Scott Hanselman
The latest Scott Hanselman coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
DeepL Tops AI Translation Rankings, but Microsoft's Windows Integration Keeps It Essential
A new roundup by Memeburn rates DeepL as the top AI translation tool for polished documents, while Microsoft Translator remains the best choice for Windows users tightly integrated with Teams and Microsoft 365. The analysis helps home users, power users, and IT admins decide which tool fits their specific needs, with practical steps to get started.
AMD’s New PCIe Card Puts 144GB of HBM3E Within Reach of Conventional Servers
AMD’s Instinct MI350P brings 144GB of HBM3E memory to a standard PCIe card, aiming to simplify AI inference deployments that need high bandwidth but can’t use dedicated accelerator platforms. While it offers a potential cost and complexity advantage, it requires Linux and careful infrastructure planning—and won’t run natively on Windows. This article explains what the MI350P means for IT teams and when it makes sense to deploy.
EU Orders Google to Open Android's AI Core to Rivals by 2027 — Here's What It Means for Windows Users
The European Commission has issued binding Digital Markets Act specifications requiring Google to open Android’s system-level AI features — including Gemini Nano access, voice wake words, and screen context — to rival assistants by August 2027. The ruling also mandates anonymized search data sharing with eligible search engines and AI chatbots starting January 2027. For Windows users and IT pros, it signals a future where Copilot or other assistants could gain deeper Android integration, while admins face new policy and management considerations.
Fact-Checking the Vibe Coding Hype: What the Latest Tool Rankings Get Wrong (and Right) for Windows Developers
A July 18 ranking of vibe coding tools from Nubia Magazine contains factual errors about Claude Code’s context window, GitHub Copilot sign-up status, and OpenAI Codex enterprise controls. We correct the record and explain what Windows developers should look for when choosing an AI coding tool in 2026.
Google’s Gemini 3.5 Pro Delayed Indefinitely After Fumbling Complex Coding Tasks — What IT Leaders Must Do Now
Google's Gemini 3.5 Pro is delayed several months after stumbling on lengthy coding tasks and multi-step accuracy. IT leaders should freeze roadmap plans, keep evaluations model-neutral, and maintain strict human review for AI-generated code. The setback underscores that long-horizon reliability remains a frontier challenge for enterprise AI.
Windows July 2026 Update Hauls In 570 Security Fixes—How to Stay Safe
Microsoft’s July 2026 Patch Tuesday delivered KB5101650 and related updates addressing 570 vulnerabilities, 61 critical, and three zero-days. This article details the builds affected, outlines urgent actions for end users and IT admins, and puts the release in context with looming lifecycle deadlines. It also covers recent Microsoft account recovery incidents, Windows Search privacy controls, and Bethesda’s Fallout 5 announcement.
Microsoft's MDASH Code Scanner Lands in Private-Preview Limbo—Here's What to Do
Microsoft's July 2026 Security Exposure Management release notes label the new MDASH agentic code scanner as a private preview, contradicting earlier hints of a broader rollout. Organizations can't assume access; a safe pilot requires verifying tenant eligibility, selecting non-critical code, and obtaining data-governance guarantees before granting repository access.
DXVK 3.0.2 Ships New Hang Debugger to Pinpoint Vulkan Crashes, Plus Fixes for Five Titles
DXVK 3.0.2 introduces a new DXVK_DEBUG=hang option that logs detailed information before a Vulkan device loss crash, making it easier to diagnose stubborn GPU hangs. The release also includes fixes for five games: Granblue Fantasy: Relink (Nvidia GPU hang), Dying Light: The Beast (FSR performance regression), Halo: Combat Evolved (rendering), Overwatch (non-native resolution swapchain), and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (night vision). While Proton users will get the update automatically, standalone DXVK users can manually upgrade to benefit from the new diagnostics and game-specific repairs.
Kimi K3 Open-Weight AI Arrives July 27: What Windows Developers and IT Pros Need to Know Now
Moonshot AI has released Kimi K3, a 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight model that topped Arena's front-end coding benchmark. Its weights will be publicly available on July 27, offering Windows developers and IT pros a cheaper, self-hostable alternative to closed models like GPT-5.6 and Claude. This article breaks down the model's impact, how to test it, and what security measures to take before integrating it into your Windows workflow.
Windows 11’s Privacy Toggles Are Breaking WhatsApp Calls — Here’s the Fix for Mic and Camera Issues
WhatsApp Desktop calls on Windows 11 often fail due to hidden privacy settings that block microphone and camera access for desktop apps. This article explains why the issue occurs, how to quickly re‑enable the required permissions, set correct audio devices, and troubleshoot network or hardware conflicts—ultimately restoring full call functionality without reinstalling anything.
Windows 11 26H1 Is a Hardware-Only Release: Why Most Users Should Skip It
Microsoft's Windows 11 version 26H1 is a limited platform release exclusively for Snapdragon X2 devices, not a full feature update. It splits into Beta and Experimental channels but carries a critical servicing limitation: users cannot upgrade directly to the next annual feature update. Most PC users should avoid it, while IT teams testing Snapdragon X2 hardware should stick to the Beta channel and prepare recovery plans.
Microsoft’s Windows Server Certification Shake-Up: AZ-800 and AZ-801 Retire September 2026 — Here’s Your Next Move
Microsoft retires AZ-800 and AZ-801 exams on September 30, 2026, replacing them with a single AZ-802 beta. Here’s a practical guide for candidates, training managers, and partners on navigating the deadline, evaluating preparation, and choosing between the two-exam sprint and the consolidated new path.
Valve’s Steam Frame Slated for Summer 2026, Yet Pricing Remains Unconfirmed for Windows PC VR
Valve's Steam Frame headset is on track for a summer 2026 release, but pricing remains unconfirmed. This analysis breaks down what the wireless PC VR device means for Windows users, how it stacks up against the Meta Quest 3, Bigscreen Beyond 2, and other available headsets, and whether you should buy now or hold out for Valve’s next move.