https://www.neowin.net/forum/rss/1-neowin.xml/Forum threadsenOpenAI reveals how it will try to stop the use of its tools for false election information by John Callaham Today, the 2024 US Presidential election officially gets underway with caucuses in the state of Iowa. Generative AI company OpenAI has decided to use today to outline how it plans to prevent groups from using its tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E to create and distribute 'deepfakes" and other false information that could be used to disrupt the US presidential election, and indeed elections all over the world this year. In a blog post, OpenAI stated it will make sure its tools are used for "accurate voting information, enforcing measured policies, and improving transparency". It added: We have a cross-functional effort dedicated to election work, bringing together expertise from our safety systems, threat intelligence, legal, engineering, and policy teams to quickly investigate and address potential abuse. OpenAI says it will not allow its tools to be used for any political campaigns or for any lobbying purposes. Also, it states that it will not allow any chatbots to be created with its tools and services that are designed to simulate chatting with real candidates or government groups. The company says it will block the use of its tools to distribute efforts to misrepresent how people should vote in the election, or discourage people from voting. It will also allow people to report possible violations to OpenAI. In addition, OpenAI is working on tools to help spot AI-created deepfake images made via DALL-E. A new tool, called a "provenance classifier" is currently under development that is supposed to help find AI-made images " even where images have been subject to common types of modifications." A group of testers that will include journalists, will be able to try out this tool "soon". A recent report claimed that Microsoft's Copilot chatbot, which uses technology developed by OpenAI, frequently offered false answers to questions about some 2023 elections. In November, Microsoft announced plans to offer a new tool that would help political parties show that images created by them, such as ads and videos, are real and have not been changed by AI tools.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:02:03 +0000Save up to $1600 on 55", 65", 75", and 85" QN85C Samsung Neo QLED 4K Smart TVs today by Fiza Ali Currently, Samsung and Amazon are offering huge discounts on the four variants of the QN85C Neo QLED 4K Smart TVs. So, if you have been searching for a good home entertainment option, you might want to check out the offers below, saving you $500, $700, $900, and $1600, respectively. The Samsung QN85C Neo QLED 4K Smart TVs offer an impressive array of features designed to enhance your viewing experience. The Quantum Matrix with Mini LEDs provides detailed visuals with individualized control over zones of light, resulting in striking color and contrast. Powered by the Neural Quantum Processor with 4K upscaling, this TV ensures that the transformation, of the content you are streaming, to 4K resolution is seamless and scene-specific, with its high-performance, AI-driven processor. The Neo Quantum HDR feature introduces dynamic contrast and vibrant colors to every frame, adjusting contrast to suit each scene for more accurate color representation. Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound deliver an immersive audio experience. With Motion Xcelerator Turbo+, you get to enjoy smooth performance during fast-paced games and action scenes, catching every frame without lag or motion blur for a seamless action and 4K visual experience at speeds up to 120Hz. The Samsung Gaming Hub consolidates console games, streaming options, and more into a single, user-friendly interface, offering easier access, recommendations, and customization options. Q-Symphony 3.0 integrates TV speakers with Q-Series and S-Series soundbars, optimizing channels for an enhanced audio experience. The Pantone Validated color ensures industry-leading quality, bringing out every detail. The NeoSlim Design with an ultra-slim silhouette and hexagonal plate stand ensures a sleek and sophisticated appearance, making a strong first impression. Additionally, the TV's sustainability is highlighted with the SolarCell Remote, featuring a solar panel for charging and smart functionalities, including a built-in microphone compatible with voice assistants. 55-inch Samsung QN85C Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN55QN85CAFXZA - 2023): $999.99 (Samsung US) - $999.99 (Amazon US) 65-inch Samsung QN85C Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN65QN85CAFXZA - 2023): $1299.99 (Samsung US) - $1299.99 (Amazon US) 75-inch Samsung QN85C Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN75QN85CAFXZA - 2023): $1799.99 (Samsung US) - $1799.99 (Amazon US) 85-inch Samsung QN85C Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN85QN85CAFXZA - 2023): $2199.99 (Samsung US) - $2197.99 (Amazon US) Alternatively, you can also check out the limited-time offer on the Samsung QN90C Neo QLED 4K Smart TV series. If this is not what you want, you can also browse through Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Newegg US, or visit our Deals section to see if you find some other great deals. As an Amazon and Samsung Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:58:02 +0000Adblock: Google did not slow down and lag YouTube performance with ad blocker on by Sayan Sen Back in November, the internet was abuzz with conspiracy theories of Google purposely slowing down YouTube on Mozilla Firefox while its own browser, Chrome, would work fine. However, those rumors were shot down soon after as Google explained that it was not just Firefox that was the subject of "suboptimal viewing" experience and that it was happening irrespective of the browser. Google put the blame on "installed ad blockers." Fast forward two months, now in January we just had another similar incident with several user reports online of YouTube being slow with adblockers. As is usually the case in these instances, most netizens of course were quick to once again point the finger at Google. The issue was first brought to attention by Reddit users and the thread blew up with many more chiming in to say they were experiencing a similar thing. As it turns out, the bug was not YouTube or Google and was in fact a problem with Adblock and Adblock Plus' recent update Version 5.17.0. Hence if you were using something else like uBlock Origin (like me), you probably did not notice any slowdown. Adblock Plus developers noted the issue as performance regression on its GitLab repo. It wrote: Recently, ABP released version 3.22 which upgraded the bundled extension engine version to 1.1.1. AdBlock released version 5.17.0 which also updated the extension engine to version 1.1.1. We've had several reports of slow response time since the update. It appears to be an issue in the extension engine since ABP, AdBlock, and the EWE test extension all seem to experience a similar issue with the 1.1.1 version of the extension engine. The issue has now been fixed with the latest eyeo's Web Extension Ad Blocking Toolkit (EWE) version 1.1.2, where the breaking change has been reverted. Name: @eyeo/webext-ad-filtering-solution New version: 1.1.2 Reverted "Content filters are now updated via the history.pushState() event, when single page apps navigate using the browser's history API (EE-14, EE-90)". Breaking changes: None. Other changes: Reverted performance regression. Hence, if you are one of those users who is experiencing issues with Adblock and Adblock Plus, you should update your extension. It is also advised not to run multiple content filters or adblockers on your browser if you are facing performance issues. As an online publication, Neowin too relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we'd appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support!Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:42:02 +0000Ubisoft+ now has a single Premium plan for all platforms, Classics plan also launches on PC by John Callaham Game publisher Ubisoft is once again altering its game subscription service that started out as Uplay+ in 2019, and later got renamed to Ubisoft+ in 2020. Starting today, Ubisoft+ Multi-Access and PC Access will be merged and renamed as Ubisoft+ Premium, while there will also be a cheaper Ubisoft+ Classics on PC. In a blog post, Ubisoft stated that the newly named Ubisoft+ Premium will still cost $17.99 a month and will offer all of the publisher's new games as day-one releases, and sometimes as early releases. That includes Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown which is now available on Ubisoft+ Premium three days before it is generally available on January 18. The service will still offer players access to lots of older games from Ubisoft's library of titles, which will include premium editions of those games and DLC content. It's available for Xbox, PC, and Amazon Luna users, and one subscription will allow gamers to play those games across all those platforms. The Ubisoft+ Classics plan is now also available for PC users costing $7.99 a month. That service only contains older games from the publisher like Far Cry 6, Rainbow Six Siege, and Watch Dogs: Legion. Ubisoft+ Classics has been available at no extra cost for PlayStation+ Extra and PlayStation+ Premium subscribers since last year. There's no word on if Ubisoft+ Classics will be made available for Xbox and Luna users at some point. While the publisher has not revealed subscriber numbers for Ubisoft+, the blog post claims that in 2023 "we're above projection in terms of subscribers joining the program" and that in "October alone we reached the highest month since launch in terms of monthly active users" That was likely due to the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage, which Ubisoft said was its biggest game launch for current generation consoles.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:20:02 +0000Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:10:01 +0000Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:04:02 +0000Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:00:27 +0000Microsoft will soon let people make their own Copilot chatbots similar to OpenAI's GPTs by John Callaham In November 2023, OpenAI announced plans to release GPTs, custom chatbots based on the company's ChatGPT. Today, Microsoft announced its own plans to offer custom AI chatbots tailored to specific needs and topics. As part of today's many Copilot announcements, including Copilot Pro and the expansion of Copilot for Microsoft 365, the company also announced Copilot GPTs. Like OpenAI's GPTs, Copilot GPTs will allow users to "customize the behavior of Microsoft Copilot on a topic that is of particular interest to you." Microsoft added that it will offer up a number of previously created custom Copilot GPTs starting today. They will be able to answer questions from users on topics like fitness, travel, and cooking. As part of the features that will be enabled for people who pay $20 a month to access the Copilot Pro service, those subscribers will be able to make their own custom Copilot GPTs. Microsoft plans to launch a new app called Copilot GPT Builder, which is made specifically for these kinds of tasks. So far, Microsoft has not revealed anything more about how Pro users will be able to make their own chatbots with Copilot GPT Builder, saying only, "Stay tuned for more on this experience as we get closer to availability." There's no word on what the app itself will be like, how easy or hard it will be to use, and what platform or platforms it will support. When OpenAI announced GPTs, it also revealed that users would be able to share their custom chatbots with the rest of the world via the GPT store. That store finally launched last week, and OpenAI indicated that later in the first quarter of 2024, creators of those custom chatbots would be able to get some revenue if people actually used their custom GPTs. Microsoft has yet to announce plans to offer a similar revenue path for custom Copilot GPTs.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:00:20 +0000Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now available for all businesses, large and small by John Callaham In November 2023, Microsoft officially launched Copilot for Microsoft 365 Enterprise customers, specifically for large companies that had signed up for Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 enterprise plans. The cost to access the Copilot generative AI features was set up as $30 a month per person. Today, Microsoft announced an expansion of that effort. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now available for all businesses, both big and small. Now, customers with Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Business Standard plans can add Copilot and all of its features and uses. Like the Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans, the smaller Business Premium and Business Standard plans are $30 a month per person. Not only is the service expanding to more businesses, but Microsoft is also ditching the previous 300-seat minimum to get Copilot added to a Microsoft 365 business subscription. Now, there is no minimal seat amount needed, which means a single person who runs a business on their own can add Copilot with just one seat required. If any customers are still on the older Office 365 E3 and E5 plans, they can also access Copilot for the first time without the need to have a Microsoft 365 account. Finally, any commercial business customers can go through the many different Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider partners to subscribe to Copilot for Microsoft 365. Microsoft also offered up an update on Copilot for Microsoft 365 since it launched in November. Since it became generally available in late 2023, the list of companies that use the service has expanded to include Visa, BP, Honda, Pfizer, Accenture, KPMG, and PwC. These new announcements come on the same day as Microsoft's reveal of Copilot Pro. It will give individuals more features and more powerful access to the Copilot AI compared to the current free version for the cost of $20 a month.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:00:15 +0000Microsoft announces dedicated Copilot apps for iOS and Android by Taras Buria Microsoft has formally announced the recently spotted Copilot apps for Android and iOS. Copilot mobile apps are now official as a part of today's feature drop for Microsoft's AI-powered assistant. Microsoft says the new Copilot apps for iOS and Android give customers access to the power of Copilot on the go. You can sign in with your Microsoft account and sync chats across devices, continue conversations started earlier, and use most of Copilot's "magical capabilities" on a smaller screen. Supported features also include access to GPT-4, DALLE-3 image generator, and the ability to upload pictures from your phone into conversations with Copilot. Future additions and upgrades will be available on mobile as well. In addition to dedicated Copilot apps, Microsoft will soon launch an updated Microsoft 365 app with access to Copilot for individuals with Microsoft accounts, allowing you to interact with Copilot without leaving the app and exporting the content of your conversations into Word or PDF documents. However, if you want to use Copilot for drafting documents directly in Word or summarizing emails in Outlook, prepare to pay since those capabilities are part of Copilot Pro, a $20/mo subscription. Other Copilot-related announcements include updates for commercial users (no more minimum seat requirement), Copilot GPTs focusing on specific topics, and the upcoming ability to build your own Copilot GPT using a simple set of prompts. You can download the new Copilot app for Android from the Google Play Store. Those using iPhones and iPads can get the same app from the App Store using this link. The Microsoft 365 app is available here (Android) and here (iOS). Interestingly, Copilot is also available on mobile via the Microsoft Edge browser, which recently got the new "AI Browser" name. Now you have a new way to interact with Copilot without switching from Chrome, Safari, or other mobile browsers.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:00:09 +0000Microsoft launches Copilot Pro, a $20 subscription with advanced AI features for individuals by Taras Buria Microsoft has officially unveiled Copilot Pro—a subscription service targeting individual consumers to give them more advanced AI capabilities and "supercharge their Copilot experience." Copilot has been a free service for regular users so far, but now Microsoft is ready to step it up and offer a paid tier with more features. Copilot Pro is now available for $20 per month for one user. For that price, customers get access to Copilot in Office applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on Windows, macOS, and iPad (currently in preview with English being the only supported language, plus you need an active Microsoft 365 subscription). You can type your request directly in the app you need, plus get additional features, such as email summary, etc. The subscription also gives you priority access to the latest models, starting with OpenAI's GPT-4 Turbo, which ensures fast performance during peak hours and gives you the option to toggle between different models to optimize your experience and interaction with the service. Copilot Pro offers a few extra perks for image generation via Designed (also known as Bing Image Creator). You get 100 boosts per day for faster generation, more detailed outputs, and landscape mode support. Finally, Copilot Pro will soon let you build a custom Copilot GPT tailored to your specific need or topic. This feature is coming soon in Copilot GPT Builder. However, Microsoft is rolling out an initial set of Copilot GPTs with a focus on particular purposes, such as cooking, travel, fitness, and more. All Copilot users can access Copilot GPTs, while Pro subscribers will soon be able to create their own using simple prompts. In addition to Copilot Pro, Microsoft formally announced Copilot apps for iOS and Android, plus expanded Copilot for Microsoft 365 availability to small and medium-sized businesses, eliminating the minimum seat requirement for commercial plans.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 19:00:01 +0000NAPS2 (Not Another PDF Scanner 2) 7.3.0 by Razvan Serea NAPS2 is a document scanning application with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. Scan your documents from WIA- and TWAIN-compatible scanners, organize the pages as you like, and save them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, and other file formats. NAPS2 creates fully text searchable PDF files that can be imported and indexed within your document management system. NAPS2 is currently available in 40 different languages. NAPS2 key features: Scan documents using WIA- and TWAIN-compatible scanners Scan as many pages as you like from glass or ADF, including duplex support Rotate, flip, remove, and rearrange scanned pages Save as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or other file formats Directly email PDFs Search through text included in your PDFs by using optical character recognition (OCR), in any of over 100 languages. Configure brightness, contrast, resolution, and other scan options Save your configurations as profiles to be easily reused later Optional command-line interface (CLI) for automation and scripting MSI installer and application-level configuration available for group policy (GPO) deployment Portable/standalone archives available Translations: English, Català, Čeština, Dansk, Deutsch, Español, Français, Hrvatski, Italiano, Magyar, Nederlands, Polski, Portugues, Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew NAPS2 7.3.0 changelog: Added a general "Settings" window with new options (some not available on Mac/Linux): Show page numbers Show Profiles toolbar Scan menu changes default profile Scan button default action Save button default action Clear images after saving Keep images across sessions Only allow a single NAPS2 instance Added corresponding appsettings.xml options See https://www.naps2.com/doc/org-use Added "mode" attribute to some settings in appsettings.xml: mode="default" provides a default value for the user mode="lock" prevents the user from changing the value Added new console options: "--noprofile" to only use CLI options (not GUI profiles) "--listdevices" to see available scanning devices "--driver", "--device", "--source", "--pagesize", "--dpi", "--bitdepth" scanning options "--deskew", "--rotate" post-processing options See https://www.naps2.com/doc/command-line Windows Windows: Updated .exe installer style Windows: Added back "Alt" hotkeys Windows: Fixed an issue sending email with Outlook 2010-2016 Bug fixes Download: NAPS2 (64-bit) | NAPS2 (32-bit) | ~11.0 MB (Open Source) Download: Portable NAPS2 7.3.0 | 16.2 MB Link: NAPS2 Home Page Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftwareMon, 15 Jan 2024 18:50:02 +0000VidCoder 9.17 by Razvan Serea  VidCoder is a DVD/Blu-ray ripping and video transcoding application for Windows. It uses HandBrake as its encoding engine. Calling directly into the HandBrake library gives it a more rich UI than the official HandBrake Windows GUI. VidCoder can rip DVDs but does not defeat the CSS encryption found in most commercial DVDs. You’ll need the .NET 6 Desktop Runtime. If you don’t have it, VidCoder will prompt you to download and install it. The Portable version is self-contained and does not require any .NET Runtime to be installed. You do not need to install HandBrake for VidCoder to work. Feature list: Multi-threaded MP4, MKV containers Completely integrated encoding pipeline: everything is in one process and no huge intermediate temporary files H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VP8, Theora video Hardware-accelerated encoding with AMD VCE, Nvidia NVENC and Intel QuickSync AAC, MP3, Vorbis, AC3, FLAC audio encoding and AAC/AC3/MP3/DTS/DTS-HD passthrough Target bitrate, size or quality for video 2-pass encoding Decomb, detelecine, deinterlace, rotate, reflect, chroma smooth, colorspace filters Powerful batch encoding with simultaneous encodes Customizable Pickers to automatically pick audio and subtitle tracks, destination, titles and more Instant source previews Creates small encoded preview clips Pause, resume encoding VidCoder 9.17 changelog: HandBrake core changes Added AMD VCN AV1 encoder Added NVIDIA NVENC AV1 encoder Added support for SVT-AV1 multi-pass ABR mode Full list of changes: https://github.com/HandBrake/HandBrake/releases/tag/1.7.0 Other changes Enabled NVDec hardware decoding, supported only when using an NVEnc encoder and with the right hardware. Added an option to remove the cap of 3 simultaneous NVEnc encodes. Only those that have custom NVidia drivers that remove the cap should choose this. Increased the maximum simultaneous encode setting cap to 16. Added log window virtualization. This should greatly reduce memory use and prevent hangs when using Extended logging. Added the option to use a polling folder watcher (Global options ➡️ Advanced ➡️ Watcher mode). This is a slower, less efficient way of detecting files in watched folders, but is a good option if you find the regular watcher is not functioning. Updated Global Options to immediately apply changes. Added shortcuts to the Encoding Settings and Picker windows from the Global Options window. It includes desriptions to help people find settings they are looking for. Added more checks around the file save dialog, retrying without an initial directory or file name when it fails. This fixes a potential crash on an invalid folders. Added a Picker ability to choose titles based on the width or height. Changed to delay the allow sleep operation until after the post-encode triggers have had a chance to execute. This should fix an issue where the system would sleep instead of shutting down as configured. Added option to restart on encode/queue complete. Removed restriction on setting another subtitle as Default when a track is burned in. Added "None" option for automatic audio track selection. Added checkbox in Global Options to quickly enable or disable auto-pause on process. Added "pause" and "resume" commands to VidCoderCLI.exe. When editing a queue item, the original preset name is now shown first, "Old preset - Restored from Queue" rather than just showing "Restored from Queue". A bunch of bug fixes Download: VidCoder 9.17 (64-bit) | 44.4 MB (Open Source) Download: Portable VidCoder 9.17 | 82.7 MB Link: VidCoder Home Page Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftwareMon, 15 Jan 2024 18:44:01 +0000FastCopy 5.5.0 by Razvan Serea FastCopy is an advanced file management tool that can copy and delete files faster than Windows Explorer alone. FastCopy automatically selects an optimized method depending on whether the Source and Destination directory are on the same or different hard drives, and performs read/write operations without using the O/S cache. In addition to simple copy and delete operations, FastCopy also supports advanced methods that allow you to synchronize files based on their date and size. FastCopy features include customizable buffer size, preview of file actions, adjustable speed control, command-line support, file verification and advanced file filtering. FastCopy supports Unicode and long file names. FastCopy 5.5.0 changelog: Add "Set the timestamp to 1980-01-01 until verification is complete" option. Add New format of license authentication. Various stability improvements. Download: FastCopy 5.5.0 | 4.6 MB (Free for personal use) View: FastCopy Home Page Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftwareMon, 15 Jan 2024 18:38:02 +0000Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:00:03 +0000JavaScript from Frontend to Backend ($20.99 Value) FREE for your work email by Steven Parker Claim your complimentary eBook (worth $20.99) before the offer expires on January 18. JavaScript, the most widely used programming language in the world, has numerous libraries and modules and a dizzying array of need-to-know topics. Picking a starting point can be difficult. Enter JavaScript from Frontend to Backend. This concise, practical guide will get you up to speed in next to no time. This book begins with the basics of variables and objects in JavaScript and then moves quickly on to building components on the client-side with Vue.js and a simple list management application. After that, the focus shifts to the server-side and Node.js, where you’ll examine the MVC model and explore the Express module. Once you've got to grips with the server-side and the client-side, the only thing that remains is the database. You’ll discover MongoDB and the Mongoose module. In the final chapter of this fast-paced guide, you'll combine all these pieces to integrate a Vue.js application into a Node.js server, using Express to structure the server code and MongoDB to store the information. By the end of this book, you will have the skills and confidence to successfully implement JavaScript concepts in your own projects and begin your career as a JavaScript developer. This free offer expires January 18. How to get it Please ensure you read the terms and conditions to claim this offer. Complete and verifiable information is required in order to receive this free offer. If you have previously made use of these free offers, you will not need to re-register. While supplies last! JavaScript from Frontend to Backend ($20.99 Value) FREE download |Offer ends January 18 Offered by Packt Publishing, view their other free resources. We post these because we earn commission on each lead so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. Other ways to support Neowin The above not doing it for you, but still want to help? Check out the links below. Check out our partner software in the Neowin Store Buy a T-shirt at Neowin's Threadsquad Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: An account at Neowin Deals is required to participate in any deals powered by our affiliate, StackCommerce. For a full description of StackCommerce's privacy guidelines, go here. Neowin benefits from shared revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:00:03 +0000Microsoft Rewards points are back to their previous amounts on their home page by John Callaham In late 2023, Microsoft started cutting back on the amount of points people could earn for completing daily tasks in its Microsoft Rewards program. When we asked Microsoft about those changes in late November 2023, a spokesperson would not offer a direct answer, saying only that the company "regularly evolved" the Rewards program over the years, adding, "We evaluate every change for consistency and fairness, tuning the methods and frequency through which our members can earn points." Now, it looks like Microsoft has walked back on at least some of those changes. According to Xbox enthusiast IdleSloth on his X (formerly Twitter) account, the number of points people could earn daily on the Rewards home page has gone back to their previous amounts. (FYI) Microsoft Rewards points have returned to 5, 10, and 30 points per reward again 👏 pic.twitter.com/hWzWSDYu5L — Idle Sloth💙💛 (@IdleSloth84_) January 15, 2024 In November, daily points went down to just one or two points for each task on the Microsoft Rewards page. Now those numbers are back to 5, 10, or even 30 points that Rewards members have earned. There's no word on why exactly Microsoft has backtracked on this issue. It's possible that the amount of protests from long-time Microsoft Rewards members played a factor in this decision. While the daily points that can be earned on the Microsoft Rewards pages may be back to previous levels, Microsoft has still made some changes in other aspects of the program. Xbox gamers recently found out that the number of weekly and monthly Xbox Game Pass Quest points they could earn has increased, but on the flip side, it might take them longer to complete these quests than it took under the previous system. Microsoft has not been transparent at all about all of these changes that have been made to the Rewards program, and it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 16:36:03 +0000YouTube appears to be slowing itself down upon detecting ad blockers by Steve Bennett As Google continues to wage war on ad-blocking users who access YouTube, a recent discovery has been made that the site itself will load significantly slower and almost freeze upon detecting an ad blocker. Similar to previous attempts to slow down the site and the introduction of prompts to disable ad blockers, which will prevent viewing of content until the user does so, this change has been discovered to be increasing CPU load for the site, which disappears as soon as the page is reloaded without an ad blocker enabled. In a thread on the YouTube subreddit, users noticed that not just the site but video buffering was slowed with an aim to make YouTube unusable when accessed while ad-blocking software is enabled. An unintended side effect of these changes is that it's causing crashes within another Google product, Google Chrome. https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/195octe/youtube_started_slowing_video_buffer_with_adblock/ Tests by PCGamer have shown that when YouTube is open with AdBlock enabled, CPU load on the author's specific machine is increased by approximately 17% compared to when the add-on is disabled. Additionally, even when users have YouTube Premium subscriptions, the slowdown still happens, with tests still producing an approximate 15-18% CPU load increase. Google, and therefore YouTube, have declined to comment on the recent discoveries. However, given the implementation of a deliberate five-second delay to video loading that was introduced back in November, this latest move is hardly surprising. Google's position on the matter makes it clear that the company wishes to give users who use ad blockers a "suboptimal viewing" experience. As an online publication, Neowin also relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we'd appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support! Source: 9to5Google; PCGamer Update: Adblock has explained why Google isn't even the culprit for the slow YouTube performance.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:58:04 +0000LG's 27-inch QHD 240Hz OLED monitor is now available with a big 25% discount by Taras Buria OLED displays are a golden standard in the smartphone and TV market, but the technology is still somewhat of a rarity if you are looking at the PC monitor segment. However, there are a few great options for those wanting to pull the trigger on an OLED monitor to elevate their gaming experience with an almost instant response time, infinite contrast, vivid colors, and other perks of OLED technology. This 27-inch QHD monitor from LG is a solid pick, especially with its all-time high 25% discount. 27-inch LG UltraGear ULED QHD Gaming Monitor - $749 | 25% off on Amazon US The LG UltraGear 27GR95QE is a 27-inch display with a QHD resolution (2,560x1,440 pixels with a 16:9 aspect ratio), which provides plenty of pixel density on such a large monitor. It operates at speeds of up to 240Hz and a 0.3ms GtG response time for a smooth picture without any ghosting. There is also AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-SYNC support for tear-free gaming. Besides, the monitor is equipped with an anti-glare coating, reducing light reflections. Port-wise, the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE offers two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, two USB-A ports, one USB-B (upstream), an Optical Audio port, and a headphone jack with DTS support. As for adjustments, you can find the perfect spot thanks to height, tilt, and swivel support. If you feel like the standard stand is not good enough for your needs, a built-in VESA mount will let you secure the display on a third-party arm. 27-inch LG UltraGear ULED QHD Gaming Monitor - $749 | 25% off on Amazon US This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. You can also check out Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Newegg US to find more tech deals. Also, visit our Deals section to see some of our previously published deals. Some of them are still relevant, so do not miss out. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:28:04 +0000I've noticed that they keep changing the design, theme, configuration and position. These new features get in the way of those who are learning and make it difficult to understand the program. Instead of creating something classic where the teacher knows where the button is to help the student, they change everything to make it kawaii. the teacher will have to study the program every year, instead of taking the time to study other programs, they'll be stuck studying just one area. for example, i loved office 2003, but they ruined the design by changing the entire design, button positions, settings, UI, UX, colors, etc. they really have no love for what's old and working and want to appeal to the new smartphone audience, since those who use PCs are users of another niche and not the smartphone niche, where everything has to be a pretty UX, UI, etc. and on PCs everything had lots of options, buttons, settings, positions, bars, panels, etc. we can see this in a number of programs, which have "improved" but only worsened in the eyesight of those who used a pc in the 2000s with windows xp.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 14:27:15 +0000NBC says the "largest Internet event ever" occured because of an NFL game on Peacock Jan. 13 by John Callaham A while back, NBCUniversal announced that its Peacock streaming service would be the (close to) exclusive place where fans of NFL football could watch an AFC Wild Card playoff game on Jan. 13. As it turned out, the game, between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs, became a huge hit. According to an NBCUniversal press release, the wild card playoff game streamed on Peacock on Jan. 13 (and won by the Chiefs 26-7 in below-zero temperatures in Kansas City) became "the most-streamed live event in U.S. history". NBCUniversal added that it was the largest Internet event ever, consuming 30 percent of Internet traffic during the game" and that it caused the largest one-day internet usage in US history. NBCUniversal says that its numbers show the average viewership of the game was 23 million viewers on Peacock, combined with viewers on local Miami and Kansas City TV stations, and also on mobile devices via NFL+. Combining its own custom numbers with ones from Nielsen, the game was viewed on average by 26.3 million viewers, according to the company. Even better, the viewer numbers were 6 percent higher compared to the same 2023 AFC Wild Card game, which was broadcast normally on NBC stations as well as Peacock. NBCUniversal said that the Peacock streaming service had its biggest single day in "audience usage, engagement and time spent" on Jan 13. There were 16.3 million concurrent devices connecting to Peacock that day. The company did not state any numbers for new subscribers to the service. These huge streaming viewer numbers for an NFL playoff game on Peacock will likely get premium streamers like ESPN+, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, and others to take notice. We could see even more major live sports events turn into streaming exclusives. Could we see a streaming service try to get exclusive rights to a future NFL Super Bowl game, which is normally the biggest broadcast TV event of the year in the US? We would not be surprised.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:38:04 +0000The latest Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with 64GB of storage just hit an all new price low by John Callaham A few months ago, Amazon launched a new and upgraded version of its Fire HD 10 tablet. Now, that same tablet, with 64GB of storage, has hit an all-new price low, but it likely won't stay that way forever. At the moment, the 64GB version of the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is priced at just $104.99. That's a huge $75 discount from its normal $179.99 MSRP. The latest 2023 model includes an octa-core 2.0 GHz processor inside, which Amazon claims offers 25 percent faster performance compared to the previous version of the tablet. The 10.1 inch touchscreen display has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200. Inside there's 3GB of RAM, and the 64GB of storage can be expanded with the included microSD card slot up to 1TB. The tablet itself is 30g lighter compared to the older model. The battery inside the tablet is supposed to last up to 13 hours on a single charge and will take four hours to fully charge when it goes down to zero. The tablet also has 5MP cameras in the front and the rear, which is an upgrade compared to the 2MP cameras in the older model. They can record video at up to 1080p resolution. You also get a 3.5 mm headphone jack and Wi-Fi 6 wireless hardware. The Fire HD 10 tablet runs Amazon's in-house Fire OS, with popular apps like Kindle for eBook reading, Audible for audiobooks, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and more for free and premium streaming, and a large selection of mobile games. Keep in mind the price of this tablet does include lockscreen ads. Finally, you have three color choices for the tablet: Black, Lilac, and Ocean. This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet (2023) with 64GB of storage for $104.99 ($75 off MSRP) Make sure you also browse through Amazon US, Amazon UK and Newegg US to find some other great tech deals. Also check the Deals section of our articles to see if there's anything we've posted in the past few days that could be of interest. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:02:03 +0000An unannounced Halo battle royale game is rumored to have been canceled by John Callaham An in-development Halo game that was supposed to bring Microsoft's sci-fi shooter series into the popular battle royale genre has reportedly been canceled before the game was officially announced. The new report comes from the popular XboxEra podcast this weekend (via Eurogamer). During the podcast, noted Xbox leaker "Shpeshal_Nick" mentioned that he had received reports that the Halo battle royale game, which he says was being developed under the code name Project Tatanka, had been canceled after years of development. He did not offer an explanation of why the development of the game had stopped. The Halo battle royale game was reportedly being developed at 343 Industries in collaboration with Certain Affinity, which had worked on a number of previous games in the Halo franchise. While the game has never been officially announced by Microsoft, Certain Affinity's CEO Max Hoberman mentioned in a YouTube interview in July 2023 that their biggest current project at the time was a new collaboration with 343 Industries. This would not be the first time a new Halo game from a third-party developer had been canceled before it was officially revealed. Original Age of Empires and Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios was working on a Halo-based massively multiplayer game for Microsoft, but that project was reportedly shut down in 2007. Ensemble Studios itself would be closed by Microsoft in 2009, after completing work on Halo Wars. If the reports on the cancelation of the Halo battle royale game are accurate, it's unknown how that might affect Certain Affinity. The developer was also working on its own original first-person shooter game, which it revealed in September under the code name Project Loro. No details about that game have been revealed, and Certain Affinity was shopping around to see if it could get a publisher to release the title.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 12:26:04 +0000Microsoft: We are working on KB5034441/KB5034440 "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" fix by Sayan Sen Microsoft released the first Windows 10 and 11 Patch Tuesday updates of 2024, last week, with the January updates KB5034122 and KB5034123 respectively. The updates are meant to address security issues within Windows. The one for 11 also fixes the recent Wi-Fi troubles that led to networks not connecting or the Wi-Fi icon not showing. In a separate article, the company has also detailed a fix for a WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment) security vulnerability that can lead to BitLocker encryption bypass. The issue is being tracked under ID "CVE-2024-20666". Microsoft said that the security flaw could allow attackers to bypass BitLocker encryption if they are able to get physical access to an unpatched PC. However, this is not one of those WinRE updates that is seamlessly installing on PCs. Users report that the update is failing to install with the error message "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" which indicates insufficient WinRE partition size. The solution is to resize the partition manually. You can do so by following this dedicated guide here. Neowin forum supervisor / mod and ESET's Distinguished Researcher Aryeh Goretsky (X account) also experienced the issue which they were able to fix by increasing the recovery partition. Goretsky writes: Hello, I can confirm that the KB5034441 hotfix failed on a Windows 10 VM with a Windows Recovery partition that was 511MB in size. I decided to increase it to 1024MB in size, just in case more space was needed in the future. The hotfix installed normally afterwards. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky Microsoft of course has been aware of this problem almost from the start which is why it has been recommending the manual resize workaround as soon as it published the WinRE updates. Yesterday, on its Windows health dashboard, the company has added the issue and notes that a fix is coming via a future update. Microsoft says: Devices attempting to install the January 2024 Windows Recovery Environment update ( KB5034441/KB5034440) might display an error related to the size of the Recovery Environment's partition. Resulting from this error, the following message might be displayed. "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" Workaround: It might be necessary to increase the size of the WinRE partition in order to avoid this issue and complete the installation. Note that 250 megabytes of free space is required in the recovery partition. Guidance to change the WinRE partition size can be found in KB5028997: Instructions to manually resize your partition to install the WinRE update. Next steps: We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release. Aside from this BitLocker encryption vulnerability, Microsoft has recently updated its Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool to patch against a Remote Code Execution (RCE) security flaw.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 08:12:04 +0000Surface Pro 5 and Pro 5 LTE are no longer supported by Taras Buria If you have a fifth-generation Surface Pro, which is also known as the Surface Pro Model 1807, or just Surface Pro "5," Microsoft has bad news: your tablet is no longer supported. January 15, 2024, marks the end of the life of this computer, meaning it will no longer receive driver or firmware updates. Microsoft introduced the fifth-generation Surface Pro on May 23, 2017, at a special event held in China. Apart from the OG Surface Pro from 2012, it was the only Surface Pro without a number in its name. The gist was that the computer did not have enough changes to justify a true generation upgrade. Despite promising "over 800 new enhancements," Surface Pro "5" was a minor spec bump with mostly new processors. On the outside, the fifth-gen Surface Pro was identical to its predecessor, down to its color, port placement, etc. Still, the tablet introduced a few notable changes. For example, there was a fanless configuration with a base-level seventh-gen Intel Core i5 processor. Upper-spec models with Intel Core i7 chips featured a reworked thermal design for improved heat dissipation. And the biggest upgrade of all was an optional LTE configuration, a returning feature from the ill-fated ARM-powered Surface 2 and the entry-level Surface 3, the only Surface to ever ship with a micro-B USB port (remember those?). Despite not offering enough visual changes or earth-shattering updates, the fifth-gen Surface Pro was a much better device than its predecessor. It had better battery life, more performance, and much less troublesome hardware. Intel's Skylake generation gave plenty of headaches for Surface Pro 4/Surface Book owners, and the Surface Pro 5, with its Kaby Lake chips, offered a much less stressful experience. Interestingly, in late 2018, Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 6, which was also virtually the same as its preceding generation. It got a properly numbered name despite not having enough changes for a "true new generation." Also, did you know that the Surface Pro 6 reached its end of life much earlier than its predecessor? Microsoft ended Surface Pro 6 support on June 30, 2023. Although Microsoft launched the LTE version of the Surface Pro 5 a few months later, it ended its life alongside the standard Wi-Fi version. The end of support means the computer will no longer receive new drivers or firmware updates. You will continue getting operating system updates as long as it remains supported, but the overall experience might get worse with time, especially with Microsoft planning to add new features to Windows 10. As a reminder, the fifth-generation Surface Pro does not officially support Windows 11. With the Surface Pro 5 now being six feet under, the next Surface device to kick the bucket is the Surface Pro 7. The last Surface Pro in the classic design (minus the Pro 7+ for enterprise) will reach its end of life on February 28, 2024.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 07:00:03 +0000