Windows 10 didn't stop PC sales from dropping this summer

Windows 10 may have breathed new life into your PC, but it didn't do anything to juice PC sales this summer. Both Gartner and IDC estimate that computer sales dropped several points year-over-year (between 7.7 and 10.8 percent) in the third quarter, right when the new Windows arrived. That's one of the steeper drops in recent memory, in fact. Not that it comes as a complete surprise. As the analyst firms explain, Microsoft's fast-tracked release left many PC makers shipping existing systems with Windows 10, which weren't going to drive demand as much as brand new models. You're not going to buy a months-old laptop just because it's running new software, are you? The big question is whether or not the wave of new Windows 10 PCs launching this fall will make a difference -- if there's still a sharp decline, the industry is really in trouble. 

The new platform wasn't the only factor at work, of course. The researchers blame the downturn on a combination of a stronger US dollar (which hiked PC prices in many other countries) and a transition away from old Windows 8 PCs. Some vendors fared better than others, though. As a rule, big-name brands like Apple, Dell, HP and Lenovo (the market leader) have emerged relatively unscathed -- it's the smaller, more vulnerable companies that are shedding legions of customers. Even Acer and ASUS saw sales plunge by over 10 percent. It's too soon to say if Windows 10 will stop the bleeding, but the days of booming computer businesses appear to be long gone.

HOW TO PROPERLY DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IOS 9

What our review scores mean 

If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the iOS 9 update, today’s the day you can download the final version on your iPhone and iPad. Here’s a complete guide on what’s in iOS 9, how to download it, and a list of iPhone and iPad users who shouldn’t download the update. 

Before we get into how to download it, we’ve got a pretty big disclaimer for the newbies out there: Software updates are often unstable. If you download iOS 9 on the first day or on an older device, you may experience random crashes, weird reactions from apps, battery drain, and other issues. That said, iOS updates aren’t typically too crazy, so you should be fine. Just know that there is a risk of performance issues with new software. 



If things get too hairy, you can always downgrade back to iOS 8.4 (we’ll tell you how — Apple’s got a nice guide setup, too). Now — on to the good stuff. 

How to download the iOS 9 

First, check to see if your device is compatible with iOS 9. It should work with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad 2 or later, iPad Mini or later, and fifth-generation iPod Touch. Of course, we don’t recommend using the beta on older devices, because the performance will likely suffer dramatically. Those on an iPhone 5S and above, or an iPad Air or above should be good to go. 

Don’t download iOS 9 on the following devices: 

iPhone 5 
iPhone 5C 
iPhone 4S 
iPad Mini (first generation) 
Before you download the update, you’ll want to back up everything that’s on your phone, so you don’t risk losing all your apps, photos, and so on. To do so, you can either backup your phone over the air to iCloud with the iPhone itself, or you can plug it into your computer and backup to iTunes directly. You should check out Apple’s instructions here, which explain how to archive a backup, so that your device will go back to the old version of the software if you choose to downgrade your device. Apple’s instruction require you to use iTunes instead of iCloud, though. Here’s a quick break down of the steps: 

Open iTunes and make sure it’s the latest version. 
Plug in your device and let it sync. 
Click on Summary, and then click Backup now. 
When the backup is done, go to iTunes > Preferences > Devices. 
Find your backup and Control-click the backup. Select Archive. 
Once all your data is safe, you simply head to Settings > General > Software update to see if it’s available to download. Then, Apple will send the update to download over the air. It’s much smaller this year at 1.3GB, so you should have room to download iOS 9 on your iPhone or iPad. Initially, some users had problems downloading the software, but it seems that iOS 9 downloads now work smoothly. 

Apple will likely update iOS 9 periodically with big fixes and so on.

Meet Poppi, the airline that wants to fix everything awful about air travel

Meet Poppi, the airline that wants to fix everything awful about air travel 

People like movies — no question about it — but not everyone likes to go through the painstaking task of filming and editing their own feature-length film. It’s often a difficult process, one that can be filled with time-consuming chores and tedious work, not to mention a costly budget. However, simple video editing can be done on the cheap if you’re willing to part with powerful, high-end software like Final Cut Pro or Sony Vegas Pro in favor of a more modest program. Let’s face it, you’re probably not going to be making Spielberg-seque films, but your home movies and YouTube uploads can take on a whole new shine with a few straightforward tools. 


Below are our picks for the best free, video-editing software available for Windows and Mac OS X. Now you can channel your inner Michael Kahn, Thelma Schoonmaker, or Arthur Schmidt on a nonexistent budget. Ready, set, EDIT. 

Updated 9-24-15 by Rachel Grozanick: Updated external links, software descriptions, screenshots, and swapped several alternative options (i.e. WeVideo, Magisto). 

iMovie (Mac OS X and iOS) 

iMovie screen shot 
Apple’s iMovie has long been one of the most consumer-orientated video editors out there. It’s packaged with iLife, a simple software suite that comes bundled with every Mac, and touts some serious practicability for the everyday user. The latest version of the software allows you to import and edit video clips from a variety of external devices, such as smartphones and GoPro cameras, and sports a clean interface that is attractive and easy to navigate. 

Aside from video, images and audio can also be incorporated into your project by simply dragging your desired multimedia into the project area and arranging them in timeline-like fashion. The resulting video can always be previewed in real time, as well as any effects — themes, text, music, voice-overs, etc. — before exporting the file directly to YouTube or iCloud. Newer features include a basic audio editor, the option to make previews for apps you’ve developed, and the even ability to make your own movie trailers complete with transitions and end credits. It’s not a tour de force of video editing, but it’s perfectly suitable for home videos and minor projects. 

Windows Movie Maker (Windows) 

movie maker screen shot 
Although Movie Maker is not officially supported in Windows 10, you can still download and use it to create videos. Like iMovie, it’s another easy-to-use video editor capable of creating fresh videos without all the complicated bells and whistles of more robust programs such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro. The software lets users combine video, images, and audio using a drag-and-drop method similar to iMovie, and it features all the essential functions we now come to expect from any basic editing software. Adding themes and effects is a breeze, as is trimming video and one-step uploading to various sites like YouTube and Facebook. 

Limited format support is a drawback, as is the jarring white background which makes its resemblance to Microsoft Word even more pronounced. A decent video converter or media player can typically solve the format issue within minutes, though. For the background color, you’re on your own. Additionally, the full-screen preview and high-definition webcam capture are also a plus. The audio editing capabilities are pretty limited, but for simple videos, the software’s fade in and fade out capabilities should suffice. Windows Movie Maker certainly won’t floor you with its capabilities, but it does offer enough free incentives to keep the amateur video editor satisfied without the financial burden of the aforementioned, heavy-duty programs. 

Lightworks (Windows/Mac/Linux) 

Lightworks Screen Shot 
Most of the software programs in our roundup can’t boast Hollywood credentials like Lightworks can. EditShare’s non-linear editing system has been used to help produce everything from LA Confidential and Pulp Fiction to Hugo and The King’s Speech, offering a solid set of both free and premium tools that we simply can’t ignore. Notable features include professional-level color correction, GPU-accelerated real-time effects, video capture, and nearly all-encompassing format support. However, the free version is only capable of exporting MPEG-4 files with a resolution of up to 720p. Thankfully, Lightworks also offers traditional tools for importing, trimming, and seamlessly weaving audio and video together with a few effortless mouse clicks. 

Other great inclusions are the program’s instant auto-save functionality, which works flawlessly in the background, and the ability to select Avid and Final Cut Pro keyboard layouts if you refuse to adopt Lightworks’ default design. Despite its brawny capabilities, it’s quick and on-point, and the full-screen interface is polished and well organized as well. Also, given the open-source nature of the software and steep learning curve associated with the freemium product, the program’s forums are more bustling than most. Lightworks is by far the most fully featured video editor on our list, however it’s also the one that requires the user to be the most tech-savvy to truly tap into its powerful framework and flagship feature set. 

Avidemux (Windows/Mac/Linux) 

avidemux screen shot 
Avidemux is the Instagram of video editing software: quick, dirty, and impressively capable. The software is designed for quick trimming, filtering, encoding, and a slew of other basic features. The cross-platform software remains open-source — with a resourceful wiki page to boot — and tasks can be automated using assorted projects, job queues, and custom scripting capabilities that push it slightly beyond barebones functionality. 

Moreover, with light features also comes a light footprint, and Avidemux takes up little space compared to the other programs in our roundup. It also allows users to change extensions and select individual output formats when they’re finished editing a video, but the less-than-friendly user interface makes it difficult to navigate the more intricate features and worthwhile tools. It may remain a bit buggy and prone to crashing, but the program’s defaults still work as intended. Avidemux is a standout choice once you learn your way around the software. Just remember to save your work. 

VSDC Free Video Editor 

VSDC free video editor screen shot 
The lesser-known VSDC Free Video Editor comes bundled with a hodgepodge of video-editing features — not to mention an onslaught of adware — most of which is designed for quick editing and conversion. Also, while the software might be free, the technical support is not. 

However, the editor still boasts a good deal of capabilities when it comes time to alter lighting, splice video, and apply filters and transitions in post production, and once you get used to the clunky interface, you can make good use of all of them. Furthermore, the software sports a minimalist design and a simple navigation ribbon that isn’t nearly as complex as it looks. The software also handles many common formats, from AVI to MP4, and combines audio and video effects with ease. 

While the software does run slow when utilizing more power-intensive tools, the recent builds rarely crash and offer optimized save outputs for a variety of devices, including smartphones and gaming consoles. Like Lightworks, the non-linear editing system is able to produce stellar, professional-grade videos in the right hands, but users will have to get over the learning hurdle before they really start to see what VSDC Free Video Editor is capable of. 

Other programs 

While Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, and Lightworks may take the crown as far as free video-editing software goes, there are scores of other free programs capable of performing basic video-editing functions without dipping into your wallet. They might be a little lackluster, slow, or downright unattractive, but they’re still worth a look if Microsoft and Apple’s user-friendly software fails to catch your eye.

iOS 9 is out: Better battery life, smarter Siri in Apple software update

By ANICK JESDANUN 
AP Technology Writer 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Apple's iPhones and iPads are getting free software updates Wednesday, including battery improvements and a smarter virtual assistant. 

The new features and capabilities in the update, iOS 9, are primarily refinements rather than anything transformative. But the new software is still worth getting, especially as new apps often require the latest version to work. 

Apple Watch was also supposed to get a software update Wednesday, but that got delayed because Apple found a bug. A separate Mac update, known as El Capitan, will come this fall. 

Here are some things to know about Wednesday's updates: 

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ON THE IPHONE 

Although some features such as 3D Touch contextual menus will require the new iPhones that are coming next week, existing devices will get: 

-- Battery life: Besides under-the-hood improvements, a new low-power mode will reduce or turn off non-essential tasks such as visual effects and automatic downloads. The phone also won't check for new mail or update content for apps in the background as often. 

-- Navigation: From the main home screen, swipe left to right for a new search screen. The Siri virtual assistant suggests frequently used contacts and apps and nearby businesses, taking into account whether it's evening or lunch time. As you jump around from app to app, some apps show a new back button on the top left corner to get you back to what you were doing. 

-- Notifications: Swipe down from the top edge for missed notifications, with the most recent on top. Before, they were grouped by app, so you had to sift through weeks-old notifications from little-used apps to find the new ones. You can restore grouping by app in the settings. 

-- Sleeping in: If you choose a particular song as your alarm sound, the song will keep playing until you turn off the alarm or hit snooze. Before, the alarm automatically stops once the song ends, even if you didn't hear it. Now, you'll hear it over and over -- though that might just encourage you to stay in bed. 

-- Security: If you have a new device with fingerprint ID, you'll be asked to create a longer passcode as a backup, with six digits instead of four. Because you'll need to enter your passcode less often, it might as well be stronger. The four-digit passcode won't change if you're simply upgrading rather than setting up a new device. 

-- Getting there: Apple Maps gets transit directions in major cities, addressing a major omission. In some cities, including New York and London, Apple sent teams to map out subway entrances for more precise directions to and from stations -- helpful when stations stretch for blocks underground. 

-- Gone: The Newsstand icon disappears, replaced by an unrelated News service. Go directly to the publication's app for your subscriptions. You can recreate Newsstand by putting all the apps into the same folder. Passbook gets replaced by Wallet, now that the Apple Pay payment service is becoming a bigger part of Apple's ambitions. Apple Pay will now work with store-branded credit cards and loyalty cards, though it'll be up to merchants to decide when they'll start accepting them. 

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ON THE IPAD 

Though Apple's larger-screen iPad Pro for business customers isn't coming until November, existing iPads get the new iPhone features, along with others geared toward improving productivity: 

-- Multitasking: Swipe left from the right edge to run a second app, such as Maps to look up directions or Notes to jot down reminders. The choices are limited for now, but expect more developers to support that function. You can also run video in a small window while another app uses the rest of the screen. Do this by tapping an icon on the lower right of the video. You can move the video window to any corner or resize it by pinching in and out. It works only with a few video apps for now, but more are coming. 

-- Laptop-like controls: Place two fingers on the on-screen keyboard and start sliding around the screen to move the cursor around. 

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HOW TO GET: 

Back up your device and make sure your favorite apps will be compatible. Popular apps will likely have updates right away, but obscure ones might need more time to catch up. 

When you're ready, go to "General," then "Software Update" in the settings. You need at least 1.3 gigabytes of free space. 

You also need an iPhone or an iPad released in 2011 or later, or an iPod Touch since 2012. Not every feature will work with older models, so you might consider a new phone instead. New devices will ship with the updates already installed.

This Software Can Read Your Mind -- In A Good Way!

In A Good Way!  This Software Can Read Your Mind

Bioengineers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are working on software that would read your mind. However, they're using it for good, not evil. 

The software is based on a mathematical algorithm that can use signals from your motor movements to tell what you are trying to do, whether it's driving a car down a highway, picking up a heavy box or writing a letter. Then, if you make a mistake or get interrupted, the software can steer you back on course. 

The software would be especially useful to people who have had a stoke, or possibly people with neurological disorders like spastic cerebral palsy, where the messages sent from the brain to the body sometimes get garbled along the way, leading to involuntary movements. 

Justin Horowitz, the graduate research assistant in bioengineering who developed the algorithm, explains that, when a person who has had a stroke develops involuntary movements, it's a lot like driving a car and hitting a pothole. 

"If we hit a patch of ice and the car starts swerving, we want the car to know where we meant to go," he said. "It needs to correct the car's course not to where I am now pointed, but [to] where I meant to go." 

The software could be used, literally, to correct the course of an out-of-control car, but also for fine motor movements that are interrupted by inconsistent brain signals. 

To develop the software, Horowitz hooked people up to a virtual reality system that had them sitting at a virtual desk (worst video game ever), and asked them to reach for an object on that desk. Then, their hand was pushed in the wrong direction. All the while, the machinery was detecting and recording the subject's movements, so that it could analyze what movement intention looks like and how to identify and correct when that intention is thwarted. 

"We call it a psychic robot," Horowitz said. 

The study, titled "I Meant to Do That," is published online in the journal PLOS ONE. It was funded by the NIH and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders.

Software download expected to increase despite bugs

iOS 9 installed on more than 50 percent iDevices; Software download expected to increase despite bugs 

iOS 9 is Apple's fastest operating system downloaded in more than 50 percent of iDevices since its official release. The number of iOS 9 downloads is expected to increase despite bugs reported by users who have installed the software. 

Apple Insider reported that iOS 9 is the "fastest adoption in Apple history", with over more than 50 percent of Apple users downloading the latest OS in their iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch handsets. The data was based on the number of access to the App Store on September 19. 

Marketing chief Phil Schiller stated that iOS 9 will be the most downloaded OS in the history of Apple. Other data firms' estimates only place the number at 20 to 36 percent, lower than Apple's report. iOS 9 was able to beat Android 5.0 Lollipop adoption, with only 21 percent of installs since its launch according to Google. 

However, Apple users reported experiencing issues with iOS 9 according to CNET. Tweeter user Isaac Miltimore said in a tweet that his apps are crashing since he updated his OS. iOS 9 had the same problem with iOS 8 which was complained of causing problematic Wi-Fi connection and shorter battery life. 

Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said that bugs are expected to appear with the launch of a new operating system. According to Munster, the number of iOS 9 installs will keep increasing amidst bug reports. As more users send information about iOS 9 issues, Apple will be able to solve those problems faster. 

Earlier reports such as that of Tech Times said that Apple's iOS 9 had around 20 percent download rate 48 hours after launch. The number was based on a report by Mixpanel, a third-party mobile data statistics company. 

CEO Suhail Doshi of Mixpanel attributed iOS 9's fast adoption rate to its smaller download size compare to other OS. "One huge advantage Apple got right this year over last year was that the update is much smaller than last year (3.5x smaller) - Apple has empathy for its users who have nearly maxed out their space on their phones", Doshi said. "However, one issue for it being substantially slow compared to iOS 7 is that servers are having trouble keeping up right now as people update." 

Apple's latest iOS 9 software boasts upgrades like iPad multitasking, a revamped News app, search and battery improvements, and a smarter Siri. iOS 9 is supported on fifth-gen iPod touch, iPad 2 and latest iPads, and iPhone 4s up. It can be downloaded via iTunes or via OTA update in iOS Settings' Software Update.

Quake First Responders Get Assist From AI Software

Quake First Responders Get Assist From AI Software

When an major earthquake strikes a city, it’s a desperate challenge for rescue teams to figure out which neighborhoods have suffered the worst damage, and where injured people might be trapped under the rubble. 

But a California startup plans to use a new tool that could be the hottest thing since rescue dogs — artificial intelligence software. 

NEWS: Are Earthquakes Contagious? 

A Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup called OneConcern gathers publicly available data on the age, design and materials used in buildings, adds census data on the population and uses that information to develop an algorithm (an equation) that understands the ways that quakes can damage structures, according to a recent article in New Scientist. 

In the event of a quake, seismic information about the event would be added, and the software would predict how various buildings would respond to the shock waves. 

The software would create a map that indicates the location of the buildings are most likely to be damaged, which first responders could use in deciding which areas to prioritize. 

NEWS: Potential For Super-Quakes Underestimated 

“We know the population of every block,” OneConcern co-founder Ahmad Wani told New Scientist. “We multiply the damage and population to get a response priority. So a school with 100 children — it makes more sense to go there.” 

San Mateo, Calif. emergency officials are currently putting the software through an experimental trial. 

AI clearly has a growing usefulness when it comes to earthquakes. In April, after a devastating quake struck Nepal, the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs utilized an AI program to analyze information generated by mobile phones, satellites, and social media, in an effort to direct rescuers, according to an article in Foreign Affairs magazine.