Windows 10

At Build earlier this month, Microsoft announced Windows Mixed Reality dev kits from Acer and HP, and said that new products from other partners would be coming later in the year.

At Computex today, Microsoft revealed future headsets from ASUS, Lenovo, and Dell that are set to go into production soon and bring Mixed Reality to the masses. Each has something different to offer.

The success of Windows 10 and the reception Microsoft's latest operating system has had from consumers could mean that the PC market will grow again in 2019.

IDC's latest Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker has offered new insight as to why the firm believes the PC market is set for a growth period a few years from now.

At Computex 2017, ASUS just unveiled what is probably the most impressive 15-inch laptop today. It's called the ZenBook Pro and it comes with everything that you can expect in a premium offering in this segment right now.

What are the standout features? Well, there are several, but the 15.6-inch UHD display, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics, and the Intel Core i7-7700HQ quad-core processor are likely to impress consumers the most.

ASUS announced a whole suite of new products today at Computex 2017, and one of the most interesting to debut is the ZenBook 3 Deluxe, which the company says is the thinnest 14-inch laptop in the world.

This is not the first "world's thinnest" product that ASUS unveiled today, as the company also introduced the world's thinnest two-in-one convertible laptop, called the ZenBook Flip S.

Two-hundred-and-thirty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.

The roll out of the Windows 10 Creators Update is still ongoing. Wayne notes that it is at 15.2 percent of users in the US right now, which means that it will take a while longer before the new version is on the majority of Windows 10 PCs out there.

On May 23, Microsoft did something very curious -- it announced a new product in Shanghai. No, there is nothing wrong with having a press event in China, but the time difference meant Americans would have to wake up very early to watch it, right?

No. Actually, even more odd, Microsoft chose not to live stream the event. While there was a Chinese-dubbed stream found on the web, English-speakers were left to read live-blogging instead. This is unfortunate, as Panos Panay is quite the masterful presenter -- his unveiling of products can be downright magical. Thankfully, today, the Windows-maker makes the new Surface Pro announcement video available on YouTube -- no Chinese dub.

Microsoft officially began the Windows 10 Creators Update rollout on April 11. I cautioned about rushing to upgrade to it at the time, and then Microsoft said much the same thing shortly afterwards, recommending users didn’t install it until the upgrade was offered to them.

Six weeks since the rollout began, and still the Creators Update isn’t available to the vast majority of Windows 10 users.

When Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is released later in the year, it will be the first glimpse many users get of Microsoft's new Fluent Design System. But Windows Insiders can already enjoy the new look, and an update to the Windows Store sees the app getting an acrylic makeover.

Formally known as Project NEON (when we were still talking about Redstone 3 builds), the Fluent Design System sees Microsoft bringing elements of Glass and Aero back to life. The acrylic material, specifically, refers to the blurring of backgrounds, and if you're an Insider on the Fast Ring, you can grab an update to check it out for yourself.

Chuwi makes some interesting Windows devices that do not break the bank. The LapBook 15.6, the bigger brother to the lovely LapBook 14.1 that I tested earlier this year, is the perfect example: it's got a large, high-resolution screen, sleek design, competitive hardware, and an attractive price point.

It can be had for just under $200 for a limited time, but we have now teamed up with Chuwi to offer one for free to a lucky BetaNews reader. Here is what you need to know.

Microsoft's event in Shanghai today may have been mainly about the Surface Pro, but there was also news of a new version of Windows 10. The new version -- which we reported about a couple of months ago -- is called Windows 10 China Government Edition and it makes a number of concessions to keep Chinese officials happy.

It’s a release that raises a lot of questions. The Windows 10 China Government Edition allows the country to not only use its own encryption, but also to control updates, remove unwanted apps, and manage telemetry. Users around the world will almost certainly be asking why control over telemetry is not an option for them, and what the implications of making changes for the Chinese government could be.

Last year, Huawei released its first-ever Windows 10 device -- the MateBook. The tablet/laptop hybrid was a bit underpowered, but had incredible build quality and a gorgeous screen. It also had solid speakers and a fast fingerprint reader. Overall, I picked it as my favorite Windows 10 device of 2016. Today, Huawei unveils its successor -- the MateBook E. It isn't a radical redesign, which is a good thing.

The company is not stopping there, however, as it also announces two new MateBook computers which are traditional laptops -- the "X" and "D". The former is a very svelte and elegant 13-inch Ultrabook, while the latter is a larger 15.6-inch laptop.

Two-hundred-and-thirty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.

This week saw several strong releases including the new Microsoft application Send to OneNote, the excellent vector graphics designer Gravit Designer, and the popular game Survival Arena.

When Microsoft rolled out the previous Windows 10 Redstone 3 build to Insiders (Build 16193), it looked as if the new Story Remix feature was going to be included. However, it turns out the software giant had other plans, and only made it available to a select group of testers (of which I’m lucky enough to be one).

Microsoft says that the "large majority of Windows Insiders in the Fast ring should have Story Remix right now", however, and you can check by launching the Photos app which it’s part of. (If it's not there, and you want to try it, you can request access by sending an email to [email protected].) There’s no such confusion with this week’s new release, Build 16199, as everyone can try all of the new features today -- and there are quite few of those.

Privacy Repairer is a portable tool for viewing and managing Windows 10 telemetry and privacy settings.

There’s now almost a whole sub-genre of software doing more or less the same thing, but Privacy Repairer has more than enough extra power and detail to justify its tiny download.

I’ve certainly been highly critical of Microsoft in the past, particularly last year when the company began forcing Windows 10 on to users.

But in the past couple of days I have to admit that I’ve been impressed by the software giant’s response to the global WannaCrypt/WannaCry crisis, and not just in patching Windows XP.