Google is giving Chrome a new Password Manager -- here's how to enable it
For anyone who struggles to remember the growing list of endlessly complicated passwords needed to gain access to the plethora of online accounts we all now have, a password manager is near-essential. Chrome, like many of the web browsers, has long-featured a tool for storing and automatically entering passwords, and now Google is giving it a much-needed upgrade.
Until now, Chrome's password manager has been functional, but far from being adorned with bells and whistles. Now Google is giving it a new user interface as well as an important injection of new features.
Twitter could be about to open source its algorithm
There is a great deal to be said in favor of making software, apps and code available on an open source basis. And this is particularly true of the algorithms that influence so many aspects of life, and control what is seen online.
Now Elon Musk has suggested that Twitter's own algorithm could be made open source -- perhaps as soon as next week.
Microsoft releases KB5022905 update preview to fix numerous Windows 11 problems
Ahead of next month's official release -- and after having launched it for users of the Release Preview build of Windows 11 -- Microsoft has made available a preview of the KB5022905 update for Windows 11.
This is a non-security update, but it fixes a number of issues including difficulties properly deleting user profiles, a Z-order problem with maximized windows and more. It also adds a new advanced auto-learning feature for facial recognition.
Google is rolling out Memory Saver and Energy Saver features to Chrome users
Chrome may be one of the most widely used web browsers in the world, but along the way it has managed to earn itself a reputation for being something of a bloated resource hog. Now, weeks after initially announcing them, Google is rolling out a pair of new features to help address the problem.
Energy Saver and Memory Saver do very much what their names suggest, helping to reducing battery consumption and memory usage with a range of techniques. Available in Chrome 110, both features can be customized to your liking.
Microsoft to release Windows 11 Moment 3 to beta testers soon
Windows 11 Moment 3 is rumored to hit general availability towards the end of the first half of this year -- possibly in May. But before this next significant update to Windows 11 is released to the general public, it will first need to undergo beta testing -- and this could be happening very soon indeed.
Although Microsoft is yet to say anything about the release date for Moment 3, reliable leaker PhantomOfEarth has not only revealed that the beta is due for release soon, but also shared details of what it is likely to include.
Microsoft says it has resolved Outlook email filter outage that resulted in a deluge of spam
Users of Microsoft's Outlook.com have been flooded with spam and phishing emails over a period of 12 hours. It seems that the message filters for the email service suffered an outage, resulting inboxes being overwhelmed with junk mail.
While Microsoft says that the issue has now been addressed, the company has provided very little in the way of explanation for what happened.
Windows 11 has a secret WASDK File Explorer app complete with an astounding new image gallery feature
The Insider builds of Windows 11 almost always have interesting new features and options to explore, but sometimes the tastiest morsels are hidden from sight as Microsoft is still working on them. The latest release -- Build 25300 -- is a good example, as it includes an experimental version of File Explorer.
This test version of Explorer is based on WASDK (Windows App SDK), and it includes a new image gallery feature that is sure to win itself a lot of fans.
Now you can pay to get verified on Facebook and Instagram as Meta takes a leaf out of Twitter's book
Not to be outdone by Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg has taken to Instagram to announce the rollout of a paid-for Meta Verified program. While it is already possible to receive a Twitter-style blue tick of verification on Facebook and Instagram, the new subscription service will give users the opportunity to pay for the badge.
Echoing the claims of Musk, Zuckerberg says that "this new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services". With a charge of between $12 and $15 per month, there is obviously a financial benefit for Meta as well.
Microsoft is massively increasing the cost of using Bing Search APIs
Twitter has received a lot of attention of late, with one of the most recent controversies relating to the decision to charge for access to the Twitter API, all but getting rid of the free tier. Now Microsoft is up to much the same trick, announcing this week huge increases that are coming for developers who want to use the Bing Search APIs.
New pricing for access to Bing Search APIs kicks in at the beginning of May, and the rise is significant. There are various access tiers available, and the cost of some is due to increase tenfold.
Twitter is going to make you pay for some elements of 2FA -- act now to secure your account for free!
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an important means of securing accounts, making it significantly harder for hackers to gain unauthorized access. So it is perhaps a little surprising that Twitter has announced that it is locking one of the most popular 2FA methods behind a paywall.
The company has announced that SMS-based two-factor authentication will only be available to paying Twitter Blue subscribers. The change will take effect on March 20, and after this date non-paying Twitter users will be limited to securing their account with either an authentication app or a physical security key.
Microsoft gives its approval for running Windows 11 on Macs with M1 and M2 chips using Parallels
While Microsoft would very much prefer that you run Windows 11 on a PC, the company recognizes -- albeit rather reluctantly -- that some people favor Macs. Licensing restrictions have meant that, until now, users have not been permitted to run Windows on Apple Silicon.
Microsoft has published an article that officially permits the use of Parallels Desktop 18 to run Windows 11 on ARM-based Macs. This means that Macs with M1 or M2 chips can be used to run either Windows 11 Pro or Windows 11 Enterprise. There are, however, numerous caveats.
Microsoft is using the KB5022905 update to add new facial recognition features to Windows 11
Microsoft has released a preview version of the KB5022905 update for Windows 11 which not only fixes a host of bugs, but also adds important new facial recognition functionality.
For now, the update is only available to users running Windows 11 Release Preview, and the KB5022905 update which takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.1639. While there are no security fixes in this update, it addresses a lengthy list of issues.
Microsoft is adding a useful End Task option to the Windows 11 taskbar; here's how to enable it now!
If an app starts to misbehave in Windows 11, you may need to forcibly quit it using Task Manager. To help make life a little easier, Microsoft is speeding up the process of killing an app by adding an End Task option to taskbar jump lists.
The new option means that it is possible to terminate an app by simply right-clicking its icon in the taskbar and selecting End Task. The feature is hidden by default, but there is a way to enable it right away.
Microsoft UUP will deliver smaller and faster updates to on-premises Windows 11 22H2 devices from March
Starting at the end of March, Microsoft is going to deliver its first UUP on premises updates to Windows 11 devices.
Available for systems running Windows 11 22H2, UUP (Unified Update Platform) on premises works in conjunction with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and Microsoft Configuration Manager. Ultimately, it means smaller updates for clients and faster update delivery, but there will be a hefty download to kick things off.
Microsoft shares an update about the waitlist for the new Bing enhanced with a custom version of ChatGPT AI -- including how to jump the queue
It has been difficult to avoid AI search news of late, with both Microsoft and Google announcing their offerings in the form of an AI-enhanced version of Bing, and Bard. There has been a lot of interest in the new Bing, with the waiting list growing by the day -- and now Microsoft has provided an update about how things are progressing.
If you are very eager to get to try out the AI-powered capabilities of the new Bing, Microsoft has also shared details of how you can "get ahead in the queue".
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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