The Skype modern app is being retired on July 7th of this year. With the exception of Windows RT users, for whom there will be no change, all users of Skype on the PC will be directed to an updated desktop version of Skype.

In a Skype blog post, Microsoft explains their reasoning for the switch and discusses what the updated desktop application will look like. The post cites feedback from users stating that the desktop version of Skype provides easier access and navigation and has features such as group video calling, screen sharing, and working together on documents, and potentially by the end of the summer, translation. The updated app will be “optimized for mouse and keyboard use” but is also “capable of doing touch.

Many users of PCs aren’t affected by this change as they are already using the desktop version of Skype. The modern version was less powerful and limited what you could do on your PC while on a call. 

When making the switch, your contacts and conversations from the last 30 days will be available.

Microsoft also touched on the future of Skype being built into Messaging, Phone, and Skype video within Windows 10

“Don’t worry we will begin rolling the apps to get your feedback later this year. This way if you want to quickly make a call or send a message you can use task based apps and for those of you power users who like the advantages of the all in one app, you can pick what’s right for you.”

American Sign Language assistance is now available from the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk. The ability to communicate in their primary language allows deaf and hard of hearing individuals to communicate with more accuracy and ease. Specifically, individuals can receive assistance related to Microsoft products, assistive technologies, and their device’s accessibility settings. It is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is currently only available in the United States, though that could be expanded in the feature.

In a Microsoft blog post explaining the new service, they quote Melissa “echo” Grenlee who states “Getting our technical questions answered in our primary language is an accessibility feature (that) will change how the Deaf community progresses… It evens the playing field in a lot of ways. It allows our personal and work lives to run more efficiently so we can spend more energy on more important things.” Microsoft’s video below explains how ASL support helps customers receive better assistance and answers to questions.

Interpreting ASL becomes more complicated when technical words are involved. While there are interpreting services, specific computer related phrases and technical support are more complicated. Though ASL is used in the United States, signs are not direct translations from syllables making up English words. A basic example is that the sign for “password” is not the signs for “pass” and “word” put together. Having dedicated ASL support from Microsoft allows for clear and concise communication.

While ASL assistance is available only in the United States during those hours, The Microsoft Disability Answer Desk is available in 11 countries and is open 24/7.

Dell introduced the gorgeous XPS 13 laptop back in January with a bezel-less display and an extremely decent set of specifications on board. If you’re based in India, you’ll be glad to know the Dell XPS 13 is now available in India for INR 70,990, almost over a $1,000 (via NDTV Gadgets). 

Dell XPS 13 comes with a 13.3-inch display sporting a resolution of 3,200 by 1,600 pixels, and features up to 256GB of SSD storage along with up to 8GB of RAM, Windows 8.1 as its operating system and an Intel Core i7 Fifth Generation processor on board. Dell also introduced the XPS 15 with Infinity Display as well which the company confirmed will launch in India in the coming months — no exact availability date is available at the moment.  

We already have the Dell XPS 13 with us, you can check out our first impressions of the machine here. We’ll put up a detailed review soon so make sure to check WinBeta.

It’s not just the Dell XPS 13, the company also introduced a bunch of other products, including Alienware 17, Dell Inspiron 5000 laptops, and the Dell Venue 8 7840 tablet. The Dell Inspiron 5000 laptops start at INR 39,990 while the Alienware 15 and 17 will be available for Rs. 1,25,990 and Rs. 1,45,990 respectively. 

Roughly two weeks ago, Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10130 to participants of the Windows Insider program. Unfortunately, some Surface 3 owners have not been able to install this build. We have now learned that Windows 10 build 10130 will not work on the Surface 3, due to a bug that is unique to Intel’s Cherry Trail chipset. For those that did not know, Intel’s Cherry Trail line of Atom processing chips are featured in Microsoft’s latest tablet, the Surface 3.

“10130 is a no-go for Surface 3. We have a bug that is unique to Cherry Trail systems in that build. Relief is coming soon though,” Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul stated on Twitter. So there you have it. If you have been spending countless hours trying to get Windows 10 build 10130 installed on your Surface 3, you can stop! Build 10130 was failing to install on a Surface 3 for numerous insiders. After downloading the build and rebooting, the system would freeze. If you faced this issue, it looks like you will have to wait for a newer build that addresses this bug. Build 10130 was recently released as an ISO file, and was not made available to the slow ring due to “several bugs.”

Microsoft announced today their acquisition of BlueStripe Software, a company that provides application management technology solutions for IT professionals and organizations that need to monitor their applications running in the cloud.

In today’s post, Mike Neil, Microsoft’s General Manager for Enterprise Cloud, described the acquisition saying:

“BlueStripe’s solution helps map, monitor and troubleshoot distributed applications across heterogeneous operating systems and multiple datacenter and cloud environments. BlueStripe is commonly used today by customers to extend the value of Microsoft System Center by adding application-aware infrastructure performance monitoring.”

Neil goes on to say that BlueStripe employees will be welcomed into the Microsoft family and their software will become incorporated into Microsoft’s products for cloud management, such as System Center and Operations Management Suite.

BlueStripe solutions will also be discontinued in the near future as they are fully integrated into existing Microsoft products and services.

Neil further explains the context and significance of this recent acquisition by saying:

As evidenced through our recent announcements such as Microsoft Azure Stack, OMS, Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016, Microsoft is committed to providing leading hybrid cloud solutions and support for our customers. Today’s acquisition furthers that promise, giving IT even more hybrid cloud flexibility to focus on what matters most – rapidly delivering business value to drive innovation.

This acquisition also demonstrates that Microsoft is not just strategically enhancing its consumer products portfolio with purchases of apps Wunderlist, Sunrise, and Acompli, but is also looking to strengthen its cloud enterprise services with more robust tools for developers and companies to use for hosting and managing their own apps.

The Google Research team has just tied first with Microsoft Research in Microsoft’s COCO (Common Objects in Context) image captioning contest where entrants were required to incorporate the Microsoft COCO dataset with their own programming to produce image recognition results that appeared as close to how a human would describe a picture as possible. Each entrant’s results were graded on their similarity to the human generated results, average correctness and amount of details in the description itself.

Microsoft COCO is a new image recognition, segmentation, and captioning dataset that is designed to recognize multiple objects and sections of an image while distinguishing their unique context. The dataset can create five separate descriptions of the image which has several uses, though the most obvious one being the improvement of image search results in search engines like Google or Microsoft’s Bing. For more details on Microsoft COCO, further challenges and download information, make sure to check out its official website.

With Microsoft Edge, the company has freed itself from the legacy constraints of IE to build a truly modern browser.  One of the most pressing needs of a browser in today’s mobile first world is support for “responsive” images, that is, images that will look good on a full screen desktop, or a small phone screen, all without having to load a full set of image sizes to accomplish this.

According to a blog post on the Edge Dev blog, That’s what a new attribute of the img tag is for, and srcset will allow browsers to examine a set of images identified by the srcset attribute and the original src attribute, choose the one most appropriate for the conditions, and download only the image needed, saving space and bandwidth, and at the same time providing a better viewing experience.

The latest versions of Microsoft Edge shipping with Windows 10 Insider Preview supports some, but not all, of the srcset attribute, with Microsoft promising to add in the width descriptor in a future update, but it couldn’t be added in time for Edge to ship with Windows 10 on July 29th.

There are some complications that make Microsoft’s implementation of supporting srcset problematic. For one, a popular library called Picturefill, estimated by Microsoft to be used on millions of sites, in early versions doesn’t properly identify a browser’s capability to support srcset. To get around that, Microsoft has removed support for another responsive image attribute, currentSrc.  Apple’s Safari browser has done the same thing, and until Picturefill is updated in enough websites to cease being a problem, this works around images either not rendering or redirecting to error pages.

So, like Safari, Microsoft’s Edge isn’t shipping the full slate of new attributes to the img tag , but it is making use of srcset, and that’s a start.

If you’re a web developer, you can make use of srcset and gain its benefits for your Edge users, and if you’re using Windows 10 with Microsoft Edge, you’ll be able to load images faster, with less overhead, and take one step closer to a truly modern web. 

Microsoft will be attending this year’s HITEC, a conference that caters to the hospitality industry. It’s a platform for solutions providers like Microsoft to show off how their products and services can improve the industry.

At the conference, Microsoft will show off its futuristic Connect-Room demo, which visitors will need to boot for in advance, as well as show off new Windows 10 experiences. Speaking of Windows 10, the company will have a range of Windows devices running the upcoming operating system and detailing how they can be used to provide advanced hotel room experiences.

“You’ll be able to step inside and experience an advance look at Windows 10 and the real potential of voice and touch technologies to enhance in-room guest experiences.” – Microsoft

Some of the highlights at the Microsoft booth include getting some hand-on time with Monscierge, which is a suite of connectivity and hotel management tools that run across a number of different devices, as well as digital room solutions to control room lighting and climate, solutions tailored to customer-facing staff so that they are always well equipped to meet customer needs, as well as other solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Azure.

“And that’s just the beginning” says Microsoft, as the company plans to show off a lot more solutions that can help this fast growing industry thrive and reach its full potential. If you’re interested, be sure to head over to Microsoft’s website for more information on the event and the company’s presence in it. Check out the video below of Microsoft’s collaboration with Novotel to envision the future of hotels from a few years ago.

HITEC takes place between June 15 and 18, and will be hosted at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Head over to its official website for more details.

Earlier this year, a handful of Windows Insiders managed to win themselves a trip to the Microsoft Redmond campus to meet with execs and learn more about the inner workings at the company.

Ten lucky insiders from all over the world got to meet with the teams and individuals responsible for building Windows including Microsoft’s Executive VP of Operating Systems, Terry Myerson, Corporate VP of Operating Systems, Joe Belfiore, and GM at the Operating Systems group, Gabe Aul.

“It was exciting and immensely humbling for all of us to meet these Insiders face-to-face and take in the energy, enthusiasm and insights that they bring to Windows.” – Gabe Aul

It was great of Microsoft to further connect with Insiders this way, and hopefully we’ll the see the company host more visits in the future. Check out the video Microsoft compiled of the visit to the Redmond campus below.

How else would you like to see Microsoft connect with its customers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Skype Translator Preview is a technology that allows you to have your conversations translated in real time over Skype. Last month the sign up requirement to try the preview was removed and now the Skype Translator Preview is making its way to the Windows desktop version of Skype.

The Skype blog states their target as the end of summer 2015 to start rolling out the preview to the desktop version of Skype.

Skype Translator Preview uses machine learning so the more people use it, the better it gets at translation. When they removed the sign up requirement, usage went up 300%. Bringing it to the desktop is likely to bring another increase. The blog post requests that users use a headset to help Skype Translator improve by being able to hear spoken words more clearly.

The Skype blog has a video showing off how to set up Skype Translator.

Currently Skype Translator Preview translates voice calls in English, Mandarin, Spanish, and Italian. It also translates typed conversations in 50 languages.

We tried out Skype Translator Preview recently and tested it in English, Spanish, and Italian. Even though it’s rough at times, it does a surprisingly good job at translating conversations in real time. If you want to try it out yourself you can download the version for the Windows Store below.

How many times have you seen in on the internet, whether it be in news stories from sites who know nothing about Microsoft, or from commenters who love spreading false information. Or you’ve seen it from readers who are genuinely confused about what Microsoft plans to do. Let’s help stop the FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) and set the record straight.

Windows 10 will not have an annual fee. Windows 10 will not charge you a yearly subscription after the free-for-one-year upgrade offer expires. Microsoft’s Gabe Aul took it to Twitter just the other day to reiterate this point, after one Twitter user asked him to be clear. “@Microsoft before I go to #Windows10, you need to be clear what update free for year means? Statement leaves door open for annual fees later.”

@OjJanne @Microsoft Please allow me to close that door for you: No annual fee for Windows 10. https://t.co/aWw4IGP8AI https://t.co/mElVszkj0U

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 5, 2015

Between July 29th 2015 and July 29th 2016, you will have the chance to snag a free upgrade to Windows 10. After July 29th 2016, you will have to pay for a Windows 10 license. How much will the license cost after the free year? That’s not quite certain yet, but it will likely be the same price for the OEM version of the operating system ($119 for Home and $199 for Pro). However, chances are Microsoft will likely offer a discounted special to entice users to upgrade to the latest operating system. There will not be a yearly fee to run Windows 10 after July 2016.

Unfortunately, Microsoft may have confused people by mentioning Windows 10 “as a service” causing people to believe there will be a subscription fee of sorts. There is no subscription model for Windows 10. Instead, Windows 10 “as a service” simply implies that Microsoft plans to update the operating system with smaller, more frequent updates, rather than larger Service Pack-like updates. Think of it like an app that gets updated regularly. 

“Once a qualified Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it up to date for the supported lifetime of the device, keeping it more secure, and introducing new features and functionality over time – for no additional charge,” Microsoft clarified.

Microsoft’s recent push to be a mobile first, cloud first company doesn’t play very well when your main messaging client requires a heavy-handed client. That’s changing, and today Microsoft announced that users in the US and the UK can try out a web based version of Skype, with no client needed.

The new web client, at web.skype.com, loads your latest conversations, so you’ll see any messages you’ve recently sent or received, whether it was from mobile, tablet, or desktop.  The web client also introduces a new timeline view, a searchable list that combines contacts and recent conversations to make it easy not only to find old conversations but start new ones.

You will be able to make and receive Skype video or audio calls, but you’ll need to install a plugin to your browser (IE, Chrome, Safari, and/or Firefox).  You’ll also be able to, with an opt-in, get notifications, “even if you’re using another app or viewing a different website in another browser window”.

This isn’t the only appearance of Skype on the web, as you’ll soon be able to Skype with the new experience from within Outlook.com.  The Outlook web preview is rolling out, too, although it may be a few more weeks before you’re able to try it out. 

Skype for Web is available today if you’re in the US or the UK, and will be rolling out worldwide “in the next few weeks”

Windows 10 build 10134 leaked onto the web earlier today and includes a couple new additions over build 10130, these new additions are nothing to flip out over, or at least not yet. The snipping tool appears to have received an update, adding a new delay option, and Windows Update includes a new toggle and the ability to stop Insider builds.

You can check out our hands on video below. As per usual we do not link to unofficial releases, furthermore we don’t recommend you install them as they could be a little more buggy than your normal Insider release. Besides, there’s nothing particularly new in this build that’s worth installing, as from here on out new builds will be pretty similar as Microsoft is now focuses on bug fixing.

What are your thoughts on these new changes? Let us know below.

Two weeks ago Microsoft introduced a newly overhauled Outlook.com, and in the past couple of days it has begun to slowly roll out to a small subset of users.  The update offers a number of new features, including “Clutter”, a trainable feature that can automatically filter types of email into a Clutter folder, search suggestions, new themes, a link preview, inline images so you can place images directly into your emails right where you want them, and lots more.

The first thing you notice right off the bat is that Microsoft seems to be backing away from the Outlook.com branding they rolled out only 2 years ago when they rebranded from Hotmail:

Another first impression, one that’s hard to screenshot, is just how fast the new web client is. The new Skype client on the right hand side opens nearly instantly, as do folder when switching from one to another.  It’s just fast.

Notice not only the “Outlook Mail” branding but also the url resolving to outlook.live.com/owa as Outlook.com morphs into an Office product, and there are references to “Outlook on the web”, as Outlook.com and Outlook Web Access head towards becoming one and the same.  The apps section has been expanded with new apps, including Bing, Sway, and MSN:

Speaking of apps, the new ability to add apps to Outlook on the web is there, although not populated:

As you can see, you get the new richer editing experience when composing messages, or adding entries to a calendar (see below).

The integration into the Office family is apparent throughout the new experience. Adding a Calendar entry, for example, now gives you a full on editing experience for notes.  This is the current (old) Outlook.com Item details box:

and as you can see the new experience is much richer:

The People experience has also changed, building in a way to manage your contacts across various social network contact directories:

People has also apparently done away with Outlook.com Groups, in favor of the more Office Outlook-like Contacts and Contact Lists. Just a note here, last night the interface was showing thumbnail images for contacts, and today it’s just showing the placeholder initials, this is still after all a preview.

The new Skype experience is here, as expected, and brings the full Skype look and feel right in to the web client:

We’ll have more on the rollout of Outlook.com as is progresses, and as we dig into the new experience. This is very early access, expect the public rollout to go slowly at first.

Update: A commenter asked about sender and date and time info, and indeed the new experience is much more forthcoming in what it tells you about your incoming messages.  Here’s a screenshot showing the real email address (well in this case the email subscription alias) of the sender, as well as the date and time the email was sent:

Windows 10 build 10134 has just leaked onto the internet in ISO form, English US and in x64 bit flavor. The build is pretty much identical to build 10130 which was officially released to insiders just last week, so there’s not much to be excited about if you’re a standard Windows Insider.

As per usual we will not be linking directly to the download, furthermore, considering this is an unofficial build, you may encounter bugs more often. Bare that in mind.

The leak was first revealed in a tweet on Twitter with the hashtag #BuildTour, as Microsoft is holding BUILD events all across the world right now. This could mean the leak surfaced from someone at one of these BUILD events. Regardless, the ISO is now floating around the web.

From here on out, new Windows 10 builds will be more and more like the last as Microsoft has finally signed Windows 10 off as feature complete. Now it’s bug fixes and code tweaks all the way to RTM, which is expected to happen sometime in the next few weeks. Stick around at WinBeta for more news regarding Windows 10.

It’s no secret that Microsoft is merging several of its digital stores into one convenient hub in Windows 10 with the end goal being one place where users can buy apps, movies, TV shows, games and music all with the same account and minimal navigation required.

The new unified Store experience has continued to evolve in the Windows 10 Insider Preview ahead of the proper launch of the new operating system and with each update becomes more refined with both navigation improvements and added features.

Today sees the launch of the Music section of the Store for those running Build 10130 and version 3.6.1068.0 of the Music app in the Windows 10 Insider Preview. Users will now be able to browse new albums and top songs, browse for music by genre, and purchase music to own and while the auto-download of songs after purchase isn’t enable just yet, it is promised by the time Windows 10 launches late next month. Note, only users in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand will be able to buy music right now.

With this update, purchasing of songs moves entirely to the Store app though Xbox Music Pass owners will still be able to add songs to playlists from within the Music app and this isn’t expected to change. This update will also mark a shift towards the full version of Windows 10 with the proper music and video experiences now being the default and the preview versions set to be automatically removed in a future update.

What do you think of the evolution of the unified Store in Windows 10? Is buying music in the Store better or worse? As always, Microsoft wants to hear your feedback via the Windows Feedback app but we’re also curious. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Microsoft announced the opening of a new Transparency Center in Brussels, the host city of the European Commission, as part of the company’s Government Security Program.

The program is described offering “participating governmental agencies the opportunity to review the source code of Microsoft products, access information on cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities, and benefit from the expertise and insight of Microsoft security professionals.”

The announcement states the new Center will serve as a place for governments from the European Union, Middle East and Africa to review the source code in Microsoft’s products and to gain access to security information in a secure environment.

Matt Thomlinson, Vice President of Microsoft Security, also says in his post that the trust from Microsoft’s commitment to its Government Security Program and building the new Transparency Center in Brussels is an “essential ingredient” for enabling the European Commission’s completion of the Digital Single Market. Thomlison goes on to say:

“Only by increasing confidence in the digital solutions which have the potential to catalyze whole economies can Europe ensure that every citizen, business and government feels the benefits of the digital revolution.”

The Digital Single Market is described by the European Commission as a set of commission priorities to bring down regulatory barriers within the Eurozone that restrict growth in the digital economy and “unlock online opportunities.”

Yesterday, Microsoft made their acquisition of 6Wunderkinder official, adding another hugely popular cross platform app to their repertoire.

The story of 6Wunderkinder and the growth of its app Wunderlist helps make the argument that this was a smart decision by Microsoft to acquire the Berlin based startup. Early investor in 6Wunderkinder Frank Thelen today posted on his blog a quick history of the company’s development that speaks highly of not just the software they create but the leadership Christian Reber, Founder and CEO.

According to Thelen’s post, Christian started with early designs of a project management software “that solved many of the existing problems with other products” by being web based and beautifully designed with simplicity in mind. Thelen describes how after developing a prototype, it wasn’t long before big tech blogs started admiring Wunderlist’s approach to managing to do lists thanks to Christian’s co-founder Rober sending out a emails. He then notes that early on Lifehacker created a video praising the app for its design and simplicity.

As Thelen describes the story, this led to more funding, and furthering the development of 6Wunderkinder’s Wunderkit and Wunderlist software, but times were not always easy.

“Months later, in February 2012, Wunderkit finally launched as a full-blown project management platform that even allowed 3rd-parties to build Wunderkit Apps. I truly believe the design and architecture Christian and his team delivered was outstanding. It received a lot of attention and grew very quickly. But it didn’t work. It was too complex. Too much interface, too many features, and an unclear product focus. The team tried hard to optimize the product, but everyone knew we were in trouble, Wunderkit just wasn’t working.”

 Thelen then describes how Christian had to make the difficult decision to refocus the company’s efforts on Wunderlist.

“I have big respect for the way he communicated and executed this dramatic shift with his team, management and investors. The blog post received close to 1,000 comments, which reflects how challenging this decision was:

https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/the-future-of-6wunderkinder-hello-wunderlist-2/

But Wunderlist showed great KPIs from the very beginning and it was the right thing to do: focus on the “smaller”, yet incredibly popular product and deliver excellence!”

In the concluding section of his post, Thelen does address the question of why would Christian and his investors would agree to an offer from Microsoft when his dream “always was to build a massive company that lasts… He talked about hiring thousands of engineers, building multiple products – and a universe of Wunder-products.”

Thelen says the answer simply put is “because it’s a mind-blowing opportunity.” And the reason it is such a mind blowing opportunity for the German startup is:

“Wunderlist will be a part of Microsoft, which is transforming into the leading, platform independent productivity hub. If you think about it, it could become the global layer for reminders and tasks for Windows and Office. Wunderlist will last, and will get even stronger (and much much faster than it could have been without this deal).”

Thelen’s post focuses on encouraging startups with 6Wunderkinder’s story in more detail than quoted here, but the success of Wunderlist’s development and the vision of its leadership does help further show why Microsoft would want to purchase the makers of the popular app.

And Wunderlist is poised to become a very powerful app in Microsoft’s ecosystem as earlier in May 6Wunderkinder opened their APIs to encourage integration with other developers. Some of those announced early on were Sunrise (another recent Microsoft acquisition) and OneNote, and also Slack, HipChat, Zapier, and Scanbot.

Time will tell how Wunderlist fits into Microsoft’s other services. If it could be a “global layer for reminders and tasks for Windows and Office” as Thelen hypothesizes, or if the team at 6Wunderkinder will be developing the app as a more separate yet parallel task management platform than the one available through Office 365’s current offering of apps. Either way it definitely seems Wunderlist, and acquisitions like it, have an important role to play in Microsoft’s path forward.

The new Microsoft, under CEO Sataya Nadella’s leadership, has become a more open company that works with developers in ways that were once unthinkable in Redmond, WA. The company has also been improving the ways it listens to its customers, such as with the Windows Insider program, and listening to the communities who interact with their products.

At the //Build/ 2015 Conference Nadella took the stage saying Microsoft is going back to its origins of focusing on empowering developers and building bridges for developers on other platforms. And Microsoft has followed up on its commitment in a number of ways, such as new tools for Android and iOS developers to easily port their apps to Windows 10 and bringing support for open source developers for things like Node.js.

Microsoft also recently announced it will be adding support for Secure Shell or SSH, a cryptographic network protocol used widely by Linux developers, to allow for better interoperability between PowerShell and SSH. Angel Calvo, the Group Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft’s PowerShell Team, said this will “deliver a robust and secure solution to automate and to remotely manage Linux and Windows systems.”

Calvo also announced that the PowerShell team will be supporting and contributing to the OpenSSH community.

Interestingly, Calvo states in the blog post that this is the third time the PowerShell team has attempted to support SSH and that previous attempts were rejected. But Calvo goes on to say that:

“given our changes in leadership and culture, we decided to give it another try and this time, because we are able to show the clear and compelling customer value, the company is very supportive.”

Finally, the PowerShell team concludes the blog by thanking those in the developer community who have been wanting and asking for PowerShell and SSH support, reiterating that their voices do matter in this new more customer-oriented culture at Microsoft.

Gabriel Aul, the Engineering General Manager for Microsoft’s Operating Systems Group, answered on twitter a question about the Windows 10 upgrade that many had been asking. He confirmed you will be able to perform a clean reinstall of Windows 10 at any time after upgrading with the free offer.

@dinchy87 @PiotrGoreckiJr Once you upgrade W10 w/ the free upgrade offer you will able to clean reinstall Windows 10 on same device any time

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 3, 2015

With the free upgrade to Windows 10 being delivered through Windows Update, some worried you wouldn’t be able to do a clean install of the new OS. Compared to a cleanly installed OS, an upgraded OS has a greater risk of issues arising and troubled performance. Problems can arise from old files and registry entries.

This led many to ask if they could perform a clean install of the Windows 10 free upgrade to make sure their device’s performance is as strong as possible with the latest OS from Microsoft. Aul has confirmed that it will be possible to do a clean reinstall at any time.

With Windows 10 Build 10130, Microsoft added a new feature where it is possible to open multiple instances of a Modern Windows 10 app. In order to do this, you need to make sure you have the latest update to the Windows 10 Calculator app (version 10.1505.29000.0). According to Neowin, the Windows 10 calculator app is the only app that you can run multiple instances of at this time. However, according to Neowin’s unidentified Microsoft source, more Windows 10 applications are sure to follow.

At the moment, the only way to open multiple instances of the calculator app is through the Start screen; if you try to open the calculator app through the Taskbar, it won’t work. Allegedly, Microsoft will allow multiple instances of third party apps as well. The ability for multiple instances of a Windows 10 app will likely be limited by the developer. I imagine Netflix doesn’t want you to be able to have more than one instance of their app running at a time. 

It would be nice to be able to run productivity apps like Microsoft Office or Excel in multiple instances. There’s no timeline on when we will see this functionality come to Windows 10, but I am sure it will be implemented in a new Windows 10 build or with the official release of Windows 10 coming July 29th. So stay tuned for more information on this Windows 10 feature when it becomes available. 

Before the launch of a new operating system, a common concern the average consumer has is whether to invest in new hardware now or wait until new devices have been specifically designed for it. In a post on the 367 Addison Avenue Blog, HP community manager, Mike Nash discusses these concerns and confirms that all current HP produced hardware is being made with Windows 10 compatibility in mind, “Working closely with Microsoft on Windows 10, we designed our 2015 portfolio of products to be ready for Windows 10. Given the normal planning and release cycles for our products, we didn’t know exactly when Windows 10 would ship, so we planned our entire 2015 portfolio to be Windows 10 ready even though some of these products would initially ship with Windows 8.1, and in some cases Windows 7.”

He continues, “Whenever a new OS is announced, we know that some customers struggle with the question of whether to buy a new PC now, or wait for PCs designed for the new OS to ship with it pre-installed. Because we designed our 2015 portfolio with Windows 10 in mind, the need to wait for the new OS to be pre-installed is a non-issue because the upgrade experience will automatically grab the right drivers from Windows Update. And Microsoft has made this an easy decision for consumers and businesses using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 by making the upgrade to Windows 10 free on consumer systems when the customer upgrades in the first year after Windows 10 is available.”

Windows 10 being a free upgrade from Windows 7 and 8.1 is hardly new news but it is worth repeating as the average person probably doesn’t follow all the latest tech news (though ironically probably wouldn’t be reading that blog post either). Windows 10 is being designed to work on a variety of PCs and those after a computer for everyday use shouldn’t be too worried about Microsoft’s new version of Windows affecting PC manufacturing too much.

In fact, one of the biggest questions new PC buyers should be asking when investing in new Windows-based hardware is one that’s been around since Windows 8, “Does it have touch capability?” Even with the reduced focus on the Start Screen in Windows 10, the operating system still has a big focus on touch integration when it comes to navigation and using new features such as notation and snapping and is very much part of the complete experience and isn’t going away anytime soon. At the end of the day though, consumers need to look at their own personal needs. Windows 10, for the most part, is a non-issue when it comes to buying a computer right now and people need to be careful not to be distracted so much by its launch that they forget to look for a device that will suit their personal needs.

While most existing hardware will be easily upgradable to Windows 10, Mike Nash makes it clear that HP isn’t resting on its laurels by hinting that two new HP devices will be revealed during the Microsoft keynote at Computex on June 3rd, “a new ultra-portable ‘tablet first’ detachable and a revolutionary note-taking tablet” which will show off two of Windows 10’s most promoted features, Cortana and Continuum.

Are you waiting until the launch of Windows 10 to buy new hardware? Let us know in the comments.

It would be safe to assume that at any given time, Microsoft is in a courtroom pushing an agenda, defending a position or seeking payment of some kind. The pool of highly talented and extremely expensive Microsoft lawyers have gotten so skilled at the dance that the company is typically fielding multiple large scale battles simultaneously. From Android patent deals to fighting the US government over international cloud privacy, Microsoft lawyers may spend just as much time in courtrooms as testers do testing code.

One of the many legal battles that look to jeopardize Microsoft’s financial position is the Microsoft Corporation vs. Internal Revenue Service, 15-cv-00850, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. This contentious struggle between the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Microsoft has been going for some time now. Last year, Microsoft took an income tax hit due to changes in IRS auditing process. While the IRS maintains that these proceedings are legal and necessary, Microsoft contends that “the IRS is attempting to continue to extend the statute of limitations in a case that’s been underway for nearly eight years.” Just last year, Microsoft took an income take charge because of an “audit adjustment” by the IRS. The most financially significant battle comes of late. In 2014, the IRS summoned Microsoft about the company’s transfer pricing practices in Puerto Rico, according to ZDNet. The IRS said that this marks the largest legal IRS audit of the company and could result in “tens of billions” in corporate income for the IRS.

To wrangle some understanding of the company’s financials, the IRS has sought the employment of Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP. Anyone who paid attention during the 2000 Microsoft antitrust case should remember the name David Boies. He spearheaded the investigation against Microsoft back in the day and was nearly able to split the company. With the 2003 antitrust case seemingly put to rest nationally and abroad for Microsoft, the company is now questioning Boies’ involvement and relationship with the IRS. As of May 29th, 2015, Microsoft has filed a federal lawsuit in Seattle, asking that the court enforce its public-records request for documents on the IRS decision to retain the services 3rd party, Boies Schiller & Flexner. Boies’ firm isn’t the only 3rt party firm the IRS has employed in for their continued investigation into Microsoft. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is another firm that was hired to a 2.2 million dollar contract to investigate the tech company, according to Microsoft.

According to Bloomberg Business, the 74-year-old Microsoft adversary, Boies had nothing to say about his involvement in this case. However, the IRS revealed some information in filings related to the case. Just last month, the IRS stated the contract between Boies and the IRS was for “expert services” and is “related to assisting the IRS in its examination of Microsoft.” Perhaps this is a tactical move on the part of the IRS to keep Microsoft on their toes. Regardless, Microsoft would like some more information: “We’re pleased the IRS provided the documents requested by one of our previous FOIA suits and hope this additional suit helps complete the information we need to further understand the government’s process,” David Cuddy, a Microsoft spokesman, said in a statement.

This battle over seemingly old logistics could have some resounding effects on Microsoft currently. We’ve reported on the overseas stockpiles of cash Microsoft is sitting on. According to Bloomberg Business, “Microsoft has more than tripled its offshore holdings since 2010, stockpiling profits outside the country under a rule that exempts them from U.S. taxation until the profits are repatriated. The company would owe $29.6 billion to the U.S. if it brought home its $92.9 billion stockpiled overseas, according to securities filings.” With the two recent suits Microsoft brought against the IRS, seeking information into the contracts between the revenue service and their 3rd party investigators, it looks like Microsoft’s plan is to poke holes in the validity of the investigation. For their part, Microsoft has received support from Washington-based trade associations as well as Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, according to Bloomberg Business. Orrin questions the necessity and validity of the IRS in using tax payers money to hire outside consultants and private contractors for this case.

Observers should expect to see this see-saw battle continue for some time. The IRS is now invested in their outside consultants to the tune of millions. Microsoft is beginning to spend their cash overseas cash pile in recent acquisitions. The totality of this case will be far from what it once originally started by the time the two bodies come to a regulatory conclusion.

Gabe Aul on Twitter has today confirmed that the Windows Feedback tool found in the Windows 10 Insider Preview builds will remain in the final build of Windows 10, which is set for launch on July 29. The Windows Feedback tool allows Microsoft to see what users like and dislike, and allows consumers to submit issues and feature requests they may be having with the operating system.

We can’t imagine the app will be used all that much by your ‘average-Joe’, but for Windows Insiders this is definitely good news. Once Windows 10 RTMs, it shouldn’t be long before the next Insider Build is released, as Microsoft is already working on an update 1 for Windows 10, and then Redstone soon after.

@leonzandman @ZacB_ Feedback app will stay in the final build. Twitter bot is sticking around too ?

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 1, 2015

So, will you be taking advantage of the Windows Feedback tool in Windows 10 RTM? Let us know below.

Last month, a report from a German publication revealed that Microsoft was in talks with the German startup 6Wunderkinder, the company behind the popular to-do list app Wunderlist. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the deal, Microsoft has reportedly acquired the company for between $100 to $200 million. 

Wunderlist is one of the best task management apps with dedicated apps for major mobile platforms, as well as Windows. In the past few months, Microsoft has acquired a number of start ups, including the simplistic email client Acompli which is now integrated into Microsoft’s Outlook app, as well as Sunrise Atelier, Inc., a New York-based startup behind the popular Sunrise mobile calendar application.

Furthermore, the report continues to mention that 6Wunderkinder will continue to operate through their Berlin offices, and report to Microsoft’s office in Redmond. 

There’s no official word from Microsoft about the acquisition, but it’s likely that we may get to hear about it in the coming days. We’ll update you as soon as the software giant officially announces the acquisition. It will be interesting to see what the Redmond-based company has planned for the company, if the news turns out to be correct.

Thanks to Jorge for the tip!

In addition to today’s announcement by Terry Myerson of Microsoft that Windows 10 will be available July 29th, Joe Belfiore of Microsoft also released a short video that showcases the best parts of Windows 10. The video is mostly a recap of features that have been previously announced but it is a well composed promotional tool for the advantages of upgrading to Windows 10 and directing Windows 7 and 8.1 users to reserve their free upgrade.

The video is below with a quick summary of the highlights.

Joe Belfiore starts by stating that Windows 10 will launch on July 29th as a free upgrade. Then, for about a minute and half at :58 Belfiore describes how Microsoft’s Cortanta will be available on Windows 10 with features to keep you up to date on news and information that interests you. Cortana will also provide useful reminders in a scrolling notification area,  first spotted by Neowin.

Belfiore goes on to describe how Cortana will also be able to help you write emails, provide reminders based on context such as people, places, and times, beginning at 1:56. Cortana features will also be extended to your mobile device, regardless if it is an Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone.

Windows Hello is next up at 2:30. With new PC hardware it will be possible to log into Windows and Apps through biometrics, allowing your computer to simply recognize you instead of requiring a name and password to be typed in. Then it’s  Microsoft Edge at 3:05 – Belfiore speaks about Micrsoft’s new web browser Microsoft Edge that is built with speed and efficiency in mind. It will also come with new features such as the ability to type or hand write notes on a webpage (which can then also be shared), a new reading view, and a built-in pane for Cortana.

Belfiore also says that Windows 10 will come with a “full rich set” of apps built in which are designed for modern usage habits to be easier to use, touch friendly, and more mobile, at 4:33, and then moves to Xbox at 5:30. Gaming on Windows 10 will be enhanced through new features such as Xbox Live on the PC, DirectX 12, support for games you already own, and the ability to stream games from an Xbox One through your home network to a Windows 10 PC.

Belfiore finishes by reiterating that the free upgrade will be available on July 29th and directs views to go to www.windows.com for more information on how to reserve your free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1.

While the update is made available July 29th, Windows 7 and Window 8.1 owners will have until July 29th, 2016 to take advantage of their free upgrade to Windows 10.

When users upgrade to Windows 10 they’ll be adding plenty of new features but there is a list of features they will lose in the upgrade. One of them is the removal of Windows Media Center. Even if users paid for WMC, for example with Windows 8 or 8.1 Pro, it will be removed from their device when they upgrade to Windows 10. For a full list of features that will be removed you can go to Microsoft’s page on the subject.

We already knew that WMC was going away with Windows 10 due to reports of a private meeting in San Francisco during Build Conference but it was brought up again in the news by a tweet from Gabe Aul who stated that “WMC will not be preserved.”

@jrauman No, WMC will not be preserved in an upgrade to W10.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 1, 2015

While WMC never had a large usage rate, those that did use it have voiced negativity about its departure at least partly because WMC has the ability to record live television. As of now the Xbox One, which many have pointed towards as an alternative though it does require owning the console, does not work as a DVR but there have been rumors that such a feature could be coming soon. That would be a bit of this whole story coming full circle because back in 2013 we speculated that the downfall of WMC may be the success of the Xbox line of consoles.

Late last night, Microsoft began its advertising campaign for existing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users, promoting the upcoming Windows 10 launch on July 29. Exiting users are now receiving a notification allowing them to reserve their free Windows 10 upgrade, and doing so appears to have an advantage.
According to the Windows 10 FAQ page, reserving your Windows 10 upgrade will allow Microsoft to pre-load Windows 10 onto your device before July 29th, meaning when launch day arrives your PC will upgrade a lot faster as you don’t have to wait for the upgrade to download.

When you reserve, you can confirm your device is compatible with Windows 10. Between reservation and when your upgrade is ready, the files you need for the upgrade will be downloaded to your PC to make the final installation go more quickly. Then, when your upgrade is ready after July 29, 2015, you get a notification that lets you get started with your upgrade.

This means that on launch day, everyone upgrading should have a super-smooth upgrade experience. The pre-load should take up 3-5GB of space, which may be an issue for devices with a mere 32GB of storage. Everyone else however, that shouldn’t be a problem and you won’t even notice.

The Action Center (aka Notification Center) in Windows 10 build 10130 has received a visual refinement, no longer utilizing that ugly border. Now, the Action Center looks better than ever and even features transparency!

Windows 10 build 10130 was rolled out to Windows Insiders just a few days ago and packs visual refinements throughout the operating system, as the company nears the “late summer” release date. As you can see in the image above, the Action Center now fits the overall simplistic look of the operating system.

Tapping on the Action Center icon on the taskbar prompts it to fly out from the left side of your screen, borderless and translucent. If you are running Windows 10 build 10130 and you are not seeing the transparency, head over to the Settings app and tap Personalization. Make sure you enable the third option “Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent.”

Second image credit: Imgur

In Windows 10 build 10130, which was made available to Windows Insiders just a few days ago, Microsoft has improved the Cortana experience with new visual improvements. For example, Cortana now has an improved setup experience that visually guides you on what features to enable or disable. For example, as you can see in the image above, Cortana will ask you if you want to enable or skip Hey Cortana, making it easier for you to find the answer you seek.

Cortana will also ask you if you would like to be kept up to date on the status of your flights or packages. On top of that, Cortana will ask you if you would like her to help find your files on your device, online, or OneDrive. Cortana also provides calendar reminders, so just tell her to remind you about your friend’s birthday next Tuesday and she will keep you from losing a friend!

Previously, tapping the Win key + C would open the Charms bar. On Windows 10, this neat keyboard shortcut has been repurposed to open Cortana (rest in peace Charms bar!). Now, when you tap Win+C, Cortana will pop open and listen for your command. See the photo below showcasing this feature in action.

Cortana on Windows 10 is shaping up to be your truly personal digital assistant for all your needs. As you can see in the photos below, you can set up Cortana to know your daily routine (we’re all creatures of routine). Cortana can give you the news around you, give you traffic status and commute times, and much more. Keep in mind that some of these features have been available for a while now, but the interface has been improved in recent builds. Give Cortana a try on Windows 10 build 10130 and let us know if she has become your truly personal digital assistant.

Just recently, Microsoft released Windows 10 build 101030 to participants of the Windows Insider Program. As we dig deeper, we are discovering new refinements made to the operating system. Thanks to a tip by one of our readers (thanks Aaron!), we now know that Microsoft is tinkering with the progress state animation of taskbar icons.

For example, take a look at the photo above. As you can see on the Chrome icon, there is a download progress indicator that is moving upward, filling the tile with a lighter color. Unfortunately, this progress indicator did not work on Edge in build 10130, so I had to resort to using Chrome. Since Windows 10 is still under development, no one should be surprised.

So as you can see in the images below, new animations are shown in their various progress states (specifically during large file downloads). The third icon from the left is a normal taskbar icon without any downloads taking place. The second to the last icon showcases a normal download taking place. The last icon on the right showcases the paused state. In the second picture below, you can see the familiar download progress animation.

This isn’t an earth shattering feature, but it does look cleaner and matches the overall simplistic look of the operating system. Give it a try for yourself by downloading a large file using Chrome. If you notice this new taskbar animation while doing other tasks, let us know in the comments below.