Microsoft is essentially helping you to shut down those people who love their own voice and want you to love it too. Whether correcting someone or offering an opinion when none was asked, these people can slot down meetings and collaboration. Microsoft agrees. In a recent WorkLab document, the company describes a tier list of meeting interruptions. For example, an unnecessary response of “cool” or “super” would be a mere interruption....

Starting with upcoming features, Microsoft says it is improving the sync engine between various OneNote clients. Essentially, this means you will have a smoother experiences if you use OneNote across devices. For example, starting a note on your Android phone and finishing on PC will be faster and more intuitive. Microsoft says the following features will be coming to the service through the remainder of this year: “Insert and search for tags: OneNote 2016’s popular tags feature is coming to OneNote for Windows 10!...

Microsoft pulled out of the handset market 15 months ago, although the company always said it would return. Since Lumia devices stopped being made, Microsoft has been supporting OEMs with Windows 10 Mobile builds. However, the platform has been declining since Microsoft’s hardware departure. For some reason, many people, including Microsoft, are still optimistic about the future. Just yesterday, CEO Satya Nadella all but confirmed that the company would return to making mobile hardware....

In some ways, it shows the delicate relationships tech companies have with each other. Or maybe it simply highlights that companies are willing to collaborate and work together despite differences in other areas. On the one hand, Microsoft is working with AMD on an important project, while on the other hand is pushing users towards AMD’s rival on Windows 11. We will start with the development of an ARM processor....

“For IoT innovations to be reliable, they must be built on a foundation of security. Qualcomm Technologies will allow partners to innovate with the assurance that their products, customers, and brands are secured,” explained Galen Hunt, distinguished engineer, and managing director, Microsoft Azure Sphere. “The new IoT chipset will light up a broad set of new scenarios at the outer edge—even the most resource-constrained ones. Together with the silicon innovation and cellular and embedded security expertise, Qualcomm Technologies brings, our partners will have the freedom to securely connect devices anytime, anywhere....

Microsoft President Brad Smith, who has led the company’s movement to regulate facial recognition tech, says Washington is the first to start the process. “Washington Governor Jay Inslee has signed landmark facial recognition legislation that the state legislature passed on March 12,” Microsoft president Brad Smith writes on a blog post. “This legislation represents a significant breakthrough, the first time a state or nation has passed a new law devoted exclusively to putting guardrails in place for the use of facial recognition technology....

In the ghost hunting scene, however, it remains popular. Graham Lewis is an Engineer in Sydney and has fashioned a ghost hunting device from a Kinect. It attaches to a portable screen and hard-drive recorder, and so far he’s found the results compelling. “At the Q station I experienced a chilling moment,’‘ Lewis explained to ABC Radio Australia. “On the screen I noticed a small figure the size of a child....

Last month, Microsoft said it will ease pressure on developers by postponing optional updates. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to hamper the ability of developers, the decision made sense. At the time, the company confirmed the suspension would start in May. “We have been evaluating the public health situation, and we understand this is impacting our customers. In response to these challenges we are prioritizing our focus on security updates,” said Microsoft....

This is important because it means Sysmon is now adept at stopping malware that installs with EXE or similar executables. In the changelog for Sysmon v14.0, Microsoft says the following: “This major update to Sysmon, an advanced host monitoring tool, adds a new event type, FileBlockExecutable that prevents processes from creating executable files in specified locations. It also includes several performance improvements and bug fixes.” Olaf Hartong, the maintainer of the Sysmon GitHub repository, explains the new ability will help to stop malicious files from being created....

One of those surprises may be the Surface Centaurus folding laptop device. However, there could also be an announcement regarding a vague Project S. Unfortunately, now a lot is known about this, but Microsoft watcher WalkingCat said on Twitter Microsoft is developing Project S and could introduce it at the Surface event. The reason for that speculation is because Project S looks to be part of Microsoft’s Surface division. Some observers suggested this could be Microsoft’s Santorini Windows 10 development....

While the news is now public, Joe Belfiore told Microsoft management about his plans via internal emails sent on October 27. ZDNet reports that Belfiore made a personal decision to leave Microsoft and is not being pushed out by the company. In terms of the Office Group, the executive structure will remain the same. Belfiore will simply hand off his role to Corporate Vice President Ales Holecek (who has been partnering Belfiore) and Corporate Vice President Sumit Chauhan (previously with Office AI)....

Interestingly, the document also highlighted several “Project Scarlett consoles”. You may remember Project Scarlett was the name Microsoft used for the development of the new Xbox Series X range. Specifically, Anaconda was the fully fledged Series X, Lockhart was the all-digital variant, and both resided under Scarlett. Microsoft referencing multiple Scarlett consoles suggest Project Lockhart is very much alive. This is the second such internal confirmation following Windows 10 documentation also referencing the console earlier this month....

Users have been trying to figure out what on earth the device could be used for, and Windows Central’s Jez Corden seems to have the answer. According to Corden, this controller is designed specifically for accessibility. We have no idea what else it could be used for, so we’re inclined to believe him. Other theories include a DJ deck or drum pad, but neither really hold up to scrutiny....

So much so, that the app hit the #1 trending spot on the Google Play store for a time. Users appear to be drawn by the app, which lets users sync photos and send messages from their phone on PC. Your Phone currently has over 5 million downloads, with support for notifications also in the works. Part of the jump is likely due to Microsoft’s Surface event, where it promoted the app via a dedicated advertisement....

If you’re unfamiliar with Microsoft Search, it leverages the power of Microsoft Graph, the new search experience will work across all core apps, including Bing, Office, Windows 10, and Microsoft Edge, Yammer, and SharePoint. The upside of Microsoft Search is it gives organizations the ability to access business-wide data easily and more or less in real time. “Learning from your everyday work patterns and acting as a brain for your organization, the Microsoft Graph personalizes your experiences everywhere....

Today, Microsoft is highlighting how it has embraced hybrid work within its own organization with the Microsoft Work Trend Index 2022 report. Furthermore, the company is showing how it is integrating hybrid work solutions into its products, such as Microsoft 365, Windows 11, and Microsoft Teams. Starting with the second annual Work Trend Index report, Microsoft surveyed 31,000 people in 31 countries using data from LinkedIn and Microsoft 365. It shows there seem to be a growing disconnect over what businesses expect and what employees want regarding hybrid work....

Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft says the upgrade means game load times and framerates will improve on Xbox Cloud Gaming. The company has been working on this shift for some time, including moving the platform to 60fps and 1080p resolution during the summer. It seems now the full transition is complete. However, users are still not getting the full capabilities of the Xbox Series X. Specifically, there is still not 4K option for Xbox Cloud Gaming....

The Xbox Store differentiates itself from the Windows Store. Its offers applications, but also allows users to buy games. Microsoft has increasingly been blending the experiences with its Universal Windows Platform (UWP) plans. Xbox content has been available on the Windows 10 store for some time. So, it makes sense that Microsoft is making the rebranding across the board. As I wrote earlier this week, the rebranding to a universal Microsoft Store for Windows 10, web, bricks and mortar, and Xbox could be confusing....

Microsoft watcher WalkingCat has found a listing that confirms the Windows Subsystem for Android is still happening. The listing is in the Microsoft Store and includes a special page for the Windows Subsystem for Android. Users can download it from the Microsoft Store, but it shows up on a blank window on Windows 11 previews. In other words, it is not yet ready. As for Windows 10, it will not even install on the soon-to-be legacy platform....

As mentioned, 2018 was a proactive year for Microsoft in terms of Xbox-related acquisitions. The company bought Forza Horizon developer Playground Games. Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion games were purchased in June and confirmed at E3. Many of Microsoft’s Xbox acquisitions continue to operate independently, much like Halo developer 343 Industries. It makes sense to bring all those companies together and Xbox Game Studios seems more fitting. The rebranding was confirmed by Matt Booty, Corporate Vice President for Xbox Game Studios....