With Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, Microsoft is introducing a fundamentally revised Start Menu that runs on all devices with the same code base. The new functions are activated by an enablement package. This enables the new features without a complete reinstallation and makes the switch to Windows 11’s big 25H2 update as quick as a single restart. Windows Latest Immediately you’ll notice in the settings under “Personalization” and “Start”, additional options such as “Show recently added apps”, “Show recommended files in Start” or “Show websites from the browser history” can now be specifically switched on or off to customize the interface as required. Standardized display of all areas The previous Start menu separated the “Pinned”, “Recommended”, and “All apps” areas. You had to switch between the views to see either your pinned programs, recommended files, or the complete app list. Thomas Joos With the new Start menu in 24H2 and 25H2, this separation is no longer necessary. All three areas are merged into a single continuous, scrollable view. This saves clicks and makes the Start menu clearer overall, even if you have to scroll more. The interface is significantly larger and makes better use of the available screen space. This allows you to see more entries at a glance without having to switch between different subpages. New views for “All apps” In previous versions, the list of installed programs was only displayed alphabetically. Now you can choose between several layouts. In addition to the classic list view, there is a grid view with a horizontal tile display and a category view. The latter automatically sorts your programs into groups such as “Productivity”, “Communication”, “Creativity”, “Games”, or “Other”. This categorization is created automatically as soon as at least three programs in a category are detected. Windows The advantage is that you can find your applications categorised by topic. The disadvantage is that you cannot currently adjust categories manually, create your own or move programmes between categories. This is a system-controlled sorting that offers you structure, but less freedom than self-created groups. Selectively deactivate recommendations Many users have wished to be able to switch off the “Recommended” section in the Start menu completely. Microsoft had even considered turning this area into a “For You” page. Instead, an option has now been integrated to specifically hide recommendations. Under “Settings > Personalization > Start”, you can deactivate the “Show recently added apps”, “Show recommended files in Start”, “Show websites from browsing history”, and “Show recommendations for tips” switches. As soon as you switch off these options, the Start menu hides the recommendations. What remains are the areas with pinned apps and the complete app list. This increases the overview and gives you more control over what is displayed in the Start menu. Sam Singleton More control over pinned programs The pinned apps area shows two rows of icons by default. If you pin more programs, a “Show all” button appears. You can change the behavior via the Start menu settings. With the “Show all pins by default” option, you can expand the area so that it always shows all pinned apps in full when you open the Start menu. This eliminates the additional click on “Show all”. This setting allows you to call up your favorite programs more quickly. The extended display options are also noticeable in the new Start Menu. On larger screens, up to eight applications or four app groups can be displayed in a row. The “Recommended” area now presents up to six elements in two rows and displays a separate page with all recently used files when “Show more” is selected. At the same time, Microsoft has simplified the Start Menu settings. The previous layout options have been removed; instead, “Show all pins by default” provides a single central control option. The visual size of the new Start menu also adapts to the scaling of the display. It appears significantly wider on high-resolution monitors, while it retains its compact form on devices with high scaling. Feedback from insiders shows a mixed picture. While many users welcome the larger overview, others criticize the conspicuous expansion of the layout. Integration of mobile devices A new component of the start menu is the sidebar for smartphone integration. This function is provided via the Phone Link tool and works with both Android and iOS devices. You can use it to read messages, manage calls, view photos, and exchange files directly between your PC and smartphone. The “Send to my phone” option is also available via the context menu, which you can use to transfer images or documents directly to your mobile device. In the Start Menu settings, you’ll find the “Show mobile device in Start Menu” switch. Activate it to show the sidebar. You also have the option of switching the symbol on or off via an icon to the right of the search bar. This allows you to decide whether you want to keep the integration permanently visible or only activate it when required. Customizable settings in the Start Menu In the Start Menu settings, you’ll find numerous options with which you can control the behavior individually. In addition to the aforementioned option to hide recommendations and permanently show all pins, you can also specify whether “Show most used apps” is activated. If you switch this function on, the recommendation area will display the programs that you use most frequently. In addition, folders such as “Settings” or “Explorer” can be displayed via the “Folder” option in the bottom left-hand corner of the start menu. This gives you quick access to central system functions. Some versions prove that selected layouts are not reliably saved. For example, although the “List” selection remains displayed, the display sometimes changes to a different view after a restart. The number of visible columns with pinned apps can also vary, so that at times only six columns appear instead of the intended eight. It’s to be expected that Microsoft will make improvements here. Restrictions and known problems As the new Start menu is still being rolled out, errors are still occurring in individual builds. Insiders report that after selecting the “List” view, the name remains the same, but a different view is displayed after a restart. It can also happen that categories are generated incorrectly, for example with empty symbols or a list for each individual letter. Microsoft has confirmed these problems as known bugs and is working on corrections. Touch operation is also still limited. For example, the swipe up gesture does not currently work reliably in the new layout and drag & drop is limited to certain areas. Gradual introduction Although the new Start Menu is already visible in insider builds, it will not be activated immediately on all devices. Microsoft is using A/B testing so that some users will see the old menu, while others will already receive the new layout. Even after installing Windows 11 version 25H2, the start menu may not be visible immediately. Only the Enablement Package or manual activation with tools such as “ViveTool” will finally activate the functions. If you want to activate it manually, use commands such as “vivetool /enable /id:49402389” and restart the computer. Additional functions such as the mobile sidebar can be activated via further IDs. However, as Microsoft controls the delivery, it is possible that individual options will not officially appear until later. Read...

After skipping last year, Amazon is back with a big fall hardware event slated for next week, and we’re expecting plenty of new Echo smart speakers and displays that make the most of Alexa+, Amazon’s AI revamp of the Alexa voice assistant.  Plenty of other hardware will also be unwrapped during Amazon’s September 30 event in New York City; for example, we’re sure to see new Kindle tablets, as well as Fire TV models and perhaps even some Ring cameras. For now, though, we’re concentrating on new Echo devices, and there are a few popular Echo speakers and displays that are ripe for an upgrade.  We’re most interested in how the latest Echo hardware will take full advantage of Alexa+, the generative AI-enhanced Alexa that can carry on flowing conversations, take actions on your behalf, and control smart home devices based on natural-language commands. (It’s worth noting that most existing Echo speakers and displays already are compatible with Alexa+, so there’s no pressing need to upgrade if you don’t want to.) There haven’t been many leaks or rumors about specific new Echo devices we might see next week. That said, we do have a bead on some older but nonetheless popular Echo speakers and displays that are in dire need of a refresh.   Amazon Echo What is it: Amazon’s flagship Echo speaker that doubles as a smart home hub Latest release: 2020 (fourth generation) List price: $99.99  Michael Brown/Foundry It’s been nearly five years since Amazon released a new version of its top-of-the-line Echo, making it the oldest speaker in Amazon’s current Echo lineup. It’s high time for a new one.  A larger version of the popular and inexpensive Echo Dot, the Amazon Echo shares many of the Dot’s features, including motion detection, a temperature sensor, and the ability to extend the range of Amazon’s line of Eero mesh Wi-Fi routers. The Echo also houses stereo tweeters and a three-inch woofer, making for a nice upgrade to the Echo Dot’s so-so audio performance.  But the Echo has an ace up its sleeve: a full-on Zigbee home hub, capable of directly controlling Zigbee lights, sensors, switches, and other Zigbee-enabled devices. The Echo also packs a Thread radio, allowing it to act as a Thread border router. Plunk an Echo in your living room, and you have everything you need to launch your smart home—well, aside from a Z-Wave radio, which would be a cool feature for an updated Echo. (We’re not holding on breath on that one, as Z-Wave is not embraced by the Matter standard.)  An all-new Echo would seem like a no-brainer for Amazon’s hardware event next week, complete with beefier hardware for smoother Alexa+ performance and perhaps even a physical makeover.   Amazon Echo Dot  What it is: Amazon’s budget-priced Echo workhorse Latest release: 2022 (fifth generation) List price: $49.99  Ben Patterson/Foundry If the Echo is Amazon’s flagship smart speaker, the Echo Dot is its smaller sibling, shedding the Zigbee smart hub but keeping the motion and temperature sensors as well as the Eero mesh extender functionality.   Priced at $50 but often on sale for much less, the Echo Dot is a smart choice for putting Alexa in every room, what with its handsome design and good-enough audio performance. There are now cheaper Echos in Amazon’s lineup—see the $40 Echo Pop from 2023—but the Echo Dot hits the sweet spot in terms of price and performance.  Now that it’s due to celebrate its third birthday, the Echo Dot is primed for a new Alexa+-enhanced version. I could see it sharing the same overall design as the new Echo—smaller form factor, of course—with a modest audio upgrade and even a Thread border router functionality, which would allow the Dot to act as a hub for Matter devices.  Amazon Echo Studio  What it is: A premium Echo speaker that does Dolby Atmos Latest release: 2023 (second generation) List price: $199.99 (no longer available)  Amazon If you want an Amazon Echo speaker that can truly put on a sonic show, the Dolby Atmos-enabled Echo Studio is the obvious choice—if you can find one, that is. The second-generation Echo Studio has been out of stock for months now, making it a prime candidate for a makeover.  Packing three two-inch mid-range speakers, a 20mm tweeter, and a 5.25-inch woofer, the Echo Studio has all the drivers its needs to belt out audiophile-quality sound. The Echo Studio isn’t just a great music speaker, though. Like the Echo, it offers a Zigbee home hub and a Matter hub.  An upgraded version of the Studio with Alexa+ playing DJ could be a highlight of Amazon’s hardware event next week.  Amazon Echo Show 10  What it is: An Echo display with a pivoting screen that follows you around the room Latest release: 2021 (third generation) List price: $249.99 (no longer available)  Michael Brown/Foundry Hard to believe, but it’s been four years since the Echo Show 10 made its debut, and boy was it a showstopper.   Yes, the Echo Show 10 boasts such smart home features as a Zigbee hub and a Thread border router (the unit’s Matter-over-Thread abilities were enabled after launch), 2.1-channel audio, a 13-megapixel camera, and an impressive 10-inch screen.  But its killer feature was its swiveling display, which could follow you as you strolled around the room. That rotating display made the Echo Show 10 feel like the most aware Echo device yet, so just imagine how that would play with Alexa+ on board, looking out into your kitchen and making suggestions as you prepare a gourmet meal. Sure, Alexa+ can already work on the existing third-gen Echo Show 10, but we’re eager to see a new take on that motorized design. As with the Echo Studio, the Echo Show 10 has been unavailable via Amazon for some time, leading us to believe that a fourth generation of the display is imminent.  Amazon Echo Frames   What is it: Amazon’s Alexa-powered smart glasses Latest release: 2023 (third generation) List price: Varies depending upon style  Ben Patterson/Foundry With the likes of Meta’s camera-enabled AI glasses on the scene, Amazon’s audio-only Echo Frames are looking decidedly old hat these days.  First announced back in 2019, the Echo Frames came with a handsome design and mini speakers and microphones in the temples that promised to put Alexa in your head. The most recent release from 2023 offered updated looks and plenty of audio refinements, and the Frames are now compatible with Alexa+. Still, the basic conceit and limitations remain: it’s Alexa (or Alexa+) in your head, and only in your head.  Meta, meanwhile, has supercharged the market for smart glasses that allow an AI companion to see the world around you, offering commentary and insights wherever you go (even if the results are a tad uneven). Will Amazon take the fight to Meta with vision-enabled Echo Frames with Alexa+? It’s a bit of a long shot, but I’m not ruling it out.   This feature is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers. Read...

Open AI’s CEO Sam Altman writes that the company is rolling out several new, computationally intensive features in the coming weeks. Due to the high cost, some of the features will initially only be available to Pro subscribers, which costs $200 a month. In addition, some new products may come with additional fees. “Our intention remains to drive down the cost of intelligence as aggressively as we can and make our services widely available, and we are confident we will get there over time. But we also want to learn what’s possible when we apply a lot of computational power, at today’s modelling costs, to interesting new ideas,” writes Sam Altman. What these new features are is still unknown. Further reading: 20 menial tasks ChatGPT handles in seconds, saving you hours Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Great combination of CPU performance and battery life Premium build quality Runs Copilot+ PC features with full x86 app compatibility Nice keyboard Cons HP should upgrade this display Many G1a models aren’t Copilot+ PCs GPU performance lags Unimpressive speakers Our Verdict The HP EliteBook 8 G1a is a Copilot+ PC with an excellent mix of CPU performance and battery life. It’s a solid package, but the display drags down the experience, and the GPU just can’t keep up with the rest of the hardware. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: HP EliteBook 8 G1a Retailer Price $1,819.31 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The HP EliteBook 8 G1a is a 16-inch Copilot+ PC laptop aimed at businesses and professionals. It has an AMD CPU, so it marries a speedy CPU with a neural processing unit that can deliver Copilot+ PC features on some models. Plus, unlike a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Arm PC, this is a traditional x86 PC that is guaranteed to run existing business apps and drivers that may not run perfectly on an Arm PC. But, although HP proudly markets this as a “next-generation AI PC,” it’s not just about AI features. Overall, it’s a solid laptop that most people would be happy to use for work, although the display doesn’t keep pace with the rest of the experience. HP recently redesigned its product names, and the EliteBook is HP’s line of laptops aimed at business users. The 8 Series is the entry-level line of EliteBooks, and the “G1a” here means this is a first-generation model in the new lineup with an AMD CPU. Overall, the HP EliteBook 8 G1a shows how strong AMD’s offerings are right now: Solid CPU performance and an NPU fast enough for Copilot+ PC features at a very competitive price. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Specs The HP EliteBook 8 G1a has an AMD Ryzen AI processor — our review model included AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 hardware. That’s an x86 processor with a 50 TOPS NPU for AI features. However, it’s worth noting that not all the models have an NPU fast enough for Copilot+ PC features. HP has a variety of G1a models, and machines like the base AMD Ryzen 5 230 machine deliver up to 16 TOPS. That means they can’t run Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features and, if your business does have an NPU-powered AI application, it’ll run much slower than on the models with faster NPUs. But the processor isn’t the only thing that differs from machine to machine. HP offers a range of configuration options during the purchase process, so you can get a model that’s very different from the below specs. Our review model had AMD Radeon 860M graphics. While AMD produces a lot of strong discrete GPUs, this is still integrated graphics and it’s not particularly fast. The RAM in this machine is user-upgradable and swappable, which is great to see on a business laptop. (The Intel-powered EliteBook 8 G1i I reviewed at the same time has soldered RAM.) Model number: HP EliteBook 8 G1a 16-inch CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 Memory: 32GB DDR5 RAM Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 860M NPU: AMD NPU Compute Accelerator Device (up to 50 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display with 60Hz refresh rate Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD Webcam: 1440p webcam Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C 40 Gbps), 1x USB Type-C (10 Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1 out, 1x combo audio jack, 1x security lock slot, 1x USB Type-A (5 Gbps) Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR camera for facial recognition Battery capacity: 77 Watt-hour battery Dimensions: 14.13 x 9.84 x 0.61 inches Weight: 3.73 pounds MSRP: $1,799 as tested HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Design and build quality Foundry / Chris Hoffman The 16-inch HP EliteBook 8 G1a has a premium-feeling metal chassis in a “Glacial Silver” color. At 3.73 pounds, it’s a little heavier than some laptops, but it feels solid and durable thanks to that metal build. The design here is minimal: Dark gray keyboard, black bezel, and silver metal elsewhere. There are a few HP logos (on the lid and just below the screen) and that’s about it. The hinge feels good to use, although I had to use a second hand to hold down the front of the laptop while opening it. It’s a solid hinge and the screen doesn’t move around while you type. HP bundles HP Wolf security with this machine, and that will be convenient for businesses who want to remotely manage this laptop in a fleet. As an individual knowledge worker, however, I didn’t like the end-user experience. I had to click through extra security dialogs to run PCWorld’s normal benchmark tools, for example — many people will want to disable this, or businesses will want to tune it so it doesn’t nag employees about their business apps. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Keyboard and trackpad Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP EliteBook 8 G1a has a full-size keyboard complete with a number pad. It’s spacious and feels like it has a good amount of key travel — more than the 13-inch HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i I reviewed at the same time. It’s quiet and doesn’t click with the snap of a mechanical keyboard, but it’s still snappy. This is a good keyboard that you can get a lot of typing done on. But I always wish the arrow keys on laptops were full-size. This machine has a large trackpad that feels smooth to glide your finger over and clicks down with a clean “thunk.” I would prefer seeing a haptic touchpad, but this trackpad is solid. This isn’t a glass trackpad — those feel smoother, but those are premium touches reserved for higher-end laptops. Both the keyboard and trackpad are fairly quiet, which is important for a business laptop. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Display and speakers Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP EliteBook 8 G1a has a 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 400 nits of brightness. That’s just nothing special, and that resolution stings on a 16-inch display, especially one in this price range. It’s an anti-glare display, which is nice to see. But HP offers the base model with 300 nits of brightness, which I’d recommend avoiding. HP does offer a variant of this laptop with a 2560×1600 display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, and I’d love to see what that machine looks like. But it likely won’t have as much battery life and it’ll be more expensive. The display here is the one feature that feels the most lacking on this laptop, especially compared to consumer laptops in a similar price range. The stereo speakers on this machine are okay for a business laptop but, like the display, they feel more serviceable than special. They can get pretty loud, and the sound is clear, but the audio lacks some depth. They’ll do a fine job in video meetings. I test each laptop I review by playing Steely Dan’s Aja and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. The instrument separation in Aja was reasonable, but a lot of the high notes weren’t particularly crisp. In Get Lucky, the sound was reasonably fun, but more bass would’ve been nice. Pack a good pair of headphones for music. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The HP EliteBook 8 G1a has a 1440p webcam. Business laptops tend to have solid webcams, so I was expecting a bit more here. It’s nothing special for a business laptop: It’s a little noisy and seems to do much better in ideal lighting. This is the kind of webcam that will look fine in a business meeting, but you’ll want to get an external webcam if you’ll be recording videos for YouTube or social media. HP also built in a privacy shutter above the display, and you can slide it to block the webcam. The dual-array microphone setup in this machine was clear and did a good job of removing background noise. It’s solid for a business laptop, but it’s not particularly high-end. If you’re participating in meetings all day and you want the best voice quality possible, you may still want an external mic. The EliteBook 8 G1a has both facial recognition hardware and a fingerprint reader in the power button on the keyboard. You can use Windows Hello to sign into Windows with either your fingerprint or your face, and both work well. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Connectivity Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP EliteBook 8 G1a offers a good number of ports, including three USB Type-C ports and two of them are Thunderbolt 4 ports. On the left side, this laptop has an HDMI 2.1 out port, two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C 40 Gbps) ports, and a combo audio jack. On the right side, there’s a third USB Type-C port (10 Gbps), a USB Type-A (5 Gbps) port, and a security lock slot. Since each side of the laptop has a USB Type-C port, you can plug this laptop’s USB-C charger into other side of the laptop. That’s the kind of thing that’s easy to overlook on a spec sheet but makes the laptop much nicer to use in the real world. You can also get models of this laptop with optional extra ports: RJ-45 Ethernet, a Smart Card reader, and a nano SIM card slot for cellular connectivity. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an SD card reader option. Our review unit had future-proof Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless networking, and I had no problems with it. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Performance The HP EliteBook 8 G1a has an AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 processor, and it performed well in web browsers, communication apps, productivity tools, and the apps you’d run on a Windows desktop. As always, though we ran the HP EliteBook 8 G1a through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. Foundry / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. With an overall PCMark 10 score of 7,605, this AMD-powered machine surpassed similar laptops with recent Intel Core Ultra processors. (And, as we’ll see below, it had similar battery life.) Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With a multithreaded Cinebench R20 score of 6,160, the AMD hardware here ran faster than Intel Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake chips. Foundry / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The HP EliteBook 8 G1a completed the encode process in an average of 924 seconds — that’s over 15 minutes. This machine can put out some serious CPU performance when it needs to, and it’s a good compromise of performance and power efficiency. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it’s still good to check how the GPU performs. We run 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 3,052, the AMD Radeon 860M graphics in this machine weren’t particularly impressive. It’s slower than Intel’s Arc graphics and is on the lower end for AMD’s graphics hardware. To be honest, I think most people — including business users — would prefer a laptop with a faster GPU. Lots of businesses use GPU-accelerated tools. I’d prefer to see a faster GPU here, even at the expense of NPU features. Overall, the HP EliteBook 8 G1a shows how strong AMD’s offerings are right now: Solid CPU performance and an NPU fast enough for Copilot+ PC features at a very competitive price. But this machine cuts a corner when it comes to the GPU, and anyone who uses a GPU-accelerated professional application will want to look elsewhere. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Battery life The HP EliteBook 8 G1a has a 77 Watt-hour battery, which is a good size for a 16-inch laptop. It delivered a good combination of battery life and performance. Foundry / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The HP EliteBook 8 G1a lasted an average of 936 minutes in our benchmarks — that’s nearly 16 hours. While you’ll get less in day-to-day computer use, this is likely enough juice for all-workday battery life, which is what really matters for a business laptop. HP EliteBook 8 G1a: Conclusion The HP EliteBook 8 G1a combines a premium metal build quality with AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 hardware. In many ways, the result is an excellent, well-balanced machine. AMD’s chips are highly underrated right now. They don’t match the CPU performance you’ll find in a high-end workstation or the battery life you’ll find in a thin-and-light laptop, but they offer an excellent mix of both. Plus, this delivers an NPU fast enough for Copilot+ PC features, so the AI features here aren’t just marketing. If apps ever start taking more advantage of NPUs, you’ll want a fast one like the 50 TOPS NPU here — not the 12 TOPS NPU Intel is still delivering in most PCs. But this isn’t the be-all, end-all business laptop. The display drags down the overall experience, and the graphics performance just isn’t up there with the CPU and NPU performance. While it’s a good laptop, it’s not the right pick for everyone. But I’m happy my review model had AMD hardware, and I think you’d prefer the AMD hardware here to Intel’s current offerings, too. Read...

Microsoft is flooding every inch of Windows 11 with AI features… and if you’re like me, you aren’t thrilled about it. I’d rather choose the AI tools I want to use instead of Microsoft shoving them into my PC unprompted. The good news is, you can turn off the AI features in Windows 11. The bad news is, they’re scattered across various option pages. It’s a bit like disabling all the ads in Windows—you have to hunt down the settings, but it’s possible. I’ll show you where to find them. Replace your PC’s Copilot key Most new laptops now come with a Copilot key on the keyboard. Yet while you can’t change the logo that’s printed on your PC’s keycap, you can change what happens when you press the key. If your PC has a Copilot key, you can head to Settings > Personalization > Text input to configure it. Click the “Customize Copilot key on your keyboard” option. For an AI-free experience, select “Search.” The key will then open the search experience in the Start menu. Chris Hoffman / Foundry You could also select “Custom,” but Windows will only let you choose AI apps as custom options—for example, you could remap the Copilot key to launch ChatGPT. But if you’d like to have it perform any other non-search non-AI action, you’ll need to use the Keyboard Manager in Microsoft PowerToys or some other key remapping tool. Remove Copilot from the system tray Windows 11 includes two separate Copilots: one is “Copilot” and the other is “Microsoft 365 Copilot.” Confused? Yeah, you aren’t the only one. While Microsoft has business reasons for keeping them separate, the choice to include both in Windows as separate apps is still baffling. On many of my PCs, I’ve looked at the system tray and seen both Copilots happily running in the background, each with its own separate-but-similar system tray icon. That’s just silly. If you don’t use Copilot, you can stop it from launching whenever you sign in to Windows like any other startup program. I prefer using the Task Manager to manage startup apps—launch the Task manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, then click “Startup apps” in the left pane. There you’ll find both “Copilot” and “Microsoft 365 Copilot.” Right-click one (or both) and select “Disable” to turn them off. Chris Hoffman / Foundry If you don’t want to use Copilot at all, you can remove it from your PC entirely by opening the Start menu, searching for “Copilot,” right-clicking the “Copilot” result, and selecting “Uninstall.” You can uninstall Microsoft 365 Copilot in the same way. (If you want them back, both Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot are available in the Microsoft Store.) Learn more about speeding up your Windows PC’s startup time by adjusting startup apps alongside many other tips! Delete Copilot options from File Explorer File Explorer now shows an “Ask Copilot” option when you right-click on files like Word documents, PDFs, and images. It’s a quick and convenient way to send files to Copilot… but what if you don’t want Copilot integrated into your right-click menu? Well, if you simply uninstall Copilot, these context menu items will vanish. (Microsoft has fortunately made Copilot extremely easy to uninstall.) See the above tip about removing Copilot from your system tray for instructions on how to uninstall it. If you’d rather keep Copilot installed but get rid of this option, there’s a registry hack that will block the Copilot shell extension. Stop seeing Copilot in Microsoft Office Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint now have Copilot integrated. With a standard Microsoft 365 subscription, you get a limited number of “AI credits” to spend each month. Personally, I do a lot of writing in Word—I wrote this very article in Word—but I want to do the writing myself and have no interest in Copilot writing for me when I open a blank document. In fact, I’d rather get rid of the Copilot integration altogether so it doesn’t distract me. Chris Hoffman / Foundry To turn off Copilot in an Office app like Word, open the app, click File > Options, choose “Copilot” in the left pane, and then uncheck “Enable Copilot.” After you save your changes, it’ll vanish until you turn it back on. Or, if you never use Copilot in Office apps, you can downgrade your Microsoft 365 plan and save $30 a year. Hide Copilot in Notepad Microsoft has gone as far as integrating Copilot into Notepad, allowing you to spend “AI credits” to do things like AI-generate text and summaries, complete with a Microsoft account sign-in system and a profile picture. It’s all a little much for Notepad. Chris Hoffman / Foundry Fortunately, it’s optional. In Notepad, you can click the Settings gear at the top-right corner of the window, scroll down, and turn off “Copilot” for a more traditional Notepad experience. Microsoft doesn’t offer a way to turn off AI features in Paint or the Photos app, so it’s nice to see that Notepad has this user-friendly option. Verify that Windows Recall is disabled If you have a Copilot+ PC with all those built-in AI capabilities, Windows offers to turn on the Recall feature when you first set up your PC. It’s your choice, but it’s also easy to fly through that screen while you’re rushing the setup process. Maybe you turned it on by accident. (After all the controversy, we don’t recommend using Recall.) Chris Hoffman / Foundry The good news is, turning off Recall is easy now. If you’d like to verify that Recall is off, head to Settings > Privacy & security and click “Recall” under Windows permissions. (If you don’t see it, you don’t have a Copilot+ PC, so your computer doesn’t have Recall.) If you’d rather not have Recall capture screenshots of your PC usage and store them for local AI searches, turn off “Save snapshots” here. You can also select “Delete snapshots” to delete any stored snapshots. Turn off the Click To Do shortcut In addition to Recall and those other AI features I’ve mentioned so far, Copilot+ PCs also have a feature called Click To Do, which presents contextual AI actions for the text and images you see on screen. Click To Do can be called up by using the Windows key + Q shortcut or by holding down the Windows key and left-clicking. You can turn off Click To Do in Settings > Privacy & security > Click To Do. Click To Do doesn’t do anything unless you press this shortcut, but it’s easy to imagine that action getting in the way at times. Turn off Windows Studio Effects Copilot+ PCs have a feature called Windows Studio Effects, which is also available on some earlier AI PCs. It can perform real-time visual effects on your webcam image to make your skin look smoother and even fake eye contact so it appears you’re always looking at the camera. It also has silly AI effects that can, say, make you look like a cartoon character. Chris Hoffman / Foundry If you’d rather look like a real human without any uncanny valley AI effects on your live streams and video meetings, you can turn it off. Click the system status icons near the clock on your taskbar (or press Windows key + A) to open the quick settings. Look for the Studio Effects tile, click it, and customize which AI webcam effects you want to use. If you don’t see the Studio Effects tile, your PC doesn’t have access to this feature and you have nothing to disable or worry about. Ditch the AI features in your web browser Modern web browsers are full of AI features, including Gemini in Chrome, Copilot in Edge, and even local AI features in Firefox. Fortunately, modern web browsers make it easy to turn off said AI features (apart from Firefox, which buries the options). Here’s how in each browser: Google Chrome Click the three-dot menu > Settings, choose “AI innovations” in the sidebar, then control AI features from here. You won’t actually have the full Gemini assistant on your toolbar unless you choose to pay for a Google AI Pro plan, so the current Chrome AI experience is restrained. Microsoft Edge Click the three-dot menu > Settings, choose “AI innovations,” and turn off experimental features. To turn off the Copilot toolbar icon as well, head to Appearance > Copilot and sidebar > Copilot and turn off “Show Copilot button on the toolbar.” Mozilla Firefox You have to type about:config into the address bar and press Enter to access the advanced settings. Then, search for browser.ml and turn off settings like “browser.ml.chat.enabled” and “browser.ml.enable” (which are “machine learning” features). Mozilla doesn’t provide a complete list of AI settings, but you can find user-made lists like this one. Get rid of AI in Google Search If you’re searching Google and would rather not see AI Overviews, you can add -ai to the end of your search queries to prevent AI Overviews on a per-search basis. But if you want to permanently disable AI Overviews, I recommend the Hide Google AI Overviews browser extension. It’s the best solution I’ve found so far. Using AI should be your choice To be clear, I have nothing against AI tools. I experiment with AI all the time! (As a tech writer, how could I not?) But that doesn’t mean I want every app full of AI features, nor do I want AI features forced upon me. I’ll choose the tools I want to use and when I want to use them. Don’t feel bad if you feel the same way! Subscribe to Chris Hoffman’s newsletter, The Windows Readme, for more PC advice from a real human—not an AI. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Very inexpensive Smooth hardware operation Lots of user management options Cons Very rocky physical setup Limited advanced setting options Scanners (especially the fingerprint scanner) aren’t the best Our Verdict Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Desloc D110 Plus Retailer Price $89.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The market is rife with smart locks that cost $200, $300, and more—but if you look to the lower end, less than $100—your choices get sketchy, fast. Equipped with a fingerprint reader, NFC support, and integrated Wi-Fi, the $90 Desloc D110 Plus looks good on paper. Unfortunately, some clear compromises to hit that price point prevent us from offering a wholehearted recommendation for the device. A small monochrome display on the exterior escutcheon displays information such as battery life and Wi-Fi status. Specifications It seems like this display would be more useful on the inside of the door, unless the manufacturer’s objective is marketing. Christopher Null/Foundry This is a traditional Wi-Fi (2.4GHz only) smart lock featuring a touchscreen with a numeric keypad, a fingerprint reader, a physical keyhole (two keys included), and an NFC reader (with two tags included), giving users ample options when it comes to interacting with the lock. Available in black or silver finishes, the lock measures about 6 by 3 inches both inside and outside the house and is made from a mix of aluminum and plastic. The lock carries a rather tame IP54 weatherproofing rating (our IP code guide tells us it can keep out enough particulate matter to prevent failure, and it can withstand being sprayed with a garden hose. It’s certified ANSI/BHMA Level 3, which is the lowest acceptable level for commercial (not residential) locks. Kudos to Desloc for pursuing BHMA certification, not every lock in this price range does. (Don’t miss our guide to ANSI/BHMA certification.) The Desloc D110 Plus comes with a set of good ol’-fashioned keys.Christopher Null/Foundry The lock is powered by four AA batteries (not included), which Desloc says will last for up to 6 months “with smart power optimization.” A USB-C port on the bottom of the exterior escutcheon is available for emergency power if the batteries die while you’re out. The device can support up to 100 PINs (with each one up to 8 digits in length) and 50 fingerprints. One curious addition to this lock is the inclusion of a small monochrome display on the exterior escutcheon that displays information such as battery life and Wi-Fi status as well as simple messages like “Fail” if an invalid PIN is input. While the lock is designed primarily for use with the Desloc mobile app, it also has support for Amazon Echo and Google Nest smart speakers and displays. Installation and setup While standard in design, the Desloc D110 Plus physically came apart during our attempts to install it.Christopher Null/Foundry As with all complete smart locks (versus retrofit locks), installation begins with removal of your old lock, followed by attaching the Desloc 110 Plus’s exterior escutcheon to a frame that sits inside the door. Two long bolts are included for this, connecting to lengthy standoffs that jut out of the back of the exterior escutcheon and push through the deadbolt mechanism. Normally, getting these two bolts into place is a simple matter and one which I’ve done on other smart locks dozens and dozens of times. But when I tried to connect these bolts, they jammed, stopping about half an inch short of where they needed to be to firmly sandwich everything into place. I normally use a low-power electric screwdriver for this work—most vendors actually instruct you not to use power tools on smart lock installation to avoid stripping the screws or damaging the equipment—but it choked every time I backed the bolts out and tried reseating them. Making matters worse, the bolt was wedged in so tightly that one of the standoffs on the exterior escutcheon designed to receive the bolt detached from the lock when I reversed the screwdriver, leaving me with a bit of a mess on my hands. (See photo for what I’m talking about.) I asked Desloc about this and was surprised to hear that this is by design. The bolts are apparently supposed to be tight, and Desloc suggested using “something like an electric screwdriver with torque” to push past the blockage. This went against everything instinct I have, and sure enough, one second with a more powerful screwdriver promptly began to strip the screwheads. I eventually gave up and simply muscled the bolts in with a manual screwdriver, being careful not to further strip the heads. The Desloc D110 Plus runs on 4 AA batteries, but you’ll need to supply them.Christopher Null/Foundry With the plate in place, the interior escutcheon attaches to a single electrical cable and uses three smaller bolts—which are also quite stiff—to hang on to the plate. With four batteries in place, I was then able to use the Desloc app to auto-discover the lock and complete onboarding and Wi-Fi bridging via a Bluetooth connection. One nice feature: The lock automatically calibrates whether it is on a left- or right-hand door during initial setup. Using the Desloc D110 Plus For such a simple lock, the Desloc D110 Plus has plenty of features, and for the most part they work well, but not great. The app is simple to manage, letting you specify users as “Always,” “Schedule” (time restricted), or “One-Pass” (for one-time codes, which expire in about 2 hours). “Always” users can be configured with multiple PINs, fingerprints, and NFC cards, while users on a schedule can only be configured with PIN access. Schedules can be set with a single deadline or with recurring access based on time and day of the week. The Desloc app logs everything—locks and unlocks alike—and it can be set to send notifications for all types of activity, although it doesn’t log failed attempts to open the lock unless the wrong-try protection lockout is activated. There’s no way to adjust the lockout feature, however, or any explanation of how it works. Simply scanning the admin fingerprint removes the lockout error. Basic configuration and control options are placed front and center in the app. You’ll receive push notifications for the typical events.Christopher Null/Foundry Auto-locking can be configured to kick in after 5 to 120 seconds, although it bizarrely can’t be turned off on this screen. That’s something of a problem because the auto-lock engages whether the door is open or closed. (You can disable auto-locking altogether by activating Passage Mode, but that is not exactly the intended function of this feature.) Closing the door with the bolt extended—or if the wind blows it closed—risks damage to the trim around your doorframe. One interesting addition in the app is the option to set anti-hijacking PINs and/or fingerprints. These are credentials that will open the lock, but that which send an SOS alert to an emergency email address of your choice. This worked fine in my testing, but all the alert emails went to my spam folder. Push notifications would be much more useful. From a hardware perspective, the D110 Plus is best described as working “just OK.” The keypad is slow to wake up and can require many taps to get it to engage. The fingerprint reader was hit-and-miss in my testing, often requiring multiple scans. And the NFC card reader usually required rubbing the card all over the front of the lock to find the sweet spot to get it to activate. Fortunately, the lock is physically smooth in operation and reasonably quiet; I never encountered any jamming during several days of testing. Should you buy the Desloc D110 Plus? NFC cards–two are supplied–provide an alternative to a PIN, fingerprint, or keys for unlocking the Desloc D110 Plus.Christopher Null/Foundry The Desloc D110 Plus is clearly a value-oriented product, and it shows throughout. The construction quality is questionable, scanning quality is so-so, and the lack of any advanced features make the system feel like the budget offering it is. That said, it works well enough if you have a rock-bottom budget to invest in a smart lock (you might want to check out the $70 Tapo DL100 before you pull the trigger, although it has fewer features). On the other hand, lock hardware is generally the last place I recommend smart home users look for savings. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks. Read...

If you want to go big on gaming monitors, that means you need to spend big. But even if you have a high budget, it still pays to hunt for deals. For example, you can get an oversized 39-inch ultrawide OLED from LG for just $896.99 from Amazon. That’s over $600 off the retail price. The LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W is a deluxe, upgraded version of the ultrawide format, keeping the semi-standard 3440×1440 resolution but stretching to an even bigger 39 inches and adding LG’s WebOS smart TV software. PCWorld’s monitor expert Matt Smith said it’s a good-looking monitor with great image quality and extra features in his review. And with a refresh rate of 240Hz and support for both FreeSync and G-Sync, it’s more than ready to take your desktop gaming to the next level. Other goodies inside this screen include plenty of ports, including USB-C with 65 watts of charging. That makes it a great companion to laptops, though the biggest and most powerful gaming models might feel a little thirsty. Excellent support for consoles makes it a great companion for other gadgets at your desk, but with built-in Wi-Fi and its own streaming apps, it can handle plenty of media all by itself. Just make sure to plug in some decent speakers, the ones inside the panel aren’t great. You can use your discount to add on a VESA monitor arm, just make sure to get one that can handle this oversized screen’s 16.1-pound (7.3 kilograms) weight. This is a great sale, but there’s no indication of when it’ll end on Amazon’s storefront. And yeah, almost a grand is still a lot to spend on a monitor even if you can afford it. If you’re looking for something cheaper, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best monitors. Get a 39-inch LG OLED ultrawide gaming monitor for $600 offView Deal Read...

Google’s Gemini is poised to take root in your home this fall, from a new Gemini-powered smart speaker to a series of refreshed Nest Cams. But first, Gemini is eyeing a staple of the living room: your TV.  Google has already teased Gemini’s imminent arrival on smart TV sets, and today it’s official: You can now chat with Gemini on the big screen, starting with select TCL TVs.  Specifically, TCLs Google TV-powered QM9K Mini-LED TVs are getting Gemini access starting today. Looking forward, Gemini is slated to land on the Google TV Streamer, the Walmart Onn 4K Pro, Hisense’s latest U7, U8, and UX models, and 2025 TCL QM7K, QM8K, and X11K models “later this year,” with more to come.  You’ll be able to summon Gemini on a supported Google TV device by saying “Hey Google” or pressing the microphone button on the Google TV remote, same as when you wanted to call up Google Assistant.  But while Assistant was limited to basic search, playback, and navigational commands, Gemini will allow for “free-flowing conversations,” Google promises.   For example, you’ll be able to give Gemini commands like, “Find me something to watch with my wife; I like dramas, but she likes lighthearted comedies,” according to Google.  Other possibilities include queries such as “What happened in the last season of Outlander,” or “What’s the new hospital drama everyone’s talking about?” For any suggestions served up by Gemini (such as The Pitt for the latter question), you’ll be able to ask follow-up queries (“Did it get good reviews?”).  Google is also positioning Gemini on Google TV as more than just a streaming recommendation companion. Aside from “what to watch” questions, you’ll be able to ask a Gemini-enabled TV to help with a number of wide-ranging tasks. “Explain why volcanoes erupt to my third grader” is one example that Google suggests, along with “How do I learn guitar as a beginner?” or “What’s a dessert I can make in less than an hour?”  Gemini on Google TV follows Amazon’s AI efforts on its various Fire TV models. Amazon rolled out AI-powered search for Fire TV sets nearly a year ago, and before that, it delivered the ability for select Fire TV models to create AI-generated wallpapers.  Gemini’s arrival on Google TV devices is just the first in a series of Gemini-at-home announcements we’re expecting in the coming days.  On October 1, Google is slated to unveil its revamped Google Home lineup, including (most likely) a new Gemini-powered smart speaker and three new Nest cams.  The smart speaker, said to be called the “Google Home Speaker,” was previously teased by Google during its Pixel event last month. The speaker is rumored to double as a Matter hub and may also be capable of pairing with the Google TV Streamer.  Meanwhile, new indoor and outdoor Nest Cams and a refreshed Nest Doorbell are rumored to be on tap, with all three new cameras expected to boast 2K video resolution (up from 1080p) along with “zoom and crop” capabilities, expanded three-hour video previews, and an hour of local video storage, along with other Gemini-infused features. Read...

Setting your desktop background to an animated video is one of those things that seems really cool at first thought, but the practical implementations—including an official version from Microsoft back in the Vista days—always leave me cold. Still, PCs are a lot more powerful than they used to be, and it looks like Windows 11 is giving it another go with the latest Insider builds. Social media user PhantomOfEarth is a frequent digger-upper of new Windows features, and they spotted this in the latest developer and beta builds for Windows 11. You can apparently now set MP4 video files and other frequently-used formats as your desktop background and they’ll animate with surprising smoothness. Windows DreamScene is back! Hidden in the latest Windows 11 Dev/Beta build (26×20.6690) is built in support for setting video files like .mp4 as your desktop background:— phantomofearth ?? (@phantomofearth.bsky.social) 2025-09-20T13:56:42.340Z It won’t just show up on the Insider build, though. You need to enable feature ID 57645315 and restart explorer.exe. But once that’s done, it appears to be ready to rock in the Personalization menu. As PhantomOfEarth notes, this is essentially reviving the “DreamScene” feature from Windows Vista, one of the many visual enhancements that Microsoft was quick to highlight way back in 2007. (Stay to the end of the commercial below to see it—and to feel really old about remembering when “burn disc” was a cool new feature for an OS.) Of course, DreamScene didn’t really work out that well back then. Video performance was choppy at best, and it had a high system overhead for a purely aesthetic enhancement. The slowdown of the user interface to add visual flair was one of the many reasons Vista isn’t remembered as fondly as XP before it and Windows 8 after. There have been plenty of third-party options for video wallpapers going back even further, and you can still implement the feature right now if you want to using tools like Wallpaper Engine. Meanwhile, macOS offers animated wallpapers, ditto for mobile platforms, so it’s more than possible without debilitating slowdown on modern hardware. That said, I don’t know how much I’d bet on this feature making its way to the release version of Windows 11 in the near future. Since it still needs to be manually enabled even in Insider, Microsoft isn’t making a splash about it yet, and these sorts of low-impact additions that are prone to bugs or usability compromises tend to get the chop on a regular basis. Still, if it arrives on my desktop, I know the first video I’ll use. Read...

If you’re going to get a gaming laptop, why hold back on a budget model when you could spring for an upper-mid-range option with the latest Nvidia features that’ll serve you well for years to come? And if you act now, you can get one without sacrificing an arm and a leg for it. I’m talking about this Lenovo Legion Pro 5 that’s now on sale for $1,449.99 at Best Buy with a snazzy $210 discount. This is a fantastic config that starts with an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HX CPU, bulks up with a whopping 32GB of DDR5 memory, and rounds out with a fast 1TB SSD. That translates into a speedy machine that can handle all your tasks from work to play, and I haven’t even mentioned the kicker yet: a Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU that unlocks all the latest Nvidia features like DLSS 4 and more. In a nutshell, the best of modern gaming. It’s a looker too, complete with a vivid 16-inch OLED screen that sports a crisp 2560×1600 resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and a solid 500 nits of brightness. This is a device that’s as gorgeous while watching Netflix as it is while playing games, and it’ll smoothly display those frames without any tearing or skipping. As for ports? You get HDMI, two USB-C video (one with power delivery), three fast USB-A for data, LAN, 3.5mm audio, and a dedicated power connector. Getting an RTX 5060 laptop with specs like this at this price point is a bargain through and through, so get the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 for $1,449.99 while this deal is still available! Save $210 on this RTX 5060 laptop with OLED screen and 32GB RAMBuy now at Best Buy Read...