The Xbox app for Windows on Arm will soon let you download games
Currently, the Xbox app on devices like the Qualcomm-powered Surface Pro 12 will only let you play cloud games from Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service. This new Xbox update will mean some ARM64 games from PC Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be available on Qualcomm-powered devices for the first time.
Microsoft says its Windows and Xbox teams are working together on this Xbox app effort to ensure it has compatibility across the Game Pass catalog, and it's also 'developing new features that will enable more games to be played on Arm-based Windows 11 PCs in the coming months.'
Microsoft originally released an ARM64 version of its Xbox app in 2022, but there weren't enough games natively compiled for Windows on Arm. These days you can just check the Windows on Arm ready site to see which games run well.
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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Microsoft Report Says AI Will Replace Advisors. Advisors Say, Not So Fast
You can find original article here Wealthmanagement. Subscribe to our free daily Wealthmanagement newsletter. Microsoft recently released a report on the jobs most likely to be replaced by artificial intelligence, and personal financial advisors landed at No. 30 on the list of 40, with a high AI applicability score. Advisors were alongside other professions at risk of an AI takeover, including market research analysts, editors and public relations specialists. But advisors who spoke with don't see AI as a threat. Rather, they view it as an extension of the tech innovation that's been going on for decades; it can be used for certain tasks, such as proofreading and notetaking, to make them more efficient and create more capacity. However, as with other tech innovations, such as robo advisors, AI will not be able to replicate the human connection advisors have with their clients. 'I think the timeline for innovation is just going to accelerate because of this,' said Kevin Hrdlicka, head of wealth at Savant Wealth Management. 'Twenty years ago, there wasn't really even financial planning software. You did everything with Excel. Think of CRM workflows. Those are all things that have dramatically changed the roles for the people in the industry and financial advisors.' Hrdlicka uses AI notetaking software as an example. Previously, his firm had a junior advisor who took notes at every meeting. Now, the notetaking technology handles that part so Savant can accelerate that advisor's training and development. 'Hopefully that will bear out as people can gain knowledge faster than they could have before because they don't have to be the scribe as part of their career,' he said. 'We're going to train on how to take good notes and follow up, but now there's technology. It's AI technology that will record and do a meeting follow-up, and it'll drop tasks into the CRM and all that stuff. It's been really helpful for people in seeing that those are skills that weren't adding a ton of value, and I can focus on things that are more important to the end client.' The Microsoft report analyzes 200,000 anonymized user–AI conversations, sampled representatively from 9 months of Bing Copilot, Microsoft's AI chatbot, usage in the U.S. during 2024. The company measured how successfully different work activities are assisted or performed by AI. The report found that people commonly sought AI assistance for information gathering, writing and executing financial transactions. By itself, AI was performing tasks such as providing information and assistance, writing, teaching and advising. 'And to me, everything that [the report is] pointing to is, I think, accurate in the sense that being able to gather information quickly, model 10 different scenarios, those are things AI is going to help advisors with,' Hrdlicka said. 'But I think it'll evolve how the human advisor works with end clients. It's more of a continuation across all industries of just change and technology that will impact how we do things.' AI can help advisors lay a lot of the groundwork when advising a client on a certain life event. But the actual advice is going to be tailored to the individual client's goals and values, he said. 'It can serve up strategies, it can bring ideas, but then once you actually have the goals that the client and the person has, I think that is going to be hard to replicate,' he said. 'The best financial advice still comes from someone who knows your story, not from a spreadsheet.' Brandon Galici, founder and financial planner at Galici Financial in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., said it's not just the knowledge and information the financial advisor brings to the client relationship; it's how to apply it. AI might be able to come up with some softer side, behavioral finance-type questions. But he doesn't believe that will be enough to get people to take action. ''Why is anyone ever going to pay an advisor an AUM fee? You could do robo advisor, and it's so much cheaper and effective,' Excuse me,' he said. 'But that just hasn't happened. And even those big companies are having a tougher time trying to get people on their platform without as much human connection.' To be sure, Galici uses AI in his practice, primarily as a proofreader for the content he produces for clients. It speeds up some of his proofreading and research processes so he can spend more time on what he calls 'high-value tasks.' 'That's having those connections with clients, having conversations, sending emails back and forth where they feel seen, they feel heard, and they know that I'm helping them plan for their future, and I'm just constantly monitoring their situation.' Chris Roy, a former senior client strategy at BNY Mellon Wealth Management, said human trust, connection, judgment, compliance and fiduciary guidelines will never be replaced by technology. But if firms use AI properly, it can 'turbo-boost' advisors' revenue generation and productivity. 'The firms that can develop secure proprietary AI models and ecosystems (which requires a huge investment) will see their advisors become far more productive and profitable,' he said. 'Many big banks and wirehouses still operate on overnight old batch processing mainframes, which restrict their agility.' A recent study by Northwestern Mutual found that most Americans trust advisors over AI on a range of financial planning strategies. For instance, 56% of Americans surveyed said they trust humans more to create a retirement plan, versus 13% who said they would trust AI more. 'Financial planning isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet—it's an emotional discussion around a person's life goals,' said Jeff Sippel, chief strategy officer at Northwestern Mutual, in a statement. 'These conversations are complex, delicate and deeply personal. Clients want to discuss their options with a trusted financial advisor who understands their needs and the trade-offs associated with these big financial decisions at a human level." But the same study found that nearly half of Americans (47%) prefer to work with an advisor who understands and uses AI. The stat is even higher among younger investors, with 54% of Generation Z and millennials preferring to work with an advisor who uses the technology as part of their role. Melissa Reaktenwalt, founder and advisor with EViE Financial Group in Upper Marlboro, Md., said she uses AI for many tasks, including notetaking, asset management and risk assessment. But she believes the human aspect of financial planning is still essential. 'There's a place for financial advisors from a human perspective, not just from the job perspective, but also for clients and what clients are looking for. So I'm not initially concerned more than any other takeover or shift that AI is going to bring, but I do think it's worth financial advisors paying attention to, certainly because I think there are some technical aspects of the job that likely can be replaced and likely will be.' She's implemented a therapy model in her financial planning practice, allowing people to discuss how they feel about money. 'It's the most important part when people can talk through some of those things and have a partner in that and have the ability to also use not just a chatbot, but a human as a sounding board for some of those things and some of their ideas for wealth management or managing or organizing their finances,' she said. But she believes AI is part of a new wave of innovation that can be both exciting and scary. 'If we just let the thing run by itself, we still have to be in charge of that; there still has to be a guardrail of some sort,' she said. 'For advisors, it's really helpful to just understand that these tools are really powerful. They can be significant game changers for a business and specifically for smaller independent firms. But good grief, there's still so much that we don't know, and there's a lot that still requires human direction and human guidance.'
Tom's Guide
37 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I test monitors for a living — here's the 3 I recommend for every budget
As someone who tests and reviews monitors for a living, I get overwhelmed with the number of displays that drop on what appears to be a weekly basis. From ultra-wide to curved, 1080p to 4K resolution, 240Hz refresh rates to OLED panels — buying a monitor to match your setup can be a headscratch-inducing journey (the names alone are a headache). Still, the best monitors we've tested stand out for good reason, but when LG Display unveils its 720Hz OLED display and Samsung reveals an all-new Smart Monitor M9, it gets harder to finally choose the right display to grab. But fret not; the displays to pick up right now can stay on top of your work, gaming, video editing and productivity for years to come, and I've found just the three monitors I'd put in my shopping basket. After testing hundreds of the latest monitors during my career, I'm mightily impressed with the mix of monitors to give your PC, PS5, Xbox and more the visuals they deserve. From a massively budget-friendly display sporting a 200Hz refresh rate to a gorgeous QD-OLED panel with 4K resolution, here are the monitors I'd love to have on my desk — and you (probably) will, too. When a sub-$200 monitor arrives on my desk, my immediate thought is that it simply "does the job." Well, I was sorely mistaken with the Acer Nitro KG272, as not only does it make for an extremely affordable 27-inch monitor for entry-level gaming, but it also works as a cheap, handy secondary display for your PC setup. On paper, this monitor won't exactly grab your attention: 27-inch (1920 x 1080) IPS panel, 100Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. But take a look at its $159 price tag, and this display suddenly becomes a lot more valuable. I used the Acer Nitro KG272 as my primary monitor for over a week, and I was blown away by its visuals and buttery smooth refresh rates while playing games, watching shows and working. It's a monitor I'd easily recommend to students or those on a budget, but here's the thing about Acer's Nitro monitor series: there are tons of them. So, why not bump up those specs for a similar Acer Nitro XV270 that's currently just as cheap? Right now, the Acer Nitro XV270 is down to just $139 at Best Buy, and this sports the same 27-inch (1920 x 1080) IPS panel with an even faster 200Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time. Oh, and AMD FreeSync Premium for tear-free gameplay. Now that's a steal. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The Acer Nitro XV270 gaming monitor is a budget underdog for anyone looking for a simple yet effective display to play PC games or get some work done. With its 27-inch (1920 x 1080) IPS panel, 200Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time, it may pale in comparison to the top dogs, but for its price, it goes above and Nitro KG272 E (27"): was £109 now £99 @ Amazon If you've got the budget for it, you won't have to spend much more on this Alienware AW2725QF. The name really doesn't do this monitor justice, as it would have passed me by if I didn't see that it comes with dual resolution. As in, the best of 1080p and 4K visuals. I'm a sucker for 4K, especially since trying out an Acer Predator Orion 7000 with an RTX 5080. Whether it be for playing the best PC games, working on photo edits or watching shows, the impeccable detail 4K monitors deliver is quite simply stunning. But when it comes to fast-paced gameplay, super-fast refresh rates at 1080p are more than worth it. 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MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED (32"): was £817 now £748 @ Amazon Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Fast Company
What is the reverse-acquihire?
It's not uncommon for large companies to acquire startups primarily for their talent rather than their product. Acquihires, as they are called, allow big companies to gain talented employees, while bypassing traditional methods of hiring. However, as the AI talent wars have heated up, major companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft have been engaging in reverse-acquihires at AI startups. That is, they are swooping in to hire star talent and license technology, discarding the rest by the wayside. The tech giants gain talent while sidestepping the need for government approval and antitrust scrutiny that would happen if they bought the company outright. The remaining employees are left to flounder in the husk of their former company. By Bloomberg's count there have been six since last March, and as the AI talent wars continue, we're likely to see more. 6. Google DeepMind and Windsurf In July 2025, Google's DeepMind division hired Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan and cofounder Douglas Chen, along with other key members of their R&D team. The $2.4 billion deal also included Windsurf technology. Google did not take a stake or any controlling interest in the startup. The deal came after Windsurf was nearly sold to OpenAI in what was set to be a $3 billion deal. The Windsurf employees whom Google did not hire went from expecting to be part of OpenAI to being left behind at a company with no leaders. In a surprise twist Windsurf was quickly acquired by AI coding startup, Cognition. Still, the story doesn't have a happy ending. Shortly afterwards, Cognition laid off 30 members of Windsurf's team and offered buyouts to the remaining 200 TechCrunch reported. 5. Meta and Scale AI This June, Meta finalized a deal with data labeling company Scale AI. Meta acquired a group of its top engineers, including founder Alexandr Wang, and took a 49% stake in the company, for a $15 billion price tag. 'As part of this, we will deepen the work we do together producing data for AI models and Alexandr Wang will join Meta to work on our superintelligence efforts,' a Meta spokesperson said. A month later, Scale laid off 14% of its workforce. Interim CEO Jason Droege said the company plans to focus on its government and enterprise businesses going forward. 4. Google and In August 2024, Google also struck a deal with chatbot startup hiring its founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, as part of a $2.7 billion deal. 'We're excited to announce that we've entered into an agreement with Google that will allow us to accelerate our progress,' said in a statement at the time. The statement also explained that the startup would grant a nonexclusive license to the tech giant for its LLM technology. In the wake of the reverse-acquihire, has shifted to a cheaper business model. Instead of training LLMs, it simply develops AI characters. Interim CEO Dominic Perella told Bloomberg: 'We were left much better positioned than some folks,' pointing out that for a reverse-acquihire is doing well. 3. Amazon and Covariant In August 2024, Amazon hired robotics company Covariant's three founders (Peter Chen, Pieter Abbeel, and Rocky Duan) as well as about a quarter of the staff. They also received a nonexclusive license to Covariant's robotic foundation models. According to a whistleblower, Amazon paid $380 million, which is much higher than $119.5 million, which is when deals need to be reported to the FTC. The Washington Post reported that according to the whistleblower's filing, Covariant's current CEO, Ted Stinson, said if Amazon had bought the company outright, the deal would have been killed by antitrust authorities. According to the whistleblower, the deal restricts which licenses Covariant can sell without paying a fee to Amazon, hobbling its ability to grow. The whistleblower's filing said Covariant was only expected to last for a year after the deal went through. 2. Amazon and Adept Similarly, in June 2024, Amazon hired CEO David Luan and most of the AI startup Adept's 100-person team in a deal that also included licensing the startup's technology. At the time, Adept, which had raised $400 million, was developing AI agents to do software tasks, and the deal came before it had launched a product. Post-deal a blog post from Adept seemed to suggest that the company was now low in fund and needed to shift to a cheaper business model. 'Continuing with Adept's initial plan of building both useful general intelligence and an enterprise agent product would've required spending significant attention on fundraising…' the post stated. 'Adept will now focus entirely on solutions that enable agentic AI, which will continue to be powered by a combination of our existing state-of-the-art in-house models, agentic data, web interaction software, and custom infrastructure.' In December 2024, Amazon announced it was launching a new lab led by David Luan that would build AI agents that can 'handle complex workflows.' Only around 20 employees remained at Adept after the Amazon deal. Bloomberg noted only four people currently list Adept as their employer on LinkedIn. 1. Microsoft and Inflection Microsoft kicked off the reverse acquihire trend last March when it agreed to pay chatbot startup Inflection about $653 million in a deal that effectively gutted the startup. The move included hiring founders Mustafa Suleyman and Karén Simonya and most of Inflection's staff. Around $620 million was for nonexclusive licensing rights to Inflection's AI models, and a $33 million payment for Inflection to waive any legal claims related to the hiring of its staff. Inflection had raised $1.3 billion in June 2023. However, Bloomberg noted CEO Suleyman was worried about the company's ability to raise enough funds to stay viable given the size of its competition. The deal triggered a FTC investigation to determine whether it was designed to avoid antitrust review while allowing Microsoft control over Inflection. Inflection is still in operation, but has changed course to focus from building new AI models to working on AI in the enterprise space. Sean White, a former Mozilla executive, became the new CEO. White told Bloomberg that Inflection is still in rebuilding mode: 'The ship, over time, was slowly replaced, board by board, piece by piece, right? But it was still always the same ship,' he said.
