TL;DR: For just $14.97, get a lifetime license to Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (MSRP $199). Still cruising on Windows 10 and pretending nothing’s broken? Relatable—“Remind me later” is muscle memory. But support for Windows 10 just officially ended. With this deal, you can finally make the jump to Windows 11 Pro for just $14.97. That’s a full-fledged, professional-grade operating system for the price of two fancy lattes. First of all, Windows 11 Pro is smooth. Like, way smoother than its predecessors. The redesigned interface is clean, centered, and customizable, which is great for focus and flow. Plus, it comes with features that make multitasking feel like second nature: snap layouts, virtual desktops, and lightning-fast search tools. You get enterprise-grade features like BitLocker encryption, Windows Hello biometric login, and TPM 2.0 compatibility — all designed to protect your work, files, and peace of mind. And Windows Copilot is now baked in, meaning you can ask for help, automate tasks, summarize web pages, or even brainstorm new ideas, all from your desktop. If you’re a developer, creative, remote worker, or small business owner, Windows 11 Pro is an upgrade that can give you a serious productivity boost. Don’t miss upgrading to Windows 11 Pro while it’s on sale for just $14.97 (MSRP $199) for a limited time. Microsoft Windows 11 ProSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Porirua`s mayor-elect, Anita Baker says the council can`t get started on business until the contested seat is sorted. Read...

Canon Business Services ANZ expands its sales team with six hires to boost support and growth across Australia and New Zealand`s technology sectors. Read...

Adobe will integrate Google Cloud’s AI models into its creative apps, boosting content creation for businesses and professionals with tailored, scalable tools. Read...

Uh oh, Meta is implementing a change that some users aren’t going to like (and others are going to applaud). Due to new guidelines for WhatsApp business accounts, soon AI chatbots will no longer be allowed when they’re used as the main purpose of the messenger app. The relevant policy text says: Providers and developers of artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies, including but not limited to large language models, generative artificial intelligence platforms, general-purpose artificial intelligence assistants … are strictly prohibited from accessing or using the WhatsApp Business Solution, whether directly or indirectly, for the purposes of providing, delivering, offering, selling, or otherwise making available such technologies when such technologies are the primary (rather than incidental or ancillary) functionality being made available for use, as determined by Meta in its sole discretion. In layman’s terms, this means that AI tools like ChatGPT will be removed from WhatsApp, and AI providers (such as Perplexity) will no longer be allowed to offer chatbots via WhatsApp. The only AI you’ll be allowed to use for support on WhatsApp will be Meta’s own AI. Officially, the change won’t take effect until January 16th, 2026, but it’s possible that OpenAI will remove ChatGPT from WhatsApp before then to avoid conflicts with Meta. Why is WhatsApp banning AI chatbots? According to Meta (via TechCrunch), chatbots like ChatGPT “placed a lot of burden on its system with increased message volume and required a different kind of support, which the company wasn’t ready for.” However, the fact that Meta’s own AI has also been available in WhatsApp since earlier this year is also likely to be a factor that led to this decision, especially as Meta’s AI can’t be deactivated or deleted. Starting January 2026, it’ll still be possible to use chatbots and AI in WhatsApp, for example to provide support or customer service. But there can no longer be a real AI assistant. Anyone who fails to adhere to the guidelines risks being banned from WhatsApp Business Solutions. What should you do about this? To date, over 50 million people are said to have used ChatGPT via WhatsApp, which should be seen as a huge success for both apps. Nevertheless, the end of the brief collaboration is inevitable. Starting January 2026, anyone who wants to continue using ChatGPT will have to use one of ChatGPT’s apps (like the Android version on the Play Store) or directly in the web browser. Both options offer more features than ChatGPT via WhatsApp, and they’re less limited when it comes to uploading files or voice input. Alternatively, you can start chatting with Meta AI via the search bar in WhatsApp. Meta AI is currently based on the Llama 4 language model, which offers efficient and solution-oriented answers but isn’t as good at working with context as ChatGPT is. Note that Meta AI will start snooping on your chats soon for personalizing ads and content. If you don’t want to lose access to your chat history with ChatGPT, you should back it up by January 15th, 2026. To do this, you need to link your WhatsApp account to your ChatGPT account, which you can do via ChatGPT on WhatsApp by clicking the three-dot menu and then View contact. Scroll down, then select Link your ChatGPT account. Further reading: Fun ways to use ChatGPT when you’re bored Read...

Consider this an apology to Hyper and to its parent, Targus. I don’t want to use HyperSpace’s TrackPad Pro standalone haptic trackpad and I’ve probably wasted your time, Hyper’s, and mine. Perhaps you, dear reader, will feel differently. Me? I just can’t stand it. Hyper’s $150 haptic Trackpad Pro (or $109 on Kickstarter) taught me that I’m primarily a mouse person, and I have absolutely no need for the advanced capabilities that the trackpad offers, such as deep clicking and various “zones” in which clicks trigger different actions. I want nothing to do with them. When I saw the TrackPad Pro at the 2025 CES show, I appreciated the concept but was less than impressed by the execution. It just didn’t really work. It does now. Still, my time with Hyper’s TrackPad Pro taught me that this touchpad peripheral is a device for input and trackpad nerds. And I’m neither. A haptic touchpad is worth your time, though. Put simply, haptics are like the OLED of touchpads. They’re a step up, as they’re clickable across the entire breadth of their surface. Both Apple Macs and some Microsoft Surface devices use a haptic touchpad or trackpad, and they’re effective and futuristic, all in one. Some have compared Hyper’s TrackPad Pro to Apple’s Magic Trackpad and that comparison seems fair. In fairness, the signs were there from the start. Hyper sent me a TrackPad Pro for review, and I received it right before setting off on two weeks of business travel, with a laptop — and a mouse. Why am I a mouse person? I’m left-handed, and I’ve determinedly held on to a left-handed Razer DeathAdder mouse I purchased years ago. Lefties are forced to make all sorts of accommodations in their lives like learning to use scissors right-handed or grudgingly accepting that the WASD setup on a computer keyboard isn’t for them. (I prefer the superior number-pad layout instead.) As a result, I use a left-handed mouse, but have been trained to left-click with my middle finger as opposed to my index finger. Chaos! This is the trauma the right-handed world imposes. Hyper’s TrackPad Pro matched up with its competition: a laptop trackpad.Mark Hachman / Foundry As a result, touchpads usually mess with my head. I’m supposed to click which corner of the touchpad to right click? (The lower left.) And though Windows allows you to tap with two fingers to right-click, the Hyper touchpad didn’t. Ugh. This isn’t entirely my fault In my defense, however, I think it’s fair to say that Hyper’s setup experience is bad. The device itself is fine: the TrackPad Pro measures 3.85 inches x 6.29 inches (98mm x 160 mm) and maybe half an inch thick, which connects to your PC via a braided USB-C cable. Physically, the device works well. The surface is metallic and smooth, with a 240Hz report rate. All that means is that the trackpad feels extremely smooth and responsive, without any hitches or judder. To enable all of the bells and whistles, however, you need to download a Hydra Connect application. First, Hydra mandates the need for an account and password, which instantly makes me suspect that something nefarious is going on behind the scenes. Second, the software immediately asks if it can send you marketing email — I think not. Third, though the software attempts to guide you through its features, the accompanying text windows are too small to fit the entire explanation, which feels amateurish. Fourth, why dedicate an entire tab of the application to Hydra Connect, a feature listed as “coming soon”? This isn’t a good start to the HyperSpace TrackPad Pro experience.Mark Hachman / Foundry Finally, did anyone in the age of Marvel really think that ‘Hydra’ would be perceived positively? Especially after it asked to send you spam? Come on. The Hydra app, to its credit (?), is extremely detailed. You can define zones on the trackpad surface, where specific clicks will have specific defined actions. Unfortunately, I kept stumbling into a zone where clicking locked my laptop–this got old fast. You can define profiles for various applications like Photoshop, where specific types of clicks have various functions. Interestingly, though the TrackPad Pro seemed big enough to use it as a drawing tablet, that feature didn’t seem to be enabled. I will be honest: I tried to test out the TrackPad Pro. But I knew from the start that I disliked it, so I didn’t give it more than a few hours. In the spirit of fair play, I’m going to point you to a competitor, Wired, whose own Hyper TrackPad hands-on feels more objective. The Hydra software is very detailed, but some UI flaws make it difficult to work with,Mark Hachman / Foundry The TrackPad Pro does have one interesting feature–a “deep click.” Simply touching the tablet is one input, depressing it enough so that it clicks is another. But you can depress it even harder so that it records a “deep click,” which can signal something else entirely. Sensing how far you’ve depressed the trackpad is a bit iffy even at the best of times and you really shouldn’t set one command to trigger at the various levels of pressure. (I once found a way to configure these deep clicks, and then seemingly lost that ability to forever within the stomach of the Hydra.) In any case, if you’re the type of person who likes to set up a trackpad just so, with specific functions mapped out, the Hyper TrackPad Pro might be for you when it ships in early 2026. Had I realized that I truly had no use for it, I would’ve politely declined a review copy. But I learned something! While I still think that a haptic touchpad is probably the future of laptop input, Hyper’s dedicated touchpad just isn’t for me. Read...

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows is just $29.97 (MSRP $229) for a limited time — one payment, no subscription fees, all the essential apps you already use every day. Make Office a one-and-done purchase. For $29.97, secure a lifetime Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 license for Windows. Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access, and OneNote for as long as you like, with no ongoing fees. This is one of Microsoft’s most widely used Office versions for good reason. It’s stable, streamlined, and packed with the features that everyday users, business owners, freelancers, and spreadsheet wizards rely on. Whether you’re managing invoices, writing your next pitch deck, editing a résumé, or organizing your inbox like a boss, Office 2019 is built to make your life easier. Once installed on your Windows PC, it’s good to go with — no recurring costs, no cloud dependency (thank goodness), and no fuss. Plus, this version’s got some sweet upgrades: better inking across apps, more data analysis in Excel, improved email handling in Outlook, and sleek new transitions in PowerPoint. Don’t miss getting lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2019 while it’s just $29.97 (MSRP $229). No coupon is needed. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for WindowsSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Rubrik and Cognizant have launched a subscription-based Business Resilience-as-a-Service to help firms recover swiftly from cyberattacks and ransomware threats. Read...

From Celeste to Silksong, indie games have become big business as they take on the goliaths of the industry. Read...

A Southland farmer says fixing the damage to his business alone will cost more than what the government has stumped up for the entire storm-hit region. Read...