Started in 1994, the Superbrands survey results in a list based on the opinion of 2,500 people. They are asked to rank 1,500 UK brands for quality, reliability and distinction. It is not necessarily about how recognized a brand is, otherwise a company like Apple could well top both business and consumer lists. Also, Google would conceivably own the consumer rankings because of Android. However, consumers are clearly ranking the company on its other Google-branded products....

This finalized build has already passed through the Alpha, Beta, and select Delta Insiders. After this testing phase, Microsoft has now sent the Xbox One Fall Update to the Preview Delta and Omega branches. For Xbox Insider Program members, this means the RTM version is available to all Insiders. For reference, the build number is 1710.171009. The release comes with Microsoft’s overhauled dashboard for the Xbox One. The new UI adds customization options such as “Content Blocks” and a new Xbox Guide....

DACA is an Obama-era program that the Trump Presidency has repealed. DREAMers are immigrants who entered the United States illegally as a minor. Under the new administration, these now-adult people will now have to leave once their current work permit had ended (up to a maximum of two years). Microsoft promised it would legally back DREAMers and the first evidence of that has happened. The company has partnered with Princeton University to defend one of its students....

The new Insider preview introduces some new features, while Microsoft has also made the normal unnamed performance improvements and bug fixes. In terms of new features, Microsoft has added animated 3D objects to the Excel app in Office. These animations bring more dynamism to spreadsheets with objects moving within the document. Elsewhere, Outlook has an improved folder support system. Microsoft says it has removed the 500 folder limit within shared mailboxes....

Michigan-based Packerland Broadband will leverage TV Whites Spaces to bring high-speed internet to rural areas in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The collaboration is initially for four years. Microsoft’s technology will extend the reach of Packerland’s fiber-coax wireless delivery. Also part of the partnership, the internet provider will supply Office 365, Windows hardware, and Microsoft Azure services to consumers, students, and organizations in the region. Furthering Azure adoption, Packerland will also make the cloud platform a bigger part of its operations....

That build is known as Sun Valley, or what we thought would be Windows 10 version 21H2. We know the update will introduce features from the cancellation of Windows 10X and a new design, but is that enough? At the moment, there seems to be nothing coming to Sun Valley that is big enough to move to Windows 11. It seems my concerns are not unique as plenty of Windows 10 users have since taken to social media to agree....

Among the new features bundled into the PowerShell 7 package, Microsoft has added an easier way to see errors and new operators to the shell. Furthermore, a new compatibility layer for importing modules is also available, although only in Windows. Other new features include automatic notifications for new versions, alongside APIs and bug fixes. While there are no sweeping changes in PowerShell 7.1, it makes some tweaks and additions to version 7....

Unfortunately, the fix did not come with a Windows 10 cumulative update (Build 18362.207) last week. In that particular release, Microsoft is issue fixes for Internet Explorer, and a bug in the Night Light. As for problems with the Windows Sandbox, they are likely to be solved in July. Microsoft confirmed the problem is still in Windows 10 May 2019 Update and no workaround is available: “Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903,” the company said in the changelog....

We have seen services under severe strain from more people using the internet, cloud, and streaming. For example, Microsoft Teams saw its daily active userbase double to 44 million within a week. Last Monday the service went down under the strain. Companies have started limiting their service to ensure they can keep up with demand. In terms of YouTube and Netflix, this has meant throttling streaming quality. For Microsoft is means making some changes to Office 365....

With plenty of confusion still around this subject, Microsoft’s PC Health Check tool is making a comeback. This is a useful feature that allows users to see if their PC meets the hardware requirements for Windows 11. Over recent months, Microsoft has been previewing PC Health Check on the Inside. It is now live for all users ahead of the full launch of Windows 11. This is a new version of the tool that highlights all the areas a device may not be compatible with the new platform....

FarmVibes.AI is the first available open-source component of Project FarmVibes. It is a sample collection of algorithms aimed at boosting research into using data to drive improvements in agriculture. Based on Microsoft Azure, FarmVibes.AI uses algorithms that predict how much fertilizer and herbicide to use. Furthermore, it will provide accurate forecasts of wind speeds/directions and temperatures on specific fields. This allows the platform to highlight when the best time is to plant crops and spray them....

For example, customers have been asking for more freedom over sending emails. Microsoft has debuted a Send Later feature for Outlook for Mac. This allows users to compose and email now and schedule it to be sent automatically at a time of choosing. This is a helpful tool and it lets you choose the date and time when the email will be sent. In the meantime, the email is saved to the Drafts folder and be edited before it is sent....

1 Dual-Screen2 Windows 10X This is Microsoft much-anticipated folding screen hardware device. However, the key term here is announcement. Microsoft has only revealed Neo and says the hardware won’t ship until next holiday. Still, we now know Microsoft is fully on the folding screen technology train. We also know Microsoft is serious about creating its game-changing device that makes the most of mobile and PC form factors. Along for the ride is Windows 10X, which is also known as Windows Core OS (WCOS)....

There are just 58 security fixes across 10 Microsoft services for December 2020 Patch Tuesday. For perspective, the company usually has around 100 or more fixes to send out each month. The simple explanation why there is less is just because there are less bugs to squash this month. However, that does not mean the security holes Microsoft is plugging are any less dangerous. In fact, Microsoft says 22 patches issued this month are dangerous remote code execution (RCE) flaws....

The flagship Windows 10 PC, the Surface Studio is the pinnacle of Microsoft’s hardware range. Like with other recent firmware roll ups, Microsoft has made a slew of updates for the device. Without further ado, here is the full (extensive) changelog: 24.21.13.9827 improves system stability. Availability Microsoft says the updates are available for every Surface Studio models. This means you can be running any Windows 10 version on your Studio and the updates will run....

Since launching the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 in May, Microsoft has been working on the platform through preview builds. Insiders has been testing new features over the months. In recent weeks the features have dried up as Microsoft focused on finalizing the FCU. We already know that the Fall Creators Update will begin its official roll out on October 7. However, Microsoft has yet to say which preview build is the RTM versions....

It is worth noting this is currently in the realm of standard protocol. Specifically, it is only last Friday that Microsoft made its official proposal to the EC. That means the regulator will now look into the deal and decide whether to approve it or to initiate a wider investigation. A “Phase 2” investigation would happen if the European Commission has concerns or questions to ask Microsoft. If this happens, the EC will have 90 working days to make a new decision on whether to approve the deal....

Unfortunately, Microsoft seems to be unable to remove references of child porn from Bing. This is not the first time the search engine has come under fire for allowing such searches. Microsoft said in 2018 it was working to solve the problem but in 2019 it persists. According to a report in the New York Times, several tech companies are failing to address the availability of child pornography on their platforms....

GitHub Copilot system runs on a new AI platform developed by OpenAI known as Codex. Copilot is designed to help programmers across a wide range of languages. That includes popular scripts like JavaScript, Ruby, Go, Python, and TypeScript, but also many more languages. “GitHub Copilot understands significantly more context than most code assistants. So, whether it’s in a docstring, comment, function name, or the code itself, GitHub Copilot uses the context you’ve provided and synthesizes code to match....

“It evaluates and ‘rates’ conversation characteristics and assigns an overall probability rating,” explained Courtney Gregoire, Chief Digital Safety Officer at Microsoft, in a blog post. “This rating can then be used as a determiner, set by individual companies implementing the technique, as to when a flagged conversation should be sent to human moderators for review. Human moderators would then be capable of identifying imminent threats for referral to law enforcement....