Category: Info

Key Specifications

• Support for Windows 8.1 support to end in January 2023
• Microsoft preparing to notify Windows 8.1 about the end-of-support date
• Microsoft suggests moving to a new PC with Windows 11

After saying goodbye to Internet Explorer, Microsoft has now announced that it will stop providing technical support for Windows 8.1. As per the reports, the software giant will begin notifying users of existing Windows 8.1 devices next month as a first reminder before Windows 8.1 support is discontinued.

The notifications will be similar to previous notifications used by Microsoft to alert Windows 7 customers about end-of-support dates. The tech giant initially stopped supporting Windows 8 in 2016. However, support for the Windows 8.1 update will end fully in January 2023.

Also, businesses won’t be able to pay for further security fixes because Microsoft won’t be providing an ESU (Extended Security Update) program for Windows 8.1. They will have to upgrade or accept the risk of running software without security updates.

Windows 8.1 Support To End In January 2023

Microsoft will end Windows 8.1 support in about six months from now, i.e., on January 10, 2023. In addition to this, Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported on Windows 8.1 after the operating system reaches its end of support dates. To avoid performance and reliability users, users are recommended to move to a newer version of Windows.

To maintain the stability and reliability of Microsoft 365, the tech giant strongly recommends users to take advantage of the latest hardware capabilities by moving to a new PC with Windows 11.

Adding to it, Microsoft mentions that “Today’s computers are faster, more powerful, and sleeker – plus they come with Windows 11 already installed.” However, there must be a noteworthy number of users who just cannot upgrade to a new system at the given time.

Microsoft suggests that on Windows 8 or the 8.1 version users can upgrade to Windows 10 by purchasing and installing a full version of the software. Although, the company also confirmed that Windows 10 will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025. This means your next PC purchased should ideally have Windows 11. So, if someone’s computer does not support the hardware requirements of Windows 11, then upgrading to Windows 10 is still a feasible option.

Key Highlights

• Google is adding the ‘LGBTQ+ Owned’ label on Maps and Search
• The new label is available for US locations only
• Google added the capability to report harassment to the new LGBTQ+ label

As the Pride month continues, Google has taken an initiative to support LGBTQ+ owned attributes to business profiles Search and Maps. The LGTBQ+ label is an addition to a variety of other labels on Google Maps. These attributes are designed to aid users in finding and supporting local businesses.

The new label joins the current options available to merchants including Black-owned, Latino-owned, veteran-owned, and women-owned businesses. The ‘LGBTQ+ friendly’ and ‘transgender safespace’ labels that are displayed on company profiles on Search and Maps are further expanded with this label.

The tech giant announced that the new LGBTQ+ label will be accessible to businesses in the US. Its availability in the other markets is at large. In order for them to use it, their profiles must be validated. The company said that once verified profiles apply for the label, their business will show up as LGBTQ+ owned on Maps, as well as on Search.

On a support page, Google states that self-identification is optional and is presently only available to retailers with US locations. The identification attributes can be used by customers to filter for businesses.

Business owners need to go to their profile, click on “edit profile,” and then choose “business details” in order to add the label. There will be a list of categories that business owners can choose from under the “more” option.

Additionally, Google has also added the option to report any harassment to the new LGBTQ+ label. This tool becomes a part of the set of resources that are already provided by Google Maps for people looking for LGBTQ+ friendly businesses. “LGBTQ friendly” and “Transgender safespace,” among others are some of the labels that are aimed at helping such people.

Although it’s currently a US-only initiative, it’s unclear whether Google will add more labels to Google Search and Maps in the UK. According to Google, the decision was made as the number of Americans identifying as LGBTQ+ members have grown.

Google has not specified when or if the new LGBTQ+ label will be made available to businesses outside of the US – at least in markets where the LGBTQ population is acknowledged.

Key Highlights

• E-passport in India is likely to roll out by 2022 end
• TCS is working with the MEA to set up a new control center
• This is part of the passport project’s second phase

Tata Consultancy Services is expected to start rolling out chip-based e-passports in India by the end of this year. This is the second major upgrade Tata’s tech giant will undertake for the PSK (Passports Seva Kendra). The company is working with the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) to set up a new control center.

According to ET’s report, the company will set up a new Passport Seva Kendra and refurbish existing PSKs with renewed infrastructure in the second phase of the passport implementation phase to ensure a more convenient and faster turn-around time. As a passport application is processed, it will also improve citizens’ experiences using technologies such as chatbots, biometrics, and auto-responses. In addition, PSKs around the country will be upgraded in terms of infrastructure in the second phase of the project.

For citizens, the new Indian e-passport will be a biometric passport. A small electronic chip in the passport maintains all of the information including the holder’s name, nationality, and date of birth.

In January, the ministry renewed a 10-year PSK deal with TCS worth over Rs 6,000 crore. The government announced in the budget that chip-based e-passports would be implemented. Until now, this is the country’s largest mission-critical e-governance initiative.

In terms of availability, when the second phase of the project is implemented, new passports issued will come with the chip, while the passports already in circulation will be updated at the time of renewal.

Interestingly, the government issued India’s first e-passport with biometric details to former President Pratibha Patil in 2008. The government has already issued roughly 20,000 e-passports to diplomats and other officials as part of a pilot project.

E-passports are already used in over 100 countries around the world. Before the ICAO approved a global plan for integrating biometrics into passports and other machine-readable travel papers, Malaysia was the first country to deploy an e-passport in 1998. Belgium issued the world’s first ICAO-compliant passport in 2004, while Bangladesh was the first South Asian country to introduce e-passports in 2020.