Microsoft and ASUS have accelerated the handheld-PC arms race by shipping the ROG Xbox Ally family with a purpose-built Xbox full‑screen experience layered on Windows 11 — and, crucially, that same console‑like launcher is already being enabled on many existing Windows handhelds via the Windows...
auto sr
console-like launcher
console-ui
game bar
game-bar
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
handheld-compatibility
handheld-gaming
rog ally
rog ally x
rog-ally
shader delivery
windows11windows handhelds
windows-11
xbox pc app
xbox-ally
xbox-full-screen
xbox-pc-app
Microsoft has quietly folded an AI coach into the Windows 11 Game Bar: Gaming Copilot (branded as Xbox Copilot in some builds) is rolling out to Xbox Insiders now, promising voice, screenshot and context-aware help without leaving the game — and the early beta exposes both a practical leap in...
accessibility
ai assistant
anti-cheat
cloud ai
copilot
esports policy
game bar
gaming
gaming copilot
gamingcopilot
handheld devices
performance
privacy
regional rollout
screenshot analysis
telemetry
user experience
voice mode
windows11
xbox
Windows 11’s Widgets board is an underused but powerful way to surface the information you need without opening full apps — and adding, customizing, or removing widgets is straightforward once you know where to look and what to expect. This guide distills the practical steps for adding and...
Microsoft’s latest Paint update reframes the long‑running app as a serious low‑friction image editor by adding an editable project file format and per‑tool opacity controls — features that put Paint squarely in the conversation as a free, entry‑level alternative to Photoshop for everyday tasks...
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
ai safety
copilot plus
enterprise
generative erase
generative fill
insiders
notepad write
npus
on-device ai
opt-in ai
paint ai
privacy
snipping tool ai
sticker generator
telemetry
user consent
windows11windows ai labs
Microsoft is rolling meaningful updates to three of Windows 11’s most-used inbox apps — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — delivering editable project files, faster in-capture markup, and local AI capabilities on Copilot+ hardware that together nudge these utilities from “basic” toward...
copilot+
digital art
dlp
image editing
insider
local ai
notepad
on-device ai
opacity
paint
paint project files
privacy
productivity
quick markup
snipping tool
windows11
Microsoft’s decision to stop shipping regular security and feature updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 has escalated from a routine end‑of‑life announcement into a full‑blown consumer advocacy and cybersecurity conversation, with Consumer Reports publicly urging Microsoft to reverse...
backup and migration
chromeos flex
consumer advocacy
consumer protection
consumer reports
cost affordability
cybersecurity
digital equity
digital privacy
e-waste
end of support
esu
esu enrollment
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
hardware requirements
hardware upgrade
lifecycle policy
linux
linux distributions
microsoft
migration
pc health check
privacy
privacy concerns
secure boot
small business
small organizations
software lifecycle
tpm 2.0
upgrade path
windowswindows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 esu
windows 10 lifecycle
windows11windows11 requirements
windows11 upgrade
windows security updates
Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider flight quietly folds generative and assistive AI into three of the operating system’s oldest — and most widely used — utilities: Notepad, Paint and the Snipping Tool. The changes are modest on the surface but signal a broader, deliberate push to make AI part...
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
alt space launcher
drive integration
enterprise
google drive
google windows app
keyboard shortcut
lens integration
local search
multimodal search
privacy concerns
productivity
search labs
spotlight style search
telemetry
web search
windows 10
windows11windows desktop
Microsoft has quietly begun inviting some Windows 11 users to a new “Microsoft AI Labs” sign‑up from inside MS Paint, a subtle but significant step in how Microsoft is testing and distributing experimental AI features across the OS — and the rollout is already exposing tough questions about...
Microsoft’s new handheld-focused Xbox Mode — the full-screen, controller-first Xbox experience layered on Windows 11 — is already being run on a wide range of in-market Windows handhelds, and community ports plus an Insider-channel push mean owners of existing devices can try the experience now...
battery life
community ports
controller ux
game bar
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
handheld mode
insider builds
rog ally
rog ally x
rog xbox ally
rog xbox ally x
windows11windows handhelds
xbox mode
xbox pc app
Windows desktop market-share data flipped twice this summer: after StatCounter showed Windows 11 briefly overtaking Windows 10 in July 2025, August’s snapshot reversed some of that gain and put Windows 11 back under the 50% mark while Windows 10 recovered several points—an unexpected wobble with...
device upgrade
end of life
end of mainstream support
end of support
enterprise migration
esu
esu guidance
gaming os
market share
october 2025
os adoption
pc hardware refresh
statcounter
steam survey
telemetry
windows 10
windows 10 end of life
windows11windows11 adoption
windows 7 revival
windows lifecycle
Google’s experiment quietly drops a compact, Spotlight‑style search bar onto the Windows desktop — summonable with Alt + Space — that unifies local files, installed apps, Google Drive and the web, and layers in Google Lens and an optional AI Mode for conversational, multimodal answers...
ai mode
alt space
desktop search
enterprise readiness
google app for windows
google drive integration
google lens
keyboard shortcut
local and web search
multimodal search
privacy concerns
productivity
search labs
spotlight style search
unified search
visual search
windows 10
windows11windows spotlight style
I stopped treating my Windows 11 PC like a personal to-do list and let five small automations do the boring, repetitive work — the result felt like a genuine speed boost in my daily flow.
Overview
Windows 11 is fast when it’s doing the heavy lifting, but it’s the tiny, repeated tasks — opening...
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 handheld gambit has quietly moved from concept to something you can try on your own device: a controller‑first, full‑screen “Xbox” experience built into Windows 11 is rolling out as part of the platform’s handheld work, and enthusiasts are already using the new handheld view and...
25h2
ally x
asus
battery life
compact mode
console-like ui
controller-first
fse
full screen experience
game bar
game launcher
handheld compatibility
handheld experience
handheld gaming
handheld mode
handheld shell
handheld ux
hardware tuning
insider builds
memory optimization
oem
oem integration
pc gaming
performance gains
performance tradeoffs
rog ally
vivetool
windows11windows gaming
windows pc app
windows11
windowsinsider
xbox
xbox ally
xbox mode
The community has already started peeling back the seams of the ROG Xbox Ally’s new “Xbox Mode,” and hobbyist modders have managed to run the console-style, full‑screen Xbox experience on a range of other Windows handhelds — a development that short-circuits manufacturer timelines, accelerates...
battery life
compatibility
drivers
early access
firmware
game bar
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
launcher
memory optimization
modding
oem rollout
registry tweaks
rog ally
security risks
software mods
windows11windows handhelds
xbox mode
xbox ui
Microsoft has set a firm deadline: routine security updates, quality patches and standard technical support for mainstream Windows 10 editions will end on October 14, 2025 — forcing households, businesses and public-sector IT teams to choose between upgrading, buying temporary protection, or...
backup
backup strategy
chromebooks
cloud pc
compliance
consumer esu
data security
end of support
enterprise esu
esu
extended security updates
hardware refresh
hardware requirements
it admin
it planning
lifecycle
linux desktop
ltsc
migration
patch management
pc health check
risk management
secure boot
security patch
security updates
tpm 2.0
update policy
upgrade
windows 10
windows11windows 365
windows lifecycle
Microsoft’s handheld push has taken a new turn: the Xbox-style, full‑screen “Xbox Mode” that will ship as the default experience on the ROG Xbox Ally family is already appearing on other Windows 11 handhelds — in community builds and hacks — ahead of the Ally’s retail launch, forcing a rapid...
25h2
ai features
asus
auto sr
battery life
community ports
compatibility
console ux
console-like launcher
controller input
controller-first ux
device drivers
driver compatibility
drivers
early access
firmware
firmware updates
full screen experience
game bar
game pass
gaming on windows
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
insider builds
insider program
launcher
legion go
memory headroom
memory optimization
modding
npu
oem drivers
oem integration
oem rollout
pc gaming on handhelds
performance gains
platform strategy
ram optimization
ram savings
registry tweaks
rog ally
rog ally x
rog xbox ally
security risks
shader delivery
software mods
vivetool
windows11windows11 insider
windows handhelds
xbox
xbox hardware integration
xbox mode
xbox pc app
xbox ui
Microsoft's blunt new messaging has put hundreds of millions of Windows users on edge: do not upgrade hastily, and if your PC can’t run Windows 11, get ready to decide whether to pay for temporary security patches, buy a new machine, or adopt another path. The cascade of announcements this month...
cybersecurity
device replacement
e-waste
end of support
enterprise it
esu program
hardware compatibility
pc health check
recycling
secure boot
support cliff
tpm 2.0
trade-in
upgrade options
vbs
virtualization-based security
windows 10 esu
windows11windows11 requirements
windows update