Windows

The latest Canary build of Windows 11 (Preview build 26020) debuts the ability to create and map custom voice commands to one or more actions like opening a folder or triggering a key combination. Users start by saying “show voice shortcuts,” then clicking “Create Command.”

95.57 percent of surveyed Steam users are already on Windows 10 and 11, with nearly 2 percent of the remainder on Linux and 1.5 percent on Mac — so we may be talking about fewer than 1 percent of users on these older Windows builds.

If you’ve never come across it, here’s a 1986 commercial featuring then-future Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer selling Windows for $99 (except in Nebraska).

Today’s Windows 11 Insider Preview (Build 22635.2850) adds WhatsApp to the “Share using” sheet in the OS, according to a blog post about the update. Microsoft plans to add more apps to the share window over time.

At BlackHat EU, Binarly showed how custom boot logo features could be exploited by crashing vulnerable image parsers, report SecurityWeek and ArsTechnica, allowing them to take over Windows and Linux systems. Binarly’s researchers write, “we detected parsers vulnerable to LogoFAIL in hundreds of devices sold by Lenovo, Supermicro, MSI, HP, Acer, Dell, Fujitsu, Samsung, and Intel.”

XDA Developers spotted a Github issue posted by Microsoft developer Jordi Adoumie, who wrote that the company is exploring a new Windows advanced settings pane for Dev Home users. The new options that fill it would come from the darkest reaches of Windows: the registry.

Android Authority reports that there’s code in the Microsoft Phone Link app that “suggests that the company is working on letting your Android phone provide a video stream to your Windows PC.” Sounds handy — and potentially like a Windows-ified version of Apple’s Continuity Camera feature.

It started as an April Fool’s tease, but the very real handheld gaming PC is now six months old. Along with gyro controls, a new Armoury Crate update is adding a new Feedback Hub, the ability to turn CPU Boost off, new AMD Advanced Graphics Options, and direct sharing of images and video to Discord and TikTok.

It’s the holiday season, so it’s time for the latest Windows-themed ugly sweater. This time Microsoft has selected the Bliss default wallpaper from Windows XP for some holiday treatment. It’s available today from the company’s Xbox Gear Shop, priced at $69.99. Microsoft is supporting The Nature Conservancy this year with its sixth Windows-themed ugly sweater. Previous sweaters have included Clippy, Minesweeper, and Windows 95.

After bringing background removal to Paint, now Microsoft is rolling out the capability to Windows Photos. The feature is only available to Insiders for now, but it looks equally as handy as the one in Paint. You can remove a photo’s background with just a click and then even replace it with a solid color.

Microsoft’s Jared Spataro has been joking about the company’s terrible history of marketing names for products at Ignite today. “Simplicity and naming, well, they haven’t always been our strong suit,” admitted Spataro, while discussing the Bing Chat rebranding to Microsoft Copilot. “Anyone else remember Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems? Just rolls off the tongue,” he joked. Anyone else remember the 2007 Microsoft Office System?

40 years ago today — on November 10th, 1983 — Bill Gates took the wraps off Windows 1.0, with the key features being tiled applications, dropdown menus, and a user-friendly interface. Microsoft didn’t officially start shipping Windows until 1985.

The Steam Deck’s initial Windows support lacked audio output before addressing that in May of last year, but we’ve been waiting for an update on dual-boot ever since.

Sources tell Windows Central that Microsoft is planning to bring its AI Copilot assistant to the Windows 10 taskbar in a future update. If true, this could bring Copilot to a bunch more people, as Windows 10 currently has around 1 billion monthly active devices, as opposed to the 400 million with Windows 11.

A Microsoft engineer pointed out a nice feature in the October 18th Windows 11 Insider Canary channel build — the ability to share Wi-Fi access using a QR code from the Wi-Fi settings window.

The under-construction Fontainebleau has a big, fancy LED sign jutting up into the sky. What’s it for?