The schedule of annual updates for Windows 11 that arrive in the second half of the year will hold steady for 2025, and today, Microsoft announced that the 25H2 package is available now for testing in the Release Preview Channel. So, will you see new UI features or more AI tweaks included on your desktop with this update? Microsoft didn’t mention many specific features or changes in the update, other than confirming it shares the same new features and enhancements as the previous version, 24H2, which flips on new features throughout the year, along with some notes for IT: Windows 11, version 25H2 also includes some feature removals such as PowerShell 2.0 and Windows Management Instrumentation command-line (WMIC). And for our commercial customers, Windows 11, version 25H2 includes the ability for IT admins to remove select pre-installed Microsoft Store apps via Group Policy/MDM CSP on Enterprise/EDU devices.As Microsoft detailed in June, using its shared servicing branch means updating from the current 24H2 version to 25H2 takes a single restart, as new features are added in earlier updates but left disabled until the enablement package activates them.To get the update, you can join the Release Preview channel and get Windows 11, version 25H2 (Build 26200.5074) now by going to the Windows Update section of settings and choosing to install it.

There are a few franchises that are immediately associated with the Xbox brand, mostly due to their exclusivity to Xbox consoles over the years. One of those franchises is Gears of War, a series that began on the Xbox 360 and continued to have more games come out in the years that followed. To many Xbox console owners, Gears of War was a game that was emblematic of everything Xbox in the early 2000s. But so many things have changed since the first Gears of War game came out in 2006, with the biggest one being that more people outside the Xbox ecosystem can now experience the gritty gameplay and story of the first game, including PlayStation console owners.

As one of the cofounders behind Oculus Story Studio, Edward Saatchi knows how hard it can be to sell people on new tech that bills itself as revolutionary. Even though Story Studio snagged an Emmy for one of its three animated features, a general lack of public interest in VR movies led Meta to shutter Oculus Story Studio back in 2017. The VR era has come and gone, but Saatchi is confident that Showrunner, his new pivot to generative AI that just received an influx of cash from Amazon, can succeed.Unlike a lot of other gen AI-centric entertainment outfits focused on deploying the technology in ways that audiences aren't necessarily meant t …Read the full story at The Verge.

I've been testing out DNS servers lately, and while they've all got standout features, Technitium has captured my attention. It's powerful, easy to set up, and deep when you want to add more functionality, and it uses barely any resources when running. It's also cross-platform, authoritative for your local DNS rebinds, and recursive for finding IP addresses while browsing the internet. And that's just the start.

Not too long ago, I wrote about how I wish Microsoft would borrow the idea of desktop environments from Linux and use it for Windows 11. Desktop environments allow for radically different user experiences, providing a level of customization that Windows users can only dream of. In that article, I did acknowledge that some attempts at this do exist on Windows, with one major example being Seelen UI.

I started with Google Keep like a lot of people do, but after a while, my notes turned into a mess. At first, color-coding seemed fine, but once I had too many notes, I kept repeating the same colors and scrolling through long lists. The problem with Keep is that it stays very basic, so if you need features like templates or a deeper way to organize, your options are limited. That's when I tried Obsidian, and it completely changed how I keep track of my notes.

A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through Reddit when I stumbled across a developer who had built a Chrome extension for my absolute favorite personalized research assistant, NotebookLM. Naturally, I had to give it a try right away. Ever since, I’ve gone all in on exploring how Chrome extensions can improve my NotebookLM workflow, especially the ones built specifically with NotebookLM in mind.

Getting ready for a new school year can be stressful and expensive, but 3D printing offers a clever way to cut costs while also creating supplies tailored to your needs. From practical organizers to fun classroom accessories, there are plenty of models available that you can print at home. Here are five valuable back-to-school items you can make on your 3D printer that are not only affordable but also genuinely helpful.

Every platform wants to be the place you hang with friends — even Spotify as of this week — so it’s apparently time for TikTok to shore up its direct messaging feature! It told TechCrunch that over the next few weeks, all users should see voice messages and image sharing options arrive in their DMs.(They won’t show up for accounts that can’t DM to begin with, of course — “Direct Messaging is only available to accounts 16 years and older which means these features are only available to those accounts,” TikTok spokesperson JaShel Jones clarifies to The Verge.)I checked, and sure enough, I can send both, as well as videos up to one minute long (though that last has been possible for a while). Beware that if you hold down on the microphone button to start a recording, you’ll automatically send that recording as soon as you let go, so be sure to drag it up or left if you want a chance to cancel! You’re limited to sending up to nine images (and videos) at a time, and both voice memos and videos can’t be more than a minute long.Update, August 29th: Added TikTok clarification about who can DM and who cannot.

Raspberry Pi offers multiple variants, from a tiny microcontroller to an overpowered Pi 5. This versatility makes it a perfect fit for DIY projects because you can use one or multiple Pis to build your project. However, some DIY projects cater to aesthetics and novelty rather than focusing on solving a problem. These projects look enticing at first glance, but are often time-consuming and complex to build. A Raspberry Pi exists to cater to solutions that need a low-power computing device, and some ingenious projects can make a difference in your life.

So I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, Windows 11 25H2 is almost here, as Microsoft has just pushed it to the Release Preview channel, which acts as the final round of testing before it deploys worldwide. The bad news is...it's not very exciting.

There’s already been a number of leaks of upcoming Philips Hue products that are expected to be announced next week ahead of IFA. But one thing that hasn’t been mentioned was support for Matter-over-Thread. While there’s no confirmation that support is coming, there’s compelling evidence to suggest it might be. First off, packaging for two unannounced bulbs appeared on Amazon, with a Matter logo prominently displayed on the box. While Hue devices have been capable of connecting via Matter using the Hue Bridge as a middleman, they’ve never supported the protocol directly. That’s in part because Matter only works via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread; Hue has been a Zigbee and Bluetooth-only ecosystem for years.Then there’s the since-removed FCC filing discovered by HueBlog. A supposed screenshot of the document shows a label for a new Hue White lightbulb with a Matter setup code under the familiar Bluetooth and Zigbee logos. This almost certainly means the lightbulb will connect directly via Matter. Wired Ethernet would obviously be an odd choice. Wi-Fi is a possibility, but the more logical option would be Thread, which is low-power and can create self-healing mesh networks.The one issue is, there’s no mention of Thread or Wi-Fi in the FCC filing anywhere, only Bluetooth and Zigbee. According to HueBlog, however, one document read (before it was removed), “This product only supports BLE 125k/500k/1M/2Mbps:2402-2480MHz, Zigbee:2405-2480MHz. The other functions, bands and modes was [sic] disabled to use by manufacturer [sic] in the software.” What are those other functions, bands, and modes? It’s not specified in any document I could find, but it’s reasonable to assume the list might include Thread which, like Zigbee, uses the 2.4GHz band.Philips isn’t about to abandon Zigbee for Thread overnight, but this would give users direct access to Hue bulbs from any Matter controller, with the Bridge only needed for some advanced features, like dynamic lighting effects. Plus there’s a growing momentum behind Matter-over-Thread, with Ikea recently announcing over 20 products supporting it.