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Slack screen sharing will let your coworkers control your computer
Virtual-office app Slack is adding one of its most requested features: screen sharing. And more than just simply letting a coworker look at what's on your display, you can grant control so that they can add a few lines of code, or values to a cell in a spread sheet. Everyone will have their own cursor for typing and clicking around, which almost makes it sound like Slack is turning your screen into a Google Doc. All thanks to the magic of the internet. Not into relinquishing full control of your machine? Your call participants can still interact, but they'll be limited to drawing on things. Still, that's pretty cool.
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.
How Microsoft embraced 'messy’ creativity with Windows Ink
Windows Ink isn't Microsoft's first stab at bringing stylus support to PCs. That would be Windows for Pen Computing in the early '90s, followed by Windows XP Tablet Edition. But Ink is the company's most successful attempt. It made stylus support a core part of Windows 10, and it's a big reason you're seeing so many computer makers shipping digital pens of their own. While the company's renewed push into the space with its hybrid Surface tablets seemed baffling at first, it's ended up looking like a prescient move. It even convinced Apple to compete with the iPad Pro's Pencil.
'GTA Online' transforming vehicle races start today
There are plenty of new racing games to choose from this fall (Forza 7, GT Sport, Project Cars 2 and Need for Speed: Payback), but none of them will let you change vehicles mid-race. Nor are they anywhere near as crazy as what Rockstar Games has been doing with GTA Online. Today marks the debut of Transform Races, which as the name suggests, has you swapping from plane to jet ski, to stunt car to bicycles all in the course of a single circuit, and in real-time. Simply drive through a waypoint in a stunt race and your vehicle will change instantaneously and appropriately for the section ahead.
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.
Origin's NT-15 Quadro is a slim laptop with pro video-editing power
I'm obsessed with lightweight, discrete graphics laptops, especially models that excel at video editing and 3D. So when I first saw Origin's 4.3-pound NT-15 Quadro, equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and NVIDIA professional-level Quadro P4000 Max-Q graphics, I had to try it. And not just for the specs and charts, but to see what it's like in everyday use. The quick verdict? It's not perfect -- battery life and the touchpad aren't great, and it's pricey -- but as a video production machine that you can tote around, it won me over.
Microsoft already has a fix for that severe WiFi security exploit (updated)
The "Krack Attack" WiFi encryption security flaw is more than a little frightening, but you should already be relatively safe if you're using a recent Windows PC. Microsoft has released a patch that fixes the vulnerability on all supported versions of Windows (effectively, 8 or later). Windows isn't as susceptible to the flaw as Linux-based platforms like Android, which don't demand a unique encryption key, but this fix may have a significant impact simply through the sheer ubiquity of Windows in the computing world.
Windows 10's data collection allegedly violates Dutch privacy law
Microsoft has already caught flak over claims that Windows 10's data collection is still overly aggressive, but it's now facing a direct legal challenge over how it handles your info. The Netherlands' Data Protection Authority has determined that Windows 10 violates the country's data protection law even after tweaks that came with the Creators Update. Allegedly, Microsoft doesn't "clearly inform" you of the type of data it's using and the reasons why that data is needed. Moreover, officials believe that Windows' default settings prevent you from offering true consent to data gathering.
Cortana may talk users through Windows settings with 'follow me'
Microsoft tipster Walking Cat spotted a new feature that could be coming to Windows. Called 'Follow Me,' it will allow the voice assistant Cortana to verbally walk users through processes, like configuring settings or installing software. While the video in Walking Cat's original tweet isn't available to watch in some regions, another was uploaded to YouTube demonstrating the new feature.
Cortana can command your smart home devices on Windows 10
Now that Google has unveiled the new additions to its Home speaker lineup and Sonos has launched its own Alexa-enabled device, Microsoft seriously has to hurry up if it wants its assistant to have a shot at finding a place in our homes. Even though we may finally be close to seeing the Cortana-enabled Harman Kardon Invoke speaker arrive in stores, Microsoft is still lagging behind its rivals in the smart home race. The company may be trying to catch up, and has added a new "Connected Home" section to the Cortana Notebook menu in some Windows 10 PCs.
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.
Game gifting comes to the Xbox One's online store
If you've ever wanted to gift an Xbox One game but didn't want to saddle the recipient with a physical copy (or an impersonal gift card), you're in luck. So long as you're part of the Xbox Insider Program, Microsoft's promised game gifting feature is now available for Xbox One titles through the console's online store, including some Windows 10 games that support Play Anywhere. You can either send a title directly to one of your Xbox Live friends or to an email address. The recipient only has to redeem a code to claim their game.
Samsung leak reveals a Windows Mixed Reality headset
Ahead of Microsoft's mixed reality (MR) event next week, images have surfaced showing what appears to be Samsung's MR headset offering. There are no specification details on offer, but the pictures show a device with two cameras on the front, AKG-branded headphones and six degree-of-freedom tracking, similar to other Windows MR headsets, suggesting Samsung could be one of Windows' partner brands in its MR endeavour. Microsoft has made MR a core component of its Windows 10 operating system, and with Samsung on board it could give the tech prominence among other major brands that are generally focused on virtual reality instead.
Microsoft's all-in-one 365 subscription is available for schools
Microsoft just launched its latest bid to bring its services into every aspect of schools and the workforce. To begin with, it's offering its all-encompassing Microsoft 365 subscription to education. Schools can pay a single per-person rate to get Windows 10, Office 365, the Enterprise Mobility and Security Suite and even Minecraft: Education Edition. Office 365 for Education is already free, but Microsoft is betting that all the other perks will be worth it for faculty that wants a one-stop shop for the software they need. It'll be available on October 1st -- too late for the return to school, so don't be surprised if you don't see this used in earnest until the winter semester or next fall.
New 'Wolfenstein' trailer is a reminder to always fight fascism
Nazis are the perfect video game enemy because they have zero redeeming qualities. It's something the Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus development team at Machine Games knows and the marketing department at publisher Bethesda Softworks is keen to capitalize on, especially given the current political climate. Watching the latest trailer, it's hard to not feel like it's a direct response to Donald Trump's "violence on both sides" statements regarding Klansmen, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and their counter-protesters from Charlottesville last month.
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.
'Half-Life 2' mod puts the sequel inside of the original
The chances of us getting Half-Life 3 or, hell, even Half-Life 2: Episode 3 seem about as likely as the Detroit Lions winning the Super Bowl at this point. To help take some of that sting off, a group of enterprising fans crafted Half-Life 2: Classic, a mod that essentially runs the game in its prequel's "Goldsrc" engine. It serves as "a way to see what Half-Life 2 could have looked like in the limits of Goldsrc, if Valve never developed the Source engine," the listing page says.
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.
Xiaomi takes on the MacBook Pro by adding back some ports
It's been well over a year since Xiaomi released its first laptops (if you even remember at all), and for some reason, the smartphone maker has decided to make more. Following the Mi Notebook Air series, we now have the 15.6-inch Mi Notebook Pro clamshell which, as you can tell by the name, is geared towards performance users thanks to its 8th-gen Intel quad-core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU (aka the mobile version of GT 1030) and SSD. While it's debatable as to how similar-looking the Mi Notebook Pro and the MacBook Pro are (naming convention aside), Xiaomi wasn't exactly helping by dedicating a keynote slide to mocking the lack of mainstream ports on Apple's machine.
The first 'Destiny 2' expansion will reintroduce players to Osiris
If you've already finished Destiny 2's campaign and are grinding through the endgame, here's some news you might be interested in. The first expansion for developer Bungie's shared-world shooter is dubbed "Curse of Osiris," named for the infamous multiplayer mode from its prequel. This time 'round, it's a campaign expansion according to Polygon, and it takes place on Mercury where you'll "journey through time and space" to learn Osiris' (a legendary warlock) secrets and reunite him with Ikora Rey -- the warlock vanguard who gives you class-specific gear.
