Twitter users @Leopeva64 says the Windows 10 magnifier will be redesigned to match the overall aesthetic of the platform. Among the changes will be the option to toggle the light theme, a Fluent Design element Microsoft added through the May 2019 Update (version 1903). According to the source, the app will also have some behavioral changes. For example, users on the Fast Ring of the Insider Program can now “collapse the magnifier window to a floating transparent magnifying glass” doesn’t appear, I hope it’s a temporary bug due to the changes they made....

When the loophole was first discovered, it was unclear why the upgrade offer was still available. Microsoft later clarified and said the Windows 10 free upgrade was extended to Jan. 16, 2018. That’s today if you have not checked the calendar today. “If you use assistive technologies, you can upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost as Microsoft continues our efforts to improve the Windows 10 experience for people who use these technologies....

According to BornCity, Windows Defender ignores some files since Microsoft’s March 2020 Patch Tuesday earlier this month. Users are reporting situations where Defender is skipping over some files during a scan. It is worth noting this happens during both quick and full scans. Defender allows users to manually exclude files from a scan. It seems Windows Defender is acting as if some files have been excluded, even if they haven’t....

“A small number of customers have told us they don’t use a deployment management tool and would like to leverage AU to update their servers similar to clients. We believe the opt in approach we’re rolling out today will allow these customers to get the benefit of AU for their server operating systems without impacting the larger set of customers that do not want this.” Importantly, when a Windows Server admin chooses the option, there is no effect on client operating systems, including Windows....

Specifically, the armed forces division will use Xbox 360 controllers to operate periscopes. A report on Saturday confirmed Virginia-class subs do not have the traditional up/down rotating periscope most of us are familiar with. Instead, these newer submarines use a high-resolution camera system that connects to large screen monitors. Under previous operations, the U.S. Navy has interacted with these cameras with a helicopter style joystick. However, the Navy believes new recruits and sailors coming from a younger generation will be more familiar with the layout of a game controller....

Customers have already pre-ordered the Project Scorpio Edition in record numbers for an Xbox. Now it is the turn of the normal Xbox One X. Considering this is a more affordable version, we expect consumers to flood to the device. Microsoft official confirmation is not really a surprise. Earlier this week, we reported that retail giant Walmart had jumped the gun and published its pre-order information for the console. With the information available, it makes sense that Microsoft has decided to go official....

If you are unfamiliar with Yammer, it gives users the ability to connect with others across an organization. It promotes working in collaboration and sharing ideas. Microsoft acquired Yammer in 2012 for $1.2 billion and has integrated the business social network into its services. Guest Access is a new feature that is available for users of the Azure B2B service. With Azure B2B, admins can share internal applications across an organization will still holding control over the data....

Since the dawn of technology, Microsoft has been along with all the organizations, supporting them with innovative productivity and collaboration solutions. Microsoft has been so integral to so many organizations worldwide that it is natural and intuitive for people to expect them to deliver on data security. However, the security solution from Microsoft comes as a part of large-scale bundled offerings with Microsoft 365. But, the rising number of data breaches makes one wonder if we are really willing to settle for Microsoft’s “by the way” security offering, or is it time to look for a data security specialist?...

As a PDF management tool, Adobe PDF will bring more document control to users. For example, it can convert documents into PDF format. This is important because it maintains formatting, layouts, and other details while converting the file type. PDF support is part of Adobe’s wider Document Cloud service, which is now part of Office 365. We have previously reported on Adobe Sign integration across Microsoft Teams and other services in Office....

That looks like it may change next year. According to long-time Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company will release an AR headset during 2020. More specifically, the device is expected to be launched in the second quarter. While Apple has been relatively quiet in terms of available mixed reality technology, the company has been reported plowing money into research and development. In other words, Cupertino has been taking the tech seriously even if consumers have not benefited yet....

In a discussion paper for the Digital Platforms Services inquiry, the ACCC forwarded a number of measures that would tackle what it sees as issues with Big Tech. Australia’s competition watchdog is targeting issues with monopolies, anti-competitive actions, and a lack of protection for consumers. Apple has responded to the proposals in a submission [PDF], claiming the changes will leave Australian consumers worse off. The company claims it is “puzzled” by the ideas and says the ACCC’s concern about anit-competition “lack cogent evidence of harm, over clear and present severe damage to users that they experience every day”....

During a meeting of an inter-ministerial task force operating for the government reached a consensus decision to enforce all consumer electronics to have USB Type-C. The meeting involved the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Kanpur, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF). AJay Garg of the Electronic Industries Association of India, says “Globally, the shift is pivoted towards USB-C ports, so it would make sense for us to adopt it too....

Hiromi Yamaoka, head of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) payment systems department says, “It’s too far off”. “It would change the banking system too drastically,” he added while participating in a forum on financial innovation. Of course, Japan is not shy about being at the forefront of a digital revolution, so Yamaoka’s opinion is probably fair. The country and indeed the BOJ have become pioneers in developing financial technology. Last year, the Bank of Japan opened a department dedicated to fintech....

That antirust investigation was carried out by the US Department of Justice. While speaking to The New York Times’ DealBook conference, Gates described the legal battle as a distraction. The former Microsoft CEO says there is no “doubt the antitrust lawsuit was bad for Microsoft”. Gates thinks Microsoft would have been more focused on creating mobile OS technology. With the case proving distracting, Windows Phone did not reach its potential....

However, these tests were done in a perfect environment. In the real world, we have to deal with noise from traffic, televisions, music, and more. Microsoft’s new Speech Devices SDK plans to help with that. The SDK allows is paired with specific microphone-enabled hardware, implementing features like noise cancellation, far-field capabilities, and echo cancellation. The idea is to encourage developers to build systems like car assistants and drive-thru systems while integrating with the cloud-based Microsoft Speech service....

At the second day of Build, Microsoft’s Shilpa Ranganathan ran a showcase and provided some more info. There are still some things we’d like to know, but the demo does give some much-needed clarity. Firstly, Your Phone won’t use cloud syncing to deliver information to users. This was a big concern for privacy-conscious users, who don’t want their data hosted on Microsoft’s servers. How exactly it works remains a mystery, but it will likely be revealed at a later date....

The report tracks 32-year-old Wang, who lives and works from a small apartment in Shenzhen, China’s tech capital. She receives coded messages that detail available chips from vendors who use Wang to connect them with buyers. This grey market has become a haven for finding chips that are hard to find elsewhere. Semiconductors are valuable products in this market. However, it is an illegitimate industry that is also full of second-hand or out-of-date chips....

It may seem a trivial change, but users are complaining. This relatively simple switch means a site like WinBuzzer is no longer displayed as www.winbuzzer.com in the Chrome 69 address bar. Instead, the URL reads as winbuzzer.com. So, what’s the problem? If you have used Apple’s Safari (and many certainly have), then you will be very familiar with this no www. idea. Google thinks the address bar looks better within the “trivial subdomain”....

This is probably the first time we have seen all of Microsoft’s products working together. With DataMesh, the Surface Studio is used as the base to create the decal. The Surface Pen and Dial are the tools used for the artistic creations and editing. Finally, the HoloLens is used to see the finalized model with the decal upon it. We imagine practicality may be an issue, especially for creating quick decals....

Because of the vulnerability, threat actors could launch man in the middle attacks through remote execution code to infiltrate the BIOS. The problem was found by Eclypsium researchers, who said the flaw affects 129 Dell laptop models. “Such an attack would enable adversaries to control the device’s boot process and subvert the operating system and higher-layer security controls,” the security research company explains. Those 129 models account for around 30 million units worldwide, covering Dell customers in consumer and enterprise....