Microsoft has quietly turned Notepad into a small but capable generative writing assistant by adding three on-device AI tools — Summarize, Write, and Rewrite — that run locally on qualifying Windows 11 machines without forcing users into a subscription. (blogs.windows.com)
Background
Notepad’s...
Oracle’s sudden emergence as a credible AI cloud contender has shifted the conversation: a company long defined by databases is now pitching a bold, capital‑intensive roadmap that — if every assumption holds — could place Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) among the industry’s leaders for AI...
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ai cloud
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enterpriseenterprise cloud
exadata
google cloud
gpu
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hyperscalers
latency
multicloud
oci
openai
oracle
pricing
procurement
rpo
windows
windows server
Microsoft’s latest in‑app prompt — a subtle “Try experimental AI features” banner inside Microsoft Paint — is the first public sign of a broader program internally referred to as Windows AI Labs, an opt‑in testbed Microsoft appears to be rolling out to let users preview and evaluate pre‑release...
ai moderation
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notepad write
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on-device ai
opt-in ai
paint ai
privacy
snipping tool ai
sticker generator
telemetry
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windows 11
windows ai labs
Google has quietly pushed a Spotlight‑style search experience onto the Windows desktop: an experimental, keyboard‑first Google Search app that summons a floating search bar with Alt + Space and can return results from local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web — and it bundles Google...
ai mode
alt space
drive integration
enterprise
google drive
google search
keyboard shortcut
launcher tool
lens integration
local search
multimodal search
privacy concerns
productivity
search labs
spotlight style
telemetry
web search
windows 10
windows 11
windows desktop
Microsoft’s long‑running habit of quietly modernizing its smallest apps reached a clear milestone this week as Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad received coordinated feature updates in Windows Insider builds — features that push these familiar utilities from convenience tools toward real...
Microsoft has started shipping a Notepad update for Windows 11 that brings true on‑device generative AI — including Summarize, Write, and Rewrite — to Copilot+ PCs, and those capabilities can run entirely offline without a Microsoft account or a paid subscription when executed locally on...
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write
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Microsoft has quietly begun shipping a coordinated set of updates to three of Windows 11’s oldest built‑in utilities — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — turning small, familiar tools into more capable, workflow‑friendly apps and proving once again that Microsoft is using inbox apps as a...
Microsoft’s latest Insider builds repurpose the SCOOBE (Second‑Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience) screen into a full‑screen, blocking renewal prompt that reminds users a Microsoft 365 subscription “needs attention” — a test that has reignited debates about whether Windows should be used as a sales...
Microsoft is redesigning the mobile Copilot experience on iOS: beginning this fall the Microsoft 365 Copilot app will act primarily as an AI-powered viewer and conversational hub, offering in-context file previews, summaries and Q&A — while editing for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files will be...
Microsoft has quietly shipped small but important updates to the Windows 11 Release Preview channel — Build 26100.6718 for Windows 11 version 24H2 and Build 26200.6718 for 25H2 — rolling several stability fixes and clarifications into the pre-release stream while delaying one headline feature...
Google’s experiment brings its search engine and visual AI directly to the Windows desktop with a compact, Spotlight‑style overlay that promises to search your PC, Google Drive, installed applications and the web from a single keystroke. (blog.google)
Background / Overview
Google has quietly...
admin controls
ai mode
alt plus space
desktop search
drive integration
enterprise
gemini ai
google app windows
google lens
installed apps
keyboard first
local files
os launcher
power users
privacy
productivity
search labs
spotlight style search
unified search
windows 10
Google has quietly moved search from the browser to the desktop with an experimental new app for Windows that brings a Spotlight‑style search bar, Google Lens integration, and an “AI Mode” for conversational answers — and it’s already available to a small group of U.S. users via Google’s Search...
Google's new Windows experiment drops a summonable Google search bar onto the desktop — press Alt + Space, highlight anything on screen with Google Lens, and get web, Drive and local-file results without opening a browser. (blog.google)
Background
For more than two decades Google Search has been...
Google’s new experimental desktop app for Windows drops a compact, Spotlight‑style search overlay onto the PC and promises to unite local files, installed apps, Google Drive documents, and the web — all reachable with a quick Alt + Space keystroke — while folding in Google Lens and an optional...
If you just unboxed a new Windows 11 laptop, there are five settings you should consider turning off right away to tighten privacy, reduce distractions, and reclaim background resources for the tasks that matter most.
Background / Overview
Windows 11 ships with a range of convenience features...
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focus mode
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registry
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windows 11
Google is quietly bringing its signature search experience to the Windows desktop with an experimental app that unifies results from your PC, Google Drive, installed applications and the web — all summoned with a simple Alt + Space shortcut. (blog.google)
Background
Google has long treated...
Google has quietly dropped an experimental, Spotlight‑style search app for Windows that aims to make web, cloud and local file search a single keystroke away — summoned by Alt + Space by default — and bundled with integrated Google Lens and an optional AI Mode powered by Google’s generative...
ai assistant
ai mode
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alt space
cloud search
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google
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os integration
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windows 10
windows 11
windows desktop
Google has quietly pushed a compact, Spotlight‑style search overlay to Windows as an experiment — a one‑keystroke gateway that stitches together web results, Google Drive, installed apps and local files while folding in Google Lens and an AI Mode for conversational answers. (blog.google)...
Google is quietly rolling a new Windows-native search experience into its Labs program that brings the company’s web search, Google Lens, and its AI-powered AI Mode onto the desktop — reachable instantly with an Alt + Space hotkey and designed to search your local files, installed apps, Google...
Microsoft is quietly testing a one‑click internet speed test in Windows 11 Insider builds that places a “Perform speed test” / “Test internet speed” control directly in the Taskbar’s network menu and Wi‑Fi quick settings — for now the control launches Bing’s web speed‑test widget in your default...