Though we reported on the design of the device earlier, we now have more details about its internals. As Panay suggested, this is more of a refresh than a completely new iteration. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in the new model. Surface Pro Specs, Pricing, and Release Date According to Microsoft, the Surface Pro has a number of internal advantages over its predecessor, including 50% more battery life and a new, Surface Studio-like hinge....

While the latest version has moved to “general availability” Microsoft says organizations will have to wait a while. Equipment manufacturers should take a few months to launch compatible hardware. The newest version of Microsoft’s server-based operating system will come in three editions: Standard, Datacenter, and the small business-focused Essentials. Customers can get the platform through various methods. Testers can get the update through Microsoft Evaluation Center, or through the Volume Licensing Service Center by Windows Server customers....

Fast forward several months and “The New Duke” as it has been called is gearing for launch. The new/old controller has been officially approved by Microsoft. Seamus Blackley, one of the key figures behind the original Xbox, confirmed on Twitter the peripheral is nearing completion. As we noted in June, Microsoft is not making the controller itself. Instead, the New Duke is being built by accessory maker Hyperkin. As this is a 15-year old game pad for the modern age, changes have been made....

Importantly, Document Translation in Azure Translator maintain the original structure and format of a document when translating. Microsoft knows organizations working on Azure typically have a lot of documents to handle. That’s why the new feature is an asynchronous batch tool, allowing customers to submit a group of documents at the same time. Translation When a batch is received, the new Azure Translator feature takes each individual document from the source....

Microsoft’s goal with Azure Quantum is to usher in a new era of development, using millions of qubits to work together. The new devices the company has created can generate quantum properties. Importantly, these properties shows that the physics many believed would be needed for a topological quantum bit (qubit) is sound. Quantum computing is complex, but we still recommend checking out the Microsoft Research post. This does a deep dive on the project and how it can change the field moving forward....

If you’re unfamiliar with HPE’s Spaceborne Computer-2, it is a collaboration between HP and NASA. It is a commercial supercomputer that functions in space. Specifically, it is an edge computing device that brings computation during space flights through data-intensive applications. NASA will launch the Spaceborne Computer-2 into space on February 20 as part of the 15th Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission to Space Station (NG-15). One of the benefits for customers is the ability to gain new data insights and research developments....

You may be thinking the Office apps are already available. However, we’re talking about the full Win32 desktop versions of the services. This is not the mobile or UWP versions of the suite. Instead users get the full apps with all their features. Terry Myerson, executive vice president for Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, announced the addition at the evet today. With this introduction, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be on the Windows Store....

1 Specs2 What Microsoft Says Alongside confirmation of its launch, Microsoft gave the full specs for the Surface Duo as well as other details. Firstly, that cost is something that will divide opinion. It seems the Surface Duo is competitively priced, as crazy as that sounds when discussing a smartphone that costs well north of $1,000. However, the reality of the flagship market is the leading handsets like the iPhone 11 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S20 already cost over $1,000....

Whiteboard for Education is an extension of the Whiteboard service Microsoft launched earlier this year. A collaborative application, Whiteboard integrates with inking capabilities of Microsoft Office to bring content to a screen that can be used by multiple users across devices. Functional locally or online, the service works with mouse, keyboard, pen, and touch. Documents sync automatically to the loud for use on any PC at a later date and inviting another user is as easy as sharing a link....

Redmond says the problem was on the server side and users could not even search for local files. There was a workaround for the problem through registry edits. On its Tech Community, Microsoft reconfirmed that it knew about the problem and has rolled out a fix. While the company is not really providing any new information, it does now seem the solution is reaching more and more people. For anyone still experiencing the problem, a system restart may be all that is needed for the fix to work....

Icecaps is an acronym that means Intelligent Conversation Engine: Code and Pre-trained Systems, uses both personality embeddings and word embeddings. By combining the two, the toolkit can personalize AI personas. By using the toolkit, developers can give their AI assistants the ability to speak in different ways. For example, the assistant could tailor its speech and personality to individual users or to function in certain situations. “Several of these tools were driven by recent work done here at Microsoft Research, including personalization embeddings, maximum mutual information-based decoding, knowledge grounding, and an approach for enforcing more structure on shared feature representations to encourage more diverse and relevant responses,” says Microsoft researcher Vighnesh Leonardo Shiv....

In theory, attackers have unlimited attempts to try and break a password. If the password is weak, they will likely guess it eventually. Proper security tools provide protection, but Microsoft wants to go further to cover Windows from brute force attacks. According to the company, it is adding a local policy that will allow IT admins and security teams to configure Windows to automatically block brute force attempts. All that is needed is a Window system that is still in Microsoft support and receives updates....

Now, ignoring the scary connotations of the word singularity, a point in time when technology development becomes uncontrollable, Microsoft wants its service to provide a global AI computing solution. In a paper from Microsoft Research and Microsoft Azure titled Singularity: Planet-Scale, Preemptive and Elastic Scheduling of AI Workloads (PDF), Microsoft discusses its plans for the new services: “Singularity is a fully managed, globally distributed infrastructure service for AI workloads at Microsoft, with support for diverse hardware accelerators....

Other companies joining Microsoft Defender in the coordinated effort include ESET, FS-ISAC, NTT, Symantec, and Black Lotus Labs. Together, the group conducted an investigation into how the TrickBot infrastructure works and delivers malware. Microsoft Defender and the other companies researched 125,000 malware samples over a period of months. Metrics used during the investigation included mapping information, tracking content, analyzing the malware functionality, and monitoring servers. Microsoft took the information to courts in the U....

Specifically, Microsoft says CloudKnox will continue to be available as a separate product for new and existing customers. For those who are using the service outside Azure, “sales, engineering, and service support” will now come from Microsoft. Pricing will also remain the same, says Alex Simons, corporate vice president for identity program management at Microsoft. Instead of lock down the service to Azure exclusivity, CloudKnox will continue as a multi-cloud security tool: “In fact, the #1 reason Microsoft purchased CloudKnox was to accelerate our ability to help customers manage their AWS and Google Cloud Platform, and VMware deployments,” Simons points out, as reported by rcpmag....

For the unfamiliar, Collections is essentially Microsoft’s answer to extensions like Pocket. You can drag and drop any text, page, or image into an organized sidebar, while also adding supplementary notes. Once finished, you access it through the browser or export it to Word or Excel and get working. They sync across all devices so you can access an online shopping list on your phone when you’re out and about, for example....

According to the company, the new security services will enhance protection on Windows 10, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility and Security. The purpose of Windows Defender Application Guard is to make the Windows 10 Edge browser more secure. In fact, Microsoft said in September that it designed Application Guard to make Edge the most secure browser. The defender will combat malware, help contain it and stop it from spreading. Essentially, the Application Guard is a mode for Microsoft Edge....

Download Bomb is the name given to an exploit technique that initiates hundreds or even thousands of downloads. The idea is the bomb will freeze the browser on a specific page. Once frozen, users are prompted to call a “Tech Support” to unlock the browser. It is a simple technique that has been used for years by scammers to trick unwitting users. In terms of these exploits, it is always worth remembering that a vast majority of internet users are not experts or capable of understanding if they are being tricked....

Microsoft and the CWA are entering a trail-blazing labor neutrality agreement that will also apply to Activision Blizzard once Microsoft closes its acquisition of the company. The goal is to build on the four principles Microsoft detailed earlier this month. Both the CWA and Microsoft say the aim of the agreement is to give workers at Microsoft and Activision Blizzard freedom and fairness in union representation. “This agreement provides a pathway for Activision Blizzard workers to exercise their democratic rights to organize and collectively bargain after the close of the Microsoft acquisition and establishes a high road framework for employers in the games industry,” says CWA President Chris Shelton....

This shows Microsoft Server Exchange exploits are still happening. Earlier this year, zero-day vulnerabilities in the service caused havoc for tens of thousands of organizations. Microsoft Exchange Server was successfully atttacked through an exploit first used by the HAFNIUM group. More threat groups have since targeted the exploit. Microsoft has sent out patches for all versions of the service, including those out of support. Microsoft says updating Exchange Server is the best way to avoid the exploit....