There’s no shortage of USB-sized mini PCs in the market — we’ve already seen the Intel Compute Stick, and now Zotac has introduced its new dongle-sized ZBOX Mini PC. The USB sized PC stick comes in two configurations, the ZBOX PI220 and PI221.

Zotac said in a post,

“With space increasingly becoming a luxury, size is a critical factor in determining the solution for your needs. Often times this means compromising between size and functionality. The PI220 and PI221 pack the functionality of a full size PC in the form of a stick. Equipped with Intel’s 14nm Cherry Trail quad core processor, performance and power efficiency are improved over previous generation processors.”

Both variants are powered by Intel Cherry Trail processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. There’s one HDMI port, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11ac WiFi capability with external antenna, USB 3.0 port and a full size Ethernet port. As far as the operating system is concerned, both variants come with Windows 10 Home 32-bit pre-installed out of the box.

Unfortunately, the company failed to reveal information about the pricing and exact availability date of the PC Stick. However, they did mention the device will be showcased at the Computex 2016 in Taiwan next month. We’ll update you as soon as we get any detail about the pricing and availability of the ZBOX Mini PC.

Both Gun World 2 and Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing are now available to download and play on Microsoft’s Xbox One video game console.

Gun World 2 is a sequel to the first retro-inspired platformer and features equally crude graphics but is enjoyed by many for its gameplay. Here’s the official description:

The sequel no one asked for, to the game that nobody liked! The Exaction Faction, an intergalactic troupe of super heroes, has come to arrest President Eagle! Explore GunWorld to level up, collect new gear, and hunt down the Faction members in this retro-inspired action/platformer/RPG hybrid.

Buy Gun World 2 on Xbox One

Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing on the other hand has much more modern graphics in 1080p resolution and is a racing game that supports up to 4 players at once, has a rock and roll soundtrack, and races with up to 20 rivals. Here’s the official description:

Get ready for some speed with your family and friends!

Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing gives you the fastest, most exciting races. You can evolve your car, improving the engine, brakes, tires and more until you’ve achieved the perfect evolution to win the Championship!

Online leader board where you can compare your best times with those of your friends and players from around the world.

Buy Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing on Xbox One

Another Xbox One game, Super Night Riders, is also available on the Xbox One today but only as a pre-order and pre-download. The game will release on May 18^th and is also a racing game but with a much more anime and retro vibe than the modern-looking Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing. Here’s its description:

Super Night Riders is a modern arcade racing game inspired by the retro classics. You are Alice, a beautiful and talented motorcyclist known as the red rider. In this game, your position in the race does not matter. It’s all about traveling as far as possible while dodging the rival riders, and reaching each checkpoint before the timer goes down to zero. The gameplay is fast and responsive similarly to the best retro racers, while the low-poly style is inspired by the early 3D arcades.

Pre-order Super Night Riders on Xbox One

Do any of these three Xbox One video games interest you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

The Virtual Air Guitar Company is reviving the Xbox 360 game, Kung-Fu High Impact, for the Xbox One and is giving it the new name, Kung-Fu for Kinect. Here’s the official description:

Punching air has never felt this good! Kung-Fu for Kinect takes the player’s own video image and puts it inside a 2D fighting adventure. The player fights comic-book villains with real kicks and punches. During cutscenes, Kinect takes snapshots of the player’s poses, giving the player the lead role in their own animated comic book. As with the company’s previous games, Kung-Fu has been designed with daily physical activity in mind. Exercise is one of the big reasons why we make motion games. We want to provide both kids and adults with games that are enjoyable on their own, but also keeps them up and active.

“We’ve received a lot of requests to bring Kung-Fu to Xbox One,” reveals Aki Kanerva, founder and lead designer at Virtual Air Guitar Company. “We can now answer the popular demand, thanks to great leaps in game development tools, such as Unity software. We can offer something for new players and old fans alike. This new version has been reprogrammed from scratch using Unity, so we have new cool features like new game modes, more enemies on screen and ragdoll physics that react to your attacks.”

A new trailer for Kung-Fu for Kinect has also been released, which can be watched below. It shows how the Xbox One’s Kinect sensor scans the player’s body and creates still frames which are used during gameplay. The game will feature over 22 levels and nine replayable challenges which can be attempted daily.

Kung-Fu for Kinect is due out in June 2016. A specific date is expected to be announced closer to release. Did you play the original Xbox 360 video game? Are you curious about this new version? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below.

The popular third-party Windows phone Nike Running app, Run+, has been updated to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) format and is now available on Windows 10 PCs/tablets in addition to Windows phones running Windows Phone 8 through Windows 10 Mobile.

There doesn’t seem to be too many visual improvements with the app on Windows phone however some bugs have been squashed such as one that caused a glitch when sharing a run on Facebook.

Here are some of the app’s current features:

• Record the distance, pace and calories for your run
• Share your run on Facebook and Twitter
• Start and join challenges
• View all past runs from all devices
• Map the path and elevation of your run using your phone’s GPS
• In-run audio feedback at predefined intervals
• View and compare with friends
• View your trophies
• Play your power song or favourite playlist while you run
• Run under lock screen
• View runs on your lock screen and Live tile while running
• Support for Metric and English units
• Record where you ran and how you felt about the run
• Detect and record weather during run and more…!

With no official Nike Running app on Windows phone, Run+ has proven to be an essential app for many users, like myself, who made the jump to the platform from iOS. Run+ contains almost all of the features of the official iOS app and also connects directly to users’ Nike accounts to sync their data. Despite being unofficial, the app still manages to display Nike friends leaderboards and, while the voices are different than the official app, also provides voice updates on distance and pace while running.

When viewed on a PC, the new UWP Run+ essentially looks like a larger version of how it appears on mobile devices. Do you use Run+ on your Windows phone? How often and how far do you run? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks to Hosney for the tip.

Download
QR-Code

Run+

Developer:
AppOrigins

Price:
Free

As a company that deals extensively in intellectual property, Microsoft understandably employs an army of lawyers. Between defending their own IP and defending against claims of infringement, Microsoft’s lawyers are also likely a busy group. Recently, one of the company’s lead IP lawyers, Andy Culbert, has headed out for new opportunities, specifically to join law firm Perkins Coie and continue working as a professor at the University of Washington’s School of Law.

As the Puget Sound Business Journal reports:

The attorney who crafted Microsoft’s patent litigation strategy resigned from the Redmond company to split his time between Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie and the University of Washington’s School of Law.

Andy Culbert became Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) first intellectual property attorney 18 years ago. Throughout his tenure, Culbert worked on several landmark patent cases – including one before the U.S. Supreme Court that established the framework for U.S. companies to seek infringement damages internationally.

Microsoft has over 35,000 patents in its portfolio, a fact that’s not been lost on Android manufacturers who paid the company billions of dollars over the years in licensing agreements. Culbert was instrumental in overseeing that portfolio, as well as generally applying his expertise and experience to ensuring that Microsoft’s investments in R&D were fully protected.

Microsoft will miss him, according to their statement:

“Andy made extraordinary contributions to Microsoft during his 18-year tenure as head of our patent litigation practice,” David Howard, Microsoft’s deputy general counsel, said in a statement, “and we wish him the best as he begins the next chapter of his career.”

Culbert joins a firm in Perkins Coie that employs over 1,000 attorneys in almost 20 cities around the world, and his heavily involved in the technology industry. He will also continue work at UW, where he was acting as a professor throughout most of his tenure at Microsoft.

While we usually look at OneNote and other Microsoft software as tools made to help businesses do their best work, we should remember that they’re excellent options for anybody trying to keep track of their day-to-day tasks – including students. Brendan Cawley, engineering and technology teacher and first-year head teacher at the Coláiste Pobail Setanta school in Dublin, Ireland came to the OneNote blog today to write about how OneNote has changed the way that his school’s students approach their schoolwork.

After the school’s opening in 2008, Coláiste Pobail Setanta has been doing its best to innovate and make sure that they were always taking advantage of the cutting edge of education. With this desire to stay up to date, it only makes sense that the school would take a dive into the digital age and start moving their operations into OneNote. The school supplied its students with Surface Pro 3 machines back in September of 2015, and OneNote has been a staple of education for them since.

Each department in the school has set up their own template for their students to use, and takes advantage of all of the features of Office to keep students up to date and doing their best work. The school uses shared resources in OneNote to upload content like PDF’s, PowerPoints, and YouTube videos to students, making sure that important learning resources can be instantly shared. In September of 2015, 240 students were given Surface Pro 3s to use in conjunction with this new system, and it seems to have resulted in some real success for both the students and their teachers.

The evolution of education to the digital world is a step that always needed to happen. The nature of an always-connected world is something that should resonate with all students and educators as it gives everyone an opportunity to keep an ongoing conversation that stays productive throughout an entire semester – not just during class time. Coláiste Pobail Setanta’s work to bring itself into the 21st century is commendable and speaks to just how committed they really are to giving their students every opportunity to becoming a more empowered citizen.

Microsoft is hosting its INTEGRATE 2016 conference at the BizTalk 360 event in London today where the company shared its vision on a seamlessly integrated cloud solution for its customers that combined cloud-native and hybrid deployments. As noted by a recent JP Morgan analysts report, Microsoft’s focus on hybrid cloud deployments has made it a natural fit for companies looking to dabble in establishing semi-cloud based infrastructures while still maintaining on-premises control of already built-out server investments.

During its time at BizTalk 360, Microsoft made note that due in part to a combination of BizTalk Server and Logic Apps the company can continue to tout its enterprise integration pitch.

We remain focused on delivering a hybrid integration platform that allows customers to extend their current on-premises BizTalk Server investments to the cloud through Logic Apps. Customers can now not only leverage extensive B2B/EDI capabilities, easily connect LOB applications to numerous SaaS and enterprise connectors but also consume Azure Services like Azure Machine Learning and Azure Functions through Logic Apps. Our goal is to evolve Logic Apps as an enterprise grade integration platform that brings core BizTalk Server capabilities to the cloud.”

With the upcoming release of a new BizTalk server 2016 and collection of Logic Apps, Microsoft is once again prepared to support new cloud and hybrid enterprise scenarios by enabling customer’s easier connection options to both on-premises setups as well as cloud-native applications. Furthermore, access to these solutions with Logic Apps as means access to other vast Azure resources such as Machine Learning and scalable workflows.

Microsoft also touts its recent addition to its IFTTT-like cloud-based solutions in Microsoft Flow. Microsoft Flow will, in the coming months, represent an integral part of the company’s integration solution for businesses looking to move to the cloud in some fashion.

Our newest SaaS offering that offers a code-less method for business users to solve integration problems. Microsoft Flow is a key part of our integration solution; focusing mainly on scenarios like notifications, data collection and business approvals.”

To find out more about Microsoft’s plans for cloud integration and hybrid solutions, visit the company’s Azure blog or head to its Feedback forums.

While many people are moving in mass to more touch-enabled or voice-assisted ways of computing, there is still a significant group of individuals that developers creating new and innovative experiences need not forget.

With that in mind, the Windows team is offering some information about how it built a more accessible user experience with HTML5 and UI Automation. In a semi-lengthy post on its Microsoft Edge Dev Blog, the Edge team walk through several new accessibility features that it tapped into to give its users great experiences when using the browser in Windows 10.

In this post, we’ll walk through some concrete examples of how our new architecture improves the end user’s experience, and specifically how markup defines the experience of navigating with assistive technologies like screen readers. Our examples focus on Narrator, but any screen reader using UIA will be able to take advantage of these improvements.”

Reading over the 2,500-word post, developers will find information on an upcoming refresh to the HTML5 Accessibility platform and can access a version of  the update in preview form on GitHub. The refresh improves criteria for mapping to the accessibility API, keyboard accessibility, and accessibility of error states. Developers will also find information on how Microsoft plans to improve its accessibility experience with HML5 semantic elements, code examples on JSFiffle, relating landmark navigation using elements in HTML5, as well as enabling a the new F12 Accessibility Tree view.

The list of old, new, and soon to be incorporated accessibility features are presented at length in the post. Developers interested in improving their experiences by using HTML5 and UIA should have a gander at the blog.

The Windows team is also planning to offer the listed features to “all Windows 10 customers with EdgeHTML 14” that will be included with the Windows 10 Anniversary update scheduled for later this summer.

Like many of its revamped properties, Microsoft’s Groove music app has been a continual work in progress and seemingly far removed from the good old days of Zune. Since the deprecation of the Zune platform many have been aching for the Groove or former Xbox Music products to mimic if not completely ape the aged Zune experience.

While Microsoft has all but buried the Zune platform, UI, and features in favor of its Groove app, a developer on Reddit has decided to revive the Zune spirit, but for a modern user experience in Windows 10.

The app, Bloom Music Player, is in open beta now and has been an ongoing process for the past few weeks. The developer, who goes by ducttape36 on Reddit, showed off a design concept of the music player that has swelled over the past couple of weeks with overwhelming demand from Zune enthusiast and disgruntled Xbox Music or Groove users for an actual product.

Today, via the Windows Phone Reddit page, ducttape36 has provided a link and full features list for a beta version of the app in the Windows Store. For those anxious to return to the Zune environment, the new “replacement software” offers:

• Customize your player with dark and light themes and a background picture.
• Fast searching just by typing while on the main screen.
• Organize your music with a simple tag editor.
• Enjoy beautiful visuals on the ‘Now Playing’ screen.
• Create your own playlists or set criteria for automatic playlists.
• Browse music from the online store.
• Transfer music to your Windows Phone directly from the app.

Along with features, the developer also notes some known issues with the beta-tagged experience that include:

• The tag editor is a bit unstable and may cause songs to be listed as duplicates in your collection.
• Android phones aren’t supported for syncing yet.
• Performance is pretty slow, especially for collections with >10,000 songs.
• DRM music does not work and unfortunately, won’t work until MS opens up their Groove Pilot Program again.
• There is no automatic syncing with devices yet, only manually transferring be drag and drop or right-clicking media.

Without being fully supported by the Groove team, the app does not offer Groove Music Pass functionality within the app nor will the app play friendly with DRM content.

While the beta is free to download, users are encouraged to donate to the effort; donations are one way to help expedite the development of homegrown apps for many developers.

If you’re still locked out of your Groove Music app on mobile due to the 14322 or 14332 build bug, or just want to a modern looking Zune client, head over to the Windows Store for a look.

Download
QR-Code

Bloom Music Player

Developer:
Kiel

Price:
Free

Sometime today, the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) will hold a hearing on what safeguards are needed for protecting trade secrets. Specifically, the SJC will take a look at the Defend Trade Secrets Act, which would create a US federal guideline for trade secret protection now and into the future. Microsoft knows the importance of protecting trade secrets not only for their own products like Cortana, but also to for their competitors.

Trade secrets have been a way of protecting innovation and technology from being stolen by other companies. Before the Internet, trade secrets were secret soda formulas, customer mailing lists, and product manufacturing methods that kept companies a step ahead of their competitors.

With some of the new technology that is being created today, trade secret protection is more important than ever before. Microsoft’s Cortana is one perfect example. While Cortana acts as your virtual assistant by setting up meetings, appointments, and performing other tasks, there is an incredible amount of technology and software that is developed by Microsoft and works behind-the-scenes to create a unique experience that is different from other virtual assistants, like Google Now or Siri.

Cortana is powered by Microsoft-engineered voice recognition, language translation, context algorithms, location data, and uses a wide range of other Microsoft technologies, software, and cloud services in order to get Cortana to help you organize all of your tasks in real time. Microsoft’s Cortana represents untold hours upon hours of research, testing, and other refinements as Cortana is adapted to be used with other applications and on other devices.

Although US patent and copyright laws are already in effect, US federal trade secret protection is important because it allows Microsoft to continue to innovate in ways other companies cannot. Trade secrets represent an alternative to patents in that they allow companies to maintain control of their technology for longer periods of time while giving up the legal monopoly that patents provide. It’s an important tradeoff that allows companies to pick the best means of protecting their intellectual property.

Microsoft’s Jule Sigall, Assistant General Counsel of IP Policy & Strategy explains the need for US federal trade secret protection:

“A trade secret is unique among forms of intellectual property in how it is legally protected. While it is a federal crime to steal a trade secret, a business that has its trade secrets stolen must rely on state law to pursue a civil remedy. Owners of copyrights, patents, and trademarks can go to federal court to protect their property and seek damages when their property has been infringed, but trade secret owners do not have access to such a federal remedy.”

Microsoft is pleased to support the Defend Trade Secrets Act and will continue to work with the US Congress in the hopes that this legislation passes.

Star Trek Online is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) already available for Windows PC, and will make its way to Xbox One and PS4 this Fall 2016. Star Trek Online allows players to create their own Star Trek story as a Captain of a Federation starship, a Klingon warrior, or be a commander of a Romulan Republic Warbird.

Star Trek Online is now in its sixth year on the PC and represents every era of Star Trek; you can even play as characters from Star Trek: Voyager, including Seven of Nine, The Doctor, Harry Kim, Neelix and Tuvok.

There is no new information on what the console graphics will look like as the Star Trek console announcement trailer only features scenes that are available on Star Trek Online for Windows PC. Executive Producer of Star Trek Online, Stephen Ricossa, assures that he will not forget the PC users that helped make Star Trek Online such an incredible game experience.

“Deferred lighting, light probes, and improvements to our High Dynamic Range lighting system combine to provide more realistic lighting that feels like a true refresh to the game. These technologies, and the skilled artists that bring them to bear, create an experience that is not only more immersive, but simply put, more beautiful. To the community that has been with us for over half a decade, I want you to know that these improvements will be coming to the PC version of the game later this year as well.”

Currently, Star Trek Online has over 100,000 player-generated missions, new factions, and features celebrity voice work from every movie and TV episode. Ricossa is looking to convert everything that made the online Windows PC experience so incredible and to translate it to Xbox One and PS4. There will also be some additional upgrades to make the transition to consoles as smooth as possible.

More information will be released in the next few months, and so stay tuned.

Professor Clint Tuttle recently concluded his class this spring at the University of Texas at Austin with an inspirational song parody of sorts. To the tune of Justin Bieber’s song “Love Yourself,” Tuttle busts out his acoustic guitar in front of his lecture podium and sings to his students about how one day when they have graduated and are working they will appreciate learning about Microsoft Excel in his class.

In his lyrics, Professor Tuttle says he is writing this song to remind his students that even though for all those times they “sat up working really late… And those Excels that had you cursing my name,” Excel is really useful.

His song goes on to make his case to his students why Excel is important with verses like:

My students don’t like it but then they see the light
And they never like to admit that I was right
And after college they get jobs,
And they see what’s going on
But now they know,
That Excel is more a friend than foe

And of course the song is filled with some nerdy uses of Excel functions and terminology in his plea to his students with lines like:

Many years from now, when you have left UT
And you use your these skills well please think of me
You’ll probably use conditional formatting
Those nested ifs will come in handy you’ll see

And

Pivot Tables kick…butt
And you got your functions on!
Use countif, sumif, even vlookup too
Maybe 3-d charts too

Hopefully Professor Tuttle’s unique appeal to his class will stick in his students mind and they will appreciate all the long hours they spent agonizing over Excel during college. Because the Professor is right, Pivot Tables do kick butt in the working world.

From a very big Xbox One bundle at a not so big price, to the buy a Lumia 950 XL get a 950 free promotion, it is very apparent that Microsoft and its retail partners are coming up with all sorts of deals for their customers. Today, though, and as reported by Neowin, we’ve come across yet another deal.  This time, with some strings attached, an Australian mobile carrier is offering up a Xbox One bundled with Lumia 950 or 950 XL, for “free.”

The fact that Windows Phone users appear to be dropping the platform for Android is not stopping the Australian mobile carrier Optus from this offer. In fact, the deal is very encouraging, as if a customer signs up to a Lumia 950 or 950 XL on a two-year plan of $80 or more, the Xbox One is $0 up front. There are, however, some conditions, and if the plan is cancelled or left early, the full remaining cost of the Xbox one, the Lumia devices, and the contract will need to be paid off. The details on the offer can be seen below.

Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950XL Xbox bundle offer: Sign up to a Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950XL on an $80 or above My Plan Plus or My Plan Business plan from 10th May 2016 and have the option to bundle an Xbox One 500GB for $0 upfront over 24 months, whilst Xbox One 500GB stocks last. If you leave your plan early you will need to pay out the full remaining cost of your phone and the Xbox One 500GB, including any amount that Optus was going to cover.

30 Days Try Optus Offer: If customers are returning the Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950XL device under the 30 Day Try Optus offer, customers must also return the Xbox One 500GB in its original box and in good working order with all power cords and associated accessories (including gaming console and controllers) within 14 days of cancellation.

While the deal is truly awesome, this is not the first time that this Australian carrier offered up a free Xbox to its customers. Back in November of 2015, Optus also gave away a free Xbox for the first 300 customers that preordered a Lumia 950.

So, what do you think of this promotion? If you live in Australia will this be a big reason for you to pick up a new Lumia device? Let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment below.

Microsoft is now offering 50% off the Fashion Cutouts add-on in the PicsArt app until May 15th. The app is a rather comprehensive all-in-one image editing tool which contains numerous filters and photo manipulation settings as well as its own built-in social network of users where artists and photographers can share their creations. Here’s the official description:

Creativity is more than just a photo filter—PicsArt provides you with everything you need to make amazing photo edits, artistic camera shoots, photo collages, create digital drawings, and communicate with other creatives who have joined our mission to beautify the world. 250 million people have already downloaded this free app for powerful image editing and photo montages, using hundreds of tools and effects that you can find only in professional photo editing programs. PicsArt inspires you to create beautiful images anytime, anywhere. Transform your photos into works of art and let the world discover them!

PicsArt was a popular app on Android and iOS before launching on Windows phone in late 2013. It has gone through numerous updates since then and was upgraded to the new Universal Windows Platform app format in December 2015. It’s now available on Windows phones running Windows Phone 8 and upwards and Windows PCs with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. PicsArt is free to download but makes a profit from a variety of add-ons such as the Fashion Cutouts one that is discounted right now. Other popular add-ons include Bianca’s Lettering Art, After Dark, Stardust, a package of galaxy-themed images, a special Father’s Day frame kit, and Polygon Art.

Most of the add-ons fall around the $1 or $2 mark but there is an option to remove ads in the app for around $7. The Fashion Cutouts add-on is usually $1.98 but with this discount, it’s $0.99.

Are you a fan of PicsArt? Let us know if you enjoy using it in the comments below. Would you recommend it to other users?

Download
QR-Code

Picsart Photo Editor

Developer:
PicsArt Inc.

Price:
Free

Microsoft is teaming up with Real Madrid player, Marcelo Vieira, to promote the importance of digital literacy in young children in Brazil and abroad through a collaboration with the Real Madrid Foundation and Microsoft’s YouthSpark initiative.

The program will teach technology to children who attend Real Madrid Foundation schools and will be using specially designed software from Microsoft in addition to video games such as Minecraft, which is quickly developing a reputation for being a quality education tool.

“My dream is to take this project to all the world’s children, because with technology … the possibilities of any child are endless,” admits Vieira while discussing the program. So far, the program has launched in three locations in Colombia, Brazil, and in Virginia in the United States but there are plans to roll out the program to all of the foundation’s schools.

Once a school begins the program, they are given a special kit which contains a video from Vieira alongside the tech donated by Microsoft such as free access to specific activities on Office 365.

Orlando Ayala, Microsoft chairman and corporate vice president of Emerging Markets, proudly admits states that, “With technology and programs like YouthSpark, we are complementing the Real Madrid Foundation’s educational program to fight the biggest educational challenge of the 21st century: the lack of digital literacy.”

Microsoft’s YouthSpark is a program run by the company with the aim of introducing and training children in the latest technology by assisting targeted organizations with their goals. In this instance, YouthSpark is working with the Real Madrid Foundation to bring tech education to over 40,000 in 72 countries but other recent examples of their assistance range from ambitious projects like investing three million dollars in a program in Vietnam to helping an Irish girl with her resume.

Have you been inspired by a YouthSpark program? Let us know which on in the comments below.

Ever since the Groove team added the app to the Windows Insider program, updates seem to be coming hot and heavy. Hot on the heels of yesterday’s unexpected Insiders update to Windows 10, the Groove team has pushed out a new version of the music streaming app with a number of fixes.

Here’s the changelog:

This update contains the following changes:
• Fixed five bugs affecting vision-impaired users
• Fixed six issues that could result in an app crash
• Fixed an issue where the playback bar got stuck while in “repeat one” mode
• Fixed an issue that prevented the system media controls from updating when rapidly hitting next

With the latest flight for PC (build 14342), you should also have a fix for the following previously advertised known issue:
• [FIXED]: Playing music in Groove within 2 minutes after logging into your PC will result in 0xc10100ae playback errors. If you wait more than 2 minutes after logging in to play music in Groove Music you will avoid this issue

The app is rolling out now to Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring running PCs, phones, and HoloLens devices. Go hit that update button now, and let us know in the comments what you think of this release.

As an effort to inform and assist developers as they transition to the Universal Windows Platform, The Windows App Team will start releasing a series of blogs called the Windows Dev Center Tips. The series will focus on helping developers become more aware of the options available during the app publishing process starting with options that have just been announced at Build 2016 earlier this year.

The options to be covered include:

• Publish or update a public app
• Package flighting
• Publishing hidden apps
• Side-loading and enterprise distribution
• Third party and legacy distribution options
• Notes about confidentiality and purchasing

The Windows blog created a decision tree to outline the decisions that publisher’s options and highlight topics that will be covered in the upcoming blog series.

New developers and old will most likely find the tips and tricks from the blogs useful. The Windows Dev Center Tips blog series will be pushing out over the next few weeks, and we’ll be certain to cover each one as they are released.

It’s no surprise that websites that run slower will cause a significant loss of traffic. However, according to Google and Bing’s research, even the smallest delays under half a second have been proven to harm a site’s success.  While in-browser developer tools are often used for getting an idea of what is going on behind the scenes, Microsoft has posted a blog today explaining how the Windows Performance Toolkit can resolve their issues and increase their performance.

The Windows Performance Toolkit is available for installation in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit, a general kit that includes other optional tools and features. Because it is efficient at finding traces in and out of the browser, the WPT is often used by the Microsoft Edge performance team to analyze both applications and operating systems in depth. The performance toolkit includes the Windows Performance Recorder that captures and records tracers and the Windows Performance Analyzer that analyzes those traces. Both of these help developers better understand how they can debug their performance loss.

Along with the Event Logging for Windows (ETW), CPU and memory usage across all Windows applications can be analyzed. That includes tasks that in-browser developer tools can’t normally reach such as GPU usage, disk usage, and system wide memory usage. It can even identify characteristics across the whole system and sift through multiple tabs in multiple processes at the same time.

At the Edge Web Summit 2016, developer Senior Program Manager Todd Reiifsteck covered the step by step instructions on how to debug and improve performance with a live demonstration. The demo page was published on the site and Github for developers to get a hands-on experience with the toolkit.

For more details on how to use the Performance Toolkit or to read more about their demonstration, visit the blog. Download the WPT for free at the Microsoft Dev Center.

Forbes has just released their annual study of the world’s most valuable brands and Microsoft has scored the third spot on the podium behind its tech rivals Apple and Google. The Cupertino giant has won the crown with a $154.1 billion brand value, which is quite far ahead of its competitors Google ($82.5B) and Microsoft ($75.2B).

Forbes began valuing the richest brands in 2010 and Apple has finished first sixth times in a row. To establish its yearly ranking, the magazine has considered more than 200 global brands to select a final list of 100 most valuable brands worldwide spanning 16 countries across 19 broad industry categories. To be selected in the pool, brands were required to have more than a token presence in the US and US Brands count for 52 brands in the full list. You can have a look at the top ten below (the full list is available over here):

Other interesting bits from the Forbes list, Facebook appears as the fastest-growing brand in the top 100 for the second time in a row with a yearly growth of 44%. On the other side, IBM’s brand value fell 17% to $41.4 billion this year, which is not all that surprising, according to the magazine the company “a reported 16 straight quarters of revenue declines and revenue in the latest quarter was the company’s lowest in 14 years.”

David Reibstein, professor of marketing and branding expert at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, added that “brands get their value from how customers perceive them. What makes it valuable from a company perspective is that customers are willing to pay a higher price or are more likely to buy.” While we can’t deny that the Apple brand has become quite iconic today, the Microsoft brand has also slightly evolved over the past few years as the Redmond giant pursued its retail strategy and hardware efforts. Can you believe that Microsoft opened a flagship store at 677 Fifth Ave. in New York City last year? Also, with its premium line of Surface devices (with some luxury accessories, such as this Signature Type Cover made from Alcantara), Microsoft is clearly targeting the high-end of the market and “creative professionals” which have mostly been Apple customers so far. Microsoft

While there probably won’t be Microsoft enthusiasts spending the night outside Microsoft Stores to buy the next Surface devices like Apple fans and iPhones, but are you surprised to see Microsoft in the top three valuable brands worldwide? Please tell us what you think in the comments.

Google is making some rather bold moves with its platform as of late and in an announcement today from the company, its next move is to ban short-term cash loan advancement ads. The short-term cash advance ads are more commonly referred to as “Payday” loans and feature same-day (or near same-day) money deposits fraught with incredibly high-interest rate returns.

Google’s announcement of the Payday ban is grounded in its belief that the ads along with the loans themselves are “deceptive or harmful” to its users, which is what Google’s search algorithms and platform are intended to help defend against.

As the second-placed search engine in the US and various regions internationally, Microsoft’s Bing platform will undoubtedly be called into question after the July 13, 2016, stop-date Google has in place for its ban. Similar to Android and iOS on the smartphone front, Bing and Google have gone back and forth implementing and aping design and functionality traits from one another as both services compete for eyeballs (albeit Google still holds a lion’s share of views and visits). With Google taking the initiative to step in and ban PayDay loans, Bing users may look to Microsoft to do the same.

While Google’s move appears to be centered around the user’s best interest, it raises some obvious questions about its effect on the search engine market as a whole as well as the ethics of human intervention in algorithmic practices.

According to the TheHill

Advocates say about 20 percent of payday loans happen online. Reports have found that some payday lenders had advertised their products when people searched the web for phrases like “desperate for money” or “I need money to pay my rent.

The standard PayDay loan agreement is a multi-step sign-up process that requires pages of legalese and an exchange of information that requires a user’s full attention. Needless to say, people aren’t accidently signing up for the loans no matter how deceptive the advertisement appears online. With Google’s new announcement, the company has taken it upon themselves to intervene in how it displays ads to handpick and remove ads that a portion of users are obviously in need of information about.

In that vein, today we’re sharing an update that will go into effect on July 13, 2016: we’re banning ads for payday loans and some related products from our ads systems. We will no longer allow ads for loans where repayment is due within 60 days of the date of issue. In the U.S., we are also banning ads for loans with an APR of 36% or higher. When reviewing our policies, research has shown that these loans can result in unaffordable payment and high default rates for users so we will be updating our policies globally to reflect that.”

On that note, advocacy groups are seeking the same sort of intervention from the likes of Yahoo and Microsoft.

Microsoft and the Bing team have had no official comment on the matter and perhaps are waiting to see the full ramifications of Google’s stance on PayDay loans. Perhaps the ban will send users in need of a Payday loan to Bing or maybe the Bing team would rather avoid the often slippery and messy slope of intervention that Google is bearing on itself?

Jeannette M. Wing is a corporate vice president tasked with running the Microsoft Research laboratories. Today, Wing appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Wing was speaking at the hearing on “Leveraging the US Science and Technology Enterprise,” on the behalf of a special American Academy of Arts and Sciences Committee.

Specifically, Wing was speaking on behalf of the Academy of Arts and Sciences Committee on New Models for US Science and Technology Policy. This committee was formed in response to a fear that the US is falling behind other countries in the area of basic research. Wing’s testimony centered around the idea that basic research plays a fundamental role in American discovery and innovation.

Basic research is used to develop our understanding of our environment but doesn’t have a specific goal or product in mind. Basic research has helped lead to major advances in biotechnology, computer science, and aerospace. In turn, these American basic research advances have led to strong growth in the US economy.

Wing details what leads to American economic growth and prosperity in her written Senate Commerce Committe testimony:

“I hope it is evident that while basic research may have no intended end goal, it is, in fact, the foundation of American prosperity and progress. Steady, sustainable increases in federal investment would go a long way to restoring American leadership.”

Wing pointed out that while there are clear advantages to using basic research, the US has not utilized enough public and private investment in research and development. The US continues to fall behind other countries when it comes to basic research.

Wing further pressured lawmakers to take specific steps to make sure that Americans will get the most benefit from the US federal government’s investments in basic research. Wing also outlined what the US needs to do to make sure that the US remains the world’s innovation leader

Wing’s Senate Commerce Committee testimony transcript is available here.

We live in a world where technology is always advancing for the better of humanity, and today we’ve just discovered some more proof for that testament. Microsoft Research is introducing a new  SwimTrain “exergame” technology which will reflect the characteristic of group fitness swimming.

Developed together by both The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Microsoft Research Asia, the project is an app for a smartphone. Ultimately, when the phone is used with a waterproof case and a pair of underwater headphones, the app will let swimmers join virtual teams to cooperate and compete. SwimTrain will also use all the built-in smartphone tech to evaluate progress, coordinate a team, and provide sensory feedback, keeping the swim “train” running, and entertained, all while getting fit.

On the technical side, the project functions by mapping swimmers into virtual train cars and allowing them to pace through three distinct phases: the competitive phase, the cooperative phase, and the rest phase. To prevent information overload, however, each swimmer is only given information from immediately ahead and behind.

This technology is no doubt very interesting and is just the latest project from the Microsoft Research team. As we previously have reported, back a few weeks ago, the same team also revealed a new smart tattoo technology.

This week at the ID@Box Game Fest, which is all about independent Xbox game developers, some of the best games from the ID@Xbox program are available to play for free. After checking out the Xbox Wire post about the occasion, we’ve given a few of the games a look and have included Microsoft’s descriptions and download links below.

Smite: From Hi-Rez Studios

Come with us, and leave your mortal world behind. This is SMITE, the online battleground where the Gods of Old wage war in the name of conquest, glory and eternal battle. Whether this is your first Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game or you’re a seasoned veteran, the intense action and irreverent mythology of SMITE will make you a believer.

Warframe: From Digital Extremes

They were called Tenno. Warriors of blade and gun – Masters of the Warframe armor. Those that survived the old war were left drifting among the ruins. Now they are needed once more. The Grineer, with their vast armies, are spreading throughout the solar system. A call echoes across the stars summoning the Tenno to an ancient place. They summon you.  Come Tenno, you must join the war.

Magic: Duels: Stainless Games and Wizards of the Coast

Summon mythical creatures. Cast legendary spells. Match wits with your opponent and emerge victorious in epic online duels. With hundreds of earnable cards and countless strategies, building your deck and challenging your friends in Magic: The Gathering has never been more fun.

Robolox

All the games on ROBLOX are created by gamers like you! Play solo or with friends in a variety of indie games exclusive to ROBLOX. Find Strategy, Platformer, Role Playing, Tycoon, Shooter, Survival games and more! ROBLOX is free to play, although you can buy ROBUX, our virtual currency, to upgrade the look of your ROBLOX avatar or to get optional in-game power-ups.

Happy Wars: From Toylogic

Happy Wars is a large-scale online multiplayer action game, involving up to 16 players per match. Go wild in over-the-top melees in a fantasy setting featuring comical characters! Assign any of the 6 unique character classes to your player character, personalize it by adding customization parts from a wide variety of choices, and engage in heated sieges and cast spells in grand magical battles with players all over the world!

Pinball Arcade: From FarSight Studios

Each month, regular updates will add classics like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Twilight Zone, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, Funhouse, Attack from Mars, Circus Voltaire, Big Shot (and many others for years to come!) along with online tournaments and additional modes to challenge yourself and compete against your friends.

These are just a few of the great independent titles which are free to play for this week. You can check out the other titles, including an entire set of other pinball-related games, by visiting this web page. The ID@Xbox Games Fest is set to continue for the rest of this month, so be sure to stay tuned to WinBeta for all the latest Independent developer news and information.

Skype has announced today that it’s partnering with Indian ICT Solutions and Services company Sify.com, making it easier for Skype users in the country to pay for Skype Credit and subscriptions. Until now, Skype users in the country were only able to buy Skype credit or subscriptions with International credit cards but starting today Sify.com will enable Indian debit, credit cards and NetBanking to be used for these purchases. The Skype team shared a walkthrough of the process below:

• Go to Skype.com/rates
• Select the subscription or the amount of Skype Credit you’d like to buy
• On the checkout page, enter your Indian billing address and you’ll be able to pay using your local credit, debit card or NetBanking

Judd Harcombe, Head of Emerging Market Business Development at Skype shared today on Sify.com:

“Together with Sify, we are making it easier for Skype users in India to purchase Skype credit and subscriptions. India is a key market for Skype and we want to help our users in India connect with friends and family abroad.”

Does this new partnership make it easier for you to use Skype?