Microsoft’s productivity app Access may not be high on the list of most used Office programs, but for those who depend on it, the Office team has delivered in a big way.

As stated on the Office Blogs, Access 2016 users can now look forward to support for a highly requested data type called Large Number (BigInt).

As a bit of a refresher, a large portion of business solutions that tap into Access do so with the built-in ability to read and write data from sources that leverage BigInt. With BigInt support coming to Office, users can now utilize the following features:

Add Large Number field to local tables

Large Number (BigInt)—now a supported data type—provides additional analytical capability and deepens the integration experience when users are importing/linking BigInt data. When creating new local tables or editing existing ones, Access now allows users to add fields that store BigInt numbers.

Turn on/off Large Number (BigInt) support for linked/imported tables

Customers specifically asked for the ability to import BigInt columns and link to tables with BigInt columns in a native way. We added an option for users to turn on/off support for Large Number in the current database. Turning Large Number support on allows users to import from and link to tables with BigInt columns, and have them represented in Access in a Large Number format.

The new Access support of BigInt will only available to active Office 365 subscribers with the first testers being Office Insiders and eventually rolling out to subscribers later. Today’s news proves that taking the time to respond via the UserVoice forums can pay off.

Seems as though much of the world has developed Beauty and the Beast fever and the folks over in the Windows Store division are looking to help soothe some of the symptoms with a new promotional.

For a limited time (assuming before the new big Disney release) fans can buy selected movies from the Window Store and receive a $13 Fandango movie ticket to see the uber-hyped Beauty and the Beast this March 17th in the US.

The list of qualifying movies includes:

• Cinderella
• Alice Through the Looking Glass
• The Jungle Book

For those jonesing for well-crafted Disney musical to prep them for Beauty and the Beast, head over to the Windows Store to get started.

Apple’s latest products usually get the most attention from the media, and it safe to say that iPhones and MacBooks are often chosen as the gold standards by which all other phones and laptops are judged. And yes, even PC manufacturers and Microsoft do this today: if you check Microsoft’s website, you’ll find a “Compare to Mac” tab on the dedicated page for the Surface Pro 4.

However, something interesting happened last year: Apple’s latest MacBook Pros were criticized for failing to innovate without compromises, while Microsoft’s Surface Studio was praised for pushing forward the all-in-one product category. During this period, Microsoft also launched a MacBook trade-in program, explaining that “the combination of excitement for the innovation of Surface coupled with the disappointment of the new MacBook Pro – especially among professionals – is leading more and more people to make the switch to Surface.”

But has Microsoft really become more innovative than Apple last year? And more importantly, is this true that more and more professional Mac users are leaving Apple for Windows PCs? Owen Williams, fomer editor for The Next Web, developer and “die-hard Apple user” has recently published an interesting blog post to explain why he left Mac for Windows (via Daniel Rubino).

Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up https://t.co/cpjnYuY5JJ pic.twitter.com/Q8bHCnXHAe

— Owen Williams ⚡ (@ow) March 5, 2017

“If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m probably the biggest Apple fan they know” starts Williams, who used to recommend Macs to anynone asking him for tech advice. “But recently, I realized I’d gotten tired of Apple’s attitude toward the desktop. The progress in macOS land has basically been dead since Yosemite, two years ago, and Apple’s updates to the platform have been incredibly small,” he continued.

As a developer, Williams stated his disappointment to see that the company “doesn’t pay any attention to its software,” but he also has harsh words for the company’s latest MacBook Pros. “Their hardware is underpowered, focusing on thinness and a gimmicky touch bar rather than power or functionality, the previous tentpoles of the Mac.”

It’s worth noting that Williams used to be loyal Windows user, until Microsoft shipped the infamous Windows Vista. “It was obvious the company had no strategy or vision, and while Windows 7 smoothed things over a little, Apple’s side had something I wanted: everything worked together nicely,” he explained. However, he didn’t jump ship until 2013, when he bought a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which he “loved.” But that was before he learned about Microsoft introducing a Linux subsystem in Windows 10, a move which was well received by developers. And another couple months before Microsoft introduced the Creators Update, which will bring other interesting things for developers such as the integrated Windows Holographic shell.

“I realized I’m so damn tired of Apple’s sheer mediocrity in both laptops and desktops, and started actually considering trying Windows again,” explained Williams, who finally decided to build a Windows computer from scratch last month. Now six weeks after a not-so-easy transition, this is one of his most interesting statements:

I don’t say this lightly, but Windows is back, and Microsoft is doing a great job. Microsoft is getting better, faster at making Windows good than Apple is getting better at doing anything to OS X.

That doesn’t mean that Williams is ready to abandon his Mac though, as he’s still “not convinced there’s a good enough Windows laptop yet… but maybe that will change over time.” However, he invites all disappointed Mac users to “take another look at Windows. It’s awesome, and now you’ll be able to get something with incredible power for a great price that’s actually worth using.”

The whole blog post is very interesting to read, especially if you’re a developer or a Mac user (because yes, you can install Windows 10 on your Mac if you want too). Williams also plans to continue to share on his blog his thoughts about Windows 10 from his unique point of view. We would love to know what you think, too! Sound off in the comments if you think Microsoft now iterates faster than Apple in both the software and hardware areas.

The fight for more widely available internet continues, this time on Microsoft’s home turf in the United States. According to Fierce Wireless, the tech giant is arguing the need for the FCC to approve TV white space in both licensed and unlicensed spectrums.

To fill you in, the availability of TVWS far outreaches the current 4g LTE system in a more affordable manner. The technology has been growing popular in the field in the last few years, surpassing its predecessors with a longer range that can communicate through solid objects.

Dave Heiner, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the Regulatory Affairs at Microsoft, spoke at a Senate committee hearing last week. The “Exploring the Value of Spectrum to the U.S. Economy” session discussed the importance between unlicensed spectrum compared to licensed spectrum, both being used widely but the former approximately sixteen times more.

“We strongly support action at the FCC to ensure that enough TV white-spaces channels remain available for unlicensed use and hope the FCC will finalize commercially reasonable white-spaces rules soon so we can move ahead,” Heiner said in written testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet.

While the CTIA is focusing on the economic value of having both spectrums in conjunction in favor of licensed, Microsoft seems to be taking a more societal approach. The tech company has been supporting the development of TVWS in other countries as well as the United States, eager to bring internet to those that cannot afford or reach it. With the unlicensed spectrum, there are less regulatory systems that will encourage innovative use of the TVWS. Their argument for unlicensed internet is strongly exampled by their partnership with Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communications and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The company wants to put a base transmitter device in schools, covering over 7,500 students with internet access at once. By putting a $50 device into the hands of children without internet at home, Heiner argued to the committee that they could “address the homework gap”.

Of course, at this point, it is a race against time if the United Nation has anything to say about it. The goal is to bring affordable access globally by the year 2020, but as Heiner pointed out, if we are to come close to that then we need to start now. The only thing standing in the way for TVWS is the challenge of controlling it.

“It’s been a little bit of a challenge in the TV white spaces area over the past 10 years where the rules have been a little bit in flux,” he said. “We really feel like we need to move forward with investing in that technology now and we’re sort of redoubling our efforts and we feel like the rules are almost done and so we’re ready to move forward.”

TVWS isn’t a new project for Microsoft. The technology has already been implemented in Africa, India, and other countries. Even the Seattle Center was fitted with TVWS, where over 25,000 users can connect simultaneously to high-speed internet. If approved, it’s possible we could see it begin rolling out publicly within the year if not sooner.

Ever since the entrance of the Surface Book about a year and a half ago, the detachable 2-in-1 laptop has been a big hit for the Surface family and even still continues to make Microsoft money. Today, Neowin reported a new configuration model for the Surface Book with improved specs.

Taking advantage of the Intel Core i7 processor, the new SKU amps up this newest version of Surface Book all the way to $2,999. In comparison to the other more expensive 1TB SSD model released earlier this year, this one doesn’t have a discrete GPU, but it’s $200 cheaper.

Here are the specs:

• 6th Gen Intel Core i7, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM
• 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen display
• Surface Pen included
• Windows 10 Pro

Unfortunately, the listing from the Microsoft Store doesn’t let you purchase the new i7 Surface Book just yet. Instead, it greets interested parties with an inconvenient “Out of Stock” notice. Looks like we’ll have to wait for an official announcement before they start shipping out.

Microsoft today announced that it is bringing HDInsight, and PowerBI Pro to Azure Government. This marks the company’s commitment to providing the latest in cloud innovation for government customers and means that government organizations can now manage, analyze, and visualize large quantities of data with ease.

With the power of Azure HDInsight in Azure Government, the landscape for building powerful data analysis solutions broadens. According to Microsoft, Examples of uses include the following:

• Deploy a Big Data analysis cluster in minutes. No upfront costs, get started immediately.
• Enable streaming and processing of large data sets in real time using Kafka, Storm, and Spark for HDInsight.
• Build Machine Learning capabilities with Spark and R Server
• Build intelligent applications that leverage big data to deliver personalized experiences

Similarly, with Power BI Pro for U.S. Government, big data comes to life. The Redmond giant explains that Power BI Pro for Microsoft Cloud for Government includes the following:

• Power BI service is a cloud-based business analytics service that gives you a single view of your most critical data.
• Power BI Desktop puts visual analytics at your fingertips with intuitive report authoring; drag-and-drop to place content exactly where you want it on the flexible and fluid canvas, and quickly discover patterns as you explore a single unified view of linked, interactive visualizations.
• Power BI Mobile helps you stay connected to your data from anywhere, anytime; and get a 360° view of your organization data on the go – at the touch of your fingertips.

Microsoft also is announcing a preview of Cognitive Services in Azure Government. Interested parties can head over to this website to learn more about HDInsight for Azure Government. Additionally, they also can head to this website to learn how to Signup for Power BI Pro for Government, or watch this video to learn more about all these capabilities working together.

Back one month ago with Windows 10 Insider build 15031 for PC, Microsoft introduced Compact Overlay mode for UWP apps. While this feature already headed to the Movies & TV app a few weeks ago, Microsoft also recently pushed out an update for Skype Preview which delivers the same picture in picture like experience to the video chatting service.

This is #SkypePreview app version 11.12.96.0 ? (and OS Build # 15048)

— Jen Gentleman ???? (@JenMsft) March 6, 2017

As noted by Windows Insider team member Jen Gentleman, support for Compact Overlay was delivered to Windows Insiders by way of a version 11.12.96.0 update to Skype Preview. Just as Microsoft promised in the initial announcement of the feature in build 15031, the support for the feature now means your video and audio calls can now enter a picture in picture mode at the corner of your screen, so you can continue the experience while switching into another app.

It’s very comforting to see Microsoft adopting the new Compact Overlay feature in stock UWP apps, but some still hope that the feature will head to the Microsoft Edge web browser as well. Let us know if you’ve already received this feature and tried it out by dropping us a comment below! Or, if you’re not fully updated, or not using this app, please check the app download button below!

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Skype

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It all started 3 months ago, when luger33 from Reddit started a thread on the Xbox One sub-reddit, complaining about the ‘Popular now’ section of the Xbox One dashboard, which is found in the Community area. Users of Xbox One were complaining about the types of content appearing in the feed, which included people begging for likes, followers and “support.” In addition, some people picked issue with it being used to become “internet famous.”

MS, I do not want this content in my social gaming feed. PLEASE add filters or allow us to disable "Popular Now" if you won’t address this from xboxone

Around that time, it was said that Microsoft would look to rectify the issue and make changes to improve the content that is shown. Unfortunately, 3 months on, that appears to not be the case, with another thread now gaining traction on Reddit:

Anybody else tired of Popular Now? Only 235 likes & 25 mostly negative comments on this one. Phil & Major said this would be looked into ages ago. #EndTheTrend from xboxone

This time, the issue appears to be with the small amount of ‘likes’ needed to show on the Popular section, in this case it only being 235, despite content after it having 3728 and before it 1240.

Some users just want an option to disable this section, so that those who want to see this type of content can, and those who don’t, don’t. It also raises issue with how Microsoft is managing player feedback. 2 highly-upvoted threads on a sub-reddit that is frequented by Xbox’s own Major Nelson is still not enough to kick Microsoft into looking at these complaints.

Do you find the Popular now section distasteful? Would you like the option to disable it? Let us know in the comments below!

Welcome back to our Windows 10 news recap. We are continuing the trend of our weekly “Windows 10 news recap” series where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Microsoft’s flagship operating system.

Windows 10 market share stalls according to new data

Despite Microsoft’s initial goal of wanting 1 billion devices running Windows 10, it appears the trend of increasing usage has come to a halt, as market share begins to stall, according to NetMarketShare.

Windows 10 usage on Steam dropped for last two months in a row

In addition to NetMarketShare reporting that market share is stalling, Steam’s latest Hardware Survey data shows Windows 10 usage has dropped for 2 consecutive months.

Take a look at Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality in action

Windows Mixed Reality is Microsoft’s answer to Mixed Reality in Windows 10. Bringing the computing experience and the user into a virtual world via a headset. Watch as Sean Ong shows what Windows Mixed Reality currently looks like:

New Windows “hero” wallpaper spotted in latest Windows 10 cloud build

The latest build for Windows 10 Cloud shows a new Windows “hero” wallpaper, one that has become well-known on the Windows 10 desktop.

Slack updates their Windows 10 app with cool new improvements

Slack has released a fairly significant update for its Windows 10 app, which brings performance enhancements, spellcheck for more languages, improved help documentation and more.

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

Microsoft (MSFT) 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!

Time has run out, Microsoft is cutting OneDrive storage limits starting today

If you’ve been enjoying unlimited OneDrive storage as part of an Office 365 subscription, you’ll be saddened to know that the unlimited storage has come to an end and will now be limited to 1TB, after Microsoft slashed storage limits on its cloud storage service.

Microsoft releases Skype for Linux Beta version 5.0

Following Microsoft’s commitment to open source and Linux, the company has been focused on bringing an improved Skype to the Linux platform. Microsoft has now released Skype for Linux Beta version 5, which brings performance improvements and bug fixes.

Microsoft kills its Skype WiFi service

One of Skype’s lesser-known features was its WiFi service, allowing users to connect to partner WiFi hotspots by paying for access via their Skype credit. Microsoft has announced that Skype WiFi is coming to an end on March 31st.

Microsoft is making gains in the classroom, while Apple falls to a distant third place

New data shows that Microsoft continues to gain traction in the classroom in the United States, despite Google still being in the lead, thanks to its Chromebook offerings. Apple, however, has fallen to 3rd. Microsoft’s Windows 10 Cloud may help it make further gains.

That’s all the top Microsoft news for the past week – we’ll be back next week with more!

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.

Scorpio reveal happening before E3 this year

Scorpio will be getting a reveal before E3 this year, according to Phil Spencer. The news came from the latest episode of IGN’s Unlocked podcast, which Spencer decided to guest star on. On top of talking about this year’s lineup of games and a few other interesting components of Xbox’s strategy, Spencer mentioned that we’ll be getting a look at Scorpio this year before E3 comes along. Since many of us were expecting a news bomb during E3, this is a very weiclcome surprise.

Mixed reality coming to Xbox and Scorpio in 2018

With the success of Playstation VR, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift, it’s time for Microsoft to start considering what they’re going to do with this new momentum behind headset gaming. Microsoft spoke on the subject just a bit during GDC, and mentioned that they have a strategy going forward for bringing mixed reality to XBox. They cited the success of games like Pokemon GO as a motivator for their work in mixed reality gaming. While we probably won’t see anything on this for a year or two, it’s good to know it’s on the road map.

Microsoft introduces the Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass, which is being described by many as “Netflix for games.” The Game Pass is following the model of services like EA/Origin Access: taking a monthly subscription fee for unlimited access to a collection of games. The Game Pass costs $10 a month, and it has about 100 games ready to go, including big titles like Halo 5: Guardians. Game Pass has the potential to make huge ripples throughout the industry, and we’re excited to see where it ends up leading.

Microsoft moves their E3 conference to Sunday

Microsoft has decided to move their E3 conference to Sunday, the last day of the conference. The change in schedule seems to be a precursor to some big announcement that the company has in store, and should actually be a pretty good sign to fans. Microsoft noted that they wanted to give their announcements some “room to breathe.” While this change in schedule is the only hint we really have as far as Microsoft’s E3 plans are concerned, it’s a good start.

Microsoft introduces the Xbox Live Creators Program

Microsoft announced the Xbox Live Creators Program at GDC this year, offering some new tools to prospective Xbox developers. The program’s main purpose is offering developers an easy way to get their titles integrated with Xbox Live, and it should also make a ton of progress towards getting more UWP titles going. This program won’t have a huge impact on gamers right now, but it opens the door for developers in the future to get more done.

UWP will bring more games to Xbox One

The introduction of UWP games has been bringing a lot of Xbox One exclusives to PC, but it hasn’t done much the other way around. One Xbox user brought this concern to the attention of Phil Spencer, and he noted that Microsoft is planning to bring more PC titles to Xbox in the future. He also said that they “Need to work towards AAA games,” suggesting that there may be a road map in place for the evolution of UWP games.

I do think UWP will bring apps and games to XB1, see things like Fallout Shelter, Tablo app etc. Need to work towards AAA games

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 21, 2017

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

Ninja Kiwi has brought its 5-star tower defense game to Microsoft’s Xbox One console. The popular game, mainly known for its presence on mobile and handheld consoles, can now be enjoyed on the big screen through Xbox One.

A cool twist with the Xbox One edition of the game is that it supports online multiplayer. You can now play you favourite tower defense game with up to 2 people through co-operative play. Additionally, Bloons TD 5 on Xbox One comes with:

• HD graphics
• 21 towers
• Special missions
• New tier of Specialty Building upgrades
• ZOMG3 game modes
• Freeplay mode

and a whole lot more.

You can get the game now via the Xbox store on Xbox One.

The next instalment of the FlatOut franchise is on its way, FlatOut 4: Total Insanity, and it’s coming to Xbox One, published by Bigben Interactive. The game is now available to pre-order, which in turn allows you to pre-download the game ready for launch on March 17th.

FlatOut 4: Total Insanity brings us back to the long-awaited demolition racing games enjoyed in the past. Online multiplayer, multiple game modes and more are all playing their part in this release, bringing some of the latest gaming opportunities to the franchise.

Watch the trailer below:

The game can be pre-ordered via the Xbox store on Xbox One.

Wargroove, a turn-based strategy game, has been announced for Xbox One. Developed by Chucklefish, the game provides some similarities to that of Advance Wars, however, the developers note that it is “more complicated than that.”

Supporting multiplayer capabilities, Wargroove allows up to 4 players to play along at the same time. Additionally, the game offers user-created content.

Chucklefish describes the game in a little more detail:

Wargroove is a turn-based strategy game for up to 4 players, in which each player takes control of an army and its commander unit to wage war on their enemies! Wargroove is extremely easy to pick up, with accessibility at the forefront of its design, and very difficult to master, with deep gameplay mechanics that complement strategic play.

Watch the announcement trailer below:

There’s no set release date, but we do know it is releasing this year.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Rogue Trooper Redux has been announced for Xbox One. 2000 AD’s next title is to be developed by TickTock Games, bringing a remastered edition of the previous game (from 2006) to the latest platforms, which also include PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Take a look at the tease trailer:

There’s no set release date yet, with us only being told it is “coming soon.”

Win your own copy

If you are interested in getting your hands on Rogue Trooper Redux, there’s a chance to win a copy of the game at launch. To enter, simply go to the Rogue Trooper website here and click “Sign up,” you’ll then be able to enter in for a chance to win a copy for yourself on a platform of your choice.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Over the past couple of years, Chromebooks have slowly taken over the education market in the US, forcing Microsoft and Apple to change their strategies. This week, a new report from Futuresource Consulting is giving us new hard data about how Microsoft, Google and Apple perform in the US K-12 sector and the rest of the world (via MacRumors).

According to the report, PC sales in the US K-12 sector went from 10.7 million units in 2015 to 12.6 million in 2016. Year-over-year, Windows maintained its 22% market share while Chromebooks rose from 50% to 58% in the same period. “The strong combination of affordable devices, productivity tools via G-Suite, easy integration with third party platforms/tools, task management/distribution via Google Classroom and easy device management remains extremely popular with US teachers and IT buyers alike,” explained the consulting company.

Outside of the US though, PC sales in the education market fell to 13.6 million last year, a 26% year-on-year decline which Futuresource Consulting attributes to “large scale national projects that did not take place in 2016.” However, Windows’ marketshare grew from 56% to 65% last year while Chromebooks rose to 6% (up 3% points). The consulting company  added:

At an OS level, Microsoft remains a dominant market leader with a strong position in both developed and emerging markets. Microsoft has been gaining share against Android, especially in large scale emerging market deals. Whilst 90% of Chromebook global sales remain in the US, Chromebook international sales are steadily increasing in certain territories. In Northern Europe particularly, Chromebooks have been consistently gaining share and 2016 saw Chromebooks gain the #1 spot in Sweden (the first country outside of the US).

Earlier this year, Microsoft made it clear that it was ready to compete with Chromebooks in the education market: the company announced Intune for Education, a new tool that will help schools easily set up and manage classroom devices. Additionally, it revealed new partnerships with PC manufacturers to bring affordable Windows 10 PCs to the education market, starting at $189. For Mike Fisher, Associate Director of Education at Futuresource Consulting, the recent rumors about Windows 10 Cloud being targeted at the education market makes sense:

Microsoft has made huge strides in developing its education ecosystem offering in the past year, with major announcements on both the devices and platform side. To date however, these developments have not stopped Google’s momentum within the US K-12 market. Microsoft continues to face challenges to win back end-user mindshare. Chromebook users and administrators continually refer to the simplicity and ease of use of the platform. With rumours swirling in the technology press (not confirmed by Microsoft) about a potential new OS offering ‘Cloud OS’, a stripped back, simplified OS, designed specifically for cloud with education in mind, would “square the dots” on other recent moves Microsoft has made in education (in particular launching $189 devices).

We still don’t have much details about Windows 10 Cloud, expect that it will be a locked down version of Windows 10 that can only run Windows Store apps (including Win32 apps that have been ported with Desktop App Converter). This new SKU seems to be well suited for the education market, and we should learn more about it Microsoft’s Build 2017 conference.

Almost every game is a work of fiction, even when modeled after reality. That’s one point that Ubisoft has been trying to convince the Bolivian government of in defense of their upcoming title Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. The game set to come out on March 7 was produced by Ubisoft Entertainment SA in their France-based studio.

The story is set in Bolivia, a country with high mountains and appealing environment for a large open world video game. This beautiful setting is quickly interrupted with an antagonistic Mexican drug cartel that takes over the country, producing large amounts of cocaine and using the country to further its agenda.

Unfortunately, the real Bolivian government feels that the game is taking their story too far by targeting their country. Polygon reports that Minister Carlos Romero has filed a formal complaint with the French embassy demanding that they intervene with the game’s launch. If “diplomatic negotiation” isn’t enough, Romero stated that the next step might be legal action.

Ubisoft continues to claim that the game is fiction, set in line with the rest of the Tom Clancy games that portray modern world locations in turmoil. The Ghost Recon series alone have taken place in Russia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, and more. Ubisoft even issued a press statement regarding the concern of Bolivia’s portrayal, (via Polygon):

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is a work of fiction, similar to movies or TV shows. Like all Tom Clancy’s games from Ubisoft, the game takes place in a modern universe inspired by reality, but the characters, locations and stories are all fantasies created solely for entertainment purposes,” Ubisoft said. “Bolivia was chosen as the background of this game based on its magnificent landscapes and rich culture. While the game’s premise imagines a different reality than the one that exists in Bolivia today, we do hope that the in-game world comes close to representing the country’s beautiful topography, and that players enjoy exploring the diverse and open landscapes it moved us to create.”

It will be interesting to see the response Bolivia’s government will have for Ubisoft once the game goes live on Windows, Xbox One, and PS4 in four days. The beta has already been downloaded by over six million users, none of which are likely to see the country in any further negative light due to the fiction. It is unknown at this time if there are any plans on the embassy’s part to interfere with the launch, or even if they are able to.

We’ll keep you posted here at OnMSFT if the story develops further.

Talk Microsoft is live today at 1pm PST. Make sure to tune in live on our YouTube channel where we’ll be discussing all the biggest Microsoft related news. We have plenty to discuss including all the latest from MWC, multiple Xbox announcements, and more.

In a new blog post, Microsoft is taking a look back to the past and to the future of accessibility at Microsoft. New additions include the KNFB Reader app for Windows 10 as well as an expanded Microsoft Accessibility website.

The KNFB Reader for Windows 10 was created by Microsoft in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind and Sensotec. It helps blind people be able to read documents by taking pictures of documents, and converts the image to text that can be read aloud by a voice assistant (like Cortana) or converted to Braille, when using a special screen reader.

The KNFB Reader uses audio and vibration guidance to properly line up the camera to take a correct picture of the image for text-to audio or Braille conversion. KNFB Reader is also a helpful Windows 10 app for converting image-based PDF files.  KNFB Reader is available for Windows 10, Android, and iOS. The Windows Store is offering KNFB Reader for a limited introductory price of $19.99 until March 5, 2017. After that, KNFB Reader will be available for its original price of $99.99.

Download KNFB Reader today.

Download
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OneStep Reader

Developer:
SENSOTEC NV

Price:
Free

Another new development is redesigned and expanded Microsoft Accessibility website. Microsoft relied solely on customer feedback to redesign the Microsoft Accessibility website. The customer feedback also helped Microsoft continue to improve its accessibility features in Windows 10, Office 365, Microsoft Cloud & Enterprise products and services, and even made accessibility improvements to the Xbox One.

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day in 2016, Microsoft shared an update about upcoming accessibility features for Windows 10 and Office 365. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update brought an improved screen reading experience and faster speech-to-text translation in Microsoft Narrator, better accessibility in Microsoft Edge, Outlook Mail, and the Start menu.

Over the last year, Microsoft has made extensive strides in improving its Microsoft Disability Answer Desk, providing additional chat options for people with disabilities. Here is a video of actress Marlee Matlin getting help from the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk about setting up her new Surface Pro 4 communicating in American Sign Language (ASL).

There are more accessibility features coming to other Microsoft products and services. In the coming months, Microsoft’s Cloud & Enterprise division will be making new accessibility improvements to Power BI, Dynamics 365, and Visual Studio by providing enhanced screen reader support, screen magnification and high contrast support, and better keyboard accessibility options.

If you have any comments or suggestions for Microsoft about the KFNB Reader, or the expanded Accessibility website, let Microsoft know through the Disability Answer Desk or the Microsoft Accessibility UserVoice.

Most Xbox fans have been waiting for E3 to hear more about the future of Xbox, but it seems like Microsoft’s Project Scorpio is likely to get a reveal before the convention comes along. It’s not clear just what kind of reveal we can be looking forward to, but we now have a good reason to assume that we’ll be getting information sooner rather than later. The upcoming info leak was revealed on the Unlocked podcast, where Xbox boss Phil Spencer came by to talk a bit about the future and past of Xbox, including the new Xbox Game Pass.

The podcast is an hour long, and it gives us some insight into a lot of different things in the world of Xbox right now. If you don’t feel like listening to the whole thing, you can also take a look at a post written by NeoGAF’s Theorry, who compiled some of the podcast’s highlights.

It’s definitely worth listening to the podcast if you want to learn more about items such as Game Pass, or just if you want to listen to Phil Spencer speak – he’s a great spokesperson for the brand.

The annual UK “Superbrand” survey has released for 2017, allowing companies to embrace a bit of pageantry as they get ranked from 1 to 10. The list is split up into two categories – consumer and business – and Microsoft rode to top of the latter one.

Microsoft is nowhere to be found in the top 20 consumer Superbrands, but that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to fans. Microsoft’s appeal has never been largely focused towards the average consumer unless you’re referring to the Xbox franchise.

While Microsoft may not be making any particularly massive effort to become a consumer “superbrand” in the UK, it’s presence among other businesses is huge enough for that not to be a massive problem. Regardless, the Redmond giant doesn’t exactly need a pat on the shoulder to remind it that it’s a major superpower in technology.

You can check out more about Superbrands on the organization’s website, including this year’s lists and some more information about their featured brands.

Yesterday, we reported that Yammer would be coming to Microsoft Office 365 Groups “sometime soon”. Seems like that ‘soon’ has broken record time as the update begins to roll out today.

Yammer is by far one of the most popular social networks for team collaborations thus far. Even as Microsoft Teams was announced, users put up their defenses to prepare for competition. However, now the tool can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Office 365 Groups, combining the capabilities of the seamless document and task managements with it.

In an announcement blog post today, Microsoft highlighted the combination can be set up to make teamwork more efficient. To take advantage of the integration, Office 365 identities and tenants must be enforced in the Yammer network and only new Groups will be available, at least for now. According to the post, the team will be establishing a way of converting current groups ‘in the coming months’.

Even so, the first phase is beginning to roll out just today. It’s safe to say that you should expect to see it available just yet, but soon enough you’ll be Yammering with your Office 365 Groups integration with more to come in the future.

E3 2017 is still a couple of months away, but Microsoft is already gearing up for what is expected to be one of the most interesting media events of the year. Two weeks ago, the company announced that it would hold its Xbox E3 briefing on Sunday, June 11th at 2PM PDT, two days before the show will open to the public.

In the past, the Xbox team used to hold its E3 media briefing on Monday morning, but this year Microsoft made the bold decision to be the company that kicks off E3 by moving its event a day earlier. Talking to IGN, Xbox head Phil Spencer explained that this change will give the team a better opportunity to lead the gaming narrative:

“I liked opening E3, and I felt when we weren’t opening E3 we were… just in the middle,” Spencer said. “The other platform holders were right behind us, and I felt like, ‘okay well if we’re not getting the benefit of opening E3, we’re not closing….’ It unshackled us to kind of try to go do something else. So we’re gonna try it, we’ll learn.”

Indeed, Microsoft’s previous Monday morning briefings used to be followed by a “cascade of briefings that the press is having to run to, to get everything done,” explained Spencer. “Going on Sunday I think will allow us to tell our story, and it will sit there a little more as opposed to everybody else just instantly following up with their own briefings,” he added.

Microsoft is expected to unveil Project Scorpio during its E3 briefing, a new Xbox console that will support true 4K games, VR and give some good competition to Sony’s Playstation 4 Pro. The company will also reveal more details about its lineup of Xbox exclusives games for 2017, which Spencer is really excited about.