Tom Warren
@tomwarren.co.uk
Senior Editor @theverge.com ║ Sign up to Notepad, my weekly newsletter on Microsoft's big bets at http://theverge.com/notepad ║ Tips? msg me on Signal: tomwarren.01
Pinned
Tom Warren
@tomwarren.co.uk
· Nov 11
Got Microsoft gossip or a hot tip? You can reach me confidentially and securely on the Signal messaging app. My username is tomwarren.01 👍 signal.me#eu/soK8N9_6J...
Microsoft banned Jeffrey Epstein from Xbox Live in 2013 for “harassment, threats, and/or abuse of other players” that was “severe, repeated, and/or excessive.”
January 30, 2026 at 11:28 PM
Microsoft banned Jeffrey Epstein from Xbox Live in 2013 for “harassment, threats, and/or abuse of other players” that was “severe, repeated, and/or excessive.”
Microsoft is experimenting with a top menu bar for Windows 11. The PowerToys team is testing a new menu bar, much like Linux, macOS, or older versions of Windows, that complements its Command Palette launcher. Details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/870663/...
Microsoft is experimenting with a top menu bar for Windows 11
Microsoft wants feedback on its dock proposal
www.theverge.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:23 AM
Microsoft is experimenting with a top menu bar for Windows 11. The PowerToys team is testing a new menu bar, much like Linux, macOS, or older versions of Windows, that complements its Command Palette launcher. Details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/870663/...
Corsair’s Stream Deck keyboard is a monster of good ideas. I think this will be even more interesting when it’s available on keyboards that are less than $350 www.theverge.com/tech/869542/...
The Stream Deck-packed gaming keyboard is a monster of good ideas
It’s a great Stream Deck and a good keyboard in one, putting over a dozen buttons and knobs closer to where you type.
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Corsair’s Stream Deck keyboard is a monster of good ideas. I think this will be even more interesting when it’s available on keyboards that are less than $350 www.theverge.com/tech/869542/...
Reposted by Tom Warren
This is long overdue. I've frequently characterized the state of Windows as a weight around the necks of PC OEMs, as well as AMD and Intel, recommending a look toward new markets (SteamOS licensing, for example) to forge a path forward not dependent on Microsoft.
scoop: Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows. The head of Windows tells me Microsoft will focus on "addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers." Full details in my Notepad newsletter this week, gift link here 👇 tinyurl.com/win11trust
Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows
2026 is all about improving Windows
tinyurl.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:11 PM
This is long overdue. I've frequently characterized the state of Windows as a weight around the necks of PC OEMs, as well as AMD and Intel, recommending a look toward new markets (SteamOS licensing, for example) to forge a path forward not dependent on Microsoft.
scoop: Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows. The head of Windows tells me Microsoft will focus on "addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers." Full details in my Notepad newsletter this week, gift link here 👇 tinyurl.com/win11trust
Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows
2026 is all about improving Windows
tinyurl.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:02 PM
scoop: Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows. The head of Windows tells me Microsoft will focus on "addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers." Full details in my Notepad newsletter this week, gift link here 👇 tinyurl.com/win11trust
Nvidia is releasing its GeForce Now beta for Linux today. The native Linux app is a highly requested feature for GeForce Now, especially as subscribers have had to rely on unofficial apps or browser tweaks to get access to the service www.theverge.com/news/869984/...
Nvidia releases GeForce Now beta for Linux.
Nvidia promised to deliver a native GeForce Now Linux app earlier this month, and it’s now releasing a beta today. The native Linux app is a highly requested feature for GeForce Now, especially as sub...
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Nvidia is releasing its GeForce Now beta for Linux today. The native Linux app is a highly requested feature for GeForce Now, especially as subscribers have had to rely on unofficial apps or browser tweaks to get access to the service www.theverge.com/news/869984/...
Windows 11 now has 1 billion users, and it managed to get to 1 billion quicker than Windows 10 did. Windows 11 hit the milestone during the recent holiday quarter. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/869889/...
Windows 11 has reached 1 billion users faster than Windows 10
Windows 11 hits a big milestone
www.theverge.com
January 28, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Windows 11 now has 1 billion users, and it managed to get to 1 billion quicker than Windows 10 did. Windows 11 hit the milestone during the recent holiday quarter. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/869889/...
Microsoft's Q2 2026 (fiscal) earnings:
• 💻 Windows OEM + devices revenue up 1%
• 👾 Gaming rev down 9%
• 🕹️ Xbox content + services rev down 5%
• 🎮 Xbox hardware rev down 32%
full details here 👇
www.theverge.com/news/869493/...
• 💻 Windows OEM + devices revenue up 1%
• 👾 Gaming rev down 9%
• 🕹️ Xbox content + services rev down 5%
• 🎮 Xbox hardware rev down 32%
full details here 👇
www.theverge.com/news/869493/...
Microsoft reports strong cloud earnings in Q2 as gaming declines
Microsoft’s More Personal Computing division was the only business unit to post a revenue decline this quarter.
www.theverge.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Microsoft's Q2 2026 (fiscal) earnings:
• 💻 Windows OEM + devices revenue up 1%
• 👾 Gaming rev down 9%
• 🕹️ Xbox content + services rev down 5%
• 🎮 Xbox hardware rev down 32%
full details here 👇
www.theverge.com/news/869493/...
• 💻 Windows OEM + devices revenue up 1%
• 👾 Gaming rev down 9%
• 🕹️ Xbox content + services rev down 5%
• 🎮 Xbox hardware rev down 32%
full details here 👇
www.theverge.com/news/869493/...
Microsoft has confirmed that the boot failures with its January 2026 Windows 11 update are limited to "commercial" PCs and happened due to the December 2025 update failing to install and PCs being left in an "improper state" www.theverge.com/news/869199/...
January 28, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Microsoft has confirmed that the boot failures with its January 2026 Windows 11 update are limited to "commercial" PCs and happened due to the December 2025 update failing to install and PCs being left in an "improper state" www.theverge.com/news/869199/...
Windows 11’s ability to resume Android apps on your PC is getting closer. You’ll soon be able to resume Spotify, Office documents, and browsing sessions from your phone on your PC. Details here 👇 www.theverge.com/news/869161/...
Windows 11’s ability to resume Android apps on your PC is getting closer
The feature is now in Release Preview testing
www.theverge.com
January 28, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Windows 11’s ability to resume Android apps on your PC is getting closer. You’ll soon be able to resume Spotify, Office documents, and browsing sessions from your phone on your PC. Details here 👇 www.theverge.com/news/869161/...
Google just leaked a first look at Android for PC in action. A bug report was uploaded that included screen recordings from the upcoming Aluminum OS 🫣 www.theverge.com/news/869142/...
Google just leaked a first look at Android for PC in action
Here’s what Aluminium OS actually looks like.
www.theverge.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Google just leaked a first look at Android for PC in action. A bug report was uploaded that included screen recordings from the upcoming Aluminum OS 🫣 www.theverge.com/news/869142/...
I totally missed the new desktop mode in Xbox Cloud Gaming. This REALLY looks like it will be the Xbox PC app. Shout out to Martin for letting me know 🙏
January 27, 2026 at 5:25 PM
I totally missed the new desktop mode in Xbox Cloud Gaming. This REALLY looks like it will be the Xbox PC app. Shout out to Martin for letting me know 🙏
here's a full look at the new Xbox Cloud Gaming UI. Full 4K on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyDu...
January 27, 2026 at 12:44 PM
here's a full look at the new Xbox Cloud Gaming UI. Full 4K on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyDu...
Xbox Cloud Gaming’s new design teases the future of Xbox console UI. Microsoft says its new Xbox Cloud UI is the "foundation" for new Xbox experiences. The new animations make it feel a lot more console-like. Details here 👇 www.theverge.com/tech/868434/...
Xbox Cloud Gaming’s new design teases the future of Xbox console UI
This new design is the foundation for new Xbox UI work
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Xbox Cloud Gaming’s new design teases the future of Xbox console UI. Microsoft says its new Xbox Cloud UI is the "foundation" for new Xbox experiences. The new animations make it feel a lot more console-like. Details here 👇 www.theverge.com/tech/868434/...
our Intel Panther Lake laptop CPU review is live. The first chip of Intel’s 18A process is speedy, even on battery power, and a solid option for 1080p gaming www.theverge.com/tech/867214/...
Intel Panther Lake laptop CPU review: call it a comeback
A great Lake.
www.theverge.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:03 PM
our Intel Panther Lake laptop CPU review is live. The first chip of Intel’s 18A process is speedy, even on battery power, and a solid option for 1080p gaming www.theverge.com/tech/867214/...
Microsoft is announcing its own Maia 200 AI chip today. It goes head-to-head in performance against Google and Amazon's AI chips, and Microsoft is using Maia 200 to host GPT-5.2 and others for Microsoft Foundry and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Details here 👇 www.theverge.com/news/867670/...
Microsoft’s latest AI chip goes head-to-head with Amazon and Google
The Maia 200 is rolling out to data centers today
www.theverge.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Microsoft is announcing its own Maia 200 AI chip today. It goes head-to-head in performance against Google and Amazon's AI chips, and Microsoft is using Maia 200 to host GPT-5.2 and others for Microsoft Foundry and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Details here 👇 www.theverge.com/news/867670/...
Apple just announced a new AirTag with more range and a better speaker. It now includes an upgraded ultra wideband chip, which lets you precisely track items up 50 percent further away www.theverge.com/news/867757/...
Apple’s new AirTag has more range and a better speaker
The AirTag is getting a refresh.
www.theverge.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Apple just announced a new AirTag with more range and a better speaker. It now includes an upgraded ultra wideband chip, which lets you precisely track items up 50 percent further away www.theverge.com/news/867757/...
Microsoft’s first Windows 11 update of 2026 has been a mess. Microsoft has had to issue 2 out-of-band updates to fix its buggy patch. It's now investigating boot failures that may be related to its January 2026 security update 😬 full details here 👇 www.theverge.com/news/867647/...
Microsoft’s first Windows 11 update of 2026 has been a mess
Microsoft is struggling with Windows 11 update quality
www.theverge.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Microsoft’s first Windows 11 update of 2026 has been a mess. Microsoft has had to issue 2 out-of-band updates to fix its buggy patch. It's now investigating boot failures that may be related to its January 2026 security update 😬 full details here 👇 www.theverge.com/news/867647/...
Microsoft has confirmed it will hand over BitLocker encryption recovery keys to the FBI. You definitely should not be accepting Microsoft’s default of storing BitLocker keys in the cloud when signing into Windows with an MS account www.theverge.com/news/867244/...
Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data
Microsoft complied with a warrant to hand over BitLocker recovery keys to the FBI, and privacy advocates are worried.
www.theverge.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Microsoft has confirmed it will hand over BitLocker encryption recovery keys to the FBI. You definitely should not be accepting Microsoft’s default of storing BitLocker keys in the cloud when signing into Windows with an MS account www.theverge.com/news/867244/...
Microsoft Paint can now make AI coloring books. Notepad is also getting support for additional Markdown syntax features, including strikethrough formatting and nested lists www.theverge.com/news/866524/...
Microsoft Paint can now make AI coloring books
Those Copilot Plus PCs won’t sell themselves.
www.theverge.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Microsoft Paint can now make AI coloring books. Notepad is also getting support for additional Markdown syntax features, including strikethrough formatting and nested lists www.theverge.com/news/866524/...
Microsoft announced winapp today, its new command line utility for developers. The open-source utility is aimed at Windows app developers, to make it easier to work across multiple frameworks and toolchains www.theverge.com/news/865976/...
Winapp is Microsoft’s new command line utility for developers.
Microsoft is releasing Windows App Development CLI (winapp) in public preview today. The open-source utility is aimed at Windows app developers, to make it easier to work across multiple frameworks an...
www.theverge.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Microsoft announced winapp today, its new command line utility for developers. The open-source utility is aimed at Windows app developers, to make it easier to work across multiple frameworks and toolchains www.theverge.com/news/865976/...
Fable is coming to PS5. It's launching on Xbox Series S / X, PC, and PS5 in autumn (fall) 2026
January 22, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Fable is coming to PS5. It's launching on Xbox Series S / X, PC, and PS5 in autumn (fall) 2026
Double Fine's Kiln, a multiplayer team-based brawler, is coming to Xbox, PC, and PS5 in spring 2026
January 22, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Double Fine's Kiln, a multiplayer team-based brawler, is coming to Xbox, PC, and PS5 in spring 2026
Forza Horizon 6 launches on Xbox and PC on May 19th. It's coming to PS5 "later this year" once the PlayStation version is ready
January 22, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Forza Horizon 6 launches on Xbox and PC on May 19th. It's coming to PS5 "later this year" once the PlayStation version is ready
Claude Code is suddenly everywhere inside Microsoft. I dig into Microsoft's surprise adoption of Claude Code in my Notepad newsletter this week. Also, a little teaser of what's cooking for today's Xbox Developer Direct. Live now for subscribers 👇 www.theverge.com/tech/865689/...
Claude Code is suddenly everywhere inside Microsoft
Microsoft is increasingly adopting Claude Code
www.theverge.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Claude Code is suddenly everywhere inside Microsoft. I dig into Microsoft's surprise adoption of Claude Code in my Notepad newsletter this week. Also, a little teaser of what's cooking for today's Xbox Developer Direct. Live now for subscribers 👇 www.theverge.com/tech/865689/...