Software & Apps
All the latest software and app news covering new and upcoming releases from Microsoft Windows updates, to Apple apps, through to the way we use apps daily.
Microsoft warns some Windows 11 users they should downgrade to Windows 10 'immediately'
We are, of course, very much used to Microsoft pushing folks to upgrade to Windows 11, but for certain users, some fresh advice from the company is the exact opposite - albeit there's a good reason for this.
The advice to downgrade to Windows 10 is being given (via a support document) to people who are running Windows 11 on an unsupported PC (that doesn't meet the hardware requirements of the OS).
The document in question is entitled 'Ways to install Windows 11' and is all about just that, but it previously contained some advice on implementing an installation on a PC that didn't meet the necessary system specs.
Google and Apple officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, but there's a catch
Google and Apple have officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, following an executive order signed by President Trump.
Following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, tech companies in control of maps have begun changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, with Google announcing at the end of last month that it would adhere to the executive order and will apply the name change when official government sources have been updated.
Government resources have now been updated, and Google has rolled out the respective changes, with the company confirming in an update that anyone connecting to Google Maps from the US will see "Gulf of America," while the rest of the world will still see "Gulf of Mexico," but with "Gulf of America" in brackets.
Feeling guilty about using WinRAR for free for decades? Buy the official WinRAR bag
There are only a few truly infinite things: the size of the universe, Elon Musk's inability to handle criticism, the number of times Bethesda has released or remastered The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and the length of WinRAR's "40-Day Trial." The popular and decades-old compression software is renowned for being that app you never have to pay for, even though it says that you do.
This is part of WinRAR's business model, which allows users to continue using it indefinitely - even after the 40-day trial period ends. Although some users and businesses pay for WinRAR, not paying for it has become a meme that the company has fully embraced.
Case in point, one of the company's recent social media posts highlights an officially licensed WinRAR bag that you can purchase. It is fashioned in the style of the iconic books, wrapped in a leather belt with the WinRAR logo and app icon.
Apple is about to make Siri a whole lot smarter in a new imminent update
If you are an avid user of Siri, you have undoubtedly experienced substantial frustration at the digital assistant completely fumbling a request. But that is about to all change.
According to Bloomberg reporter and Apple insider Mark Gurman, Siri is about to have her IQ massively increased in an upcoming iOS update. According to Gurman, who has long been entrenched in the happenings at the Cupertino company, Apple developers have shifted their focus to iOS 18.4, which is slated to "finally include changes to the Siri digital assistant that were originally announced at WWDC in June 2024. So, what will these improvements include? Siri is about to get a whole lot smarter.
Gurman writes the new major update will enable Siri to "tap into personal data to fulfill queries," but it won't be at the same level of sophistication as an AI assistant. The Bloomberg reporter says Apple is still very far behind in terms of turning Siri into a fully fledged AI-powered assistant (besides the integration of ChatGPT) and that iOS 18.4 won't be the update that brings Siri up to that level. The iOS 18.4 update is expected to hit beta in the coming days or sometime between the middle of this week and next week.
Opera's new browser helps you focus, stretch and eliminate stress
Much of the digital environment is centered around optimizing for attention, from the Gattaca-style design of social media apps to the engagement-optimized matchmaking in online games. Opera's newest browser release, Opera Air, aims to remedy this struggle by offering a browsing experience designed around mindfulness.
Introduced as "the world's first mindfulness-based browser," Opera Air comes equipped with a range of unique, digital-wellness-based features. Visually, the UI has a friendly, tranquil feel, with bubbly, rounded address bars and transparent backgrounds covering the entire browser. On the left-most toolbar, you'll find a suite of browser-specific tools, including boosts, which 'simulate different brain waves through music and sound to boost creativity.' The 'take a break' button contains a range of breathing, neck exercises, meditations, and full body scans.
While these features might sound unusual or tacked on for a web browser, they feel very well refined and integrated with the experience. For users who work with hour-long focus music playlists on YouTube, you'll quickly embrace the audio options available in Boosts. The stretching-focused 'take-a-break' exercises are accessible, with voice guides and a 3D model you can follow along with. You can also set break reminders, which are built into your browser.
Continue reading: Opera's new browser helps you focus, stretch and eliminate stress (full post)
GPU-Z v2.62.0 has full support for NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards
GPU-Z 2.62.0 is here, bringing support for NVIDIA's just-released GeForce RTX 5090 and GeForce RTX 5080 graphics cards, you can download GPU-Z 2.62.0 right here.
The previous version of GPU-Z wasn't displaying Hot Spot temperatures correctly, with temps stuck at 255 (an unassigned 8-bit integer value). But in the latest release, TechPowerUp has confirmed with VideoCardz that in GPU-Z 2.62.0, it will no longer show information for the Hot Spot temperatures once the 255 value is detected.
In his review of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition, our GPU reviewer Kosta explained: "The transition has begun, but the GeForce RTX 5090 solidifies a shift to Neural Rendering for performance and image fidelity. The raw performance capabilities of a gaming GPU will always be vital because you can't have one without the other - but after spending an entire week with the GeForce RTX 5090, it's safe to say that DLSS 4 is not only a selling point but a set of AI models and features that improve PC gaming as a whole".
Microsoft caught scrubbing official guide for installing Windows 11 on ineligible PCs
Microsoft has been caught red-handed scrubbing its official guidance on installing Windows 11 on a PC that doesn't meet the operating system's official requirements.
Ahead of Windows 10 support ending in October this year, Microsoft rolled out some guidance on how Windows 10 users can still upgrade to Windows 11, even if their system doesn't meet the operating system requirements. For those wondering, this guidance was for systems that don't have TMP 2.0, a hardware-level requirement for Windows 11, and the guidance was a workaround users could implement so they weren't left behind on an old operating system that will become exponentially more vulnerable to security exploits. However, that guidance has now been scrubbed from Microsoft's website.
The now-removed guidance informed users how they could tweak a Registry Key, which bypasses the Windows 11 requirements and enables the operating system to be installed on the officially unsupported PC. Notably, the tweak to the Registry did come with a warning of potential system instability with the additional risk of critical errors that may result in a complete system reinstallation. However, some users would prefer running these risks than going out and getting new hardware.
'Best offer ever' for Apple Music: six months for just $2.99 - 50 cents per month, with a catch
Apple Music currently has a tempting offer running whereby you can pay just $2.99 for six months of the music streaming service.
That's in the US, but the same offer also appears to be available in the UK for £2.99 (and possibly other regions too, we guess).
That works out at 50 cents per month instead of $10.99 monthly, but be warned, as ever with these kinds of promotions, you're signed up for the subscription and if you don't cancel it, after six months it'll auto-renew at the full price.
Microsoft Edge's new update takes on the scam that inspired 'The Beekeeper'
The FBI reports that victims lose approximately a billion dollars every year to tech support and pop-up scams. Microsoft's January 27 update to their browser Edge aims to reduce that figure.
The update in question includes a 'scareware blocker', which aims to combat a particular kind of tech support scam that involves malicious parties posing as tech support. The scam works by rushing the user with aggressive pages and using fear tactics to incite panic. These tactics include computer-generated voices, forced fullscreen effects, or hijacking of the keyboard and mouse. From there, the victim is prompted to call a fake tech-support number, after which the scam proceeds from there.
This type of scam is particularly convincing and often targets vulnerable users such as the elderly. Its prevalence is so common, in fact, that it was made into the central plot for the 2024 action film The Beekeeper. The film stars Jason Statham, who sets off on a revenge mission after his landlady becomes the victim of a multi-million dollar phishing scam.
TikTok's traffic makes a return after the app went dark for 16 hours
The fate of TikTok still remains undecided as talks about the future of the app operating in the United States are still underway.
TikTok was deemed a national security risk by the US government last year, and as a result, TikTok's owner ByteDance was given an ultimatum to either sell the app to a US government-verified source or be banned from both Apple and Google app marketplaces along with telecommunications networks across the US. The deadline for the ultimatum was January 19, and a deal wasn't reached, resulting in TikTok going dark for approximately 16 hours.
However, upon taking office the following day, President Trump issued an extension that enabled TikTok to be reinstated. The 75-day extension included TikTok being brought back as long as a new deal for its sale was on the table for discussion. With the deal discussion still being underway, Cloudflare Radar has issued new estimations regarding the number of users that have returned to TikTok after it was briefly removed from both app marketplaces.
Continue reading: TikTok's traffic makes a return after the app went dark for 16 hours (full post)