Wayne Williams

Internet Archive lets you play 2,500 more classic DOS games in your browser, including The Secret of Monkey Island and Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft_Flight_Simulator_v5.1_1993_screenshot

Five years ago, the Internet Archive added 2,400 playable DOS games to its site, including 90s classics like Duke Nukem 3D, Prince of Persia, Championship Manager, The Incredible Machine, Eye of the Beholder (and its sequels), Hexen, Sim City, and Wolfenstein 3D.

Over the years, a number of additional games have been added to the collection, but the Internet Archive has made what it says is its biggest update yet, introducing another 2,500 MS-DOS titles.

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Nest Mini comes with an upgraded Google Assistant

Nest Mini Family Shot

Amazon has been putting its voice assistant Alexa into as many devices as it can dream up, leaving Google trailing in its wake. Two years ago, the search giant announced its Amazon Echo Dot competitor, called the Home Mini, and today at its Made by Google ’19 event it debuted that device’s successor.

Nest Mini -- Google is rebranding its home hardware with the Nest name -- comes with an upgraded Google Assistant, and twice the bass. That’s not all though.

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Google's Nest Wifi mesh router and extender comes with Google Assistant built-in

Nest Wifi

I live in a house with very thick walls and floors, so as a result, my Wi-Fi coverage always used to be extremely patchy. I tried various solutions over the years, including a number of range extenders, but eventually I cracked the issue by switching to Google Wifi, a smart networking system that creates a whole home wireless network.

Today, at its Made By Google ’19 event, the search giant unveils the successor to its mesh solution -- Nest Wifi.

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Google's Stadia game streaming service launches on November 19

Google Stadia controller

At this year's Game Developers Conference in March, Google took the wraps off Stadia, a new, instant-play cloud-based gaming service.

With Stadia, games are "played" on Google’s servers, and streamed to compatible devices in the home, including smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, TVs and more. Google claims Stadia servers are capable of providing 4K, 60 frames-per-second performance.

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Windows 10 19H2 gets a new name and is ready for testing

Happy Windows 10 user thumbs up

Microsoft typically rolls out two feature updates a year for Windows 10, but changed its approach in 2019. Instead of two feature updates -- one in spring and the other in fall -- the software giant has opted to make the second release more of a service pack. It does have some new features, but it’s more about providing "quality enhancements".

This service pack update, codenamed 19H2, has finally been given an official name, and it’s available for testing too.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18999 and adds calling to Your Phone

Windows-10 key

The Windows Insider program is currently looking for a new leader, but new Windows 10 builds from the 20H1 branch, due out next May, are continuing to roll out on a weekly basis.

Build 18999 makes the ability to move and resize Cortana’s window available to all Insiders, and calling is now available in the Your Phone app.

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Big changes ahead for the Windows Insider Program as Dona Sarkar switches roles

Windows Insider

Windows Insiders provide feedback on new test builds of Windows 10, and Microsoft has frequently talked up the importance of the community in relation to the development and direction of its newest operating system. In reality, however, Insiders mostly just identify bugs for Microsoft to (maybe) fix.

In recent months there has been a lot of negativity surrounding the quality control of Windows 10, with updates breaking everything from printers to the Start menu.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18995 with new sign-in option and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) updates

Windows-10 key

Microsoft will begin rolling out the Windows 10 19H2 update very soon, but in the meantime it’s working hard on the next big feature release -- the May 2020 Update, due out next spring.

Fresh from its big hardware event yesterday, the software giant today rolls out a new flight to Fast ring Insiders. Build 18995 introduces a number of new features, including adding Windows Hello PIN sign-in support to Safe mode, and yet more improvements for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

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Microsoft's Your Phone app gains new features

Your Phone


Microsoft’s Your Phone app allows you to link your Android or iOS device to your Windows 10 PC, and perform tasks like viewing your phone's photos on your computer, and reading and sending text messages from the comfort of your desktop or laptop.

Today, the software giant rolls out a big update to the app that introduces some additional features that will be of particular interest to owners of a Samsung flagship phone.

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Get 'Hacking for Dummies, 6th Edition' ($29.99 value) FREE for a limited time

Hacking for dummies

Stop hackers before they hack you!

In order to outsmart a would-be hacker, you need to get into the hacker’s mindset and with this book, thinking like a bad guy has never been easier. Get expert knowledge on penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, security best practices, and ethical hacking that is essential in order to stop a hacker in their tracks.

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Windows 10X is a 'lite' operating system for dual-screen PCs

Surface Neo

Earlier today at a special hardware event, Microsoft took the wraps off a lot of new Surface devices, including the Surface Laptop 3, and Surface Pro 7 and Pro X slates.

It also revealed the Surface Neo, the first device in a brand-new category of dual-screen computers, and the operating system that will power them -- Windows 10X.

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Microsoft announces Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X

Surface Pro X

At a special hardware event today, Microsoft took the wraps off a new generation of Surface products, including the new Surface Laptop 3.

The tech giant also announced the new Surface Pro 7 with USB-C, and the ultra-mobile Surface Pro X.

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Amazon announces eight new Echo devices -- and lends Samuel L. Jackson's voice to Alexa

Echo devices

At a special hardware event held today, September 25, Amazon took the wraps off an all-new line up of Echo devices, as well as additional Alexa features, like celebrity voices (Samuel L. Jackson will be the first of these).

The new products include an improved Echo, with an updated fabric design (in Twilight Blue, Charcoal, Heather Grey, and Sandstone colors) and superior sound, but the same $99.99 price tag; and a new $59.99 Echo Dot with a built in clock that can show the outdoor temperature and alarms, as well as the time.

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Cloudflare's Warp VPN now available to all

warp logo

Cloudflare introduced a privacy-focused DNS service last year, and rolled out a mobile app for it as well. The 1.1.1.1 app for Android and iOS aims to speed up and protect your mobile browsing by routing your DNS queries through its own resolver.

Earlier in the year the company announced a VPN service to go along with this called Warp, and invited users to sign up to a waiting list. It was a very long list though -- I was number 1,932,244! The good news today though is the wait is now over and anyone can start using Warp.

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Official Kodi site vanishes, taking the software with it [Updated]

Shock horror

Kodi has weathered a lot of storms in recent years. Although the software is perfectly legal, its name -- somewhat unfairly -- has become synonymous with piracy due to its support for plug-ins that allow streaming of illegal content.

If you were hoping to download a copy of Kodi today then you’re out of luck. The official website has been taken offline.

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