So is Apple Music a good deal?

Apple Music, as many expected, was introduced at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference this week. After years of rumors and the multi-billion-dollar acquisition of Beats, Apple is finally ready to jump into the streaming music game.

The introduction featured Apple exec Eddy Cue dancing, Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine uttering Apple's favorite word, and Drake sporting a vintage Apple jacket he will probably never wear again.

That trio announced that Apple Music will launch on June 30 for iOS users and in the fall for Apple TV and (shock!) Android users. The gives listeners some time to consider whether Apple Music is worth $9.99 per month. Here are some pros and cons to help you get started.

Pros

Android App
Just as Google Play Music is available on iOS, Android users can take advantage of Apple Music. It will be available in the fall, but is limited in scope (see Cons).

Music Uploads
If you're a musician looking to get noticed, Apple will accept submissions for inclusion on Apple Music. No word yet on how strict it will be, but if its App Store guidelines are any indication, you're going to have to submit more than a kazoo solo from your dorm room. 9to5Mac has a rundown on how to get started.

Free Trial
A three-month free trial will give you plenty of time to decide whether or not you like Apple Music and to see how it compares to other services.

Cons

Doesn't Include Every Track in iTunes
Apple Music gives you access to 30 million songs, but that's the same number as Spotify. It's not exactly the entire iTunes catalog; don't expect to stream The Beatles, for example.

No Such Thing As Free
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not have a free, ad-supported option. There is Beats 1, a selection of curated radio stations that is like Pandora but with DJs.

Not a Deal
For $10 a month you get…pretty much the exact same thing Spotify, Google Play, and Tidal offer. Apple's family plan is $14.99 a month for up to six people. Spotify is currently $14.99 for two users per month, $19.99 for three, $24.99 for four, and $29.99 for five. But the service is currently offering 50 percent off family pricing and is rumored to be about to reduce its rates to match Apple.

• 7 Streaming Alternatives to Apple Music

Connect
Apple didn't have much success with Ping, its first music-related social effort, but it's trying again With Connect. It's meant to let artists share with fans, but they can really already do that on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a host of other services.

Limited Devices
You'll be able to access Apple Music on iOS, Apple Watch, Macs, PCs, and Android devices. Spotify covers all those platforms and also Roku, Amazon Fire devices, a range of speakers and stereos, and PlayStation 3 and 4.

Separate But Not Equal
The Android version works only for those who have a subscription. On iOS, Beats 1 Radio, Apple Music radio stations, and Connect are free.

Get Caps Lock, Num Lock, And Scroll Lock Indicators In The System Tray

When buying a laptop, we’re more concerned with how well it performs. The specifications of a new laptop center around the processor, the RAM, graphics card, etc and not on the far less trivial things like how many LED indicators it has. Sadly, as trivial as these things are, they are missed when absent and if you have a laptop that doesn’t indicate whether the number pad is on or if Caps lock is on, you might have lingering regret towards your otherwise satisfactory purchase. Keyboard Indicator is a lightweight Windows utility that adds indicators for caps lock, num lock, and scroll lock, to your system tray so that you can tell at a glance whether they are On or Off.

Once installed, the app adds three icons to the System Tray, one each for num, caps, and scroll lock. Since they’re notification icons, they’re going to disappear (collapse) unless you set them to always be visible.

The utility is fairly basic; the icons are omnipresent in that they appear to indicate both the On and Off state of the various keyboard locks instead of appearing only when a particular lock is on. If they’ve been set to remain hidden unless there is a new notification, they will appear in the system tray when you toggle any of the locks On or OFF. The icons themselves aren’t the best in visually communicating what they indicate so there is definitely room for improvement there.

Keyboard Indicator works with Windows 7, 8/8.1, and Windows 10.

Install Keyboard Indicator

Microsoft starts to eradicate older versions of the Ask Toolbar...thank you

Microsoft took what appeared to be a shot at Oracle's wallet this month when it switched on search-and-destroy in its security software for older versions of the Ask browser toolbar, which has long been bundled with Java even in the face of users' complaints.

But Oracle has sidestepped Microsoft's new policy by changing its Java installer so that it adds a Yahoo browser tool to Internet Explorer (IE).

Microsoft's security products, including the consumer-grade Windows Defender and Security Essentials -- the former is bundled with Windows 8.1, the latter is a separate download for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users -- now detect and delete earlier versions of "Search App by Ask," a browser toolbar that sets Ask.com as the default search engine in IE and nags users not to change the browser's home or new tabs pages.

Late last month, Microsoft warned developers that as of June 1 its security software would finger programs that engage in "search protection," lingo referring to programs that "prevent or limit users from viewing or modifying browser features or settings." Commonly, those kinds of programs, usually add-ons like toolbars, lock in a search provider and/or a specific URL as the home page -- again, typically a search provider's -- or try to discourage users from making any changes that the add-on implemented.

Microsoft published the criteria it would use to define "search protection" in December 2014, and at the time said it would switch on detection and deletion on Jan. 1, 2015. For whatever reason, the deadline was extended: About three weeks ago Microsoft said the trigger date would be June 1.

With that deadline now passed, Microsoft's security software will identify and remove older editions of Search App by Ask, the toolbar Oracle bundles with the Windows and OS X versions of Java. By default, the toolbar is installed along with Java; users must notice a warning and deselect the download by unchecking a box.

Ask's toolbar comes in versions for IE, Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox.

Microsoft noted that the newest toolbar will not be eradicated: "The latest version of this application is not detected by our objective criteria, and is not considered unwanted software," the company said in its malware definition for the toolbar.

Ask.com confirmed that its latest toolbar was immune from detection, as Microsoft said. According to sources with knowledge of the Oracle-Ask partnership, the latter had worked with Microsoft for several months to make its toolbar compliant with IE's new rules.

"We enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Oracle," an Ask.com spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. "After multiple renewals over the course of several years, we did not extend the relationship upon expiration of the most recent deal."

Like other bundlers of so-called "crapware," Oracle included the Ask toolbar with Java for financial reasons: It received a commission from Ask for every installation of the toolbar.

Users have complained about the bundle for years, even going to the trouble of initiating online petitions where thousands have called on Oracle to stop.

Oracle has slowly responded by adding documents to its support site that walk users through uninstalling the toolbar.

But of greater interest, Oracle has stopped bundling the Ask.com toolbar with Java: Computerworld verified that Java 8 on OS X did not come with or offer the toolbar, while Java 8 for Windows pitched a Yahoo toolbar instead.

SanDisk Intros 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive ‘Smaller Than a Dime’

SanDisk has taken the wraps off a couple of high-capacity USB flash drives. One is the world’s smallest 128GB USB 3.0 thumb drive (pictured), and the other is the company’s highest-capacity offering yet at 256GB.

The 128GB drive is the latest addition to the company’s UltraFit range. Introduced last year, the 19.1 by 15.9 by 8.8 mm product was hitherto only available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. The company says the drive is capable of read speeds of up to 130MB/s and write speeds of up to 40MB/s. Considering how problematic it can be for some people to keep track of even normal-sized memory sticks, those prone to losing things should probably steer clear of this barely-there drive.

As for the 256GB SanDisk Ultra, it is a standard-sized drive measuring 56.8 mm x 21.3 mm x 10.8 mm. And while the write speeds are again said to be up to 40MB/s like the UltraFit — or, in other words, 10 times that of a USB 2.0 stick — the reads speeds top out at only 100MB/s.

“SanDisk’s new USB 3.0 offerings feature a five-year warranty4; include SanDisk SecureAccess software to keep private files safe with password protection and 128-bit encryption; and come with a year’s subscription to RescuePRO software to recover lost or corrupted files,” the company said in a press release announcing the two products.

The two flash drives are available both online and offline. The 128GB UltraFit will set you back $119.99, whereas the 256GB Ultra will cost you $199.99.

Apple’s Streaming Music Service Said To Cost $10 Monthly Debuts Next Week

Apple will indeed reveal a new streaming music service next week, according to the Wall Street Journal, and said service will cost $10 per month and provide unlimited listening. The service will be similar to Spotify in features and function, but won’t offer a free, ad-supported on-demand tier across the catalogue, instead opting to leave that for iTunes Radio, which will gain human-hosted and programmed channels.

The streaming service from Apple has been reported before, from a range of sources including TechCrunch. Apple is thought to be basing its business partially on its Beats acquisition, though the company will apparently continue to offer Beats Music after launching its new streaming music service (which will probably carry iTunes or other Apple-specific branding) for at least a little while to ease the transition.

Some tracks could be offered free, per the WSJ, which also says Apple will introduce it in a software   update for iOS, and via a standalone offering for Google’s Android mobile platform as well. The new channels coming to its radio offering will be hosted by high-profile artists and hosts, including talent recruited from BBC Radio 1. Notably, Dr. Dre will apparently host at least one of these new speciality channels, the report claims.

Apple’s service, at $10 per month, would compete on equal footing in terms of cost with rivals including Spotify and Rdio, but it sounds like a wide selection of human-hosted content could also make it a formidable rival to something like satellite or traditional terrestrial radio, which, in addition to select free content, might help attract a larger audience.

Apple has the brand power, and the attention of a huge music-buying public, working in its favor. It has also proven adept at expanding its media offerings internationally – or at least more adept than major rivals including Google and Amazon in that regard. Providing even some of the features mentioned above beyond the U.S. could be another selling point.

The new report doesn’t make clear whether Apple will just introduce its new streaming music service next week, or whether it’ll be made available right away to users. Typically, Apple unveils its next major OS updates at the Worldwide Developer Conference keynote (which is June 8 this year) and then launches a developer preview of the update and its features ahead of a wider launch in September alongside new iPhone hardware.

You should see your Windows 10 Reservation on your system now

If you’re anxiously waiting for Windows 10 (release date set for July 29, 2015) then it’s likely you try to keep up with the latest news about the new OS. Today, the internet is buzzing with news of a new app called Upgrade to Windows 10 that has ‘magically’ appeared to help them reserve a copy of the new OS when it becomes available. That said, some of you might not be seeing this new app. If that’s the case, here are a few things you can try.

Check For Updates

If you’ve set Windows to not check for updates, even important ones, it may be one of the reasons you aren’t seeing the Upgrade to Windows 10  app. It appeared on users’ systems as part of an update, update KB3035583. If you’ve turned updates off or prevented Windows from automatically installing them, the app will fail to appear. Go to Control Panel>System and security>Windows Update and check to see if updates are enabled or not. If already enabled, click ‘View Update History’ and see if KB3035583 is listed or not. If not, force Windows to check for updates again and allow it install any new ones that are available.

Pending System Restart

If the update is duly listed like in the screenshot above, but you still cannot see the app icon in the system tray, try restarting your system. Some updates require a system restart and if you’ve put it off too long, it may be why the app isn’t showing up.

Check If GWX.exe Is Running

Open Task Manager and in the Processes tab, look for a process called GWX.exe which should be running. If it isn’t, go to C:\Windows\System32\GWX and run the GWX.exe file.

One of these three steps should get the app to appear in the system try. Make sure you use it to check if your PC is fully compatible or not first before you reserve your copy.