The Redmond software giant is changing how their Office suite handles ActiveX controls. With the launch of Office 2024 in October, ActiveX controls will no longer be enabled by default in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio apps.
Author: Sergey Tkachenko
Windows Photos app gets a galore of improvements, already coming to Insiders
Microsoft has announced several improvements made to Windows Photos app, version 2024.11080.30001.0. The company has made it available for Windows 10 and Windows 11, and is rolling out it to Insiders across all channels, including Windows 10 Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview channels.
PowerToys 0.84 brings with it the long awaited Workspaces feature
A few days ago Microsoft has released a new PowerToys version 0.84 with several improvements and new features. The key change in this release is the addition of Workspaces - a new tool for organizing your apps on the screen.
Microsoft will soon host a special Copilot event to detail its future
Microsoft is set to unveil the future of its Copilot product via a special online event this month, which will be live-streamed on LinkedIn. The event, called The Microsoft 365 Copilot: Wave 2, will feature keynotes from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Jared Spataro, Vice President of AI.
Qualcomm teases ARM CPUs for high-performance desktops
In a surprise move, Qualcomm revealed at the IFA 2024 conference in Berlin that its powerful Snapdragon X-series ARM processors are coming to 'high-performance' desktop computers. This could mean that the new devices will compete with top models from Intel and AMD. However, Qualcomm did not specify the details.
Firefox 130 released with selection translation, Labs experiments and more
Mozilla Firefox 130 is available in the stable branch. The new release boasts with the ability to translate a selected text on a web page with added support for more languages. The browser now includes a new section, "Firefox Labs", that allows enabling/disabling experimental features in the stable version of the app. Finally, there are some improvements here and there, and security fixes.
Microsoft introduces a new Gamepad layout for the touch keyboard
Microsoft has announced a change made to the Windows 11 touch keyboard. Starting in Windows 11 Build 22635.4145 (Beta), you will find a new layout that supports the ability to use your Xbox controller to navigate and type, including Xbox-specific accelerators.
Some AI features will already become available on Copilot+ laptops this November
Microsoft has confirmed that up to six AI features will become available for Copilot+ laptops with NPU and latest CPUs from Intel and AMD. Those include Recall, Context-aware Copilot, Subtitle translation, Auto Super Resolution, Improved image and text generation with Cocreator, and improved Windows Studio effects.
Windows 11 overtakes Windows 10 in Steam stats for the first time
Steam has published the results of the Hardware & Software Survey for August 2024. According to report, Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 in popularity for the first time. Over the past month, the Windows 11 share has grown by 3.36% and now stands at 49.17%. In turn, the Windows 10 figures have decreased by 3.07% to 47.09%.
Microsoft makes the new Account Manager in Start more convenient
Some time ago, Microsoft has started releasing a new feature of the Start menu called "Account Manager". It is currently available to Windows 11 Insiders. Technically, it is a new user account menu that appears like a small dashboard. In addition to user switching and sign out commands, the new pane includes extra details about Microsoft subscriptions. However, its first implementation had some rough surfaces.
