In case you spent last week under a rock, we’ve got your back: here are the top stories on Windows 10 from WinBeta for the week of June 13-19, 2016.

Microsoft started out the week with a fairly innocent Windows 10 release, dropping KB316308 for Windows 10 Production and Release Preview PCs, bringing them up to build 10586.40. Right after that, however, things got really interesting when Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14366 was released for the Fast Ring, along with build 14364 for Mobile, which was announced at the same time but took a few hours to make it to the download servers.

At the same time, Microsoft announced its second Windows 10 Anniversary Bug Bash, providing quests for Insiders to complete in order to gather information to make Windows 10 even better.

The 14366 build was mostly a bug-fix release, but it did carry with it a new extension for Microsoft’s Edge browser, this one for Office Online.

Some new Windows 10 apps hit the Windows Store last week, including MyUSPS, Expedia and the Weather Channel. Wells Fargo chimed in with it’s own Windows 10 app, although it also announced it was killing the Windows Phone 8.1 Wells Fargo app.

Last week also saw a Windows 10 refresh tool pop up a little early, and then be officially released, allowing Windows Insiders to more easily clean install a Windows 10 Insider build on their test systems. We also got news that prolific Windows 10 app builder Rudy Huyn is working on another app. The latest Windows 10 Insider builds now allow you to choose where to install large games and apps, a boon for the influx of Play Anywhere Xbox games coming to Windows 10.

Then it was Biff, Pow, Zam as Microsoft released not only one, but two Insider builds to Insiders in one week. Build 14367 was released on Thursday, again, mostly a bug fix release, although a new keyboard shortcut for the Feedback Hub was added.

Just in case all of these new builds weren’t enough for you, Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14366 was released to the slow ring.

To top it all off, calendar watchers may have noticed that the very first Surface was introduced 4 years ago last week.

That’s it for this week’s Windows News recap, stay tuned for all the latest and what promises to be another exciting week as we get closer to the official launch of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update!

Bing Rewards, Microsoft’s rewards system for those who use Bing to do online web searches, has long been available for those inside the United States. Bing Rewards members can now save big on Xbox Live Gold subscriptions from now until June 30th, according to  Windows Central.

The savings brings a one-month Xbox Live Gold subscription down from 699 Bing Rewards points to 500 points. The three-month subscription, meanwhile, is up for grabs for 1,000 points. Lastly, and if you’ve saved up enough, a 12 month Xbox Live Gold subscription is available for 2,899 credits if you’ve achieved Gold Level status.

If you don’t already have a Xbox Live subscription, these Rewards Points savings will be a great way to guarantee yourself access to online multiplayer on Xbox, and the Deals with Gold savings.  It also still will be smart to act now and check out the savings via this link, as these discounts will only last another 10 days until June 30th.

According to an investigation by The Sunday Times, Microsoft has been found to have a secret agreement with the UK tax authority, HMRC. This agreement is known as an Advance Pricing Agreement. The agreement works by allowing Microsoft UK to funnel earnings from the UK through a company known as Microsoft Ireland Operations (MIO) in Ireland, where the tax rate is lower. For comparison reasons, the UK tax rate is at 20%, with Ireland being at 12.5%, making the latter a more interesting place to route earnings through, if you’re looking to reduce your tax bill, that is.

The report from the investigation claims that the company routed more than £8bn through its Ireland operations arm since 2011, with parts of its offshore operations being approved by HMRC in 2012. In terms of specifics on the deal, we only know that online purchases can be sent via Ireland and registered there. Accounts for MIO revealed that just over £2.3bn was sent through them, with a mere £16.9m being paid in tax by Microsoft UK.

A statement released by the company read:

[The business] complies with all rules and regulations worldwide, including in Ireland and the UK. Our European business, production and distribution is centralised in Ireland and has been since the 1990s. Microsoft UK earns a commission similar to what a third-party would receive for performing marketing services for Microsoft Ireland and pays tax on income earned in the UK.

HMRC also released a statement on the subject matter:

No company will pay a single penny less in tax because of [advance pricing agreements]. These simply set out how the tax rules will apply on complex transactions ahead of time and we keep them under constant review.

Other large technology companies have also been found to be using tax avoidance tactics; these include big names such as Facebook and Google. After it was found that they were knowingly reducing their tax bill, Facebook changed the way it registers UK revenue, so that sales to large businesses on its advertising platform would no longer be routed through Ireland, and instead pay the full UK tax rate of 20%. Google also said they would increase the amount of tax they paid.

Judging from Microsoft’s statement so far, they have no intention of following suit, in terms of adjusting the amount of tax they pay, and instead believe they are in the right, at least legally, although not necessarily ethically.

If you think your computer is a little bit outdated, it may be time to consider upgrading to something a little bit stronger. Even if you’re not looking for a powerhouse, the latest big sale on the Microsoft Store is offering people some pretty serious deals when it comes to picking up new computers. The deals go all the way up to $1000 off, and there’s a hefty discount available to suit the taste of anyone – professionals, gamers, artists, or whatever else your needs might be.

Here are some highlights:

• Alienware 15 Touch Signature Edition Gaming Laptop: $1,499 (Was $2,499)
• Dell Inspiron i7 Signature Edition Laptop: $699 (Was $1,099)
• Lenovo Ideacentre AIO 700 Signature Edition All-in-One: $1,299 (Was $1,899)
• ASUS X555DA-US11 Signature Edition Laptop: $349 (Was $449)

These are all some pretty high-quality machines, and the deals Microsoft is presenting here can get pretty ludicrous. $1000 off of that Alienware laptop is massive – the laptop comes with an Nvidia GTX 970M GPU, an Intel Core i7 processor, and a 4K screen, so it’s pretty cutting edge all things considered. If you want to check out all of the deals in one place, you can do so right here. Remember that the deal is only going on until the 20th, so you’re going to want to hurry up if at all possible!

While the Dead Rising 4 reveal during Microsoft’s Xbox One gaming keynote helped bolster the number of game trailers and demos the company was able to trout on stage, it looks like the company’s public association with the game will be relatively short lived.

According to a Gamespot report, Dead Rising 4 will only be a “timed exclusive” for Xbox One users and the game “could eventually make its way to PS4 and Steam.”

In an act of transparency, the Xbox division issued the following statement regarding Dead Risings partial exclusivity:

Dead Rising 4′ on Xbox One is developed by Capcom and will be published in partnership with Microsoft. Fans will be able to play ‘Dead Rising 4’ first on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC this December. It will remain a Windows 10 exclusive for the first 90 days and console exclusive on Xbox One for one year. We’ve had a close and longstanding relationship with Capcom including the launch of Dead Rising as an Xbox 360 exclusive and Dead Rising 3 as an Xbox One exclusive. We’re thrilled to partner with Capcom once again to help bring their ambitious vision for Dead Rising 4 to life.”

While there was no direct mention of availability for the PS4, Microsoft’s statement explicitly highlights the length of Capcom’s agreement with division regarding console exclusivity. Whereas, last year’s Dead Rising 3 game was offered to PC gamers after 10 months and remains an Xbox One console exclusive till this day.

Come December 2017; PS4 owners may be able to get their hands on a copy of Dead Rising 4, at the very least, PC and Xbox One gamers should be able to play in the post-infected zombie open world arena together for the next year.

There are a number of excellent Twitter apps in the Windows 10 Store, but an alternative has been available for a wider variety of systems, specifically Tweeten for Windows 7, 8, and 10 and macOS machines. Now, the app has hit version 3.0 and brings with it a few new features.

Save GIFs and Images

Simply put, Tweeten can now save GIFs as intended, as .gif files, a feature that the developer indicates isn’t available on other major Twitter clients.

GIF saving is a feature which requires a lot of things as Twitter stores GIFs as .mp4 on their servers. Therefore, when you save a GIF using Tweeten, it may take a little while for it to download — based on the GIF’s size and quality. When you download a GIF using Tweeten, you will get a dialog saying that the download has started and you can continue browsing your timeline while the GIF gets processed in the background. Quite handy, right?

Drag and Drop

Tweeten now allows images and GIFs to be dragged and dropped into the app.

Copy URLs

URLs can now be copied directly to the clipboard, including image URLs, tweet URLs, links to tweets, links to user profiles, and more.

In addition, the app has received some other changes:

• Firstly, there’s a new font for Tweeten on macOS which looks a lot nicer than the previous one.
• The Settings window (finally) closes by itself when you click “Save Settings”
• We have added support for TweetDeck’s native polls (you can only view the results for now)
• We have fixed the overlay issue for videos and GIFs
• We have fixed a bunch of other UI issues and optimized some parts of the app with Tweeten 3.0.

Download the Windows version and the macOS version and give the new version a try. If you’re a regular user of the app or are giving it a try for the first time, let us know what you think in the comments.

Microsoft has sent out an email to app developers who currently have apps in the Windows Store to ensure the age rating has been set. Developers who are not in compliance by September 30th of this year will have their app unpublished from the Windows Store. Here’s the email that was sent out to app developers:

As part of our continuing efforts to improve the Store experience for customers, we’re bringing enforcement of the Windows Store age rating policy to published apps that are not yet rated by using the new Dev Center age rating questionnaire. We’ve identified one of more of your apps as not having a rating based on the questionnaire.

To bring your app into compliance, just log in to Dev Center, click Update to edit Age Ratings and take the brief age rating questionnaire. When you’re finished, click Submit to the Store to publish the updated submission with the new age ratings in place. Learn more about the process here.

Apps that aren’t rated by September 30, 2016 will be unpublished.

Thank you,

The Windows Store Team

If you are an active Windows Store app developer, head over to the Dev Center to make sure your app’s age rating is all squared away.

Are you excited for the Gears of War 4 and Halo Wars 2 that were shown off at E3 2016? Xbox has just the way to help you advertise for them. Pick up some goodies to show off your favorite game. While the Gears of War 4 items have been available for quite some time, the Halo Wars 2 items have just been added this week in celebration of the official announcement.

Gears of War 4

Halo Wars 2

Other items that have been recently added since the E3 2016 include a couple of XCOM 2 objects for the game coming later to console later this fall and more ‘Solid Gold’ collection items.

While the avatar items have microtransactions tied to them, they unlock permanently for your account. Mix and match to share your personality, advertise your favorite games, or just plain look cool. We’re sure to see plenty more given the hype surrounding the upcoming titles such as We Happy Few, Forza Horizon 3, and Titanfall 2.

For more about the games released at E3 2016, make sure to check out our recap!

With the success of the Windows Insider program, Microsoft now lets anyone give them formal feedback through the Feedback app. In this series we break down some of the most intriguing feedback and suggestions. We’ll do our best to dive into the lists of feedback rather than just have “dark theme everywhere.” This week we look at the desktop, a key area of Windows 10.

Note that the links to feedback items work by opening the Feedback Hub in Windows 10.

The desktop on Windows has come a long way. Windows 10 brought the merging of apps that were introduced in Windows 8 and the desktop in the form of windowed apps. It also brought virtual desktops and many more features to the environment.

The desktop serves as a home base for users and is a staple within Windows. While I think the desktop in Windows 10 is very good, there are always ways to improve. Here’s some intriguing and best feedback related to the desktop on Windows 10.

Give people options about one pixel borders

Personally I strongly dislike the one pixel borders surrounding Windows. I just can’t see why people would want a bright, barely visible but visible enough to be noticeable border around a Windows in the desktop but Microsoft has it as part of the design language of Windows 10. This piece of feedback calls for an option regarding borders. I know Microsoft tries to have a certain look and modern feel but with something so many people dislike such as these borders it would be nice to see options.

“Allow different backgrounds for each virtual desktop”

Virtual desktops were so demanded by users that they rejoiced when they were announced during the development of Windows 10. That being said, there are some improvements that people would like to see. This piece of feedback calls for separate background depending on the virtual desktop. This would help the effect of virtual desktops feeling like two distinct environments even though they are within the same PC.

On multi-monitor setups allows users to have a preference to where apps open

Let me walk you through a very common occurrence on my PC. I have an app open on one monitor, as my day progresses I drag the app between my two monitors. I switch my video playing app to one monitor to have on in the background while I do something else. When I go to open an app to be productive by clicking on a taskbar in the monitor I want it to be in BAM it opens on my other monitor. It may seem like a little thing but I always feel like I’m chasing apps when I open them on a multi-monitor setup. I could just be multi-monitor illiterate but it seems like they could also make it easier.

So I say a thousand times yes and upvote this piece of feedback which calls for the option to open things based on the monitor you click the taskbar from.

“Replace the speaker icon in the system tray with a similar headphones icon when the system detects they are plugged in”

This speaker related feedback asks for Windows 10 to switch the icon from a speaker to a headphone when you have them plugged in. This would be a great little touch to Windows 10 but unfortunately isn’t on the way any time soon. A Microsoft engineer responded to this feedback with “… we decided against making this change, because there are a few places where headphones are reported as speakers or vice versa. So to avoid potential confusion, we’re going to keep things as they are for now.”

Unfortunately there are some things preventing this from being a feature but hopefully they can work something out or as a Andrew S. suggested in that same feedback thread “As a compromise why then don’t you show a slightly different icon to represent that ‘something’ is plugged into the audio jack.”

Overall the desktop is very nice and it’s worlds ahead of where it was just a few years ago with Windows 8.1. I think Microsoft is making solid strides to improve it and hopefully the ones mentioned above will make the cut.

Please let us know what you would change about the current desktop and what you would like to see in future Feedback Friday posts.

The console space has always been quite an exclusive environment, even in this day and age of interconnectedness, with each machine having their own servers for online play. There have been very few games that have dared reach out to the other side, and one new game from Japan may very well be breaking the barrier: Tekken 7.

Specifically, in an interview with the creator of Tekken 7 – Katsuhiro Harada – at E3 2016, posted on Reddit, a tough question was posed: Will cross-play become a reality? Katsuhiro’s answer were decidedly vague, yet offers a glimmer of hope for groups of friends who are split on two sides of the battle zone: cross-play is not technically difficult, and it’s on the board for consideration. Nevertheless, there are a few things the developer will have to consider regarding the feature.

The first is about “policies”, in other words, console makers’ willingness to allow cross-play to happen. Microsoft overall have been pretty cool about the whole prospect, with Xbox executives consecutively going on the record as close as April this year to profess the One’s readiness for such an occasion; in fact, Microsoft even reportedly extended an invitation to interested networks to connect to Xbox Live, PlayStation Network included. Sony, on the other hand, have been mum about it, and it might be a while yet before the competitiveness cool off enough to benefit the players.

The second point of consideration, surprisingly, concerns a third, non-console platform. Yes, we are talking about the PC. Doing cross-play with PC is even easier than doing it between console according to Katsuhiro, due to the open nature of the platform. It is this openness, however, that also pose a challenge: it creates loopholes for cheaters to ruin the gaming experience for everyone – a pain point for any online PC games in general, that will also badly affects cross-play console gamers. Ultimately, it will be up to the gaming community to decide if cross-play should be implemented, Katsuhiro said.

This may also mean that, whether Tekken 7 will join Microsoft’s newly-announced Xbox Play Anywhere program – cross-play and cross-buy between Xbox and Windows – or not, remains on the table. We have to say, however, that a fighting game would be the perfect venue for cross platform together fun. Also, with Street Fighter 5 going the PS4-PC exclusive route, there may well be a potential opening for Tekken 7 to become the “all gamers’ champion” and retake the spot of the King of fighting games it once had, if cross-play becomes a reality. Stay tuned for more exciting Tekken 7 and Xbox news in the future.

With the imminent launch of the new Xbox One S model coming in just a few months, many stores have begun selling the original Xbox One video game console for a variety of heavily reduced prices. Several stores in Australia in particular are currently offering gamers some fantastic deals that are worth checking out, especially for those that have yet to make the transition to the current generation of video game consoles.

One of the best deals is at Big W, which is selling new Xbox One consoles along, with download codes for The Lego Movie and Minecraft along with one of four other titles, for just AU$299. The listing is currently promoted on the Big W website here but can only be purchased in-store.

EB Games has a variety of bundles and discounts worth checking out with the 1TB Xbox One console and eight games AU$478 bundle being one of the more noteworthy options. They are also offering a 1TB Xbox One console with six games for the same price (slightly more interesting games), and a bundle with the Elite Controller, 1TB console, Skylanders Swap Force, Halo 5, Sunset Overdrive, and Evolve for AU$598. Their cheapest bundle is the $398 one with a 500GB Xbox One console with Gears of War and Halo 5.

Another good option for Australians looking for a cheap Xbox One console is JBHiFi which has several affordable bundles. The best one would have to be the AU$379 one which comes with the 1TB Xbox One console and a copy of Quantum Break and Alan Wake.

Incidentally, both EB Games and JBHiFi are already accepting pre-orders for the Xbox One S console which is due for release in August. It’s currently selling for AU$549 at both stores. No games are included (at the time of this writing) but the console does have 2TB of storage which is more than double the memory in some of the original Xbox One models. For more information on the Xbox One S, make sure to check out our full report on it here.

Are you planning to take advantage of the Xbox One discounts or are you waiting until the launch of the Xbox One S in August (or even the Project Scorpio in 2017)? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft has officially released a new tool for Windows Insiders allowing for the clean installation of Windows 10. We learned about this tool not too long ago, and the download was made available yesterday. If you missed the news, you can check it out here. Here’s what Microsoft had to say:

We’ve heard from many of you that are attempting to perform a clean installation of Windows that it can sometimes be hard to get started. To help, we are providing a new tool that enables an easy and simple way to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows. This tool is now available from the Settings app for Windows Insiders using the latest builds that installs a clean copy of the most recent version of Windows 10 and removes apps that were installed on your PC. You can visit this Microsoft Community page (which has been updated) to learn more about the tool and download it.

As Microsoft points out, in order to use this tool, you will need to be on Windows 10 Insider Preview Home or Pro editions. This tool will install a clean copy of Windows 10 from a recent Insider Preview Fast released build — and this can be risky, so be cautious.

The build installed by this tool is not guaranteed to be the latest build available to Insiders, and at times may install a Windows 10 build that is older that you had previously.

Only three languages are supported — English, Chinese, and Japanese.  Microsoft also points out that digital licenses may not transfer after using the tool.

During this preview period, we cannot guarantee your digital licenses, digital content associated with applications, or other digital entitlements for applications will be carried through after using the tool, which may impact your ability to use paid-for apps or apps-related content.  For this reason, we don’t recommend installing the preview on any PC where you wish to ensure all of your applications and application-related content (including Microsoft applications such as Office) remain properly installed and licensed.

Head over to the official support forum here and grab the tool from this link, if you haven’t already.

Windows 10 is launching the new FXNOW application, available for download in the Windows Store for free. FXNOW is an on-demand video stream service that is available across all Windows 10 devices, providing movies and shows from three networks: FX, FXX, FXM.

For users that have an established television provider, shows like American Horror Story, The Americans, Archer, The Strain, and absolutely all episodes of The Simpsons is at your fingertips. With Cortana integration, users are able to say “FXNOW, play the latest (insert show name here) episode” which will launch the app and navigate to the show that you want to watch without any hassle.

With Cortana integration, users are able to say “FXNOW, play the latest (insert show name here) episode” which will launch the app and navigate to the show that you want to watch without any hassle. As a step further, the app uses live tiles when pinned to the Start menu that switches to the highlighted show of the day.

FXNOW is available right now in the Windows 10 store, so go check it out!

Download
QR-Code

FXNOW

Developer:
Disney

Price:
Free

Companies do their best to market specific features and design choices during events with often flowery and over produced marketing material to combat the exhaustive and sometimes repetitive reporting nature their devices may receive.

Take, for instance, the Surface Pen. During its hardware unveiling event last October, Microsoft’s head of devices, Panos Panay spoke cursory of the Pen’s functionality, but in a showcase jam-packed with announcements, he was forced to limit the extent of its engineering prowess to just a few key highlights.

For most, the Surface Pen is an ancillary device that helps those who need it accomplish the task, while for others a peripheral to monitor in the loose crevasses of their work bags. However, understanding the work and thought that went into the making of the pen as well as an in-depth look the various nooks and crannies of its functionality may help some get even more use out the device.

Thankfully, Microsoft has a short but detailed video for just that occasion.

In the four-and-a-half minute video, a program management director walks users through how the battery LED light works, the thought that went into into positioning the select button, the Pen’s deep sleep mode, its multiple functioning tail button, and more.

Understandably, four minutes is a lifetime on YouTube, but if users have the time, the video is jammed-packed with useful information.

According to the New York Times, Microsoft is the first major company to offer support for software tracking for legal marijuana companies, from “seed to sale.” While marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the US federal government, commercial sale and personal possession are legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state. In Washington, D.C., possession is legal, but commercial sale is not.

For the most part, banks and businesses have shied away from supporting marijuana companies, but the tide appears to be changing. Microsoft is the first big-name company to break the line and support new software developed by a Los Angeles-based start-up, Kind. With the help of Microsoft Azure, Kind’s software was developed to help states where marijuana medical and non-medical use is legalized to keep track of sales and commerce to make sure every sale of marijuana is legitimate and not crossing any legal boundaries.

Kind offers number of different marijuana business products, including an ATM that dispenses marijuana instead of money. Microsoft will be working with Kind’s government solutions division to offer software to state and local governments to help build compliance software to help keep track of all the marijuana sales.

Another five states will vote on legalizing marijuana for recreational use this Fall, including the third biggest state in the US, California. Twenty-five states have legalized marijuana for medical use, with the step towards recreational use not so far away.

Kimberly Nelson, executive director of state and local government solutions at Microsoft, thinks there is a good opportunity available for Microsoft by partnering with Kind and helping market the software that Kind developed:

“We do think there will be significant growth. As the industry is regulated, there will be more transactions, and we believe there will be more sophisticated requirements and tools down the road. This is an entirely new field for us. We would have to figure out which conference might be the premier conference in this space. That’s not outside the realm of possibility.”

For the pot industry, Microsoft partnering with a marijuana business like Kind is a huge step towards legitimacy for marijuana businesses. David Dinenberg, CEO, and founder of Kind, is excited about his company’s partnership with Microsoft:

“Every business that works in the cannabis space, we all clamor for legitimacy. I would like to think that this is the first of many dominoes to fall.”

Microsoft is certainly turning heads these days after its recent purchase of LinkedIn. There’s no telling what company or industry Microsoft will partner with next.

Fresh off of a big E3 2016, Major Nelson has just taken to Twitter to announce that new titles have just been added to the Backward Compatibility list. Left For Dead, Portal 2, Flashback, Brain Challenge, and Bable Rising are all the new titles on the list. As always, we have given the titles a look and have included download links, trailers, and game descriptions for your convenience.

Also, Flashback, Babel Rising & Brain Challenge are coming to Xbox One Back Compat today https://t.co/qPMRNrLoTQ pic.twitter.com/AyGedYLmvO

— Larry Hryb ????????☁ (@majornelson) June 16, 2016

Left 4 Dead and Portal 2 are coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility today https://t.co/qPMRNrLoTQ pic.twitter.com/U1gFmOS5mg

— Larry Hryb ????????☁ (@majornelson) June 16, 2016

Portal 2: $19.99

The highly anticipated sequel to 2007’s Game of the Year, Portal 2 is a hilariously mind-bending adventure that challenges you to use wits over weaponry in a funhouse of diabolical science. Using a highly experimental portal device, you’ll once again face off against a lethally inventive, power-mad A.I. named GLaDOS. Break the laws of spatial physics in ways you never thought possible, with a wider variety of portal puzzles and an expansive story that spans a single player and co-op game mode.

Left 4 Dead: $19.99

Left 4 Dead™ is a new game that casts up to four “Survivors” in an epic struggle against hordes of swarming zombies and terrifying “Boss Infected” mutants. Are you ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?

Flashback: $9.99

Take on the role of Conrad B. Hart of the G.B.I. and uncover a vast and deadly alien conspiracy that threatens everything it means to be human. But before you can save the human race you must rediscover who you are, as you desperately search for the missing data files containing your memory to piece the puzzle together. 20 years after the original game’s launch, Conrad is enlisted back to active service for the triumphant return of one of the best adventure-action games ever created. It’s Flashback re-imagined by its creators.

Brain Challenge: $4.99

Ready to start down the road to excellent mental fitness? Upgrade to the full version of Brain Challenge™ to unlock twenty different mini-games in five brain-building categories. Daily exercises challenge you to increase your mental capacity: they never repeat, and the better you do, the harder they get! Challenge your brain, monitor your progress, and watch your mental capacity grow!

Babel Rising (not in Xbox 360 store)

As always, we would love to know what you think of these latest additions to the Backward Compatibility list. Be sure to drop us a comment below with your thoughts and reactions!

Casino-entertainment providers Caesars Entertainment Corporation has created a new, connected room experience that is leveraging the Universal Windows 10 platform as well as the Microsoft Cloud. The solution is currently being piloted in two suites at The Cromwell, Caesars Entertainment’s newest boutique hotel in Las Vegas and Microsoft is sharing all the technical details in a blog post today.

The “Connected Room” experience is designed to help bring together all aspects of guests’ stay into a single system controlled from one handheld device, and it can also integrate with any in-room environment control or energy management systems:

Guests at The Cromwell will be able to use a Windows 10 tablet, currently available in two suites, to self-serve and control all aspects of their stay. Through the device, guests can adjust the lighting, control the thermostat and even control the in-room TV. They’ll also have the option to order room service, make dinner reservations at GIADA, request housekeeping or discover entertainment and nightlife options before they leave the comfort of their room. For the property, the Connected Room allows employees to update in-room guest content, including menu items, promotions and shows, which change frequently in Las Vegas.

The Connected Room experience could be brought to all 188 rooms at The Cromwell by mid-2017 and to other Caesars Entertainment properties going forward. Scot Campbell, Vice President and Chief Architectural Officer of Caesars Entertainment shared:

We believe this level of customization will help differentiate The Cromwell by providing a unique ‘wow’ personal experience our guests have come to expect, building loyalty with guests each time they visit Las Vegas,” said Scot Campbell, Vice President and Chief Architectural Officer of Caesars Entertainment.

Microsoft will showcase this Connected Room experience at HITEC 2016 in New Orleans on June 20-23, and you can also get more information on Windows hospitality solutions over here. Let us know in the comments if you’re delighted to see that Windows 10 is enabling unique and memorable guest experiences by allowing guests to personalize their room environment.