1 Annual Major Update2 Changing Tactics The reason for the change is because Microsoft wants to ensure its Win10 updates arrive without significant bugs. Until now, the company has been racing to push out two major updates per year. In 2018, this schedule took its toll, with the April 2018 Update and especially the October 2018 Update arriving as disasters. Version 1803 (April 2018 Update) was delayed by nearly a month due to an RTM bug....

The latest Microsoft Patent describes a solution for handling inline notes that relies on hybrid intelligence. Such a tool would make collaborating on content more efficient. Microsoft wants to streamline a process that it admits is already available on services such as Word and Google Docs. However, the company says current implementations of inline note making are frustrating experiences. To speed up collaboration, a Microsoft Patent details a hybrid intelligence tool that uses machine learning that could leverage a bot framework....

While arguably not the worst offender, Microsoft has run into its fair share of tax problems following seeking to pay less through loopholes. In New Zealand, the company has had to pay $24,748,658 to the country’s Inland Revenue. The amount is a settlement following an investigation into Microsoft’s tax business before June 2018. New Zealand’s Inland Revenue audited the company over its transfer pricing. These are fees Microsoft pays to other brand divisions for services....

As a multiple finalist, Microsoft had a few of its projects considered. The company points to Project Natick, which is an underwater data center. The company has patented its artificial reef datacentre concept with the intent of developing low cost data solutions. The plan is to build submerged datacenters that will also promote ecology and develop marine life. The lead author of the patent application is Ben Cutler, leader of ‘Project Natick‘, Microsoft’s prototype demonstration of a data center inside a submerged vessel....

Xbox One now shares the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Implemented since the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, it allows developers to create a single experience. Games can be created to work across Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, and Windows 10 Mobile. With the Fall Creators Update, dev’s will receive 6 exclusive cores, 5GB of RAM, and full access to the GPU. This will all be added when the update arrives on the Xbox One....

1 Simplifying navigation2 A universal update Now, Microsoft has announced in a blog post that it will start rolling out a design-oriented update for OneNote across all platforms. The new OneNote experience is already available in OneNote for Mac, OneNote for iOS (iPhone and iPad), and OneNote Online (Web). Over the coming weeks, it will arrive on Windows 10, and Android. This latest update includes changes in three key areas:...

Office Insider Version 15.36 Changelog Other than that, the changes are pretty minor, with little quality of life improvements for Google accounts and the calendar sidebar. Here’s the full changelog: “Google accounts: Non-supported folder actions and Follow Up options are now hidden instead of appearing as disabled Templates: New icon for saved templates (.emltpl extension) Delegates can now add Skype for Business online meeting details when scheduling events on behalf of principals After a delegate accepts a meeting invitation on behalf of a principal, the event will now show as Busy instead of Tentative Preferences to automatically sign and encrypt outgoing messages are now respected when using Resend Decrease and increase indent actions in the Format menu now work properly for numbered lists Position of the separator between the calendar sidebar and the mini calendar is now maintained”...

As we reported yesterday, Microsoft has published a blog post detailing what new features will be coming with Windows 11 22H2. On the Beta channel update, Microsoft is focusing on fixing problems and confirming known issues. The company says preview build 22621 is available to download through ISOs now. For new features, the Dev Channel build (25115) is the release to check out. However, it is currently not available for ARM64 machines....

As we mentioned last month, Windows 10 build 16232 is important because it comes with a new feature that could block ransomware. Microsoft is working on a Windows 10 feature called Controlled Folder Access, which will be integrated into Windows Defender: Windows will designate specific directories as “protected” with some folders (like Documents) being protected by default. Essentially, this means these folders can only be accessed by apps on a whitelist....

Formerly known as Bing Rewards, the company transitioned the service to Microsoft Rewards in 2016. Previously the service allowed users to accumulate points through Bing Searches. Under the new platform, users could gain rewards for other things, such as browsing on Edge. Purchases on the Microsoft Store also gain points. As mentioned, the new Bing Rebates feature is available to limited testers in the United States. ONMSFT reports the tool can be found on the Microsoft Rewards Dashboard and is labeled as “Rebates Beta”....

With this expansion, Microsoft Rewards is available in a total of 58 countries. The additional support was first spotted by Microsoft watch Idle Sloth on Twitter. Microsoft has also confirmed the expansion on the official support page. If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Rewards, the company describes it in the following way: “Earn rewards for yourself or donations to causes of your choice just by searching, shopping, and gaming with Microsoft,” says the Microsoft Rewards webpage....

Microsoft describes Pendleton as “a set of flexible and scalable tools to help you explore, discover, understand and fix problems in your data. It allows you to consume data in many forms and to transform that data into new forms that are better suited for your usage.” According to research from Microsoft earlier this year, data scientists spend up to 80% of their working hours wrangling data. The raw material must be extracted, cleaned, and formatted correctly, and there’s simply no way to avoid it....

To accompany the new 3D Viewer name, the company is also adding plenty of new features and changes. It is worth noting that the app has been in preview on the Windows Insider Program for a while. Microsoft is now rolling it out to all users with the version number 5.1809.20012.0. Perhaps the biggest change in terms of features is increased controls for the look and feel of a model....

Azure Sphere is comprised of Microsoft microcontrollers alongside Sphere Linux-based OS and a Sphere cloud security service. Microcontrollers (MCUs) are small computers made of a single chip that have IoT capabilities with CPUs, storage, and memory. Microsoft announced Sphere in 2018 and last October said the service would leave preview in February. Redmond has stuck to that launch schedule and confirmed the release today. “IoT is in the science-fair stage....

This is what Windows Insiders will receive when the preview opens, which we guess will be happening in the next few weeks. In fact, a simultaneous preview launch alongside Windows 10 April 2019 Update seems more likely. As Chromium Edge is still in early preview, there are some features missing. You won’t be getting a fully-fledged browsing experience here. Expect Microsoft to add features over time. Of course, part of the point of switching to Chromium is to allow Edge to better compete with Google Chrome....

While an update to Surface Book 3 is likely, and a Surface Pro 7 announcement possible, many people are holding out for a different type of device. Specifically, many believe Microsoft will unveil a dual-screen Surface. Microsoft’s journey with a foldable double screen device goes back years. The company was long predicted to be working on a folding smartphone called the Surface Phone. Chances of that hardware ever being made are virtually zero....

With that in mind, expect this latest Office for Mac update to come to general users in the coming week. This is a fairly extensive release and boasts a number of new features. Microsoft says it has introduced a Summary Zoom in PowerPoint, which presents all images in a presentation with an interactive table. Elsewhere, email encryption in Outlook is more efficient through an Encrypt-only button. There are plenty of other features coming to Office for Mac, so check out the changelog below:...

In its accompanying write up, Time says: “Is it a phone or is it a notebook? In the case of Microsoft’s Surface Duo, the answer is it’s both. The dual-screen Android smartphone ($1,399) opens like a spiral binder, revealing a pair of screens. Unfold it and it’s a digital ­notebook—drag items from one app to another, expand a single app to fill both screens (perfect for reading), or use a Surface Pen to get some writing done on one screen while you chat on the other....

One early rumor for the Surface Laptop 4 is Microsoft will release a variant with an AMD chip. This would continue Microsoft’s relationship with AMD following the launch of an AMD version of the Surface Laptop 3 two years ago. We have been charting the likelihood of the company once again embracing AMD for the new model. It shows Microsoft’s ongoing willingness to diversify its chip partnerships. More than just relying on Intel silicon, Microsoft is increasingly working with AMD and the likes of Qualcomm for ARM chips....

As well as taking down associations to the botnet and seeking legal paths, Microsoft has also named and shamed one of the attackers behind ZLoader. Specifically, that is Denis Malikov, who is from Simferopol on the Crimean Peninsula. Microsoft Security carried out an investigation into the botnet and found Malikov. According to the company, publicly naming the criminal will be a warning to other malicious actors that they cannot remain anonymous: “We chose to name an individual in connection with this case to make clear that cybercriminals will not be allowed to hide behind the anonymity of the internet to commit their crimes....