If you're not a fan of chatbots, we get it. Many of the chatbots back in the day felt clunky and while they were designed to be "smart", it didn't really feel that way. That has changed considerably with the launch of AI technology and LLMs, and if you're looking for an upgraded experience, Microsoft's Copilot app is now available for download.

For those who are unfamiliar, Microsoft Copilot is basically a chatbot app powered by LLM, meaning that you can chat with it like you would a human being using natural language and the AI will be able to understand what you're asking of it. Copilot is powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 so if you've used those before, then the experience should be similar.

It is also free to use, and if you don't have a Microsoft account, not to worry as it will still be able to offer up its core functionality. You will need a Microsoft account if you want to use DALL-E 3 to generate images, but otherwise you can use the app without having to sign in at all, which is a nice touch.

Google has been rumored to be working on something similar for Android, but in the meantime, if you want a better virtual assistant that understands you better and can pull up more relevant data from the web, then Copilot might be worth checking out.

The problem with passwords is that they work best when you choose a strong and unique password that's different for every online service you use. This means that you'll have to remember each and every single password, which is near impossible, which is also why people tend to use easy-to-remember passwords.

This leaves them open to being hacked, which is why in recent years, we're starting to see passkeys gain more traction. The good news for Windows 11 users is that Microsoft is finally bringing support for passkeys to its operating system. Passkeys support was initially available in June earlier this year for Windows Insider, but in the latest update, all Windows 11 users should be able to take advantage of it.

According to Microsoft, passkeys will be available for a variety of desktop browsers including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla's Firefox, just to name a few. So as long as the website you're trying to sign into supports passkeys, you'll be able to take advantage of the login method.

So what are passkeys? For those unfamiliar, passkeys are an alternative to traditional passwords. They don't require users to remember the password to their accounts because users are authenticated using other devices like their phones. For example, logging into a website that supports passkeys might send a notification on your phone to verify that it is you, and this can be done by using your phone's security features like facial recognition, fingerprints, or PIN unlock.

In the case of Windows 11, passkeys will be integrated with Windows Hello, which is Microsoft's biometric security system that relies on either facial or fingerprint recognition, as well as PIN codes.

While Android devices have generally gotten better in terms of software updates, there are still some situations where a handset might receive a limited amount of major Android system patches. This looks to be the case for Microsoft's debut foldable device, the original Surface Duo.

With that being said, Microsoft recently announced on its official support page that it has ended software support for the Surface Duo, which received its last security patch on September 10, 2023. According to Microsoft's announcement:

Surface Android devices will receive Android version and security updates for at least 3 years from its release date (September 10, 2020). In cases where the support duration is longer than 3 years, an updated end of servicing date will be published 18 months before expiration of the last planned servicing date.

Meanwhile, the Surface Duo 2 will continue to receive security updates until October 21, 2024. This is understandable as the device is of course newer, and featured Android 11 at the time of its release. The Duo 2 made its debut back in 2021, and received the Android 12L update a year ago.

There are many companies that are working on AI right now, but in terms of the tech that's available to consumers such as ourselves, Google and Microsoft are essentially head to head on that front.

Microsoft was kind of "first" to the market by working with OpenAI to integrate a version of ChatGPT into Bing, and to great success. Google later followed up with Google Bard, its own take on ChatGPT. Now it looks like Microsoft's AI has snuck its way into a Google product in the form of Chrome.

The Redmond company has announced that Bing Chat will now be supported in Chrome. All users need to do is access Bing's website through the Chrome browser and the Bing Chat option will be available at the top of the screen. Users just need to click on it and start chatting with the bot and it will answer you.

Prior to this, Microsoft made Bing Chat exclusive to its Edge browser as a way of encouraging users to use it, but it seems that Microsoft has decided to adopt a similar strategy like it did with Android by making its products and services available to non-Edge users as well.

The company notes that support for other browsers on desktop and mobile are coming, so if you use a different browser other than Edge or Chrome, hopefully support for it will arrive soon.

Microsoft recently gave fans something to look forward to with the announcement of a new console variant, which builds on its existing Xbox Series S system. More specifically, the company revealed that a black color variant of the Xbox Series S will be arriving to US markets on September 1 this year.

In addition to the new color selection, the black Series S model will also come with an increased 1TB of storage, a significant step-up from the somewhat limited 512GB of internal storage on the current model. With that being said, it will come with the same hardware, so fans after a more powerful Xbox will still have to spend a bit more to get the Series X.

This increase in storage does mean that there will be a price bump as well, and buyers can expect the new version to launch with a price of $350, which will also include a controller bundled with the console. Currently, the Xbox Series S is sold in a single white variant with 512GB of internal storage, and goes for $299 for buyers in the US.