1 Spring Sale Game Deals2 Spring Sale Windows PC Deals3 Spring Sale Console & Accessories Deals As always, Xbox Live Gold users benefit from bigger discounts. Members get 10% extra savings across a range of titles. Thankfully, Microsoft is handing out a month of Gold for $1, so pretty much anyone can jump on board. The only exception is users in Portugal, Korea, and Brazil. Spring Sale Game Deals That said, here are the best deals across Xbox One:...

With the latest version of System Center 2022, Microsoft is combining System Center (SC) Operation Manager (SCOM), Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), System Center Orchestrator (SCORCH), Service Manager (SM), and Data Protection Manager (DPM). In its release blog, Microsoft points to the benefits of using System Center 2022: “Enhanced access control capabilities in SCOM facilitate simpler management of permissions on the monitoring data and alert actions. A critical piece toward adoption of DevOps practices, empowering the users with the right level of control....

You may be wondering what is the difference between Teams phones and Android phones with Teams? It is a fair question, and I don’t think Microsoft has done enough to highlight what exactly Teams phones are. Either way, Teams phones are not mobile smartphones but rather business phones with displays. These are built by third-party OEMs such as Lenovo, Crestron, Yealink, and AudioCodes. Basically, a Teams phone is an old-fashioned plug-in phone with a display and optimizations for Microsoft Teams....

While Microsoft is not confirming it, reports point to the company carrying out a migration of Xbox cloud severs during this year. Specifically, the company is moving the servers from Xbox One architecture to Xbox Series X architecture. Moving from last generation to current generation has benefits. Early signs of the improvement is the ability to run games at 1080p. According to Windows Central, Microsoft is currently only testing 1080p resolution for Project xCloud, but the early signs are good....

According to the Microsoft Threat Protection Intelligence Team, the Holmium group created an efficient cloud-based attack. Microsoft describes the group as amongst the most sophisticated cloud bad actors it has observed. However, Microsoft Threat Protection intelligence Team also says attacks of all levels of sophistication are common: “Every day, we see attackers mount an offensive against target organizations through the cloud and various other attack vectors with the goal of finding the path of least resistance, quickly expanding foothold, and gaining control of valuable information and assets....

The report points to a Microsoft project without a name that is currently in development. It would allow animated background with customizable effects. This Android live wallpapers, but for the Windows platform, and you’re on the right track. In the tutorial accompanying the project, Microsoft describes 8 custom effects that can be used on the wallpaper at the same time. I guess there will be more than 8 effects overall, but 8 will be the limit for concurrent effects....

Under the new tax stipulations, Washington state has pledged to redistribute the $370 million it makes from the new tax hike by 2021. That redistribution will be focused on a new Workforce Education Investment Account to help produce financial help for students in computer science fields. Betting on Education In other words, Microsoft is betting on exchanging extra tax dollars for a pick of the best computer science students from a growth in related jobs....

Users on Nintendo’s newest console have had problems with the Phantom flying monster. Additionally, the Switch is now able to clear log in credentials when a sign-in fails. Microsoft has solved these problems with the release of update 1.6.1 for Minecraft. The full release notes are below: Changes: Added a button to clear login credentials if a Microsoft Account sign-in fails on Nintendo Switch Fixes: Phantoms now definitely swoop down and attack people so watch out!...

The tech giant is working on a fix for the problem, which it believes effects a “small number of users”. It has an estimated release of mid-September for the patch and is yet to post an official workaround. However, users on Reddit have previously shared several imperfect solutions to the problem. The most foolproof way is to uninstall KB451294. You can do this via the ‘Uninstall updates’ option under ‘View update history’....

On iOS, users will now see a new design for the board picker. Microsoft has updated the app to version 1.19191103 and says the new board picker is more efficient. Users can now find boards more quickly. Below is the company’s description of the changes in the latest Whiteboard update: “The board picker has a whole new look! It’s now easier to find boards you’ve been invited to join as board titles, last modified dates, and collaboration status are all more visible....

Performance issues and the Xbox Series X should not go together. This is the most powerful console ever and on paper, even surpassing Sony’s PlayStation 5. However, side-by-side reviews show the PS5 is playing games better than the Xbox Series X. Games such as Dirt 5 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are two notable examples. So, how is this possible considering the specs of the Series X? Well, it seems Microsoft needs to work directly with developers to ensure affected games can perform up to the capabilities of the console....

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Shenmue I, Shenmue II, Thimbleweed Park, and Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition are all being removed. Microsoft says all those titles will be taken of Xbox Game Pass by the end of this month. If you are unfamiliar with Game Pass, it is available on Xbox One consoles as Xbox Game Pass. The service allows users to pay a monthly subscription ($9.99) to have access to hundreds of games that are available digitally and on demand....

The Xbox Insider Hub is now available to all users running Windows 10 build 14393 and higher. If you are iffy on your build numbers, that’s an Anniversary Update release. Most Xbox Insiders will already be familiar with the concept of the hub. It is already used (like the Windows Feedback Hub) for users to provide Microsoft with feedback on preview builds. The company uses this information to fix, change, and build features for the Xbox platform....

Microsoft says Minecraft Earth will be discontinued. The game’s team made the announcement earlier today, saying the title will continue to work until June 30, 2021. While that sucks for users, it is hardly a major surprise. That augmented realty phase really was just that… a phase. Pokémon Go rose and fell quickly and Minecraft Earth never became a massive success despite Microsoft’s efforts. In fact, it is arguable the game arrived too late, landing three years after Pokémon Go’s initial success....

The non-profit revealed the browser at an ‘All Hands’ meeting this week in San Fransico and showcased a little functionality. Users can tell the browser to read them an article about a specific topic and have it dictated aloud. As the number of smart devices grows, users are becoming more used to talking to technology. Cortana is on every Windows 10 PC, Google Assistant on every Android phone, and Alexa is a favorite in the smart speaker market....

According to the BBC, Netflix accounts that has been closed were reactivated by bad actors. The hackers just needed basic log-in information to retrieve the accounts. When a customer closes a Netflix account, the video streaming platform holds customer data for a 10-month period. The company’s reasoning is if a customer changes their mind, they will find it easier to re-join. Some Twitter users have noticed the problem and complained about it....

In a blog post titled ‘paid parental leave matters’ CVP Dev Stahlkopf outlined the reasons behind Microsoft’s decision and its benefits. The change is rooted in a Washington State family leave legislation that will take effect in 2020. “As we looked at this legislation, however, we realized that while it will benefit the employees of our suppliers in Washington state, it will leave thousands of valued contributors outside of Washington behind,” said Stahlkopf....

Wccftech reports the new generation of Nvidia cards will be in the hands of developers next month. OEMs can then start integrating them into machines. The company will almost certainly announce the new series this fall before new gaming machines launch at the end of this year and early in 2019. It is the general consensus amongst observers that the new GPUs will be called the GeForce GTX 1100 series....

Once again Office 365 is part of the prison. The new issue is wider spread in terms of location and affected services. ZDNet reports the issue is not just in Europe this time and is being described by users all over the world. Alongside Office 365, the latest problem is also being observed in Dynamics 365 and Azure platforms. It seems the problem is the same as last week. Users are reporting being unable to log in to their accounts....

Currently, Dictate is available for Microsoft Word and OneNote and will launch on the web in a few weeks. Microsoft says the core of the feature is to help people who struggle to understand written content, such as users with dyslexia. Now that the feature is coming to Office web apps, it will likely become more appealing to schools. Microsoft says PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook will receive Dictate in 2019....