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Microsoft just announced that the Windows 10 Creators Update will start rolling out on April 11, building upon the foundation laid by vanilla Windows 10 and its subsequent “November” and “Anniversary” updates. While not every feature that Microsoft promised at the Creators Update’s reveal last fall actually made the final cut, it’s still overflowing with helpful new extras that polish rough edges and just plain make things more fun.

You’ll need to read PCWorld’s comprehensive Windows 10 Creators Update review for our hands-on impressions, or PCWorld’s mammoth Creators Update roundup for nitty-grittier feature details, but here are the five biggest changes you’ll encounter when it rolls out to your device.

1. A better install

The first change you’ll notice in the Windows 10 Creators Update is literally the first thing you’ll see when you boot up: An improved installation process.

Mark Hachman

The Windows 10 Creators Update’s new privacy options during the initial setup.

Microsoft’s taken a lot of heat for Windows 10’s deeper hooks into your personal data. The Creators Update addresses that concern with the introduction of an easy-to-parse privacy dashboard that’s now integrated directly into the installation setup. It’s a handy overview of your broad options. Don’t want every aspect of your system beamed back to Microsoft? Turn the diagnostics to Basic. Don’t want Cortana listening to your microphone, awaiting a verbal summons? Disable speech recognition. (You may still want to dig into Settings privacy section for more granular controls, however.)

IDG / Mark Hachman

Setting up the Windows 10 Creators Update with a cheery Cortana.

Note that disabling speech recognition kills another key new installation highlight: The Windows 10 Creators Update’s setup process can be done almost hands-free with Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant if you have a working microphone. Cortana narrates your options, you tell her what you want, and it’s over in less than five minutes. Nifty!

2. A more helpful Cortana

Speaking of Cortana, the digital assistant’s picked up some other new tricks. Perhaps most notably, the enhanced full-screen version that debuted on the Anniversary Update’s lock screen branches out in the Creators Update, appearing whenever you verbally summons Cortana, whether your PC’s idle or locked for 10 seconds or more.

IDG / Mark Hachman

Setting up a recurring reminder with Cortana.

The Windows 10 Creators Update finally gives Cortana the ability to set recurring reminders, so Microsoft’s assistant can help you remember to pay your bills or attend your weekly board game session. And Cortana recently gained the opt-in ability to scan your Office 365 or Outlook email account for commitments you’ve made and automatically configure reminders. So if you told someone you’d book a reservation or deliver a presentation on a certain time, Cortana will toss you a reminder when that time comes—no action needed on your end.

3. Edge enhancements

After months of losing market share to Chrome, Microsoft’s rolling out a raft of new features to lure you back to Windows 10’s Edge browser.

IDG / Mark Hachman

Edge’s new Books section is how you access its e-reader capabilities.

Two of the major draws revolve around downtime. First and foremost, Edge is the only browser that can play Netflix videos at 1080p resolution rather than 720p, and the Creators Update ups that to 4K support. You’ll need a 4K monitor and a bleeding-edge PC with an Intel Kaby Lake processor, though—and hopefully no data cap. Edge is a basic e-reader now too, tying into the Windows Store’s newfound Books section. You’ll find your available books in aptly named new “Books” section of Edge’s “Hub” menu (where you’ll also find webpage bookmarks and articles stashed for later).

Brad Chacos

If you’re a tab addict, you might love Edge’s last major addition: the ability to set aside tabs for later perusal. At any point, you can click the new Set these tabs aside button to the left of the URL bar to whisk them away to a new holding pen for later re-summoning. It’s all or nothing, though; if you want to keep some of the tabs open, you’ll need to move them to another Edge window. Once you’ve set some tabs aside, click the black Tabs you’ve set aside icon to the left of the stashing button to see what you’ve got stored for safekeeping.

4. A focus on gaming

The Creators Update places a larger focus on gaming, adding a new Gaming hub in the Settings app. The Gaming hub yanks Windows 10’s Game Bar and Game DVR options from the Xbox app (huzzah!) and includes settings for two new features: Broadcasting and Game Mode.

Microsoft

Broadcasting Minecraft with Beam.

Broadcasting is where you’ll fine-tune the Creators Update’s newfound ability to stream games to your Xbox Live friends via Microsoft’s Beam service. The available settings are pitiful compared to Twitch’s options, though that also makes streaming dead-simple. It’ll probably be most useful if you primarily game on an Xbox console and have a deep friends list there, or if you’ve been picking up pals in Xbox Live-powered Play Anywhere games that have appeared on PCs, like Gears of War 4 or Forza Horizon 3.

You can start streaming your games by opening the Game Bar using the Win + G command and selecting the streaming option.

Microsoft

Windows 10’s Game Mode in Forza Horizon 3.

The Creators Update’s new Game Mode can potentially speed up and smooth out your gameplay by dedicating a given number of your CPU’s threads and your graphics card’s processing cycles to your game, reducing the threat of background tasks influencing performance. Some Windows Store games will be whitelisted (and Microsoft says Game Mode will work better with Windows Store games) but you’ll be able to enable Game Mode with any title in the Game Bar’s settings. Don’t expect miracles though; Microsoft predicts just a 2 to 5 percent performance uplift in CPU- or GPU-bound games.

We’ll have hands-on guides for both Beam broadcasting and Game Mode very soon.

5. Paint 3D

Let’s be frank: A lot of the niftier 3D and VR stuff promised for the Creators Update didn’t make it to the finished product. There’s no scanning app for Windows Phones to turn physical objects into 3D digital items, no 3D support in Office apps, and no wild user-facing VR capabilities. But the next-gen Paint 3D app is there, and it’s a blast.

Paint 3D exists to make crafting cartoony 3D scenes fast, fun, and easy. The app also hooks into Microsoft’s new Remix 3D website, where you’ll find fresh 3D objects created and shared by other Paint 3D users. It’s a blast.

Unfortunately, Microsoft’s Paint 3D tutorial is overly complicated, and the program doesn’t explain itself very well. Check out PCWorld’s guide to using Paint 3D and you’ll be creating awesome 3D landscapes in no time.

The rest

These flagship features are just the tip of the iceberg, though. Microsoft’s upgrade is utterly brimming with new goodies and tweaks. For a more in-depth examination, be sure to check out PCWorld’s Windows 10 Creators Update review as well as our roundup of all of the Creators Update’s best new features. This rabbit hole goes deep.

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At the end of every month, we recap the biggest tech and startup happenings in Rhode Island. We have an archive of past roundups here. To get this info weekly (Tuesday afternoons, to be exact), sign up for the Rhode Island Inno Beat newsletter.

Let’s take a look.

The Providence Journal reported that Gov. Gina Raimondo’s latest budget includes a new $1.3 million tax credit for “early stage” companies or those “substantially increasing its investment in research and development.” The tax credits would be worth 22.5 percent of the cost of that new research up to $250,000 per company. Current law provides a 5 percent credit for research costs, but many technology startups generate little in the way of profits or tax liability and don’t benefit. By being able to sell the credits to more mature companies, the Raimondo administration hopes to make it much more valuable for early-stage ventures.
Inspire Environmental, a Middletown firm specializing in environmental assessments and seafloor mapping, will relocate to the new Innovate Newport business incubator expected to open this winter, Providence Business News reported. The firm will be the largest tenant at the Innovate Newport incubator, occupying about 4,350 square feet on the building’s second floor. The $7 million-plus construction project involves converting the former Sheffield School on Broadway into an office space and amenities for small companies, startups and entrepreneurs. The project is spearheaded by the City of Newport and the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, which also is relocating to the incubator site. Towerhill Associates will be another tenant.
Gov. Raimondo and University of Rhode Island President David Dooley debuted three Rhode Island Innovation campuses, which together represent the initiative’s first round of projects. The trio of campuses includes the University of Rhode Island and Arizona State University Innovation Hub, the Rhode Island “iHub” and Rhode Island Agricultural Innovation & Entrepreneurship Campus. The private investment in the URI-affiliated projects is expected to top $122 million, a figure that is 10 times the state’s investment.
CVS Health will spend $100 million over the next five years to support community health programs following its roughly $70 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna, according to CNBC. The initiative, dubbed “Building Healthier Communities,” seeks to improve access to affordable health care, manage health challenges like chronic conditions and opioids and partner with communities. The bulk of the funding will come from the CVS Health Foundation and Aetna Foundation, with the rest coming from the company.
The entity formerly known as MedMates has rebranded. Now known as Rhode Island Bio, the 2011-born group still works to coalesce the life science industry throughout southeastern New England.`Additionally, Rhode Island Bio has become the official affiliate of Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and will “work to secure resources for the Rhode Island life sciences community and provide its members with exclusive access to events, materials and supplies, workspaces, growth partners and more.”
Our deep dive showed how Ocean State Job Lot, one of Rhode Island’s largest employers has survived for more than 40 years using one consistent business model: Finding the best deals on merchandise and then passing the savings to the customer. Also of note, the national retailer has developed a new website and is even considering ecommerce.
Blue tech champion SeaAhead announced it will be establishing a hub at the Cambridge Innovation Center next month. SeaAhead catalyzes the intersection of oceans, innovation and sustainability.” The entity’s influence covers southern New England, 75 miles around its headquarters in Providence.
Four Rhode Island companies represented the Ocean State this month at the Consumer Electric Show in Las Vegas hosted by the Consumer Technology Association. The event showcases more than 4,500 companies displaying over 4.5 million net square feet across the city. These organizations exhibited their newest tech, hardware and other products to more than 180,000 attendees from 150 countries. The event also boasts over 250 sessions of programming.
Seventeen Rhode Island-based food businesses began the Social Enterprise Greenhouse Food Accelerator program earlier this month. The accelerator, SEG’s signature venture development program, includes a 12-week blended learning model that provides high impact social entrepreneurs the tools, networks and resources to validate their idea, understand their customer and formalize growth strategies from fundraising to social impact measurement.
This March, Rhode Island Inno is bringing the tech and startup communities together for some healthy competition — bracket-style. Submit your nomination here or complete the form below. Tech Madness is our annual bracket challenge designed to generate awareness and excitement for the city’s ecosystem, and those that are driving it forward. Rhode Island Inno will assemble a bracket of private, fast-growing, tech-enabled local businesses and seed them based on funding. Then, we’ll ask the community to vote on each matchup in every round. Companies go head-to-head, with Rhode Island Inno’s readers determining who moves on by answering just one question: “Who would you invest in?”

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Windows 10 Creators Update: The 5 biggest changes

Ocean State Update: The Biggest Rhode Island Tech & Startup News From January