app

A Google-owned app aims to tell you the right time to leave on a car journey based on current traffic. It's something of a chicken and egg situation though, as the more people who use Waze, the more accurate it gets. Waze was developed by an Israeli ... company and bought out by Google in 2013. Unlike most GPS navigation tools, it doesn't work solely by databases of roads. Instead, it gathers anonymized information from users about their journeys, measuring exactly how long they take to cover a particular route and where they are being held up. The idea is to use this crowdsourced ... (view more)

A new phone app is said to help detect earthquakes and provide quicker warnings than is currently possible. The 'MyShake app' has many limitations, but could theoretically still save lives. The app uses the accelerometer that's built into most ... modern phones. It's a small gadget that measures movement in the phone along three axes (left-right, up-down, back-forth) and powers all sorts of features, including fitness tools and the way that displays automatically rotate and resize if you turn the phone from landscape to portrait or vice versa. The idea of MyShake is to constantly monitor ... (view more)

Can Christmas tree lights degrade a WiFi signal? A British government agency suggests exactly that, but tech experts say it's unlikely to have a noticeable effect. The claim came in a press release for a new app to check WiFi quality. Ofcom, which ... is roughly equivalent to the Federal Communications Commission, noted that WiFi problems "could be down to something as simple as interference from other electronic devices, such as a microwave oven, baby monitor, a lamp - or even Christmas fairy lights." (Source: ofcom.org.uk ) The app runs some basic checks to see whether data is ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Frank C. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your excellent articles on Windows 10. A few weeks ago I upgraded to Windows 10 32-bit, but now I want to upgrade to Windows 10 64-bit. I read your article, ' How to Upgrade from Windows ... 10 32-bit to 64-bit ', but I don't understand why I am receiving the error 'this app can't run on your PC' when attempting to run the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. I have verified that my processor supports 64-bit, so I don't understand why I am being plagued by this error message. Do you have any idea how I can ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jeff P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have the 'get windows 10' app on my PC, however, when try and install Windows 10, I get multiple error codes and it won't upgrade my system to Windows 10. Is it possible for me to reformat my hard ... drive, then reinstall Windows 7 (clean), download all my windows updates, then use the Windows 10 media creation tool and install Windows 10 from that? My major concern is that I will lose my reservation for Windows 10 after I format my hard drive. Can I reserve my Windows 10 upgrade again later, especially after I format my hard drive? " My ... (view more)

The audience at an Apple launch event was shocked to see a Microsoft executive on stage this week. It marks a closer collaboration between the former bitter rivals, centered on people using Microsoft Office on the move. The appearance came from Kirk ... Koenigsbauer, one of Microsoft's many corporate vice presidents. He's responsible for the various versions of Office 365, which allows users to have an ongoing subscription (plus all relevant updates) to Microsoft Office, rather than buy a particular edition outright. Koenigsbauer attended the event to show off how Office 365 will work on ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jessy R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I reserved my free copy of Windows 10 using the 'Get Windows 10' app in the tray bar, but now I'm not sure if I should go through with the upgrade. I think I might wait a bit to see what the ... response is from the general public before I upgrade to Windows 10. Question: if I cancel my reservation, can I reserve Windows 10 again later? I was about to cancel the reservation the other day but the message box said that I might miss out on the offer to get the free upgrade. What can I do? " My response: If you cancel the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ed H. writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding Windows 10: do I have to reinstall my programs once Windows 10 is installed, or will everything move over automatically? I'm confused because I read that if I install Windows 10 I will have ... to reinstall programs, but other websites say that I won't have to reinstall any programs. How can I know for sure? " My response: Most users will be doing an 'in-place upgrade' through Windows Update; in that case, most of your programs (including your user data) should automatically move over without any problems. On the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Rob B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a Dell D630 laptop and an Acer Aspire One D-150 that I managed to install Windows 7 on. The Dell laptop is Windows 7 64-bit, while the Acer is Windows 7 32-bit. So far neither of the computers ... have shown the 'Get Windows 10' app in the tray bar, while my main machine (an Asus with an Intel core i7) says it is ready for the Windows 10 upgrade. I was hoping to use one of the other laptops to put Windows 10 on, but I get the feeling that they are missing something necessary in their CPUs to allow installation. I should also ... (view more)

A French grocery chain is turning its overhead lighting into a way to send special offers directly to shopper's phones. It's seen as a way to experiment with technology, while still serving a more basic function. The lights are created by Philips ... and are being tried at a Lille branch of Carrefour, one of France's major chains of food and home goods stores. The entire store has been refitted with LED bulbs. Unlike ordinary bulbs, these transmit a signal by emitting light at a specific frequency for each bulb. The light can't be seen by the human eye; however, the front-facing ... (view more)