So long, farewell

April 27, 2024

So long, farewell: Anyone who upgraded to Windows 11 on an old PC that technically doesn’t meet the latest operating system requirements is out of luck. Folks are reporting their tech dinos are stuck in a reboot loop. If you’re in the market, our IT genius, John, recommends this solid PC for under $650 that’ll last for years. If you edit video or need more power, here’s his pick for well under $1,000.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Tags: operating system, power, reboot, system requirements, tech, video, Windows, Windows 11

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Fed up with Quickbooks? Try this out instead

Trust me when I say I know the pains of running a small business. When you’re the owner, you might also be the marketer, accountant, IT person and every other role under the sun.

When you’re doing it all, you need the right tools. This is especially true as your business grows and you have a team to take on all those jobs.

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Wearable tech for long-distance loved ones

Bond Touch keeps you close to the ones you love with wearables that let you share physical touch

It sounds like futuristic science fiction – people who are physically apart, but able to send a “touch.” But it’s real.

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AI on duty: Taser-maker Axon just launched (paywall link) an AI tool that automatically transcribes body cam audio into police reports. Less paperwork, sure, but we all know AI is notorious for skipping or even inventing details. Doubt this one is ready for primetime.

$1,600/year per car

In subscription fees, if automakers have their way. Yup, soon you’ll be forking over cash for subscriptions and on-demand features like autonomous driving (paywall link). Vroom, cha-ching!

AI can now tell if your political leanings are conservative or liberal using just your face. Algorithm VGGFace2 can suss you out with over 70% accuracy. Apparently, liberals have smaller lower faces, while conservatives’ faces are typically larger and wider. And independent voters? Theirs go straight down the middle. OK, I made that one up.

35M locations compromised through the popular iShare app

Bugs meant anyone could see the precise location of any other user — creepy. The company fixed the vulnerability only after the researcher who discovered it reached out to TechCrunch.

Here VR: Apple is cutting production on the augmented reality Vision Pro headset. An analyst says Apple only expects to sell half of its original estimate of 700,000 to 800,000 units this year. Here’s hoping this flop leads to a cheaper model or at least a price drop. Not many people can spend $3,500.

Get off my PC: The latest Windows 11 update crams ads for apps into the “recommended” section of the Start Menu. Yes, it’s on by default. I’ve got the fix: Go into Settings and select Personalization > Start. Then, toggle off “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more.”

14 years later iPads are getting calculators

It’ll be included with iPadOS 18. Yep, iPads have never come with a calculator app, though Macs and iPhones have had them since they launched. iPad owners have made do (third-party apps, Spotlight, Google), but the MacGyvering ends now.

It’s happening: The Senate passed the bill forcing TikTok’s Communist China parent company, ByteDance, to sell or face a ban. And while President Biden has signed off on it, there’s a catch: The ban isn’t rolling out until after the 2024 election. The legislation gives ByteDance nine months to sell with a possible three-month extension. Bet they’ll go down to the wire.