Ever since Windows 11 first debuted in October 2021, there have been complaints about its performance on certain types of hardware. Whether it was gaming on new hybrid performance CPUs showing no improvement on Windows 11, or claims that Windows 11 simply feels lethargic compared to Windows 10, Microsoft has tried to fix the problems with updates to the OS. Now, it wants direct feedback about “any slow or sluggish performance” in Windows 11.A new test build of Windows 11 debuted on Friday with a method to automatically collect performance logs submitted to Microsoft. “Windows Insiders are encouraged to provide feedback when experiencing PC issues related to slow or sluggish performance, allowing Feedback Hub to automatically collect these logs, which will help us root cause issues faster,” says Microsoft.This new logging system is part of Microsoft’s “commitment to improving Windows performance,” and will likely mean we see even more improvements to the performance and reliability side of the 25H2 update due later this year.Microsoft already made some performance improvements to Windows 11 in 2023 to speed up the Taskbar, notifications area, and quick settings panel. The performance impact of startup apps was also reduced in 2023, and the 24H2 update last year also seemed to greatly improve performance on older hardware.Microsoft is also looking to improve Windows drivers through new requirements that developers will need to follow for the 25H2 update later this year. It’s now requiring static analysis for driver certification, which should help “identify potential issues in driver code before deployment.”

Just over 25 years ago, BeOS, a now discontinued operating system, had its final release. In the late 90s, it was considered by some to be viable competition to the likes of Windows and macOS, but it never captured enough market share to do so. It was largely replaced by Linux as the alternative OS to the big duo after the year 2000.

It appears that Google will be adding a third back camera to the base Pixel 10 this year, based on what Android Headlines reports are official renders of the rumored phone. The third camera will be a telephoto camera, Android Headlines says, with the other two cameras being a primary sensor and an ultrawide.This isn’t a total surprise, as Android Headlines has previously rumored that the Pixel 10 would be getting that telephoto shooter. However, the phone will reportedly have worse sensors that match the Pixel 9A, which could be a way for Google to create some separation between the Pixel 10 and the Pixel 10 Pro.The renders published by Android Headlines also show four colors for the Pixel 10: obsidian (black), indigo (dark blue), frost (gray-ish blue), and limoncello (a bright, neon yellow).Google is set to launch its next set of Pixel devices, which is also rumored to include a dust-proof Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the Pixel Watch 4, at an event on August 20th.

PC gaming handhelds have been getting better and better over the past year, and interestingly, it has nothing to do with the release of new hardware. It's been all about Linux, and how software like SteamOS has brought gaming to a wider market, especially as it finds its way to more hardware.

The original eGPUs made a lot of big promises. These new GPU enclosures were intended to change the gaming laptop market forever, as you’d no longer need to choose between getting a chunky gaming laptop with bad battery life or an ultraportable laptop with great battery life and a terrible gaming experience.

Many people within the Star Wars community enjoy playing games like EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2 online. Most recently, the game has seen a surge of players hopping onto platforms like Steam and bringing groups of players with them to dive into multiplayer matches. The influx of players caused the game to set new concurrent player records on Steam and even made waves on consoles where the game was available. This stems from the growing trend of people expressing their desire to see a Star Wars Battlefront 3 developed and released by Electronic Arts. But despite how loud the Star Wars community has been about it, EA doesn't have any plans to return to a galaxy far, far away anytime soon, nor does EA really need to make a new Star Wars Battlefront like that right now.

Google is introducing the option to easily switch between personal and work profiles in its Chrome browser on iOS, with data kept separate between the two. The new option is part of Google’s enterprise software package, and doesn’t allow non-enterprise users to switch freely between two Google accounts in the browser.Companies that adopt Chrome Enterprise can let employees sign in to managed Google accounts on iOS and switch freely between their personal and work accounts within Chrome. Like on desktop, users switch by tapping their account icon and then selecting the other profile to browse with.Browsing data including tabs, history, and passwords will be kept separate between the two accounts, and IT admins will be able to access security reports and restrict browsing to certain sites while in the work profile.Android has no direct analog to this feature, but instead supports device-wide work profiles that cover the full suite of Google apps, including Chrome. This is presented as a different version of the Chrome app, and so unlike on iOS, Android users can’t switch to a work profile from within Chrome itself. Chrome users are unable to switch freely between non-enterprise Google accounts on either mobile operating system, despite having the option on desktop versions of the browser.

Meta says it won’t sign the European Union’s artificial intelligence code of practice agreement, warning that “Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI.” The code published by the EU on July 10th is a voluntary set of guidelines to help companies follow the AI Act’s rules around general-purpose AI before they come into effect in a few weeks.“We have carefully reviewed the European Commission’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and Meta won’t be signing it,” Meta’s global affairs chief, Joel Kaplan, said via a statement on LinkedIn. “This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act.”While the code of practice itself isn’t legally enforced, the EU says that general-purpose AI model providers who sign it will benefit from a “reduced administrative burden and increased legal certainty,” compared to providers that may otherwise be subject to more regulatory scrutiny. OpenAI announced its intention to sign the agreement on July 11th.This comes ahead of AI Act rules coming into force on August 2nd that require general-purpose AI providers to be transparent about training and security risks for their models, and abide by EU and national copyright laws. The EU can fine companies that violate the AI Act up to seven percent of their annual sales.Kaplan says that Meta is concerned that the EU’s landmark AI rulebook will act to throttle frontier model development and deployment in Europe, stunting European companies that comply with the bloc’s regulations. These concerns echo those raised in a letter signed by more than 45 companies and organizations last month, including Airbus, Mercedes-Benz, Philips, and ASML, that urged the EU to postpone the implementation of its landmark AI Act regulation for two years to address uncertainty around compliance.The EU’s efforts to tighten AI regulations stand in contrast to attitudes in the US, where the Trump administration is actively removing such roadblocks. Meta’s refusal to sign the EU’s code isn’t entirely surprising, given that the scorned company has been slapped with billions in fines under the EU’s regulatory landscape, and has aligned itself with the Trump administration’s lax views around tech regulations.

Just like most of you reading this, I used to subscribe to the wisdom that "6 cores are enough for most people". Until 2022, I had only ever used CPUs with up to 6 cores, nothing more. What changed that year was that I got the opportunity to get a fully paid-for PC courtesy of Nvidia and WD, so I got carried away. I let temptation trump logic, and splurged a big portion of the prize money on the Ryzen 7 5700X. An 8-core chip isn't the most powerful thing you can buy, but I sure hoped to see some tangible improvements. However, I was sorely disappointed.

Microsoft is starting to test updates to the Xbox PC app and Xbox consoles that will allow cloud games to follow you across devices. A new play history section of the Xbox PC app and Xbox console home UI will display cloud games as part of the recently played titles list and this will roam across Xbox consoles, PCs, and handhelds.Cloud-playable games are now starting to show inside play history or the library on the Xbox PC app. “This includes all cloud playable titles, even console exclusives spanning from the original Xbox to Xbox Series X|S, whether you own the title or access it through Game Pass,” explains Lily Wang, product manager of Xbox experiences.Your recent games, including cloud ones, will soon follow you across devices — complete with cloud-powered game saves. So if you played an Xbox game on your console that’s not natively available on PC, it will still show up in your recent games list and be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Windows.Cloud-playable games on the Xbox PC app can be found from a new filter in the library section, and a new “play history” section will appear at the end of the “jump back in” list on the home screen of the Xbox PC app. “While the large tiles highlight games you’ve recently played on your current device, the play history tile shows games you’ve played across any Xbox device, making it easy to pick up where you left off,” says Wang.This same play history section will appear on the main Xbox console interface, too — which could mean we’ll eventually see PC games listed here and playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Microsoft currently uses the chips from Xbox Series X to power special server blades for Xbox Cloud Gaming, but internal emails in the FTC v. Microsoft case in 2023 revealed that Microsoft has been investigating streaming PC games over the cloud. With Microsoft moving Xbox and PC closer together for its next-gen consoles, I’m expecting to see Xbox Cloud Gaming support PC games and provide better bitrates and resolutions, too.

I’ve been a part of the home lab community long enough to know that relying on a single rig for my experimentation and self-hosting needs is a bad idea. While hosting a NAS inside a virtualized setup can reduce my energy bills and make management easier, a dedicated storage server ensures I won’t lose the massive volumes of data I’ve collected over the years.

From hardware compatibility to software support and customization, Windows offers a high degree of flexibility, a major reason why many users choose Microsoft's operating system over other alternatives. If you belong to that clique, you aren't deprived of some of the best features on Linux or other alternatives, even when running Windows as the default, thanks to the existence of Virtual Machines.