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mardi 18 octobre 2022

Google is reportedly bolstering its hardware division by shifting resources away from its Assistant

Google has warned employees about impending changes for months, and it has more recently started cutting costs across the company. In September, the firm canceled projects and began winding down its internal incubation project Area 120, and perhaps the biggest story was it shutting down Stadia, its online game streaming service. While more changes are undoubtedly on the horizon, a new report states that Google is shifting its strategy so that it can double down on its hardware division.

The Information by way of Ars Technica reports that while there have been sizeable cuts within the company, but it looks like most of the hardware divisions are safe. In fact, Google has recognized that the tide is turning in the Android market, with even its top competitor, Samsung, slowly losing market share to Apple. Furthermore, Google thinks that it can occupy this space by leveraging its own hardware and doubling down on its Pixel hardware lineup.

Apparently, in order to accomplish this, the firm will shift labor from non-Google devices to focus more on its own products. As for what areas are seeing shifts internally, the report states that there might be adjustments with staff working on Google TV, reassigning them to work on Wear OS and the Pixel Tablet. Furthermore, the report also seems to discuss cuts to teams working on Google Assistant for devices such as TVs, headphones, speakers, and more. As stated before, the bulk of the change will have to do with third-party manufacturers of these kinds of devices.

While this certainly looks bad for manufacturers, some will apparently be supported, like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus. Unfortunately, that’s a really small number when compared to all of the manufacturers around the world that produce Android products. Of course, these are just reports, so it remains to be seen whether we will see the ramifications of these actions in the near future.


Source: The Information
Via: Ars Technica

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Netflix eyes cloud gaming service, opens new game studio

Today, Netflix announced its quarterly earnings, and the results were actually pretty impressive. The company has made a turnaround, exceeding its goals, adding more subscribers, and also generating more revenue. While it looks to the future, the company has started to make new moves, as it will debut a new ad-supported tier in November, and it will also be committing more to its gaming segment with plans to bring even more titles to the platform. Apparently, the company has plans to dive even deeper into gaming, announcing during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference that it was looking at cloud gaming and, most surprising, that it was opening up a new game studio.

During the TechCrunch Disrupt, Nike Verdu, who is the VP of Gaming at Netflix, shared that the company was “seriously” looking at offering a cloud gaming service. While most companies currently offer the service as a standalone product, if Netflix were to offer such a service, it would be part of the current subscription service, or as Verdu put it, a “value-add.” Competitors like Amazon have already started dabbling, with it currently offering Luna, its own game streaming service. Just recently, Google announced it would shut down its service because it hadn’t been able to attract subscribers. From what we can see, clearly, this space is not an easy one, so if Netflix were to engage, it would have to be extremely cautious.

In addition to its cloud gaming ambitions, Verdu also revealed that Netflix was going to open a brand new game development studio in Southern California. Previously, Netflix purchased game studios, but this will be the firm’s first from the ground up. The new studio will be helmed by industry veteran Chako Sonny, who was previously the executive producer of Overwatch. While this is tremendous news, it will be interesting to see just how far Netflix’s gaming journey goes.


Source: TechCrunch

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Xbox Design Lab offers customization options for Elite Series 2 controllers

Xbox Design Lab has offered customization options for Xbox controllers since 2016. But the Elite Series 2 controller was never part of the offering, leaving many gamers out of luck. Now, for the first time, Microsoft is including the ability to customize Elite Series 2 controllers, along with new customization options.

Starting today, gamers can head to the Xbox Design Lab website to customize their own Elite Series 2 Controller. The customization part is quite detailed, with the option to change the color of the body, back case, D-pad, bumpers, triggers, thumb sticks, and more. You can take things even further by swapping the D-Pad for a cross-shaped version if you want. Also, for the first time in Xbox Design Lab history, customers will have the option to customize the thumb stick base and ring, which definitely adds a nice accent of color. If you want the complete package, you can also add an engraving on the front of up to 16 characters.

The Elite Series 2 Controller is one of the best from Microsoft, constructed of high-grade materials and components and featuring numerous customization options. The rubberized grips and tensioned thumb sticks provide maximum control, especially when paired with short hair trigger locks. You can even enable a custom button mapping option and expect the controller to last up to 40 hours on a single charge. Best of all, the new Core model is quite a bit cheaper than the standard Elite Series 2 model, coming in at $50 less. Microsoft was able to accomplish this by removing some of the accessories that come packaged with the original model. But the good thing is that you can still purchase these accessories separately if you want. Microsoft offers the accessory bundle through its Complete Component Pack costing $59.99.

As a final touch to the customization process, users will be able to change the color of the Xbox button using the Xbox Accessories app as long as they also have the Xbox September update. This option will expand beyond color, giving users the option to set the brightness level as well. While you have the option to customize an Elite Series 2 controller, Microsoft still offers the ability to customize a standard Xbox Wireless controller as well. The Elite Series 2 Controller will cost $129.99, but if you want to customize it, you can pick up the controller with customization service for just $20 more. If you’re looking to customize an Xbox Wireless controller, it will cost substantially less, coming in at $69.99. If interested, be sure to head to the source link down below.


Source: Xbox Design Lab
Via: Xbox News

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Netflix doubles down on gaming, has 55 games in development

Today, Netflix released its third-quarter financial results, and it would be an understatement to say there was a lot of good news. In addition to exceeding its expected revenue for the term, the company also added over a million new subscribers, again exceeding expectations. With today’s positive news, the company also shared some of the things that it will do moving forward, like investing in more shows and movies and also expanding its gaming lineup.

While that last part might have you scratching your head, it appears that Netflix is doubling down on its game offerings. The company stated that in its first year of gaming, it was about learning the lay of the land and how its audience would react to the company’s new initiative. The service currently offers 35 games as part of its subscription plans, and it is apparently seeing “encouraging signs” of gaming leading to higher subscription retention. Because of this, the company is going deeper with gaming and currently has 55 games in development, with some of them being based on original Netflix properties. The firm states that it will be investing in games for the next few years, so it will be interesting to see where this takes us.

The company also discussed its new ad-supported tier of service, stating that it will arrive on November 1 in Canada and the United States. It will be expanding to nine other countries over the first two weeks of November, giving users around the world a new and less costly option for service. Netflix did hint that there could be an expansion of plans in the future but stated that it wanted to keep it simple for the initial launch. Furthermore, it also reiterated its plans to allow users sharing accounts to branch out to new accounts with its recently announced transfer service. What’s clear is that Netflix seems to understand its landscape, citing social media, YouTube, and other more traditional forms of media as competition to its own service. It will be interesting to see how it handles things moving forward.


Source: Netflix (Investors page)

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lundi 17 octobre 2022

Paranoid Android Topaz beta 1 is now available for the Pixel 6a, OnePlus 9, and OnePlus 9 Pro

The Paranoid Android team released the first beta builds of Paranoid Android Topaz based on Android 13 for the Nothing Phone 1, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro earlier this week. The team has now added three more devices to the list, including the Google Pixel 6a, OnePlus 9, and OnePlus 9 Pro.

Paranoid Android Topaz beta 1 for these three devices brings all the new features Google introduced with Android 13, along with several UI improvements and a new wallpaper from Hampus Olsson.

You can download the build for your device by heading to the XDA Forums thread linked below. Alternatively, you can download the ROM directly from Paranoid Android’s website.

Device and XDA forum link Device codename and PA download link XDA Thread
Google Pixel 6a bluejay Click here
OnePlus 9 oneplus9 Click here
OnePlus 9 Pro oneplus9pro Click here

To install the Android 13 custom ROM, download the latest Fastboot-flashable zip, reboot to the bootloader, wipe the device, and install the zip package using the fastboot update aospa-topaz-*-image.zip command. Before you do that, you’ll have to unlock your device’s bootloader. If you’re not sure how to do that, you can find device-specific instructions for the Pixel 6a, OnePlus 9, and OnePlus 9 Pro on our forums. Note that you may encounter some unexpected issues in the ROM since it’s a beta release. Therefore, we won’t recommend installing it on your daily driver.

If you’d like to try a different Android 13 custom ROM on your device, check out our roundup of all the Android 13 custom ROMs available on our forums right now. It has a bunch of popular custom ROMs for various devices, including Google’s Pixel lineup, Samsung’s Galaxy S, M, and Note series, several Xiaomi devices, and more.

Have you tried Paranoid Android Topaz based on Android 13 on your device? What do you like or dislike about it? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Paranoid Android Topaz beta 1 is now available for the Pixel 6a, OnePlus 9, and OnePlus 9 Pro appeared first on XDA.



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Windows 11 update tracker: Download and install the latest Windows 11 update

The Windows 11 rollout is going full steam ahead. Microsoft’s next major update for consumers — Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2) — is already available via stable channel. However, the OS hasn’t been without issues and the Redmond tech giant is well aware of this fact. The company is periodically rolling out updates for Windows 11 to fix the bugs and introduce new features. This article will serve as the central repository of knowledge base (KB) articles and download links for all updates related to Windows 11.

Table of Contents:

Glossary

Windows updates are compressed in a special archive file format called Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) that supports embedded digital certificates used for maintaining archive integrity. When published via Microsoft Update Catalog, Microsoft often wraps them into the MSU (Microsoft Update) format.

Windows Update MSU CAB

The internal structure of a MSU package

The primary focus of this index is centered around the Cumulative Updates (also known as Monthly Rollups), which include both security and reliability updates that are packaged together. Since they’re cumulative in nature, the latest rollup package has the ability to update the target Windows version to the most recent build, regardless of what the previous build number was.

In some cases, one may need to apply a Servicing Stack Update (SSU) before installing the newest Cumulative Update (CU). The servicing stack is the code that installs other operating system updates, hence Microsoft usually bundles them with CUs before publishing a standalone MSU package. Power users or system admins may still prefer to deal with the CAB variant for ease of deployment. In that case, always install/integrate the SSU before engaging with the CU.

Microsoft also provides CUs for the .NET Framework portion of the Windows OS. Unlike the SSU, they’re distributed separately from the regular CUs.

Windows Feature Experience Pack is yet another type of update that delivers new feature improvements to customers outside of major Windows feature updates.

Then comes the Dynamic Updates (DU) that are meant for the Windows setup engine. They are being automatically downloaded and applied on the fly in order to fix the Windows recovery environment (WinRE), setup binaries, or any files that the Windows setup uses for feature updates. However, we decided not to include them in this index for the sake of avoiding clutters.

To have a clear idea about Windows update terminology, see the article about the types of Windows updates. Keep in mind that an inter-OS (e.g. from Windows 10 to Windows 11) or an inter-build (e.g. from Windows 10 November 2019 Update/Build 18363 to May 2020 Update/Build 19041) update is a way more complex scenario. Microsoft handles such upgrade paths using the Unified Update Platform (UUP), the details of which are not part of this tutorial.


Windows 11 Build index

The following indices are sorted in chronological order. Due to the fact that updates are being pushed from different development pipelines, a higher KB/build number is not always the ideal indicator of the latest build. Please go through the update description before installing.

In some cases, you may find two or more builds are pointing towards the same KB article. This is perfectly normal for bleeding edge releases, as Microsoft is likely to assign the KB number to the latest build that will feature the aggregated fixes.

Build number 22621 (22H2) – Windows 11 2022 Update

Enablement packages

Since the .290 release, Microsoft has decided to split Windows 11 22H2’s Beta channel into two groups. The 22622.x range is meant for bleeding-edge users, as these builds will have some bleeding-edge features enabled by default. The experimental base has been bumped to 22623.x from the .730 release. The other set of Insiders will stay in build 22621.x, where those new features are turned off.

You can manually switch from 22621.x to 22622.x (or 22623.x) by installing the appropriate enablement package linked below. Note that it requires at least build 22621.285 (for 22622) / 22621.726 (for 22623) to be installed beforehand, but Microsoft never publicly released those versions. Therefore, as long as you have an update with a higher build number installed, you are good to go.

Build KB Download
22621.x to 22623.x KB5018863
22621.x to 22622.x KB5015669

Cumulative update for Windows

Build Changelog and known issues Download
22621.746 and 22623.746 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5018490
22621.675 [File explorer tabs and more for the for the Release Preview channel] KB5019509
22621.674 [October 2022 update] KB5018427
22621.741 and 22623.741 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5018503
22621.608 [Optional September 2022 update] KB5017389
22621.730 and 22623.730 [Tablet-optimized taskbar and more for the Beta channel] KB5017385
22621.525 [Out-of-band September 2022 update] KB5019311
22621.607 [Eighth update for the Release Preview channel] KB5017389
22621.601 and 22622.601 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5017384
22621.521 [Seventh update for the Release Preview channel KB5017321
22621.598 and 22622.598 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5017390
22621.590 and 22622.590 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5017846

Links for the previous cumulative updates are preserved as well:

Pre-September 2022 Updates

Build Changelog and known issues Download
22621.586 and 22622.586 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5016701
22621.457 [Sixth update for the Release Preview channel] KB5016695
22621.575 and 22622.575 [Multiple fixes for the Beta channel] KB5016694
22621.382 [Fifth update for the Release Preview channel] KB5016632
22621.450 and 22622.450 [Several fixes for the Beta channel] KB5016700
22621.317 [Fourth update for the Release Preview channel] KB5015885
22621.440 and 22622.440 [New Open with menu and taskbar overflow for the Beta channel] KB5015890
22621.436 and 22622.436 [New sharing features for the Beta channel] KB5015888
22621.232 [Third update for the Release Preview channel] KB5015818
22621.290 and 22622.290 [Second update for the Beta channel] KB5014959
22621.169 [Second update for the Release Preview channel] KB5014958
22621.105 [First update for the Release Preview channel] KB5014688
22621.160 [First update for the Beta channel] KB5014770
22621.4 [Second public cumulative update] KB5015207
22621.3 [First public cumulative update] KB5015207

Cumulative update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.x

Build Changelog and known issues Download
10.0.9093.1 [Released alongside 22621.608] KB5017271
10.0.9082.6 [Released alongside 22621.521] KB5017026
10.0.9075.8 [Released alongside 22621/22622.575] KB5016591
10.0.9075.6 [Released alongside 22621.382] KB5016717
10.0.9065.6 [Released alongside 22621/22622.440] KB5015734
10.0.4460.20 [Released alongside 22621.1] KB5007297

Build number 22000 (21H2) – Windows 11 (original release)

Cumulative update for Windows

Build Changelog and known issues Download
22000.1100 [Out-of-band October 2022 update] KB5020387
22000.1098 [October 2022 update] KB5018418
22000.1042 [Optional September 2022 update] KB5017383
22000.1041 [Multiple fixes for the Release Preview channel] KB5017383
22000.978 [September 2022 update] KB5017328

Links for the previous cumulative updates are preserved as well:

Pre-September 2022 Updates

Build Changelog and known issues Download
22000.918 [Optional August 2022 update] KB5016691
22000.917 [Remote admin-assisted language installation facility for the Release Preview channel] KB5016691
22000.856 [August 2022 update] KB5016629
22000.832 [Optional July 2022 update] KB5015882
22000.829 [OOBE update facility for the Release Preview channel] KB5015882
22000.795 [July 2022 update] KB5015814
22000.778 [Optional June 2022 update] KB5014668
22000.740 [Out-of-band – Fix for Azure Active Directory (AAD) signing issue on ARM-based devices] KB5016138
22000.776 [Search highlights for the Release Preview channel] KB5014668
22000.739 [June 2022 update] KB5014697
22000.708 [Optional May 2022 update] KB5014019
22000.706 [Windows spotlight for desktop and more for the Release Preview channel] KB5014019
22000.675 [May 2022 update] KB5013943
22000.652 [Optional April 2022 update] KB5012643
22000.651 [Secure Boot component servicing improvements and more for the Release Preview channel] KB5012643
22000.613 [April 2022 update] KB5012592
22000.593 [Optional March 2022 update] KB5011563
22000.588 [Notification improvements and more for Beta and Release Preview channels] KB5011563
22000.556 [March 2022 update] KB5011493
22000.527 [Optional February 2022 update] KB5010414
22000.526 [Weather content on the taskbar for Beta and Release Preview channels] KB5010414
22000.493 [February 2022 update] KB5010386
22000.469 [Multiple fixes / Optional January 2022 update] KB5008353
22000.467 [Out-of-band – Fix for Windows Retail Demo Mode] KB5010690
22000.438 [Out-of-band – Fix for VPN issues] KB5010795
22000.466 [Multiple fixes for Beta and Release Preview channels] KB5008353
22000.434 [January 2022 update] KB5009566
22000.376 [December 2021 update] KB5008215
22000.348 [Fix for issues related to the Microsoft Installer / Optional November 2021 update] KB5007262
22000.346 [Fluent emoji for Beta and Release Preview channels] KB5007262
22000.318 [November 2021 update] KB5007215
22000.318 (Feature Experience Pack only, major build number is still 22000.282) [Fix for expiring app certificates] KB5008295
22000.282 [Fix for AMD issues] KB5006746
22000.258 [October 2021 update] KB5006674
22000.194 [Integrated with Insider Preview 11 and the General Availability build] KB5005635
22000.184 [Integrated with Insider Preview 10] KB5005642
22000.176 [Integrated with Insider Preview 9] KB5006050
22000.168 [Integrated with Insider Preview 8] KB5005191
22000.160 [Integrated with Insider Preview 7] KB5005189
22000.132 [Integrated with Insider Preview 6] KB5005190
22000.120 [Integrated with Insider Preview 5] KB5005188
22000.100 [Integrated with Insider Preview 4] KB5004300
22000.71 [Integrated with Insider Preview 3] KB5004252
22000.65 [Integrated with Insider Preview 2] KB5004745
22000.51 [Integrated with Insider Preview 1] KB5004564

Cumulative update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8

Build Changelog and known issues Download
10.0.4566.2 [Released alongside 22000.1042] KB5017264
10.0.4556.3 [Released alongside 22000.978] KB5017024

Links for the previous .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 cumulative updates are preserved as well:

Pre-September 2022 Updates

Build Changelog and known issues Download
10.0.4550.1 [Released alongside 22000.918] KB5016594
10.0.4536.3 [Released alongside 22000.832] KB5015732
10.0.4515.1 [Released alongside 22000.708] KB5013889
10.0.4510.2 [Released alongside 22000.675] KB5013628
10.0.4501.1 [Released alongside 22000.652] KB5012159
10.0.4494.3 [Released alongside 22000.613] KB5012121
10.0.4488.1 [Released alongside 22000.527] KB5010474
10.0.4470.1 [Released alongside 22000.469] KB5009469
10.0.4465.6 [Released alongside 22000.434] KB5008880
10.0.4455.1 [Released alongside 22000.348] KB5007292
10.0.4435.1 [Released alongside 22000.282] KB5006363
10.0.4420.2 [Released alongside 22000.258] KB5005537
10.0.4400.3 [Released alongside 22000.100] KB5004342
10.0.4395.3 [Released alongside 22000.51] KB5004034

(Optional) .NET Framework 4.8.1

Since August 2022, a standalone .NET Framework 4.8.1 update is available for Windows 11 as well as Windows 10. Since Microsoft offers cumulative updates for .NET Framework 4.8.1 independently from the 4.8 branch, we list them in a separate index below. The base CAB packages and the offline installer are build-agnostic, hence you can install them on both Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Build Changelog and known issues Download
4.8.9037.0 [August 2022] KB5011048

(Optional) Cumulative update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1

Build Changelog and known issues Download
10.0.9093.1 [Released alongside 22000.1042] KB5017267
10.0.9082.7 [Released alongside 22000.978] KB5017029

How to install the Windows 11 cumulative updates

CAB packages

To install a CAB update package, you need to use a built-in system utility called Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). The command-line syntax should be as follows:

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:<path_to_cabfile>

Windows 11 DISM CAB Install

CAB and PSF packages

Since Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21382, Microsoft has made a significant change in the Latest Cumulative Update (LCU) format. As a result, the end user can’t use the CAB file directly. To perform the installation using the built-in update module, the corresponding Patch Storage Files (PSF) package must be present. This is the exact reason one can find PSF files corresponding to each LCU in the Windows 11 UUP Dump. In case of an online installation, Windows Update only downloads and generates missing PSFX (PSF Express) payloads, while the CAB package only contain the manifests.

However, DISM alone can’t handle the PSF packages, which means we need to somehow combine the PSF and CAB files manually before trying to install them offline. Fortunately, there exists an open source tool named PSFX Repack for this job.

  • Extract the archive of the PSFX Repack tool to a folder with a short path (like “D:\PSFX_Repack\”).
  • Download both CAB and PSF files corresponding to the SSU and LCU and move them to the aforementioned folder. Kindly refer to the above index to note down appropriate the KB number before downloading.
    • You can remove the hash (if present) from the file names so that the file set looks like Windows10.0-KBxxxxxxx-x64.cab and Windows10.0-KBxxxxxxx-x64.psf. This step is optional, as the latest version of the PSFX Repack tool can handle the new naming scheme out of the box.
  • Run psfx2cab_CLI.cmd to generate the combined CAB file.

Windows LCU PSFX Repack

  • Use DISM to install the latest SSU CAB first, then the resultant LCU CAB file.

LCU PSFX Repack install DISM

MSU packages

The MSU variant, on the other hand, is somewhat standalone in nature due to the fact that one can simply double-click on it to install the package. Note that DISM can also install MSU files.

MSU Install 1 MSU Install 2 MSU Install 3

After the installation finishes, you will be prompted to restart the PC for the changes to take effect.


Verification

The Settings app in Windows 11 has an option to view the list of updates installed on your PC. Here’s how to access it.

  • Open Settings and click Windows Update.
  • Click/tap on Update history.

Windows 11 Settings Update history page

The good old Programs and Features applet in the classic Control Panel can also show you the list of installed updates.

  • Right-click Start, click Run.
  • Type appwiz.cpl and click OK. This opens the Programs and Features in the classic Control Panel.
  • Click the View installed updates link on the left side. This shows you the list of updates along with the installation date column.

Windows 11 Control Panel Installed Updates

If the command-line is your thing, then you can opt for DISM or Windows Management Instrumentation (WMIC) as well. You need to execute the command from an elevated instance of Windows Terminal.

  • Using DISM:
dism /online /get-packages /format:table | findstr "Package_for"

Windows 11 DISM installed updates

  • Using WMIC:
wmic qfe

Windows 11 WMIC installed updates


We hope this article not only serves as a common update index for Windows 11 but also provides general installation instructions that can be useful for other Windows builds as well. We’ll be updating this guide with links to newer Windows builds, so check back again in the future!

The post Windows 11 update tracker: Download and install the latest Windows 11 update appeared first on XDA.



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