Looking at these new additions, Whiteboard now has an improved object selection capability. Microsoft says the app will now make displayed content easier to understand, while selected content will be shown more efficiently. Next up is a new tool for more immersive reading. This is a suite of features that make reading on the Whiteboard app easier. Specifically, the tools include focus mode, the ability to locate parts of speech, and a visual dictionary....

With Windows 10 build 16232, Microsoft is previewing the capability to block ransomware. At the moment, the build is available to Windows Insiders. Ransomware presents software with new problems to tackle. It modifies and changes a system, locking it down and often making it unusable. Microsoft is previewing a Windows 10 feature called Controlled Folder Access, which will be integrated into Windows Defender. With this ability, the platform will designate specific directories as “protected” with some folders (like Documents) being protected by default....

As promised last year when Microsoft introduced Windows 11, the platform will support Android apps. When Microsoft initially announced Windows 11 in June 2021, one of the big announcements was support for Android apps, the company’s latest effort to address the App Gap. However, when Windows 11 started rolling out in October, Android apps were not includes. While Microsoft was unable to release the feature alongside Windows 11, the company has been previewing Android app support....

While there are no new features, the improvements to Windows Subsystem for Android are worth discussing. Specifically, Microsoft says startup times should now be better. It is unclear exactly what this will mean for users. Hopefully, Android apps will now be noticeably quicker to start. Elsewhere, the company says it has fixed errors where some apps were not working because of “App Not Responding (ANR) bugs. Other improvements include smoother scrolling in apps and general usability improvements for the Settings app within Windows Subsystem for Android....

In an explainer, the man behind the Task Manager has discussed the birth of the feature and shared some of its secrets. Ex-Microsoft programmer David Plummer developed the Task Manager back in 1994. It shipped soon after as part of Windows NT 4.0 and landed on Windows 95. We already know the tool allowed users to monitor resources, component usage, and to kill apps and processes on their PC. Plummer says he created Task Manager as a tool for troubleshooting processes....

The offending Elasticsearch database was exposed between December 4 and 26. Information hosted on the database included email address from millions of Wyze customers. Device information such as WiFI SSIDs, camera nicknames, and general manufacturer details was also stored. In a blog reporting the exposed database it was confirmed 2.4 million users were affected. Wyze has not confirmed that number, but did admit the database was vulnerable. “To help manage the extremely fast growth of Wyze, we recently initiated a new internal project to find better ways to measure basic business metrics like device activations, failed connection rates, etc....

I will let you debate that speculation, but in the meantime, YouTube has detailed a plan to combat fake news with new features. As mentioned, preventing the spread of misinformation on the platform is hard. If someone posts a video stating something that is factually incorrect or simply untrue, it is hard to stop people watching. The concept behind the new feature is to provide users with more information about major stories....

Windows 10 S was a major step towards Microsoft stealing back the education market. Since then, more features and hardware have emerged, the latter matching the affordability of Chromebooks. Doubling down, Microsoft is this week revealing new Windows 10 S devices that start at just $189. The company is at the Bett education show in London to debut the hardware. PC giant Lenovo is the manufacturer behind the $189 laptop, which is called the 100e....

1 How to Create a Windows 10 USB via the Media Creation Tool (UEFI or Legacy)2 How to Put Windows 10 on a USB Drive via ISO with Rufus (Legacy or UEFI)3 How to Create a Windows 10 Bootable USB fro ISO via the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (Legacy) These days, a Windows 10 USB is the preferred method to perform a clean install of Microsoft’s operating system. With disk drives more or less dead, it’s often the only real choice on a completely new PC....

In the world of data security, there are two primary types of attacks: active and passive. In an active attack, a hacker breaks into a company’s network by exploiting vulnerabilities in the system to access information. Passive attacks, on the other hand, are usually carried out preemptively: someone gathers or buys personal information from other sources before breaking into your account. Any organization must protect against both types of attacks as they carry different risks and consequences depending on what kind of data was accessed and to whom it belongs....

Details Many cities in Europe, including the UK’s two largest (London and Birmingham), are setting low emission zones within them. This means only vehicles that meet certain emission standards can enter parts of the cities. These kinds of projects are likely to spread. Tip of the day: Though many VPN providers have their own apps, you can in many cases connect to a VPN in Windows without any third-party software. This is ideal if you have a self-hosted VPN or if you’re using a PC with restricted permissions....

Speaking to CNBC, Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, claims: “Right now it doesn’t make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone. We think they will shun that trend and probably dip a toe in the water with a foldable iPad. A folding iPhone will be super high risk for Apple. Firstly, it would have to be incredibly expensive in order to not cannibalize the existing iPhones....

The video was discovered by Appleosophy, who took several screenshots, but has since been removed from public view, but you can view a copy below. Apple’s quick removal adds to the evidence that this wasn’t something it wanted users to see, with a release possible quite soon alongside the rumored iPhone 9. “Offline finding enables this device and AirTags to be found when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular,” it says (1:40)....

For those who aren’t video nerds, ProRes RAW is a codec by Apple designed to keep the editing flexibility found in RAW files while maintaining low file sizes and smooth playback. It’s had a slow start, but it’s becoming increasingly available in cameras, and the cross-platform support is likely to make it a more serious choice. For now, Apple’s beta software only supports a handful of applications, all from Adobe....

With it, iPhone users would be able to track their rewards, balances, and spending goals. This would reportedly be accessible from the Apple Wallet app, simplifying the whole process. So far, neither Apple or Goldman Sachs have responded to the rumors. However, according to WSJ’s sources, $200 million has been poured into the project already. It will apparently make use of Mastercard’s payment tech while implementing retail perks and more....

The company points out two of the employees were from China and two were from the United States. One of the journalists was from the Financial Times and the other was from BuzzFeed News. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew spoke to employees in an email and said that such “misconduct is not at all representative of what I know our company’s principles to be.” He added the company “will continue to enhance these access protocols, which have already been significantly improved and hardened since this initiative took place....

At the time of the acquisition, Microsoft’s interest in Clipchamp was folding the app into Microsoft 365. It would give enterprise users a method to access web-based video editing without using a third-party solution. It was never an amazing fit because the app is for non-creatives and non-professionals. That means it is a rather muted experience the productivity focused Microsoft 365 package. It now seems Microsoft is extending Clipchamp into the consumer space by bundling it with Windows 11....

It seems Microsoft’s virtual voice assistant has lost a feature in the post-Groove era. The music icon that still sits in the top right corner is now pointless, it just doesn’t work. This button was Cortana’s music recognition capability and it no longer functions. Microsoft has apparently retired the ability. Unfortunately, this is not a bug or a temporary closure when Microsoft works on something else. Jason Deakins of the Cortana team took to Twitter to confirm the retirement....

Rumors of a consumer Microsoft 365 SKU have been circulating since last year, but there’s no evidence yet to suggest this change is related. Speaking to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “No, we have no plans to rebrand Office 365 ProPlus to Microsoft 365 ProPlus at this point. Customers can still buy Office 365 ProPlus without Windows and Intune.” Why, then, is Microsoft switching up its branding?...

Speaking to NBC News, Samidh Chakrabarti, head of civic engagement for the company, said the company is ready for all outcomes. That is in contrast to the last presidential race where Facebook was slow to react to Russian manipulation. “We’ve been building this war room, a physical war room [with] people across the company, of all different disciplines, who are there. So, as we discover problems that may come up in the hours leading up to the election, we can take quick and decisive action....