If you're unaware, the Media Creation Tool is a super-simple way to download a small program from Microsoft and bake it onto a USB drive that can then be used to install a copy of Windows on a PC. It's an excellent method for installing fresh and starting from scratch, especially if you need to do so for another computer, say, in aid of family tech support. The Media Creation Tool has been around in various flavors for years, and it's periodically updated as a separate piece of software… and the latest update has broken it for some users on Windows 10.
That's according to Microsoft itself, who filed it as a bug on October 10th (that's 11 days after the tool was updated). According to the official "Known Issues" page for Windows (spotted by Windows Latest), Windows 10 machines on the 22H2 release are seeing the tool "close unexpectedly, displaying no error message."
The fact that this was an update to the tool that immediately preceded the self-imposed deadline that Microsoft set for a Windows 11 upgrade is u
With every flagship smartphone launch, the new devices are subject to bend tests, drop tests, and other durability tests. YouTuber JerryRigEverything (Zack Nelson) is known for his scratch and bend tests, and he did his usual routine with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. This time, something went wrong.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Shanghai, China to celebrate the upcoming launch of the iPhone Air in the country, and during his visit, he met with Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning and The Monsters creator Kasing Lung.
But if you haven't done anything about it yet, you probably should. Here's a quick summary of what you need to know and what to do about it.
Your options for Windows 10
You don't have to leave Windows 10 if you don't want to. Hundreds of millions of PCs (about half of them, in fact) won't stop working today just because of a specific date on the calendar. This is not a Y2K situation. Even Microsoft itself has backtracked on the ultimatum, offering regular users "free" ways to extend security support for another year, albeit with some distasteful strings attached.
As part of Apple's goal to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030, the company today announced it is expanding its clean energy projects across Europe and China.
NEW RESOURCES University of Connecticut: New Interactive Map of Connecticut Nonprofits Rolled Out to Help With Decision-Making. "While 8,300 nonprofits might seem like a lot for a small state like Connecticut, [Mohamad] […]
A support page from Mozilla reveals that the company has been working on an "IP concealment" technology for over two weeks. However, Mozilla has since renamed the page "Firefox VPN" to show off the new experimental, beta feature present in the browser. Mozilla says that the technology will be free, but it's only being offered to a small, randomly chosen set of test users.
The free VPN service will apparently complement the paid Mozilla VPN service that Mozilla already offers. Our tests, however, found Mozilla's paid VPN service somewhat wanting.
Integrating a VPN service into the browser has been a feature of niche browsers for years — including Mozilla. In 2019, Mozilla began testing the Firefox Private Network, a VPN-like service that obscured the user's IP address. The trial was part of a beta program, and the technology was never really commercialized. Opera, too, launched a more sophisticated integrated VPN service. In March, Vivaldi teamed up with Proton for an integrated VPN into the browser, as well.
It doesn't say so in as many words, of course. According to the Google Ads & Commerce Blog (spotted by PCMag), it's a move meant for "improving navigation and introducing a new control." The new look groups all of the text-based links that are paid for into a single "Sponsored results" section, which can be collapsed by clicking or pressing a button. The new look is coming to Search on desktop and mobile, "currently rolling out globally."
Sure, I love The Crown, Mindhunter, and Hacks, but true streaming gems tend to be few and far between. (Yes, I know, I need to stream Severance. I'll get to it!)
All too often, the latest prestige shows with those marquee stars and the terrific, glossy trailers turn out to be bloated bores, and they've all started to feel the same. Life is too short.
Worst of all, I was throwing away $20 or more every month on streaming services I wasn't really enjoying—and don't even get me started about the price hikes. Couldn't I put that cash to better use?
Time for a change
That's when the idea of switching to an over-the-air antenna began percolating. For the cost of roughly two months of Netflix, I could purchase and install a (small) backyard TV antenna that would beam dozens of free over-the-air channels to my television, for free.
And some of the free TV shows being broadcast right now are pretty enticing. Topping the list in our household was Abbott Elementary, a fast and funny sitcom that boasts snappy writing, characters you care about, and a svelte 22-minute running time, meaning no self-indulgent filler. Why pay for Abbott on Hulu when I could get it over-the-air for free?
Apple is telling European customers that new EU competition laws will make iPhones less safe once the company is forced to open up its platforms to third-party App Stores. The company, not exactly happy about this, has published a 32-page white paper where it spells out the risks arising from the EU's big experiment.
The EU's formal adoption of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) means Apple must make several changes to its App Store and business models. Changes include the introduction of support for third-party app stores, opening up to payment systems other than Apple Pay, and more.
Microsoft will add a range of artificial intelligence (AI) features to Windows 11, with new ways to edit content and control PC settings.
Later this month, Windows 11 users will be able adjust settings within the operating system with text commands via the Copilot AI assistant. Here, users can type "enable battery saver" or "show Wi-Fi network" and the Windows Copilot will perform the action. Other skills include "display IP address," "launch voice input," and "show system information."
There are also new ways to edit content in two Windows apps: Photos and Clipchamp. For video-editing tool Clipchamp, gaps in conversation can be removed with a "silence removal" feature. In Photos, the generative erase feature lets users select and remove "unwanted objects or imperfections" from an image.
