Windows 10 upgrade countdown
Microsoft continues to wrestle with the hearts and minds of Windows 7 and 8.X would-be upgraders. In a new twist to the upgrade nag, Microsoft has added a bit of salt and pepper in the form of a re-jigged system tray icon 'alert' and a countdown timer in the Get Windows 10 popup dialogue.
Neowin reports that the Windows 10 (GWX) app icon in the system tray is now superimposed with a yellow triangle sporting an exclamation mark. In Windows such an alert or warning symbol is usually reserved for more series purposes but it seems like anything goes with the push for Windows 10 adoption. Remember more Windows 10 user equals more search advertising revenue.
Further building the sense of urgency to upgrade to Windows 10 soon is a countdown timer within the GWX app interface. The free update looks set to expire a week on Friday, as hopefully will the GWX app which has annoyed many Windows users with its pop-ups and questionable UI behaviour.
France gives Microsoft deadline to stop tracking Windows 10 users
Windows 10 is “collecting excessive user data,” asserts the French data protection commission. Microsoft has been given three months to comply with French privacy laws and guarantee "the security and confidentiality" of its users' personal information, reports The Verge.
The full notice given to Microsoft on the matter is published here. If Microsoft doesn’t comply with French demands, then it will be further investigated with possible sanctions being put in place against it / Windows. Microsoft VP and deputy general counsel David Heiner said that the company will work with CNIL, France's privacy watchdog, to develop “solutions that it will find acceptable.”
Windows 10 warning Chrome and Firefox users about battery drain
Obviously eager to push its own new Edge browser Microsoft has started to implement Windows tooltips warning users of alternative browsers such as Chrome and Firefox about battery drain. You can see an example of one such popup message, below, recommending a Chrome browser user “Switch to Microsoft Edge for up to 36 per cent more browsing time”.
According to VentureBeat’s clarification, direct from Microsoft, “These Windows Tips notifications were created to provide people with quick, easy information that can help them enhance their Windows 10 experience, including information that can help users extend battery life.” The Microsoft spokesperson added that Windows 10 makes it easy to change default browsers and search engines.
Microsoft isn’t alone in this software recommending behaviour. I always get a recommendation to download and use Chrome when using Google Translate in Firefox.
