Microsoft is releasing a mini PC designed specifically to access the cloud version of Windows. The $349 Windows 365 Link is a compact, fanless system that will connect local monitors and peripherals to Windows in the cloud. Microsoft plans to bring it to market next year as a companion to the Windows 365 cloud suite, helping companies transition employees to virtual machines. The concept is described as the first move toward a new type of “boot to cloud PCs” that offer little in the way of versatility, but are cheap, easy to operate and secure. Continue reading Microsoft’s Windows 365 Link a Mini PC for Cloud Streaming

Signal, the encrypted messaging app, has added video call features that could position the company as a rival to communication platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. Signal has also added a “Calls” tab that lets users initiate new calls, review call history and create call links, which can conveniently be shared with colleagues via normal messaging instead of having to create specific call groups. The reusable links also make it easy to share invites for recurring calls. Signal Calls is available for iOS, Android and desktop. The desktop app lets users choose between grid, sidebar and speaker views. Continue reading Signal’s New Video Call Feature Takes on Zoom, Meet, Teams

Microsoft Copilot now helps subscription users create personal themes in Outlook using generative AI. In what Microsoft says is “the first instance of dynamic AI-generated theming in productivity applications,” Copilot can now display inboxes against dynamic backdrops based on geography, the weather, or anything else users can imagine. The new feature is available across all popular platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the Web. Just like you might “spruce up your office with artwork or plants,” Copilot lets AI enhance your digital environment, according to Microsoft. Continue reading Copilot Now Enables Custom AI Themes in Microsoft Outlook

Google announced it is rolling out its Gemini AI-powered video presentation app that enables users to easily create video presentations. Vids is a productivity app featured in the company’s suite of Google Workspace products. The new app uses AI model Gemini to automatically insert royalty-free stock video footage, create storyboards and scripts, and generate music and voiceovers. It allows users to add documents, slides, visuals, audio and transitions to the presentation’s timeline. “Personalize your content with Vids recording studio to deliver employee training, share company-wide announcements, meeting updates, and more,” suggests Google. Continue reading Google Offers New AI-Powered Vids App to Workspace Users

In its first week of public beta, Anthropic’s “Computer Use” feature is gaining immediate traction, helping people do research and complete coding tasks. Claude works autonomously in Computer Use mode, suggesting broad implications for future productivity and workforce goals. Coming on the heels of OpenAI’s Swarm framework, these early forays into independent AI assistants seem to indicate that implementing such systems will be an area of focus for businesses in 2025. Claude can “see” what’s onscreen and use its “judgment” to adapt to different tasks, segueing across workflows and software. Continue reading Anthropic’s AI Agents for Claude Sonnet Increase Productivity

The theme of Zoomtopia 2024 was “an AI-first work platform for human connection,” with the release of the custom Zoom AI Companion 2.0 for Zoom Workplace, an AI assistant that costs $12 per month that starting next year will have the ability to create custom AI avatars. Initially available for short video presentations to share with internal teams, the eventual goal is to have a “digital twin” that can participate in meetings and calls. The avatars will “save time and production costs” with segments that work with Zoom Clips for internal circulation in brief messages to colleagues. Continue reading Zoom Updates Its AI Assistant and Previews Custom Avatars

Google has updated its AI assistant, NotebookLM, allowing the AI note-taking and research tool to find summaries of audio files and YouTube videos. First released at the Google I/O developer conference in 2023, NotebookLM even creates sharable AI-generated audio discussions and podcasts. It allows users to upload file formats including PDFs, Google Docs, Google Slides and websites. The items, including text, can be stored in shareable “notebooks,” organizing material in a central location, and users can ask Google’s Gemini AI questions about the notebook material. Initially embraced by students and educators, it has become equally popular among business users. Continue reading Google Unveils New Updates to Its AI-Powered NotebookLM

After previewing its Windows App unified gateway last year, Microsoft is now rolling it out wide. This means accessing the Windows operating system from mobile devices is intended to increase productivity via a cloud-based workflow. The Windows App is now generally available on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and via web browser, and in public preview for Android. Microsoft couches the app as a secure way “to connect to Windows across Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box, and more.” Continue reading Microsoft Offers Mobile Windows App for Android and Apple

Dropbox has purchased Reclaim.ai, a scheduling tool that uses artificial intelligence to boost productivity, popular with Google Calendar users. The privately held Reclaim announced the deal in a blog post that claims a global user base of over 43,000 companies and more than 320,000 people. Launched in 2019, Reclaim investors include Index Ventures and Calendly contributing to cash raise of more than $9.5 million to date. File-sharing app Drobox has been publicly traded since 2018 and has a current market cap of $7.92 billion. Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. Continue reading Dropbox Acquires Productivity and Scheduling App Reclaim.ai

WordPress parent Automattic has launched Write Brief with AI to help make documents more concise. Available for free to WordPress.com users, Write Brief with AI measures “readability,” suggests edits and will even make them for you. It identifies complex words and offers alternatives and focuses on simplifying convoluted sentences — all from within the editor function in the WordPress dashboard. Write Brief with AI is now built-in to Jetpack for those who host through WordPress.com, available only in English, though the company says it is working to expand language support. Continue reading WordPress Introduces AI Assistant to Help Users with Writing

Zoom is starting to launch its AI-powered tools first announced in October. Available to Zoom Workplace subscribers, the new Zoom Docs has been engineered from the ground up for AI optimization, leveraging Zoom’s AI Companion for what the company says will result in increased productivity and collaboration. Zoom Docs users will be able to open documents from within the videoconferencing app and can use generative AI to help write and edit them. The results will be easily shareable, Zoom says of its bid to compete with biggies like Google and Microsoft in the business productivity space. Continue reading Zoom Introduces AI-Powered Productivity Tools for Workplace

Google has launched the beta version of its Gemini-powered Google Vids productivity app, which lets users create work-related video presentations that embed documents, slides, audio recordings and even additional videos into a timeline. Incorporated into Workspace Labs, Google’s AI preview space, Google says invited participants can use Vids to “build a narrative with high quality templates” or “get to a first draft faster.” Access to Google’s royalty-free stock content library and Vids recording studio means a project can be completed “without ever leaving Workspace,” according to the company. Continue reading Gemini Powering Google Vids Multimedia Presentation Builder

Figma is rolling out its third redesigned user interface, UI3, aimed at making the company even more competitive with Adobe. New are native AI features that accelerate workflows, letting teams build high-quality software. Available in limited beta, Figma AI adds the ability to generate design drafts with a single prompt, enabling rapid experimentation and prototyping. The move advances Figma’s goal of moving beyond design tool to a full-blown product development platform, while making the service intuitive and friendly enough for novices while maintaining the full features demanded by Sigma’s professional users. Continue reading Figma Redesigns Its User Interface and Adds New AI Features

Work management platform Asana is attempting to rebrand the “AI assistant” as “AI teammates” — custom assistants designed to execute key parts of workflows. Currently in beta, AI teammates are more collaborative and goal-oriented and able to “take action with the relevant context and rules of engagement,” Asana explains, contrasting that with “other AI solutions that aimlessly scour data and take action based on unreliable information.” The firm is also debuting a conversational AI chat agent that can answer questions such as: “What blockers are putting this goal at risk?” or “Who at my company knows about this topic?” Continue reading Asana’s Customizable AI Teammates Work Alongside Humans

Google Vids is a new AI-powered video creation app for Google Workspace. The aim is to integrate a simple AI video editor with the real-time collaboration capabilities of cloud-based text editors Docs, Sheets and Slides, “allowing people everywhere to tap into immersive storytelling at work.” Vids will be released to Workspace Labs in June. Vids will be able to generate an easy-to-edit storyboard and piece together a first draft, with suggestions from stock footage and stills, as well as background music. “It can also help you land your message with the right voiceover,” according to Google. Continue reading AI-Powered Video Generator Available for Google Workspace