Social media upstart Mastodon is transitioning into a non-profit organization
X and Bluesky rival Mastodon has announced plans to transition into a non-profit organization. The decentralized social network is looking to further differentiate it from the competition, and the latest move “affirm[s] the intent that Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual”.
Precise details of how the change will work are yet to be finalized, but there will be a new, dedicated European not-for-profit entity.
Apple faces a £1.5bn anti-competition class action lawsuit in the UK
Apple finds itself starting a new legal battle today, this time in the UK. A class action lawsuit alleges that the iPhone maker has abused its position to overcharge App Store customers.
A second prong of the lawsuit alleges that the 30 percent commission fee Apple charges app developers runs counter to both UK and European competition laws. The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal will be looking into the claims and passing judgement.
Microsoft will forcibly install the new Outlook app on Windows 10 in February
While making much of the end of support for Windows 10, practically begging users to move on to Windows 11, Microsoft is sending out some confusing signals. The company has announced that the new Outlook for Windows will be forcibly installed on the aging operating system.
Somewhat unusually, the app will be pushed out as part of February’s security updates. This is likely to lead to mixed reactions; some people will be unhappy at having software installed against their will, while others will be pleased to get something new and more secure.
VLC will soon be able to use AI to generate subtitles for any video
VLC Media Player remains one of the most popular video players, having just hit a staggering 6 billion downloads. But VideoLAN, the company behind the software, is not one to rest on its laurels as an exciting demonstration at CES shows.
One of the biggest features in the pipeline for the media player is automatic subtitles generation and translation based on local, open-source AI models. With subtitles being vital for a lot of people, and highly preferable for many, this use of artificial intelligence plugs an important gap in media accessibility.
Outlook crashing when copying text? Microsoft has a fix for that
For two months or more, users of Microsoft Outlook have been hit by a bug that results in the email client freezing. Unfortunately, the bug is triggered by performing a very common action -- using Ctrl + C to copy text.
Having finally acknowledged the issue in November, Microsoft has now been able to address the problem. Here is what Microsoft 365 users need to know.
Apple defends Siri, saying the data it collects is never used for advertising, never sold, and never used for profiling
Having agreed to pay out $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging Siri recorded private conversations without consent, Apple has doubled down on its assertion that it has done nothing wrong.
In a statement entitled “Our longstanding privacy commitment with Siri”, the company stresses it is committed to protecting user privacy. Referring specifically to Siri as “the most private digital assistant”, Apple insists that it “has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose”.
New Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is the first Windows laptop with camera-under-display technology
Lenovo made several big reveals at CES, but perhaps the most interesting is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (14”, 10). This laptop has numerous features that make it stand out from the crowd.
Not only is this a Windows 11 Copilot+ PC, it is a laptop with virtually no bezel; Lenovo boasts of a 98 percent screen-to-body ratio. The most interesting innovation, though, is the inclusion of an under-display camera (or camera-under-display/CUD) which means a webcam without the need for a notch or a bezel.
New year, new low? Microsoft’s latest underhand tactic is spoofing Google for Bing users
While it has its fans, Bing trails behind Google in user numbers and in other areas. The search engine wars of recent years have major echoes of the battle of the browsers of yesteryear, and the latest development sees Microsoft adopting rather underhand tactics.
For many people, Bing has been set as the default search engine, but this doesn’t mean that it is what users want. Currently, if you perform a search for the term “Google” using Bing, you’ll find that the results page has been given a very, very Google-like makeover -- seemingly in a bid to fool people into thinking they are already using Google.
Microsoft says 2025 is the year to ditch Windows 10 and embrace Windows 11
Every time January rolls around there are declarations that this will be the year of Linux on the desktop -- and of course, it never is. This year is no different, and Microsoft would much rather you consider 2025 to be the “year of the Windows 11 PC refresh”.
The company is using CES as a platform to encourage people who are still hanging on to Windows 10 to loosen their grip and move to Windows 11. The end of support for Windows 10 is being used as a stick, but the carrot is the new breed of AI-powered Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft is hoping that the artificial intelligence driven capabilities of this recently launched range of PCs will also encourage existing Windows 11 users to invest in new hardware.
Apple to issue iOS update to avoid AI-generated fake headline confusion
In what could be seen as a perfect demonstration of AI simply not being suitable for many of the things it is being used for, Apple upset the BBC recently after AI-generated headlines pushed fake news to iOS users.
Back in mid-December, the BBC complained to Apple about a headline from the iPhone-maker which stated that the murderer of healthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson had completed suicide. While Apple said nothing in response at the time, the company has now revealed plans to change how AI-generated headlines are flagged to make the use of AI more apparent.
Apple agrees to $95 million payouts to settle lawsuit alleging Siri recorded private conversations
Despite not admitting to having done anything wrong, Apple has agreed $95 million in settlement payouts for “unintentional” Siri activations that may have resulted in private conversations being recorded.
The payment agreement comes after years of legal back and forth following reports from users that Siri was “spying” on them after being activated unbidden. The proposed class action lawsuit has its roots in complaints dating back to 2014.
Microsoft issues critical .NET installer warning to developers
Citing an “unexpected change”, Microsoft has issued a warning to software developers to update their .NET Install links.
Microsoft is describing the situation as “critical”, and it comes after the bankruptcy of Edgio, a company responsible for hosting some .NET-related Content Delivery Network (CDN) instances. Developers are being told to take immediate action in order to avoid problems.
Microsoft warns of Windows 11 24H2 installation issue that blocks all future security updates
Microsoft is vocal about the importance of ensuring that Windows users have all of the latest security updates installed, and rightly so. Now the company has warned that using certain installation media to install Windows 11 24H2 could result in not being able to receive any further security updates.
The root cause of the problem has not been revealed as Microsoft is still investigating, but the issue can occur when using media such as CDs or USB drives to install the latest version of Windows 11. While the cause is not known, and there is no specific fix, there is a workaround.
WhatsApp is rolling out a new reaction emoji just in time for the New Year
Reaction emoji are a quick and easy way to respond to a message in WhatsApp with an absolute minimum of effort. Whether you simply can’t be bothered to type a message, or you’re already multi-tasking several things, the option to just send a thumbs up to a message is a handy option to have.
While there is nothing to stop you from sending any emoji you want as a response, there are several default options made available for easy access -- such as a heart or a sad face in addition to the thumbs up. For some time there have been six default emoji, but now WhatsApp is adding another to the family to make a septet.
Report: Apple is working on a Face ID powered smart doorbell and lock
Apple looks ready to continue its foray into the smart home market with a new doorbell to rival Amazon’s Ring. Driven by Face ID, Apple’s upcoming device is set to be more than just a doorbell -- facial recognition will be used to unlock the door as well.
But if you are looking for a smart doorbell right now, Apple may not be the choice for you. The company’s work is said to be in the preliminary stages, with products unlikely to emerge until at least the tail end of 2025, but likely some time in 2026.
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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