A special Mulan-themed Lunar New Year event is set to begin in just a few hours in the Disney Magic Kingdoms video game on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices and all other supported platforms.

The Mulan event will be a Tower Challenge type of mission that will give players the chance to unlock Khan (the villain of Mulan) by completing regular tasks from today until February 11th.

Mulan’s horse, Shan Yu, will also unlock in the game and be available to purchase for 500 gems, Disney Magic Kingdoms’ in-game currency that can be earned in-game or bought with real-world money.

“Celebrate the year of the tiger with Mickey, Minnie, and more as they once again dawn their beautifully festive Lunar New Year and Lunar New Year – Hong Kong costumes,” the event’s official description reads. “Discover our new tapper event and enjoy the fireworks!”

An update for Disney Magic Kingdoms rolled out to all platforms earlier this week. This update is needed to play the Mulan event. It also makes some important changes to the parade feature and Merlin’s shop.

The full release notes for the app update and the event can be read here.

Disney Magic Kingdoms is a free-to-play app that comes pre-installed on many Windows devices, such as Microsoft’s Surface products, in several major regions. The main purpose of the game is to unlock characters from Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars films and TV series, design a Disney theme park, and defeat Maleficent who has cursed the play area.

Want more Windows app update news? Follow us on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Download
QR-Code

Disney Magic Kingdoms

Developer:
Gameloft SE

Price:
Free

With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft released an operating system that no longer supports many processors and has limited support for hardware with TPM 2.0 capability.

Contrary to the controversy over its processor requirements, the TPM 2.0 specification is actually not a big deal for most users because most modern devices have this security feature.

The fTPM or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a relatively new standard that can be found on some computer systems that are based on AMD processors. It works alongside the BIOS and can be enabled by simply following a series of instructions provided by the manufacturer, but this feature may cause performance issues for some configurations.

Though it is straightforward to implement, the Trusted Platform Module has some problems with AMD’s technology that include audio glitches and stuttering frame rates. It is worth noting that, this issue occurs because of compatibility problems between AMD’s fTPM and Windows 11.

Major setbacks

Based on information gathered, it indicated that enabling the firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) could reduce performance and cause stuttering when you’re playing games on either Windows 10 or Windows 11.

The bug does not affect all devices, rather the issue has been reported to affect users with specific machines. It looks like the problem will not render your device unusable, but users have noticed stutters on certain models when upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10.

Recommended workaround

Windows Latest reported on the problem, and suggests uninstalling the latest version of its operating system, Windows 11, and turning off the company’s new fTPM security feature on Windows 10, both of which might help address the stuttering issues.

If you are experiencing stuttering while playing games with your AMD graphics card on Windows 11, you should consider reinstalling Windows 10 or waiting for a patch from Microsoft and AMD.

Have you experienced any stuttering issues with your device while gaming? Share your experience with us in the comment section below.

In releasing their FY 22 Q2 earnings, Microsoft also pushed out a new document detailing some of the product changes between quarters. We’ve given the document a look, and have a look at everything new in Windows, Office, and Xbox these past few months. It covers Windows 11, the launch of games like Forza Horizon 5, the launch of Office 2021, and so much more.

Windows

Of course, we start first with Windows. The biggest story? Between Microsoft’s financial quarters, Windows 11 launched with a new look for the Start Menu, and new tools, ways to connect. In addition, Microsoft also launched Windows 11 SE, a special edition of Windows purpose-built for education and grades K-8 users.

Other Windows highlights include the launch of Windows 365, the new Microsoft Store, and changes to store policies to welcome other storefronts like Epic Games and Amazon. Oh, and let’s not forget the launch of the Windows 10 November 2021 update, which is focused on adding some enterprise features.

Office, Microsoft 365, Edge

As far as Office goes, Microsoft announced Office 2021, which comes with new co-authoring inking tools, data types, functions, and more. With Microsoft 365, meanwhile, Microsoft launched Viva Connections, Insights, Learning, to help ensure employees can stay connected to their organization’s culture. We’ll also include Edge here, too, which picked up features like Efficiency mode, new shopping, and security features, and inking features for PDFs.

Teams

Teams is always big for Microsoft, and in between financial quarters, there were a ton of announcements. Microsoft launched Teams Essentials, updates for Whiteboard in Teams, a Standout presenter mode, and tons of capabilities for Teams Phones. Also included is the ability to purchase third-party Teams app subscriptions through the Teams store, and end-to-end encryption in 1:1 calls on Teams.

Xbox

On the Xbox side, things were very busy. Between quarters, Microsoft launched titles like Age of Empires IV, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite Campaign, and even Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition. Other moments include the celebration of 20 years of Xbox with special controllers, a docu-series. And let’s not forget Minecraft becoming the first property on YouTube to pass one trillion views. And while not mentioned in the document as the deal won’t close until next year, we have to mention too the blockbuster acquisition announcement that Microsoft is buying Activision / Blizzard.

Other highlights

We’ve just hit the major products most people care about, but Microsoft also launched new Surface devices between its quarters. That includes Surface Duo 2, Surface Laptop Studio, Pro 8, Slim Pen 2, Laptop SE. There were a ton of Azure announcements, too, centered around data centers, IoT, AI, and more. It definitely was a big quarter for Microsoft, and with the news that Windows 11 is gaining momentum, things can only get better from here on out.

Crusader Kings III, the latest installment in the popular PC grand strategy RPG franchise, is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles on March 29, 2022. The game was initially released on Windows, macOS, and Linux back in September 2020, and this will be the first time that the decades-old IP makes its way to consoles.

For those unfamiliar with this franchise, Crusader Kings III is a complex strategy game where players need to lead their dynasty to glory throughout the Middle Ages. The gameplay options include everything from wars, spying, strategic alliances, to royal marriages, and the PC version previously received critical acclaim.

Developer Paradox Development Studio has done a lot of work to make the menu-heavy game playable with a controller. This new console version will have the exact same content as the base PC game at launch, with existing PC DLCs coming to consoles at a later date. However, the PC and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game won’t support cross-saves at launch.

If the PC version of Crusader Kings III is already available with PC Game Pass, the Xbox Series X|S version hasn’t been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass for Console yet. However, the game is now available for pre-order on the Microsoft Store where it’s priced at $49.99.

After a relatively blockbuster-like Q2 earnings performance, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella veered into metaverse talk as he prepares investors for the company’s future in gaming, devices and communication.

During the hour-long call with investors, Nadella and chief financial officer Amy Hood tag-teamed a combo of talking points for investors that included how many businesses use the company’s Cognitive Services, access GitHub and Visual Studio or Azure PaaS services, how many employees are connected to Dynamics 365, the increase in PC demand, the explosion of cybercrimes and even how 3rd party titles underperformed expectations for Game Pass.

However, through the morass of numbers and highlights for the quarter it was the five times Nadella mentioned the metaverse that will have investors ears perk up over the coming years as they seek explanations for future expenditures from Microsoft.

Nadella mentioned metaverse when talking specifically about bringing Azure IoT, Digital Twins and Mesh to help businesses analyze and visualize processes. Nadella then went on to mention the metaverse again when strictly talking up Teams, as a way to “have watercooler-type conversations and even whiteboarding sessions.” Nadella’s last specific example of metaverse inclusion came when discussing the recent Activision Blizzard acquisition where the company plans to make gaming physically more accessible to players can “play great games wherever, whenever, and however they want.”

Nadella caps his entire conceptualization of Microsoft’s proposed metaverse in a response from a question posed by investor Mark Moerdler who asked blankly, with all the hype around the phrase, what are the key components to a metaverse and how many does Microsoft currently have. Tom Warren from The Verge captured the metaverse portion of the earnings call:

listen to how Microsoft CEO @satyanadella describes the metaverse for gaming, Teams, and devices. He says it's "essentially the next wave of the internet. I think the next wave of the internet will be a more open world where people can build their own metaverse worlds." pic.twitter.com/KZJrd40QlH

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) January 25, 2022

Up the stack, I would say. Dynamics, Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces, that’s a solution that’s in preview today. That’s about really being able to take a retail space or a connected factory or a building and essentially create a complete new software category, which is about managing physical processes. Just like CRM and ERP and supply chain management, we now have a suite which is all driven by Connected Spaces, which is going to automate physical processes.

Teams is going to have Mesh meetings or these immersive meetings, which will start first of all on 2D screens, whether it’s PCs or phones, and then lead up to even immersive experiences if you wear your VR or AR goggles. That’s another place.

And then, of course, gaming, that will be a natural place for us. And today, if you think about the activity, when I talked about the Forza numbers, right, that’s a place where you could say already people are investing in their avatars, people are building Minecraft worlds. And so very naturally, you can see us extend gaming as the metaverse evolves.

On the devices side, one of the things we’re very excited to be doing is what we’re doing with HoloLens and all the experience we’re gaining on the optics, on the silicon side, and all the way to the cloud in terms of some of the foundational services, driven by all the HoloLens use cases in the enterprise.

That’s the broad portfolio. We’re going to invest across the entire tech stack. The demand will come in different forms for different categories, but we feel very well-positioned to be able to catch what I think is essentially the next wave of the internet, right? Just like the first wave of the internet allowed everybody to build a website, I think the next wave of the internet will be a more open world where people can build their own metaverse worlds, whether they’re organizations or game developers or anyone else.

Microsoft has many of the components to realize its own metaverse currently, the burden now rests on the company to execute a successful transitioning of businesses, customers and consumers to integrating and creating a sense of dependency on future metaverse.

Among some of the interesting tidbits from Microsoft’s latest earnings call are some new numbers on the Windows front. The company’s CEO Satya Nadella reported that there are now 1.4 billion monthly active Windows 10 or Windows 11 devices.

The new milestone, which seems to now consist of all types of devices running modern Windows (Hololens, Xbox consoles, and also Windows 11 devices themselves,) is just a small uptick from Microsoft’s last report. Back in April 2021, the company said there were 1.3 billion monthly active Windows 10 devices. However, at that time, Windows 11 was not released and wasn’t in that figure.

Even with the uncertainty of the “Windows 11 difference” in the numbers, this hints that Windows is still key in Microsoft’s profits despite the pandemic slowing down the PC industry. Windows OEM revenue was up 25%, and Surface revenue increased 8% overall this quarter for Microsoft.

Windows 11 was released back in October of 2021, and it’ll be four months since then this February. Reports have said that Windows 11 adoption is approaching 10%, which could be seen as quite low, but enthusiasts have shown a positive reaction to the new OS.

Microsoft has just released the KB5008353 update for Windows 11, a new optional patch that fixes various issues related to audio devices, app icons in the taskbar, as well as multi-monitor setups. As usual, this patch is part of Microsoft’s non-security preview “C” releases for all supported versions of Windows, and all bug fixes included in these optional patches will roll out to all users with next month’s “Patch Tuesday” updates.

Today’s KB5008353 patch includes a fix for an issue causing some devices to stop working when connected to multiple displays, and Microsoft has also addressed the bug preventing some apps from rendering colors correctly on select HDR displays. You can find a detailed list of bug fixes and quality improvements in the KB5008353 patch below:

• Updates an issue that causes the audio service to stop responding on some devices that support hardware-accelerated Bluetooth audio.
• Updates an issue that affects icons for apps when the apps are not running. On the taskbar, these icons might display as active as if the apps are running.
• Adds a new Your Microsoft Account page to the Accounts category in Windows Settings for Home and Professional editions.
• Updates an issue that incorrectly shows the volume icon in the taskbar as muted.
• Updates an issue that causes a device to stop working when it’s connected to multiple displays.
• Updates an issue that affects the auto-hide feature of the taskbar. The taskbar might not reliably appear when you hover over the primary or secondary display.
• Updates an issue that might prevent icons from appearing on the taskbar of a secondary display.
• Improves auto brightness to provide a better response under low light conditions on all the supported systems.
• Updates daylight savings time to start in February 2022 instead of March 2022 in Jordan.
• Adds the HelpWith feature, which uses Microsoft Bing technologies to suggest Help topics that are relevant for each Settings page.
• Updates an issue that displays outdated battery percentages for connected Bluetooth devices on the Bluetooth and other devices page in Settings.
• Updates a known issue that might prevent some image editing programs from rendering colors correctly on certain high dynamic range (HDR) displays. This frequently affects white colors that might display in bright yellow or other colors.

You can download this optional patch from Windows Update right now, though be aware that Microsoft has acknowledged an issue causing recent emails that are stored locally to not appear in the search results of the Microsoft Outlook desktop app. It’s possible to mitigate this issue by disabling Windows Desktop Search, which will force Outlook for Windows to use its built-in search feature. However, Microsoft is already working on a more permanent fix that will come in a future Windows 11 patch.

In a January 24 Tweet, U.S. President Joe Biden indicated his support for the right for consumers to repair their own devices. The President also specifically mentioned Microsoft by name, right alongside Apple, indicating that both companies are now changing their policies.

When you own a product, you should be able to repair it yourself. That’s why I included support for the “right to repair” in my Executive Order.

Now, companies like Apple and Microsoft are changing their policies so folks will be able to repair their devices themselves.

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 24, 2022

It’s likely that Biden is referring to Microsoft’s recent decision to hire a third-party organization to study the environmental and social impacts of increasing consumers’ options to repair their devices. Additionally, there’s the fact that Microsoft also highlighted the repairability of the Surface Laptop SE and partnered with iFixit on Surface repair tools for authorized repair technicians.

On the political side, President Biden has long been tough on this issue which was first raised under the administration of former President Trump. Back then, the FTC looked into how device makers are restricting the rights of consumers to fix products. Under Biden’s administration, the FTC published a report, indicating that it has the right to take action against groups who stop end-users from fixing products. Biden himself also signed an executive order which enforces the FTC rule.

It’s important to note, though, that Biden sees the right to repair as a competitive issue since reduced repair options could increase costs for end-users and shut down smaller repair shops. On Monday, Biden mentioned both tractors, as well as smartphones when talking about right to repair.

As for the Apple side of the story, Apple recently detailed how it would make it easier to repair iPhones at home. In November, the iPhone maker launched a Self Service Repair program, which allows tech-savvy customers to complete iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, and even M1 Mac repairs on their own using official genuine Apple parts and tools.

Microsoft Defender for Business, a new endpoint security solution for enterprise customers will soon roll out to organizations with a Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan. The new security offering was first announced at Microsoft’s Ignite conference in November, and it became available in preview for select customers a month later.

As small and medium-sized businesses are facing an increasing number of cyberattacks, Microsoft has designed Microsoft Defender for Business as a straightforward and cost-effective enterprise-grade endpoint security solution for organizations with up to 300 employees. For bigger organizations, Microsoft offers two separate Microsoft Defender for Endpoint plans with different security features.

The core pillars in Microsoft Defender for Business include antimalware and antivirus protection, Automated investigation and remediation, as well as integrations with the Microsoft 365 Lighthouse admin portal and third-party security tools. If Microsoft Defender For Business will be included as part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium ($20/user per month), it’s also available as a standalone offering ($3/user per month). The solution also supports customers having their email and productivity apps on-premises.

Microsoft expects to start rolling out Microsoft Defender for Business to companies with a Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan in late February, and all customers should have it by early Match. If you want to participate in the public preview, you can learn more about how to get your organization on board on this page.

To celebrate the start of Lunar New Year celebrations on February 1st, Microsoft is giving gamers the chance to win a one-of-a-kind Xbox Series S console inspired by the Year of the Tiger.

To enter, all Xbox fans need to do is like and retweet this tweet from the official Xbox Twitter account and wait until the competition ends on February 3rd to hear who the winner is.

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 in a region that supports Xbox Live. Winners will be notified via a DM to their Twitter account.

Full details on the competition can be read here.

Want more Xbox news? Follow us on Twitter here.

Microsoft is testing an interesting new feature in the Canary version of its Edge browser. Spotted by a Twitter user, a new “Quick Actions” sidebar looks to give Edge users fast access to Microsoft Rewards, games, and other content (via Windows Central.)

Today's canary preview build of Microsoft Edge includes a new sidebar for quick actions and links.

I like it, but it can be disabled in settings if you don't use it. pic.twitter.com/jQZ0VPQoj6

— Benjamin Mathis (@BenjMathis1) January 19, 2022

We’re not currently seeing the feature on our end, but it adds a narrow space to the right side of Edge, directly next to the scroll bar. In that space are five icons for the various quick actions. From top to bottom, one lets you “discover” topics, the second lets you get into Microsoft Rewards, the third lets you test your Internet. The final, two, meanwhile, let you play games, or access Microsoft 365. Note that the games section appears very similar to the Games Panel, which was previously tested in Edge Canary. It just links out to MSN games. Check it out in the images below.

In addition to that, there are also some controls for customization. Though limited, users can turn off the sidebar, or enable and disable colorful icons. Users suggest it’d be better if Microsoft could let people pin websites to the space, however.

With Edge being as busy as is, this is another interesting space for Microsoft to add to its web browser. Of course, though, since this feature is in Canary, it might not make it to the final version of Microsoft Edge at all, as Microsoft looks for feedback first. Do you like this new quick actions sidebar? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Microsoft is still working on its new “One Outlook” client for Windows and macOS, which is also called “Project Monarch” internally. We’ve already seen an early version of the app last year, and today’s ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley is reporting that Microsoft could be ready to officially reveal the app in Spring 2022.

According to previous reports, Microsoft was expected to release its One Outlook app last year, but it ultimately didn’t happen. However, the company is still testing the app internally and the new client looks a lot like the current version of Outlook on the web. The app is expected to use this same UI across Windows and macOS. As a reminder, here’s what the app looked like in a previous leak from last year.

“Microsoft could be ready to get a test version of the new Outlook to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels by late March or early April 2022, my contacts say,” Foley wrote. “By late July or August this year, Microsoft is hoping to be able to get it to Insiders in the Slow Channel, though this target date could slip until the fall, my contacts said.”

According to Foley, Microsoft will make this new “One Outlook” available as an option in the next major updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 coming in Fall 2022, and the app should be pinned alongside the existing Mail and Calendar UWP apps. Microsoft also won’t be forcing users to move away from the existing versions of Outlook for Windows and Mac, which supports power user features that many enterprise users still need. However, the Mail and Calendar UWP apps which haven’t received significant updates in years are likely on the way out.

Back in 2020, Microsoft announced a partnership with FedEx to boost the efficacy of a joint platform titled FedEx Surround. FedEx Surround is an enterprise tool that organizations can use to get visualizations in real-time of their supply chains.

Fast forward to January 2022, and the two companies are following up their previously announced partnership an additional solution born out of their joint efforts and a multiyear collaboration in “logistics as a service” for businesses.

The companies announced plans to introduce a unique data integration coupling data insights from FedEx with Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management to help brands access new information and capabilities to better fulfill, ship and service customer orders while easily integrating with their existing e-commerce platforms. This cross-platform approach helps brands deliver modern, high-value experiences directly to their customers including faster, more cost-effective delivery; near real-time delivery status communications; and convenient, frictionless returns with approximately 60,000 drop-off locations and printerless QR codes. For brands facing increased pressure to build affinity while managing higher order volumes, ensuring cost-effective fulfilment and reducing costly customer service calls, this new technology brings unprecedented opportunity to leverage existing systems of record, optimize fulfillment and deliver on their order promises with increased precision, while benefiting from a more complete view of their customer.

The newish platform is referred to as Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management and will use data and AI to help give businesses an omnichannel order management application. The omnichannel app produced by Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management can be integrated with existing businesses resources through the multitude of CRM, ERO and EDI supports Microsoft currently host.

More than just a single feed to monitor, business can also use Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management for order intake, cross-channel order fulfillment and delivery, create rules-based order actions with low or no-code environments, all while leveraging Microsoft’s Azure cloud machine learning and AI services.

Microsoft and FexEd are expected to roll out availability to Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management to US-based customers in the second half of 2022, with no further word on an international rollout at this time.