It’s under a thirty minute drive from Microsoft headquarters in Redmond Washington to Century Link Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks. Microsoft continues to send their support down route 90. During the Windows 10 event they said the technical preview of Windows 10 for mobile would be released after the Seahawks defeat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Microsoft sponsors the Seahawk’s star quarterback Russell Wilson who can be seen getting haircuts and winning games using the Microsoft Surface, which is incidentally the official tablet of the NFL. But during their upcoming Super Bowl commercial it may not be their on the field connection that is featured.

Last year Microsoft featured an emotion evoking commercial during the Super Bowl that features Steve Gleason, a former NFL player, using technology to communicate while living with ALS. The advertisement has a series of clips showing how technology changes people’s lives. A young double amputee is running between cones, a woman cries as she hears for the first time, and Gleason is shown communicating with his son using a screen that tracks his eye movements.

Microsoft hasn’t revealed any details about the upcoming commercial but it’s likely that they will follow the same trend and show that technology helps people in the real world.

On January 21st, Microsoft held a Windows 10 event for select media members, showcasing the company’s progress with Cortana, the new Spartan browser, and much more. During the event, Microsoft revealed that over 1.7 million Windows Insiders who are helping providing over 800,000 bits of feedback. Back in December of 2014,  there were 1.5 million insiders with over 450,000 of them being highly active.

In a new tweet today by Gabriel Aul, the man who is front and center with Windows 10, we have learned that the Windows Insider Program has earned 173,624 new members just one day after the Windows 10 event. Clearly, these new Insiders were looking forward to getting their hands on a build of Windows 10 — which wont be arriving until next week. Let’s hope these new Insiders are active and provide feedback!

Welcome! To the 173,624 new #WindowsInsiders who signed up since our #Windows10 event yesterday!

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 23, 2015

One Microsoft. A single cohesive Microsoft working together to deliver a single Windows, working across all devices, and powering everything from Office and Bing to Xbox, and yes, even Holographs. That was the message Microsoft sought to deliver yesterday as it invited some 2-300 press to talk about some consumer features coming with Windows 10, including Cortana (introduced with a shout-out to Zac and WinBeta!); modern apps running in windows, with no outward facing differences between how a modern app and a legacy Win32 application are treated; an Xbox app that lets you play games across devices, stream your Xbox One games onto your PC, and find and connect with new gaming friends; new apps for photos and maps and mail that work across your devices seamlessly; and built in controls and support for sensors that make Windows capable of delivering everything from new smartphone experiences to Holographs.  Yes, holographs.

While seamless integration of services like Mail, Calendar, and Maps has been promised since back in the early days of Windows Live, that integration is finally coming to pass.

Windows 10 will run across a full slate of devices, from phones to tablets to the Xbox to PCs to 84” Surface Hubs, but just as importantly, Microsoft is building in a set of experiences that will connect Windows 10 devices that are common and shared. While seamless integration of services like Mail, Calendar, and Maps has been promised since back in the early days of Windows Live, that integration is finally coming to pass. 

Ask Cortana a question, about say an upcoming flight on your phone, and (with permission), she’ll remember that information the next time you log into your PC.  Plan a trip on your PC and get directions on a map (and by the way, it’s Maps now, not Bing Maps, and Microsoft’s Maps will go back to getting top billing on phones, replacing HERE Maps by default), and those directions will be ready for you on your phone.  Mail and Calendar, too, are getting significant upgrades, with new and common sets of functions.

Our day at Microsoft began in Building 92, where the Microsoft Company Store is located, but we headed upstairs to a sharply furnished series of rooms and hallways all decked out in low slung white leather couches and live grass centerpieces, and started the day with the keynote you saw on the webcast. 

Terry Myerson started things off with an overview of Windows 10, giving shout out’s to the Windows Insiders for their participation in building the new product.  He then turned things over to Joe Belfiore, who walked us through Cortana, Spartan, and Windows Phone, confirming much of what you’ve already been reading about on WinBeta, and showing off more aspects of build 9924.

Xbox is coming to Windows 10

Next up was Xbox’s Phil Spencer and the new Xbox app for Windows 10.  In an effort to bring Microsoft’s two gaming communities, those on Xbox and PC gamers, together, Microsoft is tying messaging, achievements, cross platform play, and streaming from Xbox One to the PC all together in a new app that in many ways brings Xbox onto the PC.

The Surface Hub – a re-invented whiteboard

Spencer then handed things off to a demo of the Surface Hub, which is of course built on Windows 10 but even more so on top of OneNote, offering an ever-scrolling whiteboard with quick color controls, the ability to move things around easily, 100 points of touch and 3 pen inputs to allow collaboration, and the ability of remote workers to contribute to whiteboard sessions through their own use of OneNote, and full audio/video connections featuring some impressive built-in hardware.

Through the curtains, however, there were still signs that a legacy Microsoft still looms.  Although this was billed as a consumer event, the new Surface Hub (a redesigned Perceptive Pixel smart whiteboard) is a decidedly non-consumer product. No big announcements were made in the keynotes about the elusive touch-friendly Office, except that there still will apparently be touch and non-touch versions of Office co-existing, or was Office featured in the demo sessions. 

While the first build of Windows 10 for phones was confirmed for a February debut, there weren’t any new phones to show off, and the word was that we’ll have to wait for new flagship devices, although they are coming, until around the time Windows ships later this year. With all of the talk of a faster, more nimble Microsoft, they’re behind on flagship phones, they’re behind on a touch friendly Office (we’ve been waiting since Windows 8.0), and it could be argued that they’re behind on Windows 10 for phones, if you expected a January consumer event release.

One More Thing: the HoloLens

But back to the good stuff.  After touting One Microsoft, Microsoft pulled off a mother of a “one more thing”, revealing a completely new consumer product, the HoloLens that you can think of as perhaps a cross between Google Glass and the Oculus Rift.  Instead of being immersed inside of an alternate experience, the HoloLens brings a virtual world on top of the real world by overlaying computer generated imagery over what you still clearly see through the HoloLens glasses. 

While I won’t go into the details of our tour of the secret basement laboratories underneath Microsoft’s Building 92 Visitor’s Center, you can read Peter Bright’s description at Ars Technica or Todd Bishop’s at GeekWire, or any number of others, we all shared the same tour and same experiences, I will say that experiencing even an early version of this new hardware device, new worlds were literally opened up.

But, as cool as it is, with an admittedly great “wow factor”, will the HoloLens really be the next big thing in consumer computing? It certainly wowed the tech press in attendance, and there’s no doubt that it’s impressive and amazing technology.  But so of course is the Kinect, which while it works well and opens up new worlds of gesture and voice to the Xbox and the PC, hasn’t really caught on as a mainstream product. 

The fact is, gamers don’t really want to jump around their living rooms and talk to their consoles, they just want to sit and play cool games.  Will a new generation of consumers want to immerse themselves behind a still somewhat imposing set of headgear, in what in this early look seems to be a fairly anti-social experience?  How do you share HoloLens with your friends?  In the demos, we saw computer screens that showed what the user was seeing from inside HoloLens, and maybe that’s the way you’ll be able to share the experience, trading off the Lens and then watching on a screen.

Don’t get me wrong, the HoloLens is a very cool experience, with endless possibilities.  But like the Kinect and Google Glass, it takes more than just cool experiences, they have to fit in to how we live, work, and play.  Microsoft’s entry into the Holograph domain, which up until yesterday we didn’t know existed, set off fireworks amongst the tech press yesterday, and rightly so.  Will it do the same for masses of consumers?  That we’ll have to wait and see.

Satya recaps

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella closed the event by sharing some personal stories about what Microsoft means to him as he meets with people around the world, and what Windows 10, and innovation like the HoloLens, is doing for the company.  He said that Microsoft wants to be “loved” again, and that “Microsoft is home for the very best of Microsoft services”.  Microsoft has added its own event highlights reel to recap the experience, you can watch it here if you missed the event or want to relive it:

Still, the big news of the day, aside from the distractions of futuristic holographs and enterprise whiteboards, was all about Windows 10 and One Microsoft. In talking with Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela before yesterday’s festivities began, he made it clear that new CEO Satya Nadella is serious about the company working together as a whole.  With a single core of Windows 10 running across a wide range of devices and a set of services to go along with them, with Xbox and Windows coming ever closer together, with Bing and Cortana and Spartan and Office all existing on every device and sharing one experience, and with almost unheard of new experiences like the HoloLens fitting seamlessly into the system, Microsoft may finally be coming together as one, indeed.

This week’s deals for Xbox Live (Gold or Silver) members feature significant price cuts on a number of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. There are currently five deals on games and add-ons for Xbox One, and twelve deals on games and add-ons for the Xbox 360. Please note that these discounts are only available for Xbox Live members until January 26th.

Xbox One games including Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition, Sunset Overdrive and Sunset Overdrive Deluxe get 40% cuts off their original prices. For Xbox 360, Skyrim, Final Fantasy XIII 2, and Farming Simulator, will get half off their original prices. Lucky for Xbox 360 gamers, they get the lion’s share of the discounts this week.   

Stay tuned next week for another week of Xbox Live deals on games for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. As a reminder, you can take advantage of this week’s deals as an Xbox Live Gold or Silver member. Head on over to Major Nelson’s website in the link below for a full list of Xbox Live discounts. Be sure to act fast on these Xbox Live discounts, as they expire January 26th. 

Microsoft had introduced a number of exciting ideas at their January 21st event; one of those amazing products was Microsoft HoloLens. The company in Redmond wants to bring us holograms, and they have created a new product to do just that. If you are excited about the idea, then you should give their new website (and video) a good look.

The new Microsoft HoloLens site proudly proclaims that “the era of holographic computing is here”. When you visit the website, you can sign up for the latest news on the product or follow the development on Twitter.

Microsoft’s creation requires you to wear a visor – something you probably won’t be wearing out in public, so we don’t think you will be fighting invisible zombies in the streets. Microsoft’s latest invention seems more natural to wear for specific purposes such as CAD design, gaming, entertainment, etc.

The website also notes a few features of the HoloLens including that the device has no cords, no phones, nor wires, and no tethers. The headset is also “lightweight and adjustable”, with built-in “spatial sound” that allows wearers to hear holograms within the room.

Take a look at the video and let us know what you think of Microsoft’s HoloLens project. It is up to the world to decide if it is a new revolution, or just another wearable dud.

Following their enterprise customers, Microsoft has developed a new device called the Surface Hub. This is a 84in device which is built upon the technology acquired with Perceptive Pixel. The device is loaded with sensors and is aimed at businesses as a collaboration device. Ideally suited for meeting rooms, this device will enable people to work in meetings like an enhanced white board.

The device will feature a 84-inch 4K display, with an array of sensors such as Speakers, NFC, WiFi, and microphones. Enterprise customers may be interested in this device’s ability to work digitally while still holding meetings in a similar way. Writing and working with media on the Surface Hub will be easy and natural, then all notes can be saved and shared digitally without the need for scanning or photographing a whiteboard.

Microsoft has today confirmed the existence of its Internet Explorer successor, Project Spartan. This next-generation browser is designed to work with “the way developers develop for the web today”.

This new browser will run on Windows 10 on both the PC’s and the phone and will support a new annotation feature that will allow for users to take notes directly on web pages and have them saved for later viewing. It has OneNote integration and saved pages with markup can be shared the same way users can share content on Windows 8.1; via the Windows system share charm which hooks up to all third-party applications that support sharing.

Project Spartan is also optimized for a great reading experience. Microsoft uses Reading Mode here so that everything but key text and images are shown, no chrome (pun intended). It also has offline support with Reading List integration so users can take webpages offline for later viewing.

Cortana is also built directly into Spartan who will show up at opportune moments to be helpful when she can. Cortana will track flights for example and show up when searching for related sites to make it easier to get flight information. Cortana scours the internet and when users are on websites of particular restaurant for example, Cortana will be right there with directions to that restaurant. Without going into too much detail, it’s clear that Cortana is deeply integrated into Spartan. Microsoft notes that Project Spartan is the first and only browser with a personal assistant integrated and always there to help.

Project Spartan will be available in the next few months for Windows 10 Insider participants. 

“Code-named “Project Spartan,” the next generation browser was built with greater interoperability, reliability and discoverability, with a new look and feel built just for Windows 10. Advanced features include the ability to annotate by keyboard or pen directly on the webpage and easily share with friends, a reading view that is distraction free, displaying the article in a simplified layout for a great reading experience for Web articles online and offline, and the integration of Cortana for finding and doing things online faster,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be a service, keeping the operating system experience current across a number of different devices throughout its supported lifetime. Not much else is known about Windows 10 being a service, however the Official Microsoft UK twitter account tweeted the photo above with unveiling the news. We’ll update this story as soon as we know more.

LIVE UPDATE: #Windows10 will be a service, keeping the experience current for the supported lifetime of the device pic.twitter.com/FJU6Rvc2aC

— Microsoft UK (@MicrosoftUK) January 21, 2015

Microsoft has announced the Windows 10 January Preview, which includes a number of new features and user interfaces which align Modern UI with the desktop in a much more natural way.

New features include an updated Start Screen, Start Menu, Notification Center, Tablet Mode, and much much more. The new January Preview works great on tablets too, meaning it’s the first build optimized on more than just desktop and laptops.

The upcoming preview also includes Cortana running on the PC. She can do pretty much everything the Windows Phone version can, which is excellent.

Now, not all features demoed at the event will be available in the upcoming preview, some will be available, some will be showing up over the next few months.

The January Preview is expected to roll out to Windows Insiders starting next week. Stay tuned!

Microsoft appears to be a frequent target for attackers lately. The company’s Xbox Live service was attacked last month, resulting in an outage for gamers on Christmas. And now, some login credentials of the recently-acquired Mojang’s Minecraft — the company which was acquired by Microsoft for a whopping $2.5 billion — were leaked online in plain text format, yes, both usernames and passwords of users of the game. 

According to a German publication, over 1,800 usernames and passwords of Minecraft users were posted on Pastebin in plain text format, allowing other users to login with the credentials, and install the full version of the game. However, it’s still unclear on how the information was obtained. It could be worse for those users who are using the same password on multiple services, such as their social media accounts, PayPal, or their email addresses. 

On one side, 1,800 may appear to be a small proportion of Minecraft users — which is in millions if we combine the user base on all platforms. Nonetheless, it’s still worrying as we don’t know if any other usernames and passwords were accessed too — the ones not leaked yet. Plus, there’s no mention about any such hack on the Mojang’s website or Microsoft, but if it has happened, now might be a good time for both companies to shed some light on the breach, and guide the users.

In case you’re worried, you should change your password to Minecraft right away, the company already has a guide on how to choose a strong password in their help section — it’s better to be safe then sorry. And remember, never to use the same password for important services such as you bank accounts, PayPal and other services, and enable two-step authentication whenever possible. 

We’ll update you if Microsoft or Mojang release a statement about the breach. 

Following the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the French government has launched an investigation to find all of the suspects involved. Two suspects supposedly sent emails related to the attacks from their Microsoft Outlook accounts and the government has requested that the FBI have Microsoft hand them over, to which the company has obliged.

Microsoft lawyer Brad Smith noted in a recent speech that the request was legal and that it took the software giant less than hour to deliver the emails in questions. Smith said that this proves that private companies can work with governments to work towards apprehending criminals but stressed that open government access to consumer information, i.e. snooping, should only happen under strict regulations.

He suggested that if governments want to take full access to consumer information and out of the hands of private companies then those changes should be put into law first.

“If those in government want to shift the line between safety and privacy, the appropriate path is to do so by changing the law rather than asking those of us in the private sector to shift this balance ourselves… Democratic societies, not private companies, need to decide on the balances to be struck between public values such as public safety and personal privacy.” – Brad Smith, Microsoft lawyer

Earlier this month, British Prime Minister David Cameron caused outrage after proclaiming that should he be re-elected, he would work to ban all encrypted mobile communication services like WhatsApp, unless the companies behind those apps build backdoors which the government could use to snoop on customer conversations, more on that here.

Microsoft’s swift response here is evidence that constant government surveillance and breach of customer privacy is not necessary, provided they follow the correct means to obtain information they are looking for.

With Work Folders users can store and access work files on personal computers and devices, often referred to as bring-your-own device (BYOD), in addition to corporate PCs. This key feature on Windows Server can now be accessed from an iPad thanks to an app that was just made available.

“Work Folders is a Windows Server feature that allows individual employees to access their files securely from inside and outside the corporate environment. This app connects to it and enables file access on an Apple iPad. Work Folders enables this while allowing the organization’s IT department to fully secure that data. This app for iPad features an intuitive UI, selective sync, end-to-end encryption and in-app file viewing,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Here are the key features of this app:

• Pin files for offline viewing.
• Saves iPad storage space by fully showing all available files but locally storing and keeping in sync only the files you care about.
• Files are stored encrypted at all times. On the wire and at rest on the device.
• Access to the app is protected by an app passcode – keeping others out even if the iPad is left unlocked and unattended.
• Allows for DIGEST and Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) authentication mechanisms including multi factor authentication.
• View your files right inside the app with a built-in viewer for many file types.
• Open files in other apps that might be specialized to work with a certain file type.

Grab the app via the download link below.

Mass youth unemployment is one of the unfortunate realities of the world in which we live. This is especially the case for those resident in either Spain or Italy, where around half of all young people are unemployed, placing an enormous strain both on their country’s infrastructure and their personal well-being.

Though this situation isn’t the fault of those it affects; it is still their responsibility to find their way out of it. Even if others find it difficult to find work, there are a few who manage to life their heads above the rest. Lorenzo Dente is one of those who have achieved this, with the help of Microsoft YouthSpark.

Twenty years old and based in the notoriously tough neighborhood of Scampia, on the fringes of Naples, all of the odds were stacked against Dente. Especially when considering that youth unemployment in the region has hit 42%, simply ‘becoming another number’ figured high on his list of possible life outcomes.

Faced with this, Dente instead joined a local program, which teaches tech and entrepreneurial skills to those from low-income backgrounds, based on the idea that they come up with easy solutions to everyday problems and build a business around the concept. Well aware of the situation from which he had come, Dente resolved to tackle reduce crime, and littering.

As a member of a team, he created a program called “Clean Up and Innovate”, tasking people from around the neighborhood to pick up their trash and then recycle it into works of art to be sold, creating lamps and boxes (among other items) in addition to this.

Funding for this program came from Microsoft YouthSpark, an initiative which seeks to improve the situation for young people across the world by helping to create educational opportunities. With their help, Dente is now helping to improve life for those across his city, and in time he may accomplish a great deal more.

Have you worked with Microsoft YouthSpark? Let us know in the comments below.

It is a little known fact that, while Marvel has been busy empire-building with its all-conquering ‘Avengers’ franchise, little DC has been squirreling away, producing a roster of fine direct-to-DVD releases that are a hidden treat for fans of the comic-book genre.

Perhaps aware of this, perhaps just taking whatever was available, “Justice League: The New Frontier” shall be shown by Microsoft as part of the Xbox Video Free Movie Weekend. From now until midnight on Sunday, anyone with a Microsoft account can access the film for free. When accessed, the film will remain available for viewing for another 24 hours, and can be accessed from any device running Windows, or from the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One.

In addition to this, Microsoft is slashing the price of all other such DC Animated Universe films, meaning that anyone with a penchant for spandex and laser beams can have something of a field day.

Will you be viewing the film? Let us know in the comments below.



Capcom have announced that Resident Evil Revelations 2, destined to be the first in a serialized set of games, is to be delayed by approximately one week in “an effort to fine-tune the final product” .

Coming to Steam and the Xbox One among others, the game will make its debut to audiences on the 25th of February, with later installments in the series set to arrive on the 4th, the 11th and the 18th of March, making 4 entries overall. All episodes will be released together in one package on the 20th of March, this will include two bonus episodes for users to play through. Each entry in the series will cost $5.99, with the whole bundle coming in at $24.99.

This is an ambitious release schedule, as such it is expected that there may be further release date slips.

Will you be picking up an individual entry, or even the whole series? Let us know in the comments below.

In the tech world stats are easy to come by and can be hard to defend. A recent report has been released which ranks the different cloud providers by their downtime, and Microsoft does not look good. Amazon and Google both had very little downtime in 2014 for both their compute and storage services. Azure on the other hand suffered several outages which yielded considerable total downtime.

Most cloud providers have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) which states an up time guarantee and if that is not met, then the company has to pay their customers for the lost time. Google and Amazon’s cloud storage service were only down for 14.23 minutes and 2.69 hours respectively over all of 2014, and Google’s compute engine was only down for a total of 3.4hrs in the year. Microsoft Azure had compute downtimes totaling 42.94 hours and storage downtimes totaling 10.94 hours.

While these stats are not good, it doesn’t mean that Azure is doomed. 2014 was a big year of growth for Microsoft and hopefully 2015 will be a year where Microsoft invests in stability and has a better record than 2014. These stats are also signs that Amazon and Google may have more stable and mature clouds for now, but Microsoft can still compete on price and features.

Last year Microsoft, added hundreds of new features to Xbox One – mostly due to user feedback. In February of this year, Xbox One is set to release another system update with an all-new feature called game hubs. With game hubs, you can share comments and content with your Xbox Live friends, game developers, and other Xbox Live members about your favorite Xbox One game. Microsoft has also added more tile transparency for custom backgrounds and a handful of updates to live TV.

Those enrolled in the Xbox Preview program can snag this update right now. According to Xbox Wire, here is a full list of what is included in the Xbox One February update:

• Game hubs 
• Custom backgrounds and tile transparency 
• OneGuide for the Netherlands: Support for OneGuide will continue in preview for the Netherlands and the missing channels for the Netherlands OneGuide listings will become available over the next few weeks.
• TV trending in OneGuide
• Live TV trending (new countries) – France, Germany, Brazil and Mexico will begin seeing live TV trending data in Xbox OneGuide.
• Improved control of TVs, set-top boxes and audio/video receivers – Xbox One will work even better with more devices. This month’s preview release contains updates to the IR blasting database for new models and addresses issues reported by our fan community.
• “Trick play” with Xbox One Digital TV Tuner – Preview members with the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in supported countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) will now be able to see video frames when fast-forwarding or rewinding paused TV on your Xbox One consoles.
• Live TV streaming on Windows Phone and Android – We are continuing the preview of live TV streaming on Windows Phone and Android devices for Xbox One Digital TV Tuner owners in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. 

Let us know what you think about these new features coming out in February in the comments section. Also, check out the video below for more information on these features.

Microsoft and PayPal Here are teaming up to make point-of-sale (POS) systems better and more convenient for small business owners. Later this year, small business owners will get a chance to get a new PayPal Here card reader and a PayPal Here app for Windows 8.1 across the US.

Small business owners usually need laptops to handle inventory, payroll, and scheduling. Surface Pro 3 can handle much of the legwork done by a traditional PC and its portability helps small business owners complete tasks while on the move. Amy Berend, the owner of Bridal Boutique in Texas, has nothing but good things to say about her business experience with the Surface Pro 3:

I love working with brides and helping them find their perfect dress. But the number of details and intricacies that go into choosing your wedding dress and accessories can be stressful. By using Surface Pro 3 and PayPal Here, I can actually bring the device into the dressing room with me. I can work with the bride directly to customize her dress and accessories orders in my system and accept payment on the spot. Additionally, with Surface Pro 3 I can photograph my inventory for posting online, manage my employees, and manage my budget, which I wasn’t able to do before when I used an iPad. Surface Pro 3 and PayPal Here have helped make doing business easier, faster and more convenient.

The PayPal Here app will be available for Windows 8.1, and later PayPal Here will make its way to Windows Phone on Microsoft Lumia devices. Check the video below for more information and let us know what you think about this new partnership in the comments section!

Remember the Scroogled campaign? This controversial campaign kicked off in late 2012 and was on fire in 2013 when Microsoft blatantly trolled Google in various ads. In 2014, the campaign slowly faded into the background like an old toy you didn’t care about anymore, and now the domain name scroogled.com points to whymicrosoft.com, seemingly fading away like it never even existed.

It all started in late-2012 when Microsoft declared that all Google shopping results are basically paid ads and wanted consumers to be aware of that. When the Scroogled campaign was in full force, we were introduced to a video from Microsoft that blatantly bashes the Google Chromebook. In essence, the video touted the Chromebook as being a brick and not a real laptop. Another video featured “Ben the PC Guy” (@BenThePCGuy) walking the streets of Venice, California, with a Google Chromebook. The campaign also attacked Gmail, stating that Google scans emails in order to target and tailor advertising. We’ve embedded some old Scroogled videos below in case you missed them.

Google has always been scrutinized for using targeted ads in its mail services since launching their Gmail service in 2004. In fact, Google has been subject to unsuccessful lawsuits which claimed that the practice violated illegal eavesdropping laws.

“Scroogled will go on as long as Google keeps Scroogling people. We know Google doesn’t like it when the facts come out,” a Microsoft spokesperson stated back in 2013. Oh how times have changed. Mark Penn was the man behind the campaign, which targeted newspapers, television, and social media. On March 2nd of 2014, we learned he was being promoted and the campaign slowly began fading away. 

The Scroogled website, which is located at scroogled.com, is no longer active and now redirects to a new website at whymicrosoft.com. This new effort seems to be aimed at businesses and appears to be less aggressive that the Scroogled campaign, which admittedly, was quite harsh. Then again, Microsoft was just fighting back in a business where the gloves are typically off.

On Microsoft’s new and friendlier “Scroogled” website, now known as Why Microsoft, the Redmond giant is looking to appeal to businesses. “We combine decades of innovation to deliver high performance, low costs, and a competitive edge for your business. Explore how enterprise-proven solutions from Microsoft stack up against our competitors,” the Why Microsoft website states.

The website lets you compare Google Apps, as well as Amazon’s web services and more against Microsoft’s solutions. Head over to www.whymicrosoft.com to check it out. You can also relive some of the old Scroogled campaigns below.

As happens with Microsoft, or any software company, when it released Windows 7 back in 2009, it did so with a certain shelf-life in mind. Five years were given to the operating system, as was the case with its predecessors, including the pretty, but absent-minded, Windows Vista, and the functional, but aging, Windows XP. 

It is now 2015, and those five years have, unfortunately, passed. From tomorrow, 01/13/2015, the ‘mainstream’ support phase for Windows 7 will end, meaning that significant software development on the part of the platform, from Microsoft, will cease. From this point onwards, the OS will exist in the strange limbo in which all former children of Redmond live, receiving only security updates to ensure the viability of the platform as future threats emerge, both from outside and within.

With a large subset of the Windows user-base still working from Windows 7, this is quite a significant development, though one that was telegraphed by Redmond rather a long time ago. Though day-to-day usage will most likely remain the same for the vast majority of users, the only option for those who wish to be on the cutting edge is to take the (sometimes bitter) pill and upgrade.

Will you be upgrading to a newer version of Windows? Let us know in the comments below.

On December 31st, a Google researcher discovered and disclosed a privilege escalation bug in Windows. The researcher even reveals a PoC (Proof of Concept) program for the Windows 8.1 weakness. In it, he details how to take advantage of the vulnerability.

Today, Microsoft has issued a call for ‘better coordinated vulnerability disclosure.’ Basically, the issue is straightforward. Some people, including Google, believe that full public disclosure convinces software vendors to fix vulnerabilities quickly and allows affected customers to take quick actions to protect themselves. This is not always “black and white” especially when it’s the competitor’s software you are exposing.

Microsoft disagrees with this method. In fact, Microsoft believes a software vendor should be able to fully assess the potential vulnerability, evaluate the issue against the threat landscape, and issue a fix before disclosing the information to the public. This would prevent an attacker from utilizing the vulnerability when there is no solution to fix the issue.

“Those in favor of full, public disclosure believe that this method pushes software vendors to fix vulnerabilities more quickly and makes customers develop and take actions to protect themselves. We disagree. Releasing information absent context or a stated path to further protections, unduly pressures an already complicated technical environment,” Microsoft’s Chris Betz stated in an official blog post. “It is necessary to fully assess the potential vulnerability, design and evaluate against the broader threat landscape, and issue a “fix” before it is disclosed to the public, including those who would use the vulnerability to orchestrate an attack. We are in this latter camp.”

Betz singles out Google in his blog post, stating that Google released information on a vulnerability before the planned fix, which was set to take place on Patch Tuesday. In fact, the vulnerability was disclosed by Google despite Microsoft’s request not to.

“Specifically, we asked Google to work with us to protect customers by withholding details until Tuesday, January 13, when we will be releasing a fix. Although following through keeps to Google’s announced timeline for disclosure, the decision feels less like principles and more like a “gotcha”, with customers the ones who may suffer as a result. What’s right for Google is not always right for customers. We urge Google to make protection of customers our collective primary goal,” Betz explains.

What’s right for Google is not always right for customers.

Betz further adds that Microsoft does not believe it is right to have security researchers find vulnerabilities in a competitors’ products, apply pressure for the need of a security fix or patch within a certain time frame, and them publicly disclose the information about the vulnerability, allowing customers to be attacked before a fix is even created.

Anyone involved in software development knows that responding to security vulnerabilities can be a complex, extensive and time-consuming process. Microsoft urges Google, as well as other companies, to work together, because ultimately it is all about the customer.

“Let’s face it, no software is perfect. It is, after all, made by human beings. Microsoft has a responsibility to work in our customers’ best interest to address security concerns quickly, comprehensively, and in a manner that continues to enable the vast ecosystem that provides technology to positively impact peoples’ lives,” Betz adds. You can read his entire blog post at the VIA link below.

This week has been quite interesting in the world of Microsoft. We’ve covered a lot over the past week and chances are you most likely missed an important piece of news. Let’s take a look back in a feature we call “Weekend Recap,” highlighting the popular stories from the past week.

Windows Phone

It looks like Microsoft is gearing up to release a build of Windows 10 for Windows Phone devices. This past week, a new app titled Phone Insider appeared in the Windows Phone Store, which “provides registered Windows Insiders the ability to receive pre-release OS updates on their phone, directly from Microsoft.” Right now, normal insiders are unable to sign into the app, as it’s currently only available for internal Microsoft employees.

You will soon be able to take photos faster and with HDR using the new camera app for Windows Phone. These incoming camera improvements to the Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520 were shown off at CES 2015. Speaking of the Lumia 930, Microsoft is selling this smartphone in a gold color in China and other reigons — the Lumia 830 is available in gold too.

According to PornHub’s statistics, from 2013 to 2014, the website saw an amazing 52.3% increase in traffic being served to Windows Phone devices. While that number sounds impressive, Windows Phone devices on PornHub only account for 2.6% of total mobile traffic.

Earlier this week, Verizon Wireless pulled all of its Lumia smartphones from the Verizon Wireless website. Apparently, Verizon is ‘temporarily sold out’ of all Lumia Windows Phone devices.

Tubecast, a third party client for YouTube, got an significant update this past week, adding faster app start-up, new DLNA Smart TV support, and more. Gameloft’s Pastry Paradise hit the Windows Phone Store this past week, giving gamers yet another puzzle game to toy with. VLC for Windows Phone kept receiving updates this past week, fixing bugs and crash issues. Telegram Messenger also got an update, receiving custom sounds for push-notifications and more.

According to a new report from Kantar, Windows Phone market share has hit a new low as Microsoft struggles to compete with Google and Apple.

Microsoft released a new app to their Windows Phone Store dubbed Social News. Social News is designed to allow users to share local events with people around them as well as post their own stories for people located in their general vicinity to read.

Earlier this week, Yezz announced a new Windows Phone, the Yezz Billy 5S LTE. This device features a 5-inch 720P HD screen, LTE, a 1.2 GHz Quad core processor, and Dual-SIM technology. The Yezz Billy 5S LTE has 8 GB of phone storage with 1 GB RAM, with a 5 MP front-facing camera and a 13 MP rear camera.

And finally, Microsoft says they haven’t forgotten about Office for Windows Phone. Microsoft plans to reveal more later this year and promises ‘an incredible Office experience is on the way.”

CES 2015

CES 2015 took place this past week and several new and exciting Windows PCs were unveiled. You can read our top-five picks here. 

Dell unveiled a new XPS 13 that has very little bezel, Intel announced a $149 Compute Stick which runs Windows and Linux, MSI announced a range of new Windows 8.1 gaming laptops and all-in-ones, Lenovo announced a host of new Windows-powered laptops, hybrids and tablets, and much more. You can check out our entire CES 2015 coverage here.

Microsoft’s products and services

Microsoft is testing a new feature where you can save your Outlook email attachments directly to your OneDrive account. The new feature is only available to some users and has not been rolled out to all Outlook users as of yet, but hopefully the new feature will be released system-wide soon.

OneDrive for iOS was updated this past week with push notifications and recycle bin support, bug fixes, and much more. Microsoft also promises a single sync engine in OneDrive by end of 2015, to bring a consistent experience across platforms.

Office Online has also added new improvements and features to help the blind and poor-vision users make their way around the application. Microsoft’s Azure continues to deliver more security, scale, and simplicity with new updates announced this past week.

Microsoft has stepped into predictive policing by helping create a solution for crime prevention and counterterrorism. Thanks to advances in data analytics and machine learning, we can use data to help prevent crime through more effective and efficient resource allocation.

Microsoft released its first foray into wearable computing, the Microsoft Band, nearly two months ago, and now the health and fitness device received it’s first update, with an assist from the Microsoft Health app.

Microsoft has further expanded the preview of Office on Android. Microsoft announced they’re expanding Office for Android tablet preview for all Android users with an ARM-based tablet running Kitkat or Lollipop, and have a screen size between 7 and 10.1-inches. This will definitely help the company to decide what features users are looking for the most, and how they can improve it before the stable version is released in the Google Play Store. 

The weeks biggest stories

Rudy Huyn offers Snapchat the source code for 6snap so they can make an official app

“Rudy Huyn offered Snapchat the source code for his third-party app, 6snap. 6snap and other third-party Snapchat clients were removed from the Windows Phone Store on December 20th, further frustrating Windows Phone owners that no official Snapchat app has been released.”

In a world ruled by Android and iOS, why have I chosen to stay with Windows Phone?

Read this great editorial from Joseph Finney as to why he chooses Windows Phone over Android or iOS everyday.

Yesterday, we reported on a leaked Windows 10 internal concept showing dark and light theme options similar to the theme choices on Windows Phone. Today, cnBeta released another Windows 10 user interface concept (used internally by Microsoft) showing possible new features on the Windows 10 taskbar, as well as a better look at Spartan, the new browser that comes with Windows 10.

The new leaked Windows 10 concept shows a search box with possible Cortana integration and the disappearance of the magnifying glass icon. While these Windows 10 taskbar features are not confirmed as being in the RTM Windows 10, it is good to see Microsoft is experimenting with different taskbar designs and features.

I think Cortana integration with Windows 10 is a must as I use Cortana daily on my Lumia Icon for reminders and to track flight information when I travel. It would be helpful to also get reminders on my laptop, so I do not have to constantly check my Windows Phone. I also noticed that the leaked Windows 10 concept shows different icons for different Windows services like music. Keep in mind that the design will probably change by the time Windows 10 is officially released, as it is just a concept at this point.

Let us know what you think in the comments.   

Technology companies are constantly delivering new products which change the way we interact with the world and each other. Microsoft in particular has been releasing new services, programs, devices and ways of using technology. A blog was made named Next at Microsoft which showcases different products and people who are involved in pushing the envelope of technology today. Now, George Takei will host a podcast which will bring on different interesting people to talk about technology.

Getting his fame from being on Star Trek, George Takei has always been interested in how technology is growing every day. On Star Trek a device called the Universal Translator was used by the crew to communicate with other forms of life, and today Skype’s real-time translator has done something similar for enabling natural communication between people speaking different languages. The first episode of the new podcast is currently available for download, grab it below.

When the Las Vegas lights begin to fade away into the rearview mirror and your fellow technology journalists are falling asleep in the back seat – CES is over. This year’s 2015 Consumer Electronic Show left some impressed, and others underwhelmed. Dell announced a PC without hardly any border, Lenovo decided to make an ultrabook “lighter than air”, Intel made a PC smaller than your palm. Here at WinBeta, we would like to present you with our editor’s pick of the top five Windows PCs and what our writers have to say about them.

Dell XPS 13

“The Dell XPS 13 is one of many new devices that were unveiled at CES 2015 and comes with a stunning edge-to-edge 13” touch screen display with a resolution of 3200 x 1800. Our own Fahad Al-Riyami puts it best: ‘There is very little bezel, in fact, not even enough to fit a camera at the top-center of the display. It’s still there though, but at the bottom left of the screen, likely angled. Dell have basically squeezed a 13” display into an 11-inch sized laptop.’” – Ron

Intel Compute Stick

“As far as the specifications of the Compute Stick are concerned, it is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The Compute Stick runs on Windows 8.1 with Bing, which if you remember, is a full-fledged version of Windows 8.1 with Bing.com as the default search engine in the Internet Explorer. It is also free, which makes it possible for manufacturers to keep the price of their product cheap.” –Manish

Toshiba Portege Z20t

​

“The tablet features a 12.5-inch Full HD display with vibrant colors, and wide viewing angles so it could be used by students and business professionals alike. The Wacom digitizer comes with 2,048 points sensitivity to offer a smooth handwriting experience. It’s powered by an Intel Core M processor which offers impressive performance without affecting the battery life of the machine — the company claims it can provide a battery time of up to nine hours on a single charge. It can be detached from the keyboard so you could use it in a tablet mode. The keyboard features a hinge mechanism so it could be detached with one hand, without using a lot of force.” –Hammad

MSI GT80 Titan SLI

“Now at the top of the line, gamers on the go can have a mechanical keyboard, 32GB of RAM, and dual GPUs starting at a whopping $3,400! From there, the laptops drop in specs and price hitting $2,000 for a laptop with a dock containing video cards, and for $1400 a lightweight and long lasting Apache series.” –Joseph

Lenovo LaVie Z

“Then there’s the LaVie Z series. Designed in collaboration with NEC, the LaVie Z is “Lighter than Air” weighing a mere 1.72 lbs. (which technically isn’t lighter than air, but we digress). Whether or not that’s a dig at Apple we can’t say for sure, but the device really is light, lighter than the Surface Pro 3 and Type Cover too. It comes in two models, both with 13.3” displays, up to an Intel Core i7 5th generation processor, up to 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, 2 USB 3 ports, HDMI out, an SD card slot, and supports both Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.0 standards. You can get your hands on the LaVie Z series in May for a starting price of $1299.” –Fahad

Manufactures try to impress the market with their products’ new innovations and overall improvements; CES is the time to make your products shine and show them off to the world. We loved Dell’s nearly boarderless display, Intel’s flash drive style PC, Toshiba’s beautiful tablet entry, Lenovo’s super light LaVie PC, and MSI’s built-in mind blowing mechanical keyboard. Now it is your turn, make sure to comment below and give us your own opinion on what you loved from this year’s 2015 CES!

We use our smartphones every day no matter what, that could mean super hot summers or freezing winters, and our phones are expected to keep up with us. One person will be pushing himself to the limit to summit the tallest peak on Antarctica alone. With him, Martin Szwed plans to bring along two Lumia 930 devices, a Surface Pro 3, and a solar charger for power. With these devices Szwed plans to share his experience along the way, as he takes this amazing journey.

Martin Szwed has a history of achieving great things like summiting four mountains Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Elbrus, and Denali and overcoming cancer. Now driven by a passion to get the most out of life Martin Szwed is working on climbing the tallest mountains on every continent. Thanks to the wonders of small and light devices and the internet, we will all be able to follow along while Martin Szwed uses Skype to check in. Along with Skype, OneDrive and OneNote will be essential tools used to document the adventure.

Microsoft has a big problem to tackle in China: counterfeit software, especially Windows. To crack down on the pirated copies of Microsoft’s intellectual property, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MuO) with Alibaba Group, the company who operates the largest e-commerce sites in the region such Tmall and Taobao.

​As a part of the agreement, the Chinese company will take appropriate measures to get rid of the unlicensed and counterfeit Microsoft products from their sites. Furthermore, Alibaba Group will also help those customers who purchased counterfeit software to get compensation from the sellers who sold pirated software through the website. 

China is one of the biggest markets, and the use of counterfeit software makes a dent on the revenues of the company. To further counter this issue, both companies will work together in creating awareness among the consumers regarding the risks pirated software poses to their personal data and information. 

“Microsoft is committed to protecting customers from downloading or purchasing non-genuine software that expose users to spyware, malware, and viruses that can lead to computer crashes and network system failures, loss of personal data, and sensitive business information leaks,” Tim Cranton, Microsoft’s associate general counsel and Greater China region’s chief legal counsel, said. “Not only will users’ information security be protected, but legitimate businesses and innovators in China will also benefit from a safer and more robust e-commerce marketplace with safeguards to protect intellectual property rights.”

It will be interesting to see the outcome of the agreement between two giant companies, and how much it will help in getting rid of the unlicensed copies. 

Microsoft began issuing Patch Tuesday updates over ten years ago. Before that, patches were pushed out without any kind of schedule, causing IT pros to scramble to keep up, or ignore critical patches altogether, and so the “Patch Tuesday” idea was born to make patching systems easier and more manageable.  In a blog post yesterday, however, Microsoft announced that it will no longer offer ANS (that’s Advanced Notification Service) for upcoming Patch Tuesday, or as Microsoft is calling it now, Update Tuesday.

In the post on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog, Senior Director Chris Betz writes “(m)oving forward, we will provide ANS information directly to Premier customers and current organizations involved in our security programs, and will no longer make this information broadly available through a blog post and web page”.  Instead, Microsoft will provide the service only to Premier customers, as “the vast majority wait for Update Tuesday”.

This has angered some IT pros, according to ComputerWorld, who wrote on the changes yesterday:

“They’ve gone from free to fee, and for really no particular reason,” said Andrew Storms, vice president of security services at New Context, a San Francisco-based security consultancy, in an interview. “It doesn’t make sense.”

And Ross Barrett, senior manager of security engineering, at Rapid7, let loose with both barrels. “This is an assault on IT and IT security teams everywhere,” Barrett said in an email reply to questions. “Making this change without any lead time is simply oblivious to the impact this will have in the real world. Honestly, it’s shocking.”

 Microsoft’s explanation for killing the advanced warning is that due to optimized testing, etc., large customers no longer use the ANS the way they did in the past. This doesn’t make much sense to Andrew Storms (quoted above), who says “I don’t get it. It’s the wrong economic model. They say no one was using it, so now they’re going to charge for it?”

And in fact it isn’t Microsoft’s large customers, who are already probably Premier customers, who will be affected most by the change, it’s the small IT shops who will now have to wait for “Update Tuesday” and quickly decide what kind of impact the updates are going to cause their organizations, without any warning.

While Microsoft is dropping ANS, and taking some control away from non-Premier customers, effectively “hiding their security report card from the general public”, as another IT pro told ComputerWorld, Microsoft is promising that there will be advanced warning when it is needed, telling ComputerWorld that “If we determine broad communication is needed for a specific situation, we’ll take the appropriate actions to reach customers.”

Microsoft is still committed to “Update Tuesdays”, only now small IT shops are going to have to work harder to stay on top of securing Microsoft products, which seems a shame.

Education is increasingly becoming more of an indispensable necessity than a luxury in almost all corners of the world, but as we make advances in technology that we use in all aspects of our lives, education often finds itself slow to adapt. While there have been numerous cases of individual educational institutions that have adapted, this is one of the few cases where a large governing body takes drastic measures to upgrade its education system to 2015 standards.

As part of a commitment to provide the latest educational tools to students, the state of Maryland is providing free access to Office 365 to all its K-12 public school students. The students can then use Microsoft’s latest productivity and collaboration suite both at school and at home.

“The Microsoft Office 365 tools and IT Academy programs provide Maryland students with new opportunities to learn marketable skills and acquire an edge as they prepare to compete for careers in a global marketplace. We chose Microsoft tools because their programs enable every student access to the tools for learning, collaboration and creativity in school and also at home.” – Dr. Lillian M. Lowery, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools

This is without a doubt a massive commitment from both Microsoft and the state of Maryland that will see over 1,400 schools with almost 870,000 students gain access to the latest Microsoft productivity tools, regardless of a students’ economic background, where they live, or which school they go to. It gives all students in the state an equal chance to succeed as well as giving them valuable first-hand experience with world-class software solutions that they will almost certainly come across in the future, be it at home or in the workplace.

“We want every student to have the opportunity to graduate high school with in-demand career skills that lead to jobs or postsecondary education. Our students should be prepared to succeed on whichever path they choose.”

The state is also very pleased with the Obama Administration’s ConnectED initiative which is working on providing “next-gen broadband” to 99% of American classrooms by 2018. The Initiative is also calling on private sector companies like Microsoft to support the vision and aid in making it a reality.

“Leading technology companies can produce feature-rich educational devices that are price-competitive with basic textbooks. And a robust market in educational software can unlock the full educational potential of broadband investment…” – The White House

In addition to Microsoft’s collaboration with the state of Maryland, the software giant has also made Office 365 Education free to American students enrolled at qualifying schools and their teachers. You can read more about that here, or find out about the other Office 365 subscription plans over at Office365.com

Microsoft efforts to improve education systems around the world is clearly gaining more traction as more educational institutions – and hopefully more governments – continue to demand its services and software solutions.

Yesterday, we finally got our first look at the Spartan browser coming in Windows 10. From the images, we can tell that the UI is very clean and lightweight, something very refreshing for Microsoft users. Today, more information about said Spartan browser has leaked, detailing some of the many new features which we’ll most likely get to play with soon.

Among the list of new features is the ability to annotate the web, something that isn’t currently available natively in other browsers. Users will be able to use a stylus and make notes and drawings on a webpage, which can then be shared with a group of users who can collaborate and annotate the page together.

Furthermore, it appears Cortana will integrate directly with the Spartan browser. Cortana will surface information such as flights, hotel bookings and more. In fact, she’ll replace pretty much all elements of “Bing”, which is currently used a fair bit within Internet Explorer 11. You’ll also be able to group tabs together, which will help keep things organized.

The browser will be updated via the Windows Store, and will be similar across phone, tablet and PC. Initially however, the desktop version of the browser will not be a Modern UI app, but that will change. Microsoft will make it a universal app at some point in the future, however user-experiences on both types of browser will be identical.

Microsoft is expected to talk more about Spartan at its January 21st event, which WinBeta will be attending. Stay tuned for more regarding Windows 10 and the Spartan browser!

Microsoft Research released it’s first version of the WorldWide Telescope in 2007, but its roots go back to 2002, when Jim Gray from MSR wanted to apply the lessons he had learned from creating the TerraServer earth mapping project to space.  When it launched, it famously made Robert Scoble, who was working at Microsoft at the time, cry (giving it the dubious distinction of being the first of many software products to make Scoble cry over the years). In 2008, Gray would tragically be lost at sea in an apparent sailboat accident, and an at the time unprecedented search via satellite images was conducted by Gray’s many friends and colleagues. The project carried on, however, and Microsoft Research has been maintaining the WorldWide Telescope ever since.

In a blog post, MSR announced that it would be open-sourcing WorldWide Telescope “in 2015”, and gave this description of the project:

The WWT software was designed with rich interactivity in mind. Guided tours which can be created within the program, offer scripted paths through the 3D environment, allowing media-rich interactive stories to be told, about anything from star formation to the discovery of the large scale structure of the Universe.  On the web, WWT is used as both as a standalone program and as an API, in teaching and in research—where it offers unparalleled options for sharing and contextualizing data sets, on the “2D” multispectral sky and/or within the “3D” Universe.

Now, however, MSR is beginning the transition from research project to open source with the creation of the OpenWWT Consortium, whose members “are institutions who will guide WWT’s transition from Microsoft Research to a new host organization”. You can learn more in the links below.

Microsoft will be releasing the Windows 10, the forthcoming operating system for desktop and mobile platforms, gaming console Xbox One, and IoTs sometime this year. But, in a first, the company released a Technical Preview of the still-in-development Windows 10 on October 1 last year. The Redmond-based company said that it seeks user opinion and feedback as it makes the next operating system for them. Windows Insider chief Gabriel Aul on Twitter earlier today insisted that the company has been considering users’ feedback, and many of the requested and suggested features will be available in the builds to come and the final version of the Windows 10.

In less than half a month since the release of Windows 10 Technical Preview, the company announced that over 1 million users had downloaded the build, and had sent  200,000 user feedbacks. The company is accepting user’s feedback through a dedicated app available on the build named Windows Feedback app. In addition, it is also receiving the feedback from its Windows UserVoice forums, where users request new features. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it yet, UserVoice is a forum of sorts where people can post new ideas and upvote and comment on others’. The most popular ideas are then sent over to Microsoft to be looked at. If the company finds it reasonable, it would consider adding it to the corresponding product.

@vithren I think we haven’t done a good job of marking things on uservoice. Many suggestions being taken or considered. Will poke on this.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 7, 2015

Microsoft arguably didn’t get everything right with Windows 8 operating system. By removing Start menu, and offering Modern UI — the tile-esque interface — the company unintentionally managed to miff a lot of users. The idea behind opening up to the consumers for their suggestion with Windows 10 is to better understand what they really want, and let them be a part in the development process. So far, users have been fairly impressed with Windows 10 operating system.

The company has an event on January 21, where it will be discussing the next “chapter of Windows”. We are expecting some consumer-oriented features of the Windows 10 to be showcased at the event. Also, the company is expected to showcase the mobile SKU of Windows 10 at the event.