Microsoft already has ample ways to inform you that Windows isn’t activated, including the Settings app, desktop, and other places. Microsoft wants to take things up a notch. In a recent Microsoft Edge build, Microsoft has started testing several flags that may allow the company to block browser’s capabilities when Windows 11 is not activated.

These features identify whether Windows is activated:

• msEdgeActivatedStateCheckAndUpdate
• msEdgeNonActivatedOSTrigger
• msEdgeLockSettingsInNonActivatedOS

Windows Latest tried running the Edge Canary version with these features enabled individually. We got the “msEdgeLockSettingsInNonActivatedOS” working, which locks you out of some settings in the Edge browser.

After opening the Settings page in Edge, we noticed a banner at the top informing us that “We notice your Windows is not activated, some customization has been limited”. We dug deeper and opened all the subpages inside the Settings app.

After enabling this feature, we couldn’t find any other blocked setting. However, Microsoft might add more restrictions in Edge’s upcoming builds. For example, the company may not let you change the new tab settings, hide the MSN feed, change accent, dark theme, or other features.

Does it even make sense to block Edge settings?

Locking users out of Edge browser settings because they use a non-activated Windows version doesn’t make sense. Since the Edge browser is available for Mac and mobile devices, why is the activation popup only for Windows users?

We don’t see any benefit from these restrictions other than irking users into switching to Chrome or Firefox.

Browsers shouldn’t nudge you to purchase a Windows license. It’s one of those features we sincerely hope will never be approved. Meanwhile, Microsoft is testing a resource control feature in the browser.

Edge will get a RAM limiter feature

Windows Latest tested the Resource Control feature hidden inside Edge Canary. It lets you set a maximum size of RAM that Edge can use. So, if you have a low-end PC that flatlines after running Edge, you can allocate a fixed amount of RAM.

Limiting RAM usage of the browser won’t improve the performance but will ensure that other apps and Windows have the bare minimum system resources that they need.

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This new memory-saver policy will discard all the tabs that have been in sleep mode for more than 1.5 days. However, this policy only works when the “SleepingTabsEnabled” policy is active. If that isn’t the case, then configuring this policy won’t have an effect.

After a tab is discarded, it no longer uses system resources. It must be reloaded to use the webpage again, and Edge won’t close the tab automatically.

You might be confused between Sleeping Tabs and Discarded Tabs. A sleeping tab consumes very little memory but keeps the page alive. A discarded tab releases all the system resources, and you must reload the page.

The new Edge policy graciously gives 1.5 days before removing all the system resources from the tab. Unless you use Edge for 1.5 days straight without closing any tabs, this policy won’t help much.

Microsoft has not mentioned whether the 1.5-day duration is configurable in the Edge Release Notes page. The company recently announced the depreciation of two CSS features that allowed websites to adjust themselves as per the user’s default system themes.

Forced colors will make the contrast theme experience better

The Forced Colors debuted in 2020, but Microsoft retained the old—ms-high-contrast query. It also extended support to other Chromium-based browsers and Firefox. After four years, Microsoft wants websites to adopt the new Forced Colours scheme to improve accessibility for Windows users.

This won’t be an abrupt transition. Microsoft plans to slowly deprecate the old media query with Edge browser version 138. Currently, Edge 124 is available in the stable channel, so we have a year before the change happens.

To test the feature, type edge://flags/#edge-deprecate-ms-high-contrast in the URL bar, set the flag to Enabled, and restart Edge to apply the changes.

Microsoft is also experimenting with a resource control feature in the Edge browser, which Windows Latest has covered extensively. The feature allows you to set the maximum amount of RAM the Edge browser can use.

It is designed to help users manage resource control for the browser on low-end systems. RAM limiter won’t make your Edge browser faster, but it can free up resources for other apps running on your PC.

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As Microsoft watcher Zac Bowden previously reported, Microsoft has been working on two new Surface products – the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6. Windows Latest has already posted benchmarks of the Surface Pro 10 with Snapdragon X Plus.

Thanks to new Geekbench listings, we know more about the Surface Laptop 6.

Laptop 6 benchmarks | Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

1 of 4

According to Geekbench listings, as many as four devices codenamed “OEMBR OEMBR” have been benchmarked. The device scored close to 14,100 in multi-thread tests and up to 2,745 in single-core tests, which is impressive. The device is running in a “balanced” state, and the numbers may go higher in performance mode.

Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X Elite is as powerful as the Apple MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip.

Here’s a table created by Windows Latest that compares the two devices:

The listings do not mention Microsoft or Surface branding for obvious anti-leak measures.

In fact, the device is shown as running “snapdragon 8cx gen 3 4012 MHz”, which doesn’t even exist.

That’s not the first time Microsoft has faked the CPU in the benchmarks, and it’s all part of the anti-leak measures. The benchmarked device in question is the Surface Laptop 6 running Snapdragon X Elite 12-core chip with 16GB of RAM, NPU, and Windows 11 version 24H2.

“OEMxx” is a codename typically used for all Surface products where the “xx” represents different Surface products:

• OEMBR – Surface Laptop with Qualcomm
• OEMMN – Surface Pro 10
• OEMSA – Surface Laptop SE
• OEMML – Surface Laptop

Microsoft doesn’t want you to know the specs of the Surface Laptop 6, so it even tried to fake the CPU information, which is why you’d see “Snapdragon 8cx gen 3 4012 MHz” in the above benchmark screenshots.

However, Microsoft’s benchmarked laptop uses Snapdragon X Elite (X1E80100, specifically), which also powers the Galaxy Book4 Edge.

How powerful is the Surface Laptop 6 ARM compared to the Intel edition?

The Snapdragon X Elite inside the Surface Laptop 6 is powerful and does a better job than the Intel Core i7 155h.

In our tests, we observed that Snapdragon completes 7-Zip File Compression task in 18.98 seconds, while the Intel chip takes slightly longer at 21.09 seconds. During the Visual Studio Code Compilation, the Snapdragon finishes compiling in 30.56 seconds, significantly quicker than Intel’s 68.14 seconds.

Here are our tests comparing the two processors:

As you can see above, for graphics performance, measured by the 3D Mark GPU Benchmark, the Snapdragon achieves 39.11 frames per second (FPS), outperforming Intel’s 33.98 FPS.

In the Speedometer 2.0 benchmark, which measures web application responsiveness, the Snapdragon scores 438 on Edge and 457 on Chrome, whereas the Intel scores 376 and 413, respectively.

You can expect even better performance when Windows 11 on ARM becomes stable on Surface Laptop 6 and other devices by September or October.

The post Surface Laptop 6 with Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, Windows 11 spotted appeared first on Windows Latest

As respected Microsoft watcher Zac Bowden previously reported, Microsoft has been working on two Snapdragon X products: the Surface Pro 10 with an OLED display and the Surface Laptop 6. Thanks to the new Geekbench listings we spotted, we now have more details, including possible information about the Surface Pro 10 with an X Plus chip.

Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus are similar processors, but there’s one big change: X Plus comes with 10 cores (6 performance and 4 efficiency) compared to 12 scores of Snapdragon X Elite. In other words, Snapdragon X Plus could be used in mid-range products, similar to how OEMs use Intel Core i5 and Core i7 in their lineup.

Surface Pro 10 with OLED, Snapdragon X Plus, NPU and more

According to a new Geekbench ML listing spotted by Windows Latest, a mysterious device codenamed “OEMMN OEMMN” has been benchmarked for “DirectML.”

Here’s a breakdown of the leaked benchmarks:

• Tested OS: Windows 11 24H2
• Model: OEMMN OEMMN / Surface Pro 10
• Power Plan: Balanced
• CPU: Snapdragon X Plus – X1P64100 – Qualcomm Oryon CPU
• Topology: 1 Processor, 10 Cores with base frequency at. The chip has two clusters: cluster 1 with 6 cores (performance focused) and cluster 2 with 4 cores (efficiency focused).
• RAM: 16GB.

The listing doesn’t reveal the Snapdragon X Plus key specs but confirms other details, such as the minimum cores and product name. According to our findings, here’s everything we know about about Snapdragon X Plus:

• It comes with an integrated Snapdragon X65 modem (2021), while Snapdragon X Elite PCs use an external modem.
• Snapdragon X Plus has 10 cores instead of 12. It may also have reduced NPU TOPS, but it won’t make a noticeable difference.

This benchmarked device will likely be the Surface Pro 10 with Snapdragon X Plus.

For those unaware, Microsoft has previously used similar codenames for its Surface lineup, such as the Surface Go, Surface Pro 10 for business, and more.

We also have the full list of the current and upcoming Surface product codenames. For example, OEMSA is Surface Laptop SE, OEMML is Surface Laptop, OEMBR is Surface Laptop 6 with Snapdragon X, and OEMMN is Surface Pro 10. These are the codenames for the upcoming Surface devices.

The leaked Geekbench listing suggests that Surface Pro 10 (OEMMN) could ship in two variants: Snapdragon X Elite (high-end) and Snapdragon X Plus (mid-range). At the same time, it’s possible that the Surface Pro 10 will ship with Snapdragon X Plus, and the Surface Laptop 6 will use the more powerful Snapdragon X Elite.

The base variant will have at least 16GB of RAM, as the tech giant appears to be ditching an 8GB base in its Surface lineup.

What about the other features of Surface Pro 10 with ARM? Windows Latest understands it will be similar to the Surface Pro 10 with Intel for businesses, but one of the most noticeable changes would be a new 13-inch display with an OLED panel, which is missing on the Intel variant.

You can choose between three storage options: 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB. Similarly, memory options will be limited to 16GB and 32 GB. Other features include the Windows Copilot key, Thunderbolt 4, and Windows Studio Effects.

The post Surface Pro 10 OLED with Snapdragon X Plus, 10 cores, 16GB RAM spotted appeared first on Windows Latest

By default, when you’re reading a long PDF or webpage and open Copilot in the sidebar of Microsoft Edge, you can ask Copilot questions about the PDF/webpage. However, the integration isn’t always flawless, as Copilot may hallucinate and show answers from websites indexed on Bing instead of the webpage or PDF opened in the browser.

This can be particularly annoying when you expect Copilot to read the document and answer your questions using that information instead of crawling the web. In our tests, Windows Latest observed that Microsoft has quietly rolled out a new “tagging” feature that lets you choose between “This page” and “relevant sources”.

As shown in the above and below screenshots, you can now choose between “this page” and “relevant sources” under a new “answer using” menu, which can be triggered using @ (which is why I call the feature “tagging”. It’s not the official name).

In my tests, I tagged the DHL page using @ in Copilot and asked the AI when the package shipped or where it is currently located.

As you can see in the above screenshot, Microsoft Copilot quickly analyzed the DHL web page and answered my question. This was approximately 30% faster than my usual interaction with the web page or PDF when using Copilot.

That’s because Copilot does not waste time deciding between the webpage and relevant sources and proceeds to read the webpage content because I tagged it.

Pretty neat, right?

A new Copilot menu in Microsoft Edge

The second new feature is a new Ask Copilot menu.

Right now, you can right-click a text in a document or web page and send it to the Copilot sidebar. That’s not new and has been a known feature in Microsoft Edge for a while now, but Microsoft is taking it to the next level.

In the Edge canary update, shipped earlier today and spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft has updated the “Ask Copilot” menu with four options: Explain, Summarize, Expand, and Ask anything in Chat.

The first option, “explain,” opens the Copilot sidebar with a prompt instructing the AI to explain the selected text. “Summarize” aims to quickly turn the selected paragraphs into short bullet points, and “expand” attempts to expand the text with definitions or possible historical facts.

Finally, the “Ask anything in Chat” option opens the Copilot sidebar with text copied to the text field. It’s similar to the existing experience.

You’ll see the new “Ask Copilot” menu everywhere in the browser, including the web page and PDF.

Microsoft is testing it in Edge Canary for Windows, and it will begin rolling out to everyone in the coming weeks.

In addition to the above-mentioned features, Edge on iOS is experimenting with a new “Circle to Copilot” that lets you quickly send the content on the screen to Copilot.

The post Microsoft Edge’s AI update on Windows 11 adds tagging, a new “Ask Copilot” menu appeared first on Windows Latest

Microsoft has been working on a “Circle to Copilot” feature for a while now. It was recently spotted in Microsoft Edge Canary for Windows 11, and now it’s also in the works on mobile devices. I have not spotted the feature on Android yet, but if you have an iPhone or iPad, you can now try an early version of “Circle to Copilot”

What is Circle to Copilot, and how well does it work on iOS? Circle to Copilot is an upcoming Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS feature that lets you quickly perform AI-based searches. When the feature is turned on, you can just scribble on the screen to draw a circle, and any content in focus will be uploaded to Copilot.

I was able to try the feature in Edge for iOS (stable), which can be activated by holding the Copilot button in the toolbar. However, hold to activate “Circle to Copilot” works only when you’ve manually turned on an experimental flag:

1. In Edge for iOS, open edge://flags and search “Circle for Copilot”.
   
2. Enable the feature and relaunch the browser (you’ll need to close and open it again).

I find the feature similar to Google’s Circle to Search, but it uses Copilot instead, and there are some rough edges because it’s in the early stage of development.

To use the feature, you just need to tap and hold the Copilot button in Edge.

This will capture the current screen and open a new “Circle” page, where you can circle any specific region of the captured screen to perform a search.

In my tests, I tried to circle a specific phrase on the captured screen, which was uploaded to Copilot’s mini-window as an image. Unfortunately, my initial attempt was unsuccessful. However, I tried again, and Copilot quickly searched the uploaded image.

Circle to Copilot isn’t capable of directly extracting texts from the captured screen, but when the captured screen is uploaded as a screenshot, Copilot can explain the image and its content, including the text. Windows Latest understands that you’ll be able to directly search the texts in a future release.

There’s another feature called “Chat with image”, which could be related to the “Circle to Copilot”.

When you’ve access to this experimental feature, you can click the “camera” icon in the Copilot window and perform three different types of searches: Ask Copilot to explain the image, search the image on Bing for similar images (reverse search), and scan the QR/barcode directly using Copilot.

Here’s a quick demo of the feature, which can be slow even with a Copilot Pro subscription:

According to sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans, users will be able to search texts, images, and the screen directly using “Circle to Copilot.”

Microsoft is still working on the idea, and we expect more details in the coming months.

The post Microsoft Edge on iOS tests “Circle to Copilot”, similar to Google’s Circle to Search appeared first on Windows Latest

It is worth noting that Microsoft Edge stable has also received support for extensions, but it’s hidden behind the experimental flags. If you want to try your favourite desktop extensions on mobile, you should download Edge Canary version 125.0.2487 or newer on your Android phone.

That’s because Edge stable allows you to try only two extensions (Dark mode and AdBlocker) when the “Android extensions” flag is enabled. On the other hand, Edge Canary lets you experiment with several extensions. It is also worth noting that you don’t need to log in to a Microsoft account to use extensions on mobile.

After installing the Edge Canary, use these steps to install any extension:

1. Launch Edge Canary and open Edge://flags. Search Android Extension, and relaunch the browser.
2. Tap the hamburger icon in the bottom right corner and open Settings.
3. Then tap on the About Microsoft Edge option.
   
4. Go to the bottom of the page and tap on the “Edge Canary Version” five times to enable the Developer option.
5. Go back to the Settings page. You will see a new option at the bottom to add extensions to the browser.

Since the Microsoft Edge add-on store isn’t available for mobile devices yet, you’ll need an extension ID to add it to Edge Canary for Android via Developer settings:

1. Visit the Microsoft Edge Add-ons website and click on any extension you wish to add.
2. Copy the extension ID from the URL. It is mentioned after the last “/” in the URL.
   
3. Tap on Developer options and select the “Extension install by id” option.
4. Paste the extension ID you copied from the URL and tap on OK.
   
5. Tap on the hamburger icon in the bottom right corner.
6. Select the Extensions option. The newly added extension will appear in the list.
   
7. Tap on an extension from the list to use it on any open tab.

Edge extension support on Android isn’t perfect yet

Note that the feature is still in the beta phase, so not all extensions might work as they do on your PC. We tried a screenshot extension, and adding it to the browser wasn’t an issue; it installed successfully.

Sadly, it encountered a loading loop when we tried to use it from the extensions menu.

Other users, including Reddit user daplugg23, who shared the guide, experienced similar issues with the experimental extensions tool in Edge Canary, but some extensions do work.

If you’re unlucky, the browser could crash multiple times, or you won’t be able to add them via the Developer options menu.

Microsoft restricts you to a couple of extensions because the feature is half-baked. Earlier, the option was hidden, and you had to tweak a flag to make it appear. You don’t need to go through all that trouble now because extension support is pre-enabled in Edge Canary version 125.0.2487.0.

Extensions support in Microsoft Edge on Android could be a gamer changer in the browser market.

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Browser researcher Leopeva64 recently noticed a new feature that lets you control how much RAM Edge can use. As shown in the screenshot below, Microsoft is extending the “Manage your performance” section with two new options: “Background tabs summary” and “Resource controls”.

The Resource Control option lets you control how much RAM Edge uses in a specific scenario. There are only two modes to choose from: Gaming and Always. While the first option automatically limits the browser’s memory usage when it detects you’re playing games, the second option limits Edge’s RAM usage all the time.

Lastly, Microsoft is testing a slider to adjust RAM usage. There is also a warning that setting a low limit can adversely impact the browser performance.

You can choose the maximum amount of memory that Microsoft Edge will consume, leaving adequate memory for running other apps or games.

That’s not all. After enabling the Resource control feature, you can also monitor RAM usage from the Browser Essentials tab—there is no need to open the Task Manager or Edge settings to check the current RAM consumption.

To enable the RAM limiter in Edge, try these steps:

1. Right-click the Microsoft Edge shortcut (search Edge canary, click “open file location”).
2. In Properties, select Target, and add the following command line code after “msedge.exe”:

   --enable-features=msEdgeResourceControlsRamLimiter

   

3. As shown in the above screenshot, make sure there is a space between msedge.exe” and enable-features. Click OK and launch the browser by double-clicking the modified shortcut, and you’ll have access to the RAM limiter.

It’s also worth noting that the Sleeping Tabs feature works great for unused tabs, but the Resource Control feature will give you more freedom. It lets you limit Edge’s use of too much RAM by automatically adjusting resources for active tabs and extensions.

Microsoft is also working on a Game view feature that will display content related to the games you play.

The Game view will show game-related tips and tricks

Game view is also a part of the latest Edge build in the Canary channel. The description explains it as a feature that will show game-related tips and content after you switch from the game to Edge.

This would require some kind of active tracking, especially about what games you play. We wonder whether Edge will continue running in the background for this feature to work. Also, there is no clarity about the “supported games” that Edge will recognize.

Special thanks to the security researcher HotCakeX, who helped us enable the experimental Edge features!

The post You can soon control and limit Microsoft Edge’s RAM usage on Windows appeared first on Windows Latest

In 2021, Microsoft Edge was updated to support improved font rendering and Windows ClearType Tuner. These changes allowed Edge to match the clarity of native Windows apps, and Microsoft is now bringing similar improvements to all Chromium browsers, including Chrome.

First spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft recently posted a document on Chrome Status confirming that it is integrating Windows ClearType Text Tuner into Chrome. The feature is titled “Windows ClearType Text Tuner Integration”, and it aims to ensure native text rendering preferences are respected on Windows devices.

Chrome’s font rendering to get better in version 124, thanks to Microsoft

For a long time, some people with certain display configurations have found that fonts on websites look blurry or too thin when they use Chrome, making it hard to read. Other browsers, like Firefox and Microsoft Edge, don’t have this problem and are much nicer to look at.

In an old Chromium thread, one user mentioned that looking at blurry text in Google Chrome for too long can even give them a headache.

This happens because Chrome does not respect Windows native font rendering.

By default, Windows native apps pick up various contrast and gamma values for text rendering using DirectWrite, which is a native text stack API.

Chromium also uses DirectWrite, but Google’s implementation is limited to certain tasks like identifying fonts.

Google relies on the Skia graphics library, which is a good choice for cross-platform font rendering and gets the job done. This means Google handle its own text shaping and rendering across all platforms. However, this approach leads to a noticeable difference in how text appears on Windows compared to other apps.

Microsoft has been trying to address these concerns for some time. In 2021, it shipped an update for Edge that allowed the browser to support Windows ClearType font rendering.

While “full support” for ClearType isn’t possible in Chrome because it uses Skia for text rendering, Microsoft has made several changes that will apply ClearType Tuner values to Google Chrome’s text rendering, which is as close to ClearType as possible with Chrome’s Skia text rendering backend.

“Full ClearType support is not possible in Chrome, due to it using Skia for text rendering,” a Microsoft representative said.

“However, the latest Canary will apply values for the ClearType Tuner on Windows and map them to Skia text rendering, which is as close to ClearType support as is currently possible.”

These improvements are now enabled in Chrome Canary for Windows 11/10 by default, and it may ship to the general public with version 124.

The post Microsoft is improving Chrome’s font rendering on Windows 11, Windows 10 appeared first on Windows Latest

Spotted by Windows Latest, a recent job listing seeks to add a senior director to the Gaming AI team, which is dedicated to pioneering AI-driven experiences within Xbox games and game engines.

For some context, Microsoft has an “Xbox Emerging Technologies” initiative, which has been trying to start a new phase in gaming. It plans to put gamers and game creators at the heart of its work. The main aim is to change what Xbox is all about by making gaming more enjoyable and helping gamers everywhere feel part of a community.

As part of the same initiative, Microsoft has created an “Xbox Gaming AI” group and is now looking for a Senior Director of Applied Sciences with extensive experience.

According to the job listing, this person will lead efforts in AI and machine learning to improve Xbox games and the gaming experience. The senior director for applied sciences will manage a team working on new and advanced learning models specifically for gaming.

This role involves working with different gaming studios and services to create new gaming experiences using AI and machine learning, all to bring about the future of gaming experiences and platforms.

“The Xbox Gaming AI team is seeking an experienced Senior Director, Applied Sciences to advance AI and machine learning innovations for Xbox games and platform experiences,” Microsoft noted in its job listing spotted by Windows Latest.

“This role will manage a team of applied & data scientists developing new deep learning and foundation models to support gaming needs,” the job listing reads.

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