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I've been evaluating a number of in-box and Store-based universal Windows apps and plan to expand my use of such apps going forward. But I'm already using, and can recommend, some universal Windows apps today.

Windows Store remains the Achilles heel of the experience. But I still believe that universal apps can be a key differentiator across the hardware platforms that Windows 10 serves, and a key benefit for users.

A few tidbits from around the web: Run Windows 3.x on the web, Microsoft defends Windows 10 for governments, minor Microsoft job cuts in Finland, and Google kills Picasa on the web and on Windows.

Windows Essentials is still available, but this package of desktop apps hasn't been updated in years. And the universal apps that Microsoft bundles with Windows 10 simply aren't up to the task.

Here's a special deal for gamers: Pre-order "Quantum Break" now and receive a free digital copy of that game for Windows 10 as well. And this isn't a one-off: Microsoft intends to make this type of thing---called a cross-buy---a platform feature, and more common as we go forward.

A few tidbits from around the web: Major updates coming to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta and Minecraft: Pocket Edition Explode by the end of the month, LibreOffice 5.1, Apple Music + Sonos, and Google improves Gmail security.

Microsoft announced today that it is expanding the Windows Insider program with a third offering alongside the Fast and Slow rings. It's called the Release Preview ring, and you're never going to believe what Microsoft does next. Just kidding.

Windows 10 prevents you from easily uninstalling some of its core built-in apps. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to get them off your PC. Here's the easiest way to do so.

After months of complaints, Microsoft has finally opened a Windows 10 Update History web site that will document the changes it makes to its flagship OS. The firm had promised last October to become more transparent about these updates.

In a show of support for Microsoft's iOS bridge technologies, a developer has taken an ancient iOS game and ported it without issues to Windows 10. The process, he says, took under 5 minutes.

It's natural to look to the future as we pass the half-way point in the free Windows 10 upgrade life cycle. Will Microsoft as promised make Windows 10 a paid upgrade after this July? Or will it instead do the right thing and step away from the past completely?

Bethesda Softworks announced this week that Id Software's remake of the classic shooter DOOM will return to the PC---and to Xbox One and PlayStation 4---on May 13, 2016.

This week, Microsoft provided some real numbers to bolster its claims of success with Windows Store. But it's not clear they've made their point, or that the central issues with the Store have ever been addressed.

Microsoft has released a new build of Windows 10, 14257 and while there are no new features, there are quite a few bugs squashed.

A report from the industry analysts at Spiceworks claims that Windows 10 adoption in businesses is proceeding at a pace that is double that of Windows 8 from three years ago. I'm most curious why the adoption rate is even faster, however, given how reviled Windows 8 was, especially with businesses.

A few tidbits from around the web: An accessibility update for Windows 10 Mail, Mojang Cobalt ships, Android is the future of Blackberry, and Yahoo is finally starting to make some big changes.

While HoloLens will roll out only in limited form to vertical markets at first, Microsoft is naturally looking to a future of broader consumer applications as well. And this week it came up with a vision of what it could be like to use HoloLens to enjoy NFL football games in the future.

As you may recall, I'm a big fan of the InFocus Kangaroo mini-PC, which offers amazing functional value and a low price. Today, InFocus announced a second model of its mini-PC, called Kangaroo Plus, which provides double the RAM, storage, and performance.

As promised, Microsoft has changed the Windows Update-based Windows 10 upgrade on Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs from an "optional" update to a "recommended" update. This means that more users will be prompted to upgrade to the latest Windows version.

Windows 10 is now the third most-frequently-used personal computer operating system, behind Windows 7 and Windows 8.x. More people now use Windows 10 than Windows XP, as well as every version of Mac OS X combined.

This week's release of Rise of the Tomb Raider on Windows Store has triggered much excitement, given that it's the first AAA Windows Store game. But how does it perform on Microsoft's latest devices?

It's fair to say that the Windows Store has been a wasteland since it debuted in Windows 8. But today marks a major milestone: Rise of the Tomb Raider, the first major game title to ever ship via Windows Store, is now available for purchase.

Here are some tech tidbits from around the web: A prediction about Microsoft's quarterly earnings, an Xbox Beta app for Windows 10 update, new Insider build of Office for Android, and various analysts take on Apple's quarter.

With its Tablet PC initiative faltering in the mid-2000s, Microsoft set out to reinvigorate the segment with a new offering aimed at a new generation of smaller personal computers. Dubbed Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) and code-named Origami, this unique design still reverberates strongly today in various phones and tablets.

Acer and Microsoft revealed this week that they have collaborated on a new Windows 10 laptop aimed at the education market. Dubbed the TravelMate B117, this new laptop provides unique interactive features that are ideal for the classroom.

Microsoft has introduced a new search feature in Windows 10 that makes it easier to filter results and also a couple new power user features too.

Well, they did promise a more rapid release schedule. And today, just 6 days after its previous release, Microsoft has delivered a new build of Windows 10 for PCs for Windows Insiders on the Fast ring. It also explained what's going on with Mobile.