Folding screen technology is slowly moving into the mainstream. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and the upcoming Motorola Razr have flexible screens. Microsoft’s approach was different as there is a gap between the screens on the Surface Duo and Neo. In many ways, folding screens and dual screens are similar. For example, both the Galaxy Fold and Surface Duo will allow users to separate content across two screens or have one large screen....

In fact, Microsoft is a contender alongside Apple/Beats with the Surface Headphones. In another move into Apple territory, Microsoft is reported to be working on Surface earbuds that will directly rival AirPods. Multiple sources collected in a report by Thurrott point to plans for earbuds currently being developed under the codename Morrison. Microsoft believes its audio technology now allows it to directly compete with more established rivals. Of course, the company has made earbuds before, selling the peripheral for its ill-fated Zune music player....

Once the update is installed, users should find an uptick in touch recognition among pen and finger input and a better audio experience. The Full Changelog for the Firmware Update: “Microsoft driver update for Surface Pen Settings Microsoft driver update for Surface Touch Servicing ML Intel(R) Corporation driver update for Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(R) SST) OED Intel(R) Corporation driver update for Intel(R) Smart Sound Technology (Intel(R) SST) Audio Controller Microsoft driver update for Surface Button Microsoft driver update for Surface System Aggregator Firmware Microsoft driver update for Surface Touch”...

Thankfully, the impact on the company’s bottom line shouldn’t be too massive. It has around 70 in the US, three in Canada, one in Puerto Rico, and one in England. For the most part, it’s the online Microsoft Store and participating retailer that drive its sales outside of the states. “All Microsoft Store locations are currently closed until further notice due to COVID-19 health concerns,” reads the statement. “We know families, remote workers and businesses are under unique pressure at this time, and we are still here to serve you online at microsoft....

For the unfamiliar, Windows 10 S mode is a toned-down version of the OS, aimed primarily at education or non-productivity uses. With it, users can only use apps from the Store and can’t use the command prompt, PowerShell, or Registry Editor. It usually comes with a cheaper purchase price for new laptops and customers can perform a free, one-off migration to Windows 10 Pro if they wish. Essentially, there are usually no downsides to buying such a PC....

The tech giant recently created a system for companies to loan tools like Office 365 to freelancers. On its announcement three weeks ago, Microsoft said the Office 365 Freelance toolkit would have profound implications for companies. Such a move would give Microsoft further dominance over professional data. With its acquisition of LinkedIn, the company gained access to a treasure trove of information. An Upwork acquisition would put 12 million freelancers and 5 million clients under its wing....

The Verge’s Dieter Bohn has described the device as a “heartbreaker”, noting that while it’s a fantastic Office 365 device, it’s sluggish in apps like Photoshop and the app compatibility for ARM isn’t yet there. “It’s a computer built for a world that doesn’t exist — and I don’t know if I can add ‘yet’ to the end of that sentence,” he notes. Similar sentiments are echoed by Engadget’s Cherlynn Low, who praised the design but said its limited app compatibility made it “difficult to recommend”....

Under current models, such as text-to-speech used in Cortana, technology can only create snippets of humanlike voice. There are also some limitations, such as skipping words in synthesized speech. That’s because current models have slower mel-spectrogram generation. If you’re unfamiliar with mel-spectrogram, it’s the representation of power made by a sound. Microsoft’s FastSpeech aims to solve how mel-spectrogram performance. Described in a paper, “FastSpeech: Fast, Robust and Controllable Text to Speech”, the technology boasts a specialized architecture....

However, while Microsoft told users to update their drivers, it seems the company’s solution does not work. Users are reporting they are still seeing an error message when they update to the Windows 10 May 2019 Update. Despite updating the Intel RST driver, users are still being pegged y the problem. Users continue to see the following message: “Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST): The inbox storage driver iastora.sys doesn’t work on these systems....

To do so, it borrows a page from Outlook’s book. Using AI, it automatically organizes messages into offers, financials, and reminders. At the same time, it gives users automatic reminders for trains and flights, and bill payments, while checking their status for you. Further, users can type using their voice, with backups automatically uploading to Drive. Other more minor features like a dark mode, automatic bill sharing, and more will also come in handy....

1 Xbox One Strategy2 Sony Gains, but does Microsoft win? Before tackling the issue of Microsoft’s Xbox One vision and strategy failure, Mehdi’s blog post on LinkedIn over the weekend shed some valuable insight into what Microsoft has learned. The company suffered a customer backlash and it taught some lessons within Redmond: “My learning is that you cannot create fans, you have to earn them…our team has embarked on the journey to build a fan-centric culture at Microsoft…you really focus on doing the right thing for your customers…Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing and that will be the truest test of your values....

Specifically, the company has added SMS support to Your Phone. This essentially means users can now mirror their SMS messages from their smartphone to Windows 10 PC. The updated functionality is part of version 1.0.12432.0 of Your Phone, which is currently available to Windows Insiders. This includes the members using the app on the Release Preview Ring. Like other features of the service, you will need to have the Microsoft Apps Your Phone app installed on an Android smartphone....

“Devices with this issue, might also have issues reaching the internet using applications that use WinHTTP or WinInet,” it explained in its documentation. “Examples of apps that might be affected on devices in this state are as follows but not limited to Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office, Office365, Outlook, Internet Explorer 11, and some version of Microsoft Edge.” This issue appears to permeate all recent Windows versions, from 1909 to 1709....

Users are still able to download the Reader application, but are now greeted by a notification when launching the service. The note says support will end in February 2018. Once this happens, the app will not be useable. “Microsoft is retiring the Reader app on this and later versions of Windows 10 and you will not be to use this app after 15 February 2018. We recommend Microsoft Edge for reading PDF, Windows XPS Viewer for XPS, and Windows Photos app for TIFF files,” Microsoft says....

According To the company, Windows 11 2022 Update running the KB5020044 update is not always showing all UI elements in the Task Manager. For example, incorrect colors, unreadable sections, and other problems. Microsoft points out the problem is affecting users with their color mode set to custom in Windows (via Personalization settings). That leads to the obvious workaround for this problem, and one that Microsoft is suggesting. Yes, you can simply head to the Settings app and change from custom colors....

If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Search, it is a search tool that functions across Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Office, OneDrive, Yammer, Windows, and Bing. Announced at Build 2018 and developed in preview, Search because generally available at Build 2019. Main Abilities of Kendra

That report rose an alarm over a “likely Chinese state-sponsored” attack that has been hitting the energy sector in India for two years. Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center says it found related activity during October 2022 and this is a “vulnerable component on all the IP addresses published as IOCs” and there is evidence of a “supply chain risk that may affect millions of organizations and devices.” “We assessed the vulnerable component to be the Boa web server, which is often used to access settings and management consoles and sign-in screens in devices....

That means Microsoft is overhauling the UI and design. In a video this week, the Xbox team highlights the Home dashboard. According to the company, it loads 50% faster than the Xbox One version and consumes 40% less memory. For gamers, this performance boost means switching between games will be 33% faster. Whether users will feel this change of pace remains to be seen, but it will be nice to launch titles more efficiently....

According to Brad Sams at Thurrott, the company has several reasons for taking this decision. Chief among them is the time skipping versions affords Microsoft. Instead of bringing incremental updates to the headset and underlying technology, the company can now make more sweeping updates behind the scenes. While 2019 is two years away, Microsoft believes it has the market space to take such action. HoloLens is the only viable mixed reality headset, so competition is almost non-existent....

You may remember Microsoft rolled out its first Azure Sphere chip (the MediaTek MT3620) in October last year. Called Pluton, the system features a custom Linux kernel and secured containers for apps. With this secure boot system, Sphere users have additional firmware and hardware protection. Azure Sphere answers an important question: in an environment of connected devices, how can security be maintained? Cars, household appliances, locks, toys, consumer electronics, lights, and more all run on microcontrollers (MCUs) and all are becoming increasingly connected....