What's New

Extensions are one of the greatest strengths of web browsers. They allow users to extend functionality, but this comes at a cost. A test of the 5000 most popular Chrome extensions showed that extensions may slow down the browsing experience significantly, with one notable exception.

Winamp used to be a popular audio player for Windows. Things went quiet after its heyday and rights changed hands several times in that period.

There was a lot of outcry when Netflix announced the introduction of ads on its platform. The streaming service introduced an ad-powered plan in late 2022 in select regions. At $6.99 per month, it was considerably cheaper than non-ad plans, even back in 2022.

In fact, adding another user slot to one of the ad-free Netfllix plans is more expensive than subscribing to the ad-powered plan.

Broadcom has announced that it is making its desktop hypervisor products free for home users. VMware Fusion Pro 13 and Workstation Pro 17 are now free for personal use.

In case you didn't know, Broadcom acquired VMware in a staggering $69 Billion deal in November 2023. Now that the two apps are free to use, what about their future?

Microsoft has released security updates for all supported versions of its Microsoft Windows operating system and other company products.

This security updates overview provides system administrators and home users with information on the released patches and changes. It highlights information about each of the supported Windows versions, lists known issues, and offers guidance on downloading and installing the updates.

Fake virus alerts are a common yet dangerous weapon often used by cybercriminals. These alerts masquerade themselves as legitimate security warnings, tricking users into actions that end up compromising their own digital safety. From installing invasive malware to unintentionally handing over sensitive data, the consequences of falling for such scams are severe and far-reaching.

Mozilla plans to release Firefox 126.0 Stable later today. The new version of Firefox is a smaller release, as it makes just a few changes. Noteworthy are improvements to the browser's copy without site tracking feature, support for AV2 hardware decode acceleration on M3 Macs, and new search Telemetry.

Tip: To check the installed Firefox version, select Menu > Help > About Firefox on desktop systems.

Mozilla updates all development editions and Firefox ESR at the same time. Here are the new versions:

Apple has released the iOS 17.5, macOS Sonoma 14.5 and iPadOS 17.5 updates. The new software comes with a cross-platform anti-tracker feature, and improves the capabilities of the News app.

Look, another advertising test in Windows 11. Microsoft launched a new build to the Windows 11 Insider Dev channel on Friday. Windows 11 build 26120.470 fixes issues for the most part.

Microsoft introduced support for what it calls Start Menu Companions in a recent Windows 11 beta build. This feature adds a sidebar to the Start Menu that display information, for instance from widgets.

The last major overhaul of the Windows Start menu launched with the release of Windows 11. Microsoft removed several features of the Windows 10 Start menu, including support for live tiles and customization options. It did introduce the split design that shows pinned apps at the top and recommendations at the bottom.

Password cracking tools improve all the time. With AI entering the game, the time to brute force passwords has been reduced significantly already and continues to be reduced.

Password guidelines and rules have not changed all that much for users in the past ten or so years, however. Pick unique and strong, which means long and complex, passwords, and you are good to go.

Apple has launched a new iPad, the first one in over a year and a half. Let's take a look at what the iPad Pro has to offer.

The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes, an 11-inch display and a 13-inch display. Both models are powered by a brand-new chipset, the mighty Apple Silicon M4. This is surprising because the M3 chips were launched just 6 months ago.

Microsoft is testing new activation related restrictions on Windows 11 currently that affect the system's integrated Microsoft Edge browser.

Windows 11 can be installed without a product key. This leaves the operating system in an unactivated state. While the system works fine for the most part, it does display reminders and a watermark, and does prevent access to certain personalization options, such as setting wallpapers (there is a way around that).

Researchers from Leviathan Security have discovered a new vulnerability that affects virtual private networks (VPNs) on most platforms.

VPNs serve multiple purposes. They encrypt all traffic when connected to a VPN server to prevent eavesdropping and tampering. VPNs furthermore help users stay anonymous, as the VPNs IP address is revealed to websites and services.

Google has announced that it is streamlining the process of setting up 2-Step Verification (2SV) for user accounts. Users can now enable 2SV without adding a phone number.

Prior to this change, Google required users to provide their phone number, before they could set up a 2SV method. Now, when you go to your account settings and enroll into the verification method, you can skip the phone number if you want to use one of the other methods.