The Skype integration will go live in BMW’s current in-car infotainment system. This will allow Skype for Business users to take and make calls, conduct meetings, and perform other tasks in their vehicle. BMW adds that it plans to introduce Office 365 communications features in its BMW 5 Series range later this year. The automotive giant employs an infotainment system called ConnectedDrive. Among the Skype features coming to the system is the ability to join meetings and receive alerts about meetings....

The Swiss government decided today to ban all gatherings with 1,000 individuals until March 15 to mitigate the spread of the virus. As a result, the Hallenstadion event can’t legally take place, and thousands will be left with hotels or airlines refusing refunds. There are currently 46 reported cases of COVID-19 in Switzerland, 9 of which were diagnosed in Zurich. Though many come away from the virus unscathed, the risk to those with respiratory conditions and potential for productivity disruption is too high....

The PC market is nowhere near what it was, but it is largely holding steady in recent years. Dell suggests the upgrade to Windows 11 and enterprises buying new hardware has resulted in a record-breaking July to September quarter. Dell points to demand for commercial PCs and workstations, while high-end PCs are also doing well. This suggests the business community has given the company the boost. However, the company also says its gaming output also saw growth....

If Emotet can enter the network it can then spread onto devices currently connected to the network. Researchers say the new attack method that can make Emotet more dangerous. The malware is already widespread and made a return back in September. “With this newly discovered loader-type used by Emotet, a new threat vector is introduced to Emotet’s capabilities,” said James Quinn, threat researcher and malware analyst for Binary Defense, in a Friday analysis....

Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been a concern for Facebook for some time. In January, the company published its planned privacy changes to comply with the new regulation. Facing regulatory pressure and trying to manage the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook announced it will shut down “Partner Categories”. This service allowed Facebook to gather ad data based on information procured by third-party data brokers. In other words, the company plans to stop third-parties from data mining its service and selling the user information....

The company says it gets tens of thousands of government data requests each year. These include warrants to search data, pressure to restrict content, and subpoenas. In the United States, requests through the first six months of this year increased 26% compared to the closing six months of 2016. Facebook started giving data to governments in 2013. Since then, the number of requests in the US has been on an upward trend, nearly tripling in four years....

“Here at Mozilla, it’s our mission to ensure that the Internet is an open and accessible resource that puts people first,” said Chief R & D officer Sean White in a blog post. “Currently, the world can browse the open web using our fast and privacy-focused Firefox browser, but continuing that mission in a rapidly changing world means constantly investing our time and resources into new and emerging technologies – and realities....

To aid users, Microsoft is introducing new features that help you automatically recover your account. Under the changes, you can now recover your account, username, or password with an alternate email or phone number. This has the knock-on effect of making it easier to get your account back from hackers. You can get access back directly from your Xbox, without requiring phone call support. However, to mitigate the danger in the first place, the company will start prompting users to update their security information and take steps to make their account safe....

Elizabeth Hamren drove the marketing efforts for Oculus, working there for almost two years. She will now be instrumental in consumer launch of the Microsoft HoloLens. The Mixed Reality Push The information comes from an internal email sent to The Verge. Hamren will also be marketing mixed reality Windows headsets in general, says CVP Yusuf Mehdi: “I am thrilled to announce that after a thorough search, we have found an ideal leader in Elizabeth Hamren, the former CMO of Oculus VR at Facebook,” he writes....

The group of 10 gamers are from the United States, and three of them play PlayStation consoles exclusively. Microsoft is the only defendant in the suit and not Activision Blizzard, which is also not a class action. Lawsuit In the filing, the accusers suggest if Microsoft purchases Activision Blizzard there will be a negative impact on the industry. For example, competition and high prices, while the group also believes creativity will be slowed: “The proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft poses a substantial threat to the Plaintiffs, and to the public at large, in that the proposed acquisition may substantially lessen competition in each of the relevant product markets, and may cause loss to the Plaintiffs, and the public at large, in the form of higher prices, less innovation, less creativity, less consumer choice, decreased output, and other potential anticompetitive effects, which deprive the Plaintiffs, and the public at large, of the salutary benefits of competition....

However, the county’s intelligence officials suspect that the conference next week will also result in digital attacks. President of BSI Arne Schoenbohm has announced several measures to prevent this including a 24/7 command center for defense. “We’re preparing intensively for every form of protest,” he said. “As the national cyber security agency … we’re concerned about everything from (persistent threats) to groups like Anonymous and Lulzsec that could be planning political protests using cyber attacks....

In a report today, Reuters cites four sources close to the case. The move would help Google avoid EU antitrust investigation by providing more competition against its own shopping service. This case has rumbled on in European courts for several years. In 2014, Google made a similar gesture to authorities. That concession would have meant giving competitors the ability to bid for any spot on its shopping section, which is called Product Listing Ads....

Among the abilities coming to Chrome 70 is the ability to install Progressive Web Apps directly onto Windows 10. Google is bringing PWAs to desktop. This is means if you can use a PWA on Chrome, you will also be able to install it on Windows. Once the app is installed, it will appear in the Start Menu and will function like a native app. That’s the beauty of PWAs and is the reason why Microsoft is interested in them....

In its latest claim, the European Commission says Google abused its dominant search position to push websites to favor its own ad network. “Google has engaged in illegal practices when it comes to their search advertising brokering in order to cement its dominant market position,” said European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager during a press conference. EU regulators have been investigating Google’s AdSense service, which gives websites the ability to earn money by integrating ads or the Google search box on their site....

Yes, this is the same feature that some local guides have been using in preview on Google Maps, but now it is coming to everyone. Well, at least everyone with a Google Pixel smartphone. We are sure AR will come to all Maps users eventually, but for now the company’s hardware gets exclusivity. While AR-powered turn-by-turn navigation is not ready to fully replace standard direction giving just yet, it is functional....

When a user inputs a route into Google Maps, the app will surface its usual multiple options to get to the destination. As well as the fastest route, one alternative will now also display the route that is the most fuel-efficient. With this tool, drivers who are carbon conscious can reduce their emissions and take greener routes to their destinations. The alternative eco route will also offer a time comparison with the fastest route, while also showing relative fuel savings....

The search giant initially planned to switch to Manifest V3 in January 2023. However, in a post on the Chrome Developers blog, the company says the timeframe is changing. Plans are going ahead to move to newer extensions, but Google is now giving developers an extra year of Manifest V2 support. Because of the change, the timeline now looks like this: “In January 2023, use of Manifest V3 will become a prerequisite for the Featured badge as we raise the security bar for extensions we highlight in the store....

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for its other OSes. In May, it was criticized for holding back a patch for the WannaCrypt ransomware on XP, and now Windows 7 is in the spotlight. Google Project Zero researcher Mateusz Jurczyk has highlighted Microsoft’s selective patches, saying it leaves clues for hackers. After a Windows 10 fix, hackers use a technique called binary diffing to discover the weaknesses in older operating systems....

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1 How to Cleanup the SoftwareDistribution folder?2 How to Rename the SoftwareDistribution folder3 How to Pause, Defer, or Delay Quality and Feature Updates The SoftwareDistribution folder usually located in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution is used by Windows Update to preload downloaded updates and hotfixes before installing them. On Windows 10 you usually find the following folder-structure but there might exist other sub-folders as well: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Datastore C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\EventCachte.v2 C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\PostRebootEventCache.V2 C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\SLS While the SoftwareDistribution folder is managed completely by the Windows Update Agent (WUAgent) problems might occur that require a manual cleanup of its contents....