Google is making your inbox more useful with vastly improved summary cards in Gmail
The “summary cards” feature of Gmail is not new; it is Google’s way of helping to make your emails easier to manage, consolidating information about, for instance, purchases you’ve made. Now things are being updated with live updates and “action buttons”.
Across four categories -- purchases, events, bills and travel -- summary cards provide at-a-glance information at the top of your emails. The new actions buttons make it possible to quickly add entries to Google Calendar or Google Tasks so you don’t forget important events, but there is much more to the update, including a Happening Soon section.
Windows 11 users hit with yet another update so problematic that Microsoft has been forced to withdraw it
Updates for Windows, at least the ones that are released on a monthly basis, are not as eagerly anticipated by users as they used to be. This could be because they are rarely packed with new and exciting features, but a more likely reason for the decreased interest is the astonishing number of problematic updates Microsoft has released.
The KB5043145 update for Windows 11 released this week is a case in point. Reports of blue screens, green screens, reboot loops and more has forced Microsoft to withdraw the update while it works out what is going wrong.
Intel finally diagnoses the root cause of Core 13th and 14th Gen CPU instability issues
Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors have been plagued with instability issues, problems Intel seemed incapable of properly addressing -- until now.
The company says that it has finally been able to determine the root cause of the issue. In fact, there are no fewer than four possible scenarios that can cause what has been dubbed the Vmin Shift Instability issue. There’s also a new microcode update to add to the growing pile of patches that have already been released.
Winamp source code now available on GitHub
There can be few computer enthusiasts of a certain age who do not remember with some fondness Winamp -- one of the first popular MP3 applications, and one famed for “whippin’ the llama’s ass”.
Having been open sourced earlier in the year, the source code for the iconic software has now been published to GitHub. The team behind the player is looking for help from developers to, “improve and modernize the player to meet current user needs”.
Kaspersky users in the US find themselves forcibly migrated to the mysterious UltraAV
It is not unusual for software to update itself without user interaction; when it comes to delivering security patches and new features this is entirely desirable. But to have an app uninstall itself and replace itself with a different product? That’s not only highly unusually, it’s also worrying.
And yet this is what is happening for users of Kaspersky antivirus software in the US. Having been deemed a threat to national security, the sale of software from the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky was banned in the US. Having promised that its customers would be taken care of, Kaspersky is now keeping its promise but forcibly replacing its security software with the largely unknown UltraAV on US customers’ computers
Elon Musk risks privacy backlash by permitting accounts you’ve blocked on X to see your posts
If you’ve decided to stick with X after Elon Musk took over Twitter and started to systematically destroy anything good that was left there (which, admittedly was not much) you’ve probably made extensive use of the Block function to filter out some of the crap that flows through the social media sewer. Now the value of blocking is about to be diminished.
Musk has confirmed that the functionality of the block button is changing. The change means that while an account you have blocked will not be able to interact with you or your posts, they will be able to see any posts that you’ve written. It’s an idea that has already been met with criticism, with many voicing concerns about privacy implications.
Microsoft will let Windows 11 users remap the stupid Copilot key on their keyboard
If you’ve bought a computer or a keyboard recently, you may have spotted an extra key near the spacebar. The Copilot key is Microsoft’s attempt to push, prompt and encourage use of its AI-powered digital assistant, but not everyone is convinced.
Even if you are someone who sees the value in Copilot as a tool, you may well not feel the need to have a dedicated physical key to access it. Thankfully, Microsoft understands that the latest addition to keyboards is not something that everyone needs. As such, the company is testing the ability to remap the Copilot key.
Microsoft launches Windows App so you can connect to Windows from just about any device
After a lengthy period of testing, Microsoft has announced that the Windows App is now generally available for Windows, macOS and iOS. There is also a browser-based version as well as a preview version of the Android app.
What is Windows App? It provides a way to remotely connect to and control a range of Windows devices. It is, in many ways, a modernization and revamp of Remote Desktop clients, and users will be gradually migrated so they can take advantage of the latest improvements and features. So, what is new?
Microsoft is giving Windows 11 users (a bit of) control over the in-OS ads they see... but there’s a sting in the tail
Microsoft’s insistence on levering ads into Windows 11 in a variety of ways has long been a source of frustration for users. While the company shows no signs of letting up in this department, there is a tiny bit of good news cresting the horizon.
In the latest beta and canary builds of Windows 11, there are new options in the Settings app that make it possible to take control of ads. This is clearly encouraging, but before you get too excited it is important to note that the level of control the new settings afford users is limited, and there remains no way to avoid ads altogether. Predictably, there is even more bad news.
Scratch that! We’re actually no wiser about when Microsoft plans to release the Windows 11 24H2 update
For those who are keenly awaiting the release of the Windows 11 24H2 update, a recent Microsoft blog post caused a good deal of excitement. It appeared to reveal that this significant feature update is due to roll out this very month; but all was not as it seems
Microsoft has now updated the blog post to clarify that the information it includes has been misinterpreted -- or perhaps that it was not sufficiently clearly written in the first place. Where does this leave us?
Microsoft reveals the imminent release date for Windows 11 24H2
If you have been wondering just when you’ll be able to get your hands on the final version of the Windows 11 24H2 update, wonder no more.
Although Microsoft has not made a big announcement about the release date for this eagerly anticipated feature update for Windows 11, the company has -- seemingly inadvertently -- revealed the release schedule in a blog post. This spills the news that the release of Windows 11 24H2 is just days away.
Meta bans RT and other Russian state media from Facebook and Instagram
Citing "foreign interference activity", Meta has introduced a global ban on Russian state media outlets on its social media platforms. The move is fueled in part by concern about attempts by Russia to influence the 2024 US presidential election.
The ban, which is coming into force over the next few days, means that the likes of RT (formerly Russia Today) and Rossiya Segodnya will no longer have access to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
Google partners with the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to enhance search results
You may remember that earlier this year Google took the decision to retire cache links from its search results. At the time this caused annoyance and frustration, but these feelings were tempered by the possibility of some form of future resurrection of the feature.
And now that time has come. Teaming up with the Internet Archive, Google search results now link back to cached Wayback Machine versions of pages in addition to the one that is currently live. The Internet Archive sees it as a continuation of its “commitment to preservation”.
Meta is training its AI using an entire nation’s data… with no opt-out
The question of how to train and improve AI tools is one that triggers fierce debate, and this is something that has come into sharp focus as It becomes clear just how Meta is teaching its own artificial intelligence.
The social media giant is -- perhaps unsurprisingly to many -- using data scrapped from Facebook and Instagram posts, but only in Australia. Why Australia? Unlike Europe where General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) necessitated Meta to give users a way to opt out of having their data used in this way, Australia has not been afforded this same opportunity. What does this mean?
Meta reveals more details of WhatsApp and Messenger's interoperability with third-party messaging services that's coming to Europe soon
There are many frustrations to complain about in relation to messaging apps, but one of the biggest has to be the fact that the vast majority of platforms do not talk to each other. Facebook Messenger can only be used to talk to other Facebook Messenger users, WhatsApp can only be used to communicate with other WhatsApp users, and so on. But this is about to change.
At least it will change for people in Europe. In response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Meta is working towards making it possible for WhatsApp and Messenger users to enjoy cross-platform interoperability by enabling third-party chats. This has been in the pipeline for a while, but the changes are now imminent and more details of how it will all work have been revealed.
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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