The Digest: Microsoft pulls another dodgy patch… and 5 other things people are talking about this morning
Microsoft has again been forced to pull a patch to prevent nasty side-effects, according to The Register:
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next”]“The patch that aimed to add ‘SHA-2 Hashing’ to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 has instead raised some concerns among Redmond’s customers. The company is therefore ‘investigating behavior associated with this update’ and recommends those who have implemented and have found things have since gone awry it uninstall the software.”
Speaking of Microsoft, it looks as though a Microsoft smartwatch could arrive in the next few weeks, says Shiny Shiny:
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next”]“Sources close to the project claim that the device will have two full days of battery life, and will be released in time for the Christmas shopping rush. This in itself was to give the company a boost and get the device out before Apple’s ‘early 2015’ Apple Watch release window.”
Apple’s iPhone 6 has driven UK consumer spending to three-year high, according to ITProPortal.com:
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next”]“Research … has shown that September saw consumer spending on electronics increase to a level of 20.9 per cent growth. For perspective, the average month in the first half of 2014 saw 4.5 per cent growth. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha helped matters, but it was the iPhone 6 models which caused the majority of the climb in the electronics sector, which represented exactly a third of total UK consumer spending last month.”
The BBC is using a free Doctor Who and the Daleks game to help introduce kids to coding, says PocketLint:
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next”]“The BBC has announced a free browser-based game based on Doctor Who that features a standalone story for the twelfth Doctor, voiced by Peter Capaldi and featuring his most infamous enemies, the Daleks. And, while designed to be fun, the game has been developed as part of the corporation’s Make it Digital initiative to inspire children to get involved with coding, digital technology and software programming.”
Google’s redesigned Gmail app supports Yahoo and Outlook accounts, according to The Verge:
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next”]“A leaked video demonstrates the new Gmail app, and Google notes within it that more than just Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook.com accounts are supported. It’s not clear whether the upcoming Gmail app will also support Exchange ActiveSync accounts like the built-in Android mail client, but if it does then that could spell the end of switching between mail clients on Android for most users.”
Snapchat messaging app gets its first ad… and it’s very creepy, says the Guardian:
[/nextpage]“The first one appeared inside the app’s Recent Updates screen for American users over the weekend: a 20-second trailer for horror film Ouija, paid for by studio Universal Pictures.”
