In the past few days, the planned changes to WhatsApp’s terms and conditions have made waves. Facebook intends to interlink its social media platform and the messenger service more closely and intends to link all data with one another in the future. However, all EU citizens should not be forced to do so. According to Niamh Sweeney, Director of Policy at Whatsapp, the upcoming Messenger update on the European market will not make any changes to the exchange of data between WhatsApp and Facebook.
However, this does not mean that Facebook does not receive any data from the messenger service. As can be seen from the WhatsApp FAQ, the telephone number that was verified when WhatsApp was registered and some device information are transmitted. In addition to the device ID, this also includes the operating system version as well as the app version and platform information, country code of the mobile number and much more. Usage information, such as the last usage period for WhatsApp, is also shared with Facebook. The type and frequency is also mentioned in the FAQ mentioned. Thus, a large amount of data from the individual users already flows through the installation of the messenger. If you don’t want this, you only have the option of completely doing without the messenger.
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Everyone who is currently looking for an alternative and does not want to use a data octopus on their own smartphone should take a closer look at the Messenger Signal. The encrypted messenger is operated by the Signal Foundation and can be used with both iOS devices and Android mobile phones. A corresponding desktop version is also available for Windows, macOS and Linux systems. A free download can be found here.
Sony promises a lot for its upcoming Bravia TVs: The high-end devices from the new XR series include organic displays with higher peak brightness and LCDs with many small light-emitting diodes in the finely dimmable Direct-LED backlight. Sony is joining LG and Samsung, who also presented high-contrast displays with mini LEDs at the CES.
Sony wants the screens apart from with them Improved hardware also helps with artificial and cognitive intelligence: The new XR processor is intended to bring a human perspective into the representation by bringing those parts of the image that people would focus on in reality into focus on the digital screen.
In order to present the picture as the viewer would perceive it in reality, the image is divided into small zones and the focus point is determined using databases.
(Image: Sony)
Similar processes are already being used for the optimization of moving images, Sony now wants to add factors of human perception to them. For this purpose, the image is divided into many small zones in which contrast, colors and brightness are optimized depending on the focus point. In the worse case this leads to a stronger separation of foreground and background, in the better case to a high-contrast representation with more depth – tests will show the result. Sony does not reveal how many segments the image is divided into for analysis.
Mini LEDs for more contrasts The zones for image analysis have nothing to do with the zones in which the backlight of the LCD TVs can be dimmed. Unfortunately, Sony is also silent about this number. Since mini LEDs are used in the XR models, there will certainly be more than the usual Sony ones 16 zones. LG had promised zones for its new high-end TVs 2160, whether Sony wanted to use more or less dimming zones the manufacturer does not disclose.
With mini-LEDs in the finely segmented backlight, the brightness of which can be specifically changed, very bright spots can be achieved next to very dark ones in the picture.
(Picture: Sony)
There will be three LCD TV series with mini LEDs for full array local dimming (FALD): Z9J, X 95 J and X 90 J. All use the so-called XR contrast boost to improve the peak brightness for HDR playback: The 8K top model Z9J has the highest level 15, it is written with 75 and 85 inches Diagonal be available. The X 95 J with 10 he boost for the FALD backlight comes in 65, 75 and 85 inches , the X 90 J with 5 boost is in 50, 55, 65 and 75 Customs offered. The exact information on contrast, luminance and other technical features will not be announced by Sony until later.
Sony wants the display in a bright environment also improve with a new anti-reflective coating. In addition, the viewing angles of the XR-LCD TVs are said to have been improved, so colors and contrasts remain more constant when viewed from the side.
Higher Peak brightness for OLED TVs OLED TVs have no problems with large viewing angles anyway. With his new OLED models A 85 J and A 80 J Sony has also improved the luminance. For higher peak brightness, all four subpixels should now light up on particularly bright details – explosions, candle flickering in dark vaults, etc., i.e. RGB and white. The manufacturer has laminated an additional aluminum foil to the display back so that the organic layer does not heat up due to the higher current load. It should dissipate the heat better and thus also prevent the possible burn-in of contents.
The colors also benefit from the higher basic brightness, people perceive them as stronger. The contrast of the OLEDs is impressively high thanks to their rich black value. The supposed contrast boost in OLED TVs is therefore actually a luminance boost, while in LCD TVs it is mainly achieved via the reduced black levels of local dimming.
Sony’s model names are not very catchy: The overview only shows the brand new models with an XR processor .
(Image: Sony)
In addition to the devices from the XR series, this year Sony is offering LCD TVs with the 2020 known X1 processor; these are the models from the series X 85 J and X 81 J. There are also LCD TVs with the Android operating system, but only full HD resolution from the W series 800. All other Sony TVs show 4K resolution with 3840 × 2160 pixels or 8K with 7680 × 4320 Pixels in the Z9J.
XR sound and picture In terms of sound, Sony OLED TVs differ from LCDs: With the former, the sound comes directly from the screen surface. Acoustic Surface Audio is what Sony calls the process that LG intends to use for its OLED TVs in the future. At Sony you can already find the acoustic screen surfaces in the previous year’s models. They use small actuators that cause the screen surface to vibrate and thus project the sound directly to the viewer.
The LCD TVs from the XR series should now have additional built-in speakers using 3D surround 5.1. Produce 2-channel sound. In addition to various speakers, the 8K TV Z9J uses small actuators on the display frame.
The XR TVs support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. They master the Netflix calibrated mode and deliver remastered images with immersive DTS sound with IMAX Enhanced. They are also prepared for automatic calibration with Calman and, according to Sony, provide image settings in the user image preset such as the Filmmaker mode offered by many other TV manufacturers.
The signal inputs should support HDMI 2.1, i.e. 4K / 120 Hz or 8K / 60 Hz including VRR and ALLM as well as eARC. Sony could not say whether this is the case right from the start or whether it will be submitted later via update. It was said that the HDMI specification was being finalized. The same applies to the current Sony TVs.
Design and equipment The design of the Sony has revised the devices slightly, the feet of the massive but slim TVs are now attached to the side. If there is not enough space in the living room, you can move your feet further inwards. If the soundbar is to be placed under the screen, Sony supplies higher feet on stilts.
The so-called Bravia Core, an app from the Google Store for Android TVs, is new. It is available only for the 2021 he TVs and offers depending on the model, different lots of free movies from Sony Picture Universe. For these, Sony promises the best picture quality thanks to higher bit rates. Films from the IMAX library are also offered, with further platforms to be added later. You can read more about this in “Bravia Core”: Own video streaming service for Sony TVs with up to 80 MBit / s
Sony has also added a new 4U tab to its Android TVs. The series and programs preferred by the respective viewer are displayed in the bar and suggestions for suitable content are shown. (uk)
LG unveiled new QNED Mini LED TVs at CES 2021. They will be the first to run the latest webOS 6.0, “the most significant update” to the operating system since it was introduced back in 2014. It comes with a new Magic Remote to boot.
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are now more dedicated buttons for services. Let’s start from the bottom – the new OS has native support for the Google Assistant and Alexa, which can be invoked with their own buttons.
Above that are buttons for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and LG Channels. The Next Picks feature learns your tastes in TV viewing and will recommend two live programs (from broadcast or set-top offerings) and one title from streaming services.
Alternatively, you can use Magic Tap – you can tap your phone to the remote (which now features NFC) to easily send photos and videos from your phone to the TV.
Magic Explorer (an evolution of Magic Link) offers additional information about what’s on screen – about the actors, shooting locations other other items of interest. While interacting with live TV, the Gallery, TV Guide and Settings apps, the Explorer will change the color of the cursor to let you know it has something to share.
The new OS comes with an updated homescreen to offer faster access to all the new functionality. The most frequently used apps are close at hand as are, of course, viewing recommendations. To fit all that, the home screen now is displayed in full screen and serves as the central hub of the OS.
webOS 6.0 will power LG’s 2021 TV lineup, including OLED, QNED Mini LED, NanoCell and UHD smart TVs. If you’re wondering if your older TV will be updated to 6.0, the answer is most likely “no” (LG doesn’t do major OS updates).
Nine desktop browsers in comparison: from slim to versatile Comfort and expandability Performance Individual meetings Conclusion and test table Read article in c’t 2 / 2000 No question: The system browsers Edge, Safari and Firefox – the standard for many Linux distributions – are powerful. Nevertheless, Chrome (or Chromium under Linux) could break into all operating system domains. But then, with these four heavyweights: No other browser can get a significant market share on the desktop.
That’s a shame, because the browser market gives more. For this article, we compared the four “big ones” with five less popular browsers. We only tested on the desktop; an additional comparison on mobile devices would have gone beyond the scope. If there are mobile versions of the browsers, we have indicated this in the table.
Six of the browsers rely on Google’s open source project Chromium / Blink: Brave, Chrome, Edge, Opera, Ungoogled Chromium and Vivaldi. In addition to Firefox itself, Waterfox also uses its Gecko rendering engine. We also included Safari (WebKit) in the test. Safari is the only browser available only for macOS. Due to its close integration with the operating system, it can use the macOS keychain for password management and the content blocker.
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Facebook has emphasized in an email to its business customers that they have no choice but to implement Apple’s new measures to protect against tracking in iOS apps. The social network giant had previously raised public opinion against the new opt-out procedure, which Apple will launch for iOS from this year 14 provides. Access to the advertising ID embedded in the system, which previously could be used for tracking across multiple apps, should in future only be possible with the consent of the user. Before accessing the advertising ID, the operating system displays a warning and gives the user the choice of consenting to the tracking or of rejecting it. Facebook fears that many users will do the latter.
“Serious effects” In the e-mail to the customers who are iMore is called it continues, Apple’s specification, iOS – 14 – to show users a corresponding prompt within the framework of the new AppTrackingTransparency framework, will have “serious effects” have different areas – from targeting, i.e. the targeted tracking of customers with advertising, to optimizing campaigns, to measuring campaign efficiency “for businesses that advertise on mobile devices and across the web”.
Apple’s change will only let the corporation benefit, Facebook continues, “while the whole industry is injured”. Companies of “any size” would no longer be able to market themselves efficiently and would “grow through personalized advertisements”. The social network company continues to write that it believes that “personalized advertising and user privacy could coexist”.
“Further attack on privacy” Facebook had previously lobbyed against Apple’s measure. This had been criticized as “laughable” by network citizens’ rights organizations. The campaign is actually directed against users and small businesses, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “You shouldn’t be deceived: This latest Facebook campaign is another direct attack on our privacy,” said the EFF. Despite the “clever packaging” she also turns against other entrepreneurs, both small and large.
As Hardwareluxx reported on Monday, Windows 7 itself is enjoying great popularity over a year after the end of support. However, this does not only apply to private users. The federal government and the federal ministries also currently have a total of 63. 922 Computers are used on which the operating system, which is now almost twelve years old, is installed.
Im January 2020 the number was still at 33. 000 PCs. However, no additional computers with Windows 7 should have been set up, at the time of the request by the Green parliamentary group in January 2020 the published figures were still incomplete. According to official information, the additional costs for the first mentioned systems amounted to around 800. 000 Euro.
However, the costs for additional support from Microsoft currently amount to just under 1.9 million euros. However, it will be over in two years at the latest and Microsoft will no longer offer updates for Windows 7 to customers willing to pay. It remains to be seen whether the government and ministries will be able to replace all computers that are currently still using the said operating system within two years. Among other things, 27. 326 computer at the Ministry of Defense to be replaced. Since this is an extremely sensitive IT infrastructure, it can be assumed that the affected computers cannot be exchanged so easily. On the other hand, it is particularly important here to keep all systems up to date in order to prevent outsiders from being able to attack.
Even if the “Bund IT Consolidation” initiative has completed the planning phase, this is by no means a guarantee that the modernization will go smoothly. This could mean that Microsoft has to be persuaded with an appropriate payment to offer appropriate security updates for Windows 7 beyond January 2023 .
Analyzing data from different sources you can get an estimate of how many users are still using Microsoft’s operating system, which hasn’t received security updates for about a year
di Nino Grasso published on 08 January 2021 , at 08: 01 in the Operating Systems channel Microsoft Windows
The story that happened with Windows XP is repeating itself with Windows 7. Despite the end of its support, in fact, there are still at least 100 millions of users using Windows 7 , at least according to sti me unofficial. Microsoft hasn’t released the adoption data of the old OS for some time, but ZDNet has collected the figures from different regions and it seems that more than 100 millions of users still rely on Windows 7 , not sure because it is no longer supported by Microsoft.
Being able to extrapolate the exact number of Windows 7 users is a difficult task, as is determining the exact market shares among the operating systems. There are different realities that try to offer careful and accurate analyzes in this sense, but each uses different methods more or less effective, which sometimes give similar but never identical results. Similarly, it is not easy to find out what the exact number of Windows PCs running one of the many versions of the OS is.
Precisely for this reason the most reliable numbers are those of the parent company , but even in this case there may be differences with the real adoptions of the various versions of the operating system. Microsoft claims that Windows 10 has an equal base to 1.5 billion users , while NetMarketShare, StatCounter and the US government’s Digital Analytics Program state that the market shares of Windows 7 are equal to – respectively – 21, 7%, 17, 7% and 7% .
Even with the most conservative estimate, that of the US government, which considers only national users and not those of other less developed geographical areas, in all the world there are at least 100 millions of users using the old operating system , no longer secure for about a year after the end of support. This is a huge number of users, but there is also good news: the figure is clearly lower than the estimates made at the end 2019, according to which there were 200 millions of computers with still an active installation of Windows 7.
In the run-up to the CES, Sony announced its own video streaming service called “Bravia Core” for televisions in its Bravia series, which will apparently deliver films from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment exclusively to the manufacturer’s TVs. According to Sony “all titles are offered in the best available format”, including Standard Definition, High Definition, 4K, 4K HDR or 4K in “IMAX Enhanced” format with enhanced contrast and DTS sound.
Surprising are the data rates specified by Sony, which are used by 30 Mbit / s to 80 Mbit / s range. The maximum would be around twice as high as that of the previous front-runner Apple TV + – and with 4K / HDR it would be up to five times as high as other video streaming services.
To access the ” Pure Stream “called connection with constant 30 MBit / s, users must have an Internet speed of at least 43 Mbit / s for access in the highest available quality with 80 MBit / s over an internet speed of at least 115 Mbit / s. You can stream on up to four eligible televisions per Bravia Core account at the same time.
Single purchase and subscription service Buyers of the upcoming TV models Z9J, A 90 J, A 80YES / YES84 J, X 95 J, X 90 J, X 92 J, X 93 J and X 94 J receive, depending on the model, 5 or so-called “film credits”, which they can exchange them for one film each. According to Sony, 300 titles will be available that extend up to 23. February 2026.
Transactions in Bravia Core should only run via in-app credits. However, it is not possible “to carry out monetary transactions within Bravia Core or to acquire additional credits”. In this respect, it seems that Bravia Core is more of a demo channel for TVs than a real streaming offer.
Sony also speaks of a “video” -on-demand subscription “, the buyer of the devices 12 or 24 months from the time you registered your Bravia Core account. Access to the video-on-demand content ends at the end of the subscription period. Sony has not yet commented on whether and how the subscription can be extended. All that is known is that the service on televisions with the Android TV operating system is implemented via an app that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. (nij)
The 2015 launched billion dollar “IT Consolidation Bund” initiative is now set to slowly take off this year after many setbacks take up. The federal government has decided on a “sequence plan”, according to which from April 69 projects for an upgrade of the IT -Infrastructures in 69 ministries and authorities in four waves up to 2028 should be carried out.
Common programs in the cloud The aim of the large-scale project is, according to the original heise online and published in excerpts by Netzpolitik.org, server-side IT solutions for the offices involved on standardized servers of the Federal Information Technology Center (ITZBund) in the “Infrastructure as a Service “(IaaS). In other words: Common services and programs, for example for word processing or spreadsheets, as well as specialized procedures that are difficult to convert, are to be obtained from the cloud in the future , but still manageable size of around 130. 000 Jobs and 30. 000 Server. What makes harmonization so complicated, according to the authors: “In each individual authority it is necessary to create the technical and organizational prerequisites for a successful consolidation, individually tailored, to develop and implement the new IaaS target images.”
The planned “IT operational consolidation federal” (BKB) is an “important and large project of the federal government with a significant contribution to IT security and digitization” of the public administration, writes the Federal Ministry of Finance. It had taken over the project management at the end 2019, who was initially in the internal department. The Federal Chancellery is responsible for coordination, to which 2015 the government’s IT council has also moved from the Ministry of the Interior.
Failure forecast In the middle of last year, the finance department had a pessimistic interim conclusion of the 2015 Achieved drawn. In many cases, “because of the high costs”, there were doubts about participating in the project at all, it was said at the time. The effects of the corona pandemic created additional burdens in the IT departments. “This, as well as repeated public criticism,” could endanger the operational readiness of the houses. “A lack of acceptance” is likely to lead to the “failure of consolidation”.
The IT Council as a steering committee on 10. Endorsed December and on 28. The house of CFO Olaf Scholz (SPD) sees the timetable sent to the Bundestag as an “important milestone”. “Realistic and resilient planning” is the key requirement for making the initiative a success after all. The further procedure and the technical criteria to be assessed were therefore coordinated with those involved. These include, for example, the nature of the government’s IT, the project capability of the institution and questions about “mandatory technical or other dependencies” for the start of an upgrade.
For example, those responsible would have “already planned replacement of large specialist procedures “or a” reorganization of IT in authorities “included. “The planned new construction and acquisition of properties” and the associated network connections as well as the “ongoing burden” of individual offices in coping with the corona crisis would also be taken into account. A relevant evaluation scheme is not included with the report.
Several waves planned Basically, an authority project should now be “within a term of three calendar years “. This includes a three-month initialization phase and a maximum of one year preparation phase. Then two years should be available for the implementation.
It will start in the context of the 1st wave according to the overview, which should be “regularly validated and updated”, between spring 2021 and 2021 among others with the Chancellery, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure , the economic department and important subordinate authorities. The Ministries of the Interior, Justice and Environment are planned for the 2nd wave, which runs until the end of 2024.
Between 2024 and 2027 should include the departments for work, family and health as well larger authorities such as the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the Federal Network Agency. The Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is the last point in the 4th wave in the outline, together with the German Patent and Trademark Office, for example. The IT at the Federal Police with around 30. 000 employees as well as at the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping should be consolidated over three or two waves “with an individually agreed, longer term”. Some things are still unclear The Ministry of Finance itself does not appear in the list. It is also unclear what will happen to the remaining unlisted offices. The original approach was to modernize and standardize the operating systems and computer workstations of all 180 ministries and authorities of the federal administration. The Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, which is actually no longer supported, is currently running in many offices. The federal government alone paid around for the necessary special support 2020 800. 000 Euro.
It is also still unclear whether the highest federal courts, the Federal Patent Court and the Federal Public Prosecutor General can be involved. Although capacities are “reserved” for them in the context of the 4th wave, they are provided with a footnote. Accordingly, there are “special requirements” here, since the “constitutional principles of the separation of powers and judicial independence” must be observed. It must first be clarified whether the ITZBund can do this.
The budget expert of the Green parliamentary group, Sven-Christian Kindler, sharply criticizes the slow process. “The federal government wasted an entire year planning a new order for IT consolidation,” he explained to heise online. “If the project continues at this snail’s pace, then it will not be completed 2027. Every week of delay also increases the costs. The entire project is now an indictment for digitization in Germany. ”
At the same time, Kindler reminded that the initiative should actually 2025 be on the home straight. The fact that it is now delayed by at least three more years “is completely unacceptable”. Certainly, the cost limit of 3.4 billion euros will be broken. In the meantime, “technological quantum leaps” have taken place in IT. The coordination difficulties between the three main departments involved are also becoming increasingly apparent. This increases the doubts whether the government is serious about the project.
Interesting news for Sony at CES 2021: the OLED panels are squeezed to the maximum and gain luminance and color volume, while the intelligence artificial optimizes images using technologies such as Face Detection
by Roberto Colombo published 07 January 2021 , at 19: 01 in the Audio Video channel Sony 8K 4K
No revolution at home Sony as far as concerns the TV gamma 2021 , but several updates that promise to squeeze the most current technologies , with interesting news also on the front OLED . Bravia XR is the new brand that will characterize the top of the range products and which takes its name from the new processor Sony XR , consistent evolution of the previous X1 and its various declinations (Extreme and Ultimate).
The evolutionary step is the use of Artificial Intelligence , in particular declined to add a new one to the capabilities of the TV Cognitive Intelligence which analyzes images and sounds from the human perspective to enhance the viewing experience. At the base of the new cognitive intelligence we find technologies that Sony has also developed for other sectors, in particular that of photography. Image enhancements will be based on ‘ Focal Points ‘, focal points on which it focuses human attention : if a person appears on the screen , our eye runs there, and if a face appears even more.
As cameras recognize figures and subjects, so TVs will be able to highlight people on the screen, also using the Face Detection to highlight faces even more and improve the image where our eye goes to look. The new XR processor uses artificial intelligence algorithms in a more advanced way even for the 4K and 8K upscaling phases of lower resolution content, now with a database dedicated to improving the yield of textures , in addition to the previous Object Based database.
Sony technicians have worked hard for fully squeeze the OLED panel of the new Sony Bravia A 83 J , which allows to reach brightness peaks higher than previous generations. Sony has not released peak and average brightness data (“ Those you can measure “the Sony technician literally said to us journalists of the specialized press during the presentation), but he revealed the innovation behind the scenes of the new values. If until now it was the white pixels of the W-OLED panel to have in charge the light emission in the luminance peaks, now the RGB colored pixels are also used to increase the luminance . The renewed panel management also promises an increase in color volume and longer luminance peaks, thanks to the aluminum radiant panel mounted behind the main panel. This is an innovation that we are curious to see live, to get an idea of how much ‘juice’ Sony technicians have managed to extract from the OLED panel.
Still talking about OLED panels, Sony has worked a lot also on sound, renewing the actuators that make the panel vibrate and make the sound come directly from the images: the technology Acoustic Surface + can now rely on larger and two-way actuators. In addition, the rear subwoofer (plus) also plays a new role: not only emits towards the rear, but thanks a particular acoustically transparent grille transmits vibrations also towards the front . OLED A 90 J now expands to the colossal dimension of 83 inches, in addition to sizes from 55″ is 65 “.
On the front LCD Sony applies the same concepts and exploits the power of the new processor with a finer adjustment of the backlight zones ( here too no technical data unfortunately), but also on the audio front where Sony has added several frame tweeter , actuators that make the TV frame vibrate directly. Now the tweeter frames are also placed in the upper frame , to take advantage of the up-firing direction and give more space to the sound, taking advantage of the bounce on the ceiling. In addition, Sony has significantly expanded the size of the acoustic chambers of traditional speakers , continuing on the road traced the Last year.
Sony Bravia Z9J , in denominations of 85 is 75 inches, it will be the top of the range 8K proposal that takes advantage of all the news.
TVs will integrate HDMI 1 ports. 20 with 4K support 120 p VRR and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) which if not available at the debut will be brought to TVs with a subsequent firmware update. All new TVs will carry the new operating system Google TV , which takes the place of Android TV and which will offer more possibilities for customizing the interface . Also on top models Z9J, A 90 J and X 95 J there will be the possibility to use the hands-free voice commands, without going through the remote control .
Big news is Bravia Core , a streaming service dedicated to Sony Bravia users , which will bring a variable number of Sony films Pictures in preview (from 5 to 10) with viewing window immediately following the release in theaters and with an unlimited streaming plan of contents including 4K HDR and IMAX, with bitrate up to 80 Mbit . The service will be free for a number of months (12 or 20 months), depending on the coat of arms of the purchased model.
The service will also land in Europe, but at the presentation there was a small asterisk with the reference “Italy excluded “. There are some fiscal issues that could slow down the landing of the service in our country, but Sony is working to be able to not exclude Italy from the service.
The line- complete up of the new Sony TVs will therefore be composed as follows:
Z9J 8K Master Series Full Array LED in formats 85″ is 75 “
TO90 J OLED Master Series in formats 83″, 65″ is 55 “
TO 80 J OLED in formats 77 “, 65” is 55 “
X 95 J Full Array LED in formats 85″, 75″ is 65 “
X 90 J Full Array LED in formats 75 “, 65 “, 55” is 50 “
Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 back in January 2020 and while it looked like the ageing OS was in decline over the course of last year, Windows 7 installs had a slight uptick in the later months of last year. At this point, it appears that at least 100 million PCs are still running Microsoft’s now unsupported OS.
As reported by ZDNet, Windows 7 is estimated to still be used by 20 percent of PCs worldwide. Based on results from different tracking companies, that means at least 100 million PCs still use Windows 7, although that number could be higher, with some trackers indicating well over 100 million Windows 7 installs. Nonetheless, a huge amount of PCs are still running outdated software, something that Microsoft will want to tackle.
Windows 7 is over a decade old at this point and Microsoft officially ended updates and security fixes in early 2020. This leaves Windows 7 machines open to zero day exploits and attacks.
With that said, Microsoft has been known to bend the rules a bit if the situation is severe enough. It would take a pretty major cybersecurity disaster to force Microsoft to revisit such an old piece of software at this point though, meaning many would be better off simply updating their PCs to a more secure, supported operating system to avoid issues in the future.
KitGuru Says: Windows 7 installs seemed to be falling last year but we ended 2020 with a slight increase in the number of tracked active systems. Do you all think people will ever stop using Windows 7? What would it take to push the last remaining users to switch to Windows 10?
The post Windows 7 still running on over 100 million PCs first appeared on KitGuru.
The number of computers in the federal ministries and subordinate authorities that are still operated with Windows 7 is significantly higher than previously assumed. In second gear, the federal government is now going from “at least 51. 479 Clients “on which the operating system is still running that Microsoft has been using since 14. January 2020 no longer supported for free with security updates. A year ago the lead Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) was still on 33. 000 relevant IT jobs come.
Problem bigger than known Even then it was clear that the support and migration problem would be much bigger: in In the earlier overview, five of the 12 Federal Ministries were not listed at all. Apparently it was just about the departments in which Windows 7 still plays a particularly important role.
With the significantly increased number of computers for which the federal government has to spend money on further security updates via Microsoft’s Extended Security Update Program (ESU), the necessary expenses have more than doubled: the federal government initially calculated for 2020 with fees of 700. 000 Euro, it ended up according to a heise online current answer to a request from the Green Bundestag member Konstantin von Notz at 1.9 million euros. Until 2023 should “at least around 2, 51 Costs of millions of euros arise “.
The distribution of the affected computers to the individual departments and larger authorities was broken down by the government to Netzpolitik.org. In the Chancellery and the Federal Ministries there are a total of around 14. 000 people busy. This does not include the employees in the many subordinate authorities. The Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Defense are particularly well-staffed departments. The latter leads the ranking of the departments on which PCs with Windows 7 are still in operation, also with 27. 326 corresponding jobs.
No Windows 7 only in the Ministry of Education The Ministry of the Interior follows in second place with 12. 800 computers that need extra support, the Foreign Office occupies third place with 10. 700 such computer. The Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure still has to pay a separate support fee to Microsoft for 5000 jobs, the Agriculture and Health departments each for around 1700, the commissioner for culture and media for 1500. At the Ministry of Economic Affairs 1118 computers. In all other areas of government and its subordinate administration, the number is below 1000. The Federal Ministry of Education is the only one that no longer uses PCs with Windows 7.
The information could still be incomplete, the government warns. The authorities and departments are in favor of a timely changeover to Windows 10 after expiry responsible for Windows 7 support. Central records are not kept. The departmental inquiry has still not been “answered by everyone”.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior deliberately does not provide any information on the IT infrastructure of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and for reasons of confidentiality at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. In the meantime, it can be seen from job advertisements that the Federal Office for Consumer Protection, for example, is still specifically looking for three IT specialists with thorough knowledge of the Windows 7 systems and is looking for.
Dependency as a problem The The authors of a study commissioned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior 2019 had already come to the conclusion that the dependence on Microsoft products in particular “leads to pain points in the federal administration”. This is “in contradiction to the strategic goals of the IT of the federal government”. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) announced at the time that he would hold talks with software providers and examine alternative programs. The use of free software should play an essential role here.
In the new plan for slow IT consolidation, however, there is no mention of open source. The Ministry of Defense remains in the recorded, up to 2028 running four waves for the harmonization of computer and server structures as well as the relocation of services to the cloud, as well as left out the Foreign Office.
For the first patch day in the new year, Google has numerous security holes in Android versions 8.0, 8.1, 9, 10 and 11 eliminated. Four of them are considered critical and could have been misused by attackers, among other things, to carry out denial-of-service attacks or to remotely execute code on vulnerable devices (remote code execution). With a “Moderate” exception, the remaining vulnerabilities are at high risk.
The Android Security Bulletin for January 2021 differentiates between two patch levels, the installation of which either part of the security holes (level 2021 – 01 – 01 ) or all gaps (Level 2021 – 01 – 05 ) fixes. According to Google, manufacturers of Android devices should allow this procedure more flexibility when patching.
Critical security holes According to Google’s assessment, the most dangerous of the closed security holes, CVE – 2021 – 0316, is located directly in the operating system code (section “System” in the bulletin). It enables attackers to execute remote code in the context of a privileged process. In order to carry out the attack, Google only indicates that the transmission of specially prepared data is necessary.
CVE – 2021 – 0316, as well as the critical gap CVE – 2021 – 11 (Denial-of-Service) in the Android framework, by raising the patch level to 2021 – 01 – 01 eliminated. To eliminate two further security holes with “Critical” classification in Qualcomm’s closed source components – CVE – 2020 – 11134 and CVE – 2020 – 11182 – is on the other hand level 2021 – 01 – 05 necessary.
Separate bulletin for Pixel devices As usual, a separate January bulletin with updates for Google’s Pixel devices has been published. It includes four additional security fixes that are automatically distributed to supported Pixel devices along with all other patches. There are also several functional patches from the areas of audio, graphics, sensors and telephony. Details are given in a post in the Pixel Support Forum.
In addition to Google, other manufacturers regularly publish security patches – but mostly only for some product series. Devices from other manufacturers receive the updates much later or, in the worst case, not at all.
According to Google, other manufacturers (“Android partners”) were informed of the vulnerabilities at least one month before the publication, as usual, and thus had sufficient time to implement the code. The source code for the patches is available in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
It’s not every year that Sony launches a brand new TV processor to run throughout its range, so we have high hopes for the Sony 2021 TV line-up. It’s headlined by the Cognitive Processor XR chip, which adds an extra layer of cognitive intelligence analysis to the already excellent Sony AI Processing and should therefore, hopefully, produce even better pictures and sound.
The Sony 2021 TV range has no huge surprises in terms of models and panel sizes compared to last year’s launch, with all sets designed to replace predecessors. With three TV gongs in our most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards, that’s no bad thing.
There are two Master Series models (an 8K LCD and a 4K OLED), a slightly lower specced OLED model and then two more full array LED series, all featuring the Cognitive Processor XR. There are more budget, edge-lit, non-XR models in the new range, too.
All the sets in the Sony 2021 TV range feature Sony’s Ambient Optimization technology, Dolby Vision HDR and are AirPlay 2-enabled. Bluetooth with A2DP is also standard across all the Sony Bravia XR sets too.
The big addition on the usability side is the switch from Android TV to the new Google TV platform. That brings the same excellent and intuitive look and feel as found in the Chromecast with Google TV media streamer.
As Google’s launch partner for Google TV, these Sony’s are the first sets you’ll find with the operating system already build in. It’s from here that you’ll also be able to access all of Sony’s usual picture, sound and other TV settings, as well as customise your home screen by adding your most frequently used apps. All the TVs use the YouView tuner in the UK and come with support for both Alexa and Google Assistant.
Sony continues with Netflix Calibrated Mode in the majority of its models and has IMAX Enhanced certifications with the upper ranges, too. Most sets are also ready to work with the Calman calibration software, should that be of interest.
Sony has added various driver upgrades to its excellent Acoustic Multi-Audio (LCD) and Acoustic Surface Audio+ (OLED) sound-from-picture speaker design, which runs through all of the XR models. These include increased numbers of actuators and tweeters as well as improved enclosure size and shape. Look out for the all-new 3D Surround Upscaling tech, too.
Gamers will be pleased to note that all of the TVs on this page, apart from the W800, have ports with HDMI 2.1 features. These include the ability to run 4K resolution content at up to 120Hz frame rates and technologies such as ALLM and eARC. They are also Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) compatible but will require a firmware update to make that possible.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these new features before we give you a full run-down of each of the Sony Bravia TV series for 2021.
Cognitive Processor XR
(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony Bravia Cognitive Processor XR marries the AI abilities of its X1 predecessor with a system that Sony calls cognitive intelligence. While AI analyses picture and sound signals and uses data based on machine learning, cognitive intelligence aims to add a more human perspective to identify and enhance AV performance and deliver an experience in line with how humans see and hear the world.
This world first TV picture processing, according to Sony, begins with a scene detection stage to identify and enhance the main focal points and, ultimately, adds a greater sense of depth to the image.
The XR processor looks at multiple zones and other elements (colour, contrast, texture, depth, detail, etc) of each frame and performs a cross analysis to work out the most important areas.
The Bravia XR sets come with a host of XR processing modes, many of which replace the similar-sounding systems found in the previous X1-based TVs – XR Motion Clarity and XR Smoothing, for example, with the most significant seemingly XR Contrast Booster.
The Contrast Booster is designed to boost peak brightness while maintaining well exposed whites and blacks in the image, and comes in good/better/best levels for the LCD TVs: the Master Series Sony Z9J has the XR Contrast Booster 15 while lower TVs go down to either the XR Contrast Booster 10 or XR Contrast Booster 5.
For the A90J and A80J OLEDs, the technology comes in the form of XR OLED Contrast Pro and XR OLED Contrast, respectively. Again, they offer improvements to peak brightness, overall brightness and an expansion of the colour volume as well which should help to bring a more accurate and true to life palette.
Lastly on picture, it’s also worth noting that the XR Upscaler includes a texture reproduction database which its predecessor did not. That sits alongside the object-based super resolution technology from the X1 TVs and will hopefully make lower resolution content better than ever on Bravia TVs – potentially very useful for the Z9J while we wait for a wealth of 8K source material.
XR Sound with 3D Surround Upscaling
(Image credit: Sony)
The Bravia XR TVs have cognitive intelligence for TV sound too. Along with improvements to the speaker hardware, features such as XR Sound Position aim to analyse the signal and make sure that the sound is coming from the correct parts of the picture with both Acoustic Surface Audio+ (OLED) and Acoustic Multi-Audio (LCD) technologies.
The big new addition for audio, though, is XR Surround with 3D Surround Upscaling. This takes a 2ch or 5.1ch audio signal and creates a virtual 5.1.2ch experience with the aim of enveloping the viewer in sound in all dimensions.
Bravia CORE streaming service
Sony is taking the huge step of launching its own high-bitrate streaming service which, for the short-term at least, will be exclusive to Sony Bravia XR 2021 TVs.
Called Bravia CORE (Centre of Real Entertainment), this new streaming service effectively has two elements. On the one hand it will host hundreds of titles from the Sony Picture Entertainment back catalogue, all of which can be freely streamed for either 12 or 24 months, depending on which TV you’ve purchased. On the other, it will also allow pay-as-you-go streaming of fresh-from-the-cinema movies, with owners of the new XR TVs given a number of free credits (five or ten, again depending on the model you’ve bought) that can be used as ‘payment’.
Much of the content will be at 4K HDR levels, but what takes it beyond what other services, such as Apple TV and Rakuten, is that it will host a large number of IMAX Enhanced movies and that data rates will be much higher, resulting in better picture quality. Sony says streams will be at up to 80Mbps, which it claims is beyond the rates of many UHD Blu-ray discs. We’re fascinated to find out whether Bravia CORE streams really can outperform disc-based movies, and what happens when users connect via a slower connection.
Sony is also uncertain about whether Bravia CORE will continue beyond the 24-month timeframe or whether it will be opened up further in the future. For the time being, it certainly makes an interesting and welcome toe in the water for all concerned.
Best 8K TVs: the ultimate 8K resolution televisions
Sony Z9J 8K LED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
At the top of the 2021 TV tree is the Sony Z9J Master Series LCD TV. It’s an 8K LED TV, positioned to replace the ZH8 from 2020. It continues with the attractive Immersive Edge design, which includes a titanium silver bezel and a three-position stand that allows for wide and central feet as well, as a third setting to allow space for a soundbar.
As the flagship Sony TV for the year, it’s fitted with all the spoils that Sony has to offer right now. These include a full array LED panel (available in two sizes), the best XR Contrast Booster level and three 48Gbps ports with HDMI 2.1 features, specced at 120Hz rates for 4K material.
The panel itself has Sony’s X-Wide Angle technology, to maximise picture consistency when viewing off-axis, as well as X-Anti Reflection glass to minimise unwanted glare from light sources in your space.
It comes with an aluminium, back-lit voice remote and there’s a colour sensor as well as a light sensor so that Ambient Optimisation mode can automatically adjust chromatically as well as for brightness, according to your viewing environment.
Sony has increased the number of frame tweeters to four by adding two on the top edge for improved high frequency performance. The front facing subwoofers and midrange speakers on the bottom edge are larger too.
Sony Z9J 8K TV specs
Sizes: 75in (KD-75Z9J), 85in (KD-85Z9J)
Screen type: Full Array LED, X-Wide Angle, X-Anti Reflection
Sound: Acoustic Multi Audio, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround upscaling
Design: 3-way stand
Sony Z9J 8K TV pricing
Sony KD-75Z9J – TBC
Sony KD-85Z9J – TBC
Sony A90J 4K OLED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony A90J Master Series is Sony’s top OLED for 2021. It’s not 8K, but there is an interesting and big screen 83-inch version alongside the usual 55in and 65in models.
The A90J replaces the AG9 and keeps the Seamless Edge Bezel design with a frame of just 0.7mm for the 55in and 65in models. The 83in has the slightly more robust Flush Surface Bezel look and feel but should be premium nonetheless. It also benefits from the same three-way stand as the Z9J while the smaller panels maintain the choice of wide or soundbar formations but don’t get the central stand positioning.
As a Master Series TV, it comes with a premium, back-lit, aluminium voice remote control as well as both light and colour sensors to use for the Ambient Optimisation mode.
Acoustic Surface Audio+ is the sound tech for OLEDs. It’s planned that the cognitive intelligence processing will offer superior bass. The actuators have been redesigned into a circular shape with an inner circle responsible for creating the higher frequency sounds. The aim is for better sound positioning and quality.
As with the Z9J, it comes with 24 months access to the Bravia CORE streaming service and 10 film credits.
Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround Upscaling
Design: 3-way stand (83in), 2-way stand (55/65in)
Sony A90J 4K OLED TV pricing
Sony KD-55A90J – TBC
Sony KD-65A90J – TBC
Sony KD-83A90J – TBC
Sony A80J 4K OLED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
If a Master Series OLED feels like a bit of a stretch, then the Sony A80J 4K OLED TVs are the next best thing. They lose one facet of picture and of design but should still perform well if last year’s A8 OLEDs are anything to go by.
On the physical front, they get a more standard voice remote control and the Flush Surface Bezel design, which is not quite as super-thin at the frame. The three-way stand is still present, though, as is Acoustic Surface Audio+, which includes perforations on the rear of the TV to help with bass production.
There’s no colour sensor to sit alongside the light sensor during Ambient Optimisation, and picture performance is likely to drop a little with the ‘Pro’ removed from its flavour of XR OLED Contrast intelligent processing. It’s otherwise very much as above.
Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround Upscaling
Design: 3-way stand
Sony A80J 4K OLED TV pricing
Sony KD-55A80J – TBC
Sony KD-65A80J – TBC
Sony KD-77A80J – TBC
Sony X95J 4K LED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
It’s back to the LCDs with the Sony X95J 4K LED series. The main difference for performance comes with the drop in XR Contrast to the medium level Contrast Booster 10 processing. These full array TVs are still IMAX Enhanced-certified and feature both the X-Wide Angle and X-Anti-Reflection technologies. (No Anti-Reflection on the 85in.)
These sets do also retain some of the premium look and feel of the Master Series. They include the aluminium, backlit, voice remote as well as the super-skinny Seamless Edge Bezel design. There’s the 3-way stand on the two bigger panel sizes with a central position not required for the smaller 65in variant.
Sound: Acoustic Multi Audio, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround upscaling
Design: 3-way stand (75/85in), 2-way stand without centre positioning (65in)
Sony X95J 4K TV pricing
Sony KD-85X95J – TBC
Sony KD-75X95J – TBC
Sony KD-65X95J – TBC
Sony X90J 4K TV
(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony X90J LED TVs replace the Award-winning XH90s from 2020. There are four panel sizes between 50-75in with the Flush Surface Bezel design and higher raised Slim Blade feet with two-position options. There’s already enough height in the design to allow room for a soundbar.
Again, the voice remote is the standard, black variety and, on the performance front, XR Contrast drops down to Contrast Booster 5. There are no X-Wide Angle or anti-reflection benefits either.
Otherwise, Acoustic Multi Audio, Google TV, the HDMI 2.1 features and most everything else is present and correct, including IMAX Enhanced certification.
Sound: Acoustic Multi Audio, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround upscaling
Design: 2-way Slim Blade stand (55in and above)
Sony X90J TV prices
Sony KD-50X90J – TBC
Sony KD-55X90J – TBC
Sony KD-65X90J – TBC
Sony KD-75X90J – TBC
Sony KD-49XH9505 review
Sony X85J 4K TV
(Image credit: Sony)
From the Sony X85J downwards, the 2021 Sony TVs lose the new Cognitive Processor XR and make do with the very able Processor X1 from the 2020 range. That means no XR Contrast Booster or 3D Sound Upscaling either.
They also drop from full array LED panels to edge-lit models too, so expect losses in local dimming abilities. Gone too are Netflix Calibrated and IMAX Enhanced certifications, along with Acoustic Multi Audio which is instead replaced by Sony’s X-Balanced speaker system.
All the HDR compatibility is still there and the handy Google TV operating system too.
The X85J maintains the Flush Surface Bezel frame design and the two-position Slim Blade stand which is available for the 55in model and above. It’s the biggest of the 2021 series, in terms of panel size options, and each has a native 100Hz refresh rate with 800Hz Motionflow processing.
The Sony X80J is the entry level Bravia series for 2021. It’s almost the same as the X85Js above but with a few reductions.
The design drops down to the slightly more meat and potatoes Narrow Bezel style and the LED panel has a native 50Hz refresh rate with 200Hz Motionflow processing.
The range of panel sizes is a little smaller but will cover the needs of most at this end of the market. The biggest of all is named the Sony X81J which comes in at 75in on the diagonal.
Last of all, Sony hasn’t forgotten about those who just need something small for the bedroom. The Sony W800 an HD resolution LED TV that comes in a 32in size only. It’s run by the older Bravia Engine and uses Android TV as the OS, so you’ll still get all the major app offerings that one would expect.
Sony W800 32in HD LED TV price
Sony KD-W800 – TBC
MORE:
Samsung 2021 TV lineup: everything you need to know
Among Lenovo’s announcements at CES 2021 also a desktop with adjustable display, and two new monitors that mix compactness with elegance. The details.
by Nino Grasso published 07 January 2021 , at 15: 01 in the Systems channel Lenovo Yoga
The Chinese company has formalized new products, including notebooks (which we talked about separately), all-in-one desktop PCs and monitors . Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 is a display computer rotating, designed to take up as little space on the desk as possible, and its announcement was accompanied by those of Lenovo L 24the-30 and Lenovo L 27is-30 , two sleek and slim monitors, both with IPS panels.
Lenovo Yoga AIO 7
Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 is a desktop all -in-one very interesting not only for the design, inspired and elegant thanks to the small size of the frames, but also and above all because of the rotating support that allows you to use the computer not only horizontally, but also vertically. The user can change modes with the push of a single finger, and can also activate the display remotely via smartphone or tablet, without turning on the PC. In the future, through a software update, it will be available to play content on the screen via the internet, with the Yoga AIO 7 which can be transformed into a 4K Smart TV.
The computer uses a certified audio system JBL Harman, positioned under the display and embellished with a soft-texture design for the outside. Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 will be sold in Cloud colors Gray and Moon White, and comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse, as well as a detachable 5MP webcam. The all-in-one computer will allow you to upload a notebook or transfer files via drag-and-drop with a single cable.
The integrated display is a 27 “4K IPS that looks very promising: it offers a color gamut of 99% both in the DCI-P3 standard and in the Adobe RGB standard. On the hardware level we will have CPU up to AMD Ryzen 7 4800 H, and GPU up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, while Alexa will be integrated into the operating system natively with the possibility of activating it through the exclusive use of the voice .
Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 price is starting from 1. 599 dollars, with availability expected globally (in some markets) in February 2021 The computer is already available in the Chinese market.
New Lenovo monitors
Lenovo L 24the-30 and Lenovo L 27is-30 are two monitors with extremely compact dimensions and a definitely recognizable appearance. They use In-Plane Switching (IPS) displays from 24″ is 27 “ and are designed for the main destinations of use, such as films, online browsing, work, and even for video games. They offer “vivid images”, according to Lenovo, and a wide viewing angle thanks to the presence of IPS panels, along with a dedicated cable management system and a smartphone holder integrated within the design.
Lenovo L 24the-30
The monitor stand is made of metal, with the model from 24 “which offers a two-tone finish, while the one from 27 “is proposed in Graphite Gray. Both monitors offer a thickness, in the panel part, of maximum 7.1mm , while the reduced bezels offer an almost edgeless design. On the front of the technical specifications we have the support of the Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) and a refresh rate of 75 Hz with AMD FreeSync compatibility. There is also the TUV Rheinland certification for the reduction of blue light emissions.
Lenovo L 27is-30
The price of Lenovo L 24the-30 will be 159, 99 dollars , with availability expected in March 2021. Lenovo L will also arrive in the same period is-30 , at a price of 189, 99 dollars in the US market. Prices and details for the Italian market will be announced in the future.
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