Microsoft has flagged a formatting bug that freezes Outlook whenever you open emails with complex tables, including, er, Uber receipts. The glitch is so powerful it even crashes Word, too. The problem was first noted in a standard release of Outlook, but existing beta and Current Channel Preview versions face the same bug if they try to open messages with tables.
Microsoft says it’s developed a fix to reach beta users "shortly" and get to everyone in a patch arriving August 9th. If you really need to see a breakdown of that last Uber trip, you can revert to the earlier version in Windows by running Command Prompt instructions in Microsoft's support document.
The middle of the smartphone road has amazing options that balance price and features. These days, you can still get incredible cameras, vivid screens and decent battery life without breaking the bank. But there are so many — so where do you start? How about this guide? We’ve just updated it with a new overall winner.
Infrared light detection has increased the detail.
NASA
NASA and its partners on the James Webb Space Telescope have shared a fresh look at the Cartwheel Galaxy. It reveals extra details about both the star formation and the black hole at the center of the galaxy, which is around 500 million light-years from Earth. Using infrared light detection, JWST could peer through the dust that obscured the Cartwheel Galaxy from view when other telescopes observed it.
Samsung's self-repair program, in collaboration with iFixit, is finally available. You can now try to fix your Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21 or Galaxy Tab S7+ with officially sanctioned components and tools, complete with guides to walk you through the repair process. The initial selection is just screen and batteries, charging ports and back glass, with prices ranging between $67 (for a charging port on any model) to $227 (for a Tab S7+ display).
The Prime perk is currently available in 10 US metro areas.
Amazon is giving some Prime members another perk. Subscribers in more than 10 US metro areas will now be able to shop from select local brick-and-mortar stores through Amazon and have the items delivered to their home on the same day. At the moment, participating retailers include apparel brands PacSun, Superdry and Diesel, as well as popular vitamin retailer GNC.
They're working with Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now.
Logitech and Tencent have announced they're working on a handheld cloud gaming device. They're blending the Logitech G brand's hardware know-how with Tencent's software prowess. According to their landing page, the device is tentatively — and imaginatively — called the Logitech G Gaming Handheld. It will "support multiple cloud gaming services," Logitech said. Tencent and Logitech are working with the Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now teams at Microsoft and NVIDIA, so expect the handheld to support both platforms.
The site was bombarded by more than 200 times the normal traffic.
As more than 300,000 people anxiously watched the flight path of SPAR19, the US Air Force plane carrying Nancy Pelosi on her tour of Asia, Taiwan’s presidential website went down in an apparent cyberattack. According to Taiwanese presidential spokesperson Chang Tun-Han, the attack originated outside Taiwan and saw the website bombarded with more than 200 times its regular traffic. They claim the website was back to normal operation “within 20 minutes.”
You might not want to check your Uber trip emails at your work computer in the near future. BleepingComputernotes Microsoft has identified a formatting bug that freezes Outlook whenever you open some messages with complex tables, including Uber receipts. The glitch crashes Word, too. The problem began with a recent standard release (Current Channel Version 2206 Build 15330.20196 or newer), but existing beta and Current Channel Preview versions also suffer.
The company has already developed a fix that will reach beta users "shortly," and should reach everyone through a patch arriving August 9th. If you can't wait that long and would rather not check your mail on the web, you can revert to the earlier version in Windows by running Command Prompt instructions in Microsoft's support document (linked above).
This isn't the first significant Outlook bug of the year. Microsoft fixed search bugs in January and July. However, those didn't bring the email client to a screeching halt — this is a flaw you're more likely to notice, particularly if you rely on Uber for business travel.
This is your chance to get an Apple Watch Series 7 if you've been looking to grab one at a discount. The 41mm version of the smartwatch with green aluminum case and the clover sport band is currently on sale for $280 on Amazon. That's $119 less than its retail price and is just a dollar more than what the device sold for on Prime Day. The Watch Series 7's screen is larger than its predecessors', and Apple even used a refractive edge to make it seem like the display curves along the sides of the case. By doing that, tech giant made the screen appear roomier, which makes a huge difference for a device that generally comes with a smaller display.
To take advantage of the larger real estate, Apple shipped the Series 7 with a larger user interface that has larger fonts and a stretched-out keyboard that's much easier to type on. As we mentioned in our review, it's easier to hit the right keys in this model, as well as to read the time and measurements, such as your heart rate, than in the older ones. The tech giant also rolled out watch faces with more information to make use of the watch's bigger screen.
While the watch's display is its largest upgrade, it also charges faster than previous models. It got to 100 percent in an hour during our tests, whereas the Apple Watch SE only got to about 60 percent. Apple promises the same battery life as previous models, as well, but the Series 7 lasted longer during our tests. Although the only option that's available for $280 is the green Series 7, you can also get the red and the blue watches at a discount. Either color option will set you back $330 when their discounts are applied at checkout.
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Discord has begun rolling out an overhauled Android app that addresses one of the most consistent complaints with the software. If you follow the company, you’ve probably seen it often announce new features only to note they will launch on iOS and desktop first before arriving on Google’s operating system. We saw that recently with the release of Server Profiles. According to Discord, that’s about to become a thing of the past.
In a blog post published on Monday, the company said it recently rebuilt its Android app using React Native. Discord has employed the framework for iOS development ever since Meta first open sourced React in 2015. Now that both of Discord's mobile apps are on the same underlying codebase, the company notes Android users can expect feature consistency.
Discord
Additionally, the company says Discord users will see a more consistent user experience across platforms. As one example, the Android app will feature a larger default font that is more in line with the iOS version of the software. Discord also anticipates it will release future updates faster.
“As Discord continues to grow across platforms, we want to find ways to support you and your communities as quickly and efficiently as possible, regardless of which device or platform you happen to be using,” the company said. “Utilizing React Native across every mobile platform Discord is on is just one of the tools that helps us support what you do, and we can’t wait to show you how.”
If you already have Discord installed on your Android phone, the company says you can expect the overhauled app to arrive on your device in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, new Android users can download the software from the Google Play Store.
Microsoft is taking an interesting approach to secure regulatory approval for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In a recent filing spotted by Rock Paper Shotgun, the company told New Zealand’s Commerce Commission the troubled publisher produces no “must have” games. Yes, you read that right.
“There is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that is a ‘must have’ for rival PC and console video game distributors that give rise to a foreclosure concern,” the company says in the document. Put another way, Microsoft believes owning the rights to best-selling Activision Blizzard franchises like Call of Duty won’t prevent rivals like Sony from competing against it.
At first glance, that would seem to be a nonsensical argument to make about a company Microsoft plans to spend $68.7 billion to acquire. All the same, it’s a claim the tech giant is making in response to its rivals. In a filing with Brazilian regulators, Sony called Call of Duty “an essential game” and an AAA title “that has no rival.” It argues the franchise is so popular that it influences the consoles people buy. Sony is likely speaking from experience. In 2015, the company announced an agreement with Activision that saw some Call of Duty content arrive on PlayStation consoles first.
Downplaying the importance of Call of Duty is just one of the ways Microsoft has tried to placate regulators. In February, the company pledged it would continue to make the franchise available on PlayStation consoles beyond the end of any agreements Sony and Activision had in place before the acquisition was announced. More recently, the company announced a labor neutrality agreement with the Communications Workers of America, which has been organizing video game workers across the industry.
While many modern TVs already have streaming services baked in, you might still need (or want) a dedicated device for accessing the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The Chromecast with Google TV is a solid option and it's currently on sale once again at a record low price of $40. That's $10 less than it typically costs.
We gave the device a score of 86 in our review after being impressed with the voice remote. The dongle has Google Assistant support, of course, and along with telling a smart speaker what you want to watch, you can simply bark instructions at the remote. It's a cinch to navigate the Google TV interface with the remote, which includes dedicated buttons for launching YouTube and Netflix. In addition, the dongle provides access to YouTube TV, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+ and HBO Max, among many other streaming services. There's support for 4K HDR content, as well as Dolby Vision and Atmos.
You can also use the device to play games through Google Stadia if you have a compatible controller. Despite recent rumors to the contrary, Google has said Stadia isn't going away. On top of that, you'll have the option to effectively use your TV as a smart display when you're not streaming something. Chromecast with Google TV can show live feeds from some security cameras, display weather forecasts and help you control smart home devices, all with the aid of Google Assistant. The Ambient Mode, meanwhile, can display your Google Photos when you're not actively watching, playing or listening to anything.
Apple has famously bragged that it will never invade your privacy to serve ads, but it does have an ad business on its App Store and elsewhere. The company is now expanding that business by adding a new ad slot to its "Today" homepage tab and on individual app pages, 9to5Mac reported. Those are on top of the ads already found on the App Store's main "Search" tab and in the Search results.
"Apple Search Ads provides opportunities for developers of all sizes to grow their business," Apple wrote. "Like our other advertising offerings, these new ad placements are built upon the same foundation—they will only contain content from apps’ approved App Store product pages, and will adhere to the same rigorous privacy standards."
The Today tab is the first thing that loads in the App Store and features a curated and personalized selection of apps to browse (it arrived in 2017 with a significant App Store redesign). The other new space is in the "You Might Also Like" section of an app's product page. The new ads will let developers promote apps alongside Apple's own content and are clearly marked as ads.
The new slots will adhere to Apple's policies on privacy and transparency, by not offering personalized ads to users under 18, never using sensitive data and avoiding hyper-targeting, Apple said. The company didn't say when the new ad slots will appear, but Apple plans to start testing them "soon."
If you missed the chance to buy the Apple TV 4K when it was $59 off a few weeks ago, now is your opportunity to purchase it at that price again. Amazon has discounted the 32GB model to $120, making it only $10 more than it was during Prime Day. That’s a compelling price for one of the best streaming devices you can buy.
Engadget senior editor Devindra Hardawar awarded the 2021 Apple TV 4K a score of 90. Highlights include a much improved Siri remote and a more powerful A12 Bionic chip. The latter allows the Apple TV 4K to output HDR video at up to 60 frames per second and deliver excellent gaming performance.
If you own a handful of other Apple devices, you’ll appreciate the Apple TV 4K’s support for AirPlay. The wireless protocol makes it easy to share video, photos and music from your iPhone, iPad or Mac to your TV. With SharePlay built-in, you can even participate in watch parties over FaceTime with friends and family. For those with AirPods, Apple updated the Apple TV 4K last fall to add support for spatial audio so you can enjoy a more immersive experience without buying an expensive sound setup.
The Apple TV 4K also supports all of the most popular streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and more. One of the most significant drawbacks of Apple’s streaming device is its expensive price tag, but that's something the $59 discount helps address.
Contrary to what you may have heard in the past few days, Google says it’s not shutting down its Stadia gaming service. The company issued the statement after a rumor began circulating earlier this week that suggested it would sunset the platform later this year. “Stadia is not shutting down,” the official Stadia Twitter account told a concerned fan in a tweet spotted by PC Gamer. “Rest assured we’re always working on bringing more great games to the platform and Stadia Pro.”
— Killed by Google 🌻🇺🇦 (@killedbygoogle) July 28, 2022
Some Stadia fans were convinced Google would finally pull the plug on the service after Cody Ogden of Killed by Google fame, a Twitter account and blog that keeps track of the company’s constantly expanding graveyard, shared a post from a Facebook fan group. According to the message, an “old coworker and friend” told the poster Google had recently held a meeting to discuss Stadia’s future — or lack thereof. They claimed the company would shut down the platform by the end of the summer and would do so using the same strategy it employed with Google Play Music.
Old coworker of mine is now one of the social managers for Google. They had a pretty large seminar in California this past weekend, and long story short you now can play Wavetale at no additional cost on Stadia Pro until August 1: https://t.co/2O6P0Kd8Kdpic.twitter.com/Hjo0pvARKx
That even a thinly sourced rumor caused upheaval among the Stadia community isn’t surprising. The service has been on an extended deathwatch ever since Google shut down its first-party studios. The incident highlights the unhealthy parasocial relationships people can sometimes have with tech companies like Google. “Communities that are confident in their continued existence don’t respond like some of the things that have been hurled at me in public and in DMs the past couple days,” Ogden said after the dust settled. “If even the suggestion that a piece of technology could go away affects you so deeply that it brings you to threats, maybe you need to reevaluate your relationship with the tech?”
The XPS 13 Plus is one of the boldest laptops I've ever seen. It's like Dell sent a computer back in time from the future, Terminator-style. It has a keyboard that stretches from edge to edge, with no gaps between the keys. The haptic trackpad is hidden underneath the wrist rest, and the capacitive function key row keeps things looking clean, without the annoying shape-shifting keys from Apple's Touch Bar.
With all of those features, and the most computing power ever in a 13-inch Dell ultraportable, the XPS 13 Plus should be perfect, right? Well, not quite. It's an admirable achievement, but it also feels like Dell's designers emphasized style over usability.
Take that haptic trackpad, for one. When I first got my hands on the XPS 13 Plus last December, I was both floored by its unconventional touchpad design and worried that it could lead to headaches. It's definitely intriguing: When the computer is on, the piezo motors in the trackpad area deliver the sensation of clicking without moving at all. But when it's off, the wrist rest is just a silent slab of Gorilla Glass.
Of course, haptic trackpads aren't new. Apple's been using them for years, and they've finally started popping up in other Windows laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio. Technically, they can make laptops more reliable since they can't trap gunk like normal trackpads. But on the XPS 13 Plus, that technology feels even stranger. There's no easy way to tell when you're in the trackpad zone without pressing down or looking for a moving mouse cursor. With other notebooks, you can feel a clear difference between the trackpad and wrist rest. That's not something we think about often, but it goes a long way toward making us feel confident as we browse the web or scroll through documents.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
On the XPS 13 Plus, just right-clicking often feels like trial and error. Is my finger too far to the left? Too much toward the right? Doing something so simple shouldn't be frustrating, especially not with a laptop that's meant to represent the future of computing design. The invisible trackpad basically feels like a party trick: something that can impress your friends but will mostly make your life harder. Even after using the XPS 13 Plus for a week, I still find myself missing the trackpad often, especially if I try to do any complicated finger gestures.
The XPS 13 Plus's keyboard is far more successful. It spans the entire width of the computer, and it has practically no gaps between the keys. We saw something similar on HP's 2019 Spectre x360, but Dell's machine goes even farther to the edge. The result is something that feels luxurious to type on — finally, my large hands can spread out like they do on a desktop keyboard. It would be nice to have more than just a millimeter of key travel, but the overall typing experience still feels responsive.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
After seeing the trackpad's haptic functionality in action, it's not hard to imagine future keyboards using similar mechanisms to deliver a deeper typing sensation. That technology could also help the XPS 13 Plus's function row feel a bit more like traditional keys while still being covered under Gorilla Glass. I didn't mind the capacitive function row — at least the keys stayed in place, unlike the Touch Bar — but I wish it was more visible outdoors. It tends to get washed out in direct sunlight, or if you're wearing sunglasses. (One Engadget staffer has also had to replace the capacitive function keys on his ThinkPad Carbon X1 several times. That could be a sign of Lenovo’s build quality, or it could point to capacitive buttons not being very durable.)
Aside from these features, the XPS 13 Plus mostly looks like a typical XPS 13 when it's closed. There's the machined aluminum case, which looks as premium as ever and feels plenty sturdy. If you look closely, you'll notice there's no headphone jack, just two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections on either side. That's something Dell also removed from this year's XPS 13, and it remains a baffling decision. And no, I don’t think the new quad-speaker array makes up for that (it sounds fine, but it’s nothing miraculous).
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
While Dell includes a USB-C to headphone adapter in the box, along with a Type-A adapter, there's no way to charge the computer if you have those both plugged in. If Apple can squeeze a 3.5 millimeter jack in the new MacBook Air, which weighs the same 2.7 pounds as the LCD-equipped XPS 13 Plus, Dell really has no excuse. (The OLED model is a tad heavier at 2.8 pounds.)
While we're talking about screens, if you want to get a 4K or OLED screen in an XPS this year, the 13 Plus is your only option. The standard XPS 13 only has 1080p LCD options. Our review unit is equipped with the 3.5K OLED touchscreen model, which offers a decent 400 nits of brightness. It looks as great as all the other XPS screens we've seen, with excellent color and deep black levels, but I'm more curious to see how the 500-nit 4K OLED variant performs. Our review model's display was just fine outdoors, but a bit more brightness would make it look better in direct sunlight.
This being an XPS 13, the Plus also sports Dell's razor-thin InfinityEdge screen bezels. The effect of having an almost border-less screen is still astounding, but I wish Dell had managed to push things even more with this supposedly futuristic design. It's hard to tell the difference between the Plus and the standard XPS models from 2020. At least the webcam situation is a bit better. The top screen bezel is thicker than the others because it houses a 720p webcam and a Windows Hello IR module for secure logins. I would have liked to see it reach 1080p, but this camera still looks more vibrant than what we've seen from Dell before.
The last major upgrade in the XPS 13 Plus is something you can't even see. Under the hood, it's powered by Intel's 28-watt 12th-gen processors, whereas last year's XPS 13 had 15-watt 11th-gen chips. More power means more performance – this is the small XPS for someone who wants to do serious work. The standard XPS 13 is still around, but it's now running 9-watt 12th-gen chips, which Dell claims are as fast as the previous 11th-gen CPUs. We haven't tested the smaller XPS 13 yet, but it's clear that Dell is positioning it as a more efficient system for less demanding consumers.
HP Spectre x360 16 (Intel Core i7-11390H, NVIDIA RTX 3050)
4,785
N/A
1,518/4,200
Our review unit was equipped with Intel's Core i7-1280P, the fastest chip available for the XPS Plus. It's a hybrid 14-core CPU made up of six performance cores and eight efficiency cores. That sounds impressive on paper, and it proved itself worthy in our benchmarks. In GeekBench 5, the XPS 13 Plus outpaced gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 15 and ASUS Zephyrus Duo, and it came close to the much larger XPS 15.
Not surprisingly, it also outclassed Lenovo's new Yoga 9i, another ultraportable running Intel's Iris Xe graphics, in Cinebench R23. That GPU doesn't help much when it comes to games, though. I could barely get Halo Infinite running in 1080p, though I'm sure a less demanding game like Overwatch would be more playable.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
We tested the XPS 13 Plus in its "Ultra Performance" thermal mode, which spins up the fans and lets it run a bit hotter. But for simpler work, you can put it in quiet mode to reduce heat and noise. In its default "optimized" cooling mode, the laptop felt too warm to use on my lap outside. To be fair, it was well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Atlanta, so I won't hold that against the XPS 13 Plus too much. I wish the battery life was more impressive, though. The system only lasted 12 and a half hours during our benchmark in optimized mode, and a paltry nine and half hours in performance mode. In comparison, the 2020 XPS 13 kept trucking for almost 16 hours.
For years, we've recommended the XPS 13 to people who wanted to get basic work done, whereas the more powerful XPS 15 and 17 were better suited to creatives who needed to edit video or audio. With the XPS 13 Plus, Dell finally has a 13-inch ultraportable that can throw down some processing power. The only question is if anyone actually wants that on a smaller screen. At this point, it seems best suited for someone who's in the market for a souped-up XPS 13, or who wants to experiment with a futuristic design. Personally, I'd recommend testing out the XPS 13 Plus before committing to it. Its invisible trackpad may look cool, but it could easily become a headache for daily use.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The XPS 13 Plus starts at $1,200 with a 512GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and a 1,920 by 1,200 (FHD+) LCD monitor. As usual, I'd suggest bumping up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD for $1,499 if you're planning to keep the laptop for four years or more. And if you want OLED, expect to spend at least $1,799.
Ultimately, I have to give Dell credit for once again attempting to push laptop designs forward with the XPS 13 Plus. Like the InfinityEdge Display before it, there are plenty of great ideas in this computer that competitors may end up adopting. I just hope Dell considers dealing with the potential usability issues eventually (and maybe throw in a headphone jack too). If you're trying to show us the future of computing, don't make it feel like a step backward.
