In a blog post today, Microsoft explains how cinematic productions, associated workflows, and infrastructure show the power of Azure. Azure Batch Rendering allows artists and designers the ability to submit renders through client applications. The service gives developers the ability to streamline their large scale rendering jobs. Until now, Azure Batch Rendering has been in limited preview. During that time, Microsoft says it has seen plenty of interest and implemented changes from feedback....

Either way, Skype on Mac is now boosted to version 7.48. The big new feature here is certainly the Touch Bar support. Microsoft has supported the new MacBook feature since it was first unveiled last year. Indeed, that’s why it is surprising the company has not made a bigger deal about the version 7.48 update and Skype support. The Touch Bar is a Multi-Touch strip of Retina display that sits above the MacBook Pro keyboard....

“Each liquid crystal layer is configured to block spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band and transmit spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band in the reflection state, and to transmit spectral light in the spectral light sub-band in the transmission state,” explains the patent abstract. “An active illuminator of the camera is configured to emit active light in a selected spectral light sub-band. One or more of the plurality of liquid crystal layers is switched from the transmission state to the reflection state to tune the optical filter to block spectral light in all but the selected spectral light sub-band”....

Now, reports from Fox suggest Trump will make good on another of his campaign promises. The current administration will allegedly repeal DACA, an Obama-era program that protects the children of illegal immigrants. An official says ‘dreamers’ will remain in the U.S. only until their work permit expires – a maximum of two years. Once more, Microsoft has been quick to respond to this matter. Brad Smith, the company’s chief legal officer, penned a blog post titled ‘DREAMers make our country and community stronger’....

In its announcement, Microsoft says it is moving Office 365 ProPlus to two major updates per year. Previously the company would roll out updates three times a year. However, IT managers can choose to update once or twice per year. This is possible because Microsoft is changing Office 365 ProPlus semi-annual updates from 12 to 18 months. System Center Configuration Manager will also employ the semi-annual feature, alongside Windows 10....

Android’s open nature and position as the most popular/used OS in the world means it has millions of users on budget devices. In fact, the majority of Android users are on low-end or low-specification smartphones. While Outlook is not the most intensive application, it can take a load on those lower-end devices. With Outlook Lite, Microsoft will retain the core features of the email client but make the app smaller and focus on boosting performance....

According to Microsoft, this is a code execution flaw within Windows Print Spooler that gives incorrect file privileges. It has been given the ID number CVE-2021-36958 and has the following official description: “A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged file operations. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights....

Microsoft has now officially unveiled the Microsoft Consulting Services team internally. According to ZDNet, the new business will be helmed by Corporate Vice President of Cross-Industry Solutions Omar Abbosh. Abbosh is a newcomer at Microsoft, having recently left as CEO of Accenture after 31 years with the company. He will now lead the new Consulting Services team, which will go live today (July 14). We now also know more about Microsoft’s wider plans for the sales tweaks....

While this update isn’t adding anything new to Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), to does make important improvements. Microsoft says there are camera improvements, performance updates, and a boost to general reliability. Hardly an exciting release, but an important one for the functionality of the service. Below is the full changelog: “Enhancement of audio recording quality Enhancement of OAuth scenarios Support for MPEG2 decoding Improvements to the camera experience when the device is not equipped with a camera Improvements in input reliability Chromium update to 106”...

Before continuing, it is worth noting this is effective immediately and is across all Windows Server versions. In its release notes for July 2020 Patch Tuesday, Microsoft says it took the action because of security concerns around RemoteFX vGPU. More accurately, a security vulnerability the company says affects all versions of Windows Server. If exploited, an attacker could use this flaw to run arbitrary code on a compromised PC. Microsoft points out no patch exists for this vulnerability, so it was easier to just end support of the feature....

All the following new apps will be introduced on Dynamics 365 from April to September 2019: Dynamics 365 Product Visualize: Announced at Build 2018 last year, Product Visualize allows sellers to showcase and customize products more efficiently. This can be done in their actual industry areas, whether it is tech, healthcare, or others. Microsoft says the app will debut on iOS in preview for Sales and Microsoft Teams. Dynamics 365 Virtual Agent for Customer Service: Microsoft also discussed a new cloud-based tool for creating customer virtual assistants....

Feature upgrades are the twice-yearly releases of Windows 10, such as this year’s April 2018 Update and the upcoming October 2018 Update. These are the builds that add new features and abilities to the platform. As these are overhaul updates, the files can be quite weighty. For example, most run at just under 5GB. This is because Microsoft bundles x64 and x86 together within a single download. For companies, this can be a problem for companies, who often must update multiple machines simultaneously....

Of course, this is part of the company’s bid to make Windows function better in collaboration with iOS and Android. Microsoft Edge will prove a key tool in that pursuit. The browser app allows users to push pages from handset to PC, allowing work to be synced and continued across devices. “We are excited to continue the work we announced at Build to make Windows 10 PCs work great with your phone,” the company says....

Yes, Chromium Microsoft Edge now supports the open source Linux platform for the first time. Users on Linux can download the browser starting today, provided they are on the Dev Channel. As this is still in preview and as a couple of testing channels to pass through, it may be a few weeks or months before this update extends to the full version of Edge. Either way, it’s a welcome step forward for the browser....

On the face of that statement, something seems wrong. After-all, why would Microsoft write a blog about a rival company’s OS? Well, this is not a blog to discuss the merits of Android but more to talk up Microsoft services that are available on the platform. Imaginatively titled [email protected], the blog will focus on Microsoft’s apps and how Android works in general with them. It actually makes plenty of sense for Microsoft to be exploring Android in this way....

That shows how important this attack is as it has even the SolarWinds vulnerability that was exploited by the Solarigate malware. In its report, Cisco Talos explains how big the Exchange Server issues have been: “While the security community made a great effort to warn users of the exploitation of several Microsoft Exchange Server zero-day vulnerabilities, it was still the biggest threat Cisco Talos Incident Response (CTIR) saw this past quarter,” the report states....

10X is built from the ground up and sits on a modern core that removes many of the legacy underpinnings of Windows 10. The idea behind the platform is for its to be more efficient and lightweight. Microsoft has already said legacy programs will only work through a container on Windows 10X. This means the legacy components those programs rely on will run virtually. However, some Win32 programs won’t work on the platform....

“This October, Microsoft Flow is doubling down on the platform integration by releasing key capabilities that enhance the power of all the above products,” says Principal PM manager Stephen Siciliano. The key product here is SharePoint, with updates to help migration from SharePoint Workflows. It’s doing so primarily through feature parity, with the addition of several flows that were missing in the SharePoint connector. However, Microsoft is also introducing features like Request Sign-off and a Flow launch panel to enhance ‘modern approvals functionality’....

The Garage is the Indian version of Microsoft Garage, a skunkworks division that allows Microsoft employees to collaborate on projects. Thanks to a new development, mixed and virtual reality environments could display advertising content like billboards. Essentially, the concept allows developers to integrate sponsored content in mixed reality. The Garage says this will be achieved through an easy-to-use SDK. App creators working in mixed and virtual reality could monetize their services through advertising....

You probably won’t be seeing these at Paris Fashion Week, but it may prove useful to some customers. Developed in collaboration with Gavin Mathieu, the founder of Supervsn Studios, the Hardwear Tech Cargo Pants You going to be paying $150 for one pair of cargo pants. High for sure, but about on par with other technical pants, such as hiking trousers. Available in green, the Microsoft pants are apparently for creators....