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Windows 3.1 going full ketchup & mustard wasn't inspired by any actual 'Hotdog Stands' — Veteran Microsoft designer calls it a garish choice with a catchy name
Winsage
December 11, 2025

Windows 3.1 going full ketchup & mustard wasn’t inspired by any actual ‘Hotdog Stands’ — Veteran Microsoft designer calls it a garish choice with a catchy name

Windows 3.1 featured a color scheme known as the 'Hotdog Stand,' characterized by a garish combination of red and yellow, which was not intended as a joke but rather as a bold design choice. Virginia Howlett, a designer at Microsoft since 1985, noted that the color themes in Windows 3.1 were a radically new feature, as prior versions had minimal customization options. The Hotdog Stand scheme gained notoriety partly due to its catchy name, although it was simply a choice made during development. Additionally, Microsoft used a miniature version of Windows 3.1 for the setup installation of Windows 95, as it was fully debugged and facilitated a smoother installation process.
ChatGPT's Image Generator Is Now in Microsoft Copilot. Here's What You Can Do With It
Winsage
May 19, 2025

ChatGPT’s Image Generator Is Now in Microsoft Copilot. Here’s What You Can Do With It

Microsoft has upgraded its Copilot AI assistant by integrating OpenAI's GPT-4o model, enhancing its image generation capabilities within Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, and Outlook. Users can now create intricate visuals by describing their desired images. Copilot can draft documents, analyze data, create presentations, manage emails, and now generate high-quality, photorealistic images from text prompts. This feature allows for the creation and modification of custom graphics without external design software. The GPT-4o image generation capabilities were initially rolled out to enterprise users and are now available to the general public. This enhancement positions Microsoft Copilot ahead of other creative tools that use older DALL-E models, aiming to compete with industry leaders like OpenAI and Google Gemini.
March 2025 Microsoft Photos update now rolling out to Windows Insiders
Winsage
March 25, 2025

March 2025 Microsoft Photos update now rolling out to Windows Insiders

The Microsoft Photos app is rolling out updates for Windows Insiders on Windows 11 and Windows 10 within the Release Preview Channel. Key enhancements include: - An Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature that supports over 160 languages, allowing users to extract text from images and search the web for selected text. - New shortcuts in File Explorer for AI editing and Visual Search, enabling users to edit images and search for similar images directly from the desktop. - A "Show subfolders" option that allows images and videos from subfolders to appear in the Photos Gallery. - Introduction of a Copilot button in the Photos app for AI assistance, offering photo editing tips, image insights, and framing suggestions. - Support for JXL files and bug fixes for the Image Creator and Restyle Image features. Users should update to version 2025.11030.20006.0 or higher to access these features.
After a laptop with stellar battery life on Black Friday? This is the one key feature you should look out for
Winsage
November 28, 2024

After a laptop with stellar battery life on Black Friday? This is the one key feature you should look out for

The Black Friday week is a prime time for consumers seeking high-performing laptops, with a recommendation to set a budget above ,000 for optimal choices. The 13-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, originally priced at ,599.99, is now available for ,199.99 on Amazon. Laptops featuring Neural Processing Units (NPUs) enhance battery life and multitasking capabilities, with the Surface Laptop 7 achieving 17 hours and 31 minutes of battery life and the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 lasting 26 hours and 9 minutes. In contrast, the HP Envy x360 2-in-1 and HP Spectre x360 14 recorded battery lives of 11 hours and 10 minutes and 14 hours and 29 minutes, respectively. Current deals include the Apple Macbook Air 13-inch M3 (2024) for ,099, Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 for ,199.99, Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (7640) for 9, Asus ZenBook 15 for .99, LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 for ,599.99, and Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 9 16-inch for 9.
Turn on Windows 11's hidden OCR feature in Photos app. It's really good.
Winsage
November 22, 2024

Turn on Windows 11’s hidden OCR feature in Photos app. It’s really good.

Microsoft has added Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities to the Photos app, allowing users to extract text from images. This feature is off by default but can be activated through registry modifications. Users need to open the Registry Editor, load a specific hive, and create a .reg file with designated content to enable OCR. Once activated, a "Scan text" icon appears in the Photos app, enabling users to identify and copy text from images. The OCR feature shows high accuracy, even recognizing stylized text. Additionally, Microsoft has introduced other enhancements to the Photos app, including a Zoom slider and improved launch times, while also integrating Microsoft Designer for creative effects.
How to Use Microsoft Designer to Make Quick and Unique AI Images
Tech Optimizer
April 26, 2024

How to Use Microsoft Designer to Make Quick and Unique AI Images

Microsoft Designer is an innovative, AI-powered graphic design tool unveiled at the Microsoft Surface event in 2023. It operates in the cloud and uses DALL-E 3 and GPT-4 to create eye-catching social media graphics. The tool is user-friendly, offering preset options and prompt suggestions to simplify the design process. It allows for easy adjustments and customization of designs, including the ability to fine-tune image size and download and share designs across social platforms. Additional features include the Brand Kit Creator, Sticker Creator, Generative Erase, and Remove Background tools. Microsoft Designer is currently in its beta phase and is freely accessible for a limited time, with plans to transition into a subscription-based model in the future.
Microsoft Launches Free Copilot AI Image Creator
Tech Optimizer
March 29, 2024

Microsoft Launches Free Copilot AI Image Creator

Microsoft Copilot Image Creator was announced on March 21, 2023, and uses OpenAI's GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 technology. It was originally called Bing AI Chat but was rebranded in November 2023. The Image Creator can be accessed within the Edge browser or through a dedicated website. The Microsoft Copilot Image Creator is free to use and is based on DALL-E 3 technology. It allows for image generation and basic editing, like changing styles and aspect ratios, within the Edge browser. There is also a dedicated site for users of other browsers, but this version does not offer on-page editing and uses a boost token system for prioritizing image generation. In the Edge browser, users can generate four square images, which can be downloaded, shared, or edited in Microsoft Designer. The editing tools in Edge allow for changes in style, orientation, and color. The version of the Image Creator for all browsers excludes on-page AI editing tools and uses a boost token system, where users receive 100 boosts for prioritized image creation. Microsoft Copilot Image Creator is a free alternative to ChatGPT Plus with DALL-E 3, offering similar capabilities. It provides editing tools to adjust images, whereas ChatGPT Plus does not have editing tools and generates new images for each edit. Copilot Image Creator is recommended for those looking for a free and versatile AI text-to-image generator.
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