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Microsoft anti-bloatware service to apply to Windows 8 PCs, too

May 17th, 2012
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A Microsoft in-store program that scrubs “bloatware” from Windows PCs will also be offered when Windows 8 machines reach the market later this year, a company representative said Wednesday.

The service, which is offered only in Microsoft’s small chain of retail stores — it now has 21 operating or in the works — is dubbed “Signature Upgrade,” and costs $99.

“We take off all the bloatware on the PC,” said a Microsoft store employee Wednesday when asked about the service.

On Microsoft’s website, the company described the Signature Upgrade this way: “We’ll install everything you need and remove the things you don’t, for a faster, more efficient, and secure PC experience.”

A Signature Upgrade requires the Windows PC to be left at the store for 24 to 48 hours.

Signature Upgrade is an offshoot of the Signature line of Windows PCs that Microsoft sells in its retail outlets and online. Those hand-picked notebooks and desktops are optimized for performance, says the Redmond, Wash. company, with “no trialware and sample software that typically bogs down new PCs.”

The Signature systems are, however, pre-loaded with Microsoft’s own Security Essentials antivirus software, and several other programs from the now-defunct Windows Live brand.

Bloatware is another term for trialware; both refer to PC makers’ habit of loading crippled versions of commercial software on the hard drive in the hope that some will upgrade to for-a-fee editions. Computer makers are paid by trialware creators and receive a portion of the revenue from any user upgrades.

The retail stores, as well as Microsoft’s online storefront, sell dozens of different PCs that have been stripped of bloatware, including models from Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. All are, of course, equipped with Windows 7.

But the Signature deals — whether new PCs or the upgrade service for already-owned machines — will continue when Microsoft and OEMs ship Windows 8, the store representative said.

Windows 8 won’t solve the bloatware problem — Microsoft cannot control what OEMs put on their machines — but the Metro interface, which relies on the Windows Store for all app distribution, might curb some of the more aggressive practices.

Last fall, Microsoft told hardware makers that it would limit automatic Metro app installations to just one per external device.

The company has also added new tools to Windows 8, called Reset and Refresh, that will let users restore their PCs to an out-of-the-box state. Microsoft did not connect the new tools to bloatware removal when it announced them last January, but stressed the simplicity of a chore that previously took multiple steps and required manual reinstallation of the OS.

Microsoft has not announced a launch date for Windows 8, nor has it said when systems powered by the revamped operating system will reach retail, but most experts have pegged both events to the fourth quarter.

Windows 8 Release Candidate, a more polished version than the Consumer Preview of late February, is slated to debut the first week of June.

Source:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227212/Microsoft_anti_bloatware_service_to_apply_to_Windows_8_PCs_too?taxonomyId=85

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These tablet PCs sell like pills

May 11th, 2012
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Keeping pace with the growing technology, the devices are getting smaller by the day. Just as desktops were replaced by laptops, which in turn fell prey to the invasion of netbooks, tablet PCs have come to dominate the gadget market.

And in the commercial capital of Kerala, low-cost tablets are riding the crest of the latest trend. Industry observers point out that tablet PC sales will skip way ahead of traditional PC sales in the next few years.

Major players in the IT hardware market have already stopped producing netbooks or have withdrawn from the market.

“Only two or three companies such as Asuz and Samsung still remain in the market with their range of netbooks,” said A Faisal, managing director of a leading computer shop in the city.

However, he maintained that there still is a demand for netbooks because of the ease of use that a device of its size offers.

“Low price was the major attraction for netbooks. Earlier, a net book was available at a range of `11000 -`15000. Now a tablet, which is a hand-held device, is available for the same price.

With this, the netbook price went up to `20,000, the starting price for a base model laptop,” Faisal said.

According to him, a good tablet is not available at `15,000. The price of tablets of premium brands remain high and is not going to come down, he said.

According to the latest market research reports in the IT and internet industry, tablet sales will hit nearly 500 million units a year by 2015. Tablet sales in 2015 will exceed the number of PCs currently sold per year (360 million) and make tablets a $100+ billion market.

The growth will be driven by falling� prices combined with tablet penetration in the enterprise and education markets, as well as emerging markets.

Meanwhile, Sitaram Venkat, director of enterprise business solutions of Dell India, said that the segment of netbook does not bring much fortune for the manufacturers.

Dell had withdrawn from the netbook market a few months back, Venkat said.

Source:http://ibnlive.in.com/news/these-tablet-pcs-sell-like-pills/256497-60-122.html

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Intel offers support package for small businesses

April 11th, 2012
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Intel on Tuesday announced a new suite called Small Business Advantage that takes advantage of specific features baked into the company’s Core processors to maintain and secure PCs.

The SBA tools are targeted at small businesses that cannot afford separate maintenance personnel, said an Intel spokeswoman. SBA uses hardware and software tools to perform backups, updates and maintenance tasks such as disk defragmentation, the company said. SBA can start PCs after work hours for maintenance and backup tasks.

SBA is a slimmed-down package of PC maintenance tools provided with Intel’s vPro platform, a hardware and software package targeted at larger businesses that makes it easier for system administrators to remotely manage and secure PCs. SBA takes advantage of features in Core i3, i5 and i7 processors based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, much like the vPro platform.

All SBA software is packed into a single interface, which makes it easier for technically unsavvy small business owners to keep PCs secure and up to date, Intel said. One feature is Software Monitor, which tracks security software like antiviruses and issues alerts in case the software stops running. Software Monitor is similar to a feature called Agent Presence in vPro, and the application is stored below the operating system at the firmware level.

A feature called Local Maintenance Timer (LMT) allows a PC to power itself on from an off-state at a prescheduled time, after which it can carry out maintenance and backup tasks. Another feature called USB Blocker allows PCs to block access to USB devices such as flash drives or cameras. The settings can be configured to specify which USB devices are allowed access to the PC.

Intel will sell the package to computer makers, which can then plug the software into PCs.

Source:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226074/Intel_offers_support_package_for_small_businesses

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Secure Your Home or Office Wi-Fi

March 15th, 2012
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By default, wireless routers and access points have security turned off. Without Wi-Fi security enabled, anyone nearby can leech off your wireless Internet, see where you’re browsing, capture your passwords to some websites, and possibly access your PCs and files. Some models help you turn security on via a wizard during initial setup or recommend using buttons or PINs; others require you to enable it manually via the router’s Web interface.

But even with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (the latest security standard) enabled, hackers can exploit vulnerabilities to crack your Wi-Fi security. Here’s how to combat these weaknesses.

The most recently discovered major Wi-Fi vulnerability involves the Wi-Fi Protected Setup feature found in most Wi-Fi routers made since 2007. Though WPS doesn’t provide security itself, it’s supposed to simplify turning on the personal (PSK) mode of WPA or WPA2 security.

Networking manufacturers can incorporate two methods of using WPS to help secure and connect your Wi-Fi devices. In the PIN method–the source of the latest vulnerability–you enter the eight-digit PIN assigned to your router into Wi-Fi-equipped computers and devices that also support WPS, in order to connect them to the wireless router. The alternative is to assign a PIN to your PC or to any other Wi-Fi-equipped device that supports WPS and then enter it into your router’s Web interface in order to connect the device to the network.

Faulty underlying design of the WPS PIN method on routers makes it easier for an attacker to crack the PIN combination by brute force using software tools that repeatedly guess the PIN. Manufacturers can add enhancements to combat such attacks on their routers, but most of them haven’t yet done so.

Two existing tools–Reaver and wpscrack–can automate the cracking. Depending on the exact wireless router, these tools can usually figure out a network’s PIN and full Wi-Fi password (the WPA or WPA2 passphrase) within a few hours.

The WPS cracking process can also lock-up your wireless router, thus causing a denial-of-service attack. This can lead to major performance problems on your network and even stop it from working altogether until you reset your router.
Fixing the Vulnerability

If your router supports WPS, it’s vulnerable. Look for an eight-digit PIN printed on the bottom or a WPS logo on the router. If you don’t see either one, run a Google search for your model number, and find its product description or data sheet online. If you still have the box, examine it. If your router doesn’t support WPS, then it isn’t subject to this WPS vulnerability.

If your router does support WPS, log in to your router’s Web-based configuration panel: From a computer that is connected to your network, open your Web browser and type in your router’s IP address–a numerical string such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. If you don’t know your router’s IP, in Windows Vista or 7, open the Network and Sharing Center via its icon near the lower right corner of Windows. In Vista, click Manage Network Connections; in Windows 7, click Change Adapter Settings. Double-click the network connection you’re using; and in the dialog box, click Details. Finally, you’ll see the router’s IP listed as the Default Gateway.

If you can’t remember the password for logging in to the router control panel, you may not have changed it. Try the default username and password listed in the router’s documentation or online (at RouterPasswords.com). If your Internet provider supplied the router, check the hardware itself. As a last resort, press the router’s reset button to return to the factory default settings, but don’t forget to enable security afterward.

Log on and find the WPS settings; they may be in the wireless or advanced section. Save or apply any changes.
Disabling WPS–and Beyond

Wi-Fi SecurityIf your router uses WPS, consider disabling it (if possible). Unfortunately, on some routers, disabling WPS via the Web interface doesn’t turn it off completely. To double-check, try to enter the router’s PIN on a Wi-Fi-equipped computer or device that supports WPS.

If you previously used WPS to secure your network, you can find the Wi-Fi password (the WPA or WPA2 PSK passphrase) that it created in the router’s wireless settings after you log on to the interface. When you want to join more Wi-Fi computers and devices to your network, you can enter that password.

For peace of mind, the best strategy may be to buy a router that doesn’t have the WPS feature. That fact usually appears in the product description or data sheet online or on the box in stores. If you’re willing to tinker, check to see whether your router is compatible with free aftermarket firmware that doesn’t have WPS, such as DD-WRT or Tomato.

In time, manufacturers may release firmware updates to fix their routers’ WPS vulnerabilities, so search the online support section for your model. If the release notes for firmware updates from as recently as this year show WPS changes, upgrading your router’s firmware should patch the security hole.

Small businesses (and security fanatics at home) that have wireless routers featuring WPS can also consider using enterprise-level Wi-Fi security, which even consumer-level routers support. This is a more secure mode of WPA/WPA2 security, and it doesn’t use WPS, so you aren’t exposed to the vulnerability. The enterprise mode is also called the 802.1X or EAP mode, whereas the personal mode (the one vulnerable to WPS weakness) is technically called the preshared key (PSK) mode.

The enterprise mode of WPA/WPA2 security uses 802.1X authentication, which requires some sort of external authentication (or RADIUS) server. But services are available that can host such a server for you.
Session Hijacking and Password Capturing

Another major Wi-Fi security threat that has surfaced in the past few years comes from tools that allow anyone eavesdrop on wireless traffic capture passwords or other information. Tools such as the Firefox add-on Firesheep and the Android app DroidSheep make it easy for anyone on your Wi-Fi network to hijack your online accounts. As a result, if eavesdroppers run the tool as you log on to a website that isn’t secured with SSL/HTTPS encryption (for example, some social networking and email sites–look for “https” in the URL to determine whether the site is encrypted), they can then get onto your account.

People can perform only session hijacking and password capturing if they are on the same network as you or if the network isn’t secured, such as by using WPA/WPA2. It’s not something to worry about on your home network unless you don’t secure your Wi-Fi properly or you don’t trust other users. But it is something of concern for business networks. and it can be prevented with enterprise Wi-Fi security.
Weak Wi-Fi Passwords

Your WPA and WPA2 passwords are susceptible to brute-force dictionary-based cracking (basically, where hackers guess your password using software tools that repeatedly guess). If your router’s password is a word listed in the dictionary–or something close to such a word–it’s highly vulnerable to cracking. Use a long passphrase (one of at least 13 characters and as many as 63 characters) with mixed case and random letters, numbers, and other ASCII characters. A gibberish password like this one will hold up: q$3^cP&/S#z;2%D,7x)h. Or see “How to Build Better Passwords Without Losing Your Mind” for guidance on devising strong passwords that you’ll be able to remember.

Source:http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/251850/secure_your_home_or_office_wifi.html

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Control Your PC’s Settings With Roccat Smartphone App

March 7th, 2012
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During GDC 2012, peripheral manufacturer Roccat Studios introduced the Roccat Power-Grid app, a solution that lets users control their PC games and other computer applications in real time straight from their smartphone.

The free app comes standard with four control displays — or “grids” — three of which are preloaded with a wide range of essential gaming tools. The first “Incoming Center” grid routes all outside voice and text communication from services like Skype, Facebook, TeamSpeak and Twitter to an at-a-glance display on the smartphone.

ZoomThe second grid, called “Stats Control,” lets users quickly and easily monitor their PC’s vital data via the smartphone. Stats include CPU status, hard drive space, network traffic and more. The third pre-loaded grid is called “Sound Control,” and as the name implies, allows users to set and fine tune every aspect of their gaming audio using just their smartphone.

As for the fourth grid, it’s completely customizable. Custom control icons, or “blocks,” can be created using the free Roccat Power-Grid Launcher download which installs on the PC and connects your rig to the smartphone. Users can create individually-designed macro buttons from their favorite games or design a specialty button like a pizza timer.

According to Roccat, the app is just the tip of the iceberg. “At the end of the year, gamers will be able to connect their Power-Grid-loaded smartphone to ROCCAT Smart Gear – new gaming hardware that delivers the ultimate smart gaming experience,” the company states. “First on the horizon is Project Phobo – the ‘Phone Board.’ The Phobo is not only one of the world’s most advanced gaming keyboards, it’s also the perfect home for a smartphone using Power-Grid.”

Once gamers have connected their Power-Grid-enabled smartphone to the Phobo, they’ll never need to separate the two, the company claims. Players will be able to write any kind of text message via Facebook, Skype etc using the Phobo’s keyboard. Phobo, also serving as a smartphone charger, will even let gamers take voice calls with a connected headset.

Roccat also plans on introducing the Apuri 2.0 (seen below), a Roccat Smart Gear gaming assistant that acts as a stylish stand for a gamer’s Power-Grid-enabled smartphone. “It’s the perfect way to keep it charged for when a player needs to step away from the game,” the company adds.

Zoom

“Some gaming companies claim PC gaming is sick and needs help,” says René Korte, Roccat Founder and CEO. “We at Roccat have never thought that. We know PC gaming is alive and well. It just needs to keep evolving. Power-Grid represents that natural evolution.

Initial versions of Power-Grid work with all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices using the latest version of iOS. In addition to a compatible smartphone, Power-Grid requires a PC with Wi-Fi capability. Roccat will launch Power-Grid for Android smartphones at Gamescom 2012. In the meantime, gamers interested in testing the iOS beta can head here.

Source:http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Roccat-Power-Grid-iOS-Stats-Control-Incoming-Center,14926.html

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Graphics cards: Top picks for budget and performance PCs

March 5th, 2012
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Graphics processing units aren’t just about performance. A good GPU will speed up many of your image and video tasks, whether you’re touching up casual vacation photos or compressing movie footage. The right graphics card will also allow you to connect multiple monitors to your PC. And, of course, it will make all the difference on new games–will they be visual feasts, or merely interactive slideshows?

Budget

AMD Radeon HD 6850 ($140)Adding a discrete graphics card to your machine is a simple way to enhance its performance. Graphics cards aren’t merely about power, however–you might discover that a card’s flexibility and features are more important to you. If you’re building a budget system, I recommend the AMD Radeon HD 6850. This card doesn’t break records, but the price is fair, and the performance is strong: In our tests using the rally racer Dirt 2, it pumped out an average of 40 frames per second when we ran it at 1920-by-1200-pixel resolution, at maximum settings.

The HD 6850 has treats in store for nongamers, too. AMD’s Eyefinity Display technology lets you drive up to three displays on one card. The board has two mini-DisplayPort connectors, two DVI ports, and an HDMI connector, which leaves you plenty of options when you’re shopping for a monitor. And the card supports AMD’s HD3D, for fully hardware-accelerated 3D playback, including 3D Blu-ray.

However, if none of those features interest you, and if you’ve picked a motherboard that supports integrated graphics, feel free to skip the discrete graphics card entirely, or to choose a less-expensive option.

Performance

Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 ($350)Cream-of-the-crop graphics cards will cost you upwards of $500 each, and models at the highest end remain difficult to find due to supply constraints. So I’m going to keep things sensible here, and recommend the Nvidia GeForce GTX 570, a mainstream card.

The GTX 570’s main advantage is sheer power. For example, in Dirt 2, it posted an average frame rate of 99 frames per second, a significant improvement over my budget choice. And in our test using the shooter Crysis 2 at a resolution of 1920 by 1200 with 4x antialiasing, the GTX 570 reached 42.6 fps, noticeably higher than the 34.8-fps rate of a direct competitor, the AMD Radeon HD 6970.

Beyond that, though, the GTX 570 is a bit less feature-filled than the HD 6850. For instance, if you want to run three displays simultaneously, you’ll need to buy a second graphics card. Nvidia’s display options on this board are limited compared to AMD’s, as well, consisting of just two DVI connectors and a Mini HDMI connector. On the plus side, the GTX 570 supports 3D Vision, Nvidia’s 3D technology. 3D Vision has been on the market for years now, and as a result you can find a slew of monitors and games that support it.

Source:http://www.itworld.com/hardware/255156/graphics-cards-top-picks-budget-and-performance-pcs

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Switched On: Think form factors, not PCs

February 20th, 2012
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The iPad, launched in 2010, kicked off the post-PC era. The combination of a multitouch display and keyboard-less design enabled mobile computing in a way not done before. On the other hand, maybe the IBM Simon, launched in 1992, kicked off the post-PC era. Widely considered to be the first smartphone, it enabled mobile computing in a way that was not done before. Then again, maybe the Osborne I, launched in 1981, marked the beginning of the post-PC era. After all, it was widely considered to be the first portable computer, enabling mobile computing in a way that was not done before.

Or maybe it was the Psion Organizer II, often considered to be the first PDA, or the Epson HX-20, recognized as the first laptop, or the Grid Compass 1100, BlackBerry 850 or any number of other pioneering devices. Once upon a time, a PC was thought of only as a desk-bound box with a keyboard and monitor (and, later, a mouse). Anything that has broken that convention has ushered in a post-”PC” era.

These days, there’s lots of debate about whether iPads should be considered PCs for the purpose of calculating market share. The challenge is that previously, PCs primarily existed in two form factors — desktop and notebook — and generally under an OS duopoly (at least in the consumer market) of Windows and Mac OS. One of the major points in favor of counting iPads is that there are Windows-based slates on the market and so it is not fair to count those and omit iPads or tablets running Android or other operating systems. This year, the distinction will blur even further as Windows 8 invades slates. Looking beyond 2012, today’s quasi Windows competitors, Android and iOS, will grow only more capable.

On the other hand, including slates leads to a slippery slope. Is the Amazon Kindle Fire a PC? And if so, why aren’t iPod touches or smartphones? With a Bluetooth keyboard and a monitor connected via HDMI, many smartphones are capable of handling everything a desktop PC did years ago, and more. One could also make cases for smart TVs; the WIMM One and other connected watches; PCs on a USB stick” like the FXI Cotton Candy; and emerging product categories such as as plug computers (think the TonidoPlug). Before Sony locked out the ability to install Linux on PlayStation 3, they were used to build supercomputers.

And it’s not just the hardware that has become more dynamic. PC apps used to be confined to a handful of tasks: productivity, design, internet access and games. These days, a range of devices from brownout-inducing custom PC gaming rigs to battery-sipping smartphones play a more central role in our lives, helping us to communicate, shop and enjoy limitless content options, and increasingly, do so with ease — largely thanks to more natural input methods such as touch, speech and gestures.

As computing has infiltrated what were once dumb screens, the meaning of a PC is starting to dilute to the point where it’s almost meaningless. Put another way, there is no “post-PC era”; the PC merely marked the start of the consumer computing era. Indeed, even before the iPad came on the scene, there was no real uniform “PC” market with companies like Toshiba, for example, eschewing desktops. This makes Toshiba’s overall PC share seem relatively low, but its notebook share is comparatively high.

There is no perfect answer. For now, though, a better way to think about what has characterized the PC market is to focus more on form factors. Form factors, more than input methods, connectors or competitive operating systems, define the usage scenarios and therefore the consideration set of a computing product category.

What about combining desktops and notebooks to determine, say, Windows’ overall share versus OS X’s? Instead, one could determine an operating system’s total addressable share by considering competition in all the form factors in which the OS participates. For example, Windows 8’s share could be determined across its competitors in desktops, notebooks and tablets. Android’s could be determined across smartphones, tablets and TVs. At some point, one could create a huge roll-up of smart consumer devices share with a defensible but not unassailable definition such as “has access to user-installable apps.”

Much of what determines a form factor, though, is the display, and this may well break down as technologies such as scrollable displays and micro-projection redefine the opportunity for a large display in a pocket-sized device. That, combined with emerging input and interface technologies that could finally kill off the keyboard and mouse, could create a blurring of categories that will make quibbling over PC classification seem trivial. The resulting debate should keep us all arguing until those with intelligence-augmented cortex implants realize how silly it all was.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/19/switched-on-think-form-factors-not-pcs/

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