The latest development, disclosed in an official blog post by Bing, includes the addition of voice chat for desktop users. The feature is already available for users who use the platform through mobile.

We know many of you love using voice input for a chat on Mobile. It’s now also available on desktop by clicking on the microphone icon in the Bing Chat box, the blog post read.

Access to the feature is facilitated via a microphone icon that desktop users with functional microphones can now select to begin speaking on the platform. According to Microsoft, the new feature enhances the user’s experience with the chatbot.

Notably, the platform offers multilingual support for an array of languages, including English, Japanese, French, German, and Mandarin, with additional languages to be added shortly. Additionally, text-to-speech technology is available, enabling the chatbot to answer user inquiries verbally in its unique voice.

Bing Chat has been receiving frequent updates, some every week, to enhance its usability. The latest update was released in conjunction with Microsoft Build. On June 2, Microsoft extended Bing Chat’s capacity to 30 turns per chat and 300 chats per day. Furthermore, Bing Image Creator’s support was expanded to all modes, and travel inquiries were optimized to provide more visual outcomes.

As a new development, the Vivaldi Browser has implemented a feature that disguises itself as Microsoft Edge on Android devices. The move is aimed at circumventing the browsing restrictions set by Microsoft on Bing Chat. Although the service is designed to be accessible only via Microsoft Edge, it is noteworthy that the browser is built on the same codebase as other Chromium-based browsers, such as Google Chrome, Brave Browser, and Vivaldi.

Via Microsoft Bing

Another small servicing update for #WindowsInsiders in the Canary Channel – Build 25387.1200 is now available. This update does not include new content and is designed to test our servicing pipeline. ^JH

Have a great weekend!

Reminder: no blog post for the 25387 builds. pic.twitter.com/OHjFYUTRfx

— Windows Insider Program (@windowsinsider) June 9, 2023

If you’re into testing servicing pipelines, go ahead and download and install this latest Canary Channel build, 25387.1200.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Deactivate and delete organizations in Viva Goals

According to the Microsoft 36 Roadmap, admins can soon deactivate organizations or even delete them when requested from the iva Goals Admin portal. They’ll also be able to configure the settings to deactivate dormant organizations automatically.

The feature is expected to start rolling out to users later this month and should hit general availability by mid-July 2023. Microsoft further added that admins will be able to,

• Deactivate organizations that are not required or even permanently delete them.
• Configure to automatically deactivate and delete inactive organizations.
• Reactivate any deactivated organization within 90 days.

Animated Backgrounds in Teams Meetings

Microsoft is also busy at work in a bid to refresh the meeting experience in Teams with animated backgrounds. The feature will replace the platform’s existing background with a dynamic animation for a more immersive virtual environment. What’s more, it ships with a wide variety of options to enhance the meeting experience with creativity and personalization according to users’ preferences.

Teams already supports pre-defined backgrounds from Microsoft. The feature tagged 122513 in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap is expected to roll out in early July and will hit broad availability later that month.

The are also plenty of updates rolling out across the Microsoft 365 suite. Be sure to check out some of our recap posts for more information.

Featured image via Bing Image Creator

Don’t miss our show on Sunday at 12 PM ET and 9 AM PT on our usual channels.

Please watch or listen to the normal channels to get this week’s Microsoft news and events from OnPodcast.

Big news of the week – Summer Game Fest 2023 just happened and we’re covering all the highlights this year.

Episode 117 Headlines:

Microsoft expects $425 million privacy fine over LinkedIn ad targeting practices

Microsoft settles with FTC for $20 million over Xbox child data violations

Apple unveils new Game Porting Toolkit that runs Windows games on Mac

Free 7 day Ubisoft+ trial is now available on Xbox with dozens of games

Diablo IV is already Blizzard’s most successful game ever

Microsoft to kill Cortana app for Windows 10 and 11 later this year

Just as a reminder, you can add our playlist to your bookmarks using the links at the top of this post so you can catch up on all our episodes and see the latest episode when it’s live.

However, this experience will soon be coming to an end.  The company details that there are plans to end support for the feature this month, After which users can no longer access their boards. Instead, they will be redirected to a supported calendar view automatically.

Microsoft further highlighted that:

• Your content (calendars, emails, notes, tasks and files) will remain in your account and you can still access them using the respective apps.
• In Outlook settings (Privacy and data), you can export the metadata of your boards. This can be useful if you want to back up any links you had on your board for future reference.
• URLs to calendar boards will be redirected to a supported calendar view.

The feature created a more sophisticated experience compared to the basic display and features on a supported calendar view. Essentially, the calendar board view in Outlook for web features a customizable visual planner that can display multiple calendars simultaneously, thus making it easier for users to plan accordingly.

Moreover, it also features clocks for different time zones and task lists from Microsoft To Do. It also made it easier for users to create multiple boards and reorder them based on preference. However, you’ll no longer be able to leverage these capabilities from next month. “Calendar board view is not available to GCC/GCCH/DOD Microsoft 365 customers,” says Microsoft.

Do you use the Calendar board view in Outlook? Let us know below.

As AI capabilities become increasingly integrated into products across the world, adhering to a bold and responsible framework will be even more critical, a Google blog post reads.

Cybersecurity executives from Google, Royal Hansen, and Phil Venables, wrote in a blog post that making AI models secure by default is a crucial aspect of implementing such models, and the introduction of the SAIF marks a significant first step towards achieving that goal.

As per the search giant, the SAIF system has been created to reduce the risks inherent in AI systems. Such risks include but are not limited to theft of the model, poisoning of training data, the injection of malicious inputs via prompt injection, and unauthorized access to confidential information present in the training data.

Google has asserted that SAIF can provide support to firms in protecting their neural network’s code and training dataset from theft. Additionally, it is highly effective in blocking a variety of other threats. The framework is primarily based on six distinct collections of best practices designed to help enterprises upgrade their AI security operations in different areas.

The Secure AI framework proposes six core ideas to enhance AI system security for organizations. These ideas include implementing existing security controls to new AI systems by adopting measures such as data encryption, expanding threat intelligence research to address AI-specific threats, leveraging automation in cyber defenses to react to anomalous activity quickly, conducting regular security reviews of AI models, continuously testing AI systems, and setting up an AI risk-aware team to mitigate business risks.

In the meantime, Microsoft is endeavoring to address the anxieties of the general public regarding the potential damage and abuse that could arise from unbridled AI deployment, which has prompted the company to impart its pledge of transparency through the Customer Commitments principle. Anthony Cook, the Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Microsoft has unveiled three innovative AI Customer Commitments to allay concerns and foster a culture of trust in the organization.

Via CSO Online

The organization has authenticated a New York Times article that disclosed the employees being shown the preview of their new products, comprising ChatGPT-inspired chatbots intended for Messenger and WhatsApp. The said bots possess the capability of holding conversations using distinct personalities.

The meeting was held at the company’s headquarters situated in Menlo Park, which was streamed live to its global branches. Significant inputs were shared by the CTO, Andrew Bosworth, CPO, Chris Cox, and CEO and Founder, Mark Zuckerberg.

Interestingly, while Facebook’s parent company has been at the forefront of exploring generative AI technologies, it has been somewhat sluggish in implementing these innovations into its offerings.

At the meeting, Zuckerberg presented many AI technologies in different stages of development, with some intended for internal utilization but the majority designed for consumer use.

As an illustration, one of the updates in the pipeline would enable patrons to leverage a text command to edit their pictures and exchange them through Instagram Stories. Meanwhile, a separate development involves integrating AI agents with varying traits and features to provide assistance or amusement. The latter is presently targeted at employment in Messenger and WhatsApp.

Furthermore, the organization is organizing an in-house hackathon in July that concentrates on generative AI. The CEO has also recommended disseminating research findings and collaborating on AI technologies with the open-source community.

Meta, in February, underwent a reorganization of its AI initiatives to increase the implementation of the technology into its products, in line with its goals. In contrast, some companies have taken a more aggressive approach when incorporating generative AI tools into their products. For example, Microsoft has included AI in all its superior products, such as Office, Windows, and Bing. Moreover, a direct competitor of Meta, Snapchat, has launched its Snap AI chatbot.

Via The Guardian

Without further ado, let’s check out everything showcased at Summer Game Fest 2023.

• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Path of Exile 2
• Street Fighter 6/Exoprimal crossover
• Dead by Daylight Nick Cage
• The Witcher season 3 world premiere trailer
• Witchfire reveal trailer
• Crossfire Sierra Squad trailer
• Remnant 2 gameplay trailer
• Sonic Superstars
• Honkai Star Rail world premiere
• Lies of P release date trailer
• SandLand reveal trailer
• Annapurna Interactive Showcase teaser
• Throne and Liberty reveal
• Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 reveal trailer
• Party Animals release date announcement trailer
• Dying Light 2 update teaser
• Crash team Rumble reveal trailer
• Alan Wake 2 gameplay trailer
• Warhaven teaser trailer
• Yes, your Grace world premiere
• John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
• Baldur’s Gate III world premiere
• Spider-Man 2 release date trailer
• Palworld reveal trailer
• Black Desert Land of the Morning Light trailer
• Lord of the Rings Return to Moria story trailer
• Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis reveal
• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden reveal
• Like a Dragon reveal trailer
• Under the Waves world premiere
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 season 4 trailer
• Fae Farm world premiere
• Marvel Snap with Ben Brode
• King Arthur Legends Rise story trailer
• Wayfinder trailer
• Star Trek Infinite trailer
• Twisted Metal movie trailer
• Lysfanga The Time Shift Warrior reveal trailer
• Immortals of Aveum world premiere
• Fortnite Wilds world premiere trailer
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gameplay trailer 

Whew! That’s a whole lot of games! And there’s plenty to be excited about out of Summer Game Fest no matter what platform you like to game on. What has you the most hyped out of all the games on this list?

And don’t forget that the Xbox Games Showcase/starfield Direct double feature will stream on Sunday, June 11. Check out our “What to expect” post for more on how to watch, and what we might see from Xbox.

Featured image via Nintendo Life. 

At the close of a two-hour long opening keynote at its World-Wide Developer Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook drew upon the 24-year-old tech trick the company started by using the “one-more-thing” line to introduce its new mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro.

A lineup of Apple executives took to the digital stage to extol the various virtues of yet another AR/VR headset entering the sector that included demos of the customary theater simulation, floating windows of applications, eye and hand gesture recognition, gaming, and of course office productivity.

To Apple’s credit, it has seemingly unloaded its wallet to include the most advance tech accessible now, and packed the Vision Pro with six atmospheric cameras, three LiDAR scanning modules, two-downward facing cameras, a second chip to process all camera activity, custom micro-OLED displays resulting in 4K resolution per eye or 23 million pixels, an array of IR cameras and LED illuminators for eye tracking, an additional expensive outer display, and built in speakers.

However, one of the areas the Vision Pro’s reality distortion field falls short is in the demos and use cases highlighted by Apple during the keynote, as well as recanted first-hand experiences by tech journalists who spent brief time with the device.

While the hardware is perhaps the sleekest VR/AR headset yet, almost nothing Apple demoed during its 30-minute presentation felt new or made more sense than what’s predated its arrival. The idea of immersive theatrical movie viewing is a staple of most VR headsets since the screen can be placed inches from the users’ eyes, and much of the outside world is isolated.

The idea that we can litter our current, unobstructed, view of the world with digital image overlays of application windows is another standard demo from every AR headset including Magic Leap, HoloLens, HTC VIVE, Lenovo ThinkReality, and Rokid Max. Computer generated elements breaking 3d space is also a staple demo that’s become such table stakes that Apple’s given up showcasing it as part of its AR Kit updates to iOS and iPadOS.

Put side by side, the productivity demo is almost beat for beat what Microsoft showed off seven years ago with HoloLens and to a smaller extent what Meta hopes to accomplish with its own Metaverse take, so much so that Microsoft Office support was highlighted by Apple.

The idea of taking conference calls, triaging productivity apps in 3d space and browsing the web are not only old concepts, but continually prove to be less efficient than the current combo of laptops, Bluetooth keyboards and mice, and monitors we currently use, as evident by the lackluster appearances of headsets in the office.

The fact that most AR headsets become single-use and specialized application tools is yet another reminder that developers have hit a wall as to how to blend multitasking experiences into AR and VR experiences without overloading the user.

My point is, beyond the oohs and ahhs of a new piece of tech from Apple, there have been few critically thought out takes on what Apple’s vision is for the Vision Pro, pun intended. Similar to the Apple Watch, Apple has flooded the zone with a greatest hits of demos already done by previous AR and VR headset makers.

What Apple has successfully done is given the YouTube journalist crowd new marketing jargon to recite and absorbed the media’s attention for the time being, but it’s arguable that the company presented something that makes anyone “think different” about how AR and VR should be approached.

The Vision Pro is yet another expensive piece of experience isolating hardware that other headsets such as the HoloLens and earlier versions of the Meta Quest have been, and based on the limitless possibilities Apple could have strived for in its own polished fantasy demos, it stuck to what almost every other headset has shown.

Another crack surfacing in Apple’s Reality Distortion field around the Vision Pro is the fact that it’s being sold as a mixed reality producing spatial computing when in fact it’s just VR with video pass through.

If someone puts a thumb over the cameras on a HoloLens, the AR elements disappear but the users can still see the outside world, however, if someone covers the cameras on the Vision Pro, the user is essentially blind.

Most AR/VR headsets attempt to specialize in single reality display such as the Meta Quest Pro going for mostly immersive VR or the HoloLens (despite Microsoft’s marketing of Mixed Reality) aiming for AR. What Apple showed off during its Vision Pro announcement was mostly VR experiences with a digital pass through and I think the company is going to find itself painted into a corner trying to evolve it.

A user of the Vision Pro isn’t actually viewing the real outside world with computer-generated images applied to it, but a video reproduction of it, granted with an almost imperceptible timing difference. When it comes to the Facetime demo Apple showcased during the presentation, it was yet another digital interpretation of the user’s face being portrayed in video.

In addition, what people interacting with a person wearing the Vision Pro in close quarters are seeing is, once again, a video representation of their eyes. In effect, Apple’s Vision Pro is a fully immersive VR headset with the ability to run a two-way video of processed imagery. I point this out because the belief and even misconception of the Vision Pro is that it’s the first step in a journey towards much sleeker AR glasses from the company, when in reality, Apple is leaning hard on VR and will eventually have to abandon some of the standout technological features of the headset to pivot to true AR.

As impressive as the digital crown is on the Vision Pro, it serves no purpose in an AR environment and for VR experiences, it’s equally useless. The digital crown on the Vision Pro anchors the VR aspect of the headset and for Apple to make moves towards actual AR experiences, it will most likely have to go.

The presumably expensive outer display will also have to be ditched at some point as its only purpose is to obfuscate the reality that the Vision Pro is actually just a VR headset by relaying those digitally imposed eyes on the front making it seem like there is view into the user’s eyesight.

Unlike the HoloLens, which uses transparent lenses to create its AR experiences, the Vision Pro uses cameras to capture the outside world and relay into the lenses on the headset, essentially the difference between wearing tinted glasses outside and holding up your phone to record, and while the outcome is the same, one is far less complicated and expensive to reproduce.

The comparison here is that if Microsoft ever revives its HoloLens development, the idea of shrinking the tech around the transparent lenses is a much closer aim to AR glasses than transitioning a fully immersive VR headset with video capture.

At the end of the day, Apple produced a really nice and technologically advanced headset that’s ballooning the device’s reality distortion field, but it’s the next six months and the next six years that will continuously toss barbs at the field to see if Apple can overcome the same roadblocks every other headset has tripped over.

It’ll be over the next six months to the next six years, to see if Apple can split its attention from making fetishized hardware to speaking with national and international regulatory bodies to create an AR database accessible via the cloud to legally populate relevant data about the outside world.

We’ll have to see what implications of its facial recognition software that identifies and records the faces of people interacting with users of the Vision Pro becomes fodder for governmental debate and legislation.

We’ll also have to see if developers can develop their way out of a cycle of redundancy when it comes to headset experiences as well. Apple touted that the Vision Pro will have hundreds of apps accessible on day one as it considers apps designed for the 2D smartphone screen to be acceptable experiences for a VR/AR headset.

Yes, scrolling Instagram with your eyes will be nice, it’s not inherently different than using your finger or a mouse, the same goes for all of the apps designed with touch and haptic feedback from a smartphone that will be ported to the Vision Pro’s app catalog. Apple seems to be making the same mistake Windows did thinking it could just port historically mouse and keyboard apps to tablets and call it a volume win.

Experiences should feel native for the device otherwise users will simply use the most efficient device for seemingly redundant experiences, and often that means skipping the heavy face computer with limited mobility, battery life, and use cases.

Admittedly, the Vision Pro won’t drop into developer hands until next year, and a lot can change in six months, but from a 30,000-foot view, Apple made a VR headset that does video passthrough for to produce very similar AR experiences offered by other devices. At this moment, it’s unclear how Apple’s Vision Pro will go from oversized ski goggles to the improbable standard of AR glasses every other headset has been held to.

Mortal Kombat 1

We were treated to official gameplay reveal for the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot. The game looks nothing short of stunning, and true to form it will boast fatalities galore when it releases September 19.

The Witcher 3 Netflix season 3, vol. 1 official reveal trailer

We got another look at the first part of The Witcher season 3, which will be Henry Cavill’s final season starring as Geralt of Rivia before Liam Hemsworth takes over that role.

Alan Wake 2

Along with an exciting gameplay reveal, Remedy Entertainment also gave us a release date for this long-awaited game: October 17, 2023

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 season 4 reveal trailer

The new season drops on June 14th, and here is a peek at what gamer’s will have in store. It might not be exactly what you expect…

Fortnite Wilds chapter 4 season 3 cinematic trailer

Releasing tomorrow June 9, the all-new season brings with it a new jungle biome. And Optimus Prime.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer

Summer Game Fest 2023 closed with a bang with the reveal trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second part of the remake of the classic RPG. As of right now the game is set to be PlayStation exclusive, but now PS gamers can still keep their fingers crossed.

Summer Game Fest 2023 impressions

It was a pretty exciting show overall, and the prepending highlights were just a sampling of the many, many games shown off. Of course, there were some notable absences. We were hoping to see more of the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC expansion, which in the end only got a passing mention.

Summer Game Fest isn’t quite done yet, however, with the Devolver Digital Showcase and the Day of the Devs Showcase also streaming today.