A research study has indicated that the end of Windows 10's lifecycle will lead to a surge in e-waste. Analysts from Canalys have estimated that around 240 million PCs worldwide will be dumped into landfills due to the switch to Windows 11. This has raised concerns about the responsibility of vendors to prolong the lifespan of devices.
Rumor: Windows 11 Moment 5 may be released in February or March 2024
According to new insider information, Microsoft may be planning to release the next major update for Windows 11, internally referred as "Moment 5," early next year. This update will introduce several new features and changes, with the primary goal of ensuring compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Microsoft fixes Narrator and Printer issues in the latest Windows ISO images
Microsoft has updated the ISO images for Windows 11 23H2. The new files come with a number of fixes made to the OS, including the printer renaming issue, and resolved bug that prevented Narrator from work during the setup.
Safety Check for Chrome on desktop will now run automatically in the background
The password and extension checker in Chrome will now automatically run in the background on desktop systems. It also getting extra capabilities to protect your sensitive data.
Android may finally get a battery health status report
It is likely that Google will start reporting battery degradation on Android smartphones. Unlike iPhone users who can easily access battery status information in the settings, Android device owners are currently required to use third-party apps or special commands to check their battery health.
Microsoft and TomTom are working on voice AI assistants for cars
Microsoft and auto technology company TomTom are joining forces to add AI voice assistants into vehicle information systems. TomTom has recently developed its own generative AI voice assistant specifically designed for cars. This voice assistant will be powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI service.
Microsoft discontinues Windows Mixed Reality and Edge Defender Application Guard
Two more feature reached their end of support this year. Windows Mixed Reality and Defender Application Guard for Edge are now listed on the deprecated features in Windows 11.
Microsoft has integrated Speedtest by Ookla into Bing
Microsoft has swapped out Bing's own speed test feature with the Ookla Speedtest widget. This widget enables users to measure their download speed, upload speed, and connection latency.
Suno’s Copilot plugin can create songs and music on demand
Microsoft and Suno have teamed up to bring artificial intelligence music creation to the masses. Through their partnership, Microsoft Copilot now features a tool to create songs from text prompts, powered by Suno's AI algorithms.
Microsoft Edge 121 finally enables AVIF support out of the box
After months of development, Microsoft has finally enabled AVIF support in the Edge browser. Now Edge stands in line with all mainstream browsers, as Firefox and Chrome support it for long.
