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If you’re running it on a laptop or other portable device like the Microsoft Surface it may deplete your battery power faster than you need. In fact, it can take up system resources like RAM which can make your device run slower. If you’re not a fan of things running in the background after you’ve closed out of the browser, you can disable the feature. Here’s how. Prevent Edge from Running in the Background To stop it from running in the background first launch Microsoft Edge....

Unfortunately, when you install Skype, it defaults to launching automatically with Windows 10 and running in the background. If you have a powerful enough computer, this may not be an issue. But if you find your system is bogging down or always seems to suffer from high CPU usage, you’ll want to look at stopping Skype from starting automatically when you launch Windows 10. Stop Skype from Starting Automatically with Windows Settings One way to prevent Skype from launching when you start up your computer is by disabling it as a background app on your system....

Whatever the reason, taking a screenshot on any iOS device is really simple and here’s how to do it. Take a Screenshot on an iPhone with a Home Button If you have an iPhone 8 or prior, press the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time. The screen should flash and you’ll hear a shutter noise if your phone is not muted. A thumbnail of the screenshot temporarily appears in the lower-left corner of your screen....

Turn Off ScreenTips for Microsoft Office Apps To get started, open a Microsoft Office app. In this example, I am using Microsoft Word but you can use any of them, i.e., Excel, PowerPoint. When it opens up click File > Options. When the Options menu opens, make sure to have the General tab on the left selected. Then under the “User Interface options” section click the dropdown menu next to “ScreenTip style....

Google Play Music Manager scans your music collection (including iTunes and WMP Libraries) and matches the songs with its own digital music catalog. Songs that Google can’t match will be uploaded to your music locker. Google Music Streaming Quality According to its Google+ Post: The good news about that is, lower-quality files will be streamed back at higher quality. However, downloaded files will only have a similar bitrate to the original — iTunes Match gives you a 256Kbps file....

Turn On Immersive Reader Mode in Microsoft Edge To start, launch the Microsoft Edge browser and head to the website you want to read. Then, to enable immersive reading mode click on the book icon in the address bar. Note that you can also press the F9 key on the keyboard. That makes Microsoft Edge reload with the web page you’re reading in Immersive Reader mode. Using Immersive Reader Mode You get a special toolbar while in Immersive reader mode, too....

Microsoft is adding a lot of interesting new features to its Edge web browser in Windows 10. One of the new features allows websites, PDFs, and eBooks to be read aloud to you. Here is a look at finding, using, and customizing the “Read Aloud” feature in Microsoft Edge. Using the Microsoft Edge Read Aloud Feature First, here is a look at reading a webpage. Launch Edge and highlight a section of text on a page where you want it to start reading....

How to Use the Web Capture Tool to Take Screenshots on Edge To get started, head to the webpage where you want to capture. Then click the Menu button (three dots) and click Web Capture from the menu. Note: You can also just use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S to bring it up. When the tool launches the background of the page will dim and you’ll see a couple of options at the top....

There is, of course, a bit of a catch. You need to be a returning customer. But, the cool thing is you can just do the 7-day free trial and return to get these new features. Also, it’s currently only available for owners of Roku devices. Free SlingTV If you have been a SlingTV customer previously, just sign in with your account info (don’t worry, you’re not reactivating your subscription)....

Apps on Windows 10 Modern or Metro-style apps were first introduced on Windows 8 – the OS that most users skipped because it was so touch-centric. These apps have been extended (and improved) on Windows 10 as Universal Windows Platform (UWP), formerly called “Windows Store” apps, and work across all compatible devices. For example, universal apps now open on the desktop just like any other program. On Windows 8, they open full screen....

The launch is also timed to go off during a Microsoft endorsed party at SXSW. They are throwing quite the event! A free open bar to specified pass holders, live performances from bands like Fences, Yeasayer, and the Head and the Heart. The IE team will be giving away VIP passes to the event via Twitter for anyone that is interested in attending. Microsoft has the full details on their official blog post....

Why I like it: Replaces the default Windows Photo ViewerLow system footprint doesn’t hog resources and loads up instantlyIncludes a groovy slideshow presentationConvert multiple files at once in various formatsEdit and smooth out images in various formats Download it here It’s light on resources and has plugin support for tons of formats – will open just about any image you can throw at it Comment Name * Email *...

By default, InPrivate mode will disable any installed extensions. But sometimes you might need to enable a certain extension while using the browser in private browsing mode. Here’s how to set it up. Enable an Extension in Microsoft Edge’s InPrivate Mode Launch Microsoft Edge and click the Options (three dots) button and select Extensions from the menu. From the Extensions page scroll down to the installed extension you want to make available and click the Details link....

Today the Redmond software giant has just announced a new company logo. This marks the first change in Company-Wide Microsoft branding since 1987, when the sans serif font was adopted. The logo is easily recognizable as the same icon posted above each and every Microsoft retail store. Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Hansen told the Seattle Times that the colors represent “the diversity of our products and the diversity of people that we serve....

Compared to Microsoft’s own Mobile email app OWA for iPhone, Outlook is a faster, simplified version with a cleaner interface which support both iOS and Android. You can download it now through Google Play or the Apple app store. Microsoft Outlook for iOS and Android It looks like this version will help you keep track of your most important email, and you can delete, archive or schedule messages with just a swipe — reminding me a bit of Google Inbox, released late 2014....

Note: For this tip to work, you will need a mouse that lets you customize its buttons. Any Microsoft mouse will do; however, in my example, I’m using the Microsoft Arc Mouse. The reason I like these devices is they are compatible with Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center. Which, unknown to many people, has great features these days. Especially for customizing what each of the buttons does. Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center So, step 1, if you have a Microsoft Mouse, download the latest version of Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard....

In its announcement, the company also said that it is not releasing Build 10130 to Windows Insiders who are part of the Slow ring due to several bug fixes that are in the works. Microsoft’s Gabe Aul said in the statement: “I know we said we would only release ISOs if we push a build to the Slow ring but we’re making a special exception today. We know that a bunch of Windows Insiders on the Fast ring are currently blocked getting to the latest build due a 0x80146017 error....

Anyway, it looks like I know what I’ll be playing with this weekend. Comment Name * Email * Δ Save my name and email and send me emails as new comments are made to this post.

Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build 18329 One of the new features includes “Top apps in Search” which will show you the apps you use the most when you open Search. Also part of this build is the ability to run desktop apps in Windows Mixed Reality Environments. “In this update, we added the ability to launch Desktop (Win32) applications (such as Spotify, Paint.NET, and Visual Studio Code) in Windows Mixed Reality, just like how you launch Store apps,” writes Microsoft execs Dona Sarkar and Brandon LeBlanc....

Windows 10 20H1 Insider Build 18985 This latest build includes an improved and streamlined Bluetooth pairing experience for supported devices. If a device is nearby you’ll get a notification to start pairing. This is instead of going through all the screens in Bluetooth Settings. Microsoft is improving the optional update experience, too. Head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates where you will see updates for drivers, non-security quality updates, and drivers....