Windows 11 just witnessed the release of a new preview build which brings a few fresh features – including enhancements for the Family Safety widget – plus a ton of bug fixes, and the news that Microsoft is seemingly closing in on finalizing the big update for later in 2022 (known as 22H2 or Sun Valley 2).
Build 22610 improves Microsoft’s Family Safety parental control system by introducing the ability for you to see the location of your other family members who are using the Family Safety app.
Also, for the rest of your family who are designated in a ‘member’ role, they get a better view of screen time usage across devices and apps. Family Safety allows not only for tracking your children, but also setting screen time limits, and applying various content filters across software and games or when web browsing.
This new preview build also makes a bunch of additions on the device management and group policy front for IT admins, as well as some small tweaks to the Windows 11 interface (including the tooltip for the system tray’s battery icon showing an estimated time for remaining battery life, if your laptop supports it).
Finally, one minor but important UI move is the removal of the preview build watermark from the desktop (at the bottom-right), which is generally a sign that Microsoft is moving into the finalizing process for the big 22H2 update.
That said, in the blog post announcing this build, Microsoft does clarify that “this doesn’t mean we’re done”, but still, it’s a fair indication that things are close to finished, and soon everything will be tied up for this year’s Windows 11 update.
Analysis: Nearly ready, sort of – but there’s plenty of testing road still ahead
What this means is that soon enough, Microsoft should put a stop to adding new features, and start the process of testing and retesting everything that’s in place to make sure everything works fine (while squashing any bugs that pop up).
As you’re probably aware, the 22H2 update isn’t due out for some time yet – not until the second half of the year, perhaps earlier on, but more likely later in that period (in the past, we’ve typically seen H2 updates roll out in September or October).
So, while things might be close to done for Windows 11 22H2 in theory, there’ll still be a long road of testing to travel (which is a good thing – or it should be, anyway, in terms of making sure that no bigger flaws or bugs slip through the net).
Of course, there are quite a number of bug fixes already being applied, as you can see in the full notes for build 22610, and that includes the resolution of a nasty File Explorer crash loop which affected a “small” percentage of Windows 11 testers.
Netflix has canceled "Space Force" starring Steve Carrell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, and other notable actors after just its second season, another sign of a shake-up at the video streaming giant.
Space Force, which premiered in May 2020 with a 10-episode run, was picked up for a second season that aired in February 2022. The show has received mixed reviews overall and has struggled to break into the top 10 in Nielsen's overall streaming ranking, though it topped out at number 7 in the streaming originals category according to Deadline, which broke the news of the cancellation.
In addition to Carrell, Malkovich, and Schwartz, the show featured Tawny Newsome, Dianna Silvers, Don Lake, and Jimmy O. Yang. The show centered around the newest branch of the US Military, the eponymous US Space Force, and its struggles to find its footing and be taken seriously by the government that created it.
It lost 200,000 subscribers in 2022, including 700,000 that it lost when it pulled out of the Russian market after Russia invaded Ukraine. That latter drop was offset by an additional 500,000 new subscribers from elsewhere. Though the expectation is that the subscriber loss is going to get worse before it gets better. Netflix said it will lose another 2 million subscribers before June 2022.
The news triggered a huge sell-off that wiped $50 billion from the company's market value.
This has led the company to cancel several projects that it had in the works along with several other shows besides Space Force. The company also laid off the staff of its Tudum blog on Thursday afternoon, with many of those writers taking to Twitter to express their shock and disappointment.
Brave has released version 1.38 of its privacy-centric browser for desktop and Android which features a refreshed Brave Shields panel, de-AMP-ed pages and a new Gemini custodial wallet integration for Brave Rewards.
Unlike Google Chrome and other popular mainstream browsers, privacy is at the heart of Brave and it’s enabled by default with no extra downloads or settings to configure. One of the ways in which the company protects the privacy of its users is through Shields which block ads, trackers, cookies, fingerprinting and other tracking techniques that are used to follow you across the web.
Version 1.38 of Brave for desktop refreshes the Brave Shields design to make it easier to use and clicking the Brave logo in the address bar on any page you visit will reveal the number of trackers the browser is currently blocking.
Another big update to Brave Shields in the latest release of the browser is that the company has also made it more intuitive to adjust the feature’s settings if Brave’s privacy protections have stopped a page from loading as expected. This way you can protect your privacy online while still being able to access every site you need to online.
One new way in which Brave is taking the fight to Google is by adding de-AMP-ing protections to its browser. For those unfamiliar, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are a non-standard publishing format for news stories created and pushed by Google.
While the search giant first developed AMP to help web pages load faster and look cleaner, the format strengthens Google’s grip on the web and provides it with more insights on the pages users view and how they interact with those pages.
When you load the AMP version of a web page, you’re not actually seeing the original. Instead, you’re seeing a version that has been cached on Google’s servers which gives the company additional visibility into your browsing habits and taste in news. This is why Brave’s default protections circumvent AMP pages or “de-AMP” them and load the canonical version of a page instead.
If you’ve been searching for a private browser that will let you finally ditch Chrome for good, Brave could be exactly what you’re after and if not, DuckDuckGo just released a desktop version of its browser for Mac with a Windows version on the way soon.
Google quietly updated its Sensitive ads categories to now include dating, pregnancy/parenting, and weight-loss topics on top of gambling and alcohol.
This means that users will be able to limit the exposure they get from, in part, ads on YouTube based on these topics. The purpose of these controls is to give people the ability to protect themselves from possibly traumatic subjects.
YouTube ad control
If you’re interested in turning on these controls, they can be found at the bottom of your Google account’s Ad Settings. You’ll see a “See fewer” button next to the topic. Clicking will enable the feature to filter out most of the ads. You’ll still see them, just less often.
Do note that the filters are in beta, and exclusive to YouTube videos and targeted ads from the Google Ads program. It won’t filter out Google Search results. Google’s Ads Help support page further clarifies how the filter works. It’ll prevent advertisers from showing you personalized ads, but it won’t stop anything tangentially related.
For example, you may see an ad for a restaurant chain where it shows people drinking beer or a couple on a date. While that ad shows the “Sensitive topics”, they are not the focus, so you’ll see them.
Hennessy stated these five categories were chosen due to user surveys the company conducted. Alcohol and gambling were the top two and “the very next four categories were parenting, pregnancy, dating and weight loss.”
Alcohol and gambling filters were introduced back in late 2020 and have been in beta since. Google has expressed interest in continuing to improve these controls. However, it’s unknown if these filters will ever make their way to Search results.
Power to the user
This still begs the question of why Google decided to do this in the first place, considering its penchant for pushing targeted ads in the past.
The Democrats in the US House and Senate drafted a bill that would outright ban targeted ads for good earlier this year. Google is aware of this criticism and even starts its 2020 Ad Settings post talking about user transparency and control.
Google has announced that Google Drive’s warning labels are coming to Docs, Sheets and Slides to help protect users from malicious or dangerous files when using its online collaboration tools.
With more employees working from home than ever before, Google Workspace and other collaboration tools have proved invaluable. However, cybercriminals are well aware of this fact which is why they’ve begun targeting users through the search giant’s office software.
For instance, earlier this year security researchers at CheckPoint-owned Avanan discovered that cybercriminals have begun utilizing comments in Google Workspace apps to send malicious links to unsuspecting users. Likewise, security researchers at Volexity recently discovered a custom malware designed for macOS which is capable of taking control of a user’s Google Drive account.
In an effort to further protect users from these kinds of attacks, Google is now bringing warning banners to Docs, Sheets and Slides.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Workspace warning banners
According to a new post in the Google Workspace blog, Google is extending Drive’s warning banners to the file-level to keep users safe from malware and other malicious files.
Going forward, Google Workspace users will now see warning banners when they open a suspicious Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file on the web. One such warning label that users may encounter reads: “This file looks suspicious. It might be used to steal your personal information.”
As warning banners will help protect Google Workspace users from a variety of online threats, there is no admin control for this feature nor is there any end user setting for it. Instead, it will automatically be applied to Docs, Sheets and Slides files over the course of the next 15 days.
It’s worth noting that warning labels are available to all Google Workspace customers as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers. However, Google could decide to make this feature available to those with personal Google Workspace accounts at a later time.
There’s much to be excited about when it comes to the metaverse and Web3, particularly for retailers. This is especially true for brands who have struggled to keep pace with digital experiences using today’s technologies. With emerging tools, businesses could finally unlock the true potential for ecommerce, and create new, unique experiences at the same time.
By now, most people will have seen videos of the metaverse and what it can potentially achieve in the future. For some, it’s a thrilling prospect. For others, there’s a degree of hesitancy. But what this early phase does is enable companies to prepare for the future. In retail, it could provide a much needed shot in the arm at a time when consumers are increasingly calling for better ways to merge the physical and virtual worlds.
We’re reminded of the fact that younger shoppers hold a growing amount of influence on where the industry will go. And at the moment, they’re expecting more. According to research from WP Engine, 57% of Gen Z and 68% of millennials expected to maintain their digital habits after the pandemic. However, brands have seen mixed results on delivering seamless experiences that will keep shoppers incorporating digital into their everyday lives. A new interactive Metaverse could completely transform ecommerce, delivering on the promise of blending the best parts of an in-store and online shopping experience.
Meanwhile, Web3, the framework on which the metaverse is built, can help build trust by supporting brands to get closer to consumers. It could help impact and capitalise on how Gen Z's judge products and services. For example, we could see consumers getting direct access to creators without a middleman, as well as having control of how and to whom they share their personal information. This means strengthening the trust between buyer and brand.
This is a win from two perspectives. For the brands, they can own the relationships with consumers and sell directly to them. For the consumers, they have the inherent trust that Web3 is built on, to give them peace of mind as they explore new shopping experiences. They decide who they share their data with.
Humanizing the experience
A study by Forrester found that 13% of Brits and 19% of Americans think brands should build more branded experiences in the metaverse. Yet a larger proportion (33% and 29% respectively) still don’t understand what the metaverse is, even after being given a description of it. Meanwhile, 36% of Brits and 27% of Americans say they have no need for the metaverse at all. This tells us the metaverse shouldn’t be a solution looking for a problem. It should have a purpose that gives consumers what they need at a time when commerce is quickly changing.
We’ve seen digital experiences increasing, particularly during the pandemic when everyone was forced to shop online. But digital experience should be much more fluid than living on a web browser or mobile app. It should work hand in hand with, and enhance, physical shopping.
There’s a lot at stake here for brands that sell products where the look, sizing, or experience are crucial to making a purchasing decision – such as home furniture, clothes, eyewear, and makeup. How do you know if that coffee table you saw online will suit the décor of your living room? How can you tell if that outfit will look as good on you as it does on the gorgeous model on the website?
Offering a virtual try-before-you-buy, for example, can help buyers feel more confident in their purchasing decisions and reduce the number of items returned.
Turning vision to reality
Virtual worlds sound great – so how do we get there? A technical marvel like the metaverse demands a hyper-flexible software platform to power virtual ecommerce environments. For the metaverse to become an extension of their existing retail offering, brands will need to prepare their digital stores for different kinds of media, devices, and virtual formats. The technology exists today with headless architectures helping to pave the way.
Headless is a type of web architecture that decouples the front end of a website (the graphical user interface or GUI) from the back end (where the code and data live). In this architecture, the front end and back-end work independently. And with this independence comes the freedom to use different mechanisms to develop and display content. You’re no longer tied to one technology that requires you to keep the front and back end wedded to each other. This means developers can create a user interface at the front end that can be tailored to each user, application, or screen – all while keeping the back end secure and robust elsewhere.
Businesses are already using headless for various use cases. According to 2021 research from WP Engine, 64% of enterprise organizations are using a headless approach, which is an almost 25% increase from 2019. Others are planning to roll out this approach soon. Many are using it to develop content that can live across many different channels including mobile apps, smartwatches, voice assistants and digital kiosks. But headless also helps businesses prepare for the future by setting in place the infrastructure now that will enable them to implement new experiences tomorrow. So even if a retail business decides it doesn’t want to venture into the Metaverse immediately, it can still use headless to create content now that can live in the Metaverse whenever the company is ready.
Headless software architectures address the increasingly fragmented world of omnichannel experiences. Some companies choose to build on WordPress and, in doing so, they are backed by one of the world’s largest developer communities. The best part is that by going open source, brands can integrate a whole host of services and tools, helping build a virtuous circle of better experiences, more users, and greater business impact.
The metaverse may seem like a far-flung extravagance for many businesses, but there are many elements that are being implemented today. In any case, this isn’t just about whether the tech is ready. In many cases, it is – depending on what exactly a business wants to create. Right now, the biggest question is whether brands are willing to evolve along with their customers and create new ways to build relationships. This is about consumers getting closer to the brand and being loyal advocates for the brand, rather than simply buying from it. That’s the shift we’re looking to make. The metaverse will be a key way to make that happen.
Looking to create a website for your business? You’ll need the best web hosting service provider on the market.
Website builder vendor Wix is partnering with SaaS platform LegalZoom to help small business owners create, manage and grow their online presence.
Courtesy of the partnership, SMBs will have the tools to both create a website and legally form their business in the US, all in one place.
Once the collaboration takes effect in the second half of the year, business owners will be able to gain access to LegalZoom's legal, tax and compliance solutions and services and immediate access to a website built specifically for their business type.
No website barriers for SMBs
The Wix and LegalZoom platforms will be available for SMBs to utilize customized recommendations and solutions tailored to their needs at different stages of their business development.
"Our goal at LegalZoom is to support existing business owners as well as the next generation of entrepreneurs," said Kathy Tsitovich, Chief Partnerships Officer, LegalZoom.
"Having a simple way to build a beautiful website is almost universal for small business owners, and our integration with Wix in the US provides a seamless way for our users to form their business and build their online presence. As a champion for small businesses, we are thrilled to see how our integration with Wix empowers entrepreneurs and supports their ongoing growth."
Businesses coming to LegalZoom in their formative stage will be able to start their business and create an online presence using Wix’s website builder service.
The process begins with a business categorization mechanism within the platform that identifies the customer’s needs, which allows them to have a ready-made website created by Wix.
Once available, entrepreneurs will have access to Wix's full infrastructure and product offering, including customization capabilities and SEO tools, as well as ecommerce and marketing tools.
In turn, Wix users will be offered LegalZoom services, including new business formation, registered agent services, and trademark registration services.
"Wix shares LegalZoom's goal of supporting SMBs and bringing entrepreneurs' visions to life," said Yaniv Vakrat, Chief Business Officer at Wix.
"We are excited that LegalZoom, the leader of online small business formation, chose us to help equip business owners in the U.S. with everything they need for their business, from inception to managing it on a day-to-day basis. We are excited to continue to enter strategic partnerships, such as this one, to help SMBs grow through every touchpoint of their business."
Looking to create a website for your business? You’ll need the best web hosting service provider on the market.
Harman Kardon has announced the Citation MultiBeam 1100, a Dolby Atmos soundbar with a name like a weapon Judge Dredd would wield. It features 11 built-in speaker drivers for precise audio positioning, delivering 630W of audio, and its 45.2-inch/1,150mm width makes it ideal for the best 55-inch TVs and bigger.
With a price of £799 (around $990 / AU$1,400) for its May launch in the UK and Europe (it's expected to arrive in Australia later, but isn't currently planned for a US launch), it's taking aim directly at the Sonos Arc, which also uses 11 speakers to create Dolby Atmos audio, but costs a little more.
Except the Harman Kardon bests the Sonos in couple of key specs, which may make it a better buy for lots of people.
First up is HDMI passthrough: the Citation MultiBeam 1100 includes an HDMI input, as well as its HDMI eARC connection to your TV.
This means that you don't lose the use of a precious HDMI port on your TV, which is especially important on mid-range models that might have fewer ports. The soundbar can pass 4K HDR video through to your TV, including Dolby Vision HDR.
It also means that even if your TV doesn't support Dolby Atmos sound (such as the best Samsung TVs from before 2022, as well as lots of mid-range or cheaper models), you can easily get the full effect of Dolby Atmos audio from a streaming box or 4K Blu-ray player that's plugged directly into the soundbar.
The Sonos Arc doesn't include a second HDMI port, which means that for some people, it's just not a great buy, despite sounding fantastic. It's a continued frustration, but not a problem you'd have with the Harman.
Super streaming
Second is streaming audio support: the Citation supports AirPlay 2, just like the Sonos Arc, but also Chromecast, Alexa Multi-room, and Bluetooth 5.0 (though no aptX).
The Arc lacks the last three… though it does support Sonos' own multi-room streaming, of course.
The guts of the Citation MultiBeam 1100 laid out for all to see.(Image credit: Harman Kardon)
MultiBeam me up
Harman says the sound equates to 5.1.2 channels, and the 11 speakers providing this consist of: six front-firing racetrack (ie, oval) drivers; two upfiring full-range drivers for Atmos height; and three tweeters, with one facing forward as the center channel, and two angled on the left and right for positional width.
Despite promising "deep, rich bass," we'd wager that it'll be a bit light on the low-end compared to a soundbar with a dedicated subwoofer – but you can always add a Citation Sub or Citation Sub S if you want more oomph. The latter is a smaller and more affordable option that will suit those wanting big sound in fairly compact rooms.
The main downsides we can see in the Citation MultiBeam 1100's specs are that there's no DTS audio support (not a problem for most people, but may frustrate home theater enthusiasts) and the HDMI passthrough doesn't support HDMI 2.1 features.
The latter is still relatively rare, though the Sony HT-A7000 is a similar soundbar that includes it… but also costs about 50% more, so we're not too mad at Harman for omitting it.
Of course, the big question here is how it will compare sound-wise to the Sonos, which remains best-in-class for Atmos sound for the price, even years after its launch. We'll have a full review soon enough, and be sure to check out the rest of our picks of the best soundbars in the meantime.
Salesforce has introduced a new toolkit that allows developers to build custom Slack applications.
The new tool, Salesforce Platform for Slack, will allow over 11 million Salesforce developers to pull functionalities, including automations, directly from Salesforce into the popular collaboration software.
Salesforce Platform for Slack was announced at Salesforce’s developer conference in San Francisco, TrailblazerDX. The news comes after the CRM giant finalized its acquisition of Slack for around $27.7 billion in July 2021.
Good news, Salesforce developers
Salesforce claims this new tool will expand the number of developers who can build Slack apps and workflows across Salesforce and Slack, by allowing them to use the coding languages and tools they are already familiar with.
The move also includes updates to Salesforce Flow for Slack, which the company says will enable developers to build Slack-first automations with support for Salesforce data and actions using low code.
The announcement also includes updates to Apex SDK for Slack, which allows developers to build for Slack in Salesforce's Apex language, and to automatically generate user interface framework Block Kit.
There are also multiple Salesforce for Slack apps launching into beta, including Sales Cloud for Slack, which automates deal status updates for sales teams, helps to locate records in Salesforce for pipeline analytics, and enables collaboration across teams.
Another app, Service Cloud for Slack, assigns service cases to team members as they come in, allowing teams to bring in experts to solve customer cases. And finally, Marketing Cloud for Slack will enable teams to collaborate and execute marketing campaigns.
Flow in Slack is expected to be available in beta in June 2022 and become generally available in October 2022, while Apex SDK for Slack is expected to be available in pilot in June 2022 and be generally available in February 2023.
Sales Cloud for Slack, Service Cloud for Slack and Marketing Cloud for Slack are now in beta and are expected to become generally available in June 2022.
In any case, it seems that workplace communication tools like Slack are likely to be a common fixture of workplaces for a long time.
Only a third of knowledge workers have reverted to working from the office full-time, and most of these workers are returning reluctantly, with 55% saying they would prefer to work flexibly at least part time.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) juggernaut is definitely not slowing down any time soon. That's a sentence that's sure to make comic book movie naysayers bristle but, based on the latest news to emerge from CinemaCon, it's all but guaranteed.
Speaking during Disney's presentation at the Las Vegas event, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that the company's executive team were about to embark on a retreat to work on the next 10 years of Marvel movies. It's unclear if that includes recently announced Marvel Phase 4 projects like Blade and Fantastic 4, or if the Disney subsidiary is simply plotting out its Phase 5 plans.
Kevin Feige just said on stage he’s going to a Marvel Studios retreat from CinemaCon to work on the next 10 years of MCU movies. pic.twitter.com/TKcs27Oj0gApril 27, 2022
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Regardless, it's set to be a busy and exciting time for the MCU, its creators, and Marvel's global fanbase. But, with so much rich comic history to pull from over the past 83 years, what could the future hold for the MCU? Will we get new superhero team up flicks a la The Avengers? Is the multiverse, which we've already seen in Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, set to play a bigger role moving forward? Or do Marvel have something else in mind?
There are numerous options for Marvel to explore, but here are four things I absolutely want to see from the next 10 years of Marvel movies.
1. Less interconnectivity
Moon Knight is a rare Marvel project that's disconnected from previous MCU movies and shows.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Marvel Studios always had plans to create an interconnected universe. The foundations for this has been embedded in the MCU from the get-go, with the post-credits scene of 2008's Iron Man laying the first bricks for multiple heroes and villains to cross paths.
The first Avengers movie, though proved it was not only possible to bring together a remarkable group of people – see what we did there? – but that there was worldwide audience demand for superhero team-up films of this ilk. Subsequent Avengers flicks, plus the arrival of the multiverse – set to be explored in greater detail in Doctor Strange 2 – have only added to the MCU's burgeoning interconnectivity.
The problem with continuing down this 'everything is connected' path, though, is that it arguably prevents newcomers from fully immersing themselves in this franchise. With 27 movies and six Disney Plus shows (and counting) to catch up on, some would-be fans may even be put off from becoming the next MCU super fan. At this point, there's just too much content to consume to catch up on.
In my view, Marvel should take a leaf out of one of the best MCU Phase 4 projects to date – Moon Knight – and actually rein in its shared universe. For a time, at least. Allow your superhero movies and TV series to stand independent of one another. Tell self-contained stories so anyone – even the least likely Marvel fan – can check out a six-episode TV show or a two-hour long film, with the knowledge that they don't need to know any about any previous plot points or characters, and enjoy it for what it is.
Sure, there will be a time when bringing superheroes together to stop a wider, multiversal threat – we're looking at you, Kang – is necessary. Moving forward, though, less is more. Make standalone films with no ties to previous or concurrent movies, and you'll likely attract new (and more) Marvel fans. And hey, if newcomers like what they see and want to watch more MCU content, they've got a whole batch of productions to catch up on. Win-win, in my opinion.
2. Move away from the traditional film trilogy format
Thor is the only superhero to get four standalone movies so far.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
The movie trilogy format is something that's become entrenched in Hollywood filmmaking over the past few decades. Star Wars, the MCU, the DCEU, and many other franchises have utilized such a blueprint for many years now, albeit with varying levels of success.
But it's time to move away from this overused, somewhat stale formula now – and, funnily enough, Marvel has proved that it's already willing to do so.
We've had four Avengers films. Once Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in July, Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder will have had a character arc encompassing four flicks. The Captain America franchise – albeit with a new Cap in Anthony Mackie's Falcon/Sam Wilson – is in line to receive a fourth movie, too. There's a precedent, then, for Marvel slowly moving away from the traditional film trilogy format. And it's something I'd like to see the studio lean into more.
Marvel doesn't have to start making quadrilogies instead of trilogies now, either. If the next entry in the Black Panther series – Wakanda Forever – completes numerous character arcs for its primary cast, stop at two and make it a Black Panther duology. If The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise continues after Volume 3, potentially with a new line-up, why not make another two movies (if that's all that is needed to end their MCU journey) instead of three? Heck, Eternals is one of the worst performing Marvel movies of all-time so, while it clearly set up events to come in a potential sequel, leave it as a single film (that didn't resonate with audiences) and move onto something else.
Not every Marvel movie series needs a three-film arc, i.e. a beginning, middle, and end. Some need to tell their stories over numerous flicks, while others don't. Here's hoping Marvel takes that into account.
3. Introduce the X-Men
X-Men in the MCU when, Marvel?(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
We all know they're coming – there have been plenty of references to them in the MCU so far, most notably in Falcon and the Winter Solider and Moon Knight (Scarlet Witch is the most obvious nod to this group, though, given her ties to Magneto in the comics). Outside of The Fantastic Four, they're arguably the most requested superhero group among Marvel fans as the next major addition to the MCU.
So, Marvel, please introduce the X-Men at some point over the next decade. We're already getting a Deadpool movie set in the MCU, plus we know we're getting a multiverse variant of Professor X in Doctor Strange 2. We're even getting a follow-up series to the original X-Men animated series on Disney Plus in the near future as well.
All the signs are there to bring them into your money-spinning franchise. And, quite honestly, we're tired of asking you when Wolverine and company will actually show up. So, on behalf of all Marvel fans, please bring them into the MCU. And make it sooner rather than later, okay?
4. Use the Disney Plus shows to your advantage
Ms Marvel will make her MCU debut in her own Disney Plus show.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
While a movie may make sense for iconic and beloved Marvel characters/teams such as the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Blade, it's arguably becoming more difficult to introduce new superheroes in their own standalone MCU flick.
Okay, Shang-Chi showed it was possible but, as we previously touched on, Eternals was considered a mess by many fans and critics. Unless a new character is introduced as part of an established character's film franchise – think Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, or America Chavez in the upcoming Doctor Strange 2 – the increasingly complex nature of the MCU may make it impossible to introduce superheroes in their own film.
That's where Disney Plus comes in handy. Disney's streaming platform has already helped Marvel to introduce multiple new characters in lead or supporting roles, including Moon Knight, Hawkeye's Kate Bishop, and Sylvie/Enchantress in Loki.
With shows such as Ms Marvel, Secret Invasion, and She-Hulk set to introduce new superheroes to the MCU before their potential appearances in MCU movies, Marvel is already utilizing Disney Plus in the correct way. Introducing new incumbents through a six-episode series provides the opportunity for greater character development, too, before they make the transition to the big screen.
And that's a trend that needs to continue. Marvel can certainly take advantage of introducing audiences to new characters, such as Ironheart in Wakanda Forever, in its movies before they get a standalone TV series on Disney Plus. But Marvel movies can similarly benefit from its Disney Plus cousins – a case in point being Ms Marvel's co-starring role in The Marvels, which will land in theaters eight months after Ms Marvel's live-action debut in her own Disney Plus series.
Marvel may be planning out the next 10 years of Marvel movies, but you can be certain that it'll also be factoring in its slate of Disney Plus shows – announced or otherwise – into its thinking. Taking advantage of its small screen offerings will go a long way to bringing new characters into the fray, even if they're standalone entries like Moon Knight, and further enrich the MCU as a result.
Windows 11 gamers now have a smart new customization option, namely the ability to easily adjust the intensity of the effect of Microsoft’s Auto HDR feature via the Xbox Game Bar.
For those not familiar with Auto HDR, it’s a feature which takes a game that doesn’t have HDR support (high dynamic range) – in other words, one that uses SDR, or standard dynamic range – and it applies a simulation of an HDR effect (you need to have an HDR monitor, of course).
Basically, it’s taking normal SDR games and giving them something like HDR with more vibrant and brighter colors, usually with impressive results, although sometimes things can go a little awry.
The addition of this new Auto HDR intensity slider in the Xbox Game Bar means you can correct the image if it turns out too bright (or indeed overly dim), and fine-tune the picture you’re getting.
A further useful change in this department is that the Xbox Game Bar now has a toggle to turn on Auto HDR (or turn it off), which you’ll find in the bar’s Settings menu, in the Gaming Features tab.
Both of these features are now out and available to those Windows 11 gamers who grab the latest version of the Xbox Game Bar from the Microsoft Store.
Analysis: Helping to get Auto HDR right for your eyes
(Image credit: Microsoft)
These are some useful changes, and it’s good to have the option to enable Auto HDR (or switch it off) right from in the Xbox Game Bar rather than having to take a trip to the Windows Settings panel. (Do note, though, that you need to relaunch the game you’re playing for the new choice to register).
What’s more important here, of course, is the ability to adjust the intensity of the HDR effect as needed. Obviously, the end result is a pretty subjective thing, and some folks might enjoy much more saturated and vivid colors, whereas others may prefer a more subtle effect. So now you can adjust the effect as needed on-the-fly, rather than just having to turn off Auto HDR if you find the default setting is just too off-putting.
What’s also nifty is that your chosen level of Auto HDR intensity is saved on a per-game basis, allowing you to use different settings for various games and have them all remembered individually.
As Microsoft explains, to use the feature, you need to head to the Xbox Game Bar’s Settings menu, then into Gaming Features, and click the ‘Adjust HDR Intensity’ button which will pop-up a small slider window to allow you to change the level from a minimal effect to maximum.
Remember that you’ll need to be running the latest version of the Xbox Game Bar app, and it’s also worth noting that Auto HDR does not have any effect on games which natively support HDR, as you’d expect.
Let’s get one thing straight: Anatomy of a Scandal is a ridiculous show.
The first of many upcoming Netflix projects from Big Little Lies writer David E. Kelley, the series is a starry adaptation of Sarah Vaughan’s best-selling novel, and tells the story of a Westminster politician (Rupert Friend) accused of raping his aide (Naomi Scott). The man’s wife (Sienna Miller) is utterly convinced of his innocence, though her resolve is tested by a headstrong prosecutor (Michelle Dockery) determined to prove otherwise.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that synopsis reads like standard contemporary drama fare, and Kelley’s latest show – adapted for the screen with co-writer Melissa James Gibson (House of Cards) – hasn’t won over critics with any semblance of notable style or substance.
TechRadar’s own senior entertainment editor, Tom Goodwyn, described Anatomy of a Scandal as little more than “roughly six hours of Sienna Miller sighing,” which is one of the more forgiving assessments you’ll find on the internet if you go looking.
It’s a wonder, then, that the series has skyrocketed to the top of Netflix’s weekly popularity charts. Having scored more than 75 million hours viewed in the past seven days, Anatomy of a Scandal has become the first Netflix show to knock Bridgerton season 2 from its perch, and looks poised to remain in the top spot for several weeks to come.
Except, its success isn’t really a wonder at all. In recent years, Netflix has perfected the art of trickster television – series that attract audiences, like moths to a flame, with big names and moody marketing, only to leave them unsatisfied but equally unwilling to bail on their time investment halfway through watching.
GQ’s Ben Allen recently raised the same point in his description of the 'Prestige Imposter', a type of show that, in his words, “has all the trappings of your glossy HBO faves – huge stars, silly budgets, big ticket writers – but veers closer to EastEnders in depth and quality, a Trojan Horse filled with human excrement.”
Okay, maybe Anatomy of a Scandal isn't quite that bad, but it certainly doesn't warrant more viewers than every other TV show streaming right now.
Rupert Friend stars as a politician accused of sexual assault in Anatomy of a Scandal(Image credit: Netflix)
Of the myriad streaming services at customers’ disposal in 2022, Netflix is the biggest offender when it comes to peddling below-par series in such large quantities. Make no mistake, the platform still has the capacity to produce awards-worthy television – Stranger Things and Sex Education rank among the best in recent memory – but its frequently lazy output has begun to grate on subscribers toying with the notion that their money might be better spent elsewhere.
Netflix bosses know this. In response to the news that the streamer has hemorrhaged 200,000 paying customers since the beginning of 2022, CEO Reed Hastings told investors that the company plans to “re-accelerate viewing and revenue growth by continuing to improve all aspects of Netflix – in particular, the quality of [its] programming.”
Like Apple TV Plus – whose recent projects CODA and Severance have proven the value in investing in truly unique original programming – Netflix must now trust in the willingness of its viewers to embrace the unfamiliar, and also give those original series that do break the mold time to breath before condemning them to the scrap heap.
But it doesn’t help the cause when shows like Anatomy of a Scandal defy their quality to become – in the eyes of Netflix’s statisticians – successful productions. When these safe, shallow series rake in 75 million viewing hours in a single week, their success risks justifying the streamer’s decision to cancel other genuinely interesting projects (like those previously in development at its animation department) that would immeasurably improve the quality of the service as a whole.
There is, therefore, an awkward contradiction at play that raises several, difficult to answer questions. If these so-called 'Prestige Imposters' are consistently proving popular, should Netflix continue commissioning them in a bid to regain subscriber momentum? Do Netflix customers – who have so openly criticized the streamer and its recent content – really care about the quality of the shows they’re watching? Or are the likes of Anatomy of a Scandal only ranking as the most popular on Netflix because the options are so limited?
To be clear: Netflix subscribers are not at fault here. Logic simply suggests that the company will look to replicate its big wins by doing just that – producing homogeneous series that reap big viewership figures at the expense of critical disdain. Perhaps, though, acclaim is overrated – if audiences are genuinely enjoying Anatomy of a Scandal and not simply sticking it out until the end, then more power to Netflix.
Anatomy of a Scandal is one of the worst TV shows I’ve ever seen… so naturally I’m obsessed with it!April 24, 2022
See more
Still, for our money, the streamer must focus on quality over quantity moving forward if it hopes to fend off the increasingly fierce competition from rival platforms like Disney Plus and HBO Max. The company’s imminent crackdown on password sharing and likely introduction of a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier will go some way to mitigating its losses, but as Netflix well knows: content is, and always will be, king.
During April’s recent Windows Insider Webcast, even Microsoft appeared to be caught out by Windows 11’s strict CPU requirements, as one of the webcast’s hosts was spotted using an unsupported CPU during the presentation.
As Claton Hendricks, a Program Manager at Microsoft, toured the webcast's audience through new features coming to Windows 11’s Task Manager in the near future, those who were not enthralled by what was on display started to notice that, despite working for Microsoft, Hendricks was actually running a CPU that is not officially supported by Windows 11; the Intel Core i7-7660U.
Unfortunately for Hendricks, and countless users who’re stuck on Windows 10 without the option to officially upgrade, the Intel Core i7-7660 falls just outside of the window for supported hardware, meaning that, like many users, Hendricks will have had to jump through the tedious hoops of installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.
Analysis: Hardware requirements are hard to match
With even Microsoft’s own staff having to run Windows 11 on unsupported hardware so they can access the latest features, there’s no denying that the TPM 2.0 requirement that Windows 11 hides behind is a large hurdle to overcome for many users, as upgrading a CPU a few generations is often a costly and tedious task.
Thankfully, while Microsoft is far from coming out and saying that running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware is okay to do, having the company’s own staff using unsupported hardware during an official presentation is a subtle endorsement that it is not the end of the world if you too are running Windows 11 when Microsoft says you should not be.
Interestingly, as Hendricks talked through the improvements coming to Windows 11’s Task Manager in the future, they noticeably weren’t being plagued by the watermarks that Microsoft has put in place to shame users running on unsupported hardware, indicating that they had been temporarily removed from the preview build in order to potentially spare Hendricks the shame of being caught red-handed.
Unfortunately for everyone else running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, Microsoft still insists on littering your desktop and system settings with infuriating reminders that “system requirements are not met,” despite letting you still get away with Windows 11’s installation loophole.
Moon Knight episode 5 has arrived on Disney Plus. And, as you wipe the tears from your eyes – if you've seen it, you'll know why – you may have forgotten about a certain Easter egg that officially ties the TV show to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Before Moon Knight debuted on Disney Plus, there was plenty of discussion about how closely it would link to other MCU productions. But, one particular reference made by Tawaret, the Egyptian god of childbirth and fertility – you can read more about her in our episode 4 explainer – ensures that Moon Knight has major ties to a couple of Marvel movies.
We're about to dig into where you can find this Moon Knight episode 5 Easter egg and how it links to former and future MCUsuperhero flicks. Turn back now if you haven't caught the episode yet – why would you be here if you haven't? – and don't want anything spoiled.
Tawaret holds the key to Moon Knight episode 5's MCU links.(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
The reference in question can be found in the episode's opening act. After we're properly introduced to Tawaret (alongside Marc and Steven), we find out that the latter duo aren't in a psychiatric hospital at all. Instead, it's a figment of their imagination and they're actually on their way to the Egyptian afterlife – aka the Field of Reeds.
That is, if they pass the Weighing of the Heart trial by balancing their souls on the scales of truth against a giant ostrich feather. We could elaborate on that further, but it'll take a while to explain, so let's just move on to the Marvel Easter egg that Moon Knight episode 5 contains.
As Tawaret begins to explain that Marc and Steven are traveling to the afterlife via the Egyptian underworld, Marc asks if the psychiatric ward is a stand-in for said underworld. Tawaret says "This is an afterlife, not the afterlife. You'd be surprised how many intersectional planes of untethered consciousness exist."
It's during this part of the conversation that Tawaret drops a major Marvel movie reference: the Ancestral Plane, aka a parallel dimension where souls exist outside of a person's body.
Now, Moon Knight has dropped a number of other MCU Easter eggs throughout its episodic run so far, but this is the most obvious one of all. Why? Because we've seen the Ancestral Plane in multiple Marvel movies, including Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The Ancestral Plane featured prominently throughout Doctor Strange, with the Ancient One and Stephen Strange conversing in it at one point, while Strange battled one of Kaecilius' followers in this alternate reality. Meanwhile, we got a more afterlife-focused, dreamlike version of the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa and Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger visit it whenever they ingested Wakanda's legendary purple herb – i.e. the source of Black Panther's superpowers.
The Ancestral Plane was also touched upon in Endgame – Bruce Banner and the Ancient One discussed branching timelines during the Avengers' time stone heist. Finally, it was briefly featured No Way Home during Doctor Strange and Spider-Man's fight over a spell box that would've sent the webslinger's villains back to their original universes.
With Tawaret namedropping the Ancestral Plane in Moon Knight's fifth entry, it's clear that the latest Marvel Phase 4 project has closer ties to the MCU than we initially realized. Hopefully, that means we'll see Moon Knight team up with other superpowered beings in the future. That is, if he survives the season finale's expected showdown with Arthur Harrow, or if Oscar Isaac is even interested in returning as the character down the line.
Moon Knight episode 5's Easter egg also ties it to future Marvel movies
Bast the Panther God has ties to Moon Knight's Egyptian gods.(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
Tawaret's reference to the Ancestral Plane doesn't just link Moon Knight to previously released Marvel movies – it also ties to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and, perhaps more surprisingly, Thor: Love and Thunder.
The links to Black Panther 2 are pretty obvious. The Ancestral Plane played a key role in the 2018 MCU flick, with T'Challa and Killmonger able to talk to their fathers and other ancestors in this parallel dimension. Given that Wakanda Forever will likely see the christening of a new Black Panther – Boseman died in August 2019 after a four-year battle with bowel cancer – we can expect to see the Ancestral Plane feature at some point in the sequel.
Thor 4 is a different story. The god of thunder's MCU journey has made no reference to the Ancestral Plane thus far, but Love and Thunder is sure to change that in two major ways.
Firstly, Love and Thunder will introduce Gorr the God Butcher (played by Batman's Christian Bale), a powerful villain whose Necrosword weapon – in Marvel comics, at least – has the ability to kill gods.
You don't need us to tell you that gods walk among mortals in the MCU. Thor, Loki, Odin, and other Norse gods have appeared throughout Marvel Studios' various productions over the past decade. Moon Knight has introduced a number of Egyptian gods into the fold, but it was Black Panther that initially brought the Egyptian deities (i.e. the Ennead) into the MCU with Bast, the Panther God who bestowed the original Black Panther – Bashenga – with superpowers.
Secondly (but by not means least) it's Bast who may bridge the gap between Moon Knight, Black Panther, and Thor 4 together once the god of thunder's fourth solo movie arrives in theaters this July. According to The Cosmic Circus, Bast is set to appear in Love and Thunder; a move that would further cement ties between these MCU movies and TV shows.
Moon Knight episode 5's Ancestral Plane reference, then, isn't just a throwback to previous Marvel films. It also sets up the possibility of linking the Disney Plus show to upcoming MCU flicks, thus linking it to the wider MCU and ensuring that it isn't a wholly standalone property.
Will Moon Knight episode 6 contain further MCU ties? We think so, but we don't expect them to take center stage. It's the series finale, after all, so we suspect there'll be a major showdown between Marc Spector and Arthur Harrow, a few more revelations about the duo's past endeavors, and maybe even a post-credits scene that sets up Moon Knight's MCU future. Here's hoping, anyway.
A new Windows 11 update has been released which fixes a major problem with the operating system, which saw some PCs taking up to 40 minutes to boot up.
Usually, Windows 11 should take a matter of seconds to load, so having to hang around for almost three quarters of an hour is unacceptable. Thankfully, the Windows 11 KB5012643 optional update should fix this issue.
As this is an optional update, it means it won’t be automatically installed, but it’s worth grabbing if your PC is taking a long time to load.
The update also includes fixes for various other problems, including incorrectly aligned video subtitles and problems resizing app windows.
It’s worth checking Microsoft’s release notes for the Windows 11 KB5012643 update, and, if an issue you’re having is listed, you’ll want to install this update.
To download the update, you should first make sure you’re running the latest version of Windows 11 available for your device.
To do this, go to Settings > Windows Update and click ‘Check for updates’. If you see a message saying ‘You’re up to date’ then you can continue to download the KB5012643 update. If not, download and install any updates that are waiting for you.
Once done, click ‘Advanced options’ from the Windows Update screen, then click ‘Optional updates’ and you should see ‘2022-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 for x6-based Systems (KB5012643).
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Tick the checkbox next to it, then click ‘Download & install’.
Once installed, the issue should hopefully be fixed.
“Look how they massacred my series,” Don Vito Corleone might say if he could see the critical reactions to Paramount Plus’ latest drama, The Offer.
Airing exclusively on the burgeoning streaming service, Michael Tolkin’s 10-episode show re-tells the making of Francis Ford Coppola's legendary gangster movie, The Godfather, from the perspective of its ambitious producer, Albert S. Ruddy (played by Miles Teller). But, for all the craft and style of its source material, The Offer hasn’t gone down well with reviewers privy to its first few episodes.
Before we dig into the dirt, though, check out the trailer for the new Paramount Plus series below, which begins streaming on Thursday, April 28.
Let’s kick off with the show’s credentials on Rotten Tomatoes. According to the review aggregator site, The Offer currently has a 47% critics rating – which essentially means that over half of reviewers considered the show unworthy of recommendation (based on Rotten Tomatoes’ binary ‘fresh’ or ‘rotten’ metric).
In fairness, that’s not a terrible figure as new movies and TV series go, especially when considering that the latest Sony-produced Marvel movie, Morbius, wears a comparatively shameful 16% critics rating around its neck. Still, a quick read into the substance behind The Offer’s negative reviews betrays a similarly frosty reception.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Dan Fienberg, for instance, described Paramount’s latest series as “an illustrated Wikipedia entry stretched illogically to 10 hours by pandering to cinema fans with endless winking and nudging, and with performances that range from likably cartoonish to Madame Tussauds in a heatwave.” Not great, then.
The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez was equally unimpressed: “What unremarkably ensues is a kind of broad and tacky Godfather cosplay with zero subtext, nothing to say and very little to aspire to other than telling an increasingly self-satisfied tale of how The Godfather was made.”
Miles Teller stars as Albert S. Ruddy in The Offer(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)
Refreshingly, Ben Travers of Indiewire began his review with praise for the “vigorous charisma” of Matthew Goode’s Robert Evans – the Paramount studio executive responsible for ordering The Godfather’s creation – though he, too, took aim at The Offer’s overall lack of substance: “[It’s] a soulless, vapid piece of content that’s about as far removed from ‘art’ as professionally produced television can get.”
IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha similarly criticized the show’s “disconnected subplots, tensionless drama and empty Easter Eggs,” while Slashfilm’s Josh Spiegel simply labeled The Offer “a limited series that should’ve been a movie.”
It would, however, be unfair to ignore the smattering of positive reviews for Paramount’s latest offering. CNET’s Richard Trenholm described the show as “a highly watchable glimpse into the magic of movies [that] makes an offer that's hard to refuse,” also calling it “a treat for movie nerds and Godfather fans.”
Collider’s Maggie Lovitt echoed Trenholm’s enthusiasm: “The Offer is a nail-biting and exhilarating exploration into the making of one of the most iconic and influential films of the 20th century.”
If nothing else, then, The Offer will inevitably prove one of 2022’s more divisive series. Given that the first few episodes of Paramount's live-action Halo adaptation were equally lambasted by critics – we said the show had an "identity problem" in our own review – it appears that the still young streamer has some way to go before it can truly compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus.
As mentioned, The Offer's first three episodes begin streaming this Thursday (April 28) on Paramount Plus in the US, with the remaining seven set to arrive weekly on the same day. The show is expected to debut on Sky and Now TV in the UK, though no release date has been confirmed as yet.
Given the enormous commercial and critical success of The Batman, we always assumed that Warner Bros. would eventually greenlight a sequel to this year's most stunning superhero flick.
Well, assume no further, because a sequel to The Batman was officially announced today during the film studio's presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
Warner Bros. revealed that director Matt Reeves will return to write and direct the sequel, with star Robert Pattinson confirmed to play the Caped Crusader once again.
During the presentation, Reeves took to the stage to thank attendees for their "tremendous support for The Batman,” stating that “We couldn’t have gotten here without the faith and enthusiasm of all your teams around the world. I’m excited to jump back into this world for the next chapter.“
It's no surprise that Warner Bros. would be so quick to announce a sequel to The Batman – the film has so far amassed $759 million at the global box office, while its streaming debut on HBO Max saw 720,000 US households watch the film on its first day alone.
The Batman 2: what can we expect? [MILD SPOILERS]
No other details about The Batman sequel were offered during the presentation, though Reeves did promise that more would be revealed “in a CinemaCon to come.” With that in mind, here's what we do know.
While information about The Batman 2 is slim at this stage, it's quite likely that Jeffrey Wright will return as Lt. James Gordon, along with Andy Serkis as Alfred. It's also entirely possible that Zoë Kravitz and Colin Farrell will return as Catwoman and Penguin, respectively, though that will surely depend on who the film's villain ends up being.
Speaking of villains, it's also possible that Barry Keoghan's Joker will return for the sequel after his fleeting appearance in the first film, though we don't expect him to be Batman's main adversary – Reeves recently told The Wrap that Joker's scene in The Batman wasn't meant to set up a sequel, but rather to provide closure to Riddler's arc.
Seeing that the film was only just announced, it could be a while before we get to see this particular iteration of Batman in a new adventure. Thankfully, other versions of the character will return in 2023's The Flash, as well as the upcoming Batgirl film.
Microsoft is working on a new update for Teams that will make it even easier to place and receive calls using its online collaboration tool.
Besides video conferencing and workplace chat, Teams can also be used to make and receive calls in the same way one would do so with a business phone system. This is especially useful for call queue agents that need to route calls to others in their organization that can help with a particular issue or question.
According to a support document from Microsoft, call queues provide a greeting message, music while people are waiting on hold, call routing in First In, First Out (FIFO) order and handling options for both queue overflow and timeout.
Up until now though, call queue agents that used their own smartphone to route calls often had recipients call back their personal lines as opposed to their organization’s call queue number.
Dynamic caller ID for call queue agents
According to a new post on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, call queue agents can now place calls from Teams’ Calls app using a call queue phone number as their caller ID.
Although this isn’t the biggest update to Teams, it can ensure that a call is properly identified by a recipient and that they call back the call queue number instead of a call queue agent’s personal line.
In a separate post on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, Microsoft has revealed that it will be adding the option to delete call history in June of this year. Once this feature rolls out, it will allow call history users to hide call history records from their call history view.
While a VoIP phone could be a good investment for those working from home, Microsoft has continued to improve the calling abilities in Teams so that employees can call co-workers, partners and customers using their existing Android smartphone or iPhone.
