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November 08, 2015

Toshiba PA3818U-1BAS Battery new-laptopbattery.com

It's much less of a threat, however, when you learn that not only would the smartphone have to have Google Now or Siri commands enabled at the lockscreen (and not set to recognise the users voice) but would also require the device to have a set of headphones with a microphone plugged in. Erm, OK, maybe plenty of people meet these requirements, but what are the chances of someone with all the rather cumbersome hardware required to perform the attack, and the knowledge of how to do it, being able to find a victim which meets these requirements and is actually worth hacking? Sit back down folks, nothing to see here either.

And finally, what about those USB killer sticks that we reported on here at IT Pro when the news broke? Again, this is another 'developed by a researcher' attack mode that could easily cause havoc if allowed to escape into the real world. Actually, of the three attacks mentioned it is the least classically 'side-channel' in approach and the one most likely to succeed.

It's a simple enough concept, a USB stick that looks like any other but has been rigged to deliver a 220v charge when plugged into a laptop, a charge that is repeated until the laptop battery runs flat. In reality the motherboard would likely be fried long before the battery died. Then again, in reality, the data on that laptop should be OK as the hard drive would not be impacted by the attack. Which makes you wonder what the point of it would be, other than just causing random damage.

This is where 'reality' starts to fade away for me, because if the point was to destroy a specific device then the only way to ensure that would be to have access to the device and insert the stick yourself. If you have this access anyway then all bets are off, with or without a killer stick. If you are relying upon leaving loads of such sticks laying around an office, cafe or whatever in the hope that the right target will pick one up and insert into the right machine, then good luck with that. It seems an expensive and very haphazard way to destroy a specific device if you ask me.

This is the problem with all of these kind of 'wow factor' attacks we see reported and which seem to scare the bejesus out of folk: they are expensive, and they are too haphazard. They just don't work in the real world, and if they did then a small dose of common sense would prevent all of them. Don't use randomly found USB sticks, don't enable voice commands at the lockscreen, don't use proper English passwords. Simples...
The Surface Book started shipping last week, so the first customers who pre-ordered the device via Microsoftâ€™s online store have already received it.

But it took less than a full week to discover the very first problems impacting the Surface Book, and in addition to the screen flickering issue that we already told you about a couple of days ago, it turns out that thereâ€™s another bug thatâ€™s impacting battery life.Complaints posted on Microsoftâ€™s Community forums indicate that both the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4 are suffering from what seems to be an issue dramatically reducing battery life and causing overheating in sleep mode.

There are some reports that this might be caused by Windows Hello, the new biometric authentication feature thatâ€™s exclusively available in Windows 10, so if your device is losing battery at a very fast pace, try to disable this feature to see if thereâ€™s a difference.

To disable Windows Hello, simply launch Settings, click on Accounts, and go to the Sign-in options menu, where you should be able to configure not only Windows Hello but also the other authentication methods that might be supported by your PC.

"It's not abnormal for them to drain fast in the first few days due to indexing and a variety of other initial maintenance tasks. But Windows Hello creates is very own problem, and that one will not go away. Not until Microsoft fixes it,â€ one of the users whose device has been impacted by the issue explains.Your watchface is the center of the experienceâ€”itâ€™s right now. Scroll up with the top button on the right side of the watch, and you move back in time. Youâ€™ll see sports scores, appointments, incoming texts and calls, and whatever else you want in there. Scroll down, and you see whatâ€™s coming next. After spending so much time with the Apple Watch or Android Wear, where everythingâ€™s different and in different places, I love that I can describe a smartwatchâ€™s interface in six words: All your information in a timeline. The timeline can clutter easily if youâ€™re not choosy with what you allow in, and it does limit the things you can actually do with the watch itself, but I donâ€™t think Pebble cares about what you can do. I like that.

The point of the Time Round lies in the name, stupid as it is. Itâ€™s round. And itâ€™s about time. When you look at your watch, youâ€™re really looking to see if you need to be somewhere, or if you have something youâ€™re supposed to be doing. The Time Round can provide all that in five seconds, and then throw in the Warriors score just for good measure. Then, like with any watch, you stop looking at the stupid thing and go on about your business.

Microsoft hasnâ€™t yet publicly acknowledged the bug, but the Surface team is most likely already looking into the issue, so expect a patch or a firmware update anytime soon. Most likely, the next firmware release should fix all problems and its release will probably take place on next monthâ€™s Patch Tuesday.

While Windows 10 had an explosive adoption rate for upgraders, hardware manufacturers have been slower to bring Window 10 devices to market. While many expected Europeâ€™s IFA tech conference to be the launch pad for a host of new hardware, it was mostly a letdown. Microsoft kickstarted the hardware game last week with the introduction of its high-end Surface Book laptopâ€”the first true laptop in the companyâ€™s historyâ€”and the fourth edition of its Surface Pro tablet.
Windows 10 has been out for 2 and a half months now, but the hardware race around Microsoftâ€™s operating system is just heating up. Less than a week after Microsoft announced its first laptop, Acer today debuted its a new batch of Windows 10 devices.

The new lineup includes the convertible Aspire R 14 notebook and the Aspire Z3-700, an all-in-one PC with a built-in battery for portable use. Both machines were optimized for Windows 10, and have improved Cortana support in particular with dual microphones for better listening in noisy environments.

"We worked closely with Acer to help ensure their devices would make the most of Windows 10,â€ Microsoft hardware boss Terry Myerson in a press release.

The Aspire R 14 is a four-mode touchscreen laptop featuring tablet, tent, display and laptop functions enabled by its 360 hinge. The 18.5 mm laptop weighs 4.19 pounds and comes with up to 8GB RAM and MU-MIMO support for faster WiFi speeds. It will come to the U.S. in late October starting at $699.

The Aspire Z3-700 is perhaps the more interesting device. The all-in-one PC can ditch the power outlet for up to five hours, allowing users to take the machine anywhere they want to work. The built-in kickstand allows it to be used like a traditional desktop or a large tablet with a 10-point touchscreen built in. However, the Z3-700 doesnâ€™t have a U.S. release date yet. Itâ€™ll be available in EMEA countries by the end of the year for around €599.