Microsoft Store's Instant Games Feature Lets You Play Some Titles Without Downloading And Installing
The major Windows 11 update that Microsoft announced last week is now rolling out to users. In a blog post announcing the release, Microsoft describes some of the new features including the AI-enhanced version of MS Paint, the new Copilot tool, and updates to File Explorer, the Clipchamp video editor and Windows Snipping Tool, among other things.
But the company also introduced something else: support for streaming casual games from the Microsoft Store without the need to download or install anything to your computer first.
MicrososftMicrosoft calls the feature Instant Games, and says that its "partnered with game publishers to be able to bring this experience to our collection of casual games." It's available as a preview beginning today, and while there's not a complete list of Instant Games available to play yet, Microsofts sample image shows the simple game Boing FRVR running from within the store.
Microsoft wouldn't be the first company to take this approach toward letting users play some games without installing them. The Google Play Store's Instant Play feature works similarly, letting users begin playing without installing it to their phones or other devices.
In the cases of both Google and Microsoft, these stream-from-the-store games need to be relatively lightweight titles that can launch quickly after a fairly small amount of data is streamed/downloaded to your device, which is why there's an emphasis on casual games rather than more in-depth titles that require massive data downloads. And in both cases, it's up to developers to decide whether to participate. Not all games in the Microsoft Store will be available for streaming anytime soon.
Another changes coming to the Microsoft Store this month is the ability to choose the specific drives and folders you want to use for games that you do install to your computer.
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Remember when talking to yourself would bring weird looks? In the era of earbuds, it's totally normal. Using your voice can make an annoying task like writing up a letter or outline a lot easier. Try these dictation tricks in Microsoft Word or Google Docs that make it much better.
When it comes to Google Search, you can get almost anything done if you know how to use the hidden tools. Check out these not-so-conventional ways to use Google beyond regular searches.
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Useful utilitiesSimple ways to get things done without downloading an extra app or finding the right website.
Currency conversions: Next time you're eyeing a European something-or-other online, type "[price] euros to dollars" to get a quick conversion, like "55 euros to dollars." The exchange rate updates in real-time.
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Quick definitions: Type "define [word]" to get its meaning. So handy.
How do you say … ? Put in a word + "pronunciation." Click the speaker icon to hear it (there's a slow toggle if you need it). Hit the mic icon that says Practice to see if you're on the right track.
Set a timer or alarm: Commands like "set timer for 20 minutes" or "set an alarm for 9 a.M." give you an instant kitchen timer or alarm reminder to, say, give your cat its medicine. Just don't close your laptop.
Translate text: Stumble upon a tasty-looking French recipe? Type or paste the text into Google Translate. It's a lifesaver when traveling, too.
See numbers written as words: Uncertain about big numbers? Happens to the best of us. Type "953,116,070=english" and Google instantly tells you it's "nine hundred fifty-three million one hundred sixteen thousand and seventy."
Just for funI bet you'll make a friend's day passing along one of these.
Tilt your world: Type in "askew" and watch your search results take a quirky tilt a la pinball. OK, it's not making you more productive, but it's sure a fun prank to pull on someone.
Explore the universe: Simply type in a planet's name followed by "Google Sky." For example, "Mars Google Sky" lets you explore the Martian surface.
Movie times and locations: Want to catch the latest blockbuster? Search "movies near me" for theaters, showtimes and reviews.
Move to the beat: This one's great for musicians, dancers and even fitness buffs. Punch in "metronome" and Google provides an adjustable, visual beat-keeper.
Take a breakWhether you need a vacation or just a brain break, these shortcuts get the job done.
Blast from the past: Type in "Google snake" to play the old-school phone game on your computer. Yeah, it's still fun.
Know sunrise or sunset times: Search "sunrise in [location]" or "sunset in [location]" to see when the sun rises or sets for that date.
Relax: Feeling stressed or need a short break? Type "breathing exercise" into Google for a calming, interactive guide instructing you when to inhale and exhale.
Find flights fast: Need to get away or planning that long-overdue family visit? Type "flights from [your location] to [destination]" and Google serves up a platter of options. Bonus: Clicking "Flights" lets you compare prices directly.
Search pro tipsThese search secrets make getting the results you want easier and faster.
Filter by date: Make sure old links aren't clogging your search results. First, type in your phrase. Then, tap Tools > Any time and click Custom range. A little box called Custom date range will pop up, along with a calendar. You can insert the start and end dates.
Exclude keywords: It's annoying when looking for one thing and results for another keep coming up. With this trick, you can exclude keywords you don't need. Place a minus sign (–) before the word you don't want. Throw a plus sign (+) before any word you want to stress as important.
Search for files: Type filetype: at the beginning of your search when looking for a spreadsheet, PDF, or another document. For example, for PDFs, write filetype:pdf in the search, along with your keyword. Need an Excel spreadsheet? Just type filetype:xlsx along with your keyword. Anything publicly available is just a few clicks away.
Advanced Search: During your first search attempt, click Settings just below and to the right of the main text field and look for Advanced Search. You'll see multiple search fields. You can filter searches in many ways to narrow down to what you want.
No, I want this: If you're looking for something exact, add quotation marks to the word or phrase (e.G., "Kim Komando tech tips").
Better site search: Not every website has a good built-in search engine. Search a site directly by placing site: (colon) directly in front of the URL, then follow it with your search term. It would look like this: site:komando.Com Google.
Search social media: Put @ in front of a word to search social media, or add # in front to search hashtags.
Keep your tech-know goingMy popular podcast is called "Kim Komando Today." It's a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.
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Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, "Komando."
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Google's Tactics Take Center Stage In Existential Antitrust Threat
With help from Daniel Lippman
GOOGLE'S FULL-COURT PRESS: Google is being accused of ethical breaches and using dubious litigation tactics as it faces a barrage of legal challenges seeking to unwind its search engine and advertising empires.
— The accusations include Google allegedly deleting thousands of potentially incriminating internal messages and hiring a powerful, politically connected law firm that formerly represented some of its key antagonists — moves critics say show the lengths to which one of the world's most powerful companies and political actors will go to fend off an existential threat.
— On Friday, a federal judge in Alexandria, Va., will consider whether the high-powered law firm Paul Weiss can represent Google as it fights Justice Department allegations it illegally monopolized the online advertising market. At the heart of that hearing is a claim Paul Weiss is committing an ethical breach because it recently represented clients that have pushed for the government to crack down on Google.
— The DOJ antitrust head Jonathan Kanter spent four years at Paul Weiss, where he advised companies including Yelp, News Corp. And the newspaper consortium the News Media Alliance in their efforts to push for antitrust investigations and lawsuits targeting Google.
— In May, Google retained attorneys at Paul Weiss, including Karen Dunn, who has successfully defended antitrust threats against companies including Amazon and Apple. Yelp and the NMA have cried foul, arguing that hiring Paul Weiss is unethical and the firm should not now be able to switch sides, especially since they believe it still has access to their confidential information and some attorneys they worked with are still at the firm.
— Paul Weiss contends that it has done no work for Yelp or News Media Alliance since Kanter and his colleague Brandon Kressin left the firm in September 2020, and none of the lawyers currently representing Google have access to Yelp or NMA's files. (Kressin is currently representing Yelp and NMA at his new law firm.) Furthermore, Yelp and NMA could have sought Paul Weiss's disqualification months ago, and barring them now, "at this late date would cause severe prejudice to Google."
— "Our firm's representation of Google is appropriate in all respects," a Paul Weiss spokesperson said. Spokespeople for DOJ and Google declined to comment.
— Kanter, a prominent Google critic, is currently recused from the ad tech case because of the involvement of his former employer. He is, though, involved in the other ongoing DOJ antitrust challenge to Google, an ongoing trial targeting the company's internet search monopoly where the company is represented by a different law firm.
— Google's opposition to Kanter's involvement is not limited to his past work at Paul Weiss, and is focused more broadly on his years of work for the company's opponents. But U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who is presiding over the ad tech case, did not have much sympathy for the tech giant's claim.
— In a terse, 15-minute hearing on Sept. 15, Brinkema said Google will not be able to argue that the DOJ is doing the biased bidding of Kanter when the case goes to trial, likely early next year. "This is not the kind of horrendous case you are positing," Brinkema said, while questioning Google's strategy in making the argument. She said the recusal effort "diverts resources, time and energy that should be focused on the core issues in this case and not on what are essentially ad hominems."
— And in both the ongoing online search-related trial and a separate case in California, Google is facing allegations that it intentionally deleted thousands of instant messages that potentially include incriminating evidence.
— Earlier this year in the California case over Google's mobile app store, a judge said the company should be sanctioned. "Several aspects of Google's conduct are troubling," U.S. District Court Judge James Donato wrote in an order, in reference to allegations the company destroyed evidence.
Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. What else is going on out there? Drop me a line: [email protected]. And be sure to follow me on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
DISCORD BUILDS OUT ITS D.C. FOOTPRINT: Online chat platform Discord is stepping up its presence in Washington, tapping a seasoned internet policy hand in Ross LaJeunesse to be the company's first global head of public policy. LaJeunesse spent much of the past few years as the top lobbyist at the online marketplace Etsy, and before that he was a Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine.
— LaJeunesse also spent more than a decade in Google's international government affairs shop, where he served liaison between the tech giant and Chinese government and worked on election safety and free speech issues and where he claimed he was pushed out for pressing the company to take a harder line on prioritizing human rights and diversity. (Google has denied the accusations.)
— LaJeunesse joins Discord amid a rocky year that saw the platform play a central role in Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira's alleged leaks of classified documents, and as Washington grapples more broadly with how to confront the spread of misinformation and violent rhetoric online.
— For now, Discord has only one lobbying firm — Monument Advocacy — on retainer, to whom it has paid $270,000 since last year to lobby on privacy and content moderation issues.
AFPM PLAYS IN VIRGINIA LEGISLATIVE RACES: The oil and gas lobbying group American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers is getting involved in the fight for control of Virginia's state legislature, with a seven-figure ad blitz targeting a state electric vehicle rule to try and give Republicans an edge.
— The blitz highlights a law passed in 2021 — when Democrats controlled the governor's mansion and statehouse — which would have Virginia follow auto emission rules set by California that would require the phase-out of gas-powered car sales by 2035. GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin pledged to repeal the law but was stymied earlier this year. AFPM is looking to boost Youngkin's margins, in what could end up being a test case of how politically potent the issue is ahead of next year's federal elections.
— "This flawed plan copied directly from California bureaucrats will hurt consumers by eliminating choices and costing us American jobs," the group says in a 30-second spot that will run on broadcast and cable TV in the D.C. And Northern Virginia markets.
— The ad buy, which builds on polling by AFPM signaling voter concerns about the law, will also include mailers, radio spots, digital display ads, a text campaign and tele-town halls that argue the EV rule will increase U.S. Reliance on China.
KNOWING LEONARD LEO: The latest installment in ProPublica's stellar reporting on the ethics quandaries facing the Supreme Court homes in on Leonard Leo, who has become the man behind the curtain leading a reshaping of the federal judiciary in conservatives' vision.
— "Historians and legal experts who have watched Leo's ascent struggle to name a comparable figure in American jurisprudence," Andy Kroll, Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz write. "'I can't think of anybody who played a role the way he has,' said Richard Friedman, a law professor and historian at the University of Michigan."
— "To trace the arc of Leo's ascent, from his formative years through the execution of his long-range strategy to his plans for the future, ProPublica drew on interviews with more than 100 people who know Leo, worked with him, got funding from him or studied his rise. … Having reshaped the courts, Leo now has grander ambitions. Today, he sees a nation plagued with ills: 'wokism' in education, 'one-sided' journalism, and ideas like environmental, social and governance, or ESG, policies sweeping corporate America."
Jobs Report— Mike Lucier is now senior director of government and regulatory affairs at Experian. He was previously senior vice president for financial services at Height Capital Markets and is a Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) alum.
— Lily Moll is now grassroots programming director at the American Conservation Coalition, having been promoted from Southern regional director, per Morning Energy. Hanna Pritchett is now ACC's grassroots operations director; she previously was Eastern regional director.
— Colette LaForce has joined the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue as its first chief marketing officer.
— AdvaMed has launched a new digital health tech division with Shaye Mandle as its executive director. Mandle previously was president and CEO of the Medical Alley Association. Taha Kass-Hout, chief technology officer of GE Healthcare, has been named chair of the division's board of directors.
— Katie O'Connor will be director of federal abortion policy at the National Women's Law Center. She previously was deputy chief counsel at Demand Justice.
— Philippe Etienne is joining Rock Creek Global Advisors as a senior policy adviser based in Paris. He previously was French ambassador to the U.S.
— The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations has named Casey Clark as the association's next president and CEO. Clark will succeed Pat Cleary, who previously announced his plans to step down at the end of the year, and Clark is currently senior vice president of the American Gaming Association.
— Paige Jones has joined CRD Associates as a senior policy associate. She was previously a health legislative assistant for Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.).
New Joint FundraisersNone.
New PACsBETTER AMERICA UNDER CONSERVATIVES, INC. (Super PAC)
The First Ask (Hybrid PAC)
GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY AND INTEGRITY FOR TENNESSEE (GRIT PAC) (Super PAC)
Varda Space Industries Inc. Political Action Committee (Varda PAC) (PAC)
Volunteer Fire Fighters of America (PAC)
You Gotta Believe (Leadership PAC: Steve Garvey)
New Lobbying REGISTRATIONSArentfox Schiff LLP: Woodward Pharma Services LLC
Biscayne Strategies, LLC: Dhip Group
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Far Capital Partners LLC
Committee To Protect Health Care: Committee To Protect Health Care
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Rinnai America Corporation
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: The Esop Association
Crowell & Moring LLP: Mainspring Energy, Inc.
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Greene County Board Of Commissioners
Filanthropie Consultancy: One Place
Gallant Government & Law Group, LLC: 8X8, Inc.
Gwc Public Affairs LLC: Western Landowners Alliance
Jones Walker, LLP: The American Club
Laura Wood Peterson Consulting, Inc.: Gwc Public Affairs LLC On Behalf Of Western Landowners Alliance
Mcallister & Quinn, LLC: Lycoming College
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Lithos Carbon
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation
Metanoic Strategies: Smiths Detection Inc.
O'Neil Bradley Consulting LLC: Fmr LLC
Passage Consulting Group LLC: Cobham Satcom
Passage Consulting Group LLC: Fregata Systems, Inc.
Passage Consulting Group LLC: One Stop Systems, Inc.
Squire Patton Boggs: Madison Marquette Realty Services L.P.
Strategies 360: Center For Employment Opportunities Obo Redf
Strategies 360: Thurston County, Washington
The Kpm Group Dc LLC: Sebela Pharmaceuticals
The Vogel Group: Seiu
The Vogel Group: Short-N-Numbers, LLC
Tokyo Electron U.S. Holdings, Inc.: Tokyo Electron U.S. Holdings, Inc.
Troutman Pepper Strategies, LLC (Fkatroutman Sanders Public Affairs Group, LLC): Mural Health
Troutman Pepper Strategies, LLC (Fkatroutman Sanders Public Affairs Group, LLC): Orchard Laboratories
Troutman Pepper Strategies, LLC (Fkatroutman Sanders Public Affairs Group, LLC): Pitts Enterprises, Inc.
Varyag LLC: Kontrolmatik USa
Venable LLP: Govcio, LLC
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: City Of Clanton, Alabama
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Rayner
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: The University Of Montevallo
New Lobbying TerminationsArnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Blockfi
Blue Star Strategies LLC: Humanity For Freedom
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: City Of Des Moines
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Valero Services, Inc.
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Brockway Borough Municipal Authority
Delta Development Group, Inc.: City Of University Place, Washington
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Community Progress Council
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Cranberry Township
Delta Development Group, Inc.: East Whiteland Township
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Lafayette College
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Moon Transportation Authority (Formerly Known As Moon Township)
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Western Reserve Transit Authority
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Ywca Of Lancaster
Holland & Knight LLP: Datamotion, Inc.
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Cua Opco, LLC
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Hertz Global
Passage Consulting Group LLC: Climavision
Passage Consulting Group LLC: Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc.
Passage Consulting Group LLC: Space Tango, LLC
Passage Consulting Group LLC: USa Cares
Paul Marcone & Associates, LLC: Genesis At The Crossroads
Pontis Partners, LLC: Valcour LLC On Behalf Of African Mission Healthcare
Robert E Dickinson: Keystone Holdings LLC
S-3 Group: Council For Investor Rights And Corporate Accountability, Inc.
