The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 4

The Microsoft Windows and Surface event on October 7 is shaping up to focus on local AI, RTX Spark hardware, and new Windows experiences, though Microsoft has not yet confirmed pricing or a release date for either new device. The event takes place in San Francisco at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, with CEO Satya Nadella, Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri, and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang all confirmed to appear on stage.

Apple confirmed this week that it's tightening macOS Full Disk Access controls, requiring a "very explicit user action" before any Mac app can receive the permission. The company says autonomous AI agents have pushed the risk of that access high enough to justify the change.

Apple's macOS Full Disk Access changes are arriving because AI agents are gaining enough autonomy to turn a convenience permission into a serious privacy risk, and the company says it needs to act before that risk grows further. A notice posted on Apple's developer site states that going forward, anyone who wants to grant Full Disk Access (FDA), the macOS permission that lets an app slip past most of the system's privacy protections, will have to take "very explicit user action," as reported by...

Office 2021 support ends on October 13, and after that date, Microsoft stops shipping security updates and technical support for the suite. There's no extension and no paid Extended Security Updates program at any price to push that date back. Office 2021 is expected to keep launching past that date, but it won't get another security fix, bug fix, or ESU patch of any kind. Weighing the real Office 2021 end of support options now beats scrambling later, after a vulnerability goes unpatched.

AppleInsider deleted Apple Intelligence's model folder on a test Mac last week and watched the Storage pane's AI figure drop from 27.59GB to 3.07GB, a 24.52GB swing. Available disk space only grew by about 14GB (AppleInsider). That gap matters before anyone touches anything: a Storage-pane number, a folder's measured size, and actual free space are three different things, and no method in this guide can promise an exact number back.

A Plex stream that stutters doesn't always mean the server needs more muscle. These Plex tips and tricks are built around one diagnostic habit: checking whether buffering comes from your network, a forced transcode, or an undersized server before you spend a dollar fixing a problem that isn't there. Someone who adds RAM or jumps to 2.5-gigabit Ethernet the moment buffering starts may be solving the wrong problem entirely, because the right fix depends on whether the bottleneck is CPU-bound...

Apple is reportedly working with LG on a new line of smart home hardware, according to a Bloomberg report. These reported Apple-LG smart home devices include a video doorbell, a smart deadbolt lock, and a thermostat, built through a "second-party" deal: LG will reportedly build and brand the hardware, while Apple helped develop it behind the scenes.

Hidden code for a "Focus Peaking" toggle has turned up inside Snapseed's Android app, but the Snapseed focus peaking feature doesn't actually work yet, even when testers force it on. Android Authority found the code while tearing down Snapseed version 4.1.10.992428248 in a report published yesterday, and only got the toggle to appear after modifying the app directly, not through any setting Google has shipped or announced.

Microsoft and NVIDIA are both talking about local AI on Windows right now, but they're describing two products at very different stages of readiness. One is Microsoft Copilot+ PC local AI processing, a hardware certification already sitting on store shelves. The other is NVIDIA's RTX Spark, a GPU/CPU "superchip" that exists mostly as company specifications and a fall ship date. If you're shopping based on either company's local-AI claims, it matters which one you're actually comparing.

The Windows 11 24H2 end of support date is October 13, 2026, for Home and Pro editions, six days from today. After that, Microsoft stops shipping fixes for known issues, time zone corrections, technical support, and the monthly security and preview updates that close newly found vulnerabilities, according to PCWorld, citing Microsoft's own support page.

Samsung announced a new SmartThings platform update on October 5, 2026, built around a feature called SmartThings Now that moves automation suggestions to the top of the Home tab instead of leaving them buried in menus and submenus. The Samsung SmartThings Now update also redesigns the Home tab layout, adds a Floating Bar for one-handed use, and expands local hub-to-phone control.

Apple rewrote the compatibility lists for the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad around August 25, dropping every Intel-based Mac from the official pages. This week, it reportedly extended the same edits to related tech-specs pages. The pages now read as if the accessories support Apple silicon Macs only, a shift worth knowing about if you're checking Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad Intel Mac compatibility before buying or troubleshooting one.

If you're trying to pin down LG Smart TV software update support years, the sources reviewed do not identify one support period covering every LG TV. The most concrete, sourced commitment comes from a specific 2024 initiative called the webOS Re:New program, and it names particular models rather than LG's whole lineup.

Google has announced YouTube background playback for cars with Google built-in, allowing users to watch YouTube videos while parked and continue listening to the audio when they shift into drive. The feature needs an active YouTube Premium subscription.

ArtCraft, the studio run by Brandon Thomas, has published three free Microsoft Office alternatives on GitHub: WordCraft, a Word alternative; GridCraft, an Excel alternative; and DeckCraft, a PowerPoint alternative, all built as open-source Rust applications, according to Pasquale Pillitteri. The three apps are available right now as free installers for Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD, with no account or sign-in required.

If "Switch to Google Assistant" has vanished from the Gemini app's account menu, you may have been moved to Gemini as part of Google's mobile migration. Google still publishes switch-back instructions, but 9to5Google found that the option had disappeared on devices it tested in September.

Google Pixel Connected Camera support is rolling out to 11 additional apps, including Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack, through an update to Pixel Camera Services spotted by Android Authority.

Apple opened preorders for HomePod mini 2 on October 13, and the pitch leans on five capabilities framed as reasons to buy. Run a HomePod mini 2 vs HomePod mini comparison against Apple's own materials, though, and the comparison gets harder to make than the marketing suggests: Apple's October 13 announcement does not provide enough acoustic specifications to establish a measurable improvement over the original HomePod mini.

Apple HomeView ships without an on-device app store. Third-party apps only show up when the display recognizes you and detects a paired iPhone or iPad that's been unlocked recently, a setup MacRumors compares to CarPlay. Apple confirms HomeView supports compatible third-party audio and video apps, but it hasn't published a HomeView-specific compatibility checklist. Checking your iPhone's CarPlay apps may help identify candidates, though it won't confirm which apps HomeView supports.

Apple's "Welcome Home" event on Tuesday introduced nine product lines in one announcement: three core devices and a six-piece Home Collection built with LG and Schneider Electric. Sort through all of that with a renter's eye, and most of it isn't something you can buy, use, and box up when the lease ends.