PowerPoint’s New Design Tools Make Better Slides Easier

PowerPoint’s New Design Tools Make Better Slides Easier

Microsoft PowerPoint is getting new design options aimed at making attractive presentations easier to build. Fresh SmartArt choices, themes and design improvements give you more ways to turn ordinary information into polished slides while spending less time arranging everything yourself.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 12, 2026

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You know what you want to say. 

The hard part is figuring out how to make the slide look good.

Microsoft is tackling that familiar problem with a collection of improvements to the PowerPoint creation experience. 

The company's PowerPoint Craft initiative includes new SmartArt layouts, themes and changes intended to make creating and working with presentations easier.

These additions complement PowerPoint Designer, the established feature that can automatically suggest professionally arranged slide layouts. 

Microsoft now refers to Designer as Design Suggestions for Copilot users.

The result is more choice before you start manually dragging text boxes, pictures and shapes around the screen.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Check PowerPoint’s design tools before building that next slide by hand.

Ask Gemini in Chrome to Explain Videos and Audio You Just Played

Ask Gemini in Chrome to Explain Videos and Audio You Just Played

Gemini in Chrome can examine the video and audio content you play in your browser tabs to answer specific questions, pull quick summaries, and locate key information. Here is how to verify your settings, ensure page sharing is active, and query multimedia content without hunting through timestamps.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 11, 2026

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You sit through a 45-minute recorded presentation or a dense technical tutorial on the web, only to realize you forgot the exact step demonstrated halfway through. 

Scrubbing through a video timeline or replaying audio clips to find a 30-second explanation drains time and breaks concentration.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Ask Gemini directly about multimedia you have already played in Chrome to get instant answers from the recording.

Google Chrome tackles this friction directly on desktop computers through Gemini in Chrome. 

Rather than requiring third-party transcription extensions or manual note-taking, the browser can interpret the media streams running inside your active tabs.

Is This AI? Check Before You Share

Is This AI? Check Before You Share 

Google’s SynthID Detector checks images, videos, and audio for hidden AI watermarks. Learn how to interpret the results before sharing something that looks surprisingly real.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 10, 2026

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A remarkable photo lands in your group chat.

 A video shows something almost too incredible to believe. An audio clip sounds convincing enough to forward.

Before you share, you want an answer: Is this AI?

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use Google’s SynthID Detector to check for hidden AI watermarks before sharing questionable media.

Google’s SynthID Detector offers a useful starting point. 

But knowing what the detector checks is just as important as knowing how to use it.

Turn Your Browser Into a Jigsaw Puzzle Table

Turn Your Browser Into a Jigsaw Puzzle Table

Jigsaw Explorer gives you a puzzle table inside your browser, with adjustable difficulty and the option to solve together from different locations. Try a mystery puzzle, invite a friend, or make a favorite photograph the next challenge.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 9, 2026

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You want to work on a jigsaw puzzle, but your dining table is already occupied. 

Once the pieces come out, putting everything away before dinner becomes another task.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Play Jigsaw Explorer in your browser and invite a friend to help.

An online puzzle gives you room to sort pieces and return to unfinished work. 

Choose a colorful picture, build the border, and enjoy a satisfying break.

Change iPhone Alarm Volume Without Changing Your Ringtone in iOS 27

Change iPhone Alarm Volume Without Changing Your Ringtone in iOS 27

Keep your ringtone quiet while giving your iPhone alarms the volume they need. Set a shared volume for alarms and timers that is separate from your ringtone, and check the dedicated control for your Sleep schedule’s Wake Up alarm.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 8, 2026

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You lower your iPhone’s ringtone before a meeting. 

Later, while setting tomorrow’s alarm, you wonder whether that quieter setting also means a quieter wake-up call.

Calls and alarms serve different purposes. 

A comfortable ringtone during the day may be too quiet for an early start.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Turn off Match Ringtone Volume for alarms and timers.

In iOS 27, Apple now provides a way to give alarms and timers their own sound level. 

Stop Searching Windows Settings. Let Copilot Find Them for You

Stop Searching Windows Settings. Let Copilot Find Them for You

Windows 11 has hundreds of settings, and finding the right one isn't always easy. Microsoft Copilot can help you locate, open, and understand settings using plain English, reducing frustration and saving time.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 7, 2026

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Windows 11 gives users an incredible amount of control over their PCs, but that flexibility comes with a challenge. 

Here's a Cool Tip: Use Copilot as your personal Windows 11 settings guide.

Important settings can be buried several menus deep, making even simple tasks frustrating when you cannot remember where Microsoft placed a particular option.

Need to change your microphone? 

Connect Bluetooth headphones? 

Adjust battery settings? 

Make text larger?

Instead of clicking through Settings and hunting for the right menu, try asking Microsoft Copilot.

Microsoft includes Windows Settings support as part of the Copilot experience on Windows. 

The feature allows users to ask questions in natural language and receive guidance for locating settings, troubleshooting issues, and managing their PC.

The biggest benefit is simple: you no longer need to remember where Microsoft hid a setting.

Hand the Busywork to a Grok Bot

Hand the Busywork to a Grok Bot

A chatbot can draft the email. Grok Bot is built to open the tools, do the steps, and leave a finished draft for you to approve. If your week is full of follow-ups, reports, and browser chores, this is the version of Grok that keeps working after you close the laptop.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 6, 2026

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You already have a chatbot that can write a first draft. 

The slow part is everything after that: opening the spreadsheet, checking the inbox, pulling the numbers, and pasting the result where it belongs.

Grok Bot is SpaceXAI’s answer to that gap. 

It launched in August 2026 as a team of always-on agents that share a cloud computer, sign into the apps you already use, and come back when a step needs you. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create one focused Grok Bot, give it a single job, and make it stop before it sends or publishes anything.

It is available as desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus companion apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

One LinkedIn Post, Multiple Authors, Bigger Reach

One LinkedIn Post, Multiple Authors, Bigger Reach

LinkedIn's new Collaborative Posts feature gives professionals and businesses a better way to publish content together and share visibility across multiple audiences. If you regularly work with coworkers, customers, partners, or creators, this feature can help your posts travel farther without creating duplicate content.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 5, 2026

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Ever publish a LinkedIn post about a customer success story, business partnership, conference presentation, or team achievement and wish everyone involved could share the spotlight?

LinkedIn's new Collaborative Posts feature tackles exactly that problem. 

Instead of relying on tags, mentions, or reposts, multiple people and company pages can co-author a single post and share visibility across their respective audiences. 

For professionals trying to grow their network and organizations seeking broader reach, it offers a more effective way to showcase teamwork and shared accomplishments.

Here's a Cool Tip: Team up on LinkedIn posts to expand your audience without creating duplicate content.

LinkedIn's new collaborative feature allows users to collaborate on posts with up to five collaborators and support formats including text, images, video, documents, polls, events, and links. 

The feature is expanding globally, although availability may vary while the rollout continues.

Create Studio-Quality Songs With Google Flow Music and Lyria 3.5

Create Studio-Quality Songs With Google Flow Music and Lyria 3.5

Google recently launched the Lyria 3.5 model inside Google Flow Music to give creators advanced control over their AI-generated tracks. This update brings improved vocal expression, complex melodies, and precise tempo adjustments to help you craft exactly the sound you want.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 4, 2026

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Producing a custom song usually requires specialized software and audio engineering skills. 

The launch of Lyria 3.5 in Google Flow Music changes this by placing advanced generation tools directly in your browser. 

This newest model from Google DeepMind upgrades melody structure and vocal emotion, making synthetic music sound remarkably natural. 

If you ever wanted to produce a custom track for a video project, write a song for a family event, or experiment with different genres, the tools are now significantly better and easier to command.

Here is a Cool Tip: Adjust tempo and duration directly in Flow Music for absolute creative control.

Try Before You Buy: ChatGPT’s Virtual Dressing Room

Try Before You Buy: ChatGPT’s Virtual Dressing Room

ChatGPT can now give you a personal preview of clothing and accessories using your photo. See how to try an item virtually, manage your saved selfie, and avoid mistaking an attractive image for a guaranteed fit.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 3, 2026

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That blazer looks terrific on the store’s model. 

Will it look just as good with your favorite shirt?

Online shopping gives you plenty of pictures, but usually none of you wearing the item. 

A personal preview can help you decide which styles deserve a closer look before you order.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use ChatGPT’s virtual try-on to preview clothing with your own photo.