If you're still getting used to TikTok's longer, three-minute videos that rolled out to the masses last month, buckle up for this possible update. The company is reportedly testing videos that are up to five minutes long, according to social media commentator Matt Navarra.

Navarra tweeted a screenshot of an account update from TikTok that reads: "Upload videos up to 5 minutes long from your device. Make sure you're using the latest version of TikTok before trying out the feature on your app or tiktok.com."

TikTok didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company first experimented with increasing its 60-second limit in December, when it began testing three-minute videos. It rolled out the longer format in July. Now it looks like users may soon start to see even longer clips.

The short-form video space is competitive, which means changes are common and frequent. In September, Instagram extended the time limit for clips on its TikTok competitor, Reels, from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. In July, it bumped that limit to 60 seconds. 

It's possible TikTok is even looking beyond five-minute videos. Navarra also posted a tweet that appears to show the company is experimenting with 10-minute videos, too. 

TikTok users will surely have mixed feelings about the potential changes, with some already sounding off on Navarra's tweet.

"YouTube is typing," one tweet reads, referring to how TikTok's longer videos now more closely resemble those on YouTube, which launched its own TikTok competitor Shorts last year.

Another expressed feelings with this timeless Michael Scott meme.

A drone might be your next guard dog.

Sunflower Labs, a San Francisco-based startup, is combining motion detectors, a quadcopter and a phone app into a home security system. The Sunflower system could go on sale in 2020, according to CEO Alex Pachikov, who expects to charge wealthy customers several hundred dollars a month for the peace of mind -- and replacement hardware if anything breaks. For comparison, premium security systems can cost more than $100 a month, and Sunflower says that six-camera systems can cost up to $300 per month.

Drones for home protection might seem like overkill, especially if you first heard of unmanned aerial vehicles as something the military uses. But Pachikov said Sunflower's technology is actually meant to head off the bunker mentality. In some areas, 99 percent of all home security calls are false alarms, so you probably don't need to freak out when you hear the backyard bushes rustling.

"Our brand is built around dispelling the notion that you need a panic room," Pachikov said during a meeting at his Sunflower-protected home in a suburb south of San Francisco. Sunflower's drone system, he said, will set your mind at ease by confirming it's a possum, not a prowler, in your backyard.

Drones have captured popular attention as they've become commercialized. Farmers monitor crops with drones, real estate agents photograph homes with them and movie makers use them to shoot overhead scenes. Some pests using drones have shut down traffic at major airports, including London's busy Heathrow and Gatwick.

Sunflower, which has 20 employees located in both California and Switzerland and demonstrated its tech at CES this year, isn't the only company to use drones for security. Alarm.com touted some in 2017, and Drone Guarder is taking preorders for its products.

"Two-thirds of families in America live in homes suitable for this," Pachikov said, so when costs come down, he expects drone security to be commonplace. "They'll be as common as Ubers in San Francisco. An average home will be able to afford this."

How it works

Sunflower drones are the most obvious part of the company's system, but it actually begins with what look like sidewalk lights -- "sunflowers" -- that will dot your property. The lights illuminate the ground and are equipped with motion and vibration detectors.

The sunflowers send alerts to a computer in the drone's base station, which Sunflower calls "the Hive." The computer processes the signals to distinguish footfalls from car traffic and other benign sources of noise. The motion sensors can also tell if something is tall and narrow like a human, or short and wide like a dog.

If the base station computer is worried, it sends an alert to an app on your phone. That will let you deploy a drone, which Sunflower calls "the Bee." The base station cover opens and the drone heads out, piloting itself automatically around obstacles and staying about 20 feet in the air as it heads to the trouble spot. You can watch the video live on your phone.

There's no direct connection to the police, but Sunflower Labs' setup can pull together a data package if you need to file a report. Pachikov says the startup could use others' computing interfaces to automate reports in the future.

Plenty of challenges

Getting Sunflower's quadcopters in the air won't be without its challenges. Air space is heavily regulated, and a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration is necessary to fly a drone at night or beyond your own line of sight. If you're near an airport, you'll need to jump through more hoops.

But Sunflower Labs expects those regulations to ease. Indeed, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao unveiled plans last month to liberalize some federal drone rules, in part to boost the economy and create jobs.

Sunflower and its competitors will also face concerns from society at large. Is a mail carrier going to be happy when a quadcopter swoops by? And how about neighbors who don't want the noise or privacy intrusion?

I found the drones weren't bothersome when I attended a company demonstration. I could hear the UAV through an open back door, but it was far quieter than gas-powered leaf blowers or lawnmowers.

As for privacy, the drone flies only on the perimeter of your property and the cameras point toward your house. That means they won't peer into other homes.

Of course, you'll have to explain that to an edgy neighbor.

First published Feb. 7 at 5 a.m. PT.
Update, 8:54 a.m. PT: Corrects the spelling of Alex Pachikov's name and adds more information about the cost of security systems.

Best drones for 2019: Our editors hand-picked these products based on our tests and reviews.

High-flying pests : Super Bowl 2019 stadium pestered by drones, despite ban.

We first met young Jeremy last year when he conquered Halloween in a Star Wars snowspeeder. Jeremy and his dad Ryan Scott Miller are back with another mind-blowing costume for 2016. It's the Ecto-1 car from the original "Ghostbusters."

Jeremy is 9 years old and gets around in a wheelchair due to spina bifida, a condition that hampers spinal cord development. His Ecto-1 fits around his wheelchair and puts him at the wheel of the iconic phantasm-fighting machine.

When it comes to costumes, this is about as far from a bed-sheet ghost as you can get. The car replica has working lights and a speaker for playing the "Ghostbusters" theme music and siren. A fully loaded roof rack carries cannisters, a ladder, a satellite dish and a warning light. Everything is there, right down to the big red fins and logo on the side.

The completely custom costume took a month and a half worth of weekends to build. "There were so many challenging parts to this costume, which is part of the fun, but by far getting the curve of the body was the hardest part. We had a couple of failed attempts until we got it right," says Miller.

Jeremy is a huge "Ghostbusters" fan. He's seen all three movies and watches the cartoon series, as well. Jeremy and his dad were thrilled to discover that the "Extreme Ghostbusters" animated series from 1997 features a paraplegic main character in a wheelchair.

Jeremy isn't just using the car for trick-or-treat transportation. He and his dad took the vehicle to the Rady Children's Hospital Halloween party in San Diego, California, after an invitation from the Children's Miracle Network, an organization dedicated to funding hospitals and medical research.

"It was nice to be able to bring some smiles to kids, because we know all too well how tough long hospital stays can be," says Miller.

Venom is biting back, and Ghostbusters lives on after Afterlife. Sony has confirmed Marvel spinoff Venom 3 as well as a sequel to the latest Ghostbusters flick, 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife directed by Jason Reitman.

Sony announced the sequels at CinemaCon, a movie industry event taking place in Las Vegas. Although the studio didn't add any further details about who's involved or when the release date might be, there's surely a good chance Tom Hardy will be back as the gloopy antihero from Marvel's Spider-Man comics, following last year's Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Similarly, there's no detail about the Afterlife sequel, but it's probably likely to follow the crew of young Ghostbusters introduced in Afterlife (Mckenna Grace, Celeste O'Connor, Logan Kim and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard). No word yet on whether Carrie Coon or Paul Rudd will return.

Since Afterlife got its fan-pleasing continuity out of the way, hopefully the sequel won't have to shoehorn in any more cameos from original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver or the late Harold Ramis (who appeared in CGI form in Afterlife).

Sony also confirmed a new Spider-Man spinoff featuring lesser-known Marvel comics character El Muerto. Scheduled for January 2024, El Muerto will star rapper, producer and occasional WWE wrestler Bad Bunny as a superpowered luchador.

Welcome to Nonfungible Tidbits. Our focus this week: Russia's war in Ukraine. 

In addition to uprooting the lives of Ukrainians and throwing the international order into chaos, the Russian invasion has created a proving ground for some of the most ambitious -- and cynical -- use cases for cryptocurrency. On the one hand, crypto has become a tool for individuals and organizations to provide charitable support and donations to Ukrainians (as well as a new frontier for online scammers). But there are reports of Russian oligarchs using the technology to evade an increasingly aggressive bevy of financial sanctions. We'll also look at the sale of an NFT of the Ukrainian Flag to support Ukraine -- a project backed by a member of the Russian punk band PussyRiot. 

Our other stories include scams trying to exploit donations to Ukraine, and how some cryptocurrency exchanges are handling the sanctions against Russia. 

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Cryptocurrency donations worth millions raised for Ukraine 

More than $50 million in cryptocurrency has been raised for Ukraine in the time since Russia began military operations in the nation last week. Many of these donations have been made directly to the Ukraine government. Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister for digital transformation, tweeted wallet addresses for cryptocurrency donations, which was also tweeted by Ukraine's official twitter account. Over $47 million in cryptocurrency has been donated in this way, says Elliptic, a blockchain analysis firm.

Read CNET's full story on how Ukraine raised bver $55M in crypto to help resist Russia .

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NFT backed by a member of Russian punk band PussyRiot raises $6.7 million for Ukraine

Aside from direct donations to the Ukrainian government, UkraineDAO, an online organization backed by a member of the Russian punk rock group PussyRiot, has raised millions by auctioning a Ukrainian flag sold as an NFT. Contributors were able to share ownership of the NFT, and 3,200 individual contributions took place in 72 hours for a total of $6.7 million in ether.

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Scammers trying to exploit the war in Ukraine

If you want to donate to help Ukrainians, it's good to be aware of scams on social media that are using the war in Ukraine for illicit gain. These scams can take the form of fake charities and other organizations claiming to support Ukrainians. Especially when it comes to cryptocurrency, anyone who wants to donate should be careful, as cryptocurrency transactions are generally irreversible and difficult to track. If you're inclined to donate, check out CNET's list of charities and make sure you do your research first.

Read CNET's full story on how war in Ukraine brings out scammers trying to exploit donations.  

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Cryptocurrency exchanges don't want to bar users in Russia

While the White House hasn't yet commented on this directly, Bloomberg reports the Biden administration has asked cryptocurrency exchanges to prevent Russian people and organizations from using virtual currencies to circumvent Washington's sanctions. Bloomberg cites a White House official saying that American authorities are aggressively fighting any misuse of digital assets to avoid sanctions. Reuters reports that Binance, as well as US-based Coinbase and Kraken have agreed to screen users and block anyone targeted by sanctions, but the exchanges have stopped short of banning all Russian clients. Binance and Coinbase are the two largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world by market cap.

Stranger Things  season 4 is over. 

But this is not the end. There's still one entire season to come. That might be bad news for the kids who have to prepare to save Hawkins -- or what's left of it. But it's good news for those of us who just can't give up on Steve "The Hair" Harrington and the rest of this engaging crew.

For more on Stranger Things season 4 volume 2, dive into the Easter eggs, links to previous seasons and character arcs for the cast in our in-depth episode 8 recap and episode 9 season finale recap. If you've burned through season 4, here's what we know about the upcoming fifth and final season. We'll add to this as news is released.

When will Stranger Things' final season be released?

This is a bigger mystery than what exactly Erica found under Lucas' bed. There was a year between the first two seasons, and then we had to wait two years for season three, and another two for season four. (This explains why the kids are growing up so fast -- see our photo gallery to marvel at the differences.) The Duffer brothers flat-out told Variety that the wait shouldn't be as long this time, but also, they haven't started filming yet. So we'd estimate a year and a half, which would put the show in early 2024. (David Harbour, who plays Hopper, is guessing mid-2024.)

What's this about a time jump?

Like we said, the kids are getting older. Millie Bobby Brown, who plays 11, is 18 now, and Joe Keery, who plays Steve, is 30. Each season has jumped ahead a year, which would push the final season to 1987. But if the show jumped more than one year, the younger kids might be able to catch up to their actual ages -- say the show picked up as they're about to graduate from Hawkins.

The Duffer brothers, the show's creators, have confirmed a time jump, though they haven't revealed details. The problem, though, is that Hawkins is literally on fire as we faded out of season four, so it seems as if the kids need to jump back into immediate action. That'll be something for the Duffers to work out as they reopen their show's writers' room.

Fewer settings 

Season four was kind of all over the place, with Hopper and Joyce mostly in Russia, Eleven starting out in California (we still want revenge on roller-rink meanie Angela), and some of the crew back in Hawkins. The show jumped between settings pretty smoothly, but the Duffers say it will focus on keeping everyone together in Hawkins for the last season.

Will Byers loves Mike

The show started off back in season 1 with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) getting abducted, and it looks as if the focus could spin back to him. Ross Duffer says Will is "a big part and focus" of the final season. And actor Schnapp told Variety in July 2022 that the rumors are true, his character is gay, and has feelings for best friend Mike, who's in a relationship with Eleven.

"Now it's 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike," Schnapp said.

And everything Will does is made more difficult by the fact that he's still apparently able to feel a connection to Vecna.

Eddie and Max

New character Eddie Munson sacrificed himself in season four, and the Duffers have assured fans that the meaningful death is real. It's possible actor Joseph Quinn could show up in a flashback (although Alexei didn't get to do that), but the character won't be an active part of the final season.

It's different for Max Mayfield, who's been a strong part of the show since the second season. Max ended the fourth season in the hospital, as Vecna tried to kill her in the same horrific bone-breaking, eye-gouging way he killed others before her. She's still alive, but not in great shape, and lingers in a coma. There just doesn't feel like any way the Duffers will kill off Max, though -- in fact, maybe that time jump will help her bones (and brain) heal.

Don't expect another 'Running Up That Hill'

Kate Bush's 1985 song Running Up That Hill was featured prominently in the fourth season -- sending the decades-old song charting around the world. But don't expect that the Duffers will just pick another '80s song for a season 5 boost. 

"I'm already getting asked that question, it's like, 'What song are [you] going to do in Season 5?'" Matt Duffer said in an interview with Collider. "I'm like, 'We're not going to do that again.' Because if we do it, it will fail." Yeah, it likely would. Lightning is notoriously hard to bottle and, alas, there's only one Kate Bush.

Finale will be long again

The season four finale was more than two hours long. Season five's finale will be, too, though not quite as long, the Duffers say. But it will be moving fast. They note that season five will jump right into action, and joke that the finale will contain "eight endings." Get ready to block off some serious viewing time come 2024.

And then a spinoff?

The Duffers teased their fans with a letter saying, "There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of 'Stranger Things'; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes." 

And they confirmed to Variety that "we do have an idea for a spinoff that we're super excited about." The creators say they haven't revealed the idea yet, even to Netflix, and they think everyone will be surprised. But they also said that actor Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, correctly guessed at the spinoff topic. So unless someone can get Finn to cough up the secret, we'll have to wait on that.

One of the very first things you'll want to do with a Steam Deck handheld gaming PC is figure out how to install non-Steam games on it. Sure, the Steam catalog has over 50,000 games, and hundreds are already verified as Steam Deck-friendly, but no one likes being locked into a single storefront. The Epic Games Store and Good Old Games (GOG) are two of the biggest competitors, along with stand-alone services like EA Play and Microsoft's PC Game Pass service. 

The Epic platform is especially notable because it's the PC home of Fortnite... and because the Epic Games Store is known for offering a steady stream of free games that gamers can add to their libraries. For now, Fortnite isn't running on Steam Deck, but many of the other games on that service will run after a little back-end tinkering. 

Figuring out how to run non-Steam games and apps on the Steam Deck has fallen to an army of dedicated Linux gamers, many of whom have already spent years working out how to run Windows games on Linux (which is what's under the hood of the Steam Deck's SteamOS). This community has not disappointed, offering hacks, tweaks and tutorials on Reddit, YouTube and dedicated websites. 

Read more: Steam Deck Surprised Me, in Ways Both Good and Bad  

I've already gotten some games from GOG.com running on the Steam Deck, but following this tutorial from Gaming On Linux (an excellent website and YouTube channel) got me playing games from my Epic Games Store library too. Our colleagues at GameSpot also have an excellent tutorial here.

If you have your Steam Deck in hand, here's how to get the Epic Games Store installed. This will be much easier if you have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected. 

Start by going to Steam > Settings > Power > Switch to Desktop. That will take you to the traditional-looking Linux desktop view. Firefox is already installed as a web browser, but you can add Chrome or other browsers as well. 

Download the Epic Games Store app from this link, and save it to the system's downloads folder. The package you download will be called EpicInstaller-13.0.0.msi. 

Here's the tricky part: Don't click on that installer. Don't try to run it as-is. It's counterintuitive, yes. Instead, launch the desktop version of Steam. There should be a shortcut on the desktop for that already; otherwise search for it. 

Once you're in the Steam app, go to the top menu and follow this path: Games > Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library. In the resulting pop-up window, navigate to your Downloads folder and select that EpicInstaller-13.0.0.msi file. 

But we're not done yet. I told you this was a little involved. Now that the Epic Installer is in your Steam games list, right-click it and go to Properties > Target. You'll have to find the correct location to link this shortcut. If you've left everything at the default settings, it should be here: 

"/home/doorstop/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/[numerical_identifier]/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Epic Games/Launcher/Portal/Binaries/Win32/EpicGamesLauncher.exe"

And under Properties > Start In, the link is similar (but not exactly the same): 

"/home/doorstop/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/[numerical_identifier]/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Epic Games/Launcher/Portal/Binaries/Win32/"

The quotes are important, so leave those in.

You are now ready to launch the Epic Games Store from the Steam Deck. The shortcut is called EpicInstaller by default, but don't worry: It'll launch the actual Epic app. The first time may take a while, and you'll have to log in and probably input a two-factor authentication code sent to your email. 

Once the app launches, you can try installing different games from your Epic library. Just like the Steam store, some games will work and others won't. And you'll need to make sure there's enough free storage space for the games you want to install. 

I had great luck with both casual titles like Among Us and traditional full-featured games like The Outer Worlds. 

Even though this was a complex process the first time, it'll be easier to get back to going forward, because now the Epic Games Store is accessible from the normal Steam Deck interface. Just reboot out of Desktop mode into the handheld SteamOS view and navigate to Steam > Library >Non-Steam, and the same EpicInstaller shortcut will be there. Launch it and you're right back in the Epic Games Store.

Is it the most attractive implementation? No. Does it work? Yes. 

As I said in my Steam Deck review, this is a device for people who have a PC gamer's adventurous spirit and knack for experimentation and troubleshooting. It's certainly more trouble than downloading and running a game on a Nintendo Switch or PS5, but it's more flexible if you're willing to put in the effort. 

Motorola is... back? 

As the rest of the smartphone industry grapples with declining sales, in its fourth-quarter earnings Lenovo revealed that its mobile business group -- which houses Motorola -- had a profitable year and its second straight profitable quarter. 

While still nowhere near as strong as the company's PC business, Lenovo says the mobile unit was "profitable starting from the second half of the year thanks to a clear focus on selected markets, a competitive product portfolio and expense control." 

The quarter, which saw the launch of the Moto G7 line of midrange smartphones and the 5G moto mod for Verizon's Moto Z3, resulted in revenue returning to "year-on-year growth for the first time after five quarters." 

It's been a long road back for Motorola, which was bought by Google for $12.5 billion in 2012 only to be sold to Lenovo for $2.91 billion in 2014. 

The company has continued to release new phones during all the tumult, building a strong brand around its affordable G-series line. Its Moto G6 is currently listed as the second best-seller on Amazon for unlocked cellphones. 

The growth and profitably comes as Motorola is rumored to be prepping multiple new phone releases. A successor to the Z3 has recently been leaked and rumors continue to build that the company is planning to release a foldable Razr phone this year. 

Read: The inside story behind the remaking of the Motorola Razr .

AT&T is updating its list of devices that will be capable of connecting to its latest 5G midband networks. After originally saying that it might only enable support for its new 3.45 GHz network on some of the latest and greatest 2022 devices, the nation's third-largest carrier now tells CNET it will bring support for the spectrum to all of its devices that currently support its C-band spectrum. 

That list as of press time consists of over 30 products, including all 5G iPhones going back to 2020's iPhone 12 line, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22 lines and Google's Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. 

Other devices on the list include Samsung's foldable phones (Z Flip 3 and 4 along with Z Fold 3 and 4), Apple's 5G iPads and a variety of budget phones from Motorola (G Stylus 5G, 2021 G Stylus and 2022 Moto G 5G) and Samsung (A53 5G, A13 5G). Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 FE 5G tablet, Netgear's Nighthawk M6 and M6 Pro hotspots will also gain support for the new spectrum. 

The carrier would not give an exact timeline for when the software updates will be rolled out, but according to Chris Sambar, AT&T's executive vice president of network, they should arrive "by the end of the year." 

When you consider that the carrier has increasingly been offering deals incentivizing users to upgrade to 5G devices on 36-month installment plans, extending support to older devices like 2020's iPhone 12 will be important for allowing those locked into a device payment plan to be better able to utilize more of AT&T's 5G network as it continues to expand.

This update will be particularly important for AT&T users as the 3.45 GHz spectrum will help make up AT&T's midband 5G footprint. The carrier spent $9.1 billion on this spectrum, and together with similar C-band airwaves it acquired last year, it aims to cover 200 million people with these midband 5G networks by the end of 2023. 

AT&T says that both the C-band and the 3.45GHz frequencies can work together, allowing the company to offer better performance than if it were relying solely on C-band. Sambar notes that while not every cell site will have access to both 3.45GHz and C-band, the "majority" will get both bands. 

When it comes to 5G, having midband spectrum is proving to be incredibly valuable. Although there are three different "flavors" of 5G (low-band, midband and a higher-frequency millimeter-wave), wireless service delivered over the midband spectrum offers the best combination of range and speed improvements. This is why all three major US operators have spent so much money acquiring and deploying network upgrades on these frequencies. 

In an interview with CNET, Sambar says that the carrier now covers over 80 million people with its C-band network and will strive to "approach" availability to 100 million people by end of this year. 

By comparison, rival Verizon already covers 100 million people with its C-band 5G network and aims to reach over 175 million people this year. T-Mobile, meanwhile, continues to lead the field with its midband coverage and reaches over 235 million people today, with goals for its midband 5G to be accessible to 260 million people by the end of 2022 and to 300 million by the end of 2023. 

Batwoman is back, with a new actor playing the part and a new Batmobile for riding around Gotham. The new trailer for season 2 of Batwoman on The CW dropped Thursday, and there's plenty to take in.

Actor Javicia Leslie plays new DC Comics character Ryan Wilder who's now the new Batwoman. Leslie took over the lead role from actor Ruby Rose, who left the series earlier this year after one season.

In the new trailer, we see her character wearing the new Batwoman suit. Showrunner Caroline Dries revealed in September that the costume will make its debut in season 2's third episode.

"Ryan's journey starts from a place of 'What can this Batsuit do for me?'" Dries previously said about the new costume. "But it's not long before she realizes the power of its symbol and what it can do for everyone else in Gotham City. As Ryan embraces everything that makes her special, she adjusts the suit to fit her physically and figuratively. This meant creating a new body design and new cowl that was undeniably a statement that screamed 'powerful.'"

Also in the new trailer, we get a glimpse of Batwoman's ride, the Batmobile.

The new Batwoman/Ryan Wilder character has a checkered past as a former drug runner who dodged the Gotham City Police Department and often masked her pain with bad habits. The new Batwoman is a highly skilled and very undisciplined fighter. She's also an out lesbian, just as Ruby Rose's character Kate Kane was on the show.

The official synopsis for Batwoman season 2 says, "In a city desperate for a savior, Batwoman must first overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham's symbol of hope."

The new trailer also includes quick shots of the returning cast, which includes Rachel Skarsten, Camrus Johnson, Meagan Tandy and Nicole Kang.

Batwoman returns to The CW for season 2 on Jan. 17.

Whether you're using your computer for work or your personal life, it's a good time to master some of Windows 11's productivity features. These built-in tricks can help you do everything from setting up Taskbar shortcuts to saving battery power. 

Microsoft isn't typically as upfront about its hidden features in the same way that Apple tends to be, which can sometimes make it more difficult to know how to take advantage of all that Windows has to offer. But we've got you covered here with our list of hidden features you can start using right now to get the most out of Windows 11.   

No matter which Microsoft, Dell, HP or other Windows compatible rig you have, these clever tips will help you stay organized and get more done. Plus, here's everything you need to know about Windows 11, the best features in Windows 11 and how it compares to Windows 10. 

1. Minimize every window except the active one

If your desktop screen has gotten too crowded with open windows, you can quickly minimize them all except the one you are currently working in. You'll need to turn this on in Windows 11 by heading to Settings, then System, then Multitasking and turning on Title bar window shake

Just click the title bar of the window you want to remain open to select it. Then, hold the mouse down and move the window back and forth quickly -- shaking it, essentially. After a couple of quick shakes, all other open windows will minimize, leaving only the one you've shaken open. Neat, huh?

2. Open the 'secret' Start menu

You know that to get to the Start menu, you hit the Windows icon in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen or on your keyboard, but Windows 11 includes a lesser-known second Start menu. This menu makes accessing important features like the Command Prompt, the Control Panel and the Task Manager much easier. You can access it two different ways, either by pressing the Windows key + X, or right click the Windows icon/Start button. 

3. Take a screenshot on Windows 11

It's a basic one, but it's amazing how easy it is to forget how to take a screenshot on your laptop or desktop when you don't do it often. 

There are at least seven different ways you can take a screenshot with Windows. If you want to capture and save a picture of your entire screen, the easiest way is to hit the Windows key + Print Screen key, and that picture will be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder. 

Read more: Need a Productivity Boost? Give These Windows 11 Multitasking Features a Try

To capture just one part of your screen, hit the Windows key + Shift + S to open a tool called Snip & Sketch, which allows you to click and drag to create a screenshot, which is saved to your Clipboard.

4. Open pinned items from your Taskbar with keyboard shortcuts

If you've pinned programs to your Taskbar at the bottom of your screen to create a shortcut, you don't have to click the icons to open them. Instead, use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + [Number key], with the number key corresponding to the position of the pinned program on the Taskbar. For example, Windows key + 2 will open the second pinned item on the Taskbar. 

This is especially useful if you're typing furiously and don't want to lift your fingers from the keyboard. It may feel more natural to reach for the Windows key.

5. Learn how much space apps are taking up

Computers start running slower as they grow short on space. One quick way to speed them up may be to get rid of apps that take up more space than they should, especially if you don't regularly use them.

To see how much space apps, temporary files and documents are taking up, navigate to Settings > System > Storage. Tap Show more categories to see a full list.

To get an idea of what to toss, tap Cleanup recommendations to see what Windows 11 suggests. You probably won't get rid of your browser, but you might find that a game you haven't played in years is some good dead weight to drop. 

6. Shut down background apps to save battery

Apps that run in the background can receive info, send notifications and stay updated, even when you aren't using them. This can be useful, but it can also suck your battery and your data. 

To control which apps are running in the background and save some battery power and data, go to Settings > System > Power & battery. Tap Battery saver and then adjust when battery saver turns on to limit some notifications and background activity. 

7. Use background scrolling for multiple windows

With Windows 11, you can scroll up and down on any window -- even if it's not the one you're directly working in. This is a useful tool when you have a lot of windows open that you want to look through at the same time -- for example, if you want to open new sub-menu options in new windows to save you time clicking back and forward on the same page. 

Try opening two programs -- say, an internet browser page and a notepad or Word document. Arrange both on the screen so you can see at least some of the text on each. While you are in one window, hover your mouse or use the touchpad to move to the second window, and scroll. Even though you aren't active in that window, it should allow you to move up and down the page. 

The feature should be on by default, but if it isn't, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, and toggle Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them to On. Then you can place your mouse over a window that's in the background and use the scroll wheel to scroll. 

8. Show file extensions in File Explorer

Microsoft hides file extensions by default, which makes life difficult for people who need to look for specific types of files, like JPEGs and JPGs. To see file extensions in File Explorer, do the following: 

1. Using Search in the task bar, and type File Explorer Options, and click it. (There are other ways to get here too, such as using search in the Start menu, but this method works fine.)

2. In the window that pops up, click the View tab. 

3. If it's checked, uncheck the box that says Hide extensions for known file types. Click Apply, and OK. You should now see file extensions for all files in the File Explorer. 

You can also use the File Explorer Options menu to choose to show empty drives, hidden files and folders, and more. 

9. Minimize distractions with Focus assist

It's frustrating to try and get work done when you keep getting interrupted with notifications. You can determine how many you get with Focus assist.

Set it up by going to Settings > System > Focusassist. Choose from three options: Off (get all notifications from your apps and contacts), Priority only (see only selected notifications from a priority list that you customize, and send the rest to your action center), and Alarmsonly (hide all notifications, except for alarms). 

You can also choose to automatically turn this feature on during certain hours, when you're playing a game or when you're using an app in full-screen mode, for example. 

For more Windows 11 laptop tips and tricks, check out how you can help maximize your computer's battery life. 

The New York Police Department is deploying drones and training a select group of officers to operate them,

The department said Tuesday that the unmanned aircraft system program will bring it in line with more than 900 police, fire and emergency units across the US.

The NYPD will use 11 DJI Mavic Pro quadcopters for tactical operations, a pair of DJI Matrice 210 RTK quadcopters for 3D mapping in search and rescue work, and a DJI Inspire 1 quadcopter for training.

A group of 29 officers from the Technical Assistance Response Unit will be trained to use them.

It promised to restrict the drones' use to search and rescue, hostage situations, remote crime scenes, incidents involving hazardous materials, monitoring crowds at large events and collision documentation.

They won't be used for routine patrols, traffic enforcement, immobilizing vehicles or suspects, as a weapon, or for warrantless searches.

"As the largest municipal police department in the United States, the NYPD must always be willing to leverage the benefits of new and always-improving technology," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said in a release. "Our new UAS program is part of this evolution."

Despite the restrictions, the NYPD policy allows the drones to be used in other emergency situations with the chief of department's approval, and civil liberties lawyers say the policy doesn't go far enough toward preventing misuse, the New York Times reported.

The New York Civil Liberties Union met NYPD officials about the drones prior to Tuesday's announcement, but noted that the department rejected recommendations requiring it to regularly disclose how often and why the devices are used. 

"The NYPD's drone policy places no meaningful restrictions on police deployment of drones in New York City and opens the door to the police department building a permanent archive of drone footage of political activity and intimate private behavior visible only from the sky," Christopher Dunn, NYCLU's associate legal director, said in an emailed statement.

"While we appreciate the NYPD's willingness to meet with us before it announced this program, we believe the new policy falls far short of what is needed to balance the department's legitimate law-enforcement needs against the privacy interests of New Yorkers."

The NYPD will voluntarily report aggregate data about the program, department spokesperson Devora Kaye, the department's assistant commissioner for external affairs, said in an email to CNET.

The program in New York City follows DJI partnering with Taser-maker Axon to supply US law enforcement with drones over the summer, as more police departments adopt drones.

First published at 6:44 a.m. PT.
Updated at 7:28 a.m. PT: Added NYCLU statement.

Apple builds a police portal : It's for cops to make data requests.

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