Earlier this month, Microsoft started testing of a new taskbar news ticker widget powered by Microsoft News and Bing. Now, that News Feed feature is rolling out to Windows Insiders on the Dev channel as part of Windows 10 Preview build 21292 (Windows 10 21H1).
In the release notes for the new build, Microsoft explains what the news and interests section of the Windows taskbar provides:
“With news and interests on the Windows taskbar, not only do you get quick access to the latest headlines and weather, but you also get real-time traffic conditions and alerts that update throughout the day. If you click on the Traffic card, you’ll see details on the traffic alerts, traffic cameras, and traffic times between nearby cities with a bigger map experience,” Microsoft explains.
Just like the earlier testing phase, the Dev Channel release is limited. Not every Insider on the channel can access the Windows 10 News Feed. Microsoft says it wants a limited testing phase to get as much feedback as possible.
That means the widget remains limited to a select few countries: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and India.
How it Works
When the user clicks the taskbar News Feed icon, it pops out into a full feed of information. Users are able to personalize the content they see and get information such as headlines, weather, and sports news. To power this process, Microsoft is tapping into its own Microsoft News to curate the content.
Microsoft News will surface news from over 4,500 sources. Because Microsoft News largely uses AI to curate content for users these days, the new feed will learn what stories you read and dismiss. Once it understands your tastes, it will tailor content specifically towards you.
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