Microsoft is now making Mixed Reality Link available to all Windows 11 users with Meta Quest headsets, reports Engadget. The feature has been tested since 2024 and allows users to work in a virtual desktop with multiple large monitors in a VR environment. The experience is similar to that offered by the Apple Vision Pro, but the Meta Quest headsets are significantly cheaper. For example, the Meta Quest 3S costs around a tenth of the Apple Vision Pro. Mixed Reality Link can be connected both to a local Windows computer and to cloud-based work environments such as Windows 365 Cloud PC, Azure Virtual Desktop, and others. Read...

Imagine this: You pull up to your driveway and your garage door opens like magic. You head for your doorstep and walk right through the front door, no keys needed. Already, your favorite playlist is queued up on your smart speakers, and the room is set to the perfect temperature—all without saying a word to a smart assistant or pulling out your phone.  Those feats are possible thanks to a smart home feature called geofencing: that is, setting up a geolocated virtual perimeter or “fence” around your home, your office, or anywhere else you choose. When you cross the boundary—either coming or going—you can set your smart home to do something, usually by triggering an automation or routine.  There’s nothing new about geofencing—all the major smart platforms, from Alexa and Apple Home to Google Home and Samsung SmartThings—have offered geofencing functionality for years, as do many other major smart home ecosystems, including Philips Hue (for smart lighting), Chamberlain (for garage door controllers), and Ring (for smart home security).  Yet geofencing remains a feature that many of us overlook. Heck, I’m supposedly a smart home expert, and I admit to not giving geofencing much of a chance.   Luckily, getting started with a geofence is easy; what’s a little harder is wrapping your head around the possibilities.   Read on for some clever geofencing smart routines to try; this handful of examples may spark ideas for yet more location-based routines.  After that, I’ll give you a quick primer on how to get started with geofencing—it’s actually not that difficult.  Open your garage door like magic Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Hub (model MYQ-G0401) Read our review Best Prices Today: $29.98 at Amazon I mentioned this geofencing trick at the jump, and it’s a neat one; having your smart home open your garage door automatically as you approach your driveway.  The way it works is simple: Using either your smart garage door opener’s app (such as the Chamberlain app for its MyQ garage door controller line) or, say, an Alexa routine, you define a circular perimeter–a geofence–around your home, perhaps the size of a city block.   When you cross the border of the geofence, your arrival will trigger the routine, opening your garage door just as you’re driving up.  Related: The best smart garage door openers Adjust your thermostat with ease Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) There’s nothing like coming home to a cool environment during the hot summer months, or to a warm, cozy living room in the dead of winter. But even if you already have thermostat automations that tweak the temperature according to the time of day, you should consider location-based automations that adjust the mercury dynamically as you come and go. For this example, you might want to set the geofencing radius a little wider—say, to an area that’s about a half-hour’s drive to your home, giving your A/C or heating enough time to bring the temperature in your house to the perfect level as you walk inside.  Same goes for when you leave your home. If you cross the geofencing border going the other way, your thermostat might switch to a power-saving routine while you’re gone.   Bonus tip: Most geofencing routines allow for triggering conditions such as “Only do (such-and-such) if no one is home”; that way, your smart home won’t turn change the target temperature if you head out but someone else is staying behind. The best smart thermostats have motion sensors–on the device itself and with some models, sensors you can deploy in multiple rooms–that can determine occupancy, so it doesn’t matter if not everyone has a cellphone. Arm and disarm your security system  Ring Alarm Pro (8-piece kit) Read our review Best Prices Today: $149.99 at Amazon What’s the point of having a smart security system if you forget to arm it when you leave? Good question.  Here’s where geofencing comes into play. Similar to what we just did with the thermostat, you can set up a geofence that automatically arms your security system when you leave home, or disarms it when you return (so no more fumbling with a keypad).   Geofencing is a prominent feature in the Ring app, and most other smart security manufactures offer similar functionality for their alarm systems.  Related: The best smart home alarms and systems Lock and unlock your front door  Level Lock Pro Read our review Just as you can use a geofence to arm and disarm your front door, so can you use it to lock and unlock your home’s smart lock, saving you from the trouble of fishing out your keys, pulling out your phone, or remembering a PIN.  In this scenario, you might want a fairly tight geofence radius to help ensure your smart lock stays locked unless you’re in close proximity; ditto for when you’re heading out the door.  Related: The best smart locks Turn your lights on and off  Philips Hue Festavia string lights Like coming home to a warm, cozy lighting scene? You can easily set your smart lights to turn on just the way you like as you’re arriving home—or have them turn off whenever you leave.  The Philips Hue app, for example, has a location-based automation trigger that will kick off your favorite lighting routine as you leave or enter a geofenced zone. You can also set the automation to run at any time of day, or only at night.  Related: The best smart lights Drop the needle on a music playlist  Amazon Echo Spot (2024) Read our review Best Prices Today: $54.99 at Amazon Aside from being greeted by the perfect lighting scheme when you come home, you might also want to hear your favorite tunes, too.  You can easily set a smart home app like Alexa or Google Home to detect when you’ve come home and then play the music of your choice on one or more selected smart speakers.   Related: The best smart speakers How to create a geofencing routine Intimidated by the idea of setting up a location-based automation? Don’t be; they’re easy.  Here’s an example using the Alexa app; this should help guide the way for the geofencing functionality in other smart home setups.  The translucent blue circle around the location is the geofenced area; tap and drag the little blue dot on the edge to expand or contract the perimeter.Ben Patterson/Foundry Open the Alexa app, tap the “+” button, then scroll down and tap Routines to create a new Alexa automation.  Now, we’ll create a location-based trigger. Under the When section, tap Add an event, then tap Location.   Next, enter an address or tap Current location; when you do, a map will appear showing the location you picked—such as, say, your home. The translucent blue circle around the location is the geofenced area; tap and drag the little blue dot on the edge to expand or contract the zone.   At the top of the screen are two tabs; Arrives and Leaves. This setting determines whether the routine gets triggered when you either arrive at the location or leave it. For this example, we’ll choose Arrives. When you’re ready, tap Next, then give your geofenced location a name.  Now, you’ll land back at the main Routine screen, where you can choose what happens when the automation gets triggered by your geofencing conditions. Under the Alexa Will section, tap Add an action. For this example, we’ll pick Music & Podcasts. You can then pick a song, an artist, a podcast, or a music station from the music-streaming source of your choice. I’ll go ahead and choose Taylor Swift on Apple Music.  Back at the main Routines screen, tap Choose Device under the Hear Alexa from section, then pick the Alexa speaker where you want to hear the music play; I’ll chose the Echo Dot in my kitchen. Tap Save.  All set! Now, whenever I walk through the front door, my favorite Taylor tunes will begin playing on my kitchen Echo—the perfect way to come home.  This article is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart home systems. Read...

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Selecting the right monitor is critical to getting the best viewing experience from your games. Gamers spend so much time using their monitors. It’s not surprising then that there are so many different sizes, resolutions, and refresh rates to choose from. But if you just look at size alone the choice can be tough. Three of the most common sizes include 24-inch, 27-inch and 34-inch. So which size is best for gaming? If you’re looking for a monitor, be sure to check out PCWorld’s recommended list of monitors based off our comprehensive reviews. Proximity can be a deciding factor The proximity of a player’s body to the display can be a big factor in determining the right monitor size. Sitting too close to a large screen can cause eye strain and make it very difficult to see objects clearly. While sitting too far away from a display can make it hard to see the fine details. Players tend to go for a size monitor that makes them feel comfortable. For example, if the gamer sits very close, just two feet away, then a 24- to 27-inch monitor size is usually recommended. On the other hand, if they sit a little further, say 3 feet away from the display, they can get away with a 34-inch or larger size. Proximity makes 34-inch and larger monitors a little more restrictive, though, because most gamers generally like to sit close to their displays. Resolution favors the large monitor sizes The second factor that influences what size players adopt is resolution. Most 24-inch monitors (like the Acer Vero B247Y G) are capped at 1080p because it’s difficult to fit more pixels into the smaller screen size. Larger monitors of 27 inches or more tend to have resolutions ranging from 1440p to 4K because that strikes a balance of sharpness and performance. An example is the 4K 27-inch MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED. mentioned in this article Acer Vero B247Y G Best Prices Today: $111.93 at Amazon So, the size of monitor a gamer will select can often just be put down to the resolution they want to play at. Players who want a higher resolution experience will often buy a 27-inch or larger monitor, while players who want to reduce the graphic load on their PC or want to save money on the purchase price will opt for a smaller 24- or 25-inch 1080p monitor. Pexels: Yan Krukau Gamers gravitate to monitor size based on their gaming preference While most believe that larger monitors make for better viewing, when it comes to competitive gaming and PvP games, the opposite is true. Most tournaments are played on 24-inch monitors. That’s because the players can see more in their field of view and make quicker eye movements across the screen. They don’t have to search the screen for details that they may miss in larger displays. Because of that fact, you get a lot of gamers who play competitive multiplayer games — think Fortnite, League of Legends, and Valorant — opting for 24-inch monitors. That doesn’t mean that all games are better on smaller monitors. It’s certainly true that gamers who want more immersion, such as players of racing games and sims will often choose a 27-inch or larger monitor size to get that feeling of being completely engrossed in their game. Monitors above 27-inches and ultrawide monitors (like the 34-inch Alienware AW 3423DWF) also lend themselves well to games that emphasize story and visuals (like single-player games and RPGs) where the players want to soak up as much of the in-game environment as possible. Players may miss a few of the finer details but they can enjoy being immersed in the scenery as they go. mentioned in this article Alienware AW3423DWF Read our review Best Prices Today: $649.99 at Amazon That said, most consoles don’t support the ultrawide format, so you’ll want to avoid an ultrawide monitor if you plan on playing console games. What about 27-inch monitors? They sit in a sweet spot between the two extremes, in that they’re small enough for gamers to get as much of the action in their field of view as possible, while also being generous with the screen real estate. For that reason, a lot of casual gamers will choose a 27-inch monitor as a middle-ground option. In summary, there’s no “one size fits all” rule when it comes to monitor size and gaming. Players will gravitate to monitor sizes based on how close they like to sit, the resolution they want to play at, and for the best experience in the kind of games they like to play. It really comes down to personal preference. Related content The 5 best ultrawide monitors: Picks for gaming, budget, 5K, and more Use your TV as a computer monitor: Everything you need to know The best gaming laptops: 5 top options for portable performance Read...

TL;DR: Right now, it’s only $55 to get Microsoft Office Pro and Windows 11 Pro for life. This year, Microsoft raised the price for Microsoft 365 and ended support for Windows 10. If you want to avoid subscription fees and protect your computer, then get Microsoft Office Pro and Windows 11 Pro for life for only $54.97 (reg. $418.99). This sale will not last much longer. The Microsoft Office lifetime license comes with Word Excel PowerPoint Outlook Teams (free version) OneNote Publisher Access There are no recurring fees or renewals, and the software connects to your device rather than your Microsoft account. You can use it offline without losing access, and updates are included. Part two of this bundle is a lifetime license for Windows 11 Pro, which has a cleaner interface, faster performance, and stronger built-in security. It includes features like BitLocker drive encryption, Hyper-V virtualization, and Windows Sandbox for testing new apps in a safe environment. Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, is integrated to help with tasks like changing settings or summarizing web content. Right now, it’s only $54.97 to get Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro for life. The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro BundleSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

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Microsoft Copilot is tapping a key feature from Windows 11 Pro to enable Copilot’s AI to dig even further than it already has. It’s part of an update to Microsoft 365 Copilot called Researcher with Computer Use, debuting today for a limited subset of Microsoft 365 Copilot users. LLMs that engage in deep research, like Copilot, face a problem: some content is locked away behind an authentication process, like requiring a password. Researcher with Computer Use is adding a “secure virtual computer” with a virtual browser, terminal, and a text interface that will trigger when needed and also provide a visual “chain of thought” that can show you what’s happening and if you need to step in. All of this takes place within a “sandbox,” an optional virtual environment that has existed within Windows since the launch of Windows 10 Pro. Windows Sandbox is a powerful utility in Windows 10 and Windows 11 for surfing the web safely, since it creates a virtual OS within Windows that’s sealed off from your “main” Windows environment. It’s a much more secure way of visiting dodgy sites on the web or opening untrusted files—once you close the sandbox, the OS and everything within it vanishes. But you can still open files within it and read their contents, which is where Researcher steps in. Recently, Microsoft has also tip-toed into letting Copilot access a sandbox via Copilot Actions, an upcoming feature that would allow Copilot to take actions on the PC. In the near term, Microsoft also released a fall 2025 update for Copilot with long-term memory and integration into various services. In this case, Researcher with Computer Use isn’t designed for dodging malware, although that’s one benefit of it. The created sandbox is primarily designed as a test bed for code that Copilot creates, so it doesn’t put your machine at risk. The virtual browser can be used by Researcher to navigate the web and perform actions, Microsoft notes in a blog post, while the terminal interface is used for command-line-based code execution. “Deep research” LLMs typically come up with a plan, then execute it while keeping you abreast of what they’re doing and what’s going on. Researcher with Computer Use does this visually, snapping screenshots of the virtual sandbox as it works. While you can take over whenever you want, it’s also useful for when Researcher runs into roadblocks and needs a username and password to proceed further. That takes place via a “secure screen-sharing connection,” Microsoft says. Microsoft 365 Copilot Researcher with Computer Use will hand back control to the user to enter a password when needed.Microsoft Microsoft says that users at any given organization won’t have access to internal or proprietary information by default, though users and IT admins can choose to turn that on. The sources of data that Researcher sifts through can also be managed. “The user sees the actions of Researcher while it is accessing the web through the browser or using any computer use tools,” Microsoft added. “Researcher will always ask for explicit confirmation before taking any actions or request the user securely log in to any web sources in the browser when required to complete a task.” On BrowseComp—a benchmark focused on complex, multi-step browsing tasks—Researcher with Computer Use performed 44 percent better than the current version of Researcher, Microsoft said. Read...

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