Pine64 has been making Raspberry Pi-like single-board computers for a while, but over the past few years the company has become one of the most interesting players in the cheap Linux computer space. The company’s PinePhone is a $150 smartphone designed to run GNU/Linux software. The PineBook Pro is a $200 Linux laptop with specs […]
coronavirus
Microsoft extends Windows 10 version 1809 support through November 2020
Microsoft releases major Windows 10 updates about twice a year, and then offers support for at least 18 months for folks that might want to skip an upgrade or two. Normally that would mean that support for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update would be set to end in May, 2020. But Microsoft has announced […]
Now you can watch Instagram Live with a web browser (no plugin required)
Sporting events, concerts, and other live events have been cancelled or postponed for months due to the social distancing and stay-at-home initiatives meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. But a lot of musicians have been turning to live streaming as a way to stay connected with their fans. For many, Instagram Live has been […]
Canalys & Gartner: PC shipments were down in Q1, despite increased demand (updated)
After years of declining PC shipments, things were starting to look up, with analysis’s spotting an uptick at the end of 2019. And then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Research firm Canalys says demand was up in the first quarter of 2020. But there were production and shipping delays related to the international efforts to curb […]
Google and Apple announce contact-tracing initiative to combat COVID-19
Part of what makes COVID-19 dangerous is the way it spreads from person to person — you don’t need to be showing symptoms to be contagious, and that can make it difficult to know how or when you got the disease or who you may have come in contact with since then that may also […]
Unicode Consortium says there will be no new emoji in 2021 (Updated)
The organization responsible for publishing the Unicode Standard says that it’s pushing back the release of Unicode 14.0 by six months due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In a nutshell, a lot of volunteer time goes into producing an updated standard, and many volunteers have a lot of other things on their minds at […]
Webcams are almost as hard to find as hand sanitizer and toilet paper
It’s hard to find toilet paper or hand sanitizer on store shelves in the US these days. And it looks like you can add another item to the list — webcams. While it’s not impossible to find a webcam, many of the most popular models appear to be out of stock at most online retailers. I […]
Comcast removes data caps during pandemic, has no trouble meeting increased demand
So a funny thing happened after internet service provider Comcast temporarily suspended data caps in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: nothing much at all. Or to put it another way, the company says it saw a 32-percent increase in peak traffic, a 212-percent increase in VoIP and video conferencing traffic, and a 38-percent increase in […]
Lilbits 384: Stay inside and stream (or game, or read, or whatever)
Last week I put together a list of 40+ free things to stream, play, read, watch, or listen to while you’re stuck at home trying to flatten the curve and maybe load up on carbohydrates. But companies kept offering up more freebies. So as of now the list has ballooned to become 70+ freebies for […]
Google Duo now supports group calls up to 12 people (Google Duodeca?)
Google Duo began its life a few years ago as a simple app for making two-way video calls using your smartphone. Over time Google added a web client, and support for making group video calls. And now a senior Google official has announced the company is increasing the number of people that can participate in […]