Month: January 2023

Enlarge / A PC running Windows 11. (credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is working on an overhaul of the File Explorer app in Windows 11, according to a report from Windows Central. The new Explorer will allegedly feature redesigned and more touch-friendly navigation, better photo viewing with larger previews, keyword and color tagging for organizing files, and tighter integration with Microsoft 365 and OneDrive.

An internal mock-up of the new interface shows a new "recommended" section of files alongside the existing areas for pinned and recent files, with large previews of various documents and information about where the files are located (OneDrive, SharePoint, and the local Downloads folder are all listed) and information about recent updates to the files. The new look will also come with "more modern code" under the hood.

The report says Microsoft wants to release the new Explorer before the end of the year. It could be part of this year's annual Windows update in the fall, but Microsoft has taken a "whenever they're ready" approach to releasing new Windows features in the Windows 11 era—it could be released at any time, or never.

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  The OnePlus Pad teaser image. That round camera bump looks just like the OnePlus 11's. [credit: OnePlus ]

OnePlus is scheduled to launch the OnePlus 11 smartphone internationally on February 7, but it looks like a big surprise is coming along with that event: OnePlus' first tablet. On the event teaser page for the US, a new banner image features the upcoming phone and earbuds sitting on a big tablet. On the event's Indian page, there's even a new tab for the "OnePlus Pad" and an extra picture.

In the official pictures, we can see a big round camera bump, which looks just like the one on the OnePlus 11. If you zoom in, you can see there's a single camera lens and an LED flash, but cameras aren't that important on tablets. It's also very green. The other picture shows the sides of the tablet, which appear to be flat aluminum. There's even a big, flat oval on the side of the tablet, which usually signifies a side fingerprint sensor.

We have more than OnePlus' teaser images to look at, though. Just before OnePlus posted the official teaser, OnLeaks (aka Steve Hemmerstoffer) and MySmartPrice released renders, and while OnLeaks has a great track record, we don't even have to guess here—these images have already been proven accurate by OnePlus' teaser. The accompanying report says to expect an 11.6-inch display and a metal unibody chassis.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto /)

Meta will restore Donald Trump's access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts "in the coming weeks" but "with new guardrails in place" to prevent real-world harm, the company said in a blog post yesterday.

Facebook suspended Trump "following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021," Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg noted in the blog post. "We then referred that decision to the Oversight Board—an expert body established to be an independent check and balance on our decision-making. The Board upheld the decision but criticized the open-ended nature of the suspension and the lack of clear criteria for when and whether suspended accounts will be restored, directing us to review the matter to determine a more proportionate response."

After the board review, Facebook decided to make Trump's suspension last until at least January 7, 2023. "Now that the time period of the suspension has elapsed, the question is not whether we choose to reinstate Mr. Trump's accounts, but whether there remain such extraordinary circumstances that extending the suspension beyond the original two-year period is justified," Clegg wrote yesterday.

Enlarge (credit: Damien Meyer/Getty Images)

Flying premium from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a common trip for some Californians, could generate 101 kilograms of carbon emissions, or perhaps 142 or even 366 kilograms—depending on what source you search online.

The wide range of estimates stems from what some climate experts view as a growing problem, with Google at the center. More people are trying to factor climate change impacts into life choices such as where to vacation or what to eat. Yet scientists are still debating how to accurately estimate the impacts of many activities, including flying or producing meat. While the math gets sorted out, some industries decry emissions estimates as unfair.

Google has led the way among Big Tech companies in trying to inform users about their potential carbon footprint when traveling, heating their homes, and, as of recently, making dinner. But airlines, cattle ranchers, and other industry groups are pushing back, saying Google’s nudges could hurt their sales. They have demanded—successfully, in the case of airlines—that the search giant rethink how it calculates and presents emissions data.