Microsoft will release the last update for Windows 10 with the Patchday on October 14, 2025, after which this version of Windows will no longer receive any updates. What does this mean for users? Windows 10 is not immediately insecure or no longer usable First of all, there is no need to panic about this date. Windows 10 will theoretically continue to run indefinitely, as Microsoft is not discontinuing the functionality of the operating system, there will “only” be no more updates from November. This means that you can continue to use Windows 10 in principle, but no more security gaps will be closed, for example. Chris Hoffman / IDG Of course, given that cyber attacks on companies and private individuals continue to increase, this can be a problem for Windows 10 users in the long term. This is because newly discovered security gaps in the operating system can give attackers access to the computer, its data, and the network. PCs connected to the internet in particular are then fundamentally less protected. However, the security functions of the operating system remain active, including malware protection. As a precaution, you can disconnect your PC from the internet completely, but this reduces the usefulness of the computer, especially in a private environment. In principle, there is nothing to be said against Windows 11, especially as Microsoft still allows you to update for free. Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 Ralf Liebhold/Shutterstock.com These are the real dangers for Windows 10 without support New security vulnerabilities are regularly discovered in the various versions of Windows — even years later. From October 2025, Microsoft will no longer close these in Windows 10, so the likelihood of malware gaining access to a PC increases with each passing day. As most PCs are connected to the internet via a router with a firewall, there is often no danger to be expected via this route. However, there are numerous websites that are contaminated with malware. MacPaw Moonlock Lab There are also emails that you receive or programs that you download. These can contain malware that spreads on your PC if the malware scanner does not recognize it. If you actively use your PC with the internet, especially in sensitive areas such as online banking, you should always update the operating system or switch to Linux, for example. In this case, using Windows 10 is too high a risk. As soon as Windows 10 is no longer supported, the developers of third-party software will also stop releasing updates for Windows 10 at some point. This will also make these programs less secure and in some cases no longer usable. This will not happen immediately, but it is an inevitable development. It therefore also makes sense to update your software for reasons of compatibility and security. Cyber criminals will focus heavily on Windows 10 According to Statcounter, Windows 10 still has a large market share of over 60 percent compared to just over 30 percent for Windows 11. The security company ESET estimates that 32 milion PCs are still running Windows 10 in Germany alone. This means that cyber criminals will increasingly focus on Windows 10 security vulnerabilities after the end of support because it will be worth it. As soon as these gaps are publicly known, tools and programs will appear that exploit them. From this moment on, users of the outdated operating system risk losing their data. Windows 10 blue screen Mashka/Shutterstock.com At the end of support for Windows 7 in 2020, the operating system only had a market share of 20 percent. It is therefore to be expected that many criminals are already working on attacks on Windows 10, if only because of the enormous spread of the operating system. Get Windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro If malware has infiltrated a PC in the home network, all data is at risk, including that on internal network storage such as NAS devices.“It’s five to twelve to avoid a security fiasco in 2025. We strongly advise all users not to wait until October, but to switch to Windows 11 immediately or choose an alternative operating system if their device cannot be updated to the latest Windows operating system. Otherwise, users expose themselves to considerable security risks and make themselves vulnerable to dangerous cyber attacks and data loss,” explains IT security expert Thorsten Urbanski from ESET. Can you continue to use Windows 10 safely? Of course, it is not advisable to panic and immediately disconnect your PC from the internet or network in October. If you want to continue using Windows 10, you can book the Extended Security Updates program from Microsoft. This costs around $60 for the first year until October 2026. In this case, you will continue to receive updates from Microsoft. This extension runs a total of three times until October 2028, after which updates will also stop. An alternative that you can already use now is the 0Patch security solution. This is a company that provides security updates for Windows 10 until 2030. However, the company’s cloud-based software does not update the Windows 10 system files, but activates the patches in the computer’s RAM. This means they have to be reloaded every time the computer is started. The software is even free to use. If you want more comprehensive protection, you can book the paid version for a little more than $25 per year (25 euros). Thomas Joos There are many tips on the internet about using the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 operating system. This basically corresponds to Windows 10 Enterprise with all functions and will receive updates until 2032, but its use as an office PC is not permitted under licence law. Technically, however, you can safely use the operating system after purchase until 2032. There are also enough solutions for protection against malware that you can use in parallel, some of which are completely free of charge. For most people, updating to Windows 11 is the easiest option Of course, not all hardware supports Windows 11, but where installation is not a problem, you should carry out the free update. The operation of Windows 11 is still very similar to that of Windows 10 and you will continue to receive security updates and new functions. Before updating, check that all the applications and tools you use are compatible with Windows 11. In general, it is also very useful to make a complete backup of the operating system on an external hard drive and create a rescue disc beforehand. This can be done free of charge in Windows 10 and Windows 11 with on-board tools. The data snooping of Windows 11 can be deactivated with on-board resources and free tools, for example with ShutUp10 . Run “tpm.msc” to check whether your PC has a TPM module. This is necessary for the update. If the tool does not display the TPM, check the BIOS to see if it is switched off. If your PC’s hardware has problems with Windows 11, it may be time to buy a new PC. Read...

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Nvidia has mostly been in the news lately for its GeForce RTX 50-series cards and DLSS 4 technology, which is way more than just “fake frames.” But the company has been working in other directions as well, including a recent update to the Nvidia Broadcast app. In an announcement post (spotted by The Verge), Nvidia outlines two new AI features that were just added in. The one that catches our attention? Studio Voice, which “enhances a user’s microphone to match that of a high-quality microphone.” According to The Verge, a real-world test showed that Studio Voice really does make a mediocre webcam microphone sound close to professional in quality. The other AI feature in the update is Virtual Key Light, which “relights subjects to deliver even lighting, as if a physical key light was defining the form and dimension of an individual.” Combined, both of these features may let you present yourself in Zoom meetings and video chats in higher quality even with a run-of-the-mill laptop webcam. To use Studio Voice and/or Virtual Key Light, Nvidia says a GeForce RTX 4080 or 5080 GPU is required. However, The Verge reports that they were able to run Studio Voice on an RTX 3070, so who knows, maybe these are just recommendations, not requirements. (Before you run out an upgrade your GPU, see our reviews of the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090.) The latest Nvidia Broadcast update also includes Background Noise Removal (for clearer mic sound), Eye Contact (so it looks like you’re always looking at the camera), and Virtual Background (for clearer visual separation between you and your environment). Read...

Some big changes are coming with the latest season of Major League Soccer on Apple TV, including a new production studio and a featured Sunday night soccer match each week.  One thing that isn’t changing for Apple’s MLS Season Pass in 2025 is the price, although there will be some special offers for Comcast’s Xfinity, DirecTV, and T-Mobile subscribers.  The latest MLS season is set to get underway on February 22, with select preseason matches being streamed via MLS Season Pass starting February 11.  Just like last year, the 2025 edition of Apple’s MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 a month, or $99 for the full season. Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up for MLS Season Pass at a discounted rate of $12.99 a month, or $79 for the season.  Besides watching matches on the Apple TV app, you’ll also be able to watch games on the Apple Vision Pro headset, with video available to stream either within your physical space or within a Vision Pro “Environment,” complete with a virtual screen that feels up to 100 feet wide.  New for 2025 on MLS Season Pass is Sunday Night Soccer, a weekly marquee matchup that will boast an “enhanced” production and “dedicated” studio programming, Apple says, along with pre- and post-game shows.  The first Sunday Night Soccer showing will feature San Diego FC, the newest MLS club, taking on the MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on February 23 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.  Sunday Night Soccer matches will offer English-language commentary from Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman, and Andrew Wiebe, while the Spanish broadcast will be helmed by Sammy Sadovnik and Diego Valeri.  MLS Season Pass viewers will also see the new digs of MLS Productions, which is slated to move its studios to a new 30,000-foot facility at WWE’s headquarters in Samford, Connecticut.   Meanwhile, Apple has announced that T-Mobile will give free MLB Season Pass access to “qualified” T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile subscribers via a promotional offer. You can snag the deal starting February 18 by in the T-Mobile Tuesdays section of the T-Life app.  Over at Comcast’s Xfinity, users will get an “integrated” MLS Season Pass experience through the Xfinity user interface, as well as the ability to sign up for the package through the Xfinity service. The cable operator is also offering free access to the MLS 360 whip-around show to all Xfinity subscribers.  Finally, DirecTV subscribers will get a free preview of MLS Season pass from February 22 to March 1.  Apple offers various MLS Season Pass tie-ins across a variety of its services, including the Apple Sports app, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts.  The 2025 edition of MLS Season Pass marks the third of a 10-year deal between Apple and Major League Soccer for streaming rights to the games. Read...

I’ve been a Windows on Arm skeptic for years, but now I can say with certainty that I’ll consider a Snapdragon PC for every business trip I take. I recently completed a six-day tour of duty in Las Vegas, where I and many of my colleagues journeyed as part of our annual CES pilgrimage. I used the Surface Laptop 7, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, for the entire time. For me, that’s a big deal. I distinctly remember traveling to an Intel Developer Forum conference, most likely in San Francisco, and witnessing an SSD fail completely on a fellow reporter’s laptop. Since then, I’ve generally taken not one but two laptops to industry events, in case one failed or ran out of juice. I know, it’s ridiculous. But I could rest assured that I’d be able to file my story, and that’s what mattered to me. And it was ridiculous, for even as corporate briefings became ever more populated with power outlets, planes did too. That extra laptop became a rather heavy safety blanket that I’d have to wrestle with not only in airport security lines, but also toting it around on the daily. And with power outlets everywhere, did I really need a thin-and-light? Why not something with a little more oomph for a quick game on the go? Josh Hendrickson / IDG But something else happened over the past two years: The power outlets began disappearing again. In the last year, I traveled to Los Angeles, then to Berlin, and finally to Las Vegas. I actually had to haul out a battery pack and charging cord during a session to avoid trying to surreptitiously hunt down a power cord during a presentation. Coincidentally, 2024 was the year of the low-power processor: The Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite, Intel’s Lunar Lake, and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300. All three are superb. With Windows on Arm, however, there was always a risk. Would there be something that prevented me from getting the job done? I’d gone through this while using Chromebooks. Google Docs would be fine for 95 percent of what I needed to do. But when it came to a resume, I needed Word, and at the time Word only ran on Windows. With Arm, initial Snapdragon X laptop buyers complained about the lack of native Arm versions for Google Drive, Slack, various printers, and VPNs. But — and I give the Windows on Arm community a lot of credit here — the ecosystem listened and actively solved the lack of compatibility. Today, Google Drive, several VPNs, and other apps run just fine on Windows on Arm. So, I was heading to Vegas. Would I bet it all on the Surface Laptop? No. I brought a backup laptop anyway. To be fair, I did so as much as to have an extra screen as an extra laptop, so I could refer to a page of notes while I wrote on another. But I didn’t really need to. Long battery life, no compatibility issues whatsoever Put simply, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop performed superbly. I’ve come to believe that trade shows or conferences, where you’re shuttling from a conference room to a booth to a demo suite, are the true test of a laptop, where you simply doesn’t have the time or the convenience to hunt down a charger. Instead, it’s meeting after meeting, waking the laptop, typing and/or inking notes, and closing it. Rinse and repeat. Add in a breakfast meeting, something over lunch and maybe a lingering evening briefing, and you could have hours of uptime. highly recommended Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (13.8?) Read our review Best Prices Today: $799.49 at Amazon | $999.99 at Best Buy In all, I had a day or two with five meetings in Las Vegas as well as quiet “writing times” where I had a short period to file a story. I don’t think I ever hit less than 40 percent battery life after a day’s work. (At night, I’d plug in.) I used Wi-Fi pretty constantly while the laptop was awake, usually tethered to my phone for connectivity. I didn’t print once and never ran into a situation where I needed to download or use some weird little app to connect to a hotel Wi-Fi. (If I did, I had a VPN at the ready.) So no, I wasn’t trying to stress-test the laptop. Instead, I was using it a conveniently as I could to get my job done in an environment that prioritized long battery life. And everything just worked, for hours and hours and hours. Your mileage will vary, as they say, both at home and on the road. But I can say that I’ve now survived a lengthy, high-tension business trip with no thought to what chip was in my laptop — just that it got the job done. Do I like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite as a business tool? You bet. I’ve learned to quit worrying and love Qualcomm. Further reading: The 10 best laptops of CES 2025: These notebooks blew us away Read...

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