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...
Google has quietly placed a Spotlight‑style search overlay on the Windows desktop, and this experimental app — available through Google’s Search Labs — promises to bring unified local, Drive, and web search plus Google Lens and AI Mode to a single, summonable interface reached with the Alt +...
Google has quietly begun testing a new desktop search experience for Windows that looks and feels like macOS Spotlight but with Google’s distinctive multimodal and generative-AI capabilities layered on top, bringing web search, Google Drive, local files, installed apps, and Google Lens into a...
ai
ai mode
alt space
cross-platform
desktop search
enterprise
google
google drive
google lens
installed apps
local files
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
search labs
security
spotlight style
ux design
web search
windows
Google has quietly brought a Spotlight‑style search overlay to Windows, launching an experimental Google app that lets you summon a floating search bar with Alt + Space to query the web, local files, installed apps and Google Drive — and it combines that with built‑in Google Lens and Google’s...
Google’s experimental Google app for Windows lands as a compact, Spotlight‑style overlay that promises to unify web search, local file search, Google Drive access, Google Lens visual queries and a conversational AI Mode — all summoned from anywhere on the desktop with the Alt + Space hotkey...
Windows 11 gives you more than one way to open the Settings app — and knowing the right method for the moment can save minutes or avert a full restart when you’re troubleshooting. The platform exposes the app everywhere: Start, Taskbar, Quick Settings, File Explorer, Run and command-line tools...
accessibility
automation
command prompt
deep linking
enterprise
file explorer
it pros
keyboard shortcuts
ms-settings
powershell
quick settings
run dialog
settings app
start menu
task manager
taskbar
troubleshooting
uri schemes
windows 11
windows+i
Raycast’s Windows beta already improves two of the most frequently used — and often frustrating — pieces of Windows input: the emoji picker and the clipboard history, delivering smoother search, persistent storage, and a more keyboard-centric workflow that will matter to power users and...
Google quietly dropped an official, experimental Windows app that behaves like a Spotlight- or PowerToys-style launcher — press Alt + Space and you can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, the web, and even select on-screen content with Google Lens — a direct play into the launcher...
ai mode
alt space
alt space hotkey
closed-source
command palette
cross surface search
desktop search
enterpriseenterprise privacy
gemini ai
google app windows labs
google drive
google drive integration
google lens desktop
google search labs
keyboard shortcuts
labs experiment
launcher overlay
lens integration
local search
local search windows
multimodal search
open-source
powertoys run
privacy
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screen capture lens
security
spotlight style search
spotlight-like
unified search results
visual search
web search
web search integration
windows launcher
Google’s new experimental Windows desktop app lands as a compact, Spotlight‑style overlay you summon with Alt + Space, promising unified search across local files, installed apps, Google Drive and the web — and it brings Google Lens and the company’s AI Mode into the same lightweight workflow...
ai mode
alt space
dark mode
desktop search
enterprise
google
google drive
google lens
local indexing
multimodal search
overlay ui
privacy
search labs
spotlight-like search
unified search
ux design
windows 10+
windows desktop app
Microsoft has pushed fresh Release Preview cumulative updates for both Windows 11 and Windows 10 this week, delivering a set of targeted reliability fixes for 23H2 and a small stability-focused rollup for 22H2 that are intended for validation before broader distribution. (blogs.windows.com)...
Microsoft is quietly testing a new, built‑in internet speed test for Windows 11 that places a one‑click network diagnostic into the taskbar’s system tray and Wi‑Fi quick settings — but the convenience comes with important trade‑offs: the shortcut opens Bing’s web‑based speed tester rather than...
Microsoft’s consumer Copilot is quietly evolving into a more ChatGPT‑like assistant — one that can remember user preferences and access third‑party files — with a new memory management toggle and the promise of Google Drive as a connected data source for the assistant...
admin controls
ai assistant
cloud storage
connectors
copilot
cross-document
deep research
ediscovery
enterprise
google drive
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graph connectors
memory
microsoft 365 copilot
onedrive
privacy
purview
rollout
windows copilot
Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...
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aimode
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drive
drive integration
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gemini ai
generativeai
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itadmin
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os shell
osintegration
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performance
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windows
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windows desktop
windows desktop app
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workflow
workspace support
Mozilla’s latest stable cycle, Firefox 143.0, arrives as a pragmatic, platform-focused update that finally restores a long-requested desktop convenience—pinning web sites as taskbar apps on Windows—while folding Microsoft Copilot into Firefox’s AI sidebar, expanding fingerprinting protections...
Cerence’s new in-car agent, built with Microsoft cloud services, has just crossed the line from concept demo to a usable — and commercially tempting — feature set: your car can now read and reply to Outlook and Teams messages, summarize what you missed, pull calendar locations and route you...
Windows 11 now puts a quick internet speed check one click away in the Taskbar — but it’s a launcher to Bing’s web tool, not a native measurement engine, and that choice has real implications for accuracy, privacy, and enterprise control. (windowscentral.com)
Background
Microsoft quietly began...
bing
browser-based test
diagnostics
enterprise
insider
internet speed test
microsoft
networking
ookla
privacy
speedtest
taskbar
telemetry
web launcher
windows 11
Microsoft and OEM partners have quietly closed a months‑long audio outage that left a subset of Windows 11 devices completely silent after upgrading to version 24H2, delivering a vendor‑supplied driver through Windows Update and removing the compatibility safeguard that had blocked affected...
Microsoft is weaving its AI assistant deeper into the Office experience by rolling Copilot Chat and agent capabilities directly into core Microsoft 365 apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote — bringing a unified, in-context chat pane and a raft of new tools aimed at turning an AI...
administration tools
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copilot
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copilot control system
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copilotchat
data governance
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datasecurity
email drafting
enterpriseenterprise ai
excel
excel copilot
filepicker
governance
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image generation
it governance
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microsoft 365
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multimodal
notebooks
notes and email
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onenote
onenote copilot
outlook
outlook copilot
pages
pay-as-you-go agents
powerpoint
powerpoint copilot
pricing copilot
productivity tools
slide design
spreadsheet analysis
tenant isolation
two-tier copilot
web-grounded ai
word
word copilot
work-grounded copilot
Microsoft has set a firm end-of-support date for Windows 10—October 14, 2025—and the flurry of "30 days" headlines that followed this announcement compresses a complex, staged retirement into a single-sentence alarm that obscures exactly what will and won't change for users and IT teams...
22h2
avd
azure
azure virtual desktop
backup
backup strategy
budgeting
business continuity
chromebooks
chromeos flex
cloud desktops
cloud pc
compliance
consumer esu
consumer it
cybersecurity
data backup
data protection
data security
deployment roadmap
e-waste
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enterpriseenterprise esu
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esu
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
hardware refresh
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hardware upgrade
hipaa
intune
it admin
it governance
it migration
it planning
it strategy
licensing cost
lifecycle
linux desktop
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ltsb
ltsc
market share windows 10
mfa
microsoft 365
microsoft 365 apps
migration
migration planning
msp
os lifecycle
os migration
os security updates
os upgrade
patch management
patching
pc health check
pci-dss
pilot testing
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risk management
sccm
secure boot
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security patch
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tpm 2.0
update policy
upgrade
upgrade strategy
vdi
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 10 end of life
windows 11
windows 11 requirements
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows lifecycle
wsus
zero trust
Microsoft Edge is quietly experimenting with a new Visual Search shortcut inside its floating desktop search box on Windows 11, letting users drop images onto a small camera-enabled UI and get Bing-powered image results — all without opening a full browser window first.
Background
Microsoft’s...