TechnicalSides's top big tech stories of 2022: Why is Amazon building CPUs?
Consumers are becoming more aware of personal privacy
Microsoft
News and views about Microsoft Windows, Office, Xbox, Surface, and more.
Microsoft makes using formulas in Excel easier, adds new features
Windows, Mac and web versions receive various new features
It takes half an hour to boot into Windows 7 running on a 5 MHz CPU with 128MB of RAM
TL;DR: The race to 1GHz was very much a real thing at the turn of the century. It was quite entertaining as well, coming down to a photo finish between AMD and Intel (the former took the win by mere days). Fast forward to today and you won't be able to find a new desktop CPU with a clock speed under 1.6GHz or so. But, you can underclock an existing chip to run much slower and that's exactly what NTDEV did in his latest video.
Windows 11 Notepad app appears to be getting browser-style tabs
Following in the footsteps of File Explorer
Three-quarters of public comments want Microsoft to take over Activision Blizzard
In the UK, at least
In brief: It's no secret that Sony is vehemently against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but how does the public feel about it? About three-quarters of people in the UK who commented on the merger are in favor of the Redmond firm buying the gaming giant.
Microsoft's next major acquisition could be Netflix
Microsoft could offer a mega bundle of games and video content
In brief: Microsoft's next acquisition could be its largest to date, and we're not talking about Activision Blizzard. In a recent financial commentary piece, Reuters argues that Microsoft's next major target could be Netflix, and they make some compelling points.
Microsoft survey suggests Game Pass could be getting a new ad-supported tier
If that pans out, Game Pass could be cheaper at EUR3 a month for online multiplayer
Microsoft fixes Windows 11 22H2 gaming performance issues, restarts rollout
The update should reappear in Windows Update over the next few days
A ransomware gang used credentials from the Lapsus leak to sign malware
Group signed a kernel driver that disabled security software
Microsoft's Patch Tuesday squashes 49 bugs to end the year
Two zero-day and six critical vulnerabilities have been patched
Microsoft bans cryptomining from its cloud services to protect customers
Only customers with written permission from Microsoft can mine
Top 10 Hacks for Microsoft PowerPoint
For countless people in business, education and entertainment, PowerPoint is the default app for creating presentations. Here are top 10 shortcuts and hacks to help you become a PowerPoint pro.
Microsoft is retiring its Soundscape app, but will make project code available as open-source software
Microsoft is letting the community take over
Official support for both Windows 7 and 8 ends in January, Microsoft Edge also losing support
Over 13 percent of Windows users will be affected by the discontinuations
Microsoft acquires Lumenisity to bring hollow core fiber tech to Azure cloud
Why it matters: Hollow core fibers (HCF) are not a new solution per se, but the innovative design conceived by UK-based startup Lumenisity brings this '90s tech to the next level. Microsoft will now get the most out of it, optimizing its cloud platform for professional and government customers alike.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer claims Sony plans to grow by "making Xbox smaller"
"Sony is leading the dialogue around why the deal shouldn't go through"
What just happened? Microsoft isn't holding back in its war of wars with Sony over the former's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer says its rival is the "one major opposer to the deal," and it all comes down to Sony wanting to protect its dominance in consoles by making Xbox "smaller."
Windows 11's snipping tool to receive screen recording function
Now available to Windows dev channel insiders
FTC sues Microsoft in attempt to block Activision acquisition
Microsoft intends to fight it
Microsoft compares Sony to Blockbuster, confirms 10-year CoD-PlayStation offer
"It's as excited about this deal as Blockbuster was about the rise of Netflix"
A hot potato: Microsoft's president and vice-chair Brad Smith says that the FTC suing the company to block its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard would hurt competition, consumers, and thousands of game developers. He also compared Sony's objections to the deal to Blockbuster complaining about the rise of Netflix.
Microsoft's in-house Xbox Series X|S games will cost $70 starting next year
Games have been this expensive before
FTC vote ended split on suing Microsoft over Activision acquisition
A split decision means the FTC might approve the deal
Mozilla and Microsoft distrust TrustCor certificates due to suspicions over covert spyware operation
TrustCor allegedly had ties with a company making Android spyware
Google reports on a company selling spyware for Chrome, Firefox, and Windows Defender
Another company similar to RCS Labs and NSO Group
The History of the Modern Graphics Processor
3D graphics turned a dull PC industry into a light and magic show after generations of innovative endeavor. Here's our extensive look at the history of the GPU, from the early days of 3D, to game-changing hardware and the industry's consolidation.
Microsoft releases fix for game performance issues caused by Windows 11 22H2 update
The optional KB5020044 preview cumulative update is available now