Recently, a new Microsoft Garage app, Forum, was spotted in iTunes. The Forum app description reads:

“Gather round. Say what’s on your mind. Find out what everyone else is really thinking. The best part about Forum is that anyone gets a say. And ideas speak for themselves. Forum lets ideas thrive, facilitates open dialogue within organizations, and enables employees to freely express themselves. Leaders get a way to engage with employees in a comfortable, non-hierarchical setting through capabilities like facilitating Q&As and open forums on specific topics.”

Forum looks to be an app for small companies that have an open-door policy for comments and suggestions. I don’t think it would be a good fit for every business; sometimes freely expressing your ideas can lead to you losing your job. Forum’s features include:

• Vote on your favorite posts
• Q&A with leaders you learn from
• Ask questions with an open mind

Download Forum, a Microsoft Garage project app, on iTunes.
Thank you Lijins for the tip!

Today on the Windows Blog, Microsoft took the opportunity to speak more about how the Windows Bridge for iOS is progressing and where it is headed. The Windows Bridge for iOS was released as an open source project on Github in August to begin the hard work of creating a way for developers to convert their iOS apps into Universal Windows Programs.
As we reported last week, the sister Windows bridge project for Android apps has not fared well, and Project Astoria, as it is (was) known, has been put on hold indefinitely. But the Windows Bridge for iOS, known internally as Project Islandwood, has been more successful.

In today’s blog, Microsoft notes that 4,500 developers have starred the project’s repository in Github, and that “what’s more, over 500 created your own fork. More than 200 issues have been filed (and several dozen closed, with many more in various stages of being fixed).”
And since making the project open source in August, Microsoft has added support for:

• GLKit. We’ve built out support for apps that make use of GLKit’s math libraries, textures, shaders and effects, as well as views and view controllers, so you can finally bring that game you’ve been working on to Windows devices.
• Xibs, AutoLayout & Storyboard. One of the biggest requests we’ve gotten has been for Xib, AutoLayout and Storyboard support. We’ve added support for Xibs using our Xib2Nib tool as well as preliminary support for both AutoLayout and Storyboards.
• KVO/KVC. Another widely requested feature, and one we were pleased to add robust support for a few weeks ago.
• New sample projects. We’ve added sample projects showcasing GLKit support, intermixing of UIKit and XAML controls, and a simple HelloWorld project to help new users get started.
• And much, much more. In addition to those features specifically called out here, we’ve continued to expand our coverage of iOS libraries, crushing bugs right and left along the way.

The Windows App team also detailed more about the future plans for the project and what is next for developers who are interested in bringing their iOS app to Windows. Microsoft has released a new landing page for the iOS bridge which will be used for a new series of tools to assist in the conversion. The Windows App team also said that the new website will include more answers for developers’ questions regarding API availability and the project’s development roadmap on Github.

Finally, the Windows App team put out the request to iOS developers to help test the first tool for their new website. Microsoft needs developers to test their IPAs (the iOS application archive file which stores an iOS app) in a new automatic app analyzer. The new tool analyzes uploaded IPAs and provides a compatibility analysis to the developer over the web. The analysis will hopefully give developers a detailed idea of how much work has to be done to convert it to Windows, as well as include tips and suggestions. If you are interested in submitting your iOS app’s IPA and being one of the first to get the new automatic app analyzer results, you can head over to the Windows App team’s page here.
After the news of Project Astoria’s troubles, its good to hear from an official blog post that the Windows Bridge for iOS is gaining steam with support expanding along the way and into the future. Also with the loss of Project Astoria, the weight falls that much more heavily on the shoulders of Project Islandwood to help curtail the perceived “App Gap” problem which has been to the detriment of Windows Phone market share.
Hopefully, in the future, a successful Project Islandwood will bolster the already incredibly fast pace of Windows 10 adoption by helping increase the robustness of Microsoft’s new unified store.

Microsoft has taken to the Windows blog to provide a guide for Surface owners to one of the most commonly-used features on any computer: taking a screenshot. As the new Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book brings some notable changes to the hardware design of the Surface line, those changes have altered the way screenshots are taken on these devices, and they are reflected on Microsoft’s tutorial.
One of the most notable hardware differences found on the new Surfaces is the absence of the capacitive Windows logo on the front bezel, a remnant of the Windows 8 era. A new fast way to take screenshot on Surface devices, which up till now has been reliant on the physical Windows button, is needed, and surely enough it has been implemented for the new Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.
You can still press volume-down while holding down the Windows logo on the front to take a screen shot with the Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3, but on the new Surfaces, the button to hold down has been switched to the Power button instead. Of course, this means that owners of the new Surfaces need to hold down on the power button and press the volume-down button before the computer prompts you to turn off your machine, a small, but easily manageable trade-off. The screenshot will still be immediately saved in the Screenshots folder. Another method specific to Surface devices from the third generation utilizes the Surface Pen’s top button: double-clicking it will take a screenshot that you can crop immediately, then save to the Screenshots folder under Pictures in OneDrive.

While the  new ways to take screenshots accommodates tablet usage of the Surface, the fact that they are still Windows machines with a full keyboard (especially in the case of the Surface Book), means that there are more ways to capture your screen that will be instantly familiar to long-time Windows users,. These include: holding down the Windows key on the keyboard and press PrtScn (save to PC), just pressing PrtScn, or holding down Alt PrtScn to take a screenshot of the current active window.
One method not mentioned that I find still works, at least on the Surface Pro 3, is holding down the Fn key while pressing Alt and Space simultaneously. Of course, the trusty Snipping Tool, one of the few legacy programs still included in Windows 10, also works fine while giving you more functionality.

Microsoft’s Movies & TV app for Windows 10 has finally received dark mode in the latest app update, available right now in the Windows Store. In this particular app update, Microsoft has added a new “dark” mode, giving you the option to darken your app or stick with the traditional light mode. To change your settings, just open the app and hit the Settings cog. You will see the option to change between light and dark mode — a restart of the app will be required.
Microsoft has also added additional keyboard shortcuts to make your playback experience better. The company did not clarify exactly what the keyboard shortcuts were — thanks Microsoft, guess we’ll figure it out on our own. Grab the update right now from the Windows Store and share your thoughts in the comments below!

After a brief tease on the official Xbox Fitness Instagram account yesterday, Microsoft has properly announced the latest batch of workouts to launch on the Xbox One’s Xbox Fitness app, YO:30, a 5-part yoga series that brings more yoga to the console two years after the sport/activity was initially teased during the Xbox One’s announcement presentation.

Created exclusively for Xbox Fitness by Hollywood Yoga Instructor Jake Ferree, YO:30 is a 5-workout series designed to help you get the most from your yoga practice in the shortest time possible. This unique program can help you establish a better mind-body connection while you build upon on the basics of yoga. With all levels of yogis in mind, YO:30 will helps you find and create balance, flexibility, strength, and self-awareness in just 30 minutes.

While the classes are advertised as being designed for “all levels”, they are better suited for those who have some experience with yoga and have been taught the proper alignment for certain poses. Interestingly, Xbox Fitness scores users on how still they are in different poses, which stands in contrast to the other programs which usually grade on activity and intensity.
Xbox Fitness has always been a concept with a lot of potential but has struggled to really take off due to common problems with the Xbox One’s Kinect properly detecting a user’s body and programs designed exclusively for Xbox Fitness showing a surprising disconnect between the workouts and how they’re actually used. Some examples of this disconnect can be seen in the Mossa Groove workout where the instructor suggests people play Xbox Fitness with a friend (Xbox Fitness only supports one player) and in the recently launched Extreme Combat workouts whose instructor constantly switches between working out both front-on and parallel to the TV which results in the Kinect being unable to detect certain exercises and also constantly forces the user to move their workout mat during the fast transitions between exercises.

YO:30 is a dramatic improvement over these programs. Each class places the user parallel to the television screen for the entire duration of the class and the Kinect has very little trouble tracking the numerous yoga poses. There are some instances of the intensity bar decreasing in poses like Thread-the-Needle and Warrior 1 (possibly due to the user’s face being obscured from the camera’s view) but this is a massive improvement on other Xbox Fitness programs where the user’s body disappears completely.
The first class of YO:30 will be free for all Xbox Fitness users to play for the entirety of November while all five classes can be purchased for a one-off payment. Two special YO:30-related Xbox One Challenges have been released to promote the launch and can be unlocked by reaching certain requirements in the YO:30 classes. Microsoft is also holding a special Xbox Fitness giveaway on their Twitter and Instagram accounts which will reward winners with a variety of Xbox Fitness branded goods.
Before now, the only yoga on Xbox Fitness was Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Inferno classes which are more of an intense workout than traditional yoga class. Have you been waiting for proper yoga to come to Xbox Fitness? Do you still use Xbox Fitness? Let us know in the comments below.
Buy YO:30 on Xbox One

The first major update to Windows 10 started rolling out last week and now it’s businesses’ turn with Windows 10 Version 1511 (aka November Update) now available through Microsoft’s Volume Licensing Service Center. This latest version of Windows 10 for Enterprise includes all the new features from the consumer-oriented 1511 update, such as XTS-AES BitLocker encryption, Edge browser improvements, and overall performance adjustments, as well as the features tailored to enterprise needs such as access to the new Windows Store for Business and Windows Update for Business, and the improved Mobile Device Management and Azure Active Directory.
Microsoft has been more serious as of late with regards to Windows and business utility outside the OS as well.  In the past week, we’ve seen Microsoft start to offer the Surface Pro 3, with LTE connectivity, on Verizon’s 4G network, making the device a perfect tool for a mobile business professional.  With Windows 8.1 Pro pre-installed, and the free upgrade to Window 10 Pro, as well as the Surface Type Cover and Surface Pen on sale from both Verizon and Microsoft, businesses now have the opportunity to send out fully-equipped and up-to-date hardware to employees.
Does your company use Windows 10? How do they like it? Let us know in the comments below.

For a while now, Microsoft’s own Wunderlist task management apps has enjoyed its place as one of the only truly cross-platform solutions available on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. That’s changing, however, as Todoist has released its own task management app as a Universal Windows 10 offering.
Currently only available on Windows 10, the app is a pretty simple affair. It covers all of the bases but lacks some of Wunderlist’s depth. It’s a preview, however, and so theoretically at least the app should flesh out in future iterations.
One of Todoist’s strengths is its cross-platform support, with a ton of different operating systems and environments supported. As more developers support the Universal Windows 10 app infrastructure, we should see more and more apps that run on competitive platforms–and that’s a good thing.

So far, you can create tasks and projects pretty easily, and that’s about it. Tasks can be made into subprojects by dragging-and-dropping them, but strange little UI issues abound such as the need to manually type in a date rather than selecting from a picker. Labels and filters are relatively easy to add, and so that’s a plus.

Other key capabilities:

• Task sharing
• 3-pane view for group discussions
• Interactive notifications
• Customized Live Tiles

According to Todoist, the app should leverage Windows 10’s strengths eventually:

“Our ultimate goal is to make Todoist the best to-do list app on the planet, on any Windows-powered device. The ambition is to keep the distinctive experience that is Todoist while incorporating elements that make Windows 10 apps truly universal. We’re especially excited about allowing Todoist for Windows 10 users to transition seamlessly from mouse to touch and pen and work on any screen size,” says Jan, our Head of Windows.

Today, Windows 10-specific features include the aforementioned customizable Live Tiles and actionable notifications. Cortana integration isn’t there yet, but will be added in a future version of the app.
More from the Todoist crew:

“After the Preview release, we’ll immediately start refining the app, fixing any bugs, and adding some awesome new features. We’re really looking forward to the input we’ll receive from our community. You will be the ones who will help us decide which features to prioritize and how to take full advantage of Windows 10 capabilities,” says Jan.

If you’re looking for a fairly decent task management platform with Windows 10 (and eventual Windows 10 Mobile) support and aren’t fond of Wunderlist, then check out the app. You can click the link below to install the preview and get managing your tasks and projects.

Download
QR-Code

Todoist Preview

Developer:
Doist Inc.

Price:
Free

Microsoft’s Chief Information Security Officer Bret Arsenault has taken to the company blog to highlight a new approach to security and dealing with security threats, using Microsoft’s technology capabilities. The information was originally shared by Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella at his keynote in Washington D.C. opening the Microsoft Government Cloud Forum.
The new approach encompasses three areas of security threats management: Protect, Detect and Response: protection now extends to all endpoint of technology including identities and sensors; threat detection is supported by the cloud and machine-learning to be even faster; and response to threats, made more quickly while providing customers with insights.
Microsoft’s advantage in having a vast network for data from billions of Microsoft-powered sources is also highlighted. Security innovations included in Windows 10, Office 365, Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) works together to protect customer data from accidental or intentional loss, password-related attacks, malware installation, and helps detect and respond to successful attacks.
With its technology powering most of the infrastructures of the world, Microsoft has a heavy responsibility in keeping their customers safe from data theft and attacks, becoming even more critical as cloud computing gains increasing importance to the company’s portfolio.

“They’ve changed themselves from worst in class to the best in class,” “The change is complete. They started taking security very seriously.” Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure. From NYTimes

It is hardly surprising, then, that Microsoft have been doubling down on its security efforts even more in recent times, impressing even past doubters. The focus is reflected by recent acquisitions and company organization, for example the newly announced Microsoft Enterprise Cybersecurity Group, or the newly-built Cyber Defense Operations Center where security managers across the company gather. Nadella reiterates on the mindset in one of his interviews with the New York Times on the matter, linking it to the consistency of exercising.

“It’s kind of like going to the gym every day,” “You can’t say I’m serious about security without exercising the regimen of keeping security top of mind every second, every hour of the day.”

On the software side, the new Windows Hello shows Microsoft’s vision of better data security by getting rid of its weakest link: the password. Advance Threat Analytics, which Microsoft acquired last year from Aorato, provides insights to customers on potential and successful attacks, and built-in security features on Microsoft’s products like Office 365 and Windows ensure that even accidental data loss would be prevented. Mobile security, increasingly considerable part of computing, is also addressed, with an announcement of new Intune native apps for Box and Adobe on iOS and Android to prevent accidental data sharing. A number of security enhancements to Azure were also highlighted.
Overall, Microsoft has clearly made keeping the customers’ data safety a priority, and while its a hard fight with a few bumps (like the past fiasco with Google’s security researchers releasing bugs info before there was a patch,) Microsoft is heading in the right direction. As the company’s vision of convergence with Windows 10 comes together and Microsoft’s services becomes platform-agnostic, it is more important than ever that a high level of security is maintained across all platforms to build customer trust, and we look forward to the company’s signs of commitment in the future.

Security, privacy, and compliance are key drivers in the technology industry, and Microsoft has been investing significant time and energy in making improvements in all three. As a core element of Microsoft’s cloud-first, mobile-first strategy, Office 365 is the latest to get a security and compliance makeover.
Microsoft spends some time talking security over at the Office blog, and the Office team is announcing two new security capabilities, Customer Lockbox and Advanced eDiscovery, that will be available December 1, 2015. The key components of Office 365’s focus on security and compliance are Advanced Threat Detection along with the two new offerings, and all of which integrate with Equivio, the eDiscovery software provider that Microsoft acquired earlier in 2015.
Citing over $30 billion spent by the biggest U.S. banks alone on legal costs, which is heavily influenced by the need to perform secure and accurate eDiscovery, Microsoft is particularly excited about the new Office 365 Advance eDiscovery:

That’s why we’re pleased to bring Advanced eDiscovery to Office 365. Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery integrates Equivio machine learning, predictive coding and text analytics capabilities, to reduce the costs and challenges that come along with sorting through large quantities of data for eDiscovery purposes. In today’s data environment, the eDiscovery process for any given case could involve sorting through millions of emails, text messages, instant messages and documents to find the small number of files that are most relevant. Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery reduces the volume of data by eliminating duplicate files, reconstructing email threads and identifying key themes and data relationships. Finally, it enables users to train the system to intelligently explore and analyze large, unstructured data sets and quickly zero in on what is relevant.

At the same time, Microsoft recognizes that seeing into how their cloud data is being managed is important to customers, and so they’re releasing Customer Lockbox, which is essentially the ability to control all access to their data and grant explicit rights to Microsoft engineers on an as-needed basis:

That’s why we’re launching Customer Lockbox, which offers customers full control over access to their data in Office 365 by giving them ultimate approval rights in the very rare instances when a Microsoft engineer must request access to the service, such as when troubleshooting a customer issue with mailbox or document contents. Today, all access control activities in the Office 365 service are logged and audited, and use of Customer Lockbox ensures that a Microsoft engineer cannot access a customer’s content to conduct a service operation without the customer’s explicit approval.

Both Customer Lockbox and Advanced eDiscovery will be available starting December 1 as add-on service purchases for Office 365 customers, while Advanced Threat Protection has been available for awhile. A new Office 365 E5 plan will provide all three security and compliance options, and will also be available on December 1. Find out more details at trust.office365.com.

Microsoft has quietly updated their Privacy Statement ahead of the big update to Windows 10, reports Ed Bott at ZDNet, who also detailed the changes. The update brings clarifications to many sections that were topics of attacks for a number of critics.
Specifically, examples are added to the Content section to show how personal data is only collect as part of the service, going to rather hilariously clear lengths by explaining that they need to collect an email because they need to “display it to you”, in one example. A sentence was also added to the “Device encryption” section to clarify that everything is on your personal drive, including the recovery key, and that it won’t be used by Microsoft at all.

Regarding the allegations that Microsoft scans “personal files on local hard disks,” Microsoft has specifically added that the only “files in private folders” they scan are on OneDrive, and that is only for indexing purpose so you can search for your files later. Disclosures are allowed only in cases of request from law enforcers, a report for which they have now also included in the Privacy Statement. Microsoft also adds several sentences to clarify the information they collect for customer support and product activation under “Providing and Improving our services.” A Microsoft spoke person has issued a statement to ensure users of Windows 10 Pro’s compliance with FINRA, SEC and FTC regulations regarding telemetry data collection, and in the case an agreement with customers contradicts the Privacy statement, the agreement will hold.

An update to the Cortana section reflects the evolution of the digital assistant in predicting more of your behaviors and understanding your intent. Finally, there is a new sections for health services to cover the Band and HealthVault, and one to cover the new  translation features in Skype “when enabled.”

Overall, Microsoft is clearly making effort in providing as much transparency as possible, while addressing users concerns, presumably to follow up (or prepare for?) on the just-released big new update for Windows 10. Of course, there will always be vocal critics who just like to take problems with everything Microsoft, but it looks like the company is heading in the right direction regarding opening up.
 
 

Microsoft’s Ignite event hopes to be a place of mass learning and experience, and their latest set of videos highlight that. At Ignite, Microsoft will discuss current products being deployed in workplaces and to consumers and will reveal the future direction and movement of these products to better help chart their path in the consumer and business spaces.

The 2016 conference is set to feature similar kinds of session topics as this year’s Ignite 2015 conference, from Azure to Windows, Exchange to SQL Server. Updates on all of these, and how to best utilize new features, will also play a role, so IT professionals in attendance can maximize a products’ potential and performance.
These new videos feature answers to various questions that attendees might have, like “What’s to be gained from going?”, or “What’s the target audience?”, all the way to “What makes the event great?”. Microsoft’s various employees answer these questions by detailing the one-on-one interactions they have with the numerous people at the conference and emphasise the kind of networking opportunities available at Ignite  The final video says, “If you’re in IT, a developer, or a decision maker in your company, it’s for you.”. Here are all four videos for your convenience.



Pre-registration is now open and will keep interested parties updated on the actual event registration which should open in February. The event will be packed with more than 1,000 hours of content as well as over 700 sessions to take part in. Are you planning to take part in Ignite 2016? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft has launched a new fund to help companies bring affordable internet access to underserved markets around the world.  As part of the company’s Affordable Access Initiative, Microsoft is taking applications from third party companies to help them bring down the costs of providing internet access to new markets. Funding averages approximately $75,000 in funding and free software and services, and Microsoft helps to connect potential funders together through a program set up by the company.
Microsoft’s EVP of business development Peggy Johnson explains:

“Today there are approximately 4 billion people globally without Internet access. The ability to close that gap is more achievable than ever with technology that is readily available and affordable in many parts of the world. Through this fund, we hope to kick-start the entrepreneurial process by identifying promising ideas that we can help nurture, grow and scale.”

Microsoft has already been pushing affordable access through its own initiatives and in partnership with other companies, including using white space technologies to bring internet access to 17 countries on 5 continents, and through its Microsoft 4Afrika initiative, where Microsoft is actively engaging in economic development by encouraging local innovation, affordable access, and skills development.
Interested companies can check out more and submit their applications online through the Affordable Access Initiative website.
 

Welcome back to our weekly Windows 10 news recap, this week we’re kicking things off with the biggest story of the week, the Windows 10 November Update. Yes, the first major update for Windows 10 was released this week, packing new changes and features such as improvements to Microsoft Edge, new Skype preview apps and more. Apps for Windows 10 are have also been improved, including Mail, Calendar, Photos, Groove, Xbox, Store, OneNote, Solitaire, and more.
Also this week, eagle-eyed Windows Insiders noticed that a new Redstone development branch “rs1_release” began appearing for Insiders to select. It only appeared for some insiders however, and didn’t actually do anything once selected. Still, it does mean Microsoft is now well underway on the next major update for Windows 10, which if you don’t know is codenamed Redstone.
Up next, Microsoft outlined that the new Windows 10 update includes more unified context menus:

“You asked us to pick a menu and stick with it, and we heard you loud and clear. We want to share a snapshot of where we are today thanks to our design/engineering teams, and of course our Windows fans. Keep in touch and let us know what works (and what doesn’t). Consistency is tricky when you have menus built using different frameworks and principles, so we went back to the drawing board with questions that needed answers.”

The biggest problem had to do with different development teams building different menus for Windows 10. To fix this, Microsoft simply brought everyone together and agreed on principles and design direction — including size, color, touch-friendliness, etc.
A new Facebook Beta app for Windows 10 desktops also appeared on the Windows Store this week. It only works for a select amount of people, and it appears the app has been ported with the Project Islandwood development bridge allowing apps to be ported from iOS to Windows Phone. It’s good to see developers taking advantage of the tool, as it allows developers to more easily get their apps up and running on Windows Phone.
That’s all for this week, what was your favorite story? Let us know below.

Back in April of 2015, the internet went into a frenzy when it heard rumors of Microsoft’s involvement with Android. Some went as far as thinking that Microsoft was planning on adding an Android emulator on Windows, leaving a sour taste in the mouth’s of Windows die-hards.

During Build 2015, Microsoft cleared up their message regarding their involvement with Android. To take things a step further, Microsoft explained that Android and iOS developers would have the ability to port their apps and games to the Windows platform. This meant Windows Phone would include an Android subsystem to make this possible.

The Windows team had been quietly at work on developer kits that allowed Android and iOS developers to engage with Windows. When it comes to Android development, developers were told they could continue using Java and C++ code while developing for Windows 10. For iOS developers, they were able to continue using their existing Objective-C code. In other words, Microsoft wanted to make it easier than ever to port Android and iOS apps to the Windows 10 platform, making it easier for developers to have their apps on Microsoft’s ecosystem and to increase the app count in the Windows Store. It felt like a win-win in Microsoft’s eyes.

Microsoft’s Terry Myerson explained during Build 2015 how this new approach would work. Essentially if Android or iOS are using specific APIs, the Windows team will build out replacements for those API’s. Developers will be free to continue to leverage those familiar APIs in their games and apps while also utilizing Windows specific capabilities like Cortana, HoloLens, Live Tiles, Xbox Live, achievements, etc. Myerson referenced Candy Crush on stage as an existing example of how a “ported” app would function in the Windows environment, specifically on Windows phone. The idea seems simple enough for developers. Developers are encouraged to bring in their code, debug it and then execute the app on Windows.

Project Astoria (codename for the Android/Windows bridge) and Project Islandwood (codename for the iOS/Windows bridge) were now living breathing concepts, both having their own official web pages.

The Windows Bridge for iOS and the Windows Bridge for Android enable you to bring your iOS and Android apps to Windows 10 using your existing code and skills.

If you have an app for iOS, you can use the iOS bridge to build a UWP version of your app with Visual Studio 2015 and your existing Objective-C code. You can extend your code with native Windows capabilities as needed.

If you have an app for Android, you can use the Android bridge to bring your app to Windows 10 Mobile devices using extensions to the Android SDK and several popular Android IDEs. Most apps require few code changes or none at all.

Microsoft began a limited preview where select developers were able to participate in the program to give early feedback to Microsoft engineers. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well as planned behind the scenes.

Fast forward to November 2015, a report suggested that Project Astoria was placed on hold indefinitely. Why? Because the Android app porting was not going as planned. Forums dedicated to the development of Project Astoria have gone silent from both a developer and company perspective. Eager developers in the forums have since stopped asking questions, and Microsoft has likewise stopped answering on the topic.

Another possible death knell for Project Astoria was the removal of the Android subsystem from what was going to be the RTM candidate for Windows 10 Mobile. Previous build releases for Windows 10 Mobile came equipped with an Android subsystem that allowed developers to actively tap into the ‘Bridging’ technology Microsoft demoed during its developer conference. Reports claimed that the Android subsystem may have been responsible for the noticeable system degradation Windows 10 Mobile Insiders users were experiencing over time.

Here’s what Microsoft had to say on the matter:

We’re committed to offering developers many options to bring their apps to the Windows Platform, including bridges available now for Web and iOS, and soon Win32. The Astoria bridge is not ready yet, but other tools offer great options for developers. For example, the iOS bridge enables developers to write a native Windows Universal app which calls UWP APIs directly from Objective-C, and to mix and match UWP and iOS concepts such as XAML and UIKit. Developers can write apps that run on all Windows 10 devices and take advantage of native Windows features easily. We’re grateful to the feedback from the development community and look forward to supporting them as they develop apps for Windows 10.”

Based on what the company said, it looks like Project Islandwood appears to be in progress, while Project Astoria has been put on hold. As Project Islandwood requires recompiling rather than emulation, the apps should work much more natively on Windows 10 Mobile.

While it may seem disheartening for some to hear about Microsoft’s struggles with bringing over Android apps, the reality is that even with a majority share of the mobile market, Android development is still considered second class. For many developers, the target is iOS first and Android second, and while Windows 10 Mobile is in no position to be picky, Project Islandwood may prove to be much more important in the long run.

This is the first post in a new series called “What is” where we take a look at a key topic and explain its roots. This post will be updated if new information on the topic surfaces.

In wake of the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Paris (France), Microsoft’s Skype team has announced that all domestic and international calls to landlines and mobiles in France will be free for the next few days. Here’s what the company had to say:
“In light of the devastating events that have taken place in Paris, we want to help people stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues. So, with immediate effect we are making all domestic and international calls to landlines and mobiles in France free of charge for the next few days. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these terrible events in Paris.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those affected. Stay safe out there!
Thanks for sending this in, Nicholas!

With productivity always at the forefront of Microsoft’s mindset, third party apps which help Windows users be productive are always welcome into the Microsoft app store. Todoist, a web application that offers a simple, easy-to-use to-do list, just briefly announced on their Twitter page that a Windows 10 version of their app is nearly ready to be used, and is coming soon.

Todoist Preview for @Windows 10: Coming soon. #productivity #todoist #windows pic.twitter.com/sz91Xq2d7T

— Todoist (@todoist) November 12, 2015

It’s great to see that the app is nearly ready to be previewed by the general public. A few months ago, we saw Todoist make a blog post about the Windows 10 version of their app being in development, and looking for alpha testers to help work out the bugs. With the announcement of the Windows 10 preview coming out soon, it can only be assumed that they’ve worked out most of the major issues and are ready to let us see how Todoist is going to help Windows 10 users further improve their productivity.
To keep your eyes out for the preview, you can either follow Todoist on Twitter or keep track of what’s going on in the Todoist website. The Tweet mentioned November 17th, and we can only assume that this is meant to be the release date of the preview.

The October 6^th Microsoft Windows 10 devices event in New York City may go down as one of the best showings of cohesion, passion and direction the company has displayed in a long time. The argument of whether Microsoft is a software or hardware company melted away during the 2-hour showcase, where the company intricately blurred the lines and gave reporters and fans the best of both. Talented presenters and heads of departments mixed marketing lingo with real-world use cases for Microsoft’s wave of next generation hardware.

However, highly controlled demos and month-long rehearsed speeches will only get a company traditionally known for overpromising and under-delivering so far. When it comes to spurring shifts in the minds of consumers, it requires more than a polished stage presence, it requires a bit of physical intervention.

In this case, it’s the men and women of the Microsoft ExpertZone that represent the company’s physical presence when the smoke from keynotes have all but dissipated. Over the past four weeks, ExpertZone staff have been travelling across America, evangelizing, educating and entertaining business partners and consumers alike with the devices and software seen at the October 6^th event.

Gathered in select Microsoft flagship Stores and lavish hotel conference rooms, ExpertZone employees host what are known as Device Nights. Device Nights represent an opportunity for Microsoft to press the flesh and gather in-person feedback while also educating its business partners and users on its new wares.

On November 12th, a handful of us from the WinBeta were invited to attend Microsoft’s Device Night 2015 in Los Angeles, CA., and suffice to say, the ExpertZone employees put on a showing that was good if not better than the October 6^th event.

The Los Angeles Device Night event was held at the swanky Hotel Palomar on Wilshire Blvd. Amongst the gathered crowds were employees and business partners who would be entrusted with imbuing the same high level of enthusiasm and passion the folks at Microsoft have for their devices and services.

[pullquote align=”center” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”attendees were given a much more personal and passionate hands-on demo of Microsoft’s latest devices”[/pullquote]

Instead of the richly crafted 1-minute demo videos many of were witness to during the October 6^th event, attendees were given a much more personal and passionate hands-on demo of Microsoft’s latest devices and services like the Surface Book, Surface Pro 4, Microsoft Band 2, and Lumia 950, to name a few.

We started our night meeting our helpful contact, the senior manager of Microsoft Training & Experience, Matthew Shenker. Equipped with a cool new Surface Book and Surface Pen, Matt showed us around the playground of Microsoft goodies and introduced us to the men and women who would walk us through Microsoft’s vision.

As contemporary R&B, HipHop and Dance music blanketed the hall, Matt walked us from one device booth and demo to the next, careful of answering any and all questions we had. Our first booth and demo was of the Lumia 950’s Continuum feature. As we approached, a sudden feeling of ‘been there done that’ washed over me, but once our presenter got into it, I quickly realized why Microsoft has been making such a big deal of the feature. As many have said and reported on, Continuum is a feature that has to be seen and dealt with in person to appreciate.

During our time at the booth, we saw demonstrations of the Lumia 950 used as a secondary mouse and pointer device while also doubling as a phone and presentation tool. We were also told, at least for now, only first-party Windows 10 apps will work with Continuum Start screen. As the Start Screen on the desktop is a mirror image of Windows 10 Mobile Start Screen, 3^rd party apps will be present in the layout, but greyed-out, indicating there are unusable. We pressed on about the file app on Windows 10 Mobile doubling as the file app for Continuum use, but we’re told there will be ‘more to come’ on that front.

But who are we kidding, most people’s focus right now is on the release of Microsoft’s long awaited phone flagships. The Lumia 950 was indeed in attendance and several ExpertZone staff were rocking them as personal devices. Unfortunately, the Lumia 950 XL was not present. As an avid and at times dejected Windows Phone fan, it was nice to see that some people at Microsoft still care about Windows 10 Mobile. While the Lumia 950’s primary presence was used to extol the virtues of Continuum, Matt was able to wrangle up a 950 for a close-up. The particular Lumia 950 we got some hands-on time with happened to belong to Lindsey of the ExpertZone team. She was also kind enough to walk us through the very impressive Windows Hello feature.

We were then given a tour of the now released New Xbox One Experience. The guided walkthrough consisted of the nice new gamer-centric aspects of the UI as well as the lesser covered entertainment features. Items such as the OneGuide, media apps, Xbox Fitness and the Store were all covered at length.

At another table across from the Xbox One demo was a graphic artist crafting image after image on the new Surface Book and Surface Pro 4. The demo helped both business and creative-types understand the technology behind the pen as well giving examples of what can be produced when owning either device.

Rounding out our night was a very detailed exploration of the Microsoft Band 2. This is where Paul Britton, a partner and channel marketing manager at Microsoft, illuminated the melding of the Band 2’s highly sophisticated hardware sensors and Microsoft’s expansive cloud-connected software. While there are native apps written to work cross-platform for the Band 2 and other handsets, it’s on the web where the Band 2 really shines. The web interface dives much deeper into comparative analytics, predictive measures, and routine tracking pulled from the Band 2.

The evening wasn’t all business. Attendees were plenty feed with fancy favours and finger foods throughout the night. For many who weren’t grabbing portraits or selfies at the photo booths, there were round-robin style Halo 5 tournaments going on. Others could be found lounging at the bar discussing distribution and channel supply of new products. At the end of it all, were the giveaways. Some attendees walked away with a brand new Microsoft Band 2, Surface Pro 3 and 4 and Lumia 950 (given once it launches). The Surface Book prizes were reserved for a separate, larger contest among the newly recruited ExpertZone members.

The night was educational and inspiring for fans and partners of Microsoft, but above all else, it was fun. There was a lot of genuine excitement in the air and you can tell everyone in the room was excited with what Microsoft had to offer. Echoing sentiments from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Windows, Lumia, Surface are slowly starting to feel like things people want, rather than what people have to deal with. In his words, “moving people from needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows.”

We’d like to thank Paul Britton, Matthew Shenker, Lindsey Paenitz, Bill Bush, and the entire ExpertZone Staff for hosting us.

Today, Microsoft is announcing two new features for PowerPoint, a slide designer that automates the look of your slides called Designer, and a new set of transition effects called Morph:

Morph creates cinematic motion by seamlessly animating between your slides. Morph doesn’t just animate regular text or images, it can animate 3-D shapes or be applied at a word or even character level, including text wrapping. Simply duplicate slides you want morphed together, move the objects based on how you want them to animate and click the Morph button under Transitions.

You can get a feel for how the new features work and look in this video:

The two new features should make it even easier to create slide presentations, even if you’re not a designer. The features are exclusive to Office 365 users, and come first to Office 2016 for Windows desktop and mobile, but you can expect to see them roll out to other platforms in the coming months.
In the same blog post, the Office team also announced the next step in user participation in Microsoft’s development process, Office Insider.

A couple of months back we reported on AT&T becoming a retail business partner with Microsoft. The partnership would allow Microsoft to sell its Surface 3 LTE devices through AT&T to business customers with carrier specific promotions and deals.
Not to be outdone it looks like the other largest mobile carrier provider in the US, Verizon, is getting in on the action as well. Verizon recently announced its plans to sell the Microsoft Surface 3 with Verizon’s 4G LTE to business professionals.
Verizon is selling the Surface 3 with 4G LTE for $649.99 (US) with a 2-year activation contract. For the business professional looking to stay untethered to Verizon, a Surface 3 with 4G LTE can also be picked up for $749.99 (US) without a contract.
Much like the AT&T deal, the devices will come with Windows 8.1 Pro that can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for free afterwards. Other specifics include:

A variety of accessories are also available to enhance the experience. The Surface 3 Type Cover Keyboard ($129.99) easily attaches to the tablet to add a physical keyboard and lets you type away without a virtual keyboard taking up screen space. And the Surface 3 Pen ($49.99) feels like an actual pen and lets you mark up presentations and sign documents, or quickly access OneNote by clicking the pen so you can have a notepad ready when you need it. A Surface 3 Docking Station is also be available for $199.99.”

While the Surface Pro 3 has been arguably the choice of many, a Surface 3 with LTE should not be overlooked.

As part of the November update for Windows 10, Microsoft is introducing a number of new services for business, including:

• Windows Update for Business provides IT controls over the deployment of updates within their organizations, while ensuring their devices are kept current and their security needs are met, at reduced management cost. Features include setting up device groups with staggered deployments and scaling deployments with network optimizations.
• Windows Store for Business provides IT a flexible way to find, acquire, manage and distribute apps to Windows 10 devices – both Windows Store apps and custom line of business apps. Organizations can choose their preferred distribution method by directly assigning apps, publishing apps to a private store, or connecting with management solutions.

The update also includes two new capabilities for IT to help users use Windows 10 on multiple devices get their work done:

• Mobile Device Management, empowers IT to use the full power of Enterprise Mobility Management to manage the entire family of Windows devices, including PCs, tablets, phones, and IOT. Windows 10 is the only platform that can manage BYOD scenarios from the device to the apps to the data on those devices – safely and securely. And of course, Windows 10 is fully compatible with the existing management infrastructure used with PCs, giving IT control over how they bridge between two capabilities.
• Azure Active Directory Join, empowers IT to maintain one directory, enabling people to have one login and securely roam their Windows settings and data across all of their Windows 10 devices. AAD Join also enables any machine to become enterprise ready with a few simple clicks by anyone in the organization.

Windows 10 also adds a number of features designed to help secure organizations, including Credential Guard, Device Guard, Windows Hello, and Windows Defender.
 
 

Microsoft’s Project Oxford attempts to extract the emotion from photos to tell just how happy, or unhappy, the subject is. The Emotion Recognition site launched today and allows users to insert either an image URL or upload a photo from their personal library. Similar to the “How-Old” website that launched in May, this program then uses both facial recognition and artificial intelligence to deduce the subject’s temperament.
The emotions detectable are happiness, surprise, neutrality, fear, contempt, and disgust. A list is displayed once the user hovers their mouse over the highlighted face. In addition to the emotional levels displayed, the program also prints the results in computer code for programmers. As with other Project Oxford research programs, the API’s for this program are made available for developers who are encouraged to incorporate these technologies into their apps.

Project Oxford’s effort is a glimpse into what can be done with these sophisticated programs. It will be interesting to see how other developers decide to use things like facial and emotion recognition in their apps. What sort of features would you like to see using Project Oxford’s emotion recognition software? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft’s Sydney Flagship Store is currently celebrating its grand opening and has drawn some impressive crowds around its Pitt Street Mall location. Microsoft Australia’s Education Marketing Manager, Emma Milson is on location and has been tweeting several fantastic photos of all of the people who have gathered for the day’s celebrations. Here are a few of her snaps.

It's all happening at #MicrosoftSYD @MicrosoftStore first #Surfacebook just given away ! pic.twitter.com/7P2OduNYqZ

— Emma Milson (@emmamilson3) November 11, 2015

And it begins #MicrosoftSYD pic.twitter.com/TmeutFwFoM

— Emma Milson (@emmamilson3) November 12, 2015

Many others in attendance have also been tweeting about the activity on location.

Store definitely not big enough for the gathered hundreds. Some waiting will be required for the keen beans. pic.twitter.com/dr9LN4CmBH

— Seamus Byrne (@seamus) November 12, 2015

A cleaner shot of the Microsoft Store Sydney. That big white zone in the middle will drop or rise for doors open. pic.twitter.com/AUt3KM4DoL

— Seamus Byrne (@seamus) November 12, 2015

The crowd outside the new Microsoft Store in Sydney #MicrosoftSYD pic.twitter.com/UIRXzCa0ye

— Claire Reilly (@reillystyley) November 12, 2015

The day looks to be full of a combination of presentations and activities, all aimed to showcase Microsoft’s latest products. Some of the activities include fashion illustrator Kerrie Hess illustrating live on the Surface Pro 4, photo opportunities with characters from the Xbox One game Halo 5: Guardians, a Base Body Babes fitness working using the Microsoft Band 2, and special performances by Ellie Drennan and Jessie J at the nearby State Theatre. We’ll be sure to report on any announcements, if any, coming out of the event so make sure to check back soon for more.