Top 4 Tech Stories Of 2015
Microsoft Bounces Back With Windows 10
After a disastrous launch of Windows 8 and a tepid start for Microsoft’s Surface line, Microsoft came back in a big way in 2015. Windows 10 brought back the Start Menu and has so far been a hit with experts and most users.
By making it a free upgrade to anyone using Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, Microsoft helped ensure a rapid adoption rate.
On the hardware front, The Surface 3, Surface Pro4 and Surface Book laptop have all been well received.
Hackers Attack
Security breaches at government agencies and large corporations have put the data of millions of people at risk.
From the U.S. Office of Personnel management exposing info on more than 20 million people to intrusions at the FBI and CIA to a breach at Experian that exposed the information of 15 million T-Mobile users, it seems that no one’s data was safe.
Intrusions at Blue Cross and CVS and Walgreens pharmacies put your medical information at risk. To add insult to injury, even the companies that you pay to protect your information experienced breaches. LastPass, the popular softwware management service saw hackers access millions of passwords. So what’s the solution? Many say it’s time to kill passwords.
The Drive To Kill Passwords
Passwords are universally hated by almost all the tech giants. They are searching hard for alternatives. This past year saw a push towards biometric options like facial recognition and fingerprint readers.
Yahoo! Mail and Google Mail also introduced options to log by using two-factor authentication and an app on your smartphone.
Scientists are even testing out ideas like password pills that are powered by stomach acid. They haven’t found the answers yet, but expect the crusade to kill the password to continue.
The Apple Watch
This super-slick iPhone accessory isn’t quite the watch Dick Tracy dreamed of, but it got everyone talking about the possibilities for a smart watch, a product category which has struggled.
The watches were in high demand when the debuted and probably helped pave the way for Samsung’s very well- received Gear S2.
~ Cynthia
I don’t worry about password security on my smartphone. I will never use it to go online. Don’t trust the security combination of smartphones, The Cloud and especially incompetent Yahoo.