Microsoft Edge introduces AI history search and performance slowdown alerts
Microsoft Edge 138 introduces a new AI-powered history search that helps users find previously visited sites using synonyms, phrases, or even misspelled words. The update also adds performance notifications. When a slowdown is detected, the browser can alert and suggest optimization tools.
New benchmarks show SteamOS outperforming Windows 11 on Lenovo's handheld PC
Frame rate improvements were quite drastic for games like Returnal
That's called progress: SteamOS started life as a lightweight Linux-based system built for Valve's Steam Machines that never really picked up steam (pun intended). Now, it powers the Steam Deck and various other handhelds. New benchmarks show that the gaming OS outperforms Windows 11 on similar hardware.
Master your clipboard history and supercharge your productivity
Clipboard managers can become huge productivity boosters if you use them right, by letting you access and reuse copied text, images, and links. Power users should check out ClipClip for Windows and Flycut for macOS. Check out these and more recommendations in our Essential Apps feature.
US Senators introduce bipartisan bill to enable third-party app stores on iPhones
A similar bill was killed in 2021 by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Meta lobbyists
AMD demo shows procedural generation slashing VRAM use from 35 GB to just 51 KB
Like Nvidia, AMD is trying to offload tasks from memory to the GPU
Nvidia DLSS 4 transformer model exits beta, set to bring improved graphics to more games
Even without RTX 50 series GPUs, DLSS 4 improves significantly upon DLSS 3
Why it matters: Most people think of multi-frame generation when they hear about Nvidia DLSS 4, but the transformer model upgrade in DLSS Super Resolution might be the update's most consequential upgrade. Many games can already benefit from the feature, and it's likely to become the standard across upcoming releases.
How PC makers exploited BIOS copyright strings to unlock trial software during the Windows 95 era
Microsoft programmers discovered the trick while developing Plug and Play
Firefox 140 launches with both new ESR and stable versions
Firefox 140 introduces new features across both the stable and ESR (extended support release) versions. Users can now unload inactive tabs to save memory and better manage pinned tabs. Developer Tools gain improvements such as enhanced DOM search, support for new web APIs, and custom text highlighting.
Team Fortress 2 is getting another major update with a little help from the community
The last major update, Jungle Inferno, was released in 2017
Federal court says AI training on books is fair use, but sends Anthropic to trial over pirated copies
Landmark decision draws line between lawful AI training and pirated content use
What just happened? A federal court has delivered a split decision in a high-stakes copyright case that could reshape the future of artificial intelligence development. US District Judge William Alsup ruled that Anthropic's use of copyrighted books to train its Claude AI system qualifies as lawful "fair use" under copyright law, marking a significant victory for the AI industry.
Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026 – with a catch
It might just be another ploy to push users onto Microsoft 365
CapCut combines simplicity and function in a free video editor
When it comes to video editing, DaVinci Resolve is widely regarded as the best free pro-grade suite available. However, if you're looking for faster editing, CapCut offers mobile-like simplicity in a desktop app. It's ideal for quick edits and social media videos, making it perfect for creating engaging content with minimal effort.
Unreal Engine 5.6 outperforms 5.4 with up to 30% faster frame rates and improved lighting
Real-world tests highlight smoother gameplay and richer visuals
Greek man sentenced to prison for running a private torrent site 10 years ago
File sharing crime doesn't pay, and could eventually land you behind bars
Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds meet for the first time at tech titans' dinner
Dave Cutler, lead architect of the Windows NT kernel, was also there
What just happened? Given that there was a time when Microsoft called Linux a "cancer," it's little surprise that the Redmond firm's co-founder and long-time boss Bill Gates had never met Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel. But that changed recently when the two attended a dinner, and it appears to have gone well.
Essential Apps to Install on Windows and macOS
Just unboxed your new computer? Here's our curated list of essential desktop apps for Windows and macOS to kickstart your productivity and set up the perfect workspace.
Upscale your images for free with Upscayl
If you're looking to upscale low-res images, Upscayl is a powerful and free tool for enlarging and enhancing images. It's cross-platform and in our tests, performs as well as other paid apps like Topaz.
Microsoft begins cleanup of legacy drivers from Windows Update
Driver purge could leave old hardware behind
Adobe brings pro-level computational photography to iPhone users with Indigo
What just happened? Adobe has introduced Indigo, a new computational photography app for iPhone that aims to bring pro-grade image processing to everyday users. Developed by a team led by Marc Levoy, a pioneer in computational photography, Indigo is designed to push the boundaries of what smartphone cameras can achieve by leveraging advanced algorithms and years of research.
Neural Texture Compression demo shows it can do wonders for VRAM usage
Could this novel technique reshape the future of PC gaming?
Modder runs AMD FSR 4 on unsupported Radeon 7000 series GPUs, performance lags behind FSR 3.1
Delivers improved image quality while outperforming native resolution
Steam beta adds new in-game performance metrics overlay, can show DLSS frames
Valve also explains its somewhat unique methodology for measuring frame rate and CPU usage
TL;DR: Steam Client beta participants can now view detailed performance metrics through the in-game overlay. While it doesn't offer as much data as advanced tools like Afterburner, Valve's new frame rate counter can display both real and AI-generated frames when DLSS or FSR frame generation is enabled.
Salesforce hikes Slack prices, adds AI tools for all paid users
What the Bot: Salesforce has decided to increase prices for certain paid Slack plans. The company is attempting to justify the change by stating that all customers will now have access to more AI features. And if you don't want or need AI, well, you'll likely end up paying more anyway.
Windows 11 now lets EU users export Recall data – if they still trust it
In compliance with EU law