iOS, iPad, iPhone, Smartphones, Windows

Phone Link for iPhone users on Windows 11 Insider – Preview

Microsoft is rolling out a preview version of Phone Link for iPhone users for Windows Insider users with Windows 11.  Phone Link will allow you to pair your iPhone and Windows PC over Bluetooth in order to provide limited iPhone functions such as calls and messages on your computer.

The Phone Link app is available at the Windows App Store. Microsoft also has a list of known issues regarding Phone Link.

This is one of the new features that Microsoft is introducing with Windows 11 updates, including adding new AI-powered Bing to the Windows taskbar, video screen recording in Snipping Tool, and multiple tabs in Notepad.

Web Browsers, Windows

Microsoft ends Windows 7 and 8.1 extended security updates on January 10th 2023

Microsoft has ended Windows 7 and 8.1 extended security updates as of January 10th, 2023.    Microsoft will also be ending support for Microsoft Edge for these Windows versions as well.    An exception is Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry, which ends support on on July 11, 2023.

More information is available at the Windows End of Support page. A list of the life cycle of Microsoft products may be found here.

Databases, SQL Server

SQL Server 2022 is now available

Microsoft has released  SQL Server 2022 in November 2022.    New features include Ledger, which preserves historical data and provides tamper evidence.

Data Breaches, Privacy of Data

Twitter private account name may have been released for some users

Twitter revealed that an earlier security vulnerability that allowed someone to enter a phone number or email address to verify if that information was tied to an existing Twitter account. The Twitter user account name was returned if a match was found. Twitter fixed this issue and is in the process of contacting only those users that were affected by this incident.

Apple, iOS, iPhone, Smartphones

Apple announces release of iPhone 14 and iOS16

Apple released its new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro smartphones with eSIM cards and Emergency SOS via satellite.  Apple also released its new Watch Series 8, Watch SE, and Watch Ultra smartwatches.

iOS 16 is available on September 12, 2022 for download. This version makes the Fitness app all iPhone users, and includes messages and map changes. WatchOS 9 is also available on September 12 and has several new updates, including Compass and workout app changes.

Custom Technology Services