New Dev & Beta builds, Phone Link update, Joe Belfiore, Modern Warfare II

Windows 11

• New Dev build today: Build 25236 feature a minor change to the Windows 11 search experience and a Store UX update
• Dev Build 25231 adds the tablet-optimized taskbar for all Insiders, and the ability to rearrange icons in the (new) System tray
• Beta Build 22623.875 also adds the tablet-optimized taskbar for all Insiders (who are getting new features), plus Taskbar-based access to Task Manager
• Big Phone Link app update for owners of select Samsung Galaxy devices lets them instantly access their phone's hotspot from Quick settings on their PC. (Requires a Samsung device with One UI 4.1.1+ and a PC with Windows 11 build 22621 or higher)

Microsoft 365 

• Here's what Microsoft added to Teams in October. Some of the biggest updates: Assign seats in Together mode, shared content in a separate window, Live Translated Captions (Teams Premium), some new certified hardware, and suggested replies in group chats
• Edge hits 107 but doesn't look a day over 95 - Let's talk about Edge
• The new unified OneNote app is in the Microsoft Store...sort of

Microsoft

• Joe B is retiring - it's not clear what he was doing for the past three years, but we go way back and he's been around since Windows 95

More Earnings

• Intel continues to struggle
• Apple comes on strong, but Mac & iPad were low points
• Samsung's smartphone business grew
• Amazon kills it, but may be lucky to break even in holiday quarter

Xbox

•  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is here. Some thoughts.
• Xbox loses money on each console
• Spencer: Seriously, we are not taking COD off of PlayStation. Think Minecraft
• Spencer takes on Meta's metaverse and once again reveals himself to be the single greatest leader in Big Tech
• Xbox price increases? Probably, but not in 2022
• Microsoft reveals the first Xbox Game Pass titles for November, with a nice surprise
• Games with Gold, meanwhile, is looking a bit sad
• Twitch partners with Xbox for free PC Game Pass subscriptions when you buy Twitch subscriptions
• Sony reports decent earnings, but PlayStation is stumbling
• PS VR2 coming Feb 22 for $550
• Google's Play Games on PC comes to US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore

Tips & Picks

• Tip of the week: It's finally here! The Windows 11 Field Guide eBook
• Tip of the week #2: Using Edge? You need to configure it correctly
• Tip of the week #3: The big asterisk on the Windows Dev Kit 202

Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott

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