In advance of the Build 10122 of Windows 10 being published today, Microsoft also updated many of the MSN Universal Apps on Windows 10.
As spotted on Neowin, the changes to the MSN apps for News, Money, Sports, Weather, and People are to provide more stability for the Windows Insiders using them and also include refinements of the user interface. The UI adjustments keep a similar flat design aesthetic that is more consistent across the apps with darker gray tones but similar menu elements. Neowin also reports that after the update the People app now works as expected.
With Windows 10 Build 10122 being released in the fast ring of Windows Insiders in a matter of hours, look for further refinements as Windows 10 gets closer to being ready for RTM. Stay tuned to WinBeta for more announcements as Build 10122 goes out to Windows Insiders.
Every year, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates puts together a list of books that he enjoyed reading, and suggests you read them as well. It’s that time of year again, and his new list has recently been revealed.
In case you were wondering, no, they’re not tech-related, but they do seem interesting nonetheless. Gates tried to include more books that are “beach friendly” on his list this time, books that are lighter to read. Check out the video below to see Bill Gates briefly describe each of the books, or read his comments on them which he posted on GatesNotes.com.
“When I stumbled across this book on the Internet, I thought it might be a worthwhile read. I had no idea what a pleasure reading it would be. Biss, an essayist and university lecturer, examines what lies behind people’s fears of vaccinating their children… This is a thoughtful and beautifully written book about a very important topic.” – Bill Gates
“The richer the world gets, the more meat it eats. And the more meat it eats, the bigger the threat to the planet. How do we square this circle? Vaclav Smil takes his usual clear-eyed view of the whole landscape, from meat’s role in human evolution to hard questions about animal cruelty.”
“I enjoyed it so much that it was one of a handful of books I recommended to everyone at TED this year. It was first published in 1954, but aside from a few anachronistic examples (it has been a long time since bread cost 5 cents a loaf in the United States), it doesn’t feel dated. One chapter shows you how visuals can be used to exaggerate trends and give distorted comparisons—a timely reminder, given how often infographics show up in your Facebook and Twitter feeds these days.”
“People write Munroe with questions that range over all fields of science: physics, chemistry, biology. Questions like, “From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground?” (The answer, it turns out, is “high enough that it would disintegrate before it hit the ground.”) Munroe’s explanations are funny, but the science underpinning his answers is very accurate. It’s an entertaining read, and you’ll also learn a bit about things like ballistics, DNA, the oceans, the atmosphere, and lightning along the way.”
“The book, based on Brosh’s wildly popular website, consists of brief vignettes and comic drawings about her young life. The adventures she recounts are mostly inside her head, where we hear and see the kind of inner thoughts most of us are too timid to let out in public. You will rip through it in three hours, tops. But you’ll wish it went on longer, because it’s funny and smart as hell. I must have interrupted Melinda a dozen times to read to her passages that made me laugh out loud.”
“It’s an engaging, well-illustrated science textbook offering compelling answers to big questions, like “how did the universe form?” and “what causes earthquakes?” It’s also a plea for readers of all ages to approach mysteries with rigor and curiosity. Dawkins’s antagonistic (and, to me, overzealous) view of religion has earned him a lot of angry critics, but I consider him to be one of the great scientific writer/explainers of all time.”
“A collection of posts from Munroe’s blog XKCD, which is made up of cartoons he draws making fun of things—mostly scientists and computers, but lots of other things too. There’s one about scientists holding a press conference to reveal their discovery that life is arsenic-based. They research press conferences and find out that sometimes it’s good to serve food that’s related to the subject of the conference. The last panel is all the reporters dead on the floor because they ate arsenic. It’s that kind of humor, which not everybody loves, but I do.”
If you enjoy reading, or you just want to know what types of books a Microsoft co-founder enjoys reading, check out the books on the list above.
Solitaire, the popular card game, was pre-installed with almost every version Windows operating system, except Windows 8. Did you know that it has been 25 long years since the game first debuted on the platform? To celebrate the silver jubilee of the game, Microsoft has organized a tournament.
The tournament will internally kick off amongst Microsoft employees today. The players who will lead the internal tournament will go one-on-one against the public in a 25th Anniversary Tournament which will kick off on June 5th and will be hosted within the game.
The tournament will feature games from FreeCell to Spider — actually most of the card games which came out with the operating system. It will be interesting to see if the folks at Microsoft have what it takes to defeat the public.
If you don’t have the game installed, head over to the Windows/Windows Phone Store to download the game and take part in the tournament.
OneDrive for Business has received a couple of updates making it easier to manage email attachments and files. An Office Blog post outlines the complete list of changes. Employees receive a massive amount of emails, there is no doubt about that. Many emails include attachments and the update to OneDrive for Business allows those attachments to be saved in a folder on the cloud. When the emails are saved they are placed in a folder labeled ‘Email attachments’ but can be moved freely after they’re saved. This feature was already available for OneDrive but now has been added to OneDrive for business.
Sending large files over email can be a hassle. Microsoft wants to combat the time consumption and hassle of emailing large files by having users and businesses upload their files to the cloud. The Outlook Web App has been updated to tell you if you’re trying to send an email that’s bigger than your companies’ message size limit. After it lets you know that it’s a large file, it suggests uploading it to OneDrive for Business.
These aren’t large changes but they do make it easier to keep things sorted. Losing a work file can create problems so anything to ensure they get to where they should is a plus.
Moving data and processes into the cloud has proven incredibly advantageous for many companies’ operations. That is unless the cloud proves to not be safe. Having a safe and secure cloud is especially important for companies entrusted by their customers to hold large amounts of very sensitive information.
To this end, Microsoft researchers have created a new technology for adding an extra layer of security in the cloud for such companies. It is called Verifiable Confidential Cloud Computing, or VC3. The main idea of it is to keep as data encrypted as much as possible when it is in the cloud. VC3 does this by storing encrypted data in a virtual lockbox that can only be accessed with secure hardware managed by VC3.
Microsoft explains on its blog how it would work with this example:
“Let’s say a financial services company wants to access a number of clients’ personal financial records to make a complex series of calculations in the cloud… To make the calculations, the client’s data is loaded into the secure hardware in the cloud, where the data is decrypted, processed and re-encrypted.
No one else – including the people who work at the company running the cloud-based service – can see or access the data. That ensures that the data is secure even if the provider has a bad actor in its own ranks, or if someone else has managed to gain access to the provider’s system.
It also guarantees that no one else could get in and manipulate the results of the calculations, saving the company and its clients from any possibility of financial damage.”
The announcement of VC3 by Microsoft Researchers took place Monday at the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Symposium on Security and Privacy in San Jose, California.
Microsoft researchers are also making a number of other papers available today in addition to their announcement of VC3. They include a research on Transport Layer Security, verifiable computation, privacy concerns in 3D web browsing, and other security issues.
We recently gave you a peek at Windows 10 build 10120, which is an unleaked and unreleased build of Windows 10 Insider Preview. We’d like to highlight one new feature that will be coming in Microsoft Edge — the ability to easily manage your history.
Currently in the latest official Insider Preview build of Windows 10 for PC (build 10074), Project Spartan does not have a history feature (see image above). Microsoft had promised that Project Spartan (officially known as Microsoft Edge) will soon have the feature in an upcoming preview build. As you can see in the images below, Microsoft has added the functionality in build 10120.
Edge will now allow you to easily manage your history, even allowing you to clear a specific website from your history or wipe the entire slate clean by clicking the “Clear all history” link. Not an earth shattering feature to see in a browser, but it is surely appreciated to have the option to remove a specific link from your history.
We’re expecting this little feature to be in the next Windows 10 build for Windows Insiders. What convenient features would you like to see in Edge in order to convince you to switch from Chrome or Firefox? Let us know in the comments below.
Hello again and welcome to another edition of our weekly Winbeta Podcast. This week we demoed Build 10120 live and discussed the top Microsoft news from throughout the week including mouse and keyboard support on Windows 10 mobile, interactive live tiles, Windows 10 editions including Windows 10 Mobile, and and if the Surface Pro 4 needs a Skylake chip to succeed.
We broadcast the podcast live each Friday at 3PM EDT and then put up the video and audio the following Saturday. You can listen to us on SoundCloud, iTunes, and other podcast apps, or watch our video on Youtube. We’ve also embedded the SoundCloud audio and Youtube video below.
Make sure to tune in live to join in on the comments and questions and answers after the show. We have a growing set of regular live listeners and want you to join in on the fun.
When Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will be offered as a free upgrade to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, the company also mentioned that the offer will also be given to those running a pirated/unlicensed/non-genuine version of Windows.
This of course was upsetting, particularly to those who actually paid for a Windows license. Microsoft then clarified that while all Windows 7 and 8 users will be eligible for the Windows 10 upgrade, those with non-genuine copies will not get genuine Windows 10, and will still have to purchase a license to activate it.
Today, in a recent blog post, Microsoft provided a bit more clarification. The software giant claims that the decision to upgrade non-genuine licenses to Windows 10 for free was made for the benefit of the platform as a whole.
“Bringing all of our customers to Windows 10 improves the ecosystem for developers which makes Windows better for all of our customers. We are working hard to make the in-place upgrade experience from Windows 7 or Windows 8, to Windows 10, seamless for the customer.”
Microsoft however indicated that those upgrading for a non-genuine license will see a desktop watermark in Windows 10 notifying users of their current license state. This is also done to prevent retailers from selling machines with non-genuine Windows installed.
“When we can’t verify that Windows is properly installed, licensed, and not tampered with, we create a desktop watermark to notify the user. If you ever encounter this watermark on a new machine, I encourage you to return the device immediately to the retailer from whom you purchased it and request a Genuine Windows device.”
The company also warns of the risks of using non-genuine versions of Windows, as users may face an increased risk of malware, fraud, hacks and public exposure of personal information, declining system performance and broken features. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn’t clarify if there are plans to implement any feature limitations as Windows 10 is still in development.
We’ll hopefully learn more on this as Windows 10 nears launch. Stay tuned to WinBeta for more and let us know what limitations you think Microsoft should implement in non-genuine Windows 10 in the comments below.
Windows 10 build 10120 includes a number of new features in Edge (Spartan) which make the user-experience a lot nicer. Edge finally has a ‘New Tab’ page which allows easy access to the latest news and top websites. This brings back functionality found in IE’s ‘new tab’ page, except this time the UI is a lot more sexy.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the new UI is very modern, matching that of the rest of the operating system. There’s a search box which also acts as an address bar, meaning you can type a website URL into it and be taken straight there. Below that is your top sites, which is essentially identical to your most frequent sites on IE. In Edge however, if a website has an app in the Windows Store, you’ll be offered a link straight to their app too.
Below that you get the latest news, top apps in the Windows Store and the weather. Overall, this is an excellent UI for Edge and one I think will do users good. Of couse, if you don’t like the new tab UI you can turn it off and have it go to a blank page instead, so options are there.
Although Windows Insiders are still running build 10074, Microsoft continues to compile new builds everyday with new features and changes. WinBeta has managed to get their hands on Windows 10 build 10120, and can showcase a number of new changes and features.
Build 10120 includes a bunch of new changes to Spartan (Edge), as it now includes a working New Tab page and inPrivate mode! Cortana has also been updated in this build to sport the new dark theme.
Check out the video above and let us know what you think of these new changes.
It’s been a while since Microsoft released a new build for Windows 10 (build 10074) with the operating system set to launch “this summer.” Not too long ago, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore shared some information regarding the launch of the Windows 10, saying that some of the features are mostly done and are a work-in-progress.
Earlier today, the folks at ITHome revealed a number of screenshots of the Windows 10 build 10123 which shows a handful of changes and improvements which will be on board. The leaked build will apparently come with a number of improvements and changes to Microsoft Edge browser, including InPrivate browsing feature which is already available in all major browsers, as well as the ability to save passwords and forms as it’s basically a necessity for most internet users, especially when you don’t have password manager extensions — at the moment. Furthermore, users will be able to customize the sites they want to open as soon as they open the browser such as top sites, etc.
Windows Update will also apparently get a deferred update feature to allow business users to get the updates on their machines at a specific time, without the need of turning off the feature completely. Microsoft’s personal digital assistant Cortana also received a few improvements, including a new Feedback option to allow users to offer their suggestions to the Windows team with a few simple clicks.
There are several other improvements to Start Screen, Start Menu, as well as the return of the popular Backup and Restore feature which was present in Windows 7 is now back in the latest build. You can check out the complete list of leaked screenshots and features at ITHome, and let us know about your thoughts.
We’ll update you as soon as the build is seeded to Windows Insiders.
If you have issues with your Windows 8.1 tablet and it signs you out of applications then you came to the right place. After following the tutorial in this article you will manage to fix your tablet and be able to verify your device normally as you did in the past using the Windows 8.1 operating system.
Usually the verification procedure stops responding after you do a system refresh or an update to the Windows 8.1 operating system but the steps you need to do in this article are as simple as they can get. Basically we will start by doing a verification procedure using the Windows 8.1 system settings and if this does not solve your issue we will also switch from the live account you use to the local account and back again.
Tutorial on how to solve your tablet verify device feature in Windows 8.1
First Step:
Move the mouse cursor over to the upper left side of the screen.
from the menu that appears left click or tap on the “Settings” feature.
From the Settings sub menu left click or tap on the PC settings feature.
Now left click or tap on the “Accounts” option you have in the menu.
Find and left click or tap on the “Verify” button you get in the Accounts window you opened.
In the lower left side of this window you will need to find and left click or tap on the “Cancel update” feature.
You should now have a new email address you have set as a backup in front of you.
Left click or tap on the “OK” button to proceed.
Now go and log in to the email you had as a backup in the previous email.
Copy and paste the code you get on your email into the verification window in Windows 8.1.
Now after you successfully verified the account please reboot the operating system.
After the device starts check again if you can log in to your applications normally.
Second Step:
Left click again on the PC settings feature you accessed in the step above.
Left click or tap on the “Accounts” feature to open it.
Now you will need to find and left click or tap on the “Disconnect” button.
From here you will need to change your account status to “Local”.
In this next window write the email address from your Windows Apps.
Now write in again the email and the password.
If another email address appears as a backup you can leave it like this and left click or tap on the “OK” button.
Now the activation code should be send to your email address.
Please log in to your email address and copy the code to this window.
After you successfully made the activation reboot again the operating system.
Check again to see if you can normally log in to your accounts in Windows 8.1
And you are done, if you carefully followed the steps above you will have manage to fix your accounts in Windows 8.1 and get back to your normals day work. If you do run into any more issues along the way in this tutorial please write us in the comments section of the page below and me or my colleagues will help you further as soon as possible.
Earlier today, Microsoft officially released a new build for Windows 10 Mobile (build 10080). Now, screenshots of Windows 10 for desktop build 10120 have leaked onto the internet. While nothing appears to be drastically different compared to previous builds, Windows 10 build 10120 comes with a few new improvements.
According to a leaked change log for build 10120, the Music Preview and Video Preview apps have been replaced with new Music and Video apps. These two apps are now the default file handlers for associated media file types. Microsoft has also removed the Reading List app, but no immediate explanation was given.
Windows Reader app is no longer automatically installed on Windows 10, since Microsoft Edge is now the default PDF viewer. However, those interested can download the Windows Reader app from the Windows Store.
No other noteworthy changes were listed for this build. Check out the screenshots below and stay tuned for more information on this particular build.
Earlier this month, a leaked brochure suggested LG is planning to make a comeback in the Windows Phone market by launching a Windows Phone on none other than the Big Red — Verizon Wireless. The rumor hinted at the launch of the handset on May 21st, but it seems the company doesn’t want to wait that long.
Verizon has started selling the LG Lancet handset for $69.99 on a two-year contract with the carrier. Those of you who don’t want to enter into a long two-year commitment can grab it for just $120 off-contract, which is dirt cheap if you ask me. The Big Red is also offering the handset on its Verizon Edge plan for $5 a month.
The handset doesn’t come with eye-popping specifications, and is yet another device carrying low-end specifications. There’s a 4.5-inch display with a 480 by 854 pixels resolution, a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor clocked at 1.2 Ghz, 8GB of storage and a microSD card slot for expansion. The LG Lancet also comes with an 8MP camera for photos and videos, 2,100 mAh battery and runs Windows Phone 8.1 as its operating system out of the box.
Yesterday we reported that Skype Translator Preview is now available in the Microsoft store without requiring signing up. The idea that people can communicate between multiple languages in real time is amazing and has been portrayed in science fiction for years. I took the chance to Skype with my friend Cesar who is fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish to see how good Skype Translator Preview is right now.
An important disclaimer is that this is a preview software and it won’t be finished for a long time. That being said Skype Translator Preview does an impressive job at translating spoken words and does an even better job at translating typed words. It is more than rough around the edges but it easily makes Cesar’s Italian, which I understand 0% of, into understandable paragraphs that give me the gist of what he’s saying.
If Skype messaging is integrated with text messaging in Windows 10 as many hope then I would like to see Skype translation included as well. It would be great to text message your friends and have it translate things instantly. It still isn’t perfect but it’s very solid, especially in comparison to the new voice translation.
When you speak it translates what you’re saying in text boxes on the right-hand side of the screen. You can see it translating based on context when Cesar starts a sentence with ‘por qué’ and it changes it from ‘why’ to ‘because’ due to the context of his sentence.
The translation is far from perfect but at this early stage that’s to be expected. Cesar and I had some funny run-ins where Skype thought someone had an issue with a Spaniard and another talking about him dating people over the summer. Where the preview is now, it’s more fun to just laugh at the mistakes it needs to make to learn and marvel at the fact that this technology works at all.
There’s a long disclaimer at the beginning of any call made through Skype Translator Preview because it records your preview conversations at the moment to improve future translations.
Skype Translator Preview is looking for you to speak the language you enter in so things like names and proper nouns still confuse it. Also, if you speak Spanglish or rapidly switch between languages, this isn’t for you right now because it will try to translate your words as if they were whatever language you have selected.
Switching between languages is fairly easy. There’s a switch that you click and drag to turn translation on or off before you make a Skype call and you can easily change the settings to customize who is speaking and writing in each language.
Overall this is an amazing technology. If this technology continues to be refined and is integrated with other technologies it will revolutionize communication. Imagine having a HoloLens that automatically translates people’s speech when you’re with them face to face.
Cesar and I joked about the mistakes it made but also both pointed out that this is a great technology that’s just starting off. There are many uses for this in the future. We may be a few more years off from the Babel Fish but Skype Translator Preview is making leaps and bounds towards it.
Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the different editions of Windows 10, along with a new statistic. There are now over 3.9 million Windows Insiders participating in the Windows Insider Program. Back in May 1st, Microsoft revealed that there were 3.7 million participants, adding 200,000 new testers in less than 2 weeks!
“Customers will continue to help us create Windows 10 even after this summer’s initial release, thanks to the 3.9 million and growing Windows Insiders who are helping us build and test Windows 10. We are grateful for this invaluable feedback that is helping us offer the best Windows ever – for businesses and consumers – across all devices. You, too, can join the Windows Insider Program today and begin experiencing Windows 10,” Microsoft said in an official blog post.
The Windows Insider program will continue after Windows 10 is released, which Microsoft confirmed not too long ago. If you haven’t already done so, join the program right here.
As competition in the cloud and mobile computing continues to increase, Microsoft is hoping to have Windows 10 power the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. To this effort, the company has announced new support for bringing Node.js (an open source, cross platform runtime environment for server-side and networking applications) to the Windows 10 IoT Core Insider Preview.
Two weeks ago at their Build Conference, Microsoft announced the availability the Windows 10 Internet of Things (IoT) Core Insider Preview and promised coming tools and support for developers. In the official Microsoft blog Building Apps for Windows, Arunesh Chandra and Gaurav Seth on the Chakra team detail that support for Node.js and go on to say:
“There is an emerging trend of developers using Node.js for IoT scenarios, and we want to meet developers where they’re at and provide them the tools they need to be successful on the Windows 10 IoT Core platform.”
This is just the latest example of the new, flexible and more open minded Microsoft that wants to empower developers to build universal apps that work across all platforms through the cloud. Of course, there are huge advantages to Microsoft for making it easy as possible to build universal applications on Windows 10 and Windows 10 IoT Core. If Windows 10 is powering the majority of IoT then that is a large growth opportunity for their Cloud Computing division among others.
The team further states on their blog saying in the coming weeks and months more Node.js scenarios will be enabled and they look forward to receiving feedback from and working with developers to continue making Node.js on Windows as strong as possible.
To see the details on how to get started with Node.js development on your Windows IoT Core Insider Preview click the link below to read the fully detailed technical information and get links to further support pages.
It is no real secret that the world of technology has changed quite a lot over the last decade. Desktop PCs, candy-bar phones and a nascent web have been replaced with a vast digital culture, smartphones and a plethora of different computing options to suit every taste.
Given this seismic shift, some things were bound to change; now it is Apple that leads the way in the tech world, followed by Samsung. The fruity firm is now the most valuable company in recorded history as reported by Forbes, while Samsung nips at its heels. Google is making in-roads to every area of technology imaginable, while the likes of Uber and Facebook bring up the rear-guard, eager to take the place of any who falter.
In this mix sits Microsoft, third in the company of true giants. With Windows 10 on the way, hundreds of millions of Windows devices in use every day and a resurgent cloud sector; and yet everything is not well at Redmond. As Android and iOS dominate its mobile offerings, and as more and more consumers abandon the traditional computer set-up it is difficult to see how much success Microsoft will enjoy as it attempts to find a new direction for itself.
Under Satya Nadella, the firm has been seen as taking a bold new direction, moving away from the business model that sustained it so well throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and yet many see this as over due. Perhaps the surest sign yet of the death of the ‘old’ Microsoft is the news that Windows 10 will be the ‘last’ version of Windows. That is to say, the operating system, which with the company is synonymous, will become something more akin to Android or iOS, receiving iterations rather than revolutions.
Yet, with Samsung going through something of a rocky period, and with other players experiencing troubles also, there is still hope yet that Microsoft might one day reclaim the top spot.
Do you think Microsoft has what it takes to get back on top? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Education is an area Microsoft is highly passionate about. The company strives improve the state of education using technology that actually works, technology that has proven itself in the field.
The latest of Microsoft’s efforts is a partnership with the El Paso Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. The two parties have worked closely together to determine the technological needs of the school district and the right products and services for them.
As a result, the El Paso Independent School District launched the ‘Power Up’ initiative, agreeing to acquire over 20,000 Windows 8.1-powered HP Stream laptops for both students and teachers. Additionally, every student and teacher will also get access to the Office 365 which comes with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote among other productivity tools. For a school where 80 percent of the students rely on free or reduced-price lunches, this is a big deal.
“The program started with a philosophy of transformed learning in El Paso classrooms, including project-based learning, flipped classrooms and ubiquitous collaboration. Student devices were needed to make this happen” – Microsoft
Students and teachers can now work digitally and students can start learning and getting used to technology that they will likely encounter in their future careers. Because of price concerns, the school district initially considered going with Google Chromebooks instead, only to discover that those device are difficult to manage, and that the management console costs actually make Chromebooks more expensive than Windows-based devices. That’s beside the fact that Chromebook only offer non-native Office applications that aren’t as robust as Office 365.
Now that every student will be equipped with a Windows device, the school has also opted to create and distribute cloud-based digital textbooks. This allows teachers to ensure that information in those textbooks are always up-to-date, as digital textbooks are easy to update. E-textbooks can also be translated to Spanish on the fly, which is important and immensely helpful in a city that is 90% Hispanic. The district will also be offering basic computer classes to parents so that they are better equipped to help their children with digital homework.
“The early results of El Paso’s digital transition are promising, but they go beyond the school to the community itself.”
Although we live in a digital age, many schools don’t. Initiatives like Power Up give students a foundation to build on, providing them with the basic tech literacy that will certainly help them land better jobs when they graduate. We hope to see more schools follow suit in the near future.
If you had previously been interested in Skype Translator when it was first announced as a preview program back in December, but didn’t sign up or never got off the waitlist, there is good news for you.
Today, the team at Skype removed the sign-up process to participate in the preview and Skype Translator is now available for anyone to download from the Windows Store. In this preview Skype will translate spoken language in English, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin, and will translate text in 50 languages.
The announcement was made on Skype’s Garage and Updates blog where they also demonstrate an impactful use case of Skype Translator from a non-profit development organization based in New York that provides financial, health and human development services to women in Latin America. If you’re interested in giving the preview a try click the link below and download the Skype Translator from the Windows Store.
Microsoft has taken another step towards providing a one stop shop for entertainment and media across Windows devices. A tip via Twitter from Super User points out that a ‘Music’ tab has been added to the beta version of the Store in Windows 10 build 10074. That version of the store also has tabs for apps, games, and Movies & TV.
It’s a logical step for Microsoft as they already added Movies & TV bringing the worlds of media and apps and games together. Hopefully in an upcoming build we’ll get a look at the page up and running.
During the Build 2015 developer conference at the beginning of this month, Microsoft showcased a new feature for the Windows 10 Start Menu called “Smart Suggestions” or what we like to call “app suggestions.” Basically, it’s a small section that appears just above the File Explorer, Settings, and Power shortcuts. If you haven’t installed an app in a while, a suggested app will appear based on your download and use history. Otherwise, your recently installed app will appear in that area.
Immediate reaction to this “feature” was negative including comments such as “This is terribly distracting. Ads belong in the store, not in Start!” and “It’s Ads. Nothing more. Pass. Hope it can be turned off.” Thankfully, it looks like you can turn off Smart Suggestions, as evident in the unreleased and unleaked Windows 10 build 10114 (watch our exclusive hands-on video of this build here).
In the personalization category of the Settings app, it appears you will have the ability to enable or disable Smart Suggestions (the very first option in the image above). Although currently in build 10114 the option is unavailable. Microsoft has added several Start options for those who prefer to use the full-screen Start, or have the ability to customize what appears on their Start Menu.
Are you open to having Smart Suggestions on your Start Menu or do you feel it is blatant advertising of apps? It seems like Microsoft is trying to tie in the Windows Store somehow, but consumers may frown upon it. Developers, on the other hand, would get a considerable amount of attention if their app was featured on Start Menus across the world. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
This past week, Microsoft held the Ignite conference in Chicago and we were live at the event. Microsoft showcased several key features of Windows 10 during the event, including Windows Hello and Continuum. Let’s quickly recap these two important features that are set to arrive in Windows 10.
Microsoft has been beefing up Windows 10 with enterprise-grade security, making sure that both consumers and enterprises are always protected from threats. The software giant also introduced Windows Hello earlier this year in an effort to let users seamlessly, and securely log in to their PCs utilizing either fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris. If you missed the hands-on demo of Windows Hello, you can watch it below.
Continuum is the notion that one computing experience is continued regardless of the device used or the location. It allows for a consistent user interface, a familiar style of operation for the user to become accustomed to. This is a new feature set to arrive with Windows 10. The idea being Continuum is simple — consumers should be able to easily transform their use of a device into mobile scenarios that give up no compromises in their use of input devices or screen size. Basically, connecting a Windows 10 mobile device to a larger screen allows you to utilize your phone as a PC. Check out the hands-on demo of Continuum below, taking place during the Ignite conference.
Both Windows Hello and Continuum show a lot of promise, and will definitely be useful for the enterprise sector if they choose to adopt it. Do you think Windows Hello or Continuum will be two useful features for consumers or will consumers ignore it? Let us know in the comments below.
Another week of Windows 10 news in the bag. This week kicked off with WinBeta giving its readers an exclusive first look at Windows 10 build 10108. Build 10108 is pretty much building off the foundations which are found in 10074, so there aren’t many new changes. The changes which are new though are appreciated. First up, the 3D Live Tile animation is now a lot smoother, and looks like what was seen at the BUILD and Ignite demos.
Also this week, Microsoft confirmed that the Windows Insider Program would indeed continue after the RTM of Windows 10. this is definitely an exciting news for all those users who are interested in testing the pre-release software from the company, and help it improve. As for Windows 10, it’s expected to see the light of the day later this summer, but initially for desktop. Windows 10 for phones may get a little delayed, but we’re hopeful it will be worth the wait.
Microsoft also explained how Windows 10 is the last version of Windows this week. The last version of Windows… what does that mean? It means that from now on, Windows is going to be built in such a way that it can be continuously updated – in other words, a service. For example, by separating out many of the features into their own apps, Microsoft can update each piece with bug fixes or feature requests from its users.
The Windows 10 Beta Store received a major update this week which introduced an improved UI and more. The update brings a number of new features and performance tweaks to offer a better user experience. If you’re running Windows 10 build 10074, you should have the update by now, and may notice several performance improvements. There’s also an option to toggle automatic app updates so you don’t have to manually do it every time an app receives an update.
Finally this week, WinBeta showed you the new changes in build 10114. The Start Menu has been updated, moving File Explorer and Settings to the bottom of the apps list, there’s also a new Start tab in Settings and the Insider Hub has received a major update.
So there you have it, another week of Windows 10 news done and dusted. What was your favorite story?
Welcome to our latest episode of our WinBeta Podcast. This week we discuss Windows 10 being the last version of Windows and its staggered launch, Edge’s logo and features, Microsoft not being allowed to trademark ‘Skype’ in the EU, and more news.
We also discuss our favorite shirts from the Microsoft Merchandise store, if you should marry people based on their phone preference, and on naming your children after Windows products.
With Ignite this week and news from last week’s Build conference still being digested and clarified there’s plenty for us to discuss. We broadcast the podcast live each Friday at 3PM EDT- that’s 8PM for our neighbors in the UK- and then put up the video and audio the following Saturday. You can listen to us on SoundCloud, iTunes, and other podcast apps, or watch our video on Youtube. We’ve also embedded the SoundCloud audio and Youtube video below.
Make sure to tune in live to join in on the comments and questions and answers after the show. We have a growing set of regular live listeners and want you to join in on the fun.
When Microsoft bought Nokia’s hardware division they picked up a number of Nokia branded brick and mortar stores. Now that Microsoft has begun rebranding Nokia Lumia’s with the Microsoft logo, the same is happening to these retail stores. The stores were closed for rebranding and are now being reopened as Microsoft Authorized Reseller stores. Some readers may be surprised to hear of Nokia specific stores because the stores were not in the US and were mainly in countries where the Nokia brand was big such as Brazil and Malaysia.
In order to compete well with other big names in tech like Google, Amazon, and Apple, Microsoft needs to have a presence in the retail space. These stores give Microsoft a direct line to customers across the world and in places where there were previously no Microsoft stores. Windows Phones and some Windows devices have gotten a bad name in wireless carrier stores or electronics retailers. These physical stores enable Microsoft to show consumers what their products can do and how they can be used to their maximum potential. With Windows 10 coming soon, it will also be important for potential customers to be reassured they won’t be left in the dark with updates or new features.
Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced the Windows 10 Beta store which comes as a unified place where people can find everything, be it games, apps, movies, etc. The new store offers a robust experience, and a simplified user interface compared to Windows 8.
If you’re running the Windows 10 Technical Preview, you be glad to find out Microsoft is rolling out an update for Windows 10 Beta Store. The update brings a number of new features and performance tweaks to offer a better user experience. If you’re running Windows 10 build 10074, you should have the update by now, and may notice several performance improvements. There’s also an option to toggle automatic app updates so you don’t have to manually do it every time an app receives an update.
Furthermore, the update also brings a “My Library” feature which shows you all your purchased apps and content from the Windows Store. It’s good to see that Microsoft is taking its time to offer more features and improvements to Windows Insiders.
PC shipments continue to decline for the first quarter of 2015, as per a report from IDC, with a year-on-year decline of 6.7 percent with the worldwide PC shipments totaling 68.5 million units.
Recently, Nvidia said that the PC market is experiencing slow sales ahead of Windows 10 launch later this year. There’s no exact availability date to come out from the Redmond-based company except a summer launch. Microsoft said Windows 10 for desktop should launch by summer, with reports hinting at a July launch.
“We see a very soft market going into Q2,” said Colette Kress, the chief financial officer of Nvidia, in a call with analysts after the company reported its first-fiscal quarter earnings.
Analysts have a different opinion though, but it goes with what Nvidia had to say. As we all know, Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 users, but that’s going to increase its market share for existing PCs. Analyst Patrick Moorhead believes that market will have to wait for the holiday season to see the effect of Microsoft’s latest operating system on PC shipments, which is true in its own sense as the operating system still has a lot of bugs and issues which needs to be tackled before its general availability.
Analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said, “Many expected the full force of Windows 10 to hit for the back-to-school selling season, but that’s not going to happen. Sure, users will be able to download upgrades for the Windows 7 and Windows 8 PC installed base, but that won’t positively impact new PC sales for back-to-school. The market will have to wait until the holiday selling season begins to see the Windows 10 effect. Microsoft just wasn’t ready with a high-quality enough OS version to meet the time frames of OEM pre-builds of HP, Dell or Lenovo.”
It would be interesting to see how the market reacts to Windows 10, but as for new PC sales, it’s going to take some time. what do you think?
According to a new report, Microsoft is not planning to place a bid for the cloud software company Salesforce, two people familiar with the matter said. Earlier this week, a report from Bloomberg hinted that Microsoft may pursue a bid for the software company as it’s considered a competitor for the company’s Office 365 productivity suite. The previous report mentioned that there are no talks going on between the two companies, but Microsoft is a potential bidder if the company goes on sale.
The report says,
“Microsoft Corp currently is not weighing an offer for Salesforce.com Inc (CRM.N), two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, dampening speculation that Microsoft could be drawn into bidding for the cloud software company.”
One of the persons said that Microsoft considers the market valuation of the software firm to be quite expensive, which could be one of the reasons why it is not planning to place a bid. However, things may change in the long run and Microsoft may change its mind about the acquisiton.
Salesforce is becoming a popular company with a market capitalization of $49 billion, making it an expensive company to acquire. In the past 12 months, the company’s share rose by 48 percent.
Windows has historically seen major, monolithic releases every few years, a system of development that was born decades ago. As we’ve known for some time, of course, all of that is changing, and the words of developer evangelist Jerry Nixon bear that out. He had this to say during the Ignite conference (spotted via The Verge):
“Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10.”
The last version of Windows… what does that mean? It means that from now on, Windows is going to be built in such a way that it can be continuously updated – in other words, a service. For example, by separating out many of the features into their own apps, Microsoft can update each piece with bug fixes or feature requests from its users.
If that were all there is to it, then it might not feel like such a massive change. After all, Windows 8 was similarly modularized, and the possibility of frequent updates never really materialized. Core apps including Mail, People, Calendar, and Maps were rarely updated, usually without any particularly noteworthy features. But this time around, they’re publicly talking about this notion of Windows as a service. And there have been whispers of a future update codenamed Redstone. When you consider that a shift has occurred in the entire manner in which Windows is perceived at Microsoft, it becomes evident that this is a path that diverts tremendously from the past. This is not the old Windows with a modern side bolted on anymore. This is a new trajectory.
Ironically, this concept of constant app-style updates speaks to the decreasing importance of the operating system itself. The average person doesn’t know or care what version of Android his phone has; all he wants to know is whether he can run Skype or get the latest content for a game. And none of these types of scenarios require an OS update. Similarly, the idea that people should care about the version of Windows they’re running is an antiquated one, and in need of adjustment.
We still don’t know how Microsoft plans to monetize this so-called Windows as a service, or what options consumers will have after the year-long free upgrade period ends. In any case, it’s not going to follow the traditional model. Exciting times, indeed.
The Surface Pro 3 was released last year to generally positive reviews, and many felt that by this third iteration, that Microsoft had really begun to hit its stride. Now they’ve made its little brother available, no doubt hoping to repeat that success.
Coinciding with consumer availability is a new 30 second TV ad aimed squarely at college-bound high school seniors, who will be graduating in just over a month. “Been wanting a Surface?” it begins, then proceeds to show someone (presumably a student) working on a drawing in OneNote, watching a movie, and playing Halo: Spartan Assault.
The advertisement is mostly your standard fare for the tablet line, but will perhaps resonate with more than a few cash-strapped students, considering that the Surface 3 is the first non-Pro version with the ability to run the entire range of Windows programs. The Pro 3, while undeniably beautiful and interesting, has always lived in a price range that put it out of most students’ reach.
The new advertisement is also viewable on the official Surface YouTube Channel. Check it out above and let us know how effective you think the commercial is in the comments section below.
In an attempt to make large email migrations easier, Microsoft is launching the Office 365 Import Service, which aims to speed up the process of importing PST files into Exchange Online mailboxes. “We are thrilled to announce the public preview of the new Office 365 Import Service, which provides two new options for speeding up the process of importing PST files into Exchange Online mailboxes,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post. Check out the two new options:
Option 1: For smaller sets of data, you can utilize network uploads of PST files to Microsoft servers, which will then be imported into Exchange Online mailboxes.
Option 2: For larger datasets, you can copy PST archive files onto hard drives and mail them directly to Microsoft datacenters. Once received, the PST files are copied to internal servers and then imported into Exchange Online mailboxes.
So how do you get started? Log into Office 365 admin center and click the Import tab on the left-hand side. From there, you can choose one of the two options mentioned above. Give it a try and let us know if you like it!
In the latest unreleased build of Windows 10, Microsoft has updated the toggle switches, which has been greeted with mixed feelings by our readers in various areas of our site. Windows 10 build 10108 (watch our exclusive hands-on here) features an updated toggle switch design — when you switch an option to the on position, the toggle switch is given a background color that matches your Windows theme color scheme (green in the above example).
Not only is there a new background color, but the toggle switch itself has been changed from a pill to a small circle. Check out the image above showcasing the updated toggle switch. Keep in mind that this design can change by the time Windows 10 is finalized and released this summer. Do you like this new change or do you disagree with Microsoft’s design behavior? Vote in our poll below and share your thoughts in the comments below.
As the saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Lenovo is putting that idiom to the test. According to a report by the BBC a “massive security risk” of Lenovo devices has been found by researchers. This news comes only months after the ‘superfish’ news in which preinstalled adware created security issues.
There are a number of security flaws that were uncovered by IOActive. First, according to the researchers attackers could “bypass signature validation checks and replace trusted Lenovo applications with malicious applications.” This would allow people to hack a public Wi-Fi network and “exploit this to swap Lenovo’s executables with a malicious executable.” These are often referred to as “coffee shop attacks.”
Second, people could utilize the security flaw to “gain elevated permissions.” In the report they state that
“A local attacker could exploit this to perform a local privilege escalation by waiting for the System Update to verify the signature of the executable, and then swapping out the executable with a malicious version before the System Update is able to run the executable. When the System Update gets around to running the executable, it will run the malicious version, thinking it was the executable that it had already verified.”
These security flaws stem from the fact that “The Lenovo System Update allows least privileged users to perform system updates.” This means that attackers can act as if they were a privileged user and perform system updates.
There is a bit of good news to all of this. There has been a patch released to fix these reported issues. IOActive discovered reported the issues to Lenovo in February and a patch to fix them was released on April 3, 2015.
This is another blow to the integrity and security of Lenovo. It will be interesting to see how repeated security risks affect their bottom line.
With the apathetic nature people take towards the nefarious invasions of privacy, sometimes it seems odd when people express paranoia over volunteered information on the internet. Such is the case with users of recent internet craze, How-Old.net. The photo analysis website associated with Microsoft is garnering some concerns over whether or not photos volunteered by users during the age-based analysis are being kept by Microsoft. While the home page disclaimer for How-Old.net is clearly labeled, “P.S. We don’t keep the photo,” the ToS for the appear slightly different.
“By posting, uploading, inputting, providing, or submitting your Submission, you are granting Microsoft, its affiliated companies, and necessary sublicensees permission to use your Submission in connection with the operation of their Internet businesses (including, without limitation, all Microsoft services), including, without limitation, the license rights to: copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate, and reformat your Submission; to publish your name in connection with your Submission; and to sublicense such rights to any supplier of the Website Services.”
Without the explicit “we don’t keep photos” phrase not being in clear view, some skittish users were understandably worried about the intentions of Microsoft regarding personal photos that were submitted. Based on the vocal swell of concerns, users are concerned that without Microsoft explicitly stating they won’t keep pictures, that, in fact, the confusing ToS would allow How-Old.net to keep the photos.
However, GlobalNews is reporting that Microsoft is denying that the image guessing site maintains any photos, beyond the initial review. Microsoft further clarifies, “the tool uses the Terms of Use agreement for Microsoft Azure – the cloud service the app was built on. However, developers get to choose how their apps work, and How-Old.net’s developers chose not to store the photos uploaded to the website.” The How-Old.net developers have also stepped up to offer clearer assurances:
“While we use the terms of service very common in our industry, and similar to most other online services, we have chosen not to store or use the photos in any way other than to temporarily process them to guess your age.”
Microsoft is reportedly planning to make significant changes to Outlook.com in the coming months. According to a new report from The Verge, the software giant will apparently migrate all Outlook.com users to Office 365 later this year, and offer users with a user interface and feature set of the Outlook Web App.
As for the reason for the merger, The Verge states, “The primary reason for the migration is to ensure Microsoft’s Outlook, Exchange, and Office 365 platforms are aligned, and that means adding the consumer Outlook.com service into this mix to keep everything consistent.”
It would be interesting to see how Microsoft plans to take care of this. However, it’s not official yet so we’d recommend you take it with a pinch of salt. We’ll wait for the company to officially reveal details about this rumor.
