Software & Apps - Page 2
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 - Page 2.
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)
NVIDIA updates RTX Video Super Resolution with new and more efficient AI model
NVIDIA's RTX Video Super Resolution is like DLSS for watching videos on YouTube or a streaming service like Netflix on your PC; it uses an AI model and the Tensor Core hardware on GeForce RTX cards to upscale and improve image fidelity from a lower-resolution source. For those with 4K displays, a 1080p video will become sharper with more detail restored.
Video Super Resolution (VSR), designed to remove compression artifacts and other issues from streaming videos with heavy compression, is an option all GeForce RTX owners can enable in the NVIDIA App. In addition, Video HDR uses AI to tone map SDR videos to HDR - with some awe-inspiring results.
With the launch of the GeForce RTX 50 Series and the arrival of the new GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090, NVIDIA has brought several new features to gamers - from DLSS 4 to NVIDIA Broadcast updates for creators. As part of these updates, NVIDIA has confirmed that RTX Video Super Resolution is running on a more efficient AI model.
Windows 11 gamers in the firing line of nasty Auto HDR bug can now safely install 24H2 update
Windows 11 users who couldn't install the 24H2 update due to the bug with Auto HDR can get ready to finally pull the trigger on the upgrade.
That's because Microsoft has implemented a fix in the preview (optional) update for January 2025 (KB5050094).
Time for a quick recap on this one, for those who've forgotten: the Auto HDR bug emerged in December 2024, and for people using the feature (with an HDR monitor, of course), it was something of a nightmare. First off, it completely messed up the color palette in games, and secondly, it could also cause those games to freeze or even outright crash.
X CEO teases new milestone for Elon Musk's 'Everything App,' releases 2025
When Elon Musk purchased Twitter in 2022, his goal was to create the "Everything app," which would mimic China's WeChat, an app that has consolidated popular individual apps such as taxi hailing, food delivery, banking, bill payments, and communication into a singular app.
Musk's plan was to create this "Everything app," but saw the purchasing of then-Twitter and now X as an accelerant to achieving that goal, with the Tesla CEO writing on X in October 2022, "Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app." In October 2023, we began hearing rumblings of X working on a seamless payment system that was in development, with Musk saying during an earnings call that he plans on turning X into a bank capable of storing "someone's entire financial life".
During that earnings call, Musk said it was likely the new monetary system would be rolled out on the platform "by the end of next year," which didn't seem to happen. However, X CEO Linda Yaccarino has now taken to her personal X account to tease that X has partnered with Visa for X Money, which will enable secure and instant funding to users' X wallets via Visa Direct, peer-to-peer payments (send/receive money between users), and the options to transfer funds to user bank accounts instantly.
Netflix viewers on iOS shouldn't be getting so excited about a single button, but they are
Netflix has made a change to its iOS apps that's been wanted by a fair few iPhone and iPad owners for some time now.
The addition of a single button to download a whole season of a show is now present in these apps, a feature that's already on Android, and has been eyed jealously by owners of Apple hardware.
Hat tip to 9 to 5 Mac for spotting this, and Netflix explains in a news post:
President Trump names the company currently in talks to save TikTok
The fate of TikTok currently stands upon the edge of a knife, and if it strays but a little, it will fail, to the ruin of 170 million users across the United States.
TikTok is currently in limbo as the US government initiated the ban of the app, citing national security reasons as lawmakers found the app could be used to harvest the data of the 170 million Americans that use it and feed that data to the Chinese government. TikTok was given an ultimatum by the US government with a deadline of January 19.
That ultimatum was to sell the app to a US government-verified entity or be banned from both app marketplaces and US telecommunications services. The January 19 deadline was reached, and TikTok was briefly made unavailable in the US for approximately 16 hours.
Continue reading: President Trump names the company currently in talks to save TikTok (full post)
Google Maps confirms its renaming the Gulf of Mexico, but for only some users
Google has responded to the recent declaration by President Trump that the Gulf of Mexico will be renamed to the Gulf of America.
One of the first things President Trump did once he entered office was to declare the Gulf of Mexico was to be renamed to the Gulf of America, and now Google has announced it will comply with Trump's new naming scheme as the search conglomerate states it will abide by official government sources for all its naming of locations, as it has done in the past. Google took to X, where it wrote that it had received many questions regarding the name change, and that it has a "longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."
Moreover, Google explained it uses the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) as its source for naming locations, which is the US government's official source for geographic names. Trump's executive order gives a 30-day deadline for the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, along with the renaming of Denali to Mount McKinley. Google states once the change has been lodged in the GNIS the change will be reflected in Google Maps. However, there's a caveat.
Google keeps recommending ads that will steal your bank data
The state of web search algorithms are in an interesting state in 2025. AI search summaries headline a good chunk of search results, and the internet is becoming increasingly dominated by AI-generated content.
However, a new threat to look out for has emerged: in the form of sponsored links in search results that contain cURL commands to malware. In this instance, the case involved the software package management tool 'Homebrew', for which users were being served ads that seemingly displayed the correct URL, but redirected users to a malicious link.
Canadian web developer Ryan Chenkie took to X to highlight the discrepancy, urging developers to exercise caution when installing the tool. As reported by Digital Trends, the scam works through a strategy called URL cloaking. Malicious actors create thousands of accounts simultaneously and use text manipulation and cloaking techniques to evade detection. They show reviewers and automated systems safe-looking websites, while regular visitors are redirected to malicious dummy sites
Continue reading: Google keeps recommending ads that will steal your bank data (full post)
YouTuber makes tool to debloat Windows in just 2 clicks
Installing a fresh version of Windows means installing a bunch of Microsoft apps and services that are typically quite useless or, at the very least, unnecessary. These apps and services are commonly referred to as "Windows bloatware," and manually removing each of them during or after Windows installation can be time-consuming and annoying. But what if there was a tool that could do it all for you in just a few clicks?
YouTuber and developer "TotallyNotK0," along with his team of developers at Raven, have created a new tool called "Talon" that's designed to streamline the removal process of all Windows bloatware. The new tool isn't ready for public release, but the above video demonstrates how it works and the effectiveness of removing unwanted software. The video shows users will need to turn off Windows Defender to run the software, and once it's run, users will be presented with the below screen asking, "What will you use this device for?" -- along with several options.
Users can select "Barebones, Gaming, Student, Professional, and Expert" versions of the automation, and each of these options removes the same amount of bloatware but is differentiated by the additional software Raven will install. For example, selecting "Gaming" will install the following applications: Discord, Steam, EA App, OBS, Spotify, and Emulation Station, along with removing any Windows bloatware. After selecting an option, Raven will begin the debloating process, and users can watch the removal of programs and software by pressing the Windows key and viewing their program list. After the process is complete, Raven will request that the PC conduct a restart.
Continue reading: YouTuber makes tool to debloat Windows in just 2 clicks (full post)