Microsoft brings Spotify, performance monitoring widgets and more to the Game Bar
If you're signed up to the Xbox Insiders program, you can beta test an updated version of the Game Bar in Windows 10. Originally designed to allow for recording and broadcasting of game footage, The Game Bar now includes Spotify integration and cross-platform messaging.
The Game Bar beta also includes a number of new widgets that can be used to monitor system performance, control audio, and more.
Google closes down its AI ethics council just one week after its launch
Google has announced that it is closing down its artificial intelligence ethics council following controversy about board members. The Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) was formed just a week ago, but there was strong criticism of the decision to appoint Heritage Foundation president Kay Coles James to the board.
Rightwinger James has a history of opposing LGBTQ rights, and dozens of Google employees signed a petition in protest at her board membership. In response, Google has said that it is "going back the drawing board" and is ending the council.
WhatsApp now lets you block people from adding you to a group chat
Facebook is hardly renowned for respecting privacy, but with WhatsApp the company is taking a small step to give users greater control.
A change to privacy settings for groups means that it is now possible -- at last -- to avoid being added to a group chat you don't to be involved in. WhatsApp has announced that "we're introducing a new privacy setting and invite system to help you decide who can add you to groups".
Microsoft Bounty Program offers larger rewards for bug hunters
Bug bounty programs are a popular way for tech companies to track down problems with their products without having to spend large sums of money on dedicated research teams. Microsoft is one of the big names with such a program, and it has just announced that it is increasing the payouts it makes.
As well as offering people more money for finding issues with its products, Microsoft also says that it will pay people faster.
Data of 540 million Facebook users exposed in latest privacy cock-up
It is only a couple of weeks since we learned that Facebook has been storing user passwords in searchable plain text, and now there is -- yet another -- privacy scandal. This time, the private data of over half a billion Facebook users was left exposed on publicly-accessible Amazon servers.
Security firm UpGuard discovered that the private data of 540 million Facebook users was exposed in Amazon Web Services S3 buckets. Now removed, the data included identification numbers, comments, reactions and account names. In some instances, names, passwords and email addresses were also exposed.
Apple and Beats designed Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones are coming in May
Beats by Dr Dre has revealed details of its soon-to-be-released Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones. Scheduled for release in May, the earphones combine the engineering talents of Apple and Beats to create AirPod alternatives for music lovers and athletes alike.
Smaller and lighter than its predecessor, Powerbeats Pro provide both audio quality and comfort, and have been designed to withstand rigorous workouts. Available in four colors -- Black, Ivory, Moss and Navy -- the earphones deliver "powerful, balanced sound with dynamic range and noise isolation for a premium listening experience".
Google+ is officially dead... but you may still be able to download your content
As promised, Google has now closed down Google+, the social networking experiment that just never really took off. If you try to access the site -- or use the mobile app -- you'll be advised that "Google+ is no longer available for consumer (personal) and brand accounts".
Google gave fair warning of the impending closure, telling users to take advantage of the option to download their data before it was deleted forever -- although the Internet Archive said it would try to backup as much as possible. Now the closure has actually happened, it seems that there is still time to download your Google+ content... but you'll have to be quick.
Microsoft stops selling ebooks, offers refunds to customers
If you have been using the Microsoft Store as your point of purchase for ebooks, you're going to have to start shopping elsewhere. Microsoft has ditched the Books category from the store, and this means that not only will it not be possible to buy books from the Microsoft Store, but also that previous purchases will not be accessible after July.
For anyone who has built up a library of ebooks via Microsoft, this will come as bad news -- but there is a slight silver lining. The company says that it will provide full refunds for all book purchases.
Email app Spark arrives on Android ready to replace Google Inbox
Google may be shutting down its Inbox app later this week, but there are alternatives out there. In fact, the number of options available to Android users just increased.
Spark -- which has proved very popular with iOS and macOS users -- has just migrated to Android, bringing with it all manner of inbox organizing smarts. Developer Readdle says it will, "make you love email again".
Microsoft launches new 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 with 8th Gen Intel quad-core i5 processor
With precisely zero fanfare, Microsoft has added a new mid-range Surface Book 2 to the existing line-up. Priced at $1,499, the 13.5-inch model is now available with the new i5-8350U processor.
The addition of an 8th generation Intel quad-core Core i5 processor was something we'd heard rumoured, and this new model not only opens up the range of options available to buyers, it also means that other prices have been reduced.
Cloudflare announces free VPN service, Warp, to complement its 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver
Online privacy has become such a concern that VPN tools -- once used only by technology experts -- have now started to become far more mainstream. Android users can take advantage of Opera's built-in VPN, and there are many other services to choose from.
Adding to this list, Cloudflare has announced a new free VPN service called Warp. It will become part of the company's existing privacy-focused 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver, and just as 1.1.1.1 was designed to simplify using a DNS tool, so Warp is being billed as a "VPN for people who don't know what V.P.N. stands for".
How to schedule emails in Gmail
It seems hard to believe, but Gmail has now been with us for 15 years. To celebrate a decade-and-a-half of existence, Google has added a handful of new and improved features to it.
Smart compose has been updated and expanded to more devices and languages, and it has also been made smarter with AI-powered personalization. But the star of the show is email scheduling, something people have been asking for for years. Here's how to use it.
Mark Zuckerberg's calls for internet regulation are just an attempt to shift the blame from Facebook
Over the weekend, Mark Zuckerberg set out what he described as "four ideas to regulate the internet". Were these ideas put forth by someone else, it might be possible to refer to this as an impassioned plea -- but this is Zuckerberg we're talking about.
He suggests GDPR-style privacy regulation in the US. He wants more control of hate speech. He believes more needs to be done about political advertising, particularly around the time of elections. And he likes the idea of data portability. These are reasonable ideas and -- importantly -- there is nothing to stop Facebook from implementing them now. To lead the way. There is no need to call for, or wait for, legislation.
Google publishes its Android Security & Privacy 2018 Year in Review
Google has published its fifth Android Security & Privacy Year in Review, this time looking back at 2018. While the report draws attention to some of the security and privacy improvements the company has made, it is not just about Google blowing its own trumpet.
The report shows that payouts made through Google rewards programs -- payments made to outside researchers and individuals for bringing security issues to the company's attention -- reached $3 million in 2018. Google also says that in the fourth quarter of the year, 84 percent more devices received a security update than in the same quarter in 2017.
Canceled: Apple's AirPower wireless charging mat will not be released
Apple has confirmed that its long-awaited wireless AirPower charging mat is not going to be released. The company says quality issues are to blame for the decision.
The product was originally announced back in 2017 and was destined to be a convenient way to wirelessly charge iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods. Its release had been repeatedly pushed back, but now it has been canceled completely
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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