- Microsoft is bringing new functions to the notes, paint and container tool
- However, many of these are only for Copilot+ PCs, since they require an NPU
- The notes is obtaining a new text creation capacity with AI that is reaching all PCs with Windows 11, but needs a Microsoft 365 subscription
The application of Windows 11 notes is expanding its AI powers to include the ability to generate written content from scratch, and Microsoft is providing a new functionality related to AI to the AI to two other applications in the operating system, although all this continues in the tests for now.
Let’s start with the notes block that, with the launch of version 11,2504.46.0 (in the preview, for Windows 11 testers) add a new ‘Write’ option. Simply click right where you want some text to be inserted, or anywhere in an empty document if you are starting with a blank board, and tell BLOCEPAD the nature of the content you want you to believe, and write something for you.
Windows Last has had a play with the function in the tests and observes that AI tends to maintain its text generated on the concise side.
If you are not satisfied with the results and feel that the content created by AI could be better, you can always choose to use the option to ‘rewrite’ in the notes, allowing instructions to extend (or shorten) the text, or change the tone (and more also).
The capture with the new writing with power with AI is that it uses what Microsoft calls ia credits.
If it is not a subscriber of Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro, does not obtain those credits and, therefore, cannot use this function. Those with a personal or family plan of Microsoft 365 obtain 60 credits from AI per month, which will be used in all Microsoft applications, so it is limited to the extent that you can exercise this new power.
Far from notes, Microsoft has also added new features to the paint application and the cut tool, and yes, as noted from the beginning, all this is something directed by AI. Keep in mind that, as Microsoft explains in a blog post, the following skills are mainly for Copilot+ PCs alone (except where I have indicated otherwise).
The new addition of Snipping Tool is something called ‘perfect screen capture’ that allows you to select an area of the screen you want to obtain, but you only need to highlight it approximately. The AI will then refine the window you have drawn to capture, for example, an image on the screen. Essentially, this is doing heavy work in terms of cutting exactly an object, which means that it only has to describe it vaguely, and the AI does the rest, quite ingenious.
An additional movement with the cut tool (which reaches all Windows 11 users in this case) is a color selection capacity. This is for people as designers who want to know precisely what any color given on the screen is (so that they can match it elsewhere, and it is possible to use hex, RGB or HSL color codes).
As for the painting, Microsoft provides a new ‘welcome experience’ (introductory panel that explains its latest characteristics) that also reaches everyone, and there are a couple of new tricks here (only for co -pilot+ PC).
First, Paint is obtaining a tool for selecting objects that AI uses to, well, select objects on the canvas. This is (something) the equivalent of the crop selection capacity of the cut tool, which means that an element of the image can point out and AI will select the object precisely, which allows you to apply editions.
Second, there is a new sticker generator that again does what he says in the can (paint). You tell the AI that you want a turtle sticker in a leather jacket playing a ‘Flying V’ guitar and will produce a selection of such stickers that you can choose.
ANALYSIS: Creative sparks and time savings touches
These are typical uses of AI, of course, that cover the creation of content, from paragraphs in the notes to stickers in paint, to small touches that save in the form of an easy selection of objects in paint, or the rapid cut of an article in a screenshot with clippings tool.
All this should make your life a little easier, but there are reasons to have a bit of growl here. You will need a co -pilot+ PC in many cases, and it is fine, it is because it has the local hardware (an NPU) required to accelerate the task so that it works quickly enough, but the subscription requirement for the notes block feels less reasonable.
In more general terms, some people will be bothered by changes in the notes. Mainly because the notes are supposed to be a minimalist and optimized application to turn on quick and similar notes, and is slowly becoming a mini version of Word. (Or, in fact, a new Wordpad, which used to be the brown half between the two applications, until Microsoft killed it).
In addition, if you were thinking that the notes bloc already had skills to create the text of AI, well, no, he did not. While the application has already witnessed the introduction of a rewriting installation, creating paragraphs from scratch is something new (for this application, anyway).
Doesn’t the notes of notes need it? At first glance, the movement cannot hurt: if you don’t want it, don’t use it. But the argument against writing slowly in more and more characteristics for the notes is that this swelling will delay it, which makes it less receptive (and even more slow to load, perhaps).
All of which moves in the wrong direction for those who want a small anticipation pad of an application, which, to be fair, was always the original intention with the notes. Not so much, these days, that’s safe.
