Notepad.exe Embraces the Future with Powerful AI Enhancements

By Er. kamalanathan_ j

Notepad, one of Microsoft's oldest apps, has seen remarkable transformations during the Windows 11 era. Previously unchanged since the '90s, the basic text editor has been revamped with a visual redesign, spellcheck, autocorrect, and window tabs.

In line with Microsoft's AI ambitions, Notepad's latest update introduces "Rewrite," a generative AI feature now in preview for Canary and Dev Windows Insiders. This feature allows users to modify the length, tone, and phrasing of selected text, offering three rewritten options to choose from or allowing them to generate new alternatives.

Leveraging the same technology as the Copilot assistant, Rewrite utilizes cloud-based processing and requires a Microsoft account for access. This initial preview is available in the US, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany.

What do you think of these enhancements to Notepad?

Paint and Prism Get Supercharged with AI and Enhanced Features

Microsoft is rolling out new generative fill and erase features to Paint, which has recently gained several AI-driven image generation and editing tools. The generative fill feature allows users to select part of an image and type a prompt to generate AI content within that area, while generative erase removes objects from a selected area and attempts to recreate the background. Notably, generative fill is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite chips, while generative erase will be available on any Windows 11 PC.

On the technical front, the latest Windows Insider Canary channel build has introduced new features to Prism, Microsoft's rebranded x86-to-Arm app translation layer for ARM-powered Windows PCs, such as those with Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models. The Prism update now supports newer x86 CPU instructions crucial for gaming and high-end professional applications, including AVX and AVX2 extensions. While these extensions were previously available only for Adobe's Premiere Pro in Windows 11 24H2, the new update makes them accessible to all apps.

However, Prism still lacks support for AVX512 extensions, a feature that even modern Intel processors have largely abandoned. These new extensions are restricted to fully 64-bit Intel applications and do not support 32-bit apps or 64-bit apps that rely on a 32-bit helper to detect CPU features.

What do you think of these new updates to Paint and Prism?

These updates to Paint and Prism are really exciting and seem to be pushing the envelope of what these tools can achieve.

For Paint, the addition of generative fill and erase features is a game-changer. Imagine being able to modify images just by typing a prompt or easily removing objects and having the background seamlessly recreated. It transforms Paint from a basic image editor into a powerful tool for creative projects and quick edits. The only downside is that generative fill is limited to certain high-end PCs, but generative erase being available on all Windows 11 PCs is definitely a win for users.

On the Prism side, adding support for newer x86 CPU instructions, including AVX and AVX2 extensions, is crucial for improving the performance of games and professional applications on ARM-powered devices. This step could significantly enhance the usability and versatility of ARM-powered Windows PCs, making them more competitive. However, the lack of AVX512 support might still be a limitation for some high-end users, but given even Intel's modern processors are moving away from AVX512, it's a reasonable trade-off.

Overall, these updates reflect Microsoft's commitment to integrating advanced AI features and improving cross-platform performance, which can only be beneficial for users. What are your thoughts on these updates? Do you think they'll make a big difference in your daily tasks or creative projects?