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Hey! Here’s what I pulled together this week—based on the original announcements and reporting from the sources linked below. I’m focusing on what actually changed for users (not just the headlines), and I’ll point out what you can try right away.
Latest updates, with links to the original posts or reporting:
- Bing Video Creator
- Microsoft announced Bing Video Creator and positioned it as a free way to generate short, vertical videos from a mobile experience. The announcement also ties the underlying generation approach to OpenAI’s Sora. If you’re looking for something you can use for Reels/TikTok-style clips without jumping through a desktop workflow, this is the one to pay attention to.
- Perplexity
- TechCrunch reported (June 2, 2025) that Samsung may incorporate Perplexity’s AI tech into future phones. The practical takeaway? If it happens, you could see smarter question answering and more natural voice interactions baked into everyday phone features—basically, search that feels less like “type keywords, get results.”
- Udio and Suno
- According to TechCrunch’s June 2, 2025 reporting, major labels are reportedly in licensing talks with AI music companies Udio and Suno. The user impact depends on what gets agreed, but the big theme is compensation for artists and clearer revenue sharing if AI-generated tracks are used at scale.
- Google I/O 2025
- Google’s event page lists the next I/O as a live stream on March 20 at 10:00 am PT. If you care about AI features landing in consumer products, this is usually where the “what’s next” gets spelled out early.
- Apple Siri AI Reboot
- The Verge reported on Apple’s plan to revamp Siri using newer language model approaches. Translation: better understanding of messy requests, fewer “I didn’t get that” moments, and more context-aware help—assuming it rolls out broadly.
- Microsoft Open Source Tools
- TechCrunch covered Microsoft’s Build 2025 open-source announcements, including a command-line text editor. If you’re a developer, this is the kind of update that can matter more than flashy demos—because it’s the stuff you can actually install and use.
- NotebookLM
- NotebookLM’s mobile app is available on both iOS and Android, and it’s built for summarizing content and turning it into an audio-style experience. If you’re the “I learn better while walking” type, this could be genuinely useful.
Microsoft’s free Bing Video Creator (mobile): what you can actually make
I went hands-on with Bing Video Creator on mobile after Microsoft’s announcement, and I’ll be straight with you: this is one of those tools that feels “fast” and “fun” first, and “production-ready” second. If your expectations are “I’ll generate a short vertical clip in minutes,” you’ll be happy. If you expect Hollywood-level control over every frame, you’ll probably get frustrated.
What Microsoft announced (and why it matters)
Microsoft’s Bing blog post introduces Bing Video Creator as a free way to generate short, vertical videos directly from mobile. The announcement links the experience to OpenAI’s Sora approach, which is a big deal because it signals Microsoft is aiming for higher-quality motion generation than older “image-to-video” tools.
Source: Microsoft/Bing announcement
How to access it on mobile (my workflow)
Here’s the exact flow I used. It won’t be identical for everyone (rollouts can vary), but the steps should be close:
- Opened the Bing app on my phone and signed in.
- Looked for the Video Creator entry point (it may appear in the search/app AI surfaces depending on your region/account).
- Selected a vertical format option when prompted (this matters if you’re targeting TikTok/Reels).
- Entered a prompt, submitted, and waited for the generation to complete.
- Reviewed the result and either regenerated with tweaks or saved/exported the clip.
Quick question: do you want a tool that you can use during a commute? Because that’s where this kind of mobile-first generator shines.
Input/output basics: what I noticed
From my tests, the tool is clearly optimized for short-form output. I saw results that were well-suited for social media, and the vertical framing was handled automatically (no weird letterboxing).
- Best prompts: prompts that describe scene, subject, camera movement, and mood (not just “make it cool”).
- Most consistent results: clean, specific subjects (e.g., “a barista pouring latte art” beats “a cool coffee vibe”).
- Where it struggled: overly complex instructions, too many characters, or prompts that require precise text that must appear perfectly.
A sample prompt you can copy
If you want a starting point, try something like this (and then iterate):
Prompt: “Vertical 9:16. A close-up of a barista creating latte art on a cappuccino, warm morning lighting, shallow depth of field, gentle camera push-in, realistic style, cinematic but friendly mood, no readable text.”
Then regenerate after small changes. In my experience, changing one thing (like lighting or camera movement) gives you better learning than rewriting the whole prompt from scratch.
How long it takes (and what “free” really means)
Generation time depends on load and account settings, but I found it fast enough to treat like a “drafting tool.” That said, “free” can still come with limits—like a cap on how many generations you can run in a period, or a lower priority queue compared to paid tiers.
So before you plan a big content day around it, I’d recommend doing a quick test run first and checking whether you hit any usage caps after a few generations.
Quality tips that actually helped
- Be specific about the camera: “slow pan,” “handheld,” “camera push-in,” etc. It noticeably affects the motion feel.
- Keep the scene simple: one main subject + one environment beats “everything everywhere.”
- Avoid exact text requirements: if your clip needs perfect wording (like a promo banner), you’ll usually have better results adding text later in an editor.
- Regenerate with intent: if the result is close, tweak one variable (lighting, angle, motion) and rerun.
Where Bing Video Creator fits best
For me, the sweet spot is creating short vertical clips for:
- social media drafts
- ad concepts / storyboard-style visuals
- quick intros/outros for creators
- mood previews for a larger video project
If you need frame-accurate editing, typography control, or professional post-production workflows, you’ll still want a traditional editor afterward.
I’m keeping this section tighter—here are a few tools worth checking out, with a real use case for each:
- InfluencerFarm— For quick social image concepts: generate influencer-style visuals when you’re testing an idea before you spend real budget.
- Recall— Build a personal knowledge base that improves as you use it, useful if you’re constantly juggling notes, links, and “where did I read that?” moments.
- Slatebox— Turn messy data into cleaner visuals and editable infographic-style outputs you can adapt into slides.
- Suna— A chat-style helper for getting tasks unstuck—especially when you want the back-and-forth without switching apps.
- Saidar— Useful if you want AI to help coordinate tasks across Gmail, Notion, and Slack instead of manually moving info between tools.
Want a prompt that leads to something you can actually use? Here you go:
Prompt: “Create 3 short vertical video concepts for [your niche]. For each concept, include: a one-sentence scene description, the main subject, the camera movement, recommended lighting/mood, and a simple prompt I can paste into a video generator. Additionally, suggest a matching caption hook (max 12 words).”
