Today is Safer Internet Day, and Microsoft wants you to know that it thinks security is a really good thing. That’s most of what it has to say, really.
Jacqueline Beauchere, chief online security officer for Microsoft, wrote a very Microsoft blog post that managed to encourage good security habits while otherwise saying not much at all.
The blog post mentioned that (spoiler alert) unsolicited callers claiming to be from Microsoft aren’t actually from Microsoft. But the focus of the post wasn’t that or other security tips: it was in mentioning that interested parties can sign up for a class at Microsoft Stores to learn more about this.
“The workshops are designed to help people learn what to do if they’re contacted by someone purporting to peddle security software and services, and claiming to be from a company like Microsoft,” wrote Beauchere. At the risk of giving away the ending, we suspect the answer is “don’t give them your credit card number.”
The post then shifted to a list of basic security advice, including:
We shouldn’t mock Microsoft so much for this post: although generic, the tips are broadly helpful. Reviewing these things regularly is a good idea.
The problem is the lack of concrete steps for users to take. It’s hard not to contrast this with Google’s offering for Internet Security Day, which provides users a one-stop page to review every aspect of their Google security settings.
In five minutes users could review their recovery information, see a list of devices that recently connected to their account, review permissions given to third-party services, and more. And because Google offered two gigabytes of Drive storage to everyone who participated, the effort went massively viral.
A blog post with a few superficial security tips, and a promo for Microsoft’s retail outlets, is far less likely to be mentioned anywhere. Here’s hoping the traditional rivalry between Google and Microsoft prompts a more complete celebration of Safer Internet Day next year.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.