1 Prototype2 Project xCloud At the moment, the company is known to have two solutions. The first is an attachment device to connect the Xbox One controller to a smartphone or tablet. This would allow full manual controls, albeit on a static and rigid setup. An alternative is a “new touch input overlay”. This would afford users more mobility and pick-up-and-play controls. However, virtual controls have never been able to truly replicate the tactility of manual controls....

According to Microsoft, the new destination is an extension of the Microsoft Docs service. As such, Q&A will use the same authentication process. On the platform, users can post a question and use tags to group them with other questions in the same field. Answers given on the platform will gain reputation points for the users. Voting on answers will also get points. Here is the full feature list for Microsoft Q&A:...

Windows Insiders have been able to download the latest ISO preview on the Fast Ring since last week, and it has now moved to more Insiders. In an unusual move, Microsoft has decided to keep the older ISO build 18343 available. That is a non Windows 10 20H1 release that has been available since March. Microsoft files this update under the SLOW branch and the newest build 18912 ISO on the FAST branch....

Firstly, the project will be $9 billion instead of $10 billion. It is also still a multi-year contract but instead of being 10 years, it will now be just 5 years, running until 2028. By the way, JEDI is now becoming JWCC, the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability project… slightly more ominous. “No funds are being obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued....

In a blog post to announce the release, Microsoft explains that .NET Core Tools 1.0 works in the command-line with VS Code and newly launched Visual Studio 2017. .NET Core is a platform for developing web applications and services that work across platforms. It gives users fast, lightweight, and modular tools to build out their apps. By leveraging the unified .NET Standard library to make coding equal across Windows, Mac, and Linux....

“If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights,” explained Microsoft. “In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website, for example, by sending an email....

After its acquisition by Microsoft in 2018, the startup has been introducing new worlds for users to hang out in, but it’s now added the ability for them to craft their own. Users can drag and drop objects in a space to build a custom environment, placing terrain, trees, teleporters, structures, and more. Current themes include Campfire and Alien planet, with plans to add additional kits with more customization options soon....

In a series of tweets, Soltero announced he was leaving Microsoft. No explanation for the reason behind his departure was given: “I’ve made the decision to leave Microsoft. The past 4 years have been an incredible experience. I’m humbled to have been a part of building something that 100M+ users depend on every day and grateful to have worked with some amazing people,” he tweeted. “I am deeply optimistic that Microsoft will continue to grow by building great products for people around the world....

One of those is a way to improve dark mode in the browsers. Though the theme generally does a good job, a Microsoft engineer spotted that in Windows, hovering over a text for tooltip results in a white box, no matter the system theme. The company also realized that increasing the text scaling in the OS’ ease of access settings doesn’t increase the size. Both of these can be fixed by enabling Window’s Aura tooltip by default....

By running the new Remote Desktop through the cloud, organizations will be able to run their own proprietary software in Azure. WalkingCat published a client download link and says Microsoft appears to be modifying its existing client rather than building a new one from scratch. “The actual client “msrdc.exe” seems to be a modified version of “mstsc.exe”, version 10.0.18838.1000, and the shell “msrdcw.exe” is a WPF app, thank god it’s not another Electron app....

Pedram Rezaei (@pedram_re), Microsoft Maps & Local Services Division CTO, took to Twitter to confirm SwiftKey’s comeback. In the tweet, Rezaei said Microsoft reversed its decision based on customer demand. It seems SwiftKey users caused enough traction for Microsoft to change its mind. Furthermore, the Microsoft exec says not only is SwiftKey returning to iOS, but the company is going to be “investing heavily in the keyboard”. There are features in the pipeline although Microsoft is not yet detailing what they are....

TypeScript is becoming popular in the development community because it gives dev’s easy tools for scaling up projects written in JavaScript. This achieved as a compiler tool with security and check programs based on static arrays, strings, text, and numbers. TypeScript is an excellent choice for finding errors in JavaScript code. There is certainly growing evidence to suggest TypeScript is now becoming an essential tool for developers. Analyst firm RedMonk revealed recently TypeScript is now the 12th most used programming language on GitHub and Stack Overflow....

“An interesting pattern emerged during these conversations,” said the VS Code team. “We saw many developers trying to use VS Code to develop against containers and remote VMs configured with specific development and runtime stacks, simply because it is too hard, too disruptive, and in some cases impossible, to set up these development environments locally.” This is apparently a major drawback for Python developers and has been causing a hesitance to switch to Microsoft’s software....

Currently in development are features including new sounds, emoji access, key press animations, and the ability to search for and input animated GIFs. Yes, these changes will bring the Windows 10 virtual keyboard in line with those available on mobile devices. The new keyboard experience is called the WonderBar and it was built for Windows 10X. If you’re unfamiliar with this SKU, it is a modular version of Windows 10 that is built for single and dual screen devices....

“We’re talking about incidents per device of less than 0.001%.” So, are we really talking about that kind of mega-reliability? Gavin says the company has improved its reliability on newer devices and “issues” are very rare indeed. According to his statistic, less than one in 100,000 Surface products will have a fault. Ok, I know there are plenty of raised eyebrows out there, and probably with reason. As is usually the case, Gavin is offering some clouded corporate speak....

Well, that independent study is now complete, and Microsoft is publishing the details. Microsoft Surface devices are beautiful and ergonomic, but they are amongst the worst devices to repair. You can write off any kind of at-home repair and Surface has consistently scored the lowest fixability scores with iFixit. Last year, the company’s shareholders took action to force a Right to Repair initiative that would include an independent study. The original resolution was filed by As You Sow on behalf of Microsoft shareholders....

In a humorous ad titled ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’, the company musically declares that the iPad isn’t a real computer. “Grandma, don’t run out and by an iPad. It was fine when I was 6, but now I’m 10. My dreams are big so I need a real computer, to do all of the amazing things I know I can,” sings a girl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g8ZR0KY7M4 The ad carries on the tradition of the companies bashing each other but may fall a bit flat during the holiday season....

A new Microsoft Patent discovered by Windows Latest points to a “Smart Speaker System with Microphone Room Calibration”. This suggests Microsoft is at least exploring its own Surface speaker device. Some of the specs including an optical sensor which means it could be useful in reading attendees at a conference or meeting. It also has a microphone array with six microphones for voice activation. Other than that, this is a patent light on details, which could mean this is an early development....

Starting in 2018, 21Vianet will invest in new infrastructure to triple the capacity of Azure cloud in China. The company operates Microsoft’s platform in the country and deals with the complexity of Chinese law. Under the laws of the country, foreign cloud providers must partner with a local company to sell services. 21Vianet is Microsoft’s partner and the companies are trying to expand into what is a major cloud frontier....

The new tool is rolling out in general availability for Microsoft Teams on desktop and the web. With this feature, meeting admins can access professional interpreters to translate meetings into other languages. This happens in real-time, so attendees can select their preferred language and hear the translation. Microsoft says the translation will be louder than their speaker. This allows the interpreter to be heard over the sound of the ongoing meeting....