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We’ll get to why that is the case soon, but it is worth noting that the company is eager to point out some other milestones. The year is flying by and we are only a month out from E3 2018. Over the last couple of years, Microsoft has dominated the trade show. This year it will be a more muted affair of game launches and fan parties. Still, the company is ramping up anticipation for the event by listing some Xbox One achievements....

We reported at the end of the summer than Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams will become a single solution. Microsoft confirmed this at Ignite 2017 in September. Teams will become a single communication client, taking the core features from Skype for Business. Office 365 users will not be getting the integration instantly. Microsoft published a roadmap for migrating Skype for Business features over to Teams. The new update is part of the first wave of those features starting the move....

1 Standard Subscription2 Premium Subscription If you’re unfamiliar with Microsoft Teams Rooms, they are videoconferencing hardware build by Microsoft OEM partners. Rebranded from Skype Room Systems in 2019, the devices offer features like meeting integration, chat abilities, voice-over, and whiteboard tools. Alongside confirmation of upcoming subscription tiers, Microsoft says Teams Rooms devices can now be managed from the Teams Admin Center Portal. This new ability has been available since the release of version 4....

With this API, developers can improve rendering by adding Raytracing to current techniques. By doing so, the API can enhance the visual quality of games. In an accompanying blog post, Microsoft says current 3D gaming is something of a myth. All titles use a technique called rasterization, which actually operates in two dimensions. “Through approaches like z-buffering and occlusion culling, games have historically strived to minimize the number of spurious pixels rendered, as normally they do not contribute to the final frame....

The company has rolled out a new video series on YouTube called Microsoft Unboxed. This series will explore projects Microsoft is working on. Hosted by Sonia Dara and Colleen O-Brien, the show will air every Thursday at 9 AM PST: Yesterday, Microsoft Unboxed debuted with its first episode, “AI for Good”. During the 12-minute discussion, Dara and O-Brien discussed Microsoft’s investment in AI, both monetary and developmental: “In the first episode of our new YouTube series, Microsoft Unboxed, Sonia Dara and Colleen O’Brien go “behind the tech” to explore Microsoft’s AI for Good initiatives, unpacking AI for Accessibility and AI for Humanitarian Action....

Today, Remix3D.com introduced two new features that should fuel creativity and collaboration within the community. It seeks to remove the problem of improper attribution and give artists the credit they deserve. Remixes and Parts It centers around two new tabs that appear or any Remix3D model. For a start, ‘Parts’ lets viewers break a 3D image up into its individual components. Microsoft gives the example of an island with a tree and pirate – you’d be able to see each model individually....

Earlier this year, Microsoft said it was going to block Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros across all Microsoft’s Office applications. This meant that no Office app would be able to directly enable files downloads if the file contained macros. Macro malware is not a new threat and has been causing cybersecurity problems since way back in the 90s. Despite being an archaic threat method, attacks still use macros exploits with success to this day....

However, perhaps users are not fulfilling their side of the bargain. Microsoft has published a survey to assess how they can surface new Windows app to Insiders in the future. Windows Insider Program members already have the Feedback Hub for this kind of reporting. Perhaps Microsoft is concerned not enough Insiders are providing feedback, although this could just be the company adding another option. Either way, the survey asks users questions like how they get information about the latest builds....

Windows 10 on ARM is an operating system that is ideal for portable devices and leverages mobile chip technology. It combines the battery life of mobile and the full desktop app availability of desktop PCs. However, while the platform runs 32-bit apps through an emulator, it does not support 64-bit applications. That’s problematic, including for customers of Microsoft’s Surface Pro X, which is an ARM-based device. Just like any other ARM-based PC, the Pro X supports ARM and ARM64 apps, as well as emulated 32-Intel (x86) apps....

1 Full Update Release Notes2 Recent Minecraft Changes You may remember Mojang announced this update back at MINECON 2019 last September. Users across platforms will be pleased to know the 1.16 Nether Update will drop on all platforms at the same time. That’s important and further Microsoft’s push for Minecraft to be a unified experience on all devices. Included in this release are several new biomes to discover: Soulsand Valley, Netherwart Forest Red, Netherwart Forest Blue, and Basalt Deltas....

If you have never used Movie Maker, it is a simple tool for editing videos. While there are obviously more nuanced and detailed editors out there, Microsoft puts the emphasis on ease of use. It is an easy to use program that is accessible for anyone using Windows. Movie Maker has been available since 2000 and has been through numerous iterations since then. The Windows Essentials app has been in its current form since 2012....

In other words, the bug could result in machines crashing and needing to be hard rebooted. Software engineer and security researcher Sabri Haddouche already disclosed a flaw that leads to Safari, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge crashing on iPhones. It seems this bug has wider consequences on Windows devices when running through Firefox. Haddouche says the vulnerability harms the running process of the browser and can freeze the whole OS....

For those unfamiliar, @mentions let users type another’s name to send them a notification, much like in WhatsApp or Facebook messenger. It’s been available on desktop for some time, as well as apps like Outlook. The feature ships as part of build 16.0.11231.20010 (2.21 on iOS), which is a preview for a larger January 2019 update. It’s not a huge addition but should help with productivity on the go. The build doesn’t include any additional features, but it’s still early in the month....

Interestingly, Multiple Windows also allows users to see multiple instances of the same app. However, developers need to create implementations of Multiple Windows into their apps. “While built on the same foundation as iOS, iPad has become a truly distinct experience,” Apple explains. “With powerful apps designed for a large Multi?Touch display. Multitasking made simple with intuitive gestures. And the ability to drag and drop a file with a fingertip....

According to the company, options Windows 10 updates will return in July. When Microsoft announced the postponement of updates, the company reasoned it would reduce the pressure on dev’s. “We have been evaluating the public health situation, and we understand this is impacting our customers. In response to these challenges we are prioritizing our focus on security updates,” said Microsoft at the time. The delay in optional Windows 10 updates started in May and included this month....

However, full support for Split View actually goes further than that. With Outlook 4.23.0, Microsoft is letting you drag and drop text from other apps for easy calendar additions and more. “Multi-task like a pro with Outlook, now optimized for Split View on iPad. Open your mail and calendar side by side or drag and drop text into a message with your fingertip,” reads the full changelog. Splitscreen app support is becoming increasingly important for Microsoft as it gears up for the release of its Surface Duo and Surface Neo devices, which will be dual screen....

The key new feature through the April Update is the introduction of Q&A Explorer for customers. This solution provides users with another way to manage and arrange datasets. In Power BI, you can use Q&A Explorer to ask specific questions about data. The feature brings more interactivity to Power BI reports. Owners of documents can put dialog on an image, button or shape by using the Q&A Explorer. As this is a preview release right now, it is now available to everyone....

More specifically, the mobile chip giant claims OEMs simply got too greedy by charging over $1000 for a Windows on ARM device. “One of the points that we were not satisfied with the early devices was the inadequate pricing,” argues Miguel Nunes , Senior Director, Product Management at Qualcomm, in an interview with Golem.de. Nunes says OEMs can choose what price they put on their products. However, those OEMs may have felt forced into a higher MSRP because of the cost to purchase Snapdragon 8cx processors....

We already know Xbox Scarlett will be Microsoft’s flagship gaming system and embrace bleeding edge technology. According to a report from Kotaku, Microsoft has not given up on its digital-focused Xbox Lockhart console. The reports suggest the project is still alive internally within Microsoft. Furthermore, the remit of the console has not changed; that is to provide a more affordable alternative to Scarlett. Xbox Lockhart will likely be less powerful and will be reliant on digital content....

Flow received a new update for Android yesterday, scoring some new features. Available on the Google Play Store, the update syncs with your clipboard. This integration can be seen via a clipboard icon in the header. Official Samsung Flow changelog: Add authentication method (Tablet biometrics). Clipboard sharing. Windows Tablet/PC Smart View additional feature (Drag & Drop). Samsung Flow will allow you to defer activity from your Galaxy Android smartphone and continue it on Windows 10....