Windows

The Universal Windows Platform created for the Microsoft Store apps could soon be ditched, as Microsoft already discontinued support for its Windows Phone devices. App developers are reluctant to create programs for his platform, since it is much easier to program apps for Android, iOS and even Windows through regular win32 code. Microsoft may completely remove the apps and keep only the games, music and video section.

Vade Secure is an email-security company that produces a series of reports called "Phisher's Favorites". The 2019 first-quarter (1Q2019) issue shows that the targeting of social media by this kind of hacker has increased by 74.7% compared to 1Q2018. Facebook and Instagram are prominent example of the sites in question.

HP is currently running a sale on the numerous business and consumer laptops until May 5. One of the highlights is the EliteBook x360 1040 G5, which the company has reduced by up to US$2,009. The Chromebook x360 14 G1 is another good deal too with US$600 off its retail price.

With the 1.5 update, World of Tanks brings a few new Swedish medium tanks that feature hydropneumatic suspension, the ability to choose which map to avoid in standard battles, changes — mainly nerfs — to Japanese heavy tanks, the infamous FV 4005, and the artillery branch. A special deal for Twitch Prime members is also available.

Dell may have just fixed the device's DPC-related latency issues, but the popular 15.6-inch laptop is still plagued by other problems that the company has failed, or refuses, to fix.

The updated mid-range business laptops all get Whiskey Lake-U CPUs with H-class Core options on select SKUs. The new chassis designs are lighter and smaller than the last generation Latitude 7390, 7490, and 7590.

The Pigs have flown, Hell hath frozen over. Dell has finally released a new BIOS for the XPS 15 9570 specifically to address the device's DPC latency issues. It would not be an XPS 15 fix without some unintended problems though, right?

Intel's new chief executive officer (CEO), Bob Swan, has conceded that the company's "supply constraints" may still impact on the diversity of the chipsets it offers as this year goes on. Swan has admitted that this will be a "challenge", even in the 3rd quarter of 2019. Then again, he has also committed to never allowing this to affect customers again.

The Atomic Pi is an affordable Raspberry Pi alternative equipped with an Intel Atom Cherry Trail processor, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of eMMC flash storage. The developer board has numerous expansion connectors, ports and sensors too. The Atomic Pi costs just US$35.
Update: Shipping information clarified.

An eagle-eyed Redditor spotted GPD's latest upcoming mini-laptop at the ICEE in Moscow, called the Pocket 2 Max. The 8.9-inch laptop will arrive in Q2-Q3 and will come with a Core m3-8100Y processor along with up to 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD. It even has a trackpad and a fingerprint scanner too.

In a recent FY19 Q3 earnings call, Microsoft expressed optimism about growth of Windows sales in the enterprise and has also eased up on worries about sales in the consumer segment, which the company said in January was affected due to Intel's 14 nm supply woes. The increased growth of AMD CPUs in mainstream desktops and laptops, and the ability of Windows 10 to run on ARM hardware means that Microsoft does not have to rely on Intel to push Windows sales.

The company has revealed that it has no plans to introduce a GTX 1660 Ti with its XPS 15 refresh, nor will it release a white version either as it has with recent XPS 13 models. The new XPS 15 will come with a GTX 1650 though, Frank Azor confirms.

Paradox Interactive has released a video on YouTube that shows an animated clan introduction to the upcoming game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. After watching the clip, viewers are treated to a very short (and small) look at pre-alpha gameplay, giving gamers a vague idea of what to expect from the eagerly awaited title.

The device-diagnostics company Blancco claims to have bought over 100 second-hand hard drives on the eBay sites of 4 different counties, to see what data, if any, could be accessed on them. It claims that 42% of these drives still stored information from their previous owners that can be thought of as sensitive.

The May 2019 update is set to be the next major upgrade to Windows 10. However, those with older machines may have particular trouble with getting it to work after installing it. This is because Microsoft has raised the minimum recommended hard-drive storage to support doing so to 32GB.

After running a successful Indiegogo campaign, Chuwi will be selling its Aerobook at a reduced price on April 29th and 30th. The Aerobook features an Intel Core m3-6Y30 (the same CPU used in the 2016 12-inch MacBook), 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD.

Microsoft is currently investigating an inappropriate drive reassignment bug that prevents Windows 10 1903 or the May 2019 update Setup from proceeding and as such, is not offering the update to devices that have USB storage devices plugged in. The issue will be resolved in a future servicing update and in the meanwhile, a workaround is to remove all external storage devices before initiating the update procedure.

Microsoft had announced a plan to finally put the legacy app Paint to rest in future versions of Windows. However, as with the last time the company tried this, it was met with user pressure to retain the beloved old drawing utility. As a result, it has subsequently been revealed that it will make it to 1903.

Street Fighter V has been around since 2016 but has been constantly updated ever since. Now, those who never had the chance to take it for a spin can do so for free. The catch is that we are not talking about a few free days — the free-for-all period that has begun yesterday will end on May 5/6. However, PlayStation 4 need a Plus account to play online.

Compulab has announced its Airtop3 device that comes with up to an Intel Core i9-9900K CPU and Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000 graphics card. The ruggedized IoT edge server is passively cooled and has been designed for industrial use. Numerous customization options are available for the Airtop3 PC, including extended and industrial operating temperature ranges.

The Taiwanese OEM is squeezing every ounce of performance it can from its Aero 15 design. This latest "Classic" model boasts the new octa-core Core i9-9980HK for improved multi-thread performance over the hexa-core Core i9-8950HK. Here's hoping that throttling will be kept to a minimum considering the very thin chassis and powerful hardware.

To coincide with the official reveal of Intel 9th gen, MSI will be revamping both its gaming G Series and professional P Series with the latest Core i9 CPUs and GTX/RTX GPUs. The upcoming P75 will be the first ultra-thin 17.3-inch laptop from MSI designed especially for professional users based on a chassis design not derived from the gaming G Series.

Unveiled in early January at CES 2019, the Lenovo Legion Y9000K is now finally launching in China. This machine seems to be exclusively targeting the local market and features an 8th generation (could be an error instead of 9th generation) Intel Core i7 processor, a 17-inch 144 Hz display, as well as NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics.

Images of the components for the upcoming GPD Win Max handheld gaming PC have been leaked. The pictures show that an embedded chip from AMD’s Ryzen V1000 series has been chosen to power the device. It also seems that GamePad Digital (GPD) has decided to change the device’s name from Win 2 Max to simply Win Max.

Recently, the gaming community has been set alight with rumors that Grand Theft Auto will get a new version soon. This has come about as a result of the discovery of an online resume belonging to a "3D game artist" who lists the heretofore unseen title among his experiences at Rockstar Games. This individual also specifically claims a role in GTA 5's DLC.

The C-Force CF015C weighs just 700 g and is 6 mm thick, yet packs a 4K, 15.6-inch display that boasts 100% sRGB coverage. The CF015C is currently available for US$199 on Kickstarter and ships in June.

Microsoft has made the next upcoming version of Windows 10 available via its Insider Preview program. It is called 1903, or the May 2019 Update. An SDK for this build is also now ready to download.

With just over 24 hours to go, the NexDock 2 has already received 956% of its campaign goal. Nex Computer has one more surprise up its sleeve if the campaign can get to US$500,000 though.

Despite giving assurances to the contrary, Dell is still yet to fix the latency issues that have plagued the XPS 15 9570 since its launch. Get your act together, Dell.

AMD Ryzen 3000 for laptops has been announced a few months ago and the PC OEMs are starting to release more and more new laptops with these CPUs. Now, two new Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are listed on the website of the manufacturer. With the new Ryzen 3000 processors, the business laptops ThinkPad E495 and ThinkPad E595 are the direct successors of the E485 and E585.

One-Notebook's unique pocket-size convertible lineup is getting updated with the OneMix 2S Platinum edition, which pack a faster Intel Core i7-8500Y CPU coupled with 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and 512 GB of NVMe SSD storage. The new device has a QWERTY keyboard with fingerprint scanner for increased proficiency, plus a rotating touchscreen that allows users to switch to tablet mode.

ASRock has revealed its new mini desktop PC that features chips from Intel’s Whiskey Lake-U series. Along with the modern processor, the ASRock iBOX has a fanless design with fins covering the surface of the desktop to assist with cooling. The new product is expected to be utilized in industrial environments.

The future of Microsoft PCs such as the Surface Pro may yet be Qualcomm-based. A new report on the development of Windows on ARM includes references to several prototypes from this line with Snapdragon processors rather than those from Intel. Therefore, this prospect may now be more feasible than ever.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short, is one of the Korean studio Bluehole's biggest success stories. However, some state regulators seem not to like it as much as its millions of players do. Nepal is the latest country to ban the game, citing detrimental effects on children and teenagers.

The NexDock 2 takes the power of your smartphone or Raspberry Pi and creates a laptop experience with a Full HD display, a plethora of ports including a headphone jack, four USB ports and a HDMI port. The NexDock 2 is currently available for US$199 on Kickstarter and ships in September.

A revised Huawei Matebook E for 2019 has been on show in China, and it has revealed a surprising new component: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 SoC. The convertible computer comes with a 12-inch display and offers similar hardware specifications to 2018’s Matebook E, although that particular device was powered by a processor from Intel.

The VAIO A12 is the latest convertible laptop from the Japanese OEM. The A12 offers a bevy of ports and decent specifications, but the high price (€2300/£2000) may be prohibitive to many consumers. The VAIO A12 is available in Europe and the United Kingdom.

Set to hit the market on April 16, Anno 1800 will enter a short Open Beta stage that is scheduled to be held this weekend. However, those interested in taking this business management/city building hybrid title for a spin can already preload the game — a process that involves downloading over 18 GB of data.

YouTube has amassed a 265 million-stong user based in the Indian market. Speaking at a recent Google conference, the service's CEO, Susan Wojcicki, projected that this number would grow further to 500 million by next year. The executive attributed this to the availability of 4G in this country.