Tech tidbits from around the web: Windows Server moving under Terry Myerson, the Skype app for Windows Phone 8.0/8.1 will soon stop working, the Xbox One backwards compatibility train rolls on, and Google Play Books gets "bubble zoom" for comic books.

The new HP Spectre is gorgeous, impossibly thin, and so light it almost disappears into my carry-on bag, and it offers the performance one would expect of a much bigger and heavier PC. What's missing, of course, is all-day battery life, a multi-touch screen, and simple connectivity with existing peripherals.

Tech tidbits from around the web: Microsoft and University of Washington researchers set record for DNA storage, four new handsets have been added to the Windows Device Recovery Tool, Samsung discovers that it can succeed if it stops making crap, so much more.

Tech tidbits from around the web: Chromebooks can now make voice calls with Skype for Web, whether there is code from Windows 95 still in Windows 10, new security features make Windows 10 Anniversary Update a must, Google adds instant translation to Now On Tap, more.

Tech tidbits from around the web: AT&T's Lumia 1520 can get Windows 10 Mobile now, a closer look at Battlefield 1, Apple quietly discontinues its Thunderbolt displays, offline viewing is coming to Netflix, more.

Long time readers know I've been a fan of first shooters since the game genre was invented. No company has had a greater impact on these games than Id Software, and among its many important achievements stands Quake, which was released 20 years ago this week.

Tech tidbits from around the web: Opera attacks Microsoft's Edge battery claims, figuring out what kind of TV you need for Xbox One S and HDR gaming, the user base for Microsoft Wallet with Tap to Pay is tiny, more.

Microsoft announced today that it has shipped the May 2016 Update for HoloLens, a release it describes as the first major software update for this new platform.

With Android apps coming to Chromebook this summer, I thought it was time to upgrade from the aging Toshiba model I'd been using. And while I'd love to have a Chromebook Pixel, the $1300 asking price was just a bit too high. So I've purchased the next best thing, a new Acer Chromebook 14.

Tech tidbits from around the web: LastPass extension is now available for Microsoft Edge (for Insiders), Remote Desktop UWP app for Windows 10 comes out of preview, Microsoft is still pretending that Windows Store is doing great, and Acer unveils new Windows 10 PCs for students and families.

Tech tidbits from around the web: An amazing Microsoft video from 1991, PayPal kills its Windows phone app, Google, not Microsoft, owns mobile productivity, a survey says, and Google tries to get Android handsets updated more quickly.

For the past five months I've divided most of my small screen time between the iPhone 6S Plus the Nexus 6P. And Google's latest flagship can stand tall: Here, truly, is an Android handset that can take on the best that Cupertino has to offer.

Tech tidbits from around the web: Windows 10 Mobile devices can now use screens as big as 9-inches, a new 2.5 hour documentary explains the history of the Amiga, and Half-Life 3 Episode 3 was announced---sigh---10 years ago this week.

When it comes to web browsers on Windows 10, the conversation pretty much begins and ends with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. But despite relatively low usage, Opera makes a compelling case as well. And a recent change to the browser can improve battery life in laptops by about 50 percent, the firm says.

Tech tidbits from around the web: Weather forecast is interrupted by Windows 10 upgrade prompt, Microsoft releases Windows 10 for PCs 10586.240 and Mobile 10586.242 to Release Preview ring, a remastered "Modern Warfare" will be bundled with next Call of Duty game, and much more.

Microsoft issued massive sets of firmware updates for Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 last night, while Surface Pro 3 also received a smaller set of Surface Dock-related firmware updates.