The new year has started with the refreshed Notepad app being made available for all Windows 11 Insiders who can test upcoming updates.
Similar to what Clock and Office 2021 brought, Notepad is also getting the Fluent Design makeover, which brings rounded corners to windows, a softer font to menu dropdown lists, and dark mode compatibility.
The update has been available in the Insider Build Dev Channel of Windows 11 since December, where you can test features under development, but the company has decided to roll it out to users who are testing out upcoming features of Windows 11 on all channels.
It’s the most significant update of Notepad in years, similar to Paint’s update a few months ago, but don’t expect this simple text editing app to replace Microsoft Word anytime soon.
Analysis: A unified effort
Microsoft has been making efforts to make its apps match the new look and feel of Windows 11, and it’s overdue.
In previous releases of Windows 8 and Windows Vista, some apps had felt out of place, such as Mail and Disk Management. But there’s a concerted effort from the company to ensure that these apps have a unified design where users don’t feel lost, whilst ensuring that the apps and the operating system look similar, but modern.
But Notepad is an app that you use almost without thinking. It’s a go-to app where you jot down lists or thoughts for the day to save for later. But it’s also a great example of an app that’s not seen an update since 2001.
Heads up: We have begun rolling out the redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 to all #WindowsInsiders in the Beta Channel. https://t.co/mjUZ8Jp9BL ^BLBJanuary 5, 2022
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Something as minor as dark mode and rounded corners will be welcomed here, alongside a new Settings option to switch between themes and font options as well. But Notepad’s appeal is in its simplicity, which makes it a good alternative to Microsoft Word or other fully-featured (and overcomplicated) office apps.
Other apps that have seen updates in their design have either been included in a Windows update or are available to download on the Microsoft Store. We suspect that the updated Notepad will be a part of a bigger Windows 11 update coming soon – so you won’t need to be a Windows Insider to try it out.
WhatsApp is great at letting you know when you have received a new message, but also gives you the option of quietening notifications for those times when you don’t want to be disturbed. Now there is a new preview version of the app available that introduces an important upgrade to notifications that make them even more useful.
If another member of a group chat replies to a message you have posted, or if they @ mentions you, the notification you see now includes the profiles picture of the person in question. Again, this is a relatively minor change, but it is a tweak that can make a world of different to usability.
While you need to update to the latest preview build of WhatsApp in TestFlight in order to access all of the latest features as options, making the upgrade is not necessarily a guarantee that you will be able to see these new notifications images.
Keep informed
This latest change is just the latest update to notifications, and it comes hot on the heels of the addition of profile photos to notifications in iOS. But this most recent update is about more than just changes to notifications.
As WABetaInfo notes, with this beta version, WhatsApp has also changes the way app version numbers are formatted. While the previous version of WhatsApp for iOS was 2.22.1.1, the latest is now listed as 22.1.71 – quite a jump. However, if you check within the settings of the app, it is shown to be 2.22.1.71, and it's not clear when – or, indeed, if – the two will be brought in line with each other.
Privacy-centric web browser Brave has surpassed 50 million active monthly users for the first time, the company has announced.
In a blog post, Brave says the milestone represents the fifth time the browser’s user base has doubled in as many years. The service also currently attracts more than 15 million daily active users, another high water mark.
Brave credits a range of new features and products for the continued growth, including an in-built crypto wallet and private search engine. But the company also acknowledged it has benefited from wider consumer trends.
“Users all over the world are looking for a private, safe and faster browsing experience, along with tools that give them independence from Big Tech. This long term and sustainable growth reflects that user desire,” said Brave.
A paradigm shift?
The uptake of privacy-centric browsers, VPNs, proxies, encrypted email and other privacy tools in recent years hints at a shift in attitudes that could have major ramifications for the largest technology companies in the world, whose businesses are predicated on the collection of vast amounts of data.
Since the Snowden leaks and Cambridge Analytica scandal in particular, public awareness of the importance of data privacy has risen steeply. Generally, consumers are more wary about the information they share with Big Tech companies, and more savvy about how their information is used and monetized in the data economy.
We suspect this trend may begin to register more clearly in the web browser market soon. Currently, Google Chrome dominates the space with a 63.8% market share, followed by Apple’s Safari (19.6%) and Microsoft Edge (4%). However, privacy-centric services operated by smaller players are beginning to gather steam.
Although Brave’s 50 million-strong user base represents just 1% of the market, based on data on the total number of web users from Statista, its rate of growth will give the likes of Google pause for thought. And that’s despite the inherent inconveniences; this writer can attest that Brave frequently breaks website functionality as a result of its no-tolerance policy on cookies.
Although Google has made a show of improving its privacy practices and planning for the demise of third-party cookies, proposed alternatives like FLoC have been panned by privacy advocates, who say the solutions create as many problems as they solve.
There is also plenty of evidence Big Tech companies still cannot be trusted to protect the interests of users. This week, for example, both Google and Facebook were slapped with significant fines for cookie-related breaches of EU privacy laws. The patience of consumers is surely wearing thin.
Lockheed Martin, Amazon and Cisco have announced a new collaboration that will see Cisco Webex and Amazon's Alexa integrated into NASA's Orion spacecraft.
This innovative payload, dubbed Callisto, will fly on board the Orion spacecraft which was built by Lockheed Martin for the US space agency's Artemis 1 uncrewed mission around the Moon. Callisto will use Alexa and Webex to test and demonstrate how commercial technology can be used for deep space voice, video and whiteboarding communications.
According to Lisa Callahan, VP and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Commercial Civil Space division, Callisto will show how these technologies can enable astronauts to be more self-reliant as they explore deep space.
Named after a favorite companion of the Greek goddess Artemis, Callisto features a custom hardware and software integration developed by engineers at all three companies that will allow Alexa to work without an internet connection and Webex to run on a tablet using NASA's Deep Space Network.
Virtual crew experience
As Artemis 1 is an uncrewed mission, Lockheed Martin, Amazon and Cisco have also built a virtual crew experience at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas that will allow operators to interact with Callisto from the Mission Control Center.
Through these remote interactions, Callisto partners and NASA will be able to test and demonstrate how voice and video collaboration technologies can help astronauts improve efficiency and situational awareness during their mission by enabling them to access flight status and telemetry data with the ability to control connected devices onboard Orion.
At the same time, video and audio of these interactions will be transmitted back to Earth throughout the duration of the Artemis 1 mission so that engineers can analyze the performance of onboard systems while also sharing interactions with the public.
In fact, students, families and space enthusiasts will be able to engage with and virtually “ride along” with the mission on Alexa-enabled devices by saying “Alexa, take me to the Moon” while Webex video collaboration capabilities will provide opportunities for STEM education and remote classroom teaching events.
Artemis 1 is scheduled to launch in the beginning of this year from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida for a multi-week journey around the Moon and back. We'll likely hear more from Cisco and Amazon regarding how their technologies are being used in space once the mission begins.
Microsoft is doubling down on efforts to drive the adoption of collaboration platform Teams in conference room settings.
As per two new entries to the company’s product roadmap, users will soon be able to perform a wider range of actions via Microsoft Teams panels, the touchscreen devices mounted outside of meeting rooms.
For example, Microsoft Teams users will be able to “check out” of conference rooms if their meetings end earlier than expected, as a courtesy to colleagues who might need the space. In a similar vein, it will also be possible to extend existing reservations via Microsoft Teams panels, provided doing so does not create a clash.
Microsoft Teams in the office
Both updates are still currently under development, but should roll out to all Microsoft Teams panel users by the end of May.
With the majority of experts predicting a widespread transition to hybrid working once the pandemic recedes, Microsoft is eager to position its collaboration and video conferencing platform as the go-to choice for in-office deployments too.
The company faces stiff competition from the likes of Zoom, which has its own range of conference room solutions, but Microsoft is putting in the legwork with a series of updates of its own.
In addition to the new functionality set to land in the spring, Microsoft recently announced a feature to help companies monitor and limit the capacity of meeting rooms, to facilitate social distancing (if it’s still required in future).
The desired room capacity is set by the administrator and overcrowding is detected using cameras with people-counting functionality. If a room is over capacity, an alert will appear on the in-room display and Microsoft Teams panel outside.
Microsoft will hope that features such as these, in addition to a roster of intelligent meeting room hardware (displays, webcams, microphones etc.), will help build on the strong foundation established during the pandemic.
Currently under development, the new-look password management feature will allow users to add credentials to their roster manually for the first time.
At the moment, Microsoft Edge requires users to visit a website, log in and wait for a prompt from the browser. By introducing a manual option, Microsoft will minimize the friction associated with adding passwords en masse.
The ability to add account credentials manually first featured in an early-access build of Google Chrome, which is based on the same Chromium engine as Edge. Microsoft appears to have built upon this foundation to port the functionality over to its own service.
It’s unclear precisely when the feature will make its way into a full public build, but it is currently available to members of the Edge Canary channel under the Profile menu.
Microsoft Edge password manager
Microsoft first introduced password management functionality to its flagship browser in January last year, offering users a simple alternative to fully-featured services like LastPass and Dashlane, which cost in the region of $ 40/year.
The idea was to give users a cost-effective way to limit the risk of credential stuffing, brute force attacks and identity theft.
However, recent reports suggest it may still be ill-advised to store your account credentials in your web browser, as opposed to using a dedicated service.
According to security company AhnLab, info-stealing Redline malware is capable of both evading antivirus software and stealing passwords and other sensitive data from its victim’s browser.
In a recent incident, an infection resulted in the compromise of a corporate network, after VPN credentials were stolen from a remote employee’s web browser.
From a cybersecurity perspective, although storing unique passwords in Microsoft Edge is better than deploying an identical password across multiple accounts, it shouldn’t be considered the perfect solution.
After being shown off in the Insider channels since November, Microsoft’s rebooted Windows Media Player is slowly being made available on the new Microsoft Store in Windows 11.
While it was first shown off by accident during a live podcast stream, an update in the Dev Channel in November revealed the existence of this new and improved media player.
It’s replacing Groove Music, the app that’s been Microsoft’s default media player for a while now, but the company seemingly wants to make a sequel to the iconic Windows Media Player from the early-noughties, when it was one of the most popular apps of its time.
But is there a place in 2022 for a new media app in Windows 11?
How to download Media Player in Windows 11
The new app requires you to update your device to Windows 11 build 22000.346 or later, where you can then head over to the Microsoft Store, and download the new media player for your device.
If you have Groove Music, Microsoft’s previous media app that’s been available since 2012, the new Windows Media Player will replace it. In our testing, we spotted that the new media player was available on some, but not all, of our Windows 11 devices.
But you can still download the original version of Windows Media Player, which has been available since 2012 if you want a nostalgic kick for your PC. But you won’t be able to take advantage of what the new media player brings.
Alongside HDR support when playing videos, the app has seen a redesign to match the Fluent design language of Windows 11 and Office 2021. The color scheme will also match whichever theme you have set for your PC, so Media Player won’t look out of place.
Analysis: Is there room for Windows Media Player in 2022?
The world is a different place since we were using MSN Messenger and Windows Media Player 9 back in 2002. It was before a time where Netflix existed, and ‘streaming’ was what rivers did, rather than being a way of watching media.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
But now we’re spoilt for choice with the apps we can use to play our videos. While you can play videos on your Mac through QuickTime Player, or through third-party means such as IINA, Windows 11 has a wide variety to choose from.
From VLC Player to iTunes, it may require an extra push from Microsoft to make users aware of what was around during Windows 98, and why Windows Media Player is still worth using in 2022.
With Xbox, Surface, and other devices from the company, we may see variants of this new Windows Media Player start to appear on these products. But time will tell if users want to use a brand-new media player when there’s already a great catalog of media apps to choose from.
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and video conferencing platform that helps people communicate effectively across a number of different mediums.
The service allows users to communicate via text chat, voice or video call and also benefits from synergies with various other Microsoft 365 services, such as OneDrive and PowerPoint.
Although Teams started out as a business application, Microsoft has recently pushed the platform as a consumer service too and, accordingly, has built it into the heart of its new Windows 11 OS.
The free version of Microsoft Teams offers a generous feature set that will be sufficient for many individuals and small businesses, while a paid version is available for larger organizations after a more comprehensive solution.
Microsoft Teams clients are available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, so employees can communicate using pretty much any device.
Cut to the chase
What is it? A collaboration and video conferencing service What platforms is it on? All major operating systems How much does it cost? Depends on the plan, but a free version is available Who is the target audience? Predominantly business users, but regular consumers too
Free version or paid?
The free version of Microsoft Teams boasts all the features employees will need to collaborate remotely and could be a perfectly suitable option for smaller businesses.
Unlimited text chat and search, group video conferencing, one-on-one video calls, 2GB of cloud storage per person (or 10GB across the entire team) and access to web-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote all come free of charge.
However, the free version of Microsoft Teams lacks a few important security and administration facilities – such as enforced multi-factor authentication, single sign-on and user management – that most businesses are likely to need.
If you’re looking to upgrade your Microsoft Teams subscription, there are three options available: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic is available for $ 5.00 per user per month (£3.80/AU$ 6.90), and includes the ability to schedule and record Microsoft Teams meetings, boosts the file storage capacity to 1TB per user and includes the additional security features mentioned above.
Office 365 Business Standard, meanwhile, costs $ 12.50 per user per month (£9.40/AU$ 17.20). It features all the benefits of the cheaper package, but also includes desktop versions of Microsoft’s famous productivity applications (Word,Excel, PowerPoint etc.) and business apps such as Bookings, Invoicing and MileIQ.
Finally, Office 365 Premium adds advanced security and privacy features, as well as a greater range of device management options. This package will run your business $ 20.00 per user per month (£15.10/AU$ 27.50).
From here, you can download the Microsoft Teams app for desktop or mobile, or you can enter your email address in the relevant field and Microsoft will deliver a download link directly.
Those looking to download Microsoft Teams mobile app can also navigate to the relevant app store on their device, be that Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Microsoft Teams features
Microsoft Teams offers all the core collaboration features, from high-quality video conferencing to phone calls, text chat and group messaging.
When it comes to the in-meeting experience, the service provides users with a variety of tools, such as custom and blurred backgrounds, different viewing modes, breakout rooms and text chat. Users can also share their screen during presentations, making it easier for audience members to follow along.
Teams allows meetings to be recorded, which means people unable to attend can catch up on anything they missed. And since the start of the pandemic, Microsoft has introduced a few important accessibility features too, such as live captions and transcription.
What sets Teams apart from its competitors, however, is its position within the wider Microsoft 365 suite of apps and services. For example, Teams is intertwined closely with OneDrive and SharePoint, making file-sharing easy and intuitive. An upcoming PowerPoint integration, meanwhile, is set to make managing notes during presentations and engaging with the audience less challenging.
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ink Drop)
Security
When it comes to video conferencing security, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is considered the holy grail.
Under this system, communication between meeting participants is encrypted using cryptographic keys held only on users’ devices. This means no third party, including the service provider, has access to the keys to decrypt private meeting data.
Microsoft Teams was relatively slow on the uptake where E2EE is concerned. Only recently has E2EE entered general availability for Teams calls, and even then it requires a number of features to be disabled.
That said, Microsoft has taken strong steps to prevent a practice known as “Zoombombing”, whereby an uninvited individual invades and disrupts a meeting. And the company has also added a handy disable video function that should help limit disruptions caused by legitimate attendees.
According to the Microsoft website, Teams also enforces two-factor authentication and encryption of data in transit and at rest. To ensure customers remain compliant with relevant regulations, meanwhile, Microsoft lets users make choices about the location of the data centers used to process their data in transit.
Support
As for customer service, Microsoft offers pretty much all avenues of support you might expect – with the exception of a live chat service.
The first port of call should be the extensive knowledge base, but otherwise users can seek further help via Microsoft 365 support channels, which include an online form, phone support and a dedicated Get Help app.
Microsoft Teams has native clients for all the major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Attendees can also join sessions via web browser if they please.
SWOT analysis is a simple strategic planning tool that organizations can use to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their company or project – and, ultimately, form a strong business plan.
SWOT stands for strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T). It’s one of the most commonly used tools when making decisions or analyzing a component of a business. You can use the SWOT framework to guide any type of business decision, such as repositioning your brand, launching a new product, or entering a new market.
A SWOT analysis is often done in a matrix or table, divided into four categories, with a box for each of the four SWOT components. Brainstorming alone or with colleagues, make a list in each box of the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as they apply to your company or current project. Generally, strengths and weaknesses relate to internal factors within your organization while opportunities and threats are external factors. While it’s not essential to differentiate, internal versus external factors can help you see which factors you have control over and which are out of your hands.
By doing a SWOT analysis, you can put all of your thoughts, concerns, and ideas into a written framework.
This project management tool was first developed by American management consultant Albert Humphrey in the 1960s but it’s still commonly used today.
Who should do a SWOT analysis?
A SWOT analysis is often done by someone within the company who makes strategic decisions, such as a CEO, entrepreneur, manager, or director. However, getting input from others can make the SWOT more valuable, so it doesn’t need to be an exercise handled by just one individual. Think about forming a working group and inviting several members of staff for a brainstorming session. By involving staff from multiple departments, you’ll get more diverse viewpoints and your analysis will carry more weight.
Because it’s an effective and easy-to-use tool, consider developing a SWOT analysis template that you can share with your employees for them to use as needed. That way, anyone in the business can use it when they need to solve problems, make decisions, or weigh up options.
The SWOT analysis framework is designed so that it applies to any industry, so it can be used by any organization or business, including Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profits, small businesses, or universities.
Why you should do a SWOT analysis
There are many reasons to consider using a SWOT analysis tool whenever you need to make a strategic decision. You can use it to gather your thoughts and put them all on paper, making it easier to visualize what direction you should take. This helps you collect all of your ideas, thoughts, and concerns and turn them into something orderly and tangible.
It’s recommended to use a SWOT analysis when you’re trying to take advantage of upcoming opportunities, avoid unnecessary risks, improve your use of resources, and to better understand your market positioning. If you’re ever unsure about a business decision and need some time to think things through, a SWOT analysis can help provide clarity and guidance.
Also, it’s a simple, basic tool that can be used anywhere, by anyone—no expensive software or resources needed. Because it can be done quickly and costs nothing, one main benefit of SWOT analysis is that it’s low risk but high return. Keep it as a tool in your decision-making arsenal that you can call on whenever needed.
Pros and cons of SWOT analysis
While SWOT analysis is useful for any business, large or small, there’s no such thing as a perfect decision-making tool. Here are a few pros and cons to consider when deciding if a SWOT analysis is right for your business.
Pros
Free—you can use this tool with only a pen and paper or a spreadsheet, no expensive software programs needed
Versatile—any company or department can use this tool in just about any situation
You can use SWOT analysis to condense large amounts of information into categories by simplifying them into key points
Simple and fast to learn
Can be an easy way to identify strengths and weakness and also new opportunities
Helps set objectives when planning and setting goals
A straightforward way to get a better understanding of your business and visualize the key issues
Cons
Might be too simplistic for complex problems or situations
Doesn’t prioritize which issues are the most important or urgent
May generate more ideas than you need
There are always unknown factors that can negatively impact your business that you can’t predict
It’s easy to inject your own bias and opinions into your analysis without realizing
Focuses on generalities rather than specifics
How to produce a great SWOT analysis
While anyone can do a great SWOT analysis without experience, it helps to know a few tips. Here are a few suggestions to help make your SWOT analysis more effective.
First, go into the exercise with honesty – it’ll work best if you’re willing to look at the reality of your business, even if that means confronting some harsh truths. Also, be specific: ask yourself what you want to achieve with the help of your SWOT analysis. Clear goals and objectives will make the exercise work better.
You’ll also want to prioritize your information. Each business is sure to have plenty of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, but which ones are most important, urgent, and likely to impact your profits? These are the ones you should focus on for the purpose of your SWOT analysis. Your analysis should be made using real data, not assumptions or predictions. When it comes to threats, keep in mind that some are out of your control – think about your competitors and how their actions could impact you.
A final tip: don’t feel like you need to do this exercise alone. Your SWOT analysis and brainstorming session will often be more effective with several people in the room, giving you varied perspectives.
Examples of SWOT questions
To help you get started, here are a few sample questions to think about for each of the four analysis categories. Keep in mind that strengths and weaknesses refer to internal factors, while opportunities and threats are external.
These questions make for great starting points when facilitating brainstorming discussions with your team before the analysis. However, you don’t need to be limited by the below—you can always tailor your SWOT questions to meet the needs of your business.
Strengths
What is the company’s biggest strength?
Why do customers choose you over the competition?
What do you have that other businesses don’t?
What are you most proud of?
What are your company’s most important resources and assets? (Think about both your tangible assets and the abilities and qualifications of your staff)
Are we, as a company, in a strong financial position?
Do we have a positive reputation in our industry and with clients?
What are our top achievements in the last year?
Weaknesses
Where can we improve and what are we lacking?
Do we have any cash flow or debt issues?
What are the most common complaints from our customers and suppliers?
What does our competition do better than us?
What would our employees say are the company’s biggest weaknesses?
What makes us vulnerable?
Do we have a high rate of staff absences from work or a high staff turnover rate?
What’s holding us back?
Opportunities
What else can we offer our customers to make them happy and loyal to the brand?
What weaknesses do our competitors have?
Is there anything lacking in the market that we can offer?
Can we capitalize on any current industry trends?
Will any upcoming external events or changes bring us new opportunities?
Are there any known opportunities that we haven’t taken advantage of yet?
Can we capitalize on any upcoming local or national events?
What’s the perception of our brand by the public?
Threats
What obstacles are holding us back?
Who are our main competitors?
Are there any external threats that could decrease our market position?
Do our products still meet the needs of our target demographic?
Are our digital and physical assets safe and secure?
Are there any anticipated changes to our industry that will impact our business?
Are there any upcoming financial changes out of our control, like higher rent or increased inventory costs, that could hurt us?
Are any shifts in consumer behavior likely to lower our profits in the future?
WhatsApp is making a small but signification change to message notifications for iOS users. The change is currently only visible to beta testers, but will be rolling out to more users in due course.
In the latest iOS beta version, WhatsApp is making it easier to see who a message is from. The change relates to app notifications, and it brings the iOS version of the app in line with the Android version.
The change means that it's now possible for iOS users to see profile pictures next to messages in notifications. This is something that has been available to Android users for quite some time now, and is an easy and obvious way to make it easier to tell who a notification relates to at a glance.
Profile pictures can be seen next to notifications not only for chats with individuals, but also those that relate to group chats.
As the new feature makes use of APIs included as part of iOS 15, profile pictures in notifications are only available to beta testers who are running this version of iOS.
Info at a glance
Unfortunately, simply being part of the WhatsApp beta program for iOS is not enough to gain access to this updated feature. Even if you have the latest beta version of the app installed, it is no guarantee that you will see profile pictures in notifications as WhatsApp appears to be enabling this server-side for groups of users.
All you can do for the time being is sit back and wait. If you're not a beta tester, you could have a lengthy wait ahead of you, but WhatsApp has not given any indication of timescale for rollout, making it impossible to say just when non-beta users will fell the benefits of this update.
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