This availability in Japan comes several months after Microsoft rolled out Android apps in Windows 11 to everyone in the United States. Microsoft says this is the first step to making the preview available in other countries and regions.

Do remember, though, that Android apps on Windows 11 are (officially) limited to what’s available in the Amazon Appstore. After you go through the initial install and have the Windows Subsystem for Android on your PC, you can make some tweaks to run certain apps outside the Amazon Appstore, but it’s not officially condoned. We talked about this in the video below.

Anyway, Windows Insiders in Japan who want to test out this experience need to update the Microsoft Store to 22206.1401.6 (or higher) first. Then, install the Amazon App Store from the Microsoft Store. Of course, this is granted that you meet the minimum system requirements.

In addition to the news of the timing for the event, Gurman also believes that Apple has started filming segments for this event. Apple declined to comment, but it’s believed that retail employees have been told to prepare for a product launch on September 16, which might be when iPhone 14 comes out.

Rumors have it that the main iPhone 14 should look just like the iPhone 13, with the exception being a bigger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 model to replace the iPhone 13 Mini. The iPhone 14 Pro, though, should have the biggest changes. Its notch is expected to replaced with a pinhole for the FaceID sensors, improving screen real-estate.

That’s all in addition to a faster chip for iPhone 14 Pro, according to Gurman. The regular iPhone 14, though, should keep the A15 chip. As for cameras, iPhone 14 Pro should be a jump over the iPhone 12 Pro with a 48MP wide-angle lens, and a 12MP ultrawide and telephoto lens.

This event is expected to be online and virtual but it won’t be surprising if some media were invited to Apple’s campus for hands-on time. Apple’s last event was back in June at WWDC when major software updates for iPads, iPhones, Macs, iPads, Apple Watches, were announced. This September event is likely what will showcase the new hardware for the previously announced software.

The mention of the PowerOCR tool was first spotted on a Pull Request for PowerToys on GitHub. There, Windows app developer Joe Finney initially entered the request, detailing how this tool will work. It’s also been tagged as validated and in manual testing.

And yes, if you’ve used Text Grab before, then the way PowerOCR works should be familiar! Just highlight a region of your screen, and Windows automatically will copy the text over to your clipboard. This is all powered by the Windows OCR API, which captures the text from the image and pastes it to your keyboard. Check it out in the GIF below.

This PowerOCR tool is still in the early testing stage, and it might be a while until it gets fully integrated into PowerToys. There are still a lot of tests to be done such as right-clicking image and capture cursor to keep within each monitor. But, in the meantime, if you want to enjoy an app that has this feature, check out Text Grab from Joe Finney!

Text Grab ($9.99, Microsoft Store) →

https://t.co/dOgRzJgovQ is live with an option to try the app on desktop and iOS (internal preview only)#Microsoft #Office pic.twitter.com/VGDpKmyYrR

— FireCube (@FireCubeStudios) August 16, 2022

Unfortunately, it looks as though this signup page to try out the new Loop app isn’t working, as only says the public preview hasn’t started yet. Still, the signup page is pretty neat, as it showcases how the Loop experience might look. Naturally, it’s heavily influenced by Fluent Design with a lot of mica effects and rounded corners. The webpage also dives into the following features of Loop.

• Microsoft Loop is a flexible canvas on the web for your content so it moves across Microsoft 365
• Loop Workspaces lets you combine the information for a project by connecting files, links, and data from other apps in one place and let you structture it through workspaces, pages, and subpages.
• You can insert different types of content or start with a page template
• You can insert Loops into Microsoft Apps like Teams, Outlook, Word, and OneNote.
• You can assign tasks, co-create and build on ideas

There’s a lot of uncertainty about what type of Microsoft accounts Loop might end up working with, but FireCube believes it’s currently in internal preview only. This means it could be a few weeks or a few months until the Loop experience becomes available for everyone. We’ll be keeping an eye out and will update you accordingly.

I'm hearing that MS plans to start rolling out Windows 11 version 22H2 on Sept 20. First "moment" update scheduled for before the end of this year, possibly as soon as October. Dates could still move, but that's the current plan: https://t.co/siOxGU5Mlh

— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) August 16, 2022

As a reminder, the Windows 11 22H2 Update brings a lot of quality of life improvements to Windows 11. It has been in testing with Windows Insiders for the bulk of this year and recently moved beyond the Dev Channel and to the Release Preview and Beta channels of the Windows Insider Program, with the RTM build being Windows 11 build 22621. If you’re keeping track, some of the new features include app folders in the Start Menu, a new gesture bar for snap layouts, Live Captions, and so much more. We went hands-on with these features in a separate post.

Beyond Windows 11 version 22H2, it’s also been said that Microsoft could move to a “moments” update mechanism for Windows 11. The company has yet to confirm it, but under this, Windows 11 will get updated more often with various feature drops up to four times a year. The first of these could come in October, per Bowden, with features like tabs in File Explorer, and Suggested actions, according to Bowden’s reporting.

Again, this is all just rumors from Windows Central’s and Zac Bowden’s sources. The dates we’ve mentioned can change.  At any rate, it definitely seems as though Windows 11 22H2 is polished enough for launch, though, as Microsoft’s now shifted focus in the Dev Channel to features beyond what we’ve already seen in Windows 11 22H2. We’ll have to wait and see what happens come the end of September.

Gmail app on the Surface Duo is now optimized for the dual screens. You can span the app and get your list of emails on the left screen and a full preview on the right screen. The meet function isn't yet optimized though. pic.twitter.com/KHBkMnBAYU

— Arif Bacchus (@abacjourn) August 15, 2022

With the new support for spanning, you can enjoy a better view of your emails. You’ll be able to see a list of your emails on the left screen on the Surface Duo, and then view an email on the right screen. This is exactly how Microsoft’s Outlook app works on the Surface Duo, and Google has finally caught up. Do note, though that the Meet function of the Gmail app isn’t optimized just yet. It’s just the email function for now.

We’re seeing the changes in version 2022.07.24.464902190. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, though. With the release of phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Google is optimizing more of its Workspace apps for foldable and dual-screen devices.  So, if you own a Surface Duo, head to the Google Play Store and check for updates for Gmail now, you might be in for a treat. Just be aware, though that these updates usually roll out in stages so not everyone will have it right away.

Gmail (Free, Google Play) →

ESPN aired the Excel competition on August 5, but it originally took place in May and you can watch it above. Apparently backed by Microsoft, this Excel competition is actually quite unique. It saw players create slot machines using emojis and points, a six-level platformer in Excel, and other tasks based on pre-set data tables.

Prize money was also involved, and there’s even an organization, Financial Modeling World Cup, that oversees it. If you’re up for it you even can download the data that were used in the competition and try to solve it yourself. Just be aware, that the file won’t have the solution, but just the right answers, and there could be many ways to solve it.

According to Microsoft, that $13.7 million in bounties was shared by more than 330 security researchers across 46 countries. The biggest reward related to Hyper-V where $200,000 was granted under the Hyper-V Bounty Program. Additionally, Microsoft says that the average award was around $12,000 across all Bug Bounty Programs. Check out the other data in this chart below. For reference, in 2020, Microsoft paid out a similar amount. However, there are now two newer bounty programs, more researchers, and eligible reports between the two years.

You might remember some of the controversies around changes in monetary payouts for the program, but Microsoft says that it made changes in the past year. They introduced a new research challenge and new high-impact attack scenarios across to award research focused on the most critical areas of their products. You can learn more about the Microsoft Bug Bounty Program over on its website.

A lot of Google’s problems were due to hardware issues, but in mid-2022, Google returned with Pixel Buds Pro to try and redeem itself. These new earbuds take a lot of what’s great from the second-generation Pixel Buds, and for Microsoft fans like myself, perform a bit like Surface Earbuds. Here’s my take on Google’s Pixel Buds Pro when used across Android, Windows, and iPhone.

Specs & Price

You can buy the Pixel Buds Pro for $200 from Google or other major retailers. Pixel Buds Pro pairs with any Bluetooth 4.0 device, including Android, iOS, tablets, and laptops. The earbuds are sweat and water-resistant, with the earbuds being IPX4 rated, and the case IPX2 rated. Each earbud measures 0.88 x 0.87 x 0.93 inches, and the charging case is 0.98 x 1.97 x 2.49 inches.

Each earbud has an 11 mm dynamic speaker driver, and three microphones on board. Battery life is rated at 7 hours with ANC on, and 11 hours with ANC off and you can get up to 31 hours of listening time with the charging case.  More specs and features are below.

• Active Noise Cancellation
• Transparency Mode
• Volume EQ
• Active in-ear pressure relief
• Voice accellerormeter
• Mesh covers to block wind
• Tap and swipe sensors

Note that Google doesn’t give you a USB-C cable to charge Pixel Buds Pro in the box, you’ll need to provide your own, or use a wireless charger. You can also buy the Pixel Buds Pro in Charcoal, Fog, Lemongrass, or Coral. All three are the same price. Google even includes 3 types of ear tips for you to try out. Small, medium, and large. I tested with the small.

Case, Design, and fit.

If you’ve ever seen the Pixel Buds A-Series, or the second-gen Pixel Buds, then the case of the Pixel Buds Pro should feel familiar. It’s designed to look and feel like a pebble when you pick it up and hold it in your hands. It has a matte finish, and the lid is angular. There’s also a nice weight to the case when you grip it in your hands. That definitely sets it apart from the AirPods case which has a smoother glossy finish, or even the Surface Earbuds case which are much wider and longer.

I do think the case is also durable. I took my Pixel Buds Pro on a trip to visit Fenway Park in Boston, and the security at the stadium accidentally dropped the case on the ground when she opened my bag for inspection. I picked it back up and noticed no visual damage.

As far as the design of the actual earbuds, Google is going for something different. When you put these in your ears, they might look like an original Pixel Buds or Pixel Buds A-series to the casual observer, but don’t be fooled. Google has dropped out the signature wingtips on the Pixel Buds Pro, so it is now more of a fit, shape, and feel similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro. And yes, this is less crazy of a design than the Surface Earbuds, which have a giant awkward touchpad on the outside.

After wearing Pixel Buds Pro for four hours on an Amtrak ride from NYC to Boston, I think this design choice helps the Pixel Buds Pro feels natural. Putting in these earbuds is a bit similar to Surface Earbuds. Rest it in your ear, and then twist it in to secure it. Once in, you’ll barely feel that you have earbuds on.

The fact that the Pixel Buds Pro has no stem adds to the comfort, as it means the earbuds don’t slide off when walking, jumping, or exercising. I tried all of these things in the lead-up to my trip, and the Pixel Buds Pro always stayed secure in my ear no matter what, even during a heatwave where I was sweating. The only exception was when I got a case of common cold, and my ear canals closed up, the Pixel Buds Pro struggled to stay in my ear.

This is one of the comfiest earbuds I’ve ever tried, even more than my AirPods Pro which tends to slip out of my ear and feel uncomfortable after an hour (even with foam tips.) Google actually uses sensors and vents to keep the fit feeling natural and secure. Those sensors measure the ear pressure in your ears, and the earbuds are able to relieve it and stay comfy.

Pairing, software

Pixel Buds Pro is best used with Android, as you get access to Pixel Buds software to let you customize your experience a bit. The software isn’t yet cross-platform and won’t work on iOS or Windows, though, unlike the Surface app for managing Surface Earbuds. Without an Android phone, you can’t customize the Pixel Buds Pro as much.

Anyway, pairing Pixel Buds Pro with Android is easy. Open the lid, and you can pair it automatically thanks to Google’s Fast Pair technology. On Windows, you pair by holding down the button on the case and selecting it manually through Bluetooth settings. The same goes for iOS or an iPhone.

I mentioned pairing because Pixel Buds Pro supports audio-switching with signed-in Android devices. In my example, I was listening to Spotify on Android, and Teams rang on my Chromebook, and the Pixel Buds Pro switched over to Chromebook automatically. Other than that, the Pixel Buds can remember two devices with Multipoint, so you can worry less about repairing constantly between PC and Android, or Android and iOS. With this, when you play media the earbuds can switch to calls on previously connected devices. Again, in my test, I did this with Teams ringing on Windows. I stopped media on my phone and selected my Pixel Buds as the output on my PC. It was pretty seamless.

As for the Pixel Buds app on Android, it has a couple of things to know about. The first is a fit test, which will let you know if you’ve chosen the right ear tip. I used the small one because my ears are weird like that. Other than the ear tip, the app is also used for a few other tasks. This includes setting up Google Assistant settings, ringing the earbuds if lost, boosting the volume EQ at lower levels, managing noise cancellation, and transparency, and managing firmware updates. It’s great to sell all these controls up front, but I wish Google could port these controls to iOS and Windows, too.

Touch sensors

The best feature of Pixel Buds Pro is the touch sensors. These aren’t that customizable, but they still work great on Android, iOS, and Windows, as there’s a touch control for everything you need for music. These are really fun to use, unlike the tap or press and hold controls on AirPod Pros. It’s very reminiscent of the touch pads on Surface Earbuds.

You can swipe forward on any earbuds to raise the volume, and swipe backward to lower the volume. A single tap plays or pauses music, and a double tap will take you to the next track or reject a call. A triple tap will take you to the previous track. Finally, pressing and holding will toggle between active noise cancellation and transparency mode. Only this control can be customized so that either the right or left earbud can be configured for a long press to activate Google Assistant. (Google Assistant only works on Android, and this touch control can’t be mapped to Siri or Cortana.)

In my four-hour Amtrak journey to Boston, touch controls proved crucial. I was falling asleep at one point, and my head was braced up against the train’s window. Feeling comfy, I didn’t want to take my Pixel 6 Pro out of my pocket, so I instead depended on the touch controls to change volume, switch songs, and talk to my Google Assistant to respond to messages.

Audio Performance

Just as I said when I reviewed Surface Earbuds, I am not an audio expert, so I can’t comment very specifically on the full details of audio performance. For my basics, though, I feel like the audio on Pixel Buds Pro is a mix between Surface Earbuds and AirPods Pro. There’s definitely not a lot of bass on these buds, but most of your music should sound great at medium to high levels like I listened to in my tests.

I noticed the lack of bass when listening to a playlist on Spotify which remixed hit songs (like Ava Max’s Sweet but Psycho) from the past decade. Lyrics, guitars, and voices, though still sound rich and deep, especially on a rock song like Dear Maria, Count me in by All Time Low. Even a classic song like Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, sounded pleasing. Sinatra’s voice sounded quite deep, as the trumpet and piano riffs during the signature portion of the song.

Note that the EQ feature was turned on in all my music tests. It’s supposed to enhance bass and treble at a lower volume, but I don’t think it made much of a difference in loud scenarios like my Amtrak train ride. At home, I think it made more of a difference when listening to music in quiet places like my home office.

The noise cancellation, though is amazing and is almost exactly like what Apple has done on AirPods Pro. In my tests during a four-hour train ride, the noises you typically expect from trains were muted for me. I heard nothing but my music during my entire ride. Even the chatter from fellow passengers and the Amtrak crew was muted. When I did want to hear announcements about the next stops, though, a tap on the buds enabled the transparency mode, which instantly let me hear the voices around me.

As someone who uses AirPods Pro on my iPhone, these definitely feel like the Android version, but just with a lack of bass and spatial audio (Google is adding spatial audio later.) It’s also sad to see that Google is only using the HD Audio AAC codec, aptX is next-gen, and I hope these can be added in the future through software. Most people though, should not notice the difference, as most audio is AAC.

On latency and connection issues, I’ll say these problems from the original Google Pixel Buds are gone. I had none of these issues with Pixel Buds Pro, and leaving my phone at my seat, then going to the rest room which was about 10 feet away, music still keep playing.

Microphone performance

To test the microphones on the Pixel Buds Pro, I put my SIM card in my Pixel 6 Pro and daily driver the phone for a few hours. On phone calls that I made when sitting on my Amtrak train, people on the other end of the call said I sounded very well, and when I told them I was using my Pixel Buds Pro, they were surprised. Outside, though, in a loud stadium, the performance wasn’t the best, and my dad said he had trouble hearing me when I answered his call when at Fenway Park. I think that’s due to noise cancellation kicking in.

Back home when I used the Pixel Buds Pro on Teams calls, the experience was great. I used the transparency mode to hear my voice and had my earbuds to around 40% volume. I clearly heard my colleagues, as well as myself. It’s a great experience that I liked a lot with Surface Earbuds, which let you hear yourself speak while you present.

Battery Life

Best way to test the Pixel Buds Pro are to wear it on a weekend trip! 4 hour train ride to Boston and 4 hour trip back. Let's see how these go. So far, really good at noise cancelation! I can't hear anything but my music. pic.twitter.com/Cwsuku5HOF

— Arif Bacchus (@abacjourn) July 31, 2022

Depending on how you use your Pixel Buds Pro, battery life will vary for you. Google advertises 31 hours total listening time with the charging case when active noise cancellation is off, with 11 hours of earbuds listening time. Active noise cancellation being on drops that to 7 hours or earbuds listening time and 20 hours of total listening time with charging. And about the case, you can get 1 hour of listening time with a 5-minute change with active noise cancellation.

I used active noise cancellation a lot in my time with the Pixel Buds Pro, and my average battery life was around 18 hours. That accounts for my entire trip to Boston, which lasted me about 12 hours (8 hours of music listening in between and 1 hour of calls), and the rest is the time I spent playing with the earbuds at home.

I didn’t have to connect my Pixel Buds Pro case to a battery pack or power outlet to recharge. I did, though, notice some uneven drain between the left and right earbuds, but Google continues to hold that this is normal, as the earbuds do the processing.

Your mileage might vary, obviously as battery tests with earbuds are different for everyone. Just keep in mind that, unlike Pixel Phones, these earbuds don’t have a fast charge so you might want to ensure you fully charge it to 100% before going on a long trip like I did.

Great earbuds

There’s no doubt that there are a ton of different headphones and earbuds that you can buy right now. All are not created equal, but if you’re well-invested in Android and Windows, then the Google Pixel Buds Pro is a great buy. These are true AirPod Pro competitors that work great with Windows. with a comfy fit, and decent sound performance, great touch controls, you’ll enjoy the Google Pixel Buds Pro.

As always, there are a lot of fixes for File Explorer, Widgets, Taskbar, input, and windowing. The most notable relates to the spelling dictionary, which now will use a language-neutral word list with all devices that use the same Windows Account. Other than that, Microsoft says File Explorer tabs should now be rolling out to everyone in the Dev Channel. Here’s everything else to know about.

• We’re adding the Tamil Anjal keyboard for the Tamil language. It’s a popular keyboard for inputting Tamil characters, so if you speak this language, please try it out! T
• We are rolling out a small tweak to improve the key repeat rate for the traditional touch keyboard layout, as well as the default touch keyboard layout, so it feels more responsive.
• Updated the default duration captured by powercfg -sleepstudy from 3 to 7 days.
• Fixed an issue causing hangs and crashes in apps (like Excel) when attempting to print in the last couple flights.
• Fixed a few issues impacting explorer.exe reliability.
• The Mount option when right clicking things like ISO files should now show an icon in the context menu.
• Fixed an issue where the min / max / close button might not be visible in File Explorer when using a contrast theme.
• We have fixed the issue causing Widgets preferences (temperature units and pinned widgets) to unexpectedly get reset to default.
• Fixed an issue which could lead to the taskbar overflow flyout unexpectedly appearing on the opposite side of the screen.
• Fixed a sporadic crash impacting reliability of the input switcher.
• Fixed an issue where when Suggested Actions was enabled, if you copied multiple items in a row to your clipboard history, some of the items might not display after you pressed WIN + V.
• Fixed an issue which was causing Settings to crash on launch sometimes.
• Improved alignment of the “Scan for phone” button displayed on Accounts > Sign-In Options under Dynamic Lock when your phone failed to connect.
• Your preferred state for the Suggested Actions setting under System > Clipboard should persist upgrade going forward from this build.
• Fixed an issue where when resizing certain app windows near the edge of the screen when using mixed DPI monitors might unexpectedly cause the window to jump and shrink.
• We made a change so that the media controls in Quick Settings will more reliably not load old media you’re no longer using.
• Fixed an issue causing one of the characters in the bugcheck text to not display correctly (as a box) when the display language was set to Chinese.
• Fixed an issue causing app install failures with error 0x80080204 in the last few flights.
• Improved date / time recognition for existing supported locales when using Suggested Actions.

As for known issues, there are again a couple this week. These can be seen below, covering a wide range of common areas in Windows 11.

• We’re working on the fix for an issue in recent Dev Channel flights causing lines to not be included when printing tables from certain apps.
• Some games that use Easy Anti-Cheat may crash or cause your PC to bugcheck.
• We’re looking into reports that audio stopped working for some Insiders after upgrading to the last flight.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue leading to some Insiders experiencing a decrease in FPS when playing certain games in recent flights due to the wrong graphics card being used.
• We’re investigating reports of a few different apps having started crashing in recent builds.
• The left-half of the File Explorer title bar may not be draggable via mouse or touch.
• The up arrow is misaligned in File Explorer tabs. This will be fixed in a future update.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing Home, Documents, Pictures and potentially other folders to become unexpectedly duplicated in File Explorer’s navigation pane or appear on the desktop.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the search box background in File Explorer might be the opposite color of your current mode.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing the delete key to unexpectedly not work on files in File Explorer. If you encounter this, you should still be able to use the context menu to delete.
• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar isn’t able to display if File Explorer is maximized and you have the taskbar set to auto-hide.
• Notification badge number may appear misaligned on the taskbar.
• In some cases, the notification banner for some badging will not appear in the widgets board.

Happy downloading, Windows Insiders!