Though it's intentionally simple and there are some excellent alternatives, Microsoft's humble Notepad text editor has gained a massive following through sheer ubiquity. Today it finally gets a feature that even the best writers (and also I) can't live without: spell check. The feature is now live in the latest Windows 11 Insider build. According to Wikipedia, the Notepad program is actually older than Windows itself, going all the way back to the Multi-Tool Notepad program that was included in the MS-DOS update which introduced mouse support in 1983. Then, as now, it was a faster and less resource-intensive alternative to Microsoft Word -- and the fact that it was free with the operating system didn't hurt. It's since become a feature in every single release of Windows.

The Dev Channel is Microsoft's Windows version for testing new features of all kinds, which are not necessarily upcoming feature release, and Windows 10 Insider build 20175 for the Dev Channel brings new AI capabilities that makes eye contact possible during a video chat. While the new AI capability make your eyes appear to meet the gaze of anyone you are speaking with on a video chat, leveraging Arm-based SQ1 processor on Surface Pro X to make it look like you're looking directly to the person right from the camera. Also, there is the ability to cycle through Microsoft Edge tabs using ALT Tab in the Windows 10 Insider build 20175, whereby users can pin active tabs to the taskbar, with enhanced preview capabilities. The Eye Contact feature relies on AI capabilities of the Surface Pro X's Qualcomm-made Microsoft SQ1 Arm-based processor, and as such, it can only be accessed on the Surface X Pro and the latest Windows 10 Insider Dev Channel preview, build 20175. It helps to adjust your gaze on video calls so that you appear to be looking directly in the camera and Windows Insiders can turn this Eye Contact feature on via the Surface app on Surface Pro X. How to get Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20175 Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20175 to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel on Wednesday last week and Windows Insiders with PCs that have AMD processors only will be able to receive this build.

Remember the Windows 10 April 2019 Update? Microsoft has now officially dubbed it the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, and plans to roll it out to Insiders next week alongside more permissive user controls than ever before. The Windows 10 May 2019 Update (also code-named "19H1," or version 1903) will begin deploying to all PCs in late May, on a day that hasn't yet been determined. But there's something brand new: The update will specifically call out the feature release, and allow users to delay it--and any update, including security patches--for up to 35 days. Even better, Windows won't decide when to install updates--you will, with an exception or two.

Microsoft's Insider preview builds for 19H1, the next major update for Windows 10, haven't been packed as chock full of new features as in releases past, favoring tweaks and adjustments instead. The Windows Insider Build 18317 released on Wednesday also goes this route, most notably by separating Cortana from the Windows 10 search box. The new build also includes new ways to import fonts, a tweaked Windows Console for Linux, and a separate process for the Start menu, a behind-the-scenes change that's being made for stability's sake. The most significant change is the separation of Cortana and the search box, which Microsoft has been testing with a few Insider builds previously. "This will enable each experience to innovate independently to best serve their target audiences and use cases," Microsoft executives wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft sees a future without passwords in Windows 10 Insider Build 17093, at least for Windows 10 S users. Microsoft has quietly worked to downplay passwords via PIN codes, fingerprint sensors, and even facial recognition. But actually killing them entirely within Windows 10 S is one of the key changes coming with what may be called the Spring Creators Update, code-named'Redstone 4,' expected to launch in late March or early April. The build, which launched Wednesday, also includes new multi-GPU graphics settings, improved eye tracking, quicker connections using Bluetooth, and clutter-free printing, among others. Why this matters: We thought Microsoft was done with Redstone 4 features when the last build hit a couple of weeks ago.

One of the major announcements from Microsoft's Build developer conference last week was that the company was bringing the popular Bash command line interface to Windows 10 with a new Linux subsystem. Now, developers can give it a shot with a new beta build of the operating system, which Microsoft released Wednesday morning. People on the Windows Insider Program's fast ring will get access to the new Build 14316, which includes a wide variety of other new features, too. Foremost among them are a set of new Cortana features that link their Windows or Android phones with users' PCs in a variety of ways. When Windows smartphones or Android phones with the Cortana app run low on battery life, Microsoft's virtual assistant will tell users to plug in their devices.