Bell, the Executive Vice President, security, Compliance, Identity, and Management, says threat actors are waiting to exploit and infect the metaverse. He believes only through companies collaborating in the space will they be able to create sufficient security policies to thwart attacks. Ok, I just dropped I am detractor of the metaverse and shouldn’t really leave it like that. My concerns are more from the concept itself than cybersecurity. I believe the metaverse is pushing us into a virtual world and we are not exploring the potential negative consequences of that....

With Together mode, Microsoft wants team members and meeting participants to appear as if they are in the same location. It is a small touch, but a nice one for organizations that value a uniform output. By using AI segmentation, Microsoft Teams can place meeting participants within a shared background. The idea behind this is to make it look more like participants are in the same room together. The feature originally landed on Teams in July 2020 and later came to Android and Skype users....

As a result, users who have a dedicated GPU have been stuck on 1809 even as 1909 is in the final stages of prep for its release. This, of course, means an inability to get the latest security and OS features but is better than having a non-functioning graphics card. Thankfully, that’s no longer a compromise users need to make. As Thurrott reported on Friday, an update that fixes the issue is beginning to roll out to users....

This has a number of useful applications, including Microsoft’s new Approvals feature. The experience lets you create an approval workflow for SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, Twitter, Visual Studio Team Services, and more. Users can receive email notifications for this or manage requests through a new, unified approvals center. Five New Services As well as Approvals, Microsoft is adding four other popular services. These include: “Benchmark Email – Online email marketing solution to engage subscribers, target an audience, send beautiful, responsive emails and track results....

In a photo published on Twitter, Spencer shows a shelf setup that seems to be from his home or office. Either way, amid the usual books, photos, and models is a curious addition. Yes, a small white box that is the Xbox Game Streaming box. It looks like a tiny Xbox Series S sitting on the shelf, a small white box with an Xbox logo. This device has been rumored as a way for Microsoft to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass to customers who do not have a console....

As an Android developer, Microsoft is one of the biggest. Indeed, the company already as a lock screen application on the platform. However, the new experience is created by Microsoft Garage, the company’s skunkworks division. Garage allows employees within Microsoft to develop solutions that will not become core products. Since its debut, Garage has released numerous apps on iOS and Android, Favorites Lock Screen the latest. As the name suggests, the lock screen allows users to put news about their favorite topics as well as notifications on the lock screen....

Android is known to be vulnerable because of its open nature. Just a glance of the Surface Duo specs (strong performance, average camera), point to Microsoft wanting its device to be a business users’ tool. According the company, it is taking security on the handset seriously. While many of the security features would be standard on any Android flagship, some are more unique. For example, Microsoft has added a custom Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)....

“The escalating attacks we’ve seen in recent years are not just about computers attacking computers – these attacks threaten and often harm the lives and livelihoods of real people, including their ability to access basic services like healthcare, banking, and electricity,” said Microsoft CVP of customer security and trust Tom Burt. “For years, nongovernmental organizations around the world have provided on-the-ground help and vocal advocacy for victims of wars and natural disasters, and have convened important discussions about protecting the victims they serve....

Clearly the platform will arrive near the end of the year, but Microsoft keeps suggesting October is the likely launch month. One such hint is a Microsoft Teams message during last week’s event that reads “excited to turn it up to 11… can’t wait for October!” That’s a bit more than a hint and seems to suggest Microsoft is scheduling Windows 11 for October. The message in question was from Stevie Bathiche, a key engineer on Surface devices, to Panos Panay, who is chief of Windows and devices....

The title currently runs on Valve and HTC’s next-gen Index headset, its last-gen HTC Vive, and offerings from competitors. HP is billing its headset as a step forward from what’s currently on the market, so it’ll be interesting to see what’s in store. Unfortunately, we currently know little about the technical specifications of the device and the design has been only partially revealed. However, an official listing on the Steam store is enough to confirm that this is a real thing that’s happening and that there will be “no compromise”....

Eventually, Progressive Web Applications will be integrated to the Microsoft Store directly from the web. Either way, the latest batch of 7 apps covers a wide range of interests. The list includes British high-street pharmacy giant Boots, Australian news leader news.co.au, and real estate specialist EstateSales.NET. As you may remember, PWAs are available exclusively on Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Redstone 4). That means you will need to be running Microsoft’s latest Windows version to use the new applications....

General SSMS has seen some useful additions, including the ability to add ‘Notebook’ as a destination for the Generate Scripts wizard and comma-separated lists from the SQL Assessment API. In addition, data classification has received support for sensitivity rank, and there have been two improvements to the Hyperscale side of things. For one, missing Azure additions are now present in Dac wizards, with specific support for Hyperscale. Users can also utilize ‘Import Data-Tier Application’ in SQL Azure Hyperscale”....

Microsoft explains it knows native commands in PowerShell can be complex, which is why a simpler solution is necessary. “Many of today’s modern native commands are complex, they themselves are mini-shells with their own mini-language containing sub levels, or sub contexts. If you’ve worked with kubectl, docker or netsh.exe, you have experienced the complexity of executing and automating these commands.” According to Microsoft, PowerShell Crescendo wraps common commands to function within cmdlets....

Still, it will be Microsoft celebrating winning the JEDI deal for a second time. The company’s Azure cloud services were upheld as the best choice for the project, according to the DoD: “The Department has completed its comprehensive re-evaluation of the JEDI Cloud proposals and determined that Microsoft’s proposal continues to represent the best value to the Government,” the DoD points out in a statement. “The JEDI Cloud contract is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that will make a full range of cloud computing services available to the DoD....

Spotlight is the tool Microsoft uses to switch Bing images on the lock screen. At the moment, it is limited solely to the lock screen and does not extend to the desktop. Most people really love Windows Spotlight because Bing images are frankly amazing. By extending it to desktop, users will be able to automatically change desktop wallpapers to see a different Bing image at intervals. It’s amazing Microsoft has not done this sooner, but at least it is happening now....

In fact, Microsoft says the supercomputer it will develop with the Met Office will be in the top 25 in the world, and more than twice as powerful than any other supercomputer currently in the UK. The Met Office will base the supercomputer in the south of the UK, and it will be operational from summer 2022. Microsoft says the machine will have a 10-year lifespan. While the UK is not home to the most devastating of weather, climate change is causing concerns about increasingly powerful storms, snow, and floods....

The patent in question is called Changing an application state using neurological data‘. Microsoft’s proposal focuses on using electroencephalography (EEG) nodes to measure brain activity. EEG is usually used in medical practices, but Microsoft sees use in the tech realm. In its patent, the company describes how the technology could work in Mixed Reality, specifically for HoloLens. It is worth noting the patent is from 2016, so this has been in development for some time....

Now it’s functionality is widening. A recent iPhone update ties in functionality from other Microsoft apps, allowing for better pictures of documents and whiteboards. “We have data that shows people are taking a lot of whiteboard photos at work, they are doing a lot of document scanning,” explained Josh Weisberg, principal program manager in Microsoft’s Computational Photography Group. Pix now detects whiteboards, documents, and business cards in real-time, adjusting photos for those scenarios....

Of course, Microsoft’s second-generation laptop is already available after being launched last year. That means any Surface Book 2 Black Edition would be a specialized variant of the device. The report also points to the Surface Pro receiving the black colorway. Microsoft is hosting a hardware press event in New York City on October 2. It seems likely the Black Edition Surface products will be unveiled at that event. We are also still expecting the company to launch a new Surface device (Surface Pro 5?...

In a blog post last year, Microsoft said the solution is similar to static lighting meshes that are integrated, allowing shadows and light sources to be calculated beforehand. Now, the solution is available in the Unity engine for developers to access. “Ray-based acoustics methods can check for occlusion using a single source-to-listener ray cast, or drive reverb by estimating local scene volume with a few rays. But these techniques can be unreliable because a pebble occludes as much as a boulder....