
Zac Bowden
Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central and has been with the site since 2016. His expertise is in exclusive coverage about Windows, Surface, and hardware. He's also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices, and was fortunate enough to daily drive both the fabled Lumia McLaren and Microsoft Band 3, along the Surface Mini and even Surface Neo. Keep in touch with him on Twitter and Threads!
Latest articles by Zac Bowden

Microsoft announces major update to Windows Recall
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Windows 11 is getting an updated Recall app soon that includes a new homepage interface, which showcases recent snapshots and highlights from your most-used apps and websites.

Best laptops with number pads 2025
By Zac Bowden last updated
Updated Looking for a new Windows laptop with a number pad? You've come to the right place. Using our expert reviews, we've rounded up the best laptops with a number pad you can buy right now.

Lenovo Yoga AiO 9i review: The first Copilot+ desktop PC!
By Zac Bowden published
Review Lenovo's latest flagship desktop all-in-one is the first Copilot+ all-in-one PC, and it trumps the competition, showing how dire the AiO Windows PC space is.

Here's what's coming in Windows 11's next feature drop
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft's new Windows 11 Release Preview build gives us a good look at what to expect for next month's feature drop.

Windows 11's new GIF maker is now available to test
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Windows 11 is getting its own built-in GIF-making tool, and it's now available for testing with Windows Insiders in the Dev and Canary Channels.

Windows Hello no longer works in the dark, Microsoft confirms
By Zac Bowden published
A recent Windows update has changed how Windows Hello face unlock works, now requiring a color camera in addition to IR sensors to authenticate you. That means it no longer works in the dark.

Windows Vista's boot sound has returned to Windows 11 thanks to funny bug
By Zac Bowden published
Windows Windows Vista's iconic boot chime has made a surprise return in the latest Windows 11 preview builds.

Podcast: Xbox Ally is official, and Aero Glass is back?
By Zac Bowden published
Podcast Daniel and Zac discuss the new Xbox Ally and major changes to Windows for gaming handhelds.

Apple's new Liquid Glass is a sorry imitation of Windows Vista's Aero Glass
By Zac Bowden published
Windows I watched Apple unveil its new Liquid Glass design language for its software platform, but I can't stop thinking about how much nicer Microsoft's Aero Glass from Windows Vista was.

Windows 11 news and updates for June 2025
By Ben Wilson last updated
LIVE Windows 11 is constantly updating as Microsoft tweaks its operating system and the first-party apps installed by default, so I'm tracking the latest news happening in June 2025.

90% of time is now spent in native Arm apps on Windows on Arm PCs
By Zac Bowden published
Arm A blog post from Arm states that 100 of the most popular Windows apps are now Arm-native, and users are spending upwards of 90% of their time in non-emulated apps, marking a significant milestone.

Surface Laptop 13-inch review: It's great, in a vacuum
By Zac Bowden published
Review Microsoft's laptop is tricky to recommend, because its flagship sibling is usually a better deal. Here's my full review of the Surface Laptop 13-inch.

Podcast: Is Windows in trouble?
By Zac Bowden published
Podcast Daniel and Zac discuss the current state of Windows 11 on gaming handhelds, and how failures like Windows Core OS and Windows CorePC have put Microsoft on the back foot in this new mobile category.

Microsoft-backed AI startup Builder.ai collapses after financial misdirect
By Zac Bowden published
AI AI startup Builder.ai, once valued at $1.5 billion and publicly backed by Microsoft, has just collapsed after major financial struggles and misdirection.

Windows 11 will finally stop nagging you to set Edge as your default browser — but only in some markets
By Zac Bowden published
As part of its continued efforts to make Windows compliant with the Digital Markets Act, Microsoft has announced further changes to the Windows OS that will reduce its insistence on using first party apps and services.

Microsoft launches Sora powered Bing Video Creator tool
By Zac Bowden published
Bing OpenAI's Sora AI model is coming to Bing on mobile and the web, letting users generate video content using text for free via the Bing app.

The Surface Pro 12-inch is an obvious iPad Air competitor, and I think it wins
By Zac Bowden published
Editorial The new Surface Pro is an obvious direct competitor to Apple's iPad Air. It is roughly the same price, similar in size and design, and better emphasized as a tablet rather than a laptop.

Microsoft Edge is getting a redesigned New Tab Page powered by Copilot
By Zac Bowden last updated
Browsing The New Tab Page within Microsoft Edge will soon include Copilot prompts for some users. Microsoft is rolling out the new experience to Edge in May 2025.

Windows 11 is getting its own Handoff feature between Android and PC
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft has revealed that it's bringing "Cross Device Resume" to Windows 11, which will let apps seamlessly sync between Android and PC.

Qualcomm launches Adreno Control Panel for Snapdragon X Elite PCs
By Zac Bowden published
Snapdragon Snapdragon X Elite devices are getting a new Adreno Control Panel app that will let users and developers tweak the GPU for enhanced performance in certain games.

Microsoft finally makes the Surface Slim Pen colorful, but you can't have one
By Zac Bowden published
Surface The Surface Slim Pen has only ever been available in black, but a limited edition set of colorful Surface Slim Pens were recently given out at a Surface influencer event.

Microsoft beats Apple and Google to the punch — waves fee for adding apps to its store
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Individual developers can now sign up and publish their apps on the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 and Windows 11 for free.

Windows 11 apps will soon integrate with Click To Do
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft is giving developers access to an API that will enable specific features to appear contextually in Click To Do to get a task quickly started.
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