be one of the exciting future prospects in technology, missed this detail but thankfully, Microsoft is working towards covering that too now.

According to the company, the mixed-reality computing platform will bring life of up to 5.5 hours on a single-charge, rather acceptable for a first-generation product of its kind. However, it can vary quite a lot with heavy 3D applications, whose use can shorten it to a rather subpar 2.5 hours.

Microsoft also detailed further aspects of the HoloLens, including connectivity. HoloLens uses both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for communication, so pretty much every wireless device out there is covered. Several headsets can be connected together for a shared experience too over Wi-Fi, and don’t need to be at the same place at the same time.

It can run just about any Windows 10 universal app. The field of view offered is similar to 15″ monitor placed at two feet from your face, due to cost and battery-life limitations. In the future, with improved manufacturing, that range can be expanded further as well.

We still aren’t sure when will the technology arrive for consumers but developer units should start hitting in Q1 2016. With this slightly different approach with virtual reality, Microsoft can surely blaze a trail for other lesser-known companies with HoloLens.

Facebook adds Built-in Tor support for its Android App

Rejoice for Privacy Lovers!

Facebook today took a surprising move by announcing that it is bringing the free anonymizing software TOR support to its Android app, almost two years after the social network planned to make Facebook available directly over Tor network.

Yes. Believe it or not, the Android version of the popular Facebook application now supports the Tor anonymity network.

In October 2014, Facebook launched a .onion website on TOR in order to let its users around the world access its service more securely.

Access Facebook over TOR via Orbot

This latest move to expand that access to the Android app opens up the option to millions more users to maintain their privacy when they visit the world's most popular social network.

Facebook says "a sizeable community of people" are already accessing the site over TOR, so the company is bringing this feature to Android via the free Orbot proxy app, which is available on the Google's Play Store.

"We commonly receive requests for additional platform support beyond the browser,"reads the announcement, "...we are now offering experimental support for using Facebook over Tor via the Orbot proxy app for Android devices."

How to Use Facebook Over TOR?

• In order to access Facebook over TOR, Download Orbot proxy app from the Play Store.
• Now open Facebook app and Select "Use Tor via Orbot" in the app's Settings menu.

That's it. Now you are connected to Facebook's Tor hidden service that will mask your real IP address and will stop your internet service provider (ISP) from seeing when you visit Facebook.

Moreover, this new feature could potentially allow users to access the social network site even if it is blocked in their country, like China and Iran.

Facebook says that the company is releasing this new feature "over the next few days," so do not expect to see the pop-up right now. 

And as the feature is currently in the experimental stage, flaws and other issues may occur.

WhatsApp is now FREE for LIFETIME..

Good News for WhatsApp users!

The widely popular messaging service is going completely free. And you'll be able to use WhatsApp without paying a penny.

Old WhatsApp users might not be aware of this, but WhatsApp introduced the subscription fees for its service a few years ago, forcing new users to pay an annual 99 cents (~$1) subscription fee after the first year.

However, WhatsApp announced Monday that the Facebook-owned company is dropping its annual subscription fee to make its service free to all users.

While announcing the plan today, WhatsApp's founder Jan Koum stated that the annual subscription fee was still a barrier to some users.

"As we have grown, we have found that this approach has not worked well," WhatsApp admitted in a company blog post today. "Many WhatsApp users do not have a debit or credit card number, and they worried they'd lose access to their friends and family after their first year."

What will be WhatsApp's New Business Model?

WhatsApp categorically said the company won't be replacing the subscription fee with third-party advertisements like intrusive banner and interstitials, which nowadays is a common practice used to make free applications profitable.

Instead, the company said it will explore ways businesses can use WhatsApp to connect with individuals, and will introduce new ways for users to communicate with businesses and organisations that will pay the company to target relevant communications with customers.

For example:

• A bank could use WhatsApp paid account to communicate with its customers about recent transactions and necessary fraud warnings.
• An airline could use WhatsApp paid account to contact its passengers about a delayed schedule or cancelled flight.

It is the same approach WhatsApp parent company Facebook is using with its own Messenger application, which in last month started allowing its users to book an Uber cab directly through the Messenger app.

INTEL introduces its small NUC PC

Intel might be on a roll with its Compute Stick PCs but that’s not the only compact or portable PC it came up with. It has further developed its boxy NUC (Next Unit of Computing) compact hardware with the new versions of its low-profile computers.

Details about Intel NUC

The previous NUC devices were popular among hobbyists and developers. While it brought out a Core i7 Broadwell model previously, the newer versions come with Core i3 and i5 processor options in order to appeal to a larger crowd.

You get the option of either a Core i3 & Intel Iris 540 graphics NUC model, or a Core i5 plus Iris 520 graphics model. Apart from it, there are DDR4 slots for RAM, as well as NFC connectivity in all NUC models, though your options aren’t limited to those.

You also get Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 internal USB 2.0, HDMI and a miniDisplay port. For something with a similar form factor as the Mac Mini, this is rather impressive.

Furthermore, Intel tells there will be even more options later on with 2.5-inch mechanical hard drives and SD card slots for people who already have their storage and RAM needs met.

The NUC PCs will be available in March this year. Pricing details aren’t currently being released, but the original i7 model cost around $350 at its launch so these variants are likelier to be cheaper rather than expensive.