Tech Advisor June 2022

Microsoft is beefing up its PC in the cloud, Windows 365, with some additional capabilities that recognize how workers will be moving back and forth from the office as they transition back to work, including an offline mode. Microsoft launched Windows 365 in July 2021, offering businesses the option to use a PC in the cloud, rather than a physical device at their desk. Among the differences between Windows 365 and Windows 11 includes the option for a business to ‘upgrade’ their Cloud PC by spending more to add additional virtual hardware. (Windows 365 is Microsoft’s PC in the cloud; Microsoft 365 is the replacement for Office 365.) “We see a future where Windows increasingly will take advantage of the capabilities of the hardware, the device it runs on, and…

If you’ve ever been scared to look away for a second at your notes while in a Teams meeting, worry no longer. Microsoft is making AI-driven eye contact and a number of other productivity features part of the Windows platform, the company said in a press briefing accompanying its recent Future of Hybrid Work presentation. The new features represent some nifty uses of artificial intelligence, on a PC platform that has struggled somewhat to integrate them. On smartphones, AI is generally used to enhance photo-taking and minimize background noise. Microsoft is adapting these features to Windows 11 PCs, bringing improved background blur alongside a feature called voice clarity. Two other new features use machine learning more directly: an AI-driven Eye Contact feature, and an automatic framing of speakers as they…

If you’re a Surface tablet owner or someone who prefers inking over a keyboard, you may be searching for an app that prioritizes the pen. For that, there’s a new Microsoft app: Journal (available from fave.co/3E6LqiY). Journal matters for two reasons. One, Microsoft is trying to offer everything pen and paper does, plus more. And second, Microsoft tends to migrate features – or gestures in this case – it develops inside individual apps to the greater Windows and app environment. It’s possible that Journal represents some future version of Windows. Technically, Microsoft Journal is part of the Microsoft Garage, an app incubator that sometimes (but not always) produces a full-fledged application. Journal’s noteworthy because Microsoft designed it as an ink-first application. In reality, that means eliminating certain conventions: erasing e-ink…

It’s finally happening. After years of teases, promises and hype, a third heavy-hitting player enters the graphics card game, aiming to shake up the Nvidia/AMD duopoly. Intel’s hotly anticipated Arc GPUs is here, though not in the way you might expect. Rather than debuting in desktop form, Arc’s grand reveal comes via laptops, which can drive home some of the advantages Intel can provide in tuned systems revolving around its Core CPUs and Arc GPUs. MEET INTEL ARC LAPTOPS Intel has taken the wraps off its Arc A-series mobile GPUs, launching only the most humble variants – the affordable Arc 3 series. The A350M and A370M will appear in laptops, with prices starting at $899 (£tbc). More powerful Arc 5 and Arc 7 notebooks are scheduled to hit the streets…

It’s the start of a new era of competition. As we’ve already seen, Intel has revealed its debut Arc GPUs, heralding its long-teased entry into discrete consumer graphics cards. Watch out, Nvidia and AMD. Chipzilla’s here, fuelled by its new Xe HPG (High-performance gaming) GPU architecture. Intel took an unusual (but strategically smart) approach to Arc’s debut, rolling out Arc 3 graphics for modestly priced portable laptops. It lets the company leverage its substantial strengths in notebooks and software support rather than going blow-for-blow in gaming frame rates on the desktop, where Nvidia and AMD stand firm. We’ve already looked at the Arc 3 laptop GPU reveal and Intel’s killer features (page 12). There’s some pretty compelling stuff, including key ‘Deep Link’ features that add eye-opening capabilities when you pair…

Last year, we wrote that Windows 11 was, in a word, unnecessary. Have six months changed our opinion? No, though there are signs that Microsoft is fixing some of Windows 11’s most obvious flaws. Because virtually all of Microsoft’s development work now takes place on Windows 11, by necessity most of my work is done on its latest operating system. I’ve left most of my family’s PCs running Windows 10, however, in part because they’re simply used to the familiar Windows 10 environment. I still think that’s the right decision for most people. What follows isn’t a re-review of Windows 11. But it’s a good opportunity to think about whether the original review was influenced by first impressions, and what, if anything, Microsoft has accomplished in the intervening months. START,…