Category: Software

Microsoft is currently working on an updated home page for PowerToys, a set of utilities that add extra features to the OS. The goal is to provide users with a more advanced system for launching PowerToys for the first time or working with it after an update. The updated home page will offer clearer and richer settings for basic PowerToys apps.

Google has introduced a new option in its  Arts & Culture service that allows creating postcards featuring poems written by artificial intelligence. With this tool, users can choose the theme of the poem and specify the source that will inspire the AI. The new feature is available in the Google Arts & Culture app and on the project website.

Microsoft has decided to reduce the trial period for its $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass trials from 30 days to 14 days. This change comes just a few weeks before the highly anticipated release of the role-playing game Starfield from Bethesda Softworks.

The Microsoft Bing team has announced that their chatbot will soon be launched on mobile devices and will also be supported by alternative browsers.

Discord has announced that Xbox users will soon have the ability to directly stream their screen, a feature that was previously only available on PCs. Earlier, console users had to rely on external capture solutions to broadcast their gameplay.

Microsoft has announced the start of testing for the Xbox Game Pass Core subscription, which will be replacing Xbox Live Gold. Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Ring Insiders are getting access to the new plan if they have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Microsoft is taking steps to discontinue Cortana support for Windows 11. Insiders on the Dev and Canary channels are receiving a new app update that removes the voice assistant's functionality. Upon startup, a message informs users that Cortana in Windows is no longer running as a standalone application, with a "Learn More" button that directs them to the Microsoft Support page.

Microsoft has released an update for Windows Subsystem for Android to those who participate in its Preview program. The released version is 2307.40000.2.0,  and it comes with improvements made to advanced settings and graphics reliability. Microsoft has also implemented a few features that WSA users were highly requesting.

In the latest version of PowerToys 0.72, several improvements have been made. These include reducing the installed space significantly, with the installed size reported in the Installed Apps screen going from 1.15GB to 785MB, and the size in File Explorer properties for the installation folder decreasing from 3.10GB to 554MB.