Apple Stores will now apply iPhone screen protectors for you

Shattered phone screens aren't fun. Don't feel like paying the $99-$150 that Apple charges for an iPhone screen repair? You could always just add a screen protector. It won't necessarily keep your phone screen from breaking, but it might help. I've never been a screen protector person, but Apple Stores are going to make it easier for people on the fence with a Belkin machine that applies it in-store.

Belkin is installing Screencare+ Application Systems in worldwide retail Apple Stores starting today. The hardware, designed specifically for Apple, applies a protective glass or antiglare screen protector onto iPhones, helping remove air bubbles and ensuring what Belkin promises is a perfect fit.

Belkin already has something similar in place at many Target stores with its TrueClear Pro Advanced Screen Care, a screen protector for a range of phones that can be applied by machine in-store.

Belkin's iPhone care system and its application hardware.

Belkin

The Apple Store-installed system is a different variant, and will only be available for the iPhone 6, 6S, 6 Plus and 6S Plus. The two options are a $35 Invisiglass shatterproof glass protector, or a $20 Anti-Glare protector (it's a little odd there are two choices; I'd prefer one that does both).

Screen protectors have been sold in stores for years, and some people find them a hassle to put on. The added application service, much like other places where Belkin's offered the machines, is included with the purchase. Now that it's something that can be applied in-store, will it encourage more people to get them? Maybe as people buy a extended care, battery packs and cases, they'll throw a screen protector in the mix, too.

Google adds a warning to unencrypted emails

Google has a pair of new security features that will warn users in cases when they should be cautious about revealing sensitive information over email.

Users will be shown a small red unlocked padlock icon in the upper right-hand corner of a message to let them know that someone they're sending messages to or receiving email from doesn't support TLS encryption that would keep information from prying eyes in transit. 

Odds are, the overwhelming majority of email that users see on a regular basis likely won't contain one of these warnings, as most major email providers like Microsoft and Yahoo already support TLS encryption.

But Google's move might pressure other email providers -- especially companies that run their own email servers -- to set up encryption in order to clear that check.

In addition to the encryption warnings, Google will also show a question mark in place of a profile picture for emails sent by people whose identities Google can't authenticate. It's designed to help people avoid phishing emails that claim to be from a domain like bankofamerica.com, but can't be verified.

Google pointed out that not all of the emails that generate these warnings will actually be dangerous or untrustworthy, but the new features are designed to remind users to take care with what information they transmit. 

The new warnings will be available to consumer Gmail users Tuesday, and will roll out to Google for Work customers over the coming weeks. 

Do a Google Security Checkup, Get 2GB of Free Drive Storage

Good news, Google Drive users. Today is Safer Internet Day and Google is celebrating the occasion with a perk you're going to like.

Similar to last year, the Web giant is once again giving away 2GB of free Drive storage to anyone who completes its account Security Checkup now through Feb. 11. The checkup ensures that your account recovery information is current, lets you review the devices connected to your Google account, check your app passwords, and 2-step verification settings. It should take just a couple of minutes to complete (unless you spot something fishy and start investigating).

If you like, you can use the opportunity to remove any apps that don't need access to your account anymore. The tool also lets you inform Google if any of the devices accessing your account look unfamiliar, so the company can ensure no one has access but you.

Best of all — if you completed the Security Checkup last year, the bonus will stack on top of your previous reward, giving you an extra 4GB of free Drive storage.

Google has also put together a list of tips to help you stay safe online, if you'd like to know more.

The worse passwords you can use - Top 25 of 2015

Look on the bright side! There’s one good thing that comes out of all those website breaches every year: Security researchers get to comb through all those lists of usernames and passwords to remind us just how bad most of our passwords are. Now that we’re well into 2016, password management company SplashData just released its annual round-up of the worst passwords of 2015.

The report is based on more than 2 million passwords that leaked online during the year. One trend the company found in 2015 is that while users are coming up with longer passwords (that’s good), they are simple and not random (that’s bad). Two examples the company points to are ‘1234567890’ and ‘qwertyuiop’. One just uses every number key and the other uses the top row of keys on a standard QWERTY keyboard.

The more common password faux pas remain including basic numerical passwords and sports terms. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was big news in 2015, and it appears quite a few people went with Star Wars-themed passwords such as ‘starwars,’ ‘solo,’ and ‘princess.’

Star Wars fans may be Jedis in other areas, but when it comes to passwords they’re still Padawans.

Here’s Splashdata's complete list of the 25 worst passwords for 2015, with their ranking from 2014 in brackets:

1. 123456 (Unchanged)
2. password (Unchanged)
3. 12345678 (Up 1)
4. qwerty (Up 1)
5. 12345 (Down 2)
6. 123456789 (Unchanged)
7. football (Up 3)
8. 1234 (Down 1)
9. 1234567 (Up 2)
10. baseball (Down 2)
11. welcome (New)
12. 1234567890 (New)
13. abc123 (Up 1)
14. 111111 (Up 1)
15. 1qaz2wsx (New)
16. dragon (Down 7)
17. master (Up 2)
18. monkey (Down 6)
19. letmein (Down 6)
20. login (New)
21. princess (New)
22. qwertyuiop (New)
23. solo (New)
24. passw0rd (New)
25. starwars (New)

Save yourself

There’s no doubt about it, managing passwords is a pain, but they're the best security measure available right now. Tech companies are working to change that, but at the moment there’s no getting around the need for good, strong passwords.

The best thing to do is create long, random passwords that are hard to guess. Your passwords should use a combination of letters (including different cases), numbers, and symbols if possible. Also make sure you use a unique password for every major account you have including banking, email, Paypal, social networks, and any website that has your credit card data, such as Amazon.

If you have trouble remembering those new passwords then use a password manager such as KeePass, LastPass, Dashlane, or SplashID.

You should also use multi-factor authentication whenever it’s offered to keep your accounts extra safe. That way if you ever lose control of your password malicious hackers won’t be able to break into your account without the numeric code generated on your smartphone. Most major services support multi-factor authentication, including Amazon, Facebook, Gmail, Microsoft, and Twitter.

Keeping your accounts secure isn’t simple, but if you stick to the basics it’s not that hard—and sticking to best practices will save you from headaches should your account credentials end up in the hands of hackers.

'Minecraft: Education Edition' Arrives This Summer

I can personally confirm that Minecraft for kids can be great, if not extraordinary.  They learn so much about computer syntax, input and coding. 

Students will soon be building and exploring the online world of Minecraft in schools across the world.

Microsoft this week acquired MinecraftEdu, a classroom-based version of the popular game, with an eye on releasing an expanded Minecraft: Education Edition as a free trial this summer. Existing MinecraftEdu users will receive one year of the new game at no cost.

Since its inception in 2011, MinecraftEdu has been used in more than 40 countries. Now, under Redmond's leadership and with the help of real-life educators, it will further expand its reach.

The teaching community is encouraged to visit education.minecraft.net to search lesson plans, chat in forums, and provide feedback to Microsoft.

The tech titan purchased Minecraft maker Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion, joining the Swedish game maker with Microsoft Studios—creators of the Halo, Forza, and Fable franchises.

This week's acquisition completes another piece of Redmond's Minecraft puzzle.

"One of the reasons Minecraft fits so well in the classroom is because it's a common, creative playground," Mojang COO Vu Bui said in a statement.

"We've seen that Minecraft transcends the differences in teaching and learning styles and education systems around the world," he continued. "It's an open space where people can come together and build a lesson around nearly anything."

Since the game's introduction to the classroom, teachers have been incorporating Minecraft into everything from STEM subjects to art and poetry.

• Microsoft Teaching Kids to Code With Minecraft

"In education, we are constantly seeking pathways to explore learning beyond the confines of a textbook. Minecraft allows us that opportunity," said Rafranz Davis, executive director at the Lufkin Independent School District in Texas. "When we see our kids enjoying the process of learning in this way, it's a game changer."

Mojang and Telltale Games, meanwhile, are reportedly bringing the narrative-based Minecraft: Story Mode series to the Nintendo Wii U on Jan. 21. Starting with Episode 1: The Order of the Stone, each installment costs $5 to download or $20 for a Season Pass.

Five episodes are already available on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PS4, PC, iOS, and Android. The original title hit the Wii U last month.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday kills off Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10

You’ve heard of Christmas in July. Well how about spring cleaning in January? Microsoft is kicking off 2016 with arguably its most significant Patch Tuesday in months. As of today, Microsoft bids goodbye to all but one version of Internet Explorer and a Windows release it would rather forget.

The biggest item on the chopping block is Windows 8. Not Windows 8.1—that sweeping update is still supported—but the original, non-Start button version of Windows 8. After Tuesday’s updates, Microsoft will cease support for the 3 year, 2 month, and 17-day old operating system. That means Windows 8 is going the way of Windows XP; no more security updates, no bug fixes, nothing.

Users still on Windows 8 will have to upgrade to Windows 8.1 or make the jump to Windows 10. Both are free upgrades for Windows 8 users at this writing. That may be problematic for some if you have an oddball PC that is no longer supported by a manufacturer and thus missing drivers for a smooth experience. Other than that small minority of users, everyone else should dump Windows 8 as soon as possible.

If you’re going from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, remember that the upgrade happens via the Windows Store and not Windows Update.

The story behind the story: Windows 8 was supposed to be a revolutionary OS that had two different interfaces, built to run on both PCs and tablets. The idea was inherently flawed and ultimately failed. Microsoft tried to improve the situation by adding features PC users wanted in Windows 8.1, but it really wasn’t until Windows 10 that Microsoft’s vision of a single OS running everywhere came to satisfying fruition.

IE goes to eleven

There can be only one.

Windows 8 is going to have some company in the dustbin of history. Microsoft plans to discontinue almost all support for Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10. This issue only affects Windows 7 users who haven’t upgraded to IE11, and Windows 8 users who must upgrade to Windows 8.1 or 10 to get the latest version of IE.

Everyone else—Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 users—already have IE11 as it came built into their systems. In fact, Windows 10 users are barely affected since the built-in browser of choice for Microsoft’s latest OS is the new Edge browser.

If you’re a Windows 7 user with automatic updates enabled then you should have IE11 already. To check which version you’re running, open Internet Explorer click the Settings cog in the upper right corner, and select About Internet Explorer. A pop-up window will appear with all the details you need.

If you can’t be bothered to check don’t sweat it. A patch rolling out today for Windows 7 will detect the version of IE you have and then continue to bug you until you upgrade.

The only exception to the end of IE versions 8 through 10 will be Windows Vista, which will continue to get support for Internet Explorer 9. IE9 was the last version of the browser built for the OS. But that support won’t run for much longer. Microsoft will end support for Vista in April 2017, which means the OS will cease receiving security updates all together—just like Windows 8 and XP.

Microsoft’s latest round of security patches start rolling out Tuesday but may take a few days before they land on your system.