You can now enable Reader Mode in Opera. The Opera browser may not be as popular as ten years ago, but developers continue investing their time and efforts into the project. Opera 80 (based on Chromium 94), which is due to release in the stable channel soon, finally brings native Reader Mode to improve the reading experience on various websites.
Author: Taras Buria
Taras is here to cover stories about Microsoft and everything around, although sometimes he prefers Apple.
Windows 11 Open Command Prompt
There are many ways to open Command Prompt in Windows 11. In this article, we attempted to cover all the possible methods. Many of them may be already familiar to you, but Windows 11 changes some of the traditional options.
VirtualBox is working on TPM passthrough for Windows 11 in VMs
Microsoft recently started enforcing Windows 11 hardware compatibility rules for virtual machines, requiring SecureBoot, UEFI, and a TPM module to get the latest builds. As a result, many users noticed that their VMs could no longer download and install fresh updates. If you use Hyper-V or commercial virtualization software (VMWare Workstation, for example), you can add TPM modules to your virtual machines. The problem is that TPM modules are not available in free virtualization apps, such as VMWare Player or VirtualBox. Fortunately, developers of the latter work on fixing the situation.
NVIDIA released GPU drivers with official Windows 11 and DLAA support
Back in June 2021, NVIDIA released its first WHQL Game Ready driver with official Windows 11 support. That release, alongside subsequent updates, let users with Windows 11 preview builds utilize optimized GPU drivers and get better performance. With Windows 11 being just two weeks from public availability, NVIDIA released a new driver with the official support for the initial Windows 11 release on October 5, 2021.
Surface Pro 8 specs leak reveals Thunderbolt ports and 120Hz display
On September 22, Microsoft will reveal new Surface hardware, such as redesigned eight-gen Surface Pro, third-gen Surface Go, second-gen Surface Duo, and a new powerful laptop to replace Surface Book. As is usually the case, last-minute leaks shed light. Just a couple of days before the event, Surface Pro 8 specs leak, revealing some exciting hardware upgrades in the next flagship tablet from Microsoft.
Microsoft might let users drag and drop files to the taskbar in Windows 11
In Windows 11, Microsoft decided to create a new taskbar from scratch. The result is a big controversy among users. While many like the centered taskbar and refreshed looks, virtually everyone agrees that a long list of removed features is a bummer.
An FCC listing reveals huge hardware improvements in Surface Duo 2
It is a well-known fact that Surface Duo's hardware is underwhelming at best. The smartphone went on sale with an old CPU, no NFC, no wireless charging, and an atrocious camera. It takes a lot of faith in the idea behind Surface Duo to accept all those limitations and deal with poor software support (the smartphone remains stuck with Android 10 despite Microsoft's promises to deliver Android 11 this Summer). Still, despite a somewhat rocky start, Microsoft does not plan to give up on Surface Duo. A couple of days before the official unveiling, an FCC listing revealed huge hardware improvements coming in the second-gen Surface Duo.
Windows 10 21H2 brings no changes to hardware requirements
Microsoft releases Windows 11 (and Office 2021) on October 5, 2021, for devices that meet minimum hardware requirements. If your computer has an 8th gen Intel CPU or 2nd gen AMD Ryzen CPU with SecureBoot and TPM 2.0, you can expect Windows 11 to arrive on your device via Windows Update. Older computers will have to stick to Windows 10, which is on track to receive a feature update somewhere alongside Windows 11. Microsoft is yet to announce the release date, but the company has already shed some light on hardware requirements.
PowerToys is now available in the Microsoft Store
Microsoft PowerToys, a set of advanced tools to expand features in Windows, is now available to download from the Microsoft Store on Windows 11. Up until now, users could download the app from its official repository on GitHub, which is not the simplest or the most convenient option for many. With the arrival of PowerToys to the Microsoft Store, more users can access the app with a single click.
Microsoft released September 2021 firmware update for Surface Duo
Microsoft started rolling out a new firmware update for its dual-screen smartphone, Surface Duo. Unfortunately, this is just another lackluster update with no specific bug fixes or significant improvements. The changelog for September 2021 firmware update for Surface Duo consists of a single point with monthly security patches for Android.
