Microsoft might have a way to make Teams a more enticing option for meetings: make AI tackle the dirty work. The company is launching a Teams Premium offering for Microsoft 365 that uses AI to greatly simplify meeting management. Most notably, an "Intelligent Recap" feature automatically creates tasks, chapters and even personalized highlights. Miss a review meeting and you might know which segments to watch when catching up, not to mention what you'll need to work on.
Premium also uses AI to translate captions in real time for 40 spoken languages, so you won't always need to wait for after-the-fact translations to understand what happened. Meeting guides automatically set up the "right" options for a discussion, too.
Other upgrades include virtual appointment support (think doctors and consultants) as well as "high-quality" webinars. Improved protections for sensitive data add confidentiality labels and watermarks, so an unscrupulous coworker can't steal trade secrets just by taking screenshots during presentations.
We've asked Microsoft for details on availability and the 365 plans needed to use Teams Premium. The service already makes the company's strategy clear. It's hoping to counter the likes of Google Meet and Zoom by making Teams indispensable to businesses that don't always have the time or money to create recaps and translations. With that said, Microsoft's rivals aren't standing still — Premium's extras may become necessities before long.
Amazon's October Prime Day offers a great opportunity to pick up a new monitor for your work-from-home or gaming setup. They're often some of the most expensive peripherals to get, so it always helps when you can wait and pick up a new model on sale. A number of monitors from brands like LG, Samsung, Dell and others have been discounted for the Prime Early Access Sale, so chances are you'll find one that's been discounted that's the appropriate size and resolution for your needs. Here are the best monitor deals we could find for October Prime Day.
LG monitor deals
LG
LG discounted a mixture of standard and gaming monitors for Prime Day this time around. The cheapest of the bunch is this 32-inch FHD IPS display for $180, or 28 percent off its normal rate. But if you're a gamer, you should consider this 27-inch LG Ultragear QHD monitor — it has a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and support for NVIDIA G-Sync.
Samsung's monitor deals include the Smart Monitor M8 for only $500. That's the best price we've seen on the display that doubles as a smart TV. When you're not using it for productivity, you can access streaming services like Netlfix and Prime Video directly from the device, and it has a built-in smart home hub, too. If you don't need all those extra bells and whistles, displays like the $160, 24-inch SR35 monitor and the $280, 32-inch Odyssey G5 are also good options.
There's a big sale on Dell and Sceptre monitors that knocks up to 43 percent off select models. This 24-inch Dell IPS gaming monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate is cheaper than ever at $200, and you can get this all-purpose, 27-inch Dell FHD USB-C monitor for only $224.
If you're looking for a true budget monitor, Acer's got a handful of deals worth considering. You can pick up this 23.8-inch FHD IPS monitor with a 178 degree wide viewing angle for only $95, or this 27-inch Nitro WQHD gaming monitor, with AMD FreeSync Premium and overlocking to 170Hz refresh rates, for only $210 — $90 off its usual rate.
Today Microsoft announced its refreshed Surface Laptop 5, which just like before will be available in 13.5 and 15-inch models. The new notebooks will also feature 3:2 touchscreens with a very familiar brushed aluminum design. Actually, almost everything about the Surface Laptop 5 is the same as before, aside from the addition of new 12th-gen Intel CPUs and one Thunderbolt 4 port. And for me, when I’m seeing at all the other advancements its competitors are making, I have to even wonder if Microsoft is really trying or if it's just doing the bare minimum.
Now don't get me wrong, improved performance is nice. And I suspect the Surface Laptop 5 will be a nice system. But that's mostly because the Surface Laptop 4 was pretty good too. You still get a high-res PixelSense touch display that now has some built-in automatic color tuning thanks to support for Dolby Vision IQ. There's also a new sage green color option which looks nice, though we've already seen this shade pop up before on the Surface Laptop Go 2.
But that's about it in the way of new specs or features. And that's really frustrating because it seems like there are a lot of low-hanging fruit that Microsoft could address that would make its mainstream laptop line a much better rival for systems like the XPS 15 or an equivalent ThinkPad.
For starters, while you get an IR camera for Windows Hello, the main webcam is still 720p, which is really not OK on a premium laptop in 2022. You also still only get a total of two USB ports: the aforementioned Thunderbolt 4 jack and a vanilla USB 3.1 (not even 3.2) Type-A socket. Look, that's fine for a budget system, but especially on the 15-inch model, there really ought to be better connectivity. How about an SD card reader or something? Thankfully, at least Microsoft is keeping the bonus 5-watt USB-A charging port on the Surface Laptop's power brick, which can come in handy when you need to charge your phone in a pinch.
On top of that, unlike the Surface Laptop 4, this year's model is only available in Intel-based configurations. There's no AMD version, which is kind of a shame. And while I don't mind only getting integrated graphics on the 13.5-inch version, I really wish Microsoft had built at least one variant of the 15-inch with a discrete GPU. It doesn't even have to be something super beefy like an RTX 3080. A 3060 or even a 3050 Ti would be just fine. I really don't think I'm asking for too much. After all, Microsoft included an optional 3050 Ti GPU on last year's Surface Laptop Studio, which is a slightly smaller, but thicker system. Honestly, one of the most interesting things about the Surface Laptop 5 are Microsoft's wallpapers for Windows 11, which are new for 2022 and designed to match the system's exterior color.
But more importantly, after seeing Dell add a new member to the XPS 13 family and all the changes Apple is making on the MacBook Air and Pro lines, it's just a bit disappointing to see Microsoft simply going through the motions. And all this is coming from the company that basically invented the modern detachable 2-in-1, so I know Microsoft can do better.
On the one hand, the Surface Pro 9 is pretty much what we expected: a jump up to Intel's 12th-gen CPUs. But Microsoft surprised us with a huge shakeup for its tablet PCs. There's also a Surface Pro 9 running a custom SQ3 Arm chip, which also includes built-in 5G. Can an x86 Intel processor and a mobile Arm chip really sit side by side? We got a chance to compare the two new machines at Microsoft's hands-on event, and to be honest, we just have more questions.
Both models look and feel the same, save for the more visible 5G antennas on the Arm model. Microsoft representatives say performance is also comparable between the SQ3 and Intel's chips, something we'll have to fully test to believe. The same reps also noted that app compatibility with legacy x86 apps has gotten better for Arm devices, and there are an increasing number of native Windows apps which will run just fine across both platforms.
NASA has set a date for its next Artemis 1 launch attempt. The agency will next try to send the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed journey around the moon on November 14th. The launch window starts at 12:07AM ET and will be open for an hour and nine minutes. In case NASA has to scrub the November 14th launch, it has two backup windows in mind, starting at 1:04AM on November 16 and 1:45AM on November 19th.
The first attempt on August 29th was scrubbed due to engine issues before a hydrogen fuel leak prevented another stab at a launch a few days later. NASA didn't have any luck during the next launch window in late September either. It rolled the SLS and Orion back to the safety of the Vehicle Assembly Building as Hurricane Ian bore down.
On the upside, NASA says minimal work is needed to prepare the SLS and Orion before it rolls them back out to the launchpad. Engineers will repair minor foam and cork damage on the thermal protection system. It'll also replace or recharge batteries for the rocket, secondary payloads and the flight termination system. All going well, Artemis 1 could be back on the launchpad as soon as November 4th.
Wait, so I’m supposed to get in my car, commute to some hoighty toighty coffee store, find and pay for parking, then wait in line to pay $3 for a few tablespoons of mediocre hot pressed bean juice served to me in a paper cup? Why would I do that when I can just walk my lazy ass to my kitchen and brew up a single piping-hot serving of concentrated coffee in under 5 minutes from the $150 Outin mobile espresso maker?
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
I stumbled across the Outin (which keeps autocorrecting to Putin so not great branding) on Amazon while doing research for an upcoming Holiday Gift Guide and turns out that there are a shocking number of mobile, battery-powered caffeinated beverage brewers on the market these days. I was drawn to the Outin because, unlike a vast majority of available models, it handles both coffee pods (specifically, of the Nespresso variety) and ground espresso — you simply have to swap out the pod holder for small container about half the size of a film canister that holds the ground coffee. It does both hot and cold brew too. The well-equipped Outin starter pack comes with a coffee scoop, among myriad other accessories sleeves, and carrying cases, that is perfectly fitted to both fill and tamp down the grounds into the canister.
The actual brewing process gets a bit complicated as the Outin is built like a Russian nesting doll. You have to fill the canister with coffee grounds, tamp those down, snap on a perforated lid, drop the now-sealed canister in a larger mounting cup, screw that into the bottom of the heating unit before sliding the receptacle cup over the mounting cup to catch the coffee when it is extruded – where are you going there are still more steps – then pour exactly 70 ml of water into the upper chamber (gods help you if you overfill), put a cap on that, then hold the control button down for at least two seconds – but less than four, otherwise you get cold brew – and wait three to four minutes for the water to heat to 270 degrees F. From there, the Outin will automatically begin pushing said hot water through the coffee-filled pod at 20 bar pressure, but won’t stop until it runs out of batteries or you press the control button again.
Ooh, that reminds me: batteries. The Outin has 7800mAh of them and that still isn’t nearly enough. It takes around 45 minutes to fully charge the device from dead using the included USB-C cable. You get three cups of espresso out of that (four if you’re lucky) before another three-quarters hour on the charger is required.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
Also, I’m not a fan of having to memorize yet another obtuse sequence of button presses to get this thing to work because the designers thought they’d be clever and save money by having a single command input control everything. I’ve already had to commit to memory the patterns for a dozen various vape pens and desktop rigs, LED flashlights and household gadgets. It’s all too much so I wind up just pushing the button on this and swearing until something happens. Hell no I’m not reading the instructions, I’m an adult.
That said, espresso that makes me go “meh, at least I didn’t have to drive to get it” is still better than the alternative of “no espresso.” Plus, it’s leagues superior to the stuff I normally drink in hotel rooms while on assignment. I’m certainly not dragging this thing and its menagerie of lids-that-are-as-easily-lost-as-they-are-essential-to-the-device’s-proper-operation anywhere near the great outdoors, but I could see myself using it to pregame before working livestream events or press conferences. Maybe I’ll caffeinate myself to the point of oscillation in three-shot bursts for the duration of CES 2023.
It should soon be much easier to access your iPhone's photo collection on a Windows-based PC. Microsoft is updating Windows 11 with the option to directly view iCloud photo libraries in the Photos app — you won't need your browser or special software. So long as your iCloud account has enough space to hold all your images, you might never need to manually transfer photos to your Windows machines.
The news comes just as the Apple Music app launches on Xbox consoles. It reflects Microsoft's ambition to make Windows the "most open" desktop platform with support for rival services and apps. You can use Android apps and run Linux instances, for example. While this is partly a not-so-subtle dig at Apple's more closed ecosystem, it's good news for users who'd rather not switch hardware just to get seamless photo syncing.
You've still got time to fit in some outdoor parties this fall before the weather gets too cold, and a pizza oven can be a great addition to your backyard setup. For Prime Day, one of our favorites, the Ooni Fyra 12, is 22 percent off and down to just over $279. That's the best price we've seen since Labor Day, when you could have gotten 20 percent off any of the company's 12-inch pizza ovens, the Fyra included.
Normally priced at $349, the Fyra 12 is a good option for those who prefer making personal pizzas. Its 12-inch side makes it ideal for smaller creations, and it's portable as well. The Fyra has foldable legs and a detachable chimney, plus it weighs only 22 pounds. That means you could bring this to a friend's house for a group pizza party pretty easily. This machine uses wood pellets to reach up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, and it's usually ready to cook in only 15 minutes. We've recommended Ooni pizza ovens in the past, and they're even better when you can get them on sale.
Some of our other favorite outdoor gear is also on sale for Prime Day. Thermacell's E-series rechargeable mosquito repeller is down to $31, or 23 percent off its usual rate. This tiny device gives you a 20-foot protection zone from those pesky bugs, and it comes with a 12-hour repellant refill as well. Also discounted are TP-Link's Kasa Outdoor smart plug, which you can grab for $16, and the ultra-compact Sony SRS-XB13 portable speaker, which is on sale for $38.
It's been four years since we got the Surface Studio 2, the much-improved followup to Microsoft's ever-so-flexible all-in-one desktop. Surely, the company has something special in store for the next version, right? Well, yes and no. The Surface Studio 2+ is indeed significantly faster than before, thanks to Intel's H35 11th-gen CPU and NVIDIA's RTX 3060 graphics.
But we've also spent most of this year being impressed by Intel's terrific 12th-gen hybrid chips, which deliver vastly better performance than 11th-gen CPUs. (Just imagine how much more intriguing the Studio 2+ would be with a 16-core 12th-gen HX CPU.) You'd think a computer starting at $4,300 would have the fastest hardware available? No wonder it's not called the Surface Studio 3.
Microsoft
If you've been following our coverage of the Studio line, the Studio 2+ will sound pretty familiar. It has the same 28-inch PixelSense screen, a flexible hinge that can be effortlessly pushed down to an easel-like angle, and it packs in all of its hardware in a desktop-friendly base. Following the trend we've seen with all of Microsoft's Surface hardware this year, there aren't any exterior design changes at all. But hey, at least we've finally got Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and Dolby Vision HDR.
Microsoft claims the Core i7-11370H CPU in the Surface Studio 2+ is 50 percent faster than the Studio 2, as well as five times faster than the original 2017 modeled. Coupled with the RTX 3060, which is twice as fast as the GTX 1060 in the Studio 2, this new desktop will definitely be a fast performer. But the hardware geek in me can't help but wonder why Microsoft couldn't make Intel's 12th-gen chips work. They're technically more efficient, and it's not as if there wasn't enough time to prepare for new hardware.
Microsoft
I'm sure the Studio 2+ will satisfy general buyers who are willing to pony up big bucks for a uniquely flexible desktop. But I can't think of recommending Intel's 11th-gen chips in any other computer today, unless you're snagging it with a serious discount. For such a premium, they're practically a dealbreaker.
At least the Studio 2+ is well equipped otherwise, shipping with 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD. (It sure would be nice to see some SSD expansion slots, though). But take note, if you want it to ship with Microsoft's Surface Pen, Keyboard and Mouse, you'll have to spend an extra $300. (That makes it a $4,500 computer with last year's Intel chip! The horror!)
You can pre-order the Surface Studio 2+ today, and it'll be available in select markets on October 25th.
Those rumors of a Microsoft speaker were true. Microsoft has unveiled an Audio Dock that, as the name implies, combines a speaker with a laptop hub. The design centers on a relatively powerful, omni-directional speakerphone (complete with dual mics, a 15W woofer and 5W tweeters), but also includes a 60W USB-C connection for charging your computer, two regular USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 jack and a lone USB-A offering. In practice, that means you can attach two monitors while still leaving room for an external drive or mouse.
As you'd imagine, the company is leaning heavily on the Audio Dock's usefulness for meetings. You'll find large dedicated buttons for the microphone toggle (handy for working from home) and launching Teams. Don't worry if you aren't a fan of Microsoft's ecosystem — the hardware supports Macs as well as calling services like Google Meet and Zoom.
Microsoft
The Audio Dock will be available for $250 in some markets on October 25th. It doesn't fill precisely the same niche as a smart speaker, but the allure is obvious. This is an easy way to streamline your desk setup, whether you're playing music in crunch mode or participating in a brainstorming session. While the 60W charging will rule out many high-performance laptops, this might save you money versus buying separate accessories.
