The dominance of AMD and Intel could be coming to an end if Qualcomm has its way with its new ARM processors. ARM continues to make headlines with Qualcomm and Apple releasing incredibly powerful desktop and mobile processors and now the former has unveiled support for Linux is already in the works. Qualcomm’s efforts will see Snapdragon X Elite processors booting on Linux and Windows-powered systems.

The company has already upstreamed numerous patchsets for merging into the Linux kernel, including NVMe over PCIe, sound machine driver, PMC8380 PMIC, Pinctrl (TLMM), Phy (PCIe/eDP/USB), reference board support (CRD/QCP), and system cache. These were loaded into Linux kernels 6.8 and 6.9 and shows a strong commitment to supporting not only Windows but the alternative operating systems.

Why is this a big deal for Linux?



Qualcomm showing love for Linux is a massive step forward for the company and the Linux community. Many important features have already made their way into patches but Qualcomm has more in the works for Linux kernel 6.10 and 6.11, including battery, USB host, GPU, external DP, suspend/resume, video, camera, and speakers/microphone/headset.

The Snapdragon X Elite is a powerful CPU, featuring 12 cores that can run up to speeds of 4.3 GHz. It’s a system-on-chip (SoC) design with an Adreno GPU that can handle 4.6 TFLOPs for gaming and other GPU-intensive tasks. And as AI is all the rave right now, the Snapdragon X Elite boasts 45 TOPs for AI-specific workloads.

The roadmap for the next six months includes work in end-to-end hardware video decoding on Firefox and Chrome, CPU and GPU optimizations, power optimizations, making firmware openly available through Linux-firmware, and access to easy installers on Ubuntu and Debian.

Qualcomm published an experimental disk image for a Debian installer and is asking the wider community to monitor their work on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) archive (search for "X1E80100") to inform them of what needs to be added. It’s exciting times ahead for the Linux platform and the PC industry as a whole with more competition gearing up for an expansive launch.

Looking ahead at new Snapdragon PCs

We likely won’t see much in terms of Qualcomm hardware running Linux outside of laptops and other portable devices, but it’ll be interesting to see how far Qualcomm takes its new chips with the desktop market ripe for the taking. May 20th is just around the corner when we'll see a host of devices launch with the new Qualcomm chip and I cannot see Linux being too far behind with this work.

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Next-gen AI experiences and new Arm-powered Surface PCs are on the agenda.


(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is hosting a special event in Seattle on May 20, and as always, the company is remaining tight-lipped about what exactly we're going to see. Luckily, we already have a pretty good idea about what the company intends to talk about, and it's likely to involve Windows, Surface, and yet-to-be-announced AI experiences that will join them together.

Unfortunately, this year's event will not be livestreamed, which means you will have to follow our live blog to see the news as it happens. Or, keep reading for a preview of the announcements I'm expecting to see.


AI experiences in Windows 11 will be the main focus. (Image credit: Windows Central)

Microsoft is expected to spend some time taking the wraps off its next major Windows 11 update, which will ship later this year as the Windows 11 2024 Update. This release will ship first on new Qualcomm Snapdragon X-based PCs launching in June and will roll out to everyone else in the fall.

The big focus for this year's Windows 11 update is on next-gen AI experiences, some of which are expected to require a neural processing unit (NPU) with around 40-45 TOPS of power. Qualcomm's upcoming SoC is capable of running this, and next-gen chips from Intel and AMD coming in 2025 are also expected to run these next-gen AI experiences.

AI Explorer


AI Explorer is expected to be the blockbuster AI feature coming to Windows 11.
(Image credit: Windows Central)

The likely star of the show will be AI Explorer, an internal umbrella term for a number of next-gen AI experiences coming to Windows 11 later this year. AI Explorer will deliver a set of features that utilize next-gen NPU hardware to allow Windows to run AI in the background, which analyzes everything you do and turns that into snapshots and memories that can be recalled at a later date using natural language.

According to my sources, the feature includes a timeline interface that will let you scroll back through all the different things you've done on your PC that the AI has captured, and let you Recall any moment just by typing in a search criteria.

For example, if you were chatting with a friend called Sarah on WhatsApp who casually mentioned a list of movies they wanted to see, typing "show me that list of movies Sarah said she wanted to see" would bring up that exact moment in time when that conversation was happening.

AI Explorer can also analyze what's currently on-screen and provide contextual suggestions based on what it can see. An example of this is looking at two apps or webpages side by side, and asking AI Explorer to compare the two things. Or you could be looking at an image sent to you in an email, and AI Explorer can suggest removing the background of that image using Photos with a single-click.

You can learn more about these upcoming AI Explorer features in my in-depth write-up.

Advanced Windows Studio Effects


Studio Effects will enhance webcam feeds with artistic styles.  (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is also planning to unveil a number of enhanced Windows Studio Effects, specifically with new video effects that will apply filters in real-time in a handful of different artistic styles. These are expected to be built-in to Windows and can be applied in any app that uses the built-in webcam and Studio Effects feed.

Live Captions


Live captions are expected to get an AI upgrade that can translate different languages in real time.
(Image credit: Windows Central)

Live Captions may also get a mention too. I hear Microsoft has been working on a new AI-powered feature that will enable the ability to translate different languages in real time based on whatever audio is being played on the system. Microsoft will tout this as an example of how AI is improving accessibility software.

Local Generative AI


Copilot should gain some local AI capabilities.  (Image credit: Windows Central)

I also expect Microsoft to talk a bit about how it's enabling on-device Generative AI experiences. Up until now, many of the AI experiences on Windows 11 are cloud-based, which allows PCs without NPUs to utilize LLM technology. Starting later this year, Copilot will gain some local generative AI capabilities, reducing their reliance on the cloud on PCs with dedicated NPUs.




The Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will be top billing at this event.  (Image credit: Microsoft)

The other half of this event is expected to be all about Surface and Windows on Arm. Specifically, I am expecting Microsoft to unveil consumer variants of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, both powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Series SoCs.

Qualcomm's new chip beats Intel's latest Core Ultra chips in both performance and efficiency benchmarks, and even trades blows with the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. It's the first Windows on Arm chip that truly competes, and hardware makers are finally confident enough to position Windows on Arm devices as part of their mainstream lineups.

That's what we're going to see with the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 at this event. As far as I'm aware, Microsoft only intends to offer these consumer variants with Arm chips, a first for the Surface line. I also expect other OEMs such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo to announce their own Qualcomm-powered laptops around the same time.

The first Snapdragon X Series-powered laptops are expected to start shipping in June, and Microsoft's Surface Pro and Surface Laptop offerings are expected to be some of the first available.

Surface Laptop


Expect the Surface Laptop to ship with a refreshed design. (Image credit: Windows Central)

It's the Surface Laptop line that's in the most need of a design refresh, and it sounds like that's what we might be getting with the Arm-powered Surface Laptop 6. According to my sources, the new Surface Laptop with Arm will be available in both 13.8- and 15-inch display sizes, both consisting of thinner bezels with rounded display corners.

Additionally, the device is also said to ship with an updated keyboard deck with a larger haptic trackpad, which is said to be similar to the trackpad found on the Surface Laptop Studio 2. I also hear the device will have a revised selection of ports, including one USB-A, two USB-C, and Surface Connect.

Surface Pro


The Arm-powered Surface Pro 10 may ship with an OLED display option.  (Image credit: Microsoft)

As far as I'm aware, the Arm-powered Surface Pro is less of a major update. I expect it to ship with a similar design to the Surface Pro 10 for business, including the rounded display corners that debuted with that model. The device will be available in more colors, as will the Surface Pro Type Cover, which has been updated with a dedicated Copilot key.

I'm told Microsoft is planning to offer the Arm-powered Surface Pro in an OLED display configuration for the first time, matching that of the new iPad Pro. The device will also offer an anti-reflective coating, similar to the Surface Pro 10 for business.

Surface Go 4


Surface Go 4 may finally go on sale for consumers. (Image credit: Future)

While I don't expect this to get a mention during the event, I have heard that Surface Go 4 will be made available to buy for consumers this summer. Up until now, the Surface Go 4 has been exclusively available for commercial customers, but that means you've not been able to find the Surface Go 4 in retail stores like Best Buy or Amazon.

I understand that the Surface Go 4 for consumers will be identical to the Surface Go 4 for commercial customers, meaning it will be powered by the same Intel N200 processor and not an Arm chip.



It's always a possibility that Microsoft may have one or two surprises up its sleeve. I know we're not going to hear about any other Surface products at the event. That means no Surface Laptop Studio, no Surface Studio, and definitely no Surface Duo or headphones. The focus is on Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and Qualcomm's newest SoC.

So, that's everything I'm expecting to see (and not see) during Microsoft's event on May 20. I will be on the ground covering the event as it happens, so keep it locked to Windows Central for all the news.

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Dust buildup is bad for your system, so you should regularly clean your PC tower to keep it free of dirt and grime



Cleaning is a crucial part of the PC maintenance routine, and we can't stress how important it is to regularly dust and clean your PC tower. If you ever peek inside your PC's chassis, and you see piles of dust gathered around the internals, then that's not a good sign. We say that because the dust and grime that's collecting on your PC's power and its internals are not only tarnishing its looks, but they're also significantly affecting your PC's performance by reducing the thermal efficiency of your system.

Even the best PC cases will eventually accumulate enough dust to start impacting your system's performance, so it's important to ensure you're getting rid of the dust frequently. While the process of cleaning your PC tower may sound rather tedious, this step-by-step procedure will help you selectively clean the components that are prone to collecting a lot of dust during everyday usage.

What you’ll need

The prerequisites

Most PC cases use thumbscrews to keep the front and back panels in place, but you’ll need a Phillips screwdriver if you plan to unmount the components during the cleanup procedure.

As for the cleaning tools, you’ll need a can of compressed air to get rid of all the dust and debris on your components. Additionally, you’ll need some isopropyl alcohol wipes to properly clean the non-fragile PC parts. You can technically use rubbing alcohol, but I would advise against it as rubbing alcohol contains more traces of water, which can harm your PC's internals. As such, you should typically use isopropyl alcohol with over 90% alcohol concentration when you clean your PC.

Before you begin

Prepare your PC for a clean-up

There are certain steps you should take to ensure that you don't harm yourself or your PC during the cleanup procedure.

1. Turn off your PC and unplug all the cables connected to it.

2. Press and hold the power button for at least 20 seconds to drain all residual power from the PSU.

3. Move the PC tower to a well-ventilated area to ensure that the dust does not settle back into your rig after you finish cleaning it.

4. Remove the front and side panels after loosening the thumb screws that hold them in place.

How to clean the dust out of your PC tower

A step-by-step guide

Cleaning your PC is a lot easier than you think because dust tends to gather around the fans and on the surface of the components instead of settling inside the parts. The most dust-attracting components of your PC are the dust filters, cabinet fans, GPU fans, and the CPU cooler, so you should focus on these parts during the cleanup procedure.

1. Start by removing the dust filters from your cabinet and cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol wipes.



2. Use a compressed air duster to get rid of the dirt and dust accumulated on the case fans. Alternatively, you can use a microfiber cloth to gently clean them, but you'd want to detach them from the cabinet to avoid damaging them.



3. Next up is the GPU. While you can remove most of the dust from your GPU by simply blowing air on it using a compressed air duster, I’d recommend removing the GPU from the case for thorough cleaning. Detach the PSU wires from the GPU, loosen the expansion slot screws securing it in place, and gently unmount the GPU while pressing down on the PCIe latch.

4. Using a finger or a toothpick, hold the GPU fans in place while you clean them with the compressed air can.



5. If the RAM sticks have some dirt gathered around them, you can blow it away using the compressed air duster.

6. If you want to properly clean the dust off your CPU's cooler, you’ll have to detach the fan from the heat sink. Some CPU fans are attached to the heatsink via latches, allowing you to easily disconnect them, while others require you to unmount the entire cooler from the CPU before you can separate the fan from the heatsink. Consult its manual before going ahead with the unmounting process. Use the same procedure you followed when cleaning the GPU fans to dislodge dirt and grime from the CPU fan and heatsink.

It only takes a few minutes to clean the PC tower regularly



Although your PC is now dust-free, you’ll notice that it’s left in a disassembled state. Once you’re done putting your rig back together, be sure to regularly clean the dust filters every other week and the cabinet fans every three months to prevent dust from gathering inside your PC tower. Cleaning them every once in a while will also help improve your system temperatures.

If you want to improve your PC's thermal efficiency even further, consider looking into the cases with the best airflow. You may be inclined to believe that more airflow is synonymous with increased dust accumulation, but many of these cabinets have dust filters around the intake fans to ensure they don't get clogged with dirt.

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Arm is set to develop artificial intelligence processors for its parent company Softbank, which plans to use them in its own datacenters, reports Nikkei. This will mark a significant step in Softbank's CEO Masayoshi Son's vision to transform the company into an AI-driven conglomerate with a projected investment of 10 trillion yen ($64 billion).

The UK-based Arm will create a specialized division dedicated to AI chips, with the goal of having a prototype ready by spring 2025. Following the prototype processor in spring 2025, mass production of Arm's processors is anticipated to commence in the fall of 2025 at a contract maker of chips, such as TSMC, Samsung Foundry, or Intel.

SoftBank intends to build datacenters using its own processors across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East by 2026. Due to the substantial power requirements of data centers, the company will reportedly also expand into power generation. Plans include the development of wind and solar power facilities, with an eye on pioneering next-generation fusion technology, Nikkei claims.

SoftBank, which owns a 90% stake in Arm, will cover the initial development expenses, expected to run into hundreds of billions of yen. Once the processor is in mass production, the AI chip business might be separated and operated under the SoftBank umbrella, reports Nikkei. Meanwhile, it is unclear whether Arm will make the design available to its clients. It is also unclear how Arm's customers will see this plan as Softbank will compete not only against developers of chips that license technology from Arm, but also against cloud companies, such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Son's broader strategy involves leveraging AI to enhance capabilities across datacenters, robotics, and power generation sectors. SoftBank's commitment is to fuse cutting-edge AI, processors, and robotics technologies to drive innovation across various industries. 

The Softbank CEO has been proactive globally, traveling to key technology hubs in Taiwan and the U.S., and meeting with industry leaders to garner support for his AI initiatives. He has emphasized the potential of artificial general intelligence to revolutionize sectors like shipping, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, and logistics.

The market for AI processors is growing rapidly and is expected to balloon from $30 billion this year to more than $100 billion by 2029, and surpassing $200 billion by 2032, according to estimates cited by Nikkei. Despite Nvidia's current leadership in the market, the company is struggling to meet surging demand for its AI processors, such as the H100, which is an opportunity for SoftBank.

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Whether you're dealing with mumblings from meetings, noises from notifications, or music from commute-time streaming, you've never experienced sound on your phone like this.


CREDIT: JR RAPHAEL/GOOGLE/BRONEARTULM

Every now and then, I come across an Android customization concept so clever, so cool, so splendidly useful that I just can’t wait to share it with you.

Today, my fellow Android-appreciating animal, is one of those days.

The concept in question is a hefty and exceptionally practical upgrade for your Android audio experience. It brings a boost to the way you interact with sound on whatever Android device you’re using, no matter who made it or how old it may be. And it’ll take you less than a minute to get going (though, if you enjoy geeking out over details as much as I do, you may find yourself fine-tuning its setup and exploring advanced options within it for a while beyond that).

I’m tellin’ ya: It’s one heck of an improvement. And unlike most of the stuff we’re bound to hear about at Google’s grand I/O gala next Tuesday, it’s something you can start using this very second — and something with an impact that’ll be immediately obvious and genuinely advantageous all throughout your day, both for professional work-related purposes and for any after-hours audio adventuring.

Ready for a whole new level of Android aural pleasure?

Meet your Android audio enhancement

The upgrade of which we speak may seem simple on the surface, but don’t be fooled: This nifty little lift will affect all aspects of your Android-using experience and make your life easier — even saving you time and increasing your efficiency — countless times a day.

It’s a completely new take on the Android volume panel — y’know, the little slider that shows up whenever you tap your phone’s physical volume keys. Unless you’re a complete and total nerd (hello!), that’s probably a part of the Android interface you haven’t spent much time thinking about. But believe you me, once you see how much of a meaningful difference this improvement introduces, you’ll wonder how you went so long without it.

Our upgrade comes by way of a thoughtfully crafted app called Precise Volume 2.0. The app essentially replaces your standard volume panel interface with a totally different, much more customizable, and delightfully feature-rich alternative. (And, yes, you’d better believe this is another one of those wonderful control-claiming superpowers that’d be possible only on Android.)

But enough with the broad blathering. Precise Volume has six especially noteworthy benefits that I’d encourage you to consider:

1. It empowers you to create all sorts of custom presets — specific sets of volume levels for media, ring and notification noises, call and alarm chimes, and even general system sounds — and then activate those with a single swift tap right from your regular volume panel pop-up.

2. It includes easy options for automation, too, so you can instantly have your phone change its volume settings in any specific way anytime a particular app is opened, anytime a specific Bluetooth or wired device is connected, or even anytime a certain day and time arrives.

3. It expands the standard system volume sliders to make ’em much more precise, with a visible zero to 100 scale that lets you get super-nuanced about the exact volume level you want for any given moment or purpose. You can even increase that scale, if you want extra control beyond that, and make your volume sliders operate on a zero to 1,000 step increment setup (or any other measure you like).

4. It includes simple equalizer settings, which can make any audio you’re hearing sound noticeably better and can also be included in those presets and automations we just went over. These settings can even make your phone’s maximum volume higher, if you find things are occasionally too quiet.

5. It adds in a not-yet-broadly-available Android-15-style volume panel expansion that makes all your audio controls even easier to manage from anywhere.

6. And it brings that simple, standard Android design into the volume panel on any device — delivering quite an improvement over the murky mess present on phones by Samsung and other heavy-handed companies by default.


THE PRECISE VOLUME PANEL IN ITS INITIAL FORM, AT LEFT, AND FULLY EXPANDED, AT RIGHT.
Credit: JR RAPHAEL, IDG

Not bad, right? Now, there is one catch: For the full set of features, including the volume panel replacement, you’ll have to pony up six bucks as an in-app purchase for Precise Volume’s Pro version. But you can play around with some of the features even in the app’s free version. And if you like what you find, you’ll likely find that one-time purchase to be very worth its weight.

So let’s get started, shall we?

60 seconds to smarter Android audio

First things first, on the simplest possible level:

• Download Precise Volume 2.0 from the Play Store.

• Open it up and accept the couple of permissions it requests. (They’re completely innocuous and required for parts of the app’s operation.)

• Explore the app’s tabs and the options within ’em to play around with the presets and other features.

For the full-fledged volume replacement panel at the heart of this conversation, meanwhile:

• Tap the Settings tab at the bottom of the Precise Volume interface.

• Tap “Volume Button Override.”

• Flip the toggle next to “Enabled,” then follow the prompts to upgrade to the app’s Pro version.

• Once that’s done, tap that toggle again, then follow the prompt to allow Precise Volume the ability to display itself over other apps. That’s needed for reasons that should be obvious, and there’s no harm in allowing it.

• Once that’s done, tap that toggle one more time — and this time, follow the prompt to enable the app as an Android accessibility service. That may sound scary, but it’s genuinely required for an app to be able to process your physical button presses in this way and effectively replace a part of the system interface. And Precise Volume is extremely up front about the exact reasons for all of its permission requirements and the fact that it doesn’t collect, store, or share any form of personal data.

   • After you select the app’s name, be sure to flip the topmost toggle to turn its accessibility service on — not the lower toggle
      to activate it as an accessibility shortcut.

   • And note that on a Samsung phone, this part of the process is unnecessarily convoluted. After selecting the option to
      enable the accessibility service, you’ll have to tap “Installed apps” and then find Precise Volume 2.0 in the list before you’ll
      see the relevant option.

And that’s it! Just head back to your home screen and then press your phone’s physical volume-up or volume-down key, and you should see the new Precise Volume panel appear in place of the standard volume pop-up. You can then get to the expanded bottom-of-screen interface by tapping the three dot icon within the regular side-of-screen panel.


THE PRECISE VOLUME PANEL IN ACTION — FROM ZERO TO 100. Credit: JR RAPHAEL, IDG

Beyond that, you’ll absolutely want to spend a bit of time in the “Manage Volume Presets” area of Precise Volume’s Settings tab. That’s where you can create those one-tap presets we talked about a minute ago.


PRECISE VOLUME’S PRESETS MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE COMPLETE AUDIO SETTINGS FOR ANY
SPECIFIC SCENARIO.
JR RAPHAEL, IDG

The “Automation” area of that same tab is where you can configure simple automations for what happens when specific apps are opened, specific devices are connected, or specific days and times occur — if, say, you want your media volume to bump up and your notification volume to go all the way down whenever you open Google Meet or maybe your notification and ring volume to bump up during the workday but then drop back down in the evenings.


PRECISE VOLUME’S AUTOMATIONS OPEN THE DOOR TO ALL SORTS OF STEP-SAVING SMARTNESS.
Credit: JR RAPHAEL, IDG

The “Behavior” section within that same tab is where you can control the precise nuance level of your volume slider, if you want to make the control even finer than the default zero to 100 scale.


MAKE YOUR VOLUME CONTROL AS NUANCED AS YOU WANT WITH PRECISE VOLUME’S “STEPS” SETTING.
Credit: JR RAPHAEL, IDG

And the Equalizer tab at the bottom of the Precise Volume app is the place where — well, y’know. All that equalizer stuff, including the volume booster, resides.


IT MAY SOUND TECHNICAL, BUT PRECISE VOLUME’S EQUALIZER AREA IS FULL OF SIMPLE,
EFFECTIVE ENHANCEMENTS. Credit: JR RAPHAEL, IDG

And there ya have it: an awesome Android audio upgrade. The power is now at your fingertips, and a smarter, more efficient, and more powerful way of interacting with audio on your phone will always be present and waiting to be called into action.

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