If you are running any current Windows 10 release, including the October 2018 Update, Cortana and Search are deeply integrated. The digital assistant underpins general searches on the OS. In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed the split of the features. According to the company, separating the two will allow more concise development of each. Microsoft made the announcement as part of the release notes for Windows 10 Preview Build 18317....
Microsoft initially launched the new update to Windows Insiders in the United States. However, we are seeing reports that people in other regions are also getting the bump. That means it is likely to be rolling out to all users, but we’ll keep an eye on the situation. As mentioned, the focus of the update is creating a more seamless user interface. Part of Microsoft’s plans with Windows 10 is to create a connected ecosystem....
“We see fast-growing needs for global public cloud services in the China market, both from multi-national companies coming to China, Chinese companies seeking for global presence, and Chinese companies to digitally transform their businesses and processes on clouds—that’s the strong momentum driving us to keep expanding and upgrading our cloud services for almost eight years here in China,” says Dr. Hou Yang, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Chairman and CEO of Microsoft Greater China Region (GCR)....
Users can get the app from the Google Play Store, but this is not a free tool. Instead, it is part of Redmond’s wider Microsoft 365 E5 license. That removes all but the top paying enterprise customers who subscribe to Microsoft 365’s top tier. It’s still an important release because Microsoft is increasingly positioning its mobile tools to business users and not consumers. Back in June when the company made its announcement regarding Microsoft Defender ATP on Android, it was seemingly to coincide with the Surface Duo....
Last week, an appeals court upheld a decision for Eric Lundgren to serve 15 months in prison. As an e-waste advocate, Lundgren says his goal was simply to encourage people to safely recycle PCs and use refurbished hardware. He denied wrongdoing throughout the case, but Microsoft insists Lundgren purposely misled people. While there is a side of the debate supporting Microsoft, the other side say the pursuit of Lundgren through courts means the company does not support e-waste recycling....
“Whether you’re an artist, student or mobile professional, Surface Dial optimizes your digital workflow by bringing your most-used shortcuts and tools to your screen with simple presses and turns of the Dial,” said Paint 3D studio head Lee Schuneman. First off, the Surface Dial can be connected very quickly via Bluetooth, and dropping on the screen will bring up a context menu. What it does depends on the gestures you use....
In an announcement today, Microsoft says it is moving to this model for several reasons, including lowering consumer cost, providing easier access to newer features, and improving performance. The company adds its support capabilities will also be enhanced. Just like Windows 10, Dynamics 365 will now be upgraded each April and October. Also like on the desktop platform, updates will be backward compatible to allow users to carry existing apps and workloads from previous releases....
As the name suggests, this will provide a more kid-friendly browsing experience. Parents will also get deeper options to control how their children browse online. Kids Mode is a free part of the browser that you can toggle on the Windows 10 and macOS versions of the app. All you need to do to activate the mode is head to the user profile section and choose “Browse in Kids Mode”....
It’s fair to say that some have seen this coming, and Microsoft has gained a lot of useful information so far. In a blog post on Wednesday, it revealed that it has paid out over $200,000 in bounties. “This collaboration with the research community has resulted in significant improvements in Edge security and has allowed us to offer more proactive security for our customers,” said security program manager Akila Srinivasan....
Over on Reddit u/Leopeva64-2 found a similar toggle to Workspaces in a recent Microsoft Edge Canary channel update. Located in the Appearance settings, the toggle allows users to turn on/off the Workspaces button in the Edge toolbar. If the return of Workspaces follows the same development path of last year’s experiment, the button will show on the upper-left corner. It is worth noting while the toggle is available in Appearance settings, it currently does not work....
However, some Microsoft infrastructure requires on premises care. That meant some employees needed to attend their roles and could not work from home. In terms of workers at Microsoft data centers, some slept on the floor on site. A Microsoft executive says while remote work was widespread through the company, it was not possible for all employees. “I heard amazing stories about people actually sleeping in data centers,” Kristen Roby Dimlow, corporate vice president for total rewards, performance, and human resources business insights at Microsoft....
Starting with the new Azure region, Microsoft says the location will help organizations in Spain meet compliance and requirements within the country. Cloud services such as Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, and Azure will be delivered to Spanish customers from the datacenter. In terms of its partnership with Telefonica, Microsoft is moving to the next phase. The company says it will co-develop go-to-market plans with the company. This will happen in all countries where Telefonica has operations....
Looking at the increased choice of silicon, Microsoft says Windows 10 IoT Core Board Support Packages for the NXP i.MX series of CPU are now generally available. This includes the i.MX6, i.MX7, i.MX 8M and i.MX 8M Mini series’. If you’re unfamiliar with NXP, it is one of the main suppliers of high-security connectivity for embedded devices. By integrating the silicon with Windows 10 IoT Core, device manufacturers can build more secure and enterprise-ready devices....
Windows 10 21H1 is previewing on the fe_release branch, relating to its codename “Windows 10 Iron”. However, it’s important to remember the “Iron” branch of 21H1 is not for desktop. Instead it is for Windows 10X and Windows Server 2021. Microsoft has been quiet in recent weeks in terms of updates for this branch. It now seems clear the company was wrapping up the build. It is worth noting Microsoft has not officially said this is the final update for fe_release....
The uninitiated may assume that Fluid Framework is in someway related to Microsoft’s Fluent Design language. That’s not actually true, though it does borrow the design principles. The experience is instead an effort from the company to break down the barriers between various applications. In practice, that will mean features like multi-person co-authoring on web and document content. Users will be able to break content down into individual components that can be used across applications and recombined....
If you are unfamiliar with GroupMe, it is a service that gives users tools to sort and manage contacts by creating groups. Adding contacts to the app via phone or email brings up several chat options. Since Microsoft bought Skype in 2011, the company’s efforts on GroupMe have reduced. The app has received updates, but not anything significant in recent years. Despite this, the tool remains relatively popular in the United States....
The most interesting thing about Project Lively is its ability to make collaborations seamless. It is in some ways like the existing real-time co-authoring ability currently in Office. However, there is a clear and very important distinction. Project Lively allows sharing of files and updated files out of real-time. It is also its own platform and does not use Microsoft’s other file sharing services, such as OneDrive. It allows users to store files when they like, email and share Office documents, and post them online....
As always, this project has been developed through the ethos of Microsoft Garage. The special division of the company allows employees from separate businesses to collaborate on projects. Creations from the Garage are outside Microsoft’s core product selection, so experimentation is encouraged. Looking at Digital Marketing Center, the project was helmed by Program Managers Prince Bajracharya and Rosé Dorleans from Microsoft Advertising. Both found that SMBs are not managing their digital managing demands well and are often overwhelmed....
Microsoft-published titles, while significant, have been plagued with issues. The biggest blow came with the cancellation of Scalebound, for which the reasoning remains vague. The anticipated Crackdown 3 was then pushed back to 2018, all after promising an ‘exciting year of exclusives’. None of it was good news for fans, and Xbox head Phil Spencer has now addressed that. “We need to grow, and I look forward to doing that,” he told Bloomberg on Monday....
STEM Saturdays will be happening in all full line locations. Microsoft is also pointing users to the free programs the Microsoft Store has available at all times. The company says the STEM Saturday events are open to all, kicking off this Saturday (May 6). Using Windows 10 S on the Creators Update, the events will feature the following: How to build a flex sensor that lets them control a robotic finger with their own finger....
