Windows 10: Microsoft is adding MSN features to Windows 10 lock screen

Windows 10 was supposed to be on the back burner after Microsoft shifted its focus to Windows 11, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. In the past few months, Windows 10 has received several new features. Today, Microsoft is adding MSN cards to the lock screen.

Microsoft has dropped Build 19045.4235 for Windows 10 in the Release Preview Channel, which includes a new feature that adds MSN-powered features to the lock screen. After installing the preview update, which will begin rolling out to everyone in the last week of March, you’ll notice MSN feeds on the lock screen.

These MSN cards appear at the bottom of the screen, right below the date and time. The first card shows the current weather conditions, Celsius or Fahrenheit (depending on your MSN settings). There’s a button to see the full forecast, which opens a more detailed weather report in Microsoft Edge.

These cards open Microsoft Edge rather than the pre-installed apps.


Windows 11 lock screen with MSN | Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

The second card on the lock screen shows the stock market trends, with each slide within the card displaying the positive or negative change. Again, if you click this card, it will open MSN in Edge.

Then, there’s a third card that relies on your location to show traffic conditions and has a small map thumbnail visible directly on the lock screen. There’s also an option to see more traffic updates, which goes into more detail by opening Maps.


Lock screen with Weather, Finance, Maps, and Sports MSN cards | Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

Lastly, on the right side, there’s a fourth card that shows the latest updates from MSN Sports, such as NBA, football or cricket. These recommendations or news depend on your interests and location. The sports card provides quick updates on game schedules, and you can click on it to open MSN Sports in Edge.

Now, the real question is: Does the Windows 10 lock screen even need these widgets? It depends, really. These cards or widgets are quite common on mobile devices, and one might like glanceable updates on the lock screen.

In our tests, these cards align with Windows 10 design guidelines. As you can see in the above screenshots, the Fluent Design blur effect is visible. However, it would be nice if these cards opened in their respective app instead of opening MSN in Microsoft Edge.

I asked Microsoft, and I’m told they’ll eventually get there. This feature is still a work in progress, and they’re listening to the feedback.

However, Microsoft tells me these cards can be easily turned on or off from Settings > Personalization > Lock screen, so you’ve full control over what appears on the lock screen.

The post Microsoft is adding MSN features to Windows 10 lock screen appeared first on Windows Latest

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Microsoft Selects Dolby Audio for Windows 10

it would've been great if microsoft added HEVC decoders, LAV filters along with other codecs with Windows 10, and developing WMP to be better than VLC, KMPlayer and such sorts of media players.

Nevertheless, this is good step for microsoft, by far.

 

Ads displayed in Lock Screen

Hi Subhadeep,

Windows Spotlight is an option for the lock screen background that displays different background images and occasionally offers suggestions on the lock screen.
To turn off Windows Spotlight, go to Settings, clickPersonalization,
select Lock screen, under Background select a different lock screen background.

To avoid messages on your lock screen, you can consider the following:

• Make sure that the "Get fun facts, etc" on your Settings is turned off.
  
• Disable “suggestions” that appear as notifications. To do so, follow these steps go to
  Settings, then select System, then click
  Notifications & actions and turnoff “Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I sign in to highlight what’s new and
  suggested”.
• Disable “tips, tricks, and suggestions”. Head to Settings then select
  System, then click Notifications & Actions and disable the “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows” option.

Don't hesitate to reply on this thread if further assistance is needed.

 

Microsoft is developing a built-in ad blocker for its Edge browser

"One of the first browser add-ons many people install to improve their online experience is Adblock Plus or something similar. Until recently, Microsoft Edge's lack of support for add-ons put off a lot of would-be users, but reports from Build 2016 suggest that native ad blocking is on its way to the Internet Explorer successor.

Adblock Plus is coming to Edge, but built-in ad blocking would negate the need for such an add-on. A slide shown off and snapped at a Build presentation shows that the next version of Edge, in response to user feedback, will feature ad blocking capabilities. There's no word on delivery timescale, but the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update would seem a likely candidate.

ZDNet's Ed Bott photographed the slide which shows Microsoft's development roadmap built around feedback from testers. Right at the top of the list is reference to plans to create a plugin and extension store for Edge, but it's entry number four that's more intriguing.

"Build ad blocking features into the browser" is listed as a Feature Request from users. But the good news is that it is not only listed as being "Deliverable 4682811", but as "Targeted for the next version".

This will no doubt come as good news for those who have fallen in love with Edge, but it's not something that will be welcomed by the likes of Adblock Plus. It does seem that, particularly in the mobile arena, there is a move to baking ad blocking into the browser so it makes sense that Microsoft is following the trend. But it is the fact that Edge straddles Windows 10 on the desktop and Windows 10 Mobile that makes this a particularly interesting move.

Keep an eye out for Insider builds in the coming weeks as the feature may be just around the corner."

Forget extensions, built-in ad blocking is coming to Microsoft Edge - [UPDATE... no it's not!]