But Microsoft is offering a compromise solution of sorts. Devices currently running Windows Phone 7.5 will get bumped up to the symbolically named Windows Phone 7.8, which sports a new start screen to make those legacy users feel that they’re at least somewhat part of the WinPho8 club (which I hear is also a great place for drinks, dancing and Vietnamese cuisine). Below is a video demonstration from one of Microsoft’s evangelists of the Phone 7....

Make Your Computer Wake You Up to Any Media Launch Task Scheduler in Windows and create a new Basic Task. If you’ve never used Task Scheduler before, check out my article on making Windows run Disk Cleanup automatically. Here I’m using our favorite free and light-weight media player, VLC. Of course, you can use whatever program you want, but I wouldn’t expect consistent results from the bloated and problematic iTunes. In the Start a Program section of the Wizard put in the path to VLC, then the path to the music, video, or podcast you want to play....

In this example I am updating my iPod touch. Also make sure you have one gigabyte of space available on your device. First, tap Settings » General » Software Update. You’ll see that iOS 5.1 is available. Tap Download and Install to begin the process. A message comes up advising you should connect your device to a power source, but you don’t have to, it’s recommended because the update process will drain the battery a great deal....

In previous revisions of Windows 10, the window chrome and title bar color options were limited to one or the other. The November Update introduced the possibility for the first time to apply colors to the window chrome. Windows 10 Anniversary Update expands on these options by providing more choice where you can use color. In this article, we take a look at using them. Apply Color Options in Windows 10 Personalization Settings To modify system color options, go to Start > Settings > Personalization and then select the “Colors” tab....

Note: I am using Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread on HTC Explorer, but the settings are similar on smartphones running other versions of Android. Android Battery Usage Screen Check which apps are draining battery juice. In the battery options, it shows you detailed statistics of what is using energy. Go to Settings and tap on About Phone. Tap on Battery. Tap on Battery Use. It shows which applications are using your battery like your Dialer app, Android System, etc....

Update: In modern versions of Windows 10, Cortana has been separated from Search. It is no longer deeply integrated into the OS and this feature is no longer part of Cortana. Using Cortana Pick Up Where I Left Off If you’ve been using Cortana and had it set up before the upgrade, the feature should already be on. If not, open Cortana and open the Notebook and select “Pick up where I left off” from the list....

The new series moves the franchise forward with a 10-episode season. It features cameos from popular Trek characters: Seven of Nine (played by Jeri Ryan), Commander Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes, and Data (played by Brent Spiner), among others. The first episode is up now and new episodes should be dropped weekly. Free Month of CBS All Access To get your free month sign up at the CBS All Access site and click the Try it Free button....

Well, if you have the Lumia Software Recovery Tool installed (which is an optional installation), that’s what the process is known. It is not essential for Windows and causes relatively few problems (unless your phone is having issues recovering). The ADUService.exe file is located in a subfolder of C:\Program Files\Common Files. In the End To conclude, this process is an optional installation, and the process is safe and poses no threat to your computer....

Big data refers to a virtual ocean of information from a variety of sources, analyzed and filtered in such a way as to develop meaningful and actionable results. The process of converting “big data” into meaningful results can appear complicated and difficult. However, once you understand what big data is and how it works, understanding how to make it meaningful doesn’t seem so complicated. What is Big Data? When you hear people talk about “big data”, it’s usually with a lot of hand waving and big words....

If you have a game you love and want to join a community of people that play that game, Twitch is where you do it. Twitch is also incredibly easy for new-comers to stream to, giving new creators a platform to start on. There is a multitude of features that Twitch provides. Today I’ll be covering a few aspects of Twitch, and give you a general idea of what Twitch is about....

So I started talking with our senior editor Austin Krause, who’s also a dog owner, and he sent me a link to what has the be the stupidest list of names for a female puppy. I mean, there are some really bad ones – Azzurra, Bubbles, and Chloe (they’re not humans) were the first ones to stick out at me as lame. I usually don’t name a new pet for a few weeks....

It is noteworthy that WinDirStat is available in 12 different languages. The default is English, but you can change it during installation and any time after. You can download WinDirStat directly from SourceForge. When you first load up the program it will ask you which drives you would like to map. You can choose to map ALL local drives, specific drives, or even a single folder on any one of the drives connected to your computer....

KB3020114 for Windows 10 Build 9879 According to the Microsoft Support page, the updated fixes: If you’re in the Windows Insider program, which we’ve explained how to join in this article, you can grab this latest patch from Windows Update now. And yes, a restart of your system is required after installing it. I was able to install it on my test laptop system this evening without any problem. Did the update install successfully for you?...

Windows 10 Insider PC Preview Build 14366 The general availability of the Anniversary Update is just around the corner, and this latest build brings us a step closer. There aren’t many new features or UI improvements in this latest build. In fact, the new head of the Windows 10 Insider program, Dona Sarkar, said as much in her announcement today. However, there is a lot of “fit and finish” left to do before making the next major update available to the public....

This build should also be the one that rolls out on the Lumia 950 which is Microsoft’s new flagship phone that goes on sale later this week. — Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) November 18, 2015 Windows 10 Mobile Preview Build 10586.11 Here’s what microsoft has fixed in this build according to the blog post by Gabe Aul: We have fixed the issue that caused the Start experience to become corrupted (garbled) after upgrading and restoring a backup from a phone that had a different resolution....

Windows 10 Preview Build 17128 In today’s announcement, the company says, “We’re just now beginning the phase of checking in final code to prepare for the final release. The only difference between this build and Build 17127 from Tuesday is the removal of the watermark. However, we’ve got more fixes being checked in for the next flight.” The company also said build 17127 has been released to Insiders in the Slow ring and will be releasing the ISO version next week....

Keeping your data backed up is a fundamental part of computer use. Unfortunately, it’s also the one thing most computer users either don’t know how to do or forget to do. Well, all the excuses are gone now that Windows 7 has taken the complexity out of the process and will bug you until you setup a backup process on your system. Let’s jump right into it. How to Create a Windows 7 Backup From windows browser, go to My Computer....

Here’s a list of key updates from the release notes: New Xbox Music App Features When you launch Xbox Music, you’ll see a search button on the main interface — it doesn’t display in My Music or other areas. Tap it and it opens the built-in Search that you could pull up from the Charms bar. The Radio feature replaces what was previously called Smart DJ which I previously covered....

Windows 95 desktop Here’s a look at how Windows 95 kicked off a tech revolution that leads to the remarkable advancements we see in computing today. Stability – As much as Windows 95 was an improvement over older versions such as Windows 3.1, it still suffered from regular crashes, not just from itself, but applications and hardware drivers. Windows 95 made the Blue Screen of Death a popular past time and earned a bad reputation along the way....

Manually Check Windows Phone Apps for Updates Launch the Store app from the Start screen or from the app list. Then bring up the Settings menu by taping the “…” icon at the lower-right corner and then Settings. Next scroll down and under App Updates tap the “Check for Updates” button. A couple of settings to note here is that if you want auto updates, make sure that option is turned on....