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Windows 11 has been released, but behind the scenes, Microsoft is constantly working to improve the newest version of Windows. The company frequently rolls out public preview builds to members of its Windows Insider Program, allowing them to test out — and even help shape — upcoming features.
The Windows Insider program is divided into three channels:
The Dev Channel is where new features are introduced for initial testing, regardless of which Windows release they’ll eventually end up in. This channel is best for technical users and developers and builds in it may be unstable and buggy. In the Beta Channel, you’ll get more polished features that will be deployed in the next major Windows release. This channel is best for early adopters, and Microsoft says your feedback in this channel will have the most impact. The Release Preview Channel typically doesn’t see action until shortly before a new feature update is rolled out. It’s meant for final testing of an upcoming release and is best for those who want the most stable builds.The Beta and Release Preview Channels also receive bug-fix builds for the currently shipping version of Windows 11.
Microsoft's August Patch Tuesday release addresses 123 security issues in Microsoft Windows, Office, Exchange (it's back!) and Visual Studio — and unfortunately, we have two zero-days with reports of active exploitation in the wild. Since this is a broad update, it will require planning and testing before deployment.
The first (CVE-2022-34713) occurs in the Windows diagnostic tools and the second (CVE-2022-30134) affects Microsoft Exchange. Basically, the holidays are over and it's time to pay attention to Microsoft updates again. We have made "Patch Now" recommendations for Windows, Exchange and Adobe for this month.
Apple's Freeform collaboration tool, due out "later this year," is designed to give remote teams a limitless virtual whiteboard within which they can work together.
We don’t know much about it beyond what was announced at WWDC 2022, but we do know not to expect it to appear in the first iterations of the Mac, iPad, and iPhone operating systems when they ship in fall. (Given recent claims the release of iPad OS 16 has been delayed pending changes in Stage Manager, it seems reasonable to think Freeform may also be delayed.)
(Disclosure NVIDIA is a client of the author)
Nvidia this week presented its view of the future of the Metaverse at Siggraph. As expected, it was a multimedia showcase where each set of visuals reinforced the points various speakers were making. Much of the presentation focused on avatars and how Nvidia’s tools, by emulating facial muscles, could translate what might have been wooden performances by those avatars into a variety of visible emotions.
The end result was both more realistic and interesting. (I touched on this last week previewing Nvidia's plans.)
Google's ChromeOS platform sure has come a long way.
From the early days, when ChromeOS was little more than an experimental "browser in a box," to today — with the platform powering first-class hardware and supporting a diverse range of productivity applications — Google's once-crazy-seeming project has turned into one of the world's most intriguing and rapidly expanding technological forces.
I've been covering ChromeOS closely since the start. I lived with the first Chromebook prototype, the Cr-48, and have used Chromebooks as part of my own personal computing setup in varying capacities ever since. I write about the field not only as someone who's studied it professionally from day 1 but also as someone who has used it personally that entire time, up through today.
Want Windows 10 to run faster? We've got help. In just a few minutes you can try out these tips; your machine will be zippier and less prone to performance and system issues.
1. Change your power settingsIf you’re using Windows 10’s “Power saver” plan, you’re slowing down your PC. That plan reduces your PC’s performance in order to save energy. (Even desktop PCs typically have a “Power saver” plan.) Changing your power plan from “Power saver” to “High performance” or “Balanced” will give you an instant performance boost.
To do it, launch the Control Panel app, then select Hardware and Sound > Power Options. You’ll typically see two options: “Balanced (recommended)” and “Power saver." (Depending on your make and model, you might see other plans here as well, including some branded by the manufacturer.) To see the “High performance” setting, click the down arrow by “Show additional plans.”
With some phones, the hardware itself is the primary point of appeal.
Google's self-made Pixel devices take a decidedly different approach. Sure, the shells around the phones are as shiny and purty as any of 'em — but it's what's inside that really sets the Pixel apart.
Plain and simple, Google's Android software is in a league of its own. And aside from the thoughtfully designed, platform-consistent interface and the lack of obnoxious and often over-the-top experience-harming additions so many other manufacturers love to lard into their Android environments, Pixels are packed with genuinely useful features that tap into Google's high-tech smarts and make your life easier in some small but significant ways.
Despite a number of sizeable layoffs at high-profile companies in recent months, the tech sector continued to lead all others in low unemployment rates in July, according to a new report from CompTIA, a nonprofit association for the IT industry and workforce.
Tech occupations across all industry sectors increased by an estimated 239,000 positions last month, according to an analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data by CompTIA.
As development of its AR glasses inches toward the release of v.1, Apple’s innovation engine continues to churn — and now the company is investing in content to drive services revenue in what is expected to be a challenging macro-economic environment.
Dance nimble, dance lightApple’s teams of economists, accountants, lobbyists, and managers are feeding back insights from across the planet, which is why the company knows that to make it through the coming years it needs to continue to diversify its business.
It’s easy to say, as many have in recent months, that the office of the future is in the so-called metaverse or that the metaverse is the solution to remote and hybrid work issues.
It’s easy because the word “metaverse” does not have a universally accepted meaning.
For example, if the statement “The office of the future is in the metaverse” means people start their day by putting on virtual reality (VR) goggles, sitting at a virtual desk using a virtual computer surrounded by avatars, and going to virtual meetings in a universally shared extended-reality virtual space, I would strongly disagree with that prediction.
If, however, the statement means that, in addition to the tools we have now, we’ll also sometimes use augmented reality (AR) and VR briefly for specific purposes, I would not only agree, I would say:
Offices are getting smaller — or at least companies that own or lease office space are now using less of it, according to the 2022 Office Space Report compiled by workplace management software maker Robin Powered.
The company surveyed 247 business owners, facilities managers and those in charge of office space. The survey was aimed at getting a better idea of what companies plan to do with their all their cubicles, meeting rooms and offices in the aftermath of workplace changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the move to remote and hybrid work, and the Great Resignation.
What does a company that's already created excellent accessibility solutions and is preparing to introduce a mixed-reality device do when it comes to gesture controls? Make a smart ring to control the experience, apparently.
Apple has invented one ring to rule them allWe think we know Apple will soon introduce its first take on mixed-reality glasses. It has been developing the UI components toward such a launch for years. We don’t really know when they will appear.
Microsoft has confirmed that a high-severity, zero-day security vulnerability is actively being exploited by threat actors and is advising all Windows and Windows Server users to apply its latest monthly Patch Tuesday update as soon as possible.
The vulnerability, known as CVE-2022-34713 or DogWalk, allows attackers to exploit a weakness in the Windows Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT). By using social engineering or phishing, attackers can trick users into visiting a fake website or opening a malicious document or file and ultimately gain remote code execution on compromised systems.
At Google, a four-year degree is not required for almost any role at the company — and a computer science degree isn't required for most software engineering or product manager positions. “Our focus is on demonstrated skills and experience, and this can come through degrees or it can come through relevant experience,” said Tom Dewaele, Google’s vice president of People Experience.
Similarly, Bank of America has refocused its hiring efforts on a skills-based approach. “We recognize that prospective talent think they need a degree to work for us, but that is not the case,” said Christie Gragnani-Woods, a Bank of America Global Talent Acquisition executive. “We are dedicated to recruiting from a diverse talent pool to provide an equal opportunity for all to find careers in financial services, including those that don’t require a degree.”
If there's one place where saved seconds can seriously add up, it's in your smartphone's on-screen keyboard.
This doesn't get nearly enough attention among average tech-totin' animals, but Android has an awesome advantage over that (cough, cough) other mobile platform when it comes to text input. All it takes is two minutes of trying to type text on an iDevice to see just how much of a good thing we've got goin' (and to make yourself want to gouge your eyes out with the nearest overpriced Apple accessory).
And you know what? While we've got no shortage of commendable Android keyboard apps to choose from, Google's own Gboard keyboard really is the perfect example of how simple, effective, and expandable the Android typing experience can be. Gboard works well right out of the virtual box, and once you start poking around in the mustiest corners of its settings, you'll uncover some tucked-away treasures that can inject all sorts of seconds-saving sorcery into your Android input process.
Computerworld has compiled a list of upcoming technology events for the IT industry taking place in the following weeks and months.
Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscribers get more frequent software updates than those who have purchased Office without a subscription, which means subscribers have access to the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes. But it can be hard to keep track of the changes in each update and know when they’re available. We’re doing this for you, so you don’t have to.
Following are summaries of the updates to Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows, with the latest releases shown first. We’ll add info about new updates as they’re rolled out.
Note: This story covers updates released to regular Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows subscribers. If you’re a member of Microsoft’s Office Insider preview program or want to get a sneak peek at upcoming features, see the company’s “Release notes for Office for Windows Desktop (Beta builds)” page.
The launch of a major Windows 10 update isn’t the end of a process — it’s really just the beginning. As soon as one of Microsoft’s feature updates (such as Windows 10 version 21H2) is released, the company quickly gets to work on improving it by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.
In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent versions of Windows 10 — versions 21H2, 21H1, 20H2, and 2004. (Microsoft releases updates for those four versions together.) For each build, we’ve included the date of its initial release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.
A Windows launch isn’t the end a process — it’s really just the beginning. As with Windows 10, Microsoft continually works on improving Windows 11 by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.
In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for Windows 11. For each build, we’ve included the date of its release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.
Note: If you’re still using Windows 10, see “Windows 10: A guide to the updates.” And if you’re looking for information about Insider Program previews for upcoming feature releases of Windows 11, see “Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build?”
President Biden on Tuesday signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which includes a $52.7 billion package of subsidies and grants to the US semiconductor manufacturing industry, in a move aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on Asian silicon makers and reinvigorating US chipmakers.
Manufacturing incentives form the lion’s share of the funding in the bill, at $39 billion, but there’s also $2 billion for legacy chipmakers who make products critical to automotive and defense systems, $13.2 billion for research and workforce development, and $500 million for supply chain and networking security.
“America invented the semiconductor, but today produces about 10% of the world’s supply—and none of the most advanced chips,” the president’s office said in a statement. “The CHIPS and Science Act will unlock hundreds of billions more in private sector semiconductor investment across the country, including production essential to national defense and critical sectors.”
If you work in a multi-platform environment and need a solution that lets you run a licensed version of Windows on your M1 Mac, the newly updated Parallels Desktop 18 has you covered.
Running Windows on a Mac the easy wayThere are lots of improvements in Parallels Desktop for M1 Mac users seeking to run Windows apps, but the biggest one seems to be the ability to download, install, and configure Windows 11 on your Mac in a virtual Parallels environment in one click. The company introduced support for Windows on ARM chips in Parallels Desktop 17, but installation of the OS is now built in and you no longer need to use the Insider preview version of Windows 11 for ARM.
Usually, when it comes to a business cloud decision, you're going to go with one of the big players: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Services, IBM Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. You know their names.
But the bigger clouds aren't always suitable for everyone or every job.
For example, with hyperscale clouds, it's effortless to get locked into a particular cloud.
Semiconductors are in virtually every electronic device that leaves a factory today, and the US government has planted a flag in the ground as the burgeoning chip industry has become the future of technology manufacturing.
Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and others have been lobbying the US government to increase domestic chip production, citing problems overseas that have hampered hardware production. In fact, a US Commerce Department report in January said the chip shortage was so bad that at one point in 2021 there was just a five-day supply worldwide — with no sign the situation would improve anytime soon.
I’ve been pondering Deloitte’s recently published 2022 Connectivity & Mobile Trends Survey, which shows the extent to which mobile technologies continue to proliferate across the new workplace. It's a transformation that, as Apple's and Jamf’s recent earnings results show benefits the iPhone-an- Mac company.
Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 22H2 are in the final stretches before they are officially released. While Windows 11 22H2 may have a few cool features that I’m looking forward to, including additional protection against ransomware (more about this next week), I realized I haven’t paid attention to the features coming in Windows 10 22H2. So I looked for documentation about what is included in it and quickly figured out why I couldn’t remember anything major — because Microsoft hasn’t said much about it.
[ Related: Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build? ]What it has indicated, and actually this is a good thing, is that the Windows 10 22H2 upgrade from 22H1 will be an “enablement” package — it uses a minor bit of code to enable the new features. Users already have the bulk of the 22H2 “features” already on their PCs waiting to be turned on. As Microsoft blogged on July 28, the release has a “scoped set of features” that it will share more details about later. (The company is already offering a preview to validate the release process.)
As regulators hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for record-keeping failures related to the use of social messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, the finance industry faces a choice: properly enforce bans on the use of these apps or find ways to make them compliant.
“The explosion of new electronic communications channels — and the pervasive use of these — raises lots of red flags for the regulators,” said Anthony Diana, a partner at law firm Reed Smith’s Tech & Data Group. “The fear is that, if bad things are happening, they're happening on these personal apps, not on the sanctioned communication channels that are surveilled.”
Anthony Diana
Anthony Diana, a partner at law firm Reed Smith’s Tech & Data Group.
Disclosure: Nvidia is a client of the author.
Next week at Siggraph, Nvidia will be talking about its Omniverse offering, which contrasts sharply with the much-overhyped metaverse. What makes Nvidia’s effort powerful isn’t just that it’s being wrapped with services from companies like Siemens and used for cutting-edge autonomous factories like BMW’s latest, but its ability to anticipate and correct problems early on before they result in cost overruns or injuries.
Apple-in-the-enterprise MDM and security solutions provider Jamf announced its quarterly results yesterday, confirming consolidation in the Apple moble device management market and shedding a little light on the scale of Apple enterprise deployments.
Customers up 34%, devices up 22.4%What’s the top line data from the company’s results? We know Apple use in professional scenarios (enterprise, medical, education) continues to grow, and this seems to be reflected by the Jamf results. It disclosed second quarter revenue growth of 34% (year over year) to $115.6 million for GAAP gross profit of $86.2 million, with increases in subscription revenues and good growth for its recently introduced security solutions portfolio.
I first encountered the term "paperless office" in the 1980s. Nearly 40 years later, it still seems a distant goal. Stationery is about a $150 billion market, depending on whose figures you believe, and it's expected to grow slowly for the foreseeable future.
This isn't going to be a screed about the environmental impact of paper usage; you already know all that.
The business costs make our continued reliance on printed documents so confounding, particularly now that technology has reached the point where we can make a dent in the paper storm if not eliminate it.
Join Macworld executive editor Michael Simon and Computerworld executive editor Ken Mingis as they talk about the latest iPhone 14 rumors – everything from anticipated release date to price to design changes. Plus, they'll talk about the features they hope to see in the latest release.
Keeping up with the ever-changing IT needs of a growing business can be a logistical nightmare. That’s why so many organizations have outsourced IT management to managed service providers (MSPs). Managed services continue to grow at a steady pace, boosted by remote work and the challenges of staffing an IT team with talent in high […]
The post Top Managed Service Providers (MSPs) 2022 appeared first on IT Business Edge.
The metaverse can be an intimidating term conjuring up visions of some futuristic virtual world, but it’s perhaps best viewed as virtual experiences brought to the internet, something akin to an interactive video game. There are huge obstacles to creating a larger world that spans individual virtual platforms, so for now it’s perhaps best to […]
The post The Value of the Metaverse for Small Businesses appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Mark Zuckerberg introduced Facebook’s rebranding to Meta at the company’s annual Connect event last year to reposition the company for the “new internet,” the metaverse. The metaverse has been around for some time as a kind of urban legend, perhaps aptly described in the 2011 science fantasy book Ready Player One. That was until some […]
The post How Revolutionary Are Meta’s AI Efforts? appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Data continues to grow in importance for customer insights, projecting trends, and training artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms. In a quest to fully encompass all data sources, data researchers maximize the scale and scope of data available by dumping all corporate data into one location. On the other hand, having all that […]
The post Data Lake Strategy Options: From Self-Service to Full-Service appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Sundar Pichai introduced Vertex AI to the world during the Google I/O 2021 conference last year, placing it against managed AI platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure in the global AI market. The Alphabet CEO once said, “Machine learning is a core, transformative way by which we’re rethinking how we’re doing everything.” […]
The post What’s New With Google Vertex AI? appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Data lakes and data warehouses are two of the most popular forms of data storage and processing platforms, both of which can be employed to improve a business’s use of information. However, these tools are designed to accomplish different tasks, so their functions are not exactly the same. We’ll go over those differences here, so […]
The post Data Lake vs. Data Warehouse: What’s the Difference? appeared first on IT Business Edge.
The term “data company” is certainly broad. It could easily include giant social networks like Meta. The company has perhaps one of the world’s most valuable data sets, which includes about 2.94 billion monthly active users (MAUs). Meta also has many of the world’s elite data scientists on its staff. But for purposes of this […]
The post 10 Top Data Companies appeared first on IT Business Edge.
In traditional software development, everything has to be coded by hand. This makes software engineering a time-consuming process preserved for skilled programmers. It’s also often tricky to make changes once the software is in production. As a result, companies have been looking for ways to speed up the process. One of the solutions that has […]
The post Why Low-Code/No-Code is the Key to Faster Engineering appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Artificial intelligence really is everywhere in our day-to-day lives, and one area that’s drawn a lot of attention is its use in facial recognition systems (FRS). This controversial collection of technology is one of the most hotly-debated among data privacy activists, government officials, and proponents of tougher measures on crime. Enough ink has been spilled […]
The post The Toll Facial Recognition Systems Might Take on Our Privacy and Humanity appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Recently, IBM struck a deal to acquire Databand.ai, which develops software for data observability. The purchase amount was not announced. However, the acquisition does show the importance of observability, as IBM has acquired similar companies during the past couple years. “Observability goes beyond traditional monitoring and is especially relevant as infrastructure and application landscapes become […]
The post Observability: Why It’s a Red Hot Tech Term appeared first on IT Business Edge.
Omegle is a popular chatting service that lets you match with other random participants and engage in conversation. On the downside, Omegle doesn’t encrypt chat data and keeps it on a server, so it’s possible for malevolent agents to access it. The obvious solution is to use a VPN. Unfortunately, many VPNs are not working […]
The post 7 Quick Ways to Fix VPN Not Working on Omegle [2022 Solved] appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
Horror games have become more popular this last decade, which may be attributed to the tremendous success of titles such as Five Nights At Freddy’s and Resident Evil. Advanced aesthetics and the like aren’t necessary for an engaging horror experience. However, you can make some terrifying games once you can establish and develop suspense while engaging […]
The post 7 Best Horror Browser Games to Play With Your Friends appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
A PlayStation 4 is an excellent source of entertainment, despite the evergoing PC-console war that’s been going on for quite a while now. But many users are looking for an easy solution to change their PSN country on PS4. That’s because Sony offers personalized offers, deals, and additional content based on where you live. So […]
The post 3 Best Ways to Change Your Region/Location on PS4 & PS5 in 2022 appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
DirecTV is an excellent TV service that will offer thousands of channels and many other excellent features for you and your family. The direct broadcast satellite service is number one in features and functionality in America, including RVU services compatible with smart TVs, recording, re-watching, and much more. Enjoying your free time with your family […]
The post 4 Quick Ways to Fix DirecTV Player When it’s Not Working appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
Google, Opera Software, and Mozilla have dropped Windows XP and Vista support for Chrome, Opera, and Firefox in their latest releases. Regarding Windows 7, the list of possible browsers is a bit more extensive, including the ability to run Opera and Firefox. Even if Chrome would still be compatible with Windows XP, the browser‘s heavy RAM usage […]
The post 12 Best Browsers to Use on Old and Slow PCs [Speed Tests] appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
If you’re looking for the best Twitch alert sound repositories, you’re in the right place! Our today’s article will show you only the most valuable options. Twitch is the number one streaming platform for games. A lot of Twitch users incorporate overlays into their streams that provide more information for viewers. Those overlays include alert […]
The post 5 Best Twitch Alert Sounds for your streams [Free & Paid] appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
The most common places people want to use VPNs are either at work, at school, in a hotel, or at college and/or university grounds. These are the areas that usually have public Wi-Fi, so as long as you have the password, there’s easy access to the internet for you. However, even with all the access […]
The post How To Unblock VPN at School, Hotel, College, or University appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
The BZ2 file format is usually used for Linux or UNIX systems and can only compress one file at a time. It cannot be used for multiple files. You can though compress multiple files using a different tool and afterward get that final archive and compress it with BZIP2. Even if BZIP2 is not used in Windows […]
The post How to Extract And Decompress BZ2 files in Windows 10 appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
You don’t have to wait anymore! WWE 2K22 is here and brings up tons of incredible features that seem to excite worldwide players. For example, many are interested in discovering if they can export My Rise characters on WWE 2K22. After months of anticipation, WWE 2K22 now provides a new version of Career Mode with a unique […]
The post How to Export MyRISE Characters on WWE 2K22 appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
Excel runtime error 1004 typically comes up when you are working with a corrupt document. You also get this error if you open a VBA Excel file when your Excel is having a conflict with other programs. The Excel runtime error 1004 could show up due to a variety of other underlying issues. The most […]
The post 3 Easy Ways to Fix Excel Run time Error 1004 on Windows 10 appeared first on Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life.
