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From Uptime to Experience: The AI-Driven Shift in Modern Observability
In 2001, IBM wrote an autonomous IT manifesto. The Vision of Autonomic Computing broke down self-management into four pillars: self-optimization, self-healing, self-configuration, and self-protection. I was at Microsoft when IBM laid out this IT vision. We reacted by proposing technology ideas such as the autonomous data center, but ultimately, it was a dream that was way ahead of its time. There was no practical way to bring that vision to reality. In my Microsoft days, I was on the team…
5 Free Microsoft GitHub Courses to Learn Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Windows 11 and 10 get emergency patches, but AMD GPU issues remain
Microsoft’s September Patch Tuesday fixed a record 700+ security vulnerabilities across Windows versions, but it also caused some issues—most notably the breaking of USB audio on Windows 11. Now a week later, the company has released emergency out-of-band updates for both Windows 11 and Windows 10 to address some of those issues.
Windows 11’s KB5129195 update
Update KB5129195 resolves some (but not all) of the issues affecting the Windows 11 audio system, plus further issues relating to Claude Cowork and Remote Desktop Services (RDS).
Some PCs with AMD Radeon GPUs are also facing issues, but this update doesn’t address that yet—nor does it address issues with File Explorer and File History that were also introduced on Patch Tuesday.
Microsoft is automatically rolling out the emergency KB5129195 update to all Windows 11 PCs as a mandatory, cumulative, out-of-band update. It contains fixes from previous updates, and it also addresses a newly discovered elevation of privilege (EoP) security flaw. Installation should take about 10 minutes depending on hardware and requires a restart.
Windows 10’s KB5129236 update
For Windows 10 versions 22H2 and 21H2, Microsoft has released a separate emergency update called KB5129236. According to the changelog, the update resolves the following issues:
[Remote Desktop Services (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue affecting Remote Desktop Services (RDS) after installing the September 2026 Windows security update (KB5122878). In affected environments, RDS might become unstable, causing RDP connection and sign-in failures or servers to become unresponsive during Remote Desktop configuration. Related tools, including Microsoft Management Console (MMC), RDS Licensing Diagnoser, File Explorer, and the Windows Update page, might also stop responding.
[Hyper-V (known issue)] Fixed: Some applications that use HCS-managed virtual machines experienced issues when sharing host folder with Linux VMs using Plan9. Folders shared from the Windows host using Plan9 did not appear or could not be accessed in the guest environment.
[8-channel or 3D audio modes] Fixed: Some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices functioning as expected in standard stereo configurations failed when using multichannel audio features, including 8-channel or 3D audio modes. (Note: There are other audio symptoms not resolved in this OOB update. See the “Known issues in this update” section for more information.)
Microsoft releases multiple emergency fixes for Windows 11
I brought back the best part of the Windows Vista era with this free app
Windows Vista is an operating system that I look back on fondly for one major reason: it was among the best-looking Windows options we've ever had. The Aero design philosophy was a major part of both Windows Vista and Windows 7, though Microsoft dropped it in Windows 8 in favor of its Metro design. Aero is honestly reminiscent of Apple's design philosophy in a lot of ways.
Your Windows 11 woes may soon be over as Insiders confirm a faster, snappier OS overall
Windows 11 has its fair share of problems, but it seems that Microsoft is finally listening to its users. A group of Windows Insiders has managed to get their hands on an experimental build of Windows 11, and it's already reporting that things feel snappy. And the good news is, if Microsoft is ready to show Insiders these improvements, it shouldn't be long until we all get them.
I found a Windows shortcut that makes the Settings app feel embarrassingly incomplete
The default Settings app in Windows 11 is functional, but it's quite limited compared to something like the classic Control Panel. It certainly gets the job done for most Windows users, including me. However, with Microsoft's push for a more integrated, online ecosystem, the Settings app has become quite closed off. In fact, a good chunk of the administrative options that used to be part of the User settings are now locked off unless you're connected to the internet.
I found a 24-year-old Windows tool that Microsoft still can't replicate
There’s a certain kind of Windows annoyance that isn’t serious enough to justify hunting down an app for it. Maybe I want a shortcut that turns down whatever program I’m currently using. Maybe I want my PC to yell at me after I’ve been sitting at it for an hour. Maybe I want to know when a webpage changes without keeping a tab open all day.
SwiftKey ‘AI voice’ is Pixel 11’s Rambler voice-to-text for other Android phones, works offline
Rambler in Gboard is perhaps one of the best Pixel 11 features, delivering powerful voice-to-text backed up by AI models. Once you’ve used it, it’s hard to switch back to anything else, but the Microsoft-owned SwiftKey is testing out a new “AI voice” feature that brings the core functionality of Pixel 11’s Rambler to basically any other Android phone.
more…
Looks like Samsung Gallery has already found its OneDrive replacement
- Samsung is ending a partnership with Microsoft that saw images backed up from Samsung Gallery stored in OneDrive.
- OneDrive will instead back up photos to Google’s cloud storage in the future.
- Images stored this way will be accessible in both Samsung Gallery and Google Photos.
Samsung announced earlier this year that it would stop working with Microsoft OneDrive to store user images and videos in the cloud. That partnership is officially ending at the end of September, and preparations for nixing the functionality have already begun. Now that Microsoft is on its way out, we’ve learned Samsung will partner with Google for cloud storage going forward.
As spotted by X user Sandeep Adap, a new version of Samsung’s Gallery Cloud Sync service has popped up on the Galaxy Store. The service’s description specifies that it backs up photos and videos in Google Cloud.
Microsoft rolls out emergency update for Windows 11's latest patch — recent update causes crashes on AMD graphics, Explorer hang-ups, and broken third-party integrations
12 early Prime Day deals under $50 you can get right now that actually improve your setup
Desperate attempt or marketing genius? Microsoft's Project Zenith is a confusing attempt to get those who can afford an expensive PC to buy one
The best laptops of 2026: Out of the 90+ models weve tried, these are our 8 favorites
Mashable has been testing laptops for over 10 years. Over the past two years alone, the team and I have researched dozens of models and tried over 90 of the most promising configurations available. We use a meticulous testing procedure involving real-world stress tests and artificial benchmarks to evaluate our contenders on the basis of performance, battery life, design/build quality, and value.
This regularly updated guide serves as our laptop trophy case, highlighting the best-in-class models we've tried across different subcategories. For even more recommendations, check out my dedicated guides to the best MacBooks, the best Windows laptops, the best cheap laptops, and the best Chromebooks.
Why are laptops so expensive right now?
Laptop prices have skyrocketed in 2026 for several reasons. One is the recent boom in AI data center construction, which has caused a global shortage of RAM and SSD storage chips (often referred to as "RAMageddon"). As a result, many consumer tech devices that use these components, including the best laptops, have become vastly more expensive than they would've been otherwise. Most PC makers have been affected, including Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and Acer.
The memory crisis is expected to worsen and could last into 2028, driving up prices even further and making good values in the budget and mid-range tiers even scarcer. On top of that, the Trump administration is reportedly mulling new tariffs on semiconductors that would apply to laptops and other electronics.
Further complicating things is that Microsoft reportedly raised its Windows 11 licensing fees by higher-than-usual percentages. In other words, both hardware and software prices have gone up for PC makers this year, forcing them to pass on the extra costs to consumers. Lucky us.
The Mashable team is taking the current state of the market into consideration as we assess and select laptops to recommend to our readers. Moreover, we've gone back and re-evaluated several models that have gotten more expensive since we first tested them.
At the time of writing, only two previous top picks have gotten so pricey that we think they're no longer worth buying. That would be the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, which jumped from an already-high $750 to $1,000, and the Acer Chromebook Plus 516, which went from $479 to $649. We're currently testing some other Chromebook options and will update this guide with a new top pick soon.
Recent updates to this guide
September 2026: I added more information about the various factors affecting laptop prices right now. I also added a new section about some new laptops that shoppers can look forward to in the coming months. Finally, I updated three of our picks in the wake of recent pricing and availability changes. I removed the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 as our top Chromebook because of its value-zapping $170 price hike, and I'm now looking for its replacement. The Asus Zenbook A16 got a $300 price bump, but I'm keeping it as our best 16-inch laptop (for now) because it's still not a rip-off in the current market. Lastly, the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI was out of stock at the time of writing, but may not be sold out for good. I'll continue to monitor its listings over the next few weeks and will swap it for another model if it turns out it's actually been discontinued. In the meantime, a refurbished Swift Edge 14 AI is readily available.
July 2026: The Acer Swift Edge 14 AI is officially the most portable laptop we've ever tested: It only weighs 2.18 pounds and measures 0.37 inches thin at its slimmest point. I added it as a new pick.
June 2026: I made the
Windows 11 emergency update: Microsoft races to fix bugs
Microsoft's big September 2026 Patch Tuesday update addressed a record 966 flaws, including two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities, across Microsoft products when it was released last week on Sept. 8.
However, just one week later on Sept. 14, Microsoft rolled out an emergency, out-of-band patch for the patch. The linked update, KB5129194, applies to Windows 11 version 26H1. Windows 11 users should install the latest update available for their version as soon as possible to get the security updates from Patch Tuesday and receive the fixes in the latest patch.
According to reports, while last Tuesday's update fixed a number of vulnerabilities, it caused its fair share of issues as well. Users reported that Remote Desktop Services (RDS) had become unstable, certain USB audio devices had stopped working properly, and applications using Hyper-V-based Linux virtual machines, such as Claude Cowork, were experiencing issues.
This week's patch fixes several issues introduced by the previous update and includes additional security updates. However, it does not resolve every USB audio problem. Microsoft says the update fixes failures involving multichannel audio, but some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices may still fail to start or produce sound. (The company is working on a fix for those remaining issues.)
The two zero day exploits that were addressed last week include CVE-2026-81963 and CVE-2026-85880. The former was a flaw in the Windows Update Stack and allowed an attacker to gain System privileges. The latter was a Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC) vulnerability that also allowed attacks to gain System privileges.
Both were actively exploited; however, Microsoft has not shared how these flaws were exploited in those attacks.
Cybersecurity experts previously told Mashable back in April that AI has been a factor in the discovery of bugs and exploits, for good and bad, which is why new operating system updates have had so many fixes in each new patch. At the time, Microsoft denied AI playing a role in its most recent update. In July, Microsoft said that AI-assisted vulnerability discovery would lead to more security fixes in its releases.
Windows users can download the new update without having to have first installing last week's Patch Tuesday update. The new update is cumulative and includes all of the updates from September.