Thurrott Daily: January 4

Thurrott Daily: January 4

Good morning. I’m drowning in news from CES, so here are some quick tidbits from around the web.

1/4/2016 12:17:01 PM

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Final security updates for IE 7/8 coming on January 12

Gregg Keizer reminds us of an upcoming deadline.

Nearly 340 million people who run Microsoft’s Internet Explorer have just a week to upgrade or switch browsers, or face a shutoff of the security patch spigot.

On Jan. 12, Microsoft will serve up the final security updates for all instances of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and IE8 and for most of the copies of IE9 and IE10 now on customers’ PCs.

That’s the deadline Microsoft set a year and a half ago, when it unexpectedly announced that most users would have to be running IE11 by that date. After Jan. 12, Microsoft will support IE9 only on the rarely used Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, and IE10 only on Windows Server 2012. Everyone else must be running IE11 or Edge to continue to receive security updates and technical support.

1/4/2016 12:14:05 PM

Qualcomm DragonBoard 410c with Windows 10 IoT Core is now available

Rob Tiffany shares some interesting news about the DragonBoard 410c, a new Windows 10 IoT Core-based enthusiast device.

The DragonBoard is based on the 64-bit, quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor running at 1.2 GHz with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of of internal storage. You get 1 micro USB and 2 USB 2.0 ports along with full sized HDMI and a micro SD card slot. Onboard connectivity and location support are provided by Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. The Adreno 306 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.0 and DirectX will accelerate the graphics of your Universal Windows Platform apps. A 40-pin, low speed and 60-pin, high speed expansion connector will power your projects.

There are some neat improvements over a Raspberry Pi 2 here, including the fact that you don’t need to boot from SD: Instead, you simply switch on a USB BOOT feature and boot from a USB flash drive instead (which includes the Windows IoT Core image). Plus the graphics and CPU performance should be better too. The cost?$75.00.

1/4/2016 12:05:28 PM

Microsoft is now selling the Lumia 550 from its online store

You can pick up an unlocked Lumia 550 from the Microsoft Store online for $139.

“Forgot to email an important file before leaving work? With Windows 10 on Lumia 550, there’s no need to fret. You can save important files and documents to OneDrive, and access them from any of your devices. Plus, with Office on your Lumia, it’s a cinch to update spreadsheets, edit docs, and polish up a presentation on the fly.”

“Everything that matters most to you is always at your fingertips. With fast 4G LTE3 connectivity, you can surf the web, send and receive documents, access your favorite apps, play games, and stream videos.”

“The Lumia 550 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-core processor and 1GB RAM for improved efficiency and reliability, even while running multiple programs and applications. And with an improved battery life, you can do more of the things you love for longer.”

Honestly, I don’t recommend this one unless you absolutely don’t care about camera quality (or apps, for that matter).

Has Amazon stopped selling Lumia 950 XL in UK and France?

Not exactly.

This article goes the click-bait headline route but the truth is, there’s nothing sinister going on.

Amazon has now stopped directly selling the Lumia 950 XL in the UK and France.

Sounds bad. But it’s not exactly true.

Sales of the white variant have been halted in France …

It’s the black Lumia 950 XL which the retailer has stopped selling in the UK – the white variant is currently out of stock there.

So, out of stock, not “stopped directly selling.” Could there be more to this story? Here’s an Amazon statement (in both countries):

“The Lumia 950 XL is not currently offered by Amazon.co.uk because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are dispatching it, or the way it’s described here.”

“We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you may still find this product available from other sellers on this page.”

So they haven’t stopped selling it. They’re just having some issue and will be selling it again soon. Come on, guys. Oh, and Microsoft says that the device is out of stock in the U.K. because of “strong demand.” Seems like that could have been part of the headline, eh?

“Windows 10 Mobile could arrive January 12”

It may not. You just never know.

Acer Liquid Jade Primo coming in February

The Acer Liquid Jade Primo—a Continuum-capable Windows flagship handset with Windows 10 Mobile, a 5.5-inch screen, a 21 MP camera, and USB-C connectivity, will be available in EMEA in February for about $US 615 “and will be gradually rolled out to other regions,” so it’s not clear when/if we see this device in the U.S.

Microsoft explains:

The new Liquid Jade Primo is a 5.5-inch premium smartphone running Windows 10 Mobile. With Windows 10 features like Continuum, it’s a great device for working professionals who want to be productive on the go.

With a USB Type-C monitor, wireless display accessories or the Display Dock, the Liquid Jade Primo can provide a PC-like experience on an external display with Continuum. It can be used as a touchpad and virtual keyboard, or a keyboard and mouse can be connected for multitasking on both the screen and on the external display.

The Acer Liquid Jade Primo features Acer’s award-winning Liquid Jade design language with a sleek and slim profile, curved back cover that fits comfortably the hand and ergonomic 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass screen. The rear and front covers feature a fine hairline-brushed finish, while a sharp diamond-cut band wraps the chassis and gives the smartphone an even more polished look. The 21MP f/2.2 auto-focus rear camera has dual LED flash and supports up to 4K (3840 x 2160) video recording, and the 8MP f/2.2 front-facing camera boasts a wide-angle of up to 84-degrees while supporting up to Full HD 1080p video recording.

“Next iPhone to supposedly have more storage and longer battery life”

This is the dumbest f@#$king headline I have ever read, period.

Did Fitbit outsell Apple Watch?

The consensus on Apple Watch was that the first version sucks but it would still probably be the best-selling wearable of 2015 because of the firm’s magnetic hold on consumers. But maybe not.

The Fitbit app was the top free app downloaded from Apple’s App Store on Christmas Day. It was already the most downloaded app in the store’s fitness and health category.

[Also] the Fitbit Charge was one of the three most popular products ordered via Amazon Prime’s free same-day shipping service over the period, according to Amazon.

Fitbit sold more than 30 million connected health and fitness devices through its third quarter of 2015.

More soon

This is going to be a busy day.

 

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