Facebook stalwart Sheryl Sandberg to leave Meta's board of directors but will continue to serve as an adviser
Meta's former COO, Sheryl Sandberg, is stepping down from the company's board of directors later in the year. She has played a major role at the firm since joining Facebook when it was merely a startup, having previously spent time at Google.
Widely respected and seen as one of the most influential women in the world of technology, Sandberg served as Facebook's and Meta's COO for over 14 years and has agreed to remain a board member to help with the transition when she leaves the position. In a message posted to her Facebook page she says that "this feels like the right time to step away".
Google admits that Incognito Mode in Chrome is not as private as you hoped
Those in the know are aware that switching Chrome into Incognito Mode does not mean your browsing is a secret -- but many people assume that the browsing mode offers greater levels of privacy than it actually does.
Now Google has admitted as much. The company is updating its description of Incognito Mode in response to a lawsuit. The revised wording makes it clear that Google continues to collect data about user activity in Incognito Mode.
YouTube seems to be slowing the site for anyone with an ad blocker
YouTube hates ad blockers, and the site has been trying to discourage visitors from using them for quite some time. After introducing warnings last year, the site now appears to be reducing performance for anyone who tries to make use of an ad blocker.
While there has been no official announcement about it, the slowdown has not gone unnoticed by YouTube users. Posts on Reddit reveal the laggy site experience for people using an ad blocker -- lag which disappears as soon as ads are re-enabled.
Microsoft launches Copilot Pro subscription for people willing to pay to supercharge their AI experience
Microsoft continues to throw everything at artificial intelligence, in particular its AI companion Copilot. The company's latest move sees it launching Copilot Pro, a subscription service which gives anyone -- not just businesses and organizations -- access to a more up-to-date and advanced version of the chatbot, including OpenAI's GPT-4 Turbo model.
Designed with "power users, creators and anyone looking to take their Copilot experience to the next level" in mind, Copilot Pro is a $20-per-month attempt by Microsoft to squeeze some money out of AI. The company has also expanded the availability of Copilot for Microsoft 365 to more commercial customers.
Microsoft rushes to calm fears about Copilot running automatically in Windows 11
Love it or hate it -- and it is something that has proved incredibly polarizing -- AI is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Microsoft is just one of a stream of tech firm investing heavily in the technology, and this includes the introduction of its AI-power assistant Copilot in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Copilot has already shown itself to be controversial and divisive, but a recent announcement by Microsoft caused such ripples that the company has been forced to go on the defensive. Plans to have Copilot launch automatically in Windows 11 elicited a vocal response from some corners of the internet, compelling Microsoft to issue an additional statement.
PowerToys 2024: Microsoft adds new power user module to its utility collection
Microsoft has released its first update to PowerToys for 2024. With the release of PowerToys v0.77.0 the team behind the software has started a new development cycle that focuses not only on stability and improvements but also the new features users so crave.
And, sure enough, this release includes a brand-new Command Not Found module -- and it's an absolute must for PowerShell users. Elsewhere there are loads of fixes, updates and a handful of new features.
Windows 10 users with KB5034441 update failure need to manually resize partitions to fix the problem
When Microsoft released the recent KB5034441 update for Windows 10, the aim was to fix a security vulnerability that could allow attackers to bypass BitLocker encryption by using Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Unfortunately, the update itself proved problematic for many users.
Microsoft has now acknowledged the issue, noting that users may not be able to install the update and may encounter an error message that reads "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" or " Windows Recovery Environment servicing failed. (CBS_E_INSUFFICIENT_DISK_SPACE)". The company has a solution, but it's a bit of an awkward one.
Microsoft launches Retail Media Creative Studio to give advertisers the power of generative AI
Microsoft has announced a series of new artificial intelligence tools, options and capabilities which the company is using to empower retailers.
From copilot templates designed to help retailers provide personalized experiences for customers to generative AI tools for creating ads, Microsoft continues to push hard with AI. Of particular interest in the latest batch of tools is Retail Media Creative Studio, currently in preview.
Microsoft releases bug-fixing, security-bolstering KB5034122 update for Windows 10
Less than two weeks into 2024, and Windows 10 users are being treated to their first update of the new year.
The KB5034122 update is a significant security release which also addresses a variety of bugs in Windows 10. Among the problems the updates fixes are two related to smart card usage, and a scroll bar issue.
Microsoft kicks off 2024 by releasing KB5034123 update for Windows 11 adding new lock screen options, security fixes and more
Microsoft has released its first batch of cumulative security updates of 2024, including the KB5034123 update for Windows 11. While the security fixes are a good reason for installing this particular update, there are plenty of other enticements too.
The KB5034123 update addresses various non-security issues including Wi-Fi connectivity problems and a bug that caused Windows to shut down. The update also ushers in new lock screen options thanks to the addition of a "richer weather experience" complete with dynamic, interactive weather updates.
Discontinued Microsoft accessories revived under new Incase Designed by Microsoft branding
In April, Microsoft-branded mice, keyboards and other peripherals and accessories were dropped from the company's product line. The announcement last year found Microsoft saying: "we are focusing on our Windows PC accessories portfolio under the Surface brand".
Now things have changed a little. What Microsoft said remains true, but there has been something of a twist. A new licensing deal with Onward Brands will see a selection of product brought back under Onward's own brand Incase. A total of 23 pieces of hardware are due to be launched as "Incase Designed by Microsoft" products.
Microsoft has completely killed off WordPad in Windows 11... and more apps will follow
It is a few months since Microsoft announced plans to ditch WordPad. Back in September the company revealed that the cut-down word processor would no longer be updated and would be removed from the operating system completely in a future release.
This day has now arrived, with Microsoft chopping WordPad from the latest Canary build of Windows 11. And the removal is irreversible -- the company stresses that "WordPad will not be reinstallable".
Microsoft rebrands its iOS and Android web browser to Microsoft Edge: AI Browser
With, as yet, nothing by way of an explanation, Microsoft has decided to rename the iOS and Android versions of its Edge web browser.
Now known as Microsoft Edge: AI Browser the change of name does not appear to have been accompanied by any significant changes. The mobile web browser does, like so many Microsoft products, include its fair share of artificial intelligence-powered features as the company continues to bet big on the importance of AI.
Steam ends support for Windows 7 and Windows 8
Windows 7 and 8 are now incredibly long in the tooth, and Steam has used the arrival of a new year to drop support for the aged operating systems.
The planned ditching of Windows 7 and Windows 8 was revealed by Steam-maker Valve way back in March. Now 2024 has rolled around, the company is staying true to its word. While this does not mean that games will simply stop working, it does mean that the Steam client for these versions of Windows will no longer be updated, and on-going functionality cannot be guaranteed.
Run Windows 11 on a crappy PC with the ultra-lightweight tiny11 core for ARM64
We've written about tiny11 on numerous occasions, and we're constantly impressed by what has been achieved in whittling Windows 11 to a bare minimum. Now the even lighter weight tiny11 core for ARM64 has been updated after months of radio silence; it is now based on Windows 11 23H2.
tiny11 core is seriously stripped back, meaning its hardware requirements are absolutely minimal. But it is also so bare bones that it’s not really recommended for daily use – it is designed not as a replacement for tiny 11, but as a "quick-and-dirty testbed or development platform".
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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