Earlier in February 2022, Google introduced a freeware lightweight Chrome OS Flex. This operating system can be installed on any PC, including aged hardware. Chrome OS Flex grew out of Newerware's CloudReady project. The Newerware company was acquired by Google at the end of 2020.
Windows 11 Build 22000.829 is out to Release Preview insiders
Microsoft has released a new preview build of Windows 11. Build 22000.829 is out with KB5015882 to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview channel. This patch comes with several bug fixes. Here are the changes.
Microsoft cancels Windows 11 23H2, switches to three-year release cycle for major versions
Microsoft switches to a new Windows development schedule. The major OS release will happen every three years. But the new features will land in the existing Windows versions, without the user waiting for the OS upgrade.
New Camera, Media Player and Movies & TV app versions are available to Insiders
Microsoft has released updated versions of the Camera and Media Player apps for Windows Insider members on the Dev channel. New versions will be available in the Microsoft Store in the coming hours.
Windows 11 Build 25158 features updated Widgets and search in the taskbar
Microsoft has released a new preliminary version of Windows 11, build 25158. It is out to Windows Insiders in the Dev channel. The full build tag is 10.0.25158.1000.rs_prerelease.220708-1401. The release adds significant changes to the Search appearance in the taskbar. Also, widgets can now show notification badges over its taskbar icon. Finally, this build includes initial support for DNS over TLS.
Cumulative updates for Windows, July 12, 2022
Microsoft has released new monthly cumulative updates for all supported operating systems. As usual, the patches are here to fix bugs and resolve vulnerabilities. Microsoft already redistributes the following updates via Windows Update and its Microsoft Update Catalog website.
Microsoft has stopped blocking VBA macros in Office files, but this will soon change
Last week, Microsoft unexpectedly stopped blocking Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros in Office. But this move was a temporary change. The Redmond firm is still planning to disable VBA macros by default to improve security, but this will happen a little later.
A search bug prevents Windows 11 from indexing Outlook mail
Yet another Windows 11 Search bug affects Outlook desktop users. If you are using the app, you could already notice that Outlook search results often don't include recent messages. It affects all boxes regardless of their protocol, including POP, IMAP and Microsoft's Exchange working offline.
Google makes Chrome save more battery power
Quick Intensive Throttling after loading is a new experimental feature has landed in Dev and Canary builds of Chrome. It makes the browser to free up tab resources and suspend scripts faster than in the current stable version. This significantly improves the battery life of laptops and other portable devices.
PowerToys version 0.60 comes with better Windows 11 compatibility
Microsoft has released a new stable version of PowerToys 0.60 that goes even better with Windows 11. Its tools now appear in the modern compact menus directly, "always on top" now uses rounder borders for highlights, and more. Besides Windows 11-specific improvements, there are fixes and new capabilities in FancyZones, PowerToys Run, and other apps.
