Could Tesla’s zero-emission Model S soon require zero-effort from drivers when it comes to traveling down the highway? That’s the plan, according to CEO Elon Musk. [More]
software
Here’s How You Can Roll Back The Unfortunate iOS 8.0.1 Update
By 9.25.14
Millions of people worldwide rushed out to purchase the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last week, and Apple immediately pushed out an early operating system upgrade to fix a few minor problems with the phones. Unfortunately, this update caused other problems in turn, like, um, losing their cellular service. Or the use of the phone’s thumbprint sensor. You know, minor stuff, but it still moved people to commemorate the update in song. [More]
Well, Someone Already Pirated Adobe Photoshop CC
By 6.20.13
That was fast, and not entirely surprising: even though Adobe Creative Cloud was supposed to make it harder to pirate the world’s most-pirated program, someone did within a day of its release. Yes, there is reportedly already a pirated version that reportedly works. (No, we’re not going to tell you where or how to find it.) [More]
Your Epson All-In-One Will Arbitrarily Self-Destruct Once It Prints Enough Pages
By 11.30.11
When the Epson all-in-one device that Steve bought for his mother failed, the error message indicated that the ink pads were worn out. Simple enough: Just replace the ink pads, right? Wrong. When the printer decides, somewhat arbitrarily, that the pads are worn out, that puts the whole device out of commission. It could still be used as a scanner, or to send outbound faxes. But not when the ink pads are worn out. When that happens, you have to throw the whole thing out and buy a new one. [More]
Which Personal Finance Tracking Software Is The Best?
By 6.20.11
Although the prevalence of online account access makes financial software tracking less crucial now than it was, say, a decade ago, a detailed record of your spending is still key to maintaining a budget. [More]
Samsung Investigates Report Of Keyloggers On Its Laptops
By 3.31.11
Samsung is investigating after an IT consultant reported in Network World that he had found installed in two different brand new Samsung R series laptops he bought a keylogging program that could be used by someone remotely to capture his every keystroke. In response, a Samsung spokesman said, “We take these claims very, very seriously.”
UPDATE: Threatpost reports that Samsung says there’s no keylogger, the results were a false positive when an antivirus program mistakenly identified Microsoft’s Live Application multi-language support folder, “SL” folder, as StarLogger.
H&R Block Revives AOL Business Plan, Blankets Nation With Unwanted CDs
By 1.26.11
If you had a pulse and/or a mailbox in the ’90s, you received some AOL disks in the mail. They promoted a free trial, but everyone knows their real purpose: to have their labels peeled off and to be used for file storage. AOL eventually switched to read-only CDs, then switched to total irrelevance. But their familiar promotional tactic is back: adopted by tax preparers H&R Block to distribute their income tax software. [More]
Sorry, It's Your Fault HP's Programmers Screwed Up
By 12.16.10
If a company’s software won’t work with its own products, whose problem is that? Chris reports that HP seems to believe that because their own software won’t work with one of their own products (for which it was recommended) that this is his problem. [More]
Norton Has Detected Itself
By 10.20.10
A non-scientific pie chart showing which things one man perceives as slowing down his PC, in order from least to most lethargy-inducing. [More]
Norton SystemWorks 2006 On Sale At Walmart For Only $59.72
By 9.16.10
James spotted a copy of Norton SystemWorks 2006 on sale at his local Walmart for the must-have price of $59.72. Maybe it’s a collectible. [More]
Install iTunes 10 Minus The Bloatware (PC)
By 9.13.10
Like previous versions, iTunes 10 is a hefty hunk of software that actually contains within it 6 different Windows Installer programs that you don’t always need or want. Apple doesn’t let you customize the install, but this guide shows you how to install only the slimmest iTunes footprint you need for your purposes. [More]
Companies Can Forbid You To Resell Your Software, Court Rules
By 9.13.10
A California court has ruled that software makers can forbid buyers from reselling a copy of a program they bought. This is not about people making illegal copies of games, this is about buying a CD with a program on it and not being able to resell that CD. Expect this to go to appeal, but watch out, Gamestop. [More]
Airport Body Scanners May Replace Your Naked Body With A Generic Avatar, Eventually
By 9.8.10
Bloomberg reports that one of the big companies behind airport full-body scanners has released a software update that replaces your misshapen nakedness with a generically proportioned, nondescript avatar. The software then indicates on the avatar where you should be searched. [More]
Loading A PDF Could Give Hackers Total Control Over Your iPhone
By 8.3.10
Better not load any PDFs on your iPhone for a while, not unless you want to risk handing over total control of your device to hackers. The exploit affects all iOS 4 iOS 3.1.2 and higher devices, including the iPod touch and the iPad. [More]
What Should A "Lifetime License" To Software Really Include?
By 7.15.10
C. was an early adopter of PlayOn, a video streaming service that lets users stream all sorts of free video content from Windows PCs to a variety of devices. PlayOn recently changed their pricing structure, and C. tells Consumerist that they’re upset that the “Lifetime License” that cost $40 at launch had a rather short lifetime. Or did it? [More]
What Are The Best Smartphone Apps For Motorists?
By 6.30.10
Maybe I can’t play Plants vs. Zombies while I drive (or maybe I can!*), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of useful apps for the average driver. In its August issue, Consumer Reports reviews a bunch of apps for motorists, both free and paid, that promise to help you remember maintenance dates, get the correct info after an accident, or find your car in a big parking lot. [More]
Palm Holds Fire Sale, Almost All Apps Half Off
By 6.21.10
Palm, which is a smartphone company that is not Apple, has halved the prices of almost all apps in its U.S. app store until July 9th. Although I called it a fire sale, mocoNews thinks maybe it’s a way for HP to “say that Palm devices are here to stay.” Either way, if your phone uses Palm’s webOS then this is a great time to pick up some apps at a big discount. [More]
