Yesterday, Microsoft released Windows 10 build 10061 for those of you participating in the Windows Insider Program. Unfortunately, for those of you who have the leaked build 10056 installed, you might encounter a problem when trying to update to the newer build. Sometimes the installation might fail. Fortunately, there is a solution.

Pointed out by our reader iMet in the comments section, a simply registry edit will allow Windows 10 10056 to update. We highly suggest backing up your system before tinkering with the registry. If you are missing a string, make sure to add it so it looks the same as below.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsSelfHost\Applicability]
“BranchName”=”fbl_impressive”
“ThresholdRiskLevel”=”low”
“Ring”=”WIF”
“ThresholdInternal”=dword:00000000
“ThresholdOptedin”=dword:00000001

Make this registry change and head over to the Settings app to try your update again. If it fails, give it another try. I was able to successfully install after trying a second time. Keep in mind that it may take a little while to go past the “preparing to install” phase.

Build 10061 includes a new transparent taskbar, improvements to the Start Menu and more customization options in the Settings app. We’re going to explore these new features over the next few days, so stay tuned. If you notice any new improvements, let us know in the comments below. We might just feature you in a story!

Amidst a rapidly changing market position and ownership of a massive asset like HERE Maps, Nokia has been in talks with various entities to sell that portion of the company off.  Among those interested are a consortium of German carmakers, along with Facebook and Uber, according to a German publication called Manager Magazin.

That Nokia is considering such a sale shouldn’t be surprising.  The company is undergoing a period of reinvention – not unlike Microsoft – and it certainly makes sense to see a variety of industries interested in HERE.  After all, mapping and location services play an increasingly important role in people’s lives, and it’s not hard to imagine what the aforementioned companies might do with HERE.  For example, Facebook is privy to vast amounts of data from its users.  Combined with check-in information, this could provide powerful insights to Facebook and its advertising partners.  Likewise, Uber’s ridesharing business relies on providing its drivers accurate location information, where an acquisition of HERE would seem a perfect fit.  And the consortium, which includes BMW and Audi, could more easily integrate navigation capabilities alongside their own systems, without having to deal with licensing issues.

Curiously, Microsoft isn’t mentioned as a potential buyer, even though they could also stand to benefit from this type of acquisition.  Bing Maps has incorporated HERE data for several years now, no doubt partly due to the strong hardware partnership between Microsoft and Nokia at the time.  Particularly in the case of the new maps app in current builds of Windows 10, it’s clear that the two sets of mapping data complement each other nicely.

So if licensing has been working for Microsoft thus far, why would they consider buying HERE, which is valued at more than $2 billion?  Defense.  To allow another buyer to scoop up such a valuable asset could put Microsoft’s own mapping solution on unstable footing – not desirable in an already Google-dominated landscape.

Microsoft earlier today released a new build of Windows 10 for Windows Insiders to download and begin offering feedback to Microsoft. The build in question is build 10061, and includes a heap of new changes over build 10049. If you installed 10056 when it leaked however, you’ll notice not much has changed.

Microsoft is fast approaching BUILD, in which the company is expected to show off a number of new features for the operating system, and possibly drop another Insider build to test. Keep an eye on WinBeta.org for more Windows 10 coverage coming your way.

You can check out our hands on video, which highlights all the new features, changes and bugs below.

The Lumia 930 was released back in July last year, and since then, there has been a lack of Windows Phone flagships from Microsoft. Nothing to take on recently released competing devices from the likes of Apple and Samsung, and nothing to steal the headlines.

According to recent reports, that’s all about to change as we approach the anniversary of the Lumia 930 launch. Ad hosting network AdDuplex has spotted a new device appearing in its logs which it believes is a high-end Lumia smartphone. RM-1085 supposedly features a 5.7” 1080p display and is powered by Windows 10. Not much else is known about this device unfortunately, and considering the OS it’s running, it isn’t likely to show up until Windows 10 is released, which could be in July.

We expect to hear more detailed of RM-1085 in the near future. So stay tuned, and let us know what you think the device should feature to make it stand out in the market in the comments section below. 

While many Windows Insiders are asking for esthetic implementations and consumer friendly features, enterprise users are waiting for some promises the Windows team made quite a few months ago. Back in October the Windows team shared information regarding the security and identification features that would someday make it into Windows 10. Like many of Microsoft’s ‘too-early’ announced projects, it felt like those announcements have mostly gone unattended to date. However, rather than waiting for Build to unveil this particular bit of information, the Windows team is taking this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco as an opportunity to reassess those promises.

Corporate Vice President of Trustworthy Computing, Scott Charney, spoke at today’s conference in regards to the security innovations that are coming to Windows 10. Items like Device Guard, Microsoft Passport, and Windows Hello should help enterprise cloud customers be more transparent while also giving them more control over how and where their data.

Device Guard is pretty much what it sounds like. This feature will allow organizations access to lock down devices while also offering protection against new and unknown dreaded malware. This feature also provides protection against Advance Persistent Threats (APT’s). With Device Guard enabled, users will also see the feature provide better Zero Day support for Windows by only allowing trusted apps whether the apps are found online by specific vendors or the Windows Store. IT admins can determine what is considered safe or ‘trustworthy’, while also using this tool to go back and sign previous Universal or Win32 apps that were not originally signed by software vendors. 

“To help protect users from malware, when an app is executed, Windows makes a determination on whether that app is trustworthy, and notifies the user if it is not. Device Guard can use hardware technology and virtualization to isolate that decision making function from the rest of the Windows operating system, which helps provide protection from attackers or malware that have managed to gain full system privilege. This gives it a significant advantage over traditional anti-virus and app control technologies like AppLocker, Bit9, and others which are subject to tampering by an administrator or malware. In practice, Device Guard will frequently be used in combination with traditional AV and app control technologies. Traditional AV solutions and app control technologies will be able to depend on Device Guard to help block executable and script based malware while AV will continue to cover areas that Device Guard doesn’t such as JIT based apps (e.g.: Java) and macros within documents. App control technologies can be used to define which trustworthy apps should be allowed to run on a device. In this case IT uses app control as a means to govern productivity and compliance rather than malware prevention.”

Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport are two security innovations in Windows 10 that will benefit consumers, employees and enterprise all at once. These two new security features were originally announced at WinHEC last month but are quickly picking up steam in development as OEM’s are eagerly waiting to implement them into new hardware and technologies. With Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport, Windows 10 will have system-wide support for biometric authentication while also maintaining enterprise-grade two-factor authentication. Consumers and Enterprise user alike can now look forward to the a higher level of security when accessing their online information or access to their hardware. These securities are in place to remove the nuances of having to consider or deal with changing passwords constantly.

While fingerprint-based sensors are already present in many Windows-based devices, Windows Hello looks to expand security based biometrics beyond the finger while also maintaining support for current hardware. In particular, the Windows Hello Technology, will be incorporate Intel RealSense 3D Camera (F200) technology, for facial recognition and unlocking of devices. According to Microsoft, “The Windows Hello technology behind these devices, Intel’s RealSense F200 camera technology, uses infrared lasers, multiple lenses, and a special processing chip to analyze images for Windows Hello. While Windows Hello’s facial recognition isn’t going to be limited to the Intel RealSense technology it’s a great option that is currently in the marketplace so look for devices using this technology.” This support extends to Microsoft Passport as well, allowing users to use face-unlock to access and validate all services that tie into Microsoft Passport. This functionality should work in similar fashion to the fingerprint ID found in iOS. A single secure form of verification for all your digital resources.

If and when OEM’s begin rolling out devices that support all three security innovations found in Windows 10, they will be on course to help protect customers and themselves. The Windows team is suggesting that threats and tactics commonly used against OEM’s, enterprise, and consumers will be significantly reduced, or in some cases, eliminated with the combination of Device Guard, Windows Hello, and Microsoft Passport.

We reported earlier today that Microsoft was preparing to release over 30 new updates for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server, and Windows RT. The updates are now available for download via Windows Update. A rare event considering it isn’t the second Tuesday of the month.

All the updates are categorized as “non-security” updates, hence the reason they are marked as ‘optional’ instead of ‘important’ or ‘critical’. They are likely to fix minor issues and bugs. We still recommend you install them to keep your system up-to-date.

Head over to Windows Update and check for updates now. Or rather, once you’re done for the night as the updates aren’t important and require a restart. Head over to the Microsoft source link below to read about all the updates in a little more detail.

Microsoft is a company standing at the beginning of a fork in the road. On one side of the company is their traditional money maker services, Office and Windows, which they are frantically reinventing. On the other side of the company is their future earners in Azure and cloud-connected services tethered to mobile. As of right now, Microsoft is attempting to run down one road while keeping an eye on the other. Windows and Office are still big draws for them, but the company is also picking up steam with collaborations, partnerships and certifications with Azure.

Today, Microsoft is announcing yet another collaboration that takes advantage of its big data hosting services. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be working with Microsoft Azure Government to become the anchor in the participation of a project called Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA). In this project, Microsoft’s cloud platform is set to host a collection of NOAA datasets. Azure for Government will be home to the Global Forecast System, Global Ensemble Forecast System, and Climate Forecast System. As NOAA’s mission to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment continue, the organization pulls in more than 20 terabytes of information every day. That’s right, 20 terabytes a day. Unfortunately, that amount of data can only be accessed in incremental percentages due to previous storage and accessibility constraints. With the backing of Microsoft Azure for Government, NOAA can access features like sophisticated predictive cloud computing as well as network and storage enhancements. These features are not limited to NOAA only; the vast amount of information collected can now be available to governments, businesses, and the public.

The idea behind NOAA CRADA is to allow massive amounts of data collected from NOAA to be accessible to various segments of government  and private industries. This level of accessibility is the trade for those industries to improve applications and development of solutions that benefit citizens and consumers. With big data and complex computations at their fingertips, agencies like state healthcare can better predict infectious disease spreads and trends while also developing and deploying new preventative measures based on predictions.

Ultimately this collaboration is about innovation through access. Now researchers and partners will have access to massive amounts of data as well as the computing ability of Azure to help expedite real world solutions. The Azure team will also be extending this sort of collaboration to more researchers through the active request from their Azure for Research Program.  While the future of Windows 10 for PC and phones, at the moment, is a question mark, it seems that Azure is nestling its way into a stable future.

There is a collection of researchers from Microsoft that will be attending this years AMC CHI 2015. The Microsoft researchers will present research studies as well as tools that will help shape the future of  a wide range of human-computer communications.

Academic scholars, programmers, organizations, and businesses will all gather in Seoul Korea for the annual conference this year to discuss better ways of making computing even more personal. The conference will help researchers and developers focus on what works and doesn’t work when it comes to human interaction with computing. Some examples include catering to the particular needs of surgeons in operating rooms to CEO’s and presenters in boardrooms, as well as student and teacher interactions during online courses.

Thus far, Microsoft research has found examples of where computational management runs into a wall with human interaction. In the case of blood pressure monitoring and the Microsoft Band, the Redmond giant found that offering continuous blood pressure monitoring would be an excellent addition to the Band but would ultimately go unused for several reasons. The Microsoft Band team found that while people were interested in the feature, very few knew what to make of the data being presented. This lack of explanation often occurs with most health monitoring devices. Data and numbers without reference or clinical interpretation do very little to help maintain continued use. Another complication was that some users would be more likely to self-evaluate based on their perceived conclusions about the data. “For example, a person who got a high blood pressure reading might blame it on a recent salty meal,” said senior research on the Microsoft Band, Dan Morris. With two big hurdles that present countless issues with medical monitoring, Microsoft opted to leave the blood pressure measurement feature out of the final product. We can rest assured that the research team will address these issues at a later time when they have a better understanding how most people want or need to interact with new forms of computing.

Another area where the CHI 2015 conference and researchers can come together is in the changing landscape of search. Part of the research Microsoft is investigating into has to do with understanding a person’s intent when they search and still provide them the most relevant information pertaining to that search. Some would argue that Google and other search engines have pretty much figured this out, but they might be surprised at what research is turning up. “Although we have made tremendous strides in improving the quality and capabilities of search over the last decade, we are still just scratching the surface of what we can do,” said Susan Dumais, a distinguished scientist and deputy managing director of the Microsoft Research lab in Redmond.

Susan recommends that researchers continue to look more into large-scale behavioral data to help create algorithms and interfaces to power the next wave of search, but also to use complimentary methods to gain a complete view of search. Susan urges researchers to use approaches like field observation, laboratory studies, and panels in order to help supplement their findings and offer a greater scope of features and support for search queries. Another part of Susan’s observations belong to the growing trend of user behavior in adapting to newer technologies, particularly in mobile. People tend to search differently on mobile devices than on more traditional computing. The language used on a mobile device is shorter and more direct than on a PC per say. A sense of urgency and the adaptation to touch screens or voice input is still being learned. These are things search will have to accommodate more and more for in the future. According to Susan, “Today, people just expect search to work, and their expectations about what search can do are growing”.

Beyond search and mobile devices is an area of placing technology in the background when people want to interact with each other. Researchers at the conference will also be delving into 3D technology. 3D technology can help replicate or support the feeling people have of standing next to each other when in fact they are interacting with each other across areas. Boardroom conferencing is often an example used to tackle human and computer technology clashing. The more visual and immediate the response the better interactions people tend to get from technology. Items like the Surface Hub will help bring that level of comfort and interaction to board rooms in the future.

“For example, if two people are in one room, it uses face and clothing recognition to figure out who is at the white board at any given moment, so it can later separate out who wrote what on the board. In addition, it can distinguish between right and left hands, so you can use one as a pencil and the other as an eraser, and it lets you do things like use your finger as a laser pointer from far away.”

Microsoft will be hosting and presenting a plethora of meetings, research and meet-ups at CHI 2015. Microsoft’s presence at CHI this week also includes the following papers and presentations

• A framework for automatically generating interactive tutorials: Researchers at Microsoft, Cornell University and the University of Washington are presenting a system that would automatically create step-by-step tutorials, which could be used for things like educational games.
• Automatic game progression design through analysis of solution features: Researchers from Microsoft, Cornell and the University of Washington will present a system that automates the progression from one level of a game to another.
• Mixed-initiative approaches to global editing in slideware: Researchers at Microsoft, the University of Waterloo and the University of Tokyo collaborated to create a system to improve the visual consistency of slide decks.
• Mudslide: A spatially anchored census of student confusion for online lecture videos: Microsoft researchers have created a prototype system that allows students to give online lecturers feedback about what parts of the lecture were least clear to them, linked to particular slides in the lecture.
• RIMES: Embedding interactive multimedia exercises in lecture videos: Microsoft researchers have created a way to make online lectures more interactive, allowing students to record audio, video and text that teachers can evaluate.
• Accurate, Robust, and Flexible Real-Time Hand Tracking: Microsoft researchers have developed a system that can track, in real time, all the sophisticated and nuanced hand motions that people make in their everyday lives.
• Measuring crowdsourcing effort with error-time curves: Researchers at Microsoft and Stanford University have created a data-driven model for figuring out the fair price to pay for crowdsourced jobs such as transcription and search.
• “For Telling” the present: Using the Delphi Method to understand personal information management practices: Researchers from Microsoft and five universities collaborated to come up with better systems for managing personal information such as documents and e-mails.
• Break it down: A comparison of macro- and micro tasks: Researchers from Microsoft and Stanford worked together on a paper looking at the benefits of breaking up major jobs, such as a huge transcription project, into small tasks that can be completed by crowdsourcing. Although the “micro-task” system took longer, the researchers found that they got higher-quality results.
• ModelTracker: Redesigning performance analysis tools for machine learning: Microsoft researchers have developed an interactive and efficient way of displaying machine learning performance while simultaneously supporting direct access to data for inspection and debugging.
• (s|qu)eries: Visual regular expressions for querying and exploring event sequences: Researchers at Microsoft and Brown University have developed a system for non-programmers to use visual tools to find better and analyze sequences in data sets such as programs or web logs.
• FluxPaper: Reinventing paper with dynamic actuation powered by magnetic flux: Researchers at Microsoft and Keio University in Japan have developed paper that contains a very thin magnetic layer, allowing for much more sophisticated interactions than regular paper.
• The known stranger: Supporting conversations between strangers with personalized topic suggestions: Researchers at Microsoft, the University of Minnesota and Carnegie Mellon sought to solve an awkward problem: Talking to new people. The study used a wearable device to offer topic suggestions to strangers conversing for the first time.
• Sangeet Swara: A community-moderated voice forum in rural India: Researchers at Microsoft and the University of Washington have created a system for curating audio messages for communities in developing regions to share with one another.
• Playing the legal card: Using ideation cards to raise data protection issues within the design process: Researchers at Microsoft and University of Nottingham developed a deck of cards to help system designers comply with emerging European Union data protection regulation. The cards take a game-based approach to support more creative compliance.
• Exploring time-dependent concerns about pregnancy and childbirth from search logs: Researchers from Microsoft and the University of Waterloo used anonymous search engine logs to create a methodology for better understanding what pregnant women and new moms are looking for at various stages of pregnancy and early parenting.
• Health vlogs as social support for chronic illness management: Researchers at Microsoft, University of Washington and Michigan State University analyzed video blogs and user comments from people diagnosed with HIV, diabetes and cancer. They found implications for how vlogs could be enhanced to support further people managing chronic illness.
• Gauging receptiveness to social micro-volunteering: Researchers at Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon and University of Rochester created Visual Answers, a Facebook application that posts visual questions from people who are blind, to test the concept of asking friends to do small volunteer tasks.
• Understanding data videos: Looking at narrative visualization through the cinematography lens: Researchers at Microsoft, University of Manitoba and University Toulouse analyzed data videos to understand better how to create a tool that would let more people do their data storytelling.
• Modeling ideology and predicting policy change with social media: Case of same-sex marriage: Researchers at Microsoft and MIT analyzed four years of Twitter posts related to same-sex marriage to build models for using social media to successfully predict the outcome of proposed policy changes.
• Designing social and emotional skills training: The challenges and opportunity for technology support: Microsoft researchers worked with Vienna University of Technology to come up with ways that human-computer interaction could help support other tools for developing better social and emotional learning.
• Data-in-place: Thinking through the relations between data and community: Researchers at Microsoft, University of Nottingham and Newcastle University will present findings of a yearlong study on data from one street and its community.
• The Semantic Paintbrush: Interactive 3D mapping and recognition in large outdoor spaces: Researchers from Microsoft and elsewhere collaborated on a project that can create big, 3D maps of outdoor spaces and when draw on that map with a laser pointer.
• Digital collections and digital collecting practices: Researchers at Microsoft and Cardiff University have developed a system for classifying what constitutes a digital collection of data, and present a framework for creating more meaningful and valuable digital collections.
• Effect of machine translation in interlingual conversation: Lessons from a formative study: Researchers at Microsoft and University of Maryland evaluated how people use a translator application and found that they naturally adapt their style of speech to accommodate the technology.
• Voice or gesture in the operating room: Researchers at Microsoft and several universities found that, when performing cardiothoracic surgery, surgeons can benefit from having both voice and gesture control in the operating room.
• The industry is changing, and so we must: In this case study, Microsoft researchers argue that course curriculum and training in human-computer interaction must evolve to reflect the skills required in today’s software industry.

There is no official word on this but presentations like these tend to end up on Channel 9, so keep your eyes on the channel for possible information from the conference.

When it comes to the Internet, news and information is in abundance. Between the traditional RSS feeds, Facebook, Twitter YouTube or bookmarking of sites, most people can find the news that’s important to them. For those interested in world news with a bit edgier reporting, VICE News should be a staple. Often news outlets let their financial, political, or geographical influence bleed into their reporting. VICE News does a remarkable job of digging for the dirt in the news but on a broader international scale with little agenda showing.

VICE News and Skype are looking to expand the news outlets platform reach, and is quickly becoming a multi platform focused news source for a younger more digitally native audience. With collaboration from Skype, it’s set to offer its readers the ability to help report and be a part of the news they read daily. Readers can now respond to reports or events with the ability to send in video message via Skype. Readers can now log into their or start up a Skype account to then send video messages to the news sources. Depending on the message, content and validity, some messages or messengers can end up in a VICE News live broadcast.

“Skype is enabling VICE News to continue to break down barriers, making it easier to gather and share truly global stories. Skype TX allows us to bring in a wide range of voices and faces into the conversation – which lets ideas, and not technology, dictate the story.” – Sterling Proffer, General Manager, VICE News

VICE News approach to content wrangling is similar other trends established by ‘new’ media outlets like Twitter, YouTube, newcomer Periscope and iCNN. These strategies involve and engage their audiences rather than relegating news to a passive experience for them. It will be interesting to see if these new approaches commingle with more traditional news reporting in the near future.

New screenshots of Windows 10 build 10064 have leaked onto the internet, and it doesn’t reveal much. As you can see from the images below, Microsoft has continued to make visual refinements to the operating system. The new Recycle Bin is present in this build and the theme colors look refined.

No word yet if this build will leak or if it will be the next Technical Preview build for Windows Insiders. Windows 10 build 10061 began appearing for those who had the leaked 10056 build installed, but it was just an accidental tease.

Take a look at the images below, and head over to the ITHOME link below to check out the screenshots. Let us know in the comments below if you notice anything new or different. If this build or a newer build leaks or is released, we will be the first to let you know! So stay tuned!

When people think of big tech companies, it is easy to think of them having little impact on the environment. Since their products are digital, there isn’t an environmental cost to their development and distribution right? Wrong. All tech companies have many climate-controlled buildings full of people using electricity, and software is not completely free either. While digital goods and products don’t require paper or shipping, they do require power hungry data centers to be stored and delivered.

Instead of ignoring their environmental impact, Microsoft has chosen to own the impact and in 2012 they committed to becoming financially accountable for their impact on the environment. To balance their impact, Microsoft is involved in several different projects which aim to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, preserve ecosystems, and rebuild forests. Internally, each division at Microsoft is responsible for their environmental impact which has spurred creativity and innovation toward making the company more sustainable.

“The idea is that not only are we reducing the carbon from our own operations, but the point of investing in carbon-offset community projects is to make a difference in emerging nations,” explains Tamara “T.J.” — DiCaprio, senior director of environmental sustainability at Microsoft.

Making the world a better place for all plants and animals isn’t easy but Microsoft is focused on doing long term good for the environment. However, it isn’t all about plants and animals, helping people and improving their lives can also help them to cut down on carbon emissions. One project Microsoft was involved with gave more advanced stoves to families who previously relied upon charcoal stoves.

“The new stoves are good,” she says. “They have changed our lives. They have made us healthier, and also improved the environment. We don’t use as much charcoal. We don’t have to cut down as many trees.”

While Microsoft wants to compete with Apple and Google to deliver the best products to customers, they are doing so without losing sight of the role they play in preserving this shared planet. There is no reason why Microsoft can’t deliver the best products and having a positive impact on people’s lives and the environment.

Yesterday, Microsoft pulled the latest Windows Technical Preview for phones (build 10051) for the Lumia 520, and its siblings including the Lumia 521, 525, and 526. The reason being that once users upgraded to Windows 10 and then tried to revert back to Windows Phone 8.1, those device would get bricked.

Microsoft has today issued a response on the Microsoft Answers forum detailing the underlying issues. While the company is still investigating, it has determined ones of the issues that is causing devices to get bricked. The software giant claims that the aforementioned devices were rejecting the recovery images being flashed due to data writing size and speed.

“The blocks of data were too large for some devices to handle, and the memory on the device was having trouble with the speed at which the data was being written.  In short, devices were getting too much data, too quickly.  This would cause the failure as the new software is corrupted.” – Microsoft

Microsoft claims that after monitoring the logs, it appears that only a small portion of Lumia 520-series device are affected. Unfortunately, there is no way for users to determine beforehand whether or not their device is susceptible to getting bricked.

As a result of this issue, Microsoft is changing the way the Windows Phone Recovery Tool performs the recovery procedure. This will hopefully result in less devices getting bricked in the future.

“We will be lowering the size of the data blocks being fed to the device during recovery (lowering from 2MB down to 128kB), and we will also be slowing down the data writing speed (from 8MB/sec to 5 MB/sec).  Testing has showed promising results from these changes.”

A new version of the Recovery Tool has been released (version 1.2.4) and it includes the changes Microsoft detailed. Users with bricked devices are encouraged to attempt to recover again using the new version of the tool. Be sure to let Microsoft know whether it worked for you.

Tracking hand movement is far more difficult than basic skeletal tracking but that’s exactly what researchers at Microsoft are accomplishing. The system is called Handpose and could revolutionize communication, emergency safety, video games, and more. Microsoft has a blog post by Allison Linn explaining its development and potential uses.

I admit a personal interest in this topic. Some of my best friends are part of the signing community and the idea that a device could translate American Sign Language in real time would change people’s worlds. Handpose is not there yet but the technology could be there some day.

Another use for Handpose is controlling a robotic hand remotely. In a video in their blog post researcher Jonathan Taylor explains how it could be used in dangerous situations where it would be unsafe for rescuers to go.

Handpose allows more realistic use for hand tracking. Linn’s blog post explains that “Handpose uses a camera to track a person’s hand movements. The system is different from previous hand-tracking technology in that it has been designed to accommodate much more flexible setups. That lets the user do things like get up and move around a room while the camera follows everything from zig-zag motions to thumbs-up signs, in real time.”

One more use discussed in Taylor’s video is browsing through pages in a way similar to what’s seen in ‘Minority Report.’ The Kinect brought in some hand gestures and swipe controls but Handpose allows things as specific as finger point.

This technology extends beyond real world application. Having virtually controlled hands would add a new dimension to video games and virtual reality.

Creating such a system is extremely complicated even compared to the Kinect’s body tracking. In comparing the two Taylor explained that “Tracking the hand, and articulation of the hand, is a much harder problem.”

Hands are a complicated thing. With my experience studying American Sign Language I can say from firsthand experience that hands can move quickly, subtly, and gestures and movements are easy to confuse. Handpose has to fight this because as Linn explains “we can move them in subtle and complex ways, which can result in fingers that are hidden from the camera. Even fingers that can be seen are difficult to differentiate from each other.”

Researchers develop Handpose using a combination of 3-D hand modelling and machine learning to understand hand movements.

Starting with the dot-com bubble, a certain mystique has arisen regarding the world of tech. After years, decades of corporate ‘gray-ness’, the likes of Google, Pixar and others rose to the fore, emphasizing whimsy and wonder in the work place.

Microsoft, as part of the old guard, was not a part of this new world. Though full of talented coders and programmers, their was little room for them to experiment. This state of affairs came to an end in 2009, with the birth of the ‘Garage’. And in a recent, revealing piece, Microsoft has exposed the innards of the Garage to the world, with several interviews and an analysis on the meaning of the project to the software giant.

This ‘Garage’ is physical space, as well as something of a state of mind. It is meant to be both an incubator for nascent projects as well as a safe space in which to harness the ‘startup spirit’ that is so often touted by technological giants as integral to their work.

Since its inception, more than 3,000 employees have passed through the doors of the Garage, completing over 10,000 projects. Some of these have been works of pure indulgence, such as the metal volcano, Mt. St. Awesome, which is designed to shoot Kinect-controlled fireballs, and others have been more focused on enhancing business tools, like the Bing Keyword Distribution Graph.

Ben Gilbert, programming manager for the Garage had an interesting insight into the role of the project within Microsoft,

“It’s a sort of preserve – an open space where people can find their wonder and creativity. Microsoft needs The Garage like New York City needs Central Park”

What has been achieved by these projects isn’t always easy to see, but the intent behind them is immensely important to Microsoft’s future success. It is a mantra in development, that it is better to ‘fail fast, fail often’, the more mistakes made, the easier it becomes to identify areas in which to improve and succeed more completely. As the founder of Garage, Chris Pratley said,

“If it never makes a billion-dollar product, and all it does is make people happy and meet other people in the company, then that’s success. If it generates a product, great. If it generates a new feature for a product, great. But even if it is just a morale booster, it’s still worth doing”

On top of this, it is about attracting the brightest young talent to Microsoft’s ranks, inspiring them into working for a company that appears to have the keys to the future, or at least their own. Google, Apple and Amazon, among others, were all founded in garages, this is intended to create the same environment for talent, but with fewer of the present dangers.

With products like the Bing Keyword Distribution Graph, the Forgotten Attachment Detector, BusAlarm, Codeflow and Mouse Without Borders all having made a splash, and with many other projects on the way, Garage is certainly making its presence felt.

In this, the Garage has been a success, and as for what the future may hold, only time will tell.

What has been your favorite garage project? Let us know in the comments below.

Recently Microsoft made the decision to consolidate the company’s Kinect hardware. Developers are now able to use an adaptor to help essentially with development cost. In addition to cost saving measures, Microsoft’s upcoming One-operating system play is also another enticement for Kinect developers. The idea of near future Kinect-based development that will expand beyond the Xbox One and niche business cases is becoming more and more a reality every day. The Kinect faithful are trusting that these new developments from Microsoft will finally spur the promised future the Kinect offered back in its initial release.

A collection of developers in London, this year did their best to help build that aspirational future we all saw from the Kinect so many years ago. Kinect Hack for Windows, the 36 hour coding endurance marathon, took place back on March 21 and 22. Coders focused on a day and half hackathon of the Kinect v2 sensor. More than 80 developers were gathered from the UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Mexico to spend a weekend creating some of most unique apps, games, tools, and resources for the Kinect. The event was by all accounts a success with large sales of ‘spectators’ tickets and a long list of new hacks and potential projects for the Kinect.

While the event was designed as a hackathon and not a direct competition, event organizer Dan Thomas of Moov2 with the help of US Kinect team, did put together prizes for more than two dozen Kinect developers. Check out the full list of Kinect projects created during the hackaton over at the source link below. Hopefully, we’ll see some of these make their way into our living rooms, Windows PCs, mobile phones and IoT soon, and hopefully they will entice even more developers to create new solutions with the Kinect sensor.

Virtual Desktops in Windows has been an often sought after feature. Similar features are already available in both Mac OSX and Linux distributions, but oddly, those using the most popular operating system in the world are forced to turn to third-party apps to make that happen, until now.

In the Windows 10 Technical Preview, Microsoft introduced Task View, which gives users an over view of all their open applications, as well as the ability to create multiple desktops to better organize those applications and enhance their productivity.

In a recent blog post, Microsoft talked in depth about the new feature, highlighting some of the goals and decisions that went into integrating multiple desktops in Windows. Besides the obvious goal of giving users more desktop space to work on, Microsoft also wanted to make it easy to switch between groups of windows, re-organize those groups of windows seamlessly, as well as ensure that users are in control of the “degree of separation between grouped Windows”.

“When our team set out to build virtual desktops into Windows 10 we first took the time to understand how different people approach organization. For instance, we know that there are “filers” who like to separate things into subsets and then there are “pilers” who prefer to tackle tasks in a single group.” – Microsoft

The software giant has confirmed that there is no limit to how many desktops you can create, just as there is no limit to how many applications you can open. Well, until your system RAM runs out of course. As a result of feedback from the January Technical Preview (build 9926), Microsoft has made it possible to drag individual Windows across desktops, and that makes it a lot easier to organize things to better suit your workflow.

“Of all the virtual desktop feedback provided by Windows Insiders since the January Tech Preview (build 9926), over 63% of requests were in regards to making it easier to move windows across desktops. We heard you loud and clear! We decided to expedite drag-and-drop support in our schedule so that we could provide Insiders with the feature sooner.”

New keyboard shortcuts have also been added for all you power users. ‘WIN + CTRL + LEFT/RIGHT’ to quickly switch between virtual desktops, WIN + CTRL + D to create new desktops, WIN + CTRL + F4 to close the current desktop, and WIN + TAB to launch Task View. Those with PCs that have precision trackpads will also be able to use multi-touch gestures to switch between desktops on the fly.

Since Microsoft is still looking for feedback for the Windows Technical Preview, there is still time for you to offer your suggestions on how Microsoft can further improve on the current implementation of Task View, so be sure to use the feedback app to get your voice heard.

If you’re interested to see what Task View can really do (as well as get some inside info on how we get things done here at WinBeta), check out our editorial here.

Microsoft announced they’re going to increase the email message size limit to 150 MB for Office 365 users, allowing them to send large files as attachments when needed. Previously, the largest message you could send or receive in Office 365 was 25 MB, so it’s decent jump, and will be helpful for users who often find themselves sending large files as attachments in an email.

Office 365 users also have the ability to save the file in a OneDrive for Business account and share it with their colleagues, but some people often find it easier to just open the compose message window and attach it right away, rather than first going to OneDrive, uploading it, and then attaching it to the email.

However, the default file size is still set to 25 MB — it depends on the Office 365 admins to set the maximum file size limit which ranges from 1 MB to 150 MB. 

“We’re pleased to announce that we’ve increased the allowed maximum message size to 150 MB, giving Office 365 administrators the ability to set the maximum message size of their choosing from 1 MB up to 150 MB,” Microsoft said in a blog post.

Microsoft has been busy with Office 365 recently, officially launching Skype for Business as more than a rebranded Lync, upgrading Office Delve, and now today, announcing the evolution of Yammer with deeper integration into Office 365 and introducing a new external messaging feature, making Yammer not only more integrated, but more useful.

Microsoft acquired Yammer, an enterprise social networking service, in 2012, and began the process of integrating it into Office 365. With today’s announcements, Yammer is now included in Office 365 Groups, and its social signals are now included in the Office Graph, meaning that Yammer conversations can now be included in Skype for Business meetings, integrated with Outlook email and OneDrive, and included in Delve content discovery.

Yammer now also makes adding external participants to a Yammer conversation easy, according to the blog post announcing the improvements:

To include an external participant, simply add their email address to a Yammer conversation in your network, and they’ll be able to see and respond to this conversation from their own Yammer network or email inbox. Your data stays secure because outside participants only access the conversations they have been added to and not the rest of the information in your network. 

This closer integration of Yammer into Office 365, along with the other recent changes brings the aggressive although a bit scattershot additions to the modern Office more in line with each other, making Office 365, with Office Graph, Office Delve, Skype for Business, and now Yammer, all working together.

Microsoft will be talking more about Yammer and Office 365 at Ignite, in just a few weeks, and we’ll be there to bring you all the latest.

Last month Microsoft and Yahoo put an extension of their 10 year Search Alliance agreement on hold, after a 5 year milestone allowed Yahoo to potentially back out of the agreement if certain criteria weren’t reached (they weren’t).  Yahoo, which had gutted most of their search engineering team after the initial agreement under then CEO Carol Bartz, was in no position to try to compete in search on their own, but did hold some leverage in renegotiating the agreement.

Today Yahoo has announced that they have indeed done just that, extended the agreement while gaining concessions that allow Yahoo to innovate in mobile search, a focus for new CEO Marissa Mayer, and making some changes in the way that Microsoft’s and Yahoo’s ad sales teams can sell ads on the platforms.

The deal keeps in place Microsoft’s serving of search results on most desktop searches via Yahoo properties, but now Mayer will be able to move into mobile search, a focus for Yahoo under her tender.  In a Tumbler post she posted along with the official announcement this morning, Mayer said:

We firmly believe that search is still in its infancy – and this partnership marks the next chapter in our exploration of how to make search truly great. I want to thank Satya Nadella and his team for working closely with us over the past few months to rejuvenate our partnership. Search has, and will continue to be, an incredibly important part of Yahoo, and this new partnership represents a major step forward in our renaissance.

 In addition to the mobile changes, the newly revised agreement will separate the sales forces for the two platforms, as described in the press release:

Second, the update increases agility and sales focus. Microsoft will become the exclusive salesforce for ads delivered by Microsoft’s Bing Ads platform, while Yahoo will continue to be the exclusive salesforce for Yahoo’s Gemini ads platform. Integrating the sales teams with those responsible for engineering will allow both companies to service advertisers more effectively. Microsoft and Yahoo plan to begin to transition managed advertiser sales responsibilities this summer.

While there wasn’t much doubt that the two companies would come to some kind of agreement, as Yahoo is in no position to go it alone and would face significant regulatory challenges in making a move to Google, the agreement solidifies the relationship for the next five years, at least, keeps Microsoft and Bing with an enlarged user base, and now gives Yahoo some room to innovate in mobile search. 

We’ve come across a number of reports in the past few weeks hinting at a possible partnership between Microsoft and Cyanogen. It turns out the reports were correct as Cyanogen has announced a strategic partnership with the software giant. Under the agreement, the company will bundle Microsoft’s apps and services in its operating system. On the other hand, the software giant will create native integrations on Cyanogen operating system to provide users with a decent user experience.

“People around the world use Cyanogen’s operating system and popular Microsoft services to engage with what matters most to them on their mobile devices,” said Kirt McMaster, CEO of Cyanogen Inc. “This exciting partnership with Microsoft will enable us to bring new kinds of integrated services to mobile users in markets around the world.”

“We aspire to have our tools within arm’s reach of everyone, to empower them in all aspects of their lives. This partnership represents another important step towards that ambition,” said Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President of Microsoft Corp. “We’ll continue to deliver world-class experiences across productivity and communications on Windows, and we’re delighted that Cyanogen users will soon be able to take advantage of those same powerful services.”

Microsoft has released a number of Android apps in the past in an attempt to attract users to use their services, including their own lock screen app for the operating system. It’s not just Cyanogen, Samsung also announced a partnership with the software giant to bundle Office 365 with its own Knox suite.

In a new blog post intended for Windows and Windows Phone app developers, Microsoft has revealed several market trends relating to user demographics and popular app categories and reinforces the importance of preparing apps for the eventual transition into the universal app format. Universal apps will be a main focus of the cross-platform Windows 10 operating system rolling out later this year.

According to the report, in March 2015, 93% of app downloads from the Windows Store on PC came from devices running Windows 8.1 and 80% of app downloads on Windows Phone came from phones running Windows Phone 8.1. Apps designed for the latest iteration of Windows on PC (or mobile) gain more functionality than those designed for older operating systems and also benefit from a simplified upgrade process to the newer universal app format which uses the same source code for running both Windows and Windows Phone versions of an app and saves the developer time and resources over the long term.

When it came to app monetization, in-app purchases accounted for 55% of app earnings, advertising within the app was 31%, and only 14% income came from paid apps. Games on all Windows devices had the highest overall sales followed by Tools and Productivity, however, when the average number of downloads per app in each category was calculated, Social apps came out on top.

An interesting development has been the growth of app sales in countries like India, Brazil, and Vietnam due to the introduction of carrier billing in regions where credit cards aren’t in wide use. Windows Store was the first to introduce carrier billing to China, India, and Brazil and it looks to have paid off in a big way with all three countries ranking alongside the United States and Vietnam as having the highest number of average downloads per app on Windows Phone.

Naturally with the expansion of Windows devices into other regions, there would be a change in languages used by the consumers and while English is still the top language, it only makes up 16% of the total Windows Phone market and 30% of Windows tablet and PCs. Spanish and Mandarin Chinese remain the second and third most used languages on all Windows devices, however with the growth in the Brazil and India markets, usage of Brazilian Portuguese and Hindi have increased 2% and 3% each.

It’s exciting to see the Windows and Windows Phone platforms continue to evolve and expand their reach in other markets the way they have, and with the transition to Windows 10 on the horizon, it doesn’t look like Microsoft is slowing down anytime soon. 

What do you think about all these developments? Let us know in the comments.

In an effort to explain themselves, sometimes companies get caught up in numbers, acronyms, legal jargon and static information. To those who follow their news daily, these blurbs and tidbits amount to routine information, yet to other interested parties, the amount of dense information being shoved their way can be overwhelming and confusing. In a new interactive cloud map, Microsoft is trying to tackle the challenge of density versus discoverability when it comes to the healthcare industry and technology.

Microsoft’s new interactive map showcases the geographical footprint of North American healthcare organizations that invested in Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. The map offers a state-by-state overview of the healthcare provided for customers. On the map, viewers can identify which companies are utilizing one if not all of Microsoft’s cloud-based offerings including Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics, and or the highly secure Microsoft Azure platform. Take into consideration the high-level of protection the healthcare industry requires to operate, the numbers and the map show a significant trust in the Microsoft cloud. More than 25,000 health organizations have researched and chosen Microsoft’s cloud solutions to house and in some cases transfer healthcare information.

In addition to the interactive map, Microsoft has also released the findings from a survey of clinicians recently that addressed the mobility and interoperability in the healthcare industry.

When asked about devices and how important mobility was to the participants, many responded with:

• What devices are clinicians using?
• The vast majority of clinicians use a desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone in their day-to-day patient-oriented work.
• Clinicians are using a wide variety of devices – including smartphones (50%), laptops (49%), and tablets (23%) – in addition to the traditional desktop (56%).
• What do they do with these devices?
• Clinicians use desktops for most information-sharing: to communicate with colleagues or specialists (46%), hospital surgery scheduling (40%), pharmacy (39%), and patients (35%).
• Clinicians also use smartphones (50%), mostly to communicate with colleagues.
• How do devices help clinicians most?
• Clinicians say using devices such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones makes it easier to collaborate with physicians (61%)
• Clinicians see real advantages to using mobile devices, including easier access to patient data from any location (58%), easier recording of patient information (50%), and greater productivity (41%).
• Mobility matters when updating patient records: 57% record patient data in the room with patients, 24% record it outside the patient’s room, 7% record it in a breakroom or dining room, and 7% record it in the car.

 Once again, Microsoft attempts to cut through the density of information and deliver key takeaways with something a bit easier to digest with an infograph.

Go and visit the map and or Microsoft Health to get even more useful information. This information may be especially useful for the lucky few using the Microsoft Band right now.

We reported earlier this month that the EU was in the early phases of launching an Antitrust case against advertisement firm and search engine giant, Google. About a week and a half ago, the European Commission was mulling over five years worth of investigations, compromises and concessions between themselves and Google. With no official suit brought against the company after five long years of study, it seemed more than likely the Commission would opt for ‘more’ concession this time around. Instead, the European Union has decided to launch their case officially against Google.

The European Union is formally accusing Google of abusing their monopoly position in search in the EU to further prioritize the company’s integrated search services. The results of which, the Union believes, is having an adverse impact on competing services. As Google has continued to expand into other market opportunities, they are encroaching on various competitors territory while also using the competitions services to solidify their online search dominance further. Google will have to argue, as they have before, that competition is just a click away.

When the EU began to investigate Google, their focus was strictly on the effect Google’s integrated approach was having on search competition in Europe. Since then, the Android operating system has sprouted wings and began to position Google further in an awkward monopoly in mobile as well. As such, the European Commission is also launching an investigation into the mobile operating system. This recent news may be more damning than the original search query for Google. The search giant can argue that Android is open sourced, but the way the company licenses and mandates the Play Store may be an area of contention. If Google cannot successfully argue their merits, the search engine company will be looking at fines larger than Microsoft’s and Intel’s rulings respectively in the EU. After a lengthy ten year battle with the EU, Microsoft was ordered to pay over $1.7 billion dollars. In the case of Intel, the Commission fined the company $1.4 billion. In this case, Google could be fined upwards of $6 billion or 10% of their yearly earnings.

Interestingly enough, Google is now pointing to the company’s failures as a counter argument to the Commissions charges. In a blog post, Google acknowledges their failed attempts at launching new ‘competitive’ products like their creatively named flight-booking service, Google Flight Search. According to Google, the service is a failure in both the EU and North America and should stand as an example of how the market is regulating itself. There is also mention of Amazon’s ability to overcome the search giant’s perceived dominance in the EU.

Regardless of the outcome in Europe, formal charges now mean Google will be forced to expose certain aspects of business that were less transparent to other countries, OEM’s, businesses, and customers. This mandated level of transparency leaves Google potentially exposed to further litigation in other countries beyond the EU ruling similar to Microsoft’s 2004 decision.

For the percentage of people who happen to be both Windows Phone, and HTC fans, it may have been a little disappointed when the Taiwanese phone-maker revealed its latest One (M9) flagship at Mobile World Congress 2015 without a Windows Phone version.

All hope is not lost though as HTC and Microsoft are reportedly working closely on the successor of the HTC One (M8) for Windows. According to HTC’s President of Global Sales and Chief Financial Officer, Chia-Lin Chang, the company is currently evaluating Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10 operating system in order to later determine “where it fits in the HTC lineup”.

Just to give you an idea of what to expect in the possible Windows version, the current Android-powered One (M9) features a 5” 1080p display covered in a layer of Gorilla Glass 4, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core 64-bit CPU, an Adreno 430 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 20.7MP and 4MP rear and front camera respectively with dual-tone flash, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, and a 2850mAh battery.

A device with such exceptional build quality and a modern spec-sheet to match would make for a fine 2015 Windows flagship smartphone. Are you looking forward to a HTC One (M9) running Windows 10? Let us know in the comments below. 



Nvidia has rolled out new graphics drivers for Windows, adding support for the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto V game which is set for release on April 14th. If you plan to purchase this game, and run an Nvidia graphics card, grab these drivers right now.

“The new GeForce Game Ready 350.12 WHQL Grand Theft Auto V drivers are now available to download from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com. With Game Ready optimizations for the highly anticipated PC release of Grand Theft Auto V, new SLI profiles, and new 3D Vision profiles, our latest drivers are a recommended update for all GeForce GTX users,” Nvidia stated in an official press release.

Aside from Grand Theft Auto V support, the drivers also offer improved 5K × 3K monitor support, 250 DPI support, NVFBC SLI performance improvements, and much more. Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most highly anticipated PC games of 2015 and is set to release tomorrow, April 14th. Grab the updated graphics drivers from the download links below. You can also download the driver change log below.



Tubecast for Windows has picked up yet another update this month, bringing support for YouTube’s API version 3. Furthermore, the update brings a number of bug fixes as well, including a fix for the latest Chromecast firmware, and lots more. 

Here’s the complete change log for the latest update on Windows Phone:

• API v3 100% ready.
• Fix for the Chromecast new firmware.
• Due to complaints => rollback full area click for the play/pause button.
• Fix some downloads with no sound.
• New “incredible” red color original YouTube.
• Samsung ATIV S possible bugfix for HD playing in portrait.
• Various bug fixes.

Here’s the complete change log for the Windows app:

• API v3 100% ready.
• Fix for the Chromecast new firmware.
• Fix for “MF_MEDIA_ENGINE_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED” error.
• Handle big screen better (21:9 and others !).
• Fix some downloads with no sound.
• New “incredible” red color original Youtube.
• Various bug fixes.

Head over to the Windows Store and grab the app. The app is free, but the PRO version comes with a $2.99 price tag which unlocks premium features — it’s universal so you only have to pay once.

For those of you who don’t know, YouTube will discontinue support for API version 2 on April 20th. With support for the latest API version, Tubecast will be able to offer users with a better YouTube experience which includes search and discovery, content creation, video playback, account management, and viewer statistics. You can check out complete details about the API version 3 here.

As we continue to tinker with the leaked Windows 10 build 10056, we’re seeing refinements all throughout the operating system. Microsoft has added a new Recycle Bin icon, as well as new personalization options.

Let’s start with the new personalization options in Windows 10 build 10056. Microsoft has organized this area of the Settings app, allowing you to set your background while looking at a preview of how it would look. You can choose a picture, a solid color, or a slideshow. You can also choose how you want the picture to fit and quickly access related settings via the old Control Panel.

You can adjust the color as well with several new color choices compared to previous versions of Windows. If you look at the image below, you can see new color choices and better organization of the color options. 

You can set the following options to either “on” or “off” depending on your needs: Automatically pick a color from my background; Show color on taskbar and Start menu; and Make Start menu transparent. 

Basically, you can set the color scheme of your theme based on the wallpaper you have set. You can also show color on your taskbar, Start Menu, and Notification center, or keep it dark. You can also make the Start menu/Start screen transparent or a solid color.

Windows 10 build 10056 also allows you to change your Lock screen settings, as well as a quick access to your themes (which currently re-routes you to the theme settings in the old Control Panel).

Well look at that! A new Recycle Bin icon. As you can see from the examples above, Microsoft has changed up the Recycle Bin icon yet again. The new transparent, 3D’ish icon actually looks decent and resembles the old Recycle Bin icon from Windows 95. Will this be the final look for the Recycle Bin? Who knows. Microsoft may change it up again depending on feedback. One thing is for sure, the community was outraged with the previous icon and Microsoft listened!

Further Reading: Recycle Bin icon rage: Don’t get too upset about Windows 10 icons

The steady flow of low-end Lumia phones has been a bit disheartening for some Windows Phone loyalists. Event after event, low to mid range phones are paraded out, with no signs of a flagship in sight. Typically when asked about flagships, Microsoft offers some half-hearted one-liner about the future and then a wink and nod to current “flagships” on the market. Handsets like the 930, Lumia Icon, and Lumia 1520 have held the flagship anchor for Windows Phone for almost two years.

As of today, the Windows Phone ship just lost one of its anchors. Visiting the Microsoft Store, as well as Windows Phone partner AT&T reveals the Lumia 1520 is no longer being listed ‘for sale’. Instead, visitors are met with choices of the Lumia 830, HTC One (M8), 635, and Lumia 640XL (coming soon) for purchase on AT&T contracts. In North America, the 6” phablet was only sold through a contract at participating AT&T retailers.

The Lumia 1520 first hit the streets of North America in November 2013, helping to bolster AT&T’s Windows Phone lineup. At the time, the wireless carrier was offering the flagship alongside the Lumia 920 and 1020.

AT&T Windows Phone users had their pick of catering flagships from specialized camera phones to the platforms’ first ever phablet and truly future-proof device. A year and a half later, Windows Phone users are looking toward the (decidedly mid-range) Lumia 830 for a flagship experience.

In the smartphone world, a flagship device tends to last a year before it’s replaced with a newer and shinier version of itself. The Lumia 1520, for Windows Phone users, was an exception to that rule.  Depending on your market, a variant of the Lumia 1520 was delivered with built-in wireless charging. The Lumia 1520 also packed a processor that rivals some phones on the market today. The phone still has arguably one of the best cameras on the market, and the 6” display gives phablet-toting users something to compare.

With fewer and fewer aspirational devices to look forward to, and no word or hints about the next “flagship” aside from the generalized “wait until Windows 10 comes out,” this news may hit hard for some would be Windows Phone users or people who recommend the platform.

Hopefully at Build, Microsoft will touch on the Windows Phone ecosystem a bit. With apps dropping like flies, preview builds not being delivered in a timely manner, questionable UI and UX changes, and disappearing flagships, Windows Phone is becoming less and less of a playground you want to be at.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment on the matter and we’ll update this story if we get a response.

Thanks for all the tips, guys!

Reports have surfaced about codename Redstone. What is Redstone? Is it a new version of Windows? According to Neowin, and confirmed by Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, Redstone is the codename for the next big update to Windows 10, targeted for a release in 2016.

Redstone is a name that comes from Minecraft, which Microsoft acquired back in 2014. Redstone is an element that can be used as the foundation for building new objects. 

For those that did not know, Windows 10 is codenamed Threshold and is slated for a release this summer. According to ZDNet, a minor update is slated for Windows 10 this fall — still codenamed as Threshold. This update will be in addition to the smaller regularly released fixes and updates that Microsoft will make available after Windows 10 is released. So where exactly does Redstone come into play?

“Redstone will be delivered automatically to Windows 10 users as part of their regular, every-month-or-so updates. Redstone will just be a larger update than the others and will provide new functionality and support for new classes of devices that aren’t already part of Windows 10, so the supposed thinking goes,” Foley claims.

Foley is also hearing from her sources that Redstone will not be Windows 11 or Windows 12, rather, it will continue the Windows 10 brand name. Redstone will likely contain leftover features that did not make it to the Windows 10 release.

Microsoft can easily release minor updates for Windows 10 features like Spartan, but for bigger technologies like HoloLens and Windows Phone which impact the Windows core, Microsoft needs to release a bigger update like Redstone.

Foley also adds that the Windows Insider program will continue during the Windows 10 and Redstone development timeframe. Microsoft will likely provide early test builds for updates, along with the bigger update known as Redstone.

We’ll have more on Redstone as news develops.

It is no secret that Europe, in comparison to other regions of the world, has something of a love affair with Microsoft and its products, or at least former Nokia products, with the likes of Redmond’s Lumia line achieving a respectable marketshare across the region.

Perhaps in order to cement this love, Microsoft has become an official Technology Partner for Eurovision 2015. Using Azure, Yammer and a host of Lumia smartphones, Eurovision that this event will be one to remember, with Jon Ola, Executive Supervisor of the contest on behalf of the EBU, stating,

“With their [Microsoft’s] help we will be able to lift the official mobile app to even greater heights and also for the first time, bring it to Windows Phone”

Microsoft, understandably, was equally positive about the deal, with Georg Obermeier, General Manager of Microsoft Austria, saying,

“This unique and most compelling event gives us the opportunity to show how our innovations and technologies work and build the backend for mobile services, data exchange and communication across the world.”

For those among you who do not know, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual pan-European singing event that has enjoyed over half a century of success and gained a significant reputation for cheesiness.  Watched by up to 600 million annually, this is a significant gain for Microsoft in further enhancing its important European reputation.

The Eurovision Song Contest, now for the first time ever featuring Australia as a contestant, will be broadcast on the 19th, 21st and 23rd of May 2015, and is set to be hosted in Austria, who won last year with controversial entrant Conchita Wurst.

As of this moment, the Eurovision Song Contest app for Windows Phone is not yet available, but users can expect it to arrive in the Windows Phone Store closer to the competition airing date.

Will you be tuning into Eurovision 2015? Let us know in the comments below.

It’s fairly standard practice for companies to register trademarks for upcoming programs and services ahead of official announcements and launches. It’s a necessary legality to secure their legal rights and prevent other parties from stealing their concepts and while the names and descriptions of the trademarks can be deliberately ambiguous to avoid leaking too much information before they’re ready, they can still offer clues and opportunities for followers of the companies to speculate about what the companies have planned.

Some recent registrations from Microsoft that hint at exciting future announcements from the tech giant include the renewal of the BattleToads trademark in November last year (which has to mean more than a small cameo in Shovel Knight, right?) and the Windows 365 trademark registration in February.

Now the folks over at GeekWire have stumbled across a new Microsoft trademark registration for the word, “Selawik,” and is described as “computer software for use in displaying and printing digital typeface designs, typographical ornaments and character fonts”. It’s unclear exactly what this could be but it definitely is curious.

Other recent trademarks by Microsoft discovered were “Continuum”, “TouchBack” and “InkBack”, all of which have been confirmed as corresponding to previously announced technologies.

What do you think Selawik is? Speculate in the comments below!

Mobile payments are becoming popular with major key players having their own smart payment solutions for their devices. Apple has Apple Play, Google has just updated Wallets, and Samsung introduced Samsung Pay, available in the US and Korea later this summer, followed by more regions later. Now it looks like Microsoft is also working on a smart payment solution, which may see the light of the day in the coming months. 

A recent report revealed a license filed by the software giant with the regulatory bodies for a mobile payments company known as Microsoft Payments Inc. The State of Idaho (Department of Finance) was among the first ones to issue a money transmitter license to the company, but the report mentions Microsoft has filed the license for all of the 50 states in the US. The company also registered with the FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) in the US Department of Treasury as well.

So, there’s a possibility that Microsoft may launch a mobile payment solution, but will it be fruitful considering the competition it has to face from its rivals? Apple Pay is quite popular among iOS users, and there are other mobile payment services as well such as Google Wallet. As for Windows Phone, it still behind the competition as the key smartphone players are a little reluctant on using the platform for its flagship devices.

We’ll update you as the story develops, until then, take it with a grain of salt — but stay tuned as the story develops!

Thanks Ethan for the tip!!

This January, in what’s becoming a more common theme for Microsoft, the company announced it was acquiring big-data analytics firm Revolution Analytics.  The Mountain View, California company founded in 2007, is most well known for developing and supporting the “R” statistical programming language, used by over 2 million people worldwide, and today, Microsoft and Revolution Analytics jointly announced that the acquisition is final and “Revolution Analytics is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft, the Revolution Analytics team are now Microsoft employees”.

Microsoft has big plans for Revolution Analytics and R, as outlined in a Machine Learning Blog post this morning:

Moving forward, we will build R and Revolution’s technology into our data platform products so companies, developers and data scientists can use it across on-premises, hybrid cloud and Azure public cloud environments. For example, we will build R into SQL Server to provide enormously fast and scalable in-database analytics that can be deployed in an enterprise customer’s datacenter, on Azure, or in a hybrid combination. In addition, we will integrate Revolution’s scalable R distribution into Azure HDInsight and Azure Machine Learning, making it much easier and faster to analyze big data, and to operationalize R code for production applications. We will also continue to support running Revolution R Enterprise across heterogeneous platforms including Linux, Teradata and Hadoop deployments. No matter where their data lives, customers and partners will be able to take advantage of R more quickly, simply and cost effectively than ever before.

Microsoft committed to continue support of the open source variants of R as well, and to carry forward “efforts to educate and train aspiring developers and data scientists who want to learn R”. Microsoft also announced plans to share more information, including demos and the roadmap, at this year’s Build and Ignite conferences, coming up at the end of the month and in early May.

Terms of the deal were not announced.