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Windows 10

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2016-05-06_084620

Windows 10 is available to everyone running Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 as a free upgrade until July 29, 2016. After this date the upgrade will cost between $90 and $120.

I recommend upgrading now if you can. There are many benefits to Windows 10 including the fact that your PC will always be on the most current version of Windows (perpetual upgrades for free until your hardware is too outdated) with the latest security patches. You can read about the features of Windows 10 here.

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Android in 2015?

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Update HERE: https://sodpit.com/2015/08/07/stagefright-update/

No device is secure and Google has proven that Android is no exception.  Google has sent fixes for some of these problems to device manufacturers and cell phone carriers. They blame the manufacturers and carriers for long delays in pushing these fixes to their users – which is true – BUT… the manufacturers and carriers didn’t write the code OR cause ANY of these problems.

I won’t be signing up for Android Auto any time soon.

Here are some of the most recent vulnerabilities…

(I will follow up when I have more time)

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Google Photos

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Google Picasa

Google Plus Photos

Google Photos!

Google released the new Google Photos on Thursday, May 28, 2015. This version of Google Photos has been completely separated from Google+ and is now a standalone app with tons of new features and abilities.

Improvements:

  • Google Photos now includes unlimited storage for all of your photos (16mp max) and videos (1080p max) – just select “High quality” instead of “Original size” for each device you install it on.
  • Sharing has never been easier: long press the first picture/video, swipe a window around others you want to include, tap any you don’t want in the set, hit the share button and then select “Get link”. Paste the link to your friends and they will be able to see the entire set of photos/videos in their Google Photos (app or web). Your friends can optionally save copies of the photos/videos to their own library. You can send hundreds or even thousands of photos and videos now with one link.
  • You can now pinch zoom in and out to see day, month and year views of your photo collection.
  • Search is now based on people, places and things which makes finding things extremely easy. Tap someone’s face and you will see all of the photos with that person in them. Pretty cool!

The new Google Photos is pretty amazing but I won’t cover everything here. I mainly wanted to get the information out there to everyone. I will update this page as time permits. You won’t believe it until you try it.

Once photos are synced to the Google Photos website you can safely move them from your phone (USB cable or however you do it) or you can delete them from your phone in the normal gallery app.

Some Google Photos settings I use: I tell my phone to always sync (not just on Wifi) and I also turn ON the option to NOT include geo-tagging (thanks Google for making this option intentionally confusing).

Information

Google Photos Website

About Google Photos

Picture this: A fresh approach to Photos (Blog Post)

Installation

First: Upgrade Google+ (Google Plus): Android / Apple iOS

Second: Install the new Google Photos: Android / Apple iOS / Google Photos Backup for PCs

Third: GO!!!

Resources

Watch this video to see the official announcement of Google Photos at Google I/O 2015

Wired: Google Photos Is Your New Essential Picture App

USA Today: Photo app smackdown: Google, Apple or Yahoo?

The Verge: Hands-on with Google’s new Photos service

Engadget: Google Photos offers unlimited storage for mobile and web

Huffington Post: Google Photos Now Available On Android, iOS And Web

Gizmodo: Google Photos: Free Unlimited Photo Storage With Automatic Organization

Apple Insider: Google reveals Google Photos with free, unlimited photo and video storage

Old Google+ Photos

Google I/O 2015 – Keynote

Picasa Web (redirects to the (now old) Google+ Photos)

Picasa Web (original Picasa albums, no redirect)