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The final nail in the<br />
Windows Phone coffin?<br />
Or can Windows 10 Mobile<br />
prevail?<br />
New Aussie ISP automatically circumvents geoblocks<br />
Is it time to ditch the VPN?<br />
A new ISP that is currently scheduled<br />
for launch sometime before the end<br />
of August, is planning to dramatically<br />
change the way Australians can<br />
circumvent the geographical divides<br />
imposed on the web. Yournet (yournet.<br />
global) is boasting a technology called<br />
‘Global Mode’ that will allow Australians<br />
to access foreign internet services, such<br />
as HBO Go or Netflix’s US video streams,<br />
but won’t block equivalent local services<br />
like ABC’s iview — one of the current<br />
downsides to using a VPN.<br />
According to a Fairfax interview with<br />
Yournet founder Raj Bhuva, the company<br />
has leased the Global Mode technology<br />
After years of Windows<br />
users being able to pick<br />
and choose which security<br />
updates and new features<br />
would get installed, a controversial<br />
decision from Microsoft has made<br />
updates in Windows 10 mandatory,<br />
causing many early testers to get<br />
understandably peeved. Reports of<br />
an updated Nvidia driver causing<br />
performance issues on certain<br />
systems is just one example of how<br />
mandatory updates have so far<br />
bothered users.<br />
Thankfully, there’s also a way<br />
to avoid those unwanted updates<br />
— a troubleshooter package has<br />
been released that allows users to<br />
temporarily prevent a Windows or<br />
driver update from reinstalling in<br />
Windows 10. The package, which<br />
can be found by simply Googling<br />
from Bypass Network Services, a New<br />
Zealand-based tech company that has<br />
landed some of its NZ ISP clients in legal<br />
hot water over the use of the technology.<br />
But in the interview, Bhuva stated that<br />
his company has legal advice suggesting<br />
geo-dodging is more clearly permitted<br />
under Australian law.<br />
The company intends to launch with<br />
a $129.95 per month unlimited ADSL 2+<br />
plan and is currently working on an NBN<br />
option. Yournet also intends to focus<br />
on offering better streaming quality by<br />
minimising the number of customers<br />
sharing network links.<br />
Joel Burgess<br />
Block unwanted<br />
Windows 10 updates<br />
Mandatory updates? Microsoft’s got a tool<br />
to deal with those…<br />
‘KB3073930’, was made for the<br />
Windows 10 Insider Preview,<br />
although it should also work on<br />
the final release version.<br />
The troubleshooter will allow<br />
you to hide any updates that are<br />
causing you strife, and it will also<br />
let you manually select drivers for<br />
automatic installation. While this<br />
is a temporary solution, let’s hope<br />
that a proper fix for this issue is<br />
on the way. Stephen Lambrechts<br />
Early in July, Microsoft announced<br />
that it would cut another 7,800 jobs<br />
from its Windows Phone division,<br />
adding to the already trimmed 18,000<br />
Nokia employees following that<br />
company’s acquisition early last year.<br />
In addition to the cuts, Microsoft CEO<br />
Satya Nadella stated that the company<br />
would write off its $7.6 billion Nokia<br />
acquisition as a whole, since the global<br />
market share of the Windows Phone<br />
OS has gone backwards in the past<br />
year to a new low of 3.2%. In light of<br />
this, Microsoft’s stated it will focus on<br />
producing just a few tiers of Windows<br />
10 Mobiles going forward. JB<br />
Robot passes selfawareness<br />
test<br />
Me, myself and I, Robot.<br />
In what’s being called a milestone<br />
in AI development, an Americandeveloped<br />
robot recently passed a<br />
rudimentary test in self-awareness.<br />
Selmer Bringsjord, a professor at<br />
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New<br />
York sat three of his Nao humanoid<br />
robots in a room together and asked<br />
them a riddle intended to show selfawareness.<br />
Two of the robots had their<br />
vocal abilities turned off (though none<br />
of the three were informed) then the<br />
three were asked which robot was<br />
still able to speak. All three attempted<br />
to say, “I don’t know,” but only one<br />
succeeded. The successful robot then<br />
recognised its own voice and deduced<br />
that it was the robot not silenced by<br />
saying, “Sorry, I now know.” JB<br />
Razer buys Ouya<br />
A new player in lounge room<br />
gaming?<br />
In June, financial advisers to laptop<br />
and gaming hardware manufacturer<br />
Razer unintentionally revealed that<br />
the company was in talks to acquire<br />
indie Android console maker Ouya,<br />
which launched following a successful<br />
Kickstarter campaign in 2012. After<br />
more than a month of speculation,<br />
Razer has finally stepped forward to<br />
officially announce the acquisition.<br />
Ouya has been an interesting<br />
independent player in the console<br />
market, but has struggled to gain<br />
any real market traction following<br />
its launch in 2013. TechCrunch<br />
reported that Ouya had been valued<br />
between US$60-80 million in the<br />
lead up to the deal, although how<br />
much Razer paid for the company<br />
has not officially been disclosed. JB<br />
www.apcmag.com 7
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