Microsoft

Microsoft’s new Windows 10 taskbar widget starts rolling out today

Microsoft is starting to roll out its biggest change to the Windows taskbar in years. A new weather and news taskbar widget will be available in Windows 10 starting today, offering weather information directly in the Windows taskbar. The widget also expands to include a feed of news, stocks, sports, and weather information. The mini-feed… Read more

PlayStation Now will roll out support for 1080p streaming starting this week

Sony will begin rolling out support for 1080p streaming with PlayStation Now beginning this week, upping the streaming quality from the cloud gaming service’s previous 720p cap. “The rollout will occur over the next several weeks across Europe, US, Canada, and Japan, where PlayStation Now is available,” Sony said in a tweet. PlayStation Now will… Read more

Sony is testing a PlayStation video streaming service in Poland

Following a leak yesterday, Sony confirmed that it is testing out a service called PlayStation Plus Video Pass, with a one-year trial in Poland that will allow subscribers to stream movies and TV shows, as the company looks at ways to expand its online subscription, Video Game Chronicle reports. Speaking with Polish website Spider’s Web,… Read more

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga Review: Thin, Convenient, a Little Slow

Our Verdict The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is just half-inch thick computer that lags behind similarly priced competitors on productivity, but is supremely classy and convenient. For + Extremely thin + Looks and feels classy + Great webcam Against – Priced for business, so more expensive – Haptic touchpad can feel unresponsive When it comes… Read more

The Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 is an affordable Surface Pen for students

Microsoft is releasing a new stylus for classroom use: the Classroom Pen 2. The pen will be available on April 27th and will be sold directly to schools. The company launched its first Classroom Pen in 2019. That stylus sold for $39.99 per unit. It was compatible with any device that supported the MPP protocol… Read more

Microsoft enables Linux GUI apps on Windows 10 for developers

Microsoft is starting to allow Windows 10 testers to access Linux GUI apps. The first preview of support for GUI applications is available today for Windows Insiders, allowing developers to run GUI editors, tools, and applications to build and test Linux apps. It’s a significant extension for Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), after the… Read more

AMD Enables FidelityFX For Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S Consoles

Home News (Image credit: AMD) AMD this week made select capabilities of its FidelityFX package available to Microsoft Xbox Series X|S developers. For Xbox Series X|S, AMD makes available FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening (CAS), Variable Shading, and ray-traced shadow Denoiser technologies, which are already supported by numerous PC games. AMD’s FidelityFX is a collection of technologies that can greatly enhance visual quality of games… Read more

Asus ZenBook 13 (AMD) Review: Ryzen Slays the Tiger

Our Verdict The Asus ZenBook 13 UM325SA packs some of the best value we’ve seen in an ultraportable yet, outperforming much more expensive Intel options thanks to new Ryzen 5000U chips. For + Strong and cheap + OLED display + Surprisingly good audio Against – Need a dongle for a headphone jack – Touch-based numpad… Read more

Any video conferencing app can use the iPad Pro’s fancy zoom and pan camera

Apple has confirmed that the digital pan and zoom feature of the new M1 iPad Pro’s front-facing camera can work with any video conferencing app, not just FaceTime. That opens the door for popular apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to make remote work and e-learning blend more seamlessly into the realities of pandemic life… Read more

Logitech announces cheaper Magic Keyboard alternative alongside new iPad Pro

Apple just announced an M1-powered update to the iPad Pro, and Logitech has followed up with a new keyboard and trackpad accessory for every generation of the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. The Combo Touch is a case with a Microsoft Surface-style kickstand and a detachable backlit keyboard with a trackpad. It connects over the iPad… Read more

AMD’s 4700S May Be CPU That Gave Life to the Xbox Series X

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) Twitter user InstLatX64 has discovered a mysterious AMD 4700S processor that’s evidently part of an AMD 4700S Desktop Kit. It’s plausible that the developer kit is the same one that Microsoft was utilizing to develop one of its Xbox consoles. Although not officially a member of the Ryzen family, we… Read more

A first look at Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS and the web

Microsoft has started inviting Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to test its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service on iPhones and iPads today. The service works through web browsers, allowing it to also run on PCs and Macs on Edge, Chrome, or Safari. We’ve managed to get an early look at this beta and see how… Read more

Windows 10’s Store May Open Up to More Games and Software Soon

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) Finding software via the Microsoft Store app for Windows 10 might be less painful soon. Windows Central today reported that Microsoft is redesigning the app to offer a better experience for developers and consumers alike with a variety of changes. Microsoft started distributing software via the Windows Store for Windows… Read more

Some Laptop Makers May Only Fulfill 50 Percent of Orders in Q2 2021

Home News (Image credit: Acer) Demand for PCs in the second quarter continues to be high amid chip shortages, which constrains manufacturers’ ability to fulfill orders. A new report from Taiwan indicates that some vendors are projected to see shipments fall short of orders by 30% to 50% in Q2 2021. According to an IDC… Read more

FTC warns it could crack down on biased AI

The US Federal Trade Commission has warned companies against using biased artificial intelligence, saying they may break consumer protection laws. A new blog post notes that AI tools can reflect “troubling” racial and gender biases. If those tools are applied in areas like housing or employment, falsely advertised as unbiased, or trained on data that… Read more