Saturday, February 08, 2025

Tech

A call for the future

Can't seem to recall what you did on your PC a few minutes ago? Microsoft has a solution.

By Paul Reji George

info@thearabianstories.com

Friday, May 24, 2024

Are you someone who has a photographic memory? For those who aren’t aware of this gift, people with photographic memory can remember details of whatever they observe in great detail without having to look at it again. 

Some claim to read a page once and remember the entire essay word-for-word without missing a beat, while others can describe an image with immense depth with just one glance.

So, what if your PC could do this too? What if you didnt have to miss a single activity that you do on your PC? Welcome to the era of Recall.

Microsoft has just unveiled a revolutionary new feature for Windows 11 laptops called Recall, designed to ensure you never lose track of your digital activities. This cutting-edge tool maintains a comprehensive log of everything you do on your computer, making it easier to find and retrieve your past actions.

Recall captures all your activities on a scrollable timeline. Whether it’s websites you’ve visited, apps you’ve used, or live meetings you’ve attended, Recall has it covered. When you need to find something specific, simply perform a “Recall” action. This advanced search function provides a snapshot of your activities at any given moment, giving you the context you need.

One of the standout features of Recall is its ability to search through live meetings and videos using Live Captions, which transcribe and translate speech in real-time. It’s like having a supercharged memory for your computer. This level of detail ensures that you can revisit and review important discussions or presentations with ease.

Although Microsoft had a similar feature in Windows 10 called Timeline, it was discontinued in 2021. There’s also an app for Mac called Rewind that offers similar functionality. However, Recall is integrated directly into Windows 11, providing a seamless experience that feels native to the operating system.

To use Recall, you’ll need one of the new “Copilot Plus PCs” equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips, which have the necessary neural processing unit (NPU). Additionally, your PC must have at least 256 GB of storage space, with 50 GB available for Recall. By default, Recall uses 25 GB, enough to store about three months of your activities. You can increase this allocation if needed, and older snapshots will be deleted to make room for new ones.

Microsoft assures users that all the information Recall captures remains private and stays on your device. You can pause, stop, or delete what Recall logs and exclude specific apps or websites from being recorded. The feature won’t track private browsing sessions or protected content, but it won’t hide sensitive information like passwords or financial data either, so users should be mindful of what they store.

The introduction of Recall coincides with Microsoft’s launch of a new range of AI-powered devices called Copilot+ PCs. These new PCs are seen as an attempt by Microsoft to leverage the power of generative AI to reignite the long-standing rivalry with Apple MacBooks. Notably, Apple gained an edge with the switch from Intel to its own ARM-based M series chipsets. Now, Microsoft is stepping up the competition with the addition of Snapdragon’s ARM-based chipsets, touted to be around 58% faster and offering 20% longer battery life than the MacBook Air with the M3 chipset.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained the vision behind Recall, stating that it was a dream to introduce photographic memory into what you do on the PC. He said that it’s a semantic search over all your history. And it’s not just about any document; it can recreate moments from the past.

Recall works on the user’s semantic index and leverages the small language model inside the laptop to complete tasks on-device, enhancing user privacy. All screenshots are saved and processed through the on-device model. Users can stop a particular app or website from being tracked by the AI or turn off the feature altogether.

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