XDA - Computing News

Intel will no longer make NUC PCs, will pivot to support partners instead

Arif Bacchus — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 14:22:53 GMT

Intel has confirmed that it will no longer be investing in the Next Unit of Compute Business (NUC) arm of its operations. The firm instead will be pivoting to support ecosystem partners, who build similar units. This is a huge change for the PC industry, and will as Intel NUC PCs have proven to be popular as servers, portable desktops, kiosks, and more. Not to forget the enthusiasts who purchase Intel NUC kits to build their own mini PCs.

Microsoft fixes camera problems on Arm-based Windows devices

Usama Jawad — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 13:44:46 GMT

Microsoft releases Windows updates on a monthly basis bringing new features, improvements, and bug fixes. In fact, updates for supported versions of Windows are expected today as well, as the firm initiates these rollouts on the second Tuesday of each month, known as "Patch Tuesday". However, sometimes, its releases cause unforeseen issues that are usually patched in the subsequent monthly update or through out-of-band updates. Now, Microsoft has announced that it has resolved one such niggling issue affecting Arm-based Windows devices.

Windows 11 version 21H2 is reaching end of support soon

Usama Jawad — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 10:46:15 GMT

Windows 11 was announced back in June 2021 and began rolling out to the public on October 5 of the same year. Since then, the operating system has received multiple major updates including the Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2), and Moment updates in October 2022, February 2023, and June 2023. With numerous versions of Windows 11 now available, Microsoft has announced that it is ending support for the original version of the operating system soon.

Access powerful workstations in the cloud through Microsoft Dev Box, now generally available

Usama Jawad — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 21:39:51 GMT

Although Microsoft already offers Windows PCs powered by the cloud through multiple solutions including Windows 365, these workstations do not usually cater to specialized use-cases and have long deployment times. One scenario that Microsoft felt that it had been missing for several years is offering powerful cloud-based workstations to developers, pre-configured and ready for building applications. To tackle this problem, the Redmond tech firm announced Microsoft Dev Box in May 2022, and now, the solution is generally available.

Now anyone can put their Android app on Windows 11

Usama Jawad — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 13:56:44 GMT

Although support for Android apps on Windows 11 was one of the headlining features when the operating system was announced back in 2021, users quickly found out that only a handful of apps in the Amazon Appstore are officially supported in the preview. Even with this limited scope, the associated experience offered by Android apps on Windows 11 wasn't good, and the implementation had a lot of notable issues. However, Amazon and Microsoft have been working out some kinks and the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 has now hit general availability for developers.

Your next medical consultation could be assisted by Google's AI chatbot

Usama Jawad — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 11:29:09 GMT

Following the hype created by Microsoft Bing and OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google is arguably playing catch-up to the competition. After the lukewarm initial release of Bard, Google announced that it is moving its AI-powered search chatbot to the PaLM 2 language model back in May. Alongside this, it also shared models for Sec-PaLM2 and Med-PaLM2 for those in the cybersecurity and the medical industry, respectively. It turns out that the latter of these two large language models (LLMs) is already being trialed in real environments.

Here are all the new features Microsoft added to Teams in June 2023

Usama Jawad — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 13:25:29 GMT

Microsoft Teams gets new features on a regular basis to enhance online communication and collaboration. Back in May 2023, Microsoft added loads of features to the software in order to attract new customers and facilitate the existing ones. Now, the company has published a roundup of all the capabilities it introduced to Teams in June 2023, with the features totaling a whopping 45 in number.

Here are all the new features Microsoft added to Excel in June 2023

Usama Jawad — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 13:15:33 GMT

Microsoft Excel is heavily utilized both in enterprise environments and personal use for multiple scenarios like data crunching, visualizations, testing, documentation, and planning, among many other things. As such, the Redmond tech giant regularly adds new features to the software to make sure it meets emerging use-cases and enhances existing ones. It also publishes a roundup of all the capabilities it added to Excel on a monthly basis, and now, it has done the same for the month of June 2023.

Copilot brings AI to the latest Windows 11 preview

João Carrasqueira — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:00:07 GMT

It's taken some time, but Windows Copilot is finally available for Windows Insiders to try starting today. Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 build 23493 to Insiders in the Dev channel, and the headlining feature is the introduction of the company's new AI assistant, simply called Copilot. We've seen Copilot used for Microsoft 365 and GitHub, but this is the most widespread implementation of it yet. The new build includes a lot more changes, too.

Microsoft announces new AI-powered shopping tools in Bing and Edge

Kishalaya Kundu — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:00:18 GMT

As part of its push to incorporate AI into most of its products and services, Microsoft has now announced new AI-powered shopping tools in Bing and Edge in a move that the company claims will help shoppers save more while buying goods online. In a statement, the company said that the new tools harness the power of AI to make it "easier to discover, research and complete your purchase, all in one place with information you need from expert sources." The new features include Buying Guide, Price Match, and Review Summaries.

New Clippy app gives us a taste of AI in Windows 11

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 15:41:57 GMT

Remember Clippy? The assistant found in Microsoft Office in the late 90s and early 2000s is making a return, albeit unofficially, with a new app for Windows 11. The new Clippy app brings the idea of a smart assistant to the modern era thanks to the power of AI, specifically leveraging OpenAI's GPT 3.5 large language model.

DeskScapes 11 lets you use video and animations as your Windows 11 background

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 15:00:21 GMT

Stardock is launching yet another customization tool for Windows 11 today. With tools like WindowBlinds and Groupy 2 under its belt, Stardock has just announced DeskScapes 11, an app for finding and managing Windows 11 wallpapers. It's more than that, though, because it also supports animated wallpapers, something Windows 11 can't do.

Google Meet for the web makes video effects easier to find and adds helpful reframing tool

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 20:50:36 GMT

Google Meet is one of the best video chat services available, especially if you're someone or a company that's heavily invested in Google's ecosystem. Google has been doing a great job adding features to the service over the past couple of months, with a new picture-in-picture mode, support for 1080p video, and more. While this latest update isn't the most exciting, it does bring some quality-of-life improvements, making it much easier to access video effects and also adding a reframing tool.

June preview update for Windows 11 enables Moment 3 features for everyone

Arif Bacchus — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:09:13 GMT

The June preview update for WIndows 11, version 22H2 is now out. Coming in as KB5027303, build 22621.1928, this release is a pretty big one compared to what we've gotten in the past. It enables features from the Windows 11 Moment 3 update for everyone. Previously some of these things were either turned off, or just in A/B testing. There's also a round of improvements, on top of the usual bug fixes.

Microsoft is planning to put Windows in the cloud for consumers

Arif Bacchus — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 14:38:54 GMT

According to redacted internal documents released to the public as part of Microsoft's legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Windows 11 could soon be heading to the cloud for more users. While Microsoft already offers this as a service for enterprise users, dubbed as Windows 365, the documents make it apparent that the Redmond firm is planning to put Windows in the cloud for consumers, too. That means that soon there's a chance that you might be able to stream and use Windows 11 on any device you own.

Razer Skins makes it easy to customize your boring laptop and game consoles

Timi Cantisano — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:02:37 GMT

The company behind some of the best products for gaming is now entering a new product category with Razer Skins. Razer shared its new lineup of decorative skins that can be applied to some of your favorite devices like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X, Steam Deck, and more. As you might expect, Razer is offering cutting-edge designs that can breathe new life into some of your favorite products.

Latest Windows 11 Dev channel build helps makes passwords a thing of the past

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 17:43:49 GMT

It's a busy day today to be a Windows Insider. Microsoft has rolled out both a new Windows 11 Dev channel build, and the usual two builds over on the Beta channel. The Dev channel build, coming in at 23486, adds some passwordless improvements to Windows. Meanwhile, on the beta channel, there's build 22631.1906 for those with new features rolling out and then build 22621.1906 for those with features off by default. We have the scoop right here for you on everything you need to know.

DuckDuckGo browser comes to Windows with a ton of privacy and security features

Kishalaya Kundu — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 16:05:28 GMT

DuckDuckGo has finally launched the first public beta of its web browser on Windows. The launch comes around three and a half months after the company released the closed beta for Windows users, and almost a year after the beta version launched on Mac. As you'd expect from DuckDuckGo, the browser comes with a ton of privacy and security-related features, including a built-in password manager and an ad blocker. The new browser also comes with a native video player (Duck Player) that can block tracking cookies and personalized ads on YouTube.

Google Chrome is getting a cool option to turn images into text

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:00:19 GMT

Google is tweaking Chrome so that it's even easier for those who have difficulty reading to use. The company will be bringing a new option to the browser in the coming months which will allow you to turn images into text.

Google may launch Chromebook X program to distinguish premium ChromeOS devices

Timi Cantisano — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 18:22:22 GMT

Chromebooks are often considered affordable Windows laptop replacements, and while there are some budget Chromebooks, there are also some high-end models that are extremely capable, with the ability to harness powerful productivity tools for video editing, music creation, gaming, and more. But consumers don't always need more power, and having less power doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad product. If you go out to your local Best Buy, it might be hard to distinguish models that provide a great experience, from models that don't. That's where Google's Chromebook X program could help differentiate these types of products, reserving the label for premium ChromeOS devices.

Windows 11 preview update enables Moment 3 features for all Insiders

Arif Bacchus — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 19:25:24 GMT

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 22H2 build to Windows Insiders enrolled in the Release Preview channel. This build is a fairly significant one since it enables many features and enhancements to Windows that were previously in the much dreaded gradual rollout. Essentially, this build enables all the features part of the Moment 3 update.

Microsoft is finally killing the awful Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 11

Arif Bacchus — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 17:46:17 GMT

Microsoft is finally killing off the classic Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 11. The company announced today in a support page that starting in 2024, all new Windows 11 devices will be shipped with the free and new web-based Outlook for Windows as the default mailbox experience.

Google Domains set to shut down as assets get sold to Squarespace

Timi Cantisano — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 22:19:32 GMT

Squarespace has entered an agreement that will allow it to purchase Google Domains' assets. While the news comes as a bit of a surprise, the complete details of the deal weren't published. But one of the major acquisitions of this purchase will be roughly 10 million domains that will be transitioned to Squarespace. Google Domains will begin winding down its business, and although it doesn't explicitly state it, it's expected to shut down the service following the completion of the sale.

Windows 11 beta tests ways to reduce annoying notifications from apps

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:45:27 GMT

Microsoft is rolling out new Windows 11 builds to Windows Insiders enrolled in the Beta Channel. There's build 22631.1900 for those with new features rolling out and then build 22621.1900 for those with new features off by default. Both are small releases, but the major changes come in build 22631.1900, which tests ways to reduce annoying notifications from apps.

Steam gets massive overhaul that brings updated visuals and exciting new features

Timi Cantisano — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:54:56 GMT

After many years, Steam is finally getting a major overhaul, bringing a slick new look along with plenty of new features. Perhaps most important is that the underlying framework has been changed, which will make it easier to deliver updates going forward for the Steam Desktop Client, Big Picture mode, and Steam Deck. Mac and Linux users should feel a difference thanks to the new update adding support for hardware acceleration.

Intel shakes up mainstream CPU branding, introduces Core Ultra line

Matthew Connatser — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:25:28 GMT

A rebranding of Intel's consumer CPUs has been rumored for some time now, but an announcement from the company today made it official. Starting with Intel's next-generation Meteor Lake chips, Intel will be dropping the "Gen" and "i" branding from its CPUs, and Core chips will be split into two categories: the regular Core series and the new Core Ultra series.

Xbox Game Pass is coming to Nvidia GeForce Now with Age of Empires IV leading the charge

Usama Jawad — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:00:19 GMT

A few months ago, Microsoft announced that it is bringing Xbox and Activision games to Nvidia GeForce Now. While games from the latter of the two are seemingly on hold as Microsoft works to close its $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company has stayed true to its word on the one thing that it can do right now: bringing Xbox games to Nvidia's streaming service. Starting today, Xbox Game Pass games are coming to Nvidia GeForce Now, with Age of Empires IV leading the charge.

Latest Alienware and Dell gaming monitors ensure super-smooth gaming

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:00:19 GMT

Dell and Alienware have announced a series of new gaming monitors. There are two new Alienware 27 gaming monitors, and also a Dell 25 and Dell 27 gaming monitor. No matter your budget and needs, these displays are designed for super-smooth gaming.

Microsoft Teams is getting collaborative notes in meetings

Usama Jawad — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 19:45:23 GMT

Online communication and collaboration is a key focus area for hybrid work environments, and it is important for software like Microsoft Teams to keep up with this demand. Microsoft regularly updates Teams with new features and improvements to continue enticing new users. Now, it has added a very useful functionality to Teams in the form of collaborative meeting notes.

Windows 11 is getting an iPad-like inking experience

Arif Bacchus — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:41:37 GMT

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Dev Channel build, and a new Windows 11 Canary Channel build. For Windows Insiders in the Dev channel, there's build 23481. Those in the Canary channel, meanwhile, are getting Build 25393, but there are no change logs along with it. The highlight of the Dev channel build is a new inking experience and enhancements to Windows Ink, which should be familiar to those who have an iPad and an Apple Pencil.

Win32 app isolation is now in public preview, here is what it does

Usama Jawad — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:11:46 GMT

At its annual Build conference last month, Microsoft announced the ability to run Win32 apps in isolation on Windows 11. The company didn't go into a lot of detail in its initial blog post, but it highlighted the option to run Win32 apps in a sandbox environment so that the rest of the operating system is secure from potentially malicious software. Now, it has revealed more information about this particular capability, including how it works and fits into the rest of the security infrastructure of Windows.

Razer Blade 14 gets major upgrade with Ryzen 7000 and an Nvidia RTX 4070

Timi Cantisano — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 16:49:15 GMT

Razer's Blade model laptops are known for being one of the best gaming laptops available. The company's most compact and powerful Blade 14 series gets a refresh for 2023, powered by AMD's Ryzen 9 7940HS and packing Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4070. With all this power, the laptop still manages to come in at just 17.99 mm thin and weighs just a touch over 4 pounds. The new Blade 14 is now available to order and starts at $2,399.99 and quickly jumps up to $2,799.99 with all options.

You can now buy Surface repair parts through the Microsoft Store

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 16:32:49 GMT

Microsoft is taking another step in making its Surface devices more easily repairable. Starting today, consumers can buy repair and replacement parts for Surface devices through the Microsoft Store, making it easier for anyone to repair their own device without going through Microsoft support or a certified technician. Anyone can buy these parts, and repair guides are also available on the company's website.

Groupy 2 is now officially available, adding tabs to all your Windows 11 apps

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 15:00:18 GMT

Stardock, a company specializing in Windows customization tools, is officially launching Groupy 2 today, adding the ability to run all of your Windows 11 apps inside tabs. This greatly expands on the built-in tab feature that's only available for a couple of apps, including File Explorer and Notepad. With Groupy 2, all of your apps can become tabs in the same window, so you can group together apps and tabs based on specific tasks or workflows to help you stay organized.

Windows 10 version 21H2 has received its last update for Home and Pro users

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 13:33:51 GMT

The march of time is unstoppable, and all things must come to an end. That includes support for Windows 10 version 21H2, which received its last update yesterday as part of this month's Patch Tuesday — at least if you're running Windows 10 Home or Pro editions. The 2021 update for Windows 10 has officially reached its end-of-life stage for consumers, who will soon be forced to upgrade to version 22H2. That should be nothing to worry about, considering this is an extremely small update.

Microsoft offers workaround for SMB authentication failing in Windows 11

Usama Jawad — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 08:13:31 GMT

Over a year ago, Microsoft announced that it will no longer ship Windows 11 Home with Server Message Block version 1 (SMB1), since it is a very old network security protocol that has been considered insecure for some time and has been succeeded by newer iterations. That said, SMB is still present in Windows 11, and in fact, the company made SMB signing the default behavior in Windows Insider Enterprise builds earlier this month. However, Microsoft has learned that SMB authentication is failing in certain scenarios, and as such, it has now offered a workaround for the issue.

PCIe 6.0 hardware to launch in 2024, followed by PCIe 7.0 in 2027

Matthew Connatser — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 18:31:18 GMT

The first PCIe 5.0 SSDs for consumers just arrived earlier this year, immediately following the launch of PCIe capable AMD Ryzen 7000 and Intel 13th-generation CPUs. But PCI-SIG, the consortium behind PCIe, already has its sights set on PCIe 6.0. Although PCIe 6.0 is complete on a design level, no PCIe 6.0 devices have yet come out, but in its latest presentation, PCI-SIG says the next-generation data link should start showing up in real devices starting in March 2024.

AMD adds 128-core Bergamo and 3D V-Cache Genoa CPUs to Zen 4 Epyc lineup

Matthew Connatser — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 18:16:21 GMT

Ever since its launch in 2017, AMD's Epyc server CPUs have offered some of the highest core counts for high-performance server chips. Epyc has gone from 32 cores with the original Zen, to 64 cores with Zen 2, and 96 cores with Zen 4, but Epyc is hitting 128 cores today as AMD launches its Zen 4c architecture, which is designed to deliver better core density and power efficiency than Zen 4. Additionally, AMD is also releasing 96-core Epyc chips with 3D V-Cache, the first CPUs to offer 1GB of L3 cache.

Adobe Illustrator gains new generative AI feature powered by Firefly

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 18:11:19 GMT

Adobe is further leveraging Firefly AI by introducing a new feature for Illustrator. The latest is called Generative Recolor and will give users the ability to "quickly experiment with colors using simple text prompts." Although it is currently in beta, the company hopes that it will reduce tedious processes while also pushing creative boundaries.

New mandatory Windows 11 update adds seconds to the taskbar clock and more

João Carrasqueira — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 17:39:10 GMT

It's that time of the month again — Microsoft is rolling out its monthly set of security and cumulative updates for all its supported products, which, of course, include Windows 11 and WIndows 10. The bulk of the interesting changes are for Windows 11, as you might expect, particularly for version 22H2, which is now getting its third Moment update after a preview release late last month.

AMD launches Zen 4-powered Ryzen 7000 PRO Series for laptops and desktops

Matthew Connatser — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:00:18 GMT

With Ryzen 7000 fast approaching the one-year mark, AMD has finally decided to release its business-focused Ryzen PRO 7000 models. These PRO chips have not only arrived late compared to Intel's 13th-generation vPro CPUs (which came out in March), but are even late by AMD's own standards, as Ryzen PRO has typically launched no later than a few months after the main models.

You may use the Logitech Scribe camera to present a physical whiteboard in Google Meet soon

Usama Jawad — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 10:20:32 GMT

It has become increasingly important in this era of hybrid work to have tools that allow you to efficiently communicate and collaborate with people across different physical locations. Apps such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are regularly updated in this regard to meet the need of both personal and enterprise consumers. The latter is now receiving support for a useful capability that should make it easier to share content in a hybrid working environment.

Latest Skype Insider build delivers revamped call tabs, quick access to weather, and more

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:33:11 GMT

Despite Microsoft's shift to Teams, the company has managed to keep Skype fresh with a revamped design and giving it a boost by introducing the new Bing to the platform and apps. The latest Skype Insider build has been updated to version 8.99.76.102, and is now available for download, bringing lots of functional changes and some exciting new features.

Windows Subsystem for Android now supports file sharing

Arif Bacchus — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 18:42:45 GMT

Microsoft is rolling out the June update to Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) on Windows 11 to Windows Insiders. The update is a pretty big one, as it enables the option to share files between your main Windows 11 install and the WSA. Also included in the update are some bug fixes and the usual Android security updates.

You can now pre-order Samsung's outrageous 49" 240Hz OLED G9 gaming monitor

Timi Cantisano — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:32:34 GMT

Samsung is finally starting pre-orders for one of its most ambitious monitors, the Odyssey G9 OLED or, more specifically, the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G95SC DQHD Neo Quantum Processor Pro Curved Smart Gaming Monitor. Yes, the official product name is quite a mouthful, but the company doesn't hold anything back with its latest monitor, claiming it's the "world's first 49-inch OLED monitor." For a limited time, Samsung, Best Buy, and Amazon offering a $250 credit when pre-ordering.

Apple's M2 Ultra could be slower than the Intel Core i9-13900KS

Kishalaya Kundu — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:17:41 GMT

At its WWDC event last week, Apple launched the all-new Mac Studio and Mac Pro powered by the company's latest custom desktop processor, the M2 Ultra. A week later, the first benchmarks for the new chip have emerged, giving us an idea about its raw performance potential. Interestingly, multiple Geekbench listings suggest that the M2 Ultra is clocked at two different speeds for different devices. While one set of results show the chip clocked at around 3GHz or less, another set of benchmarks suggest that it's clocked much higher, at around 3.6GHz.

UK government will get early access to OpenAI and Google's AI models for safety purposes

Usama Jawad — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:49:02 GMT

Artifical intelligence applications are all the rage these days with big tech firms investing millions of dollars in the space. We recently learned that the PaLM 2-powered Google Bard is getting better at solving coding and mathematical questions, while both Bing Chat and ChatGPT continue to showcase stellar performance across a variety of use-cases. However, with the increasing prevalence of AI systems, it's important to be cautious about their applications too. The UK government is now looking to take steps in this direction with early access to some popular AI models.

Windows 12: Everything we know and what we want to see

João Carrasqueira — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:00:19 GMT

Windows 11 was released on Oct. 5, 2021, over six years after Windows 10 made its debut. Microsoft recently released the first major update for the OS — Windows 11 version 22H2 — but we've heard the next thing on the cards could very well be Windows 12. It sounds like Microsoft is doing away with major annual updates, and instead going for a big, new version of Windows every three years, similar to what used to happen before Windows 10.

Microsoft tweaks Windows 11 narrator again with latest beta build

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:23:42 GMT

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 build to Windows Insiders enrolled in the beta channel. There's build 22631.1835 for those with new features rolling out and build 22621.1835 for those with new features off by default. Both are minor releases, but build 22631.1835 adds some tweaks to the narrator experience, which Microsoft is constantly improving on.

Google Meet makes multitasking easy with new picture-in-picture experience

Timi Cantisano — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:39:38 GMT

Google Meet is one of the best video chat services available, especially if you're invested in the company's other platforms and services. While Meet has improved quite a bit over the past year, with helpful features like translated captions and in-meeting reactions, the service has also added quality-of-life improvements like support for 1080p video. Now, Google is bringing more robust controls to Meet on web when users engage picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, which should make multitasking during meetings a breeze.

Geekbench 6.1 is here with across-the-board improvements

Adam Conway — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:30:17 GMT

Benchmarks are a great way to compare devices with each other, though based on a limited set of metrics. Geekbench is one of the most popular, and Geekbench 6 arrived just a couple of months ago. Now Geekbench 6.1 is here, with a few changes that will give higher scores and better performance across the board. On account of these higher scores, you shouldn't compare them to Geekbench 6.0 scores. You can, but they won't be entirely accurate.

Google Password Manager plays catch-up with sorely-needed new features

Jules Wang — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:00:19 GMT

If you use Chrome as your web browser, the temptation is strong also to take advantage of the free Google Password Manager to store and autofill your credentials across the internet. Today, it's announcing a few quality-of-life improvements that will make it more compelling to use than competing services.

Google Bard is much better at solving coding and mathematical questions now

Usama Jawad — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 13:00:43 GMT

Although Microsoft's Bing Chat seems to be the front-runner when it comes to AI-powered search assistance, Google's Bard is slowly catching up in terms of functionalities and features. The Mountain View firm recently enriched its AI search interface with image integration too. Now, it has updated Bard with better logical reasoning skills so that it can respond to mathematical and coding questions more accurately.

Vivaldi 6.1 adds support for Bing chat by pretending to be Microsoft Edge

João Carrasqueira — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 07:00:21 GMT

Up until now, the new Bing chat experience powered by GPT-4 has been exclusively available through the Microsoft Edge browser, as the company tries to push more users to use its products. However, Vivaldi is joining the fray today as the first third-party browser to officially support Bing chat, and it's all thanks to some trickery to fool Bing.

Windows 11 finally brings the redesigned File Explorer to Insiders

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 17:36:40 GMT

Windows Insiders are being treated to a couple of new Windows 11 builds today, one for the Canary channel and one for the Dev channel. While there's no changelog for build 25387 in the Canary channel, Dev channel Insiders can look forward to the new File Explorer redesign, which had been reported on earlier this year and teased officially during the Build developer event. Microsoft is also adding a Dynamic lighting page to the Settings app.

macOS Sonoma puts the perfect emoji a keystroke away

Mahmoud Itani — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:26:09 GMT

Apple revealed macOS Sonoma, along with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 during the opening keynote of WWDC23. And while the company previewed many of the upcoming features on stage and through its website, this release packs plenty of other changes that Apple has seemingly not mentioned publicly. These include a new emoji selector that simplifies the picking process on the Mac.

You can now run Windows games on Macs with Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit

Kishalaya Kundu — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 15:58:31 GMT

At WWDC 2023, Apple announced a number of new hardware products, including the much-awaited Vision Pro mixed reality headset. On the software front, the company showcased macOS Sonoma, as well as iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10. Amidst all the new features, the one that stands out for Mac users is the Game Porting Toolkit that allows people to run Windows games on Macs. It was announced as part of macOS Sonoma, which promises to bring a number of upgrades over Ventura, covering productivity, gaming, and general usability.

Mozilla Firefox now allows you to search for bookmarks

Usama Jawad — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 15:48:12 GMT

Mozilla Firefox is among the best web browsers that you can use right now and while it isn't as feature-rich as the market leader, Google Chrome, Mozilla still updates it with new capabilities regularly. Now, the company has rolled out version 114 of the browser with several interesting changes.

Build the world of your dreams: Minecraft officially launches on Chromebooks

Arif Bacchus — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 15:01:19 GMT

After months of beta testing, it's finally official. Minecraft has launched on Chromebooks. More specifically, it's the Bedrock Edition of the game that you'll be able to play on ChromeOS as an Android app and download from the Google Play Store. This will also get you the latest features and the Minecraft Marketplace and access to Realms.

Intel adds a new midrange member to its Arc Pro series as systems begin shipping out

Matthew Connatser — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 08:38:49 GMT

About a year ago, Intel had announced the workstation equivalent to its Arc Alchemist cards, Arc Pro, and despite its launch on paper, very few PCs with Arc Pro cards are available, let alone individual cards. In a new announcement however, Intel not only added another GPU to the Arc Pro lineup, but also claimed OEM systems using its lower midrange A40 Pro are now available from HP, with Dell and Lenovo soon to follow.

Gigabyte rolls out update to fix dangerous backdoor in its motherboards

Kishalaya Kundu — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 15:12:41 GMT

Gigabyte has released an update to fix a potentially dangerous security flaw in its motherboard firmware. The update is available on the official Gigabyte site for Intel 700/600/500/400 series and AMD 600/500/400 series motherboards. The company says it has conducted thorough testing and validation of the new BIOS before rolling it out to the public, meaning it should be safe to install right away. People with any of the affected motherboards should download the new firmware immediately to mitigate any risk.

Get a $250 gift card and save $50 with pre-registration for the Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch OLED monitor

Timi Cantisano — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 22:14:30 GMT

At the top of the year, Samsung announced the new Odyssey OLED G9 and other impressive monitors during CES 2023. The massive 49-inch curved monitor builds on its predecessor and features a beautiful OLED panel with a 1800R curvature, 240Hz refresh rate, and plenty more. Like with many things that get announced at CES, it wasn't available for purchase at the time, but Samsung has now started the pre-registration process, giving users big incentives to sign up, like a $250 Samsung gift card and also a $50 discount on the product itself when it's time to purchase.

FaceTime comes to Apple TV with tvOS 17

Arif Bacchus — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:20:35 GMT

Alongside iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, Apple announced tvOS 17 during WWDC. This is shaping up to be one of the biggest software updates for Apple TV in a while. It brings several new features, like the option to use FaceTIme on your TV screen for Apple TV 4K users.

macOS Sonoma brings widgets to the desktop and promises gaming improvements

João Carrasqueira — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:55:10 GMT

Apple has introduced macOS Sonoma at WWDC 2023, the next version of macOS that will come to existing Mac models. macOS Sonoma will add new features like animated screensavers and widgets on the desktop, along with gaming and productivity improvements.

Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra is the most powerful personal computer ever

Arif Bacchus — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:35:59 GMT

Apple has launched refreshed versions of the Mac Studio during WWDC 2023. There's the new Mac Studio with the M2 Max Apple Silicon, and also one with the new M2 Ultra, which Apple says helps make it the most powerful personal computer ever.

The new Mac Pro brings PCI expansion to Apple Silicon for the first time

Brady Snyder — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:31:29 GMT

Apple today announced the new Mac Pro, which features an M2 Ultra system-on-a-chip and six PCIe slots, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The revealing of the Mac Pro completes the transition of the company's entire Mac lineup to Apple Silicon, a process that began when Apple first unveiled the M1 chip at WWDC in 2020. Though the Mac Pro has the same system-on-a-chip as the Mac Studio, its connectivity and expandability options dwarf the other professional-grade Mac. The latest Mac Pro starts at $6,999, which is the same starting price as the last Intel Mac Pro. It is available for pre-order starting today, with worldwide availability beginning June 13.

The 15-inch MacBook Air is the world's thinnest 15-inch laptop

João Carrasqueira — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:12:16 GMT

Apple has formally introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air, powered by the Apple M2 processor. This new model brings the spirit of a lightweight MacBook to a larger screen, while keeping the benefits of Apple Silicon. The 15-inch MacBook Air comes in at just 11.5mm of thickness, and Apple claims it's the thinnest 15-inch laptop on the market. It also comes in at just over 3.3 pounds, which is very light for an aluminum-based 15-inch laptop. Apple says this is 40% thinner and half a pound lighter than the best-selling comparable laptop.

RIP: Microsoft is finally killing Cortana on Windows

Rich Woods — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 19:00:29 GMT

Microsoft is finally killing off its Cortana virtual assistant, at least on Windows, the company wrote today in a support document. The standalone Cortana app that you probably don't even realize is installed on your PC won't be supported beginning later on this year.

Microsoft makes it easier to solve webcam errors in the latest Windows 11 Canary build

Arif Bacchus — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 17:57:32 GMT

Microsoft has rolled out a new build to Windows Insiders running the Canary channel version of Windows 11. It's not a major release by any means, but this build does bring one new feature. There's a general change in the webcam experience in Windows 11 where it's now easier to solve and understand issues with the webcam.

InWin's PC cases offer a different take on building your own PC

João Carrasqueira — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:15:19 GMT

Walking around Computex was a great way to get to know some of the coolest PC cases and mods I've ever seen, and it really showed me how deep PC building goes. But as much as custom builds are really cool, I really appreciate it when a company goes out to do something cool and unique in their space, and InWin really blindsided me with some of the coolest ideas I've seen.

Mac Mini (2023): Price, release date, and everything you need to know

Mahmoud Itani — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:00:19 GMT

Powered by macOS Ventura and Apple silicon, the latest Macs are some of the best Apple products for students and employees alike. Not only do they typically operate reliably for many years, but they also support a wide variety of productivity apps that can significantly simplify users' workflows. Notably, though, these computers aren't cheap, and many may find it hard to justify paying for them. Fortunately, Apple caters to those on a limited budget through the Mac Mini (2023). Despite it being the cheapest Mac in the line, it still offers a powerful punch and the features customers expect. Below you will find what's new with the Mac Mini (2023) in terms of technical specifications, in addition to its price and availability.

Millions of Gigabyte motherboards were sold with a potentially dangerous backdoor

Kishalaya Kundu — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:22:28 GMT

Cybersecurity research firm Eclypsium has discovered a potentially dangerous security flaw in the UEFI firmware of millions of Gigabyte motherboards. At least 271 models are said to contain the vulnerability, which could potentially open up a way for criminals to silently install malware on these systems under certain conditions. Both Intel and AMD motherboards from the past several years are affected, including many of the latest products with the Z790 and X670 chipsets.

At last, the Windows 11 Paint app has a dark mode

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 18:34:56 GMT

It has finally happened! Microsoft is testing an updated Paint app in Windows 11 with dark mode support. The updated app is rolling out first to Windows 11 Canary and Dev channel Insiders, and also comes with what the company is dubbing "a good set of changes and improvements."

Latest Windows 11 Insider build makes it easier to access your phone's camera roll

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 17:33:37 GMT

It's near the end of the week, but Microsoft has some treats and new builds for Windows Insiders. Those with PCs in the Dev Channel will be getting Windows 11 build 23471, which adds a new way to add your phone photos to the File Explorer gallery. Meanwhile, on the Beta Channel, there's build 22621.1830 for those with new features turned on and build 22631.1830 (KB5026443) for those with new features turned off. There's a lot to dig into here, so let's dive right into it for you.

Refreshed Mac Studio with all-new M2 Ultra could launch next week

Mahmoud Itani — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:56:37 GMT

Apple sells a wide variety of excellent Macs, which cater to different budgets and needs. One of the relatively recent additions to the line is the Mac Studio. First released in 2022, this Apple computer packs either the M1 Max or M1 Ultra chip, making it one of the mightiest consumer machines on the market. And while rumors had initially pointed to a delayed refresh, it now appears that we may be getting upgraded Mac Studio variants as soon as next week.

Here are all the new features Microsoft added to Teams in May 2023

Usama Jawad — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 07:06:34 GMT

Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular online communication and collaboration tools, especially in work environments. Microsoft regularly updates it with new features to attract more customers and also publishes a monthly roundup of all the capabilities it added to its software, similar to Excel. Now, it has revealed a detailed list of the numerous functionalities and improvements it added to Teams during the month of May 2023.

The Asus ROG Ally will get significant improvements to correct early review issues

Timi Cantisano — Wed, 31 May 2023 21:03:15 GMT

We still have a couple of weeks to go before the retail launch of the Asus ROG Ally. While reviews for the handheld haven't been the best, it looks like the company is trying to salvage the console's reputation leading up to the launch, stating that things are being worked on behind the scenes that will bring significant improvements before it ends up in the hands of consumers.

Windows 11 gets new widgets for monitoring CPU, GPU, and RAM

Usama Jawad — Wed, 31 May 2023 16:22:43 GMT

At Build 2023 a few days ago, Microsoft announced a new open-source tool for Windows 11 in the form of Dev Home. It offers developers a way set up and customize their development environment through the help of various extensions, such as the built-in Dev Home GitHub extension, and monitor their projects. The app is currently in preview and is available in the Microsoft Store for all Windows 11 users. Interestingly, Dev Home also offers numerous widgets for Windows 11, which are now available.

Here are all the new features Microsoft added to Excel in May 2023

Usama Jawad — Wed, 31 May 2023 13:38:15 GMT

Microsoft Excel is one of the most used spreadsheet software, not only by novice consumers but also in enterprise environments, because of its diverse capabilities and rich features. Microsoft regularly adds new features to Excel throughout the month in order to retain its existing customers as well as entice new ones. Now, it has detailed all the improvements it made to its software during the month of May 2023.

Asus announces eco-friendly ExpertBook laptops with OLED displays

Arif Bacchus — Wed, 31 May 2023 13:00:17 GMT

At Computex 2023 in Taiwan, Asus is going all-in on suitability. The company announced Carbon Partner Services. This is a new end-to-end solution that should help businesses reach carbon offset and other sustainability goals thanks to nature-based carbon credits that can offset emissions. Covered under the program is a new range of ExpertBook laptops, and a new education laptop.

Razer unveils Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed low-latency earbuds with dynamic RGB lighting

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 30 May 2023 23:12:22 GMT

Razer has announced new low-latency earbuds that are not only packed with features but also versatile, capable of being used with a wide variety of popular products on the market today, like PCs, smartphones, game consoles, and more. The new Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed's also have a bit of flair thanks to its customizable RGB lighting via Razer Chroma. The new earbuds are now available for purchase and will come in at a cost of $199.99 USD / €229.99.

Microsoft has a temporary fix for broken Surface Pro X cameras

Arif Bacchus — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:25:56 GMT

Ever since last week, Surface Pro X owners, and those with other Windows PCs that have an Arm-based chip under the hood have been reporting issues with their webcams. Windows would simply spit out an error code when trying to use the integrated webcam in any given app. The issue has now been acknowledged by Microsoft and mitigated with a workaround while the Redmond firm works with device manufacturers and driver partners on a permanent fix.

Huawei Matebook 16s and MateBook X Pro updates bring Intel's latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 30 May 2023 15:25:27 GMT

Huawei's updating its Matebook 16s and MateBook X Pro, both of which were phenomenal models from last year, bringing more power under the hood with Intel's 13th Gen Core processors. While you aren't getting many changes from last year's models, it's nice to be able to gain some extra horsepower from a new CPU, especially if you're on the hunt for a premium laptop. Both laptops will be available starting on June 1. Those that are in the UK will also be able to take advantage of a promotion to get a free pair of FreeBuds 5 while supplies last.

MSI's latest Stealth 16 gaming laptop is a collaboration with Mercedes AMG

João Carrasqueira — Tue, 30 May 2023 07:00:17 GMT

MSI is no stranger to powerful gaming and creator laptops, and the brand has also worked on some unique brand collaborations before. But at this year's Computex, the company announced what is arguably the most notable brand collaboration it's done yet, announcing the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes AMG Motorsport laptop. This is a special edition of the Stealth 16, featuring design elements inspired by high-performance Mercedes AMG Motorsport vehicles.

Intel's Meteor Lake processors will go all-in on AI, feature Intel Arc graphics

João Carrasqueira — Mon, 29 May 2023 13:01:18 GMT

Intel has shared the first details of the upcoming Meteor Lake platform, which will debut later this year with a big focus on client-side AI performance. AI is the hot topic in computing right now, and Intel is betting hard to make sure it can deliver capable AI experience on client devices so you don't have to rely on the cloud for all the workloads and use cases that are starting to show up.

Microsoft pushes bug-fixing Windows 11 Canary channel and Beta channel builds

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 25 May 2023 17:30:48 GMT

Microsoft has released new Windows 11 builds to both the Windows 11 Canary channel and the Windows 11 Beta channel. Over on the Beta channel, it's build 22631.1825 for those who have new features rolling out and build 22621.1825 for those with new features off by default. The Canary channel, meanwhile, is seeing build 25375. There's not much new to report today, but, as always, we have the details on what you need to know.

Acer updates the Swift Edge 16 with 120Hz 3.2K OLED display, Ryzen 7040 CPU

Arif Bacchus — Thu, 25 May 2023 12:00:19 GMT

Acer has launched two impressive new laptops and a Wi-Fi mesh router ahead of Computex 2023. The new laptops include the refreshed Swift Edge 16, which sports an OLED screen and up to the latest AMD Ryzen 7040 series CPU, as well as the Predator Triton 16 gaming laptop, which has a fancy 240 Hz refresh rate display and the latest Core i9 CPU and RTX 40-series graphics under the hood. There's also the Acer Connect Vero W6m mesh router, which doesn't yet have pricing or availability in North America.

Best keyboards for Lenovo Yoga Book 9i in 2023

João Carrasqueira — Thu, 25 May 2023 01:00:18 GMT

Lenovo often comes out with some crazy ideas for laptops, and the Yoga Book 9i is one of the prime examples of that. This is a 13-inch laptop that comes with two OLED displays with the goal of expanding your productivity. It includes a stand you can use to prop the screens up, and a Bluetooth keyboard that can be used separately or attached to the bottom screen for a more typical laptop experience. But as great as it is to have that keyboard in the box, it's not perfect, and if you want a replacement, we have a few options for you.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro X cameras aren't working, but luckily there's a temporary fix

Timi Cantisano — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:51:41 GMT

It's been some time since we've seen the Surface Pro X in the headlines. The original and refreshed models offered an excellent design that came in a compact size, that also offered fantastic battery life. However, what really limited the Surface Pro X was that it only supported the installation of 32-bit (x86) apps and 64-bit (Arm64) apps. With all that said, it looks like the Surface Pro X has popped resurfaced in the news, and this time, it's because the cameras on the device have stopped working. The reports of the issue are fairly fresh, and it looks like Microsoft is aware of the problem. Thankfully, if you need to use your cameras ASAP, there is a temporary workaround that should get you up and running.

Windows 11 Moment 3 update brings a new look for Widgets and Settings improvements

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:55:34 GMT

Microsoft is officially rolling out the Moment 3 update for Windows 11 starting today, bringing with it a handful of improvements to various aspects of the experience. This update is optional for now, but these changes will also be packaged into a mandatory update for next month's Patch Tuesday.

New Windows 11 preview brings improved backup and restore, taskbar ungrouping

João Carrasqueira — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:02:30 GMT

It may be Build time for Microsoft, but it's also build time for Windows Insiders, as the company is rolling out a new update for Dev channel, bringing us to Windows 11 build 23466. This is one of the biggest updates Microsoft has released to Insiders in a long time, and there are a ton of new features. These include a new backup and restore experience so you can get your apps up and running on a new PC more quickly. It also brings back taskbar ungrouping, a faster storage drive for developers, and more.

Opera Aria is a new browser experience with integrated AI

Timi Cantisano — Wed, 24 May 2023 14:11:07 GMT

Opera is taking the next step with AI, introducing Aria, a new browser AI that takes advantage of OpenAI's GPT technology. Aria is now available through the company's Opera One browser for desktop and is also available on the beta version of its browser for Android. Opera's browser is quite well known for being one of the best browsers available, but this new feature could really take it over the top.

AMD's $270 RX 7600 will go head-to-head with Nvidia's RTX 4060

Matthew Connatser — Wed, 24 May 2023 13:00:17 GMT

AMD has done very little with the RX 7000 series since it launched in late 2022, and for over half a year the only desktop RX 7000 cards were the RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT. But that finally changes today as AMD launches the third member of the RX 7000 family, the RX 7600. It's a $270 midrange GPU that stands to compete directly against the RTX 4060 and replace the RX 6650 XT, but not in a particularly aggressive way.

Google Bard update enriches responses with new image integration

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 23 May 2023 23:26:27 GMT

It's been a few weeks since Google I/O 2023, and now we're starting to see a new feature for Bard come to life with its latest update. The new update brings images to the service, allowing responses to prompts to have more visual presence with images pulled using Google Search. While this is a small detail, it does feel a bit more modern to have images accompanying text, and since there is no longer a waitlist for the service, and with expanded availability to many around the world, you can now try it to see it for yourself.

32-bit Arm apps won't be supported by Qualcomm's Oryon CPUs or Windows 12

João Carrasqueira — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:27:10 GMT

Windows devices powered by Arm processors have been using 64-bit processors for a while now, but just as we've seen in the Android world, support for 32-bit instruction sets and apps usually sticks around for a few years after that. That's been the case with Windows 10 and 11, too, which still support apps compiled for Arm32 today. However, that's going to change with Windows 12 and the next-generation Oryon processor from Qualcomm.

May Windows 11 21H2 preview update fixes printing bugs, improves interaction with search box

Arif Bacchus — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:16:10 GMT

If you're still running the original version of Windows 11, known as Windows 11 21H2, you'll be seeing May's preview update today in Windows Update. Coming as KB5026436, and build OS Build 22000.2003, this update is a minor one, but it does address issues with printing, and updates the interactions you might have with the search box on the taskbar. Here's the scoop on everything that's new and changed.

Microsoft shows off redesigned, modern File Explorer for Windows 11

João Carrasqueira — Tue, 23 May 2023 18:12:11 GMT

Microsoft is working on a redesigned version of File Explorer for Windows 11, further modernizing the look and feel of the experience. That much had already been reported on earlier this year, but during its Build keynote today, the company gave us a clear, albeit brief look at the experience, even though it was never mentioned.

The powerful Razer Blade 16 and 18 arrive in sleek new Mercury Editions

Timi Cantisano — Tue, 23 May 2023 16:41:56 GMT

Earlier this year, during CES 2023, Razer dropped two new laptops, the Razer 16 and Razer 18. Both laptops offered incredible power, and sleek designs. Today, the firm is giving the Razer 16 and Razer 18 a new look, debuting the Mercury Edition, giving the laptops a more "modern aesthetic" as the company puts it. For the most part, nothing here changes when it comes to the internals, with Razer offering top-end specifications. The company will also make color matching accessories available like a Thunderbolt 4 Dock, USB-C 130W GaN Charger, and laptop stand.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 could be coming to Chromebooks this year

Jules Wang — Tue, 23 May 2023 15:23:24 GMT

ChromeOS continues to grow into something Google probably didn't imagine it would become — that's to the benefit of all Chromebooks not to mention the best ones. The company began pushing a gaming angle over the past couple of years with streaming being promoted as the main avenue for some "gaming Chromebooks" that looked the part. But we're now learning that a long-term effort to bring Nvidia RTX GPUs to the platform could yield fruit relatively soon.

Microsoft's new Dev Home app for Windows 11 makes it easier to set up your workflow

João Carrasqueira — Tue, 23 May 2023 15:00:20 GMT

Microsoft has announced a handful of new tools and capabilities for Windows 11 to make the life of developers much easier. One of the big news is the new Dev Home app, which is meant to be a centralized hub for all your developments needs. There are also a few smaller updates for Windows 11 that should make things easier not just for developers, but for all kinds of users.