The Office Insider program is dead; long live the Microsoft 365 Insider program
Microsoft has killed off the Office Insider program, used to gain feedback from testers about new features and changes. The death is not one to be mourned, however -- it is followed by an immediate resurrection as the Microsoft 365 Insider program.
The rebranding is in line with Microsoft's announcement last year that Office 365 would become Microsoft 365. In addition to the change in name, the company says that it will be providing information and publishing blog posts about a wider range of products and services that fall under the Microsoft 365 banner.
Logitech launches affordable Brio 300 USB-C webcam with privacy shutter
If you need a new webcam and don't want to break the bank, there is a new product from Logitech that you definitely need to check out. Called "Brio 300," this beautiful cone-shaped webcam connects via USB-C and comes with an integrated privacy shade. And yes, it is certified for both Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Brio 300 costs just $69.99, which seems like a great value for a 1080p webcam from a top brand such as Logitech. It includes a microphone with noise cancellation, of course, but also, you get features like auto light correction and high dynamic contrast. If you love the environment, you will love the Brio 300 too, as it is partially constructed of post-consumer recycled plastic.
The sustainability gap in mobile computing: How to break the four-year refresh cycle
As we move into 2023, the rapid pace of digital transformation looks set to continue, as technological advancements such as the metaverse and high-level AI software offer ever newer opportunities for organizations to expand and enhance their day-to-day operations.
At the same time, macro level trends look set to influence business decisions this year and onwards, with a recession and climate crisis hanging on the horizon. Considering both of these, sustainability is a priority watchword at the top of the agenda for most organizations, both in terms of valuable resources and business spending.
CISOs are gaining more influence in the boardroom
The role of the CISO has always been a somewhat secondary one in terms of the overall big picture of running a business.
However, a new study from cybersecurity company Coalfire shows that the CISO role is maturing quickly, and gaining more of a voice in the boardroom.
Apple's new HomePod comes with advanced acoustics and can tell you if your home is on fire
Apple today announced its 2nd generation HomePod smart speaker. The new device is designed to suit any home and sports an acoustically transparent mesh fabric and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge.
The new HomePod offers hands-free ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home. This includes creating smart home automations using Siri, and checking temperature and humidity in a room. It can also notify you when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm goes off in the home.
New solution secures encrypted data for a post-quantum world
The advent of quantum computing offers a serious threat to the safety of encrypted information. But current post-quantum cybersecurity (PQC) solutions either can't reach edge devices like laptops and mobile phones or required software installation on these devices which is cumbersome and hard to manage.
Now though QuSecure is launching a new solution for protecting encrypted private data on any website or mobile application with quantum-resilient connections and sessions, all with no end-user installation required.
Microsoft uses KB5022360 update to squash bugs and reduce the number of reboots when upgrading to Windows 11 22H2
Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 11 in the form of KB5022360.
The release is only for Windows Insiders participating in the Release Preview Channel running Windows 11 22H2. Although it may be a little while before it is made available more widely, it sees Microsoft not only fixing a number of issues -- including one relating to searchindexer.exe and another to conhost.exe -- but also introducing changes that reduce the number of reboots experienced by users upgrading to Windows 11 22H2.
Why focusing on technology spend at the expense of human cyber resources is risky [Q&A]
As we enter 2023, factors such as an uncertain economy, inflation, the fear of a recession, hiring freezes and layoffs, and supply chain issues continue to take their toll on businesses -- impacting not only daily operations, but budgets for the new year.
When it comes to cybersecurity spending, in particular, Curtis Fechner, engineering fellow, threat management at Optiv, says many executives expect their budgets to be unchanged in 2023, which is a best case scenario as the risk of cuts amid an uncertain economy and business landscape looms large.
Oversight Board recommends Meta change its policies to respect transgender and non-binary people
It is quite some time since Facebook was hit with the "free the nipple" campaign that demanded the company stop censoring or removing images of breastfeeding women. But now Meta is facing new recommendations from its independent Oversight Board to update the Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity Community Standard that it applies to Facebook and Instagram content to ensure it is "governed by clear criteria that respect international human rights standards".
The recommendation comes as the Oversight Board overturned Meta's decisions in 2021 and 2022 to remove content posted by a couple -- one of whom is transgender, the other non-binary -- for violating Sexual Solicitation Community Standards. Meta is criticized for taking a simplistic view of gender, with the Board saying that it is "unclear how the rules apply to intersex, non-binary and transgender people, and requires reviewers to make rapid and subjective assessments of sex and gender, which is not practical when moderating content at scale".
Twitter confirms that it is deliberately blocking numerous third-party clients
Users of various third-party Twitter clients have been frustrated over the last week as their chosen apps stopped working. There was speculation that Twitter was blocking apps on purpose, with internal communication appearing to substantiate this.
Now we know for sure that it is the case, with the company confirming it in a tweet. Twitter says that it is merely "enforcing its long-standing API rules", conceding that this "may result in some apps not working". But there is confusion from app developers who say that Twitter is not revealing which rules it is referring to.
Apple Mac mini gets new M2 processors, but keeps the same outdated chassis design
The Mac mini is a great computer. As the owner of an M1 model, I am beyond satisfied with my purchase. Surprisingly, my only real complaint about Apple's "mini" desktop is that it is too big. You see, there is a bunch of wasted space inside the chassis since Apple moved from Intel to its own Silicon. Not redesigning the Mac mini with a smaller chassis is simply laziness by Apple.
Today, Apple finally refreshes the aging M1 Mac mini, now equipping it with newer M2 processors instead -- either an M2 or M2 Pro. Unfortunately, the company has once again failed to shrink the chassis. In other words, you will get improved performance, but in the same outdated body. Come on, Apple, you can do better than this.
Apple unveils new MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips
Apple today announced the release of its new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, featuring the company's next-generation silicon, M2 Pro and M2 Max.
Apple says the new MacBook Pro is able to handle demanding tasks such as effects rendering and color grading up to 6x and 2x faster respectively than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. Additionally, the battery life has been extended to 22 hours, the longest battery life ever for a Mac.
IT leaders feel increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats
As businesses adopt more complex hybrid IT environments and raise budgets to fend off cyberattacks, as well as keep up with production environments diversifying across various clouds, a new study finds that IT leaders increasingly feel they aren't sufficiently protected.
The latest Data protection Trends Report from data protection specialist Veeam Software shows that a top priority of organizations this year is improving reliability and success of backups, followed by ensuring that Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) protection is equal to the protection they rely on for datacenter-centric workloads.
How many feature updates are left for Windows 10?
Microsoft plans to end support for the Home and Pro versions of its Windows 10 operating system on October 14, 2025. The company released a new feature update for Windows 10, called Windows 10 version 22H2, just last month.
With the new support dates in effect, this version of Windows 10 will be supported until May 14, 2024. With less than 18 months of support left after May 14, 2024, some administrators and users may wonder about Microsoft’s plans in the coming three years regarding feature updates.
5 best accessibility features in Microsoft 365
Software developers and tech companies are striving to expand their customer base by increasing accessibility to their products and services. The Microsoft 365 suite is leading the way in designing accessible interfaces and tools for diverse users in increasingly digital learning and work environments.
Learn more about how Microsoft 365 is innovating accessibility features in their assigned categories -- vision, hearing, neurodiversity, learning, mobility and mental health -- that revolutionize computer usage for a more accepting age.
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