Topping tech headlines Monday, Windows XP is officially going dark today, forcing users to say goodbye to the aging operating system.
Microsoft has been pleading with customers to upgrade to a new OS for years, mostly for security reasons. While Windows XP machines will still work, they will no longer receive security updates, meaning those computers are more susceptible to hackers and scammers. For more, check out How to Upgrade From Windows XP and Rest in Peace, Windows XP.
Meanwhile, HTC reported more than $62 million in first-quarter losses, amidst the rollout of its latest flagship device. The phone maker has been struggling for many quarters, posting its first-ever quarterly loss—about $101 million—in October. The recent release of HTC's One follow up, the One (M8), could help boost sales, but, once again, HTC is battling the newest Samsung device, the Galaxy S5, which debuts April 11.
In other news, Qualcomm on Monday introduced two next-generation Snapdragon chips for smartphones and tablets, the Snapdragon 810 and Snapdragon 808, which are set to begin sampling to device makers in the second half of this year. The Snapdragon 810 and 808 integrate Qualcomm's fourth-generation Cat 6 LTE Advanced multimode modem and the mobile chip maker's own Adreno graphics processors, as well as supporting the Qualcomm RF360 Front End Solution.
Be sure to check out PCMag Live from Monday in the video, as well as a few other stories making headlines in the links below.
- U.S. Cellular Offering $350 to Switch From Rivals: U.S. Cellular has new contract-free plans and an offer to pay off your break-up fees from other carriers.
- Massive Game of Tetris Played on Philly Skyscraper: The two-player challenge was recreated via more than 1,400 LED lights on the north and south sides of the Cira Centre.
- IBM Mainframe Turns 50 Today: The machine had a minimum of 8KB of memory for the smaller model and 8MB in the largest version.
- Samsung Tips Graphene Breakthrough for Wearables, Flex Displays: Graphene "makes the perfect material" for next-gen devices, Samsung said.
- Seagate Launches 'World's Fastest' 6TB Hard Drive: The Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD v4 is 25 percent faster than competing 6TB drives.
- Qualcomm Unveils Next-Gen Snapdragon 810, 808 Chips: The next-generation Snapdragon chips for smartphones and tablets are set to begin sampling to device makers in the second half of this year.
- $300 Micro 3D Printer Earns Big on Kickstarter: The lightweight, USB-compatible desktop device has sold out of the "very limited special price" $200 and $250 bundles.
- Battery Tech Aims to Charge Your Phone in 30 Seconds: Store Dot's bio-organic prototype technology claims to charge your mobile device in 30 seconds or less.
- Twitter Buys Cover, Android Lockscreen App: Cover learns the apps you use at different times of the day, and puts them on your lock screen for easy access.
- Delta Flight Attendants Upgrade to Nokia Lumia 1520 Phablets: The 6-inch phablet will serve as their in-flight sales device and manual.