Shameless Plug

Microsoft Pulls Plug on Mixed Reality in New Windows 11 Update Published on October 04, 2024 at 02:14AM Microsoft has discontinued Windows Mixed Reality support in its latest Windows 11 update, rendering a number of VR headsets obsolete. The move, reported by UploadVR, affects devices from major manufacturers. An estimated 80,000 users will lose access to their headsets upon upgrading to Windows 11 24H2. UploadVR adds: Despite the name, all Windows MR headsets were actually VR-only, and are compatible with most SteamVR content via Microsoft's SteamVR driver. The first Windows MR headsets arrived in late 2017 from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung, aiming to compete with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive that had launched a year earlier. They were the first consumer VR products to deliver inside-out positional tracking, for both the headset and controllers. All the original Windows MR OEMs except Samsung used the same cheap fixed panels LCD design with fixed lenses, while the S

Mozilla Releases Firefox 131 With Tab Preview and Text-Specific Links Published on October 04, 2024 at 01:35AM Mozilla has released Firefox 131 for multiple platforms, addressing security vulnerabilities and introducing some new features. The update fixes at least seven high-risk security issues, none reportedly exploited in the wild. New features include Tab Preview, which displays thumbnails and details when hovering over background tabs, and temporary location permission storage. Firefox now also supports URL fragment text directives, allowing users to link to specific text passages on web pages. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Even Password Manager Subscribers Reuse Passwords, Study Finds Published on October 04, 2024 at 12:55AM An anonymous reader shares a report: It's not exactly breaking news that people reuse passwords, but you might expect password manager subscribers to avoid the practice. You'd be wrong, according to a new study. Dashlane's downer of a report draws on saved logins analyzed on-device by Dashlane's software across "millions" of individual and business accounts. It finds dismally high percentages of password reuse worldwide. The US and Canada rank the worst of every region Dashlane tracked, with 48% of passwords in individual password vaults being reused. Another 15% rate as compromised, meaning those passwords have shown up in data breaches. Combined with other security data points, the US and Canada land at a security score of 72.6 out of 100 in Dashlane's report, the lowest of all 14 regions covered in the study. The report, along with the Password Heal

Social Media Sanctions Hit Conservatives More, But Due to Content Sharing, Study Says Published on October 04, 2024 at 12:15AM A study published in Nature has found that conservative social media users were more likely to face sanctions, but attributes this to their higher propensity to share low-quality news rather than political bias. Researchers analyzed 9,000 Twitter users during the 2020 U.S. election, finding pro-Trump users were 4.4 times more likely to be suspended than pro-Biden users. However, they also shared significantly more links from sites rated as untrustworthy by both politically balanced groups and Republican-only panels. Similar patterns were observed across multiple datasets spanning 16 countries from 2016 to 2023. The study concludes that asymmetric enforcement can result from neutral policies when behavior differs between groups. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Bank of America Is Down: Users Report Their Accounts Showing Empty Balance Published on October 03, 2024 at 03:15AM schwit1 shares a report from The Independent: Thousands of Bank of America customers reported trouble accessing their bank accounts Wednesday afternoon as the financial institution faced a widespread outage. On social media, customers said they could not view their account balances. Those who could view their accounts said they were met with an alarming $0 balance. For many, a "Connection Error" message popped up while trying to log into the banking app. The message said it was "unable to complete your request" and asked the user to "try again later." By 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time, nearly 20,000 customers said they were having trouble, according to Downdetector, which reports web outages. That number dropped before rising again around 2:45 p.m. ET. It is unclear what caused the outage Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Hurricane Helene Took Out NC Town the Entire Tech World Relies On Published on October 03, 2024 at 02:36AM The small town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, which supplies high-purity quartz essential for semiconductor production, is reeling from the damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene. An anonymous reader quotes a report from Axios: Spruce Pine is one of the only places in the world to mine high-purity quartz. The mineral is an essential ingredient of chips in countless products, including medical devices, solar panels, cellphones and the chips powering the latest tech craze: artificial intelligence. It's difficult to underscore the significance of Spruce Pine -- a town of about 2,000 people, known for its charming downtown and blossoming arts scene -- to the global economy. Economics editor Ed Conway put it best in his 2023 book "Material World," writing: "It is rare, unheard of almost, for a single site to control the global supply of a crucial material. Yet if

FCC is Offering $200 Million To Protect Schools and Libraries From Hackers Published on October 03, 2024 at 01:02AM The Federal Communications Commission is making up to $200 million available to help schools and libraries make their computer systems more secure. From a report: The Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will be used to evaluate whether to fund this kind of program on a more permanent basis. The funding will come through a pool of money called the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is made up of contributions from telecommunications companies. Schools and libraries participating in the program will be able to reimburse things like advanced firewalls, identity protection and authentication services, malware protection, and VPNs. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon To Increase Number of Ads on Prime Video Published on October 03, 2024 at 12:20AM Amazon is set to roll out a greater number of ads [non-paywalled link] across its blockbuster television shows and movies on Prime Video next year as the US tech giant steps up its push into ad-funded streaming services. Financial Times: The company said it had not seen a sharp drop in subscribers since it introduced advertising to its Prime Video platform eight months ago, allaying fears among top executives of a customer backlash, as it attempts to win over more brands to its streaming service. Kelly Day, vice-president of Prime Video International, who oversees the streaming video business in global markets, told the Financial Times there would be an increasing number of ad slots for brands to target in 2025. Talking ahead of its first London "up front" on Wednesday evening -- when television companies present their plans to advertisers to attract money over the next year -- Day said

Ubisoft Investors Push For Company Sale as Shares Hit Decade-Low Published on October 02, 2024 at 01:55AM French video game publisher Ubisoft has delayed its upcoming "Assassin's Creed Shadows" by three months following disappointing sales of "Star Wars Outlaws". Ubisoft shares have hit a 10-year low as activist investor AJ Investments, backed by 10% of shareholders, pushes for a sale. "Star Wars Outlaws" sold just 1 million copies in its first month, far below expectations. TechSpot adds: Ubisoft has never had the best reputation among gamers. It's been voted the most-hated gaming brand in the world more than once, and there are those who blame the Outlaws reception on trolls who target Ubisoft games and modern Star Wars media. "The game received an unusual number of user reviews with a clear negative bias (including a large percentage of "zero" reviews), despite seeing acceptable review scores from reputable review sites," W

Chromebooks Are Getting a New Button and a Host of Google AI Features Published on October 02, 2024 at 01:18AM Google is introducing a new "Quick Insert" button on Chromebooks, offering contextual AI tools across the operating system. The feature debuts on Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus, replacing the traditional Caps Lock key. Older Chromebooks can access Quick Insert via a keyboard shortcut. The button opens an overlay providing access to emojis, GIFs, Google's Help Me Write AI feature, and recent web links. Future updates will include AI-generated image creation. Google is also rolling out new AI features to Chromebook Plus devices, including automatic transcription, real-time translation, and voice isolation for video calls. Standard Chromebooks will receive updates like Welcome Recap and Focus mode. Lenovo and Samsung are launching new Chromebook models to coincide with these software updates. The Lenovo Duet, a detachable 2-in-1, features an 11-inch 2K scree

Microsoft Exec Tells Staff There Won't Be an Amazon-style Return-to-Office Mandate Unless Productivity Drops Published on October 02, 2024 at 12:31AM Microsoft won't impose a new return-to-office mandate unless management concludes that productivity has dropped, a high-level exec has reportedly told workers. From a report: The software and cloud-computing giant currently allows employees to work remotely, with many new hires promised the flexibility of working from home at least half the week. But that isn't written in stone. According to two anonymous sources that spoke with Business Insider, executive vice president Scott Guthrie recently told staff at his Microsoft's Cloud and AI group, which includes Azure, that a policy change isn't on the cards at present -- so long as workers stay productive. While no statement has been provided as of press time, Microsoft told Business Insiderthat the company's work policies have not changed. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy'

Windows 11 24H2, the Biggest Update in Two Years, Starts Rolling Out Published on October 02, 2024 at 12:04AM Microsoft launched its annual Windows 11 update today, introducing significant changes to the operating system. The Windows 11 2024 Update, or 24H2, will roll out gradually, starting with PCs running versions 22H2 or 23H2 that have opted for faster feature updates. Key additions include an Energy Saver feature, Wi-Fi 7 support, and 80Gbps USB4 Version 2.0 compatibility. Select high-end PCs meeting Copilot+ requirements will gain access to enhanced features like an improved Recall function and generative AI tools in Paint. This update marks the most substantial overhaul of Windows 11 since its 2021 release, with major changes to the compiler, kernel, and scheduler. Microsoft has also improved the Arm-to-x86 app translation layer, now dubbed "Prism." While stable, users may encounter occasional issues. The update maintains Windows 11's existing hardware requiremen