Windows Weekly 980: Running Outta Tolkiens

AI is democratizing the making of things, from bespoke/custom apps to websites, designs of all kinds, and everything else you might imagine. It's a new world, and it's time to create. Plus, Helium is a new Chromium-based web browser that's completely open source, lightweight, secure, and private. There's a native version for Windows 11 on Arm, too. Also, Firefox 150 arrives with over 270 security fixes!

Windows 11

• Reports of a Recall security vulnerability are, once again, bogus, Microsoft says
• New builds on all channels, still on the old system
• Xbox Mode is now available in all channels
• Release Preview shows us the May Patch Tuesday updates: Xbox Mode, File Explorer improvements, Haptic improvements, Drop Tray renaming, Agents on the Taskbar
• Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x - Snapdragon X2 Elite, 14-inch display impressions
• Lenovo IdeaPad 5x - Snapdragon X2 Plus, 15.3-inch display impressions

Microsoft 365, Surface, more

• OneDrive now supports Markdown natively
• New Surface PCs with Intel chips coming soon
• Microsoft is making changes to its Rewards program

AI

• GitHub Copilot moves to token-based billing in a sign of the true cost of AI
• Claude Design democratizes visual design on the heels of Claude Opus 4.7
• OpenAI Codex moves into productivity
• OpenAI releases ChatGPT Images 2.0
• Chrome AI Mode gets a big update
• Mozilla announces Thunderbolt, sovereign AI for businesses
• Google brings vibe coding to Android apps with Android CLI

Xbox and gaming

• Microsoft drops Xbox Game Pass prices (!), but also drops Call of Duty from Day One
• Plus, Xbox teases a Game Pass Discord perk
• More Game Pass titles for April: Kiln, Vampire Crawlers, more
• Xbox April Update is here with that Quick Resume feature we all want
• There's an ID@Xbox event on April 23 to highlight indie games
• Xbox is selling Forza Horizon 6 limited edition controller and headsets
• Starfield is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2
• A Call of Duty movie will finally arrive in 2028
• Try out the Modern Warfare remake on Game Pass, it's a reminder of COD's gritty past
• PS5 Digital is down to its $399 launch price temporarily

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Just make it
• App pick of the week: Helium
• RunAs Radio this week: The Life and Death of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit with Michael Niehaus
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Ned Australian Whisky

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

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