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SMI is an open project that Microsoft has been developing in recent months. Through that early stage, the company has already acquired major partners such as VMWare, Weaveworks, Pivotal, Docker, AspenMesh, and more. Service Mesh has brought majors changes to networks through Kubernetes. Previously, networks were limited but Service Mesh allows smarter integration through management APIs. The technology has become increasingly popular with developers. “There’s extensibility just all over the system,” Brendan Burns, Kubernetes cofounder and Microsoft distinguished engineer, told VentureBeat....

In its announcement, the company calls SQL Server 2017 RC2 an important release. Its continues development of SQL Server and enhances its performance for Windows, Linux, and Docker containers. Microsoft points out development on the platform continues. Performance improvements are the focus as SQL Server 2017 works towards managing Tier 1 workloads. RC2 is available to test now, and as usual the SQL Server team wants user feedback. The company has supplied updated developer tutorials to help developers install SQL Server 2017 across platforms....

Lists is another example of Microsoft fleshing out its workplace tools to provide organizations with a one-stop shop for inter-organization collaboration tools. However, while the company has largely built on current market leaders – such as the success of Microsoft Teams after basing the service heavily on Slack – Microsoft Lists is different. Microsoft is not building on a current market leader with Lists, but is instead entering a space that I ready for expansion without a clear leader....

According to Aggiornamenti Lumia, you can now draw in Mail and Calendar, making it a strong choice for touchscreen users. It works with the Surface Pen, fingers, or graphics tablets, with a number of color and nib options. Users can access the functionality under a new ‘Draw’ tab once they begin composing mail, where they can add a canvas to the mail. After the message is complete, the app converts it a png so receivers can view it on any device....

Among those fixes is a patch for one Win32K zero-day that has already been exploited in the wild. October 2021 Patch Tuesday covers fixes for a wide range of Microsoft products, such as Exchange Server, Visual Studio, Edge browser, Microsoft Office, and MSHTML. Microsoft is tracking the zero-day vulnerabilities as CVE-2021-41335, CVE-2021-41338, CVE-2021-40469, and CVE-2021-40449. The latter of those is the vulnerability that already has an active exploit. Microsoft says CVE-2021-40449 has a CVSS severity rating of 7....

As suggested, the required setting sends only what’s necessary for the normal functioning of Office. “We collect diagnostic data necessary to keep office secure and up-to-date so that its proper execution can be guaranteed on the device on which it is installed,” it reads. “For example, what operating system you are using and whether office updates have been successfully installed.” The optional setting is for those who wish to contribute more, letting Microsoft receive error logs and other data to improve its services....

Specifically, the update simplifies the task of moving and copying folders and files on OneDrive for SharePoint. Microsoft is using a new dialogue method where users can more easily select where their content is going. In terms of what functions are available, everything is the same. So, all the admin controls, errors, and restrictions are as they were before. Microsoft says the new system is coming to Targeted release on OneDrive for SharePoint during this month....

Of course, Bluetooth is widely spread and is currently functional on 5 million devices. The connection method is common across Android, Windows, Linux, and all iOS devices before iOS 10. Armis calls the collection of vulnerabilities BlueBorne and says the problems are “epidemic”: “These vulnerabilities are the most serious Bluetooth vulnerabilities identified to date,” Armis said on Tuesday. “Previously identified flaws found in Bluetooth were primarily at the protocol level....

Discovered by Patently Mobile, the patent shows a new enhanced method for iris recognition. The filing states that the eye-scanner would be placed within a device, with components illuminating the eye from multiple angles. The device will then be able to store image data of the different angles of the eye to create a digital log of sorts. With this log, the device will store data on the eye and will use it for authentication to log into the device....

R is among the most popular languages for data analytics and visualization. Microsoft says the durable base of R has been available to Power BI users for some time. However, they have been limited to report plug ins to help authors create custom visuals. While this is a powerful ability, adding interactive support make R support on Power BI more useful. The new offering generates HTML as a visual as opposed to a static image....

Ahead of the Surface Dup launching and the first reviews, the video gives us the best look of the smartphone in action. Usually Microsoft’s press event would have been held in a public setting. Unfortunately, the company has been forced to send all conferences and press reveals into the virtual space amid the COVID-19 crisis. For the time being, this will continue into 2021 at the earliest. In the Surface Duo video, Microsoft’s Windows and Devices chief Panos Panay talks about the handset, the underpinning tech, and how it works with Android....

And that’s where we will start because this really is a breakthrough technology that will be available for Skype users. Microsoft says the app now supports real-time translation for video calls and the translation will use your personal voice (TruVoice). This means the person who hears the translation of you speaking will hear it in your actual voice. Microsoft has been working on this AI-driven technology for nearly a decade, first researching it eight years ago....

Microsoft Sway is a digital storytelling app which helps users create presentations, newsletters, and personal stories. Users can just add the content they want to share with others and let the application do the rest of the work. My Sways By far the most important aspect of Microsoft’s latest update to Microsoft Sway for iOS is the newly added “My Sways” experience. “My Sways” makes it easier for users to find the Sways they’ve created, and expedites the creation of new Sways....

Windows Template Studio uses a process that aids developers through creations. The on-board wizard highlights frameworks, pages, and features into a four-step guide to building a UWP application. Microsoft said it build the service as an evolution of Windows App Studio. Like that service, Template Studio is a free tool for dev’s. Because it is open source, users can help to improve the platform and customize the engine in their own way....

For those unfamiliar with the conference, here’s a quick summary: “Microsoft Future Decoded offers an inspired vision of the digital business of tomorrow, with the tangible advice you need to drive your business forward today. Join the brightest decision makers, developers and IT pros to learn how digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cloud for good and digital skills can pave the way for business success.” Future Decoded London Schedule The first day of the event seems to focus on AI and emerging technologies....

As mentioned, the app lets users customize their Windows 10 Mobile smartphones. This is achieved through the creation of lockdown xml files that can be installed onto a device. Ok, while the idea of changing up a handset is appealing for all, Lockdown Designer is more focused on companies. For example, organizations may need to manage and limit apps and features for employees. Some companies will want to limit access of some apps and features on devices....

Microsoft Research Asia’s machine learning translation won with translation tasks for Chinese-English, English-Finnish, English-German, English-Lithuanian, French-German, German-English, German-French, and Russian-English. The company also performed well in other areas, coming second in English-Kazakh, Finnish-English and Lithuanian-English. Microsoft was competing in the 2019 fourth Conference on Machine Translation (WMT19), which is now in its 14th year. This annual competition gives researchers and tech companies an opportunity to show how their translation technology is progressing....

With this report, we can see that the Surface Mini was very much a thing. Going back three years ago, Microsoft was struggling to sell its tablets. As the market was declining, the company was still paying for a messy entry into the market. The Surface Mini was potentially a way to tap into a seemingly growing demand for small-form tablets. However, it was never released and that demand shrunk as the tablet market declined....

Tencent Security points out thousands of Microsoft SQL servers have been compromised. Researchers from the security division of the Chinese tech giant says it calls the previously unknown hacking group MrbMiner. This is in reference to a domain the group uses in some malware attacks. MrbMiner has been able to spread the botnet by finding Microsoft SQL servers online and hitting them with brute-force attacks. This method consists of bombarding admin accounts with passwords in the hope some servers have weak passwords....

Despite reports of Microsoft concessions, a source tells Bloomberg that Microsoft has still not told the FTC about any concessions it is willing to make. We initially heard last week Microsoft is willing to make concessions to keep EU regulators happy. Earlier this week, Reuters reported Microsoft and Sony have held meetings and Microsoft has agreed to a 10-year licensing deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Presuming the acquisition closes in 2023, that would keep the franchise on the Sony PlayStation 5 and then the future PlayStation 6 until at least 2033....