### Google’s AI-Powered Search Results Now Include Ads **Illustration: The Verge** --- Google’s AI-driven search summaries, a revolutionary feature that has just been introduced, are now beginning to incorporate advertisements. In an announcement made on Tuesday, Google revealed its plans to commence testing for search and shopping ads embedded within these AI-generated overviews for users in the United States. **The Shift to AI-Enhanced Search** The initial rollout of AI summaries marked a significant step forward in Google’s commitment to enhancing user experience by providing concise, AI-generated answers to search queries. However, the recent addition of ads to these summaries indicates a new direction in monetizing these AI features. **How Ads are Integrated** In a visual example provided by Google, you can see how the AI overview responds to a query…

**Title:** IGN Makes Waves in Gaming Media: Acquisition of Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, and More **By Cath Virginia, The Verge** In an age where media consolidation is a common occurrence, the gaming media landscape has now experienced a significant shake-up. IGN Entertainment, a prominent player in the world of gaming news and reviews, has expanded its influence by acquiring the robust portfolio of UK publisher Gamer Network. This acquisition includes respected names in the industry, such as Gamesindustry.biz, Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, VG247, and the tabletop gaming-focused Dicebreaker. Additionally, the network also holds stakes in specialized platforms like Nintendo Life and Digital Foundry. The terms of this high-profile deal remain undisclosed. However, reports have surfaced of workforce reductions following the acquisition. Specifically, Gamesindustry.biz has noted “some redundancies” across the newly…

**Exploring the Future of Windows on Arm with the New Snapdragon Dev Kit**  The computing landscape is ever-evolving, with constant innovations pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Enter Qualcomm's latest revelation: the Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows. This sleek, Mac Mini-esque box is set to revolutionize the realm of Windows laptops powered by Arm chips. Curious about its potential? Read on! ### **A Glimpse at the Future: All About the Specs** Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Dev Kit is specifically designed for developers eager to experiment and explore the capabilities of Windows on Arm. Priced at $899.99, this device houses the crown jewel of Qualcomm's lineup - the Snapdragon X Elite chip. This powerhouse chip comes paired with a 4.6 TFLOP GPU, promising robust performance for even the most demanding applications. Accompanying…

## How Does the Microsoft Surface Laptop Stack Up to the MacBook Air?  Microsoft’s introduction of the new Surface Laptop has generated significant buzz, positioning it as potentially the most impressive laptop in the company's lineup to date. With its modern chassis, characterized by sleek thin display bezels, and a new Arm-based CPU, the Surface Laptop is aiming to rival Apple laptops in performance—something quite ambitious given Apple's technological advancements since 2020. To provide a preliminary comparison, we'll look at the specs on paper to see how the Surface Laptop holds up against the MacBook Air. ### Key Differences at a Glance Before getting into the detailed specifications, let's highlight the most apparent differences between the Surface Laptop and the MacBook Air. #### **Price Point** The…

## HandBrake 1.8: Comprehensive Enhancements for macOS The HandBrake team has announced the release of version 1.8 of their free video encoder, a tool widely regarded as the go-to solution for encoding video projects across various platforms. This new update offers a multitude of improvements and new functionalities, focusing heavily on enhancing the video engines and aligning the user interfaces across macOS, Windows, and Linux. ### Key UI Improvements for macOS HandBrake 1.8 introduces several significant updates and new features, particularly for Mac users. The new version includes support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ with metadata pass-through, elevating the quality and compatibility of video outputs. Another notable addition is the Metal-accelerated performance, which promises faster and more efficient processing speeds. The update also brings an improved subtitle handling system. Users…

# Microsoft’s New Copilot AI Agents: Virtual Employees for Task Automation ### Revolutionizing Workplace Efficiency with AI-Powered Automation --- Microsoft is on the cusp of redefining workplace automation with the introduction of their innovative Copilot AI agents. These next-generation virtual assistants are designed to act like virtual employees, capable of automating a diverse array of tasks that typically demand manual effort. This marks a significant shift in the capabilities and behavior of Copilot from merely being a passive tool waiting for user queries to becoming an active participant in the workflow. ### What Can Microsoft’s Copilot AI Do? Traditionally, Copilot has been a conversational AI, responding to users' prompts and queries. However, the new iteration of Copilot is set to break these confines. According to Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President…

### Microsoft Edge Brings Real-Time Translation and Dubbing to YouTube Videos **Image Credit: The Verge** In a groundbreaking move to enhance accessibility and inclusivity, Microsoft Edge will soon support real-time video translation on popular sites such as YouTube, LinkedIn, and Coursera. Announced at this year’s Build event, Microsoft revealed that its new AI-powered feature is designed to translate spoken content live, providing both dubbing and subtitles as you watch. ### How It Works This innovative feature will translate videos from Spanish to English and from English to several other languages including German, Hindi, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. By offering these translations, Edge is not only breaking down language barriers but also making online educational resources and content more accessible. This feature is particularly beneficial for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals, creating…

# Microsoft Build 2024: Exciting News and Announcements from the Developer Conference  **Source: The Verge** Microsoft's annual Build conference is always brimming with news and innovations, and the 2024 edition is no exception. This year, developers and tech enthusiasts can look forward to a plethora of new tools and updates that promise to redefine the development landscape. Here’s a roundup of the key announcements from the event. ## Copilot Plus PCs: The Next Generation of Computing One of the highlights of this year’s Build conference is the introduction of Copilot Plus PCs. These state-of-the-art devices are designed to complement Microsoft’s efforts to enhance productivity and creativity through artificial intelligence. The Copilot Plus PCs are expected to integrate seamlessly with various Microsoft services, offering users a more intuitive…

**Microsoft's New Small Language Model Can Analyze Images – Meet Phi-3 Vision** *Illustration: The Verge* --- In a significant stride forward, Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its small language model, Phi-3, which now has the impressive ability to analyze images and provide detailed descriptions of what’s in them. Dubbed Phi-3-vision, this model is a multimodal system, meaning it can process and interpret both text and images, making it particularly useful for mobile devices. The model is currently available in a preview version, and Microsoft describes it as a 4.2 billion parameter model. To put it simply, the term "parameters" relates to the complexity of the model and the depth of its training. This upgrades Phi-3-vision to perform various general visual reasoning tasks, such as answering questions about charts…

## Microsoft Teams Introduces Custom Emoji Feature: Adding a Personal Touch to Your Work Chats  In a move that will undoubtedly bring smiles to the faces of many, Microsoft is rolling out a highly-anticipated feature to its Teams communications platform: custom emoji. Announced at the Build developer conference on Tuesday, this new feature will empower users to upload their unique emoji for use in reactions and messages, fostering a more personalized and expressive environment. ### Bringing Creativity to the Workplace Scheduled for a public preview next month, this enhancement aims to help Teams users collaborate and communicate "more creatively and authentically." Whether you want to inject a bit of personality into your team chats or need a specific expression that the standard emoji set just doesn’t…