Windows 11 will automatically back up your folders to OneDrive
Microsoft enables OneDrive folder backup in Windows 11 for new OS installations. Before This changewhen first run, Windows 11 would ask the user for permission to set up OneDrive on their computer. But now, the contents of your user folders such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos will be automatically synced to the cloud storage service.
This could exhaust your storage limit pretty quickly, and given that Microsoft only offers 5GB of storage to free users, this could be a problem for many people. The company is already touting the benefits of using its premium subscription, Microsoft 365, in the Windows 11 Start menu, Windows Defender, and even in the Settings app. So this change seems to be marketing oriented, rather than helping users back up their files.
Vertical tabs in Firefox are now available in the Nightly version
Mozilla confirmed last month that it would bring tab groups, Vertical tabs, and a new profile management system for Firefox later this year. Now it has officially started testing vertical tabs in Firefox. The Nightly version of the open source browser now comes with the much-requested feature. Users will need to enable a few preferences in the advanced settings page before accessing the new tab bar design.
Once enabled, the horizontal tab bar disappears and you can access your tabs from the vertical tab bar that appears on the left side of the screen. Toggling the browser sidebar switches between a compact view with tab icons and an expanded view that displays each tab’s title. The sidebar supports the right-click context menu, so you can interact with tabs just like you would with the regular tab bar. Tabs can be rearranged using drag and drop, though it doesn’t support scrolling with the mouse wheel. This is to be expected, as the Vertical Tabs feature is in its early stages of development.
The official ChatGPT app for Mac is now available for everyone
OpenAI has released the official version ChatGPT App for Mac users. The desktop app allows users to quickly access the popular chatbot and brings unique features that are not available on the web version. You can quickly access ChatGPT by pressing Option + Space on your Mac keyboard. The application can be used to generate text, summarize content, analyze code, etc. The best part is that it can be invoked from any application, allowing you to use ChatGPT system-wide.
ChatGPT for macOS can capture screenshots, and you can optionally upload files or photos and have the chatbot read the contents of the image. For example, if the image contains instructions or a recipe, it will neatly list them for you. The app has an optional feature called Memory, which you can enable to tailor your conversations with ChatGPT to your preferences. ChatGPT for Mac is available for Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Game downloads could become smaller thanks to this AMD technology
AMD announced a new technology called Neural Texture Blockwhich aims to reduce the size of game downloads. The chipmaker has yet to demonstrate the technology, but has described its features. As the name suggests, it uses neural networks. The feature will compress textures as a game is downloaded to a PC. The compression is done before a game is launched. AMD says game developers don’t need to make any changes to their games to load or display textures.
The best part is that it will also work with existing games. PC games have become quite large and some games are over 200 GB to download, so AMD’s Neural Texture Block could be useful to a lot of people.
Steam now has a built-in video recording tool
Valve has revealed a new feature for its Steam desktop app that allows users to record videos of their gameplay. The tool is called Game recordingand is available in the beta version of the Steam launcher. The tool can capture videos automatically when you start playing a game, or you can start/stop the recording process manually.
Captured videos can be accessed via Steam Overlay and played instantly. You can edit the videos using the clip editor and easily share them with your friends. The tool is not exclusive to PC, Steam Game Recording also works on Steam Deck.
Google Integrates Gemini AI into Gmail
Google adds a new sidebar in Gmail, to introduce AI Gemini to Workspace users. The feature is currently rolling out and can be accessed by clicking the star button in the upper right corner of Gmail’s interface. The chatbot was designed to help users with various tasks such as summarizing an email thread or suggesting replies to it, drafting an email. You can ask questions to find specific information in your emails or files stored in Google Drive. AI features are also available in the Gmail mobile app on Android and iOS.
Apple Intelligence will not be available in the EU
Apple’s AI, aptly named Apple Intelligence, wowed viewers who tuned in to the WWDC 2024 event. The AI feature’s enhanced capabilities will help users complete tasks faster and get information quickly in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia. But it turns out that Apple has decided not to extend this feature to devices in the European Union. In fact, two other features won’t be available in the region: SharePlay screen sharing and iPhone mirroring.
Apple said it was concerned by regulatory uncertainties linked to the Digital Markets Act, and that it would not launch the three functionalities in Europe this year. Margrethe Vestager, a European Commission official, criticized Apple’s statement, calling it an open declaration of the company’s anticompetitive practices.
Adobe AI Assistant can help you with your documents
Google isn’t the only one announcing the addition of AI to its products. Adobe has introduced its own AI Assistant designed to help users with their documents. The tool will be available in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.
Adobe’s AI Assistant can be used to generate concise summaries of PDF, PowerPoint, or Word documents. You can also interact with the chatbot by entering your query, and it will provide you with relevant answers. Adobe AI Assistant is not free, users will need to purchase the Acrobat Standard or Pro subscription to access this feature. It will also be available with Teams subscriptions.
