While Nintendo’s Wii U gaming console has struggled to compete against Sony’s Playstation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One over the last three years, the Japanese company definitely remains a force to be reckoned with in the gaming industry thanks to its portfolio of very popular IPs. As you may know, Nintendo went back to the drawing board to design its upcoming Switch modular gaming console, and a recent partnership with Apple will finally bring the world’s best known plumber to iOS devices next month.

For now, it’s still not clear if Nintendo plans to continue opening up its popular gaming franchises to other gaming platforms (including non-mobile ones), though Xbox head Phil Spencer recently expressed his thoughts about it in an interview with AusGamers. And as you can expect, the exec would love to see Nintendo games being released on the Xbox one day:

I’d love to see Mario on Xbox. As someone who’s been in this industry and played games forever, I’ll still say it: Nintendo has the strongest first-party of anybody. They’re just fantastic and the memories that they have instilled in so many of us, who’ve played their games and had those delightful experiences, having those on Xbox would be great.

Spencer also recalled that Microsoft and Nintendo already partnered in the past, bringing MineCraft to the Wii U last year as well as Super Mario themed content to the Wii U version of the game back in May. This has been a “great partnership” according to Spencer, who added that he’s completely open to the idea of bringing popular characters from first-party Xbox titles to Nintendo games:

I know I get questions all the time on would I ever like to see Banjo in Super Smash Bros. and I’m, like, “yes, I would do that in a second.” And certain people think I’m saying that as some sort of PR answer and I’m, like, why wouldn’t you?

While such enthusiasm for Nintendo games could seem quite surprising from the head of Xbox, Spencer fully admitted it, he’s a real fan of the company’s games. “I’m a big Nintendo fan and I think they’ve been incredibly important for the games industry, they do a great job with younger audiences, and if we ever had a chance to work with them in the future, I would absolutely do it,” he explained.

Throughout the last few months, we have closely followed Microsoft’s acquisition of the business and employment-oriented social networking service LinkedIn. Last week we reported on the service being banned in Russia, and just a few days ago, amidst growing antitrust concerns,  Microsoft promised the EU that LinkedIn APIs will remain available to all. Today there is more LinkedIn news to report, and this time, it is in regards to the EU clearing Microsoft’s EU LinkedIn acquisition (Via Reuters.)

According to a Reuters report, which cites three people familiar with the matter, European Union antitrust regulators have given the all clear to Microsoft’s $26 billion takeover of LinkedIn.  Microsoft, however, reportedly has to make minor changes to the concessions (commitments) which were originally submitted to the Union last week.

This is a developing story, so be sure to stay tuned to OnMSFT.com, as we will update this story and publish follow-up reports as more details emerge.

We’ve already covered the Black Friday deals on all things Microsoft, but if you’re looking for an interesting way to score a 100% savings on the  Xbox One S, you might want to consider buying diamonds this holiday season. The jewelers over at Helzberg Diamonds currently have a promotion where you can score a free Xbox One S with a purchase of $999 or more.

As seen here, and in the graphic above, this holiday, you can receive a free Xbox One S Minecraft Bundle with the purchase of $999 or more with the code XBOX at checkout. Of course, it is a special limited time offer, and is valid on both online and in-store, while supplies last. Additionally, according to the fine print, the offer cannot be combined with any other special/dollars-off offer, so be sure to shop smart!

What are your thoughts on this interesting promotion? Will you be buying a diamond for someone in your life to score a free Xbox One S? As always, do let us know what you think by dropping us a comment below!

A new Star Wars-themed game controller is getting a release next month to coincide with the latest Star Wars film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The controller is an officially licenced Star Wars product and is compatible with both the Xbox One console and Windows 10 devices such as the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Studio.

The Star Wars Rogue One Wired Controller for Xbox One can currently be pre-ordered in stores for around $40 and should become available on December 7th. Do you enjoy specially designed game controllers such as this one? Let us know your favorite in the comments below.

The Big W chain of stores in Australia are holding a massive video games sale between the 25th and 28th of November. What’s particularly noteworthy is that most of the Xbox One games are quite new. Titallfall 2 and Watch Dogs 2 both launched this month for example and will be sold for AU$35 (AU$39 discount) and AU$52 (AU$26 discount) respectively. That’s pretty impressive!

Here are the other games included in the campaign so far; Mafia 3 (AU$49), Call Of Duty: IW (AU$54), Battlefield 1 (AU$52), FIFA 17 (AU$52), Skyrim (AU$45), and Dishonored 2 (AU$45). Big W will also be selling a 500GB Xbox One S console bundle with a copy of Minecraft and a coupon for another title for AU$359 (That’s a AU$40 discount) and LEGO Dimensions Starter Sets will have their prices reduced to AU$79.

Are you going to take advantage of this sale? Have you spotted any other bargains lately? Let us know in the comments below.

You probably won’t be surprised to find out that 80% of employees use unapproved programs while they work. There are a million reasons for this, ranging from convenience to just plain old familiarity. Regardless of the reasons though, this “Shadow IT” can potentially put your business at risk, putting valuable information on the line. In their latest blog post, Microsoft talks about how to prevent this from happening.

The post is mostly about Microsoft’s Cloud App Security service, which does a lot of the anti-Shadow IT work for you. It scans your network to see what apps are in use and from what users, and gives you a risk assessment so you know just how worried you ought to be. If you run a large operation and are concerned about some of the loose ends in your cyber security, it sounds like a really effective solution.

You can evaluate Cloud App Security with a 30-day trial if you aren’t sold on it, which should give you a free head start if you just want to do some risk analysis. If you want to subscribe to the service after that trial period, you’re going to be looking at a charge of around $5 per person per month.

Microsoft’s collaboration with Quest Institute has finally reaped some substantive results for students that launched their Windows 10 IoT experiment into space.

Last month, Quest Institute sent up their first Windows 10 IoT experiment via their NextGen ISS Platform. The project created by three students in San Jose, CA was presented during the Microsoft BUILD 2016 conference earlier this year. The prototype was built to test vibrations and pliability of metals in microgravity environments such as those in space. The experiment platform was flown up to the International Space Station by the Antares OA5 Mission rocket and connected successfully.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a microgravity laboratory with six crew members that live and pilot the station to rotate around the Earth every ninety minutes. For almost two decades, only approximately 200 people have had the opportunity to set foot on the ISS.

Last week, the student finally got their first results from outer space. While the live feed still has much to interpret for the students, this is a major step for STEM education.

Now students and educators are working together to bring their experiments and engineered projects to the unreachable. Starting with Lego Mindstorm, even elementary children can begin to dive into the world of technology and engineering thanks to Microsoft and Quest Institute’s NextGen ISS Platform.

Microsoft’s Rockfish Games team has announced its first-ever Xbox Play Anywhere title, and it looks like it could be a good one. Everspace is a space shooter game that runs on both the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and it’s available in preview right now.

Here are the details:

Everspace is a Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) shooter featuring fast-paced space dogfights within dense level design at its core. You’ll have to survive in a hostile environment filled with natural hazards, as well as various enemies like outlaws, aliens, and a mysterious space armada trying to hunt you down. It’s not only about shooting enemies – evading enemy fire is paramount to survival as well. Get Eversapce from the Windows Store here, check out developer tips and strategies on playing Everspace over at Xbox Wire and head over to the Everspace forum to learn from veteran pilots who have clocked more than 100 hours in our game.

You can download the game via the link below. Note that there’s a trial version as well if you want to give it a try without shelling out the $29.95 purchase price.

Download
QR-Code

EVERSPACE™

Developer:
ROCKFISH Games

Price:
$19.99

For those of you who stuck around to appreciate the hard work the Windows team has done in stabilizing and refining the Windows 10 experience on mobile, or for those who are new to the platform, here is a list of what we believe to be the top 10 Microsoft apps for your Windows 10 Mobile device.

While many may jump straight to Microsoft’s bread and butter suite of productivity apps, let’s be honest, how often are you knocking out PowerPoint presentations on a sub six-inch device? Instead, let’s first explore the apps that make a mobile experience worth having.

OneDrive

Picture the OneDrive app as the heart of your OS. OneDrive in Windows 10 Mobile represents the centralized hub for collecting, storing and organizing any and everything that funnels through your mobile device. Need to share a photo from a night out with the group or pull up a quick animated movie to entertain the kid with, OneNote acts as the digital storage unit that can bring your phone to life.

In Windows 10 Mobile, the OneDrive app has seen some much-needed refinement from its Windows Phone 7 and 8 days. While still very Spartan-like in its appearance, the app is speedy and straightforward while enabling the user to craft cross-platform editing and sorting options on the fly.

Aside from the new visual layout tweaks and the addition of arguably dreaded hamburger menu, users can not search and sort through their files with universal search menu, sorting options that include largest or Name (descending), as well as creating folders to organize new items.

Depending on bandwidth, the OneDrive also enables users to watch videos within its own video player equipped with a details page made up of tons of metadata.

Perhaps, what makes OneDrive so useful to someone donning a Windows 10 Mobile device are the automatic settings that tie into the app. For those who want more granular controls over content uploaded into OneDrive, it’s as easy as opening the app or using the Windows 10 Mobile settings prompts when they appear. For more casual mobile users, turning on automatic uploads and backups to OneDrive ensure that all photos are captured, saved and viewable from anywhere that has an internet connection. OneDrive is available on Ios, MacOS, Android, the web, and Windows 10, so photos, videos or documents saved on your Windows 10 Mobile device can be retrieved from almost anywhere.

OneNote

For most people, a smartphone becomes a black box of notes, calendar appointments, to-do lists, reminders, and ideas. Using OneNote on Windows 10 Mobile can help capture and organize all the little intricacies of everyday life into one convenient app. Identical to the OneDrive app, OneNote is available on iOS, MacOS, Windows 10, Android and the web, so notes captured on the device live on in the cloud and can be referenced anytime from anywhere.

In Windows 10 Mobile, the Windows team also beefed up the apps integration with the OS by adding a Note Action Center toggle. Now users can fire up OneNote by just swiping down the Action Center, rather than searching the Start Screen for the icon. OneNote has also been receiving regular updates over the past year that have made it Swiss-army knife of utility. Users can now take advantage of built-in audio recording and playback, integrated image capture, page section copy/paste, direct email saves and ClassNotebook integration among a litany of other note taking features.

Search options in the OneNote app also make it a breeze when searching for much 00older or seemingly obscure notes. Perhaps, the only remaining additions to the app user may be clamoring for a tag to label each note with or AI recognition, making search even that much easier.

Outlook Mail

For those who have been stuck on the poor experience of Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8 mail client, the Outlook Mail, the mobile client feels like a godsend. For users who have been using Windows 10 for some time, the new mail client may only seem like an evolution, but either way, using the mail client on Mobile is a delight in comparison.

Outlook Mail on mobile has been updated for landscape use that includes a dual-pane view enabling users to skim email subjects and headings without actually having to deep-dive into every email in a single page view. Another addition users may enjoy the Outlook Mail app is the refined HTML experience. Back when Outlook Mail first hit handsets, it suffered a seemingly inexplicable issue with HTML rendering, forcing the user to pinch and zoom their email content into the right size before correctly viewing it. After several updates and bug fixes, email should render in the appropriate view right off the bat.

Other new additions to Outlook Mail include combined inboxes, account extensive settings options, dark theme, select all sorting and email security settings for Exchange users. The last few improvements come by way of the settings menu, where users can adjust signature, notification, reading views, automatic replies, quick actions, color choices, and account management.

While the Windows 10 Mobile version of the Microsoft Mobile Outlook experience arguably lacks in comparison to its Android and iOS counterparts (at least as of writing this), it’s miles ahead of what was offered on Windows Phone 8 or 8.1. For those who still primarily communicate through email on their smartphones, the Outlook Mail app is a necessity and works very well with its web and desktop counterparts. Outlook Mail echoes the singular mantra of Microsoft everywhere that accompany most apps on this list. Actions taken in the Outlook Mail app on Windows 10 Mobile carry over to experiences on the Mac, iOS, Android, the Web and Windows 10, thus enabling email organization to be swift and mobile-convenient.

Groove Music

The first few apps on this list are selected to help users get things done, which is also in line with Microsoft’s revitalized concept of enabling users to “do more,” but not everything on a smartphone is designed to be productive, at least not initially. While Microsoft’s streaming music service, may, in fact, help users get things done as enabling white noise or memory associated motivation or inspiration, Groove is just at its core, just a nice musical experience.

On mobile, notably Windows 10 Mobile, the Groove experience is a great one. Some Spotify, Apple Music or Play Music subscribers may argue the merits of Groove’s competing features list, but the overall experience has grown and seen refinement from Windows Phone 7, 8 and its early days on Windows 10 Mobile.

Users will now be greeted with recently added Your Groove playlist curation tool that takes the place of the Recently Played section of Groove and turns it into a more Spotify-like playlist section. With the Your Groove section, users now get access to Microsoft’s curation algorithm that places songs that have been listened to pairings in a specialized playlist with themed listening experiences that can include such titles as Bitter Adult Alternative, Heavy rotation, R&B from Georgia, written by Curtis Mayfield, etc.

Groove listeners also have access to the OneDrive music locker which can take music libraries saved in the cloud and integrate them into the on-device listening experiences. Another benefit of Groove’s Windows 10 integration is its deep linking to Cortana and the Shazam-like music searching feature. Similar to Windows Phone’s integrated system-wide search feature, users who tap Cortana to find the name of a song or artist on the fly, can now continue that experience into saving it to their Groove collection or downloading to their device for offline listening.

The UI and UX elements of Groove have also been updated to make navigation easier and more straightforward for users. While the hamburger menu remains an unsightly app design concession for some, Microsoft has also flirted with using pivot controls to interact with the side menus in Groove. Instead potentially hyperextending a thumb reaching for the hamburger menu, users can just swipe from the screen to reveal the remaining menu options.

Once again, Microsoft has crafted a multi-platform experience for its Groove app that enables listeners on iPhones, iPads, Mac’s, Android, Chromebooks, Xbox One, and Windows to have synced experience. Actions taken on the Windows 10 Mobile Groove app carry across all platforms, although, the Windows 10 Mobile experience is arguably the best one to have.

Windows 10 Camera

Listing the Camera app as a useful Microsoft developed Windows 10 Mobile app may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but the operating system does allow for switching default camera apps (well at least in theory). With that being said, the Windows 10 Camera is perhaps the best camera experience on Windows 10 Mobile and produces arguably the best photo quality of any camera app on any platform. For those of you who may have noticed the careful wording above, I mentioned best camera ‘experience’ on Windows 10 Mobile and not elsewhere as camera navigation seems mainly a subjective undertaking.

However, the Windows 10 Camera app has seemingly come and gone a long way over the course of the Windows Phone 8 to Windows 10 Mobile transition. Items and features that were previously built as add-ons to the Windows Phone 8 camera had been removed and had since returned as built-in experiences. Now Windows 10 Mobile users have access to Slow-Motion capture, app-integrated Living Images capture, automatic HDR settings, Panorama, and 4K video recording, all from within a single camera app. The previous notion of linking specialized camera apps (called lenses) is still in effect, but as the camera continues to develop code to integrate those experiences across all Windows 10 devices, the dependency has lessened over time.

Revisiting an earlier app on the list, setting up automatic upload from the camera app also ensures that every image captured lives well beyond the hardware in case of theft, accidental water damage, app corruption or flat-out destruction of the phone.

The editing tools and links to the photo gallery have also seen performance improvements and additions such as editing regulate video capture to incorporate slow-motion enhancements, trimming videos, quick photo edits and more.

File Explorer

Perhaps the geekiest and most granular app among the list, Windows 10 Mobile users may appreciate the desktop-like feel of using the File Explorer app. Granted, all the sorting and organizational options have yet to make their way to the mobile app from the desktop, but it’s well built and straightforward mobile navigations should be appreciated by most.

File Explorer for Windows 10 Mobile should represent the device-based version of OneDrive for users as it takes controls and organization of local content to the next level. Users can now move images, photos, gifs, videos, movies, PDF’s, Office Documents, Internet downloads and much more across folders and storage areas.

For Windows 10 Mobile devices sporting MicroSD cards, using File Explorer is a dream come true. Load up a card with content either from a desktop or prior device and navigate and organize straight from the phone, fully equipped with Folder creation, universal search, sorting preferences and easily identifiable sections for recent, on-device storage and MicroSD slots.

Beyond the apps desktop-like experience, the Windows team has also extended its usefulness beyond its app interface by integrating save prompts from Edge, Groove, Voice Record, Photos, Music & Videos and the Storage Settings. Most of the integrated Windows 10 Mobile app experiences will bring up Folders or sub-folders created from within the app to save content in.

For users who prefer to make the most of their screen real estate, the Windows 10 also developed the File Explorer app with landscape viewing incorporated as well thumbnail or listing views to see however much or little about a file as possible.

Similar to its bigger brother desktop experience, users can also explore file properties, rename, and share using various apps. Unlike the previous app selection, the File Explorer app is native to Windows 10 Mobile and changes made on the device, stay on the device. As the Windows team continues to tweak the Continuum experience for the everyday consumer, apps such as the File Explorer will probably see more refinement and use by users in the coming days.

Windows 10 Maps

I know, I know, there is no Google Map or HERE Map offering to counter this claim, but the Windows 10 Map app, I believe, can stand on its own. There are some third party app solutions out there and even one that comes very close to matching Google’s offerings on other platforms called Maps App Discovery, but the Windows 10 Map app has come a long way and offers some neat features of its own.

With Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 the Windows team, perhaps, focused more on the visual aspects of maps rather than the mapping itself. There were neat tie-ins into city-search that brought up food, entertainment, and some other relevant location based options. However, compared to the other solution Microsoft was pushing at the time with Nokia’s HERE Maps, Bing Maps paled in comparison.

Now with HERE Maps no longer a crutch to lean, the Windows team has crafted, what I believe to be great mapping experience. Granted my experience with Windows 10 Maps is very narrowed and confined mainly to the West Coast of America (mileage may vary). The glitz and visual glamor of the Windows 10 Map app have taken a backseat to a much sparser interface, but the apps built-in turn by turn navigation has seen much love. Users can now select from a series of routes to the same destination, each with options for transit, walking or vehicle.

New to the app is also street view reporting that’s represented as video camera icons along a given path, road, freeway, street or bike lane. Integrated with local government cameras along roadsides, users can stay up to the minute on what traffic is like near an exit, popular street or favorite on-ramp.

Other app additions include accident reporting, including a brief description of the accident and ETA on clearance. The accident reporting also extends towards construction work highlights that offer similar information for users. Crafted as a Windows 10 universal experience, users can navigate the app in landscape or portrait mode, each with their distinct visual advantages. Another benefit of being a UWP is the sharing of information across platforms, meaning users can start a search on their desktop and continue with directions in the car or vice versa.

It’s understood that Apple Maps and Google Maps offer these features and perhaps more in their respective apps on their platforms, but we’re talking about Windows 10 Mobile where neither of those are options. However, Windows 10 Mobile users shouldn’t feel feature-deprived using the Windows 10 Maps experience, especially when users can download maps and navigate them offline. As the Windows 10 Map experience continues to get refined, it’s becoming harder and harder to find reasons to miss HERE Maps on Windows 10 Mobile, for me, at least.

News & Weather

The Microsoft News and Weather apps are among the most useful apps to stay up to date with the world around you. Starting with the Weather App, the Windows team has put a lot of elbow grease into making an amazing visual experience of the weather. Beyond the overhauled UI update, users now get week-long predictions, live tile notifications, day details, precipitation, humidity, UV index and Max Wind details from any spot on the planet.

Users can also access radar map observations, historical weather patterns, weather related news articles and sections for favorited areas. Once again, the app was built as a UWP, so landscape navigation opens a new world of visual exploration that matches it Windows 10 and Xbox One experiences.

The News app has also received a ton of improvements from the Windows Phone 8 days where users can now individually source their news as well as swipeable pivots and a new dark theme for reading. For new users or those without a favorite source, users can search for local news using new GPS-enabled searching. The News app in Windows 10 Mobile has become an arguably go-to RSS reader for fans of news as it also crops websites to fit and navigate from within the app itself as opposed to kicking readers out to the Edge browser. With Live-Tile integration and news break notifications, the news app has become a full featured news experience.

Unfortunately, I would love to have included the Sports app, but it seems that app has fallen the priority ladder for the Windows team as it has seen few development advances and the Money app is a very niche experience reserved for investors or those seeking financial news about companies. Personally, I love and use the Money app frequently on my device and appreciate the new additions that have quietly been rolling out.

Cortana

Cortana makes the list as an excellent aggregator of activities done on a smartphone, in an email, on the desktop or cross-platform searches.  As an app that spans use on iOS, Android, and Windows 10, users can access their Cortana related activities on any platform, but on Windows 10 is where the app truly shines. In Windows Phone 8.1 Cortana was confined to the phone, but just a few years late, Cortana can be accessed and interacted with on the Xbox One, Windows 10 Taskbar iOS and Android apps as well as from the dedicated search icon on every Windows 10 Mobile device.

Cortana has moved beyond the witty banter of its original voice interactions to incorporate several additional activity notebooks such as Health & Fitness tracking, Movies & TV, Package tracking, Special Days, Shopping and much more.

Aside from setting reminders and getting traffic notifications, perhaps one of Cortana’s most useful addition is its flight and boarding tracking feature. For the frequent flyer’s out there, this may be by far, the most convenient integrated experience in Windows 10, especially in light of the removal of the Travel app from the Windows Store.

Other benefits of Cortana are the organic Bing search features being built into the Cortana experience that includes highlighted location based info, celebrity and historical wiki integration, YouTube video integration, music searching and recipes curation that makes using Cortana a delight.

Authenticator app

As security continues to grow in the public conscious, more and more apps are asking its users to set up two-factor authentication or additional security measures to ensure data protection. With that being said, Microsoft’s re-released Authenticator app is a useful and convenient way to make sure users are engaging in proper security practices.

Using Microsoft or Google services or products encourage even more use of two-factor authentication thus directing users of those services on various platforms to access them via the use of a specialized pen or code that can be delivered either in an email, text or phone call. With the Authenticator app, users can bundle all those points of access into one app that randomizes codes and spits them back out to users without forcing them into their messaging, phone or email clients.

The new Authenticator app is also integrating Android and iOS support that enables quicker and direct notifications from peripherals such as smartwatches or other iOS and Google apps and the director of program management at Microsoft also believes that the company will be able to deliver even more functionality to the app.

While we mostly stuck to Microsoft first party offerings, there are plenty of 1^st and 3^rd party apps from other developers on the Windows 10 Mobile platform that helps elevate the mobile experience. Let us know what apps you’ve chosen to replace or augment your experience on Windows 10 Mobile with over time.

Things come and go, especially software, and now it’s time for the Xbox Snap Mode to go. Latest reports indicate that the multitasking function that some users really enjoyed will get removed in future updates of Windows 10 for consoles, but will be replaced with new functions like Picture in Picture.

Universal apps don’t have access to the Windows 8-based dashboard leftover, and probably never will. This itself is a good indication that the feature is dead and isn’t being developed further. Snap Mode was introduced for the Kinect sensor, which Microsoft seems to be backing out of, and while it did work with a regular gamepad, the experience was very unpleasant.

The new replacement for this feature may actually become pretty useful. The Picture in Picture concept has been seen on other platforms like Apple’s iOS before, and it works quite well on a small screen, which indicates that that would also be the case on a big TV. The new multitasking solution would, however, not only be applicable to applications focused on video and similar media but for every app that works with the Xbox system. This could result in very interesting concepts and ideas by developers in the future.

But the new multitasking feature is not the only thing that Microsoft has in store for future updates. The Guide menu that can be brought up by double-pressing the menu button on the controller, may get a revamp soon with new features and more. The new menu may be able to display your pinned items, as well as open with just one button, as double pressing a button, no matter if it’s hardware or software, is always an awkward gesture.

Microsoft is focusing on reducing the time and steps required to navigate through the dashboard and some of these changes may be what’s needed.

Microsoft’s digital store in Minecraft has another new texture pack available to customers. Today, Mojang released the Cartoon Textures pack designed to toon up your world and bring some vibrant and goofy characters to life, a

Unlike the skin packs, texture packs also change the way the world looks. Cartoon Textures is most notable by having a smiling sun, re-shaped villagers noses, dazed zombies, happy sunflowers, and derpy animals.

If Minecraft seems like a canvas for some whacky and entertaining textures, this one might be the pack for you. You can purchase it for $2.99 USD by visiting the in-game store on your Minecraft Windows 10 Beta or Pocket Edition starting today.

Download
QR-Code

Minecraft for Windows

Developer:
Microsoft Studios

Price:
Free

According to a post on VentureBeat, Metacert has raised $1.2 million in its latest round of funding. In a Skype interview, Metacert co-founder Paul Walsh told VentureBeat:

“The Metacert Security Bot detects malware, phishing, and pornography in direct messages and Slack channels and works on Slack, HipChat, and soon Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Facebook Messenger. The problem is that phishing is typically thought of as a problem in email…But if a lot of people are using [messaging] instead of email, then it stands to reason that the future of malware and phishing attacks is also going to take place inside these messaging services, and that’s why Metacert exists.”

For example, on HipChat, people can use the bot to block specific links beyond the more than 700 million links that Security bot already blocks. In addition to security, the bot has an analytics dashboard for enterprise users showing all the links, files, and documents shared in chat and categorizes each link. There are 60 link categories available and the category system can help enterprise users use the information that is collected beyond just security use.

“This is good for two reasons: one for security compliance, and then, secondly, it’s useful if you just want to go back and [you] think ‘Hey I know that Sheila actually posted this link but I don’t know where the link is or what it’s called’. It gives you some high-level user statistics at the top, and we find that pretty much every customer that gets security also opts for this.”

Metacert has a laser focus on security, but Metacert also created bCRM, a marketing management bot for Slack and Facebook Pages. There is Metacert’s developer website that helps developers add an extra layer of security for their apps and users to protect against malicious links.

“We started building security integrations into bots two years ago, and we started with HipChat. We see a world where you’re not afraid of opening the wrong link. In that context, we built the world’s most advanced content classification platform so that we can protect companies and users from malicious links that appear inside applications. And we are focused now primarily on messaging service applications.”

In this round of funding, the $1.2 million amount raised included contributions from Moneta Ventures, with other investor participation from Shaked Ventures, Sierra Angel Network, Monta Vista Capital, and Terry Jones, founding chair of Kayak.com. Currently, Metacert already has a Chrome extension and iOS web browser available.

The soon to be Microsoft-owned business and employment-oriented social networking service LinkedIn has been topping headlines as of recent after it was blocked in Russia over data storage issue, and after the EU received commitments from Microsoft on their LinkedIn acquisition. Today LinkedIn has made the news once again, but this time because reports indicate Microsoft promised the EU that LinkedIn API’s will remain available (Via Reuters.)

According to a Reuters report, Microsoft will still allow LinkedIn rivals (such as SalesForce) access to its software and will also give hardware makers the option of installing other services. These “concessions” were submitted to the EU last week, and appears to be a move by the business and employment-oriented social networking  to try to win over EU approval.

Ahead of the EU’s December 6th ruling to accept’s Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn, this latest news also shows Microsoft will not favor LinkedIn at the expense of rivals. Microsoft President, and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith, has accepted many of the worries in regards to the LinkedIn deal and as two months ago came out to say that Microsoft has “no intention” of cutting off access to LinkedIn data.

Founded in 2006 and acquired by ibibo in 2013, redBus is India’s largest online bus ticketing service. The service has had an app for Windows phones since long, but the latest update brings support for Windows 10 PCs as well. Also, the latest version v4.0.0.23 extends the app availability to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The app allows you to search and book bus tickets for over 70,000 routes worldwide and choose from over 2,300 operators. You can book tickets with a single tap with your saved card details, as well as cancel tickets from within the app.

Apart from a lot of bug fixes, the latest update also introduces new and improved app screens that work well with the large screen on your tablet or desktop PCs.

Download the app from the link below, and let us know how you like it – specially on your Windows 10 PC.

Download
QR-Code

redBus

Developer:
Ibibo group private limited

Price:
Free⁺

Last week, Xbox’s Major Nelson unveiled Xbox’s biggest Black Friday sale ever with more than 250 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games being discounted starting today November 22 (Xbox Live Gold subscribers got early access from November 18) through November 28. However, the Xbox team has also kept its weekly Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale schedule and starting today Xbox enthusiasts can enjoy additional discounts on select Xbox games including Elite: Dangerous and Dead Island on the Xbox One as well Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project and Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing on the Xbox 360. Keep reading to get more information on this week’s hightlights.

Xbox One Deals

Dead Island Definitive Edition ($10.00 with Xbox Live Gold)

The game that re-defined the Zombie genre – fully remastered.Paradise meets Hell! Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse experience of a lifetime – and now more beautiful than ever. Caught in the midst of an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survival! The Dead Island ExperienceSmash heads, crack skulls, and slice ‘em up with visceral astounding melee combat and true story-based 4 player co-op in a sprawling open world just waiting for exploration.Including all previously released DLC.

Elite: Dangerous Standard Edition ($20.09 with Xbox Live Gold)

Starting with only a small starship and a few credits, do whatever it takes to earn the skill, knowledge, wealth and power to survive in a cutthroat galaxy and stand among the ranks of the iconic Elite.In an age of galactic superpowers and interstellar war, every player’s story influences the connected galaxy and evolving narrative. Governments fall, battles are lost and won, and humanity’s frontier is reshaped, all by players’ actions. Explore, trade, fight and survive in Elite Dangerous’ massively multiplayer galaxy, and challenge the world in CQC: Close Quarter Combat. Become Elite in the interstellar PVP arenas of the ultimate 34th century gladiatorial contest.400 Billion Star Systems. Infinite Freedom. Blaze Your Own Trail.You will need to register a free Elite Dangerous account with Frontier to play the game.

Lords of the Fallen Digital Complete Edition ($14.68 with Xbox Live Gold) 

Plunge into the new Digital Complete Edition of Lords of the Fallen! Master the Challenge in the Ancient Labyrinth expansion containing a new location, loot and enemies led by a powerful new Lord. Embark on a Monk Decipher Quest, equip powerful Demonic Weapons or armors from the Lionheart Pack and enhance your powers with Arcane and Foundation Boosts.

Xbox 360 Deals

Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project ($4.99 with Xbox Live Gold)

Duke Nukem is back! New York City is being overrun by a mutant menace and it’s time to de-worm the Big Apple. This explosive 3D action game features Duke Nukem defending the city that never sleeps, and its babes, from the evil Mech Morphix across 24 levels from Chinatown to Space. A super-sized collection of weapons, enemies and bosses await. As Duke would say, “Babes, Bullets, Bombs. I love this job!”

Fireburst ($1.99 with Xbox Live Gold)

Blast opponents off the road with Fireburst, an explosively fun fast-paced arcade style racing game with fantastic graphics. Rev up to scorching speeds to outrun opponents on a dozen different tracks. Thanks to our exclusive Fireboost technology, use various explosive, fire-based special abilities to turn other cars into a pyre of parts. Leave opponents sucking on your smoldering dust in single-player mode, local four-player mode or the insane online eight-player mode!

Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing ($9.99 with Xbox Live Gold)

Join Sonic and friends in a frantic battle race to the chequered flag. Select from your favourite Sonic and SEGA characters such as Dr. Eggman, Tails, AiAi, Amigo and many more each in their custom built vehicles and personalised All-Star move to get back into the race! Winning is only part of the fun in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing!

As for the Xbox Black Friday Deals, these new deals on Xbox games will be valid through November 28 and we invite you to check the blog post to get the full list of discounted titles.

A large number of video games and add-ons have been discounted as part of this week’s Deals With Gold and Spotlight sale on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 an Xbox One.

One the Xbox 360, Fireburst and Hunter’s Trophy 2 – America have had their prices reduced by 80% while Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic & SEGA Racing, Sonic & SEGA Racing – Metal Sonic & Death Egg Zone, and Sonic & SEGA Racing – Unlock All Characters & Tracks are now all 50% cheaper.

On the Xbox One, Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition, Beyond Eyes, and Instant Indie Collection: Vol. 1 and 2 have been reduced by 75%. Lords of the Fallen Digital Complete Edition is selling for 67% off its usual price while DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Core Fighters 30 Character Set is 60% cheaper.

Dead Island Definitive Collection (pictured above), Dead Island Definitive Edition, Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition, Rock ‘N Racing Off Road DX, and Sheltered are now half price and Virginia, DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Falcom Mashup Set, DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Phase 4 Character + Debut Costume Set, DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Senran Kagura Mashup Set, DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – SW Mashup Set, and Deadlight: Director’s Cut are 40% off the retail price.

On the lower end of the discount spectrum, DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Naotora Ii + Debut Costume Set and DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Schoolgirl Strikers Mashup Set have a 35% discount and NASCAR Heat Evolution, NASCAR Heat Evolution Pit Pass 2, NASCAR Heat Evolution Pit Pass 1, DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Nyotengu Character + Debut Costume Set, and DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Marie Rose Character + Debut Costume Set have been given 30%. The DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round – Honoka Character + Debut Costume Set is now 20% off the normal price.

All of these games and add-ons can be purchased from within the Xbox consoles, on the Xbox apps, or on the Xbox Store website. Are you going to take advantage of these discounts? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft’s Xbox department ended up in a bit of a bind this morning when a promotional email sent out to gamers had its subject line misinterpreted by many as saying the N-word. The video game being promoted was the zombie action title, Dead Rising 4, and its subject text was some random garbled zombie roar, “NNNNGGGHHHAAA”.

It was obviously meant to be humorous with no racial undertones whatsoever and when read properly, if zombie speech can be read properly, it should sound something like ‘ng-ha’ (Imagine the ‘ng’ sound in ‘song’ or ‘ring’) and not the offensive racial slur that some thought it was. Unfortunately, enough readers decided to read the letters individually and assumed that Microsoft was the sort of company which would actually send zombie-themed race hate to its consumers.

Xbox’s Larry Hyrb responded to the complaints with a tweet later in the day that read, “Today we sent a DR4 email where a zombie roar was interpreted by many as a racial slur.  We apologize and promise to do better next time.” Probably safe to say he didn’t think he’d be tweeting that today when he got out of bed this morning.

Today we sent a DR4 email where a zombie roar was interpreted by many as a racial slur. We apologize and promise to do better next time.

— Larry Hryb ????????☁ (@majornelson) November 22, 2016

Do you have any thoughts on this issue? Is it a legitimate complaint? Let us know in the comments below.

Last Friday, Larry Hryb (a.k.a. Major Nelson) and Bill Stillwell hosted a 1-year celebratory podcast for Xbox One’s Backward Compatibility feature. The two talked for a solid half an hour about how it has developed, what the future of it might be, and exactly why some of the fans haven’t seen their long-awaited requests as of yet.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, or so the adage goes. Even when it comes to technology, video games for older consoles are going to have difficulties when transferring over to today’s Xbox One generation. Even though their list of games on UserVoice is their primary source of priority, the team can’t pre-determine which games will be available sooner. Major Nelson was sure to emphasize this point when he explained the limits on Backward Compatibility.

In fact, most of the time, the hangup is making sure the game even works. If it doesn’t work, from beginning to end, that game needs to undergo some work to become available for Xbox One. One example was when they discussed Forza Horizon’s testing phase. The game ran just fine except that there wasn’t any collision with cars and the environment, the player would just drive right through them. Furthermore, obtaining rights and permissions to change a game or its assets can be complicated.

Reddit user Spartan Ranger summarized the podcast with an extensive list of bullet points, but if you have the time, the podcast is worth lending an ear. With over 280 of the approximately 1,800 Xbox 360 games already available as Backward Compatible, Nelson left gamers with a lingering hope that we should see at least twenty more before the end of this calendar year, ‘but no promises.’

Microsoft’s Excel Services and BI in SharePoint 2016 on-premises services just landed a new update for the month of November that enables architecture changes to the SharePoint-based on-premises Microsoft BI Stack and more.

According to a blog post recently written by the Office team,

Updates include architecture changes to the SharePoint-based on-premises Microsoft BI Stack and how you can benefit from upgrading your BI farms to SharePoint Server 2016, SQL 2016 and Office Online Server with Excel Online. We also examine various aspects, such as upgradeability, backward compatibility and licensing. For more information, please read “Deploying SQL Server 2016 PowerPivot and Power View in SharePoint 2016.”

For those looking to try out the update, expect to see the following additions afforded by the combined use of Office Online Server and BI deployment:

If you’re looking for a way to connect to other Microsoft aficionados and professionals, then the Microsoft Tech Community is a good place to start. It’s where you can make contact with people from all over the Microsoft world, for products ranging from Microsoft Teams to Surface.

Today, Microsoft Mechanics focused on providing a tour of the Tech Community, and you can check out the video below:

Sign up for the Microsoft Tech Community here. Follow the team for more information on Twitter.

Netflix is gearing up to release four new installments of Gilmore Girls, almost 10 years since the 2007 series finale. Netflix is giving Gilmore Girls fans the chance to see what’s happening with Rory, Lorelai, Emily, Luke, Lane, and the rest of the gang in Stars Hollow in Ultra HD. Netflix is offering exclusive 4K content on Windows 10 devices, starting with Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, premiering on November 25, 2016.

In order to take advantage of the Netflix 4K content streaming, Microsoft notes that you’ll need a Windows 10 device that can display 4K content:

“Your binge-watching favorites on Netflix are now available in 4K exclusively on compatible PCs and 2-in-1 devices, on Windows 10. Check out the new streaming experience with Microsoft Edge, the only browser that supports Netflix 4K content. If you’re looking for a new Windows 10 device that supports 4K, head over to Microsoft Stores.”

According to Microsoft, if you use Edge to stream Netflix episodes, you’ll be able to sneak in one more episode of Gilmore Girls than when streaming Netflix using Google Chrome in battery tests. Microsoft claims that Edge beats Chrome in battery tests when streaming Netflix 4K content. As always, battery life with Edge versus Chrome all comes down to your Windows 10 PC settings. Another added bonus for Microsoft Edge is the fact that Edge is the only browser available where you can watch Netflix’s 4K content.

Netflix Ultra HD availability depends on your subscription plan, ISP, device capabilities, and content availability, and so this exclusive content may not be available in all areas. It should also be noted that the Netflix 4K content is only available on Windows 10 PCs with 4K displays, running 7-th Gen Intel Core (Kaby Lake) Processors.

Take a look at what Microsoft offers for Windows 10 4K PCs in the Microsoft Store.

Download
QR-Code

Netflix

Developer:
Netflix, Inc.

Price:
Free

Despite Microsoft executives being opaque about the future of Windows 10 Mobile, the combined sleuthing of infamous Windows leaker @h0x0d (aka Walking Cat) and known Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley, reveals details regarding a potentially robust mobile computing experience coming to users eventually.

While there are several factors that led to the demise of Windows phone as a modern mobile operating system, the general consensus has been its lack of apps that ultimately killed the viability of the platform for most users.

The Walking Cat has uncovered some information later confirmed by Mary Jo that may help mitigate the app gap that has plagued Windows phones with engineers working with x86 development on ARM64 emulation.

In a tweet sent out late yesterday evening, Walking Cat revealed the development of an x86 emulation for ARM64 tech that would allow Microsoft to potentially enable the million plus strong library of Windows apps to run on ARM chips at some point.

https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/800537831407951872

According to Mary Jo Foley and sources familiar with the project now being billed ‘Cobalt’, could be making its way to Windows 10 (and subsequently Windows 10 Mobile) in a Redstone 3 release scheduled for Fall of 2017.

The “Cobalt” x86 emulation on ARM is currently on the list of features that Microsoft is planning to make part of “Redstone 3,” the version of Windows 10 that sources have said will be available in the Fall of 2017, my sources say. That date lines up with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chip, which would have the kind of virtualization capabilities that a robust emulator in Windows 10 would require.

I’m hearing this Cobalt technology is aimed at phone and possibly tablet/desktop devices, not servers. I’d expect the initial target audience for devices with the x86 emulator on ARM64 would be aimed at business users, as they’re the ones who most need x86/line-of-business apps.”

Unfortunately, a Fall 2017 release date for Cobalt leaves many hoping for the prospect of a Surface Phone waiting that much longer for it to materialize and dampens the notion of an early Spring hardware reveal that would include a new mobile device from Microsoft.

However, if Cobalt works as planned, Microsoft’s pitch for Continuum becomes that much richer and possibly worth the wait.

Windows Holographic, unveiled last month at the Windows 10 October Event, will allow VR headsets to work with Windows 10. If you are running the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview build, and whether or not your computer meets the requirements, you’ll be able to run Windows Holographic First Run setup.

Here’s the video showing how Microsoft envisions Windows Holographic will work with a VR headset.

According to a post by Brad Sams, the requirements for Windows Holographic for a Windows 10 PC are 4GB RAM, USB 3.0, DirectX 12, a CPU with 4 cores, 1GB of free storage. Also, you’ll need a decent amount of open space, approximately 5-7 feet, allowing the option of adding tracking sensors and to avoid walking into your furniture.

There has also been chatter on Twitter on the Windows Holographic about the Windows 10 system requirements, but it doesn’t look like anyone has a definitive answer. For now, it looks like we will have to wait unbtil next month for an official comment from Microsoft on everything there is to know about Windows Holographic.

If you’re the sort of person that is into all things Xbox, or just are interested in getting involved with the gaming community, then you might want to join the Xbox Ambassadors Program this holiday season.  This season, both new and existing community members are set to have chances to unlock holiday-themed surprises and other rewards by doing things they already do, such as Tweeting, watching YouTube videos, and learning about Xbox products and services.

All it takes to sign up to be an ambassador is to head over to this webpage and click “Get Started.” After that, you need to authenticate a new or existing Twitter account, and then use it to reach out to others in 140 characters or less. If Tweeting is not your thing, you can also join the new Ambassadors on YouTube Forum, where anyone can share Xbox-related videos with the community. If you’re lucky enough, and if your post is good enough, it might even be promoted by someone from Team Xbox!

For added fun, you also can check out the expanded Ambassadors Website which features an expanded space for informational materials and quizzes, called the Academy. So, what do you think? Will you join in the 6,000 active community members on the Xbox Ambassadors Program this holiday season to find new friends and enjoy the Xbox experience? Let us know by dropping us a line below!

The UWP Windows Defender we’ve seen on stage at the Windows 10 Event last month may not have been what we initially thought. A new app showed up on the store, called Windows Defender Hub (via DeskModder).

The app currently doesn’t do much more than the Office Hub app. It redirects you to the corresponding legacy application. It’s not really useful for anything else other than looking cool on your start menu, showing blog posts and giving you some tips on security, because the best antivirus in the market is your own brain.

It may be updated in the future as a replacement of the current, outdated, antivirus software Windows uses, but this is pure speculation as no official word has been revealed at all about this application.

Ironically enough, this app has been compiled for ARM-powered CPU’s which means it can be installed on a phone, but in order to do that, you need to open the “My Library” page in the store from your phone and install the Hub from there.

The mobile version is very buggy, with the header covering up to two-thirds of the display and the “Open Windows Defender” button not working at all, as there is no Windows Defender on phones.

The app is available from the link below:

Download
QR-Code

Windows Defender Hub

Developer:
Microsoft Corporation

Price:
Free

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.

Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy leaked as Telltale’s next game

There’s no official confirmation from Telltale, but a seemingly reliable rumor has painted Telltale’s next project as “Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy.” The news comes from the SAG-AFTRA strike, which prompted a list of noncompliant companies and their projects. This seems to match up with Telltale’s history of bringing popular franchises to the interactive medium, especially with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 set to release next year.

Xbox’s 15th anniversary data reveals that, yes, people play a lot of Xbox

The 15th anniversary of Halo and Xbox happened last week, prompting a celebration from Microsoft and Xbox fans alike. For those of us who get a kick out of data, Microsoft released numbers about what the last 15 years have looked like for Xbox. Turns out that 100,539,390,670 hours have been spent playing Xbox, 32,667,582,157 achievements have been earned, and 572,605,554,587 gamerscore has been racked up.

Remedy Games teases two new titles, one new IP

Remedy Games is a legend in the gaming industry, even though some gamers might not know them by name. They’re the company that created Max Payne, Alan Wake, and – more recently – Quantum Break. A new tongue-in-cheek trailer teased some upcoming announcements, and it’s been confirmed that the company is working on two new games. One of the new games is a new IP (Intellectual Property) and the other, presumably, is a sequel to Quantum Break (Or Alan Wake, if we’re REALLY lucky.)

Xbox Live Gold members get early access to Black Friday deals

If you’re subscribed to Xbox Live Gold, you have access to some Black Friday deals earlier than anyone else. While other people are going to have to wait until November 22nd to get a shot at discounts on Titanfall 2, Overwatch, Battlefield 1, The Witcher 3, and more. Most of the deals should be available right now for Gold members, so you should get on that as soon as you can.

Here are some of cool new games that came out this week:

• Play Watch Dogs 2 today on Microsoft’s Xbox One
• Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection now out on Xbox One
• Omega Five and Military Madness are the latest Xbox backwards compatible video games

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.