Monthly Archives: December 2020

New UI For Alarms & Clock App

A new UI (user interface) for the Alarms & Clock app is currently in the works for Windows 10.

According to Windows Central, this UI has been unannounced as part of the “Sun Valley UI refresh”. Zac Bowden, a senior editor, stated on the blog, “The new app update is in testing now with Insiders in the Dev Channel, and will likely roll out to production machines sometime in 2021. I understand that this Alarms & Clock app update is part of the Sun Valley initiative, which aims to reinvigorate the Windows user experience with a refreshed design and new features in time for the fall 2021 release.”

Source: Windows Central

It appears the devs are recreating simplistic apps, such as this one, to make them look more modernized with the other Windows 10 apps. There’s a definite difference in the current UI and the one in development.

The Alarm & Clock app is currently being tested by Windows Insiders.

If you are part of the Windows Insiders Program, you can update your computer before anyone else does – great for future reference. If you’d like to sign up, you can register here, accept the terms and you’ll receive a Welcome E-mail. Be sure to read the Important Notice before agreeing to join, as it adds a variety of risks to your computer.

For help troubleshooting Windows 10 issues, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Mesa Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Mesa, AZ please call the local office at (480) 240-2950.

Statement on SolarWinds Breach

On Monday, Dec 14, SolarWinds reported that its Orion platform had been breached by an insertion of malicious code. This code was then distributed through the system to approximately 18,000 potential users. The code targeted large scale corporate and governmental network infrastructure(s). This exploit impacted emails through the Treasury and Commerce departments, as well as the Department of Homeland Security prompting an immediate disconnect from all services based on the Orion platform by US government agencies.

Fortunately, the SolarWinds software that we provide to our clients is not a part of the corporate scale Orion system and our systems and the software we use was not subject to any data loss or breach.This attack targeted large scale, multi-server networks at the corporate and government level and is in no way connected to the SolarWinds services we provide to our clients. Despite not being the targets of this hack, our SolarWinds team is working proactively to monitor the situation and maintain the integrity of our own services to ensure that our client’s information is safe and remains private.

At this time, the server the attack originated from has been identified and federal cybersecurity experts are working to identify the individuals responsible as quickly as possible. We value the trust and faith our clients place in us and hope that this announcement will calm any uncertainty resulting from this situation. Any of our clients that would like to ask questions about this incident are more than welcome to call into our head office at 1-800-620-5285 and speak with the Helpdesk for clarification on the circumstances of this breach. We understand that our clients trust us with their information and we are working tirelessly to monitor the situation and provide proactive support and response — should other platforms under the SolarWinds banner become compromised. Any further updates will be provided as quickly as possible.

Thank you,
The Karls Technology Team

What is the X-Mode Tracker?

The Wall Street Journal shared a report recently about the X-Mode Tracker. But why it is being banned from certain phone apps?

This particular tracker collects information for government organizations. The information taken is then bought and sold for many purposes.

According to the report, “The two largest mobile-phone platforms told developers this week that they must remove X-Mode’s tracking software from any app present in their app stores or risk losing access to any phones running Apple’s or Google’s mobile operating systems.”

Both Apple and Google told all developers they will ban any apps that include the X-Mode software, unless it is removed within 7 days.

Although many apps with this software include a terms of service. This include an opt-in for data collection. The decision for removal is to protect the users. Even if the user accepts the terms, their data can be abused by the ones collecting it.

For software related inquiries, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service. If you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Use Cortana to Find Files on Your Computer

Another Windows 10 update will be released soon, but for now the devs are having some fun. Windows Insiders are getting a sneak peek at the new Cortana feature, which will extend its skills.

According to Tech Radar, “Windows Insiders that have updated to the latest build of Windows 10 can now use Cortana to translate their thoughts into direct actions to find and open files which helps save time spent navigating around the operating system.”

Source: Windows Blog

Cortana became a separate app for Windows 10 in the May 2020 update. The option to disable Cortana was available to users as well. But it seems like maybe users will want to enable it to give this new, upcoming feature a try.

For any Windows 10 feature inquiries, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Arvada Computer Repair Service, if you need better SEO or computer repair in Arvada, CO please call or text the local office at (720) 441-6460.