A weekly collection of tech related stories you might want to check out.
Xbox One News Items – We found out this week that the Xbox One is in mass production now and Major Nelson, aka Larry Hryb, posted a photo of the first consoles being palletized for shipment. You can not see much but plain cardboard boxes but apparently the consoles are packed in there and heading to a retailer near you. We also learned that the Xbox One will launch on November 22, 2013 which is the Friday before what is popularly known as Black Friday here in the US so that makes for two big shopping days for electronics retailers. Then just today we learn about how about how Xbox One will integrate with SmartGlass and how the experience will be enhanced on your Windows 8 devices.
Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for September 2013 – Patch Tuesday is next week and the advance notice came out from Microsoft this week with a heads up on what to expect. There are 14 bulletins and related updates expected to be released and four of them are considered critical in nature and the remaining 10 labeled as important. The generic info will be updated after the updates are released so make sure you check back on the advance notice page when the info is published to know what is specifically being addressed. You can also tune into Microsoft’s webcast which is scheduled for September 11, 2013, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). You can watch it on-demand if you miss the live broadcast.
Windows XP post April 2014: Non-Microsoft support emerges – I am only bringing your attention to this story to say two simple words – STAY AWAY! The company in question may be very reputable but are you willing to invest in an option that you can not 100% guarantee your security with while running Windows XP past the official support date of April 2014? Listen folks Windows XP is ancient in tech years and it is time to move on. Make a plan to get to at least Windows 7 or maybe even Windows 8.1 because a hardware upgrade is most likely necessary as you move off of Windows XP machines. Do the right thing and move off of Windows XP. Is it going to hurt – yes – but it is time to pull that band aid off and get it over with.
Stay safe out there everyone!
