With the Apple Watch Series 8 on the horizon, early reports of features are leaking out. One interesting new addition for the new generation will be the ability to read the body temperature of the wearer. A pointless addition? Well, that depends. Like many wearable metric-reading features the quality will depend entirely on what the sensor can deliver. At best, the Apple Watch Series 8 will be able to tell you if you have a fever… not bad in these post-pandemic times....

Consumers in the United States spent a total of $12.35 billion on video game products during Q2, down 13 percent from the same period in 2021. It seems the problem is affecting the three giants of the industry, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Earlier this week, Sony said it was expecting slower results for its PlayStation division. This came after the company reported software sales were down a sizeable 26 percent year-on-year....

In a post, the Slovakian company says Buhtrap has been exploiting the vulnerability for cyber-espionage. Microsoft has already patched the zero-day during its July Patch Tuesday cumulative updates. Listed as CVE-2019-1132, we discussed this flaw earlier in the week. The vulnerability is found in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. Microsoft details this flaw, describing it as a Win32 elevation of privilege vulnerability. “An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory....

According to Samsung, the Gaming Hub is much more than just a place to help users launch their game streaming services. Game consoles that connect via HDMI (including Xbox and PlayStation) will appear in the hub, allowing users to power on from the hub. Furthermore, the Samsung Gaming Hub UI will also support passthrough controller inputs. This allows users to use just one controller instead of pairing multiple gamepads. Interesting this allows Bluetooth headsets and gamepads to work across apps, devices, and services....

Samsung says the Odyssey headset will not be available to customers in Europe. Since the company launched the device last month, it has been available for pre-order from the Microsoft Store. We were wondering why no information on European availability was offered. Speaking to The Verge, a Samsung representative confirmed Odyssey will not reach Europeans. Unfortunately, the company has not explained why this is the case. Samsung has history with this kind of product roll out, with the Galaxy Note 5 not released in Europe....

It’s new offering, however, may be the best yet. Game Drive for Xbox Game Pass provides up to 4TB of extra storage and a free subscription to Game Pass. It will also match the styling of the new Xbox One S console, with a classy white finish. For those unfamiliar, Xbox Game Pass is a game $9.99 p/m subscription service that gives access to over 100 games. It’s similar to Playstation Now, but the games can be downloaded rather than streamed....

This is a big win for users who already use Skype Lite and will probably entice many who were holding out. Group Video Calling is hardly revolutionary for those of use running the full fat Skype experience, but for Lite users it is a game-changing ability. Like the experience on the full app, the Skype Lite version of Group Video Called lets anyone join a video or audio call for free....

If you are unfamiliar behind the concept of Skype UWP, here’s a refresher. Microsoft’s universal Windows idea allows developers to build one app that works across all Windows 10 platforms. For users, this means the same Skype experience. For those of us who used the fragmented Skype across Windows apps, it is nice to at least have a unified service. Launched in preview last year, Microsoft has brought Skype UWP up to speed as a full app with the roll out for the Creators Update So, now is the right time to also bring the universal app to Xbox One....

1 Tested Games2 Full Catalog Steam Play was announced way back in 2010 and support games across Windows, MacOS, and Linux. For the first time, Valve has opened the door for Windows games support through Steam Play on the open source Linux platform. The company worked with CodeWeavers to enable the integration. CodeWeavers ports applications and software from one platform to others. For example, we talked to the company in 2016 about its efforts to bring Windows applications to Google Chromebooks....

The obvious problem facing owners of the Surface Book is its age. Microsoft rolled out the original Book way back on October 26, 2015. This means the device is over four years old… not covered by warranty. One post on AskWoody suggested the company would replace the faulty batteries if they have them in stock. That’s partially true but with a huge caveat. Microsoft’s support staff have told customers that they will replace the batteries, but only under the terms the devices are out of warranty....

In terms of the Type Cover, Microsoft has confirmed it will be available in several colors, including Alcantra, and will cost $99. The Surface Mobile Mouse will follow the Surface GO in affordability with a $34.99 price. As this is an on-the-go peripheral, the mouse weighs just 78 grams, and that’s with 2 AAA batteries installed. Microsoft has sought to make the Surface brand as appealing aesthetically as it is technologically....

One of the main proving grounds for new technological advances – before they are rolled out into other business sectors – is that of gaming, be it offline or online. Here are some of the new or upcoming tech advances that promise not only to take gaming to the next level, but which will also increase the rate at which economies transition to working online. Facial Recognition Giving Games the Human Touch Facial recognition is already used widely by security services who wish to keep tabs on who enters and exits a facility....

1 How to Open a HEIC File Natively via the Windows 10 HEIC Extension2 How to Uninstall the HEIF Image Extension3 How to convert HEIC to JPG with CopyTrans What is a HEIC file and why can’t I open it? HEIC is the container for Apple’s Hight Efficiency Image Format (HEIF). It uses more modern and advanced compression methods to allow for better image quality than JPG in a smaller file size....

We have discussed that development over recent months, including its expansion of features such as cellular connection support. However, one limitation has been users are still running a full PC operating system on a 6-inch handset. Last week, teams working on the Windows 10 for ARM development announced a breakthrough. Called MobileShell, the solution makes using Windows 10 on a smartphone more efficient. Today, developer ADeltaX has released the application on the Microsoft Store....

IDC, meanwhile, puts the growth as a little more significant. It says year-over-year it was up 4.7%, or 64.9 million units, which was “notably higher than expected”. However, though they disagree on the exact numbers, the pair agree on the cause. As Windows 7 nears end of support, enterprises are looking to buy fancy new Windows 10 desktop. “Worldwide PC shipments growth was driven by demand from the Windows 10 refresh in the business market in the second quarter of 2019....

Perhaps the biggest changes are seen in Windows Snap. Windows 10 Snap is a useful productivity tool. Rather than fiddling around to get windows the exact right size, users drag one to the side or corner of your screen to snap windows to half or quarter of your screen. In Windows 11, Microsoft is adding a “Snap Navigator” to Windows Snap. This is a special menu that appears when hovering over the maximize button on a window....

Widget notifications are one of the consumer-friendly new additions that were expected as part of Windows 11 22H2. However, Microsoft has updated the Windows Web Experience Pack early to include the feature. This is the section of the platform that powers Windows Widgets. It now allows the taskbar to highlight notifications from widgets. Moreover, the new update means the taskbar is more powerful and able to highlight more relevant live information....

Before continuing, it is worth noting Steam’s Hardware Survey is not definitive. As the name suggests, it just covers Steam’s own platform. Sure, the company provides the biggest cloud and VR gaming platform, but the market goes beyond. For example, the survey does not cover PC hardware sales. To expand, Microsoft would probably argue Windows Mixed Reality is a PC concept first and foremost. Certainly, a significant number of headsets would be bought for PC and not Steam....

Launched in 2012 on the Windows Essentials package, Windows Movie maker was a powerful and free tool. It provides excellent editing capabilities in an easy-to-use app. While it rarely fulfils the needs of the power-editor, for everyone else it was an excellent service. Indeed, many people still want Windows Movie Maker. Anti-virus company ESET says scammers are pouncing on this popularity and the fact Microsoft no longer supplies the app....

Castro has shared the details of the vulnerability on his blog. He says the flaw is in Windows XP and gives hackers means to move admin accounts to their own machines. Ok, Windows XP is a two-decade old platform, but it is still on around 10% of all Windows PCs, many of them in business environments. Castro tested and demonstrated the flaw by creating a Metaspilot module: “I decided to write a Metasploit module, by taking as a reference the enable_support_account post module which was developed by my colleague and friend Santiago Díaz....