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Windows 11 update improves Do Not Disturb mode further to help your focus

April 12, 2022
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Windows 11 is getting a redesigned 'Do Not Disturb' mode in its next major feature update, which aims to eliminate those distracting notifications.

With endless possibilities of procrastination just a click away and notifications constantly vying for your attention, staying productive is not always an easy task.
Thankfully, that seemingly impossible task is one that is made easier by Microsoft’s Focus Assist, which comes handily built into Windows 11.

Focus Assist allows users to limit notifications, so only chosen priority notifications or alarms go through, offering a variety of options for those looking to cut down on the notifications and distractions during the time your PC is on.

However, sometimes being given space to focus on a task isn’t quite enough and you need something more to help focus your time, which is where Do Not Disturb aims to help in those situations.

How does 'Do Not Disturb' benefit compared to Focus?

Unlike the other available modes in Focus Assist, the new Do Not Disturb feature shuts off all notifications entirely, sending them straight to the notification center instead. You can focus on your tasks without any interruptions or distracting notification icons catching your eye.

Microsoft’s recent 2022 Work Trends Index indicated that 35% of employees wanted to spend more time working on solitary or focused work to be more productive.

This harsher-focus Do Not Disturb feature should be what a third of users are looking for at least, so long as they remember to turn it off once they’re done being isolated from the world.

WhatsApp Desktop is updated for Windows 11

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April 12, 2022
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Windows 11 is getting a redesigned 'Do Not Disturb' mode in its next major feature update, which aims to eliminate those distracting notifications.

However, sometimes being given space to focus on a task isn’t quite enough and you need something more to help focus your time, which is where Do Not Disturb aims to help in those situations.

How does 'Do Not Disturb' benefit compared to Focus?

Microsoft’s recent 2022 Work Trends Index indicated that 35% of employees wanted to spend more time working on solitary or focused work to be more productive.

This harsher-focus Do Not Disturb feature should be what a third of users are looking for at least, so long as they remember to turn it off once they’re done being isolated from the world.

WhatsApp Desktop is updated for Windows 11

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March 1, 2022
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Safari in iOS 15 looks to be getting its own dark mode function, alongside better features for your privacy involving cookies.

Apple's web browser works off an engine called WebKit, similar to how Google's Chrome browser is powered by an engine called Chromium.

But as WebKit is an open-source project hosted on GitHub, which allows any developer to add their programming to the engine, there have been some new features uncovered that may see an appearance in iOS 15.4, or iOS 16.

While there may be a rumored March event coming, it does raise the question of whether more regular updates should appear to Apple's apps, instead of waiting for a major iOS update every year.

Analysis: More regular updates for Safari are very welcome

Safari on iPadOS 15 Beta — (Image credit: Apple)

In the last few years, since iOS 13, Apple has made a concerted effort to roll out more features to its software across multiple releases, instead of aiming to have all of them arrive in one big release alongside the latest iPhone.

iOS 13.4 was a great example where mouse support was brought to the iPad line, alongside the Magic Keyboard peripheral which included a trackpad.

But Safari has had a rough ride recently, with its new design at WWDC 2021 criticized by users, then rolled back significantly once iOS 15 and macOS Monterey were released in September 2021.

There's currently a design that is halfway between what was shown in 2021, and what every Apple user has had since Safari 1.0 in 2007 with the original iPhone.

However, new features such as a custom dark mode and more privacy options could give more faith to users of Apple's web browser that the company isn't focusing on a new look that just wasn't needed or asked for. Instead, there are features coming up that's going to benefit their privacy, and how the browser will look in a different shade of dark.

For that, at least, is a sign that Apple is not only listening to what its users want in software, but also bringing the features out for .1 releases, way before the rumored WWDC event happens in June this year once again and we most likely hear about what the company has in store for its next major software updates.

Via 9To5Mac

Our pick of the best iPhone deals in 2022 so far

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February 27, 2022
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When version 100 of Google's Chrome browser is available to download, it will be without the Lite mode that enables less mobile data to be used on Android devices when browsing the web, and I couldn't be happier.

In a blog post, the company explained that it doesn't see the need for a feature to minimize data used in its web browser, when the amount of cellular data has increased, while the cost has stayed the same.

The feature arrived back in 2014 as a way to load webpages with less data being used, which could be useful for those on a small data plan for their smartphone.

Having sold phones and data plans to customers in a previous career, the end of this feature is only good news for me, but mainly for the customer who reads their content from Chrome on a mobile device every day.

When does Chrome 100 arrive?

According to Google's Roadmap status page for Chrome, version 100 will arrive on March 29, with a beta arriving around March 3.

This will apply to all versions of Chrome – from its mobile versions to the desktop on PC, Mac and Chromebook.

But with the Data Saver feature only on Android versions, it's not going to be something that's missed by many users, especially as there's data saving features built into Android 12 for all apps anyway, by going to Settings > Cellular Data.

Having worked at a phone store for years before switching careers to be a writer, helping customers with their phones and the data they would use, would be a common task for me. Some would come in, asking me why they had received a text stating they were at 80% of their monthly data usage.

Looking at how much data apps would be used, a web browser would usually reign supreme at the top of this list. But this was in a time where 2GB of data a month would be normal to see, not the 150GB a month or unlimited plans we all see advertised.

Google Chrome logo

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

But when a 'lite' mode would appear on a browser or a social media app like Facebook, it would degrade the experience. I remember pixelated images loading instead, or certain content removed so the text would be all over the place.

However, it's finally time to see the back of these features – they only hinder, not help the experience if you're trying to search for something or read the latest news in Chrome on your Samsung S22.

As Google Chrome hits a century of a version number, it's great to see this disappear, and instead, enrich the content that's available for your interests across the spectrum of the web.

However, Firefox is also approaching version 100, so there's a chance that we may see a landmark feature arrive from Mozilla as well. March is looking to be an eventful time for web browsers on many devices, and I'm here for it.

How to enable dark mode in Google Search

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February 24, 2022
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As the cost of cellular data plans has decreased significantly in recent years, Google has revealed its plans to discontinue its Lite Mode feature in Google Chrome on Android.

First released back in 2014 under the name “Data Saver”, the feature was later rebranded as “Lite Mode” in 2019 and was designed to help those with slow or limited data connections.

When enabled on an Android smartphone, Lite Mode would send some of a user's web traffic through Google's own servers before it was downloaded on their device. If pages loaded slowly, the search giant's servers would simplify them so that less data would be downloaded to a user's device.

While Lite Mode helped those with less mobile data avoid being hit with heavy data overage charges, the feature didn't work with private browsing enabled and it also prevented users from accessing pages on a local network such as an internal company site.

Sunsetting Chrome Lite Mode

In a new support document, Google has revealed its plans to sunset Chrome Lite Mode with the release of Google Chrome 100 in March of this year.

The feature will be turned off for those still using it on March 29 as the search giant has observed a decrease in the cost for mobile data in a number of countries in recent years. At the same time, Google has also made improvements to Chrome to “further minimize data usage and improve web page loading”.

> Google Chrome update makes searching your history less of a nightmare

> Google Chrome steals one of the best new Edge features

> Chrome is making it easier to remember passwords and sensitive information

Although Lite Mode is being discontinued, the company remains committed to ensuring Chrome can deliver a fast webpage loading experience on mobile going forward.

If you still want to limit the amount of data your Android smartphone uses, you can try restricting background data for individual apps in settings, limit how often apps sync and what they update, use some of your apps offline and try using Pocket or a similar service to download and save web pages to read later when connected to Wi-Fi.

We’ve also rounded up the best browsers and the best business smartphones

Via 9to5Google

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January 26, 2022
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Wordle is the word-a-day game taking the internet by storm. The popular word game present a daily challenge in which you must guess a five-letter word in six guesses or fewer. Wordle will then keep track of your stats, including win rate percentage, and a breakdown of the number of tries it takes you to reach the correct answer each day.

While Wordle's strict ruleset already makes the game quite challenging, there's actually a secondary mode tucked away in the options menu – for those wanting an even greater challenge. It doesn't change up the words you'll be guessing in any way, but it does impose further restrictions that could make your Wordle experience that much tougher.

Under normal rules, Wordle will notify you of letters you've guessed correctly. A green tile indicates you've got the right letter in the right place, while a yellow tile tells you that letter is in the word, albeit in a different spot. Meanwhile, a greyed out tile tells the player that letter isn't in the word at all.

That's also the case on hard mode, but there's one big difference. With hard mode, you're forced into using all the yellow tiled letters you've accrued so far. So for example, if you've guessed the word to be “CHIMP” and “I” and “M” flag as yellow, you'll be required to use those letters in your next guess.

To many of you, this may not seem like much of a restriction. After all, using the correct letters gives you a better chance of guessing the word, right? Well, yes and no. The more yellow letters you have in your guess, the fewer new letters you'll be able to play with on subsequent guesses, and this can be especially strict when you consider you only have six guesses to begin with.

How to access Wordle hard mode

Activating hard mode on Wordle is simple enough, and just requires you to head into the site's settings menu. You can do so by tapping or clicking the cog icon in the top right of the screen. It's just right of the title, and next to the option to view your overall statistics.

Once you're in the settings menu, the very first option, “Hard Mode,” is what you're after. By turning that on, you'll now be required to use all correct letters you've uncovered in subsequent guesses.

The settings menu also contains options for a dark theme and a color blind mode for those who may need it. The former might be a good option to reduce eye strain if you tend to spend a lot of time thinking about each guess.

And that's it! With hard mode activated, you can back out of the settings menu and experience your daily Wordle challenge with added restrictions. Do note that there doesn't seem to be any added benefit to playing on hard mode, and it can be turned off at any time by simply re-entering the settings menu and tapping the option once again, reverting Wordle to its default rules.

Lewdle is here to turn your Wordle blue

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January 20, 2022
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Cisco issued a critical fix for a flaw in its Cisco RCM for Cisco StarOS Software that could give attackers RCE on the application with root-level privileges.

Threatpost

December 8, 2021
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Microsoft is giving its iconic text editor a visual redesign for Windows 11 along with new features to help programmers and others who rely on Notepad in their day-to-day workflows be more productive.

According to a new blog post, the redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 is now rolling out to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel and the software giant is encouraging users to submit any suggestions on what can be improved further to its recently launched feedback portal.

Right off the bat, Notepad users will notice that the application now has a completely updated UI that aligns with Windows 11's new visual design including rounded corners, Mica and more. However, one of the most requested new features in Notepad is dark mode.

By default, Notepad will adapt to your system theme preferences in Windows 11 but you can change this option in the software's brand-new settings page which is also the new home for font options.

Find and replace and multi-level undo

The current version of Notepad which ships with Windows 11 houses the text search tool and the find and replace tool in two separate pop-up windows that can be accessed using two different keyboard shortcuts. Thankfully though with its new Notepad redesign, Microsoft is combining these two tools into one floating bar that is much more streamlined and should help improve users' productivity.

Another big change in the next version of Notepad will replace the software's old undo system that only allows users to go back once with multi-step undo. Just like with other modern applications, users will now be able to undo multiple actions which will give them a bit more flexibility when writing.

Despite all of these new features, Word Wrap is still turned off by default in Notepad but it can now be accessed more easily right from the View menu.

As Microsoft's redesigned Notepad app is currently being tested by Windows Insiders, it will likely roll out to other Windows 11 users in an update sometime next year.

We've also highlighted the best free office software, best online collaboration tools and best Microsoft Office alternatives

Via The Verge

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