The new Chromebooks from Google are providing a revolution in computing where your files are stored with Cloud technology, you have near instant access to the internet and is no doubt the future of mobile computer.

What do you do if you break your Chromebook and it may as well be a Gnomebook? You come to PC Express and we’ll get you back on your feet with speed and cost effectiveness.

From screens being broken, none charging batteries, not turning on issues and problematic DC jacks we fix it all!

Call us on 0161 291 1044 today or email us at info@pc-xp.com and we’ll do everything we can to help.

The leak comes from an image of a slide which is said to be part of an internal presentation from HP and includes a mockup of the device.

The Windows 8 Tablet, officially being referred to on the slide as the HP Slate 8 and described as the HP Win 8 Slate, will come with a 10.1-inch display.

HP also listed some features of the HP Slate 8 on the slide.

As it is a Windows 8 Tablet geared towards the enterprise market, the first set of features were about security with HP saying it will feature HP ProtectTools software, TPM embedded security, and support for Computrace.

The HP Slate 8 will feature Windows 8 Professional OS which packs the touch device-friendly Metro user interface.

According to the technology giant, users of the Windows 8 Tablet will have the option of either using their bare fingers with multi-touch technology, or employing a digital pen for more precise input.

It also has an outdoor viewing option as well as enterprise-level docking.

The HP Slate 8 will also reportedly have 8 to 10 hours of battery life and will come in a package that’s 9.2mm thin and .68kg light.

This is not the first time we’ve heard about Windows 8 tablets, however, as a host of other original equipment manufacturers have been previously mentioned to be planning on releasing Windows 8 tablets.

As early as August and September last year, a Samsung-made Windows 8 Tablet was shown at two events, during the TechEd conference and Microsoft’s own BUILD conference.

There was a rumor then that the Windows 8 Tablet for the BUILD conference would be a quad-core unit and it was also reported then that there will be Intel-powered Windows 8 tablets, also made by Samsung, to be shown at the BUILD conference.

Meanwhile, last November, Nokia was said to be planning to release a Windows 8 Tablet this summer although such a tablet is still yet to appear.

Nonetheless, it was reported last month that Nokia’s chief designer Marko Ahtisaari confirmed that a Windows 8 Tablet from Nokia will come in June.

Earlier this year, Intel revealed that its Clover Trail line of CPUs will be the company’s first processors for Windows 8 tablets.

As such, Acer and Lenovo were said by frequent tech industry plans whistle-blower site DigiTimes to be coming out with Windows 8 tablets this third quarter.

Lenovo was even said back in March to become the world’s first manufacturer to release a Windows 8 tablet, reportedly planning to release such a device to the masses right after Microsoft launches Windows 8.

Nonetheless, earlier than when this rumor about Lenovo circulated, Dell has announced intentions of becoming the first OEM to release a Windows 8-powered slate.

An enterprise-targeted Dell tablet running on Windows 8 is said to already be deep in development as early as March.

“Having a secure Windows tablet that works with all the Windows applications — we’re hearing a lot of demand for that and we think that will be quite attractive,” Dell cofounder and CEO Michael Dell was quoted saying in an interview with the “Bloomberg West” show early last month.

There’s a lot of hope riding on Windows 8 being Microsoft’s next-generation operating system and also what would be the Redmond, Washington-based software giant’s push for touch-based interfaces which bloomed with the rise of tablets.

Nonetheless, the prospect is looking good as even ARM CEO Warren East saying Windows 8 tablets will have a distinct set of advantages over Android-based tablets.

Microsoft is set to launch Windows 8 early this second half of 2012.

Source : http://socialbarrel.com

Last year we saw a heat wave and PC’s that had been prone to a dust build up clogging up the CPU (central processing unit)  & PSU (power supply unit) fans got tipped over the edge as the summer heat caused machine temperatures to hit maximum levels with the glorious national weather. As we all know computers sometimes run 24/7 (like mine) and can generate a lot of heat especially when playing games or using a few applications at the same time. PC’s are built to withstand these pressures but the number one killer of all household PC’s is the dreaded dust that we all hate, especially if you store your computer on the floor, dust gets brushed around from walking on the carpet and gets sucked into the fans that are designed to keep your computer running cool.  When a build of of dust gets into the fan, it forms a layer of what’s best described as carpet like. Because if forms a layer across the metal heatsink which pulls the heat from the CPU, the fans are unable to keep it cool so it causes the CPU to run at dangerous temperatures and the knock on effect is the machines crash, freeze or in some cases turn off. With a combination of hot weather you can imagine its not a good day in the life of a computer!

Well now that you know what causes it, how can you prevent it ?

Good house keeping work can prevent this from happing, once a month or as frequuent as you can, whip the side panel off  your PC (dont forget to turn it off first! .. phew) and just use a Henry hoover (or George) and gently remove the excess dust from the CPU fan and board. It helps to have a small paint brush just to help you raise the dust.

There you have it, if you don’t want to attempt this yourself you should book your PC in for a 6 monthly health check on our Manchester Computer Repairs page and we will take care of it for you.

I hope this article has helped you keep your computer healthy, feel free to give us a call and discuss any problems you may be having with your computer, we are here to help and we don’t charge for advise . Call now on 0161 291 1044.

In this new version, Chrome OS almost looks like a traditional OS, with a full-blown desktop and window manager instead of just a browser and tabs. Aura, as this hardware-accelerated window manager is known, is Chrome’s next generation user interface framework and it is making its public debut in this new developer version of Chrome OS.

This update is quite a departure from Chrome OS’s origins. Until now, Chrome OS basically just gave users access to a single browser window at a time (you could already have multiple browser windows open on separate virtual screens) and launching new apps meant you first had to open a new tab and then look for the app you wanted to start. Now, Chrome OS features a Launchpad-like app launcher, as well as a Windows-like taskbar (Google calls it a “shelf”). Apps, it is worth noting, still start in a browser tab and not as stand-alone windows, though.

In short, Chrome OS now looks and behaves a lot more like the desktop operating systems it set out to challenge.

In a way, this almost feels as if Google is admitting defeat here. When Chrome OS launched, Google’s Sergey Brin argued that traditional PC operating systems were “torturing users.” Chrome OS was supposed to be all about “speed, simplicity and security” and Google wanted to use it to “re-think what operating systems should be.” This new version, however, does away with a bit of this simplicity in favor of greater functionality. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, and may just help Chrome OS gain more mainstream acceptance as new users will surely find it to be a more familiar experience.

While Aura is obviously the star of this update, it’s worth noting that the latest version also introduces support for files compressed in the .tar, .gz and .bzip2 formats, as well as better support for multi-monitor setups.

source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/09/googles-chrome-os-will-soon-look-more-like-windows-than-a-browser/

An investigation by Dr Web suggests that about 600,000 Macs have installed the malware – potentially allowing them to be hijacked and used as a “botnet”.

It says that more than half that number are based in the US.

Apple has released a security update, but users who have not installed the patch remain exposed.

Flashback was first detected last September when anti-virus researchers flagged up software masquerading itself as a Flash Player update. Once downloaded it deactivated some of the computer’s security software.

Later versions of the malware exploited weaknesses in the Java programming language to allow the code to be installed from bogus sites without the user’s permission.

Remote control

Dr Web said that once the Trojan was installed it sent a message to the intruder’s control server with a unique ID to identify the infected machine.

“By introducing the code criminals are potentially able to control the machine,” the firm’s chief executive Boris Sharov told the BBC.

“We stress the word potential as we have never seen any malicious activity since we hijacked the botnet to take it out of criminals’ hands. However, we know people create viruses to get money.

“The largest amounts of bots – based on the IP addresses we identified – are in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, so it appears to have targeted English-speaking people.”

Dr Web also notes that 274 of the infected computers it detected appeared to be located in Cupertino, California – home to Apple’s headquarters.

Update wait

Java’s developer, Oracle, issued a fix to the vulnerability on 14 February, but this did not work on Macintoshes as Apple manages Java updates to its computers.

Apple released its own “security update” on Wednesday – more than eight weeks later. It can be triggered by clicking on the software update icon in the computer’s system preferences panel.

The security firm F-Secure has also posted detailed instructions about how to confirm if a machine is infected and how to remove the Trojan.

Although Apple’s system software limits the actions its computers can take without requesting their users’ permission, some security analysts suggest this latest incident highlights the fact that the machines are not invulnerable.

“People used to say that Apple computers, unlike Windows PCs, can’t ever be infected – but it’s a myth,” said Timur Tsoriev, an analyst at Kaspersky Lab.

Apple could not provide a statement at this time.

Source BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17623422

AV-Test put 41 different virus scanners for Android through their paces. Almost two-thirds of these scanners are not currently suitable for use as reliable solutions, identifying less than 65 per cent of 618 types of malware tested. The packages that have been most successful  included Droid security software from Avast, Dr Web, F-Secure, Ikarus, Kaspersky, Zoner and Lookout.

Android Spyware and Malware will certainly be on the increase as more and more of us are buying smart phones, tablets and soon to be laptops with Google’s amazing operating system.

If you are worried about protection then please get in touch with us Tablet & Laptop Repairs Manchester.

We have first hand experience with how each manufacturer designs and builds their products enabling us to know where most likely the fault will be. We can advise how much parts can cost, whether they are bespoke or generic, if a particular machine suffers a unique fault not seen in other models.

Bring your PC/Laptop/Netbook/Tablet into us today and we’ll make sure you get the service you deserve.

Flashback.G is the first variant of the Trojan horse to use an attack vector that doesn’t require any user interaction, said Intego Security, a French firm that specializes in Mac antivirus software. Most Mac malware needs help from users to get on a machine, if only to okay an installation by entering the system password.

When users come across the new malware — it’s being served from an unknown number of malicious websites — Flashback.G first tries to exploit a pair of Java bugs, one harking back to 2008, the other discovered last year.

Apple has patched both vulnerabilities in its Java updates, fixing the 2011 bug in the most recent Java security update, issued last November.

If Flashback.G is unsuccessful because both bugs have been plugged — or if Java isn’t present on the Mac — the malware switches to a backup tactic, where it tries to dupe users into running the attack code by posing as content digitally signed by Apple.

The malware is, of course, not signed by Apple, and although a warning appears that tells potential victims that “This root certificate is not trusted,” some may ignore the warning and click “Continue,” which installs Flashback.G.

“I don’t want to give [the hackers] more credit than they deserve, but [Flashback.G] is particularly sophisticated,” said Peter James, a spokesman for Intego. “The Java vulnerability [approach] doesn’t require user interaction, and they’re putting victims into a strainer,” he added, referring to the social engineered-style fake certificate tactic that’s employed only if the Mac is invulnerable to the Java exploits.

Once it’s wormed itself onto a Mac, Flashback.G downloads more malicious code – a key logger — that sniffs out usernames and passwords used to log into PayPal, bank and credit card websites. Those it finds it transmits to a hacker-operated command-and-control server.

The list of domains that the malware monitors also include non-financial sites, such as CNN.com, said James, perhaps a clue that the attackers were after credentials they could use to access other accounts.

Users often rely on one username/password combination for multiple websites, a dangerous practice if the credentials are stolen.

Source: Computerworld http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9224651/New_Mac_malware_exploits_Java_bugs_steals_passwords