PCWorld notes that Microsoft appears to be quietly redesigning the Windows 11 mouse cursor, with evidence surfacing in recent Insider Preview builds. The new cursor features softer, rounded corners and a wider, more symmetrical shape, replacing the older design as part of a broader effort to modernize Windows 11's visual identity. No official release date for the updated cursor has been announced yet. Back in June, Zac Bowden of Windows Central said Microsoft was rumored to be working on a mouse cursor redesign for Windows 11, with no real evidence except hearsay via "whispers" heard "internally." But now it seems that tweet is being vindicated by a preview version of the OS.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Windows 11 will soon tell apps how old you are. Microsoft is adding system-level age verification APIs to Windows 11, allowing registered apps to query the user's age. Microsoft is building automated age verification directly into Windows 11 in the form of system-level APIs that will share your verified age with registered apps. To be clear, the system won't pass your age or date of birth to said apps.

PCWorld reports that Microsoft's Windows 11 optional update KB5120981 cleans up Windows Search by removing cluttered Bing and MSN results, prioritizing more relevant local results instead. The update also improves typo handling, file categorization, and introduces gradual features like taskbar repositioning, making it a meaningful quality-of-life improvement. However, users should be aware of potential cursor and wallpaper bugs post-installation, so waiting may be wise if stability is a priority. A few days ago, Microsoft rolled out KB5120998, an optional update for Windows 11 that introduces several new features and improvements ( like the taskbar being repositionable again). Another noteworthy improvement is that the built-in Windows Search has been tidied up, meaning you'll no longer see results from Bing, Copilot, and MSN mixed in. Other search-related changes include: web searches no longer prioritizing ads and product suggestions, instead now always showing the most relevant result first; more clarity as to whether a search result is an app, a setting, a file, a web page, or a Microsoft Store recommendation; and the ability to cleanly handle typos and incomplete terms. Since KB5120998 is an optional update, you'll have to install it manually if you want to take advantage of its benefits. Otherwise, you can wait for it to release as part of September's big update.

PCWorld reports that Windows on Arm has reached over 7,000 compatible apps and games, with major software like Adobe Photoshop and Spotify now running natively. Arm-based chips from Snapdragon offer better battery life and less heat, and major brands like Microsoft, Dell, and HP are launching Arm-powered computers. Despite progress, gaming performance remains a challenge, and emulation through Prism is less efficient than native support, suggesting the platform still has ground to cover. In an official Windows blog post, Microsoft just announced a new milestone: over 7,000 apps and games are now optimized and available for the Arm version of Windows. Windows on Arm is a version of the operating system that's designed specifically to run on Arm-based chips.

Follow this section to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Follow this tag to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW?

Plus: New York has become the first state to enact a data center moratorium. When Anthropic announced last week that it had found a new window into its models' "internal thoughts" as they reason through answers, there was one colleague I had to talk to: senior editor Will Douglas Heaven. Aside from having a PhD in computer science, Will has spent a lot of time digging into what we can say about how AI models work. I spoke with him about what we should take from Anthropic's new (and typically quirky) research. Here's what he had to say . How will AI understand the real world?

Best Power Banks Best Smart Rings Routers vs. Modems Choose the Right Laptop Smart Sprinklers Deals Delivered The beleaguered luxury phone maker is pushing the AlphaFold, which has decent specs and comes with Vertu's new Hermes Agent on board, to wealthy would-be buyers. Vertu is a company known for making extraordinarily gaudy smartphones with outdated technology, luxe materials, and eye-watering prices . Now the brand is here to meet the AI moment with its first-ever book-like folding phone, complete with an AI agent on board. The company announced the AlphaFold smartphone on Thursday--targeting business executives--which comes outfitted with the Hermes Agent. This agent can purportedly handle schedules and tasks on a user's behalf and "connect to enterprise systems."

The complaints, obtained by WIRED, described Bad Bunny's performance as being overly sexual and protested that the show was in Spanish. Bad Bunny performs during halftime of Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Even before Bad Bunny took to the field, his Super Bowl halftime performance drew controversy, especially from MAGA influencers upset over the Puerto Rican star's comments against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the fact that he sings in Spanish. Following the performance, which was watched by more than 128 million people, those complaints continued--but they were largely focused on perceived vulgarity in the artist's performance. Following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from WIRED, the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates communications including broadcast, released 2,155 complaints the agency received about the Super Bowl, most of which were about the halftime show.

There Aren't a Lot of Reasons to Get Excited About a New Amazon Smartphone The company is reportedly building a new AI-powered mobile device. If Amazon follows through on the plan, experts warn it would be next to impossible to break into a crowded market. Reuters reports that Amazon's Devices and Services unit is working on a smartphone--dubbed Transformer--with Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant and shopping as a major focus of the experience. It's unclear what this smartphone would cost, how much Amazon is spending to develop Transformer, and what operating system it will run. There's no word on when it will launch, and there's still also a chance the project could be scrapped altogether.

Javed is a senior editor at TIME, based in the London bureau. Javed is a senior editor at TIME, based in the London bureau. Leaders from across the tech sector, academia, and beyond gathered to explore how to implement responsible AI and ensure safeguarding while fostering innovation, at a roundtable convened by TIME in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan 21. In a wide-ranging conversation, participants in the roundtable, hosted by TIME CEO Jess Sibley, discussed topics including the impact of AI on children's development and safety, how to regulate the technology, and how to better train models to ensure they don't harm humans. Discussing the safety of children, Jonathan Haidt, professor of ethical leadership at NYU Stern and author of said that parents shouldn't focus on restricting their child's exposure entirely but on the habits they form.