Microsoft’s Windows Team have previewed a new optional Light Theme to be released in May 2019’s Windows 10 update.

The glossy, bright look is currently available to those on the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build (a kind of test program for volunteer guinea-pigs of future Windows versions – accessed through Windows Update.)

Both Apple and Microsoft have introduced ‘Dark Modes’ more eye-sensitive for night-time use in recent years, either in popular software such as Outlook, or as part of the main operating system itself, as in the case of Apple’s Mojave update.

Windows Light Theme introduces a brighter feel for Microsoft’s signature operating system, likely to prove a hit among companies with certain in-house ‘styles’ favouring brighter tones, or to provide more options to those with visual impairments.

As of March 2019, Windows 10 is now in use across more than 800 million devices worldwide, running on just a smidge under half of all PCs in existence (49.9%.)

May’s Windows update (build 18362.30) also features numerous minor fixes, including improvements to printing processes, splitting Cortana from Windows Search, and extending dark mode within OneDrive.

Light theme will be available within the ‘Personalisation’ settings available by right-clicking on the Windows desktop, once the new update lands in May.

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Microsoft have announced the introduction of eye-tracking cursor and typing controls, as part of the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build.

‘Eye control’ is due to become a new accessibility feature (think those unable to use conventional physical controls), which uses a dedicated camera to track the tiny movements of your eyeball and triangulate where the user is focused on screen.

The technology itself is brought to you by Swedish eye-tracking software developer and camera company Tobii – working in partnership with Microsoft, and various health groups, for example Motor-Neuron Disease patient communities. Specialist cameras can be designed into special devices, retrofitted to the base of a device screen as a peripheral, or fitted into the user’s glasses.

Tobii’s ‘Eye Tracker 4C’ is the very first to support Windows 10, and the company clearly sees widespread roll-out as part of a mainstream operating system to be their best route to widespread adoption and awareness of the assistive technology among a broader user-base. Sight-based control has already been used successfully in gaming and other consumer fields, but introduction as a ‘baked-in’ part of Windows 10 would be setting a new standard for usability in business IT.

Independent research suggests that users may initially find eye-tracking controls tiring after long periods of use, such that their PC usage time may need to be moderated. In addition, recent studies have suggested that although eye-tracking data is not considered by legally classed as ‘biometric’, it is possible to identify users by their eye-tracking data from PC use, in much the same way that a key-logger might record unique typing data.

However, with Windows 10 now running on over 270 million devices, eye-tracking abilities may be seen on a PC near you sooner than expected.

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If you choose a full-size magic keyboard for your mac you have the advantage of a PC-style number keypad, alignment and full-size arrow keys – but no PC-style ‘Num Lock’ key.

So if you discover your number keypad isn’t working, it can be hard to tell if this is due to a hardware failure or a setting to disable the numberpad in software. Never fear – here’s the answer:

Before you begin testing the settings as you go, it’s worth opening your favourite text app and the onscreen keyboard – via the ‘Show Keyboard Viewer’ option on the menu bar of modern macOS versions.

Where is ‘Num Lock’ on a Mac Keyboard?

Without the Num Lock key, you’ll need to tap either Clear or Shift + Clear on your hardware keyboard (depending on the version), and then test your numpad number keys again in your text app.

However, it’s also worth checking you don’t have a setting called ‘Mouse Keys’ enabled. This setting allows a user to move their mouse using the number pad as direction keys, and is intended as an accessibility option for those who find it difficult to use a mouse or trackpad.

If this is turned on, you may notice your mouse cursor move slightly when you tap one of the number keys on your number keypad.

You can check for Mouse Keys via the Apple Menu, choosing ‘System Preferences’ and clicking on ‘Accessibility’. Select ‘Pointer Control’ from the left hand menu and ‘Alternative Control Methods’. Here you can untick ‘Enable Mouse Keys’, and hopefully return your number pad to its expected function.