4+ week, 1+ day ago (292+ words) By Daniel Rubino published 18 July 25 Review Unlike Microsoft, which quit after two versions, Samsung's dedication to its folding phone pays off with the stellar Z Fold 7. Too bad about the price, though. By Daniel Rubino published 2 December 21 The Surface Duo 2 Pen Cover is not cheap, but it's the best accessory even if you don't use the pen. By Daniel Rubino published 2 November 21 Microsoft's latest dual-screen Android phone gets major hardware revisions, which positively alters the experience, but the software still holds it back from greatness. By Daniel Rubino published 7 October 20 If you're worried about your Surface Duo crackin', check out this magnetic charging solution. By Daniel Rubino published 16 September 20 Kensington's official Surface Duo belt holster looks nerdy, but it's great for those who can't use their pockets. By Daniel Rubino published 10 September 20 Can dual-screens be better than one? The answer…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (428+ words) Windows 11 adds an extra layer of security, but you have to enable it manually. Here's how. On Windows 11, Administrator Protection is a new security feature arriving with the November 2025 Patch Tuesday Update that adds an extra layer of security by prompting an authorization dialog using Windows Hello when an unsigned or untrusted app requests elevation. The feature may seem similar to User Account Control (UAC), but it works differently. The account control feature is designed to prevent unwanted system changes by showing a consent dialog whenever an action requires administrative rights. In this process, the UAC feature creates two tokens at sign-in, including a standard user token and an administrator token. When an elevated action is required, the system uses the administrator token. However, since both tokens share access to the user profile, this design can be exploited as a…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (364+ words) Stack up to five years of Microsoft 365 at a steep discount. Over the coming weeks your social media feeds will be filled with Black Friday deals and discounts. While it's a good idea to pick up new gadgets when they're discounted, I'd argue it's an even better bargain to save money on a recurring subscription. Alternatively, you may be hopping into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem or transitioning from its free online version. Whether you're stacking or subscribing for the first time, the early Black Friday deals on Microsoft 365 are worth a look. I keep track of Microsoft 365 deals here at Windows Central. The current prices for Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family match the lowest I've seen in months. Microsoft's Office apps are well-known, but they are far from the only benefit to subscribing to Microsoft 365. The service also provides access to…...

1+ day, 1+ hour ago (382+ words) Before you splurge this Black Friday & Cyber Monday, lock in Microsoft 365 " the essential deal powering every gadget purchase This is a better bargain for families. Microsoft 365 Family is more affordable than just two Microsoft 365 Personal subscriptions, and its value increases as you approach the six-person limit. I've used Microsoft Office for three decades. I track the price of Microsoft 365 to make sure you can always get the best deal on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive. I've been tracking Microsoft 365 discounts for years, and the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday prices are some of the best we've seen in 2025. Both the Personal and Family plans are back at their lowest rates, making this the perfect time to lock in savings before subscription costs inevitably rise again. Microsoft 365 has evolved far beyond the classic Office apps. Sure, Word, Excel, and OneDrive…...

12+ hour, 31+ min ago (325+ words) Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 930, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_. Cyber Monday is tomorrow, but a flash sale on the Xbox Ally is live right now, at least if you caught this in time. For a brief moment, the gaming handheld is on sale for $499.99. That's a $100 saving on the portable gaming machine. This gaming handheld is comfortable and one of the hottest gifts on Cyber Monday. It can be difficult to find one in stock, let…...

2+ day, 8+ hour ago (681+ words) Microsoft's Mixer platform would've been the ideal vector for a range of innovations powered by its Activision-Blizzard acquisition, cloud, and artificial intelligence too dare I say. Alas, Microsoft fumbled it with short-termism. Remember Microsoft's Mixer platform? I sure do. Mixer shut down in 2020 releasing the big partners from their contracts and ushering people over to Facebook Gaming, which now too, is defunct. Mixer struggled to find an audience during the pandemic, which Microsoft execs took as a sign that it would potentially never work. In 2025, we only really have Kick, Twitch, and YouTube Gaming as credible streaming platforms, with a variety of smaller upstarts battling for financial viability in a competitive landscape. But, what if things had been different? One of the biggest streamers in the world, Shroud, recently mentioned Mixer on a stream while playing ARC Raiders, and what…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (250+ words) Samsung's default browser on Android has always been somewhat of a hidden gem. Now, it's coming to Windows PCs, complete with cross device sync and AI features. For years, Galaxy phones have shipped with a default web browser simply dubbed "Internet," which over time has become somewhat of a hidden gem amongst Samsung phone users. It's a great browser, complete with extension support, dark mode, and cross device sync with your Samsung account. It even recently gained some AI features such as the ability to summarize webpages, and more. It's very customizable too, letting you change the position of the address bar, tabs, and UI buttons. Now, the app is coming to Windows PCs, based on Chromium. The new Samsung Internet browser for Windows PCs is a fully featured browsing experience, complete with tab and bookmark syncing, saved passwords, extension…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (273+ words) Exclusively revealed by us a couple of weeks ago, Xbox's November partner showcase is now official. Here's what you need to know. Xbox is ramping up its Winter showcase season with a new marketing beat, slated for November 20. A couple of weeks ago, we exclusively reported that Microsoft has a November Partner Preview event, with a heavy slant on Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) titles. In fact, every single game at this event will be XPA-certified. Microsoft has been pushing Xbox Play Anywhere heavily over the past few years, as it approaches unifying its development tools between Xbox and PC. Developers who certify their games for Xbox Play Anywhere provide cross-save, and cross-buy capabilities to customers. Developers who sell their games via Xbox PC also enjoy a bigger cut of the revenue, although it does require them to maintain codebase parity…...

4+ day, 6+ hour ago (354+ words) The Zorin OS developer recently disclosed that the Linux distro gained approximately 780,000 users from Windows, a little over a month since Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows 10. Many people are seemingly still conflicted about Microsoft's unpopular decision to pull the plug on Windows 10, which happened last month on October 14. Multiple reports suggest that the operating system's death has left approximately 400 million PCs unsupported. While we're still in the early days of Microsoft ending support for Windows 10, a damning report seemingly suggests that a large number of users have ditched Microsoft's Windows ecosystem for Linux. As spotted by Tom's Hardware, Zorin, a Linux-based operating system designed to rival macOS and Windows, recently surpassed a million downloads following the release of a new update, which bumped it to version 18 of the Linux distro. We're thrilled to announce that Zorin OS 18 has amassed…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (324+ words) The online Microsoft Store now supports creating a single install package for multiple apps at once, similar to Ninite, but powered by the Microsoft Store. Microsoft has introduced a handy new feature to the online Microsoft Store that lets you create one-click install packs for multiple apps at once. The process makes downloading and installing multiple apps in one go a breeze, compiling them all into a single download that you run once and have the Microsoft Store handle. In our testing, the feature is very streamlined. The .exe that is downloaded doesn't even include an interface you have to navigate through. You just run the installer, and the Microsoft Store opens and begins downloading all the apps you've selected. It's very good, and is a clear swing at popular multi-app install programs like Ninite. Unfortunately, so far it seems…...