Welcome back to our Windows 10 news recap, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Microsoft’s flagship operating system.

Microsoft and Fujitsu partner to let you log in with the veins in your palm

As Microsoft continues its work on Windows Hello, the company has partnered with Fujitsu to work on developing vein authentication, by using the veins in your palm to authenticate you.

Preview Program on a per-app basis is being tested for Windows 10 by Microsoft

To separate early access to app updates from the Windows 10 Insider Program, Microsoft is testing per-app preview programs that allows users to test app updates early without having to be a Windows 10 Insider.

Windows 10 Mobile’s Microsoft Photos app receives major update

The Microsoft Photos app on Windows 10 Mobile has received a major new update that brings it more inline with its PC counterpart, although for some users it brings reduced performance.

Wileyfox, who brought a Windows Phone to market late last year, is now in financial trouble

Windows Phone manufacturer, Wileyfox, who brought a new Windows Phone device to market last year, is now in financial trouble. This may not come as a surprise to many, particularly with how Windows 10 Mobile is abandoned by Microsoft.

That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week with more Windows 10 news!

Microsoft news recap is a weekly feature highlighting the top Microsoft news stories of the past week. Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy the read!

Cortana picks up brand new design on iPad, launches 20% faster

iPad users are receiving a new update for Cortana. While bringing a new design to Microsoft’s virtual assistant, Cortana will now also launch 20% faster compared to previous versions.

Users of Bing’s Webmaster Tools can now login with their accounts on Google and Facebook

In an unexpected update, Bing Webmaster Tools has gained a new feature. Microsoft has added third-party account login for Google and Facebook, as well as the current login system with Microsoft Accounts. The new login options are only available in the United States for now, but are expected to roll out to other regions in the near future.

Microsoft to open registration soon for May 7-9 Build 2018 in Seattle

Microsoft’s annual Build event is fast approaching. The company is to open registration for the event, that takes place in Seattle between May 7-9, on February 15th.

Microsoft Build returns to Seattle May 7-9, 2018. Developers, join us as we explore the future of technology. #MSBuild https://t.co/e6X6Vejr77 pic.twitter.com/zf660MM3cI

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) February 8, 2018

Bing highlights new “multi-perspective” Instant Answers

Bing has been working on improving its Instant Answers feature. When users search and Bing believes it can show an Instant Answer, it uses neural networks to find the best answer from multiple sources, and then provides it to the user. In an update to this, Bing can now show multiple different answers that show different points of view, so that the user can make a more informed decision.

That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week with more Microsoft news.

Welcome to our weekly Xbox news recap series, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Xbox. Let’s get started.

DayZ coming out to Xbox this year

DayZ made a huge impact when it first came out. It was one of the most streamed games on Twitch for quite a while, only losing its popularity when newer, shinier copycats like H1Z1 came along to try and get a piece of the pie. The game will be coming out on Xbox at some point this year via the Xbox Game Preview program, giving it a chance to come back to popularity among a chunk of gamers.

OG Xbox One controller opens for pre-order

Pre-orders have opened up for “Duke,” the replication of the original Xbox controller that will be hitting the market. The controller is going to cost $70, and will have a few new bells and whistles to keep it up to date with the quality of hardware we’ve come to expect. One of the nicer novelties of the new Duke is the fact that the Xbox button in the middle has a LED screen under it which will play the original Xbox starting video when pressed.

Limited Edition Sea of Thieves controller is now available

The limited edition Sea of Thieves controller that was revealed not too long ago is finally available for those who are interested in snagging it. The controller has a beautiful purple paint job, along with a few visual effects that really give it the “pirate” fantasy that Sea of Thieves is meant to convey. The controller will cost you $75, but it’s worth it if you’re a collector.

PUBG bans 2.5 million cheaters, 1 million in January

PUBG has a lot of cheaters. 2.5 million cheaters have so far been banned in the game’s lifetime, with 1 million of them being caught in January alone. While the problem isn’t lending itself to Xbox nearl as much as in the PC community, it has certainly been demoralizing for PUBG fans across the board to be seeing people trying to break the game like this. PUBG is working on ways to prevent cheating like this to happen, but until then, we’ll be seeing a ton of bans coming out.

Thanks for joining us. To keep up to date with all the latest Xbox news, keep a close eye on our Xbox One tag.

Those who use Windows 10 are most likely aware of the Windows 10 Preview Program which allows users to test our new updates for Windows 10 before they’re released to the public. Once part of the Preview Program, users also receive early updates to apps, however, Microsoft looks to be wanting to take this a step further.

As of this week, the company has begun inviting users to join individual Preview Programs (via Thurrott) for some of the stock apps on Windows 10, including Windows Camera, Microsoft Photos, Alarms & Clock and more.

There’s been no mention of the Windows App Previews from Microsoft so far, however, it signals a more user-centric process, as it will allow users to gain access to early updates of their favourite apps, without having to sacrifice their Windows 10 device to potentially buggy early builds of Windows 10.

Positions regarding the US political climate is contentious, to say the least. The past two years of partisan rhetoric has created a visible rift among citizens and continued tribalistic devotion looks to widen that divide for some.

However, there seems to be one area were men and women can venture across the political aisle and come to a common consensus that they want to finally build out a set of agreements to adequately address cross-border data investigation.

For Microsoft, this is a good thing.

Earlier this week, US senators Hatch, Coons, Graham, and Whitehouse introduced a bipartisan legislature called the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act which looks facilitate cross-border access to data as it pertains to the investigation of serious crimes.

Specifically, the on-the-nose titled act attempts to clarify whether or not companies such as Microsoft could be compelled to turn over internationally stored data being a US-based enterprise with caveats but ultimately validating the Stored Communications Act (SCA). The CLOUD Act would also amend blocking provisions in the SCA that currently prohibit US-based data providers from disclosing data to international law enforcement. Instead, CLOUD would enable the United States executive branch to enter into agreements authorizing international governments to make a direct request for data from US-based companies, after meeting a set of stringent requirements based on human rights laws and procedural protections in maintaining confidential data.

How does all of this help Microsoft?

On the face of it, it would seem Microsoft’s accumulated court victories would be wiped out as the US would uphold the SCA which would compel Microsoft to hand over any overseas held data during warranted investigations. However, CLOUD builds in two very important structural astricts that should help prevent abuse of SCA.

According to JustSecurity.org,

Together, the explicit statutory provision establishing a motion to quash based on comity grounds, plus the explicit recognition of other possible motions to quash based on common law comity, ensure that the legitimate interests of foreign governments are taken into account if and when the application of the US’s warrant authority generates a conflict of laws. It thus sets the kind of precedent the United States would want other nations to follow if seeking access to US citizens and residents – helping to ensure that US citizen and resident data is adequately protected as well.

Secondly, the blocking provisions are more clearly examined and laid out for international governments seeking data for investigation of domestic or local crimes.

The foreign government must make a diplomatic request to the United States for this data, via the mutual legal assistance process, even if the only US tie to the case is that relevant data happens to be US-held. This is a time-consuming process which ultimately requires a US attorney’s office to issue a warrant on behalf of the foreign government.

These data requests are also subject to numerous limitations designed to protect the interests of US citizens and residents and to ensure the application of baseline substantive and procedural protections.

In the end, this is a good thing that could help get Microsoft out of court regarding its high profile Ireland case and make the entire proceedings a non-starter going forward for many companies such as Google, Apple, IBM, Samsung and more. The CLOUD Act is a substantive first step at legitimately establishing norms for both domestic and international request for data companies with globally residing customers. CLOUD helps establish a set of procedures for accessing data of citizens using services domestic and abroad while also enabling increasing transparency in how government obtains data.

Hopefully, we’ll continue to see a growing understanding of how data, communications, and investigations are evolving and an effort by US law to accommodate international business.

The Deluxe Edition of EA Sports UFC 3 is now playable on Microsoft’s family of Xbox One consoles. This Deluxe Edition bundle features the main game (which has been out for a week now) plus the legendary Bruce Lee as a playable character and 3,000 UFC Points to spend in-game. Here’s the official game description.

EA SPORTS UFC 3 revolutionizes authentic fighting movement with Real Player Motion Tech, a new animation technology that delivers the most responsive and authentic athletic motion in sports gaming. In G.O.A.T. Career Mode, players must build fight hype to gain fans, earn cash to train at new gyms, and create heated rivalries with other fighters to capture the world’s attention.

EA Sports UFC 3 is the latest in the EA Sports UFC fighting video game franchise. Unlike rival fighting series such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the UFC games feature more realistic action and many real-world fighters.

Have you had a chance to play EA Sports UFC 3 yet on your Xbox One? Share your impressions with the community in the comments below.

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EA SPORTS™ UFC® 3 Deluxe Edition

Developer:
Electronic Arts

Price:
Free

The official Xbox One Plex app has finally added support for live TV with its latest update. Plex users who pay for the monthly Plex Pass membership and have an antennae attached to their console will now be able to watch broadcast television from within the Plex app and also pause, rewind, fast forward, and record it.

Here’s the official list of other features added with this update.

• Updated the sources selector UI
• Added sources modal
• Added ability to reorder sources from sources modal
• Added ability to hide sources from sources list
• Added support for inline collections
• Added automatic fallback to transcode if direct stream audio fails
• Playing an item from the play queue will automatically close the play queue

Are you a Plex fan and have you been waiting for this added functionality to come to the Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below.

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Plex

Developer:
Plex

Price:
Free

Microsoft is pushing Windows Hello a step further by partnering with Fujitsu to allow you to login to your Windows 10 PC using the veins in your palm. The seemingly grotesque feature is definitely interesting to say the least. Here’s a video look at what the new login experience might look like.

In a Windows Blog post, Microsoft noted that the new login option is available to verify employees in a remote workplace.

“The business world is quickly evolving to a place where many employees work remotely. The benefits of working remote are numerous, yet with this transition comes potential security risks. To better protect and secure a mobile workforce, Fujitsu has teamed with Microsoft to build devices with Windows 10 Pro and industry-leading biometric options including Windows Hello and palm vein authentication to prevent security attacks in the modern workplace.”

PalmSecure is the name of the technology behind the palm vein authentication and maps the veins under your skin to verify your identity in order to work. The tech was designed to provide an extra layer of access protection for devices and prevent the company’s network from being compromised.

It should be noted that PalmSecure is still not completely foolproof and is still in its early stages of implementation with Windows 10. You can see devices with this technology enabled via Fujitsu here.

Xbox’s Major Nelson today announced the addition of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction to the Xbox One Backward Compatible catalog. This title also happens to be 50% off (at $9.99) today as part of the Ubisoft publisher sale, so it is sure to pack plenty of fun for new players and those who already own it.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction is coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility today (it is also on sale for 50% off in this week's @Ubisoft publisher sale) https://t.co/qPMRNrLoTQ pic.twitter.com/mDtB6INELk

— Larry Hryb ????????☁ (@majornelson) February 8, 2018

The action-adventure stealth video game was originally released back in April of 2010 and was followed up by Splinter Cell Blacklist. Players of the game are in control of Sam Fisher and need to recover weapons of mass destruction before they are sold on the black market. New gameplay features in this title include: “Mark & Execute,” the ability to interrogate characters in real-time, and also use objects in the surrounding environment against them.

The addition of this title comes one week after Microsoft added The Darkness II, Spec Ops: The Line, and The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom to the Backward Compatible catalog. As always, if you own this title digitally it should now automatically appear in the ready to download section on your Xbox One. If you own the disc, all you need to do is pop it into your Xbox One and enjoy.

Earlier this week the notorious Microsoft leaker WalkingCat revealed the company’s annual Build developer conference could be scheduled for early May in Seattle, just before Google I/O. Turns out that things are now more formal as Microsoft has confirmed the leaked dates and will soon open registration for the conference.

Microsoft Build returns to Seattle May 7-9, 2018. Developers, join us as we explore the future of technology. #MSBuild https://t.co/e6X6Vejr77 pic.twitter.com/zf660MM3cI

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) February 8, 2018

Registration will kick off on February 15, 2018, and potential attendees are being urged to visit this website and save the date. Microsoft is also tagging this year’s conference as “exploring the future of technology” with opportunities to “create tomorrow,” “imagine tomorrow,” and “code tomorrow.”

Registration hours will be Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time. Full conference passes will cost $2,495, providing access to all sessions, content, and the Expo hall plus all conference meals. Coincidently, Build 2018 runs the same week as Google’s I/O conference, so it will be interesting to see if attendance is impacted. Those interested in attending can keep updated by signing up for email alerts here.

As we’re getting closer to the release of Windows 10 version 1803, the Windows Developer Day will come back for another edition on March 7. Kevin Gallo, Vice President of the Windows Developer Platform will explain what’s new for developers in the next Windows 10 update during a live stream starting at 9 AM PST.

Progressive Web Apps may well be a big topic during the keynote: Microsoft confirmed earlier this week that full PWA functionally will be enabled in Windows 10 version 1803, and the company will soon start listing PWAs in the Microsoft Store. We also hope to hear more about Windows 10 on ARM, as developers can now submit UWP apps that target Windows 10 on ARM devices.

If you’re looking forward to seeing what’s coming next for developers in the next Windows 10 release, you can already RSVP for the Windows Developer Day live stream on this page. By doing so, you’ll also be notified when the next Windows SDK is available.

The first half of the first season of the popular Attack on Titan anime series is now available to claim for free in the Microsoft Store for users in the United States and other select regions.

Being in the Microsoft Store, these episodes will be available to watch on Windows 10 PCs and tablets, Windows phones, Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles, and HoloLens (if you happen to have one of those lying around). Interested anime fans can claim the episodes here.

Attack on Titan is set in a European country which has been overtaken by giant beings named titans and features a large cast of characters and an even larger amount of death and destruction. The title, Attack on Titan, is actually the Japanese-English name used to promote the anime and manga in Japan and it was bizarrely kept when the franchise was released in the West. A proper translation of the Japanese name would be something along the lines of “The Attacking Giants” or “The Advancing Giants.”

Are you a fan of Attack on Titan? Let us know in the comments below.

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Hyperkin’s upcoming Duke Xbox One controller is now up for pre-order at GameStop. This new wired controller is inspired by the original Xbox console’s controller and uses the same overly-large design and even has a screen that plays the original Xbox loading animation when it’s turned on.

“The nicknamed “Duke” controller for the original Xbox was big, bold and tough,” Hyperkin has said of the accessory. “Hyperkin’s Research and Development team sought the assistance and the blessing of Seamus Blackley, who played an integral part in the original Xbox team. The Duke sports a faithful recreation of the original controller’s form-factor with some updated features: a logo display screen, left and right bumpers, and a 9 ft. detachable cable.”

The new Duke controller will work with all Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 PCs with a USB port. Are you planning on buying the Duke? Let us know in the comments below.

In a recent sprawling interview with Vulture, business mogul, actor, musician, composer, humanitarian, and father of famous actress Rashida Jones, Quincy Jones had a lot to say about some of his most notable encounters with other celebrities.

Most headlines from the interview will focus on his single dinner date with the US presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, some twelve years ago. While that may be seen as the meat of the Vulture interview as it pertains to the more relevant political climate in the US, there was an almost throwaway mention of Jones’ encounter with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that we thought deserved some recognition.

According to the 79 time Grammy nominated musician, Allen is a “really good musician” on top of being a wealthy owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers, founder of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and the Allen Institute of Artificial Intelligence to list a few of his credits.

Yeah, man. I went on a trip on his yacht, and he had David Crosby, Joe Walsh, Sean Lennon — all those crazy motherfuckers. Then on the last two days, Stevie Wonder came on with his band and made Paul come up and play with him — he’s good, man.

If you’re not one to take the word of an accomplished Grammy winner, here is a small clip of Allen shredding at a get-together.

Seems as though both Allen and Gates have done well for themselves in the second act following the creation of the world premiere software licensing company’s. Seems the pressure is on for former CEO Steve Ballmer to add to his list of post-Microsoft credits to keep in step with other company alumni.

After a few weeks of testing with Xbox Insiders, Microsoft today rolled out the Xbox One version 1802 update to all gamers with a console in the Xbox One family. Though this update is fairly minor, it is bringing the new Do Not Disturb mode and a few more improvements to the Xbox One experience. (via Neowin.)

Do Not Disturb Mode suppresses all notifications and shows your friends you’re not available.  Also new is the upcoming achievements tracker, which as the name suggests, allows for a gamer can have a peek at which achievements are coming up next in any given game.

3 things to love about the newest Xbox update:
1) "Do Not Disturb" status
2) Upcoming achievements tracker
3) Mini Game Hubs pic.twitter.com/6tgrTUxrdo

— Xbox (@Xbox) February 7, 2018

There is also the new Mini Game Hub, which gives a quick peek at the feed for a game, and your friends progress in any game without having to quit the action. Finally, the third major change is the addition of download progress bars in the main Xbox guide.

Other fairly minor changes in this update include some enhancements that make it easier to view comments in the feed, and a new option to have an Xbox Console shut down after two, three, four and five hours of inactivity.

It is always great to see these enhancements, but we’re still looking forward to the next featured update to the Xbox One, which should be coming sometime this Spring. As always, happy downloading and feel free to let us know your thoughts on this update by dropping us a comment below.

Microsoft today announced the official rollout of a LinkedIn powered Resume Assistant for Office 365 users on Windows. This comes several months after the feature was initially announced, marking a new way to help job seekers showcase their accomplishments.

There is no need to have a LinkedIn account to use this feature and any Office 365 user on Windows can find the Resume Assistant by going to Review and then clicking Resume Assistant in the Office ribbon. From there, the user can type the role they are interested in and check certain examples. The Assistant will even show work experience descriptions for inspiration and even top skills related to the role, as identified by LinkedIn.

According to Microsoft, the feature is available for Office 365 subscribers on Windows whose Word 2016 desktop display language is set to English. Users will also only see the feature if their Windows region is set to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.

Microsoft mentions that nearly 80 percent of resumes are updated in Word, with 70 percent of people saying they have difficulty portraying their work experience effectively. This feature will definitely be a help for many, and you can learn more about it by checking here.

The Crypto Chart app has added several new features recently that continue to cement its position as the best free Windows 10 app for tracking Bitcoin and cryptocurrency news and trends.

The app now supports parings for up to 20 different fiat currencies (US Dollar, Euro, etc) and now allows users to enable or disable specific news sources for the crypto news feed tab. Crypto Chart also now features several new details for portfolio tracking and, best of all, now supports syncing between different devices with the same Microsoft account.

Crypto Chart is a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app which works on not only Windows 10 devices but also Windows phones and Xbox One video game consoles. With the sync option enabled in Settings, all portfolio data, selected crypto watch lists, and news preferences will stay up to date via the cloud as long as the same Microsoft account is used.

Have you given Crypto Chart a god yet? Let us know in the comments below.

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Crypto Chart

Developer:
Ravaga

Price:
Free

A couple of months ago, Microsoft announced during its Edge Summit that Windows 10 version 1803 (aka Redstone 4) would bring full support for Progressive Web apps. Today, the company shared an important update about its plans to make Progressive Web Apps “first-class citizens” on Windows 10.

As a reminder, Progressive Web Apps (or PWAs) are web apps that work just like native apps: they’re wrapped in an .appx container, they can work offline and send push notifications. PWAs can also work on a variety of devices including phones, Xbox One consoles, Windows Mixed Reality headsets and more. Microsoft really insisted that PWAs will be full-featured apps, and consumers shouldn’t notice any difference:

PWAs installed via the store will appear in “app” contexts like Start and Cortana search results, and have access to the full suite of WinRT APIs available to UWP apps. They can differentiate their experience on Windows 10 with enhancements like access to local calendar and contacts data (with permission) and more.

In the latest Windows 10 Insider builds, Service Worker, Push notifications, and other web technologies allowing Progressive Web Apps to work on Windows 10 are already enabled by default. This means that developers can now start testing their PWAs in Microsoft Edge, and the company will start listing PWAs in the Microsoft Store once Windows 10 version 1803 is out.

As a matter of fact, the Redmond giant is encouraging developers to submit PWAs to the Microsoft Store. Developers can do so using PWA Builder, a free tool takes data from a website to generate an AppX that developers can then manage in their Dev Center account, just like any other UWP app.

But in case developers are not ready to play along, Microsoft will also automatically index “selected quality Progressive Web Apps” in the Microsoft Store. “We’ve been using the Bing Crawler to identify PWAs on the web for nearly a year, and as we’ve reviewed the nearly 1.5 million candidates, we’ve identified a small initial set of Progressive Web App experiences which we’ll be indexing for Windows 10 customers to take for a spin over the coming weeks,” the company explained.

PWAs should really help to bring more quality apps to the Microsoft Store, but Microsoft insist that this isn’t the end for native UWP apps. “For developers who are building a fully-tailored UWP experience, building from the ground up with native technologies may make the most sense,” the company explained. “For developers who want to tailor an existing web codebase to Windows 10, or provide a first-class cross-platform experience with native capabilities and enhancements, PWA provides an on-ramp to the Universal Windows Platform that doesn’t require demoting or forking existing web resources.”

The start of the NASCAR season is just a few days away and many teams are already preparing for the Daytona 500, one of the biggest races of the year. Hendrick Motorsports, which is a Microsoft partner, recently took to their Facebook Live to share more about their preparation process, and Windows 10 devices and Surface just so happens to be a huge help.

Hendrick Motorsports’ famed #24 team shared the video, showing fans how the team passes data around and gets ready before hitting the race track. At the 54 second mark in the video, William Byron, driver of the #24 car for 2018, shows off his Microsoft Surface Laptop, saying that it has all of his notes from test sessions. You can also see that he’s clearly using OneNote, which is a nice plug for Microsoft.

As the team passes the camera around, you can spot many Windows 10 PCs, particularly one big HP laptop which a team member uses to outfit Byron’s Surface with the information he needs to go to the track with. Some other team members are more traditional though, takes notes with pen and paper, handling more technical or engineering areas of the including shocks and suspension.

It’s definitely cool seeing this type of internal access and seeing Microsoft tech being used inside the team.  Have you ever seen Windows 10 or Surface being used in sports or on other big stages? Let us know your thoughts below.

Over the weekend, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott got their hands on some partner documentation throwing quite a bit of light on Microsoft’s plans for the future of Windows 10 S and Windows 10 consumer pricing. The news signals a number of interesting new developments for the way the company plans to sell Windows beginning as early as this spring with the release of the next update to Windows (which may or may not be called “The Spring Creators Update”).

The documentation depicts 2018 as a “transition year” for Windows as the company moves to “a more scalable family of offerings that will better meet the needs of its PC maker partners and, ultimately, the consumers who will use their shared products,” according to Paul Thurrott.

So what does that mean? Let’s take a look:

Repositioning Windows Home

Although the changes to Windows 10 S/S Mode are getting the most attention, Microsoft’s new focus on Windows 10 Home may be an even more important change. First, Microsoft is creating new pricing tiers for OEMs. Here’s the breakdown from Brad Sams:

• Entry: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤ 32GB SSD AND ≤ 14.1” screen size (NB), ≤ 11.6” (2in1, Tablet), ≥ 17” AiO
• Value: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤64GB SSD & ≤ 14.1” screen size (EM ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤64GB SSD or ≤ 500GB HDD)
• Core: Cannot be used on devices that meet the Core+ and Advanced SKU Hardware Specifications
• Core +: High end CPU and >4 GB RAM (All Form Factors) ≥8 GB RAM & ≥1080p screen resolution (NB, 2in1, AiO) >8 GB RAM & ≥2TB HDD or SSD storage (Desktop)
• Advanced: Intel Core i9 (any configuration) OR Core i7 ≥ 6 Cores (any RAM) OR AMD Threadripper(any configuration) OR Intel Core i7 >16GB (any Cores) or AMD FX/ Ryzen7 >16GB (any Cores) OR ≥ 4K screen resolution (any processor, includes 4K UHD-3840 resolution

Pricing for the SKUs is as follows: Advanced ($101), Core + ($86.66), Core ($65.45), Value ($45), and Entry ($25). Also, Windows 10 S is dead, it’s now Windows 10 S mode and the baseline SKU will be going away but each version will have an S mode

Note that while Microsoft is making these delineations for OEMs, there will apparently only be 3 Windows 10 Home Editions: Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Home Advanced, and Windows 10 Home in S Mode. In other words, while OEMs will be able to pay less to put Home on a low end PC, it will still be Windows 10 Home whether it’s Entry, Value, or Core, etc. This appears to be a change from Microsoft’s earlier policy of allowing OEMs to install Windows 10 on devices smaller than 9″ for free.

The addition of Windows 10 Home Advanced is significant, too, as it allows users with high end specced PCs to get the most out of their Core i9 type machines without having to shell out for Windows 10 Pro, if all they want is the high-end specs and not the Bitlocker/Hyper-V additions provided by Pro.

Windows 10 in S Mode

Microsoft is apparently ready to either kill Windows 10 S or greatly expand it, depending on how you look at it. Instead of a single standalone SKU, each edition of Windows will become available (at least to OEMs) with Windows 10 in S Mode variants. While Microsoft will continue to require a ($49) upgrade fee to move from Windows 10 Pro in S Mode to full Pro, it’s significant that for the Home SKUs, an upgrade from S Mode to full Home will remain free.

OEMs would be charged the same price for installing Home Editions with S Mode or without, but they could gain some savings by releasing Windows 10 Pro in S Mode versions, according to Brad Sams. This would give OEMs an incentive to sell Pro in S Mode, and an incentive for corporations to consider deploying S Mode instead of full Pro.

Brad Sams made note of a line in the documentation that “Microsoft will improve S mode this year with further improvements to Edge, a new AV/Security Apps capability for third-party AV solutions, and optimizations aimed at low-storage devices.”

While Sams has speculated that this may mean some kind of end-around for being able to run AV desktop apps in S Mode, there’s a lot we don’t know here. Could Microsoft be working with AV vendors to create UWP AV apps, or could vendors be working on Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which will soon be able to run on Windows with those Edge advances? We’re doubtful that Microsoft would go to all the trouble to keep S Mode and then open the barn door by allowing some desktop apps to run, but we’ll see.

Opening up Windows for low end PC sales

We already know that Microsoft wants to compete in the low end PC market, especially in the education space where Google’s Chromebooks are making a dent. This new pricing structure, along with Microsoft’s push into Always-On computing with Windows on ARM devices that should start showing up soon, and even the nearly mythical Surface Phone, will help to reposition Windows to run better and more broadly across a wider range of devices. As much as Microsoft may want to push “S Mode” as a way to capture interest in Store apps, it’s also a convenient way to get Windows onto OEM devices at a low price.

How will this affect you?

If you’re looking to buy a cheap PC, you may be in luck starting as early as later this year, as we would expect OEMs to target Microsoft’s lower prices and introduce a new range of PCs either running low end hardware, or S Mode, or both. If you’re a gamer looking for a new high end device, you may be able to run Windows 10 Home Advanced instead of Windows 10 Pro, saving you some money. If you’re a Windows enthusiast, it looks like we’ll have lots to talk about as Microsoft expands the “S Mode” program and OEMs introduce new models and device types, and if you’re an OEM, things could start to get real interesting.

Are these pricing and S Mode revelations important to you? Will you consider an S Mode machine when they come to market? Are you excited by the introduction of Windows 10 Home Advanced, when it makes an appearance? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft’s Build developer conference is coming back to Seattle this year, and it looks like it will kick off just a day before Google I/O. Microsoft watcher WalkingCat just posted what looks like an official marketing picture for Build 2018, which will apparently be held May 7-9, 2018.

https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/960901377768620032

Two weeks ago, Google announced that its I/O 2018 developer conference would happen May 8-10 in Mountain View, California. It doesn’t seem like Microsoft was aware of its competitors plans, as the company probably set the date for Build 2018 a long time ago. Anyway, it will be interesting to see both tech giants make big announcements during what should be a very busy week for the tech press.

If Microsoft releases the next major Windows 10 update (rumored to be called the “Spring Creators Update”) in April, then we hope that the company will share some details about Redstone 5 during Build in May. Last year, the company used its annual developer conference to introduce Fluent Design, as well as some features that have been delayed to the upcoming Redstone 4 update such as Timeline. We’ll see if the company will be more careful about announcing features that are not fully baked this year.

We’ve seen Microsoft give celebrities special Xbox One S consoles before, but the Redmond giant is now taking things to a new level. The company recently gifted Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn a custom Baby Groot Xbox One S console, complete with a replica of the fictional superhero.

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As you can see above, Director James Gunn took to his Instagram to share the picture of the custom console. It appears to be the same as a standard Xbox One S, except for a dirtied up and rusted custom color. There’s also the unique giant Baby Groot (from Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2) which sits on the left side of the system

Safe to say this is a unique console, but we’re still wondering how it will fit into Gunn’s set up at his home. Do you think this console is cool? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

A little more than two weeks after it was first spotted on Amazon, Microsoft has officially unveiled the new Xbox One S PUBG bundle today. The $299 bundle can be pre-ordered today from the Microsoft Store, Amazon and Best Buy and it should be available at participating retailers worldwide on February 20.

“Since its release as a console launch exclusive on Xbox One in the Xbox Game Preview program, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has reached incredible milestones, most recently surpassing 4 million players across the Xbox One family of devices,” explained Matt Lapsen, General Manager, Xbox Devices Marketing. “We’ve been blown away by the response to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox One and today, we’re excited to announce the Xbox One S PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Bundle, offering fans the best value in games and entertainment with the hottest game on the planet.

For $299, the bundle will include a 1TB white Xbox One S console, a download code for PUBG, a 1-month Xbox Live Gold trial and a 1-month Xbox Game Pass trial. Even though PUBG on Xbox One is still in preview, Microsoft is betting big on the battle royale game which is definitely one of the most valuable Xbox exclusives as of today. During the holidays, Microsoft also offered a free copy of PUBG to everyone who purchased the new Xbox One X. Let us know in the comments if you expect this new PUBG Xbox One S bundle to sell well this year.