Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Say More Mashable Selects Mashable Voices Safety Net Creator Hub Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Switch Off Trending Now In My Bag All Series Latest'GTA 6' leaks reveal strip club setting and new slow-motion camera The most anticipated game of all time continues to suffer leaks ahead of its upcoming Netflix gameplay reveal. SEE ALSO: 'GTA 6' file size: How large will the game be? Some of these gameplay elements will definitely be familiar to long-time fans of the series, but the slow-motion camera interrupting the regular game speed is definitely a novelty, and probably something Rockstar Games wanted to keep secret, given that Rockstar still hasn't revealed actual gameplay. In fact, they've been saving the biggest reveal for a Netflix launch on Thursday, Aug. 27th at 3 p.m. ET, which is itself an unprecedented move for a game release. Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.

PCWorld notes that Windows 11 is getting improved privacy controls, allowing users to block specific apps from accessing cameras and microphones. Microsoft is introducing granular permission settings and a centralized dialog to manage incoming app requests, helping protect against malware and spyware. These updates address existing flaws in Windows privacy settings, making the operating system significantly safer for privacy-conscious users. Windows Latest reports that Microsoft intends to implement a long-awaited change in an upcoming Windows 11 update. The change will finally allow users to specify which individual apps can have access to the camera and microphone.

Microsoft is killing this 25-year-old Windows tool. Windows 11 preview update KB5120998 removes WMIC, a command-line tool used since Windows XP for admin and automation tasks. With the latest Windows 11 preview update (KB5120998), Microsoft is finally bidding farewell to a tool that has been part of the operating system since Windows XP: the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC). It's being removed from Windows 11 in an upcoming patch, and it'll affect both Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. The announcement comes via Microsoft's official release notes for KB512098, meant for Release Preview Builds 26100.9267

I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses TCL's new E Ink tablet beats the Remarkable and Kindle Anker's new charger is one of the most unique I've ever seen I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses TCL's new E Ink tablet beats the Remarkable and Kindle Anker's new charger is one of the most unique I've ever seen You'll be able to tweak the right-click context menus in Windows to remove items you don't want, thereby decreasing the clutter. Microsoft is touting its new customizable right-click context menus. You'll be able to tweak the menu by adding and removing commands. Hopefully, this will reach all Windows users by year's end. Right-clicking your mouse in Windows 11 File Explorer displays a context-sensitive menu with commands you can run on your current file, folder, or other item. But the more applications you install, the more crowded and chaotic that menu becomes, making it difficult to navigate and use.

After getting some ideas from The Full Nerd, this week's Boost Mode newsletter is all about Game Pass. How can it stay relevant and valuable, as gamers feel the crunch of higher and higher prices? On last week's episode of The Full Nerd podcast, we talked a lot about Game Pass. It got me thinking: What would Microsoft have to offer to get me to subscribe, regularly, not just in passing to try out an interesting new title? And how long might it stick around if things keep going poorly?

Are Microsoft's AI plans being held back by a shortage of chips? Mon 17 Aug 2026 00.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 17 Aug 2026 00.15 EDT The chips are quite small and some can be held in the palm of a hand. They are fundamental to the development of artificial intelligence models - and the world's biggest technology companies need vast numbers of them to keep ahead. Microsoft is one of them. And, on paper, it seems to have a problem.

Microsoft introduced Mico in October 2025 to give an anthropomorphized face to voice conversations with its Copilot AI chatbot. It seems the poor little blob is already getting demoted after less than a year. The company has decided to remove Mico from the voice section of Copilot. Its new home will be the Learn Live hub, where it will continue to be a "tutor" for users. "Mico helped us learn about warmth, expressiveness, and how people want to talk with AI. Those learnings are shaping Copilot going forward," the support page for the blob reads.

Safety Net Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Creator Hub Versus Say More Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Mashable Selects Switch Off Trending Now In My Bag VidCon with Mashable All Series Microsoft ditches Copilot's mascot Mico (and cuts a few AI features) Copilot's consumer and business apps are merging, resulting in these changes. Microsoft is merging its consumer and business Copilot apps. With the changes, come the loss of some AI tools and Copilot's own animated mascot. Say goodbye to Mico and a handful of AI tools, Microsoft Copilot users. According to new Microsoft support documents, the tech giant is making major changes to its AI assistant, Copilot.

PCWorld reports that Microsoft's Windows 10 patch KB5120249 focuses on security rather than new features, addressing outdated Secure Boot certificates and fixing critical vulnerabilities in versions 22H2 and 21H2. The roughly 1GB update also resolves File History errors, improves Microsoft Defender, and includes fixes for the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. Since standard Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, users must enroll in the ESU program to receive continued protection through 2027. Earlier this week, Microsoft released KB5120249, a critical security update for Windows 10 versions 22H2 and 21H2, as well as Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021. This is the next entry in Windows 10's Extended Security Updates program, so don't expect any new features. Rather, this patch includes fixes for various security vulnerabilities still present in Windows 10.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The next time someone asks for PC help, don't explain it--show them! If someone asks you how to do something on your computer, how do you respond? There are in fact many ways to show people how to perform a task, and this edition of Smart Mode gives you my favorites. "Hey, can you show me how to do this?"