WhatsApp brings back the About feature to supplement statuses
If you are a seasoned user of WhatsApp, brace yourself for a blast from the past. The company has just announced that it is bringing back one of its earliest features in a new and improved form.
What is returning is the About feature, a simple text field that can be used to share information about yourself, your availability, or anything else you can think of. It is not entirely dissimilar to the Notes feature of Instagram.
Google updates Android Quick Share for compatibility with Apple AirDrop
Out of the blue, Google has announced a significant change to the Quick Share feature of Android. The company says that – on a limited number of devices – Quick Share can now be used to share files and photos from Android to iPhone thank to newly added compatibility with Apple’s AirDrop.
The strange and sudden interoperability comes as good news, but it is not clear how many Android devices will ultimately be able to take advantage of this change, or when. It is also not clear quite what prompted the move from Google, although the company has quite a lot to say about what is involved.
Microsoft open sources Infocom’s Zork trilogy
Microsoft, in conjunction with Activision, Team Xbox, and its Open Source Programs Office, has announced plans to open source some of Infocom’s most iconic interactive fiction. Zork I, Zork II, and Zork III will be released under the MIT License, placing the code for one of the most recognisable early computer game series into accessible public repositories. As someone who spent many hours playing the Zork trilogy (and other Infocom games) over the years, this is fantastic news.
Developers, students, and researchers will be able to examine the structure of the original titles directly rather than relying on secondary documentation or archived binaries. It will also provide a clearer view of how Infocom’s early work was built, maintained, and adapted across platforms.
IBM and Cisco announce partnership to create a distributed network of fault-tolerant quantum computers
IBM and Cisco have announced plans to work together on a connected network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers. The collaboration will unite IBM’s progress in quantum hardware with Cisco’s research into quantum networking, creating a system designed to link together multiple advanced quantum machines.
The companies expect this direction to expand quantum computing beyond the limits of individual systems, supported by a planned demonstration of networked quantum computers within five years and further work towards distributed quantum computing in the early 2030s.
Logitech opens its first U.S. experience store in San Francisco, with a giant MX Master 4 mouse
Logitech is preparing to open a pop-up store in San Francisco’s Union Square, giving visitors access to its latest products and a closer look at its MX line. The walk-in hub will remain open until late December.
A preview session for media and creators is planned for the first afternoon, offering early access to the layout and product stations. The store will allow Logitech to show how its MX products fit into creative and productivity workflows, and the MX Master 4 mouse is placed at the center of the experience --literally. There will be a giant version of it there for people have photographs taken with.
One in 11 new Black Friday websites is malicious
Retailers aren’t the only ones to want to make the most of Black Friday, it’s a boom time for scammers too. New analysis by Check Point reveals that one in 11 newly registered Black Friday-themed domains is classified as harmful.
October saw 158 new Black Friday related domains, a 93 percent increase over the 2025 monthly average. Early November intensified that growth, with more than 330 new related domains appearing in only the first 10 days.
Over 71 percent of in-house IT builds fail to deliver
A survey of over 2,000 IT and security decision-makers finds that 71 percent of in-house IT builds are eventually abandoned. In heavily regulated industries like manufacturing and finance this rises to 83 percent, which underscores how complexity and compliance pressures make homegrown systems difficult to sustain.
The study from Exclaimer calls this ‘The DIY Mirage’, a false sense of control and efficiency that fades as maintenance demands, compliance risks, and long-term costs grow.
AdGuard launched AdGuard DNS, a lightweight DNS app for Android and iOS
AdGuard has released a mobile app for DNS-level protection on iOS and Android, offering a simple way to block ads, trackers and harmful sites via encrypted DNS. AdGuard DNS targets users who want network-level filtering while avoiding the complexity of full ad-blocking or VPN tools.
The app is easy to set up and use. After installing it, users can link a device to their AdGuard DNS account by entering a Setup ID from the dashboard or by scanning a QR code.
CVE system struggling to keep pace with modern development
A new report finds that the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system struggles to keep pace with the realities of modern software development.
The study from Sonatype analyzed 1,552 open source vulnerabilities disclosed in 2025 and found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) lacked severity scores from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD).
Half of security teams struggling to cope with volume of vulnerabilities
As the number of CVEs continues to rise, a new study finds 46 percent of respondents say that the volume of vulnerabilities has placed additional strain on their security teams’ resources impacting not only organizational security but also staff well being.
The report from Hackuity also shows that 26 percent, admit this pressure has contributed to a data breach, while 36 percent, report it resulted in a regulatory fine.
Spotify has bought WhoSampled to expand music data
Spotify has announced that it has acquired WhoSampled, a service which reveals information about the origins of musical components.
The company will use data from the WhoSampled community to power a new SongDNA feature. Available to paying subscribers, the feature provides a wealth of information about tracks including the source of samples used within songs.
Microsoft is adding a much-needed agenda view to the Windows 11 taskbar calendar
If you have been waiting for Microsoft to make Windows 11’s taskbar flyout calendar useful, there is not much longer to wait. At Ignite, the company has provided details of a significant change that is coming in December.
The calendar flyout that appears when clicking the taskbar clock is in line for an upgrade. Now, in addition to displaying a quick-view calendar, there will be an agenda view.
What went wrong at Cloudflare?
You may have noticed that yesterday ChatGPT, X and a number of other websites -- including BetaNews for a while -- were unavailable due to an issue with online security service Cloudflare. So what went wrong?
According to the company the problem occurred after a configuration file designed to handle threat traffic did not work as intended and ‘triggered a crash’ in its software handling traffic for its wider services.
Apple thinks these are the best apps of 2025
We have reached the time of year when ‘best of’ roundups become increasingly difficult to avoid. Not wanting to buck the trend, Apple has released its list of finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards.
The list is not just about apps, but also includes games. Apple says that the aim is to recognize developers’ “achievements in innovation, user experience, and cultural impact”.
Red Hat announces Project Hummingbird to boost cloud-native development
Today’s IT leaders frequently face a critical trade-off between delivery speed and systems security. AI-assisted and -generated coding tools accelerate development cycles, but this speed can run counter to the realities of managing multi-faceted, complicated software components.
This seemingly leaves CIOs with two choices, moving at the speed of business while balancing potential production systems risks, or being overcautious to the point of losing to competitor’s innovations.
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