Microsoft is pitching Teams as a true competitor to Zoom these days. While the battle for enterprise chat is more weighted in Zoom’s favour, in terms of additional abilities there’s no doubt Teams leads the way. Integration with Power Apps and Power Virtual Apps adds abilities to Microsoft Teams that Zoom cannot achieve. In terms of Power Apps, Teams users can now create custom low-code applications that work within the platform....

In a press release today, Microsoft says the commitment is part of both companies’ membership in the Apollo platform. Announced by Baidu in April, Apollo is an open source platform. It is focused on bringing autonomous vehicle solutions to in-car systems. It supports features and functions of autonomy through cloud services, an open stack, and reference hardware. Baidu envisions Apollo as an Android for the car, an all-encompassing platform that will be adopted by third-party OEMs....

Of course, that hint leads to all kinds of speculation around new consoles and so on, but the reality is a little more grounded. Firstly, the Xbox One X launched just last year, and the new Xbox generation is expected in 2020. In other words, this is just not the right time for a new console to be revealed. Microsoft sent out a separate Xbox Wire post clearing up the speculation....

The company says Microsoft 365 and other apps will stop supporting the browser from August 17, 2021. Next year, the desktop app will stop receiving support. It’s hardly a surprise that Internet Explorer is heading to the sunset. Microsoft Edge has been around since 2015 as the default browser on Windows 10. Since the initial launch, Edge has been moved to Chromium base, which is also now on all new Windows machines....

Whether using Azure AD or MSA, users will get the same log-in process. When Microsoft confirmed this testing last month, Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela showed how this feature will look. The finalized public preview matches the test design. With the recent changes, Microsoft has redesigned both Azure AD and Microsoft Account sign-in screens. Importantly, the two separate services will get a consistent experience that looks and behaves the same....

HoloLens users on the Windows Insider Program are receiving the first Redstone 5 (rs5) preview for the device. As expected for a first build this late into the rs5 development branch, the update is extensive. Insiders running the Windows 10 April 2018 Update will see Redstone 5 version 10.0.17720.1000 on their HoloLens. As all users a running a developer edition, the device can be set to receive Insider builds. To do this, just head to Settings>Update & Security>Windows Insider Program and choose “Get Started”....

Microsoft has now issued an update for SMS Organizer, bringing the app up to version 1.1.147. In this bundle, Microsoft has added new features, made some performance improvements, and fixed some bugs. Among the new features Microsoft has worked on include support for quick replies when in a conversation. Microsoft says SMS Organizer is also receiving separate channels for notifications. Below is the full version 1.1.147 changelog: Support for quick replies in conversation Separate channels for different notifications Fixes for class 0 message handling Fix for train live status tracking Updated SMS patterns Bug fixes...

Translator on iPhone and iPad now has enhanced support for the Apple Watch. Microsoft promises a smoother and more efficient experience when running Microsoft’s translation app on Cupertino’s wearable. Elsewhere, Microsoft has added an improved interaction between with the microphone in the Conversations section. Translator also has better permissions requests wit request removals for geolocation. Below is the full changelog: Significantly improved support for “Apple Watch” Improved interaction with microphone button in the Conversations features Revised permissions requests, including removing request for geolocation Improved copy text option for image translation General bug fixes and improvements...

Specifically, the Xbox team confirmed xCloud trials now include 50 titles. If you have been previewing the platform so far, you will know this is a significant jump. Indeed, over its first weeks in testing, xCloud has offered just four games to users. It seems Microsoft has decided to one-up Google’s Stadia. That rival cloud gaming service will launch next week with a total of 12 games available. If you are unfamiliar with xCloud, it is a service that allows users to play Xbox One games anywhere and, on any device, including smartphones....

Specifically, the company wants to add full support for the Windows.Gaming.Input API into Chromium. In doing so, the API would become an optional back end for gaming through Google Chrome, as well as Microsoft Edge. It is worth noting Chrome already uses the Gamepad JavaScript API to deliver gaming controls to the browser. Microsoft’s software would provide an alternative and wider support for controllers. For example, it would allow the paddles on the Xbox One Elite controller to work in Chrome....

Known as CVE-2017-11882, the vulnerability allows RTF files loaded with malicious content to be implemented. Attackers can run their code without needing any interaction from the user. Microsoft says while a patch was issued for all Office and Windows versions dating to 2000 in 2017, the exploit is still being used in attacks. In a tweet, the company said users still need to download and install the relevant security fixes....

1 How the malicious code works2 Microsoft: Customers should be cautious3 A spin-off of Locky ransomware? A Reddit user has now revealed in a thread that a malicious ad appeared while he was on Skype’s home screen. The ad pretended to be a Flash update for the computer’s browser and would prompt the user to download an HTML application named “FlashPlayer.hta.” It appears that once opened, that HTML app would download a malicious payload, which could potentially harm a computer in the long run....

Windows 10 version 1703, also known as the Creators Update, was released in the first half of 2017. Microsoft has told Enterprise and Education edition Windows 10 customers that this version will stop receiving security updates from October 9. “the Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10, version 1703 (the Windows 10 Creators Update) will reach end of life on October 9, 2019.” Microsoft has traditionally supported Windows builds for longer, but with Windows 10 the company changed its model....

“As is typical for the console industry, we stopped manufacturing the original Xbox One when we introduced Xbox One S.” Though that was over a year ago now, retailers have now started to run out, including Microsoft, who now only sells refurbished versions. That puts the total lifespan of the original console at around 4 years. For those with a short memory, the console launched at $500 and was originally paired with the Kinect sensor....

Sustainability City map taps directly into Microsoft’s Annual Sustainability Report. With the map, Minecraft players can explore some of the core themes and ongoing goals of Microsoft in terms of sustainability efforts. Users can download the Sustainability City map from the Minecraft Marketplace under the “Education Collection” category. As you may expect, the map is also available for Minecraft: Education Edition. Mojang says subscribers to Education Edition can download six accompany lessons....

However, all of these solutions have two problems: they require separate hardware, and they don’t feel natural. With its latest project, Microsoft Research plans to put an end to that. MRTouch uses the HoloLens’ depth sensing cameras to bring touch controls to non-existent objects. It brings the gestures from mobile devices to a 3D space, throwing in up to 10-finger support for complex and natural control. Users can reach out and define areas for virtual interfaces on physical objects, with surprising precision and multi-touch support....

1 WD Blue 3D NAND SSD Details2 SANDISK ULTRA 3D SSD Details Both SSDs will be available in capacities of 250TB, 500TB, 1TB, and 2TB. That pairs with a read speed of up to 560 MB/s and write speeds of 530. “Delivering 64-layer 3D NAND-based SSDs into the PC segment marks a critical step in our ongoing conversion to this new technology and offers long-term benefits for our customers,” said Mike Cordano, the president and COO of Western Digital....

In a notice, US-CERT revealed executable Windows files and a Word document. For the latter, malicious Visual Basic macros are being leveraged by the hackers. The Hidden Cobra group is also known as Lazarus. The content is a danger to both users and organizations running Windows. “These files have the capability to download and install malware, install proxy and Remote-Access Trojans (RATs), connect to command-and-control servers to receive additional instructions, and modify the victim’s firewall to allow incoming connections,” US-CERT notes in its latest malware report....

Starting with the Grace CPU Superchip, it is a datacenter processor that NVIDIA claims will be the fastest CPU available when it launches in early 2023. It is an ARM processor with 144 cores that will directly rival AMD’s EPYC CPUs. It runs on the 4N – 4nm-based process – from TSMC. “A new type of data center has emerged — AI factories that process and refine mountains of data to produce intelligence,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA....

1 Confirmation2 Do Consumers Care? Oath is a subdivision of telecommunications giant Verizon and oversees the company’s digital services like Yahoo and AOL. While it’s true Yahoo is largely a fallen internet giant, the company’s email client is still popular in the United States, with around 17% of the market. Yahoo has already contested in courts the validity of email scanning. In 2016, US courts argued scraping emails for data violated the country’s laws against wiretapping....