Why Everyone Should Update to Windows 10
Everyone loves Windows 7! In fact, some people love it so much that they intend to skip upgrading to Windows 10 for free! And let’s face it: Microsoft did a great job with its operating system every two iterations.
Do you remember Windows 95? Very few people did. What about Windows 2000? I know, even fewer people liked it. But Windows 7 was a totally different story, combining Windows 98’s user friendliness with Windows 2000’s stability.
I have to admit that I was quite reluctant at first, but then Windows 7 won my heart. Like most of us, I upgraded one of my computers to Windows 8 about a year ago, but I was disappointed by it. And now that Windows 10’s free upgrade offer is quite close to its end, should you upgrade or not?
My strong recommendation is to go for it. I have been using Windows 10 on several computers for quite some time now, and I know it’s what Windows 8 should have been. Here are the key reasons why you should consider to upgrade for free while the offer lasts – before the 29th of July, to be more precise.
Windows 10 Is Constantly Updated
Many people continue to use the Windows XP OS, but they aren’t updating it, and this leads to many crashes, viruses, and so on. Windows 10 brings in a new update system, which makes it virtually impossible to ignore updating your OS.
Yes, Microsoft is practically forcing all its users to update their computers, but since this is done automatically, it isn’t a bad thing.
Windows 10 is Safer
Sure, an updated computer is a much more secure one, but everything fails if the bad people manage to log into it.
Windows 10 has added several alternatives to the standard password, including the ingenious strong Microsoft account password / simple sign-in PIN combo.
Windows 10 Includes New Features
Microsoft’s latest and greatest OS includes built-in applications that can be installed separately, but some of the apps will only run if you are using Windows 10. Take the lightning fast Edge browser, for example, or – everyone’s favorite – your personal assistant, Cortana.
If you are a gamer, you need to know that Microsoft’s HoloLens, which is currently shipping, only works with Windows 10. Also, the Xbox 360 game console can cooperate with Windows 10, allowing you to stream games to a PC monitor and have them played in another room. Now you can finally watch those soap operas at will, while your kids are having fun in their rooms!
Windows 10 Is Faster
Several third party benchmarks have revealed that Windows 10 runs faster than Windows 7 in most scenarios. It also boots and goes to sleep faster than Windows 7. And it even wakes up faster!
The differences aren’t always amazing, but let’s not forget that Windows 7 won’t get any performance updates from now on, while Windows 10 is going to be constantly updated.
Windows 10 Makes Task Switching Faster
Multitasking isn’t anything new to Windows, but it’s become quite quirky to use, especially when you’ve got more than a few applications open at the same time. Pressing Alt + Tab several times may have worked OK back in 1995, but Windows 10 has brought task switching to a new level.
Simply press “Windows + Tab” to show a simple, clear view of all the applications that are running, and then pick the one that needs to be brought to the foreground.
As an added bonus – and not one that can be ignored – Windows 10 has native support for multiple desktops, simplifying your work no matter if you use one or several monitors.
So there you have them: five key reasons why Windows 10 is a no-brainer update. Don’t forget that you can revert the update within 30 days from the install, so take your chances and upgrade your PC today.
Assorted Technology News
US Public Transit Riders Demand Better Wi-Fi
How does your public transit dream ride look like? As strange as it may seem, TransitCenter actually took the time to ask this question to more than 3,000 people across the country.
Surprisingly, many of the highly prioritized items and features are of small importance for the end users. Still, at least one of the items on the list has gained people’s vote as well: better Wi-Fi.
People are consuming more information than ever before, and often times their smartphones become their central information hubs. And with video gaining more and more popularity, it’s not a surprise that a weak Wi-Fi connection can get saturated in a jiffy.
Fortunately, several inexpensive solutions are available, ranging from high gain antennas coupled with RP SMA extension cables to affordable wireless signal boosters. Meanwhile, the New York City officials are trying to put cutting edge Wi-Fi routers into their buses.
Facebooks Tests Encrypted Messaging
Many people and businesses use Facebook’s Messenger as their favorite instant messaging tool. Still, some people exchange private or confidential information using Messenger, and Facebook wants to make sure that those conversations remain 100% private.
The social media giant has recently started to test its Secret Conversation function, which is known to be developed by Open Whisper Systems, a company that has a lot of experience when it comes to secure chats; they are the authors of the well known secure messaging app Signal.
Facebook’s Messenger has used the Signal Protocol, which was built into Signal, incorporating it into its messaging application. People will also be able to set an optional timer, which controls the visibility of a message within the conversation timeline.
Secret conversations don’t support all the popular files yet – rich content, for example. Still, since end-to-end encryption, including encrypted files, has been recently incorporated into WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, we are probably going to see a new Messenger update that incorporates this function in the very near future.
Secret Conversations are only available to a limited number of people, but the feature should become a mainstream one before the end of the year.
Tiny Cameras Help Fight Diseases
Ever needed to take high quality photographs of your internal organs, without exposing them to unwanted levels or radiation? If your answer is affirmative, you will be glad to find out that there’s now an easier, much healthier solution.
Scientists at the University of Stuttgart have built a camera that can be injected into your body. This camera will help the next generation endoscopes become much thinner, and thus much less intrusive. In fact, a tiny camera like this can be used to explore the brain looking for tumors, for example, without needing any surgery.
As always, these tiny cameras can be used for other purposes as well. I am quite sure that most experts that are active in the security systems industry would be quite happy to own a pair of these cameras 😉