Software & Apps - Page 10

Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, published a new article on the Windows Experience Blog that revealed the total number of Windows users. Microsoft quietly updated that statistic after reports were published that showed, according to Microsoft's own figures, it had lost 400 million Windows users in just three years.

Using the Wayback Machine, a digital archive of the internet, we can see Microsoft initially wrote the following: "Today, Windows is the most widely used operating system, powering over a billion monthly active devices through an open and flexible platform that connects people." That figure of "over a billion monthly active devices" was then updated to this: "Today, Windows is the most widely used operating system, powering over 1.4 billion monthly active devices through an open and flexible platform that connects people."

Why did Microsoft update it? Reports surfaced shortly after this blog post was picked up that compared Microsoft's figure of "over a billion monthly active devices" to what the company was touting in a 2022 annual report of the same month, where it said, "There are now 1.4 billion monthly active devices running Windows 10 or Windows 11." Comparing the two figures, it's easy to work out that Microsoft supposedly lost 400 million Windows devices in the span of just three years.

NVIDIA is currently offering free Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions to GeForce RTX owners through the NVIDIA App. GeForce RTX 30 and RTX 40 Series owners are eligible for one month of Adobe Creative Cloud, while GeForce RTX 50 Series owners are eligible for two months. Unfortunately, GeForce RTX 20 Series owners aren't eligible.

NVIDIA and Adobe have a long-standing partnership, with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of apps that includes Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and other creative tools, offering enhanced features and RTX-accelerated performance when paired with a GeForce RTX GPU. Adobe Creative Cloud apps also include powerful AI features that you can run locally on GeForce RTX hardware.

The free Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions are only available to new subscribers and can be redeemed via the Rewards/Redeem section in the NVIDIA App.

Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of Windows 11 is coming soon through version 25H2, which is being rolled out to Insider Preview builds, meaning that Insiders can already play around with the first 25H2 build.

In an announcement post to its website, Microsoft's Jason Leznek explains: "Today, Windows 11 version 25H2 became available to the Windows Insider community, in advance of broader availability planned for the second half of 2025". The new Windows 11 version 25H2 isn't a major upgrade in a technical way, as it shares the same platform release and servicing stack as version 24H2.

This means that upgrading your version of Windows 11 from 24H2 to 25H2 is "as easy as a quick restart" and it shouldn't take any longer than a normal cumulative update. This means that transitioning between Windows 11 versions much quicker to "OS swap" than the shift from Windows 11 version 23H2 to 24H2, which required replacing your installation files with newer versions.

Security researchers have discovered a security vulnerability within the popular compression software WinRAR, which leaves PCs exposed to hackers.

A new report from Bleeping Computer details the new security vulnerability that was first reported on June 5, 2025, through Zero Day Initiative. The vulnerability has been labeled CVE-2025-6218 and was discovered in older versions of the popular file compression tool.

More specifically, the vulnerability causes PCs to be vulnerable to hackers as they can bypass the app's built-in security features, enabling the machine to have an increased level of risk to malware and other executable software that could be potentially nefarious.

The iconic, or to some, infamous, Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) crash notice on Windows PCs has officially been retired by Microsoft after 40 years.

Microsoft's Blue Screen of Death has been present on Windows systems since the first version of Windows in 1985, and it has undergone several iterations, but its core remains largely unchanged. For those who are unfamiliar, a BSOD screen appears when the PC encounters a critical error it cannot recover from, rendering the system unstable and ultimately unsafe to use. So Windows automatically stops all processes to prevent any damage and presents a diagnostic screen to determine what happened.

BSODs can appear for many different reasons, but the most common causes are as follows: faulty drivers, hardware issues, software conflicts or bugs, Windows System file corruption, overclocking, malware, and power-related problems such as a sudden loss of power or an unstable power supply. Microsoft has announced in a new Windows blog post that it will be retiring the BSOD screen for a new Black Screen of Death, which it calls a "simplified UI for unexpected restarts."

WinRAR is still one of the most popular compression and decompression platforms, and most users have been using it for years or decades. However, a new report at Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative has confirmed that the popular app has a significant security exploit.

According to the announcement, CVE-2025-6218 has a very high severity rating of 7.8 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) because it allows "remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of RARLAB WinRAR" due to how file paths are handled within archive files. This vulnerability requires user interaction as the exploit can "cause the process to traverse to unintended directories" and execute code.

Yes, this opens the door to accessing sensitive data alongside system files, which can cause harm and make a device unusable. According to RARLAB, the exploit can place files in the Windows Startup folder, "potentially leading to unintended code execution on the next system login."

Dangerous malware has been detected on both the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store. Researchers have dubbed the nasty piece of software "SparkKitty."

The cybersecurity researchers at Kaspersky discovered SparkKitty in January 2025 and explained the malware uses optical character recognition to scan through an infected device's photos to harvest any relevant data that can help with deciphering a cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrase.

The idea behind this strategy by the malware creators is to stumble upon a screenshot or a photo of a user's cryptocurrency recovery phrase within their gallery. Most cryptocurrency exchanges tell users to write down their recovery phrase after their wallet is created. Most users promptly do this and then take a quick photo of the phrase in case the piece of paper is lost or simply for quick access to the phrase.

Sony has been summoned to appear in court as a class-action lawsuit filed against the company alleges its PlayStation Store pricing has violated laws.

The lawsuit was first announced in February 2025 and can be traced back to the Dutch consumer group Massaschade & Consument, alleging Sony "artificially" increased the prices of its products on the PlayStation Store. The Dutch consumer group described Sony's actions as an abuse of power, and summarized the price increases as a "Sony Tax."

Now, a new press release from the Massaschade & Consument states many Dutch PlayStation owners believe they have been pressured into "digital only" consoles since the release of the PlayStation 5 generation, and allegedly, consoles "work exclusively with digital games instead of physical discs."

Microsoft has been fighting the long defeat against the adoption rate of Windows 11, as the official ending of Windows 10 support ends in October this year, and more than half of Windows users are still on the previous generation OS.

The Redmond-based company has been attempting to sway Windows 10 users to adopt the latest operating system for the better part of its existence, with Microsoft really ramping up its efforts in the past year with in-operating system advertisements, messaging and constant public reminders.

While Windows 10's user base is trickling down it isn't decreasing at a rate that will see the majority of Windows 10 users moved over to Windows 11 before the October deadline arrives, meaning there will be millions of users left behind on machines that will no longer be receiving security updates, leaving them vulnerable to attacks as time passes.

Ion Storage Systems is on the verge of a battery tech breakthrough. What began as a university research project is now rolling off the production line and being tested by the US Department of Defense.

Lithium-ion batteries could eventually be replaced by solid-state batteries, which Ion Storage Systems in Beltsville, Maryland, is developing and is currently being tested by the Department of Defense and other major electronics manufacturers. What is the difference? According to reports, solid-state batteries are typically described as the "holy grail" of energy storage, as they replace the liquid electrolyte and graphite in a lithium-ion battery with a solid ceramic material and lithium metal.

The difference between these two designs is severe, with solid-state batteries having higher energy density, faster charging, greater safety, and longer lifespan. For those who don't know, lithium-ion battery cells can overheat and, in some cases, combust, causing thermal runaway, which is an escalating series of exothermic reactions within a battery cell. An example of this is an electric car battery catching fire and firefighters being unable to put it out as the cells within the battery keep combusting, resulting in more fires and a domino effect occurring.

Microsoft has rolled out a new update to Snipping Tool that enables Windows 11 users to easily make memes to send to their friends with a push of a button.

The new feature is built into video screen capture, which can be accessed by pressing Win + Shift + R, or simply searching for it and launching the app. Users can then select the record a screen recording video option, highlight the area of their desktop they wish to capture, and begin the recording.

Once the recording is finished, a preview of the video will open up, and at the top right-hand corner of the window, there will be a small "Export GIF" option. After selecting this option, users will be presented with two quality options: Low and High.

Microsoft has been adding new features and quality of life improvements to Snipping Tool recently, and now a new feature is on its way - GIF making.

The new GIF tool is tied to the screen recording feature currently available in Snipping Tool on Windows 11, and will enable users to select an area of their desktop they intend to record and create a GIF. The feature will automatically record the selected area for no longer than 30 seconds and create a new GIF, which can then be shared onto social media platforms, or kept for personal use.

The new feature is currently being tested in the Canary and Dev Channels of Windows 11, meaning it will likely be rolled out to the public within the coming weeks/months. Notably, the new GIF maker will give users the option of selecting between "Low" and "High" quality GIF videos, which will change the resolution of the GIF from low to high, depending on the selected option.

Windows 11 is about to overtake Windows 10 - at long last - according to one set of stats that has just been published.

These are the figures for Windows desktop operating systems from StatCounter, and they show a big uptick in favor of Windows 11, at the expense of Windows 10 as you'd doubtless guess.

StatCounter's report for June 2025 shows that Windows 11 has accelerated from 43.22% (in May) to end up on 47.66%, a gain of 4.44%. Windows 10, on the other hand, dropped from 53.19% to 49.03%, a loss of 4.16%.

We've heard a lot about macOS Tahoe 26's new features recently, with that big Liquid Glass redesign being a key change - and now comes news that Terminal is getting a makeover.

In fact, this is the first time Apple has revamped the appearance of Terminal, although that isn't staggeringly surprising in some ways, given that it's the very epitome of function, not form, in the macOS library of apps.

MacRumors just noticed that Apple revealed the new look for Terminal in its State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25.

WhatsApp is gradually rolling out ads, which can be viewed as Meta's attempt to generate revenue from the popular end-to-end chat service. However, those who use WhatsApp purely for personal messaging, group chats, and video calls don't have anything to worry about, as Meta says, "You won't see ads."

This is because ads are being rolled out in WhatsApp Status and Channels, a separate tab next to 'Chats' in the app. This social media-inspired section of the app lets you share status updates and follow different groups and channels related to specific subjects and interests. For many WhatsApp users, it's probably a section they rarely, if ever, see.

Meta adds that "personal messages, calls, and statuses are end-to-end encrypted and can't be used to show you ads," however, the country code of your account/phone number, device information, "general location," and the channels you follow will be used to deliver ads in WhatsApp.

Microsoft uses its Windows 11 Insider Preview Build program to roll out new Windows features, updates, and changes to a community of testers and early adopters before release. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5651 is the latest preview release, and it's a big one, as it adds a few new Copilot+ experiences.

The big one is an AI agent integrated into Windows Settings. If you ask a question or describe an issue, like "my mouse pointer is too small," the AI will point you in the right direction. This feature is currently only available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with Intel and AMD systems set to get the AI-powered Settings update in the future.

Old-school Windows fans might be pleased to note that Microsoft is bringing back the bigger clock that shows seconds above the date and calendar when you click on the bottom right of the taskbar. That's not the only blast from the past featured in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build. There's a bug that plays the "Windows Vista boot sound instead of the Windows 11 boot sound."

Every day, millions of people wake up to their iPhone alarm going off, and some that aren't as disciplined as others hit that snooze button and go straight back to sleep, only to wake up again precisely 9 minutes later.

If you have ever wondered why this is the case, Apple currently doesn't let users change the snooze duration within the Clock app. Why do you ask? Honestly, I have no idea. Custom snooze durations have been present on stock Android for the better part of a decade, with some of the earliest versions of custom snooze options dating back to Android KitKat, which was released in October 2013 on the Nexus 5.

This is one of those oversights that seem so glaringly obvious that it's confusing. If you wanted a different snooze length on iPhone, you would have to use a separate app for your alarm. Be that as it may, Apple is finally catching up to Android in the snooze duration department as the company plans to add custom snooze lengths in its soon-to-be-released iOS 26 update.

Yes, ancient PC hardware still drives many government systems around the world. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, which runs air traffic control facilities in the country and covers one of the busiest airways in the world, is still utilizing systems built in the 1990s with the Windows 95 operating system and floppy disks.

For those who remember the days of Windows 95 and floppy disks, you'll probably remember a time when using a computer meant that you probably didn't even have access to the Internet, or you were connecting to an online service using a dial-up modem that took a minute or two just to download images.

The good news is that the FAA has finally decided to bring its air traffic control systems and tools into the 21st century. According to acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau, this means "no more floppy disks or paper strips." Yes, the FAA also still uses a system of paper cards for air traffic control.

Windows 11 has a new option inbound for quickly reducing the size of an image you're sharing.

This comes via the new Share option, which facilitates swiftly sharing a file via various apps, and it was spotted in testing by Windows Latest.

It works using a toggle that allows you to reduce the size of any given image without changing the resolution, picking from low, medium or high options, all of which offer a considerable reduction in file size.

Microsoft's big redesign for the Windows 11 Start menu has taken a step closer to its realization with the revamp now live in testing.

Leakers first uncovered the overhauled Start menu hidden in preview builds earlier this year, before Microsoft officially confirmed the project in May, and said it'd soon be in preview builds.

And the good news is it's now in the latest Windows 11 build (26200.5641) in the Dev channel so Windows Insiders can give it a whirl.