CAN WE BUILD A GAMING PC ON A CONSOLE BUDGET?

Today, I am sharing with you an article that I read yesterday. I was amazed to see how powerful PC Gaming can be. Since, I am a PC gamer, I found this article interesting and worth sharing. The article has been posted as is without much alteration. 

"There's no debating that a souped-up gaming PC will outperform an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 any day of the week, but it'll also cost you a lot more at checkout. However, what about a gaming PC that isn't top of the line, say, one that was built for $550?

This is the question we put to the test: could we build a gaming PC from scratch that could provide a gameplay and visual experience on par with a next-gen console, for around the same price as a next-gen console? While the PlayStation 4 is substantially cheaper, we wanted to make this exercise as competitive as possible, and that meant allowing ourselves the luxury of a slightly higher budget. Our own Mark Walton and Peter Brown each built one machine; one based on Intel and Nvidia chipsets, and the other on AMD hardware. Then, we put them to the test to see if Mark and Peter used their budgets wisely or if they would have been better off buying a console for great graphics on a fixed budget.

Rules and Goals

We aimed to stay within a budget of $550--roughly the most you can pay for an Xbox One in North America. In addition to acquiring the bare essentials for a PC--CPU, GPU, RAM, motherboard, power supply, computer case, and hard drive--each editor had to include the cost of a mouse, a keyboard, and a Windows license. No piracy or preexisting parts allowed!

The other goal was to build a machine that performs as well as or better than an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 in cross-platform games. The list of benchmark candidates included Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Thief, and Titanfall.

Mark Walton - AMD Gaming PC

Gaming PCs live and die by the GPU and CPU. AMD's budget offerings are a far better value for the money than either Intel's or Nvidia's. For less than the price of the cheapest Ivy Bridge-based Core processor from Intel, you can pick up six-core chips from AMD that happily outperform it. The same goes for AMD's GPUs, which offer excellent performance for less than the Nvidia equivalent.

My plan was simple: stick as much money into the CPU and GPU as possible, and work with what's left--and if I could make the computer look half decent too, all the better.

Component	Type	Price	Store
CPU	AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz	$109.00	Amazon
Motherboard	ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+ AMD 760G	$48.49	Newegg
Case	Fractal Core 1000	$39.99	Newegg
PSU	EVGA 100-W1-500-KR 500W	$44.99	Newegg
GPU	PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 (open box item)	$107.00	Newegg
RAM	HyperX XMP Blu Series 4GB DDR3 1600	$40.00	Newegg
Storage	Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB	$50.95	Amazon
OS	Windows 8	$70.00	eBay
Key/Mouse	V7 Standard PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse Combo	$10.19	Amazon
	Subtotal	$520.61
	Sales Tax	$45.55
	Total	$566.16

Game	Settings	Average Frame Rate
Assassin's Creed IV	1080p, Ultra, AA	42
Battlefield 4	1080p, High, AA	72
Battlefield 4	1080p, Ultra, MSAA	42
Thief	1080p, Ultra, AA	87
Titanfall	1080p, Very High, AA	60

Note: Click the links under "settings" to view the complete list of settings used during testing.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how well this system worked. All the games I tried hit frame rates 60fps, and--with the exception of Battlefield 4--did so at the highest settings. Rendering games 1080p60 is an achievable goal on a budget, then, as long as you're realistic about which games you'll be able to do it with, and at what settings. If you're after a bit more oomph and some peace of mind for future releases, though, spending a few extra bucks here and there will give you a big boost in performance.

More RAM is the obvious choice. It doesn't cost much to bump it up to 8GB, and the less time the PC has to spend thrashing the hard drive for a swap file the better. An extra $70 toward an R270 GPU would be a wise decision too. It's good value and overclocks extremely well, putting it firmly in the high-end GPU segment for just a fraction of the cost. There's also the option of an SSD for a more responsive feel, an aftermarket cooler for CPU overclocking, and a nicer-looking case, but they're not essential.

Peter Brown - Intel/Nvidia Gaming PC

A budget of $550 is unusually small for a gaming PC, especially when the cost of an operating system is factored in. My strategy for this build was centered around a few key tactics.

First, I planned to keep the system's power draw as low as possible to save money on the cost of the power supply. I wanted to build small because smaller form factor cases and motherboards are usually cheaper overall unless they're particularly fancy. I also decided to use an unusually modest CPU. Intel makes excellent processors, but this quality isn't limited to the Core line. As long as I wasn't going to risk bottlenecking the GPU's performance, I looked for the simplest and cheapest option available. That way, I could focus on the linchpin of a gaming PC: the GPU. In this instance, I was aiming for Nvidia's Geforce GTX 750 Ti due to its great price/performance ratio.

Component	Type	Price	Store
CPU	Intel Pentium G2130 3.2 GHz	$74.99	Newegg
Motherboard	Biostar H61MGV3	$36.99	Newegg
Case	Topower TP-1687BB-300	$34.99	Newegg
PSU	300W SFX Power Supply (included w/case)	n/a	Newegg
GPU	EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2 GB	$154.99	Newegg
RAM	Team Elite 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333	$39.99	Newegg
Storage	Western Digital Blue 500 GB 7200 RPM 16MB	$54.99	Newegg
OS	Windows 8.1 64-Bit	$99.99	Newegg
Key/Mouse	Rosewill PS/2 Wired	$12.98	Newegg
	Subtotal	$509.91
	Sales Tax	$38.24
	Total	$548.15

Game	Settings	Average Frame Rate
Assassin's Creed IV	1080p, High, FXAA	40
Battlefield 4	1080p, High, 2x MSAA	50
Thief	1080p, High, FXAA	55
Titanfall	1080p, High, No AA	50

Note: Click the links under "settings" to view the complete list of settings used during testing.

Like Mark, I was surprised how well my rig performed. I had faith that the GTX 750 Ti would hold up under light pressure, but given its partner in crime, the Pentium CPU, I presumed that I would have to dial down the in-game settings a bit more. In practice, all it took for most games to play near 60 frames per second at 1080p was to disable a few flourishes like ambient occlusion and aggressive anti-aliasing. With my $550 PC, I was able to handily outperform the Xbox One in every case, and the PlayStation 4 in most cases, which says a lot about the value of the PlayStation 4 given its lower $400 price point.

If I had had a larger budget, I would have sprung for a better CPU and a bit more RAM. My inexpensive Pentium CPU held up quite well considering that it cost only $80, but it was typically running at full speed with little to no remaining overhead. Unfortunately, given my skimpy power supply, there's little hope for tossing a better Nvidia GPU into this build down the road without other additional upgrades. In the end, with our meager budget, Mark's AMD focus gave him a slight advantage in terms of performance and upgradability.

Closing Thoughts

As it turns out, you can build a gaming PC for around the cost of an Xbox One that will outperform both next-gen consoles given the current stock of cross-platform games. You'll also enjoy a massive library that neither the PlayStation 4 nor the Xbox One will ever be able to match from a pure numbers standpoint. Plus, your PC is upgradable, and its functionality in non-gaming areas only adds to its value. AMD has an advantage when it comes to the balance of price and performance on the low end, but there's nothing stopping you from mixing and matching components from different manufacturers, which very well might be the best plan if you've got a larger budget to work with.

Keep in mind, too, that current cross-platform games on consoles perform best on a PlayStation 4, which currently sells for $100 less than an Xbox One. If you were to try to build a gaming PC for $400 to $450, our experience has taught us that you would end up with a machine that can't compete with either next-gen console. Though we both succeeded in our goal, $550 was proved quite limiting when it came to picking components."

If you had a budget of $550, which platform--PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or PC would you choose? How would you build a gaming PC on a console-size budget? Let me know in the comments below.

Source: Gamespot

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INTERACT WITH YOUR WINDOWS PHONE IN NEW WAY WITH GESTURE BETA APP

Microsoft has just released a utility app, Gestures. The app is in Beta but with Gestures you can control some of the functions of your phone without touching the display.

You can: 

1. Answer a call by picking up your phone and putting it to you ear
2. Mute your mic during a call by placing the phone on a flat surface with the display facing down
3. Put the call on speaker by placing the phone on a flat surface with the display facing up
4. Silence the incoming call ringer by flipping device display down.

This is the first release of the client, so it is likely that more features will make their way as updates roll in. You can give your feedback and ask for the feature you want to see in the coming upates.

Please note that you'll need to restart your phone after installation to be able to use the feature.

Microsoft has mentioned that devices like Lumia 635, Lumia 630 and Lumia 530 will have limited functionality may be because of less sensors.

Let us know what functionality you'd like to see in upcoming versions in the comments.

Download Gestures Beta

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SWEDISH POLICE RAID THE PIRATE BAY

Yesterday, police in Sweden carried out a raid in Stockholm today, seizing servers, computers, and other equipment. At the same time The Pirate Bay and several other torrent-related sites disappeared offline. Although no official statement has been made.

For many years The Pirate Bay has been sailing by the seat of its pants so any downtime is met with concern from its millions of users. 

This morning, for the first time in months, The Pirate Bay disappeared offline. A number of concerned users emailed TF for information but at that point technical issues seemed the most likely culprit. 

However, over in Sweden authorities have just confirmed that local police carried out a raid in Stockholm this morning as part of an operation to protect intellectual property. 

“There has been a crackdown on a server room in Greater Stockholm. This is in connection with violations of copyright law,” read a statement from Paul Pintér, police national coordinator for IP enforcement. 

Police are staying quiet on the exact location of the operation and the targets involved but the fact that the national police IP chief is involved at this early stage suggests something sizable. 

In addition, expert file-sharing case prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad has commented on the raid, further adding weight to the incident. 

“There were a number of police officers and digital forensics experts there. This took place during the morning and continued until this afternoon. Several servers and computers were seized, but I cannot say exactly how many,” Ingblad told SR. 

Ingblad would not be drawn on any arrests during the operation but TorrentFreak has learned that police may have detained at least one man connected to the site. 

While it seems certain that The Pirate Bay has been targeted today. Several other torrent related sites including EZTV, Zoink, Torrage and the Istole tracker are also down.

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NEXT ASSASSIN'S CREED GAME WILL BE SET IN VICTORIAN LONDON

The 2015 edition of Assassin's Creed will be set in the city of London during the Victorian era, according to a Kotaku source, and will be called Assassin's Creed: Victory.

As announced by Ubisoft over the summer, development of Victory will be led by Ubisoft Quebec. It's expected that it will be the only "main" Assassin's Creed game released in 2015, and is currently planned to come out in the fall.

Kotaku described the seven-minute-long "target gameplay footage" video its staffers viewed as "slick" and said it could pass as an E3 presentation. The mission in the video once again pitted the Assassins against the Templars, and featured a grappling hook that allowed the assassin to go vertical.

Several stills from the video are up at Kotaku and they certainly look good, very Victorian and all that, but there is something irksome about seeing the next Assassin's Creed—even by way of leaked footage—while the current game is still such a mess.

Ubisoft has now relased a statement:

"It is always unfortunate when internal assets, not intended for public consumption, are leaked. And, while we certainly welcome anticipation for all of our upcoming titles, we're disappointed for our fans, and our development team, that this conceptual asset is now public. The team in our Quebec studio has been hard at work on the particular game in question for the past few years, and we're excited to officially unveil what the studio has been working on at a later date. In the meantime, our number one priority is enhancing the experience of Assassin's Creed Unity for players."

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LUMIA 925 AND LUMIA 1020 FREEZING ISSUES – FIX IS ON THE WAY

Few weeks ago, many users of Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020 reported a bug in their handsets that would freeze their device while trying to wake it up from sleep mode. The issue started after the devices were updated to Windows Phone 8.1.

Microsoft's Kevin Lee shed some light on the problems customers were reporting since updating to Windows Phone 8.1.

"Beginning in early September we started to receive an increased number of customer feedback regarding Microsoft Lumia 1020 and 925 device freezes. During the last two months we have been reaching out for more and more data and devices to systematically reproduce and narrow down the root cause. It turned out to be a power regulator logic failure where in combination with multiple reasons the device fails to power up the CPU and peripherals after idling into a deep sleep state."

Microsoft has now acknowledged this issue, and promises to provide a fix soon.

“I am pleased to pass on that we have a fix candidate under validation which we expect to push out the soon with the next SW update!”

Source: Microsoft

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NEW WINDOWS PHONE 8.1.1 UPDATE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD

Yesterday's update to Battery Saver hinted at a new build for Windows Phone coming soon. Today There is a new update rolling out for Windows Phone 8.1 Preview for Developers users. 

This new build is notable for enabling a 'real-time Live tile' for the Battery Saver app on Windows Phone 8.1. It also allows you to add Battery Saver to the Quick Settings found in the Action and Notification Center.

To check your phone right now for an update go to settings -> phone update -> check for updates. If you're enrolled in the Preview for Developers program, you should see an update. Look for the 8.10.14203.306 update to be available after checking.

You get a real-time Live tile for Battery Saver, if you pin the app to your Start screen. You can also add it to your Quick Settings.

What else is different with the new update? Let me know in the comments.

Please use the poll on the right, and help me making this blog better.

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BATTER SAVER FOR WINDOWS PHONE UPDATED

Battery Saver has just picked up an update for Windows Phone. The built-in app allows you to monitor which apps are consuming the most battery and gives you control over which apps run in the background. Today's update gives you more filters on the usage page.

Today's update puts the app at version 1.0.14201.0. Changleog is below.

Battery Saver 1.0.14201.0 Changelog

• Foreground vs Background metrics: Usage bars now show foreground and background showing you how much power a particular app consumes whether you're using it or not using it.
• Time Filters: We've added a filter also in the usage view where you can now specify the timeframe of data to look at. Can now show data from the last day, 2 days or a week.
• What Does Battery saver do anyway?: Re-worded the settings page to more clearly indicate what battery saver mode does.
• Real Time Live Tile: If you pin the battery saver app to start, it now updates in real time! (Requires build 8.1.14203 or higher.)
• Quick Settings: You can now add battery saver to the quick settings menu and cycle through the battery saver options there. (Requires build 8.1.14203 or higher.)
• Turn On until next charge: We added a new option to let users turn on battery saver until next charge!
• Improved Battery usage scaling: The usage data now scales to actual device battery capacity with full width mapping to 100% capacity. Additionally, the bars now use a logarithmic scaling algorithm to make the bars more visible when usage is small for a particular app.

Today's update puts the app at version 1.0.14201.0. We're not seeing an official changelog listed in the Windows Phone Store, but a quick scan of the app after updating reveals a few new features.

Visually Battery Saver will now display how an app is impacting your battery when it's in use and when it's in the background. Tapping an app to go to its detailed page will provide exact values for how it's behaving in use and in the background.

Another change is ability to sort and filter your app usage list by time. By default it will show you how apps are consuming your battery in the past 24 hours. Other options allows to sort by usage in past 48 hours or last one week.

The changelog refers to Windows Phone 8.1 build 14203. The current Windows Phone 8.1.1 build for the Preview for Developers program is 14192, which means that there is a good chance Windows Phone users will get another OS update soon.

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MICROSOFT FIXED 19 YEARS OLD EXPLOIT

On Tuesday, Microsoft fixed an exploit that had existed in every version of the operating system for 19 years, since Windows 95 by issuing large number of updates to currently supported versions of Windows.

The flaw was first discovered by IBM in May and it shared that information privately with Microsoft. 

IBM stated:

"This complex vulnerability is a rare, "unicorn-like" bug found in code that IE relies on but doesn't necessarily belong to. The bug can be used by an attacker for drive-by attacks to reliably run code remotely and take over the user's machine — even sidestepping the Enhanced Protected Mode (EPM) sandbox in IE 11 as well as the highly regarded Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) anti-exploitation tool Microsoft offers for free."

IBM said this flaw has allowed every version of Windows to be remotely exploited since the release of Internet Explorer 3.0 in 1996. So far, there's no evidence that hackers have found and have been using this security hole for attacks. However, the BBC quotes Gavin Millard, from Tenable Network Security, as saying:

"Whilst no proof-of-concept code has surfaced yet, due to Microsoft thankfully being tight-lipped on the exact details of the vulnerability, it won't be long until one does, which could be disastrous for any admin that hasn't updated."

The biggest concern is for all those users who are still using Windows XP, which is not supported by Microsoft any more. The latest statistics for October by Net Applications showed that 17.18% users are still running Windows XP worldwide.

If you haven't done it; Update your Windows now. How concerned are you about this Windows "bug" ?

Source: BBC; IBM

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LUMIA 535 - NEW AFFORDABLE SMARTPHONE

Microsoft has released the new Lumia 535, branding it as their '5x5x5' smartphone which is inline with the specs: a 5 inch qHD screen, 5 megapixel front-facing wide-angle camera, and 5 megapixel rear camera.

It is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage space, and 128GB of microSD card support. The phone features dual-sim. The Lumia 535 will be running Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update out of the box. The price is estimated by Microsoft to be 110 Euros.

The front facing camera is perfect for 'selfies' and the abundance of color selection: cyan, bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, and black. However, the rear camera will at most be passable, and 1GB of RAM is not very future-proof. microSD, dual sim, and price estimation in Euros show that this phone is targeted at entry level international markets.

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MICROSOFT ENDS UNLOCKING OF WINDOWS PHONE 7 DEVICES FOR DEVELOPERS

Microsoft is sending emails to Windows Phone app developers informing them that they will not  be able to unlock any Windows Phone 7.x devices for app testing after December 31. Microsoft recommends that app developers who want to unlock those phones do so before the deadline so they can continue app testing for another 24 months.

The email said:

"After December 31, 2014, no Windows Phone 7.x unlock capabilities will be available. This means, for those of you who have not unlocked your Windows Phone 7.x device, testing of apps directly from Visual Studio on that device will no longer be possible. However, app testing can still be done on other unlocked phones, or via the Windows Phone Emulator, or by submitting beta apps through the Windows Dev Center."

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WHATSAPP GETS ENHANCEMENTS AND BUG FIXES IN LATEST UPDATE

On November 6th, the popular messaging service WhatsApp had two updates: one was server side and the other was an actual app update. Although bugs and fixes were listed in the changelog, as it turns out much was included than previously thought.

WhatsApp now included detailed 'seen' and 'read' information for messages you sent to either individuals or groups. In fact, for groups it will show who read the message and at what time, alongside who has not yet read your message (but the time it was delivered to them).

The last update, which was a week earlier than this one, brought support for higher resolution screens, the ability to crop and edit photos, and the ability to archive conversations.

This update brings the version number up to 2.11.596.0.

The server side of WhatsApp has been tweaked to make the double checks blue for when someone reads your messages.

It's worth mentioning that some users are still not seeing blue checks when someone reads their message. This is because the other user has not updated it's WhatsApp to the latest version. Although, double blue checks are from the server side, users still need to update their app.

If you are not seeing the double blue checks, ask your friend to update their app.

Download WhatsApp for WindowsPhone

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WILL THE NEXT VERSION OF WINDOWS PHONE BE CALLED WINDOWS MOBILE?

Microsoft’s job board for Windows Phone related news shows the sign that Windows Mobile is the new name for next version of Windows Phone OS.

Have a look at the examples taken from MS Job Board for Windows Phone

For a post as an Account Executive A&O:

"As the biggest online media company globally, Microsoft Advertising has the scope to reach valuable audiences everywhere. With a portfolio including MSN, Microsoft Media Network, Windows Mobile, Xbox and Bing, our range of deeply targeted channels span the entire digital lifestyle. Reaching 1bn people daily, our rich, immersive and engaging campaigns are grounded in context and insight – delivering the right results for our customers, and the right messages in the right places for their brands."

Another one for a Senior Program Manager:

"Are you passionate about working with partners to help them build and bring to market differentiating device experiences on Windows and Windows Mobile? Do you delight in being the voice of the partner internally? Do you enjoy owning and driving a variety of technical issues and championing the same across feature teams that are building our next generation Windows OS?"

Notice that the name is capitalized in both instances. Of course calling Windows on phone just Windows 10 would have been confusing, due to obvious differences in capabilities and even user interface. Also given that the next version of “Windows Phone” will likely run on tablets the phone name was also no longer appropriate.

Let's wait and see what will be the name of next version of OS for Windows Phone. What do you think it will be?

Source: wmpoweruser

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WINDOWS 10 FOR PHONES UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Earlier this week, Nawzil8 also tweeted about Windows 10 for Phones in being development. According to him Microsoft is working on 3 Windows Phone development streams at present – one for WP8.1 Update 1, one for the next minor version Update 2, and finally the next big version of Windows Phone, Windows 10 for phones.

We all know Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 of course, which delivered Cortana to many handsets. Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 is rumoured to bring features such as a data toggle in the action centre, sortable settings, support for new processors and Cortana coming in Alpha to more regions. That OS was already expected to be rolling out in October, so will be hitting handsets very soon

Lastly Windows 10 for phones is of course the big mystery, but that OS is expected to bring API unification with Windows 10 Metro, deliver side by side applications for phablets, slight UI modifications to make it consistent with Windows 10 Metro, such as app groups, Windows Phone for tablets and finally the full Office Touch for Windows Phone.

Source: @Nawzil8

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GOOGLE SENDS JOB OFFER TO STAR WINDOWS PHONE DEVELOPER

Rudy Huyn has developed some great apps for Windows Phone. Rudy has also worked with Microsoft on an official Windows Phone app as well. Amazingly, Google has sent a job offer to the developer but Microsoft never did.

Rudy stated in a tweet:

"I’ve already received an offer for a job from Google but never from Microsoft ???? "

Rudy has developed 6sec, 9Gag, 6snap, 6cret and 6tag. Some of his are third-party apps are way better than the official ones.

Source: wmpoweruser

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UNLIMITED ONE DRIVE STORAGE FOR OFFICE 365 USERS

Microsoft is giving all of its Office 365 subscribers free unlimited cloud storage space via its OneDrive service. Beginning yesterday, this roll out will continue over the next several months. People will be able to store unlimited data on OneDrive with a minimum Office 365 Personal subscription of $6.99 per month.

Microsoft says, "We've started rolling this out today to Office 365 Home, Personal, and University customers" adding that people who want to be one of the first to access the unlimited OneDrive storage can go to a special website to put themselves in front of the line. OneDrive for Business customers will be able to access the unlimited space sometime in 2015.

Microsoft added:

"While unlimited storage is another important milestone for OneDrive we believe the true value of cloud storage is only realized when it is tightly integrated with the tools people use to communicate, create, and collaborate, both personally and professionally. That is why unlimited storage is just one small part of our broader promise to deliver a single experience across work and life that helps people store, sync, share, and collaborate on all the files that are important to them, all while meeting the security and compliance needs of even the most stringent organizations."

If you are an Office 365 customer, how will you use this unlimited storage of OneDrive space?

Source: Microsoft

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NOW OPEN APPS FROM YOUR ACTION CENTER VIA QUICKY

Quicky is different than the usual shortcut apps. Read this article and find out how. This is the only app that lets you open other apps from the notification bar.

How does it work?Open the app and click on one of the items on the page SOCIAL. This will show a notification in the action center. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the action center and then click on the notification and it will open the app. The notification will stay in the action center until you swipe it away. You can use it to open the app at any time.

You can also pin the quick settings to the start screen. Just hold the item you want to pin for a couple seconds and then press pin to start.

Add your own shortcutsYou need to go the OWN APPS page and click on the add button in the app bar. A page will show up. On that page you need to give the shortcut a name and set the URI scheme of the app you want to launch. You can find over 3000 URI schemes of the app if you click on the button on the bottom of the page.

The app costs $1.99, but you can try the app for free. With the trial you can’t add your own shortcuts and you can only set notifications in the action center for Facebook and MetroTube.

Download it from the Windows Phone Store.

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NEW TECHNIQUE HIDES ANDROID MALWARE IN IMAGES

This is the second security flaw that has been detected in Android. (For the first one, read this post). A new technique allows attackers to hide encrypted malicious Android applications inside images. This can be used to evade detection by antivirus products and possibly Google Play’s malware scanner.

The attack was developed by a researcher at Fortinet, Axelle Apvrille, and reverse engineer Ange Albertini. It’s based on a technique devised by Albertini dubbed AngeCryption that allows controlling both the input and the output of a file encryption operation using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) by taking advantage of the properties of some file formats that allow files to remain valid despite having junk data appended to them.

AngeCryption allows the user to choose an input and an output file and makes the necessary modifications so that when the input file is encrypted with a specified key using AES in cipher-block chaining (CBC) mode, it produces the desired output file.

Apvrille and Albertini took the idea further and applied it to APK (Android application package) files. They created a proof-of-concept wrapping application that simply displays a PNG image of Star Wars character Anakin Skywalker. However, the app can also decrypt the image with a particular key in order to produce a second APK file that it can then install.

In their demonstration, the APK hidden inside the image was designed to display a picture of Darth Vader, but an actual attacker can use a malicious application to steal text messages, photos, contacts, or other data.

During the demonstration, Android displayed a permission request when the wrapper application tried to install the decrypted APK file, but this can be bypassed using a method called DexClassLoader so that the user doesn’t see anything, Apvrille said. The image wouldn’t even have to be included in the wrapper application and could be downloaded from a remote server after installation, she said.

In order for the attack to work, some data needs to be appended at the end of the original application, but the APK format, which is derived from ZIP, does not allow appended data after a marker called the End of Central Directory (EOCD), which signals the end of the file.

However, the researchers found that adding a second EOCD after the appended data tricks Android into accepting the file as valid. According to Apvrille, this is the result of an error in Android’s APK parser.

The attack works on the latest version of Android, 4.4.2, but the Android security team has been notified and is developing a fix, Apvrille said.

Because of fragmentation in the Android ecosystem, especially when it comes to firmware updates, many devices will likely remain vulnerable to this attack for a long time, giving Android malware authors ample time to take advantage of it.

Source: pcworld

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LUMIA DENIM TO START ROLLING OUT IN 2 WEEKS

NokiaPowerUser has received a tip from one of their trusted sources that Nokia’s firmware update for their Lumia handsets will start rolling out soon.

"Lumia Denim may start rolling out in phases to Lumia devices starting last week of October to First week of November. The complete roll-out schedule may stretch to 2 months and it may not be before end of December that it rolls out to all the Lumia devices out there."

Nokia's schedule always get affected by last minute changes. We have to wait and see when the software will actually hit our phones.

Check this post for the complete list of features included in Lumia Denim Update

Are you excited about Lumia Denim Update?

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COMPLETE LIST OF FEATURES INCLUDED IN LUMIA DENIM UPDATE

Following are the Nokia exclusive features included in the Denim update.

• Lumia Camera – Replacing Nokia Camera, Lumia Camera is faster and more intuitive than before to make the best camera experience, even better.
• Speed – Pocket to capture speeds are superfast, and it only takes milliseconds going from shot to shot.
• Moment Capture – A long press of the camera button starts 4K-quality video recording at 24 FPS. With each frame at 8.3 megapixels, you can save individual frames as high quality still images.
• Rich Capture – Auto HDR and Dynamic Flash are now welcomed into the already-impressive feature set. Shoot first and adjust the camera settings later for that perfect photo.
• Improved image processing algorithms – Updated to give you clearer photos, even in lowlight.
• “Hey Cortana” Voice Activation – Gone are the days of pressing the microphone button to wake-up Cortana. Simply say “Hey Cortana” while the phone is idle and Cortana will activate. This is possible thanks to the SensorCore technology.
• Glance Screen – Compatible Lumia devices can now show more at a glance with Bing Weather, or Bing Health & Fitness data, in addition to time and date, notifications and application data.

Lumia Denim update will also include Windows Phone 8.1 update features.

• Cortana – The most personal digital assistant on the market will now be available in the UK and China as a Beta. India, Canada and Australia will have access to Cortana as a public Alpha. For US residents, Cortana now includes an improved natural language, car kit integration via Bluetooth for contacts, snooze reminders and calendar improvements.
• Live folders – If you prefer to keep your apps or games organised, you can now put them into folders. Simply press, hold and drag an app over another to create a new folder on the Start screen. Each folder can be renamed by tapping on the text field above the open folder.
• Apps Corner – Create a customised Start screen, where only specific apps or games are accessible. This could be particularly useful in the workplace if you’re issuing Windows Phones to employees.
• SMS merge and forwarding – Select individual text messages to either delete them out of a messaging thread, or to copy and past them into a new message in order to forward them.
• Snooze Times – It’s now possible to customise the snooze time within the Alarm app.
• Consumer VPN – Maintain privacy and security when using data while connected to public Wi-Fi hotspots or even with your home Wi-Fi.
• Mobile Web Site improvements in IE – Connect and browse even faster with improved downloading speeds on mobile websites.
• Store Live Tile (US only) – The Store Live Tile displays featured apps and games that are the most popular in the Store, or most relevant for you.

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MANY DROPBOX ACCOUNTS GOT COMPROMISED VIA THIRD PARTY SERVICE

Earlier today, a thread appeared on Reddit offering almost 400 Dropbox usernames and passwords in plain text. with a note that over seven million accounts have been compromised in total.

Dropbox has announced on its Blog that it wasn't hacked, and the leaked passwords were stolen from a third party service.

“Recent news articles claiming that Dropbox was hacked aren’t true. Your stuff is safe. The usernames and passwords referenced in these articles were stolen from unrelated services, not Dropbox. Attackers then used these stolen credentials to try to log in to sites across the internet, including Dropbox. We have measures in place to detect suspicious login activity and we automatically reset passwords when it happens.
Attacks like these are one of the reasons why we strongly encourage users not to reuse passwords across services. For an added layer of security, we always recommend enabling 2 step verification on your account.”

Dropbox later updated the Blog and claimed that the usernames and passwords are not linked with Dropbox.

“A subsequent list of usernames and passwords has been posted online. We’ve checked and these are not associated with Dropbox accounts.”

Just to be safe and secure, I recommend to enable two-step login on each service do you use including email and cloud storages.

Which cloud service do you use?

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DROPBOX EXPERIENCED A BUG – USERS’ FILES DELETED

Dropbox has provided reminder not to place trust in cloud storage. Those who rely on Dropbox to store their personal files may have lost some of the data. The service has experienced a bug in desktop apps.

The bug was tied to Dropbox's Selective Sync feature, which only download selected folders to local storage. In previous versions of Dropbox's desktop app, the bug could delete files if users restarted or shut down their system while Selective Sync was in progress.

Dropbox says the glitch affected a small number of people who were using out-of-date versions of Dropbox's desktop software. The company has been reaching out to these users and offering a year of Dropbox Pro service for their troubles.

Dropbox says it has patched the desktop client and retired the older versions, forcing everyone to update. The good news is Dropbox has been busy working to restore files where possible.

Let me know if you are among the affected users. Which cloud-based storage service do you use?

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BUILD AN ULTIMATE PC SECURITY SUITE FOR FREE

“If you have a PC, you’re a target.”

These kinds of statements makes me wonder, do a person really needs to spend money to have protection from the viruses? I used to believe that the answer was yes. Now, after the enough exposure to computers and technology, I can say “NO” is the answer.

There are many free (and good) apps that can help you fight viruses and secure your PC from the threats. Today, I am going to tell you about all those apps that you can install on your PC and stop worrying about Virus attacks.

Antivirus Program

There are numerous free anti-virus programs available. AVG free has topped the charts of many of the free antiviruses list. AVG does a good job in blocking malicious downloads and eliminating malware that has already slipped onto your machine.

The other option is Windows Defender that is pre-loaded on Windows 8 systems. It does a decent job in protecting your system from viruses. I am using it for a quite a while and have also used Microsoft Security Essentials. They both have not let me down. You should give it a try.

However, no antivirus product is perfect. If any virus gets past your antivirus, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can be your last line of defense. It is a scan-on-demand program which focuses on “zero day” threats rather than usual offenders. It can gives you a strong secondary option when your PC starts behaving suspiciously.

Read this post for more insight: One Antivirus Program Is Better Than Two

Other options: Avira, Panda

Firewall

The other member of the Security Team is the Firewall. Firewall prevents other to infiltrate your system. There are many options to choose from.

Windows Firewall should be enough for most people. It sits quietly in the background and it doesn’t require much attention and maintenance. But it can detect only incoming penetration attempts.

Comodo’s Firewall is another option for users who want to keep an eye on every incoming and outgoing connection request to and from their PCs. It’s good at guarding your network and alert you of any connection request made from your computer. It also blocks incoming connections. It has an easy to use interface.

Other options: ZoneAlarm Firewall

Enhance your browser

With the Anti-virus and Firewall set in places, it’s time to turn towards the Web. The Internet is full with infected or absolutely malicious websites. But don’t worry, you can setup your browser to fight the malicious websites.

First, verify that security options are enabled. Every popular browsers includes some basic security and privacy settings. Though most are enabled by default, you should confirm they haven’t been disabled.

Secondly, install these add-ons for added protection:

• NoScript - helps you control which sites can use JavaScript, Silverlight, Flash, and other embedded content.
• Adblock Plus - blocks banners, pop-ups, and video advertisements. Therefore reducing the chance of accidentally stumbling upon adware, malware, and phishing attacks.
• Web of Trust (WOT) -  shows the user ratings of sites and blocks dangerous sites.
• HTTPS Finder - automatically detects and enforces HTTPS/SSL-encrypted connections when available.
• Xpnd.it! Short URL Expander - allows you to hover over shortened links to see the real URL and other basic information.

Keep Your PC Updated

Old, outdated software is often riddled with vulnerabilities that canny crooks can use to gain access to your PC. Keep your system up-to-date.

Other Tips

I believe 95% of the viruses today comes from the USB flash drives. The autoplay allows any exe to run when the USB is inserted. Therefore Disable the Autoplay for USB and other drives.

Conclusion

It is possible to keep your PC safe using free software. Premium software mostly provides all-in-one security suites along with Customer Support. However, we just saw that one can build a PC Suite from a combination of Free Software.

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BELVEDERE AUTOMATED FILE MANAGER

Belvedere is an automated file manager for Windows, developed by Lifehacker editor Adam Pash. You can create rules to move, copy, delete, or rename files based on their name, extension, size, creation date, and more. It is a great tool for keeping your Desktop and Downloads folder organized and clean.

The image below shows the easy-to-use interface of the Belvedere. At the right sides, it shows rules that are set up for a folder. The left side shows the list of folders that are listed for maintenance. You set up rules as per your needs and Belvedere will take care of your folders.

The second image shows the interface for setting up the rule. It’s REALLY EASY to use. Type the description, set conditions, and set the action.

The Belvedere can also take care of your recycle bin. Yes, you read it correctly. It can empty your recycle bin after the time limit, set by you. Moreover, you can also change the interval for Belvedere to check the folders for the files that match any of the rule.

What Else?
Belvedere is licensed under GNU Public License. With Belvedere, you can basically perform every file managing task. Just create a rule, enable it, and let Belvedere do its job. The program constantly runs in the background, but consumes less than 5 MB of memory when idle.

Final Words?
It is an indispensable tool for automating the files and folders on your computer. With Belvedere, you can automatically move, copy, delete, rename, or open files based on the conditions you want. Install it, set the rules, and all your files will be organized without your help.

Download Belvedere and give it a try.

Source: pctonic

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WHY NOT WINDOWS 9 – SECRET REVEALED

Many of us remember that two versions of Windows that began with the number 9, Windows 95 and Windows 98.

To save time, some third-party Windows desktop developers used a quick method to check the version name (not number) of Windows they were installing their application to. Instead of coding apps to check for Windows 95 or Windows 98, developers coded to check for "Windows 9."

This made sense at that time since there were only two versions of Windows that had a nine in their name. It was an easier method to find the version of Windows the program was dealing with.
Microsoft chose Windows 10 to avoid an annoying rewrite for all those programs and skipped Windows 9.

Accommodating legacy code sounds like an acceptable explanation and, if true, it's a smart move by Microsoft!


Source: pcworld

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THE BLOG GOT SOME UPDATES

I wanted to do this for a quiet while. Now, I have finally done that. The Blog got some modification today. It has new design template which is completely different with the previous one. The Blog is best viewed on Chrome. Mobile users might see the old template.

Also, if you have noticed, the Blog title has been changed. The Blog is now more centred around the Technology News, Updates and Reviews. But of course, the Blog will continue to help you make your PC experience better by Technical Tips.

What's new:

• Blog title has changed.
• Feeds are now available.
• You can now also email me suggestions/tips/requests etc.

Do you like this new design? Feel free to comment.

I apologise for not publishing updates. I was re-designing the Blog.

What's coming up:
-Post about a software that I am sure most of the users want. Read here
-Build an Ultimate PC Suite. Read here

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MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES THE NEXT VERSION OF WINDOWS

Microsoft has announced the next version of Windows. It is not being called as Windows One or Windows 9, instead Microsoft has decided to call it Windows 10.

At the press event, happening in San Francisco, Microsoft shared its goals with Windows 10, and how this new operating system focuses heavily on the desktop. Windows 10 will include the return of the beloved Start Menu, now with live-tiles included as well as Modern UI (Metro) apps, multiple desktops, a notification centre, an improved CMD and much more.

Windows 10 will run on broadest types of devices and it offers single application platform for all the devices. There is one store, one way for applications to be discovered, purchased, and updated across all of these devices.

Microsoft will launch a public technical preview of the new Windows 10 on Wednesday, October 1 with their new Windows Insider Program.

Are you excited about the new Windows? What do you think about name of new Windows?

Sources: Multiple

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5 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A SMARTPHONE

I came across this article and decided to share it with my readers.

Smartphones generally make our lives easier. They help us make calls, get directions, take photos, share information, listen to music and more. But there is one thing they definitely don’t make easier – choosing the right smartphone. What is the best operating system? What features and specs are important? Is a bigger display better? In this article we try to answer all of these questions, and help you choose the suitable smartphone for you.

#1 – Operating System

In today’s world of smartphones there are really only three options when it comes to the operating system – Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. Android is certainly the most popular option. Apple’s iOS, on the other hand, is available only on iPhones. Windows Phone is finally rising up.

#2 – Specs

When you are looking at specs, you need to pay attention to two main things – processor and system memory (RAM).A fast processor will enable you to open apps easily and play games smoothly. More RAM will help you use multiple applications at once, and switch between them faster.

#3 – Storage

Now a days, every smartphone comes with at least a little amount of internal storage. Some phones come with only internal storage (i.e. Apple’s iPhone), while some other smartphones come with the possibility of using SD cards as external storage. However, New versions of Android don't allow apps to be installed on SD cards but Windows Phone does.

#4 – Size

Bigger phones are supposed to be heavier and harder to carry around. In my opinion, the perfect size for a smartphone screen, today, is between 4-5 inches.

#5 – Camera

When choosing a smartphone, make sure that it has a pretty good camera, as it is one of the features you’ll probably use the most. Opting for a higher-megapixel camera is the easiest way to make sure it’s decent. This doesn’t always mean that a camera with less megapixels is always worse. Many users agree that iPhone 5s’s 8 MP camera is better than Samsung Galaxy S4′s 13 MP camera.

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