Tech Trends 📰

Microsoft provides major revamp to Notepad, adds support for new formatting, hyperlinks and more

Microsoft Notepad now supports bold, italic, hyperlinks, and Markdown formatting. A new Format tab has been added with options like headings and list styles. Users can clear or disable formatting from the settings if they prefer plain text. Generative AI is integrated to help write or improve text within Notepad. The update is currently available for Canary and Dev Channel testers only.

Windows 11 gets some much-needed HDR improvements

Windows 11 now lets you stream HDR video even when HDR is turned off in system settings.. The KB5058499 update adds a separate toggle for HDR video playback, useful for apps like Netflix and YouTube.. Dolby Vision can now be enabled or disabled independently, giving users more control.. This update helps users who prefer to keep HDR off due to compatibility or quality issues with certain tools.. Although improvements continue, HDR support across apps and games in Windows still needs refinement..

Microsoft says new Aurora AI model can accurately forecast weather changes | The Express Tribune

Microsoft introduced Aurora, an advanced AI weather model that can forecast typhoons, hurricanes, sandstorms, and air quality faster and more accurately than traditional systems.. Aurora was trained on over a million hours of satellite, radar, and ground station data and can predict weather events globally.. In tests, Aurora predicted Typhoon Doksuri’s landfall in the Philippines four days in advance and outperformed expert forecasts and the US National Hurricane Center.. Microsoft has made Aurora’s source code and model weights publicly available for researchers and developers.. A version of Aurora will be added to Microsoft’s MSN Weather app, providing rapid, hourly weather updates and cloud forecasts..

‘Microsoft is the AI ringleader’: tech rivals flock to software giant’s stage

Microsoft is positioning itself as the leader in the AI industry by unveiling new tools and partnerships at its Build conference, including with OpenAI, Nvidia, and Elon Musk’s xAI.. Big tech figures like Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Jensen Huang participated in the event, signaling Microsoft’s central role in AI development and deployment.. Microsoft showcased tools like its coding “agent” and emphasized integrating multiple AI models (including OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, etc.) to give developers more choice.. Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure and productivity tools give it a strong competitive advantage over rivals like Amazon and Google in the enterprise AI market.. Despite Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI, it is pursuing its own commercial AI strategy, focusing on scalable, enterprise-ready AI applications rather than general AI ambitions..

Signal's new Windows update prevents the system from capturing screenshots of chats | TechCrunch

Signal has introduced a screen security feature in its Windows app to block screenshots of chats.. This update aims to protect against Microsoft's Recall feature, which captures system screenshots continuously.. The screen security setting is enabled by default on Windows 11.. When the feature is on, attempts to take screenshots show a blank screen.. Users can turn off the setting via Signal Settings > Privacy > Screen security, but are warned before doing so..

AI dev tools for Windows get a fresh coat of paint | TechCrunch

Microsoft launched Windows AI Foundry, a rebrand and expansion of Windows Copilot Runtime, to help developers build AI-powered apps more easily on Windows.. Windows AI Foundry offers a unified platform to fine-tune, optimize, and deploy AI models locally on Windows devices.. A key feature, Foundry Local, allows developers to run AI models directly on devices (Windows and macOS), using ONNX Runtime.. The platform auto-detects a device’s CPU, GPU, and NPU and fetches compatible AI tools and models, keeping them updated.. Developers can use a command-line interface (CLI) with commands like foundry model list/run and integrate Foundry Local via its SDK..

Windows Is Under Attack, Microsoft Confirms — Act Now, CISA Warns

Microsoft has confirmed multiple zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows that are actively being exploited before patches were released.. The most critical flaw, CVE-2025-30397, affects all Windows versions and allows remote code execution through the Windows scripting engine.. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can happen via Internet Explorer Mode in Microsoft Edge, commonly used in enterprise systems.. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an urgent warning advising immediate patching.. Security experts stress this issue is high-risk despite Microsoft rating it "important," and urge all users to update without delay..

Microsoft Is Shutting Down Skype Today: Here's All You Need to Know

Skype shuts down after 20+ years; Microsoft is replacing it with Microsoft Teams.. Users can log in to Teams using their Skype credentials, and chats/contacts will be migrated automatically.. Paid features like Skype Credit and subscriptions will be discontinued; users can use existing credits until they're exhausted.. Data migration is available until January 2026; after that, Skype data will be deleted..

Microsoft makes new accounts passwordless by default in global push for passkeys

New Microsoft accounts are passwordless by default, using biometrics like face or fingerprint instead of passwords.. Passkeys are more secure and user-friendly, with 98% success rates and faster logins compared to passwords.. Microsoft is promoting global passkey adoption with support from the FIDO Alliance and other tech firms..