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Rabu, 22 Mei 2019

Windows 10 May 2019 Update review: the 10 best new features - The Verge

Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 May 2019 Update is being made available to existing machines this week. After an extended period of testing, Microsoft is making this update available to everyone via Windows Update. Like previous updates, the May 2019 Update includes a bunch of new features, minor tweaks, and other changes.

I’ve been testing the Windows 10 May 2019 Update recently, and here are my favorite new additions.

The biggest new visual change to Windows 10 in the May 2019 Update is a new light theme. It takes over as the default theme for Windows 10 Home, and it’s essentially a white version of the currently black theme that most people use in Windows 10. While Windows 10’s dark mode isn’t always consistent throughout the operating system, the white theme is fairly well-executed across the operating system, thanks to a lot of apps and areas using white backgrounds as standard.

Microsoft has also tweaked the default wallpaper of Windows 10 so it better fits in with the new light theme.

Windows 10 is getting a new Windows Sandbox feature in the May update. Microsoft is trying to address the fear of running an unknown .exe on your PC, by developing a simple way for anyone running Windows 10 to launch apps in an isolated desktop environment. Windows Sandbox creates a temporary desktop environment to isolate a particular app to that sandbox.

Windows Sandbox is designed to be secure and disposable, so once you’ve finished running the app you wanted to test in this mode, the entire sandbox will be deleted. You don’t need to set up a separate virtual machine like most power users do today, but your machine will need to support virtualization capabilities (enabled in the BIOS). Microsoft is making Windows Sandbox available as part of Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, as it’s aimed at business and power users rather than regular consumers. You’ll even need to go into “Turn Windows features on or off” to actually enable Windows Sandbox in the first place. If you’re running Windows 10 Pro, it’s worth enabling just in case you want to be extra careful about a random .exe from the internet.

Microsoft has gradually been allowing Windows 10 users to remove more of the built-in apps that are starting to show up in the operating system. In the May 2019 Update, you can now kill off apps like Groove Music, Mail / Calendar, Movies & TV, Calculator, the new Paint 3D app, and the 3D viewer.

You still can’t easily remove apps like Camera or Edge, but with Microsoft’s browser moving to the Chromium engine the Edge uninstall option will likely show up in the future.

If you’re not a fan of the Cortana digital assistant in Windows 10, then Microsoft’s latest May 2019 Update has some new options for you. Microsoft is now decoupling search and Cortana in the Windows 10 task bar, allowing voice queries to be handled separately to typing in a search box to find documents and files.

Windows 10 will now direct you toward a built-in search experience for text queries, while Cortana will exist for voice queries instead of them both bundled together. The new search interface includes your top-used apps, recent activities, and files, with options to filter by apps, documents, email, and web results. Search is still largely the same, with the exception of now searching across all files on a machine.

Search is still a poor experience in Windows 10, overall. Microsoft did unveil “Microsoft Search” last year, promising that the new service will power search results in Office and Windows. Microsoft Search is still in the early phases, but hopefully, it will mean that future Windows 10 updates get more powerful search features so you actually find the file or app you were looking for instead of some random web result.

Microsoft is making the Start Menu way less cluttered in the latest Windows 10 May 2019 Update. Microsoft has cut the number of pinned apps on the Start Menu and is grouping them differently. This means all the bloatware and crap that’s usually pinned by default is grouped into a single section that you can quickly unpin. Unfortunately, you’ll only see this new Start Menu layout if you create a new user account or you’re using a fresh Windows 10 PC.

It’s the small changes that count, and a new brightness slider is certainly one of those. Available in the notification center, the slider lets you quickly adjust screen brightness. It replaces the tile that simply let you cycle through different levels of screen brightness. If you really want 33 percent screen brightness, you can do that now.

Microsoft is making it easier for you to send ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ kaomoji from a Windows 10 PC to friends or co-workers. Microsoft has added kaomoji face characters in the May 2019 Update that are accessible through the same existing emoji shortcut (win+period). You’ll be able to pick from a number of kaomoji, and there’s also now quick access to em dash and other symbols from the emoji picker.

Microsoft is improving its Windows Mixed Reality VR support in the May 2019 Update. While the headsets were previously limited to running Steam VR games and Universal Windows apps, Microsoft is now allowing Desktop (Win32) applications like Spotify, Visual Studio Code, and Photoshop to be launched in the Mixed Reality app.

The new feature is available from all apps in the Pins Panel where there’s now a Classic Apps (beta) folder that lists Desktop apps. It’s ideal if you’ve always dreamed of working fully in virtual reality.

Microsoft has finally listened to Windows 10 users and added much more control over how updates are triggered with the May 2019 Update. All Windows 10 users will now be able to pause updates, and Microsoft is even letting people choose when to install the latest major version. Windows 10 users will be able to simply stay on an existing version and continue to receive monthly security updates, avoiding the latest feature update. This is a big change over what was available before, especially for Windows 10 Home users.

Microsoft is also changing the way it allocates space for Windows updates. Some updates can fail to install if there’s not enough free space, so Microsoft is now reserving around 7GB of disk space to Windows Update. This should mean that devices with more limited storage always get the latest security and feature updates without issues.

Microsoft is aiming to reduce our reliance on passwords, and one way it’s achieving that is through Microsoft Accounts that don’t have passwords. With the latest May 2019 Update, you can now set up and sign in to a Windows 10 PC with just a phone number on a Microsoft Account.

You can create a Microsoft Account without a password by simply entering a phone number as the username, and a code will be sent to your mobile number to initiate a login. Once Windows 10 is logged in, you can then use Windows Hello or even a PIN to log in to your PC without ever using a password.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/22/18635282/microsoft-windows-10-may-2019-update-features-review

2019-05-22 12:44:38Z
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Apple’s new MacBook keyboard fix is reassuring and worrying at the same time - The Verge

I genuinely don’t know whether to feel reassured or worried about Apple’s latest attempt to address its busted butterfly keyboards. I think it’s both — because on the very same day Apple announced a revised version of its MacBook Pro keyboard that supposedly won’t get crippled by mere specks of dust, it included those brand-new keyboards in the same free extended repair program designed to placate customers whose keyboards do fail.

Like Owen Williams points out, it’s weird:

If you assume that Apple’s trying to sweep this issue under the rug, it’s easy to jump to this conclusion: Apple is tacitly admitting that the new keyboards, too, suffer from the exact same issues, and the mysterious “new materials” used in their construction are precisely a mystery because Apple doesn’t want you to know they’re insufficient. Because if the keyboards are better now, why would we need Apple’s promise to replace them if they break?

I think that’s an unfair assumption, particularly until we’ve seen inside these new Macs. For all we know, Apple’s all but eliminated the issue. We won’t truly know until after months of real-world usage, if ever. But even if you assume that Apple has a fix and is genuinely trying to do right by its customers, today’s move still isn’t totally reassuring.

I personally think it’s great that Apple will repair or replace any MacBook keyboard with butterfly switches for four years after the date of sale. It would definitely make me feel a little better about buying one.

And it’s definitely a clearer, easier to trust message than the one Apple sent in July 2018, when the company claimed it hadn’t tried to fix the issue with its third-gen butterfly keyboards, but its internal service documents and teardowns told a different story. Then, Apple’s keyboard repair program only covered the first- and second-gen butterfly keyboards, meaning you’d have to take a leap of faith with the third-gen models, a leap that Apple itself didn’t encourage — and a leap that could have ended badly since they, too, can apparently be felled by dust.

Now, MacBook Pro buyers can tell themselves “There’s less chance than ever that these newly tweaked keyboards will break, and Apple will have my back even if they do.”

But those same buyers also have to think about whether they should buy a laptop that can fall victim to this issue at all. Even if Apple will replace your keyboard for the first four years, how big a hassle is it to get that done? What if Apple’s techs can’t reproduce the issue on the day you manage to cart your precious work machine into an Apple Store? What about year five, if you hold onto laptops that long? What about the resale value?

If Apple had actually fixed the issue with a new keyboard design — which it still might, if the rumors of a 16-inch MacBook Pro for later this year are true — it’d be a different story. But for now, Apple has chosen to illustrate how every one of its modern laptops have a chance of succumbing to this flaw.

To be fair, Apple’s in a difficult position here. The MacBook has a serious image problem due to these keyboards (not to mention “Flexgate” and the initial outcry that the MacBook Pro wasn’t for pros). Even if Apple has figured out a keyboard fix, it wouldn’t have been enough for the company to say “we think we fixed it on these specific models” because not everybody’s ready to buy a high-end Touch Bar-equipped 2019 MacBook Pro. The company needs to keep selling the 12-inch MacBook, the new MacBook Air and the lower-end MacBook Pros, and it’ll be harder to do that if Apple reveals that all its Macs save the new ones are flawed.

It’s a lot easier to tell everybody “This is rare, and if you’re affected, we’ll take care of you” like it also finally just did with the Flexgate display issue on the 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro. And it’s even easier to say that every MacBook with a butterfly keyboard will be taken care of, because buyers won’t have that extra friction of figuring out whether they’re buying the right MacBook to avoid potential keyboard woes.

They can just buy a MacBook and trust that should anything bad happen, Apple will probably, eventually help. At least after journalists write enough compelling first-hand tales of woe to show Apple where its reputation for quality could use some propping up.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/22/18634932/apple-macbook-pro-butterfly-keyboard-repair-reassure-worrying

2019-05-22 11:30:00Z
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The Morning After: Apple fixed the 'butterfly' MacBook Pro keyboard - Engadget

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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

If you've been waiting to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro, then today's news could be just what you need to hear. Otherwise, we've got a detailed breakdown of PS5 info straight from Sony, an esports lawsuit worth paying attention to and a big update rolling out for Windows 10.

Our long national nightmare is over (maybe).Apple says it fixed the MacBook Pro keyboard

After acknowledging problems with the butterfly mechanism in its MacBook keyboards and later offering next-day repairs, the company is now attempting to address the underlying design. Now, Apple says it's using different materials in the keyboard mechanism, which it hopes will address these complaints. Additionally, the company is extending the standard one-year warranty for keyboard issues that would normally be covered by the care plan to up to four years, and said repaired units will get the unspecified new materials.

In case you needed any more reason to upgrade, Apple also refreshed its CPU options with eighth- and ninth-generation Core Intel chips. The 15-inch MBP can include an eight-core i9 unit for the first time, while the 13-inch gets by with quad-core i5 and i7 setups, all starting at the same price as before.

The full breakdown.Sony just laid out everything there is to know (so far) about the PS5

During a corporate strategy presentation, Sony listed all the next-gen gaming information it has revealed so far. Cloud gaming and discs? Check. Support for resolutions going all the way up to 8K? Check. 3D audio, ray tracing and an SSD? Check, check, check. Unfortunately, Sony still has yet to reveal when the PS5 will come out -- we know for sure that it won't appear this year -- or where it will first become available, and how much it will cost.

Available now.Firefox is about to get much, much faster

The latest release of Firefox prioritizes its performance management "to-do" list with a set of features that'll load pages up to 40 to 80 percent quicker. The browser will now suspend idle tabs, delay lesser-used scripts and skip unnecessary work during start-ups. Version 67 also includes a bunch of new privacy features, including a fingerprinting and cryptomining blocker (turn this feature on via Content Blocking in settings) and private browsing personalization.

Stop us if you've heard this one before.Google stored some business passwords as plain text

Google has warned G Suite users that an "error" in a password recovery implementation left some of their passwords unhashed on its internal systems since 2005 until that method was discontinued. Other plaintext passwords had been temporarily stored since January 2019. According to Google, there's no evidence the information was misused, but in case you needed another reason to enable multifactor authentication, here it is.

Industry rule #4,080.Tfue's lawsuit against FaZe has been a long time coming

So what happens when the most popular Fortnite player in the world sues the esports team he plays for? We're about to find out, now that Turner Tenney, aka Tfue, has claimed that FaZe Clan is breaking California labor laws. Who prevails could hang on the question of whether a gamer who spends a lot of his time streaming instead of competing can be defined as an artist/performer or as an athlete. How this all shakes out -- and how it affects who gets paid from streaming and sponsorships -- could have major implications across the still-developing world of esports.

Engadget's Guide to Parenting in the Digital AgeHow to buy tech gifts for other people's kids

Gone are the days when you could just buy a doll or toy truck and know that it would be enjoyed by the child and fairly noncontroversial with the parents. While there's no silver bullet gift since every kid is different, there are some general guidelines you can follow when purchasing a tech gift for kids, one that won't have the other adults glaring at you or the kids tossing it to the side in favor of something shinier.

But wait, there's more...

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/22/the-morning-after/

2019-05-22 10:30:37Z
52780301122025

The Morning After: Apple fixed the 'butterfly' MacBook Pro keyboard - Engadget

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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Our long national nightmare is over (maybe).Apple says it fixed the MacBook Pro keyboard

The full breakdown.Sony just laid out everything there is to know (so far) about the PS5

Available now.Firefox is about to get much, much faster

Stop us if you've heard this one before.Google stored some business passwords as plain text

Industry rule #4,080.Tfue's lawsuit against FaZe has been a long time coming

Engadget's Guide to Parenting in the Digital AgeHow to buy tech gifts for other people's kids

But wait, there's more...

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/22/the-morning-after/

2019-05-22 10:30:35Z
52780301122025

Ultra-private Tor browser officially arrives on Android - Engadget

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VPNs and incognito modes can help, but if you want to jump to a whole 'nother privacy level, there's the infamous Tor Browser. It has finally come out of beta and arrived on Android in a stable release, the Tor Project announced. That will make it a lot easier to browse on the Tor network in complete anonymity without having to jump through hoops to get connected.

"Mobile browsing is increasing around the world, and in some parts, it is commonly the only way people access the internet," the company wrote in a blog post. "In these same areas, there is often heavy surveillance and censorship online, so we made it a priority to reach these users."

The Tor Browser is based on Firefox, so you get conveniences like tabbed browsing, but it doesn't connect directly to websites. Rather, it uses a network of encrypted servers that bounce requests around multiple intermediate links, hiding your IP address and identity. It was possible to connect to Tor on a smartphone before using the Orbot/Orfox app, but now it's built in, and connects to the network each time you open the app.

The Tor Browser can help activists or journalists avoid government monitoring, for instance. It also makes it easier to avoid ad companies or bypass geographical blocking. Of course, as Silk Road showed, the Tor network can also be used to hide drug deals and other illegal activities. And using the browser isn't exactly hassle-free -- since many folks are using the servers, you might get mistaken for a bot.

Tor said there's no iOS Tor Browser because Apple apparently blocks needed computing processes and forces browser companies to use its own engine. Instead, Tor recommends the Onion Browser for iPhone and iPad users.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/22/ultra-private-tor-browser-officially-arrives-on-android/

2019-05-22 07:56:59Z
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Ultra-private Tor browser officially arrives on Android - Engadget

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/22/ultra-private-tor-browser-officially-arrives-on-android/

2019-05-22 07:02:50Z
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