Stories by Mark Hachman

Windows 10 Insider build 16199 fills some holes in the Creators Update

Microsoft's hidden a wealth of information among the Settings menu in the new Windows 10 Insider build 16199, as well as some new My People functionality.

Google's Standalone VR and VPS address the clutter and clumsiness of virtual reality

Google launched both a new category of cable-free Standalone VR devices, as well as a new Visual Positioning System.

Google Assistant branches out, supporting third-party hardware and smarter features

Google unveils its plans to expand Google Assistant by pushing it into more devices, and adding new capabilities like payments, the company said at Google I/O.

AMD's Ryzen Mobile chips are ready for liftoff, with the new Ryzen Pro not far behind

With the Ryzen desktop chips already launched, AMD's attention is turning to the mobile and commercial PC markets with the upcoming Ryzen Mobile and Ryzen Pro chips.

Surface Laptop vs. Surface Pro 4: We compare prices, features and more

Comparing the specs of Microsoft's new Surface Laptop to its older Surface Pro 4 cousin can tell you a lot. For one thing, Microsoft really needs to update the Surface Pro 4.

Surface Laptop vs. Surface Book: The prices and features of two premium laptops, compared

Microsoft's Surface Laptop and Surface Book are both beautiful, premium laptops, but we dive deep into their specs to help you decide which one's best for you.

Hands-on: How Microsoft's mixed-reality devices could learn a lesson from the HoloLens

While $300 mixed-reality headsets appear to be the future, Microsoft's older cousin, the HoloLens has some unique advantages.

Hands on with Microsoft's Story Remix, the new tool to make your photos pop

Microsoft has begun rolling out the new Story Remix app that's part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, allowing you to design amazing photo slideshows. Unfortunately, some flagship features have been delayed.

Microsoft's mixed-reality devices undercut the Rift and Vive with lower prices

Microsoft and its partners will debut new mixed-reality controllers to help users navigate through the virtual worlds it's trying to create via Windows 10.

Meet the next Windows 10: The Fall Creators Update connects across devices

Windows 10's Fall Creators Update is really about connections: new apps and improvements designed to connect across devices.

Cortana's coming to your living room via HP, Intel partnerships

While Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices are manufactured by a single supplier, Microsoft appears to be using a PC-like strategy to create Cortana devices.

Windows 10's 500 million users snub Cortana, impacting Microsoft's AI push

Windows 10 now has about 500 million users, but only a fraction of those have tried Cortana. This doesn't bode well for Microsoft's push into artificial intelligence.

Microsoft's big data solves golf's mysteries in the Arccos Caddie app

Microsoft showed the Arccos Caddie app at build to demonstrate the data-crunching powers of its Azure cloud service—in this case, collecting data to help you play better golf.

Harman Kardon teases the Invoke speaker, a Cortana-powered Echo competitor

Harman Kardon unveils the first images and description of Invoke, the first smart speaker to be powered by Microsoft's Cortana.

Microsoft teases a Surface event to 'show the world what's next.' Is it mixed reality?

Microsoft appears to have more hardware to announce on May 23, possibly the first low-cost mixed reality headsets and maybe even the first Windows on ARM devices.