If you are unfamiliar with Minecon Earth, it is an event for Minecraft fans and users that last year coincided with the Minecon expo. Essentially, it is the chance for the Minecon experience to go to other locations around the world. Essentially, the event provides live streaming access of all the best bits of previous events and condense them into one ninety minutes interactive experience. “The Minecraft community is still growing”, explains Mojang’s Owen Jones, “and there’s only a certain number of players we can host while keeping the friendly, intimate community atmosphere that’s made previous MINECONs so special....

It is an understated piece of design that will sit well below a monitor on a desktop setup. It provides omni-directional speakerphone capabilities and powerful output. To enhance sounds, it features a 15W woofer and 5W tweeters. The Microsoft Audio Dock also offers to microphones. In terms of connectivity, there is a 60W USB-C connection for charging your computer, two regular USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 jack and a lone USB-A offering....

Yes, this is all a part of Microsoft’s wider push towards multi-factor authentication instead of passwords. Even so, the company knows many users are attached to passwords and also wants to ensure Authenticator offers more password protection. Microsoft launched its Authenticator app back in 2016. The service provides native multi-factor authentication on devices when accessing a Microsoft Account. Since the launch, numerous features have been added, including a phone sign-in ability, fingerprint support, password free login, and Apple Watch support....

1 Constant Struggle2 Recent Monopolizing Accusations In the latest swipe, Microsoft is blaming Apple for the demise of its Project xCloud – at least for the time being – on iOS. Just yesterday, we reported on Microsoft’s decision to stop testing xCloud on iOS. While the company did not say specifically, App Store limitations that hampered the preview from day one were the reason for the axe. This was confirmed by Apple....

Microsoft released LinkedIn’s stats for the past four quarters after the September 20 change. The company’s commercial services had a revenue of $3.37 billion this financial year and a further $1.8 billion from its other products. That puts the total at $5.25 billion for the year. It seems the final quarter of 2018 was LinkedIn’s best yet, reporting $1.46 billion. The lowest was Q1, at $1.14 billion. For Microsoft as a whole, it boosts the FY18 commercial revenue from $23....

If you’re wondering why I called it the next Windows 10 feature update, I haven’t forgotten about Windows 10 20H2. However, it is looking increasingly likely 20H2 will be a minor update with few new features. Incidentally, Microsoft officially announced the testing of Windows 10 20H2 this week. For Windows 10 Iron (fe), we expect plenty of the features to be on board. However, there has been few new tools added as the platform arrive on the Preview branch....

That all-digital announcement is not really a surprise. When Microsoft Build 2022 was confirmed a month ago, the company did not mention if it would be all-digital or not. However, it was obvious the event would be online because the company did not discuss a venue. Microsoft has been hosting all conferences and product launches online since the start of the pandemic. While live events are back, the company is seemingly sticking to the all-digital model, at least for now....

Microsoft Build 2022 will be held over three days and as usual will focus on developers. As always, Microsoft may discuss new products and services and how developers can leverage them for their own apps and programs. The three-day event will once again be all-virtual and held online. Microsoft first made the decision to go virtual with Build 2020 amid the start of the pandemic. Since then, all major Microsoft events and conferences have been online....

The tech giant will provide companies across Africa with Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 from 2018. The Microsoft Cloud offering will include enterprise reliability and performance, as well as data residency. Cloud Advancement in Africa Eager to propel Azure growth in the region, Microsft’s cloud head Scott Guthrie shared some interesting examples and statistics. M-KOPA Solar is one of those. The company leverages the cloud to provide affordable, pay-as-you-go energy to over 500,000 homes....

The connectivity failure started Monday morning, leading to Microsoft confirming the outage on Twitter and its own blog. Skype was out for hours on Monday and it seems the problem is persistent today. There are a range of problems being reported, all stemming from downed connections. Some users report they lose connectivity to the service, while others say they cannot send or receive messages. Other reports suggest myriad other problems....

Previously, Microsoft said xCloud would come to Windows 10 next year but didn’t mention its devices with Snapdragon processors, like the Surface Pro X. Still, game streaming isn’t a whole lot different to regular video streaming, so this was an expected move. The real news for users on Snapdragon chips is that they’ll be able to stream their games via 5G. This should translate to higher speeds and lower latency for an overall smoother experience....

Before getting into the details, I think it is worth noting the strange position Microsoft is finding itself in regarding Windows updates. Just a month away from the next feature update, the company is still dealing with the last. Yes, it is normal for updates to arrive constantly in-between builds, but Microsoft is having to housekeep for version 1809 due to problems. Five months after it launched, the October 2018 Update still does not seem particularly stable....

In an effort to appease the regulator over its $69bn deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, Microsoft says that the purchase will help expand its position in mobile gaming. While Microsoft is increasingly becoming a dominant presence in cloud and PC gaming, it is lacking in mobile. Developing an Xbox mobile store would allow the company to take its gaming mobile. Activision Blizzard will give the company many popular mobile franchises, including Candy Crush and Call of Duty....

Motherboard reported two weeks ago that Microsoft was giving contractors the ability to listen to user audio without telling users. After receiving widespread criticism, Microsoft responded. However, the company simply updated its privacy details to confirm it allows humans to listen to Cortana and Skype audio. In other words, Microsoft admits its practice but refused to stop allowing it. What’s interesting about this whole episode is that it was one of Microsoft’s contractors that broker the story....

Specifically, the Windows Search tool in Windows 10 now has direct links to COVID-19 news and information from MSN and Bing. Powered by Bing, Windows users can now tap directly into the Bing coronavirus interactive map. Alternatively, you can select the headlines button to be taken to MSN (Microsoft News) to see the latest news on COVID-19. Of course, both links will open into your chosen web browser. Microsoft says the update for Windows was completed on the server side....

Joining the Windows 10 and soon to launch mobile apps, Sticky Notes can now be used on the web. The browser version of the service is available at https://www.onenote.com/stickynotes. Users can sync notes across all devices through their Microsoft Account. As for the experience, users are getting the same feature set that’s available on Sticky Notes for Windows 10. Customization options are located in the top right and let you change note colors and text formats....

Microsoft also rolled out the first Redstone 5 build on the Skip Ahead branch. The Windows App Preview Program will go hand-in-hand with Redstone 5 development. As mentioned this week, the program allows users to test new builds of Microsoft’s Core apps. Through development of Redstone 5, the company will be changing some things in its apps. Insiders will be able to choose between just previewing Windows, Microsoft’s apps, or both....

In that report, Redmond showed phishing attempts increased 0.2% in Jan. 2018 and then 0.6% by October 2019. Indeed, Phishing was one of the only attack vectors that grew recently. Other attacks such as infections, malware, crypto-mining, and ransomware decreased. While software vendors are improving their solutions against Phishing, Microsoft says attackers are refining their techniques. This week, Microsoft continued to discuss phishing attacks in a blog post. The company detailed three specific phishing attacks seen during 2019....

However, Google Project Zero researcher Ivan Fratric believes it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. In February, he published a bypass for AGC after Microsoft failed to fix it within the allotted 90-day period. The Edge teams took pains to fix the issue by ensuring the browsers Just in Time Javascript compilers meshed correctly with the feature. Though that bypass is mitigated, Fratric says there are ways determined attackers can bypass the mitigation....

Windows 10 on ARM has had mixed results so far, not least because Microsoft’s app issues are ever present. While Snapdragon-powered laptops can handle native Windows apps easily, it struggles with third-party solutions. That’s because the processor must run these apps in an emulator, slogging the CPU and slowing performance. Google believes it has the answer by porting Chrome on Snapdragon-powered laptops. The company is working directly with Qualcomm on the implementation....