Mihăiță Bamburic

Apple releases iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan, tvOS 9.2 and watchOS 2.2 -- here's what's new

Apple just released iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan, tvOS 9.2 and watchOS 2.2, following its Let us loop you in event, which, among other things, saw the unveiling of iPhone SE, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and new Apple Watch bands earlier today.

The latest batch of updates packs lots of changes, including security improvements and new user-friendly features but also bug fixes and better hardware support. Here is everything that you need to know.

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Microsoft changes its mind -- older Lumias will not get Windows 10 Mobile

The Windows 10 Mobile rollout is a major screwup. Microsoft had promised to kick it off by the end of last year, but existing smartphones only started to receive a software update last week. Microsoft had also promised to support all Lumias that arrived since Windows Phone 8's debut, but, when the rollout finally started, only a limited number of smartphones were targeted.

What's more, Microsoft now says that it has no plans to support the remaining Lumia handsets in "a second wave", leaving many of its fans and customers, who have been eagerly waiting for Windows 10 Mobile to finally arrive, officially stuck on Windows Phone 8.1.

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How to watch Apple's iPhone SE event live from iOS, OS X and Windows 10 devices

At the Let us loop you in event, Apple will unveil the smaller iPhone SE. The new smartphone is expected to attract more consumers to the brand, specifically folks who are looking for a more manageable, and perhaps more affordable, iPhone. Also in the cards is a new iPad Pro slate, which just like the aforementioned device, is expected to feature a smaller screen, in line with iPad Air 2.

Let us loop you in is shaping up to be an exciting event, and, if you are interested in watching it live, you will be able to tune in later today for the unveiling of the new iOS handsets. Here is what you need to know.

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OS X and Linux threaten Windows' dominance in developer market

OS X and Linux are nowhere near as popular as Windows when we look at the PC market as a whole, but the two platforms are actually extremely popular with a certain crowd. According to a StackOverflow survey, 26.2 percent of developers use Apple's Mac operating system, while distributions based on the open-source kernel are not that far behind, having a combined 21.7 percent usage share.

This may come as a bit of a shock, but, yes, OS X and Linux are nearly as popular as Windows among developers. In fact, according to StackOverflow, "If OS adoption rates hold steady, by next year's survey fewer than 50 percent of developers may be using Windows" -- and, obviously, OS X and Linux will come out even more popular in the process.

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Twitter drops TweetDeck for Windows, but Mac version is safe

Even though TweetDeck is one of the most powerful and beloved Twitter clients for Windows, the social network has announced that it will soon drop support for the program, leaving fans with just the web app at their disposal. However, the Mac version of TweetDeck is not affected, remaining in the lineup for the foreseeable future.

Twitter has not exactly provided a reason why it is pulling TweetDeck for Windows, only saying that this is being done "to better focus on enhancing [users'] TweetDeck experience". However, the fact that it just launched a new version of Twitter for Windows 10 likely plays a role in its decision.

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Choetech 6 port USB charger: The quick way to charge multiple devices [Review]

Having multiple mobile devices is great. Charging them? Not so much. If you need to top the battery on a few smartphones and tablets at the same time, you are going to need as many wall chargers to be plugged in. But there is a better way -- enter the multiport USB charger.

A multiport USB charger can allow you to charge a significant number of handsets simultaneously, freeing up sockets in the process. I have been using Choetech's six-port USB charger for the past couple of weeks to find out how good it is and, ultimately, whether it's worth buying.

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Android Marshmallow's Factory Reset Protection may be useless on your smartphone

Last year, Google introduced a kill switch in Android to prevent lost or stolen handsets from being reused. Formally known as Factory Reset Protection, this security feature has been designed to, among other things, only allow the intended owner to use the device after a factory reset has been performed. In theory, it is a great idea, so much so that some markets have actually made a kill switch mandatory, in an attempt to deter smartphone theft.

In practice, however, Factory Reset Protection is not as effective as you might expect -- it can be bypassed on the latest version of Android, 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and in the latest Android N preview.

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Microsoft: 'Exciting update' coming for Windows 10 Maps app

There is no doubt that HERE's decision to leave Windows 10 in its rear view mirror is a serious blow to the platform, as it leaves users with fewer options in terms of top-notch navigation apps. Microsoft is well aware of this though, promising an "exciting update" to beef up its own offering, Windows Maps.

As Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile users may be well aware of, HERE apps and Windows Maps share the same maps -- created by HERE -- but their functionality is currently different, with the former offering a more mature feature set. Question is, what will that hyped update bring new to the table?

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Razer unveils faster, more affordable Blade gaming laptop

Razer has announced the new Blade gaming laptop, which features improved specs and a lower price compared to the previous generation. The device will ship in April, with pre-orders starting today at the company's online store.

The new Blade ships with a sixth-generation quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M graphics with 6 GB of VRAM, 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB or 512 GB of PCIe SSD storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, and a 14-inch IGZO touch-display with a resolution of 3,200 by 1,800, as the main highlights.

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HERE abandons Windows 10

goodbye

HERE just dealt a huge blow to Windows 10, announcing that it will remove all of its apps for the new operating system from Store on March 29. The news comes before the start of the Windows 10 Mobile rollout, which Microsoft has already delayed a couple of times.

HERE is one of the most important Windows developers, providing the best and the most popular navigation apps for smartphones running the tiled OS. Offerings like Drive and Maps have shipped on nearly all Windows Phones, and are used by the vast majority of users.

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Microsoft celebrates Pi Day with a Dell laptop sale

The bad news is that today is Monday. The good news is that it is not just another Monday. March 14 is also Pi Day and, to help celebrate it, Microsoft is holding a sale on select Dell laptops, offering a major discount on XPS 13, Inspiron 13 and Inspiron 15 devices.

Fortunately, the discount in question does not match Pi's (approximate) value, as 3.14 percent wouldn't have impressed anyone. Instead, Microsoft has settled for a 31.4 percent discount, which translates into savings of hundreds of dollars.

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Dell releases new XPS 13 Developer Edition, launches Linux-based Precision laptops worldwide

On the laptop side, Dell may be best known for its Windows devices, but, as some of you may already know, it also offers some killer Linux-based alternatives for prosumers. It all started out nearly four years ago with Project Sputnik, which led to the release of the first-gen XPS 13 Developer Edition, a Ubuntu-flavored version of the popular ultrabook, in late-2012.

Fast forward to today and Project Sputnik is more than just a one device effort, as Dell has expanded the reach of the program to also include some of its professional-grade laptops. Now, the company steps it up a notch by introducing the Intel Skylake refresh of XPS 13 Developer Edition, and making the Ubuntu-toting Precision laptops available worldwide.

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Opera's desktop browser adds a built-in ad-blocker

A growing number of major players in the tech industry are now in support for blocking ads. Apple offers this kind of feature in Safari on iOS, ASUS bundles AdBlock Plus on its mobile devices, while Three, a major UK carrier, blocks ads at the network level. And, as of today, Opera Software is also a member of this group.

Opera Software just announced that its desktop browser -- which is available on Windows, OS X and Linux -- will come with a built-in ad-blocker, which is a first for a major browser. The feature can be tested now in the Developer channel version of Opera and, once it is deemed ready for prime time, it will make its way to the public version of the browser.

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Flickr just lost its appeal -- and the war against Google Photos

Flickr has made a big comeback after giving users a whopping 1 TB of free storage, but now it is ruining everything by making a very important feature of the service available only to paying customers.

Flickr has announced that Auto-Uploadr, the software that enables users to upload photos from a desktop device, will only be offered to Pro and Pro+ subscribers, leaving users on the free tier out in the cold.

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Android Lollipop now reigns supreme, surpasses KitKat

The adoption of new Android distributions rises at a glacial pace so you should not expect the latest -- and, arguably, the greatest -- of the bunch to gain traction quickly. In fact, up until this month, the landscape was dominated by KitKat, which is now two and a half years old, and not Marshmallow, which Google introduced last October.

However, going into March, things have changed. KitKat no longer reigns supreme, as Google reveals that Lollipop is now finally running on more devices than its older brother. The usage share difference is relatively small, however, suggesting that it may take a while before KitKat will be as irrelevant as, say, Ice Cream Sandwich.

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