All-in-one Data Recovery Software Rescuing Your File Under Almost Any Condition

Complete and capable data recovery software for rescuing files under almost any conditions including: accidentally deleted files; damaged or formatted hard drive; lost/deleted partition; photo or video lost from local drive, memory card, or camera; file lost from mobile phones, etc.

• >Recover data from both local drives and mobile storage devices
• >Recover documents, emails, photos, videos, audio files and more
• >Recover 1 GB data for free with the Free Edition

 

 

 click the link below to download 7-Data Recovery Suite

  

    Free Download

Accidentally Deleted Files Recovery

Designed for the recovery of accidently deleted data and files. Using advanced scanning technology and directory restructuring algorithm, 7-Data Recovery Suite can assist you to recover deleted data and files emptied from Recycle Bin and files deleted by using SHIFT+DELETE key, etc.

Free Download

Complete Recovery from Local & External Drive

The most powerful file recovery ability for recovering data from damaged or formatted hard drive or the hard drive is inaccessible for unknown reason. In other words, as long as the partition exists, you can use this data recovery module to recover data from the partition or external storage devices like memory stick, memory card and flash drive, of whatever happened to cause the data loss.

Free Download

Recover Data from Lost and Deleted Partitions

Recover data from lost or deleted partitions. This is the most common data lost reason. And also, this data recovery module could help you to recover your data when hard drive crashed, MBR corrupted, disk repartitioned (fdisk) and partition be overwritten when you use data backup software to restore the disk image.

Free Download

Recovery Photo, Image, Video and Audio

7-Data Recovery Suite provides an exclusive media recovery option that allows you to recover lost image, audio, and video files from hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, Camera, and other memory cards. It runs a full hard drive scan to safely recover images and media files in any event of accidental photo deletion, virus infection, or disk formatting.

Free Download

Mobile Phone Recovery on Windows

Mobile phones process and store huge amount of data on daily basis. However, many times the memory card of the mobile phone gets corrupt, inaccessible leading to vital data loss. 7-Data Recovery Suite can recover deleted data/photos/videos from the inaccessible or formatted memory card of your mobile phones.

Free Download

Memory Card Recovery

For memory card used by digital camera or mobile phone, 7-Data Recovery Suite can effectively recover lost, deleted, corrupted or formatted photos and video files from various memory cards types including SD Card, MicroSD, SDHC, CF (Compact Flash) Card, xD Picture Card, Memory Stick and more.

Free Download

 

Read More

This school helps inexperienced programmers land jobs at Apple

Programmers are in hot demand. Tech companies are especially eager to grab talent as fast as they can find it.

"We're interviewing people every week," said Neha Jain, a senior software engineer with LinkedIn. "Every time we get a great idea at LinkedIn, the question is always -- who will work on that project?"

But there's a problem: Businesses want to bring on more engineers but the pipeline isn't always market ready. Many young software graduates don't get hired because they don't have on-the-job experience.
To help streamline the process of finding stronger candidates, Jain serves as a mentor at the Holberton School, based in San Francisco.

Dora Korpar, currently a Holberton student, was recently hired by San Francisco--based data storage firm Scality.

 

 

 

 

It's a new two-year college-alternative course for programmers that shuns teacher-led instruction and prepares students for the workplace in half the time of a formal college.
Co-founded in 2016 by Sylvain Kalache -- also a software engineer and a former colleague of Jain -- the school offers training you'd typically get at a workplace.
Related: In Charleston, underserved kids get coding classes in a neighborhood laundromat
"Software engineering is a craft," Kalache said. "You're better at it the more you practice. At a four-year college, you're passively listening to teachers and improving your mind but maybe not your application skills."
Tech knowledge can also become obsolete by graduation.
"Technology moves so fast," he said. "What you learned in your freshman and sophomore year is redundant two years later."

Almost half of Holberton's students are women and more than half are minorities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With no formal instruction, the school's objective is to teach students how to learn both on their own and from peers, similar to what occurs at an office.
The course is split into three parts: Nine months of training on software engineering fundamentals, a six month internship and nine more months focused on specialization.
The school launched with a small cohort of 30 students and offered free tuition. Newer students who don't pay upfront tuition are now charged a percentage of their salary (17%) after they land a job.
"We don't care about age, race, gender, past professional experience or school experience," he said. "We removed every kind of human bias from the selection process."
Instead, candidates are evaluated by how they problem solve, collaborate with others and their eagerness to learn. There's also an in-person interview with the founders.

The school in down San Francisco is set up like a startup, with communal work stations meant to facilitate collaboration

About 40% of students are women and more than half are minorities. Students vary in age -- from 18 to 58 -- as well as experience.
"Some have no prior programming knowledge," said Kalache. "We actually prefer it that way."
The school, which keeps its facilities open 24/7, features classrooms that resemble a startup environment to simulate real-life work scenarios.
Related: Baltimore is paying kids to code
Dora Korpar, a 25-year-old student who previously worked an entry-level job at Trader Joe's, said the program helped her land a lucrative programming job after graduation.
"It was an eye-opening experience," said Korpar, who didn't have prior coding knowledge.
Traits, such as being a sharp problem solver and strong math and logical thinking skills, helped her get in to Holberton. Less than a year into the program, Korpar interviewed with a Silicon Valley tech firm and was hired.
Related: Shipping containers turned into mobile tech labs for schoolkids
Meanwhile, two of her peers were hired by Apple (AAPL, Tech30) after just nine months at the school. One was previously a cameraman with no programming experience, and the other was a help desk representative.
About half of the first cohort of students now have full-time jobs or internships at top tech institutions, including at Dropbox, Docker and NASA.

Holberton School co-founders Julien Barbier and Sylvain Kalache

The school also offers a rotating panel of pro-bono mentors -- like Jain -- from companies such as Apple, LinkedIn and Google (GOOGL, Tech30).
Kalache hopes to open more branches in San Francisco and eventually internationally.
"If the U.S. wants to remain competitive in tech, companies like LinkedIn (LNKD, Tech30), Google, Facebook (FB, Tech30) have to be able to hire local talent quickly," he said. "If they can't, they will go to India and China to grow their workforce."

By Gram Tech

Read More

SpaceX aims to launch internet from space

Private rocket firm SpaceX has applied for government permission to launch satellites that will provide global broadband internet access

In a filing to the US Federal Communications Commission (FFC), it laid out details about its plans for a 4,425-strong satellite network.
It is one of several companies aiming to deploy satellite-based internet services over the next few years.
SpaceX suffered a setback in September when a rocket exploded.
In a statement, the firm said: "Once fully deployed, the SpaceX system will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth's surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service."
The satellites would orbit the planet at altitudes ranging from 714 to 823 miles (1,150 to 1,325 km). That is above the International Space Station but below geostationary satellites.

---

Analysis - Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent
SpaceX has talked about its telecoms ambitions for a while.
Now, under a deadline to file interest with the FFC, the company has given a more technical glimpse of its proposal.
Some 4,425 satellites (plus spares), operating in 83 orbital planes, at altitudes ranging from 689 miles to 823 miles (1,110 km to 1,325 km).
It is understood SpaceX has some prototype satellites it will launch next year, but the actual constellation will not see the light of day until the turn of the decade.
SpaceX is by no means the only group looking to make a pitch in this market. Established satellite communcations big-hitters such as Intelsat (OneWeb), SES (O3B), Telesat and Boeing are at various stages in their own development plans.
It used to be that "constellation" was a dirty word after the initial attempts at building sat phone networks in the 1990s filed for bankruptcy, unable to pay back huge loans. But the wind has changed.
Connectivity drives the global economy and with the coming "internet of things", there is a feeling that these mega-networks in the sky will prove profitable. Not for all, but perhaps for those able to move quick enough and get their constellations launched. And SpaceX's main business is launching satellites.

---

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, announced last year that the service would be "larger than anything that has been talked about to date" adding that it would take about $10bn (£8bn) to get it off the ground.
The latest documents did not include costs.
It suggested that the first 800 satellites would be used to expand internet access in the US, including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin islands.
Each satellite, about the size of an average car, not including solar panels, would weigh 850 pounds (386kg), the firm said.
SpaceX rocket launches have been on hold since September following an accident that destroyed a $62m Falcon 9 booster and a $200m Israeli communication satellite. The firm hopes to resume flights next month.

Read More

Everything you need to know about Facebook security settings

So, you created a Facebook account, probably more than a few years ago. And maybe you even set it up well, checking through all of the available privacy and security settings and making careful choices. But have you opened the Settings tab since then? Or, be honest, did you just jump in that first day, promising to find the time to muddle through your options later on? In any case, this post is for you.

Facebook regularly changes security and privacy settings (some say they do so too often). That’s why it makes sense to check from time to time for any new or changed options. In this post, we explain Facebook security settings in detail.

Security settings

There are two ways to get to this tab. The quickest is to click the globe icon in the upper right corner (usually you use this button to look through your latest notifications) and choose Settings.Very slightly more involved: Click the arrow button near that globe and find Settings in the drop-down list.

Within Settings, choose the Security tab. Here you’ll see the list of settings that help you secure your account. If you want to read detailed description of any setting just click Edit.

What do all of these settings mean?

Let us explain them — all are worth your attention.

Login Alerts. Facebook stores a list of the computers, gadgets, and browsers you usually use to log in to your account. Turn alerts on to allow the social network to send notifications to your e-mail any time it detects authorization from a new device. Consequently, you will be alerted if somebody unwelcome logs in to your account. If that happens, change your password to keep them out. We recommend enabling this useful feature.

Login Approvals. This is Facebook’s two-factor authentication. After you enable this feature, the first time you log in to the social network from a new device you will receive a digital PIN by SMS (text message), and you’ll need to enter that with your password. It’s a minor hassle, totally worth the added peace of mind. Highly recommended!

Here you can also get 10 “emergency” single-use codes. They will come in handy in cases when you cannot receive an SMS message. For example, if you’ve lost your smartphone and want to change your Facebook password — but you can’t because you don’t have your phone. That’s when you’ll be glad you have those codes.

Code Generator. With this feature you can use codes from the Facebook mobile app instead of SMS, or choose another app. If you already use a good code generator (for example, Google Authenticator) why not link it with Facebook as well?

Use it or not — it’s up to you. But we recommend you at least give it a try.

App Passwords. You’ll need this option if you use your Facebook account to log in to some third-party apps and services, if two-factor authentication for your account is turned on, and if those features don’t play well with each other. Instead you can get login approvals for each app. You can read more about them here.

Public Key. In this tab, you can publish your OpenPGP public key. If you do so, the key will be displayed in your account info. Then, your friends can use the key to send you encrypted letters — so even if a letter gets into the wrong hands, no unintended recipient will be able to read it.

Here’s how it works, in brief. You receive two keys — public and private. Your friends and acquaintances use your public key to encrypt messages they send you. When you receive such a message, you use your secret code to decrypt it. This is called asymmetric cryptography — encrypting messages with one key and decrypting with another.

In practice it is not very convenient, but it does work. Even if somebody hacks your e-mail they will not be able to read your conversations as long as you are the only holder of the private key.

This is also where you can turn on the option to have Facebook encrypt any e-mails it sends you.

Your Trusted Contacts. Here you can choose the users to ask for help if you lose access to your account. In that event, you’ll call them and ask them to tell you a single-use password. Enter it and your access will be restored. Here is a detailed explanation of how it all works.

Keep in mind: The security of your account depends on your trusted contacts, so choose reliable people.

Recognized Devices. This is the list of remembered browsers and apps on the devices you use to log in to Facebook. When you connect to the social network from one of these devices, Facebook won’t send you a login alert.

By the way, don’t forget to clear this list from time to time. And definitely do it if you lose a device.

Where You’re Logged In. This useful setting lets you check on which devices you are logged in to Facebook. Did you use the social network on a friend’s PC but forgot to log out? Or worse, on a public computer at the library? Do you see a suspicious session that you’re sure you didn’t initiate? Close all of those sessions — and change your password.

Legacy Contact. Legacy contacts are people who can look after your page in the event of your death: write a pinned post for your profile, respond to new friend requests, or update your profile picture. This person will not be able to publish posts as if they were you. Here is more about this feature.

Deactivate Your Account. If you want to take a break from Facebook, you can temporarily deactivate your account. Your posts will be hidden, but you’ll be able to come back whenever you want, simply by logging in to Facebook again.

(You can also delete your Facebook account forever, but that option is not available under Settings. Here is the secret link for that.)

Two other useful options

Within Settings, open the General tab. In addition to personal information, you’ll see here the date when you last changed your password. We highly recommend changing your passwords from time to time — and of course using reliable combinations.

In addition, you’ll find the Download a Copy of Your Facebook Data button here. We often post important things on social networks but may neglect to back them up elsewhere: for example, photos and videos from a marriage ceremony or images with your little child. If you lose your filesfor any reason, you’ll be able to restore at least the ones you posted on Facebook — and this feature saves combing through a lot of posts.

Finally, we’d like to add that criminals often use Facebook to send phishing messages and malicious links. In this post we explain how it happens and how to avoid it.

source: Kaspersky web

Read More

7 steps to secure home Wi-Fi

Setting up a home Wi-Fi router used to be a complicated task that was typically confusing and difficult for the average computer user. Responding to that issue, ISPs and router manufacturers implemented some buttons and defaults that made connecting about as easy as possible — and in the security business, we know e-a-s-y spells trouble.

Protect your home Wi-Fi router from intruders with these seven tips:

1. Avoid EZ setup. Some Wi-Fi routers promise an essentially brainless setup — just press the button to get connected. But when you don’t know your own credentials, you’re not the master of your domain.

2. Rename the Wi-Fi router’s network. Strictly speaking, this step doesn’t make your network more secure, but it makes the entire network situation better. When you sign in or help a guest sign in, you won’t have to remember whether you’re NETGEAR58843 or Linksys-u8i9o. Instead, you can choose a name that’s easy to remember — or fun, or funny.

3. Change the Wi-Fi router login credentials. Wi-Fi router manufacturers often reuse default admin names and passwords. You can look them up on the Internet — for example, some manufacturers, depending on the model, use either admin or (blank) for the admin name, and either admin or (blank) for the password. These aren’t state secrets. But your real admin name and password should be super-secret, so choose new ones. You can make sure you’ve chosen a strong password with Kaspersky Lab’s password checker.

4. Make sure your router’s login page is not accessible from the Internet. Modern routers usually have feature allowing settings to be changed remotely, over the Internet. That can be useful in some circumstances, but it’s also an insecurity, so if you don’t need it, disable it. The option name varies depending on manufacturer, but look through your router’s settings for something like “Remote Management” and make sure it is turned off.

Most important: Secure your Wi-Fi with reliable WPA2 encryption and a strong password

5. Secure with a reliable encryption protocol and a strong network password. This is the most important part. In step 3, we changed the Wi-Fi router login, which secures the router’s options. Now you’re going to choose a network password. That’s what you type in to your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet, or other connected device to give it Wi-Fi Internet access. You don’t want your neighbors or passing strangers to be able to hop onto your Wi-Fi. I personally advise choosing WPA2 Personal encryption for the password. You can also use a passphrase, which may be easier to remember than a complex password, but it should also be harder to crack.

6. Secure all of your Wi-Fi networks. I personally do not have a guest network because my regular network is locked down pretty tight. But if your router supports a guest network and you want to create one, go for it. Call it something like “MyAwesomeNetwork – GUEST,” and give it a strong password and encryption as well. Then you don’t have to give anyone else your private network password.

7. Secure all devices.Whether you’re using a computer, a tablet, a smartphone, a Kindle, or any other connected device, secure it with a strong password. Don’t give anyone your password. Use security software (we like Kaspersky Total Security) on every device — and always keep all of the software up to date.

source: kaspersky web

Read More

Here we go again: Microsoft's popping up ads from the Windows 10 toolbar

Windows Microsoft’s Windows 10 deadline passed, many heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that Microsoft’s obnoxious popup reminders had finally been laid to rest.

Surprise! Microsoft’s at it again, reminding users to sign up for Microsoft Rewards (formerly Bing Rewards) by using Edge, Windows 10’s built-in browser. My colleague Brad Chacos was hit by the ad above after hours, reported it, and immediately erased Edge from his toolbar.

Here’s what we know: The popup doesn’t seem to appear if you use Edge frequently (Brad does not). Personally, I’ve never experienced a similar ad, though I use Edge as well as Microsoft Rewards, meaning there’s no need for such an ad to appear. 

To prevent seeing the Edge popup, Microsoft says to go to Settings > System > Notifications & Actions and make sure this toggle is "off".

A notification here, a suggestion there: Microsoft’s gently slipped in promotions for Office as well as its third-party apps off and on since Windows 10 was launched, and then sneakily reset those options once the Anniversary Update launched last summer. (Here’s a list to turn off those Windows 10 ads if you’re still seeing them.)

But here’s the problem. Brad turned off his ad settings; the Anniversary Update reinstated them. Brad says he turned off the ad settings again—and once again, Microsoft reinstated them. (Editor's Note: That might be the issue. On Friday, Microsoft told us if you want to eliminate the Edge popup, make sure that the suggestions setting is toggled off, as per the graphic. Brad Chacos later confirmed his suggestions setting was still enabled.)

Please, not this stuff again

And that’s not the only Edge promo that Microsoft is slipping in, either. 

Maybe an ad isn’t the worst thing in the world. But we can all remember the mind-warping rage Microsoft’s Windows 10 “reminders” engendered: first a ”Recommended” update, then repeated nagware, then an outrageous reversal of conventional UI that made clicking the red-x Close button to escape the upgrade an opt-in to kick off the upgrade process itself. Say what you will about the Windows 10 OS and its nosy assistant, Cortana—that’s entirely different from Microsoft’s tactics for invading your desktop to remind you to try out a new service.

Microsoft could not be reached for comment on Thursday afternoon.

Microsoft’s mission to promote Edge

I personally like Bing and Bing Rewards: if you’re going to search the web, you may as well let Microsoft buy you a cup of coffee. With enough activity, you can pretty much pay for a year of Xbox Live Gold.

I also think Microsoft Edge was one of the most underrated features in Windows 10’s Anniversary Update. It was simply awful when Windows 10 launched but has steadily improved since then. Other users haven’t been nearly so patient, leaving both of Microsoft’s browsers, Internet Explorer and Edge, in droves—by Computerworld’s calculations, a whopping 300 million or so users since January. That’s a third of a billionusers who have chosen Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or one of several other smaller browsers instead.

I’m on record as someone who called on Microsoft to promote its new Office features—in part, to justify users' paying a monthly fee for Office 365. If Microsoft hadn’t so egregiously crossed the line with its upgrade reminders, I’m not sure how many users would care. 

But there’s a middle ground between promoting new features and respecting users. Microsoft’s tried a number of tactics to bring users back to the Edge fold. In addition to the carrot of Microsoft/Bing Rewards, it’s tied Cortana to Bing and the Edge browser. It’s slowly added the extensions other browsers have featured for years. It’s also tried gimmicky features like the ability to ink a Web page, which probably haven’t done much to win fans. 

Turning on ads after a user has turned them off, repeatedly: Come on. There’s always been some part of Microsoft that can’t resist crossing the line: Think “Scroogled,” or “astroturfing.” Privately, other Microsoft employees have said they’re embarrassed by it.

It may seem a bit petty to get up in arms about a small Edge promotion. But we’ve gone down this road before, and there’s a lot of us that want to ensure we never do again. 

A previous version of this story misidentified Microsoft Rewards as Bing Rewards, its former name. We've also updated the story with Microsoft's instructions for turning off the Edge popup.

Related: Windows

Read More

Windows 7 All Product Keys 2016 - Product Keys For Windows 7

Getting windows key for free is quite difficult many of you may be searching the keys here and there for a whole day even may be more than that.You may be trying several keys but all of them does not work for every user's  if you really wanna activate you window 7 ultimate then the following keys may help you. This are the keys for window 7 ultimate for 64 bit for free.If this windows 7 ultimate product key worked for you please feel free to share in the related social sites and if you have any questions ask me through comment or you can contact by E-mail.

The Windows7 keys are followed there below

FHY4Q-VB63H-XK8VD-9Y68P-RFQ43
49PB6-6BJ6Y-KHGCQ-7DDY6-TF7CD
BCGX7-P3XWP-PPPCV-Q2H7C-FCGFR
J6C9R-C9HHG-3CWTY-Y4MPW-CD72J
342DG-6YJR8-X92GV-V7DCV-P4K27 
FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2 
342DG-6YJR8-X92GV-V7DCV-P4K27
22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM 
FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2 

 6PB94-MC2C6-4F37H-KTJ32-PF2PT
 H8KXB-V8KD3-KWWG8-8WXRH-PMF7T 

 36Q3Y-BBT84-MGJ3H-FT7VD-FG72J

22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM 

2QBP3-289MF-9364X-37XGX-24W6P 

 T46TR-B7TFB-HY3GK-FBWKD-4Y93W 

 FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2 

C43GM-DWWV8-V6MGY-G834Y-Y8QH3 

JYRDG-HHGYV-XCFGJ-22FDH-8BWP3

 6PFJK-WKXQR-9Q27C-6CWD7-MQ3CQ

 FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2

 VYG6P-M3PR8-TYGWC-YW4QG-7RP2B

 7FMM3-W4FMP-4WRXX-BKDRT-7HG48

 HYHV7-W343F-9TCCK-JPCBM-B2FQ8

 22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM

RWMVV-6J7QM-JCP43-7F4FQ-YKP4Q

 342DG-6YJR8-X92GV-V7DCV-P4K27

 FJGCP-4DFJD-GJY49-VJBQ7-HYRR2


 22TKD-F8XX6-YG69F-9M66D-PMJBM

Read More

Apple adds keyboard touch functions to Mac in major refresh

 

Apple unveiled long-awaited updates to its Mac computers Thursday, aiming to spark consumer interest in a product line often overshadowed by newer gadgets like the iPad and iPhone.
The breakout feature is, as widely speculated, a new touch-sensitive panel on the MacBook Pro, Apple's top-of-the-line laptop.
The touch bar will offer functionality that's familiar to many iPhone users.
It shows word suggestions as you type and lets you scroll through libraries of emojis.
READ: What to expect as Apple gets ready for Mac update
When watching movies, the touch bar can offer playback controls. When editing photos, the touch bar changes to offer options to lighten or rotate.
It adapts and offers different controls for whatever app or website you're using.
The Pro will also come with a fingerprint sensor, similar to one in the iPhone, to unlock the device.
It can recognize different users and offer quick switching based on the fingerprint.
The new Macs will also offer a dedicated key for the Siri voice assistant, a feature added with the MacOS Sierra update last month.
In keeping with recent updates to other Apple products, the company will replace some computer ports with a new USB-C outlet.
READ: Apple to slash SA App Store prices
Connectors using USB-C technology can transmit data faster than older USB jacks.
They're also smaller and have a uniform shape, which means the USB-C jack can be inserted with either side facing up.
Apple unveiled the new Macs at an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California.
During the event, Apple also said it wants to unify television viewing on its streaming TV device with a new app simply called "TV."
Laptops vs. Tablets
The changes to the Mac are the first significant ones in years. Sales of the Mac have been in a slump this year, after a streak of growth in 2014 and 2015 that seemed to defy global trends.
Consumers generally are buying fewer PCs and using smartphones or tablets instead.
Apple itself has promoted its latest iPad tablet, the iPad Pro, as a device capable of replacing the laptop for many users.
And in contrast with the Mac's earlier years — when Apple marketed its computers to people who saw themselves as creative professionals or just independent thinkers — Apple has begun promoting the Mac as a computer for business users, too.
READ: Apple to end Mac update drought with October event
Microsoft, traditionally a software company, has begun selling its own line of high-end Surface laptops and this week introduced its first Surface desktop PC.
Like the iMac in years past, analysts say the new Surface machine has a premium price and features that will most likely appeal to visual designers and other creative professionals.
For Apple, the Mac line has been eclipsed financially by other products — first the iPod and now the iPhone — that have made far more money in recent years.
Apple sold $22.8 billion worth of Macs in its past fiscal year, although that was just 11 percent of the company's total revenue.
It sold $136 billion worth of iPhones. In the most recent quarter, Apple sold 9.3 million iPads and 4.9 million Macs, although the iPads accounted for just $4.3 billion in sales while the Macs contributed $5.7 billion.
READ: Why Apple has veered into the slow lane
But the Mac has remained a significant product for Apple, and one that's important to intensely loyal fans.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the first Macintosh in 1984 with the famous commercial of a woman hurling a hammer at a dystopian overlord, setting the tone for Apple's corporate marketing strategy in the years to come.
Baby steps in TV
Apple TV is a newer endeavor, and the new TV app could make it easier for viewers to find shows to watch, as it means they don't have to check individual apps.
Amazon's Fire TV is taking a similar approach with a software update, though the unified experience will be part of the home screen, not an app.
The app, though, is short of a full-fledged streaming-TV service, which reports say Apple has been pursuing. Rather, it brings together TV shows and movies viewers already get through individual subscriptions.
The TV app will be synced with iPhones and iPads, so viewers can catch the next episode regardless of device. Apple said its Siri voice assistant will also direct viewers to live events, such as streaming sports.
Apple said Apple TV already has 8,000 apps, including more than 2,000 games. The addictive building game "Minecraft" will come later this year.
Separately, Apple said it's delaying shipment of its wireless AirPod earphones, which had been scheduled for late October.
In a statement, the company said, "We don't believe in shipping a product before it's ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers."
Apple didn't elaborate.
A Nike edition of Apple Watch for runners will still go on sale on Friday as planned.
source: News24

Read More

Back To School: Homework Helpers

Four great websites for boosting grades to A+ in every subject

 

Not all that long ago, a kid needed to trek to a brick-and-mortar library to get help with homework that went beyond what parents (and the home encyclopedia) could tell them. These days, though, you can use a PC or mobile device at home or anywhere else to find reams of great web-based resources for all grade levels. These sites provide everything from one-on-one tutoring to writing tips, from online research materials to videos and games for learning math concepts. Best of all, many of these homework helpers are free. Here are four of the best.
Time for Kids Homework Helper
Whether kids are in elementary school or in college, much the work they do outside of class involves writing papers. Time, the news magazine for adults, runs a colorful and engaging website for kids, with a homework helper that focuses mainly on various aspects of writing.
An "A+ Papers" section offers guidelines for writing book reports, biographies, literary essays, how-to articles, and more. Students can use an interactive template to practice their writing skills online. Other tools include a grammar wizard, a rhyming dictionary, a thesaurus, and tips for improving writing style. Kids can also read articles written by middle-school-age "kid reporters." Who knows? After your kids learn the ropes at this site, they might want to apply to become reporters for Time.

BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper
Other homework helper sites offer resources such as reference materials for writing term papers, researching science or history topics, and understanding classic novels and theatrical plays.
BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper provides links to dozens of homework helper sites, most of which are free. The sites are divided into four categories: science, math, English, and computers. One site, from Brightstorm, provides video explanations of math concepts at levels ranging from pre-algebra to calculus. Another, Novelguide, offers scene-by-scene analyses of Hamlet and other plays by Shakespeare. Other sites supply guidance on Java or C++ programming.
This is a great homework tool for students at all grade levels. Still, younger children might need help from parents or teachers in finding the most age-appropriate resources. BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper is easy to read and well organized, in its way, but it contains few hints as to the grade levels that specific sites are best suited for.

Ace Homework Help
Sometimes even the best students can benefit from one-on-one help with homework assignments. A number of tutoring websites now offer such online assistance 24/7. Geared mostly toward high school and college students, Ace Homework Help is one of the most highly regarded sites in this category.
Experts are on hand for consultation on just about every conceivable subject, whether it be physics, statistics, English, or something else. All tutors hold verified degrees in their designated subject areas. Users can view ratings and reviews by other students before contacting an instructor.
On the downside, this site is not free. And students won't know how much they'll be charged until they get in touch with the tutor. Also, telephone support is not available.

Homework Helper Refdesk

Like BJ Pinchbeck's site, Homework Helper Refdesk is a trove of links to resources offering various sorts of homework help. There's very little overlap in content between the two sites. Refdesk is organized into four sections, for grades 1–6, 7–8, 9–12, and college. Most of the links, however, are located in sections called "Tools for Research," "General Reference - All Grades," and "Other Homework Links."
Since RefDesk's user interface is text-based, the site isn't especially friendly to kids accustomed to slick graphics. Parents and teachers, though, can help young children to find links to engaging content such as AplusMath, an interactive helper for multiplication tables and other elementary math skills, and Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government.
High school and college students should find it easy enough to use this site to track down resources that will come in handy for them, such as a good online dictionary, thesaurus, or guide to writing term papers.
Homework Helper Refdesk

Read More

17 Things You Need to Know About the New Google Pixel Phone

Google's latest smartphone is anything but ordinary.

 

you may not think of Google as a hardware company, but some new products that the company announced this week might change your mind. In particular, Google's newest smartphone, the Pixel, picks up where the Nexus line leaves off, delivering all sorts of newfound smarts in the process.

Pixel isn't just another ho-hum phone that checks a bunch of boxes on the spec chart. We think it could be a very important phone this year. With that in mind, here are 17 key things we think you should know about the Pixel.

1. It’s Actually Two Phones

There are actually two models in the Pixel line. But in most respects, the Pixel and the Pixel XL are virtually identical.
The Pixel has a 5-inch display with an HD resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. The Pixel XL packs a slightly bigger 5.5-inch, 2560-by-1440-pixel screen. The larger sibling gets additional battery capacity, too, to help power all those pixels.

2. It’s Google Through and Through

What else would you expect from a product marketed as being “by Google”? Both Pixel phones feature the latest version of Android as well as the full suite of Google apps, including Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Allo, and Duo. Additionally, the Pixel takes advantage of Google Assistant, the technology that also powers Google's new Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-connected Home connected speaker. Bottom line: This is the smartest phone around.
You won’t hear it directly from Google, but HTC actually built the Pixel phones. This is just the latest collaboration between the two companies, in a relationship that stretches back to 2008 and the very first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1. HTC was also the partner tapped to create the Nexus One.

3. It Marks the Debut of Google Assistant

As the first handset on the market to feature Google Assistant, the Pixel leverages the search giant’s AI to help users in various ways. Whether the issue involves search, calendaring, app integration, or general requests, Google Assistant is not unlike a personal assistant that you have on call at all times.

4. It Comes in Three Colors

What will it be? Quite Black, Very Silver, or Really Blue? Yep, those are the Rather Overblown names Google gave the color options for the Pixel, though maybe we should be grateful that it stayed away from Great Grape and Very Raspberry.
Customers get the same three color three options for both the Pixel and the Pixel XL.

5. It Runs the Latest Version of Android

Although LG produced the first phone to launch with Android 7.0, the Pixels are a step beyond that with the 7.1 build of Nougat. Although Nougat 7.1 may be almost identical to the 7.0 release on the surface, it includes Google Assistant as well as a few less obvious tweaks.

6. Software Updates Are Much Improved

Gone are the days of downloading and installing software updates that render your phone inoperable for minutes at a time. With Android 7.1, software updates and security patches download to and install on your Pixel in the background. The next time you reboot your phone, it will be running the most current releases.

7. It Has the Best Smartphone Camera Ever

No, for real—that’s not just lip service. The Google Pixel scored an 89 on the DxOMark Mobile benchmark, making it officially the highest-rated smartphone camera to date. Users will enjoy less noise and blur and higher dynamic range in photos.
Speaking of which, because there’s zero lag in shutter and image capture, the HDR+ setting is enabled by default. As for sensor size, you'll find a 12.3-megapixel camera in back, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera in front.

8. Avalable Storage Capacity Is Big—and Really Big

The Pixel phones come with storage capacities of 32GB and 128GB. The former is on a par with what many of today’s phones deliver; the latter is at the maximum of current internal phone storage.
Choose the right storage for your needs and budget. Neither the Pixel nor the Pixel XL lets users add storage space via microSD expansion cards.

9. It Comes With Lifetime Unlimited Full-Size Photo Backups

But why worry about internal storage capacity when you can push your photos and videos to the cloud? Every Pixel comes with a lifetime account that permits unlimited cloud backups of your camera’s creations—even videos shot in 4K.

10. It’s a Verizon Exclusive, Sort Of

If you're looking to purchase the Google Pixel or Pixel XL with a carrier, you’ll have to go through Verizon. The Pixel retails for $650 (32GB) and $750 (128GB) while the larger Pixel XL carries price tags of $770 (32GB) and $870 (128GB). The duration of Big Red's exclusive isn't clear, but it could be at least a few months before other carriers get their version of the phone. But then again, there’s no evidence that the other carriers will ever offer the phones. So... maybe Verizon always? Time will tell.

11. But You can Buy It Unlocked

For people who prefer to pick their carrier, the Pixel is also available in unlocked versions.

Pricing is the same as you’ll find with Verizon, but taking the unlocked route frees consumers to hop between the various wireless networks, including Google’s own Project Fi.

12. It’s Not Waterproof

One increasingly common feature in today’s smartphones is resistance to splashes or dips in water. Unfortunately, neither Pixel models is designed with water in mind. If this is your next phone, you’ll want to keep a protective eye on it, especially around pools.

13. It Packs a Punch in the Processor Department

The Pixel is the first phone to draw power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, which makes it incrementally more powerful than its predecessors, and yet more efficient, too.

The pairing of the latest release of Android, (7.1 Nougat) with the strong but energy-saving processor means deeper device sleeping, better task management, and longer periods away from charging.

14. It Charges Up Crazy Fast

Worried about draining that battery because of all the pictures and video you’ll be shooting? Fear not: The USB Type-C charger and Qualcomm processor will have it back in play surprisingly quickly. According to Google, 15 minutes on the charger is enough to add 7 hours of usage to your phone.

15. It’s a Daydream Believer

The first smartphone equipped for Google Daydream VR, the Pixel can pair with the virtual reality headset in a second’s time.

Thanks to its powerful mobile processors and high-fidelity sensors, the Pixel is the benchmark handset to power great VR experiences.

16. Help Is Always Available

If you run into trouble with your Pixel, you can connect to a member of the smartphone's support team around the clock. You get 24/7 live care over phone or via chat; a screen share option is available, too.

17. It's Coming Soon

Luckily, you won't have to wait very long to get your hands on the Pixel or the Pixel XL. Both models are available for preorder through Verizon, the Google Store, and Best Buy. Verizon expects delivery to begin as early as October 20; the Google Store indicates that its shipments will start in 2 to 3 weeks.

Read More