John Lister

Microsoft is releasing a tool that uses artificial intelligence to block out background noise during video calls. The Microsoft Teams tool aims to distinguish between human speech and other sources of sound. The need for such a tool will have grown ... for many users this year given the increase in those working from home. Previously, videoconferencing was more commonly associated with business settings where staff could make calls in ideal settings such as dedicated meeting rooms with no sources of unwanted sounds. Now, many people are using the same videoconferencing software in conditions ... (view more)

If you use Microsoft Teams, watch out for bogus advertisements offering an "update". It's a scam designed to install malware that tries to steal personal data. The group chat and video conferencing tool has understandably become more popular this ... year with the increase in remote desktop connections to workplaces. That's attracted the attention of scammers who have put together a creative strategy to steal data. It's important to note that the attack doesn't aim to exploit any vulnerability in Teams itself. Instead, it's simply aimed at people using it, particularly those who have only started ... (view more)

Microsoft is to forcibly upgrade some computers running older versions of Windows 10. Only those on the Pro edition will be able to block the update. It's a step up in Microsoft's campaign to keep people from using older Windows 10 versions. Until ... now it's mainly relied on dropping support and security fixes, the idea there being to scare people into making the upgrade. That's happening to version 1809 (released in late 2018) this week. Microsoft is now turning its attention to computers running version 1903, released early last year. Version 1903 will officially lose security patch support ... (view more)

Google has built an app that will stop smartphones working if a customer is behind on payments for the handset. It could also be a way to make more expensive phones available to people with poor credit histories. The app is already being used by a ... carrier in Kenya. There's no word yet on whether Google plans to offer it to carriers in other countries. (Source: 9to5google.com ) "Device Lock Controller" is an app that can be pre-installed by carriers on new phones. It appears that once the app is in place, the carrier is able to remotely reinstall the app even if the customer removes it. If and ... (view more)

Microsoft has warned users who haven't updated Windows 10 for a couple of years that they will soon face increased security risks. It's about to withdraw support for Windows 10 version 1809, having extended it during the initial stages of the ... COVID-19 pandemic. Version 1809 was the second major update of the year in late 2018. It was also known as the "Windows 10 October 2018 Update." Work-From-Home Changed Plans For those of you who find it easier to track Windows 10 Feature Updates by their signature bugs, version 1809 was the update that deleted some personal files during the upgrade, as ... (view more)

Microsoft has warned users not to install the latest major update by anything other than the automated process. Methods such as downloading the update onto USB drives or DVDs could cause significant problems thanks to a bug. The issue affects the ... Windows 10 October 2020 Update, also known as 20H2 (version 2009, and build 19042). This is officially the second major update this year. It's currently available automatically through Windows Update, though is being gradually released to different people at different times rather than sent out to everyone at once. Officially that's to avoid ... (view more)

A mobile broadband service that uses low-orbit satellites to reach areas with neither fixed-line or cellular service is proving a hit with some early testers. Starlink is the work of the private company SpaceX, better known for running commercial ... delivery services to the International Space Station. The company plans to eventually launch more than 40,000 miniature satellites which will orbit at around half the distance from the Earth as most satellites. The idea is to be able to offer service anywhere in the world with users simply connecting to satellites as they pass overhead. (Source: ... (view more)

Apple is reportedly working on its own search engine and may ditch its reliance on Google. The Apple tool could be pitched on the idea of increased user privacy. At the moment, Apple devices such as iPhones and software such as the Safari browser ... usually runs searches through Google by default. That's not just because Apple think it's the best search engine, but because Google pays Apple an annual fee reported to be in the region of $10 billion to be the default. (Source: ft.com ) That payment may be under threat with regulators looking into claims that such deals perpetuate an unfair ... (view more)

Zoom is to completely encrypt video calls at all times for most users. It will mean neither Zoom itself nor law enforcement agents or security services can access the content of calls. At the moment, Zoom encrypts the data that flows between ... individual participants on a call. However, it's Zoom's own servers which generate the encryption key issued to each participant. That means it's technically possible for Zoom to decrypt calls. While Zoom insists it's never had any intention of doing so, it does leave it open to pressure or legal threats from law enforcement officials to get access to ... (view more)

Microsoft is doing its level best to kill off Internet Explorer. Users of the browser will soon find many key websites automatically open in the Edge browser instead. There hasn't been a new edition of Internet Explorer since 2013 and it's ... understandable many people would think it had died out altogether with Microsoft putting all its efforts into Edge instead. However, Statcounter estimates that more than 2.5 percent of desktop and laptop computers are running Internet Explorer. It's harder to estimate the total number of computers, but it's plausible the number of people using Internet ... (view more)