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Bing can use your phone camera to search the web
Microsoft isn't about to let Google's visual search features go uncontested. The tech giant has introduced a Visual Search feature to Bing that uses your phone's camera (either a fresh shot or from your camera roll) to identify objects and serve up links related to what you see. Snap a picture of a landmark and you may get travel info, for instance. Logically, Microsoft is also playing up the shopping angle: search for an outfit or home furniture and you'll get prices and shopping locations.
How to watch Apple's WWDC keynote
It's already that time of year again: WWDC, Apple's annual developer conference. You can peep it live, as it happens, right here from wherever you are at 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific. New this year? You'll be able to watch the keynote in Chrome and Firefox in addition to Safari and Microsoft Edge. It's like the future! Now, Apple says that for the "best" experience you should use one of its own devices (or Microsoft Edge). Of course, you can still watch on your Apple TV if you feel so inclined.
Microsoft's Chrome extension fights phishing attacks
Due to the dominance of Google's Chrome browser, even if you're on Windows you're probably not using Microsoft Edge. You can still enjoy some of its technology, however, since Microsoft has plugged its Windows Defender browser protections into Chrome via a just-released extension. It cites third-party testing that claims Microsoft Edge protects against 99 percent of phishing attacks with its constantly updated list of malicious URLs, while Google's built-in feature manages to stop only 87 percent. If you're concerned you might cross an ill-meaning link in an email or message and need some additional peace of mind, then install and enable Microsoft's extension from the Chrome store. It will get the job done without requiring a browser switch -- unless you're on Chrome OS since users report it doesn't work there.
Web standard brings password-free sign-ins to virtually any site
Tech companies have been trying to do away with web passwords for years, but now it looks like they've reached a key milestone. The FIDO Alliance and W3C have launched a Web Authentication standard that makes it easier to offer truly unique encryption credentials for each site. That, in turn, lets you access virtually any online service in a PC browser through password-free FIDO Authentication, not just specific services. You can continue to use familiar methods like fingerprint readers, cameras and USB keys, and it can serve both in place of and in addition to passwords.
Avast claims its secure browser is 30 percent faster than yours
Avast has updated its browser to give users greater control over their online privacy. According to the company, its renamed Avast Secure Browser (formerly SafeZone) is designed to plug the security gaps that result from users' misplaced protection expectations. Features such as Stealth Mode, HTTPS Encryption, anti-tracking and anti-fingerprinting have been designed to account for the 69 percent of UK consumers who believe standard private-browsing modes will anonymize their identity, and the 81 percent who believe their browser would alert them to web-based threats, such as malicious cryptomining and extensions.
Microsoft’s Edge browser is out for iPad and Android tablets
Microsoft's Edge browser released for iPhone and Android late last year with a promise to come to iPad "soon." Now, after a quick beta period, the app is ready for a full release onto iPad and Android tablets.
Microsoft tests forcing Windows Mail users to open links in Edge
Edge might be Windows 10's built-in browser, but it definitely isn't the most popular browser -- NetMarketShare reported just under 4 percent usage share as of February 2018, slipping well below Chrome's 59 percent. And now, it looks like the company may be trying to boost its share through software policies. The company is testing a Windows 10 preview release in the Skip Ahead ring which opens all Windows Mail web links in Edge, regardless of your app defaults. It provides the "best, most secure and consistent experience," Microsoft argued.
Xbox One will automatically use your TV's game mode
Many TVs have a game mode that disables image processing to reduce lag, but it can be a pain if you regularly do things besides gaming. Do really want to switch the mode off every time you want to watch Netflix? You might not have to before long. Microsoft has unveiled a bevy of upcoming Xbox One updates that include support for Auto Low Latency Mode. If you have a compatible TV (some Samsung models will qualify), it'll recognize your Xbox and invoke its low-lag mode only when you're actually playing -- all your TV's processing will come back the moment you curl up with a movie. The improvement arrives later in 2018.
DHS to release an active shooter training simulator for teachers
Last June, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a virtual training program for first responders aimed at preparing them for an active shooter incident. Now, there's a program specifically for teachers. "With teachers, they did not self-select into a role where they expect to have bullets flying near them. Unfortunately, it's becoming a reality," Tamara Griffith, one of the chief engineers of the program, told Gizmodo. "And so we want to give them that chance to understand what options are available to them and what might work well for them."
1Password extension is finally available for Microsoft Edge
You don't have to make do with LastPass on Edge anymore if you like 1Password better. The password manager's Edge extension is finally available on Windows 10 a year after a preview came out for Insiders. Based on its developers' posts on their forum, Redmond approved the extension on October 3rd and it popped up on the Microsoft Store a short while later.
Microsoft's Edge browser comes to iOS and Android for beta testing
Microsoft's new mobile strategy? Bring as many of its services as it can to other platforms. That started with Microsoft Office and Cortana, and it's continuing with its Edge browser, which is available in beta on iOS and Android today. For now, the early version of the mobile browser is only available to Windows Insiders, which requires a Windows 10 PC to sign up. iOS users will be able to access it through Testflight, while Android users can snag it through Google Play's app testing service.
Latest Windows 10 preview takes the headache out of high DPI
Because of old legacy programs, using Windows with high-res displays has always been a little tricky, especially if you're switching between multiple screens. The latest preview build pushed to Insiders helps with that problem by changing the way Windows tells a program what DPI it's using. With the new build 16237, if a user changes the resolution of the display by docking/undocking or adjusting a setting, they'll only need to close and reopen most programs to fix any blurriness, instead of rebooting or logging out.
Cortana can be your frugal online shopping assistant
Microsoft's Cortana could already help you with shopping thanks to image search and sales reminders. Now, it might help you get the most for your money too. In the latest Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft has rolled out a pilot feature in Microsoft Edge where Cortana can help you find the best price for a product you're interested in buying. Right now, this feature supports 14 retailers, which includes Amazon, Walmart and eBay, as long as they're within the US.
Windows 10 preview shows big changes are coming
Microsoft promised big changes to Windows 10 with the Fall Creators Update, and it's backing that up in spades with a new Insider Preview. Available to brave testers on the "Fast Ring," the release brings redesigned notifications in the Action Center, much improved handwriting and stylus support, upgrades to Cortana and the Edge browser, improved HDR support and more. The release may be Microsoft's biggest Insider Preview yet, judging by the massive post explaining all the new features.
Windows 10 S is a gamble on the future of desktop apps
So what is Windows 10 S? Is it the perfect OS for school kids and teachers, or is it the OS that will make Microsoft's new Surface Laptop shine? Can it be both? If you don't have 105 minutes to watch the presentation, Windows 10 S is a skew of Microsoft's OS that only runs Windows Store apps. Because of this, it's purportedly faster and, thanks to app sandboxes, more secure than Windows 10 Home or Pro. Before its unveil, it was widely assumed that 10 S was all about competing with Chrome OS at the low end. But despite introducing the OS at an education-focused event, Microsoft and its hardware partners will sell Windows 10 S machines to the masses, with prices ranging from $189 to more than $2,000 for the most expensive Surface Laptop.
Windows 10 finally displays download progress for purchased apps
Turns out that Game Mode and streaming via Windows 10's built-in Beam app were only the tip of the update iceberg. A post on the Windows 10 blog also details a handful of extra additions for folks in the Windows Insider program.
AT&T no longer works with your 2G phone
We hope you weren't planning to use your old-school iPhone or BlackBerry Pearl on AT&T's network for nostalgia's sake -- unfortunately, you're not going to get anywhere. As promised way back in 2012, the carrier has confirmed that it shut down 2G services on January 1st, 2017. If your phone only makes GSM calls and uses EDGE for data, you're stuck. The move won't hurt very many people (even basic phones have been using 3G and LTE for years), but it's hard not to shed a little tear for a technology that had been around for so long.
Windows 10 Creators Update will add tab previews and a night mode
Windows 10's Creators Update will have its fair share of pleasant surprises, apparently. Microsoft has released a new Windows Insider preview that stuffs in quite a few new features, some of which you might just use every day. For one, its Edge browser now includes tab previews. This isn't a novel concept (hi, Opera), but it'll be immensely helpful if you have loads of tabs open and don't want to play a guessing game. Also, Microsoft's Flash crackdown is in full effect: Edge now blocks untrusted Flash content as a matter of course, and you'll have to click to play it.
Google Safe Browsing makes accessing The Pirate Bay harder
Guess what? There's another speedbump to browsing The Pirate Bay. Rather than internet providers blocking access to the URL (currently thepiratebay.org), certain web browsers are flagging torrent download pages with variations on the following message: "The site ahead contains harmful programs Attackers on thepiratebay.org might attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience (for example, by changing your homepage or showing extra ads on sites you visit.)"
Microsoft is still bragging about Edge's battery superiority
Microsoft says it has made the Edge browser on the Windows 10 Anniversary Update even more efficient than the previous version, and is again boasting about its performance compared to rivals. When streaming Netflix, the new tweaks will help your Windows 10 PC last 45 percent longer than with Chrome, and 69 percent longer if you're using Firefox. For general purpose browsing, PCs running Edge last 24 to 43 percent longer than with other browsers, according to Redmond.
