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Microsoft pushed an unscheduled, out‑of‑band cumulative update to Windows 11 version 24H2 to address a high‑impact compatibility regression affecting virtualized Office deployments — but the patch also reiterates a known SMBv1 connectivity caveat administrators must account for before broad rollout. Background Microsoft released KB5068221 (OS Build 26100.6588) on September 22, 2025 as an out‑of‑band (OOB) update for Windows 11, version 24H2. The package is cumulative: it includes the fixes...

Microsoft's latest Paint update introduces editable project files and on‑canvas opacity controls, a pair of small but pivotal features that sharply reduce the friction between casual sketches and multi‑session image projects — and bring the classic Windows app closer to being a viable, zero‑cost alternative for many everyday Photoshop tasks. Background Microsoft has been steadily rebuilding Paint from a single‑session doodle tool into a more capable creative surface over the past few years...

Microsoft has acknowledged that recent Windows 11 servicing updates introduced a regression that can block playback of DRM‑protected video — producing black screens, frozen frames, and copyright‑protection errors in certain Blu‑ray, DVD and digital‑TV applications — and is staging a targeted remediation through the Release Preview channel while advising affected customers to delay broad installation of the implicated updates. Background Windows 11 received an optional preview servicing...

L’Oréal’s Americas team has quietly turned Microsoft’s Power Platform into a production-grade ingredient in a larger Beauty Tech transformation — shipping low‑code apps that solve real operational pain, cut costs, and scale beyond pilot projects into enterprise‑grade services used across the globe. The company’s Tech Factory is training and enabling makers to build everything from a mobile lab reservation system to SAP‑integrated purchasing apps, and the early results show material time...

Microsoft’s app ecosystem in 2025 is dominated by the familiar trio of collaboration, security, and productivity: Microsoft Teams tops the charts, followed by Microsoft Authenticator and Microsoft Word, signaling a year in which remote work, secure access, and document creation remained central to user behavior across iOS and Android. Background The mobile app market has matured into a two-speed environment: a small set of apps that attract mass, sustained installs, and a long tail of...

Microsoft has quietly rolled out a new, opt‑in program called Windows AI Labs that lets a small group of Windows 11 users test experimental AI features inside built‑in apps — first spotted as a sign‑up prompt in Microsoft Paint and confirmed by multiple outlets and Microsoft’s evolving Copilot+ roadmap. Background / Overview Microsoft has been repositioning Windows as an “AI‑first” platform, blending cloud LLM services with on‑device models executed on specialized silicon. Over the last year...

Microsoft’s public preview of the Azure Maps Geocode Autocomplete API brings a focused, developer-friendly typeahead service to Azure’s location stack — promising structured, multilingual suggestions for addresses, places, and points of interest that aim to speed user input, reduce errors, and feed richer location data into maps, dispatch systems, and logistics platforms. This release builds on Microsoft’s broader Azure Maps Search and Geocoding services and is pitched at classic autosuggest...

Microsoft’s decision to end routine Windows 10 updates on October 14, 2025 has turned a long-forecast lifecycle milestone into an immediate and practical crisis for millions of households, small businesses, and public institutions that now face a hard choice: upgrade to Windows 11 where possible, buy a new Windows 11–capable PC, pay for a one‑year consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) bridge, or run increasingly vulnerable, unsupported systems. Background / Overview Windows 10 launched in...

Microsoft’s decision to end routine Windows 10 updates on October 14, 2025 has moved from a distant lifecycle notice into an immediate, practical crisis for millions of users, leaving households, small businesses and public institutions with a stark set of choices: upgrade to Windows 11 where eligible, enroll in a narrow one‑year Extended Security Updates (ESU) bridge, buy new hardware, or continue operating an increasingly risky unsupported system. Background Windows 10 debuted in 2015 and...

Microsoft’s decision to stop delivering routine security updates and feature patches for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, forces a hard choice on hundreds of millions of users: upgrade to Windows 11 where possible, buy a short-term safety net, or accept rising security and compatibility risk. Background / Overview Microsoft first signalled Windows 10’s lifecycle years ago and has now set a firm end-of-support date: October 14, 2025. On that date, mainstream monthly security updates, feature...

Microsoft has quietly restored one of the most nostalgic Windows features — the ability to use videos as desktop wallpapers — by adding native video wallpaper support to recent Windows 11 Insider Preview builds, giving users a built-in alternative to third-party tools like Wallpaper Engine and DeskScapes. Background For years, Windows users who wanted animated or video backgrounds relied on third-party applications. Tools such as Wallpaper Engine became de facto standards because Windows...

Microsoft has begun quietly recruiting Windows 11 users into a new, opt‑in pilot called Windows AI Labs, an in‑OS sandbox for testing experimental AI features that first appeared as a sign‑up prompt inside Microsoft Paint and which Microsoft describes as “a pilot acceleration program for validating novel AI feature ideas on Windows.” Background Microsoft’s push to fold generative and assistive AI into everyday Windows workflows has been building for more than a year. The company has layered...

Microsoft has confirmed that a late‑summer servicing wave for Windows 11 introduced a narrow but disruptive regression that can break playback of DRM‑protected video in certain Blu‑ray, DVD and digital‑TV applications, and the company is staging a targeted remediation while advising cautious deployment for content‑critical systems. Background Microsoft shipped an optional preview update on August 29, 2025 (KB5064081) that was folded into the broader September 9, 2025 cumulative rollup...

A fresh infographic published by Eastleigh Voice ranks Microsoft’s mobile apps by downloads for 2025-to-date, putting Microsoft Teams at the top with roughly 90 million installs, followed by Microsoft Authenticator (≈59 million), Microsoft Word (≈55 million), Microsoft Outlook (≈45.9 million), Microsoft Edge (AI) (≈42.5 million) and Microsoft Excel (≈37.9 million). The list highlights Microsoft’s continued strength across productivity, security and entertainment on iOS and Google Play, but...

Saving a useful Copilot prompt once — and being able to find and reuse it later — is one of the simplest productivity multipliers most Copilot users overlook, and it’s now a built‑in part of the Copilot experience in Microsoft 365 apps as well as a workflow you can duplicate with system tools when needed. Background / Overview Microsoft designed the Copilot Prompt Gallery and in‑app prompt features to let users save, reuse, and share the instructions (prompts) that consistently produce good...

Microsoft’s latest push to move Windows 10 users onto new Copilot+ PCs has a fresh twist: Arm silicon is front and center. The company’s messaging now leans heavily into claims that the Arm ecosystem is mature — most apps people use today run natively on Arm — and positions Arm-powered Copilot+ laptops as the ideal migration path ahead of Windows 10’s end-of-support deadline. The headline numbers and marketing are bold, but the reality is more nuanced: there’s genuine progress on app...

The new OD teaser — a moody, P.T.-tinged vignette that dropped during Kojima Productions’ 10th‑anniversary stream — does more than tease a game: it makes a deliberate, high‑risk statement about where cinematic horror and modern game technology might collide. The three‑minute “Knock” trailer centers on Sophia Lillis performing a ritual in a sparsely furnished room, then spirals into physical and digital horror that leans heavily on Unreal Engine’s latest facial‑capture and MetaHuman...

Microsoft’s calendar-driven cutoff for Windows 10 updates has moved from background noise to an urgent reality, forcing millions of households, small businesses and public institutions into a compressed set of difficult choices: upgrade to Windows 11 where hardware permits, buy a one‑year safety net of security patches, replace aging hardware, or continue running increasingly risky, unsupported systems. Background / Overview Windows 10 launched in 2015 and became the dominant desktop...

Microsoft’s deadline is real: on October 14, 2025, routine security and feature updates for mainstream Windows 10 editions stop — a hard cut that leaves millions of PCs exposed unless owners upgrade, enroll in Microsoft’s one‑year Extended Security Updates (ESU) bridge, or adopt other mitigation strategies. Background / Overview Windows 10 launched in 2015 and for a decade has been the default desktop OS for hundreds of millions of PCs. Microsoft set a firm lifecycle end date for the...

Microsoft has begun quietly recruiting Windows 11 users to join a new, opt‑in pilot called Windows AI Labs, an in‑OS sandbox for testing experimental AI capabilities that first showed up as a sign‑up prompt inside Microsoft Paint and has since been confirmed by Microsoft as a “pilot acceleration program” for validating novel AI ideas on Windows. This is not a typical Insider channel or a public beta — it’s a focused, consented feedback loop that combines on‑device and cloud AI experiments...