Cheap Windows Laptops For All Spies Manipulating The Internet And More Tech News Digest
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Cheap Windows Laptops For All Spies Manipulating The Internet And More Tech News Digest
Web companies fight for net neutrality, Sotheby's and eBay join forces, scientists have too much time on their hands, a reason to buy a smartwatch, and proof that cancelling Comcast is a complete nightmare. Also, the big Web companies fight for net neutrality, Sotheby's and eBay join forces, scientists have too much time on their hands, a reason to buy a smartwatch, and proof that cancelling Comcast is a complete nightmare. Microsoft Chases Cheap With Windows
Those people seeking a cheap computer will likely be spoilt for choice in the near future, with Microsoft announcing that several . The Acer Aspire ES1 is already available for $249, while Toshiba has a $249 option due out by the end of the year. Meanwhile, HP has a range of "Stream" devices on the way, with prices ranging from $99 to $199. While announcing the affordable Windows machines during the 2014 Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner said, "We are going to participate at the low-end. We've got a great value proposition against Chromebooks, we are not ceding the market to anyone." The question is, will Google retaliate with a cheaper or in this new race to the bottom? We can confidently predict Apple will steadfastly refuse to get involved. British Spies Manipulate The Internet
NEW: Hacking online polls and other tactics GCHQ uses to manipulate the internet — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 14, 2014 Another day, another revelation into how the security services are affecting our everyday lives. This one concerns British spies working at GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) who, according to documents obtained by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, regularly manipulate the Internet. As detailed by , the Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group (JTRIG) allegedly has the capability to "change [the] outcome of online polls," enact the "disruption of video-based websites hosting extremist content," "artificially increase traffic to a website," and launch a “distributed denial of service using P2P," amongst other things. This document has been revealed at a time when the British Government is rushing through legislation giving them . Big Names Push FCC Over Net Neutrality
Just yesterday it was revealed that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had about its plans to end net neutrality. It has to be assumed most of these are rallying against the plans, as is the Internet Association, which, according to , "represents three dozen web companies such as Google Inc, Netflix Inc and Amazon.com Inc." Is anyone other than the ISPs arguing for ending at this point? Feel free to be the voice of dissention by airing your views in the comments section below. Sotheby s Teams Up With eBay
Sotheby's and eBay are getting back int bed together, which is like Liz Taylor remarrying Richard Burton, only with a gavel. — Josh Spero (@joshspero) Auction house Sotheby's has teamed up with online auctioneers eBay, with many of the former's offline auctions due to be streamed on the latter's website. This means eBay's customers could potentially bid on fine wines and ever finer art. As long as they have sufficient funds in their PayPal account, presumably. has all the details. Scientists Create The Blackest Black
Vantablack is the new black. And scientists say it's the blackest black ever. Goths, rejoice! — Boing Boing (@BoingBoing) British scientists have created a new material that's being described as . Or rather, not seen. Vantablack, as the material is called, absorbs "all but 0.035 percent of visual light," meaning the human eye cannot determine shapes, folds, or contours within the material. Unfortunately, it could be a long time before Vantablack is used for one of Chanel's little black numbers. Finally A Reason To Buy A Smartwatch
The Star Trek face hits — Vishal (@vishalpanchal85) You may have been wondering why on earth anyone would buy a smartwatch right now thanks to the dearth of apps. However, you can wonder no more, as has found a free watch face for Android Wear that turns any smartwatch into the . Now we all want a smartwatch, don't we? Confounding Comcast Cancellation Call
And finally, for all its pros and cons, living in a capitalist society means you should be able to cancel a service at will if you find a better, or cheaper, alternative. In fact, the "why" isn't important, it's just a basic right to take your custom elsewhere. Unfortunately, not all companies or customer service reps have read this section of the manual. So when tech journalist tried to disconnect from Comcast (), he had a harder time doing so than he expected. He started recording the conversation after 10 minutes, which means he has the patience of a saint. Your Views On Today s Tech News
Are you interested in cheap Windows laptops? Will you be buying a smartwatch? Is the Comcast call the worst customer service you have ever heard? Let us know your thoughts on the tech news of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome. Image Credit: via Flickr