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Online or On-site PC Training & Online IT Support Consultant Become More Productive in your Business & Home Office Environment.

Utilise your Windows 10 PC or Laptop & Microsoft Office applications more efficiently. We also provide additional online Technical IT Support for Hardware & Software, Android (Google) Smart TV’s & TV Boxes, and do Basic Web Page Design.

09/01/2026

Google today previewed the future of Gmail, with new features like AI Overviews for search that are rolling out starting today and the upcoming ”AI Inbox.” This comes as Gmail has over 3 billion monthly active users.

Similar to google.com, AI Overviews in Gmail search will let you ask questions and get back AI-generated responses immediately to save you from having to open an email or check through multiple threads.

It starts with the search bar prompting you to “Get answers from Gmail.”

Instead of hunting for keywords or digging through a year of emails, just use natural language, like “Who was the plumber that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year?”

Gemini’s advanced reasoning pulls the answer, instantly summarizing the exact details you need.

You can ask your question naturally, with the existing search experience loading normally as Gmail reviews your request, scans your inbox, analyzes your message, and creates your overview.

Gmail will reference past threads and provide citations to them. AI Overviews in Search are rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, while the summaries that appear when you open an email thread are going free for all users.

https://9to5google.com/2026/01/08/gmail-ai-inbox/

Google today previewed the future of Gmail, with new features like AI Overviews for search and the upcoming ”AI Inbox.”

09/01/2026

PCWorld reports that Microsoft will launch Windows 11 26H1 specifically for Snapdragon X2 systems by April 2026, breaking the usual update cycle.

This version represents a technical adjustment optimizing performance for next-generation AI PCs rather than introducing major user-facing features for existing systems.

A more significant Windows 11 26H2 update with substantial new features and an intelligent AI agent is expected in late 2026.

A new update to Windows 11 (version 26H1) is set to be released, which will be specially adapted for new Snapdragon X2 systems.

09/01/2026

Microsoft may be losing the AI race already, unless the company has a secret in-house AI model up its sleeve to surprise the crowd.

Windows Latest has observed that Copilot’s market share on the web is still over just one percent, while ChatGPT is at 64.5% and Gemini has bumped to 21%.

Even Perplexity is doing better than Copilot with 2% share.

This data is based on the numbers shared by SimilarWeb, which is a digital data company that tracks ‘hits’ coming to websites.

Since data only covers visits to websites, such as copilot.microsoft.com or chatgpt.com, we can’t tell how popular Copilot is on the desktop or mobile apps.

However, I will not keep my expectations high.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/01/09/is-microsoft-losing-the-ai-race-copilot-web-is-still-stuck-at-1-market-share-we-dont-know-how-popular-it-is-on-windows-11/

Copilot's market share on the web is still over just one percent, while ChatGPT is at 64.5% and Gemini has bumped to 21%.

08/01/2026

Lenovo has had one hell of a week, unveiling more than a handful of new devices at CES 2026.

Everything from foldable phones to innovative new PC form factors are on the company's portfolio for 2026, and I love how brazen the company is about it.

It doesn't care if you're not interested in a rollable laptop, it's going to make one anyway.

In fact, Lenovo unveiled TWO rollable concept laptops at CES 2026, one for gamers and another for productivity use.

The gaming one is certainly impressive, featuring a rollable display that expands horizontally for a more immersive widescreen experience.

The productivity one is an upgrade over its last gen rollable laptop, with a screen that extends upwards, but displays itself on the lid when not in extended mode. Pretty cool!

Of course, these laptops aren't designed for your everyday joe, but that's not a bad thing. Not everything needs to exist to be a mainstream hit, and I like that Lenovo is leaning into niche and unique form factors for the people who want something so crazy and innovative.

As these are concept, they don't have any set release date, but Lenovo's concept devices usually do end up shipping in some capacity.

As Microsoft pulls back on Surface, Lenovo steps up as the Windows ecosystem's new innovator. With fresh hardware ideas and crazy designs.

08/01/2026

If you hover over apps on the Windows 11 taskbar, you can now share your app’s window with Copilot and start asking questions, such as how to reply to an email if you are in Outlook.

As silly as that might sound, this is the whole point of Copilot Vision.

I spotted the “Share with Copilot” feature on my Intel Lunar Lake Copilot+ PC, but it’s rolling out to everyone, and does not require one of these “AI” PCs.

This means, if you have non-AI PCs, including AMD or Intel, you are still going to see “Share with Copilot” on your taskbar, and that makes sense (more on that later).

“Share with Copilot” is rolling out with Windows 11 KB5072033 (Build 26200.7462 / 26100.7462 or newer), and it’s turned on by default, but I found a way to turn it off if you hate the idea (and you should).

If you hover over apps on the Windows 11 taskbar, you can now share your app's window with Copilot and start asking questions.

08/01/2026

Smart TVs have been around for years, and most of them do a decent job at connecting you to streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max.

That said, there are still plenty of households that use standalone streaming hardware — products like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, and Roku's lineup of streaming sticks and set-top boxes — instead of the apps and other features built into a web-connected TV.

On paper, this may seem redundant, but plenty of people still pick up a streaming device even when they already own a smart TV — and for good reason. "Smart" doesn't automatically mean "fast," "smooth," or even "reliable."

Popular platforms like Fire TV and Google TV are licensed out to a bunch of different manufacturers, and that creates a wide performance gap from one TV to the next.

Everything from the processor a company chooses to the version of the software the TV ships with can dramatically affect how well the interface actually runs in day-to-day use.

Slow navigation, sluggish app loading, and occasional crashes aren't uncommon on smart TVs, especially for budget and midrange TVs that may cut corners on internal hardware.

A dedicated streaming box or stick sidesteps that by giving you a consistent, well-maintained platform that's been optimized for one job: streaming your stuff quickly and without headaches.

It's common for tech consumers to assume all smart TVs are capable of the same functionalities as standalone streaming devices. Not so in all instances.

08/01/2026

About a decade ago, hardware company Corsair attempted to pivot from its classic logo—a subtle trio of ship sails—to a newer, edgier look, a pair of crossed swords that gave off regrettable '2000s tribal tattoo' energy.

The rebrand didn't last long: after a fierce outcry from people who correctly thought the new logo sucked, Corsair swapped to a refreshed take on the sail logo, which it's been using ever since.

Corsair was established in 1994, and made about $1.4 billion last year—which I bring up because today Microsoft, a slightly bigger company, has slipped on its own rebranding banana peel.

The company is seemingly all but ditching the Office name—which it introduced four years before Corsair existed, and which drove more than $30 billion in revenue just last quarter—with a catchy new name: "Microsoft 365 Copilot app."

Copilot is, notably, a thing that already exists!

But as part of the ongoing effort to juice AI assistant usage numbers by making it impossible to not use AI, Microsoft has decided to just call its whole productivity software suite Copilot, I guess.

Copilot is the app for launching the other apps, but it's also a chatbot inside the apps. Any questions?

08/01/2026

Microsoft plans to end support for several products in 2026, and the list of those products also includes Windows 11 24H2.

In fact, Windows 11 will be five years old this year, and we might soon start hearing about the company’s future plans (I’ll have more on that later).

Other products losing support include Office 2021 for Windows and macOS.

This year also marks the end of support for Office 2021, which has been succeeded by Office 2024.

Office 2021 launched on October 5, 2021, and its support will end on October 13, 2026, exactly five years after the release.

As per the support documents seen by Windows Latest, Microsoft also confirmed that it will end support for Office LTSC 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 for Mac on October 13, 2026.

This means you have approximately 10 months to decide whether you prefer Office 2024 (standalone license) or Microsoft 365 (subscription-based, billed monthly or annually).

Microsoft plans to end support for several products in 2026, and the list of those products also includes Windows 11 24H2.

08/01/2026

The Streisand effect continues to be real, as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's AI comments go viral.

A couple of days ago, Nadella penned a short note on his hopes for artificial intelligence going into 2026.

As you know, Microsoft is very much "all in" on AI, with Azure providing a significant chunk of the backbone for OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Microsoft has been baking its ChatGPT-powered Copilot app into virtually every product it has, whether you like it or not.

The brute force by which Microsoft is introducing these products has led to an unrelenting backlash on social media, and Nadella's latest comments reignited the commentary in a big way.

In the piece, Nadella said that he hoped society would "move on" from questions of "slop" for AI — emphasizing that for the technology to gain acceptance, it needs to move beyond spectacle.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella penned an AI-heavy blog post to close out 2025, leading to widespread mockery and a brand new moniker for the big M.

08/01/2026

20 years ago today, the CES in Las Vegas was buzzing with talk of Blu-ray technology, players, and media. Several years in the making, Blu-rays arrived with considerable industry backing, with “seven out of the eight major movie studios announced movie titles for the launch,” reports Blu-ray.com.

This successor to the DVD offered improved density and thus capacity vs earlier optical formats, largely thanks to the development of blue‑violet laser diodes – hence the name.

Blu-ray discs boosted single layer media capacity to 25GB, vs 4.7GB for DVDs, using a new 405nm blue‑violet laser combined with more advanced materials.

The shorter wavelength enabled a higher numerical aperture for more pits per sq mm.

This was complemented by a tighter track pitch and a thinner (but harder) protection layer to boost capacity tenfold (comparing single-layer media).

Moreover, Blu-ray’s base speed was significantly boosted, with the older DVD standard offering 11 Mbps, but the new format raising the bar to 36 Mbps.

Better quality video was also delivered thanks to Blu-ray’s adoption of the AVC (H.264) codec. It retained MPEG-2 compatibility, but AVC facilitated more efficient HD video file playback at manageable bitrates.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/blu-ray-hits-20-optical-disc-format-was-introduced-to-the-public-at-ces-2006

Major releases still coming out, and enthusiasts collecting discs.

08/01/2026

Windows 11 gets a bad rep in the community because of its higher baseline overhead, stringent hardware requirements, UI regressions, and more - not to mention the forced Microsoft hooks that keep getting worse by the day.

Moreover, when placed in a rather unscientific test by TrigrZolt, comparing six different generations of Windows with each other, it placed dead last in pretty much every individual test, though the situation is a bit more nuanced.

More fuel for the Windows 11 hate train.

08/01/2026

Microsoft dropping support for Windows 10 has left a lot of perfectly good hardware in limbo just because it doesn't meet the requirements for Windows 11.

Naturally, people are reluctant to let Microsoft turn their functional computers into e-waste, so they're switching over to Linux.

One Linux distribution in particular has seen a surprising uptick in users, ZorinOS. Just a month after its latest version released, it was downloaded over a million times.

According to ZorinOS developers, almost 800,000 of those downloads came from Windows users. Windows 10 users are clearly flocking to this distro, so I installed it to see what the appeal is.

Turns out, it's the perfect replacement.

Zorin OS says it hit 1M downloads in just over a month, mostly from Windows PCs. I installed it to see if it’s a real Windows 10 replacement.

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