April 27th Tech news roundup: Windows 10 faster, Adobe makes blurry video great again and Fallout 4 updated amazingly

In this week’s edition of our tech news roundup, we discuss the release of a new browser for desktops, improvements to Windows 10, and more.

Windows 10 updates are faster than ever because of a simple change

One of the biggest criticisms with Windows updates are that they take a long time to download, which in turn makes the installation process slower. In 2021, Microsoft made an improvement to the system, but only for Windows 11. The Redmond company had reduced the size of the updates by about 40 percent, thanks to a new compression technology.

This improvement is being readied for Windows 10. Microsoft revealed in the release notes for the latest preview update, KB5036979, that the LCU (Latest Cumulative Update) will not have reverse differentials. It also said that this change will help decrease the size of Windows 10 updates by around 20%, i.e. the download sizes of monthly cumulative packages. In addition to this, smaller updates will also reduce the bandwidth and performance on slower internet connections. These faster Windows 10 updates are supported on Windows 10 version 22H2 or newer.

Eco-friendly search Ecosia launches web browser for desktop

There is a new browser available for Windows and Mac computers. It is called the Ecosia browser. Ecosia is known for its eco-friendly search engine service. The browser, which is also available for Android and iOS, is designed to help make planet Earth greener. Ecosia’s browser has a customizable new tab page with wallpapers from its tree planting projects, some stats about how the company has contributed towards planting trees.

The browser has a built-in ad blocker to prevent advertisements and trackers. It is based on Google’s Chromium open source browser, so Ecosia browser supports all extensions that are available on the Chrome Web Store. The company says that it will produce more clean energy such as solar power as more users use its browser and search engine.

Windows 11 will not be compatible with PCs that don’t support SSE 4.2

When Windows 11 was released, it prevented many users from upgrading from Windows 10, due to some rather strict hardware requirements. Microsoft is set to lock out even more users from upgrading, when the Windows 11 24H2 feature update is released. The minimum system requirements for the operating system are being updated, now users will need a processor that support POPCNT instructions. Users who dug further into the matter discovered that it is only supported on CPUs with SSE 4.2. Computers that do not meet this requirement will fail to boot the operating system. Thankfully, this hardware is available on most modern hardware, in fact SSE 4.2 was introduced in 2008, so if you have a CPU from 2009 or newer, you don’t have to worry about it.

WhatsApp for iPhone now supports Passkeys

WhatsApp Messenger for iPhone has gained a new security feature. The popular messaging app now supports Passkeys on iOS. The passwordless authentication system was first introduced by the Meta-owned service for Android devices in October 2023. Users can enable Passkeys for their WhatsApp account and use the biometric verification system on their phone, i.e. Touch ID or Face ID, instead of SMS-based codes. WhatsApp’s Passkeys work even when you are offline. The security feature is supported on all iPhones running on iOS 16 or above, i.e iPhone 8 or newer.

However, Passkeys for WhatsApp are exclusively available on mobile phones, so you will still need to use the Linked Devices option to scan a QR code if you want to use WhatsApp Web or the desktop apps on Windows or macOS.

Bitwarden Password Manager brings Passkeys support for mobile

Bitwarden Password Manager has also added support for Passkeys. The feature is available in the beta versions of the mobile apps for Android and iOS. The feature which uses the WebAuthn protocol skips passwords, and OTPs in favor of fingerprint or face recognition data. The biometric data is stored securely on the user’s device, so it is virtually hacker-proof, and cannot be used for phishing attacks. Passkeys in Bitwarden are supported on devices running on Android 14 or newer. It may take a few weeks before the feature is added to the stable version of the password manager’s mobile apps. Unlike WhatsApp, Bitwarden already supports Passkeys on desktop platforms.

Android 15 will support Dark Mode in all apps

Fans of dark themes can rejoice, Android 15 is set to support Dark Mode in all apps. The UI feature will be available in any app, even if the app does not support it natively. The universal dark mode will need to be toggled manually from the developer options. It may not work perfectly, because it might result in inverted colors in some apps. Dark Mode for all apps will be welcomed by users, some studies say that using a dark them aids in protecting the eyes, and also to sleep better.

Google is expected to release Android 15 in Fall 2024, but we can expect a demo of the universal dark mode when a beta version of the mobile operating system is released at the Google I/O event that has been scheduled for May 14th.

Adobe’s AI video super-resolution model can enhance blurry videos greatly

Adobe is working on an artificial intelligence model called VideoGigaGAN. It has been designed to improve the resolution of videos, in other words it is a video super-resolution (VSR) method. But, Adobe claims that VideoGigaGAN is capable of increasing the resolution of videos by up to eight times. Bye bye blurry videos. The company has designed the AI model in such a way that that the enhanced videos will appear natural, and without reduce artifacts, even when the images are scaled. The tech is still in a preview phase, it is unclear if VideoGigaGAN will be available for Premiere Pro or Creative Cloud users.

Fallout 4 update brings new quests, weapons, armors and improvements for PC users

Amazon’s Fallout TV series has been incredibly successful. In fact, it resulted in Fallout 4 rising to the top charts on Steam. And it is only going to become more popular. Bethesda has released a free update for Fallout 4 for next-gen devices. The latest patch introduces 7 new quests. The update also ships with bug fixes, new weapons, armors, and Creation Club content.

Fallout 4 now supports 4K resolutions, and can be played at 60 FPS. Bethesda has also added support for wide and ultrawide screens. Fallout 4 is now Steam Deck verified. The update has been released for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC on Steam, GOG. It is also available on the Epic Games Store.

However, the update is far from perfect. In fact, it breaks several things. Users have complained that the Fallout 4 has problems loading modded saves, and using mods.