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Windows 10 now includes anti-cheat protection for games
Windows 10's Fall Creators Update is full of changes, but one of the understated additions could make a big difference if you're a gamer. Microsoft has switched on its previously teased TruePlay feature, which promises to protect against "common" cheats in Universal Windows Platform games. Titles that take advantage of the safeguard will both run in a protected mode and trigger a background service that watches for typical cheating behavior. If they find anything amiss, they'll send data to the developer. You can switch off TruePlay if you're nervous about Windows transmitting your data, but companies can limit what you're allowed to do (playing online, for example) if you don't have it enabled.
The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update bets big on mixed reality
Microsoft's next major Windows 10 release for 2017, the Fall Creators Update, doesn't make any huge waves. But you might have gathered that from its name alone. In many ways, it's a continuation of what the company started with this spring's Creators Update, which added Paint 3D, game mode and a slew of improvements focused on making things, be it art or a simple spreadsheet. (I've heard the word "creation" so many times this year from Microsoft reps, it's beginning to sound like a cultish chant.) With its latest OS, available today, Microsoft is preparing for the arrival of virtual-reality headsets. At the same time, it's delivering some genuinely useful quality-of-life improvements for Windows 10 users.
Microsoft Launcher offers 'Continue on PC' option for Android phones
Microsoft is taking a step to make bridging your life between your phone and PC a little easier, at least for Android users. Today they announced Microsoft Launcher, which gives you the option to "Continue on PC," allowing you to work seamlessly between your Android phone and Windows computer. It's similar to the Handoff feature on Apple products.
Microsoft is holding a Mixed Reality event on October 3rd
In case it wasn't already clear that Microsoft is big on the concept of mixed reality (read: augmented and virtual reality), the company is about to drive the point home. It's inviting the media to a Windows Mixed Reality event in San Francisco on October 3rd, and it promises that you'll see "where Microsoft is headed next" in the wearable technology space. For the most part, this will revolve around the plethora of WMR headsets arriving on October 17th alongside Windows 10's Fall Creators Update. We'd expect Microsoft to highlight games and other software experiences that take advantage of the hardware, too.
Windows 10 will give you more control over app permissions
Microsoft is aware that there are still concerns about Windows 10's privacy, and it's trying to put some of them to bed with the Fall Creators Update. As part of a post detailing the imminent update's privacy improvements, the software giant has revealed that you'll get much more control over what apps are allowed to do with your device. Where you previously only had control over location sharing, the Fall Creators Update will ask you to grant permission before accessing all kinds of potentially sensitive hardware and software features. It'll ask to use your camera and microphone if you have a video recording app, for instance, or check before offering access to your calendar and contacts.
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update may arrive on October 17th
We've known that Microsoft planned to release a large Windows 10 update this fall, but the company has been mum on the exact date. The Fall Creators Update is slated to feature some big changes, too, including built-in AI to fight malware, new Cortana features and handwriting recognition. While many expected bi-annual updates for Windows 10 starting in September, PC World reports that hardware partner Lenovo leaked a Windows 10 ship date of October 17th on a since-deleted product page for its upcoming two-in-one PC, the Miix 520.
Now Windows 10's 'Continue on PC' feature works from your iPhone
A couple of days ago Microsoft enabled a feature that lets Android users easily use the share button to push a web page from their cell phone to a Windows 10 PC. Now, it's released an app to manage the same feature on iOS-powered devices. It's available to users in the "Fast" ring of its Insiders preview program, who will need the latest build released for their PCs. Cross-device web browsing is one of the many features coming in the Fall Creators Update, and every new feature being beta tested means its release date keeps creeping closer.
Microsoft is getting its own AI-powered photo search
Microsoft's upcoming Photos app is getting AI image search so that it can spot and classify objects, much like Google Photos and Apple Photos can. Spotted by Windows Central, the latest Insider Preview version of the app now has a search bar that you can use to enter terms like "flower," "wine bottle," and "bar." It will then use a cloud-based image recognition algorithm to pick and sort out those items in your photo collection, much as the rival apps do.
Windows 10 preview connects your Android phone to your PC
Microsoft is acting on its promise to make PCs and phones live in harmony. It just posted a Windows 10 Insider Preview (on the Fast ring) that introduces the first batch of features integrating Windows with your mobile devices. If you have an Android phone, you can link it to your PC to continue your web browsing on the bigger screen. Once it's set up, you only have to use your browser's usual sharing option to punt a website to your computer. The preview is missing iPhone support and many of the slicker features Microsoft promised in the Fall Creators Update, such as seamless document syncing, but it could be worth a try.
Microsoft's next big Windows update will use AI to fight malware
Windows Fall Creators Update will come with a hefty serving of security upgrades, made timely by the increasingly rampant cyberattacks targeting the platform these days. In a blog post, Microsoft has revealed how the upcoming major update will level up Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, a Win 10 enterprise service that flags early signs of infection. According to CNET, Windows enterprise director Rob Lefferts said the upgrade will use data from Redmond's cloud-based services to create an AI anti-virus that will make ATP much better at preventing cyberattacks.
Microsoft's Story Remix puts a Hollywood studio in your PC
For the Fall Creators Update, Microsoft has unveiled a new app that can transform your photos and videos into a cinematic spectacle, complete with CG effects, titles and a soundtrack. Called Story Remix, it's a Universal Windows App that uses deep learning and Microsoft's Graph, letting you pull media in from colleagues and friends. It's a powerful yet simple app that uses image analysis and AI to do clip discovery, effects integration and the entire edit, complete with music.
