Microsoft announces the new Windows: 3 things you need to know by Kim Komando

Right this minute, more than 1 billion people around the world are using a computer or tablet running Microsoft Windows or a smartphone with Windows Phone. I know plenty of you are reading this on a Windows-powered gadget.

So when Microsoft takes the wraps off a new Windows version that could be in millions of households within a year or two, it's kind of a big deal.

Not only that, Microsoft has a lot riding on the next version of Windows. Its last offering, Windows 8, was a big miss with consumers and businesses - as I predicted even before it came out - thanks to its radical interface and confusing app system.

So, can Microsoft turn it around? It has before - the fantastic Windows 7 followed the poorly received Windows Vista as a recent example.

It only remains to be seen if the new Windows can make up for Windows 8's missteps. So, without further ado let me now introduce you to the next Windows.

1. The name

Microsoft has an uneven history with names. It can never make up its mind on how to label Windows, from version numbers (Windows 1 to 3.11) to years (95, 98, 2000) to acronyms and imagery (NT, ME, XP, Vista) and back to version numbers again (7, 8, 8.1).

So, what was it going to be this time? Going in to the event, the tech world was making bets between Windows 9, Windows Threshold ("Threshold" being the development name) or just plain Windows.

What we got instead was - wait for it - Windows 10.

It seems Microsoft decided to stick with version numbers, but completely skipped 9. Maybe it just finally wanted to catch up to Apple's OS X.

Or, as the speaker suggested in the Q&A after the presentation, Windows 10 is such a big step Microsoft wanted an appropriately big milestone name.

2. The plan

And Microsoft does have big plans for Windows 10. It hopes to make Windows 10 work on every gadget from desktops and laptops to smartphones and tablets.

In fact, the speaker at the presentation joked that Microsoft would have called it "Windows One" if it hadn't already used that back in 1985.

There are a few advantages to this. There will be one store, so apps you buy on your smartphone will work on your desktop and vice versa.

Microsoft is also taking a "mobile first, cloud first" approach. So, presumably, your information will sync with Microsoft's OneDrive so it's the same across every Windows gadget you own.

Of course, Microsoft already tried the "one size fits all" approach with Windows 8 and you saw how that turned out. The mobile features messed up the computer experience and the computer features messed up the mobile experience.

So, why is Windows 10 going to be any different?

3. The fix

Unlike Windows 8, Windows 10 will configure itself for the gadget you're using. So, on desktops and laptops you'll get a Windows 7/XP experience with a Start Menu, taskbar and everything you'd expect.

The Start Menu will have Windows 8-style live tiles that you can customize and resize to look and work however you want. It also features an upgraded universal search.

Apps will load in windows so you can use them on the desktop like any other program.

In other words, everything is more or less back to the way it was in Windows 7. What's old is new again.

On the new-features front, Windows 10 will also have support for virtual desktops and a new "task view" that makes it easier to see every program that's running.

You can see the new/old way it works in action here:

If you have a touch screen computer, of course, some of Windows 8's touch-based features like the Start Screen, Charm bar and edge swiping will stick around. Plus, buttons and other interface elements will automatically customize to be easier to tap.

On tablets and smartphones, Windows 10 will continue to show the Start Screen and live tiles from Windows 8 and Windows Phone, and it's dropping the clumsy-on-a-small-screen "desktop" view. That's actually a good thing, because that's what the Start Screen was originally made to do, and does well.

The verdict

It's actually hard to say at this point how things will turn out. Microsoft didn't go into too much detail at the presentation.

It was mostly to give developers an overview before they download the technical preview.
I will say that Microsoft is saying the right things and the early indications are this could be the next Windows 7. As for its dream of having the same operating system across every gadget, that's a bit more ambitious.

Also, plenty of people are going to be using Android and Apple gadgets with Windows, and there's no word on any plans to integrate those any better than they are now.

Microsoft is going to do a more detailed unveiling in April when Windows 10 is closer to completion. It expects to ship Windows 10 mid-2015. No word yet on pricing or if the rumors of a free upgrade from Windows 8.1 is true.

Stay tuned, though, and I'll let you know the latest as it happens.

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Microsoft offers Office 365 refunds to iPad users after launching free version by Jared Newman

If you recently forked over $70 or more to edit Office documents on an iPad, you can now switch to the free version and get a partial refund.

The iPad version of Office previously required an Office 365 subscription for document editing, priced at $70 per year for the “Personal” edition and $100 per year for the “Home” edition. That changed on Thursday, when Microsoft made basic editing free on all mobile devices, including iPads.

While some advanced features are still hidden behind the Office 365 paywall, users who can get by with the free version can now request a pro-rated refund for unused subscription time. Refunds are available until January 31 of next year to anyone who purchased a subscription on or after March 27, 2014. But the process depends on where you bought the subscription from.

Users who subscribed straight from the App Store will need to contact iTunes support. Users who subscribed from Microsoft or a reseller can contact Microsoft support. In all cases, you may need a proof of purchase, and Microsoft reserves the right to deny requests if it thinks they’re fraudulent. The entire process can take six to eight weeks.

The story behind the story: The refund offer is reminiscent of when Microsoft uncoupled entertainment apps such as Netflix from its Xbox Live Gold service, and credited former subscribers on a pro-rated basis. Both changes occurred under new CEO Satya Nadella, and show that the company is willing to tear down a few paywalls—and sacrifice short-term profits—if it means keeping users on board for the long haul.

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Best and worst laptops for reliability and repairs by Kim Komando

Buying a laptop can be a scary decision. They're usually more expensive than an equivalent desktop, but they're also meant to be carried from place to place. That means that, for the accident-prone among us, you're spending more money for something that could get dropped and broken in an instant.

When it comes to laptops, knowing which manufacturer and model to trust can be one of your toughest and most important decisions to make. You want something powerful enough to run all of your apps with a case that can take an accidental beating.

The final thing to consider is battery life. Most of your time spent on a laptop will probably be close to an outlet, but a long-lasting battery can make sure that you're never without a computer. As a laptop fan, I can tell you that I've never been more frustrated than when I forget to plug in my laptop the night before I head out on a trip.

Lucky for you, all of my mistakes have lead up to a massive backlog of brands that I trust. Here are the brands that you should trust with your mobile computing needs.

Top all-arounder: Apple MacBook

Click here to find out more about the MacBook Air on Amazon.

For all of the clashes between Mac and PC fans out there, it's hard to argue with the MacBook's design and consistency. For about $999, you can get a MacBook Air which comes with an ultra-HD screen, Solid-State Drive and an Intel i5 processor that will keep your apps running at blazing-fast speeds.

As a recent MacBook convert, the biggest thing I noticed was how natural my MacBook's touchpad feels. The gestures are easy to pull off and the drag-scrolling feature means that I never have to take my fingers off the touchpad.

My favorite thing about the MacBook, though, is that the kid can dang well take a punch. My son has borrowed my laptop more times than I can count, and let's just say that he has to ask before using it after the second time he dropped my MacBook on the tile floor.

Besides a few scratches and bumps, it still works. While I wouldn't go around throwing a MacBook for fun, I trust Apple's unibody laptop.

Support specialists: Dell

Click here to check out the Dell XPS two-in-one on Amazon.

If you're looking for a Windows laptop or just want something a little cheaper, then Dell is probably your best option. That's not to say that Dell laptops are cheap, but that there's a wide enough variety of Dell laptops to fit almost any need.

If I was to recommend one thing in particular that stands out with Dell laptops, however, it'd probably be the company's two-in-one tablet/laptop combinations.

The Dell XPS Series is a two-in-one laptop and tablet. It brings the best of both worlds to your fingertips. Tablets are great tools, but being limited to an app store for all of your downloads can get kind of frustrating.

The XPS series, along with many of Dell's two-in-one offerings, make great all-purpose Windows PCs. The company is also known for its great customer service. Accidents and mishaps can be scary, but most Dell customers report that their calls to customer service are plenty reassuring.

Budget value: ASUS

Check out ASUS's Chromebook on Amazon.

While most of the laptop rankings that I could find go back and forth on the third-place slot, most of them pick either ASUS or Lenovo. I'm an ASUS girl, myself, but Lenovo makes a mean laptop, too. The people who should probably look at ASUS's offerings are the ones who want the best quality at the lowest possible price.

Specifically, I'm talking about ASUS's Chromebook. It's highly-reviewed, compact and exactly what a Chromebook should be. If you don't know what a Chromebook should be, you'll find more information in my how-to guide for buying the perfect laptop for under $1,000.

For now, all you have to know about Chromebooks is that they're lightweight, inexpensive computers built for browsing the Internet and a few other basic tasks. They're not meant for gaming or video editing. They're also one of the cheapest computers on the market. ASUS's Chromebook boasts 10 hours of battery life, a 13.3" screen and free access to 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years.

Least reliable brands: Acer, Gateway and HP

While you might find a laptop that you like with Acer, Gateway or HP: They have the highest failure rates of any other laptop brand.

According to a study by SquareTrade, these laptops fail between 23 and 26% of the time, compared to ASUS's 15% failure rate.

Again, buying these laptops isn't a death sentence for your PC, but it's just something to consider before making an investment in something that can be dropped by just about anyone in your family.
Warranties are your friend with these laptops, but research is, too. Always take the time to figure out if the laptop that you've got your eye on is the right one for your family.

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Buying a tablet by Kim Komando

Tablets are taking over the computing industry. For media consumption and light computing tasks, they're easier to use and more convenient than computers. However, choosing the right one can still be confusing.

The best tablet for you depends on how you plan to use it. Will it primarily be for media consumption, business or playing games? Do you want it to be safe and unchangeable or customizable? Keep these questions in mind before heading to the store.

Android tablets
Android tablets - which run Google's Android operating system - are the biggest competitor to the iPad and there's a lot of options. Even I got in on the tablet game with my Limited Edition KomandoTab™ Tablet ( $199.95). It includes a vibrant 10.1 inch touch-screen display, front and rear cameras, mini USB and Micro SD Card ports, all powered by a quad-core engine with 16 GB of memory. It's an affordable full size tablet option that I created with you in mind. It runs the Android operating system powered by Google. Though Google has made Android available to all tablet makers, the most consistent gadgets will be Google's flagship tablets, the Nexus 7 ($199) and Nexus 10 ($399). However, the Samsung Galaxy line is also very good.

These gadgets run the latest version of the Android operating system, Jelly Bean, and are the first to receive updates. They can go neck-and-neck with the power, features and usability you'll find on similarly sized iPads, too. In some ways, the Nexus tablets are actually better.

Android was once harder to use because it lacked a centralized content ecosystem like Apple. Thanks to Google Play, however, all the content you need is at your fingertips. In addition to 700,000 apps, Play includes movies, music and e-books.

Of course, you can still download content from multiple app stores and even from individual developer websites. This gives you greater freedom in where you get your apps. You can also find apps that give you more control over your tablet than you can with the iPad.

The drawback is that it's easier to download malicious apps. Additionally, not all apps work on all tablet hardware. Your tablet might not have enough power or a non-standard screen size.

If you're new to the mobile gadget market, Androids are a good choice if you like to customize. They give the user a little more options when it comes to tinkering with your gadget.

Apple iPad
The iPad is the tablet that started it all, and it's my personal favorite. The gadget, now in its 5th generation, continues the tradition of excellence.

Apple has dubbed it the iPad Air, a reference to the MacBook Air. Like the Air laptop, the iPad Air is thinner, lighter and sleeker than its predecessors, weighing in at less than a pound.

It has a high-grade aluminum body with ultrathin side bezels surrounding the standard 9.7-inch Retina display.

Despite its smaller size it packs more speed thanks to the new A7 64-bit processor from the iPhone 5s. Apple says it's eight times faster than the original iPad.

The new, high-powered processor and graphics system allow gamers and content creators more flexibility on the go. Gamers can download apps that rival home game consoles. Content creators have access to video editing, photo editing and drawing apps that nearly match computer-based programs.

The iPad Air sticks with the 5MP camerafrom the last iPad and the front FaceTime HD camera stays the same at 1.2MP, though. And it lacks the 5s' fingerprint scanner.

The battery life hasn't changed - it's still billed at 10 hours - but Wi-Fi performance for the iPad Air is two times faster than previous models.

One of the best things about the iPad is how easy it is to use. The new iOS 7 is very intuitive for first-timers. You have instant access to Apple's App Store, with more than 700,000 apps. Plus, it connects to the iTunes store for simple downloads of movies, music and e-books. Not only is it good for media consumption and gaming, the iPad can also be used for business. If you want a safe, dependable, all-around useful tablet, this is your choice. For some people, the new iPad will now replace the need for a laptop.

The iPad Air comes in your choice of Silver or Space Gray finish. It has several models available starting at $499 for the Wi-Fi-only 16GB version.

If you're staying around the house, you can get the iPad with the smallest storage size of 16 gigabytes and Wi-Fi only. For using it on the go, consider 32GB if you're storing mainly music and 64GB for storing primarily movies. And definitely pitch in the extra $130 for 4G cellular.

If that seems a little pricey, Apple sells the 16GB version of the iPad 2. It's still an excellent tablet for watching video, Web surfing and email. The Wi-Fi-only version of the iPad 2 is only $399.

But if you can afford the extra $100 I would definitely get the iPad Air. It's lighter, thinner, significantly faster and will most likely last you longer.

If you want to save even more and don't need the biggest screen, you can opt for the new iPad mini with Retina Display. It packs an amazing 2048 x 1536 resolution into the 7.9-inch screen. That's a huge improvement over the original iPad mini's 1024 x 768 display.

The iPad mini with Retina display also includes the blazing fast A7 chip, and most of the other hardware specs from the iPad Air.

It starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi only 16GB version. If you're really in the mood to save, the original iPad mini is still for sale.

It has the insides of the iPad 2 but is thinner and lighter. The Wi-Fi-only version is $299 for a 16GB model. For a Mini with 4G LTE connectivity, you'll pay $429.

Unless you are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and need a smaller tablet, however, I wouldn't make the original iPad mini my first choice. You'll do better with a regular-size iPad or one of the mini's competitors.

Amazon tablets
Amazon launched the $200 7-inchKindle Fire a while back, which created a new segment of budget tablets. Now, however, Amazon has Kindle Fire tablets spanning the entire spectrum of prices.
Amazonrevisedthe original Kindle Fire, withmore RAM, faster Wi-Fi and a front-facing camera, but dropped the price to$159. In addition, Amazonreleased the7-inch and 8.9-inch Fire HDs.

The $199 7-inch Fire HD has a 1280-by-800-pixel screen, 16 gigabytes of storage, dual Wi-Fi and stereo speakers for movies. The 8.9-inch version starts at $299 and has the same specs but upgrades the screen to 1920 by 1200 pixels.

You can pay more for additional storage and an AT&T 4G LTE cellular connection. For example, the 32GB Kindle HD with 4G cellular is $499, whichmatches thecomparable iPad.

The cellular connection relies on an Amazon-exclusive data plan that's only $50 a year. Although that's an incredibly low price, that plan tops out at 250MB of data a month. That's going to be good onlyfor very light browsing.

While there are more expensive plans with more data, you'll want to stick mainly with the Wi-Fi connection.

Of course, the main draw on the Kindle Fire is that it ties in closely to the extensive Amazon ecosystem of music, movies and e-books. Amazon even has a dedicated Kindle app store.

If you want a tablet that's simple to use, but want to save some money or justbuy something besides anApple product, a Kindle Fire is a good choice.

Windows Tablets
Microsoft's Surface tablets running Windows RT and Windows 8 didn't get off to a good start. The hardware was solid, but the app support was weaker than it should have been.

Now Microsoft is trying again with the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro. These run Windows RT 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Pro, respectively. The original Surface RT is also still for sale.

Nokia has also launched the Lumia 2520 tablet which runs Windows RT. It's more expensive than the Surface and Surface 2, but has better hardware and includes 4G cellular.

The Surface and Lumia tablets are competitively priced and the Windows 8.1 update is anice step. However, your favorite apps and programs might still be missing.

Note that while Windows RT 8.1may look like Windows 8.1, it's made for tablet processors and won't run Windows programs. It will only run apps from the Microsoft App Store. You won't be able to find many of the computer programs you're used to.

If you're looking at a Surface tablet, I would consider the Surface 2 Pro. It's themost expensive, but it's a real computer in tablet form. The Windows RT tablets won't have nearly the range of use until more apps are available.

Want a more detailed tablet comparison? Visit the always-up-to-date tablet chart on my site.

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Using the right Web address by Kim Komando

Q. Kim, I'm confused about Web addresses. Some sites have a "www," and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they need the "www" to work and sometimes they don't. What gives?


A. I don't blame you for being confused, Rick. For those who don't get what Rick is asking, here's an example.

My main website is www.komando.com, but you can also get there by typing komando.com. It works either way.

However, I also use news.komando.com and videos.komando.com. My contests http://www.komando.com/contests/ have similar addresses, such as win.komando.com. But if you add a "www" to the beginning of those, like www.news.komando.com, it doesn't work.

As confusing as it might sound, there is a reason for this.

First, you should know a few terms. The main part of a Web address, such as the "komando" in " www.komando.com," is commonly called a domain.

The prefix, such as "www," "news" or "videos," is a subdomain. (For those who know, I'm going to ignore top-level domains right now to keep the explanation shorter.)

Think of the domain like a hotel and the subdomains like rooms. Each room can have different decorations.

With that in mind, let's take a quick step back through time.

In the early days of the Internet, things were very different. There was no World Wide Web as we know it. There were no cat pictures or videos. Everything was plain text.

There were also other ways people regularly communicated. Some people set up parts of their sites for file transfers, email and news groups.

To keep these organized, they used subdomains, or, in our analogy, hotel rooms. So, what we now call a website would often live in the World Wide Web, or "www", subdomain.

A place for uploading and downloading files would live in the File Transfer Protocol or "ftp" subdomain. News groups usually used "news" or "nntp."

As the Web became bigger, the "www" subdomain became the most-used for websites. Soon, the "www" became what you typed by default.

Basically it went from a hotel room to the hotel lobby. That's why starting around 2003, browsers began to add it for you automatically if you forgot.

These days, most sites just redirected their domain to the "www" subdomain. That's why when you visit "komando.com" it redirects to " www.komando.com".

But not every site does, which is why you can occasionally run into problems. For a while, search sites still treated "www" and non-"www" addresses as different sites, even if the content was the same.

Today, advances in search sites have made this a non-issue. Search sites are now smart enough to know that both addresses have the same content.

This also explains why typing in http://www.news.komando.com doesn't work. "News" is a subdomain of the "komando.com" site. You're asking for a subdomain - "www" - of a subdomain - "news". Going back to our hotel analogy, it's like looking in the closet expecting to find the bed.
As a rule, it usually doesn't matter if a site address uses "www" or not. It's just a leftover from the early days of the Internet.

However, you may run into a few sites where the "www" is necessary. It's pretty rare, but some sites require it. If you have trouble loading a site, try putting the "www" back in.

Occasionally, this will fix the issue and route you to the correct site.

However, if the site address is already a subdomain, like "videos.komando.com," then no "www" is needed.

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Bottom line: Should you upgrade to OS X Yosemite? by Christopher Breen

Recently we’ve covered OS X Yosemite up one side and down the other. Read through our guides for installing Yosemite; getting familiar with the new operating system’s design; putting Handoff and Continuity to good use; and learning about changes to Safari, Notification Center, Spotlight, and Mail, Messages, and Calendars. That should give you a pretty fair idea of the changes Apple has wrought with Yosemite. Equipped with this knowledge it’s time to ask the important question: Should I update or not?

The big picture

When pondering the wisdom of updating your operating system it can be helpful to understand what its creator was hoping to achieve with the release. For the last several iterations of the Mac OS, Apple has moved away from a computer-focused digital hub strategy where your Mac held and commanded your data and you attached other devices to your computer to sync its data with them (and vice versa).

In recent years, Apple has turned instead to a stuff-centric scheme. In this case your Mac is just another device (although an important one) that has access to your files. What you’re largely concerned with is being able to work with those files, regardless of whether you’re using a Mac, an iOS device, or accessing them via a web browser. The cloud is a key component in that it provides the means for making your data available to all these points of entry, and transparently so.

Under Mountain Lion and Mavericks this was evident as iCloud was designed to sync much of the data it had under its control—your email, contacts, calendars, notes, Safari bookmarks, photos, music, and files from apps that once belonged to the iWork and iLife suites (as well as TextEdit and Preview documents). With Yosemite, Apple is further loosening the constraints of computing via two broad efforts. The first is creating an operating system that plays better with data outside Apple’s control. The other is making it easier for you to work with your data on the most appropriate device available to you.

On beyond Apple

Three key elements of Apple allowing you to more easily work beyond its borders are Spotlight, Notification Center widgets, and iCloud Drive.

Spotlight: In the past, Spotlight was a perfectly fine tool for searching the contents of your Mac, producing dictionary results, and performing calculations. If you wanted to move farther afield you could select the Search Web For or Search Wikipedia For entries at the bottom of the Spotlight menu, which were little more than Safari shortcuts. With Yosemite, Spotlight will now incorporate and provide previews of results from the Internet, including Bing search results, map data, news headlines, Wikipedia entries, Apple’s store content listings, and movie showtimes. The net result means more efficient searching and fewer trips to your web browser to find the information you desire.

Spotlight can now pull in information from the Internet.

Notification Center widgets: In earlier versions of the Mac OS, if you wanted to venture outside the Mac and pull in data from the Internet, you turned to Dashboard. (Or you would have if Apple and developers hadn’t lost interest in it.) Apple still seems to think this is a good idea but wants to make it more noticeable while, at the same time, not shoving these resources in your face. It does so through Notification Center widgets. Open Notification Center, scroll to the bottom, click on Edit, and you see a collection of widgets available to you, including Calculator, Stocks, Weather, and World Clock.

These are a fine start, but like the Dashboard widgets before them, Notification Center widgets can be developed by third parties, which could make some very valuable information available to you with a single click.

iCloud Drive: Perhaps the most important development in regard to opening the OS is taking the shackles off iCloud file sharing. Much as you may have liked the ability to store your Pages,
Numbers, and Keynote files in the cloud, if you wanted to sync other kinds of files—Microsoft Office documents, graphics files, and so on—you turned to a third-party service such as Dropbox, Box.com, OneDrive, or Google Drive. With iCloud Drive this isn’t as necessary as it once was. Now you can store files in the cloud that were created by any app—either by moving them from within the Finder via the iCloud Drive entry that appears in a Finder window’s sidebar or through a Save dialog box.

With iCloud Drive you can store any file in the cloud.

Where iCloud Drive remains incomplete is in its ability to share files with other people (though Mail’s Mail Drop feature can serve as a workaround for files up to 5GB in size). For this reason we shouldn’t expect Mac users to abandon other syncing services in a rush. But for those who don’t need to routinely share files, a file-agnostic iCloud Drive makes for a more open cloud strategy, and a greater convenience for Apple’s customers.

The right tool for the job

With the release of iOS 8, Apple introduced the first element of a computing environment that stressed moving appropriate tasks between devices. The idea being that when you have the opportunity to complete a task more easily on a device that has recently become available to you, you should be able to do so without a lot of fuss and bother. This is what drives the Continuity and Handoff features. In one instance you can start working in Pages on your iPad, for example, and then quickly pick it up on your Mac by “handing off” the open document from the tablet to the computer. In another case you can use your Mac to answer incoming calls made to your iPhone.

One of Yosemite's main advantages is its ability to share tasks between devices.

There will always be times when your only choice is to work on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac simply because that’s the only device at hand. But when you have multiple options—and many of us increasingly do—this opens avenues for working more efficiently.

In the particular case of Continuity and Handoff on the Mac, a key benefit is the integration with the iPhone. Not only can you answer and make calls to a linked iPhone, but also easily use the iPhone as a hotspot when you don’t have an available Wi-Fi network (this requires a tethering plan with your carrier), and the ability to reply to incoming SMS messages. Of course if you’re also the kind of person who starts long email messages on the iPhone and are frustrated by its small keys, having the chance to pass that message off to your Mac when you’re within range of it will also be beneficial.

The way forward

Again, these two broad efforts indicate a direction Apple is headed—the way the company thinks about the future of computing, which is increasingly mobile and integrated. Contrary to past fears, OS X hasn’t been replaced by iOS (nor the other way ‘round) but rather Apple seeks to find the best use for each, with the cloud providing the glue that holds them together.

If you’re the kind of person who is suspicious of cloud computing or simply want each device to exclusively own the data on it, Yosemite may not be for you. Then again, Mavericks and, perhaps, Mountain Lion, probably weren’t either. Apple’s been building this bridge for a long time. Nothing prevents you from opting out of the cloud, but gaining the full benefits of today’s media and technology is going to become increasingly difficult (and less rich) without it.

The smaller picture

And then there are the littler things that too-often garner the greatest attention when a new operating system is unleashed.

The interface

In this particular release there will be people who object to Yosemite’s new “flat” look. Gone are the 3D elements of old—the Dock that presented objects on a shelf, the bubbled buttons, the shadows. The system font has been slimmed down and translucency is more evident, used by default in Finder window sidebars and in the dock. Within the Accessibility system preference, you can make the interface more opaque by enabling the Reduce Transparency option and make text more legible by switching on the Increase Contrast option, but other than that there’s very little you can do about the new look. If, after all this time, you still hate iOS 7’s design, you’re unlikely to be happy with Yosemite’s interface.

Modern or jarring? Only you can judge Yosemite's new interface.

That said, one of Apple’s great talents is creating designs that, while being a little jarring on first glance, make the previous design look outdated. Fortunately there are plenty of examples of Yosemite’s interface in the form of screenshots floating around the web. Explore them and consider just how averse you are to change. My guess is that you’ll adapt fairly quickly.

Ready… steady…

And then there’s the “ready for primetime” consideration. As operating systems become more complicated and rely on pieces outside the confines of the computer (meaning, in this case, iOS and iCloud) it seems that version 1.0 releases are not nearly as stable as the version they’re replacing. Much as we wish it were different, we should accept that there will be problems with a brand-new Apple operating system. (And Windows operating system. And Android operating system.) Yosemite will be no exception.

I’ve long been a proponent for creating a setup so that you can dual-boot your Mac. On one partition or hard drive maintain the operating system you currently have along with all its apps and documents. On another, install the new OS and start living with it. When you encounter problems (as you likely will), gauge their severity. Are they mere annoyances? Perhaps you can put up with them until a fix is issued. Do they prevent you from getting your work or play done? Your best strategy may be booting back into Old Reliable and waiting for the inevitable update that adds the improvements you’re looking for.

The bottom line

So is it worth your while to dive into Yosemite now or not? The ideal candidate for this update is someone who embraces Apple’s vision of the future. You own modern Apple devices and see the advantage of easily passing data between them. You’re unafraid of storing and syncing data in the cloud (you even appreciate its convenience). You like the idea of your Mac being able to pull in information from the Internet and present it within its search utility. And you’re willing to give a new interface design a chance.

If, on the other hand, you prefer doing things as you did in the past—sync your data locally, have less interaction between your Mac and iOS devices, work with an interface you’ve grown to love over the better part of a decade, and go to sleep knowing that your Mac is going to behave tomorrow just as it did today and six months ago—there’s no shame in leaving your Mac exactly as it is.

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10 iPad Air 2 reviews in 10 quintessential quotes by Caitlin McGarry

Apple’s just-announced tablets, the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, haven’t hit store shelves yet, but the early reviews are in.

After four days with the devices, most outlets were impressed by the slimmed-down iPad Air 2 but would recommend it only to owners of early-generation iPads. The iPad mini 3’s slight update—a new gold option and Touch ID—weren’t enough to win a ringing endorsement from any expert.

We’ll be weighing in with our in-depth analysis and test results on both tablets, but until then, we picked out some of the best insights from our fellow journalists around the web:

Re/code
“I don’t recommend that average iPad Air owners upgrade to the Air 2. But what about the vast majority of iPad owners who own older models? That’s a different story. If you have an iPad 2, 3 or 4, the new Air 2 will make a big difference. Its thinness and lightness will be a dramatic change, and it will be faster and more fluid. However, here’s the catch: Upgrading to last year’s iPad Air would have pretty much the same effect, and that model is now, suddenly, $100 cheaper, starting at $399.” —Walt Mossberg

The Loop
“I said on Amplified last week that if all Apple did to the iPad was add Touch ID, I’d be happy—that’s what they did with the iPad mini, and to be honest, I’m happy. They did much more than that to the iPad Air 2 and it’s working perfectly for me. I will continue using both iPads because they both have a place in my lifestyle and workflow. At the end of the day, I still use the iPad Air for the larger screen, while I use the iPad mini when I go out for a coffee and need to be a bit more portable. That’s not going to change any time soon.” —Jim Dalrymple

Wall Street Journal
“The new Air’s display addresses one of my biggest complaints about previous iPads: You can finally see the screen outdoors. A thinner display with an anti-reflective layer means unless the sun is really beating down, there’s no need to pitch a towel tent over the screen while sitting by the pool.” —Joanna Stern

New York Times
“As for the iPad Mini 3, Apple’s other new tablet, I’d advocate skipping it. Unlike the Air 2, the new Mini has not been upgraded with Apple’s latest processor. This means that internally, it is almost identical to last year’s iPad Mini 2, which Apple is still selling for $299 and up. The primary difference is that the iPad Mini 3 has a TouchID fingerprint scanner and has one more color option, gold. (The 2 comes in just silver and black.) Unless you’re going to be doing a lot of Apple Pay shopping or you’re gaga for gold, it’s best to save the $100 and go with the Mini 2.” – Farhad Manjoo

Daring Fireball
“It’s a thorough refresh, that not only makes it a nice year-over-year improvement over last year’s iPad Air in just about every single regard, but arguably positions it above the iPhones 6 as the top-tier iOS device, period.” —John Gruber

The Verge
“It feels like Apple is so content with its commanding lead in the tablet market that it’s willing to let the iPad’s superlative hardware sell itself instead of figuring out new places for it to go. For better or worse, Apple’s allowed the iPad to become the giant iPhone its critics have always insisted that it is, and in a world with giant iPhones that’s a tough spot to be in.” —Nilay Patel

Fast Company
“With both the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3, the killer app remains…apps. 675,000 of them, to be specific, by far the most extensive, wide-ranging, imaginative, and useful selection available for any tablet platform. The App Store's riches keep both iPads comfortably ahead of even their nicest Android rivals; the race shows no signs of narrowing as the one between Android and iPhone has.” —Harry McCracken

Engadget
“In our video test, in which an HD movie plays through the life of the battery, the Air 2 squeezed out 11 hours and 15 minutes, significantly lower than last year's Air and about an hour short of the Samsung Tab S. That said, I'm using the Wi-Fi+Cellular version, so keep in mind that the Wi-Fi-only option should get longer results.” —Brad Molen

Techpinions
“The iPad’s head room for growth is significant. Based on the types of jobs that are extremely mobile and work done out in the field frequently, we estimate there are upwards of 300 million jobs, and growing, where computers are not used today because they were in the shape of a notebook or desktop. Yet this is where the opportunity lies to bring a computer in the shape of a tablet.” —Ben Bajarin

Laptop
“Ultimately, the iPad Air 2's biggest enemy isn't other tablets; it's a rising interest in big-screen phones or phablets that promise to do nearly as much.” —Mark Spoonauer

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Best smartphone comparison charts now updated and improved by Kim Komando

Tell me if this sounds familiar. It's time to upgrade your old smartphone, but you have no idea which new model to pick. There are so many choices out there that trying to find the gadget that's right for you can be downright overwhelming. That's why I've created handy comparison charts updated with all of the latest models, so you can easily make your decision.

Should you buy the new iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S5? Maybe there's a model out there you don't even know about yet. Did you know you could get the high-end Moto X for as little as $99?

There are plenty of things you need to factor in to your buying decision, like price, features and service compatibility. Luckily for you, my charts have all of that information and more. I've created charts for High-end, Mid-level and free smartphones.

I also have a chart comparing phablets - the bigger phones that are like a phone/tablet hybrid.
First, let's talk about price. After all, you want to make sure a new phone is in your budget before you fall in love with the features. To help you find a gadget that won't break the bank, you'll find the price of each phone in the last cell on the chart. That's the price you'll pay along with a 2-year contract from a major carrier.

You can also find out everything you need to know about a phone's features. Are you an app collector or a huge music buff? Then, you'll want a phone with lots of storage. My charts highlight each phone's storage capacity, so you know just how much space you'll get for your money.

What about photos? Not all camera phones are created equally. Each one of my charts includes the exact specifications for each smartphone's front and back camera. My charts highlight other important information, too, like battery life, screen size and carrier compatibility.

So, what are you waiting for? Study my comparison charts, so you know which smartphone is right for you when your next upgrade comes around.

Smartphone Comparison Charts

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Find Battery Saving Tips for Almost Any Phone Model with This Index by Patrick Allan

Smartphone battery life is getting better over time, but there's still plenty of things you can do to help keep your pocket-dwelling life assistant alive. This comprehensive index includes a wide range of battery-saving tips for models from Apple, Samsung, Blackberry, HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Sony, Nokia, and even Amazon.

The easy-to-browse index comes from online electronics retailer LiGo, and is broken down into two simple drop-down menus. Select your phone's make, then select the model, and you'll see several tips for saving battery life listed. Click each tip to learn more about how to use it to your advantage and why it can help. A lot of tips for popular phone models—or phones with the same OS—are pretty similar, however. For example: If you have an iPhone capable of running iOS 8, the tips will generally be the same for all iOS 8 capable models. That being said, there are plenty of good tips for less popular phone makes and models that don't normally receive as much attention. Find tips for your smartphone at the link below.

Find Battery Saving Tips for Almost Any Phone Model with This Index

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5 mouse tricks that will change the way you use your computer by Kim Komando

As you probably know, I'm a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts - click here for five of my favorites. They make my life so much easier in my day-to-day work. Since I've shared them with you, I hear that they've sped up your computing, too.

Your keyboard isn't the only way to interact with your computer, though. The humble mouse sitting next to it can do more than you might think.

I'm not just talking about the right-click button. I'm sure you know that right-clicking on practically anything in Windows, Mac or your favorite programs can bring up a list of helpful options you wouldn't see otherwise. Once you start right-clicking, you won't stop!

That's just the start of the fun, though. Here are a few of my favorite mouse tricks. Most of them work with a laptop track pad, too - but don't forget you can also plug a regular mouse or travel mouse into any laptop.

Double your clicks; double your fun

The double-click has been around for ages. You use it every day on icons to open programs and files. That's not all it can do, however.

Say you're writing a document and want to select a word. Instead of holding down the left mouse button and dragging the cursor to select a word, you can simply double-click on the word to highlight it instantly.

Once it's highlighted, right-click on it for more options, or use one of your helpful new keyboard shortcuts.

Take it to the next level: Instead of double-clicking, try a triple-click. It highlights the entire section or paragraph you're working on. You don't even have to triple click rapidly - most programs can figure out what you want.

Shift into high gear

What if you need to highlight more than just a paragraph of text? Maybe you want to select several paragraphs, a large selection of cells in a spreadsheet or a group of file icons.

You can combine the Shift key with your mouse to quickly highlight anything.

Just click at the start of the text you want to highlight. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click at the end of the text you want to highlight (you don't have to press Shift until you're ready for the second click). Then let go of the Shift key.

All the text you want will be highlighted and it just takes a second. With cells and icons, click on the first cell or icon hold Shift and click the last cell or icon you want to select. It makes life so simple.
Want to add more to a selection or select less? Hit Shift again and click before or after that last thing you clicked.

Take it to the next level: Double-click on text to select a full paragraph. Then hold the Shift key and start single clicking other paragraphs. They'll be highlighted as well.

Take full control

Using Shift to highlight text, cells and icons does have a drawback - you can't select things that aren't next to each other.

That's where the Control (Ctrl) key on your keyboard comes in handy. In a word processor or browser, hold Ctrl and start double-clicking on words to select them.

For files in Windows, hold Ctrl and single click on each item you want. You can release the Ctrl key at any time and then press it again to add more items.

Did you accidentally highlight something you didn't mean to? Hold Ctrl and click the highlighted item again. It will be deselected.

In fact, you can highlight an entire group of items using the Shift + click trick above and then deselect individual items using Ctrl + click.

Take it to the next level: In many programs, including Web browsers, you can zoom text by holding the Ctrl key while moving your mouse's scroll wheel. Just push the scroll wheel up to zoom in and down to zoom out.

Take a scroll

Your mouse's scroll wheel can do so much more than move pages up and down. I just told you how to use it with the Ctrl key to zoom text.

Did you know that it also acts as a button? Press down on the scroll wheel and you'll hear a click. This is commonly called a "middle-click."

The middle-click button does different things in different programs. For example, in your Web browser, hover your mouse cursor over a link and middle-click. This automatically opens the link in a new tab.

This is much faster than right-clicking on the link and choosing "Open in a new tab." You can also middle click on an open tab to quickly close it.

Middle-click on a blank spot on any page and it brings up a navigation tool. You can then move your mouse to move around the page.

Try experimenting with middle-click in some of your favorite programs to see what happens.

Create your own tricks

The middle-click acts as a third button, but some mice come with even more buttons. If you have a mouse with multiple buttons, it should come with software that helps you customize it.

Set up buttons to move forward and back when surfing the Web, open your favorite programs, copy and paste and so much more.

Don't have a fancy mouse? Don't worry. In Windows, just go to Control Panel>>Hardware and Sound>>Mouse. For Mac, it's in System Preferences>>Mouse.

Here, you can change what the buttons do, how fast they respond and make other tweaks. You can even change the cursor style your mouse uses. I know many people find the larger cursor options much easier to use.

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Office 360 Cheat Sheet

Click on "corner icon" to make Blog Post larger.

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Best new money saving mobile plans for families by Kim Komando

The toughest part about picking your smartphone plan is that you're going to be stuck with whatever you pick for two years. The best way to alleviate some of the cost and worry that comes with picking a smartphone plan can be opting into a family plan.

Family plans usually let groups of people share the same call and data limits for much lower prices. Instead of paying for each person's entire plan separately, you usually just pay a smaller fee to add them to your family plan.

The toughest part about picking your family plan is actually figuring out what you're going to need. Here are some of the best new, data-conscious plans for your family.

Two person household

The cheapest plan to pick for a two-phone plan is either Sprint or T-Mobile's family plans.
Sprint's Family Share Pack gives you unlimited talk and text will cost you $75, but you'll only get 600MB of monthly data per phone.

T-Mobile's Simple Choice gives you a two-phone plan for $80. You get unlimited talk and text along with 1GB of monthly data per phone.

If you think you'll use the extra 400MB, then T-Mobile's 1GB plan is probably worth the extra $5.
On the higher end, you can get A&T Next for $130 monthly which allows for 5GB data usage per phone.

Three-person household

If you're looking for Verizon's famous coverage and call consistency, then a three-phone plan is actually your sweet spot.

You can get 1GB, 2GB and 4GB per-phone for $150, $140 and $155 respectively.
On the lower end, you can get T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan for three phones at $90, which comes with 1GB per phone.

Four- and five-person households

The cheapest that you'll get when trying to run a four- or five-phone plan is, again, T-Mobile's Simple Choice. You can get 1GB per phone for $100 and $110 monthly for four and five phones respectively.
Verizon Edge Share Everything will get you 2GB of data for $150 and $160 for four and five phone plans respectively.

When it comes to picking a plan for four or five phones, though, it's best to keep an eye out for carrier-based offers. Companies will offer you big discounts, so be sure to keep an eye out for my coverage.

Rules of thumb

While these deals are subject to change as promotions come and go, there are a few basic ideas that any smart consumer should keep in mind when hunting for their next cellphone plan:

1. Paying for more data doesn't mean that you'll use more data
Earlier, I wrote a tip about picking your data plan and I'd definitely recommend you take another look before finishing out this tip. While text messaging is almost a necessity nowadays, most of the apps that require data plans can also be used near a Wi-Fi hotspot so they don't suck up too much data from your cell plan.

2GB will be fine for most average users. 4GB or unlimited plans are more important for travelers and people who stream a lot of media to their gadgets.

2. Consider quality over quantity
Data limits are one thing, but while you won't find AT&T in any of my lowest price options: AT&T ranked first in a Consumer Reports survey for best and fastest 4G connection.

Verizon, the most expensive all-around option, ranked first for highest overall customer satisfaction.
If you're not going to be constantly downloading stuff, however, speed might not be the biggest issue for you. Consistency is pretty high across almost all carriers, so your mileage may vary if you opt for a budget option.

3. Keep an eye out
The most important thing to do when you're picking a mobile data plan for your family is to watch for deals. Companies want you to sign up for these contracts because they really don't want you to sign up with other companies.

Getting into a two-year contract under a deal means that you'll usually get to keep that price throughout the duration of your contract.

That could add up to a massive amount of savings. If you do need a cellphone until you'll be able to get onto your new plan, you might also consider a no-contract phone.

Source: Consumer Reports

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Microsoft refreshes Office for iPad, iPhone; more features now free for consumers by Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is releasing updated versions of its Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for iPad and iPhones that make more of the core functionality available for free.

The new Office for iPad and iPhone apps will be available starting November 6 in the Apple App Store. The new Office for iPad apps will be available here. Word for iPhone, Excel for iPhone and PowerPoint for iPhone are available separately.

To date, without an Office 365 subscription, Office for iPad users could view documents, copy and paste between documents, share via attachments, and present using PowerPoint. To create new documents, edit and format them, save to OneDrive or SharePoint, they were required to pay for an Office 365 subscription.

Following many users' requests that the apps be made free, Microsoft is compromising and making more — but not all — of the core Office functionality free to consumers.

Users will be able to create and do more advanced editing of Office content without an Office 365 Home or Personal subscription starting today.

Business users will still need an Office 365 subscription to use features such as Excel pivot tables, PowerPoint presenter mode and customizations around color and design. And anyone who wants the unlimited OneDrive storage will still have to subscribe to Office 365 to get it.

CNET: Office for iOS goes freemium: What you need to know
On the iPhone front, Microsoft is dismantling the Office Mobile hub experience and replacing it with new standalone Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for iPhone. These iPhone Office apps have functional parity with the iPad versions, though the user interface is different, as the iPhone versions are tailored for a smartphone form factor.

Featured Review

(Microsoft is planning to build similar "universal" versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Android phones and Windows Phones, officials said, but declined to provide release timing.)

On the iPhone, Microsoft has added a couple of new views meant to make navigating and editing Office documents easier. There's a new "Reflow" view for Word that eliminates the need for panning and scanning, as it temporarily enlarges and sizes documents to fit on the phone screen. And there's a similar "Full Screen" view in Excel for iPhone. These views won't be part of the iPad Office apps.

If you're among those consumers who subscribed to Office 365 because you wanted to be able to do more advanced editing and document creation, Microsoft will offer you a way to be credited for the price you paid for your Office 365 subscription. (I'll add a link to this post with the details once I receive it from Microsoft.)

The new Office for iPad and Office for iPhone apps are available beginning today in 29 languages and 136 countries. The apps require an iPad or iPhone running iOS 7.0 or later.

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Free apps steal your personal data by Kim Komando

Apps you use every day could be stealing your data without you knowing it.

While some people make free apps out of the goodness of their hearts, many "free" apps are built to make shady money off of your personal information.

Similarly to how no one actually reads every app's lengthy terms of service agreement, many companies will build a free app that tracks more data than it should.

Your browsing habits, location and almost any other information on your phone is extremely valuable to advertisers.

One "free" flashlight app in particular was targeted by the FCC. "Brightest Flashlight" was an unassuming little flashlight app which shared its users geolocation information with advertisers.
The FCC takedown wasn't the only attention that Brightest Flashlight received, either.
Researchers compared the top 100 apps on the Google Play store and found that many of them ask for your location information, contact lists and identifying details about your gadget.
Though the researchers looked at Android apps, almost all of these apps have iOS versions. Which apps are the worst of the bunch? Researchers said these 10 took the most information.

Here are some of the most popular apps that steal your information:

• Talking Tom Virtual Pet
• Backgrounds HD Wallpaper
• Dictionary.com
• Mouse Trap
• Horoscope
• Shazam
• Pandora
• Google Maps
• Brightest Flashlight

It makes sense that an app like Google Maps would need your location information. The folks behind Brightest Flashlight did not immediately respond to questions about why a flashlight app would need it.

If you use these apps, make sure to check out the app pages in the Google Play store. Google makes developers reveal what permissions they ask for. If you don't like the permissions an app asks for, find a replacement in my awesome app center.

For iPhone apps, you can deny certain permissions to the app. To do it, go to Settings>>Privacy and choose the permission.

It will show you what apps have permission to access that feature of your phone. Slide the slider to "off" to deny that permission to that app.

iPhone apps also show you what permissions an app wants from your phone.

Google users can turn off GPS and location services to stop an app from grabbing those. Go to Settings>>Personal>>Location Services and uncheck any checked boxes. This makes some apps - especially maps app - not work.

In the case of Brightest Flashlight, I tried it with GPS off and it still worked. Be wary of phones that keep track of your geolocation for any app that doesn't use GPS. As for apps that read your contact data, make sure the app needs it for a legitimate reason.

For example, voice calling apps like Skype or Google Voice have a reason to ask for it. However, a music app like Pandora probably doesn't.

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Hand-to-hand combat: The smartwatch’s time has arrived from Entreneur Magazine Nov 2014

	Apple Watch	LG Watch	Winner
Availability	Early 2015	Now	LG
Price	$349	$230	LG
Finish	Polished or black stainless steel, silver or gray aluminum, 18-karat rose or yellow gold	Black or white	Apple
Display	1.5 or 1.65 inch pressure sensitive Retina display	Always on 1.65 inch LCD	Apple
Battery Life	Unknown	Up to 36 hours	LG
Durability	Water-resistant	Water-resistant	draw
Internal Storage	Unknown	4 GB with 512 MB RAM	LG
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyroscope, infrared and LED sensors for pulse	Accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass	Apple
Charging	Wireless inductive charger	Micro-USB connected cradle	Draw
Voice Control	Through Siri	Through Google Now	Draw
Connectivity	Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0	Apple
Compatibility	iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 (Sorry iPhone 4 people)	Any phone running Android 4.3 or newer	LG

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