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• Microsoft is testing AI-powered search for Windows 11 on Copilot+ PCs.
• The new feature lets users find local files using casual language.
• Microsoft is also testing AI-powered 'Click to Do' rewriting tools.

Microsoft is testing an AI-powered search feature for Windows 11 that promises to end the days of organizing and naming your files well to find them later. Currently only available to testers with Copilot+ PCs, this new search tool uses semantic indexing to locate files with a conversational twist.

So, instead of wracking your brain for precise filenames, you can now type casual queries like, “Where’s that presentation I made last week?” With any luck, the AI will find it.

The feature works across Settings, File Explorer, and the taskbar, covering standard file formats for images, documents, and spreadsheets. Since it relies on built-in AI models, there is no need for an internet connection. That said, the search will only work in locations you’ve chosen to index. You can index everything by switching to the new "enhanced" mode, but that might require more trust in Microsoft than is comfortable.

Still, for those who feel their digital lives are scattered across desktops, downloads, and who-knows-where, the feature is definitely going to be helpful, even if it's limited to the computer for now. That means you can't search your cloud-stored OneDrive files yet, though Microsoft says that capability is on the way. Still, if you’re not on a Copilot Plus machine, you’re out of luck for now.

Copilot+

The feature is a logical extension of Microsoft’s AI agenda, which aims to weave AI tools across the company's products. On Copilot+ PCs, those tools include other features undergoing testing, like Click to Do, which lets users perform AI-powered tasks with a simple keyboard-and-mouse shortcut. You just highlight a chunk of text, hold the Windows key, and click to access a menu of options, including “Rewrite” and the grammar-correcting “Refine.”

Microsoft’s AI ambitions are clearly all about making life easier for people, provided you’ve invested in the proper hardware. Shifting from rigid commands to a more human approach has obvious appeal. The days of typing exact filenames or endless keywords could be numbered. And it's a relatively small step from helping find your PowerPoint deck to helping you write it.

Whether this is the killer app that gets people to buy a Copilot+ PC as Microsoft wants is still debatable. But if it can save you from renaming files with “final_final_v2” for the millionth time, it might just be worth it.

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A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since Sunday, bringing an end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas at least temporarily. Some Palestinians are feeling safe enough to return to homes they fled during the way. Our producer in Gaza returns to the southern city of Rafah, the site of an intense bombing campaign. There, many are returning to their homes to find utter destruction.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

President Donald Trump has said immigration crackdowns will begin soon. It's not clear where, but in recent days Chicago has come under the spotlight. Immigrant communities in the city are bracing.

(Image credit: Mustafa Hussain for NPR)

The memo rescinds a Biden administration guideline that created "protected areas" consisting of places where "children gather, disaster or emergency relief sites, and social services establishments."

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)

Among his day one actions, President Trump is reviving his first-term efforts to promote classical architecture for federal buildings.

(Image credit: Mladen Antonov)

The order alleges that the government infringed on US citizens' free speech "under the guise of combatting 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' and 'malinformation.'"

The most "relevant" results that come up in a search of "abortion" on HHS.gov, the website for the federal Department of Health and Human Services, are several years old, from the first Trump administration.

(Image credit: ‎)

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

While MSI is typically known for its gaming gear, that hasn’t stopped them from venturing into the productivity space in the form of the VenturePro (yes, the pun was intended). Premiered at CES 2025, the MSI VenturePro 16 AI is proof that MSI is just as good at making productivity laptops as they are gaming laptops.

Equipped with a powerful CPU as well as graphics card, a component which is typically missing from productivity laptops, this laptop provides you with exceptional performance for both professional and creative endeavors.

You also get to take advantage of MSI’s brand new battery boost feature, which can provide you with up to 4 to 5 hours of extra battery life. This is excellent for those who are always on the go and need their laptop to keep performing.

Price and availability

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

While we don’t have a confirmed price or release date for this line of laptops yet, it’s likely that they’ll cost a pretty penny for the top end specifications which include Nvidia’s 40 series GPUs.

Other productivity laptops rarely feature dedicated GPUs, meaning having one included will likely come at a premium cost. Be prepared to shell out for this extra chunk of power baked in.

Design

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

Upon first looking at the MSI VenturePro 16 AI, nothing about it particularly stands out design wise. It’s a very simple looking laptop with a silver chassis. While it doesn’t particularly stand out, it remains sleek and attractive.

The MSI VenturePro 16 AI weighs 4.19 lbs (1.9kg) and is 22mm in thickness. While this isn’t the bulkiest of laptops, it’s not slimline by any means. If you’re planning to use it on the go often, or you need to get it between multiple locations like home and work, this laptop may not be the best option. Of course, it wont break your back, but there are definitely lighter options out there.

In terms of ports you get one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one RJ45 and one Kensington Lock. Everything you need and more.

Opening the VenturePro 16 AI, you’ll find a 16 inch, 2K display. It has a 120hz refresh rate and is an OLED panel making for some truly stunning visuals. Regardless of if you use this notebook for content creation, creativity purposes or just watching movies and videos, you’ll have an extremely pleasant experience thanks to this OLED screen.

Specs and Performance

You’re able to take advantage of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with up to an Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card, allowing you to get top end performance, particularly in creative applications which you wouldn’t be able to get from alternatives that lack dedicated GPUs.

Of course, for the "AI" in VenturePro 16 AI, you can also take advantage of CoPilot+ which provides you with assistance in a range of daily tasks, allowing you to save heaps of time and boost your productivity.

The 55Wh battery isn’t the largest of batteries available in productivity laptops. The amount of usage you get from your notebook will be down to what specifications you have. MSI have yet to release true figures and my hands-on session didn’t allow me to spend long enough with the laptop to track the battery usage.

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

The MSI VenturePro 16 AI is also equipped with a superior cooling design allowing them to deliver higher and more stable performance without getting too hot or noisy. Perfect for a device you’re using on the go or in busy environments.

However, if the battery isn’t enough for you, you can also enable the battery boost feature which gives you an extra 4 to 5 hours of battery life according to MSI. While it’s not clear how this feature works for the moment, it’s a great option for professionals who are on the go and simply don’t have the time to charge their laptops very frequently.

Early Verdict

Overall the MSI VenturePro 16 AI is a fantastic laptop with great specifications, but it’s hard to judge whether or not its worth picking up without a price point.

Due to the graphics card in this machine, I’d expect this laptop to be on the pricey side. It has a simple design but some outstanding features like battery boost and a stunning screen.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,313 for Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Aside from the possible introduction of artificial general intelligence (AGI), AI agents, autonomous processes that you can instruct to perform complex tasks for you on your computer, will be perhaps the biggest new AI feature in 2025. Agents could be essential for turning your mobile phone into a true AI assistant, capable of doing whatever you ask it without you needing to get involved.

OpenAI has been teasing us with the release of its first AI agent, called Operator, for a while now, but the latest code leak suggests that it could arrive very soon and on the Mac.

A new leak on X from Tibor Blaho claims to have revealed evidence that OpenAI’s Operator agent is coming to the ChatGPT Mac app. Tobor has discovered hidden options to define shortcuts for the desktop launcher to “Toggle Operator” and “Force Quit Operator,” which might indicate that you might need a quick way to shut it down if it gets out of control!

Confirmed - the ChatGPT macOS desktop app has hidden options to define shortcuts for the desktop launcher to "Toggle Operator" and "Force Quit Operator" https://t.co/rSFobi4iPN pic.twitter.com/j19YSlexASJanuary 19, 2025

Tobor also claims to have found code in the browser version of ChatGPT that references Operator with references to an “Operator System Card Table,” “Operator Research Eval Table,” and “Operator Refusal Rate Table.” The last entry indicates that perhaps the Operator fails to perform the tasks it is asked to do enough to require a refusal rate.

OpenAI website already has references to Operator/OpenAI CUA (Computer Use Agent) - "Operator System Card Table", "Operator Research Eval Table" and "Operator Refusal Rate Table"Including comparison to Claude 3.5 Sonnet Computer use, Google Mariner, etc.(preview of tables… pic.twitter.com/OOBgC3ddkUJanuary 20, 2025

Automating daily tasks

Recently, one of the founders of OpenAI, Wojciech Zaremba, slammed rival Anthropic in a post on X for releasing its AI agent without the necessary safety precautions in place. His post read:

“Anthropic — just released a computer-using agent without any safety mitigations. I can only imagine the negative reactions if OpenAI made a similar release”.

Where does the gap between perception and reality on AGI company safety come from?https://t.co/hu2UBxwkSW — Elon is very vocal about safety, but so far, no one at https://t.co/hu2UBxwkSW works on safety.Anthropic — just released a computer-using agent without any safety…December 14, 2024

It's an AI agent's ability to integrate into your daily computer tasks that makes it such a big step forward for AI and has the potential to change how we interact with our devices entirely. Just imagine if you didn’t have to book hotel rooms yourself, pay bills, or even write code.

Obviously, a lot of work is going to need to be done before people will trust an AI agent to perform such tasks autonomously, and privacy will be a key issue.

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If you'd like to learn more about your health, heritage and family history, an at-home DNA test can help you do just that.

Console players will be able to opt out of playing against PC opponents in ranked matches in an upcoming Season 2 update.

Trump is kicking off his second term with a flurry of executive actions. Here's a look at the three main types — orders, proclamations and memorandum — and how they typically work.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

• President Trump has signed an executive order to introduce a new advisory group
• The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be spearheaded by Elon Musk
• The department is tasked with modernizing government software and digital infrastructure

The newly-inaugurated President Trump has signed a slew of executive orders after being sworn in, including announcing the US Digital services (USDS) will be renamed as the US DOGE Services (also the USDS).

The advisory group known as DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) has been tasked with restoring, "competence and effectiveness to our federal government," Trump confirmed in his inaugural speech.

DOGE has already made its first efficiency cut in its co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy, who was previously tipped to join Tesla CEO Elon Musk in heading up the department, but sources have since announced he will instead run for Governor of Ohio.

Not quite a department

To create an official federal executive department, a President must introduce an Act of Congress, so this newly created group doesn’t have the powers of an executive department - which would be required to carry out the reorganization and extensive job and budget cuts proposed by Musk and Ramaswamy.

The executive order instead established plans for "software modernization" to advance government network infrastructure and IT systems, as well giving the USDS access to "unclassified" agency records, IT and software systems "consistent with law".

As well as modernization plans, the executive order has created a temporary organization, the US DOGE Service Temporary Organization, set to terminate on July 4, 2026, which will look to advance Trump’s "18-month DOGE agenda."

Musk has previously suggested that DOGE will facilitate $2 trillion in cuts by downsizing the workforce and reducing waste, although experts have warned this would not be possible.

Three lawsuits have been filed in federal court since the executive order was signed, alleging that the department violates transparency requirements, as well as emphasizing the lack of balance in its membership, and proper advisory committee procedures.

Via TechCrunch

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A group of 18 state attorneys general signed on to a lawsuit filed Tuesday seeking to block the administration's move, describing it as unconstitutional.

(Image credit: Paul Ratje)

The slow fade of broadcast television—one of the few remaining free sources of news and entertainment—is about to accelerate, thanks to the policies of the new US presidential administration.

• Getac ZX10 rugged slate is aimed at professionals working in challenging outdoorenvironments
• It uses a Qualcomm CPU with a NPU, making it ready for AI workloads
• It has hot swappable batteries and is IP66 certified - but you can't use it underwater

Rugged phones and tablets are increasingly providing features beyond just durability. Some rugged devices include thermal scanners, camping lights and even laser projectors, while many now come with giant batteries that can last for weeks between charges.

Getac, which has been making rugged computer products for over 30 years, has unveiled its latest tablet, the ZX10, a 10-inch fully rugged Android device built specifically for professionals who work in tough environments, so it’s all about strength and reliability rather than non-essential features.

Designed for industries like public safety, utilities, and logistics, the tablet is built to last with MIL-STD-810H and IP66 certifications, protecting it from drops, dust, and water. It works in temperatures from -29°C to 63°C, and in heavy rain (but not underwater) and weighs only 906g, making it the lightest rugged tablet of its size.

Hot swappable batteries

The ZX10 is powered by Qualcomm’s QCS6490 processor and NPU, which should provide strong performance and support for advanced AI tasks without using too much power. It comes with 8GB LPDDR5 memory and up to 256GB of storage. The bright 1,000 nits LumiBond screen can be used in sunlight, rain, or with gloves. There is also an option for a stylus and digitizer for more accurate input.

Connectivity is provided in the form of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, and it has dual SIM support (Nano SIM and eSIM) and optional dual-band GPS for quick data transfer and precise location tracking. Other options include 4G LTE, 5G Sub-6, NFC, and barcode scanning.

The ZX10 comes with two batteries that can be swapped during use to avoid downtime, and customers can choose a single-battery setup for use in vehicles or a high-capacity battery.

Running Android 13, the ZX10 is Android Enterprise Recommended, with security updates and feature improvements for five years. Getac says it will support three Android OS upgrades for the device.

“For field-based professionals, device weight can have a significant impact on productivity, particularly when carrying and/or operating it for extended periods of time,” says James Hwang, President of Getac Technology Corporation.

“Not only is the next generation ZX10 the lightest 10-inch fully rugged tablet currently available on the market, but its powerful combination of AI-ready performance, extensive configurability, fully rugged reliability, and intuitive Android OS makes it one of the most versatile as well.”

The ZX10 works with Getac’s Essentials Suite for improved productivity and it is available to buy now, with pricing available on request.

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A winter storm prompted a National Weather Service office in Louisiana to issue a first-ever blizzard warning. The storm is causing dangerous conditions from Texas to North Carolina.

(Image credit: Gerald Herbert)

A fire raged through a popular ski resort south of Istanbul early Tuesday. The deadly fire broke out during a school holiday when the area's hotels are packed.

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