Microsoft

Microsoft has added a new “Xbox 360 Blades” Dynamic Background for Xbox Series S / X owners. It’s a blast of nostalgia, just as Microsoft prepares to close the Xbox 360 digital store on July 29th. A bunch of games are discounted ahead of the store closure, and there are even Xbox 360 t-shirts, hoodies, and other gear available for a limited time.

A change included in a new Windows beta would sort apps by labels like “Music” and “Entertainment,” according to posts on X spotted by XDA Developers. (Windows 8.1 had a similar option.)

The change is apparently tucked away in Windows Insider Preview build 22635.3930, but requires some finagling to enable.

In the old days, running Disk Defragmenter in Windows took forever but was a welcome, meditative reminder that you can’t control everything.

I’m kidding, it was awful. Here’s a website that simulates it, hard drive sounds and all, from developer Dennis Morello. It’s nicer when it’s not keeping you from playing Starcraft.

The CEOs of Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta have all posted comments over the past hour wishing for Trump’s recovery and criticizing the use of violence.

Opera has asked the EU General Court to annul the European Commission’s decision not to designate Microsoft Edge as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. Opera argues that Microsoft still makes it difficult to use an alternative browser and keeps treating its own browser “in a preferential way.” Microsoft is certainly using every trick in the book to keep Windows users on Edge.

Microsoft announced an update to Edge’s clipboard allowing SVG files — space efficient vector images — to be copy and pasted into web apps without any complicated workarounds.

The company also contributed the updates to the open-source Chromium project so that other Chromium-based browsers can add streamlined SVG copying and pasting. Maybe Chrome will be next?

Brad Silverberg, former senior VP of Windows, kept hold of the first copy of Windows 95 that came off the production line. Microsoft employees then held a Release to Manufacturing (RTM) party with bottles of Dom Pérignon for drinking and “cheap champagne for spraying.” Microsoft’s RTM parties were infamous throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, especially the iPhone funeral one for the Windows Phone 7 RTM.

Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative is set to impact Chinese employees in September, with the software giant reportedly set to cut off Android devices from accessing its corporate network. Bloomberg News reports that the move is due to Android devices in China lacking Google’s Play store to distribute Authenticator and identity apps for Microsoft employees. Microsoft is ramping up its internal security efforts after a series of high-profile attacks in recent years.

The settlement would resolve an investigation by California’s Civil Rights Department, which had for years been investigating claims from employees who said they were retaliated against for using parental, disability, and family-care leave.

Employees who used these benefits said they were denied raises, promotions, and stock awards as a result. Microsoft, which has previously been lauded for its leave policy, denied the allegations.

Microsoft’s commitment to compatibility is unwavering when it comes to the Surface Pro. I’ve managed to get the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard working on an original Surface Pro X from 2019, and the keyboard from a Pro X working with the Surface Pro 11th Edition. All you have to do is snap these keyboards into place. It’s a lot more magical than Apple’s Magic keyboards.

The first wave of Copilot Plus PCs has landed, and iFixit has already posted a Surface Pro and Surface Laptop teardown.

There’s no magic AI dust to fix the Recall mess, but they are notably repairable, with icons and QR codes to ease the process if that affects your buying decision. Expect more from us soon about how these match up with Microsoft’s promises.