Microsoft kills Media Center for Windows 10

If you're a Windows user and Windows Media Center is your media player of choice, there's bad news coming with the future release of the Windows 10 operating system. Microsoft has confirmed that the software will not be included with, and is in fact incompatible with,Windows 10. While Media Center has been a part of the operating system up until the latest version of 8.1, active development on the software actually ended back in 2009. Speaking to ZDNet during the Build developer conference last week, Microsoft stated that any PCs updating from Windows 7 or 8.1 will lose all Media Center functionality.

This will undoubtedly come as a disappointment to the number of loyal Media Center users. The software was first introduced in 2001 via an update to Windows XP. It came included with Windows Vista and 7, and due to demand from enthusiasts was actually ported to Windows 8 in an upgrade pack.

When it was first released, Media Center was meant to act as a PC's central entertainment hub, with the software running fullscreen and controlling media playback such as DVDs, CDs, photos, and even the ability to record broadcast TV. This led to several computer manufacturers releasing Media Center PCs meant to be used in the living room, but this trend never caught on with consumers.

It's easy to see why Microsoft has made the decision to finally kill Media Center, what with most users getting their media via streaming services that don't need a dedicated player, and watching on devices like smartphones and tablets. Should you still be heavily reliant on the Media Center software, the best option is probably to stick with Windows 7 or 8 in the meantime, as Microsoft has pledged to support the operating systems through 2020 and 2023, respectively.

Your free Android apps talk to thousands of ad sites

If you've used ad-sponsored Android apps, you've probably wondered where those ads are coming from, and whether or not there's anything to be worried about. According to French researchers, you have a reason to be cautious. They've found a way to automatically scan Android apps for connections to advertising and user tracking sites, and some of those programs are more than a little dodgy. A selection of 2,000 free Google Play apps connected to a whopping 250,000 sites spread over 2,000 domains. Most of them talk to only a handful of sites (Google's ad services dominate the top 10), but 10 percent connect to 500 or more -- one egregious offender links to over 2,000 sites. Only 30 percent of the apps talked to user tracking sites, but some of those were communicating with 800 or more addresses.

The actual danger to your phone isn't likely to be high. Only a small slice of those apps appeared to connect to suspicious sites, and many of the rest come from developers that Google holds in high esteem. Also, the researchers were using a phone running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so their experience might be different than what you'd get running thelatest version of Lollipop. Still, the issue is that you rarely know which ad and tracker sites are involved, and there's no easy way to block the connections you don't want. While this study doesn't mean that you should ditch ad-backed apps entirely, it does serve as a friendly reminder that you should be careful before grabbing them.

Harmony rehab robot guides recovery

Harmony is a robotic exoskeleton designed for the upper body

Until now, rehabilitation exoskeletons have generally been one-armed, and haven't been of much help in providing the sort of two-arm training that many patients need to recover coordination for carrying out daily tasks. Researchers at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin have now developed Harmony, a two-armed, robotic exoskeleton that uses mechanical feedback and sensor data to provide therapy to patients with spinal and neurological injuries.

Under development since 2011, Harmony is the result of a collaboration between mechanical engineering researcher Ashish Deshpande and graduate students from the Rehabilitation and Neuromuscular Robotics Lab. Its purpose is to provide full upper-body therapy with a high degree of natural motion, so patients can learn how to do things most of us take for granted, such as eating and dressing ourselves.

Harmony fits the entire upper body, connecting to the patient in three places. The exoskeleton has 14 axes of movement and a shoulder joint that helps with natural, coordinated movements, such as the scapulohumeral rhythm, which is an important rotational motion of the upper arm, shoulder and back that is important for long-term joint stability. In addition, the exoskeleton has tunable pressure and force, so it feels weightless when worn.

Another feature of Harmony is its suite of sensors designed to record data at a rate of 2,000 times per second. The data is recorded and used by harmony's software to instantly modify how the robotic system interacts with the patient.

In addition, the software lets the medical team provide precise therapy, as well as trackable data about the therapy. As the therapy progresses, Harmony can use its high levels of force and torque control to correct the patient's movements, provide guided exercises that gradually increase in difficultly, and chart their progress.

"Harmony is the culmination of years of research and development in the ReNeu Robotics Lab," says Deshpande. "It was specially designed to offer customized therapy for optimal efficacy. Not only does the exoskeleton adjust to patient size, it can also be programmed to be gentle or firm based on the individual’s therapy needs."

The hope is that Harmony will be able to reduce recovery times by providing bespoke care. According to the team, the project is moving out of the building phase and will now concentrate on trials, which will begin with healthy subjects in June, and the eventual inclusion of screen interfaces or games to help with recovery by providing stimulation to combat boredom and provide motivation during sessions.

Google I/O 2015 What to Expect: Android M, Google Glass 2.0, Project Ara and More

Google has officially announced the dates for its prestigious Google I/O 2015 and there's a lot of excitement around new launches and announcements at the event.

While it is still a mystery what Google might announce, here are our top guesses that will be the major highlight of the event. The prestigious event will shed light on some of Google's biggest projects, ranging from Android M to Google Glass 2.0 and Project Ara to Android Wear.

Here are all the possible announcements Google is expected to make at the Google I/O 2015, which commences on 28 May and runs through the next day. Registrations for the event are closed.

Android M

Google I/O 2014 witnessed the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop and this year's I/O keynote will make way for the next Android version. Going by Google's naming strategy, the next Android version will be named starting with the letter M. The Android M will succeed Android Lollipop as a sub-version, mostly Android 5.1.

The Android M specifics have been kept discreet, but there will not be a major overhaul as seen with Android Lollipop's Material Design. In fact, the update will be focused mainly towards squashing known bugs, improving OS performance and few added features.

Google Glass 2.0

After abruptly discontinuing the Explorer program in January, Google might announce some development on its wearable eyewear at the keynote. The web giant has confirmed that the Google Glass is not dead and future versions are already in the works. If the timing is right, Google I/O 2015 might be the right time for Google Glass 2.0 release. If not a full product release, some details on the development of the next iteration of the wearable is strongly expected.

There have been reports suggesting Google might use an Intel chip in its next version of Google Glass but other specs remain a secret.

Project Ara

The modular phone strategy promises a new take on smartphones and Google's Project Ara leads the way. We are expecting to see a solid development in the project at this month's I/O keynote. Project Ara offers the freedom for mobile users to upgrade their phone's components simply by switching parts. The initiative is still under development and lacks an official launch date. However, Google has revealed that it will start market testing the first products this year and Google I/O 2015 keynote seems like the right time to get more specific details.

Android Wear

Google's Android Wear OS has grown into a fully fledged OS for wearables over the past year but there's room for development. With the fast growing competition in the wearables segment, Google needs to improve its wearables platform to compete against rivals like Apple and Samsung. Even though Google has constantly improved Android Wear with software updates, we expect to see what Google has in store for the future, like a flagship smartwatch by Google.

Everything Else

Google is expected to finally release the next major upgrade to its Nexus series, Android Silver, which allows users to create Android devices based on certain requirements. Google may also dedicate a few sessions to its Android TV and Android Auto as well as some kids-friendly products and services.

We tried Microsoft HoloLens: This is going to be much bigger than Google Glass

We just tried the company's new hologram gadget HoloLens.

It was a demonstration that was equal parts really awesome and really weird.

We were struck right away by how different this device is from Google Glass. HoloLens is about getting specific tasks done.

Upshot: the HoloLens is the future, but not one that’s coming any time soon.

Walking through a blueprint

We tried HoloLens at the Microsoft's developer's conference, Build, going on in San Francisco this week.

The 15-minute demo paired HoloLens with architectural modeling software SketchUp. (Irony not lost here. SketchUp was developed by Google and sold to Trimble Navigation in 2012.)

With the glasses on, we could take an object on our screens and drag it off screen where it became a 3D hologram. With a mouse, we could change the size, color of the object – in this case the object was a model of a building.

In part two of the demo, we could go into this building, listen to and leave voice recorded notes for the architect.

Instead of looking at a paper blueprint, we saw where a new doorway was being designed and could look behind the walls to see where the plumbing and pipes were.

We controlled the device by moving our heads to direct our gaze, with voice commands and with a few simply hand gestures, namely the "air click."  The air click was exactly how it sounds, extend your ands and move your index finger, like clicking on a mouse.

HoloLens was untethered – no wires, although there was a Windows 10 PC in the room controlling it, operated by someone else.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-glass-hands-on-2015-4#ixzz3YsmtMryc

Microsoft Edge debuts: Windows 10's new web browser

One of the most anticipated features of the upcoming Windows 10 OS is the new browser from Microsoft. The company has already given a few details about the browser, which will be replacing the iconic, perhaps dated, Internet Explorer. At its Build Conference, Microsoft discussed its new browser - which will be launched as the Microsoft Edge, erstwhile known as Project Spartan.

The Microsoft Edge brings a slew of new features and will be the primary browser built in Windows 10. The browser will come with Cortana support. Built-in features include reader, note-taking and sharing. Based rendering engine called EdgeHTML, the new browser will offer a simple and minimalism design language. The browser is expected to support web extensions built via HTML and Javascript. Extensions built for Chrome can also be deployed on Edge with a few adjustments in codes 

Microsoft has also released a brief video giving glimpse of what to expect from the Microsoft Edge. Check it out below:

Related: Microsoft Windows 8

After not so very successful run with Windows 8, Microsoft is looking to turn around things with its Windows 10. Based on details released by Microsoft, the new operating system looks quite promising. As far as Internet Explorer goes, the browser had already lost edge to Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox. We believe Microsoft did the right thing by not flogging a dead horse.

With an increased focus on cross-platform as well as affordable services, Windows 10 along with the new Microsoft Edge give the company a good chance to revive its fortunes. On a lighter note, Edge isn't a very catchy name for a browser or is it? What do you think about the new browser? Love/hate it, tell us in the comments section below or via social media:

- See more at: http://www.digit.in/internet/microsoft-edge-debuts-windows-10s-new-web-browser-25941.html#sthash.C5rRlHtO.dpuf

from: http://www.digit.in/internet/microsoft-edge-debuts-windows-10s-new-web-browser-25941.html

Why You Need to Update to OS X 10.10.3 Now

Updates to your operating system aren't just to get cool new features. In fact, their primary raison d'être is to provide vital security updates that patch holes and vulnerabilities. Such is the case with Mac OS X 10.10.3, which fixes a potentially devastating flaw, but only for OS X Yosemite users.

Emil Kvarnhammar, writing for Swedish security firm TrueSec's blog, explained that he discovered a nasty vulnerability known as Rootpipe back in October 2014. It took Apple six months, but the manufacturer did finally issue a patch in its most recent security update. The only trouble is that not everyone will receive it.

MORE: Apple's New 12-inch Retina MacBook Reviewed

As Kvarnhammar points out, Mac OS X 10.9.x and older will not receive the patch, necessitating an update to 10.10.3 as soon as possible. To be clear, this means that if you are running OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion or Snow Leopard, you are missing out on a very important security update.

Rootpipe is a hack developed by Kvarnhammar himself that takes advantage of a backdoor in Apple's application program interface. Basically, it takes advantage of a hole in a Mac operating system's code, then escalates privilege so that any user can pretend to be an administrator. From there, hijacking the computer is child's play, as is installing all manner of spyware or malware

One important thing to keep in mind is that Kvarnhammar is a researcher, and Rootpipe is a proof-of-concept. There is no evidence that hackers are currently taking advantage of this exploit in the wild.

However, Kvarnhammar shared some details about the process in his blog post, and will give a whole talk about it at Security Conference 2015 in Stockholm on May 28. After that, an enterprising malefactor could probably piece together a similar program.

Many Mac users are hesitant to upgrade to Yosemite because it has the potential to slow down older systems (most Macs from 2007 or later are eligible for a free upgrade), perhaps necessitating the purchase of an expensive new machine. We leave it to you to weigh a nasty security risk against a machine that runs at peak efficiency, and decide which is more important.